Abstract
This is a feasibility study of the design and construction of a metal detector system using a fiber-optic Mach-Zehnder interferometer and a sensor employing a novel polymeric magnetostrictive material. This ferromagnetic polymeric metal detector system is small and easy to fabricate, offering relatively high sensitivity and resistance to the radio frequency interference common in most electromagnetic metal detectors. The metal detection is achieved by disrupting the magnetic flux density that encompasses the magnetostrictive sensor. This article discusses the magnetic properties of the ferromagnetic polymers and the results of detecting metal objects of different shapes and geometries. © 2012 The Author(s).