Designation: E 2338 04

Standard Practice for

Characterization of Coatings Using Conformable Eddy-
Current Sensors without Coating Reference Standards1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 2338; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

1. Scope D 1186 Test Methods for Nondestructive Measurement of

1.1 This practice covers the use of conformable eddy- Dry Film Thickness of Nonmagnetic Coatings Applied to
current sensors for nondestructive characterization of coatings a Ferrous Base
without standardization on coated reference parts. It includes D 1400 Test Method for Nondestructive Measurement of
the following: (1) thickness measurement of a conductive Dry Film Thickness of Nonconductive Coatings Applied to
coating on a conductive substrate, (2) detection and character- a Nonferrous Metal Base
ization of local regions of increased porosity of a conductive E 376 Practice for Measuring Coating Thickness by
coating, and (3) measurement of thickness for nonconductive Magnetic-Field or Eddy-Current Electromagnetic Methods
coatings on a conductive substrate or on a conductive coating. E 543 Practice for Agencies Performing Nondestructive
This practice includes only nonmagnetic coatings on either Testing
magnetic ( fi 0) or nonmagnetic ( = 0) substrates. This E 1004 Test Method for Electromagnetic (Eddy-Current)
practice can also be used to measure the effective thickness of Measurements of Electrical Conductivity
a process-affected zone (for example, shot peened layer for E 1316 Terminology for Nondestructive Examinations
aluminum alloys, alpha case for titanium alloys). For specific G 12 Test Method for Nondestructive Measurement of Film
types of coated parts, the user may need a more specific Thickness of Pipeline Coatings on Steel
procedure tailored to a specific application. 2.2 ASNT Documents:3
1.2 Specific uses of conventional eddy-current sensors are SNT-TC-1A Recommended Practice for Personnel Qualifi-
covered by the following test methods issued by ASTM: Test cation and Certification In Nondestructive Testing
Methods B 244, D 1186, D 1400, E 376, E 1004, and G 12. ANSI/ASNT-CP-189 Standard for Qualification and Certi-
1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as fication of NDT Personnel
standard. The inch-pound units are provided for information. 2.3 AIA Standard:
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the NAS 410 Certification and Qualification of Nondestructive
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the Testing Personnel4
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro- NOTE 1See Appendix X1.
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use. 3. Terminology
3.1 DefinitionsDefinitions of terms relating to electromag-
2. Referenced Documents netic examination are given in Terminology E 1316. The
2.1 ASTM Standards: 2 following definitions are specific to the conformable sensors:
B 244 Test Method for Measurement of Thickness of An- 3.1.1 conformablerefers to an ability of sensors or sensor
odic Coatings on Aluminum and of Other Nonconductive arrays to conform to nonplanar surfaces without any significant
Coatings on Nonmagnetic Basis Metals with Eddy-Current effects on the measurement results.
Instruments 3.1.2 lift-offnormal distance from the conformable sensor
winding plane to the top of the first conducting layer of the part
1
under examination.
This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E07 on Nonde-
structive Testing and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E07.07 on
Electromagnetic Methods.
Current edition approved January 1, 2004. Published February 2004.
2 3
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or Available from The American Society for Nondestructive Testing 1711 Arlin-
contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM gate Lane, PO Box 28518, Columbus, OH 43228-0518.
4
Standards volume information, refer to the standards Document Summary page on Available from Aerospace Industries Association of America, Inc., 1250 Eye St.
the ASTM website. NW, Washington, D.C. 20005. (Replacement standard for MIL-STD-410.)

Copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.

