Advances in NDT and materials characterization by eddy currents

New materials and production technologies demand improved non-destructive techniques for inspection and defect evaluation, especially when critical safety applications are involved. In this paper a new non-destructive testing (NDT) system is presented. The innovative system is composed by a new type of eddy currents probe, electronic devices for signal generation, conditioning and conversion, automated mechanized scanning and analysis software. This new probe provides enhanced lift-off immunity and improved sensitivity for defects detection. The IOnic system was developed mostly to be used for the defects detection on aluminum solid state processed alloys as Friction Stir Welding (FSW) and Friction Spot Welding (FSpW), however recent studies revealed IOnic probe good capacities on other applications. This study evaluates the capacity of the IOnic probe on detecting buried defects under the surface of Graphite and Stainless steel AISI 304 alloys extending the probe application to other materials and defect morphologies. In order to evaluate its performance results, a comparison with results from conventional EC probes is discussed. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.