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- 8 Zerstörungsfreie Prüfung (23)
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- 1.1 Anorganische Spurenanalytik (6)
- 4.1 Biologische Materialschädigung und Referenzorganismen (6)
- 5.1 Mikrostruktur Design und Degradation (6)
- 6.5 Synthese und Streuverfahren nanostrukturierter Materialien (6)
- 8.2 Zerstörungsfreie Prüfmethoden für das Bauwesen (6)
- 1.7 Organische Spuren- und Lebensmittelanalytik (5)
- 4.0 Abteilungsleitung und andere (5)
- 8.0 Abteilungsleitung und andere (5)
- 1.9 Chemische und optische Sensorik (4)
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- 7.5 Technische Eigenschaften von Polymerwerkstoffen (4)
- 1.0 Abteilungsleitung und andere (3)
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- 8.5 Röntgenbildgebung (3)
- 9.5 Tribologie und Verschleißschutz (3)
- P Präsident (3)
- P.0 Präsident und andere (3)
- 1.2 Biophotonik (2)
- 2 Prozess- und Anlagensicherheit (2)
- 2.1 Sicherheit von Energieträgern (2)
- 3 Gefahrgutumschließungen; Energiespeicher (2)
- 7.4 Baustofftechnologie (2)
- 7.6 Korrosion und Korrosionsschutz (2)
- 1.6 Anorganische Referenzmaterialien (1)
- 2.0 Abteilungsleitung und andere (1)
- 2.2 Prozesssimulation (1)
- 2.3 Einstufung von Gefahrstoffen und -gütern (1)
- 3.2 Gefahrguttanks und Unfallmechanik (1)
- 3.4 Sicherheit von Lagerbehältern (1)
- 4.2 Material-Mikrobiom Wechselwirkungen (1)
- 4.3 Schadstofftransfer und Umwelttechnologien (1)
- 4.4 Thermochemische Reststoffbehandlung und Wertstoffrückgewinnung (1)
- 5.6 Glas (1)
- 6.7 Materialsynthese und Design (1)
- 7.1 Baustoffe (1)
- 7.2 Ingenieurbau (1)
- 9.0 Abteilungsleitung und andere (1)
- S Qualitätsinfrastruktur (1)
- S.2 Digitalisierung der Qualitätsinfrastruktur (1)
Degradation of AISI 630 exposed to CO2-saturated saline aquifer at ambient pressure and 100 bar
(2018)
In general high alloyed steels are suitable as pipe steels for carbon capture and storage technology (CCS), because they provide sufficient resistance against the corrosive environment of CO2-saturated saline aquifer which serves as potential CCS-site in Germany. High alloyed martensitic steel AISI 630 has been proven to be sufficient resistant in corrosive environments, e.g. regarding heat, pressure, salinity of the aquifer, CO2-partial pressure), but reveals a distinct corrosion pattern in CCS environment. Therefore coupons of AISI 630 heat treated using usual protocols were kept at T=60 °C and ambient pressure as well as p=100 bar up to 8000 h in an a) water saturated supercritical CO2 and b) CO2-saturated synthetic aquifer environment similar to on-shore CCS-sites in the Northern German Basin. AISI 630 precipitates a discontinuous ellipsoidal corrosion layer after being exposed for more than 4000 hours. Best corrosion resistance in the CO2-saturated synthetic aquifer environment phase is achieved via normalizing prior to exposure. In water saturated supercritical CO2 tempering at medium temperatures after hardening gives lowest corrosion rates. Corrosion fatigue via push-pull tests with a series of 30 specimens was evaluated at stress amplitudes between 150 MPa and 500 MPa (sinusoidal dynamic test loads, R=-1; resonant frequency ~ 30 Hz). The endurance limit of AISI 630 is reduced by more than 50% when exposed to CCS environment (maximum number of cycles (10 x 106) at a stress amplitude of 150 MPa).
Due to rapid, localized heating and cooling, distortions accumulate in additive manufactured laser metal deposition (LMD) components, leading to a loss of dimensional accuracy or even cracking. Numerical welding simulations allow the prediction of these deviations and their optimization before conducting experiments. To assess the viability of the simulation tool for the use in a predictive manner, comprehensive systems as well as to choose the optimal product matches, product analysis methods are needed. Indeed, most of the known methods aim to analyze a product or one product family on the physical level. Different product families, however, may differ largely in terms of the number and nature of components. This fact impedes an efficient comparison and choice of appropriate product family combinations for the production system. A new methodology is proposed to analyze existing products in view of their functional and physical architecture. The aim is to Cluster these products in new assembly oriented product families for the optimization.
The paper deals with the integration of a light emitting diode (LED) into an additive manufactured metal component. Selective laser melting (SLM) and laser metal deposition (LMD) are used. The material used is the chrome-nickel steel 316L. The basic component is manufactured by means of SLM and consists of a solid body and an area with grid structure. The solid body includes a duct in the shape of a groove with a recess for the positioning of the power cable. The LED is embedded in the grid structure via an inlet from the solid body. In further processing, the groove is filled with LMD. Two strategies with different parameter combinations were investigated. It shows that a high energy input near the power cable leads to its destruction. By using multiple parameter combinations during the manufacturing process, this destruction can be prevented. There was a comparison of both strategies with regard to the necessary number of tracks and duration of welding time.
While today, engineers can choose from a wide range of rheology modifying admixtures, in some parts of the world, these are difficult to access, due to their complex processing. However, alternatives can be bio‐based polymers such as polysaccharides from various sources. These are easily accessible all over the world, do not demand for complicated processing, and typically they are more sustainable than many established materials, which are crude oil‐based.
