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Im Folgenden soll über aktuelle Diskussionen und Arbeitsschwerpunkte im Fachbeirat der BAM und von der Zulassungsstelle berichtet werden. Es werden Änderungen im Zusammenhang mit der Zulassungsrichtlinie für Kunststoffdichtungsbahnen vorgestellt. Es wird über die aktuelle Diskussion über die Anforderungen z. B. an metallische Sensoren für Dichtungskontrollsysteme berichtet. Änderungen der Fremdprüfung von sogenannten Sandschutzmatten, des Standards zur Qualitätsüberwachung (SQÜ) von Kunststoff Dränelementen (KDE) und der Anpassung der Formulierungen zum Überbau der in Abdichtungen verwendeten Produkte werden aufgezeigt.
In order to reduce the human footprint of CO2 emissions and limit global warming effects hydrogen combustion is becoming increasingly important. To enable fuel cells and gas turbines to operates this carbon free fuel, unprecedently large amounts of hydrogen need to be produced and safely transported and stored. The investigation of the effects of accidents involving hydrogen is therefore becoming of outmost importance. Since hydrogen is usually stored and transported under pressure, one scenario to be considered is the release of hydrogen from a leakage with subsequent ignition. The resulting jet flame must be characterized with respect to the thermal radiation emitted into the environment to define safety regulations. Various models that characterize the resulting flame shape and radiation already exist in the literature, but these are mainly based on empirical data from hydrocarbon jet flames.[1-4] To verify these models, a H2 Jet Flame project conducted at BAM, is investigating the safety of momentum driven hydrogen jet flames. For this purpose, large-scale tests are carried out at the Test Site Technical Safety (BAM-TTS). The object of the investigations is to assess the effects of real scale release scenarios regarding flame geometry and the thermal radiation emitted. Parameters such as release angle, leakage diameter (currently 1 mm to 10 mm), pressure (currently up to max. 250 bar) and mass flow (up to max. 0.5 kg/s) are varied. In addition, influences such as the type of ignition, ignition location as well as delayed ignition can also be investigated. The gained knowledge will be compared with existing jet flame models, to validate these and identify a possible need for further development. In particular, the focus will be laid on the thermal radiation of hydrogen flames. The challenge here is the visualization and characterization of the flame geometry in an open environment. Visualization is performed using infrared (IR) camera systems from at least two viewing angles. Measurements of the heat radiation of jet flames, which can be found in the literature, are mostly based on unsteady outflow conditions. The experimental setup used here allows for the generation of a steady-state outflow for several minutes and thus a direct comparability with existing (steady-state) models. Furthermore, the tests can be carried out for comparative measurements with hydrocarbons (methane, etc.) as well as mixtures of hydrogen and hydrocarbons.
Sicherheitstechnische Untersuchungen von Wasserstoff Freistrahlflammen bei Hochdruck im Realmaßstab
(2024)
Wasserstoff als Energieträger gewinnt zunehmend an Bedeutung. Die Untersuchung von Störfallauswirkungen mit Wasserstoff rückt somit stärker in den Fokus. Da Wasserstoff meist unter Druck gelagert und transportiert wird, ist ein zu betrachtendes Szenario die Freisetzung aus einer Leckage mit anschließender Zündung. Die daraus resultierende Freistrahlflamme (Jet Flame) muss hinsichtlich der in die Umgebung emittierten Wärmestrahlung charakterisiert werden. In der Literatur existieren bereits verschiedene Modelle, welche jedoch vermehrt auf Daten aus Kohlenwasserstoffflammen mit geringem Impuls basieren. Zur Überprüfung dieser Modelle wird im Zuge des BAM internen H2 Jet Flame Projektes die sicherheitstechnische Untersuchung von impulsbehafteten Wasserstoff Freistrahlflammen vorgenommen. Hierfür finden Versuche im Realmaßstab auf dem Testgelände Technische Sicherheit der BAM (BAM-TTS) statt. Gegenstand der Untersuchungen ist die Beurteilung der Auswirkungen von realistischen Freisetzungsszenarien hinsichtlich der Flammengeometrie und der freigesetzten Wärmestrahlung. Dabei werden Parameter wie Freisetzungswinkel, Leckagedurchmesser (z.Zt. 1 mm bis 10 mm), Druck (z.Zt. bis max. 250 bar) und Massenstrom (bis max. 0,5 kg/s) variiert. Zusätzlich können auch Einflüsse wie Art der Zündung, Zündort sowie Zündung mit zeitlichem Verzug untersucht werden. Gewonnene Erkenntnisse werden mit den Ergebnissen bereits vorhandener Modelle verglichen und diese im Bedarfsfall weiterentwickelt. Insbesondere wird der Fokus auf die Modellierung der freigesetzten Wärmestrahlung von Wasserstoffflammen gelegt. Herausforderung dabei stellt die IR-Vermessung und Modellierung von Sichtmodellen der Flammen dar. Die Visualisierung der Flammengeometrie wird mit Hilfe mehrerer Infrarot Kamerasystemen (aus mindestens zwei Blickwinkeln) vorgenommen.
Bisherige Messungen, die in der Literatur zu finden sind, basieren meist auf instationären Auströmbedingungen. Der hier verwendete Versuchsaufbau ermöglicht ein stationäres Ausströmen für mehrere Minuten und somit eine direkte Vergleichbarkeit mit den existierenden (stationären) Modellen.
Weiterhin ist der Versuchsstand umrüstbar für Vergleichsmessungen mit Kohlenwasserstoffen (Methan etc.) sowie Mischungen aus Wasserstoff und Kohlenwasserstoffen.
In einer Reihe von Experimenten wurden die möglichen Folgen der Freisetzung von verflüssigtem Wasserstoff (LH2) auf, bzw. unter Wasser untersucht. Die Experimente zielten darauf ab, eine unbeabsichtigte Freisetzung von LH2 (z.B. durch Schlauchabriss) insbesondere bei der Betankung eines Schiffes zu simulieren. Für verflüssigtes Erdgas (LNG) wurden dabei sog. RPT’s (rapid phase transition) nachgewiesen, bei denen die spontane Verdampfung relevante Druckwellen erzeugt. Es kann nicht ausgeschlossen werden, dass RPTs auch im Falle von LH2 möglich sind. Die Versuche wurden auf dem Testareal Wasserstoffsicherheit auf dem Testgelände Technische Sicherheit der Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM-TTS) in Horstwalde, im Rahmen einer Forschungskooperation zwischen der BAM und Gexcon im Rahmen des SH2IFT-Programms durchgeführt. Die LH2-Freisetzungen erfolgten direkt aus einem LH2-Tanklastwagen über eine lange, flexible, vakuumisolierte Transferleitung. Während die Freisetzung oberhalb und unterhalb der Wasseroberfläche jeweils vertikal orientiert war, wurde bei der Unterwasserfreisetzung zusätzlich eine horizontale Ausströmung, parallel zur Wasseroberfläche realisiert. Zur Bestimmung des Massenstromes, wurde ein Wägesystem unter dem Tankwagen eingesetzt. Spezielle Drucksensoren wurden verwendet, um die durch die Freisetzungsvorgänge erzeugten Stoßwellen sowohl im Wasser als auch in der Luft zu messen. Die Gaskonzentrationen über dem Wasserbecken wurden an verschiedenen Positionen gemessen. Hochgeschwindigkeits-, Infrarot- (IR) und normale Kameras wurden eingesetzt, um die Phänomenologie der Freisetzung aufzuzeichnen und das Verhalten der Gaswolke im Zeitverlauf zu verfolgen. Neben den fest installierten Systemen an Land, kamen auch Unterwasserkameras sowie eine Drohne mit Normal- und IR-Kameras zum Einsatz.
Zwei Wetterstationen wurden zur Messung von Windgeschwindigkeit, Windrichtung, Temperatur und Luftfeuchtigkeit während aller durchgeführten Tests eingesetzt. Des Weiteren kamen Bolometer zur Wärmestrahlungsmessung zum Einsatz. Zwar führten die Freisetzung zu einer hochturbulenten LH2/Wasser Mischzone, jedoch zu keinen nennenswerten Überdrücken durch RPT. Im Gegensatz dazu wurde unerwartet, aber reproduzierbar, eine Zündung der Gaswolke in freier Luft in einiger Entfernung von den Instrumenten und dem Ort der Freisetzung beobachtet. Die daraus resultierenden Gaswolkenexplosionen führten zu relevanten Überdrücken und zur Wärmeabstrahlung in die Umgebung.
In einer Versuchsreihe im Realmaßstab wurden drei Flüssigwasserstofftanks (LH2) unterfeuert. Hierbei sollte unter anderem geklärt werden, ob es, analog zu druckverflüssigten Gasen, zu einem BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Cloud Explosion) kommen kann. Die Experimente wurden auf dem Testareal Wasserstoffsicherheit des Testgeländes Technische Sicherheit der Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM-TTS) im Rahmen einer Forschungskooperation zwischen der BAM und Gexcon, als Teil des SH2IFT-Programms durchgeführt. Es handelte sich um doppelwandige, vakuumisolierte Tanks von 1 m³ Volumen. Die zylindrischen Tanks unterschieden sich durch ihre Ausrichtung (horizontal oder vertikal) und das verwendete Isoliermaterial (Perlit oder Mehrschichtisolierung (MLI). Der Füllgrad der Tanks betrug bei jedem der durchgeführten Tests etwa 35-40 %. Die Brandlast wurde homogen durch ein propangasbetriebenes Brennersystem erzeugt. Gemessen wurden die Bedingungen im Behälter (Temperaturen und Druck) sowie äußere Randbedingungen und Auswirkungen beim Versagen (Wärmestrahlung, Druckwellen, Flammenballentwicklung und Fragmentierung). Mit Bolometern wurde die Wärmestrahlung gemessen, die sowohl durch das Propanfeuer als auch durch einen möglichen Feuerball/BLEVE erzeugt wurde. Zur Messung der durch das Bersten von Behältern/BLEVEs erzeugten Druckwellen wurden sog. Pencil-Probes verwendet. Des Weiteren wurden mehrere Kameras zur Überwachung der Experimente eingesetzt: Normalbildkameras, Infrarot (IR)-Kameras und Hochgeschwindigkeitskameras, sowohl bodengestützt als auch mittels einer Drohne. Zwei der untersuchten Tanks, ein horizontaler und der vertikale, die beide mit Perlit isoliert waren, hielten der Brandbelastung stand, ohne dass es zu einem Behälterversagen kam. Der mit MLI isolierte horizontale Behälter barst nach 1 Stunde und 6 Minuten und erzeugte dabei einen Feuerball, Trümmerflug und eine Druckwelle. Neben der Beschreibung der Auswirkungen eines kritischen Versagens eines LH2-Tanks sind weitere Ziele der Arbeit die Identifizierung kritischer Behälterzustände sowie die Erstellung eines umfassendes Datensatzes der Trümmer des geborstenen Tanks. Die größten Abstände für kritische Abstände ergaben sich durch Fragmentwurf. Hier sollen 3D-Scans für die Verwendung in CAD und FEM Anwendungen bereitgestellt werden. Umfassende Daten zu den Fragmentwurfweiten, -massen und -positionen wurden bereits publiziert. Damit soll die Voraussetzung geschaffen werden, um vorhandene Wurfweitenmodelle, die bisher nur für einschalige Behälter konzipiert wurden auf ihre Eignung für mehrschalige Behälter zu überprüfen oder mögliche Anpassungen anhand der realen Daten vornehmen zu können.
Zudem wurde damit begonnen die nicht geborstenen Tanks zu vermessen und zu zerlegen, um u.a. die Perlit-Schüttung auf Beeinträchtigungen durch den Transport und die Unterfeuerung zu untersuchen.
Mechanical stress often accelerates the failure of polymer materials. The aim of this research is to study the interaction between the sealing material FKM and biofuels B10 (heating oil with 10% biodiesel). The mechanical stress test was carried out in a special apparatus. Both mechanical and non-mechanical stress tests were conducted on specimens at 20, 40, and 70 °C for 28 days to document changes in mass, volume, and tensile properties. Both increasing temperature and mechanical stress have a significant effect on the tensile strength of the FKM polymer when exposed to B10. The combination of increasing temperature and mechanical stress induced rupture within 2 h. It was also established that FKM polymer with pre-exposure in B10 survived longer during mechanical stress compared to specimens exposed only to air. With the support of infrared (IR) spectroscopy, we were able to confirm the penetration of B10 into the FKM polymer.
Since 2016 ISO Technical Committee (TC) 265 is working on standardization the whole CCS-process chain. Around 30 countries are working together to provide international guidelines. As ISO 27913 was the first standard finished within these activities it is already in the stage of first revision.
The objective of ISO 27913 is “to provide specific requirements and recommendations on certain aspects of safe and reliable design, construction and operation of pipelines intended for the large-scale transportation of CO2 that are not already covered in existing pipeline standards such as ISO 13623, ASME B31.8, EN 1594, AS 2885 or other standards. Existing pipeline standards cover many of the issues related to the design and construction of CO2 pipelines; however, there are some CO2 specific issues that are not adequately covered in these standards. The purpose of this document is to cover these issues consistently. Hence, this document is not a standalone standard, but is written to be a supplement to other existing pipeline standards for natural gas or liquids for both onshore and offshore pipelines.”
This contribution shall provide information on the content, the current stage of the revision process, encourage to contribute to this standard and make listeners aware to consider the influence of ISO standard on documents currently in draft.
Mit der Abkehr von der Nutzung fossiler Rohstoffe rücken regenerative Energieträger immer weiter in den Focus. Neben klassischen Holzkohlen werden verstärkt so genannte Biokohlen produziert. Dieser Begriff findet Verwendung für mit Hilfe verschiedener Verfahren karbonisierte pflanzliche, tierische oder mikrobielle Ausgangsstoffe. Diese Kohlen werden zum Teil über weite Strecken zum Bestimmungsort transportiert (Überseetransporte) oder vor Verwendung für längere Zeit gelagert.
Häufig zeigen diese Kohlen ein kritisches Selbstentzündungsverhalten, wobei Einstufungstests (UN N.4 Test) versagen können. Ein negatives Testergebnis des UN N.4 Tests führte dabei in der Vergangenheit zur Nichteinstufung als selbsterhitzungsfähiger Stoff; in der Praxis entzündeten sich aber bereits vergleichsweise kleine Schüttungen (einige m³), z. B. beim Seetransport in Containern. Der Artikel geht auf dieses Problem ein und stellt Prüfverfahren vor. Aus den Ergebnissen durchgeführter Untersuchungen werden Empfehlungen für sicheren Transport und Lagerung abgeleitet.
The structural integrity of outer reinforced concrete (RC) containments of nuclear power plants provides an essential shield against external hazards. If this containment is damaged by an impact event, such as an aircraft crash, the question arises to which degree the reinforced concrete containment still has its protective capability. This concerns both purely structural protection and protection against liquids penetrating the interior of the containment. Due to the dimensions of the containment structures, it is difficult to perform real scale impact experiments, so in the past decades plate geometries at medium scale have been used for investigations. Detailed investigations on the structural behaviour of RC members or RC plates subjected to impact loading have already been presented in Just et al., Hering, Hering et al., Bracklow et al., Hille et al. and Nerger et al.
The following investigations deal with the single and multiple impact event (first hard impact and/or subsequent soft impact) on a RC specimen, which provides the basis for further investigations. A description of the test setup and the test procedure as well as a presentation of the test results from the impact tests are provided.
Furthermore, the experimental program is presented, which the damaged RC specimens are to undergo to deal with the question of how much the impact-damaged RC structure has become permeable to liquid media, such as water and kerosene, depending on the intensity of the impact. The aim of these following investigations is to develop a test setup that can be applied to investigate the liquid penetration behaviour (LPB) of small, medium, and large-scale RC members.
In addition to the liquid penetration experiments, the damaged specimens are to be examined by planar tomography to obtain the damage inside the specimen. The combination of damaging event, fluid penetration behaviour and tomography should enable a comprehensive understanding of the damage to the RC specimen.
