Patent ID: 7913562

Claim:
A flexible plate-type magnetostrictive sensor (MsS) probe for inspection of structures having surfaces that may vary from planar to cylindrical in curvature, the MsS probe comprising: (a) a flat flexible cable (FFC) coil assembly, the FFC coil assembly having a top face and a bottom face, the FFC coil assembly comprising: (i) a length of flat flexible cable (FFC) having a plurality of parallel conductors, the FFC folded back on itself and connected one end to the other after shifting the plurality of parallel conductors by one, thereby creating a continuous conductor loop coil having first and second electrical connections; (ii) a flexible strip of metal having a top face and a bottom face; and (iii) a layer of elastomeric material positioned on the bottom face of the flexible metal strip; wherein the metal strip is positioned within the coil constructed by folding the FFC back on itself; and (b) a flexible strip of magnetostrictive material, the flexible magnetostrictive strip adhered to the bottom face of the FFC coil assembly; wherein time varying current in the FFC coil assembly causes guided-waves to be generated in the magnetostrictive strip, which guided-waves, when the magnetostrictive strip is positioned against the surfaces of the structure, travel to and are reflected by anomalies in the structure under inspection.