The paper presents the effects of acacia gum, cassava starch and the gum of triumfetta pendrata A. Rich on the rheological performance of cementitious systems. It is shown that acacia gum can be as efficient as polycarboxylate based superplasticisers, cassava starch can reduce the yield stress slightly with little effect on the plastic viscosity, and the gum of triumfet ta pendrata A. Rich increases the thixotropy of cement pastes with plasticizing polymers significantly.
Raman microspectra combine information on chemical composition of plant tissues with spatial information. The contributions from the building blocks of the cell walls in the Raman spectra of plant tissues can vary in the microscopic sub-structures of the tissue. Here, we discuss the analysis of 55 Raman maps of root, stem, and leaf tissues of Cucumis sativus, using different spectral contributions from cellulose and lignin in both univariate and multivariate imaging methods. Imaging based on hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) indicates different substructures in the xylem cell walls of the different tissues. Using specific signals from the cell wall spectra, analysis of the whole set of different tissue sections based on the Raman images reveals differences in xylem tissue morphology. Due to the specifics of excitation of the Raman spectra in the visible wavelength range (532 nm), which is, e.g., in resonance with carotenoid species, effects of photobleaching and the possibility of exploiting depletion difference spectra for molecular characterization in Raman imaging of plants are discussed. The reported results provide both, specific information on the molecular composition of cucumber tissue Raman spectra, and general directions for future imaging studies in plant tissues.
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.
Strong coupling effects in magnetocaloric materials are the key factor to achieve a large magnetic entropy change. Combining insights from experiments and ab initio calculations, we review relevant coupling phenomena, including atomic coupling, stress coupling, and magnetostatic coupling. For the investigations on atomic coupling, we have used Heusler compounds as a flexible model system. Stress coupling occurs in first‐order magnetocaloric materials, which exhibit a structural transformation or volume change together with the magnetic transition. Magnetostatic coupling has been experimentally demonstrated in magnetocaloric particles and fragment ensembles. Based on the achieved insights, we have demonstrated that the materials properties can be tailored to achieve optimized magnetocaloric performance for cooling applications.
Test methods for efficacy assessment of antimicrobial coatings are not modelled on a hospital environment, and instead use high humidity (>90%) high temperature (37 ◦C), and no airflow. Therefore, an inoculum will not dry, resulting in an antimicrobial surface exhibiting prolonged antimicrobial activity, as moisture is critical to activity. Liquids will dry quicker in a hospital ward, resulting in a reduced antimicrobial efficacy compared to the existing test, rendering the test results artificially favourable to the antimicrobial claim of the product. This study aimed to assess how hospital room environmental conditions can affect the drying time of an inoculum, and to use this data to inform test parameters for antimicrobial efficacy testing based on the hospital ward. The drying time of different droplet sizes, in a range of environmental conditions likely found in a hospital ward, were recorded (n = 630), and used to create a model to inform users of the experimental conditions required to provide a drying time similar to what can be expected in the hospital
ward. Drying time data demonstrated significant (p < 0.05) variance when humidity, temperature, and airflow were assessed. A mathematical model was created to select environmental conditions for in vitro antimicrobial efficacy testing. Drying time in different environmental conditions demonstrates that experimental set-ups affect the amount of time an inoculum stays wet, which in turn may affect the efficacy of an antimicrobial surface. This should be an important consideration for hospitals and other potential users, whilst future tests predict efficacy in the intended end-use environment.
Invited for this month’s cover picture is the group of Dr. Knut Rurack at the Department of Analytical Chemistry; Reference Materials at the Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM) in Berlin (Germany). The cover picture shows how differences in color and fluorescence on a test strip can be easily read out with a mobile device. Two reference spots Frame the sensitive spot that indicates the presence of trace amounts of HgII below the threshold in a natural water sample. This dipstick contains a hybrid material that combines boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) probes sterically loaded into specifically tailored mesoporous silica particles, allowing for ultrasensitive HgII detection through enhanced fluorescence in a few seconds. The applicability in real water samples and fish extracts are also studied.
The age hardening response of a high-purity Al–4Cu–1Li–0.25Mn alloy (wt. %) during isothermal aging without and with an applied external load was investigated. Plate shaped nanometer size T1 (Al2CuLi) and θ′ (Al2Cu) hardening phases were formed. The precipitates were analyzed with respect to the development of their structure, size, number density, volume fraction and associated transformation strains by conducting transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) studies in combination with geometrical Phase analysis (GPA). Special attention was paid to the thickening of T1 phase. Two elementary types of single-layer T1 precipitate, one with a Li-rich (Type 1) and another with an Al-rich (Defect Type 1) central layer, were identified. The results show that the Defect Type 1 structure can act as a precursor for the Type 1 structure. The thickening of T1 precipitates occurs by alternative stacking of These two elementary structures. The thickening mechanism was analyzed based on the magnitude of strain associated with the precipitation transformation normal to its habit plane. Long-term aging and aging under load resulted in thicker and structurally defected T1 precipitates. Several types of defected precipitates were characterized and discussed. For θ′ precipitates, a ledge mechanism of
thickening was observed. Compared to the normal aging, an external load applied to the peak aged state leads to small variations in the average sizes and volume fractions of the precipitates.
