Magnetostrictive Linear Position Sensors Magnetostriction is a property of ferromagnetic materials such as iron, nickel, and cobalt. When placed in a magnetic field, these materials change size and/or shape (see Figure 1). Figure 1 A magnetising force, H, causes a dimensional change due to the alignment of magnetic domains. The physical response of a ferromagnetic material is due to the presence of magnetic moments, and can be understood by considering the material as a collection of tiny permanent magnets, or domains. Each domain consists of many atoms. When a material is not magnetized, the domains are randomly arranged. When the material is magnetized, the domains are oriented with their axes approximately parallel to one another. Interaction of an external magnetic field with the domains causes the magnetostrictive effect. This effect can be optimized by controlling the ordering of the domains through alloy selection, thermal annealing, cold working, and magnetic field strength. The ferromagnetic materials used in magnetostrictive position sensors are transition metals such as iron, nickel, and cobalt. In these metals, the 3d electron shell is not completely filled, which allows the formation of a magnetic moment. (i.e., the shells closer to the nucleus than the 3d shell are complete, and they do not contribute to the magnetic moment). As electron spins are rotated by a magnetic field, coupling between the electron spin and electron orbit causes electron energies to change. The crystal then strains so that electrons at the surface can relax to states of lower energy. When a material has positive magnetostriction, it enlarges when placed in a magnetic field; with negative magnetostriction, the material shrinks. The amount of magnetostriction in base elements and simple alloys is small, on the order of 10-6 m/m. Since applying a magnetic field causes stress that changes the physical properties of a magnetostrictive material, it is interesting to note that the reverse is also true: applying stress to a magnetostrictive material changes its magnetic properties (e.g., magnetic permeability). This is called the Villari effect. Normal magnetostriction and the Villari effect are both used in producing a magnetostrictive position sensor. Figure 2 The Wiedemann effect describes the twisting due to an axial magnetic field applied to a ferromagnetic wire or tube that is carrying an electric current. An important characteristic of a wire made of a magnetostrictive material is the Wiedemann effect (see Figure 2). When an axial magnetic field is applied to a magnetostrictive wire, and a current is passed through the wire, a twisting occurs at the location of the axial magnetic field. The twisting is caused by interaction of the axial magnetic field, usually from a permanent magnet, with the magnetic field along the magnetostrictive wire, which is present due to the current in the wire. The current is applied as a short-duration pulse, -1 or 2 µs; the minimum current density is along the center of the wire and the maximum at the wire surface. This is due to the skin effect. The magnetic field intensity is also greatest at the wire surface. This aids in developing the waveguide twist. Since the current is applied as a pulse, the mechanical twisting travels in the wire as an ultrasonic wave. The magnetostrictive wire is therefore called the waveguide. The wave travels at the speed of sound in the waveguide material, ~ 3O00 m/s. The operation of a magnetostrictive position sensor is shown in Figure 3. Figure 3. The interaction of a current pulse with the position magnet generates a strain pulse that travels down the waveguide and is detected by the pickup element. The axial magnetic field is provided by a position magnet. The position magnet is attached to the machine tool, hydraulic cylinder, or whatever is being measured. The waveguide wire is enclosed within a protective cover and is attached to the stationary part of the machine, hydraulic cylinder, etc. The location of the position magnet is determined by first applying a current pulse to the waveguide. At the same time, a timer is started. The current pulse causes a sonic wave to be generated at the location of the position magnet Wiedemann effect. The sonic wave travels along the waveguide until it is detected by the pickup. This stops the timer. The elapsed time indicated by the timer then represents the distance between the position magnet and the pickup. The sonic wave also travels in the direction away from the pickup. In order to avoid an interfering signal from waves travelling in this direction, their energy is absorbed by a damping device (called the damp). The pickup makes use of the Villari effect. A small piece of magnetostrictive material, called the tape, is welded to the waveguide near one end of the waveguide. This tape passes through a coil and is magnetized by a small permanent magnet called the bias magnet. When a sonic wave propagates down the waveguide and then down the tape, the stress induced by the wave causes a wave of changed permeability (Villari effect) in the tape. This in turn causes a change in the tape magnetic flux density, and thus a voltage output pulse is produced from the coil (Faraday effect). The voltage pulse is detected by the electronic circuitry and conditioned into the desired output. MTS magnetostrictive sensors are available with many outputs, including DC voltage, current, pulse width modulation, start-stop digital pulses, CANbus, Profibus, serial synchronous interface, HART, and others. ____________________________________________________ For more information, please contact :- MTS Systems Corp. USA. Tel: 919-677-0100

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