PENETRANT TESTING

NDT METHOD
INTRODUCTION

It draws Penetrant from the flaw to reveal its
presence. Ability of a liquid to be drawn into
a clean surface breaking flaw by capillary
action.
After some time dwell, excess Penetrant is
removed.
Developer applied which acts as a blotter.
Visible Penetrants require good white light
while fluorescent Penetrants in darkened
conditions with an UV black light.
Introduction
Precleaning
Application of penetrant
Removal of penetrant
Application of developer Interpretation
PRINCIPLE OF PT


Capillarity
or
Capillary action

PT indication
Advantages & Limitations of PT
1. Highly sensitive to small
surface flaws.
2. Simple in application.
3. Large areas & No. of parts
can be inspected rapidly.
4. Complex geometric shapes
are routinely inspected.
5. Visual representation of flaw.
6. Spray cans are very portable.
7. Relatively inexpensive.
1. Only surface breaking
defects can be detected.
2. Only nonporous surface
can be inspected.
3. Pre cleaning is very critical.
4. Surface finish & roughness
can affect inspection
sensitivity.
5. Proper disposal of
chemicals is required.
Basic Steps in PT
1. Precleaning
2. Application of penetrant
3. Dwell time
4. Removal of excess penetrant
5. Application of developer
6. Inspection, evaluation & recording
7. Post cleaning
1. PRECLEANING

One of the most critical
steps in PT.
The surface must be
free of oil, grease,
water, or other
contaminants that
prevent penetrant from
entering flaws.

2. APPLICATION OF PENETRANT

1. Spraying
With low pressure
circulation pumps, or
from pressurized spray
cans (at 45 deg & 12
from test article).

APPLICATON OF PENETRANT
2. Brushing




3. Pouring



4. Immersing/
Dipping

3. DWELL TIME

Total time that penetrant is in contact with part surface or
Dwell times are recommended by the penetrant producers or
required by the specification being followed.
The times vary depending on :
application, penetrants, material, material form & type of
defect.
The dwell time never depends on shape & size of the part.
Mini. dwell time range from 5 to 60 min.


4. REMOVAL OF EXCESS
PENETRANT

Depending on the
penetrant system used,

1. cleaning with a solvent,
2. direct rinsing with water,
3. Or first treated with an
emulsifier & then rinsing
with water.

5. APPLICATION OF DEVELOPER
A thin developer layer is
applied to the part to draw
penetrant trapped in flaws
back to surface where it
will be visible.
Applied by dusting (dry
powder), dipping/
spraying (wet developers).
Mini. development time is
10 min.

6. INSPECTION, EVALUATION &
RECORDING

Inspection is performed under appropriate
lighting to detect indication from flaws.


7. POST CLEANING

Thoroughly clean the
part surface to remove
developer from the
parts.

SURFACE PREPARATION OR
PRECLEANING
1. Solvent Cleaners

Used to dissolve & flush
away oils & greases.
Solvents are flammable,
toxic, volatile in nature.
Ex. Acetone, Isopropyl
Alcohol, Petrol,
Kerosene, etc.



2. Detergent cleaning

An effective method for
removing oils.
Non-flammable, water-
soluble & corrode the
matls.
Thorough rinsing &
drying should follow this
process.
Pre-cleaning
3. Vapor Degreasing
Used for removing oil & grease.
Resultant heating helps to drive off moisture.
Chlorinated solvents can harm matls. (nickel,
stainless steels & titanium).

4. Mechanical Cleaning
Used to remove heavy scaling by sand or grid
blasting, grinding, wire brushing use of emery
papers etc.&
followed by an acid or alkali etch

Pre-cleaning
5) Etching
Used for descaling & rust
removal .
6) Paint Removers
Paints can be removed
effectively with paint
removers.

7) Steam Cleaning
As it may not reach to deep
flaws, so
followed by a solvent soak.
Used for large items to
remove inorganic oils.

8) Ultrasonic Cleaning
This is often combined with a
solvent or a detergent bath
to improve cleaning
efficiency & reduce cleaning
time.

Characteristics of a Penetrant
1. Readily penetrate
2. Non volatile
3. Be removed easily
4. Ability to spread out in
very thin films
5. Have great brilliance of
color
6. Be inert
7. Odorless
8. Nonflammable
9. Nontoxic
10. Low in cost
11. Have permanence of
color


Physical properties of
Penetrants
Viscosity
Property of a fluid by which it offers resistance to
relative motion between its different layers.
1 stoke = 1 cm2/sec, 1CST = 10-2 cm2/sec
Optimum viscosity level is 5 CST.

Wetting ability
Ability to wet surface or measure of contact area.
Contact angle is formed by the solid/liquid interface.
Liquids wet surfaces when the contact angle is < 90.
The lesser the contact angle (< 5 ), the higher the
wetting ability.
Physical properties
Surface tension (ST)
Force acting per unit length
is called the ST.
High ST solvents will easily
dissolve dyes.
Low ST provides penetration
& spreading properties.
Volatility
Evaporation help to intensify
dye brilliance & also prevent
excessive spreading of
indications.
Penetrants should be non-
volatile liquids.

Flammability
Penetrants have high flash
point (should not be < 57C).
Chemical activity
Penetrants should non-
corrosive towards test
materials & storage containers.

Mechanisms of penetration:
Penetration depends on:

Surface condition of the part
Type of penetrant
Temperature of part/penetrant
TYPES OF PENETRANTS
According to the dye they are
using, are classified into 3 types:

Visible dye penetrant: A brightly
colored dye that is visible under
normal lightning conditions

Fluorescent dye penetrant:
Almost colorless dye, emits visible
light rays when viewed under black
light.

