Magnetic Particle Testing (MPT)

THE ENGINEERS EDGE INSTITUTE OF NDT

No.17-A, K.R.R Nivas, 2nd Floor, Civil Aerodrome Road,
Civil Aerodrome Post, SITRA,
Coimbatore-641 014.
E-mail: [email protected], Phone No: +91-422 422 0053.
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 Contents
OIntroduction on Magnetic Particle Testing-MPT.
OCodes and Standards.
OTypes of Magnetic material.
OBasic Principle of MPT.
OProcessing steps of MPT.
OIntroduction of Magnetic field.
OImportance of Magnetic field direction.
OMethods used to Magnetize material.
OApplication of Magnetic Particles.
OMagnetic Field Indicators.
ODefects Indications.
ORecording.
ODemagnetization.
OEvaluation of indication.
OSafety Precautions.
OPros and Cons of MPT 05/26/2021 2
 Introduction on Magnetic Particle Testing-MPT

O Magnetic particle testing is one of the most widely used

NDT methods.
O This method uses magnetic fields and small magnetic
particles (Iron fillings) to detect flaws in components.
O The only requirement in MPT is that the specimen to be
inspected must be made of ferromagnetic material such
as iron, nickel, cobalt or some of their alloy.
O This method can detect flaws/ crack only in surface
and Sub-surface regions of the test specimen up to 6
mm depth.
O MPT is also called as subsurface NDT. 05/26/2021 3
 Introduction on Magnetic Particle
Testing-MPT (Contd)
Basic Physics
O Magnet:
O Magnet has two poles (i.e.) North pole and South pole.
O Same poles repel each other and opposite poles attract
each other.

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 Introduction on Magnetic Particle
Testing-MPT (Contd)
Basic Physics
O Magnetism:
O Magnetism is the ability of matter to attract other matter
to itself.
O Objects that possess the property of magnetism are said to
be magnetic or magnetized and magnetic lines of force
can be found in and around the objects.
O A magnetic pole is a point where the magnetic line of
force exits or enters a material.

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Introduction on Magnetic Particle Testing-MPT (Contd)

O Magnetic field lines:

O Form complete loops.
O Do not cross.
O All have same strength.
O Have directions such that they cause poles to attract or
repel.

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 Magnetic Terminology
O Permeability (µ)
O Ability to magnetise the material. Gold, Silver has no
permeability. Iron, Aluminium has high permeability.
O Flux
O Number of lines of force
O Number of lines of force per unit area.
O Denoted by b, Unit is gauss.
 Retentivity
Ability to retain a certain amount of residual
magnetism.
 Magnetic Terminology Contd
O Magnetization force
O The force required to magnetize a material.
O It is denoted by h.
O Unit is oerstead or Newton

 Relation between µ,b & h

Permeability (μ) = flux density (b)
Magnetization force (h)

µ = b/h wb/N.cm²
 Magnetic Terminology Contd

 Residual magnetism;
Amount of magnetic field remains in the material
after removal of external field
 Reluctance;
Resistivity of a material to magnetize.
 Coersive force;
The force required to remove the magnetic
property of the material.
 Susceptibility;
The metals which can be easily magnetize.
B-H CURVE (HYSTERESIS
LOOP)
CODES AND STANDARDS
O ASME SEC V – ARTICLE 7

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Types of Magnetic material

O Diamagnetic material.

O Paramagnetic material.

O Ferromagnetic material.

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Types of Magnetic material (Contd)
O Diamagnetic Material:
O Internal magnetic field is antiparallel to external
magnetic field.
O Orbital motion of electrons leads to diamagnetism.
O Negative relative permeability; slightly less than 1
O Example of Diamagnetic material Gold, Mercury,
Zinc

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Types of Magnetic material (Contd)
O Paramagnetic Material:
O Internal and External field in same direction,
but electron spin leads to paramagnetism.
O Positive relative permeability; slightly more
than 1
O Example of Paramagnetic material Aluminium,
copper, sulphate, wood.

