Enabling new sensor applications for (V)HTRS by laser hybrid brazing of oxide ceramics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heilmann, F.; Rixecker, G. [Robert Bosch GmbH, Stuttgart (Germany). Corporate Research and Development; Herrmann, M.; Lippmann, W.; Hurtado, A. [Univ. of Technology, Dresden (Germany). Chair of Hydrogen- and Nuclear Engineering

2008-07-01

The use of (very) high temperature reactors ((V)HTRs) requires a sensor technology suitable to withstand thermal loads both in normal operation mode and under incident conditions which may appear during service. Especially ceramic sensors are ideal to suit this purpose. A special sensor type that is based upon oxide ceramics is the high temperature oxygen sensor. Base material for this application is yttria-doped zirconia. At elevated temperatures (above 450 C) the activation energy of oxygen ions is sufficient to migrate in the ZrO{sub 2} lattice following an oxygen partial pressure gradient. This diffusion process is facilitated by the trivalent yttrium ions which give rise to a high concentration of oxygen vacancies. The macroscopical effect of the migration of the oxygen ions can be detected as a Nernst voltage or, alternatively, as an electrical current. Thus it is possible to compare the oxygen content of measured media with that of a known reference gas. To be able to produce such sensors both efficiently and in the desired quality, joining technologies adapted to ceramics are necessary. Laser-based technologies for brazing with glass or glass-ceramic solders are especially suitable, as they combine high precision with high throughput. They thus enable cost efficient production processes both for large and small lot sizes. (orig.)

An ultrasensitive strain sensor with a wide strain range based on graphene armour scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yi-Fan; Tao, Lu-Qi; Pang, Yu; Tian, He; Ju, Zhen-Yi; Wu, Xiao-Ming; Yang, Yi; Ren, Tian-Ling

2018-06-12

An ultrasensitive strain sensor with a wide strain range based on graphene armour scales is demonstrated in this paper. The sensor shows an ultra-high gauge factor (GF, up to 1054) and a wide strain range (ε = 26%), both of which present an advantage compared to most other flexible sensors. Moreover, the sensor is developed by a simple fabrication process. Due to the excellent performance, this strain sensor can meet the demands of subtle, large and complex human motion monitoring, which indicates its tremendous application potential in health monitoring, mechanical control, real-time motion monitoring and so on.

Proton conducting ceramics for potentiometric hydrogen sensors for molten metals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borland, H.; Llivina, L.; Colominas, S.; Abellà, J., E-mail: jordi.abella@iqs.edu

2013-10-15

Highlights: • Synthesis and chemical characterization of proton conductor ceramics. • Qualification of ceramics for hydrogen sensors in molten lithium–lead. • Ceramics have well-defined grains with a wide distribution of sizes. • Good agreement with predictions obtained with BaZrY, BaCeZrY and SrFeCo ceramics. -- Abstract: Tritium monitoring in lithium–lead eutectic (Pb–15.7Li) is of great importance for the performance of liquid blankets in fusion reactors. Also, tritium measurements will be required in order to proof tritium self-sufficiency in liquid metal breeding systems. On-line hydrogen (isotopes) sensors must be design and tested in order to accomplish these goals. Potentiometric hydrogen sensors for molten lithium–lead eutectic have been designed at the Electrochemical Methods Lab at Institut Quimic de Sarria (IQS) at Barcelona and are under development and qualification. The probes are based on the use of solid state electrolytes and works as proton exchange membranes (PEM). In this work the following compounds: BaZr{sub 0.9}Y{sub 0.1}O{sub 3}, BaCe{sub 0.6}Zr{sub 0.3}Y{sub 0.1}O{sub 3−α}, Sr(Ce{sub 0.6}-Zr{sub 0.4}){sub 0.9}Y{sub 0.1}O{sub 3−α} and Sr{sub 3}Fe{sub 1.8}Co{sub 2}O{sub 7} have been synthesized in order to be tested as PEM H-probes. Potentiometric measurements of the synthesized ceramic elements at 500 °C have been performed at a fixed hydrogen concentration. The sensors constructed using the proton conductor elements BaZr{sub 0.9}Y{sub 0.1}O{sub 3}, BaCe{sub 0.6}Zr{sub 0.3}Y{sub 0.1}O{sub 3−δ} and Sr{sub 3}Fe{sub 1.8}Co{sub 0.2}O{sub 7−δ} exhibited stable output potential and its value was close to the theoretical value calculated with the Nernst equation (deviation around 60 mV). In contrast, the sensor constructed using the proton conductor element Sr(Ce{sub 0.6}–Zr{sub 0.4}){sub 0.9}Y{sub 0.1}O{sub 3−δ} showed a deviation higher than 100 mV between experimental an theoretical data.

A Review: Carbon Nanotube-Based Piezoresistive Strain Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Waris Obitayo

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The use of carbon nanotubes for piezoresistive strain sensors has acquired significant attention due to its unique electromechanical properties. In this comprehensive review paper, we discussed some important aspects of carbon nanotubes for strain sensing at both the nanoscale and macroscale. Carbon nanotubes undergo changes in their band structures when subjected to mechanical deformations. This phenomenon makes them applicable for strain sensing applications. This paper signifies the type of carbon nanotubes best suitable for piezoresistive strain sensors. The electrical resistivities of carbon nanotube thin film increase linearly with strain, making it an ideal material for a piezoresistive strain sensor. Carbon nanotube composite films, which are usually fabricated by mixing small amounts of single-walled or multiwalled carbon nanotubes with selected polymers, have shown promising characteristics of piezoresistive strain sensors. Studies also show that carbon nanotubes display a stable and predictable voltage response as a function of temperature.

Residual Strain Characteristics of Nickel-coated FBG Sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Won-Jae; Hwang, A-Reum; Kim, Sang-Woo

2017-01-01

A metal-coated FBG (fiber Bragg grating) sensor has a memory effect, which can recall the maximum strains experienced by the structure. In this study, a nickel-coated FBG sensor was fabricated through electroless (i.e., chemical plating) and electroplating. A thickness of approximately 43 μm of a nickel layer was achieved. Then, we conducted cyclic loading tests for the fabricated nickel-coated FBG sensors to verify their capability to produce residual strains. The results revealed that the residual strain induced by the nickel coating linearly increased with an increase in the maximum strain experienced by the sensor. Therefore, we verified that a nickel-coated FBG sensor has a memory effect. The fabrication methods and the results of the cycle loading test will provide basic information and guidelines in the design of a nickel-coated FBG sensor when it is applied in the development of structural health monitoring techniques.

Residual Strain Characteristics of Nickel-coated FBG Sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cho, Won-Jae; Hwang, A-Reum; Kim, Sang-Woo [Hankyong National Univ., Ansung (Korea, Republic of)

2017-07-15

A metal-coated FBG (fiber Bragg grating) sensor has a memory effect, which can recall the maximum strains experienced by the structure. In this study, a nickel-coated FBG sensor was fabricated through electroless (i.e., chemical plating) and electroplating. A thickness of approximately 43 μm of a nickel layer was achieved. Then, we conducted cyclic loading tests for the fabricated nickel-coated FBG sensors to verify their capability to produce residual strains. The results revealed that the residual strain induced by the nickel coating linearly increased with an increase in the maximum strain experienced by the sensor. Therefore, we verified that a nickel-coated FBG sensor has a memory effect. The fabrication methods and the results of the cycle loading test will provide basic information and guidelines in the design of a nickel-coated FBG sensor when it is applied in the development of structural health monitoring techniques.

Parallel Microcracks-based Ultrasensitive and Highly Stretchable Strain Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Amjadi, Morteza; Turan, Mehmet; Clementson, Cameron P; Sitti, Metin

2016-03-02

There is an increasing demand for flexible, skin-attachable, and wearable strain sensors due to their various potential applications. However, achieving strain sensors with both high sensitivity and high stretchability is still a grand challenge. Here, we propose highly sensitive and stretchable strain sensors based on the reversible microcrack formation in composite thin films. Controllable parallel microcracks are generated in graphite thin films coated on elastomer films. Sensors made of graphite thin films with short microcracks possess high gauge factors (maximum value of 522.6) and stretchability (ε ≥ 50%), whereas sensors with long microcracks show ultrahigh sensitivity (maximum value of 11,344) with limited stretchability (ε ≤ 50%). We demonstrate the high performance strain sensing of our sensors in both small and large strain sensing applications such as human physiological activity recognition, human body large motion capturing, vibration detection, pressure sensing, and soft robotics.

Highly sensitive strain sensors based on fragmentized carbon nanotube/polydimethylsiloxane composites.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yang; Fang, Xiaoliang; Tan, Jianping; Lu, Ting; Pan, Likun; Xuan, Fuzhen

2018-06-08

Wearable strain sensors based on nanomaterial/elastomer composites have potential applications in flexible electronic skin, human motion detection, human-machine interfaces, etc. In this research, a type of high performance strain sensors has been developed using fragmentized carbon nanotube/polydimethylsiloxane (CNT/PDMS) composites. The CNT/PDMS composites were ground into fragments, and a liquid-induced densification method was used to fabricate the strain sensors. The strain sensors showed high sensitivity with gauge factors (GFs) larger than 200 and a broad strain detection range up to 80%, much higher than those strain sensors based on unfragmentized CNT/PDMS composites (GF sensors is ascribed to the sliding of individual fragmentized-CNT/PDMS-composite particles during mechanical deformation, which causes significant resistance change in the strain sensors. The strain sensors can differentiate mechanical stimuli and monitor various human body motions, such as bending of the fingers, human breathing, and blood pulsing.

Fiber Optic Strain Sensor for Planetary Gear Diagnostics

Science.gov (United States)

Kiddy, Jason S.; Lewicki, David G.; LaBerge, Kelsen E.; Ehinger, Ryan T.; Fetty, Jason

2011-01-01

This paper presents a new sensing approach for helicopter damage detection in the planetary stage of a helicopter transmission based on a fiber optic strain sensor array. Complete helicopter transmission damage detection has proven itself a difficult task due to the complex geometry of the planetary reduction stage. The crowded and complex nature of the gearbox interior does not allow for attachment of sensors within the rotating frame. Hence, traditional vibration-based diagnostics are instead based on measurements from externally mounted sensors, typically accelerometers, fixed to the gearbox exterior. However, this type of sensor is susceptible to a number of external disturbances that can corrupt the data, leading to false positives or missed detection of potentially catastrophic faults. Fiber optic strain sensors represent an appealing alternative to the accelerometer. Their small size and multiplexibility allows for potentially greater sensing resolution and accuracy, as well as redundancy, when employed as an array of sensors. The work presented in this paper is focused on the detection of gear damage in the planetary stage of a helicopter transmission using a fiber optic strain sensor band. The sensor band includes an array of 13 strain sensors, and is mounted on the ring gear of a Bell Helicopter OH-58C transmission. Data collected from the sensor array is compared to accelerometer data, and the damage detection results are presented

Highly sensitive strain sensors based on fragmentized carbon nanotube/polydimethylsiloxane composites

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yang; Fang, Xiaoliang; Tan, Jianping; Lu, Ting; Pan, Likun; Xuan, Fuzhen

2018-06-01

Wearable strain sensors based on nanomaterial/elastomer composites have potential applications in flexible electronic skin, human motion detection, human–machine interfaces, etc. In this research, a type of high performance strain sensors has been developed using fragmentized carbon nanotube/polydimethylsiloxane (CNT/PDMS) composites. The CNT/PDMS composites were ground into fragments, and a liquid-induced densification method was used to fabricate the strain sensors. The strain sensors showed high sensitivity with gauge factors (GFs) larger than 200 and a broad strain detection range up to 80%, much higher than those strain sensors based on unfragmentized CNT/PDMS composites (GF composite particles during mechanical deformation, which causes significant resistance change in the strain sensors. The strain sensors can differentiate mechanical stimuli and monitor various human body motions, such as bending of the fingers, human breathing, and blood pulsing.

Tunnel Magnetoresistance Sensors with Magnetostrictive Electrodes: Strain Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Tavassolizadeh, Ali; Rott, Karsten; Meier, Tobias; Quandt, Eckhard; Hölscher, Hendrik; Reiss, Günter; Meyners, Dirk

2016-11-11

Magnetostrictive tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) sensors pose a bright perspective in micro- and nano-scale strain sensing technology. The behavior of TMR sensors under mechanical stress as well as their sensitivity to the applied stress depends on the magnetization configuration of magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ)s with respect to the stress axis. Here, we propose a configuration resulting in an inverse effect on the tunnel resistance by tensile and compressive stresses. Numerical simulations, based on a modified Stoner-Wohlfarth (SW) model, are performed in order to understand the magnetization reversal of the sense layer and to find out the optimum bias magnetic field required for high strain sensitivity. At a bias field of -3.2 kA/m under a 0.2 × 10 - 3 strain, gauge factors of 2294 and -311 are calculated under tensile and compressive stresses, respectively. Modeling results are investigated experimentally on a round junction with a diameter of 30 ± 0.2 μ m using a four-point bending apparatus. The measured field and strain loops exhibit nearly the same trends as the calculated ones. Also, the gauge factors are in the same range. The junction exhibits gauge factors of 2150 ± 30 and -260 for tensile and compressive stresses, respectively, under a -3.2 kA/m bias magnetic field. The agreement of the experimental and modeling results approves the proposed configuration for high sensitivity and ability to detect both tensile and compressive stresses by a single TMR sensor.

The usage of ceramics in the manufacture of the lining of temperature sensors for the oil industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Domingues, R.O.; Yadava, Y.P.; Sanguinetti Ferreira, R.A.

2014-01-01

In the oil production, many types of sensors are used in order to monitor some important parameters such as temperature, pressure and flow. These sensors are subjected to harsh operating conditions. Therefore they must present an inert and stable behavior in these conditions. The temperature sensors that are more suited to the oil industry are the Temperature Detectors by Resistance (TDR), because they have high accuracy and wide temperature range. Usually these devices are built with metals as detectors of temperature by encapsulated resistance in inert ceramics. The main objective of this research is to produce new ceramics of a Ca_2AlZrO_5_,_5 cubic complex perovskite structure for the encapsulation of temperature sensors. The stoichiometric amounts of the constituent chemicals, with a high degree of purity, are homogenized, through a solid state reaction in a high energy ball mill. They are then compacted by uniaxial pressing and calcined at 1200°C for 24 hours. Soon after, the tablet is crushed giving place to a ceramic powder and the analysis of X-ray diffraction is performed. According to the sintering behavior of the ceramic powder, the microstructure and the homogeneity are studied by the Scanning Electron Microscopy. The results are presented in terms of the potential of this ceramic for applications as components of temperature sensors. (author)

Wireless implantable passive strain sensor: design, fabrication and characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umbrecht, F; Wägli, P; Dechand, S; Hierold, Ch; Gattiker, F; Neuenschwander, J; Sennhauser, U

2010-01-01

This work presents a new passive sensor concept for monitoring the deformation of orthopedic implants. The novel sensing principle of the WIPSS (wireless implantable passive strain sensor) is based on a hydro-mechanical amplification effect. The WIPSS is entirely made from biocompatible PMMA and consists of a microchannel attached to a reservoir, which is filled with an incompressible fluid. As the reservoir is exposed to strain, its volume changes and consequently the fill level inside the microchannel varies. The wireless detection of the microchannel's strain-dependent fill level is based on ultrasound. The WIPSS' sensing principle is proved by finite-element simulations and the reservoir's design is optimized toward maximum volume change, in order to achieve high sensitivity. A fabrication process for WIPSS sensor devices entirely made from PMMA is presented. The obtained measurement results confirmed the sensor's functionality and showed very good agreement with the obtained results of the conducted FE simulations regarding the sensor's sensitivity. A strain resolution of 1.7 ± 0.2 × 10 −5 was achieved. Further, the determination of the cross-sensitivity to temperature and strains applied out of the sensing direction is presented. The response to dynamic inputs (0.1–5 Hz) has been measured and showed decreasing sensor output with increasing frequency. Test structures of the sensor device allow the application of a signal bandwidth up to 1 Hz. Therefore, the proposed sensor concept of the WIPSS presents a promising new sensor system for static in vivo strain monitoring of orthopedic implants. In combination with the developed ultrasound-based read-out method, this new sensor system offers the potential of wireless sensor read-out with medical ultrasound scanners, which are commercially available.

Wireless passive polymer-derived SiCN ceramic sensor with integrated resonator/antenna

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yan; Yu, Yuxi; San, Haisheng; Wang, Yansong; An, Linan

2013-10-01

This paper presents a passive wireless polymer-derived silicon carbonitride (SiCN) ceramic sensor based on cavity radio frequency resonator together with integrated slot antenna. The effect of the cavity sensor dimensions on the Q-factor and resonant frequency is investigated by numerical simulation. A sensor with optimal dimensions is designed and fabricated. It is demonstrated that the sensor signal can be wirelessly detected at distances up to 20 mm. Given the high-temperature stability of the SiCN, the sensor is very promising for high-temperature wireless sensing applications.

Maximising electro-mechanical response by minimising grain-scale strain heterogeneity in phase-change actuator ceramics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Oddershede, Jette; Hossain, Mohammad Jahangir; Daniels, John E.

2016-01-01

Phase-change actuator ceramics directly couple electrical and mechanical energies through an electric-field-induced phase transformation. These materials are promising for the replacement of the most common electro-mechanical ceramic, lead zirconate titanate, which has environmental concerns. Here......, we show that by compositional modification, we reduce the grain-scale heterogeneity of the electro-mechanical response by 40%. In the materials investigated, this leads to an increase in the achievable electric-field-induced strain of the bulk ceramic of 45%. Compositions of (100-x)Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-(x...... heterogeneity can be achieved by precise control of the lattice distortions and orientation distributions of the induced phases. The current results can be used to guide the design of next generation high-strain electro-mechanical ceramic actuator materials....

A Piezoelectric Passive Wireless Sensor for Monitoring Strain

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Xiyue; Ferri, Paul N.; Hogan, Ben; Mazzeo, Aaron D.; Hull. Patrick V.

2017-01-01

Interest in passive wireless sensing has grown over the past few decades to meet demands in structural health monitoring.(Deivasigamani et al., 2013; Wilson and Juarez, 2014) This work describes a passive wireless sensor for monitoring strain, which does not have an embedded battery or chip. Without an embedded battery, the passive wireless sensor has the potential to maintain its functionality over long periods in remote/harsh environments. This work also focuses on monitoring small strain (less than 1000 micro-?). The wireless sensing system includes a reader unit, a coil-like transponder, and a sensing unit. It operates in the Megahertz (MHz) frequency range, which allows for a few centimeters of separation between the reader and sensing unit during measurements. The sensing unit is a strain-sensitive piezoelectric resonator that maximizes the energy efficiency at the resonance frequency, so it converts nanoscale mechanical variations to detectable differences in electrical signal. In response to an external loading, the piezoelectric sensor breaks from its original electromechanical equilibrium, and the resonant frequency shifts as the system reaches a new balanced equilibrium. In this work, the fixture of the sensing unit is a small, sticker-like package that converts the surface strain of a test material to measurable shifts in resonant frequencies. Furthermore, electromechanical modeling provides a lumped-parameter model of the system to describe and predict the measured wireless signals of the sensor. Detailed characterization demonstrates how this wireless sensor has resolution comparable to that of conventional wired strain sensors for monitoring small strain.

Tunnel Magnetoresistance Sensors with Magnetostrictive Electrodes: Strain Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Tavassolizadeh

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Magnetostrictive tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR sensors pose a bright perspective in micro- and nano-scale strain sensing technology. The behavior of TMR sensors under mechanical stress as well as their sensitivity to the applied stress depends on the magnetization configuration of magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs with respect to the stress axis. Here, we propose a configuration resulting in an inverse effect on the tunnel resistance by tensile and compressive stresses. Numerical simulations, based on a modified Stoner–Wohlfarth (SW model, are performed in order to understand the magnetization reversal of the sense layer and to find out the optimum bias magnetic field required for high strain sensitivity. At a bias field of −3.2 kA/m under a 0.2 × 10 - 3 strain, gauge factors of 2294 and −311 are calculated under tensile and compressive stresses, respectively. Modeling results are investigated experimentally on a round junction with a diameter of 30 ± 0.2 μ m using a four-point bending apparatus. The measured field and strain loops exhibit nearly the same trends as the calculated ones. Also, the gauge factors are in the same range. The junction exhibits gauge factors of 2150 ± 30 and −260 for tensile and compressive stresses, respectively, under a −3.2 kA/m bias magnetic field. The agreement of the experimental and modeling results approves the proposed configuration for high sensitivity and ability to detect both tensile and compressive stresses by a single TMR sensor.

Auxetic Mechanical Metamaterials to Enhance Sensitivity of Stretchable Strain Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Ying; Liu, Zhiyuan; Matsuhisa, Naoji; Qi, Dianpeng; Leow, Wan Ru; Yang, Hui; Yu, Jiancan; Chen, Geng; Liu, Yaqing; Wan, Changjin; Liu, Zhuangjian; Chen, Xiaodong

2018-03-01

Stretchable strain sensors play a pivotal role in wearable devices, soft robotics, and Internet-of-Things, yet these viable applications, which require subtle strain detection under various strain, are often limited by low sensitivity. This inadequate sensitivity stems from the Poisson effect in conventional strain sensors, where stretched elastomer substrates expand in the longitudinal direction but compress transversely. In stretchable strain sensors, expansion separates the active materials and contributes to the sensitivity, while Poisson compression squeezes active materials together, and thus intrinsically limits the sensitivity. Alternatively, auxetic mechanical metamaterials undergo 2D expansion in both directions, due to their negative structural Poisson's ratio. Herein, it is demonstrated that such auxetic metamaterials can be incorporated into stretchable strain sensors to significantly enhance the sensitivity. Compared to conventional sensors, the sensitivity is greatly elevated with a 24-fold improvement. This sensitivity enhancement is due to the synergistic effect of reduced structural Poisson's ratio and strain concentration. Furthermore, microcracks are elongated as an underlying mechanism, verified by both experiments and numerical simulations. This strategy of employing auxetic metamaterials can be further applied to other stretchable strain sensors with different constituent materials. Moreover, it paves the way for utilizing mechanical metamaterials into a broader library of stretchable electronics. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Graphene based strain sensor with LCP substrate

Science.gov (United States)

Nie, M.; Yang, H. S.; Xia, Y. H.

2018-02-01

A flexible strain sensor constructed by an efficient, low-cost fabrication strategy is presented in this paper. It is assembled by adhering grid-like graphene on LCP substrate. Kinds of measurement setup have been designed to verify that the proposed flexible sensor device is suitable to be used in health monitoring system. From the experiment results, it can be proved that the sensor exhibits the following features: ultra-light, relatively good sensitivity, high reversibility, superior physical robustness, easy fabrication. With the great performance of this flexible strain sensor, it is considered to play an important role in body monitoring, structural health monitoring system, fatigue detection and healthcare systems in the near future.

Highly Stretchable and Transparent Microfluidic Strain Sensors for Monitoring Human Body Motions.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Sun Geun; Koo, Hyung-Jun; Chang, Suk Tai

2015-12-16

We report a new class of simple microfluidic strain sensors with high stretchability, transparency, sensitivity, and long-term stability with no considerable hysteresis and a fast response to various deformations by combining the merits of microfluidic techniques and ionic liquids. The high optical transparency of the strain sensors was achieved by introducing refractive-index matched ionic liquids into microfluidic networks or channels embedded in an elastomeric matrix. The microfluidic strain sensors offer the outstanding sensor performance under a variety of deformations induced by stretching, bending, pressing, and twisting of the microfluidic strain sensors. The principle of our microfluidic strain sensor is explained by a theoretical model based on the elastic channel deformation. In order to demonstrate its capability of practical usage, the simple-structured microfluidic strain sensors were performed onto a finger, wrist, and arm. The highly stretchable and transparent microfluidic strain sensors were successfully applied as potential platforms for distinctively monitoring a wide range of human body motions in real time. Our novel microfluidic strain sensors show great promise for making future stretchable electronic devices.

Printed strain sensors for early damage detection in engineering structures

Science.gov (United States)

Zymelka, Daniel; Yamashita, Takahiro; Takamatsu, Seiichi; Itoh, Toshihiro; Kobayashi, Takeshi

2018-05-01

In this paper, we demonstrate the analysis of strain measurements recorded using a screen-printed sensors array bonded to a metal plate and subjected to high strains. The analysis was intended to evaluate the capabilities of the printed strain sensors to detect abnormal strain distribution before actual defects (cracks) in the analyzed structures appear. The results demonstrate that the developed device can accurately localize the enhanced strains at the very early stage of crack formation. The promising performance and low fabrication cost confirm the potential suitability of the printed strain sensors for applications within the framework of structural health monitoring (SHM).

Pyroelectric Ceramics as Temperature Sensors for Energy System Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Jorge Luis

Temperature is continuously monitored in energy systems to ensure safe operation temperatures, increase efficiency and avoid high emissions. Most of energy systems operate at high temperature and harsh environments to achieve higher efficiencies, therefore temperature sensing devices that can operate under these conditions are highly desired. The interest has increased in temperature sensors capable to operate and in harsh environments and temperature sensors capable to transmit thermal information wirelessly. One of the solutions for developing harsh environment sensors is to use ceramic materials, especially functional ceramics such as pyroelectrics. Pyroelectric ceramics could be used to develop active sensors for both temperature and pressure due to their capabilities in coupling energy among mechanical, thermal, and electrical domains. In this study, two different pyroelectric materials were used to develop two different temperature sensors systems. First, a high temperature sensor was developed using a lithium niobate (LiNbO3) pyroelectric ceramic. With its Curie temperature of 1210 °C, lithium niobate is capable to maintain its pyroelectric properties at high temperature making it ideal for temperature sensing at high temperature applications. Lithium niobate has been studied previously in the attempt to use its pyroelectric current as the sensing mechanism to measure temperatures up to 500 °C. Pyroelectric coefficient of lithium niobate is a function of temperature as reported in a previous study, therefore a dynamic technique is utilized to measure the pyroelectric coefficient of the lithium niobate used in this study. The pyroelectric coefficient was successfully measured up to 500 °C with coefficients ranging from -8.5 x 10 -5 C/m2 °C at room temperature to -23.70 x 10 -5 C/m2 °C at 500 °C. The lithium niobate sensor was then tested at higher temperatures: 220 °C, 280 °C, 410 °C and 500 °C with 4.31 %, 2.1 %, 0.4 % and 0.6 % deviation

Flexible and Transparent Strain Sensors with Embedded Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Meshes.

Science.gov (United States)

Nie, Bangbang; Li, Xiangming; Shao, Jinyou; Li, Xin; Tian, Hongmiao; Wang, Duorui; Zhang, Qiang; Lu, Bingheng

2017-11-22

Strain sensors combining high sensitivity with good transparency and flexibility would be of great usefulness in smart wearable/flexible electronics. However, the fabrication of such strain sensors is still challenging. In this study, new strain sensors with embedded multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) meshes in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films were designed and tested. The strain sensors showed elevated optical transparency of up to 87% and high sensitivity with a gauge factor of 1140 at a small strain of 8.75%. The gauge factors of the sensors were also found relatively stable since they did not obviously change after 2000 stretching/releasing cycles. The sensors were tested to detect motion in the human body, such as wrist bending, eye blinking, mouth phonation, and pulse, and the results were shown to be satisfactory. Furthermore, the fabrication of the strain sensor consisting of mechanically blading MWCNTs aqueous dispersions into microtrenches of prestructured PDMS films was straightforward, was low cost, and resulted in high yield. All these features testify to the great potential of these sensors in future real applications.

Photonic Crystal Fiber Sensors for Strain and Temperature Measurement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jian Ju

2009-01-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses the applications of photonic crystal fibers (PCFs for strain and temperature measurement. Long-period grating sensors and in-fiber modal interferometric sensors are described and compared with their conventional single-mode counterparts. The strain sensitivities of the air-silica PCF sensors are comparable or higher than those implemented in conventional single-mode fibers but the temperature sensitivities of the PCF sensors are much lower.

Towards development of nanofibrous large strain flexible strain sensors with programmable shape memory properties

Science.gov (United States)

Khalili, N.; Asif, H.; Naguib, H. E.

2018-05-01

Electrospun polymeric fibers can be used as strain sensors due to their large surface to weight/volume ratio, high porosity and pore interconnectivity. Large strain flexible strain sensors are used in numerous applications including rehabilitation, health monitoring, and sports performance monitoring where large strain detection should be accommodated by the sensor. This has boosted the demand for a stretchable, flexible and highly sensitive sensor able to detect a wide range of mechanically induced deformations. Herein, a physically cross-linked polylactic acid (PLA) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) blend is made into nanofiber networks via electrospinning. The PLA/TPU weight ratio is optimized to obtain a maximum attainable strain of 100% while maintaining its mechanical integrity. The TPU/PLA fibers also allowed for their thermally activated recovery due to shape memory properties of the substrate. This novel feature enhances the sensor’s performance as it is no longer limited by its plastic deformation. Using spray coating method, a homogeneous layer of single-walled carbon nanotube is deposited onto the as-spun fiber mat to induce electrical conductivity to the surface of the fibers. It is shown that stretching and bending the sensor result in a highly sensitive and linear response with a maximum gauge factor of 33.

Ultrasensitive, Stretchable Strain Sensors Based on Fragmented Carbon Nanotube Papers

KAUST Repository

Zhou, Jian

2017-01-17

The development of strain sensors featuring both ultra high sensitivity and high stretchability is still a challenge. We demonstrate that strain sensors based on fragmented single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) paper embedded in poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) can sustain their sensitivity even at very high strain levels (with a gauge factor of over 10(7) at 50% strain). This record sensitivity is ascribed to the low initial electrical resistance (5-28 Omega) of the SWCNT paper and the wide change in resistance (up to 10(6) Omega) governed by the percolated network of SWCNT in the cracked region. The sensor response remains nearly unchanged after 10 000 strain cycles at 20% proving the robustness of this technology. This fragmentation based sensing system brings opportunities to engineer highly sensitive stretchable sensors.

Wireless Zigbee strain gage sensor system for structural health monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Ide, Hiroshi; Abdi, Frank; Miraj, Rashid; Dang, Chau; Takahashi, Tatsuya; Sauer, Bruce

2009-05-01

A compact cell phone size radio frequency (ZigBee) wireless strain measurement sensor system to measure the structural strain deformation was developed. The developed system provides an accurate strain measurement data stream to the Internet for further Diagnostic and Prognostic (DPS) correlation. Existing methods of structural measurement by strain sensors (gauges) do not completely satisfy problems posed by continuous structural health monitoring. The need for efficient health monitoring methods with real-time requirements to bidirectional data flow from sensors and to a commanding device is becoming critical for keeping our daily life safety. The use of full-field strain measurement techniques could reduce costly experimental programs through better understanding of material behavior. Wireless sensor-network technology is a monitoring method that is estimated to grow rapidly providing potential for cost savings over traditional wired sensors. The many of currently available wireless monitoring methods have: the proactive and constant data rate character of the data streams rather than traditional reactive, event-driven data delivery; mostly static node placement on structures with limited number of nodes. Alpha STAR Electronics' wireless sensor network system, ASWN, addresses some of these deficiencies, making the system easier to operate. The ASWN strain measurement system utilizes off-the-shelf sensors, namely strain gauges, with an analog-to-digital converter/amplifier and ZigBee radio chips to keep cost lower. Strain data is captured by the sensor, converted to digital form and delivered to the ZigBee radio chip, which in turn broadcasts the information using wireless protocols to a Personal Data Assistant (PDA) or Laptop/Desktop computers. From here, data is forwarded to remote computers for higher-level analysis and feedback using traditional cellular and satellite communication or the Ethernet infrastructure. This system offers a compact size, lower cost

Sleep monitoring sensor using flexible metal strain gauge

Science.gov (United States)

Kwak, Yeon Hwa; Kim, Jinyong; Kim, Kunnyun

2018-05-01

This paper presents a sleep monitoring sensor based on a flexible metal strain gauge. As quality of life has improved, interest in sleep quality, and related products, has increased. In this study, unlike a conventional single sensor based on a piezoelectric material, a metal strain gauge-based array sensor based on polyimide and nickel chromium (NiCr) is applied to provide movement direction, respiration, and heartbeat data as well as contact-free use by the user during sleeping. Thin-film-type resistive strain gage sensors are fabricated through the conventional flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) process, which is very useful for commercialization. The measurement of movement direction and respiratory rate during sleep were evaluated, and the heart rate data were compared with concurrent electrocardiogram (ECG) data. An algorithm for analyzing sleep data was developed using MATLAB, and the error rate was 4.2% when compared with ECG for heart rate.

Highly sensitive wearable strain sensor based on silver nanowires and nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Shengbo, Sang; Lihua, Liu; Aoqun, Jian; Qianqian, Duan; Jianlong, Ji; Qiang, Zhang; Wendong, Zhang

2018-06-01

Here, we propose a highly sensitive and stretchable strain sensor based on silver nanoparticles and nanowires (Ag NPs and NWs), advancing the rapid development of electronic skin. To improve the sensitivity of strain sensors based on silver nanowires (Ag NWs), Ag NPs and NWs were added to polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as an aid filler. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) increase the conductive paths for electrons, leading to the low resistance of the resulting sensor (14.9 Ω). The strain sensor based on Ag NPs and NWs showed strong piezoresistivity with a tunable gauge factor (GF) at 3766, and a change in resistance as the strain linearly increased from 0% to 28.1%. The high GF demonstrates the irreplaceable role of Ag NPs in the sensor. Moreover, the applicability of our high-performance strain sensor has been demonstrated by its ability to sense movements caused by human talking, finger bending, wrist raising and walking.

Self-sensing concrete-filled FRP tube using FBG strain sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Xin; Li, Hui

2007-01-01

Concrete-filled fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) tube is a type of newly developed structural column. It behaves brittle failure at its peak strength, and so the health monitoring on the hoop strain of the FRP tube is essential for the life cycle safety of the structure. Herein, the optic fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensor was chosen as the strain measuring gauge and embedded in the inter-ply of fibers in the middle height and the hoop direction of the FRP tube. The compressive behaviors of the concrete-filled FRP tubes were experimentally studied. The hoop strain of the FRP tube was recorded in real time using the embedded FBG strain sensor as well as the embedded or surface electric resistance strain gauges. Results indicated that the FBG strain sensor can faithfully record the hoop strain ofthe concrete-filled FRP tubes in compression as compared with the embedded or surface electric resistance strain gauges, and the strain recorded can reach more than 7000μɛ.

Application of carbon nanotubes flexible strain sensor in smart textiles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiong CHENG

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Smart textiles have not only the necessary functions of daily wear, but also the intelligence. The focus of the current textile materials research is the selection of flexible material. For flexible materials, carbon material is one of the ideal materials for preparing flexible strain gauges. The application of flexible strain sensor prepared by carbon nanotubes as a flexible material in smart textiles is the research content. The research status of carbon nanotubes flexible strain sensor is introduced from the aspects of the structure, properties and application. The characteristics and functions of flexible strain gages prepared with carbon nanotube fibers and carbon nanotube films as flexible materials are discussed in terms of selection, preparation method, performance test and application. At the same time, the advantages and disadvantages of the flexible strain sensor of carbon nanotubes are reviewed from the aspects of preparation difficulty, production cost and practical application effect. High sensitivity with high strain will be a key research direction for carbon nanotube flexible strain sensors.

Development and sintering of alumina based mixed oxide ceramic products for sensor applications in petroleum industries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yadava, Y.P.; Muniz, L.B.; Aguiar, L.A.R.; Sanguinetti Ferreira, R.A. [Departamento de Engenharia Mecanica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, CEP 50741-530, Recife-PE (Brazil); Albino Aguiar, J. [Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, CEP 50670-901 Recife-PE (Brazil)

2005-07-01

In petroleum production, different types of sensors are required to monitor temperature, pressure, leakage of inflammable gases, etc. These sensors work in very hostile environmental conditions and frequently suffer from abrasion and corrosion problems. Presently perovskite oxide based ceramic materials are increasingly being used for such purposes, due to their highly inert behavior in hostile environment. In the present work, we have developed and characterized alumina based complex perovskite oxide ceramics, Ba{sub 2}AlSnO{sub 5.5}. These ceramics were prepared by solid state reaction process and produced in the form of circular discs by uniaxial pressure compaction technique. Green ceramic bodies were sintered at different sintering temperatures (1200 to 1500 deg. C) in air atmosphere. Structural and microstructural characteristics of sintered Ba{sub 2}AlMO{sub 5.5} were studied by XRD and SEM techniques. Mechanical properties were tested by Vickers microhardness tests. Ceramics sintered in the temperature range 1300 deg. C 1400 deg. C presented best results in terms of microstructural characteristics and mechanical performance. (authors)

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS-Based Flexible Resistive Strain Sensors for Wearable Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Chen

2018-02-01

Full Text Available There is growing attention and rapid development on flexible electronic devices with electronic materials and sensing technology innovations. In particular, strain sensors with high elasticity and stretchability are needed for several potential applications including human entertainment technology, human–machine interface, personal healthcare, and sports performance monitoring, etc. This article presents recent advancements in the development of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS-based flexible resistive strain sensors for wearable applications. First of all, the article shows that PDMS-based stretchable resistive strain sensors are successfully fabricated by different methods, such as the filtration method, printing technology, micromolding method, coating techniques, and liquid phase mixing. Next, strain sensing performances including stretchability, gauge factor, linearity, and durability are comprehensively demonstrated and compared. Finally, potential applications of PDMS-based flexible resistive strain sensors are also discussed. This review indicates that the era of wearable intelligent electronic systems has arrived.

The usage of ceramics in the manufacture of the lining of temperature sensors for the oil industry; Utilizacao de ceramica para encapsulamento de sensores de temperatura na industria petrolifera

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Domingues, R.O.; Yadava, Y.P.; Sanguinetti Ferreira, R.A., E-mail: rebeka.oliveira@yahoo.com.br, E-mail: yadava@ufpe.br, E-mail: ricardo.sanguinetti@pq.cnpq.br [Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE (Brazil). Departamento de Engenharia Mecanica

2014-07-01

In the oil production, many types of sensors are used in order to monitor some important parameters such as temperature, pressure and flow. These sensors are subjected to harsh operating conditions. Therefore they must present an inert and stable behavior in these conditions. The temperature sensors that are more suited to the oil industry are the Temperature Detectors by Resistance (TDR), because they have high accuracy and wide temperature range. Usually these devices are built with metals as detectors of temperature by encapsulated resistance in inert ceramics. The main objective of this research is to produce new ceramics of a Ca{sub 2}AlZrO{sub 5,5} cubic complex perovskite structure for the encapsulation of temperature sensors. The stoichiometric amounts of the constituent chemicals, with a high degree of purity, are homogenized, through a solid state reaction in a high energy ball mill. They are then compacted by uniaxial pressing and calcined at 1200°C for 24 hours. Soon after, the tablet is crushed giving place to a ceramic powder and the analysis of X-ray diffraction is performed. According to the sintering behavior of the ceramic powder, the microstructure and the homogeneity are studied by the Scanning Electron Microscopy. The results are presented in terms of the potential of this ceramic for applications as components of temperature sensors. (author)

Ultrasensitive, Stretchable Strain Sensors Based on Fragmented Carbon Nanotube Papers

KAUST Repository

Zhou, Jian; Yu, Hu; Xu, Xuezhu; Han, Fei; Lubineau, Gilles

2017-01-01

The development of strain sensors featuring both ultra high sensitivity and high stretchability is still a challenge. We demonstrate that strain sensors based on fragmented single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) paper embedded in poly

Fibre optic strain sensor: examples of applications

Science.gov (United States)

Kruszewski, J.; Beblowska, M.; Wrzosek, P.

2006-03-01

Construction of strain sensor for application in safety systems has been presented. The device consists of sensor's head and source and detector units. The head is made of polymer fiber bends. Designed sensor could be mounted in monitoring place (e.g. under a floor) and controlled by PC unit or could be used as a portable device for a valuable object protection.

Strain measurement in concrete using embedded carbon roving-based sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quadflieg, Till; Gries, Thomas; Stolyarov, Oleg

2016-01-01

This paper presents the results of the application of carbon rovings as strain sensors for measuring the strain in concrete. In this work, three types of electrically conductive carbon roving with different characteristics were used. The possibility of using carbon rovings as a strain sensor is demonstrated via measurements in tensile and four point bending tests. The experimental setups and methods for measuring the electrical resistance of carbon roving in the roving and concrete are described. The results of the characterization of the electrical behavior as a function of strain of carbon rovings and concrete are presented and discussed. The obtained results indicate that the strain range of carbon rovings optimally corresponds to the strain range of concrete. This characteristic behavior makes the carbon rovings well suited for the use as strain sensors. A good correlation has been found between the electrical resistance-strain curve of the carbon roving and the measurements in the concrete.

Advanced Materials Development of Ionic Ceramics Using Ions Beam and its Suitable Applications as Stress Environment Sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, K. H.; Cho, D. H.; Won, J. O.; Cho, J. H.; Kim, J. Y.

2008-04-01

The perovskite oxides La 2 CuO 4 was prepared by auto-ignition method with citric acid as reductant and nitrate as oxidant at low temperatures. Single crystals of phase lanthanum copper oxide were implanted with 70-120 KeV argon and nitrogen ions at room temperature. The prepared materials have investigated the energy transition distribution and ion distribution for N 2 and Ar ion-implantation depth. Also, this ionic ceramic of ion implanted with N + and N 2 + energy 70 keV, dose 5 x 10 16 ions/cm 2 , and beam current density 8.91μm/cm 2 were studied on physio-chemical and characteristic. We have studied on the effect of ion implantation for ionic ceramics materials surface modification for the first year. The ion beam treated ionic ceramics were investigated into its chemical structure and its characteristics as observed by XRD, SEM-EDS, BET and DTA. The oxygen gas sensors based on lanthanum copper oxide were fabricated by screen-printing method an YSZ substrate using the powder prepared by the ion implanted ionic state ceramics. The sensor's response was evaluated by periodic variation of oxygen partial pressure. Recently, the oxygen gas sensors using concentration cells consisting of oxygen-ion-conductor have been currently used as the oxygen gas sensors to measure oxygen concentration of exhaust gas. And, Resistive response behavior with varying oxygen gas concentration on lanthanum copper oxide have been studied. Oxygen sensor was measured in the temperature range of 400 .deg. C ∼700 .deg. C and different concentrations of oxygen. The results show that the resistance of oxygen sensor using YSZ-La 2 CuO 4 decreases with an increase of temperature at given oxygen concentration, and it is good linearity. Also its sensor has faster response property at more than 500 .deg. C.

All-fiber, long-active-length Fabry-Perot strain sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Pevec, Simon; Donlagic, Denis

2011-08-01

This paper presents a high-sensitivity, all-silica, all-fiber Fabry-Perot strain-sensor. The proposed sensor provides a long active length, arbitrary length of Fabry-Perot cavity, and low intrinsic temperature sensitivity. The sensor was micro-machined from purposely-developed sensor-forming fiber that is etched and directly spliced to the lead-in fiber. This manufacturing process has good potential for cost-effective, high-volume production. Its measurement range of over 3000 µε, and strain-resolution better than 1 µε were demonstrated by the application of a commercial, multimode fiber-based signal processor.

A Passive and Wireless Sensor for Bone Plate Strain Monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Yisong; Hu, Jiale; Ren, Limin; Zhu, Jianhua; Yang, Jiaqi; Liu, Di

2017-11-16

This paper reports on a sensor for monitoring bone plate strain in real time. The detected bone plate strain could be used for judging the healing state of fractures in patients. The sensor consists of a magnetoelastic material, which can be wirelessly connected and passively embedded. In order to verify the effectiveness of the sensor, a tibia-bone plate-screw (TBS) model was established using the finite element analysis method. A variation of the bone plate strain was obtained via this model. A goat hindquarter tibia was selected as the bone fracture model in the experiment. The tibia was fixed on a high precision load platform and an external force was applied. Bone plate strain variation during the bone fracture healing process was acquired with sensing coils. Simulation results indicated that bone plate strain decreases as the bone gradually heals, which is consistent with the finite element analysis results. This validated the soundness of the sensor reported here. This sensor has wireless connections, no in vivo battery requirement, and long-term embedding. These results can be used not only for clinical practices of bone fracture healing, but also for bone fracture treatment and rehabilitation equipment design.

Optimization of PZT ceramic IDT sensors for health monitoring of structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Takpara, Rafatou; Duquennoy, Marc; Ouaftouh, Mohammadi; Courtois, Christian; Jenot, Frédéric; Rguiti, Mohamed

2017-08-01

Surface acoustic waves (SAW) are particularly suited to effectively monitoring and characterizing structural surfaces (condition of the surface, coating, thin layer, micro-cracks…) as their energy is localized on the surface, within approximately one wavelength. Conventionally, in non-destructive testing, wedge sensors are used to the generation guided waves but they are especially suited to flat surfaces and sized for a given type material (angle of refraction). Additionally, these sensors are quite expensive so it is quite difficult to leave the sensors permanently on the structure for its health monitoring. Therefore we are considering in this study, another type of ultrasonic sensors, able to generate SAW. These sensors are interdigital sensors or IDT sensors for InterDigital Transducer. This paper focuses on optimization of IDT sensors for non-destructive structural testing by using PZT ceramics. The challenge was to optimize the dimensional parameters of the IDT sensors in order to efficiently generate surface waves. Acoustic tests then confirmed these parameters. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Strain sensors for high field pulse magnets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martinez, Christian [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Zheng, Yan [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Easton, Daniel [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Farinholt, Kevin M [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Park, Gyuhae [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2009-01-01

In this paper we present an investigation into several strain sensing technologies that are being considered to monitor mechanical deformation within the steel reinforcement shells used in high field pulsed magnets. Such systems generally operate at cryogenic temperatures to mitigate heating issues that are inherent in the coils of nondestructive, high field pulsed magnets. The objective of this preliminary study is to characterize the performance of various strain sensing technologies at liquid nitrogen temperatures (-196 C). Four sensor types are considered in this investigation: fiber Bragg gratings (FBG), resistive foil strain gauges (RFSG), piezoelectric polymers (PVDF), and piezoceramics (PZT). Three operational conditions are considered for each sensor: bond integrity, sensitivity as a function of temperature, and thermal cycling effects. Several experiments were conducted as part of this study, investigating adhesion with various substrate materials (stainless steel, aluminum, and carbon fiber), sensitivity to static (FBG and RFSG) and dynamic (RFSG, PVDF and PZT) load conditions, and sensor diagnostics using PZT sensors. This work has been conducted in collaboration with the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL), and the results of this study will be used to identify the set of sensing technologies that would be best suited for integration within high field pulsed magnets at the NHMFL facility.

Self-sensing concrete-filled FRP tubes using FBG strain sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Xin; Li, Hui

2007-07-01

Concrete-filled fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) tube is a type of newly developed structural column. It behaves brittle failure at its peak strength, and so the health monitoring on the hoop strain of the FRP tube is essential for the life cycle safety of the structure. Herein, three types of FRP tubes including 5-ply tube, 2-ply tube with local reinforcement and FRP-steel composite tube were embedded with the optic fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensors in the inter-ply of FRP or the interface between FRP and steel in the middle height and the hoop direction. The compressive behaviors of the concrete-filled FRP tubes were experimentally studied. The hoop strains of the FRP tubes were recorded in real time using the embedded FBG strain sensors as well as the embedded or surface electric resistance strain gauges. Results indicated that the FBG strain sensors can faithfully record the hoop strains of the FRP tubes in compression as compared with the embedded or surface electric resistance strain gauges, and the strains recorded can reach more than μɛ.

Towards Scalable Strain Gauge-Based Joint Torque Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

D’Imperio, Mariapaola; Cannella, Ferdinando; Caldwell, Darwin G.; Cuschieri, Alfred

2017-01-01

During recent decades, strain gauge-based joint torque sensors have been commonly used to provide high-fidelity torque measurements in robotics. Although measurement of joint torque/force is often required in engineering research and development, the gluing and wiring of strain gauges used as torque sensors pose difficulties during integration within the restricted space available in small joints. The problem is compounded by the need for a scalable geometric design to measure joint torque. In this communication, we describe a novel design of a strain gauge-based mono-axial torque sensor referred to as square-cut torque sensor (SCTS), the significant features of which are high degree of linearity, symmetry, and high scalability in terms of both size and measuring range. Most importantly, SCTS provides easy access for gluing and wiring of the strain gauges on sensor surface despite the limited available space. We demonstrated that the SCTS was better in terms of symmetry (clockwise and counterclockwise rotation) and more linear. These capabilities have been shown through finite element modeling (ANSYS) confirmed by observed data obtained by load testing experiments. The high performance of SCTS was confirmed by studies involving changes in size, material and/or wings width and thickness. Finally, we demonstrated that the SCTS can be successfully implementation inside the hip joints of miniaturized hydraulically actuated quadruped robot-MiniHyQ. This communication is based on work presented at the 18th International Conference on Climbing and Walking Robots (CLAWAR). PMID:28820446

High energy X-ray diffraction analysis of strain and residual stress in silicon nitride ceramic diffusion bonds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vila, M.; Prieto, C.; Miranzo, P.; Osendi, M.I.; Terry, A.E.; Vaughan, G.B.M.

