Trung Le Quang, Khuong Nguyen Duc, Dung Tran Thi Hoai, Kasai Naoya, Kiet Tran Mach Tuan, Sekino Kouichi, Fukuda Honoka
Research Unit of Safety Science for Advanced Engineering Systems, Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Japan.
Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Transport and Communications (UTC), Hanoi, Vietnam.
Commun Eng. 2025 Jul 25;4(1):132. doi: 10.1038/s44172-025-00472-9.
Crack detection in weld zones of steel structures is essential for ensuring structural safety and reliability. Eddy current (EC) testing is widely used due to its non-contact nature and high sensitivity to surface and sub-surface cracks. This study reports a flexible eddy current array (FECA) sensor with six bendable channels designed to detect surface and sub-surface cracks in the weld zones of steel structures. The excitation coils are connected in series to enhance signal intensity, while interleaved detection coils minimize lift-off effects and improve sensitivity. A real-time measurement system was developed by integrating the FECA sensor with a LabVIEW-based digital lock-in amplifier. Experiments using 500 kHz and 5 kHz excitation frequencies demonstrated effective detection of surface and sub-surface cracks, respectively, including under zinc coatings. Despite manual scanning, stable and repeatable signals were recorded across multiple channels. The proposed system offers high sensitivity, real-time capability, and adaptability to complex geometries.
钢结构焊接区域的裂纹检测对于确保结构安全和可靠性至关重要。由于其非接触特性以及对表面和亚表面裂纹的高灵敏度，涡流（EC）检测被广泛应用。本研究报告了一种具有六个可弯曲通道的柔性涡流阵列（FECA）传感器，旨在检测钢结构焊接区域的表面和亚表面裂纹。激励线圈串联连接以增强信号强度，而交错排列的检测线圈可最大限度地减少提离效应并提高灵敏度。通过将FECA传感器与基于LabVIEW的数字锁相放大器集成，开发了一种实时测量系统。使用500 kHz和5 kHz激励频率的实验分别证明了对表面和亚表面裂纹的有效检测，包括锌涂层下的裂纹。尽管是手动扫描，但在多个通道上记录了稳定且可重复的信号。所提出的系统具有高灵敏度、实时能力以及对复杂几何形状的适应性。