Evaluation of Heat Fluxes in Fire Reference Test Conducted in BAM Propane Gas Fire Test Facility
(2024)
Packages for the transport of intermediate- and high-level radioactive waste are designed to withstand severe accidents. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has established specific mechanical and thermal tests. Packages for the transport of radioactive material must withstand these tests to comply with the Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Materials IAEA [IAEA (2018)]. A fire reference package was developed with the primary objective to demonstrate that the fire meets the regulatory requirements. Another aim is to characterise the boundary conditions of the actual fire as input parameters for thermo-mechanical simulations. A simple method to characterise the boundary conditions of a real steady state fire with a fire reference package is presented. The thermal test mainly consists of a 30 minute fully engulfing 800°C pool fire or an equally severe fire, such as a propane gas fire. The fire reference tests are performed prior to the actual fire test with the real package. The heat fluxes into the package depend substantially on the fire characteristics and the surface temperature of the package. To investigate local and overall heat fluxes over a wide range of surface temperatures in this test facility a fire reference package was designed for repeated use. The fire reference package presented in this paper represents the outer geometry of a small transport container for radioactive material and is used as a device in civil engineering. It is designed as a closed steel sheet cylinder with a wall thickness of 10 mm, a length of 182 mm and a diameter of 102 mm. The package was instrumented with thermocouples and filled with heat resistant insulation material. Open-air fire tests were performed in a BAM propane gas fire test facility with the fire reference package. The measured temperatures are used to determine the changes of heat fluxes into the fire reference package in relation to the package surface temperature. The calculated heat fluxes allow its fitting to express the thermal exposure as simple mathematical boundary condition. Therefore, in a first approach, fire properties such as adiabatic surface temperature (AST) as proposed by Wickström et al. (2007), convection coefficient and emissivity are determined mathematically fitting the heat flux development presented in this paper. The evaluated results provide an initial picture of local fire characteristics of the conducted propane gas fire and are a further development of previous works from Feldkamp et al. (2020). The results can be used in thermal and thermo-mechanical models to simulate the load on the real transport package in fire. The test shows that the examined propane gas fire covers the IAEA-fire over a wide range of surface temperatures with the chosen test stand parameters.
Die Umweltwirkungen auf ein Material werden als Überlapp der Funktionskurven von Materialempfindlichkeit und einwirkenden Umweltparametern betrachtet. Wenn entweder die Empfindlichkeit oder die Beanspruchungen Null sind, ergibt sich auch keine Umweltwirkung und bei beidseitig Werten größer Null das jeweilige Produkt der beiden. Die Akkumulation der nicht-reversiblen Effekte über die Zeit und allen Eigenschaftsänderungen entspricht der Alterung des Materials für den jeweiligen Expositionszeitraum.
Die digitale Umweltsimulation gliedert sich hier in drei Teilaspekte. Ein erster, rein materialwissenschaftlicher Teil hat die Aufgabe, alle relevanten Materialempfindlichkeiten experimentell zu quantifizieren. Ein zweiter – unter Umständen numerischer Teil – hat die Aufgabe, das Bauteil und seine Einbaulage zu digitalisieren und aus den makroskopischen Umgebungsbedingungen die relevanten mikroklimatischen Umweltparameter für alle Oberflächen- oder Volumenelemente zu bestimmen. In einem dritten Teil werden die Einwirkungen über den betrachteten Zeitraum berechnet und kumuliert. Dieses Konzept, das auf den so genannten Expositions-Reaktions-Funktionen (ERF) basiert, wird an Beispielen der Photoxidation erläutert. Dieses Vorgehen wurde schon beim ViPQuali-Projekt als Numerische Umweltsimulation umgesetzt.
Überprüft werden muss das Modell unbedingt an einer realitätsnahen Validierungsbeanspruchung. Hier werden die ermittelten ERFs mit über den kompletten Beanspruchungszeitraum geloggten Umweltparametern gekoppelt, um die berechnete mit der experimentell erfahrenen Alterungswirkung zu vergleichen. Nur so kann sichergestellt sein, dass alle für die Anwendungsumgebung relevanten Materialempfindlichkeiten einbezogen wurden.
The publication is an extended abstract on the modelling of the manufacturing process related residual stresses in type 4 pressure vessels for hydrogen storage. A 2D analytical model based on the classical laminate theory and a 3D finite element model are introduced. The calculated residual stress state after the filament winding process as well as the stress state in service are presented and discussed.
In einem laufenden Kooperationsprojekt zwischen der BAM Berlin und der MPA Stuttgart wird das probabilistische Master Curve (MC) Konzept nach ASTM E1921 hinsichtlich seiner Übertragbarkeit auf ferritisches Gusseisen mit Kugelgraphit (DCI) untersucht.
Zielsetzung ist die Bereitstellung einer Vorgehensweise zur Bestimmung und Bewertung der dynamischen Bruchzähigkeit von DCI im Übergangsbereich. In diesem Beitrag wird der Versuchswerkstoff der Festigkeitsklasse GJS-400 näher vorgestellt.
Ferner werden erste Ergebnisse von zwei bruchmechanischen Versuchsserien an SE(B)140-Großproben bei Belastungsraten von ca. 6∙104 MPa√ms-1 bei -40 °C und -60 °C präsentiert.
Im laufenden Verbundprojekt MCGUSS untersuchen dieProjektpartner MPA Stuttgart und BAM Berlin das probabilistische Master Curve (MC) Konzept nach ASTM E1921 hinsichtlich seiner Übertragbarkeit auf ferritisches Gusseisen mit Kugelgraphit (DCI).
Ziel des Projektes ist die Entwicklung einer Methode zur Bestimmung und Bewertung der dynamischen Bruchzähigkeit von DCI im Übergangsbereich. In diesem Beitrag werden die Eigenschaften des verwendeten Werkstoffs der Festigkeitsklasse GJS-400 vorgestellt und die sich daraus ergebenden Probenentnahmestellen näher erläutert.
Weiterhin werden erste Ergebnisse der C(T)25-Versuchsserien vorgestellt, die bei Belastungsraten von ca. 5∙103 MPa√ms-1, 5∙104 MPa√ms-1 und 5∙105 MPa√ms-1 und einer Temperatur von -40 °C durchgeführt wurden.
Portland cement is one of the principal sources of anthropomorphic CO2 emissions. It is estimated that cement production contributes up to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions and annual cement production over 4 billion tons. This has led to the development of a range of alkali activated materials (AAM), the most common precursor materials being class F fly ash and blast furnace slag. At present Class C Fly Ash is not widely utilized as an AAM due to the chemical composition and activation requirements. However, initial research on high Calcium German Class C Fly Ash suggests that the material may have potential for application as an AAM. This paper reports the development of ambient cured alkali activated mortar optimised by varying the alkali modulus and w/b ratio. The evolution of the mechanical and microstructural properties is reported over the initial 28 day period. Compressive strength in excess of 10 MPa at 7 days and 15 MPa at 28 days was achieved at ambient temperature. Similar strengths were observed for both 10% and 15% dosage but as dosage increases the optimal Alkali Modulus reduces.
Die Transformation der Energienutzung von konventionellen zu erneuerbaren Quellen führt dazu, dass zukünftig mehr Energie effizient zwischengespeichert werden muss. Eine Möglichkeit der elektrochemischen Zwischenspeicherung bieten Lithium-Ionen-Batterien. Hierfür können ausgemusterte Automobilantriebsbatterien verwendet werden. Erfüllen sie die hohen Anforderungen des mobilen Bereichs nicht mehr, haben sie oftmals noch eine ausreichende Kapazität und Leistungsfähigkeit für die stationäre Zwischenspeicherung.
Neben der Verwendung der Batterien im größeren Maßstab, z.B. bei Energieversorgern, werden durch den vermehrten Einsatz von Photovoltaik-Anlagen in Ein- und Mehrfamilienhäusern verstärkt Zwischenspeicher für Privathaushalte nachgefragt. Dies birgt auch für Einsatzkräfte neue Herausforderungen in der Gefahrenabwehr.
Im vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) geförderten Verbundprojekt „SEE-2L – Sicherheit elektrochemischer Energiespeicher in Second Life Anwendungen“ wurden Versuche mit Second Life Modulen durchgeführt. Verbundpartner im Projekt waren neben der vfdb die Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg und die Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung. Zudem war das Institut der Feuerwehr Nordrhein-Westfalen eingebunden.
Die durchgeführten Versuche bilden eine Grundlage für die Einordnung der Batteriespeicher, z.B. aus Sicht des baulichen Brandschutzes, zur Methodik der Brandbekämpfung oder zur Risikobewertung hinsichtlich der Prozess- und Anlagensicherheit.
Im Beitrag werden die Versuchsergebnisse vorgestellt und Ansätze für deren Anwendung gezeigt. Um die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse zu vermitteln, wurde im Projekt zudem ein Schulungskonzept für Einsätze mit Lithium-Ionen-Technologien erarbeitet, das im Beitrag präsentiert wird. Es besteht aus theoretischen und praktischen Anteilen, sodass bei den Feuerwehren praxisnah aus- bzw. fortgebildet werden kann.
Normung und Standardisierung in der zerstörungsfreien Prüfung finden auf nationaler, europäischer und internationaler Ebene statt. Die Übernahme von Leitungsfunktionen in diesen Gremien erzeugt die Möglichkeit der Steuerung von Themen und Inhalten der relevanten Normen. Das persönliche Engagement der Fachexpert*innen in den nationalen Gremien und den europäischen und internationalen Arbeitsgruppen ist ein zusätzlicher Faktor für die inhaltliche Korrektheit und die inhaltliche Ausrichtung der Norm. Denn wer nicht normt, wird genormt und muss letztlich Normen anwenden, die andere entsprechend ihrer eigenen Interessen gestaltet haben. Voraussetzung für die Teilnahme in europäischen und internationalen Normungsgremien ist die Mitwirkung in den entsprechenden DINSpiegelgremien, welche die europäischen (CEN) und internationalen (ISO) Aktivitäten spiegeln und die Fachexpert*innen für die Mitarbeit autorisieren.
Auf internationaler Ebene findet die Normungsarbeit in den technischen Komitees ISO/TC 135 “Non-destructive testing” und ISO/TC 44/SC 5 “Testing and inspection of welds” und ihren Arbeitsgruppen statt. Das europäische Pendant ist das CEN/TC 138 “Zerstörungsfreie Prüfverfahren” mit seinen Arbeitsgremien. Die DINSpiegelgremien sind für die deutsche Mitarbeit in diesen Gremien und die inhaltliche Bewertung der Norm-Entwürfe zuständig.
Germany had been transporting spent fuel to the reprocessing plant in Sellafield and La Hague for decades until around 2005. Resulting from the obligation to take back the vitrified high-level waste from reprocessing six CASTOR® HAW28M filled with 168 canisters with radioactive waste in vitrified form were transported from Sellafield to the interim storage facility Biblis in 2020. Rail wagons were used for the transport to the port in Barrow-in-Furness, where they were loaded into a dedicated seagoing vessel, certified as INF Class 3 according to the INF Code. This was the first time that vitrified high level waste with considerable heat load was transported under a German design approval certificate.
BAM was involved in the authority assessment of the conditions for the sea transport. For the first transport BAM required among others, assessment of temperature distribution during transport, logging of temperatures of cargo bays and graphical imaging of temperatures of the bay with the cask in order to ensure compliance with temperature specifications, e.g. maximal neutron absorber and gasket temperatures. Special interest was taken in the identification of possible events exceeding the specified temperatures considering the different philosophies of IMDG code and its supplement INF code regarding temperature control of hatches. Results show compliance with assumed conditions.
Gas Distribution Mapping (GDM) is essential in monitoring hazardous environments, where uneven sampling and spatial sparsity of data present significant challenges. Traditional methods for GDM often fall short in accuracy and expressiveness. Modern learning-based approaches employing Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) require regular-sized input data, limiting their adaptability to irregular and sparse datasets typically encountered in GDM. This study addresses these shortcomings by showcasing Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) for learningbased GDM on irregular and spatially sparse sensor data. Our Radius-Based, Bi-Directionally connected GNN (RABI-GNN) was trained on a synthetic gas distribution dataset on which it outperforms our previous CNN-based model while overcoming its constraints. We demonstrate the flexibility of RABI-GNN by applying it to real-world data obtained in an industrial steel factory, highlighting promising opportunities for more accurate GDM models.
This paper outlines significant advancements in our previously developed aerial gas tomography system, now optimized to reconstruct 2D tomographic slices of gas plumes with enhanced precision in outdoor environments. The core of our system is an aerial robot equipped with a custom-built 3-axis aerial gimbal, a Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS) sensor for CH4 measurements, a laser rangefinder, and a wide-angle camera, combined with a state-of-the-art gas tomography algorithm. In real-world experiments, we sent the aerial robot along gate-shaped flight patterns over a semi-controlled environment with a static-like gas plume, providing a welldefined ground truth for system evaluation. The reconstructed cross-sectional 2D images closely matched the known ground truth concentration, confirming the system’s high accuracy and reliability. The demonstrated system’s capabilities open doors for potential applications in environmental monitoring and industrial safety, though further testing is planned to ascertain the system’s operational boundaries fully.
Die aus der Kirche in Greven entnommenen A. punctatum wiesen größere genetische Unterschiede auf als die aus der isolierten Zucht der BAM. Dies lässt vermuten, dass ein Austausch von zufliegenden oder eingeschleppten Individuen zu einer erhöhten genetischen Variabilität beiträgt.
Die Ergebnisse der Sequenzanalysen vom Standort Greven zeigten, dass vier Variationen vorhanden waren. Die DNA-Barcodes aus der Datenbank NCBI (Frankreich, Finnland und Deutschland) besaßen nur SNPs, die bereits aus den Insekten der Kirche in Greven bekannt waren. Nach aktueller Datenlage für den betrachteten Genabschnitt sind diese Varianten (V2 bis V22) als repräsentativ für den mitteleuropäischen Raum anzunehmen.
Potenzielle weitere Varianten lassen sich nur über eine größere Stichprobenanzahl entdecken/finden. Die Ergebnisse der Käferproben aus der isolierten Zucht der BAM sind deutlich homogener und entsprachen der Variante 1 aus Greven. Die Variante 1 wurde ebenfalls in vier französischen und einer deutschen Probe aus der NCBI-Datenbank nachgewiesen.
Die Ergebnisse deuten auf zwei Hauptvariationen (Vx und V20) hin, wobei die eine (VJ homogener als die andere (V20) zu sein scheint. Da für den Räuber K. caeruleus keine Unterschiede in der COI gefunden wurden, gilt zu prüfen, ob der gewählte Genabschnitt für die Untersuchung repräsentativ ist. Dies ist mit einer höheren Probenzahl zu validieren.
Dieser Beitrag befasst sich mit der Entwicklung eines wirtschaftlichen und robusten Verfahrens zum Schweißen dicker Stahlbleche. Es werden Ergebnisse für das Fügen von Blechen im Dickenbereich von 25 mm bis 80 mm vorgestellt. Die 30 mm dicken Schweißnähte konnten im Stumpfstoß in zwei Durchgängen unter Verwendung des Laserhybridschweißens und des Unterpulverschweißens (UP) geschweißt werden. Das Laserhybridschweißen wird als Einschweißung mit einer Tiefe von ca. 25 mm ausgeführt. Die UP-Lagen werden auf der gegenüberliegenden Seite des Blechs aufgebracht. Bei richtiger Wahl der Schweißparameter wird der
Nahtquerschnitt durch eine sichere Überlappung beider Lagen geschlossen. Bei Blechdicken über 30 mm ist eine Kantenvorbereitung erforderlich, die eine Ausführung der UP-Fülllagen in Engspalttechnik ermöglicht. Die Vorteile der vorgeschlagenen Prozesskombination liegen darin, dass die Nahtwurzel der Laserhybridnaht nicht geformt werden muss. Defekte in der Wurzel der Laserhybrideinschweißung können durch die UP-Lagen effektiv beseitigt werden. Das Verfahren bietet eine hohe Stabilität des Schweißprozesses in Bezug auf die
Qualität der Blechkanten. Plasmageschnittene Kanten konnten ohne Bindefehler geschweißt werden. Die erreichte Nahtqualität wurde durch zerstörende und zerstörungsfreie Prüfungen bestätigt.
Based on the state-of-the-art research and regulations, the application of the fracture mechanics master curve (MC) concept to ferritic ductile cast iron (DCI) is being investigated in a joint research project between MPA Stuttgart and BAM Berlin. This paper outlines the research approach, the planned investigations and first results of the experimental program.
