Pulsed eddy current technique for defect detection in aircraft riveted structures

The Pulsed Eddy Current (PEC) technique is an effective method of quantifying defects in multi-layer structures. It is difficult to detect defects in riveted structures of aging aircraft. Based on theoretical analysis of PEC technique, three different probes, including a differential hall probe, a differential coil probe, and a two-stage differential coil probe are designed to detect this kind of defects. The averaging method and wavelet analysis method are used to de-noise the hall response signals. By selecting peak amplitude and zero-crossing time of response signal in time domain as key features, defects in riveted structures can be detected effectively. The experimental results indicated that the differential coil probe acted as effectively as the differential hall probe. The defects between third layer and fourth layer in riveted structures can be detected by utilizing the two-stage differential coil probe. The PEC technique has a promising application foreground in the field of aeronautical nondestructive testing.