NDT Method Selector
What is NDT?
To use this method selector consider the material to be inspected together with inspection task to see which method may be appropriate.
• indicates good prospects, o indicates some prospects and Δ poor prospects.
• indicates good prospects, o indicates some prospects and Δ poor prospects.
| Acoustic methods general | Acoustic emission | Resonant inspection | Acoustic ranging | Coating thickness measurement | Electromagnetic general | ||
| Material | Inspection task | A | A1 | A2 | A3 | C | E |
| Metal | Surface opening cracks | • | • | • | • | ||
| Surface corrosion pits etc | O | O | • | ||||
| Severe corrosion thinning | O | • | O | ||||
| Internal cracks | • | O | • | ||||
| Porosity | O | O | |||||
| Lack-of-fusion defects | • | • | |||||
| Internal voids inclusions | O | Δ | |||||
| Defect sizing | Δ | ||||||
| Thickness measurement | • | • | O | ||||
| Microstructure variation | • | • | O | ||||
| Stress/strain measurement | O | O | |||||
| Tube blockages | • | O | O | • | |||
| Coated metals | Coating thickness measurement | O | O | • | O | ||
| Coating delamination | • | O | O | ||||
| Coating 'pin holes' | Δ | O | |||||
| Composite materials | Delaminations and disbonds | • | O | • | |||
| Fibre/matrix ratio evaluation | O | O | O | ||||
| Incomplete cure of resin | • | O | • | ||||
| Internal porosity | Δ | ||||||
| Concrete | Concrete thickness measurement | • | |||||
| Reinforcing-bar corrosion | O | O | |||||
| Ceramics | Surface cracks | O | O | • | |||
| Internal cracks porosity | O | O | O | ||||
| Any | Assembly verification | • | • | ||||
| Sorting | • | • | • | • | O |
| Magnetic particle inspection | Magnetic flux leakage methods | Eddy current testing | ACFM | Potential drop flaw detection and sizing | Erosion/ corrosion | ||
| Material | Inspection task | E1 | E2 | E3 | E4 | E5 | EC |
| Metal | Surface opening cracks | • | • | • | • | • | |
| Surface corrosion pits etc | • | • | • | • | |||
| Severe corrosion thinning | • | • | O | • | |||
| Internal cracks | O | ||||||
| Porosity | O | ||||||
| Lack-of-fusion defects | O | ||||||
| Internal voids inclusions | |||||||
| Defect sizing | O | • | • | ||||
| Thickness measurement | O | O | | ||||
| Microstructure variation | O | ||||||
| Stress/strain measurement | • | • | |||||
| Tube blockages | O | ||||||
| Coated metals | Coating thickness measurement | O | O | O | |||
| Coating delamination | O | O | |||||
| Coating 'pin holes' | O | O | |||||
| Composite materials | Delaminations and disbonds | ||||||
| Fibre/matrix ratio evaluation | |||||||
| Incomplete cure of resin | |||||||
| Internal porosity | | ||||||
| Concrete | Concrete thickness measurement | ||||||
| Reinforcing-bar corrosion | |||||||
| Ceramics | Surface cracks | ||||||
| Internal cracks porosity | |||||||
| Any | Assembly verification | ||||||
| Sorting | • | O | O |
| Leak testing | Liquid penetrant inspection | Optical methods general | Visual inspection | Optical metrology and holography | Laser-based inspection | ||
| Material | Inspection task | LE | LP | O | O1 | 02 | O3 |
| Metal | Surface opening cracks | O | • | O | • | | |
| Surface corrosion pits etc | • | O | • | • | | ||
| Severe corrosion thinning | • | O | |||||
| Internal cracks | |||||||
| Porosity | O | ||||||
| Lack-of-fusion defects | |||||||
| Internal voids inclusions | |||||||
| Defect sizing | O | O | |||||
| Thickness measurement | | • | | ||||
| Microstructure variation | | O | | ||||
| Stress/strain measurement | O | O | • | ||||
| Tube blockages | O | • | O | ||||
| Coated metals | Coating thickness measurement | O | |||||
| Coating delamination | O | ||||||
| Coating 'pin holes' | • | | O | ||||
| Composite materials | Delaminations and disbonds | O | O | O | • | ||
| Fibre/matrix ratio evaluation | |||||||
| Incomplete cure of resin | • | ||||||
| Internal porosity | | ||||||
| Concrete | Concrete thickness measurement | ||||||
| Reinforcing-bar corrosion | |||||||
| Ceramics | Surface cracks | • | O | ||||
| Internal cracks porosity | O | ||||||
| Any | Assembly verification | • | • | ||||
| Sorting |
| | Thermography | Radiography general | Radioscopy | Neutron radiography | Stress measurement | |
| Material | Inspection task | O4 | R | R1 | R2 | S |
| Metal | Surface opening cracks | • | | |||
| Surface corrosion pits etc | • | | O | | ||
| Severe corrosion thinning | O | O | O | |||
| Internal cracks | • | • | O | |||
| Porosity | • | • | ||||
| Lack-of-fusion defects | • | |||||
| Internal voids inclusions | • | • | • | |||
| Defect sizing | O | • | | |||
| Thickness measurements | O | • | | |||
| Microstructure variation | | O | ||||
| Stress/strain measurement | O | • | ||||
| Tube blockages | • | O | ||||
| Coated metals | Coating thickness measurement | • | O | |||
| Coating delamination | ||||||
| Coating 'pin holes' | | O | ||||
| Composite materials | Delaminations and disbonds | O | ||||
| Fibre/matrix ratio evaluation | ||||||
| Incomplete cure of resin | ||||||
| Internal porosity | • | | ||||
| Concrete | Concrete thickness measurement | • | ||||
| Reinforcing-bar corrosion | O | O | ||||
| Ceramics | Surface cracks | O | | |||
| Internal cracks porosity | • | |||||
| Any | Assembly verification | • | • | |||
| Sorting |
Ultrasonic general | Ultrasonic flaw detection and sizing | Ultrasonic thickness gauging | Ultrasonic advanced methods (TOFD etc) | Other methods | ||
| Material | Inspection task | U | U1 | U2 | U3 | Z |
| Metal | Surface opening cracks | • | • | |||
| Surface corrosion pits etc | O | | ||||
| Severe corrosion thinning | • | |||||
| Internal cracks | • | • | • | |||
| Porosity | • | • | ||||
| Lack-of-fusion defects | • | • | • | |||
| Internal voids inclusions | • | O | • | |||
| Defect sizing | • | • | • | | ||
| Thickness measurements | • | • | • | | ||
| Microstructure variation | O | | O | |||
| Stress/strain measurement | O | O | ||||
| Tube blockages | • | |||||
| Coated metals | Coating thickness measurement | O | O | • | • | |
| Coating delamination | O | • | O | |||
| Coating 'pin holes' | | |||||
| Composite materials | Delaminations and disbonds | • | • | • | • | |
| Fibre/matrix ratio evaluation | ||||||
| Incomplete cure of resin | O | O | ||||
| Internal porosity | | |||||
| Concrete | Concrete thickness measurement | • | • | • | ||
| Reinforcing-bar corrosion | • | |||||
| Ceramics | Surface cracks | • | • | O | ||
| Internal cracks porosity | • | • | O | |||
| Any | Assembly verification | |||||
| Sorting | • |