A thin sheet finite element crack model in eddy current NDE

A thin sheet finite element crack model has been developed to analyze the electromagnetic interaction between probe coils and crack-type defects in eddy current NDE (Nondestructive Evaluation). The crack type irregularities are treated here as nonconducting thin sheets with negligible thickness to avoid the discretization along their width. On the crack surfaces magnetic vector potential with zero normal component and jumping electric scalar potential ensure the proper behavior of the electromagnetic field. The model can be incorporated into the finite element formulation without disrupting the primary finite element scheme. A benchmark problem has been solved, and numerical results of the crack model have been compared to experimental data