Chaofeng Ye

Differential Sensor Measurement With Rotating Current Excitation for Evaluating Multilayer Structures

Rotating current probe using rotating electromagnetic fields and currents generated by orthogonal excitation coils is required for achieving similar sensitivity to defects in all radial directions around fastener. However, orthogonal excitation scheme only has a single null field point. When using array sensors for rapid inspection, sensors located away from the point measure a strong background field that must be eliminated. This paper presents a new approach using two giant magnetoresistive sensor arrays in a differential configuration to reduce the impact of the background field and increase signal-to-noise ratio. The operation of the differential probe is validated using a finite-element model. A prototype probe was designed, built, and tested. Experimental results obtained using the prototype probe to inspect a two-layer aluminum sample are presented.

Novel Transceiver Rotating Field Nondestructive Inspection Probe

Metallic tube inspection techniques using eddy current probes have evolved over the years from those employing a single bobbin coil to rotating coils and arrays, in an attempt to improve the speed and reliability of inspection. This paper presents a novel eddy current transceiver probe design that uses a rotating electromagnetic field. The transceiver coils consist of three identical windings located 120° apart on the same physical axis. A three-phase sinusoidal current source is used for exciting the coils. The phase voltages are identical in amplitude, but 120° apart in phase. The rotating magnetic field generated by the three-phase current is sinusoidal in space and time and so are the induced eddy currents in the tube wall. The sensor achieves mechanical rotating probe functionality by electronic means and eliminates the need for mechanical rotation. The terminal voltages of the three-phase windings can be measured during the scan. The defects axial and angular position can be estimated by analyzing the amplitude and phase of the sum of the three terminal voltage signals. The probe is sensitive to defects of all orientations and is as effective as conventional rotating pancake coil probes while offering the advantages of high inspection speed and greater reliability, since the probe does not rotate mechanically. A 3-D finite-element model based on reduced magnetic vector potential Ar, V-Ar formulation was developed to simulate and predict the response of the probe to a variety of defects. A prototype unit consisting of a probe connected to a three-phase constant current source and data acquisition system was developed and tested. Experimental results validating the simulation model and demonstrating the feasibility concept are presented.

Novel Rotating Current Probe With GMR Array Sensors for Steam Generate Tube Inspection

This paper presents a novel probe design that uses a rotating current excitation scheme and giant magnetoresi-stance (GMR) sensors for steam generator tube inspection. Rotating eddy currents in the tube wall under test is induced using a pair of axial and circumferential excitation coils. A circumferential array of GMR sensors measures the radial component of the magnetic field. The perturbation in eddy current flow caused by a defect produces a radial component field that is measured by the GMR sensors. A C-scan image of the induced magnetic field obtained with the axial motion of probe shows defect location and orientation. The probe is sensitive to both the axial and circumferential defects and offers the advantages of high sensitivity over a wide frequency range. A finite-element model was developed to mimic the underlying physical process and predict the output images of defects with different orientations and sizes. A prototype unit consisting of excitation coils and GMR sensor array along with a data acquisition system was developed and tested. A steam generator tube sample with machined axial and circumferential notches was inspected using the prototype probe. Experimental results demonstrating the feasibility of the concept are presented.

Magnetoresistive Sensor With Magnetic Balance Measurement for Inspection of Defects Under Magnetically Permeable Fasteners

Magnetoresistive (MR) sensors in conjunction with low-frequency eddy current can be used for detecting subsurface defects under fasteners in aluminum multilayer airframe structures. Frequently, the fasteners are made of magnetically permeable material, e.g. steel, which can be magnetized resulting in a strong remanence. Strong residual magnetism can shift the work point of MR sensor outside of its linear range. The limited measurable range of MR sensor presents additional challenges, since the amplitude of the steel fastener signal is much greater than the defect signal. This paper shows that one can employ magnetic balance measurement (MBM) method to inspect defects under permeable fasteners using MR sensor. The MBM method is based on proportional-integral-derivative feedback control mechanism. The operational principle of MBM was numerically mimicked using a Simulink model. Calculation results show that the bias point of the MR sensor in MBM is kept invariant, so the effect of the strong remanence field is eliminated and the operating point of the sensor on the linear region of its characteristics stays constant. Furthermore, the measurement range of the MR sensor was extended 21 times with given parameters without sacrificing sensitivity. A prototype was built and tested on a two-layer aluminum sample with steel fasteners and machined subsurface notches. Experimental results show that MBM improves the performance of MR sensor for defect inspection around magnetized steel fastener.

