Eddy Current Array Instrument and Probe for Crack Detection of Aircraft Tubes

Failure of aircraft tubes inspections is decidedly hazardous. However, conventional eddy current testing for tubes is very time-consuming. Eddy current array technology can dramatically decrease the inspection time by reducing to one the number of rotations needed to completely cover the tube surface. A new eddy current array instrument and probe was presented, the ECA imaging principle and the hardware frame of the system was described. By means of FEM simulation, optimize the parameter of the eddy current array probe. Based on the instrument and probe, the aircraft oil deliver EDM north with an axial crack was detected. The experimental results show that not only the instrument and probe are able to identify the existence of cracks quickly and effectively, but also estimate the location of cracks. Further studies have shown that the inspection resolution is the length of cracks with tolerance ±2 mm and the depth of cracks with tolerance ±20%.