A Novel multi-excitation ECT probe for deep defects with any orientation

The paper proposes a novel 4-quarter probe for Eddy Current (EC) nondestructive testing on conductive materials. The innovative aspect consists of the possibility to detect small superficial and buried defects with arbitrary orientation. The EC induced in the conductive plate is rotated by means of an amplitude modulation of two currents that generate two orthogonal magnetic fields in order to obtain a suitable detection of arbitrary oriented cracks. The probe performance is evaluated by means of Finite Element Analysis in the simulation environment of the software COMSOL Multiphysics. The goodness of the proposed probe was analyzed considering a defect with a length of 5 mm, height of 1 mm and thickness of 0.1 mm, positioned at different depths in an aluminum plate, showing good detection capabilities.