2005-01-01

High resolution X-ray scanning diffractometry is used to study the residual stress in binary metal/ceramic (Ni/Si 3 N 4 ) diffusion bonds fabricated by simultaneous high temperature heating and uniaxial pressing. In order to diminish the experimental error on the stress determination, the method consists of three steps: (i) to measure the axial and radial strains following some selected lines at the inner volume of the ceramic; (ii) to fit the strain data using finite element method (FEM) analysis and (iii) to determinate stresses by using the results obtained from the FEM method in the strain calculation

Microfabrication of a Novel Ceramic Pressure Sensor with High Sensitivity Based on Low-Temperature Co-Fired Ceramic (LTCC Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen Li

2014-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a novel capacitance pressure sensor based on Low-Temperature Co-Fired Ceramic (LTCC technology is proposed for pressure measurement. This approach differs from the traditional fabrication process for a LTCC pressure sensor because a 4J33 iron-nickel-cobalt alloy is applied to avoid the collapse of the cavity and to improve the performance of the sensor. Unlike the traditional LTCC sensor, the sensitive membrane of the proposed sensor is very flat, and the deformation of the sensitivity membrane is smaller. The proposed sensor also demonstrates a greater responsivity, which reaches as high as 13 kHz/kPa in range of 0–100 kPa. During experiments, the newly fabricated sensor, which is only about 6.5 cm2, demonstrated very good performance: the repeatability error, hysteresis error, and nonlinearity of the sensor are about 4.25%, 2.13%, and 1.77%, respectively.

Flexible Mixed-Potential-Type (MPT) NO₂ Sensor Based on An Ultra-Thin Ceramic Film.

Science.gov (United States)

You, Rui; Jing, Gaoshan; Yu, Hongyan; Cui, Tianhong

2017-07-29

A novel flexible mixed-potential-type (MPT) sensor was designed and fabricated for NO₂ detection from 0 to 500 ppm at 200 °C. An ultra-thin Y₂O₃-doped ZrO₂ (YSZ) ceramic film 20 µm thick was sandwiched between a heating electrode and reference/sensing electrodes. The heating electrode was fabricated by a conventional lift-off process, while the porous reference and the sensing electrodes were fabricated by a two-step patterning method using shadow masks. The sensor's sensitivity is achieved as 58.4 mV/decade at the working temperature of 200 °C, as well as a detection limit of 26.7 ppm and small response time of less than 10 s at 200 ppm. Additionally, the flexible MPT sensor demonstrates superior mechanical stability after bending over 50 times due to the mechanical stability of the YSZ ceramic film. This simply structured, but highly reliable flexible MPT NO₂ sensor may lead to wide application in the automobile industry for vehicle emission systems to reduce NO₂ emissions and improve fuel efficiency.

Study of a high-precision SAW-MOEMS strain sensor with laser optics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Xinwei; Chen, Shufen; Zou, Zhengfeng; Fu, Lei; Meng, Yanbin; Li, Honglang

2015-01-01

A novel structure design of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) micro-optic-electro-mechanical-system (MOEMS) strain sensor with a light readout unit is presented in this paper. By measuring the polarization intensity ratio of the TE/TM mode outputted from the waveguide, the strain produced from an object can be measured precisely. The basic working principle of the SAW MOEMS strain sensor is introduced and the mathematical model of the strain sensor system is established. The SAW characteristics effected by the strain sensor are mathematically deduced. The coupling coefficient between the SAW modes and light modes can be calculated based on the theory of coupling modes. The conversion coefficient of polarized light modes is obtained. Due to the restrictions of the specific parameters of the device, the level of technology and the material characteristics, the sensitivity of the strain sensor system is calculated through simulation as 0.1 με, with a dynamic range of 0 ∼ ±50 με. (paper)

Dynamic strain measurement of hydraulic system pipeline using fibre Bragg grating sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiang Wang

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Fatigue failure is a serious problem in hydraulic piping systems installed in the machinery and equipment working in harsh operational conditions. To alleviate this problem, health monitoring of pipes can be conducted by measuring and analysing vibration-induced strain. Fibre Bragg grating is considered as a promising sensing approach for dynamic load monitoring. In this article, dynamic strain measurements based on fibre Bragg grating sensors for small-bore metal pipes have been investigated. The quasi-distributed strain sensing of fibre Bragg grating sensors is introduced. Two comparison experiments were carried out under vibration and impact loads among the methods of electrical strain gauge, piezoelectric accelerometer and fibre Bragg grating sensor. Experimental results indicate that fibre Bragg grating sensor possesses an outstanding ability to resist electromagnetic interference compared with strain gauge. The natural frequency measurement results, captured by fibre Bragg grating sensor, agree well with the modal analysis results obtained from finite element analysis. In addition, the attached fibre Bragg grating sensor brings a smaller impact on the dynamic characteristics of the measured pipe than the accelerometer due to its small size and lightweight. Fibre Bragg grating sensors have great potential for the quasi-distributed measurement of dynamic strain for the dynamic characteristic research and health monitoring of hydraulic system pipeline.

Highly Sensitive Multifilament Fiber Strain Sensors with Ultrabroad Sensing Range for Textile Electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jaehong; Shin, Sera; Lee, Sanggeun; Song, Jaekang; Kang, Subin; Han, Heetak; Kim, SeulGee; Kim, Seunghoe; Seo, Jungmok; Kim, DaeEun; Lee, Taeyoon

2018-05-22

Highly stretchable fiber strain sensors are one of the most important components for various applications in wearable electronics, electronic textiles, and biomedical electronics. Herein, we present a facile approach for fabricating highly stretchable and sensitive fiber strain sensors by embedding Ag nanoparticles into a stretchable fiber with a multifilament structure. The multifilament structure and Ag-rich shells of the fiber strain sensor enable the sensor to simultaneously achieve both a high sensitivity and largely wide sensing range despite its simple fabrication process and components. The fiber strain sensor simultaneously exhibits ultrahigh gauge factors (∼9.3 × 10 5 and ∼659 in the first stretching and subsequent stretching, respectively), a very broad strain-sensing range (450 and 200% for the first and subsequent stretching, respectively), and high durability for more than 10 000 stretching cycles. The fiber strain sensors can also be readily integrated into a glove to control a hand robot and effectively applied to monitor the large volume expansion of a balloon and a pig bladder for an artificial bladder system, thereby demonstrating the potential of the fiber strain sensors as candidates for electronic textiles, wearable electronics, and biomedical engineering.

Flexible textile-based strain sensor induced by contacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Hui

2015-01-01

In this paper, the contact effects are used as the key sensing element to develop flexible textile-structured strain sensors. The structures of the contact are analyzed theoretically and the contact resistances are investigated experimentally. The electromechanical properties of the textiles are investigated to find the key factors which determine the sensitivity, repeatability, and linearity of the sensor. The sensing mechanism is based on the change of contact resistance induced by the change of the configuration of the textiles. In order to improve the performance of the textile strain sensor, the contact resistance is designed based on the electromechanical properties of the fabric. It can be seen from the results that the performance of the sensor is largely affected by the structure of the contacts, which are determined by the morphology of fiber surface and the structures of the yarn and fabric. (paper)

Transparent conductive-polymer strain sensors for touch input sheets of flexible displays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takamatsu, Seiichi; Takahata, Tomoyuki; Muraki, Masato; Iwase, Eiji; Matsumoto, Kiyoshi; Shimoyama, Isao

2010-01-01

A transparent conductive polymer-based strain-sensor array, designed especially for touch input sheets of flexible displays, was developed. A transparent conductive polymer, namely poly(3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), was utilized owing to its strength under repeated mechanical bending. PEDOT:PSS strain sensors with a thickness of 130 nm exhibited light transmittance of 92%, which is the same as the transmittance of ITO electrodes widely used in flat panel displays. We demonstrated that the sensor array on a flexible sheet was able to sustain mechanical bending 300 times at a bending radius of 5 mm. The strain sensor shows a gauge factor of 5.2. The touch point on a flexible sheet could be detected from histograms of the outputs of the strain sensors when the sheet was pushed with an input force of 5 N. The touch input could be detected on the flexible sheet with a curved surface (radius of curvature of 20 mm). These results show that the developed transparent conductive polymer-based strain-sensor array is applicable to touch input sheets of mechanically bendable displays.

Highly Sensitive and Very Stretchable Strain Sensor Based on a Rubbery Semiconductor.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hae-Jin; Thukral, Anish; Yu, Cunjiang

2018-02-07

There is a growing interest in developing stretchable strain sensors to quantify the large mechanical deformation and strain associated with the activities for a wide range of species, such as humans, machines, and robots. Here, we report a novel stretchable strain sensor entirely in a rubber format by using a solution-processed rubbery semiconductor as the sensing material to achieve high sensitivity, large mechanical strain tolerance, and hysteresis-less and highly linear responses. Specifically, the rubbery semiconductor exploits π-π stacked poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) nanofibrils (P3HT-NFs) percolated in silicone elastomer of poly(dimethylsiloxane) to yield semiconducting nanocomposite with a large mechanical stretchability, although P3HT is a well-known nonstretchable semiconductor. The fabricated strain sensors exhibit reliable and reversible sensing capability, high gauge factor (gauge factor = 32), high linearity (R 2 > 0.996), and low hysteresis (degree of hysteresis wearable smart gloves. Systematic investigations in the materials design and synthesis, sensor fabrication and characterization, and mechanical analysis reveal the key fundamental and application aspects of the highly sensitive and very stretchable strain sensors entirely from rubbers.

Numerical Simulation of the Dynamic Performance of the Ceramic Material Affected by Different Strain Rate and Porosity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Zhen; Mei, H; Lai, X; Liu, L S; Zhai, P C; Cao, D F

2013-01-01

Ceramic materials are frequently used in protective armor applications for its low-density, high elastic modulus and high strength. It may be subject to different ballistic impacts in many situations, thus many studies have been carried out to explore the approach to improve the mechanical properties of the ceramic material. However, the materials manufactured in real world are full of defects, which would involve in variable fractures or damage. Therefore, the defects should be taken into account while the simulations are performed. In this paper, the dynamic properties of ceramic materials (Al 2 O 3 ) affected by different strain rate (500–5000) and porosity (below 5%) are investigated. Foremost, the effect of strain rate was studied by using different load velocities. Then, compression simulations are performed by setting different porosities and random distribution of pores size and location in ceramic materials. Crack extensions and failure modes are observed to describe the dynamic mechanical behavior.

Highly sensitive room temperature ammonia gas sensor based on Ir-doped Pt porous ceramic electrodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Wenlong [College of pharmacy and biological engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, 610106 (China); Department of chemical and materials engineering, National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Taichung 411, Taiwan (China); Liu, Yen-Yu [Department of chemical and materials engineering, Tunghai University, Taichung 407, Taiwan (China); Do, Jing-Shan, E-mail: jsdo@ncut.edu.tw [Department of chemical and materials engineering, National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Taichung 411, Taiwan (China); Li, Jing, E-mail: lijing@cdu.edu.cn [College of pharmacy and biological engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, 610106 (China)

2016-12-30

Highlights: • Water vapors seem to hugely improve the electrochemical activity of the Pt and Pt-Ir porous ceramic electrodes. • The gas sensors based on the Pt and Pt-Ir alloy electrodes possess good sensing performances. • The reaction path of the ammonia on platinum has been discussed. - Abstract: Room temperature NH{sub 3} gas sensors based on Pt and Pt-Ir (Ir doping Pt) porous ceramic electrodes have been fabricated by both electroplating and sputtering methods. The properties of the gaseous ammonia sensors have been examined by polarization and chronoamperometry techniques. The influence of humidity on the features of the resulting sensors in the system has also been discussed, and the working potential was optimized. Water vapors seem to hugely improve the electrochemical activity of the electrode. With increasing the relative humidity, the response of the Pt-Ir(E)/Pt(S)/PCP sensor to NH{sub 3} gas could be enhanced remarkably, and the sensitivity increases from 1.14 to 12.06 μA ppm{sup −1} cm{sup −2} .Then we have also discussed the sensing mechanism of the Pt-Ir sensor and the result has been confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the electrode surface before and after reaction in the end.

A Passive Pressure Sensor Fabricated by Post-Fire Metallization on Zirconia Ceramic for High-Temperature Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tao Luo

2014-09-01

Full Text Available A high-temperature pressure sensor realized by the post-fire metallization on zirconia ceramic is presented. The pressure signal can be read out wirelessly through the magnetic coupling between the reader antenna and the sensor due to that the sensor is equivalent to an inductive-capacitive (LC resonance circuit which has a pressure-sensitive resonance frequency. Considering the excellent mechanical properties in high-temperature environment, multilayered zirconia ceramic tapes were used to fabricate the pressure-sensitive structure. Owing to its low resistivity, sliver paste was chosen to form the electrical circuit via post-fire metallization, thereby enhancing the quality factor compared to sensors fabricated by cofiring with a high-melting-point metal such as platinum, tungsten or manganese. The design, fabrication, and experiments are demonstrated and discussed in detail. Experimental results showed that the sensor can operate at 600 °C with quite good coupling. Furthermore, the average sensitivity is as high as 790 kHz/bar within the measurement range between 0 and 1 Bar.

Review of the Strain Modulation Methods Used in Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuo Li

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Fiber Bragg grating (FBG is inherently sensitive to temperature and strain. By modulating FBG’s strain, various FBG sensors have been developed, such as sensors with enhanced or reduced temperature sensitivity, strain/displacement sensors, inclinometers, accelerometers, pressure meters, and magnetic field meters. This paper reviews the strain modulation methods used in these FBG sensors and categorizes them according to whether the strain of an FBG is changed evenly. Then, those even-strain-change methods are subcategorized into (1 attaching/embedding an FBG throughout to a base and (2 fixing the two ends of an FBG and (2.1 changing the distance between the two ends or (2.2 bending the FBG by applying a transverse force at the middle of the FBG. This review shows that the methods of “fixing the two ends” are prominent because of the advantages of large tunability and frequency modulation.

Fabrication and evaluation of hybrid silica/polymer optical fiber sensors for large strain measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Haiying

2007-04-01

Silica-based optical fiber sensors are widely used in structural health monitoring systems for strain and deflection measurement. One drawback of silica-based optical fiber sensors is their low strain toughness. In general, silica-based optical fiber sensors can only reliably measure strains up to 2%. Recently, polymer optical fiber sensors have been employed to measure large strain and deflection. Due to their high optical losses, the length of the polymer optical fibers is limited to 100 meters. In this paper, we present a novel economical technique to fabricate hybrid silica/polymer optical fiber strain sensors for large strain measurement. First, stress analysis of a surface-mounted optical fiber sensor is performed to understand the load distribution between the host structure and the optical fiber in relation to their mechanical properties. Next, the procedure of fabricating a polymer sensing element between two optical fibers is explained. The experimental set-up and the components used in the fabrication process are described in details. Mechanical testing results of the fabricated silica/polymer optical fiber strain sensor are presented.

3D printed high performance strain sensors for high temperature applications

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Md Taibur; Moser, Russell; Zbib, Hussein M.; Ramana, C. V.; Panat, Rahul

2018-01-01

Realization of high temperature physical measurement sensors, which are needed in many of the current and emerging technologies, is challenging due to the degradation of their electrical stability by drift currents, material oxidation, thermal strain, and creep. In this paper, for the first time, we demonstrate that 3D printed sensors show a metamaterial-like behavior, resulting in superior performance such as high sensitivity, low thermal strain, and enhanced thermal stability. The sensors were fabricated using silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs), using an advanced Aerosol Jet based additive printing method followed by thermal sintering. The sensors were tested under cyclic strain up to a temperature of 500 °C and showed a gauge factor of 3.15 ± 0.086, which is about 57% higher than that of those available commercially. The sensor thermal strain was also an order of magnitude lower than that of commercial gages for operation up to a temperature of 500 °C. An analytical model was developed to account for the enhanced performance of such printed sensors based on enhanced lateral contraction of the NP films due to the porosity, a behavior akin to cellular metamaterials. The results demonstrate the potential of 3D printing technology as a pathway to realize highly stable and high-performance sensors for high temperature applications.

EMI free fiber optic strain sensor system for TFTR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szuchy, N.C.; Caserta, A.L.; Ferrara, A.A.; Squires, R.W.; Sredniawski, J.J.

1983-01-01

In certain applications, structural components are subjected to loadings in high electromagnetic interference (EMI) environments. The mechanical responses of these components must be monitored under rapidly varying electromagnetic fields. A Fiber Optic Strain Sensor System (FOSSS) is an acceptable solution since it is immune to EMI. Grumman Aerospace Corporation initiated the development of a FOSSS that can be used in high EMI situations where resistive/electronic-based strain measurement systems would not be effective, such as on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) during plasma disruption. Tests have indicated that because of their increased sensitivity due to the size of the fiber optic (FO) transducer (1-in. 2 ) and responsiveness due to the areal changes of the FO sensor, the strain tracking capability of FO sensors are excellent. For the TFTR application a jacketed 400-micron fiber capable of operating in a 250 0 C temperature environment was used. Continuous 30 foot lengths of high-temperature FO cables were affixed to 304 LN SS tabs, forming an integrated strain sensor and pigtail unit. By fusion splicing 400-micron room temperature fibers to the pigtails, the required runs (approximately 200 feet) to the TFTR data acquisition room were made with minimum coupling attenuation. Development methodology is discussed and test data presented

Temperature and strain measurements in concrete using micro-structure optical fiber sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Areias, Lou [EURIDICE/SCK - CEN, Mol (Belgium); Vrije Univ. Brussels (Belgium); Geernaert, Thomas; Sulejmani, Sanne [Vrije Univ. Brussels (Belgium); and others

2015-07-01

A recent test carried out to evaluate the construction feasibility of the Belgian supercontainer concept incorporated several types of state-of-the-art sensors and innovative monitoring techniques, including the use of different types of optical fiber sensors. One of these is a relatively new type of sensor developed by the Brussels Photonics Team (B-PHOT) of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. The sensor uses highly birefringent microstructured optical fibers equipped with fiber Bragg gratings (MOFBGs) sensors. They were embedded in a carbon-fiber reinforced composite plate to provide protection against the concrete's highly alkaline environment, facilitate installation in the concrete mould and allow the transfer of strain onto the fiber. The double reflection spectrum of the MOFBGs allows monitoring strain and temperature simultaneously. This paper presents results of temperature and strain measurements obtained with MOFBG sensors during a {sup 1}/{sub 2}-scale test performed in 2013. The results compare well with similar measurements obtained using conventional thermocouples and vibrating wire strain gauges.

Highly Sensitive and Stretchable Strain Sensor Based on Ag@CNTs.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qiang; Liu, Lihua; Zhao, Dong; Duan, Qianqian; Ji, Jianlong; Jian, Aoqun; Zhang, Wendong; Sang, Shengbo

2017-12-04

Due to the rapid development and superb performance of electronic skin, we propose a highly sensitive and stretchable temperature and strain sensor. Silver nanoparticles coated carbon nanowires (Ag@CNT) nanomaterials with different Ag concentrations were synthesized. After the morphology and components of the nanomaterials were demonstrated, the sensors composed of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and CNTs or Ag@CNTs were prepared via a simple template method. Then, the electronic properties and piezoresistive effects of the sensors were tested. Characterization results present excellent performance of the sensors for the highest gauge factor (GF) of the linear region between 0-17.3% of the sensor with Ag@CNTs1 was 137.6, the sensor with Ag@CNTs2 under the strain in the range of 0-54.8% exhibiting a perfect linearity and the GF of the sensor with Ag@CNTs2 was 14.9.

Annealing effects on strain and stress sensitivity of polymer optical fibre based sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pospori, A.; Marques, C. A. F.; Zubel, M. G.

2016-01-01

The annealing effects on strain and stress sensitivity of polymer optical fibre Bragg grating sensors after their photoinscription are investigated. PMMA optical fibre based Bragg grating sensors are first photo-inscribed and then they were placed into hot water for annealing. Strain, stress...... fibre tends to increase the strain, stress and force sensitivity of the photo-inscribed sensor....

Self-adapted and tunable graphene strain sensors for detecting both subtle and large human motions.

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Lu-Qi; Wang, Dan-Yang; Tian, He; Ju, Zhen-Yi; Liu, Ying; Pang, Yu; Chen, Yuan-Quan; Yang, Yi; Ren, Tian-Ling

2017-06-22

Conventional strain sensors rarely have both a high gauge factor and a large strain range simultaneously, so they can only be used in specific situations where only a high sensitivity or a large strain range is required. However, for detecting human motions that include both subtle and large motions, these strain sensors can't meet the diverse demands simultaneously. Here, we come up with laser patterned graphene strain sensors with self-adapted and tunable performance for the first time. A series of strain sensors with either an ultrahigh gauge factor or a preferable strain range can be fabricated simultaneously via one-step laser patterning, and are suitable for detecting all human motions. The strain sensors have a GF of up to 457 with a strain range of 35%, or have a strain range of up to 100% with a GF of 268. Most importantly, the performance of the strain sensors can be easily tuned by adjusting the patterns of the graphene, so that the sensors can meet diverse demands in both subtle and large motion situations. The graphene strain sensors show significant potential in applications such as wearable electronics, health monitoring and intelligent robots. Furthermore, the facile, fast and low-cost fabrication method will make them possible and practical to be used for commercial applications in the future.

A piezo-resistive graphene strain sensor with a hollow cylindrical geometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakamura, Atsushi, E-mail: nakamura.atsushi@ipc.shizuoka.ac.jp [Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8011 (Japan); Faculty of Engineering, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8011 (Japan); Hamanishi, Toshiki [Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8011 (Japan); Kawakami, Shotaro [Faculty of Engineering, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8011 (Japan); Takeda, Masanori [Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8011 (Japan); Faculty of Engineering, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8011 (Japan)

2017-05-15

Highlights: • A hollow tubing graphene fiber was synthesized from CVD-grown graphene on Ni wire. • The strain sensor showed the gauge factor 34.3–48.9 at 8% tensile strain. • The TGF sensors performed a writing finger motion assessment. - Abstract: We propose a resistance-type strain sensor consists of hollow tubing graphene fibers (TGFs) with dimethylpolysiloxane (PDMS) coating for millimeters-scale strain/bending detection applications. The TGFs were synthesized via graphene films grown on Ni wire by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The TGFs are fundamentally folded continuous few-layered graphene films without edges maintained cylindrical tube supported by PDMS coating. Sensing properties were studied comparing with a multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/PDMS composites (CNTCs) and the mechanism were discussed. In terms of the gauge factor, the sensor made of TGF is estimated to be in the range of 34.3–48.9 against 8% tensile strain. For a feasibility study, we demonstrate the human finger monitoring by means of bending angle detection on a finger joint.

Design and Development for Capacitive Humidity Sensor Applications of Lead-Free Ca,Mg,Fe,Ti-Oxides-Based Electro-Ceramics with Improved Sensing Properties via Physisorption

Science.gov (United States)

Tripathy, Ashis; Pramanik, Sumit; Manna, Ayan; Bhuyan, Satyanarayan; Azrin Shah, Nabila Farhana; Radzi, Zamri; Abu Osman, Noor Azuan

2016-01-01

Despite the many attractive potential uses of ceramic materials as humidity sensors, some unavoidable drawbacks, including toxicity, poor biocompatibility, long response and recovery times, low sensitivity and high hysteresis have stymied the use of these materials in advanced applications. Therefore, in present investigation, we developed a capacitive humidity sensor using lead-free Ca,Mg,Fe,Ti-Oxide (CMFTO)-based electro-ceramics with perovskite structures synthesized by solid-state step-sintering. This technique helps maintain the submicron size porous morphology of the developed lead-free CMFTO electro-ceramics while providing enhanced water physisorption behaviour. In comparison with conventional capacitive humidity sensors, the presented CMFTO-based humidity sensor shows a high sensitivity of up to 3000% compared to other materials, even at lower signal frequency. The best also shows a rapid response (14.5 s) and recovery (34.27 s), and very low hysteresis (3.2%) in a 33%–95% relative humidity range which are much lower values than those of existing conventional sensors. Therefore, CMFTO nano-electro-ceramics appear to be very promising materials for fabricating high-performance capacitive humidity sensors. PMID:27455263

Fabric strain sensor integrated with CNPECs for repeated large deformation

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Weijing

Flexible and soft strain sensors that can be used in smart textiles for wearable applications are much desired. They should meet the requirements of low modulus, large working range and good fatigue resistance as well as good sensing performances. However, there were no commercial products available and the objective of the thesis is to investigate fabric strain sensors based on carbon nanoparticle (CNP) filled elastomer composites (CNPECs) for potential wearing applications. Conductive CNPECs were fabricated and investigated. The introduction of silicone oil (SO) significantly decreased modulus of the composites to less than 1 MPa without affecting their deformability and they showed good stability after heat treatment. With increase of CNP concentration, a percolation appeared in electrical resistivity and the composites can be divided into three ranges. I-V curves and impedance spectra together with electro-mechanical studies demonstrated a balance between sensitivity and working range for the composites with CNP concentrations in post percolation range, and were preferred for sensing applications only if the fatigue life was improved. Due to the good elasticity and failure resist property of knitted fabric under repeated extension, it was adopted as substrate to increase the fatigue life of the conductive composites. After optimization of processing parameters, the conductive fabric with CNP concentration of 9.0CNP showed linear I-V curves when voltage is in the range of -1 V/mm and 1 V/mm and negligible capacitive behavior when frequency below 103 Hz even with strain of 60%. It showed higher sensitivity due to the combination of nonlinear resistance-strain behavior of the CNPECs and non-even strain distribution of knitted fabric under extension. The fatigue life of the conductive fabric was greatly improved. Extended on the studies of CNPECs and the coated conductive fabrics, a fabric strain sensor was designed, fabricated and packaged. The Young's modulus of

Enhanced Strain Measurement Range of an FBG Sensor Embedded in Seven-Wire Steel Strands.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jae-Min; Kim, Chul-Min; Choi, Song-Yi; Lee, Bang Yeon

2017-07-18

FBG sensors offer many advantages, such as a lack of sensitivity to electromagnetic waves, small size, high durability, and high sensitivity. However, their maximum strain measurement range is lower than the yield strain range (about 1.0%) of steel strands when embedded in steel strands. This study proposes a new FBG sensing technique in which an FBG sensor is recoated with polyimide and protected by a polyimide tube in an effort to enhance the maximum strain measurement range of FBG sensors embedded in strands. The validation test results showed that the proposed FBG sensing technique has a maximum strain measurement range of 1.73% on average, which is 1.73 times higher than the yield strain of the strands. It was confirmed that recoating the FBG sensor with polyimide and protecting the FBG sensor using a polyimide tube could effectively enhance the maximum strain measurement range of FBG sensors embedded in strands.

3D-Structured Stretchable Strain Sensors for Out-of-Plane Force Detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhiyuan; Qi, Dianpeng; Leow, Wan Ru; Yu, Jiancan; Xiloyannnis, Michele; Cappello, Leonardo; Liu, Yaqing; Zhu, Bowen; Jiang, Ying; Chen, Geng; Masia, Lorenzo; Liedberg, Bo; Chen, Xiaodong

2018-05-17

Stretchable strain sensors, as the soft mechanical interface, provide the key mechanical information of the systems for healthcare monitoring, rehabilitation assistance, soft exoskeletal devices, and soft robotics. Stretchable strain sensors based on 2D flat film have been widely developed to monitor the in-plane force applied within the plane where the sensor is placed. However, to comprehensively obtain the mechanical feedback, the capability to detect the out-of-plane force, caused by the interaction outside of the plane where the senor is located, is needed. Herein, a 3D-structured stretchable strain sensor is reported to monitor the out-of-plane force by employing 3D printing in conjunction with out-of-plane capillary force-assisted self-pinning of carbon nanotubes. The 3D-structured sensor possesses large stretchability, multistrain detection, and strain-direction recognition by one single sensor. It is demonstrated that out-of-plane forces induced by the air/fluid flow are reliably monitored and intricate flow details are clearly recorded. The development opens up for the exploration of next-generation 3D stretchable sensors for electronic skin and soft robotics. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Development of ceramic humidity sensor for the Korean next generation reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Na Young; Hwang, Il Soon; Yoo, Han Ill; Song, Chang Rock; Park, Sang Duk; Yang, Jun Seog

1997-01-01

For the Korean Next Generation Reactor(KNGR) development, LBB is considered for the Main Steam Line(MSL) piping inside its containment to achieve cost and safety improvement. To apply LBB concept to MSL, leak sensors highly sensitive to humidity is required. In this paper, a ceramic material, MgCr 2 O 4 -TiO 2 has been developed as a humidity sensor for MSL applications. Experiments performed to characterize the electrical conductivity shows that the conductivity of MgCr 2 O 4 -TiO 2 responds sensitively to both temperature and humidity changes. At a constant temperature below 100 .deg. C, the conductivity increases as the relative humidity increases, which makes the sensor favorable for application to the outside of MSL insulation layer. But as temperature increases beyond 100 .deg. C, the sensor composition should be adjusted for the application to KNGR is to be made at temperature above 100 .deg. C

Hybrid MEFPI/FBG sensor for simultaneous measurement of strain and magnetic field

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Mao-qing; Zhao, Yong; Lv, Ri-qing; Xia, Feng

2017-12-01

A hybrid fiber-optic sensor consisting of a micro extrinsic Fabry-Perot Interferometer (MEFPI) and an etched fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is proposed, which can measure strain and magnetic field simultaneously. The etched FBG is sealed in a capillary with ferrofluids to detect the surrounding magnetic field. FBG with small diameter will be more sensitive to magnetic field is confirmed by simulation results. The MEFPI sensor that is prepared through welding a short section of hollow-core fiber (HCF) with single-mode fiber (SMF) is effective for strain detection. The experiment shows that strain and magnetic field can be successfully simultaneously detected based on hybrid MEFPI/FBG sensor. The sensitivities of the strain and magnetic field intensity are measured to be up to 1.41 pm/με and 5.11 pm/mT respectively. There is a negligible effect on each other, hence simultaneously measuring strain and magnetic field is feasible. It is anticipated that such easy preparation, compact and low-cost fiber-optic sensors for simultaneous measurement of strain and magnetic field could find important applications in practice.

Fabrication and characterization of aerosol-jet printed strain sensors for multifunctional composite structures

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Da; Liu, Tao; Zhang, Mei; Liang, Richard; Wang, Ben

2012-11-01

Traditional multifunctional composite structures are produced by embedding parasitic parts, such as foil sensors, optical fibers and bulky connectors. As a result, the mechanical properties of the composites, especially the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), could be largely undermined. In the present study, we demonstrated an innovative aerosol-jet printing technology for printing electronics inside composite structures without degrading the mechanical properties. Using the maskless fine feature deposition (below 10 μm) characteristics of this printing technology and a pre-cure protocol, strain sensors were successfully printed onto carbon fiber prepregs to enable fabricating composites with intrinsic sensing capabilities. The degree of pre-cure of the carbon fiber prepreg on which strain sensors were printed was demonstrated to be critical. Without pre-curing, the printed strain sensors were unable to remain intact due to the resin flow during curing. The resin flow-induced sensor deformation can be overcome by introducing 10% degree of cure of the prepreg. In this condition, the fabricated composites with printed strain sensors showed almost no mechanical degradation (short beam shearing ILSS) as compared to the control samples. Also, the failure modes examined by optical microscopy showed no difference. The resistance change of the printed strain sensors in the composite structures were measured under a cyclic loading and proved to be a reliable mean strain gauge factor of 2.2 ± 0.06, which is comparable to commercial foil metal strain gauge.

3D printing of highly elastic strain sensors using polyurethane/multiwall carbon nanotube composites

Science.gov (United States)

Christ, Josef F.; Hohimer, Cameron J.; Aliheidari, Nahal; Ameli, Amir; Mo, Changki; Pötschke, Petra

2017-04-01

As the desire for wearable electronics increases and the soft robotics industry advances, the need for novel sensing materials has also increased. Recently, there have been many attempts at producing novel materials, which exhibit piezoresistive behavior. However, one of the major shortcomings in strain sensing technologies is in the fabrication of such sensors. While there is significant research and literature covering the various methods for developing piezoresistive materials, fabricating complex sensor platforms is still a manufacturing challenge. Here, we report a facile method to fabricate multidirectional embedded strain sensors using additive manufacturing technology. Pure thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and TPU/multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) nanocomposites were 3D printed in tandem using a low-cost multi-material FDM printer to fabricate uniaxial and biaxial strain sensors with conductive paths embedded within the insulative TPU platform. The sensors were then subjected to a series of cyclic strain loads. The results revealed excellent piezoresistive responses of the sensors with cyclic repeatability in both the axial and transverse directions and in response to strains as high as 50%. Further, while strain-softening did occur in the embedded printed strain sensors, it was predictable and similar to the results found in the literature for bulk polymer nanocomposites. This works demonstrates the possibility of manufacturing embedded and multidirectional flexible strain sensors using an inexpensive and versatile method, with potential applications in soft robotics and flexible electronics and health monitoring.

Preparation and Property Research of Strain Sensor Based on PDMS and Silver Nanomaterials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lihua Liu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Based on the advantages and broad applications of stretchable strain sensors, this study reports a simple method to fabricate a highly sensitive strain sensor with Ag nanomaterials-polydimethylsiloxane (AgNMs-PDMS to create a synergic conductive network and a sandwich-structure. Three Ag nanomaterial samples were synthesized by controlling the concentrations of the FeCl3 solution and reaction time via the heat polyols thermal method. The AgNMs network’s elastomer nanocomposite-based strain sensors show strong piezoresistivity with a high gauge factor of 547.8 and stretchability from 0.81% to 7.26%. The application of our high-performance strain sensors was demonstrated by the inducting finger of the motion detection. These highly sensitive sensors conform to the current trends of flexible electronics and have prospects for broad application.

Dual strain mechanisms in a lead-free morphotropic phase boundary ferroelectric

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Walker, Julian; Simons, Hugh; Alikin, Denis O

2016-01-01

Electromechanical properties such as d33 and strain are significantly enhanced at morphotropic phase boundaries (MPBs) between two or more different crystal structures. Many actuators, sensors and MEMS devices are therefore systems with MPBs, usually between polar phases in lead (Pb)-based ferroe......Electromechanical properties such as d33 and strain are significantly enhanced at morphotropic phase boundaries (MPBs) between two or more different crystal structures. Many actuators, sensors and MEMS devices are therefore systems with MPBs, usually between polar phases in lead (Pb......)-based ferroelectric ceramics. In the search for Pb-free alternatives, systems with MPBs between polar and non-polar phases have recently been theorized as having great promise. While such an MPB was identified in rare-earth (RE) modified bismuth ferrite (BFO) thin films, synthesis challenges have prevented its...... realization in ceramics. Overcoming these, we demonstrate a comparable electromechanical response to Pb-based materials at the polar-to-non-polar MPB in Sm modified BFO. This arises from 'dual' strain mechanisms: ferroelectric/ferroelastic switching and a previously unreported electric-field induced...

Strain features and condition assessment of orthotropic steel deck cable-supported bridges subjected to vehicle loads by using dense FBG strain sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Shiyin; Zhang, Zhaohui; Li, Shunlong; Li, Hui

2017-10-01

Strain is a direct indicator of structural safety. Therefore, strain sensors have been used in most structural health monitoring systems for bridges. However, until now, the investigation of strain response has been insufficient. This paper conducts a comprehensive study of the strain features of the U ribs and transverse diaphragm on an orthotropic steel deck and proposes a statistical paradigm for crack detection based on the features of vehicle-induced strain response by using the densely distributed optic fibre Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensors. The local feature of strain under vehicle load is highlighted, which enables the use of measurement data to determine the vehicle loading event and to make a decision regarding the health status of a girder near the strain sensors via technical elimination of the load information. Time-frequency analysis shows that the strain contains three features: the long-term trend item, the short-term trend item, and the instantaneous vehicle-induced item (IVII). The IVII is the wheel-induced strain with a remarkable local feature, and the measured wheel-induced strain is only influenced by the vehicle near the FBG sensor, while other vehicles slightly farther away have no effect on the wheel-induced strain. This causes the local strain series, among the FBG strain sensors in the same transverse locations of different cross-sections, to present similarities in shape to some extent and presents a time delay in successive order along the driving direction. Therefore, the strain series induced by an identical vehicle can be easily tracked and compared by extracting the amplitude and calculating the mutual ratio to eliminate vehicle loading information, leaving the girder information alone. The statistical paradigm for crack detection is finally proposed, and the detection accuracy is then validated by using dense FBG strain sensors on a long-span suspension bridge in China.

Flat-Cladding Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors for Large Strain Amplitude Fatigue Tests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xijia Gu

2010-08-01

Full Text Available We have successfully developed a flat-cladding fiber Bragg grating sensor for large cyclic strain amplitude tests of up to ±8,000 με. The increased contact area between the flat-cladding fiber and substrate, together with the application of a new bonding process, has significantly increased the bonding strength. In the push-pull fatigue tests of an aluminum alloy, the plastic strain amplitudes measured by three optical fiber sensors differ only by 0.43% at a cyclic strain amplitude of ±7,000 με and 1.9% at a cyclic strain amplitude of ±8,000 με. We also applied the sensor on an extruded magnesium alloy for evaluating the peculiar asymmetric hysteresis loops. The results obtained were in good agreement with those measured from the extensometer, a further validation of the sensor.

Temperature and strain registration by fibre-optic strain sensor in the polymer composite materials manufacturing

Science.gov (United States)

Matveenko; Kosheleva; Shardakov; Voronkov

2018-04-01

The presence of process-induced strains induced by various manufacturing and operational factors is one of the characteristics of polymer composite materials (PCM). Conventional methods of registration and evaluation of process-induced strains can be laborious, time-consuming and demanding in terms of technical applications. The employment of embedded fibre-optic strain sensors (FOSS) offers a real prospect of measuring residual strains. This paper demonstrates the potential for using embedded FOSS for recording technological strains in a PCM plate. The PCM plate is manufactured from prepreg, using the direct compression-moulding method. In this method, the prepared reinforcing package is placed inside a mould, heated, and then exposed to compaction pressure. The examined technology can be used for positioning FOSS between the layers of the composite material. Fibre-optic sensors, interacting with the material of the examined object, make it possible to register the evolution of the strain process during all stages of polymer-composite formation. FOSS data were recorded with interrogator ASTRO X 327. The obtained data were processed using specially developed algorithms.

Surface Crack Detection in Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipes Using BOTDA Strain Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhigang Xu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Structural deterioration after a period of service can induce the failure of prestressed concrete cylinder pipes (PCCPs, with microcracks in the coating leading to the corrosion of the prestressed wires. In this paper, we propose the use of Brillouin optical time-domain analysis (BOTDA strain sensors for detecting the onset of microcracking in PCCP coating: the BOTDA strain sensors are mounted on the surface of the PCCP, and distributed strain measurements are employed to assess the cracks in the mortar coating and the structural state of the pipe. To validate the feasibility of the proposed approach, experimental investigations were conducted on a prototype PCCP segment, wherein the inner pressure was gradually increased to 1.6 MPa. Two types of BOTDA strain sensors—the steel wire packaged fiber optic sensor and the polyelastic packaged fiber optic sensor—were employed in the experiments. The experimental distributed measurements agreed well with the finite element computations, evidencing that the investigated strain sensors are sensitive to localized deterioration behaviors such as PCCP microcracking.

Polymer-derived microporous ceramics for membranes and sensors for high temperature hydrogen purification and sensing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prasad, Ravi Mohan

2012-06-11

activated and Knudsen diffusion. The stability and sensing characteristics of SnO{sub 2} sensors coated with amorphous microporous SiBCN layers have been studied in oxygen-free atmospheres. The SiBCN layers coated on SnO{sub 2} sensors are amorphous, crack-free and microporous. The diameter of micropores (about 0.70 nm) is larger than the kinetic diameter of H{sub 2} (0.289 nm) and CO (0.376 nm) molecules, allowing in this way their diffusion towards the bottom SnO{sub 2} sensing layer. Transient response characteristics and sensor signals of uncoated SnO{sub 2}, three-fold and five-fold SiBCN-coated SnO{sub 2} sensors exposed to CO (10, 20 and 120 ppm) and H{sub 2} (40, 400 and 900 ppm) in nitrogen at 350 and 530 C are obtained. Uncoated SnO{sub 2} sensor is reduced at 530 C in H{sub 2} to tin while SiBCN-coated SnO{sub 2} sensors show reversible resistance changes while exposed to CO and H{sub 2}. Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}-ceramics have been synthesized via a dry ammonia pyrolysis of commercially available polysilazane (KiON HTT 1800). Amorphous microporous-Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} ceramic layers deposited on the top of GaN sensing layer followed by dry ammonia treatment leads to the improved H{sub 2} to CO selectivity of Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}/GaN sensors in the oxygen-free atmosphere. Transient response of the uncoated-, three-fold Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} coated- and ammonia treated-GaN sensors exposed to CO (10, 20 and 120 ppm) and H{sub 2} (40, 400 and 900 ppm) in pure nitrogen at 350 and 530 C are investigated. The results indicate that uncoated-GaN sensor shows high response towards both CO and H{sub 2} whereas for microporous Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} coated- and ammonia treated-GaN gas sensors the sensitivity towards the interfering gas CO is significantly reduced. High-surface area micro- and mesoporous carbon-rich SiCN ceramics have been obtained by controlled thermolysis of a carbon-rich poly(diphenylsilylcarbodiimide) precursor under argon. The formation of porous SiCN ceramics is due to the

A wireless sensor network design and evaluation for large structural strain field monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiu, Zixue; Wu, Jian; Yuan, Shenfang

2011-01-01

Structural strain changes under external environmental or mechanical loads are the main monitoring parameters in structural health monitoring or mechanical property tests. This paper presents a wireless sensor network designed for monitoring large structural strain field variation. First of all, a precision strain sensor node is designed for multi-channel strain gauge signal conditioning and wireless monitoring. In order to establish a synchronous strain data acquisition network, the cluster-star network synchronization method is designed in detail. To verify the functionality of the designed wireless network for strain field monitoring capability, a multi-point network evaluation system is developed for an experimental aluminum plate structure for load variation monitoring. Based on the precision wireless strain nodes, the wireless data acquisition network is deployed to synchronously gather, process and transmit strain gauge signals and monitor results under concentrated loads. This paper shows the efficiency of the wireless sensor network for large structural strain field monitoring

Sensitive and Flexible Polymeric Strain Sensor for Accurate Human Motion Monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Hassan; Razmjou, Amir; Ebrahimi Warkiani, Majid; Kottapalli, Ajay; Asadnia, Mohsen

2018-02-01

Flexible electronic devices offer the capability to integrate and adapt with human body. These devices are mountable on surfaces with various shapes, which allow us to attach them to clothes or directly onto the body. This paper suggests a facile fabrication strategy via electrospinning to develop a stretchable, and sensitive poly (vinylidene fluoride) nanofibrous strain sensor for human motion monitoring. A complete characterization on the single PVDF nano fiber has been performed. The charge generated by PVDF electrospun strain sensor changes was employed as a parameter to control the finger motion of the robotic arm. As a proof of concept, we developed a smart glove with five sensors integrated into it to detect the fingers motion and transfer it to a robotic hand. Our results shows that the proposed strain sensors are able to detect tiny motion of fingers and successfully run the robotic hand.

Sensitive and Flexible Polymeric Strain Sensor for Accurate Human Motion Monitoring

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Hassan Khan

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Flexible electronic devices offer the capability to integrate and adapt with human body. These devices are mountable on surfaces with various shapes, which allow us to attach them to clothes or directly onto the body. This paper suggests a facile fabrication strategy via electrospinning to develop a stretchable, and sensitive poly (vinylidene fluoride nanofibrous strain sensor for human motion monitoring. A complete characterization on the single PVDF nano fiber has been performed. The charge generated by PVDF electrospun strain sensor changes was employed as a parameter to control the finger motion of the robotic arm. As a proof of concept, we developed a smart glove with five sensors integrated into it to detect the fingers motion and transfer it to a robotic hand. Our results shows that the proposed strain sensors are able to detect tiny motion of fingers and successfully run the robotic hand.

A New Approach to Joining Dissimilar Ceramic Oxides for Chemical Sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhuiykov, Serge

2009-01-01

Conventional joining of dissimilar oxides for sensing electrodes (SE) of chemical sensors has been pivotal to the development of various sensors and is vital to their further development. However, it is shown that the uncertainty (of a fundamental nature) in the properties of dissimilar oxides in SE causes the determination of their sensing characteristics to be ambiguous. Characteristics are different for such controlled parameters as pyrolysis temperature, crystal structure, particle's morphology and size, chemical and phase composition, the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), surface architecture, the bulk and surface stoichiometry and type and conductivity of additives. Here, we provide an alternative approach for joining dissimilar metal-oxides for chemical sensors SE. The approach relies on the development of at least one transient liquid oxide phase on the ceramic-SE interface. These results constitute key points relevant to selection oxides for joining, sintering temperatures and heating/cooling temperature rates.

Improving the durability of the optical fiber sensor based on strain transfer analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Huaping; Jiang, Lizhong; Xiang, Ping

2018-05-01

To realize the reliable and long-term strain detection, the durability of optical fiber sensors has attracted more and more attention. The packaging technique has been considered as an effective method, which can enhance the survival ratios of optical fiber sensors to resist the harsh construction and service environment in civil engineering. To monitor the internal strain of structures, the embedded installation is adopted. Due to the different material properties between host material and the protective layer, the monitored structure embedded with sensors can be regarded as a typical model containing inclusions. Interfacial characteristic between the sensor and host material exists obviously, and the contacted interface is prone to debonding failure induced by the large interfacial shear stress. To recognize the local interfacial debonding damage and extend the effective life cycle of the embedded sensor, strain transfer analysis of a general three-layered sensing model is conducted to investigate the failure mechanism. The perturbation of the embedded sensor on the local strain field of host material is discussed. Based on the theoretical analysis, the distribution of the interfacial shear stress along the sensing length is characterized and adopted for the diagnosis of local interfacial debonding, and the sensitive parameters influencing the interfacial shear stress are also investigated. The research in this paper explores the interfacial debonding failure mechanism of embedded sensors based on the strain transfer analysis and provides theoretical basis for enhancing the interfacial bonding properties and improving the durability of embedded optical fiber sensors.

Durability Evaluation of a Thin Film Sensor System With Enhanced Lead Wire Attachments on SiC/SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Jih-Fen; Kiser, J. Douglas; Singh, Mrityunjay; Cuy, Mike; Blaha, Charles A.; Androjna, Drago

2000-01-01

An advanced thin film sensor system instrumented on silicon carbide (SiC) fiber reinforced SiC matrix ceramic matrix composites (SiC/SiC CMCs), was evaluated in a Mach 0.3 burner rig in order to determine its durability to monitor material/component surface temperature in harsh environments. The sensor system included thermocouples in a thin film form (5 microns thick), fine lead wires (75 microns diameter), and the bonds between these wires and the thin films. Other critical components of the overall system were the heavy, swaged lead wire cable (500 microns diameter) that contained the fine lead wires and was connected to the temperature readout, and ceramic attachments which were bonded onto the CMCs for the purpose of securing the lead wire cables, The newly developed ceramic attachment features a combination of hoops made of monolithic SiC or SiC/SiC CMC (which are joined to the test article) and high temperature ceramic cement. Two instrumented CMC panels were tested in a burner rig for a total of 40 cycles to 1150 C (2100 F). A cycle consisted of rapid heating to 1150 C (2100 F), a 5 minute hold at 1150 C (2100 F), and then cooling down to room temperature in 2 minutes. The thin film sensor systems provided repeatable temperature measurements for a maximum of 25 thermal cycles. Two of the monolithic SiC hoops debonded during the sensor fabrication process and two of the SiC/SiC CMC hoops failed during testing. The hoops filled with ceramic cement, however, showed no sign of detachment after 40 thermal cycle test. The primary failure mechanism of this sensor system was the loss of the fine lead wire-to-thin film connection, which either due to detachment of the fine lead wires from the thin film thermocouples or breakage of the fine wire.

Development of Nano-crystalline Doped-Ceramic Enabled Fiber Sensors for High Temperature In-Situ Monitoring of Fossil Fuel Gases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiao, Hai [Missouri Univ. of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO (United States); Dong, Junhang [Univ. of Cincinnati, OH (United States); Lin, Jerry [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States); Romero, Van [New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM (United States)

2012-03-01

This is a final technical report for the first project year from July 1, 2005 to Jan 31, 2012 for DoE/NETL funded project DE-FC26-05NT42439: Development of Nanocrystalline Doped-Ceramic Enabled Fiber Sensors for High Temperature In-Situ Monitoring of Fossil Fuel Gases. This report summarizes the technical progresses and achievements towards the development of novel nanocrystalline doped ceramic material-enabled optical fiber sensors for in situ and real time monitoring the gas composition of flue or hot gas streams involved in fossil-fuel based power generation and hydrogen production.

