Laboratory 1

INTRODUCTION TO NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING

Contents
Definitions..................................................................................................................................................... 1
Abrevietions .................................................................................................................................................. 1
1. WHAT IS NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING? ........................................................................................ 1
2. Methods of NDT ...................................................................................................................................... 2

Definitions
— Defect: One or more flaws whose aggregate size, shape, orientation, location or
properties do not meet specified requirements will be rejected
— Discontinuity: A lack of continuity or cohesion; an intentional or unintentional
interruption in the physical structure or configuration of a material or component
— Flaw: An imperfection or discontinuity that may be detectable by non-destructive testing
will not necessarily be rejected

Abrevietions
NDT – non-destructive testing.
ET – eddy current testing
MT – magnetic particle testing
PT – penetrant testing
RT – radiographic testing
UT – ultrasonic testing
VT –visual testing
PA – Phased Array
ASNT – American Society for Nondestructive Testing
IRNDT – Non-Contact Infrared Non-Destructive Testing

1. WHAT IS NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING?

Non-destructive Testing is one part of the function of Quality Control and is
complementary to other long established methods.
 By definition non-destructive testing is the testing of materials, for surface or internal
flaws or metallurgical condition, without interfering in any way with the integrity of the material
or its suitability for service.
The technique can be applied on a sampling basis for individual investigation or may be
used for 100% checking of material in a production quality control system.
NDT plays an important role in the quality control not only of the finished products, but
also of half finished products as well as the initial raw materials. NDT can be used at all stages
of the production process. It can also be used during the process of establishing a new
technology by product quality or when developing a new product. Outside the manufacturing
field, NDT is also widely used for routine or periodic control of various items during operation
to ascertain that their quality has not deteriorated with use.
Whilst being a high technology concept, evolution of the equipment has made it robust
enough for application in any industrial environment at any stage of manufacture - from
steelmaking to site inspection of components already in service.
A certain degree of skill is required to apply the techniques properly in order to obtain the
maximum amount of information concerning the product, with consequent feedback to the
production facility.
Non-destructive Testing is not just a method for rejecting substandard material; it is also
an assurance that the supposedly good is good. The technique uses a variety of principles; there
is no single method around which a black box may be built to satisfy all requirements in all
circumstances.

2. METHODS OF NDT

The field of NDT is a very broad, interdisciplinary field that plays a critical role in
inspecting that structural component and systems perform their function in a reliable fashion.
Certain standards has been also implemented to assure the reliability of the NDT tests and
prevent certain errors due to either the fault in the equipment used, the miss-application of the
methods or the skill and the knowledge of the inspectors.
Successful NDT tests allow locating and characterizing material conditions and flaws that
might otherwise cause planes to crash, reactors to fail, trains to derail, pipelines to burst, and
variety of less visible, but equally troubling events. However, these techniques generally require
considerable operator skill and interpreting test results accurately may be difficult because the
results can be subjective.
These methods can be performed on metals, plastics, ceramics, composites, cermet, and
coatings in order to detect cracks, internal voids, surface cavities, delamination, incomplete c
defective welds and any type of flaw that could lead to premature failure. Commonly used
NDT test methods can be seen in table 1. These are universal NDT methods; however, very
special tests have been developed for specific applications.
Table 1 Commonly used NDT techniques

No. Technique Capabilities Limitations

Macroscopic surface flaws Small flaws are difficult to detect,
1 Visual Testing
Small surface flaws no subsurface flaws.
No subsurface flaws not for porous
2 Dye Penetrant Testing Surface flaws
materials
Surface / near surface and Limited subsurface capability, only
3 Magnetic particles Testing
layer flaws for ferromagnetic materials.
Difficult to interpret in some
4 Eddy Current Testing Surface and near surface flaws
applications; only for metals.
is influenced by a number of
factors such as the thermo-optical
Material imperfections such as
Infrared Thermographic properties of the object (emissivity,
5 cracks, defects, voids, cavities
Testing transmissivity, reflectivity),[3]
and other inhomogeneities.
ambient temperature, environment
properties, etc
Smallest defect detectable is 2% of
the thickness; radiation protection.
6 Radiographic Testing Subsurface flaws
No subsurface flaws not for porous
materials
Material must be good conductor
7 Ultrasonic Testing Subsurface flaws
of sound.
Difficult to interpret, expensive
8 Acoustic emission Can analyze entire structure
equipment.

Visual Testing:
VT is particularly effective detecting macroscopic flaws, such as poor welds. Many welding
flaws are macroscopic: crater cracking, undercutting, slag inclusion, incomplete penetration
welds, and the like. Likewise, VT is also suitable for detecting flaws in composite structures and
piping of all types. Essentially, visual inspection should be performed the way that one would
inspect a new car prior to delivery, etc. Bad welds or joints, missing fasteners or components,
poor fits, wrong dimensions, improper surface finish, delaminations in coatings, large cracks,
cavities, dents, inadequate size, wrong parts, lack of code approval stamps and similar proofs of
testing.

