PENETRANT TESTING

Son Set Consultants

NDE Training

Introduction
Thismoduleisintendedtoprovideanintroductionto
the NDT method of penetrant testing
theNDTmethodofpenetranttesting.

PenetrantTesting,orPT,isanondestructive
testingmethodthatbuildsontheprinciple
ofVisualInspection.
f
l

PTincreasesthe

seeability
seeability ofsmall
of small
discontinuitiesthat
thehumaneyemight
not be able to detect
notbeabletodetect
alone.

Outline

GeneralIntroduction
PenetrantMaterialsandConsiderations
l
d
d
BasicStepsinPenetrantTesting
CommonEquipment
AdvantagesandLimitations
Summary
GlossaryofTerms

HowDoesPTWork?
Inpenetranttesting,aliquidwithhighsurfacewetting

characteristicsisappliedtothesurfaceofacomponent
undertest.
Thepenetrantpenetratesintosurfacebreaking
discontinuities via capillary action and other mechanisms.
discontinuitiesviacapillaryactionandothermechanisms.
Excesspenetrantisremovedfromthesurfaceanda
developerisappliedto
pull trapped penetrant back
pulltrappedpenetrantback
thesurface.
Withgoodinspection
t h i
technique,visual
i l
indicationsofany
discontinuitiespresent
b
becomeapparent.
t

What Makes PT Work?

WhatMakesPTWork?
Everystepofthepenetrantprocess

isdonetopromotecapillaryaction.
p
p
y
Thisisthephenomenonofaliquid
risingorclimbingwhenconfinedto
small openings due to surface
smallopeningsduetosurface
wettingpropertiesoftheliquid.
Someexamples:
Pl
Plantsandtreesdrawwaterupfromthe
t
dt
d
t
f
th
groundtotheirbranchesandleavesto
supplytheirnourishment.
Thehumanbodyhasmilesofcapillaries
The human body has miles of capillaries
thatcarrylifesustainingbloodtoour
entirebody.

Basic Process of PT
1) Clean & Dry Component

4) Apply Developer

2) A
Apply
l P
Penetrant
t
t

5) Visual Inspection
3) Remove Excess

6) Post Clean Component

What Can Be Inspected Via PT?

WhatCanBeInspectedViaPT?
Almostany
materialthathas
arelatively
smooth,non
h
poroussurface
on which
onwhich
discontinuitiesor
defectsare
suspected.

What Can NOT beInspectedViaPT?

WhatCanNOT
be Inspected Via PT?

Componentswithrough

surfaces,suchassandcastings,
that trap and hold penetrant
thattrapandholdpenetrant.
Porousceramics
Woodandotherfibrous
Wood and other fibrous
materials.
Plasticpartsthatabsorbor
reactwiththepenetrant
ih h
materials.
Componentswithcoatingsthat
p
g
preventpenetrantsfrom
enteringdefects.

Defect indications
become less
distinguishable as
th background
the
b k
d
noise level
increases.

WhatTypesofDiscontinuitiesCan
BeDetectedViaPT?
Alldefectsthatareopento
All
defects that are open to
thesurface.
Rolledproducts cracks,
seams laminations
seams,laminations.
Castingscoldshuts,hottears,
porosity,blowholes,
shrinkage.
hi k
Forgings cracks,laps,external
bursts.
Welds cracks,porosity,
undercut,overlap,lackof
fusion,lackofpenetration.
,
p

Choices of Penetrant Materials

ChoicesofPenetrantMaterials
Penetrant

Type
I Fluorescent
II Visible

Method
A Water Washable
B Postemulsifiable - Lipophilic
C Solvent Removable
D Postemulsifiable - Hydrophilic

Developer

Form
Dry Powder
Wet, Water Soluble
Wet, Water Suspendable
W t Non-Aqueous
Wet,
N
A

Penetrant Materials
PenetrantMaterials
Penetrantsareformulatedtopossessanumberof
importantcharacteristics.Toperformwell,a
penetrantmust:
t t
t
Spreadeasilyoverthesurfacebeinginspected.
Bedrawnintosurfacebreakingdefectsbycapillaryaction
Be drawn into surface breaking defects by capillary action
orothermechanisms.
Remaininthedefectbutremoveeasilyfromthesurfaceof
thepart.
p
Remainfluidthroughthedryinganddevelopingstepssoit
canbedrawnbacktothesurface.
Behighlyvisibleorfluorescebrightlytoproduceeasytosee
Be highly visible or fluoresce brightly to produce easy to see
indications.
Notbeharmfultotheinspectorortothematerialbeing
tested.

