Toward the end of this decade, our industry will realize a full century since the inception of the magnetic particle inspection method.

Nondestructive testing (NDT) dates back to the late-1800s, to the railroad industry. The “Oil and Whiting” method of crack detection was used to find damage in heavy steel parts.

Fracture mechanics testing including fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth testing is important to the safe design and operation of structures. In this paradigm, the fracture toughness of a material describes the ability of the material to withstand a static load before failure. 

Since 1850 we have known that metal subjected to fluctuating stresses will fail at a stress much lower than required to cause fracture on a single quasi static pull to break.

Nondestructive testing (NDT) of aircraft is essential to the continued safety of passengers.