PENETRANT TESTING

Akademi NDT Non-Destructive Testing and Engineering Services Ltd. Ltd. 0 (216) 504 6638 – info@[Link]
 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF PENETRANT TESTING

The basic physical principle of the penetrant testing:

It is based on the principles of:

• Penetrant liquid entering the discontinuity due to capillary action,
• Excess penetrant liquid being removed from the surface,
• Penetrant remaining in the discontinuity being reabsorbed by developer and creating
contrast on the surface.

FOR THE METHOD TO BE APPLIED:

The discontinuity must be open to the surface,
There must be no painting, galvanization or coating on the surface,
Inside of the discontinuity must be empty,
The surface roughness must be below a certain level.
 PENETRANT TESTING FEATURES
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Application can be done to all materials Discontinuities should start from the surface.

Simple, easy to evaluate. There should be no painting, coating, oil or dirt on the surface.

Low investment cost Cleaning is important.

No need for electricity

Possibility of misleading and false
indications .
.
All surface discontinuities can be checked in a Surface roughness is very deciding .
single operation, regardless of their direction .
 BASICS OF PENETRANT TESTING

Penetrant testing can be applied to all materials. Additionally, it has no alternative in

surface control of non-ferromagnetic materials.

CASTING
FORGING HEAT
TREATMENT

POWDER METALLURGY MACHINING

WELDING

AUSTENITIC STEELS COPPER ALLOYS TITANIUM

CERAMICS
ALUMINIUM ALLOYS
POLYMERS
 PHYSICAL PRINCIPLES

Capillarity (Capillary Action)

Capillary tube

It is the phenomenon of one substance

attracting another substance.

It occurs when the attraction

between a liquid and another substance
is stronger than the attraction
between the molecules of the liquid
itself.
water mercury

The capillary action continues, regardless of gravity, until

gravity and intermolecular forces are balanced.
 PHYSICAL PRINCIPLES

Adhesion > Cohesion Cohesion > Adhesion

Cohesion force: It occurs with the attractive forces that the same substances
exert on each other. Liquid with high cohesive force tend to stay together instead of
spreading on the surface. e.g. mercury

Adhesion Force: The attractive force that causes two different substances to
stick together is called adhesion. The liquid with the greater adhesion force
prefers to spread on the surface. e.g. water
 PHYSICAL PRINCIPLES

In figure 1, adhesion = cohesion forces are equal

In figure 2, adhesion > cohesion. Wetting ability is high.

In figure 3, cohesion > adhesion Liquid molecules want to stay together.

Good wetting Bad wetting

Good and Bad wetting

 PHYSICAL PRINCIPLES
Viscosity is physically defined as the resistance of a liquid to flow.

1-) It depends on the type of liquid: The surface tensions of liquid substances are different at equal
temperatures. For example, the surface tension of mercury is 0.44 N/m and the surface tension of
water is
0.073 N/m.

2-) Temperature: Temperature and surface tension are inversely proportional. As temperature
increases, surface tension decreases.

3-) Density: As the density of the liquid used increases, the surface tension increases. For
example, ifwe add salt to water, the surface tension increases along with the density.

In other words, as the temperature increases, the fluidity

of a liquid increases and the penetration time decreases .
CLASSIFICATION OF TESTING SYSTEMS
Classification and identification of equipment according
EN ISO 3452-1 standard
 APPLICATION PRINCIPLES

STEP 1 PRE-CLEANING

Discontinuity
Part
Part

The first process of the examination is PRELIMINARY

CLEANING. This process aims to remove all contamination that has
entered the discontinuities.

It is possible to PRECLEAN mechanically and/or chemically.

 APPLICATION PRINCIPLES
PENETRANT APPLICATION
STEP 2

Application can be done by various

techniques such as spraying, brushing,
flooding, dipping, immersion etc.

According to EN ISO 3452-1 standard,

a penetration time of 5 - 60 minutes is
expected.

