Visual Inspection

Visual Inspection or Visual Testing (VT) requires line-of-sight contact with the portion of the specimen to be inspected, adequate illumination of the test specimen, a thorough understanding of the nature and origin of discontinuities and potential defects within the test object, and familiarity with the specifications controlling the inspection process. Unless the specimen cannot be examined visually, visual testing should be the first part of any NDT examination. Visual testing presents several real advantages: simplicity, rapidity, low cost, minimal training and equipment requirements, and the ability to be performed while the specimen is being used or processed.

Mechanical or optical aids may be necessary to perform visual testing. Before any mechanical or optical aids are used, the specimen should be well illuminated and its surface cleaned. Often the inspection locates areas where other NDT techniques need to be applied, or areas where the mechanical and optical aids may provide superior inspection. Often visual inspection eliminates the need for further testing and the associated costs. This method is used to inspect a variety of product forms including castings, forgings, machined components and weldments. The structural steel, automotive, petrochemical, power generation, and aerospace industries are a few of the many types of end users utilizing visual inspection.

Borescope Inspection Services

A borescope is an optical instrument designed to assist visual inspection of narrow, difficult-to-reach cavities, consisting of a rigid or flexible tube with an eyepiece or display on one end, an objective lens or camera on the other, linked together by an optical or electrical system in between. The optical system in some instances is accompanied by (typically fiberoptic) illumination to enhance brightness and contrast. An internal image of the illuminated object is formed by the objective lens and magnified by the eyepiece which presents it to the viewer’s eye.