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Significant deformations of bodies made from compliant magnetoactive elastomers (MAE) in magnetic fields make these materials promising for applications in magnetically controlled actuators for soft robotics. Reported experimental research in this context was devoted to the behaviour in the quasi-static magnetic field, but the transient dynamics are of great practical importance. This paper presents an experimental study of the transient response of apparent longitudinal and transverse strains of a family of isotropic and anisotropic MAE cylinders with six different aspect ratios in time-varying uniform magnetic fields. The time dependence of the magnetic field has a trapezoidal form, where the rate of both legs is varied between 52 and 757 kA/(s·m) and the maximum magnetic field takes three values between 153 and 505 kA/m. It is proposed to introduce four characteristic times: two for the delay of the transient response during increasing and decreasing magnetic field, as well as two for rise and fall times. To facilitate the comparison between different magnetic field rates, these characteristic times are further normalized on the rise time of the magnetic field ramp. The dependence of the normalized characteristic times on the aspect ratio, the magnetic field slew rate, maximum magnetic field values, initial internal structure (isotropic versus anisotropic specimens) and weight fraction of the soft-magnetic filler are obtained and discussed in detail. The normalized magnetostrictive hysteresis loop is introduced, and used to explain why the normalized delay times vary with changing experimental parameters.
Commercially available contact angle (CA) measuring devices usually do not allow for the application of magnetic fields to the sample under test. A setup for measuring the CA of liquids on magnetosensitive surfaces has been developed specifically for investigating the surfaces of magnetoactive elastomers (MAEs). The addition of a programmable linear stage, which moves a permanent magnet, allows for fine control of the magnetic field applied to the MAE without the need for large and power-consuming electromagnets. Paired with a custom control and evaluation software, this measurement setup operates semiautomatically, limiting operator error and increasing precision, speed, as well as repeatability of static and dynamic CA measurements for different magnetoactive materials. The software is equipped with robust droplet fitting algorithms to avoid experimental challenges arising with soft magnetoactive materials, such as the curling of sample edges or diffuse non-reflective surfaces. Several application examples on MAE surfaces, both processed and unprocessed, are presented.
The third-order nonlinear susceptibility of silica glass is measured via self-phase modulation in standard single mode fibers at a wavelength of 1550 nm. To minimize the influence of polarization state changes along the propagation only meter-long fibers were investigated. With pulse durations of picoseconds a quasi-instantaneous nonlinearity with ultrafast electronic and fast nuclear-vibration contributions produces under conditions of negligible dispersion a classic and clean nonlinear phase shift following exactly the shape of the pulse power. The complex pulse envelope was retrieved from frequency optical gating spectrograms. The nonlinear fiber parameter γ could be determined with an accuracy of 3.7 percent. Considering the mode field structure and the doping influence the nonlinear refractive index of silica glass as the fiber base material was found to be n2 = 2.22 · 10−16 cm2
W ± 6.0 % for picosecond-long pulses. Comparing nonlinear phase shifts from linear and circular polarized light a nuclear-vibration contribution to the cubic fiber nonlinearity of 25 percent was estimated.
The third-order nonlinear susceptibility of silica glass is measured via self-phase modulation in standard single mode fibers at a wavelength of 1550 nm. To minimize the influence of polarization state changes along the propagation only meter-long fibers were investigated. With pulse durations of picoseconds a quasi-instantaneous nonlinearity with ultrafast electronic and fast nuclear-vibration contributions produces under conditions of negligible dispersion a classic and clean nonlinear phase shift following exactly the shape of the pulse power. The complex pulse envelope was retrieved from frequency optical gating spectrograms. The nonlinear fiber parameter γ could be determined with an accuracy of 3.7 percent. Considering the mode field structure and the doping influence the nonlinear refractive index of silica glass as the fiber base material was found to be n 2 =2.22⋅10 −16 cm 2 W±6.0% for picosecond-long pulses. Comparing nonlinear phase shifts from linear and circular polarized light a nuclear-vibration contribution to the cubic fiber nonlinearity of 25 percent was estimated.
This paper presents a method for integrating industrial consumers owning compensation systems as alternative reactive power sources into grid operating processes. In remuneration, they receive a market-based provision of reactive power. The aim is to analyze the potential of reactive power compensation systems of industrial companies connected to medium-voltage (10 kV–30 kV) AC grids in order to increase the reactive power ability of distribution grids. Measurement methods and reactive power potential results of six industrial companies are presented to characterize the amount and temporal availability of their reactive power potential. The presented approach for using the decentralized reactive power potential is a centralized reactive power control method and is based on optimal power flow (OPF) calculations. An optimization algorithm based on linear programming is used to coordinate a reactive power retrieval tuned to the actual demand. The influencing quantities are the current grid status (voltage and load flow capacity reserves at grid nodes and power lines) and the current reactive power potential of the reactive power sources. The compensation impact of six measured industrial companies on an exemplary medium-voltage grid is shown by an application example.
