BAM Dissertationsreihe
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108
Before the development of computational science, heat conduction problems were mainly solved by analytical techniques. Analytical solutions are exact solutions of differential equations; the investigated physical phenomena, for instance the temperature, are solved locally for one single point independently of the rest of the investigated structure resulting in extremely short computational times. These analytical solutions are however only valid for some simple geometries and boundary conditions making their applications for complex industrial geometries directly not possible. Numerical techniques, such as the Finite Element Method, enable overcoming this problem. However, the numerical simulation of the structural heat effect of welding for complex and large assemblies requires high computational effort and time. Therefore, the wide application of welding simulation in industry is not established, yet. The aim of this study is to combine the advantages of analytical and numerical simulation methods to accelerate the calibration of the thermal model of structure welding simulation. This is done firstly by calibrating automatically the simulation model with a fast analytical temperature field solution and secondly by solving the welding simulation problem numerically with the analytically calibrated input parameters. In order to achieve this goal, the analytical solution of the heat conduction problem for a point source moving in an infinite solid was extended and validated against reference models until a solution for a volumetric heat source moving on a thin small sheet with several arbitrary curved welding paths was found. The potential of this analytical solution by means of computational time was subsequently demonstrated on a semi-industrial geometry with large dimensions and several curved welds. The combined method was then transferred to an industrial assembly welded with four parallel welds. For this joint geometry, it was possible to apply the extended analytical solution. The calibration of the simulation model was done automatically against experimental data by combining the extended fast analytical solution with a global optimisation algorithm. For this calibration, more than 3000 direct simulations were required which run in less computational time than one corresponding single numerical simulation. The results of the numerical simulation executed with the analytically calibrated input parameters matched the experimental data within a scatter band of ± 10 %. The limit of the combined method is shown for an industrial assembly welded with eight overlap welds. For this joint geometry, a conventional numerical approach was applied, since no analytical solution was actually available. The final simulation results matched the experimental data within a scatter band of ± 10 %. The results of this work provide a comprehensive method to accelerate the calibration of the thermal model of the structure welding simulation of complex and large welded assemblies, even though within limitation. In the future, the implementation of this method in a welding simulation tool accessible to a typical industrial user still has to be done.
99
The reduced size of nanoparticles (diameter < 100 nm) confers them high specific surface areas and permeability through many biological pathways resulting in high interaction with biological systems. Therefore, in the recent years, nanoparticles (NPs) have increasingly found many applications in biomedical research. Herein, silica-based NPs are among the most promising candidates for biomedical studies due to their relative low toxicity and the possibility of functional variability. The main focus of this thesis work has been the synthesis and characterisation of novel hybrid NPs with enhanced properties for biomedical studies. More specifically, suppression of protein adsorption and achievement of highly fluorescent NPs in serum-rich media are well focused. First, a chemical strategy for the preparation of highly fluorescent silica nanoparticles by covalent attachment of Alexa dyes and subsequent shielding by an additional pure silica shell is well presented. These nanoparticles were investigated by Dynamic light scattering (DLS), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and fluorescence spectroscopy, the latter includes determination of absolute fluorescence quantum yields of such scattering suspensions with an integrating sphere setup and the assignment of fluorescence intensity values. At low shelling extension core-shell fluorescent silica nanoparticles show smooth surfaces and high quantum yields, even comparable to those for free dyes. However, by increasing the amount of shell precursor, nanoparticle surfaces show raspberry morphologies and decay of the quantum yields. Secondly, two different types of novel silica-poly(ethylene glycol) hybrid nanoparticles (H- SiO2-PEG and G- SiO2@PEG) have been synthesized by use of the same polymer precursor: Here the influence of concentration of the polymer precursor poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether-3-(triethoxysilyl) propyl urethane (mPEG-IPTES) on the particle properties was scrutinised. For polymer grafted NPs, the concentration of polymer precursor increases the PEG density and the hydrophobicity of the NPs surface. On the other hand, for condensated NPs, the polymer precursor influences the size, but not the density of polymer chains on the NPs surface, which indicates that PEG on the surface of the NPs effectively reduces the adsorption of Bovine serum albumin (BSA). Finally, the influence of polymer length on the ability to repel BSA adsorption onto nanoparticles is reported. SNPs@PEG with different molecular weights (mPEG: 350, 2000 and 5000 g/mol) were synthesized by nucleophilic substitution of tosylated mPEG to aminated silica nanoparticles (chemical grafting). The resulted hybrid nanoparticles were consistently characterized by DLS, TEM, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). BSA at different concentrations were used as a model protein to study the protein-corona formation after adsorption onto the pristine and modified nanoparticles (SNPs@PEG). For pristine SNPs and SNPs@PEG (MW = 350 g/mol), zeta potential at different incubation times (0, 24 and 48 h) show a dynamic evolution of the nanoparticle-protein corona. Conversely, for SNPs@PEG with MW ≥ 2000 g/mol, a significant suppression of corona formation and time evolution was observed. In resume, protein corona is strongly influenced by the adsorption inhibition of PEG surfaces.
