What is NDT ?

Detection of damage Testing of objects for hidden

before breakdown. flaws without destroying it

Utilization of a particular form of Knowing the inside

energy to gain some specific from the outside
knowledge about a part or system
of parts without affecting its
usefulness

In Industries, data of NDT /

condition monitoring techniques
enable the plant engineer to
design a preventive or predictive
maintenance program.
Other terms:
NDT- Nondestructive Testing
NDI- Nondestructive Inspection
NDE-Nondestructive Evaluation
NDE-Nondestructive Examination
 Importance of NDT
NDT plays an important role in the quality control of a
product. It may be used during all the stages of
manufacturing of a product. It may be used to monitor
the quality of the:

➢ Raw materials which are used in the construction of

the product.
➢ Fabrication processes which are used to
manufacture the product.
➢ Finished product before it is put into service.

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Importance of NDT
Use of NDT during all stages of manufacturing results in
the following benefits:
➢ It increases the safety and reliability of the product
during operation.
➢ It decreases the cost of the product by reducing
scrap and conserving materials, labour and energy.
➢ It enhances the reputation of the manufacturer as
producer of quality goods.

All of the above factors boost the sales of the product

which bring more economical benefits to the
manufacturer. 6
Target area of NDT in Industries
• Pressure Vessel / Drums / Accumulators
• Heat Exchangers / Coolers / Pre-heaters
• Furnaces / Boilers / Crackers
• Pipe lines (insulated / non-insulated / painted) and fittings
• Storage Tanks
• Columns / Reactors
• Pump / Compressor/ Turbine
• Valves / Supports
• Foundations / Racksand others
Some Applications of NDT

✓ Flaw Detection and Evaluation

✓ Leak Detection
✓ Dimensional Measurements
✓ Structure and Microstructure Characterization
✓ Estimation of Mechanical and Physical Properties
✓ Stress (Strain) and Dynamic Response
Measurements
✓ Material Sorting and Chemical Composition
Determination

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6 most common NDT methods

• Visual Inspection (VI)

• Liquid Penetrant Testing (PT)
• Magnetic Particle Testing (MT)
• Ultrasonic Testing (UT)
• Eddy Current Testing (ET)
• Radiographic Testing (RT)

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Visual Inspection
❖ VI is one of the most common and most powerful
means of NDT. Visual testing requires adequate
illumination of the test surface and proper eye-sight
of the tester.

❖ Visual testing can be classified as direct visual

testing, remote visual testing.

❖ Often the equipment needed is portable light, mirror

on stem, illuminated magnifier etc.

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Visual Inspection
For internal inspection, light lens
systems such as borescopes allow
remote surfaces to be examined.
More sophisticated devices of this
nature using fibre optics permit the
introduction of the device into very
small access holes and channels.
Most of these systems provide for
the attachment of a camera to
permit permanent recording.

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Visual Inspection

Portable video inspection unit with zoom

allows inspection of large tanks and vessels,
railroad tankcars, sewer lines.

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Visual Inspection

Robotic crawlers permit observation in hazardous or tight areas,

suchas air ducts, reactors, pipelines.

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 Liquid Penetrant Testing
PT is a NDT that builds on the principle of Visual
Inspection.
PT increases the “see ability” of
small discontinuities that the
human eye might not be able to
detect alone.

Defect indications

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 Liquid Penetrant Testing
PT can be employed for the detection of open-to-surface
discontinuities in any industrial product which is made from a non-
porousmaterial.
Almost any material that has a relatively smooth, non-porous surface
on which discontinuities or defects are open to the surface.

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Liquid Penetrant Testing
1) Clean & Dry Component 4) Apply Developer
2) Apply Penetrant

5) Visual Inspection
3) Remove Excess

6) Post Clean Component

 Liquid Penetrant Testing
Advantages :
(1) Relatively low cost.
(2) Highly portable NDTmethod.
(3) Highly sensitive to fine, tight discontinuities.
(4) Fairly simple method.
(5) Can be used on a variety of materials.
(6) All open to surface discontinuities are detected in one operation,
regardless of orientation.

