Crack Detection Methods

Introduction:
When a load is applied to a specimen treated with brittle coating, cracks form in the
coating. If the coating has cured with a residual tensile stress, these cracks remain wide
open after the load is removed. For the accurate use of the coatings for either directional
information or stress-level data, it is necessary to detect the cracks, which are normally Vshaped having a depth equal to thickness and a width of approximately 0.05 to 0.75 mm.
The following 3 methods are used for detecting the cracks.

Crack detection methods:

1) If the strain sensitivity is less than 10-3 mm/mm, the cracks normally remain open and
can be easily seen and photographed. The use of a focussed light with a large angle of
incidence and directed perpendicular to the cracks helps appreciably in this task. If the
strain sensitivity is more than 10-3 mm/mm, the cracks tend to close and other crack
detection methods of crack detection must be used.
2) A method of electrified-particle inspection, known as Statiflux Method, reduces the
experience needed in locating the crack patterns. A mild electrolyte, usually water
mixed with wetting agents, is applied to the coating to be examined before the load is
applied. Due to the application of the load, cracks develop and the electrolyte flows
into cracks, fills them, and makes an electrical contact with the metal below coating.
On wiping the coating surface, the electrolyte is removed from the entire surface,
except the cracks. Statiflux powder, normally a special type of talcum powder (calcium
carbonate) is blown onto the specimen with a sprayer gun. These are positively
charged particles and hence the electrons in both coating and metal tend to be attracted
by the charged powder. The nonconductive coating allows its electrons to reorient but
not to flow freely. The conductive metal permits its electrons to flow in the direction
of positive potential on the surface of coating as shown in figure 1. If the crack exists
on the coating, the dielectric strength of it is much less at that point. The negative
potential built up in the interface will tend to leak through and influence the field in the
defect area, as shown in figure 1. Once this influence is established, additional
positively charged particles accumulate at the defect forming a highly visible white
mounds or ridge like lines as shown in figure 2, which provide an excellent means of
locating the crack pattern.
The advantages of this method are:

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Crack Detection Methods

The experience needed in locating the crack patterns using focused light is
reduced.

It is used as an aid to the photographer in recording crack patterns.

Powder and electrolyte do not affect the coating.

The disadvantages of this method are:

Non uniform coating may result in temperature change due to differentials in

evaporation rates, which in turn affects sensitivity.

Fig 1. Statiflux Method

Fig 2. Formation of white mounds over the cracks

3) Another method of crack detection is dye etching method, in which a red-dye etchant
is used with the resin-based coatings to increase the visibility of the crack patterns for
photographic purposes. The red-dye etchant is a mixture of turpentine, machine oil
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Crack Detection Methods

and red dye. It is applied to the surface of a cracked brittle coating for approximately
1 minute. During this period, the etchant attacks the coating in the neighbourhood of
the cracks and widens them. The etchant is then wiped out from the surface of the
coating which is further cleaned with an emulsifier, a solution of soap in water. The
dye that penetrates into the cracks is not removed by this process and hence the cracks
appear as bright red lines as shown in figure 3.
The advantages of this method are:

Increases the visibility of crack patterns for photography

Shows cracks which have closed due to plastic flow in the coating

The disadvantages of this method are:

Dye etchant is not used during the experiment as it affects the sensitivity of coating
and inconsistent results are obtained.

Etchants attack the coating and make it unsuitable for further use at higher test
loads.

Fig 3. Dye-Etching method

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