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Оперативная характеристика обнаружения как метод оценки достоверности неразрушающего контроля
(2021)
Оперативные характеристики обнаружения в течение многих лет успешно применяют-ся при оценке достоверности неразрушающего контроля. Основными проблемами для их использования, как и при применении любого из методов оценки достоверности, яв-ляются отсутствие информации о действительной дефектной ситуации и ограниченное количество дефектов в образцах объектов контроля. Дополнительной проблемой постро-ения оперативной характеристики обнаружения является отсутствие информации о раз-мерах дефектов и отсутствие универсального размера для различных типов дефектов.
В статье обобщён опыт построения оперативных характеристик по результатам ультра-звукового контроля.
"Die effiziente Verwendung von Messergebnissen bei der Nachrechnung und von Ergebnissen aus zerstörungsfreien Prüfungen im Speziellen setzt voraus, dass die Relevanz der messbaren Informationen beziffert, die Qualität der gemessenen Information berechnet und die Anforderungen an die Genauigkeit der Inspektionen aus der statischen Berechnung abgeleitet werden können. Der Vergleich der Anforderungen an eine zu messende Information mit der Qualität der gemessenen Information wird in diesem Aufsatz als Validierung eines Messverfahrens aufgefasst. Es wird gezeigt, wie zerstörungsfreie Prüfverfahren für die Nachrechnung validiert werden können. Die Methodik wird anhand einer mit der Ultraschallecho- und Impulsradarmethode untersuchten Spannbetonbrücke demonstriert."
Der Unterausschuss „Geführte Wellen“ im Fachausschuss „Zustandsüberwachung“ der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Zerstörungsfreie Prüfung (DGZfP) hat in einer Online-Umfrage den aktuellen Stand des Einsatzes geführter Ultraschallwellen für die zerstörungsfreie Prüfung und die Strukturüberwachung (structural health monitoring) ermittelt. Es wurden deutsche und internationale Firmen und Forschungseinrichtungen befragt und mehr als 400 beantwortete Fragebögen ausgewertet.
Die Umfrageergebnisse zeigen deutlich, welche Vorteile geführte Wellen bringen, aber auch welche Probleme zu bewältigen sind, um einen breiteren Einsatz der Verfahren zu ermöglichen. Aus den Ergebnissen werden Schlussfolgerungen für die weitere Ausrichtung der Forschungs- und Entwicklungsarbeiten aber auch von Aktivitäten zur Normung und zur Bewertung der Zuverlässigkeit der Prüfverfahren abgeleitet
Im vorliegenden Artikel werden die Ergebnisse des Fragebogens der DGZfP zur Thematik „ZfP 4.0“ vorgestellt und diskutiert. Die Befragung zielte darauf ab, das allgemeine Verständnis der ZfP-Community zur Begrifflichkeit „ZfP 4.0“ herauszuarbeiten und daraus Bedarfe und Handlungsempfehlungen für die identifizierten Herausforderungen abzuleiten. Außerdem zeigt sich aus Sicht der Autor*innen, dass relevante Terminologien zu dem Themenkomplex Digitalisierung einer weiteren Klärung bedürfen, was im Bericht aufgegriffen wird. Im Ausblick zu den angelaufenen Arbeiten im nationalen Fachausschuss ZfP 4.0 und in den sich etablierenden internationalen Fachkreisen werden daraus abgeleitete Perspektiven für die Zukunftsgestaltung vorgestellt.
Dieses erste Memorandum zur Lehre und Forschung an deutschsprachigen Hochschulen auf dem Gebiet der zerstörungsfreien Prüfung im Bauwesen gibt einen Überblick hinsichtlich der akademischen Ausbildung und zeigt mögliche Schwerpunkte vor allem in der Lehre auf. Diese Schwerpunkte berücksichtigen auch aktuelle Entwicklungen und Themen auf dem Gebiet der Forschung. Es werden Anregungen zur Entwicklung bzw. Weiterentwicklung der Lehr-Curricula im Hinblick auf eine umfassende und solide fachliche Ausbildung der Studierenden des Bauwesens und angrenzender Fachrichtungen gegeben. Inhaltlich und formal lehnt sich der Beitrag an dem Memorandum der Hochschullehrer im Fachgebiet „Werkstoffe im Bauwesen“ (Breit et al., 2012) an und beruht auf einer Initiative des Unterausschusses Ausbildung – Arbeitsgruppe Ausbildung in der Hochschule – des Fachausschusses ZfP im Bauwesen der Deutschen Gesellschaft für zerstörungsfreie Prüfung (DGZfP). Die Hauptredaktion wurde übernommen von Prof. Christian U. Grosse (TU München) und Prof. Ralf W. Arndt (FH Erfurt).
Direct Laser Writing (DLW) and X-ray computed tomography (XCT) both offer unique possibilities in their respective fields. DLW produces full three-dimensional (3D) polymer structures on the microscale with resolutions below 100 nm. The fabricated structures can be analysed by XCT or X-ray microscopy (XRM), which incorporates additional X-ray lenses, in three dimensions down to a minimal basic spatial resolution of about 500 nm or 50 nm, respectively. In this work, two different DLW structures are analysed via XCT. Internal defects are detected and analysed for the purpose of quality control. Defects and structures with sizes down to 1.5 µm are successfully analysed. A 3D reconstruction and internal, hidden features of the fabricated structures are shown and discussed. In a first-of-its-kind study, we demonstrate the detectability of a single-voxel line inside a fabricated structure that would not be detectable with SEM or light microscopy. Furthermore, the direct fabrication on a PET substrate is shown to overcome the high X-ray absorbance of commonly used glass substrates. Attenuation spectra of SZ2080 and glass substrates are compared to a fabrication route direct on a 170 µm PET foil. The practical aspects of XCT measurements for DLW structures on different substrates will be discussed.
For the first time, X-ray refraction techniques are proven for the identification of void formation in Ti-6Al-4V parts produced by selective laser melting. The topology and volume fraction of pores are measured in samples produced with different laser energy density. Unique X-ray refraction methods identify different kinds of defects, characteristic to the regions below and above the Optimum laser energy density, namely unprocessed powder (unmolten powder particles, balling effect, and Fusion defects) from empty keyhole pores. Furthermore, it is possible to detect small inhomogeneities (voids or cracks) with sizes below the spatial resolution of optical microscopy and X-ray computed tomography.
The literature has shown that the application of laminography provides advantages as 3D radiographic imaging with depth information for in house and mobile testing. This permits to distinguish between overlapping indications, measure the extension along radiation direction and classify indications as surface open or subsurface
ones as required in critical engineering assessment. This work provides a comparative study and measurements of the three techniques Digital Radiography (DR) with Digital Detector Arrays (DDA), Coplanar Translational Laminography (CTL) and Computed Tomography (CT), applied for composite pipeline inspection. It is demonstrated that CTL and CT provide advantages for the evaluation of pipe-to-pipe connections and the evaluation of adhesive applications. They show indications of discontinuities with higher contrast sensitivity than radiography.
Beyond it, two specimen, namely Phantom 1 and Phantom 2, were developed and manufactured by additive manufacturing to analyze the preferential detection sensitivity and the direction of features and depth information for laminographic measurements. Another goal was to show the laminographic capabilities to distinguish between overlapping discontinuities. CTL is especially suitable for mobile inspection. Special glass fiber reinforced polymer samples (GRP) were manufactured for further analysis and comparisons between the abovementioned techniques. Finally, Phantoms 1 and 2 show the capability of laminography to detect overlapping indications and also show that discontinuities oriented perpendicular to the scan direction have the highest contrast sensitivity for laminographic measurements.
Additively manufactured (AM) metallic sheet-based Triply Periodic Minimal Surface Structures (TPMSS) meet several requirements in both bio-medical and engineering fields: Tunable mechanical properties, low sensitivity to manufacturing defects, mechanical stability, and high energy absorption. However, they also present some challenges related to quality control, which can prevent their successful application. In fact, the optimization of the AM process is impossible without considering structural characteristics as manufacturing accuracy, internal defects, as well as surface topography and roughness. In this study, the quantitative non-destructive analysis of TPMSS manufactured from Ti-6Al-4V alloy by electron beam melting was performed by means of X-ray computed tomography (XCT). Several advanced image analysis workflows are presented to evaluate the effect of build orientation on wall thicknesses distribution, wall degradation, and surface roughness reduction due to the chemical etching of TPMSS. It is shown that the manufacturing accuracy differs for the structural elements printed parallel and orthogonal to the manufactured layers. Different strategies for chemical etching show different powder removal capabilities and both lead to the loss of material and hence the gradient of the wall thickness. This affects the mechanical performance under compression by reduction of the yield stress. The positive effect of the chemical etching is the reduction of the surface roughness, which can potentially improve the fatigue properties of the components. Finally, XCT was used to correlate the amount of retained powder with the pore size of the functionally graded TPMSS, which can further improve the manufacturing process.
In this paper we report on the characterization by X-ray computed tomography of calcium phosphate (CaP) and polycaprolactone (PCL) coatings on Ti-6Al-4V alloy scaffolds used as a material for medical implants. The cylindrical scaffold has greater porosity of the inner part than the external part, thus, mimicking trabecular and cortical bone, respectively. The prismatic scaffolds have uniform porosity. Surface of the scaffolds was modified with calcium phosphate (CaP) and polycaprolactone (PCL) by dip-coating to improve biocompatibility and mechanical properties. Computed tomography performed with X-ray and synchrotron radiation revealed the defects of structure and morphology of CaP and PCL coatings showing small platelet-like and spider-web-like structures, respectively.
In this paper we report on the characterization by X-ray computed tomography of calcium phosphate (CaP) and polycaprolactone (PCL) coatings on Ti-6Al-4V alloy scaffolds used as a material for medical implants. The cylindrical scaffold has greater porosity of the inner part than the external part, thus, mimicking trabecular and cortical bone, respectively. The prismatic scaffolds have uniform porosity. Surface of the scaffolds was modified with calcium phosphate (CaP) and polycaprolactone (PCL) by dip-coating to improve biocompatibility and mechanical properties. Computed tomography performed with X-ray and synchrotron radiation revealed the defects of structure and morphology of CaP and PCL coatings showing small platelet-like and spider-web-like structures, respectively.
X-Ray computed tomography and traditional analysis of a capillary absorption test in cement pastes
(2020)
Water absorption testing has the attraction of being simple, relatively quick and use water as a fluid which is the key substance in the possible concrete deterioration. However, in spite of the advantages its application has remained empirical, except for the testing of resistance to frost, through the identification of the critical degree of saturation. Rilem TC-116 studied this test, among others, for the characterization of concrete resistance against transport through the concrete pore network. Results indicated a low discriminating ability of the absorbency for qualifying concrete resistance and then, it seemed necessary to try to move forward by making the link between the absorption testing and the concrete pore microstructure. In the present work, thanks to the X-Ray computed tomography, it is described the evolution of the water front in three paste-specimen with different w/c ratios (different pore radius distributions). The observations allowed us to deduce that all the pores start to fill simultaneously, but the bigger ones fill quicker and rise less. The saturation degree is measured along the height of the sample, showing that each pore size has a different rate which becomes constant after the first hour. Washburn’s equation was applied to the progressive advance of the water front, resulting in a pore radius much smaller than the one expected.
Wyciek metanu (CH4) z infrastruktury takiej jak rurociągi czy zbiorniki magazynowe ma kluczowe znaczenie dla środowiska oraz stwarza zagrożenie dla bezpieczeństwa ludzi i mienia. Obecnie, po okresie bezawaryjnej eksploatacji, można zaobserwować wzrost liczby incydentów spowodowanych nieszczelnościami rurociągów przesyłowych.