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Liquid Penetrant Testing
Limitations :
(1) Test surface must be free of all contaminants (dirt, oil,
grease, paint, rust, etc.).
(2) Detects surface discontinuities only.
(3) Cannot be used on porous specimens and is difficult to use
on veryrough surfaces.
(4) Removal of all penetrant materials, following the test, is
often required.
(5) There is no easy method to produce permanent record.

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 Magnetic Particle Testing
MT is used for the testing of
materials which can be easily
magnetized. This method is
capable of detecting open to
surface and just below the
surface flaws.

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Magnetic Particle Testing
A ferromagnetic test specimen is magnetized with a
strong magnetic field created by a magnet or special
equipment. If the specimen has a discontinuity, the
discontinuity will interrupt the magnetic field flowing
through the specimen and a leakage field will occur.

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Magnetic Particle Testing
Basic steps involved:

1. Component pre-cleaning
2. Introduction of magnetic field
3. Application of magnetic media
4. Interpretation of magnetic
particle indications

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Magnetic Particle Testing
Advantages :
(1) It does not need very stringent pre-cleaning operation.
(2) Best method for the detection of fine, shallow surface cracks in
ferromagnetic material.
(3) Fast and relatively simple NDTmethod.
(4) Generally inexpensive.
(5) Will workthrough thin coating.
(6) Fewlimitations regarding the size/shape of test specimens.
(7) Highly portable NDTmethod.
(8) It is quicker.

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Magnetic Particle Testing
Limitations :
(1) Material mustbe ferromagnetic.
(2) Orientation and strength of magneticfield is critical.
(3) Detects surface and near-to-surface discontinuities only.
(4) Large currents sometimes required.
(5) “Burning” of test parts a possibility.
(6) Parts must often be demagnetized, whichmay be difficult.

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Eddy Current Testing
Eddy current testing use This method is widely used to detect
the principal of surface flaws, to sort materials, to
“electromagnetism” as
measure thin walls from one surface
the basis for conducting
examinations and only, to measure thin coatings.
applicable to electrically
conductive materials
only.

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 Eddy Current Testing
A coil carrying high frequency alternating
current induces eddy current in the test
specimen. Eddy currents flowing in the
material generates their own “secondary”
magnetic field which opposes the coil’s
“primary” magnetic field. Information about
the strength of the eddy current within the
specimen is determined by monitoring
changes in voltage and/or current that
occurs in the coil

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Eddy Current Testing

Magnetic Field
From Test Coil

Magnetic Field
From
Eddy Currents

Crack
Eddy Currents

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Eddy Current Testing
Advantages :
(1) Does not require couplant.
(2) It gives instantaneous response.
(3) Has uncomplicated steps during set-up.
(4) Is extremely sensitive to flaws.
(5) Is very repeatable.
(6) High scanningspeeds can be used.
(7) Is very accurate for dimensional analysis of flaws or coating
thickness.

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Eddy Current Testing
Limitations:
(1) Require good theoretical knowledge
(2) Extremely sensitive to surface variations and therefore requires
a good surface.
(3) It is applicable to conductor materials only.
(4) Can be used on non-magnetic and magnetic material but is not
reliable on carbon steel for the detection of subsurfaceflaws.
(5) Its depth of penetration is limited.
(6) Crack tightness and orientation of eddy current flow to a crack
or linear discontinuity will affect detectability.

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Radiographic Testing
Industrial radiography, a process
very similar to the medical X-ray
process, in that a radiation source
is placed on one side of the test
specimen and a film is placed on
the other side.

Depending on the properties

within the test specimen, the film
is effected in different ways.

When the film ( a negative) is

developed, conclusions can be
made from the interpretations.
What is Radiograph?

R adiog r aph y is a n on -
destructive inspection
method b ased on th e
p rin ciple of preferential
ionising radiation
transmission.
A r ad io gr aph is a sh ado w
p ictu r e pr od uced b y th e
passage of x-rays o r g a m m a
rays through an object o n a
r ecor ding or a viewing
medium like pho tog r ap hic
film.