Bei der zerstörungsfreien Prüfung verlegter Eisenbahnschienen werden die Rohdaten derzeit in proprietären Datenformaten gespeichert und auf Datenträgern zwischen den Prüfzügen und den auswertenden Stellen versendet. Die proprietären Datenformate sind in der Regel nur den Herstellern der Prüfsysteme bekannt und deren Dokumentation nicht allgemein zugänglich.
Die „Standard Practice for Digital Imaging and Communication in Nondestructive Evaluation“ (DICONDE), basierend auf dem medizinischen Standard „Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine“ (DICOM), ermöglicht es, sowohl Prüfdaten als auch Prüfergebnisse und Streckeninformationen in einem standardisierten Format zu speichern und zwischen verschiedenen Endpunkten zu übertragen.
Das Poster gibt zunächst einen kurzen Überblick über die hierarchische Struktur von DICONDE und zeigt dann, wie DICONDE bei der Prüfung verlegter Eisenbahnschienen verwendet werden kann. Die geometrischen Besonderheiten (mehrere Kilometer Länge pro Prüffahrt, kurviger Streckenverlauf) stellen dabei eine besondere Herausforderung dar. Im Rahmen des mFUND-geförderten Projektes „Arteficial Intelligence for Railway Inspection (AIFRI)“, Förderkennzeichen 19FS2014C, wurde ein Vorschlag für eine Erweiterung des DICONDE-Standards für die Schienenprüfung erarbeitet und bei der ASTM eingereicht.
Early detection of fatigue cracks and accurate measurements of the crack growth play an important role in the maintenance and repair strategies of steel structures exposed to cyclic loads during their service life. Observation of welded connections is especially of high relevance due to their higher susceptibility to fatigue damage. The aim of this contribution was to monitor fatigue crack growth in thick welded specimens during fatigue tests as holistically as possible, by implementing multiple NDT methods simultaneously in order to record the crack initiation and propagation until the final fracture. In addition to well-known methods such as strain gauges, thermography, and ultrasound, the crack luminescence method developed at the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), which makes cracks on the surface particularly visible, was also used. For data acquisition, a first data fusion concept was developed and applied in order to synchronize the data of the different methods and to evaluate them to a large extent automatically. The resulting database can ultimately also be used to access, view, and analyze the experimental data for various NDT methods. During the conducted fatigue tests, the simultaneous measurements of the same cracking process enabled a comprehensive comparison of the methods, highlighting their individual strengths and limitations. More importantly, they showed how a synergetic combination of different NDT methods can be beneficial for implementation in large-scale fatigue testing but also in monitoring and inspection programs of in-service structures - such as the support structures of offshore wind turbines.
Within fracture mechanics safety assessment for steels in nuclear technology, the probabilistic master curve (MC) concept according to ASTM E1921 is currently used for quasi-static loading conditions as a supplement to the established deterministic ASME reference curve concept. However, for ductile cast iron (DCI), a systematic review of potential modifications to the assumptions and the procedure according to ASTM E1921 and an associated validation are still lacking. For this reason, the application of the fracture mechanics MC concept to ferritic ductile cast iron is being investigated in a joint research project between MPA Stuttgart and BAM Berlin. According to Hojo et al. (2008) the MC concept is already in use for the brittle fracture safety assessment of ferritic forged steel containers, which would suggest an extension to ductile cast iron containers. In compliance with IAEA SSG-26, the safety assessment of DCI containers for transport as well as storage of radioactive materials is based on the fracture mechanics criterion of general exclusion of crack initiation. Within this context, the focus of the current research project is on the further development of brittle fracture safety assessment methods. Therefore, a methodology shall be established to determine and assess dynamic fracture toughness values of DCI in the ductile-to-brittle transition regime, using only a low number of small fracture mechanics test specimens extracted from a component. For the experimental program, a DCI material of grade GJS-400 (GGG-40) has been produced as it is generally used for transport and storage containers for nuclear material. A basic mechanical-technological material characterization consisting of tensile, Charpy, and Pellini tests has been planned and a comprehensive fracture mechanics test program was compiled covering dynamic testing of DC(T)9, C(T)25, C(T)50, SE(B)10, SE(B)25, and SE(B)140 specimens at various loading rates and temperatures. The specimen testing is divided between the project partners based on specimen geometry. MPA Stuttgart has been tasked with the testing of the C(T), DC(T) and Pellini specimens, while BAM Berlin was assigned the SE(B), Charpy and tensile tests. These tests allow for the determination of the loading rate relevant for brittle fracture via C(T)25 specimens and an assessment of size effects by transferring the relevant loading rate to other specimen geometries and sizes. Numerical analyses of different specimen geometries and test setups are planned to investigate the influence of stress triaxiality and loading rate. Furthermore, the time-dependent course of the Weibull stress is assessed via these numerical analyses. Throughout the experimental program, the microstructure-property relationship will also be investigated based on quantitative metallographic and fractographic analyses like scanning electron microscope images and metallographic sections. With the acquired experimental database fundamental assumptions of the MC concept, like the weakest link model and the Weibull distribution, will be assessed for the application to DCI. In the end, the applicability of the MC concept will be evaluated and if necessary, modifications to the MC concept for DCI will be proposed. This paper will present the preliminary results of the GJS400 material characterization and the related selection of test specimen extraction points. First results of the C(T)25 and SE(B)140 specimen testing will also be discussed supported by first metallographic analyses.
The aim of the ZIKA research project, funded by the BMBF funding program FORKA (FKZ:15S9446 A-C), is the automated detection of internal corrosion of radioactive drums using non-destructive testing (NDT). The newly gained findings will be combined with research results from the previous project EMOS (FKZ:15S9420), which dealt with the external damage of drums. Using NDT, internal corrosion and possible internal sources of damage can be identified before they become a safety-relevant issue. However, if internally sourced damages can be seen externally, the integrity of the damaged drum is no longer guaranteed, which has significant consequences. Therefore, early detection before integrity failure is of particular importance for interim storage facilities with low- and medium-level radioactive waste drums.
Brittle Failure Limits of Spent Fuel Claddings Subjected to Long-Term Dry Interim Storage Conditions
(2024)
The mechanical properties of spent fuel claddings can be adversely affected under the conditions of long-term dry interim storage, so that the failure limits may be reached in case of mechanical loads during handling or transport after storage. Pre-storage drying and the early stage of interim storage can expose the cladding to higher temperatures and higher tensile hoop stresses than those associated with in-reactor operation and pool storage. During slow cooling of a cladding tube under internal pressure, radial hydrides may precipitate in zirconium-based cladding alloys. This can lead to embrittlement of the material and sudden failure of the cladding integrity under mechanical stress. In order to prevent brittle failure, numerical methods are being developed to predict the mechanical behaviour and identify limiting conditions. Experimental investigations, numerical analyses and evaluation methods are discussed.
An established experimental method for characterising cladding materials is the Ring Compression Test (RCT). Some test results on irradiated cladding tubes after operation in pressure water reactors are publicly available. However, it is helpful to carry out studies on unirradiated surrogate claddings with similar material properties to reduce the effort associated with irradiated samples in hot cells and to perform material tests with a wider range of parameters. On the basis of such experimental data, load-displacement curves have been numerically analysed for a selection of cladding materials.
Radial hydrides can cause a sample to break suddenly due to fracture even at low deformation. Noticeable load drops in the RCT are caused by unstable crack propagation through the radial hydride network. The failure mechanism is quasi-cleavage in the hydrides and micro-void nucleation, growth, and coalescence in the zirconium matrix, with ductile tearing patches connecting adjacent hydrides. The cohesive zone approach was used to simulate the failure process taking into account the radial hydride morphology.
The developed method can adequately describe both the deformation and failure behaviour of irradiated as well as unirradiated claddings of zirconium-based alloys with radial hydrides under RCT conditions. Limiting conditions can be expressed in terms of fracture energy and cohesive strength.
The research project focuses on tackling the detection, measurement, and elimination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from polluted groundwater, with a particular emphasis on addressing short (C4-C7) and ultrashort (C1-C3) chain PFAS. Given the widespread use of PFAS in various products, they are commonly found in groundwater near industrial and military sites in Germany and Israel. Moreover, recent regulations limiting the use of long chain PFAS have led industries to shift towards shorter chain alternatives. Hence, our efforts are geared towards refining detection, quantification, and removal methods for short and ultrashort chain PFAS. In terms of detection, ww are developing passive sampling devices capable of collecting and tracking the temporal distribution of PFAS species in groundwater. This will enable us to analyze contaminations in German and Israeli groundwater using cutting-edge analytical techniques. Additionally, contaminated groundwater will undergo a two-stage treatment process aimed at concentrating the relatively low PFAS concentrations using innovative membrane technologies such as closed-circuit reverse osmosis and mixed matrix composite nanofiltration membrane adsorbers. Subsequently, the streams containing higher PFAS concentrations will be treated through coagulation, with the remaining PFAS being adsorbed onto carbonaceous nanomaterials. The outcome of this research will include the creation of advanced tools for detecting, measuring, and eliminating PFAS from polluted groundwater, while also enhancing our understanding of the scope of these contaminations.
This paper explores combining a gimbal-mounted tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) sensor and a video camera to create a virtual gas camera for methane leak detection. This provides a low-to-zero-cost extension of typical TDLAS gas tomography systems. A prototype setup mounted on a ground robot is evaluated. Results acquired using a simulated methane leak show the feasibility of the virtual gas camera, accurately detecting methane leaks by overlaying concentrations onto a visual image. While the acquisition time is significantly longer than for traditional gas cameras, potential enhancements are discussed. The study concludes that the virtual gas camera is feasible and useful, despite its longer acquisition time. It serves as a valuable software-only addition to typical TDLAS gas tomography systems, offering quickly-available on-site data augmentation for visual leak assessment at low-to-zero cost.
Um die Ausbreitungsmechanismen von Vegetationsbränden und besonders bei Bodenbränden besser zu verstehen, wurden die Einflussfaktoren auf die Brandausbreitung näher untersucht. Da die Brandausbreitung auch in starkem Maße von der lokalen Vegetation abhängt, war eine Charakterisierung der lokalen Vegetation und der Bodenverhältnisse wichtig. Die Wetterverhältnisse spielen einerseits im Vorfeld des Brandes durch längere Dürreperioden als auch während des Brandes, z.B. durch den Windeinfluss, zusätzlich eine große Rolle.
Durch die numerische Simulation kann eine größere Variation der Einflussgrößen abgebildet werden als durch die zeitlich und finanziell begrenzten experimentellen Möglichkeiten. Für die Berechnungen wird der Fire Dynamic Simulators (FDS) mit dem Paket WFDS verwendet. Dadurch kann mit einem vereinfachten 3-Phasen-Reaktionskinetikmodell, bestehend aus Dehydrierung, Pyrolyse, Kohleoxidation, die Ausbreitung von Vegetationsbränden verschiedener Waldbodenarten untersucht werden. Es wurden dazu 6 typische Pflanzenarten und Bodenproben aus Kiefern-, Buchen und Eichenbeständen ausgewählt.
Die gesammelten Waldbodenproben wurden alle hinsichtlich des Wassergehalts, des organischen Gehalts, der Packungsdichte, der Dichte und der statistisch ermittelten Pflanzenartenverteilung charakterisiert. Das kinetische Abbrandverhalten wurde durch Thermogravimetrische Analyse (TGA) untersucht. Alle diese Daten wurden als Eingabeparameter für die Simulation verwendet. Die numerischen Simulationen werden mit Experimenten im kleinen, mittleren und Real-Maßstab validiert.
Various software products for the simulation of industrial X-ray radiography have been developed in recent years (e.g., aRTist 2, CIVA CT, Scorpius XLab, SimCT, Wilcore) and their application potential has been shown in numerous works. However, full systematic approaches to characterise a specific CT system for these simulation software products to obtain a truthful digital twin are still missing. In this contribution, we want to present two approaches to obtain realistic grey values in X-ray projections in aRTist 2 simulations based on measured projections. In aRTist 2, the displayed grey value of a pixel is based on the energy density incident on that pixel.
The energy density is calculated based on the X-ray tube spectrum, the attenuation between source and detector as well as an energy-dependent sensitivity curve of the detector. The first approach presented in this contribution uses the sensitivity curve as a free modelling parameter. We measured the signal response at different thicknesses of Al EN-AW6082 at different tube voltages (i.e., different tube spectra). We then regarded the grey values displayed by these projections as a data regression respectively an optimisation problem and obtained the sensitivity curve that is best able to reproduce the measured behaviour in aRTist 2. The resulting sensitivity curve does not necessarily hold physical meaning but is able to simulate the real system behaviour in the simulation software.
The second approach presented in this contribution is to estimate the sensitivity curve based on assumptions about the characteristics of the scintillation detector (e.g., scintillator material, scintillator thickness and signal processing characteristics). For this approach, a linear response function (linear relationship between the deposited energy per pixel and the resulting grey value) is assumed. If the detector characteristics, which affect the simulated deposited energy, are properly modelled, the slope and offset of the response function to match the measured grey values should be the same for different tube spectra. As the offset is constant and given by the grey values measured at no incident radiation, the slope is the remaining parameter to evaluate the success of the detector modelling. We therefore adapted the detector characteristics by changing the detector setup until the slope was nearly the same for all measured tube spectra. We are aware that the resulting parameters of the scintillator material and thickness might not be the real ones, but with those modelling parameters we are able to simulate realistic grey values in aRTist 2. Both of those approaches could potentially be a step forward to a full systematic approach for a digital twin of a real CT system in aRTist 2.
Die Einstufung von Hausmüllverbrennungsasche (IBA) als gefährlich oder nicht gefährlich nach der Gefahreneigenschaft HP14 (ökotoxisch) ist nach wie vor umstritten, da es noch keine keine allgemein anerkannten Methoden zur Bewertung gibt. Wenn die Berechnungsregeln angewendet werden sollen angewendet werden sollen, sind Kenntnisse über die chemische Zusammensetzung von IBA erforderlich. Informationen über über die chemische Zusammensetzung von IBA können mit einem Ansatz gewonnen werden, der auf der Gruppierung von Substanzen. Für IBA können vier Stoffgruppen definiert werden: 1. elementare und legierte Metalle, 2. leicht wasserlösliche Stoffe, 3. schwer lösliche Stoffe und 4. Stoffe mit starken chemischen Bindungen. Elementares und legiertes Cu und Zn sind in der IBA vorhanden und werden in der Regel als Nichteisenmetallfraktion zurückgewonnen, zumindest die größeren Partikel. Zn-Partikel, die kleiner als 1 mm sind, werden als H410 eingestuft, feine Partikel von Cu nur als H411. Die wasserlösliche Fraktion kann mit Standardauslaugungsmethoden quantifiziert werden Auslaugungsmethoden quantifiziert werden, z. B. bei einem Flüssigkeits-Feststoff-Verhältnis (L/S) von 2 oder 10 l/kg. Sowohl die Sulfate von Zn als auch von Cu gehören zu dieser Gruppe. In einer neueren Veröffentlichung wurde gezeigt, dass bei den oben genannten Metalle die ausgelaugte Menge weit unter dem Grenzwert von 1.000 mg/kg liegt, selbst wenn stöchiometrische Faktoren angewendet werden. Stoffgruppe 3 sind potenzielle H410-Stoffe. Dabei handelt es sich um Carbonate, Hydroxide und Oxide der betreffenden Elemente, die löslich sind in schwachen organischen Säuren wie Essigsäure löslich sind. Die Worst-Case-Stoffe der Gruppe 3, d. h. die Verbindungen mit den höchsten stöchiometrischen Faktoren, sind CuCO3xCu(OH)2 und ZnO. Stoffe mit starken chemischen Bindungen wie Silikate oder Sulfide sind nur löslich in starken Säuren (z.B. Königswasser) löslich und haben keinen Ökotoxizitäts-Gefahrencode. Das Mobilisierungsverhalten der relevanten Schwermetalle und damit der Gruppe der schwer schwerlöslichen Verbindungen kann mit der 4-stufigen sequentiellen Extraktion untersucht werden. Für die HP14 Einstufung könnte auch eine einstufige Extraktion ausreichend sein. Nur die Elemente Zn und Cu sind für die HP14-Einstufung der IBA von Bedeutung, da die Feststoffgehalte aller anderen Schwermetalle unterhalb des Feststoffgehalte aller anderen Schwermetalle unter der Cut-Off-Grenze von 0,1 % liegen, selbst wenn man sie in chemischen Verbindungen mit stöchiometrischen Faktoren. Im Ergebnis wurde gezeigt, dass IBA in der Regel als nicht gefährlich einzustufen ist.