107
Generally accepted quality criteria for the comparison of immunoassays are still missing and assay conditions vary greatly between different laboratories. To address this problem, the influence of different parameters on the overall assay performance was assessed, specifically for different enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) for the anthropogenic markers caffeine (CAF) and carbamazepine (CBZ). Special emphasis was dedicated to the parameters temperature, assay format and enzyme-substrate combination. The temperature parameter was systematically studied for all incubation steps of the direct EIA formats employing the photometric horseradish peroxidase (HRP) substrate 3,3’,5,5’- tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and the fluorometric HRP substrate 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid for both analytes. A temperature decrease only during the competition step led to an increase in assay sensitivity by a factor of 10 to 15 for CBZ and CAF, respectively, independent of the enzyme substrate used. Room temperature experiments yielded the smallest coefficients of variations, minimizing the edge effect. The influence of the assay format on different performance parameters was studied with the determination of CAF in consumer products. In addition to the HRP substrates, the enzyme alkaline phosphate (AP) and its chromogenic substrate para-nitrophenyl phosphate and a fluorescent substrate, 4-methylumbelliferyl phosphate, were employed. Seven quality criteria were defined and validated to compare these immunoassays. The evaluation of the four criteria (sensitivity, measurement range, relative dynamic range and goodness of fit) for the standard curves revealed that the direct format is superior to the indirect format, with the HRP TMB format showing the best performance. Three additional criteria for an applicationdriven analysis of real samples, in this case CAF-containing beverages and cosmetics, confirmed this result in terms of accuracy as well as intra- and inter-plate precision. The enzyme-substrate combination was investigated when several direct CBZ assays were applied to the analysis of water samples; here, three HRP assays and four AP assays were studied, along with luminescence detection. The HRP assays reached better sensitivities and lower quantifiable concentrations compared to the AP assays. Only the HRP assays and the chemiluminescent AP juice assay fulfilled the requirements for the four criteria applied to standard curves; all other AP assays were not considered for application to real samples based on these criteria. The AP juice assay can only be employed for influent samples whereas all HRP assays are applicable to influent and effluent wastewater samples according to intra- and inter-plate precision. Furthermore, the HRP assays alone are suitable for surface water analysis; here, the chromogenic HRP TMB assay yielded the best results, as any type of water sample can be quantified with high precision. Whether these quality criteria, derived here for standard curves as well as their application to real samples, can be transferred to other immunoassay formats for quality assurance remains to be shown.
