Effect of Phase Delay on Low Frequency Operation of Flux Focusing Eddy Current Probe

The operation of the Flux Focusing Eddy Current Probe has been found to yield critical information on the thickness of the material being inspected [1–2]. The design of the probe forces the low frequency magnetic fields to diffuse through the sample in order to link with the pickup coil. An attenuation of the magnetic field results such that the pickup coil output is inversely related to the material thickness [2]. In extending the technique to thicker and/or layered materials, however, an apparently anomalous behavior is sometimes seen in which a small increase in the probe output occurs with increasing material thickness. This paper will clarify the underlying principles involved with the probe during low frequency operation and explain the apparent anomaly in terms of the phase shifting of the magnetic field with diffusion depth. A phasor addition model will be presented which accounts for the observed experimental results, and implications of the phenomena on material testing will be discussed.