Liquid penetrant inspection

What is it?
Liquid (or dye) penetrant inspection is an extension of visual inspection and is used for
detecting surface-breaking flaws, such as cracks, laps and folds, on any non-absorbent
material's surface
How does it work?
!he basic stages of liquid penetrant inspection are shown below "irstly, the surface to be
inspected is cleaned thoroughly to remove all traces of dirt and grease # brightly
coloured or fluorescent liquid is then applied liberally to the component surface and
allowed to penetrate any surface-breaking cracks or cavities !he time the liquid is
allowed to soak into the material's surface is normally about $% minutes #fter soaking,
the excess liquid penetrant is wiped from the surface and a developer applied !he
developer is usually a dry white powder, which draws penetrant out of any cracks by
reverse capillary action to produce indications on the surface !hese (coloured)
indications are broader than the actual flaw and are therefore more easily visible
Penetrant testing:
A. Sample before testing
!. Liquid penetrant
applied
". Surplus wiped off
lea#ing penetrant in crack
$. $e#eloper powder
applied% d&e soaks into
powder
'. (iew coloured
indications% or )( lamp
shows up fluorescent
indications.
# number of different liquid penetrant systems are used in industry "luorescent
penetrants are normally used when the maximum flaw sensitivity is required &owever,
these penetrants must be viewed under darkened conditions with a '( lamp, which may
not be practical !he most commonly used systems are solvent removable, or water
washable, red dye systems, which typically comprise three aerosol cans - cleaning fluid,
penetrant and developer !hese systems are often used to check weld quality during
fabrication
*mportant considerations
)espite being one of the popular *)! methods, liquid penetrant testing is often misused
!est surfaces are not cleaned adequately, the contact time between the penetrant and the
test surface is too short, or the excess penetrant is removed carelessly (ie from flaws as
well as from the test surface) "or these reasons, it is important that personnel carrying
out liquid penetrant inspection are properly trained and qualified (for example, in
accordance with the +ritish ,nstitute of *on )estructive !esting's -.* certification
scheme or equivalent schemes such as those operated by ./0,- and #/*!)
Where is it used?
,f applied correctly, liquid penetrant testing offers a fast, cheap and relatively simple
means of surface inspection, making it attractive to a number of industries #t the 'high-
tech' end of the market, the aerospace industry use automated fluorescent penetrant
testing to look for fatigue cracking in turbine blades #t the other end of the scale, the
construction industry uses dye penetrant testing as a quick and simple method for
checking that welds and other susceptible areas are free from surface-breaking flaws
$&e penetrant inspection ($P*), also called liquid penetrant inspection (LP*) or
penetrant testing (P+), is a widely applied and low-cost inspection method used to
locate surface-breaking defects in all non-porous materials (metals, plastics, or ceramics)
!he penetrant may be applied to all non-ferrous materials, but for inspection of ferrous
components magnetic-particle inspection is preferred for its subsurface detection
capability L-, is used to detect casting and forging defects, cracks, and leaks in new
products, and fatigue cracks on in-service components
1 /ection of material with a surface-breaking crack that is not visible to the naked eye
$ -enetrant is applied to the surface
2 3xcess penetrant is removed
4 )eveloper is applied, rendering the crack visible
Principles
)-, is based upon capillary action, where low surface tension fluid penetrates into clean
and dry surface-breaking discontinuities -enetrant may be applied to the test component
by dipping, spraying, or brushing #fter adequate penetration time has been allowed, the
excess penetrant is removed, a developer is applied !he developer helps to draw
penetrant out of the flaw where a visible indication becomes visible to the inspector
,nspection is performed under ultraviolet or white light, depending upon the type of dye
used - fluorescent or nonfluorescent (visible)
,aterials
-enetrants are classified into sensitivity levels (isible penetrants are typically red in
color, and represent the lowest sensitivity "luorescent penetrants contain two or more
dyes that fluoresce when excited by ultraviolet ('(-#) radiation (also known as black
light) /ince "luorescent penetrant inspection is performed in a darkened environment,
and the excited dyes emit brilliant yellow-green light that contrasts strongly against the
dark background, this material is more sensitive to small defects
0hen selecting a sensitivity level one must consider many factors, including the
environment under which the test will be performed, the surface finish of the specimen,
and the si5e of defects sought 6ne must also assure that the test chemicals are
compatible with the sample so that the examination will not cause permanent staining, or
degradation !his technique can be quite portable, because in its simplest form the
inspection requires only 2 aerosol spray cans, some paper towels, and adequate visible
light /tationary systems with dedicated application, wash, and development stations, are
more costly and complicated, but result in better sensitivity and higher sample through-
put
*nspection steps
+elow are the main steps of Liquid -enetrant ,nspection7
-. Pre.cleaning:
!he test surface is cleaned to remove any dirt, paint, oil, grease or any loose scale that
could either keep penetrant out of a defect, or cause irrelevant or false indications
.leaning methods may include solvents, alkaline cleaning steps, vapor degreasing, or
media blasting !he end goal of this step is a clean surface where any defects present are
open to the surface, dry, and free of contamination *ote that if media blasting is used, it
may 8work over8 small discontinuities in the part, and an etching bath is recommended as
a post-bath treatment
/. Application of Penetrant:
!he penetrant is then applied to the surface of the item being tested !he penetrant is
allowed time to soak into any flaws (generally 9 to 2% minutes) !he dwell time mainly
depends upon the penetrant being used, material being testing and the si5e of flaws
sought #s expected, smaller flaws require a longer penetration time )ue to their
incompatible nature one must be careful not to apply solvent-based penetrant to a surface
which is to be inspected with a water-washable penetrant
0. '1cess Penetrant 2emo#al:
!he excess penetrant is then removed from the surface !he removal method is controlled
