WorldWideScience

Sample records for transducing enzyme systems

  1. An enzyme logic bioprotonic transducer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miyake, Takeo; Keene, Scott; Deng, Yingxin; Rolandi, Marco, E-mail: rolandi@uw.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-2120 (United States); Josberger, Erik E. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-2120 (United States); Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-2500 (United States)

    2015-01-01

    Translating ionic currents into measureable electronic signals is essential for the integration of bioelectronic devices with biological systems. We demonstrate the use of a Pd/PdH{sub x} electrode as a bioprotonic transducer that connects H{sup +} currents in solution into an electronic signal. This transducer exploits the reversible formation of PdH{sub x} in solution according to PdH↔Pd + H{sup +} + e{sup −}, and the dependence of this formation on solution pH and applied potential. We integrate the protonic transducer with glucose dehydrogenase as an enzymatic AND gate for glucose and NAD{sup +}. PdH{sub x} formation and associated electronic current monitors the output drop in pH, thus transducing a biological function into a measurable electronic output.

  2. Auto-positioning ultrasonic transducer system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buchanan, Randy K. (Inventor)

    2010-01-01

    An ultrasonic transducer apparatus and process for determining the optimal transducer position for flow measurement along a conduit outer surface. The apparatus includes a transmitting transducer for transmitting an ultrasonic signal, said transducer affixed to a conduit outer surface; a guide rail attached to a receiving transducer for guiding movement of a receiving transducer along the conduit outer surface, wherein the receiving transducer receives an ultrasonic signal from the transmitting transducer and sends a signal to a data acquisition system; and a motor for moving the receiving transducer along the guide rail, wherein the motor is controlled by a controller. The method includes affixing a transmitting transducer to an outer surface of a conduit; moving a receiving transducer on the conduit outer surface, wherein the receiving transducer is moved along a guide rail by a motor; transmitting an ultrasonic signal from the transmitting transducer that is received by the receiving transducer; communicating the signal received by the receiving transducer to a data acquisition and control system; and repeating the moving, transmitting, and communicating along a length of the conduit.

  3. Home Automation System Based on Intelligent Transducer Enablers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suárez-Albela, Manuel; Fraga-Lamas, Paula; Fernández-Caramés, Tiago M.; Dapena, Adriana; González-López, Miguel

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a novel home automation system named HASITE (Home Automation System based on Intelligent Transducer Enablers), which has been specifically designed to identify and configure transducers easily and quickly. These features are especially useful in situations where many transducers are deployed, since their setup becomes a cumbersome task that consumes a significant amount of time and human resources. HASITE simplifies the deployment of a home automation system by using wireless networks and both self-configuration and self-registration protocols. Thanks to the application of these three elements, HASITE is able to add new transducers by just powering them up. According to the tests performed in different realistic scenarios, a transducer is ready to be used in less than 13 s. Moreover, all HASITE functionalities can be accessed through an API, which also allows for the integration of third-party systems. As an example, an Android application based on the API is presented. Remote users can use it to interact with transducers by just using a regular smartphone or a tablet. PMID:27690031

  4. Home Automation System Based on Intelligent Transducer Enablers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suárez-Albela, Manuel; Fraga-Lamas, Paula; Fernández-Caramés, Tiago M; Dapena, Adriana; González-López, Miguel

    2016-09-28

    This paper presents a novel home automation system named HASITE (Home Automation System based on Intelligent Transducer Enablers), which has been specifically designed to identify and configure transducers easily and quickly. These features are especially useful in situations where many transducers are deployed, since their setup becomes a cumbersome task that consumes a significant amount of time and human resources. HASITE simplifies the deployment of a home automation system by using wireless networks and both self-configuration and self-registration protocols. Thanks to the application of these three elements, HASITE is able to add new transducers by just powering them up. According to the tests performed in different realistic scenarios, a transducer is ready to be used in less than 13 s. Moreover, all HASITE functionalities can be accessed through an API, which also allows for the integration of third-party systems. As an example, an Android application based on the API is presented. Remote users can use it to interact with transducers by just using a regular smartphone or a tablet.

  5. Home Automation System Based on Intelligent Transducer Enablers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manuel Suárez-Albela

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a novel home automation system named HASITE (Home Automation System based on Intelligent Transducer Enablers, which has been specifically designed to identify and configure transducers easily and quickly. These features are especially useful in situations where many transducers are deployed, since their setup becomes a cumbersome task that consumes a significant amount of time and human resources. HASITE simplifies the deployment of a home automation system by using wireless networks and both self-configuration and self-registration protocols. Thanks to the application of these three elements, HASITE is able to add new transducers by just powering them up. According to the tests performed in different realistic scenarios, a transducer is ready to be used in less than 13 s. Moreover, all HASITE functionalities can be accessed through an API, which also allows for the integration of third-party systems. As an example, an Android application based on the API is presented. Remote users can use it to interact with transducers by just using a regular smartphone or a tablet.

  6. Protein Kinase C Enzymes in the Hematopoietic and Immune Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altman, Amnon; Kong, Kok-Fai

    2016-05-20

    The protein kinase C (PKC) family, discovered in the late 1970s, is composed of at least 10 serine/threonine kinases, divided into three groups based on their molecular architecture and cofactor requirements. PKC enzymes have been conserved throughout evolution and are expressed in virtually all cell types; they represent critical signal transducers regulating cell activation, differentiation, proliferation, death, and effector functions. PKC family members play important roles in a diverse array of hematopoietic and immune responses. This review covers the discovery and history of this enzyme family, discusses the roles of PKC enzymes in the development and effector functions of major hematopoietic and immune cell types, and points out gaps in our knowledge, which should ignite interest and further exploration, ultimately leading to better understanding of this enzyme family and, above all, its role in the many facets of the immune system.

  7. A computerized check-out system for transducers in nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brandt, A.

    1984-01-01

    A computerized system for the acquisition, administration and recording of test data of about 1000 pressure meters (transducers) being collected annually in nuclear power stations is described. The Mobile System is set up by three components - the control pressure device, the intelligent interface and the microcomputer (PDP 11/23, 256 kB) - the whole being assembled on a moveable wagon which allows on site measurement of the transducers. The PDP 11/23, fully integrated in a VT 103 video terminal, connects to the interface via an IEEE-488 bus system. Its keyboard is equipped with operation keys to handle and control the different test phases - uncoupling the transducer from plant operation, linking the transducer to the Mobile System, testing for leaks in the pipe system, recording and correcting the characteristic curve, reinstallation of the transducer in plant operation. Filling and emptying of the pipelines for high pressure measuring is computer controlled as well. As each Mobile System is a stand-alone test device, the number of systems is freely selectable according to environmental conditions (radiative and non-radiative zones, accessability etc.), failure resp. availability considerations and other boundary conditions. Data transport to and from the Stationary System is done via magnetic tape cartridges (256 KB), which may pick-up data of 150 transducers, or online via twisted pair cable connections between the measuring points and the Stationary System. (orig./GL) [de

  8. Multiple single-element transducer photoacoustic computed tomography system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalva, Sandeep Kumar; Hui, Zhe Zhi; Pramanik, Manojit

    2018-02-01

    Light absorption by the chromophores (hemoglobin, melanin, water etc.) present in any biological tissue results in local temperature rise. This rise in temperature results in generation of pressure waves due to the thermoelastic expansion of the tissue. In a circular scanning photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT) system, these pressure waves can be detected using a single-element ultrasound transducer (SUST) (while rotating in full 360° around the sample) or using a circular array transducer. SUST takes several minutes to acquire the PA data around the sample whereas the circular array transducer takes only a fraction of seconds. Hence, for real time imaging circular array transducers are preferred. However, these circular array transducers are custom made, expensive and not easily available in the market whereas SUSTs are cheap and readily available in the market. Using SUST for PACT systems is still cost effective. In order to reduce the scanning time to few seconds instead of using single SUST (rotating 360° ), multiple SUSTs can be used at the same time to acquire the PA data. This will reduce the scanning time by two-fold in case of two SUSTs (rotating 180° ) or by four-fold and eight-fold in case of four SUSTs (rotating 90° ) and eight SUSTs (rotating 45° ) respectively. Here we show that with multiple SUSTs, similar PA images (numerical and experimental phantom data) can be obtained as that of PA images obtained using single SUST.

  9. High-frequency Doppler ultrasound transducer for the peripheral circulatory system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bae, Youngmin; Yang, Jeongwon; Kang, Uk; Kim, Guanghoon [Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, Ansan (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-12-15

    A Doppler ultrasound transducer was designed and implemented to measure the blood flow velocity in tiny vessels near the skin of hands or feet. The geometric parameters of the transducer for defining the observation volume were derived and implemented with an acoustic window made of polystyrene. The observation volume designed in this study was located 6.5 mm from the transducer, which was comparable to the value predicted geometrically. The two-way insertion loss of the transducer was -11.3 dB on ultrasound frequency of 20 MHz, and the 3-dB bandwidth was approximately 2 MHz. In addition, the Doppler shift in the frequency measured by using a Doppler device composed of the transducer and a Doppler signal processing unit was proportional to the flow velocity generated by a homemade flowing system. Finally, we concluded that the transducer could be applied to measure the blood flow velocity in hands or feet.

  10. High-frequency Doppler ultrasound transducer for the peripheral circulatory system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bae, Youngmin; Yang, Jeongwon; Kang, Uk; Kim, Guanghoon

    2011-01-01

    A Doppler ultrasound transducer was designed and implemented to measure the blood flow velocity in tiny vessels near the skin of hands or feet. The geometric parameters of the transducer for defining the observation volume were derived and implemented with an acoustic window made of polystyrene. The observation volume designed in this study was located 6.5 mm from the transducer, which was comparable to the value predicted geometrically. The two-way insertion loss of the transducer was -11.3 dB on ultrasound frequency of 20 MHz, and the 3-dB bandwidth was approximately 2 MHz. In addition, the Doppler shift in the frequency measured by using a Doppler device composed of the transducer and a Doppler signal processing unit was proportional to the flow velocity generated by a homemade flowing system. Finally, we concluded that the transducer could be applied to measure the blood flow velocity in hands or feet.

  11. Investigation of transducers for large-scale cryogenic systems in Italy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pavese, F.

    1984-01-01

    This chapter investigates temperature, pressure (static, absolute), strain and flowrate transducers. A modular cryostat system, which includes a superconducting solenoid, is used for measurements. The module for pressure transducers allows them to be measured one at a time. Adiabatic conditions for the functional part of the module for strain-gages are ensured by sliding thermal anchors. The equipment is driven by three computer-based systems which act separately. Magnetoresistance has been measured up to 6 T. Only foil-type strain gages were investigated. It is determined that apparent strain has a peculiar trend at liquid helium temperatures. Four types of transducers, specifically designed for low-temperature measurement of static, absolute pressure, and uncalibrated, were tested

  12. EPMT: a portable transfer standard for telemetry system pressure-transducer calibration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasbrouck, R.T.

    1977-01-01

    The LLL developed electronic pressure meter (EPMT) is a portable static-pressure calibration instrument for use with the LLL telemetry transducer system at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). It is significantly more accurate and rugged than the bourdon-tube pressure gauge it replaces, and can be incorporated into a field-use, semi-automatic, pressure calibration system. The process by which a transducer is selected for EPMT use from the inventory of field-service-certified transducers and subjected to an extensive preconditioning and calibration procedure is described. By combining this unusual calibration procedure with a unique, statistically based data-reduction routine, the total uncertainty of the measuring process at each calibration point can be determined with high accuracy

  13. Development of transducers for integrated garter spring repositioning system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sharma, B S.V.G.; Shyam, T V; Shrivastava, A K; Rupani, B B; Sinha, R K [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay (India). Reactor Engineering Div.

    1994-12-31

    In order to reposition the dislocated garter springs in active channels of 235 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), a tool named as Integrated Garter Spring Repositioning System (INGRES) has been developed. The tool consists of transducers to detect the concentricity between the Pressure Tube (P/T) and Calandria Tube (C/T) and also to detect garter springs in the channel besides different modules for correcting the eccentricity between P/T and C/T and garter spring repositioning. The transducers used in the system namely Concentricity Detection Probe (CDP) and Garter Spring Detection Probe (GSDP) are based on the eddy current techniques. The CDP makes use of four eddy current bobbin probes separated 90 degrees apart in cross sectional plane of channel assembly. The transducer gives output signal in proportional to the air gap between P/T and C/T in two axes (X and Y) which are designed for the purpose. The output of the unit is obtained on the Cathode Ray Oscilloscope (CRO) screen in the form of illuminated dot. The dot position on the CRO screen gives the information about mismatch in concentricity between P/T and C/T of the channel. The GSDP meant for detecting garter springs in PHWR channel uses two sets of primary and secondary coils connected in differential mode. The output signals from the transducers are processed through a signal processing unit devised for the purpose to obtain output from it as a horizontal beam on the CRO screen. The garter spring presence in the channel is indicated by a change in the voltage level of beam and also by audio-visual indication in the form of buzzer and LED illumination on the processing unit. This paper gives general design and development aspects of the CDP and GSDP transducers of the INGRES tool. (author). 3 figs.

  14. Fast photoacoustic imaging system based on 320-element linear transducer array

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yin Bangzheng; Xing Da; Wang Yi; Zeng Yaguang; Tan Yi; Chen Qun

    2004-01-01

    A fast photoacoustic (PA) imaging system, based on a 320-transducer linear array, was developed and tested on a tissue phantom. To reconstruct a test tomographic image, 64 time-domain PA signals were acquired from a tissue phantom with embedded light-absorption targets. A signal acquisition was accomplished by utilizing 11 phase-controlled sub-arrays, each consisting of four transducers. The results show that the system can rapidly map the optical absorption of a tissue phantom and effectively detect the embedded light-absorbing target. By utilizing the multi-element linear transducer array and phase-controlled imaging algorithm, we thus can acquire PA tomography more efficiently, compared to other existing technology and algorithms. The methodology and equipment thus provide a rapid and reliable approach to PA imaging that may have potential applications in noninvasive imaging and clinic diagnosis

  15. Characterization of Dielectric Electroactive Polymer transducers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Dennis; Møller, Martin B.; Sarban, Rahimullah

    2014-01-01

    This paper analysis the small-signal model of the Dielectric Electro Active Polymer (DEAP) transducer. The DEAP transducer have been proposed as an alternative to the electrodynamic transducer in sound reproduction systems. In order to understand how the DEAP transducer works, and provide...

  16. Dissimilar trend of nonlinearity in ultrasound transducers and systems at resonance and non-resonance frequencies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ghasemi, Negareh; Zare, Firuz; Davari, Pooya

    2017-01-01

    Several factors can affect performance of an ultrasound system such as quality of excitation signal and ultrasound transducer behaviour. Nonlinearity of piezoelectric ultrasound transducers is a key determinant in designing a proper driving power supply. Although, the nonlinearity of piezoelectric...... was excited at different frequencies. Different excitation signals were generated using a linear power amplifier and a multilevel converter within a range of 30–200 V. Empirical relation was developed to express the resistance of the piezoelectric transducer as a nonlinear function of both excitation voltage...... and resonance frequency. The impedance measurements revealed that at higher voltage ranges, the piezoelectric transducer can be easily saturated. Also, it was shown that for the developed ultrasound system composed of two transducers (one transmitter and one receiver), the output voltage measured across...

  17. A ring transducer system for medical ultrasound research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waag, Robert C; Fedewa, Russell J

    2006-10-01

    An ultrasonic ring transducer system has been developed for experimental studies of scattering and imaging. The transducer consists of 2048 rectangular elements with a 2.5-MHz center frequency, a 67% -6 dB bandwidth, and a 0.23-mm pitch arranged in a 150-mm-diameter ring with a 25-mm elevation. At the center frequency, the element size is 0.30lambda x 42lambda and the pitch is 0.38lambda. The system has 128 parallel transmit channels, 16 parallel receive channels, a 2048:128 transmit multiplexer, a 2048:16 receive multiplexer, independently programmable transmit waveforms with 8-bit resolution, and receive amplifiers with time variable gain independently programmable over a 40-dB range. Receive signals are sampled at 20 MHz with 12-bit resolution. Arbitrary transmit and receive apertures can be synthesized. Calibration software minimizes system nonidealities caused by noncircularity of the ring and element-to-element response differences. Application software enables the system to be used by specification of high-level parameters in control files from which low-level hardware-dependent parameters are derived by specialized code. Use of the system is illustrated by producing focused and steered beams, synthesizing a spatially limited plane wave, measuring angular scattering, and forming b-scan images.

  18. DEVELOPMENTAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR DIGITAL TRANSDUCERS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hyde, James L.

    1963-09-15

    A pressure transducer based on mechanical modulation of a beam of alpha particles is described. This type of transducer is capable of direct digital pressure measurexnent with corresponding telemetry advantages. Any variable that is sensed through a mechanical displacement is measurable by means of a corresponding member of this transducer family. Preliminary tests of an experimental pressure transducer show an overall accuracy within a few tenths of one percent, with promise of substantial improvement. General characteristics of nuclear digital transducers include exceptional long-term calibration stability and accuracy, independent of ambient environmental effects. Three concepts of systems enipioying these transducers are discussed. (auth)

  19. Smart transducer with radiomodem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pugach, V. N.; Voronin, E. L.

    2018-04-01

    Systems for measuring different parameters enabling metering and wireless data transmission are an urgent problem in the industry. One of the most promising solutions is the developments of metering instruments enabling radio-link and GSM data transmission. The article describes a transducer operating with temperature sensors of different types as well as with the sensors of other physical values with the output signal represented as current or voltage with subsequent measurement data transmission from the transducer to the computer via radio-link. The article provides transducer measurement accuracy check. The work confirmed the claimed temperature measurement accuracy, noted a stable data transmission via radio link and convenience of work with the transducer and software.

  20. The research on high power transducer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao Wuling; Li Yubin; Peng Shuwen

    2014-01-01

    This paper introduces the transducer structure used double PWM mode, the control system design of hardware and software. The transducer has been applied in factory. From the real experiment, it shows that the system has a high reliability. (authors)

  1. RESEARCH INTO VALVE-ENGINE TRANSDUCERS OF BRUSHLESS SYNCHRONOUS AND ASYNCHRONIZED MACHINES IN A CIRCUIT SIMULATION SYSTEM.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.M. Galynovskiy

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Designing features for valve-engine transducers of brushless synchronous and asynchronized machines are described. Global analysis of research results on the transducer models in a MicroCap circuit simulation system is made, recommendations on the simulation system application in both scientific research and educational process given.

  2. A system of two piezoelectric transducers and a storage circuit for wireless energy transmission through a thin metal wall.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Hongping; Hu, Yuantai; Chen, Chuanyao; Wang, Ji

    2008-10-01

    A system to wirelessly convey electric energy through a thin metal wall is proposed in the paper, where 2 piezoelectric transducers are used to realize energy transformation between electric and mechanical, and a rechargeable battery is employed to store the transmitted energy. To integrate them as a whole, an interface of a modulating circuit is applied between the transducer system and the storage battery. In addition, a synchronized switch harvesting on inductor in parallel with the transducer system is introduced to artificially extend the closed interval of the modulating circuit. The process of transmitting energy is computed, and the performance of the transducer system is optimized in detail for a prescribed external electric source. The results obtained are useful for understanding and designing wireless energy supply systems.

  3. Two-stage SQUID systems and transducers development for MiniGRAIL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gottardi, L; Podt, M; Bassan, M; Flokstra, J; Karbalai-Sadegh, A; Minenkov, Y; Reinke, W; Shumack, A; Srinivas, S; Waard, A de; Frossati, G

    2004-01-01

    We present measurements on a two-stage SQUID system based on a dc-SQUID as a sensor and a DROS as an amplifier. We measured the intrinsic noise of the dc-SQUID at 4.2 K. A new dc-SQUID has been fabricated. It was specially designed to be used with MiniGRAIL transducers. Cooling fins have been added in order to improve the cooling of the SQUID and the design is optimized to achieve the quantum limit of the sensor SQUID at temperatures above 100 mK. In this paper we also report the effect of the deposition of a Nb film on the quality factor of a small mass Al5056 resonator. Finally, the results of Q-factor measurements on a capacitive transducer for the current MiniGRAIL run are presented

  4. Vibration transducer calibration techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brinkley, D. J.

    1980-09-01

    Techniques for the calibration of vibration transducers used in the Aeronautical Quality Assurance Directorate of the British Ministry of Defence are presented. Following a review of the types of measurements necessary in the calibration of vibration transducers, the performance requirements of vibration transducers, which can be used to measure acceleration, velocity or vibration amplitude, are discussed, with particular attention given to the piezoelectric accelerometer. Techniques for the accurate measurement of sinusoidal vibration amplitude in reference-grade transducers are then considered, including the use of a position sensitive photocell and the use of a Michelson laser interferometer. Means of comparing the output of working-grade accelerometers with that of previously calibrated reference-grade devices are then outlined, with attention given to a method employing a capacitance bridge technique and a method to be used at temperatures between -50 and 200 C. Automatic calibration procedures developed to speed up the calibration process are outlined, and future possible extensions of system software are indicated.

  5. Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers for 3-D Imaging

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christiansen, Thomas Lehrmann

    of state-of-the-art 3-D ultrasound systems. The focus is on row-column addressed transducer arrays. This previously sparsely investigated addressing scheme offers a highly reduced number of transducer elements, resulting in reduced transducer manufacturing costs and data processing. To produce...... such transducer arrays, capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) technology is chosen for this project. Properties such as high bandwidth and high design flexibility makes this an attractive transducer technology, which is under continuous development in the research community. A theoretical...... treatment of CMUTs is presented, including investigations of the anisotropic plate behaviour and modal radiation patterns of such devices. Several new CMUT fabrication approaches are developed and investigated in terms of oxide quality and surface protrusions, culminating in a simple four-mask process...

  6. An overheight vehicle bridge collision monitoring system using piezoelectric transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, G.; Olmi, C.; Gu, H.

    2007-04-01

    With increasing traffic volume follows an increase in the number of overheight truck collisions with highway bridges. The detection of collision impact and evaluation of the impact level is a critical issue in the maintenance of a concrete bridge. In this paper, an overheight collision detection and evaluation system is developed for concrete bridge girders using piezoelectric transducers. An electric circuit is designed to detect the impact and to activate a digital camera to take photos of the offending truck. Impact tests and a health monitoring test were conducted on a model concrete bridge girder by using three piezoelectric transducers embedded before casting. From the experimental data of the impact test, it can be seen that there is a linear relation between the output of sensor energy and the impact energy. The health monitoring results show that the proposed damage index indicates the level of damage inside the model concrete bridge girder. The proposed overheight truck-bridge collision detection and evaluation system has the potential to be applied to the safety monitoring of highway bridges.

  7. Polarization Control with Piezoelectric and LiNbO3 Transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradley, E.; Miles, E.; Loginov, B.; Vu, N.

    Several Polarization control transducers have appeared on the market, and now automated, endless polarization control systems using these transducers are becoming available. Unfortunately it is not entirely clear what benchmark performance tests a polarization control system must pass, and the polarization disturbances a system must handle are open to some debate. We present quantitative measurements of realistic polarization disturbances and two benchmark tests we have successfully used to evaluate the performance of an automated, endless polarization control system. We use these tests to compare the performance of a system using piezoelectric transducers to that of a system using LiNbO3 transducers.

  8. Transducer handbook user's directory of electrical transducers

    CERN Document Server

    Boyle, H B

    2013-01-01

    When selecting or using a particular type of transducer or sensor, there are a number of factors which must be considered. The question is not only for what kind of measurement, but under what physical conditions, constraints of accuracy, and to meet which service requirements, is a transducer needed? This handbook is designed to meet the selection needs of anyone specifying or using transducers with an electrical output. Each transducer is described in an easy-to-use tabular format, giving all of the necessary data including operating principles, applications, range limits, errors, over-range protection, supply voltage requirements, sensitivities, cross sensitivities, temperature ranges and sensitivities and signal conditioning needs. The author has added notes that reflect his broad practical experience. Added to this is an extensive worldwide suppliers directory.

  9. Resonant acoustic transducer system for a well drilling string

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nardi, Anthony P.

    1981-01-01

    For use in transmitting acoustic waves propated along a well drilling string, a piezoelectric transducer is provided operating in the relatively low loss acoustic propagation range of the well drilling string. The efficiently coupled transmitting transducer incorporates a mass-spring-piezoelectric transmitter combination permitting a resonant operation in the desired low frequency range.

  10. Pressure transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gomes, A.V.

    1975-01-01

    Strain gauges pressure transducers types are presented. Models, characteristics and calibration procedures were also analysed. Initially, a theoretical study was accomplished to evaluate metallic alloys behavior on sensing elements manufacturing, and diaphragm was used as deflecting elements. Electrical models for potenciometric transducers were proposed at the beginning and subsequently comproved according our experiments. Concerning bridge transducers, existing models confirmed the conditions of linearity and sensitivity related to the electrical signal. All the work done was of help on the calibration field and pressure measurements employing unbounded strain gauge pressure transducers

  11. Transducer-Mounting Fixture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spiegel, Kirk W.

    1990-01-01

    Transducer-mounting fixture holds transducer securely against stud. Projects only slightly beyond stud after installation. Flanged transducer fits into fixture when hinged halves open. When halves reclosed, fixture tightened onto threaded stud until stud makes contact with transducer. Knurled area on fixture aids in tightening fixture on stud.

  12. Parameter sensitivity study of a Field II multilayer transducer model on a convex transducer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bæk, David; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt; Willatzen, Morten

    2009-01-01

    A multilayer transducer model for predicting a transducer impulse response has in earlier works been developed and combined with the Field II software. This development was tested on current, voltage, and intensity measurements on piezoceramics discs (Bæk et al. IUS 2008) and a convex 128 element...... ultrasound imaging transducer (Bæk et al. ICU 2009). The model benefits from its 1D simplicity and hasshown to give an amplitude error around 1.7‐2 dB. However, any prediction of amplitude, phase, and attenuation of pulses relies on the accuracy of manufacturer supplied material characteristics, which may...... is a quantitative calibrated model for a complete ultrasound system. This includes a sensitivity study aspresented here.Statement of Contribution/MethodsThe study alters 35 different model parameters which describe a 128 element convex transducer from BK Medical Aps. The changes are within ±20 % of the values...

  13. Integration of biomolecular logic gates with field-effect transducers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Poghossian, A., E-mail: a.poghossian@fz-juelich.de [Institute of Nano- and Biotechnologies, Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Campus Juelich, Heinrich-Mussmann-Str. 1, D-52428 Juelich (Germany); Institute of Bio- and Nanosystems, Research Centre Juelich GmbH, D-52425 Juelich (Germany); Malzahn, K. [Institute of Nano- and Biotechnologies, Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Campus Juelich, Heinrich-Mussmann-Str. 1, D-52428 Juelich (Germany); Abouzar, M.H. [Institute of Nano- and Biotechnologies, Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Campus Juelich, Heinrich-Mussmann-Str. 1, D-52428 Juelich (Germany); Institute of Bio- and Nanosystems, Research Centre Juelich GmbH, D-52425 Juelich (Germany); Mehndiratta, P. [Institute of Nano- and Biotechnologies, Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Campus Juelich, Heinrich-Mussmann-Str. 1, D-52428 Juelich (Germany); Katz, E. [Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science, NanoBio Laboratory (NABLAB), Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY 13699-5810 (United States); Schoening, M.J. [Institute of Nano- and Biotechnologies, Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Campus Juelich, Heinrich-Mussmann-Str. 1, D-52428 Juelich (Germany); Institute of Bio- and Nanosystems, Research Centre Juelich GmbH, D-52425 Juelich (Germany)

    2011-11-01

    Highlights: > Enzyme-based AND/OR logic gates are integrated with a capacitive field-effect sensor. > The AND/OR logic gates compose of multi-enzyme system immobilised on sensor surface. > Logic gates were activated by different combinations of chemical inputs (analytes). > The logic output (pH change) produced by the enzymes was read out by the sensor. - Abstract: The integration of biomolecular logic gates with field-effect devices - the basic element of conventional electronic logic gates and computing - is one of the most attractive and promising approaches for the transformation of biomolecular logic principles into macroscopically useable electrical output signals. In this work, capacitive field-effect EIS (electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor) sensors based on a p-Si-SiO{sub 2}-Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5} structure modified with a multi-enzyme membrane have been used for electronic transduction of biochemical signals processed by enzyme-based OR and AND logic gates. The realised OR logic gate composes of two enzymes (glucose oxidase and esterase) and was activated by ethyl butyrate or/and glucose. The AND logic gate composes of three enzymes (invertase, mutarotase and glucose oxidase) and was activated by two chemical input signals: sucrose and dissolved oxygen. The developed integrated enzyme logic gates produce local pH changes at the EIS sensor surface as a result of biochemical reactions activated by different combinations of chemical input signals, while the pH value of the bulk solution remains unchanged. The pH-induced charge changes at the gate-insulator (Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}) surface of the EIS transducer result in an electronic signal corresponding to the logic output produced by the immobilised enzymes. The logic output signals have been read out by means of a constant-capacitance method.

  14. Integration of biomolecular logic gates with field-effect transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poghossian, A.; Malzahn, K.; Abouzar, M.H.; Mehndiratta, P.; Katz, E.; Schoening, M.J.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Enzyme-based AND/OR logic gates are integrated with a capacitive field-effect sensor. → The AND/OR logic gates compose of multi-enzyme system immobilised on sensor surface. → Logic gates were activated by different combinations of chemical inputs (analytes). → The logic output (pH change) produced by the enzymes was read out by the sensor. - Abstract: The integration of biomolecular logic gates with field-effect devices - the basic element of conventional electronic logic gates and computing - is one of the most attractive and promising approaches for the transformation of biomolecular logic principles into macroscopically useable electrical output signals. In this work, capacitive field-effect EIS (electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor) sensors based on a p-Si-SiO 2 -Ta 2 O 5 structure modified with a multi-enzyme membrane have been used for electronic transduction of biochemical signals processed by enzyme-based OR and AND logic gates. The realised OR logic gate composes of two enzymes (glucose oxidase and esterase) and was activated by ethyl butyrate or/and glucose. The AND logic gate composes of three enzymes (invertase, mutarotase and glucose oxidase) and was activated by two chemical input signals: sucrose and dissolved oxygen. The developed integrated enzyme logic gates produce local pH changes at the EIS sensor surface as a result of biochemical reactions activated by different combinations of chemical input signals, while the pH value of the bulk solution remains unchanged. The pH-induced charge changes at the gate-insulator (Ta 2 O 5 ) surface of the EIS transducer result in an electronic signal corresponding to the logic output produced by the immobilised enzymes. The logic output signals have been read out by means of a constant-capacitance method.

  15. NovoTTF™-100A System (Tumor Treating Fields) transducer array layout planning for glioblastoma: a NovoTAL™ system user study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaudhry, Aafia; Benson, Laura; Varshaver, Michael; Farber, Ori; Weinberg, Uri; Kirson, Eilon; Palti, Yoram

    2015-11-11

    Optune™, previously known as the NovoTTF-100A System™, generates Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields), an effective anti-mitotic therapy for glioblastoma. The system delivers intermediate frequency, alternating electric fields to the supratentorial brain. Patient therapy is personalized by configuring transducer array layout placement on the scalp to the tumor site using MRI measurements and the NovoTAL System. Transducer array layout mapping optimizes therapy by maximizing electric field intensity to the tumor site. This study evaluated physician performance in conducting transducer array layout mapping using the NovoTAL System compared with mapping performed by the Novocure in-house clinical team. Fourteen physicians (7 neuro-oncologists, 4 medical oncologists, and 3 neurosurgeons) evaluated five blinded cases of recurrent glioblastoma and performed head size and tumor location measurements using a standard Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine reader. Concordance with Novocure measurement and intra- and inter-rater reliability were assessed using relevant correlation coefficients. The study criterion for success was a concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) >0.80. CCC for each physician versus Novocure on 20 MRI measurements was 0.96 (standard deviation, SD ± 0.03, range 0.90-1.00), indicating very high agreement between the two groups. Intra- and inter-rater reliability correlation coefficients were similarly high: 0.83 (SD ±0.15, range 0.54-1.00) and 0.80 (SD ±0.18, range 0.48-1.00), respectively. This user study demonstrated an excellent level of concordance between prescribing physicians and Novocure in-house clinical teams in performing transducer array layout planning. Intra-rater reliability was very high, indicating reproducible performance. Physicians prescribing TTFields, when trained on the NovoTAL System, can independently perform transducer array layout mapping required for the initiation and maintenance of patients on TTFields

  16. [Recording of ventricular pressure by conventional catheter manometer systems. Efficiency of several combinations of conventional catheters, modern transducers and catheter-flush systems (author's transl)].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hellige, G

    1976-01-01

    The experimentally in vitro determined dynamic response characteristics of 38 catheter manometer systems were uniform in the worst case to 5 c.p.s. and optimally to 26 c.p.s. Accordingly, some systems are only satisfactory for ordinary pressure recording in cardiac rest, while better systems record dp/dt correct up to moderate inotropic stimulation of the heart. In the frequency range of uniform response (amplitude error less +/- 5%) the phase distortion is also negligible. In clinical application the investigator is often restricted to special type of cardiac catheter. In this case a low compliant transducer yields superior results. In all examined systems the combination with MSD 10 transducers is best, whereas the combination with P 23 Db transducers leads to minimal results. An inadequate system for recording ventricular pressure pulses leads in most cases to overestimations of dp/dtmax. The use of low frequency pass filters to attenuate higher frequency artefacts is, under clinical conditions, not suitable for extending the range of uniform frequency response. The dynamic response of 14 catheter manometer systems with two types of continuous self flush units was determined. The use of the P 37 flush unit in combination with small internal diameter catheters leads to serious error in ordinary pressure recording, due to amplitude distortion of the lower harmonics. The frequency response characteristics of the combination of an Intraflow flush system and MSD 10 transducer was similar to the non-flushing P 23 Db transducer feature.

  17. Decomposition of Composite Electric Field in a Three-Phase D-Dot Voltage Transducer Measuring System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xueqi Hu

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available In line with the wider application of non-contact voltage transducers in the engineering field, transducers are required to have better performance for different measuring environments. In the present study, the D-dot voltage transducer is further improved based on previous research in order to meet the requirements for long-distance measurement of electric transmission lines. When measuring three-phase electric transmission lines, problems such as synchronous data collection and composite electric field need to be resolved. A decomposition method is proposed with respect to the superimposed electric field generated between neighboring phases. The charge simulation method is utilized to deduce the decomposition equation of the composite electric field and the validity of the proposed method is verified by simulation calculation software. With the deduced equation as the algorithm foundation, this paper improves hardware circuits, establishes a measuring system and constructs an experimental platform for examination. Under experimental conditions, a 10 kV electric transmission line was tested for steady-state errors, and the measuring results of the transducer and the high-voltage detection head were compared. Ansoft Maxwell Stimulation Software was adopted to obtain the electric field intensity in different positions under transmission lines; its values and the measuring values of the transducer were also compared. Experimental results show that the three-phase transducer is characterized by a relatively good synchronization for data measurement, measuring results with high precision, and an error ratio within a prescribed limit. Therefore, the proposed three-phase transducer can be broadly applied and popularized in the engineering field.

  18. The Dynamic Performance of Flexural Ultrasonic Transducers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew Feeney

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Flexural ultrasonic transducers are principally used as proximity sensors and for industrial metrology. Their operation relies on a piezoelectric ceramic to generate a flexing of a metallic membrane, which delivers the ultrasound signal. The performance of flexural ultrasonic transducers has been largely limited to excitation through a short voltage burst signal at a designated mechanical resonance frequency. However, a steady-state amplitude response is not generated instantaneously in a flexural ultrasonic transducer from a drive excitation signal, and differences in the drive characteristics between transmitting and receiving transducers can affect the measured response. This research investigates the dynamic performance of flexural ultrasonic transducers using acoustic microphone measurements and laser Doppler vibrometry, supported by a detailed mechanical analog model, in a process which has not before been applied to the flexural ultrasonic transducer. These techniques are employed to gain insights into the physics of their vibration behaviour, vital for the optimisation of industrial ultrasound systems.

  19. Linear Array Ultrasonic Transducers: Sensitivity and Resolution Study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kramb, V.A.

    2005-01-01

    The University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) under contract by the US Air Force has designed and integrated a fully automated inspection system for the inspection of turbine engines that incorporates linear phased array ultrasonic transducers. Phased array transducers have been successfully implemented into weld and turbine blade root inspections where the defect types are well known and characterized. Embedded defects in aerospace turbine engine components are less well defined, however. In order to determine the applicability of linear arrays to aerospace inspections the sensitivity of array transducers to embedded defects in engine materials must be characterized. In addition, the implementation of array transducers into legacy inspection procedures must take into account any differences in sensitivity between the array transducer and that of the single element transducer currently used. This paper discusses preliminary results in a study that compares the sensitivity of linear array and conventional single element transducers to synthetic hard alpha defects in a titanium alloy

  20. Driving electrostatic transducers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Dennis; Knott, Arnold; Andersen, Michael A. E.

    2013-01-01

    Electrostatic transducers represent a very interesting alternative to the traditional inefficient electrodynamic transducers. In order to establish the full potential of these transducers, power amplifiers which fulfill the strict requirements imposed by such loads (high impedance, frequency...... depended, nonlinear and high bias voltage for linearization) must be developed. This paper analyzes power stages and bias configurations suitable for driving an electrostatic transducer. Measurement results of a 300 V prototype amplifier are shown. Measuring THD across a high impedance source is discussed...

  1. Performance evaluation of eddy current transducers and associated instrumentation of integrated garter spring repositioning system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharma, B.S.V.G.; Shyam, T.V.; Shrivastava, A.K.; Sinha, R.K.

    1997-01-01

    To extend the life of coolant channels of operating Indian Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) of an early generation, repositioning of dislocated Garter Spring (GS) spacers is necessary. For this purpose a remotely operated system named INtegrated Garter spring REpositioning System (INGRES) has been developed. As a part of this system, eddy current transducers namely Garter Spring Detection Probe (GSDP) and Concentricity Detection Probe (CDP) along with respective signal processor units have been designed and developed. These devices detect GS spacers and eccentricity between Pressure Tube (PT) and Calandria Tube (CT) of the channel respectively. During a recent campaign of INGRES at Madras Atomic Power Station unit-2 (MAPS-2), these transducer systems have fulfilled intended design and operational objectives besides providing additional information regarding channel. These aspects are discussed. (author). 6 figs

  2. A Float Type Liquid Level Measuring System Using a Modified Inductive Transducer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samik MARICK

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Float type liquid level sensor is generally used as a very simple technique for local level indication and level switching. In the present paper a technique has been proposed to transmit the measured liquid level signal of a float type sensor at remote terminal using a modified differential inductance type electromechanical transducer. The theoretical characteristic equation of this transducer has been derived. A prototype unit of the transducer has been developed and fabricated and its performance characteristic has been experimentally determined. The experimental results are reported in the paper. From experimental data, a very good linear characteristic of the proposed level transducer has been observed.

