In this review, the principles to detect flaws with uniform eddy currents were presented based on the shape and orientation of the excitation coils and detection coils of the probe. Techniques are applied to detect flaws like cracks, especially on the weld zone surface, of test pieces of non-magnetic and ferromagnetic materials, and have unique features which are immune to the effects of lift-off. In the technique of interest, almost all the probe models developed are the type with tangential rectangular excitation coils. The induction condition and the flaw signal for each probe were discussed based on the shape and orientation of the excitation coils and detection coils of the probe. Finally, the challenge of increasing sensitivity to detect flaws with a uniform eddy current was also presented.

In this present study, a new uniform eddy current (UEC) probe with a double-excitation coil and pancake orientation is proposed. It is confirmed that the probe generates a strong magnetic field induction that increases the intensity of uniform eddy currents; moreover, it is found to be more efficient in power consumption for excitation using a finite element simulation. Experiments are performed to detect different flaw lengths and depths on an aluminium plate. The flaw signal detected by the probe indicates a high signal-to-noise ratio and increases as a function of flaw depth. The quantitative evaluation of flaws with the proposed UEC probe is achieved based on experimental results.

The use of eddy currents for detecting flaws in specimens is of considerable significance in the industrial sector. In this study, a new design of a rotating uniform eddy current (UEC) probe, termed the rotating butterfly probe, is presented. The probe consists of two pairs of excitation coils arranged perpendicular to each other, positioned in two layers, and in a detection coil. The excitation and detection coils were installed the pancake orientation, which provides larger induction and enhances the sensitivity of flaws detection. In addition, to generate a rotating UEC distribution with same amplitude in all directions, the number of turns between first and second layers of the excitation coils and the amplitude of excitation current were arranged. Finite element simulations were conducted to confirm that rotating UEC distribution has the same amplitude in all directions. The experiment with the rotating butterfly probe was then conducted. In the experiment, the measured results with the probe was indicated the self-differential and self-nulling properties. Moreover, the probe was successful in detecting flaws in all directions on an aluminum plate. This attribute can be used for the effective inspection of test pieces.