3D Finite Element Modeling of an Eddy Current Imager

The eddy current (EC) imager appears to be a good alter- native to conventional EC sensors for the non-destructive evaluation of metallic structures, since it provides high speed and high resolution EC images obtained in a large inspection area. In this paper, the authors present a 3D finite element modeling of the interactions between the eddy current inductor of the imager and the structure under test. This modeling allows the geometry of the inductor to be optimized thanks to a compromise between performances parameters defined by the au- thors. Also, a good agreement between the computed and measured data is presented for one case study, wich allows eddy current image inversion to be considered in future works.