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- CCS (7)
- Corrosion (7)
- Steel (7)
- Concrete (6)
- Strain sensor (6)
- Computed tomography (5)
- Structural health monitoring (5)
- CO2-storage (4)
- Emission (4)
- Fibre optic sensors (4)
Micro gears are applied in an increasing quantity in many applications. Therefore, precise measurements are of growing importance to ensure their quality. This contribution describes the measurement of gears of a micro planetary gear set with a tactile probe, a tactile-optical probe, an optical sensor, and computed tomography (CT). For the tactile measurements, a high precision piezoresistive microprobe was used. A so-called fiber probe was applied for tactile-optical measurements. This probe applies image processing to determine the position of the tactile probing element. For all tactile and tactile-optical measurements, single point probing was used. The optical measurements were carried out with an imaging sensor based on focus variation. Due to limited accessibility, on some gears not all regions could be measured by the optical sensor and the tactile-optical probe. In contrast to this, with CT the whole part could be measured with high point density. We used a micro-CT system and carried out measurements with Synchrotron-CT. All the sensors used deliver measurement data in Cartesian coordinates. It is a challenge to transfer these data into coordinates in which gear parameters are defined. For this, special attention must be paid to the determination of the gear axis and to the orientation of the teeth. The applied procedures are detailed for different micro gears. The comparison between data of different measurements was carried out successfully. The deviations between the CT data and the tactile or tactile-optical data lie in the range of only a few micrometers.
The CCS technique involves the compression of emission gasses in deep geological layers. To guarantee the safety of the site, CO2-corrosion of the injection pipe steels has to be given special attention when engineering CCS-sites. To get to know the corrosion behaviour samples of the heat treated steel 1.72252CrMo4, used for casing, and the stainless injection-pipe steel 1.4034 X46Cr13 were kept at T=60 °C and ambient pressure as well as p=100 bar for 700 h - 8000 h in a CC 2-saturated synthetic aquifer environment similar to possible geological on-shore CCS-sites in the northern German Basin. The isothermal corrosion behaviour obtained by mass gain of the steels in the gas phase, the liquid phase and the intermediate phase gives surface corrosion rates around 0.1 to 0.8 mm/year at ambient pressure and much lower about 0.02 to 0.2 mm/year at 100 bar where the CO 2 is in its supercritical state. Severe pit corrosion with pit heights around 4.5 mm are only located on the 42CrMo4 steel. Main phase of the continuous complicated multi-layered carbonate/oxide structure is siderite FeCO 3 in both types of steel.
Dealing with first corrosion screening experiments to predict the reliability and safety of Germanys first Carbon Capture and Storage site in the northern Bassin of Germany, northwest of the Capital Berlin, laboratory experiments have been established to simulate the particular conditions at T=60 °C, highly saline aquifer water similar to 'Stuttgart Aquifer', but only at ambient pressure. With mounting 2 independent full 2-grade titanium autoclave systems (running up to 250 bar and 300 °C) pressures up to p=100 bar are possible. In 2010 a specific corrosion chamber of 2-grade titanium working up to 100 °C, flowing aqui fer water with different gas mixtures was designed to fit to a high cycle fatigue testing machine. Long term fatigue experiments simulating fatigue crack growth under corrosive environments will soon start. These experiments may not only help engineering a CCS site, but results can be used to improve the maintenance of geothermal energy production sites, especially moved parts such as pumps and shafts.
This paper reports on a fiber optic sensor for heart rate measurements. The sensor will be integrated into personal protective equipment within the framework of the FP7 EU project i-Protect. Two different sensor prototypes were developed. One is based on fiber Bragg gratings in silica fiber and the other one is based on macrobending effects in polymer optical fiber.
We investigated to our knowledge for the first time the capabilities of long period gratings (LPG) in single-mode microstructured polymer optical fibre (mPOF) as real-time gamma dosimeter. The fibre is made from polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) with a polycarbonate jacket. We measured the radiation-induced wavelength shift of the mPOF LPG loss feature wavelength and the radiation-induced attenuation of a mPOF for
different wavelength between 600 nm and 800 nm for gamma radiation with an energy distribution between 6 keV and 18 keV.
