What can be a consequence of not properly cleaning the surface before LPT?

Prepare for the Liquid Penetrant Testing Level 3 Exam with comprehensive flashcards and multiple choice questions. Sharpen your skills with detailed explanations and hints for each question. Achieve success on your certification test!

Not properly cleaning the surface before conducting Liquid Penetrant Testing (LPT) can indeed lead to false indications of defects. This occurs because contaminants, such as dirt, grease, oil, or previous coatings, can mask actual flaws or create misleading signals that appear as defects during inspection. When the surface is not adequately cleaned, these contaminants can prevent the penetrant from reaching the true cracks or voids in the material, resulting in inaccurate test results.

In LPT, the efficiency of the method relies heavily on the penetrant's ability to flow into and fill any surface-breaking defects. If the surface is contaminated, it diminishes the penetrant's capability, thereby leading to potentially missed defects or false positives. This emphasizes the critical importance of thorough cleaning to ensure reliable and accurate results in the testing process. Proper surface preparation is a fundamental step in ensuring the integrity and success of the LPT method.

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