Eddy Current Sensing of Torque in Rotating Shafts

The noncontact torque sensing in machine shafts is addressed based on the stress induced in a press-fitted magnetoelastic sleeve on the shaft and eddy current sensing of the changes of electrical conductivity and magnetic permeability due to the presence of stress. The eddy current probe uses dual drive, dual sensing coils whose purpose is increased sensitivity to torque and decreased sensitivity to variations in distance between probe and shaft (liftoff). A mechanism of keeping the distance constant is also employed. Both the probe and the magnetoelastic sleeve are evaluated for performance using a standard eddy current instrument. An eddy current instrument is also used to drive the coils and analyze the torque data. The method and sensor described are general and adaptable to a variety of applications. The sensor is suitable for static and rotating shafts, is independent of shaft diameter and operational over a large range of torques. The torque sensor uses a differential eddy current measurement resulting in cancellation of common mode effects including temperature and vibrations.     

A 2D micro-fluxgate earth magnetic field measurement systems with fully automated acquisition setup

In this paper we present an Earth magnetic field measurement system and an automated acquisition setup to characterize it. The measurement system consists of a fluxgate sensor and an integrated front-end circuit, both realized in CMOS technology. The couple of orthogonal axes of the sensor makes the system suitable for realizing an electronic compass device. Indeed, we can measure not only the amplitude of the Earth magnetic field (whose full-scale value is of the order of 60 μT), but also its direction. The complete measurement system achieves a maximum angular error of 1.5° in the measurement of the Earth magnetic field direction. Furthermore, an acquisition setup was developed to evaluate the measurement system performance. It consists of a precision mechanical plastic structure, in tower form, a microcontroller-based interface circuit, that provides a digital output through an RS232 serial interface, a PC software suitably developed to post-process the data from the acquisition system and a couple of Helmholtz coils to evaluate the linearity of the system. This setup allows us to perform a completely automated and numerically controlled characterization of the measurement system.     

A Peltier cells differential calorimeter with kinetic correction for the measurement of cp(H,T) and Δs(H,T) of magnetocaloric materials

In this paper we describe and test a setup for the characterization of the magnetocaloric effect around room temperature. The setup is a differential calorimeter able to measure both the specific heat c(p)(H,T) under constant magnetic field H and the isothermal entropy change induced by changing H, Δs(H,T), in the room temperature range. The setup uses miniaturized Peltier cells to measure the heat flux, with resolution of about 1 μW, and power Peltier cells to regulate the temperature in the range from 243 K (-30 °C) to 343 K (+70 °C). The kinetic effects due to the heat capacity of the measuring cells are taken into account by a simple model of the heat flux diffusion in the calorimetric cell. As measurement examples, we show the characterization of the magnetocaloric effect in magnetic materials with a second order transition [without latent heat and without hysteresis, as in the La(1)(Fe(1-x-y)Co(y)Si(x))(13) alloy with x=0.077 and y=0.079] and with a first order transitions (with latent heat and hysteresis as in Ni(50)Mn(36)Co(1)Sn(13)). As a result we compare the entropy change Δs(H,T) derived from (i) the integration of the specific heat c(p)(H,T) and (ii) the direct isothermal measurements, obtaining an excellent agreement.     

脉动流对差压式流量计测量误差影响的研究

基于脉动流场中差压式流量计的计量特性，本文分析了差压式流量计在各种脉动流频率和幅度下的流量测量误差。针对不同脉动频率和脉动幅度的脉动流，在自行设计的实验装置中使用响应时间不同的差压式流量计进行流量测量的研究，获得了流量计响应时间、流体的脉动幅度和频率与流量测量误差间的变化对应关系。研究结果表明，通过减少脉动幅值和缩短流量计的响应时间可有效地减少流量测量误差。     

High sensitivity detection of radio-frequency modulated magnetic moment in semiconductors

An experimental setup has been realized to measure weak magnetic moments which can be modulated at radio frequencies (~1-5 MHz). Using an optimized radio-frequency (RF) pickup coil and lock-in amplifier, an experimental sensitivity of 10(-15) Am(2) corresponding to 10(-18) emu has been demonstrated with a 1 s time constant. The detection limit at room temperature is 9.3 × 10(-16) Am(2)/√Hz limited by Johnson noise of the coil. The setup has been used to directly measure the magnetic moment due to a small number (~7 × 10(8)) of spin polarized electrons generated by polarization modulated optical radiation in GaAs and Ge.     

