Carburizing is a widely used heat treating process of steel in which carbon is absorbed then diffuses into the outer layer of steel. The carbon profile in that outer layer and the subsequent appropriate quenching are crucial to the steel's final mechanical properties. At present, there is no method or sensor for direct, nondestructive, in-situ measurement of the carbon profile in the outer layer of the steel. In this work, a device and a method were developed that would directly measure carbon concentration profile in carburized steel (using the skin effect phenomenon). A novel sensor (in two different embodiments) was developed which permits the real-time non-destructive interrogation of the steel for its carbon content. Laboratory test results of carbon profile using the aforementioned probe compared well with test results obtained by common destructive methods' techniques. If integrated into an automated feedback carburizing control, this device would permit closer control of the process of carburizing of steel. The same method and apparatus have the potential to be used in different metal surface studies.
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