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Fluorescent penetrant inspection (FPI) is a type of dye penetrant inspection in which a fluorescent dye is applied to the surface of a non-porous material in order to detect defects that may compromise the integrity or quality of the part in question. FPI is noted for its low cost and simple process, and is used widely in a variety of industries.
There are many types of dye used in penetrant inspections. FPI operations use a dye much more sensitive to smaller flaws than penetrants used in other DPI procedures. This is because of the nature of the fluorescent penetrant that is applied. With its brilliant yellow glow caused by its reaction with ultraviolet radiation, FPI dye sharply contrasts with the dark background. A vivid reference to even minute flaws is easily observed by a skilled inspector.
Because of its sensitivity to such small defects, FPI is ideal for most metals which tend to have small, tight pores and smooth surfaces. Defects can vary but are typically tiny cracks caused by processes used to shape and form the metal. It is not unusual for a part to be inspected several times before it is finished (an inspection often follows each significant forming operation).
Selection of inspection type is, of course, largely based on the material in question. FPI is a nondestructive inspection process and is therefore important that a dye and process are selected that ensure the part is not subjected to anything that may cause damage or staining.
There are six main steps in a fluorescent penetrant inspection process:
Before the penetrant can be applied to the surface of the material in question one must ensure that the surface is free of any contamination such as paint, oil, dirt, or scale that may fill a defect or falsely indicate a flaw. Chemical treatment with solvents or reactive agents can be used to rid the surface of undesired contaminants and ensure good penetration when the penetrant is applied. Sometimes also drying at up to 100 °C in the oven and cooling down to 40 °C. Sandblasting to remove paint from a surface prior to the FPI process may mask (smear material over) cracks making the penetrant not effective. Even if the part has already been through a previous FPI operation it is imperative that it is cleaned again. Most penetrants are not compatible and therefore will thwart any attempt to identify defects that are already penetrated by any other penetrant. This process of cleaning is critical because if the surface of the part is not properly prepared to receive the penetrant, defective product may be moved on for further processing. This can cause lost time and money in reworking, over-processing, or even scrapping a finished part at final inspection.
The fluorescent penetrant is applied to the surface and allowed time to seep into flaws or defects in the material. The process of waiting for the penetrant to seep into flaws is called dwell time. Dwell time varies by material, the size of the indications that are intended to be identified and requirements / standards but is generally less than 30 minutes. It requires much less time to penetrate larger flaws because the penetrant is able to soak in much faster. The opposite is true for smaller flaws/defects.
After the identified dwell time has passed, penetrant on the outer surface of the material is then removed. This highly controlled process is necessary in order to ensure that the penetrant is removed only from the surface of the material and not from inside any identified flaws. Various chemicals can be used for such a process and vary by specific penetrant types. Depending on the process sequence, an intermediate "emulsifying" step including post-washing takes place here when the emulsifying process is used. Important: The penetrant remains in the cracks regardless of which method is used. Typically, the cleaner is applied to a lint-free cloth that is used to carefully clean the surface.
Having removed excess penetrant, a contrasting developer may be applied to the surface. This serves as a background against which flaws can more readily be detected. The developer causes penetrant that is still in any defects to surface and bleed as well. These two attributes allow defects to be easily detected upon inspection. Dwell time is then allowed for the developer to achieve desired results before inspection.
In the case of fluorescent inspection, the inspector will use ultraviolet radiation with an intensity appropriate to the intent of the inspection operation. This must take place in a dark room to ensure good contrast between the glow emitted by the penetrant in the defected areas and the unlit surface of the material. The inspector carefully examines all surfaces in question and records any concerns. Areas in question may be marked so that location of indications can be identified easily without the use of the UV lighting. The inspection should occur at a given point in time after the application of the developer. Too short a time and the flaws may not be fully blotted, too long and the blotting may make proper interpretation difficult.
Upon successful inspection of the product, it is returned for a final cleaning before it is either shipped, moved on to another process, or deemed defective and reworked or scrapped. Note that a flawed part may not go through the final cleaning process if it is considered not to be cost effective.