W Polsce szczególnie problematyczne okazują się gazociągi, które powstały dekady temu. W tamtym czasie normy techniczne i przepisy budowlane były łagodniejsze niż obecnie obowiązujące. Integralność tych gazociągów jest trudna do skontrolowania, gdyż na etapie budowy nie zostały one przystosowane do badania tłokami pomiarowymi. Aby sprostać temu wyzwaniu, UDT poszukuje metod umożliwiających szybkie i niezawodne wykrywanie oraz lokalizowanie nieszczelności gazociągów na duże odległości.
Shape memory alloy structures for actuator and vibration damper applications may be manufactured using wire arc additive manufacturing (W AAM), which is one of the additive manufacturing technologies. Multilayer deposition causes heat accumulation during W AAM, which rises the preheat temperature of the previously created layer. This leads to process instabilities, which result in deviations from the desired dimensions and mechanical properties changes. During W AAM deposition of the wall structure, a systematic research is carried out by adjusting the interlayer delay from 10 to 30 s. When the delay period is increased from 10 to 30 s, the breadth decreases by 45% and the height increases by 33%. Grain refinement occurs when the interlayer delay duration is increased, resulting in better hardness, phase transformation temperature, compressive strength, and shape recovery behavior. This study shows how the interlayer delay affects the behavior of W AAM-built nickel-titanium alloy (NiTi) structures in a variety of applications.
Mit Laserlicht kann man eine Materialoberfläche berührungslos und schnell moduliert aufheizen. Dabei entsteht eine stark gedämpfte Wärmewelle, die tief ins Material eindringen kann. Erzeugt und überlagert man solche thermischen Wellen auf kohärente Weise, dann kann man damit versteckte Materialfehler zerstörungsfrei und sehr präzise aufspüren. Sogar eine bildgebende Tomografie ist denkbar.
Weather-dependent passive thermography and thermal simulation of in-service wind turbine blades
(2023)
. To cope with the increase in the manufacturing and operation of wind turbines, wind farm operators need inspection tools that are able to provide reliable information while keeping the downtime low. Current inspection techniques require to stop the wind turbine. This work presents the current progress in the project EvalTherm, in which passive thermography is evaluated as a possible non-destructive inspection tool for operational wind turbine blades (WTBs). A methodology to obtain thermal images of rotating WTBs has been established in this project. However, the quality of the results is heavily dependent on various aspects such as weather conditions, information on the inspected WTB, damage history, etc. In this work, a section of a used WTB is simulated using finite-element modelling (FEM) as well as experimentally tested for evaluating the accuracy of the model. Such a model will provide insight into the potential thermal response of a certain structure (with specific material properties) in given weather (boundary) conditions. The model is able to provide satisfactory predictions of the thermal response of the structure, as well as indicate what thermal contrast(s) result from artificial defects introduced in the structure.
Distributed vibration sensing in optical fibers opened entirely new opportunities and penetrated various sectors from security to seismic monitoring. Here, we demonstrate a most simple and robust approach for dynamic strain measurement using wavelength-scanning coherent optical time domain reflectometry (C-OTDR). Our method is based on laser current modulation and Rayleigh backscatter shift correlation. As opposed to common single-wavelength phase demodulation techniques, also the algebraic sign of the strain change is retrieved. This is crucial for the intended applications in structural health monitoring and modal analysis. A linear strain response down to 47.5 pε and strain noise of 100 pε/√Hz is demonstrated for repetition rates in the kHz range. A field application of a vibrating bridge is presented. Our approach provides a cost-effective high-resolution method for structural vibration analysis and geophysical applications.
Water migration in one-side heated concrete: 4D in-situ CT monitoring of the moisture-clog-effect
(2019)
Explosive spalling due to fire exposure in concrete structures can lead severe damage and, in the worst case, to premature component failure. For this reason, an in situ investigation of water Migration in concrete due to surface heating was undertaken.
During these experiments, a miniaturized concrete specimen within a confining and insulating double-hull was subjected to surface heating during simultaneous X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanning. Through the use of subtraction-based Image analysis techniques, it was possible to observe and quantify not only drying within areas of the concrete matrix close to the heated surface, but also the migration of moisture to both pore and matrix regions deeper within the specimen. It was also discovered that the correction of CT images for specimen deformation using DVC and variable detector performance using calibrated image filters significantly improved the quality of the results. This clearly demonstrates the potential of X-ray CT for evaluation of other rapid-density-change phenomena in concrete and other building materials.
Vertebrate bones are made of a nanocomposite consisting of water, mineral and organics. Water helps bone material withstand mechanical stress and participates in sensation of external loads. Water diffusion across vertebrae of medaka (bone material lacking osteocytes) and zebrafish (bone material containing osteocytes) was compared using neutron tomography. Samples were measured both wet and following immersion in deuterated-water (D2O). By quantifying H+ exchange and mutual alignment with X-ray lCT scans, the amount of water expelled from complete vertebra was determined. The findings revealed that anosteocytic bone material is almost twice as amenable to D2O diffusion and H2O exchange, and that unexpectedly, far more water is retained in osteocytic zebrafish bone. Diffusion in osteocytic bones (only 33 % – 39 % water expelled) is therefore restricted as compared to anosteocytic bone (~ 60 % of water expelled), presumably because water flow is confined to the lacunar-canalicular network (LCN) open-pore system. Histology and Raman spectroscopy showed that anosteocytic bone contains less proteoglycans than osteocytic bone. These findings identify a previously unknown functional difference between the two bone materials. Therefore, this study proposes that osteocytic bone retains water, aided by non-collagenous proteins, which contribute to its poroelastic mechano-transduction of water flow confined inside the LCN porosity.
The presence of wastewater and air pollution has become an important risk factor for citizens, not only in terms of problems related to health risks, but also because of its negative impact on the country's image. For this reason, malodorous emission monitoring and control techniques are in high demand in urban areas and industries. The aim of this work is first to build an electronic nose (e-nose) and a Voltammetric Electronic tongue (VE-tongue) in order to study their ability to discriminate between polluted and clean environmental samples. Secondly, Thermal Desorption-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (TD-GC-MS), and Solid Phase Micro Extraction-Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) are utilized to explain this discrimination by identifying specific compounds from these samples. Indeed, the e-nose, consisted of metal oxide semiconductor gas sensors, is used for the assessment of the studied odorous air and headspace samples from water and wastewater sites. Moreover, the VE-tongue, based on metal electrodes, is utilized to determine the patterns of the sensor array responses, which serve as fingerprints profiles of the analyzed liquid samples. Chemometric tools, such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA), and Support Vector Machines (SVMs) are operated for the processing of data from the e-nose and the VE-tongue. By using the both systems, the analyses of headspace and liquid samples from the seven sites allow better discrimination. To explain the cause of the obtained discrimination, TD-GC-MS and SPME-GC-MS analyses are well performed to identify compounds related sites. According to these outcomes, the proposed e-nose and VE-tongue are proved to be rapid and valuable tools for analysis of environmental polluted matrices.
Abstract While classically used to visualise the magnetic microstructure of functional materials (e.g., for magnetic applications), in this study, the Bitter technique was applied for the first time to visualise macroscopic deformation gradients in a polycrystalline low-carbon steel. Spherical indentation was chosen to produce a multiaxial elastic–plastic deformation state. After removing the residual imprint, the Bitter technique was applied, and macroscopic contrast differences were captured in optical microscopy. To verify this novel characterisation technique, characteristic “hemispherical” deformation zones evolving during indentation were identified using an analytical model from the field of contact mechanics. In addition, near-surface residual stresses were determined experimentally using synchrotron radiation diffraction. It is established that the magnetic domain distribution contrast provides deformation-related information: regions of different domain wall densities correspond to different “hemispherical” deformation zones (i.e., to hydrostatic core, plastic zone and elastic zone, respectively). Moreover, the transitions between these three zones correlate with characteristic features of the residual stress profiles (sign changes in the radial and local extrema in the hoop stress). These results indicate the potential of magnetic domain distribution imaging: visualising macroscopic deformation gradients in fine-grained ferromagnetic material with a significantly improved spatial resolution as compared to integral, mean value-based measurement methods.
Digital radiographic images were analysed to predict the visibility of image quality indicators (IQI), based on normalized noise power spectra (NNPP) and modulation transfer function (MTF) measurements. The fixed pattern noise of some digital detectors result in different noise spectra, which influence the visibility of different IQIs, depending on the hole diameter. Studies, based on measurement of basic spatial resolution and contrast to noise ratio were performed together with presampled MTF measurements and the NNPS in dependence on the spatial frequency. Plate hole IQIs, step hole IQIs, and equivalent penetrameter sensitivity (EPS) IQIs based on ASTM E 746 were measured to verify the influence of the different parameters. Modelling of digital images was used to verify the applied numeric tools. A study has been performed for imaging plates and digital detector arrays to analyse differences. Formulas for the prediction of the visibility functions for hole type IQIs are derived. In consequence the standards for characterization and classification of computed radiography (ASTM E 2446) and radiography with DDAs (ASTM E 2597) need to be revised.
Virtuelle CT
(2020)
Das Computerprogramm aRTist ist ein praktisches Simulationswerkzeug zur Erzeugung realistischer Radiographien virtueller Durchstrahlungsaufbauten. Mit Durchstrahlungssimulationen können Bauteile, repräsentiert durch STL-Geometrien, wie in einem Computertomografen gescannt werden. Dabei werden verschiedenste Parameter gezielt und exakt berücksichtigt.
Die Virtuelle Computertomografie bietet neue Möglichkeiten der Untersuchung von Parametereinflüssen. Neben der Möglichkeit, physikalische Effekte an- und abzuschalten, z.B. die Streustrahlung, können auch Scanbewegungen getestet werden, bevor diese technisch realisiert werden.
Das für die Forschung entwickelte Simulationsprogramm aRTist bietet mit seiner intuitiven grafischen Benutzeroberfläche vielfältige Anwendungsmöglichkeiten auch in Praxis und Entwicklung, beispielsweise zur Parameteroptimierung, für Machbarkeitsstudien oder zur Abschätzung der Unsicherheit dimensioneller Messungen.
Zerstörungsfreie Prüfverfahren (ZfPBau-Verfahren) sind auch im Bauwesen stets an praxisrelevante Prüfaufgaben gekoppelt. Die Ermittlung beispielsweise eines Ist-Zustandes im Vorfeld einer Betoninstandsetzung oder die Ermittlung von Schadensursache und Schadensumfang als Folge wiederkehrender Untersuchungen von Brücken nach DIN 1076 sind etablierte Anwendungsgebiete der ZfPBau. Mit der Einführung der Nachrechnungsrichtlinie für Straßenbrücken im Jahr 2011 hat die Nachfrage nach ZfPBau-Dienstleistungen einerseits stark zugenommen, andererseits eröffnet sie Möglichkeiten, in statischen Nachweisen die tatsächlichen Eigenschaften bestehender Konstruktionen rechnerisch anzusetzen. Dazu aber müssen Messergebnisse statistisch bewertet werden können. Dies geschieht durch eine einheitliche Ermittlung der Messunsicherheit, mit der die Voraussetzungen geschaffen werden, um Messergebnisse von ZfPBau-Verfahren in statischen Berechnungen verwenden zu können. Im folgenden Beitrag wird gezeigt, wie Messgrößen der ZfPBau als (stochastische) Basisvariablen in probabilistische Nachweise zur Berechnung der Zuverlässigkeit einfließen können, indem Grenzzustandsgleichungen modifiziert werden. Mit dieser Vorgehensweise sind weitere Schlussfolgerungen aus den Ergebnissen möglich.
