Combined thermoelectric and eddy-current method and apparatus for nondestructive testing of metallic of semiconductor coated objects

• US 5,430,376 A
• Filed: 06/09/1993
• Issued: 07/04/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Viertl, John R. M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wieder, Kenneth A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KHOSRAVI, KOURO
• Application Number:
  US08/073,468
• Time in Patent Office: 755 Days
• Field of Search: 324/227, 324/226, 324/451, 324/237, 324/238, 324/240, 324/242
• US Class Current: 324/227
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 15/00 Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/06 for measuring thickness measuring during the manufacture of coatings C23C14/54
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/105 for measuring thickness of coating
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/902 by moving the sensors

Abstract

A microcomputer or PC based non-destructive coated-object testing system and method combines thermoelectrically measured surface coating thickness data with flaw/crack depth data determined from eddy current measurements of the surface of the object to locate and selectively identify faults or cracks which penetrate the surface coating. The microcomputer controls scanning of eddy-current and thermoelectric probes over the object surface and stores measured data along with surface coordinate information to provide a color-keyed graphics display of surface conditions for visual analysis.

Claims

1. A system for combined thermoelectric and eddy-current nondestructive testing of metallic coating on a surface of an object, comprising:

a first scanning probe for measuring surface thermoelectric conductivity characteristics indicative of the thickness of said coating;

a second scanning probe for measuring surface eddy-current electromagnetic characteristics indicative of the presence and depth of a crack or flaw in said surface; and

a microcomputer for correlating and combining thermoelectric and electromagnetic surface characteristic data acquired from said first and second probes to determine whether said crack or flaw has penetrated said coating.

2. The testing system of claim 1, further comprising:

an electromechanical scanning means for moving said first and said second probes in predetermined spatial scanning patterns over said coating, said electromechanical scanning means controlled by said microcomputer.

3. The testing system of claim 1, further comprising:

an output device connected to said microcomputer for providing a visual display of said characteristic data.

4. A system for combined thermoelectric and eddy-current nondestructive testing of semiconductor coating on an object surface, comprising:

thermoelectric probe means for measuring surface conductivity characteristics indicative of the thickness of said coating;

eddy-current probe means for measuring surface electromagnetic characteristics indicative of the presence and depth of a crack or flaw in said object surface;

electromechanical scanning means for moving said thermoelectric probe and said eddy-current probe over said coating; and

a digital processor means for controlling said electromechanical scanning means and for correlating and combining thermoelectric and electromagnetic surface characteristic data acquired from said eddy-current and thermoelectric probes to determine whether a crack or flaw has penetrated said coating.

5. A system as in claim 4, wherein said digital processor further comprises a means for generating surface model and graphical representations of said combined thermoelectric and electromagnetic surface characteristic data for visual display.

6. Method for combined thermoelectric and eddy-current nondestructive testing of a metallic coated object, said method comprising the following steps:

(a) scanning the outer surface of said object using an eddy-current transducer type probe to obtain electromagnetic data indicative of the presence and depth of a crack or flaw;

(b) scanning the outer surface of said object using a thermoelectric type probe to obtain conductivity data indicative of the thickness of a metallic or semiconductor coating on said object;

(c) correlating said electromagnetic data and said conductivity data to corresponding surface coordinates on said object;

(d) calculating the difference between selected corresponding values of said conductivity data and said electromagnetic data, said values selected according to coordinate locations of eddy-current data indicative of the presence of a crack or flaw.

7. The method of claim 6, further including the step of:

displaying said conductivity data and said electromagnetic data in a statistical or graphical manner correlated to surface location coordinates of said object.

8. The method of claim 6, further including the step of:

displaying said calculated difference values of conductivity and electromagnetic data, corresponding to surface locations where the depth of a crack is greater than or equal to the thickness of the coating, in a statistical or graphical manner correlated to surface location coordinates of said object.