RTD Fluxgate Sensors based on Twisted Glass-Coated Microwires

A new type of residence time difference (RTD) fluxgate sensor is proposed. The sensor consists of a soft magnetic glass-coated microwire surrounded by a pick-up coil, and an electronic system with multiple roles: the generation of the excitation signal, the processing of the pick-up signal and the display of the measurement result. The periodical switching of the magnetic core magnetization is performed by applying a sinusoidal electrical current directly through the magnetic material. The sensor operation and its behavior for 3 representative categories of glass coated microwires - Fe
77.5
Si
7.5
B
15
, Fe
73.5
Si
13.5
B
9
Cu
1
Nb
3
, and Co
68.18
Fe
4.32
Si
12.5
B
15
- used as sensitive elements are described in detail.