  3. Acoustic transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drumheller, Douglas S.

    2000-01-01

    An active acoustic transducer tool for use down-hole applications. The tool includes a single cylindrical mandrel including a shoulder defining the boundary of a narrowed portion over which is placed a sandwich-style piezoelectric tranducer assembly. The piezoelectric transducer assembly is prestressed by being placed in a thermal interference fit between the shoulder of the mandrel and the base of an anvil which is likewise positioned over the narrower portion of the mandrel. In the preferred embodiment, assembly of the tool is accomplished using a hydraulic jack to stretch the mandrel prior to emplacement of the cylindrical sandwich-style piezoelectric transducer assembly and anvil. After those elements are positioned and secured, the stretched mandrel is allowed to return substantially to its original (pre-stretch) dimensions with the result that the piezoelectric transducer elements are compressed between the anvil and the shoulder of the mandrel.

  4. Calibration of acoustic emission transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leschek, W.C.

    1976-01-01

    A method is described for calibrating an acoustic emission transducer to be used in a pre-set frequency range. The absolute reception sensitivity of a reference transducer is determined at frequencies selected within the frequency range. The reference transducer and the acoustic emission transducer are put into acoustic communication with the surface of a limited acoustic medium representing an equivalent acoustic load appreciably identical to that of the medium in which the use of the acoustic emission transducer is intended. A blank random acoustic noise is emitted in the acoustic medium in order to establish a diffuse and reverberating sound field, after which the output responses of the reference transducer and of the acoustic emission transducer are obtained with respect to the diffuse and reverberating field, for selected frequencies. The output response of the acoustic emission transducer is compared with that of the reference transducer for the selected frequencies, so as to determine the reception sensitivity of the acoustic emission transducer [fr

  5. A New Low-frequency Sonophoresis System Combined with Ultrasonic Motor and Transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Pancheng; Peng, Hanmin; Yang, Jianzhi; Mao, Ting; Sheng, Juan

    2018-03-01

    Low frequency sonophoresis (LFS) is currently being attempted as a transdermal drug delivery method in clinical areas. However, it lacks both an effective control method and the equipment to satisfy the varying drug dosage requirements of individual patients. Herein, a novel method aimed at controlling permeability is proposed and developed, using a pressure control strategy which is based on an accurate, adjustable and non-invasive ultrasound transdermal drug delivery system in in vitro LFS. The system mainly consists of a lead screw linear ultrasonic motor and an ultrasonic transducer, in which the former offers pressure and the latter provides ultrasound wave in the liquid. The ultrasound can enhance non-invasive permeation and the pressure from the motor can control the permeability. The calculated and experimental results demonstrate that the maximum pressure on artificial skin is under the area with the maximum vibration amplitude of the ultrasonic transducer, and the total pressure consists of acoustic pressure from the transducer and approximate static pressure from the motor. Changing the static pressure from the ultrasonic motor can effectively control the non-invasive permeability, by adjusting the duty ratio or the amplitude of the motor’s driving voltage. In addition, the permeability control of calcein by thrust control is realized in 15 min, indicating the suitability of this method for application in accurate medical technology. The obtained results reveal that the issue of difficult permeability control can be addressed, using this control method in in vitro LFS to open up a route to the design of accurate drug delivery technology for individual patients.

  6. Fabrication of a PMN-PT Single Crystal-Based Transcranial Doppler Transducer and the Power Regulation of Its Detection System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qingwen Yue

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Doppler sonographic measurement of flow velocity in the basal cerebral arteries through the intact skull was developed using a pulsed Doppler technique and 2 MHz emitting frequency. Relaxor-based ferroelectric single crystals Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3O3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT were chosen to be the piezoelectric transducer material due to their ultrahigh piezoelectric coefficients, high electromechanical coupling coefficients and low dielectric loss. The pulse-echo response of the transducer was measured using the conventional pulse-echo method in a water bath at room temperature. The −6 dB bandwidth of the transducer is 68.4% and the sensitivity is −17.4 dB. In order to get a good match between transducer and detection system, different transmission powers have been regulated by changing the impedance of the transmitting electric circuit. In the middle cerebral artery (MCA measurement photograph results, as the transmission power is increasing, the detection results become clearer and clearer. A comparison at the same transmission power for different transducers shows that the detection photograph obtained by the crystal transducer was clearer than that obtained with a commercial transducer, which should make it easier for doctors to find the cerebral arteries.

  7. DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF POTENTIOMETER-BASED NONLINEAR TRANSDUCER EMULATOR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sheroz Khan

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available This work attempts to design and implement in hardware a transducer with a nonlinear response using potentiometer. Potentiometer is regarded as a linear transducer, while a the response of a nonlinear transducer can be treated as a concatenation of linear segments made out of the response curve of an actual nonlinear transducer at the points of inflections being exhibited by the nonlinear curve. Each straight line segment is characterized by its slope and a constant, called the y-intercept, which is ultimately realized by a corresponding electronic circuit. The complete circuit diagram is made of three stages: (i the input stage for range selection, (ii a digital logic to make appropriate selection, (iii a conditioning circuit for realizing a given straight-line segment identified by its relevant slope and reference voltage. The simulation of the circuit is carried using MULTISIM, and the designed circuit is afterward tested to verify that variations of the input voltage give us an output voltage very close to the response pattern envisaged in the analytical stage of the design. The utility of this work lies in its applications in emulating purpose built transducers that could be used to nicely emulate a transducer in a real world system that is to be controlled by a programmable digital system.

  8. Numerical comparison of patch and sandwich piezoelectric transducers for transmitting ultrasonic waves

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Loveday, PW

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available in the waveguide. Piezoelectric patch transducers are frequently employed, by researchers, for exciting waves in beam like structures. Sonar systems frequently make use of resonant transducers, such as sandwich transducers, for acoustic wave generation...

  9. Coalgebraising subsequential transducers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    H.H. Hansen (Helle); J. Adamek; C.A. Kupke (Clemens)

    2008-01-01

    htmlabstractSubsequential transducers generalise both classic deterministic automata and Mealy/Moore type state machines by combining (input) language recognition with transduction. In this paper we show that normalisation and taking differentials of subsequential transducers and their underlying

  10. Coalgebraising Subsequential Transducers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hansen, H.H.

    2008-01-01

    Subsequential transducers generalise both classic deterministic automata and Mealy/Moore type state machines by combining (input) language recognition with transduction. In this paper we show that normalisation and taking differentials of subsequential transducers and their underlying structures can

  11. On Board Data Acquisition System with Intelligent Transducers for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rochala, Zdzisław

    2012-02-01

    This report presents conclusions from research project no. ON50900363 conducted at the Mechatronics Department, Military University of Technology in the years 2007-2010. As the main object of the study involved the preparation of a concept and the implementation of an avionics data acquisition system intended for research during flight of unmanned aerial vehicles of the mini class, this article presents a design of an avionics system and describes equipment solutions of a distributed measurement system intended for data acquisition consisting of intelligent transducers. The data collected during a flight controlled by an operator confirmed proper operation of the individual components of the data acquisition system.

  12. Thin-plate-type embedded ultrasonic transducer based on magnetostriction for the thickness monitoring of the secondary piping system of a nuclear power plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heo, Tae Hoon; Cho, Seung Hyun [Center for Safety Measurement, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-12-15

    Pipe wall thinning in the secondary piping system of a nuclear power plant is currently a major problem that typically affects the safety and reliability of the nuclear power plant directly. Regular in-service inspections are carried out to manage the piping system only during the overhaul. Online thickness monitoring is necessary to avoid abrupt breakage due to wall thinning. To this end, a transducer that can withstand a high-temperature environment and should be installed under the insulation layer. We propose a thin plate type of embedded ultrasonic transducer based on magnetostriction. The transducer was designed and fabricated to measure the thickness of a pipe under a high-temperature condition. A number of experimental results confirmed the validity of the present transducer.

  13. Towards a visual modeling approach to designing microelectromechanical system transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dewey, Allen; Srinivasan, Vijay; Icoz, Evrim

    1999-12-01

    In this paper, we address initial design capture and system conceptualization of microelectromechanical system transducers based on visual modeling and design. Visual modeling frames the task of generating hardware description language (analog and digital) component models in a manner similar to the task of generating software programming language applications. A structured topological design strategy is employed, whereby microelectromechanical foundry cell libraries are utilized to facilitate the design process of exploring candidate cells (topologies), varying key aspects of the transduction for each topology, and determining which topology best satisfies design requirements. Coupled-energy microelectromechanical system characterizations at a circuit level of abstraction are presented that are based on branch constitutive relations and an overall system of simultaneous differential and algebraic equations. The resulting design methodology is called visual integrated-microelectromechanical VHDL-AMS interactive design (VHDL-AMS is visual hardware design language for analog and mixed signal).

  14. Modeling of ultrasound transducers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bæk, David

    This Ph.D. dissertation addresses ultrasound transducer modeling for medical ultrasound imaging and combines the modeling with the ultrasound simulation program Field II. The project firstly presents two new models for spatial impulse responses (SIR)s to a rectangular elevation focused transducer...... (REFT) and to a convex rectangular elevation focused transducer (CREFT). These models are solvable on an analog time scale and give exact smooth solutions to the Rayleigh integral. The REFT model exhibits a root mean square (RMS) error relative to Field II predictions of 0.41 % at 3400 MHz, and 1.......37 % at 100MHz. The CREFT model exhibits a RMS deviation of 0.01 % relative to the exact numerical solution on a CREFT transducer. A convex non-elevation focused, a REFT, and a linear flat transducer are shown to be covered with the CREFT model as well. Pressure pulses calculated with a one...

  15. Optimization of ultrasonic tube testing with concentric transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dufayet, J.-P.; Gambin, Raymond.

    1978-01-01

    In order to test tubes by ultrasonics without rotation, concentric transducers can be used with conical mirrors to detect transverse defects and with helical shaped mirrors to detect longitudinal defects. Further optimization studies have been carried out in order to bring the system highly operational. The respective advantages brought by the rotating screen or by our especially designed sectorial transducers are discussed [fr

  16. Study on electrical impedance matching for broadband ultrasonic transducer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Geon Woo [University of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Ki Bok [Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Center for Safety Measurement, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Baek, Kwang Sae [Elache Co., Busan (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-02-15

    Ultrasonic transducers with high resolution and resonant frequency are required to detect small defects (less than hundreds of μm) by ultrasonic testing. The resonance frequency and resolution of an ultrasonic transducer are closely related to the thickness of piezo-electric materials, backing materials, and the electric impedance matching technique. Among these factors, electrical impedance matching plays an important role because it can reduce the loss and reflection of ultrasonic energy differences in electrical impedance between an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic defects detecting system. An LC matching circuit is the most frequently used electric matching method. It is necessary for the electrical impedance of an ultrasonic transducer to correspond to approximately 50 Ω to compensate the difference in electrical impedance between both connections. In this study, a 15 MHz immersion ultrasonic transducer was fabricated and an LC electrical impedance circuit was applied to that for having broad-band frequency characteristic.

  17. The Evolution of Energy-Transducing Systems. Studies with Archaebacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stan-Lotter, Helga

    1996-01-01

    The dicyclohexyl carbodiimide (DCCD)- binding site of the membrane ATPase from Halobacterium saccharovorum was investigated during earlier periods of this Cooperative Agreement and was localized to a cyanogen bromide fragment of subunit 2 from amino acids 379 (Glu) to 442 (Met). Although the exact position of the reactive amino acid (probably a glutamic acid) has not yet been determined, the data, together with recently obtained immuno reactions and sequences of Cyanogen Bromide (CNBr) fragments from E.coli F-ATPase, suggested subunit interactions in the halobacterial ATPase which had not been recognized before. They also provided evidence for the presence of a gamma subunit in the halobacterial ATPase, and for a stretch of a amino acids similar to the 'catch' between beta and gamma in bovine F-ATPase. The evolutionary implications of these findings are twofold: first, halobacterial (or archaebacterial) ATPases appear as complex as those from higher organisms - no simpler versions of these membrane enzymes are known to date; second, a monophyletic origin of the energy-transducing ATPases is becoming more apparent, and - together with other data - the split into V- and F-ATPases may have occurred much later than had been previously thought (i.e., after the split into Archaea and Bacteria). Other work included the characterization of an extremely halophilic isolate (Halococcus salifodinae ) from Permian salt sediments. This organism appeared to be an autotrophic halobacterium; its incorporation of C02 was investigated.

  18. Damage detection using piezoelectric transducers and the Lamb wave approach: I. System analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, X; Lu, Y; Tang, J

    2008-01-01

    Structural damage detection using piezoelectric transducers and the Lamb wave approach has been under intensive investigations. A commonly pursued topic is the selection of system parameters such that the detection performance can be optimized. Previous studies have indicated that the excitation center frequency plays a critical role, and suggested use of the 'sweet spot' frequency to maximize the peak wave amplitude ratio between the S 0 and the A 0 modes. In this paper, the analytical formulation of Lamb wave propagation on a narrow-strip beam excited and sensed by piezoelectric transducers is outlined first. Then, the antisymmetric and symmetric contents of the wave propagation response are analyzed in detail with respect to system parameters. In particular, the parametric influence on the 'sweet spot' frequency is investigated systematically. The complicated interaction of the wave components with respect to damage is illustrated through case studies. The analytical study is supported by numerical analysis using the finite element method and by experimental investigation. This research provides the mechanistic basis for robust damage detection using data processing and statistical analysis tools which is the focus of the second paper of this two-paper series

  19. Piezoelectric transducer vibrations in a one-dimensional approximation

    CERN Document Server

    Hilke, H J

    1973-01-01

    The theory of piezoelectric transducer vibrations, which may be treated as one-dimensional, is developed in detail for thin discs vibrating in a pure thickness extensional mode. An effort has been made to obtain relations of general validity, which include losses, and which are in a simple explicit form convenient for practical calculations. The behaviour of transducers is discussed with special attention to their characteristics at the two fundamental frequencies, the so-called parallel and series resonances. Several peculiarities occur when transducers are coupled to media with considerably different acoustic impedances. These peculiarities are discussed and illustrated by numerical results for quartz and PZT 4 piezoelectric discs radiating into water, air and liquid hydrogen. The application of the theory to different types of vibrations is briefly illustrated for thin bars vibrating longitudinally. Short discussions are included on compound transducer systems, and on the properties of thin discs as receiv...

  20. Crossflow force transducer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mulcahy, T.M.

    1982-05-01

    A force transducer for measuring lift and drag coefficients for a circular cylinder in turbulent water flow is presented. In addition to describing the actual design and construction of the strain-gauged force- ring based transducer, requirements for obtained valid fluid force test data are discussed, and pertinent flow test experience is related

  1. Gene Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy Using Rabbit Cytochrome P450 4B1 in Murine Colon Adenocarcinoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Sung Joo; Kang, Joo Hyun; Lee, Tae Sup; Kim, Kyeong Min; Woo, Kwang Sun; Chung, Wee Sup; Cheon, Gi Jeong; Choi, Chang Woon; Lim, Sang Moo [Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2007-07-01

    The conventional cancer therapy is chemotherapy, surgical resection and/or radiotherapy. Chemotherapy using cytotoxic drug has some problems with lack of tumor selectivity resulting in toxicity to normal tissues. To enhance the tumor selectivity of cytotoxic drug, the application of suicidal gene therapy technology was designed. Suicidal gene therapy is based on the expression in tumor cells of a gene encoding an enzyme that converts a non-toxic prodrug into a cytotoxic product. Representative suicidal genes are Herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase (HSV1- tk) and cytosine deaminase (cd). Recently, a new prodrug-converting enzyme based on rabbit cytochrome P450 4B1 gene (cyp4B1) has been reported for therapy of experimental brain tumor. This enzyme activates the prodrugs such as 4-ipomeanol (4-IM) and 2- aminoanthracene (2-AA) to highly reactive furane epoxide and unsaturated dialdehyde intermediate, respectively. DNA alkylation seems to be the main mechanism of cytotoxicity of these activated drugs. In this study, we isolated cyp4B1 cDNA from rabbit lung, transduced cyp4B1 expression vector into murine colon cancer cell, and then analyzed the cytotoxic properties of cyp4b1-activated 2-AA in cyp4B1 transduced cells to verify the cyp4B1 enzyme system for gene directed enzyme prodrug therapy.

  2. Gene Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy Using Rabbit Cytochrome P450 4B1 in Murine Colon Adenocarcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Sung Joo; Kang, Joo Hyun; Lee, Tae Sup; Kim, Kyeong Min; Woo, Kwang Sun; Chung, Wee Sup; Cheon, Gi Jeong; Choi, Chang Woon; Lim, Sang Moo

    2007-01-01

    The conventional cancer therapy is chemotherapy, surgical resection and/or radiotherapy. Chemotherapy using cytotoxic drug has some problems with lack of tumor selectivity resulting in toxicity to normal tissues. To enhance the tumor selectivity of cytotoxic drug, the application of suicidal gene therapy technology was designed. Suicidal gene therapy is based on the expression in tumor cells of a gene encoding an enzyme that converts a non-toxic prodrug into a cytotoxic product. Representative suicidal genes are Herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase (HSV1- tk) and cytosine deaminase (cd). Recently, a new prodrug-converting enzyme based on rabbit cytochrome P450 4B1 gene (cyp4B1) has been reported for therapy of experimental brain tumor. This enzyme activates the prodrugs such as 4-ipomeanol (4-IM) and 2- aminoanthracene (2-AA) to highly reactive furane epoxide and unsaturated dialdehyde intermediate, respectively. DNA alkylation seems to be the main mechanism of cytotoxicity of these activated drugs. In this study, we isolated cyp4B1 cDNA from rabbit lung, transduced cyp4B1 expression vector into murine colon cancer cell, and then analyzed the cytotoxic properties of cyp4b1-activated 2-AA in cyp4B1 transduced cells to verify the cyp4B1 enzyme system for gene directed enzyme prodrug therapy

  3. Handbook of force transducers

    CERN Document Server

    Stefanescu, Dan Mihai

    2011-01-01

    Part I introduces the basic ""Principles and Methods of Force Measurement"" acording to a classification into a dozen of force transducers types: resistive, inductive, capacitive, piezoelectric, electromagnetic, electrodynamic, magnetoelastic, galvanomagnetic (Hall-effect), vibrating wires, (micro)resonators, acoustic and gyroscopic. Two special chapters refer to force balance techniques and to combined methods in force measurement. Part II discusses the ""(Strain Gauge) Force Transducers Components"", evolving from the classical force transducer to the digital / intelligent one, with the inco

  4. Micromachined capacitive ultrasonic immersion transducer array

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Xuecheng

    Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (cMUTs) have emerged as an attractive alternative to conventional piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers. They offer performance advantages of wide bandwidth and sensitivity that have heretofore been attainable. In addition, micromachining technology, which has benefited from the fast-growing microelectronics industry, enables cMUT array fabrication and electronics integration. This thesis describes the design and fabrication of micromachined capacitive ultrasonic immersion transducer arrays. The basic transducer electrical equivalent circuit is derived from Mason's theory. The effects of Lamb waves and Stoneley waves on cross coupling and acoustic losses are discussed. Electrical parasitics such as series resistance and shunt capacitance are also included in the model of the transducer. Transducer fabrication technology is systematically studied. Device dimension control in both vertical and horizontal directions, process alternatives and variations in membrane formation, via etch and cavity sealing, and metalization as well as their impact on transducer performance are summarized. Both 64 and 128 element 1-D array transducers are fabricated. Transducers are characterized in terms of electrical input impedance, bandwidth, sensitivity, dynamic range, impulse response and angular response, and their performance is compared with theoretical simulation. Various schemes for cross coupling reduction is analyzed, implemented, and verified with both experiments and theory. Preliminary results of immersion imaging are presented using 64 elements 1-D array transducers for active source imaging.

  5. Development of instrumentation systems for severe accidents. 4. New accident tolerant in-containment pressure transducer for containment pressure monitoring system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oba, Masato; Teruya, Kuniyuki; Yoshitsugu, Makoto; Ikeuchi, Takeshi

    2015-01-01

    The accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (TF-1 accident) caused severe situations and resulted in a difficulty in measuring important parameters for monitoring plant conditions. Therefore, we have studied the TF-1 accident to select the important parameters that should be monitored at the severe accident and are developing the Severe Accident Instrumentations and Monitoring Systems that could measure the parameters in severe accident conditions. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, LTD (MHI) developed a new accident tolerant containment pressure monitoring system and demonstrated that the monitoring system could endure extremely harsh environmental conditions that envelop severe accident environmental conditions inside a containment such as maximum operating temperature of up to 300degC and total integrated dose (TID) of 1 MGy gamma. The new containment pressure monitoring system comprises of a strain gage type pressure transducer and a mineral insulated (MI) cable with ceramic connectors, which are located in the containment, and a strain measuring amplifier located outside the containment. Less thermal and radiation degradation is achieved because of minimizing use of organic materials for in-containment equipment such as the transducer and connectors. Several tests were performed to demonstrate the performance and capability of the in-containment equipment under severe accident environmental conditions and the major steps in this testing were run in the following test sequences: (1) the baseline functional tests (e.g., repeatability, non-linearity, hysteresis, and so on) under normal conditions, (2) accident radiation testing, (3) seismic testing, and (4) steam/temperature test exposed to simulated severe accident environmental conditions. The test results demonstrate that the new pressure transducer can endure the simulated severe accident conditions. (author)

  6. Circuit for Driving Piezoelectric Transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Randall, David P.; Chapsky, Jacob

    2009-01-01

    The figure schematically depicts an oscillator circuit for driving a piezoelectric transducer to excite vibrations in a mechanical structure. The circuit was designed and built to satisfy application-specific requirements to drive a selected one of 16 such transducers at a regulated amplitude and frequency chosen to optimize the amount of work performed by the transducer and to compensate for both (1) temporal variations of the resonance frequency and damping time of each transducer and (2) initially unknown differences among the resonance frequencies and damping times of different transducers. In other words, the circuit is designed to adjust itself to optimize the performance of whichever transducer is selected at any given time. The basic design concept may be adaptable to other applications that involve the use of piezoelectric transducers in ultrasonic cleaners and other apparatuses in which high-frequency mechanical drives are utilized. This circuit includes three resistor-capacitor networks that, together with the selected piezoelectric transducer, constitute a band-pass filter having a peak response at a frequency of about 2 kHz, which is approximately the resonance frequency of the piezoelectric transducers. Gain for generating oscillations is provided by a power hybrid operational amplifier (U1). A junction field-effect transistor (Q1) in combination with a resistor (R4) is used as a voltage-variable resistor to control the magnitude of the oscillation. The voltage-variable resistor is part of a feedback control loop: Part of the output of the oscillator is rectified and filtered for use as a slow negative feedback to the gate of Q1 to keep the output amplitude constant. The response of this control loop is much slower than 2 kHz and, therefore, does not introduce significant distortion of the oscillator output, which is a fairly clean sine wave. The positive AC feedback needed to sustain oscillations is derived from sampling the current through the

  7. DNA-Based Enzyme Reactors and Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Veikko Linko

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available During recent years, the possibility to create custom biocompatible nanoshapes using DNA as a building material has rapidly emerged. Further, these rationally designed DNA structures could be exploited in positioning pivotal molecules, such as enzymes, with nanometer-level precision. This feature could be used in the fabrication of artificial biochemical machinery that is able to mimic the complex reactions found in living cells. Currently, DNA-enzyme hybrids can be used to control (multi-enzyme cascade reactions and to regulate the enzyme functions and the reaction pathways. Moreover, sophisticated DNA structures can be utilized in encapsulating active enzymes and delivering the molecular cargo into cells. In this review, we focus on the latest enzyme systems based on novel DNA nanostructures: enzyme reactors, regulatory devices and carriers that can find uses in various biotechnological and nanomedical applications.

  8. Development of Remote-Type Haptic Catheter Sensor System using Piezoelectric Transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haruta, Mineyuki; Murayama, Yoshinobu; Omata, Sadao

    This study describes the development of Remote-Type Haptic Catheter Sensor System which enables the mechanical property evaluation of a blood vessel. This system consists of a feedback circuit and a piezoelectric ultrasound transducer, and is operated based on a phase shift method so that the entire system oscillates at its inherent resonance frequency. Ultrasound reflected by the blood vessel makes a phase shift of the resonance system depending on the acoustic impedance of the reflector. The phase shift is then measured as a change in resonance frequency of the system; therefore, the detection resolution is highly improved. The correlation between the acoustic impedance and the resonance frequency change of the sensor system was demonstrated using silicone rubbers, metals and actual blood vessels from a pig. The performance of the sensor was also examined using vessel shaped phantom model. Finally, the discussion surveys a possibility of the novel sensor system in an application for intra vascular diagnosis.

  9. 21 CFR 862.3360 - Drug metabolizing enzyme genotyping system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Drug metabolizing enzyme genotyping system. 862... Test Systems § 862.3360 Drug metabolizing enzyme genotyping system. (a) Identification. A drug metabolizing enzyme genotyping system is a device intended for use in testing deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA...

  10. Design of a saturated analogue and digital current transducer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pross, Alexander

    2002-01-01

    This project describes the development of a new analogue and digital current transducer, providing a range of new theoretical design methods for these novel devices. The main control feature is the limit cycling operation, and the novel use of the embedded sigma-delta modulator sensor structure to derive a low component count digital sensor. The research programme was initiated into the design, development and evaluation of a novel non-Hall sensing analogue and digital current transducer. These transducers are used for measurement of high currents in power systems applications. The investigation is concerned with a new design which uses a magnetic ferrite core without an air gap for current measurement. The motivation for this work was to design a new control circuit which provides a low component count, and utilises the non-linear properties of the magnetic ferrite core to transmit direct current. The use of a limit cycle control circuit was believed to be particularly suitable for the analogue and digital transducers, for two main reasons: the low component count, and the output signal is directly digital. In line with the motivations outlined above, the outcome of the research has witnessed the design, development and evaluation of a practically realisable analogue and digital current transducer. The design procedure, which is documented in this thesis, is considered to be a major contribution to the field of transducers design and development using a control systems approach. Mathematical models for both analogue and digital transducers were developed and the resulting model based predictions were found to be in good agreement with measured results. Simplification of the new model sensing device was achieved by approximating the non-linear ferrite core using FFT analysis. This is also considered to be a significant contribution. The development analogue and digital current censors employed a sampled data control systems design and utilised limit cycling

  11. Nonlinear Dynamic Modeling of Langevin-Type Piezoelectric Transducers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicolás Peréz Alvarez

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Langevin transducers are employed in several applications, such as power ultrasound systems, naval hydrophones, and high-displacement actuators. Nonlinear effects can influence their performance, especially at high vibration amplitude levels. These nonlinear effects produce variations in the resonant frequency, harmonics of the excitation frequency, in addition to loss of symmetry in the frequency response and “frequency domain hysteresis”. In this context, this paper presents a simplified nonlinear dynamic model of power ultrasound transducers requiring only two parameters for simulating the most relevant nonlinear effects. One parameter reproduces the changes in the resonance frequency and the other introduces the dependence of the frequency response on the history of the system. The piezoelectric constitutive equations are extended by a linear dependence of the elastic constant on the mechanical displacement amplitude. For introducing the frequency hysteresis, the elastic constant is computed by combining the current value of the mechanical amplitude with the previous state amplitude. The model developed in this work is applied for predicting the dynamic responses of a 26 kHz ultrasonic transducer. The comparison of theoretical and experimental responses, obtained at several input voltages around the tuned frequency, shows a good agreement, indicating that the model can accurately describe the transducer nonlinear behavior.

  12. Decentralized diagnostics based on a distributed micro-genetic algorithm for transducer networks monitoring large experimental systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arpaia, P; Cimmino, P; Girone, M; La Commara, G; Maisto, D; Manna, C; Pezzetti, M

    2014-09-01

    Evolutionary approach to centralized multiple-faults diagnostics is extended to distributed transducer networks monitoring large experimental systems. Given a set of anomalies detected by the transducers, each instance of the multiple-fault problem is formulated as several parallel communicating sub-tasks running on different transducers, and thus solved one-by-one on spatially separated parallel processes. A micro-genetic algorithm merges evaluation time efficiency, arising from a small-size population distributed on parallel-synchronized processors, with the effectiveness of centralized evolutionary techniques due to optimal mix of exploitation and exploration. In this way, holistic view and effectiveness advantages of evolutionary global diagnostics are combined with reliability and efficiency benefits of distributed parallel architectures. The proposed approach was validated both (i) by simulation at CERN, on a case study of a cold box for enhancing the cryogeny diagnostics of the Large Hadron Collider, and (ii) by experiments, under the framework of the industrial research project MONDIEVOB (Building Remote Monitoring and Evolutionary Diagnostics), co-funded by EU and the company Del Bo srl, Napoli, Italy.

  13. Enzyme-regulated the changes of pH values for assembling a colorimetric and multistage interconnection logic network with multiple readouts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, Yanyan; Ran, Xiang; Lin, Youhui [Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Division of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022 (China); Graduate School of University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039 (China); Ren, Jinsong, E-mail: jren@ciac.ac.cn [Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Division of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022 (China); Qu, Xiaogang [Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Division of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022 (China)

    2015-04-22

    Highlights: • A colorimetric and multistage biological network has been developed. • This system was on the basis of the enzyme-regulated changes of pH values. • This enzyme-based system could assemble large biological circuit. • Two signal transducers (DNA/AuNPs and acid–base indicators) were used. • The compositions of samples could be detected through visual output signals. - Abstract: Based on enzymatic reactions-triggered changes of pH values and biocomputing, a novel and multistage interconnection biological network with multiple easy-detectable signal outputs has been developed. Compared with traditional chemical computing, the enzyme-based biological system could overcome the interference between reactions or the incompatibility of individual computing gates and offer a unique opportunity to assemble multicomponent/multifunctional logic circuitries. Our system included four enzyme inputs: β-galactosidase (β-gal), glucose oxidase (GOx), esterase (Est) and urease (Ur). With the assistance of two signal transducers (gold nanoparticles and acid–base indicators) or pH meter, the outputs of the biological network could be conveniently read by the naked eyes. In contrast to current methods, the approach present here could realize cost-effective, label-free and colorimetric logic operations without complicated instrument. By designing a series of Boolean logic operations, we could logically make judgment of the compositions of the samples on the basis of visual output signals. Our work offered a promising paradigm for future biological computing technology and might be highly useful in future intelligent diagnostics, prodrug activation, smart drug delivery, process control, and electronic applications.

  14. Enzyme-regulated the changes of pH values for assembling a colorimetric and multistage interconnection logic network with multiple readouts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Yanyan; Ran, Xiang; Lin, Youhui; Ren, Jinsong; Qu, Xiaogang

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • A colorimetric and multistage biological network has been developed. • This system was on the basis of the enzyme-regulated changes of pH values. • This enzyme-based system could assemble large biological circuit. • Two signal transducers (DNA/AuNPs and acid–base indicators) were used. • The compositions of samples could be detected through visual output signals. - Abstract: Based on enzymatic reactions-triggered changes of pH values and biocomputing, a novel and multistage interconnection biological network with multiple easy-detectable signal outputs has been developed. Compared with traditional chemical computing, the enzyme-based biological system could overcome the interference between reactions or the incompatibility of individual computing gates and offer a unique opportunity to assemble multicomponent/multifunctional logic circuitries. Our system included four enzyme inputs: β-galactosidase (β-gal), glucose oxidase (GOx), esterase (Est) and urease (Ur). With the assistance of two signal transducers (gold nanoparticles and acid–base indicators) or pH meter, the outputs of the biological network could be conveniently read by the naked eyes. In contrast to current methods, the approach present here could realize cost-effective, label-free and colorimetric logic operations without complicated instrument. By designing a series of Boolean logic operations, we could logically make judgment of the compositions of the samples on the basis of visual output signals. Our work offered a promising paradigm for future biological computing technology and might be highly useful in future intelligent diagnostics, prodrug activation, smart drug delivery, process control, and electronic applications

  15. Design optimization of embedded ultrasonic transducers for concrete structures assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dumoulin, Cédric; Deraemaeker, Arnaud

    2017-08-01

    In the last decades, the field of structural health monitoring and damage detection has been intensively explored. Active vibration techniques allow to excite structures at high frequency vibrations which are sensitive to small damage. Piezoelectric PZT transducers are perfect candidates for such testing due to their small size, low cost and large bandwidth. Current ultrasonic systems are based on external piezoelectric transducers which need to be placed on two faces of the concrete specimen. The limited accessibility of in-service structures makes such an arrangement often impractical. An alternative is to embed permanently low-cost transducers inside the structure. Such types of transducers have been applied successfully for the in-situ estimation of the P-wave velocity in fresh concrete, and for crack monitoring. Up to now, the design of such transducers was essentially based on trial and error, or in a few cases, on the limitation of the acoustic impedance mismatch between the PZT and concrete. In the present study, we explore the working principles of embedded piezoelectric transducers which are found to be significantly different from external transducers. One of the major challenges concerning embedded transducers is to produce very low cost transducers. We show that a practical way to achieve this imperative is to consider the radial mode of actuation of bulk PZT elements. This is done by developing a simple finite element model of a piezoelectric transducer embedded in an infinite medium. The model is coupled with a multi-objective genetic algorithm which is used to design specific ultrasonic embedded transducers both for hard and fresh concrete monitoring. The results show the efficiency of the approach and a few designs are proposed which are optimal for hard concrete, fresh concrete, or both, in a given frequency band of interest. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Investigation of Calibrating Force Transducer Using Sinusoidal Force

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Li; Wang Yu; Zhang Lizhe

    2010-01-01

    Sinusoidal force calibration method was studied several years before at Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB). A similar dynamic force calibration system is developed at Changcheng Institute of Metrology and Measurement (CIMM). It uses electro-dynamic shakers to generate dynamic force in the range from 1 N to 20 kN, and heterodyne laser interferometers are used for acceleration measurement. The force transducer to be calibrated is mounted on the shaker, and a mass block is screwed on the top of force transducer, the sinusoidal forces realized by accelerated load masses are traceable to acceleration and mass according to the force definition. The methods of determining Spatial-dependent acceleration on mass block and measuring the end mass of force transducer in dynamic force calibration are discussed in this paper.

  17. Active Metamaterial Based Ultrasonic Guided Wave Transducer System, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — An active and tunable metamaterial phased array transducer for guided wave mode selection with high intensity per driving channel and with dramatically lower modal...

  18. Micromachined Integrated Transducers for Ultrasound Imaging

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    la Cour, Mette Funding

    The purpose of this project is to develop capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) for medical imaging. Medical ultrasound transducers used today are fabricated using piezoelectric materials and bulk processing. To fabricate transducers capable of delivering a higher imaging...

  19. Programming macro tree transducers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bahr, Patrick; Day, Laurence E.

    2013-01-01

    transducers can be concisely represented in Haskell, and demonstrate the benefits of utilising such an approach with a number of examples. In particular, tree transducers afford a modular programming style as they can be easily composed and manipulated. Our Haskell representation generalises the original...

  20. A Direct Driver for Electrostatic Transducers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Dennis; Knott, Arnold; Andersen, Michael A. E.

    2014-01-01

    Electrostatic transducers represent a very interesting alternative to the traditional inefficient electrodynamic transducers. In order to establish the full potential of these transducers, power amplifiers which fulfill the strict requirements imposed by such loads (high impedance, frequency...... depended, nonlinear and high bias voltage for linearization) must be developed. This paper analyzes a power stage suitable for driving an electrostatic transducer under biasing. Measurement results of a ±400 V prototype amplifier are shown. THD below 1% is reported....

  1. NMR signal transducer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kucheryaev, A.G.; Oliferchuk, N.L.

    1975-01-01

    A signal transducer of nuclear magnetic resonance for simultaneously measuring frequency and intensitivity of two various isotope signals, which are in one specimen is described. The transducer represents radiofrequency circuit with two resonance frequences, which is common for two autodyne generators. To decrease measuring time and to increase recording diagram stability the radiofrequency circuit has LC netork, in the inductivity of which investigated specimen is located; a circuit variable capacity is connected in parallel with one of the autodyne generators. Besides the radiofrequency circuit has an inductance coil in series with a standard specimen inside as well as a variable capacitor connected in parallel with the second autodyne generator. An amplitude of oscillation of each resonance frequency is controlled and adjusted separately. The transducer described can be used for the measurement of a nuclei concentration, isotope concentration and for the spin determination

  2. Transducers and arrays for underwater sound

    CERN Document Server

    Butler, John L

    2016-01-01

    This improved and updated second edition covers the theory, development, and design of electro-acoustic transducers for underwater applications. This highly regarded text discusses the basics of piezoelectric and magnetostrictive transducers that are currently being used as well as promising new designs. It presents the basic acoustics as well as the specific acoustics data needed in transducer design and evaluation. A broad range of designs of projectors and hydrophones are described in detail along with methods of modeling, evaluation, and measurement. Analysis of projector and hydrophone transducer arrays, including the effects of mutual radiation impedance and numerical models for elements and arrays, are also covered. The book includes new advances in transducer design and transducer materials and has been completely reorganized to be suitable for use as a textbook, as well as a reference or handbook. The new edition contains updates to the first edition, end-of-chapter exercises, and solutions to select...

  3. Measuring systolic arterial blood pressure. Possible errors from extension tubes or disposable transducer domes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rothe, C F; Kim, K C

    1980-11-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the magnitude of possible error in the measurement of systolic blood pressure if disposable, built-in diaphragm, transducer domes or long extension tubes between the patient and pressure transducer are used. Sinusoidal or arterial pressure patterns were generated with specially designed equipment. With a long extension tube or trapped air bubbles, the resonant frequency of the catheter system was reduced so that the arterial pulse was amplified as it acted on the transducer and, thus, gave an erroneously high systolic pressure measurement. The authors found this error to be as much as 20 mm Hg. Trapped air bubbles, not stopcocks or connections, per se, lead to poor fidelity. The utility of a continuous catheter flush system (Sorenson, Intraflow) to estimate the resonant frequency and degree of damping of a catheter-transducer system is described, as are possibly erroneous conclusions. Given a rough estimate of the resonant frequency of a catheter-transducer system and the magnitude of overshoot in response to a pulse, the authors present a table to predict the magnitude of probable error. These studies confirm the variability and unreliability of static calibration that may occur using some safety diaphragm domes and show that the system frequency response is decreased if air bubbles are trapped between the diaphragms. The authors conclude that regular procedures should be established to evaluate the accuracy of the pressure measuring systems in use, the transducer should be placed as close to the patient as possible, the air bubbles should be assiduously eliminated from the system.