Sensitivity Levels
SensitivityLevels
Penetrantsarealsoformulatedtoproduceavarietyof

sensitivitylevels.Thehigherthesensitivitylevel,the
g
smallerthedefectthatthepenetrantsystemiscapableof
detecting.
Thefivesensitivitylevelsare:
y

Level4 UltraHighSensitivity
Level3 HighSensitivity
Le el 2 MediumSensitivity
Level2
Medi m Sensiti it
Level1 LowSensitivity

Asthesensitivitylevelincreases,sodoesthenumberof

nonreleventindications.Therefore,apenetrantneedsto
l
t i di ti
Th f
t t
d t
beselectedthatwillfindthedefectsofinterestbutnot
producetoomanynonreleventindications.

Visible Vs Fluorescent PT
VisibleVsFluorescentPT
Inspection can be performed

using visible (or red dye) or

fl
fluorescent
t penetrant
t
t
materials.
Visible Pt is pperformed under
white light while fluorescent
PT must be performed using
an ultraviolet light in a
darkened area.
area All are all in
the level 1 sensitivity range.
Fluorescent PT is more
sensitive
iti than
th visible
i ibl PT
because the eye is more
sensitive to a bright
indication on a dark
background. Sensitivity
ranges from 1 to 4.

Photo Courtesy of Contesco

WhyisVisiblePenetrantRed andFluorescent
Penetrant Green?

Visible ppenetrant is

usually red because red

stands out and
provides a high level of
contrast
t t against
i t a light
li ht
background
Fluorescent
uo esce t pe
penetrant
et a t
is green because the
eye is most sensitive to
the color g
green due to
the number and
arrangement of the
cones (the color
receptors)) in
i the
h eye.

Penetrant Removal Method

PenetrantRemovalMethod
Penetrantsarealsoclassifiedbythemethodof
removingtheexcesspenetrant
g
p
.
SolventRemovable penetrantsareremovedby

wipingwithaclothdampenedwithsolvent.Theyare
suppliedinaerosolcansforportabilityandareprimarily
usedforspotchecks.

WaterWashable penetrantsareremovedwitha

coursesprayofwater.Theyaretheeasiesttoemploy
andmostcosteffectivewheninspectinglargeareas.
d
t
t ff ti
h i
ti l

PostEmulsifiable penetrantsarewaterwashable

onlyaftertheyhavereactedwithanemulsifiersolution.
A post emulsifiable system is used when washing the
Apostemulsifiablesystemisusedwhenwashingthe
penetrantoutofthedefectisaconcern.Theemulsifier
isgiventimetoreactswiththepenetrantonthesurface
butnotthepenetranttrappedintheflaw.

Developers

Theroleofthedeveloperistopulltrapped

penetrantoutofdefectsandtospreadit
outonthesurfacesothatitcanbeseen.
Alsoprovidesalightbackgroundto
increasecontrastwhenvisiblepenetrantisused.
Developermaterialsareavailableinseveraldifferentforms
DryPowder isamixoflightfluffypowderthatclumpstogetherwherepenetrant
bleedsbacktothesurfacetoproducesverydefinedindications.

Wet,WaterSuspendable isapowderthatissuspendedinawaterthatcoversthe

surfacewitharelativelyuniformlayerofdeveloperwhenthewaterisevaporated.The
surface
with a relatively uniform layer of developer when the water is evaporated The
solutionissomewhatdifficulttomaintainasthepowdersettlesoutovertime.

Wet,WaterSoluble isacrystallinepowderthatformsaclearsolutionwhenmixed
withwater.Thesolutionrecrystallizesonthesurfacewhenthewaterisdrivenoff.
Indications sometimes lack definition and look milky Not recommended for use with
Indicationssometimeslackdefinitionandlookmilky.Notrecommendedforusewith
waterwashablepenetrants.

