ArticlePDF Available

Abstract and Figures

In this paper, the effectiveness of the eddy current methodology for crack detection in MAR 247 nickel-based superalloy with aluminide coatings subjected to cyclic loading was investigated. The specimens were subjected to force-controlled fatigue tests under zero mean level, constant stress amplitude from 300 MPa to 600 MPa and a frequency of 20 Hz. During the fatigue, a particular level of damage was introduced into the material leading to the formation of microcracks. Subsequently, a new design of probe with a pot core was developed to limit magnetic flux leakage and directed it towards the surface under examination. The suitability of the new methodology was further confirmed as the specimens containing defects were successfully identified. The changes in probe resistance values registered for damaged specimens ranged approximately from 8 to 14%.
This content is subject to copyright. Terms and conditions apply.
Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation (2024) 43:112
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10921-024-01129-x
been specically designed to meet the demanding require-
ments of modern aircraft engines, where components must
withstand extreme temperatures, pressures, and harsh
environments while maintaining structural integrity and
reliability [1]. The alloy’s superior high-temperature perfor-
mance, combined with its excellent resistance to oxidation
and corrosion, make it an ideal material for critical engine
components such as turbine blades, vanes, and combustion
chambers [2]. However, a key challenge in the application
of these alloys is their susceptibility to oxidation and deg-
radation at elevated temperatures, which can signicantly
deteriorate their performance and limit service life [3]. To
address this issue, aluminide coatings have emerged as a
promising solution, oering enhanced protection against
oxidation and other environmental factors [4]. These coat-
ings form a protective layer of aluminium oxide (Al2O3) on
the surface, which acts as a barrier against oxygen and other
corrosive species. Aluminide coatings have become a widely
adopted solution to safeguard gas turbine blades made of
superalloys from the detrimental eects of high-temperature
oxidation and corrosion [5]. However, the performance and
integrity of these coatings are challenged by the complex
operating conditions experienced by gas turbines, including
cyclic thermal and mechanical loading [4, 5]. The fatigue
behavior and cracking of uncoated and coated MAR-M247
superalloy vary signicantly between room temperature and
1 Introduction
The MAR247 nickel superalloy has been extensively uti-
lized in the aerospace industry due to its exceptional
mechanical properties, high-temperature resistance, and
superior corrosion resistance. This nickel-based alloy has
Mateusz Kopec
mkopec@ippt.pan.pl
Grzegorz Tytko
grzegorz.tytko@polsl.pl
Małgorzata Adamczyk-Habrajska
malgorzata.adamczyk-habrajska@us.edu.pl
Yao Luo
luoyao@whu.edu.cn
1 Faculty of Automatic Control, Electronics and Computer
Science, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice
44-100, Poland
2 Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Silesia,
Chorzów 41-500, Poland
3 School of Electrical Engineering and Automation, Wuhan
University, Wuhan 430072, China
4 Institute of Fundamental Technological Research Polish
Academy of Sciences, Pawińskiego 5B, Warsaw
02-106, Poland
Abstract
In this paper, the eectiveness of the eddy current methodology for crack detection in MAR 247 nickel-based superalloy
with aluminide coatings subjected to cyclic loading was investigated. The specimens were subjected to force-controlled
fatigue tests under zero mean level, constant stress amplitude from 300 MPa to 600 MPa and a frequency of 20 Hz. Dur-
ing the fatigue, a particular level of damage was introduced into the material leading to the formation of microcracks.
Subsequently, a new design of probe with a pot core was developed to limit magnetic ux leakage and directed it towards
the surface under examination. The suitability of the new methodology was further conrmed as the specimens contain-
ing defects were successfully identied. The changes in probe resistance values registered for damaged specimens ranged
approximately from 8 to 14%.
Keywords Nickel alloys · Aluminide coating · Non-destructive testing · Eddy current testing
Received: 8 July 2024 / Accepted: 21 September 2024 / Published online: 5 October 2024
© The Author(s) 2024
Eddy Current Testing in the Quantitive Assessment of Degradation
State in MAR247 Nickel Superalloy with Aluminide Coatings
GrzegorzTytko1· MałgorzataAdamczyk-Habrajska2· YaoLuo3· MateuszKopec4
1 3
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation (2024) 43:112
elevated temperatures. At room temperature, the uncoated
MAR-M247 typically exhibits good fatigue resistance due
to its inherent strength and microstructural stability, with
fatigue cracks generally initiating at surface defects or
inclusions and propagating slowly [6]. When coated, the
fatigue life may change depending on the coating material
and quality; a well-adhered coating can provide additional
protection against surface damage, delaying crack initia-
tion [7, 8]. However, at elevated temperatures, the fatigue
resistance of MAR-M247 decreases due to thermal soften-
ing and oxidation, which can accelerate crack initiation and
growth [9]. Coatings can mitigate these eects by providing
a thermal barrier and oxidation protection, thereby enhanc-
ing fatigue life. Nonetheless, coating defects or dierences
in thermal expansion between the coating and substrate may
introduce stress concentrations, potentially promoting crack
formation under cyclic loading at high temperatures.
The development of advanced material systems for gas
turbine applications has been a critical research focus, as
designers strive to push the limits of inlet gas temperatures
beyond 1300 –1400 °C [5]. The application of coatings on
the internal airfoil surfaces has enabled signicant improve-
ments in heat removal capabilities, projected to be over
50–70% compared to conventional smooth-channelled,
internally cooled airfoil congurations [10]. However, the
integrity of these coatings, which are critical to the reliability
of gas turbine blades, is challenged by the complex operat-
ing conditions experienced during operation. The demand-
ing service environment necessitates the regular inspection
of gas turbine blades, enabling a signicant reduction in
the risk of failures [11]. Non-destructive testing methods
can provide valuable insights into the integrity of thermal
barrier coatings on nickel-based alloys. These techniques
enable for precise detection of defects, corrosion, and other
imperfections without causing damage to the materials,
which is time-saving and cost-eective [12]. By leverag-
ing non-destructive testing, one can ensure the quality and
performance of coated components while maintaining their
structural integrity. The multilayer coating-substrate struc-
ture and limited access to turbine components expose signif-
icant challenges in developing a cost-eective and ecient
non-destructive method [13].