The currently still high fossil energy demand is forcing the glass industry to search for innovative approaches for the reduction in CO2 emissions and the integration of renewable energy sources. In this paper, a novel power-to-methane concept is presented and discussed for this purpose. A special focus is on methods for the required CO2 capture from typical flue gases in the glass industry, which have hardly been explored to date. To close this research gap, process simulation models are developed to investigate post-combustion CO2 capture by absorption processes, followed by a techno-economic evaluation. Due to reduced flue gas volume, the designed CO2 capture plant is found to be much smaller (40 m3 absorber column volume) than absorption-based CO2 separation processes for power plants (12,560 m3 absorber column volume). As there are many options for waste heat utilization in the glass industry, the waste heat required for CO2 desorption can be generated in a particularly efficient and cost-effective way. The resulting CO2 separation costs range between 41 and 42 EUR/t CO2, depending on waste heat utilization for desorption. These costs are below the values of 50–65 EUR/t CO2 for comparable industrial applications. Despite these promising economic results, there are still some technical restrictions in terms of solvent degradation due to the high oxygen content in flue gas compositions. The results of this study point towards parametric studies for approaching these issues, such as the use of secondary and tertiary amines as solvents, or the optimization of operating conditions such as stripper pressure for further cost reductions potential.
Optical fiber sensors based on intensity measurement require some form of intensity referencing to avoid errors arising from parasitic losses. Known techniques of referencing such as balanced bridge, divided beam systems or two-wavelength referencing are not suitable for low-cost applications since they use relatively complicated optical components such as multiple LED sources, couplers, filters etc. In this work a novel method of referencing in an extrinsic optical fiber sensor system utilizing temperature dependence of absorption edge in a semiconductor crystal is described. The sensor system comprises a single LED source and no optical fiber junctions. The emission spectrum of an LED depends on its temperature. The reference is provided by controlling the temperature of an LED source and transmission measurements with different emission spectra. The entire process is controlled by a microprocessor unit. Performance of a sensor system is investigated and it is shown that the losses in connectors may be compensated for.
The magnetoelectric response of bi- and symmetric trilayer composite structures to pulsed magnetic fields is experimentally investigated in detail. The structures comprise layers of commercially available piezoelectric (lead zirconate titanate) and magnetostrictive (permendur or nickel) materials. The magnetic-field pulses have the form of a half-wave sine function with duration of 450 µs and amplitudes ranging from 500 Oe to 38 kOe. The time dependence of the resulting voltage is presented and explained by theoretical estimations. Appearance of voltage oscillations with frequencies much larger than the reciprocal pulse length is observed for sufficiently large amplitudes (~1-10 kOe) of the magnetic-field pulse. The origin of these oscillations is the excitation of bending and planar acoustic oscillations in the structures. Dependencies of the magnetoelectric voltage coefficient on the excitation frequency and the applied magnetic field are calculated by digital signal processing and compared with those obtained by the method of harmonic field modulation. The results are of interest for developing magnetoelectric sensors of pulsed magnetic fields as well as for rapid characterization of magnetoelectric composite structures.
Green hydrogen via renewable powered electrolysis has a high relevance in decarbonization and supply security. Achieving economically competitive hydrogen production costs is a major challenge in times of an energy price crisis. Our objective is to show the economically optimal installed capacity of electrolysers in relation to wind and solar power so swift and credible statements can be made regarding the system design. The ratio between renewable generation and electrolysis power as well as scaling effects, operating behaviour and development of costs are considered. Hydrogen production costs are calculated for four exemplary real PV and wind sites and different ratios of electrolysis to renewable power for the year 2020. The ideal ratio for PV systems is between 14% and 73% and for wind between 3.3% and 143% for low and high full load hours. The lowest hydrogen production costs are identified at 2.53 €/kg for 50 MW wind power and 72 MW electrolysis power. The results provide plant constructors the possibility to create a cost-optimized design via an optimum ratio of electrolysis to renewable capacity. Therefore, the procedures for planning and dimensioning of selected systems can be drastically simplified.