*Penetrant liquid must completely enter the discontinuity

*The penetrant liquid entering the discontinuity should neverbe allowed to dry.
 APPLICATION PRINCIPLES
INTERMEDIATE CLEANING

STEP 3

The most important stage of penetrant testing is the INTERMEDIATE CLEANING process. This process aims to

remove excess penetrant.

However, while performing this process, it is very important to prevent the penetrant liquid that had entered the discontinuity
from being drawn out.
 APPLICATION PRINCIPLES
DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION
STEP 4

The aim is to eject the penetrant that has entered the discontinuity and make it visible.
Themethod and type of application are important for this step.

The primary task of the developer is to ensure reabsorption of the penetrant. The
waitingtime required to achieve this process is called development time.
This duration is given as 10-30 minutes in EN ISO 3452-1 standard.
 APPLICATION PRINCIPLES

EVALUATION
STEP 5

It is the phase where we have visible penetrant which could be a result of

poor intercleaning or a discontinuity.

Some of these indications may be misleading.

 APPLICATION PRINCIPLES

POSTCLEANING
STEP 6

PART

•The last process is POSTCLEANING. In this process,the aim is to

remove residual liquids from the material.
 APPLICATION PRINCIPLES

EMULSIFYING

•Penetrant that cannot be washed away with water is made washable with water.

•It is done before the intermediate cleaning process.

•The entire surface should be emulsified, but the penetrant inside

the discontinuity should not be affected.
CLASSIFICATION OF TESTING SYSTEMS
Classification and identification of equipment according
EN ISO 3452-1 standard
z

CODING OF TESTING SYSTEMS

SENSITIVITY LEVEL

SOLVENT-BASED
INTERCLEANING WITH WATER
COLOURED CONTRAST

Fluorescent Penetrant Colored Penetrant

Level ½ - Very Low Level 1 – Normal

Level 1 – Low Level 2 – High
Level 2 – Medium
Level 3 – High
Level 4 –Ultra High
 SELECTION OF TESTING SYSTEM

Sensitivity

Part Features

Examination Area

Examination Expectations
PERFORMING THE TEST
PERFORMING THE INSPECTION

PRECLEANING
 PRECLEANING

During the pre-cleaning process, oil, rust, coating and even water that have filled the discontinuities will
prevent the penetrant liquid from entering the discontinuities and they should be removed from the
surface.

MECHANICAL PRECLEANING

PRE-CLEANING

CHEMICAL PRECLEANING
 MECHANICAL PRE-CLEANING
BRUSHING, SANDING, GRINDING can be used to remove substances such as rust,
spatter and paint from the surface. During the application, care should be taken not to
fill existing surface discontinuities.

As a preventive measure, the use of fine sandpaper can be avoided in cleaning

applications. Sandblasting can be done with a large diameter grid.
 MECHANICAL PRECLEANING

To avoid the risk of plastering, ETCHING is recommended after

mechanical processing.

Mechanical Precleaning is not required on surfaces with low roughness.

 CHEMICAL PRECLEANING
Selection is made depending on the type of contamination on the part surface.

Cleaning with Solvent:

o Easy to apply as a spray

o Cleaning oil and dirt on the surface of the part

o Can be removed by rapid evaporation

o Toxic and easily flammable

o It is dangerous to inhale and bring it close to fire.

 CHEMICAL PRECLEANING

Steam Degreasing:

▪ A solvent such as trichlorethylene is

evaporated by heating

▪ It dissolves the gas oils condensed on the part.

▪ Not very effective for removing inorganic contaminants.

▪ It is possible to remove even the water vapor inside the discontinuities with this
method.
 CHEMICAL PRE-CLEANING

Ultrasonic Cleaning:

• Especially for the purpose of cleaning contamination within discontinuities.

• Solvents, detergents etc. are used.

• 40-50 kHz frequency sound waves are used.

PERFORMING THE TEST

APPLICATION OF PENETRANT
 PROPERTIES OF PENETRANTS

Penetrants are liquids with low surface tension (Viscosity).

They have high wetting properties due to their low surface tension
and tend to move independently of gravity in a capillary tube by
capillary action.

