Welcome!

“NDT Applications”
Webinar Series
February 11, 2021
Host: Toni Bailey
Owner, TB3 NDT Consulting LLC

asnt.org / learn
“Using Eddy Current Arrays to Augment
MT and PT”

Guest speaker:
Nicholas Cardillo, Zetec Inc.
Nicholas Cardillo
Sales Engineering Director (ECT), Zetec Inc.
Conventional Surface Inspection Techniques
• For decades, well-established standards such as the:
• ASNT International
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME
• International Standards Organization ISO

• Determine the appropriate Surface-Breaking Defect Inspection methods, such as:

• Magnetic particle testing (MT)
• Liquid penetrant testing (PT)
• Eddy current testing (ECT)

• To inspect all kinds of metallic components from different assets.

Magnetic Particle Testing (MT)
• Surface and shallow subsurface in ferrous
materials
• Magnetic field is applied to the part
• Discontinuities in the material allow
the magnetic flux to leak
• Dry or wet ferrous particles are applied to a part
• Particles are attracted to the flux leakage and will
form around the discontinuity
Magnetic Particle Testing (MT)
Pros Cons
✓ Easy to use X Pre- & post-surface cleaning required

✓ Minimum certification required X Needs electrical power supply

✓ Quick indication detection X No depth sizing

✓ Low-cost inspection X No recording data capabilities

✓ Not affected by the inspection zone size X Limited on thick paint/coatings

✓ Works on different kinds of ferrous material X Limited on nonferrous material

✓ Effective on complex geometries X May require large footprint

Liquid or Dry Penetrant Testing (PT)
• Surface-breaking in nonporous materials

• Applied penetrant is drawn into the surface-

breaking defects

• Defects become visible from the dye or under UV

light
Liquid Penetrant Testing (PT)
Pros Cons
✓ Easy to use X Pre- & post-surface cleaning required

✓ Minimum certification required X Limited on nonporous surface

✓ Show small surface-breaking defects X No depth sizing

✓ Low-cost inspection X No recording data capabilities

✓ Not affected by the inspection zone size X Limited sensitivity on rough surfaces

✓ Works on many types of materials X Chemical product handling

X May require large footprint

Eddy Current Testing (ECT)
• Surface-breaking in ferrous, surface and sub-
surface in nonferrous metals
• Conductive metals
• Magnetic field from ECT probe induces small
eddy currents in metal
• Discontinuities disturb the flow of eddy
currents
• The “change” of current flow is detected and
measured by instrumentation
Eddy Current Testing

Pros Cons
✓ Sensitive to surface and subsurface defects X Affected by magnetic permeability variations

✓ Capable of detection through multilayered

X Only effective on conductive materials
structures
✓ Can detect through thin nonconductive surface
X Careful acquisition technique
coatings

✓ Little pre-cleaning necessary X Signal interpretation requires skill

✓ Data can be recorded X Requires ECT instrumentation ($)

Eddy Current Array (ECA)
• Series of single ECT coils arranged in a single
probe working as one
• One large probe as compared to a small, single-
coil probe
• Coils are multiplexed to get specific data from
each coil
• Individual coil data is combined in software to
create 2D and 3D C-scan imaging

Single coil: slow n coils: n times faster

Eddy Current Array
Pros Cons
✓ Higher sensitivity on surface and subsurface defects X Affected by magnetic permeability variations

✓ Higher POD X Only effective on conductive materials

✓ Faster inspection X Operator dependent

✓ Wider coverage in a single-pass (higher resolution) X Signal interpretation requires skill

✓ Recording data for optional post-analysis and historical

trending X Higher upfront cost ($$)

✓ Small footprint
How Does it Work?

Two Axial
Receivers
R R

Scan Direction
Transverse
Receiver

T R
Transmit Coil
This combination is repeated in sequence
across the array of coils in the probe

R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

T T T
R RT RT RT R R T T T
R RT RT RT R R
1 16 32
Easy to Analyze

• Ability to have separate axial and transverse sensitive channels

Axial Transverse
sensitive channel sensitive channel
Merge Channel

• Channels can be combined into a single “merged” channel

• Allows for fast data screening for 360° coverage

Axial & transverse

“merge” channel

Axial channel

Transverse channel
ASME Code Adoption
• 2019 ASME Section V, Article 8
• New appendices for ECA:
• Appendix IX:
“Eddy current array (ECA) examination of ferromagnetic and
nonferromagnetic MATERIALS for the detection of surface-
breaking flaws”

• Appendix X:
“Eddy current array (ECA) examination of ferromagnetic and
nonferromagnetic WELDS for the detection of surface-breaking
flaws”
ASME Code Adoption
• General Requirements – Procedure and personnel qualification
• Equipment – Instrument, probes, standards
• Application reqs. – Speed, coated surface, data screening
• Technique – Essential variables, color palette, channels
• Calibration – Equipment and system
• Examination - Acquisition
• Evaluation - Analysis
• Documentation - Reporting
TAM Panel
• Test panels are used to test system’s overall performance
• Known as TAM Panels
• Also known as Sherwin or Magnaflux Test Panels

