SIGNAL EVALUATION SYSTEM OF FLEXIBLE ARRAY ECT PROBES FOR INSPECTING COMPLEXLY SHAPED SURFACES.

We developed a signal evaluation system of flexible array eddy current testing (ECT) probes for inspecting complexly shaped metal surfaces. Our probes employ excitation and pickup coil pairs arrayed on a bendable substrate to measure curved targets. Since the developed probes produce signals due to the change in the relative position between the coil pair, an evaluation module for flaw signal identification is integrated into the system. The identification utilizes signal phase combination of the coil pairs. It is represented as a two-dimensional diagram constituting the phase values of two of the coil pairs with different positions. The phase of signals around flaws is significantly affected by their orientations. The diagram is therefore capable of separating flaw information from other information and of imaging flaw positions. We applied the system to complex geometric mock-ups. Flaw signals were successfully identified and the images obtained for identified positions could be used to efficiently measure the length of surface flaws by the 12 decibel down method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]