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LIBS is on the step from a laboratory application to on-site analysis. A validated mobile LIBS-system for on-site application on building materials is under development at BAM in cooperation with industrial partners (system developers and companies), who will use this technique for investigation on building structures like bridges and parking decks. The system is designed to measure the content of harmful species like chlorine, sulfur or alkalis, to give the engineer a tool for the estimation of the condition of concrete structures and for quality assurance during concrete repair work on-site. In these work results of on-site measurements on a chloride contaminated bridge are shown. Further work will focus on providing guidelines to establish LIBS as a standard procedure for chemical investigations of building materials.
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a combination of plasma generation on the sample surface by a high power laser pulse and optical emission spectroscopy (OES). It is a direct measurement method without an extensive sample preparation. Concrete is a multi phase system. With LIBS it is possible to distinguish the different phases and based on that to correlate the chloride content to the cement mass. This is done by scanning the surface with a resolution of up to 0.1 mm. The high measurement frequency of 100 Hz or even higher allows the in-situ visualization of the chloride content over the measured area. With a calibration a quantification of chloride concentration is possible. As an example the LIBS measurement on a 50 mm by 70 mm area with a resolution of 0.5 mm and the visualization of the chloride distribution takes only 10 minutes. Additionally it is possible to evaluate the carbonation depth from the same measurement. Examples of practical application to determine the chloride-to-cement-content on concrete samples are presented. The possibilities and the limitations of LIBS are discussed.
Aufgrund der natürlichen und vom Menschen verursachten Heterogenität von Böden erfordert der Erhalt und die Verbesserung ihrer Fruchtbarkeit durch landwirtschaftliche Bewirtschaftungsmaßnahmen sorgfältig geplante Ent-scheidungen, die auf einer detaillierten Erfassung der Bodeneigenschaften und einem vertieften Verständnis der Bodenprozesse beruhen. Es ist bekannt, dass die konventionelle, flächen-einheitliche Bewirtschaftung Ertragsver-luste durch zu geringe Bewirtschaftungsintensität (z. B. Düngung) auf einen Teil der Fläche verursacht, während andere Teile des Feldes zu hohe Dosen erhalten und es dadurch zu Verschwendung von Ressourcen und zu Um-weltbelastungen kommt. Trotz der Verfügbarkeit von Technologien für ortsspezifische Düngung ist die Akzeptanz ortsspezifischer Bewirtschaftung (Precision Agriculture) in der Praxis noch gering. Ein wesentlicher Grund dafür ist das Fehlen von kostengünstigen Methoden zur Erfassung der bewirtschaftungsrelevanten Bodenmerkmale. So-wohl für die elementanalytische Untersuchung von Böden als auch für die Untersuchung von Ausgangsmaterialien (z.B. Klärschlammaschen) für ihre Verwendung als Dünger ist eine zuverlässige Analytik und Prozessüberwachung erforderlich.
The laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a fast method to provide multi-elemental analysis of any sample. At the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) the LIBS technique is applied on building materials to measure ingress profiles of harmful species like chloride and alkalis. The ingress depth and the quantitative amount is important for the evaluation of the potential for damage processes like the alkali-silica reaction or chloride-induced corrosion. Concrete as an example is a highly heterogeneous material with 1/7 cement (major component CaO) and 6/7 aggregates (SiO2) with different grain sizes. Due to a scanning procedure a two dimensional element distribution of a concrete surface can be measured. In order to have an automated Separation method to evaluate heterogeneous materials, different cluster algorithm have been tested. Best results have been achieved with the Expectation-Maximization-Algorithm (EM-Algorithm).
LIBS matures to a quantitative method for elemental analysis rather than a qualitative diagnostic tool. Numerous real world applications for bulk and microanalysis profit from instrumental and methodical advances in the last decade. Today, recording of numerous spectra from samples can be done with low experimental efforts and low cost per spectrum. Not surprisingly, LIBS data, with a high spectral resolution and a broad spectral range, become “big data” and can be utilized in different ways beyond elemental analysis. But, what is the generic or best approach for quantitative LIBS analysis? What techniques can be employed to gain new insights into data? Emergent information can arise through data fusion of LIBS data with other data, i.e. orthogonal spectroscopic or other information related to the sample. But are fused data better than data from a single method?
This talk will provide an in-depth overview what chemometric tools can do for LIBS. For quantitative analysis, pre-processing tools are essential to improve precision, accuracy, and reproducibility but at the same time their application to data is still based on phenomenological criteria. Multivariate analysis seems to dominate LIBS, but are there drawbacks on using all information from spectra. For different data sets from real applications, the use of multivariate calibration and (un)supervised pattern recognition will be discussed in comparison with reference analytical methods and possible improvements through plasma diagnostics and modelling.
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a combination of laser ablation and optical emission spectroscopy. Due to the possibility of direct measurements on the sample surface with a minimum of sample preparation investigations of building materials can be conducted quite fast. In combination with a scanning technique (translation stage or scanning mirrors head) 2D element distributions of harmful species like chlorides and alkalis are evaluated with a sub-mm resolution. By scanning a surface of typically 100 mm x 100 mm the heterogeneity of the material may be considered. LIBS is capable to identify hot spots in element concentration with a resolution of 0.1 mm or even smaller. A LIBS-system for the on-site application on building materials is, in cooperation with system developers and companies which will use this technique for investigation on real structures, under test at BAM. We present an example. Further work will focus on providing guidelines to establish LIBS as a standard procedure for chemical investigations of building materials.
The main task of BAM in the I4S project is the development of online analytics for reliable monitoring of major and minor nutrients like K, P, Ca in soil using mobile-XRF (X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy) and mobile-LIBS (laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy). Each method provides fast and simultaneous multi-element analyses which are neccessary for mapping agricultural cropland. The first objective was to design a combined measurement setup for XRF and LIBS. The centerpiece is the rotatable sample plate which enables the measurement of moving samples. Current steps are the optimisation of the parameters for the analysis of soils.
Production of soil reference materials (for project partners) is integrated into the project „X-ray fluorescence, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (and Raman spectroscopy) as tools for a site-specific management of soil fertility“. BAM provides good analytics which is necessary for measuring the right values. Why is it important to have reference values? They enable the connection of own measuring results to the SI (international system of units) and the comparison with results from other laboratories. The soil reference materials are also needed for the calibration of the matrix dependent methods laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF). For the production of soil reference materials different steps are required, for example drying, sieving and homogenisation.
The main task of BAM in the I4S project is the development of online analytics for reliable monitoring of major and minor nutrients like K, P, Ca in soil using mobile-XRF (X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy) and mobile-LIBS (laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy). Each method provides fast and simultaneous multi-element analyses which are neccessary for mapping agricultural cropland. The first objective was to design a combined measurement setup for XRF and LIBS. The centerpiece is the rotatable sample plate which enables the measurement of moving samples. Current steps are the optimisation of the parameters for the analysis of soils.
The equation of state for plasmas containing negative atomic and molecular ions (anions) is modeled. The model is based on the assumption that all ionization processes and chemical reactions are at local thermal equilibrium and the Coulomb interaction in the plasma is described by the Debye–Hu¨ckel theory. In particular, the equation of state is obtained for plasmas containing the elements Ca, Cl, C, Si, N, and Ar. The equilibrium reaction constants are calculated using the latest experimental and ab initio data of spectroscopic constants for the molecules CaCl2, CaCl, Cl2, N2, C2, Si2 , CN, SiN, SiC, and their positive and negative ions. The model is applied to laserinduced plasmas (LIPs) by including the equation of state into a fluid dynamic numerical model based on the Navier–Stokes equations describing an expansion of LIP plumes into an ambient gas as a reactive viscous flow with radiative losses. In particular, the formation of anions Cl-, C-, Si-, Cl2, Si2, C2 , CN-, SiC-, and SiN- in LIPs is investigated in detail.
Two topics will be addressed: (1) calibration-free LIBS based on Monte Carlo spectral optimization and (2) insight into the possibility of simultaneous elemental and molecular analysis by LIBS. Both topics heavily rely on modeling of laser induced plasma and are closely connected to experiment. In Monte Carlo LIBS (MC LIBS), concentrations are found by fitting model-generated synthetic spectra to experimental spectra. The model of a static uniform isothermal plasma in local thermodynamic equilibrium is employed. Many configurations of plasma parameters and their corresponding spectra are simultaneously generated using a graphic processing unit (GPU). Using the GPU allows for the reduction of computational time down to several minutes for one experimental spectrum that presents the significant progress in comparison with earlier versions of MC LIBS. The method is tested by analyzing industrial oxides containing various concentrations of CaO, Fe2O3, MgO, and TiO2. The agreement within several percent between found and certified concentrations is achieved. Next, a newly developed collisional-dominated model of a laser induced plasma is introduced. The model includes the coupled Navier-Stokes, state, radiative transfer, and material transport equations and incorporates plasma chemistry through the equilibrium approach based on the use of atomic and molecular partition functions. Simple chemical systems are modeled including ablation of Si and C in N2 and Ar atmospheres.The model is used to study evolution of number densities of atomic and molecular species in the expanding plasma plume. The distribution is compared to experimental observations obtained by optical imaging and tomography. To further verify the model, dynamic plasma
A laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system was combined with the Gas Tungsten Arc (GTA) Welding process for the in situ measurement of chemical compositions in austenitic stainless steels during welding. The purpose of this project is to develop a prototype of an online chemical composition control system for welding applications. One of the use cases of this new LIBS-based measurement system can be the controlling of potentially dangerous emissions during the welding process in order to improve the working safety conditions. Further, the control of the weld pool composition allows governing the weld pool solidification behavior and thus allows reducing the resultant susceptibility for solidification cracking. The composition of the weld seam is from the metallurgical point of view the most critical parameter for the occurrence of weld defects1. Conventional inspection methods for weld seams as e.g. ultrasonic inspection are ex situ and cannot prevent the defects. For that reason automated in situ analysis systems for weld defect detection are much more efficient2. Beyond that, the proposed LIBS-based analysis system allows to study the correlation between the occurrence of weld defects and the chemical composition of the weld pool or the region where solid and liquid phase coexist.
The information about the chemical composition of coal is of great interest during mining, sorting and processing. Due to great variations of the soil layers the quality of coal suffers great fluctuations during mining because of adjoining rocks [1-6]. To provide on-site analysis of coal the application of LIBS as a multi-element method has been tested. Therefore different qualities of coal have been chemically analyzed to get reference values for the water content as well as for the major (carbon) and minor components (ash = Ca, Mg, S, Si). For the LIBS analysis a system using a low energy laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm, pulse energy of 3 mJ, pulse length of 1.5 ns and a repetition rate of 100 Hz have been used. A compact czerny turner spectrometer operating in the UV range (Δλ = 170 nm – 350 nm) have been applied. To provide quantitative concentrations different calibration curves have been evaluated using chemometrics. The system has been validated using internal cross-validation as well as an external set of samples. For the evaluation of the method different figures of merit will be presented. After applying LIBS for coal analysis in the laboratory a LIBS system for the on-site analysis has been tested during the mining process.
In civil engineering the information about the quantitative ingress of harmful species like Cl⁻, Na⁺ and SO²⁻₄ is of great interest to evaluate the remaining life time of structures. These species are triggering different damage processes like the alkali-silica reaction (ASR) or the chloride-induced corrosion of the reinforcement. For the evaluation of the heterogeneous concrete it is necessary to discriminate between the different phases mainly cement matrix and aggregates. The transport processes are only proceeding in the cement matrix therefore the measured concentrations should be regarded to the cement content. For the 2D evaluation of element distributions different multivariate cluster-algorithms like k-means and Expectation-Maximization-algorithm (EM-algorithm) have been tested. The methods are compared and different figures of merit will be presented. After phase separation non-relevant information of the aggregates can be excluded. The ingress of harmful species is then quantified using chemometrics. Due to concrete cores from a parking deck the methods have been validated and verified with standard methods of wet-chemistry.
Currently, there is almost no comprehensive mapping of agricultural cropland because of the lack of fast and affordable mapping methods for important soil properties. Arable land of some hectares in size show a broad range of different nutrient compositions. Because of this heterogeneity wrong fertilization can occur and can cause environmental pollution or lead to smaller harvests and this is simply a waste of resources. The goal of I4S (intelligence for soil) is to develop an integrated system for site-specific soil fertility management. The I4S consortium consists of 10 different institutions, which are testing various sensors for their suitability for the requested applications. Besides the preparation of reference materials, the main task of the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) in this project is the method development for online-XRF (x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy) and for online-LIBS (laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy) sensor systems. Both methods have the advantage that there is no or only little sample preparation necessary. Each method provides a fast and simultaneous multi-element analysis. Both measurement setups can be utilized for a mobile application which is fundamental for reaching the goals of I4S. Having finally a set of some reference materials, further work will focus on the online-XRF and online-LIBS methods in order to obtain useable calibration models. The calibration models will then be tested using stationary and moving samples.