The sensitive detection of the mycotoxin citrinin (CIT) utilizing ist fluorescence requires approaches to enhance the emission. In this respect, we studied the complexation of CIT and ochratoxin A (OTA) with Al3+ in methanol using absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. In this context, an isocratic high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method using a polymer column and a fluorescence detector was also developed that enables the separation of the metal ion complexes from the free ligands and non-complexed Al3+. CIT and OTA showed distinct changes in their absorption and fluorescence properties upon Al3+-coordination, and the fluorescence of CIT was considerably enhanced. Analysis of the photometrically assessed titration of CIT and OTA with Al3+ using the Job plot method revealed 1:2 and 1:1 stoichiometries for the Al3+ complexes of CIT (Al:CIT) and OTA (Al:OTA), respectively. In the case of CIT, only one -diketone moiety participates in Al3+ coordination. These findings can be elegantly exploited for signal amplification and provide the base to reduce the limit of detection for CIT quantification by about an order of magnitude, as revealed by HPLC measurements using a fluorescence detector.
The meeting was organised by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and held at the JRC-Geel site on 22–23 February 2018. It was a follow-up of a similar meeting held in 2009. The objective of the meeting was to exchange information about ongoing publicly funded reference material (RM) production, identify areas of interest for future specific RMs, including certified reference material (CRM) developments, investigate potential areas of collaboration, and to identify areas which may be of a lower importance in the future for a specific RM producer. The benefit of exchanging such information is to avoid duplication of efforts in RM production, make better use of public funds by potentially matching competencies, and to address problems that are common to publicly funded RM producers.
Micro-concentrator solar cells offer an attractive way to further enhance the efficiency of planar-cell technologies while saving absorber material. Here, two laser-based bottom-up processes for the fabrication of regular arrays of CuInSe2 and Cu(In,Ga)Se2 microabsorber islands are presented, namely one approach based on nucleation and one based on laser-induced forward transfer.
Additionally, a procedure for processing these microabsorbers to functioning micro solar cells connected in parallel is demonstrated. The resulting cells show up to 2.9% efficiency and a significant efficiency enhancement under concentrated Illumination.
CRM (Certified Reference Material) BAM-U116/CGL306 “Cyanide in soil” was produced within a framework of cooperation between CGL (Central Geological Laboratory) of Mongolia and Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) of Germany in 2013-2017. The CRM BAM-U116/CGL306 represents a mixture of a sandy soil collected from a contaminated former gasworks area in the Berlin region (Germany) and an unpolluted sandy soil from Nalaikh region (Mongolia).
The bulk candidate material for this reference material was prepared at CGL CRM Laboratory exclusively destined to the preparation of reference materials and equipped with modern technical equipment. Homogeneity, stability and shelf life were studied in full compliance with ISO Guide 35. The CRM was evaluated as sufficiently homogeneous. Statistical evaluation of certification analysis
was software packages SoftCRM and ProLab Plus. Certified value of total cyanide of the CRM is 12.0 mg/kg and expanded uncertainty was assigned as 0.8 mg/kg. The intended purpose of this material is the verification of analytical results obtained for the mass fraction of total cyanide in soils and soil-like materials applying the standardized procedure ISO 11262:2011. As any reference material, it can also be used for routine performance checks (quality control charts) or validation studies.
The influence of starting materials and synthesis route on the properties and the structure of cementitious sodium aluminosilicate gels is not fully understood, partly due their amorphous nature and the fact that they often contain residual reactants, which can make the results of single-pulse NMR spectroscopy applied to these materials difficult to interpret or ambiguous. To overcome some of these limitations, 29Si{27Al} TRAPDOR NMR as well as 27Al{29Si} and 27Al{1H} REDOR NMR spectroscopy were applied to materials synthesized by the one-part alkali-activation route from three different amorphous silica starting materials, including rice husk ash. The latter led to formation of a fully amorphous sodium aluminosilicate gel (geopolymer), while the materials produced from the other silicas contained amorphous phase and crystalline zeolites. Application of the double-resonance NMR methods allowed to identify hydrous alumina gel domains in the rice husk ash-based material as well as significantly differing amounts of residual silica in the three cured materials. Four-coordinated Al existed not only in the aluminosilicate gel framework but also in a water-rich chemical environment with only a small amount of Si in proximity, likely in the alumina gel or possibly present as extra-framework Al in the aluminosilicate gel. The results demonstrate how the employment of different silica starting materials determines the phase assemblage of one-part alkali-activated materials, which in turn influences their engineering properties such as the resistance against chemically/biologically aggressive media.
A gray cast iron disc, which had been submitted to a heavy duty automotive brake test, was examined with energy filtered transmission electron microscopy. A graphite flake in a convenient angular position showed the shear interaction of graphite layers with the iron matrix in nano-scale resolution. Atomic layers of graphite were wedged into the ferritic bulk, allowing the entrance of oxygen and the subsequent formation of magnetite. The exfoliated few-layer graphene batches deformed heavily when forced into the matrix. When Raman spectra from the disc surface, which show distinctive carbonaceous bands, were compared with Raman spectra from graphite subjected to deformation in a shaker mill with different milling times, it could be seen that the shear stress on the brake surface was much more effective to induce disorder than the milling, where compressive and impact forces had been additionally exerted on the sample. During shear load the high anisotropy of elastic modulus in the graphite crystalline structure and the low adhesion between graphite basal planes allowed the exfoliation of wrinkled few-layer grapheme batches, causing the formation of more defect related Raman bands than the mechanical stress during high-energy milling.
Seismic interferometry (SI) deals either with the sensible detection of changes in the subsurface or with the reconstruction of virtual signals between two receivers by crosscorrelation of signals from diffuse sources. These concepts can be applied in NDT in civil engineering for various purposes, e. g. to detect changes in bridges. Here it is demonstrated using data from a reference structure on our test site. Practical applications can be expected in the very near future.