The penetrant must have the following properties;

1. It should have low viscosity (It should be able to wet the surface well)
2. It must remain liquid within the discontinuity throughout the penetration period
3. High visibility or bright fluorescent feature for visibility under UV-A radiation
4. It must be harmless to the operator and parts to be tested.
 CLASSIFICATION OF PENETRANTS

According to Dye Characteristics Penetrant Remover

Fluorescent Penetrant Washable via Water

Colour Contrast Lipophilic/Hydrophilic Emulsified

Dual Purpose Penetrant Washable via Solvent

 CLASSIFICATION OF PENETRANTS

Penetrants According to Dye Characteristics

a) Colour Contrasts:
They can be evaluated under visible light and under a certain light intensity.
They are liquids with high contrast colors. Generally, red colored penetrant is
preferred.
 CLASSIFICATION OF PENETRANTS

b) Fluorescent Penetrants:
They are effective under UV light. They can be seen more sensitively than coloured
contrasts in environments where sufficient darkening is provided. UV light is located in the
UV-light region, justbelow the visible light spectrum with wavelengths between 300-400
nm.
 CLASSIFICATION OF PENETRANTS

c) Dual Purpose Penetrants:

• Examination can be carried out under both visible light and UV light

• Prepared with a mixture of fluorescent and colorful dyestuffs

• It is possible to apply visible dye to detect relatively large discontinuities and

fluorescence without changing the penetrant can be used for sensitive
examinations.

• The visible substance color is usually red and turns yellow-orange under UV light.
 CLASSIFICATION OF PENETRANTS
Penetrants According to Intermediate Cleaning Feature

Type/Feature

Washable with Water • They contain emulsifier.

• They are liquids that can be removed from the environment with water.
• They can be washed after emulsification.
Lipophilic / Hydrophilic • Emulsification process is carried out later.
Emulsifiable • Lipophilic emulsifiers are oil based
• Hydrophilic emulsifiers are water based.

Solvent Washable • There is no need for a drying stage after application.

• Used in small area applications where local examination is
performed in pressurized tubes
 PENETRANT APPLICATION

Application methods of penetrant;

-Spraying-
-Immersion-
-Brushing-
-Flooding-
-Dipping-

- There is no relationship between examination sensitivity and application method

- Examination area must be totally wetted

- Must wait for the full penetration

“Penetration Time”
PENETRANT APPLICATION
 PENETRANT APPLICATION

Penetrant Type
Material
Penetration Time Discontinuity Type 5 - 60 minutes
Temperature

Temperature is an important factor for proper penetration time.

As the examination temperature increases, the density of the liquid decreases,

its viscosity also decreases and that means the required penetration time
decreases.
 PENETRANT APPLICATION
The penetration temperature is stated as 10-50 °C in the EN ISO 3452-1 standard.

At temperatures other than this, EN 3452-2 standard must be complied

with.
Depending on the application method of the penetrant, the appropriate
range is determined by measuring the temperature of the material surface
or the temperature of the penetrant.
At low temperatures, penetrant liquids lose their fluidity properties.

At high temperatures, the part may be subjected to rapid evaporation from

its surface or drying within the discontinuity.
PERFORMING THE INSPECTION

INTERMEDIATE
CLEANING
 INTERMEDIATE CLEANING

After waiting enough for the penetrant liquid to penetrate into the discontinuities,
all liquid penetrant remaining outside the discontinuities is removed.
The intermediate cleaning step is one of the most important stages of penetrant
inspection. This process must be done properly and in detail. Otherwise, there is a
high probability of misleading indications.
 INTERMEDIATE WASHING LIQUIDS

WATER: It is the most commonly used intermediate cleaner. It is cheaperand has

a greater variety of applications than all other cleaners. The disadvantage is that
a drying step is required.

LIPOPHILIC and HYDROPHILIC EMULSIFIERS: They interfere with the

penetrant liquid by diffusion and make it washable with water. Since it can diffuse
very quickly, the emulsification time must be chosen very carefully.

SOLVENTS: Acetone, thinner and isopropyl alcohol are the main solvents used
and are generally used in spray applications in pressurized cans.
 INTERMEDIATE CLEANING

Rough cleaning can be done first with a cloth and then, if necessary,
solvent can be used by applying it on a clean, dry, lint-free cloth.

