PULSED EDDY CURRENT UNDERWATER INSPECTION AIDED BY A CARTESIAN ROBOT FOR THICKNESS MEASUREMENT VARYING ANGLE AND LIFTOFF

This study investigates the limitations of Pulsed Eddy Current (PEC)technology in underwater environments, with a primary focus on inspections overmarine growth. Underwater tests were conducted on a carbon steel plate using acartesian robot for precise positioning and the Ultrasonic Technique (UT) as areference for thickness measurement. The research explores how variations in theangle and liftoff of the PEC probe impact measurement accuracy. The results highlightthe importance of maintaining parallelism and liftoff during inspection to minimize error,with the lowest observed maximum error being 2.7%. Future work aims to integratethe PEC sensor into a soft manipulator to further assess its integration potential. Thisresearch paves the way for more reliable and cost-effective inspections.