NDT - Unit 2

Liquid Penetrant Testing
Introduction
• Penetrant Testing, or PT, is a nondestructive
testing method that builds on the principle of Visual Inspection.
• PT increases the“seeability” of small discontinuities that the

human eye might not be able to detect alone.
Basic Principals
 Liquid Penetrant Testing Liquid penetrant testing is one of the oldest and simplest NDT
methods where its earliest versions (using kerosene and oil mixture) 19 th century
 This method is used to reveal surface discontinuities by bleed out of a colored or fluorescent
dye from the flaw.
 The technique is based on the ability of a liquid to be drawn into a "clean" surface
discontinuity by capillary action.

• In penetrant testing, a liquid with high surface wetting
characteristics is applied to the surface of a component under
test.
• The penetrant “penetrates” into surfacebreaking discontinuities

via capillary action and other mechanisms.
• Excess penetrant is removed from the surface and a developer is

applied to pull trapped penetrant back the surface.
• With good inspection technique, visual indications of any

discontinuities present become apparent.
Properties of Good penetrant
1. Capillarity
It is the ability of a liquid to flow in narrow spaces
without the assistance of external forces. This property
helps the penetrant to fill a void.
2. Contact Angle
Angle formed by the solid-liquid interface and liquid – vapour
interface measured from the side of a liquid is called contact
angle.
Mostly the liquid penetrant has contact angle of 0deg
3. Viscosity
Viscosity is the internal resistance of a liquid to flow. The
penetrants with less viscosity fill the cracks in time
4. Surface Tension
Surface tension is nothing but wetting capability of a liquid.
Penetrant should have good wetting capability to spread over
the surface
5. Cohesiveness and Adhesiveness
The attractive force between like molecules and unlike

molecules called cohesiveness and Adhesive forces
respectively
6. Specific Gravity
Specific gravity is the ratio of the density of a liquid to the

density of the standard liquid. Penetrant have Sp Gravity
less than one
7.Non-Flammable
8.Volatility
Tendency of a substance to evaporate at normal temperature is
called volatility
9. Removability
Penetrants
Penetrants are carefully formulated to produce the level of sensitivity
desired by the inspector.
The penetrant must possess a number of important characteristics:
spread easily over the surface of the material being inspected to

provide complete and even coverage.
be drawn into surface breaking defects by capillary action.
remain in the defect but remove easily from the surface of the part.
remain fluid so it can be drawn back to the surface of the part
through the drying and developing steps.
be highly visible or fluoresce brightly to produce easy to see
indications.
not be harmful to the material being tested or the inspector
Stages of Liquid Penetrant Testing
1. Pre-Cleaning or Surface Preparation

2. Penetrant Application
3. Excess Penetrant Removal
4. Developer Application
5. Examination, Interpretation and
Evaluation
6. Post-process cleaning
Penetrant Materials
PENETRANT METHODS
1. WATER WASHABLE METHODS
2. POST EMULSIFIABLE METHOD
3. SOLVENT REMOVABLE METHOD

WATER WASHABLE PENETRANT METHODS
A coarse water spray is used to remove the excess

penetrant.
The procedure used as a guideline for the inspection will
specify water temperature (typically 50-100°F) and pressure
(typically not more than 40 psi), etc.
POST EMULSIFIABLE PENETRANT METHOD
 When there is concern about removing much of the penetrant

from the defect, a post emulsifiable system is used.
 This involves an additional step in which an emulsifier is applied
to the surface of the part after the penetrant dwell time.
 The emulsifier is given just enough time to react with the
penetrant on the surface to render it water washable but not
enough time to diffuse into the penetrant trapped in the defects.
SOLVENT REMOVABLE PENETRANT METHOD
 The part is wiped with a clean dry cloth to remove the bulk of the
excess penetrant.
 Then, a cloth lightly dampened with solvent is used to remove any
remaining penetrant on the surface, Suitable flash time is required
to allow excess solvent to evaporate
Developer Application
The method of developer application is dependent on the type of developer
used.
The primary methods are,
Dry
Wet
Non aqueous Wet
Dry Powder Developer:

Prior to applying a dry powder developer, the component must be
thoroughly dried. Drying is usually accomplished in a hot air circulating
oven.
The developer is then applied by immersing the part in the powder or by
dusting of the part with the powder.
The part can also be placed in a developer dust cloud chamber.
Wet developers
• Wet developers are applied by immersing or spraying the part
while it is still wet from the penetrant removal process.
• The part is completely coated and the excess liquid allowed to
drain to prevent pooling
• The part is then dried in a hot air circulating oven.
Non-aqueous developer
• Non-aqueous developer is applied by a aerosol spray to a thoroughly dried
and cooled part.
• A thin even coating should be applied.
• The coating should be white but still slightly transparent when performing
a visible dye penetrant inspection, and even thinner when performing a
fluorescent penetrant inspection.
Properties of Good developer
It should have good absorption characteristics

It should have a good contrast background
It should be able to uniformly cover the surface with the thin
smooth Coating
It should be chemically inert with test material
It should provide a good contrast background for bright and clean
indications
It should be non toxic
It should be easy to remove after inspection
Types of Developers
1. Dry Powder Developers

2. Water Suspendable developers
3. Water soluble developers
4. Non-aqueous developers
1. Dry Powder Developers
It is a mix of light feathery powder that clumps where

penetrant bleeds back to the surface in order to produce very
defined indications
2. Water- Suspendable Developer
Water suspendable developers consist of insoluble developers

particles suspended in water. Water suspendable developers
require frequent stirring to keep the particle from setting out
of suspension
3. Water Soluble developer
Water soluble developer is a crystalline powder that forms a
clear solution when mixed with water.
The solution recrystallizes on the surface when the water is
drained
4. Non Aqueous
Non Aqueous developer suspend the developer in a volatile
solvent.
It is supplied by a spray gun or aerosol can and it Is most
sensitive developer for inspecting small areas
1. Aerospace :Typical Components that are checked by this
method include Turbine, rotor disc, blades, aircraft wheels,
Casting, forged parts and welded assemblies
2. Automobiles: Many automotive parts particularly aluminium
castings and forging including pistons and cylinder heads are
subjected to this form of quality checks before assembly
3. Railways: LPI to detect fatigue cracking is also used for the
regular in service examination of the bogie frames of railway
locomotive and the rolling stock
4. Tool and dies: field drilling rays, drill pipes, castings and
drilling equipment's inspected by this methods
5.Inspection on reactors and tank: Tanks, vessels, reactors,
piping, dyers in the chemical, petro-chemical industries.

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Liquid Penetrant Testing

• PT increases the“seeability” of small discontinuities that the

dye from the flaw.

discontinuity by capillary action.

• The penetrant “penetrates” into surfacebreaking discontinuities

• Excess penetrant is removed from the surface and a developer is

• With good inspection technique, visual indications of any

The attractive force between like molecules and unlike

Specific gravity is the ratio of the density of a liquid to the

The penetrant must possess a number of important characteristics:

spread easily over the surface of the material being inspected to

1. Pre-Cleaning or Surface Preparation

1. WATER WASHABLE METHODS

2. POST EMULSIFIABLE METHOD

3. SOLVENT REMOVABLE METHOD

A coarse water spray is used to remove the excess

 When there is concern about removing much of the penetrant

Dry Powder Developer:

It should have good absorption characteristics

1. Dry Powder Developers

It is a mix of light feathery powder that clumps where

Water suspendable developers consist of insoluble developers

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