Liquid Penetrant Inspection

Liquid Penetrant Inspection

Dye Penetrant Inspection(DPI)

Penetrant Flaw Detection (PFD)
Penetrant Testing (PT)
• Surface inspection method
• Applicable to all non-porous, non-
absorbing materials
 6 Steps in Penetrant flaw
detection
• Surface preparation
• Penetrant application
• Removal of excess penetrant
• Application of developer
• Inspection
• Post cleaning and protection
 1. Surface Preparation
• Physical Methods • Chemical Methods

• Scale • Oils and Greases

• Slag • Paints
• Corrosion products
 Chemical Methods
• Vapour Degreasing
• Hot Solvent Degreasing
• Cold solvent Degreasing
• Solvent materials with Emulsifiers
• Acid / Alkaline Cleaning
• Steam cleaning
• Paint Removal
 2. Penetrant Application

• Penetrating fluid applied to component and

drawn into defect by capillary action
 Penetrant Application
Critical
Critical factors
factors

• Penetration / Dwell time

• Component Temperature
 Principle : Capillary Action
• Interaction of adhesive and cohesive forces
 Principle : Capillary Action
• Interaction of adhesive and cohesive forces
 Penetrant Properties
• Good Wetting Ability
• High Surface Tension
• Viscosity
 Wetting Ability

• Liquids having good wetting ability have a low

contact angle.
• Liquids having a contact angle of 90º or less
will act as penetrants.
• Contact angle is strongly affected by surface
cleanliness.
Contact Angle

Contact
Angle
 Contact Angle

LOW HIGH
 Surface Tension

HIGH LOW
 Surface Tension

• Strongly affected by
contamination
 Viscosity
• Viscosity is a measure of internal friction
• It affects the rate at which a liquid flows
• Viscosity has a strong effect on the time taken for
capillary action to work
• A high viscosity penetrant will require a longer
contact time and a longer development time
• A low viscosity penetrant may drain too quickly
from vertical or overhead surfaces
 Types of Penetrant

• Colour Contrast
• Fluorescent
• All other factors being equal, fluorescent
penetrants provide the best sensitivity
• Each of the above may be water washable,
solvent removable or post-emulsifiable (in
order of increasing sensitivity)
 2. Penetrant Application

Preceded by a visual inspection

Spraying

Methods Brushing
Immersion
 Penetrant application

Electrostatic
spraying
• Special Methods

Thixotropic
penetrants
3. Removal of Excess Penetrant
• Penetrating fluid applied to component and
drawn into defect by capillary action

• Penetrating fluid removed from component surface

(but not from defect)
Removal of Excess Penetrant
• Water washable
• Solvent Removable
• Post Emulsifiable

Penetrants are formulated for

removal by one or sometimes more
than one of the above.
 Removal of Excess Penetrant
• Water Washable Penetrant

Minimise mechanical
action
Spray Pressure as low as
wash possible
Temperature less than
50ºC
 Water Washable Penetrant
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Usable on rough • Susceptible to over
surfaces washing
• Suitable for batch • Least sensitive
testing method
• Cheaper than other • Requirement for a
methods water source
Post Emulsifiable Penetrant
Stages
• Immerse component in penetrant
• Immerse component in emulsifier
• Emulsifier diffuses into the penetrant
making it water washable
• Water wash removes excess
penetrant / emulsifier
 Removal of Excess Penetrant

Hydrophilic

2 Post emulsification
systems

Lipophilic
Contact time critical
Determined by experimentation
 Post emulsifiable
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Maximum • Not suited to rough
penetrating ability surfaces
• Greater control over • More expensive
penetrant removal • More time
consuming
Removal of Excess Penetrant
Solvent Removable
Clean off the excess with a lint free cloth.

Wipe with a solvent dampened rag.

Thou shalt not spray the cleaner directly onto

the item under test.
 Solvent Removable
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Portability • Not suited to batch testing
• No water supply • Requires hand wiping so
needed time consuming
• More expensive than water
washable
• Potentially hazardous
chemicals
 Drying

Hot air recirculating oven (max 80ºC)

Forced warm air

Dry clean compressed air

Component temperature shall not exceed

50ºC
 4. Development
• Penetrating fluid applied to component and drawn
into defect by capillary action
• Developer applied to surface
 Developer Properties

• Absorptive Easily wetted

• Fine texture Contrasting colour
• Able to mask out Easily removed
background colour Non-toxic and Non-
irritant
• Evenly and easily
applicable
• Light and even coat
• Non-fluorescing
 Developer action
• Penetrating fluid applied to component and drawn
into defect by capillary action
• Developer applied to surface
• Penetrant drawn back out of the defect by
reverse capillary action
Developer action
Capillary Action - Increases the size of an indication far
beyond the actual defect size; increases the “thickness”
of an indication, thereby increasing it’s colour brilliance.
Light scattering - Aids the conversion of UVA to visible
light when using fluorescent systems; reduces
background glare when using visible systems.
Solvent Action - Solvent combines with penetrant,
reducing penetrant viscosity, thereby inducing a more
rapid, more efficient bleed-out.
 Light Scattering
I0
If If
If If
No Developer With Developer
No Developer With Developer
 Development
Dry powder Aqueous liquid
Component must be Dry after application
dry Applied by
Applied by Immersion
Dipping Spraying
Blowing Brushing
Dust storm cabinet

