Indications formed in liquid Penetrant inspection are the marks formed on the surface to show

the presence of anomalies. It is important to know the source and cause of the indication and its
detrimental effects on the part or component.
Penetrant indications provide the experienced operator with qualitative data on which to base a
decision in all obvious cases. He must know the kind of flaw and its approximate magnitude
before attempting to solve the problem of estimating probable damage to the part.
The indications appear to glow with brilliant yellow green light and the background areas appear
to be deep violet blue if fluorescent penetrant is used and the examination is made under black
light (ultraviolet.
If dye penetrant is used, the examination is made in ordinary white light, the developer forms a
white back-ground and the defects are visible by a red colour indication.
Several factors affect the formation of indications; an indication formed by a discontinuity may
be characterized by its size, shape, spread of the indication and source of the indication.
Indications can be classified as linear and non linear on the basis of its size.
Indications can be classified as relevant and non relevant indications on the basis of the source
causing the indications.
Inspection timings have to be carefully managed so that the size of indications formed should be
proportional to the size of the discontinuity. For e.g. if sufficient amount of dwell time is not
provided during the inspection, very minimal amount the penetrant would go into the
discontinuity and form weak indications and similarly after applying the developer on the surface
sufficient time is allowed for the Penetrant to form indications, if more amount of time is
provided then Penetrant would spread around the discontinuity and looks larger indication than
the original size of the indication causing misinterpretation
Generally a discontinuity is characterized by its size and shape, such as length, width and depth
and indications formed by different discontinuities look different depending on their
characteristics.
Relevant indications
These are the true indications i.e. relevant indications are those caused by discontinuities. The
interpretation of an indication as relevant is a matter in observing the indication, eliminating the
possibility of its being a false indication and then further determining that it is relevant.
A true indication immediately becomes subject to interpretation of the type of discontinuity and
evaluation on the basis of the relevant acceptance standard or engineering decision based on the
effect of the indicated discontinuity on the service life of the specimen.
It requires the sufficient knowledge of the processes used in the manufacturing or fabrication of
the material or component to identify the discontinuity and cause of the discontinuity and its
detrimental effects on the part, or in the case of a component in service, knowledge of its
operation and the stresses to which it has been subjected.
Relevant indications fall into five categories; continuous line, intermittent line, rounded, small
dots, and diffused or weak.
Continuous line
Continuous line indications are caused by cracks, lack of fusion, incomplete penetration, forging
laps, scratches or die marks. Cracks usually appear as jagged lines and forging laps as smooth,
wavy lines. Scratches and die marks appear in a variety of linear patterns but are readily
recognizable when all penetrant traces are removed. Seams provide a continuous line that differs
from a crack in that the line is straight rather than jagged.
Intermittent line
The same discontinuities that cause continuous line indications may, under different
circumstances, cause intermittent line indications. When an article is worked by grinding
peening, forging or machining for example; portions of the discontinuities in the surface of the
article may be closed by the metal-working process, When this occurs, the discontinuities will
appear as intermittent lines. Very light cracks yield similar signs.
Round
Round indications usually are caused by porosity. The porosity may be the result of gas holes or
pin holes. Deep cracks may also appear as round indications since they trap a large amount of
penetrant that spreads when the developer is applied.
Small dots
Small dot indications result from fine openings such as pin holes, or may be the result of coarse
grain in a cast alloy.
Diffused or weak indications
Diffused or weak indications are particularly difficult to interpret. When they appear, the
workpiece is to be thoroughly cleaned and re-tested. While weak diffused indications may be
caused by surface porosity, they are more often the result of insufficient early cleaning
incomplete penetrant removal or too thick a layer of developer.
Spurious or non-relevant indications
False indications
False indications are those which are not associated with a discontinuity of any sort. The most
common source of false indications is poor washing of water-washable and postemulsifiable
penetrant. When using fluorescent penetrant, the use of black light during the washing process is
very important.
The operator can easily tell whether a good rinse is obtained by noting whether patches of
fluorescence remain on the specimen. Care must be taken so that no outside contamination
occurs.
Typical sources of contamination are:
(1) Penetrant on hands-off operator.
(2) Contamination of wet or dry developer.
(3) Penetrant rubbing from an indication on one specimen to the surface of another specimen.
(4) Penetrant spots on the inspection table.
(5) Lint or threads.
Non-relevant indications
As well as the truly false indications there is a category of non-relevant indications which testing
personnel can recognize. These are true indications in the sense that they are caused by surface
design and therefore not flaws. Most of such non-relevant indications are easy to recognize since
they are related directly to some feature of the assembly that accounts for their presence. They
include those that appear on articles that are press-fitted, keyed, splined, riveted or spot welded
and those appearing on castings as a result of loosely adherent scale or a rough surface due to
burned-in sand. Such non-relevant indications must be carefully noted, since they may interfere
with correct interpretation.