FAQ’s
What is fluorescent penetrant inspection?
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.
What industries need Dye Penetrant Testing?
Dye penetrant testing is used in almost all manufacturing industries, from the testing of sub sea valves in the oil & gas industry through to the testing of critical turbine blades in the aerospace industry. Where ever a part is manufactured and the assurance is needed that there are no surface breaking defects are present in the part dye penetrant testing is used.
What types of defects can fluorescent Penetrant Inspection locate?
Fluorescent dye penetrant can locate flaws including cracks, porosity, corrosion, fatigue cracking and any other surface breaking defect. The nature of the fluorescent dye means that indications that would otherwise not be visible to the naked eye become easy to identify.
What are the advantages of Fluorescent Penetrant Inspection?
Fluorescent penetrant inspection is highly sensitive when compared with red dye inspections, this means much smaller defects can be located using the method meaning less defects are missed. The method is fast and relatively inexpensive compared to other NDT methods.
Why are there so many penetrant testing standards?
Penetrant testing standards are developed for a whole host of reasons. International standards such as ASTM1417 are well known as industry “standard” testing documents for the aerospace industry. Others such as ISO-3452 are used for the general engineering and none aerospace industries. More specifications then exist developed specifically by companies such as BAE Systems R05-6101 or Rolls Royce RRP-58003 to introduce requirements to be followed for the specific testing of their components.