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 E 2338 04
3.1.3 model for sensor responsea relation between the 3.1.11 process-affected zonea region near the surface with
response of the sensor (for example, transimpedance magni- depth less than the half wavelength that can be represented by
tude and phase or real and imaginary parts) to properties of a conductivity that is different than that of the base material,
interest, for example, electrical conductivity, magnetic perme- that is, substrate.
ability, lift-off, and conductive coating thickness, etc. These 3.1.12 sensor footprintarea of the sensor face placed
model responses may be obtained from database tables and against the material under examination.
may be analysis-based or empirical.
3.1.4 depth of sensitivitydepth to which sensor response 4. Significance and Use
to features or properties of interest, for example, coating 4.1 Conformable Eddy-Current SensorsConformable,
thickness variations, exceeds a noise threshold. eddy-current sensors can be used on both flat and curved
3.1.5 spatial half-wavelengthspacing between the center surfaces, including fillets, cylindrical surfaces, etc. When used
of adjacent primary (drive) winding segments with current flow with models for predicting the sensor response and appropriate
algorithms, these sensors can measure variations in physical
in opposite directions; this spacing affects the depth of sensi-
properties, such as electrical conductivity and/or magnetic
tivity. Spatial wavelength equals two times this spacing. A
permeability, as well as thickness of conductive coatings on
single turn conformable circular coil has an approximate
any substrate and nonconductive coatings on conductive sub-
spatial wavelength of twice the coil diameter. strates or on a conducting coating. These property variations
3.1.6 insulating shimsconformable insulating foils used can be used to detect and characterize heterogeneous regions
to measure effects of small lift-off excursions on sensor within the conductive coatings, for example, regions of locally
response. higher porosity.
3.1.7 air standardizationan adjustment of the instrument 4.2 Sensors and Sensor ArraysDepending on the applica-
with the sensor in air, that is, at least one spatial wavelength tion, either a single-sensing element sensor or a sensor array
away from any conductive or magnetic objects, to match the can be used for coating characterization. A sensor array would
model for the sensor response. Measurements on conductive provide a better capability to map spatial variations in coating
materials after air standardization should provide absolute thickness and/or conductivity (reflecting, for example, porosity
electrical properties and lift-off values. The performance can be variations) and provide better throughput for scanning large
verified on certified reference standards over the frequency areas. The size of the sensor footprint and the size and number
range of interest. of sensing elements within an array depend on the application
requirements and constraints, and the nonconductive (for
3.1.8 reference substrate standardizationan adjustment of example, ceramic) coating thickness.
the instrument to an appropriate reference substrate standard. 4.3 Coating Thickness RangeThe conductive coating
The adjustment is to remove offsets between the model for the thickness range over which a sensor performs best depends on
sensor response and at least two reference substrate measure- the difference between the electrical conductivity of the sub-
ments (for example, two measurements with different lift-offs strate and conductive coating and available frequency range.
at the same position on the standard). These standards should For example, a specific sensor geometry with a specific
have a known electrical conductivity that is essentially uniform frequency range for impedance measurements may provide
with depth and should have essentially the same electrical acceptable performance for an MCrAlY coating over a nickel-
conductivity and magnetic permeability as the substrate in the alloy substrate for a relatively wide range of conductive
components being characterized. coating thickness, for example, from 75 to 400 m [0.003 to
3.1.9 performance verification, uncoated parta measure- 0.016 in.]. Yet, for another conductive coating-substrate com-
ment of electrical conductivity performed on a reference part bination, this range may be 10 to 100 m [0.0004 to 0.004 in.].
with known properties to confirm that the electrical conduc- The coating characterization performance may also depend on
tivity variation with frequency is within specified tolerances for the thickness of a nonconductive topcoat. For any coating
the application. When a reference standardization is performed, system, performance verification on representative coated
reference parts used for standardization should not be used for specimens is critical to establishing the range of optimum
performance. For nonconductive, for example, ceramic, coat-
performance verification. These variations should be docu-
ings the thickness measurement range increases with an
mented in the report (see Section 9). Performance verification
increase of the spatial wavelength of the sensor (for example,
is a quality control procedure recommended prior to or during
thicker coatings can be measured with larger sensor winding
measurements after standardization. spatial wavelength). For nonconductive coatings, when rough-
3.1.10 performance verification, coated parta measure- ness of the coating may have a significant effect on the
ment of coating electrical conductivity and/or thickness on a thickness measurement, independent measurements of the
coated reference part with known properties to confirm that the nonconductive coating roughness, for example, by profilom-
coating electrical conductivity and/or thickness are within etry may provide a correction for the roughness effects.
specified tolerances for the application. Performance verifica- 4.4 Process-Affected ZoneFor some processes, for ex-
tion is a quality control procedure that does not represent ample, shot peening, the process-affected zone can be repre-
standardization and should be documented in the report (see sented by an effective layer thickness and conductivity. These
Section 9). values can in turn be used to assess process quality. A strong

