NDT — The Secret Sauce that Could Have Saved the Titan — And Saves Us Every Day

You depend on it every day and never knew it existed. Read this and know more than the passengers of the Titan.

The author using a type of NDT called eddy current, on an aircraft. Self-timed photo supplied by the author.

Nondestructive testing, also referred to as NDT is used in everything. Yet, most people have no idea it even exists, let alone what it is.

I spent one summer performing magnetic particle on pipeline that runs under most of the country. This contains natural gas. Photo by author.

That cherry pie you picked up at the supermarket? That bridge you crossed to get to work? The planes you fly in, the power generating facilities that bring you electricity and water, the processed foods you eat are all subject to nondestructive testing, thanks to government and industry standards.

Like the air you breathe, we take it for granted, but it is vital to survival. Everyday and everywhere.

So, what is it?

Two forms of NDT you may know from the medical field — x-ray and ultrasound. These same technologies are used to “see” inside of metal, especially at bond joints, where two pieces are “glued” together. If the “glue” or weld has gaps, holes, air bubbles, the x-ray and ultrasound will reveal these indications and…