Lesson 2 - Eddy Current Theory

ULTRASONIC TESTING NDT TRAINING
maianhtai@ndt.com.vn
Lesson 2
Eddy Current Theory
FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

Production of
Eddy Currents
Magnetic Effect of an Electrical
Current
DC CURRENT
MAGNETIC FIELD
Magnetic Field of a Coil
North
+ ve
DC
- ve
South
Magnetic Coupling
• When a magnetic field is brought into close
proximity with a conductive material the
material is influenced by the magnetic flux
such that, when the flux changes, a current is
introduced into the conductor.
Faraday’s Law
• States:
“When a conductor cuts, by any means, the lines
of force of a magnetic field, an electromotive
force (EMF) will be induced into the conductor.”
Faraday’s Experiment
Generation of Eddy Currents

1. The principles of eddy current testing depend on the
process of electromagnetic induction.
2. This process includes a test coil through which varying
or alternating current (AC) is passed.
3. A varying current flowing in a test coil produces a
varying electromagnetic field around the coil, as shown
in the next figure.

Generation of Eddy Currents, cont.

How Eddy Currents are Induced
AC Primary Field
Secondary Field
Eddy Current Flaw Detection :-
Primary Field
AC Fault
Secondary Field
4. The electromagnetic field produced around the coil is

directly proportional to the magnitude of applied
current, rate of change in current or frequency and the
coil parameters.
5. Coil parameters include: inductance, diameter, length,
thickness, number of turns of wire, and core material.
6. Electrical current is defined as the movement of
electrons through a conductor.

7. The unit of current is the ampere.
8. A conductor is any material that is capable of
carrying electrical current, such as copper or
iron.
9. Wood and plastic are not conductors.
10. Whether a material can conduct electricity or not
depends on the structure of the individual atoms
in the material.

Electromotive Force
1. Electromagnetic force is the electrical energy derived
from mechanical, chemical, or other form of energy that
must be applied across the material to force the
electrons to move.
2. The unit of the electromagnetic force is called
the volt.

Resistance
1. In an alternating current circuit containing only
resistance, the resistance simply limits the amount of
current that flows through the circuit.
2. It does not change the phase relationship between the
voltage and the current.
3. The current is exactly in phase with the voltage.

Resistance, cont.
4. The unit of resistance is called the ohm.

a. Ohm is defined as the resistance through
which electromotive force of 1 Volt will
produce a current of 1 Ampere.
b. Ohms’s law is expressed as follows:
where E is voltage (volt), I is current (ampere)

and R is resistance (ohm).
Resistance, cont.
5. Coil resistance is determined by the length of wire used
to wind a coil.
6. The specific resistance is determined by the wire type
and the cross-sectional area of the wire.
where resistance is in ohms, specific resistance in

ohms/circular mil-foot, area is in circular mils, and
length is in feet.
Alternating Current
1. When a coil is placed in the open end of a magnet between
the north and south poles and given a spin, electricity is
induced in the coil.
2. The current produced does not travel in the same direction
through the coil at all times, nor is it of a constant value.
3. The current starts out at zero, rises to a maximum value,
decreases to zero, rises to a maximum value in the opposite
direction, and then returns to zero.
4. This cycle repeats itself as long as the coil keeps spinning.

Sine Wave
1. A sine wave is the form commonly produced by
alternating current generators.
2. Since one turn (360º rotation) of the generator coil
produces one cycle of the sine wave, the sine wave can
be marked into corresponding degrees of rotation, as
shown in the following figure.

Sine Wave, cont.

Frequency
1. The frequency of an alternating current is defined as the
number of cycles of current that occur in one second.
2. The unit of frequency is the Hertz.
3. One hertz is equal to one cycle per second. Current at 60
cycles per second has a frequency of 60 Hz.

Inductive Reactance
The opposition to changes in
alternating current flow through a
coil is called inductive reactance
and is designated by the letters XL.
XL = L
where XL is the inductive reactance
(ohm), L is the inductance
(Henries), and  equals 2πf.

Impedance
1. Impedance in an alternating current
circuit
is the total opposition to the current flow
through the circuit.
2. The impedance unit is the ohm.
3. The simplest way to combine the
resistance and the inductive reactance
values to obtain the impedance value is
through a vector diagram.

Impedance, cont.
4. The following figure shows resistance and inductive

reactance vectors 90º apart in direction. By adding
these two vectors together, a rectangle can be
constructed and the diagonal from corner to corner
represents the impedance (Z) and phase angle, as
shown in view B of the next figure.

Impedance, cont.

Phase Angle
1. Refer to the figure in the previous slide. The phase angle
between the resistance vector and the inductive vector
is 90º.
2. The Greek letter alpha (A) is used to denote the phase
angle of the impedance vector.
Phase angle (A) = arctan XL/R
3. The angle whose tangent is known is written
tan-1 or arctan.

Lesson 2 - Eddy Current Theory

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

Lesson 2 - Eddy Current Theory

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lesson 2 - Eddy Current Theory

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ULTRASONIC TESTING NDT TRAINING

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

Generation of Eddy Currents

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

4. The electromagnetic field produced around the coil is

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

4. The unit of resistance is called the ohm.

where E is voltage (volt), I is current (ampere)

where resistance is in ohms, specific resistance in

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

4. The following figure shows resistance and inductive

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

You might also like