Measuring Systems | Inductive sensor systems | P1

Understanding Electrical Runout When Using an Eddy-

Current Sensor for Roundness Measurements

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Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION 3
2 BACKGROUND 3
3 TARGET CONSIDERATIONS 4
4 APPROACH 4
5 RESULTS 6
6 CONCLUSIONS 8
REFERENCES 9

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1 Introduction
Electrical runout is a commonly used term in the condition monitoring industry. It refers to the apparent
displacement of a rotating shaft measured with inductive (eddy current) sensors caused by variations in the
material electrical and magnetic properties [1]. Despite this unavoidable error in displacement measurement,
inductive sensors remain the best choice when non-conductive contaminants such as dust, water, coolant or oil
are present. In this work, actual roundness measured with a capacitance sensor and roundness plus sub- surface
variation measured with an inductive sensor are compared for shafts of 6061-T6 aluminium, commercially pure
Grade 2 titanium, and case hardened C1117 low carbon steel.

2 Background
The theory behind inductive sensor operation relies on the relationship between electric current and magnetic
fields. Inductive probes contain a coil that is excited with alternating current, creating an alternating magnetic field
according to Ampère’s law.

Figure 1 Inductive (eddy current) sensor with cross-section showing sensing coil.

According to Faraday, when time-varying magnetic fields interact with a conductive target, electric currents (eddy
currents) are induced in the material. The eddy currents in the target create a reaction magnetic field in a
direction opposite to the original magnetic field. This principle is known as Lenz’s law.

Figure 2 Alternating magnetic field produces eddy currents in the conductive target.

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In order to maintain the original magnetic field around the sensing coil, the excitation current in the coil is
increased to counteract the opposing magnetic field produced by the target. This interaction between the fields is
used by the signal processing electronics to generate an output voltage proportional to the gap.

3 Target considerations
Since the magnetic field of the sensor penetrates the target to induce eddy currents, anything that can disturb the
current can cause errors in the gap measurement. The depth of field penetration is dependent on the frequency
of excitation. If the target is too thin, the sensor will have reduced sensitivity and increased noise. Furthermore,
the magnetic field covers an area on the target that can be 3-5 times larger than the probe tip. As a result,
cylindrical targets should be 3-5 larger in diameter than the probe tip.

Figure 3 The field diameter can be 3-5 times the probe diameter. Multiple probes must be separated to avoid overlapping
fields which create crosstalk between probes.

Eddy currents induced in the target are related to the electrical conductivity and magnetic permeability of the
material. When calibrating the sensor, the actual material and alloy of the intended target must be used.
However, even if the sensor is calibrated for a particular material, attributes such as the grain boundaries, crystal
structure, chemical composition, quench profile, surface treatments, machining processes, residual magnetic
field, and residual stress can all cause local variations in the material properties [2]. These inhomogeneities result
in electrical runout, or measurement errors in target eccentricity and out-of-roundness.

4 Approach
The setup for demonstrating errors in roundness measurement due to electrical runout of various materials is
shown in Figure 4. A cylindrical part is mounted to an air bearing roundness tester (Professional Instruments 4R
Blockhead) with 512 line count encoder.

Target material Diameter (mm) Volume resistivity Relative permeability

(µΩ•m)
Aluminium 38 0.04 1.00002
6061-T6
Commercially 19 0.5 1.00005
Steel C117 19 0.2 3800

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Figure 4 Electrical runout test using a Lion Precision U3 inductive sensor and ECL202 driver. The roundness tester uses a
Professional Instruments 4R Blockhead air bearing spindle.

An inductive sensor and driver (Lion Precision U3 sensor and ECL202 driver) are calibrated for each of the three
materials under test. The apparent out-of-roundness for each target material is measured for 8 revolutions using
the inductive sensor at 512 angular locations provided by the encoder. The rotational speed is kept between 95-
101 RPM to reduce speed- related variation in target inductance.
In the same setup, the inductive sensor is replaced with a capacitive sensor (Lion Precision C1-C probe and
CPL290 driver) to determine the actual roundness using appropriate target corrections [4]. Comparing the two
measurements demonstrates the roundness component of electrical runout for each of the three materials.

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Figure 6 Aluminium target out-of-roundness.

The 0.26 micrometer difference between the
two sensors is attributed to electrical runout.

Figure 7 Titanium target out-of-roundness.

Slightly larger than the effect in aluminium, the
electrical runout is 0.75 micrometers.
Figure 5 Measurement of the out-of- roundness of an
aluminium target using a Lion Precision C1-C capacitive
sensor.

5 Results
The difference between the actual and apparent out-of-
roundness shown in the polar plots (Figures 6, 7, and 8)
demonstrates the “methods divergence problem” where two
different types of displacement sensors produce significantly
different results [5]. The divergence occurs because the Figure 8 Steel target out-of-roundness. The
capacitance sensor only measures the surface out-of-roundness electrical runout in steel is significantly larger at
and the inductive sensor measures the surface out-of- 5.9 micrometers.
roundness and sub-surface material variation. The
paramagnetic (small magnetic attraction) aluminium target results in the lowest error while the ferromagnetic steel
target is the largest. This is a natural consequence given the differences in the material permeability shown in
Table 2. The measurement error between aluminium and titanium is significantly less.

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Figure 9 Frequency content of aluminium target out-of-roundness.

Figure 10 Frequency content of titanium target out-of-roundness.

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Figure 11 Frequency content of steel target out-of-roundness.

Figure 9, Figure 10 and Figure 11 show the synchronous and asynchronous frequency content of the out-of-
roundness measurement. Content at and below 1 UPR has been filtered out. The asynchronous error is not
material dependent and it was approximately 0.6 μm for the inductive measurements and 0.02 μm for the
capacitive measurements. It is worth noting that the inductive measurement of the titanium exhibits a strong 4th
harmonic not seen with the capacitive measurement. This is a remnant of the forming process and the resulting
grain structure.

6 Conclusions
Inductive (eddy current) sensors are commonly used for radial vibration condition monitoring of rotating shafts in
dirty environments. However, when using inductive sensors with rotating targets, displacement measurement
errors exist associated with variations in electrical and magnetic properties of the target. It is demonstrated that
measurement errors on the order of 10 μm can exist when using an inductive sensor and a rotating steel target.
Aluminium and titanium showed reduced measurement errors on the order of 1 μm. Asynchronous error due the
resolution of the inductive sensor was independent of material and was approximately 0.6 μm.

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References
[1] DeBlock MJ, Wood BM, and McDonnell JW. Shaft proximity probe track runout on API motors and generators.
Orbit. 2007;27(2):36-49.
[2] Littrell N. Understanding and mitigating shaft runout. Orbit. 2005;25(3):4-17.
[3] Moosbrugger C editor. ASM Ready Reference Electrical and Magnetic Properties of Metals. Materials Park
(OH): ASM International; 2000.
[4] Smith PT, Vallance RR, and Marsh ER. Correcting capacitive displacement measurements in metrology
applications with cylindrical artifacts. Precision Engineering. 2005;29(3):324-335.
[5] Phillips SD, Estler WT, Doiron T, Eberhardt KR, and Levenson MS. A careful consideration of the calibration
concept. J. Res. Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol. 2001;106(2):371–379.

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