MAGNETOSTRICTIVE DELAY-LINES AND THEIR APPLICATIONS

The main parameters involved in the magnetostrictive delay line (MDL) operation are illustrated in this paper. Accordingly, the physical eff ects which can be utilized for the development of sensing devices are analyzed. Such physical effects, namely being modification of the puls ed and biasing magnetic fields as well as modification of the mechanic al characteristics of the MDLs, have been used in order to develop var ious kinds of sensors. These sensors correspond to the measurement of length, linear and angular displacement, vibration, velocity, accelera tion, force, stress, pressure, torque and magnetic held. All the above mentioned sensors can be formed in arrays by using MDLs as transducin g means and analog multiplexers, with an array resolution and mapping area of the order of 1 mm and 2 m respectively. Thus, the gap between miniaturized array sensors and fiber optic array sensors, which have t he ability of array resolution and mapping area of the order of 1 mu m /1 mm and 1 m/1 Km respectively, is covered. Two and three dimensional cordless digitizers, as well as two dimensional force digitizers, hav e been developed due to these properties. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S. A.