An embeddable optical strain gauge based on a buckled beam.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Yang; Chen, Yizheng; Zhu, Chen; Zhuang, Yiyang; Huang, Jie

2017-11-01

We report, for the first time, a low cost, compact, and novel mechanically designed extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (EFPI)-based optical fiber sensor with a strain amplification mechanism for strain measurement. The fundamental design principle includes a buckled beam with a coated gold layer, mounted on two grips. A Fabry-Perot cavity is produced between the buckled beam and the endface of a single mode fiber (SMF). A ceramic ferrule is applied for supporting and orienting the SMF. The principal sensor elements are packaged and protected by two designed metal shells. The midpoint of the buckled beam will experience a deflection vertically when the beam is subjected to a horizontally/axially compressive displacement. It has been found that the vertical deflection of the beam at midpoint can be 6-17 times larger than the horizontal/axial displacement, which forms the basis of a strain amplification mechanism. The user-configurable buckling beam geometry-based strain amplification mechanism enables the strain sensor to achieve a wide range of strain measurement sensitivities. The designed EFPI was used to monitor shrinkage of a square brick of mortar. The strain was measured during the drying/curing stage. We envision that it could be a good strain sensor to be embedded in civil materials/structures under a harsh environment for a prolonged period of time.

An embeddable optical strain gauge based on a buckled beam

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Yang; Chen, Yizheng; Zhu, Chen; Zhuang, Yiyang; Huang, Jie

2017-11-01

We report, for the first time, a low cost, compact, and novel mechanically designed extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (EFPI)-based optical fiber sensor with a strain amplification mechanism for strain measurement. The fundamental design principle includes a buckled beam with a coated gold layer, mounted on two grips. A Fabry-Perot cavity is produced between the buckled beam and the endface of a single mode fiber (SMF). A ceramic ferrule is applied for supporting and orienting the SMF. The principal sensor elements are packaged and protected by two designed metal shells. The midpoint of the buckled beam will experience a deflection vertically when the beam is subjected to a horizontally/axially compressive displacement. It has been found that the vertical deflection of the beam at midpoint can be 6-17 times larger than the horizontal/axial displacement, which forms the basis of a strain amplification mechanism. The user-configurable buckling beam geometry-based strain amplification mechanism enables the strain sensor to achieve a wide range of strain measurement sensitivities. The designed EFPI was used to monitor shrinkage of a square brick of mortar. The strain was measured during the drying/curing stage. We envision that it could be a good strain sensor to be embedded in civil materials/structures under a harsh environment for a prolonged period of time.

A Novel Vehicle Classification Using Embedded Strain Gauge Sensors

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Qi Wang

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract: This paper presents a new vehicle classification and develops a traffic monitoring detector to provide reliable vehicle classification to aid traffic management systems. The basic principle of this approach is based on measuring the dynamic strain caused by vehicles across pavement to obtain the corresponding vehicle parameters – wheelbase and number of axles – to then accurately classify the vehicle. A system prototype with five embedded strain sensors was developed to validate the accuracy and effectiveness of the classification method. According to the special arrangement of the sensors and the different time a vehicle arrived at the sensors one can estimate the vehicle’s speed accurately, corresponding to the estimated vehicle wheelbase and number of axles. Because of measurement errors and vehicle characteristics, there is a lot of overlap between vehicle wheelbase patterns. Therefore, directly setting up a fixed threshold for vehicle classification often leads to low-accuracy results. Using the machine learning pattern recognition method to deal with this problem is believed as one of the most effective tools. In this study, support vector machines (SVMs were used to integrate the classification features extracted from the strain sensors to automatically classify vehicles into five types, ranging from small vehicles to combination trucks, along the lines of the Federal Highway Administration vehicle classification guide. Test bench and field experiments will be introduced in this paper. Two support vector machines classification algorithms (one-against-all, one-against-one are used to classify single sensor data and multiple sensor combination data. Comparison of the two classification method results shows that the classification accuracy is very close using single data or multiple data. Our results indicate that using multiclass SVM-based fusion multiple sensor data significantly improves

Engineered high expansion glass-ceramics having near linear thermal strain and methods thereof

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dai, Steve Xunhu; Rodriguez, Mark A.; Lyon, Nathanael L.

2018-01-30

The present invention relates to glass-ceramic compositions, as well as methods for forming such composition. In particular, the compositions include various polymorphs of silica that provide beneficial thermal expansion characteristics (e.g., a near linear thermal strain). Also described are methods of forming such compositions, as well as connectors including hermetic seals containing such compositions.

Finite element modelling of fibre Bragg grating strain sensors and experimental validation

Science.gov (United States)

Malik, Shoaib A.; Mahendran, Ramani S.; Harris, Dee; Paget, Mark; Pandita, Surya D.; Machavaram, Venkata R.; Collins, David; Burns, Jonathan M.; Wang, Liwei; Fernando, Gerard F.

2009-03-01

Fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensors continue to be used extensively for monitoring strain and temperature in and on engineering materials and structures. Previous researchers have also developed analytical models to predict the loadtransfer characteristics of FBG sensors as a function of applied strain. The general properties of the coating or adhesive that is used to surface-bond the FBG sensor to the substrate has also been modelled using finite element analysis. In this current paper, a technique was developed to surface-mount FBG sensors with a known volume and thickness of adhesive. The substrates used were aluminium dog-bone tensile test specimens. The FBG sensors were tensile tested in a series of ramp-hold sequences until failure. The reflected FBG spectra were recorded using a commercial instrument. Finite element analysis was performed to model the response of the surface-mounted FBG sensors. In the first instance, the effect of the mechanical properties of the adhesive and substrate were modelled. This was followed by modelling the volume of adhesive used to bond the FBG sensor to the substrate. Finally, the predicted values obtained via finite element modelling were correlated to the experimental results. In addition to the FBG sensors, the tensile test specimens were instrumented with surface-mounted electrical resistance strain gauges.

Strain gauge sensors comprised of carbon nanotube yarn: parametric numerical analysis of their piezoresistive response

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abot, Jandro L; Kiyono, César Y; Thomas, Gilles P; Silva, Emílio C N

2015-01-01

Carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns are micron-size fibers that contain thousands of intertwined CNTs in their cross sections and exhibit piezoresistance characteristics that can be tapped for sensing purposes. Sensor yarns can be integrated into polymeric and composite materials to measure strain through resistance measurements without adding weight or altering the integrity of the host material. This paper includes the details of novel strain gauge sensor configurations comprised of CNT yarn, the numerical modeling of their piezoresistive response, and the parametric analysis schemes that determines the highest sensor sensitivity to mechanical loading. The effect of several sensor configuration parameters are discussed including the inclination and separation of the CNT yarns within the sensor, the mechanical properties of the CNT yarn, the direction and magnitude of the applied mechanical load, and the dimensions and shape of the sensor. The sensor configurations that yield the highest sensitivity are presented and discussed in terms of the mechanical and electrical properties of the CNT yarn. It is shown that strain gauge sensors consisting of CNT yarn are sensitive enough to measure strain, and could exhibit even higher gauge factors than those of metallic foil strain gauges. (paper)

Passive wireless antenna sensor for strain and crack sensing—electromagnetic modeling, simulation, and testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yi, Xiaohua; Cho, Chunhee; Wang, Yang; Cooper, James; Tentzeris, Manos M; Leon, Roberto T

2013-01-01

This research investigates a passive wireless antenna sensor designed for strain and crack sensing. When the antenna experiences deformation, the antenna shape changes, causing a shift in the electromagnetic resonance frequency of the antenna. A radio frequency identification (RFID) chip is adopted for antenna signal modulation, so that a wireless reader can easily distinguish the backscattered sensor signal from unwanted environmental reflections. The RFID chip captures its operating power from an interrogation electromagnetic wave emitted by the reader, which allows the antenna sensor to be passive (battery-free). This paper first reports the latest simulation results on radiation patterns, surface current density, and electromagnetic field distribution. The simulation results are followed with experimental results on the strain and crack sensing performance of the antenna sensor. Tensile tests show that the wireless antenna sensor can detect small strain changes lower than 20 με, and can perform well at large strains higher than 10 000 με. With a high-gain reader antenna, the wireless interrogation distance can be increased up to 2.1 m. Furthermore, an array of antenna sensors is capable of measuring the strain distribution in close proximity. During emulated crack and fatigue crack tests, the antenna sensor is able to detect the growth of a small crack. (paper)

Enhanced green upconversion by controlled ceramization of Er3+–Yb3+ co-doped sodium niobium tellurite glass–ceramics for low temperature sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suresh Kumar, J.; Pavani, K.; Graça, M.P.F.; Soares, M.J.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Upconversion luminescence improved in glass–ceramics compared to host glass. • Judd–Ofelt and radiative parameters calculated. • NIR decay curve results concur the results of improved luminescence. • Temperature dependent upconversion support the use of materials for sensors. - Abstract: Tellurite based glasses are well-known for their upconversion properties besides having a disadvantage of low mechanical strength dragging them away from practical applications. The present work deals with preparation of sodium niobium tellurite (SNT) glasses using melt quenching method, in which small quantities of boron and silicon in the form of oxides are added to improve their mechanical properties. Controlled heat treatment is performed to ceramize the prepared glasses based on the thermal data given by DTA. XRD and SEM profiles of the glass–ceramics which confirmed the formation of crystalline monoclinic Sodium Tellurium Niobium Oxide (Na 1.4 Nb 3 Te 4.9 O 18 ) phase (JCPDS card No. 04–011-7556). Upconversion measurements in the visible region were made for the prepared Er 3+ –Yb 3+ co-doped glasses and glass–ceramics with 980 nm laser excitation varying the laser power and concentration of Er 3+ ions. Results showed that the upconversion luminescence intensity was enhanced by ten times in SNT glass–ceramics compared to that in the SNT glasses. Decay curves give evidence of high performance of glass–ceramics compared to glasses due to ceramization and structural changes. Temperature dependent visible upconversion was performed to test the ability of efficient SNT glass–ceramic at low temperatures and variation of upconversion intensities was studied

Flexible Mixed-Potential-Type (MPT NO2 Sensor Based on An Ultra-Thin Ceramic Film

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Rui You

2017-07-01

Full Text Available A novel flexible mixed-potential-type (MPT sensor was designed and fabricated for NO2 detection from 0 to 500 ppm at 200 °C. An ultra-thin Y2O3-doped ZrO2 (YSZ ceramic film 20 µm thick was sandwiched between a heating electrode and reference/sensing electrodes. The heating electrode was fabricated by a conventional lift-off process, while the porous reference and the sensing electrodes were fabricated by a two-step patterning method using shadow masks. The sensor’s sensitivity is achieved as 58.4 mV/decade at the working temperature of 200 °C, as well as a detection limit of 26.7 ppm and small response time of less than 10 s at 200 ppm. Additionally, the flexible MPT sensor demonstrates superior mechanical stability after bending over 50 times due to the mechanical stability of the YSZ ceramic film. This simply structured, but highly reliable flexible MPT NO2 sensor may lead to wide application in the automobile industry for vehicle emission systems to reduce NO2 emissions and improve fuel efficiency.

Nanostructural point-contact sensors for diagnostics of carcinogenic strains of Helicobacter pylori

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Г. В. Камарчук

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Background: The problem of detecting the different strains of H. pylori has gained great importance today due to the worldwide prevalence of this bacterium and its role in the pathogenesis of a number of serious gastric and extragastric diseases. However, not all H. pylori strains are aggressive and require antibiotic treatment. Thus, the question arises about the necessity of differentiating these bacterium strains with respect to their virulence factors. In accordance with the IV Maastricht Consensus Report, among the variety of ways to diagnose H. pylori infection, non-invasive methods should be given preference. Most of them are based on the analysis of gas which is exhaled by a human. Mass spectrometry, gas chromatography, and IR spectroscopy are currently the mostly used ones. However, despite the obvious advantages, these techniques have a number of disadvantages that make them difficult to use in everyday medical practice. Modern sensor devices can become an inexpensive and easy to access alternative to these technologies. Objectives: The aim of the work is to develop a new type of sensor device for selective recognition of H. pylori strains which is based on analysis of a mixture of gases exhaled by human. Such a kind of device can be designed on the basis of a point-contact gas sensor. Materials and methods: Anion-radical salts of the organic conductor TCNQ were chosen as the sensitive material for point-contact sensors. The fundamental properties of point contacts which are used in the Yanson point-contact spectroscopy make it possible to create a point-contact mesoscopic matrix on the basis of this material, which is sensitive to small concentrations of components in complex gas media. The sensors were obtained by electrochemical deposition of salts from a solvent characterized by a high vapor pressure on a textolite substrate. Gas exhaled by a human served as the substance to be analyzed. The measurements were carried out following

Validation and qualification of surface-applied fibre optic strain sensors using application-independent optical techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schukar, Vivien G; Kadoke, Daniel; Kusche, Nadine; Münzenberger, Sven; Gründer, Klaus-Peter; Habel, Wolfgang R

2012-01-01

Surface-applied fibre optic strain sensors were investigated using a unique validation facility equipped with application-independent optical reference systems. First, different adhesives for the sensor's application were analysed regarding their material properties. Measurements resulting from conventional measurement techniques, such as thermo-mechanical analysis and dynamic mechanical analysis, were compared with measurements resulting from digital image correlation, which has the advantage of being a non-contact technique. Second, fibre optic strain sensors were applied to test specimens with the selected adhesives. Their strain-transfer mechanism was analysed in comparison with conventional strain gauges. Relative movements between the applied sensor and the test specimen were visualized easily using optical reference methods, digital image correlation and electronic speckle pattern interferometry. Conventional strain gauges showed limited opportunities for an objective strain-transfer analysis because they are also affected by application conditions. (paper)

Development of a Waterproof Crack-Based Stretchable Strain Sensor Based on PDMS Shielding

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Seong Kyung Hong

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This paper details the design of a poly(dimethylsiloxane (PDMS-shielded waterproof crack-based stretchable strain sensor, in which the electrical characteristics and sensing performance are not influenced by changes in humidity. This results in a higher number of potential applications for the sensor. A previously developed omni-purpose stretchable strain (OPSS sensor was used as the basis for this work, which utilizes a metal cracking structure and provides a wide sensing range and high sensitivity. Changes in the conductivity of the OPSS sensor, based on humidity conditions, were investigated along with the potential possibility of using the design as a humidity sensor. However, to prevent conductivity variation, which can decrease the reliability and sensing ability of the OPSS sensor, PDMS was utilized as a shielding layer over the OPSS sensor. The PDMS-shielded OPSS sensor showed approximately the same electrical characteristics as previous designs, including in a high humidity environment, while maintaining its strain sensing capabilities. The developed sensor shows promise for use under high humidity conditions and in underwater applications. Therefore, considering its unique features and reliable sensing performance, the developed PDMS-shielded waterproof OPSS sensor has potential utility in a wide range of applications, such as motion monitoring, medical robotics and wearable healthcare devices.

Development of a Waterproof Crack-Based Stretchable Strain Sensor Based on PDMS Shielding.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Seong Kyung; Yang, Seongjin; Cho, Seong J; Jeon, Hyungkook; Lim, Geunbae

2018-04-12

This paper details the design of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-shielded waterproof crack-based stretchable strain sensor, in which the electrical characteristics and sensing performance are not influenced by changes in humidity. This results in a higher number of potential applications for the sensor. A previously developed omni-purpose stretchable strain (OPSS) sensor was used as the basis for this work, which utilizes a metal cracking structure and provides a wide sensing range and high sensitivity. Changes in the conductivity of the OPSS sensor, based on humidity conditions, were investigated along with the potential possibility of using the design as a humidity sensor. However, to prevent conductivity variation, which can decrease the reliability and sensing ability of the OPSS sensor, PDMS was utilized as a shielding layer over the OPSS sensor. The PDMS-shielded OPSS sensor showed approximately the same electrical characteristics as previous designs, including in a high humidity environment, while maintaining its strain sensing capabilities. The developed sensor shows promise for use under high humidity conditions and in underwater applications. Therefore, considering its unique features and reliable sensing performance, the developed PDMS-shielded waterproof OPSS sensor has potential utility in a wide range of applications, such as motion monitoring, medical robotics and wearable healthcare devices.

Novel polymer derived ceramic-high temperature heat flux sensor for gas turbine environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagaiah, N R; Kapat, J S; An, L; Chow, L

2006-01-01

This paper attempts to prove the feasibility of a novel High Temperature Heat Flux (HTHF) sensor for gas turbine environment. Based on the latest improvement in a new type of Polymer-Derived Ceramic (PDC) material, the authors present the design and development of a HTHF sensor based on PDC material, and show that such a sensor is indeed feasible. The PDC-HTHF sensor is fabricated using newly developed polymer derived SiCN, whose conductivity is controlled by proper composition and treatment condition. Direct measurements and characterization of the relevant material properties are presented. Electrical conductivity can be varied from 0 (insulator) to 100 (ohm.cm) -1 ; in addition a value of 4000 ppm/ 0 C (at 600 K) is obtained for temperature coefficient of resistance. This novel sensor is found to perform quite satisfactorily at about 1400 0 C for long term as compared to conventional heat flux sensors available commercially. This type of PDC-HTHF sensor can be used in harsh environments due to its high temperature resistance and resistance to oxidation. This paper also discusses lithography as a microfabrication technique to manufacture the proposed PDC-HTHF sensor. In our current design, the sensor dimensions are 2.5mm in diameter and 250 μm thickness

Design and Fabrication of Single-Walled Carbon Nanonet Flexible Strain Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Trung Kien Vu

2012-03-01

Full Text Available This study presents a novel flexible strain sensor for real-time strain sensing. The material for strain sensing is single-walled carbon nanonets, grown using the alcohol catalytic chemical vapor deposition method, that were encapsulated between two layers of Parylene-C, with a polyimide layer as the sensing surface. All of the micro-fabrication was compatible with the standard IC process. Experimental results indicated that the gauge factor of the proposed strain sensor was larger than 4.5, approximately 2.0 times greater than those of commercial gauges. The results also demonstrated that the gauge factor is small when the growth time of SWCNNs is lengthier, and the gauge factor is large when the line width of the serpentine pattern of SWCNNs is small.

Processing and Characterization of a Novel Distributed Strain Sensor Using Carbon Nanotube-Based Nonwoven Composites

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Hongbo Dai

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the development of an innovative carbon nanotube-based non-woven composite sensor that can be tailored for strain sensing properties and potentially offers a reliable and cost-effective sensing option for structural health monitoring (SHM. This novel strain sensor is fabricated using a readily scalable process of coating Carbon nanotubes (CNT onto a nonwoven carrier fabric to form an electrically-isotropic conductive network. Epoxy is then infused into the CNT-modified fabric to form a free-standing nanocomposite strain sensor. By measuring the changes in the electrical properties of the sensing composite the deformation can be measured in real-time. The sensors are repeatable and linear up to 0.4% strain. Highest elastic strain gage factors of 1.9 and 4.0 have been achieved in the longitudinal and transverse direction, respectively. Although the longitudinal gage factor of the newly formed nanocomposite sensor is close to some metallic foil strain gages, the proposed sensing methodology offers spatial coverage, manufacturing customizability, distributed sensing capability as well as transverse sensitivity.

Transparent and stretchable strain sensors based on metal nanowire microgrids for human motion monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Ji Hwan; Ha, Sung-Hun; Kim, Jong-Man

2018-04-01

Optical transparency is increasingly considered as one of the most important characteristics required in advanced stretchable strain sensors for application in body-attachable systems. In this paper, we present an entirely solution-processed fabrication route to highly transparent and stretchable resistive strain sensors based on silver nanowire microgrids (AgNW-MGs). The AgNW-MG strain sensors are readily prepared by patterning the AgNWs on a stretchable substrate into a MG geometry via a mesh-template-assisted contact-transfer printing. The MG has a unique architecture comprising the AgNWs and can be stretched to ɛ = 35%, with high gauge factors of ˜6.9 for ɛ = 0%-30% and ˜41.1 for ɛ = 30%-35%. The sensor also shows a high optical transmittance of 77.1% ± 1.5% (at 550 nm) and stably maintains the remarkable optical performance even at high strains. In addition, the sensor responses are found to be highly reversible with negligible hysteresis and are reliable even under repetitive stretching-releasing cycles (1000 cycles at ɛ = 10%). The practicality of the AgNW-MG strain sensor is confirmed by successfully monitoring a wide range of human motions in real time after firmly laminating the device onto various body parts.

An IFPI Temperature Sensor Fabricated in an Unstriped Optical Fiber with Self-Strain-Compensation Function

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Yang Song

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes an intrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (IFPI temperature sensor with self-strain-compensation function. The sensor was fabricated on a buffer-intact optical fiber using a femtosecond (fs laser system. The use of fs laser allows the sensor to be fabricated in an optical fiber without the necessity of removing the polymer buffer coating, thus not compromising its mechanical property. The sensor is composed of two cascaded IFPIs in different cavity length of 100 μm and 500 μm, respectively. The shorter IFPI serves as the temperature sensor, while the second IFPI serves as a compensation sensor, which is used to decouple the strain from the raw signal collected by the shorter FPI. The reflection spectrum of sensor, containing both sensory information and compensation information, is collected in wavelength domain and demultiplexed in the Fourier domain of reflection spectrum. An algorithm was developed and successfully implemented to compensate the strain influence on the proposed temperature sensor. The results showed that the proposed sensor structure holds a constant temperature sensitivity of 11.33 pm/°C when strained differently.

Transducer-based fiber Bragg grating high-temperature sensor with enhanced range and stability

Science.gov (United States)

Mamidi, Venkata Reddy; Kamineni, Srimannarayana; Ravinuthala, Lakshmi Narayana Sai Prasad; Tumu, Venkatappa Rao

2017-09-01

Fiber Bragg grating (FBG)-based high-temperature sensor with enhanced-temperature range and stability has been developed and tested. The sensor consists of an FBG and a mechanical transducer, which furnishes a linear temperature-dependent tensile strain on FBG by means of differential linear thermal expansion of two different ceramic materials. The designed sensor is tested over a range: 20°C to 1160°C and is expected to measure up to 1500°C.

Ultrathin epidermal strain sensor based on an elastomer nanosheet with an inkjet-printed conductive polymer

Science.gov (United States)

Tetsu, Yuma; Yamagishi, Kento; Kato, Akira; Matsumoto, Yuya; Tsukune, Mariko; Kobayashi, Yo; Fujie, Masakatsu G.; Takeoka, Shinji; Fujie, Toshinori

2017-08-01

To minimize the interference that skin-contact strain sensors cause natural skin deformation, physical conformability to the epidermal structure is critical. Here, we developed an ultrathin strain sensor made from poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) inkjet-printed on a polystyrene-polybutadiene-polystyrene (SBS) nanosheet. The sensor, whose total thickness and gauge factor were ˜1 µm and 0.73 ± 0.10, respectively, deeply conformed to the epidermal structure and successfully detected the small skin strain (˜2%) while interfering minimally with the natural deformation of the skin. Such an epidermal strain sensor will open a new avenue for precisely detecting the motion of human skin and artificial soft-robotic skin.

Three-axial Fiber Bragg Grating Strain Sensor for Volcano Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Giacomelli, Umberto; Beverini, Nicolò; Carbone, Daniele; Carelli, Giorgio; Francesconi, Francesco; Gambino, Salvatore; Maccioni, Enrico; Morganti, Mauro; Orazi, Massimo; Peluso, Rosario; Sorrentino, Fiodor

2017-04-01

Fiber optic and FBGs sensors have attained a large diffusion in the last years as cost-effective monitoring and diagnostic devices in civil engineering. However, in spite of their potential impact, these instruments have found very limited application in geophysics. In order to study earthquakes and volcanoes, the measurement of crustal deformation is of crucial importance. Stress and strain behaviour is among the best indicators of changes in the activity of volcanoes .. Deep bore-hole dilatometers and strainmeters have been employed for volcano monitoring. These instruments are very sensitive and reliable, but are not cost-effective and their installation requires a large effort. Fiber optic based devices offer low cost, small size, wide frequency band, easier deployment and even the possibility of creating a local network with several sensors linked in an array. We present the realization, installation and first results of a shallow-borehole (8,5 meters depth) three-axial Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) strain sensor prototype. This sensor has been developed in the framework of the MED-SUV project and installed on Etna volcano, in the facilities of the Serra La Nave astrophysical observatory. The installation siteis about 7 Km South-West of the summit craters, at an elevation of about 1740 m. The main goal of our work is the realization of a three-axial device having a high resolution and accuracy in static and dynamic strain measurements, with special attention to the trade-off among resolution, cost and power consumption. The sensor structure and its read-out system are innovative and offer practical advantages in comparison with traditional strain meters. Here we present data collected during the first five months of operation. In particular, the very clear signals recorded in the occurrence of the Central Italy seismic event of October 30th demonstrate the performances of our device.

Circuit Design of Surface Acoustic Wave Based Micro Force Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuanyuan Li

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Pressure sensors are commonly used in industrial production and mechanical system. However, resistance strain, piezoresistive sensor, and ceramic capacitive pressure sensors possess limitations, especially in micro force measurement. A surface acoustic wave (SAW based micro force sensor is designed in this paper, which is based on the theories of wavelet transform, SAW detection, and pierce oscillator circuits. Using lithium niobate as the basal material, a mathematical model is established to analyze the frequency, and a peripheral circuit is designed to measure the micro force. The SAW based micro force sensor is tested to show the reasonable design of detection circuit and the stability of frequency and amplitude.

Application of a fiber optic grating strain sensor for the measurement of strain under irradiation environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaji, Yoshiyuki; Matsui, Yoshinori; Kita, Satoshi; Ide, Hiroshi; Tsukada, Takashi; Tsuji, Hirokazu

2002-01-01

In the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI), in-pile strain measurement techniques have been developed using the Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR). In order to evaluate the performance of fiber optic grating sensors under irradiation environment, heat-up and performance tests at elevated temperatures before irradiation and in-pile tests were performed in JMTR. It was determined that it is possible to measure strain under irradiation environment below 1x10 23 n m -2 (E>1 MeV) by a fiber optic grating sensor, because in-pile temperature characteristics were in good agreement with out-of-pile test results

A fiber optics sensor for strain and stress management in superconducting accelerator magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

van Oort, J.M.; ten Kate, H.H.J.

1993-01-01

A novel cryogenic interferometric fiber optics sensor for the measurement of strain and stress in the coil windings of superconducting accelerator magnets is described. The sensor can operate with two different readout sources, monochromatic laser light and white light respectively. The sensor head is built up as an extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer formed with two cleaved fiber surfaces, and can be mounted in several configurations. When read with laser light, the sensor is an extremely sensitive relative strain or temperature detector. When read with white light the absolute strain and pressure can be measured. Results are presented of tests in several configurations at 77 K and 4.2 K, both for the relative and absolute readout method. Finally, the possible use for quench localization using the temperature sensitivity is described

Reconstruction of in-plane strain maps using hybrid dense sensor network composed of sensing skin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Downey, Austin; Laflamme, Simon; Ubertini, Filippo

2016-01-01

The authors have recently developed a soft-elastomeric capacitive (SEC)-based thin film sensor for monitoring strain on mesosurfaces. Arranged in a network configuration, the sensing system is analogous to a biological skin, where local strain can be monitored over a global area. Under plane stress conditions, the sensor output contains the additive measurement of the two principal strain components over the monitored surface. In applications where the evaluation of strain maps is useful, in structural health monitoring for instance, such signal must be decomposed into linear strain components along orthogonal directions. Previous work has led to an algorithm that enabled such decomposition by leveraging a dense sensor network configuration with the addition of assumed boundary conditions. Here, we significantly improve the algorithm’s accuracy by leveraging mature off-the-shelf solutions to create a hybrid dense sensor network (HDSN) to improve on the boundary condition assumptions. The system’s boundary conditions are enforced using unidirectional RSGs and assumed virtual sensors. Results from an extensive experimental investigation demonstrate the good performance of the proposed algorithm and its robustness with respect to sensors’ layout. Overall, the proposed algorithm is seen to effectively leverage the advantages of a hybrid dense network for application of the thin film sensor to reconstruct surface strain fields over large surfaces. (paper)

Sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jensen, H. [PBI-Dansensor A/S (Denmark); Toft Soerensen, O. [Risoe National Lab., Materials Research Dept. (Denmark)

1999-10-01

A new type of ceramic oxygen sensors based on semiconducting oxides was developed in this project. The advantage of these sensors compared to standard ZrO{sub 2} sensors is that they do not require a reference gas and that they can be produced in small sizes. The sensor design and the techniques developed for production of these sensors are judged suitable by the participating industry for a niche production of a new generation of oxygen sensors. Materials research on new oxygen ion conducting conductors both for applications in oxygen sensors and in fuel was also performed in this project and finally a new process was developed for fabrication of ceramic tubes by dip-coating. (EHS)

Design of cross-sensitive temperature and strain sensor based on sampled fiber grating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Xiaohang

2017-02-01

Full Text Available In this paper,a cross-sensitive temperature and strain sensor based on sampled fiber grating is designed.Its temperature measurement range is -50-200℃,and the strain measurement rangeis 0-2 000 με.The characteristics of the sensor are obtained using simulation method.Utilizing SPSS software,we found the dual-parameter matrix equations of measurement of temperature and strain,and calibrated the four sensing coefficients of the matrix equations.

Using Collar worn Sensors to Forecast Thermal Strain in Military Working Dogs

Science.gov (United States)

2016-04-22

Using Collar-worn Sensors to Forecast Thermal Strain in Military Working Dogs James R. Williamson, Austin R. Hess, Christopher J. Smalt, Delsey M...these estimates for forecasting and monitoring thermal strain is assessed based on performance in out of sample prediction of core temperature (Tc...time step (100 Hz) from the magnitude of the three- dimensional acceleration vector, ai , which is independent of sensor orientation. Next, the

Semiconductor Ceramic Mn0.5Fe1.5O3-Fe2O3 from Natural Minerals as Ethanol Gas Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Aliah, H.; Syarif, D. G.; Iman, R. N.; Sawitri, A.; Sanjaya WS, M.; Nurul Subkhi, M.; Pitriana, P.

2018-05-01

In this research, Mn and Fe-based ceramic gas sensing were fabricated and characterized. This research used natural mineral which is widely available in Indonesia and intended to observe the characteristics of Mn and Fe-based semiconducting material. Fabricating process of the thick films started by synthesizing the ceramic powder of Fe(OH)3 and Mn oxide material using the precipitation method. The deposition from precipitation method previously was calcined at a temperature of 800 °C to produce nanoparticle powder. Nanoparticle powder that contains Mn and Fe oxide was mixed with an organic vehicle (OV) to produce a paste. Then, the paste was layered on the alumina substrate by using the screen printing method. XRD method was utilized to characterize the thick film crystal structure that has been produced. XRD spectra showed that the ceramic layer was formed from the solid Mn0.5Fe1.5O3 (bixbyite) and Fe2O3. In addition, the electrical properties (resistance) examination was held in the room that contains air and ethanol to determine the sensor sensitivity of ethanol gas. The sensor resistance decreases as the ethanol gas was added, showing that the sensor was sensitive to ethanol gas and an n-type semiconductor. Gas sensor exhibit sensitive characterization of ethanol gas on the concentration of (100 to 300) ppm at a temperature of (150 to 200) °C. This showed that the Mn0.5Fe1.5O3-Fe2O3 ceramic semiconductor could be utilized as the ethanol gas detector.

A temperature-compensated high spatial resolution distributed strain sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belal, Mohammad; Cho, Yuh Tat; Ibsen, Morten; Newson, Trevor P

2010-01-01

We propose and demonstrate a scheme which utilizes the temperature dependence of spontaneous Raman scattering to provide temperature compensation for a high spatial resolution Brillouin frequency-based strain sensor

Multi-axial strain transfer from laminated CFRP composites to embedded Bragg sensor: I. Parametric study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luyckx, G; Voet, E; De Waele, W; Degrieck, J

2010-01-01

Embedded optical fibre sensors are considered in numerous applications for structural health monitoring purposes. However, since the optical fibre and the host material in which it is embedded, will have different material properties, strain in both materials will not be equal when load is applied. Therefore, the multi-axial strain transfer from the host material to the embedded sensor (optical fibre) has to be considered in detail. In the first part of this paper the strain transfer will be determined using finite element modelling of a circular isotropic glass fibre embedded first in an isotropic host and second in an anisotropic composite material. The strain transfer or relation depends on the mechanical properties of the host material and the sensor (Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio), on the lay-up of the composite material (uni-directional lay-up/cross-ply lay-up) and the position of the sensor in a certain layer. In the second part of the paper the developed strain transfer model will be evaluated for one specific lay-up and sensor type

Patterned, highly stretchable and conductive nanofibrous PANI/PVDF strain sensors based on electrospinning and in situ polymerization

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Gui-Feng; Yan, Xu; Yu, Miao; Jia, Meng-Yang; Pan, Wei; He, Xiao-Xiao; Han, Wen-Peng; Zhang, Zhi-Ming; Yu, Liang-Min; Long, Yun-Ze

2016-01-01

A facile fabrication strategy via electrospinning and followed by in situ polymerization to fabricate a patterned, highly stretchable, and conductive polyaniline/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PANI/PVDF) nanofibrous membrane is reported. Owing to the patterned structure, the nanofibrous PANI/PVDF strain sensor can detect a strain up to 110%, for comparison, which is 2.6 times higher than the common nonwoven PANI/PVDF mat and much larger than the previously reported values (usually less than 15%). Meanwhile, the conductivity of the patterned strain sensor shows a linear response to the applied strain in a wide range from 0% to about 85%. Additionally, the patterned PANI/PVDF strain sensor can completely recover to its original electrical and mechanical values within a strain range of more than 22%, and exhibits good durability over 10 000 folding-unfolding tests. Furthermore, the strain sensor also can be used to detect finger motion. The results demonstrate promising application of the patterned nanofibrous membrane in flexible electronic fields.A facile fabrication strategy via electrospinning and followed by in situ polymerization to fabricate a patterned, highly stretchable, and conductive polyaniline/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PANI/PVDF) nanofibrous membrane is reported. Owing to the patterned structure, the nanofibrous PANI/PVDF strain sensor can detect a strain up to 110%, for comparison, which is 2.6 times higher than the common nonwoven PANI/PVDF mat and much larger than the previously reported values (usually less than 15%). Meanwhile, the conductivity of the patterned strain sensor shows a linear response to the applied strain in a wide range from 0% to about 85%. Additionally, the patterned PANI/PVDF strain sensor can completely recover to its original electrical and mechanical values within a strain range of more than 22%, and exhibits good durability over 10 000 folding-unfolding tests. Furthermore, the strain sensor also can be used to detect finger

Optimization of geometric characteristics to improve sensing performance of MEMS piezoresistive strain sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohammed, Ahmed A S; Moussa, Walied A; Lou, Edmond

2010-01-01

In this paper, the design of MEMS piezoresistive strain sensor is described. ANSYS®, finite element analysis (FEA) software, was used as a tool to model the performance of the silicon-based sensor. The incorporation of stress concentration regions (SCRs), to localize stresses, was explored in detail. This methodology employs the structural design of the sensor silicon carrier. Therefore, the induced strain in the sensing chip yielded stress concentration in the vicinity of the SCRs. Hence, this concept was proved to enhance the sensor sensitivity. Another advantage of the SCRs is to reduce the sensor transverse gauge factor, which offered a great opportunity to develop a MEMS sensor with minimal cross sensitivity. Two basic SCR designs were studied. The depth of the SCRs was also investigated. Moreover, FEA simulation is utilized to investigate the effect of the sensing element depth on the sensor sensitivity. Simulation results showed that the sensor sensitivity is independent of the piezoresistors' depth. The microfabrication process flow was introduced to prototype the different sensor designs. The experiments covered operating temperature range from −50 °C to +50 °C. Finally, packaging scheme and bonding adhesive selection were discussed. The experimental results showed good agreement with the FEA simulation results. The findings of this study confirmed the feasibility of introducing SCRs in the sensor silicon carrier to improve the sensor sensitivity while using relatively high doping levels (5 × 10 19 atoms cm −3 ). The fabricated sensors have a gauge factor about three to four times higher compared to conventional thin-foil strain gauges

Design and analysis of MEMS MWCNT / epoxy strain sensor using ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Gaurav Sapra

2017-06-20

Jun 20, 2017 ... In this paper, highly sensitive MEMS-based multi- walled (MWCNT)/epoxy strain sensor has been designed using ... This paper also discusses the process flow for fabricating MWCNT/epoxy thin film ... stone bridge, i.e., connected to the gold metal pad of the sensor. The change in resistance with respect to.

Development of a Brillouin scattering based distributed fibre optic strain sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Anthony Wayne

2001-07-01

The parameters of the Brillouin spectrum of an optical fibre depend upon the strain and temperature conditions of the fibre. As a result, fibre optic distributed sensors based on Brillouin scattering can measure strain and temperature in arbitrary regions of a sensing fibre. In the past, such sensors have often been demonstrated under laboratory conditions, demonstrating the principle of operation. Although some field tests of temperature sensing have been reported, the actual deployment of such sensors in the field for strain measurements has been limited by poor spatial resolution (typically 1 m or more) and poor strain accuracy (+/-100 muepsilon). Also, cross-sensitivity of the Brillouin spectrum to temperature further reduces the accuracy of strain measurement while long acquisition times hinders field use. The high level of user knowledge and lack of automation required to operate the equipment is another limiting factor of the only commercially available unit. The potential benefits of distributed measurements are great for instrumentation of civil structures provided that the above limitations are overcome. However, before this system is used with confidence by practitioners, it is essential that it can be effectively operated in field conditions. In light of this, the fibre optics group at the University of New Brunswick has been developing an automated system for field measurement of strain in civil structures, particularly in reinforced concrete. The development of the sensing system hardware and software was the main focus of this thesis. This has been made possible, in part, by observation of the Brillouin spectrum for the case of using very short light pulses (performance to measure strain to an accuracy of 10 muepsilon; and allow the simultaneous measurement of strain and temperature to an accuracy of 204 muepsilon and 3°C are presented. Finally, the results of field measurement of strain on a concrete structure are presented.

Experimental Investigations of Woven Textile Tape as Strain Sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Kannaian, T.; Naveen, V. S.; Muthukumar, N.; Thilagavathi, G.

2015-10-01

In this article, a strain sensitive textile based elastomeric tape sensor has been developed and process parameters for sensor development are optimized. Polyester yarns are used as base threads and rubber threads are used as elastomer for the sensor development. The sensor has been developed with the help of narrow width tape loom by introducing the silver coated nylon yarn in the middle of the tape structure. The influence of weave structure, number of conductive threads and rubber thread tension on sensor development has been optimized by using the Box-Behnken method and the results are analyzed using the Design expert software. From the results, it is found that six numbers of conductive threads in a plain weave structure with rubber thread tension of 750 g is suitable for the sensor to give high gauge factor of 1.626.

Quality Factor Effect on the Wireless Range of Microstrip Patch Antenna Strain Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Daliri

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Recently introduced passive wireless strain sensors based on microstrip patch antennas have shown great potential for reliable health and usage monitoring in aerospace and civil industries. However, the wireless interrogation range of these sensors is limited to few centimeters, which restricts their practical application. This paper presents an investigation on the effect of circular microstrip patch antenna (CMPA design on the quality factor and the maximum practical wireless reading range of the sensor. The results reveal that by using appropriate substrate materials the interrogation distance of the CMPA sensor can be increased four-fold, from the previously reported 5 to 20 cm, thus improving considerably the viability of this type of wireless sensors for strain measurement and damage detection.

Quality Factor Effect on the Wireless Range of Microstrip Patch Antenna Strain Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Daliri, Ali; Galehdar, Amir; Rowe, Wayne S. T.; John, Sabu; Wang, Chun H.; Ghorbani, Kamran

2014-01-01

Recently introduced passive wireless strain sensors based on microstrip patch antennas have shown great potential for reliable health and usage monitoring in aerospace and civil industries. However, the wireless interrogation range of these sensors is limited to few centimeters, which restricts their practical application. This paper presents an investigation on the effect of circular microstrip patch antenna (CMPA) design on the quality factor and the maximum practical wireless reading range of the sensor. The results reveal that by using appropriate substrate materials the interrogation distance of the CMPA sensor can be increased four-fold, from the previously reported 5 to 20 cm, thus improving considerably the viability of this type of wireless sensors for strain measurement and damage detection. PMID:24451457

Nonlinear fiber-optic strain sensor based on four-wave mixing in microstructured optical fiber

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gu, Bobo; Yuan, Scott Wu; Frosz, Michael H.

2012-01-01

We demonstrate a nonlinear fiber-optic strain sensor, which uses the shifts of four-wave mixing Stokes and anti-Stokes peaks caused by the strain-induced changes in the structure and refractive index of a microstructured optical fiber. The sensor thus uses the inherent nonlinearity of the fiber a...

Film-based Sensors with Piezoresistive Molecular Conductors as Active Components Strain Damage and Thermal Regeneration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Laukhina

2011-02-01

Full Text Available The article is addressed to the development of flexible all-organic bi layer (BL film-based sensors being capable of measuring strain as a well-defined electrical signal in a wide range of elongations and temperature. The purpose was achieved by covering polycarbonate films with the polycrystalline layer of a high piezoresistive organic molecular conductor. To determine restrictions for sensor applications, the effect of monoaxial strain on the resistance and texture of the sensing layers of BL films was studied. The experiments have shown that the maximum strain before fracture is about 1 %. A thermal regeneration of the sensing layer of the BL film-based sensors that were damaged by cyclic load is also described. These sensors are able to take the place of conventional metal-based strain and pressure gages in low cost innovative controlling and monitoring technologies.

Piezo-electrostrictive ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Ho Gi; Shin, Byeong Cheol

1991-09-01

This book deals with principle and the case of application of piezo-electrostrictive ceramics, which includes definition of piezoelectric materials and production and development of piezoelectric materials, coexistence of Pb(zr, Ti)O 3 ceramics on cause of coexistence in MPB PZT ceramics, electrostrictive effect of oxide type perovskite, practical piezo-electrostrictive materials, and breaking strength, evaluation technique of piezoelectric characteristic, and piezoelectric accelerometer sensor like printer head, ink jet and piezoelectric relay.

Suitability of Strain Gage Sensors for Integration into Smart Sport Equipment: A Golf Club Example.

Science.gov (United States)

Umek, Anton; Zhang, Yuan; Tomažič, Sašo; Kos, Anton

2017-04-21

Wearable devices and smart sport equipment are being increasingly used in amateur and professional sports. Smart sport equipment employs various sensors for detecting its state and actions. The correct choice of the most appropriate sensor(s) is of paramount importance for efficient and successful operation of sport equipment. When integrated into the sport equipment, ideal sensors are unobstructive, and do not change the functionality of the equipment. The article focuses on experiments for identification and selection of sensors that are suitable for the integration into a golf club with the final goal of their use in real time biofeedback applications. We tested two orthogonally affixed strain gage (SG) sensors, a 3-axis accelerometer, and a 3-axis gyroscope. The strain gage sensors are calibrated and validated in the laboratory environment by a highly accurate Qualisys Track Manager (QTM) optical tracking system. Field test results show that different types of golf swing and improper movement in early phases of golf swing can be detected with strain gage sensors attached to the shaft of the golf club. Thus they are suitable for biofeedback applications to help golfers to learn repetitive golf swings. It is suggested that the use of strain gage sensors can improve the golf swing technical error detection accuracy and that strain gage sensors alone are enough for basic golf swing analysis. Our final goal is to be able to acquire and analyze as many parameters of a smart golf club in real time during the entire duration of the swing. This would give us the ability to design mobile and cloud biofeedback applications with terminal or concurrent feedback that will enable us to speed-up motor skill learning in golf.

Enhanced green upconversion by controlled ceramization of Er{sup 3+}–Yb{sup 3+} co-doped sodium niobium tellurite glass–ceramics for low temperature sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suresh Kumar, J., E-mail: suresh@ua.pt; Pavani, K.; Graça, M.P.F.; Soares, M.J.

2014-12-25

Highlights: • Upconversion luminescence improved in glass–ceramics compared to host glass. • Judd–Ofelt and radiative parameters calculated. • NIR decay curve results concur the results of improved luminescence. • Temperature dependent upconversion support the use of materials for sensors. - Abstract: Tellurite based glasses are well-known for their upconversion properties besides having a disadvantage of low mechanical strength dragging them away from practical applications. The present work deals with preparation of sodium niobium tellurite (SNT) glasses using melt quenching method, in which small quantities of boron and silicon in the form of oxides are added to improve their mechanical properties. Controlled heat treatment is performed to ceramize the prepared glasses based on the thermal data given by DTA. XRD and SEM profiles of the glass–ceramics which confirmed the formation of crystalline monoclinic Sodium Tellurium Niobium Oxide (Na{sub 1.4}Nb{sub 3}Te{sub 4.9}O{sub 18}) phase (JCPDS card No. 04–011-7556). Upconversion measurements in the visible region were made for the prepared Er{sup 3+}–Yb{sup 3+} co-doped glasses and glass–ceramics with 980 nm laser excitation varying the laser power and concentration of Er{sup 3+} ions. Results showed that the upconversion luminescence intensity was enhanced by ten times in SNT glass–ceramics compared to that in the SNT glasses. Decay curves give evidence of high performance of glass–ceramics compared to glasses due to ceramization and structural changes. Temperature dependent visible upconversion was performed to test the ability of efficient SNT glass–ceramic at low temperatures and variation of upconversion intensities was studied.

Piezoelectric ceramic-reinforced metal matrix composites

OpenAIRE

2004-01-01

Composite materials comprising piezoelectric ceramic particulates dispersed in a metal matrix are capable of vibration damping. When the piezoelectric ceramic particulates are subjected to strain, such as the strain experienced during vibration of the material, they generate an electrical voltage that is converted into Joule heat in the surrounding metal matrix, thereby dissipating the vibrational energy. The piezoelectric ceramic particulates may also act as reinforcements to improve the mec...

A piezoelectric-based infinite stiffness generation method for strain-type load sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Shuwen; Shao, Shubao; Xu, Minglong; Chen, Jie

2015-01-01

Under certain application conditions like nanoindentation technology and the mechanical property measurement of soft materials, the elastic deformation of strain-type load sensors affects their displacement measurement accuracy. In this work, a piezoelectric-based infinite stiffness generation method for strain-type load sensors that compensates for this elastic deformation is presented. The piezoelectric material-based deformation compensation method is proposed. An Hottinger Baldwin Messtechnik GmbH (HBM) Z30A/50N load sensor acts as the foundation of the method presented in this work. The piezoelectric stack is selected based on its size, maximum deformation value, blocking force and stiffness. Then, a clamping and fixing structure is designed to integrate the HBM sensor with the piezoelectric stack. The clamping and fixing structure, piezoelectric stack and HBM load sensor comprise the sensing part of the enhanced load sensor. The load-deformation curve and the voltage-deformation curve of the enhanced load sensor are then investigated experimentally. Because a hysteresis effect exists in the piezoelectric structure, the relationship between the control signal and the deformation value of the piezoelectric material is nonlinear. The hysteresis characteristic in a quasi-static condition is studied and fitted using a quadratic polynomial, and its coefficients are analyzed to enable control signal prediction. Applied arithmetic based on current theory and the fitted data is developed to predict the control signal. Finally, the experimental effects of the proposed method are presented. It is shown that when a quasi-static load is exerted on this enhanced strain-type load sensor, the deformation is reduced and the equivalent stiffness appears to be almost infinite. (paper)

Annealing and etching effects on strain and stress sensitivity of polymer optical fibre Bragg grating sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pospori, A.; Marques, C. A.F.; Sáez-Rodríguez, D.

2017-01-01

Thermal annealing and chemical etching effects on the strain and stress sensitivity of polymer optical fibre based sensors are investigated. Bragg grating sensors have been photo-inscribed in PMMA optical fibre and their strain and stress sensitivity has been characterised before and after any...... annealing or etching process. The annealing and etching processes have been tried in different sequence in order to investigate their impact on the sensor's performance. Results show with high confidence that fibre annealing can improve both strain and stress sensitivities. The fibre etching can also...... provide stress sensitivity enhancement, however the strain sensitivity changes seems to be random....

Anelasticity and strength in zirconia ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuzawa, M.; Horibe, S.; Sakai, J.

2005-01-01

Non-elastic strain behavior was investigated for several different zirconia ceramics and a possible mechanism for anelasticity was discussed. Anelastic strain was detected in zirconia ceramics irrespective of the crystallographic phase and its productivity depended on the particular kind of dopant additive. It was found that the anelastic properties could be significantly influenced by the level of oxygen vacancy in the matrix, and that the anelastic strain might be produced by a light shift of ionic species. In order to investigate the effect of anelasticity on mechanical properties on zirconia ceramics, the tensile strength was investigated for a wide range of strain rates. The obviously unique strain rate dependence was observed only in the materials having anelastic properties. It was assumed that anelasticity could be efficient at improving the tensile strength. (orig.)

