Liquid Penetrant Inspection

TWI

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 Liquid Penetrant Inspection

A.K.A. Dye Penetrant Inspection(DPI)

Penetrant Flaw Detection (PFD)
Penetrant Testing (PT)
• Surface inspection method
• Applicable to all non-porous,
non-absorbing materials

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 6 Steps in Penetrant flaw
detection
• Surface preparation
• Penetrant application
• Removal of excess penetrant
• Application of developer
• Inspection
• Post cleaning and protection

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 1. Surface Preparation

• Physical Methods • Chemical Methods

• Scale • Oils and Greases

• Slag • Paints
• Corrosion products
• Carbon

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 Chemical Methods
• Vapour Degreasing
• Hot Solvent Degreasing
• Cold solvent Degreasing
• Solvent materials with Emulsifiers
• Acid / Alkaline Cleaning
• Steam cleaning
• Paint Removal

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 2. Penetrant Application

• Penetrating fluid applied to component and

drawn into defect by capillary action

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 Penetrant Application
Critical factors

• Penetration / Dwell time

• Component Temperature

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 Principle : Capillary Action
• Interaction of adhesive and cohesive
forces

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 Principle : Capillary Action
• Interaction of adhesive and cohesive
forces

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 Penetrant Properties
• Good Wetting Ability
• High Surface Tension
• Viscosity

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 Wetting Ability

• Liquids having good wetting ability have

a low contact angle.
• Liquids having a contact angle of 90º or
less will act as penetrants.
• Contact angle is strongly affected by
surface cleanliness.

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 Contact Angle

Contact
Angle

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 Contact Angle

LOW HIGH

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 Surface Tension

HIGH LOW

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 Surface Tension

• Strongly affected by contamination

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 Viscosity
• Viscosity is a measure of internal friction
• It affects the rate at which a liquid flows
• Viscosity has a strong effect on the time
taken for capillary action to work
• A high viscosity penetrant will require a
longer contact time and a longer
development time
• A low viscosity penetrant may drain too
quickly from vertical or overhead surfaces

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 Types of Penetrant

• Colour Contrast
• Fluorescent
• All other factors being equal,
fluorescent penetrants provide the best
sensitivity
• Each of the above may be water
washable, solvent removable or post-
emulsifiable (in order of increasing
sensitivity)

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Copyright © 2003, TWI Ltd World Centre for Materials Joining Technology
Copyright © 2003, TWI Ltd World Centre for Materials Joining Technology
 2. Penetrant Application

Preceded by a visual inspection

Spraying

Methods Brushing

Immersion

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 Penetrant application

Electrostatic
spraying

• Special Methods

Thixotropic
penetrants
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 3. Removal of Excess Penetrant
• Penetrating fluid applied to component and
drawn into defect by capillary action

• Penetrating fluid removed from component

surface (but not from defect)

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 Removal of Excess Penetrant
• Water washable
• Solvent Removable
• Post Emulsifiable

Penetrants are formulated for

removal by one or sometimes more
than one of the above.

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 Removal of Excess Penetrant
• Water Washable Penetrant

Minimise mechanical
action
Spray wash Pressure as low as
possible
Temperature less than
50ºC

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 Water Washable Penetrant
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Usable on rough • Susceptible to
surfaces over washing
• Suitable for batch • Least sensitive
testing method
• Cheaper than • Requirement for a
other methods water source

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 Post Emulsifiable Penetrant
Stages
• Immerse component in penetrant
• Immerse component in emulsifier
• Emulsifier diffuses into the penetrant
making it water washable
• Water wash removes excess penetrant
/ emulsifier
• Penetrant in defects left unaffected
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 Removal of Excess Penetrant

Hydrophilic

2 Post emulsification
systems

Lipophilic
Contact time critical
Determined by experimentation

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 Post emulsifiable
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Maximum • Not suited to
penetrating rough surfaces
ability • More expensive
• Greater control • More time
over penetrant consuming
removal

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 Removal of Excess Penetrant

Solvent Removable

Clean off the excess with a lint free

cloth.

Wipe with a solvent dampened rag.

Thou shalt not spray the cleaner directly

onto the item under test.

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 Solvent Removable
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Portability • Not suited to batch
• No water supply testing
needed • Requires hand wiping
so time consuming
• More expensive than
water washable
• Potentially hazardous
chemicals

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 Drying

Hot air recirculating oven (max 80ºC)

Forced warm air

Dry clean compressed air

Component temperature shall not

exceed 50ºC

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 4. Development
• Penetrating fluid applied to component and
drawn into defect by capillary action
• Developer applied to surface

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 Developer Properties

• Absorptive Easily wetted

• Fine texture Contrasting colour
• Able to mask out Easily removed
background colour Non-toxic and Non-
irritant
• Evenly and easily
applicable
• Light and even coat
• Non-fluorescing

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 Developer action
• Penetrating fluid applied to component and
drawn into defect by capillary action
• Developer applied to surface
• Penetrant drawn back out of the defect by
reverse capillary action

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 Developer action
Capillary Action - Increases the size of an
indication far beyond the actual defect size;
increases the “thickness” of an indication,
thereby increasing it’s colour brilliance.
Light scattering - Aids the conversion of UVA to
visible light when using fluorescent systems;
reduces background glare when using visible
systems.
Solvent Action - Solvent combines with
penetrant, reducing penetrant viscosity, thereby
inducing a more rapid, more efficient bleed-out.

