Array for sensing and inducing strain in an adhesively bonded joint including magnetostrictive material

Abstract

Sensing strain in an adhesively bonded joint includes inducing a strain wave in the joint, and sensing a change in local magnetic characteristics in the joint. An array includes a plurality of elements for sensing and inducing a strain wave in selected regions of a structure having the adhesively bonded joint. The elements include at least one micromechanical driver for inducing strain waves in selected regions, a plurality of mechanical sensors for measuring vibrations resulting from the induced strain waves, a plurality of micromagnetic drivers for generating weak magnetic fields over the selected regions, and a plurality of micromagnetic sensors for sensing magnetic responses of the selected regions to the strain waves.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.