A Radiograph
 Basic Set up of Radiographic Testing

Electrons

Radiation Sources
(X-Ray Machine)

IQI

Test Specimen with Defect

Defect Image Film

Radiographic Testing

The part is placed between the radiation

source and a piece of film. The part will
stop some of the radiation. Thicker and
more dense area will stop more of the
radiation.

The film darkness (density) will

vary with the amount of
radiation reaching the film
through the test object.
X-ray film

= less exposure

= more exposure
Top view of developed film
Once developed, the film is typically
referred to as a “radiograph.”

Radiograph
 Radiographic Testing (RT)

⚫ Advantages ⚫ Disadvantages
◦ Permanent record ◦ Radiation hazard
◦ No calibration on the ◦ Depth of discontinuity not
job site indicated
◦ Excellent for detecting ◦ Orientation of linear
internal discontinuities discontinuities is important
◦ Beam direction ◦ Relatively expensive
unaffected by part ◦ Limited depth penetration
geometry ◦ Access to both sides required
Ultrasonic Testing
⚫ Ultrasonic
testing uses high frequency sound
energy to conduct examinations and make
measurements.
⚫ Ultrasonicexaminations can be conducted on a
wide variety of material forms including
castings, forgings, welds, and composites.
⚫A considerable amount of information about
the part being examined can be collected,
such as the presence of discontinuities, part or
coating thickness; and acoustical properties
can often be correlated to certain properties of
the material.
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Principles of Ultrasonic Testing
⚫ Ultrasonic waves are introduced into a material where
they travel in a straight line and at a constant speed
until they encounter a surface.
⚫ At surface interfaces some of the wave energy is
reflected and some is transmitted.
⚫ The amount of reflected or transmitted energy can be
detected and provides information about the size of the
reflector.
⚫ The travel time of the sound can be measured and this
provides information on the distance that the sound has
traveled.

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 Test Techniques - Pulse-Echo
• In pulse-echo testing, a transducer sends out a pulse of energy and the
same or a second transducer receive reflected energy (an echo).
• Reflections occur due to the presence of discontinuities and the surfaces
of the test article.
• The amount of reflected sound energy is displayed versus time, which
provides the inspector information about the size and the location of
features that reflect the sound. f

initial
pulse
back surface
echo

crack
echo

0 2 4 6 8 10 crack

UT Instrument Screen plate

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Test Techniques – Normal and Angle Beam

• In normal beam testing, the

sound beam is introduced into
the test article at 90 degree to
the surface.
• In angle beam testing, the
sound beam is introduced into
the test article at some angle
other than 90.
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Ultrasonic Testing
Advantages:
(1) It has high sensitivity which permits detection of minute defects.
(2) It has high penetrating power (of the order of 6 to 7 metres in
steel) which allows examination of extremely thick sections.
(3) It has a high accuracy of measurement of flaw position and
size.
(4) It has fast response whichpermits rapid and automatic
inspection.
(5) It needs access to only one surface of the specimen.

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Ultrasonic Testing
Limitations:
(1) Unfavourable geometry of the test specimencauses problems
during inspection.
(2) Inspection of materials having undesirable internal structure is
difficult.
(3) It requires the use of a couplant.
(4) Theprobe mustbe properly coupled during scanning.
(5) Defect orientation affects defect detectability.
(6) Equipmentis quite expensive.
(7) Highly skilled manpower is required.
(8) Reference standards and calibration required.
(9) Roughsurfaces can be aproblem and surface preparation is
necessary.
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Conclusion
▪ NDTis well recognized as an essential tools for quality safety
and in industries
▪ Tobe sustainable in the global competitive market our industries
also need to utilize this technology to improve their productivity
and quality of their output
▪ Besides the conventional techniques modern techniques are also
need to be introduced to become cost effective and to improve
reliabilityof testing

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Conclusion
▪ NDT equipments are comparatively expensive and many cases
NDT equipments are supplied as a part of the total project and
remain unutilized due to lack of trained personnel
▪ Due emphasis should be given for education, training
and certification of NDT professionals to meet the national
increasing demand
▪ Awell equipped ‘NDTResource Centre’ is prerequisite to create
effective awareness.

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