ALTERNATING CURRENT FIELD

MEASUREMENT

Participant Manual

SKILL GROUP
MATERIAL ENGINEERING &
ISSUE DATE
INSPECTION
15
29 Nov 2004
Level
PROGRAMME ID
VERSION
3
1.0
All RIGHTS RESERVED
This material may not be reproduced in whole or part without written permission from
PETRONAS Management Training Sdn. Bhd.

Alternating Current Field Measurement

TABLE OF CONTENT
Page
1.0

Introduction.........................................................................................................1
Figure 1: AMIGO Crack Microgauge..................................................................1

2.0

Principle..............................................................................................................1
Figure 2: Current flowing around a defect..........................................................2

3.0

Interpretation of Results.....................................................................................2
Figure 3: Corresponding peaks and troughs on the Bx and Bz axis when
current flows around a defect.............................................................................3
Figure 4: Butterfly plot of Bx and Bz indicating a defect....................................4

4.0

Applications........................................................................................................4
Figure 5: General weld inspections for surface cracks and defects in coated
materials. (Courtesy of TSI Inspection Systems)...............................................4

5.0

Advantages.........................................................................................................5

6.0

Limitations...........................................................................................................5

7.0

Alternating Current Potential Drop Testing (ACPD)...........................................6

Figure 6: ACPD Crack Microgauge Model U9b..................................................6
Figure 7: Flaw Detection at Welded Connections..............................................7

Alternating Current Field Measurement

ALTERNATING CURRENT FIELD MEASUREMENT (ACFM)
1.0Introduction
The Alternating Current Field Measurement (ACFM) Testing method is an
electromagnetic inspection technique which can be used to detect surface breaking
and the size of defects in magnetic and non-magnetic materials, without the need to
remove paint and coatings. Current induced to the test materials if disturbed, will
indicate the presence of detects on the surface. The induced magnetic field from
these currents would then give information about the length and depth of defects.
Figure 1 shows an example of an ACFM testing instrument, the AMIGO Crack
Microgauge by TCS Inspection Systems. It is one of the smallest and lightest ACFM
inspection systems available and has been designed to function in a wide range of
environments. With its easy-access cabling and large unobstructed buttons, it is very
easy on the operator when using it during inspections.

Figure 1: AMIGO Crack Microgauge

2.0 Principle
The basis of the technique is that an alternating current flows in a thin skin near to
the surface of any conductor. When a uniform current is introduced into the area
under test if the area is defect free, the current is undisturbed. If the area were to
have a crack present then the current would flow around the ends and the faces of
the crack. There is a magnetic field associated with this electrical field and the
magnetic field disturbances can be measured using magnetic field sensors. These
would allow the cracks to be identified and quantified.
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Alternating Current Field Measurement

Figure 2: Current flowing around a defect

Figure 2 shows schematically how the electrical field is disturbed on the surface by
the presence of a crack. In practice, with no defect present and a uniform current
flowing in the Y- direction, the magnetic field is uniform in the Y- direction
perpendicular to the current flow, while the other components are zero. The
presence of a defect diverts current away from the deepest parts and concentrates it
near the ends of a crack.
The effect of this is to produce strong peaks and troughs in Bz above the end of the
crack, indicating crack length, while Bx shows a broad dip along the whole defect
with amplitude related to the depth. These theoretical models have been shown to
correlate well with the physical measurement of magnetic fields.
3.0Interpretation of Results
In Figure 3, the Bx and Bz readings are plotted. The curve of Bz is found to be
insensitive to the speed and lift-off of the probe, and the length of the crack. So Bz is
used to find if there are any cracks in the surface of a weld, and if there are cracks,
calculate their length. Cracks on the test material are indicated by a pair of peak on
troughs on the Bz curve.
From the Bx plot, the figure showed that crack depth varied with the dip of Bx. The
depth of the defect is the difference between the peak and trough. The differential Bx
with background is related to the depth of the crack. It is sensitive to the lift-off of the
probe and insensitive to the length of the crack and speed of the probe.

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Alternating Current Field Measurement

Figure 3: Corresponding peaks and troughs on the Bx and Bz axis when

current flows around a defect
In order to aid interpretation the Bx and Bz components are plotted against each
other as shown in Figure 4 and when a complete closed loop indication is produced,
this confirms the presence of a crack. This called the butterfly plot.
The butterfly plot removes the time base from the data presentation which means
that if a defect is scanned slowly, quickly or even in a series of finite steps, the
butterfly presentation will still be displayed. The butterfly shows a loop which starts
from the top and return to the same region of the screen when a defect is resent.
The butterfly plot has the time base removed and so is independent of the speed of
the probe movement.

