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In this contribution we present a novel thermo-acoustic approach for the generation of broad band airborne ultrasound and investigate the applicability of resonance-free thermo-acoustic emitters for very short high pressure airborne ultrasound pulses. We report on measurements of thermo-acoustic emitter consisting of a 30 nm thin metallic film on a usual soda-lime glass substrate, generating sound pressure values of more than 140 dB at 60 mm distance from the transducer and compare the results with conventional piezoelectric airborne ultrasound transducers. Our experimental investigations show that such thermo-acoustic devices can be used as broad band emitters using pulse excitation.
Embedding of information on surfaces is state of the art for identification testing in which public, hidden and forensic features are used. In many instances, the legal authentication of a product, a material or a document is required. Among the surface-based encoded labels, bar codes and data matrices are most frequently applied. They are publicly visible. The material itself is irrelevant, only a sufficient optical contrast is required.
However, a strong material dependence of the label can be achieved by means of Fabry-Perot layer stacks. Stack designs are described with regard to all three security levels: public features (e.g. color and tilt effect) perceptible by the human eye, hidden features (e.g. optical response in a given spectral range) detectable by commonly available instruments and forensic features (ellipsometric quantities Ψ and Δ as a function of wavelength λ and angle of incidence AOI) only detectable by sophisticated instruments.
Regarding material-correlated authentication, ellipsometric quantities Ψ and Δ are used as encoded forensic features for the first time. Hence, Fabry-Perot layer stacks as information carriers in combination with imaging ellipsometry as optical read-out system provide all-in-one anti-counterfeiting capabilities.
Standardised conventional adhesion tests are time-consuming single-sample tests. Moreover, except for the pull-off test, all these tests provide only qualitative or semi-quantitative (ranking, respectively measurement of an adhesion-correlated quantity) information on adhesion. Sometimes, adhesion is evaluated even under compressive stress conditions (e.g. cross-cut and scratch test), which itself is a contradiction to adhesive strength as defined in terms of tensile force per area.
For optical coatings it has been shown that the pull-off test in a centrifuge is definitely a promising alternative with respect to the reliable, fast and quantitative determination of adhesive strength in N/mm2. The force-controlled centrifuge test is the only multiple-sample test which provides reliable quantitative information on the adhesive strength in agreement with DIN EN 15870 and DIN EN ISO 4624 on a statistical basis for up to eight samples simultaneously tested under identical testing conditions.
The extremely low acoustic impedance of polypropylene ferroelectret combined with its piezoelectric properties makes this material suitable for construction of aircoupled ultrasonic transducers for non-destructive testing. For the fabrication of transducers with a stable quality, the reproducibility of their key parameters is of interest.
The reproducibility was evaluated by means of (i) impedance spectroscopy and (ii) pulse-echo measurements. (i) Impedance spectroscopy was applied to identify the resonance frequency, the coupling factor and the acoustic impedance of several nominally identical transducers. (ii) Pulse-echo measurements yielded the signal form of these transducers.
The variation of the signal amplitude measured with pulseecho technique was about 10 dB. A part of this variation Comes from the deposition of transducer electrodes and another part from local variations of ferroelectret properties. The variation of the signal amplitude was caused by the observed variation of the coupling factor, which was also about 10 dB. The variation of the acoustic impedance was only about 1 dB, thus having no effect on the variation of the signal amplitude.
These results indicate that the variability can be reduced by improving the control of electrode deposition and by optimizing the production technology affecting the reproducibility of material properties.
A novel approach for the generation of broadband airborne ultrasound by using the thermo-acoustic effect is presented in this contribution. We investigate the applicability of resonance-free thermo-acoustic emitters for generation of very short high pressure airborne ultrasound pulses. A thermoacoustic emitter consisting of a 30 nm thin metallic film on a usual soda-lime glass substrate generates sound pressure values of more than 140 dB at 60 mm distance. The results are compared with conventional piezoelectric airborne ultrasound transducers. Our investigations show the applicability of the thermo-acoustic devices for broadband and high pressure ultrasound emitters using pulse excitation.
Hybrid optical measurement technique for detection of defects in epitaxially grown 4H-SiC layers
(2022)
Recent developments in power electronics require the use of new wide bandgap compound semiconductor. We demonstrate the use of the ellipsometry and white light interference microscopy to detect defects in epitaxially grown SiC layers on SiC substrates. Such hybrid optical metrology methods can be used to better understand the mechanism of the development of the defects as well as their effects on the material´s optoelectronic properties.
To prevent future alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR) damage, which has occurred frequently in the Germanhighway network in recent years, a new regulation has been drafted. This regulation severely limits the use of alkali-sensitive aggregates by requiring that their suitability be verified by certified inspectors using newly developed AAR concrete tests that involve the external supply of alkali. This has led to a significant limitation in the number of aggregates usable for concrete pavements. A novel AAR avoidance strategy is now being pursued, which aims to enable the use of borderline alkali-sensitive aggregates through the application of an internal water-repellent treatment. The addition of water repellents during concrete production should significantly reduce the ingress of water and external de-icing salts into the concrete pavement, thus reducing the potential for AAR damage.
This paper presents the results of laboratory tests to assess the suitability of this new AAR prevention strategy. Representative, highly AAR-susceptible road paving concrete made with an alkali- sensitive greywacke and various water repellents were used as the basis for these experiments. The tests for concrete suitability included determining the conventional fresh and hardened concrete properties as well as concrete prism tests with external alkaline supply. Building on these results, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) analyses of de-icing-salt intrusion as well as microscopic examinations for verification of the AAR characteristics were carried out.
The results of the AAR concrete tests with external alkaline supply support the conclusion that, when hydrophobic agents containing a suitable active ingredient are used, the AAR damage process in road paving concrete can be sufficiently prevented.
Novel air-coupled ultrasonic transducer combining the thermoacoustic with the piezoelectric effect
(2016)
In recent years, there has been an increasing industrial demand for one-sided inspection of various structures by means of air-coupled ultrasonic technique. Lightweight structures based on carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers may have very complex shapes, making air-coupled transmission difficult or even impossible. The inspection of concrete structures is another example where one-sided inspection is required.
To address these challenges a new type of transducer for air-coupled pulse-echo inspection was developed, which unites two principles: thermoacoustic emission and piezoelectric reception. The thermoacoustic emitter is a titanium electrode with a thickness of several tens of nanometer. This electrode was deposited onto charged cellular polypropylene, which serves as a piezoelectric receiver. The thermoacoustic transmission is based on a transformation of the thermal energy of an electrically heated electrode into the acoustic energy of an ultrasonic wave. Thermoacoustic emitters provide resonance-free behaviour and thus extremely broadband pulses. Charged cellular polypropylene is piezoelectric due to the polarization of its cells and it is well matched to air, with a Young modulus in the order of magnitude of MPa. In this contribution we present some pulse-echo measurements with the first prototypes of the combined thermoacoustic-piezoelectric transducer.