NDT stands for Non-Destructive Testing. It refers to an array of inspection methods that allow inspectors to evaluate and collect data about a material, system, or component without permanently altering it.

 

NDT may also be called:

NDE (non-destructive examination or evaluation)

NDI (non-destructive inspection)

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In the field, NDT is often used as an umbrella term to refer to non-destructive inspection methods, inspection tools, or even the entire field of non-destructive inspections. For commercial applications—the primary focus of this article, and of our work at Flyability—the goal of NDT is to ensure that critical infrastructure is properly maintained in order to avoid catastrophic accidents.

 

While NDT methods are typically associated with industrial use cases, like inspecting weak points in a boiler used at an oil refinery, uses in medicine are actually some of the most common. For example, an expecting mother getting an ultrasound to check on the health of her baby would be considered an NDT use case, as would getting an X-ray or MRI to learn more about an injury.

 

But it’s important to note that NDT does not necessarily require the use of special tools, or any tools at all.

 

For instance, when inspectors in industrial settings review the outside of a pressure vessel with their naked eye, that would fall under the NDT designation, since they are collecting data on the status of the boiler without damaging it. On the other hand, using a sophisticated tool like an ultrasonic sensor to look for defects in a certain material or asset would also be called NDT.