Eddy current array probe for corrosion mapping on ageing aircraft

Abstract

The life of an airplane in the civil and military fleet is expanding by many years. The corrosion on aircraft is becoming a serious problem. The corrosion can also lead to the development of “multi-site damage” (MSD) and catastrophic failure. The need for a fast and reliable nondestructive technique for the detection of corrosion is a prime concern. A simple eddy current or ultrasonic probe can be very time consuming in the inspection because of the small area covered by the probe. The use of an eddy current array probe can cut the time use for an inspection or increase the surface scanned. Because it is an eddy current technology, the surface preparation is minimal compared to other techniques like ultrasound. It is also possible to detect defects beyond the first layer in a multiple layer panel. A flexible probe was employed to demonstrate the capacities of an eddy current array probe. This flexible probe can also match the profile of the structure to inspect limiting the lift-off. The C-scan technique is used in the display to see all the data on the same screen. The interpretation is also simplified.