Electrical conductivity measurement of ferromagnetic metallic materials using pulsed eddy current method

●PECT is proposed for conductivity measurement of ferromagnetic materials.●Conductivity and permeability of steel plates are determined by a inverse problem.●PECT method is verified by experimental results of four-point probe method.●Effects of pulsed excitation magnetic field on measurement results are examined.●PECT is a novel method with good repeatability for conductivity measurement.

Pulsed eddy current testing (PECT) method for electrical conductivity measurement of ferromagnetic metallic materials is proposed. Based on time-domain analytical solutions to the PECT model of ferromagnetic plates, the conductivity and permeability are determined via an inverse problem established with the calculated and measured values of induced voltage. PECT method for conductivity measurement is verified by the four-point probe method on three carbon steel plates. In addition, the effects of the amplitude of pulsed excitation current and the lift-off of probe coils on measurement results are studied. PECT is an innovative, non-contacting method with good repeatability for electrical conductivity measurement.