Sensitivity of penetrant and magnetic particle testing -: Performance testing of detection media for penetrant and magnetic particle testing (PT and MT)

The sensitivity of penetrant and magnetic particle testing (PT and MT) depends, among other things, on the quality and performance of the "detection media" (for PT designated as "product family"). The determination of the sensitivity is carried out on "reference pieces" with natural or artificial gap-like flaws by determining the visibility of the indications as a measure of the performance. European standardisation specifies the requirements of detection media, in accordance with prEN ISO 3452-2 for PT and EN ISO 9934-2 for MT for type and batch as well as for process control testing. This paper describes the evaluation and qualification of performance during the type testing procedure. The proposed methods are validated by experimental investigations using an image processing system for the determination of the visibility. The reliability of the proposed methods is discussed with reference to the qualification of the detection media.