Wet,NonAqueous issuppliedinaspraycanandisthemostsensitivedeveloper
forinspectingsmallareas.Itistoocostlyanddifficulttoapplytolargeareas.

6 Steps of Penetrant Testing

6StepsofPenetrantTesting
1.PreClean
1
PreClean
2.PenetrantApplication
3 Excess Penetrant Removal
3.ExcessPenetrantRemoval
4.DeveloperApplication
5 I
5.Inspect/Evaluate
t/E l t
6.Postclean

Precleaning Step1
Precleaning
Step 1

Parts must be free of dirt,

rust, scale, oil, grease, etc.

to perform a reliable
inspection.
The cleaning process must
remove contaminants
t i
t from
f
the surfaces of the part
and defects, and must not
plug any of the defects.
defects
Precleaningisthemost
importantstepinthePT
process!!!

Caution About Metal Smearing

CautionAboutMetalSmearing
Some machining, surface finishing and cleaning
operations can cause a thin layer of metal to
smear on the surface and prevent penetrant from
entering any flaws that may be present.
Etching
g of the surface prior
p
to inspection
p
is
sometimes required.

Before Sanding

After Sanding

Aft Et
After
Etching
hi

Penetrant Application Step2

PenetrantApplication
Step 2
Many methods
of application
are possible
such as:
Brushing
Spraying
p y g
Dipping/
Immersing
Flow-on
And more

Dwell Time
DwellTime

Thepenetrantsolutionmust

beallowedto
be
allowed to dwell
dwell onthe
on the
surfaceoftheparttoallow
thepenetranttimetofillany
defects present
defectspresent.
Thedwelltimevary
accordingtopenetranttype,
g p
yp ,
temperature,materialtype
andsurfacefinish.

Excess Penetrant Removal Step3

ExcessPenetrantRemoval
Step 3
Theremovaltechniquedependsuponthe
The
removal technique depends upon the
typeofpenetrantused,asstatedearlier
SolventRemovable
S l tR
bl
WaterWashable
PostEmulsifiable
P E l ifi bl

Excess Penetrant Removal Step3(cont.)

ExcessPenetrantRemoval
Step 3 (cont )
WaterWashable
Acoarsewatersprayis
A coarse water spray is
usedtoremovetheexcess
p
penetrant.
Theprocedureusedasa
guidelineforthe
i
inspectionwillspecify
ti
ill
if
watertemperature
( yp
(typically50100F)and
y
)
pressure(typicallynot
morethan40psi),etc.

Excess Penetrant Removal Step3(cont.)

ExcessPenetrantRemoval
Step 3 (cont )
SolventRemovable
Thepartiswipedwitha
cleandryclothtoremove
the bulk of the excess
thebulkoftheexcess
penetrant.
Then,aclothlightly
dampenedwithsolventis
usedtoremoveany
remaining penetrant on
remainingpenetranton
thesurface.

Excess Penetrant Removal Step 3 (cont.)

SolventRemovable(cont.)
Anytimeasolventis
usedinthepenetrantinspection
process,a
suitableflashtimeis
required to allow excess solvent to
requiredtoallowexcesssolventto
evaporate.

Excess Penetrant Removal Step3(cont.)

ExcessPenetrantRemoval
Step 3 (cont )
PostEmulsifiable

Whenthereisconcernaboutremovingmuchofthepenetrant
f
fromthedefect,apostemulsifiablesystemisused.
h d f
l ifi bl
i
d
Thisinvolvesanadditionalstep
inwhichanemulsifierisapplied
to the surface of the part after
tothesurfaceofthepartafter
thepenetrantdwelltime.
Theemulsifierisgivenjust
enoughtimetoreactwith
g
thepenetrantonthesurface
torenderitwaterwashable
butnotenoughtimetodiffuse
intothepenetranttrappedin
p
pp
thedefects.

Developer Application Step4

DeveloperApplication
Step 4
Themethodofdeveloperapplicationisis
d
dependentonthetypeofdeveloperused.The
d
h
fd l
d h
primarymethodsforthefollowingmaindeveloper
typeswillbecoveredinthefollowingslides.
Dry
Wet
NonaqueousWet

Developer Application Step4(cont.)