  4. Design and analysis of fractional order seismic transducer for displacement and acceleration measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veeraian, Parthasarathi; Gandhi, Uma; Mangalanathan, Umapathy

    2018-04-01

    Seismic transducers are widely used for measurement of displacement, velocity, and acceleration. This paper presents the design of seismic transducer in the fractional domain for the measurement of displacement and acceleration. The fractional order transfer function for seismic displacement and acceleration transducer are derived using Grünwald-Letnikov derivative. Frequency response analysis of fractional order seismic displacement transducer (FOSDT) and fractional order seismic acceleration transducer (FOSAT) are carried out for different damping ratio with the different fractional order, and the maximum dynamic measurement range is identified. The results demonstrate that fractional order seismic transducer has increased dynamic measurement range and less phase distortion as compared to the conventional seismic transducer even with a lower damping ratio. Time response of FOSDT and FOSAT are derived analytically in terms of Mittag-Leffler function, the effect of fractional behavior in the time domain is evaluated from the impulse and step response. The fractional order system is found to have significantly reduced overshoot as compared to the conventional transducer. The fractional order seismic transducer design proposed in this paper is illustrated with a design example for FOSDT and FOSAT. Finally, an electrical equivalent of FOSDT and FOSAT is considered, and its frequency response is found to be in close agreement with the proposed fractional order seismic transducer.

  5. Size determination of an equilibrium enzymic system by radiation inactivation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simon, P.; Swillens, S.; Dumont, J.E.

    1982-01-01

    Radiation inactivation of complex enzymic systems is currently used to determine the enzyme size and the molecular organization of the components in the system. An equilibrium model was simulated describing the regulation of enzyme activity by association of the enzyme with a regulatory unit. It is assumed that, after irradiation, the system equilibrates before the enzyme activity is assayed. The theoretical results show that the target-size analysis of these numerical data leads to a bad estimate of the enzyme size. Moreover, some implicit assumptions such as the transfer of radiation energy between non-covalently bound molecules should be verified before interpretation of target-size analysis. It is demonstrated that the apparent target size depends on the parameters of the system, namely the size and the concentration of the components, the equilibrium constant, the relative activities of free enzyme and enzymic complex, the existence of energy transfer, and the distribution of the components between free and bound forms during the irradiation. (author)

  6. Crossed SMPS MOSFET-based protection circuit for high frequency ultrasound transceivers and transducers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Hojong; Shung, K Kirk

    2014-06-12

    The ultrasonic transducer is one of the core components of ultrasound systems, and the transducer's sensitivity is significantly related the loss of electronic components such as the transmitter, receiver, and protection circuit. In an ultrasonic device, protection circuits are commonly used to isolate the electrical noise between an ultrasound transmitter and transducer and to minimize unwanted discharged pulses in order to protect the ultrasound receiver. However, the performance of the protection circuit and transceiver obviously degrade as the operating frequency or voltage increases. We therefore developed a crossed SMPS (Switching Mode Power Supply) MOSFET-based protection circuit in order to maximize the sensitivity of high frequency transducers in ultrasound systems.The high frequency pulse signals need to trigger the transducer, and high frequency pulse signals must be received by the transducer. We therefore selected the SMPS MOSFET, which is the main component of the protection circuit, to minimize the loss in high frequency operation. The crossed configuration of the protection circuit can drive balanced bipolar high voltage signals from the pulser and transfer the balanced low voltage echo signals from the transducer. The equivalent circuit models of the SMPS MOSFET-based protection circuit are shown in order to select the proper device components. The schematic diagram and operation mechanism of the protection circuit is provided to show how the protection circuit is constructed. The P-Spice circuit simulation was also performed in order to estimate the performance of the crossed MOSFET-based protection circuit. We compared the performance of our crossed SMPS MOSFET-based protection circuit with a commercial diode-based protection circuit. At 60 MHz, our expander and limiter circuits have lower insertion loss than the commercial diode-based circuits. The pulse-echo test is typical method to evaluate the sensitivity of ultrasonic transducers

  7. Metrological analysis of a virtual flowmeter-based transducer for cryogenic helium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arpaia, P., E-mail: pasquale.arpaia@unina.it [Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, University of Napoli Federico II, Naples (Italy); Technology Department, European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva (Switzerland); Girone, M., E-mail: mario.girone@cern.ch [Technology Department, European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva (Switzerland); Department of Engineering, University of Sannio, Benevento (Italy); Liccardo, A., E-mail: annalisa.liccardo@unina.it [Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, University of Napoli Federico II, Naples (Italy); Pezzetti, M., E-mail: marco.pezzetti@cern.ch [Technology Department, European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva (Switzerland); Piccinelli, F., E-mail: fabio.piccinelli@cern.ch [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Brescia, Brescia (Italy)

    2015-12-15

    The metrological performance of a virtual flowmeter-based transducer for monitoring helium under cryogenic conditions is assessed. At this aim, an uncertainty model of the transducer, mainly based on a valve model, exploiting finite-element approach, and a virtual flowmeter model, based on the Sereg-Schlumberger method, are presented. The models are validated experimentally on a case study for helium monitoring in cryogenic systems at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The impact of uncertainty sources on the transducer metrological performance is assessed by a sensitivity analysis, based on statistical experiment design and analysis of variance. In this way, the uncertainty sources most influencing metrological performance of the transducer are singled out over the input range as a whole, at varying operating and setting conditions. This analysis turns out to be important for CERN cryogenics operation because the metrological design of the transducer is validated, and its components and working conditions with critical specifications for future improvements are identified.

  8. Radiation-resistant pressure transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abbasov, Sh.M.; Kerimova, T.I.

    2005-01-01

    Full text : The sensitive element of vibrofrequency tensor converter (VTC) is an electromechanical resonator of string type with electrostatic excitation of longitudinal mechanical vibrations. The string is made from tensosensitive thread-like monocrystal n-Ge1-x Six (length 1-5 mm, diameter 8-12 mcm) with current outlet and strictly fixed by ends at plate or deformable surface (in elastic element) at 50 mcm apartheid. With increasing Si atomic percent in n-Ge1-x Six the converter tens sensitivity increases. There has been shown the scheme of pressure transducer which contains monocrystalline silicon membrane and string tens converter from thread-like monocrystal Ge-Si. Using method, when crystal position on membrane while it deforms by pressure, corresponds to free (uptight) state, allowed to obtain the maximum sensitivity in measurement of pressure fluctuation. The transducers of absolute and pressure differential of this type can be used in automated systems of life activity. The high sensitivity of string transducers to pressure exceeding 100 hertz/mm (water column) permits to use them in devices for measuring gas concentration. The combination of optical and deformation methods of measurements forms the basis of their operation. The pressure change occurs due to the fact that gas molecules absorbing the quanta of incident light, become at excited state and then excitation energy of their vibrational-rotatory degrees of freedom converts to the energy of translational motion of molecules, i.e. to heat appropriate to pressure increase. Using these tens converters of high pressure one can prevent the possible accidents on oil pipe-like Baku-Tibilisi-Ceyhan

  9. Using Portable Transducers to Measure Tremor Severity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rodger Elble

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: Portable motion transducers, suitable for measuring tremor, are now available at a reasonable cost. The use of these transducers requires knowledge of their limitations and data analysis. The purpose of this review is to provide a practical overview and example software for using portable motion transducers in the quantification of tremor. Methods: Medline was searched via PubMed.gov in December 2015 using the Boolean expression “tremor AND (accelerometer OR accelerometry OR gyroscope OR inertial measurement unit OR digitizing tablet OR transducer.” Abstracts of 419 papers dating back to 1964 were reviewed for relevant portable transducers and methods of tremor analysis, and 105 papers written in English were reviewed in detail. Results: Accelerometers, gyroscopes, and digitizing tablets are used most commonly, but few are sold for the purpose of measuring tremor. Consequently, most software for tremor analysis is developed by the user. Wearable transducers are capable of recording tremor continuously, in the absence of a clinician. Tremor amplitude, frequency, and occurrence (percentage of time with tremor can be computed. Tremor amplitude and occurrence correlate strongly with clinical ratings of tremor severity. Discussion: Transducers provide measurements of tremor amplitude that are objective, precise, and valid, but the precision and accuracy of transducers are mitigated by natural variability in tremor amplitude. This variability is so great that the minimum detectable change in amplitude, exceeding random variability, is comparable for scales and transducers. Research is needed to determine the feasibility of detecting smaller change using averaged data from continuous long-term recordings with wearable transducers.

  10. Implications of Dynamic Pressure Transducer Mounting Variations on Measurements in Pyrotechnic Test Apparatus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dibbern, Andreas; Crisafulli, Jeffrey; Hagopia, Michael; McDougle, Stephen H.; Saulsberry, Regor L.

    2009-01-01

    Accurate dynamic pressure measurements are often difficult to make within small pyrotechnic devices, and transducer mounting difficulties can cause data anomalies that lead to erroneous conclusions. Delayed initial pressure response followed by data ringing has been observed when using miniaturized pressure transducer mounting adapters required to interface transducers to small test chambers. This delayed pressure response and ringing, combined with a high data acquisition rate, has complicated data analysis. This paper compares the output signal characteristics from different pressure transducer mounting options, where the passage distance from the transducer face to the pyrotechnic chamber is varied in length and diameter. By analyzing the data and understating the associated system dynamics, a more realistic understanding of the actual dynamic pressure variations is achieved. Three pressure transducer mounting configurations (elongated, standard, and face/flush mount) were simultaneously tested using NASA standard initiators in closed volume pressure bombs. This paper also presents results of these pressure transducer mounting configurations as a result of a larger NASA Engineering and Safety Center pyrovalve test project. Results from these tests indicate the improved performance of using face/flush mounted pressure transducers in this application. This type of mounting improved initial pressure measurement response time by approximately 19 s over standard adapter mounting, eliminating most of the lag time; provided a near step-function type initial pressure increase; and greatly reduced data ringing in high data acquisition rate systems. The paper goes on to discuss other issues associated with the firing and instrumentation that are important for the tester to understand.

  11. Microhydraulic transducer technology for actuation and power generation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hagood, Nesbitt W.; Roberts, David C.; Saggere, Laxminarayana; Breuer, Kenneth S.; Chen, Kuo-Shen; Carretero, Jorge A.; Li, Hanqing; Mlcak, Richard; Pulitzer, Seward W.; Schmidt, Martin A.; Spearing, S. Mark; Su, Yu-Hsuan

    2000-06-01

    The paper introduces a novel transducer technology, called the solid-state micro-hydraulic transducer, currently under development at MIT. The new technology is enabled through integration of micromachining technology, piezoelectrics, and microhydraulic concepts. These micro-hydraulic transducers are capable of bi-directional electromechanical energy conversion, i.e., they can operate as both an actuator that supplies high mechanical force in response to electrical input and an energy generator that transduces electrical energy from mechanical energy in the environment. These transducers are capable of transducing energy at very high specific power output in the order of 1 kW/kg, and thus, they have the potential to enable many novel applications. The concept, the design, and the potential applications of the transducers are presented. Present efforts towards the development of these transducers, and the challenges involved therein, are also discussed.

  12. Capacitive pressure transducer using flexible films. Junan film wo mochiita seiden yoryoshiki atsukaku transducer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamada, Y.; Tsuchida, N.; Imai, K. (Toyota Technological Institute, Aichi (Japan)); Fujita, K. (Nitto Denko Corp., Osaka (Japan)): Tsuboi, O. (Fujitsu Corp., Tokyo (Japan))

    1992-12-20

    This paper describes the design, manufacture, and evaluation of a capacitive pressure transducer made of polyimide films. The structure of a pressure transducer cell was first determined, and then, the deflection-stress and capacitance-load characteristics of the surface film were analyzed using finite element methods. For the practical stage of manufacture, a polyimide film was emboss processed and electrodes were deposited on the film to construct a pressure transducer cell to which a Schmidt-trigger detecting circuit was connected. As a consequence of the examination of operational characteristics of the cell, it was found that the actual relation between the deflection and load approximately agreed with the linear analyses, and that the capacitance depended with little hysteresis on the gap regardless of the native visco-elasticity of the film. Furthermore, small stick-slip vibration of a contact rubber surface was detected by the transducer to verify its high sensitivity. 17 refs., 18 figs.

  13. Selection of Shear Horizontal Wave Transducers for Robotic Nondestructive Inspection in Harsh Environments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sungho Choi

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Harsh environments and confined spaces require that nondestructive inspections be conducted with robotic systems. Ultrasonic guided waves are well suited for robotic systems because they can provide efficient volumetric coverage when inspecting for various types of damage, including cracks and corrosion. Shear horizontal guided waves are especially well suited for robotic inspection because they are sensitive to cracks oriented perpendicular or parallel to the wave propagation direction and can be generated with electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs and magnetostrictive transducers (MSTs. Both types of transducers are investigated for crack detection in a stainless steel plate. The MSTs require the robot to apply a compressive normal force that creates frictional force coupling. However, the coupling is observed to be very dependent upon surface roughness and surface debris. The EMATs are coupled through the Lorentz force and are thus noncontact, although they depend on the lift off between transducer and substrate. After comparing advantages and disadvantages of each transducer for robotic inspection the EMATs are selected for application to canisters that store used nuclear fuel.

  14. Design of HIFU Transducers for Generating Specified Nonlinear Ultrasound Fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosnitskiy, Pavel B; Yuldashev, Petr V; Sapozhnikov, Oleg A; Maxwell, Adam D; Kreider, Wayne; Bailey, Michael R; Khokhlova, Vera A

    2017-02-01

    Various clinical applications of high-intensity focused ultrasound have different requirements for the pressure levels and degree of nonlinear waveform distortion at the focus. The goal of this paper is to determine transducer design parameters that produce either a specified shock amplitude in the focal waveform or specified peak pressures while still maintaining quasi-linear conditions at the focus. Multiparametric nonlinear modeling based on the Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov (KZK) equation with an equivalent source boundary condition was employed. Peak pressures, shock amplitudes at the focus, and corresponding source outputs were determined for different transducer geometries and levels of nonlinear distortion. The results are presented in terms of the parameters of an equivalent single-element spherically shaped transducer. The accuracy of the method and its applicability to cases of strongly focused transducers were validated by comparing the KZK modeling data with measurements and nonlinear full diffraction simulations for a single-element source and arrays with 7 and 256 elements. The results provide look-up data for evaluating nonlinear distortions at the focus of existing therapeutic systems as well as for guiding the design of new transducers that generate specified nonlinear fields.

  15. Coaxial Transducer

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Ruffa, Anthony A

    2008-01-01

    The invention as disclosed is of a coaxial transducer that uses lead zirconate titanate ceramic or other suitable material as an isolator between the conductors in a coaxial cable to transmit acoustic...

  16. A novel serrated columnar phased array ultrasonic transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zou, Cheng; Sun, Zhenguo; Cai, Dong; Song, Hongwei; Chen, Qiang

    2016-02-01

    Traditionally, wedges are required to generate transverse waves in a solid specimen and mechanical rotation device is needed for interrogation of a specimen with a hollow bore, such as high speed railway locomotive axles, turbine rotors, etc. In order to eliminate the mechanical rotation process, a novel array pattern of phased array ultrasonic transducers named as serrated columnar phased array ultrasonic transducer (SCPAUT) is designed. The elementary transducers are planar rectangular, located on the outside surface of a cylinder. This layout is aimed to generate electrically rotating transverse waveforms so as to inspect the longitudinal cracks on the outside surface of a specimen which has a hollow bore at the center, such as the high speed railway locomotive axles. The general geometry of the SCPAUT and the inspection system are illustrated. A FEM model and mockup experiment has been carried out. The experiment results are in good agreement with the FEM simulation results.

  17. Development of an optical displacement transducer for CO2 laser auto-focusing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, D.P.D.

    1986-01-01

    The PCMWP has partially funded the development of an optical displacement transducer by UKAEA Culham Laboratory (Laser Applications Group). This report covers all work which was done up to the end of the 1984/5 financial year. The purpose of the transducer is to sense automatically the standoff gap between the workpiece and a laser cutting head and subsequently to control an auto-focusing head for the CO 2 laser cutting process. Development of the transducer has reached a stage where it can be mounted on an industrial robot and incorporated into a closed loop servo control system so that standoff gap can be closely controlled whilst traversing variable geometry workpieces. The transducer has been shown to be insensitive to angular displacement of the workpiece (within limits) and to workpiece type or surface finish with the exception of transparent materials. Separate trials have shown it to be unaffected by CO 2 laser light and it has been used, with a motorised laser head, to control standoff whilst the laser cuts a range of contoured materials. The scientific principle of the transducer has thus been proved and a laboratory system has been successfully tested. Its performance has matched the specification with the exception of its ability to sense transparent materials. (author)

  18. Development of enzymes and enzyme systems by genetic engineering to convert biomass to sugars

    Science.gov (United States)

    TITLE Development of Enzymes and Enzyme Systems by Genetic Engineering to Convert Biomass to Sugars ABSTRACT Plant cellulosic material is one of the most viable renewable resources for the world’s fuel and chemical feedstock needs. Currently ethanol derived from corn starch is the most common li...

  19. Field deployable processing methods for stay-in-place ultrasonic transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malarich, Nathan; Lissenden, Cliff J.; Tittmann, Bernhard R.

    2018-04-01

    Condition monitoring provides key data for managing the operation and maintenance of mechanical equipment in the power generation, chemical processing, and manufacturing industries. Ultrasonic transducers provide active monitoring capabilities by wall thickness measurements, elastic property determination, crack detection, and other means. In many cases the components operate in harsh environments that may include high temperature, radiation, and hazardous chemicals. Thus, it is desirable to have permanently affixed ultrasonic transducers for condition monitoring in harsh environments. Spray-on transducers provide direct coupling between the active element and the substrate, and can be applied to curved surfaces. We describe a deposition methodology for ultrasonic transducers that can be applied in the field. First, piezoceramic powders mixed into a sol-gel are air-spray deposited onto the substrate. Powder constituents are selected based on the service environment in which the condition monitoring will be performed. Then the deposited coating is pyrolyzed and partially densified using an induction heating system with a custom work coil designed to match the substrate geometry. The next step, applying the electrodes, is more challenging than might be expected because of the porosity of the piezoelectric coating and the potential reactivity of elements in the adjacent layers. After connecting lead wires to the electrodes the transducer is poled and a protective coating can be applied prior to use. Processing of a PZT-bismuth titanate transducer on a large steel substrate is described along with alternate methods.

  20. Development of a commercial enzymes system for lignocellulosic biomass saccharification

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumar, Manoj

    2012-12-20

    DSM Innovation Inc., in its four year effort was able to evaluate and develop its in-house DSM fungal cellulolytic enzymes system to reach enzyme efficiency mandates set by DoE Biomass program MYPP goals. DSM enzyme cocktail is uniquely active at high temperature and acidic pH, offering many benefits and product differentiation in 2G bioethanol production. Under this project, strain and process development, ratio optimization of enzymes, protein and genetic engineering has led to multitudes of improvement in productivity and efficiency making development of a commercial enzyme system for lignocellulosic biomass saccharification viable. DSM is continuing further improvement by additional biodiversity screening, protein engineering and overexpression of enzymes to continue to further lower the cost of enzymes for saccharification of biomass.

  1. A piezoelectric transducer for measurement of dynamic strain in pipes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lannes, Daniel P.; Gama, Antonio L. [Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Niteroi, RJ (Brazil). Dept. de Engenharia Mecanica

    2009-07-01

    This work presents a new strain transducer developed mainly for the inspection and evaluation of piping systems with excessive vibration. Vibration is one of the most common causes of piping failures. These failures could be avoided if the vibration problems were identified and quickly evaluated. Procedures for evaluation of piping vibration are usually based on pipe velocity or displacement. Although simple and fast, these procedures do not provide precise information on the risk of piping fatigue failure. Through the measurement of pipe dynamic strains the risk of failure due to vibration can be determined more accurately. The measurement of strain is usually performed using the conventional strain gauge method. Although efficient and accurate, the implementation of the conventional strain gauge technique may become a difficult task in certain industrial scenarios. Motivated by the need of a simple and rapid method for pipe dynamic strain measurement, a piezoelectric dynamic strain transducer was developed. This work presents a description of the piezoelectric strain transducer and the preliminary results of pipe strain measurements. The transducer can be applied directly to the pipe through magnetic bases allowing for the quick measurement of the dynamic strains in many points of the pipe. The transducer signal can be read with the same commercial data collectors used for accelerometers. (author)

  2. Echo signal from rough planar interfaces influence of roughness, angle, range and transducer type

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wilhjelm, Jens E.; Pedersen, P.C.; Jacobsen, S.M.

    1998-01-01

    The received electrical signal from a pulse-echo system insonifying a planar acoustical interface was measured for varying degrees of rms roughness (0-0.16 mm), angle of incidence (typically +/-7°) and range to the transducer. A planar and a focused 5 MHz transducer was used. When insonifying...... a smooth interface, the normalized spectrum of the received signals for a planar transducer exhibits an increasing number of nulls with increased angle of insonification, as predicted from numerical modeling while the dependence on insonification angle for the focused transducer was smaller and the null...... pattern was much less distinct. For the planar transducer and for the focused transducer with the interface located at the geometrical point of focus, the energy of the received signal as a function of incident angle was approximately Gaussian with maximum at 0°. For the smooth interface, the -3 dB width...

  3. Tunable-angle wedge transducer for improved acoustophoretic control in a microfluidic chip

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Iranmanesh, I.; Barnkob, Rune; Bruus, Henrik

    2012-01-01

    We present a tunable-angle wedge ultrasound transducer for improved control of microparticle acoustophoresis in a microfluidic chip. The transducer is investigated by analyzing the pattern of aligned particles and induced acoustic energy density while varying the system geometry, transducer...... in geometry and that the coupling angle may be used as an additional tuning parameter for improved acoustophoretic control with single-frequency actuation. Further, we find that frequency-modulation actuation is suitable for diminishing such tuning effects and that it is a robust method to produce uniform...... coupling angle, and transducer actuation method (single-frequency actuation or frequency-modulation actuation). The energy-density analysis is based on measuring the transmitted light intensity through a microfluidic channel filled with a suspension of 5-μm-diameter beads and the results with the tunable-angle...

  4. Ultrasonic properties of all-printed piezoelectric polymer transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagle, Sanat; Decharat, Adit; Bodö, Peter; Melandsø, Frank

    2013-12-01

    The ability of producing ultrasonic transducers from screen-printing has been explored experimentally, through printing and characterization of a large number of transducers. In an all-printed test design, 124 transducers with four different electrode sizes ranging from 1 to 4.9 mm2, were printed layer-by-layer on a high performance polyethyleneimine polymer. Inks from ferroelectric and conductive polymers were applied to the active part of a transducer, to provide a good acoustical match between the individual layers. Ultrasonic characterizations of the transducers done by two independent methods provided a broad-banded frequency response with a maximum response around 100 MHz.

  5. Model of a Piezoelectric Transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodenow, Debra

    2004-01-01

    It's difficult to control liquid and gas in propellant tanks in zero gravity. A possible a design would utilize acoustic liquid manipulation (ALM) technology which uses ultrasonic beams conducted through a liquid and solid media, to push gas bubbles in the liquid to desirable locations. We can propel and control the bubble with acoustic radiation pressure by aiming the acoustic waves on the bubble s surface. This allows us to design a so called smart tank in which the ALM devices transfer the gas to the outer wall of the tank and isolating the liquid in the center. Because the heat transfer rate of a gas is lower of that of the liquid it would substantially decrease boil off and provide of for a longer storage life. The ALM beam is composed of little wavelets which are individual waves that constructively interfere with each other to produce a single, combined acoustic wave front. This is accomplished by using a set of synchronized ultrasound transducers arranged in an array. A slight phase offset of these elements allows us to focus and steer the beam. The device that we are using to produce the acoustic beam is called the piezoelectric transducer. This device converts electrical energy to mechanical energy, which appears in the form of acoustic energy. Therefore the behavior of the device is dependent on both the mechanical characteristics, such as its density, cross-sectional area, and its electrical characteristics, such as, electric flux permittivity and coupling factor. These devices can also be set up in a number of modes which are determined by the way the piezoelectric device is arranged, and the shape of the transducer. For this application we are using the longitudinal or thickness mode for our operation. The transducer also vibrates in the lateral mode, and one of the goals of my project is to decrease the amount of energy lost to the lateral mode. To model the behavior of the transducers I will be using Pspice, electric circuit modeling tool, to

  6. Review of piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers and their applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Joontaek; Lee, Wonjun; Kang, Woojin; Shin, Eunjung; Choi, Hongsoo; Ryu, Jungho

    2017-01-01

    In recent decades, micromachined ultrasonic transducers (MUTs) have been investigated as an alternative to conventional piezocomposite ultrasonic transducers, primarily due to the advantages that microelectromechanical systems provide. Miniaturized ultrasonic systems require ultrasonic transducers integrated with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor circuits. Hence, piezoelectric MUTs (pMUTs) and capacitive MUTs (cMUTs) have been developed as the most favorable solutions. This paper reviews the basic equations to understand the characteristics of thin-film-based piezoelectric devices and presents recent research on pMUTs, including current approaches and limitations. Methods to improve the coupling coefficient of pMUTs are also investigated, such as device structure, materials, and fabrication techniques. The device structure improvements include multielectrode pMUTs, partially clamped boundary conditions, and 3D pMUTs (curved and domed types), where the latter can provide an electromechanical coupling coefficient of up to 45%. The piezoelectric coefficient ( e 31 ) can be increased by controlling the crystal texture (seed layer of γ -Al 2 O 3 ), using single-crystal (PMN-PT) materials, or control of residual stresses (using SiO 2 layer). Arrays of pMUTs can be implemented for various applications including intravascular ultrasound, fingerprint sensors, rangefinders in air, and wireless power supply systems. pMUTs are expected to be an ideal solution for applications such as mobile biometric security (fingerprint sensors) and rangefinders due to their superior power efficiency and compact size. (topical review)

  7. Review of piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers and their applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Joontaek; Lee, Wonjun; Kang, Woojin; Shin, Eunjung; Ryu, Jungho; Choi, Hongsoo

    2017-11-01

    In recent decades, micromachined ultrasonic transducers (MUTs) have been investigated as an alternative to conventional piezocomposite ultrasonic transducers, primarily due to the advantages that microelectromechanical systems provide. Miniaturized ultrasonic systems require ultrasonic transducers integrated with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor circuits. Hence, piezoelectric MUTs (pMUTs) and capacitive MUTs (cMUTs) have been developed as the most favorable solutions. This paper reviews the basic equations to understand the characteristics of thin-film-based piezoelectric devices and presents recent research on pMUTs, including current approaches and limitations. Methods to improve the coupling coefficient of pMUTs are also investigated, such as device structure, materials, and fabrication techniques. The device structure improvements include multielectrode pMUTs, partially clamped boundary conditions, and 3D pMUTs (curved and domed types), where the latter can provide an electromechanical coupling coefficient of up to 45%. The piezoelectric coefficient (e 31) can be increased by controlling the crystal texture (seed layer of γ-Al2O3), using single-crystal (PMN-PT) materials, or control of residual stresses (using SiO2 layer). Arrays of pMUTs can be implemented for various applications including intravascular ultrasound, fingerprint sensors, rangefinders in air, and wireless power supply systems. pMUTs are expected to be an ideal solution for applications such as mobile biometric security (fingerprint sensors) and rangefinders due to their superior power efficiency and compact size.

  8. Nano-optomechanical transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rakich, Peter T; El-Kady, Ihab F; Olsson, Roy H; Su, Mehmet Fatih; Reinke, Charles; Camacho, Ryan; Wang, Zheng; Davids, Paul

    2013-12-03

    A nano-optomechanical transducer provides ultrabroadband coherent optomechanical transduction based on Mach-wave emission that uses enhanced photon-phonon coupling efficiencies by low impedance effective phononic medium, both electrostriction and radiation pressure to boost and tailor optomechanical forces, and highly dispersive electromagnetic modes that amplify both electrostriction and radiation pressure. The optomechanical transducer provides a large operating bandwidth and high efficiency while simultaneously having a small size and minimal power consumption, enabling a host of transformative phonon and signal processing capabilities. These capabilities include optomechanical transduction via pulsed phonon emission and up-conversion, broadband stimulated phonon emission and amplification, picosecond pulsed phonon lasers, broadband phononic modulators, and ultrahigh bandwidth true time delay and signal processing technologies.

  9. Development of a High-Temperature Smart Transducer Interface Node and Telemetry System (HSTINTS)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Buckner, M.A. et al.

    2006-11-03

    Halliburton Energy Services and Oak Ridge National Laboratory established a CRADA to conduct applied research to develop a general purpose, High-Temperature, Smart Transducer Interface Node and Telemetry System (HSTINTS) capable of temporally-coherent multiple-channel, high speed, high-resolution data transuction and acquisition while operating in a hostile thermal, chemical, and pressure environment for extended periods of time over a single coaxial cable. This ambitious, high-risk effort required development of custom dielectric isolated integrated circuits, amplified hybrid couplers for telemetry and an audio-frequency based power supply and distribution system using an engineered application of standing waves to compensate voltage drop along a 2 mile long cable. Several goals were achieved but underestimated challenges and a couple of mistakes hampered progress. When it was determined that an additional year of concerted effort would be required to complete the system demonstration, the sponsor withdrew funding and terminated the effort.

  10. A new high performance current transducer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang Lijun; Lu Songlin; Li Deming

    2003-01-01

    A DC-100 kHz current transducer is developed using a new technique on zero-flux detecting principle. It was shown that the new current transducer is of high performance, its magnetic core need not be selected very stringently, and it is easy to manufacture

  11. Stress Sensors and Signal Transducers in Cyanobacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Los, Dmitry A.; Zorina, Anna; Sinetova, Maria; Kryazhov, Sergey; Mironov, Kirill; Zinchenko, Vladislav V.

    2010-01-01

    In living cells, the perception of environmental stress and the subsequent transduction of stress signals are primary events in the acclimation to changes in the environment. Some molecular sensors and transducers of environmental stress cannot be identified by traditional and conventional methods. Based on genomic information, a systematic approach has been applied to the solution of this problem in cyanobacteria, involving mutagenesis of potential sensors and signal transducers in combination with DNA microarray analyses for the genome-wide expression of genes. Forty-five genes for the histidine kinases (Hiks), 12 genes for serine-threonine protein kinases (Spks), 42 genes for response regulators (Rres), seven genes for RNA polymerase sigma factors, and nearly 70 genes for transcription factors have been successfully inactivated by targeted mutagenesis in the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Screening of mutant libraries by genome-wide DNA microarray analysis under various stress and non-stress conditions has allowed identification of proteins that perceive and transduce signals of environmental stress. Here we summarize recent progress in the identification of sensory and regulatory systems, including Hiks, Rres, Spks, sigma factors, transcription factors, and the role of genomic DNA supercoiling in the regulation of the responses of cyanobacterial cells to various types of stress. PMID:22294932

  12. 21 CFR 862.1090 - Angiotensin converting enzyme (A.C.E.) test system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Angiotensin converting enzyme (A.C.E.) test system... Test Systems § 862.1090 Angiotensin converting enzyme (A.C.E.) test system. (a) Identification. An angiotensin converting enzyme (A.C.E.) test system is a device intended to measure the activity of angiotensin...

  13. Steerable Doppler transducer probes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fidel, H.F.; Greenwood, D.L.

    1986-01-01

    An ultrasonic diagnostic probe is described which is capable of performing ultrasonic imaging and Doppler measurement consisting of: a hollow case having an acoustic window which passes ultrasonic energy and including chamber means for containing fluid located within the hollow case and adjacent to a portion of the acoustic window; imaging transducer means, located in the hollow case and outside the fluid chamber means, and oriented to direct ultrasonic energy through the acoustic window toward an area which is to be imaged; Doppler transducer means, located in the hollow case within the fluid chamber means, and movably oriented to direct Doppler signals through the acoustic window toward the imaged area; means located within the fluid chamber means and externally controlled for controllably moving the Doppler transducer means to select one of a plurality of axes in the imaged area along which the Doppler signals are to be directed; and means, located external to the fluid chamber means and responsive to the means for moving, for providing an indication signal for identifying the selected axis

  14. Three-dimensional micro electromechanical system piezoelectric ultrasound transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hajati, Arman; Latev, Dimitre; Gardner, Deane; Hajati, Azadeh; Imai, Darren; Torrey, Marc; Schoeppler, Martin

    2012-12-01

    Here we present the design and experimental acoustic test data for an ultrasound transducer technology based on a combination of micromachined dome-shaped piezoelectric resonators arranged in a flexible architecture. Our high performance niobium-doped lead zirconate titanate film is implemented in three-dimensional dome-shaped structures, which form the basic resonating cells. Adjustable frequency response is realized by mixing these basic cells and modifying their dimensions by lithography. Improved characteristics such as high sensitivity, adjustable wide-bandwidth frequency response, low transmit voltage compatible with ordinary integrated circuitry, low electrical impedance well matched to coaxial cabling, and intrinsic acoustic impedance match to water are demonstrated.

  15. Creaming enhancement in a liter scale ultrasonic reactor at selected transducer configurations and frequencies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juliano, Pablo; Temmel, Sandra; Rout, Manoj; Swiergon, Piotr; Mawson, Raymond; Knoerzer, Kai

    2013-01-01

    Recent research has shown that high frequency ultrasound (0.4-3 MHz), can enhance milkfat separation in small scale systems able to treat only a few milliliters of sample. In this work, the effect of ultrasonic standing waves on milkfat creaming was studied in a 6L reactor and the influence of different frequencies and transducer configurations in direct contact with the fluid was investigated. A recombined coarse milk emulsion with fat globules stained with oil-red-O dye was selected for the separation trials. Runs were performed with one or two transducers placed in vertical (parallel or perpendicular) and horizontal positions (at the reactor base) at 0.4, 1 and/or 2 MHz (specific energy 8.5 ± 0.6 kJ/kg per transducer). Creaming behavior was assessed by measuring the thickness of the separated cream layer. Other methods supporting this assessment included the measurement of fat content, backscattering, particle size distribution, and microscopy of samples taken at the bottom and top of the reactor. Most efficient creaming was found after treatment at 0.4 MHz in single and double vertical transducer configurations. Among these configurations, a higher separation rate was obtained when sonicating at 0.4 MHz in a vertical perpendicular double transducer setup. The horizontal transducer configuration promoted creaming at 2 MHz only. Fat globule size increase was observed when creaming occurred. This research highlights the potential for enhanced separation of milkfat in larger scale systems from selected transducer configurations in contact with a dairy emulsion, or emulsion splitting in general. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Transducers for Sound and Vibration - FEM Based Design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liu, Bin

    2001-01-01

    Design of transducers for measurement of vibration (piezoelectric accelerometers) and sound (condenser microphones) is a very labour intensive work. The design work is mostly based on experience and on simple analogies to electrical circuit design. Often a time consuming itterative loop is used......: Specification of the transducer, production of a physical prototype, measurements on the prototype, changed specification of the transducer etc. Furthermore are many transducers made based on customer requirements which also increases the amount of required design work. For these reasons there is a need...... for methods that can reduce the design time consumption and the number of itterations. The present work proposes to use finite element based programs for simulating the behaviour of a transducer with a given set of specifications. A simulation program for accelerometers was developed and has been tested...

  17. Sensitivity-Bandwidth Limit in a Multimode Optoelectromechanical Transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moaddel Haghighi, I.; Malossi, N.; Natali, R.; Di Giuseppe, G.; Vitali, D.

    2018-03-01

    An optoelectromechanical system formed by a nanomembrane capacitively coupled to an L C resonator and to an optical interferometer has recently been employed for the highly sensitive optical readout of rf signals [T. Bagci et al., Nature (London) 507, 81 (2013), 10.1038/nature13029]. We propose and experimentally demonstrate how the bandwidth of such a transducer can be increased by controlling the interference between two electromechanical interaction pathways of a two-mode mechanical system. With a proof-of-principle device operating at room temperature, we achieve a sensitivity of 300 nV /√{Hz } over a bandwidth of 15 kHz in the presence of radio-frequency noise, and an optimal shot-noise-limited sensitivity of 10 nV /√{Hz } over a bandwidth of 5 kHz. We discuss strategies for improving the performance of the device, showing that, for the same given sensitivity, a mechanical multimode transducer can achieve a bandwidth significantly larger than that for a single-mode one.

  18. High Temperature, High Power Piezoelectric Composite Transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Hyeong Jae; Zhang, Shujun; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Sherrit, StewarT.

    2014-01-01

    Piezoelectric composites are a class of functional materials consisting of piezoelectric active materials and non-piezoelectric passive polymers, mechanically attached together to form different connectivities. These composites have several advantages compared to conventional piezoelectric ceramics and polymers, including improved electromechanical properties, mechanical flexibility and the ability to tailor properties by using several different connectivity patterns. These advantages have led to the improvement of overall transducer performance, such as transducer sensitivity and bandwidth, resulting in rapid implementation of piezoelectric composites in medical imaging ultrasounds and other acoustic transducers. Recently, new piezoelectric composite transducers have been developed with optimized composite components that have improved thermal stability and mechanical quality factors, making them promising candidates for high temperature, high power transducer applications, such as therapeutic ultrasound, high power ultrasonic wirebonding, high temperature non-destructive testing, and downhole energy harvesting. This paper will present recent developments of piezoelectric composite technology for high temperature and high power applications. The concerns and limitations of using piezoelectric composites will also be discussed, and the expected future research directions will be outlined. PMID:25111242

  19. Choice of primary transducers of beam parameters for measuring and control systems of charged particle accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rybin, V.M.