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correlation must be demonstrated between these effective corner may not be valid or may be insufficiently accurate
coating properties and process quality. unless the instrument is used with a procedure that specifically
4.5 Three-Unknown AlgorithmUse of multi-frequency addresses such a measurement. Edge-effect correction proce-
impedance measurements and a three-unknown algorithm dures must either account for edge effects in the property
permits independent determination of three unknowns: (1) estimation algorithm (for example, in the sensor response
thickness of conductive nonmagnetic coatings, (2) conductivity model) or incorporate careful standardization on reference
of conductive nonmagnetic coatings, and (3) lift-off that parts with fixtures to control sensor position relative to the
provides a measure of the nonconductive coating thickness. edge.
5. Interferences 5.6 Curvature of Examination SurfaceFor surfaces with a
5.1 Thickness of CoatingThe precision of a measurement single radius of curvature (for example, cylindrical or conical),
can change with coating thickness. The thickness of a coating the radius of curvature should be large compared to the sensor
should be less than the maximum depth of sensitivity. Ideally, half-wavelength. In the case of a double curvature, at least one
the depth of sensitivity at the highest frequency should be less of the radii should significantly exceed the sensor footprint and
than the conductive coating thickness, while the depth of the other radius should be at least comparable to the sensor
sensitivity at the lowest frequency should be significantly footprint, unless customized sensors are designed to match the
greater than the conductive coating thickness. The number of double curvature. Performance verification tests should be run
frequencies used in the selected frequency range should be to verify lift-off sensitivity using insulating shims.
sufficient to provide a reliable representation of the frequency- 5.7 Instrument StabilityDrift and noise in the instrumen-
response shape. tation can cause inaccuracies in the measurement. Restandard-
5.2 Thickness of SubstrateThe thickness of the substrate ization and performance verifications on at least one uncoated
should be larger than the depth of sensitivity at the lowest and one to two coated reference parts should be performed as
frequency. Otherwise, this thickness must be known and needed to maintain required performance levels.
accounted for in the model for the sensor response. 5.8 Surface Roughness Including That of Base Metal
5.3 Magnetic Permeability and Electrical Conductivity of Since a rough surface may make single measurements inaccu-
Base Metal (Substrate)The magnetic permeability and elec- rate, a greater number of measurements will provide an
trical conductivity of the substrate can affect the measurement average value that is more truly representative of the overall
and must be known prior to coating characterization unless coating thickness. These repeat measurements should be per-
they can be determined independently on a coated part. When formed in a pick-and-place mode, completely removing the
the substrate properties vary spatially, this variation must be sensor from the surface between measurements. Coating sur-
determined as part of the coating characterization on a non-
face roughness also may result in overestimated ceramic layer
coated part that preferably has the same thermal history as the
thickness or any other nonconducting coating thickness since
coated parts. Original uncoated parts may have significantly
the probe may rest on peaks.
different microstructure than heat treated coated substrates.
Uncoated colder regions of otherwise coated parts may have 5.9 Directionality of Base-Metal Properties
different properties than the coated substrate due to changes Measurements may be sensitive to anisotropy of the base metal
during coating and heat treatment, and, thus, may or may not due to the fabrication process, for example, rolling, directional
be reasonably representative of the substrate under the coating. solidification, single-crystal growth, etc. It is essential to keep
In the case these variations are consistent from component to the alignment of sensor/probe consistent throughout the stan-
component, a reference standard essentially equivalent to the dardization step and measurements on a given part and from
actual substrate must be used. Differences between the actual part to part.
substrate values at any coating measurement location and the 5.10 Residual Magnetism in Base MetalResidual magne-
values assumed for property estimation, for example, in the tism in coating/substrate may affect accuracy of measurement.
sensor response model, may produce errors in coating property 5.11 Residual StressDirectional stress variations for mag-
estimates. netizable substrates may affect results. To verify results of the
5.4 Electrical Conductivity of CoatingThe precision of a measurements, directional sensitivity should be determined
measurement can change with the electrical conductivity of the and performance standards may be required for careful valida-
coating. The electrical conductivity of the coating should be tion.
substantially different from the conductivity of the substrate.
For a nonmagnetic coating on a nonmagnetic substrate, if the 5.12 Pressure of the Sensor against Surface under
electrical conductivities are essentially the same, reliable ExaminationInsulating coating thickness readings can be
coating thickness measurements cannot be obtained since the sensitive to the pressure exerted on the sensor pressed against
coating and substrate are electromagnetically indistinguish- the surface. See 8.5.6 on the allowed lift-off range.
able. The electrical conductivity of the coating should also be 5.13 TemperatureEddy-current measurements are gener-
large enough for sufficient eddy currents to be induced to affect ally affected by temperature variations of the material under
the sensor response. examination. Coating porosity measurements may be particu-
5.5 Edge EffectExamination methods may be sensitive to larly sensitive to temperature variations. Temperature correc-
abrupt surface changes of specimens or parts. Therefore, tions must account for both coating and substrate conductivity
measurements made too near an edge (see 8.5.1) or inside variations with temperature.