Im Rahmen des Themenfeldprojektes „Process Monitoring of AM“ (ProMoAM) evaluiert die Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -Prüfung (BAM) gegenwärtig die Anwendbarkeit verschiedenster ZfP-Verfahren zur in-situ Prozessüberwachung in der additiven Fertigung (AM) von Metallen in Hinblick auf die Qualitätssicherung.
Einige der wichtigsten Messgrößen sind hierbei die Temperatur des Schmelzbades und die Abkühlrate, welche starken Einfluss auf das Gefüge und die Eigenspannung haben. Aufgrund der Zugänglichkeit zum Werkstück während des Bauprozesses bieten sich optische Verfahren zu Temperaturbestimmung an. Hierbei stellen jedoch u. a. die hohe Bandbreite der zu messenden Temperaturen, die Bestimmung der Emissivität und ihre Änderung bei Phasenübergängen der verwendeten Legierung große experimentelle Herausforderungen dar. Eine weitere Herausforderung stellt für die IR-Spektroskopie die Absorption durch das Schutzgas und weitere optische Elemente dar. Um diese auch in einem industriellen Umfeld kompensieren zu können, wurde eine Methode entwickelt, die das gemessene Spektrum bei der Verfestigung des Werkstoffes als Referenz nutzt. In diesem Beitrag wird die Anwendung dieser Methode für die IR-Spektrometrie als auch Thermografische Messungen beim Laser-Pulver-Auftragschweißen von 316L gezeigt, wobei beide Methoden weiterhin in Hinblick auf ihre individuellen Vor- und
Nachteile miteinander verglichen werden.
Validation of novel ultrasonic phased array borehole probe by using simulation and measurement
(2022)
Low-frequency ultrasonic testing is a well-established non-destructive testing (NDT) method in civil engineering for material characterization and the localization of cracks, reinforcing bars and delamination. A novel ultrasonic borehole probe is developed for in situ quality assurance of sealing structures in radioactive waste repositories using existing research boreholes. The aim is to examine the sealing structures made of salt concrete for any possible cracks and delamination and to localize built-in components. A prototype has been developed using 12 individual horizontal dry point contact (DPC) shear wave transducers separated by equidistant transmitter/receiver arrays. The probe is equipped with a commercially available portable ultrasonic flaw detector used in the NDT civil engineering industry. To increase the sound pressure generated, the number of transducers in the novel probe is increased to 32 transducers. In addition, the timed excitation of each transducer directs a focused beam of sound to a specific angle and distance based on the previously calculated delay time. This narrows the sensitivity of test volume and improves the signal-to-noise ratio of the received signals. In this paper, the newly designed phased array borehole probe is validated by beam computation in the CIVA software and experimental investigations on a half-cylindrical test specimen to investigate the directional characteristics. In combination with geophysical reconstruction methods, it is expected that an optimised radiation pattern of the probe will improve the signal quality and thus increase the reliability of the imaging results. This is an important consideration for the construction of safe sealing structures for the safe disposal of radioactive or toxic waste.
Validation of a fast and traceable radiographic scale calibration of dimensional computed tomography
(2022)
A fast and highly precise method of determining the geometrical scale factor of computed tomography (CT) measurements has been validated successfully by Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), the Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS) and Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) within the scope of AdvanCT (Advanced Computed Tomography for dimensional and surface measurements in industry), a project funded in the European Metrology Programme for Innovation and Research (EMPIR). The method has been developed by PTB and requires only two radiographic images of a calibrated thin 2D standard (hole grid standard) from two opposite directions. The mean grid distance is determined from both radiographs. From this and with the help of the calibration result, the radiographic scale and therefore the voxel size is determined. The procedure takes only a few minutes and avoids a time-consuming CT scan. To validate the method, the voxel sizes determined via this method were compared with voxel sizes determined from CT scans of calibrated objects. Relative deviations between the voxel sizes in the range of 10−5 were
achieved with minimal effort using cone-beam CT systems at moderate magnifications.
The corner echo is a well-known effect in ultrasonic testing, which allows detection of surface breaking cracks with predominantly perpendicular orientation to the surface as, for example, corrosion cracks in metal pipes or shafts. This echo is formed by two planes, the surface of the crack and the surface which the crack breaks. It can also be classified as a half-skip method, since a reflection of the pulse occurs on the backwall before the reflection at the defect takes place. In combination with the diffraction from the crack tip, the corner echo also allows crack sizing. As shown in this paper, the corner reflection can be used in civil engineering for nondestructive inspection of concrete. Commercially available low frequency ultrasonic arrays with dry point contact sources generate SH transversal waves with sufficient divergence of the sound field in order to detect corner reflections. Ultrasonic line-scans and area-scans were acquired with a linear array on flat concrete specimens, and the data were reconstructed by the Synthetic aperture focusing technique. If the angles and the area of reconstruction are chosen accordingly, the corner echo reflection can be distinguished from other ultrasonic information. The corner echo can thus be used as a method for deciding whether a crack is a partial-depth crack or a full-depth crack and thus for obtaining a statement about crack depth. This paper presents corresponding experimental results obtained on concrete specimens with artificial test defects and cracks induced under controlled conditions.
Using SXRR to Probe the Nature of Discontinuities in SLM Additive Manufactured Inconel 718 Specimens
(2020)
The utilization of additive manufacturing (AM) to fabricate robust structural components relies on understanding the nature of internal anomalies or discontinuities, which can compromise the structural integrity. While some discontinuities in AM microstructures stem from similar mechanisms as observed in more traditional processes such as casting, others are unique to the AM process. Discontinuities in AM are challenging to detect, due to their submicron size and orientation dependency. Toward the goal of improving structural integrity, minimizing discontinuities in an AM build requires an understanding of the mechanisms of formation to mitigate their occurrence. This study utilizes various techniques to evaluate the shape, size, nature and distribution of discontinuities in AM Inconel 718, in a non-hot isostatic pressed (HIPed) as-built, non-HIPed and direct age, and HIPed with two step age samples. Non-destructive synchrotron radiation refraction and transmission radiography (SXRR) provides additional information beyond that obtained with destructive optical microscopy. SXRR was able to distinguish between voids, cracks and lack of melt in, due to its sensitivity to the orientation of the discontinuity.
Ultrasonic testing is a widely applied measurement method in materials research and medicine. Commonly, a transducer is coupled to the specimen directly or via a liquid coupling agent. While reducing acoustic transmission losses significantly, this procedure is time-consuming and cannot be used for sensitive specimens. Air-coupled ultrasound is a viable alternative in such cases, although suffering from very high acoustic transmission losses between transducer, air and specimen. The recently introduced fluidic transducer (FT) generates ultrasound by utilizing the instability of a supersonic air jet switched inside a fluidic amplifier. Since only air is used as the working medium and no vibrating surfaces are used for ultrasound generation, the transducer is able to efficiently generate large acoustic pressure amplitudes. The resulting acoustic field shares its directivity with the ejected high-velocity air jet. Thus, the acoustic energy needs to be redirected from the jet axis in order to make the fluidic transducer applicable to sensitive specimens. In this study, the effectivity of using sonic crystals (SCs) for this redirection is investigated using acoustic and flow measurements. SCs are air-permeable while being reflective to large acoustic frequency bands. It was shown that both a defect waveguide and a mirroring strategy successfully redirected the acoustic field from the air jet. Furthermore, the interaction of flow and SC showed strong acoustic quenching if the SC was placed too close to the FT outlet. Blockage of the jet entrainment due to the SC may result in slightly higher off-axis flow velocities locally, which should be considered in sensitive applications.
Synthetic microswimmers mimicking biological movements at the microscale have been developed in recent years. Actuating helical magnetic materials with a homogeneous rotating magnetic field is one of the most widespread techniques for propulsion at the microscale, partly because the actuation strategy revolves around a simple linear relationship between the actuating field frequency and the propeller velocity.
However, full control of the swimmers’ motion has remained a challenge. Increasing the controllability of micropropellers is crucial to achieve complex actuation schemes that, in turn, are directly relevant for numerous applications. However, the simplicity of the linear relationship limits the possibilities and flexibilities of swarm control. Using a pool of randomly shaped magnetic microswimmers, we show that the complexity of shape can advantageously be translated into enhanced control. In particular, directional reversal of sorted micropropellers is controlled by the frequency of the actuating field. This directionality change is linked to the balance between magnetic and hydrodynamic forces. We further show an example of how this behavior can experimentally lead to simple and effective sorting of individual swimmers from a group. The ability of these propellers to reverse swimming direction solely by frequency increases the control possibilities and is an example for propeller designs, where the complexity needed for many applications is embedded directly in the propeller geometry rather than external factors such as actuation sequences.
The BAMline at the BESSY II synchrotron X-ray source has enabled research for more than 20 years in widely spread research fields such as materials science, biology, cultural heritage and medicine. As a nondestructive characterization method, synchrotron X-ray imaging, especially tomography, plays a particularly important role in structural characterization. A recent upgrade of key equipment of the BAMline widens its imaging capabilities: shorter scan acquisition times are now possible, in situ and operando studies can now be routinely performed, and different energy spectra can easily be set up. In fact, the upgraded double-multilayer monochromator brings full flexibility by yielding different energy spectra to optimize flux and energy resolution as desired. The upgraded detector (based on an sCMOS camera) also allows exploiting the higher flux with reduced readout times. Furthermore, an installed slip ring allows the sample stage to continuously rotate. The latter feature enables tomographic observation of processes occurring in the time scale of a few seconds.
Rechargeable sodium–oxygen batteries (NaOBs) are receiving extensive research interests because of their advantages such as ultrahigh energy density and cost efficiency. However, the severe failure of Na metal anodes has impeded the commercial development of NaOBs. Herein, combining in situ synchrotron X-ray computed tomography (SXCT) and other complementary characterizations, a novel electro-chemo-mechanical failure mechanism of sodium metal anode in NaOBs is elucidated. It is visually showcased that the Na metal anodes involve a three-stage decay evolution of a porous Na reactive interphase layer (NRIL): from the initially dot-shaped voids evolved into the spindle-shaped voids and the eventually-developed ruptured cracks. The initiation of this three-stage evolution begins with chemical-resting and is exacerbated by further electrochemical cycling. From corrosion science and fracture mechanics, theoretical simulations suggest that the evolution of porous NRIL is driven by the concentrated stress at crack tips. The findings illustrate the importance of preventing electro-chemo-mechanical degradation of Na anodes in practically
rechargeable NaOBs.
Der maßgebliche Korrosionsschutz von nicht rostendem Stahl in Beton basiert, anders als bei unlegiertem Betonstahl, auf der Ausbildung einer Chromoxidschicht. Die Chromoxidschicht ist in alkalischem und in carbonatisiertem Beton beständig, sodass nicht rostende Stähle in einem passiven Zustand vorliegen.
Die Initiierung von Lochkorrosionserscheinungen ist dagegen auch an nicht rostenden Stählen in Beton möglich. Der korrosionsauslösende Chloridgehalt ist neben dem Gehalt an Legierungselementen (insbesondere dem Chromgehalt) und der Oberflächenbeschaffenheit auch vom Konzentrationsverhältnis von OH“ zu CI“ im Elektrolyten abhängig. Daher ist prinzipiell zu erwarten, dass in karbonatisierten Betonen geringere Chloridgehalte Korrosion initiieren können als in Betonen mit höheren pH-Werten. Dies gilt in besonderem Maße für nicht rostende Betonstähle mit geringen Chromgehalten, wie z. B. Produkte aus dem Werkstoff 1.4003 (X2CrNi12) mit seiner im Vergleich zu den Standardausteniten geringen Beständigkeit. Um den kritischen korrosionsauslösenden Chloridgehalt am Beispiel eines am Markt verfügbaren ferritischen Chromstahls zu bestimmen, wurden an der Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) umfangreiche Untersuchungen zu beschleunigten Korrosionsversuchen in alkalischen und karbonatisierten Mörteln durchgeführt. Mittels Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) konnten die korrosionsauslösenden Chloridgehalte im Phasengrenzbereich Betonstahl-Mörtel ermittelt werden.
