Date of Award

2010

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Applied Engineering and Technology Management

First Advisor

Cockrell, Gerald

Abstract

This thesis presents the results of a unique method for protecting inductive proximity (IP) sensors from extreme thermal exposure. The method presented in this study employs a barrier of ceramic tile material developed for the space shuttle program. While it may be intuitive that the ceramic tile material will provide adequate protection for extreme temperatures, what is not clear is the adaptability of this material to commercial use in a steel mill environment.One of the potential problems associated with using any thermal barrier is a partial or complete attenuation of the magnetic field generated by the sensor. To effectively utilize the shielding material in an application such as this it is necessary to understand the effect of the ceramic material on the magnetic field generated by the proximity sensor.In order to test the effectiveness of the ceramic tile to provide the level of thermal protection required and to discover if the tile will allow adequate magnetic field penetration for sensor detection, a series of two separate tests will be run. The first test will verify that the thermal shielding properties maintain the cool side temperature within the operational threshold of the sensor; the second test will establish the maximum sensing distance with the ceramic tile interposed between the sensor and the detectable object. This study determines if it is possible to consistently detect piping of 4” nominal diameter carbon steel pipe at a minimum specified distance from the shielding assembly.

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