一种宽量程磁场发生器的设计

宽量程磁场发生器实现由1nT到100mT磁场强度的连续可调。本设计提出了5对圆形线圈组构的技术方案，其中又配置辅助绕组，既利用了亥姆霍兹条件又突破了它的传统模式，同时充分体现了科学性与经济性统一的理念。     

Accurate measurement of domain wall velocity in amorphous microwires, submicron wires, and nanowires

A new method for measuring the domain wall velocity in a single, ultrathin ferromagnetic amorphous wire with the diameter down to 100 nm is presented. The method has been developed in order to increase the sensitivity in studying the domain wall propagation in bistable magnetic wires in a wide range of field amplitudes, with much larger values of the applied field as compared to those employed when studying the wall propagation in typical amorphous microwires. The large fields required to propagate the domain walls in ultrathin wires are able to nucleate new domain walls in the samples and, therefore, they can affect the accuracy of the entire measurement. The proposed experimental setup prevents such situations by using a number of complex pick-up coils, which allow the detection of the direction of the wall propagation along with the precise measurement of the domain wall velocity. The newly developed method is especially important now, when large effort is devoted to the development of domain wall logic devices based on ultrathin magnetic wires and nanowires.     

差动涡流式连铸结晶器钢水液位仪

介绍了差动涡流式连铸结晶器钢水液位仪的基本原理及构成。仪器可测量0～150mm的钢水液位变化。传感器的核心部分为1个发射线圈和2个接收线圈。信号放大单元采用差动调幅原理．提高了信噪比，扩大了量程。针对结晶器钢水液位测量的特殊性，放大信号再经信号处理单元的若干环节处理成可靠的、适于钢水液位控制的4～20mA线性隔离输出信号。     

Torque detected broad band electron spin resonance

We present a novel technique to measure high frequency electron spin resonance spectra in a broad frequency range (30-1440 GHz) with high sensitivity. We use a quasioptical setup with tunable frequency sources to induce magnetic resonance transitions. These transitions are detected by measuring the change in the magnetic torque signal by means of cantilever torque magnetometry. The setup allows tuning of the frequency, magnetic field, polarization, and the angle between the sample and the external magnetic field. We demonstrate the capabilities of this technique by showing preliminary results obtained on a single crystal of an Fe(4) molecular nanomagnet.     

Metrological atomic force microscope using a large range scanning dual stage

We developed a metrological atomic force microscope (MAFM) using a large range scanning dual stage and evaluated the performance in the measurement of lateral dimension. AFMs are widely used in nanotechnology for very high spatial resolution, but the limitation in measurement range should be overcome to expand its application in nanometrology. Therefore, we constructed new MAFM having a large measurement of 200 mm × 200 mm by using a dual stage and an AFM head module. The dual stage is composed of a coarse and a fine stage to obtain large scanning range and high resolution simultaneously. Precision surfaces and PTFE sliding pads guide the motion of coarse stage, drove by a fine pitch screw and DC motors. Flexure hinges and PZT actuators are utilized for the fine stage. Multi-axis interferometers measure the five degrees of freedom motion of the dual stage for the position control and the compensation of parasitic angular motions. The vertical displacement of AFM tip is measured by a built-in capacitive sensor in the AFM head module within the range of 38 μm. The performance of the dual stage was evaluated and the expanded uncertainty (k = 2) in the measurements of 1-D displacement L was estimated as $ U(L) = \sqrt {(2.8nm)^2 + (3.0 \times 10^{ - 7} \times L)^2 } $ U(L) = \sqrt {(2.8nm)^2 + (3.0 \times 10^{ - 7} \times L)^2 } . The relative uncertainty in pitch measurement was less than 0.02 % and the improvement of accuracy was verified by comparing with other MAFM, which are mostly due to the expansion of scan range and the compensation of angular motion. To enhance the performance, we will reduce the vibration and examine the motion of stage in the vertical direction during a long range scan.     

First-order reversal curves acquired by a high precision ac induction magnetometer

We present a setup allowing to characterize the local irreversible behavior of soft magnetic samples. It is achieved by modifying a conventional ac induction magnetometer in order to measure first-order reversal curves (FORCs), a magnetostatic characterization technique. The required modifications were performed on a home-made setup allowing high precision measurement, with sensibility less than 0.005 Oe for the applied field and 10(-6) emu for the magnetization. The main crucial point for the FORCs accuracy is the constancy of the applied field sweep rate, because of the magnetic viscosity. Therefore, instead of the common way to work at constant frequency, each FORC is acquired at a slightly different frequency, in order to keep the field variation constant in time. The obtained results exhibit the consequences of magnetic viscosity, thus opening up the path of studying this phenomenon for soft magnetic materials.     