• Stainless steel 0.25 cm thick, 15 cm wide, 10 cm tall

• Strip of chrome plating has five variable size crack
centers
• Other half has an oxide grit-blasted surface to monitor
background fluorescence
TAM Panel Example
• Largest crack pattern is readily visible with low-sensitivity penetrant materials
• Smallest crack pattern is visible with high-sensitivity penetrant materials
• Can require more than one penetrant type to cover the full inspection
• This also translates to field testing limitations and POD
TAM Panel Using ECA
• Largest crack pattern is clearly visible
• Smallest crack pattern is also visible with a high POD
• Only one scan is needed to cover the full inspection Largest Crack
Pattern
• This translates to field testing capability of detection

Smallest Crack
Pattern
PT & MT Familiarity
• Custom palette options give the user the ability to produce a large variety shading
color schemes using variations of red, gray, green, blue, and purple.

• Thresholds can be assigned to designate which voltage breaks in the color gradient
occur. This can be used to highlight flaws of interest and downplay other signals.
Side by side examples
Carbon Steel Weld
• Base metal crack
• Base metal root crack
• Wet fluorescent particle
ECA Results
• Great detectability
• Excellent SNR
MT-Like Palette
Aluminum
• Aircraft stringer
• Wrought
• Stress crack
• Fluorescent dye
Stress Crack
Aluminum
• Aircraft stringer
• Wrought
• Long crack between holes
• Fluorescent dye
Long Axial Crack
Aluminum
• Wing spar
• Wrought
• Corrosion & cracking
• Visual
Corrosion
Both channels have like indications => Corrosion

Axial Channel Transverse Channel

Corrosion and Transverse Cracks

Transverse cracking in corrosion

Axial Channel Transverse Channel

Stainless Steel
• Engine ring
• Forged & rolled
• Machine tear
• Wet fluorescent particle
Machine Tear
Titanium

• Small engine blade

• Cast & weld
• Tip crack
• Porosity on pressure side
• Fluorescent dye
Porosity
Tip Crack
Mild Steel
• Aircraft latch
• Forged & rolled
• Forge laps
• Wet fluorescent
particle
Forging Laps
Inconel 718

• Wrought forging
• Forging lap
• Forging burst
• Fluorescent dye
Forging Lap
Forging Burst
ECA Applications
SCC in Carbon Steel

• Widespread corrosion throughout

• Significant axial cracking
SCC in Carbon Steel
• Widespread corrosion throughout
• Significant axial cracking
Multimodal Damage
 Example area of significant corrosion (seen on
axial and transverse channels)
Damage Characterization
Example area of axial
cracking (only seen
on axial channel)

Merge channel Axial channel Transverse channel

Train Wheels

• Replace MT/PT
• Inspect wheel contour in 3 passes or less
Train Wheels

• Tape probe with custom probe forms

• UHMW wear surface
• Customized color palette
50
Aircraft Multi-Layer Structures

• 1087 reference standard

• 0.19 in. (4.8 mm) combined thickness
• 0.25 in. (6.35 mm) notch length
• Subsurface cracks stemming from
rivets
Notches A & B

Rivet signal in view Rivet signals removed

And Many More….

• Aircraft corrosion
• Helicopter rotors
• Inspecting rows of fasteners in aircraft
• Chem mill cracking on airframes

• Ask yourself if a MT/PT inspection can be augmented by ECA?

• Augment example: Perform ECA over large surface. Follow up with MT/PT in small areas
discovered by ECA.
Technique Comparison

MT PT ECT ECA

Effective on coating/paint surface No Limited Yes Yes

Pre & post cleaning Yes Yes No No

Chemical/consumables Yes Yes No No

Inspection speed Low Low Medium Very High

Sizing capabilities No No Yes Yes

Recording data No No Yes Yes

Post inspection data analysis No No Yes Yes

Trending capabilities No No Limited Yes

3D Imaging No No No Yes
FAQ
Remember - eddy current is eddy current!

1. What is the minimum flaw size?

2. What is the frequency range?

3. Can I just use the C-scan?

4. How deep into the material can you detect

flaws?

5. What is the sizing accuracy?

Conclusions
• ECA can be used to bolster MT/PT inspections, especially for mission critical assets
• ASME code now allows for the use of ECA
• ECA has been demonstrated to provide superior results on a variety of materials and
applications
• Details such as flaw morphology can be analyzed and saved for historical tracking
• POD is higher as compared to conventional ECT
Thanks!

Many thanks to Toni Bailey Toni Bailey

for providing samples and ASNT & NAS 410 NDT Level III 92638
Nital Etch, MT, PT, ET, UT, IRRSP
MT/PT results! ASNT Region 2 – Director
www.tb3ndt.com
www.tb3ndt.com
Additional Questions?
Contact:
Nick Cardillo
ncardillo@zetec.com

Toni Bailey
www.tb3ndt.com
Thank you for participating!
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