MODULE 10 – VISUAL INSPECTION AND

OTHER NDE METHODS & SYMBOLS

WELDING INSPECTION
TECHNOLOGY
BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER WELDING
INSPECTION
 BEFORE WELDING
 REVIEW APPLICABLE DOCUMENTATION
 CHECK WELDING PROCEDURE

 CHECK INDIVIDUAL WELDER QUALIFICATION

 ESTABLISH HOLD POINTS

 DEVELOP INSPECTION PLAN

 DEVELOP PLAN FOR RECORDING INSPECTION RESULTS

AND
MAINTAINING THOSE RECORDS

 DEVELOP SYSTEM FOR IDENTIFICATION OF REJECTS

 BEFORE WELDING
 CHECK CONDITION OF WELDING EQUIPMENT

 CHECK QUALITY AND CONDITION OF BASE AND

FILLERMATERIALS TO
TO BE USED

 CHECK WELD PREPARATIONS

 CHECK JOINT FIT-UP

 CHECK ADEQUACY OF ALIGNMENT DEVICES

 CHECK WELD JOINT CLEANLINESS

 CHECK PREHEAT, WHEN REQUIRED

 DURING WELDING
 CHECK WELDING VARIABLES FOR COMPLIANCE WITH
WELDING
PROCEDURE

 CHECK QUALITY OF INDIVIDUAL WELD PASSES

 CHECK INTERPASS CLEANING

 CHECK INTERPASS TEMPERATURE

 CHECK PLACEMENT AND SEQUENCING OF INDIVIDUAL

WELD
PASSES

 CHECK BACKGOUGED SURFACES

 MONITOR IN-PROCESS NDT, IF REQUIRED

 AFTER WELDING

 CHECK FINISHED WELD APPEARANCE

 CHECK WELD SIZE

 CHECK WELD LENGTH

 CHECK DIMENSIONAL ACCURACY OF WELDMENT

 MONITOR ADDITIONAL NDT, IF REQUIRED

 MONITOR POST WELD HEAT TREATMENT

 PREPARE INSPECTION REPORTS

NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING (NDT)

 TESTS DEVELOPED TO PROVIDE AN INDICATION OF THE

ACCEPTABILITY
OF THE TEST OBJECT WITHOUT RENDERING IT UNUSABLE FOR

SERVICE.
NDT METHODS

 PENETRANT TEST (PT)

 MAGNETIC PARTICLE TEST (MT)

 RADIOGRAPHIC TEST (RT)

 ULTRASONIC TEST (UT)

 EDDY CURRENT TEST (ET)

 PENETRANT TEST - PENETRANT TESTING REVEALS SURFACE
DISCONTINUITIES BY THE BLEEDOUT OF A
PENETRATING
MEDIUM AGAINST A CONTRASTING
COLORED
 TWO PENETRANT INDICATIONS
BACKGROUND.
 VISIBLE
 FLUORESCENT

 METHOD OF EXCESS PENTRANT REMOVAL

 WATER WASHABLE – CONTAIN AN EMULSIFIER WHICH
ALLOWS
THE OILY PENETRANT TO BE RINSED
OFF FROM
THE SURFACE W/ A LOW PRESSURE
WATER
WASH.
 METHOD OF EXCESS PENTRANT REMOVAL

 SOLVENT REMOVABLE – REQUIRE SOLVENT TO REMOVE

THE SURFACE
PENETRANT FROM THE TEST
OBJECT.

 POST-EMULSIFIABLE – ARE REMOVED BY ADDING AN

EMULSIFIER AFTER
THE DWELL TIME.
 SIX DIFFERENT TYPES OF PENETRANTSOF EMULSIFIER
- APPLICATION
PERMITS THE
 VISIBLE/WATER WASHABLE
PENETRANT TO BE REMOVED BY
WATER.
 VISIBLE/SOLVENT REMOVABLE
 VISIBLE/POST-EMULSIFIABLE
 SIX DIFFERENT TYPES OF PENETRANTS
(CONTINUED)
 FLUORESCENT/WATER WASHABLE
 FLUORESCENT/SOLVENT REMOVABLE

 FLUORESCENT/POST-EMULSIFIABLE

 THE PENETRANT IS ALLOWED TO REMAIN ON THE TEST

SURFACE FOR
A PERIOD OF 5 AND 30 MINUTES, WHICH IS CALLED
 ADVANTAGES
“DWELL TIME”.