100
TRIP Stähle realisieren durch eine unter mechanischer Beanspruchung hervorgerufene Phasenumwandlung von metastabilen Austenit in Martensit (TRIP-Effekt) hohe Festigkeiten bei gleichzeitig guten Verformungseigenschaften. Während der Verarbeitung dieser Werkstoffe mittels Widerstandspunktschweißen können unter den prozessspezifischen extremen Aufheiz- und Abkühlraten Modifikationen des Austenitanteils hervorgerufen werden die als Folge lokal zu einer Änderung der mechanisch-technologischen Eigenschaften führen. Wesentliche Zielsetzung der vorliegenden Arbeit war daher die Analyse der Gefügestruktur im Bereich einer Punktschweißverbindung hinsichtlich der Änderung des Austenitanteils und den daraus resultierenden Änderungen der lokalen mechanischen Eigenschaften unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des TRIP-Effekts. Durch in-situ Beugungsuntersuchungen mittels hochenergetischer Synchrotronstrahlung erfolgte zunächst die Quantifizierung des metastabilen Austenitanteils im unbehandelten Grundwerkstoff. Darauf aufbauend wurden unter definierten Temperaturprofilen in Ofenversuchen die grundlegenden Aspekte der thermisch bedingten Austenitumwandlung im Aufheiz- und Abkühlprozess untersucht. Durch Gleeble-Versuche und Ofenexperimente wurden weiterführend verschiedene Temperaturprofile mit unterschiedlichen im Punktschweißprozess lokal vorliegende Spitzentemperaturen genutzt um eine systematische Bewertung des Einflusses der Temperatur und der Aufheiz- sowie der Abkühlbedingungen auf den Austenitgehalt unter realen Bedingungen zu ermöglichen. Durch Korrelationsuntersuchungen zwischen den mechanischen Kennwerten thermisch präparierter Zugproben und den mittels Metallographisch wie auch röntgenographisch ermittelten Austenitgehalten konnten die metastabilen, d.h. umwandlungsfähigen Austenitanteile bestimmt werden. Schließlich erfolgte eine Bewertung hinschlich der Übertragbarkeit der Ergebnisse auf reale Widerstandspunktschweißverbindungen. Es wurde dabei der Nachweis erbracht, dass die Austenit-Martensit-Phasenumwandlung lediglich in einem lokal eng begrenzen Werkstoffbereich am Übergang WEZ/Grundwerkstoff wirksam werden kann. Demzufolge führt der TRIP-Effekt zu keiner signifikanten Beeinflussung von Festigkeits- und Verformungseigenschaften im Fügebereich von widerstandspunktgeschweißten TRIP Stählen. Die ermittelten mechanischen Kennwerte wurden abschließend als Eingangsdaten für die numerische Simulation des Verformungs- und Festigkeitsverhaltens von Punkschweißverbindungen genutzt. Dabei wurde insbesondere die Notwendigkeit der Implementierung von mechanischen Kenndaten der Wärmeeinflusszone für eine realitätsnahe Modellierung von Scherzugversuchen untersucht.
102
Novel routes in flame retardancy of bisphenol A polycarbonate/impact modifier/aryl phosphate blends
(2013)
The massive use of electronic engineering products accompanied by high demands on fire safety has led to increasing interest in environmentally friendly flame retardancy of bisphenol A polycarbonate (PC) based materials. In this work, novel routes for enhancing the flame retardancy of PC/Impact Modifier/Aryl phosphate were studied with respect to pyrolysis (TG, TG-FTIR, ATR-FTIR, NMR), flammability (LOI and UL 94) and fire behavior (cone calorimeter at different irradiations). To improve charring of PC/ABSPTFE+Aryl phosphate, the exchange of bisphenol A bis(diphenyl phosphate) (BDP) with novel aryl phosphates was proposed. Two novel flame retardants were synthesized: 3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexylbisphenol-bis(diphenyl phosphate) (TMC-BDP) and bisphenol A- bis(diethylphosphate) (BEP). TMC-BDP was more stable than BDP, thus gave a potential to increase the chemical reactions between the components of the PC/ABSPTFE+Aryl phosphate, whereas more reactive BEP was expected to increase the cross linking activity with the polymer matrix. Nevertheless, the corresponding blends did not enhance the flame retardancy compared to PC/ABSPTFE+BDP. BEP in PC/ABSPTFE preferred to cross-link with itself instead of with PC, thus it showed poor fire protection performance. TMC-BDP gave as good results as BDP in PC/ABSPTFE material. The results delivered evidence that BDP possesses a high degree of optimization in PC/ABSPTFE system. To provide a novel impact modifier improving not only mechanical properties but also the fire retardancy of PC/BDP material, the replacement of highly flammable acrylonitrilebutadiene- styrene (ABS) with silicon acrylate rubber (SiR) with high content of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was studied. In PC/SiRPTFE/BDP the replacement of ABS is beneficial, but PDMS worsened the BDP gas phase and condensed phase action. PDMS