The manufacturability of metallic alloys using laser-based additive manufacturing methods such as laser powder bed fusion has substantially improved within the last decade. However, local melting and solidification cause hierarchically structured and crystallographically textured microstructures possessing large residual stress. Such microstructures are not only the origin of mechanical anisotropy but also pose metrological challenges for the diffraction-based residual stress determination. Here we demonstrate the influence of the build orientation and the texture on the microstructure and consequently the mechanical anisotropy of as-built Inconel 718. For this purpose, we manufactured specimens with [001]/[011]-, [001]- and [011]/[111]-type textures along their loading direction. In addition to changes in the Young’s moduli, the differences in the crystallographic textures result in variations of the yield and ultimate tensile strengths. With this in mind, we studied the anisotropy on the micromechanical scale by subjecting the specimens to tensile loads along the different texture directions during in situ neutron diffraction experiments. In this context, the response of multiple lattice planes up to a tensile strain of 10% displayed differences in the load partitioning and the residual strain accumulation for the specimen with [011]/[111]-type texture. However, the relative behavior of the specimens possessing an [001]/[011]- and [001]-type texture remained qualitatively similar. The consequences on the metrology of residual stress determination methods are discussed.
In the present study, in-situ observation of Hot Isostatic Pressure (HIP) procedure of laser powder bed fusion manufactured Ti-6Al-4V parts was performed to quantitatively estimate the densifcation rate of the material and the infuence of the defect initial size and shape on such rate. The observations were performed in-situ using the Ultrafast Tomography Paris-Edinburgh Cell and the combination of fast phase-contrast synchrotron X-ray tomography and energy dispersive difraction. With this strategy, we could quantify how the efectiveness of HIP depends on the characteristics of a defect. Smaller defects showed a higher densifcation rate, while the defect shape did not have signifcant efect on such rate.
Uncertainty quantification of multimodal surface wave inversion using artificial neural networks
(2023)
An inversion of surface waves dispersion curves is a non-unique and ill-conditioned problem. The inversion result has a probabilistic nature, which becomes apparent when simultaneously restoring the shear wave (S-wave) velocity and layer thickness. Therefore, the problem of uncertainty quantification is relevant. Existing methods through deterministic or global optimization approaches of uncertainty quantification via posterior probability density (PPD) of the model parameters are not computationally efficient since they demand multiple solutions of the inverse problem. We present an alternative method based on a multi-layer fully connected artificial neural network (ANN). We improve the current uni-modal approach, which is known from publications, to multi-modal inversion. The learned ANN maps the phase velocity dispersion curves to values of the S-wave velocity and layers thickness. To estimate the uncertainties, we adapt the Monte-Carlo simulation strategy and project onto the resulting velocity model both frequency-dependent data noise and inverse operator errors, which are evaluated by the prediction of the training data set. The proposed combination of surface waves data processing methods, configured with each other, provides a novel surface waves multi-modal dispersion data inversion and uncertainty quantification approach. We first test our approach on synthetic experiments for various velocity models: a positive velocity gradient, a low-velocity layer and a high-velocity layer. This is done considering uni-modal inversion at first and then compared to the multi-modal inversion. Afterwards, we apply our approach to field data and compare resulting models with the body S-wave processing by the generalized reciprocal method (GRM). The experiments show high-potential results using ANN yields the possibility to accurately estimate PPD of restored model parameters without a significant computational effort. The PPD-based comparison demonstrates advantages of a multi-modal inversion over uni-modal inversion. The trained ANN provides reasonable model parameters predictions and related uncertainties in real-time.
The applicability of three methods developed by finite element analysis (FEM) and proposed in the literature are studied on steel S355. Instrumented indentation tests using spherical indenters of radius 200 and 500 μ m are performed in the macro range at depths of more than 6 μ m. The results of the selected methods are compared with the tensile test. To evaluate the partially strongly varying results, the uncertainties of the calculated strain hardening exponent, n, and yield stress, Y, are estimated. Recommendations for an appropriated procedure of the indentation test are given. The machine compliance and the determination of the zero point of Depth play an essential role. If the certain conditions are considered, the instrumented indentation Tests can be used, in particular for investigations of specimens with inhomogeneous elastoplasticity.
Engineered barriers are a key element to enable safe nuclear waste disposal. One method currently under research for their construction is magnesia concrete applied in a shotcrete procedure. In this study, the ultrasonic echo method is evaluated as a means for quality assurance. Imaging of internal structures (backwall, boreholes) and defects, such as delamination, has successfully been achieved in the shotcrete. Additionally, detailed information about the potential cause of selected reflectors are obtained by phase analysis. In several test blocks of various sizes, no consistent concrete section boundaries have been found by ultrasonic imaging, which was verified by subsequent drilling and complementary tests. An experiment with artificial defects imitating cracks, air-filled voids, and material with lower density has been challenging and shows the limitations of the current methods. Although significant defects, such as a large delamination, are reliably identified, several smaller defects are not identified. Generally, ultrasonic imaging provides a suitable base as a mean for quality assurance during and after the construction of sealing structures. However, further developments are required to enhance the reliability of the method and a full validation is still pending. Still, the method has potential to increase the safety of nuclear waste repositories.
Ultrasonic transmission measurements are used to monitor concrete elements mostly on a laboratory scale since decades.
Recently, coda wave interferometry, a technique adapted from seismology, has been introduced to civil Engineering experiments. It can be used to reveal subtle changes in concrete samples and even large construction elements without having a transducer directly at the location where the change is taking place. The methodology works best with embedded transducers to avoid coupling issues or excessive environmental influence. These transducers can be used for newly built and existing structures. Recently, large concrete beams have been equipped with a network of transducers and loaded until failure. Using code wave interferometry, it was possible to visualize stress fields and damaged areas.
In the framework of non-destructive-testing advanced seismic imaging techniques have been applied to ultrasonic echo data in order to examine the integrity of an engineered test-barrier designed to be used for sealing an underground nuclear waste disposal site. Synthetic data as well as real multi-receiver ultrasonic data acquired at the test site were processed and imaged using Kirchhoff prestack depth migration reverse time migration (RTM). In general, both methods provide a good Image quality as demonstrated by various case studies, however deeper parts within the test barrier containing inclined reflectors were reconstructed more accurately by RTM. In particular, the image quality of a specific target reflector at a depth of 8 m in the test-barrier has been significantly improved compared to previous investigations using synthetic aperture Focusing technique, which justifies the considerable computing time of this method.
The Stone Age site Riņņukalns, Latvia, is the only well-stratified shell midden in the Eastern Baltic. In this paper, we present new interdisciplinary results concerning its dating, stratigraphy, features, and finds to shed light on the daily life of a fisher population prior to the introduction of domesticated animals. The undisturbed part of the midden consists of alternating layers of unburnt mussel shell, burnt mussel shell and fish bone, containing artefacts, some mammal and bird bones, and human burials. Two of them, an adult man and a baby, are discovered recently and date to the calibration plateau between 3350 and 3100 cal BC, and to the later 4th millennium, respectively. Stable isotopes suggest a diet based heavily on freshwater fish, and this is supported not only by ten thousands of identified fish remains, but also by a fish bone concentration nearby the skull of the man, which is interpreted as remain of a grave gift (possible fish soup). Of special interest are the baby’s stable isotope values. It shows that the mother’s diet was atypical (perhaps because she was non-local), and/or that dietary stress during pregnancy increased fractionation between the mother’s diet and her bloodstream
Most knowledge about the structure, function, and evolution of early compound eyes is based on investigations in trilobites. However, these studies dealt mainly with the cuticular lenses and little was known about internal anatomy. Only recently some data on crystalline cones and retinula cells were reported for a Cambrian trilobite species. Here, we describe internal eye structures of two other trilobite genera. The Ordovician Asaphus sp. reveals preserved crystalline cones situated underneath the cuticular lenses. The same is true for the Devonian species Archegonus (Waribole) warsteinensis, which in addition shows the fine structure of the rhabdom in the retinula cells. These results suggest that an apposition eye with a crystalline cone is ancestral for Trilobita. The overall similarity of trilobite eyes to those of myriapods, crustaceans, and hexapods corroborates views of a phylogenetic position of trilobites in the stem lineage of Mandibulata.
Most knowledge about the structure, function, and evolution of early compound eyes is based on investigations in trilobites. However, these studies dealt mainly with the cuticular lenses and little was known about internal anatomy. Only recently some data on crystalline cones and retinula cells were reported for a Cambrian trilobite species. Here, we describe internal eye structures of two other trilobite genera. The Ordovician Asaphus sp. reveals preserved crystalline cones situated underneath the cuticular lenses. The same is true for the Devonian species Archegonus (Waribole) warsteinensis, which in addition shows the fine structure of the rhabdom in the retinula cells. These results suggest that an apposition eye with a crystalline cone is ancestral for Trilobita. The overall similarity of trilobite eyes to those of myriapods, crustaceans, and hexapods corroborates views of a phylogenetic position of trilobites in the stem lineage of Mandibulata.
The triaxial distribution of the residual stress in laser powder bed fused austenitic steel 316L was determined by X-ray and neutron diffraction. The residual stress analysis results were linked to the thermal history of the specimens, which were manufactured with varying inter-layer-times and scanning velocities. A clear link between the in-process temperature of the specimens and the residual stress was found, based on in-situ monitoring data.
Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion-manufactured (E-PBF) porous components with narrow pores or channels and rough walls or struts can be filled with trapped powder after the manufacturing process. Adequate powder removal procedures are required, especially for high-density porous structures. In the present research, sheetbased porous structures with different thicknesses based on triply periodic minimal surfaces fabricated by EPBF were subjected to different post-processing methods, including a traditional powder recovery system for EPBF, chemical etching and ultrasound vibration-assisted powder removal. Wall thickness, internal defects, microstructure and morphology features, powder distribution inside the specimens, mechanical properties and deformation modes were investigated. A powder recovery system could not remove all residual powder from dense structures. In turn, chemical etching was effective for surface morphology changes and subsurface layers elimination but not for powder removal, as it affected the wall thickness, considerably influencing the mechanical properties of the whole structure. The ultrasound vibration method was quite effective for the removal of residual powder from sheet-based TMPS structures and without a severe degradation of mechanical properties. 10.1016/j.msea.2022.144479 Ultrasound vibration also caused grain refinement.
The water management in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) is strongly influenced by the design of the gas diffusion layers (GDL). Limiting current measurements in small-scale cells operating at high stoichiometries are useful to determine the oxygen transport resistance. The oxygen transport resistance increases, once water condenses inside the GDL. In this study a new electrochemical method for voltage loss estimation of GDL induced oxygen transport losses are presented. This new method, referred to as “transient limiting current” (TLC), is compared with the literature method. TLC allows a direct estimation of oxygen transport resistance at an arbitrarily conditioned state. This study also presents a case study of liquid water visualization of a PEM fuel cell with varying GDLs types.
With the help of quasi in-situ synchrotron X-ray computed tomography and time resolved radiography measurements we investigate appearance and distribution of liquid water inside the GDLs under limiting current conditions.