The laser hybrid welding process offers many advantages regarding deep penetration, increased welding velocity and with the help of the supplied filler wire an improved bridgeability to gap and misalignment tolerances. High power laser systems with a power of approx. 30 kW are already available on the market. Nevertheless, multi-layer technology with an arc process is still used for welding of plates from a thickness from 20 mm. A potential cause is the process instability with increasing laser power. It is inevitable that gravity drop-out due to the high hydrostatic pressure at increasing wall thickness especially at welding in flat position and with a low welding speed. The surface tension decreases with increasing root width resulting from low welding velocities. To prevent such inadmissible defects of the seam a use of weld pool support is required. Usual weld pool support systems such as ceramic or powder supports require a mechanical detachment which is time-consuming. The electromagnetic weld pool support system described in this work shows an alternative weld pool support which works contactless. It is based on generating Lorentz forces in the weld pool due to oscillating magnetic field and induced eddy currents. This innovative technology offers single pass welds up to 28 mm in flat position and reduced welding velocity with a laser power of just 19 kW. It also leads to improved mechanical-technological properties of the seams because of the slow cooling rate. With usage of an electromagnetic weld pool support the limitation of the hybrid laser arc welding process in the thick sheet metal will be extend.
The hybrid laser arc welding (HLAW) process provides many advantages such as improved gap bridgeability, deep penetration and misalignment of edges, that is why the process is used increasingly in industrial applications e.g. shipbuilding, power plant industry and line-pipe manufacturing. The obvious encountered problem for single pass welding in flat position is the gravity drop-out at low welding velocities. With the usage of an electromagnetic weld pool support system, which is based on generating Lorentz forces within the weld pool, wide seams followed by reduced welding velocities could be achieved in this study leading to the realization of a gap bridgeability up to 1 mm, misalignment of edges up to 2 mm and a single pass weld up to 28 mm thickness with a 20-kW fibre laser. These developments expand the boundaries of the HLAW process for different industrial applications. As a result, less accurate preparation of the edges would be sufficient, which saves time for manufacturing.
This work describes a vibration-based structural health monitoring of a prestressed-concrete box girder bridge on the A100 Highway in Berlin by applying statistical pattern recognition technique to a huge amount of data continuously collected by an integrated monitoring system during the period from 2000 to 2013. Firstly, the general condition and potential damage of the bridge is described. Then, the dynamic properties are extracted from 20 velocity sensors. Environmental variability captured by five thermal transducers and traffic intensity approximately estimated by strain measurements are also reported. Nonlinear influences of temperature on natural frequencies are observed. Subsequently, the measurements during the first year are used to build a baseline health index. The multiple linear regression (MLR) method is used to characterize the nonlinear relationship between natural frequencies and temperatures. The Euclidean distance of the residual errors is calculated to build a statistical health index. Finally, the indices extracted from the following years gradually deviate; which may indicate structural deterioration due to loss of prestress in the prestressed tendons.
Standardization research is a fairly new and is a still-evolving field of research, with possibly major practical ramifications. This article presents a summary of the authors’ subjective views of the most pressing research topics in the field. These include, among others, standards (e.g. incorporation of ethical issues), the potential impact of standards, the corporate management of standardization and legal issues like Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). In addition, gaps have been identified with a respect to a basic understanding of standardization, suggesting a need for better education in the field.
This paper represents the results for proposed optical flow method based on the Lucas-Kanade (LK) algorithm applied to two different problems. The following observations can be made:
- The estimated strain and displacement for conducted tensile test are generally very close to those measured with conventional DIC-technique.
- The LK technique allows measurement of strain or displacement without special selection of a region of interest.
Using a novel optical measurement technique together with the optical flow algorithm, a twodimensional deformation analysis during welding was conducted. This technique is the first to provide a measurement of the full strain field locally in the immediate vicinity of the solidification front. Additionally, the described procedure of the optical measurement allows the real material-dependent values of critical strain characterizing the transition to hot cracking during laser welding processes to be determined.
A simplified model for numerical simulation of laser metal deposition process with beam oscillation
(2018)
A model of laser metal deposition with beam oscillation has been developed. The proposed model consists of two coupled sub-models calculating the heat transfer in the deposited part and the free surface of the molten pool, respectively. The heat transfer simulation of the deposited part solves a three-dimensional quasi-stationary heat conduction problem. The free surface of the molten pool are determined by solving the Laplace-Young equation. The developed model enables the layer-by-layer prediction of the shape of the deposited part and the resulting temperature field. It is shown that for an oscillation amplitude equal to the beam radius the peak value of the heat flux decreases by about 53% and 73% in the case of lateral oscillation and circular oscillation, respectively. Lateral oscillating laser beam results in a higher penetration depth due to the higher thermal efficiency. The amplitude of the laser beam oscillation effects the shape of the deposited wall and the deposition rate. A good correlation between the numerically calculated and experimentally observed results is obtained.
Identifying the fate of agrochemicals is important to understand their potential risk for living organisms. We report here new photodegradation products (PPs) of the fungicide fluopyram. The PPs were produced by irradiating a fluopyram standard in 0.1% acetonitrile aqueous media by a 150-W medium pressure Hg-lamp that emits wavelengths between 200–280 nm. The structural elucidation of PPs was achieved by combining the retention time, isotopic pattern, targeted fragmentation, and accurate mass measurements using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and high resolution-MS (HRMS). In addition to previously known PPs, seven new PPs of fluopyram were identified in this work: mainly dihydroxyl and hydroxylimide fluopyram as well as mono, di, and trihydroxyl lactam. Additionally, two PPs were found to be formed by rearrangement after the loss of H2C=CH2. Hence, the results of the work contribute to extending the current knowledge regarding the photoinduced fate of agrochemicals, and fluopyram in particular.