Laser-engraved carbon nanotube paper for instilling high sensitivity, high stretchability, and high linearity in strain sensors

KAUST Repository

Xin, Yangyang

2017-06-29

There is an increasing demand for strain sensors with high sensitivity and high stretchability for new applications such as robotics or wearable electronics. However, for the available technologies, the sensitivity of the sensors varies widely. These sensors are also highly nonlinear, making reliable measurement challenging. Here we introduce a new family of sensors composed of a laser-engraved carbon nanotube paper embedded in an elastomer. A roll-to-roll pressing of these sensors activates a pre-defined fragmentation process, which results in a well-controlled, fragmented microstructure. Such sensors are reproducible and durable and can attain ultrahigh sensitivity and high stretchability (with a gauge factor of over 4.2 × 10(4) at 150% strain). Moreover, they can attain high linearity from 0% to 15% and from 22% to 150% strain. They are good candidates for stretchable electronic applications that require high sensitivity and linearity at large strains.

Bioinspired Flexible and Highly Responsive Dual-Mode Strain/Magnetism Composite Sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Pei; Li, Yuan-Qing; Yu, Xiao-Guang; Zhu, Wei-Bin; Nie, Shu-Yan; Zhang, Hao; Liu, Jin-Rui; Hu, Ning; Fu, Shao-Yun

2018-04-04

The mimicry of human skin to detect both oncoming and physical-contacting object is of great importance in the fields of manufacturing, artificial robots and vehicles, etc. Herein, a novel bioinspired flexible and highly responsive dual-mode strain/magnetism composite sensor, which works via both contact and contactless modes, is first fabricated by incorporating Fe 3 O 4 /silicone system into a carbon fiber aerogel (CFA). The distance dependence of magnetic field endorses the CFA/Fe 3 O 4 /silicone composite possible for spatial sensing due to the introduction of Fe 3 O 4 magnetic nanoparticles. As a result, the as-prepared flexible sensor exhibits precise and real-time response not only to direct-contact compression as usual but also to contactless magnetic field in a wide frequency range from 0.1 to 10 Hz, achieving the maximum variance of 68% and 86% in relative electrical resistance, respectively. The contact and contactless sensing modes of the strain/magnetism sensor are clearly demonstrated by recording the speeds of bicycle riding and walking, respectively. Interestingly, this dual-mode composite sensor exhibits the capacity of identifying the contact and contactless state, which is the first report for flexible sensors. The current protocol is eco-friendly, facile, and thought-provoking for the fabrication of multifunctional sensors.

Strain sensor system based on amorphous ferromagnetic ribbons

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Jančárik, V.; Švec, P.; Kraus, Luděk

2002-01-01

Roč. 53, 10/S (2002), s. 92-94 ISSN 1335-3632. [Magnetic Measurements'02. Bratislava, 11.09.2002-13.09.2002] Grant - others:NATO(XX) SfP 973649 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z1010914 Keywords : strain sensor * magnetoelastic effect * amorphous ferromagnetic Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism

Wearable Wide-Range Strain Sensors Based on Ionic Liquids and Monitoring of Human Activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shao-Hui Zhang

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Wearable sensors for detection of human activities have encouraged the development of highly elastic sensors. In particular, to capture subtle and large-scale body motion, stretchable and wide-range strain sensors are highly desired, but still a challenge. Herein, a highly stretchable and transparent stain sensor based on ionic liquids and elastic polymer has been developed. The as-obtained sensor exhibits impressive stretchability with wide-range strain (from 0.1% to 400%, good bending properties and high sensitivity, whose gauge factor can reach 7.9. Importantly, the sensors show excellent biological compatibility and succeed in monitoring the diverse human activities ranging from the complex large-scale multidimensional motions to subtle signals, including wrist, finger and elbow joint bending, finger touch, breath, speech, swallow behavior and pulse wave.

Vibration based monitoring of stay cable force using wireless piezoelectric based strain sensor nodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, Khac Duy; Kim, Jeong Tae

2012-01-01

This study presents a method to monitor cable force using wireless sensor nodes and piezoelectric sensors. The following approaches are carried out to achieve the objective. Firstly, the principle of piezoelectric materials (e.g., PZT) as strain sensors is reviewed. A cable force estimation method using dynamic features of cables measured by piezoelectric materials is presented. Secondly, the design of an automated cable force monitoring system using the data acquisition sensor node Imote2/SHM DAQ is described. The sensor node is originally developed by University of Illinois at Urbana champaign and is adopted in this study to monitor strain induced voltage from PZT sensors. The advantages of the system are cheap, and eligible for wireless communication and automated operation. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed monitoring system is evaluated on a lab scaled cable

Oil pipeline geohazard monitoring using optical fiber FBG strain sensors (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Salazar-Ferro, Andres; Mendez, Alexis

2016-04-01

Pipelines are naturally vulnerable to operational, environmental and man-made effects such as internal erosion and corrosion; mechanical deformation due to geophysical risks and ground movements; leaks from neglect and vandalism; as well as encroachments from nearby excavations or illegal intrusions. The actual detection and localization of incipient and advanced faults in pipelines is a very difficult, expensive and inexact task. Anything that operators can do to mitigate the effects of these faults will provide increased reliability, reduced downtime and maintenance costs, as well as increased revenues. This talk will review the on-line monitoring of an extensive network of oil pipelines in service in Colombia using optical fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensors for the measurement of strains and bending caused by geohazard risks such as soil movements, landslides, settlements, flooding and seismic activity. The FBG sensors were mounted on the outside of the pipelines at discrete locations where geohazard risk was expected. The system has been in service for the past 3 years with over 1,000 strain sensors mounted. The technique has been reliable and effective in giving advanced warning of accumulated pipeline strains as well as possible ruptures.

Analysis and experimental study on the strain transfer mechanism of an embedded basalt fiber-encapsulated fiber Bragg grating sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhenglin; Wang, Yuan; Sun, Yangyang; Zhang, Qinghua; You, Zewei; Huang, Xiaodi

2017-01-01

The precision of the encapsulated fiber optic sensor embedded into a host suffers from the influences of encapsulating materials. Furthermore, an interface transfer effect of strain sensing exists. This study uses an embedded basalt fiber-encapsulated fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor as the research object to derive an expression in a multilayer interface strain transfer coefficient by considering the mechanical properties of the host material. The direct impact of the host material on the strain transfer at an embedded multipoint continuous FBG (i.e., multiple gratings written on a single optical fiber) monitoring strain sensor, which was self-developed and encapsulated with basalt fiber, is studied to present the strain transfer coefficients corresponding to the positions of various gratings. The strain transfer coefficients of the sensor are analyzed based on the experiments designed for this study. The error of the experimental results is ˜2 μɛ when the strain is at 60 μɛ and below. Moreover, the measured curves almost completely coincide with the theoretical curves. The changes in the internal strain field inside the embedded structure of the basalt fiber-encapsulated FBG strain sensor could be easily monitored. Hence, important references are provided to measure the internal stress strain of the sensor.

Equivalent thermal history reconstruction from a partially crystallized glass-ceramic sensor array

Science.gov (United States)

Heeg, Bauke

2015-11-01

The basic concept of a thermal history sensor is that it records the accumulated exposure to some unknown, typically varying temperature profile for a certain amount of time. Such a sensor is considered to be capable of measuring the duration of several (N) temperature intervals. For this purpose, the sensor deploys multiple (M) sensing elements, each with different temperature sensitivity. At the end of some thermal exposure for a known period of time, the sensor array is read-out and an estimate is made of the set of N durations of the different temperature ranges. A potential implementation of such a sensor was pioneered by Fair et al. [Sens. Actuators, A 141, 245 (2008)], based on glass-ceramic materials with different temperature-dependent crystallization dynamics. In their work, it was demonstrated that an array of sensor elements can be made sensitive to slight differences in temperature history. Further, a forward crystallization model was used to simulate the variations in sensor array response to differences in the temperature history. The current paper focusses on the inverse aspect of temperature history reconstruction from a hypothetical sensor array output. The goal of such a reconstruction is to find an equivalent thermal history that is the closest representation of the true thermal history, i.e., the durations of a set of temperature intervals that result in a set of fractional crystallization values which is closest to the one resulting from the true thermal history. One particular useful simplification in both the sensor model as well as in its practical implementation is the omission of nucleation effects. In that case, least squares models can be used to approximate the sensor response and make reconstruction estimates. Even with this simplification, sensor noise can have a destabilizing effect on possible reconstruction solutions, which is evaluated using simulations. Both regularization and non-negativity constrained least squares

Sensing sheet: the response of full-bridge strain sensors to thermal variations for detecting and characterizing cracks

Science.gov (United States)

Tung, S.-T.; Glisic, B.

2016-12-01

Sensing sheets based on large-area electronics consist of a dense array of unit strain sensors. This new technology has potential for becoming an effective and affordable monitoring tool that can identify, localize and quantify surface damage in structures. This research contributes to their development by investigating the response of full-bridge unit strain sensors to thermal variations. Overall, this investigation quantifies the effects of temperature on thin-film full-bridge strain sensors monitoring uncracked and cracked concrete. Additionally, an empirical formula is developed to estimate crack width given an observed strain change and a measured temperature change. This research led to the understanding of the behavior of full-bridge strain sensors installed on cracked concrete and exposed to temperature variations. It proves the concept of the sensing sheet and its suitability for application in environments with variable temperature.

Fabrication and characterization of a metal-packaged regenerated fiber Bragg grating strain sensor for structural integrity monitoring of high-temperature components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tu, Yun; Tu, Shan-Tung

2014-01-01

Assessment of the structural integrity of components operating at high temperatures requires the development of novel sensors to measure strain. A metal-packaged regenerated fiber Bragg grating (RFBG) sensor is developed for measurement of strain using titanium–silver magnetron sputtering and nickel electroplating. The strain response of the sensor mounted onto a flat tensile specimen by spot welding is evaluated by uniaxial tensile tests at constant temperatures ranging from room temperature to 400 °C. Similar tests are performed on a bare RFBG sensor for comparison. The metal-packaged RFBG strain sensor exhibits higher strain sensitivity than that of the bare RFBG sensor, as well as good linearity, stability and repeatability of strain measurements. A three-dimensional finite element model of the sensor is established to predict the strain sensitivity based on the sensing principle of the fiber Bragg grating. Comparisons of the experimental results with the numerical predictions for the strain sensitivity show a satisfactory agreement. These results demonstrate that the metal-packaged RFBG strain sensors can be successfully fabricated by combining magnetron sputtering with electroplating, and provide great promise for structural integrity monitoring of high-temperature components. (paper)

Residual strain sensor using Al-packaged optical fiber and Brillouin optical correlation domain analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Bo-Hun; Kwon, Il-Bum

2015-03-09

We propose a distributed residual strain sensor that uses an Al-packaged optical fiber for the first time. The residual strain which causes Brillouin frequency shifts in the optical fiber was measured using Brillouin optical correlation domain analysis with 2 cm spatial resolution. We quantified the Brillouin frequency shifts in the Al-packaged optical fiber by the tensile stress and compared them for a varying number of Al layers in the optical fiber. The Brillouin frequency shift of an optical fiber with one Al layer had a slope of 0.038 MHz/με with respect to tensile stress, which corresponds to 78% of that for an optical fiber without Al layers. After removal of the stress, 87% of the strain remained as residual strain. When different tensile stresses were randomly applied, the strain caused by the highest stress was the only one detected as residual strain. The residual strain was repeatedly measured for a time span of nine months for the purpose of reliability testing, and there was no change in the strain except for a 4% reduction, which is within the error tolerance of the experiment. A composite material plate equipped with our proposed Al-packaged optical fiber sensor was hammered for impact experiment and the residual strain in the plate was successfully detected. We suggest that the Al-packaged optical fiber can be adapted as a distributed strain sensor for smart structures, including aerospace structures.

Integrating Fiber Optic Strain Sensors into Metal Using Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing

Science.gov (United States)

Hehr, Adam; Norfolk, Mark; Wenning, Justin; Sheridan, John; Leser, Paul; Leser, Patrick; Newman, John A.

2018-03-01

Ultrasonic additive manufacturing, a rather new three-dimensional (3D) printing technology, uses ultrasonic energy to produce metallurgical bonds between layers of metal foils near room temperature. This low temperature attribute of the process enables integration of temperature sensitive components, such as fiber optic strain sensors, directly into metal structures. This may be an enabling technology for Digital Twin applications, i.e., virtual model interaction and feedback with live load data. This study evaluates the consolidation quality, interface robustness, and load sensing limits of commercially available fiber optic strain sensors embedded into aluminum alloy 6061. Lastly, an outlook on the technology and its applications is described.

Carbon Nanofiber Cement Sensors to Detect Strain and Damage of Concrete Specimens Under Compression.

Science.gov (United States)

Galao, Oscar; Baeza, F Javier; Zornoza, Emilio; Garcés, Pedro

2017-11-24

Cement composites with nano-additions have been vastly studied for their functional applications, such as strain and damage sensing. The capacity of a carbon nanofiber (CNF) cement paste has already been tested. However, this study is focused on the use of CNF cement composites as sensors in regular concrete samples. Different measuring techniques and humidity conditions of CNF samples were tested to optimize the strain and damage sensing of this material. In the strain sensing tests (for compressive stresses up to 10 MPa), the response depends on the maximum stress applied. The material was more sensitive at higher loads. Furthermore, the actual load time history did not influence the electrical response, and similar curves were obtained for different test configurations. On the other hand, damage sensing tests proved the capability of CNF cement composites to measure the strain level of concrete samples, even for loads close to the material's strength. Some problems were detected in the strain transmission between sensor and concrete specimens, which will require specific calibration of each sensor one attached to the structure.

Highly stretchable strain sensor based on polyurethane substrate using hydrogen bond-assisted laminated structure for monitoring of tiny human motions

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Ying; Zhao, Yunong; Wang, Yang; Guo, Xiaohui; Zhang, Yangyang; Liu, Ping; Liu, Caixia; Zhang, Yugang

2018-03-01

Strain sensors used as flexible and wearable electronic devices have improved prospects in the fields of artificial skin, robotics, human-machine interfaces, and healthcare. This work introduces a highly stretchable fiber-based strain sensor with a laminated structure made up of a graphene nanoplatelet layer and a carbon black/single-walled carbon nanotube synergetic conductive network layer. An ultrathin, flexible, and elastic two-layer polyurethane (PU) yarn substrate was successively deposited by a novel chemical bonding-based layered dip-coating process. These strain sensors demonstrated high stretchability (˜350%), little hysteresis, and long-term durability (over 2400 cycles) due to the favorable tensile properties of the PU substrate. The linearity of the strain sensor could reach an adjusted R-squared of 0.990 at 100% strain, which is better than most of the recently reported strain sensors. Meanwhile, the strain sensor exhibited good sensibility, rapid response, and a lower detection limit. The lower detection limit benefited from the hydrogen bond-assisted laminated structure and continuous conductive path. Finally, a series of experiments were carried out based on the special features of the PU strain sensor to show its capacity of detecting and monitoring tiny human motions.

Sensitive element of multifunctional sensor for measuring temperature, strain and magnetic field induction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Druzhinin A. A.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Sensitive element of multifunctional sensor for measuring temperature, strain and magnetic field induction has been developed based on the studies of electrical conductivity and magnetoresistance of silicon and germanium microcrystals in the temperature range 4.2—70 K, strain ±1.5*10–3 rel.un. and magnetic fields of 0—14 T. The feature of the sensitive element is the using of the p- and n-type conductivity germanium microcrystals as mechanical and magnetic field sensors, respectively, and the p-type silicon microcrystal — as temperature sensor. That allows providing the compensation of temperature influence on piezoresistance and on sensitivity to the magnetic field.

Rapid Prototyping Human Interfaces Using Stretchable Strain Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tokiya Yamaji

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In the modern society with a variety of information electronic devices, human interfaces increase their importance in a boundary of a human and a device. In general, the human is required to get used to the device. Even if the device is designed as a universal device or a high-usability device, the device is not suitable for all users. The usability of the device depends on the individual user. Therefore, personalized and customized human interfaces are effective for the user. To create customized interfaces, we propose rapid prototyping human interfaces using stretchable strain sensors. The human interfaces comprise parts formed by a three-dimensional printer and the four strain sensors. The three-dimensional printer easily makes customized human interfaces. The outputs of the interface are calculated based on the sensor’s lengths. Experiments evaluate three human interfaces: a sheet-shaped interface, a sliding lever interface, and a tilting lever interface. We confirm that the three human interfaces obtain input operations with a high accuracy.

Road roughness evaluation using in-pavement strain sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhiming; Deng, Fodan; Huang, Ying; Bridgelall, Raj

2015-11-01

The international roughness index (IRI) is a characterization of road roughness or ride quality that transportation agencies most often report. The prevalent method of acquiring IRI data requires instrumented vehicles and technicians with specialized training to interpret the results. The extensive labor and high cost requirements associated with the existing approaches limit data collection to at most once per year for portions of the national highway system. Agencies characterize roughness only for some secondary roads but much less frequently, such as once every five years, resulting in outdated roughness information. This research developed a real-time roughness evaluation approach that links the output of durable in-pavement strain sensors to prevailing indices that summarize road roughness. Field experiments validated the high consistency of the approach by showing that it is within 3.3% of relative IRI estimates. After their installation and calibration during road construction, the ruggedized strain sensors will report road roughness continuously. Thus, the solution will provide agencies a real-time roughness monitoring solution over the remaining service life of road assets.

Metallic nanoparticle-based strain sensors elaborated by atomic layer deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Puyoo, E.; Malhaire, C.; Thomas, D.; Rafaël, R.; R'Mili, M.; Malchère, A.; Roiban, L.; Koneti, S.; Bugnet, M.; Sabac, A.; Le Berre, M.

2017-03-01

Platinum nanoparticle-based strain gauges are elaborated by means of atomic layer deposition on flexible polyimide substrates. Their electro-mechanical response is tested under mechanical bending in both buckling and conformational contact configurations. A maximum gauge factor of 70 is reached at a strain level of 0.5%. Although the exponential dependence of the gauge resistance on strain is attributed to the tunneling effect, it is shown that the majority of the junctions between adjacent Pt nanoparticles are in a short circuit state. Finally, we demonstrate the feasibility of an all-plastic pressure sensor integrating Pt nanoparticle-based strain gauges in a Wheatstone bridge configuration.

Study on strain transfer of embedded fiber Bragg grating sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Rujun; Zheng, Bailin; Fu, Kunkun; He, Pengfei; Tan, Yuegang

2014-08-01

In this study, a theoretical model of embedded fiber Bragg grating sensors was developed to provide predictions of the strain transfer rate and average strain transfer rate without the assumption that the host material is subjected to uniform axial stress. Further, a finite element (FE) analysis was performed to validate the present model. It was shown that the theoretical results with the present model are in good agreement with those by FE analysis. Finally, the parametric analysis was used to quantitatively investigate the effect of the parameters of the adhesive layer and host material on the strain transfer rate and average strain transfer rate.

PBO Borehole Strainmeters and Pore Pressure Sensors: Recording Hydrological Strain Signals

Science.gov (United States)

Gottlieb, M. H.; Hodgkinson, K. M.; Mencin, D.; Henderson, D. B.; Johnson, W.; Van Boskirk, E.; Pyatt, C.; Mattioli, G. S.

2017-12-01

UNAVCO operates a network of 75 borehole strainmeters along the west coast of the United States and Vancouver Island, Canada as part of the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO), the geodetic component of the NSF-funded Earthscope program. Borehole strainmeters are designed to detect variations in the strain field at the nanostrain level and can easily detect transient strains caused by aseismic creep events, Episodic Tremor and Slip (ETS) events and seismically induced co- and post-seimic signals. In 2016, one strainmeter was installed in an Oklahoma oil field to characterize in-situ deformation during CO2 injection. Twenty-three strainmeter sites also have pore pressure sensors to measure fluctuations in groundwater pressure. Both the strainmeter network and the pore pressure sensors provide unique data against which those using water-level measurements, GPS time-series or InSAR data can compare possible subsidence signals caused by groundwater withdrawal or fluid re-injection. Operating for 12 years, the PBO strainmeter and pore pressure network provides a long-term, continuous, 1-sps record of deformation. PBO deploys GTSM21 tensor strainmeters from GTSM Technologies, which consist of four horizontal strain gauges stacked vertically, at different orientations, within a single 2 m-long instrument. The strainmeters are typically installed at depths of 200 to 250 m and grouted into the bottom of 15 cm diameter boreholes. The pore pressure sensors are Digiquartz Depth Sensors from Paros Scientific. These sensors are installed in 2" PVC, sampling groundwater through a screened section 15 m above the co-located strainmeter. These sensors are also recording at 1-sps with a resolution in the hundredths of hPa. High-rate local barometric pressure data and low-rate rainfall data also available at all locations. PBO Strainmeter and pore pressure data are available in SEED, SAC-ASCII and time-stamped ASCII format from the IRIS Data Managements Center. Strainmeter data are

Metallic-packaging fiber Bragg grating sensor based on ultrasonic welding for strain-insensitive temperature measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Lianqing; Yang, Runtao; Zhang, Yumin; Dong, Mingli; Lou, Xiaoping

2018-04-01

In this paper, a metallic-packaging fiber Bragg grating temperature sensor characterized by a strain insensitive design is demonstrated. The sensor is fabricated by the one-step ultrasonic welding technique using type-II fiber Bragg grating combined with an aluminum alloy substrate. Finite element analysis is used to perform theoretical evaluation. The result of the experiment illustrates that the metallic-packaging temperature sensor is insensitive to longitudinal strain. The sensor's temperature sensitivity is 36 pm/°C over the range of 50-110 °C, with the correlation coefficient (R2) being 0.999. The sensor's temporal response is 40 s at a sudden temperature change from 21 °C to 100 °C. The proposed sensor can be applied on reliable and precise temperature measurement.

Coaxial Thermoplastic Elastomer-Wrapped Carbon Nanotube Fibers for Deformable and Wearable Strain Sensors

KAUST Repository

Zhou, Jian; Xu, Xuezhu; Xin, Yangyang; Lubineau, Gilles

2018-01-01

performances in these design requirements. Here, achieving highly stretchable and sensitive strain sensors by using a coaxial structure, prepared via coaxial wet spinning of thermoplastic elastomer-wrapped carbon nanotube fibers, is proposed. The sensors attain

Apodization Optimization of FBG Strain Sensor for Quasi-Distributed Sensing Measurement Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fahd Chaoui

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A novel optimized apodization of Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor (FBGS for quasi-distributed strain sensing applications is developed and introduced in this paper. The main objective of the proposed optimization is to obtain a reflectivity level higher than 90% and a side lobe level around −40 dB, which is suitable for use in quasi-distributed strain sensing application. For this purpose, different design parameters as apodization profile, grating length, and refractive index have been investigated to enhance and optimize the FBGS design. The performance of the proposed apodization has then been compared in terms of reflectivity, side lobe level (SLL, and full width at half maximum (FWHM with apodization profiles proposed by other authors. The optimized sensor is integrated on quasi-distributed sensing system of 8 sensors demonstrating high reliability. Wide strain sensitivity range for each channel has also been achieved in the quasi-distributed system. Results prove the efficiency of the proposed optimization which can be further implemented for any quasi-distributed sensing application.

Large-strain Soft Sensors Using Elastomers Blended with Exfoliated/Fragmented Graphite Particles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Sungmin; Nam, Gyungmok; Kim, Jonghun; Yoon, Sang-Hee [Inha Univ., Incheon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-09-15

An elastic polymer (e.g., PDMS) blended with EFG particles is a promising conductive composite for fabricating soft sensors that can detect an object's deformation up to or more than 50 %. Here, we develop large-strain, sprayable soft sensors using a mixture of PDMS and EFG particles, which are used as a host elastomer and electrically conductive particles, respectively. A solution for a conductive composite mixture is prepared by the microwave-assisted graphite exfoliation, followed by ultrasonication-induced fragmentation of the exfoliated graphite and ultrasonic blending of PDMS and EFG. Using the prepared solutions for composite and pure PDMS, 1-, 2-, and 3-axis soft sensors are fabricated by airbrush stencil technique where composite mixture and pure PDMS are materials for sensing and insulating layers, respectively. We characterize the soft strain sensors after investigating the effect of PDMS/EFG wt % on mechanical compliance and electrical conductance of the conductive composite.

Field-induced strain and polarization response in lead-free Bi1/2(Na0.80K0.20)1/2TiO3–SrZrO3 ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussain, Ali; Rahman, Jamil Ur; Zaman, Arif; Malik, Rizwan Ahmed; Kim, Jin Soo; Song, Tae Kwon; Kim, Won Jeong; Kim, Myong Ho

2014-01-01

The structure, field-induced strain, polarization and dielectric response of lead-free SrZrO 3 -modified Bi 1/2 (Na 0.80 K 0.20 ) 1/2 TiO 3 (abbreviated as BNKT–SZ100x, with x = 0–0.05) ceramics were investigated. The X-ray diffraction analysis of BNKT–SZ100x ceramics reveals no remarkable change in the crystal structure within the studied composition range. Around critical composition (x = 0.03) at a driving field of 6 kV mm −1 , large unipolar strain of 0.37% (S max /E max = 617) was obtained at room temperature. The ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of BNKT ceramics were significantly increased at 2 mol%. At x = 0.02, remnant polarization reached a maximum value of 34 μC cm −2 , while the piezoelectric constant (d 33 ) attained maximum value of 190 pC/N. These results indicate that BNKT–SZ100x ceramics can be considered as promising candidate materials for lead-free piezoelectric actuator applications. - Highlights: • BNKT–SZ ceramics were synthesized by a conventional solid state reaction process. • Field-induced strain and piezoelectric constant were increased at critical composition. • BNKT–SZ100x ceramics at x = 0.03 exhibit a large field induced dynamic piezoelectric coefficient. • BNKT–SZ100x ceramics at x = 0.02 exhibit a high static piezoelectric constant. • The depolarization temperature of BNKT–SZ100x ceramics decrease with increase in SZ content

Unique Piezoelectric Properties of the Monoclinic Phase in Pb (Zr ,Ti )O3 Ceramics: Large Lattice Strain and Negligible Domain Switching

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Longlong; Chen, Jun; Ren, Yang; Pan, Zhao; Zhang, Linxing; Xing, Xianran

2016-01-01

The origin of the excellent piezoelectric properties at the morphotropic phase boundary is generally attributed to the existence of a monoclinic phase in various piezoelectric systems. However, there exist no experimental studies that reveal the role of the monoclinic phase in the piezoelectric behavior in phase-pure ceramics. In this work, a single monoclinic phase has been identified in Pb (Zr ,Ti )O3 ceramics at room temperature by in situ high-energy synchrotron x-ray diffraction, and its response to electric field has been characterized for the first time. Unique piezoelectric properties of the monoclinic phase in terms of large intrinsic lattice strain and negligible domain switching have been observed. The extensional strain constant d33 and the transverse strain constant d31 are calculated to be 520 and -200 pm /V , respectively. These large piezoelectric coefficients are mainly due to the large intrinsic lattice strain, with very little extrinsic contribution from domain switching. The unique properties of the monoclinic phase provide new insights into the mechanisms responsible for the piezoelectric properties at the morphotropic phase boundary.

Unique Piezoelectric Properties of the Monoclinic Phase in Pb(Zr,Ti)O_{3} Ceramics: Large Lattice Strain and Negligible Domain Switching.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Longlong; Chen, Jun; Ren, Yang; Pan, Zhao; Zhang, Linxing; Xing, Xianran

2016-01-15

The origin of the excellent piezoelectric properties at the morphotropic phase boundary is generally attributed to the existence of a monoclinic phase in various piezoelectric systems. However, there exist no experimental studies that reveal the role of the monoclinic phase in the piezoelectric behavior in phase-pure ceramics. In this work, a single monoclinic phase has been identified in Pb(Zr,Ti)O_{3} ceramics at room temperature by in situ high-energy synchrotron x-ray diffraction, and its response to electric field has been characterized for the first time. Unique piezoelectric properties of the monoclinic phase in terms of large intrinsic lattice strain and negligible domain switching have been observed. The extensional strain constant d_{33} and the transverse strain constant d_{31} are calculated to be 520 and -200  pm/V, respectively. These large piezoelectric coefficients are mainly due to the large intrinsic lattice strain, with very little extrinsic contribution from domain switching. The unique properties of the monoclinic phase provide new insights into the mechanisms responsible for the piezoelectric properties at the morphotropic phase boundary.

Flexible, Highly Sensitive, and Wearable Pressure and Strain Sensors with Graphene Porous Network Structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Pang, Yu; Tian, He; Tao, Luqi; Li, Yuxing; Wang, Xuefeng; Deng, Ningqin; Yang, Yi; Ren, Tian-Ling

2016-10-03

A mechanical sensor with graphene porous network (GPN) combined with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is demonstrated by the first time. Using the nickel foam as template and chemically etching method, the GPN can be created in the PDMS-nickel foam coated with graphene, which can achieve both pressure and strain sensing properties. Because of the pores in the GPN, the composite as pressure and strain sensor exhibit wide pressure sensing range and highest sensitivity among the graphene foam-based sensors, respectively. In addition, it shows potential applications in monitoring or even recognize the walking states, finger bending degree, and wrist blood pressure.

Application of fiber optic grating strain sensor for measurement of strain under irradiation environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaji, Y.; Matsui, Y.; Kita, S.; Ide, H.; Tsukada, T.; Tsuji, H.

2001-01-01

In Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI), in-pile strain measurement techniques have been developed using Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR). In order to evaluate the performance of fiber optic grating sensor under irradiation environment, heat-up and performance tests at elevated temperature before irradiation and in-pile tests were performed in JMTR. (author)

Elasto-plastic bond mechanics of embedded fiber optic sensors in concrete under uniaxial tension with strain localization

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Qingbin; Li, Guang; Wang, Guanglun

2003-12-01

Brittleness of the glass core inside fiber optic sensors limits their practical usage, and therefore they are coated with low-modulus softer protective materials. Protective coatings absorb a portion of the strain, and hence part of the structural strain is sensed. The study reported here corrects for this error through development of a theoretical model to account for the loss of strain in the protective coating of optical fibers. The model considers the coating as an elasto-plastic material and formulates strain transfer coefficients for elastic, elasto-plastic and strain localization phases of coating deformations in strain localization in concrete. The theoretical findings were verified through laboratory experimentation. The experimental program involved fabrication of interferometric optical fiber sensors, embedding within mortar samples and tensile tests in a closed-loop servo-hydraulic testing machine. The elasto-plastic strain transfer coefficients were employed for correction of optical fiber sensor data and results were compared with those of conventional extensometers.

Ceramic technologies for automotive industry: Current status and perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okada, Akira

2009-01-01

The automotive industry has developed substantially through advances in mechanical technologies, and technologies such as electronics and advanced materials have also contributed to further advances in automobiles. The contribution of ceramic materials to automobile technologies ranges over driving performance, exhaust gas purification, and fuel efficiency improvements. Several ceramic components, such as knock sensors, oxygen sensors, exhaust gas catalysts, and silicon nitride parts for automotive engines, have been successfully applied to automobiles. This paper focuses on the contribution of ceramics to automotive technologies. It also mentions potential contributions in the future, including adiabatic turbo-compound diesels, ceramic gas turbines, fuel cells, and electric vehicles because ceramic technologies have been intensively involved in the challenge to achieve advanced power sources.

Ceramic thick film humidity sensor based on MgTiO3 + LiF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kassas, Ahmad; Bernard, Jérôme; Lelièvre, Céline; Besq, Anthony; Guhel, Yannick; Houivet, David; Boudart, Bertrand; Lakiss, Hassan; Hamieh, Tayssir

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The fabricated sensor based on MgTiO 3 + LiF materials used the spin coating technology. • The response time is 70 s to detect variation between 5 and 95% relative humidity. • The addition of Scleroglucan controls the viscosity and decreases the roughness of thick film surface. • This humidity sensor is a promising, low-cost, high-quality, reliable ceramic films, that is highly sensitive to humidity. - Abstract: The feasibility of humidity sensor, consisting of a thick layer of MgTiO 3 /LiF materials on alumina substrate, was studied. The thermal analysis TGA-DTGA and dilatometric analysis worked out to confirm the sintering temperature. An experimental plan was applied to describe the effects of different parameters in the development of the thick film sensor. Structural and microstructural characterizations of the developed thick film were made. Rheological study with different amounts of a thickener (scleroglucan “sclg”), showing the behavior variation, as a function of sclg weight % was illustrated and rapprochement with the results of thickness variation as a function of angular velocity applied in the spin coater. The electrical and dielectric measurements confirmed the sensitivity of the elaborated thick film against moisture, along with low response time

Textile-Based, Interdigital, Capacitive, Soft-Strain Sensor for Wearable Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ozgur Atalay

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The electronic textile area has gained considerable attention due to its implementation of wearable devices, and soft sensors are the main components of these systems. In this paper, a new sensor design is presented to create stretchable, capacitance-based strain sensors for human motion tracking. This involves the use of stretchable, conductive-knit fabric within the silicone elastomer matrix, as interdigitated electrodes. While conductive fabric creates a secure conductive network for electrodes, a silicone-based matrix provides encapsulation and dimensional-stability to the structure. During the benchtop characterization, sensors show linear output, i.e., R2 = 0.997, with high response time, i.e., 50 ms, and high resolution, i.e., 1.36%. Finally, movement of the knee joint during the different scenarios was successfully recorded.

Strain measurements using Fiber Bragg Grating sensors in Structural Health Monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela ENCIU

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The paper presents some results obtained within a project of the “NUCLEU” Program financed by the Ministry of Research and Innovation-ANCS. The project supposes, among others, the design and the realization of a demonstrator for strain and stress measurements made with Fiber Bragg Gratings optical sensors. The paper details the construction of the demonstrator. The strain measurements induced in a cantilevered aluminum plate are compared with the analytical values provided by a mathematical model, and with the numerical values obtained by FEM analysis. The consistency of these comparative data indicates the achievement within the project of a level of competence necessary for later use of FBG sensors in the applicative researches involving the aerospace structures monitoring.

A packaged, low-cost, robust optical fiber strain sensor based on small cladding fiber sandwiched within periodic polymer grating.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiang, Chia-Chin; Li, Chein-Hsing

2014-06-02

In the present study, a novel packaged long-period fiber grating (PLPFG) strain sensor is first presented. The MEMS process was utilized to fabricate the packaged optical fiber strain sensor. The sensor structure consisted of etched optical fiber sandwiched between two layers of thick photoresist SU-8 3050 and then packaged with poly (dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) polymer material to construct the PLPFG strain sensor. The PDMS packaging material was used to prevent the glue effect, wherein glue flows into the LPFG structure and reduces coupling strength, in the surface bonding process. Because the fiber grating was packaged with PDMS material, it was effectively protected and made robust. The resonance attenuation dip of PLPFG grows when it is loading. This study explored the size effect of the grating period and fiber diameter of PLPFG via tensile testing. The experimental results found that the best strain sensitivity of the PLPFG strain sensor was -0.0342 dB/με, and that an R2 value of 0.963 was reached.

Recent progress of flexible and wearable strain sensors for human-motion monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Gang; Huang, Wei; Shao, Jinjun; Dong, Xiaochen

2018-01-01

With the rapid development of human artificial intelligence and the inevitably expanding markets, the past two decades have witnessed an urgent demand for the flexible and wearable devices, especially the flexible strain sensors. Flexible strain sensors, incorporated the merits of stretchability, high sensitivity and skin-mountable, are emerging as an extremely charming domain in virtue of their promising applications in artificial intelligent realms, human-machine systems and health-care devices. In this review, we concentrate on the transduction mechanisms, building blocks of flexible physical sensors, subsequently property optimization in terms of device structures and sensing materials in the direction of practical applications. Perspectives on the existing challenges are also highlighted in the end. Project supported by the NNSF of China (Nos. 61525402, 61604071), the Key University Science Research Project of Jiangsu Province (No. 15KJA430006), and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (No. BK20161012).

Characterization of ceramic materials for electrochemical hydrogen sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Serret, P.; Colominas, S. [Electrochemical Methods Laboratory - Analytical Chemistry Department ETS Institut Quimic de Sarria, Universitat Ramon Llull, Via Augusta, 390, 08017 Barcelona (Spain); Reyes, G. [Industrial Engineering Department ETS Institut Quimic de Sarria, Universitat Ramon Llull, Via Augusta, 390, 08017 Barcelona (Spain); Abella, J., E-mail: jordi.abella@iqs.es [Electrochemical Methods Laboratory - Analytical Chemistry Department ETS Institut Quimic de Sarria, Universitat Ramon Llull, Via Augusta, 390, 08017 Barcelona (Spain)

2011-10-15

Accurate and reliable tritium management is of basic importance for the correct operation conditions of the blanket tritium cycle. The Electrochemical Methods Lab at Institut Quimic de Sarria (IQS) is working in the design and development of tritium sensors, based on proton solid state electrolytes to be used in molten lithium-lead eutectic. Different solid electrolyte proton conductors have been synthesized (Sr{sub 3}CaZr{sub 0.9}Ta{sub 1.1}O{sub 8.55}, SrCe{sub 0.95}Yb{sub 0.05}O{sub 3-{alpha}}, CaZr{sub 0.9}In{sub 0.1}O{sub 3-{alpha}}, Ba{sub 3}(Ca{sub 1.18}Nb{sub 1.82})O{sub 9-{alpha}}) in order to be evaluated in a testing apparatus for hydrogen gas. Potentiometric measurements of the synthesized ceramic elements have been performed. In all experiments the working temperature was 500 {sup o}C. The sensors constructed using the proton conductor element Sr{sub 3}CaZr{sub 0.9}Ta{sub 1.1}O{sub 8.55} exhibited stable output potential and its value was close to the theoretical value calculated with the Nernst equation. When the proton conductor elements SrCe{sub 0.95}Yb{sub 0.05}O{sub 3-{alpha}} and CaZr{sub 0.9}In{sub 0.1}O{sub 3-{alpha}} and Ba{sub 3}(Ca{sub 1.18}Nb{sub 1.82})O{sub 9-{alpha}} were used a deviation higher than 100 mV between theoretical and experimental data was obtained.

Simultaneous strain and temperature sensor based on polarization maintaining fiber and multimode fiber

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, Rui; Dong, Changbin; Wang, Zixiao; Wu, Yue; Yang, Yuguang; Jian, Shuisheng

2018-06-01

A novel, simultaneous strain and temperature sensor utilizing polarization maintaining fiber (PMF) and multimode fiber (MMF) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated in this paper. The sensing head of this sensor can be obtained by splicing PMF and MMF in the structure of PMF-MMF-PMF. The extinction ratio of the transmission spectrum can be over 30 dB. The strain sensitivities of sensor by two spectrum dips can be 1.01 pm/με and 1.27 pm/με in the range from 0 to 2000 με. Meanwhile, the temperature sensitivities of 49 pm/°C and 41 pm/°C can be achieved by two spectrum dips in the range from 30 °C to 70 °C. The sensitivity difference between the two spectrum dips can be used to realize dual parameters fiber sensing. This sensor exhibits the advantages of simple fabrication, compact structure and multi-purpose measuring. It may have the great potential in fields of robot arms and artificial limbs.

From conventional sensors to fibre optic sensors for strain and force measurements in biomechanics applications: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Roriz, Paulo; Carvalho, Lídia; Frazão, Orlando; Santos, José Luís; Simões, José António

2014-04-11

In vivo measurement, not only in animals but also in humans, is a demanding task and is the ultimate goal in experimental biomechanics. For that purpose, measurements in vivo must be performed, under physiological conditions, to obtain a database and contribute for the development of analytical models, used to describe human biomechanics. The knowledge and control of the mechanisms involved in biomechanics will allow the optimization of the performance in different topics like in clinical procedures and rehabilitation, medical devices and sports, among others. Strain gages were first applied to bone in a live animal in 40's and in 80's for the first time were applied fibre optic sensors to perform in vivo measurements of Achilles tendon forces in man. Fibre optic sensors proven to have advantages compare to conventional sensors and a great potential for biomechanical and biomedical applications. Compared to them, they are smaller, easier to implement, minimally invasive, with lower risk of infection, highly accurate, well correlated, inexpensive and multiplexable. The aim of this review article is to give an overview about the evolution of the experimental techniques applied in biomechanics, from conventional to fibre optic sensors. In the next sections the most relevant contributions of these sensors, for strain and force in biomechanical applications, will be presented. Emphasis was given to report of in vivo experiments and clinical applications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mechanical transfer of ZnO nanowires for a flexible and conformal piezotronic strain sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, Kory; Yang, Rusen

2017-07-01

We demonstrate a truly conformal and flexible piezotronic strain sensor using zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires. Well-aligned, vertical ZnO nanowires are grown by chemical vapor deposition on a silicon wafer with a hydrothermally grown ZnO seed layer. The nanowires are infiltrated with polydimethylsiloxane and mechanically transferred from the silicon substrate. Plasma etching exposes the top surface of the nanowires before deposition of a gold (Au) top electrode. The bottom electrode is formed by silver paint which also adheres the sensor to the measured structure. To demonstrate the sensor’s ability to conform to complex surfaces, a stepped shaft with a shoulder fillet is used. The sensor is attached to the shoulder fillet of the stepped shaft, conforming to both the circumference of the shaft, and the radius of the fillet. A periodic bending displacement is applied to the end of the shaft. The strain induces a piezoelectric potential in the ZnO nanowires which controls the barrier height and conductivity at the gold/ZnO interface, by what is known as the piezotronic effect. The conductivity change is measured for periodically applied strains. The nonlinear current-voltage (I-V) response of the device is due to the Schottky contact between the ZnO nanowires and gold electrode. The geometry of the stepped shaft corresponds to a known stress concentration factor, and the strain experienced by the shaft is estimated with a COMSOL FEA study. The conformal nature of the strain sensor makes it suitable for structural monitoring applications involving complex geometries and stress concentrators.

NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Boron Rich Solids Sensors for Biological and Chemical Detection, Ultra High Temperature Ceramics, Thermoelectrics, Armor

CERN Document Server

Orlovskaya, Nina

2011-01-01

The objective of this book is to discuss the current status of research and development of boron-rich solids as sensors, ultra-high temperature ceramics, thermoelectrics, and armor. Novel biological and chemical sensors made of stiff and light-weight boron-rich solids are very exciting and efficient for applications in medical diagnoses, environmental surveillance and the detection of pathogen and biological/chemical terrorism agents. Ultra-high temperature ceramic composites exhibit excellent oxidation and corrosion resistance for hypersonic vehicle applications. Boron-rich solids are also promising candidates for high-temperature thermoelectric conversion. Armor is another very important application of boron-rich solids, since most of them exhibit very high hardness, which makes them perfect candidates with high resistance to ballistic impact. The following topical areas are presented: •boron-rich solids: science and technology; •synthesis and sintering strategies of boron rich solids; •microcantileve...

RGO-coated elastic fibres as wearable strain sensors for full-scale detection of human motions

Science.gov (United States)

Mi, Qing; Wang, Qi; Zang, Siyao; Mao, Guoming; Zhang, Jinnan; Ren, Xiaomin

2018-01-01

In this study, we chose highly-elastic fabric fibres as the functional carrier and then simply coated the fibres with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) using plasma treatment, dip coating and hydrothermal reduction steps, finally making a wearable strain sensor. As a result, the full-scale detection of human motions, ranging from bending joints to the pulse beat, has been achieved by these sensors. Moreover, high sensitivity, good stability and excellent repeatability were realized. The good sensing performances and economical fabrication process of this wearable strain sensor have strengthened our confidence in practical applications in smart clothing, smart fabrics, healthcare, and entertainment fields.

Optical fiber strain sensor using fiber resonator based on frequency comb Vernier spectroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Liang; Lu, Ping; Chen, Li

2012-01-01

A novel (to our best knowledge) optical fiber strain sensor using a fiber ring resonator based on frequency comb Vernier spectroscopy is proposed and demonstrated. A passively mode-locked optical fiber laser is employed to generate a phased-locked frequency comb. Strain applied to the optical fib...

Printing of microstructure strain sensor for structural health monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Minh Quyen; Ganet, Florent; Audigier, David; Capsal, Jean-Fabien; Cottinet, Pierre-Jean

2017-05-01

Recent advances in microelectronics and materials should allow the development of integrated sensors with transduction properties compatible with being printed directly onto a 3D substrate, especially metallic and polymer substrates. Inorganic and organic electronic materials in microstructured and nanostructured forms, intimately integrated in ink, offer particularly attractive characteristics, with realistic pathways to sophisticated embodiments. Here, we report on these strategies and demonstrate the potential of 3D-printed microelectronics based on a structural health monitoring (SHM) application for the precision weapon systems. We show that our printed sensors can be employed in non-invasive, high-fidelity and continuous strain monitoring of handguns, making it possible to implement printed sensors on a 3D substrate in either SHM or remote diagnostics. We propose routes to commercialization and novel device opportunities and highlight the remaining challenges for research.

Low temperature co-fired ceramic packaging of CMOS capacitive sensor chip towards cell viability monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Halonen, Niina; Kilpijärvi, Joni; Sobocinski, Maciej; Datta-Chaudhuri, Timir; Hassinen, Antti; Prakash, Someshekar B; Möller, Peter; Abshire, Pamela; Kellokumpu, Sakari; Lloyd Spetz, Anita

2016-01-01

Cell viability monitoring is an important part of biosafety evaluation for the detection of toxic effects on cells caused by nanomaterials, preferably by label-free, noninvasive, fast, and cost effective methods. These requirements can be met by monitoring cell viability with a capacitance-sensing integrated circuit (IC) microchip. The capacitance provides a measurement of the surface attachment of adherent cells as an indication of their health status. However, the moist, warm, and corrosive biological environment requires reliable packaging of the sensor chip. In this work, a second generation of low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) technology was combined with flip-chip bonding to provide a durable package compatible with cell culture. The LTCC-packaged sensor chip was integrated with a printed circuit board, data acquisition device, and measurement-controlling software. The packaged sensor chip functioned well in the presence of cell medium and cells, with output voltages depending on the medium above the capacitors. Moreover, the manufacturing of microfluidic channels in the LTCC package was demonstrated.

Coaxial Thermoplastic Elastomer-Wrapped Carbon Nanotube Fibers for Deformable and Wearable Strain Sensors

KAUST Repository

Zhou, Jian

2018-01-22

Highly conductive and stretchable fibers are crucial components of wearable electronics systems. Excellent electrical conductivity, stretchability, and wearability are required from such fibers. Existing technologies still display limited performances in these design requirements. Here, achieving highly stretchable and sensitive strain sensors by using a coaxial structure, prepared via coaxial wet spinning of thermoplastic elastomer-wrapped carbon nanotube fibers, is proposed. The sensors attain high sensitivity (with a gauge factor of 425 at 100% strain), high stretchability, and high linearity. They are also reproducible and durable. Their use as safe sensing components on deformable cable, expandable surfaces, and wearable textiles is demonstrated.

Electrically Conductive TPU Nanofibrous Composite with High Stretchability for Flexible Strain Sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Lu; Wang, Xiao-Xiong; He, Xiao-Xiao; Nie, Guang-Di; Zhang, Jun; Zhang, Bin; Guo, Wen-Zhe; Long, Yun-Ze

2018-03-01

Highly stretchable and electrically conductive thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) nanofibrous composite based on electrospinning for flexible strain sensor and stretchable conductor has been fabricated via in situ polymerization of polyaniline (PANI) on TPU nanofibrous membrane. The PANI/TPU membrane-based sensor could detect a strain from 0 to 160% with fast response and excellent stability. Meanwhile, the TPU composite has good stability and durability. Besides, the composite could be adapted to various non-flat working environments and could maintain opportune conductivity at different operating temperatures. This work provides an easy operating and low-cost method to fabricate highly stretchable and electrically conductive nanofibrous membrane, which could be applied to detect quick and tiny human actions.

A new approach for structural health monitoring by applying anomaly detection on strain sensor data

Science.gov (United States)

Trichias, Konstantinos; Pijpers, Richard; Meeuwissen, Erik

2014-03-01

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems help to monitor critical infrastructures (bridges, tunnels, etc.) remotely and provide up-to-date information about their physical condition. In addition, it helps to predict the structure's life and required maintenance in a cost-efficient way. Typically, inspection data gives insight in the structural health. The global structural behavior, and predominantly the structural loading, is generally measured with vibration and strain sensors. Acoustic emission sensors are more and more used for measuring global crack activity near critical locations. In this paper, we present a procedure for local structural health monitoring by applying Anomaly Detection (AD) on strain sensor data for sensors that are applied in expected crack path. Sensor data is analyzed by automatic anomaly detection in order to find crack activity at an early stage. This approach targets the monitoring of critical structural locations, such as welds, near which strain sensors can be applied during construction and/or locations with limited inspection possibilities during structural operation. We investigate several anomaly detection techniques to detect changes in statistical properties, indicating structural degradation. The most effective one is a novel polynomial fitting technique, which tracks slow changes in sensor data. Our approach has been tested on a representative test structure (bridge deck) in a lab environment, under constant and variable amplitude fatigue loading. In both cases, the evolving cracks at the monitored locations were successfully detected, autonomously, by our AD monitoring tool.

