Project Title:

Hybrid, Inductive-Capacitive Microsensor Arrays for Evaluating the Integrity of Thermal Barrier

92-1-13.14-9102                                                   NAS08-39817
Hybrid, Inductive-Capacitive Microsensor Arrays for
     Evaluating the Integrity of Thermal Barrier
Coatings
Karta Technology, Inc.
1892 Grandstand
San Antonio, TX  78238
Satish M. Nair                                       (512-681-9102)

Abstract:

     A novel hybrid electromagnetic sensor array will be developed
for simultaneously determining disbondments and thickness
variations of thermal barrier coatings. The array consists of a
series of sensors that fuse the capacitance and inductive sensing
technologies into a single sensor design. The sensors are
sputtered on printed circuit boards and may be miniaturized for
application. Phase I will fabricate, test, evaluate, and optimize
various hybrid sensor designs. The sensor will be integrated with
a scanning system in Phase II to conduct the automated inspection
of turbine blades and other gas turbine components where thermal
barrier coatings are commonly employed.

Potential Commercial Application:

Potential Commercial Applications:  The sensor can be used in
situations that require the measurement of the physical and
electrical properties of dielectric layers. Such an application
might arise in composite cure monitoring, where the changes in
dielectric properties of the resin are used to determine the
degree of cure of the composite. Another example might be the
detection and characterization of defects in silicon wafers used
in solid-state devices.

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