Research and Development in Non-Destructive Testing in Civil Engineering at BAM has de-veloped over more than two decades. Highlights of present research are ultrasound phase array probes, ground penetrating radar applications for the assessment of existing structures and Laser Induced Breakdown Spec-troscopy (LIBS) to determine which chemical elements on the surface of a specimen are. RFID sensor devel-opments for wireless moisture monitoring and data fusion for the combined analysis of sensor data are fast developing areas. In addition, a selection of application cases is briefly described.
LIBS (laserinduzierte Plasmaspektroskopie) ist bekannt für eine schnelle, simultane Multielementanalyse, welche kaum bis keine Probenvorbereitung benötigt. Im Hinblick dessen ist das Interesse an LIBS als Online-Analysentechnik für den Einsatz auf Agrarflächen in den letzten Jahren stark gestiegen.
Im Rahmen des Projekts I4S (engl. für: intelligence for soil) soll mithilfe von LIBS der Elementgehalt von Makro- und Mikronährstoffen in Böden in Echtzeit bestimmt werden. I4S gehört zu den zehn interdisziplinären Forschungsprojekten des Innovationsprogramms BonaRes und arbeitet an der Entwicklung einer Sensorplattform für ein ortsspezifisches Management der Bodenfruchtbarkeit. BonaRes ist vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) gefördert und beschäftigt sich mit Boden als nachhaltige Ressource für die Bioökonomie.
Für die Anwendung von LIBS an Böden wurde ein spezieller Aufbau konstruiert. Die Probenzufuhr erfolgt über einen drehbaren Probenteller, auf den der lose Boden in Form einer Spur aufgetragen oder als gepresste Tablette platziert werden kann. Der Probenteller kann in unterschiedlichen Geschwindigkeitsstufen betrieben werden, um die Anwendung auf dem Feld zu simulieren. Für eine höhere Signalintensität und eine bessere Reproduzierbarkeit wird eine Doppel-Puls (DP) Nd:YAG Lasereinheit verwendet. Weiterhin besitzt der LIBS-Messkopf eine integrierte Absaugvorrichtung, um bei dem Ablationsprozess entstehende Stäube zu minimieren und eine störungsfreie Detektion des Signals zu gewährleisten.
Da es sich bei LIBS um eine Relativmethode handelt, muss das System für eine absolute Quantifizierung hinsichtlich der Zielanalyten kalibriert werden. Hierfür werden realitätsnahe Proben benötigt. Es wurden 16 freiverkäufliche, zertifizierte Referenzmaterialien gemessen und für die Kalibrierung verwendet. Aufgrund der komplexen Bodenmatrix und Einflüsse, wie Korngrößeneffekte und Feuchtigkeit, stellt die absolute Quantifizierung mittels LIBS eine Herausforderung dar. Für die Kalibrierung wurde sowohl ein univariater als auch ein multivariater Analyseansatz (Partial least square regression) verwendet. Mittels der multivariaten Auswertung konnte ein robusteres Kalibriermodell aufgrund einer besseren Korrelation zwischen Signalintensität und Elementkonzentration erstellt werden.
Innerhalb des I4S-Verbundes gibt es eine Vielzahl von Bodenproben von unterschiedlichen Testackerflächen mit bereits bekannten Informationen über die chemische Zusammensetzung, Textur und Korngrößenverteilung. Diese Bodenproben sollen im nächsten Schritt für weitere Berechnungen und zu Validierungszwecken verwendet werden.
LIBS (laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy) is known as a fast and simultaneous multi-element analysis with little or no sample preparation. In the last few years there has been a growing interest in applications of LIBS in the field of agriculture. As part of the National Research Strategy BioEconomy 2030 the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) started an innovation programme called BonaRes. BonaRes consists of ten interdisciplinary research project associations which are dealing with soil as a sustainable resource for the bio-economy. One of these research projects is I4S (intelligence for soil) which has the goal to develop an integrated system for site-specific soil fertility management. This system includes a sensor platform, which contains different sensors, like XRF, VIS-NIR, Gamma and LIBS. The main task of LIBS measurements in this project is the real time determination of the elemental contents of nutrients in soils, like calcium, magnesium, potassium. For this purpose, a special setup has been designed. The sample uptake operates with the help of a rotatable sample plate which circulates with different velocities to simulate the application on the field. To provide a higher intensity and a better reproducibility of the obtained signal, a double-pulse Nd:YAG laser was used. In order to minimize dust formation from the soil during the operation of the laser, a dust removal by suction has been integrated. When using relative methods such as LIBS, a suitable calibration curve is needed for absolute quantification. With the help of 16 certified reference soils, calibration curves for different elements were initially calculated and used for the quantification of seven soil samples from different testing grounds in Germany. The complex matrix of soils, as well as the influence of moisture and grain size in soils makes the absolute quantification by LIBS challenging. To overcome these influences, a calibration curve based on multivariate analysis (partial least square regression) was generated.
Die Gehalte von für das Pflanzenwachstum relevanten Nährstoffen divergieren innerhalb einer landwirtschaftlichen Nutzfläche sehr stark. Für eine ertragssteigernde Bewirtschaftung ist daher eine gezielte Düngung unabdingbar. Die Nachfrage nach einer kostengünstigen, flächendeckenden Kartierung von Ackerflächen in Bezug auf die im Boden enthaltenen Nährstoffe steigt demnach. Hierzu werden schnelle, mobil einsetzbare und verlässliche Messmethoden benötigt.
Eine geeignete Methode stellt die laserinduzierte Plasmaspektroskopie (kurz: LIBS aus dem Englischen für laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy) dar. Die LIBS ermöglicht eine schnelle und simultane Multielementanalyse und ist dabei nahezu zerstörungsfrei. Des Weiteren bedarf es für die Analyse kaum bis keine Probenvorbereitung was den Einsatz auf dem Feld begünstigt. Die Methode beruht auf der Ionisierung des Probenmaterials (Plasmabildung) durch den Beschuss dieser mit kurzen Laserpulsen. Während der Expansion des Plasmas wird Strahlung emittiert, welche charakteristisch für die in der Probe enthaltenen Elemente ist.
Das hier verwendete LIBS-System verfügt über einen Doppelpuls-Laser, bei dem zwei Laserpulse im kurzen Abstand hintereinander ausgesendet werden. Der erste Laserpuls ist für die “Vorbehandlung“ der Probe und der zweite Laserpuls für die Erwärmung des Plasmas. Dadurch können die Nachweisgrenzen im Vergleich zu einem einfach gepulsten Laser deutlich verbessert werden.
Die Probenzufuhr findet durch einen drehbaren Probenteller statt auf dem der lose Boden in Form einer Spur aufgetragen wird. Der Probenteller kann in verschiedenen Geschwindigkeiten betrieben werden, um die Anwendung auf dem Feld zu simulieren.
Da es sich bei der LIBS um eine Relativmethode handelt, ist eine Kalibrierung mit exakten Referenzwerten von verschiedenen Bodenproben notwendig. Böden weisen eine sehr komplexe Matrix auf, was die verlässliche Analyse mittels LIBS erschwert. Daher ist zunächst das Ziel die verschiedenen Messparameter des LIBS-Systems für unterschiedliche Böden zu optimieren und mögliche Störeffekte, wie Korngrößen und Feuchtigkeitsgrad, durch eine geeignete Probenkonditionierung zu eliminieren.
Introduction: Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is an atomic emission analytical technique, wide spreading in laboratories and industries. One way to dramatically increase its analytical results is to deposit metal NPs on the sample surface, resulting in an better version called Nanoparticle Enhanced LIBS (NELIBS). In order to better know and use this technique, the evolution of the plasma has been studied with Tomography.
The majority of the built infrastructure is made of concrete, which is a multiphase system made of cement, aggregates, water and pores (every year nearly 4 billion tons of cement are produced which is largest mass flow generated by mankind). Concrete is often used in combination with steel as reinforced concrete. Environmental influences, especially the ingress of harmful ions in combination with the ingress of water, trigger different damage processes which reduce the designed lifetime of a structure. The ingress of chlorides from de-icing salt or sea water leads to corrosion of the reinforcement. Also the carbonation of the concrete may trigger the corrosion of the reinforcement. The ingress of alkalis from de-icing salts may cause the expansion of the amorphous silica aggregates (alkali-silica reaction) through formation of a swelling gel of calcium silicate hydrate if water is present. The ingress of sulfates may cause spalling of the concrete surface due to ett-ringite formation. For the standard procedure in civil engineering cores are taken, cut in slices, grinded and the obtained homogenized powder is solved in acid and investigated by standard procedures. BAM has developed the LIBS technique for the 2D evaluation of the chemical composition of concrete [1-5]. The technique is established for automated laborato-ry use with high numbers of samples to investigate transport processes of harmful species (Cl-, CO2, SO42- and alkalis) in concrete. Information about ingress depth and the quantitative values are important to estimate the remaining lifetime of the infrastructure. LIBS is a surface technique. To get information about the ingress depth, a core has to be taken and cut in the middle. The measurements are carried out at the cross section. The main advantages of LIBS are the direct measure-ment on the surface of the concrete, fast analysis (sample rate 100 Hz) with a spatial resolution of up to 100 μm, the consideration of the heterogeneity of the concrete and the possibility of automated measurements which save a lot of man-power and time. As an example the investigation of ingress profiles for standard diffusion and migration tests in civil engi-neering takes hours in comparison to just a few minutes using LIBS. At the same time a 2D-evaluation provides information about hot spots of elemental concentration which may not be found by standard methods.
The state of the art of LIBS technique for applications in civil engineering will be presented, including typical results of 2D investigation of concrete in laboratory. The performance is also demonstrated by examples for on-site applications using a mobile LIBS system. The road map to standardization is presented as well.
Stahlbetonbauwerke der Verkehrsinfrastruktur sind nutzungsbedingt Expositionen ausgesetzt, die zu Schä-den an der Konstruktion führen können. Dabei ist in erster Linie die Einwirkung von tausalzhaltigen Wässern im Winter zu nennen, die durch den Beton kapillar und über Diffusionsvorgänge aufgenommen werden. Ein Weg, die kapillare Wasseraufnahme zu unterbinden, ist eine Tiefenhydrophobierung der Werkstoffoberflä-chen durch siliziumorganische Verbindungen. Die Wirksamkeit und die Dauerhaftigkeit dieser Tiefenhydro-phobierungen werden im Wesentlichen durch die Eindringtiefe und den Wirkstoffgehalt in der Betonrandzone bestimmt. Diese beiden Parameter gilt es also in der Qualitätssicherung zu überprüfen.
Bisherige Verfahren zur Qualitätssicherung einer hydrophobierenden Maßnahme sind mit einer Bohrkernent-nahme verbunden, da die Analysen im Labor durchgeführt werden müssen. Andere Verfahren arbeiten zwar zerstörungsfrei und können am Objekt durchgeführt werden, liefern aber keine Informationen über die Ein-dringtiefe und die Wirkstoffverteilung. Das Fehlen eines geeigneten Qualitätssicherungs-Verfahrens hat eine breite praktische Anwendung der als technisch sehr leistungsfähig geltenden Tiefenhydrophobierungen bisher verhindert.
Im Rahmen eines vom BMBF geförderten Forschungsvorhabens wurde ein Verfahren entwickelt mit dem direkt vor Ort das Vorhandensein der Tiefenhydrophobierung nachgewiesen und die Wirkstoffverteilung in der Betonrandzone detektiert werden kann. Da der chemische Kontrast einer Tiefenhydrophobierung zum Beton gering ist mussten „reaktive Marker“ entwickelt werden, die an das eigentliche Hydrophobierungsmittel chemisch gebunden wurden. Mit dem Verfahren der „Laser Induced Breakdown Spetroscopy“ (LIBS) konnte dann die Verteilung des als Marker verwendeten Elementes, und damit der Wirkstoffgehalt in der Betonrand-zone qualitativ und quantitativ bestimmt werden.
Das Vorhaben SILAMARK wurde als Verbundprojekt unter Beteiligung der Sto SE & Co. KGaA, der Bundes-anstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung, der Hochschule Karlsruhe – Technik und Wirtschaft (HsKa), der Aqua Stahl GmbH und der Specht Kalleja + Partner Beratende Ingenieure GmbH realisiert.
The majority of the built infrastructure is made of concrete, which is a multiphase system made of cement, aggregates, water and pores (every year nearly 4 billion tons of cement are produced which is largest mass flow generated by mankind). Concrete is often used in combination with steel as reinforced concrete. Environmental influences, especially the ingress of harmful ions in combination with the ingress of water, trigger different damage processes which reduce the designed lifetime of a structure. The ingress of chlorides from de-icing salt or sea water leads to corrosion of the reinforcement. Also the carbonation of the concrete may trigger the corrosion of the reinforcement. The ingress of alkalis from de-icing salts may cause the expansion of the amorphous silica aggregates (alkali-silica reaction) through formation of a swelling gel of calcium silicate hydrate if water is present. The ingress of sulfates may cause spalling of the concrete surface due to ettringite formation.