Omni-Purpose Stretchable Strain Sensor Based on a Highly Dense Nanocracking Structure for Whole-Body Motion Monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Hyungkook; Hong, Seong Kyung; Kim, Min Seo; Cho, Seong J; Lim, Geunbae

2017-12-06

Here, we report an omni-purpose stretchable strain sensor (OPSS sensor) based on a nanocracking structure for monitoring whole-body motions including both joint-level and skin-level motions. By controlling and optimizing the nanocracking structure, inspired by the spider sensory system, the OPSS sensor is endowed with both high sensitivity (gauge factor ≈ 30) and a wide working range (strain up to 150%) under great linearity (R 2 = 0.9814) and fast response time (sensor has advantages of being extremely simple, patternable, integrated circuit-compatible, and reliable in terms of reproducibility. Using the OPSS sensor, we detected various human body motions including both moving of joints and subtle deforming of skin such as pulsation. As specific medical applications of the sensor, we also successfully developed a glove-type hand motion detector and a real-time Morse code communication system for patients with general paralysis. Therefore, considering the outstanding sensing performances, great advantages of the fabrication process, and successful results from a variety of practical applications, we believe that the OPSS sensor is a highly suitable strain sensor for whole-body motion monitoring and has potential for a wide range of applications, such as medical robotics and wearable healthcare devices.

Eraser-based eco-friendly fabrication of a skin-like large-area matrix of flexible carbon nanotube strain and pressure sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Sahatiya, Parikshit; Badhulika, Sushmee

2017-03-03

This paper reports a new type of electronic, recoverable skin-like pressure and strain sensor, produced on a flexible, biodegradable pencil-eraser substrate and fabricated using a solvent-free, low-cost and energy efficient process. Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) film, the strain sensing element, was patterned on pencil eraser with a rolling pin and a pre-compaction mechanical press. This induces high interfacial bonding between the MWCNTs and the eraser substrate, which enables the sensor to achieve recoverability under ambient conditions. The eraser serves as a substrate for strain sensing, as well as acting as a dielectric for capacitive pressure sensing, thereby eliminating the dielectric deposition step, which is crucial in capacitive-based pressure sensors. The strain sensing transduction mechanism is attributed to the tunneling effect, caused by the elastic behavior of the MWCNTs and the strong mechanical interlock between MWCNTs and the eraser substrate, which restricts slippage of MWCNTs on the eraser thereby minimizing hysteresis. The gauge factor of the strain sensor was calculated to be 2.4, which is comparable to and even better than most of the strain and pressure sensors fabricated with more complex designs and architectures. The sensitivity of the capacitive pressure sensor was found to be 0.135 MPa -1 .To demonstrate the applicability of the sensor as artificial electronic skin, the sensor was assembled on various parts of the human body and corresponding movements and touch sensation were monitored. The entire fabrication process is scalable and can be integrated into large areas to map spatial pressure distributions. This low-cost, easily scalable MWCNT pin-rolled eraser-based pressure and strain sensor has huge potential in applications such as artificial e-skin in flexible electronics and medical diagnostics, in particular in surgery as it provides high spatial resolution without a complex nanostructure architecture.

Ceramic thick film humidity sensor based on MgTiO{sub 3} + LiF

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kassas, Ahmad, E-mail: a.kassas.mcema@ul.edu.lb [Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory of Materials, Catalysis, Environment and Analytical Methods (MCEMA), Faculty of Sciences and Doctoral School of Sciences and Technology (EDST), Lebanese University, Hariri Campus, Hadath, Beirut (Lebanon); Laboratoire Universitaire des Sciences Appliquées de Cherbourg (LUSAC), 50130 Cherbourg-Octeville (France); Bernard, Jérôme; Lelièvre, Céline; Besq, Anthony; Guhel, Yannick; Houivet, David; Boudart, Bertrand [Laboratoire Universitaire des Sciences Appliquées de Cherbourg (LUSAC), 50130 Cherbourg-Octeville (France); Lakiss, Hassan [Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory of Materials, Catalysis, Environment and Analytical Methods (MCEMA), Faculty of Sciences and Doctoral School of Sciences and Technology (EDST), Lebanese University, Hariri Campus, Hadath, Beirut (Lebanon); Faculty of Engineering, Section III, Hariri Campus, Hadath, Beirut (Lebanon); Hamieh, Tayssir [Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory of Materials, Catalysis, Environment and Analytical Methods (MCEMA), Faculty of Sciences and Doctoral School of Sciences and Technology (EDST), Lebanese University, Hariri Campus, Hadath, Beirut (Lebanon)

2013-10-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The fabricated sensor based on MgTiO{sub 3} + LiF materials used the spin coating technology. • The response time is 70 s to detect variation between 5 and 95% relative humidity. • The addition of Scleroglucan controls the viscosity and decreases the roughness of thick film surface. • This humidity sensor is a promising, low-cost, high-quality, reliable ceramic films, that is highly sensitive to humidity. - Abstract: The feasibility of humidity sensor, consisting of a thick layer of MgTiO{sub 3}/LiF materials on alumina substrate, was studied. The thermal analysis TGA-DTGA and dilatometric analysis worked out to confirm the sintering temperature. An experimental plan was applied to describe the effects of different parameters in the development of the thick film sensor. Structural and microstructural characterizations of the developed thick film were made. Rheological study with different amounts of a thickener (scleroglucan “sclg”), showing the behavior variation, as a function of sclg weight % was illustrated and rapprochement with the results of thickness variation as a function of angular velocity applied in the spin coater. The electrical and dielectric measurements confirmed the sensitivity of the elaborated thick film against moisture, along with low response time.

Strain transfer analysis of optical fiber based sensors embedded in an asphalt pavement structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Huaping; Xiang, Ping

2016-01-01

Asphalt pavement is vulnerable to random damage, such as cracking and rutting, which can be proactively identified by distributed optical fiber sensing technology. However, due to the material nature of optical fibers, a bare fiber is apt to be damaged during the construction process of pavements. Thus, a protective layer is needed for this application. Unfortunately, part of the strain of the host material is absorbed by the protective layer when transferring the strain to the sensing fiber. To account for the strain transfer error, in this paper a theoretical analysis of the strain transfer of a three-layered general model has been carried out by introducing Goodman’s hypothesis to describe the interfacial shear stress relationship. The model considers the viscoelastic behavior of the host material and protective layer. The effects of one crack in the host material and the sensing length on strain transfer relationship are been discussed. To validate the effectiveness of the strain transfer analysis, a flexible asphalt-mastic packaged distributed optical fiber sensor was designed and tested in a laboratory environment to monitor the distributed strain and appearance of cracks in an asphalt concrete beam at two different temperatures. The experimental results indicated that the developed strain transfer formula can significantly reduce the strain transfer error, and that the asphalt-mastic packaged optical fiber sensor can successfully monitor the distributed strain and identify local cracks. (paper)

Strain transfer analysis of optical fiber based sensors embedded in an asphalt pavement structure

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Huaping; Xiang, Ping

2016-07-01

Asphalt pavement is vulnerable to random damage, such as cracking and rutting, which can be proactively identified by distributed optical fiber sensing technology. However, due to the material nature of optical fibers, a bare fiber is apt to be damaged during the construction process of pavements. Thus, a protective layer is needed for this application. Unfortunately, part of the strain of the host material is absorbed by the protective layer when transferring the strain to the sensing fiber. To account for the strain transfer error, in this paper a theoretical analysis of the strain transfer of a three-layered general model has been carried out by introducing Goodman’s hypothesis to describe the interfacial shear stress relationship. The model considers the viscoelastic behavior of the host material and protective layer. The effects of one crack in the host material and the sensing length on strain transfer relationship are been discussed. To validate the effectiveness of the strain transfer analysis, a flexible asphalt-mastic packaged distributed optical fiber sensor was designed and tested in a laboratory environment to monitor the distributed strain and appearance of cracks in an asphalt concrete beam at two different temperatures. The experimental results indicated that the developed strain transfer formula can significantly reduce the strain transfer error, and that the asphalt-mastic packaged optical fiber sensor can successfully monitor the distributed strain and identify local cracks.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) based strain sensors for a wearable monitoring and biofeedback system for pressure ulcer prevention and rehabilitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Boissy, Patrick; Genest, Jonathan; Patenaude, Johanne; Poirier, Marie-Sol; Chenel, Vanessa; Béland, Jean-Pierre; Legault, Georges-Auguste; Bernier, Louise; Tapin, Danielle; Beauvais, Jacques

2011-01-01

This paper presents an overview of the functioning principles of CNTs and their electrical and mechanical properties when used as strain sensors and describes a system embodiment for a wearable monitoring and biofeedback platform for use in pressure ulcer prevention and rehabilitation. Two type of CNTs films (multi-layered CNTs film vs purified film) were characterized electrically and mechanically for potential use as source material. The loosely woven CNTs film (multi-layered) showed substantial less sensitivity than the purified CNTs film but had an almost linear response to stress and better mechanical properties. CNTs have the potential to achieve a much higher sensitivity to strain than other piezoresistors based on regular of conductive particles such as commercially available resistive inks and could become an innovative source material for wearable strain sensors. We are currently continuing the characterization of CNTs based strain sensors and exploring their use in a design for 3-axis strain sensors.

Directly Printable Flexible Strain Sensors for Bending and Contact Feedback of Soft Actuators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khaled Elgeneidy

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a fully printable sensorized bending actuator that can be calibrated to provide reliable bending feedback and simple contact detection. A soft bending actuator following a pleated morphology, as well as a flexible resistive strain sensor, were directly 3D printed using easily accessible FDM printer hardware with a dual-extrusion tool head. The flexible sensor was directly welded to the bending actuator’s body and systematically tested to characterize and evaluate its response under variable input pressure. A signal conditioning circuit was developed to enhance the quality of the sensory feedback, and flexible conductive threads were used for wiring. The sensorized actuator’s response was then calibrated using a vision system to convert the sensory readings to real bending angle values. The empirical relationship was derived using linear regression and validated at untrained input conditions to evaluate its accuracy. Furthermore, the sensorized actuator was tested in a constrained setup that prevents bending, to evaluate the potential of using the same sensor for simple contact detection by comparing the constrained and free-bending responses at the same input pressures. The results of this work demonstrated how a dual-extrusion FDM printing process can be tuned to directly print highly customizable flexible strain sensors that were able to provide reliable bending feedback and basic contact detection. The addition of such sensing capability to bending actuators enhances their functionality and reliability for applications such as controlled soft grasping, flexible wearables, and haptic devices.

A Stretchable Radio-Frequency Strain Sensor Using Screen Printing Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Heijun; Lim, Sungjoon

2016-11-02

In this paper, we propose a stretchable radio-frequency (RF) strain sensor fabricated with screen printing technology. The RF sensor is designed using a half-wavelength patch that resonates at 3.7 GHz. The resonant frequency is determined by the length of the patch, and it therefore changes when the patch is stretched. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is used to create the substrate, because of its stretchable and screen-printable surface. In addition, Dupont PE872 (Dupont, NC, American) silver conductive ink is used to create the stretchable conductive patterns. The sensor performance is demonstrated both with full-wave simulations and with measurements carried out on a fabricated sample. When the length of the patch sensor is increased by a 7.8% stretch, the resonant frequency decreases from 3.7 GHz to 3.43 GHz, evidencing a sensitivity of 3.43 × 10⁷ Hz/%. Stretching the patch along its width does not change the resonant frequency.

Static and dynamic pile testing of reinforced concrete piles with structure integrated fibre optic strain sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Schilder, Constanze; Kohlhoff, Harald; Hofmann, Detlef; Basedau, Frank; Habel, Wolfgang R.; Baeßler, Matthias; Niederleithinger, Ernst; Georgi, Steven; Herten, Markus

2013-05-01

Static and dynamic pile tests are carried out to determine the load bearing capacity and the quality of reinforced concrete piles. As part of a round robin test to evaluate dynamic load tests, structure integrated fibre optic strain sensors were used to receive more detailed information about the strains along the pile length compared to conventional measurements at the pile head. This paper shows the instrumentation of the pile with extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometers sensors and fibre Bragg gratings sensors together with the results of the conducted static load test as well as the dynamic load tests and pile integrity tests.

Detection of thermal aging degradation and plastic strain damage for duplex stainless steel using SQUID sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Otaka, M.; Evanson, S.; Hesegawa, K.; Takaku, K.

1991-01-01

An apparatus using a SQUID sensor is developed for nondestructive inspection. The measurements are obtained with the SQUID sensor located approximately 150 mm from the specimen. The degradation of thermal aging and plastic strain for duplex stainless steel is successfully detected independently from the magnetic characterization measurements. The magnetic flux density under high polarizing field is found to be independent of thermal aging. Coercive force increases with thermal aging time. On the other hand, the magnetic flux density under high field increases with the plastic strain. Coercive force is found to be independent of the plastic strain. (author)

Field monitoring of static, dynamic, and statnamic pile loading tests using fibre Bragg grating strain sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jin; Correia, Ricardo P.; Chehura, Edmon; Staines, Stephen; James, Stephen W.; Tatam, Ralph; Butcher, Antony P.; Fuentes, Raul

2009-10-01

Pile loading test plays an important role in the field of piling engineering. In order to gain further insight into the load transfer mechanism, strain gauges are often used to measure local strains along the piles. This paper reports a case whereby FBG strain sensors was employed in a field trial conducted on three different types of pile loading tests in a glacial till. The instrumentation systems were configured to suit the specific characteristic of each type of test. Typical test results are presented. The great potential of using FBG sensors for pile testing is shown.

Flexible Strain Sensor Based on Layer-by-Layer Self-Assembled Graphene/Polymer Nanocomposite Membrane and Its Sensing Properties

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Dongzhi; Jiang, Chuanxing; Tong, Jun; Zong, Xiaoqi; Hu, Wei

2018-04-01

Graphene is a potential building block for next generation electronic devices including field-effect transistors, chemical sensors, and radio frequency switches. Investigations of strain application of graphene-based films have emerged in recent years, but the challenges in synthesis and processing achieving control over its fabrication constitute the main obstacles towards device applications. This work presents an alternative approach, layer-by-layer self-assembly, allowing a controllable fabrication of graphene/polymer film strain sensor on flexible substrates of polyimide with interdigital electrodes. Carboxylated graphene and poly (diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) were exploited to form hierarchical nanostructure due to electrostatic action. The morphology and structure of the film were inspected by using scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The strain-sensing properties of the graphene/PDDA film sensor were investigated through tuning micrometer caliper exertion and a PC-assisted piezoresistive measurement system. Experimental result shows that the sensor exhibited not only excellent response and reversibility behavior as a function of deflection, but also good repeatability and acceptable linearity. The strain-sensing mechanism of the proposed sensor was attributed to the electrical resistance change resulted from piezoresistive effect.

Experimental study on an FBG strain sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hong-lin; Zhu, Zheng-wei; Zheng, Yong; Liu, Bang; Xiao, Feng

2018-01-01

Landslides and other geological disasters occur frequently and often cause high financial and humanitarian cost. The real-time, early-warning monitoring of landslides has important significance in reducing casualties and property losses. In this paper, by taking the high initial precision and high sensitivity advantage of FBG, an FBG strain sensor is designed combining FBGs with inclinometer. The sensor was regarded as a cantilever beam with one end fixed. According to the anisotropic material properties of the inclinometer, a theoretical formula between the FBG wavelength and the deflection of the sensor was established using the elastic mechanics principle. Accuracy of the formula established had been verified through laboratory calibration testing and model slope monitoring experiments. The displacement of landslide could be calculated by the established theoretical formula using the changing values of FBG central wavelength obtained by the demodulation instrument remotely. Results showed that the maximum error at different heights was 9.09%; the average of the maximum error was 6.35%, and its corresponding variance was 2.12; the minimum error was 4.18%; the average of the minimum error was 5.99%, and its corresponding variance was 0.50. The maximum error of the theoretical and the measured displacement decrease gradually, and the variance of the error also decreases gradually. This indicates that the theoretical results are more and more reliable. It also shows that the sensor and the theoretical formula established in this paper can be used for remote, real-time, high precision and early warning monitoring of the slope.

Strain profiles in ion implanted ceramic polycrystals: An approach based on reciprocal-space crystal selection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palancher, H., E-mail: herve.palancher@cea.fr; Martin, G.; Fouet, J. [CEA, DEN, DEC, F-13108 Saint Paul lez Durance (France); Goudeau, P. [Institut Pprime, CNRS-Université de Poitiers–ENSMA, SP2MI, F-86360 Chasseneuil (France); Boulle, A. [Science des Procédés Céramiques et Traitements de Surface (SPCTS), CNRS UMR 7315, Centre Européen de la Céramique, 12 rue Atlantis, 87068 Limoges (France); Rieutord, F. [CEA, DSM, INAC, F-38054 Grenoble Cedex 9 (France); Favre-Nicolin, V. [Université Grenoble-Alpes, F-38041 Grenoble, France, Institut Universitaire de France, F-75005 Paris (France); Blanc, N. [Institut NEEL, CNRS-Univ Grenoble Alpes, F-38042 Grenoble (France); Onofri, C. [CEA, DEN, DEC, F-13108 Saint Paul lez Durance (France); CEMES, CNRS UPR 8011, 29 rue Jeanne Marvig, BP 94347, 31055 Toulouse Cedex 4 (France)

2016-01-18

The determination of the state of strain in implanted materials is a key issue in the study of their mechanical stability. Whereas this question is nowadays relatively easily solved in the case of single crystals, it remains a challenging task in the case of polycrystalline materials. In this paper, we take benefit of the intense and parallel beams provided by third generation synchrotron sources combined with a two-dimensional detection system to analyze individual grains in polycrystals, hence obtaining “single crystal-like” data. The feasibility of the approach is demonstrated with implanted UO{sub 2} polycrystals where the in-depth strain profile is extracted for individual grains using numerical simulations of the diffracted signal. The influence of the implantation dose is precisely analyzed for several diffracting planes and grains. This work suggests that, at low fluences, the development of strain is mainly due to ballistic effects with little effect from He ions, independently from the crystallographic orientation. At higher fluences, the evolution of the strain profiles suggests a partial and anisotropic plastic relaxation. With the present approach, robust and reliable structural information can be obtained, even from complex polycrystalline ceramic materials.

Nonlinear Stress-Strain Behavior of Plasma Sprayed Ceramic Coatings

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Nohava, Jiří; Kroupa, František

2005-01-01

Roč. 50, č. 3 (2005), s. 251-262 ISSN 0001-7043 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR KSK1010104 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20430508 Keywords : plasma spraying * ceramic coatings * Young’s modulus * nonlinear behavior * microcracks Subject RIV: JH - Ceramics, Fire-Resistant Materials and Glass

Low temperature co-fired ceramic packaging of CMOS capacitive sensor chip towards cell viability monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Niina Halonen

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Cell viability monitoring is an important part of biosafety evaluation for the detection of toxic effects on cells caused by nanomaterials, preferably by label-free, noninvasive, fast, and cost effective methods. These requirements can be met by monitoring cell viability with a capacitance-sensing integrated circuit (IC microchip. The capacitance provides a measurement of the surface attachment of adherent cells as an indication of their health status. However, the moist, warm, and corrosive biological environment requires reliable packaging of the sensor chip. In this work, a second generation of low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC technology was combined with flip-chip bonding to provide a durable package compatible with cell culture. The LTCC-packaged sensor chip was integrated with a printed circuit board, data acquisition device, and measurement-controlling software. The packaged sensor chip functioned well in the presence of cell medium and cells, with output voltages depending on the medium above the capacitors. Moreover, the manufacturing of microfluidic channels in the LTCC package was demonstrated.

Sensor Substrate Development

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Novel substrates, such as aerogels and porous, low density ceramics may increase the sensitivities of chemical reaction-based sensors for toxic vapors. These sensors...

Fiber Strain Measurement for Wide Region Quasidistributed Sensing by Optical Correlation Sensor with Region Separation Techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xunjian Xu

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The useful application of optical pulse correlation sensor for wide region quasidistributed fiber strain measurement is investigated. Using region separation techniques of wavelength multiplexing with FBGs and time multiplexing with intensity partial reflectors, the sensor measures the correlations between reference pulses and monitoring pulses from several cascadable selected sensing regions. This novel sensing system can select the regions and obtain the distributed strain information in any desired sensing region.

Humidity sensitive electrical responce of K2CrO4 doped ZnCr2O4 ceramic sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kavasoglu, N.

2005-01-01

The effects of the addition of various percentages of potassium chromate as a sintering aid on the response to air moisture of ZnCr 2 O 4 ceramic body along with its crystalline structure and surface morphology were studied. The fired ceramic body, which proved to be mainly constructed from about 1μm sized ZnCr 2 O 4 spinel grains, was porous. The humidity sensing behaviour of the sensors reveals that the electrical conduction is due mainly to protonic and is controlled through the thin layers of water, adsorbed on the surface of the grains, with charge transfer to the electrodes. Only the material containing 20% K 2 CrO 4 in ZnCr 2 O 4 exhibited an exponential behaviour to humidity, which shows about three orders change in the d.c. resistance over the relative humidity in the range between 25 and 90%. The addition of CuO resulted in an increase in the conductivity but had a deleterious effect on the humidity. Based on a.c. impedance measurements, an equivalent circuit associated with a net work of RC parallel circuit in series with constant phase elements (CPEs) has been suggested. It can be therefore assumed that such equivalent circuit model of the sensor under moderate moist condition indicates the charge transport processes mediated by proton hopping and diffusion. A homemade prototype of such a humidity sensor has also been successfully demonstrated in door

Microfabricated photoplastic cantilever with integrated photoplastic/carbon based piezoresistive strain sensor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gammelgaard, Lauge; Rasmussen, Peter Andreas; Calleja, M.

2006-01-01

We present an SU-8 micrometer sized cantilever strain sensor with an integrated piezoresistor made of a conductive composite of SU-8 polymer and carbon black particles. The composite has been developed using ultrasonic mixing. Cleanroom processing of the polymer composite has been investigated...

[Development of a simultaneous strain and temperature sensor with small-diameter FBG].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Rong-mei; Liang, Da-kai

2011-03-01

Manufacture of the small diameter FBG was designed. Cross sensitivity of temperature and strain at sensing point was solved. Based on coupled-mode theory, optical properties of the designed FBG were studied. The reflection and transmission spectra of the designed FBG in small diameter were studied A single mode optical fiber, whose cladding diameter is 80 microm, was manufactured to a fiber Bragg grating (phi80FBG). According to spectrum simulation, the grating length and period were chosen as the wavelength was 1528 nm. The connector of the small diameter FBG with demodulation was designed too. In applications, the FBG measures the total deformation including strain due to forces applied to the structures as well as thermal expansion. In order to overcome this inconvenience and to measure both parameters at the same time and location, a novel scheme for simultaneous strain and temperature sensor was presented. Since the uniform strength beam has same deformation at all points, a pair of phi80 FBG was attached on a uniform strength cantilever. One of the FBG was on the upper surface, with the other one on the below. Therefore, the strains at the monitoring points were equal in magnitude but of opposite sign. The strain and temperature in sensing point could be discriminated by matrix equation. The determination of the K is not null and thus matrix inversion is well conditioned, even the values for the K elements are close. Consequently, the cross sensitivity of the FBG with temperature and strain can be experimentally solved. Experiments were carried out to study the strain discriminability of small-diameter FBG sensors. The temperature and strain were calculated and the errors were, respectively, 5% and 6%.

Test Structures for Rapid Prototyping of Gas and Pressure Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Buehler, M.; Cheng, L. J.; Martin, D.

1996-01-01

A multi-project ceramic substrate was used in developing a gas sensor and pressure sensor. The ceramic substrate cantained 36 chips with six variants including sensors, process control monitors, and an interconnect ship. Tha gas sensor is being developed as an air quality monitor and the pressure gauge as a barometer.

Applications of Piezoelectric Ceramics

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Applications of Piezoelectric Ceramics. Piezoelectric Actuators. Nano and Micropositioners. Vibration Control Systems. Computer Printers. Piezoelectric Transformers,Voltage Generators, Spark Plugs, Ultrasonic Motors,. Ultrasonic Generators and Sensors. Sonars, Medical Diagnostic. Computer Memories. NVFRAM ...

Monitoring of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Old Timber Beams via Strain and Multiresonant Acoustic Emission Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco J. Rescalvo

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes the monitoring of old timber beams with natural defects (knots, grain deviations, fissures and wanes, reinforced using carbon composite materials (CFRP. Reinforcement consisted of the combination of a CFRP laminate strip and a carbon fabric discontinuously wrapping the timber element. Monitoring considered the use and comparison of two types of sensors: strain gauges and multi-resonant acoustic emission (AE sensors. Results demonstrate that: (1 the mechanical behavior of the beams can be considerably improved by means of the use of CFRP (160% in bending load capacity and 90% in stiffness; (2 Acoustic emission sensors provide comparable information to strain gauges. This fact points to the great potential of AE techniques for in-service damage assessment in real wood structures.

Monitoring of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Old Timber Beams via Strain and Multiresonant Acoustic Emission Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Rescalvo, Francisco J; Valverde-Palacios, Ignacio; Suarez, Elisabet; Roldán, Andrés; Gallego, Antolino

2018-04-17

This paper proposes the monitoring of old timber beams with natural defects (knots, grain deviations, fissures and wanes), reinforced using carbon composite materials (CFRP). Reinforcement consisted of the combination of a CFRP laminate strip and a carbon fabric discontinuously wrapping the timber element. Monitoring considered the use and comparison of two types of sensors: strain gauges and multi-resonant acoustic emission (AE) sensors. Results demonstrate that: (1) the mechanical behavior of the beams can be considerably improved by means of the use of CFRP (160% in bending load capacity and 90% in stiffness); (2) Acoustic emission sensors provide comparable information to strain gauges. This fact points to the great potential of AE techniques for in-service damage assessment in real wood structures.

An Experimental Study of Mortars with Recycled Ceramic Aggregates: Deduction and Prediction of the Stress-Strain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisca Guadalupe Cabrera-Covarrubias

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The difficult current environmental situation, caused by construction industry residues containing ceramic materials, could be improved by using these materials as recycled aggregates in mortars, with their processing causing a reduction in their use in landfill, contributing to recycling and also minimizing the consumption of virgin materials. Although some research is currently being carried out into recycled mortars, little is known about their stress-strain (σ-ε; therefore, this work will provide the experimental results obtained from recycled mortars with recycled ceramic aggregates (with contents of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 50% and 100%, such as the density and compression strength, as well as the σ-ε curves representative of their behavior. The values obtained from the analytical process of the results in order to finally obtain, through numerical analysis, the equations to predict their behavior (related to their recycled content are those of: σ (elastic ranges and failure maximum, ε (elastic ranges and failure maximum, and Resilience and Toughness. At the end of the investigation, it is established that mortars with recycled ceramic aggregate contents of up to 20% could be assimilated just like mortars with the usual aggregates, and the obtained prediction equations could be used in cases of similar applications.

A Spray-On Carbon Nanotube Artificial Neuron Strain Sensor for Composite Structural Health Monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gyeongrak Choi

2016-07-01

Full Text Available We present a nanocomposite strain sensor (NCSS to develop a novel structural health monitoring (SHM sensor that can be easily installed in a composite structure. An NCSS made of a multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT/epoxy composite was installed on a target structure with facile processing. We attempted to evaluate the NCSS sensing characteristics and benchmark compared to those of a conventional foil strain gauge. The response of the NCSS was fairly good and the result was nearly identical to the strain gauge. A neuron, which is a biomimetic long continuous NCSS, was also developed, and its vibration response was investigated for structural damage detection of a composite cantilever. The vibration response for damage detection was measured by tracking the first natural frequency, which demonstrated good result that matched the finite element (FE analysis.

Design and performance investigation of a highly accurate apodized fiber Bragg grating-based strain sensor in single and quasi-distributed systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Taha A; Shehata, Mohamed I; Mohamed, Nazmi A

2015-06-01

In this work, fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensors in single and quasi-distributed systems are investigated, seeking high-accuracy measurement. Since FBG-based strain sensors of small lengths are preferred in medical applications, and that causes the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) to be larger, a new apodization profile is introduced for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, with a remarkable FWHM at small sensor lengths compared to the Gaussian and Nuttall profiles, in addition to a higher mainlobe slope at these lengths. A careful selection of apodization profiles with detailed investigation is performed-using sidelobe analysis and the FWHM, which are primary judgment factors especially in a quasi-distributed configuration. A comparison between the elite selection of apodization profiles (extracted from related literature) and the proposed new profile is carried out covering the reflectivity peak, FWHM, and sidelobe analysis. The optimization process concludes that the proposed new profile with a chosen small length (L) of 10 mm and Δnac of 1.4×10-4 is the optimum choice for single stage and quasi-distributed strain-sensor networks, even better than the Gaussian profile at small sensor lengths. The proposed profile achieves the smallest FWHM of 15 GHz (suitable for UDWDM), and the highest mainlobe slope of 130 dB/nm. For the quasi-distributed scenario, a noteworthy high isolation of 6.953 dB is achieved while applying a high strain value of 1500 μstrain (με) for a five-stage strain-sensing network. Further investigation was undertaken, proving that consistency in choosing the apodization profile in the quasi-distributed network is mandatory. A test was made of the inclusion of a uniform apodized sensor among other apodized sensors with the proposed profile in an FBG strain-sensor network.

Load sensor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van den Ende, D.; Almeida, P.M.R.; Dingemans, T.J.; Van der Zwaag, S.

2007-01-01

The invention relates to a load sensor comprising a polymer matrix and a piezo-ceramic material such as PZT, em not bedded in the polymer matrix, which together form a compos not ite, wherein the polymer matrix is a liquid crystalline resin, and wherein the piezo-ceramic material is a PZT powder

Stretchable Dual-Capacitor Multi-Sensor for Touch-Curvature-Pressure-Strain Sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Hanbyul; Jung, Sungchul; Kim, Junhyung; Heo, Sanghyun; Lim, Jaeik; Park, Wonsang; Chu, Hye Yong; Bien, Franklin; Park, Kibog

2017-09-07

We introduce a new type of multi-functional capacitive sensor that can sense several different external stimuli. It is fabricated only with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films and silver nanowire electrodes by using selective oxygen plasma treatment method without photolithography and etching processes. Differently from the conventional single-capacitor multi-functional sensors, our new multi-functional sensor is composed of two vertically-stacked capacitors (dual-capacitor). The unique dual-capacitor structure can detect the type and strength of external stimuli including curvature, pressure, strain, and touch with clear distinction, and it can also detect the surface-normal directionality of curvature, pressure, and touch. Meanwhile, the conventional single-capacitor sensor has ambiguity in distinguishing curvature and pressure and it can detect only the strength of external stimulus. The type, directionality, and strength of external stimulus can be determined based on the relative capacitance changes of the two stacked capacitors. Additionally, the logical flow reflected on a tree structure with its branches reaching the direction and strength of the corresponding external stimulus unambiguously is devised. This logical flow can be readily implemented in the sensor driving circuit if the dual-capacitor sensor is commercialized actually in the future.

Distributed perfluorinated POF strain sensor using OTDR and OFDR techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Liehr, Sascha; Wendt, Mario; Krebber, Katerina

2009-10-01

This paper presents the latest advances in distributed strain sensing using perfluorinated (PF) polymer optical fibers (POF). Compared to previously introduced PMMA POF strain sensors, PF POF have the advantage of lower loss and therefore extended measurement length of more than 500 m at increased spatial resolution of 10 cm. It is shown that PF POF can measure strain distributed up to 100 %. The characteristic backscatter signature of this fiber type provides additional evaluation possibilities. We show that, by applying a cross-correlation algorithm to the backscatter signal, the distributed length change can be measured along the fiber. We also present, to our knowledge for the first time, incoherent Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR) in POF to measure distributed reflections and loss along the fiber. The OFDR technique proves superior to existing OTDR techniques in measurement speed, resolution and potential instrument costs.

Static and Dynamic Strain Monitoring of Reinforced Concrete Components through Embedded Carbon Nanotube Cement-Based Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonella D’Alessandro

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents a study on the use of cement-based sensors doped with carbon nanotubes as embedded smart sensors for static and dynamic strain monitoring of reinforced concrete (RC elements. Such novel sensors can be used for the monitoring of civil infrastructures. Because they are fabricated from a structural material and are easy to utilize, these sensors can be integrated into structural elements for monitoring of different types of constructions during their service life. Despite the scientific attention that such sensors have received in recent years, further research is needed to understand (i the repeatability and accuracy of sensors’ behavior over a meaningful number of sensors, (ii testing configurations and calibration methods, and (iii the sensors’ ability to provide static and dynamic strain measurements when actually embedded in RC elements. To address these research needs, this paper presents a preliminary characterization of the self-sensing capabilities and the dynamic properties of a meaningful number of cement-based sensors and studies their application as embedded sensors in a full-scale RC beam. Results from electrical and electromechanical tests conducted on small and full-scale specimens using different electrical measurement methods confirm that smart cement-based sensors show promise for both static and vibration-based structural health monitoring applications of concrete elements but that calibration of each sensor seems to be necessary.

Carbon Nanotube/Polymer Nanocomposites Flexible Stress and Strain Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Jin Ho; Sauti, Godfrey; Park, Cheol; Scholl, Jonathan A.; Lowther, Sharon E.; Harrison, Joycelyn S.

2008-01-01

Conformable stress and strain sensors are required for monitoring the integrity of airframe structures as well as for sensing the mechanical stimuli in prosthetic arms. For this purpose, we have developed a series of piezoresistive single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT)/polymer nanocomposites. The electromechanical coupling of pressure with resistance changes in these nanocomposites is exceptionally greater than that of metallic piezoresistive materials. In fact, the piezoresistive stress coefficient (pi) of a SWCNT/polymer nanocomposite is approximately two orders of magnitude higher than that of a typical metallic piezoresistive. The piezoresistive stress coefficient is a function of the nanotube concentration wherein the maximum value occurs at a concentration just above the percolation threshold concentration (phi approx. 0.05 %). This response appears to originate from a change in intrinsic resistivity under compression/tension. A systematic study of the effect of the modulus of the polymer matrix on piezoresistivity allowed us to make flexible and conformable sensors for biomedical applications. The prototype haptic sensors using these nanocomposites are demonstrated. The piezocapacitive properties of SWCNT/polymer are also characterized by monitoring the capacitance change under pressure.

In-Situ Three-Dimensional Shape Rendering from Strain Values Obtained Through Optical Fiber Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Hon Man (Inventor); Parker, Jr., Allen R. (Inventor)

2015-01-01

A method and system for rendering the shape of a multi-core optical fiber or multi-fiber bundle in three-dimensional space in real time based on measured fiber strain data. Three optical fiber cores arc arranged in parallel at 120.degree. intervals about a central axis. A series of longitudinally co-located strain sensor triplets, typically fiber Bragg gratings, are positioned along the length of each fiber at known intervals. A tunable laser interrogates the sensors to detect strain on the fiber cores. Software determines the strain magnitude (.DELTA.L/L) for each fiber at a given triplet, but then applies beam theory to calculate curvature, beading angle and torsion of the fiber bundle, and from there it determines the shape of the fiber in s Cartesian coordinate system by solving a series of ordinary differential equations expanded from the Frenet-Serrat equations. This approach eliminates the need for computationally time-intensive curve-tilting and allows the three-dimensional shape of the optical fiber assembly to be displayed in real-time.

Skin-like pressure and strain sensors based on transparent elastic films of carbon nanotubes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lipomi, Darren J; Vosgueritchian, Michael; Tee, Benjamin C-K; Hellstrom, Sondra L; Lee, Jennifer A; Fox, Courtney H; Bao, Zhenan

2011-10-23

Transparent, elastic conductors are essential components of electronic and optoelectronic devices that facilitate human interaction and biofeedback, such as interactive electronics, implantable medical devices and robotic systems with human-like sensing capabilities. The availability of conducting thin films with these properties could lead to the development of skin-like sensors that stretch reversibly, sense pressure (not just touch), bend into hairpin turns, integrate with collapsible, stretchable and mechanically robust displays and solar cells, and also wrap around non-planar and biological surfaces such as skin and organs, without wrinkling. We report transparent, conducting spray-deposited films of single-walled carbon nanotubes that can be rendered stretchable by applying strain along each axis, and then releasing this strain. This process produces spring-like structures in the nanotubes that accommodate strains of up to 150% and demonstrate conductivities as high as 2,200 S cm(-1) in the stretched state. We also use the nanotube films as electrodes in arrays of transparent, stretchable capacitors, which behave as pressure and strain sensors.

A Research on Low Modulus Distributed Fiber Optical Sensor for Pavement Material Strain Monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Lingjian; Wang, Linbing; Hou, Yue; Yan, Guannan

2017-10-19

The accumulated irreversible deformation in pavement under repeated vehicle loadings will cause fatigue failure of asphalt concrete. It is necessary to monitor the mechanical response of pavement under load by using sensors. Previous studies have limitations in modulus accommodation between the sensor and asphalt pavement, and it is difficult to achieve the distributed monitoring goal. To solve these problems, a new type of low modulus distributed optical fiber sensor (DOFS) for asphalt pavement strain monitoring is fabricated. Laboratory experiments have proved the applicability and accuracy of the newly-designed sensor. This paper presents the results of the development.

Note: a high-sensitivity current sensor based on piezoelectric ceramic Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 and ferromagnetic materials.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Wei; Li, Ping; Wen, Yumei; Zhang, Jitao; Yang, Aichao; Lu, Caijiang

2014-02-01

An electric current sensor using piezoelectric ceramic Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) sandwiched between two high permeability cuboids and two NdFeB magnets is presented. The magnetic field originating from an electric wire is augmented by the high permeability cuboids. The PZT plate experiences an enhanced magnetic force and generates voltage output. When placed with a distance of d = 5.0 mm from the wire, the sensor shows a flat sensitivity of ∼5.7 mV/A in the frequency range of 30 Hz-80 Hz and an average sensitivity of 5.6 mV/A with highly linear behavior in the current range of 1 A-10 A at 50 Hz.

Ceramic solid electrolytes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goodenough, John B. [Center for Materials Science and Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX (United States)

1997-02-15

Strategies for the design of ceramic solid electrolytes are reviewed. Problems associated with stoichiometric and doped compounds are compared. In the illustration of design principles, emphasis is given to oxide-ion electrolytes for use in solid-oxide fuel cells, oxygen pumps, and oxygen sensors

A state-the-art report on the development of the piezoelectric accelerometer sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Jee Yun; Oh, Suk Jin; Kim, Kyung Hoh; Kim, Sun Jae; Kang, Dae Kab [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1994-12-01

A state-of-the art surveys on the application and the manufacturing technology of a piezoelectric accelerometer sensor. An accelerometer sensor is applied to the monitoring of acoustic leak, reactor coolant pump vibration and loose parts in the reactor, and the measurement of vibration and stress of large equipments such as pump, tubes, etc.. The performance of an accelerometer consisted of piezoelectric ceramic, mass, base, case and cable is depend on the characteristics of each component and the assembling method. Sensitivity, linearity and dynamic range, transverse sensitivity, phase response, transient temperature response, frequency response, base strain sensitivity, magnetic sensitivity, acoustic sensitivity, humidity effect and radiation effect must be measured and evaluated for conforming quality of the developed accelerometer sensor. 35 figs., 29 tabs., 38 refs. (Author).

A state-the-art report on the development of the piezoelectric accelerometer sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jee Yun; Oh, Suk Jin; Kim, Kyung Hoh; Kim, Sun Jae; Kang, Dae Kab

1994-12-01

A state-of-the art surveys on the application and the manufacturing technology of a piezoelectric accelerometer sensor. An accelerometer sensor is applied to the monitoring of acoustic leak, reactor coolant pump vibration and loose parts in the reactor, and the measurement of vibration and stress of large equipments such as pump, tubes, etc.. The performance of an accelerometer consisted of piezoelectric ceramic, mass, base, case and cable is depend on the characteristics of each component and the assembling method. Sensitivity, linearity and dynamic range, transverse sensitivity, phase response, transient temperature response, frequency response, base strain sensitivity, magnetic sensitivity, acoustic sensitivity, humidity effect and radiation effect must be measured and evaluated for conforming quality of the developed accelerometer sensor. 35 figs., 29 tabs., 38 refs. (Author)

Strain Sharing Assessment in Woven Fiber Reinforced Concrete Beams Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Montanini, Roberto; Recupero, Antonino; De Domenico, Fabrizio; Freni, Fabrizio

2016-09-22

Embedded fiber Bragg grating sensors have been extensively used worldwide for health monitoring of smart structures. In civil engineering, they provide a powerful method for monitoring the performance of composite reinforcements used for concrete structure rehabilitation and retrofitting. This paper discusses the problem of investigating the strain transfer mechanism in composite strengthened concrete beams subjected to three-point bending tests. Fiber Bragg grating sensors were embedded both in the concrete tensioned surface and in the woven fiber reinforcement. It has been shown that, if interface decoupling occurs, strain in the concrete can be up to 3.8 times higher than that developed in the reinforcement. A zero friction slipping model was developed which fitted very well the experimental data.

Feasibility study on measuring axial and transverse stress/strain components in composite materials using Bragg sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Luyckx, G.; Degrieck, J.; De Waele, W.; Van Paepegem, W.; Van Roosbroeck, J.; Chah, K.; Vlekken, J.; McKenzie, I.; Obst, A.

2017-11-01

A fibre optic sensor design is proposed for simultaneously measuring the 3D stress (or strain) components and temperature inside thermo hardened composite materials. The sensor is based on two fibre Bragg gratings written in polarisation maintaining fibre. Based on calculations of the condition number, it will be shown that reasonable accuracies are to be expected. First tests on the bare sensors and on the sensors embedded in composite material, which confirm the expected behaviour, will be presented.

Strain Wave Acquisition by a Fiber Optic Coherent Sensor for Impact Monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Sbarufatti, Claudio; Beligni, Alessio; Gilioli, Andrea; Ferrario, Maddalena; Mattarei, Marco; Martinelli, Mario; Giglio, Marco

2017-07-13

A novel fiber optic sensing technology for high frequency dynamics detection is proposed in this paper, specifically tailored for structural health monitoring applications based on strain wave analysis, for both passive impact identification and active Lamb wave monitoring. The sensing solution relies on a fiber optic-based interferometric architecture associated to an innovative coherent detection scheme, which retrieves in a completely passive way the high-frequency phase information of the received optical signal. The sensing fiber can be arranged into different layouts, depending on the requirement of the specific application, in order to enhance the sensor sensitivity while still ensuring a limited gauge length if punctual measures are required. For active Lamb wave monitoring, this results in a sensing fiber arranged in multiple loops glued on an aluminum thin panel in order to increase the phase signal only in correspondence to the sensing points of interest. Instead, for passive impact identification, the required sensitivity is guaranteed by simply exploiting a longer gauge length glued to the structure. The fiber optic coherent (FOC) sensor is exploited to detect the strain waves emitted by a piezoelectric transducer placed on the aluminum panel or generated by an impulse hammer, respectively. The FOC sensor measurements have been compared with both a numerical model based on Finite Elements and traditional piezoelectric sensors, confirming a good agreement between experimental and simulated results for both active and passive impact monitoring scenarios.

Nafion/lead nitroprusside nanoparticles modified carbon ceramic electrode as a novel amperometric sensor for L-cysteine.

Science.gov (United States)

Razmi, H; Heidari, H

2009-05-01

This work describes the electrochemical and electrocatalytic properties of carbon ceramic electrode (CCE) modified with lead nitroprusside (PbNP) nanoparticles as a new electrocatalyst material. The structure of deposited film on the CCE was characterized by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The cyclic voltammogram (CV) of the PbNP modified CCE showed two well-defined redox couples due to [Fe(CN)5NO](3-)/[Fe(CN)5NO](2-) and Pb(IV)/Pb(II) redox reactions. The modified electrode showed electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of L-cysteine and was used as an amperometric sensor. Also, to reduce the fouling effect of L-cysteine and its oxidation products on the modified electrode, a thin film of Nafion was coated on the electrode surface. The sensor response was linearly changed with L-cysteine concentration in the range of 1 x 10(-6) to 6.72 x 10(-5)mol L(-1) with a detection limit (signal/noise ratio [S/N]=3) of 0.46 microM. The sensor sensitivity was 0.17 microA (microM)(-1), and some important advantages such as simple preparation, fast response, good stability, interference-free signals, antifouling properties, and reproducibility of the sensor for amperometric determination of L-cysteine were achieved.

Fully integrated carbon nanotube composite thin film strain sensors on flexible substrates for structural health monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Burton, A. R.; Lynch, J. P.; Kurata, M.; Law, K. H.

2017-09-01

Multifunctional thin film materials have opened many opportunities for novel sensing strategies for structural health monitoring. While past work has established methods of optimizing multifunctional materials to exhibit sensing properties, comparatively less work has focused on their integration into fully functional sensing systems capable of being deployed in the field. This study focuses on the advancement of a scalable fabrication process for the integration of multifunctional thin films into a fully integrated sensing system. This is achieved through the development of an optimized fabrication process that can create a broad range of sensing systems using multifunctional materials. A layer-by-layer deposited multifunctional composite consisting of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) in a polyvinyl alcohol and polysodium-4-styrene sulfonate matrix are incorporated with a lithography process to produce a fully integrated sensing system deposited on a flexible substrate. To illustrate the process, a strain sensing platform consisting of a patterned SWNT-composite thin film as a strain-sensitive element within an amplified Wheatstone bridge sensing circuit is presented. Strain sensing is selected because it presents many of the design and processing challenges that are core to patterning multifunctional thin film materials into sensing systems. Strain sensors fabricated on a flexible polyimide substrate are experimentally tested under cyclic loading using standard four-point bending coupons and a partial-scale steel frame assembly under lateral loading. The study reveals the material process is highly repeatable to produce fully integrated strain sensors with linearity and sensitivity exceeding 0.99 and 5 {{V}}/{ε }, respectively. The thin film strain sensors are robust and are capable of high strain measurements beyond 3000 μ {ε }.

Polyurethane nanofiber strain sensors via in situ polymerization of polypyrrole and application to monitoring joint flexion

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Inhwan; Cho, Gilsoo

2018-07-01

Strain sensors made of intrinsically conductive polymers (ICPs) and nanofibers were fabricated and tested for suitability for use in wearable technology. The sensors were fabricated and evaluated based on their surface appearances, and electrical, tensile, and chemical/thermal properties. Polypyrrole (PPy) was in situ polymerized onto polyurethane (PU) nanofiber substrates by exposing pyrrole monomers to ammonium persulfate as oxidant and 2,6-naphthalenedisulfonic acid disodium salt as doping agents in an aqueous bath. The PPy treated PU nanofibers were then coated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Both pyrrole concentrations and layer numbers were significantly related to change in electrical conductivity. Specimen treated with 0.1 M of PPy and having three layered structure showed the best electrical conductivity. Regarding tensile strength, the in situ polymerization process decreased tensile strength because the oxidant chemically degraded the PU fibers. Adding layers and PDMS treatment generally improved tensile properties while adding layers created fracture parts in the stress–strain curves. The treatment condition of 0.1 M of PPy, two layered, and PDMS treated specimen showed the best tensile properties as a strain sensor. The chemical property evaluation with Fourier transform infrared and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy tests showed successful PPy polymerization and PDMS treatments. The functional groups and chemical bonds in polyol, urethane linkage, backbone ring structure in PPy, silicon-based functional groups in PDMS, and elemental content changes by treatment at each stage were characterized. The real-time data acquired from the dummy and five human subjects with repetition of motion at three different speeds of 0.16, 0.25 and 0.5 Hz generated similar trends and tendencies. The PU nanofiber sensors based on PPy and PDMS treatments in this study point to the possibility of developing textiles based wearable strain sensors developed using ICPs.

A high temperature testing system for ceramic composites

Science.gov (United States)

Hemann, John

1994-01-01

Ceramic composites are presently being developed for high temperature use in heat engine and space power system applications. The operating temperature range is expected to be 1090 to 1650 C (2000 F to 3000 F). Very little material data is available at these temperatures and, therefore, it is desirable to thoroughly characterize the basic unidirectional fiber reinforced ceramic composite. This includes testing mainly for mechanical material properties at high temperatures. The proper conduct of such characterization tests requires the development of a tensile testing system includes unique gripping, heating, and strain measuring devices which require special considerations. The system also requires an optimized specimen shape. The purpose of this paper is to review various techniques for measuring displacements or strains, preferably at elevated temperatures. Due to current equipment limitations it is assumed that the specimen is to be tested at a temperature of 1430 C (2600F) in an oxidizing atmosphere. For the most part, previous high temperature material characterization tests, such as flexure and tensile tests, have been performed in inert atmospheres. Due to the harsh environment in which the ceramic specimen is to be tested, many conventional strain measuring techniques can not be applied. Initially a brief description of the more commonly used mechanical strain measuring techniques is given. Major advantages and disadvantages with their application to high temperature tensile testing of ceramic composites are discussed. Next, a general overview is given for various optical techniques. Advantages and disadvantages which are common to these techniques are noted. The optical methods for measuring strain or displacement are categorized into two sections. These include real-time techniques. Finally, an optical technique which offers optimum performance with the high temperature tensile testing of ceramic composites is recommended.

