Eddy Current

Eddy Current
 The eddy current testing technique is based on inducing electron flow (eddy currents) in
electrically conductive material.
Multiplexed Eddy
 Any defect in the material ¡.e., cracks, pitting, wall loss, or other discontinuities - disrupts the Current
flow of the eddy currents.

 Higher frequency signals, up to 8 MHz, are used to detect near-surface flaws. Simultaneous
Injection Eddy
 Lower frequencies (down to 50 Hz) are used when deeper, subsurface flaw detection is
Current
required.

 Dual-frequency instruments with two-channel mixing allow you to detect and size flaws - such Remote Field
as second-layer corrosion - while minimizing (or mixing out) non-relevant test variables. Testing
Zetec has the world's most advanced mixing algorithms to provide the cleanest, most
effective signal mixes. Bond Testing

 Instruments display voltage and phase in a two-dimensional X-Y format allowing you to
characterize signals and distinguish between different types of flaws. Sondicator Technology

Resonance Technology
 Internal phase/magnitude curves can be established to generate numerical readouts that help
define flaw size.
Digital Conductivity
Testing

Comparative Sorting

Eddy Current Basics

Electromagnetic field produced Generation of eddy current in test

by alternating current. object.

Interaction of differential coil set with crack in test object. Induced current flow in cylindrical
tubing with encircling coils.
Each coil interacts with the crack as they travel across the test Multicoil designs can test several target areas in a single
object. pass.

Multiplexed eddy current

for economical testing of nonferrous materials

 Multiple excitation frequencies are switched sequentially.

 Testing with multiple frequencies provides the broadest range of detection capabilities from surface cracks
to deep flaws.

 By mixing frequencies you can enhance signal response or eliminate unwanted test variables.

 The key to mixing is selecting two frequencies with different responses to the same events. The ideal
frequency ratios fall between 2:1 and 4:1.

Simultaneous Injection eddy current

for high-speed testing

 Multiple excitation frequencies are generated simultaneously.

 SI offers the highest testing speeds when using multiple test frequencies.

Remote Field Testing

for ferromagnetic materials
 RFT is sometimes called a through-transmission ET technique.

 It requires a special RFT probe in which the exciter coil is separated from the pickup coil by a distance of
two-to-three times the tube diameter.

 The receiving coil detects the flux energy that moves through the tube wall.

 RFT tests can detect flaws on the inside diameter and the outside diameter of the tube.

 The highly magnetic properties of ferrous materials require higher power AC fields to generate meaningful
RFT test signals.

 An RFT amplifier, configured with the test instrument, provides the necessary output levels.

 The RFT probes are specifically designed to handle these increased power requirements.

Bond Testing

Zetec offers two important Nondestructive Testing (NDT) techniques for detecting disbonds and delaminations in
multi-layer composite structures. Both have origins in the ultrasonic testing (UT) discipline. While most UT is done in
the megahertz frequency range, Zetec's sondicator and resonance techniques perform examinations in the lower
kilohertz range: 7 to 270 kHz.

Sondicator Technology

 This is a "dry" method: no couplants are required, reducing clean-up.

 It requires a special sondicator probe, which uses a dual-element piezoelectric transducer to introduce
sound waves into composite materials. One of the transducer elements is a transmitter, the other a
receiver.

 If the material being inspected is undamaged, the sound waves travel through the material in a predictable
time period.

 Any disbonds or delamination within the inspection zone attenuate the sound waves (and the material
vibrations they create). This decreases the energy transmitted beyond that point.

 The sondicator method generates digital "signatures" that define normal and abnormal conditions. These
signatures are displayed as a classic RF waveform or as an X-Y screen plot.

 By interpreting the displays, an experienced technician can determine the location and relative size of a
disbond.

Resonance Technology

 Resonance testing is closely related to traditional ultrasonic inspection, but in a lower frequency range.

 Like UT, it requires a special medium or couplant to transmit energy between the transducer and the test
materials.

 This variable-frequency test electronically monitors the impedance change of the contact transducer's
piezoelectric element. Small variations in the tested structure alter the mechanical loading (particle
vibration) on the transducer face. This in turn affects the transducer's electrical impedance.

 In adhesive-bonded materials, changes in the thickness (caused by disbonds) affect the phase and
amplitude of the signal at the transducer's resonance frequency.

 In multi-layers structures, phase relates to the relative depth of the disbond.

Digital Conductivity Testing

 Digital conductivity testing measures the electrical properties of nonferromagnetic metals.

 It requires a dedicated conductivity probe.

 Measurements are commonly based on the International Annealed Copper Standard (IACS). In this
system, the conductivity of annealed, unalloyed copper is the standard and arbitrarily rated at 100%. The
conductivity of other metals and alloys is expressed as a percentage of the standard. Ratings can also be
expressed as Mega-siemens/meter (MS/m).

 You can also measure a nonconductive coating such as paint. Thickness values are expressed in
thousandths of an inch (mils) or millimeters (mm).

Comparative Sorting

Sorting components and powdered metals for heat treatment variations, material mix,
and machining flaws, such as, spline and thread detection, uses a comparative sort
method. Basic theory involved in this sort method can be shown using the impedance
diagram and equation shown here.
Each data point is represented by the impedance vector above. Depending on the variations of the test conditions,
this data point changes with respect to the balance point.

A test is set up using differential driver-pickup coils carefully located relative to the varying case depth and critical
areas of interest between accept and reject parts. The sort is established on a batch sample of known accept and
reject conditions that have been destructively verified.

All accept and reject conditions, including expected machined

part tolerances and cut samples showing case depth locations
and run-out, are vital factors in producing a good sort. Only
one master "accept" sample is needed to balance the probe
and instrument. Using five or more known acceptable
production samples allows for a good test set up.

Data points show a separation in one direction that indicates

good (green) parts from bad (red) parts.

Click to enlarge