    1981-01-01

    Investigations on classification of primary transducers (pT) of the main parameters of charged particle beams are conducted for development of the common series on the base of program- controlled module systems for measuring the parameters of charged particle beams. The PT classification is exercised by: the physical principle of single transformation, the degree of effect on the beam, principle of operation, design, performance, location. It is shown that the optimal choice of PT and their parameters should be necessarily executed in several stages: estimation of the limiting possibilities of PT; choice of PT by time and metrological characteristics as well as sensitivity for the determined operation conditions; choice of the PT by the degree of effect on the beam: choice of the PT type with account of its design performance and location, determination of PT parameters with account of possibility of information, energy and design compatibility of the used standard. The classification results of magnetoinduction and acoustic transducers have shown that the number of their modifications does not exceed 100 [ru

  20. A new ultrasonic transducer for improved contrast nonlinear imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bouakaz, Ayache; Cate, Folkert ten; Jong, Nico de

    2004-01-01

    Second harmonic imaging has provided significant improvement in contrast detection over fundamental imaging. This improvement is a result of a higher contrast-to-tissue ratio (CTR) achievable at the second harmonic frequency. Nevertheless, the differentiation between contrast and tissue at the second harmonic frequency is still in many situations cumbersome and contrast detection remains nowadays as one of the main challenges, especially in the capillaries. The reduced CTR is mainly caused by the generation of second harmonic energy from nonlinear propagation effects in tissue, which hence obscures the echoes from contrast bubbles. In a previous study, we demonstrated theoretically that the CTR increases with the harmonic number. Therefore the purpose of our study was to increase the CTR by selectively looking to the higher harmonic frequencies. In order to be able to receive these high frequency components (third up to the fifth harmonic), a new ultrasonic phased array transducer has been constructed. The main advantage of the new design is its wide frequency bandwidth. The new array transducer contains two different types of elements arranged in an interleaved pattern (odd and even elements). This design enables separate transmission and reception modes. The odd elements operate at 2.8 MHz and 80% bandwidth, whereas the even elements have a centre frequency of 900 kHz with a bandwidth of 50%. The probe is connected to a Vivid 5 system (GE-Vingmed) and proper software is developed for driving. The total bandwidth of such a transducer is estimated to be more than 150% which enables higher harmonic imaging at an adequate sensitivity and signal to noise ratio compared to standard medical array transducers. We describe in this paper the design and fabrication of the array transducer. Moreover its acoustic properties are measured and its performances for nonlinear contrast imaging are evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The preliminary results demonstrate the advantages of

  1. Capacitance high temperature strain transducer by Interatom

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fortmann, M.

    1987-01-01

    Special strain transducers are necessary to perform structure mechanical experiments on real components under creep-fatigue load. The new development of the transducer was able to solve the problem. In the meantime, different characteristics of the transducer have been examined and many successful applications have been effected. Some important aspects are given in this report. Up to now the longest operation period has been 24000 h on a pipe at 630 0 C service temperature in a conventional power station. (orig./DG) [de

  2. High Temperature Ultrasonic Transducer for Real-time Inspection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amini, Mohammad Hossein; Sinclair, Anthony N.; Coyle, Thomas W.

    A broadband ultrasonic transducer with a novel porous ceramic backing layer is introduced to operate at 700 °C. 36° Y-cut lithium niobate (LiNbO3) single crystal was selected for the piezoelectric element. By appropriate choice of constituent materials, porosity and pore size, the acoustic impedance and attenuation of a zirconia-based backing layer were optimized. An active brazing alloy with high temperature and chemical stability was selected to bond the transducer layers together. Prototype transducers have been tested at temperatures up to 700 °C. The experiments confirmed that transducer integrity was maintained.

  3. Production of lysosomal enzymes in plant-based expression systems

    OpenAIRE

    1996-01-01

    The invention relates to the production of enzymatically active recombinant human and animal lysosomal enzymes involving construction and expression of recombinant expression constructs comprising coding sequences of human or animal lysosomal enzymes in a plant expression system. The plant expression system provides for post-translational modification and processing to produce a recombinant gene product exhibiting enzymatic activity. The invention is demonstrated by working examples in which ...

  4. Application of enzyme multibiosensor for toxicity analysis of real water samples of different origin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soldatkin A. P.

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Aim. The analysis of toxicity of different water samples with the multibiosensor developed earlier. Methods. The potentiometric multibiosensor with several immobilized enzymes as bioselective elements and the matrix of pH-sensitive field effect transistors as transducers of the biochemical signal into the electric one was applied for the analysis. Results. The bioselective elements of the multibiosensor were developed using acetylcholinesterase, butyryl- cholinesterase, urease, glucose oxidase, and three-enzyme system (invertase, mutarotase, glucose oxidase. The measurement of toxic compounds in water samples of different origin was performed using the constructed sensor. The results obtained were compared with those obtained by the conventional methods of toxic agent’s analysis (atomic absorption spectrometry, thin-film chroma- tography, and atomic absorbic analyser of mercury. Conclusion. A strong conformity between the results obtained with the multibiosensor and traditional methods has been shown.

  5. Front-end receiver electronics for a matrix transducer for 3-D transesophageal echocardiography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Zili; Blaak, Sandra; Chang, Zu-yao; Yao, Jiajian; Bosch, Johan G; Prins, Christian; Lancée, Charles T; de Jong, Nico; Pertijs, Michiel A P; Meijer, Gerard C M

    2012-07-01

    There is a clear clinical need for creating 3-D images of the heart. One promising technique is the use of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). To enable 3-D TEE, we are developing a miniature ultrasound probe containing a matrix piezoelectric transducer with more than 2000 elements. Because a gastroscopic tube cannot accommodate the cables needed to connect all transducer elements directly to an imaging system, a major challenge is to locally reduce the number of channels, while maintaining a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio. This can be achieved by using front-end receiver electronics bonded to the transducers to provide appropriate signal conditioning in the tip of the probe. This paper presents the design of such electronics, realizing time-gain compensation (TGC) and micro-beamforming using simple, low-power circuits. Prototypes of TGC amplifiers and micro-beamforming cells have been fabricated in 0.35-μm CMOS technology. These prototype chips have been combined on a printed circuit board (PCB) to form an ultrasound-receiver system capable of reading and combining the signals of three transducer elements. Experimental results show that this design is a suitable candidate for 3-D TEE.

  6. Towards a Capacitive Enzyme Sensor for Direct Determination of Organophosphorus Pesticides: Fundamental Studies and Aspects of Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashok Mulchandani

    2003-06-01

    Full Text Available The realisation of a miniaturised potentiometric enzyme biosensor is presented. The biosensor chip utilises the enzyme organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH for the direct determination of pesticides. The transducer structure of the sensors chip consists of a pH-sensitive capacitive electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EIS structure that reacts towards pH changes caused by the OPH-catalised hydrolysis of the organophosphate compounds. The biosensor is operated versus a conventional Ag/AgCl reference electrode. Measurements were performed in the capacitance/voltage (C/V and the constant capacitance (ConCap mode for the two different pesticides paraoxon and parathion. For the development of this new type of biosensor, different immobilisation strategies, influence of buffer composition and concentration, transducer material, detection limit, long-term stability and selectivity have been studied.

  7. Transducer project and optimization of the ultra low magnetic field NMR tomograph reception system system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vidoto, Edson Luiz Gea

    1995-01-01

    The aim of the present work was to optimize the signal to noise ratio in our NMR imaging system (TORM 005) by improving transducer's reception quality through better designed coils, balanced tuning circuit for this coils and power decoupling circuits and by reducing interference from the electromagnetic environment. For this purpose, we had to modify the internal electromagnetic shielding and incorporate line filters in the more critical signals paths. Also, new types of coils were developed, improving the signal to noise ratio, and allowing us to make clinical exams with superior quality for several anatomies. Balanced circuits for tuning and matching of the coil were studied and built, allowing a reduction of the coil losses because patient's load. This produced a more reliable coil tuning after positioning each new patient. Circuits to avoid the receiver input overload and decoupling circuits for the isolation of receiver coils from excitation coil were designed and incorporated to the TORM 005. All these alterations of our imaging system (TORM 005) contributed to a significant improvement in the signal to noise ratio, reliability and reproducibility of the system. This permitted to operate the system routinely for clinical applications, research and development in the area of ultra low magnetic field tomography. (author)

  8. Irradiation Testing of Ultrasonic Transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daw, J.; Rempe, J.; Palmer, J.; Tittmann, B.; Reinhardt, B.; Kohse, G.; Ramuhalli, P.; Montgomery, R.; Chien, H.T.; Villard, J.F.

    2013-06-01

    Ultrasonic technologies offer the potential for high accuracy and resolution in-pile measurement of numerous parameters, including geometry changes, temperature, crack initiation and growth, gas pressure and composition, and microstructural changes. Many Department of Energy-Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) programs are exploring the use of ultrasonic technologies to provide enhanced sensors for in-pile instrumentation during irradiation testing. For example, the ability of single, small diameter ultrasonic thermometers (UTs) to provide a temperature profile in candidate metallic and oxide fuel would provide much needed data for validating new fuel performance models. Other efforts include an ultrasonic technique to detect morphology changes (such as crack initiation and growth) and acoustic techniques to evaluate fission gas composition and pressure. These efforts are limited by the lack of existing knowledge of ultrasonic transducer material survivability under irradiation conditions. To address this need, the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) was awarded an Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility (ATR NSUF) project to evaluate promising magnetostrictive and piezoelectric transducer performance in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Reactor (MITR) up to a fast fluence of at least 10 21 n/cm 2 (E> 0.1 MeV). This test will be an instrumented lead test; and real-time transducer performance data will be collected along with temperature and neutron and gamma flux data. By characterizing magnetostrictive and piezoelectric transducer survivability during irradiation, test results will enable the development of novel radiation tolerant ultrasonic sensors for use in Material and Test Reactors (MTRs). The current work bridges the gap between proven out-of-pile ultrasonic techniques and in-pile deployment of ultrasonic sensors by acquiring the data necessary to demonstrate the performance of ultrasonic transducers. (authors)

  9. Ultrasonic Transducer Peak-to-Peak Optical Measurement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pavel Skarvada

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Possible optical setups for measurement of the peak-to-peak value of an ultrasonic transducer are described in this work. The Michelson interferometer with the calibrated nanopositioner in reference path and laser Doppler vibrometer were used for the basic measurement of vibration displacement. Langevin type of ultrasonic transducer is used for the purposes of Electro-Ultrasonic Nonlinear Spectroscopy (EUNS. Parameters of produced mechanical vibration have to been well known for EUNS. Moreover, a monitoring of mechanical vibration frequency shift with a mass load and sample-transducer coupling is important for EUNS measurement.

  10. Three Transducer Ultrasonic Examination of Nuclear Fuel Rod Flush Welds At ENUSA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Domingo, A.; Jimenez, J.M.

    1998-01-01

    From 1991 ENUSA are using UT microscope examination of flush weld with longitudinal wave (perpendicular to weld) looking for welding defects as porosity, weld thickness and penetration. In 1994 we included a new transducer off set placed, with shear waves to control cracks in welding. In 1997 we incorporated a new shear transducer, 30 degree centigrade angle, in order to control different orientation of cracks or Grain Boundary Separation (GBS) and to improve software capabilities. Then actual UT microscope equipment used to inspect rod welds consist, mainly in three transducer of 50 MHz mounted over a rotatory head. UT system is electronically synchronized and obtains 750 data points per revolution by transducer. A set of seven images of approx 100.000 data points is obtained for each weld. Thickness, pore size, pore depth, two of crack size and two of crack depth are presented and evaluated evaluated by the computer to obtain weld disposition. Resolution of 0,05 mm pore size is achieved by this equipment, thickness and penetration precision should be in the order of 0,005 mm and 0,05 mm respectively. Crack detection depend basically on its orientation, nevertheless position of transducer assures a high capability detection of cracks which should be formed at these welds. (Author)

  11. Analysis and Implementation of Nonlinear Transducer Response over a Wider Response Range

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sheroz Khan

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available In today’s automation systems transducers are making core elements in the instruments and the circuits used for measurement, control and industrial applications. The task of a transducer is to reproduce a physical quantity as an electrical signal which with the help of conditioning circuits, is transformed into a form that suits a corresponding ADC requirement before a digital equivalent output of the required physical quantity is produced. In the most ideal cases a digital quantity is a true replica of the physical quantity when the transducer has got a linear response. However, in most of the cases the transducers characteristics are nonlinear, and hence at very points along the whole range of the transducer characteristics, the corresponding digital output is an exact replica of the concerned physical parameter. This work is about how a physical read more accurately in the case of nonlinear sensor characteristics, and then a microcontroller is programmed with the same technique while reading from an input over the entire range. The data of the microcontroller reading shows very closely matched with the actual sensors response. Further, the reading error is considerably reduced to within 10 % of the actual physical which shows the utility of the technique in very sensitive applications.

  12. Piezoelectric Nanotube Array for Broadband High-Frequency Ultrasonic Transducer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liew, Weng Heng; Yao, Kui; Chen, Shuting; Tay, Francis Eng Hock

    2018-03-01

    Piezoelectric materials are vital in determining ultrasonic transducer and imaging performance as they offer the function for conversion between mechanical and electrical energy. Ultrasonic transducers with high-frequency operation suffer from performance degradation and fabrication difficulty of the demanded piezoelectric materials. Hence, we propose 1-D polymeric piezoelectric nanostructure with controlled nanoscale features to overcome the technical limitations of high-frequency ultrasonic transducers. For the first time, we demonstrate the integration of a well-aligned piezoelectric nanotube array to produce a high-frequency ultrasonic transducer with outstanding performance. We find that nanoconfinement-induced polarization orientation and unique nanotube structure lead to significantly improved piezoelectric and ultrasonic transducing performance over the conventional piezoelectric thin film. A large bandwidth, 126% (-6 dB), is achieved at high center frequency, 108 MHz. Transmission sensitivity of nanotube array is found to be 46% higher than that of the monolithic thin film transducer attributed to the improved electromechanical coupling effectiveness and impedance match. We further demonstrate high-resolution scanning, ultrasonic imaging, and photoacoustic imaging using the obtained nanotube array transducers, which is valuable for biomedical imaging applications in the future.

  13. Investigation of focused and unfocused transducer beam patterns in moderately nonlinear absorbing media

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kharin, Nikolay A.

    2001-05-01

    The novel solution of the KZK equation for acoustic pressure of the second harmonic in slightly focused beam of a circular transducer was obtained in a closed form for moderately nonlinear absorbing media (Gol'dberg numbers ~ 1). The solution is based on the method of slowly changing wave profile in combination with the method of successive approximations. Two pairs of transducers (Valpey-Fisher Corp.) Were compared to investigate the influence of focusing on the applicability of the moderate nonlinearity approach. The first pair was of 0.25' diameter and the second was of 0.5' diameter. Both pairs has one transducer with flat surface and the other geometrically focused at 4'. The central frequency for all transducers was 5 MHz. Measurements were undertaken in the blood-mimicking solution of water and glycerine. The results demonstrated that for slightly focused transducers with circular apertures, the moderate nonlinearity approach is still valid, as it was proved for flat sources with the same source level, despite the higher pressures in the focal region. The peak pressure for the weakly focused system occurs at a shorter range than focal length.

  14. Analysis of eigenfrequencies in piezoelectric transducers using the finite element method

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Henrik

    1988-01-01

    transducers, which include the complete set of piezoelectric equations, have been included. They can find eigenfrequencies for undamped transducers and perform forced-response analysis for transducers with internal and radiation damping. The superelement technique is used to model the transducer backing......It is noted that the finite-element method is a valuable supplement to the traditional methods for design of novel transducer types because it can determine the vibrational pattern of piezoelectric transducers and is applicable to any geometry. Computer programs for analysis of axisymmetric...

  15. Design and fabrication of a double-sided piezoelectric transducer for harvesting vibration power

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chang, Wei-Tsai; Chen, Ying-Chung [Department of Electrical Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC (China); Kao, Kuo-Sheng [Department of Computer and Communication, Shu-Te University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC (China); Chu, Yu-Hsien [Department of Electrical Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC (China); Cheng, Chien-Chuan, E-mail: chengccc@dlit.edu.tw [Department of Electronic Engineering, De Lin Institute of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC (China)

    2013-02-01

    This investigation examines a means of integrating high-performance ZnO piezoelectric thin films with a flexible stainless steel substrate (SUS304) to fabricate a double-sided piezoelectric transducer for vibration-energy harvesting applications. The double-sided piezoelectric transducer is constructed by depositing ZnO piezoelectric thin films on both the front and the back sides of the SUS304 substrate. The titanium and platinum layers were deposited using a dual-gun DC sputtering system between the ZnO piezoelectric thin film and the back side of the SUS304 substrate. The scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction of ZnO piezoelectric films reveal a rigid surface structure and a highly c-axis-preferring orientation. To fabricate a transducer with a low resonant frequency, a tip-mass of 0.5 g and a vibration-area of 1 cm{sup 2} are designed, based on the cantilever vibration theory. The maximum open circuit voltage of the power transducer is approximately 18 V. After rectification and filtering through a 33 nF capacitor, a specific power output of 1.31 μW/cm{sup 2} is obtained from the transducers with a load resistance of 6 MΩ. The variation of the power output of ± 0.001% is obtained after 24-hour continuous test. - Highlights: ► A double-sided piezoelectric transducer is fabricated with the ZnO thin films. ► Vibrated frequency of a double-sided transducer is designed and presented. ► A maximum output power of 3.23 μW/cm{sup 2} is obtained under turbulent vibration.

  16. Stress wave focusing transducers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Visuri, S.R., LLNL

    1998-05-15

    Conversion of laser radiation to mechanical energy is the fundamental process behind many medical laser procedures, particularly those involving tissue destruction and removal. Stress waves can be generated with laser radiation in several ways: creation of a plasma and subsequent launch of a shock wave, thermoelastic expansion of the target tissue, vapor bubble collapse, and ablation recoil. Thermoelastic generation of stress waves generally requires short laser pulse durations and high energy density. Thermoelastic stress waves can be formed when the laser pulse duration is shorter than the acoustic transit time of the material: {tau}{sub c} = d/c{sub s} where d = absorption depth or spot diameter, whichever is smaller, and c{sub s} = sound speed in the material. The stress wave due to thermoelastic expansion travels at the sound speed (approximately 1500 m/s in tissue) and leaves the site of irradiation well before subsequent thermal events can be initiated. These stress waves, often evolving into shock waves, can be used to disrupt tissue. Shock waves are used in ophthalmology to perform intraocular microsurgery and photodisruptive procedures as well as in lithotripsy to fragment stones. We have explored a variety of transducers that can efficiently convert optical to mechanical energy. One such class of transducers allows a shock wave to be focused within a material such that the stress magnitude can be greatly increased compared to conventional geometries. Some transducer tips could be made to operate regardless of the absorption properties of the ambient media. The size and nature of the devices enable easy delivery, potentially minimally-invasive procedures, and precise tissue- targeting while limiting thermal loading. The transducer tips may have applications in lithotripsy, ophthalmology, drug delivery, and cardiology.

  17. Medium- and high-pressure gauges and transducers produced by laser welding technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daurelio, Giuseppe; Nenci, Fabio; Cinquepalmi, Massimo; Chita, Giuseppe

    1998-07-01

    Industrial manufacturers produce many types of pressure gauges and transducers according to the applications, for gas or liquid, for high-medium and low pressure ranges. Nowadays the current production technology generally prefers to weld by micro TIG source the metallic corrugated membranes to the gauge or transducer bodies for the products, operating on the low pressure or medium pressure ranges. For the other ones, operating to high pressure range, generally the two components of the transducers are both threaded only and threaded and then circularly welded by micro TIG for the other higher range, till to 1000 bar. In this work the products, operating on the approximately equals 30 divided by 200 bar, are considered. These, when assembled on industrial plants, as an outcome of a non-correct operating sequence, give a 'shifted' electrical signal. This is due to a shift of the 'zero electrical signal' that unbalances the electrical bridge - thin layer sensor - that is the sensitive part of the product. Moreover, for the same problem, often some mechanical settlings of the transducer happen during the first pressure semi-components, with an increasing of the product manufacturing costs. In light of all this, the above referred, in this work the whole transducer has been re-designed according to the specific laser welding technology requirements. On the new product no threaded parts exist but only a circular laser welding with a full penetration depth about 2.5 divided by 3 mm high. Three different alloys have been tested according to the applications and the mechanical properties requested to the transducer. By using a 1.5 KW CO2 laser system many different working parameters have been evaluated for correlating laser parameters to the penetration depths, crown wides, interaction laser-materia times, mechanical and metallurgical properties. Moreover during the laser welding process the measurements of the maximum temperature, reached by the transducer top, has been

  18. Iron-free moving coil high temperature displacement transducer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grindrod, A

    1976-07-01

    A unique, iron free, moving coil linear displacement transducer system is described, which is suitable for continuously monitoring linear movements, at varying temperatures up to 750/sup 0/C, in operational nuclear reactors. Although this device has been primarily developed for Advanced Gas Cooled Reactor Systems, it also has uses where long term measurements on conventional high temperature plant are required. Furthermore it could be particularly useful in material creep laboratories where precise linear changes in specimen length need to be monitored at elevated temperatures, over several years. Since individual transducer installations demand specific mounting arrangements to suit particular component geometries, evaluations have been made only on standard operational modules or capsules which are designed for containment in a range of housing or fixtures to suit particular applications. The behaviour of these devices has been studied at temperatures up to 750/sup 0/C for periods of over 10,000 h. An evaluation is also included of a commercially designed sensor assembly employing the same principle, for monitoring the boiler-shield wall movement at Hinkley Point 'B' AGR Station.

  19. Enzyme-Based Logic Gates and Networks with Output Signals Analyzed by Various Methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katz, Evgeny

    2017-07-05

    The paper overviews various methods that are used for the analysis of output signals generated by enzyme-based logic systems. The considered methods include optical techniques (optical absorbance, fluorescence spectroscopy, surface plasmon resonance), electrochemical techniques (cyclic voltammetry, potentiometry, impedance spectroscopy, conductivity measurements, use of field effect transistor devices, pH measurements), and various mechanoelectronic methods (using atomic force microscope, quartz crystal microbalance). Although each of the methods is well known for various bioanalytical applications, their use in combination with the biomolecular logic systems is rather new and sometimes not trivial. Many of the discussed methods have been combined with the use of signal-responsive materials to transduce and amplify biomolecular signals generated by the logic operations. Interfacing of biocomputing logic systems with electronics and "smart" signal-responsive materials allows logic operations be extended to actuation functions; for example, stimulating molecular release and switchable features of bioelectronic devices, such as biofuel cells. The purpose of this review article is to emphasize the broad variability of the bioanalytical systems applied for signal transduction in biocomputing processes. All bioanalytical systems discussed in the article are exemplified with specific logic gates and multi-gate networks realized with enzyme-based biocatalytic cascades. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Design and Development of transducer for IR radiation measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pattarachindanuwong, Surat; Poopat, Bovornchoke; Meethong, Wachira

    2003-06-01

    Recently, IR radiation has many important roles such as for plastics industry, food industry and medical instrumentation. The consequence of exposed irradiation objects from IR can be greatly affected by the quantity of IR radiation. Therefore the objectively this research is to design and develop a transducer for IR radiation measurement. By using a quartz halogen lamp as a IR heat source of IR radiation and a thermopile sensor as a transducer. The thermal conductivity of transducer and air flow, were also considered for design and development of transducer. The study shows that the designed transducer can be used and applied in high temperature process, for example, the quality control of welding, the non-contact temperature measurement of drying oven and the testing of IR source in medical therapy device

  1. Assessing the accuracy of Greenland ice sheet ice ablation measurements by pressure transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fausto, R. S.; van As, D.; Ahlstrøm, A. P.

    2012-04-01

    In the glaciological community there is a need for reliable mass balance measurements of glaciers and ice sheets, ranging from daily to yearly time scales. Here we present a method to measure ice ablation using a pressure transducer. The pressure transducer is drilled into the ice, en-closed in a hose filled with a liquid that is non-freezable at common Greenlandic temperatures. The pressure signal registered by the transducer is that of the vertical column of liquid over the sensor, which can be translated in depth knowing the density of the liquid. As the free-standing AWS moves down with the ablating surface and the hose melts out of the ice, an increasingly large part of the hose will lay flat on the ice surface, and the hydrostatic pressure from the vertical column of liquid in the hose will get smaller. This reduction in pressure provides us with the ablation rate. By measuring at (sub-) daily timescales this assembly is well-suited to monitor ice ablation in remote regions, with clear advantages over other well-established methods of measuring ice ablation in the field. The pressure transducer system has the potential to monitor ice ablation for several years without re-drilling and the system is suitable for high ablation areas. A routine to transform raw measurements into ablation values will also be presented, including a physically based method to remove air pressure variability from the signal. The pressure transducer time-series is compared to that recorded by a sonic ranger for the climatically hostile setting on the Greenland ice sheet.

  2. Development of a high frequency single-element ultrasound needle transducer for anesthesia delivery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ameri, Golafsoun; Son, Jungik; Liang, Jingwei; Foster, F. Stuart; Ganapathy, Sugantha; Peters, Terry M.

    2017-03-01

    Epidural anesthesia is one of the most commonly used and yet challenging techniques employed for pain management and anesthesia delivery. The major complications of this procedure are due to accidental dural puncture, with an incidence of 1-3%, which could lead to both temporary and irreversible permanent neurological complications. Needle placement under ultrasound (US) guidance has received increasing interest for improving needle placement accuracy. However, poor needle visibility in US, difficulties in displaying relevant anatomical structure such as dura mater due to attenuation and bone shadowing, and image interpretation variability among users pose significant hurdles for any US guidance system. As a result, US guidance for epidural injections has not been widely adopted for everyday use for the performance of neuraxial blocks. The difficulties in localizing the ligamentum flavum and dura with respect to the needle tip can be addressed by integrating A-mode US, provided by a single-element transducer at the needle tip, into the B-mode US guidance system. We have taken the first steps towards providing such a guidance system. Our goal is to improve the safety of this procedure with minimal changes to the clinical workflow. This work presents the design and development of a 20 MHz single-element US transducer housed at the tip of a 19 G needle hypodermic tube, which can fit inside an epidural introducer needle. In addition, the results from initial transducer characterization tests and performance evaluation of the transducer in a euthanized porcine model are provided.

  3. Systemic gene delivery transduces the enteric nervous system of guinea pigs and cynomolgus macaques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gombash, S E; Cowley, C J; Fitzgerald, J A; Lepak, C A; Neides, M G; Hook, K; Todd, L J; Wang, G-D; Mueller, C; Kaspar, B K; Bielefeld, E C; Fischer, A J; Wood, J D; Foust, K D

    2017-10-01

    Characterization of adeno-associated viral vector (AAV) mediated gene delivery to the enteric nervous system (ENS) was recently described in mice and rats. In these proof-of-concept experiments, we show that intravenous injections of clinically relevant AAVs can transduce the ENS in guinea pigs and non-human primates. Neonatal guinea pigs were given intravenous injections of either AAV8 or AAV9 vectors that contained a green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression cassette or phosphate-buffered saline. Piglets were euthanized three weeks post injection and tissues were harvested for immunofluorescent analysis. GFP expression was detected in myenteric and submucosal neurons along the length of the gastrointestinal tract in AAV8 injected guinea pigs. GFP-positive neurons were found in dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus and dorsal root ganglia. Less transduction occurred in AAV9-treated tissues. Gastrointestinal tissues were analyzed from young cynomolgus macaques that received systemic injection of AAV9 GFP. GFP expression was detected in myenteric neurons of the stomach, small and large intestine. These data demonstrate that ENS gene delivery translates to larger species. This work develops tools for the field of neurogastroenterology to explore gut physiology and anatomy using emerging technologies such as optogenetics and gene editing. It also provides a basis to develop novel therapies for chronic gut disorders.

  4. Piezoelectric Polymer Ultrasound Transducers and Its Biomedical Applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ha, Kang Lyeol; Cao, Yanggang [Department of Physics, Pukyong National University, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-10-15

    PVDF(poly vinylidene fluoride) and P(VDF-TrFE)(poly vinylidene fluoride-tetrafluoroethylene) are the typical piezoelectric polymers with unique properties. Even they are inferior to conventional piezoelectric ceramics PZT in electromechanical conversion efficiency and interior loss, though they are superior in receiving sensitivity and frequency bandwidth. Their acoustic impedances are relatively close to water or biological tissue and it is easier to make thin film than other piezoelectric materials. Furthermore, the film is so flexible that it is easy to attach on a complex surface. Those properties are suitable for the ultrasound transducers which are useful for medical and biological application, so that various types of polymer transducers have been developed. In this paper, several important considerations for design and fabrication of piezoelectric polymer transducers were described and their effect on the transducer performance were demonstrated through the KLM model analysis. Then, it was briefly reviewed about the structures of the polymer transducers developed for obtaining images as well as the characteristics of the images in several important medical and biological application fields.

  5. Receive-Noise Analysis of Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bozkurt, Ayhan; Yaralioglu, G Goksenin

    2016-11-01

    This paper presents an analysis of thermal (Johnson) noise received from the radiation medium by otherwise noiseless capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) membranes operating in their fundamental resonance mode. Determination of thermal noise received by multiple numbers of transducers or a transducer array requires the assessment of cross-coupling through the radiation medium, as well as the self-radiation impedance of the individual transducer. We show that the total thermal noise received by the cells of a CMUT has insignificant correlation, and is independent of the radiation impedance, but is only determined by the mass of each membrane and the electromechanical transformer ratio. The proof is based on the analytical derivations for a simple transducer with two cells, and extended to transducers with numerous cells using circuit simulators. We used a first-order model, which incorporates the fundamental resonance of the CMUT. Noise power is calculated by integrating over the entire spectrum; hence, the presented figures are an upper bound for the noise. The presented analyses are valid for a transimpedance amplifier in the receive path. We use the analysis results to calculate the minimum detectable pressure of a CMUT. We also provide an analysis based on the experimental data to show that output noise power is limited by and comparable to the theoretical upper limit.

  6. Research and development of in-core transducers at the CIAE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang Yucai; Liu Yupu; Jia Guozhen; Liu Lianping

    1996-01-01

    In this paper, R and D of in-core transducers at the CIAE are briefly summarized. With the construction and commissioning of PWR nuclear power plant in China, fuel rod behaviour need to be studied carefully. As conventional transducers cannot meet the requirements of in-core applications, R and D of in-core transducers are developed. Since 1980's, several kinds of in-core transducers have been successfully fabricated and tested under the conditions simulating PWR. At present, in-pile tests of the transducers combining with the studies of individual behaviour of PWR fuel rod are being planned at the CIAE. (author). 11 refs, 12 figs, 4 tabs

  7. Ergonomic design and evaluation of a diagnostic ultrasound transducer holder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghasemi, Mohamad Sadegh; Hosseinzadeh, Payam; Zamani, Farhad; Ahmadpoor, Hossein; Dehghan, Naser

    2017-12-01

    Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are injuries and disorders that affect the body's movement and musculoskeletal system. Awkward postures represent one of the major ergonomic risk factors that cause WMSDs among sonographers while working with an ultrasound transducer. This study aimed to design and evaluate a new holder for the ultrasound transducer. In the first phase a new holder was designed for the transducer, considering design principles. Evaluation of the new holder was then carried out by electrogoniometry and a locally perceived discomfort (LPD) scale. The application of design principles to the new holder resulted in an improvement of wrist posture and comfort. Wrist angles in extension, flexion, radial deviation and ulnar deviation were lower with utilization of the new holder. The severity of discomfort based on the LPD method in the two modes of work with and without the new holder was reported with values of 1.3 and 1.8, respectively (p ergonomics design principles was effective in minimizing wrist deviation and increasing comfort while working with the new holder.

  8. Performance of Honeywell silicon pressure transducers

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    VijayKumar, K.; Joseph, A.; Desai, R.G.P.; Nagvekar, S.; Prabhudesai, S.; Damodaran, V.

    pressure. The precision pressure transducer – ruggedized (PPTR) manufactured by Honeywell is provided with a special “Hastelloy” material isolation-diaphragm to protect the transducer port against corrosive effects during its prolonged exposure...-scale output (an intelligent technique anufacturers to hide the non-linearity of the product at all data points below ore realistic estimate of linearity is obtained by ean of a few samples) based on the corresponding true ethod employed by performance...

  9. Damage detection in concrete structures with smart piezoceramic transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naidu, Akshay S. K.; Bhalla, Suresh

    2003-10-01

    Detection of damages and progressive deterioration in structures is a critical issue. Visual inspections are tedious and unreliable. Incipient damages are often not discernible by low frequency dynamic response and other NDE techniques. Smart piezoelectric ceramic (PZT) transducers are emerging as an effective alternative in health monitoring of structures. The electro-mechanical impedance method employs the self-actuating and sensing characteristics of the PZT, without having to use actuators and sensors separately. When excited by an ac source, the PZT transducers bonded to the host structure activates the higher modes of vibration locally. Changes in the admittance response of the transducer serves as an indicator of damage around the transducer. In this paper, the effectiveness of PZT transducers for characterizing damages in concrete, in terms of the damage extent and location, is experimentally examined. The root mean square deviation (RMSD) index, adopted to quantify the changes in the admittance signatures, correlates with the damage extent. The damages on the surface that is not mounted by the PZT are also discernible. An array of transducers proves effective in detecting the damaged zone. The progressive incipient crack can be detected much before it actually becomes visible to the naked eye.

  10. Transducer Workshop (17th) Held in San Diego, California on June 22-24, 1993

    Science.gov (United States)

    1993-06-01

    OF • Computer Controlled * Automatic, Self Compensating - Complete with all the Bells and Whistles * Economically Priced at $99.95 • Delivery from...control box, the ultrasonic transducer, and the reflector block (Figure 2). The system transmits pulses of ultrasound from the transducer which bounce off...measure the air temperature since the speed of sound is dependent on temperature. The distance traveled by the pulse of ultrasound is linearly

  11. Bonding and impedance matching of acoustic transducers using silver epoxy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Son, Kyu Tak; Lee, Chin C

    2012-04-01

    Silver epoxy was selected to bond transducer plates on glass substrates. The properties and thickness of the bonding medium affect the electrical input impedance of the transducer. Thus, the thickness of the silver epoxy bonding layer was used as a design parameter to optimize the structure for the transducer input impedance to match the 50 Ω output impedance of most radio frequency (RF) generators. Simulation and experimental results show that nearly perfect matching is achieved without using any matching circuit. At the matching condition, the transducer operates at a frequency band a little bit below the half-wavelength resonant frequency of the piezoelectric plate. In experiments, lead titanate (PT) piezoelectric plates were employed. Both full-size, 11.5 mm × 2 mm × 0.4 mm, and half-size, 5.75 mm × 2 mm × 0.4 mm, can be well matched using optimal silver epoxy thickness. The transducer assemblies demonstrate high efficiency. The conversion loss from electrical power to acoustic power in soda-lime glass is 4.3 dB. This loss is low considering the fact that the transducers operate at off-resonance by 12%. With proper choice of silver epoxy thickness, the transducer can be matched at the fundamental, the 3rd and 5th harmonic frequencies. This leads to the possible realization of triple-band transducers. Reliability was assessed with thermal cycling test according to Telcordia GR-468-Core recommendation. Of the 30 transducer assemblies tested, none broke until 2900 cycles and 27 have sustained beyond 4050 cycles. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Study on the sandwich piezoelectric ceramic ultrasonic transducer in thickness vibration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin Shuyu; Tian Hua

    2008-01-01

    A sandwich piezoelectric ceramic ultrasonic transducer in thickness vibration is studied. The transducer consists of front and back metal masses, and coaxially segmented, thickness polarized piezoelectric ceramic thin rings. For this kind of sandwich piezoelectric transducers in thickness vibration, it is required that the lateral dimension of the transducer is sufficiently large compared with its longitudinal dimension so that no lateral displacements in the transducer can occur (laterally clamped). In this paper, the thickness vibration of the piezoelectric ceramic stack consisting of a number of identical piezoelectric ceramic thin rings is analysed and its electro-mechanical equivalent circuit is obtained. The resonance frequency equation for the sandwich piezoelectric ceramic ultrasonic transducer in thickness vibration is derived. Based on the frequency equation, two sandwich piezoelectric ceramic ultrasonic transducers are designed and manufactured, and their resonance frequencies are measured. It is shown that the measured resonance frequencies are in good agreement with the theoretical results. This kind of sandwich piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer is expected to be used in megasonic ultrasonic cleaning and sonochemistry where high power and high frequency ultrasound is needed

  13. Features calibration of the dynamic force transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sc., M. Yu Prilepko D.; Lysenko, V. G.

    2018-04-01

    The article discusses calibration methods of dynamic forces measuring instruments. The relevance of work is dictated by need to valid definition of the dynamic forces transducers metrological characteristics taking into account their intended application. The aim of this work is choice justification of calibration method, which provides the definition dynamic forces transducers metrological characteristics under simulation operating conditions for determining suitability for using in accordance with its purpose. The following tasks are solved: the mathematical model and the main measurements equation of calibration dynamic forces transducers by load weight, the main budget uncertainty components of calibration are defined. The new method of dynamic forces transducers calibration with use the reference converter “force-deformation” based on the calibrated elastic element and measurement of his deformation by a laser interferometer is offered. The mathematical model and the main measurements equation of the offered method is constructed. It is shown that use of calibration method based on measurements by the laser interferometer of calibrated elastic element deformations allows to exclude or to considerably reduce the uncertainty budget components inherent to method of load weight.

  14. A Four-Quadrant PVDF Transducer for Surface Acoustic Wave Detection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhi Chen

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF piezoelectric transducer was developed to detect laser-induced surface acoustic waves in a SiO2-thin film–Si-substrate structure. In order to solve the problems related to, firstly, the position of the probe, and secondly, the fact that signals at different points cannot be detected simultaneously during the detection process, a four-quadrant surface acoustic wave PVDF transducer was designed and constructed for the purpose of detecting surface acoustic waves excited by a pulse laser line source. The experimental results of the four-quadrant piezoelectric detection in comparison with the commercial nanoindentation technology were consistent, the relative error is 0.56%, and the system eliminates the piezoelectric surface wave detection direction deviation errors, improves the accuracy of the testing system by 1.30%, achieving the acquisition at the same time at different testing positions of the sample.

  15. Elaboration of new method of enzyme adsorption on silicalite and nano beta zeolite for amperometric biosensor creation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soldatkin O. O.

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Aim. Optimization of a new method of enzyme immobilization for amperometric biosensor creation. Methods. The amperometric biosensor with glucose oxidase immobilized on zeolites as bioselective elements and platinum disk electrode as transducers of biochemical signal into the electric one was used in the work. Results. The biosensors based on glucose oxidase adsorbed on zeolites were characterized by a higher sensitivity to glucose and a better inter-reproducibility. The best analytical characteristics were obtained for the biosensors based on nano beta zeolite. It has been found that an increase in the amount of zeolite on the surface of amperometric transducer may change such biosensor parameters as sensitivity to the substrate and duration of the analysis. Conclusions. The proposed method of enzyme immobilization by adsorption on zeolites is shown to be quite promising in the development of amperometric biosensors and therefore should be further investigated.