Electric Field-Induced Large Strain in Ni/Sb-co Doped (Bi0.5Na0.5) TiO3-Based Lead-Free Ceramics

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Liangliang; Hao, Jigong; Xu, Zhijun; Li, Wei; Chu, Ruiqing

2018-02-01

Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics (Bi0.5Na0.5)0.935Ba0.065Ti1- x (Ni0.5Sb0.5) x O3 (BNBT6.5- xNS) have been fabricated using conventional solid sintering technique. The effect of (Ni, Sb) doping on the phase structure and electrical properties of BNBT6.5 ceramics were systematically investigated. Results show that the addition of (Ni, Sb) destroyed the ferroelectric long-range order of BNBT6.5 and shifted the ferroelectric-relaxor transition temperature ( T F-R) down to room temperature. Thus, this process induced an ergodic relaxor phase at zero field in samples with x = 0.005. Under the electric field, the ergodic relaxor phase could reversibly transform to ferroelectric phase, which promotes the strain response with peak value of 0.38% (at 80 kV/cm, corresponding to d 33 * = 479 pm/V) at x = 0.005. Temperature-dependent measurements of both polarization and strain confirmed that the large strain originated from a reversible field-induced ergodic relaxor to ferroelectric phase transformation. The proposed material exhibits potential for nonlinear actuators.

DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL CERAMIC NANOFILM-FIBER INTEGRATED OPTICAL SENSORS FOR RAPID DETECTION OF COAL DERIVED SYNTHESIS GAS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Junhang Dong; Hai Xiao; Xiling Tang; Hongmin Jiang; Kurtis Remmel; Amardeep Kaur

2012-09-30

The overall goal of this project is to conduct fundamental studies on advanced ceramic materials and fiber optic devices for developing new types of high temperature (>500{degree}C) fiber optic chemical sensors (FOCS) for monitoring fossil (mainly coal) and biomass derived gases in power plants. The primary technical objective is to investigate and demonstrate the nanocrystalline doped-ceramic thin film enabled FOCS that possess desired stability, sensitivity and selectivity for in-situ, rapid gas detection in the syngas streams from gasification and combustion flue gases. This report summarizes research works of two integrated parts: (1) development of metal oxide solid thin films as sensing materials for detection and measurement of important gas components relevant to the coal- and biomass-derived syngas and combustion gas streams at high temperatures; and (2) development of fiber optic devices that are potentially useful for constructing FOCS in combination with the solid oxide thin films identified in this program.

Strengthening of Back Muscles Using a Module of Flexible Strain Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wan-Chun Chuang

2015-02-01

Full Text Available This research aims at developing a flexible strain module applied to the strengthening of back muscles. Silver films were sputtered onto flexible substrates to produce a flexible sensor. Assuming that back muscle elongation is positively correlated with the variations in skin surface length, real-time resistance changes exhibited by the sensor during simulated training sessions were measured. The results were used to identify the relationship between resistance change of sensors and skin surface stretch. In addition, muscle length changes from ultrasound images were used to determine the feasibility of a proof of concept sensor. Furthermore, this module is capable of detecting large muscle contractions, some of which may be undesirable for the prescribed training strategy. Therefore, the developed module can facilitate real-time assessments of the movement accuracy of users during training, and the results are instantly displayed on a screen. People using the developed training system can immediately adjust their posture to the appropriate position. Thus, the training mechanism can be constructed to help user improve the efficiency of back muscle strengthening.

Temperature Compensated Strain Sensor Based on Cascaded Sagnac Interferometers and All-Solid Birefringent Hybrid Photonic Crystal Fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gu, Bobo; Yuan, Wu; He, Sailing

2012-01-01

We demonstrate a temperature compensated strain sensor with two cascaded Sagnac interferometers, that provide strain sensing and temperature compensation, respectively. The Sagnac interferometers use an all-solid hybrid photonic crystal fiber with stress-induced birefringence. The stress-induced ...

Development of a contact probe incorporating a Bragg grating strain sensor for nano coordinate measuring machines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji, H; Hsu, H-Y; Kong, L X; Wedding, A B

2009-01-01

This paper presents a novel optical fibre based micro contact probe system with high sensitivity and repeatability. In this optical fibre probe with a fused spherical tip, a fibre Bragg grating has been utilized as a strain sensor in the probe stem. When the probe tip contacts the surface of the part, a strain will be induced along the probe stem and will produce a Bragg wavelength shift. The contact signal can be issued once the wavelength shift signal is produced and demodulated. With the fibre grating sensor element integrated into the probe directly, the probe system shows a high sensitivity. In this work, the strain distributions along the probe stem with the probe under axial and lateral load are analysed. A simulation of the strain distribution was performed using the finite element package ANSYS 11. Performance tests using a piezoelectric transducer stage with a displacement resolution of 1.5 nm yielded a measurement resolution of 60 nm under axial loading

Through-Layer Buckle Wavelength-Gradient Design for the Coupling of High Sensitivity and Stretchability in a Single Strain Sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Tengyu; Lin, Chucheng; Shi, Liangjing; Wang, Ranran; Sun, Jing

2018-03-21

Recent years have witnessed a breathtaking development of wearable strain sensors. Coupling high sensitivity and stretchability in a strain sensor is greatly desired by emerging wearable applications but remains a big challenge. To tackle this issue, a through-layer buckle wavelength-gradient design is proposed and a facile and universal fabrication strategy is demonstrated to introduce such a gradient into the sensing film with multilayered sensing units. Following this strategy, strain sensors are fabricated using graphene woven fabrics (GWFs) as sensing units, which exhibit highly tunable electromechanical performances. Specifically, the sensor with 10-layer GWFs has a gauge factor (GF) of 2996 at a maximum strain of 242.74% and an average GF of 327. It also exhibits an extremely low minimum detection limit of 0.02% strain, a fast signal response of less than 90 ms, and a high cyclic durability through more than 10 000 cycling test. Such excellent performances qualify it in accurately monitoring full-range human activities, ranging from subtle stimuli (e.g., pulse, respiration, and voice recognition) to vigorous motions (finger bending, walking, jogging, and jumping). The combination of experimental observations and modeling study shows that the predesigned through-layer buckle wavelength gradient leads to a layer-by-layer crack propagation process, which accounts for the underlying working mechanism. Modeling study shows a great potential for further improvement of sensing performances by adjusting fabrication parameters such as layers of sensing units ( n) and step pre-strain (ε sp ). For one thing, when ε sp is fixed, the maximum sensing strain could be adjusted from >240% ( n = 10) to >450% ( n = 15) and >1200% ( n = 20). For the other, when n is fixed, the maximum sensing strain could be adjusted from >240% (ε sp = 13.2%) to >400% (ε sp = 18%) and >800% (ε sp = 25%).

An Experimental Study on Static and Dynamic Strain Sensitivity of Embeddable Smart Concrete Sensors Doped with Carbon Nanotubes for SHM of Large Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Meoni

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The availability of new self-sensing cement-based strain sensors allows the development of dense sensor networks for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM of reinforced concrete structures. These sensors are fabricated by doping cement-matrix mterials with conductive fillers, such as Multi Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs, and can be embedded into structural elements made of reinforced concrete prior to casting. The strain sensing principle is based on the multifunctional composites outputting a measurable change in their electrical properties when subjected to a deformation. Previous work by the authors was devoted to material fabrication, modeling and applications in SHM. In this paper, we investigate the behavior of several sensors fabricated with and without aggregates and with different MWCNT contents. The strain sensitivity of the sensors, in terms of fractional change in electrical resistivity for unit strain, as well as their linearity are investigated through experimental testing under both quasi-static and sine-sweep dynamic uni-axial compressive loadings. Moreover, the responses of the sensors when subjected to destructive compressive tests are evaluated. Overall, the presented results contribute to improving the scientific knowledge on the behavior of smart concrete sensors and to furthering their understanding for SHM applications.

An Experimental Study on Static and Dynamic Strain Sensitivity of Embeddable Smart Concrete Sensors Doped with Carbon Nanotubes for SHM of Large Structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Meoni, Andrea; D'Alessandro, Antonella; Downey, Austin; García-Macías, Enrique; Rallini, Marco; Materazzi, A Luigi; Torre, Luigi; Laflamme, Simon; Castro-Triguero, Rafael; Ubertini, Filippo

2018-03-09

The availability of new self-sensing cement-based strain sensors allows the development of dense sensor networks for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of reinforced concrete structures. These sensors are fabricated by doping cement-matrix mterials with conductive fillers, such as Multi Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs), and can be embedded into structural elements made of reinforced concrete prior to casting. The strain sensing principle is based on the multifunctional composites outputting a measurable change in their electrical properties when subjected to a deformation. Previous work by the authors was devoted to material fabrication, modeling and applications in SHM. In this paper, we investigate the behavior of several sensors fabricated with and without aggregates and with different MWCNT contents. The strain sensitivity of the sensors, in terms of fractional change in electrical resistivity for unit strain, as well as their linearity are investigated through experimental testing under both quasi-static and sine-sweep dynamic uni-axial compressive loadings. Moreover, the responses of the sensors when subjected to destructive compressive tests are evaluated. Overall, the presented results contribute to improving the scientific knowledge on the behavior of smart concrete sensors and to furthering their understanding for SHM applications.

A low-cost and temperature-insensitive fibre Bragg grating sensor for monitoring localized strain concentrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, C E; Thompson, A; Li, H C H; Dethlefsen, A F; Stoddart, P R

2009-01-01

A simple, self-diagnostic strain sensor is described, based on a strongly reflective optical fibre Bragg grating illuminated by a broadband source. The total reflected power from these gratings is shown to be a function of the strain gradient experienced by the grating. This is because a change in pitch within a section of the grating results in the emergence of reflected energy in other spectral regions, without any significant reduction in the peak intensity at the Bragg wavelength. Thus, the presence of a localized strain can be inferred directly from an intensity measurement without the need for an optical filter or other more complex interrogation schemes. For spectrally flat light sources, the measurement is relatively insensitive to environmental temperature changes. The sensing mechanism can also be considered 'self-diagnostic' as a signal is returned by the grating even under zero load unless the sensor has failed. Modelling results are presented to determine the minimum grating strength required to achieve this effect, while the technique has been experimentally verified by measuring the strain transfer on a loaded scarf repair joint at room and elevated temperatures. The scarf repair was loaded to failure and a reduction in strain transfer was observed as the failure grew along the bondline, in accordance with finite element modelling results

Final Report for Award DE-SC0005403. Improved Electrochemical Performance of Strained Lattice Electrolytes via Modulated Doping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hertz, Joshua L. [Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States); Prasad, Ajay K. [Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States)

2015-09-06

The enclosed document provides a final report to document the research performed at the University of Delaware under Grant DE-SC0005403: Improved Electrochemical Performance of Strained Lattice Electrolytes via Modulated Doping. The ultimate goal of this project was to learn how to systematically strain the inter-atomic distance in thin ceramic films and how to use this newfound control to improve the ease by which oxygen ions can conduct through the films. Increasing the ionic conductivity of ceramics holds the promise of drastic improvements in the performance of solid oxide fuel cells, chemical sensors, gas permeation membranes, and related devices. Before this work, the experimental evidence advocating for strain-based techniques was often controversial and poorly characterized. Enabling much of this work was a new method to quickly create a very wide range of ceramic nanostructures that was established during the first phase of the project. Following this initial phase, we created a variety of promising nanostructured epitaxial films and multilayers with systematic variations in lattice mismatch and dopant content. Over the course of the work, a positive effect of tensile atomic strain on the oxygen conductivity was conclusively found using a few different forms of samples and experimental techniques. The samples were built by sputtering, an industrially scalable technique, and thus the technological implementation of these results may be economically feasible. Still, two other results consistently achieved over multiple efforts in this work give pause. The first of these results was that very specific, pristine surfaces upon which to build the nanostructures were strictly required in order to achieve measurable results. The second of these results was that compressively strained films with concomitant reductions in oxygen conductivity are much easier to obtain relative to tensile-strained films with increased conductivity.

Damage Accumulation in Cyclically-Loaded Glass-Ceramic Matrix Composites Monitored by Acoustic Emission

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. G. Aggelis

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Barium osumilite (BMAS ceramic matrix composites reinforced with SiC-Tyranno fibers are tested in a cyclic loading protocol. Broadband acoustic emission (AE sensors are used for monitoring the occurrence of different possible damage mechanisms. Improved use of AE indices is proposed by excluding low-severity signals based on waveform parameters, rather than only threshold criteria. The application of such improvements enhances the accuracy of the indices as accumulated damage descriptors. RA-value, duration, and signal energy follow the extension cycles indicating moments of maximum or minimum strain, while the frequency content of the AE signals proves very sensitive to the pull-out mechanism.

An Improved Metal-Packaged Strain Sensor Based on A Regenerated Fiber Bragg Grating in Hydrogen-Loaded Boron–Germanium Co-Doped Photosensitive Fiber for High-Temperature Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yun Tu

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Local strain measurements are considered as an effective method for structural health monitoring of high-temperature components, which require accurate, reliable and durable sensors. To develop strain sensors that can be used in higher temperature environments, an improved metal-packaged strain sensor based on a regenerated fiber Bragg grating (RFBG fabricated in hydrogen (H2-loaded boron–germanium (B–Ge co-doped photosensitive fiber is developed using the process of combining magnetron sputtering and electroplating, addressing the limitation of mechanical strength degradation of silica optical fibers after annealing at a high temperature for regeneration. The regeneration characteristics of the RFBGs and the strain characteristics of the sensor are evaluated. Numerical simulation of the sensor is conducted using a three-dimensional finite element model. Anomalous decay behavior of two regeneration regimes is observed for the FBGs written in H2-loaded B–Ge co-doped fiber. The strain sensor exhibits good linearity, stability and repeatability when exposed to constant high temperatures of up to 540 °C. A satisfactory agreement is obtained between the experimental and numerical results in strain sensitivity. The results demonstrate that the improved metal-packaged strain sensors based on RFBGs in H2-loaded B–Ge co-doped fiber provide great potential for high-temperature applications by addressing the issues of mechanical integrity and packaging.

Ceramic materials on perovskite-type structure for electronic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Surowiak, Z.

2003-01-01

Ceramic materials exhibiting the perovskite-type structure constitute among others, resource base for many fields of widely understood electronics (i.e., piezoelectronics, accustoelectronics, optoelectronics, computer science, tele- and radioelectronics etc.). Most often they are used for fabrication of different type sensors (detectors), transducers, ferroelectric memories, limiters of the electronic current intensity, etc., and hence they are numbered among so-called intelligent materials. Prototype structure of this group of materials is the structure of the mineral called perovskite (CaTiO 3 ). By means of right choice of the chemical composition of ABO 3 and deforming the regular perovskite structure (m3m) more than 5000 different chemical compounds and solid solutions exhibiting the perovskite-type structure have been fabricated. The concept of perovskite functional ceramics among often things ferroelectric ceramics, pyroelectric ceramics, piezoelectric ceramics, electrostrictive ceramics, posistor ceramics, superconductive ceramics and ferromagnetic ceramics. New possibilities of application of the perovskite-type ceramics are opened by nanotechnology. (author)

Strain measurements by fiber Bragg grating sensors for in situ pile loading tests

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt-Hattenberger, Cornelia; Straub, Tilmann; Naumann, Marcel; Borm, Günter; Lauerer, Robert; Beck, Christoph; Schwarz, Wolfgang

2003-07-01

A fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor network has been installed into a large diameter concrete pile on a real construction site. The intention was to monitor its deformation behavior during several quasi-static loading cycles. The skin friction between pile and subsoil affecting the ultimate bearing capacity of the pile as well as the settlement behavior of the structure under investigation has been derived from our measurements. A comparison between the results of the fiber Bragg grating sensors and conventional concrete strain gages (CSG) has shown excellent correspondence.

Structural and morphological properties of electroceramics for chemical sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica, Roma (Italy). Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche)" data-affiliation=" (Universita' di Roma Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica, Roma (Italy). Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche)" >Enrico Traversa

1996-01-01

Ceramic materials possess a unique structure consisting of grains, grain boundaries, surfaces and pores, which makes them suitable for chemical sensors. The control of the chemical composition and microstructure of electrochemicals is fundamental for controlling their properties. Ceramics with a given composition and microstructure can be produced by controlling the different steps of their processing. The chemical processing of ceramics offer many advantages in terms of control and reproducibility, with respect to the conventional ceramics processing. Results are reported about the chemical processing of perovskite-type oxides for gas sensors and about the novel humidity-sensitive electrical properties of sol-gel processed alkali-doped titania films. The structural and morphological characterization of these materials permits the understanding of the sensitive electrical properties of the ceramics (71 refs.)

Load sensor

OpenAIRE

Van den Ende, D.; Almeida, P.M.R.; Dingemans, T.J.; Van der Zwaag, S.

2007-01-01

The invention relates to a load sensor comprising a polymer matrix and a piezo-ceramic material such as PZT, em not bedded in the polymer matrix, which together form a compos not ite, wherein the polymer matrix is a liquid crystalline resin, and wherein the piezo-ceramic material is a PZT powder forming 30-60% by volume of the composite, and wherein the PZT powder forms 40-50% by volume of the composite.

A Wireless Sensor Network with Enhanced Power Efficiency and Embedded Strain Cycle Identification for Fatigue Monitoring of Railway Bridges

OpenAIRE

Feltrin, Glauco; Popovic, Nemanja; Flouri, Kallirroi; Pietrzak, Piotr

2016-01-01

Wireless sensor networks have been shown to be a cost-effective monitoring tool for many applications on civil structures. Strain cycle monitoring for fatigue life assessment of railway bridges, however, is still a challenge since it is data intensive and requires a reliable operation for several weeks or months. In addition, sensing with electrical resistance strain gauges is expensive in terms of energy consumption. The induced reduction of battery lifetime of sensor nodes increases the mai...

A fully integrated GaAs-based three-axis Hall magnetic sensor exploiting self-positioned strain released structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Todaro, Maria T; Sileo, Leonardo; Epifani, Gianmichele; Tasco, Vittorianna; Cingolani, Roberto; De Vittorio, Massimo; Passaseo, Adriana

2010-01-01

In this work, we demonstrate a fully integrated three-axis Hall magnetic sensor by exploiting microfabrication technologies applied to a GaAs-based heterostructure. This allows us to obtain, by the same process, three mutually orthogonal sensors: an in-plane Hall sensor and two out-of-plane Hall sensors. The micromachined devices consist of a two-dimensional electron gas AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs multilayer which represents the sensing structure, grown on the top of an InGaAs/GaAs strained bilayer. After the release from the substrate, the strained bilayer acts as a hinge for the multilayered structure allowing the out-of-plane self-positioning of devices. Both the in-plane and out-of-plane Hall sensors show a linear response versus the magnetic field with a sensitivity for current-biased devices higher than 1000 V A −1 T −1 , corresponding to an absolute sensitivity more than 0.05 V T −1 at 50 µA. Moreover, Hall voltage measurements, as a function of the mechanical angle for both in-plane and out-of-plane sensors, demonstrate the potential of such a device for measurements of the three vector components of a magnetic field

Tunable Polymer Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) Inscription: Fabrication of Dual-FBG Temperature Compensated Polymer Optical Fiber Strain Sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yuan, Scott Wu; Stefani, Alessio; Bang, Ole

2012-01-01

We demonstrate stable wavelength tunable inscription of polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs). By straining the fiber during FBG inscription, we linearly tune the center wavelength over 7 nm with less than 1% strain. Above 1% strain, the tuning curve saturates and we show a maximum tuning...... of 12 nm with 2.25% strain. We use this inscription method to fabricate a dual-FBG strain sensor in a poly (methyl methacrylate) single-mode microstructured polymer optical fiber and demonstrate temperature compensated strain sensing around 850 nm....

Ultra-high density out-of-plane strain sensor 3D architecture based on sub-20 nm PMOS FinFET

KAUST Repository

Ghoneim, Mohamed T.; Alfaraj, Nasir; Sevilla, Galo T.; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2016-01-01

Future wearable electronics require not only flexibility but also preservation of the perks associated with today's high-performance, traditional silicon electronics. In this work we demonstrate a state-of-the-art fin-shaped field-effect transistor (FinFET)-based, out-of-plane strain sensor on flexible silicon through transforming the bulk device in a transfer-less process. The device preserves the functionality and high performance associated with its bulk, inflexible state. Furthermore, gate leakage current shows sufficient dependence on the value of the applied out-of-plane strain that enables permits use of the flexible device as a switching device as well as a strain sensor.

Ultra-high density out-of-plane strain sensor 3D architecture based on sub-20 nm PMOS FinFET

KAUST Repository

Ghoneim, Mohamed T.

2016-02-03

Future wearable electronics require not only flexibility but also preservation of the perks associated with today\\'s high-performance, traditional silicon electronics. In this work we demonstrate a state-of-the-art fin-shaped field-effect transistor (FinFET)-based, out-of-plane strain sensor on flexible silicon through transforming the bulk device in a transfer-less process. The device preserves the functionality and high performance associated with its bulk, inflexible state. Furthermore, gate leakage current shows sufficient dependence on the value of the applied out-of-plane strain that enables permits use of the flexible device as a switching device as well as a strain sensor.

Sensitivity of photonic crystal fiber grating sensors: biosensing, refractive index, strain, and temperature sensing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rindorf, Lars Henning; Bang, Ole

2008-01-01

We study the sensitivity of fiber grating sensors in the applications of strain, temperature, internal label-free biosensing, and internal refractive index sensing. New analytical expressions for the sensitivities, valid for photonic crystal fibers are rigorously derived. These are generally vali...

Modeling borehole microseismic and strain signals measured by a distributed fiber optic sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Mellors, R. J.; Sherman, C. S.; Ryerson, F. J.; Morris, J.; Allen, G. S.; Messerly, M. J.; Carr, T.; Kavousi, P.

2017-12-01

The advent of distributed fiber optic sensors installed in boreholes provides a new and data-rich perspective on the subsurface environment. This includes the long-term capability for vertical seismic profiles, monitoring of active borehole processes such as well stimulation, and measuring of microseismic signals. The distributed fiber sensor, which measures strain (or strain-rate), is an active sensor with highest sensitivity parallel to the fiber and subject to varying types of noise, both external and internal. We take a systems approach and include the response of the electronics, fiber/cable, and subsurface to improve interpretation of the signals. This aids in understanding noise sources, assessing error bounds on amplitudes, and developing appropriate algorithms for improving the image. Ultimately, a robust understanding will allow identification of areas for future improvement and possible optimization in fiber and cable design. The subsurface signals are simulated in two ways: 1) a massively parallel multi-physics code that is capable of modeling hydraulic stimulation of heterogeneous reservoir with a pre-existing discrete fracture network, and 2) a parallelized 3D finite difference code for high-frequency seismic signals. Geometry and parameters for the simulations are derived from fiber deployments, including the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) project in West Virginia. The combination mimics both the low-frequency strain signals generated during the fracture process and high-frequency signals from microseismic and perforation shots. Results are compared with available fiber data and demonstrate that quantitative interpretation of the fiber data provides valuable constraints on the fracture geometry and microseismic activity. These constraints appear difficult, if not impossible, to obtain otherwise.

Comparative characterization of a novel cad-cam polymer-infiltrated-ceramic-network.

Science.gov (United States)

Albero, Alberto; Pascual, Agustín; Camps, Isabel; Grau-Benitez, María

2015-10-01

The field of dental ceramics for CAD-CAM is enriched with a new innovative material composition having a porous three-dimensional structure of feldspathic ceramic infiltrated with acrylic resins.The aim of this study is to determine the mechanical properties of Polymer-Infiltrated-Ceramic-Network (PICN) and compare its performance with other ceramics and a nano-ceramic resin available for CAD-CAM systems. In this study a total of five different materials for CAD-CAM were investigated. A polymer-infiltrated ceramic (Vita Enamic), a nano-ceramic resin (Lava Ultimate), a feldspathic ceramic (Mark II), a lithium disilicate ceramic (IPS-e max CAD) and finally a Leucite based ceramic (Empress - CAD). From CAD-CAM blocks, 120 bars (30 for each material cited above) were cut to measure the flexural strength with a three-point-bending test. Strain at failure, fracture stress and Weibull modulus was calculated. Vickers hardness of each material was also measured. IPS-EMAX presents mechanical properties significantly better from the other materials studied. Its strain at failure, flexural strength and hardness exhibited significantly higher values in comparison with the others. VITA ENAMIC and LAVA ULTIMATE stand out as the next most resistant materials. The flexural strength, elastic modulus similar to a tooth as well as having less hardness than ceramics make PICN materials an option to consider as a restorative material. Ceramic infiltrated with resin, CAD-CAM, Weibull modulus, flexural strength, micro hardness.

Strain Measurement during Stress Rupture of Composite Over-Wrapped Pressure Vessel with Fiber Bragg Gratings Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Banks, Curtis E.; Grant, Joseph; Russell, Sam; Arnett, Shawn

2008-01-01

Fiber optic Bragg gratings were used to measure strain fields during Stress Rupture (SSM) test of Kevlar Composite Over-Wrapped Pressure Vessels (COPV). The sensors were embedded under the over-wrapped attached to the liner released from the Kevlar and attached to the Kevlar released from the liner. Additional sensors (foil gages and fiber bragg gratings) were surface mounted on the COPY liner.

Composite cavity based fiber optic Fabry–Perot strain sensors demodulated by an unbalanced fiber optic Michelson interferometer with an electrical scanning mirror

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Jianzhong; Yang, Jun; Sun, Weimin; Yuan, Libo; Jin, Wencai; Peng, G D

2008-01-01

A composite cavity based fiber optic Fabry–Perot strain sensor system, interrogated by a white light source and demodulated by an unbalanced fiber optic Michelson interferometer with an electrical scanning mirror, is proposed and demonstrated. Comparing with the traditional extrinsic fiber optic Fabry–Perot strain sensor, the potential multiplexing capability and the dynamic measurement range are improved simultaneously. At the same time, the measurement stability of the electrical scanning mirror system is improved by the self-referenced signal of the sensor structure

Designing Metallic and Insulating Nanocrystal Heterostructures to Fabricate Highly Sensitive and Solution Processed Strain Gauges for Wearable Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Woo Seok; Lee, Seung-Wook; Joh, Hyungmok; Seong, Mingi; Kim, Haneun; Kang, Min Su; Cho, Ki-Hyun; Sung, Yun-Mo; Oh, Soong Ju

2017-12-01

All-solution processed, high-performance wearable strain sensors are demonstrated using heterostructure nanocrystal (NC) solids. By incorporating insulating artificial atoms of CdSe quantum dot NCs into metallic artificial atoms of Au NC thin film matrix, metal-insulator heterostructures are designed. This hybrid structure results in a shift close to the percolation threshold, modifying the charge transport mechanism and enhancing sensitivity in accordance with the site percolation theory. The number of electrical pathways is also manipulated by creating nanocracks to further increase its sensitivity, inspired from the bond percolation theory. The combination of the two strategies achieves gauge factor up to 5045, the highest sensitivity recorded among NC-based strain gauges. These strain sensors show high reliability, durability, frequency stability, and negligible hysteresis. The fundamental charge transport behavior of these NC solids is investigated and the combined site and bond percolation theory is developed to illuminate the origin of their enhanced sensitivity. Finally, all NC-based and solution-processed strain gauge sensor arrays are fabricated, which effectively measure the motion of each finger joint, the pulse of heart rate, and the movement of vocal cords of human. This work provides a pathway for designing low-cost and high-performance electronic skin or wearable devices. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Strain and temperature measurement in pultrusion processes by fiber Bragg grating sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Tucci, Fausto; Rubino, Felice; Carlone, Pierpaolo

2018-05-01

Injection Pultrusion (IP) is one of the most effective processes, in terms of productivity and costs, to manufacture fiber reinforced polymers. In IP roving of fiber are driven through an injection chamber in which they are impregnated by the resin and then formed in a shaped die. The die is heated in order to cure the resin. Pultruded products are in most cases characterized by constant cross-section profile, whereas unidirectional long fibers are mainly used as reinforcing material. Two relevant phenomena occur within the injection chamber and the heated die, namely the impregnation of the fibers and the polymerization of the resin. Furthermore, thermal expansion, resin chemical shrinkage and the interaction between the die and the impregnated fibers strongly influence the process [1]. Clearly, thermal and mechanical fields significantly impact on these strictly chained behaviours. The use of thermocouples to evaluate temperature within pultrusion die is already widespread, but they are not capable to acquire any information concerning stress-strain levels. In the present work Fibers Bragg Gratings (FBG) sensors were used to measure thermal and strain profiles in selected material location within the injection chamber and the curing die. Being the differences among the spectres transmitted and received are related to the variations in both temperature and strain, commercial FBG sensors were opportunely modified and calibrated. The optical fibers were hooked to the fibers entering into the injection pultrusion die. Taking the pulling speed into account, each waveform acquired was correlated to a position within the die. Obtained data highlight the effect of the heat generation due to resin reaction as well as longitudinal strains related to the pulling force, the thermal expansion and the chemical shrinkage of the resin system.

Simulation and Experimental Investigations on the Strain Measurement of the Uniform Strength Beam Using a FBG sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tu Yumeng; Gong Huaping; Chen Jixuan; Jin Yongxing

2011-01-01

The model of force analysis on a uniform strength beam is built by the general finite element program (ANSYS software). The flexivity profile produced by uniform strength beam with different forces is simulated by ANSYS software. In experiment, a fiber Bragg grating sensor is fixed on the uniform strength beam with modified acrylate. The flexivity and strain are varied by changing the load on the end of the beam. The strain of the uniform strength beam is measured with FBG when applied force is varied from 2.45N to14.7N with a step of 2.45N. Both the simulated and experimental results show that, the strain induced by the uniform strength beam is linear with the load force. The sensitivity is 18.32με/N for experimental measurement, and 19.72με/N for simulation. The experimental results are consistent with the simulation results, with the maximum measurement error of strain being 7.4%. It indicates that, the FBG sensor fixed with modified acrylate is proved to be effectively and reliably in the applications of civil engineering.

Wireless Open-Circuit In-Plane Strain and Displacement Sensor Requiring No Electrical Connections

Science.gov (United States)

Woodard, Stanley E. (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A wireless in-plane strain and displacement sensor includes an electrical conductor fixedly coupled to a substrate subject to strain conditions. The electrical conductor is shaped between its ends for storage of an electric field and a magnetic field, and remains electrically unconnected to define an unconnected open-circuit having inductance and capacitance. In the presence of a time-varying magnetic field, the electrical conductor so-shaped resonates to generate harmonic electric and magnetic field responses. The sensor also includes at least one electrically unconnected electrode having an end and a free portion extending from the end thereof. The end of each electrode is fixedly coupled to the substrate and the free portion thereof remains unencumbered and spaced apart from a portion of the electrical conductor so-shaped. More specifically, at least some of the free portion is disposed at a location lying within the magnetic field response generated by the electrical conductor. A motion guidance structure is slidingly engaged with each electrode's free portion in order to maintain each free portion parallel to the electrical conductor so-shaped.

Strain Measurement of Steel Roof Truss Using FBG Sensor during Construction of Reverse Shell Shaped Reinforced Concrete Structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Kun Woo [Kyungpook National University, Daegu (Korea, Republic of); Rhim, Hong Chul; Seo, Tae Seok [Yonsei University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2011-08-15

Application of FBG (Fiber Bragg Grating) sensors to measure strain of steel roof trusses has been performed. This is to check and confirm the structural integrity of an unusually shaped, reverse shell structure made of reinforced concrete. The issue was to place sensors at proper location and compare the measured values to the results from structural analysis. It has been learned that a deliberate measurement scheme is needed in order to monitor a complex structure during construction. In this study, the measured values were within allowable range of strain, thus confirming the safety of the structure during measurement and construction.

Large Piezoelectric Strain with Superior Thermal Stability and Excellent Fatigue Resistance of Lead-Free Potassium Sodium Niobate-Based Grain Orientation-Controlled Ceramics.

Science.gov (United States)

Quan, Yi; Ren, Wei; Niu, Gang; Wang, Lingyan; Zhao, Jinyan; Zhang, Nan; Liu, Ming; Ye, Zuo-Guang; Liu, Liqiang; Karaki, Tomoaki

2018-03-19

Environment-friendly lead-free piezoelectric materials with high piezoelectric response and high stability in a wide temperature range are urgently needed for various applications. In this work, grain orientation-controlled (with a 90% ⟨001⟩ c -oriented texture) (K,Na)NbO 3 -based ceramics with a large piezoelectric response ( d 33 *) = 505 pm V -1 and a high Curie temperature ( T C ) of 247 °C have been developed. Such a high d 33 * value varies by less than 5% from 30 to 180 °C, showing a superior thermal stability. Furthermore, the high piezoelectricity exhibits an excellent fatigue resistance with the d 33 * value decreasing within only by 6% at a field of 20 kV cm -1 up to 10 7 cycles. These exceptional properties can be attributed to the vertical morphotropic phase boundary and the highly ⟨001⟩ c -oriented textured ceramic microstructure. These results open a pathway to promote lead-free piezoelectric ceramics as a viable alternative to lead-based piezoceramics for various practical applications, such as actuators, transducers, sensors, and acoustic devices, in a wide temperature range.

Fast Estimation of Strains for Cross-Beams Six-Axis Force/Torque Sensors by Mechanical Modeling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junqing Ma

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Strain distributions are crucial criteria of cross-beams six-axis force/torque sensors. The conventional method for calculating the criteria is to utilize Finite Element Analysis (FEA to get numerical solutions. This paper aims to obtain analytical solutions of strains under the effect of external force/torque in each dimension. Genetic mechanical models for cross-beams six-axis force/torque sensors are proposed, in which deformable cross elastic beams and compliant beams are modeled as quasi-static Timoshenko beam. A detailed description of model assumptions, model idealizations, application scope and model establishment is presented. The results are validated by both numerical FEA simulations and calibration experiments, and test results are found to be compatible with each other for a wide range of geometric properties. The proposed analytical solutions are demonstrated to be an accurate estimation algorithm with higher efficiency.

Packaging Technologies for High Temperature Electronics and Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Liangyu; Hunter, Gary W.; Neudeck, Philip G.; Beheim, Glenn M.; Spry, David J.; Meredith, Roger D.

2013-01-01

This paper reviews ceramic substrates and thick-film metallization based packaging technologies in development for 500degC silicon carbide (SiC) electronics and sensors. Prototype high temperature ceramic chip-level packages and printed circuit boards (PCBs) based on ceramic substrates of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and aluminum nitride (AlN) have been designed and fabricated. These ceramic substrate-based chiplevel packages with gold (Au) thick-film metallization have been electrically characterized at temperatures up to 550degC. A 96% alumina based edge connector for a PCB level subsystem interconnection has also been demonstrated recently. The 96% alumina packaging system composed of chip-level packages and PCBs has been tested with high temperature SiC devices at 500degC for over 10,000 hours. In addition to tests in a laboratory environment, a SiC JFET with a packaging system composed of a 96% alumina chip-level package and an alumina printed circuit board mounted on a data acquisition circuit board was launched as a part of the MISSE-7 suite to the International Space Station via a Shuttle mission. This packaged SiC transistor was successfully tested in orbit for eighteen months. A spark-plug type sensor package designed for high temperature SiC capacitive pressure sensors was developed. This sensor package combines the high temperature interconnection system with a commercial high temperature high pressure stainless steel seal gland (electrical feed-through). Test results of a packaged high temperature capacitive pressure sensor at 500degC are also discussed. In addition to the pressure sensor package, efforts for packaging high temperature SiC diode-based gas chemical sensors are in process.

Application of CCG Sensors to a High-Temperature Structure Subjected to Thermo-Mechanical Load

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weihua Xie

2016-10-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a simple methodology to perform a high temperature coupled thermo-mechanical test using ultra-high temperature ceramic material specimens (UHTCs, which are equipped with chemical composition gratings sensors (CCGs. The methodology also considers the presence of coupled loading within the response provided by the CCG sensors. The theoretical strain of the UHTCs specimens calculated with this technique shows a maximum relative error of 2.15% between the analytical and experimental data. To further verify the validity of the results from the tests, a Finite Element (FE model has been developed to simulate the temperature, stress and strain fields within the UHTC structure equipped with the CCG. The results show that the compressive stress exceeds the material strength at the bonding area, and this originates a failure by fracture of the supporting structure in the hot environment. The results related to the strain fields show that the relative error with the experimental data decrease with an increase of temperature. The relative error is less than 15% when the temperature is higher than 200 °C, and only 6.71% at 695 °C.

Ferroelectricity of strained SrTiO3 in lithium tetraborate glass-nanocomposite and glass-ceramic

Science.gov (United States)

Abdel-Khalek, E. K.; Mohamed, E. A.; Kashif, I.

2018-02-01

Glass-nanocomposite (GNCs) sample of the composition [90Li2B4O7-10SrTiO3] (mol %) was prepared by conventional melt quenching technique. The glassy phase and the amorphous nature of the GNCs sample were identified by Differential thermal analysis (DTA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies, respectively. DTA of the GNCs exhibits sharp and broad exothermic peaks which represent the crystallization of Li2B4O7 and SrTiO3, respectively. The tetragonal Li2B4O7 and tetragonal SrTiO3 crystalline phases in glass-ceramic (GC) were identified by XRD and scanning electron microscopic (SEM). The strain tetragonal SrTiO3 phase in GNCs and GC has been confirmed by SEM. The values of crystallization activation energies (Ec1 and Ec2) for the first and second exothermic peaks are equal to 174 and 1452 kJ/mol, respectively. The Ti3+ ions in tetragonal distorted octahedral sites in GNCs were identified by optical transmission spectrum. GNCs and GC samples exhibit broad dielectric anomalies at 303 and 319 K because of strained SrTiO3 ferroelectric, respectively.

Electrospun Ceramic Nanofiber Mats Today: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Esfahani, Hamid; Ramakrishna, Seeram

2017-01-01

Ceramic nanofibers (NFs) have recently been developed for advanced applications due to their unique properties. In this article, we review developments in electrospun ceramic NFs with regard to their fabrication process, properties, and applications. We find that surface activity of electrospun ceramic NFs is improved by post pyrolysis, hydrothermal, and carbothermal processes. Also, when combined with another surface modification methods, electrospun ceramic NFs result in the advancement of properties and widening of the application domains. With the decrease in diameter and length of a fiber, many properties of fibrous materials are modified; characteristics of such ceramic NFs are different from their wide and long (bulk) counterparts. In this article, electrospun ceramic NFs are reviewed with an emphasis on their applications as catalysts, membranes, sensors, biomaterials, fuel cells, batteries, supercapacitors, energy harvesting systems, electric and magnetic parts, conductive wires, and wearable electronic textiles. Furthermore, properties of ceramic nanofibers, which enable the above applications, and techniques to characterize them are briefly outlined. PMID:29077074

Electrospun Ceramic Nanofiber Mats Today: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamid Esfahani

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Ceramic nanofibers (NFs have recently been developed for advanced applications due to their unique properties. In this article, we review developments in electrospun ceramic NFs with regard to their fabrication process, properties, and applications. We find that surface activity of electrospun ceramic NFs is improved by post pyrolysis, hydrothermal, and carbothermal processes. Also, when combined with another surface modification methods, electrospun ceramic NFs result in the advancement of properties and widening of the application domains. With the decrease in diameter and length of a fiber, many properties of fibrous materials are modified; characteristics of such ceramic NFs are different from their wide and long (bulk counterparts. In this article, electrospun ceramic NFs are reviewed with an emphasis on their applications as catalysts, membranes, sensors, biomaterials, fuel cells, batteries, supercapacitors, energy harvesting systems, electric and magnetic parts, conductive wires, and wearable electronic textiles. Furthermore, properties of ceramic nanofibers, which enable the above applications, and techniques to characterize them are briefly outlined.

Structural studies of spinel manganite ceramics with positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klym, H; Shpotyuk, O; Hadzaman, I [Institute of Materials of SRC ' Carat' , 202 Stryjska str., Lviv, 79031 (Ukraine); Ingram, A [Opole University of Technology, 75 Ozimska str., Opole, 45370 (Poland); Filipecki, J, E-mail: shpotyuk@novas.lviv.ua, E-mail: klymha@yahoo.com [Institute of Physics of Jan Dlugosz University, 13/15 Armii Krajowei, 42201, Czestochowa (Poland)

2011-04-01

The new transition-metal manganite Cu{sub 0.1}Ni{sub 0.8}Co{sub 0.2}Mn{sub 1.9}O{sub 4} ceramics for temperature sensors with improved functional reliability are first proposed. It is established that the amount of additional NiO phase in these ceramics extracted during sintering play a decisive role. This effect is well revealed only in ceramics having a character fine-grain microstructure, while the monolithization of ceramics caused by great amount of transferred thermal energy reveals an opposite influence. The process of monolitization from the position of evolution of grain-pore structure was studied in these ceramics using positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy.

Structural studies of spinel manganite ceramics with positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klym, H; Shpotyuk, O; Hadzaman, I; Ingram, A; Filipecki, J

2011-01-01

The new transition-metal manganite Cu 0.1 Ni 0.8 Co 0.2 Mn 1.9 O 4 ceramics for temperature sensors with improved functional reliability are first proposed. It is established that the amount of additional NiO phase in these ceramics extracted during sintering play a decisive role. This effect is well revealed only in ceramics having a character fine-grain microstructure, while the monolithization of ceramics caused by great amount of transferred thermal energy reveals an opposite influence. The process of monolitization from the position of evolution of grain-pore structure was studied in these ceramics using positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy.

A new approach to measure the elasticity modulus for ceramics using the deformation energy method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foschini, Cesar R.; Souza, Edson A.; Borges, Ana F. S.; Pintao, Carlos A.

2016-01-01

This paper presents an alternative method to measure the modulus of elasticity to traction, E, for relatively limited sample sizes. We constructed a measurement system with a Force sensor (FS) and a Rotation movement sensor (RMS) to obtain a relationship between force (F) and bending (ΔL). It was possible by calculating the strain energy and the work of a constant force to establish a relationship between these quantities; the constant of proportionality in this relationship depends on E, I and L. I and L are the moment of inertia of the uniform cross-section in relation to an oriented axis and length, respectively, of the sample for bending. An expression that could achieve the value of E was deduced to study samples of Y-TZP ceramics. The advantages of this system compared to traditional systems are its low cost and practicality in determining E

A new approach to measure the elasticity modulus for ceramics using the deformation energy method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Foschini, Cesar R.; Souza, Edson A. [Dept. of EngineeringFeb-UNESPBauru (Brazil); Borges, Ana F. S. [Dept. of MaterialFOB-USP, Bauru (Brazil); Pintao, Carlos A. [Dept. of PhysicsFC-UNESP, Bauru (Brazil)

2016-08-15

This paper presents an alternative method to measure the modulus of elasticity to traction, E, for relatively limited sample sizes. We constructed a measurement system with a Force sensor (FS) and a Rotation movement sensor (RMS) to obtain a relationship between force (F) and bending (ΔL). It was possible by calculating the strain energy and the work of a constant force to establish a relationship between these quantities; the constant of proportionality in this relationship depends on E, I and L. I and L are the moment of inertia of the uniform cross-section in relation to an oriented axis and length, respectively, of the sample for bending. An expression that could achieve the value of E was deduced to study samples of Y-TZP ceramics. The advantages of this system compared to traditional systems are its low cost and practicality in determining E.

Design and Development of a Flexible Strain Sensor for Textile Structures Based on a Conductive Polymer Composite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claude Dufour

2007-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work is to develop a smart flexible sensor adapted to textile structures, able to measure their strain deformations. The sensors are “smart” because of their capacity to adapt to the specific mechanical properties of textile structures that are lightweight, highly flexible, stretchable, elastic, etc. Because of these properties, textile structures are continuously in movement and easily deformed, even under very low stresses. It is therefore important that the integration of a sensor does not modify their general behavior. The material used for the sensor is based on a thermoplastic elastomer (Evoprene/carbon black nanoparticle composite, and presents general mechanical properties strongly compatible with the textile substrate. Two preparation techniques are investigated: the conventional melt-mixing process, and the solvent process which is found to be more adapted for this particular application. The preparation procedure is fully described, namely the optimization of the process in terms of filler concentration in which the percolation theory aspects have to be considered. The sensor is then integrated on a thin, lightweight Nylon fabric, and the electromechanical characterization is performed to demonstrate the adaptability and the correct functioning of the sensor as a strain gauge on the fabric. A normalized relative resistance is defined in order to characterize the electrical response of the sensor. Finally, the influence of environmental factors, such as temperature and atmospheric humidity, on the sensor performance is investigated. The results show that the sensor’s electrical resistance is particularly affected by humidity. This behavior is discussed in terms of the sensitivity of the carbon black filler particles to the presence of water.

A Wireless Sensor Network with Enhanced Power Efficiency and Embedded Strain Cycle Identification for Fatigue Monitoring of Railway Bridges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Glauco Feltrin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Wireless sensor networks have been shown to be a cost-effective monitoring tool for many applications on civil structures. Strain cycle monitoring for fatigue life assessment of railway bridges, however, is still a challenge since it is data intensive and requires a reliable operation for several weeks or months. In addition, sensing with electrical resistance strain gauges is expensive in terms of energy consumption. The induced reduction of battery lifetime of sensor nodes increases the maintenance costs and reduces the competitiveness of wireless sensor networks. To overcome this drawback, a signal conditioning hardware was designed that is able to significantly reduce the energy consumption. Furthermore, the communication overhead is reduced to a sustainable level by using an embedded data processing algorithm that extracts the strain cycles from the raw data. Finally, a simple software triggering mechanism that identifies events enabled the discrimination of useful measurements from idle data, thus increasing the efficiency of data processing. The wireless monitoring system was tested on a railway bridge for two weeks. The monitoring system demonstrated a good reliability and provided high quality data.

Metallic and intermetallic-bonded ceramic composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Plucknett, K.P.; Tiegs, T.N.; Alexander, K.B. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN (United States)] [and others

1995-05-01

The purpose of this task is to establish a framework for the development and fabrication of metallic-phase-reinforced ceramic matrix composites with improved fracture toughness and damage resistance. The incorporation of metallic phases that plastically deform in the crack tip region, and thus dissipate strain energy, will result in an increase in the fracture toughness of the composite as compared to the monolithic ceramic. It is intended that these reinforced ceramic matrix composites will be used over a temperature range from 20{degrees}C to 800-1200{degrees}C for advanced applications in the industrial sector. In order to systematically develop these materials, a combination of experimental and theoretical studies must be undertaken.

Metallic-fibre-reinforced ceramic-matrix composite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prevost, F.; Schnedecker, G.; Boncoeur, M.

1994-01-01

A refractory metal wire cloth is embedded in an oxide ceramic matrix, using a plasma spraying technology, in order to elaborate composite plates. When mechanically tested, the composite fails with a pseudo-ductile fracture mode whereas the ceramic alone is originally brittle. It exhibits a higher fracture strength, and remains in the form of a single piece even when straining is important. No further heat treatment is needed after the original processing to reach these characteristics. (authors). 2 figs., 2 refs

Elektrochemischer Sensor und Verfahren zu seiner Herstellung

OpenAIRE

Vonau, W.; Kaden, H.; Kretzschmar, C.; Otschik, P.; Krabbes, I.; Woithe, W.; Grosse, M.

2002-01-01

Electro-chemical sensor for the detection of ion activity comprises a selective glas membrane (4) in direct contact with a metal electrode (3) or in direct contact with a variable conducting glas layer (4a), which is itself in contact with (3). (3), (4) and (4a) are plated onto a steel-ceramic substrate using screen-print technology. The thermal expansion coefficients of the steel-ceramic substrate and the glas layers differ by a maximum of = 6 multiply 10-7 K-1. USE - The sensor is especiall...

Morphotropic NaNbO{sub 3}-BaTiO{sub 3}-CaZrO{sub 3} lead-free ceramics with temperature-insensitive piezoelectric properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zuo, Ruzhong, E-mail: piezolab@hfut.edu.cn, E-mail: rzzuo@hotmail.com; Qi, He; Fu, Jian [Institute of Electro Ceramics and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009 (China)

2016-07-11

A morphotropic NaNbO{sub 3}-based lead-free ceramic was reported to have temperature-insensitive piezoelectric and electromechanical properties (d{sub 33} = 231 pC/N, k{sub p} = 35%, T{sub c} = 148 °C, and low-hysteresis strain ∼0.15%) in a relatively wide temperature range. This was fundamentally ascribed to the finding of a composition-axis vertical morphotropic phase boundary in which coexisting ferroelectric phases are only compositionally driven and thermally insensitive. Both phase coexistence and nano-scaled domain morphology deserved well enhanced electrical properties, as evidenced by means of synchrotron x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Our study suggests that the current lead-free ceramic would be a very promising piezoelectric material for actuator and sensor applications.

