What is

NDT?
• Nondestructive testing or non-destructive
testing (NDT) is a wide group of analysis
techniques used in science and technology
industry to evaluate the properties of
material, a or system
causing damage.
component without
• The terms nondestructive examination
(NDE), nondestructive inspection (NDI), and
nondestructive evaluation (NDE) are also
commonly used to describe this technology.
• Because NDT does not permanently alter the
article being inspected, it is a highly valuable
technique that can save both money and time
in product evaluation, troubleshooting, and
research.
NDT does not directly measure mechanical
properties but they are used to locate defects or
flaws in the component.
Flaws reduce useful life of component resulting
in premature failure even with a sound design
and proper selection of materials.
To obtain high level of reliability , defect should
be absent or at minimum level.
 NDT is carried out periodically.
Replacement of component before its
premature failure to avoid dangerous results.
 ADVANTAGES OF
NDT
• The equipments are easy to handle
• Defects can be detected without damaging the
components
• Methods are quick and accurate
• Components can be sorted out on the basis of
electrical, magnetic or chemical properties
• Test results and other information can be
conveniently recorded on paper films, cassettes
and floppies
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
DESTRUCTIVE AND NON
DESTRUCTIVE TEST
NON DESTRUCTIVE TEST DESTRUCTIVE TEST
Used for finding out defects of Used for finding out the properties
materials of the material
Load is not applied on the material Load is applied on the material

No load applications, so no chance Due to load application, material

for material damage gets damaged
No requirement of special Special equipments are required
equipments
Non expensive Expensive
Less skill Skill is required
e.g: dye penetrate test, ultrasonic, e.g: tensile test, compression test,
radiography, etc hardness test, etc
 METHODS OF
NDT
• Dye Penetrant Testing (DPT)
• Magnetic Particle Testing (MPT)
• Ultrasonic Testing (UT)
• Eddy Current Testing (ECT)
• Radiography Testing (RT)
 1.Dye Penetrant Inspection
Invisible cracks, porosity and other defects on
the surface of components easily detected by
this technique.
Components may be ferrous, nonferrous, plastic,
glass or ceramic.
 Procedure:-
1. Cleaning of surface.(Grease, oil, any
other material).
2. Drying of surface.
3. Applying dye-penetrant on clean and dry surface.
It is allowed to penetrate in surface flaws.
i) Liquid Soluble Penetrant
ii) Fluroscent
4. Removing excess penetrant by soft or clean
cotton.
5. Applying developer on surface. This pulls out
dye from flaws and flaws are revealed by colour
of dye. Instead of developer, fine developing
powder or talc powder can be sprinkled on the
surface.
PROCESS FOR
DPT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHTRmTQDZzg
 Advantages of Dye Penetrant Inspection
• This test can be applied to almost any type of
metals, nonmetals, magnetic or non magnetic
type.
• Simple to utilize and control.
• Results of test can be interpreted fastly.
• Cost of test is very less as it does not require
any instrument or electronic display units.
• Sensitivity is greater than that of magnetic
particle testing.
 Disadvantages of Dye Penetrant Inspection
• Cleaning of components is must before
and after testing to avoid rusting
• Misleading results may be obtained in case of
components with surface films and coatings
• Only surface defects can be detected
• Test is not applicable for powder metallurgical
components
 MAGNETIC PARTICLE
TESTING
• This method is suitable for the detection of
surface and near surface discontinuities in
magnetic material , mainly ferrite steel
and iron
• METHODS OF MPT
• Dry method
• Wet method
 PRINCIPLE OF
MPT
• In the first figure the magnetized metal has no crack and
there only two poles that is north pole and south pole.
• And in second figure the magnetized metal has a crack and at
the crack point there creates another north and south pole
for the magnetic flux leakage.
 MPT Procedure

