The early identification of micro-defects in ferromagnetic elements such as steel wire ropes significantly impacts structures' in-service reliability and safety. This work investigated the possibility of detecting mechanically introduced discontinuities using different magnetic sensors without magnetization of the tested object with a strong external field. This is called the passive magnetic testing method, and it is becoming increasingly popular. This research used differential sensors (measuring differences in field values at the nanotesla level) and absolute sensors (enabling the measurement of the magnetic field vector module or its components at the microtesla level). Each measurement result obtained from the sensors allowed for detecting discontinuities in the line. The problem to be solved is the quantitative identification of changes in the metallic cross-section of a rope.
Keywords: magnetic sensors; non-destructive testing; residual magnetic field; steel wire rope.