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5.14 Cleanness of Sensor Face and Examination Surface 6.9 Examination of Repaired/Reworked Items
Measurements may be sensitive to foreign material that pre- Requirements for examination of repaired/reworked items are
vents intimate contact between sensor and coating surface. not addressed in this standard and if required shall be specified
Metallic-coating property measurements should not be signifi- in the contractual agreement.
cantly affected unless the foreign material is conductive or
magnetizable. Nonconducting coating thickness measurements 7. Calibration and Standardization
are directly affected by lift-off variations caused by such 7.1 The instrument should be assembled, turned-on, and
foreign material. allowed sufficient time to stabilize in accordance with the
5.15 Models for Sensor ResponseThe models for the manufacturers instructions before use. The instrument should
sensor response used in the examination may not be appropri- be standardized in air and/or on a reference substrate as
ate for a specific application if they do not match the sensor and required by the measurement procedure (see Appendix X2).
excitation frequency. A database of responses may not be Standardization should be repeated at intervals established
appropriate if the property ranges (for example, substrate based on experience for a given application, including perfor-
conductivity, coating conductivity, coating thickness, and lift- mance verification (see 7.3). Initially, standardization may
off) spanned by the database are too small so that the data fall need to be performed every 5 to 10 minutes. Attention should
outside the database, if the database is sparse so that there are be given to Section 5 and Section 8.
excessively large increments in the property values, or if the 7.2 Air standardization involves measuring the sensor im-
sensor response does not vary smoothly with the property pedance in air, at least one spatial wavelength away from any
values. The appropriateness of the sensor model can be conductive or magnetic objects, and adjusting the impedance to
validated by an air standardization with performance verifica- match a model response for the sensor. A measurement of the
tion on an uncoated part having properties similar to the parts response with shunt sensor, which has the sensing element
to be examined and by a performance verification on a coated shorted, can also be used so that both the air response and the
part that has coating properties similar to the parts to be shunt response are used in the standardization. Performance
examined. verification on an uncoated part is recommended. This un-
coated part should have properties that do not vary significantly
6. Basis of Application with depth from the surface and is preferably a substrate
6.1 The following items are subject to contractual agree- reference part.
ment between the parties using or referencing this standard. 7.3 Reference parts with coatings are not required for
6.2 Personnel Qualification: standardization of conformable eddy-current sensors that use
6.2.1 If specified in the contractual agreement, personnel models for the sensor response, since standardization can be
performing examinations to this standard shall be qualified in successfully performed on substrate reference parts. However,
accordance with a nationally or internationally recognized performance verification on coated parts with known coating
NDT personnel qualification practice or standard such as properties may be required, particularly when models do not
ANSI/ASNT-CP-189, SNT-TC-1A, NAS-410 or a similar accurately represent the coating system properties. A substrate
document and certified by the employer or certifying agency, reference part could be a flat coating-free specimen made from
as applicable. The practice or standard used and its applicable the material representative of the substrate with properties that
revision shall be identified in the contractual agreement be- do not vary significantly with depth from the surface. Substrate
tween the using parties. reference parts should match actual substrate properties as
6.3 Qualification of Nondestructive Testing AgenciesIf close as possible preferably accounting for thermal history of
specified in the contractual agreement, NDT agencies shall be actual parts to avoid errors in coating property estimates.
qualified and evaluated as described in Practice E 543. The Reference substrate standardization can be performed on a
applicable edition of Practice E 543 shall be specified in the uniform area of the substrate or a specimen made from material
contractual agreement. similar to the substrate. To validate the standardization, an
6.4 Procedures and TechniquesThe procedures and tech- uncoated part performance verification should be performed on
niques to be utilized shall be as specified in the contractual the same area as the reference substrate where the standard-
agreement. ization was performed. Insulating shims may be used to vary
6.5 Surface PreparationThe pre-examination surface lift-off by a known amount and verify that the measured lift-off
preparation criteria shall be in accordance with 5.13 and change corresponds to the thickness of the shim and that the
requirements specified in the contractual agreement. measured electrical conductivity is not affected by the change
6.6 Timing of ExaminationThe timing of examination in the lift-off and frequency.
shall be in accordance with the applicable contractual agree- 7.4 Detailed performance verification on coated parts
ment. should be completed for new coating systems. If the models for
6.7 Extent of ExaminationThe extent of examination shall the sensor response assume a single layer coating (for example,
be in accordance with the applicable contractual agreement. do not model an interdiffusion zone) then performance verifi-
6.8 Reporting Criteria/Acceptance CriteriaReporting cri- cation will verify the validity of the model or the sample set.
teria for the examination results shall be in accordance with This should be performed once on a significant set of samples
Section 9 unless otherwise specified. Since acceptance criteria prior to fielding a solution, but does not need to be performed
are not specified in this standard, they shall be specified in the in the field. However, field performance checks on one or two
contractual agreement. coating specimens are advisable. For example, a performance