DeveloperApplication
Step 4 (cont.)
DryPowderDeveloper
Priortoapplyingadry
Prior to applying a dry
powderdeveloper,the
componentmustbe
g y
y g
thoroughlydried.Dryingis
usuallyaccomplishedinahot
aircirculatingoven.
Thedeveloperisthenapplied
p
pp
byimmersingthepartinthe
powderorbydustingofthe
partwiththepowder.
Thepartcanalsobeplacedin
adeveloperdustcloud
chamber.

Developer Application Step4(cont.)

DeveloperApplication
Step 4 (cont.)
Wet Developer (water- suspended
and water
water- soluble)

Wetdevelopersareappliedby

immersingorsprayingthepart
while it is still wet from the
whileitisstillwetfromthe
penetrantremovalprocess.
Thepartiscompletelycoatedand
the excess liquid allowed to drain
theexcessliquidallowedtodrain
topreventpooling
Thepartisthendriedinahotair
circulatingoven.
i l ti

Developer Application Step4(cont.)

DeveloperApplication
Step 4 (cont.)
NonaqueousDeveloper(AKA
SolventSuspended)
Nonaqueousdeveloperis
appliedbyaaerosolspraytoa
thoroughlydriedandcooled
part.
t
Athinevencoatingshouldbe
applied.Thecoatingshouldbe
whitebutstillslightly
transparentwhenperforminga
visibledyepenetrant
inspection and even thinner
inspection,andeventhinner
whenperformingafluorescent
penetrantinspection.

Inspection/Evaluation Step5
Inspection/Evaluation
Step 5
Inthissteptheinspector
evaluates the penetrant
evaluatesthepenetrant
indicationsagainstspecified
accept/rejectcriteriaand
attempts to determine the
attemptstodeterminethe
originoftheindication.
Theindicationsarejudged
tobeeitherrelevant,non
relevantorfalse.

Non-relevant weld geometry indications

Relevant crack indications from an

abusive drilling process

Inspection/Evaluation Step5
Inspection/Evaluation
Step 5
Averyimportantstepof
evaluationisto
documentfindingson
aninspectionreport
form or other record
formorotherrecord
keepingform.
Thismaybesupported
withdrawingsorphotos
i hd
i
h
ofindications,etc.

Post Clean Step6

PostClean
Step 6
Thefinalstepinthepenetrant
inspectionprocessisto
thoroughlycleanthepartthat
h
hl l
h
h
hasbeentestedtoremoveall
penetrantprocessing
materials.
materials
Theresidualmaterialscould
possiblyaffectthe
performance of the part or
performanceofthepartor
affectitsvisualappeal.

Penetrant Inspection Systems

PenetrantInspectionSystems
Penetrantsystemscanbehighlyportableor
stationary.

Image courtesy of Nebraska Army National Guard

Portable Penetrant System

Stationary Penetrant System

VerificationofPenetrantSystem
Performance
Sincepenetranttesting
Since
penetrant testing
involvesmultipleprocessing
steps,theperformanceofthe
materialsandtheprocesses
t i l
d th
shouldberoutinelychecked
usingperformanceverification
tools,whichinclude:
TAMPanels
CrackSensitivityPanels
Crack Sensitivity Panels
RunCheckPanels

Advantages of Penetrant Testing

Relative ease of use.
Can be used on a wide range
g of material types.
yp
Large areas or large volumes of parts/materials can be
inspected rapidly and at low cost.
Parts
P t with
ith complex
l geometries
t i are routinely
ti l
inspected.
Indications are produced directlyy on surface of the
part providing a visual image of the discontinuity.
Initial equipment investment is low.
Aerosol spray cans can make equipment very
portable.

Limitations of Penetrant Testing

Only detects surface breaking defects.
Requires relatively smooth nonporous material
material.
Precleaning is critical. Contaminants can mask

defects.
Requires multiple operations under controlled
conditions.
Chemical handling precautions necessary (toxicity
(toxicity,
fire, waste).
Metal smearing from machining, grinding and other
operations inhibits detection.
detection Materials may need to
be etched prior to inspection.
Post cleaning is necessary to remove chemicals.

