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.