Non-Aqueous liquid
Applied by
Aerosol
 Dry powder developer
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Easy to handle • Difficult to see if
• No hazardous properly applied
vapours • Fine powders can be
• Easy to remove hazardous
• Does not offer the best
degree of colour
contrast
 Aqueous Developer

• Solutions
 Aqueous Developer

• Solutions • Suspensions
 Aqueous Developer
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• No vapours or dust • Difficult to apply
• Cheaper than non- evenly
aqueous • Requires drying after
application
 Non-Aqueous Developer
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Most sensitive • Hazardous solvents
• Usable with • Higher cost
fluorescent or colour • Need to be correctly
contrast applied
 Developer Sensitivity
• Dry powder 100 - 140 %
• Aqueous solution 110 - 150 %
• Aqueous suspension 120 - 200%
• Non-Aqueous 120 - 240%
 System Classification
• Type of penetrant
• Method of penetrant removal
• Type of developer
 System classification

• PENETRANT REMOVAL DEVELOPERS

Water washableDry powder
• Colour contrast
Solvent Aqueous
• Fluorescent Non-Aqueous
Post emulsifiable
• Dual
 5. Inspection
• Indications viewed as soon as practicable after
developer application with final assessment
taking place after a minimum development
time has elapsed.
30 Seconds 1 Minute 15 Minutes
 5. Inspection
Lighting levels critical

Colour Contrast
• White light above 500 lux

Fluorescent
• White light below 20 lux
• UV-A above 1000µW / cm2
 5. Inspection
Fluorescent
• Allow 15 minutes lamp warm-up
•Allow 5 minutes dark adaptation
•Do not wear photo-chromatic spectacles
 6. Post Cleaning
DPI residues are required to be removed because
• They may be harmful to the component
or
• They may impair subsequent processing
 Advantages of DPI
• Applicable to all non-porous materials
• Able to test large parts with a portable kit
• Batch testing
• Applicable to small parts with complex
geometry
• Simple,cheap, easy to interpret
• Good sensitivity
• Training requirements typically less than for
other NDT methods.
 Disadvantages of DPI
• Will only detect defects open to the surface
• Careful surface preparation required
• Not applicable to porous materials
• Temperature dependent
• Cannot retest indefinitely
• Compatibility of chemicals
 Penetrant Systems

PENETRANT REMOVAL DEVELOPERS

Colour contrast Solvent Dry powder

Fluorescent
Water washable Aqueous

Dual Post emulsifiable

Non-Aqueous
 Selection of System
• Nature of discontinuities (size and type)
• Geometry and intricacy
• Surface condition
• Component material and application
• Size and position
• Equipment and expertise available
• Cost
• Number of components to be tested
 Control Checks
• Tank levels
• Overall system performance
Overall System Performance
• Chromium plated cracked test panel
• Cracked test piece
• Quench cracked aluminium alloy block
Control Checks
Tank levels
Overall system performance
Rinse water temperature
Oven temperature
Equipment cleanliness
Airline filters
UV-A filters
Control Checks
UV-A / visible light levels
Fluorescent / colour intensity
Suppliers check
Hydrophilic remover dilution
Developer
Meter / gauge calibrations
 Control Checks - Frequency
Tank levels Daily
Overall system performance Daily
Rinse water temperature Daily
Oven temperature Daily
Equipment cleanliness Daily
Airline filters Weekly
UV-A filters Daily
UV-A / visible light levels Monthly
 Control Checks - Frequency
Fluorescent / colour intensity Monthly
Suppliers check Annual
Hydrophilic remover dilution when fresh
Developer Daily
Meter / gauge calibrations Annual
UV(A)
 Electromagnetic Spectrum
X-rays &
Gamma
Electric
Microwaves Waves
Ultra Infra red
violet TV
Light

10-10 10-8 10-6 10-4 10-2 1cm 102 104 106 108
Wavelength
 Electromagnetic Spectrum

A Damaged Black
UV-C UV-B UV-A
Light Emits

10 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

ULTRAVIOLET VISIBLE
LIGHT LIGHT
 Fluorescence
UV-A Source : Mercury vapour arc
lamp
+
Filter

Precautions
• Avoid looking directly at the lamp
• Do not use if filter is cracked, damaged or
incorrectly fitted
 Fluorescence and the
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Absorbs Emits Dual

10 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

ULTRAVIOLET VISIBLE
LIGHT LIGHT
Fluorescent v Colour Contrast
• Fluorescent more sensitive
• Less operator fatigue with fluorescent
• More difficulty in monitoring fluorescent
penetrant removal
• Fluorescence may degrade under UV(A), when
exposed to acid and high temperatures