Abstract
Eddy current flaw testing that uses changes in the impedance of the test coil as the electromagnetic field interacts with the test material is a non-destructive testing method. It can be used to inspect test material at high speed without bringing the test coil into contact with the test material. Therefore, it is widely used for product inspection. In the inspection of heat exchanger tubing in power plants and chemical plants, eddy current flaw testing is performed by using an inner probe, because of the structural restrictions of such plants. However, high levels of wobble noise and support plate noise occur in the conventional method using a rotating pancake coil. The authors therefore propose new minimal-noise eddy current inner probes. Two new types of probes have been developed: one for detecting axial flaws, and the other for detecting circumference flaws. These probes can detect flaws with a low level of noise. The phase of the flaw signal by the new probes changes according to the flaw depth. As a result, the signal phase by the new probes can be used for evaluating the depth of surface flaws.