The knowledge about energy release and transient behaviour of flash lamps, used as short-term energy source in flash thermography investigations, is essential for a quantitative analysis of the results as well as for simulations regarding such experiments. Usually, only a rectangular pulse shape of a typical duration of a few milliseconds is regarded when flash lamps pulses are described. This note considers the afterglow period of a flash lamp explicitly and shows that negligence of this afterglow effect leads to a systematic underestimation of the pulse length and the related total energy release. In the reported case, the intensity transient recorded by a Silicon photo diode was transformed into a temperature transient, allowing the study of the real energy release. It turns out that approximately only 50% of the entire pulse energy were released during the usually regarded period of 2.8 ms, while the other half was released within a period of 20 ms with an exponential decay.
The stress-induced tetragonal to monoclinic (t-m) zirconia phase transformation can provide a certain degree of plasticity to Ceria-stabilized (Ce-TZP) zirconia-based composites. Characterizing and monitoring this phase transition on a millimeter-size range, within the bulk and in-situ remains a challenge. In this work, the mechanical behavior of Ce-TZP based composite was studied in tension, combining microscopy and synchrotron Xray refraction techniques. In contrast with microscopy methods, which only provide surface information, X-ray refraction radiography (SXRR) allowed the visualization of all the transformation bands, over the entire length and thickness of tested specimens, opening up new avenues for in-situ stress-induced t-m transformation studies.
This study reports on the stress relaxation potential of stress-relieving heat treatments for laser powder bed fused 316L. The residual stress is monitored non-destructively using neutron diffraction before and after the heat treatment. Moreover, the evolution of the microstructure is analysed using scanning electron microscopy. The results show, that a strong relaxation of the residual stress is obtained when applying a heat treatment temperature at 900°C. However, the loss of the cellular substructure needs to be considered when applying this heat treatment strategy.
Data-driven analysis for damage assessment has a large potential in structural health monitoring (SHM) systems, where sensors are permanently attached to the structure, enabling continuous and frequent measurements. In this contribution, we propose a machine learning (ML) approach for automated damage detection, based on an ML toolbox for industrial condition monitoring. The toolbox combines multiple complementary algorithms for feature extraction and selection and automatically chooses the best combination of methods for the dataset at hand. Here, this toolbox is applied to a guided wave-based SHM dataset for varying temperatures and damage locations, which is freely available on the Open Guided Waves platform. A classification rate of 96.2% is achieved, demonstrating reliable and automated damage detection. Moreover, the ability of the ML model to identify a damaged structure at untrained damage locations and temperatures is demonstrated.
The safe fatigue design of metallic components fabricated by additive manufacturing (AM) is still a largely unsolved problem. This is primarily due to (a) a significant inhomogeneity of the material properties across the component; (b) defects such as porosity and lack of fusion as well as pronounced surface roughness of the asuilt components; and (c) residual stresses, which are very often present in the as‐built parts and need to be removed by post‐fabrication treatments. Such morphological and microstructural features are very different than in conventionally manufactured parts and play a much bigger role in determining the fatigue life. The above problems require specific solutions with respect to the identification of the critical (failure) sites in AM fabricated components. Moreover, the generation of representative test specimens characterized by similar temperature cycles needs to be guaranteed if one wants to reproducibly identify the critical sites and establish fatigue assessment methods taking into account the effect of defects on crack initiation and early propagation. The latter requires fracture mechanics‐based approaches which, unlike common methodologies, cover the specific characteristics of so‐called short fatigue cracks. This paper provides a discussion of all these aspects with special focus on components manufactured by laser powder bed fusion (L‐PBF). It shows how to adapt existing solutions, identifies fields where there are still gaps, and discusses proposals for potential improvement of the damage tolerance design of L‐PBF components
We show that the equation proposed by Takeuchi and Argon to explain the creep behavior of Al–Mg solid solution can be used to describe also the creep behavior of pure aluminum. In this frame, it is possible to avoid the use of the classic pre-exponential fitting parameter in the power law equation to predict the minimum creep strain rate. The effect of the fractal arrangement of dislocations, developed at the mesoscale, must be considered to fully explain the experimental data. These ideas allow improving the recently introduced SSTC model, fully describing the primary and secondary creep regimes of aluminum alloys without the need for fitting. Creep data from commercially pure Al99.8% and Al–Mg alloys tested at different temperatures and stresses are used to validate the proposed ideas.
Relaxation phenomena observed in the electrical low-frequency range (approximately 1 mHz-10 kHz) of natural porous media like sandstones is often assumed to be directly related to the dominant (modal) pore throat sizes measured, for instance, with mercury intrusion porosimetry. Attempts to establish a universally valid relationship between pore size and peak Spectral Induced Polarization (SIP) relaxation time have failed, considering sandstones from very different origins and featuring great variations in textural and chemical compositions as well as in geometrical pore space properties. In addition working with characteristic relaxation times determined in Cole-Cole or Debye decomposition fits to build the relationship have not been successful. In particular, samples with narrow pore throats are often characterized by long SIP relaxation times corresponding to long “characteristic length scales” in these media, assuming that the diffusion coefficients along the electrical double layer were constant. Based on these observations, three different types of SIP relaxation can be distinguished. We present a new way of assessing complex pore spaces of very different sandstones in a multi-methodical approach to combine the benefits of mercury intrusion porosimetry, micro-computed tomography, and nuclear magnetic resonance. In this way, we achieve much deeper insight into the pore space due to the different resolutions and sensitivities of the applied methods to both pore constrictions (throats) and wide pores (pore bodies). We experimentally quantify pore aspect ratios and volume distributions within the two pore regions. We clearly observe systematic differences between three SIP relaxation types identified previously and can attribute the SIP peak relaxation times to measured characteristic length scales within our materials. We highlight selected results for a total of nine sandstones. It seems that SIP relaxation behavior depends on the size difference of the narrow pore throats to the wide pore bodies, which increases from SIP Type 1 to Type 3.
The mechanisms controlling the fatigue response of an A357-T6 cast aluminium alloy under cyclic torsional loading are investigated. Surface crack monitoring coupled with Electron BackScattering Diffraction (EBSD) analysis is used to study crack initiation. Determination of S-N curve combined with interrupted in situ fatigue testing using synchrotron tomography allows the study of the propagation behaviour. It is observed that fractographic morphologies depend on the stress level. At intermediate-low stress levels ( τmax < 100 MPa), the grain structure controls the crack initiation and propagation periods. Cracks are usually nucleated in mode II from slip planes close to the specimen axis or perpendicular to it. Mode II crack growth dominates the early stages of crack propagation as mode III inward crack growth is rapidly decelerated. This behaviour leads to the formation of characteristic shallow surface cracks. Once the crack is long enough for the mode II driving force to be overtaken by mode III, propagation branches into ~45 ◦mode I.
Metastable austenitic stainless steel (304L) samples with a rectangular cross-section were plastically deformed in torsion during which they experienced multiaxial stresses that led to a complex martensitic phase distribution owing to the transformation induced plasticity effect. A three-dimensional characterization of the phase distributions in these cm-sized samples was carried out by wavelength-selective neutron tomography. It was found that quantitatively correct results are obtained as long as the samples do not exhibit any considerable preferential grain orientation. Optical microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and finite element modeling were used to verify and explain the results obtained by neutron tomography. Altogether, neutron tomography was shown to extend the range of microstructure characterization methods towards the meso- and macroscale.
Metastable austenitic stainless steel (304L) samples with a rectangular cross-section were plastically deformed in torsion during which they experienced multiaxial stresses that led to a complex martensitic phase distribution owing to the transformation induced plasticity effect. A three-dimensional characterization of the phase distributions in these cm-sized samples was carried out by wavelength-selective neutron tomography. It was found that quantitatively correct results are obtained as long as the samples do not exhibit any considerable preferential grain orientation. Optical microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and finite element modeling were used to verify and explain the results obtained by neutron tomography. Altogether, neutron tomography was shown to extend the range of microstructure characterization methods towards the meso- and macroscale.
Time-Efficient Convolutional Neural Network-Assisted Brillouin Optical Frequency Domain Analysis
(2021)
To our knowledge, this is the first report on a machine-learning-assisted Brillouin optical frequency domain analysis (BOFDA) for time-efficient temperature measurements. We propose a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based signal post-processing method that, compared to the conventional Lorentzian curve fitting approach, facilitates temperature extraction. Due to its robustness against noise, it can enhance the performance of the system. The CNN-assisted BOFDA is expected to shorten the measurement time by more than nine times and open the way for applications, where faster monitoring is essential.
Time-dependent in situ measurement of atmospheric corrosion rates of duplex stainless steel wires
(2018)
Corrosion rates of strained grade UNS S32202 (2202) and UNS S32205 (2205) duplex stainless steel wires have been measured, in situ, using time-lapse X-ray computed tomography. Exposures to chloride-containing (MgCl2) atmospheric environments at 50 °C (12–15 M Cl− and pH ~5) with different mechanical elastic and elastic/plastic loads were carried out over a period of 21 months. The corrosion rates for grade 2202 increased over time, showing selective dissolution with shallow corrosion sites, coalescing along the surface of the wire. Corrosion rates of grade 2205 decreased over time, showing both selective and pitting corrosion with more localised attack, growing preferentially in depth. The nucleation of stress corrosion cracking was observed in both wires.
Two biopolyol-based foams derived from banana leaves (BL) or stems (BS) were produced, and their compression mechanical behavior and 3D microstructure were characterized. Traditional compression and in situ tests were performed during 3D image acquisition using X-ray microtomography. A methodology of image acquisition, processing, and analysis was developed to discriminate the foam cells and measure their numbers, volumes, and shapes along with the compression steps.
The two foams had similar compression behaviors, but the average cell volume was five times larger for the BS foam than the BL foam. It was also shown that the number of cells increased with increasing compression while the average cell volume decreased. Cell shapes were elongated and did not change with compression. A possible explanation for these characteristics was proposed based on the possibility of cell collapse. The developed methodology will facilitate a broader study of biopolyol-based foams intending to verify the possibility of using these foams as green alternatives to the typical petrol-based foams.
In this work, two novel donor/acceptor (D/A) complexes, namely, diindenoperylene (DIP)/1,3,4,5,7,8-hexafluoro-tetracyanonaphthoquinodimethane (F6TCNNQ) and alpha-sexithiophene (6T)/F6TCNNQ, are studied. The D/A complexes segregate in form of π−π stacked D/A cocrystals and can be observed by X-ray scattering. The different conformational degrees of freedom of the donor molecules, respectively, seem to affect the thin-film crystalline texture and composition of the D/A mixtures significantly. In equimolar mixtures, for DIP/F6TCNNQ, the crystallites are mostly uniaxially oriented and homogeneous, whereas for 6T/F6TCNNQ, a mostly 3D (isotropic) orientation of the crystallites and coexistence of domains of pristine compounds and D/A complex, respectively, are observed. Using optical absorption spectroscopy, we observe for each of the two mixed systems a set of new, strong transitions located in the near-IR range below the gap of the pristine compounds: such transitions are related to charge-transfer (CT) interactions between donor and acceptor. The optical anisotropy of domains of the D/A complexes with associated new electronic states is studied by ellipsometry. We infer that the
CT-related transition dipole moment is perpendicular to the respective π-conjugated planes in the D/A complex.
