Device for in-line monitoring the room temperature microstructure variations

Abstract

A device (100) for in-line monitoring the microstructure variations of a thermally processed steel wire at temperatures below 100° C. The device (100) has a magnetic sensor (102); a reference unit (104); a calculation unit (106). The magnetic sensor (102) is adapted to be positioned around the thermally processed steel wire and has a first induction coil (110) to generate an electromagnetic signal and a second induction coil (112) to receive an electromagnetic signal as currently measured value. The reference unit (104) contains or produces a set of reference measured values of thermally processed reference steel wire samples with fully identified room temperature microstructure. The calculation unit (106) is able to make a difference between the currently measured value and the reference measured values in order to return type and amplitude of microstructure deviation from the reference steel wire.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.