Overview of Magnetostrictive Sensor Technology

As sensors become integrated in more applications, interest in magnetostrictive sensor technology has blossomed. Magnetostrictive sensors take advantage of the efficient coupling between the elastic and magnetic states of a material to facilitate sensing a quantity of interest. Magnetic and magnetostrictive theory pertinent to magnetostrictive sensor technology is provided. Sensing configurations are based on the utilization of a magnetostrictive element in a passive, active, or combined mode. Magnetostrictive sensor configurations that measure motion, stress or force, torque, magnetic fields, target characteristics, and miscellaneous effects are discussed. The configurations are compared and contrasted in terms of application, sensitivity, and implementation issues. Comparisons are made to other common sensor configurations as appropriate. Experimental and modeling results are described when available and schematics of the configurations are presented.