  16. Measurement of vehicle-load using capacitance and acceleration transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, S; Yang, W; Yang, Y

    2007-01-01

    Over-loading is a common problem in some developing countries. Currently, large and fixed measurement systems are used to measure the load of vehicles travelling on highways. This paper presents an on-vehicle measuring device, which is based on measurement of change in capacitance due to variation in distance between electrodes mounted on vehicles. The on-vehicle leaf springs are used as a key part of the weighing transducer. Acceleration transducers are used to measure the vehicle's forward and the vertical accelerations. A feature of this on-vehicle measuring device is that it can provide both static and dynamic load measurements. The drivers can check the load in the cab, and the highway inspectors can check the load at any time and any place through radio communication, thus identifying over-loaded vehicles

  17. Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers for medical imaging and therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khuri-Yakub, Butrus T; Oralkan, Ömer

    2011-01-01

    Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) have been subject to extensive research for the last two decades. Although they were initially developed for air-coupled applications, today their main application space is medical imaging and therapy. This paper first presents a brief description of CMUTs, their basic structure and operating principles. Our progression of developing several generations of fabrication processes is discussed with an emphasis on the advantages and disadvantages of each process. Monolithic and hybrid approaches for integrating CMUTs with supporting integrated circuits are surveyed. Several prototype transducer arrays with integrated front-end electronic circuits we developed and their use for 2D and 3D, anatomical and functional imaging, and ablative therapies are described. The presented results prove the CMUT as a micro-electro-mechanical systems technology for many medical diagnostic and therapeutic applications

  18. Biasing of Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caliano, Giosue; Matrone, Giulia; Savoia, Alessandro Stuart

    2017-02-01

    Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) represent an effective alternative to piezoelectric transducers for medical ultrasound imaging applications. They are microelectromechanical devices fabricated using silicon micromachining techniques, developed in the last two decades in many laboratories. The interest for this novel transducer technology relies on its full compatibility with standard integrated circuit technology that makes it possible to integrate on the same chip the transducers and the electronics, thus enabling the realization of extremely low-cost and high-performance devices, including both 1-D or 2-D arrays. Being capacitive transducers, CMUTs require a high bias voltage to be properly operated in pulse-echo imaging applications. The typical bias supply residual ripple of high-quality high-voltage (HV) generators is in the millivolt range, which is comparable with the amplitude of the received echo signals, and it is particularly difficult to minimize. The aim of this paper is to analyze the classical CMUT biasing circuits, highlighting the features of each one, and to propose two novel HV generator architectures optimized for CMUT biasing applications. The first circuit proposed is an ultralow-residual ripple (generator that uses an extremely stable sinusoidal power oscillator topology. The second circuit employs a commercially available integrated step-up converter characterized by a particularly efficient switching topology. The circuit is used to bias the CMUT by charging a buffer capacitor synchronously with the pulsing sequence, thus reducing the impact of the switching noise on the received echo signals. The small area of the circuit (about 1.5 cm 2 ) makes it possible to generate the bias voltage inside the probe, very close to the CMUT, making the proposed solution attractive for portable applications. Measurements and experiments are shown to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new approaches presented.

  19. Dorsal spinal cord stimulation obtunds the capacity of intrathoracic extracardiac neurons to transduce myocardial ischemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ardell, Jeffrey L; Cardinal, René; Vermeulen, Michel; Armour, J Andrew

    2009-08-01

    Populations of intrathoracic extracardiac neurons transduce myocardial ischemia, thereby contributing to sympathetic control of regional cardiac indices during such pathology. Our objective was to determine whether electrical neuromodulation using spinal cord stimulation (SCS) modulates such local reflex control. In 10 anesthetized canines, middle cervical ganglion neurons were identified that transduce the ventricular milieu. Their capacity to transduce a global (rapid ventricular pacing) vs. regional (transient regional ischemia) ventricular stress was tested before and during SCS (50 Hz, 0.2 ms duration at 90% MT) applied to the dorsal aspect of the T1 to T4 spinal cord. Rapid ventricular pacing and transient myocardial ischemia both activated cardiac-related middle cervical ganglion neurons. SCS obtunded their capacity to reflexly respond to the regional ventricular ischemia, but not rapid ventricular pacing. In conclusion, spinal cord inputs to the intrathoracic extracardiac nervous system obtund the latter's capacity to transduce regional ventricular ischemia, but not global cardiac stress. Given the substantial body of literature indicating the adverse consequences of excessive adrenergic neuronal excitation on cardiac function, these data delineate the intrathoracic extracardiac nervous system as a potential target for neuromodulation therapy in minimizing such effects.

  20. A distributed transducer system for functional electrical stimulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gudnason, Gunnar; Nielsen, Jannik Hammel; Bruun, Erik

    2001-01-01

    to be affected by the inductive link. Neural stimulators are affected to a lesser degree, but still benefit from the partitioning. As a test case, we have designed a transceiver and a sensor chip which implement this partitioning policy. The transceiver is designed to operate in the 6.78 MHz ISM band......Implanted transducers for functional electrical stimulation (FES) powered by inductive links are subject to conflicting requirements arising from low link efficiency, a low power budget and the need for protection of the weak signals against strong RF electromagnetic fields. We propose a solution...... to these problems by partitioning the RF transceiver and sensor/actuator functions onto separate integrated circuits. By amplifying measured neural signals directly at the measurements site and converting them into the digital domain before passing them to the transceiver the signal integrity is less likely...

  1. Analysis on Coupled Vibration of a Radially Polarized Piezoelectric Cylindrical Transducer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jie Xu

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Coupled vibration of a radially polarized piezoelectric cylindrical transducer is analyzed with the mechanical coupling coefficient method. The method has been utilized to analyze the metal cylindrical transducer and the axially polarized piezoelectric cylindrical transducer. In this method, the mechanical coupling coefficient is introduced and defined as the stress ratio in different directions. Coupled vibration of the cylindrical transducer is regarded as the interaction of the plane radial vibration of a ring and the longitudinal vibration of a tube. For the radially polarized piezoelectric cylindrical transducer, the radial and longitudinal electric admittances as functions of mechanical coupling coefficients and angular frequencies are derived, respectively. The resonance frequency equations are obtained. The dependence of resonance frequency and mechanical coupling coefficient on aspect ratio is studied. Vibrational distributions on the surfaces of the cylindrical transducer are presented with experimental measurement. On the support of experiments, this work is verified and provides a theoretical foundation for the analysis and design of the radially polarized piezoelectric cylindrical transducer.

  2. Study of a system devoted for ultrasonic non destructive testing of complex geometry pieces using smart contacts transducers; Etude d'un systeme de controle par ultrasons des pieces de geometrie conplexe a l'aide de traducteurs contacts intelligents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chatillon, S

    2000-07-01

    This work is devoted to the enhancement of the ultrasonic non destructive testing in contact of nuclear components with complex geometry. In service inspections of such components performed with conventional probes present limited performances: variations in sensitivity, due to unmatched contact, incorrect characterization of the defect, because of the disorientations of the transducer during its displacement, and uncovered scan area when the geometry of the components disturbs the displacement of the transducer. We propose a new concept of smart transducer to improve the performances of such inspections. The radiating surface is flexible to optimize the sensitivity of the testing. Using the measure of the radiating surface distortion, performed by a specific instrumentation, phased array techniques allow the control of the transmitted beam to optimize the defect localization and characterization. Thus, this system is self-contained. We present the different steps involved to develop this system and its experimental validation. A computing model is extended to predict the field transmitted by a flexible contact transducer. This model is used to optimize the radiating surface of a jointed transducer. A delay law optimizing algorithm is developed to ensure the control of the transmitted beam. At last, a method and the associated instrumentation designed to measure the radiating surface distortion are proposed. Experimental Measures in the through-transmission mode validate the ability of this system to control the field transmitted through complex interfaces. At last, inspections in the pulse-echo mode are performed on a specimen with an irregular profile, representative of a real component inspected on site, and artificial embedded reflectors. Two control configurations are used. In the first one, the transducer is displaced along the surface, in the second one, the transducer is fixed and the region of interest is scanned using beam steering. The results show that

  3. Response characteristics of probe-transducer systems for pressure measurements in gas-solid fluidized beds: how to prevent pitfalls in dynamic pressure measurements

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ommen, van J.R.; Schouten, J.C.; Stappen, van der M.L.M.; Bleek, van den C.M.

    1999-01-01

    It is long known already that the pressure probe–transducer systems applied in gas–solid fluidized beds can distort the measured pressure fluctuations. Several rules of thumb have been proposed to determine probe length and internal diameter required to prevent this. Recently, Xie and Geldart [H.-Y.

  4. A method for determining losses in magnetostrictive transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krysin, V. N.; Ketlerov, A. S.

    A method for estimating energy losses in magnetostrictive transducers is described. It is shown that domain remagnetization is responsible for the greatest energy loss in magnetostrictive transducers. Energy losses associated with Foucault currents and Joule heat are an order of magnitude less.

  5. Pulse mode of operation of a spherical piezoceramic transducer filled with liquid and having a correcting electric circuit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konovalov, S I; Kuz'menko, A G

    2010-12-01

    By means of a computational method, the possibility of radiating a short acoustic pulse by a transducer in the form of a piezoceramic sphere internally filled with liquid is investigated. An electric inductive-resistive circuit is connected to the electric input of the transducer. Solution is obtained based on scheme-analogs theory for piezoceramic transducers, and spectral Fourier transform theory. The values of parameters of the system, providing minimal durations of radiated signals, are determined. Computation was carried out for different values of relative thicknesses of the transducer wall. The estimates of durations and amplitudes of the acoustic signals radiated into the external medium are obtained.

  6. New improvement of the combined optical fiber transducer for landslide monitoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Z.-W.; Yuan, Q.-Y.; Liu, D.-Y.; Liu, B.; Liu, J.-C.; Luo, H.

    2014-08-01

    Landslide monitoring is important in predicting the behavior of landslides, thereby ensuring environmental, life, and property safety. On the basis of our previous studies, we conducted the double shear test by using a third-generation optical fiber transducer that uses expandable polystyrene (EPS) as base material. However, the third-generation transducer has poor performance when cohesive force is present between the grout and capillary stainless steel pipe of the transducer. Thus, the fourth-generation optical fiber transducer was invented. Similar to the third-generation transducer, the fourth-generation transducer also used EPS as its base material. Single shear test was conducted on the fourth-generation transducer after being grouted with cement mortar (1 : 1 mix ratio). The micro-bend loss mechanism of the optical fiber was considered, and the optical time domain reflectometry instrument was used. The fact that the loss sequence of optical fibers subjected to loading is different at various locations is found. The relationship of the loading-point displacement vs. optical fiber sliding distance and optical loss were measured. Results show that the maximum initial measurement precision of the newly proposed device is 1 mm, the corresponding sliding distance is 21 mm, and the dynamic range is 0-20 mm. The fourth-generation transducer can measure the movement direction of loadings, thus making this transducer applicable for landslide monitoring.

  7. Experimental Evaluation of Three Designs of Electrodynamic Flexural Transducers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tobias J. R. Eriksson

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Three designs for electrodynamic flexural transducers (EDFT for air-coupled ultrasonics are presented and compared. An all-metal housing was used for robustness, which makes the designs more suitable for industrial applications. The housing is designed such that there is a thin metal plate at the front, with a fundamental flexural vibration mode at ∼50 kHz. By using a flexural resonance mode, good coupling to the load medium was achieved without the use of matching layers. The front radiating plate is actuated electrodynamically by a spiral coil inside the transducer, which produces an induced magnetic field when an AC current is applied to it. The transducers operate without the use of piezoelectric materials, which can simplify manufacturing and prolong the lifetime of the transducers, as well as open up possibilities for high-temperature applications. The results show that different designs perform best for the generation and reception of ultrasound. All three designs produced large acoustic pressure outputs, with a recorded sound pressure level (SPL above 120 dB at a 40 cm distance from the highest output transducer. The sensitivity of the transducers was low, however, with single shot signal-to-noise ratio ( SNR ≃ 15 dB in transmit–receive mode, with transmitter and receiver 40 cm apart.

  8. Software for Correcting the Dynamic Error of Force Transducers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naoki Miyashita

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Software which corrects the dynamic error of force transducers in impact force measurements using their own output signal has been developed. The software corrects the output waveform of the transducers using the output waveform itself, estimates its uncertainty and displays the results. In the experiment, the dynamic error of three transducers of the same model are evaluated using the Levitation Mass Method (LMM, in which the impact forces applied to the transducers are accurately determined as the inertial force of the moving part of the aerostatic linear bearing. The parameters for correcting the dynamic error are determined from the results of one set of impact measurements of one transducer. Then, the validity of the obtained parameters is evaluated using the results of the other sets of measurements of all the three transducers. The uncertainties in the uncorrected force and those in the corrected force are also estimated. If manufacturers determine the correction parameters for each model using the proposed method, and provide the software with the parameters corresponding to each model, then users can obtain the waveform corrected against dynamic error and its uncertainty. The present status and the future prospects of the developed software are discussed in this paper.

  9. The near-field acoustic levitation for spheres by transducer with concave spherical radiating surface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Jian Fang; Sun, Xu Guang; Jiao, Xiao Yang; Chen, Hong Xia; Hua, Shun Ming; Zhang, Hong Chun

    2013-01-01

    To levitate ICF target spheres in the near-field acoustic levitation, a transducer with concave spherical radiating surface and a nearfield acoustic levitation system is established. The concave spherical radiating surface of the transducer is designed by the finite element parametric method. Then the levitation height and levitation perturbation of spheres with different mass and diameters in the near-field acoustic levitation system are tested and discussed in the driving voltage at 400V, 500V and 600V, respectively, when the levitation system is under the resonant frequency. Finally, based on the experimental results, the height formula of the near-field acoustic levitation for spheres is deduced by introducing a coupling coefficient.

  10. The near-field acoustic levitation for spheres by transducer with concave spherical radiating surface

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Jian Fang; Sun, Xu Guang; Jiao, Xiao Yang; Chen, Hong Xia [Jilin University, Changchun (China); Hua, Shun Ming [Zhejiang University, Ningbo (China); Zhang, Hong Chun [Aviation University of AirForce, Changchun (China)

    2013-02-15

    To levitate ICF target spheres in the near-field acoustic levitation, a transducer with concave spherical radiating surface and a nearfield acoustic levitation system is established. The concave spherical radiating surface of the transducer is designed by the finite element parametric method. Then the levitation height and levitation perturbation of spheres with different mass and diameters in the near-field acoustic levitation system are tested and discussed in the driving voltage at 400V, 500V and 600V, respectively, when the levitation system is under the resonant frequency. Finally, based on the experimental results, the height formula of the near-field acoustic levitation for spheres is deduced by introducing a coupling coefficient.

  11. Enzyme catalysis: a new definition accounting for noncovalent substrate- and product-like states.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purich, D L

    2001-07-01

    Biological catalysis frequently causes changes in noncovalent bonding. By building on Pauling's assertion that any long-lived, chemically distinct interaction is a chemical bond, this article redefines enzyme catalysis as the facilitated making and/or breaking of chemical bonds, not just of covalent bonds. It is also argued that nearly every ATPase or GTPase is misnamed as a hydrolase and actually belongs to a distinct class of enzymes, termed here 'energases'. By transducing covalent bond energy into mechanical work, energases mediate such fundamental processes as protein folding, self-assembly, G-protein interactions, DNA replication, chromatin remodeling and even active transport.

  12. LAVA Pressure Transducer Trade Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oltman, Samuel B.

    2016-01-01

    The Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) payload will transport the (LAVA) subsystem to hydrogen-rich locations on the moon supporting NASA's in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) programs. There, the LAVA subsystem will analyze volatiles that evolve from heated regolith samples in order to quantify how much water is present. To do this, the system needs resilient pressure transducers (PTs) to calculate the moles in the gas samples. The PT trade study includes a comparison of newly-procured models to a baseline unit with prior flight history in order to determine the PT model with the best survivability in flight-forward conditions.

  13. Turbine transducer developed for adverse conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cooper, D.R.; Edson, J.L.

    1982-01-01

    This paper reviews the latest developments that the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) has made on a turbine transducer used in measurement of two-phase flow. It is operated in a modular configuration with a drag transducer to provide mass flow data. Current configurations allow its use in single modules or in multiples to provide flow profile information. The turbine can also provide mass flow data when used with associated instrumentation such as a densitometer. The transducer, which is the product of long investigations and test series, is subject to high vibration loading and high temperatures as well as a borated liquid environment; flow conditions range from all liquid to all steam and from ambient temperatures to over 600 0 F at pressures up to 2200 psi. Graphite bearing and carbide shaft materials were selected to provide corrosion resistance along with mechanical integrity, and resistance to wear. The new turbine design has met all operational requirements in actual use and in extended lifetime tests

  14. Long-term erythropoietin gene expression from transduced cells in bioisolator devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yanay, Ofer; Barry, Simon C; Flint, Lisa Y; Brzezinski, Margaret; Barton, Randall W; Osborne, William R A

    2003-11-20

    Recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) is widely administered for long-term treatment of anemia associated with renal failure and other chronic diseases. The ability to deliver EPO by gene therapy would have clinical and economic benefit. We compared autologous and allogeneic transduced primary vascular smooth muscle cells for their ability to provide sustained EPO gene expression when encapsulated in TheraCyte devices implanted subcutaneously (SQ) or intraperitoneally (IP) in rats. Cells were transduced with retrovirus vector LrEpSN encoding rat EPO cDNA. Rats that received either autologous or allogeneic transduced cells showed elevated hematocrits (HCTs) ranging from 50 to 79% that were sustained for more than 12 months. The HCT of control rats remained at baseline (45.8%). Rats that received second SQ implants of either autologous or allogeneic cells showed elevations in hematocrit that were sustained for up to 12 months, suggesting the absence of immunological responses to transduced cells or implant material. All experimental groups had statistically significant elevated HCT (p TheraCyte devices was well tolerated and histological evaluation of the devices up to 12 months after surgery revealed a high degree of vascularization and no evidence of host immune response. TheraCyte devices offer a simple and safe gene delivery system that provides sustained therapeutic gene expression, permit removal and implantation of new devices, and do not require immunosuppression of the host.

  15. A new hybrid longitudinal–torsional magnetostrictive ultrasonic transducer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karafi, Mohammad Reza; Hojjat, Yousef; Sassani, Farrokh

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, a novel hybrid longitudinal–torsional magnetostrictive ultrasonic transducer (HL–TMUT) is introduced. The transducer is composed of a magnetostrictive exponential horn and a stainless steel tail mass. In this transducer a spiral magnetic field made up of longitudinal and circumferential magnetic fields is applied to the magnetostrictive horn. As a result, the magnetostrictive horn oscillates simultaneously both longitudinally and torsionally in accordance with the Joule and Wiedemann effects. The magnetostrictive exponential horn is designed in such a manner that it has the same longitudinal and torsional resonant frequency. It is made up of ‘2V Permendur’, which has isotropic magnetic properties. The differential equations of the torsional and longitudinal vibration of the horn are derived, and a HL–TMUT is designed with a resonant frequency of 20 573 Hz. The natural frequency and mode shapes of the transducer are considered theoretically and numerically. The experimental results show that this transducer resonates torsionally and longitudinally with frequencies of 20 610 Hz and 20 830 Hz respectively. The maximum torsional displacement is 1.5 mrad m −1 and the maximum longitudinal displacement is 0.6 μm. These are promising features for industrial applications. (paper)

  16. Focused ultrasound transducer spatial peak intensity estimation: a comparison of methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Civale, John; Rivens, Ian; Shaw, Adam; ter Haar, Gail

    2018-03-01

    Characterisation of the spatial peak intensity at the focus of high intensity focused ultrasound transducers is difficult because of the risk of damage to hydrophone sensors at the high focal pressures generated. Hill et al (1994 Ultrasound Med. Biol. 20 259-69) provided a simple equation for estimating spatial-peak intensity for solid spherical bowl transducers using measured acoustic power and focal beamwidth. This paper demonstrates theoretically and experimentally that this expression is only strictly valid for spherical bowl transducers without a central (imaging) aperture. A hole in the centre of the transducer results in over-estimation of the peak intensity. Improved strategies for determining focal peak intensity from a measurement of total acoustic power are proposed. Four methods are compared: (i) a solid spherical bowl approximation (after Hill et al 1994 Ultrasound Med. Biol. 20 259-69), (ii) a numerical method derived from theory, (iii) a method using measured sidelobe to focal peak pressure ratio, and (iv) a method for measuring the focal power fraction (FPF) experimentally. Spatial-peak intensities were estimated for 8 transducers at three drive powers levels: low (approximately 1 W), moderate (~10 W) and high (20-70 W). The calculated intensities were compared with those derived from focal peak pressure measurements made using a calibrated hydrophone. The FPF measurement method was found to provide focal peak intensity estimates that agreed most closely (within 15%) with the hydrophone measurements, followed by the pressure ratio method (within 20%). The numerical method was found to consistently over-estimate focal peak intensity (+40% on average), however, for transducers with a central hole it was more accurate than using the solid bowl assumption (+70% over-estimation). In conclusion, the ability to make use of an automated beam plotting system, and a hydrophone with good spatial resolution, greatly facilitates characterisation of the FPF, and

  17. Design of a Smart Ultrasonic Transducer for Interconnecting Machine Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chang Xu

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available A high-frequency ultrasonic transducer for copper or gold wire bonding has been designed, analyzed, prototyped and tested. Modeling techniques were used in the design phase and a practical design procedure was established and used. The transducer was decomposed into its elementary components. For each component, an initial design was obtained with simulations using a finite elements model (FEM. Simulated ultrasonic modules were built and characterized experimentally through the Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV and electrical resonance spectra. Compared with experimental data, the FEM could be iteratively adjusted and updated. Having achieved a remarkably highly-predictive FEM of the whole transducer, the design parameters could be tuned for the desired applications, then the transducer is fixed on the wire bonder with a complete holder clamping was calculated by the FEM. The approach to mount ultrasonic transducers on wire bonding machines also is of major importance for wire bonding in modern electronic packaging. The presented method can lead to obtaining a nearly complete decoupling clamper design of the transducer to the wire bonder.

  18. Air-Coupled Piezoelectric Transducers with Active Polypropylene Foam Matching Layers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomás E. Gómez Alvarez-Arenas

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available This work presents the design, construction and characterization of air-coupled piezoelectric transducers using 1–3 connectivity piezocomposite disks with a stack of matching layers being the outer one an active quarter wavelength layer made of polypropylene foam ferroelectret film. This kind of material has shown a stable piezoelectric response together with a very low acoustic impedance (<0.1 MRayl. These features make them a suitable candidate for the dual use or function proposed here: impedance matching layer and active material for air-coupled transduction. The transducer centre frequency is determined by the l/4 resonance of the polypropylene foam ferroelectret film (0.35 MHz, then, the rest of the transducer components (piezocomposite disk and passive intermediate matching layers are all tuned to this frequency. The transducer has been tested in several working modes including pulse-echo and pitch-catch as well as wide and narrow band excitation. The performance of the proposed novel transducer is compared with that of a conventional air-coupled transducers operating in a similar frequency range.

  19. Thermal properties photonic crystal fiber transducers with ferromagnetic nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Przybysz, N.; Marć, P.; Kisielewska, A.; Jaroszewicz, L. R.

    2015-12-01

    The main aim of the research is to design new types of fiber optic transducers based on filled photonic crystal fibers for sensor applications. In our research we propose to use as a filling material nanoparticles' ferrofluids (Fe3O4 NPs). Optical properties of such transducers are studied by measurements of spectral characteristics' changes when transducers are exposed to temperature and magnetic field changes. From synthesized ferrofluid several mixtures with different NPs' concentrations were prepared. Partially filled commercially available photonic crystal fiber LMA 10 (NKT Photonics) was used to design PCF transducers. Their thermo-optic properties were tested in a temperature chamber. Taking into account magnetic properties of synthetized NPs the patch cords based on a partially filled PM 1550 PCF were measured.

  20. Flow-Based Systems for Rapid and High-Precision Enzyme Kinetics Studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Supaporn Kradtap Hartwell

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Enzyme kinetics studies normally focus on the initial rate of enzymatic reaction. However, the manual operation of steps of the conventional enzyme kinetics method has some drawbacks. Errors can result from the imprecise time control and time necessary for manual changing the reaction cuvettes into and out of the detector. By using the automatic flow-based analytical systems, enzyme kinetics studies can be carried out at real-time initial rate avoiding the potential errors inherent in manual operation. Flow-based systems have been developed to provide rapid, low-volume, and high-precision analyses that effectively replace the many tedious and high volume requirements of conventional wet chemistry analyses. This article presents various arrangements of flow-based techniques and their potential use in future enzyme kinetics applications.

  1. Wall thickness tests by means of rotating electrodynamic transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hueschelrath, G.

    1986-01-01

    For about three years, the EROT system has been employed for measuring wall thicknesses on pipes of ferritic steels. The experience gathered and the degree of reliability reached up to now are definitely encouraging, so that an increased use of electrodynamic transducers can be expected for measuring pipes with outside diameters of up to 22 inches. (orig.) [de

  2. Performance Evaluation of Pressure Transducers for Water Impacts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vassilakos, Gregory J.; Stegall, David E.; Treadway, Sean

    2012-01-01

    The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is being designed for water landings. In order to benchmark the ability of engineering tools to predict water landing loads, test programs are underway for scale model and full-scale water impacts. These test programs are predicated on the reliable measurement of impact pressure histories. Tests have been performed with a variety of pressure transducers from various manufacturers. Both piezoelectric and piezoresistive devices have been tested. Effects such as thermal shock, pinching of the transducer head, and flushness of the transducer mounting have been studied. Data acquisition issues such as sampling rate and anti-aliasing filtering also have been studied. The response of pressure transducers have been compared side-by-side on an impulse test rig and on a 20-inch diameter hemisphere dropped into a pool of water. The results have identified a range of viable configurations for pressure measurement dependent on the objectives of the test program.

  3. Thermal effects on transducer material for heat assisted magnetic recording application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ji, Rong, E-mail: Ji-Rong@dsi.a-star.edu.sg; Xu, Baoxi; Cen, Zhanhong; Ying, Ji Feng; Toh, Yeow Teck [Data Storage Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A-STAR), 5 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 117608 (Singapore)

    2015-05-07

    Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) is a promising technology for next generation hard disk drives with significantly increased data recording capacities. In HAMR, an optical near-field transducer (NFT) is used to concentrate laser energy on a magnetic recording medium to fulfill the heat assist function. The key components of a NFT are transducer material, cladding material, and adhesion material between the cladding and the transducer materials. Since transducer materials and cladding materials have been widely reported, this paper focuses on the adhesion materials between the Au transducer and the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} cladding material. A comparative study for two kinds of adhesion material, Ta and Cr, has been conducted. We found that Ta provides better thermal stability to the whole transducer than Cr. This is because after thermal annealing, chromium forms oxide material at interfaces and chromium atoms diffuse remarkably into the Au layer and react with Au to form Au alloy. This study also provides insights on the selection of adhesion material for HAMR transducer.

  4. Determination of the response time of pressure transducers using the direct method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perillo, S.R.P.

    1994-01-01

    The available methods to determine the response time of nuclear safety related pressure transducers are discussed, with emphasis to the direct method. In order to perform the experiments, a Hydraulic Ramp Generator was built. The equipment produces ramp pressure transients simultaneously to a reference transducer and to the transducer under test. The time lag between the output of the two transducers, when they reach a predetermined setpoint, is measured as the time delay of the transducer under test. Some results using the direct method to determine the time delay of pressure transducers (1 E Class Conventional) are presented. (author). 18 refs, 35 figs, 12 tabs

  5. Design of compact piezoelectric transducers for shock wave applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dreyer, Thomas; Liebler, Marko; Riedlinger, Rainer E.; Ginter, Siegfried

    2003-10-01

    The application of focused intense sound pulses to treat several orthopedic diseases has gained in importance during the past years. Self-focusing piezoelectric transducers known from ESWL are not well suited for this purpose due to their size. Therefore compact transducers have to be designed. This implies an increase of the pressure pulse amplitude generated at the radiating surface. A stacked placement of two piezoelectric layers driven by two high-voltage pulses with an adjustable delay accomplishes this. Several designs are presented here representing transducers of different sizes. In principle piezoelectric transducers have the ability to vary the pressure pulse shape to a wider extent than other shock wave sources. Based on FEM simulations of the transducer the influence of some driving parameters, like a variation of the interpulse delay or shape of the driving voltage, on the resulting focal pressure signal is demonstrated. The results show the feasibility to control some parameters of the signal, for example the peak negative pressure amplitude. This possibility could provide new aspects in basic research as well as in clinical applications.

  6. Application of a long-period fibre grating-based transducer in the fuel industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Possetti, G R C; De Arruda, L V R; Muller, M; Fabris, J L; Côcco, L C; Yamamoto, C I; Falate, R

    2009-01-01

    This work shows prospects of long-period fibre grating applications as transducers for fuel conformity analysis. The proposed long-period grating transducer was employed to assess the gasoline conformity in commercial gas stations. Grating responses were used to train and validate a radial base function topology of an artificial neural network. The obtained results show that fibre optic sensors supervised by artificial neural networks can integrate systems for smart sensing with high applicability in the petrochemical field. The radial base function had reached a correct classification probability of approximately 94%. The device applicability in the analysis of hydrated ethanol fuel was also investigated by measuring the concentration of ethanol in ethanol–water mixtures. The results showed that the developed transducer can be used to infer the ethanol–water concentration with a resolution of up to 0.23%

  7. Piezoelectric transducer parameter selection for exciting a single mode from multiple modes of Lamb waves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Hai-Yan; Yu Jian-Bo

    2011-01-01

    Excitation and propagation of Lamb waves by using rectangular and circular piezoelectric transducers surface-bonded to an isotropic plate are investigated in this work. Analytical stain wave solutions are derived for the two transducer shapes, giving the responses of these transducers in Lamb wave fields. The analytical study is supported by a numerical simulation using the finite element method. Symmetric and antisymmetric components in the wave propagation responses are inspected in detail with respect to test parameters such as the transducer geometry, the length and the excitation frequency. By placing only one piezoelectric transducer on the top or the bottom surface of the plate and weakening the strength of one mode while enhancing the strength of the other modes to find the centre frequency, with which the peak wave amplitude ratio between the S0 and A0 modes is maximum, a single mode excitation from the multiple modes of the Lamb waves can be achieved approximately. Experimental data are presented to show the validity of the analyses. The results are used to optimize the Lamb wave detection system. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

  8. Immersion apparatus and process for an ultrasonic transducer in a liquid metal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Le Baud, P.

    1987-01-01

    The ultrasonic transducer is introduced in a casing. The coupling zone of the transducer is covered by a layer of liquid metal. This layer is solidified and then the transducer with his coating layer is introduced in the liquid metal under an inert atmosphere. The device for immersing the transducer is claimed [fr

  9. Mechano-electric optoisolator transducer with hysteresis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ciurus, I M; Dimian, M; Graur, A

    2011-01-01

    This article presents a theoretical and experimental study of designing a mechano-electric optoisolator transducer with hysteresis. Our research is centred upon designing transducers on the basis of optical sensors, as photoelectric conversions eliminate the influence of electromagnetic disturbances. Conversion of the rotation/translation motions into electric signals is performed with the help of a LED-photoresistor Polaroid optocoupler. The driver of the optocoupler's transmitter module is an independent current source. The signal conditioning circuit is a Schmitt trigger circuit. The device is designed to be applied in the field of automation and mechatronics.

  10. Broadband electrical impedance matching for piezoelectric ultrasound transducers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Haiying; Paramo, Daniel

    2011-12-01

    This paper presents a systematic method for designing broadband electrical impedance matching networks for piezoelectric ultrasound transducers. The design process involves three steps: 1) determine the equivalent circuit of the unmatched piezoelectric transducer based on its measured admittance; 2) design a set of impedance matching networks using a computerized Smith chart; and 3) establish the simulation model of the matched transducer to evaluate the gain and bandwidth of the impedance matching networks. The effectiveness of the presented approach is demonstrated through the design, implementation, and characterization of impedance matching networks for a broadband acoustic emission sensor. The impedance matching network improved the power of the acquired signal by 9 times.

  11. Graphene-metallic nanocomposites as modifiers in electrochemical glucose biosensor transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altuntas, Derya Bal; Tepeli, Yudum; Anik, Ulku

    2016-09-01

    Graphene sheets and three different graphene-metallic nanocomposites including graphene-copper (graphene-Cu), graphene-nickel (graphene-Ni) and graphene-platinum (graphene-Pt) were prepared and characterized in the first place. Then the electrochemical performances of these nanocomposites were tested in glucose biosensor transducers, which were formed by combining these metallic nanocomposites with glucose oxidase enzyme and glassy carbon paste electrode (GCPE). This is the first work that includes the usage of these graphene-Me nanocomposites as a part of glucose biosensor transducer. Fabricated amperometric biosensors linear ranges were obtained as follow: For the plain graphene, the linear range was found in the concentration range between 50 μM and 800 μM with the RSD (n = 3 for 50 μM glucose) value of 12.86% and LOD value of 7.2 μM. For graphene-Pt modified glucose biosensor, the linear range was between 10 μM and 600 μM with the RSD (n = 3 for 50 μM glucose) value of 3.45% and LOD value of 3.06 μM. In the case of graphene-Ni modified glucose biosensor, the values were 25 μM to 600 μM with the RSD (n = 3 for 50 μM glucose) value of 8.76% and LOD value of 24.71 μM and for graphene-Cu modified glucose biosensor linear range was 25 μM to 400 μM with the RSD (n = 3 for 50 μM glucose) value of 3.93% and LOD value of 2.87 μM.

  12. Intravascular forward-looking ultrasound transducers for microbubble-mediated sonothrombolysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jinwook; Lindsey, Brooks D; Chang, Wei-Yi; Dai, Xuming; Stavas, Joseph M; Dayton, Paul A; Jiang, Xiaoning

    2017-06-14

    Effective removal or dissolution of large blood clots remains a challenge in clinical treatment of acute thrombo-occlusive diseases. Here we report the development of an intravascular microbubble-mediated sonothrombolysis device for improving thrombolytic rate and thus minimizing the required dose of thrombolytic drugs. We hypothesize that a sub-megahertz, forward-looking ultrasound transducer with an integrated microbubble injection tube is more advantageous for efficient thrombolysis by enhancing cavitation-induced microstreaming than the conventional high-frequency, side-looking, catheter-mounted transducers. We developed custom miniaturized transducers and demonstrated that these transducers are able to generate sufficient pressure to induce cavitation of lipid-shelled microbubble contrast agents. Our technology demonstrates a thrombolysis rate of 0.7 ± 0.15 percent mass loss/min in vitro without any use of thrombolytic drugs.

  13. The complexities of hydrolytic enzymes from the termite digestive system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saadeddin, Anas

    2014-06-01

    The main challenge in second generation bioethanol production is the efficient breakdown of cellulose to sugar monomers (hydrolysis). Due to the recalcitrant character of cellulose, feedstock pretreatment and adapted hydrolysis steps are needed to obtain fermentable sugar monomers. The conventional industrial production process of second-generation bioethanol from biomass comprises several steps: thermochemical pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis and sugar fermentation. This process is undergoing continuous optimization in order to increase the bioethanol yield and reduce the economic cost. Therefore, the discovery of new enzymes with high lignocellulytic activity or new strategies is extremely important. In nature, wood-feeding termites have developed a sophisticated and efficient cellulose degrading system in terms of the rate and extent of cellulose hydrolysis and exploitation. This system, which represents a model for digestive symbiosis has attracted the attention of biofuel researchers. This review describes the termite digestive system, gut symbionts, termite enzyme resources, in vitro studies of isolated enzymes and lignin degradation in termites.

  14. Simulation and fabrication of 0-3 composite PZT films for ultrahigh frequency (100-300 MHz) ultrasonic transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xiaoyang; Fei, Chunlong; Chen, Zeyu; Chen, Ruimin; Yu, Ping; Chen, Zhongping; Shung, K. Kirk; Zhou, Qifa

    2016-03-01

    This paper presents simulation, fabrication, and characterization of single-element ultrahigh frequency (100-300-MHz) needle ultrasonic transducers based on 0-3 composite Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) films prepared by using composite ceramic sol-gel film and sol-infiltration technique. The center frequency of the developed transducer at 300-MHz was the highest frequency of PbTiO3 ceramic-based ultrasonic transducers ever reported. Furthermore, a brief description of the composite model was followed by the development of a new expression for predicting the longitudinal velocity, the clamped dielectric constant, and the complex electromechanical coupling coefficient kt of these films, which is very important in ultrasonic transducer design. Moreover, these parameters are difficult to obtain by measuring the frequency dependence of impedance and phase angle because of the weak signal of the previous 0-3 composite films transducer (>100 MHz). The modeling results show that the Cubes model with a geometric factor n = 0.05 fits well with the measured data. This model will be helpful for developing the 0-3 composite systems for ultrahigh frequency ultrasonic transducer design.

  15. Characterisation and Modelling of MEMS Ultrasonic Transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Teng, M F; Hariz, A J

    2006-01-01

    Silicon ultrasonic transducer micro arrays based on micro-electro-mechanicalsystem (MEMS) technologies are gaining popularity for applications in sonar sensing and excitation. A current challenge for many researchers is modelling the dynamic performance of these and other micro-mechanical devices to ascertain their performance and explain experimental observations reported. In this work, the performance simulation of a MEMS ultrasonic transducer array made from silicon nitride has been successfully carried out using CoventorWare package. The dynamic response of the entire transducer array was characterised, and the results were compared with theoretical predictions. Individual elements were found to vibrate with Bessel-like displacement patterns, and they were resonant at approximately 3 MHz, depending on thickness and lateral dimensions. The frequency shows a linear dependence around the common thickness of 2 μm. Peak displacement levels were examined as a function of frequency, DC bias voltage, and AC drive voltage. Accounting for fabrication variations, and uniformity variations across the wafer, the full array showed minimal variations in peak out-of-plane displacement levels across the device, and isolated elements that were over-responsive and under-responsive. Presently, the effect of observed variations across the array on the performance of the transducers and their radiated fields are being examined

  16. Comparison of different current transducers used at JET within the range 5–100 kA for plasma control and monitoring

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Salmon, R., E-mail: robjsalmon@gmail.com; Smith, P.; West, A.; Shaw, S.R.; Rendell, D.