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 Light Scattering
I0
If
If If
If

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 No Developer With Developer

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 No Developer With Developer

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 Development
Dry powder Aqueous liquid
Component must Dry after application
be dry Applied by
Applied by Immersion
Dipping Spraying
Blowing Brushing
Dust storm cabinet

Non-Aqueous liquid
Applied by
Aerosol

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 Dry powder developer
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Easy to handle • Difficult to see if
• No hazardous properly applied
vapours • Fine powders can be
• Easy to remove hazardous
• Does not offer the
best degree of
colour contrast

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 Aqueous Developer

• Solutions

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 Aqueous Developer

• Solutions • Suspensions

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 Aqueous Developer
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• No vapours or • Difficult to apply
dust evenly
• Cheaper than • Requires drying
non-aqueous after application

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 Non-Aqueous Developer
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Most sensitive • Hazardous
• Usable with solvents
fluorescent or • Higher cost
colour contrast • Need to be
correctly applied

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 Developer Sensitivity
• Dry powder 100 - 140 %
• Aqueous solution 110 - 150 %
• Aqueous suspension 120 - 200%
• Non-Aqueous 120 - 240%

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 System Classification
• Type of penetrant
• Method of penetrant removal
• Type of developer

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 System classification

• PENETRANT REMOVAL DEVELOPERS

Water Dry powder
• Colour
contrast washable Aqueous
Solvent Non-Aqueous
• Fluorescent
Post
• Dual emulsifiable

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 5. Inspection

• Indications viewed as soon as

practicable after developer application
with final assessment taking place after
a minimum development time has
elapsed.

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 30 Seconds 1 Minute 15 Minutes

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 5. Inspection
Lighting levels critical

Colour Contrast
• White light above 500 lux

Fluorescent
• White light below 20 lux
• UV-A above 1000µW / cm2

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 5. Inspection
Fluorescent
• Allow 15 minutes lamp warm-up
•Allow 5 minutes dark adaptation
•Do not wear photo-chromatic spectacles

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 6. Post Cleaning
DPI residues are required to be removed
because
• They may be harmful to the component
or
• They may impair subsequent processing

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 Advantages of DPI
• Applicable to all non-porous materials
• Able to test large parts with a portable
kit
• Batch testing
• Applicable to small parts with complex
geometry
• Simple,cheap, easy to interpret
• Good sensitivity
• Training requirements typically less
than for other NDT methods.
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 Disadvantages of DPI
• Will only detect defects open to the
surface
• Careful surface preparation required
• Not applicable to porous materials
• Temperature dependent
• Cannot retest indefinitely
• Compatibility of chemicals

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 Penetrant Systems

PENETRANT REMOVAL DEVELOPERS

Colour contrast Solvent Dry powder

Fluorescent
Water washable Aqueous

Dual Post emulsifiable

Non-Aqueous

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 Selection of System
• Nature of discontinuities (size and type)
• Geometry and intricacy
• Surface condition
• Component material and application
• Size and position
• Equipment and expertise available
• Cost
• Number of components to be tested

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 Control Checks
• Tank levels
• Overall system performance

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 Overall System Performance
• Chromium plated cracked test panel
• Cracked test piece
• Quench cracked aluminium alloy block

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 Control Checks
Tank levels
Overall system performance
Rinse water temperature
Oven temperature
Equipment cleanliness
Airline filters
UV-A filters

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 Control Checks
UV-A / visible light levels
Fluorescent / colour intensity
Suppliers check
Hydrophilic remover dilution
Developer
Meter / gauge calibrations

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 Control Checks - Frequency
Tank levels Daily
Overall system performance Daily
Rinse water temperature Daily
Oven temperature Daily
Equipment cleanliness Daily
Airline filters Weekly
UV-A filters Daily
UV-A / visible light levels Monthly

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 Control Checks - Frequency
Fluorescent / colour intensity Monthly
Suppliers check Annual
Hydrophilic remover dilution when fresh
Developer Daily
Meter / gauge calibrations Annual

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 UV(A)

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 Electromagnetic Spectrum
X-rays &
Gamma
Electric
Microwaves Waves
Ultra Infra
violet red TV

Light

10-10 10-8 10-6 10-4 10-2 1cm 102 104 106 108
Wavelength
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 Electromagnetic Spectrum

UV-B
A Damaged
UV-C UV-A
Black Light Emits

10 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

ULTRAVIOLET VISIBLE
LIGHT LIGHT

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 Fluorescence

UV-A Source : Mercury vapour arc

lamp
+
Filter

Precautions
• Avoid looking directly at the lamp
• Do not use if filter is cracked, damaged or
incorrectly fitted

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 Fluorescence and the
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Absorbs Emits Dual

10 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

ULTRAVIOLET VISIBLE
LIGHT LIGHT

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 Fluorescent v Colour Contrast
• Fluorescent more sensitive
• Less operator fatigue with fluorescent
• More difficulty in monitoring fluorescent
penetrant removal
• Fluorescence may degrade under UV(A),
when exposed to acid and high
temperatures

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 Any Questions Please ?

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