In the field of optically excited thermography, flash lamps (impulse shaped planar heating) and halogen lamps (modulated planar heating) have become established for the specific regimes of impulse and lock-in thermography. Flying-spot laser thermography is implemented by means of a rasterized focused laser, e. g. for crack detection (continuous wave operation) and photothermal material characterization (high-frequency modulated). The availability of novel technologies, i. e. fast and high-resolution IR cameras, brilliant innovative light sources and high-performance data acquisition and processing technology will enable a paradigm shift from stand-alone photothermal and thermographic techniques to uniform quantitative measurement and testing technology that is faster and more precise. Similar to an LED array, but with irradiance two orders of magnitude higher, a new type of brilliant laser source, i. e. the VCSEL array (vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser), is now available. This novel optical energy source eliminates the strong limitation to the temporal dynamics of established light sources and at the same time is spectrally clearly separated from the detection wavelength. It combines the fast temporal behavior of a diode laser with the high optical irradiance and the wide illumination area of flash lamps. In addition, heating can also be carried out in a structured manner, because individual areas of the VCSEL array can be controlled independently of each other. This new degree of freedom enables the development of completely new thermographic NDT methods.
Thermographic photothermal super resolution reconstruction enables the resolution of internal defects/inhomogeneities below the classical limit, which is governed by the diffusion properties of thermal wave propagation. Based on a combination of the application of special sampling strategies and a subsequent numerical optimization step in post-processing, thermographic super resolution has already proven to be superior to standard thermographic methods in the detection of one-dimensional defect/inhomogeneity structures. In our work, we report an extension of the capabilities of the method for efficient detection and resolution of defect cross sections with fully two-dimensional structured laser-based heating. The reconstruction is carried out using one of two different algorithms that are proposed within this work. Both algorithms utilize the combination of several coherent measurements using convex optimization and exploit the sparse nature of defects/inhomogeneities as is typical for most nondestructive testing scenarios. Finally, the performance of each algorithm is rated on reconstruction quality and algorithmic complexity. The presented experimental approach is based on repeated spatially structured heating by a high power laser. As a result, a two-dimensional sparse defect/inhomogeneity map can be obtained. In addition, the obtained results are compared with those of conventional thermographic inspection methods that make use of homogeneous illumination. Due to the sparse nature of the reconstructed defect/inhomogeneity map, this comparison is performed qualitatively.
The synthesis route and thermoelectric characterization of n-type Fe2-xTi1+xO5 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) and Fe1.75(Ti1-yNby)1.25O5 (0 ≤ y ≤ 0.05) are presented. Their electrical conductivity obeys the small polaron model and their Seebeck coefficient is weakly dependent on temperature. The carrier concentration is increased with increasing Ti content in Fe2-xTi1+xO5, thus improving the electrical conductivity and decreasing the absolute values of the Seebeck coefficient. The composition with x = 0.5 shows reduced electrical conductivity contradicting the change in the carrier concentration, as it contains more microcracks than the other compositions. Fe2-xTi1+xO5 exhibits extremely low thermal conductivity. Fe2-xTi1+xO5 with x = 0.25 exhibits the highest ZT, ~ 0.014 at 1000 K. Therefore, a limited extent microcracks are beneficial to thermoelectric properties; however, when they are too extended they can be detrimental. On the contrary to Fe2TiO5, Nb substitution into Fe1.75Ti1.25O5 does not obviously improve its thermoelectric properties.
Thermally-induced moisture transport in high-performance concrete studied by X-ray-CT and 1H-NMR
(2019)
The thermohydraulic damage mechanism is one of the primary causes for explosive spalling of highperformance concrete. This paper presents the spatially- and temporally-resolved analysis of the thermally-induced moisture transport and reconfiguration processes by means of X-ray-CT and 1HNMR.
Thermal testing results for a high-performance concrete, which is sensitive to explosive spalling and which was prepared with and without added polypropylene fibres, are presented in this paper. These results indicate that the addition of fibres leads to a faster and deeper migration of the drying front and, thus, to a lower likelihood of vapour-pressure induced explosive spalling.
Pure and Al-doped ZnO powders have been sintered by Spark Plasma Sintering. Al doping allows the ceramics to reach a relative density greater than 90% at a sintering temperature of 500°C. The morphology of powder nanoparticles impacts the final grain size of the sintered bulk compounds. A ceramic sintered from isotropic nanoparticles of 30 nm in diameter can reach an average grain size of 110 nm, whereas a ceramic sintered from platelets and isotropic nanoparticles exhibits an average grain size in the submicrometric range. The influence of ceramic grain size on the thermal conductivity has been investigated. It shows that substantial decrease of the grain size from several microns down to 100 nm reduces the thermal conductivity from 29.5 to 7.8 W/m K at 100°C. The stability of nanostructured ceramic has also been checked. After SPS, an annealing at 500°C in air also leads to grain growth.
The stress–strain behavior of ceramics, such as aluminum titanate, has certain features that are unusual for brittle materials—in particular, a substantial nonlinearity under uniaxial tension, and load–unload hysteresis caused by the sharp increase of the incremental stiffness at the beginning of unloading. These features are observed experimentally and are attributed to microcracking. Here we compare different degrees of stress–strain nonlinearity of aluminum titanate materials and quantitatively model them. We use advanced mechanical testing to observe the mechanical response at room and high temperature; electron microscopy, and X-ray refraction radiography to observe the microstructural changes. Experiments show that two types of microcracks can be distinguished: (i) microcracks induced by cooling from the sintering temperature (due to heterogeneity and anisotropy of thermal expansion), with typical sizes of the order of grain size, and (ii) much larger microcracks generated by the mechanical loading. The two microcrack types produce different effects on the stress–strain curves. Such microcracks and the features of the stress–strain behavior depend on the density of the cooling-induced microcracks and on the distribution of grain sizes. They are modeled analytically and numerically.
It is widely accepted that the magnetic state of a ferromagnetic material may be irreversibly altered by mechanical loading due to magnetoelastic effects. A novel standardized nondestructive testing (NDT) technique uses weak magnetic stray fields, which are assumed to arise from inhomogeneous deformation, for structural health monitoring (i.e., for detection and assessment of damage). However, the mechanical and microstructural complexity of damage has hitherto only been insufficiently considered. The aim of this study is to discuss the phenomenon of inhomogeneous “self-magnetization” of a polycrystalline ferromagnetic material under inhomogeneous deformation experimentally and with stronger material-mechanical focus. To this end, notched specimens were elastically and plastically deformed. Surface magnetic states were measured by a three-axis giant magnetoresistant (GMR) sensor and were compared with strain field (digital image correlation) and optical topography measurements. It is demonstrated that the stray fields do not solely form due to magnetoelastic effects. Instead, inhomogeneous plastic deformation causes topography, which is one of the main origins for the magnetic stray field formation. Additionally, if not considered, topography may falsify the magnetic signals due to variable lift-off values. The correlation of magnetic vector components with mechanical tensors, particularly for multiaxial stress/strain states and inhomogeneous elastic-plastic deformations remains an issue.
Load partitioning between phases in a cast AlSi12CuMgNi alloy was investigated by in-situ compression test during neutron diffraction experiments. Computed tomography (CT) was used to determine volume fractions of eutectic Si and intermetallic (IM) phases, and to assess internal damage after ex-situ compression tests. The CT reconstructed volumes showed the interconnectivity of IM phases, which build a 3D network together with eutectic Si. Large stresses were found in IMs, revealing their significant role as a reinforcement for the alloy. An existing micromechanical model based on Maxwell scheme was extended to the present case, assuming the alloy as a three-phase composite (Al matrix, eutectic Si, IM phases). The model agrees well with the experimental data.
Moreover, it allows predicting the principal stresses in each phase, while experiments can only determine stress differences between the axial and radial sample directions. Finally, we showed that the addition of alloying elements not only allowed developing a 3D interconnected network, but also improved the strength of the Al matrix, and the ability of the alloy constituents to bear mechanical load.
The effect of two types of scanning strategies on the grain structure and build-up of Residual Stress (RS) has been investigated in an as-built IN718 alloy produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). The RS state has been investigated by X-ray diffraction techniques. The microstructural characterization was performed principally by Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD), where the application of a post-measurement refinement technique enables small misorientations (< 2°) to be resolved. Kernel average misorientation (KAM) distributions indicate that preferably oriented columnar grains contain higher levels of misorientation, when compared to elongated grains with lower texture. The KAM distributions combined with X-ray diffraction stress maps infer that the increased misorientation is induced via plastic deformation driven by the thermal stresses, acting to self-relieve stress. The possibility of obtaining lower RS states in the build direction as a consequence of the influence of the microstructure should be considered when envisaging scanning strategies aimed at the mitigation of RS.
NMR is becoming increasingly popular for the investigation of building materials as it is a non-invasive technology that does not require any sample preparation nor causes damage to the material. Depending on the specific application it can offer insights into properties like porosity and spatial saturation degree as well as pore structure. Moreover it enables the determination of moisture transport properties and the (re-)distribution of internal moisture into different reservoirs or chemical phases upon damage and curing. However, as yet most investigations were carried out using devices originally either designed for geophysical applications or the analysis of rather homogeneous small scale (< 10 mL) samples. This paper describes the capabilities of an NMR tomograph, which has been specifically optimized for the investigation of larger, heterogeneous building material samples (diameters of up to 72 mm, length of up to 700 mm) with a high flexibility due to interchangeable coils allowing for a high SNR and short echo times (50 - 80 m s).
The neutron imaging instrument CONRAD was operated as a part of the user program of the research reactor BER‐II at Helmholtz‐Zentrum Berlin (HZB) from 2005 to 2020. The Instrument was designed to use the neutron flux from the cold source of the reactor, transported by a curved neutron guide. The pure cold neutron spectrum provided a great advantage in the use of different neutron optical components such as focusing lenses and guides, solid‐state polarizers, Monochromators and phase gratings. The flexible setup of the instrument allowed for implementation of new methods including wavelength‐selective, dark‐field, phase‐contrast and imaging with polarized neutrons. In summary, these developments helped to attract a large number of scientists and industrial customers, who were introduced to neutron imaging and subsequently contributed to the Expansion of the neutron imaging community.
Bending beams and slabs are typical examples for structural elements used for reinforced concrete structures such as bridge girders, T-beams and bridge decks. Their strength related failure modes at maximum loading can be divided into bending and shear failure. The failure of beams loaded in bending can occur with or without indication. Therefore, conventional design concepts aim on failure modes with sufficient indication (e.g. large deflections or cracks), as it occurs in the case of secondary flexural compression failure. These indicating factors can also be used for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of civil infrastructure systems (e.g. bridges) to identify structural changes. In this context, non-destructive testing (NDT) methods offer different techniques for measuring deflections or crack formation and opening. However, profound knowledge on the determining failure modes of bending beams and their detection by NDT methods is required for the reliable application of SHM. Different NDT methods have been used in this study for analysing the load-bearing behaviour of a reinforced concrete beam in bending. The different measuring techniques are briefly described and their applicability is discussed by means of experimental results. For this purpose, the load-bearing behaviour of a reinforced concrete beam having a span of 2.75 m was investigated in a four-point bending flexural test at laboratory scale. The focus is on the characterization of determining failure modes by optical NDT and the comparison with classical measuring techniques (e.g. deformation measurements by displacement transducers). The bending beam was equipped with two single-mode (SM) sensor fibres. One fibre served as Distributed Optical Fibre Sensor (DOFS), whereas the other fibre contained Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors. In addition, optical deformation measurements using Digital Image Correlation (DIC) and Stereophotogrammetry (SP) were conducted.
The application and benefits of Semantic Web Technologies (SWT) for managing, sharing, and (re-)using of research data are demonstrated in implementations in the field of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE). However, a compilation and classification are needed to fully recognize the scattered published works with its unique added values. Here, the primary use of SWT at the interface with MSE is identified using specifically created categories. This overview highlights promising opportunities for the application of SWT to MSE, such as enhancing the quality of experimental processes, enriching data with contextual information in knowledge graphs, or using ontologies to perform specific queries on semantically structured data. While interdisciplinary work between the two fields is still in its early stages, a great need is identified to facilitate access for nonexperts and develop and provide user-friendly tools and workflows. The full potential of SWT can best be achieved in the long term by the broad acceptance and active participation of the MSE community. In perspective, these technological solutions will advance the field of MSE by making data FAIR. Data-driven approaches will benefit from these data structures and their connections to catalyze knowledge generation in MSE.