Ceramic stove eases strain on African forests | IDRC - International ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2010-10-28

Oct 28, 2010 ... IDRC began supporting research that led to the marketing of the ceramic Jiko stove in the ... IDRC Communications ... Informal sector workers producing the traditional stoves were sent designs and convinced to switch to this ...

Enhancing the humidity sensitivity of Ga2O3 /SnO2 core/shell microribbon by applying mechanical strain and its application as a flexible strain sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Kewei; Sakurai, Makoto; Aono, Masakazu

2012-12-07

The humidity sensitivity of a single β-Ga(2) O(3) /amorphous SnO(2) core/shell microribbon on a flexible substrate is enhanced by the application of tensile strain and increases linearly with the strain. The strain-induced enhancement originates from the increase in the effective surface area where water molecules are adsorbed. This strain dependence of humidity sensitivity can be used to monitor the external strain. The strain sensing of the microribbon device under various amounts of mechanical loading shows excellent reliability and reproducibility with a gauge factor of -41. The flexible device has high potential to detect both humidity and strain at room temperature. These findings and the mechanism involved are expected to pave the way for new flexible strain and multifunctional sensors. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Analysis of the degradation mechanisms in an impacted ceramic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Denoual, C.; Cottenot, C. E.; Hild, F.

1998-01-01

To analyze the degradation mechanisms in a natural sintered SiC (SSiC) ceramic during impact, three edge-on impact configurations are considered. First, the ceramic is confined by aluminum to allow a post-mortem analysis. In the second configuration, a polished surface of the ceramic is observed each micro-second by a high-speed camera to follow the damage generation and evolution. The third configuration uses a high-speed Moire photography system to measure dynamic 2-D strain fields. Sequences of fringe patterns are analyzed

Structure and properties of interfaces in ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonnell, D.; Ruehle, M.; Chowdhry, U.

1995-01-01

The motivation for the symposium was the observation that interfaces in crystallographically and compositionally complex systems often dictate the performance and reliability of devices that utilize functional ceramics. The current level of understanding of interface-property relations in silicon-based devices required over 30 years of intensive research. Similar issues influence the relationship between atomic bonding at interfaces and properties in functional ceramic systems. The current understanding of these complex interfaces does not allow correlation between atomic structure and interface properties, in spite of their importance to a number of emerging technologies (wireless communications, radar-based positioning systems, sensors, etc.). The objective of this symposium was to focus attention on these fundamental issues by featuring recent theoretical and experimental work from various disciplines that impact the understanding of interface chemistry, structure, and properties. The emphasis was on relating properties of surfaces and interfaces to structure through an understanding of atomic level phenomena. Interfaces of interest include metal/ceramic, ceramic/ceramic, ceramic/vapor, etc., in electronic, magnetic, optical, ferroelectric, piezoelectric, and dielectric applications. Sixty one papers have been processed separately for inclusion on the data base

Transmission of Er:YAG laser through different dental ceramics.

Science.gov (United States)

Sari, Tugrul; Tuncel, Ilkin; Usumez, Aslihan; Gutknecht, Norbert

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Er:YAG) laser transmission ratio through different dental ceramics with different thicknesses. Laser debonding procedure of adhesively luted all-ceramic restorations is based on the transmission of laser energy through the ceramic and the ablation of resin cement, because of the transmitted laser energy. Five different dental ceramics were evaluated in this study: sintered zirconium-oxide core ceramic, monolithic zirconium-oxide ceramic, feldspathic ceramic, leucite-reinforced glass ceramic, and lithium disilicate-reinforced glass ceramic. Two ceramic discs with different thicknesses (0.5 and 1 mm) were fabricated for each group. Ceramic discs were placed between the sensor membrane of the laser power meter and the tip of the contact handpiece of an Er:YAG laser device with the aid of a custom- made acrylic holder. The transmission ratio of Er:YAG laser energy (500 mJ, 2 Hz, 1 W, 1000 μs) through different ceramic discs was measured with the power meter. Ten measurements were made for each group and the results were analyzed with two way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey honestly significant difference (HSD) tests. The highest transmission ratio was determined for lithium disilicate-reinforced ceramic with 0.5 mm thickness (88%) and the lowest was determined for feldspathic ceramic with 1 mm thickness (44%). The differences among the different ceramics and between the different thicknesses were significant (pCeramic type and thickness should be taken into consideration to adjust the laser irradiation parameters during laser debonding of adhesively luted all-ceramic restorations.

Humidity Sensors Principle, Mechanism, and Fabrication Technologies: A Comprehensive Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamid Farahani

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Humidity measurement is one of the most significant issues in various areas of applications such as instrumentation, automated systems, agriculture, climatology and GIS. Numerous sorts of humidity sensors fabricated and developed for industrial and laboratory applications are reviewed and presented in this article. The survey frequently concentrates on the RH sensors based upon their organic and inorganic functional materials, e.g., porous ceramics (semiconductors, polymers, ceramic/polymer and electrolytes, as well as conduction mechanism and fabrication technologies. A significant aim of this review is to provide a distinct categorization pursuant to state of the art humidity sensor types, principles of work, sensing substances, transduction mechanisms, and production technologies. Furthermore, performance characteristics of the different humidity sensors such as electrical and statistical data will be detailed and gives an added value to the report. By comparison of overall prospects of the sensors it was revealed that there are still drawbacks as to efficiency of sensing elements and conduction values. The flexibility offered by thick film and thin film processes either in the preparation of materials or in the choice of shape and size of the sensor structure provides advantages over other technologies. These ceramic sensors show faster response than other types.

Humidity Sensors Principle, Mechanism, and Fabrication Technologies: A Comprehensive Review

Science.gov (United States)

Farahani, Hamid; Wagiran, Rahman; Hamidon, Mohd Nizar

2014-01-01

Humidity measurement is one of the most significant issues in various areas of applications such as instrumentation, automated systems, agriculture, climatology and GIS. Numerous sorts of humidity sensors fabricated and developed for industrial and laboratory applications are reviewed and presented in this article. The survey frequently concentrates on the RH sensors based upon their organic and inorganic functional materials, e.g., porous ceramics (semiconductors), polymers, ceramic/polymer and electrolytes, as well as conduction mechanism and fabrication technologies. A significant aim of this review is to provide a distinct categorization pursuant to state of the art humidity sensor types, principles of work, sensing substances, transduction mechanisms, and production technologies. Furthermore, performance characteristics of the different humidity sensors such as electrical and statistical data will be detailed and gives an added value to the report. By comparison of overall prospects of the sensors it was revealed that there are still drawbacks as to efficiency of sensing elements and conduction values. The flexibility offered by thick film and thin film processes either in the preparation of materials or in the choice of shape and size of the sensor structure provides advantages over other technologies. These ceramic sensors show faster response than other types. PMID:24784036

Large recoverable electrostrain in Mn-doped (Ba,Sr) TiO3 ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, L.X.; Chen, W.; Ren, X.

2004-01-01

In this letter we demonstrate that with a different principle, BaTiO 3 ceramics, so far considered as inferior piezoelectrics compared with Pb(Zr,Ti)O 3 (PZT), can show a large recoverable electrostrain. This principle utilizes a point-defect-mediated reversible domain switching mechanism, which can in theory generate 0.368% strain for BaTiO 3 ceramics at the best condition. Experimental results showed that, after aging at room temperature, 1.0 mol % Mn-doped (Ba 0.95 Sr 0.05 )TiO 3 ceramics generate a large recoverable nonlinear strain of about 0.12%-0.15% at a field of 3 kV/mm. This value exceeds that of conventional hard PZT piezoelectric ceramics. A microscopic model for the domain-related electrostrain effect in ceramics is proposed. It is also found that the large electrostrain effect is quite stable with respect to both changing frequency and fatigue cycles. Large electrostrain remains recoverable down to 0.05 Hz and after 10 000 cycles. These results demonstrate the potential of our approach in achieving large recoverable electrostrain in environmental-friendly (Pb-free) ceramics

Zirconium oxide based ceramic solid electrolytes for oxygen detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caproni, Erica

2007-01-01

Taking advantage of the high thermal shock resistance of zirconia-magnesia ceramics and the high oxide ion conductivity of zirconia-yttria ceramics, composites of these ceramics were prepared by mixing, pressing and sintering different relative concentrations of ZrO 2 : 8.6 mol% MgO and ZrO 2 : 3 mol% Y 2 O 3 solid electrolytes. Microstructural analysis of the composites was carried out by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analyses. The thermal behavior was studied by dilatometric analysis. The electrical behavior was evaluated by the impedance spectroscopy technique. An experimental setup was designed for measurement the electrical signal generated as a function of the amount of oxygen at high temperatures. The main results show that these composites are partially stabilized (monoclinic, cubic and tetragonal) and the thermal behavior is similar to that of ZrO 2 : 8.6 mol% MgO materials used in disposable high temperature oxygen sensors. Moreover, the results of analysis of impedance spectroscopy show that the electrical conductivity of zirconia:magnesia is improved with zirconia-yttria addition and that the electrical signal depends on the amount of oxygen at 1000 deg C, showing that the ceramic composites can be used in oxygen sensors. (author)

Performance comparison of Rayleigh and STW modes on quartz crystal for strain sensor application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fu, Chen; Lee, Ki Jung; Lee, Keekeun; Yang, Sang Sik, E-mail: ssyang@ajou.ac.kr [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon 442-749 (Korea, Republic of); Eun, Kyongtae; Choa, Sung-Hoon [Nano-IT Fusion Program, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 139-743 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-07-14

In this study, we compare two kinds of strain sensors based on Rayleigh wave and surface transverse wave (STW) modes, respectively. First, we perform a strain-and-stress analysis using the finite element method, and we consider the contribution to a surface acoustic wave (SAW) velocity shift. Prior to fabrication, we use a coupling-of-modes model to simulate and optimize two-port SAW resonators for both modes. We use a network analyzer to measure and characterize the two devices. Further, we perform an experiment using a strain-testing system with a tapered cross-section cantilever beam. The experimental results show that the ratio of the frequency shift to the strain for the Rayleigh wave mode is −1.124 ppm/με in the parallel direction and 0.109 ppm/με in the perpendicular direction, while the corresponding values for the STW mode are 0.680 ppm/με and 0.189 ppm/με, respectively.

Thermomechanical stability and integrability of an embedded ceramic antenna with an integrated sensor element for wireless reading in harsh environments

Science.gov (United States)

Sturesson, P.; Khaji, Z.; Knaust, S.; Sundqvist, J.; Klintberg, L.; Thornell, G.

2013-12-01

This paper reports on the design, manufacturing and evaluation of a small, wirelessly powered and read resonating antenna circuit with an integrated pressure sensor. The work aims at developing miniature devices suitable for harsh environments, where high temperature prevents the use of conventional, silicon-based microdevices. Here, the device is made of alumina with platinum as conducting material. Ceramic green tapes were structured using high-precision milling, metallized using screen printing, and subsequently laminated to form stacks before they were sintered. The device's frequency shift as a function of temperature was studied up to 900°C. The contributions to the shift both from the thermomechanical deformation of the device at large, and from the integrated and, so far, self-pressurized sensor were sorted out. A total frequency shift of 3200 ppm was observed for the pressure sensor for heating over the whole range. Negligible levels of thermally induced radius of curvature were observed. With three-point bending, a frequency shift of 180 ppm was possible to induce with a curvature of radius of 220 m at a 10 N load. The results indicate that a robust pressure sensor node, which can register pressure changes of a few bars at 900°C and wirelessly transmit the signal, is viable.

Thermomechanical stability and integrability of an embedded ceramic antenna with an integrated sensor element for wireless reading in harsh environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sturesson, P; Sundqvist, J; Thornell, G; Khaji, Z; Knaust, S; Klintberg, L

2013-01-01

This paper reports on the design, manufacturing and evaluation of a small, wirelessly powered and read resonating antenna circuit with an integrated pressure sensor. The work aims at developing miniature devices suitable for harsh environments, where high temperature prevents the use of conventional, silicon-based microdevices. Here, the device is made of alumina with platinum as conducting material. Ceramic green tapes were structured using high-precision milling, metallized using screen printing, and subsequently laminated to form stacks before they were sintered. The device's frequency shift as a function of temperature was studied up to 900°C. The contributions to the shift both from the thermomechanical deformation of the device at large, and from the integrated and, so far, self-pressurized sensor were sorted out. A total frequency shift of 3200 ppm was observed for the pressure sensor for heating over the whole range. Negligible levels of thermally induced radius of curvature were observed. With three-point bending, a frequency shift of 180 ppm was possible to induce with a curvature of radius of 220 m at a 10 N load. The results indicate that a robust pressure sensor node, which can register pressure changes of a few bars at 900°C and wirelessly transmit the signal, is viable

Refractive index and strain sensor based on twin-core fiber with a novel T-shaped taper

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Chuanbiao; Ning, Tigang; Li, Jing; Zheng, JingJing; Gao, Xuekai; Pei, Li

2018-06-01

A compact in-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) based on twin-core fiber (TCF) with a novel T-shaped taper is proposed and demonstrated. The taper was firstly fabricated by a short section of TCF, and then spliced with a section of cleaved single mode fiber (SMF). When the light transmit into the TCF, multiple modes will be excited and will propagate within the TCF. In experiment, the proposed device had a maximum interferometric extinction ratio about 17 dB. And the refractive index (RI), strain, and temperature response properties of the sensor have been investigated, which show a relatively high RI, strain sensitivity and low temperature cross sensitivity. Hence, the sensor can be a suitable candidate in the biochemical and physical sensing applications. And due to its easy and controllable fabrication, the novel drawing technology can be applied to more multicore optical fibers.

Method for independent strain and temperature measurement in polymeric tensile test specimen using embedded FBG sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pereira, Gilmar Ferreira; McGugan, Malcolm; Mikkelsen, Lars Pilgaard

2016-01-01

to calculate independently the strain and temperature are presented in the article, together with a measurement resolution study. This multi-parameter measurement method was applied to an epoxy tensile specimen, tested in a unidirectional tensile test machine with a temperature controlled cabinet. A full......A novel method to obtain independent strain and temperature measurements using embedded Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) in polymeric tensile test specimens is presented in this paper. The FBG strain and temperature cross-sensitivity was decoupled using two single mode FBG sensors, which were embedded...... of temperature, from 40 C to -10 C. The consistency of the expected theoretical results with the calibration procedure and the experimental validation shows that this proposed method is applicable to measure accurate strain and temperature in polymers during static or fatigue tensile testing. Two different...

Monolithic fiber optic sensor assembly

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, Scott

2015-02-10

A remote sensor element for spectrographic measurements employs a monolithic assembly of one or two fiber optics to two optical elements separated by a supporting structure to allow the flow of gases or particulates therebetween. In a preferred embodiment, the sensor element components are fused ceramic to resist high temperatures and failure from large temperature changes.

Integration of graphene sensor with electrochromic device on modulus-gradient polymer for instantaneous strain visualization

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Tingting; Zhong, Yujia; Tao, Dashuai; Li, Xinming; Zang, Xiaobei; Lin, Shuyuan; Jiang, Xin; Li, Zhihong; Zhu, Hongwei

2017-09-01

In nature, some animals change their deceptive coloration for camouflage, temperature preservation or communication. This astonishing function has inspired scientists to replicate the color changing abilities of animals with artificial skin. Recently, some studies have focused on the smart materials and devices with reversible color changing or light-emitting properties for instantaneous strain visualization. However, most of these works only show eye-detectable appearance change when subjected to large mechanical deformation (100%-500% strain), and conspicuous color change at small strain remains rarely explored. In the present study, we developed a user-interactive electronic skin with human-readable optical output by assembling a highly sensitive resistive strain sensor with a stretchable organic electrochromic device (ECD) together. We explored the substrate effect on the electromechanical behavior of graphene and designed a strategy of modulus-gradient structure to employ graphene as both the highly sensitive strain sensing element and the insensitive stretchable electrode of the ECD layer. Subtle strain (0-10%) was enough to evoke an obvious color change, and the RGB value of the color quantified the magnitude of the applied strain. Such high sensitivity to smaller strains (0-10%) with color changing capability will potentially enhance the function of wearable devices, robots and prosthetics in the future.

Ultrasensitive Wearable Soft Strain Sensors of Conductive, Self-healing, and Elastic Hydrogels with Synergistic "Soft and Hard" Hybrid Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yan-Jun; Cao, Wen-Tao; Ma, Ming-Guo; Wan, Pengbo

2017-08-02

Robust, stretchable, and strain-sensitive hydrogels have recently attracted immense research interest because of their potential application in wearable strain sensors. The integration of the synergistic characteristics of decent mechanical properties, reliable self-healing capability, and high sensing sensitivity for fabricating conductive, elastic, self-healing, and strain-sensitive hydrogels is still a great challenge. Inspired by the mechanically excellent and self-healing biological soft tissues with hierarchical network structures, herein, functional network hydrogels are fabricated by the interconnection between a "soft" homogeneous polymer network and a "hard" dynamic ferric (Fe 3+ ) cross-linked cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs-Fe 3+ ) network. Under stress, the dynamic CNCs-Fe 3+ coordination bonds act as sacrificial bonds to efficiently dissipate energy, while the homogeneous polymer network leads to a smooth stress-transfer, which enables the hydrogels to achieve unusual mechanical properties, such as excellent mechanical strength, robust toughness, and stretchability, as well as good self-recovery property. The hydrogels demonstrate autonomously self-healing capability in only 5 min without the need of any stimuli or healing agents, ascribing to the reorganization of CNCs and Fe 3+ via ionic coordination. Furthermore, the resulted hydrogels display tunable electromechanical behavior with sensitive, stable, and repeatable variations in resistance upon mechanical deformations. Based on the tunable electromechanical behavior, the hydrogels can act as a wearable strain sensor to monitor finger joint motions, breathing, and even the slight blood pulse. This strategy of building synergistic "soft and hard" structures is successful to integrate the decent mechanical properties, reliable self-healing capability, and high sensing sensitivity together for assembling a high-performance, flexible, and wearable strain sensor.

Enhanced ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties in La-modified PZT ceramics

Science.gov (United States)

Kour, P.; Pradhan, S. K.; Kumar, Pawan; Sinha, S. K.; Kar, Manoranjan

2016-06-01

The effect of lanthanum (La) doping on ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) sample has been investigated. Pb1- x La x Zr0.52Ti0.48O3 ceramics with x = 0.00, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06 and 0.10 were prepared by the sol-gel technique. Raman and Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy have been employed to understand the structural modification due to ionic size mismatch. Raman spectra show the existence of both rhombohedral and tetragonal crystal symmetries. It also shows the dielectric relaxation with increase in La concentration in the sample. The increase in lattice strain due to La doping increases the remnant polarization and coercive field. The linear piezoelectric coefficient increases with the increase in La concentration. It reveals that La-substituted PZT is a better candidate for piezoelectric sensor applications as compared to that of PZT.

Comparison of three and four point bending evaluation of two adhesive bonding systems for glass-ceramic zirconia bi-layered ceramics.

Science.gov (United States)

Gee, C; Weddell, J N; Swain, M V

2017-09-01

To quantify the adhesion of two bonding approaches of zirconia to more aesthetic glass-ceramic materials using the Schwickerath (ISO 9693-2:2016) three point bend (3PB) [1] test to determine the fracture initiation strength and strain energy release rate associated with stable crack extension with this test and the Charalamabides et al. (1989) [2] four point bend (4PB) test. Two glass-ceramic materials (VITABLOCS Triluxe forte, Vita Zahnfabrik, Germany and IPS.emax CAD, Ivoclar Vivadent, Liechtenstein) were bonded to sintered zirconia (VITA InCeram YZ). The former was resin bonded using a dual-cure composite resin (Panavia F 2.0, Kuraray Medical Inc., Osaka, Japan) following etching and silane conditioning, while the IPS.emax CAD was glass bonded (IPS e.max CAD Crystall/Connect) during crystallization of the IPS.emax CAD. Specimens (30) of the appropriate dimensions were fabricated for the Schwickerath 3PB and 4PB tests. Strength values were determined from crack initiation while strain energy release rate values were determined from the minima in the force-displacement curves with the 3PB test (Schneider and Swain, 2015) [3] and for 4PB test from the plateau region of stable crack extension. Strength values for the resin and glass bonded glass ceramics to zirconia were 22.20±6.72MPa and 27.02±3.49MPa respectively. The strain energy release rates for the two methods used were very similar and for the glass bonding, (4PB) 15.14±5.06N/m (or J/m 2 ) and (3PB) 16.83±3.91N/m and resin bonding (4PB) 8.34±1.93N/m and (3PB) 8.44±2.81N/m respectively. The differences in strength and strain energy release rate for the two bonding approaches were statistically significant (pceramics to zirconia. Copyright © 2017 The Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Extraction of diagnostic parameters from the transient response of a porous electro ceramic gas sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hossein-Babaei, F.; Orvatinia, M.

2004-01-01

A novel concept for the diagnosis of a pure target gas in air is presented. The method employs a resistive gas sensor with a mm-thick highly porous electro ceramic gas sensitive body. The diagnosis is based on the fact that the diffusion time of the target gas through the porous body would depend on its molecular properties. The transient response of the device was analyzed based on a diffusion reaction equation. The solutions of the equation were shown to be of diagnostic merits. Such a device was fabricated by partial sintering of a Zn O body formed by low pressure pressing. The transient responses of the device to methanol, ethanol, poropanol and butanol were recorded. The analytical data, and the diagnostic parameters were resulted as the fitting parameters. Comparison of the parameters obtained with those available from the calibration experiments afforded target gas identification

Humidity Sensitivity of MgCr2O4-TiO2-LiO2 Ceramics Sensor Prepared by Sol-Gel Routes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Y. He

2010-05-01

Full Text Available 79.5MgCr2O4–19.5TiO2–Li2O porous ceramics were investigated as a humidity sensor. The sensors obtain by a cold isostatic pressing and sintering of the fine MgCr2O4 and TiO2 and LiCO3 powders. The MgCr2O4 and TiO2 powders were respectively synthesized by sol-gel methods. The effects of sintering temperature on the humidity sensitivity of sensors were studied by measuring electrical resistance in different conditions of relative humidity (R.H. at 27 °C. The results indicated that the calcining temperature obviously affected the resistance variation of the sensor in range of 11.3-84.7 % RH. The resistance variation was small at the calcining temperature of 600 oC for 2 h. With increasing calcining temperature, the resistance variation increased to 5.4×104% and 7.0×104 % at 800 oC and 1000 oC for 2 h, but decreased to 3.1×104 % at 1200 oC for 2 h respectively. The response times are 25 s and 35 s respectively for humidity adsorption and humidity desorption between 11.3 %RH and 84.7 %RH.

Interfacing design and making of Ceramics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Flemming Tvede

2014-01-01

investigates the idea of an interactive digital design tool for designing wall like composition with 3d ceramics and is working on two levels. One which has to do with a digital interactive system that responds on the movement of the hands; at a certain distance the user’s hands appear on a monitor screen......This research investigates the relationship between crafting materiality and digital representation, and how experiential knowledge of crafts rooted in ceramics can be transformed and utilized in the use of digital technologies. Thus the research refers to the overall theme Materiality...... and Aesthetics in the conference. Digital technology as 3D printing with ceramic allows to bridge from the digital design environment to fabrication. At the same time novel digital means can create new interfaces between the human, space and the material. Here advances in 3d motion capture technology and sensors...

Processing and characterization of ceramic superconductor/polymer composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kander, R.G.; Namboodri, S.L.

1993-01-01

One way to more easily process a brittle high-temperature ceramic superconductor into a useful structure is to combine it with a polymer to form a composite material. Processing of polymer-based composites into complex shapes is well established and relatively easy when compared with traditional ceramic processing unit operations. In addition, incorporating a ceramic superconductor into a polymer matrix can improve mechanical performance as compared with a monolithic ceramic. Finally, because ceramic superconductors are susceptible to attack by moisture, a polymer-based composite structure can also provide protection from deleterious environmental effects. This paper focuses on the processing and subsequent characterization of ceramic superconductor/polymer composites designed primarily for electromagnetic shielding and diamagnetic applications. YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x [YBCO] ceramic superconductor is combined with poly(methyl methacrylate) [PMMA] to form novel composite structures. Composite structures have been molded with both a discontinuous superconducting phase (i.e., ceramic particulate reinforced polymers) and with a continuous superconducting phase (i.e., polymer infiltrated porous ceramics). Characterization of these composite structures includes the determination of diamagnetic strength, electromagnetic shielding effectiveness, mechanical performance, and environmental resistance. The goal of this program is to produce a composite structure with increased mechanical integrity and environmental resistance at liquid nitrogen temperatures without compromising the electromagnetic shielding and diamagnetic properties of the superconducting phase. Composites structures of this type are potentially useful in numerous magnetic applications including electromagnetic shielding, magnetic sensors, energy storage, magnetic levitation, and motor windings

Experimental Method of Temperature and Strain Discrimination in Polymer Composite Material by Embedded Fiber-Optic Sensors Based on Femtosecond-Inscribed FBGs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victor V. Shishkin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Experimental method of temperature and strain discrimination with fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs sensors embedded in carbon fiber-reinforced plastic is proposed. The method is based on two-fiber technique, when two FBGs inscribed in different fibers with different sensitivities to strain and/or temperature are placed close to each other and act as a single sensing element. The nonlinear polynomial approximation of Bragg wavelength shift as a function of temperature and strain is presented for this method. The FBGs were inscribed with femtosecond laser by point-by-point inscription technique through polymer cladding of the fiber. The comparison of linear and nonlinear approximation accuracies for array of embedded sensors is performed. It is shown that the use of nonlinear approximation gives 1.5–2 times better accuracy. The obtained accuracies of temperature and strain measurements are 2.6–3.8°C and 50–83 με in temperature and strain range of 30–120°C and 0–400 με, respectively.

Electric field induced lattice strain in pseudocubic Bi(Mg{sub 1/2}Ti{sub 1/2})O{sub 3}-modified BaTiO{sub 3}-BiFeO{sub 3} piezoelectric ceramics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fujii, Ichiro, E-mail: ifujii@rins.ryukoku.ac.jp [Department of Materials Chemistry, Ryukoku University, Otsu, Shiga 520-2194 (Japan); Iizuka, Ryo; Ueno, Shintaro; Nakashima, Kouichi; Wada, Satoshi [Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medical and Engineering, University of Yamanashi, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8510 (Japan); Nakahira, Yuki; Sunada, Yuya; Magome, Eisuke; Moriyoshi, Chikako; Kuroiwa, Yoshihiro [Department of Physical Science, Hiroshima University, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526 (Japan)

2016-04-25

Contributions to the piezoelectric response in pseudocubic 0.3BaTiO{sub 3}-0.1Bi(Mg{sub 1/2}Ti{sub 1/2})O{sub 3}-0.6BiFeO{sub 3} ceramics were investigated by synchrotron X-ray diffraction under electric fields. All of the lattice strain determined from the 110, 111, and 200 pseudocubic diffraction peaks showed similar lattice strain hysteresis that was comparable to the bulk butterfly-like strain curve. It was suggested that the hysteresis of the lattice strain and the lack of anisotropy were related to the complex domain structure and the phase boundary composition.

Comparative Performance of PLZT and PVDF Pyroelectric Sensors Used to the Thermal Characterization of Liquid Samples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gemima Lara Hernandez

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Among the photothermal methods, the photopyroelectric (PPE technique is a suitable method to determine thermal properties of different kinds of samples ranging from solids to liquids and gases. Polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF is one of the most frequently used pyroelectric sensors in PPE technique but has the disadvantage that it can be easily deformed by the sample weight. This deformation could add a piezoelectric effect to the thermal parameters assessment; also PVDF has a narrow temperature operation range when compared with ceramic pyroelectric sensors. In order to minimize possible piezoelectric effects due to sensor deformation, a ceramic of lanthanum modified lead zirconate (PLZT was used as pyroelectric sensor in the PPE technique. Then, thermal diffusivity of some liquid samples was measured, by using the PPE configuration that denominated the thermal wave resonator cavity (TWRC, with a PLZT ceramic as pyroelectric detector. The performance obtained with the proposed ceramic in the TWRC configuration was compared with that obtained with PVDF by using the same configuration.

Optical-fiber strain sensors with asymmetric etched structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Vaziri, M; Chen, C L

1993-11-01

Optical-fiber strain gauges with asymmetric etched structures have been analyzed, fabricated, and tested. These sensors are very sensitive with a gauge factor as high as 170 and a flat frequency response to at least 2.7 kHz. The gauge factor depends on the asymmetry of the etched structures and the number of etched sections. To understand the physical principles involved, researchers have used structural analysis programs based on a finite-element method to analyze fibers with asymmetric etched structures under tensile stress. The results show that lateral bends are induced on the etched fibers when they are stretched axially. To relate the lateral bending to the optical attenuation, we have also employed a ray-tracing technique to investigate the dependence of the attenuation on the structural deformation. Based on the structural analysis and the ray-tracing study parameters affecting the sensitivity have been studied. These results agree with the results of experimental investigations.

Relaxor-PT Single Crystal Piezoelectric Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoning Jiang

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Relaxor-PbTiO3 piezoelectric single crystals have been widely used in a broad range of electromechanical devices, including piezoelectric sensors, actuators, and transducers. This paper reviews the unique properties of these single crystals for piezoelectric sensors. Design, fabrication and characterization of various relaxor-PT single crystal piezoelectric sensors and their applications are presented and compared with their piezoelectric ceramic counterparts. Newly applicable fields and future trends of relaxor-PT sensors are also suggested in this review paper.

Skin inspired fractal strain sensors using a copper nanowire and graphite microflake hybrid conductive network.

Science.gov (United States)

Jason, Naveen N; Wang, Stephen J; Bhanushali, Sushrut; Cheng, Wenlong

2016-09-22

This work demonstrates a facile "paint-on" approach to fabricate highly stretchable and highly sensitive strain sensors by combining one-dimensional copper nanowire networks with two-dimensional graphite microflakes. This paint-on approach allows for the fabrication of electronic skin (e-skin) patches which can directly replicate with high fidelity the human skin surface they are on, regardless of the topological complexity. This leads to high accuracy for detecting biometric signals for applications in personalised wearable sensors. The copper nanowires contribute to high stretchability and the graphite flakes offer high sensitivity, and their hybrid coating offers the advantages of both. To understand the topological effects on the sensing performance, we utilized fractal shaped elastomeric substrates and systematically compared their stretchability and sensitivity. We could achieve a high stretchability of up to 600% and a maximum gauge factor of 3000. Our simple yet efficient paint-on approach enabled facile fine-tuning of sensitivity/stretchability simply by adjusting ratios of 1D vs. 2D materials in the hybrid coating, and the topological structural designs. This capability leads to a wide range of biomedical sensors demonstrated here, including pulse sensors, prosthetic hands, and a wireless ankle motion sensor.

Circular High-Q Resonating Isotropic Strain Sensors with Large Shift of Resonance Frequency under Stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hilmi Volkan Demir

2009-11-01

Full Text Available We present circular architecture bioimplant strain sensors that facilitate a strong resonance frequency shift with mechanical deformation. The clinical application area of these sensors is for in vivo assessment of bone fractures. Using a rectangular geometry, we obtain a resonance shift of 330 MHz for a single device and 170 MHz for its triplet configuration (with three side-by-side resonators on chip under an applied load of 3,920 N. Using the same device parameters with a circular isotropic architecture, we achieve a resonance frequency shift of 500 MHz for the single device and 260 MHz for its triplet configuration, demonstrating substantially increased sensitivity.

Integration of FBG Strain Sensors in WDM Networks, Effects on Quality Factor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Al-Lawati

2009-06-01

Full Text Available A study of the effect of integrating an FBG sensor in a four wavelength WDM communications system operating at 1550 nm is presented. The simulations considered focus on the mutual effects of both the sensing and the communications systems. The effect of power levels of the interrogating optical source on the performance of the two systems is also investigated under excitation levels of up to 10 dBm. The network layout used in the simulations is based on an actual optical link in Oman having a variety of spans. The results obtained at data rates of 2.5 and 10 Gbps with variable strains up to ±600 μs show a good tolerance in terms of quality of transmission for the two systems. However, the greater the strain values, the more noticeable are the degradations of transmission quality parameters of the communications system.

Nanocomposite Strain Gauges Having Small TCRs

Science.gov (United States)

Gregory, Otto; Chen, Ximing

2009-01-01

Ceramic strain gauges in which the strain-sensitive electrically conductive strips made from nanocomposites of noble metal and indium tin oxide (ITO) are being developed for use in gas turbine engines and other power-generation systems in which gas temperatures can exceed 1,500 F (about 816 C). In general, strain gauges exhibit spurious thermally induced components of response denoted apparent strain. When temperature varies, a strain-gauge material that has a nonzero temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) exhibits an undesired change in electrical resistance that can be mistaken for the change in resistance caused by a change in strain. It would be desirable to formulate straingauge materials having TCRs as small as possible so as to minimize apparent strain. Most metals exhibit positive TCRs, while most semiconductors, including ITO, exhibit negative TCRs. The present development is based on the idea of using the negative TCR of ITO to counter the positive TCRs of noble metals and of obtaining the benefit of the ability of both ITO and noble metals to endure high temperatures. The noble metal used in this development thus far has been platinum. Combinatorial libraries of many ceramic strain gauges containing nanocomposites of various proportions of ITO and platinum were fabricated by reactive co-sputtering from ITO and platinum targets onto alumina- and zirconia-based substrates mounted at various positions between the targets.

Potassium Sodium Niobate-Based Lead-Free Piezoelectric Multilayer Ceramics Co-Fired with Nickel Electrodes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shinichiro Kawada

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Although lead-free piezoelectric ceramics have been extensively studied, many problems must still be overcome before they are suitable for practical use. One of the main problems is fabricating a multilayer structure, and one solution attracting growing interest is the use of lead-free multilayer piezoelectric ceramics. The paper reviews work that has been done by the authors on lead-free alkali niobate-based multilayer piezoelectric ceramics co-fired with nickel inner electrodes. Nickel inner electrodes have many advantages, such as high electromigration resistance, high interfacial strength with ceramics, and greater cost effectiveness than silver palladium inner electrodes. However, widely used lead zirconate titanate-based ceramics cannot be co-fired with nickel inner electrodes, and silver palladium inner electrodes are usually used for lead zirconate titanate-based piezoelectric ceramics. A possible alternative is lead-free ceramics co-fired with nickel inner electrodes. We have thus been developing lead-free alkali niobate-based multilayer ceramics co-fired with nickel inner electrodes. The normalized electric-field-induced thickness strain (Smax/Emax of a representative alkali niobate-based multilayer ceramic structure with nickel inner electrodes was 360 pm/V, where Smax denotes the maximum strain and Emax denotes the maximum electric field. This value is about half that for the lead zirconate titanate-based ceramics that are widely used. However, a comparable value can be obtained by stacking more ceramic layers with smaller thicknesses. In the paper, the compositional design and process used to co-fire lead-free ceramics with nickel inner electrodes are introduced, and their piezoelectric properties and reliabilities are shown. Recent advances are introduced, and future development is discussed.

Coherent Pound-Drever-Hall technique for high resolution fiber optic strain sensor at very low light power

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Mengxin; Liu, Qingwen; Chen, Jiageng; He, Zuyuan

2017-04-01

Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH) technique has been widely adopted for ultrahigh resolution fiber-optic sensors, but its performance degenerates seriously as the light power drops. To solve this problem, we developed a coherent PDH technique for weak optical signal detection, with which the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of demodulated PDH signal is dramatically improved. In the demonstrational experiments, a high resolution fiber-optic sensor using the proposed technique is realized, and n"-order strain resolution at a low light power down to -43 dBm is achieved, which is about 15 dB lower compared with classical PDH technique. The proposed coherent PDH technique has great potentials in longer distance and larger scale sensor networks.

Porosity Dependence of Piezoelectric Properties for Porous Potassium Niobate System Ceramics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wada, S; Mase, Y; Shimizu, S; Maeda, K; Fujii, I; Nakashima, K; Pulpan, P; Miyajima, N, E-mail: swada@yamanashi.ac.jp [Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medical and Engineering, University of Yamanashi, 4-4-37 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8510 (Japan)

2011-10-29

Porous potassium niobate (KNbO{sub 3}, KN) system ceramics were prepared by a conventional sintering method using carbon black (CB) nanoparticles. First, KN nanoparticles with a size of 100 nm was mixed with CB nanoparticles and binder using ball milling with ethanol. The mixture was dried, and pressed into pellets using uniaxial pressing. After binder burnout, these ceramics was sintered in air. Their piezoelectric properties were measured and discussed a relationship between porosity and piezoelectric properties. As the results, with increasing porosity, piezoelectric g33 constant increased significantly, which suggested that porous ceramics were effective for stress sensor application.

Porosity Dependence of Piezoelectric Properties for Porous Potassium Niobate System Ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wada, S; Mase, Y; Shimizu, S; Maeda, K; Fujii, I; Nakashima, K; Pulpan, P; Miyajima, N

2011-01-01

Porous potassium niobate (KNbO 3 , KN) system ceramics were prepared by a conventional sintering method using carbon black (CB) nanoparticles. First, KN nanoparticles with a size of 100 nm was mixed with CB nanoparticles and binder using ball milling with ethanol. The mixture was dried, and pressed into pellets using uniaxial pressing. After binder burnout, these ceramics was sintered in air. Their piezoelectric properties were measured and discussed a relationship between porosity and piezoelectric properties. As the results, with increasing porosity, piezoelectric g33 constant increased significantly, which suggested that porous ceramics were effective for stress sensor application.

Field-induced strain memory with non-180 .deg. domain-reorientation control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kadota, Yoichi; Hosaka, Hiroshi; Morita, Takeshi

2010-01-01

Using non-180 .deg. domain-reorientation control, we propose the strain memory effect in ferroelectric ceramics. Electric fields with asymmetric amplitudes were applied to soft-type lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics, and the strain hysteresis and the polarization loop were measured. The butterfly curve became asymmetric under an electric field with a particular asymmetric amplitude. The asymmetric butterfly curve had two stable strain states at zero electric field. Thus, the strain memory effect was realized as the difference between the two stable strain states. An XRD analysis was carried out to verify the contribution of the non-180 .deg. domain reorientation to the strain memory effect. The non-180 .deg. domain reorientation was determined as the intensity ratio of the (002) to the (200) peak. The strain memory determined from macroscopic strain measurements had a linear relationship to the non-180 .deg. domain volume fraction. This result indicated the origin of the strain memory to be the non-180 .deg. domain reorientation.

Architectural integration of energy solar collectors made with ceramic materials and suitable for the Mediterranean climate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Roviras

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The work presented here aims to demonstrate the technical, architectural and energy viability of solar thermal collectors made with ceramic materials and the Mediterranean climate suitable for the production of domestic hot water (DHW and for heating systems in buildings. The design of a ceramic shell formed by panels collectors and panels no sensors, which are part of the same building system that is capable of responding to the basic requirements of a building envelope and capture solar energy is proposed. Ceramics considerably reduced the final cost of the sensor system and offers the new system a variety of compositional and chromatic since, with reduced performance compared to a conventional metallic collector, can occupy the entire surface of front and get a high degree of architectural integration. A tool for assessing the new ceramic solar collector has been defined from a multi-criteria perspective: economic, environmental and social. The tool enables the comparison of the ceramic solar collector with solar collectors on the market under different climatic and demand conditions.

Wireless contactless pressure measurement of an LC passive pressure sensor with a novel antenna for high-temperature applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Chen; Tan Qiu-Lin; Xue Chen-Yang; Zhang Wen-Dong; Li Yun-Zhi; Xiong Ji-Jun

2015-01-01

In this paper, a novel antenna is proposed for high-temperature testing, which can make the high-temperature pressure characteristics of a wireless passive ceramic pressure sensor demonstrated at up to a temperature of 600 °C. The design parameters of the antenna are similar to those of the sensor, which will increase the coupling strength between the sensor and testing antenna. The antenna is fabricated in thick film integrated technology, and the properties of the alumina ceramic and silver ensure the feasibility of the antenna in high-temperature environments. The sensor, coupled with the ceramic antenna, is investigated using a high-temperature pressure testing platform. The experimental measurement results show that the pressure signal in a harsh environment can be detected by the frequency diversity of the sensor. (paper)

Pressure-sensitive strain sensor based on a single percolated Ag nanowire layer embedded in colorless polyimide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Chan-Jae [Display Materials & Components Research Center, Korea Electronics Technology Institute, 68 Yatap-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam 463-816 (Korea, Republic of); Jun, Sungwoo [Display Materials & Components Research Center, Korea Electronics Technology Institute, 68 Yatap-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam 463-816 (Korea, Republic of); Display and Nanosystem Laboratory, College of Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 136-713 (Korea, Republic of); Ju, Byeong-Kwon [Display and Nanosystem Laboratory, College of Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 136-713 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jong-Woong, E-mail: wyjd@keti.re.kr [Display Materials & Components Research Center, Korea Electronics Technology Institute, 68 Yatap-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam 463-816 (Korea, Republic of)

2017-06-01

This paper presents the fabrication of an elastomer-free, transparent, pressure-sensitive strain sensor consisting of a specially designed silver nanowire (AgNW) pattern and colorless polyimide (cPI). A percolated AgNW network was patterned with a simple tandem compound circuit, which was then embedded in the surface of the cPI via inverted layer processing. The resulting film-type sensor was highly transparent (~93.5% transmittance at 550 nm) and mechanically stable (capable of resisting 10000 cycles of bending to a 500 µm radius of curvature). We demonstrated that a thin, transparent, and mechanically stable electrode can be produced using a combination of AgNWs and cPI, and used to produce a system sensitive to pressure-induced bending. The capacitance of the AgNW tandem compound electrode pattern grew via fringing, which increased with the pressure-induced bending applied to the surface of the sensor. The sensitivity was four times higher than that of an elastomeric pressure sensor made with the same design. Finally, we demonstrated a skin-like pressure sensor attached to the inside wrist of a human arm. - Highlights: • A thin, transparent pressure sensor was fabricated from AgNWs and cPI. • An AgNW network was patterned with a simple circuit, and then embedded into cPI. • The resulting film-type sensor was highly transparent and mechanically stable. • The sensor sensitivity was 4x higher than that of an elastomeric pressure sensor.

Characterization of mechanical damage mechanisms in ceramic composite materials. Technical report, 23 May 1987-24 May 1988

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lankford, J.

1988-09-01

High-strain-rate compressive failure mechanisms in fiber-reinforced ceramic-matrix composite materials were characterized. These are contrasted with composite damage development at low-strain rates, and with the dynamic failure of monolithic ceramics. It is shown that it is possible to derive major strain-rate strengthening benefits if a major fraction of the fiber reinforcement is aligned with the load axis. This effect considerably exceeds the inertial microfracture strengthening observed in monolithic ceramics, and non-aligned composites. Its basis is shown to be the trans-specimen propagation time period for heterogeneously-nucleated, high-strain kink bands. A brief study on zirconia focused on the remarkable inverse strength-strain rate result previously observed for both fully and partially-stabilized zirconia single crystals, whereby the strength decreased with increasing strain rate. Based on the hypothesis that the suppression of microplastic flow, hence, local stress relaxation, might be responsible for this behavior, fully stabilized (i.e., non-transformable) specimens were strain-gaged and subjected to compressive microstrain. The rather stunning observation was that the crystals are highly microplastic, exhibiting plastic yield on loading and anelasticity and reverse plasticity upon unloading. These results clearly support the hypothesis that with increasing strain rate, microcracking is favored at the expense of microplasticity.

Advances in Fiber Optic Sensors Technology Development for temperature and strain measurements in Superconducting magnets and devices

CERN Document Server

Chiuchiolo, A.; Bajko, M.; Bottura, L.; Consales, M.; Cusano, A.; Giordano, M.; Perez, J. C.

2016-01-01

The luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) requires the development of a new generation of superconducting magnets based on Nb$_{3}$Sn technology. In order to monitor the magnet thermo-mechanical behaviour during its service life, from the coil fabrication to the magnet operation, reliable sensing systems need to be implemented. In the framework of the FP7 European project EUCARD, Nb$_{3}$Sn racetrack coils are developed as test beds for the fabrication validation, the cable characterization and the instrumentation development. Fiber optic sensors (FOS) based on Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) technology have been embedded in the coils of the Short Model Coil (SMC) magnet. The FBG sensitivity to both temperature and strain required the development of a solution able to separate the mechanical and temperature effects. This work presents the feasibility study of the implementation of embedded FBG sensors for the temperature and strain monitoring of the 11 T type conductor. We aim to monitor and regi...

Electronic property measurements for piezoelectric ceramics. Technical notes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cain, M.; Stewart, M.; Gee, M.

1998-01-01

A series of measurement notes are presented, with emphasis placed on the technical nature of the testing methodology, for the determination of key electronic properties for piezoelectric ceramic materials that are used as sensors and actuators. The report is segmented into 'sections' that may be read independently from the rest of the report. The following measurement issues are discussed: Polarisation/Electric field (PE) loop measurements including a discussion of commercial and an in-house constructed system that measures PE loops; Dielectric measurements at low and high stress application, including some thermal and stress dependency modelling of piezo materials properties, developed at NPL; Strain measurement techniques developed at CMMT; Charge measurement techniques suitable for PE loop and other data acquisition; PE loop measurement and software analysis developed at CMMT and Manchester University. The primary objective of this report is to provide a framework on which the remainder of the testing procedures are to be developed for measurements of piezoelectric properties at high stress and stress rate. These procedures will be the subject of a future publication. (author)

Packaging Technologies for 500C SiC Electronics and Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Liang-Yu

2013-01-01

Various SiC electronics and sensors are currently under development for applications in 500C high temperature environments such as hot sections of aerospace engines and the surface of Venus. In order to conduct long-term test and eventually commercialize these SiC devices, compatible packaging technologies for the SiC electronics and sensors are required. This presentation reviews packaging technologies developed for 500C SiC electronics and sensors to address both component and subsystem level packaging needs for high temperature environments. The packaging system for high temperature SiC electronics includes ceramic chip-level packages, ceramic printed circuit boards (PCBs), and edge-connectors. High temperature durable die-attach and precious metal wire-bonding are used in the chip-level packaging process. A high temperature sensor package is specifically designed to address high temperature micro-fabricated capacitive pressure sensors for high differential pressure environments. This presentation describes development of these electronics and sensor packaging technologies, including some testing results of SiC electronics and capacitive pressure sensors using these packaging technologies.

Strain measurement using multiplexed fiber optic sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, Il Bum; Kim, Chi Yeop; Yoon, Dong Jin; Lee, Seung Seok

2003-01-01

FBG(Fiber Bragg grating) sensor, which is one of the fiber optic sensors for the application of smart structures, can not only measure one specific point but also multiple points by multiplexing techniques. We have proposed a novel multiplexing technique of FBG sensor by the intensity modulation of light source. This technique is applicable to WDM(Wavelength Division Multiplexing) technique and number of sensors in this system can be increased by using this technique with WDM technique.

Fabrication of low specific resistance ceramic carbon composites by ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2017-09-07

Sep 7, 2017 ... many applications such as discrete resistors used in electronic circuits, pressure sensors used in ... A dispersant, sodium polyacrylate (NaPAA) (1 ml/100 g of ceramic powder) and an anti-foaming agent, n-octanol (100 μl/100 ...

Construction and testing of a system for the electrical characterization of ceramic thermistors at low temperatures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. C. S. Luz

2014-03-01

Full Text Available A high-precision and low cost system was built for the electrical characterization of ceramic thermistors at low temperatures, using components readily available in materials research laboratories. The system presented excellent reproducibility in the electrical characterization of NTC ceramic sensors from -75 ºC (195 K to 23 ºC (296 K. The behavior of the NTC sensor was comparable to that of commercial thermistors only below room temperature (α = -3.2%/K, demonstrating the importance of fully characterizing these materials at both low and high temperatures.

Sensors and packages based on LTCC and thick-film technology for ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Reliable operation in harsh environments such as high temperatures, high pressures, aggressive media and space, poses special requirements for sensors and packages, which usually cannot be met using polymer-based technologies. Ceramic technologies, especially LTCC (Low-Temperature Cofired Ceramic), offer a ...