    2015-10-15

    Highlights: • Zero-flux current transducers with sensory windings, Hall-effect DCCTs, Rogowski coils, shunt resistors and Faraday effect current transducers are reviewed. • All technologies have displayed good performance over 30 years of operation. • Faraday-effect current transducers have improved accuracy of the toroidal magnets current measurement on JET to 0.1%. • The improvement in accuracy has improved resolution on JET plasma kinetic profiles. - Abstract: The JET machine uses a variety of current transducers for control and protection of the plasma, the coils and their associated power supplies. This paper reviews the various measuring technologies, within the range 5–100 kA, used on JET to assist with the selection of high-current transducers for future plasma control/tokamak applications; these include Rogowski coils, coaxial shunts, Hall-effect transducers, zero-flux CTs and a Faraday-effect optical transducer. The paper considers reliability, accuracy and usability based on up to 30 years of operational experience of the transducers. Accuracy of the magnet current measurements is important in the control of tokamak plasmas and there has been considerable effort to improve it. Recently a Faraday-effect optical current sensor has been used to measure up to 67 kA in the Toroidal Field (TF) coil circuit. This measurement system has been calibrated at JET to verify its 0.1% accuracy. In addition, the data acquisition system for this measurement is automatically calibrated at the start of each JET pulse. The improved accuracy has been shown to enhance the spatial consistency of kinetic profiles at JET [1]. Due to its portability the JET project intends to employ the same Faraday-effect current transducer to calibrate other high current transducers by temporarily fitting it to other busbars, such as those in the Ohmic Heating network.

  17. Test rig with active damping control for the simultaneous evaluation of vibration control and energy harvesting via piezoelectric transducers

    OpenAIRE

    Perfetto, Sara; Rohlfing, Jens; Infante, Francesco; Mayer, Dirk; Herold, Sven

    2016-01-01

    Piezoelectric transducers can be used to harvest electrical energy from structural vibrations in order to power continuously operating condition monitoring systems local to where they operate. However, excessive vibrations can compromise the safe operation of mechanical systems. Therefore, absorbers are commonly used to control vibrations. With an integrated device, the mechanical energy that otherwise would be dissipated can be converted via piezoelectric transducers. Vibration absorbers are...

  18. Piezoelectric transducer array microspeaker

    KAUST Repository

    Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo; Conchouso Gonzalez, David; Castro, David; Kosel, Jü rgen; Foulds, Ian G.

    2016-01-01

    contains 2n piezoelectric transducer membranes, where “n” is the bit number. Every element of the array has a circular shape structure. The membrane is made out four layers: 300nm of platinum for the bottom electrode, 250nm or lead zirconate titanate (PZT

  19. Analysis of a non-contact magnetoelastic torque transducer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andreescu, R.; Spellman, B.; Furlani, E.P.

    2008-01-01

    Results are presented for the performance of a magnetoelastic torque transducer that converts a torque-induced strain in a non-magnetic shaft into changes in a measurable magnetic field. The magnetic field is generated by a thin magnetostrictive layer that is coated onto the circumference of the shaft. The layer is magnetized and has an initial residual strain. The magnetization within the layer rotates in response to changes in the strain which occur when the shaft is torqued. The magnetic field produced by the layer changes with the magnetization and this can be sensed by a magnetometer to monitor the torque on the shaft. In this paper, a phenomenological theory is developed for predicting the performance of the transducer. The theory can be used to predict the magnetic field distribution of the transducer as a function of the physical properties of the magnetic coating, its residual strain, and the applied torque. It enables rapid parametric analysis of transducer performance, which is useful for the development and optimization of novel non-contact torque sensors

  20. Instantaneous input electrical power measurements of HITU transducer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karaboece, B; Guelmez, Y; Rajagapol, S; Shaw, A

    2011-01-01

    HITU (High Intensity Theraupetic Ultrasound) transducers are widely used in therapeutic ultrasound in medicine. The output ultrasonic power of HITU transducer can be measured in number of methods described in IEC 61161 standard [1]. New IEC standards specifically for measurement of HITU equipment are under development. The ultrasound power radiated from a transducer is dependent on applied input electrical voltage and current and consequently power. But, up to now, no standardised method has been developed and adopted for the input electrical power measurements. Hence, a workpackage was carried out for the establishment of such method in the frequency range of 1 to 3 MHz as a part of EURAMET EMRP Era-net plus 'External Beam Cancer Therapy' project. Several current shunts were developed and evaluated. Current measurements were also realized with Philips current probe and preamplifier at NPL and Agilent current probe at UME. In this paper, a method for the measurement of instantaneous electrical power delivered to a reactive ultrasound transducer in the required frequency range is explored.

  1. Instantaneous input electrical power measurements of HITU transducer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karaboece, B; Guelmez, Y [Tuebitak Ulusal Metroloji Enstituesue (UME), P.K. 54 41470 Gebze-Kocaeli (Turkey); Rajagapol, S; Shaw, A, E-mail: baki.karaboce@ume.tubitak.gov.t [National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Hampton Road, Teddington TW11 0LW (United Kingdom)

    2011-02-01

    HITU (High Intensity Theraupetic Ultrasound) transducers are widely used in therapeutic ultrasound in medicine. The output ultrasonic power of HITU transducer can be measured in number of methods described in IEC 61161 standard [1]. New IEC standards specifically for measurement of HITU equipment are under development. The ultrasound power radiated from a transducer is dependent on applied input electrical voltage and current and consequently power. But, up to now, no standardised method has been developed and adopted for the input electrical power measurements. Hence, a workpackage was carried out for the establishment of such method in the frequency range of 1 to 3 MHz as a part of EURAMET EMRP Era-net plus 'External Beam Cancer Therapy' project. Several current shunts were developed and evaluated. Current measurements were also realized with Philips current probe and preamplifier at NPL and Agilent current probe at UME. In this paper, a method for the measurement of instantaneous electrical power delivered to a reactive ultrasound transducer in the required frequency range is explored.

  2. USE OF PELTIER COOLERS AS SOIL HEAT FLUX TRANSDUCERS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weaver, H.L.; Campbell, G.S.

    1985-01-01

    Peltier coolers were modified and calibrated to serve as soil heat flux transducers. The modification was to fill their interiors with epoxy. The average calibration constant on 21 units was 13. 6 plus or minus 0. 8 kW m** minus **2 V** minus **1 at 20 degree C. This sensitivity is about eight times that of the two thermopile transducers with which comparisons were made. The thermal conductivity of the Peltier cooler transducers was 0. 4 W m** minus **1 degree C** minus **1, which is comparable to that of dry soil.

  3. Reflective array modeling for reflective and directional SAW transducers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morgan, D P

    1998-01-01

    This paper presents a new approximate method for analyzing reflective SAW transducers, with much of the convenience of the coupled-mode (COM) method but with better accuracy. Transduction accuracy is obtained by incorporating the accurate electrostatic solution, giving for example correct harmonics, and allowance for electrode width variation, in a simple manner. Results are shown for a single-electrode transducer, Natural SPUDT and DART SPUDT, each using theoretically derived parameters. In contrast to the COM, the RAM can give accurate results for short or withdrawal-weighted transducers and for wide analysis bandwidth.

  4. Transducer hygiene: comparison of procedures for decontamination of ultrasound transducers and their use in clinical practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Häggström, Mikael; Spira, Jack; Edelstam, Greta

    2015-02-01

    To determine whether current hygiene practices are appropriate during sonographic examinations. Five major hospitals in Sweden were investigated with a survey. At each hospital, the departments corresponding to the main types of sonographic examination were chosen. Personnel who were responsible for or acquainted with the local hygiene procedures completed a standardardized questionnaire. The surveys were completed by 25 departments, where the total number of sonographic examinations was approximately 20,000 per month. For transvaginal and transrectal sonographic examinations, the most common method for decontamination of the transducer was barrier protection during the procedure followed by cleansing with alcohol. Latex was the predominant cover material, but one department used polyethylene gloves, and another department used nitrile gloves. Both of these involved transvaginal ultrasonography. In transcutaneous examinations, all hospitals were using alcohol and paper or cloth for decontamination at a minimum. Transesophageal examinations were carried out without barrier protection, and decontamination was performed with an alkylating substance. The hygiene practices appear to be appropriate at most hospitals, but there is a prevalence of transducer cover materials of unacceptable permeability, as well as use of gloves on transducers despite insufficient evidence of safety. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. Manufacturing technologies for ultrasonic transducers in a broad frequency range

    OpenAIRE

    Gebhardt, Sylvia; Hohlfeld, Kai; Günther, Paul; Neubert, Holger

    2018-01-01

    According to the application field, working frequency of ultrasonic transducers needs to be tailored to a certain value. Low frequency ultrasonic transducers with working frequencies of 1 kHz to 1 MHz are especially interesting for sonar applications, whereas high frequency ultrasonic transducers with working frequencies higher than 15 MHz are favorable for high-resolution imaging in biomedical and non-destructive evaluation. Conventional non-destructive testing devices and clinical ultrasoun...

  6. A theoretical study of cylindrical ultrasound transducers for intracavitary hyperthermia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, W.-L.; Fan, W.-C.; Yen, J.-Y.; Chen, Y.-Y.; Shieh, M.-J.

    2000-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to examine the heating patterns and penetration depth when a cylindrical ultrasound transducer is employed for intracavitary hyperthermia treatments. Methods and Materials: The present study employs a simulation program based on a simplified power deposition model for infinitely long cylindrical ultrasound transducers. The ultrasound power in the tissue is assumed to be exponentially attenuated according to the penetration depth of the ultrasound beam, and a uniform attenuation for the entire treatment region is also assumed. The distribution of specific absorption rate (SAR) ratio (the ratio of SAR for a point within the tissue to that for a specific point on the cavity surface) is used to determine the heating pattern for a set of given parameters. The parameters considered are the ultrasound attenuation in the tissue, the cavity size, and the transducer eccentricity. Results: Simulation results show that the ultrasound attenuation in the tissue, the cavity size, and the transducer eccentricity are the most influential parameters for the distribution of SAR ratio. A low frequency transducer located in a large cavity can produce a much better penetration. The cavity size is the major parameter affecting the penetration depth for a small cavity size, such as interstitial hyperthermia. The heating pattern can also be dramatically changed by the transducer eccentricity and radiating sector. In addition, for a finite length of cylindrical transducer, lower SAR ratio appears in the regions near the applicator's edges. Conclusion: The distribution of SAR ratio indicates the relationship between the treatable region and the parameters if an appropriate threshold of SAR ratio is taken. The findings of the present study comprehend whether or not a tumor is treatable, as well as select the optimal driving frequency, the appropriate cavity size, and the eccentricity of a cylindrical transducer for a specific treatment

  7. Multi-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann modeling of the acoustic field generated by focused transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shan, Feng; Guo, Xiasheng; Tu, Juan; Cheng, Jianchun; Zhang, Dong

    The high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) has become an attractive therapeutic tool for the noninvasive tumor treatment. The ultrasonic transducer is the key component in HIFU treatment to generate the HIFU energy. The dimension of focal region generated by the transducer is closely relevant to the safety of HIFU treatment. Therefore, it is essential to numerically investigate the focal region of the transducer. Although the conventional acoustic wave equations have been used successfully to describe the acoustic field, there still exist some inherent drawbacks. In this work, we presented an axisymmetric isothermal multi-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann method (MRT-LBM) model with the Bouzidi-Firdaouss-Lallemand (BFL) boundary condition in cylindrical coordinate system. With this model, some preliminary simulations were firstly conducted to determine a reasonable value of the relaxation parameter. Then, the validity of the model was examined by comparing the results obtained with the LBM results with the Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov (KZK) equation and the Spheroidal beam equation (SBE) for the focused transducers with different aperture angles, respectively. In addition, the influences of the aperture angle on the focal region were investigated. The proposed model in this work will provide significant references for the parameter optimization of the focused transducer for applications in the HIFU treatment or other fields, and provide new insights into the conventional acoustic numerical simulations.

  8. A Force Transducer from a Junk Electronic Balance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aguilar, Horacio Munguia; Aguilar, Francisco Armenta

    2009-01-01

    It is shown how the load cell from a junk electronic balance can be used as a force transducer for physics experiments. Recovering this device is not only an inexpensive way of getting a valuable laboratory tool but also very useful didactic work on electronic instrumentation. Some experiments on mechanics with this transducer are possible after a…

  9. Amperometric Enzyme-Based Biosensors for Application in Food and Beverage Industry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Csöoregi, Elisabeth; Gáspñr, Szilveszter; Niculescu, Mihaela; Mattiasson, Bo; Schuhmann, Wolfgang

    Continuous, sensitive, selective, and reliable monitoring of a large variety of different compounds in various food and beverage samples is of increasing importance to assure a high-quality and tracing of any possible source of contamination of food and beverages. Most of the presently used classical analytical methods are often requiring expensive instrumentation, long analysis times and well-trained staff. Amperometric enzyme-based biosensors on the other hand have emerged in the last decade from basic science to useful tools with very promising application possibilities in food and beverage industry. Amperometric biosensors are in general highly selective, sensitive, relatively cheap, and easy to integrate into continuous analysis systems. A successful application of such sensors for industrial purposes, however, requires a sensor design, which satisfies the specific needs of monitoring the targeted analyte in the particular application, Since each individual application needs different operational conditions and sensor characteristics, it is obvious that biosensors have to be tailored for the particular case. The characteristics of the biosensors are depending on the used biorecognition element (enzyme), nature of signal transducer (electrode material) and the communication between these two elements (electron-transfer pathway).

  10. Tungsten Oxide Photonic Crystals as Optical Transducer for Gas Sensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amrehn, Sabrina; Wu, Xia; Wagner, Thorsten

    2018-01-26

    Some metal oxide semiconductors, such as tungsten trioxide or tin dioxide, are well-known as resistive transducers for gas sensing and offer high sensitivities down to the part per billion level. Electrical signal read-out, however, limits the information obtained on the electronic properties of metal oxides to a certain frequency range and its application because of the required electrical contacts. Therefore, a novel approach for building an optical transducer for gas reactions utilizing metal oxide photonic crystals is presented here. By the rational design of the structure and composition it is possible to synthesize a functional material which allows one to obtain insight into its electronic properties in the optical frequency range with simple experimental measures. The concept is demonstrated by tungsten trioxide inverse opal structure as optical transducer material for hydrogen sensing. The sensing behavior is analyzed in a temperature range from room temperature to 500 °C and in a wide hydrogen concentration range (3000 ppm to 10%). The sensing mechanism is mainly the refractive index change resulting from hydrogen intercalation in tungsten trioxide, but the back reaction has also impact on the optical properties of this system. Detailed chemical reaction studies provide suggestions for specific sensing conditions.

  11. Measurement of internal forces in superconducting accelerator magnets with strain gauge transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goodzeit, C.L.; Anerella, M.D.; Ganetis, G.L.

    1988-01-01

    An improved method has been developed for the measurement of internal forces in superconducting accelerator magnets, in particular the compressive stresses in coils and the end restraint forces on the coils. The transducers have been designed to provide improved sensitivity to purely mechanical strain by using bending mode deflections for sensing the applied loads. Strain gauge resistance measurements are made with a new system that eliminates sources of errors due to spurious resistance changes in interconnecting wiring and solder joints. The design of the transducers and their measurement system is presented along with a discussion of the method of compensation for thermal and magnetic effects, methods of calibration with typical calibration data, and measured effect in actual magnets of the thermal stress changes from cooldown and the Lorentz forces during magnet excitation. 13 figs., 1 tab

  12. High Frequency Longitudinal Damped Vibrations of a Cylindrical Ultrasonic Transducer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mihai Valentin Predoi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Ultrasonic piezoelectric transducers used in classical nondestructive testing are producing in general longitudinal vibrations in the MHz range. A simple mechanical model of these transducers would be very useful for wave propagation numerical simulations, avoiding the existing complicated models in which the real components of the transducer are modeled by finite elements. The classical model for longitudinal vibrations is not adequate because the generated longitudinal wave is not dispersive, the velocity being the same at any frequency. We have adopted the Rayleigh-Bishop model, which avoids these limitations, even if it is not converging to the first but to the second exact longitudinal mode in an elastic rod, as obtained from the complicated Pochhammer-Chree equations. Since real transducers have significant vibrations damping, we have introduced a damping term in the Rayleigh-Bishop model, increasing the imaginary part and keeping almost identical real part of the wavenumber. Common transducers produce amplitude modulated signals, completely attenuated after several periods. This can be modeled by two close frequencies, producing a “beat” phenomenon, superposed on the high damping. For this reason, we introduce a two-rod Rayleigh-Bishop model with damping. Agreement with measured normal velocity on the transducer free surface is encouraging for continuation of the research.

  13. High temperature ultrasonic transducers for imaging and measurements in a liquid Pb/Bi eutectic alloy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kazys, Rymantas; Voleisis, Algirdas; Sliteris, Reimondas; Mazeika, Liudas; Van Nieuwenhove, Rudi; Kupschus, Peter; Abderrahim, Hamid Aït

    2005-04-01

    In some nuclear reactors or accelerator-driven systems (ADS) the core is intended to be cooled by means of a heavy liquid metal, for example, lead-bismuth (Pb/Bi) eutectic alloy. For safety and licensing reasons, an imaging method of the interior of ADS, based on application of ultrasonic waves, has thus to be developed. This paper is devoted to description of developed various ultrasonic transducers suitable for long term imaging and measurements in the liquid Pb/Bi alloy. The results of comparative experimental investigations of the developed transducers of different designs in a liquid Pb/Bi alloy up to 450 degrees C are presented. Prototypes with different high temperature piezoelectric materials were investigated: PZT, bismuth titanate (Bi4Ti3O12), lithium niobate (LiNbO3), gallium orthophosphate (GaPO4) and aluminum nitride (A1N). For acoustic coupling with the metal alloy, it was proposed to coat the active surface of the transducers by diamond like carbon (DLC). The radiation robustness was assessed by exposing the transducers to high gamma dose rates in one of the irradiation facilities at SCK x CEN. The experimental results proved that the developed transducers are suitable for long-term operation in harsh conditions.

  14. A mathematical model for transducer working at high temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fabre, J.P.

    1974-01-01

    A mathematical model is proposed for a lithium niobate piezoelectric transducer working at high temperature in liquid sodium. The model proposed suitably described the operation of the high temperature transducer presented; it allows the optimization of the efficiency and band-pass [fr

  15. Calculations for piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jensen, H.

    1986-05-01

    Analysis of piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers implies a solution of a boundary value problem, for a body which consists of different materials, including a piezoelectric part. The problem is dynamic at frequencies, where a typical wavelength is somewhat less than the size of the body. Radiation losses as well as internal losses may be important. Due to the complexity of the problem, a closed form solution is the exception rather than the rule. For this reason, it is necessary to use approximate methods for the analysis. Equivalent circuits, the Rayleigh-Ritz method, Mindlin plate theory and in particular the finite element method are considered. The finite element method is utilized for analysis of axisymmetric transducers. An explicit, fully piezoelectric, triangular ring element, with linear variations in displacement and electric potential is given. The influence of a fluid half-space is also given, in the form of a complex stiffness matrix. A special stacking procedure, for analysis of the backing has been developed. This procedure gives a saving, which is similar to that of the fast fourier transform algorithm, and is also wellsuited for analysis of finite and infinite waveguides. Results obtained by the finite element method are shown and compared with measurements and exact solutions. Good agreement is obtained. It is concluded that the finite element method can be a valueable tool in analysis and design of ultrasonic transducers. (author)

  16. Positioning calibration apparatus for transducers employed in nuclear reactor vessel inspection apparatus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elsner, H.J.

    1981-01-01

    The invention provides a calibration apparatus suitable for verifying the position and orientation of transducers used in reactor vessel ultrasonic inspection. The apparatus includes moveable mounting means which secures a transducer within the tank in its normal inspection orientation. A drive is also provided for moving the transducer in the tank relative to a target. The target is slidably positioned in the tank at a distance from the transducer which is selected to avoid the distortion effects in the near field of the transducer. The drive mechanism may be provided with graduated indicia of travel, or a scale may be affixed to the side of the tank. (L.L.)

  17. Eddy Current Transducer Dedicated for Sigma Phase Evaluation in Duplex Stainless Steel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grzegorz Psuj

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper describes a new transducer dedicated for evaluation of a duplex stainless steel (DSS. Different phases which exist in DSS have influence on mechanical as well as on electrical properties. Therefore, an eddy current transducer was utilized. In order to achieve high sensitivity, a differential type of the transducer was selected. The performance of the transducer was verified by utilizing the samples which had a different amount of sigma phase.

  18. Numerical optimization approach for resonant electromagnetic vibration transducer designed for random vibration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spreemann, Dirk; Hoffmann, Daniel; Folkmer, Bernd; Manoli, Yiannos

    2008-01-01

    This paper presents a design and optimization strategy for resonant electromagnetic vibration energy harvesting devices. An analytic expression for the magnetic field of cylindrical permanent magnets is used to build up an electromagnetic subsystem model. This subsystem is used to find the optimal resting position of the oscillating mass and to optimize the geometrical parameters (shape and size) of the magnet and coil. The objective function to be investigated is thereby the maximum voltage output of the transducer. An additional mechanical subsystem model based on well-known equations describing the dynamics of spring–mass–damper systems is established to simulate both nonlinear spring characteristics and the effect of internal limit stops. The mechanical subsystem enables the identification of optimal spring characteristics for realistic operation conditions such as stochastic vibrations. With the overall transducer model, a combination of both subsystems connected to a simple electrical circuit, a virtual operation of the optimized vibration transducer excited by a measured random acceleration profile can be performed. It is shown that the optimization approach results in an appreciable increase of the converter performance

  19. Merkel cells transduce and encode tactile stimuli to drive Aβ-afferent impulses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ikeda, Ryo; Cha, Myeounghoon; Ling, Jennifer; Jia, Zhanfeng; Coyle, Dennis; Gu, Jianguo G.

    2014-01-01

    SUMMARY Sensory systems for detecting tactile stimuli have evolved from touch-sensing nerves in invertebrates to complicated tactile end-organs in mammals. Merkel discs are tactile end-organs consisting of Merkel cells and Aβ-afferent nerve endings, and are localized in fingertips, whisker hair follicles and other touch-sensitive spots. Merkel discs transduce touch into slowly adapting impulses to enable tactile discrimination, but their transduction and encoding mechanisms remain unknown. Using rat whisker hair follicles, we show that Merkel cells rather than Aβ-afferent nerve endings are primary sites of tactile transduction, and identify the Piezo2 ion channel as the Merkel cell mechanical transducer. Piezo2 transduces tactile stimuli into Ca2+-action potentials in Merkel cells, which drive Aβ-afferent nerve endings to fire slowly adapting impulses. We further demonstrate that Piezo2 and Ca2+-action potentials in Merkel cells are required for behavioral tactile responses. Our findings provide insights into how tactile end-organs function and have clinical implications for tactile dysfunctions. PMID:24746027

  20. Piezoelectric textured ceramics: Effective properties and application to ultrasonic transducers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levassort, Franck; Pham Thi, Mai; Hemery, Henry; Marechal, Pierre; Tran-Huu-Hue, Louis-Pascal; Lethiecq, Marc

    2006-12-22

    Piezoelectric textured ceramics obtained by homo-template grain growth (HTGG) were recently demonstrated. A simple model with several assumptions has been used to calculate effective parameters of these new materials. Different connectivities have been simulated to show that spatial arrangements between the considered phases have little influence on the effective parameters, even through the 3-0 connectivity delivers the highest electromechanical thickness factor. A transducer based on a textured ceramic sample has been fabricated and characterised to show the efficiency of these piezoelectric materials. Finally, in a single element transducer configuration, simulation shows an improvement of 2 dB sensitivity for a transducer made with textured ceramic in comparison with a similar transducer design based on standard soft PZT (at equivalent bandwidths).

  1. Full-scale Mark II CRT program: dynamic response evaluation test of pressure transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kukita, Yutaka; Namatame, Ken; Takeshita, Isao; Shiba, Masayoshi

    1982-12-01

    A dynamic response evaluation test of pressure transducers was conducted in support of the JAERI Full-Scale Mark II CRT (Containment Response Test) Program. The test results indicated that certain of the cavity-type transducers used in the early blowdown test had undesirable response characteristics. The transducer mounting scheme was modified to avoid trapping of air bubbles in the pressure transmission tubing attached to the transducers. The dynamic response of the modified transducers was acceptable within the frequency range of 200 Hz. (author)

  2. A High-Voltage Class D Audio Amplifier for Dielectric Elastomer Transducers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Dennis; Knott, Arnold; Andersen, Michael A. E.

    2014-01-01

    Dielectric Elastomer (DE) transducers have emerged as a very interesting alternative to the traditional electrodynamic transducer. Lightweight, small size and high maneuverability are some of the key features of the DE transducer. An amplifier for the DE transducer suitable for audio applications...... is proposed and analyzed. The amplifier addresses the issue of a high impedance load, ensuring a linear response over the midrange region of the audio bandwidth (100 Hz – 3.5 kHz). THD+N below 0.1% are reported for the ± 300 V prototype amplifier producing a maximum of 125 Var at a peak efficiency of 95 %....

  3. Development and research of in-core transducers at IAE (Institute of Atomic Energy)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang Yucai; Qian Shunfa; Jia Guozhen

    1989-10-01

    The development of in-core transducers at IAE (Institute of Atomic Energy) and their applications in in-pile fuel assembly test are mentioned. These transducers include mainly tubed tungsten-rhenium thermocouple assembly, displacement transducer of linear variable differential transformer, pressure transducer of membrane type, gamma thermometer, turbine flow meter, self-powered neutron detector etc

  4. Candle soot nanoparticles-polydimethylsiloxane composites for laser ultrasound transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Wei-Yi; Huang, Wenbin; Kim, Jinwook; Li, Sibo; Jiang, Xiaoning

    2015-10-01

    Generation of high power laser ultrasound strongly demands the advanced materials with efficient laser energy absorption, fast thermal diffusion, and large thermoelastic expansion capabilities. In this study, candle soot nanoparticles-polydimethylsiloxane (CSNPs-PDMS) composite was investigated as the functional layer for an optoacoustic transducer with high-energy conversion efficiency. The mean diameter of the collected candle soot carbon nanoparticles is about 45 nm, and the light absorption ratio at 532 nm wavelength is up to 96.24%. The prototyped CSNPs-PDMS nano-composite laser ultrasound transducer was characterized and compared with transducers using Cr-PDMS, carbon black (CB)-PDMS, and carbon nano-fiber (CNFs)-PDMS composites, respectively. Energy conversion coefficient and -6 dB frequency bandwidth of the CSNPs-PDMS composite laser ultrasound transducer were measured to be 4.41 × 10-3 and 21 MHz, respectively. The unprecedented laser ultrasound transduction performance using CSNPs-PDMS nano-composites is promising for a broad range of ultrasound therapy applications.

  5. Lithium niobate ultrasonic transducer design for Enhanced Oil Recovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhenjun; Xu, Yuanming; Gu, Yuting

    2015-11-01

    Due to the strong piezoelectric effect possessed by lithium niobate, a new idea that uses lithium niobate to design high-power ultrasonic transducer for Enhanced Oil Recovery technology is proposed. The purpose of this paper is to lay the foundation for the further research and development of high-power ultrasonic oil production technique. The main contents of this paper are as follows: firstly, structure design technique and application of a new high-power ultrasonic transducer are introduced; secondly, the experiment for reducing the viscosity of super heavy oil by this transducer is done, the optimum ultrasonic parameters for reducing the viscosity of super heavy oil are given. Experimental results show that heavy large molecules in super heavy oil can be cracked into light hydrocarbon substances under strong cavitation effect caused by high-intensity ultrasonic wave. Experiment proves that it is indeed feasible to design high-power ultrasonic transducer for ultrasonic oil production technology using lithium niobate. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. High Performance Relaxor-Based Ferroelectric Single Crystals for Ultrasonic Transducer Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Chen

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Relaxor-based ferroelectric single crystals Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3O3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT have drawn much attention in the ferroelectric field because of their excellent piezoelectric properties and high electromechanical coupling coefficients (d33~2000 pC/N, kt~60% near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB. Ternary Pb(In1/2Nb1/2O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3O3-PbTiO3 (PIN-PMN-PT single crystals also possess outstanding performance comparable with PMN-PT single crystals, but have higher phase transition temperatures (rhombohedral to tetragonal Trt, and tetragonal to cubic Tc and larger coercive field Ec. Therefore, these relaxor-based single crystals have been extensively employed for ultrasonic transducer applications. In this paper, an overview of our work and perspectives on using PMN-PT and PIN-PMN-PT single crystals for ultrasonic transducer applications is presented. Various types of single-element ultrasonic transducers, including endoscopic transducers, intravascular transducers, high-frequency and high-temperature transducers fabricated using the PMN-PT and PIN-PMN-PT crystals and their 2-2 and 1-3 composites are reported. Besides, the fabrication and characterization of the array transducers, such as phased array, cylindrical shaped linear array, high-temperature linear array, radial endoscopic array, and annular array, are also addressed.

  7. Resonant transducers for solid-state plasma density modulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hallock, Gary A., E-mail: hallock@ece.utexas.edu [The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78701 (United States); Meier, Mark A., E-mail: mark.a.meier@exxonmobil.com [ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, Houston, Texas 77389 (United States)

    2016-04-15

    We have developed transducers capable of modulating the plasma density and plasma density gradients in indium antimonide. These transducers make use of piezoelectric drivers to excite acoustic pressure resonance at 3λ/2, generating large amplitude standing waves and plasma density modulations. The plasma density has been directly measured using a laser diagnostic. A layered media model shows good agreement with the experimental measurements.

  8. Finite-State Complexity and the Size of Transducers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristian Calude

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Finite-state complexity is a variant of algorithmic information theory obtained by replacing Turing machines with finite transducers. We consider the state-size of transducers needed for minimal descriptions of arbitrary strings and, as our main result, we show that the state-size hierarchy with respect to a standard encoding is infinite. We consider also hierarchies yielded by more general computable encodings.

  9. Identification and design of novel polymer-based mechanical transducers: A nano-structural model for thin film indentation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Villanueva, Joshua; Huang, Qian; Sirbuly, Donald J., E-mail: dsirbuly@ucsd.edu [Department of NanoEngineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 (United States)

    2014-09-14

    Mechanical characterization is important for understanding small-scale systems and developing devices, particularly at the interface of biology, medicine, and nanotechnology. Yet, monitoring sub-surface forces is challenging with current technologies like atomic force microscopes (AFMs) or optical tweezers due to their probe sizes and sophisticated feedback mechanisms. An alternative transducer design relying on the indentation mechanics of a compressible thin polymer would be an ideal system for more compact and versatile probes, facilitating measurements in situ or in vivo. However, application-specific tuning of a polymer's mechanical properties can be burdensome via experimental optimization. Therefore, efficient transducer design requires a fundamental understanding of how synthetic parameters such as the molecular weight and grafting density influence the bulk material properties that determine the force response. In this work, we apply molecular-level polymer scaling laws to a first order elastic foundation model, relating the conformational state of individual polymer chains to the macroscopic compression of thin film systems. A parameter sweep analysis was conducted to observe predicted model trends under various system conditions and to understand how nano-structural elements influence the material stiffness. We validate the model by comparing predicted force profiles to experimental AFM curves for a real polymer system and show that it has reasonable predictive power for initial estimates of the force response, displaying excellent agreement with experimental force curves. We also present an analysis of the force sensitivity of an example transducer system to demonstrate identification of synthetic protocols based on desired mechanical properties. These results highlight the usefulness of this simple model as an aid for the design of a new class of compact and tunable nanomechanical force transducers.

  10. Identification and design of novel polymer-based mechanical transducers: A nano-structural model for thin film indentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Villanueva, Joshua; Huang, Qian; Sirbuly, Donald J.

    2014-01-01

    Mechanical characterization is important for understanding small-scale systems and developing devices, particularly at the interface of biology, medicine, and nanotechnology. Yet, monitoring sub-surface forces is challenging with current technologies like atomic force microscopes (AFMs) or optical tweezers due to their probe sizes and sophisticated feedback mechanisms. An alternative transducer design relying on the indentation mechanics of a compressible thin polymer would be an ideal system for more compact and versatile probes, facilitating measurements in situ or in vivo. However, application-specific tuning of a polymer's mechanical properties can be burdensome via experimental optimization. Therefore, efficient transducer design requires a fundamental understanding of how synthetic parameters such as the molecular weight and grafting density influence the bulk material properties that determine the force response. In this work, we apply molecular-level polymer scaling laws to a first order elastic foundation model, relating the conformational state of individual polymer chains to the macroscopic compression of thin film systems. A parameter sweep analysis was conducted to observe predicted model trends under various system conditions and to understand how nano-structural elements influence the material stiffness. We validate the model by comparing predicted force profiles to experimental AFM curves for a real polymer system and show that it has reasonable predictive power for initial estimates of the force response, displaying excellent agreement with experimental force curves. We also present an analysis of the force sensitivity of an example transducer system to demonstrate identification of synthetic protocols based on desired mechanical properties. These results highlight the usefulness of this simple model as an aid for the design of a new class of compact and tunable nanomechanical force transducers.

  11. Phage Pl mutants with altered transducing abilities for Escherichia coli

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wall, J.D.; Harriman, P.D.

    1974-01-01

    A search was made for mutants of the coliphage P1 with altered transducing frequencies. A method was developed for the rapid assay of transducing frequencies in single plaques using prophage lambda as the transduced bacterial marker. This procedure selects for mutants altered in their ability to package host DNA. Mutants with 5 to 10 times higher or 10 to 20 times lower frequencies than those of wild-type P1 were found. Not only are the markers used for the detection of the mutants affected, but all other markers are similarly affected (not always to the same extent). One of the high transducing frequency mutants is a suppressible amber, indicating that loss of a function increases P1's ability to package host DNA preferentially. (U.S.)

  12. Research of Steel-dielectric Transition Using Subminiature Eddy-current Transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dmitriev, S. F.; Malikov, V. N.; Sagalakov, A. M.; Ishkov, A. V.

    2018-05-01

    The research aims to develop a subminiature transducer for electrical steel investigation. The authors determined the capability to study steel characteristics at different depths based on variations of eddy-current transducer amplitude at the steel-dielectric boundary. A subminiature transformer-type transducer was designed, which enables to perform local investigations of ferromagnetic materials using an eddy-current method based on local studies of the steel electrical conductivity. Having the designed transducer as a basis, a hardware-software complex was built to perform experimental studies of steel at the interface boundary. Test results are reported for a specimen with continuous and discrete measurements taken at different frequencies. The article provides the key technical information about the eddy current transformer used and describes the methodology of measurements that makes it possible to control steel to dielectric transition.

  13. A flexible ultrasound transducer array with micro-machined bulk PZT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhe; Xue, Qing-Tang; Chen, Yuan-Quan; Shu, Yi; Tian, He; Yang, Yi; Xie, Dan; Luo, Jian-Wen; Ren, Tian-Ling

    2015-01-23

    This paper proposes a novel flexible piezoelectric micro-machined ultrasound transducer, which is based on PZT and a polyimide substrate. The transducer is made on the polyimide substrate and packaged with medical polydimethylsiloxane. Instead of etching the PZT ceramic, this paper proposes a method of putting diced PZT blocks into holes on the polyimide which are pre-etched. The device works in d31 mode and the electromechanical coupling factor is 22.25%. Its flexibility, good conformal contacting with skin surfaces and proper resonant frequency make the device suitable for heart imaging. The flexible packaging ultrasound transducer also has a good waterproof performance after hundreds of ultrasonic electric tests in water. It is a promising ultrasound transducer and will be an effective supplementary ultrasound imaging method in the practical applications.

  14. A Flexible Ultrasound Transducer Array with Micro-Machined Bulk PZT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhe Wang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes a novel flexible piezoelectric micro-machined ultrasound transducer, which is based on PZT and a polyimide substrate. The transducer is made on the polyimide substrate and packaged with medical polydimethylsiloxane. Instead of etching the PZT ceramic, this paper proposes a method of putting diced PZT blocks into holes on the polyimide which are pre-etched. The device works in d31 mode and the electromechanical coupling factor is 22.25%. Its flexibility, good conformal contacting with skin surfaces and proper resonant frequency make the device suitable for heart imaging. The flexible packaging ultrasound transducer also has a good waterproof performance after hundreds of ultrasonic electric tests in water. It is a promising ultrasound transducer and will be an effective supplementary ultrasound imaging method in the practical applications.

  15. Design, Simulation and Experimental Evaluation of Tri-Phasic Piezoelectric Composite Transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamez, Juan Pedro

    Piezoelectric ceramics exhibit excellent piezoelectric and dielectric properties that is the basis of practically all transducers and piezoelectric devices, but their inherent properties, such as brittleness, non-ductility and poor shapeability may limit their applications in areas such as vibration sensing, impact detection, structural health monitoring and other reinforced structures and energy harvesting. To compensate for such limitations, the 1-3 piezoelectric composites transducers have become the material of choice for many high performance ultrasound transducers since it was invented in the late 1970's [ref. Newnham/Cross]. Extensive studies on 1-3 composites have been performed since then to improve the performance of a transducer by modifying their electromechanical coupling, bandwidth, quality factor, and flexibility and by reducing or eliminating the cross talk, i.e., induced noise between the active piezoelectric elements, especially in high power and low frequency applications. These fundamental issues, their possible solutions and their wide impact underline the motivation of the current work in this dissertation report. The motivation for this dissertation was to study and provide a foundation to designing multiphasic piezoelectric transducers that could be useful for multitude of applications. The goal was to improve the 1-3 diphasic composite transducer by eliminating the cross talk between the active piezoelectric elements while maintaining and improving the figures of merit of the design. To achieve the ultimate goal, the steps outlined below were followed: i. Understanding the theoretical and mathematical modeling for tri-phasic piezoelectric composite. ii. Implement Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and simulations of tri-phasic piezoelectric composites where the different active piezoelectric material PZT-5H and PMN-30%PT is surrounded by a vacuum phase that is enclosed by a hexagonal polymer walls. iii. Propose a redesign of the tri

  16. Modal analysis and nonlinear characterization of an airborne power ultrasonic transducer with rectangular plate radiator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrés, R R; Acosta, V M; Lucas, M; Riera, E

    2018-01-01

    Some industrial processes like particle agglomeration or food dehydration among others can be enhanced by the use of power ultrasonic technologies. These technologies are based on an airborne power ultrasonic transducer (APUT) constituted by a pre-stressed Langevin-type transducer, a mechanical amplifier and an extensive plate radiator. In order to produce the desired effects in industrial processing, the transducer has to vibrate in an extensional mode driving an extensive radiator in the desired flexural mode with high amplitude displacements. Due to the generation of these high amplitude displacements in the radiator surfaces, non-linear effects like frequency shifts, hysteresis or modal interactions, among others, may be produced in the transducer behavior. When any nonlinear effect appears, when applying power, the stability and efficiency of this ultrasonic technology decreases, and the transducer may be damaged depending on the excitation power level and the nature of the nonlinearity. In this paper, an APUT with flat rectangular radiator is presented, as the active part of an innovative system with stepped reflectors. The nonlinear behavior of the APUT has been characterized numerically and experimentally in case of the modal analysis and experimentally in the case of dynamic analysis. According to the results obtained after the experiments, no modal interactions are expected, nor do other nonlinear effects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. A U-shaped linear ultrasonic motor using longitudinal vibration transducers with double feet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yingxiang; Liu, Junkao; Chen, Weishan; Shi, Shengjun

    2012-05-01

    A U-shaped linear ultrasonic motor using longitudinal vibration transducers with double feet was proposed in this paper. The proposed motor contains a horizontal transducer and two vertical transducers. The horizontal transducer includes two exponential shape horns located at the leading ends, and each vertical transducer contains one exponential shape horn. The horns of the horizontal transducer and the vertical transducer intersect at the tip ends where the driving feet are located. Longitudinal vibrations are superimposed in the motor and generate elliptical motions at the driving feet. The two vibration modes of the motor are discussed, and the motion trajectories of driving feet are deduced. By adjusting the structural parameters, the resonance frequencies of two vibration modes were degenerated. A prototype motor was fabricated and measured. Typical output of the prototype is no-load speed of 854 mm/s and maximum thrust force of 40 N at a voltage of 200 V(rms).