For the standard procedure in civil engineering cores are taken, cut in slices, grinded and the obtained homogenized powder is solved in acid and investigated by standard procedures.
BAM has developed the LIBS technique for the 2D evaluation of the chemical composition of concrete [1-11]. The technique is established for automated laboratory use with high numbers of samples to investigate transport processes of harmful species (Cl-, CO2, SO42- and alkalis) in concrete. Information about ingress depth and the quantitative values are important to estimate the remaining lifetime of the infrastructure. LIBS is a surface technique. To get information about the ingress depth, a core has to be taken and cut in the middle. The measurements are carried out at the cross section. The main advantages of LIBS are the direct measurement on the surface of the concrete, fast analysis (sample rate 100 Hz) with a spatial resolution of up to 100 µm, the consideration of the heterogeneity of the concrete and the possibility of automated measurements which save a lot of manpower and time. As an example the investigation of ingress profiles for standard diffusion and migration tests in civil engineering takes hours in comparison to just a few minutes using LIBS. At the same time a 2D-evaluation provides information about hot spots of elemental concentration which may not be found by standard methods.
Ingress of chlorides due to a crack in a repair mortar. Left: Photo of the cross section of a concrete core and the surface investigated by LIBS (area 70 mm x 70 mm). Right: Color coded chlorine intensity on the cross section of a concrete core, dark red represents high chlorine content.
The state of the art of LIBS technique for applications in civil engineering will be presented, including typical results of 2D investigation of concrete in laboratory. The performance is also demonstrated by examples for onsite applications using a mobile LIBS system. The road map to standardization is presented as well.
For the damage assessment of reinforced concrete structures the quantified ingress profiles of harmful species like chlorides, sulfates and alkali need to be determined. In order to provide on-site analysis of concrete a fast and reliable method is necessary. Low transition probabilities as well as the high ionization energies for chlorine and sulfur in the near-infrared range makes the detection of Cl I and S I in low concentrations a difficult task. For the on-site analysis a mobile LIBS-system (k = 1064 nm, Epulse ≤ 3 mJ, t = 1.5 ns) with an automated scanner has been developed at BAM. Weak chlorine and sulfur signal intensities do not allow classical univariate analysis for process data derived from the mobile system. In order to improve the analytical performance multivariate analysis like PLS-R will be presented in this work. A comparison to standard univariate analysis will be carried out and results covering important parameters like detection and quantification limits (LOD, LOQ) as well as processing variances will be discussed (Allegrini and Olivieri, 2014 [1]; Ostra et al., 2008 [2]). It will be shown that for the first time a low cost mobile system is capable of providing reproducible chlorine and sulfur analysis on concrete by using a low sensitive system in combination with multivariate evaluation.
2D evaluation of spectral LIBS data derived from heterogeneous materials using cluster algorithm
(2017)
Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is capable of providing spatially resolved element maps in regard to the chemical composition of the sample. The evaluation of heterogeneous materials is often a challenging task, especially in the case of phase boundaries. In order to determine information about a certain phase of a material, the need for a method that offers an objective evaluation is necessary. This paper will introduce a cluster algorithm in the case of heterogeneous building materials (concrete) to separate the spectral information of non-relevant aggregates and cement matrix. In civil engineering, the information about the quantitative ingress of harmful species like Cl−, Na+ and SO2−4 is of great interest in the evaluation of the remaining lifetime of structures (Millar et al., 2015; Wilsch et al., 2005). These species trigger different damage processes such as the alkali-silica reaction (ASR) or the chloride-induced corrosion of the reinforcement. Therefore, a discrimination between the different phases, mainly cement matrix and aggregates, is highly important (Weritz et al., 2006). For the 2D evaluation, the expectation-maximizationalgorithm (EM algorithm; Ester and Sander, 2000) has been tested for the application presented in this work. The method has been introduced and different figures of merit have been presented according to recommendations given in Haddad et al. (2014). Advantages of this method will be highlighted. After phase separation, non-relevant information can be excluded and only the wanted phase displayed. Using a set of samples with known and unknown composition, the EM-clustering method has been validated regarding to Gustavo González and Ángeles Herrador (2007).
The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is a laser spectroscopic method which allows a time efficient, minor-destructive, chemical analysis of materials. In principle all elements on the periodic table can be simultaneously analysed by using LIBS, regardless of the state of aggregation. LIBS offers numerous applications in the field of civil engineering; most importantly the analysis of building materials. This work will focus on the evaluation of concrete structures and harmful substances which can penetrate the concrete. A variety of information can be collected through LIBS. Determining the concentration of harmful substances like chloride, sodium or sulphur, the examination of the carbonation depth and the distinction between varying layers of materials (e.g. aggregates, cement paste, metals, etc.) are possible applications. All this information can be provided through one LIBS measurement in the form of a high resolution 2D element map, with resolutions up to 0.1 mm x 0.1 mm. To scan a concrete surface only an optical access is needed. To create a depth profile of an intruding substance the extraction of a drill core is necessary. Onsite measurements via LIBS can be conducted by using a mobile version of the LIBS system. Through using calibration curves LIBS allows not only the qualitative but also quantitative analysis of element concentrations. All those prospects make LIBS a trendsetting method to secure the integrity of infrastructures in a sustainable manner. A variety of examples which show the performance and results of LIBS analysis will be presented.
The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is a laser spectroscopic method which allows a time efficient, minor-destructive, chemical analysis of materials. In principle all elements on the periodic table can be simultaneously analysed by using LIBS, regardless of the state of aggregation. LIBS offers numerous applications in the field of civil engineering; most importantly the analysis of building materials. This work will focus on the evaluation of concrete structures and harmful substances which can penetrate the concrete. A variety of information can be collected through LIBS. Determining the concentration of harmful substances like chloride, sodium or sulphur, the examination of the carbonation depth and the distinction between varying layers of materials (e.g. aggregates, cement paste, metals, etc.) are possible applications. All this information can be provided through one LIBS measurement in the form of a high resolution 2D element map, with resolutions up to 0.1 mm x 0.1 mm. To scan a concrete surface only an optical access is needed. To create a depth profile of an intruding substance the extraction of a drill core is necessary. Onsite measurements via LIBS can be conducted by using a mobile version of the LIBS system. Through using calibration curves LIBS allows not only the qualitative but also quantitative analysis of element concentrations. All those prospects make LIBS a trendsetting method to secure the integrity of infrastructures in a sustainable manner.
Data processing in the calibration-free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is usually based on the solution of the radiative transfer equation along a particular line of sight through a plasma plume. The LIBS data processing is generalized to the case when the spectral data are collected from large portions of the plume. It is shown that by adjusting the optical depth and width of the lines the spectra obtained by collecting light from an entire spherical homogeneous plasma plume can be leastsquare fitted to a spectrum obtained by collecting the radiation just along a plume diameter with a relative error of 10−11 or smaller (for the optical depth not exceeding 0.3) so that a mismatch of geometries of data processing and data collection cannot be detected by fitting. Despite the existence of such a perfect least-square fit, the errors in the line optical depth and width found by a data processing with an inappropriate geometry can be large. It is shown with analytic and numerical examples that the corresponding relative errors in the found elemental number densities and concentrations may be as high as 50% and 20%, respectively. Safe for a few found exceptions, these errors are impossible to eliminate from LIBS data processing unless a proper solution of the radiative transfer equation corresponding to the ray tracing in the spectral data collection is used.
Kinetic model of stimulated emission created by resonance pumping of aluminum laser-induced plasma
(2017)
Stimulated emission observed experimentally in an aluminum laser induced plasma is modeled via a kinetic approach. The simulated emission at several cascade transitions is created by a pump laser guided through the plasma at several microseconds after its creation and tuned in resonance with the strong 3s²3p-3s²4s transition at 266 nm. A two-dimensional space-time collisional radiative plasma model explains the creation of the Population inversion and lasing at wavelengths of 2100 nm and 396.1 nm. The population inversion for lasing at 2100 nm is created by depopulation of the ground 3s²3p state and population of the 3s²5s state via the absorption of the resonant radiation at 266 nm. The population inversion for lasing at 396.1 nm occurs during the laser pulse via the decay of the population of the pumped 3s²5s state to the excited 3s²4s state via cascade transitions driven optically and by collisions. In particular, efficient are the mixing transitions between neighboring states separated by small gaps on the order of kT at Plasma temperatures of 5000–10 000 K. The model predicts that the population inversion and corresponding gain may reach high values even at very moderate pump energy of several lJ per pulse. The efficiency of lasing at 2100 nm and 396.1 nm is estimated to be ~3% and 0.05%, correspondingly with respect to the pump laser intensity. The gain for lasing at 396.1 nm can reach as high as ~40 cm⁻¹.
The polarization effect that the pump radiation at 266 nm imposes on the stimulated emission at 396.1 nm is discussed. The calculated results are favorably compared to experimental data.
LIBS (laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy) is known as a fast and simultaneous multi-element analysis with little or no sample preparation. Because of that, over the last few years there has been a growing interest in applications of LIBS in the field of agriculture.
As part of the National Research Strategy BioEconomy 2030 the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) started an innovation programme called BonaRes. BonaRes consists of ten interdisciplinary research project as-sociations which are dealing with soil as a sustainable resource for the bio-economy. One of these research projects is I4S (intelligence for soil) which has the goal to develop an integrated system for site-specific soil fertility management. This system includes a sensor platform, which contains different sensors, like XRF, VIS-NIR, Gamma and LIBS. The main task of LIBS measurements in this project is the real time determination of the elemental contents of major and minor nutrients in soils, like calcium, magnesium, potassium. For this purpose, a special setup has been designed. The sample uptake operates with the help of a rotatable sample plate, on which the loose soil sample can be placed in form of a track. The sample plate circulates with different velocities to simulate the application on the field. To provide a higher intensity and a better re-producibility of the obtained signal, a double-pulse Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm) was used. In order to minimize dust formation from the soil during the operation of the laser, a dust removal by suction has been integrated When using relative methods such as LIBS, a suitable calibration curve is needed for absolute quantification. Within the I4S project a large number of soil samples from different testing grounds with known data of chemical composition, texture etc. is available. For the first calibration curves seven soil samples from different grounds in Germany were prepared as reference materials and four certified reference materials from China and Canada were purchased. With the help of these reference materials, calibration curves for different elements were initially calculated based on internal standard addi-tion. Copper was used as internal standard because of its low concentration in soils. The complex matrix of soils, as well as the influence of moisture and grain size in soils makes the absolute quantification by LIBS challenging. To overcome these influences, a calibration curve based on multivariate analysis was generated. Therefore, baseline correction on the second derivative with a Savitzky-Golay filter was followed by a partial least squares regression (PLSR). Multivariate analysis leads to noise reduction and neglection of interfering signals. Therefore, a better correlation between signal intensity and nutrient concentration is observed and a robust calibration curve is obtained.
One important aim of precision agriculture (PA) is the optimization of crop growth by means of site-specific measures, e.g. fertilizer application. Thus, PA should contribute to a resource efficient and ecofriendly soil management. Due to the expenses associated with traditional methods of soil analysis, requiring sample collection and laboratory analysis, PA technologies are still not in widespread use. Therefore, the aim of the project “I4S – Integrated System for Site-Specific Soil Fertility Management” is the development of a field-deployed, sensor-based analysis system offering rapid, cost-effective and spatially-resolved fertilizer recommendations.
In this system, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) could be ideally suited to assessing elemental nutrient contents of soils. In addition to low cost, durability and small size, a reliable quantification procedure is a crucial requirement for such a system. However, the texture as well as the composition of the soil can affect the spectra. This matrix dependence is the key challenge to be addressed in the application of LIBS for soil evaluation. The focus of this work was the establishment of a LIBS method for soil analysis in a laboratory environment for future field application.
Natural soil samples of various origins, textures and compositions were used to characterize the matrix dependence of the LIBS spectra. Reference samples were prepared by adding defined amounts of the target elements to the soils (standard addition). Signals not superimposed by peaks of other elements were identified for each element. The reference samples also provided calibration curves for the respective soil type when the initial concentrations in the soils were taken into account. Additionally, the common laboratory method ICP-OES following aqua regia extraction was used to obtain reference values. Various approaches of calibration free evaluation of the data were also evaluated. In addition to traditional single-pulse experiments, the advantages of dual-pulse LIBS in relation to signal intensity, reproducibility as well as overcoming the matrix dependence of soil spectra were investigated. These methods were subsequently applied to validation samples collected on a dense grid within a field.