Liquid (Dye) penetrant method:

Liquid penetrant Testing (PT) is one of the most widely used nondestructive examination
(NDE) methods. Its popularity can be attributed to two main factors, which are its relative ease
of use and its flexibility. The technique is based on the ability of a liquid to be drawn into a
"clean" surface breaking flaw by capillary action. .
This method is an inexpensive and convenient technique for surface defect inspection.
The limitations of the liquid penetrant technique include the inability to inspect subsurface flaws
and a loss of resolution on porous materials. Liquid penetrant testing is largely used on
nonmagnetic materials for which magnetic particle inspection is not possible.
Materials that are commonly inspected using LPI include the following; metals
(aluminum, copper, steel, titanium, etc.), glass, many ceramic materials, rubber, plastics.
Liquid penetrant inspection is used to inspect of flaws that break the surface of the sample. Some
of these flaws are listed below; fatigue cracks, quench cracks grinding cracks, overload and
impact fractures, porosity, laps seams, pin holes in welds, lack of fusion or braising along the
edge of the bond line.

Magnetic particles:
Magnetic particle inspection is one of the simple, fast and traditional nondestructive
testing methods widely used because of its convenience and low cost. This method uses
magnetic fields and small magnetic particles, such as iron filings to detect flaws in components.
The only requirement from an inspect ability standpoint is that the component being
inspected must be made of a ferromagnetic material such iron, nickel, cobalt, or some of their
alloys, since these materials are materials that can be magnetized to a level that will allow the
inspection to be effective. On the other hand, an enormous volume of structural steels used in
engineering is magnetic. In its simplest application, an electromagnet yoke is placed on the
surface of the part to be examined, a kerosene-iron filling suspension is poured on the surface
and the electromagnet is energized. If there is a discontinuity such as a crack or a flaw on the
surface of the part, magnetic flux will be broken and a new south and north pole will form at
each edge of the discontinuity. Then just like if iron particles are scattered on a cracked magnet,
the particles will be attracted to and cluster at the pole ends of the magnet, the iron particles will
also be attracted at the edges of the crack behaving poles of the magnet. This cluster of particles
is much easier to see than the actual crack and this is the basis for magnetic particle inspection.
For the best sensitivity, the lines of magnetic force should be perpendicular to the defect.

Eddy current testing:

Eddy currents are created through a process called electromagnetic induction. When
alternating current is applied to the conductor, such as copper wire, a magnetic field develops in
and around the conductor. This magnetic field expands as the alternating current rises to
maximum and collapses as the current is reduced to zero. If another electrical conductor is
brought into the close proximity to this changing magnetic field, current will be induced in this
second conductor. These currents are influenced by the nature of the material such as voids,
cracks, changes in grain size, as well as physical distance between coil and material.
These currents form impedance on a second coil which is used to as a sensor. In practice
a probe is placed on the surface of the part to be inspected, and electronic equipment monitors
the eddy current in the work piece through the same probe. The sensing circuit is a part of the
sending coil.
Eddy currents can be used for crack detection, material thickness measurements, coating
thickness measurements, conductivity measurements for material identification, heat damage
detection, case depth determination, heat treatment monitoring.
Some of the advantages of eddy current inspection include; sensitivity to small cracks and other
defects, ability to detect surface and near surface defects, immediate results, portable equipment,
suitability for many different applications, minimum part preparation, no necessity to contact the
part under inspection, ability to inspect complex shapes and sizes of conductive materials.
Some limitation of eddy current inspection; applicability just on conductive materials,
necessity for an accessible surface to the probe, skillful and trained personal, possible
interference of surface finish and roughness, necessity for reference standards for setup, limited
depth of penetration, inability to detect of the flaws lying parallel to the probe coil winding and
probe scan direction.

Infrared Thermographic Testing

Infrared and thermal testing is one of many Nondestructive testing techniques designated
by the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT). Infrared Thermography is the
science of measuring and mapping surface temperatures.

"Infrared thermography, a nondestructive, remote sensing technique, has proved to be an

effective, convenient, and economical method of testing concrete. It can detect internal voids,
delaminations, and cracks in concrete structures such as bridge decks, highway pavements,
garage floors, parking lot pavements, and building walls. As a testing technique, some of its most
important qualities are that:
 it is accurate;
 it is repeatable;
 it need not inconvenience the public;
 it is economical."

