Patents by Inventor Robert L. Spinks, Jr.

Robert L. Spinks, Jr. has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Method and apparatus for short term inspection or long term structural health monitoring
    Patent number: 6396262
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is shown for implementing magnetostrictive sensor techniques for the nondestructive short term inspection or long term monitoring of a structure. A plurality of magnetostrictive sensors are arranged in parallel on the structure and includes (a) a thin ferromagnetic strip that has residual magnetization, (b) that is coupled to the structure with a couplant, and (c) a coil located adjacent the thin ferromagnetic strip. By a transmitting coil, guided waves are generated in a transmitting strip and coupled to the structure and propagate along the length of the structure. For detection, the reflected guided waves in the structure are coupled to a receiving strip and are detected by a receiving magnetostrictive coil. Reflected guided waves may represent defects in the structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
    Inventors: Glenn M. Light, Hegeon Kwun, Sang-Young Kim, Robert L. Spinks, Jr.