Four-point transient potential drop measurements on metal plates

The transient potential drop method is based on measurement of the transient voltage on the surface of a conductor due to the injection of a pulsed current. In this paper, we consider an approximate analytical model for four-point transient potential drop measurements on plates that are thin compared to the probe separation. Experimental results show good agreement with the theory for measurements made on non-magnetic and ferromagnetic plates when an exponentially rising pulsed current is used as a source. To demonstrate possible applications of the theory we consider measurement of the conductivity and relative permeability of the materials as well as plate thickness.