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check on two samples with known thickness can be used to results of the measurements, directional sensitivity should be
validate performance and ensure examination quality and tested and performance standards may be required for careful
reliability. validation.
7.5 Instrument calibration should be performed in accor- 8.5.6 Operator TechniquesMeasurement results may de-
dance with manufacturers instructions. A permissible instru- pend on the operator technique. For example, the pressure
ment calibration is an air standardization with extensive and exerted on the sensor pressed against the examination surface
documented performance verification measurements per manu- will vary from one operator to another. An operator should be
facturers instructions. trained to exceed somewhat the minimum pressure that pro-
vides conformance of the sensor with the surface as established
8. Procedure by repeatable measurements at a location on a part character-
8.1 Operate the instrument in accordance with the manufac- ized by the smallest curvature of interest. This is most
turers instructions giving appropriate attention to factors listed important for nonconductive coating thickness measurements.
in Section 5. Allowed lift-off range should be bounded for conductive
8.2 Set the instrument to operate at multiple frequencies coating thickness measurements to ensure consistent results.
spanning a frequency range over which the instrument perfor- This lift-off range will vary with the components surface
mance has been verified on coating specimens similar to the roughness and topcoat thicknesses.
coating under examination. If the coating under examination is 8.5.7 Position of ProbeIn general, the probe should be
not similar to previously verified coatings, a performance placed perpendicular to the specimen surface at the point of
verification should be performed on representative coating measurement. The operator should demonstrate that slight tilt
samples to establish the appropriate frequency range. (for example, within 10 degrees) does not affect the measure-
ment results.
8.3 Perform air standardization and/or reference substrate
8.5.8 Coating Reference PartsPerformance verification
standardization (see Appendix X2) as specified in Section 7.
should be performed on parts with known coating properties
The operation of the instrument should be validated by a
that are similar to the coatings under examination.
performance verification on an uncoated sample and, option-
ally, on a coated reference sample. Daily performance verifi- 9. Report
cation can be limited to on uncoated reference part and one to 9.1 An examination report should contain the following
two coated reference parts. information:
8.4 Perform measurements on the component at locations of 9.1.1 Date and name of operator.
interest. At the conclusion of the measurements, an additional 9.1.2 Instrument, probe, and sensor identification.
performance verification on an uncoated or coated part is 9.1.3 Identification of components and indication whether
recommended to confirm measurement validity. the examination was on a new component, repaired area on a
8.5 Observe the following precautions: new component, component from service, or refurbished
8.5.1 Edge EffectsThe footprint of the conformable sensor component.
should not go over an edge, hole, inside corner, etc., of a 9.1.4 Material(s) of the coating(s) and substrate.
specimen unless an edge correction has been developed and 9.1.5 Date of last instrument calibration and type and
validity of such a measurement has been demonstrated. For a frequency of standardization (for example, air standardization,
conformable eddy-current sensor, the distance from the edge of air and reference substrate standardization, or reference sub-
a part to the edge of the sensor footprint should be greater than strate standardization alone). For uncoated part performance
half of the spatial wavelength, unless a procedure accounting verification and for reference substrate standardization, either
for edge effects is available. the reference part identification or a description of the uncoated
8.5.2 Accounting for VariabilityBecause of normal mea- area on the component should be provided.
surement variability due to probe/sensor setup and procedure 9.1.6 Range of frequencies used.
application variations, it is useful to make several pick-and- 9.1.7 Orientation of the probe relative to a components
place readings at each position. Local variations in coating geometrical feature.
thickness may also require that a number of measurements be 9.1.8 Examination procedure identification.
made in any given area; this applies particularly to a rough 9.1.9 Results of examinations including measured thick-
surface. ness(es) and metallic coating conductivity at measurement
8.5.3 Directionality of Base-Metal PropertiesIf the sub- locations as well as lift-off estimates and whether they fall
strate is characterized by significant anisotropy such that it may within an acceptable range.
have a pronounced effect on the reading, make the measure- 9.1.10 Variations of conductivity and lift-off recorded dur-
ment on the specimen or part with the probe in the same ing examination and specified tolerances over the range of
orientation (relative to a dominant material processing direc- frequencies during uncoated part performance verification.
tion associated with rolling or solidification) as that used 9.1.11 Variations of conductivity (recorded during examina-
during standardization. tion and specified, that is, allowable for a specific application)
8.5.4 Residual MagnetismIn some cases, it may be nec- with incrementally increased (or decreased) lift-off (for ex-
essary to demagnetize the specimen or part to get valid results. ample, conductivity change per 25.4 m or per 0.001 in.
8.5.5 Residual StressDirectional stress variations may change of lift-off) during uncoated part performance verifica-
affect results in the case of a magnetizable substrate. To verify tion.

