Penetrant Testing (PT)

Penetrant Testing (PT), also known as Dye Penetrant Inspection (DPI) or Liquid Penetrant Inspection (LPI), is a versatile NDT method capable of detecting surface-breaking defects on virtually any non-porous material. QMS Asset Integrity is NATA-accredited for both solvent removable and water washable penetrant techniques.

PT is the method of choice for surface crack detection on non-ferromagnetic materials such as austenitic stainless steels, aluminium alloys, copper alloys, titanium and nickel alloys - where magnetic particle inspection cannot be used. It is equally effective on ferromagnetic materials and is widely applied across the marine, petrochemical, manufacturing and power generation sectors.

Our technicians deliver PT inspections at our workshop facilities and on client sites across Australia.

A liquid penetrant (visible red dye or fluorescent) is applied to a clean, prepared surface. Capillary action draws the penetrant into any surface-breaking discontinuities. After a controlled dwell time, excess penetrant is removed from the surface using the appropriate method - solvent wipe (Type II) or water wash (Type I).

A developer is then applied, which draws trapped penetrant back to the surface through reverse capillary action, creating visible indications that reveal the location, size and orientation of surface defects.