Probabilistic evaluation of detection capability of eddy current testing to inspect pitting on a stainless steel clad using multiple signal features

Abstract

This study proposes a probability of detection (POD) model to quantitatively evaluate the capability of eddy current testing to detect flaws on the inner surface of pressure vessels cladded by stainless steel and in the presence of high noise level. Welded plate samples with drill holes were prepared to simulate corrosion that typically appears on the inner surface of large-scale pressure vessels. The signals generated by the drill holes and the noise caused by the weld were examined using eddy current testing. A hit/miss-based POD model with multiple flaw parameters and multiple signal features was proposed to analyze the measured signals. It is shown that the proposed model is able to more reasonably characterize the detectability of eddy current signals compared to conventional models that consider a single signal feature.