In the case of the ultrasonic method [1416], the most
common inconveniences are related to the application of
coupling medium, which extends the test time and increases
its cost, and the elimination of the dead zone for shallowly
located defects. In other methods, the challenge is to ensure
sucient sensitivity, short inspection time, and easy inter-
pretation of results. Therefore, the novelty of this work lies
in the development of a new method, that meets all of these
requirements enabling eective detection of defects in gas
turbine blades. In the rst step, the microstructure of coated
MAR 247 nickel-based superalloy subjected to cyclic load-
ing was examined using light microscopy and scanning
electron microscopy SEM. This allowed for the determi-
nation of the shape, size, and location of damages result-
ing from intensive exploitation due to fatigue. The shallow
depth of critical damages and their relatively large quantity
led to the selection of eddy current technique for further
investigations. The required sensitivity was achieved by
constructing a probe with a pot core diameter corresponding
to the blade width at its narrowest point, as it is the most
susceptible to crack detection. The application of a pot core
enabled the limitation of magnetic ux leakage and directed
it towards the surface under examination. Tests were con-
ducted on MAR247 nickel superalloy, onto which coatings
of dierent thicknesses of 20 μm and 40 μm were applied.
The damage to the coatings and substrates was induced by
subjecting the specimens to fatigue tests at dierent stress
amplitudes. It leads to the formation of damage similar to
those during industrial turbine operation. Subsequent eddy
current method investigations involved measuring the probe
resistance for defect-free specimens and those subjected to
fatigue tests. The specimens containing defects were suc-
cessfully identied in all cases, and the resulting change
in probe resistance values ranged approximately from 8 to
14%.
One should highlight, that the novelty of this paper is
expressed by the development of a new methodology
enabling eective detection of defects in gas turbine blades.
This method employs an eddy current probe with the fol-
lowing advantages: the application of a pot core enabled the
limitation of magnetic ux leakage and directed it towards
the surface under examination (high sensitivity); the outer
diameter of the pot-core coil was chosen to be slightly
smaller than the width of the inspection area of 15 mm. This
reduced the inuence of the edge eect on changes in the
probe’s resistance and facilitated the precise placement of
the probe on the examined specimen; the pot-core coil was
placed in a head improving the probe’s stability; the narrow
range of optimal frequency values means that the operating
frequency of the probe only needs to be determined once.
Therefore, a signicant acceleration of the inspection pro-
cess could be achieved.
2 Materials and Methods
MAR 247 nickel superalloy specimens with three dier-
ent initial microstructures represented by ne (Fig. 1a),
coarse (Fig. 1b) and column (Fig. 1c) grains were manu-
factured during a conventional casting process. The average
grain size these structures was around 0.5 mm, 2.5 mm and
5 mm, respectively. The chemical composition of MAR247
1 3
112 Page 2 of 10
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation (2024) 43:112
nickel superalloy was presented in Table 1. Aluminide coat-
ings were deposited during the Chemical Vapour Deposi-
tion (CVD) process. The deposition process was performed
at the temperature of 1040 °C and internal pressure of 150
mbar using optimised CVD parameters under the hydro-
gen protective atmosphere, with deposition times of 8 and
12 h for the coating thickness of 20 μm and 40 μm, respec-
tively. Exemplary cross-section of the MAR 247 specimen
with 40 μm coating was presented in Fig. 1d. It reveals a
two-layer structure consisting of a homogeneous zone of
secondary solid solution of the β (NiAl) phase and heteroge-
neous NiAl matrix (dark grey) with Ni3Al phase dispersions
(bright grey). The microstructural observations were carried
out using a JEOL6360LA scanning electron microscope
(SEM) operated at 20 kV with EDS detector.
The MAR 247 nickel superalloy specimens with ne,
coarse, and columnar grain structure and coatings of 20 μm
and 40 μm thickness [17] were subjected to testing using the
eddy current method [1822]. By inducing electromagnetic
currents in the material, eddy current testing can detect
surface and subsurface defects, such as cracks, voids, and
delaminations, without direct contact. This method is sensi-
tive to variations in coating thickness [2326], conductiv-
ity [2731], and material properties [32, 33], allowing for
detailed and accurate evaluation of the coating’s integrity.
In the examination of large-scale objects, air-core coil eddy
current probes are often used [3437]. The sensitivity of
such a probe is not sucient for detecting small cracks dur-
ing inspection of narrow areas. Therefore, a dierent solu-
tion was proposed as follows. The developed probe consists
of a coil placed inside a ferrite pot core [3841]. The appli-
cation of the core reduced magnetic ux losses and directed
it directly towards the surface of the coating. The outer
diameter of the pot-core coil, which was equal to 14.5 mm,
was chosen to be slightly smaller than the width of the
inspection area of 15 mm. This reduced the inuence of the
edge eect on changes in the probe’s resistance and facili-
tated the precise placement of the probe on the examined
Table 1 Chemical composition of MAR 247 superalloy (wt%) [17]
C Cr Mn Si W Co Al Ni
0.09 8.80 0.10 0.25 9.70 9.50 5.70 bal.
Fig. 1 Initial microstructures of the MAR 247 nickel-based superalloy of ne (a), coarse (b) and column (c) grain structure; cross-section of the
MAR 247 specimen with 40 μm coating (d)
1 3
Page 3 of 10 112
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation (2024) 43:112
in Fig. 3. These specimens were subsequently subjected to
cyclic loading using the MTS 810 testing machine. Fatigue
tests were force-controlled under zero mean level, constant
stress amplitude, frequency of 20 Hz and stress amplitude
ranging from 300 MPa to 600 MPa. Such fatigue testing
was performed at room temperature to introduce a specic
level of damage similar to those during industrial turbine
operation. In this research, the 0.5Nf was used as a refer-
ence point to interrupt fatigue tests in order to perform EC
measurements. Subsequently, the presence of cracks due to
cyclic loading was conrmed by using JEOL6360LA scan-
ning electron microscope observations. Each specimen was
characterized by a notable number of cracks with a depth of
< 0.5 mm. The exemplary view of formed cracks was pre-
sented in Fig. 4 for the specimen with 20 μm (a) and 40 μm
(b) thick coating.
3 Results
The resistance measurements of the eddy current probe were
carried out using the Keysight E4980A precision LCR meter
with an accuracy of +/ 0.05%, in the frequency range from
130 kHz to 280 kHz. Eight measurements were performed
for each frequency value, from which the arithmetic mean
was calculated. At the beginning of the experiment, the ref-
erence resistance values RREF were measured for specimens
without defects. In the second step, the resistance R of the
probe placed on specimens subjected to fatigue tests under
stress amplitudes from 300 MPa to 600 MPa was measured.
