General Electric Company

Gigi Olive Gambrell

William Stewart McKnight

Ui Won Suh

John William Ertel

Preeti Pisupati

Changting Wang

Yuri Alexeyevich Plotnikov

Francis Howard Little

Shridhar Champaknath Nath

Richard L Trantow

Sandeep Kumar Dewangan

Shyamsunder Tondanur Mandayam

Amitabha Dutta

Peyush Kumar Mishra

Richard Lloyd Trantow

A method for inspecting a component having a surface profile that includes a local minima and a local maxima. The method includes positioning an eddy current probe proximate to a surface of the component to generate a first position indication, positioning the eddy current probe proximate to the surface of the component to generate a second position indication that is different than the first position indication, and interpolating between the first and second position indications to determine a profile of a portion of the surface of the component.

Methods and apparatus for testing a component

A method for detecting small cracks and other anomalies on parts having complex geometries is disclosed. The method includes eddy current inspection incorporating collection of data from multi-frequency eddy current signals. Phase analysis is used to combine the multi-frequency data to enhance the signal to noise ratio of the raw inspection image. The image is then reprocessed using a spatiotemporal filter to correlate with the frequency components of the eddy current flaw signal to separate signals associated with cracks and other flaws at edges that would ordinarily be hidden by edge effect signals.

Multi-frequency image processing for inspecting parts having complex geometric shapes

A method for inspecting a component having a surface profile that includes a local minima and a local maxima. The method includes generating a raw image of a component under test utilizing an eddy current inspection system, decomposing the raw image into a plurality of images wherein each image includes a different frequency component, and reconstructing at least one final image of the component that includes frequency components that are relevant to an eddy current flaw signal.

A method for inspecting a component. The method includes generating a scan plan of a component to be inspected, coupling a side-mount probe to an eddy current inspection system, inducing an eddy current into the component, measuring the eddy current in the component to generate a plurality of scan data, and analyzing the scan data to generate at least one image of the component being inspected.

An eddy current inspection system and method for inspecting a component is provided. The system includes an eddy current probe for sensing eddy currents from the component and an analog to digital converter configured for converting eddy currents to digital signals. The system also includes a processor configured for generating an eddy current image from the digital signals and pre-processing the image to enhance a quality of the image. The processor is configured to identify regions displaying flaw patterns and calculating a defect characterizing parameter for the identified regions.

Eddy current inspection method and system

An omnidirectional eddy current (EC) probe includes at least one EC channel having a first and a second sense coil that are offset in a first (x) and a second (y) direction and overlap in at least one of the directions (x,y). At least one drive coil is configured to generate a probing field for the EC channel in a vicinity of the sense coils. An omnidirectional EC inspection system includes an omnidirectional EC array probe (ECAP) that includes a number of EC channels and drive coils. Each EC channel includes first and second sense coils with opposite polarities. The drive coils have alternating polarities. Electrical connections perform differential sensing for respective EC channels. Corrective drive coils are disposed at respective ends of the EC channels and generate probing fields. An eddy current instrument is connected to the omnidirectional ECAP and receives differential sensing signals from the EC channels.

Omnidirectional eddy current probe and inspection system

A calibration standard for calibrating an eddy current inspection probe sized and shaped to inspect a preselected non-planar feature of a manufactured part. The feature extends in a longitudinal direction and in a lateral direction. Further, the feature has an end profile as viewed in the longitudinal direction having a substantially invariant shape and orientation. The calibration standard includes a body having a non-planar surface extending in a longitudinal direction and in a lateral direction. The standard also has an end profile as viewed in the longitudinal direction of the surface substantially identical to the profile of the feature. The surface of the body has an elongate narrow opening extending into the body substantially normal to the surface and traversing the surface of the body at a substantially constant angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the surface as viewed normal to the surface.

Growing community of inventors

West Chester, OH, United States of America

Gigi Olive Gambrell