WORLD CENTRE FOR MATERIALS JOINING TECHNOLOGY

Penetrant Testing
Coursework 1

Enter all answers on the answer sheet

1. The tendency of a liquid penetrant to enter a discontinuity is primarily due to:

a. Capillary forces
b. Specific gravity
c. Viscosity
d. Chemical inertness

2. The process by which a penetrant is drawn out of discontinuities by the developer is:

a. Capillary action
b. Suck back
c. Reverse capillary action
d. Gravitational attraction

3. A disadvantage of penetrant flaw detection is:

a. It can only detect surface breaking discontinuities

b. It cannot be used on fine cracks such as fatigue cracks
c. Parts cannot be re- tested
d. It cannot be used on non-ferrous materials

4. An advantage of penetrant flaw detection is:

a. It can be used on non-ferromagnetic materials

b. Fluorescent penetrant can be used for on-site testing of large parts
c. The temperature of the part need to be considered
d. Painted parts can be rapidly test

5. Which of the following is a type of penetrant?

a. Chemical etch penetrant

b. Non-aqueous penetrant
c. Post Emulsifiable penetrant
d. Non-ferrous penetrant

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6. A dual sensitivity penetrant is:

a. A penetrant which can be used with only visible light

b. A penetrant which can be used both abnormally low and abnormally high
temperatures
c. A penetrant that is suitable for wide, shallow discontinuities and for the cracks
such as fatigue cracks
d. A penetrant to which replenisher can be added to change its sensitivity

7. Which of the following is not a type of developer?

a. Dry developer
b. Non-aqueous wet developer
c. Aqueous liquid developer
d. Liquid developer

8. A dry developer is generally applied to:

a. Viscosity
b. Surface tension
c. Wetting ability
d. No one single property determines if a material will or will not be a good penetrant

9. Excess water- washable fluorescent penetrant can be removed by:

a. Hand wiping with a cloth moistened with solvent

b. Applying a lipophilic emulsifier
c. Spraying water until all traces of penetrant have been removed from the
surface
d. Drying in an oven at a temperature not greater than 85° C

10. Excess water- washable fluorescent penetrant can be removed by:

a. Hand wiping with a cloth moistened with solvent

b. Applying a lipophilic emulsifier
c. Spraying water until all traces of penetrant have been removed from the surface
d. Drying in an oven at a temperature not greater than 85° C

11. When fluorescent penetrants are used:

a. The inspector should allow five minutes before inspection to allow his eyes to become
accustomed to the lighting conditions
b. The quality of white light in the inspection booth should be limited to, typically 10 lux
c. Removal of excess penetrant is monitored under UV-light
d. All the above

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12. Which of the following is an advantage of the post-emulsifiable penetrant system

a. Excess penetrant is easier to remove from rough surfaces

b. Overall the process is cheaper
c. It is best for complex shape such as screw threads
d. It is highly sensitive on smooth surfaces

13. A disadvantage of dry powder developer is that:

a. It is difficult to see whether the parts has been completely covered in

developer
b. The part must be dried after application of the developer
c. It can represent a potential safety hazard through inhalation
d. It can only be used with colour contrast penetrants

14. A possible cause of non-relevant indications is:

a. Rivets
b. Contamination of dry powder developer with fluorescent penetrant
c. Failure to remove excess penetrant
d. Lint fibres on the test piece

15. Which of the following penetrant systems would be the most sensitive for the detection of
very fine defects:

a. Fluorescent water washable

b. Colour contrast water washable
c. Colour contrast solvent removable
d. Post – emulsifiable fluorescent

16. Which of the following physical properties, more than any other, determines,
what makes a material at a good penetrant ?

a. Viscosity
b. Surface tension
c. Wetting ability
d. No one single property determines if a material will or will not be a good penetrant

17. When selecting a penetrant system which of the following factors would be considered:

a. Component surface finish

b. The sensitivity required
c. The compatibility of the penetrant with the material under inspection

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d. All of the above would be considered

18. Which of the statements concerning liquid penetrant testing is correct?

a. Fluorescent penetrant will produce a red against white discontinuity indicates

b. Non-fluorescent penetrants require the use of black lights
c. Yellow-green fluorescent indications glow in UV-A light for easy viewing and
interpretation
d. Non-fluorescent indications glow in the dark for easy viewing and interpretation

19. The most widely accepted method of washing excessive water-washable penetrant from
the surface of a test specimen is:

a. By means of a wet rag

b. By means of a hose and special nozzle
c. Washing the part directly under water running from a tap
d. Immersing the part in water

20. Development time depends upon the:

a. Type of penetrant used

b. Type of developer used
c. Temperature of the material being tested
d. All of the above

21. The functions of the emulsifier in the post-emulsifiable penetrant method is to:

a. Drive penetrant into deep, tight cracks

b. React with surface penetrant to make the penetrant water washable
c. Add fluorescent dye or pigment to the penetrant
d. Provide a coating to which dry developer can adhere

22. Hydrophilic and lipophilic removers differ in that:

a. Hydrophilic removers are fluorescent whereas lipophilic removers are always colour
contrast
b. With hydrophilic removers, the application of the remover can be preceded by an
optional water wash. This is not the case with lipophilic removers
c. Lipophilic removers require a contact time at least twice as long as hydrophilic
removers
d. Hydrophilic removers are oil based whereas lipophilic removers are water
based

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23. Capillary pressure would be greatest in which of the following:

a. A wide long crack

b. A long dirt filled crack
c. A fine clean crack
d. A wide shallow crack

24. Which of the following is not a basic inspection principle that’s applied to all
penetrant methods?

a. The penetrant must enter the discontinuity in order to form an indication

b. Indications glow when illuminated with black lights
c. A longer penetration time is required for finer discontinuities
d. If the penetrant is washed out of the discontinuity, an indication will not formed

25. A good penetrant has:

a. Low volatility and high surface tension

b. Low volatility and low surface tension
c. High volatility and high surface tension
d. High volatility and low surface tension

26. Viscosity is a measure of:

a. How quickly the penetrant flows

b. How quickly the penetrant evaporates
c. The density of the penetrant compared to water
d. Wetting ability

27. Possible sources of non-relevant indications are:

a. Threads
b. Rivets
c. Splines
d. All of the above

28. An advantage of colour contrast penetrants over fluorescent penetrants is that:

a. They are more sensitive because the indications are easier to see
b. They do not require special lighting conditions
c. They are more suitable for smooth surfaces
d. They are less corrosive

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29. Post-emulsifiable penetrants have the following advantages:

a. Excess penetrant is easier to remove from rough surfaces

b. Less penetrant is used than with water washable penetrants, and the process is
therefore cheaper
c. They can detect wide, shallow cracks
d. Parts are less liable to be over washed than with water-washable penetrants

30. Disadvantages of dry powder developers are that:

a. It is difficult to see whether the part has been completely covered in developer
b. The part must be dried after application of the developer
c. They can only be used with colour contrast penetrant
d. They should only be used with fluorescent penetrant

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