This process is also ideal for identifying fatigue cracks and other signs of wear on in-service components that are invisible to the naked eye. FPI is effective for testing nonporous surfaces. These systems can handle metallic or nonmetallic, conductive or nonconductive, and magnetic or nonmagnetic materials.
FPI follows a simple process:
- Application: The system coats the test item with non-damaging fluorescent liquid.
- Penetration: The fluid penetrates any surface-breaking discontinuities.
- Removal: The equipment removes any excess penetrant fluid from the test item.
- Inspection: The system performs a careful inspection using ultraviolet light.