1. Cleaning Surface

2. Magnetization

3. Application of ferromagnetic Powder

4. Observation and Inspection

5. Demagnetization
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfjK1GZ2W9A
 MPT IN GAS PIPE
WELDING

Particles make a cluster at the welding joint for magnetic

flux leakage because of welding defects.
 ADVANTAGES OF
MPT
• Principally and relatively simple method
• Economical and easy to perform
• Portable for field testing
• Fast for production testing
• Reveal or disclose small surface flaws or
cracks which may be tight
 LIMITATIONS OF
MPT
• Material must be ferromagnetic
• Orientation and strength of magnetic field is
critical
• Detects surface and near-to-surface
discontinuities only
• Large currents are required
 3.Ultrasonic Test/inspection
Principle-
1.Measure of time required by ultrasonic vibrations
to penetrate material of interest , reflect from
opposite side or from internal discontinuity and
return to point from where first introduced.
2.Behaviour of waves through cycle with regard to
time is recorded on CRO screen.
3.By observing this presence of defect and their
location can be detected.
Two types of Ultrasonic testing method-
i)Pulse –echo method
ii) Transmission Method
PULSE-ECHO
METHOD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwYQilMGPFk
TRANSMISSION
METHOD
 ADVANTAGES OF ULTRASONIC
TESTING
• Thickness and lengths up to 30 ft can be
tested
• Position, size and type of defect can be
determined
• Instant test results
• Portable
• Capable of being fully automated
• Access to only one side necessary
 LIMITATIONS OF ULTRASONIC
TESTING
• The operator can decide whether the test
piece is defective or not while the test is in
progress.
• Considerable degree of skill necessary to
obtain the fullest information from the test.
• Very thin sections can prove difficult.
ULTRASONIC
MEASUREMENT
 EDDY CURRENT
•
TESTING(ECT)
Used to detect surface flaws, to
measure thin walls from one surface
only
• To measure thin coating sand in some
applications to measure depth. This
method is applicable to electrically
conductive materials only
• In this method eddy currents are
produced in the product by bringing
it close to an alternating current
carrying coil.
• The main applications of the eddy
current technique are for the
detection of surface or subsurface
flaws, conductivity measurement and
coating thickness measurement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NILzyvEaiPE
 APPLICATION OF
ECT
• Crack Detection
• Corrosion Monitoring
• Material Thickness Measurements
• Coating Thickness Measurements
• Conductivity Measurements
 ADVANTAGES OF
ECT
• Sensitive to small cracks and other defects
• Detect surface and near surface defects
• Inspection gives immediate results
• Equipment is very portable
• Method can be used for much more than
flaw detection
• Inspects complex shapes and sizes
of conductive materials
 LIMITATIONS OF
ECT
• Only conductive materials can be inspected
• Skill and training required is more extensive
than other techniques
• Surface finish and roughness may interfere
• Depth of penetration is limited.
 RADIOGRAP
HY
• Radiography Testing (RT), or
industrial radiography is NDT
method of inspecting materials for
hidden flaws by using the ability of
short wavelength electromagnetic
radiation (high energy photons)to
penetrate various materials
• Radiographic Testing Method is
nothing but to take the shadow
picture of an object onto a film by
the passage of X-ray or Gamma ray
through it
• It is the same as the
medical radiography (X-ray).
Only difference in their wave
RADIOGRAPHY TESTING
PROCESS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oR_l8nXdmo
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN X RAY AND
GAMMA RAY RADIOGRAPHY
X RAYS GAMMA RAYS
Larger wavelength Shorter wavelength

Less penetration power High penetration power

Used for components having thickness Used for more thickness components
up to 62mm
Only one component can be examined Many components can be examined at
at a time a time
Equipment is larger in size Equipment is smaller in size

More intensity and faster Less intensity and slower

RADIOGRAP
HY
LIMITATIONS OF
RADIOGRAPHY
• Possible health hazard
• Need to direct the beam accurately for two-
dimensional defects
• Film processing and viewing facilities are
necessary
• Not suitable for automation
• Not suitable for surface defects.
 APPLICATION OF
RADIOGRAPHY