reacted also with PC during combustion. PDMS-PC and PDMS-BDP interactions led to silicon dioxide. In fact, the inorganic residue of PC/SiRPTFE/BDP contributed to fire residue and greatly improved the LOI of about 10 % in comparison to PC/ABSPTFE+BDP system. Thus, the use of SiR with high PDMS content is proposed as replacement of ABS in PC/Impact Modifier/BDP blend. To enhance the fire protection, the PC/SiRPTFE/BDP was combined with several adjuvants: (i) layered fillers: talc and organically modified layered silicate (LS), (ii) metal hydroxides: magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2) and boehmite (AlO(OH)), (iii) metal oxides and carbonate: magnesium oxide (MgO) and silicium dioxide (SiO2) and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) as well as (iiii) hydrated metal borates: zinc borate (ZnB), calcium borate (CaB) and magnesium borate (MgB). It was demonstrated that the blend PC/SiRPTFE/BDP+filler is very sensitive to chemical (e.g. hydrolysis) and physical (e.g. viscosity) effects. Additionally,the large deformations of PC/SiRPTFE/BDP materials make difficult to optimize the char. Overall, the ZnB, MgB and CaB are proposed for enhancing the flame retardancy of PC/SiR/BDP with respect to flammability results, reduction of fire hazard and maximum of heat release rate. The results of this work enable the understanding of various mechanisms controlling the fire behavior and thus effective selection of the most appropriate flame retardant, impact modifier and inorganic fillers for producing fire resistant PC based polymers.
96
Due to the growing environmental awareness worldwide, containment provisions for CO2 emissions in mobility systems and increasing performance requirements the demands on mechanical systems and their materials continuously rise. These high demands require the implementation of new technical approaches, for example of light-weight strategies in automotive powertrains, and directly raise questions about the suitability of the most promising technical solution. Two basic parameters, the surface hardness of the tooth flanks and the core fatigue strength of the tooth root, illustrate exemplarily increasing demands on material grades used for gear wheels in automotive powertrains. In addition to light-weight strategies, a reduction in friction and an increase of the fatigue lifetime are two other major development directions to strive the mentioned targets. It is clear that any kind of solution must show an equal application profile, preferably an improvement, compared to the state-of- the-art solutions. For tribological systems, the following paths may offer lower friction and higher load carrying capabilities: 1. Alternative base oils and additives (such as esters, polyglycols), 2. Thin film coatings (e.g. DLC) and/or 3. Novel steel metallurgies. In previous investigations on the slip-rolling resistance of thin film coatings (a-C, ta-C, Zr(C,N)) the substrates were mainly made of the bearing steels 100Cr6H and Cronidur 30. Applying contact pressures of up to P0max = 2.9 GPa (FN = 2,000 N), the samples were tested up to 10 million load cycles in endurance tests. The aim of the present work is to broaden the research by varying the input parameters. Newly developed engine oil mixtures, high performance thin film coatings and alternative steel solutions are intensively investigated in highly stressed slip-rolling contacts at lubricant temperatures of 120°C. Specifically, in using new steel metallurgies, i.e. the high toughness and high strength steels V300 and NC310YW (Aubert & Duval) as well as CSS-42L (Latrobe Specialty Steel Company), in combination with thin film coatings, even if they compete in the uncoated state, the Hertzian contact pressures could be increased up to P0max = 4.2 GPa (FN = 5,000 N) without any surface failures of coating or substrate. It was shown that selected thin film coatings can minimize the wear rates down to nearly ‘zero-wear’ in highly stressed contacts [Woy08] [Woy11]. In addition, the studies revealed not only the high potential in slip-rolling resistance, but also a possible friction reduction down to 0.047 by use of uncoated steels with increased toughness. Compared to steels like 100Cr6H and Cronidur 30 this means a reduction in friction of approximately 40% under identical testing conditions. Different test series with newly developed base oil-additive formulations were investigated with specific emphasis on the frictional behavior of selected bio-no-tox EP/AW additives and friction modifiers. Additional influencing factors like the structural and surface conditions of the steels/coatings before and after the tests were analyzed by means of REM, EDX, XRD and TEM.
