It is a challenging task to detect the hidden cracks in multilayer riveted structures in a nondestructive manner. This paper puts forward an eddy current nondestructive method for crack detection in such structures based on the electric conductivity of the rivets. Specifically, an eddy current sensor was designed with a ferrite core coil to evaluate the surface and inner defects of different layers. The magnetic phenomena during the detection process was simulated based on the magnetic potential and the scalar electrical potential, and the magnetic potential vector was solved by finite-element method. The proposed method was compared with the eddy current detection method without considering rivet conductivity through an experiment on a three-layer riveted aluminum structure. The length and position of each defect on each layer were changed in the experiment. The results show that the proposed method achieved better accuracy than the contrastive method, and its sensitivity depends on two issues: the position of the defect relative to the separation of the layers and the length of the defect relative to the length of the rivet head. The research results are of great significance for nondestructive testing of multilayer riveted structures in many fields.

Eddy Current Nondestructive Testing Calibration for Cracks Detection in Aircraft Based Riveted Multilayer Structures