 THE USE OF PENTRANT IS NOT LIMITED TO METALLIC

MATERIALS

 WELL SUITED FOR EVALUATING WELD OR BRAZED

JOINTS BETWEEN
DISSIMILAR METALS

 PROCESS IS QUITE PORTABLE

 DISADVANTAGES

 IT WILL NOT DETECT SUBSURFACE DISCONTINUITIES

 RELATIVELY TIME-CONSUMING TEST WHEN COMPARED TO
MPT

 CLEANING REQUIRED FOR CERTAIN APPLICATION

 THE PRESENCE OF SURFACE NONRELEVANT INDICATIONS

MAY MAKE
INTERPRETATION DIFFICULT.
 MAGNETIC PARTICLE TEST (MPT) - USED PRIMARILY TO
DISCOVER
DISCONTINUITIES IN
FERROMAGNETIC
PERMANENT MAGNET
YOKE MATERIALS.

LINES OF FORCE

N
S

DISCONTINUITY
 TWO METHODS OF MPT

 DRY METHOD – CALLED THE DRY MAGNETIC PARTICLE

METHOD

 WET METHOD – ALSO CALLED THE OIL OR WATER

SUSPENSION
PARTICLE METHOD
- HAS HIGHER SENSITIVITY
 ADVANTAGES

 APPLICATION OF MAGNETIC PARTICLE INSPECTION

INCLUDE THE
EVALUATION OF MATERIALS WHICH ARE CONSIDERED
TO BE
MAGNETIC AT THE TEST TEMPERATURE.

 EQUIPMENT IS PORTABLE

 RAPID TESTING SPEED AND LOW COST

 VERY GOOD FOR SURFACE DISCONTINUITY DETECTION

 TEST CAN BE DONE THROUGH THIN PAINT COATINGS

 DISADVANTAGES

 CAN ONLY BE USED ON MATERIALS THAT CAN BE

MAGNETIZED

 MOST PARTS REQUIRE DEMAGNETIZATION AFTER

TESTING AND THAT
VERY THICK COATINGS MAY MASK DETRIMENTAL
INDICATIONS

 ROUGH SURFACES SUCH AS THOSE SEEN ON WELDS OR

CASTINGS
CAN MAKE EVALUATION MORE DIFFICULT
 RADIOGRAPHIC TESTING (RT) – THIS METHOD IS BASED ON
THE
PRINCIPLE OF
PREFERENTIAL RADIATION

SOURCE TRANSMISSION, OR
ABSORPTION.

X-RAYS

STEEL STEP
WEDGE
FILM

LIGHTEST DARKEST
EFFECT OF PART THICKNESS ON RADIATION TRANSMISSION
(ABSORPTION)
EFFECT OF MATERIAL DENSITY ON RADIATION TRANSMISSION
(ABSORPTION)

SOURCE

X-RAYS

Pb Cu Fe Al

FILM

LIGHTEST DARKEST
 SOURCE

X-RAYS

FILM

ORIENTATION OF RADIATION SOURCE, TEST PLATE AND

RADIOGRAPHIC FILM
 ADVANTAGES
 IT CAN DETECT SUBSURFACE DISCONTINUITIES IN ALL
COMMON
ENGINEERING MATERIALS

 THE DEVELOPED FILM SERVES AS AN EXCELLENT

PERMANENT
RECORD OF THE TEST IF THE FILM IS STRORED
 PROPERLY AWAY FROM
DISADVANTAGES
 HAZARDOUS
EXCESSIVE HEAT AND LIGHT
TO HUMANS BECAUSE OF THE EXCESSIVE
RADIATION
EXPOSURE

