Material condition assessment with eddy current sensors

US7812601B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• JENTEK Sensors, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Neil J. Goldfine · Newton, US
• Andrew P. Washabaugh · Chula Vista, US
• Yanko K. Sheiretov · Waltham, US
• Darrell E. Schlicker · Watertown, US
• Robert Joseph Lyons · Niskayuna, US
• Mark Windoloski · Chelmsford, US
• Christopher A. Craven · Bedford, US
• Vladimir Tsukernik · Dedham, US
• David C. Grundy · Reading, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 15, 2009
• Grant date: Oct 12, 2010
• Expiry date: Jun 15, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01N27/9046
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Eddy current sensors and sensor arrays are used for process quality and material condition assessment of conducting materials. In an embodiment, changes in spatially registered high resolution images taken before and after cold work processing reflect the quality of the process, such as intensity and coverage. These images also permit the suppression or removal of local outlier variations. Anisotropy in a material property, such as magnetic permeability or electrical conductivity, can be intentionally introduced and used to assess material condition resulting from an operation, such as a cold work or heat treatment. The anisotropy is determined by sensors that provide directional property measurements. The sensor directionality arises from constructs that use a linear conducting drive segment to impose the magnetic field in a test material. Maintaining the orientation of this drive segment, and associated sense elements, relative to a material edge provides enhanced sensitivity for crack detection at edges.