Packages for the transport of spent nuclear fuel are designed to endure severe accidents. To obtain approval, these transport packages must adhere to the specification-based criteria of the international transport regulations SSR-6 of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). To ensure compliance with these requirements, specific mechanical and thermal tests need to be addressed with respect to the package type. Typically, SSR-6 prescribes a mechanical test followed by a thermal fire test as part of different testing scenarios. To approve the latter test of the sequence, BAM performs calorimeter tests in advance with so-called fire reference packages for characterizing the actual fire and its impact on the package to be tested. Packages are designed with different geometry sizes depending on their purpose. For previous tests, the implemented test setups in the fire test stand were sufficiently dimensioned and could cover all requirements in this respect. However, to cover additional testing needs in the future, BAM is expanding the test setup for the purpose of testing significantly larger packages.
In previous test setups one ring burner for propane surrounding the test specimen was sufficient. The limiting size in this configuration was the design height of the transport package to be tested. According to the thermal test of the IAEA-Regulations [1], a 30-minute fully engulfing 800°C pool fire or an equally severe fire, e.g., propane gas fire, must be applied to the transport package. Possible adjustments such as nozzle cross-section and propane mass flow can be adjusted to a certain extent. Further modifications, to cover significantly higher and larger packages all-around with a fully engulfing fire, must be accomplished with an additional, second burner ring. Both burner rings had the same dimensions and were mounted on top of each other at different heights to create a significantly larger volume of fire that completely engulfs the package including its impact limiter.
To meet the IAEA regulatory boundary conditions, the enhanced fire test stand with the second burner ring is tested with a large fire reference package and will then be used for real-size transport packages after all parameters are successfully met. This fire reference package represents the external geometry of a generic transport cask for radioactive material and is equipped with numerous temperature sensors to record temperature curves at the interior wall surfaces.
We present a distributed polymer optical fiber sensor system for deformation monitoring of geotechnical infrastructure. The sensor system is based on the digital incoherent optical frequency domain reflectometry (I-OFDR) for the detection of local strain events along a perfluorinated polymer optical fiber (PF-POF) used as a sensing fiber. For the best possible load transfer, the PF-POFs were integrated onto geosynthetics which pose a sensor carrier for the sensing fiber. By using elastic PF-POF instead of a standard glass fiber as a sensing fiber the strain range of geosynthetics-integrated fiber optic sensors could be extended up to 10 % in accordance with the end-user requirements.
Distributed fiber optic strain sensing for structural health monitoring of 70 MPa hydrogen vessels
(2024)
We report on the development and testing of 70 MPa hydrogen pressure vessels with integrated fiber optic sensing fibers for automotive use. The paper deals with the condition monitoring of such composite pressure vessels (CPVs) using the optical backscatter reflectometry (OBR) applied for a distributed fiber optic strain sensing along fully integrated polyimide-coated single-mode glass optical fiber (SM-GOF). The sensing fibers were embedded into the vessel structure by wrapping them over the polymer liner during the manufacturing process of the carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP). Detecting local strain events by the integrated fiber optic sensors can be an opportunity for monitoring the material degradation of CPVs under static and cyclic loading.
Das Ausbreitungsverhalten geführter Ultraschallwellen ermöglicht die großflächige Prüfung von Platten und schalenförmigen Bauteilen wie Rohren und Laminaten auf Fehlstellen von wenigen Prüfpunkten aus. Während die beschränkte Divergenz der geführten Wellen die Ultraschallprüfung begünstigt, erschwert das dispersive und multimodale Verhalten der Lamb-Wellen die Auswertung der Ultraschallsignale. Die dispersive und multimodale Wellenausbreitung verkompliziert die Bestimmung der Fehlerposition bei der Auswertung der Geschwindigkeiten einzelner Wellenpakete. Zudem ist es herausfordernd, einen einfachen Zusammenhang zwischen den Reflexionen der Fehlstelle und deren Größe und Form herzustellen. Eine Möglichkeit zur genauen Bestimmung der Fehlerposition und -geometrie bietet der direkte Vergleich der Messsignale mit den Signalen aus einem Simulationsmodell. Die Nachbildung des Schadens im Simulationsmodell stellt ein inverses Problem dar, das iterativ gelöst werden kann, indem ein Vorwärtsmodell immer weiter optimiert wird. Klassische Ansätze wie die Finite Elemente Methode (FEM) sind für die Simulation von Ultraschallwellen aufgrund der kleinen Wellenlängen im Vergleich zur Bauteilgröße meist ineffizient. Aus diesem Grund basiert das vorgestellte Vorwärtsmodell auf der semi-analytischen Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method (SBFEM), die große Teile der Wellenausbreitung analytisch berechnet. In diesem Beitrag wird die Validierung des zweidimensionalen Modells an Platten mit einer rechteckigen Nut als Ersatzfehler präsentiert und es werden erste Schritte zur Validierung von 3D-Modellen vorgestellt.
Die größten Vorteile der luftgekoppelten Ultraschallprüfung sind: die berührungslose Prüfung und der Verzicht auf ein flüssiges Koppelmittel. Allerdings weisen die meisten luftgekoppelten Prüfszenarien ein sehr geringes Signal-zu-Rausch-Verhältnis (SNR) auf und die Pegel, die von luftgekoppelten Ultraschallwandlern realisiert werden, sind um mehrere Größenordnungen kleiner.
Da diese Herausforderung auch in anderen Disziplinen wie bspw. der Radartechnik existiert und dort ebenfalls eine entscheidende Rolle spielt, wurde die dort eingesetzte Pulskompression auf die physikalischen Gegebenheiten der luftgekoppelten Ultraschallprüfung angepasst und angewandt.
Dieser Beitrag präsentiert die Ergebnisse von zwei Versuchsaufbauten: 1) ein thermoakustischer Sender und ein optisches Mikrofon und 2) ein Paar Ferroelektret-Wandler als Sender und Empfänger. Aufgrund der physikalischen Randbedingungen wurden unipolare Kodierungen verwendet. Die Verwendung von unipolaren Kodes zur Modulation der Anregungssignale stellt dabei eine neue Methode dar, die so die Pulskompression für Ferroelektret- und thermoakustische Wandler ermöglichen soll. Die Anwendung der Pulskompression auf die Kombination aus thermoakustischem Sender und optischem Mikrofon konnte das Signal-zu-Rausch-Verhältnis um bis zu 15 dB und für die Ferroelektret-Wandler um bis zu 23 dB erhöhen.
Ellipsometrical characterization of poly-dopamine layers considered for technical applications
(2024)
Although the organic molecule dopamine (3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) is commonly known as the “hormone of happiness”, thin films of poly-dopamine also have interesting technical properties. When produced by dip coating, the self-organizing layers grow in a reproducible thickness of single or multiple molecule monolayers of a few nanometer thickness only. In this work, we introduce a method of determining the layer thickness of poly-dopamine on mirrors for astronomical X-ray telescopes. This work is based on spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements and involves the development of an optical model for the poly-dopamine layers including the dielectric function. Thereby the complex refractive index of the produced layers was determined, covering the range from the ultraviolet to the near infrared spectral region. These measurement results and the corresponding technical challenges are presented in this contribution. Furthermore, an outlook to potential technical applications of this interesting material is given and poly-dopamine layers will make scientist and engineers hopefully happy as an innovative and fascinating technical solution for the future.
Implementation and validation of robot-enabled embedded sensors for structural health monitoring
(2024)
In the past decades, structural health monitoring (SHM) has matured into a viable supplement to regular inspections, facilitating the execution of repair and maintenance work in the early stages of structural damage. With the advent of wireless technologies and advancements in information and communication technologies, civil infrastructure has been increasingly instrumented with wireless sensor nodes to record, analyze, and communicate data relevant to SHM. A promising method for SHM is to embed sensors directly into concrete for recording SHM data from inside structural elements. In this paper, a sensor system for embedment into concrete is proposed, able to assess SHM data recorded from concrete. Power is supplied to the sensors on-demand by quadruped robots, which also collect the SHM data via radio-frequency identification (RFID), providing an automated and efficient SHM process. In laboratory experiments, the capability of the sensor system of automatically collecting the SHM data using quadruped robots is validated. In summary, the integration of RFID technology and robot-based inspection presented in this study demonstrates a vital approach to evolve current SHM practices towards more digitalized and automated SHM.
Indirect combustion noise due to the interaction of flow inhomogeneities with a choked combustion-chamber exit is an important cause of combustion instability in solid rocket motors.
Moreover, it is believed to be an issue in electrical-power generation turbines and aero-engines. If these flow inhomogeneities are essentially characterized by the fluid having a locally appreciablydifferent thermodynamic state, the acoustic response engendered by its interaction with the combustion-chamber exit is commonly referred to as entropy noise. In this paper, dedicated numerical-simulation results of entropy-patch choked-nozzle interactions are presented. Two types of entropy patches were considered: rectangular slugs and circular spots. Moreover, analytical-model-based analysis, of said simulation results, is presented. Based on said analysis, the authors posit the existence of three modeling regimes: the quasi-steady-modeling regime, the blended-physical-effects regime, and the inertial-modeling regime.
We introduce a passive smart dust concept as a novel solution for environmental monitoring. Utilizing chemical reagents like colorimetric indicators and other chemosensors, these particles detect varying environmental conditions. We developed paper-based sensors that are both cost-effective and eco-friendly. In practical tests, these sensors, dispersed over a designated area, successfully identified hazardous substances by changing their color when exposed to acids or bases. This color change was remotely detectable using a drone-mounted color camera. The data thus obtained was processed through specialized software, accurately pinpointing areas of contamination. This method proves the efficacy and scalability of passive smart dust technology for real-time, environmentally sustainable remote sensing of hazardous materials
Combined passive ultrasonic (US) stress wave [better known as acoustic emission (AE)] and active US stress wave monitoring has been shown to provide a more holistic picture of ongoing fracture processes, damage progression, as well as slowly occurring aging and degradation mechanisms in concrete structures. Traditionally, different data analysis techniques have been used to analyze the data generated from these two monitoring techniques. For passive US stress wave monitoring, waveform amplitudes, hit rates, source localization, and b-value analysis, among others, have been used to detect and locate cracking. On the other hand, amplitude tracking, magnitude squared coherence (MSC), and coda wave interferometry (CWI) are examples of analyses that have been employed for active US stress wave monitoring. In this paper, we explore some of these data analysis techniques and show where their respective applications and limitations might be. After providing an overview of the monitoring approach and the different data analysis techniques, results and observations from selected laboratory experiments are discussed. Finally, suggestions for further work are proposed.
To safely dispose of nuclear waste in underground facilities, engineered barrier systems are needed to seal shafts and galleries. The material used in these barriers must be adapted to the host rock parameters. Shrinking and cracking must be avoided to provide a barrier with almost zero permeability. For repositories in salt rock environments, several types of salt concrete (SC) are possible construction materials. Within the project SealWasteSafe, we compared the behavior of an innovative alkali-activated material (AAM) with standard SC in their hydration and hardening phase. To monitor the microstructural changes within the two materials SC and AAM, acoustic emission (AE) signals have been recorded for up to ~250 days on 340-litercubic specimens. The phenomenon of AE is defined as the emission of elastic waves in materials due to the release of localized internal energy. Such energy release can be caused by the nucleation of micro-fracture, e.g., in concrete while curing or when exposed to load. The occurrence of AE events gives first rough indications of microstructural changes and potentially occurring cracking and thus, provides insights for structural health monitoring (SHM). The results show, that for the first 28 days after casting, less AE activity was detected in the AAM compared to SC. After 61 days, in the AAM material, the number of AE events exceeded those observed in the SC. However, the majority of the AE detected and located in AAM was related to surface effects, and not to microstructural changes or occurring cracks within the bulk volume. Additionally, the source location analysis indicated, that despite lower activity in SC, we observed some clustering of the events. In contrast, in AAM, the activity inside the specimen is randomly distributed over the whole volume. The monitoring results help to estimate the material’s sealing properties which are crucial to assess their applicability as sealing material for engineered barriers.
Ultra-High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Composite (UHPFRC) offers several advantages compared to concrete, notably due to the strain hardening behavior under tensile actions. Structures made of this composite material are lightweight and highly durable, thanks to the UHPFRC waterproofing quality. Nonetheless, the tensile behavior leads to a different cracking pattern than conventional concrete and is not fully understood yet. This paper presents a combined approach using both passive ultrasonic (US) stress wave (or acoustic emission) and active US stress wave monitoring to localize and quantify damage progression in a full-scale UHPFRC beam during experimental load testing. The proposed monitoring approach involves 24 US transducers that are embedded randomly throughout a 4.2- meter-long laboratory UHPFRC T-beam. Continuous monitoring enabled accurate localization of US stress sources caused by loading-induced cracking as well as from pulses generated by the embedded US transducers. This study shows that it is possible to predict the location and shape of the macro-crack that is linked to structural failure early on, i.e., just after the end of the elastic domain. This combined approach opens new possibilities to monitor the structural behavior and detect damage on UHPFRC structures before they affect the structural behavior in terms of deflection and strain.
Schwefelhexafluorid (SF6) ist ein 22.800-mal stärkeres Treibhausgas als CO2, wird aber aufgrund seiner isolierenden Eigenschaften in Mittel- und Hochspannungssystemen wie Schaltanlagen eingesetzt. Voraussetzung für die Durchschlagfestigkeit ist ein geringer Wasserdampfgehalt. Viele aktuelle Feuchtigkeitssensoren zeigen jedoch eine Querempfindlichkeit gegenüber CO2. Diese Richtlinienarbeit zielt darauf ab, den aktuellen Stand der Technik zu erweitern und neue Erkenntnisse zu gewinnen. Abschließend erfolgt eine Erweiterung der Richtlinie zur Gasfeuchte-Messung VDI/VDE 3514.
In the course of decarbonizing the energy industry, cryogenic energy carriers as liquefied hydrogen (LH2) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) are seen as having great potential. In technical applications, the challenge is to keep these energy carriers cold for a long time. This is achieved in the road transport sector and also stationary applications by thermal super insulations (TSI) which based on double-walled tanks with vacuum and multilayer insulation (MLI) in the interspace. This study focuses on the behaviour of widely used combustible MLI in a fire scenario, at vacuum and atmospheric pressure conditions. The former corresponds to the typical design condition and the latter to the condition after an outer hull rapture of a tank. Furthermore, two fire scenarios were taken into account: a standard-oriented approach and a hydrocarbon fire-oriented approach. For the study, a test rig was applied that allows testing of TSI at industrial conditions and subsequent analysis of TSI samples. The test rig allows thermal loading and performance analysis of TSI samples at the same time. Comparing the tests, the samples degraded differently. However, no sudden failure of the entire MLI was observed in any test. These results are relevant for the evaluation of incidents with tanks for the storage of cryogenic fluids and can thus contribute to the improvement of TSI and the development of emergency measures for the protection of persons and infrastructures.
Study the Impact of Spacer at Thermal Degradation Process of MLI-based Insulation in Fire Condition
(2024)
To reduce carbon dioxide emissions, energy carries such as hydrogen consider to be a solution. Consumption of hydrogen as a fuel meets several restrictions such as its low volumetric energy density in gas phase. To tackle this problem, storage as well as transportation in liquid phase is recommended. To be able to handle this component in liquid phase, an efficient thermal insulation e.g., MLI insulation is required. Some studies have been revealed vulnerability of this type of insulation against high heat flux, for instance a fire accident. Some investigations have been depicted the importance of consideration of the MLI thermal degradation in terms of its reflective layer. However, limited number of studies have been focused on the thermal degradation of spacer material and its effect on the overall heat flux.