The probe was moved along the symmetry axis of the sam-
ple with a step of 2 mm, and the nal measurement point
was the one where the largest changes in resistance value
compared to RREF were obtained. The relative resistance dif-
ference δR expressed in [%] was dened according to (1) for
specimen. Subsequently, the pot-core coil was placed in a
head improving the probe’s stability and allowing for the
connection of power supply wires (Fig. 2). One should men-
tion, that broad-band excitation was employed to demon-
strate how the optimal operating frequency of the probe was
selected. Additional aim was to expose, that the sensitivity
of the probe is signicantly reduced at other frequency val-
ues. Once the narrow range of the optimal operating fre-
quency for the probe (165–170 kHz) was established, it was
not necessary to utilize broad-band excitation during the
conducted tests.
Non-destructive measurements were performed on the
specimens’ strain gauge length equal to 52 mm as shown
Fig. 4 Dierent types of cracks formed during fatigue testing in the specimen with 20 μm (a) and 40 μm (b) thick coating
Fig. 3 Engineering drawing of the specimen
Fig. 2 Pot-core probe and specimens of MAR 247 nickel-based super-
alloy with 20 μm and 40 μm thick aluminide coatings
1 3
112 Page 4 of 10
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation (2024) 43:112
sensitivity of the probe can be achieved by using a pot core.
Limiting the leakage of magnetic ux enables satisfac-
tory changes in the resistance of the probe to be obtained.
Additionally, the reactance value of the probe could be also
measured, but changes of around 3% proved insucient to
infer the presence of defects in the specimens. Applying a
probe with a diameter close to the width of the examined
area had two main advantages. Firstly, it reduced the edge
eect compared to a probe with a larger diameter. The sec-
ond advantage was facilitating the precise placement of
the probe relative to the surface being examined so that all
measurement points were located on the sample’s axis of
symmetry.
Preliminary measurements conducted in the frequency
range from 1 kHz to 1 MHz enabled the determination of the
optimal operating frequency value. For low frequencies, the
δR parameter value is relatively small. A signicant change
occurs near the resonant frequency of about 130 kHz. Above
the resonant frequency, there is a sharp increase in the value
of δR, followed by its steady decrease. For such a reason,
the frequency range from 130 kHz to 280 kHz was used
for further research. The δR coecient was assumed as the
highest value for frequencies of 165–170 kHz. Such a nar-
row range of optimal frequency values means that the oper-
ating frequency of the probe only needs to be determined
once. Therefore, a signicant acceleration of the inspection
process could be achieved.
The frequency at which the δR coecient reaches its
maximum value also provides information about the loca-
tion of damage in the specimen structure. The standard
penetration depth for a frequency f = 170 kHz is 0.28 mm,
comparison purposes. The highest value of δR obtained for
the specimen in the entire frequency range from 130 kHz to
280 kHz was marked as δRMAX (Fig. 5).
δR
=
R
REF
R
RREF
·
100% (1)
The resistance dierence values δR obtained for specimens
with 20 μm coating were presented for column (Fig. 6a), ne
(Fig. 6b), and coarse (Fig. 6c) grain structures. In Fig. 6d,
the resistance dierences were shown for these three-
grain structures when subjected to the stress amplitude of
500 MPa. The highest resistance change values determined
by the parameter δRMAX, obtained for these specimens, are
shown in Fig. 5a. Subsequently, the measurement results for
specimens with 40 μm coatings were presented (Fig. 6e),
and the column, ne, and coarse structures were compared
for a stress amplitude of 500 MPa (Fig. 6f). The values of
the parameter δRMAX are shown in Fig. 5.
4 Discussion
In all measurements conducted using the eddy current
method, the resistance value of the probe signicantly
changed after subjecting the specimens to cyclic loading.
The obtained values of the δR coecient conrmed and
ensured a clear distinction between reference specimens and
those containing structural damage due to fatigue. Achiev-
ing such good results requires the careful selection of the
proper inspection parameters. It was found, that the required
Fig. 5 Maximum values of resistance measured for specimens with 20 μm (a) and 40 μm thick coatings when subjected to stress amplitude equal
to 500 MPa (b)
1 3
Page 5 of 10 112
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation (2024) 43:112
Fig. 6 Resistance changes δR registered for specimens with: column
grain structure and coating thickness equal to 20 μm (a); ne grain
structure and coating thickness equal to 20 μm (b) coarse grain struc-
ture and coating thickness equal to 20 μm (c); coating thickness equal
to 20 μm subjected to fatigue testing at stress amplitude of 500 MPa
(d); column grain structure and coating thickness equal to 40 μm (e)
coating thickness equal to 40 μm subjected to fatigue testing at stress
amplitude of 500 MPa (f)
1 3
112 Page 6 of 10
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation (2024) 43:112
surface access is limited or the inspection area is complex
[46]. Additionally, ECT can be highly automated and easily
integrated into maintenance routines, providing real-time
data and reducing inspection times. However, the method is
decient when dealing with materials that have thick TBCs,
as the coating can attenuate the eddy currents, reducing the
method’s sensitivity to subsurface defects. Moreover, ECT
is limited in detecting cracks that are oriented parallel to the
surface or those located deeper below the coating, where
the electromagnetic elds are less eective. In such cases,
other non-destructive testing methods, such as ultrasonic
testing or thermography, may be more suitable, as they can
penetrate thicker coatings and detect deeper or dierently
oriented cracks. Overall, while eddy current testing is a
valuable tool for detecting cracks in materials with thermal
barrier coatings, its eectiveness can be compromised by
the thickness of the coating and the orientation and depth of
the defects, necessitating the use of complementary inspec-
tion techniques for comprehensive evaluation.
