A Compact, Low Cost, Handheld Sensor for Non- Destructive Material Case Depth Verification

In this proposal, AlphaSense, Inc. and the Center for Non-destructive Evaluations at Iowa State University detail the development of a compact, low cost handheld sensor for non-destructive material case depth verification. The key innovations of this proposal include the following: a) case depth evaluations based on electromagnetic property measurements, b) a model based alternating current potential drop (ACPD) method to obtain the electromagnetic property of case hardened parts, c) the design and implementation of miniature ACPD probes, d) high throughput scanning of case depths using a frequency hopping technique, and e) the implementation of a compact, low cost handheld measurement system with a microcontroller. With such innovations, the merits of the proposed sensor and its advantages over other techniques are listed below: a) Rugged, compact and low cost, b)Capable of measuring a wide variety of hardened parts with complex shapes, c) High sensitivity and large dynamic range, d) High throughput measurements, and e) Easy-to-use model based approach.