104
Vereint unter dem Begriff Ingenieurmethoden haben Brandsimulationen Eingang in die Fortentwicklung des Baurechts gefunden und werden vermehrt zur Unterstützung von Brandschutzkonzepten und -nachweisen eingesetzt. Aktuelle Software verbindet Verbrennungsmodelle mit numerischer Strömungsmechanik und eignet sich so für die flexible Bearbeitung unterschiedlichster Fragestellungen. Darüber hinaus bieten erste Programme die Möglichkeit, Untermodelle zur Beschreibung des Feststoffabbrands bzw. der Pyrolyse von Brandlasten einzufügen. In der Polymerwissenschaft stellt die Untersuchung und Optimierung des Brandverhaltens einschließlich der Pyrolyse eine wichtige Aufgabe dar. Aufgrund des Brandrisikos ist die Verwendung polymerer Werkstoffe häufig eingeschränkt. Die Entwicklung flammgeschützter Materialien hat daher eine besondere Bedeutung und es existieren detaillierte Methoden zur Charakterisierung brandrelevanter Materialeigenschaften. Vor diesem Hintergrund zielt die vorliegende Arbeit darauf ab, die Potentiale und Herausforderungen der komplementären Nutzung von Brandsimulation und polymerwissenschaftlichen Methoden zu untersuchen. Hierfür wurden vier Brandszenarien ausgewählt: Der Brand in einem Einfamilienhaus in der Dimension Kubikdekameter (dam³), der Single Burning Item SBI Test in der Dimension Kubikmeter (m³), der Cone Kalorimeter Test in der Dimension Kubikdezimeter (dm³) und der UL 94 Test in der Dimension Kubikzentimeter (cm³). Die Brandszenarien werden zunächst ausführlich charakterisiert. Anschließend wird ein jeweils passendes Simulationsmodell erstellt und berechnet und die Berechnungsergebnisse werden mit den realen Ausprägungen verglichen. Schließlich werden die Simulationen, unterstützt durch eine Parameterstudie, bewertet. In den Untersuchungen zu den vier Brandszenarien werden durch die komplementäre Nutzung von Brandsimulation und Polymerwissenschaft belastbare numerische Berechnungen erarbeitet. Grundlage für die Ergebnisse sind die detaillierte Charakterisierung der brandrelevanten physikalischen und chemischen Eigenschaften der Werkstoffe und die damit verbundene Qualität der Eingabeparameter. Für das Brandszenario Einfamilienhaus wird der Brandverlauf in einer komplexen Geometrie mit unterschiedlichen Brandlasten realistisch berechnet. Für den SBI Test und den Cone Kalorimeter Test stehen die Wärmefreisetzungsrate bzw. die Massenverlustrate im Mittelpunkt der Simulation und zeigen eine hohe Übereinstimmung mit den experimentellen Ergebnissen. Für den vertikalen UL 94 Test werden darüber hinaus erstmals das komplexe Zusammenspiel von Pyrolyse, Verbrennung und Tropfverhalten simuliert und die unterschiedlichen Klassifizierungen und Zeitmaßstäbe übereinstimmend mit den Experimenten aus den Berechnungen abgeleitet. Anhand der Beispiele werden erweiterte Anwendungsbereiche von Brandsimulationen durch gezielte Nutzung der polymerwissenschaftlichen Kenntnisse aufgezeigt. Gleichzeitig weisen insbesondere die Untersuchungen zu den Brandszenarien Cone Kalorimeter Test und UL 94 Test auf den wertvollen Beitrag von Brandsimulationen für die Polymerwissenschaft hin. Durch Parametervariationen können aufbauend auf einem validierten Simulationsmodell zusätzliche Erkenntnisse über die Struktur-Eigenschaftsbeziehungen von Polymeren hinsichtlich des Brandverhaltens gewonnen werden, um die Entwicklung flammgeschützter Materialien zielführend zu unterstützen.