One should mention, the literature on EC crack detec-
tion in gas turbine blades made of nickel alloys. Further-
more, it is dicult to compare the results, which require
interpretation of the obtained scans, with the numerical
data obtained in the developed methodology presented
in this work. Therefore, some examples of eddy current
application in the assessment of coatings under fatigue or
prolonged service were discussed. Uchanin [47] presented
low-frequency double dierential eddy current probes with
enhanced capability for detecting subsurface cracks were
introduced. These probes come in various sizes, from 5 to
33 mm, and oer dierent spatial resolutions for specic
applications. They operate across a wide frequency range,
from 0.2 kHz to 1.0 MHz, with high penetration depth and
exceptional sensitivity to subsurface defects. The probes are
particularly eective in detecting fatigue cracks in multi-
layer structures, such as riveted aircraft components and
repaired surfaces. This technology enables timely detection
of dangerous damage without needing to disassemble air-
craft or remove protective coatings. Grosso et al. [48] per-
formed conventional eddy current testing (ECT) on samples
consisting of carbon steel substrates coated with anticorro-
sive composites commonly used inside petrochemical stor-
age tanks. Simulated localized corrosion, represented by
undercoating defects, was detected by inspecting the same
side as the machined defects. With defect diameters in the
millimeter range, the results suggest that ECT is capable of
identifying corrosion in its early stages. The accuracy of the
method was unaected by coating thicknesses ranging from
approximately 300 to 1000 μm, as well as the presence of
corrosion products. Additionally, multilevel threshold pro-
cessing enhanced defect detectability by eliminating false
positives, which typically arise from thickness variations
indicating that structural damage is primarily located shal-
low beneath the specimen surface. Based on the obtained
reference resistance values RREF (for f = 130–280 kHz),
there is no possibility to distinguish specimens under inves-
tigation. A dierence in coating thickness of 20 μm is too
small to have a signicant impact on the probe resistance
value. Furthermore, the type of initial microstructure (ne,
coarse, or column) does not signicantly alter the ow of
eddy currents.
The results of the measurements presented in Fig. 6 con-
rmed that the increase in stress amplitude has a signi-
cant inuence on changes in probe resistance caused by the
occurrence of damage. This inuence is more signicant
for lower amplitude values (300–400 MPa) than for higher
ones (500–600 MPa). In all cases, the smallest resistance
changes were obtained for ne grain samples. These val-
ues signicantly diered from those obtained for the other
initial microstructures. The dierences in δR values shown
in Figs. 4 and 5 are caused by the formation of dierent
crack and micropore congurations in samples with dier-
ent initial microstructures, using the same stress amplitude.
Each such crack disrupts the ow of eddy currents, causing
a change in the probe resistance value.
Non-destructive methods for detecting cracks in materi-
als with thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are essential for
ensuring the reliability and longevity of components, partic-
ularly in high-temperature applications like gas turbines and
aero engines. Among these methods, infrared thermography
is highly eective, leveraging thermal imaging to detect
surface and subsurface cracks by observing thermal con-
trasts caused by dierences in heat ow through the mate-
rial [42]. Another advanced technique is ultrasonic testing,
which uses high-frequency sound waves to detect aws;
in TBCs, this method is particularly useful for identifying
delaminations and vertical cracks that may not be visible on
the surface [43]. Additionally, laser shearography, an optical
method, is eective in identifying surface and near-surface
defects by detecting the deformation response of a material
under stress [44]. X-ray computed tomography (CT) scan-
ning oers detailed internal imaging, capable of detecting
ne cracks and porosity within the coating and substrate,
providing a comprehensive view of material integrity [45].
Each of these methods has its strengths and limitations,
often dictated by the specic characteristics of the TBC, the
type of substrate material, and the nature of the cracks; thus,
a combination of techniques is often employed to achieve
the most accurate assessment of crack presence and propa-
gation in materials with thermal barrier coatings. In compar-
ison to these methods, the eddy current method is superior
in its sensitivity to small cracks and its ability to provide
rapid and localized assessments, which makes it particularly
eective for early-stage detection and in situations where
1 3
Page 7 of 10 112
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation (2024) 43:112
5 Conclusion
The conducted research using the eddy current method
has demonstrated its eectiveness in detecting structural
damage due to fatigue by measuring changes in probe
resistance. Signicant dierences in the δR coecient
distinguished damaged specimens from references, dem-
onstrating the method’s sensitivity. Optimal measurement
accuracy was achieved by using a pot core, selecting appro-
priate probe diameters, and operating at frequencies around
165–170 kHz, where the δR coecient was highest. The
sensitivity was more noticeable at lower stress amplitudes
and varied with initial microstructures, although ne grain
samples showed minimal resistance changes. The study
highlights the importance of optimizing inspection param-
eters to improve the reliability of the eddy current method in
detecting material damage.
Acknowledgements The authors would like to express their gratitude
to Mr M. Wyszkowski and Prof. D. Kukla for their kind help during the
experimental part of this work.
Author Contributions G. T.: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal
analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Supervi-
sion, Validation, Visualization, Roles/Writing - original draft, Writing
- review & editing. M. A.-H.: Data curation, Investigation, Validation.
Y. L.: Formal analysis, Methodology. M. K.: Conceptualization, Data
curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Project admin-
istration, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Roles/Writing - origi-
nal draft, Writing - review & editing.
Data Availability No datasets were generated or analysed during the
current study.
Declarations
Competing Interests The authors declare no competing interests.
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing,
adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format,
as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the
source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate
if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this
article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless
indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not
included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended
use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted
use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright
holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.
org/licenses/by/4.0/.
References
1. Ramsperger, M., Eichler, S.: Electron Beam Based Additive
Manufacturing of Alloy 247 for turbine engine application: From
Research towards Industrialization. Metall. Mater. Trans. A. 54,
1730 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-022-06955-0
inherent to the coating application process. Savari et al.
[49] presented eddy-current testing of fatigue degradation
under contact loading of NiCrBSi coatings obtained through
gas–powder laser cladding. The EC method has proven
eective for testing fatigue degradation in NiCrBSi coat-
ings subjected to contact loading, with coatings produced
via gas-powder laser cladding and containing various lev-
els of chromium, boron, carbon, and 15–25 wt% TiC addi-
tives. High excitation frequencies, particularly 120 kHz,
provide optimal results by minimizing the inuence of the
ferromagnetic steel base and analyzing the thinnest surface
layer where cracking and compaction occur. Testing TiC–
PG-SR2 composite coatings with 15 wt% TiC is limited to
early stages (up to 10^5 cycles) due to the presence of dis-
continuities, and should be conducted at maximum excita-
tion frequencies to detect surface-level fatigue. For coatings
with 25 wt% TiC, the fatigue degradation process is bet-
ter tracked at lower frequencies (36 kHz), where cracking
has less impact on EC readings. The discontinuities in the
composite coatings accelerate both cracking and compac-
tion, which have opposing eects on resistivity. Therefore,
the EC method oers reliable testing for dierent TiC com-
positions, but must be adjusted based on the coating’s TiC
content and the stage of degradation. Gonchar et al. [50]
showed the eddy-current and ultrasonic investigations of the
nickel-base superalloy the gas turbine engine blades after
exploitation. The study found that gas turbine engine blades
made from nickel-based superalloys experience signicant
changes in electromagnetic and acoustic properties, in addi-
tion to softening, when subjected to operational overheat-
ing. The phase shift of the eddy-current probe increased by
more than twofold, the velocity of longitudinal ultrasonic
waves decreased by 200 m/s, and attenuation was halved.
