Magnetic flux leakage (MFL) is a technique commonly used to inspect storage tank floors. This paper describes a practical evaluation of the effect of scanning velocity on defect detection in mild steel plates with thicknesses of 6 mm, 12 mm and 16 mm using a fixed permanent magnetic
yoke. Each plate includes four semi-spherical defects ranging from 20% to 80% through-wall thickness. It was found that scanning velocity has a direct effect on defect characterisation due to the distorted magnetic field resulting from induced eddy currents that affect the MFL signal amplitude.
This occurs when the inspection velocity is increased and a reduction in the MFL signal amplitudes is observed for far-surface defects. The opposite applies for the top surface, where an increase is seen for near-surface MFL amplitudes when there is insufficient flux saturating the inspection
material due to the concentration of induced flux near the top surface. These findings suggest that procedures should be altered to minimise these effects based on inspection requirements. For thicker plates and when far-surface defects are of interest, inspection speeds should be reduced.
If only near-surface defects are being considered then increased speeds can be used, provided that the sensor range is sufficient to cope with the increased signal amplitudes so that signal clipping does not become an issue.