Dual sensitivity penetrant: It
contains both a visible dye & a
fluorescent dye for more sensitivity.
EXCESS PENETRANT REMOVAL
Penetrant removal is the most imp. step in
PT.
Over washing will remove penetrant from
flaws.
Under washing will leave too much penetrant
& cause interfering background & hide
indication.

According to the process used to remove
the excess penetrant, are classified into 3
types:

1. WATER WASHABLE PENETRANT
These are either self
emulsifying or
removable with plain
water.
1. Dipping part into water
tank or
2. by spraying with low
pressure water.

Advantages:

1. Easily washed with water
2. Good for small & rough specimens
3. Good on keyways & threads
4. Single step process
5. Relatively inexpensive

Limitations:

1. Not reliable for detecting shallow
defects
2. Easily over washed
3. Penetrant subjected to water
contamination

2. Post-Emulsified Penetrant
(PEP)
Requires emulsifier to
make penetrant water
washable.
Removed by dipping the
part into emulsifier
followed by dipping in
water tanks or by water
spraying.
Emulsification times
depends on
penetrant & emulsifier, test
surface & type of rinse.



Two types of PEP:
Lipophilic or oil base material
Hydrophilic or water base material
The hydrophilic method is more sensitive than the
Lipophilic post emulsifiable method.

Advantages
1. Good on wide shallow defects
2. Easily water washed after
emulsification
3. High sensitivity for fine defects
4. Short penetration time
5. Cannot be easily over washed


Limitations
1. Two step process
2. Difficult to remove
from threads, keyways
& rough surfaces
Solvent Removable Penetrant
(SRP)
These must be removed
with a solvent & are
available in pressurized
spray cans.
Just dampen not saturate
the lint free cloth with
the solvent.




SRP
Advantages:
1. Portability
2. No water required
3. Good for spot checking
Limitations:
1. Flammable materials
2. Time consuming
3. Difficult on rough
surfaces
DRYING OF THE PART
Thoroughly dry the part before developer is
applied.

1. The part should be placed in a drying oven
at temp. of 180F (82C) for drying.
2. Drying with a blast of high velocity air.

Too long drying will reduce the sensitivity.
DEVELOPERS & APPLICATION
Dry powder
1. Least sensitive, inexpensive
& easy to apply. These are
white, fluffy powders.
2. Applied by dipping parts in
dry powder or
3. by using a puffer to dust the
parts.
4. Developer is blown on part.
5. By Electrostatic powder
spray guns.


Water-soluble Developer
Chemicals are dissolved in
water & form a layer when
water is evaporated away.
Applied by spraying it on
the part.
If the parts are not dried
quickly, the indications will
be blurred & indistinct.
Wet Developer
Water Suspendible
Insoluble particles suspended in water &
requires frequent stirring or agitation.

Film Type Developer
Used when a permanent record is
required.
NON AQUEOUS DEVELOPER
Suspend the developer
in a volatile solvent &
applied with a spray gun
(portable).
Since highly volatile
solvent, forced drying is
not required.
Provides highest
sensitivity.

QUALITY CONTROL OF
PENETRANT TEST MATERIALS

1. CRACKED ALUMINIUM COMPARATOR BLOCK

Used for comparisons & for qualification of penetrant
procedures & not for absolute evaluations.
Block is heated to a temp. bet. 510 to 525 0C & is
then quenched in cold water to produce net work of
fine cracks.
A groove is across the center of face & 1/2 is marked
A & B.
The indications of cracks shall be compared bet. A &
B. If the indications are same the proposed
procedure shall be considered qualify.


Application of Al. block

To check the quality of different LPT systems.
To compare different penetrants (& different
developers) of different manufacturer makes.
To qualify a PT system at different
temperatures.
Sensitivity tests.

LIGHTING
Visible

1. Visible penetrant requires
light source in visible
frequency range (white
light).
2. Light intensity of at least
100 foot-candles or 1000
lux.
3. Light can be provided by
incandescent bulb.

- Ultraviolet Light (UV)

1. UV lights are used with
fluorescent penetrants.
2. Light in UV range has a
short wavelength.
3. A filter over the mercury
vapor lamp limits the
wavelength emitted with
3650 A.

Acceptance criteria
All surfaces to be examined shall be free of:
1) Relevant linear indications.
2) Relevant rounded indications >3/16 (5mm).
3) 4 or more relevant rounded indications are
separated by 1/16(1.5mm) or less(edge to
edge).
Note: A linear indication is one having a length>3
times the width.


CAUSES OF IRRELEVANT & FALSE
INDICATIONS.

Irrelevant indications are actual
discontinuities ( by design)- press fits, braze
bond lines & naturally occurring.
False Indication - indication caused by poor
washing.
1) Penetrant on operators hands
2) Contamination of developer
3) Penetrant transferred to clean specimen
from other indications &
4) Penetrant on inspection table.
RECORDING OF INDICATIONS
1. Sketches
Sketches provide the simples method of recording indications.

2. Tape Transfer
tape is laid down lightly over indication & lift tape from surface.

3. Plastic Film Developer
It is sprayed, solvent carrier acting to draw penetrant into the film.
Provides a permanent record of discontinuity.

4. PHOTOGRAPHY
The best method of recording penetrant indications is by photography.
The picture will provide the location & orientation of the discontinuity.


Welding Defects
Penetrants can detect given discontinuities

1. Porosity
2. LOP (On single sided weld joints)
3. Crater cracks
4. LOF (as toe of weld)
5. Crack at heat-affected zone.