For concrete production aggregates, cement and water are mixed together and after 28 days of hydration a porous and multiphase material is formed. To consider the heterogeneity of concrete a 2D scanning system is used. The coarse aggregates (limit > 2 X d ) can be excluded. laser spot The remaining content is a mixture of flour grains and cement particles (micro heterogeneity). Harmful species like chlorides may penetrate together with water through the capillary pore space. A quantification of Cl regarding to the cement content only (European standard EN 206) is necessary for the damage assessment. A LIBS system operating with a NdCr:YAG laser (pulse energy of 3 mJ, a wavelength of 1064 nm, a pulse width of 1.5 ns, a repetition rate of 100 Hz) and two Czerny-Turner spectrometer (UV and NIR range) have been used.
Concrete is a multiphase material made of cement, aggregates and water. The heterogeneity of concrete is a result of mixing aggregates (grain size between 0.125 mm to 32 mm) and cement (grain size < 0.04 mm) together. There are always aggregates with a grain size below 0.125 mm (flour grains) therefore the cement matrix is always a mixture of these small particles. Different grain size distributions by making concrete are important to ensure the needed density and com-pressive strength. In order to estimate the remaining lifetime of concrete structures the quantification of element concentra-tions of alkali and chlorides regarding to the cement matrix only (1/3 of the total mass), is a major concern in civil engineer-ing. Due to two-dimensional scanning with LIBS the coarse aggregates can be evaluated and excluded from the analysis. In the case of particles (flour grains and cement) smaller than the laser spot size, the microscopic hetero-geneity influences the laser-plasma interaction and has therefore an impact on the results. In this study the influence of the micro-heterogeneity and the impact on the laser-material interaction is examined. The effect of changing ratios between cement particles and aggregate particles in the laser-induced plasma has been analyzed (see figure 1, right). Therefore, different samples with defined grain sizes are prepared and the obtained distributions were analyzed with x-ray diffraction (XRD). For the LIBS measurements, an automated system that operates with a low energy NdCr:YAG laser (pulse energy of 3 mJ, a wavelength of 1064 nm, a pulse width of 1.5 ns, a repetition rate of 100 Hz) and a NIR Czerny-Turner spectrometer has been used.
Der Vortrag stellt einige aktuelle Herausforderungen für die Prozessanalytik und mögliche Antworten vor.
Gepulste Raman-Spektrometer akkumulieren das Raman-Signal mit Hilfe schneller optischer Schalter im Picosekunden-Bereich, bevor langlebigere Fluoreszenzanregung entsteht. Damit lassen sich stark fluoreszierende Materialien untersuchen, die bislang nicht zugänglich sind. Eine weitere interessante Entwicklung ist etwa die Shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS) die besonders für biologische Anwendungen interessant ist.
Flexible, modulare Produktionsanlagen stellen einen vielversprechenden Ansatz für die kontinuierliche Produktion von Fein- und Spezialchemikalien dar. In einem EU-Projekt wird derzeit die Feldintegration eines Online-NMR-Sensormoduls als smartes Modul für die Prozesskontrolle vorangebracht. Dieses Modul basiert auf einem kommerziell erhältlichen Niederfeld-NMR-Spektrometer, welche zurzeit für die Anwendung im Laborbereich erhältlich ist. Für die Feldintegration wurde ein ATEX-zertifiziertes, explosionsgeschütztes Gehäuse entwickelt sowie Automationsschemen für den unbeaufsichtigten Betrieb und für die spektrale Datenauswertung erstellt.
Eine sehr gut anwendbare analytische Messtechnik zur Kontrolle der elementaren Zusammensetzung von verschiedensten Materialien ist die laserinduzierte Plasmaspektroskopie (LIPS, engl. LIBS - Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy). Bei der LIBS wird ein kurz gepulster Laser auf eine Probe fokussiert, um ein Leuchtplasma zu erzeugen. Das dabei erzeugte Atomemissionsspektrum ermöglicht eine qualitative und quantitative Analyse der Zusammensetzung der Probe bezüglich praktisch aller Elemente des Periodensystems. In einem aktuellen Projekt wird diese Methode neben anderen zur Online-Analyse von Ackerböden für die ortsspezifischer Bewirtschaftung (Precision Agriculture) weiterentwickelt und bewertet.
In situ laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy measurements in stainless steels during TIG welding
(2018)
Chemical composition of the welding seam and HAZ has significant effect on weld quality. Current inspection methods for weld seams measure and investigate post factum and cannot prevent weld defects. Element burn-off may significantly affect solidification leading to embrittlement or cracking Control of weld chemical compositions insures a controlled solidification and resistance to related weld defects. A prototype of a LIBS controlled welding process is presented.
We found cascade IR generation in Al laser induced plasma. This generation includes doublet transitions 3s25s 2S1∕2→ 3s24p 2P1∕2,3∕2 → 3s24s 2S1∕2; corresponding to strong lines at 2110 and 2117 nm, and much weaker lines at 1312–1315 nm. The 3s25s2S 1∕2 starting IR generation level is directly pumped from the 3s23p 2P3∕2 ground level. The starting level for UV generation at 396.2 nm (transitions 3s24s 2S1∕2 → 4p 2P3∕2) is populated due to the fast collisional processes in the plasma plume. These differences led to different time and special dependences on the lasing in the IR and UV spectral range within the aluminum laser induced plasma.
In civil engineering concrete is the most used building material for making infrastructures like bridges and parking decks worldwide. It is as a porous and multiphase material made of aggregates with a defined grain size distribution, cement and water as well as different additives and admixtures depending on the application. Different grain sizes are important to ensure the needed density and compressive strength.
The resulting porous cement matrix contains a mixture of flour grains (aggregates with a grain size below 125 lm) and cement particles (particle size≈50lm). Harmful species like chlorides may penetrate together with water through the capillary pore space and may trigger different damage processes. The damage assessment of concrete structures in Germany is estimated due to the quantification of harmful elements regarding to the cement content only. In the evaluation of concrete using LIBS a two-dimensional scanning is necessary to consider the heterogeneity caused by the aggregates. Therefore, a LIBS system operating with a low energy NdCr:YAG laser, a pulse energy of 3 mJ, a wavelength of 1064 nm, a pulse width of 1.5 ns and a Repetition rate of 100 Hz has been used. Different Czerny-Turner spectrometers with CCD detectors in the UV and NIR range have been used for the detection. Large aggregates (macro-heterogeneity) can be excluded from the evaluation, whereas small aggregates in the range of the laser spot size (flour grains) cannot be spatially resolved. In this work the micro heterogeneity caused by flour grains and their impact on the quantification with LIBS will be discussed. To analyze the effect of changing grain sizes and ratios, the ablation behavior has been determined and compared. Samples with defined grain sizes were made and analyzed using LIBS.
The grain size distributions were analyzed with laser diffraction (LDA).
Accuracy of calibration-free (CF) methods in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) depends on experimental conditions and instrumental parameters that must match a CF LIBS model. Here, the numerical study is performed to investigate effects of various factors, such as the optical density, plasma uniformity, line overlap, noise, spectral resolution, electron density and path length on the results of CF-LIBS analyses. The effects are examined one-by-one using synthetic spectra of steel slag samples that fully comply with the mathematical model of the method. Also, the algorithm includes several new features in comparison with previously proposed CF algorithms. In particular, it removes limits on the optical thickness of spectral lines that are used for the construction of the Saha-Boltzmann plot; it retrieves the absorption path length (Plasma diameter) directly from spectral lines; it uses the more realistic Voigt line profile function instead of the Lorentzian function; and it employs the pre-calculated and tabulated thin-to-thick line ratios instead of approximating functions for selfabsorption correction.
An improved algorithm for calibration-free laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (CF LIBS) is presented which includes several novel features in comparison with previously proposed similar algorithms. In particular, it allows using spectral lines with arbitrary optical thickness for the construction of Saha-Boltzmann plots, retrieves the absorption path length (plasma diameter) directly from a spectrum, replaces the Lorentzian line profile function by the Voigt function, and allows for self-absorption correction using pre-calculated and tabulated data rather than approximating functions. The tabulated data embody the solutions of the radiative transfer equation for numerous combinations of optical thicknesses and line widths. The algorithm is thoroughly verified with synthetic spectra.
Laser-induced plasmas are widely used in many areas of science and technology; examples include spectrochemical analysis, thin film deposition, material processing, and even jet propulsion. Several topics will be addressed. First, general phenomenology of laser-induced plasmas will be discussed. Then, a chemical model will be presented based on a coupled solution of Navier-Stokes, state, radiative transfer, material transport, and chemical (Guldberg-Waage) equations. Results of computer simulations for several chemical systems will be shown and compared to experimental observations obtained by optical imaging, spectroscopy, and tomography. The latter diagnostic tools will also be briefly discussed. Finally, a prospective application of laser-induced plasma and plasma modeling will be illustrated on the example of calibration-free MC LIBS (Monte Carlo Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy), in which concentrations of elements in materials are found by fitting model-generated and experimental spectra.
In respect of an efficient cultivation of agricultural cropland, a site-specific fertility management is necessary. Therefore, affordable and extensive mapping methods are needed. The research projects I4S (intelligence for soil) has the goal to develop a system for this purpose. I4S is one of ten interdisciplinary research project associations of the innovation programme called BonaRes, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
The system includes a sensor platform, which contains different sensors, like XRF, VIS-NIR, Gamma and LIBS. The main task of LIBS measurements in this project is the real-time determination of the elemental contents of major and minor nutrients in soils, like calcium, magnesium, potassium. LIBS (laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy) is known as a fast and simultaneous multi-element analysis with little or no sample preparation. The main task of LIBS measurements in this project is the real-time determination of the elemental contents of nutrients in soils, like calcium, magnesium, potassium. For this purpose, a special setup has been designed. The sample uptake operates with the help of a rotatable sample plate which circulates with different velocities to simulate the application on the field. To provide a higher intensity and a better reproducibility of the obtained signal, a double-pulse Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm)was used. In order to minimize dust formation from the soil during the operation of the laser, a dust removal by suction has been integrated. When using relative methods such as LIBS, a suitable calibration curve is needed for absolute quantification. The complex matrix of soils, as well as the influence of moisture and grain size in soils makes the absolute quantification by LIBS challenging. To overcome these influences, chemometric methods were used. With the principal component analysis (PCA) a classification of soils into different soil types was performed and a calibration curve based on partial least squares regression (PLSR) was generated. With this calibration model’s elemental distribution maps for different German agricultural fields were created.
In respect of an efficient cultivation of agricultural cropland, a site-specific fertility management is necessary. Therefore, affordable and extensive mapping methods are needed. For this purpose, the research project I4S (intelligence for soil) has the goal to develop an integrated system. This system includes a sensor platform, which contains different sensors, like XRF, VIS-NIR, Gamma and LIBS.
LIBS (laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy) is known as a fast and simultaneous multi-element analysis with little or no sample preparation. The main task of LIBS measurements in this project is the real time determination of the elemental contents of nutrients in soils, like calcium, magnesium, potassium. For this purpose, a special setup has been designed. The sample uptake operates with the help of a rotatable sample plate which circulates with different velocities to simulate the application on the field. To provide a higher intensity and a better reproducibility of the obtained signal, a double-pulse Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm) was used. In order to minimize dust formation from the soil during the operation of the laser, a dust removal by suction has been integrated.[1] When using relative methods such as LIBS, a suitable calibration curve is needed for absolute quantification. The complex matrix of soils, as well as the influence of moisture and grain size in soils makes the absolute quantification by LIBS challenging. To overcome these influences, chemometric methods were used. With the principal component analysis (PCA) a classification of soils into different soil types was performed and a calibration curve based on partial least squares regression (PLSR) was generated. With this calibration model’s elemental distribution maps for different German agricultural fields were created.
Bestimmung von Makro- und Mikronährstoffen in Böden mittels laserinduzierter Plasmaspektroskopie
(2018)
In respect of an efficient cultivation of agricultural cropland, a site-specific fertility management is necessary. Therefore, affordable and extensive mapping methods are needed. The research projects I4S (intelligence for soil) has the goal to develop a system for this purpose. I4S is one of ten interdisciplinary research project associations of the innovation programme called BonaRes, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
The system includes a sensor platform, which contains different sensors, like XRF, VIS-NIR, Gamma and LIBS. The main task of LIBS measurements in this project is the real-time determination of the elemental contents of major and minor nutrients in soils, like calcium, magnesium, potassium. LIBS (laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy) is known as a fast and simultaneous multi-element analysis with little or no sample preparation. The main task of LIBS measurements in this project is the real-time determination of the elemental contents of nutrients in soils, like calcium, magnesium, potassium. For this purpose, a special setup has been designed. The sample uptake operates with the help of a rotatable sample plate which circulates with different velocities to simulate the application on the field. To provide a higher intensity and a better reproducibility of the obtained signal, a double-pulse Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm) was used. In order to minimize dust formation from the soil during the operation of the laser, a dust removal by suction has been integrated. When using relative methods such as LIBS, a suitable calibration curve is needed for absolute quantification. The complex matrix of soils, as well as the influence of moisture and grain size in soils makes the absolute quantification by LIBS challenging. To overcome these influences, chemometric methods were used. With the principal component analysis (PCA) a classification of soils into different soil types was performed and a calibration curve based on partial least squares regression (PLSR) was generated. With this calibration model’s elemental distribution maps for different German agricultural fields were created.
