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Eddy Current - Basics I: Abinash Behera Asnt NDT Level-Iii in RT, Ut, MT, PT, Et

The document discusses the principles of eddy current testing including how eddy currents are generated in a conductive material when exposed to an alternating magnetic field, and how the impedance of the eddy current probe coil is affected by material properties and testing parameters which can be represented on a normalized impedance plane for qualitative analysis of test results. Key concepts covered include skin effect theory which describes how eddy current density decreases exponentially with depth into a material according to the standard depth of penetration which is a function of material conductivity and test frequency.

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ABINASH BEHERA
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65 views

Eddy Current - Basics I: Abinash Behera Asnt NDT Level-Iii in RT, Ut, MT, PT, Et

The document discusses the principles of eddy current testing including how eddy currents are generated in a conductive material when exposed to an alternating magnetic field, and how the impedance of the eddy current probe coil is affected by material properties and testing parameters which can be represented on a normalized impedance plane for qualitative analysis of test results. Key concepts covered include skin effect theory which describes how eddy current density decreases exponentially with depth into a material according to the standard depth of penetration which is a function of material conductivity and test frequency.

Uploaded by

ABINASH BEHERA
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Eddy current – Basics I

ABINASH BEHERA
ASNT NDT LEVEL-III IN
RT,UT,MT,PT,ET
MANAGER,HAL-SED
Outline of Presentation
• Principles of eddy current testing
• Impedance and phasor notation
• Standard Depth of Penetration (SDP)
• Self and Mutual inductance
• Normalized impedance plane
• Effect of frequency, lift-off, thickness, conductivity and permeability on
normalized impedance plane
• Skin effect theory
Sequence of Events EC Testing

1 2 3 4
1. Sinusoidal excitation given to EC probe coil
2. Primary magnetic field is generated around the current carrying
coil (Ampere’s law)
3. Eddy currents are generated in conducting material (Faraday’s
law of induction)
4. Secondary magnetic field is generated due to the presence of
eddy currents (Ampere’s law) and opposes the primary field
(Lenz’s Law)
Resultant magnetic field (Primary secondary) manifest as
Change in Impedance of the EC probe coil
Eddy current testing principles - Animation
Impedance
Impedance: Resistance offered to an alternating current
due to the presence of resistors, inductors and capacitors
in an electrical circuit.

Ohm’s law: Applied voltage across a circuit is proportional


to the current in the circuit with the proportionality being
the impedance of the circuit
V=IZ
where V = voltage, I = current and Z = impedance

Resistance due to an inductor- Inductive reactance


Resistance due to a capacitor- Capacitive reactance

The capacitive reactance in eddy current testing situations


is negligibly small and is usually discarded for all practical
purposes (<2 MHz)
Resistance Circuit

In a resistive circuit (R) the applied voltage and


current are in-phase
Inductance Circuit

X L  L  2fL
In an inductive circuit (L) the voltage leads the
current by 90 degrees hence the resistance
and the reactance also differ by 90 degrees
The inductive reactance (XL) is a function of
the frequency of the sinusoid
R-L Circuit (Eddy Current Coil)

Impedance is a complex
quantity and is represented
L R in an Argon diagram with:
Inductance

 Resistance in the
Z= 2 2 horizontal axis (real axis)
X L+ R

Z  Inductive reactance
(resistance due to inductor)
in the vertical axis
-1 X (imaginary axis)
? = Tan L
? R

Resistance
Characteristics of sinusoids
Parameters are Amplitude, Phase and Frequency

Amplitude and Phase are sufficient to completely


specify sinusoid of a particular frequency
Phasor representation of sinusoids

Representation of sinusoids of a particular frequency


as a vector rotating in a circle with ω = 2 π f
Amplitude of the sinusoid is the projection of the
vector on the horizontal axis
Phase is the angle measured with respect to the
horizontal axis
Phase lag of sinusoids in ECT
SOLVED PROBLEMS:

1) What is the reactance of a coil operating at 70


kHz with an inductance of 100 micro Henry?

Hint : Use XL =2 π f L
Ans: 44 Ohms

2) If the resistance of the above coil is 12 ohms.


What is the impedance of the coil?

Hint : Use Z = Sqrt (XL2+ R2)


Ans: 45.6 ohms
Equivalent circuit & Impedance plane

The phasor OA corresponds to the impedance for the


primary coil with open secondary circuit.
Decrease in resistance causes the impedance vector
to trace a semi-circle
Dotted lines for different coupling or lift-off conditions
Eddy Current Test Situation
Two coil system equivalent to ECT situation with
the secondary coil replaced by the test specimen

Increase in conductivity of the test specimen causes the


impedance vector of the primary coil to trace the
contour C. (Identical to previous decrease in resistance)
Effect of change of frequency

 Resistance is independent of frequency


 So the abscissa can be shifted
Normalized impedance plane
Coil in air
condition Normalized resistance
Actual resistance/ coil
resistance in air
(secondary circuit open)
Normalized reactance
Actual reactance/coil
reactance in air
Shifting of R values by R1
in the resistance axis has
no effect as the contours
for different frequencies
would not change
Advantages of Normalized Impedance Plane
Diagrams
Universal for all kinds of coil configurations
Easy visualization of variation of impedance with testing parameters
(frequency, conductivity, thickness, lift-off, permeability etc.,)
Design of test parameters for optimum signal amplitude and defect
detection
Effect of thickness and conductivity
Fill-factor and Permeability Variations
Impedance Plane Trajectories
(signals)
Skin-effect Theory
For a coil excited with current density and placed on an
infinitely long metallic object, eddy current distribution
at depth x (Jx) is a function of its surface density (Jo)

J x  J 0 exp( x f ) sin(t   )


Where σ is electrical conductivity and μ is permeability
Standard depth of penetration (SDP) δ, where eddy
current density falls to 1/e of its surface value

Jx 1  f  1
 1
Jo e  
f
Skin-effect

Eddy current density decreases


exponentially with depth into the material
Factor affecting depth of penetration
A comparative assessment of skin depth
and frequency for different materials
Eddy Current Phase with depth

 

 x Radians


x




Eddy currents lag in phase with depth linearly


Problem Solving
• 
Problem Solving
Problem Solving
Determine the eddy current phase lag at a depth of
1.5 mm in 304 stainless steel at 100 kHz
Using the SDP formula the standard depth of
penetration can be found to be 1.3 mm

If 1.3 mm depth corresponds to 1 radians (57.3


degrees lag then 1.5 mm would correspond to
66 degrees
Summary
• Resistance, Inductance and Impedance
• Impedance plane representation
• Effect of testing parameters on impedance plane
• Normalized impedance plane (qualitative analysis)
• Skin-effect – Theory
• Calculation frequency based on SDP formula
• Principles of EC testing

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