Ingenieurwissenschaften und zugeordnete Tätigkeiten
Filtern
Dokumenttyp
- Zeitschriftenartikel (7)
- Vortrag (5)
- Beitrag zu einem Tagungsband (3)
- Posterpräsentation (2)
Sprache
- Englisch (17)
Schlagworte
- Ultrasound (17) (entfernen)
Organisationseinheit der BAM
Eingeladener Vortrag
- nein (5)
Integration of fiber reinforcement in high-performance cementitious materials has become widely applied in many fields of construction. One of the most investigated advantages of steel Fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) is the deceleration of crack growth and hence its improved sustainability.
Additional benefits are associated with its structural properties, as fibers can significantly increase the ductility and the tensile strength of concrete. In some applications it is even possible to entirely replace the conventional reinforcement, leading to significant logistical and environmental benefits.
Fiber reinforcement can, however, have critical disadvantages and even hinder the Performance of concrete, since it can induce an anisotropic material behavior of the mixture if the fibers are not appropriately oriented. For a safe use of SFRC in the future, reliable non-destructive testing (NDT) methods need to be identified to assess the fibers’ orientation in hardened concrete. In this study,
ultrasonic material testing, electrical impedance testing, and X-ray computed tomography have been investigated for this purpose using specially produced samples with biased or random Fiber orientations. We demonstrate the capabilities of each of these NDT techniques for fiber orientation measurements and draw conclusions based on these results about the most promising areas for future research and development.
Ultrasonic guided waves interacting with complex geometrical features are of high interest in the SHM field. For example, investigations into the extent to which a small change in defect geometry affects wave propagation have applications in Probability of Detection and defect reconstruction. These fields have to be supported by numerical tools aiming to retrieve accurate and reliable results and, thus, more realistic modeling.
Due to the short wavelengths of ultrasonic waves and the relatively large domains in which the waves propagate, fine grid resolution for the entire domain is usually not possible due to limited computational resources. One solution is to partition the domain into different subdomains and use a specific, efficient approach for each subdomain.
This contribution shows a combination of methods that aims to study these wave defect interactions in an elastic media. Firstly we introduce high-order 3D meshes that can resolve very fine geometrical details and are based on an Octree discretisation technique that employs special transition shape functions to resolve the hanging nodes that may appear due to the nature of the method. Afterward, the Octree mesh is embedded in a prismatic wave-guide based on the semi-analytical formulation of the SBFEM in 3D. To couple the different domains, we employ the mortar method, which enforces the continuity of the wave field across the internal boundaries of the domains. Examples show the power of the approach especially when it comes to parametric analysis.
The homogeneous introduction of organic additives is a prerequisite for good processability of ceramic powders during dry pressing. The addition of organic additives by wet route via ceramic slurries offers advantages over dry processing. The organic content can be reduced and a more homogeneous distribution of the additives on the particle surface is achieved. In addition to the measurements of zeta potential and viscosity, sedimentation analysis by optical centrifugation was also tested and successfully used to characterize the ceramic slurries and accurately evaluate of the suitability of different types, amounts, and compositions of organic additives.
Spray drying of well-stabilized slurries usually results in mostly hollow granules with a hard shell leading to sintered bodies with defects and reduced strength and density. By purposefully degrading the slurry stability after dispersion of the ceramic powder, the drying behavior of the granules in the spray drying process and thus the granule properties can be influenced. Destabilization of the slurry and thus partial flocculation was quantified by optical centrifugation. Spray drying of the destabilized alumina slurries resulted in "non-hollow" granules without the detrimental hard shell and thus improved granule properties.
Further improvement of the granules was achieved by installing ultrasonic atomization in the spray dryer. A narrower granule size distribution was achieved, which had a positive effect on, among other things, the flowability of the granules.
Specimens produced from this granules had fewer defects of smaller size, leading to better results for the density and strength of the sintered bodies. The observations made for alumina could be transferred to zirconia and as well to ZTA with 20 wt% zirconia.
Dry pressing of ceramic materials requires homogeneously soft granules with good flowability to allow rapid die filling and to avoid packing defects. Spray-drying granulation appears to be the best method for obtaining granules with high flowability in industrial scale. But, strength reducing internal microstructural defects caused by spray-dried granules with hollow and hard shells are often observed using nano and/or multi-component starting powders.
Using the example of a ZTA composite, the potential of slurry optimization, ultrasound atomization and infrared drying for better granule properties and compaction behavior were investigated. Starting granules produced in a conventional spray dryer (Niro, Denmark) with a two fluid nozzle showed typical defects like large central pores and dimples.