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9.1.12 Variations of coating conductivity and/or thickness and/or reference substrate standardization, and its operation
recorded during examination and the specified tolerances over shall be such that the coating thickness can be determined
the range of frequencies during coated part performance within 615 % of its true thickness for coating thickness within
verification. The coated reference part identification should be the optimal range and within 630 % outside but near the lower
provided. and upper bounds of the optimal range. Better performance
may be required for some applications.
10. Precision and Bias
10.1 Depending on the material properties and frequency 11. Keywords
range, there is an optimal measurement performance range for 11.1 coating thickness; conformable sensor; eddy-current
each coating system. The instrument, its air standardization probe; nondestructive testing; process-affected zone

APPENDIXES

(Nonmandatory Information)

X1. ASTM STANDARDS COVERING MAGNETIC AND EDDY CURRENT THICKNESS GAGES

X1.1 There are several other ASTM standards covering

other methods of measuring coating thickness. Some are listed
in Section 2; others are listed in the Index to ASTM Standards.

X2. MODEL-BASED STANDARDIZATION

X2.1 Acceptable Procedures for Coating Characterization: measurement of the response with shunt sensor, which has the
X2.1.1 Three acceptable procedures for characterization are sensing element shorted, can also be used so that both the air
schematically shown in Figs. X2.1-X2.3. The first step in two response and the shunt response are used in the standardiza-
of these procedures is air standardization where air is the tion. If the model is based on fundamental physical principles
known reference. Changes in air properties are of no conse- and accurately matches the sensor response over the property
quence to the performance of a suitable eddy current sensor, range of interest, the procedure shown in Fig. X2.1 provides
since the electrical conductivity of air is 0.00 S/m. The air absolute electrical property measurements and can be used by
standardization involves measuring the sensor impedance in the instrument owner as an in-house calibration as long as it is
air, at least one spatial wavelength away from any conductive performed in accordance with manufacturers instructions for
or magnetic objects and adjusting the impedance to match a calibration. The need for performance verification measure-
model response for the sensor. The standardization can be ments on uniform certified reference standards, including
confirmed with uncoated part performance verification. A relevant NIST traceable standards as well as optional coated

FIG. X2.1 Coating Characterization ProcedureAir Standardization Only

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FIG. X2.2 Coating Characterization ProcedureAir Standardization with Reference Substrate Standardization

FIG. X2.3 Coating Characterization ProcedureReference Substrate Standardization

part performance verification, should be determined by the user is first determined. The adjustment is to remove offsets
of this Standard Practice. between a model-based response and at least two reference
X2.1.2 Two of the procedures use reference substrate stan- standard measurements (for example, two measurements with
dardization. This involves measuring the impedance of the different lift-offs at the same position on the standard). In the
sensor proximate to a uniform reference substrate and adjusting procedure of Fig. X2.2, the initial air standardization permits
the impedance to match a model response for the sensor. Note absolute electrical conductivity measurements of, for example,
that the model-based standardization on a uniform reference the substrate prior to the coating characterization. For both the
substrate constitutes an instrument adjustment to establish a air standardization and the reference substrate standardization,
known and reproducible response. For example, the reference the model is preferably derived from basic physical principles
substrate standardization shown in Fig. X2.2 is performed on to match the sensor response over the property range of
a reference substrate for which absolute electrical conductivity interest.

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