Unidirectional focusing Rayleigh waves EMAT for plate surface defect Inspection

Electromagnetic ultrasonic Rayleigh waves are commonly used for detecting surface or near-surface defects, but they still exhibit the drawback of low energy conversion efficiency. In this study, based on the Huygens principle and the discrete point source method, a double curving meander line coils EMAT (DC-MLCs EMAT) which generate unidirectional focusing Rayleigh waves is designed. Firstly, a simulation model of the transducer is established using COMSOL Multiphysics. Then, the impacts of magnet and coise defect detection efficiency is validated by numerical simulation method. Finally, a physical transducer is made, an experimental system is built, and the defect specimens are tested using this experimental system. The simulation and experimental results show that the optimised DC-MLCs EMAT significantly improves ultrasound focusing effect. Compared with the existing single constant length meander line coil（SCL-MLC）EMAT, the signal strength increases by 164.36%. This DC-MLCs EMAT shows good application prospects in the field of fixed focal length measurement.