System and method for characterizing ferromagnetic material
First Claim
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1. A method for characterizing a ferromagnetic material, comprising:
- providing a plurality of magnetometers arranged in an at least one-dimensional array, the array being positionable at a standoff distance along a z axis from the ferromagnetic material and translatable along an x axis, perpendicular to the z axis, to a plurality of scan positions along the ferromagnetic material, wherein at least three magnetometers of the plurality of magnetometers are mutually spaced apart and disposed within the array along a first axis;
storing, in a memory, data representing a deterministic physics-based model of magnetic fields for missing metal;
for each scan position of the plurality of scan positions, calculating, by a processor, respective differences between a plurality of respective select pairs of the magnetometers, wherein at least one select pair of the plurality of respective select pairs of the magnetometers comprises two non-adjacent magnetometers of the at least three magnetometers disposed along the first axis, and each select pair of at least two other select pairs of the plurality of respective select pairs of the magnetometers comprises two adjacent magnetometers of the at least three magnetometers disposed along the first axis, and wherein each difference of the respective differences is calculated by dividing by a distance separating the respective select pair of magnetometers; and
comparing, by the processor, respective differences between the plurality of respective select pairs of the magnetometers with the data representing the deterministic physics-based model of magnetic fields for missing metal to identify metal missing from the ferromagnetic material.
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Abstract
A system and method using magnetic sensing to non-intrusively and non-destructively characterize ferromagnetic material within infrastructure. The system includes sensors for measuring magnetic field gradients from a standoff distance adjacent to ferromagnetic material. The method includes using the system to measure magnetic fields, determining magnetic field gradients measured by a sensor array, and comparing measured and modeled or historical magnetic field gradients at the same or similar positions to identify differences caused by a phenomenon in the ferromagnetic material, and, in a particular embodiment, to recognize defects and developing defects.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A method for characterizing a ferromagnetic material, comprising:
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providing a plurality of magnetometers arranged in an at least one-dimensional array, the array being positionable at a standoff distance along a z axis from the ferromagnetic material and translatable along an x axis, perpendicular to the z axis, to a plurality of scan positions along the ferromagnetic material, wherein at least three magnetometers of the plurality of magnetometers are mutually spaced apart and disposed within the array along a first axis; storing, in a memory, data representing a deterministic physics-based model of magnetic fields for missing metal; for each scan position of the plurality of scan positions, calculating, by a processor, respective differences between a plurality of respective select pairs of the magnetometers, wherein at least one select pair of the plurality of respective select pairs of the magnetometers comprises two non-adjacent magnetometers of the at least three magnetometers disposed along the first axis, and each select pair of at least two other select pairs of the plurality of respective select pairs of the magnetometers comprises two adjacent magnetometers of the at least three magnetometers disposed along the first axis, and wherein each difference of the respective differences is calculated by dividing by a distance separating the respective select pair of magnetometers; and comparing, by the processor, respective differences between the plurality of respective select pairs of the magnetometers with the data representing the deterministic physics-based model of magnetic fields for missing metal to identify metal missing from the ferromagnetic material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A system for characterizing a ferromagnetic material, comprising:
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a plurality of magnetometers arranged in an at least one-dimensional array, the array being positionable at a standoff distance along a z axis from the ferromagnetic material and translatable along an x axis, perpendicular to the z axis, to a plurality of scan positions along the ferromagnetic material, wherein at least three magnetometers of the plurality of magnetometers are mutually spaced apart and disposed within the array along a first axis; a memory storing data representing a deterministic physics-based model of magnetic fields for missing metal; and a data processor coupled with the plurality of magnetometers and configured to calculate, for each scan position of the plurality of scan positions, respective differences between a plurality of respective select pairs of the magnetometers, wherein at least one select pair of the plurality of respective select pairs of the magnetometers comprises two non-adjacent magnetometers of the at least three magnetometers disposed along the first axis, and each select pair of at least two other select pairs of the plurality of respective select pairs of the magnetometers comprises two adjacent magnetometers of the at least three magnetometers disposed along the first axis, and wherein each difference of the respective differences is calculated by dividing by a distance separating the respective select pair of magnetometers; wherein the data processor is configured to compare the respective differences between the plurality of respective select pairs of the magnetometers with the data representing the deterministic physics-based model of magnetic fields for missing metal to identify metal missing from the ferromagnetic material. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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Specification