An infrared thermographic scanning system can measure and view temperature patterns
based upon temperature differences as small as a few hundredths of a degree Celsius. Infrared
thermographic testing may be performed during day or night, depending on environmental
conditions and the desired results.
Active thermography is an advanced nondestructive testing procedure, which uses a
thermography measurement of a tested material thermal response after its external excitation.
This principle can be used also for non-contact infrared non-destructive testing (IRNDT) of
materials. The IRNDT method is based on an excitation of a tested material by an external
source, which brings some energy to the material. Halogen lamps, flash-lamps, ultrasound
generator or other sources can be used as the excitation source for the IRNDT. The excitation
causes a tested material thermal response, which is measured by an infrared camera. It is possible
to obtain information about the tested material surface and sub-surface defects or material
inhomogeneities by using a suitable combination of excitation source, excitation procedure,
infrared camera and evaluation method.
Modern thermographic systems with high-speed and high-sensitivity IR cameras extend
the possibilities of the inspection method. Modularity of the systems allows their usage for
research and development applications as well as in modern industrial production lines.
Thermovision nondestructive testing of components can be carried out on wide range of
various materials. Thermographic inspection of material can be regarded as method of infrared
defectoscopy, that is capable to reveal material imperfections such as cracks, defects, voids,
cavities and other inhomogeneities. The thermographic testing can be provided on individual
components in laboratory or directly on technology facilities that are in duty.

Radiography:
Radiography has an advantage over some of the other processes in that the radiography
provides a permanent reference for the internal soundness of the object that is radiographed.
The x-ray emitted from a source has an ability to penetrate metals as a function of the
accelerating voltage in the x-ray emitting tube. If a void present in the object being radiographed,
more x-rays will pass in that area and the film under the part in turn will have more exposure
than in the non-void areas. The sensitivity of x-rays is nominally 2% of the materials thickness.
Thus for a piece of steel with a 25mm thickness, the smallest void that could be detected would
be 0.5mm in dimension. For this reason, parts are often radiographed in different planes. A thin
crack does not show up unless the x-rays ran parallel to the plane 0 the crack. Gamma
radiography is identical to x-ray radiography in function. The difference is the source of the
penetrating electromagnetic radiation which is a radioactive material such m Co 60. However
this method is less popular because of the hazards of handling radioactive materials.

Ultrasonic Inspection:
Ultrasonic Testing (UT) uses a high frequency sound energy to conduct examinations and
make measurements. Ultrasonic inspection can be used for flaw detection I evaluation,
dimensional measurements, material characterization, and more. A typical UT inspection system
consists of several functional units, such as the pulser/receiver, transducer, and display devices.
A pulser/receiver is an electronic device that can produce high voltage electrical pulse. Driven by
the pulser, the transducer of various types and shapes generates high frequency ultrasonic energy
operating based on the piezoelectricity technology with using quartz, lithium sulfate, or various
ceramics. Most inspections are carried out in the frequency range of 1 to 25MHz. Couplants are
used to transmit the ultrasonic waves from the transducer to the test piece; typical couplants are
water, oil, glycerin and grease.
The sound energy is introduced and propagates through the materials in the form of
waves and reflected from the opposing surface. An internal defect such as crack or void
interrupts the waves' propagation and reflects back a portion of the ultrasonic wave. The
amplitude of the energy and the time required for return indicate the presence and location of any
flaws in the work-piece.
The ultrasonic inspection method has high penetrating power and sensitivity. It can be
used from various directions to inspect flaws in large parts, such as rail road wheels pressure
vessels and die blocks.
This method requires experienced personnel to properly conduct the inspection and to
correctly interpret the results.
As a very useful and versatile NDT method, ultrasonic inspection method has the
following advantages; sensitivity to both surface and subsurface discontinuities, superior depth
of penetration for flaw detection or measurement, ability to single-sided access for pulse-echo
technique, high accuracy in determining reflector position and estimating size and shape,
minimal part preparation, instantaneous results with electronic equipment, detailed imaging with
automated systems, possibility for other uses such as thickness measurements.
Its limitations; necessity for an accessible surface to transmit ultrasound, extensive skill
and training, requirement for a coupling medium to promote transfer of sound energy into test
specimen, limits for roughness, shape irregularity, smallness, thickness or not homogeneity,
difficulty to inspect of coarse grained materials due to low sound transmission and high signal
noise, necessity for the linear defects to be oriented parallel to the sound beam, necessity for
reference standards for both equipment calibration, and characterization of flaws.

Acoustic Method:
There are two different kind of acoustic methods: (a) acoustic emission; (b) acoustic
impact technique.
Acoustic emission:
This technique is typically performed by elastically stressing the part or structure, for
example, bending a beam, applying torque to a shaft, or pressurizing a vessel and monitoring the
acoustic responses emitted from the material. During the structural changes the material such as
plastic deformation, crack initiation, and propagation, phase transformation, abrupt reorientation
of grain boundaries, bubble formation during boiling in cavitation, friction and wear of sliding
interfaces, are the source of acoustic signals. Acoustic emissions are detected with sensors
consisting of piezoelectric ceramic elements. This method is particularly effective for continuous
surveillance of load-bearing structures.
Acoustic impact technique:
This technique consists of tapping the surface of an object and listening to and analyzing
the signals to detect discontinuities and flaws. The principle is basically the same as when one
taps walls, desktops or countertops in various locations with a finger or a hammer and listens to
the sound emitted. Vitrified grinding wheels are tested in a similar manner to detect cracks in the
wheel that may not be visible to the naked eye. This technique is easy to perform and can be
instrumented and automated. However, the results depend on the geometry and mass of the part
so a reference standard is necessary for identifying flaws.