We demonstrate the control of wettability of non-structured and microstructured magnetoactive elastomers (MAEs) by magnetic field. The synthesized composite materials have a concentration of carbonyl iron particles of 75 wt.% (≈27 vol.%) and three different stiffnesses of the elastomer matrix. A new method of fabrication of MAE coatings on plastic substrates is presented, which allows one to enhance the response of the apparent contact angle to the magnetic field by exposing the particle-enriched side of MAEs to water. A magnetic field is not applied during crosslinking. The highest variation of the contact angle from (113 ± 1)° in zero field up to (156 ± 2)° at about 400 mT is achieved in the MAE sample with the softest matrix. Several lamellar and pillared MAE structures are fabricated by laser micromachining. The lateral dimension of surface structures is about 50 µm and the depth varies between 3 µm and 60 µm. A systematic investigation of the effects of parameters of laser processing (laser power and the number of passages of the laser beam) on the wetting behavior of these structures in the absence and presence of a magnetic field is performed. In particular, strong anisotropy of the wetting behavior of lamellar structures is observed. The results are qualitatively discussed in the framework of the Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter models. Finally, directions of further research on magnetically controlled wettability of microstructured MAE surfaces are outlined. The obtained results may be useful for the development of magnetically controlled smart surfaces for droplet-based microfluidics.
Herein, the effect of an applied moderate (~240 mT) magnetic field on the work of adhesion (WoA) of mechanically soft (the shear modulus ~10 kPa) magnetoactive elastomer (MAE) samples with two different mass fractions (70 and 80 wt%) of carbonyl iron powder (CIP) is concerned. The unfilled elastomer sample is used for comparison. Due to some sedimentation of filling particles, the concentration of inclusions in thin (~10 μm) subsurface layers is different. It is shown that the WoA increases (up to 1.8-fold) on the particle-enriched side (PES) in the magnetic field and its value is higher for higher filler concentration. On the particle-depleted side (PDS), WoA does not depend on particle concentration and on the magnetic field. Adhesion and friction are coupled in MAEs. No statistically significant difference in the friction coefficient, determined from the extended Amontons´ law, depending on sample side, CIP concentration, or presence of magnetic field is found. However, the PDS in the magnetic field demonstrates significantly higher critical shear stress compared to that for the PES or PDS in the absence of magnetic field. Correlations between different surface properties are discussed. Obtained results are useful for the development of magnetically controllable soft robots.
In this work, multiferroic cantilevers comprise a layer of a magnetoactive elastomer (MAE) and a commercially available piezoelectric polymer-based vibration sensor. The structures are fixed at one end in the horizontal plane and the magnetic field is applied vertically. First, the magnetoelectric (ME) response to uniform, triangle-wave magnetic fields with five different slew rates is investigated experimentally. Time and field dependences of the generated voltage, electric charge, and observed mechanical deflection are obtained and compared for four different thicknesses of the MAE layer. The ME responses to triangular and sinusoidal wave excitations are examined in contrast. Second, the ME response at low frequencies (≤3 Hz) is studied by the standard method of harmonic magnetic field modulation. The highest ME coupling coefficient is observed in the bias magnetic field strength of ≈73 kA/m and it is estimated to be about 3.3 ns/m (ME voltage coefficient ≈ 25 V/A) at theoretically vanishing modulation frequency (f→0 Hz). Presented results demonstrate that the investigated heterostructures are promising for applications as magnetic-field sensors and energy harvesting devices.
The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology of the OTH Regensburg developed and implemented a compact freshmen seminar for the afternoon of the first day of study. The intention of this seminar is to help the freshmen during their transition between school and study without losing lecture time in the first semester. The concept was tested with one small study group at the beginning of the summer semester 2015. To rate the impact of the seminar and to find aspects for continuous improvement an evaluation method was developed and used. Due to the good student resonance during the first run, this introduction seminar was held again in the winter semester 2015/16. It is planned to integrate this seminar as a regular session for all freshmen of the faculty curriculum and monitor the long-term effects of student motivation and success.
The dependence of the resonant direct magnetoelectric effect on temperature is studied experimentally in planar composite structures. Samples of rectangular shapes with dimensions of 5 mm x 20 mm employed ferromagnetic layers of either an amorphous (metallic glass) alloy or nickel with a thickness of 20-200 m and piezoelectric layers of single crystalline langatate material or lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric ceramics with a thickness of 500 m. The temperature of the samples was varied in a range between 120 and 390 K by blowing a gaseous nitrogen stream around them. It is shown that the effective characteristics of the magnetoelectric effectsuch as the mechanical resonance frequency f(r), the quality factor Q and the magnitude of the magnetoelectric coefficient (E) at the resonance frequencyare contingent on temperature. The interrelations between the temperature changes of the characteristics of the magnetoelectric effect and the temperature variations of the following material parametersYoung's modulus Y, the acoustic quality factor of individual layers, the dielectric constant epsilon, the piezoelectric modulus d of the piezoelectric layer as well as the piezomagnetic coefficients ((n)) of the ferromagnetic layerare established. The effect of temperature on the characteristics of the nonlinear magnetoelectric effect is observed for the first time. The results can be useful for designing magnetoelectric heterostructures with specified temperature characteristics, in particular, for the development of thermally stabilized magnetoelectric devices.