by the type of penetrant used 0ater-washable, solvent-removable, lipophilic post-
emulsifiable, or hydrophilic post-emulsifiable are the common choices 3mulsifiers
represent the highest sensitivity level, and chemically interact with the oily penetrant to
make it removable with a water spray 0hen using solvent remover and lint-free cloth it
is important to not spray the solvent on the test surface directly, because this can the
remove the penetrant from the flaws ,f excess penetrant is not properly removed, once
the developer is applied, it may leave a background in the developed area that can mask
indications or defects ,n addition, this may also produce false indications severely
hindering your ability to do a proper inspection
3. Application of $e#eloper:
#fter excess penetrant has been removed a white developer is applied to the sample
/everal developer types are available, including7 non-aqueous wet developer, dry powder,
water suspendable, and water soluble .hoice of developer is governed by penetrant
compatibility (one can't use water-soluble or suspendable developer with water-washable
penetrant), and by inspection conditions 0hen using non-aqueous wet developer
(*#0)) or dry powder, the sample must be dried prior to application, while soluble and
suspendable developers are applied with the part still wet from the previous step *#0)
is commercially available in aerosol spray cans, and may employ acetone, isopropyl
alcohol, or a propellant that is a combination of the two )eveloper should form a semi-
transparent, even coating on the surface!he developer draws penetrant from defects out
onto the surface to form a visible indication, commonly known as bleed-out #ny areas
that bleed-out can indicate the location, orientation and possible types of defects on the
surface ,nterpreting the results and characteri5ing defects from the indications found may
require some training and:or experience
4. *nspection:
!he inspector will use visible light with adequate intensity (1%% foot-candles or 11%% lux
is typical) for visible dye penetrant 'ltraviolet ('(-#) radiation of adequate intensity
(1,%%% micro-watts per centimeter squared is common), along with low ambient light
levels (less than $ foot-candles) for fluorescent penetrant examinations ,nspection of the
test surface should take place after a 1% minute development time !his time delay allows
the blotting action to occur !he inspector may observe the sample for indication
formation when using visible dye ,t is also good practice to observe indications as they
form because the characteristics of the bleed out are a significant part of interpretation
characteri5ation of flaws
5. Post "leaning:
!he test surface is often cleaned after inspection and recording of defects, especially if
post-inspection coating processes are scheduled
Ad#antages and disad#antages
!he main advantages of )-, are the speed of the test and the low cost !he main
disadvantages are that it only detects surface flaws and it does not work on very rough
surfaces #lso, on certain surfaces a great enough color contrast cannot be achieved or the
dye will stain the workpiece
Limited training is required for the operator ; although experience is quite valuable
-roper cleaning is necessary to assure that surface contaminants have been removed and
any defects present are clean and dry /ome cleaning methods have been shown to be
detrimental to test sensitivity, so acid etching to remove metal smearing and re-open the
defect may be necessary
Liquid $&e Penetrant +est - # liquid penetrant test is non-destructive type ,t detects
flaws that are open to the surface eg, cracks, seams, laps, lack of bond, porosity, cold
shuts, etc ,t can be effectively used not only in the inspection of ferrous metals but is
especially useful for non-ferrous metal products and on non-porous, non-metallic
materials such as ceramics, plastics and glass
!he principle of liquid penetrant test is that the liquids used enter small openings such as
cracks or porosities by capillary action !he rate and extent of this action are dependent
upon such properties as surface tension, cohesion, adhesion and viscosity
!hey are also influenced by factors such as the condition of the surface of material and
the interior of the discontinuity "or the liquid to penetrate effectively, the surface of the
material must be thoroughly cleaned of all foreign matter that would obstruct the entrance
of the liquid into the defect
#fter cleaning, the liquid penetrant is applied evenly over the surface and allowed to
remain long enough to permit penetration into possible discontinuities !he liquid is then
completely removed from the surface of the component and either a wet or a dry
developer is applied !he liquid that has penetrated the defects will then bleed out onto
the surface, and the developer will help delineate them
!his will show the location and general nature and magnitude of any defect present !o
hasten this action, the part may be struck sharply to produce vibrations to force the liquid
out of the defect !he oil-whiting test is one of the older and cruder penetrant tests used
for the detection of cracks too small to be noticed in a visual inspection ,n this method,
the piece is covered with penetrating oil, such as kerosene, then rubbed dry and coated
with dry whiting
,n a short time the oil that has seeped into any cracks will be partially absorbed by the
whiting, producing plainly visible discolored streaks delineating the cracks
!he )ye penetrant test ()-!) based on liquid penetrant is a sensitive extremely versalite
and a very reliable method of test ,t is quite inexpensive, does not require any special
apparatus and is quite simple in application 6nly a moderate skill is required ,n this test,
the strongly coloured red penetrant fluid (or dye) has a property of seeping into surface
flaws when applied on an impervious surface
!he steps involved in dye penetrant test are
(1) .lean the surface of the component free of dust and dirt with a piece of cloth
($) +rush the surface of the component to remove scale, rust, paint etc, by a soft wire
brush
(2) /pray the cleaner to remove oil, grease, etc
(4) #pply the dye penetrant (by spraying) adequately to cover the area to be tested #llow
2 to 9 minutes or more for dye to penetrate into the cracks
(9) 0ipe off the excess penetrant on the surface with a rag
(<) #gain spray the surface with the cleaner to remove the remnants of the red dye
(=) /pray the developer evenly on the surface to give a thin even layer !his layer absorbs
the penetrant from the cracks and red spots or lines appear on t e stir ace to give a visible
indication of the flaws
(>) !he crack if any will be indicated with the red dye absorbed by the white absorbent