The early step of slurry preparation already possesses an essential optimization possibility in the form of stability adjustments. Granule compaction was clearly improved upon a specific reduction in slurry stability. The second optimization opportunity to improve the granule quality was the atomization step. Implementation of an ultrasound atomizing unit into the conventional spray dryer positively affected granule size distribution and therefor flowability and as well granule yield. But, a combination of both process optimizations delivered the best sinter bodies with highest density and strength due to further reduction in maximum size and fraction of pores.
As last step of a spray drying process, the drying is the focus of further investigations. A current setup implying a spray dryer prototype utilizes stacked infrared heater in a countercurrent setup delivering a further increase in granule yield and enduring spraying process stability.
Homogeneous introduction of organic additives is a key of ceramic powder processing. Addition of organics to ceramic slurries holds advantages compared to dry processing like organic content reduction and a more homogeneous additive distribution on the particle surface.
Investigations of the alumina slurries were primarily based on zeta potential measurements and sedimentation analysis by optical centrifugation. Both methods were combined to determine a suitable additive type, amount and composition, whereas the spray drying suitability has been ensured by viscosity measurements. Granules, yielded by spray drying of such ideally dispersed alumina slurries, are mostly hollow and possess a hard shell. Those granules cannot easily be processed and can only hardly be destroyed in the following shaping step, leading to sinter bodies with many defects and poor strength and density.
The precise slurry destabilization, carried out after ideally dispersing the ceramic powder, shows a strong influence on the drying behavior of the granules and hence on the granule properties. A promising degree of destabilization and partial flocculation was quantified by optical centrifugation and resulted in improved granule properties. Spray drying the destabilized alumina slurries yielded homogeneous “non-hollow” granules without the above mentioned hard shell. Sample bodies produced of these granules exhibited a reduction of defect size and number, leading to better results for sinter body density and strength.
The positive effect of the slurry destabilization has been further improved, by exchanging the atomizing unit from a two-fluid one to an ultrasound atomizer with only minor slurry adjustments necessary. The controlled destabilization and ultrasound atomization of the ceramic slurry show excellent transferability for zirconia and even ZTA (zirconia toughened alumina) composite materials.
Carbon fiber composites have been increasingly used in aerospace, military, sports, automotive and other fields due to their excellent properties, including high specific strength, high specific modulus, corrosion resistance, fatigue resistance, and low thermal expansion coefficient. Interlaminar fracture is a serious failure mode leading to a loss in composite stiffness and strength. Iscontinuities formed during manufacturing process degrade the fatigue life and interlaminar fracture resistance of the composite. In his study, three approaches were implemented and their results were correlated to quantify discontinuities effecting static and fatigue interlaminar fracture behavior of carbon fiber composites.
Samples were fabricated by hand layup vacuum bagging manufacturing process under three different vacuum levels, indicated High (-686 mmHg), Moderate (-330 mmHg) and Poor (0 mmHg). Discontinuity content was quantified throughthickness by destructive and nondestructive techniques. Eight different NDE methods were conducted including imaging NDE methods: X-Ray laminography, ultrasonic, high frequency eddy current, pulse thermography, pulse phase thermography and lock-in-thermography, and averaging NDE techniques: X-Ray refraction and thermal conductivity measurements. Samples were subsequently destructively serial sectioned through-thickness into several layers. Both static and fatigue interlaminar fracture behavior under Mode I were conducted. The results of several imaging NDE methods revealed the trend in percentages of discontinuity. However, the results of averaging NDE methods showed a clear correlation since they gave specific values of discontinuity through-thickness. Serial sectioning exposed the composite’s internal structure and provided a very clear idea about the type, shape, size, distribution and location of most discontinuities included. The results of mechanical testing showed that discontinuities lead to a decrease in Mode I static interlaminar fracture toughness and a decrease in Mode I cyclic strain energy release rates fatigue life. Finally, all approaches were correlated: the resulted NDE percentages and parameters were correlated with the features revealed by the destructive test of serial sectioning and static and fatigue values in order to quantify discontinuities such as delamination and voids.
A composite material is a combination of two or more materials with very different mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. The various forms of composite materials, due to their high material properties, are widely used as structural materials in the aviation, space, marine, automobile, and sports industries. However, some defects like voids, delamination, or inhomogeneous fiber distribution that form during the fabricating processes of composites can seriously affect the mechanical properties of the composite material. In this study, several imaging NDE techniques such as: thermography, high frequency eddy current, ultrasonic, x-ray radiography, x-ray laminography, and high resolution x-ray CT were conducted to characterize the microstructure of carbon fiber composites. Then, a 3D analysis was implemented by the destructive technique of serial sectioning for the same sample tested by the NDE methods. To better analyze the results of this work and extract a clear volume image for all features and defects contained in the composite material, an intensive comparison was conducted among hundreds of 3D-NDE and multi serial sections’ scan images showing the microstructure variation.