LPI may refer to:
Nondestructive testing (NDT) is any of a wide group of analysis techniques used in science and technology industry to evaluate the properties of a material, component or system without causing damage. The terms nondestructive examination (NDE), nondestructive inspection (NDI), and nondestructive evaluation (NDE) are also commonly used to describe this technology. Because NDT does not permanently alter the article being inspected, it is a highly valuable technique that can save both money and time in product evaluation, troubleshooting, and research. The six most frequently used NDT methods are eddy-current, magnetic-particle, liquid penetrant, radiographic, ultrasonic, and visual testing. NDT is commonly used in forensic engineering, mechanical engineering, petroleum engineering, electrical engineering, civil engineering, systems engineering, aeronautical engineering, medicine, and art. Innovations in the field of nondestructive testing have had a profound impact on medical imaging, including on echocardiography, medical ultrasonography, and digital radiography.
An inspection is, most generally, an organized examination or formal evaluation exercise. In engineering activities inspection involves the measurements, tests, and gauges applied to certain characteristics in regard to an object or activity. The results are usually compared to specified requirements and standards for determining whether the item or activity is in line with these targets, often with a Standard Inspection Procedure in place to ensure consistent checking. Inspections are usually non-destructive.
Dye penetrant inspection (DP), also called liquid penetrate inspection (LPI) or penetrant testing (PT), is a widely applied and low-cost inspection method used to check surface-breaking defects in all non-porous materials. The penetrant may be applied to all non-ferrous materials and ferrous materials, although for ferrous components magnetic-particle inspection is often used instead for its subsurface detection capability. LPI is used to detect casting, forging and welding surface defects such as hairline cracks, surface porosity, leaks in new products, and fatigue cracks on in-service components.
Magnetic particle inspection (MPI) is a nondestructive testing process where a magnetic field is used for detecting surface, and shallow subsurface, discontinuities in ferromagnetic materials. Examples of ferromagnetic materials include iron, nickel, cobalt, and some of their alloys. The process puts a magnetic field into the part. The piece can be magnetized by direct or indirect magnetization. Direct magnetization occurs when the electric current is passed through the test object and a magnetic field is formed in the material. Indirect magnetization occurs when no electric current is passed through the test object, but a magnetic field is applied from an outside source. The magnetic lines of force are perpendicular to the direction of the electric current, which may be either alternating current (AC) or some form of direct current (DC).
Plastic welding is welding for semi-finished plastic materials, and is described in ISO 472 as a process of uniting softened surfaces of materials, generally with the aid of heat. Welding of thermoplastics is accomplished in three sequential stages, namely surface preparation, application of heat and pressure, and cooling. Numerous welding methods have been developed for the joining of semi-finished plastic materials. Based on the mechanism of heat generation at the welding interface, welding methods for thermoplastics can be classified as external and internal heating methods, as shown in Fig 1.
In engineering, damage tolerance is a property of a structure relating to its ability to sustain defects safely until repair can be effected. The approach to engineering design to account for damage tolerance is based on the assumption that flaws can exist in any structure and such flaws propagate with usage. This approach is commonly used in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, and civil engineering to manage the extension of cracks in structure through the application of the principles of fracture mechanics. A structure is considered to be damage tolerant if a maintenance program has been implemented that will result in the detection and repair of accidental damage, corrosion and fatigue cracking before such damage reduces the residual strength of the structure below an acceptable limit.
In pipeline transportation, pigging is the practice of using pipeline inspection gauges or gadgets, devices generally referred to as pigs or scrapers, to perform various maintenance operations. This is done without stopping the flow of the product in the pipeline.
Failure analysis is the process of collecting and analyzing data to determine the cause of a failure, often with the goal of determining corrective actions or liability. According to Bloch and Geitner, ”machinery failures reveal a reaction chain of cause and effect… usually a deficiency commonly referred to as the symptom…”. Failure analysis can save money, lives, and resources if done correctly and acted upon. It is an important discipline in many branches of manufacturing industry, such as the electronics industry, where it is a vital tool used in the development of new products and for the improvement of existing products. The failure analysis process relies on collecting failed components for subsequent examination of the cause or causes of failure using a wide array of methods, especially microscopy and spectroscopy. Nondestructive testing (NDT) methods are valuable because the failed products are unaffected by analysis, so inspection sometimes starts using these methods.
Eddy-current testing is one of many electromagnetic testing methods used in nondestructive testing (NDT) making use of electromagnetic induction to detect and characterize surface and sub-surface flaws in conductive materials.