In this study, through systematic experimental measurements, the effect of thermal loads on glass fleece, glass paper as well as polyester spacers are investigated. The results are reported in various temperature and heat flux profiles. Interpreting the temperature profiles revealed as the number of spacers in the medium increases, the peak temperature detectable by the temperature sensor on the measurement plate decreases. Moreover, the contribution of each individual spacer in all cases regarding the experimental temperature range is assessed to be around 8%. This value may increase to around 50% for glass paper and polyester spacers, and to around 25% for glass fleece spacers as the number of spacer layers increases up to six layers.
To utilize the outcomes of the experiment later and integrate the results into numerical and CFD simulations, a model is proposed for the mentioned experimental temperature range up to 300°C to predict a heat flux attenuation factor. The model proposes a fitting factor that can reproduce the least square fitted line to the experimental data.
For industrial applications dealing with hydrogen, the definition of safety distances and the assessment of possible hazards emanating from releases is mandatory. Since hydrogen is usually stored and transported under pressure, one scenario to be considered is the momentum driven release of hydrogen from a leakage with subsequent ignition. In this scenario, the emitted heat radiation from the resulting jet flame to the surroundings has to be determined to define adequate safety distances. For hydrocarbon flames, different jet flame models are available to assess the hazards resulting from an ignited jet release. Since hydrogen flames differ from hydrocarbon flames in their combustion behavior, it has to be checked if these models are also applicable for hydrogen. To evaluate the accuracy of these models for hydrogen jet flames, tests at real-scale are carried out at the BAM Test Site for Technical Safety (BAM-TTS). Herein, the flame geometry and the heat radiation at defined locations in the surroundings are recorded for varying release parameters such as leakage diameter (currently up to 30 mm), release pressure (currently up to max. 250 bar) and mass flow (up to max. 0.5 kg/s). The challenge here is the characterization of the flame geometry in an open environment and its impact on the thermal radiation. Existing heat radiation data from the literature are mostly based on unsteady outflow conditions. For a better comparability with the steady state jet flame models, the experiments presented here are focused on ensuring a constant mass flow over the release duration to obtain a (quasi) stationary jet flame. In addition, stationary outflow tests with hydrocarbons (methane) were also carried out, which are intended to serve as reference tests for checking flame models based on hydrocarbon data.
Die Integration von Automation und Robotik in die Prüfprozesse ermöglicht die
Untersuchung komplexer Bauteile. Diese Studie präsentiert die robotergestützte
Laserthermografie, um Risse in solchen Bauteilen zu identifizieren und analysieren. Diese Technik ermöglicht die automatisierte Rissprüfung welche im Vergleich zur Farbeindringprüfung auf viele, meist manuelle, Arbeitsschritte sowie die notwendigen Chemikalien verzichtet.
Zusätzlich wird ein automatisiertes Einscannen der Bauteile mithilfe eines
Linienscanners vorgestellt. Dieser Schritt ermöglicht eine detaillierte 3D-Rekonstruktion der Bauteilgeometrie und ermöglicht eine einfache Korrektur von Abweichungen in der Bauteilaufnahme und eröffnet Möglichkeiten zur adaptiven Bahnplanung bei Bauteilverformungen.
Die Rückprojektion der gefundenen Risse auf die Oberfläche des Bauteils kann
automatisiert erfolgen. Dieser Schritt erlaubt nicht nur die Identifikation der Risse, sondern auch eine genauere Analyse ihrer Geometrie und Lage am Bauteil.
Die Kombination von robotergestützter Laserthermografie, automatisiertem 3DScanning und Rückprojektion der Risse auf die Bauteiloberfläche eröffnet neue
Möglichkeiten in der zerstörungsfreien Prüfung von komplexen Bauteilen und erweitert damit mögliche Anwendungsfelder.
NDT Data-Supported Structural Reassessments based on Regression Relations in Measuring Data Analysis
(2024)
Non-destructive Testing (NDT) provides valuable data about structural elements, supporting the assessment of existing infrastructures without incurring additional structural damage from inspections. Simultaneously, the uncertainty in measurement, which quantifies the quality of measurement results, plays a crucial role in decisions aimed at, e.g., optimizing maintenance strategies, rehabilitation works and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) implementations. The Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) framework has already been considered for non-destructive concrete testing. Regarding that, extensive measurements with sophisticated scopes need to be conducted by experts as an obligatory process.
This study illustrates how NDT results describing the inner structure of a concrete element can effectively support the reassessment of bridges in operation. To achieve this, the study considers the various measurable positions of the resisting longitudinal tendons of a bridge structure to investigate the displacement change under dynamic service loads.
Furthermore, this study aims to simplify and optimize existing NDT data analysis procedures by employing regression analysis, enabling the detection of structural features. This regression analysis yields a modifier for determining the correct depth of an object within the structural element. The method is validated through laboratory experiments, including the use of an ultrasonic measurement system. As a result, it provides unbiased and accurately measured results, while ensuring that the measurement data can remain uncorrelated. Major advantages include efficient computation, a wider scope, and avoiding redundant information about the measuring process.
The findings demonstrate that employing the proposed NDT analysis method, with its enhanced practicability, can significantly augment the efficiency of NDT data-supported structural reassessments across various scenarios.
The design of bridges often overlooks the vertical component of earthquakes or considers it of secondary importance, despite compelling evidence indicating specific structural damage caused by primary earthquake waves. Conversely, during the operational phase, the combined influence of ground motion and moving loads from vehicles can significantly impact the structural health monitoring (SHM) of bridges. This study aims to evaluate the simultaneous effect of vertical earthquake vibrations and moving vehicle loads on simply supported bridges. The research employs a practical methodology based on the eigenfunction expansion method to analyze change of deflection due to the effect of these concurrent forces under seven different earthquake records. It is shown that within a realistic range of vehicle mass and velocity, the average of changing the maximum deflection at the mid-span of the main beam (denoted as M_n) reaches up to 163% under various scenarios. Subsequently, the seismic parameters influencing this phenomenon are identified through a statistical analysis of set of 100 different earthquake records with unique features. A linear regression equation is presented to predict the M_n based on the earthquake specific properties. Additionally, to control the vertical vibration of bridge systems, a novel vibration suppression system utilizing steel pipe dampers is introduced, and its reliability is examined across a broad spectrum of bridge flexural rigidity. The results indicate that the system's efficiency depends on M_n and the soil type of the bridge construction, enabling a reduction in structural sections (up to 27%) while achieving the same maximum target deflection in the initial state. This efficiency leads to a more economical design solution, emphasizing the potential benefits of the proposed system for practical application.
The consideration of ageing mechanisms is with integration into the IAEA-requirements now obligatory for the design of transport packages. For packages intended to be used for shipment after storage the consideration of the effects of ageing mechanisms during storage in safety analyses and the implementation of corresponding instructions for operation and maintenance are required. Therefore, these packages have been maintained during storage in a manner that all requirements specified in the IAEA-requirements and in the applicable certificates of approval have been fulfilled.
BAM is the competent authority in Germany for evaluating the thermal and mechanical design of packages for the transport of radioactive materials. In this context, BAM also evaluates the aging mechanisms and aging effects occurring during the long-term storage period of such transport packages. BAM has developed a guideline for the implementation of ageing assessment and of the measures for ageing management into the approval procedure based on IAEA-requirements.
The goal of the presented paper is to introduce this guideline and the general approach for ageing management requirements and to describe the application to a specific package design. The type and amount of the ageing management not only depend on the use of the packaging, but also on the accessibility of the components that are considered in the ageing assessment. The different operating phases of a packaging are considered for the ageing assessment, such as loading, interim storage or transport.
The implementation of measures for ageing management is divided into three levels – systemic measures, package design related measures and documentation. The systemic measures are attributed to the general management system and define the whole activities for organization of ageing management like structure, responsibilities, documentation, reports and evaluation. The package design related measures are defined in an ageing management plan. These measures shall ensure that the anticipated changes of the package design under consideration of ageing effects still complies with the design approval specification. Therefore, an ageing surveillance program and, if necessary, a gap analysis program shall be developed. The ageing management documentation ensures the continuous documentation of the compliance of a specific package to the approved package design, comprising mainly records resulting from operation and surveillance.
Structural health monitoring of hydrogen pressure vessels using distributed fiber optic sensing
(2024)
We report on distributed fiber optic sensing-based monitoring of hydrogen composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPV) to simultaneously increase the operational lifespan and mitigate maintenance costs. Our approach represents, to the best of our knowledge, the first application of distributed fiber optic sensing for COPV Type IV monitoring, where the sensing fibers are attached to the surface, rather than integrated into the composite material. Specifically, we attach an optical fiber of 50 m to the pressure vessel's surface, covering both the cylindrical and dome sections. We note that our fiber optic sensing technique relies on swept wavelength interferometry providing strain information along the entire length of the optical fiber with high spatial resolution even at the millimeter scale. When the vessel is pressurized, the sensing optical fiber shows a linear strain response to pressure at every position along the fiber. After thousands of load cycles, the vessel finally fails with the optical fiber detecting and precisely localizing the damage in the vessel’s blind dome area. Furthermore, we discuss the potential of state-of-the-art signal processing methods and machine learning for advancing predictive maintenance. This could reduce the number of regular inspections, mitigate premature maintenance costs, and simultaneously increase the vessel’s remaining safe service life. We believe that the structural health monitoring of hydrogen pressure vessels with fiber optic sensors can enhance trust in hydrogen technology contributing to the energy transition in the future.
Hydrogen pressure vessels are among the most essential components for reliable hydrogen technology. Under current regulations, a mostly conservative strategy is employed, restricting the usage time of hydrogen pressure vessels without providing information on the real remaining lifetime. During the service life, pressure vessels are inspected periodically. However, no established method that can provide continuous monitoring or information on the remaining safe service life of the vessel. In this paper, we propose a sensor network for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of hydrogen pressure vessels where data from all sensors are collected and centrally evaluated. Specifically, we integrate three different SHM sensing technologies namely Guided Wave ultrasonics (GW), Acoustic Emission testing (AT), and distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (FOS). This integrated approach offers significantly more information and could therefore enable a transition from costly and time-consuming periodic inspections to more efficient and modern predictive maintenance strategies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based evaluation. This does not only have a positive effect on the operational costs but enhances safety through early identification of critical conditions in the overall system in real-time. We demonstrate an experimental set-up of a lifetime test where a Type IV Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel (COPV) is investigated under cyclic loading instrumented with AT, FOS, and GW methods. We acquired data from the sensor network until the pressure vessel failed due to material degradation. The data collected using the three different SHM sensor technologies is planned to be evaluated individually, using data fusion, and AI. In the future, we aim to integrate the measurement setup into a hydrogen refueling station with the data stream implemented into a digital signal processing chain and a digital twin.
Pioneering durability in electronics - The role of standardisation in policymaking and vice versa
(2024)
This paper highlights the role of standardisation in enabling greener electronics in the EU. It presents an analysis of the evolving landscape of material efficiency standardization, the majority of which has been undertaken in the framework of the European Ecodesign Directive, soon to be repealed by the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation. The impending policy shift will include a very broad extension of product scope, a strengthening of the way in which material efficiency aspects are addressed, and wider potential for product labelling. During the stakeholder consultation process, the European Commission announced that the durability of products would be one of the major topics in the new regulatory approach - hence the specific focus of this paper on durability scoring.
The paper first examines the policy and standardization context, and then provides an overview of material efficiency indexes and scoring systems currently in place or being developed. It highlights where standardization is following policymaking, and where standardization is paving the way for more circular products. Scoring systems and indexes could potentially be used for both (i) setting minimum requirements for products entering the EU market, and (ii) consumer labels on material efficiency aspects such as product durability that could trigger environmentally sustainable purchase decisions. Subsequently, a methodological framework for a comprehensive durability scoring system that could be developed in standards is proposed, and the potential for these to be used as a basis for product legislation is explored. Potential durability criteria are listed, divided into technical, servicerelated and further aspects. Technical aspects include external factors that influence the durability of products such as drop/shock resistance. Service-related aspects include, for example, pre-purchase information provision on battery replaceability or availability of software updates. Other aspects include for example pro.
Next to primary functions, energy-related products have an increasing number of additional functions. This affects the overall environmental footprint, but the question is how? A number of European policy strategies, initiatives and measures, such as the Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan,the Ecodesign Directive and the EU Energy Labelling, aim to ensure that the environmental impact of the overall product is better determined, communicated and finally reduced. A core element of these efforts is the DIN EN 4555x series of standards. However, there is currently no comprehensive and systematic classification of the additional product functions or an approach to assess the associated positive and negative environmental impacts.
Therefore, we present in this study an environmental assessment approach for additional product functions and illustrate its application in the case of fridge-freezers.
A key element of the life-cycle-oriented methodology is an assessment matrix to categorize and evaluate the direct, indirect and systemic impacts of products’ functions. Based on semiquantitative assessments of experts, the matrix provides an indication of how the additional function affects the overall environmental product impact as well as specific product aspects such as durability or reparability. Based on the results experts can discuss and better understand how specific functions can influence various stages of the product life cycle and how intended systemic changes or rebound effects could occur. As part of the approach, a representative survey was conducted to analyze consumers’ knowledge and information needs. Based on the results, recommendations for purchasing decisions and the consumer information were developed. This paper presents the results from the assessment of the additional functions of fridge-freezers.
A damaging action of HNO3-55% only occurs in combination with its decomposition into nitrous gases, which can be caused by UV radiation. In a laboratory test, transparent HDPE jerrycans have been exposed to both UV radiation and 55 wt-% nitric acid solution at (41 ± 2)°C, for up to 20 days. For comparison, UV radiant exposure (21 days) and nitric acid exposure (up to 6 weeks) were performed separately, at nearly equal temperatures. The respective damages are compared with FTIR spectroscopy in ATR and HT-gel permeation chromatography (GPC) on a molecular level and with hydraulic internal pressure testing as a component test. For the used jerrycans, relevant oxidation can only be found after the combined exposure. The gradual increase in oxidative damage shows the good reproducibility of the lab exposure. The decomposition of nitric acid into nitrous gases by UV radiation – as well as the jerrycan oxidation – is also observed at lower HNO3 concentration (28 wt- %). Similar results are obtained after outdoor tests. Again, the damage occurs only after combined exposure, in contrast to the exposures to UV only and to HNO3 only, which were conducted in parallel. Outdoor exposures are most readily accepted as they represent possible end-use conditions. However, the reproducibility of these exposures is poor due to the large temporal variations in weather. There are also several safety risks, which is why the number of replicates remains limited. Since the outdoor and lab exposure tests show the same qualitative results, it is appropriate to conduct systematic studies in the laboratory. After 6 days of lab exposure, the oxidation damage is rated as critical, which corresponds to about 1/10 year in Central Europe, according to the UV radiant exposure. It should be noted that this amount can also occur in two sunny weeks.
Long-term dry interim storage may adversely affect the mechanical properties of spent fuel rods, possibly resulting in a reduced resilience during handling or transport after storage. The cladding is the first barrier for the spent fuel pellets. An established method for characterising the cladding material is the ring compression test (RCT), in which a small, cylindrical sample of the cladding tube is subjected to a compressive load. Radial hydrides may precipitate in zirconium-based alloys (Zircaloy) under pre-storage drying and during slow cooling, which result in embrittlement of the cladding material and eventually a possible sudden failure of cladding integrity under additional mechanical loads. The focus of the presented research is on the development of appropriate nu-merical methods for predicting the mechanical behaviour and identification of limiting conditions to prevent brittle fracture of Zircaloy claddings. A modelling approach based on cohesive zones is ex-plained which is able to reproduce the propagation of cracks initiated at radial hydrides in the zir-conium matrix. The developed methods are applied to defueled samples of cladding alloy ZIRLO®, which were subjected to a thermo-mechanical treatment to reorient existing circumferential hy-drides to radial hydrides. A selected sample showing sudden load drops during a quasi-static ring compression test is analysed by means of fracture mechanics for illustrative purposes. Based on the developed fracture mechanics approach, not only the deformation behaviour but also the fail-ure behaviour of irradiated as well as unirradiated Zircaloy claddings with radial hydrides under RCT loading conditions can be adequately described.