  18. Multiharmonic Frequency-Chirped Transducers for Surface-Acoustic-Wave Optomechanics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weiß, Matthias; Hörner, Andreas L.; Zallo, Eugenio; Atkinson, Paola; Rastelli, Armando; Schmidt, Oliver G.; Wixforth, Achim; Krenner, Hubert J.

    2018-01-01

    Wide-passband interdigital transducers are employed to establish a stable phase lock between a train of laser pulses emitted by a mode-locked laser and a surface acoustic wave generated electrically by the transducer. The transducer design is based on a multiharmonic split-finger architecture for the excitation of a fundamental surface acoustic wave and a discrete number of its overtones. Simply by introducing a variation of the transducer's periodicity p , a frequency chirp is added. This combination results in wide frequency bands for each harmonic. The transducer's conversion efficiency from the electrical to the acoustic domain is characterized optomechanically using single quantum dots acting as nanoscale pressure sensors. The ability to generate surface acoustic waves over a wide band of frequencies enables advanced acousto-optic spectroscopy using mode-locked lasers with fixed repetition rate. Stable phase locking between the electrically generated acoustic wave and the train of laser pulses is confirmed by performing stroboscopic spectroscopy on a single quantum dot at a frequency of 320 MHz. Finally, the dynamic spectral modulation of the quantum dot is directly monitored in the time domain combining stable phase-locked optical excitation and time-correlated single-photon counting. The demonstrated scheme will be particularly useful for the experimental implementation of surface-acoustic-wave-driven quantum gates of optically addressable qubits or collective quantum states or for multicomponent Fourier synthesis of tailored nanomechanical waveforms.

  19. Extracellular enzyme activity in a willow sewage treatment system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brzezinska, Maria Swiontek; Lalke-Porczyk, Elżbieta; Kalwasińska, Agnieszka

    2012-12-01

    This paper presents the results of studies on the activity of extra-cellular enzymes in soil-willow vegetation filter soil which is used in the post-treatment of household sewage in an onsite wastewater treatment system located in central Poland. Wastewater is discharged from the detached house by gravity into the onsite wastewater treatment system. It flows through a connecting pipe into a single-chamber septic tank and is directed by the connecting pipe to a control well to be further channelled in the soil-willow filter by means of a subsurface leaching system. Soil samples for the studies were collected from two depths of 5 cm and 1 m from three plots: close to the wastewater inflow, at mid-length of the plot and close to its terminal part. Soil samples were collected from May to October 2009. The activity of the extra-cellular enzymes was assayed by the fluorometric method using 4-methylumbelliferyl and 7-amido-4-methylcoumarin substrate. The ranking of potential activity of the assayed enzymes was the same at 5 cm and 1 m soil depths, i.e. esterase > phosphmomoesterase > leucine-aminopeptidase > β-glucosidase > α-glucosidase. The highest values of enzymatic activity were recorded in the surface layer of the soil at the wastewater inflow and decreased with increasing distance from that point.

  20. Influence of the α-, β- and γ-subunits of the energy-transducing adenosine triphosphatase from Micrococcus lysodeikticus in the immunochemical properties of the protein and in their reconstitution studied by a radioimmunoassay method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Larraga, V.; Mollinedo, F.; Rubio, N.; Munoz, E.

    1981-01-01

    A sensitive radioimmunoassay was developed for the energy-transducing adenosine triphosphatase (F 1 -ATPase, EC 3.6.1.3) of Micrococcus lysodeikticus and the assay was extended to the α-, β- and γ-subunits of the enzyme. These subunits were isolated and cross-reactions studied. (author)

  1. Digital electrostatic acoustic transducer array

    KAUST Repository

    Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo

    2016-12-19

    In this paper we present the fabrication and characterization of an array of electrostatic acoustic transducers. The array is micromachined on a silicon wafer using standard micro-machining techniques. Each array contains 2n electrostatic transducer membranes, where “n” is the bit number. Every element of the array has a hexagonal membrane shape structure, which is separated from the substrate by 3µm air gap. The membrane is made out 5µm thick polyimide layer that has a bottom gold electrode on the substrate and a gold top electrode on top of the membrane (250nm). The wafer layout design was diced in nine chips with different array configurations, with variation of the membrane dimensions. The device was tested with 90 V giving and sound output level as high as 35dB, while actuating all the elements at the same time.

  2. Digital electrostatic acoustic transducer array

    KAUST Repository

    Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo; Castro, David; Conchouso Gonzalez, David; Kosel, Jü rgen; Foulds, Ian G.

    2016-01-01

    In this paper we present the fabrication and characterization of an array of electrostatic acoustic transducers. The array is micromachined on a silicon wafer using standard micro-machining techniques. Each array contains 2n electrostatic transducer membranes, where “n” is the bit number. Every element of the array has a hexagonal membrane shape structure, which is separated from the substrate by 3µm air gap. The membrane is made out 5µm thick polyimide layer that has a bottom gold electrode on the substrate and a gold top electrode on top of the membrane (250nm). The wafer layout design was diced in nine chips with different array configurations, with variation of the membrane dimensions. The device was tested with 90 V giving and sound output level as high as 35dB, while actuating all the elements at the same time.

  3. Immune Algorithm Complex Method for Transducer Calibration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    YU Jiangming

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available As a key link in engineering test tasks, the transducer calibration has significant influence on accuracy and reliability of test results. Because of unknown and complex nonlinear characteristics, conventional method can’t achieve satisfactory accuracy. An Immune algorithm complex modeling approach is proposed, and the simulated studies on the calibration of third multiple output transducers is made respectively by use of the developed complex modeling. The simulated and experimental results show that the Immune algorithm complex modeling approach can improve significantly calibration precision comparison with traditional calibration methods.

  4. Oxidative stress and the antioxidant enzyme system in the developing brain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    So-Yeon Shim

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Preterm infants are vulnerable to the oxidative stress due to the production of large amounts of free radicals, antioxidant system insufficiency, and immature oligodendroglial cells. Reactive oxygen species (ROS play a pivotal role in the development of periventricular leukomalacia. The three most common ROS are superoxide (O2&#8226;-, hydroxyl radical (OH&#8226;, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2. Under normal physiological conditions, a balance is maintained between the production of ROS and the capacity of the antioxidant enzyme system. However, if this balance breaks down, ROS can exert toxic effects. Superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase are considered the classical antioxidant enzymes. A recently discovered antioxidant enzyme family, peroxiredoxin (Prdx, is also an important scavenger of free radicals. Prdx1 expression is induced at birth, whereas Prdx2 is constitutively expressed, and Prdx6 expression is consistent with the classical antioxidant enzymes. Several antioxidant substances have been studied as potential therapeutic agents; however, further preclinical and clinical studies are required before allowing clinical application.

  5. CMOS circuits for electromagnetic vibration transducers interfaces for ultra-low voltage energy harvesting

    CERN Document Server

    Maurath, Dominic

    2015-01-01

    Chip-integrated power management solutions are a must for ultra-low power systems. This enables not only the optimization of innovative sensor applications. It is also essential for integration and miniaturization of energy harvesting supply strategies of portable and autonomous monitoring systems. The book particularly addresses interfaces for energy harvesting, which are the key element to connect micro transducers to energy storage elements. Main features of the book are: - A comprehensive technology and application review, basics on transducer mechanics, fundamental circuit and control design, prototyping and testing, up to sensor system supply and applications. - Novel interfacing concepts - including active rectifiers, MPPT methods for efficient tracking of DC as well as AC sources, and a fully-integrated charge pump for efficient maximum AC power tracking at sub-100µW ultra-low power levels. The chips achieve one of widest presented operational voltage range in standard CMOS technology: 0.44V to over...

  6. Transducer selection and application in magnetoacoustic tomography with magnetic induction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, Yuqi; Wang, Jiawei; Ma, Qingyu; Sun, Xiaodong; Zhang, Dong

    2016-01-01

    As an acoustic receiver, transducer plays a vital role in signal acquisition and image reconstruction for magnetoacoustic tomography with magnetic induction (MAT-MI). In order to optimize signal acquisition, the expressions of acoustic pressure detection and waveform collection are theoretically studied based on the radiation theory of acoustic dipole and the reception pattern of transducer. Pressure distributions are simulated for a cylindrical phantom model using a planar piston transducer with different radii and bandwidths. The proposed theory is also verified by the experimental measurements of acoustic waveform detection for an aluminum foil cylinder. It is proved that acoustic pressure with sharp and clear boundary peaks can be detected by the large-radius transducer with wide bandwidth, reflecting the differential of the induced Lorentz force accurately, which is helpful for precise conductivity reconstruction. To detect acoustic pressure with acceptable pressure amplitude, peak pressure ratio, amplitude ratio, and improved signal to noise ratio, the scanning radius of 5–10 times the radius of the object should be selected to improve the accuracy of image reconstruction. This study provides a theoretical and experimental basis for transducer selection and application in MAT-MI to obtain reconstructed images with improved resolution and definition.

  7. Transducer selection and application in magnetoacoustic tomography with magnetic induction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, Yuqi; Wang, Jiawei; Ma, Qingyu, E-mail: maqingyu@njnu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Optoelectronics of Jiangsu Province, School of Physics and Technology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023 (China); Sun, Xiaodong [China Key System & Integrated Circuit Co., Ltd., Wuxi 214072 (China); Zhang, Dong [Laboratory of Modern Acoustics of MOE, Institute of Acoustics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China)

    2016-03-07

    As an acoustic receiver, transducer plays a vital role in signal acquisition and image reconstruction for magnetoacoustic tomography with magnetic induction (MAT-MI). In order to optimize signal acquisition, the expressions of acoustic pressure detection and waveform collection are theoretically studied based on the radiation theory of acoustic dipole and the reception pattern of transducer. Pressure distributions are simulated for a cylindrical phantom model using a planar piston transducer with different radii and bandwidths. The proposed theory is also verified by the experimental measurements of acoustic waveform detection for an aluminum foil cylinder. It is proved that acoustic pressure with sharp and clear boundary peaks can be detected by the large-radius transducer with wide bandwidth, reflecting the differential of the induced Lorentz force accurately, which is helpful for precise conductivity reconstruction. To detect acoustic pressure with acceptable pressure amplitude, peak pressure ratio, amplitude ratio, and improved signal to noise ratio, the scanning radius of 5–10 times the radius of the object should be selected to improve the accuracy of image reconstruction. This study provides a theoretical and experimental basis for transducer selection and application in MAT-MI to obtain reconstructed images with improved resolution and definition.

  8. A capacitive ultrasonic transducer based on parametric resonance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Surappa, Sushruta; Satir, Sarp; Levent Degertekin, F.

    2017-07-01

    A capacitive ultrasonic transducer based on a parametric resonator structure is described and experimentally demonstrated. The transducer structure, which we call capacitive parametric ultrasonic transducer (CPUT), uses a parallel plate capacitor with a movable membrane as part of a degenerate parametric series RLC resonator circuit with a resonance frequency of fo. When the capacitor plate is driven with an incident harmonic ultrasonic wave at the pump frequency of 2fo with sufficient amplitude, the RLC circuit becomes unstable and ultrasonic energy can be efficiently converted to an electrical signal at fo frequency in the RLC circuit. An important characteristic of the CPUT is that unlike other electrostatic transducers, it does not require DC bias or permanent charging to be used as a receiver. We describe the operation of the CPUT using an analytical model and numerical simulations, which shows drive amplitude dependent operation regimes including parametric resonance when a certain threshold is exceeded. We verify these predictions by experiments with a micromachined membrane based capacitor structure in immersion where ultrasonic waves incident at 4.28 MHz parametrically drive a signal with significant amplitude in the 2.14 MHz RLC circuit. With its unique features, the CPUT can be particularly advantageous for applications such as wireless power transfer for biomedical implants and acoustic sensing.

  9. Smooth driving of Moessbauer electromechanical transducers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Veiga, A., E-mail: veiga@fisica.unlp.edu.ar; Mayosky, M. A. [Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Facultad de Ingenieria (Argentina); Martinez, N.; Mendoza Zelis, P.; Pasquevich, G. A.; Sanchez, F. H. [Instituto de Fisica La Plata, CONICET (Argentina)

    2011-11-15

    Quality of Moessbauer spectra is strongly related to the performance of source velocity modulator. Traditional electromechanical driving techniques demand hard-edged square or triangular velocity waveforms that introduce long settling times and demand careful driver tuning. For this work, the behavior of commercial velocity transducers and drive units was studied under different working conditions. Different velocity reference waveforms in constant-acceleration, constant-velocity and programmable-velocity techniques were tested. Significant improvement in spectrometer efficiency and accuracy was achieved by replacing triangular and square hard edges with continuous smooth-shaped transitions. A criterion for best waveform selection and synchronization is presented and attainable enhancements are evaluated. In order to fully exploit this driving technique, a compact microprocessor-based architecture is proposed and a suitable data acquisition system implementation is presented. System linearity and efficiency characterization are also shown.

  10. Actuatable capacitive transducer for quantitative nanoindentation combined with transmission electron microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warren, Oden L.; Asif, S. A. Syed; Cyrankowski, Edward; Kounev, Kalin

    2010-09-21

    An actuatable capacitive transducer including a transducer body, a first capacitor including a displaceable electrode and electrically configured as an electrostatic actuator, and a second capacitor including a displaceable electrode and electrically configured as a capacitive displacement sensor, wherein the second capacitor comprises a multi-plate capacitor. The actuatable capacitive transducer further includes a coupling shaft configured to mechanically couple the displaceable electrode of the first capacitor to the displaceable electrode of the second capacitor to form a displaceable electrode unit which is displaceable relative to the transducer body, and an electrically-conductive indenter mechanically coupled to the coupling shaft so as to be displaceable in unison with the displaceable electrode unit.-

  11. Dynamic Mode Tuning of Ultrasonic Guided Wave Using an Array Transducer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Young H.; Song, Sung J.; Park, Joon S.; Kim, Jae H.; Eom, Heung S.

    2005-01-01

    Ultrasonic guided waves have been widely employed for long range inspection of structures such as plates, rods and pipes. There are numerous modes with different wave velocities, and the appropriate mode selection is one of key techniques in the application of guided waves. In the present work, phase tuning by an array transducer was applied to generate ultrasonic guided waves. For this purpose, 8-channel ultrasonic pulser/receiver and their controller which enables sequential activation of each channels with given time delay were developed. Eight transducers were fabricated in order to generate guided waves by using an array transducer. The selective tuning of wave mode can be achieved by changing the interval between elements of an array transducer

  12. Neutron Irradiation Tests of Pressure Transducers in Liquid Helium

    CERN Document Server

    Amand, J F; Casas-Cubillos, J; Thermeau, J P

    1999-01-01

    The superconducting magnets of the future Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN will operate in pressurised superfluid helium (1 bar, 1.9 K). About 500 pressure transducers will be placed in the liquid helium bath for monitoring the filling and the pressure transients after resistive transitions. Their precision must remain better than 100 mbar at pressures below 2 bar and better than 5% for higher pressures (up to 20 bar), with temperatures ranging from 1.8 K to 300 K. All the tested transducers are based on the same principle: the fluid or gas is separated from a sealed reference vacuum by an elastic membrane; its deformation indicates the pressure. The transducers will be exposed to high neutron fluence (2 kGy, 1014 n/cm2 per year) during the 20 years of machine operation. This irradiation may induce changes both on the membranes characteristics (leakage, modification of elasticity) and on gauges which measure their deformations. To investigate these effects and select the transducer to be used in the LHC, a...

  13. Transducer-actuator systems and methods for performing on-machine measurements and automatic part alignment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barkman, William E.; Dow, Thomas A.; Garrard, Kenneth P.; Marston, Zachary

    2016-07-12

    Systems and methods for performing on-machine measurements and automatic part alignment, including: a measurement component operable for determining the position of a part on a machine; and an actuation component operable for adjusting the position of the part by contacting the part with a predetermined force responsive to the determined position of the part. The measurement component consists of a transducer. The actuation component consists of a linear actuator. Optionally, the measurement component and the actuation component consist of a single linear actuator operable for contacting the part with a first lighter force for determining the position of the part and with a second harder force for adjusting the position of the part. The actuation component is utilized in a substantially horizontal configuration and the effects of gravitational drop of the part are accounted for in the force applied and the timing of the contact.

  14. Tunable-angle wedge transducer for improved acoustophoretic control in a microfluidic chip

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Iranmanesh, I.; Barnkob, Rune; Bruus, Henrik

    2013-01-01

    We present a tunable-angle wedge ultrasound transducer for improved control of microparticle acoustophoresis in a microfluidic chip. The transducer is investigated by analyzing the pattern of aligned particles and induced acoustic energy density while varying the transducer geometry, transducer...... change in geometry and that the coupling angle may be used as an additional tuning parameter for improved acoustophoretic control with single-frequency actuation. Further, we find that frequency-modulation actuation is suitable for diminishing such tuning effects and that it is a robust method to produce...... coupling angle, and transducer actuation method (single-frequency actuation or frequency-modulation actuation). The energy-density analysis is based on measuring the transmitted light intensity through a microfluidic channel filled with a suspension of 5 µm diameter beads and the results with the tunable-angle...

  15. Influence of the. cap alpha. -,. beta. -, and. gamma. -subunits of the energy-transducing adenosine triphosphatase from Micrococcus lysodeikticus in the immunochemical properties of the protein and in their reconstitution studied by a radioimmunoassay method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Larraga, V; Mollinedo, F; Rubio, N; Munoz, E [Unidad de Biomembranas, Instituto de Inmunologia y Biologia Microbiana, Madrid (Spain)

    1981-03-01

    A sensitive radioimmunoassay was developed for the energy-transducing adenosine triphosphatase (F/sub 1/-ATPase, EC 3.6.1.3) of Micrococcus lysodeikticus and the assay was extended to the ..cap alpha..-, ..beta..-, and ..gamma..-subunits of the enzyme. These subunits were isolated and cross-reactions studied.

  16. Design and performance of the drag-disc turbine transducer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Averill, R.H.; Goodrich, L.D.; Ford, R.E.

    1979-01-01

    Mass flow rates at the Loss-of-Fluid Test (LOFT) facility, EG and G Idaho, Inc., at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, are measured with the drag-disc turbine transducer (DTT). Operational description of the DTT and the developmental effort are discussed. Performance data and experiences with this transducer have been evaluated and are presented in this paper

  17. Improved sonothrombolysis from a modified diagnostic transducer delivering impulses containing a longer pulse duration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Juefei; Xie, Feng; Kumar, Tanmay; Liu, Jinjin; Lof, John; Shi, William; Everbach, E Carr; Porter, Thomas R

    2014-07-01

    Although guided high-mechanical-index (MI) impulses from a diagnostic ultrasound transducer have been used in preclinical studies to dissolve coronary arterial and microvascular thrombi in the presence of intravenously infused microbubbles, it is possible that pulse durations (PDs) longer than that used for diagnostic imaging may further improve the effectiveness of this approach. By use of an established in vitro model flow system, a total of 90 occlusive porcine arterial thrombi (thrombus age: 3-4 h) within a vascular mimicking system were randomized to 10-min treatments with two different PDs (5 and 20 μs) using a Philips S5-1 transducer (1.6-MHz center frequency) at a range of MIs (from 0.2 to 1.4). All impulses were delivered in an intermittent fashion to permit microbubble replenishment within the thrombosed vessel. Diluted lipid-encapsulated microbubbles (0.5% Definity) were infused during the entire treatment period. A tissue-mimicking phantom 5 cm thick was placed between the transducer and thrombosed vessel to mimic transthoracic attenuation. Two 20-MHz passive cavitation detection systems were placed confocal to the insonified vessel to assess for inertial cavitational activity. Percentage thrombus dissolution was calculated by weighing the thrombi before and after each treatment. Percentage thrombus dissolution was significantly higher with a 20-μs PD already at the 0.2 and 0.4 MI therapeutic impulses (54 ± 12% vs. 33 ± 17% and 54 ± 22% vs. 34 ± 17%, p cavitation detection systems detected only low intensities of inertial cavitation. At higher MI settings and 20-μs PDs, percentage thrombus dissolution decreased most likely from high-intensity cavitation shielding of the thrombus. Slightly prolonging the PD on a diagnostic transducer improves the degree of sonothrombolysis that can be achieved without fibrinolytic agents at a lower mechanical index. Copyright © 2014 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc

  18. [Production of sugar syrup containing rare sugar using dual-enzyme coupled reaction system].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Wenjia; Zhu, Yueming; Bai, Wei; Izumori, Ken; Zhang, Tongcun; Sun, Yuanxia

    2014-01-01

    Enzymatic conversion is very important to produce functional rare sugars, but the conversion rate of single enzymes is generally low. To increase the conversion rate, a dual-enzyme coupled reaction system was developed. Dual-enzyme coupled reaction system was constructed using D-psicose-3-epimerase (DPE) and L-rhamnose isomerase (L-RhI), and used to convert D-fructose to D-psicose and D-allose. The ratio of DPE and L-RhI was 1:10 (W/W), and the concentration of DPE was 0.05 mg/mL. The optimum temperature was 60 degrees C and pH was 9.0. When the concentration of D-fructose was 2%, the reaction reached its equilibrium after 10 h, and the yield of D-psicose and D-allose was 5.12 and 2.04 g/L, respectively. Using the dual-enzymes coupled system developed in the current study, we could obtain sugar syrup containing functional rare sugar from fructose-rich raw material, such as high fructose corn syrup.

  19. An Integrated Circuit for Chip-Based Analysis of Enzyme Kinetics and Metabolite Quantification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheah, Boon Chong; Macdonald, Alasdair Iain; Martin, Christopher; Streklas, Angelos J; Campbell, Gordon; Al-Rawhani, Mohammed A; Nemeth, Balazs; Grant, James P; Barrett, Michael P; Cumming, David R S

    2016-06-01

    We have created a novel chip-based diagnostic tools based upon quantification of metabolites using enzymes specific for their chemical conversion. Using this device we show for the first time that a solid-state circuit can be used to measure enzyme kinetics and calculate the Michaelis-Menten constant. Substrate concentration dependency of enzyme reaction rates is central to this aim. Ion-sensitive field effect transistors (ISFET) are excellent transducers for biosensing applications that are reliant upon enzyme assays, especially since they can be fabricated using mainstream microelectronics technology to ensure low unit cost, mass-manufacture, scaling to make many sensors and straightforward miniaturisation for use in point-of-care devices. Here, we describe an integrated ISFET array comprising 2(16) sensors. The device was fabricated with a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. Unlike traditional CMOS ISFET sensors that use the Si3N4 passivation of the foundry for ion detection, the device reported here was processed with a layer of Ta2O5 that increased the detection sensitivity to 45 mV/pH unit at the sensor readout. The drift was reduced to 0.8 mV/hour with a linear pH response between pH 2-12. A high-speed instrumentation system capable of acquiring nearly 500 fps was developed to stream out the data. The device was then used to measure glucose concentration through the activity of hexokinase in the range of 0.05 mM-231 mM, encompassing glucose's physiological range in blood. Localised and temporal enzyme kinetics of hexokinase was studied in detail. These results present a roadmap towards a viable personal metabolome machine.

  20. Updated Results of Ultrasonic Transducer Irradiation Test

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Daw, Joshua; Palmer, Joe [Idaho National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1625, MS 4112, Idaho Falls, ID, 38415-3840 (United States); Ramuhalli, Pradeep; Keller, Paul; Montgomery, Robert [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Blvd. Richland, WA, 99354 (United States); Chien, Hual-Te [Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue Argonne, IL, 60439 (United States); Tittmann, Bernhard; Reinhardt, Brian [Pennsylvania State University, 212 Earth and Engr. Sciences Building, University Park, PA, 16802 (United States); Kohse, Gordon [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Rempe, Joy [Rempe and Associates, LLC, 360 Stillwater, Idaho Falls, ID 83404 (United States); Villard, J.F. [Commissariat a l' energie atomique et aux energies alternatives, Centre d' etudes de Cadarache, 13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France)

    2015-07-01

    Ultrasonic technologies offer the potential for high accuracy and resolution in-pile measurement of a range of parameters, including geometry changes, temperature, crack initiation and growth, gas pressure and composition, and microstructural changes. Many Department of Energy-Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) programs are exploring the use of ultrasonic technologies to provide enhanced sensors for in-pile instrumentation during irradiation testing. For example, the ability of small diameter ultrasonic thermometers (UTs) to provide a temperature profile in candidate metallic and oxide fuel would provide much needed data for validating new fuel performance models. These efforts are limited by the lack of identified ultrasonic transducer materials capable of long term performance under irradiation test conditions. To address this need, the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) was awarded an Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility (ATR NSUF) project to evaluate the performance of promising magnetostrictive and piezoelectric transducers in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Reactor (MITR) up to a fast fluence of at least 10{sup 21} n/cm{sup 2}. A multi-National Laboratory collaboration funded by the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation (NEET-ASI) program also provided initial support for this effort. This irradiation, which started in February 2014, is an instrumented lead test and real-time transducer performance data are collected along with temperature and neutron and gamma flux data. The irradiation is ongoing and will continue to approximately mid-2015. To date, very encouraging results have been attained as several transducers continue to operate under irradiation. (authors)

  1. Applying of the array transducers' technology for surface acoustic waves materials characterization in the transient regime

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frenet, D.

    2000-01-01

    In this document we present a theoretical and experimental study which has been led to design a surface acoustic wave device for local characterisation (relatively to the wavelength) of isotropic or anisotropic materials. The device is based on a phased-array transducer of conical shape we have specifically designed for this purpose. It operates in the impulsive mode, in the frequency range of 1-5 MHz. In order to deduce mechanical properties of the material, it is possible to measure the surface wave characteristics (velocity, attenuation,...). Different methods for measuring the wave velocity have been developed taking advantage of from the phased-array technology. The originality of theses methods relies on the fact that the measures are performed without moving the transducer. Consequently, the device requires no additional mechanical system and it is quite compact. In addition, this shortens the characterisation process duration comparatively to the usually available methods (e. g. the V(z) technique). In the theoretical section of this study, a versatile model allowing to simulate in the time harmonic regime as well as in the transient regime, the transmitted field, the field reflected on isotropic or anisotropic planar samples and the output voltage for transducers of arbitrary shapes has been developed. The model has been applied to the phased-array conical transducer as well as to more classical transducers such as planar (rectangular) or focusing (spherically or cylindrically shaped) transducers. It predicts not only the geometrical contributions of the reflected field and signal but also the leaky contributions related to the surface acoustic waves. (author)

  2. Construction of an integrated enzyme system consisting azoreductase and glucose 1-dehydrogenase for dye removal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yuyi; Wei, Buqing; Zhao, Yuhua; Wang, Jun

    2013-02-01

    Azo dyes are toxic and carcinogenic and are often present in industrial effluents. In this research, azoreductase and glucose 1-dehydrogenase were coupled for both continuous generation of the cofactor NADH and azo dye removal. The results show that 85% maximum relative activity of azoreductase in an integrated enzyme system was obtained at the conditions: 1U azoreductase:10U glucose 1-dehydrogenase, 250mM glucose, 1.0mM NAD(+) and 150μM methyl red. Sensitivity analysis of the factors in the enzyme system affecting dye removal examined by an artificial neural network model shows that the relative importance of enzyme ratio between azoreductase and glucose 1-dehydrogenase was 22%, followed by dye concentration (27%), NAD(+) concentration (23%) and glucose concentration (22%), indicating none of the variables could be ignored in the enzyme system. Batch results show that the enzyme system has application potential for dye removal. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Class H power amplifier for power saving in fluxgate current transducers

    OpenAIRE

    Velasco Quesada, Guillermo; Román Lumbreras, Manuel; Pérez Delgado, Raul; Conesa Roca, Alfons

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a new improvement in the design of a fluxgate-based current transducer in order to reduce the power consumption of control electronics. The proposed improvement involves the replacement of the output linear amplifier of the transducer by a class H amplifier. The output amplifier is devoted to the magnetic flux compensation and generates the transducer output current, which is proportional to the current to be measured. In this way, it is possible to reduce significantly th...

  4. Local Interaction Simulation Approach for Fault Detection in Medical Ultrasonic Transducers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z. Hashemiyan

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A new approach is proposed for modelling medical ultrasonic transducers operating in air. The method is based on finite elements and the local interaction simulation approach. The latter leads to significant reductions of computational costs. Transmission and reception properties of the transducer are analysed using in-air reverberation patterns. The proposed approach can help to provide earlier detection of transducer faults and their identification, reducing the risk of misdiagnosis due to poor image quality.

  5. Lamb wave tuning curve calibration for surface-bonded piezoelectric transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sohn, Hoon; Lee, Sang Jun

    2010-01-01

    Surface-bonded lead zirconate titanate (PZT) transducers have been widely used for guided wave generation and measurement. For selective actuation and sensing of Lamb wave modes, the sizes of the transducers and the driving frequency of the input waveform should be tuned. For this purpose, a theoretical Lamb wave tuning curve (LWTC) of a specific transducer size is generally obtained. Here, the LWTC plots each Lamb wave mode' amplitude as a function of the driving frequency. However, a discrepancy between experimental and existing theoretical LWTCs has been observed due to little consideration of the bonding layer and the energy distribution between Lamb wave modes. In this study, calibration techniques for theoretical LWTCs are proposed. First, a theoretical LWTC is developed when circular PZT transducers are used for both Lamb wave excitation and sensing. Then, the LWTC is calibrated by estimating the effective PZT size with PZT admittance measurement. Finally, the energy distributions among symmetric and antisymmetric modes are taken into account for better prediction of the relative amplitudes between Lamb wave modes. The effectiveness of the proposed calibration techniques is examined through numerical simulations and experimental estimation of the LWTC using the circular PZT transducers instrumented on an aluminum plate

  6. Fiber-optic coupled pressure transducer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tallman, C.R.; Wingate, F.P.; Ballard, E.O.

    1979-01-01

    A fiber-optic coupled pressure transducer was developed for measurement of pressure transients produced by fast electrical discharges in laser cavities. A detailed description of the design and performance will be given. Shock tube performance and measurements in direct electrical discharge regions will be presented

  7. Calculations for Piezoelectric Ultrasonic Transducers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Henrik

    1986-01-01

    Analysis of piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers implies a solution of a boundary value problem, for a boay which consists of different materials, including a piezoelectric part. The problem is dynamic at frequencies, where a typical wavelength is somewhat less than the size of the body. Radiation...

  8. Computer subroutines to aid analysis of experimental data from thermocouples and pressure transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Durham, M.E.

    1976-08-01

    Three subroutines (CALSET, CALBR8 and PTRCAL) have been written to provide a convenient system for converting experimental measurements obtained from thermocouples and pressure transducers to temperatures and pressures. The method of operation and the application of the subroutines are described. (author)

  9. Development of an omni-directional shear horizontal mode magnetostrictive patch transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zenghua; Hu, Yanan; Xie, Muwen; Fan, Junwei; He, Cunfu; Wu, Bin

    2018-04-01

    The fundamental shear horizontal wave, SH0 mode, has great potential in defect detection and on-line monitoring with large scale and high efficiency in plate-like structures because of its non-dispersive characteristics. Aiming at consistently exciting single SH0 mode in plate-like structures, an omni-directional shear horizontal mode magnetostrictive patch transducer (OSHM-MPT) is developed on the basis of magnetostrictive effect. It consists of four fan-shaped array elements and corresponding plane solenoid array (PSA) coils, four fan-shaped permanent magnets and a circular nickel patch. The experimental results verify that the developed transducer can effectively produce the single SH0 mode in an aluminum plate. The frequency response characteristics of this developed transducer are tested. The results demonstrate that the proposed OSHM-MPT has a center frequency of 300kHz related to the distance between adjacent arc-shaped steps of the PSA coils. Furthermore, omni-directivity of this developed transducer is tested. The results demonstrate that the developed transducer has a high omnidirectional consistency.

  10. A capacitive ultrasonic transducer based on parametric resonance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Surappa, Sushruta; Satir, Sarp; Levent Degertekin, F

    2017-07-24

    A capacitive ultrasonic transducer based on a parametric resonator structure is described and experimentally demonstrated. The transducer structure, which we call capacitive parametric ultrasonic transducer (CPUT), uses a parallel plate capacitor with a movable membrane as part of a degenerate parametric series RLC resonator circuit with a resonance frequency of f o . When the capacitor plate is driven with an incident harmonic ultrasonic wave at the pump frequency of 2f o with sufficient amplitude, the RLC circuit becomes unstable and ultrasonic energy can be efficiently converted to an electrical signal at f o frequency in the RLC circuit. An important characteristic of the CPUT is that unlike other electrostatic transducers, it does not require DC bias or permanent charging to be used as a receiver. We describe the operation of the CPUT using an analytical model and numerical simulations, which shows drive amplitude dependent operation regimes including parametric resonance when a certain threshold is exceeded. We verify these predictions by experiments with a micromachined membrane based capacitor structure in immersion where ultrasonic waves incident at 4.28 MHz parametrically drive a signal with significant amplitude in the 2.14 MHz RLC circuit. With its unique features, the CPUT can be particularly advantageous for applications such as wireless power transfer for biomedical implants and acoustic sensing.

  11. On-chip RF-to-optical transducer (Conference Presentation)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simonsen, Anders; Tsaturyan, Yeghishe; Seis, Yannick; Schmid, Silvan; Schliesser, Albert; Polzik, Eugene S.

    2016-04-01

    techniques. We will furthermore present ongoing work to couple our transducer to an RF or microwave antenna, for low-noise detection of electromagnetic signals, including sensitive measurements of magnetic fields in an MRI detector. Suppression of thermomechanical noise is a key feature of electro-optomechanical transducers, and, more generally, hybrid systems involving mechanical degrees of freedom. We have shown that engineering of the phononic density of states allows improved isolation of the relevant mechanical modes from their thermal bath [2], enabling coherence times sufficient to realize quantum-coherent optomechanical coupling. This proves the potential of the employed platform for complex transducers all the way into the quantum regime. References: [1] Bagci et al, Nature 507, 81-85, (06 March 2014) [2] Tsaturyan, et al., Optics Express, Vol. 22, Issue 6, pp. 6810-6821 (2014)

  12. Lead-free piezoelectric materials and ultrasonic transducers for medical imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elaheh Taghaddos

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric materials have been vastly used in ultrasonic transducers for medical imaging. In this paper, firstly, the most promising lead-free compositions with perovskite structure for medical imaging applications have been reviewed. The electromechanical properties of various lead-free ceramics, composites, and single crystals based on barium titanate, bismuth sodium titanate, potassium sodium niobate, and lithium niobate are presented. Then, fundamental principles and design considerations of ultrasonic transducers are briefly described. Finally, recent developments in lead-free ultrasonic probes are discussed and their acoustic performance is compared to lead-based transducers. Focused transducers with different beam focusing methods such as lens focusing and mechanical shaping are explained. Additionally, acoustic characteristics of lead-free probes including the pulse-echo results as well as their imaging capabilities for various applications such as phantom imaging, in vitro intravascular ultrasound imaging of swine aorta, and in vivo or ex vivo imaging of human eyes and skin are reviewed.

  13. A Novel Rotary Piezoelectric Motor Using First Bending Hybrid Transducers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yingxiang Liu

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available We report a novel rotary piezoelectric motor using bending transducers in this work. Three transducers are used to drive a disk-shaped rotor together by the elliptical movements of their driving tips; these motions are produced by the hybrid of two first bending vibration modes. The proposed piezoelectric transducer has a simple structure as it only contains an aluminum alloy beam and four pieces of PZT plates. Symmetrical structure is the only necessary condition in the design process as it will ensure the resonance frequencies of the two orthogonal first bending modes are equal. Transducers with first bending resonance frequency of about 53 kHz were fabricated and assembled into a rotary motor. The proposed motor exhibits good performance on speed and torque control. Under a working frequency of 53.2 kHz, the maximum no-load speed and the maximum torque of the prototype are tested to be 53.3 rpm and of 27 mN·m.

