What is pressure leak testing in industrial quality control?

MODENA, Italy - Sept. 6, 2021 - PRLog -- Pressure leak testing

Pressure leak testing is a kind of non-destructive testing in which components and systems are tested to ensure the pneumatic tightness of the components and that there are no leakages and to detect the leakages, measure the leakage and locate the leak.The pressure drop ∆p in the system is checked against ∆t. Now if the pressure drop is fast with respect to time then there might be a big leak present in the system. If the pressure drop is slow with respect to time then there might be a small leak present in a section of the system or component. If there is no change in the pressure of the system then the component is leak free. The leak rate Q in the system is calculated using the formula;

Q = (∆p * V) / ∆t

The pressure leak testing is also performed after installation of piping to verify that the mechanical integrity of the pipe is sound.Leak tests on pipes are performed when the pipes are partially covered to its midpoint so that any leakages can be observed and repaired.

After the 1980s the leak tests have become an essential quality control job for a larger products range. These tests are conducted not only for components that are risky in case of high pressure but also for components and products that are not very dangerous in case of leakages.Before the nineties small oil leaks in mechanical components were not considered a big problem. But after the nineties such small defects in the mechanical components became unacceptable by the customers. And after these leak tests were first practiced it has expanded and the technical expertise has matured to a significant bit along with its cost being reduced.

Special purpose machines are used for this work. There are two types of methods which are used to perform leak testing. One is dry leak testing which is an initial level testing method of components. The component or system that is tested is completely enclosed and then air of certain pressure is blown through it and the system is monitored through a machine. If the pressure of the component is noted to be increasing uniformly then the component is fine.

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