Novel Flexible Arrayed Multi-Layer Eddy Current Sensor using Three-Phase Excitation for Inspecting Rail Rolling Contact Fatigue Cracks

Abstract

A flexible arrayed eddy current (FAEC) sensor lets you look at a big area with just one probe pass, which lets you change the shape of the part being looked at. The goal of this paper is to talk about how a flexible arrayed eddy current sensor with three-phase excitation was made to look for rolling contact fatigue (RCF) cracks in rails. Three-phase currents that are 120° out of phase power the excitation coils. The eddy current that flows through the conductive rail sample moves along in the direction of the phase variation of the excitation currents. The sensor picks up a weak background signal to verify that the rail sample doesn't have any flaws. Therefore, the sensor is highly sensitive to defects compared to other factors. Using a 3D finite element model (FEM), we look into how the sensor works. The numerical results demonstrate that the sensor can swiftly inspect and characterize steel samples from conductor rails to identify FCR defects.