Which of the following is a disadvantage of Liquid Penetrant Testing?

Liquid Penetrant Testing (PT) requires careful surface preparation to achieve accurate and reliable results. This process involves cleaning the surface of the test material to remove any contaminants such as dirt, oil, rust, and paint that could interfere with the penetrant's ability to seep into surface-breaking defects. If the surface is not properly prepared, it can lead to false indications, missed defects, and overall unreliable test results.

The necessity for thorough surface preparation is considered a disadvantage because it adds extra steps to the inspection process and requires additional time and effort. Inspectors must be meticulous in this phase to ensure that the remaining steps of the testing procedure can be conducted effectively, making this a critical factor in the success of Liquid Penetrant Testing.