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Types of Magnetic material (Contd)
O Ferromagnetic Material:
O These posses small regions called magnetic domains.
O These domains have north and south poles and are tiny
magnets.
O When ferromagnetic materials are not magnetized these
domains exits in random orientations and it don't show any
magnetic property.
O When exposed to magnetic field the domains orient
themselves in the direction parallel to external magnetic
field and now the material behaves like a permanent
magnet.
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 Basic Principle
O The principle of magnetic particle testing is magnetic
flux leakage.
O When the work piece to be is magnetized, magnetic
flux is induced. If there is a flaw on the surface,
magnetic flux leaks into the air at the position of the
flaw. The magnetic particle is applied to the surface.
O These magnetic particles will migrate to the flaw
where magnetic flux leaks and forms an indication that
is several time that of an actual flaw width.
O Then the inspector visually identifies the flaw.

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Basic Principle (Contd)

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Basic Principle (Contd)

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 Processing steps of MPT
O Pre-cleaning
O Magnetization process
O Magnetic field formation
O Application of magnetic particles
O Indications and recording
O De-magnetization
O Post - clean

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 Introduction of Magnetic field
Magnetization of ferromagnetic materials can be done in two ways;
O Magnetization using direct magnetization:
O With direct magnetization, current is passed directly through
the component. The flow of current causes a circular magnetic
field to form in and around the conductor. When using direct
magnetization method, care must be taken to ensure that good
electrical contact is established and maintained between the
test equipment and the test component to avoid damage of the
component.
O Magnetization using indirect magnetization:
O With indirect magnetization, strong external magnetic field is
used to establish magnetic field within the component.

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 Importance of Magnetic field direction
Circular magnetic field
Longitudinal magnetic field

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Importance of Magnetic field direction (Contd)
O  Being able to magnetize the part in two directions is
important because the best detection of defect occurs
when the lines of magnetic forces are established at
right angles to the longest dimension of the defect.
O This orientation creates the largest disruption of the
magnetic field and greatest magnetic flux leakage at
the surface of the specimen.
O An orientation of to between the magnetic field and
the defect is necessary to form an indication.

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Importance of Magnetic field
direction (Contd)

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Methods used to Magnetize material
Direct magnetization types
O Head Shot method (Clamping the component between
two electrical contacts)
O The specimen to be magnetized is clamped between two
electrical contacts. Current is passed through the
component and a circular magnetic field is established in
and around the component.
O When the magnetizing current is stopped, a residual
magnetic field will remain within the component. The
strength of the induced magnetic field is proportional to
the amount of current passed through the component.

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 Methods used to Magnetize material
(Contd)
Head Shot method

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 Methods used to Magnetize material
(Contd)
Direct magnetization types
Clamps or Prods
O In this method clamps or prods are placed or attached in
the specimen to be inspected.
O Electrical current flows through the component from
contact to contact.
O The current sets up a circular magnetic field around the
path of the current.
O Distance between prods should not exceed 8 inches
(200mm)
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Methods used to Magnetize material
(Contd)

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 Methods used to Magnetize material (Contd)

Indirect magnetization types

Using permanent magnets
O This is a low cost method to establish magnetic field,
but its use is limited due to lack of control of field
strength and the difficulty of placing and removing
strong magnets on test specimens.

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 Methods used to Magnetize material
(Contd)
Indirect magnetization types
Using Electromagnets or Yoke method
O This method is extensively used in the industry because
it eliminates the problems associated with permanent
magnet.
O Electromagnets only exhibit magnetic flux when electric
current is flowing around a soft iron core.
O Yoke lifting capacity:
O AC yoke 4.5 kg, DC yoke18.1 kg

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 Methods used to Magnetize material
(Contd)
Indirect magnetization types
Using Electromagnets or Yoke method

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 Methods used to Magnetize material
(Contd)
Indirect magnetization types
Using central conductor
O This method can be used to establish magnetic field in
cylindrical components.
O One or more cylindrical components are hung from a
solid copper bar running through the inside diameter
O Current is passed through the copper bar and the
resulting magnetic field is established in the test
specimen.
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 Methods used to Magnetize material
(Contd)

Indirect magnetization types

Using central conductor

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Current ratings

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 Application of Magnetic Particles.

