NDT (Non-Destructive Testing) Course

Lesson 1 • Selecting the Right NDT Method

Provides a decision framework for matching NDT methods to material, geometry, and defect type. Reinforces all prior section content by applying it to real selection scenarios.

Lesson 2 • Physical Principles Underlying NDT

Covers the core physics—wave propagation, electromagnetic fields, radiation—that enable flaw detection. Provides the scientific basis needed to understand each method's capabilities.

Lesson 3 • NDT Standards and Qualification Framework

Introduces international qualification schemes and written practice requirements. Students understand how certification levels govern inspector responsibilities.

Lesson 4 • Material Properties and Defect Types

Examines how material microstructure influences defect formation and detectability. Students gain vocabulary for classifying flaws by origin, geometry, and criticality.

Lesson 1 • Surface Condition Assessment

Teaches evaluation of surface preparation, coating integrity, and weld profile. Provides criteria for accept/reject decisions based on applicable workmanship standards.

Lesson 2 • Visual Inspection Reporting and Documentation

Covers sketching, photography, and digital record-keeping for visual findings. Ensures students produce traceable, defensible inspection records.

Lesson 3 • Remote Visual Inspection Technology

Introduces video borescopes, robotic crawlers, and drone-based visual systems. Connects remote access capability to inspection of confined or hazardous spaces.

Lesson 4 • Principles of Visual Inspection

Explains how light, contrast, and human vision combine to reveal surface discontinuities. Establishes the theoretical basis for all optical NDT techniques.

Lesson 1 • PT Process Steps and Process Control

Details the six-step PT sequence from pre-cleaning to post-cleaning. Emphasises process control checks that maintain consistent sensitivity throughout production runs.

Lesson 2 • PT Limitations and Safety

Addresses material incompatibilities, temperature limits, and chemical hazard controls. Ensures students apply PT safely and understand where the method cannot be used.

Lesson 3 • Indication Interpretation and Evaluation

Trains students to distinguish true indications from false and non-relevant indications. Applies acceptance criteria from applicable workmanship and product standards.

Lesson 4 • PT Principles and Capillary Action

Explains capillary action, surface tension, and contact angle as the physics driving penetrant entry. Grounds students in why process variables directly affect sensitivity.

Lesson 1 • Magnetisation Techniques

Teaches circular and longitudinal magnetisation methods and the equipment used for each. Students select technique and current type based on part geometry and defect orientation.

Lesson 2 • MT Indication Interpretation and Demagnetisation

Trains classification of relevant, non-relevant, and false MT indications and post-inspection demagnetisation. Connects proper demagnetisation to downstream manufacturing and service requirements.

Lesson 3 • Magnetic Field Theory for MT

Covers magnetic flux, permeability, hysteresis, and leakage field formation at discontinuities. Provides the electromagnetic foundation required to optimise magnetisation parameters.

Lesson 4 • Field Adequacy and Verification

Explains how to verify sufficient field strength using pie gauges, Hall-effect meters, and castings. Ensures students can confirm inspection validity before accepting results.

Lesson 1 • Exposure Technique and Setup

Covers exposure chart use, technique development, and setup geometry for common weld configurations. Students calculate exposure parameters and set up equipment correctly.

Lesson 2 • Radiograph Interpretation and Reporting

Trains systematic viewing, defect identification, and sizing on radiographic images. Students apply acceptance criteria and produce compliant interpretation reports.

Lesson 3 • Radiographic Image Formation

Explains how differential absorption creates contrast on film and digital detectors. Students understand geometric factors—source-to-film distance, object-to-film distance—that affect sharpness.

Lesson 4 • Film Processing and Image Quality

Details manual and automatic film processing, density measurement, and image quality indicator use. Ensures students verify radiograph acceptability before interpretation.

Lesson 1 • Ionising Radiation Hazards and Dose

Explains biological effects of ionising radiation, dose quantities, and occupational exposure limits. Provides the health-physics foundation for all safety controls that follow.

Lesson 2 • Emergency Response and Regulatory Compliance

Prepares students for source-stuck emergencies, overexposure response, and regulatory reporting. Connects emergency procedures to regulatory notification and documentation requirements.

Lesson 3 • Shielding Design and Controlled Areas

Teaches shielding material selection, thickness calculation, and controlled-area boundary establishment. Connects shielding design to regulatory dose-rate limits at boundaries.

Lesson 4 • Source Handling and Equipment Safety

Covers safe handling of gamma-ray projectors, X-ray equipment interlocks, and source accountability. Ensures students prevent accidental exposures through correct equipment procedures.

Lesson 1 • Contact and Immersion Scanning Techniques

Teaches straight-beam, angle-beam, and immersion scanning procedures for welds and forgings. Students apply scan patterns that ensure full volumetric coverage.

Lesson 2 • Signal Interpretation and Flaw Sizing

Trains A-scan signal analysis, B-scan and C-scan image interpretation, and flaw sizing methods. Students apply 6 dB drop, 20 dB drop, and DGS sizing to real indications.

Lesson 3 • Calibration and Reference Standards

Covers IIW, distance-amplitude correction, and distance-gain-size calibration blocks and procedures. Ensures students establish valid calibration before every inspection.

Lesson 4 • Transducers and Instrumentation

Explains piezoelectric transducer construction, frequency selection, and pulser-receiver instrument controls. Students configure instruments for optimal signal-to-noise ratio.

Lesson 1 • Phased-Array Ultrasonic Testing

Covers phased-array probe construction, beam steering, focusing, and S-scan image formation. Students configure PAUT setups for weld inspection and interpret sectorial scan displays.

Lesson 2 • Infrared Thermography Testing

Explains active and passive thermography, thermal contrast, and camera calibration for subsurface defect detection. Students apply lock-in and pulse thermography to composite and metallic structures.

Lesson 3 • Multi-Method Inspection Programme Design

Teaches how to combine NDT methods into a single inspection plan that addresses all critical flaw types. Students write inspection procedures that specify method sequence, coverage, and accept/reject criteria.

Lesson 4 • Time-of-Flight Diffraction Technique

Explains TOFD probe placement, diffraction signal origin, and D-scan image interpretation for weld sizing. Students apply TOFD as a complement to pulse-echo UT for accurate flaw height measurement.