Rare-Earth U-Shaped Magnet for Gas Turbine Chip Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing chip devices for gas turbine engines face challenges such as additional costly magnetization steps and susceptibility to demagnetization due to exposure to extraneous magnetic fields, shock, or vibration, which affect their manufacturing efficiency and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A magnetic chip device with a U-shaped magnet configuration using a rare-earth magnet portion to create a continuous magnetic circuit, eliminating the need for a separate magnetization step and enhancing resistance to demagnetization through the use of magnetically permeable materials and a potted housing for mechanical protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a magnet is magnetized during the final step of fabrication after integration into the housing, then the chip device can detect metal chips, but the manufacturing process becomes more costly and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The magnet is pre-magnetized during the magnetization step before integration into the housing, rather than being magnetized after integration. This preliminary action eliminates the need for a separate post-assembly magnetization step, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost while ensuring the magnet is ready for immediate use in chip detection
2Ease of manufacture
If a conventional magnet is used in the chip device, then the device can be manufactured with standard materials, but the magnet becomes susceptible to demagnetization from extraneous magnetic fields, shock, or vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite magnetic structure consisting of a permanent magnet material (such as Alnico or rare-earth magnets) combined with a magnetically permeable material (such as mu-metal or permalloy). The permanent magnet provides the magnetic field for chip detection, while the magnetically permeable material acts as a shield that redirects extraneous magnetic fields, protecting the permanent magnet from demagnetization due to external magnetic fields, shock, or vibration
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 solution provides a cost-effective and reliable magnetic chip device with improved resistance to demagnetization, suitable for aircraft engine applications, allowing for in-situ detection of metal chips without performance ambiguity and reduced sensitivity to external magnetic fields.
Implementation Method 1
a magnetic chip device with a U-shaped magnet configuration using a rare-earth magnet portion to create a continuous magnetic circuit
Data Source
AI summary
A magnetic chip device such as a chip detector or chip collector, comprising a horseshoe magnet held within a housing and having two adjacent tips protruding from the housing, and having a plurality of portions extending sequentially from one of the tips to the other, the plurality of portions including two end portions, each one of the two end portions extending to a corresponding one of the tips, and a rare-earth magnet portion made of a rare earth magnet material and positioned between the two end portions in the sequence.