This paper reports on a fibre optic sensor for heart rate measurement which is developed within the framework of the FP7 EU project i-Protect. Goal is integration of the sensor into personal protective equipment Two different sensor prototypes based on polymer optical fibre (POF) were developed. One is based on long period gratings in microstrutured POF and the other one is based on macrobending effects in POF.
We investigated the capabilities of long period gratings (LPG) in single-mode microstructured polymer optical fibre (mPOF) for humidity sensing. For that mPOF LPGs were exposed to different humidity levels
at a constant temperature of 30°C in a climate chamber. During the long term tests, which took up several weeks, the humidity was changed in several steps while mPOF LPG wavelength and fibre attenuation were measured.
We also measured the water uptake of mPOF in environment with different relative humidity.
Dye-biomolecule conjugates and NIR-fluorescent particles for targeting of disease-related biomarkers
(2011)
Indispensable for fluorescence imaging are highly specific and sensitive molecular probes that absorb and emit in the near infrared (NIR) spectral region and respond to or target molecular species or processes. Here, we present approaches to targeted fluorescent probes for in vivo imaging in the intensity and lifetime domain exploiting NIR dyes. Screening schemes for the fast identification of suitable fluorophores are derived and design criteria for highly emissive optical probes. In addition, as a signal amplification strategy that enables also the use of hydrophobic NIR fluorophores as fluorescent reporters, first steps towards versatile strategies for the preparation of NIR-fluorescent polymeric particles are presented that can be utilized also for the design of targeted and analyte-responsive probes.
Analyzing damages at concrete structures due to physical, chemical, and mechanical exposures need the application of innovative non-destructive testing methods that are able to trace spatial changes of microstructures. Here, the utility of three different crack detection methods for the analysis of computed tomograms of various cementitious building materials is evaluated. Due to the lack of reference samples and standardized image quality evaluation procedures, the results are compared with manually segmented reference data sets. A specific question is how automatic crack detection can be used for the quantitative characterization of damage processes, such as crack length and volume. The crack detection methods have been integrated into a scientific visualization system that allows displaying the tomography images as well as presenting the results.
Tomography data obtained from transmission electron microscopes are especially attractive due to their unrivaled spatial resolution in the nanometer range or even less, but they require enormous efforts in sample preparation and suffer from a diverse accumulation of experimental restrictions, which unavoidably result in fundamental reconstruction artifacts. These restrictions refer to: partial opacity, a limited view (limited angle or missing wedge), very few angles (with respect to the detector size), limited to a region of interest (ROI; due to the sample size), variable angular increments as well as sample degradation due the interactions with the electron beam. An advanced version of the DIRECTT (Direct Iterative Reconstruction of Computed Tomography Trajectories) algorithm proves to cope with most of these severe deviations from ideal CT measuring conditions. However, careful data preprocessing is required in order to exploit the capabilities of the algorithm.
Nanometer sized Ruthenium catalyst particles for fuel cell applications are 3D imaged at a few Ångström resolution in order to estimate their partial free surface on carbon black supports, which rule the efficiency of the catalytic activity.
Comparisons of DIRECTT reconstructions to the conventional filtered back projection, prove the significant improvements.
The present article gives an insight into the research project BEGLARES. Main topics are the restoration “Dalles de Verre” Windows and the development of repair mortars and techniques. This project is executed in cooperation between Glasmalerei Peters GmbH, the University of York, and the BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing. It is funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. The main mechanism of damage, Standards for protection and repair of concrete structures, and the development of repair mortar and special test specimens are presented.
Repair mortars for the restoration and reprofiling of natural stone elements in cultural heritage
(2011)
For the protection of the world's cultural heritage the restoration of listed buildings and monuments is an important task. In many cases the need to repair and reprofile natural stone elements occurs. Repair mortars for such applications have to match historicocultural interests as well as durability related and constructive interests. Currently a research project dealing with the development and optimisation of such mortars is set up at the BAM. Special focus is laid on the possibility of a modular adaption to match a vast variety of stone properties. Besides the development and lab scale testing of the mortar system, an in-situ application will be planned and executed.