High Temperature Fatigue Crack Growth in Nickel-Based Alloys Refurbished by Additive Manufacturing
(2024)
Hybrid additive manufacturing plays a crucial role in the restoration of gas turbine blades, where, e.g., the damaged blade tip is reconstructed by the additive manufacturing process on the existing blade made of a parent nickel-based alloy. However, inherent process-related defects in additively manufactured material, along with the interface created between the additively manufactured and the cast base material, impact the fatigue crack growth behavior in bi-material components. This study investigates the fatigue crack growth behavior in bi-material specimens of nickel-based alloys, specifically, additively manufactured STAL15 and cast alloy 247DS. The tests were conducted at 950 °C with stress ratios of 0.1 and −1. Metallographic and fractographic investigations were carried out to understand crack growth mechanisms. The results revealed significant retardation in crack growth at the interface. This study highlights the potential contributions of residual stresses and microstructural differences to the observed crack growth retardation phenomenon, along with the conclusion from an earlier study on the effect of yield strength mismatch on crack growth behavior at a perpendicular interface in bi-material specimens.
Experimental and Numerical Analyses for the Evaluation of Heat Fluxes of a Fire Reference Test
(2024)
Packages for the transport of high-level radioactive material are designed to endure severe accidents. To obtain approval, these transport packages must adhere to the specification-based criteria of the IAEA SSR-6. To ensure compliance with these requirements, specific mechanical and thermal tests need to be appointed with respect to the package type. Typically, IAEA SSR-6 prescribes mechanical tests followed by a thermal fire test as part of a cumulative test sequence. To approve the fire test, BAM uses a reference package representing the original package in its outer geometry for characterizing the actual fire and its impact on the package. This serves a dual purpose: it allows the precise adjustment of experimental parameters for the package design to be approved, and it provides input parameters for thermomechanical simulations, cf. With the help of this methodology for characterizing boundary conditions of the package, temperature evolutions within the reference package can be studied in a Finite-Element Analyses (FEA). This helps to compare the experiments with the numerical simulations on the case of the reference package, but also serves at the same time for preliminary simulations with the package design to be approved.
The thermal test consists of a 30-minute fully engulfing 800°C pool fire or an equally severe fire, e.g. a propane gas fire. The fire reference test is performed prior to the regulatory fire test with the package design to be approved. The fire reference package in the described case is a closed sheet 316L steel cylinder with a wall thickness of 10 mm, a length of 182 mm, and a diameter of 102 mm. The package was instrumented with thermocouples and filled with heat resistant insulating material.
In this paper we present a new hydrogen-based test rig for an ongoing feasibility study of using hydrogen as an energy source for the thermal testing of transport packages containing radioactive materials. The test rig will be capable of combusting hydrogen for a wide range of different burner geometries, mass flows and if necessary hydrogen blends. As this type of fire test according to the IAEA boundary conditions does not yet exist, a large number of preliminary investigations, safety assessments and calculations must be carried out in order to develop a viable concept for hydrogen fires. In the first step of the feasibility study, the temperature, structure, and radiation of various hydrogen flames are surveyed. In future works, the results will make it possible to design burner frames that are suitable for fire reference tests in order to make comparisons with pool and propane fires used in assessment procedures today. In parallel comparative numerical simulations are conducted to model the thermal behaviour of hydrogen flames using the software package Ansys®. On the one hand, the numerical simulations support the experiments by providing an overview of numerous parameters and the measuring range; on the other hand, they will help with the design of the burner frame in future work. This paper gives an overview in the design and capabilities of the test rig. Furthermore, the results of the parameter studies show that burner geometry and mass flow provide a significant design margin for the thermal shape of the hydrogen flames. In addition, the results of the initial numerical calculations will be used to determine the necessary sensors, the positions, and their operating range. Only the optimal interaction allows a controlled system that permits user-defined hydrogen fires.
The digitalization of quality control processes and the use of digital data infrastructures is a novel idea that can be applied for ensuring the operational safety and reliability of pressure vessels, particularly in the context of hydrogen storage at high pressure. Despite the critical role these pressure vessels play, current safety regulations lack an established concept for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). This research addresses this gap by presenting a study on the application of ultrasonic guided waves (GWs) for SHM of Type IV Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels (COPVs).
The study focuses on the development of a reliable measurement system to transition from conventional periodic inspections to SHM and predictive maintenance, prolonging the remaining lifetime of the vessels. A sensor network is employed, consisting of fifteen piezoelectric wafers arranged in three rings, which are mounted on the outer surface of the COPV.
Deploying GWs, known for their long-distance propagation and ability to cover complex structures, the study explores GW behavior under different environmental and operational conditions, including periodic pressure fluctuations and temperature loadings.
Meticulous analysis of GW signals by utilizing various features and damage indices, underscores their suitability for an effective SHM under realistic working conditions. The project aims to localize defects by considering temperature, and internal pressure. Mimicking the continuous monitoring of Type IV COPVs in H2 refueling gas stations under authentic operational conditions, the COPV underwent thousands of pressure load cycles in our special test facility. The implemented methodology facilitates early damage detection, showcasing the efficacy of the designed method in effective safety assurance.
Monitoring of composite pressure vessels using surface applied distributed fiber optic sensors
(2024)
In this paper, we report on surface-applied distributed fibre optic sensors for monitoring composite pressure vessels designed for hydrogen storage. Previous reports have revealed that integrating optical fibres within vessel composite structures effectively enables the monitoring of structural behavior throughout their lifetime.
However, integrating optical fibres during the manufacturing process is complex and time-consuming. Therefore, we aim to simplify this process by attaching the optical fibres to the vessel’s surface. This method is significantly more timeefficient than the integration process and can be applied to any vessel. Our results demonstrate that surface-applied fibre optic sensors can detect and precisely localise damage.
Additionally, signs of damage can be recognised even before the damage occurs. Predictive maintenance using fibre optic sensors could reduce premature maintenance costs and periodic inspections while increasing safety and extending the vessel’s useful service life. The role of machine learning in predictive maintenance is also discussed.
The magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) technology is recognized as a promising approach for improving the quality of deep penetration laser beam welding. This study employs experimental and numerical methods to investigate the effects of an auxiliary oscillating magnetic field on reducing porosity in the laser beam welding of 5754
aluminum alloy. The experimental results clearly demonstrate a significant reduction of 97% in the porosity ratio of the welded joints applied with an oscillating magnetic field compared to those without magnetic field, thereby validating the efficiency of applying MHD technology in mitigating porosity during the laser beam welding process. In addition, a transient 3D multi-physical model has been developed, integrating the MHD model and metal vapor plume, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the porosity suppression mechanism. The weld pool shape is significantly widened and enlarged because of the Lorentz force, which facilitates the escape of gas bubbles. Meanwhile, the introduction of an oscillating magnetic field generates a time-averaged downward Lorentz force. This averaged downward Lorentz force, in turn, enhances and stables the downward fluid flow, which hinders the bubble backward movement. Meanwhile, this averaged downward Lorentz force induces an upward electromagnetic expulsive force on the bubble, which effectively increases the upward escape velocity of bubbles in the weld pool. The simulation results agree well with the experimental results.
Considering the existing challenges involved in the transfer of flame retardant (FR) formulations from epoxy (EP) resins to glass fiber reinforced composites (GFRCs), obtaining data on the post-fire flexural properties of such composites is even more challenging as this involves balancing test parameters with potential composite delamination. In this study, solvent-free FR additives: ammonium polyphosphate (APP), and inorganic silicate (InSi) were added at 10, 30% and 50% w/w loading to a Bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (DGEBA)-dicyandiamide (DICY)-Urone resin matrix. These resin formulations were transferred to bidirectional (BD) glass fiber composites via prepregs. A novel, but facile approach was developed to prepare the composite samples for furnace tests at 400 oC. The composites were also subjected to fire exposure at different heat fluxes and times via a bench-scale test and subsequently tested via three-point bending. At approximately 3.5% P content, the FRs significantly improve the fire performance of both the resins and composites. However, they also degrade the systems’ pre- and postfire flexural modulus and strength. Therefore, improving the flame-retardant mode of action of the FRs in the composites, contrastingly reduces their structural integrity post-fire leading to a trade-off effect.
Hochbelastete Stahlbauteile lassen sich durch Auftragen von Kobalt-Chrom Legierungen vor Verschleiß schützen. Die plötzliche Änderung der Materialeigenschaften führt jedoch zu Spannungen und Rissen im Anbindungsbereich. Daraus resultierende Abplatzungen stellen eine Gefahr für die Funktionsfähigkeit der Maschine und damit für Mensch und Umwelt dar. Um die Belastbarkeit der Schutzschicht zu verbessern, kann die Anbindung durch einen gradierten Materialübergang optimiert werden. Diese funktional gradierten Materialien können mittels pulverbasiertem Directed Energy Deposition aufgetragen werden. Die Methodik zum Aufbau und zur Qualitätssicherung solcher Materialien wurde in vorangegangenen Arbeiten für dickwandige Geometrien gezeigt. Für dünnwandige Geometrien ist die Anwendbarkeit bisher unzureichend untersucht worden. Diese Arbeit zeigt am Beispiel einer dünnwandigen gradierten Schneckengeometrie die Einsatzfähigkeit der Methodik. Dafür wird die Gefügestruktur der Gradierung auf Fehler untersucht und der Härteverlauf gemessen. Außerdem wird die relative Dichte anhand eines bereits trainierten neuronalen Netzes vorhergesagt und mit einer Porositätsuntersuchung verglichen.
Die Fließfähigkeit von Metallpulvern gilt als wichtige Pulvereigenschaft für den additiven Aufbau mittels Laser, wobei bisher wenige Arbeiten die Auswirkungen im Laserpulverauftragschweißen (Engl.: Directed Energy Deposition DED-LB) untersuchen. Arbeiten, die sich mit den Pulvereigenschaften für Pulverbettverfahren beschäftigen, zeigen Korrelationen zwischen Partikelgrößenverteilung und Fließeigenschaften mit der Bauteildichte und den mechanischen Eigenschaften. Sie bewerten insbesondere Pulverbettdichte und -stabilität. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden daher die Eigenschaften zweier Pulverfraktionen (20 µm – 63 µm und 63 µm – 150 µm) des austenitischen Stahls AISI 316L und deren freien Ausfluss im Vergleich zur Pulverdichte untersucht. Die Untersuchungen zeigen, dass die feinere Pulverfraktion eine um 14,5 % höhere Durchflussrate erzielt als die gröbere Fraktion. korreliert die Ergebnisse zur inneren Porosität und Partikelgrößenverteilung.
Die Analyse der Bauteilqualität zeigt einen geringen Einfluss der Korngrößenverteilung auf die Porosiät der DED-LB aufgebauten Quader.
The main advantage of air-coupled ultrasonic testing is the absence of a liquid couplant, which can damage some materials. However, most air-coupled testing scenarios have the challenge of low signals and a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) several orders of magnitude lower than with couplant-assisted tech-niques. Since this challenge of small SNR also exists in radar technology, the pulse compression used there was adapted and applied to the physical conditions of air-coupled ultrasonic testing. This paper presents ultrasonic transmission measurements on a carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer plate using two experimental setups: 1) a thermoacoustic transmitter and an optical microphone and 2) a pair of ferroe-lectret transducers as transmitter and receiver. Thermoacoustic transmitters convert electrical energy to heat, which causes the air to expand thus producing acoustic waves. The optical microphone is based on a Fabry-Perot interferometer. Ferroelectrets are charged cellular polymers, having piezoelectric proper-ties and excellent acoustic matching to air. Both thermoacoustic transmitters and ferroelectrets are non-linear regarding the relationship between the excited sound pressure and the excitation voltage. Due to these physical boundary conditions, unipolar coding was used to modulate the excitation signals. Vari-ous codes were tested, and parameters of the excitation pulses were varied to find the optimal combina-tion for each experimental setup. The application of pulse compression to the combination of thermo-acoustic transmitter and optical microphone increased the signal-to-noise ratio by up to 16 dB and for the ferroelectret transducers by up to 23 dB.
Der Absorptionsgrad metallischer Werkstoffe spielt bei Fügeprozessen mit einer Strahlungsquelle wie dem Hochleistungslaserstrahltiefschweißen eine bedeutende Rolle. Dieser beeinflusst die Menge der absorbierten Laserenergie, welche zum Aufschmelzen sowie zur lokalen Verdampfung des zu verbindenden Materials führt. Die Laserstrahlabsorption wird von vielen physikalischen Faktoren, z.B. Laserprofil, Laserwellenlänge, Materialeigenschaft sowie Temperatur, entschieden. Dennoch wird die Temperaturabhängigkeit in vielen Simulationsarbeiten häufig ignoriert und stattdessen ein empirisch angepasster Parameter zur Kalibrierung der Ergebnisse implementiert. Diese Vorgehensweise wirkt sich negativ auf die Zuverlässigkeit des numerischen Modells sowie auf die Vorhersagbarkeit der Simulationsergebnisse aus. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird die Temperaturabhängigkeit des Laserabsorptionsgrades in ein selbstkonsistentes zweiphasiges Modell unter Berücksichtigung der gekoppelten 3D-Fluidströmung und Wärmeübertragung einbezogen. Die berechnete Laserstrahlabsorption wird durch die temperaturabhängigen Materialeigenschaften, die Lasercharakteristik und den Einfallswinkel des Laserstrahls bestimmt. Die freie Oberfläche jeder Phase wird mithilfe der Volume-of-Fluid Methode (VOF), berechnet und die Laser-Material-Wechselwirkung wird durch ein implementiertes Ray-Tracing-Verfahren modelliert, welches auf einem lokalisierten Level-Set-Algorithmus basiert. Anschließend wird die transiente Wärmeeinbringung und die Geometrie der Schweißnaht analysiert und mit dem temperaturunabhängigen Absorptionsmodell verglichen. Es wurde festgestellt, dass die Temperaturabhängigkeit der Laserabsorption entscheidend für die genaue Bestimmung der Wärmeeinbringung und der Schmelzbadgeometrie ist. Das entwickelte Modell wurde anhand der experimentellen Untersuchungen validiert und die Bedeutung der Temperaturabhängigkeit bei der Laserstrahlabsorption wurde für die Simulation des Laserstrahltiefschweißens quantifiziert.
How structural health monitoring can be embedded in a digital quality infrastructure: an example.
(2024)
The digital Quality Infrastructure (QI) initiative “QI-Digital” in Germany is focusing on implementing new technologies and approaches to ensure that the task of quality assurance is more efficient and ready for the digital and green transformation of the economy. The implementation of quality control key elements, such as Smart Standards, Digital Certificates and QI-cloud solutions shall contribute to solving the socio-economic, ecological, and technological challenges of our time. Hydrogen is a key energy carrier and has the potential to play a significant role in the energy transition, especially in mobility. An essential factor for the broad acceptance of hydrogen-based mobility is the availability of refueling stations that operate reliably and safely. Using the example of a Hydrogen Refueling Station (HRS) built within the QI-Digital initiative, the Federal Institute for Material Research and Testing (BAM) aims to establish a real laboratory where modern measurement techniques and new digital methods are implemented to enhance operational safety, availability, and economic efficiency and render the technology more attractive for the industry.
In this work, we present an approach to establish a Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system on a high-pressure buffer inside HRS and show how it could be embedded into a digital QI. The high-pressure buffers are essential components of the plant which are currently inspected periodically without regard to their operating history. Focusing on the transition to a continuous and digitally supported monitoring of the component’s integrity during operation the novel inspection scheme will be linked to a completely digitalized component-related documentation and tested using digital certificates. This allows the operational safety and, if necessary, the remaining useful lifetime to be assessed on an ongoing basis and to be a valuable contribution to increasing sustainability.
Quantifying uncertainties in subsurface properties and stratigraphy can lead to better understanding of the ground conditions and enhance the design and assessment of geotechnical structures. Several studies have utilized Cone Penetration Test (CPT) data and employed Bayesian and Machine Learning methods to quantify the geological uncertainty, based on the Robertson’s soil classification charts and the Soil Behaviour Type Index (Ic). The incorporation of borehole data can reduce the stratigraphic uncertainty. Significant challenges can arise, however, mainly due to the intrinsic differences between field and laboratory-based soil classification systems, which can potentially lead to inconsistent soil classification. To this end, this study proposes a multivariate Gaussian Process model that utilizes site-specific data and: i) jointly models multiple categorical (USCS labels) and continuous (Ic) variables, ii) learns a (shared) spatial correlation structure and the betweenoutputs covariance, and iii) produces two types of dependent classification outputs. The results indicate that the integration of geotechnical and geological information into a unified model can provide more reliable predictions of the subsurface stratification, by allowing simultaneous interpretation of USCS and Ic profiles. Importantly, the model demonstrates the potential to integrate multiple variables of different types, aiming to contribute to the development of a methodology for joint modeling of geotechnical, geological and geophysical data.