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Alternating Current Field Measurement

Figure 4: Butterfly plot of Bx and Bz indicating a defect

4.0Applications
The applications of ACFM testing are usually used in the inspections for surface
cracks and defects in materials. Some of them are:
Inspection of welds in ferritic steels, austenitic stainless steels, aluminum,
materials with coatings such as flame sprayed aluminium, epoxy coating,
standard paints, ferrite based paints and copper coated threads. (Figure 5)

Figure 5: General weld inspections for surface cracks and defects in coated
materials. (Courtesy of TSI Inspection Systems)

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Alternating Current Field Measurement

Inspection of pipes in process plants and pressure vessels that are usually
covered in corrosion-resistant coatings such as paint, epoxy material or oxide
layers and are at a high operating temperature.
Thread inspection of any form, male or female, straight or tapered in drillstrings,
mud motors, studs, bolts and casings.
Inspection of duplex, super duplex steels and their alloys which have good metal
fatigue strength and high ductility/fracture toughness.
Underwater unit has also been developed for underwater inspection of off shore
structures and pipelines.

5.0Advantages

Operates at elevated temperature - Probes are designed for use up to 500C

allowing online inspection of components that operate at elevated
temperature.
Accurate crack depth measurement - measure crack depth with 20% accuracy
in addition to length measurement.
Does not require pre-cleaning - can examine through 5mm or more of nonconductive coating and scale as it requires no electrical contact with the
surface.
Provides a permanent record of inspection that can be stored on floppy disks and
be replayed, audited and produced in hard copy.
Insensitive to probe manipulation and does not rely heavily on operator skills
which enable it to be possible to effect the deployment by machine on robot.
Cost and time effective as there is no need to remove coatings on materials to be
tested using ACFM.

6.0Limitations

High capital cost of equipment.

Operator requires a higher level of training and to possess knowledge of
computer operation and welding as well as NDT. Therefore there is a need for
skilled operators to perform correct setup and interpretations to ensure
readings are taken accurately.
Sensitivity to shallow cracks is not as great as some other NDT techniques like
for example, Magnetic Particle Inspection and hence it is not a good method
for surface inspection.
Complex signals can arise from tight geometries, plate edges and branched
cracks, making it difficult to interpret results.

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Alternating Current Field Measurement

7.0Alternating Current Potential Drop Testing (ACPD)
Alternating Current Potential Drop (ACPD) testing is an electromagnetic technique
for sizing surface-breaking defects and is particularly suited to obtaining detailed
crack profiles and to monitoring crack growth or initiation in metals.
Figure 6 shows the ACPD Crack Microgauge Model U9b by TCS Inspection
Systems. It was introduced in 1992 and it provides the capability of ac potential drop
(ACPD) and (optionally) ac field measurement (ACFM).

Figure 6: ACPD Crack Microgauge Model U9b

The ACPD technique requires two connections with the test material, the current
output and the voltage input. Current is passed into the test material by direct contact
through one connection and any flaw in the surface of the test material would
produce a sudden change in potential difference, which would be detected by the
other contact. The two contacts should be on either side of the flaw and by
comparing the change in potential differences across the crack with a reference
value; the crack depth can be estimated.
Some of the applications of ACPD testing include flaw detection at welded
connections (Figure 7), butt welds, tee butts and pressure vessels. It can also be
carried out to flaw detection in threaded connections, nuts, bolts and drill string
threads.

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Alternating Current Field Measurement

Figure 7: Flaw Detection at Welded Connections

Generally, ACPD testing can be used for flaw detection on any metal types with
inexpensive probes, thus making the technique more economically viable for use in
on-site monitoring and laboratory testing. The high repeatability of results using the
technique and its sensitivity at detecting even very small increments in crack depth
by comparing readings taken with the same fixed probe is another advantage which
makes the use of ACPD testing an appealing option.
Furthermore, ACPD testing can provide detailed crack profile in test materials and
the alternating current skin effect will concentrate currents at the surface and makes
current required much smaller than that required for direct current potential drop.
However the use of ACPD testing does have its limitations as well. Due to ACPD
testing requiring good electrical contact with the metal test surface, it is very difficult
for deployment in sub sea inspection applications. It also requires a high level of
surface cleaning to achieve the best results possible. Besides this, the main
limitation of this test method is that the probes are insensitive to flaws that are
parallel to their orientation and are only sensitive to flaws that are perpendicular to
them.

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