Liquid penetrant inspection

by Ian Munns

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?

The basic stages of liquid penetrant inspection are shown below. Firstly, the
surface to be inspected is cleaned thoroughly to remove all traces of dirt and
grease. A brightly coloured or fluorescent liquid is then applied liberally to the
component surface and allowed to penetrate any surface-breaking cracks or
cavities. The time the liquid is allowed to soak into the material's surface is
normally about 20 minutes. After soaking, the excess liquid penetrant is wiped
from the surface and a developer applied. The developer is usually a dry white
powder, which draws penetrant out of any cracks by reverse capillary action to
produce indications on the surface. These (coloured) indications are broader
than the actual flaw and are therefore more easily visible.
Penetrant testing:
A. Sample before testing;
B. Liquid penetrant applied;
C. Surplus wiped off leaving
penetrant in crack;
D. Developer powder
applied, dye soaks into
powder;
E. View coloured indications,
or UV lamp shows up
fluorescent indications.
A number of different liquid penetrant systems are used in industry. Fluorescent
penetrants are normally used when the maximum flaw sensitivity is required.
However, these penetrants must be viewed under darkened conditions with a UV
lamp, which may not be practical. The most commonly used systems are solvent
removable, or water washable, red dye systems, which typically comprise three
aerosol cans - cleaning fluid, penetrant and developer. These systems are often
used to check weld quality during fabrication.

Important considerations
Despite being one of the popular NDT methods, liquid penetrant testing is often
misused. Test 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 (i.e. from flaws as well as from the test surface). For these reasons, it
is important that personnel carrying out liquid penetrant inspection are properly
trained and qualified (for example, in accordance with the British Institute of Non
Destructive Testing's PCN certification scheme or equivalent schemes such as
those operated by CSWIP and ASNT).

Where is it used?
If applied correctly, liquid penetrant testing offers a fast, cheap and relatively
simple means of surface inspection, making it attractive to a number of
industries. At the 'high-tech' end of the market, the aerospace industry use
automated fluorescent penetrant testing to look for fatigue cracking in turbine
blades. At 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.

Liquid penetrant inspection, also known as dye penetrant inspection, is a type of

nondestructive testing used generally in the detection of flaws in non-ferrous alloys. It
can also be used for the inspection of ferrous materials where magnetic-particle
inspection is difficult to apply. In some cases, liqued penetrant inspection can also be
used on non-metallic materials.
There are two processes available: one is the use where the penetrant contains an
emulsifying agent, and in the other a dye solvent has to be applied separately after the
penetration time has elapsed. These processes can be sub-divided even further where the
use of dry developer may produce a better result or by the use of a wet developer.
All the processes consist of applying a penetrant dye (generally red) to the surface of the
item being tested, waiting a certain time to allow the dye to soak into any flaws, then
removing any extra dye remaining on the surface. A white Developer is then applied, the
purpose of which is to draw to the surface any dye which has penetrated into defects in
the surface, a process similar to the action of blotting paper. Any red stains indicate the
position and type of defects in the surface under inspection.

Liquid Penetrant Testing

Liquid penetrant testing is yet another form of nondestructive testing used for finding surface defects only.
Penetrant testing is a physical and chemical test used for detecting and making visible to the naked eye surface
related discontinuities in non-porous materials.
Solvent removable penetrant is the most common application. Evaluation is made with white ambient light.
Water washable penetrant is a rapid and effective means of inspecting large areas or in locations where the
solvent would have an injurious effect upon the material or personnel. The inspection is usually made with white
light.
Fluorescent penetrant removable both by solvent or water and with evaluation made under ultraviolet light is the
most sensitive of the penetrant methods for inspection. A darkened environment is necessary for inspection under
the black light.