SST: Enabling Concepts in Embedded Sensors, Sensor Manufacturing and Integration

该传感器小型团队(SST)奖的研究目标是发展与热喷雾传感器相关的基础科学，这是一项新兴的技术。直写热喷涂具有制造传感器并将其直接嵌入工程部件的能力。该方法将重点放在三个重要的传感试验台上：机械传感、热敏传感和磁传感。在每个专题领域，都选择了一个试验台传感器，以探索其操作、设计、优化和建模等科学方面。机械、热敏和磁敏传感器分别是电容式应变计、热通量传感器和磁阻式传感器。除了它们的重要性之外，这些特殊的传感器还为各种研究任务提供了一个平衡良好的试验台。进一步预计，由此产生的科学成果将很容易地转移到类似的传感器部件。该研究方法结合了传感器设计、材料处理、实验验证和分析建模的平衡。如果成功，这项研究的好处将使基于热喷雾的传感技术能够集成到广泛的工程部件中。传感器将提供有关组件状态和健康的重要信息，从而提高效率，预测和避免灾难性故障，并安排最佳维护时间。通过该计划取得的科学进步将大大有助于直写热喷雾适应行业和最终用户。通过解决可靠性、重复性、可行的工作范围和设计参数等问题，直写式热喷涂传感器可以在更大的规模上部署，并且具有目前无法获得的置信度。这只能通过系统的科学方法来实现。在教育影响方面，这个项目真正是跨学科的，享受材料科学、制造、机电工程、化学和物理的贡献，互动是必要的，而不是一种选择。这个项目可以在非常广泛的学科和广泛的水平上吸引学生。

The research goal of this Sensor Small Team (SST) award is to develop the fundamental science associated with thermal-spray-based sensors, a nascent, emerging technology. Direct-Write Thermal Spray has the capability to fabricate and embed sensors directly onto engineering components. The approach will be to focus on three important sensing testbeds: mechanical, thermal, and magnetic sensing. Within each topical area, a testbed sensor has been selected to explore the scientific aspects including its operation, design, optimization, and modeling. The sensors for mechanical, thermal, and magnetic sensing are capacitive strain gauges, heat flux sensors, and magneto-resistive sensors, respectively. In addition to their importance, these particular sensors represent a well-balanced testbed for the various research tasks. It is further expected that the resulting scientific results will be readily transferred to similar sensor components. The research approach incorporates a balance of sensor design, materials processing, experimental validation and analytical modeling.If successful, the benefits of this research will enable integrating thermal-spray-based sensing technology into a wide variety of engineering components. The sensors will provide vital information on component status and health, resulting in improved efficiencies, predicting and avoiding catastrophic failure, and scheduling optimal times for maintenance. The scientific advances made through this program will go a long way towards the adaptation of Direct-Write Thermal Spray to industry and end-users. By addressing issues of reliability, repeatability, feasible operating range, and design parameters, Direct-Write Thermal Spray sensors can be deployed on a much larger scale, and with a degree of confidence not currently available. This can only be done through a systematic scientific approach. In terms of educational impact, this project is truly interdisciplinary, enjoying contributions from materials science, manufacturing, mechanical and electrical engineering, chemistry and physics, and interaction is a necessity, rather than an option. This project can engage students across a very wide range of disciplines and at a broad range of levels.