Bae Systems, Inc.

Atlantic Inertial Systems, Inc.

Mark Alcuin Venables

Alan R Malvern

Ian Michael Sturland

Mark David Balmond

Nicolass F DeRooij

Alan Peter Pritchard

Alan Richard Malvern

Nicolaas Frans Derooij

A corrosion sensor for detecting the action of corrosive media on a metallic component when the sensor is mounted in the vicinity of the metallic component in use is disclosed. The sensor includes an electrically conducting corrodible element mounted on a non conducting substrate, the corrodible element being covered with a protective coating such as paint adapted to protect the corrodible element from corrosive media. The protective coating defines a temporary feature such as a paint defect which extends across the corrodible element and is designed to permit attack on the corrodible element by corrosive media after a predetermined period of time. The corrodible element comprises a pair of spaced tracks extending generally in a longitudinal direction and a series of corrodible tracks, each corrodible track extending generally in a lateral direction and forming an electrical connection between the spaced tracks. The temporary feature extends longitudinally, in the space between the pair of tracks, across a number of the corrodible tracks whereby to permit a corrosive attack on a number of the corrodible tracks after the predetermined period of time.

Corrosion sensor

An accelerometer having a plate-like proof mass (), flexible mounting legs () each co-planar with the proof mass (), a ring-like support (), in which the proof mass () is moveably mounted, with each mounting leg () being connected at one end to the proof mass () and connected at another end to the support () and with the mounting legs () extending substantially perpendicularly to the sensing direction, a plurality of interdigitated capacitor fingers mounted, in a gaseous medium, in the ring-like support () for sensing linear movement of, and for providing gaseous medium squeeze damping for the proof mass () in the sensing direction, with the fingers, proof mass (), mounting legs () and support () being co-planar and formed from a single plate of mono-crystalline silicon, which fingers comprise fixed first, second, third and fourth arrays () of laterally spaced fingers extending substantially perpendicularly to the sensing direction and away from the support () towards to the proof mass (), and moveable fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth arrays () of laterally spaced fingers extending substantially perpendicularly to the sensing direction from and attached to the proof mass () towards the support (), with the interdigitation of the first and fifth arrays () and of the third and seventh arrays () being at a first offset in one direction in the sensing direction from a median line between adjacent fingers in the first, second, third and fourth arrays (), and with the interdigitation of the second and sixth arrays () and of the fourth and eighth arrays () being at a second offset equal and in the opposite direction to the first offset and means for providing a first drive voltage to the first offset arrays () of fingers and an equal and opposite second drive voltage to the second offset arrays () of fingers such that the interdigitated fingers provide for the proof mass sensing of displacement in response to acceleration applied to the accelerometer, drive and damping of displacement.

Accelerometer

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Filton, United Kingdom

Mark Alcuin Venables