TechBlog

Non Destructive Testing 

Non-destructive testing is a descriptive term used for the examination of materials and components to determine surface and subsurface defects in a way that allows such materials to be examined without changing or destroying their original design or structure.

NDT plays a crucial role in everyday life and is necessary to assure safety and reliability. Typical examples are found in aircraft, motor vehicles, pipelines, vessels, bridges, trains, power stations, refineries and oil platforms which are all inspected using NDT.

NDT is also a quality assurance production and management tool which can give impressive results when used correctly. It requires an understanding of the various methods available, their capabilities and limitations, knowledge of the relevant standards and specifications for performing the tests.

Materials, products and equipment which fail to achieve their design requirements or projected life due to undetected defects may require expensive repair or early replacement. Such defects may also be the cause of unsafe conditions or catastrophic failure, as well as loss of revenue due to unplanned plant shutdown.

Non-destructive testing can be applied to each stage of an item’s development, manufacture or construction. Such item’s materials and welds can be examined using NDT and either accepted, rejected or repaired.

NDT techniques can then be used to monitor the integrity of the item or structure throughout its service life.

The commonly used NDT methods are:

• Visual Inspection
• Liquid Penetration Inspection
• Acoustic Emission
• Magnetic Particle Inspection
• Eddy Current Inspection
• Ultrasonic Inspection
• Radiography

Spectronics Corporation manufactures a wide array of Medium and High Intensity Ultraviolet Lamps that are used to detect and identify surface and subsurface flaws whenever liquid penetration, magnetic particle, or visual inspection methods are performed. The NDT method used is dependent upon the material’s physical properties.

Spectronics Corporation actively works with industry, conforming with NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology), to innovate and develop new ultraviolet technology products.