Monitoring of PAH in aqueous samples - a comparison of different sample preparation techniques
(2011)
Nowadays there are several applications of mineral recycling materials and residues. At present an assessment method for the use of secondary raw materials, which considers sustainability aspects, does not exist. In the framework of the German DAfStb/BMBF research project 'Sustainable Building with Concrete' an assessment concept was developed. It includes the following four assessment steps: I. Basic considerations, II. Advantages for sustainable construction, III. Alternative paths for application, and IV. Sensitivity analysis. The concept was developed on the basis of recycled concrete aggregates, which are already used according to German standards. Afterwards, it was applied and verified by the evaluation of the utilisation of municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ashes.
Claddings of different nickel based alloys were generated on a mild Steel (S235JR) and a stainless steel type 304 by Cold Metal Transfer (CMT). This welding procedure possesses a low degree of mixing between the Substrate and cladding material. Thus it improves the corrosion behaviour of the claddings. The aim of our investigations was to examine the effect of the welding parameters: energy per unit length, shielding gas and finishing surface treatment on the pitting corrosion behaviour of the claddings.
However, under Standard test conditions nickel based alloys are often resistant to pitting corrosion. Moreover these test methods are inaccurate and require a large period of time resulting from the iterative progress to determine the critical pitting temperature (CPT). A potentiostatic test method was modified using a high concentrated CaCI2-solution and a conventional three electrode measuring cell. The pitting corrosion behaviour is calculated from current noise charges. During the test the course of corrosion is detected online by the evaluation of electrochemical noise Signals while a continuous increase of temperature by a defined heating rate is realised.
Thus a critical pitting temperature can be estimated by only one attempt. Furthermore the deviation of the measured CPT is very low compared to Standard tests using gravimetrical and microscopic evaluation. That enables to figure out the influence of the welding parameters in an exact way.
The computer simulation of radiography is applicable for different purposes in NDT such as for the qualification of NDT systems, the optimization of system parameters, feasibility analysis, model-based data interpretation, education and training of NDT/NDE personnel, and others. Within the framework of the European project PICASSO simulators will be adapted to support reliability assessments of NDT tasks. The radiographic simulator aRTist developed by BAM is well suited for this task. It combines analytical modelling of the RT inspection process with the CAD-orientated object description applicable to various industrial sectors such as power generation, aerospace, railways and others. The analytic model includes the description of the radiation source, the interaction of Radiation
with the material of the part, and the detection process with special focus to DIR. To support reliability estimations the simulation tool is completed by a tool for probability of detection (POD) estimation. It consists of a user interface for planning automatic simulation runs with varying parameters, specifically defect variations.
Further, an automatic image analysis procedure is included to evaluate the defect visibility and calculate the POD therefrom.
A fibre Bragg grating (FBG) strain patch specially adapted for long-term and high-strain applications was developed and characterised. Additionally, in the case of unknown main stress axis, two fibre optic strain rosettes were developed. The design concept for the patch and the rosettes is based on a glass fibre reinforced plastic (gfrp) carrier material. The patches were characterised due to their strain gauge factor and fatigue behaviour. As a result, FBG strain patches with linear strain behaviour and excellent fatigue resistance were developed and can be used as part of a monitoring system for aerospace structures or wind turbine power plants. The rosettes were designed to be small in geometrical size and their strain transfer behaviour was characterised.
Industrial computed tomography (CT) today is an important method to analyze defects and to measure the geometry of technical products. The measurement capability of industrial CT often depends on the knowledge of the measurement errors being present. Only with this knowledge, effective corrections are possible by manufacturers, or adapted measurement procedures become possible for the customers. Thus, there is the strong need to have adequate reference standards both for the assessment of general dependencies and for the measurement of task-specific effects. Especially the latter are difficult to assess. This paper shows the application of a versatile dismountable workpiece-near reference body for the use with CT. The reference standard was made from a miniaturized cast aluminium (one-)cylinder head. It can be dismounted into four segments, each featuring reference geometries which enable a registration of CT measured and other reference datasets (e.g. from tactile CMM). The reference standard embodies complex freeform surfaces which are a challenging measurement task for CT and other sensors. Here the application of the reference standard is the study of the influence of material mixes. This is realized by adding pieces of other materials which disturb the mono-material measurement.
Results of the application of the reference standard are presented using data from industrial micro-CT systems and CMM reference data. A special emphasis is given on the workflow of the data processing and the data analysis.
