There are several methods that do not require sophisticated equipment. Most
involve the use of a penetrating dye. The plan is to paint a part with this
dye, then strip it off with a solvent. What remains in cracks is then
plainly visible using some inspection method, usually an ultraviolet source
that causes the dye to fluoresce. Magnaflux sold this as "Spotchek" and
another outfit called it "Zyglo". I have used these methods and they work
very well without a steep learning curve. The downside of the method is
that the crack/defect must extend to the surface of the part. X-ray or
neutron beam analysis is much better, but don't try this at home ;-)
Philip E. Barnes '71 TR6 CC61193L
Cornell University
Newman Laboratory of Nuclear Studies
Ithaca, NY 14853
607-255-4951
peb3@cornell.edu
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