Concentric-Sector Crack Sensors for Submillimeter Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies face difficulties in detecting small cracks in devices, such as aircraft components, which can lead to failures and safety risks due to thermal and mechanical stress, impacts, or manufacturing defects.
Innovation Solution
A crack detection system with a crack detection sensor featuring concentrically disposed sectors and contacts, utilizing an analog-to-digital converter to measure resistance changes via a crack detection circuit to detect cracks by applying a source current and measuring voltage differences across contacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional crack detection methods are used, then detection capability is limited, but detecting small cracks becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor is divided into multiple concentric sectors (e.g., 8 sectors) around the hole, with each sector having its own resistance measurement circuit. This segmentation allows independent measurement of resistance changes in each sector, enabling precise localization of cracks and improving detection capability for small cracks that would be difficult to detect with a conventional unified sensor.
2Measurement precision
If a simple sensor design is used, then manufacturing is easier, but detection accuracy for small cracks decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor uses a universal measurement approach where the same resistance measurement technique is applied to all sectors through a multi-contact configuration. The analog-to-digital converter systematically measures resistance across different sector pairs using the same circuitry, making the complex multi-sector sensor manufacturable with consistent processes while maintaining high detection accuracy through uniform measurement methodology.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively detects and measures the size of cracks, enabling timely maintenance and preventing potential failures by accurately identifying cracks smaller than 1 millimeter.
Implementation Method 1
a crack detection circuit configured to measure resistances of the one or more sectors of the plurality of sectors via two or more of the plurality of contacts to detect a crack in the one or more sectors of the plurality of sectors
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the present disclosure include a crack detection system having a crack detection sensor including a plurality of sectors disposed concentrically around a hole within the crack detection sensor, a plurality of contacts configured to electrically connect to one or more sectors of the plurality of sectors, and a crack detection circuit configured to measure resistances of the one or more sectors of the plurality of sectors via two or more of the plurality of contacts to detect a crack in the one or more sectors of the plurality of sectors.