This article presents a unique method of installing a special type of embedded ultrasonic transducers inside a 36-m-long section of an old bridge in Germany. A small-scale load test was carried out by a 16 ton truck to study the temperature and load influence on the bridge, as well as the performance of the embedded transducers. Ultrasonic coda wave interferometry technique, which has high sensitivity in detecting subtle changes in a heterogeneous medium, was used for the data evaluation and interpretation. The separation of two main influence factors (load effect and temperature variation) is studied, and future applications of wave velocity variation rate Φ for structural health condition estimation are discussed. As a preliminary research stage, the installation method and the performance of the ultrasonic transducer are recognized. Load- and temperature-induced weak wave velocity variations are successfully detected with a high resolution of 10−4%. The feasibility of the whole system for long-term structural health monitoring is considered, and further research is planned.
The influence of the support structure on residual stress and distortion in SLM Inconel 718 parts
(2018)
The effect of support structure and of removal from the base plate on the residual stress state in selective laser melted IN718 parts was studied by means of synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The residual stresses in subsurface region of two elongated prisms in as-built condition and after removal from the base plate were determined. One sample was directly built on a base plate and another one on a support structure. Also, the distortion on the top surface due to stress release was measured by contact profilometry. High tensile residual stress values were found, with pronounced stress gradient along the hatching direction. In the sample on support, stress redistribution took place after removal from the base plate, as opposed to simple stress relaxation for the sample without support. The sample on support structure showed larger distortion compared to sample without support. We conclude that the use of a support decreases stress values but stress-relieving heat treatments are still needed.
The residual stress (RS) in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) IN718 alloy samples produced using a 67°-rotation scan strategy is investigated via laboratory X-ray diffraction (XRD) and neutron diffraction (ND). The location dependence of the strain-free (d₀) lattice spacing in ND is evaluated using a grid array of coupons extracted from the far-edge of the investigated specimen. No compositional spatial variation is observed in the grid array. The calculated RS fields show considerable non-uniformity, significant stress gradients in the region from 0.6 to 2 mm below the surface, as well as subsurface maxima that cannot be accounted for via XRD. It is concluded that failure to determine such maxima would hamper a quantitative determination of RS fields by means of the stress balance method.
An ultrasonic vibration post-treatment procedure was suggested for additively manufac-tured lattices. The aim of the present research was to investigate mechanical properties andthe differences in mechanical behavior and fracture modes of Ti6Al4V scaffolds treated withtraditional powder recovery system (PRS) and ultrasound vibration (USV). Scanning electronmicroscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the strut surface and the fracture surface mor-phology. X-ray computed tomography (CT) was employed to evaluate the inner structure,strut dimensions, pore size, as well as the surface morphology of additively manufacturedporous scaffolds. Uniaxial compression tests were conducted to obtain elastic modulus,compressive ultimate strength and yield stress. Finite element analysis was performedfor a body-centered cubic (BCC) element-based model and for CT-based reconstructiondata, as well as for a two-zone scaffold model to evaluate stress distribution during elasticdeformation. The scaffold with PRS post treatment displayed ductile behavior, while USVtreated scaffold displayed fragile behavior. Double barrel formation of PRS treated scaffoldwas observed during deformation. Finite element analysis for the CT-based reconstructionrevealed the strong impact of surface morphology on the stress distribution in comparisonwith BCC cell model because of partially molten metal particles on the surface of struts,which usually remain unstressed.
The finite volume method (FVM), like the finite element method (FEM), is a numerical method for determining an approximate solution for partial differential equations. The derivation of the two methods is based on very different considerations, as they have historically evolved from two distinct engineering disciplines, namely solid mechanics and fluid mechanics. This makes FVM difficult to learn for someone familiar with FEM. In this paper we want to show that a slight modification of the FEM procedure leads to an alternative derivation of the FVM. Both numerical methods are starting from the same strong formulation of the problem represented by differential equations, which are only satisfied by their exact solution. For an approximation of the exact solution, the strong formulation must be converted to a so-called weak form. From here on, the two numerical methods differ. By appropriate choice of the trial function and the test function, we can obtain different numerical methods for solving the weak formulation of the problem. While typically in FEM the basis functions of the trial function and test function are identical, in FVM they are chosen differently. In this paper, we show which trial and test function must be chosen to derive the FVM alternatively: The trial function of the FVM is a “shifted” trial function of the FEM, where the nodal points are now located in the middle of an integration interval rather than at the ends. Moreover, the basis functions of the test function are no longer the same as those of the trial function as in the FEM, but are shown to be a constant equal to 1. This is demonstrated by the example of a 1D Poisson equation.
Porous ceramic diesel particulate filters (DPFs) are extruded products that possess macroscopic anisotropic mechanical and thermal properties. This anisotropy is caused by both morphological features (mostly the orientation of porosity) and crystallographic texture. We systematically studied those two aspects in two aluminum titanate ceramic materials of different porosity using mercury porosimetry, gas adsorption, electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray refraction radiography. We found that a lower porosity content implies a larger isotropy of both the crystal texture and the porosity orientation. We also found that, analogous to cordierite, crystallites do align with their axis of negative thermal expansion along the extrusion direction. However, unlike what found for cordierite, the aluminium titanate crystallite form is such that a more pronounced (0 0 2) texture along the extrusion direction implies porosity aligned perpendicular to it.
Although layer-based additive manufacturing methods such as laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) offer an immense geometrical freedom in design, they are typically subject to a build-up of internal stress (i.e. thermal stress) during manufacturing. As a consequence, significant residual stress (RS) is retained in the final part as a footprint of these internal stresses. Furthermore, localized melting and solidification inherently induce columnar-type grain growth accompanied by crystallographic texture. Although diffraction-based methods are commonly used to determine the RS distribution in PBF-LB parts, such features pose metrological challenges in their application. In theory, preferred grain orientation invalidates the hypothesis of isotropic material behavior underlying the common methods to determine RS. In this work, more refined methods are employed to determine RS in PBF-LB/M/IN718 prisms, based on crystallographic texture data. In fact, the employment of direction-dependent elastic constants (i.e. stress factors) for the calculation of RS results in insignificant differences from conventional approaches based on the hypothesis of isotropic mechanical properties. It can be concluded that this result is directly linked to the fact that the {311} lattice planes typically used for RS analysis in nickel-based alloys have high multiplicity and less strong texture intensities compared with other lattice planes. It is also found that the length of the laser scan vectors determines the surface RS distribution in prisms prior to their removal from the baseplate. On removal from the baseplate the surface RS considerably relaxes and/or redistributes; a combination of the geometry and the scanning strategy dictates the sub-surface RS distribution.
Fluorides are well-known as wood preservatives. One of the limitations of fluoride-based wood preservatives is their high leachability. Alternative to current fluoride salts such as NaF used in wood protection are low water-soluble fluorides. However, impregnation of low water-soluble fluorides into wood poses a challenge. To address this challenge, low water-soluble fluorides like calcium fluoride (CaF2) and magnesium fluoride (MgF2) were synthesized as nanoparticles via the fluorolytic sol−gel synthesis and then impregnated into wood specimens. In this study, the toxicity of nano metal fluorides was assessed by termite mortality, mass loss and visual analysis of treated specimens after eight weeks of exposure to termites, Coptotermes formosanus. Nano metal fluorides with sol concentrations of 0.5 M and higher were found to be effective against termites resulting in 100% termite mortality and significantly inhibited termite feeding. Among the formulations tested, the least damage was found for specimens treated with combinations of CaF2 and MgF2 with an average mass loss less than 1% and visual rating of “1”. These results demonstrate the efficacy of low water-soluble nano metal fluorides to protect wood from termite attack.
This study investigates the room‐ and high‐temperature (650 °C) tensile and low‐cycle‐fatigue behavior of Inconel 718 produced by laser powder bed fusion (PBF‐LB/M) with a four‐step heat treatment and compares the results to the conventional wrought material. The microstructure after heat treatment is characterized on different length scales. Compared to the wrought variant, the elastic and yield properties are comparable at both test temperatures while tensile strength, ductility, and strain hardening capacity are lower. The fatigue life of the PBF‐LB/M variant at room temperature is slightly lower than that of the wrought material, while at 650 °C, it is vice versa. The cyclic stress response for both material variants is characterized by cyclic softening, which is more pronounced at the higher test temperature. High strain amplitudes (≥0.7%) at room temperature and especially a high testing temperature result in the formation of multiple secondary cracks at the transitions of regions comprising predominantly elongated grain morphology and columns of stacked grains with ripple patterns in the PBF‐LB/M material. This observation and pronounced crack branching and deflection indicate that the cracks are controlled by sharp micromechanical gradients and local crystallite clusters.
This study was carried out to investigate the neutron transmission signal as a function of sample temperature during a welding process. A theoretical description that includes the Debye-Waller factor was used to describe the temperature influence on the neutron crosssections. Neutron imaging using a monochromatic beam helps to observe transmission variations related to the material temperature. In-situ neutron imaging of welding experiments show the distribution of the temperature in bulk steel samples. The performed finite element modelling of expected temperature distributions shows good agreement with the obtained experimental data.
A systematic study has been carried out to investigate the neutron transmission signal as a function of sample temperature. In particular, the experimentally determined wavelength-dependent neutron attenuation spectra for a martensitic steel at temperatures ranging from 21 to 700°C are compared with simulated data. A theoretical description that includes the Debye–Waller factor in order to describe the temperature influence on the neutron cross sections was implemented in the nxsPlotter software and used for the simulations. The analysis of the attenuation coefficients at varying temperatures shows that the missing contributions due to elastic and inelastic scattering can be clearly distinguished: while the elastically scattered intensities decrease with higher temperatures, the inelastically scattered intensities increase, and the two can be separated from each other by analysing unique sharp features in the form of Bragg edges. This study presents the first systematic approach to quantify this effect and can serve as a basis , for example, to correct measurements taken during in situ heat treatments, in many cases being a prerequisite for obtaining quantifiable results.
To assess the clinical course of a sheep stifle joint model for osteochondral (OC) defects, medial femoral condyles (MFC) were exposed without patella luxation using medial parapatellar skin (3–4 cm) and deep incisions (2–3 cm). Two defects (7 mm diameter; 10 mm depth; OC punch) were left empty or refilled with osteochondral autologous transplantation cylinders (OATS) and explanted after six weeks. Incision-to-suture time, anesthesia time, and postoperative wound or impairment scores were compared to those in sham-operated animals. Implant performance was assessed by X-ray, micro-computed tomography, histology, and immunohistology (collagens 1, 2; aggrecan). There were no surgery-related infections or patellar luxations. Operation, anesthesia, and time to complete stand were short (0.5, 1.4, and 1.5 h, respectively). The wound trauma score was low (0.4 of maximally 4; day 7). Empty-defect and OATS animals reached an impairment score of 0 significantly later than sham animals (7.4 and 4.0 days, respectively, versus 1.5 days). Empty defects showed incomplete healing and dedifferentiation/heterotopic differentiation; OATS-filled defects displayed advanced bone healing with remaining cartilage gaps and orthotopic expression of bone and cartilage markers. Minimally-invasive, medial parapatellar surgery of OC defects on the sheep MFC allows rapid and low-trauma recovery and appears well-suited for implant testing.