The magnetic particles application is classified into two

types as follows:
 DRY METHOD

 WET METHOD

– VISIBLE METHOD

– FLUORESENT METHOD

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 Application of Magnetic Particles

O Dry Method

Variety of dry magnetic particles Application of dry particles

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 Application of Magnetic Particles

O Wet particles are of two types;

Visible or Fluorescent
O Visible particle are viewed under normal white light
and fluorescent particles are viewed under UV light
under dark room setup.

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 Application of Magnetic Particles

 Wet particles requires concentration checks to be

performed every eight hours or at ever shift change
 To perform the check requires agitating the carrier for
a minimum of thirty minutes to ensure even particle
distribution
 A pear-shaped 100 ml centrifuge tube having a stem
graduated to 0.1 ml to 0.4 ml for fluorescent particles,
and graduated to 1.5 ml. to 2.4 ml for visible particles

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 Magnetic Field Indicators
O Pie Gage – These devices are positioned on the surface
of the area of interest and particles are applied when the
part is being magnetized revealing linear indications on
the gage that indicates the direction of the flux lines.

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Magnetic Field Indicators (Contd)
O Residual Field Indicator – Indicates the amount of
residual magnetism in the part. The meter reading can
indicate the residual field on a relative scale or one that
indicates it in units of gauss.

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 Magnetic Field Indicators (Contd)
Flux Indicator Strips
O Sometimes referred to as Burma Castrol strips, they
contain small highly permeable ferromagnetic strips of
different widths and sandwiched between two brass
shims.
O They are designed for repeated use in establishing
magnetic field direction and relative strength when
using wet or dry particles.

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 Magnetic Field Indicators (Contd)
Gauss Meters or Hall Effect Gage
O A Gauss meter with a Hall Effect probe is generally
used to measure the tangential (magnetic) field
strength on the surface of the magnetized part.

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 Recording
O Photographs.
O Drawings.

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 Demagnetization
O Parts inspected by the magnetic particle method may
sometimes have an objectionable residual magnetic
field that may interfere with subsequent manufacturing
operations or service of the component.
O Possible reasons for demagnetization include:
O May interfere with welding and/or machining
operations
O Can effect gauges that are sensitive to magnetic
fields if placed in close proximity.
O Abrasive particles may adhere to components
surface and cause increase in wear to engines
components, gears, bearings etc. 05/26/2021 43
 Demagnetization
How to demagnetize?
O Heating over Curie temperature (the Curie temperature
is alloy dependent. For industrial steels it is about 500°C
to 800°C and initiates conversion from Ferromagnetism
to Para magnetism).
O Vibration (reorientation of magnetic domains due to
vibration energy).
O Using Demagnetizer Coil.

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 Evaluation of indication

O False indication appears due to improper cleaning.

O A relevant indication is caused by a flaw such as

a crack, porosity or surface breaking defects.

O Non relevant, are the indications, that are caused by

complex structures of the test object.

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 Safety Precautions
Two types of problems may cause to the inspector;

Skin irritation
Precaution: Wearing gloves.

 Breathing problem/ Air Pollution

Precaution: Wearing mask and install exhaust fans.

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 Advantage of MPT

O Can detect both surface and near sub-surface defects.

O Can inspect parts with irregular shapes easily.
O Precleaning of components is not as critical as it is for
some other inspection methods. Most contaminants
within a flaw will not hinder flaw detectability.
O Fast method of inspection and indications are visible
directly on the specimen surface.
O Considered low cost compared to many other NDT
methods to find sub surface flaw.
O Is a very portable inspection method especially when used
with battery powered equipment.
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 Disadvantage of MPT

O Cannot inspect non-ferrous materials such as aluminum,

magnesium or most stainless steels.
O Inspection of large parts may require use of equipment
with special power requirements.
O Some parts may require removal of coating or plating to
achieve desired inspection sensitivity.
O Limited subsurface discontinuity detection capabilities.
Maximum depth sensitivity is approximately 0.6” (under
ideal conditions).
O Post cleaning, and post demagnetization is often necessary.
O Alignment between magnetic flux and defect is important.

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Thank you!!!

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