Optimal testing of the superalloy’s electromagnetic prop-
erties occurred at 100 kHz, providing stable readings and
maximum sensitivity. These ndings suggest a potential
method for operational control of turbine blade material
through non-destructive testing. Das et al. [51] reported
frequency scanning eddy current testing (F-SECT) for
condition assessment of multiple layers of coating on gas
turbine blades. It was proven, that such technique can be
used to evaluate the condition of MCrAlY coatings on gas
turbine blades and vanes. It serves as a quality control tool
for inspecting both new and refurbished blades, as well as
optimizing refurbishment intervals. This method is particu-
larly relevant for gas turbine units operating under partial
loading, where refurbishment may not be required based
solely on operating hours. FSECT is anticipated to reduce
unnecessary maintenance and lower the life cycle costs of
coated blades and vanes.
1 3
112 Page 8 of 10
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation (2024) 43:112
Nickel Superalloy. Materials. 13(17), 3863 (2020). https://doi.
org/10.3390/ma13173863
18. Du, Y., Zhang, Z., Yin, W.: Et. Al. Sloping-invariance for nonfer-
rous metallic slabs at multiple frequencies by eddy current sen-
sors. IEEE Access. 9, 59949–59956 (2021)
19. Yu, D., Chen, B., Luo, Y., et al.: Mutual inductance calculation for
rectangular and circular coils with parallel axes. IET Electr. Power
Appl. 18(4), 379 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1049/elp2.12396
20. Tytko, G.: Eddy current testing of conductive coatings using a
pot-core sensor. Sensors. 23(2), 1042 (2023)
21. Poletkin, K., Babic, S.: Calculation of magnetic stiness over
Torque between two current-carrying circular laments arbi-
trarily positioning in the space. J. Magn. Magn. Mater. 603,
172202 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmmm.2024.172202
22. Cui, L., Zeng, Z., Jiao, S.: Finite Element Analysis of Eddy Cur-
rent Testing of Aluminum Honeycomb Sandwich Structure with
CFRP panels based on the Domain Decomposition Method.
J. Nondestruct Eval. 43, 44 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/
s10921-024-01053-0
23. Zhang, D., Yu, Y., Lai, C., et al.: Thickness measurement of multi-
layer conductive coatings using multifrequency eddy current
techniques. Nondestructive Test. Evaluation. 31(3), 191 (2016).
https://doi.org/10.1080/10589759.2015.1081903
24. Li, Y., Wang, Y., Liu, Z., et al.: Characteristics regarding lift-o
intersection of pulse-modulation Eddy current signals for evalua-
tion of hidden thickness loss in Cladded conductors. Sensors. 19,
4102 (2019). https://doi.org/10.3390/s19194102
25. Wang, Z., Yu, Y.: Thickness and conductivity measurement of
multilayered electricity-conducting coating by pulsed Eddy cur-
rent technique: Experimental investigation. IEEE Trans. Instrum.
Meas. 68(9) (2019). https://doi.org/10.1109/TIM.2018.2872386
26. Meng, X., Lu, M., Yin, W., et al.: Evaluation of Coating Thick-
ness using lift-o insensitivity of Eddy Current Sensor. Sensors.
21, 419 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3390/s21020419
27. Yu, Y., Zhang, D., Lai, C., et al.: Quantitative Approach for thick-
ness and conductivity measurement of monolayer coating by dual-
frequency Eddy current technique. IEEE Trans. Instrum. Meas.
66(7), 1874 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1109/TIM.2017.2669843
28. Liu, Y., Zhang, Z., Yin, W.: A novel conductivity classication
technique for Nonmagnetic Metal Immune to Tilt variations using
Eddy current testing. IEEE Access. 9, 135334 (2021). https://doi.
org/10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3116247
29. Xu, J., Wu, J., Xin, W., et al.: Fast measurement of the Coat-
ing Thickness and Conductivity using Eddy currents and Plane
Wave Approximation. IEEE Sens. J. 21(1) (2021). https://doi.
org/10.1109/JSEN.2020.3014677
30. Huang, P., Li, Z., Pu, H., et al.: Conductivity Measurement of
non-magnetic material using the phase feature of Eddy Current
Testing. J. Nondestruct Eval. 42, 50 (2023)
31. Cao, B., Sun, J., Fan, M., et al.: Novel conductivity measurement
of thin metallic materials using crossover frequency feature from
triple-frequency Eddy current signals. IEEE Trans. Instrum. Meas.
73, 6005611 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1109/TIM.2024.3383059
32. Xu, J., Wu, J., Xin, W., et al.: Measuring ultrathin metallic Coat-
ing properties using swept-frequency Eddy-current technique.
IEEE Trans. Instrum. Meas. 69(8) (2020). https://doi.org/10.1109/
TIM.2020.2966359
33. Li, Y., Chen, Z., Mao, Y., et al.: Quantitative evaluation of thermal
barrier coating based on eddy current technique. NDT&E Int. 50,
29 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ndteint.2012.04.006
34. Tytko, G.: Locating defects in conductive materials using the
Eddy Current Model of the Filamentary Coil. J. Nondestruct
Eval. 40, 66 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10921-021-00798-2
35. Yang, X., Luo, Y., Kyrgiazoglou, A.: Et. Al. Impedance varia-
tion of a reection probe near the edge of a magnetic metal plate.
IEEE Sens. J. 23(14), 15479–15488 (2023)
2. Jordan, O., Lion, P., Beck, T.: Short-time creep deformation of the
coarse-grained nickel-base alloy 247 and its implications on the
high-cycle fatigue behavior. ASME J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power.
