Lawal Umar Daura
Improving eddy current testing on metallic structures.
Email: l.u.daura2@ncl.ac.uk
Project title
Wireless power transfer based eddy current testing
Supervisors
Project description
We are implementing and investigating a novel wireless power transfer technology. It will modify eddy current testing probes through multiple resonance features for high sensitivity to cracks.
We apply eddy current testing (ECT) to metallic structures like pipelines, aeroplanes, and rail lines. It detects and characterises cracks. But the existing approaches to ECT have a limited number of features for crack quantification.
Hence, we will modify the ECT probe by employing a wireless power transfer approach. This approach provides efficient energy transfer and multiple resonance points. Thus, it improves the probe sensitivity. It also gives freedom of multiple features selection for a metallic sample and cracks characterisation.
We have based the research on analytical and numerical models and validation by experimental studies. We have successfully proved the concept experimentally. We did this by using traditional WPT transmitter and receiver coils and an appropriate resonance network.
We are now conducting an experimental investigation for micro-cracks characterisation. We are using a transmit-receive flexible printed circuit board coils array probe. The flexible printed coils array gives the prospect for natural crack characterisation, because of its:
- spatial resolution
- amenability to complex geometric samples
This will occur through sweep frequency excitation for mapping techniques.
The initial results using Flexible PCB coils array imaged different sizes and orientations of crack through scanning and mapping. We characterised the width, depth, and orientation of cracks in an aluminium sample. The next phase is feature extraction for different parameters and miniaturisation of the system.
Publications
Interests
Reading and retrofits.
Qualifications
- BEng and MEng (Electrical) from Bayero University Kano