Sensor assemblies

Abstract

The present invention provides a sensor body (') that can be used as part of a sensor assembly, optionally a capacitive sensor that is used to measure the clearance between the tip of a gas turbine engine blade and the surrounding casing. The sensor body includes a core layer () having an electrically conductive electrode layer (). An outer insulating layer () substantially surrounds the core layer () and extends along a front part () of the sensor body to define a window layer () that provides a hermetic seal that excludes gas from any interface between the constituent layers of the sensor body. The core layer () and the outer insulating layer () are formed from the same electrically non-conducting ceramic material to avoid any problems with differential thermal expansion. The electrode layer () is embedded within a front part of the sensor body and extends between the core layer () and the window layer ().