Non-destructive testing has been used for more than a century, and recognized by a wide range of industries as a cost-effective way of maintaining quality and safety standards without compromising existing components or structures. Ultrasound, electromagnetic conduction (eddy testing), magnetic particle testing and liquid penetrant testing all find their roots in the 19th century (and maybe earlier), with the latter being used by the railroad industry beginning in the 1880s.
By the 1920s, the industry was rapidly advancing. The beginning of that decade saw the introduction of industrial radiography techniques for testing metal components, which were used a few years later to examine metal castings awaiting installation at a Boston area steam pressure power plant. Later in the same decade, the first electromagnetic eddy current instrument became available and a magnetic induction system was used to detect defects in railroad tracks. Finally, in 1929, equipment was introduced that could be used in magnetic particle testing. The use of x-ray (radiographic) technology also grew during this decade.
In the years that followed, a lack of quality-control standards led to an increasing number of accidents related to poor structural integrity. By 1941, individuals and groups involved in non-destructive testing gathered to form the American Industrial Radium and X-ray, which eventually evolved into the American Society for Nondestructive Testing.
Post World War II
From the mid-1940s and onward, the use of non-destructive testing expanded from its primary use of detecting defects to include proactive techniques and applications that allowed companies and entire industries to operate more efficiently while exploring new methods of operation and production.
By helping companies learn how to use materials in new and more cost-effective ways, non-destructive testing has played a key role in the development and growth of the automotive, aerospace, nuclear and construction industries as well as many other industries.
Today, non-destructive testing methods have proved invaluable for companies seeking to ensure the components they use and the structures they build remain safe for years after they’re put into use.
Just as it has evolved during the past century (and more), non-destructive testing will continue to change during the coming decades as new techniques and technologies allow non-destructive testing methodology to achieve greater levels of sensitivity and accuracy.