Evaluation of evacuation process is common separated by two phases: pre-movement and movement-phase. Individual capabilities of pedestrians have an impact on both and therefore on the time required for safe escape. In view of evaluating the evacuation process, characteristics of realistic movements of pedestrians involved are needed, but so far such data are mainly available for individuals with unrestricted evacuation capabilities only.
Due to the lack of available data, parameter studies in an assisted living for people with disabilities were performed to explore the movement during evacuation. Preparation times for assistance (n = 10), unimpeded walking speeds (n = 34) depending on the assistance devices in the plane as well as walking speeds on stairs (n = 11) were focussed.
Time to prepare an assistance device for utilisation depends significantly on the kind of device type. Further on, practical experience in handling the devices for assistance has an impact on the preparation time. In contrast to the results of the preparation times, any relation on assistance devices were investigated for the unimpeded walking speed in the plane. A remarkable decrease of walking speed on stairs was observed which is independent from the utilised assistance device.
The presented data improve and extend the insufficient engineering data base and raised up questions regarding the complexity of considering pedestrians movement with impairments in evacuation planning.
In this paper perfluorinated graded-index polymer optical fibers are characterized with respect to the influence of relative humidity changes on spectral transmission absorption and Rayleigh backscattering. The hygroscopic and thermal expansion coefficient of the fiber are determined to be CHE = (7.4 +/- 0.1) 10^-6 %r.h.^-1 and CTE = (22.7 +/- 0.3) 10^-6 K^-1, respectively. The influence of humidity on the Brillouin backscattering power and linewidth are presented for the first time to our knowledge. The Brillouin backscattering power at a pump wavelength of 1319 nm is affected by temperature and humidity. The Brillouin linewidth is observed to be a function of temperature but not of humidity. The strain coefficient of the BFS is determined to be CS = (146.5 +/- 0.9) MHz/% for a wavelength of 1319 nm within a strain range from 0.1 % to 1.5 %. The obtained results demonstrate that the humidity-induced Brillouin frequency shift is predominantly caused by the swelling of the fiber over-cladding that leads to fiber straining.
A facile and convenient approach for the synthesis of core–shell particles via emulsion polymerization is presented. The shell consists of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and the core of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) or poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA). In a first step, a non-fluorinated (meth)acrylate monomer is polymerized in the emulsion to produce poly(meth)acrylate core particles. Secondly, vinylidene fluoride (VDF) is directly added to the reactor and polymerized for shell formation. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was employed to characterize the structure of the core–shell particles. Interestingly, the particles’ core contains fluorinated and non-fluorinated polymers, whereas the shell of the particles consists only of PVDF. The resulting particles with a diameter of around 40 nm show a significantly higher PVDF β phase content than the PVDF homopolymer obtained by emulsion polymerization
Time-resolved flow cytometry represents an alternative to commonly applied spectral or intensity multiplexing in bioanalytics. At present, the vast majority of the reports on this topic focuses on phase-domain techniques and specific applications. In this report, we present a flow cytometry platform with time-resolved detection based on a compact setup and straightforward time-Domain measurements utilizing lifetime-encoded beads with lifetimes in the nanosecond range. We provide general assessment of time-domain flow cytometry and discuss the concept of this platform to address achievable resolution limits, data analysis, and requirements on suitable encoding dyes. Experimental data are complemented by numerical calculations on photon count numbers and impact of noise and measurement time on the obtained lifetime values.
Rigid polyurethane foams (RPUFs) typically exhibit low thermal inertia, resulting in short ignition times and rapid flame spread. In this study, the fire phenomena of RPUFs were investigated using a multi-methodological approach to gain detailed insight into the fire behaviour of pentaneand water-blown polyurethane (PUR) as well as pentane-blown polyisocyanurate Polyurethane (PIR) foams with densities ranging from 30 to 100 kg/m3. Thermophysical properties were studied using thermogravimetry (TG); flammability and fire behaviour were investigated by means of the limiting oxygen index (LOI) and a cone calorimeter. Temperature development in burning cone calorimeter specimens was monitored with thermocouples inside the foam samples and visual investigation of quenched specimens’ cross sections gave insight into the morphological changes during burning. A comprehensive investigation is presented, illuminating the processes taking place during foam combustion. Cone calorimeter tests revealed that in-depth absorption of radiation is a significant factor in estimating the time to ignition. Cross sections examined with an electron scanning microscope (SEM) revealed a pyrolysis front with an intact foam structure underneath, and temperature measurement inside burning specimens indicated that, as foam density increased, their burning behaviour shifted towards that of solid materials. The superior fire performance of PIR foams was found to be based on the cellular structure, which is retained in the residue to some extent.
MALDI time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has become a widely used tool for the classification of biological samples. The complex chemical composition of pollen grains leads to highly specific, fingerprint-like mass spectra, with respect to the pollen species. Beyond the species-specific composition, the variances in pollen chemistry can be hierarchically structured, including the level of different populations, of environmental conditions or different genotypes. We demonstrate here the sensitivity of MALDI-TOF MS regarding the adaption of the chemical composition of three Poaceae (grass) pollen for different populations of parent plants by analyzing the mass spectra with partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and principal component analysis (PCA). Thereby, variances in species, population and specific growth conditions of the plants were observed simultaneously. In particular, the chemical pattern revealed by the MALDI spectra enabled discrimination of the different populations of one species. Specifically, the role of environmental changes and their effect on the pollen chemistry of three different grass species is discussed. Analysis of the Group formation within the respective populations showed a varying influence of plant genotype on the classification, depending on the species, and permits conclusions regarding the respective rigidity or plasticity towards environmental changes.