Photo-oxidative ageing of polymers under defined exposure (UV, humidity) was investigated from two points of view: a) the ageing process Starts from the topmost surface and penetrates slowly towards bulk and b) radicals play an important role among ageing. Therefore, X-ray photoelectron (XPS) and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy were applied to show both, the progressive incorporation of oxygen during in-situ UV irradiation (XPS) and the formation of radicals (ESR) in the polymer. The intensity of ESR Signals served as measure for radical concentration. The Validation of this correlation was checked for polyethylenes (PE) equipped with different concentrations of Hostavin N30 UV stabilizer.
The outdoor weathering of polymers is mainly due to UV radiation, water, Pollution, humidity, temperature etc. To understand the effects of weathering, simulated tests need to be undertaken in lab scale. Such tests must be quite efficient and similar to the effects of natural weathering. This paper mainly focuses on the effects of UV radiation along with humidity on LDPE.
This paper presents a sampling strategy for mobile gas sensors. Sampling points are selected using a modified artificial potential field (APF) approach, which balances multiple criteria to direct sensor measurements towards locations of high mean concentration, high concentration variance and areas for which the uncertainty about the gas distribution model is still large. By selecting in each step the most often suggested close-by measurement location, the proposed approach introduces a locality constraint that allows planning suitable paths for mobile gas sensors. Initial results in simulation and in real-world experiments with a gas-sensitive micro-drone demonstrate the suitability of the proposed sampling strategy for gas distribution mapping and its use for gas source localization.
Reinforced concrete piles are used in case of structures that are constructed on soft ground to transfer the loads into deeper strata with sufficient bearing capacity. In order to determine the pile’s behavior and possible damage, static and dynamic pile tests are carried out. Dynamic measurements taken from the pile head can show the bearing behavior and structural integrity by using the theory of wave propagation. In order to receive more precise information about the pile features, now, a string of sensors is embedded at different levels of the pile. A fiber optic strain wave sensor, based on the extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (EFPI), has already been developed and tested in full-scale field tests by Schallert (2010). It was possible to detect the introduced deformation caused by the static load and the dilatational wave during dynamic loading. Although the full-scale tests were successful, the engineering design of the sensor body left room - from the economical point of view - to be optimized. After laboratory tests with the optimized sensor, a cast-in-situ bored pile has been built at the BAM Test Site Technical Safety in Horstwalde, South of Berlin. Additionally to the EFPI sensors, fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, temperature sensors and resistance strain gauge (RSG) sensors are embedded in order to compare the signals with each other. In this paper, the modified sensor and the Setup of the cast-in-situ bored pile along with results of dynamic tests are shown.
The paper presents numerical methods to detect and classify defects and inhomogeneities by means of active thermography. The objective is to determine the wall thickness of structure elements with an inaccessible back wall, for example, of pipes or Containers. As test specimens we used approximately 2 cm thick PVC samples with spatial variations in the back wall geometry. Flash lamps provided the heating. To know the thickness of the wall, we used two inversion methods and compared the results achieved. One is an iterative echo defect shape method and already tested on Steel test specimens with good reconstruction results. The second one is the Levenberg-Marquardt method, applied here to thermographic data for non-destructive testing. Since data capturing using active thermography and the presented numerical methods can easily be automated, the combination of these two procedures is a promising approach providing a broad area of application.
Most of the measurements of temperatures in large pool fires are indirect and present a number of complexities due to the interactions of convection, radiation and soot blockage. In the present work these influences for two organic peroxide [tert-butyl peroxybenzoate (TBPB) and tert-butyl peroxy-2-ethylhexanoate (TBPEH)] pool fires are analysed.
Thermocouple measured temperature in the clear flame zone i.e. combustion zone are found to be 250-400 K lower than from the thermographic measurements. The convective and radiative heat flux contributions from the fire on temperature measurements are discussed. CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations have been performed for large pool fires and the predicted time averaged flame temperatures were found to be in qualitative agreement with
measurements due to the stoichiometric combustion model used in the present simulations.
Flame temperature (T), surface emissive power (SEP) of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) pool fires (d = 1 m, 6.1 m, 30 m) are investigated by CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulation and compared with experimental results.