A versatile low-temperature setup for the electrical characterization of single-molecule junctions

We present a modular high-vacuum setup for the electrical characterization of single molecules down to liquid helium temperatures. The experimental design is based on microfabricated mechanically controllable break junctions, which offer control over the distance of two electrodes via the bending of a flexible substrate. The actuator part of the setup is divided into two stages. The slow stage is based on a differential screw drive with a large bending range. An amplified piezoceramic actuator forms the fast stage of the setup, which can operate at bending speeds of up to 800 μm/s. In our microfabricated break junctions this is translated into breaking speeds of several 10 nm/s, sufficient for the fast acquisition of large statistical datasets. The bandwidth of the measurement electronics has been optimized to enable fast dI/dV spectroscopy on molecular junctions with resistances up to 100 MΩ. The performance of the setup is demonstrated for a π-conjugated oligo(phenylene-ethynylene)-dithiol molecule.     

GMR array uniform eddy current probe for defect detection in conductive specimens

The usage of eddy current probes (ECP) with a single magnetic field sensor represents a common solution for defect detection in conductive specimens but it is a time consuming procedure that requires huge amount of scanning steps when large surface specimens are to be inspected. In order to speed-up the nondestructive testing procedure, eddy current probes including a single excitation coil and an array of sensing coils present a good solution. The solution investigated in this paper replaces the sensing coils for giant magneto-resistors (GMRs), due to their high sensitivity and frequency broadband response. Thus, the ECP excitation coil can be driven at lower frequencies than the traditional ones allowing defects to be detected in thicker structures.In this work an optimized uniform eddy current probe architecture including two planar excitation coils, a rectangular magnetic field biasing coil and a GMR magnetometer sensor array is presented. An ac current is applied to the planar spiral rectangular coil of the probe, while a set of GMR magnetometer sensors detects the induced magnetic field in the specimens under test. The rectangular coil provides the DC uniform magnetic field, assuring appropriate biasing of the GMR magnetometers of the probe, setting-up the functioning point on the linear region and at the same branch of the GMR static characteristics. The differences on the images obtained for the same specimen for each GMR are reduced if all sensors are biased on the same working point. Elements of the automated measurement system used to inspect the plate under test using the proposed eddy current probe, including a validation procedure based on a 2D template matching algorithm and the corresponding experimental results are included in the paper.     

A high sensitivity ultralow temperature RF conductance and noise measurement setup

We report on the realization of a high sensitivity RF noise measurement scheme to study small current fluctuations of mesoscopic systems at milli-Kelvin temperatures. The setup relies on the combination of an interferometric amplification scheme and a quarter-wave impedance transformer, allowing the measurement of noise power spectral densities with gigahertz bandwidth up to five orders of magnitude below the amplifier noise floor. We simultaneously measure the high frequency conductance of the sample by derivating a portion of the signal to a microwave homodyne detection. We describe the principle of the setup, as well as its implementation and calibration. Finally, we show that our setup allows to fully characterize a subnanosecond on-demand single electron source. More generally, its sensitivity and bandwidth make it suitable for applications manipulating single charges at GHz frequencies.     

In situ calibration of rotating sensor coils for magnet testing

An in situ procedure for calibrating equivalent magnetic area and rotation radius of rotating coils is proposed for testing accelerator magnets shorter than the measuring coil. The procedure exploits measurements of magnetic field and mechanical displacement inside a reference quadrupole magnet. In a quadrupole field, an offset between the magnet and coil rotation axes gives rise to a dipole component in the field series expansion. The measurements of the focusing strength, the displacement, and the resulting dipole term allow the equivalent area and radius of the coil to be determined analytically. The procedure improves the accuracy of coils with large geometrical irregularities in the winding. This is essential for short magnets where the coil dimensions constrain the measurement accuracy. Experimental results on different coils measuring small-aperture permanent magnets are shown.     