 VERY EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT

 OPERATORS AND INTERPRETERS REQUIRE LENGTHY

TRAINING
PERIODS
 ULTRASONIC TEST (UT) – IS AN INSPECTION METHOD WHICH
USES
HIGH FREQUENCY SOUND WAVES, TO
MEASURE
GEOMETRIC AND PHYSICAL
PROPERTIES IN - UT USES ELECTRICAL ENERGY IN THE
FORM OF
MATERIALS.
AN APPLIED VOLTAGE, AND THIS VOLTAGE
IS
CONVERTED BY A TRANSDUCER TO
MECHANICAL
ENERGY IN THE FORM OF SOUND WAVES.
- THE TRANSDUCER ACCOMPLISHES THIS
ENERGY
CONVERSION DUE TO A PHENOMENON
REFERRED
TO AS “PIEZOELECTRIC” EFFECT.
 TWO TYPES OF TRANSDUCERS
 LONGITUDINAL OR STRAIGHT BEAM – USE TO DETERMINE
MATERIAL
THICKNESSES OR THE
DEPTH OF
A DISCONTINUITY
BELOW THE
MATERIAL
THICKNESS.

 SHEAR WAVES OR ANGLE BEAM – ARE USED EXTENSIVELY

FOR WELD
EVALUATION
BEACAUSE THEY SEND
THE SOUND INTO THE
PART AT AN
ANGLE.
 TWO GENERAL TYPES OF UT
 CONTACT TESTING – THE TRANSDUCER IS ACTUALLY PLACED
AGAINST THE SURFACE OF THE PART

 IMMERSION – THE PART TO BE EVALUATED IS PLACED

UNDERWATER
AND THE SOUND IS TRANSMITTED FROM THE
TRANSDUCER AND INTO THE PART THROUGH
THE WATER.
 ADVANTAGES
 CONSIDERED TO BE A VOLUMETRIC TEST
 IT IS CAPABLE OF DETERMINING NOT ONLY THE LENGTH
AND
AND LATERAL LOCATION OF A DISCONTINUITY, BUT IT
WILL ALSO
PROVIDE THE OPERATOR WITH A DETERMINATION OF A
DEPTH OF
THAT FLAW BENEATH THE SURFACE.

 IT WILL BEST DETECT THOSE MORE CRITICAL PLANAR

DISCONTINUITIES SUCH AS CRACKING AND INCOMPLETE
FUSION.

 HAS DEEP PENETRATION ABILITY UP TO 200 in. IN STEEL

AND CAN
BE VERY ACCURATE
 DISADVANTAGES

 IT REQUIRES A HIGHLY SKILLED AND EXPERIENCED

OPERATOR
BECAUSE INTERPRETATION CAN BE DIFFICULT.

 THE TEST OBJECT MUST BE FAIRLY SMOOTH, AND

COUPLANT IS
REQUIRED FOR CONTACT TESTING.

 REFERENCED STANDARDS ARE REQUIRED, AND THIS

TEST METHOD
FOR WELD INSPECTION IS GENERALLY LIMITED TO
GROOVE WELDS
THAT ARE THICKER THAN ¼ in.
 EDDY CURRENT TEST (ET) – WHEN A COIL CARRYING AC IS
BROUGHT
NEAR A METAL SPECIMEN,
EDDY CURRENT
ARE INDUCED IN THE METAL
BY ELECTRO-
 ADVANTAGES
MAGNETIC INDUCTION.
 CAN BE USED TO MEASURE THE THICKNESS OF THIN
SECTIONS,
ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY, MAGNETIC
PERMEABILITY,
HARDNESS, AND THE HEAT TREATMENT CONDITION
OF TEST
OBJECT.

 THIS METHOD CAN ALSO BE USED TO SORT

DISSIMILAR METALS
AND TO MEASURE THE THICKNESS OF
 ADVANTAGES
 IT CAN BE READILY AUTOMATED
 THE PROBE NEED NOT TOUCH THE TEST OBJECT, NO
COUPLANT
IS REQUIRED, AND THE METHOD IS EXPEDIENT, ALL OF
WHICH
MAKES “ASSEMBLY LINE” INSPECTION RELATIVELY EASY.

 CAN BE USED FOR THE INSPECTION OF ANY

ELECTRICALLY
CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL, WHETHER MAGNETIC OR
NONMAGNETIC.