Liquid Penetrant Inspection Report Template

Liquid penetrant inspection is a noninvasive testing method used to locate defects in a component that goes beyond visual inspection. It is conducted by adding a penetrant that seeps into even tiny surface openings to detect defects. It involves the following important steps:

Penetrant application and removal of excess

Penetrants are fluids that are applied to a surface material to locate defects. There are different types of penetrants, often classified as fluorescent and visible, and the choice depends on the application, i.e., the assessment of the material being tested, how rapidly it can be removed, and its washability. The penetrant would then be allowed to dwell on the surface for a specific amount of time and seep into the openings of the surface caused by cracks, this is called dwell time.

There are four methods used to remove excess penetrants, depending on their strength of detectability, enabling their application over a range of defect sizes. – Penetrant Testing, 2021, Hiyam Farhat.

1. Method A: Water washable
2. Method B: Post-emulsifiable, lipophilic
3. Method C: Solvent removable
4. Method D: Post-emulsifiable, hydrophilic

After this the excess penetrant is clean off being very careful that penetrant in the defects is not removed to ensure accuracy as it will highlight the presence of discontinuity. Essentially the goal is the penetrant stays within, and the excess is the only thing that is removed.

Developer Application

After the excess is wiped away, this allows the developer to draw the penetrant out from the defects, making them visible for inspection. Developer is either a dry (white powder) or wet material (spray) that is applied to the dye so that the defect can reemerge or bleed out, making it more visible. Like the penetrant, developers must be selected carefully to obtain optimum sensitivity, and a study confirms that when a developer is used, it increases the detection of cracks.

Defect inspection

The next critical step is the inspection of the defect where the object is inspected under light. There are different light requirements depending on the dye used: if a fluorescent penetrant is used, the method to inspect the defect is using Ultraviolet (UV) light and the defects will be revealed as a bright mark under darkened conditions. If a visible penetrant is used, inspection can be done under natural or artificial white lighting.
This is critical because there is penetrant accumulation that is sometimes confused with true crack and discontinuities which may be because of poor washing. Thus proper conditions during inspection must be observed to indicate if defect is true or not.

Liquid Penetrant Inspection Report

The final step of liquid penetrant inspection is documenting the results, which are type of defect, the length of the defect and if it’s acceptable or should be rejected. Usually, the crack length at the sample surface is used to define the size of the defect.

It would be advantageous for the inspector to use a liquid penetrant inspection report template, as it covers everything they need for a standard report and it’s completely modifiable and easy to create in reliable quality management software. This ensures consistency, reduces inspector error in writing and streamlines the documentation process, making it more efficient and professional.