Time averaged flame temperatures of T = 1320 K, T = 1298 K and T = 1281 K are obtained. Surface emissive power (SEP) of 55 kW=m2, 130 kW=m2 and 230 kW=m2 are predicted.
COMSOL Multiphysics® was used as a tool for the better understanding of the evolution of flow patterns during the induced ignition of gases. A simplified model was developed for the scope, by coupling the weakly compressible Navier Stokes module and the convection and conduction module. The current paper presents the results of the performed simulations.
OEMs perceive diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings as part of a strategy for low frictional tribosystems. Especially the automotive industry anticipates a benefit in applying such coatings in association with the lightweight construction of mechanical parts, for instance in gears and engines. In previous investigations it was shown, that DLC, amorphous carbon (a-C) and tetragonal amorphous carbon (ta-C) coatings can be slip-rolling resistant at least up to ten million load cycles at Hertzian contact pressures P0max of 2.9 GPa lubricated by engine oil at 120°C, Further improvements in load carrying capacity up to P0mean of 2.62 GPa (FN= 5,000 N) were achieved with alternative, available Steel metallurgies as Substrates for thin film coatings. Additional factors, such as influences of the lubrication on the surface chemistry (additives and base oils), wear and friction behavior were investigated.
The use of energetic materials as a main fuel in high temperature process
industries are not known to the scientific community as such. This paper
highlights some of the features and advantages of using organic peroxides
especially di-tert-butyl peroxide (DTBP) in high temperature process industries.
The feasibility of using DTBP as a main or supporting fuel in process industries
have also been justified with the help of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
simulations. For peroxides requirement of less fuel and air for the same amount
of heat flux has been shown. The resulted emission from the combustion of
DTBP is also discussed.
For the last decades vibration based identification of damage on civil Engineering structures has become an important issue for maintenance operations on transport infrastructure.
Research in that field has been rapidly expanding from classic modal Parameter estimation using measured excitation to modern operational monitoring. Here the difficulty is to regard to the specific environmental and operational influence to the structure under observation. In this paper, two methods accounting for statistical and/or operational uncertainties are applied to measurement data of a progressive damage test on a prestressed concrete bridge. On the base of covariance driven Stochastic Subspace Identification (SSI) an algorithm is developed to monitor and automatically compute confidence intervals of the obtained modal parameters. Furthermore, a null space based non-parametric damage detection method, utilizing a statistical χ2 type test is applied to the measurement data. It can be shown that for concrete bridges the proposed methodology is able to clearly indicate the presence of structural damage, if the damage leads to a change of the structural system.
For the last decades vibration based damage detection of engineering structures has become an important issue for maintenance operations on transport infrastructure. Research in vibration based structural damage detection has been rapidly expanding from classic modal parameter estimation to modern operational monitoring. Methodologies from control Engineering especially of aerospace applications have been adopted and converted for the application on civil structures. Here the difficulty is to regard to the specific environmental and operational influence to the structure under observation. A null space based damage detection algorithm is tested for its sensitivity to structural damage of a prestressed concrete road bridge. Specific techniques and extensions of the algorithm are used to overcome difficulties from the size of the structure which is associated with the number of recorded sensor channels as well as from the operational disturbances by a nearby construction site. It can be shown that for concrete bridges the proposed damage detection methodology is able to clearly indicate the presence of structural damage, if the damage leads to a significant change of the structural system. Small damage which do not result in a System change when not activated by loading, do not lead to a modification of the dynamic response behavior and for that cannot be detected with the proposed global monitoring method.
Infrastructure is subject to continuous ageing. This has given life cycle management of infrastructure an increasing role. Reliable inspection and monitoring tools are therefore an increasing demand. A combination of different non-destructive test methods is often necessary to receive reliable results for material characterization,
flaw detection and the determination of component specific geometry parameters.
Regarding concrete structures thickness measurements are combined with flaw detection and additional information about reinforcement and tendon ducts is required.