145(5), 051015 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4056309
3. Li, D.S., Chen, G., Li, D., et al.: Oxidation resistance of nickel-
based superalloy inconel 600 in air at dierent temperatures. Rare
Met. 40, 3235 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-018-1148-1
4. Kopec, M.: Recent advances in the deposition of Aluminide
Coatings on Nickel-based superalloys: A synthetic review (2019–
2023). Coatings. 14(5), 630 (2024). https://doi.org/10.3390/
coatings14050630
5. Barwinska, I., Kopec, M., Kukla, D., et al.: Thermal barrier Coat-
ings for High-Temperature performance of Nickel-based superal-
loys: A synthetic review. Coatings. 13(4), 769 (2023). https://doi.
org/10.3390/coatings13040769
6. Šulák, I., Obrtlík, K., AFM: SEM AND TEM study of damage
mechanisms in cyclically strained mar-M247 at room tempera-
ture and high temperatures. Theoret. Appl. Fract. Mech. 108,
102606 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tafmec.2020.102606
7. Šulák, I., Obrtlík, K., Čelko, L., Gejdoš, P., Jech, D.: High-
temperature low-cycle fatigue behaviour of MAR-M247
coated with newly developed thermal and environmental bar-
rier coating. Adv. Mater. Sci. Eng. 9014975 (2018). https://doi.
org/10.1155/2018/9014975
8. Kopec, M.: Eect of Aluminide Coating thickness on high-
temperature fatigue response of MAR-M247 nickel-based
Superalloy. Coatings. 14, 1072 (2024). https://doi.org/10.3390/
coatings14081072
9. Šulák, I., Obrtlík, K.: Thermomechanical and isothermal
fatigue properties of MAR-M247 superalloy. Theoret. Appl.
Fract. Mech. 131, 104443 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
tafmec.2024.104443
10. Alvin, M.A., Klotz, K., McMordie, B., et al.: Extreme Tem-
perature Coatings for Future gas turbine engines. ASME. J.
Eng. Gas Turbines Power. 136(11), 112102 (2014). https://doi.
org/10.1115/1.4027186
11. Rajendran, R., Ganeshachar, M.D., Jivankumar, T., et al.: Con-
dition assessment of gas turbine blades and coatings. Eng.
Fail. Anal. 18(8), 2104 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
engfailanal.2011.06.017
12. Vasagar, V., Hassan, M.K., Abdullah, A.M., et al.: Non-destruc-
tive techniques for corrosion detection: A review. Corros. Eng.,
Sci. Technol. 59(1), 56 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1177/14784
22X241229621
13. Balasubramanian, V., Niksan, O., Jain, M.C., et al.: Non-
destructive erosive wear monitoring of multi-layer coatings
using AI-enabled dierential split ring resonator based sys-
tem. Nat. Commun. 14, 4916 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/
s41467-023-40636-9
14. Luo, K., Zhu, J., Li, Z., et al.: Ultrasonic Lamb Wave damage
detection of CFRP composites using the bayesian neural net-
work. J. Nondestruct Eval. 43, 48 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/
s10921-024-01054-z
15. Luo, Z., Liu, Z., Li, F., et al.: Defects imaging in Corner Part with
Surface Adaptive Ultrasonic and focusing in receiving (FiR) strat-
egy. J. Nondestruct Eval. 43, 49 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/
s10921-024-01063-y
16. Mohd Tahir, M.F., Echtermeyer, A.T.: Phased array Ultrasonic
Testing on Thick Glass Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Compos-
ite Pipe implementing the classical time-corrected Gain Method.
J. Nondestruct Eval. 43, 74 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/
s10921-024-01096-3
17. Kukla, D., Kopec, M., Kowalewski, Z.L., Politis, D.J., Jóźwiak,
S., Senderowski, C.: Thermal Barrier Stability and wear behav-
ior of CVD deposited Aluminide Coatings for MAR 247
1 3
Page 9 of 10 112
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation (2024) 43:112
45. Błachnio, J., Chalimoniuk, M., Kułaszka, A.: Et. Al. Exempli-
cation of detecting gas turbine blade structure defects using the
X-ray computed Tomography Method. Aerospace. 8, 119 (2021).
https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace8040119
46. AbdAlla, A.N., Faraj, M.A., Samsuri, F.: Et. Al. Chal-
lenges in improving the performance of eddy current test-
ing. Rev. Meas. Control. 52(1–2), 46–64 (2019). https://doi.
org/10.1177/0020294018801382
47. Uchanin, V.: Eddy current techniques for detecting hidden sub-
surface defects in Multilayer Aircraft structures. Trans. Aerosp.
Res. 2, 69–79 (2022). https://doi.org/10.2478/tar-2022-0011
48. Grosso, M., Pacheco, C.J., Arenas, M.P.: Et. Al. Eddy current and
inspection of coatings for storage tanks. J. Mater. Res. Technol.
7(3), 356–360 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2018.05.006
49. Savrai, R.A., Makarov, A.V., Gorkunov, E.S.: Eddy-current test-
ing of fatigue degradation under contact loading of NiCrBSi
coatings obtained through gas–powder laser cladding. Russ J.
Nondestruct Test. 51, 692–704 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1134/
S1061830915110042
50. Gonchar, A.V., Mishakin, V.V., Klushnikov, V.A., Kurashkin,
K.V.: The eddy-current and ultrasonic investigations of the
nickel-base superalloy the gas turbine engine blades after exploi-
tation. J. Phys.:Conf. Ser. 2131, 052025 (2021). https://doi.
org/10.1088/1742-6596/2131/5/052025
51. Das, A., Chhabra, A., Mondal, A., et al.: Frequency Scanning
Eddy Current testing (F-SECT) for condition assessment of mul-
tiple layers of Coating on Gas Turbine Blades. Indian National
Seminar & Exhibition on Non-Destructive Evaluation NDE
2015, Hyderabad, India. Journal of Nondestructive Testing, 22(6)
(2017)
Publisher’s Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to juris-
dictional claims in published maps and institutional aliations.
36. Li, C., Guo, Z., Zhen, M., et al.: A non-contact rotational speed
sensor for bearing cages in a high-temperature and high-speed
environment. IEEE Sens. J. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1109/
JSEN.2024.3405793
37. Deng, Z., Wang, Y., Shi, Q., et al.: 2-D Analytical Model of
Sinusoidal Eddy Current Field based on permeability distor-
tion. IEEE Sens. J. 24(9), 14392 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1109/
JSEN.2024.3376804
38. Tytko, G.: An eddy current model of pot-cored coil for testing
multilayer conductors with a hole. Bull. Pol. Acad. Sci. Tech. Sci.
