DC potential drop technique selecting probes distances properly for sizing deep surface cracks

D-C potential drop (DCPD) technique is a powerful tool for quantitative NDE of cracks. The technique using four probes which are in close proximity to each other has been proposed for NDE of surface cracks; that is the closely coupled probes potential drop (CCPPD) technique. It has been shown that the sensitivity of CCPPD technique to evaluate a small crack is enhanced significantly in comparison with the usual method. On the other hand, since CCPPD technique has been developed to evaluate a small crack sensitively, it is not fit to evaluate deep cracks which are sometimes found in the structural components of power plants. The objective of this study was to enhance the sensitivity of evaluating deep surface cracks. By extending the distance between current input and output probes, the change in potential drop with the change in the depth of deeper crack becomes large. But the voltage of potential drop becomes small to measure, because the current density in the material becomes low. The voltage of the potential drop can be increased by increasing the applying current, but the current would also be limited by the equipment or contacting probes. Then the way to select the appropriate distances between probes from the viewpoints of the sensitivity and the required current has been shown.