Flexible heartbeat sensor for wearable device.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwak, Yeon Hwa; Kim, Wonhyo; Park, Kwang Bum; Kim, Kunnyun; Seo, Sungkyu

2017-08-15

We demonstrate a flexible strain-gauge sensor and its use in a wearable application for heart rate detection. This polymer-based strain-gauge sensor was fabricated using a double-sided fabrication method with polymer and metal, i.e., polyimide and nickel-chrome. The fabrication process for this strain-gauge sensor is compatible with the conventional flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) processes facilitating its commercialization. The fabricated sensor showed a linear relation for an applied normal force of more than 930 kPa, with a minimum detectable force of 6.25Pa. This sensor can also linearly detect a bending radius from 5mm to 100mm. It is a thin, flexible, compact, and inexpensive (for mass production) heart rate detection sensor that is highly sensitive compared to the established optical photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors. It can detect not only the timing of heart pulsation, but also the amplitude or shape of the pulse signal. The proposed strain-gauge sensor can be applicable to various applications for smart devices requiring heartbeat detection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation results of the 700 deg C Chinese strain gages

Science.gov (United States)

Hobart, H. F.

1984-01-01

There is a continuing interest and need for resistance strain gages capable of making static strain measurements on components located in the hot section of gas turbine engines. A paper by Tsen-tai Wu describes the development and evaluation of high temperature gauges fabricated from specially developed Fe-Cr-Al-V-Ti-Y alloy wire. Several of these gages and a quantity of P12-2 ceramic adhesive were purchased for evaluation. Nine members of the aircraft turbine engine community were invited to participate in an evaluation of these gages. Each participant was sent one strain gage, a small amount of ceramic adhesive, instructions for mounting the gage on a test beam, and a set of suggestions for the experiment. Data on gage factor variation with temperature, apparent strain, and drift are discussed.

Thermal-Conductivity Studies of Macro-porous Polymer-Derived SiOC Ceramics

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, L.; Li, Y. M.; Zheng, X. H.; Zhu, J.; Tang, D. W.; Wu, J. Q.; Xu, C. H.

2014-01-01

A three-dimensional reticular macro-porous SiOC ceramics structure, made of spherical agglomerates, has been thermally characterized using a freestanding sensor-based method. The effective thermal conductivity of the macro-porous SiOC ceramics, including the effects of voids, is found to be to at room temperature, comparable with that of alumina aerogel or carbon aerogel. These results suggest that SiOC ceramics hold great promise as a thermal insulation material for use at high temperatures. The measured results further reveal that the effective thermal conductivity is limited by the low solid-phase volume fraction for the SiOC series processed at the same conditions. For SiOC ceramics processed under different pyrolysis temperatures, the contact condition between neighboring particles in the SiOC networks is another key factor influencing the effective thermal conductivity.

Life cycle strain monitoring in glass fibre reinforced polymer laminates using embedded fibre Bragg grating sensors from manufacturing to failure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Michael Wenani; Schmidt, Jacob Wittrup; Høgh, Jacob Herold

2013-01-01

A holistic approach to strain monitoring in fibre-reinforced polymer composites is presented using embedded fibre Bragg grating sensors. Internal strains are monitored in unidirectional E-glass/epoxy laminate beams during vacuum infusion, curing, post-curing and subsequent loading in flexure until...... of the different cure temperatures and tool/part interfaces used. Substantial internal process-induced strains develop in the transverse fibre direction, which should be taken into consideration when designing fibre-reinforced polymer laminates. Flexure tests indicate no significant difference in the mechanical...

A spectral profile multiplexed FBG sensor network with application to strain measurement in a Kevlar woven fabric

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Guodong; Hackney, Drew; Pankow, Mark; Peters, Kara

2017-04-01

A spectral profile division multiplexed fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor network is described in this paper. The unique spectral profile of each sensor in the network is identified as a distinct feature to be interrogated. Spectrum overlap is allowed under working conditions. Thus, a specific wavelength window does not need to be allocated to each sensor as in a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) network. When the sensors are serially connected in the network, the spectrum output is expressed through a truncated series. To track the wavelength shift of each sensor, the identification problem is transformed to a nonlinear optimization problem, which is then solved by a modified dynamic multi-swarm particle swarm optimizer (DMS-PSO). To demonstrate the application of the developed network, a network consisting of four FBGs was integrated into a Kevlar woven fabric, which was under a quasi-static load imposed by an impactor head. Due to the substantial radial strain in the fabric, the spectrums of different FBGs were found to overlap during the loading process. With the developed interrogating method, the overlapped spectrum would be distinguished thus the wavelength shift of each sensor can be monitored.

Time-domain multiplexed high resolution fiber optics strain sensor system based on temporal response of fiber Fabry-Perot interferometers.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jiageng; Liu, Qingwen; He, Zuyuan

2017-09-04

We developed a multiplexed strain sensor system with high resolution using fiber Fabry-Perot interferometers (FFPI) as sensing elements. The temporal responses of the FFPIs excited by rectangular laser pulses are used to obtain the strain applied on each FFPI. The FFPIs are connected by cascaded couplers and delay fiber rolls for the time-domain multiplexing. A compact optoelectronic system performing closed-loop cyclic interrogation is employed to improve the sensing resolution and the frequency response. In the demonstration experiment, 3-channel strain sensing with resolutions better than 0.1 nε and frequency response higher than 100 Hz is realized.

Theory and Practice of Shear/Stress Strain Gage Hygrometry

Science.gov (United States)

Shams, Qamar A.; Fenner, Ralph L.

2006-01-01

Mechanical hygrometry has progressed during the last several decades from crude hygroscopes to state-of-the art strain-gage sensors. The strain-gage devices vary from different metallic beams to strain-gage sensors using cellulose crystallite elements, held in full shear restraint. This old technique is still in use but several companies are now actively pursuing development of MEMS miniaturized humidity sensors. These new sensors use polyimide thin film for water vapor adsorption and desorption. This paper will provide overview about modern humidity sensors.

Kirigami-based PVDF thin-film as stretchable strain sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Nan; Chen, Dajing; Hao, Nanjing; Huang, Shicheng; Yu, Xiaojiao; Zhang, John X. J.; Chen, Zi

Kirigami, as the sister of the origami, involves cutting of 2D sheets to form complex 3D geometries with out-of-plane patterns. Motivated by the development of the high-stretchable biomedical devices, we explore the stretchability of the kirigami-based PVDF thin film under tension. Our structural prototypes include a set of 2D geometry with kirigami-based pattern cutting on PVDF thin films. We first used paper models to generate a wide range of cutting patterns to study the deformation under compression tests, the results of which are compared with finite element simulations. We then proceeded to test different kirigami-based designs to identify geometric parameters that can tune the post-buckling response and strain distribution. Next, we fabricated and tested the PVDF thin film with kirigami pattern. Experiments showed that the PVDF film in the absence of cutting can be stretched to a limited extent and will break upon further stretching. In contrast, the kirigami-based films can be stretched up to 100% without failure. Our designs demonstrate the ability to significantly improve the strain range of the structure and sensing ability of a sensor. We envision a promising future to use this class of structural elements to develop highly stretchable materials, structures, and devices. Z.C. acknowledges the Society in Science-Branco Weiss fellowship, administered by ETH Zürich. J.X.J.Z. acknowledges the NIH Director's Transformative Research Award (1R01 OD022910-01).

Mechanical properties of polymer-infiltrated-ceramic-network materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Coldea, Andrea; Swain, Michael V; Thiel, Norbert

2013-04-01

To determine and identify correlations between flexural strength, strain at failure, elastic modulus and hardness versus ceramic network densities of a range of novel polymer-infiltrated-ceramic-network (PICN) materials. Four ceramic network densities ranging from 59% to 72% of theoretical density, resin infiltrated PICN as well as pure polymer and dense ceramic cross-sections were subjected to Vickers Indentations (HV 5) for hardness evaluation. The flexural strength and elastic modulus were measured using three-point-bending. The fracture response of PICNs was determined for cracks induced by Vickers-indentation. Optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to observe the indented areas. Depending on the density of the porous ceramic the flexural strength of PICNs ranged from 131 to 160MPa, the hardness values ranged between 1.05 and 2.10GPa and the elastic modulus between 16.4 and 28.1GPa. SEM observations of the indentation induced cracks indicate that the polymer network causes greater crack deflection than the dense ceramic material. The results were compared with simple analytical expressions for property variation of two phase composite materials. This study points out the correlation between ceramic network density, elastic modulus and hardness of PICNs. These materials are considered to more closely imitate natural tooth properties compared with existing dental restorative materials. Copyright © 2013 Academy of Dental Materials. All rights reserved.

Stretchable Complementary Split Ring Resonator (CSRR-Based Radio Frequency (RF Sensor for Strain Direction and Level Detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seunghyun Eom

2016-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we proposed a stretchable radio frequency (RF sensor to detect strain direction and level. The stretchable sensor is composed of two complementary split ring resonators (CSRR with microfluidic channels. In order to achieve stretchability, liquid metal (eutectic gallium-indium, EGaIn and Ecoflex substrate are used. Microfluidic channels are built by Ecoflex elastomer and microfluidic channel frames. A three-dimensional (3D printer is used for fabrication of microfluidic channel frames. Two CSRR resonators are designed to resonate 2.03 GHz and 3.68 GHz. When the proposed sensor is stretched from 0 to 8 mm along the +x direction, the resonant frequency is shifted from 3.68 GHz to 3.13 GHz. When the proposed sensor is stretched from 0 to 8 mm along the −x direction, the resonant frequency is shifted from 2.03 GHz to 1.78 GHz. Therefore, we can detect stretched length and direction from independent variation of two resonant frequencies.

Instrument for measuring fuel cladding strain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Billeter, T.R.

1976-01-01

Development work to provide instrumentation for the continuous measurement of strain of material specimens such as nuclear fuel cladding has shown that a microwave sensor and associated instrumentation hold promise. The cylindrical sensor body enclosing the specimen results in a coaxial resonator absorbing microwave energy at frequencies dependent upon the diameter of the specimen. Diametral changes of a microinch can be resolved with use of the instrumentation. Very reasonable values of elastic strain were measured at 75 0 F and 1000 0 F for an internally pressurized 20 percent C.W. 316 stainless steel specimen simulating nuclear fuel cladding. The instrument also indicated the creep strain of the same specimen pressurized at 6500 psi and at a temperature of 1000 0 F for a period of 700 hours. Although the indicated strain appears greater than actual, the sensor/specimen unit experienced considerable oxidation even though an inert gas purge persisted throughout the test duration. By monitoring at least two modes of resonance, the measured strain was shown to be nearly independent of sensor temperature. To prevent oxidation, a second test was performed in which the specimen/sensor units were contained in an evacuated enclosure. The strain of the two prepressurized specimens as indicated by the microwave instrumentation agreed very closely with pre- and post-test measurements obtained with use of a laser interferometer

Strain sensors for civil engineering application based on CoFeCrSiB amorphous ribbons

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Bydžovský, J.; Kollár, M.; Jančárik, V.; Švec, P.; Kraus, Luděk

2002-01-01

Roč. 52, Suppl. A (2002), s. A117-A120 ISSN 0011-4626. [Czech and Slovak Conference on Magnetism. Košice, 20.08.2001-23.08.2001] Grant - others:NATO(XX) SfP973649; VEGA(XX) 1/7609/20 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z1010914 Keywords : magnetic amorphous ribbon * stress-induced anisotropy * strain sensor Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 0.311, year: 2002

The growth of urchin-like Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} directly on sensor substrate and its gas sensing properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shen, Shui Fa, E-mail: sfshen@fzu.edu.cn; Xu, Mei Li; Lin, Dong Bao; Pan, Hai Bo

2017-02-28

Highlights: • Urchin-like Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} successfully grew on ceramic tube by a hydrothermal method. • The dependence of the product morphology on reaction additives was investigated. • The formation mechanism of urchin-like Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} was proposed. • The sensor with urchin-like Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} growing directly on ceramic tubes exhibits higher response sensitivity than the sensors fabricated from other morphological Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} or by traditional coating method. - Abstract: Urchin-like Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} has successfully grown directly on ITO glass and sensor ceramic substrate through hydrothermal reaction followed by calcination. The combined characterizations of X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, nitrogen adsorption-desorption and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicate that the as-prepared product possesses good crystallinity, large specific surface area and urchin-like morphology which is greatly influenced by the reaction additives. The sensor with urchin-like Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} growing directly on ceramic sensor tube exhibits higher response sensitivity than the sensors fabricated with other morphological Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} or by traditional coating method.

Relaxor-ferroelectric BaLnZT (Ln = La, Nd, Sm, Eu, and Sc) ceramics for actuator and energy storage application

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, Sarit K.; Mallick, Kaushik; Tiwari, B.; Sinha, E.; Rout, S. K.

2018-01-01

Lead free ceramics Ba1-x Ln2x/3Zr0.3Ti0.7O3 (Ln = La, Nd, Sm, Eu and Sc), x = 0.02-0.10 are investigated for electrostrictive effect and energy storage properties in the proximity of relaxor-paraelectric phase boundary. Relaxor phase evidence from slim hysteresis loop and low remnant polarization are the key parameters responsible for improve the electrostrictive effect and energy storage properties simultaneously. With increase in rare earth content negative strain disappeared and almost hysteresis free strain is achieved. Strain-hysteresis profile in term of S-E, S-E 2 and S-P 2 is used to analyze the electrostrictive behavior of these ceramics. An average strain (S%) ˜ 0.03%, is accomplished at initial concentrations of x = 0.02-0.04 and electrostrictive coefficients (Q 11, and M 11) as well as the energy storage density is improved by a factor of 1.2 and 2.6 respectively when compare with pure (x = 0.0) ceramic. Above x ≥ 0.06, all compositions show a stable behavior which suggested the possibilities of these relaxor ceramics towards high precision actuators and energy storage application.

Impedance spectroscopy on pH-sensors with lithium lanthanum titanate sensitive material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bohnke, Cl.; Fourquet, J.-L.

2003-01-01

The ceramic Li 3x La 2/3-x , 1/3-2x TiO 3 is used, in an all-solid-state configuration, as pH-sensor in aqueous buffer solution. This ceramic displays a pH sensitivity comparable to the one obtained with a commercial glass electrode and does not show any sensitivity to the redox potential of the solution. This is one of the remarkable properties of this ceramic pH-sensor. It is shown in this paper that the reproducibility and the behaviour of the pH-response depend on the morphology of the grain boundaries particularly on the size of the grains. A so-called 'good' pH-response is obtained with a ceramic showing big and homogeneous grains. Complex impedance spectroscopy reveals that such ceramic has a high grain boundary resistance. Furthermore, this electrochemical technique allows us to determine that the interface reaction involved in the pH detection has a time constant of the order of the second. Several assumptions such as ion exchange or acid-base reaction are proposed to explain the sensitivity of the ceramic material to the pH of the solution

Enhanced FBG sensor-based system performance assessment for monitoring strain along a prestressed CFRP rod in structural monitoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kerrouche, A.; Boyle, W.J.O.; Sun, T.

2009-01-01

of the existing FBG-based system and the evaluation of the software developed to be compatible with a resolution reaching as high as +/- 0.15 mu epsilon is presented. The system has been tested under particular conditions where a prestressed CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced polymer) rod to which a FBG sensor......Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor-based systems have been widely used for many engineering applications including most recently a number of applications in structural health monitoring. It is well known that strain and temperature both affect the FBG spectrum which in the interrogation system...

Multidimensional inverse heat conduction problem: optimization of sensor locations and utilization of thermal-strain measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanc, Gilles

1996-01-01

This work is devoted to the solution of the inverse multidimensional heat conduction problem. The first part is the determination of a methodology for determining the minimum number of sensors and the best sensor locations. The method is applied to a 20 problem but the extension to 30 problems is quite obvious. This methodology is based on the study of the rate of representation. This new concept allows to determine the quantity and the quality of the information obtain from the various sensors. The rate of representation is a useful tool for experimental design. lt can be determined very quickly by the transposed matrix method. This approach was validated with an experimental set-up. The second part is the development of a method that uses thermal strain measurement instead of temperature measurements to estimate the unknown thermal boundary conditions. We showed that this new sensor has two advantages in comparison with the classical temperature measurements: higher frequency can be estimated and smaller number of sensors can be used for 20 problems. The main weakness is, presently, the fact that the method can only be applied to beams. The results obtained from the numerical simulations were validated by the analysis of experimental data obtained on an experimental set-up especially designed and built for this study. (author) [fr

Influence of Fabricating Process on Gas Sensing Properties of ZnO Nanofiber-Based Sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Lei; Wang Rui; Liu Yong; Dong Liang

2011-01-01

ZnO nanofibers are synthesized by an electrospinning method and characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Two types of gas sensors are fabricated by loading these nanofibers as the sensing materials and their performances are investigated in detail. Compared with the sensors based on traditional ceramic tubes with Au electrodes (traditional sensors), the sensors fabricated by spinning ZnO nanofibers on ceramic planes with Ag-Pd electrodes (plane sensors) exhibit much higher sensing properties. The sensitivity for the plane sensors is about 30 to 100 ppm ethanol at 300°C, while the value is only 13 for the traditional sensors. The response and recovery times are about 2 and 3s for the plane sensors and are 3 and 6s for the traditional sensors, respectively. Lower minimum-detection-limit is also found for the plane sensors. These improvements are explained by considering the morphological damage in the fabricating process for traditional sensors. The results suggest that the plane sensors are more suitable to sensing investigation for higher veracity. (general)

Piezoelectric and dielectric properties of polymer-ceramic composites for sensors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

James, N.K.

2015-01-01

The main objective of this PhD thesis is to develop new routes and concepts for manufacturing piezoelectric ceramic-polymer composites with adequate piezoelectric properties while retaining ease of manufacturing and mechanical flexibility and explore new possibilities to maximize especially the

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF CERAMICS MICROFILTRATION MEMBRANE FOR WATER TREATMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F.T. Owoeye

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Ceramic membranes are especially suitable for processes with high temperatures and harsh chemical environments or for processes where sterilizability of the membrane is important. The main objective of this work is to determine the evaluation of four different ceramic membranes with different material compositions. Ceramic disc type microfiltration membranes were fabricated by the mould and press method from different percentage compositions of clay, kaolin, sawdust and wood charcoal. The fabricated membranes were sintered at a temperature of 1100°C and characterized by an X-ray diffractometer and optical scanner. Compressibility tests and physical properties of the membranes were also examined. It was observed that, as the percentage composition of kaolin increased from 0 to 80% and the percentage composition of clay decreased from 80 to 0% respectively, the compressive stress of all the sample membranes increased, with an increase in compressive strain from 1.8 to 2.4. Sample A had the highest value of compressive stress from 1.8 to 2.2 compressive strain, but sample B had the highest value of compressive stress of 150MPa at a compressive strain of 2.4. Optical micrographs of all membranes showed the presence of uniformly distributed pores and no cracks were seen around them. It was concluded that, with increasing percentage of kaolin and decreasing percentage of clay, there was a decrease in porosity and water absorption, as well as a decrease in the mechanical properties of the fabricated membranes.

Mapping of strain mechanisms in barium titanate by three-dimensional X-ray diffraction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Majkut, Marta

This thesis presents an in-situ three-dimensional study of the grain-scale response of a prototypical piezoelectric ceramic, barium titanate (BT), to an exernally applied electric field. Piezoceramics take advantage of the coupling of electrical and mechanical energies for use in sensors and actu......This thesis presents an in-situ three-dimensional study of the grain-scale response of a prototypical piezoelectric ceramic, barium titanate (BT), to an exernally applied electric field. Piezoceramics take advantage of the coupling of electrical and mechanical energies for use in sensors...

A Harsh Environment-Oriented Wireless Passive Temperature Sensor Realized by LTCC Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiulin Tan

2014-03-01

Full Text Available To meet measurement needs in harsh environments, such as high temperature and rotating applications, a wireless passive Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics (LTCC temperature sensor based on ferroelectric dielectric material is presented in this paper. As a LC circuit which consists of electrically connected temperature sensitive capacitor and invariable planar spiral inductor, the sensor has its resonant frequency shift with the variation in temperature. Within near-filed coupling distance, the variation in resonant frequency of the sensor can be detected contactlessly by extracting the impedance parameters of an external antenna. Ferroelectric ceramic, which has temperature sensitive permittivity, is used as the dielectric. The fabrication process of the sensor, which differs from conventional LTCC technology, is described in detail. The sensor is tested three times from room temperature to 700 °C, and considerable repeatability and sensitivity are shown, thus the feasibility of high performance wireless passive temperature sensor realized by LTCC technology is demonstrated.

Indium tin oxide thin film strain gages for use at elevated temperatures

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Qing

A robust ceramic thin film strain gage based on indium-tin-oxide (ITO) has been developed for static and dynamic strain measurements in advanced propulsion systems at temperatures up to 1400°C. These thin film sensors are ideally suited for in-situ strain measurement in harsh environments such as those encountered in the hot sections of gas turbine engines. A novel self-compensation scheme was developed using thin film platinum resistors placed in series with the active strain element (ITO) to minimize the thermal effect of strain or apparent strain. A mathematical model as well as design rules were developed for the self-compensated circuitry using this approach and close agreement between the model and actual static strain results has been achieved. High frequency dynamic strain tests were performed at temperatures up to 500°C and at frequencies up to 2000Hz to simulate conditions that would be encountered during engine vibration fatigue. The results indicated that the sensors could survive extreme test conditions while maintaining sensitivity. A reversible change in sign of the piezoresistive response from -G to +G was observed in the vicinity of 950°C, suggesting that the change carrier responsible for conduction in the ITO gage had been converted from a net "n-carrier" to a net "p-carrier" semiconductor. Electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) of the ITO films suggested they experienced an interfacial reaction with the Al2O3 substrate at 1400°C. It is likely that oxygen uptake from the substrate is responsible for stabilizing the ITO films to elevated temperatures through the interfacial reaction. Thermo gravimetric analysis of ITO films on alumina at elevated temperatures showed no sublimation of ITO films at temperature up to 1400°C. The surface morphology of ITO films heated to 800, 1200 and 1400°C were also evaluated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). A linear current-voltage (I--V) characteristic indicated that the contact interface

Strain sensors, methods of making same, and applications of same

Science.gov (United States)

Biris, Alexandru S.; Trigwell, Steven; Hatfield, Walter

2015-06-30

In one aspect, the present invention relates to a layered structure usable in a strain sensor. In one embodiment, the layered structure has a substrate with a first surface and an opposite, second surface defining a body portion therebetween; and a film of carbon nanotubes deposited on the first surface of the substrate, wherein the film of carbon nanotubes is conductive and characterized with an electrical resistance. In one embodiment, the carbon nanotubes are aligned in a preferential direction. In one embodiment, the carbon nanotubes are formed in a yarn such that any mechanical stress increases their electrical response. In one embodiment, the carbon nanotubes are incorporated into a polymeric scaffold that is attached to the surface of the substrate. In one embodiment, the surfaces of the carbon nanotubes are functionalized such that its electrical conductivity is increased.

Ex Vivo Evaluation of Cementless Acetabular Cup Stability Using Impact Analyses with a Hammer Instrumented with Strain Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Tijou, Antoine; Rosi, Giuseppe; Hernigou, Philippe; Flouzat-Lachaniette, Charles-Henri; Haïat, Guillaume

2017-12-27

The acetabular cup (AC) implant stability is determinant for the success of cementless hip arthroplasty. A method based on the analysis of the impact force applied during the press-fit insertion of the AC implant using a hammer instrumented with a force sensor was developed to assess the AC implant stability. The aim of the present study was to investigate the performance of a method using a hammer equipped with strain sensors to retrieve the AC implant stability. Different AC implants were inserted in five bovine samples with different stability conditions leading to 57 configurations. The AC implant was impacted 16 times by the two hammers consecutively. For each impact; an indicator I S (respectively I F ) determined by analyzing the time variation of the signal corresponding to the averaged strain (respectively force) obtained with the stress (respectively strain) hammer was calculated. The pull-out force F was measured for each configuration. F was significantly correlated with I S (R² = 0.79) and I F (R² = 0.80). The present method has the advantage of not modifying the shape of the hammer that can be sterilized easily. This study opens new paths towards the development of a decision support system to assess the AC implant stability.

Dolomite addition effects on the thermal expansion of ceramic tiles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marino, Luis Fernando Bruno; Boschi, Anselmo Ortega

1997-01-01

The thermal expansion of ceramic tiles is of greater importance in engineering applications because the ceramics are relatively brittle and cannot tolerate large internal strain imposed by thermal expansion. When ceramic bodies are produced for glazed ties the compatibility of this property of the components should be considered to avoid damage in the final products. Carbonates are an important constituent of ceramic wall-title bodies and its presence in formulations and the reactions that occur between them and other components modify body properties. The influence in expansivity by additions of calcium magnesium carbonate in a composition of wall tile bodies has been investigated. The relative content of mineralogical components was determined by X-ray diffraction and thermal expansion by dilatometric measurements. The results was indicated that with the effect of calcium-magnesium phases and porosity on thermal expansion of wall tile bodies. (author)

Novel distributed strain sensing in polymeric materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abot, Jandro L; Song, Yi; Medikonda, Sandeep; Rooy, Nathan; Schulz, Mark J

2010-01-01

Monitoring the state of strain throughout an entire structure is essential to determine its state of stress, detect potential residual stresses after fabrication, and also to help to establish its integrity. Several sensing technologies are presently available to determine the strain in the surface or inside a structure. Large sensor dimensions, complex signal conditioning equipment, and difficulty in achieving a widely distributed system have however hindered their development into robust structural health monitoring techniques. Recently, carbon nanotube forests were spun into a microscale thread that is electrically conductive, tough, and easily tailorable. The thread was integrated into polymeric materials and used for the first time as a piezoresistive sensor to monitor strain and also to detect damage in the material. It is revealed that the created self-sensing polymeric materials are sensitive to normal strains above 0.07% and that the sensor thread exhibits a perfectly linear delta resistance–strain response above 0.3%. The longitudinal gauge factors were determined to be in the 2–5 range. This low cost and simple built-in sensor thread may provide a new integrated and distributed sensor technology that enables robust real-time health monitoring of structures

Temperature dependence of high field electromechanical coupling in ferroelectric ceramics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weaver, P M; Cain, M G; Stewart, M, E-mail: paul.weaver@npl.co.u [National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, Middlesex, TW11 0LW (United Kingdom)

2010-04-28

A study of the temperature dependence of the electromechanical response of ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics at high electric fields (up to 1.3 kV mm{sup -1}) is reported. Simultaneous measurements were performed of strain, electric field and polarization to form a complete response map from room temperature up to 200 {sup 0}C. An electrostrictive model is shown to provide an accurate description of the electromechanical response to high levels of induced polarization and electric field. This provides a method for decoupling strain contributions from thermal expansion and polarization changes. Direct measurements of electrostriction and thermal expansion, above and below the Curie temperature, are reported. Electrostriction coefficients are shown to be temperature dependent in these ceramic materials, with different values above and below the Curie temperature.

Sensors, Volume 1, Fundamentals and General Aspects

Science.gov (United States)

Grandke, Thomas; Ko, Wen H.

1996-12-01

'Sensors' is the first self-contained series to deal with the whole area of sensors. It describes general aspects, technical and physical fundamentals, construction, function, applications and developments of the various types of sensors. This volume deals with the fundamentals and common principles of sensors and covers the wide areas of principles, technologies, signal processing, and applications. Contents include: Sensor Fundamentals, e.g. Sensor Parameters, Modeling, Design and Packaging; Basic Sensor Technologies, e.g. Thin and Thick Films, Integrated Magnetic Sensors, Optical Fibres and Intergrated Optics, Ceramics and Oxides; Sensor Interfaces, e.g. Signal Processing, Multisensor Signal Processing, Smart Sensors, Interface Systems; Sensor Applications, e.g. Automotive: On-board Sensors, Traffic Surveillance and Control, Home Appliances, Environmental Monitoring, etc. This volume is an indispensable reference work and text book for both specialits and newcomers, researchers and developers.

A novel capacitance sensor for fireside corrosion measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Ban, Heng; Li, Zuoping

2009-11-01

Fireside corrosion in coal-fired power plants is a leading mechanism for boiler tube failures. Online monitoring of fireside corrosion can provide timely data to plant operators for mitigation implementation. This paper presents a novel sensor concept for measuring metal loss based on electrical capacitance. Laboratory-scale experiments demonstrated the feasibility of design, fabrication, and operation of the sensor. The fabrication of the prototype sensor involved sputtering deposition of a thin metal coating with varying thickness on a ceramic substrate. Corrosion metal loss resulted in a proportional decrease in electrical capacitance of the sensor. Laboratory experiments using a muffle furnace with an oxidation environment demonstrated that low carbon steel coatings on ceramic substrate survived cyclic temperatures over 500 °C. Measured corrosion rates of sputtered coating in air had an Arrhenius exponential dependence on temperature, with metal thickness loss ranging from 2.0 nm/h at 200 °C to 2.0 μm/h at 400 °C. Uncertainty analysis indicated that the overall measurement uncertainty was within 4%. The experimental system showed high signal-to-noise ratio, and the sensor could measure submicrometer metal thickness changes. The laboratory experiments demonstrated that the sensor concept and measurement system are capable of short term, online monitoring of metal loss, indicating the potential for the sensor to be used for fireside corrosion monitoring and other metal loss measurement.

Development of magnetic jxB sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasai, Satoshi; Ishitsuka, Etsuo

2001-12-01

The improved mechanical sensor, i.e. magnetic jxB sensor (a mechanical sensor and a part of the steady state hybrid-type magnetic sensor) has been designed. The basic structure of the sensor is similar to the previously developed sensor (old sensor) in EDA phase. In this design, the neutron resistant materials are selected for the load cell (strain gauge and sensor beam) and sensing coil/frame. In order to reduce temperature drift of the sensor signal, four strain gauges with the same electrical property and geometrical size are bonded on the sensor beam by using Al 2 O 3 plasma spraying process, i.e., a couple of strain gauges is bonded on one side of the beam and another couple of gauges is bonded on the other side. These four strain gauges form an electrical bridge circuit. The zero-level drift of the output of the load cell used in the magnetic jxB sensor was reduced to about 1/20 compared with the old sensor. The temperature dependence of the output of the load cell is small. The linearity of the output of the load cell against weight was obtained. A non-linearity was observed in the sensitivity of the magnetic jxB sensor. The deviation of sensitivity from the fitting line was less than 7% in the high magnetic field region. The neutron irradiation effect on sensitivity of the sensor was investigated. The sensitivity of the sensor was gradually decreased by ∼30% at neutron fluence of (1.8-2.8)x10 23 n/m 2 in the high magnetic field. During irradiation, the non-linearity was observed in the sensitivity. (author)

Modeling the Monotonic and Cyclic Tensile Stress-Strain Behavior of 2D and 2.5D Woven C/SiC Ceramic-Matrix Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Li, L. B.

2018-05-01

The deformation of 2D and 2.5 C/SiC woven ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) in monotonic and cyclic loadings has been investigated. Statistical matrix multicracking and fiber failure models and the fracture mechanics interface debonding approach are used to determine the spacing of matrix cracks, the debonded length of interface, and the fraction of broken fibers. The effects of fiber volume fraction and fiber Weibull modulus on the damage evolution in the composites and on their tensile stress-strain curves are analyzed. When matrix multicracking and fiber/matrix interface debonding occur, the fiber slippage relative to the matrix in the debonded interface region of the 0° warp yarns is the main reason for the emergance of stress-strain hysteresis loops for 2D and 2.5D woven CMCs. A model of these loops is developed, and histeresis loops for the composites in cyclic loadings/unloadings are predicted.

Internal friction and microplasticity of carbon-fiber-reinforced SiC ceramics; Tanso sen`i kyoka SiC ceramics no hakai zenku katei ni okeru naibu masatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ogawa, H.; Nishino, Y.; Asano, S. [Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya (Japan)

1995-08-20

Mechanical responses of carbon-fiber-reinforced SiC ceramics before fracture were measured in the strain range below 2 {times} 10{sup {minus}3} by two experimental methods: mechanical hysteresis and internal friction. Load-deflection curves were obtained by the three-point bending deformation in loading-unloading cycles. A little permanent strain was found after the first cycle even in the range where fracture never occurred. A closed hysteresis loop was observed after several cycles and stabilized with a symmetrical shape after more than twenty cycles. Such a stabilized hysteresis loop is attributed to the steady-state microplastic deformation and may cause the amplitude-dependent internal friction. Internal friction was measured in the fundamental mode of free-free resonant vibration as a function of strain amplitude. With increasing the amount of prestrain in the bending deformation, internal friction increased and became sensitive to the strain amplitude. The amplitude-dependent internal friction in the composites is considered to originate from fiber pull-out or microcrack propagation. The internal friction data were analyzed on the basis of the microplasticity theory and converted into the plastic strain expressed as a function of stress. Therefore, it becomes possible to non-destructively study the forerunning process of fracture of the fiber-reinforced ceramics. 23 refs., 6 figs.

Strain rate sensitivity of the tensile strength of two silicon carbides: experimental evidence and micromechanical modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Erzar, Benjamin

2017-01-01

Ceramic materials are commonly used to design multi-layer armour systems thanks to their favourable physical and mechanical properties. However, during an impact event, fragmentation of the ceramic plate inevitably occurs due to its inherent brittleness under tensile loading. Consequently, an accurate model of the fragmentation process is necessary in order to achieve an optimum design for a desired armour configuration. In this work, shockless spalling tests have been performed on two silicon carbide grades at strain rates ranging from 103 to 104 s−1 using a high-pulsed power generator. These spalling tests characterize the tensile strength strain rate sensitivity of each ceramic grade. The microstructural properties of the ceramics appear to play an important role on the strain rate sensitivity and on the dynamic tensile strength. Moreover, this experimental configuration allows for recovering damaged, but unbroken specimens, giving unique insight on the fragmentation process initiated in the ceramics. All the collected data have been compared with corresponding results of numerical simulations performed using the Denoual–Forquin–Hild anisotropic damage model. Good agreement is observed between numerical simulations and experimental data in terms of free surface velocity, size and location of the damaged zones along with crack density in these damaged zones. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Experimental testing and modelling of brittle materials at high strain rates’. PMID:27956504

Strain rate sensitivity of the tensile strength of two silicon carbides: experimental evidence and micromechanical modelling.

Science.gov (United States)

Zinszner, Jean-Luc; Erzar, Benjamin; Forquin, Pascal

2017-01-28

Ceramic materials are commonly used to design multi-layer armour systems thanks to their favourable physical and mechanical properties. However, during an impact event, fragmentation of the ceramic plate inevitably occurs due to its inherent brittleness under tensile loading. Consequently, an accurate model of the fragmentation process is necessary in order to achieve an optimum design for a desired armour configuration. In this work, shockless spalling tests have been performed on two silicon carbide grades at strain rates ranging from 10 3 to 10 4  s -1 using a high-pulsed power generator. These spalling tests characterize the tensile strength strain rate sensitivity of each ceramic grade. The microstructural properties of the ceramics appear to play an important role on the strain rate sensitivity and on the dynamic tensile strength. Moreover, this experimental configuration allows for recovering damaged, but unbroken specimens, giving unique insight on the fragmentation process initiated in the ceramics. All the collected data have been compared with corresponding results of numerical simulations performed using the Denoual-Forquin-Hild anisotropic damage model. Good agreement is observed between numerical simulations and experimental data in terms of free surface velocity, size and location of the damaged zones along with crack density in these damaged zones.This article is part of the themed issue 'Experimental testing and modelling of brittle materials at high strain rates'. © 2016 The Author(s).

Strain rate sensitivity of the tensile strength of two silicon carbides: experimental evidence and micromechanical modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Zinszner, Jean-Luc; Erzar, Benjamin; Forquin, Pascal

2017-01-01

Ceramic materials are commonly used to design multi-layer armour systems thanks to their favourable physical and mechanical properties. However, during an impact event, fragmentation of the ceramic plate inevitably occurs due to its inherent brittleness under tensile loading. Consequently, an accurate model of the fragmentation process is necessary in order to achieve an optimum design for a desired armour configuration. In this work, shockless spalling tests have been performed on two silicon carbide grades at strain rates ranging from 103 to 104 s-1 using a high-pulsed power generator. These spalling tests characterize the tensile strength strain rate sensitivity of each ceramic grade. The microstructural properties of the ceramics appear to play an important role on the strain rate sensitivity and on the dynamic tensile strength. Moreover, this experimental configuration allows for recovering damaged, but unbroken specimens, giving unique insight on the fragmentation process initiated in the ceramics. All the collected data have been compared with corresponding results of numerical simulations performed using the Denoual-Forquin-Hild anisotropic damage model. Good agreement is observed between numerical simulations and experimental data in terms of free surface velocity, size and location of the damaged zones along with crack density in these damaged zones. This article is part of the themed issue 'Experimental testing and modelling of brittle materials at high strain rates'.

Foil Strain Gauges Using Piezoresistive Carbon Nanotube Yarn: Fabrication and Calibration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jandro L. Abot

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Carbon nanotube yarns are micron-scale fibers comprised by tens of thousands of carbon nanotubes in their cross section and exhibiting piezoresistive characteristics that can be tapped to sense strain. This paper presents the details of novel foil strain gauge sensor configurations comprising carbon nanotube yarn as the piezoresistive sensing element. The foil strain gauge sensors are designed using the results of parametric studies that maximize the sensitivity of the sensors to mechanical loading. The fabrication details of the strain gauge sensors that exhibit the highest sensitivity, based on the modeling results, are described including the materials and procedures used in the first prototypes. Details of the calibration of the foil strain gauge sensors are also provided and discussed in the context of their electromechanical characterization when bonded to metallic specimens. This characterization included studying their response under monotonic and cyclic mechanical loading. It was shown that these foil strain gauge sensors comprising carbon nanotube yarn are sensitive enough to capture strain and can replicate the loading and unloading cycles. It was also observed that the loading rate affects their piezoresistive response and that the gauge factors were all above one order of magnitude higher than those of typical metallic foil strain gauges. Based on these calibration results on the initial sensor configurations, new foil strain gauge configurations will be designed and fabricated, to increase the strain gauge factors even more.

Foil Strain Gauges Using Piezoresistive Carbon Nanotube Yarn: Fabrication and Calibration

Science.gov (United States)

Góngora-Rubio, Mário R.; Kiyono, César Y.; Mello, Luis A. M.; Cardoso, Valtemar F.; Rosa, Reinaldo L. S.; Kuebler, Derek A.; Brodeur, Grace E.; Alotaibi, Amani H.; Coene, Marisa P.; Coene, Lauren M.; Jean, Elizabeth; Santiago, Rafael C.; Oliveira, Francisco H. A.; Rangel, Ricardo; Thomas, Gilles P.; Belay, Kalayu; da Silva, Luciana W.; Moura, Rafael T.; Seabra, Antonio C.; Silva, Emílio C. N.

2018-01-01

Carbon nanotube yarns are micron-scale fibers comprised by tens of thousands of carbon nanotubes in their cross section and exhibiting piezoresistive characteristics that can be tapped to sense strain. This paper presents the details of novel foil strain gauge sensor configurations comprising carbon nanotube yarn as the piezoresistive sensing element. The foil strain gauge sensors are designed using the results of parametric studies that maximize the sensitivity of the sensors to mechanical loading. The fabrication details of the strain gauge sensors that exhibit the highest sensitivity, based on the modeling results, are described including the materials and procedures used in the first prototypes. Details of the calibration of the foil strain gauge sensors are also provided and discussed in the context of their electromechanical characterization when bonded to metallic specimens. This characterization included studying their response under monotonic and cyclic mechanical loading. It was shown that these foil strain gauge sensors comprising carbon nanotube yarn are sensitive enough to capture strain and can replicate the loading and unloading cycles. It was also observed that the loading rate affects their piezoresistive response and that the gauge factors were all above one order of magnitude higher than those of typical metallic foil strain gauges. Based on these calibration results on the initial sensor configurations, new foil strain gauge configurations will be designed and fabricated, to increase the strain gauge factors even more. PMID:29401745

Evolution of phase structure and giant strain at low driving fields in Bi-based lead-free incipient piezoelectrics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maqbool, Adnan; Hussain, Ali; Malik, Rizwan Ahmed; Rahman, Jamil Ur; Zaman, Arif; Song, Tae Kwon; Kim, Won-Jeong; Kim, Myong-Ho

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Nb-doped BNBT–SZ ceramics were prepared by conventional solid state method. • A giant normalized strain of 825 pm/V at 4 kV/mm was achieved. • A large strain of 0.20% triggered at a relatively low field of 3 kV/mm. • Highest strain obtained in BNT-based ceramics at such a low driving field. • Ferroelectric to ergodic-relaxor phase transition occurred with Nb-doping. - Abstract: Lead-free 0.99[(Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 ) 0.935 Ba 0.065 Ti (1–x) Nb x O 3 ]–0.01SrZrO 3 (BNBTNb100x–SZ, with Nb100x = 0–1) ceramics were prepared by the conventional mixed oxide route. X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering was utilized for the structural evolution of Nb-modified BNBT–SZ ceramics at average and short-scale localized structure. Temperature dependent dielectric properties showed ferroelectric–ergodic relaxor (FE–ER) transition in Nb-modified BNBT–SZ ceramics by producing a significant disruption of the long-range FE order. A giant normalized strain of 825 pm/V at 4 kV/mm was achieved at Nb1.0. Interestingly, at a relatively low applied field of 3 kV/mm, the Nb0.75 sample displayed a large electric field-induced strain (EFIS) response of 0.20%, which is highest value obtained in non-textured lead-free BNT-based ceramics at such low driving field. The structural distortion induced by doping and electric poling is correlated with the dielectric, ferroelectric and EFIS response, and the evolution of giant strain was ascribed to reversible field induced phase transition from ER–FE phase

Ultralight and fire-resistant ceramic nanofibrous aerogels with temperature-invariant superelasticity.

Science.gov (United States)

Si, Yang; Wang, Xueqin; Dou, Lvye; Yu, Jianyong; Ding, Bin

2018-04-01

Ultralight aerogels that are both highly resilient and compressible have been fabricated from various materials including polymer, carbon, and metal. However, it has remained a great challenge to realize high elasticity in aerogels solely based on ceramic components. We report a scalable strategy to create superelastic lamellar-structured ceramic nanofibrous aerogels (CNFAs) by combining SiO 2 nanofibers with aluminoborosilicate matrices. This approach causes the random-deposited SiO 2 nanofibers to assemble into elastic ceramic aerogels with tunable densities and desired shapes on a large scale. The resulting CNFAs exhibit the integrated properties of flyweight densities of >0.15 mg cm -3 , rapid recovery from 80% strain, zero Poisson's ratio, and temperature-invariant superelasticity to 1100°C. The integral ceramic nature also provided the CNFAs with robust fire resistance and thermal insulation performance. The successful synthesis of these fascinating materials may provide new insights into the development of ceramics in a lightweight, resilient, and structurally adaptive form.

A self-repairing polymer waveguide sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Young J; Peters, Kara J

2011-01-01

This paper presents experimental demonstrations of a self-repairing strain sensor waveguide created by self-writing in a photopolymerizable resin system. The sensor is fabricated between two multi-mode optical fibers via lightwaves in the ultraviolet (UV) wavelength range and operates as a sensor through interrogation of the power transmitted through the waveguide in the infrared (IR) wavelength range. After failure of the sensor occurs due to loading, the waveguide re-bridges the gap between the two optical fibers through the UV resin. The response of the original sensor and the self-repaired sensor to strain are measured and show similar behaviors

Processing and characterizations of BNT-KNN ceramics for actuator applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mallam Chandrasekhar

2016-06-01

Full Text Available BNT-KNN powder (with composition 0.93Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3–0.07K0.5Na0.5NbO3 was synthesized as a single perovskite phase by conventional solid state reaction route and dense ceramics were obtained by sintering of powder compacts at 1100 °C for 4 h. Dielectric study confirmed relaxor behaviour, whereas the microstructure study showed sharp cornered cubic like grains with an average grain size ∼1.15 µm. The saturated polarization vs. electric field (P-E hysteresis loops confirmed the ferroelectric (FE nature while the butterfly shaped strain vs. electric field (S-E loops suggested the piezoelectric nature of the BNT-KNN ceramic samples. Maximum electric field induced strain of ∼0.62% suggested the usefulness of this system for actuator applications.

Interpretation of large-strain geophysical crosshole tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drnevich, V.P.; Salgado, R.; Ashmawy, A.; Grant, W.P.; Vallenas, P.

1995-10-01

At sites in earthquake-prone areas, the nonlinear dynamic stress-strain behavior of soil with depth is essential for earthquake response analyses. A seismic crosshole test has been developed where large dynamic forces are applied in a borehole. These forces generate shear strains in the surrounding soil that are well into the nonlinear range. The shear strain amplitudes decrease with distance from the source. Velocity sensors located in three additional holes at various distances from the source hole measure the particle velocity and the travel time of the shear wave from the source. This paper provides an improved, systematic interpretation scheme for the data from these large-strain geophysical crosshole tests. Use is made of both the measured velocities at each sensor and the travel times. The measured velocity at each sensor location is shown to be a good measure of the soil particle velocity at that location. Travel times to specific features on the velocity time history, such as first crossover, are used to generate travel time curves for the waves which are nonlinear. At some distance the amplitudes reduce to where the stress-strain behavior is essentially linear and independent of strain amplitude. This fact is used together with the measurements at the three sensor locations in a rational approach for fitting curves of shear wave velocity versus distance from the source hole that allow the determination of the shear wave velocity and the shear strain amplitude at each of the sensor locations as well as the shear wave velocity associated with small-strain (linear) behavior. The method is automated using off-the-shelf PC-based software. The method is applied to large-strain crosshole tests performed as part of the studies for the design and construction of the proposed Multi-Function Waste Tank Facility planned for Hanford Site

Development of Ultra-Low Power Metal Oxide Sensors and Arrays for Embedded Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Lutz, Brent; Wind, Rikard; Kostelecky, Clayton; Routkevitch, Dmitri; Deininger, Debra

2011-09-01

Metal oxide semiconductor sensors are widely used as individual sensors and in arrays, and a variety of designs for low power microhotplates have been demonstrated.1 Synkera Technologies has developed an embeddable chemical microsensor platform, based on a unique ceramic MEMS technology, for practical implementation in cell phones and other mobile electronic devices. Key features of this microsensor platform are (1) small size, (2) ultra-low power consumption, (3) high chemical sensitivity, (4) accurate response to a wide-range of threats, and (5) low cost. The sensor platform is enabled by a combination of advances in ceramic micromachining, and precision deposition of sensing films inside the high aspect ratio pores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO).

Preparation, characterization and application of novel proton conducting ceramics

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Siwei

Due to the immediate energy shortage and the requirement of environment protection nowadays, the efficient, effective and environmental friendly use of current energy sources is urgent. Energy conversion and storage is thus an important focus both for industry and academia. As one of the hydrogen energy related materials, proton conducting ceramics can be applied in solid oxide fuel cells and steam electrolysers, as well as high temperature hydrogen separation membranes and hydrogen sensors. For most of the practical applications, both high proton conductivity and chemical stability are desirable. However, the state-of-the-art proton conducting ceramics are facing great challenges in simultaneously fulfilling conductivity and stability requirements for practical applications. Consequently, understanding the properties for the proton conducting ceramics and developing novel materials that possess both high proton conductivity and enhanced chemical stability have both scientific and practical significances. The objective of this study is to develop novel proton conducting ceramics, either by evaluating the doping effects on the state-of-the-art simple perovskite structured barium cerates, or by investigating novel complex perovskite structured Ba3Ca1.18Nb1.82O 9-delta based proton conductors as potential proton conducting ceramics with improved proton conductivity and enhanced chemical stability. Different preparation methods were compared, and their influence on the structure, including the bulk and grain boundary environment has been investigated. In addition, the effects of microstructure on the electrical properties of the proton conducting ceramics have also been characterized. The solid oxide fuel cell application for the proton conducting ceramics performed as electrolyte membranes has been demonstrated.

Feature extraction for ultrasonic sensor based defect detection in ceramic components

Science.gov (United States)

Kesharaju, Manasa; Nagarajah, Romesh

2014-02-01

High density silicon carbide materials are commonly used as the ceramic element of hard armour inserts used in traditional body armour systems to reduce their weight, while providing improved hardness, strength and elastic response to stress. Currently, armour ceramic tiles are inspected visually offline using an X-ray technique that is time consuming and very expensive. In addition, from X-rays multiple defects are also misinterpreted as single defects. Therefore, to address these problems the ultrasonic non-destructive approach is being investigated. Ultrasound based inspection would be far more cost effective and reliable as the methodology is applicable for on-line quality control including implementation of accept/reject criteria. This paper describes a recently developed methodology to detect, locate and classify various manufacturing defects in ceramic tiles using sub band coding of ultrasonic test signals. The wavelet transform is applied to the ultrasonic signal and wavelet coefficients in the different frequency bands are extracted and used as input features to an artificial neural network (ANN) for purposes of signal classification. Two different classifiers, using artificial neural networks (supervised) and clustering (un-supervised) are supplied with features selected using Principal Component Analysis(PCA) and their classification performance compared. This investigation establishes experimentally that Principal Component Analysis(PCA) can be effectively used as a feature selection method that provides superior results for classifying various defects in the context of ultrasonic inspection in comparison with the X-ray technique.

X-ray study of residual stress distribution of ground ceramics