MAGNETOSTRICTIVE MULTI-FREQUENCY GUIDED WAVE ICE SENSING PROBE

• US 20170030848A1
• Filed: 07/26/2016
• Published: 02/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FBS, Inc. (INFRONEER Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: FBS, Inc. (INFRONEER Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: PHILTRON, Jason, REESE, Alex, BORIGO, Cody J., OWENS, Steven E., ROSE, Joseph L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,099,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/71 characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined welding bar compositions B29C65/125
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7212 characterised by the composition of the fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 15/20 Means for detecting icing or initiating de-icing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/02 by investigating impedance
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/025 a current being generated within the material by induction
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/2611 Measuring inductance

Abstract

A system for detecting ice accretion includes a probe body, at least one magnetostrictive guided wave sensor for generating and receiving shear horizontal-type guided waves supported by said probe body, and a controller. The magnetostrictive guided wave sensor includes a ferromagnetic strip, at least one sensor coil disposed adjacent to said ferromagnetic strip, and at least one biasing magnet configured to induce a biasing magnetic field in said ferromagnetic strip. The controller includes a processor in signal communication with the at least one magnetostrictive guided wave sensor. The processor configured to cause the at least one magnetostrictive guided wave sensor to generate guided waves in the body, extract at least one signal feature from a guided wave signal received by the at least one magnetostrictive guided wave sensor, and determine at least one characteristic of ice accreted on an outer surface of said probe body.

Claims

1. A system for detecting ice accretion, comprising:

a probe body;

at least one magnetostrictive guided wave sensor for generating and receiving shear horizontal-type guided waves supported by said probe body, said magnetostrictive guided wave sensor comprising;

a ferromagnetic strip;

at least one sensor coil disposed adjacent to said ferromagnetic strip; and

at least one biasing magnet configured to induce a biasing magnetic field in said ferromagnetic strip; and

a controller including a processor in signal communication with the at least one magnetostrictive guided wave sensor, the processor configured to;

cause the at least one magnetostrictive guided wave sensor to generate guided waves in the body;

extract at least one signal feature from a guided wave signal received by the at least one magnetostrictive guided wave sensor; and

determine at least one characteristic of ice accreted on an outer surface of said probe body.

2. The system of claim 1, where the at least one sensor coil includes a printed circuit board having a meandering coil formed thereon.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one biasing magnet includes at least one of a permanent magnet and an electromagnet.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said ferromagnetic strip includes an iron-cobalt alloy.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said probe body includes a magnesium alloy.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said probe body includes a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor coil is configured such that said guided waves propagate along the probe body in one of a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor coil is configured such that said guided waves are propagated circumferentially around said probe body.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor coil is configured to generate said guided waves and to receive the guided wave signal in a pulse-echo configuration.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor coil includes a first sensor coil and a second sensor coil, the first sensor coil configured to generate said guided waves and the second sensor coil is configured to receive said guided wave signal in a pitch-catch configuration.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said probe has a cross-sectional shape that is one of an airfoil shape, a circular shape, and an elliptical shape and is mounted externally to a structure that may be exposed to icing conditions.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said probe is configured to be mounted flush to a surface of a structure.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said probe body includes an outer component of said structure.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a heating element for at least one of melting and ablating ice from a surface of said probe body.

15. A method for the detection of ice accretion, comprising:

generating a time-varying current in at least one magnetostrictive coil to induce a time-varying magnetization in a ferromagnetic strip in the presence of a biasing magnetic field to generate shear horizontal-type guided waves in a body of a probe supporting the at least one magnetostrictive coil, the ferromagnetic strip, and a biasing magnet;

detecting a guided wave signal by the at least one magnetostrictive coil;

extracting at least one signal feature, including at least one of optimum transmission frequency, wave packet arrival time, and wave attenuation, from the guided wave signal; and

correlating said at least one signal feature with at least one characteristic of ice accreted on an outer surface of said probe.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the generating, detecting, and extracting steps are performed across a range of frequencies by successively applying said time-varying current with more than one pulse center frequency.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the generating, detecting, and extracting steps are performed across a range of frequencies by applying said time-varying current with a broadband pulse.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising algebraically combining the at least one signal feature into a composite feature value for correlating with at least one at least one characteristic of ice accreted on an outer surface of said probe body.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising normalizing said at least one signal by a reference value in order to overcome variability due to environmental or degradation factors.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising correlating an amplitude of said at least one feature value with a thickness of ice accreted on said probe.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising correlating a rate of change of said at least one feature value with a rate of accretion of ice on said probe.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising heating said probe to at least one of melt and ablate ice accreted on said probe after said ice is detected.