A sensor for measuring stresses including a layer of a magnetoelastic material

摘要

The present invention relates to a sensor for measuring stresses induced by a force applied to a load-carrying member. The sensor includes a layer of a magnetoelastic material formed on the load-carrying member. The layer is inhomogeneous and comprises a first phase with an average grain size below 100nm and a first chemical composition, and a second phase (17) of a distinctly different chemical composition, the first phase being divided by the second phase into regions (18) having an average size in the range of 100 - 10 000nm, and a plurality of the regions have an oxygen level less than 1wt%. The present invention also relates to a method for producing such a layer. The method comprises accelerating particles of a soft magnetic and magnetoelastic material having an average size in the range of 10-50µm towards the surface of the load-carrying member at a velocity of at least 300m/s such that the average temperature of the accelerated particles is not higher than 500°C above the melting temperature of the magnetoelastic material, but not lower than 500°C below the melting temperature of the magnetoelastic material.