基于平面线圈的高分辨力时栅角位移传感器

针对现有时栅角位移传感器采用漆包线绕制工艺加工线圈,导致线圈布线不均且容易随时间发生变化进而影响测量精度的问题,提出一种基于PCB技术的新型时栅角位移传感器。该传感器通过在PCB基板的不同层上布置特定形状的激励线圈和感应线圈,形成两个完全相同并沿圆周空间正交的传感单元;当在两传感单元的激励线圈中分别通入时间正交的两相激励电流后,通过导磁定子基体和具有特定齿、槽结构的导磁转子对传感单元内的磁场实施精确约束,使两传感单元的感应线圈串联输出初相角随转子转角变化的正弦感应信号;最后通过高频时钟脉冲插补初相角实现精密角位移测量。利用有限元分析软件对传感器进行了建模和仿真。根据仿真模型制作了传感器实物,开展了验证实验,并对实验中角位移测量误差的频次和来源进行了详细分析。经过标定和补偿,最终获得了整周范围内误差在-2.82″~2.02″的时栅角位移传感器。理论推导、仿真分析和实验验证均表明,该传感器不仅能实现精密角位移测量,还能在激励线圈和感应线圈空间极距和信号质量不变的情况下,将位移测量的分辨力从信号源头提高1倍,且结构简单稳定、极易实现,特别适用于环境恶劣的工业现场。     

Characterization of JEOL 2100F Lorentz-TEM for low-magnification electron holography and magnetic imaging

We present results that characterize the performance and capabilities of the JEOL 2100F-LM electron microscope to carry out holography and quantitative magnetic imaging. We find the microscope is well-suited for studies of magnetic materials, or for semi-conductor dopant profiling, where a large hologram width ( approximately 1 microm) and fine fringe spacing ( approximately 1.5 nm) are obtained with good contrast ( approximately 20%). We present, as well, measurements of the spherical aberration coefficient Cs=(108.7+/-9.6)mm and minimum achievable focal step delta f=(87.6+/-1.4)nm for the specially designed long-focal-length objective lens of this microscope. Further, we detail experiments to accurately measure the optical parameters of the imaging system typical of conventional holography setup in a transmission electron microscope. The role played by astigmatic illumination in the hologram formation is also assessed with a wave-optical model, which we present and discuss. The measurements obtained for our microscope are used to simulate realistic holograms, which we compare directly to experimental holograms finding good agreement. These results indicate the usefulness of measuring these optical parameters to guide the optimization of the experimental setup for a given microscope, and to provide an additional degree of practical experimental possibility.     

Ultrahigh vacuum, variable temperature, dual scanning tunneling microscope system operating under high magnetic field

We present a dual scanning tunneling microscope (DSTM) system operating between 2.2 K and room temperature, in a split-coil superconducting magnetic field up to 12 T and in ultrahigh vacuum. The DSTM consists of two compact STMs, each having x, y, and z coarse positioning piezoelectric steppers with embedded capacitive positioning sensor for navigation. Each STM can be operated independently and can achieve atomic resolution. The DSTM and the sample is configured in a way that allows the magnetic field orientation to be varied continuously from normal to parallel to the sample surface. Together with the sample, the DSTM can form a nanometer scale three terminal setup for transport measurement.     

Development and application of setup for ac magnetic field in neutron scattering experiments

We report on a new setup developed for neutron scattering experiments in periodically alternating magnetic fields at the sample position. The assembly consisting of rf generator, amplifier, wide band transformer, and resonance circuit. It allows to generate homogeneous ac magnetic fields over a volume of a few cm(3) and variable within a wide range of amplitudes and frequencies. The applicability of the device is exemplified by ac polarized neutron reflectometry (PNR): a new method established to probe remagnetization kinetics in soft ferromagnetic films. Test experiments with iron films demonstrate that the ac field within the accessible range of frequencies and amplitudes produces a dramatic effect on the PNR signal. This shows that the relevant ac field parameters generated by the device match well with the scales involved in the remagnetization processes. Other possible applications of the rf unit are briefly discussed.     

线性测微电感的精化

为提高测微电感传感器的测量精度,提出了基于赫姆霍兹线圈理论设计螺线管线圈的方法,改善了螺线管线圈内轴向上磁场的分布均匀性。首先,分析了螺线管线圈模型,建立了螺线管线圈参数与轴向磁场强度分布相互关系的广义函数模型。然后,通过线圈与磁芯的尺寸确定了系统轴向磁场强度分布函数模型,结合磁芯移动区间范围设置磁场均匀度最小误差目标函数,通过对目标函数寻优得到各螺线管线圈的各项参数。最后,搭建了测微电感传感器的测试系统,测试了传感器性能。实验结果表明:与传统线圈相比,改进型螺线管线圈在100μm测量范围内的线性度由0.46%提高到0.30%。实验显示通过对不同规格的螺线管线圈进行组合,可使得螺线管内轴向上磁场强度分布均匀,从而提高了测量精度。