The effect of opening on eddy current probe response for an idealized through crack

A structure representing an idealized through crack was formed by placing two coplanar aluminum rectangular plates next to one another with their edges separated by a small distance. The coil impedance variation with position was measured as a coil was moved over the adjacent plate edges. An analytical theory is used to evaluate the coil impedance change due to the gap between the plates. This theory is based on the truncated region eigenfunction expansion method. The difference between the eddy current probe signal due to a notch compared with that of a crack can be partly accounted for by the difference in the opening. We have investigated the effect of varying the opening of the simulated crack and shown theoretically and experimentally how the coil impedance changes with position, opening and frequency.