Ultrasonic testing (UT) is a family of non-destructive testing techniques based on the propagation of ultrasonic waves in the object or material tested. In most common UT applications, very short ultrasonic pulse waves with centre frequencies ranging from 0.1-15 MHz and occasionally up to 50 MHz, are transmitted into materials to detect internal flaws or to characterize materials. A common example is ultrasonic thickness measurement, which tests the thickness of the test object, for example, to monitor pipework corrosion and erosion. Ultrasonic testing is extensively used to detect flaws in welds.
Conformal coating is a protective, breathable coating of thin polymeric film applied to printed circuit boards (PCBs). Conformal coatings are typically applied at 25–250 μm to the electronic circuitry and provide protection against moisture and other harsher conditions.
Rail inspection is the practice of examining rail tracks for flaws that could lead to catastrophic failures. According to the United States Federal Railroad Administration Office of Safety Analysis, track defects are the second leading cause of accidents on railways in the United States. The leading cause of railway accidents is attributed to human error. The contribution of poor management decisions to rail accidents caused by infrequent or inadequate rail inspection is significant but not reported by the FRA, only the NTSB. Every year, North American railroads spend millions of dollars to inspect the rails for internal and external flaws. Nondestructive testing (NDT) methods are used as preventive measures against track failures and possible derailment.
Thermographic inspection refers to the nondestructive testing (NDT) of parts, materials or systems through the imaging of the temperature fields, gradients and/or patterns ("thermograms") at the object's surface. It is distinguished from medical thermography by the subjects being examined: thermographic inspection generally examines inanimate objects, while medical thermography generally examines living organisms. Generally, thermographic inspection is performed using an infrared sensor.
Hot plate welding, also called heated tool welding, is a thermal welding technique for joining thermoplastics. A heated tool is placed against or near the two surfaces to be joined in order to melt them. Then, the heat source is removed, and the surfaces are brought together under pressure. Hot plate welding has relatively long cycle times, ranging from 10 seconds to minutes, compared to vibration or ultrasonic welding. However, its simplicity and ability to produce strong joints in almost all thermoplastics make it widely used in mass production and for large structures, like large-diameter plastic pipes. Different inspection techniques are implemented in order to identify various discontinuities or cracks.
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 Day-Glo Color Corp. is a privately held American paint and pigments manufacturer based in Cleveland, Ohio. It was founded in 1946 by brothers Joseph and Robert Switzer and is currently owned by RPM International. It specializes in fluorescent paint and pigments, such as those used in safety applications, artwork and signage. It invented black-light fluorescent and daylight fluorescent paints and nondestructive testing methods using fluorescent dyes.
Transportable pressure vessels for high-pressure gases are routinely inspected and tested as part of the manufacturing process. They are generally marked as evidence of passing the tests, either individually or as part of a batch, and certified as meeting the standard of manufacture by the authorised testing agency, making them legal for import and sale. When a cylinder is manufactured, its specification, including manufacturer, working pressure, test pressure, date of manufacture, capacity and weight are stamped on the cylinder.
A cascade chart is tool that can be used in damage tolerance analysis to determine the proper inspection interval, based on reliability analysis, considering all the context uncertainties. The chart is called a "cascade chart" because the scatter of data points and downward curvature resembles a waterfall or cascade. This name was first introduced by Dr. Alberto W Mello in his work "Reliability prediction for structures under cyclic loads and recurring inspections". Materials subject to cyclic loads, as shown in the graph on the right, may form and propagate cracks over time due to fatigue. Therefore, it is essential to determine a reliable inspection interval. There are numerous factors that must be considered to determine this inspection interval. The non-destructive inspection (NDI) technique must have a high probability of detecting a crack in the material. If missed, a crack may lead the structure to a catastrophic failure before the next inspection. On the other hand, the inspection interval cannot be too frequent that the structure's maintenance is no longer profitable.
Dye-n-Pry, also called Dye And Pry, Dye and Pull, Dye Staining, or Dye Penetrant, is a destructive analysis technique used on surface mount technology (SMT) components to either perform failure analysis or inspect for solder joint integrity. It is an application of dye penetrant inspection.
Fluorescent Penetrant Inspection Process used by companies that are manufacturing safety critical components. Found in numerous industries such as Aerospace, Military and Defense, Medical, Automotive, Energy and more.