We introduce a novel adaptive Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) methodology for efficient construction of surrogate models for Bayesian inverse problems with expensive forward model evaluations. An adaptive design strategy focuses on optimizing both the positioning and simulation accuracy of training data in order to reduce the computational cost of simulating training data without compromising the fidelity of the posterior distributions of parameters. The method interleaves a goal-oriented active learning algorithm selecting evaluation points and tolerances based on the expected impact on the Kullback-Leibler divergence of surrogated and true posterior with a Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling of the posterior. The performance benefit of the adaptive approach is demonstrated for two simple test problems.
Structural health monitoring (SHM) using ultrasonic-guided waves (UGWs) enables continuous monitoring of components with complex geometries and provides extensive information about their structural integrity and their overall condition. Composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) used for storing hydrogen gases at very high pressures are an example of a critical infrastructure that could benefit significantly from SHM. This can be used to increase the periodic inspection intervals, ensure safe operating conditions by early detection of anomalies, and ultimately estimate the remaining lifetime of COPVs. Therefore, in the digital quality infrastructure initiative (QI-Digital) in Germany, an SHM system is being developed for COPVs used in a hydrogen refueling station. In this study, the results of a lifetime fatigue test on a Type IV COPV subjected to many thousands of load cycles under different temperatures and pressures are presented to demonstrate the strengths and challenges associated with such an SHM system. During the cyclic testing up to the final material failure of the COPV, a sensor network of fifteen surface-mounted piezoelectric (PZT) wafers was used to collect the UGW data. However, the pressure variations, the aging process of the COPV, the environmental parameters, and possible damages simultaneously have an impact on the recorded signals. This issue and the lack of labeled data make signal processing and analysis even more demanding. Thus, in this study, semi-supervised, and unsupervised deep learning approaches are utilized to separate the influence of different variables on the UGW data with the final aim of detecting and localizing the damage before critical failure.
Hybrid additive manufacturing is becoming increasingly important in the field of additive manufacturing. Hybrid approaches combine at least two different manufacturing processes. The focus of this work is the build-up of geometries onto conventionally manufactured parts using Powder Bed Fusion with Laser Beam of Metals (PBF-LB/M). The hybrid build-up requires a precise position detection system inside the PBF-LB/M machines to determine the exact position of the existing component. For this purpose, high-resolution camera systems can be utilized. However, the use of a camera system is associated with several challenges. The captured images are subject to various distortions of the optical path. Due to these distortions, it is not possible to use the images for measurements and, therefore, it is not possible to calculate the positions of objects. In this study a homography matrix is calculated to correct keystone distortion in the images. Different calibration patterns have been tested for the calculation of the homography matrix. The influence of the number of calibration points on the precision of position detection of objects is determined. Furthermore, the influence of an additional camera calibration by using ChArUco boards is evaluated. The result is a camera calibration workflow with associated calibration pattern for a precise position detection of parts inside PBF-LB/M machines allowing a hybrid build-up with minimum physical offset between base component and build-up.
Auf dem Weg zum einlagigen Schweißen von dickwandigen Bauteilen – Prozesse, Potenziale, Beispiele
(2024)
Bislang kommt das Laserstrahlschweißen bzw. Laserhybridschweißen hauptsächlich bei Dickblechen mit einer Wandstärke von bis zu 15 mm zum Einsatz. Für Anwendungen über 20 mm war dieses Verfahren aufgrund einiger Herausforderungen bisher nur bedingt realisierbar. Die von der Ausgründung WeldNova GmbH der Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) entwickelte Schweißbadsicherung ermöglicht nun ein einlagiges Schweißen von bis zu 40 mm Wandstärken mit einer Laserleistung von bis zu 20 kW.
Das Laserstrahl-Lichtbogen-Hybridschweißverfahren kombiniert Laserstrahl- und Lichtbogenschweißverfahren in einem gemeinsamen Schmelzbad. Das Verfahren wurde Ende der 70er Jahre entwickelt, um die Synergieeffekte der Schweißprozesse effektiv zu nutzen. Durch die hohe Strahlungsintensität des Laserstrahls werden hohe Einschweißtiefen erreicht. Es ist möglich, die Anzahl der Schweißlagen zu reduzieren und somit die thermische Belastung des Grundwerkstoffes zu senken, da der Wärmeeintrag verringert wird. Die Überbrückung von Spalten und Kantenversatz kann durch die Zufuhr eines geschmolzenen Zusatzdrahtes durch das MSG-Verfahren erreicht werden. Der Zusatzdraht kann zudem das metallurgische Gefüge positiv beeinflussen. Daher ist das Laser-Hybridschweißverfahren ideal für das einlagige Schweißen von Dickblechen und wird bereits erfolgreich in der Schiffbauindustrie zum Schweißen von Blechen mit einer Dicke von bis zu 15 mm verwendet. Obwohl Hochleistungslaser heutzutage bereits im Multi-Kilowatt-Bereich verfügbar sind, sind sie für den industriellen Einsatz nur auf Stahlbleche mit einer Dicke von max. 15 mm geeignet. Hohe Abkühlgeschwindigkeiten, gravitationsbedingtes Austropfen beim einlagigen Schweißen von Dickblechen, Prozessinstabilitäten bei höheren Laserleistungen und Schweißnahtimperfektionen wie Rissbildung sind einige Faktoren, die den Einsatz von Laser-Hybridschweißtechnologien aktuell begrenzen. Ohne eine Badstütze ist eine Verringerung der Schweißgeschwindigkeit und somit der Abkühlgeschwindigkeit aufgrund unzulässiger Wurzelüberhöhungen oder gravitationsbedingtem Austropfen nicht möglich. Bei herkömmlichen Badstützen ist es allerdings erforderlich, dass sie mechanisch befestigt und die Wurzel entfernt oder nachbearbeitet werden muss. In dieser Arbeit wird als Alternative das innovative Konzept der elektromagnetischen Schweißbadsicherung vorgestellt und die Fähigkeiten dieses Verfahrens erläutert.
Distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS) technique is a promising and robust non-destructive testing tool that can seamlessly acquire environmental conditions over large scales. Therefore, it has found extensive applications in structural health monitoring. Its appeal for monitoring underground facilities lies in the intrinsic properties of the optical fiber, such as immunity to magnetic interference, small size, chemical inertia, etc. This paper provides a concise overview of DFOS applications in underground facility monitoring. Following a brief introduction to the workingbnprinciple of the DFOS technique, various examples are provided to demonstrate how distributed fiber sensors contribute to monitoring underground facilities. The paper presents unpublished field test results with an emphasis in the energy sector, including monitoring gas storage facilities, geothermal reservoir exploration, and ground movement detection. Furthermore, the paper identifies several directions for enhancing the DFOS system.
Heavy-weight packages for the safe transport of radioactive material are equippedwith impact limiters often built ofwood-filled steel sheet structures to fulfil the requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regulations. The requirements definemechanical tests followed by a thermal test, including criteria ensuring the package design’s ability to withstand severe accidents and provide a high level of technical safety.
Impact limiters are a package component mainly designed for the packages to withstand severe mechanical accident scenarios. In drop tests the impact limiters absorb the kinetic energy during impact of the package. The package must then - with its pre-damaged impact limiters - endure a thermal test defined precisely in the IAEA regulations as a 30-min fully engulfing 800 °C-fire. After the fire, a wood-filled impact limiter may continue to release thermal energy from an ongoing combustion process, defining relevant package temperatures. The energy flow from a possible burning impact limiter to the package is important for the safety evaluation of transport packages. To investigate the combustion behaviour of densely packed layers of spruce wood, encapsulated in pre-damaged cylindrical metal enclosures, a test set-up has been realised. The set-up consists of a combustion chamber to perform these tests under defined boundary conditions. The temperature development of the test specimens will be observed fromoutside with a thermographic imager, with HD-Cameras, and the mass loss will be measured during the entire test. Airflow conditions in the combustion chamber are analysed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) calculations in OpenFOAM. The planned combustion test setup is described.
Although intense wildfire research has been done in the US and in Australia, it cannot be transferred directly to the situation in Europe as the local vegetation has a significant influence on the fire spread. The EU-funded project TREEADS and the so-called German pilot within the project are concentrating on wildfire in Europe. Extensive experimental research is done on local vegeta-tion in Germany and the experimental results are used to adjust the Fire Dynam-ics Simulator (FDS) to local vegetation as a fuel in the calculations. The particle model and the boundary fuel model are developed for the simulation of forest fires. Both models require the kinetic input for the dehydration, pyrolysis, and char oxidation process. This three-step simplified model describes the basic fuel combustion kinetic. Most published simulations use the default kinetic input of pine needles from FDS user manual.
To adjust the simulation to local vegetation, the corresponding kinetic parame-ters have been experimental investigated. Samples of pine needles, moss and other falling leaves were collected, air dried and grinded into powder. The TG analysis of all these samples were done under different heating rate of 5, 10 and 20K/min.
The activation energy and the corresponding pre-exponential factor were calcu-lated. The results show that fire spread depends significantly on the vegetation and comparison with small scale experiments show good agreement using the new kinetic parameters. The new model is applied to a larger scenario and will be compared to the results of large-scale experiments for further validation of the model.
Packages for the transport of radioactive material are designed to en-dure severe accidents. Packages for the transportation of radioactive material must demonstrate that the package can withstand certain prescribed tests from the IAEA Regulations [1]. In addition to mechanical tests, a thermal test in form of a fire test must be carried out. As packages to be tested at BAM are signifi-cantly larger than previous package designs, BAM has expanded an existing fire test stand. A modular concept is chosen, which means that the arrangement of the burner nozzles can be adapted to the test specimen. The dimensions of the burner rings, the type, the orientation and the number of burner nozzles can be varied depending on the test specimen. In addition, various pumps can be used to set the corresponding mass flow. With the help of a calorimeter test, the fire test stand can be qualified for a specific size of packages regarding the boundary conditions of the IAEA Regulations [1]. Due to the typically wood filled impact limiters in German package designs, a fire test is necessary, as experiments have shown that possible openings that occurred during a mechanical test contributed to the igni-tion of the wood filled impact limiters within the prescribed 30 minutes of the IAEA Regulations [1]. From a series of experiments, two experiments are pre-sented to show the possibilities to obtain different temperatures and temperature rates in the test specimen. In addition to sensor data, the heat flux into the package is calculated to verify that the IAEA boundary conditions are satisfied. In addition to the temperature data, other data such as wind speed and wind direction are also recorded to explain subsequent effects in the measurement data in a comprehen-sible manner.
To better understand the dynamics in hazardous environments, gas distribution mapping aims to map the gas concentration levels of a specified area precisely. Sampling is typically carried out in a spatially sparse manner, either with a mobile robot or a sensor network and concentration values between known data points have to be interpolated. In this paper, we investigate sequential deep learning models that are able to map the gas distribution based on a multiple time step input from a sensor network. We propose a novel hybrid convolutional LSTM - transpose convolutional structure that we train with synthetic gas distribution data. Our results show that learning the spatial and temporal correlation of gas plume patterns outperforms a non-sequential neural network model.
Simulating a Gas Source Localization Algorithm with Gas Dispersion Produced by Recorded Outdoor Wind
(2023)
This paper reports the use of the first gas dispersion simulator capable of introducing large wind fluctuations into simulations. The proposed simulator enables testing of a modification made to a gas source localization algorithm in a realistic scenario in order to study how the change affects it. Gas source localization in an outdoor environment is a challenging task mainly due to the complexity of the gas spread caused by the unpredictable nature of constantly changing wind. Therefore, a novel use of outdoor wind in developing a gas source localization system by simulation is presented in this paper. To consider the characteristic of sudden but large and unpredictable changes in wind direction, we propose to use recorded outdoor wind to simulate a realistic outdoor gas dispersion which has been done for the first time to the best of our knowledge. With the use of this simulator, we have tested a modification to a mobile robot-based gas source localization algorithm. Multiple simulations of the modified and the original particle filter-based algorithm have been done to study the effect of the tested modification. The results showed that a small difference in the algorithm can greatly impact the results. From this study, we show that the use of simulation consisting of the necessary traits to evaluate outdoor gas source localization, has the potential to accelerate the development of a reliable localization system.
The attenuation of wave amplitudes is ruled by the planar, cylindrical or spherical geometry of the wave front (the geometric or power-law attenuation) but also by the damping of the soil (an exponential attenuation). Several low- and high-frequency filter effects are derived for the layering and the damping of the soil, for the moving static and the distributed train loads and for a homogeneous or randomly heterogeneous soil. Measurements of hammer- and train-induced vibrations at five sites have been analysed for these attenuation and filter effects. The measured attenuation with distance can be discribed by generalised power laws and some reasons will be discussed. The theoretical filter effects can well be found in the measurements.
Packages for the transport of radioactive materials shall fulfil the requirements of the IAEA regulations for the safe transport. The requirements define mechanical and thermal test conditions including criteria ensuring the package design’s ability to withstand severe accidents and provide a high level of technical safety. Different methods can be used for safety demonstration showing compliance with the regulations.
The central part of a safety demonstration which is presented in this paper was a comprehensive drop test program with a full-scale model of a transport package accompanied by pre- and post-test FE analyses. Using full-scale drop test models allow the benefit that similarity and scaling issues become a significant smaller issue, additional material investigations can be limited and analyses for transferring test results to the original package design are reduced. Additionally, experience for the future serial packaging manufacturing and handling procedures can be collected in a very early state of the design approval process. The pre-test finite element analyses derived and justified the drop test program consisting of several drop sequences with different drop orientations of the specimen. The performance and the results of the drop test sequences shows the manageability and the advantage e.g., in view of the direct availability of test results for the package licensing. On the other hand, the drop test performance shows the difficulties during handling and the need for additional equipment during preparation of the specimen.
The package presented was intended for the transport and storage of compacted radioactive waste from reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel assemblies - designed and applied for approval by the AGC consortium. The project ended in 2021. The package design was characterized by a cask body made of a forged thick stainless-steel shell, a bolted double lid system with metallic gaskets and wood filled shock absorbers at both ends. The total mass of the entire transport package including content was 120,000 kg, the total length was about 7000 mm and the diameter approximately
3000 mm, both measures include the shock absorbers.
The paper provides an insight into the performance of a full-scale drop testing campaign within the package safety evaluation and shows some selected test results.
We present a temperature sensor based on a polymer exhibiting a Lower Critical Solution Temperature (LCST) in aqueous solution encapsulated in a capillary. Parameters are chosen such that the solution exhibits a cloud point in a temperature range of 30° C to 39°C. The characteristic of thermoresponsive polymers with an LCST, is that above that temperature phase separation of the polymer takes place which leads to a temperature-dependent formation of a cloudy suspension. An optical intensity measurement over the desired temperature range is established by an increase of optical attenuation inside the polymer solution caused by a rising temperature. For our purpose, the polymer capillary is connected to transmitter and receiver via a Polymer Optical Fibre (POF). Our intensity measurement is, to the best of our knowledge, a novel method and can be considered simple when compared to existing fibre-based temperature measurement techniques. Due to the lack of electrical components at the probe, this sensor is suitable for measurements in strong electromagnetic fields and environments for which flying sparks are hazardous, i.e., inflammable fluids or gases. Furthermore, all manufactured sensors share the same temperature dependence and, therefore, are well-suited for comparative measurement, e.g., flow measurement systems. With the given temperature range, a body temperature measurement is also suitable.
The decommissioning or refurbishment of nuclear facilities necessitates either the storage or disposal of large radioactive components such as steam generators, pressurizers, reactor pressure vessels and heads, and coolant pumps, to list the major contributors. These components or objects are large in size and mass, measuring up to approximately 6 meters in diameter, up to 20 meters in length, and weighing over 400 000 kg. In many situations, the components are transported off-site to a storage, disposal or recycling/treatment facility. Previously, many large objects had to be transported under special arrangement.
