Optimization of eddy current probe for carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminates detection based on back...

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) is widely used in aerospace applications owing to its superior material properties. The development of efficient and reliable non-destructive testing methods is crucial for structural health monitoring of CFRP. This study proposes a novel non-contact eddy current testing (ECT) approach utilizing a transmit-receive (T-R) probe equipped with a figure-eight transmitter coil to mitigate lift-off interference. To achieve simultaneous enhancement of spatial resolution and detection sensitivity, a multi-objective optimization framework for the probe structure is established. Due to the lack of an explicit mathematical model for the induced-voltage amplitude of the receiver coil, this study develops a Back Propagation_Kriging predictive model to accurately approximate the response. Guided by this model, an improved multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm combined with an entropy-weighted technique for order preference by a similarity to ideal solution scheme enables an effective balance between spatial resolution and detection sensitivity. Simulation analyses combined with experimental measurements show that the optimized probe delivers finer spatial resolution and a pronounced improvement in detection sensitivity, demonstrating the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed optimization framework for advanced ECT probe design.