103
Investigation of an active air sampling strategy for biocides, PCBs and PAHs at low air change rates
(2013)
The aim of this study was to develop a low volume air sampling strategy for biocides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) at low air change rates. Firstly a method of measurement for the GC-MS-MS system had to be created before an adsorbent for the air sampling of these compound classes was selected in elution experiments with target compound solutions. The key requirements for the adsorbent were that it had to engender a faster and easier work-up process while reducing solvent consumption, as it is not the case for the frequently used polyurethane foam (PUF) and XAD adsorbents. Using the selected adsorbent, air sampling quality was tested and compared with the one of PUF in experiments performed in a Micro-Chamber/Thermal Extractor™ (μ- CTE™, Markes International) with target compound solutions. To achieve air sampling under the aforementioned conditions the influences of temperature, air circulation, air change rate and relative humidity on the emission behavior of the selected biocides, PCBs and PAHs were investigated. This investigation was carried out with self soaked wood samples in low volume air sampling experiments in a μ-CTE, 23 l and 24 l emission test chambers and 27 l showcases. Furthermore, an active air sampling strategy for biocides, PCBs and PAHs at low air change rates was successfully tested in a 24 l emission test chamber. Sampling volumes of 24-50 l were tested with the developed low volume air sampling strategy with limits of quantification between 1-27 μg m-3. A styrene divinylbenzene polymer was selected as a suitable adsorbent and sampling of at least 100 ng μl-1 of biocides, PCBs and PAHs without breakthroughs were possible with 200 mg of this polymer. This corresponds to a concentration range of 3000-6250 μg m-3 for these low sampling volumes. The low volume air sampling method developed in this study was successfully applied in projects investigating real wood samples in the μ-CTE as well as in low volume indoor air samples. In these experiments the applicability of the method was partly compared with a method using a different adsorbent.
111
Grain refinement is an important opportunity to improve mechanical properties of fusion welds and the weldability (cracking sensitivity) of the base metal. In this thesis, grain refinement was achieved for aluminium welds by additions of a grain refiner. For this purpose, inserts consisting of aluminium base metal and small additions of commercial Al Ti5B1 grain refiner were cast, deposited in base metal plates, and fused in a gas tungsten arc (GTA) welding process. As a result, higher grain refiner additions increased the weld’s titanium and boron content resulting in a significant decrease in the weld metal mean grain size up to 86%. This grain size reduction led to a transition from predominantly columnar to equiaxed grain shape (columnar to equiaxed transition CET). The grain refinement was thereby found to be strongly dependent upon the base metal chemical composition. Accordingly, the grain refining efficiency was the highest in commercial pure Al (Alloy 1050A, Al 99.5), followed by Alloy 6082 (Al Si1MgMn) and Alloy 5083 (Al Mg4.5Mn0.7). In this regard, the parameters P and Q were applied to investigate the influence of alloying elements on the supply of constitutional undercooling during solidification and on final grain size. Also, WDS (wavelength dispersive x-ray spectroscopy) and TEM (transmission electron microscopy) analysis found an increasing number of particles rich in Ti and B. These substrates are probably TiB2 particles coated by Al3Ti likely nucleating Al grains during solidification. The variation in torch speed showed that increasing torch speeds support the CET effect leading to many small and equiaxed grains at high torch speed. To give explanations for this observation, the thermal conditions, that are controlled by welding parameters such as torch speed, were determined with temperature measurements via thermocouples. These measurements revealed that solidification parameters like solidification growth rate, cooling rate, (local) thermal gradient and solidification time vary significantly along the solidification front (from weld centreline to weld fusion line). In a further step, the solidification parameters were related to the corresponding grain size and shape. On the basis of this comparison, an analytical approach was used to model the CET. This allowed the prediction of critical values for both solidification growth rate and thermal gradient, at which the CET occurs in aluminium weld metal. The influence of grain refinement on the weld mechanical properties was investigated in tensile tests. Accordingly, the ductility of Alloy 5083 welds was increased through grain refinement whereas no improvement in weld metal strength was observed. Furthermore, tear tests with notched specimens revealed for Alloy 1050A that the resistance against initiation and propagation of cracks in the weld metal can be enhanced through grain refinement. In addition, when welding Alloy 6082, weld metal grain refinement prevented the formation of centreline solidification cracking that was present only in welds with unrefined grain structure. On the basis of the above experiments, the Ti/B contents needed in commercial filler wires or rods to allow optimum weld metal grain refinement were estimated. Accordingly, this work gives specific recommendations to filler material producers through a simple calculation that considers the influence of base alloy and welding process. The results show that the Ti/B contents defined by the corresponding standards for filler alloys are too low to allow weld metal grain refinement.