Therefore, a multi-sensor measurement approach is necessary with a high degree of automation. Otherwise a time consuming succession of manual measurements has to be performed which would prevent practical applications. A modular control and data acquisition approach is described and the application of two different automated measurement devices is shown. The BetoScan system consists of a self-navigating
mobile robot. The system is especially designed for the investigation of reinforced concrete floors exposed to de-icing salts. The data acquisition of the OSSCAR system a multi-sensor scanner is similar to the robot approach. These different applications are based on a similar kernel allowing the modular use of different contact and noncontact sensors. The described general concept of multi-sensor data acquisition and data analysis presented here is not limited to the field of civil engineering applications.
Combustion of peroxy-fuels
(2011)
The diffusion flames of organic peroxides exhibit quite different characteristics than hydrocarbons. What makes them interesting to study is their fast burning behaviour. As a result the flame temperature enhances and so does the thermal radiation. Due to all these they demand safe handling during processing. However, they can be utilised at several places in different industries where a fuel with fast burning, high temperature and intense radiation are desired. Some of the possibilities to use them as a main or supporting fuel in a wide range of industrial utilities are the major content of this paper.
Integration of magnetic functional components in LTCC Circuit boards calls for co-firing of dielectric and ferrite tapes. Ni-Cu-Zn ferrites with permeability of p=900 were developed which can be fully densified at the Standard LTCC sintering temperature of 900 °C. Successful co-firing of this ferrite with dielectric tapes requires the adaptation of the shrinkage behavior of the materials as well as the thermal expansion during the cooling period - especially in the temperature range below the transformation point of the glassy phase of the dielectric tape. To match these preconditions, a new dielectric LTCC material with steep sintering curve and high thermal expansion coefficient was designed. Sintered multilayer composed of Ni-Cu-Zn ferrite and tailored dielectric tapes are free of cracks and possess no open porosity. No significant interdiffusion between the ferrite and dielectric tapes was found by EDX measurements. Compared to pure ferrite laminates the permeability of co-sintered Ni-Cu-Zn ferrite layers is drastically reduced to 400, i.e. a decrease of more than 50 %.
To investigate the origin of this permeability reduction, Ni-Cu-Zn ferrite laminates were sintered separately, and in combination with alumina release tapes or dielectric tapes, respectively. SEM and EDX analysis of co-fired laminates reveal differences in the ferrite grain growth behavior. Ferrite laminates with homogeneous microstructure and grain size up to 50 pm exhibit large permeability. However, growth of ferrite grains does not take place near the interface between ferrite and release or dielectric tapes. There is a strong correlation between high permeability and volume fraction of large ferrite grains. Regions of fine and coarse grains inside the ferrite layers show different bismuth concentration; the Bi-content is larger in regions of fine ferrite grains.
Structural health monitoring of wind turbine blades by strain measurement and vibration analysis
(2011)
Wind turbine blades have to withstand a high number of load cycles in mostly hard weather conditions over 20 years. In a research project BAM and several partners have designed, evaluated and tested a condition monitoring system for all parts of a wind turbine. At a rotorblade with a length of 58 m fibre bragg grating sensors were applied for in-service strain measurement. Additionally a complex test rig was designed to enable real biaxial loading conditions at a representative test rotor blade to simulate the mechanical loading conditions in the lab. In this test blade with a length of 8 m also fibre bragg grating sensors were implemented to determine their influences for the structure and the condition monitoring system. Vibration measurements were carried out at different test phases. The results were compared with finite element strain and modal analysis.
Neutrons are absorbed particularly by hydrogen containing materials so
they can be used as a tool for visualising heterogeneous density distributions of organic materials. Penetration limits are set by the layer thicknesses and the neutron energies applied. In case of specimens with a flat shape the situation may be encountered that the object only could be penetrated in selected directions. In addition, the overall size may exceed the beam diameter and thus the viewing window if a certain region of interest should be studied by tomography without destroying the integrity of the specimen.
This study shows the capabilities and limits of thermal and fast neutrons to investigate flat wooden specimens such as boards and girders by neutron tomography under such circumstances. Taking projections was impaired either by the limits of penetrability or by the total size of the object. As a consequence, projections were included for reconstruction only from a limited angular range of 90°. It could be shown that an approach based on the slice theorem was capable to visualise structural features along the beam directions while simply omitting the perpendicular ones without causing additional artefacts.
