Eddy current probe for nondestructive testing using cross-coupled figure-eight coils

It is shown that the pickup head consisting of cross-coupled figure-eight coils originally developed for the magnetostrictive torque sensor is well suited for the eddy current probe detecting small defects in a nonmagnetic conductive material. The probe is easily extended to a one dimensional array form, which substantially reduces the number of times of scanning the targeted materials. The response of a single unit of the probe to a trough hole defect in an aluminum plate are presented. A halfway hole at the back of an aluminum plate of 1.2 mm in thickness was successfully detected from the front using this probe. A five-channel array was developed in which the excitation coil is shared by all the channel. A small through hole defect in an aluminum plate was detected clearly by a single scan with the array probe.