Detecting defects in conductive graphite using voltage measurements
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64804/mzrrdy95Keywords:
electric potential, non-destructive testing, graphite conductor, voltage mapping, defect detection, conductive medium, electric field, resistance, discontinuity, circuit reliabilityAbstract
Non-destructive testing (NDT) methods are critical for evaluating the reliability of mechanical components without damaging them. This is especially useful for applications like 3D printed metal and conductive parts, circuit testing, and detecting faults in electrical components. In this experiment, we use a uniform graphite surface from a No. 2 pencil to simulate a continuous 3D printed metal layer. A 9 V battery supplied an electric current through the graphite conductive medium and the voltage was measured at multiple points of the surface. A defect was mimicked on the graphite by erasing a rectangular portion of the graphite, and voltage was measured. For the uniform surface, voltage changed approximately linearly with distance, while the surface containing a defect showed a quick change in voltage at the gap. These results demonstrate that voltage measurements can be used to detect defects in conductive materials, supporting their application in non-destructive testing.
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Data and code are available at https//github.com/devangel77b/426ccanada-lab10
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