Inverse magnetostrictive sensitivity of martensitic stainless steel AISI-410 and its application to pressure measurements

The inverse magnetostrictive sensitivity of martensitic stainless steel AISI-410 has been examined with intended application for pressure transducers in nuclear environments. The experiments were performed by applying tensile and compressive stresses to a specimen made of AISI-410, and then measuring the voltages induced in the secondary coil of the specimen for various excitation currents of 400 Hz supplied to the primary coil. It has been observed that the sensitivity increases as the excitation strength increases, and that it saturates at about 28 ×10^-3Wb/m²/kg. mm^-2at an excitation of about 600 AT/m-400 Hz. It seems that the sensitivity and the linear stress range are sufficient for the intended applications. Based on the measured data, a prototype of a miniature pressure transducer has been designed and constructed. The constructed transducer has performed well during tests.