109
The objective of this Ph.D. thesis is the development and validation of a VTOL-based (Vertical Take Off and Landing) micro-drone for the measurement of gas concentrations, to locate gas emission sources, and to build gas distribution maps. Gas distribution mapping and localization of a static gas source are complex tasks due to the turbulent nature of gas transport under natural conditions [1] and becomes even more challenging when airborne. This is especially so, when using a VTOL-based micro-drone that induces disturbances through its rotors, which heavily affects gas distribution. Besides the adaptation of a micro-drone for gas concentration measurements, a novel method for the determination of the wind vector in real-time is presented. The on-board sensors for the flight control of the micro-drone provide a basis for the wind vector calculation. Furthermore, robot operating software for controlling the micro-drone autonomously is developed and used to validate the algorithms developed within this Ph.D. thesis in simulations and real-world experiments. Three biologically inspired algorithms for locating gas sources are adapted and developed for use with the micro-drone: the surge-cast algorithm (a variant of the silkworm moth algorithm) [2], the zigzag / dung beetle algorithm [3], and a newly developed algorithm called “pseudo gradient algorithm”. The latter extracts from two spatially separated measuring positions the information necessary (concentration gradient and mean wind direction) to follow a gas plume to its emission source. The performance of the algorithms is evaluated in simulations and real-world experiments. The distance overhead and the gas source localization success rate are used as main performance criteria for comparing the algorithms. Next, a new method for gas source localization (GSL) based on a particle filter (PF) is presented. Each particle represents a weighted hypothesis of the gas source position. As a first step, the PF-based GSL algorithm uses gas and wind measurements to reason about the trajectory of a gas patch since it was released by the gas source until it reaches the measurement position of the micro-drone. Because of the chaotic nature of wind, an uncertainty about the wind direction has to be considered in the reconstruction process, which extends this trajectory to a patch path envelope (PPE). In general, the PPE describes the envelope of an area which the gas patch has passed with high probability. Then, the weights of the particles are updated based on the PPE. Given a uniform wind field over the search space and a single gas source, the reconstruction of multiple trajectories at different measurement locations using sufficient gas and wind measurements can lead to an accurate estimate of the gas source location, whose distance to the true source location is used as the main performance criterion. Simulations and real-world experiments are used to validate the proposed method. The aspect of environmental monitoring with a micro-drone is also discussed. Two different sampling approaches are suggested in order to address this problem. One method is the use of a predefined sweeping trajectory to explore the target area with the micro-drone in real-world gas distribution mapping experiments. As an alternative sampling approach an adaptive strategy is presented, which suggests next sampling points based on an artificial potential field to direct the micro-drone towards areas of high predictive mean and high predictive variance, while maximizing the coverage area. The purpose of the sensor planning component is to reduce the time that is necessary to converge to the final gas distribution model or to reliably identify important parameters of the distribution such as areas of high concentration. It is demonstrated that gas distribution models can provide an accurate estimate of the location of stationary gas sources. These strategies have been successfully tested in a variety of real-world experiments in different scenarios of gas release using different gas sensors to verify the reproducibility of the experiments. The adaptive strategy was also successfully validated in simulations using predefined sweeping trajectories as reference criteria. The results of this Ph.D. thesis reflect the applicability of gas-sensitive microdrones in a variety of scenarios of gas release. Effective counteractive measures can be set in motion after accidents involving gas emissions with the aid of spatially resolved gas concentration and wind data collected with micro-drones. Monitoring of geochemically active regions, landfills, CO2 storage facilities, and the localization of gas leaks are further areas of application.