Evaluation of the Reliability and Sensitivity of NDT Methods for Titanium Alloys

The report describes the work conducted on a program designed to improve nondestructive testing techniques and, then, to evaluate the capability and reproducibility of the improved nondestructive testing techniques for the evaluation of discontinuities occurring in titanium. Reported are penetrant dwell times, penetrant bleed-out times, developer types, emulsification times, and water washing parameters required to effectively penetrant inspect parts which may contain a variety of crack sizes and porosity. Both post-emulsifiable and water washable fluorescent penetrants were investigated. A full scale Ti-6Al-4V ingot was melted in a manner to intentionally produce stabilized alpha defects. Documented are the details of the ingot melting and conversion to billet, bar, and plate. Results of ultrasonic and radiographic inspections of the ingot and billets are reported. (Author)