Optimization and validation of rotating current excitation with GMR array sensors for riveted structures inspection

In eddy current non-destructive testing of a multi-layered riveted structure, rotating current excitation, generated by orthogonal coils, is advantageous in providing sensitivity to defects of all orientations. However, when used with linear array sensors, the exciting magnetic flux density (Bx) of the orthogonal coils is not uniform over the sensor region, resulting in an output signal magnitude that depends on the relative location of the defect to the sensor array. In this paper, the rotating excitation coil is optimized to achieve a uniform Bx field in the sensor array area and minimize the probe size. The current density distribution of the coil is optimized using the polynomial approximation method. A non-uniform coil design is derived from the optimized current density distribution. Simulation results, using both an optimized coil and a conventional coil, are generated using the finite element method (FEM) model. The signal magnitude for an optimized coil is seen to be more robust with respect to offset of defects from the coil center. A novel multilayer coil structure, fabricated on a multi-layer printed circuit board, is used to build the optimized coil. A prototype probe with the optimized coil and 32 giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensors is built and tested on a two-layer riveted aluminum sample. Experimental results show that the optimized probe has better defect detection capability compared with a conventional non-optimized coil.

A robust multi-frequency mixing algorithm for suppression of rivet signal in GMR inspection of riveted structures

The advent of Giant Magneto-Resistive (GMR) technology permits development of novel highly sensitive array probes for Eddy Current (EC) inspection of multi-layer riveted structures. Multi-frequency GMR measurements with different EC pene-tration depths show promise for detection of bottom layer notches at fastener sites. However, the distortion of the induced magnetic field due to flaws is dominated by the strong fastener signal, which makes defect detection and classification a challenging prob-lem. This issue is more pronounced for ferromagnetic fasteners that concentrate most of the magnetic flux. In the present work, a novel multi-frequency mixing algorithm is proposed to suppress rivet signal response and enhance defect detection capability of the GMR array probe. The algorithm is baseline-free and does not require any assumptions about the sample geometry being inspected. Fastener signal suppression is based upon the random sample consensus (RANSAC) method, which iteratively estimates parameters of a mathematical model from a set of observed data with outliers. Bottom layer defects at fastener site are simulated as EDM notches of different length. Performance of the proposed multi-frequency mixing approach is evaluated on finite element data and experimental GMR measurements obtained with unidirectional planar current excitation. Initial results are promising demonstrating the feasibility of the approach.The advent of Giant Magneto-Resistive (GMR) technology permits development of novel highly sensitive array probes for Eddy Current (EC) inspection of multi-layer riveted structures. Multi-frequency GMR measurements with different EC pene-tration depths show promise for detection of bottom layer notches at fastener sites. However, the distortion of the induced magnetic field due to flaws is dominated by the strong fastener signal, which makes defect detection and classification a challenging prob-lem. This issue is more pronounced for ferromagnetic fasteners that concentrate most of the magnetic flux. In the present work, a novel multi-frequency mixing algorithm is proposed to suppress rivet signal response and enhance defect detection capability of the GMR array probe. The algorithm is baseline-free and does not require any assumptions about the sample geometry being inspected. Fastener signal suppression is based upon the random sample consensus (RANSAC) method, which iteratively estimates parameters of ...

EC-GMR array with rotating current excitation for multilayered riveted structures inspection

The challenge in detecting crack under fastener heads (CUF) in a multi-layered aircraft structure poses the need for advanced NDE technology. Our previous work has presented the feasibility of eddy current (EC) technology using giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensors in detecting 2nd layer hidden cracks in layered aircraft components. An EC-GMR inspection system has been developed to directly measure the normal component of magnetic flux density associated with eddy currents induced inside the specimen. However, a major limitation of current sensor system is in detecting cracks that are parallel to the direction of induced currents. This paper presents a new design using orthogonal excitation coils for generating a rotating uniform current, which provides uniform sensitivity to cracks emanating in all orientations around fastener sites. The design and inspection using the orthogonal coil probe and GMR sensor is presented using a simulation model. Several candidate designs for the orthogonal coil configuratio...

Analysis of EC-GMR data for detection of cracks under fasteners (CUFs)

EC-GMR measurements have been applied for detection of sub-surface corrosion and cracks under fastener (CUF) head. Generally, fastener signal amplitude is larger than the amplitude of the crack signal indication, rendering crack detection a challenging task. Also, another challenge in the analysis of field signals is the stitching problem, commonly present in a raster scan of a row of fasteners. We propose a method based on robust sparse coding (RSC) representation to alleviate the stitching problem and enhance defect detection capability. For the dictionary, we simulate multi-layer geometries using finite element (FE) modeling. Results on simulated and field data demonstrate the feasibility and robustness of the proposed algorithm.