Small samples with a thickness of up to 2 cm but several times broader could be studied with the ANTARES facility of the FRM II neutron source in Garching providing thermal neutrons while larger objects required a beam of higher energy as available in the NECTAR facility of the same institution. The fast (fission) neutrons (1.5 – 2 MeV) of this site allowed investigating an area of interest inside a girder with a cross section of 23.5 x 49 cm². Internal features such as inclusions could be detected as well as a heterogeneous density distribution in glue layers.
Fatigue testing in the VHCF ränge requires testing machines with increased frequencies. However, application of energy-saving resonance testing leads to a linkage between test frequency and specimen Parameters. The frequency ränge and the available forces of the testing machine are limiting possible specimen dimensions.
Electrodynamic shakers combine test frequencies up to 4000 Hz with forces in the kN range. Thus, a relatively wide range of tests is possible which allows studying the influence of specimen size on VHCF behaviour.
Electrodynamic shakers as well as the respective Computer control Systems and Vibration measurement techniques are well established in scientific and technical applications. We present results of a first study of VHCF testing on electrodynamic shakers conducted at BAM. Test frequency, specimen size and stress levels have been varied. One goal is to balance the needs of materials testing with the Standard test Systems of environmental Simulation to provide a powerful and flexible tool for very high cycle fatigue testing. Further investigation to optimize the technique is required.
The material parameters melt flow rate MFR, density D, notched impact strength N.I.S. at -30 °C, stress crack resistance FNCT and resistance to oxidative degradation Ox (determined by the increase of MFR) have been selected for a comparison of polyethylene grades for one design type in the “European Standard EN 15507 - Transport packaging for dangerous goods - Comparative material testing of polyethylene grades”. The parameters have a systematic relationship with design type tests. The notched impact strength at -30 °C and the resistance to oxidative degradation of polyethylene grades determined with test specimens of compression moulded sheets are directly comparable with drop tests at -18 °C of design types produced of these grades after pre-storage with 55 % nitric acid for 21 days at 40 °C. The impact of the pre-storage time of jerricans with 55 % nitric acid at 40 °C and 23 °C on the marginal drop heights in drop tests at -18 °C, on the MFR and on the tensile properties tensile strength, breaking elongation and the elastic modulus were investigated. Packaging design types (jerricans) made of three polyethylene grades from different producers were pre-stored with 55 % nitric acid for 21,42 and 84 days at 40 °C as well as for six months at 23 °C. The MFR and tensile properties of test specimens taken from the design type side walls as well as the marginal drop heights of the jerricans in drop tests at -18 °C were determined.
The values of the notched impact strength at -30 °C of polyethylene grades are not comparable with the marginal drop heights determined in drop tests at -18 °C. The oxidative damaging impact of nitric acid has a greater effect on the grade with lower resistance to oxidative degradation by reducing more significantly the marginal drop heights with increasing pre-storage time.
Pre-damage with 55 % nitric acid for 21 days at 40 °C, as recommended in ISO 16101 and EN 15507 caused an increase in the marginal drop heights of most design types in drop tests when compared with design types without pre-damage. The test results demonstrated clearly that pre-storage of the jerricans for six months at 23 °C caused a higher increase in the MFR and lower marginal drop heights of the jerricans in drop tests at -18 °C compared with pre-storage of the jerricans for 21 days at40 °C.
The mechanical properties change as a result of diffusion of nitric acid into the polyethylene grades and the reaction of the nitric acid with the polymers. The percentage decrease and increase in the tensile strength, breaking elongation and elasticity modulus of test specimens taken from the design type side walls after different pre-storage times were only partly comparable with the marginal drop heights in drop tests at -18 °C.
A novel quasi-distributed long-gauge fiber optic strain sensor system for dynamic measurement
(2011)
We present a novel technique based on incoherent optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) to measure length changes quasi-distributed between reflection points in optical fibres. The technique enables length changes to be measured with a resolution better than 1 µm and allows for static and dynamic measurement capabilities up to 2 kHz. We demonstrate that dynamic measurements of multiple fibre sections can be conducted independently from each other with high precision. Due to the precise and dynamic measurement capabilities, the proposed sensor system is expected to open new fields of application, especially in the structural-health-monitoring sector. Possible applications are discussed in the paper.