We investigate the pore space of rock samples with respect to different petrophysical parameters using various methods, which provide data on pore size distributions, including micro computed tomography (µ-CT), mercury Intrusion porosimetry (MIP), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and spectral-induced polarization (SIP). The resulting cumulative distributions of pore volume as a function of pore size are compared. Considering that the methods differ with
regard to their limits of resolution, a multiple-length-scale characterization of the pore space is proposed, that is based on a combination of the results from all of these methods.
The approach is demonstrated using samples of Bentheimer and Röttbacher sandstone. Additionally, we compare the potential of SIP to provide a pore size distribution with other commonly used methods (MIP, NMR). The limits of Resolution of SIP depend on the usable frequency range (between 0.002 and 100 Hz). The methods with similar Resolution show a similar behavior of the cumulative pore volume distribution in the verlapping pore size range. We assume that µ-CT and NMR provide the pore body size while MIP and SIP characterize the pore throat size. Our study Shows that a good agreement between the pore radius distributions can only be achieved if the curves are adjusted considering the resolution and pore volume in the relevant range of pore radii. The MIP curve with the widest range in Resolution should be used as reference.
A new dimer of the food-relevant mycotoxin zearalenone was isolated after electrochemical and chemical oxidation. The structure was determined as a 16-O-15'-biaryl ether-linked dimer based on spectroscopic analyses (1H- and 13C-NMR, COSY, HMBC, and HSQCAD) and high-Resolution mass spectrometry analysis (Q-TOF).
Glass-ceramics are noted for their unusual combination of properties and manifold commercialized products for consumer and specialized markets. Evolution of novel glass and ceramic processing routes, a plethora of new compositions, and unique exotic nano- and microstructures over the past 60 years led us to review the Definition of glass-ceramics. Well-established and emerging processing methods, such as co-firing, additive manufacturing, and laser patterning are analyzed concerning the core requirements of processing glass-ceramics and the Performance of the final products. In this communication, we propose a revised, updated definition of glass-ceramics, which reads “Glass-ceramics are inorganic, non-metallic materials prepared by controlled crystallization of glasses via different processing methods. They contain at least one type of functional crystalline phase and a residual glass. The volume fraction crystallized may vary from ppm to almost 100%”.
The mechanical stress-strain behaviour of polymer optical fibres (POFs) drawn from various materials was measured, both before and after temperature annealing of the POFs. The POFs were drawn from PMMA (GEHR), Zeonex (480R), PC (Makrolon LED2245) and two different grades of Topas (8007S-04 and 5013S-04). With fibre drawing stresses at or above the elastic (uniaxial extensional) plateau modulus, the polymer chains in the POFs have a high degree of alignment, which has a large impact on fibre mechanical behaviour. The testing was performed at straining rates ranging from 0.011%/s, to 1.1%/s for the un-annealed fibres and a straining rate of 1.1%/s for the annealed ones. The elastic modulus of the tested POFs showed no sensitivity toward variation of straining rate. In the case of Topas 5013S-04 and PMMA, the producer-reported values are the same as the one obtained here for the POFs both before and after annealing. The drawn POFs made of Zeonex, PC, and Topas 8007S-04 exhibit larger elastic modulus than the respective materials in the bulk form. The elastic modulus of these fibres is reduced upon annealing by 10-15%, but still remains above the producer-reported values for the bulk polymers. In the nonlinear elastic region, only the PC POF is statistically unaffected by the changes in the straining rate, while Topas 8007S-04 POF shows insensitivity to the straining rate until 3% strain. All other changes affect the stress-strain curves. The annealing flattens all stress-strain curves, making the fibres more sensitive to yield.
Reliability of NDT is affected by human factors, which have thus far received the least amount of attention in the reliability assessments. With increased use of automation, in terms of mechanised testing (automation-assisted inspection and the corresponding evaluation of data), higher reliability standards are believed to have been achieved. However, human inspectors, and thus human factors, still play an important role throughout this process and the risks involved in this application are unknown. The aim of this study was to explore for the first time the risks associated with mechanised NDT and find ways of mitigating their effects on the inspection performance. Hence, the objectives were to identify and Analyse potential risks in mechanised NDT and devise measures against them. To address those objectives, a risk assessment in form of a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) was conducted. This analysis revealed potential for failure during both the acquisition and evaluation of NDT data that could be assigned to human, technology, and organisation. Since the existing preventive measures were judged to be insufficient to defend the system from identified failures, new preventive measures were suggested.
Social insects employ a range of behaviours to protect their colonies against disease, but little is known about how such collective behaviours are orchestrated. This is especially true for the social Blattodea (termites). We developed an experimental approach that allowed us to explore how the social response to disease is co-ordinated by multistep host-pathogen interactions. We infected the eastern subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes with the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae, and then, at different stages of infection, reintroduced them to healthy nestmates and recorded behavioural responses. As expected, termites groomed pathogen-exposed individuals significantly more than controls; however, grooming was significantly elevated after fungal germination than before, demonstrating the importance of fungal status to hygienic behaviour. Significantly, we found that cannibalism became prevalent only after exposed termites became visibly ill, highlighting the importance of host condition as a cue for social hygienic behaviour. Our study reveals the presence of a coordinated social response to disease that depends on stage of infection. Specifically, we show how the host may play a key role in triggering its own sacrifice. Sacrificial self-flagging has been observed in other social insects: our results demonstrate that termites have independently evolved to both recognize and destructively respond to sickness.
