Advances in applications of non-destructive testing (NDT): a review

Manufacturing defects and discontinuities in a product are anomalies which can lead to severe damages which may sometimes involve loss of life. These defects must be examined and corrected before the product goes into service. There are two methods of testing a product for defects and discontinuities viz. Destructive Testing and Non-Destructive Testing. Destructive Testing entails subjecting the product to conditions that leads to failure of the product whereas Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) is the process of examining the products for defects in a way in which it retains its usefulness for future service. This paper discusses various methods involved in NDT such as Visual Testing, Magnetic Particle Inspection, Penetrant Testing, Ultrasonic Testing, Radiographic Testing, Acoustic Emission and Eddy Current Testing with a major focus on  advances in the applications of NDT