Eddyfi launched a new line of eddy current array (ECA) probes developed specifically for carbon steel crack inspections. Based on tangential ECA technology (TECA), this new patent-pending technology is not only capable of measuring crack position and length, but also crack depth up to 10 mm (0.4 in) without surface preparation or paint/coating removal. In fact, the Sharck probe can tolerate a liftoff of up to 3 mm (0.120 in) so, unlike conventional methods such as magnetic particle testing (MT) and penetrant testing (PT), Eddyfi’s new probe eliminates the need to strip off paint and coatings over joints.
The spring-loaded fingers of the Sharck probe adapt to the geometry of the weld crown to scan the weld cap, toe area, and heat-affected zone all in a single pass. This is a major improvement over pencil probes and conventional eddy current techniques, moving away from highly operator-dependent examinations methods. Moreover, scan speeds of up to 200 mm/s (8 in/s) — with full data recording — allow welds to be examined up to 10 times faster compared to existing sophisticated electromagnetic methods such as ACFM.