• For detection of internal defects

• For detection of porosity, casting, lack of
fusion in welding, cracks
• For measurement of geometry variation
and thickness of components
RADIOGRAP
HY
ULTRASONIC TESTING
Less flaw detection capabilities
Compared to radiography less operational
safety is required
Probe is used
Better accuracy and reliability
Operated manually
Used for detection of internal defect,
measurement of conductivity and crack
depth
RADIOGRAPHY TESTING
More flaw detection capabilities
More operational safety is required as the
radiations are harmful
Probe is not used
Very fast method of testing
Less or no manual work
For detection of internal defects, porosity,
casting, lack of fusion in welding, cracks,
measurement of geometry variation and
thickness of components
 Ultrasonic
testing

Radiography
testing
Common Application of NDT
• Inspection of Raw Products
• Inspection Following Secondary
Processing
• In-Services Damage Inspection
Inspection of Raw Products
• Forgings,
• Castings,
• Extrusions,
• etc.
Inspection Following
Secondary Processing
• Machining
• Welding
• Grinding
• Heat treating
• Plating
• etc.
Inspection For
In-Service Damage
• Cracking
• Corrosion
• Erosion/Wear
• Heat Damage
• etc.
Power Plant Inspection
Periodically, power plants are
shutdown for inspection.
Inspectors feed eddy current probes
into heat exchanger tubes to check
for corrosion damage.

Pipe with damage Probe

Signals produced by
various amounts of
corrosion thinning.
 Wire Rope Inspection
Electromagnetic devices and
visual inspections are used to find
broken wires and other damage
to the wire rope that is used in
chairlifts, cranes and other lifting
devices.
 Storage Tank Inspection
Robotic crawlers use
ultrasound to inspect
the walls of large above
ground tanks for signs
of thinning due to
corrosion.

Cameras on long
articulating arms
are used to
inspect
underground
storage tanks for
damage.
 Aircraft Inspection
• Nondestructive testing is used
extensively during the
manufacturing of aircraft.
• NDT is also used to find cracks
and corrosion damage during
operation of the aircraft.
• A fatigue crack that started at the
site of a lightning strike is shown
below.
 Jet Engine Inspection
• Aircraft engines are overhauled after
being in service for a period of time.
• They are completely disassembled,
cleaned, inspected and then
reassembled.
• Fluorescent penetrant inspection is
used to check many of the parts for
cracking.
 Crash of United Flight 232
Sioux City, Iowa, July 19, 1989
A defect that went
undetected in an
engine disk was
responsible for the
crash of United Flight
232.
 Pressure Vessel Inspection
The failure of a pressure vessel can
result in the rapid release of a large
amount of energy. To protect against
this dangerous event, the tanks are
inspected using radiography and
ultrasonic testing.
 Rail Inspection
Special cars are used to inspect
thousands of miles of rail to
find cracks that could lead to a
derailment.
 Bridge Inspection
• The US has 578,000
highway bridges.
• Corrosion, cracking and
other damage can all affect
a bridge’s performance.
• The collapse of the Silver
Bridge in 1967 resulted in
loss of 47 lives.
• Bridges get a visual
inspection about every 2
years.
• Some bridges are fitted with
acoustic emission sensors
that “listen” for sounds of
cracks growing.
 Pipeline Inspection
NDT is used to inspect pipelines to
prevent leaks that could damage the
environment. Visual inspection,
radiography and electromagnetic testing
are some of the NDT methods used.

Remote visual inspection using a

robotic crawler.

Magnetic flux leakage inspection. This

device, known as a pig, is placed in the
pipeline and collects data on the
condition of the pipe as it is pushed
along by whatever is being
transported. Radiography of weld joints.
 Special Measurements
Boeing employees in Philadelphia were given the privilege of evaluating
the Liberty Bell for damage using NDT techniques. Eddy current methods
were used to measure the electrical conductivity of the Bell's bronze
casing at a various points to evaluate its uniformity.
 CONCLUSI
ON
• NDT is a new technology and system
for industrial inspection and testing
• Many developed countries uses this
technology because of its huge
benefits
• Modern NDT methods will become just as
an important tool for risk based inspection
approaches and maintenance planning
• For this purpose every industry should have
a NDT division with NDT personnel
 REFERENC
ES
• Material Science and Metallurgy for Engineers
by V D Kodgire and S V Kodgire