It is shown that the critical exponent for the effective shear modulus of a composite medium where a compliant polymer matrix is filled with ferromagnetic particles may significantly depend on the external magnetic field. The physical consequence of this dependence is the critical behavior of the relative magnetorheological effect.
Objective:
Magneto-active Polymers (MAP) are smart materials whose mechanical characteristics, such as elastic and shear moduli, may be controllable by means of an externally applied magnetic field.
Methods:
Various additives may be used to influence the characteristics of the polymer matrix whilst a suspension of soft and/or hard magnetic particles determine the magnetic properties of the composite. Both pre-cure and post-cure magnetization is possible.
Results:
A range of control strategies have been investigated for evaluation of the system using fluids of differing kinematic viscosity.
Conclusion:
Depending on the degree of magnetic field homogeneity, magneto-deformation and magnetostriction contribute to MAP actuation. This paper presents a novel application in the form of a peristaltic MAP tube system, applicable to flow control and pumping of hemorheological fluids in blood circulatory systems for biomedical research purposes.
Wireless sensor networks usually rely on internal permanent or rechargeable batteries as a power supply, causing high maintenance efforts. An alternative solution is to supply the entire system by harvesting the ambient energy, for example, by transducing ambient vibrations into electric energy by virtue of the piezoelectric effect. The purpose of this paper is to present a simple engineering approach for the bandwidth optimization of vibration energy harvesting systems comprising multiple piezoelectric cantilevers (PECs). The frequency tuning of a particular cantilever is achieved by changing the tip mass. It is shown that the bandwidth enhancement by mass tuning is limited and requires several PECs with close resonance frequencies. At a fixed frequency detuning between subsequent PECs, the achievable bandwidth shows a saturation behavior as a function of the number of cantilevers used. Since the resonance frequency of each PEC is different, the output voltages at a particular excitation frequency have different amplitudes and phases. A simple power-transfer circuit where several PECs with an individual full wave bridge rectifier are connected in parallel allows one to extract the electrical power close to the theoretical maximum excluding the diode losses. The experiments performed on two- and three-PEC arrays show reasonable agreement with simulations and demonstrate that this power-transfer circuit additionally influences the frequency dependence of the harvested electrical power.
The recent surge of interest in electrostatic actuators, particularly for soft robotic applications, has placed increasing demands on high voltage control technology. In this respect, optoelectronic bidirectional switching and analogue regulation of high voltages is becoming increasingly important. One common problem is the leakage current due to dark resistance of the material or device used. Another is the physical size of such elements. However, their ability to provide galvanic separation makes them a very attractive alternative to conventional (wired) semiconductor elements. This paper gives an overview of available methods and devices before introducing a concept based on the combination of photoresistive and magnetoresistive effects in Gallium Arsenide that are potentially applicable to other semiconductor materials.
In this work, the resonance enhancement of magnetoelectric (ME) coupling at the two lowest bending resonance frequencies was investigated in layered cantilever structures comprising a magnetoactive elastomer (MAE) slab and a commercially available piezoelectric polymer multilayer. A cantilever was fixed at one end in the horizontal plane and the magnetic field was applied horizontally. Five composite structures, each containing an MAE layer of different thicknesses from 0.85 to 4 mm, were fabricated. The fundamental bending resonance frequency in the absence of a magnetic field varied between roughly 23 and 55 Hz. It decreased with the increasing thickness of the MAE layer, which was explained by a simple theory. The largest ME voltage coefficient of about 7.85 V/A was measured in a sample where the thickness of the MAE layer was ≈2 mm. A significant increase in the bending resonance frequencies in the applied DC magnetic field of 240 kA/m up to 200% was observed. The results were compared with alternative designs for layered multiferroic structures. Directions for future research were also discussed.
Smart Stiction
(2019)
Soft robotics could loosely be described as the engineering science of expanded dexterity through controllable flexibility. The exploitation of controllable compliance through the judicious choice of soft flexible members, as opposed to a finite number of rigid kinematic joints, can result in greater dexterity without compromising simplicity. One example is the replacement of segmented mechanical legs with simple compliant material eruciform prolegs. To achieve this in robotics, without introducing additional mechanical joints, mobile surfaces with switchable coefficients of friction is essential. This paper explains how, using silicone based smart materials, the rapid alternation between kinematic and static friction (stiction) may be achieved.