A novel technique based on laser induced plasma imaging is proposed to measure residual pressure in sealed containers with transparent walls, e.g. high voltage vacuum interrupter in this paper. The images of plasma plumes induced on a copper target at pressure of ambient air between 10−2Pa and 105Pa were acquired at delay times of 200ns, 400ns, 600ns and 800ns. All the plasma images at specific pressures and delay times showed a good repeatability. It was found that ambient gas pressure significantly affects plasma shape, plasma integral intensities and expansion dynamics. A subsection characteristic method was proposed to extract pressure values from plasma images. The method employed three metrics for identification of high, intermediate and low pressures: the distance between the target and plume center, the integral intensity of the plume, and the lateral size of the plume, correspondingly. The accuracy of the method was estimated to be within 15% of nominal values in the entire pressure range between 10−2Pa and 105Pa. The pressure values can be easily extracted from plasma images in the whole pressure range, thus making laser induced plasma imaging a promising technique for gauge-free pressure detection.
Analyse des Tausalzeintrages in Fahrbahndeckenbetone im Kontext der Alkali-Kieselsäure-Reaktion
(2018)
In den letzten Jahren sind im deutschen Bundesautobahnnetz (BAB-Netz) vermehrt AKR-Schäden an Betonfahrbahndecken aufgetreten, die zum Teil zu einer Halbierung ihrer geplanten Nutzungsdauer von 30 Jahren führte. Ursächlich hierfür ist die Verwendung alkaliempfindlicher Gesteinskörnung, die bei gleichzeitiger Anwesenheit von Wasser infolge der Exposition der Fahrbahndecke und dem alkalischen Milieu durch den Einsatz alkalireicher Portlandzemente bei der Betonherstellung zu einer Alkali-Kieselsäure-Reaktion (AKR) führt. Zusätzlich wird der AKR-Schädigungsprozess in Betonfahrbahndecken durch den externen Tausalzeintrag (primär NaCl) im Winter begünstigt. Vor diesem Hintergrund kommt der Ermittlung des Tausalzeintrags in den Fahrbahndeckenbeton eine große Bedeutung zu. Die Analyse des Tausalzeintrags erfolgte bisher ausschließlich nasschemisch an gemahlenen Bohrkernsegmenten. Nachteilig ist hierbei die fehlende differenzierte Betrachtung des Natriumgehaltes im Zementstein und in der Gesteinskörnung. Der alternative Einsatz von LIBS (Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy) eröffnet in diesem Kontext neue Möglichkeiten. So wird in diesem Beitrag an Hand von Bohrkernen aus einem AKR-geschädigten BAB-Abschnitt exemplarisch die Vorgehensweise bei der LIBS-Analyse zur Ermittlung der Na- und interagierenden Cl-Verteilung an vertikalen Schnittflächen des Bohrkerns aufgezeigt. Da der Tausalzeintrag primär über den Zementstein erfolgt, wurde der verfälschende Na-Grundgehalt der Gesteinskörnung mittels Zementsteinkriteriums (Nutzung unterschiedlichen Ca-Gehalts in Zementstein und Gesteinskörnung) eliminiert. Vergleichend durchgeführte Cl-Mappings mit Mikroröntgenfluoreszenzanalyse (MRFA) belegen die Güte der durchgeführten LIBS-Messungen.
Aber auch bei der Verifizierung der Übertragbarkeit der Ergebnisse der zum Ausschluss reaktiver Gesteinskörnung bei Neubau und Erneuerung im BAB-Netz eingesetzten Performanceprüfungen mit externem Alkalieintrag auf Praxisverhältnisse hat sich das LIBSVerfahren bewährt. So wurde festgestellt, dass die mit NaCl-Lösung beaufschlagten Laborprüfkörper aus einem repräsentativen Fahrbahndeckenbeton bei der Klimawechsellagerung (KWL) über ihre gesamte Höhe von 10 cm einen Eintrag von Na und Cl erfahren. Weiterhin konnte im Gegensatz zu bisherigen Annahmen erstmals mit LIBS und Nasschemie gezeigt werden, dass die Frost-Tauwechsel-Phase bei der KWL zu keinem erhöhten Tausalzeintrag führt.
Data processing in the calibration-free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is usually based on the solution of the radiative transfer equation along a particular line of sight through a plasma plume. The LIBS data processing is generalized to the case when the spectral data are collected from large portions of the plume. It is shown that by adjusting the optical depth and width of the lines the spectra obtained by collecting light from an entire spherical homogeneous plasma plume can be least-square fitted to a spectrum obtained by collecting the radiation just along a plume diameter with a relative error of 10 −11 or smaller (for the optical depth not exceeding 0.3) so that a mismatch of geometries of data processing and data collection cannot be detected by fitting. Despite the existence of such a perfect least-square fit, the errors in the line optical depth and width found by a data processing with an inappropriate geometry can be large. It is shown with analytic and numerical examples that the corresponding relative errors in the found elemental number densities and concentrations may be as high as 50% and 20%, respectively. Safe for a few found exceptions, these errors are impossible to eliminate from LIBS data processing unless a proper solution of the radiative transfer equation corresponding to the ray tracing in the spectral data collection is used.
The determination of chloride is still one of the main tasks for the evaluation of reinforced concrete structures.
The corrosion of the reinforcement induced by the penetrating chlorides is the dominant damage process affecting the lifetime of concrete structures. In the recent years different research groups demonstrated that LIBS can be a fast and reliable method to quantify chlorine in cement-bound materials. Because chlorine in concrete can only occur as solved ions in the pore solution or bound in salts or hydrated cement phases, the detected emission of chlorine can be correlated with the chloride concentration determined e.g. with potentiometric titration. This work inter alia describes the production of reference samples and possible side effects during the production process. Due to transport processes in the porous matrix of the cement a misinterpretation of the concentrations is possible. It is shown how to overcome these effects and higher precisions of the single measurements can be realised. Using the calibration method, blank sample method and noise method, three different ways of calculating the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) are compared. Due to the preparation of the reference samples a precision of the whole calibration model of sx0 = 0.023 wt% is determined.
The validation of the model is based on different test sets, which are varying in their composition
(different Cl-salts, water-to-cement ratios and additives). The determined mean error of the validation is
0.595 ± 0.063 wt%, which is comparable to standardised methods like potentiometric titration, direct potentiometry
or photometry (0.40 ± 0.06 wt%) [1].
This paper will address the relevance of chloride measurements in practice for durability condition assessment and a description of the working principle of LIBS will be given. Examples of chloride profiles obtained by the common wet chemical analysis will be shown and compared with results from LIBS measurements as to demonstrate the accuracy of the LIBS-technique. The latter will be supported by clear graphs. In addition examples on the extra information resulting from measurements performed with LIBS for improvement of condition assessment and prediction will be shown.
The relevance of chloride measurements in practice for durability condition assessment and a description of the working principle of LIBS will be given. A comparison of chloride profiles obtained by the common wet chemical analysis and results from LIBS measurements are shown to demonstrate the accuracy of the LIBS-technique. In addition, an example on the extra information resulting from measurements performed with LIBS for improvement of condition assessment and prediction will be shown.
Concrete is often used in combination with steel as reinforced concrete. Environmental influences, especially the ingress of harmful ions in combination with the ingress of water, trigger different damage processes which reduce the designed lifetime of a structure. The ingress of chlorides from de-icing salt or sea water leads to corrosion of the reinforcement. Also the carbonation of the concrete may trigger the corrosion of the reinforcement. The ingress of alkalis from de-icing salts may cause the expansion of the amorphous silica aggregates (alkali-silica reaction) through formation of a swelling gel of calcium silicate hydrate if water is present. The ingress of sulfates may cause spalling of the concrete surface due to ettringite formation.
BAM has developed the LIBS technique for automated laboratory use with high numbers of samples to investigate transport processes of harmful species (Cl-, CO2, SO42- and alkalis) in concrete. Information about ingress depth and the quantitative values are important to estimate the remaining lifetime of the infrastructure. To get information about the ingress depth, a core has to be taken and cut in the middle. The measurements are carried out at the cross section. The main advantages of LIBS are the direct measurement on the surface of the concrete, fast analysis (sample rate 100 Hz) with a spatial resolution of up to 100 µm, the consideration of the heterogeneity of the concrete. The possibility of automated measurements saves a lot of manpower and time. At the same time a 2D-evaluation provides information about hot spots of elemental concentration which may not be found by standard methods.
Typical results of 2D investigation of concrete in laboratory will be presented. The performance is also demonstrated by examples for onsite applications using a mobile LIBS system. The road map to standardization is presented as well.
Die „Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy“ (LIBS) bietet die Möglichkeit, direkt auf der optisch zugänglichen Oberfläche von Baustoffen 2-dimensional die Elementverteilung zu erfassen. Durch das zugrundeliegende Prinzip sind alle Elemente des Periodensystems detektierbar, auch leichte Elemente wie Wasserstoff oder Lithium.
Einerseits können alle für die Zusammensetzung des Zementes und der Gesteinskörnung relevanten Elemente erfasst werden, andererseits auch die für Schädigungsprozesse in Beton wichtigen Elemente Chlor, Schwefel, Natrium, Kalium, Kohlenstoff und Stickstoff. Der Nachweis kann simultan erfolgen.
Der Vorteil des Verfahrens liegt in der einfachen Probenvorbereitung, der direkten Messung auf der Oberfläche des Festkörpers und der Schnelligkeit der Messung. Die Heterogenität von Beton wird im Ergebnis berücksichtigt. Die Konzentrationen von schädigenden Ionen lassen sich bezogen auf den Bindemittelgehalt angeben. LIBS liefert standardmäßig qualitative Werte. Durch Kalibrierung anhand von Referenzproben ist eine Quantifizierung der Ergebnisse möglich.
Das Potenzial des Verfahrens wird am Beispiel der Bestimmung der Chlorid-Verteilung in der Bindemittelmatrix vorgestellt. Andere Anwendungen sind die Bestimmung der Karbonatisierungstiefe, die Bestimmung des Eintrages von Alkalien oder die Bestimmung der Verteilung von Schwefel.
Das Verfahren kann im Labor zur Untersuchung einer großen Anzahl von Proben oder vor-Ort zur schnellen Entscheidungsfindung eingesetzt werden. Kommerzielle Geräte sind seit kurzem verfügbar.
Die örtliche Auflösung der Messung beträgt bis zu 0,1 mm × 0,1 mm. Ein Messpunkt hat einen Durchmesser von ca. 100 μm. Die Messfrequenz liegt bei 100 Hz. Als Ergebnis entstehen für jedes Element eine 2D-Darstellungen der Konzentration über der Messfläche.
Der Scan eines Bohrkerns von 50 mm x 70 mm dauert bei einer Auflösung von 0,5 mm lateral und 1 mm vertikal ca. 7 min. Es können auch raue oder gebrochene Oberflächen durch Nachführung der z-Achse untersucht werden. Die Nachweisgrenze für die Bestimmung des Chlorgehaltes bezogen auf den Bindemittelgehalt liegt bei 0,03 M-%.
Der Unterausschuss LIBS im Bauwesen im FA ZfP im Bauwesen der DGZfP arbeitet an der Erstellung von Merkblättern und Regelwerken zur Anwendung des Verfahrens.
For the determination of the remaining life-time and the degree of damage of reinforced concrete structures such as marine construction, bridges or parking decks, a highly precise measurement of harmful species is also required for trace elements. One of the most interesting elements is chlorine, because above a certain threshold corrosion is triggered. To increase the intensity of the chlorine line, helium is usually used, which is costly. To overcome this problem, low electrical discharge reheating is used which operates in air atmosphere. A comparison between results obtained by measuring with helium and reheating by electrical discharge is presented. The performance is compared by the resulting calibration curves and the calculated limit of detection obtained by 15 reference samples based on cement with NaCl. Concentrations of reference samples range from 0.05 to 2.5 wt% chlorine.
In civil engineering, the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy has been applied as a fast and reliable method for a quantitative evaluation of concrete cores. Due to a two-dimensional scanning, the heterogeneity of concrete can be evaluated and elements like Cl, Na, and S are related to the cement matrix only. This study deals with the temporal evaluation and imaging of laser-induced plasmas on cement-based materials, in order to investigate the impact of aggregates with diffrent grain size on the spectral response in LIBS.
The Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is an useful analytical technique for the chlorine detection in building materials, specifically in the reinforcement concrete. If chlorine exceeds a specific concentration threshold, the result can be pitting corrosion of the reinforcement, which affects the stability and lifetime of building structures like marine constructions, bridges or parking decks. The critical chlorine content based to cement is 0.4 wt.-% based to the cement for reinforced concrete. The ingress of chlorides from sea water or de-icing salt leads to corrosion of the reinforcement.
