Positive Material Identification General Knowledge

There are so many ways to assess properties and composition of a material without causing damage. Collectively, such procedures are classified as nondestructive testing or NDT. Nondestructive testing methods are important because they do not change the material being tested. NDT procedures are liquid penetrant, radiographic, ultrasonic, and magnetic-particle testing. NDT is usually an important aspect of mechanical engineering, civil engineering, forensic engineering, and arts.

Positive material identification is an NDT process that involves determining of metal alloys present in a material. It is one of the various nondestructive methods employed in determining metal composition of a material. PMI is a reliable method because it can be done in controlled laboratory setting or on the site. Identification of metallic elements in materials is important for various industrial, engineering, and chemical purposes. Because there are more than eighty metals known in chemistry, appropriate identification is a must. There is a wide range of application within which material assessment is of crucial importance. Manufacturing industries see composition analysis of a material as an essential process. As it is essential in the technical aspects of manufacturing and production, so its relevance in key processes cannot be undermined. Indeed, many industrial activities cannot proceed without apt material testing. PMI is not something that can be postponed or skipped. Material evaluation is vital and that's why it is part of the standard procedure.

Anyway, not all businesses and industries need PMI as a process. People who deal with many types of metals and utilize them in making alloys or those people who deal with alloys find material identification as an important process in manufacturing. Industries that depend on PMI testing are aerospace manufacturing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and electric power industry. PMI is a reliable method when the material that needs to be tested cannot be altered, dented, or scratched. It is also relied upon when the material is part of a bigger equipment or mass. When the material for testing is enormous, transporting it to a lab testing facility may be extremely cumbersome. There are also materials that cannot be cut for examination purposes. Cutting or scraping materials cause a change in mass or may even alter the aesthetic value of the material. Another instance when cutting a material for testing is inapplicable is when it is too expensive or rare. Also, PMI will be of much use when the subject for testing is hazardous.

Precision is important in any kind of testing and PMI inspectors should be able to carry out tests on materials that would yield accurate results even if no amount of material is extracted. This is because many subsequent processes will rely on the test. Inaccurate results will greatly affect inspection, manufacturing, and production. Engineers doing tests should therefore be qualified professionals. They should have enough knowledge in operating testing equipment and interpreting results.

PMI is one of the most effective means in material recognition and is one of the most trusted methods of identifying metals on the site. It is used in a variety of applications that involve identification of metallic elements, particularly for nondestructive analysis. Inspection of ferrous and non-ferrous metals may require this process and this has something to do with quality control, manufacturing, and engineering.

Today, metal analysis involves the use of sophisticated technology such as X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). XRF is unlike mass spectrograph, which is a process relying on wavelengths emitted by a sample of test object. An XRF equipment detects the metal elements present in a material by collecting and analyzing X-Ray emission data. The portable testing device is used to fire X-Ray radiation to the object. Each type of metal or element will emit characteristic X-Rays. Hence, the elements present in a sample can be determined by analyzing the X-rays emitted.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5473386