The safety demonstration of heavy weight type B transport packages used for storing spent nuclear fuel (SNF) or radioactive waste is ensured by a combination of physical testing and numerical calculations. While experiments are performed in accordance with the IAEA regulations for selected drop scenarios, Finite-Element-Method (FEM) simulations are used to predict the most damaging case and to investigate additional drop positions.
BAM as competent authority in Germany has performed different investigations of a welding seam for a typical large transport package made of A508 forged steel, where the bottom plate is welded to the cylindrical shell. The package has a mass of approx. 120 t. Results of physical drop tests with a full-scale model and accompanying preliminary FEM simulations are presented to determine the decisive stresses in the welding seam. A drop test only represents one set of a package and test parameters. A further parameter analysis is considered to account for allowable variations of packaging properties (e.g. resulting from the manufacturing process) and, based on IAEA requirements, the temperature dependence of the material behaviour. The results of the stress analyses from the drop test and the simulation form the basis and provide the input parameters for a fracture mechanics analysis. In addition to the IAEA specifications, further standards are taken into account for an in-depth investigation, see R6, BS 7910 and API 579-1/ASME FFS1.
All the above-mentioned standards require a manufacturer-specific defect analysis with respect to size and position. Both result from the welding process and the following heat treatment regime. The maximum defect sizes are ensured with non-destructive test methods (such as ultrasonic or particle methods) as integral part of the manufacturing process of the welding seam. Another important parameter in the welding process is the residual stress (secondary stress). The combination of the primary and secondary stress determines the total stress in the welding seam. The most damaging case of the welding seam is determined and evaluated with help of the above-mentioned standards and taking into account the IAEA requirements with respect to defect sizes, material properties, primary and residual stress, yield strength etc.
The current ability to predict the carbonation resistance of alkali-activated materials (AAMs) is incomplete, partly because of widely varying AAM chemistries and variable testing conditions. To identify general correlations between mix design parameters and the carbonation rate of AAMs, RILEM TC 281-CCC Working Group 6 compiled and analysed carbonation data for alkali-activated concretes and mortars from the literature. For comparison purposes, data for blended Portland cement-based concretes with a high percentage of SCMs (≥66% of the binder) were also included in the database. The results show that the water/CaO ratio is not a reliable indicator of the carbonation rate of AAMs. A better indicator of the carbonation rate of AAMs under conditions approximating natural carbonation is their water/(CaO + MgOeq + Na2Oeq + K2Oeq) ratio, where the index ‘eq’ indicates an equivalent amount based on molar masses. This finding can be explained by the CO2 binding capacity of alkaline-earth and alkali metal ions; the obtained correlation also indicates an influence of the space-filling capability of the binding phases of AAMs, as for conventional cements. However, this ratio can serve only as an approximate indicator of carbonation resistance, as other parameters also affect the carbonation resistance of alkali-activated concretes. In addition, the analysis of the dataset revealed peculiarities of accelerated tests using elevated CO2 concentrations for low-Ca AAMs, indicating that even at the relatively modest concentration of 1% CO2, accelerated testing may lead to inaccurate predictions of their carbonation resistance under natural exposure conditions.
Packages for the transport of radioactive material shall meet the mechanical and thermal test requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regulations for package design approval. Besides mechanical testing, the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) performs thermal tests in accordance with the IAEA regulations. The thermal test includes a 30-minute 800°C fully engulfing fire.
BAM continuously performs various thermal experiments for the investigation of the thermal response of packages with respect to the IAEA fire. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the already performed, ongoing and future physical tests and experiments of BAM in the field of thermal investigations. These research and development works shall support our competencies for the authority package design assessment.
BAM operates a propane gas fire test facility. To be able to carry out comparative investigations and validity between the propane fire and the in detail prescribed pool fire test in the regulations, BAM carries out various calorimetric tests and investigates the boundary conditions of the fire with the help of fire reference packages. At the same time, we are conducting various fire scenarios with wood-filled impact limiters. Large-scale fire tests of impact limiters are carried out on a full scale as well as on a small scale. Influencing variables are investigated in particular by means of geometric changes and the consideration of artificial damages, in particular holes. In addition to propane fire as a heat source, thermal scenarios are also investigated with hydrogen as heat source and an infrared radiator system to ignite test specimens. For these numerous test arrangements, the transferability to existing and newly developed transport package designs is essential and fruitful within the review of design approvals, especially for Dual Purpose casks with a long-lasting operation time.
Most transports of radioactive materials are carried out with packages not requiring competent authority approval of design. These encompass – in accordance with the IAEA SSR-6 regulations – packages of the classification excepted, Industrial packages Type 1, 2 and 3 and Type A packages. Currently an upsurge in number and variation of these package designs can be seen in Germany, resulting from the phase out of nuclear energy in Germany as well as e. g. increased use of radioactive material for medical purposes.
A design assessment regarding the package safety is required in the international IAEA SSR-6 regulations. BAM operates facilities for the performance of all regulatory tests required such as drop towers for a wide range of package masses and dimensions, fire test, leak tightness measurements and pressure test facilities. Experiences with several package types are shown.
Additionally, IAEA SSR-6 requires the establishment of a management system for design, manufacture, maintenance, and repair of the packaging as well as for the preparation, consigning, loading, carriage, unloading and receipt of the package. Relevant for Germany, BAM has published guidance material on the process of management system acceptance in the technical guide BAM-GGR 016. The requirements encompass quality management plans for the manufacturing of packages including independent manufacturing surveillance and specific instructions for operation, maintenance, and repair of packagings. Examples for management system specifics and requirements are given.
Since the latest edition of the IAEA SSR-6 regulations an ageing evaluation including systematic ageing management measures are required for all kind of package types. BAM is going to update the guidance material BAM-GGR 016 to support the stakeholders with relevant information to fulfil the ageing aspect for packages not requiring competent authority approval. The paper explains how the ageing aspect may be included in the safety evaluation process and the management system measures and will give an outlook for the future guidance material.
Overview of ongoing research and future prospects on polyethylene neutron shielding materials at bam
(2023)
The extension of the interim storage period of radioactive waste before disposal will cause additional challenges for the nuclear waste management in Germany, so that an extensive knowledge of the long-term performance of casks, including their components and inventories, will be required for future extended storage licenses.
Ultra-high and high molecular weight polyethylenes ((U)HMW-PE) are used for neutron shielding purposes in casks for storage and transport of spent fuel and high-level waste due to their extremely high hydrogen content. During their service life of several decades as cask components, the PE materials are exposed to neutron and gamma radiation from the radioactive inventory of the casks, mechanical assembling stresses and temperature. All these combined effects affect the material properties of such components which in turn may be crucial for some possible accident scenarios.
At the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), the effects of high temperature exposure in combination with subsequent or previous irradiation were investigated with a comprehensive aging program including thermal aging at 125 °C for different aging periods up to 5 years and irradiation with doses ranging from 50 to 600 kGy.
This contribution provides an overview of the ongoing research related to the structural changes of (U)HMW-PE induced by gamma irradiation and high temperature exposure and focuses on current research perspectives at BAM with regard to the prediction of the dynamic behavior of the material during extended interim storage in case of an accident scenario. First results of the coupled effect of temperature, radiation and mechanical loading will be presented. The effect of microstructural changes induced by gamma irradiation and high temperature on the mechanical behavior of (U)HMW-PE will be assessed.
Friction coefficients for wood-wood and wood-steel interfaces in impact limiters for transport casks
(2023)
Wood is widely used in impact limiters of transport casks for radioactive material. Encapsulated by an outer and inner steel structure, spruce wood is often applied in layers of alternating direction. The friction at the interfaces between these layers is of crucial importance for the impact and energy absorption e.g., at an accidental impact of a cask against a hard target. In order to get detailed information for corresponding numerical calculations, in this study the friction coefficient for the combinations wood-wood and wood-steel was measured in the temperature range between -40°C and 90°C according to the relevant stress conditions for such casks. Results show decreasing friction with increasing temperature, ranging from 0.43 at -40°C to 0.22 for 90°C for wood-steel combinations and from 0.3 at -40°C to 0.24 at 90°C to for a wood-wood combination.
Das EU Projekt EU FireStat SI2.830108, das vom Europäischen Parlament finanziert und von der DG GROW der Europäischen Kommission in Auftrag gegeben wurde, hat aufgearbeitet, welche Terminologie in den europäische Mitgliedsstaaten verwendet wird und die von den Mitgliedstaaten erhobenen Daten über Gebäudebrände zu analysieren. Dabei wurden die Schwierigkeiten bei der Erfassung und die Unterschiede bei der Auslegung ermittelt und eine gemeinsame Terminologie sowie eine Methode zur Erfassung der erforderlichen Daten vorgeschlagen.
Folgende Schwerpunkte wurden bearbeitet: Zunächst erfolgte eine Diagnose von Terminologie-, Datenerhebungs- und Auslegungsproblemen, Erhebung der Terminologie und der Datenerfassung, Identifizierung der für die Entscheidungsfindung benötigten Daten, Analyse der Methoden zur Datenerhebung Definition einer gemeinsamen Terminologie, Methodik der Kosten-/Nutzenbewertung zur Unterstützung politischer Entscheidungen, Fallstudie zur Anwendung der Methode der Kosten-/Nutzenbewertung, Beschreibung einer zukünftigen Datenerhebungsmethode.
Das Ergebnis des Projekts ist eine Empfehlung, welche Daten in den Mitgliedstaaten erhoben werden sollten, um wissensbasierte Entscheidungen in Bezug auf den Brandschutz zu ermöglichen. Damit wird die Grundlage für Maßnahmen und Initiativen geschaffen, die den Brandschutz und die Brandverhütung der Mitgliedstaaten unterstützen, so dass knappe Ressourcen gezielt eingesetzt werden können.
Normung und Standardisierung in der zerstörungsfreien Prüfung finden auf nationaler, europäischer und internationaler Ebene statt. Durch die Übernahme von Leitungsfunktionen in diesen Gremien kann ein deutlicher steuernder Einfluss auf Themen und Inhalte der Normen genommen werden. Unabdingbar für den Erfolg ist zusätzlich das persönliche Engagement der Fachexpert*innen in den nationalen Gremien und den europäischen und internationalen Arbeitsgruppen. Denn wer nicht normt wird genormt und muss letztlich Regeln verwenden, die andere entsprechend ihrer eigenen Interessen gestalten. Voraussetzung für die Teilnahme in europäischen und internationalen Normungsgremien ist die Mitwirkung in den entsprechenden nationalen Spiegelgremien der nationalen Normungsinstitute, welche die europäischen und internationalen Aktivitäten spiegeln und die Fachexperten für die Mitarbeit autorisieren.
Gezeigt werden die relevante Gremienstruktur auf internationaler Ebene (ISO/TC 135 “Non-destructive testing”, ISO/TC 44/SC 5 “Testing and inspection of welds”), auf europäischer Ebene (CEN/TC 138 “Zerstörungsfreie Prüfverfahren”), die Struktur der nationalen deutschen Spiegelgremien, das Zusammenspiel der Gremien, und die Einflussmöglichkeiten.
Wavelength scanning coherent optical time domain reflectometer (WS-COTDR) is a good candidate to spatially resolve the environmental information at comparatively low frequency. This paper reveals it can also work as a traditional optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) to identify Fresnel reflection by averaging the obtained signal over the wavelength scanning range. Simultaneous distributed vibration sensing and a traditional OTDR measurement are experimentally demonstrated using the WS-COTDR system.
We report on the development of a field-proven distributed fiber optic sensing system for structural health monitoring in road construction and civil engineering. The system is based on a cost-efficient digital incoherent optical frequency domain reflectometry (I-OFDR) for distributed strain detection along a polymer optical fiber. In this method, the strain-induced backscatter increase in a graded-index multimode perfluorinated polymer optical fiber (PF-POF) is determined by measuring the complex transfer function of the sensing fiber using a compact digital data acquisition unit.
Die üblichen Verfahren der zerstörungsfreien Prüfung mit Ultraschall basieren auf der Verwendung von flüssigen Koppelmitteln. Luftgekoppelte Prüfung setzt sich gegen die konventionellen Verfahren durch, wenn die Flüssigkeit nicht erwünscht oder den Prüfling gar beschädigen kann. Zwei Technologien für Erzeugung von Ultraschallsignalen sind vielversprechend: thermoakustische Wandler und Ferroelektret-Wandler. Basierend auf diesen beiden Technologien wurden Array-Sender gebaut und in diesem Beitrag miteinander verglichen.
Thermoakustische Wandler basieren auf Dünnschichttechnologie und bieten eine resonanzfreie Erzeugung von Ultraschall. Sie bestehen aus einer dünnen elektrisch leitenden Schicht und werden mit kurzen elektrischen Pulsen angeregt. Die Erhöhung der thermischen Energie führt zur Erzeugung von akustischen Wellen in der umgebenden Luft.
Bei Ferroelektret-Wandlern handelt es sich um polarisierte zelluläre Kunststoffe, die für den Bau eines Array-Senders besonders gut geeignet sind. Einige Ferroelektrete weisen eine hervorragende an Luft angepasste akustische Impedanz auf, so dass auf den Einsatz von Anpassschichten verzichtet werden kann. Ein sehr niedriges mechanisches Übersprechen zwischen einzelnen Elementen ermöglicht eine unabhängige Anregung einzelner Elemente, was bei Piezokompositen deutlich schwieriger wäre.
Mit der Phased-Array-Technik können elektronische Fokussierung oder Schwenkung des Einschallwinkels für eine luftgekoppelte Prüfung genutzt werden. Die Schallfelder von diesen beiden Technologien wurden berechnet, gemessen und miteinander verglichen. Die Vorteile und Nachteile der beiden Technologien werden dargestellt.
Phased-Array-Prüfköpfe für luftgekoppelte Ultraschallprüfung auf Basis von zellulären Kunststoffen
(2023)
Luftgekoppelte Ultraschallprüfung setzt sich immer häufiger gegen die konventionelle Ultraschallprüfung von Leichtbaukomponenten durch, und zwar in vielen Industriezweigen von der Holzindustrie bis zur Luftfahrt. Während die Phased-Array-Technik mittlerweile zu dem industriellen Standard im Bereich der Prüfung mit Ankopplung gehört, wird luftgekoppelte Ultraschallprüfung meist mit zwei Wandlern in Durchschallung durchgeführt. Deswegen werden Vorteile der Phased-Array-Technik wie beispielsweise elektronische Fokussierung oder Schwenkung des Einschallwinkels für luftgekoppelte Prüfung selten genutzt.
In diesem Beitrag werden die laufenden Arbeiten an der Entwicklung eines neuen Phased-Array-Geräts vorgestellt, mit dem Schwerpunkt an der Charakterisierung der Prüfköpfe und ihrer Schallfelder. Das Gerät besteht aus einem linearen Phased-Array-Prüfkopf, einer Sende- und einer Empfangseinheit. Die Hauptinnovation unserer Arbeit ist die Anwendung von zellulären Kunststoffen für den Bau eines Arrays, wobei der Sender mit Hochspannung von ca. 1500 V angeregt wird. Geladene zelluläre Polymere werden auch Ferroelektrete oder Piezoelektrete genannt. Sie weisen ein sehr niedriges Elastizitätsmodul und dadurch eine niedrige akustische Impedanz auf, so dass auf den Einbau von Anpassschichten verzichtet werden kann.
Eine sehr niedrige mechanische Kreuzkopplung bei Ferroelektreten ermöglicht eine unabhängige Anregung einzelner Elemente, was bei Piezokompositen deutlich schwieriger wäre. Die Entwicklung der Array-Prüfköpfe wurde durch Berechnungen des Schallfeldes unterstützt, die auf Punktquellensynthese basieren. Die beabsichtigte Anwendung von Phased-Array-Prüfköpfen und des Prüfsystems sind die Durchschallung mit Fokussierung, elektronischer Scan und die Schwenkung des Einschallwinkels zur Anregung von geführten Wellen, angewandt an carbonfaserverstärkten Kunststoffen und ähnlichen Materialien. Die Anwendung von geführten Wellen bietet die Perspektive, Bauteile mit einseitiger Zugänglichkeit zu prüfen.