8. Defects and deformations

8.1 Checking and highlighting faults

The notion of defect is understood in relation to a reference condition deemed to be correct. Deviations must therefore always be assessed with reference to the processing specifications. Defects can be detected at various levels. We can distinguish between inspection methods that can be carried out in the production workshop (visual inspection, macrographic etching, NDT, etc.) and those that require more specific equipment or implementation, usually in the inspection laboratory (microhardness, micrographic examination), or even more specialized laboratories (X-rays, SEM). Test methods are described in §