Summary
Penetranttesting(PT)isoneofthemostwidely
g( )
y

usednondestructivetestingmethods.
Itspopularitycanbeattributedtotwomainfactors,
which are its relative ease of use and its flexibility
whichareitsrelativeeaseofuseanditsflexibility.
However,PTinvolvesanumberofprocessingsteps
that must be closely control to achieve optimal
thatmustbecloselycontroltoachieveoptimal
sensitivity.

Glossary of Terms
GlossaryofTerms
CapillaryAction thetendencyofcertainliquids

totravelorclimbwhenexposedtosmall
to
travel or climb when exposed to small
openings.
Contrast
Contrast therelativeamountoflightemittedor
the relative amount of light emitted or
reflectedbetweenandindicationandits
background.
Defect
D f adiscontinuitythateffectstheusefulness
di
i i h
ff
h
f l
ofapartorspecimen.
Developer afinelydividedmaterialappliedover
a finely divided material applied over
thesurfaceofaparttohelppromotereverse
capillaryactionandthusbringoutapenetrant
indication.
indication

Glossary of Terms
GlossaryofTerms
Discontinuity anyinterruptioninthenormal

physicalstructureofapartorweld.Itmayor
physical
structure of a part or weld It may or
maynotaffecttheusefulnessofapart.
DwellTime theperiodoftimethatapenetrant
p
p
ordevelopermustremainincontactwiththe
surfaceofapartundertest.
EmulsificationTime
Emulsification Time thetimeallowedforthe
the time allowed for the
emulsifiertorenderthepenetrantwater
washableandthusallowtheparttobewashed.
Emulsifier amaterialappliedoverafilmof
penetrantthatrendersitwaterwashable.

Glossary of Terms
GlossaryofTerms
Evaluation theprocessofdecidingastothe

severityoftheconditionafteranindicationhas
severity
of the condition after an indication has
beeninterpreted.
FalseIndication anindicationcausedby
improper processing; not caused by a relevant or
improperprocessing;notcausedbyarelevantor
nonrelevantcondition.
FlashTime thetimerequiredforthesolventto
evaporatefromthesurfaceofapartwhenused
f
h
f
f
h
d
toprecleanorremoveexcesspenetrant.
FluorescentDye
uo esce t ye aadyewhichbecomes
dye
c beco es
fluorescent(givesofflight)whenexposedtoshort
waveradiationsuchasultravioletlight.

Glossary of Terms
GlossaryofTerms
Indication thevisibleevidenceorpenetrant
bleedout
bleed
outonthesurfaceofthespecimen
on the surface of the specimen
Interpretation theprocessofevaluatingan

indicationinanattempttodeterminethecause
and nature of the discontinuity
andnatureofthediscontinuity.
NonAqueousDeveloper adeveloperinwhich
developingpowderisappliedasasuspensionina
p gp
pp
p
quickdryingsolvent
Penetrant aliquidusedinfluorescentorvisible
d
dyepenetrantinspectiontopenetrateintothe
i
i
i
h
surfaceopeningsofpartsinspectedviathese
methods

Glossary of Terms
GlossaryofTerms
RelevantIndication anindicationthathasbeen

determinednottobefalseornonrelevant and
actualdiscontinuity
Seeability thecharacteristicofanindicationthat
enables it to be seen against the adverse conditions
enablesittobeseenagainsttheadverseconditions
ofbackground,outsidelight,etc.
Sensitivity theabilityofapenetranttodetect
surface openings Higher sensitivity indicates
surfaceopenings.Highersensitivityindicates
smallerdiscontinuitiescanbedetected
UltravioletLight (orBlackLight) lightenergyjust
b l th i ibl
belowthevisiblerangeofvioletlight(356
f i l t li ht (356
nanometers).

Glossary of Terms
GlossaryofTerms
Viscosity theresistanceofafluidtothemotion

ofitsparticles
of
its particles
Washability thepropertyofapenetrantwhich
p
permitsittobecleanedfromthesurfaceofapart
p
bywashingwithwater