Eddy Current Array Inspection of Riveted Joints

Abstract

A Non-destructive Testing (NDT) plays an important role in the safety of aircraft components and structures. As this term suggests, NDT refers to test methods that use special devices and approaches to explore an object without damaging or affecting its future usefulness. NDT is mainly used to detect and characterize hidden defects or damage to critical components or structures, but it also has applications in dimensional measurements and the evaluation of some material properties. NDT is a very broad and interdisciplinary area that finds application in many sectors where failure of critical parts could jeopardize public security. NDT is used as a quality control tool during production to ensure materials and finished products that do not contain internal errors, or that the abnormalities detected are below the size considered potentially dangerous. NDT is also used during the operation of objects to detect cracks, corrosion or other forms of degradation and damage that can cause components or systems to fail or interfere with their proper functioning. This paper deals with the inspection of the riveted joints of the produced riveted specimen, which simulates damage around the riveted joints. Surface and subsurface damage as well as corrosion in the region of riveted joints are simulated. Experiments will utilize Olympus OmniScan MX device with presence of ECA module. Eddy current array probes SAB-067-005-032 and SBB-051-150-032 are used, respectively. Harmonic eddy current excitation is used for this purpose.