The greatest challenge when using deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) for automatic segmentation of microstructural X-ray computed tomography (XCT) data is the acquisition of sufficient and relevant data to train the working network. Traditionally, these have been attained by manually annotating a few slices for 2D DCNNs. However, complex multiphase microstructures would presumably be better segmented with 3D networks. However, manual segmentation labeling for 3D problems is prohibitive. In this work, we introduce a method for generating synthetic XCT data for a challenging six-phase Al–Si alloy composite reinforced with ceramic fibers and particles. Moreover, we propose certain data augmentations (brightness, contrast, noise, and blur), a special in-house designed deep convolutional neural network (Triple UNet), and a multi-view forwarding strategy to promote generalized learning from synthetic data and therefore achieve successful segmentations. We obtain an overall Dice score of 0.77. Lastly, we prove the detrimental effects of artifacts in the XCT data on achieving accurate segmentations when synthetic data are employed for training the DCNNs. The methods presented in this work are applicable to other materials and imaging techniques as well. Successful segmentation coupled with neural networks trained with synthetic data will accelerate scientific output.
The structural and thermoelectric properties of Na- and Ag-substituted CoO dense ceramics have been investigated. X-ray diffraction shows that pure phase and Ag/CoO composites have been obtained for Na-doped and Ag-doped CoO, respectively. Raman spectroscopy shows an effect of Na dopants on the lattice disorder of CoO. The chemical composition, element distribution, and valence states of the samples have been characterized by Auger electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Substitution of Co by 5 at. % Na enhances the power factor to 250 μWm−1 K-2 at 1000 K, similar to that of Ca3Co4O9. The corresponding thermal conductivity is also reduced to 3.55 W.m−1 K−1 at 1000 K. Consequently, Co0.95Na0.05O exhibits the best thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT), which is 0.07 at 1000 K. On the other hand, the substitution of Ag into CoO leads to the formation of CoO/Ag composites and deteriorates ZT values.
Rechargeable alkali metal−CO2 batteries, which combine high theoretical energy density and environmentally friendly CO2 fixation ability, have attracted worldwide attention. Unfortunately, their electrochemical performances are usually inferior for practical applications. Aiming to reveal the underlying causes, a combinatorial usage of advanced nondestructive and postmortem characterization tools is used to intensively study the failure mechanisms of Li/Na−CO2 batteries. It is found that a porous interphase layer is formed between the separator and the Li/Na anode during the overvoltage rising and battery performance decaying process. A series of control experiments are designed to identify the underlying mechanisms dictating the observed morphological evolution of Li/Na anodes, and it is found that the CO2 synergist facilitates Li/Na chemical corrosion, the process of which is further promoted by the unwanted galvanic corrosion and the electrochemical cycling conditions. A detailed compositional analysis reveals that the as-formed interphase layers under different conditions are similar in species, with the main differences being their inconsistent quantity. Theoretical calculation results not only suggest an inherent intermolecular affinity between the CO2 and the electrolyte solvent but also provide the most thermodynamically favored CO2 reaction pathways. Based on these results, important implications for the further development of rechargeable alkali metal−CO2 batteries are discussed. The current discoveries not only fundamentally enrich our knowledge of the failure mechanisms of rechargeable alkali metal−CO2 batteries but also provide mechanistic directions for protecting metal anodes to build high-reversible alkali metal−CO2 batteries.
Understanding the complicated interplay of the continuously evolving electrode materials in their inherent 3D states during the battery operating condition is of great importance for advancing rechargeable battery research.
In this regard, the synchrotron X-ray tomography technique, which enables non-destructive, multi-scale, and 3D imaging of a variety of electrode components before/during/after battery operation, becomes an essential tool to deepen this understanding. The past few years have witnessed an increasingly growing interest in applying this technique in battery research. Hence, it is time to not only summarize the already obtained battery-related Knowledge by using this technique, but also to present a fundamental elucidation of this technique to boost future studies in battery research. To this end, this review firstly introduces the fundamental principles and experimental Setups of the synchrotron X-ray tomography technique. After that, a user guide to ist application in battery research and examples of its applications in Research of various types of batteries are presented. The current review ends with a discussion of the future opportunities of this technique for next-generation rechargeable batteries research. It is expected that this review can enhance the reader’s understanding of the synchrotron X-ray tomography technique and stimulate new ideas and opportunities in battery research.
For the first time, synchrotron X-ray refraction radiography (SXRR) has been paired with in-situ heat treatment to monitor microstructure and porosity evolution as a function of temperature. The investigated material was a laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) manufactured AlSi10Mg, where the initial eutectic Si network is known to disintegrate and spherodize into larger particles with increasing temperature. Such alloy is also prone to thermally induced porosity (TIP). We show that SXRR allows detecting the changes in the Si-phase morphology upon heating, while this is currently possible only using scanning electron microscopy. SXRR also allows observing the growth of pores, usually studied via X-ray computed tomography, but on much smaller fields-of-view. Our results show the great potential of in-situ SXRR as a tool to gain in-depth knowledge of the susceptibility of any material to thermally induced damage and/or microstructure evolution over statistically relevant volumes.
Tri-structural Isotropic (TRISO)-coated particle is the fission energy source and the first safety barrier in high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs). The integrity of TRISO particle should be carefully tested before operation because the shape may affect the failure possibility of the particles, leading to increased risk of fission product release. Due to the large difference in density between the kernel and the coating layers in TRISO particles, traditional X-ray radiography cannot achieve a good image quality in terms of identifying coating layers reliably, while phase-contrast CThas the advantageof being sensitive to boundaries. This paperpresents a non-destructive test and evaluation (NDT&E) method to facilitate 3-dimensional (3D) measurement of a TRISO particle's structure, using a synchrotron phase-contrast CT. After reconstructed, the TRISO particle was rendered in a 3D space and the thickness and asphericity of the TRISO particle's layers were measured. It was found that the thickness of coating layers of the tested particle obeys Gaussian distribution. The deviation of thicknesses of the kernel and the other four layers is −2.42%, −16.32%, 26.51%, 0.98% and 7.49% compared with the design parameters. The deviation of asphericity of the kernel, IPyC and OPyC layers is −11.51%, −0.41% and 3.39%, respectively. The effect of the deviations on the temperature distribution and failure probability calculation of the particle will be investigated in the future.
Air-coupled ultrasonic testing is widely used in the industry for the non-destructive testing of compound materials. It provides a fast and efficient way to inspect large concrete civil infrastructures for damage that might lead to catastrophic failure. Due to the large penetration depths required for concrete structures, the use of traditional piezoelectric transducer requires high power electric systems. In this study, a novel fluidic transducer based on a bistable fluidic amplifier is investigated. Previous experiments have shown that the switching action of the device produces a high-power broadband ultrasonic signal. This study will provide further insight into the switching behaviour of the fluidic switch. Therefore, parametric CFD simulations based on compressible supersonic RANS simulations were performed, varying the inlet pressure and velocity profiles for the control flow. Switching times are analyzed with different methods, and it was found that These are mostly independent of the slope of the velocity profile at the control port. Furthermore, it was found that an inversely proportional relationship exists between flow velocity in the throat and the switching time. The results agree with the theoretical background established by experimental studies that can be found in the literature.
Recently, we suggested an unconventional approach (the so-called Internal-Field-Guarded-Active-Region Design “IFGARD”) for the elimination of the quantum-confined Stark effect in polar semiconductor heterostructures. The IFGARD-based suppression of the Stark redshift on the order of electronvolt and spatial charge carrier separation is independent of the specific polar semiconductor material or the related growth procedures. In this work, we demonstrate by means of micro-photoluminescence techniques the successful tuning as well as the elimination of the quantum-confined Stark effect in strongly polar [000-1] wurtzite GaN/AlN nanodiscs as evidenced by a reduction of the exciton lifetimes by up to four orders of magnitude. Furthermore, the tapered geometry of the utilized nanowires (which embed the investigated IFGARD nanodiscs) facilitates the experimental differentiation between quantum confinement and Stark emission energy shifts. Due to the IFGARD, both effects become independently adaptable.
The reconstruction of cone-beam computed tomography data using filtered back-projection algorithms unavoidably results in severe artefacts. We describe how the Direct Iterative Reconstruction of Computed Tomography Trajectories (DIRECTT) algorithm can be combined with a model of the artefacts for the reconstruction of such data. The implementation of DIRECTT results in reconstructed volumes of superior quality compared to the conventional algorithms.
In this paper we propose super resolution measurement and post-processing strategies that can be applied in thermography using laser line scanning. The implementation of these techniques facilitates the separation of two closely spaced defects and avoids the expected deterioration of spatial resolution due to heat diffusion. The experimental studies were performed using a high-power laser as heat source in combination with pulsed thermography measurements (step scanning) or with continuous heating measurements (continuous scanning). Our work shows that laser line step scanning as well as continuous scanning both can be used within our developed super resolution (SR) techniques. Our SR techniques make use of a compressed sensing based algorithm in post- processing, the so-called iterative joint sparsity (IJOSP) approach. The IJOSP method benefits from both - the sparse nature of defects in space as well as from the similarity of each measurement. In addition, we show further methods to improve the reconstruction quality e.g. by simple manipulations in thermal image processing such as by considering the effect of the scanning motion or by using different optimization algorithms within the IJOSP approach. These super resolution image processing methods are discussed so that the advantages and disadvantages of each method can be extracted. Our contribution thus provides new approaches for the implementation of super resolution techniques in laser line scanning thermography and informs about which experimental and post-processing parameters should be chosen to better separate two closely spaced defects.
Background Due to physical coupling between mechanical stress and magnetization in ferromagnetic materials, it is assumed in the literature that the distribution of the magnetic stray field corresponds to the internal (residual) stress of the specimen.
The correlation is, however, not trivial, since the magnetic stray field is also influenced by the microstructure and the geometry of component. The understanding of the correlation between residual stress and magnetic stray field could help to evaluate the integrity of welded components.
Objective This study aims at understanding the possible correlation of subsurface and bulk residual stress with magnetic stray field in a low carbon steel weld. Methods The residual stress was determined by synchrotron X-ray diffraction (SXRD, subsurface region) and by neutron diffraction (ND, bulk region). SXRD possesses a higher spatial resolution than ND. Magnetic stray fields were mapped by utilizing high-spatial-resolution giant magneto resistance (GMR) sensors.
Results The subsurface residual stress overall correlates better with the magnetic stray field distribution than the bulk stress.
This correlation is especially visible in the regions outside the heat affected zone, where the influence of the microstructural features is less pronounced but steep residual stress gradients are present.
Conclusions It was demonstrated that the localized stray field sources without any obvious microstructural variations are associated with steep stress gradients. The good correlation between subsurface residual stress and magnetic signal indicates that the source of the magnetic stray fields is to be found in the range of the penetration depth of the SXRD measurements.
Measuring means knowing. The structural engineer’s Knowledge about structures is vitally important for the assessment of their structural safety. This contribution shows, how non-destructive testing methods can be used to collect valuable Information about existing structures. This value is expressed in this paper by the usability in probabilistic assessments and thus by the reliability of the information. The development of non-destructive testing methods in civil-engineering allows the realistic measurement and visualization of inner constructions of concrete components with a minimum of destructive interventions.
The evaluation of the quality of measurement data is of fundamental importance for quantitative measurements in order to ensure the objectivity of testing and evaluation and to assess the reliability of the knowledge acquired. Both systematic and random deviations must be identified, quantified and taken into account to obtain statistically sound data. The Focus of this contribution is on the methodical path, how displayed measurement data can be processed into reliable knowledge.
It is not about developing assessment methods but about providing
necessary knowledge to increase their operational usability.