The chlorine spectral line Cl I at 837.59 nm shows a good performance in helium atmosphere. For measurements without helium we used a electric discharge setup to reheat the Laser-induced plasma with a voltage below 100 V. In this case the reheating shows an increasing chlorine emission in air atmosphere.
This work shows chlorine calibration curves with LIBS in a helium flow and LIBS with electric discharge reheating in air atmosphere. The determination of the limit of detection (LOD) for both setups and the measurement results of a drill core sample with a quantitative chlorine ingress profile will be presented.
An improved algorithm for calibration-free laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (CF LIBS) will be presented which includes several novel features in comparison with previously proposed similar algorithms. In particular, it allows using spectral lines with arbitrary optical thickness for the construction of Saha-Boltzmann plots, retrieves the absorption path length (plasma diameter) directly from a spectrum, replaces the Lorentzian line profile function by the Voigt function, and allows for self-absorption correction using pre-calculated and tabulated data rather than approximating functions. The tabulated data embody the solutions of the radiative transfer equation for numerous combinations of optical thicknesses and line widths. The algorithm is thoroughly verified using synthetic spectra.
Two calibration-free (CF) LIBS approaches are used for the quantitative analysis of cement samples: the CF-LIBS based on the Boltzmann plot method and the Monte Carlo (MC) LIBS based on the iterative spectrum fitting. In CF-LIBS, the inverse problem is solved, i.e. the elemental concentrations are determined by the reconstruction of plasma parameters from spectra. The MC-LIBS technique solves the direct problem by finding the highest correlation between the model-generated and experimental spectrum. The accuracy of both calibration-free LIBS methods suffers from factors such as inaccurately determined instrumental function, the deviation of experimental plasma from the mathematical model used, not taking into account the collection geometry, and from the uncertainty of spectroscopic data. The both calibration-free LIBS approaches are first applied to synthetic spectra which perfectly suit the mathematical model of the method, i.e. the model of the uniform, isothermal, and stationary plasma. This test yields the accuracy of both the approaches for the ideal case. In addition, the accuracy of both the methods is investigated for non-uniform and non-isothermal plasma, because real laser-induced plasma often has high gradients in temperature and particle number densities. Finally, both calibration-free LIBS approaches are applied to experimental spectra obtained from cement samples. The figures of merits of two approaches are compared when working with both synthetic and experimental spectra.
A big part of the infrastructure is made of concrete, which is a multiphase system made of cement, aggregates, water and pores. Concrete is often used in combination with steel as reinforced concrete. Environmental influences, especially the ingress of harmful ions in combination with the ingress of water, trigger different damage processes which reduce the designed lifetime of a structure. The ingress of chlorides from de-icing salt or sea water leads to corrosion of the reinforcement. In addition, the carbonation of the concrete may trigger the corrosion of the reinforcement. The ingress of alkalis from deicing salts may cause the expansion of the amorphous silica aggregates (alkali-silica reaction) through
formation of a swelling gel of calcium silicate hydrate if water is present. The ingress of sulphates may cause spalling of the concrete surface due to ettringite formation.
For the standard procedure in civil engineering cores are taken, cut in slices, grinded and the obtained homogenized powder is solved in acid and investigated by standard procedures.
BAM has developed the LIBS technique for the 2D evaluation of the chemical composition of concrete. The technique is established for automated laboratory use with high numbers of samples to investigate transport processes of harmful species (Cl-, CO2 , SO4 2-and alkalis) in concrete. Information about ingress depth and the quantitative values are important to estimate the remaining lifetime of the infrastructure. LIBS is a surface technique. To get information about the ingress depth, a drill core has to be taken and cut in the middle. The measurements are carried out at the cross section. The main advantages of LIBS are the direct measurement on the surface of the concrete, fast analysis (sample rate 100 Hz) with a spatial resolution of up to 100 µm, the consideration of the heterogeneity of the concrete and the possibility of automated measurements which save a lot of manpower and time. As an example the investigation of ingress profiles for standard diffusion and migration tests in civil engineering takes hours in comparison to just a few minutes using LIBS. At the same time a 2D-evaluation provides information about hot spots of elemental concentration which may not be found by standard methods.
The state of the art of LIBS technique for applications in civil engineering will be presented, including typical results of 2D investigation of concrete in laboratory. The performance is also demonstrated by examples for onsite applications using a mobile LIBS system. The road map to standardization is presented as well.
In den letzten Jahren sind im deutschen Bundesautobahnnetz vermehrt AKR-Schäden an Betonfahrbahndecken aufgetreten. Ursächlich hierfür ist die Verwendung alkaliempfindlicher Gesteinskörnung. Dies führt bei gleichzeitiger Anwesenheit von Wasser infolge der Exposition der Fahrbahndecke und des alkalischen Milieus durch den Einsatz alkalireicher Portlandzemente bei der Betonherstellung zu einer Alkali-Kieselsäure-Reaktion (AKR). Zusätzlich wird der AKR-Schädigungsprozess in Betonfahrbahndecken durch den externen Tausalzeintrag (primär NaCl) im Winter begünstigt. Vor diesem Hintergrund kommt der Ermittlung des Tausalzeintrags in den Fahrbahndeckenbeton eine große Bedeutung zu.
Die Analyse des Tausalzeintrags erfolgte bisher ausschließlich nasschemisch an gemahlenen Bohrkernsegmenten. Nachteilig sind hierbei der relativ hohe prüftechnische Aufwand und die eingeschränkte Ortsauflösung. Der alternative Einsatz von LIBS (Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy) eröffnet in diesem Kontext neue Möglichkeiten. So wird in diesem Beitrag anhand von Bohrkernen aus einem repräsentativen AKR-geschädigten BAB-Abschnitt exemplarisch die Vorgehensweise bei der LIBS-Analyse zur Ermittlung der Na- und Cl-Verteilung an vertikalen Schnittflächen von Bohrkernen aufgezeigt. Da der Tausalzeintrag primär über den Zementstein erfolgt, wurde der verfälschende Na-Grundgehalt der Gesteinskörnung mittels eines Ausschlusskriteriums (Ca-Gehalt) eliminiert. Vergleichend durchgeführte Cl-Mappings mit Mikroröntgenfluoreszenzanalyse sowie nasschemische Analysen belegen die Güte der durchgeführten LIBS-Messungen. Allerdings bedarf es bei der quantitativen Ermittlung des Natriumgehaltes in der Betonfahrbahndecke noch weitergehender Untersuchungen.
Die vorstehend dargestellten Untersuchungen lassen sich wie folgt zusammenfassen:
• Mit dem für die mechanische Vorschädigung entwickelten Versuchsstand und gewählten Prüfregime können die für die ermüdungsinduzierte Schadensevolution typische stabilisierende und stabile Phase in der auf Zug beanspruchten Betonrandzone gut abgebildet werden. So wurde dort zum Beispiel, ausgehend von dem hier gewählten praxisnahen Belastungsregime, mit Ultraschall in der Ruhephase durch das Trockenschwingen ein maximaler Abfall des relativen dynamischen E-Moduls von ca. 8 - 10 % ermittelt.
• Mit aufbauenden kapillaren Aufsaugversuchen wurde gezeigt, dass die erzeugte Betondegradation zu einer moderaten Erhöhung der Aufnahme des Prüfmediums führt.
• Zur Bewertung der Auswirkungen einer alleinigen Vorschädigung (Trockenschwingen) auf die schädigende AKR mittels Performance-Prüfung ist die Klimawechsellagerung aufgrund der einseitigen Tausalzbeaufschlagung am besten geeignet. Die hier ermittelten Dehnungsverläufe lassen auf einen moderaten Einfluss der mechanischen Vorschädigung auf die AKR schließen.
• Die zusätzlich im Kontext der Nasschwingversuche durchgeführten 60°C Betonversuche zeigen, dass die zyklische Beanspruchung vor und nach dem Aufbringen der Tausalzlösung die schädigende AKR gleichfalls moderat erhöht.
In derzeit laufenden ergänzenden Untersuchungen wird der separate Einfluss der ermüdungsinduzierten Rissbildung auf die schädigende AKR an homogen, stärker geschädigten Prüfkörpern mit einem hohen inneren AKR-Schädigungspotenzial im 60°C Betonversuch grundhaft analysiert. Zusätzlich wird gegenwärtig der Einfluss der degradierten Betonrandzone auf die Dehnungsverteilung an großformatigen Prüfkörpern
über die Höhe im 40°C Betonversuch vertiefend für die makroskopische Modellierung untersucht.
Laser induced plasma (LIP) is a highly dynamic, short living event which presents significant difficulty for both diagnostics and modeling. The former requires precise spatially- and time-resolved measurements on a micron-nanosecond scale while the latter needs numerous descriptive parameters; many of them can only be obtained from experiment. Diagnostics and modeling should always complement each other for obtaining a truthful picture of LIP.
In this presentation, a newly developed collisional-dominated model will be presented. The model is based on the coupled Navier-Stokes, state, radiative transfer, material transport, and chemical equations. The model incorporates plasma chemistry through the equilibrium approach that relies on atomic and molecular partition functions. Several chemical systems are modeled including Si-C-Cl-N and B-H-Cl systems.
The model is used to study the equilibrium states of the systems as functions of the concentrations of plasma species and plasma temperature. The model also predicts the evolution of number densities of atomic and molecular species in the expanding plasma plume.
The equation of state for plasmas containing negative and positive ions of elements and molecules formed by these elements is modeled under the assumption that all ionization processes and chemical reactions are at local thermal equilibrium and the Coulomb interaction in the plasma is described by the Debye–Hückel theory. The hierarchy problem for constants of molecular reactions is resolved by using three different algorithms for high, medium, and low temperatures: the contraction principle, the Newton–Raphson method, and a scaled Newton–Raphson method, respectively. These algorithms are shown to have overlapping temperature ranges in which they are stable. The latter allows one to use the developed method for calculating the equation of state in combination with numerical solvers of Navier–Stokes equations to simulate laser-induced Plasmas initiated in an atmosphere and to study formation of molecules and their ions in such plasmas. The method is applicable to a general chemical network. It is illustrated with examples of Ca–Cl and C–Si–N laser-induced plasmas.
Die vorstehend dargestellten Untersuchungen lassen sich wie folgt zusammenfassen:
• Mit dem für die mechanische Vorschädigung entwickelten Versuchsstand und
gewählten Prüfregime können die für die ermüdungsinduzierte Schadensevolution
typische stabilisierende und stabile Phase in der auf Zug beanspruchten
Betonrandzone gut abgebildet werden. So wurde dort zum Beispiel, ausgehend
von dem hier gewählten praxisnahen Belastungsregime, mit Ultraschall in der
Ruhephase durch das Trockenschwingen ein maximaler Abfall des relativen
dynamischen E-Moduls von ca. 8 - 10 % ermittelt.
• Mit aufbauenden kapillaren Aufsaugversuchen wurde gezeigt, dass die erzeugte
Betondegradation zu einer moderaten Erhöhung der Aufnahme des Prüfmediums
führt.
• Zur Bewertung der Auswirkungen einer alleinigen Vorschädigung (Trockenschwingen)
auf die schädigende AKR mittels Performance-Prüfung ist die Klimawechsellagerung
aufgrund der einseitigen Tausalzbeaufschlagung am besten
geeignet. Die hier ermittelten Dehnungsverläufe lassen auf einen moderaten
Einfluss der mechanischen Vorschädigung auf die AKR schließen.
• Die zusätzlich im Kontext der Nasschwingversuche durchgeführten 60°C Betonversuche
zeigen, dass die zyklische Beanspruchung vor und nach dem Aufbringen
der Tausalzlösung die schädigende AKR gleichfalls moderat erhöht.
In derzeit laufenden ergänzenden Untersuchungen wird der separate Einfluss der ermüdungsinduzierten
Rissbildung auf die schädigende AKR an homogen, stärker geschädigten
Prüfkörpern mit einem hohen inneren AKR-Schädigungspotenzial im 60°C
Betonversuch grundhaft analysiert. Zusätzlich wird gegenwärtig der Einfluss der degradierten
Betonrandzone auf die Dehnungsverteilung an großformatigen Prüfkörpern
über die Höhe im 40°C Betonversuch vertiefend für die makroskopische Modellierung
untersucht.
Two calibration-free LIBS techniques are used for the quantitative analysis of synthetic cement samples: the CF-LIBS based on the Boltzmann plot method and the Monte Carlo (MC) LIBS based on the iterative spectrum fitting. In CF-LIBS, the inverse problem is solved, i.e. the elemental concentrations are determined by the reconstruction of plasma parameters from spectra. The MC-LIBS technique solves the direct problem by finding the highest correlation between the model-generated and experimental spectrum. The accuracy of both calibration-free LIBS methods suffers from factors such as inaccurately determined instrumental function, the deviation of experimental plasma from the mathematical model used, not taking into account the collection geometry and from the uncertainty of spectroscopic data. Therefore, the both calibration-free LIBS approaches are applied to synthetic spectra which perfectly suit the mathematical model of the method. This test yields the accuracy of both the approaches for the ideal case. In addition, the accuracy of both methods is investigated for non-isothermal plasma, because real laser-induced plasma often has high gradients in temperature. Both methods assume an isothermal plasma.