Solvent should never be applied directly to the material surface!!!

Intermediate cleaning should not be done too little or too much.

SOLVENT MUST BE
APPLIED TO A CLOTH
 INTERMEDIATE CLEANING

Intermediate Cleaning with Water

It is applied by cloth, brush, dipping or spraying methods.

When dipping, care should be taken to ensure that the part does not move in water.
When applying water by spraying, the colour change on the surface should be carefully
watched to ensure that no residual penetrant remains on the surface.

Water pressure should be max 3.5 bar

Make sure the spray angle should be as horizontal as possible.

In fluorescent liquid penetrant application, the intermediate cleaning process must bedone
under UV-light until no contrast is observed on the surface.
 INTERMEDIATE CLEANING WITH WATER

The water pressure used in spraying should be max 3.5 bar and should be applied at an angle
to the surface, not perpendicularly.

In addition, the temperature of the intermediate cleaning water must be less than 50°C.

The water spray angle should be chosen as horizontal as possible. The duration of the
intermediate washing stage should be chosen as short as possible.

LIGHTING CONDITIONS FOR INTERMEDIATE CLEANING

With Fluorescent Penetrant; UV-A Radiation Intensity Min. 1 W/m2

Visiblelight intensity Max. 100 lx

With Coloured Contrast; Visible light intensity Min. 350 lx

 INTERMEDIATE CLEANING BY EMULSULFIFYING

▪ All penetrant liquid to be removed during intermediate cleaning must be

emulsified.
▪ The penetrant liquid within the discontinuity should not be affected.

Emulsion time should be determined precisely.

▪ Brush should never be used.

▪ Lipophilic emulsifier liquid is oil based. Approximate emulsifying time

is about 60 seconds.

▪ Hydrophilic emulsifier liquid is water based. Approximate emulsifying

time It is about 2 minutes.

▪ For determination of emulsification time in both emulsifying liquids, the

duration is determined using the trial and error method.

INTERMEDIATE CLEANING BY EMULSULFIFYING
 INTERMEDIATE CLEANING

Intermediate Cleaning with Solvent

▪ Used for relatively small parts.

▪ They should be used with caution because they are flammable and combustible.

▪ The surface should first be cleaned roughly with a cloth, then detailed
cleaning should be done with a cloth moistened with solvent.

▪ Solvent should not be sprayed directly onto the material as commonly used
solvent types such as thinner, isopropyl alcohol and acetone may eject the
penetrant liquid.
PERFORMING THE TEST

DRYING
 DRYING

Liquids that may negatively affect testing sensitivity should be removed from the
area.

If a volatile liquid is used as an intermediate cleaner, there is no need for

drying.

DRYING

AIR DRYING DRYING WITH CLOTH

• High pressure should be

avoided
• Temperature should be
between 10-50 °C
PERFORMING THE TEST

DEVELOPER APPLICATION
 DEVELOPERS
Developers used in the liquid penetrant inspection method are materials in
powder form. They are used dry or suspended in a liquid.

DRY DEVELOPERS

DISSOLVED IN WATER AND SUSPENSION

SOLVENT BASED DEVELOPERS

 DEVELOPER APPLICATION

The main feature of the developers used in liquid penetrant test

methods is that they contain powder particles that absorb the
penetrant liquid and create a high concentration with the penetrant.

PRE-CLEANING PENETRANT APPLICATION

INTERMEDIATE CLEANING DEVELOPMENT

 DEVELOPER APPLICATION

Dry Developers
o It is applied in powder form in various ways.
o It has lower sensitivity than wet methods, so it cannot be used with
type II penetrant.
o A thin and homogeneous layer should be obtained.

Water Soluble / Water Suspendible Developers

o Developers dissolved in water are more effective than suspended
application.
o Water and powder in the developer are present together. It is desired
to remove water from the area immediately.
o Before using suspension form developers, they should be shaken
thoroughly.
 DEVELOPER APPLICATION

Solvent Based Developers

▪ They are available in pressurized spray cans.

