Polymeric Wear Sensor with Segmented Apexes for Coating Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial components with polymeric coatings, such as vibratory finishing vats, screening grids, and rollers, face challenges in monitoring wear levels effectively, leading to economic impacts and processing inefficiencies due to exposure of underlying metal surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A wear sensor system comprising a polymeric body with multiple relief apexes embedded in or covered by the same polymeric material, which signals progressive wear levels to a control unit through electrical, optical, fluidic, inductive RFID, or wireless connections, ensuring compatibility with the material's mechanical properties and avoiding pollution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional wear monitoring methods are used, then simplicity is maintained, but measurement precision and continuous monitoring capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor body is segmented into multiple reliefs with apexes at different heights, each representing a specific wear threshold. This segmentation allows the sensor to detect multiple wear levels using a single integrated structure, achieving precise multi-level wear monitoring without requiring multiple separate sensors or complex electronic systems.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the sensor body have different geometric properties - the reliefs are strategically positioned at specific heights and locations to detect wear at different stages. Each relief's apex position corresponds to a specific wear threshold, creating local quality variations that enable precise wear level differentiation across the sensor surface.
2Adaptability or versatility
If polymeric material is used for the sensor body, then compatibility with the coated surface is improved, but reliability of signal transmission deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor integrates polymeric material for the body and reliefs with conductive elements (such as conductive rubber or metal traces) embedded within or attached to the polymer. This composite approach maintains the mechanical compatibility and flexibility of the polymeric material while ensuring reliable electrical signal transmission from the apexes to the external circuitry.
3Measurement precision
If multiple reliefs with different apex heights are implemented, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor body is segmented into multiple reliefs with apexes at different heights, each representing a specific wear threshold. This segmentation allows the sensor to detect multiple wear levels using a single integrated structure, achieving precise multi-level wear monitoring without requiring multiple separate sensors or complex electronic systems.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the sensor body have different geometric properties - the reliefs are strategically positioned at specific heights and locations to detect wear at different stages. Each relief's apex position corresponds to a specific wear threshold, creating local quality variations that enable precise wear level differentiation across the sensor surface.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention has as object a system comprising an object or a coating (30) made of polymeric material and a sensor (10) for detecting the degree of wear of the object or of the coating (30) made of polymeric material, wherein the sensor (10) comprises a body (20) made of polymeric material, said body (20) being immersed in or covered by the polymeric material of which wear has to be measured, wherein said body (20) has a plurality of reliefs (21,22,23,24) each having an apex (11,13,15,17) placed at a different height, and wherein a connection (12,14,16,18) for each of the apexes (11,13,15,17) is provided, the connection being configured to signal to a control unit (100) progressively more severe levels of wear when the wear of the polymeric material of the object or of the coating (30) propagates to the respective apex (11,13,15,17) of the sensor (10).