Scanning the steel 08G2B using superminiature eddy current probe

The article describes a hardware and software complex designed for defectoscopy and study of material properties. Sections of high-strength steel 08G2B pipes were scanned in the course of the research. The purpose of this study is to determine dependency of eddy current sensor signal and mechanical and operational properties of the base metal (K65 steel grade) and demonstrate the ability of developed eddy current probe to detect continuity defects and corrosion in this type of metal. The steel is ultra-low-carbon, which makes it possible to study their properties using the eddy current method. The eddy current method is a non-contact one being used both for cracks identification and determination of their characteristics. A special superminiature eddy current probe was developed, which includes three coils - stabilizing, measuring and exciting. The coils were placed on a pyramid-shaped core made of alloy 81NMA. The eddy-current transducer runs under the control of the developed hardware-software complex with a system for suppression of noise and amplification of signal received from the eddycurrent transducer. Signal processing makes it possible to separate the effects of closely spaced cracks on the eddy-current transducer signal and evaluate the contribution of each crack separately. As a parameter containing information about the presence of defects in the object of control, the voltage arrived at the measuring coil of the eddy current probe signal was used. The work studied sections of pipes with model continuity defects – cracks and holes. A research that allows to simulate the presence of corrosion in the metal was also conducted. The extreme values of the eddy current probe signal over defects of different types are obtained at various velocity, that allows to identify the type of defect, while changing the frequency of the signal on the probe allows to determine the depth of the defect.