Patent ID: 6583617
Filing Date: 2003-06-24
Classification: G01N,G01R

Abstract:
A Barkhausen probe, with a plastic housing, for performing non-destructive evaluation of conductive materials, said probe comprising:at least one magnetic field generating means, comprising an electromagnet having a U-shaped core made of magnetizeable material with conductive wire coiled around a portion of said U-shaped core for applying a magnetic field to said conductive materials; at least one giant magnetoresistive material based sensor mounted in a cylindrical magnetic field shield such that the easy axis of said at least one giant magnetoresistive material based sensor is collinear with the central axis of said cylindrical magnetic field shield with the system of the giant magnetoresistive material based sensor and cylindrical magnetic field shield symmetrically straddled by said U shaped electromagnet in a manner so as to make the giant magnetoresistive material based sensor responsive to fluctuating magnetic signals induced in conductive materials by said magnetic fields generating means and essentially non-responsive to magnetic fields not originating in the conductive material; means, in communication with said at least one giant magnetoresistive material based sensor, for conditioning the output pulses from the giant magnetoresistive material based sensor resulting from said fluctuating magnetic signals incident thereupon and providing conditioned output signals for analysis; means connected to the output of said means for conditioning the output pulses from the giant magnetoresistive material based sensor for collecting and analyzing the conditioned output signals.