Patent ID: 8627724
Filing Date: 2014-01-14
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
1. A non-intrusive sensor for in-situ measurement of recession rate of ablative and eroding materials, comprising: a housing, which is mounted near an ablative material for which the recession rate is to be monitored; an ultrasonic wave source carried in the housing; a microphone, carried in the housing, for collecting the reflected ultrasonic waves from an interface surface of the ablative or eroding material; a time phasing control circuit for time-phasing the ultrasonic wave source so that the waves reflected from the interface surface of the ablative material focus on the microphone, to maximize the acoustic pressure detected by the microphone, and a circuit for computing the location off of which the ultrasonic waves scattered to focus back at the microphone, whereby the recession rate of the heat shield ablative is monitored in real-time.