Coastal oceans receive large amounts of anthropogenic fixed nitrogen (N), most of which is denitrified in the sediment before reaching the open ocean. Sandy sediments, which are common in coastal regions, seem to play an important role in catalysing this N‐loss. Permeable sediments are characterized by advective porewater transport, which supplies high fluxes of organic matter into the sediment, but also leads to fluctuations in oxygen and nitrate concentrations. Little is known about how the denitrifying communities in these sediments are adapted to such fluctuations. Our combined results indicate that denitrification in eutrophied sandy sediments from the world's largest tidal flat system, the Wadden Sea, is carried out by different groups of microorganisms. This segregation leads to the formation of N2O which is advectively transported to the overlying waters and thereby emitted to the atmosphere. At the same time, the production of N2O within the sediment supports a subset of Flavobacteriia which appear to be specialized on N2O reduction. If the mechanisms shown here are active in other coastal zones, then denitrification in eutrophied sandy sediments may substantially contribute to current marine N2O emissions.
Four cement-based and four calcium-sulphate-based screed types are investigated. The samples have a diameter of 300 mm and a height of 35 or 70 mm. Up to ten humidity sensors are embedded directly during the concreting of the screed samples. Thus, the humidity over the sample height is monitored during hardening, hydration, evaporation, and oven drying. Furthermore, the screed samples are weighed during every measurement to determine the total mass and the corresponding moisture loss.
To define the pore system precisely, mercury intrusion porosimetry as well as gas adsorption is performed. According to the data, the entire pore volume distribution is known. The measured pore diameters range from 0.8 nm to 100 µm and the total porosity of the examined screeds ranges between 11% and 22%.
Based on these measurement data, moisture transport, pore saturation as well as sorption isotherms and their hysteresis may be calculated quantitatively as described in “Monitoring of the absolute water content in porous materials based on embedded humidity sensors” (Strangfeld and Kruschwitz, 1921).
Effects of various geometrical and physical factors, as well as the method of data reduction (analysis of
experimental forceedisplacement curves) on the values of local interfacial strength parameters (local IFSS, td, and critical energy release rate, Gic) determined by means of a single fiber pull-out test are discussed. Experimental results of our pull-out tests on several fiberepolymer matrix systems showed that td and Gic weakly depended on geometrical factors. However, the pull-out test appeared to be sensitive to the conditions of specimen formation and testing, such as changing the nature of the contacting surfaces (fiber sizing) and the fiber pull-out rate. Of several methods of td and Gic Determination from a forceedisplacement curve, the most reliable and reproducible one is the approach based on the values of the maximum force recorded in a pull-out test and the interfacial frictional force immediately after fiber debonding.
The synthesis, characterization, and application of mesoporous materials containing boron–dipyrromethene (BODIPY) moieties that allow the sensitive and selective detection of HgII in aqueous environments by fluorescence enhancement is reported. For this purpose, BODIPY dye I containing a thia‐aza crown ether receptor as the fluorescent probe for the detection of HgII in aqueous environments is encapsulated into mesoporous materials to avoid self‐quenching or aggregation in water. Determination of HgII is accomplished within a few seconds with high selectivity and sensitivity, reaching a limit of detection of 12 ppt. The determination of trace amounts of HgII in natural waters and in fish extracts is demonstrated by using our sensing material. The incorporation of the material into several μ‐PAD strips yields a portable, cheap, quick, and easy‐to‐handle tool for trace HgII analysis in water.
We invented the first non-metallic, self-adhesive and dry biosignalling electrode. The PEDOT polymer electrode changes its aggregate state and conductivity by a light curing procedure. The electrode can be applied as a gel underneath hair without shaving. With the aid of blue light, the electrode can be hardened within a few seconds at the desired location on the scalp. The cured polymer electrode is highly conductive and can be applied on a very small location. Unlike other EEG electrodes, our electrode does not lose conductivity upon drying. Furthermore, our electrode strongly bonds to Skin and does not require any additional adhesive. Short circuits due to an outflow of gel are prevented with this technique. Therefore, the PEDOT polymer electrode is extremely well suited for applications that, up to now, have been challenging, such as non-invasive EEG recordings from awake and freely moving animals, EEG recordings from preterm babies in the neonatal intensive care unit or long-term recordings in the case of sleep monitoring or epilepsy diagnostics. We addressed two technical questions in this work. First, is the EEG recorded with polymer electrodes comparable to a standard EEG? Second, is it possible to record full-band EEGs with our electrodes?
Playing with Droplets
(2018)
Microfluidic devices are powerful analytical tools with appealing features such as miniaturized size, low reagent and sample consumption, rapid response and short measurement times. As society wants to be ever better, earlier and more comprehensively informed about critical factors in life, work, and the environment, the demand for powerful measurement devices for use outside of the laboratory constantly increases.
Strong coupling effects in magnetocaloric materials are the key factor to achieve a large magnetic entropy change. Combining insights from experiments and ab initio calculations, we review relevant coupling phenomena, including atomic coupling, stress coupling, and magnetostatic coupling. For the investigations on atomic coupling, we have used Heusler compounds as a flexible model system. Stress coupling occurs in first‐order magnetocaloric materials, which exhibit a structural transformation or volume change together with the magnetic transition. Magnetostatic coupling has been experimentally demonstrated in magnetocaloric particles and fragment ensembles. Based on the achieved insights, we have demonstrated that the materials properties can be tailored to achieve optimized magnetocaloric performance for cooling applications.
