This SAE Aerospace Standard (AS) covers water conditioning agents used to facilitate aqueous wet-method magnetic particle inspection.

Such conditioning agents, in powder or liquid form, provide suitable corrosion protection, wetting, and particle dispensability properties when mixed in water for application of magnetic particles on the surface of an object for magnetic particle inspection as described in AMS 3042, AMS 3044, ASTM E1444, and others.

Water conditioning agents can consist of varying combinations of such components as dispersants, surfactants, corrosion inhibitors, and anti-foaming agents. Individual components may be added to the bath of a system to develop specific properties. The user is referred to the manufacturer of the conditioning agent to develop the most suitable combination of ingredients for the user's requirements