Subsurface Defect Evaluation of Selective-Laser-Melted Inconel 738LC Alloy Using Eddy Current Testing for Additive/Subtractive Hybrid Manufacturing

New materials and manufacturing technologies require applicable non-destructive techniques for quality assurance so as to achieve better performance.This study comprehensively investigated the effect of influencing factors includ-ing excitation frequency,lift-off distance,defect depth and size,residual heat,and surface roughness on the defect EC signals of an Inconel 738LC alloy produced by selective laser melting(SLM).The experimental investigations recorded the impedance amplitude and phase angle of EC signals for each defect to explore the feasibility of detecting sub-surface defects by merely analyzing these two key indicators.Overall,this study revealed preliminary qualitative and roughly quantitative relationships between influencing factors and corresponding EC signals,which provided a prac-tical reference on how to quantitively inspect subsurface defects using eddy current testing(ECT)on SLMed parts,and also made solid progress toward on-line ECT in additive/subtractive hybrid manufacturing(ASHM)for fabricating SLMed parts with enhanced quality and better performance.

An Introductory Note on Finite Element Problems Based on the Eddy Current Testing Approach

The paper addresses the first eddy current benchmark problem proposed by the World Federation of Nondestructive Evaluation Centers (WFNDEC). The problem simulates the eddy current response to the presence of an axisymmetric circumferential defect in an Inconel-600 tube. All simulations employ the axisymmetric code of the electromagnetic field simulator Finite Element Method Magnetics. For three different frequencies of excitation, it is explained how the displacement of the detecting coil inside the tube leads to a variation in the impedance of the eddy current coil. Variations of the resistive and inductive components of the impedance with distance from the defect region are used to build the impedance trajectory for each frequency of analysis.

Characteristics of Eddy Current Attenuation and Thickness Measurement of Metallic Plate

In eddy current testing, the law of attenuation of eddy current(EC) is of great concern. In conductive half space under the excitation of uniform magnetic field, the EC density decreases exponentially in the depth direction. However, in conductor with finite thickness tested by coil, the distribution of EC in the depth direction is more complicated. This paper studies the characteristics of EC attenuation in metallic plate of finite thickness. Simulation results show that there is an EC reflection at the bottom of plate, which changes the law of EC attenuation. A new concept, namely the equivalent attenuation coefficient, is proposed to quantify the speed of EC attenuation. The characteristics of EC attenuation are utilized to explain the nonmonotonic relation between coil voltage and plate thickness. Procedure of selecting frequency is discussed. Thereafter, measurement of plate thickness is carried out and accurate result is obtained.

Information Entropy of Angular Spectrum for Quantitatively Evaluating Eddy Current Distribution Varying in Time Domain

Eddy current (EC) distribution induced by EC sensors determines the interaction between the defectin the testing specimen and the EC, so quantitatively evaluating EC distribution is crucial to the design of ECsensors. In this study, two indices based on the information entropy are proposed to evaluate the EC energyallocated in different directions. The EC vectors induced by a rotational field EC sensor varying in the timedomain are evaluated by the proposed methods. Then, the evaluating results are analyzed by the principle ofEC testing. It can be concluded that the two indices can effectively quantitatively evaluate the EC distributionsvarying in the time domain and are used to optimize the parameters of the rotational EC sensors.

Ultra-Thin Flexible Eddy Current Sensor Array for Gap Measurements

An ultra-thin flexible eddy current proximity sensor array was developed for online measurements of tiny gaps between large smooth metallic and nonmetallic surfaces of arbitrary shapes. The probe of the flexible eddy current sensor array, which includes a set of sensor coils, is fabricated on a thin flexible substrate using the flexible printed circuit board process which allows the probe to be very thin and flexible so that it can conform to the surface geometry of the measured objects. The sensor coils are connected to an inductance-capacitance oscillator, which converts the distance between the sensor coil and the metallic target to a frequency output. Experimental results show that the measurement accuracy of the sensor system can reach ±0.5% for a 2-mm gap and the sensor system is suitable for online gap measurements.

Mechanical and electrical properties of Pd-Ru system doped with Zr, Mo, Y

The effect of Zr, Mo, Y dopant on mechanical and electrical properties of Pd-Ru binary alloy was investigated in this work. The alloys were prepared in a vacuum high-frequency melting furnace. X-ray diffraction and metallographic microscope were employed to detect the microstructures of alloys. Electric bridge and eddy current conductive instrument were employed to test the electrical resistivity, and the mechanical properties of alloys were tested by AG-X100KN-type tensile testing machine. The results show that adding rare metal elements into Pd-Ru system could refine the structure effectively and increase the melting point, density, tensile strength, and hardness of alloy, but the elongation and electrical conductivity of alloy decrease. ? The Nonferrous Metals Society of China and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012.

Pulsed Eddy Current Signal Denoising Based on Singular Value Decomposition

The noise as an undesired phenomenon often appears in the pulsed eddy current testing(PECT)signal, and it is difficult to recognize the character of the testing signal. One of the most common noises presented in the PECT signal is the Gaussian noise, since it is caused by the testing environment. A new denoising approach based on singular value decomposition(SVD) is proposed in this paper to reduce the Gaussian noise of PECT signal. The approach first discusses the relationship between signal to noise ratio(SNR) and negentropy of PECT signal. Then the Hankel matrix of PECT signal is constructed for noise reduction, and the matrix is divided into noise subspace and signal subspace by a singular valve threshold. Based on the theory of negentropy, the optimal matrix dimension and threshold are chosen to improve the performance of denoising. The denoised signal Hankel matrix is reconstructed by the singular values of signal subspace, and the denoised signal is finally extracted from this matrix. Experiment is performed to verify the feasibility of the proposed approach, and the results indicate that the proposed approach can reduce the Gaussian noise of PECT signal more effectively compared with other existing approaches.

Parameters analysis and application of the differential excitation detection technology

A differential excitation probe based on eddy current testing technology was designed. Sheet specimens of Q 235 steel with prefabricated micro-cracks of different widths and of aluminum with prefabricated micro-cracks of different depths were detected through the designed detection system. The characteristics of micro-cracks can be clearly showed after signals processing through the short-time Fourier transform（ STFT）. By changing the parameter and its value in detecting process,the factors including the excitation frequency and amplitude,the lift-off effect and the scanning direction were discussed,respectively. The results showed that the differential excitation probe was insensitive to dimension and surface state of the tested specimen,while it had a high degree of recognition for micro-crack detection. Therefore,when the differential excitation detection technology was used for inspecting micro-crack of turbine blade in aero-engine,and smoothed pseudo Wigner-Ville distribution was used for signal processing,micro-cracks of 0. 3 mm depth and 0. 1 mm width could be identified. The experimental results might be useful for further research on engineering test of turbine blades of aero-engine.

Successes and challenges in non-destructive testing of aircraft composite structures

Composite materials are increasingly used in the aerospace industry.To fully realise the weight saving potential along with superior mechanical properties that composites offer in safety critical applications,reliable Non-Destructive Testing(NDT)methods are required to prevent catastrophic failures.This paper will review the state of the art in the field and point to highlight the success and challenges that different NDT methods are faced to evaluate the integrity of critical aerospace composites.The focus will be on advanced certificated NDT methods for damage detection and characterization in composite laminates for use in the aircraft primary and secondary structures.