A Variational and Multiplicative Tensor Framework for Eddy Current Modeling in Anisotropic Composite Materials with Defects

Eddy-current inspection of anisotropic composites, such as aeronautical CFRP, demands models that ensure mathematical rigor, tensorial consistency, and clear energetic interpretation. This work presents a novel unified variational framework with a multiplicative tensor perturbation for the time-harmonic eddy-current problem in anisotropic media with defective regions. The formulation is posed in the natural spaces H(curl;Ω)×H1(Ωc), and the well-posedness is established via the Lax–Milgram theorem under physically consistent assumptions on permeability and conductivity. The sesquilinear form admits a Hermitian decomposition that separates dissipative and reactive contributions, revealing the energetic structure of the weak formulation. Defects are modeled through multiplicative modifications of the baseline anisotropic conductivity tensor. This congruence-based approach preserves symmetry and positive definiteness, ensuring non-negative Joule losses and structural stability, allowing a modular representation of subsurface delamination, fiber breakage, conductive inclusions, and distributed porosity within a single tensorial framework. A central result of the present formulation is the reconstruction of the complex power functional from the evaluation of the weak form at the solution, showing that the active dissipated power and the magnetic reactive power arise directly from the same integral terms. Through the complex Poynting theorem, the quadratic form is linked to the internal complex power, establishing a direct connection between the variational formulation and measurable quantities such as probe impedance variations. Simulations of realistic layered CFRP configurations, including single- and multi-defect scenarios, confirm that, compared with additive perturbations, the multiplicative model provides enhanced energetic contrast, particularly in strongly anisotropic and interacting defect conditions. Agreement with experimental measurements, supported by a quantitative comparison of dissipated power variations obtained from controlled EC experiments, corroborates the physical relevance and robustness of the proposed complex power functional.