Thin layers of textile reinforced concrete (TRC) can be used as strengthening for reinforced concrete (RC) slabs or beams to increase their foad-bearing capacity. The concrete matrix consists of a fine-grained concrete with a thickness of 8 to 15 mm. Information on the behaviour of strengthened structures subjected to fire is of particular inlerest for practical applications of this innovative construction method. A total of 7 RC slabs with Steel reinforcement were produced: 2 slabs were used as reference and 5 slabs were strengthened with three layers of textile reinforcement. Ultimate capacity of reference slabs and particular TRC strengthened slabs was determined from statie load results fom 4-point-bending tests.
Fire tests on these slabs were carried out with utilization fectors using a Standard temperature curve (ISO-834-1) for fire testing. Test loads varied between 0 % and 65 % ofuMmate load.
To detect temperatures during fire exposure thermocouples were arranged throughout the cross-section of the slabs. Depending on the utilization the slabs were exposed to fire for 30 minutes or for 60 minutes. In some cases bending fäilure occurred, in other cases the slabs survived. None of the specimens exhibited any visual damage or concrete spalling during fire exposure. Results of deformation measurements and residual strength measurements are presented. Even though mechanisms are not fifily understood, it is important to discuss the presumable reasons for the surprisingiy positive test results. It is presumed tbat the key mechanisms contributing to the outstanding fire resistance capability presented are: superior crack control of the TRC and load redistribution between textile and Steel reinforcement as well as the primary load transfer directly into the slabs.
Recent advances in the fabrication of diffractive X-ray optics have boosted hard X-ray microscopy into spatial resolutions of 30 nm and below. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of zone-doubled Fresnel zone plates for multi-keV photon energies (4-12 keV) with outermost zone widths down to 20 nm. However, the characterization of such elements is not straightforward using conventional methods such as knife edge scans on well-characterized test objects. To overcome this limitation, we have used ptychographic coherent diffractive imaging to characterize a 20 nm-wide X-ray focus produced by a zone-doubled Fresnel zone plate at a photon energy of 6.2 keV. An ordinary scanning transmission X-ray microscope was modified to acquire the ptychographic data from a strongly scattering test object. The ptychographic algorithms allowed for the reconstruction of the image of the test object as well as for the reconstruction of the focused hard X-ray beam waist, with high spatial resolution and dynamic range. This method yields a full description of the focusing performance of the Fresnel zone plate and we demonstrate the usefulness ptychographic coherent diffractive imaging for metrology and alignment of nanofocusing diffractive X-ray lenses.
Strain measurement in structures witli the purpose of long-term structurai health inonitoring must provide reliable inforination about the structure’s behavior over the whole period of use. The user must be sure that installed sensors are validated and work to the utmost satisfactiou. For this purpose, sensor Systems are tested using special facilities. Bccause it is not easy to characterize the strain transfer quality from the host structure into surface-applied strain sensors, a unique testing facility has been developed. Originally developed for fiber Bragg grating based sensors, the KALFOS facility (= calibration of fiber optic sensors) can also be used for electrical strain sensors.
Calibration ineasurements are referenced by unbinsed Digital Image Correlation (D1C) and Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometer (ESPI) methods. The strain transfer behavior can experimentally be analyzed and investigated under combined thermal and mechanical loading conditions and allows revealing wealuiesses in couimonly used attachment methodologies. The deformation of all members (particularly the coating/substrate - adhesive combination) in the sensing area is physically independently gained and recorded. Results achievcd allow precise description of the strain transfer function, Validation of the longterm strain sensor characteristics, matching of specific measurement requirements with environmental conditions, and, moreover, the verification of Standards for use of strain sensors.
How do application-related issues influence the reliability of fiber optic strain measurements?
(2011)
Fibre optic strain sensors are increasingly used and sensor systems are provided with specifications. Even if the performance is well specified, the strain characteristics of the sensor, strain transfer factor, mechanical stability under thermal influences, the performance of applied strain sensors can seriously differ from virgin sensor's the performance. The contribution will focus on issues that can deteriorate the sensor function or reduce the reliability of measurement results. Aspects are considered how to come to reliable strain measurements and how to validate strain measurements of applied sensors. Related to this topic, European activities like the recently started European COST TD1001 action, called (OfSeSa) will be presented.