Development of a steel health monitoring device based on anisotropic magnetoresistance sensors

Abstract

This paper presents a portable device based on an Anisotropic Magnetoresistance (AMR) sensor for Steel Health Monitoring. The system operates by detecting magnetic anomalies in ferromagnetic materials caused by strain, corrosion, etc. This sensor can have various applications in the transportation,building, and aerospace fields for safety and maintenance monitoring of ferromagnetic materials. In this work, a low-cost device, that combines a high-sensitivity AMR sensor, a microcontroller, and supporting electronics has been designed and implemented. This sensor allows the contactless measurement of the magnetic flux density along three axes, when placed above the material under test, while the microcontroller and the required electronics enable real-time analysis and monitoring of measurements. In order to house and protect the sensor under various circumstances, a 3D-printed enclosure has also been created. This device can be used along with rehabilitation techniques for treatment of defective areas of an under-test material. Its versatility allows it to be employed in a variety of testing conditions for both single-point and scanning mode monitoring. The device’s portability, ease of use and applicability to on-site measurements make it accessible to a wide range of users, requiring only a personal computer to display the measurements. Finally, measurements are presented to prove the device’s accuracy for steel health monitoring.