Penetrants

The industry and military specification that control the penetrant

materials and their use all stipulate certain physical properties of the
penetrant materials that must be met. Some of these requirements
address the safe use of the materials, such as toxicity, flash point, and
corrosiveness, and other requirements address storage and
contamination issues. Still others delineate properties that are thought
to be primarily responsible for the performance or sensitivity of the
penetrants. The properties of penetrant materials that are controlled by AMS 2644 and
MIL-I-25135E include flash point, surface wetting capability, viscosity, color, brightness,
ultraviolet stability, thermal stability, water tolerance, and removability.
More information on how some of these properties can affect penetrant testing can be
found by following these links.
Surface Energy
Density or Specific Gravity
Viscosity
Color and Fluorescence Brightness
Dimensional Threshold of Fluorescence
Ultraviolet and Thermal Stability
Removability