Bioinformatics meets virology: The European virus bioinformatics center's second annual meeting
(2018)
The Second Annual Meeting of the European Virus Bioinformatics Center (EVBC), held in Utrecht, Netherlands, focused on computational approaches in virology, with topics including (but not limited to) virus discovery, diagnostics, (meta-)genomics, modeling, epidemiology, molecular structure, evolution, and viral ecology. The goals of the Second Annual Meeting were threefold: (i) to bring together virologists and bioinformaticians from across the academic, industrial, professional, and training sectors to share best practice; (ii) to provide a meaningful and interactive scientific environment to promote discussion and collaboration between students, postdoctoral fellows, and both new and established investigators; (iii) to inspire and suggest new research directions and questions. Approximately 120 researchers from around the world attended the Second Annual Meeting of the EVBC this year, including 15 renowned international speakers. This report presents an overview of new developments and novel research findings that emerged during the meeting.
The geometry of the melt pool in laser beam welding plays a major role to understand the dynamics of the melt and its solidification behavior. In this study, a butt configuration of 15 mm thick structural steel and transparent quartz glass was used to observe the weld pool geometry by means of high-speed camera and an infrared camera recording. The observations show that the dimensions of the weld pool vary depending on the depth. The areas close to the weld pool surface take a teardrop-shape. A bulge-region and its temporal evolution were observed approximately in the middle of the depth of the weld pool. Additionally, a 3D transient thermal-fluid numerical simulation was performed to obtain the weld pool shape and to understand the formation mechanism of the observed bulging effect. The model takes into account the local temperature field, the effects of phase transition, thermo-capillary convection, natural convection and temperature-dependent material properties up to evaporation temperature. The numerical results showed good accordance and were furthermore used to improve the understanding of the experimentally observed bulging effect.
A transient simulation including the impact of the laser energy, the melting of the metal and the development of the weld pool was conducted to observe the evolution of the vapor capillary and the solidification of the melt in pulsed laser beam welding of AISI 304 steel. The phase field method was implemented to investigate the evolution and behavior of the liquid-gas interface during welding and to describe the condensed and vapor phases. The effects of phase transition, recoil pressure, thermo-capillary and natural convection, vaporization and temperature dependent material properties were taken into account. A Gaussian-like heat source under consideration of the Fresnel absorption model was used to model the energy input of the laser beam. The heat source model was extended by a newly developed empirical approach of describing multiple beam reflections in the keyhole. To validate this new model, the numerical results were compared to experimental data and good agreement regarding the size and shape of the weld pool was observed.
Amyloid fibrils are polymers formed by proteins under specific conditions and in many cases they are related to pathogenesis, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. Their hallmark is the presence of a β-sheet structure. High resolution structural data on these systems as well as information gathered from multiple complementary analytical techniques is needed, from both a fundamental and a pharmaceutical perspective. Here, a previously reported de novo designed, pH-switchable coiled coil-based peptide that undergoes structural transitions resulting in fibril formation under physiological conditions has been exhaustively characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), cryo-TEM, atomic force microscopy (AFM), wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and solid-state NMR (ssNMR). Overall, a unique 2-dimensional carpet-like assembly composed of large coexisiting ribbon-like, tubular and funnel-like structures with a clearly resolved protofilament substructure is observed. Whereas electron microscopy and scattering data point somewhat more to a hairpin model of β-fibrils, ssNMR data obtained from samples with selectively labelled peptides are in agreement with both, hairpin structures and linear arrangements.
The inspection of complex-shaped components, such as those enabled by additive manufacturing, is a major challenge in industrial quality assurance. A frequently adopted approach to volumetric non-destructive evaluation is X-ray computed tomography, but this has major drawbacks. Two-dimensional radiography can overcome some of these problems, but does not generally provide an inspection that is as capable.
Moreover, designing a detailed inspection for a complex-shaped component is a labour-intensive task, requiring significant expert input. In response, a computational framework for optimizing the data acquisition for an image-based inspection modality has been devised. The initial objective is to advance the capabilities of radiography, but the algorithm is, in principle, also applicable to alternative types of imaging. The algorithm exploits available prior
information about the inspection and simulations of the inspection modality to allow the Determination of the optimal inspection configuration, including specifically component poses with respect to the imaging system. As an intermediate output, spatial maps of inspection performance are computed, for understanding spatially varying limits of detection. Key areas of innovation concern the defect detectability evaluation for arbitrarily complex indications and the creation of an application-specific optimization algorithm. Initial trials of the algorithm are presented, with good results.
In the presented work, the potential of fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) for detection of small gas pipeline leaks (<1%) is investigated. Helical wrapping of the sensing fiber directly around the pipeline is used to increase the system sensitivity for detection of weak leak-induced vibrations. DAS measurements are supplemented with reference accelerometer data to facilitate analysis and interpretation of recorded vibration signals. The results reveal that a DAS system using direct fiber application approach is capable of detecting pipeline natural vibrations excited by the broadband noise generated by the leaking medium. In the performed experiment, pipeline vibration modes with acceleration magnitudes down to single ug were detected. Simple leak detection approach based on spectral integration of time-averaged DAS signals in frequency domain was proposed. Potential benefits and limitations of the presented monitoring Approach were discussed with respect to its practical applicability. We demonstrated that the approached is potentially capable of detection and localization of gas pipeline leaks with leak rates down to 0.1% of the pipeline flow volume and might be of interest for monitoring of short- and medium-length gas pipelines.