Pulsed magnetic flux leakage probe for crack detection and characterisation

Magnetic flux leakage (MFL) techniques have been widely used for non-intrusively inspecting steel installations by applying magnetization. In the situations where defects may take place on the near and far surfaces of the structure under inspection, current MFL techniques are unable to determine their approximate size. Consequently, an extra transducer may have to be included to provide the extra information required. This paper presents a new approach termed as pulsed magnetic flux leakage (PMFL) for crack detection and characterisation. The probe design and method are introduced. The signal features in time–frequency domains are investigated through theoretical simulations and experiments. The results show that the technique can potentially provide additional information about the defects. Lastly, potential applications are suggested.