Die Laserinduzierte Plasmaspektroskopie (engl.: Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, kurz: LIBS) ist eine Kombination aus Laserablation mittels eines energiereichen Laser-Pulses, der Erzeugung eines Plasmas auf der zu untersuchenden Oberfläche und dem quantitativen Nachweis der Elementzusammensetzung durch spektroskopische Untersuchung der vom Plasma emittierten Strahlung. Ein LIBS-Gerät liefert dem sachkundigen Planer Daten für die Bewertung des Ist-Zustandes von Bauwerken unserer Infrastruktur durch die zweidimensionale Erfassung von Elementverteilungen. Typische Anwendungen sind die Erfassung von Chlor, Schwefel, Kohlenstoff, Natrium, Kalium und Lithium in Beton oder als – Qualitätssicherung – der Nachweis der mit einem Marker versehenen Tiefenhydrophobierung.
In Zusammenarbeit zwischen Industriepartnern und der BAM wurden ein Labor und ein mobiles LIBS-System für die Vor-Ort-Messungen entwickelt. Die Analyse erfolgt vollautomatisch. Die Ortsauflösung beträgt bis zu 0,1 mm x 0,1 mm. Es können Messflächen von 140 mm x 170 mm gescannt werden. Die Erstellung von 2D-Elementverteilungen im Beispiel unten benötigt weniger als 10 Minuten.
Die Laserinduzierte Plasmaspektroskopie (engl.: Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, kurz: LIBS) ist eine Kombination aus Laserablation mittels eines energiereichen Laser-Pulses, der Erzeugung eines Plasmas auf der zu untersuchenden Oberfläche und dem quantitativen Nachweis der Elementzusammensetzung durch spektroskopische Untersuchung der vom Plasma emittierten Strahlung. Ein LIBS-Gerät liefert dem sachkundigen Planer Daten für die Bewertung des Ist-Zustandes von Bauwerken unserer Infrastruktur durch die zweidimensionale Erfassung von Elementverteilungen. Typische Anwendungen sind die Erfassung von Chlor, Schwefel, Kohlenstoff, Natrium, Kalium und Lithium in Beton oder als – Qualitätssicherung – der Nachweis der mit einem Marker versehenen Tiefenhydrophobierung.
In Zusammenarbeit zwischen Industriepartnern und der BAM wurden ein Labor und ein mobiles LIBS-System für die Vor-Ort-Messungen entwickelt. Die Analyse erfolgt vollautomatisch. Die Ortsauflösung beträgt bis zu 0,1 mm x 0,1 mm. Es können Messflächen von 140 mm x 170 mm gescannt werden. Die Erstellung von 2D-Elementverteilungen im Beispiel unten benötigt weniger als 10 Minuten.
The majority of the built infrastructure is made of concrete, which is a multiphase system made of cement, aggregates, water and pores. Concrete is often used in combination with steel as reinforced concrete. Environmental influences, especially the ingress of harmful ions in combination with the ingress of water, trigger different damage processes which reduce the designed lifetime of a structure. The ingress of chlorides from de-icing salt or sea water leads to corrosion of the reinforcement. Also the carbonation of the concrete may trigger the corrosion of the reinforcement. The ingress of alkalis from de-icing salts may cause the expansion of the amorphous silica aggregates (alkali-silica reaction) through formation of a swelling gel of calcium silicate hydrate if water is present. The ingress of sulfates may cause spalling of the concrete surface due to ettringite formation.
For the standard procedure in civil engineering cores are taken, cut in slices, grinded and the obtained homogenized powder is solved in acid and investigated by standard procedures.
BAM has developed the LIBS technique for the 2D evaluation of the chemical composition of concrete [1-11]. The technique is established for automated laboratory use with high numbers of samples to investigate transport processes of harmful species (Cl-, CO2, SO42- and alkalis) in concrete. Information about ingress depth and the quantitative values are important to estimate the remaining lifetime of the infrastructure. LIBS is a surface technique. To get information about the ingress depth, a core has to be taken and cut in the middle. The measurements are carried out at the cross section. The main advantages of LIBS are the direct measurement on the surface of the concrete, fast analysis (sample rate 100 Hz) with a spatial resolution of up to 100 µm, the consideration of the heterogeneity of the concrete and the possibility of automated measurements which save a lot of manpower and time. As an example the investigation of ingress profiles for standard diffusion and migration tests in civil engineering takes hours in comparison to just a few minutes using LIBS. At the same time a 2D-evaluation provides information about hot spots of elemental concentration which may not be found by standard methods.
Ingress of chlorides due to a crack in a repair mortar. Left: Photo of the cross section of a concrete core and the surface investigated by LIBS (area 70 mm x 70 mm). Right: Color coded chlorine intensity on the cross section of a concrete core, dark red represents high chlorine content.
The state of the art of LIBS technique for applications in civil engineering will be presented, including typical results of 2D investigation of concrete in laboratory. The performance is also demonstrated by examples for onsite applications using a mobile LIBS system. The road map to standardization is presented as well.
Detection of ion ingress by LIBS for Evaluation of the remaining lifetime of a concrete structure
(2018)
The majority of the built infrastructure is made of concrete, which is a multiphase system made of cement, aggregates, water and pores. Concrete is often used in combination with steel as reinforced concrete. Environmental influences, especially the ingress of harmful ions in combination with the ingress of water, trigger different damage processes which reduce the designed lifetime of a structure. The ingress of chlorides from de-icing salt or sea water leads to corrosion of the reinforcement. Also the carbonation of the concrete may trigger the corrosion of the reinforcement. The ingress of alkalis from de-icing salts may cause the expansion of the amorphous silica aggregates (alkali-silica reaction) through formation of a swelling gel of calcium silicate hydrate if water is present. The ingress of sulfates may cause spalling of the concrete surface due to ettringite formation.
For the standard procedure in civil engineering cores are taken, cut in slices, grinded and the obtained homogenized powder is solved in acid and investigated by standard procedures.
BAM has developed the LIBS technique for the 2D evaluation of the chemical composition of concrete [1-11]. The technique is established for automated laboratory use with high numbers of samples to investigate transport processes of harmful species (Cl-, CO2, SO42- and alkalis) in concrete. Information about ingress depth and the quantitative values are important to estimate the remaining lifetime of the infrastructure. LIBS is a surface technique. To get information about the ingress depth, a core has to be taken and cut in the middle. The measurements are carried out at the cross section. The main advantages of LIBS are the direct measurement on the surface of the concrete, fast analysis (sample rate 100 Hz) with a spatial resolution of up to 100 µm, the consideration of the heterogeneity of the concrete and the possibility of automated measurements which save a lot of manpower and time. As an example the investigation of ingress profiles for standard diffusion and migration tests in civil engineering takes hours in comparison to just a few minutes using LIBS. At the same time a 2D-evaluation provides information about hot spots of elemental concentration which may not be found by standard methods.
Ingress of chlorides due to a crack in a repair mortar. Left: Photo of the cross section of a concrete core and the surface investigated by LIBS (area 70 mm x 70 mm). Right: Color coded chlorine intensity on the cross section of a concrete core, dark red represents high chlorine content.
The state of the art of LIBS technique for applications in civil engineering will be presented, including typical results of 2D investigation of concrete in laboratory. The performance is also demonstrated by examples for onsite applications using a mobile LIBS system. The road map to standardization is presented as well.
Quantitative on-site analysis of harmful elements in building structures with a mobile LIBS-System
(2018)
Environmental influences and damage processes drastically reduce the durability of concrete and reinforced concrete structures. Much of this damage can be traced back to the penetration of harmful elements into the concrete. These elements cause damage processes such as the chlorine-induced corrosion, the alkali-silica reaction or the carbonization. For the maintenance the knowledge of the element concentration and the penetration depth of these harmful elements is essential. Based on this data, a maintenance concept can be developed and an estimation of the remaining service life-time can be carried out.
Typically, chemical analyzes are used to determine harmful elements in concrete, which are costly and time consuming. As an alternative method LIBS is used. On-site measurements were carried out with a mobile LIBS-System to determine harmful elements in a parking garage. A scanner is used to obtain a two-dimensional element mapping. For the quantitative analysis, a calibration of the system is carried out with 15 reference samples based on cement with NaCl with a concentration range of chlorine of 0.05 to 2.5 wt.%. To determine the penetration profile of the harmful element chlorine, concrete cores were drilled, split and analyzed directly on-site.
The durability and the lifetime of reinforced concrete structures can be drastically reduced by the influence of damage processes. One of the most common causes is chloride-induced corrosion, which is triggered by increased chloride content near the reinforcement. In a study, the chloride content should be determined directly at corrosion areas. The LIBS system used consists of a micro-chip laser (3 mJ, 100 Hz, 1.5ins) and two compact spectrometers covering the wavelength range of 177-355 nm (UV) and 750-940 nm (NIR). The analysis of the chloride content was carried out via the atomic chlorine spectral line 837.59 nm, using helium for signal amplification. Calibrations were carried out for quantitative chlorine measurements with 15 reference samples in the working range of 0.05 to 6.00 wt% chlorine. The calibration of the LIBS system was done according to DIN 32 645 and was tested for linearity. The determination of the quantitative chlorine contents was carried out on samples which were broken and thus have a high surface roughness. This requires real time correction of the focus point to compensate for the roughness of the samples. The poster shows spatially resolved element distributions and determined quantitative chloride concentrations near the corrosion Areas.
Laser-induced plasmas are widely used in many areas of science and technology; examples include spectrochemical analysis, thin film deposition, material processing, and even jet propulsion. Several topics will be addressed. First, general phenomenology of laser-induced plasmas will be discussed. Then, a chemical model will be presented based on a coupled solution of Navier-Stokes, state, radiative transfer, material transport, and chemical (Guldberg-Waage) equations. Results of computer simulations for several chemical systems will be shown and compared to experimental observations obtained by optical imaging, spectroscopy, and tomography. The latter diagnostic tools will also be briefly discussed.
19th and 20th centuries glass paint layers consist of a colour body and a colourless lead silicate flux, in which borax or boric acid was added as further component to improve the paint ability and to reduce the firing temperature for multiple layers of paint. Model glasses were used in laboratory tests to investigate the stability of glass paints with additions of boron oxide. To determine boron in paint layers, a LIBS-system with pulsed NdYAG-laser was used.
In civil engineering, the investigation of existing infrastructure is of major importance for maintaining and ensuring stability of the structures. To ensure durability, uniform regulations and standards apply e.g. the European standard EN 206-1. In some countries, the EN-standard is supplemented by additional standards, as in Germany with DIN 1045-2. Here, specific application rules are described, e.g. for the cement type, to ensure the resistant to different exposures. Therefore, the knowledge of the materials originally used is important in assessing the condition of existing concrete structure. Unfortunately, these are often unknown and must be determined retrospectively. Therefore, we present the application of the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy to distinguish between different types of cement. Spectral information’s are used to build a classification model. First, the accuracy of the classification is analyzed on ten pure laboratory cement samples. To investigate possible sources of error, the model was then applied to cement samples with different moisture content. The study shows that LIBS is a promising tool for distinguishing between cement types. For further industrial application, however, factors influencing the LIBS signal must be included to ensure a robust model.
Es geht auch einfacher
(2019)
Mit laserbasiertem Verfahren Zustand von Betonbauwerken erfassen: Die Laserinduzierte Breakdown Spektroskopie (LIBS) stellt eine Alternative zur nasschemischen Analyse dar, um den Zustand von Betonbauwerken zu erfassen. Bei diesem Verfahren laufen der Analysevorgang und die Auswertung automatisiert ab. Ein Prototyp für die mobile Anwendung auf der Baustelle steht zur Verfügung. So kann auf Knopfdruck ein schriftlicher Bericht erstellt werden, der einen genauen Wert für die Eindringtiefe eines relevanten Elements wie Chlorid ausgibt.
In this paper experimental temperature and density maps of the laser induced plasma in water during Pulsed Laser ablation in Liquid (PLAL) for the production of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) has been determined. A detection system based on the simultaneous acquisition of two emission images at 515 and 410 nm has been constructed and the obtained images have been processed simultaneously by imaging software. The results of the data analysis show a variation of the temperature between 4000 and 7000 K over the plasma volume. Moreover, by the study of the temperature distribution and of the number densities along the plasma expansion axis it is possible to observe the condensation zone of the plasma where NPs can be formed.
Finally, the time associated to the electron processes is estimated and the plasma charging effect on NPs is demonstrated. The set of observations retrieved from these experiments suggests the importance of the plasma phase for the growth of NPs and the necessity of considering the spatial distribution of plasma parameters for the understanding of one of the most important issues of the PLAL process, that is the source of solid material in the plasma phase.