68(6), 1311 (2020). https://doi.org/10.24425/bpasts.2020.135388
39. Zhang, S.: Analytical Model of an E-core driver-pickup coils
Probe Applied to Eddy Current Testing of Multilayer Conduc-
tor. ACES J. 38(11), 914 (2023). https://doi.org/10.13052/2023.
ACES.J.381110
40. Praphaphankul, N., Akutsu, A., Sasaki, E.: Numerical study for
development of subsurface crack detection using pulsed eddy
current and swept frequency eddy current. Struct. Infrastruct.
Eng. 1 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1080/15732479.2023.2218351
41. Tytko, G., Dziczkowski, L., Magnuski, M., et al.: Eddy current
testing of conductive discs using the pot-core sensor. Sens. Actua-
tors A: Phys. 349, 114060 (2023)
42. Zhu, J., Mao, Z., Wu, D., et al.: Progress and trends in non-
destructive testing for Thermal Barrier Coatings based on Infra-
red Thermography: A review. J. Nondestruct Eval. 41(49) (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10921-022-00880-3
43. Bychenok, V.A., Khizhnyak, S.A., Sorokin, A.A., et al.: Ultra-
sonic Testing of Adhesion of Special Coatings. Russ J. Non-
destruct Test. 59, 839–846 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/
S1061830923700481
44. Siang, T.W., Firdaus Akbar, M., Nihad Jawad, G.: A past, Pres-
ent, and prospective review on microwave nondestructive evalua-
tion of Composite Coatings. Coatings. 11, 913 (2021). https://doi.
org/10.3390/coatings11080913
1 3
112 Page 10 of 10
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Terms and Conditions
Springer Nature journal content, brought to you courtesy of Springer Nature Customer Service Center GmbH (“Springer Nature”).
Springer Nature supports a reasonable amount of sharing of research papers by authors, subscribers and authorised users (“Users”), for small-
scale personal, non-commercial use provided that all copyright, trade and service marks and other proprietary notices are maintained. By
accessing, sharing, receiving or otherwise using the Springer Nature journal content you agree to these terms of use (“Terms”). For these
purposes, Springer Nature considers academic use (by researchers and students) to be non-commercial.
These Terms are supplementary and will apply in addition to any applicable website terms and conditions, a relevant site licence or a personal
subscription. These Terms will prevail over any conflict or ambiguity with regards to the relevant terms, a site licence or a personal subscription
(to the extent of the conflict or ambiguity only). For Creative Commons-licensed articles, the terms of the Creative Commons license used will
apply.
We collect and use personal data to provide access to the Springer Nature journal content. We may also use these personal data internally within
ResearchGate and Springer Nature and as agreed share it, in an anonymised way, for purposes of tracking, analysis and reporting. We will not
otherwise disclose your personal data outside the ResearchGate or the Springer Nature group of companies unless we have your permission as
detailed in the Privacy Policy.
While Users may use the Springer Nature journal content for small scale, personal non-commercial use, it is important to note that Users may
not:
use such content for the purpose of providing other users with access on a regular or large scale basis or as a means to circumvent access
control;
use such content where to do so would be considered a criminal or statutory offence in any jurisdiction, or gives rise to civil liability, or is
otherwise unlawful;
falsely or misleadingly imply or suggest endorsement, approval , sponsorship, or association unless explicitly agreed to by Springer Nature in
writing;
use bots or other automated methods to access the content or redirect messages
override any security feature or exclusionary protocol; or
share the content in order to create substitute for Springer Nature products or services or a systematic database of Springer Nature journal
content.
In line with the restriction against commercial use, Springer Nature does not permit the creation of a product or service that creates revenue,
royalties, rent or income from our content or its inclusion as part of a paid for service or for other commercial gain. Springer Nature journal
content cannot be used for inter-library loans and librarians may not upload Springer Nature journal content on a large scale into their, or any
other, institutional repository.
These terms of use are reviewed regularly and may be amended at any time. Springer Nature is not obligated to publish any information or
content on this website and may remove it or features or functionality at our sole discretion, at any time with or without notice. Springer Nature
may revoke this licence to you at any time and remove access to any copies of the Springer Nature journal content which have been saved.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Springer Nature makes no warranties, representations or guarantees to Users, either express or implied
with respect to the Springer nature journal content and all parties disclaim and waive any implied warranties or warranties imposed by law,
including merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose.
Please note that these rights do not automatically extend to content, data or other material published by Springer Nature that may be licensed
from third parties.
If you would like to use or distribute our Springer Nature journal content to a wider audience or on a regular basis or in any other manner not
expressly permitted by these Terms, please contact Springer Nature at
onlineservice@springernature.com
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.
Article
Full-text available
In this paper, 20 µm and 40 µm of aluminide coating were deposited on an MAR-M247 nickel-based superalloy through the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process in a hydrogen protective atmosphere for 4 h and 12 h, respectively, at a temperature of 1040 • C and an internal pressure of 150 mbar. The effect of aluminide coating thickness on the high-temperature performance of the MAR-M247 nickel-based superalloy was examined during a fatigue test at 900 • C. After high-temperature testing, the specimens were subjected to fractographic analysis to reveal the damage mechanisms. No significant effect of coating thickness was found since the material exhibited a similar service life throughout the fatigue test when subjected to the same stress amplitude. One should stress that the coating remained well adhered after specimen fracture, confirming its effectiveness in protecting the material against high-temperature oxidation.
Article
Full-text available
Thermoplastic composite pipe is gaining popularity in the oil and gas and renewable energy industries as an alternative to traditional metal pipe mainly due to its capability of being spooled onto a reel and exceptional corrosion resistance properties. Despite its corrosion-proof nature, this material remains susceptible to various defects, such as delamination, fiber breakage, matrix degradation and deformation. This study employed the phased array ultrasonic testing technique with the implementation of the classical time-corrected gain method to compensate for the significant spatial signal attenuation beyond the first interface layer in the thick multi-layered thermoplastic composite pipe. Initially, the ultrasonic signals from the interface layers and back wall were detected with good signal-to-noise ratios. Subsequently, flat-bottom holes of varying depths, simulating one-sided delamination, were bored and the proposed method effectively identified ultrasonic signals from these holes, clearly distinguishing them from the background noise and interface layer signals. Finally, a defect deliberately fabricated within the composite laminate layers during the pipe manufacturing process was successfully identified. Subsequently, this fabricated defect was visualized in a three-dimensional representation using the X-ray computed tomography for a qualitative and quantitative comparison with the proposed ultrasonic method, showing a high level of agreement.
