Hand held Eddy Current Tester for Accurate Depth Measurement of Case Hardening in Aerospace Materials Navy SBIR FY2010.2 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2010.2 Topic No.: N102-141 Topic Title: Hand held Eddy Current Tester for Accurate Depth Measurement of Case Hardening in Aerospace Materials Proposal No.: N102-141-0447 Firm: Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc. 44 Hunt Street Watertown, Massachusetts 02472-4699 Contact: Timothy Tiernan Phone: (617) 668-6856 Web Site: http://www.rmdinc.com Abstract: New technology is needed for nondestructive inspection (NDI) of the interface depth on case hardened aerospace components such as gears and drive trains. At this time, the standard method of measurement is destructive and sample dependent - cross sectioning and traverse-hardness testing. An NDI technology capable of measuring the core-to-case interface depth on small, geometrically complex areas to high accuracy would be ideal. Existing NDI technologies such as coil eddy current testing are still in the laboratory stage, and are limited to measuring large, homogeneous samples because of the size of coils required for sensitivity. RMD proposes a revolutionary new eddy current technology it has recently patented based on using a microscopic, high sensitivity, solid state AMR sensing element to measure the case hardening interface depth. The 2-D solid-state sensor will allow miniaturizing of the ECT probe so that it can be used on small geometries with accurate results. The proposed NDI system will be portable, versatile, and simple to operate. Through making possible 100% testing of components during fabrication as well as in-the-field testing, the proposed NDI technology will improve aircraft integrity and crew safety, improve readiness, and reduce the cost and complexity of inspections. Benefits: By facilitating 100% testing of case hardening on aerospace components in manufacturing, this new NDI technology will greatly improve the integrity of our military assets. At the same time, this method will save money compared to sampling and cross sectioning in several ways: 1) this test will be much simpler to run than, 2) the time required for the test will be minimal compared to the delay inherent in cross sectioning, and 3) there will be no loss of good parts. RMD's NDI methodology will have broad application in many other industries using case hardened components. Among the fields using case hardened components are construction equipment, energy generation, transportation, and general mechanical engineering. Return