SIGNAL PROCESSING IN AN EDDY CURRENT NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING SYSTEM

H. Geirinhas Ramos, A. Lopes Ribeiro, T. Rädil, M. Kubínyi, M. Paval
Abstract:
Nowadays, eddy current non-destructive testing requires highly skilled operators that using hand-operated eddy current testers are able to recognize defects in conductive materials. The objective of our work is to overcome this problem by implementing a microcomputer based system to detect and estimate the size of cracks and other defects in conductive non magnetic material, with minimum operator intervention. In order to reach the best solution different hardware implementations have to be investigated. This paper compares the results obtained with three techniques already tested: using a commercial lock-in amplifier, a dedicated electronic signal processing circuit and a data acquisition board (DAQ). The implementation using the DAQ requires more digital signal processing after the analog conversion than the other methods. In particular, cross correlation and sine-fitting of the sampled signals are used to estimate the phase difference between the excitation current and the sensing coils output signals. The results obtained are presented and compared within the paper.
Download:
IMEKO-TC4-2008-159.pdf
DOI:
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Event details
IMEKO TC:
TC4
Event name:
Exploring New Frontiers of Instrumentation and Methods for Electrical and Electronic Measurements
Title:
XVIth IMEKO TC4 International Symposium on Electrical Measurements and Instrumentation (together with 13th IMEKO TC4 Workshop on ADC Modelling and Testing)
Place:
Florence, ITALY
Time:
22 September 2008 - 24 September 2008