▪ Application is carried out only by spraying.

▪ Solvents can evaporate very quickly.

▪ After the developer is applied to the part surface, the solvent moves
away while dissolving quickly and helps the penetrant to be pulled out
from the area.

▪ The application with the highest sensitivity is the developer application

dissolved in solvent.
 DEVELOPER APPLICATION
Development Time
The waiting time required after the developer is applied is called
"Development time".

Application of developer should be done as soon as possible after

removing excessive penetrant.
Development time should be between 10 minutes to 30 minutes.
Longer periods can be agreed upon between the parties.
The development period begins immediately when dry developer is applied; and it
begins immediately after drying when wet developer is applied.
 DEVELOPER APPLICATION

Sensitivity ranking by developer application type

Sensitivity Developer Form Application Technique

1 Solvent-Based Spray

Water Soluble Spray

2

Water Soluble Dipping

3

Spraying
4 Dry
(Electrostatic)
5 Dry Spraying (With Air)
6 Dry Dipping
PERFORMING THE TEST

EVALUATION
 EVALUATION
Coloured Penetrant
Brightness is one of the most important parameters whenevaluating.

Visible light intensity must be at least 500 lx according to EN ISO

3059 standard .
Fluorescent penetrant
When evaluating, visible light intensity should be maximum 20 lx and UV-A radiation
should be at least 10 W/m2 and maximum 50 W/m2 in accordance with EN ISO 3059
standard.
Evaluation should be started after at least 5 minutes for the operator who will
perform the examination under UV-light to get used to the black light.
EVALUATION
TEST REPORT
PERFORMING THE TEST

POSTCLEANING
 POSTCLEANING

CORROSION
POSTCLEANING

SURFACE TREATMENT

Cleaning with detergents and derivatives can be done to remove water-based materials

Steam degreasing process can be done to remove oil-based materials

 EQUIPMENT

PENETRANT TESTING

Installation Cost is Low.

Equipment Weight is Low.

It can be used in all kinds of laboratories and construction sites.

PORTABLE
FIXED SYSTEMS
SYSTEMS
 EQUIPMENT

Portable Systems
There are liquids that are generally used in the form of pressurized sprays for
large parts where the parts to be tested cannot be transported.
 EQUIPMENT

Fixed Systems

VISIBLE LIGHT
UV LIGHT

It is preferred in factories
DRYING
where mass production is
carried out.
STRAINING
There should be a
section for every testing stage.
EMULSIFYING

PENETRANT
TESTING

WASHING

CONTROL PANEL
 OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

When intermediate cleaning liquids such as acetone and thinner

are used; inhalation, contact, flammable etc. situations should be
avoided.

Since the examination powders are very small in size, care

should be taken to avoid the danger of swallowing.

Since the entire liquid family used in penetrant after inspection

contains chemicals, it should not be given directly to the city water.
Ventilation must be sufficient in closed environments.
 CONTROL OF THE TEST SYSTEM

Control Block 1

Defined in EN ISO 3452-3 standard.

It is used to determine the sensitivity of penetrant systems.
 CONTROL OF THE TEST SYSTEM

Control Block 2

Performance of both
inspection system and
intermediate cleaning
can be done.
 RELEVANT STANDARDS

EN ISO 9712 - Non-destructive testing — Qualification and certification of NDT personnel

EN ISO 17635 – Non-destructive testing of welds - General rules for metallic materials
EN ISO 3452-1 - Non-destructive testing — Penetrant testing — Part 1: General principles
EN ISO 3452-2 - Non-destructive testing — Penetrant testing — Part 2: Testing of penetrant
materials
EN ISO 3452-3 - Non-destructive testing — Penetrant testing — Part 3: Reference test blocks
EN ISO 3452-4 - Non-destructive testing — Penetrant testing — Part 4: Equipment

EN ISO 3059 - Non-destructive testing — Penetrant testing and magnetic particle testing —
Viewing conditions
EN ISO 23277 - Non-destructive testing of welds — Penetrant testing — Acceptance levels
THANKS
[Link]
info@[Link]