Stimulated emission observed experimentally in aluminum laser induced plasma is modeled via a kinetic approach. The simulated emission at several cascade transitions is created by a pump laser guided through the plasma at several microseconds after its creation and tuned in resonance with the strong transition at 266 nm. A two-dimensional space-time collisional radiative plasma model explains the creation of the population inversion and lasing at wavelengths 2.1 μm and 396.1 nm. The population inversion for lasing at 2.1 μm is created by depopulation of the ground state and population of the upper state via absorption of resonant radiation at 266 nm. The population inversion for lasing at 396.1 nm occurs during the laser pulse via the decay of the population of the pumped upper state to the lasing state via cascade transitions driven optically and by collisions. The model predicts that the population inversion and corresponding gain may reach high values even at moderate pump energies of several μJ per pulse. The efficiency of lasing at 2.1 μm and 396.1 nm is estimated to be on the order of a percent of laser pump energy. The polarization effect that the pump radiation at 266 nm imposes on the stimulated emission at 396.1 nm is discussed. The calculated results are favorably compared to experiment.
An improved algorithm for calibration-free laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (CF LIBS) is presented which includes several novel features in comparison with previously proposed similar algorithms. In particular, it allows using spectral lines with arbitrary optical thickness for the construction of Saha-Boltzmann plots, retrieves the absorption path length (plasma diameter) directly from a spectrum, replaces the Lorentzian line profile function by the Voigt function, and allows for self-absorption correction using pre-calculated and tabulated data rather than approximating functions. The tabulated data embody the solutions of the radiative transfer equation for numerous combinations of optical thicknesses and line widths. The algorithm is used to analyze 100 low alloy steel spectra.
The spatial heterodyne detection principle has a great potential in spectroscopy. It has an optical setup similar to that of a Michelson interferometer, with the mirrors replaced by diffraction gratings positioned at fixed, equal distances from the beamsplitter and are slightly tilted. The resulting interference pattern is recorded by a digital camera and the spectrum is recovered by using Fourier transformation. Although SHS was initially developed for astronomical and satellite-based atmospheric measurements, but in recent years it has been started to be applied in other branches of spectroscopy too. Recently the area of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has also discovered the potential of SHS. The main appeal of SHS detection in LIBS includes the compactness and robustness of the setup (in view of field applications) and the flexibility to optimize the setup for either high sensitivity or for high resolution, which can be benficially exploited in applications like stand-off measurements, quantitative analysis with isotope resolution, etc.
In the present work, we have improved and further optimized our initial LIBS-SHS setup described in a previous conference. By using optical simulations, we have modelled the light transmission efficiency, instrumental function and imaging properties of the system. We significantly improved and automated the spectral and image data processing sequence. The optimizations carried out resulted in an improved spectral resolution and repeatability, a lower spectral background and the elimination of the central line artifact originating from the Fourier transformation procedure. A detailed characterization of the LIBS spectroscopy performance (e.g. resolution, spectral coverage, tuning range, linearity, etc.), including a comparison with that of a LIBS setup based on a conventional dispersion CCD spectrometer was also performed.
The application of a LIBS system is presented. A diode-pumped low energy laser (3 mJ, 1.5 ns, 100 Hz) and a compact NIR spectrometer are used. A scanner allows the two-dimensional element mapping. For the quantitative analysis calibration of the system is carried out with reference samples in a concentration range of chlorine of 0.05 wt.% to 2.5 wt.%. To determine the 2D distribution of harmful elements (Cl, C), concrete cores were drilled, split and analyzed directly. By comparing the chloride ingress and the carbonation, the interaction of both processes can be visualized in one measurement that takes less than 10 minutes with a drill core of 50 mm x 100 mm. Results obtained were compared and verified with standard measurements.
Es wird ein alternatives Verfahren zur schnellen zweidimensionalen Analyse der chemischen Zusammensetzung von Baustoffen vorgestellt. Dieses beruht auf der Kombination des Abtrags einer geringen Materialmenge durch einen gepulsten Laser, der Plasmaerzeugung und der Analyse der Lichtemission des Plasmas mittels optischer Spektroskopie. Es können prinzipiell alle Elemente gleichzeitig nachgewiesen werden. Damit ist es möglich einerseits Informationen über den Baustoff an sich als auch über den Eintrag potentiell schädigender Elemente (z. B. Cl, C, Na, K, S) zu gewinnen. Das Verfahren kann automatisiert im Labor oder als mobile Version direkt vor Ort eingesetzt werden. Es liefert zweidimensionale Bilder der Elementverteilung in Echtzeit. Es kann ohne große Probenvorbereitung z. B. direkt an der Querschnittsfläche eines Bohrkernes gemessen werden. Die Messung dauert nur wenige Minuten. Das Prinzip der Messung, die Vor- und die Nachteile, sowie die verfügbare Gerätetechnik für den Einsatz im Labor oder direkt am Bauwerk werden vorgestellt. Abschließend werden praktische Beispiele für die Anwendung des LIBS-Verfahrens zur Erfassung des Chlorid-Eintrages, der Karbonatisierung und der Verteilung von Schwefel präsentiert.
Es wird ein alternatives Verfahren zur schnellen zweidimensionalen Analyse der chemischen Zusammensetzung von Baustoffen vorgestellt. Dieses beruht auf der Kombination des Abtrags einer geringen Materialmenge durch einen gepulsten Laser, der Plasmaerzeugung und der Analyse der Lichtemission des Plasmas mittels optischer Spektroskopie. Es können prinzipiell alle Elemente gleichzeitig nachgewiesen werden. Damit ist es möglich einerseits Informationen über den Baustoff an sich als auch über den Eintrag potentiell schädigender Elemente (z. B. Cl, C, Na, K, S) zu gewinnen. Das Verfahren kann automatisiert im Labor oder als mobile Version direkt vor Ort eingesetzt werden. Es liefert zweidimensionale Bilder der Elementverteilung in Echtzeit. Es kann ohne große Probenvorbereitung z. B. direkt an der Querschnittsfläche eines Bohrkernes gemessen werden. Die Messung dauert nur wenige Minuten. Das Prinzip der Messung, die Vor- und die Nachteile, sowie die verfügbare Gerätetechnik für den Einsatz im Labor oder direkt am Bauwerk werden vorgestellt. Abschließend werden praktische Beispiele für die Anwendung des LIBS-Verfahrens zur Erfassung des Chlorid-Eintrages, der Karbonatisierung und der Verteilung von Schwefel präsentiert.
Asymmetrical laser-induced plasmas were investigated by a tomography approach based on the inverse Radon transform. Two distinct sources of asymmetricity were investigated: double-pulsed laser-induced plasmas in the orthogonal configuration and single-pulsed laser-induced plasmas under an inclined incidence angle. Both cases were observed at various delay times. The optical thinness of the laser-induced plasmas was achieved by appropriately adjusting the pulse energies. High temporal resolution is achieved by a gated intensified charge-coupled-device camera. The asymmetrical laser-induced plasmas are investigated in terms of their total emissivity, spectrally resolved emissivity, and temperature. The latter is obtained by the Saha–Boltzmann plot method. The images required for the inverse Radon transform technique were obtained with a high angular accuracy and reproducibility provided by mounting the spectrometer on a high-precision nano-positioning rotary stage. The plasmas were induced in the center of rotation of the stage. This arrangement allows the reconstruction of emissivity, which is integrated over a full spectral range (200-800 nm) or over a desired spectral range selected by a bandpass filter (~10 nm). It also allows for the reconstruction of spectrally-resolved emissivity in each cross sectional plasma slice by scanning the plasma across a spectrometer slit. The 3D maps of temperature and electron density are thus obtained for different types of asymmetric plasmas.
The elemental analysis of seawater is often critical to the understanding of marinechemistry, marine geochemistry, and the deep-sea ecosystems. Laser-induced breakdownspectroscopy (LIBS) with the advantage of rapid multi-elements detection, has a greatpotential for in-situ elemental analysis of seawater. In practice, it is crucial to create acompact, low cost and power saving instrument for the long-term deep-sea observation. Arecently appeared diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) laser seems to be a promising candidateas it is both compact and robust. Additionally, its high repetition rate up to hundreds of kHzcan provide a considerable throughput for LIBS analysis. However, the DPSS lasers operateat moderate pulse energies, usually less than one mJ, which cannot sustain stablebreakdowns in bulk water. To ensure stable laser-induced plasmas underwater with such aμJ-DPSS laser, we introduced an ultrasound source to assist the breakdown process. Thephase interface and mass flow generated by the near-field ultrasound can greatly reduce thebreakdown threshold and enhance element-specific emissions. Meanwhile, the highrepetition-rate pulses can also improve the breakdown probability and generate uniqueemission lines originated from the water molecule. We further demonstrate that the highrepetition-rate DPSS laser combined with the Echelle spectrometer can provide effectivequantitative analysis for metal elements in bulk water.
Asymmetrical laser-induced plasmas were investigated by a tomography approach based onthe inverse Radon transform. Two distinct sources of asymmetricity were investigated:double-pulsed laser-induced plasmas in the orthogonal configuration and single-pulsedlaser-induced plasmas under an inclined incidence angle. Both cases were observed atvarious delay times. The optical thinness of the laser-induced plasmas was achieved byappropriately adjusting the pulse energies. High temporal resolution was achieved by agated intensified charge-coupled-device camera. The asymmetrical laser-induced plasmaswere investigated in terms of their total emissivity, spectrally resolved emissivity, andtemperature. The latter was obtained by the Saha–Boltzmann plot method. The imagesrequired for the inverse Radon transform technique were obtained with a high angularaccuracy and reproducibility provided by mounting the spectrometer on a high-precisionnano-positioning rotary stage. The plasmas were induced in the center of rotation of thestage. This arrangement enabled the reconstruction of emissivity which was integrated overthe full spectral range (200–800 nm) or over a desired spectral range selected by a bandpassfilter (~10 nm). It also allowed for the reconstruction of spectrally-resolved emissivity ineach cross-sectional plasma slice by scanning the plasma across a spectrometer slit. The 3Dmaps of the temperature and electron density were thus obtained for different types ofasymmetric plasmas. The work will provide a more detailed description of the twoasymmetrical laser-induced plasmas. This might help with the development of LIBSinstrumentation using the orthogonal double-pulse geometry, or remote LIBS applicationswhich inherently rely on inclined-angle ablation.
The spatial heterodyne spectrometer (SHS) concept, which is based on an interferometricoptical setup, boasts both the Fellgett and Jacquinot advantages. Theoretically it can provideboosted sensitivity and spectral resolution with respect to dispersion spectrometers in acompact, reasonably cheap arrangement without any moving components – this set ofcharacteristics can be attractive to a number of industrial, space and other field applications. The potential of SHS has already been demonstrated in IR and Raman spectroscopies(e.g.), and more recently also in LIBS. The scientific goal of our present project is toapply the SHS concept to the development of an optimized, but practical dual-grating,tunable SH-LIBS setup, which would possess appealing spectroscopic characteristics.During this development, we extensively rely on the computer-based simulation of theoptical setup, which is an efficient approach that we found to have been missing from earlierSHS efforts published. It can provide application-specific optimization of the SHS systemand predict the performance of the final system. In particular, we use optical simulation tostudy the effect of various important parameters on the relevant spectroscopic figures ofmerits of the system. We used the non-sequential ray-tracing mode of the Zemax/OpticStudio software for optical modelling of the SH-LIBS setup (Optical distortions were studiedin sequential mode). Characteristics of the setup and interferograms were calculated with atleast one million rays. All calculations were carried out for the visible spectral range(400-700 nm), using stepwise extension of monochromatic simulations with 5 nm steps.Wherever applicable, characteristic discrete visible wavelengths from the emissionspectrum of Hg discharge lamps (404.7 nm, 435.8 nm, 546.1 nm, 579.0 nm) were used for thecalculation of spectroscopy figures of merit and for the validation of simulation.
A goal of this work is to apply the model, which was initially developed for laser induced plasmas, to plasmas used in chemical reactors, in particular, the inductively-coupled-RF discharge plasma. The model predicts equilibrium chemical compositions of reaction mixtures as functions of plasma temperature and stoichiometry of reactants. The mixtures investigated are BCl3/H2/Ar and BF3/H2/Ar where Ar serves as the plasma-forming gas and H2 as a binding agent which binds the active species Cl and F and Cl- and F-containing intermediates to produce gaseous B and its condensate. An additional goal is to obtain information about intermediate reaction products for different ratios of BCl3/H2 and BF3/H2 and at different temperatures and different Ar flow rates. Also, chemical reactions in laser induced plasmas (LIPs) created on calcium hydrate and calcium carbonate targets in argon are modeled. The results are compared with those obtained by means of the equilibrium model based on the minimization of Gibbs free energy.