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Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 2:00 PM
NEHMP062.2

High-Temperature Diagnostic and Environmental Sensors

J. Brogan, C. Gouldstone, J. Gutleber, R. Greenalw, B. Keyes, MesoScribe Technologies, Inc., Stony Brook, NY

Direct-write (DW) technology has been applied to fabrication of strain gages, thermocouples and humidity sensors.  The advantages of Direct-Write for harsh-environments include: superior adhesion to substrates without polymer adhesives; flexibility to select temperature-tolerant and substrate-compatible materials; ability to produce low-mass, low-profile multi-layers for rotating and wetted components; ability to embed devices within functional coatings; and batch reproducibility through automated processing to minimize cost and reject rate.  Resistive direct-write strain gages exhibit consistent and repeatable strain-reporting.  Through a ceramic device-substrate interface, the device tracks longitudinal and transverse deformation of the component being monitored.  Automated, integrated alignment and deposition processes simplify sensor installation and improve accuracy.  Direct-write thermocouple junctions are innately suited to surface temperature measurements, offering higher fidelity thermal interfaces than conventional contact thermocouples.  NIST-standard thermo-element compositions are used, for compatibility with legacy infrastructures e.g., extension leads, junctions and readers.  Capacitance-based humidity sensors, applied using Direct-Write, are being developed for use within graphite reinforced epoxy substrates (GrEp).  Since GrEp degradation is particularly sensitive to moisture, a hygrothermal suite combining direct-write humidity, temperature and strain sensors will be a valuable prognostic tool for composite structures in the field.  This paper will provide an overview of the performance properties for embedded environmental sensors made by Direct Write for health monitoring applications.


Summary: Direct-write (DW) technology has been applied to fabrication of strain gages, thermocouples and humidity sensors. The advantages of Direct-Write for harsh-environments include: superior adhesion to substrates without polymer adhesives; flexibility to select temperature-tolerant and substrate-compatible materials; ability to produce low-mass, low-profile multi-layers for rotating and wetted components; ability to embed devices within functional coatings; and batch reproducibility through automated processing to minimize cost and reject rate. This paper will provide an overview of the performance properties for embedded environmental sensors made by Direct Write for health monitoring applications.