Article
Full-text available
Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are widely used to improve the oxidation resistance and high-temperature performance of nickel-based superalloys operating in aggressive environments. Among the TBCs, aluminide coatings (ACs) are commonly utilized to protect the structural parts of jet engines against high-temperature oxidation and corrosion. They can be deposited by different techniques, including pack cementation (PC), slurry aluminizing or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Although the mentioned deposition techniques have been known for years, the constant developments in materials sciences and processing stimulates progress in terms of ACs. Therefore, this review paper aims to summarize recent advances in the AC field that have been reported between 2019 and 2023. The review focuses on recent advances involving improved corrosion resistance in salty environments as well as against high temperatures ranging between 1000C and 1200C under both continuous isothermal high-temperature exposure for up to 1000 h and cyclic oxidation resulting from AC application. Additionally, the beneficial effects of enhanced mechanical properties, including hardness, fatigue performance and wear, are discussed.
Article
Full-text available
A weak circumferential resolution of defects in the corner part of engineering components brings great challenges to quantitative non-destructive testing. Especially for the corner of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP), the complex wave propagation behaviors caused by the elastic anisotropy, laminate structure, and curved surface make the information of defects hard to be distinguished, which finally results in a poor imaging resolution. The surface adaptive ultrasonic (SAUL) method for CFRP corner is investigated, and an improved strategy, focusing in receiving (FiR) of SAUL signals is proposed here. With an isotropic plexiglass as a comparison, the effectiveness of FiR is verified by finite element simulations and experiments. The elastic properties of CFRP corner are accurately characterized and a finite element model is established. On this basis, the wave propagation behavior in the corner is studied, and the influence of the water distance h on the maximum amplitude (MAD) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the defect is analyzed. The results show that the structural noise can be eliminated, and the imaging quality and SNR can be improved by optimizing the h. After FiR, the maximum increase of defect amplitude is about 9.5 dB and 13.2 dB for plexiglass and CFRP, respectively. Meanwhile, the maximum relative error in length is reduced by 16.7% in plexiglass, and by 13.4% for the 3-mm delamination in CFRP. The strategy would be promising to improve the detection quality of the corner in curved components.
Article
Full-text available
Aluminum honeycomb sandwich structure with panels made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) are widely used in aerospace and other fields. Simulation of the eddy current (EC) testing of the sandwich structure using the finite element (FE) method is challenging as the traditional FE method has difficulties in mesh division and the solution of the algebraic equations. This paper proposes to use the domain decomposition FE method to solve such problems. The top CFRP panel, the aluminum honeycomb core, and the bottom CFRP panel of the sandwich structure and the ferrite core of the coil are placed in different subdomains and the subdomains are meshed independently. This method simplifies the mesh generation and does not require regenerating the meshes when simulating the scanning testing with the ferrite-core coil. In this way, the efficiency of simulation is greatly improved. The EC distributions in the sandwich structure are computed and the influence of defect on EC distribution is analyzed. The C scans of the sandwich structures are simulated. The images of the EC responses to the defects, such as wall fracture, node disconnection, and core wrinkle, are obtained. The simulation results are validated by experiments.
Article
The sets of expressions for calculation of sixteen components of magnetic sti-ness over torque between two current-carrying circular laments arbitrarily positioning in the space are derived by using mutual inductance and Grover's method. The expressions are presented in the analytical form via integral equations , whose kernels include the elliptic functions of rst and second kinds. The derived sets of formulas were mutually validated and results of calculation of components of magnetic stiness agree well to each other.
Article
The bearing is a crucial component of the engine, and monitoring the rotational speed of the bearing cage during its operation can play a vital role in preventing potential damage and failure of the bearing. However, realizing the real-time monitoring of cage state parameters in a high-temperature environment is still a significant challenge. Herein, a rotational speed sensing system based on the eddy current effect is proposed in this paper, in which the eddy current sensor probe adopts a helical coil structure without skeleton support, the excitation is provided by a signal source, and the coupler and envelope detector converts the impedance change into a voltage signal. The real-time visualization of rotational speed is attained through processing the data acquisition card and the host computer. Based on the rational design, the sensor can measure the rotational speed from 0 to 9000 rpm in the temperature range of 20 to 400 °C, and the maximum hysteresis error, nonlinearity error, and repeatability error of this non-contact sensor are only ±0.24%, ±0.127%, and ±0.113%. Hence, the advantages of its self-supporting structure, high accuracy, and real-time display undoubtedly lay an experimental foundation for online monitoring of the rotational speed of bearing cages in high-temperature and high-speed environments.
Article
Non-ferromagnetic thin metallic materials find extensive applications in the fields of electronics, aerospace, and instrumentation, wherein the conductivity of these metal materials serves as a crucial indicator of material quality. However, the established methods are subject to computational burden like model-based inversion, or invariant thickness. In this work, a novel simple but accurate method is proposed to determine the conductivity of thin films using crossover frequency feature from eddy current impedance. Firstly, the crossover phenomenon of resistance and reactance from swept-frequency eddy current impedance was investigated with a transformer model. It is found that the impedances of only triple frequencies are enough to accurately determine crossover frequency point. Secondly, crossover frequency is found to have an inverse proportional to conductivity of metal materials after mathematical manipulations, and it would change accordingly when liftoff distance and sample thickness changes. Afterwards, a mathematical map was derived by fitting work between sample thickness and slope rate. In this case, the proposed method is suitable for samples with thickness change without recalibration. Lastly, a PCB single-coil eddy current sensor was designed to validate the presented method through simulations and experiments. The results demonstrate that the developed crossover feature based method from triple frequency impedances, compared with a reported single frequency method, achieves better accuracy and more stable measurement results, with a maximum relative error of 2.26%. This new method only needs to gauge sample thickness without re-calibration work when the thickness of samples changes, and it does not need large computational resource.
Article
An analytical model of an E-core driver-pickup coils probe located above a multilayer conductor containing a hidden cylindrical conductor is presented. The truncated region eigenfunction expansion (TREE) method is used to deal with the axial symmetry problem, and the closed-form final expression of the induced voltage in the pickup coil is derived. The changes of the induced voltage in the pickup coil due to the hidden cylindrical conductor are examined and calculated in Mathematica. Experiments and finite element simulations are performed and the results are compared with the analytical results, and they are in good agreement.