  14. Development of an automatic test equipment for nano gauging displacement transducers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Y-C [National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Taiwan (China); Jywe, W-Y [National Formosa University, Taiwan (China); Liu, C-H [National Formosa University, Taiwan (China)

    2005-01-01

    In order to satisfy the increasing demands on the precision in manufacturing technology, nanaometrology gradually becomes more important in manufacturing process. To ensure the precision of manufacture, precise measuring instruments and sensors play a decisive role for the accurate characterization and inspection of products. For linear length inspection, high precision gauging displacement transducers, i.e. nano gauging displacement transducers (NGDT), have been often utilized, which have been often utilized, which have the resolution in the nanometer range and can achieve an accuracy of less than 100 nm. Such measurement instruments include transducers based on electronic as well as optical measurement principles, e.g. inductive, incremental-optical or interference optical. To guarantee the accuracy and the traceability to the definition of the meter, calibration and test of NGDT are essential. Currently, there are some methods and machines for test of NGDT, but they suffer from various disadvantages. Some of them permit only manual test procedures which are time-consuming, e.g. with high accurate gauge blocks as material measures. Other tests can reach higher accuracy only in the micrometer range or result in uncertainties of more than 100 nm in the large measuring ranges. To realize the test of NGDT with a high resolution as well as a large measuring range, an automatic test equipment was constructed, that has a resolution of 1.24 nm, a measuring range of up to 20 nm (60 mm) and a measuring uncertainty of approximate {+-}10 nm can fulfil the requirements of high resolution within the nanometer range while simultaneously covering a large measuring range in the order of millimeters. The test system includes a stable frame, a polarization interferometer, an angle sensor, an angular control, a drive system and piezo translators. During the test procedure, the angular control and piezo translators minimize the Abbe error. For the automation of the test procedure a

  15. Development of an automatic test equipment for nano gauging displacement transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Y-C; Jywe, W-Y; Liu, C-H

    2005-01-01

    In order to satisfy the increasing demands on the precision in manufacturing technology, nanaometrology gradually becomes more important in manufacturing process. To ensure the precision of manufacture, precise measuring instruments and sensors play a decisive role for the accurate characterization and inspection of products. For linear length inspection, high precision gauging displacement transducers, i.e. nano gauging displacement transducers (NGDT), have been often utilized, which have been often utilized, which have the resolution in the nanometer range and can achieve an accuracy of less than 100 nm. Such measurement instruments include transducers based on electronic as well as optical measurement principles, e.g. inductive, incremental-optical or interference optical. To guarantee the accuracy and the traceability to the definition of the meter, calibration and test of NGDT are essential. Currently, there are some methods and machines for test of NGDT, but they suffer from various disadvantages. Some of them permit only manual test procedures which are time-consuming, e.g. with high accurate gauge blocks as material measures. Other tests can reach higher accuracy only in the micrometer range or result in uncertainties of more than 100 nm in the large measuring ranges. To realize the test of NGDT with a high resolution as well as a large measuring range, an automatic test equipment was constructed, that has a resolution of 1.24 nm, a measuring range of up to 20 nm (60 mm) and a measuring uncertainty of approximate ±10 nm can fulfil the requirements of high resolution within the nanometer range while simultaneously covering a large measuring range in the order of millimeters. The test system includes a stable frame, a polarization interferometer, an angle sensor, an angular control, a drive system and piezo translators. During the test procedure, the angular control and piezo translators minimize the Abbe error. For the automation of the test procedure a

  16. Development of an automatic test equipment for nano gauging displacement transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yung-Chen; Jywe, Wen-Yuh; Liu, Chien-Hung

    2005-01-01

    In order to satisfy the increasing demands on the precision in manufacturing technology, nanaometrology gradually becomes more important in manufacturing process. To ensure the precision of manufacture, precise measuring instruments and sensors play a decesive role for the accurate characterization and inspection of products. For linear length inspection, high precision gauging displacement transducers, i.e. nano gauging displacement transducers (NGDT), have been often utilized, which have been often utilized, which have the resolution in the nanometer range and can achieve an accuracy of less than 100 nm. Such measurement instruments include transducers based on electronic as well as optical measurement principles, e.g. inductive, incremental-optical or interference optical. To guarantee the accuracy and the traceability to the definition of the meter, calibration and test of NGDT are essential. Currently, there are some methods and machines for test of NGDT, but they suffer from various disadvantages. Some of them permit only manual test procedures which are time-consuming, e.g. with high accurate gauge blocks as material measures. Other tests can reach higher accuracy only in the micrometer range or result in uncertainties of more than 100 nm in the large measuring ranges. To realize the test of NGDT with a high resolution as well as a large measuring range, an automatic test equipment was constructed, that has a resolution of 1.24 nm, a measuring range of up to 20 nm (60 mm) and a measuring uncertainty of approximate ±10 nm can fulfil the requirements of high resolution within the nanometer range while simultaneously covering a large measuring range in the order of millimeters. The test system includes a stable frame, a polarization interferometer, an angle sensor, an angular control, a drive system and piezo translators. During the test procedure, the angular control and piezo translators minimize the Abbe error. For the automation of the test procedure a

  17. A New High-Temperature Ultrasonic Transducer for Continuous Inspection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amini, Mohammad Hossein; Sinclair, Anthony N; Coyle, Thomas W

    2016-03-01

    A novel design of piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer is introduced, suitable for operation at temperatures of up to 700 °C-800 °C. Lithium niobate single crystal is chosen as the piezoelectric element primarily due to the high Curie temperature of 1200 °C. A backing element based on a porous ceramic is designed for which the pore volume fraction and average pore diameter in the ceramic matrix can be controlled in the manufacturing process; this enables the acoustic impedance and attenuation to be selected to match their optimal values as predicted by a one-dimensional transducer model of the entire transducer. Porous zirconia is selected as the ceramic matrix material of the backing element to obtain an ultrasonic signal with center frequency of 2.7-3 MHz, and 3-dB bandwidth of 90%-95% at the targeted operating temperature. Acoustic coupling of the piezocrystal to the backing element and matching layer is investigated using commercially available high-temperature adhesives and brazing alloys. The performance of the transducer as a function of temperature is studied. Stable bonding and clear signals were obtained using an aluminum brazing alloy as the bonding agent.

  18. Enzyme Stability and Activity in Non-Aqueous Reaction Systems: A Mini Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shihui Wang

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Enormous interest in biocatalysis in non-aqueous phase has recently been triggered due to the merits of good enantioselectivity, reverse thermodynamic equilibrium, and no water-dependent side reactions. It has been demonstrated that enzyme has high activity and stability in non-aqueous media, and the variation of enzyme activity is attributed to its conformational modifications. This review comprehensively addresses the stability and activity of the intact enzymes in various non-aqueous systems, such as organic solvents, ionic liquids, sub-/super-critical fluids and their combined mixtures. It has been revealed that critical factors such as Log P, functional groups and the molecular structures of the solvents define the microenvironment surrounding the enzyme molecule and affect enzyme tertiary and secondary structure, influencing enzyme catalytic properties. Therefore, it is of high importance for biocatalysis in non-aqueous media to elucidate the links between the microenvironment surrounding enzyme surface and its stability and activity. In fact, a better understanding of the correlation between different non-aqueous environments and enzyme structure, stability and activity can contribute to identifying the most suitable reaction medium for a given biotransformation.

  19. A spiral wave front beacon for underwater navigation: transducer prototypes and testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dzikowicz, Benjamin R; Hefner, Brian T

    2012-05-01

    Transducers for acoustic beacons which can produce outgoing signals with wave fronts whose horizontal cross sections are circular or spiral are studied experimentally. A remote hydrophone is used to determine its aspect relative to the transducers by comparing the phase of the circular signal to the phase of the spiral signal. The transducers for a "physical-spiral" beacon are made by forming a strip of 1-3 piezocomposite transducer material around either a circular or spiral backing. A "phased-spiral" beacon is made from an array of transducer elements which can be driven either in phase or staggered out of phase so as to produce signals with either a circular or spiral wave front. Measurements are made to study outgoing signals and their usefulness in determining aspect angle. Vertical beam width is also examined and phase corrections applied when the hydrophone is out of the horizontal plane of the beacon. While numerical simulations indicate that the discontinuity in the physical-spiral beacon introduces errors into the measured phase, damping observed at the ends of the piezocomposite material is a more significant source of error. This damping is also reflected in laser Doppler vibrometer measurements of the transducer's surface velocity.

  20. A new concept of smart flexible phased array transducer to inspect component of complex geometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roy, O.; Mauhaut, S.; Casula, O.; Cattiaux, G.

    2001-01-01

    In most of industries as aeronautics, aerospace and nuclear, the main part of the non destructive testing is carried out directly in touch with the inspected component. Among others, the cooling piping of French pressurized water reactor comprises many welding components with complex geometry: elbows, butt welds, nozzles. In service inspections of such components performed with conventional ultrasonic contact transducers present limited performances. First, variations in sensitivity, due to unmatched contact on depressions or irregular surface are observed, resulting in poor detection performances. In addition, the beam orientation transmitted through complex interfaces cannot be totally controlled, because of the disorientations suffered by the transducer during its displacement. As a result, the possible defect cannot be correctly detected, positioned and characterized. To overcome these difficulties and to improve the performances of such inspections, the French Atomic Energy Commission has developed a new concept of transducer, allowing both to take into account the varying profile of the tested component and to efficiently compensate these effects. This transducer is a flexible phased array able to match the surface of the inspected specimen and to efficiently compensate the deformation of its own surface, in order to preserve the ultrasonic beam characteristics in spite of the profile variations encountered during the scanning. This ability is achieved thanks to a specific instrumentation, which measures the deformation of the transducer radiating surface, made of individual ultrasonic elements mechanically jointed to fit the actual surface of the component being inspected. Inspections in pulse-echo mode have been performed on a specimen with an irregular profile containing artificial embedded reflectors. The comparison with inspection carried out using conventional transducer shows the efficiency of the system to characterize defects under such complex

  1. Ultrasonic Transducer Design for the Axial Flaw Detection of Dissimilar Metal Weld

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoon, Byung Sik; Kim, Yong Sik; Yang, Seung Han

    2011-01-01

    Dissimilar metal welds in nuclear power plant are known as very susceptible to PWSCC flaws, and periodically inspected by the qualified inspector and qualified procedure during in-service inspection period. According to field survey data, the majority of their DMWs are located on tapered nozzle or adjacent to a tapered component. These types of configurations restrict examination access and also limit examination volume coverage. Additionally, circumferential scan for axially oriented flaw is very difficult to detect located on tapered surface because the transducer can't receive flaw response from reflector for miss-orientation. To overcome this miss-orientation, it is necessary adapt skewed ultrasonic transducer accommodate tapered surface. The skewed refracted longitudinal ultrasonic transducer designed by modeling and manufactured from the modelling result for axial flaw detection. Experimental results showed that the skewed refracted longitudinal ultrasonic transducer get higher flaw response than non-skewed refracted longitudinal ultrasonic transducer

  2. Ultrasonic field analysis program for transducer design in the nuclear industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, G.P.; Rose, J.L.

    1980-02-01

    An ultrasonic field analysis program is presented that can be used for transducer design in the nuclear industry. Calculation routines that make use of Huygen's principle in a field analysis model are introduced that enable such field characteristics as axial and lateral resolution, beam symmetry, and gain variation throughout the ultrasonic field to be optimized. Mathematical details are presented along with several sample problems that show comparisons with classical results reported in the literature and with experimental data. Several sample problems that are of interest to the nuclear industry are also included, along with some that satisfy both academical and practical curiosity. These include transducer shape effects, pulse shape effects, crystal vibration variation, and an introduction to such novel transducer designs as annular arrays and dual element angle beam transducers

  3. Torque magnetometry by use of capacitance type transducer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Braught, M.C.; Pechan, M.J.

    1992-01-01

    Interfacial anisotropy in magnetic multilayered samples comprised of nanometer thick magnetic layers alternating with non-magnetic layers is investigated by torque magnetometry in the temperature regime of 4 to 300K. The design, construction and use of a capacitance type transducer wherein the sample is mounted directly on with the plate of the capacitor, will be described. As a result the sample and transducer spatially coexist at the sample temperature in an applied external field, eliminating mechanical coupling from the cryogenic region to a remote room temperature transducer. The capacitor measuring the torque of the sample is paired with a reference capacitor. The difference between torque influenced capacitance and the reference is then determined by a differential transimpedance amplifier. Since both capacitors are physically identical variables such as temperature, vibration, orientation and external devices are minimized. Torques up to 300 dyne-cm can be measured with a sensitivity of 0.010 dyne-cm

  4. Six-Axis Force-Torque Transducer for Mars 2018 Mission, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — A transducer element that is hearty enough for a Mars lander mission needs to be developed so that a six-axis force and torque transducer is possible. The technical...

  5. Numerical Transducer Modeling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henriquez, Vicente Cutanda

    This thesis describes the development of a numerical model of the propagation of sound waves in fluids with viscous and thermal losses, with application to the simulation of acoustic transducers, in particular condenser microphones for measurement. The theoretical basis is presented, numerical...... manipulations are developed to satisfy the more complicated boundary conditions, and a model of a condenser microphone with a coupled membrane is developed. The model is tested against measurements of ¼ inch condenser microphones and analytical calculations. A detailed discussion of the results is given....

  6. An all-optical fiber optic photoacoustic transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thathachary, Supriya V.; Motameni, Cameron; Ashkenazi, Shai

    2018-02-01

    A highly sensitive fiber-optic Fabry-Perot photoacoustic transducer is proposed in this work. The transducer will consist of separate transmit and receive fibers. The receiver will be composed of a Fabry-Perot Ultrasound sensor with a selfwritten waveguide with all-optical ultrasound detection with high sensitivity. In previous work, we have shown an increase in resonator Q-factor from 1900 to 3200 for a simulated Fabry-Perot ultrasound detector of 45 μm thickness upon including a waveguide to limit lateral power losses. Subsequently, we demonstrated a prototype device with 30nm gold mirrors and a cavity composed of the photosensitive polymer Benzocyclobutene. This 80 µm thick device showed an improvement in its Q-factor from 2500 to 5200 after a selfaligned waveguide was written into the cavity using UV exposure. Current work uses a significantly faster fabrication technique using a combination of UV-cured epoxies for the cavity medium, and the waveguide within it. This reduces the fabrication time from several hours to a few minutes, and significantly lowers the cost of fabrication. We use a dip-coating technique to deposit the polymer layer. Future work will include the use of Dielectric Bragg mirrors in place of gold to achieve better reflectivity, thereby further improving the Q-factor of the device. The complete transducer presents an ideal solution for intravascular imaging in cases where tissue differentiation is desirable, an important feature in interventional procedures where arterial perforation is a risk. The final design proposed comprises the transducer within a guidewire to guide interventions for Chronic Total Occlusions, a disease state for which there are currently no invasive imaging options.

  7. Respiratory Belt Transducer Constructed Using a Singing Greeting Card Beeper

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhaskar, Anand; Subramani, Selvam; Ojha, Rajdeep

    2013-01-01

    An article by Belusic and Zupancic described the construction of a finger pulse sensor using a singing greeting card beeper. These authors felt that this beeper made of piezoelectric material could be easily modified to function as a respiratory belt transducer to monitor respiratory movements. Commercially available respiratory belt transducers,…

  8. Ferroelectret non-contact ultrasonic transducers

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Bovtun, Viktor; Döring, J.; Bartusch, J.; Beck, U.; Erhard, A.; Yakymenko, Y.

    2007-01-01

    Roč. 88, č. 4 (2007), s. 737-743 ISSN 0947-8396 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA202/06/0403 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100520 Keywords : ferroelectrets * polymers * ultrasonic transducers Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.857, year: 2007

  9. Ultrasonic transducer design for uniform insonation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harrison, G.H.; Balcer-Kubiczek, E.K.; McCulloch, D.

    1984-01-01

    Techniques used in transducer development for acoustical imaging have been evaluated for the purpose of producing broad, uniform ultrasonic fields from planar radiators. Such fields should be useful in hyperthermia, physical therapy, and ultrasonic bioeffects studies. Fourier inversion of the circ function yielded a source velocity distribution proportional to (P/r) exp ((-ik/2Z) (2Z/sup 2/+r/sup 2/)) J/sub 1/(krP/Z), where r is the radial source coordinate, k is the wave number, and P is the desired radius of uniform insonation at a depth Z in water. This source distribution can be truncated without significantly degrading the solution. A simpler solution consists of exponentially shading the edge of an otherwise uniformly excited disk transducer. This approach was successfully approximated experimentally

  10. Development of Flexible Capacitive Ultrasound Transducers and the Use of Ultrasound for Bone Repair

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wentzell, Scott A.

    Ultrasound is a widely applicable technique for therapy in the biomedical arena. However, conventional ultrasound transducers are not conducive for non-planar surfaces. Therefore, we developed flexible transducers capable of performing ultrasound and evaluated their use in biomedical applications. Flexible capacitive ultrasound transducers based on micrometer-thick dielectric tapes were developed and fabricated. These transducers were able to be made by hand at low-cost while still demonstrating good tolerances in center operating frequency. Intensities of up to 120 mW/cm2 were recorded and operation was dependent upon the applied AC and DC voltages along with the thickness of the dielectric insulation. These capacitive ultrasound transducers were used to stimulate MC3T3-E1 murine osteoblast cells to investigate the effects of low-frequency ultrasound on osteogenic gene expression and anabolic signaling pathways. After stimulation by 94.5 kHz continuous wave ultrasound for 20 minutes, significant increases in the activation of the Wnt signaling pathway and concentration of intracellular calcium were observed. Daily stimulation by ultrasound showed a trend of increased osteogenic gene expression across the phases of matrix deposition, maturation and calcification by osteoblasts. Finally, the heating of osteoblasts for stimulating osteoclastogenic responses was investigated. The application of increased temperatures of 42 and 47 degrees Celsius for 5 minutes showed significant increases in the RANKL/OPG ratio in media conditioned by osteoblasts. However, the altered RANKL/OPG ratio was not able to generate increases in osteoclastogenesis for RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells culture in the condition media. This was possibly due to high overall osteoprotegerin expression, or unwanted inducement of M1 and M2 macrophage activation in the cell population. The overall work of this thesis demonstrates the development of novel capacitive transducers. These conformable

  11. Online monitoring of cracking in concrete structures using embedded piezoelectric transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dumoulin, C; Karaiskos, G; Deraemaeker, A; Sener, J-Y

    2014-01-01

    Online damage detection is of great interest in the field of concrete structures and, more generally, within the construction industry. Current economic requirements impose the reduction of the operating costs related to such inspection while the security and the reliability of structures must constantly be improved. In this paper, nondestructive testing is applied using piezoelectric transducers embedded in concrete structures. These transducers are especially adapted for online ultrasonic monitoring, due to their low cost, small size, and broad frequency band. These recent transducers are called smart aggregates. The technique of health monitoring developed in this study is based on a ultrasonic pulse velocity test with an embedded ultrasonic emitter-receiver pair (pitch-catch). The damage indicator focuses on the early wave arrival. The Belgian company MS3 takes an interest in evaluating the quality of the concrete around the anchorage system of highway security barriers after important shocks. The failure mechanism can be viewed as a combination of a bending and the failure of the anchorages. Accordingly, the monitoring technique has been applied both on a three-points bending test and several pull-out tests. The results indicate a very high sensitivity of the method, which is able to detect the crack initiation phase and follow the crack propagation over the entire duration of the test. (paper)

  12. A new omnidirectional shear horizontal wave transducer using face-shear (d24) piezoelectric ring array.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miao, Hongchen; Huan, Qiang; Wang, Qiangzhong; Li, Faxin

    2017-02-01

    The non-dispersive fundamental shear horizontal (SH 0 ) wave in plate-like structures is of practical importance in non-destructive testing (NDT) and structural health monitoring (SHM). Theoretically, an omnidirectional SH 0 transducer phased array system can be used to inspect defects in a large plate in the similar manner to the phased array transducers used in medical B-scan ultrasonics. However, very few omnidirectional SH 0 transducers have been proposed so far. In this work, an omnidirectional SH 0 wave piezoelectric transducer (OSH-PT) was proposed, which consists of a ring array of twelve face-shear (d 24 ) trapezoidal PZT elements. Each PZT element can produce face-shear deformation under applied voltage, resulting in circumferential shear deformation in the OSH-PT and omnidirectional SH 0 waves in the hosting plate. Both finite element simulations and experiments were conducted to examine the performance of the proposed OSH-PT. Experimental testing shows that the OSH-PT exhibits good omnidirectional properties, no matter it is used as a SH 0 wave transmitter or a SH 0 wave receiver. This work may greatly promote the applications of SH 0 waves in NDT and SHM. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Effect of the Matching Circuit on the Electromechanical Characteristics of Sandwiched Piezoelectric Transducers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shuyu Lin

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The input electrical impedance behaves as a capacitive when a piezoelectric transducer is excited near its resonance frequency. In order to increase the energy transmission efficiency, a series or parallel inductor should be used to compensate the capacitive impedance of the piezoelectric transducer. In this paper, the effect of the series matching inductor on the electromechanical characteristics of the piezoelectric transducer is analyzed. The dependency of the resonance/anti-resonance frequency, the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient, the electrical quality factor and the electro-acoustical efficiency on the matching inductor is obtained. It is shown that apart from compensating the capacitive impedance of the piezoelectric transducer, the series matching inductor can also change the electromechanical characteristics of the piezoelectric transducer. When series matching inductor is increased, the resonance frequency is decreased and the anti-resonance unchanged; the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient is increased. For the electrical quality factor and the electroacoustic efficiency, the dependency on the matching inductor is different when the transducer is operated at the resonance and the anti-resonance frequency. The electromechanical characteristics of the piezoelectric transducer with series matching inductor are measured. It is shown that the theoretically predicted relationship between the electromechanical characteristics and the series matching inductor is in good agreement with the experimental results.

  14. Effect of the Matching Circuit on the Electromechanical Characteristics of Sandwiched Piezoelectric Transducers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Shuyu; Xu, Jie

    2017-02-10

    The input electrical impedance behaves as a capacitive when a piezoelectric transducer is excited near its resonance frequency. In order to increase the energy transmission efficiency, a series or parallel inductor should be used to compensate the capacitive impedance of the piezoelectric transducer. In this paper, the effect of the series matching inductor on the electromechanical characteristics of the piezoelectric transducer is analyzed. The dependency of the resonance/anti-resonance frequency, the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient, the electrical quality factor and the electro-acoustical efficiency on the matching inductor is obtained. It is shown that apart from compensating the capacitive impedance of the piezoelectric transducer, the series matching inductor can also change the electromechanical characteristics of the piezoelectric transducer. When series matching inductor is increased, the resonance frequency is decreased and the anti-resonance unchanged; the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient is increased. For the electrical quality factor and the electroacoustic efficiency, the dependency on the matching inductor is different when the transducer is operated at the resonance and the anti-resonance frequency. The electromechanical characteristics of the piezoelectric transducer with series matching inductor are measured. It is shown that the theoretically predicted relationship between the electromechanical characteristics and the series matching inductor is in good agreement with the experimental results.

  15. Energy harvesting for wireless sensors by using piezoelectric transducers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Duerager, Christian [Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Duebendorf (Switzerland)

    2012-07-01

    Wireless sensor technology, which integrates transducers, measurement electronics and wireless communication, has become increasingly vital in structural health monitoring (SHM) applications. Compared to traditional wired systems, wireless solutions reduce the installation time and costs and are not subjected to breakage caused by harsh weather conditions or other extreme events. Because of the low installation costs, wireless sensor networks allow the deployment of a big number of wireless sensor nodes on the structures. Moreover, the nodes can be placed on particularly critical components of the structure difficult to reach by wires. In most of the cases the power supply are conventional batteries, which could be a problem because of their finite life span. Furthermore, in the case of wireless sensor nodes located on structures, it is often advantageous to embed them, which makes an access impossible. Therefore, if a method of obtaining the untapped energy surrounding these sensors was implemented, significant life could be added to the power supply. Various approaches to energy harvesting and energy storage are discussed and limitations associated with the current technology are addressed. In this paper we first discuss the research that has been performed in the area of energy harvesting for wireless sensor technologies by using the ambient vibration energy. In many cases the energy produced by the ambient vibrations is far too small to directly power a wireless sensor node. Therefore, in a second step we discuss the development process for an electronic energy harvesting circuit optimized for piezoelectric transducers. In the last part of this paper an experiment with different piezoelectric transducers and their applicability for energy harvesting applications on vibrating structures will be discussed. (orig.)

  16. Test and evaluation of radioactively contaminated transducers and transmitters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strahm, R.C.

    1983-01-01

    People in the nuclear industries face some unique problems when handling, testing, or examining transducers and transmitters that have been radioactively contaminated. Although many people and organizations, including EG and G Idaho, have performed such work for many years, there are no set, structured approaches or procedures. This paper discusses a disciplined laboratory approach to contaminated transducer testing and evaluation, utilizing equipment and facilities developed specifically for this type of work

  17. Variable mounting assembly for transducers employed in nuclear reactor vessel inspection apparatus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elsner, H.J.; Antol, R.F.; Castner, R.P.

    1979-01-01

    A positionally variable mounting assembly for transducers used to interrogate a nuclear reactor vessel is disclosed. Means are provided for clamping each transducer of an array about its flange in a central restraining block. The central restraining block is, in turn, pivotally mounted in a yoke. The yoke is movable secured to bars or rails bolted to the transducer plate and, by loosening appropriate bolts, can be moved along the ways or pivoted about one of them. Further, the restraining block can be removed from the yoke and pivotally clamped in a different orientation to upstanding brackets attached to the transducer array plate, or rotated through 90 0 and then secured again in the yoke

  18. Note: Decoupling design for high frequency piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers with their clamping connections

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, F. J., E-mail: wangfujun@tju.edu.cn; Liang, C. M.; Tian, Y. L.; Zhao, X. Y.; Zhang, D. W. [Tianjin Key Laboratory of Equipment Design and Manufacturing Technology, School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Zhang, H. J. [Tianjin Key Laboratory of Modern Mechatronics Equipment Technology, School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387 (China)

    2015-12-15

    This work presents the flexure-mechanism based decoupling design between high frequency piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers and their clamping connections to improve ultrasonic energy transmission efficiency. The ring, prismatic beam, and circular notched hinge based flanges were presented, and the crucial geometric dimensions of the transducers with the flexure decoupling flanges were determined. Finite element analysis (FEA) was carried out to investigate the dynamic characteristics of the transducers. Finally, experiments were conducted to examine and verify the effects of the proposed decoupling flanges. FEA and experimental results show that smaller frequency deviations and larger tip displacement amplitudes have been achieved by using the transducers with the flexure flanges compared with the transducer with a rigid ring-type flange, and thus the ultrasonic transmission efficiency can be improved through the flexure flanges.

  19. A Doubly-Curved Piezoelectric Composite with 1-3 Connectivity for Underwater Transducer Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yanjun; Wang, Likun; Qin, Lei; Liao, Qingwei; Zhong, Chao

    2018-03-01

    Aim to increase the horizontal and vertical beam width of the high frequency transducer simultaneously, we present a doubly-curved 1-3 piezoelectric composite element. It consists of 54% piezoelectric ceramic volume fraction and two phases polymer matrix. The finite element analysis (FEA) is used to evaluate the dynamic response of composite. Electroacoustic response in water was measured for the doubly-curved composite being considered as underwater transducer. An underwater transducer was fabricated using the doubly-curved 1-3 piezoelectric composite element. The -3 dB full angle beam width of transducer is approximately 106° and 36° in the horizontal and vertical plane respectively. Both the FEA simulations and experimental results show the potential of a broad covered area of the composite transducer in underwater environment.

  20. Gene therapy/bone marrow transplantation in ADA-deficient mice: roles of enzyme-replacement therapy and cytoreduction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carbonaro, Denise A; Jin, Xiangyang; Wang, Xingchao; Yu, Xiao-Jin; Rozengurt, Nora; Kaufman, Michael L; Wang, Xiaoyan; Gjertson, David; Zhou, Yang; Blackburn, Michael R; Kohn, Donald B

    2012-11-01

    Gene therapy (GT) for adenosine deaminase-deficient severe combined immune deficiency (ADA-SCID) can provide significant long-term benefit when patients are given nonmyeloablative conditioning and ADA enzyme-replacement therapy (ERT) is withheld before autologous transplantation of γ-retroviral vector-transduced BM CD34+ cells. To determine the contributions of conditioning and discontinuation of ERT to the therapeutic effects, we analyzed these factors in Ada gene knockout mice (Ada(-/-)). Mice were transplanted with ADA-deficient marrow transduced with an ADA-expressing γ-retroviral vector without preconditioning or after 200 cGy or 900 cGy total-body irradiation and evaluated after 4 months. In all tissues analyzed, vector copy numbers (VCNs) were 100- to 1000-fold greater in mice receiving 900 cGy compared with 200 cGy (P < .05). In mice receiving 200 cGy, VCN was similar whether ERT was stopped or given for 1 or 4 months after GT. In unconditioned mice, there was decreased survival with and without ERT, and VCN was very low to undetectable. When recipients were conditioned with 200 cGy and received transduced lineage-depleted marrow, only recipients receiving ERT (1 or 4 months) had detectable vector sequences in thymocytes. In conclusion, cytoreduction is important for the engraftment of gene-transduced HSC, and short-term ERT after GT did not diminish the capacity of gene-corrected cells to engraft and persist.

  1. Thermal energy harvesters with piezoelectric or electrostatic transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prokaryn, Piotr; Domański, Krzysztof; Marchewka, Michał; Tomaszewski, Daniel; Grabiec, Piotr; Puscasu, Onoriu; Monfray, Stéphane; Skotnicki, Thomas

    2014-08-01

    This paper describes the idea of the energy harvester which converts thermal gradient present in environment into electricity. Two kinds of such devices are proposed and their prototypes are shown and discussed. The main parts of harvesters are bimetallic spring, piezoelectric transducer or electrostatic transducer with electret. The applied piezomembrane was commercial available product but electrets was made by authors. In the paper a fabrication procedure of electrets formed by the corona discharge process is described. Devices were compared in terms of generated power, charging current, and the voltage across a storage capacitor.

  2. The EnzymeTracker: an open-source laboratory information management system for sample tracking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Triplet, Thomas; Butler, Gregory

    2012-01-26

    In many laboratories, researchers store experimental data on their own workstation using spreadsheets. However, this approach poses a number of problems, ranging from sharing issues to inefficient data-mining. Standard spreadsheets are also error-prone, as data do not undergo any validation process. To overcome spreadsheets inherent limitations, a number of proprietary systems have been developed, which laboratories need to pay expensive license fees for. Those costs are usually prohibitive for most laboratories and prevent scientists from benefiting from more sophisticated data management systems. In this paper, we propose the EnzymeTracker, a web-based laboratory information management system for sample tracking, as an open-source and flexible alternative that aims at facilitating entry, mining and sharing of experimental biological data. The EnzymeTracker features online spreadsheets and tools for monitoring numerous experiments conducted by several collaborators to identify and characterize samples. It also provides libraries of shared data such as protocols, and administration tools for data access control using OpenID and user/team management. Our system relies on a database management system for efficient data indexing and management and a user-friendly AJAX interface that can be accessed over the Internet. The EnzymeTracker facilitates data entry by dynamically suggesting entries and providing smart data-mining tools to effectively retrieve data. Our system features a number of tools to visualize and annotate experimental data, and export highly customizable reports. It also supports QR matrix barcoding to facilitate sample tracking. The EnzymeTracker was designed to be easy to use and offers many benefits over spreadsheets, thus presenting the characteristics required to facilitate acceptance by the scientific community. It has been successfully used for 20 months on a daily basis by over 50 scientists. The EnzymeTracker is freely available online at http

  3. Power doppler 'blanching' after the application of transducer pressure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joshua, F.; Edmonds, J.; Lassere, M.; De Carle, R.; Rayment, M.; Bryant, C.; Shnier, R.

    2005-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine if transducer pressure modifies power Doppler assessments of rheumatoid arthritis synovium at the metacarpophalangeal joints and metatarsophalangeal joints. Five rheumatoid arthritis patients of varying degrees of 'disease activity' and damage were assessed with power Doppler ultrasound scanning of the dominant hand second to fifth metacarpophalangeal joints. Two rheumatoid arthritis patients had their dominant foot first to fifth metatarsophalangeal joints assessed with power Doppler ultrasound. Ultrasonography was performed with a high frequency transducer (14 MHz) with a colour mode frequency of 10 Mhz, and a standard colour box and gain. In the joint that showed the highest power Doppler signal, an image was made. A further image was taken after transducer pressure was applied. In all patients, there was increased flow to at least one joint. After pressure was applied, power Doppler signal intensity markedly reduced in all images and in some there was no recordable power Doppler signal. Increased transducer pressure can result in a marked reduction or obliteration in power Doppler signal. This power Doppler 'blanching' shows the need for further studies to evaluate sources of error and standardization before power Doppler ultrasound becomes a routine measure of 'disease activity' in rheumatoid arthritis. Copyright (2005) Blackwell Science Pty Ltd

  4. Enhancing endosomal escape of transduced proteins by photochemical internalisation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kevin Mellert

    Full Text Available Induced internalisation of functional proteins into cultured cells has become an important aspect in a rising number of in vitro and in vivo assays. The endo-lysosomal entrapment of the transduced proteins remains the major problem in all transduction protocols. In this study we compared the efficiency, cytotoxicity and protein targeting of different commercially available transduction reagents by transducing a well-studied fluorescently labelled protein (Atto488-bovine serum albumin into cultured human sarcoma cells. The amount of internalised protein and toxicity differed between the different reagents, but the percentage of transduced cells was consistently high. Furthermore, in all protocols the signals of the transduced Atto488-BSA were predominantly punctual consistent with an endosomal localisation. To overcome the endosomal entrapment, the transduction protocols were combined with a photochemical internalisation (PCI treatment. Using this combination revealed that an endosomal disruption is highly effective in cell penetrating peptide (CPP mediated transduction, whereas lipid-mediated transductions lead to a lower signal spreading throughout the cytosol. No change in the signal distribution could be achieved in treatments using non-lipid polymers as a transduction reagent. Therefore, the combination of protein transduction protocols based on CPPs with the endosomolytic treatment PCI can facilitate protein transduction experiments in vitro.

  5. Enhancing endosomal escape of transduced proteins by photochemical internalisation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mellert, Kevin; Lamla, Markus; Scheffzek, Klaus; Wittig, Rainer; Kaufmann, Dieter

    2012-01-01

    Induced internalisation of functional proteins into cultured cells has become an important aspect in a rising number of in vitro and in vivo assays. The endo-lysosomal entrapment of the transduced proteins remains the major problem in all transduction protocols. In this study we compared the efficiency, cytotoxicity and protein targeting of different commercially available transduction reagents by transducing a well-studied fluorescently labelled protein (Atto488-bovine serum albumin) into cultured human sarcoma cells. The amount of internalised protein and toxicity differed between the different reagents, but the percentage of transduced cells was consistently high. Furthermore, in all protocols the signals of the transduced Atto488-BSA were predominantly punctual consistent with an endosomal localisation. To overcome the endosomal entrapment, the transduction protocols were combined with a photochemical internalisation (PCI) treatment. Using this combination revealed that an endosomal disruption is highly effective in cell penetrating peptide (CPP) mediated transduction, whereas lipid-mediated transductions lead to a lower signal spreading throughout the cytosol. No change in the signal distribution could be achieved in treatments using non-lipid polymers as a transduction reagent. Therefore, the combination of protein transduction protocols based on CPPs with the endosomolytic treatment PCI can facilitate protein transduction experiments in vitro.

  6. Electromechanical characteristics of discal piezoelectric transducers with spiral interdigitated electrodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pan, Chengliang; Xiao, Guangjun; Feng, Zhihua; Liao, Wei-Hsin

    2014-01-01

    In this study, piezoceramic thin disks with spiral interdigitated electrodes on their surfaces are proposed to generate in-plane torsional vibrations. Electromechanical characteristics of the discal piezoelectric transducers are investigated. Working principles of the transducers are explained while their static deformations are formulated. Dynamic models are derived to analyze the in-plane torsional vibrations of the disks together with the radial vibrations. The corresponding electromechanical equivalent circuits are also obtained. With different boundary conditions and structural parameters, frequency responses of their electric admittances are calculated numerically. Resonant frequencies, mode shapes, and electromechanical coupling coefficients of the vibration modes are also extracted. Prototype transducers are fabricated and tested to validate the theoretical results. (paper)

  7. Neural Network Based Real-time Correction of Transducer Dynamic Errors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roj, J.

    2013-12-01

    In order to carry out real-time dynamic error correction of transducers described by a linear differential equation, a novel recurrent neural network was developed. The network structure is based on solving this equation with respect to the input quantity when using the state variables. It is shown that such a real-time correction can be carried out using simple linear perceptrons. Due to the use of a neural technique, knowledge of the dynamic parameters of the transducer is not necessary. Theoretical considerations are illustrated by the results of simulation studies performed for the modeled second order transducer. The most important properties of the neural dynamic error correction, when emphasizing the fundamental advantages and disadvantages, are discussed.

  8. INFLUENCE OF PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCER TO GLASS FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITE STIFFNESS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Witold Rządkowski

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available The main goal was to determine if transducers based on piezoelectric materials are suitable for strain calculations in thin GFRP specimens. Numerous experimental studies, both physical and numerical, performed by the authors, have shown that there is a huge influence of bonded piezoelectric transducer on the overall stiffness of the measured object. The paper presents tensile test performed on strength machine with Digital Image Correlation strain and deflection observations. Test were compared with FEM models for detailed investigation. The main conclusion is piezoelectric transducers has huge influence on local stiffness of measured object. That is critical especially when they are used as strain sensors, when presence of sensor is influencing to measured results.

  9. Measurement of two-phase flow momentum with force transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hardy, J.E.; Smith, J.E.

    1990-01-01

    Two strain-gage-based drag transducers were developed to measure two-phase flow in simulated pressurized water reactor (PWR) test facilities. One transducer, a drag body (DB), was designed to measure the bidirectional average momentum flux passing through an end box. The second drag sensor, a break through detector (BTD), was designed to sense liquid downflow from the upper plenum to the core region. After prototype sensors passed numerous acceptance tests, transducers were fabricated and installed in two experimental test facilities, one in Japan and one in West Germany. High-quality data were extracted from both the DBs and BTDs for a variety of loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) scenarios. The information collected from these sensors has added to the understanding of the thermohydraulic phenomena that occur during the refill/reflood stage of a LOCA in a PWR. 9 refs., 15 figs

  10. A Dual-Range Strain Gage Weighing Transducer Employing Automatic Switching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodger A. Arola

    1968-01-01

    Describes a dual-range strain gage transducer which has proven to be an excellent weight-sensing device for weighing trees and tree-length logs; discusses basic principals of the design and operation; and shows that a single transducer having two sensitivity ranges with automatic internal switching can sense weight with good repeatability and that one calibration curve...

  11. Transducers and microprocessors in oceanographic applications

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Desai, R.G.P.; Desa, E.

    Transducers used for the sensing of the ten most measured marine parameters have been described in this paper. The ten parameters have been classed under 5 sensor types, namely temperature, pressure, salinity, currents and waves. For each sensor...

  12. Calculation of acoustic field based on laser-measured vibration velocities on ultrasonic transducer surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Liang; Zhao, Nannan; Gao, Zhijian; Mao, Kai; Chen, Wenyu; Fu, Xin

    2018-05-01

    Determination of the distribution of a generated acoustic field is valuable for studying ultrasonic transducers, including providing the guidance for transducer design and the basis for analyzing their performance, etc. A method calculating the acoustic field based on laser-measured vibration velocities on the ultrasonic transducer surface is proposed in this paper. Without knowing the inner structure of the transducer, the acoustic field outside it can be calculated by solving the governing partial differential equation (PDE) of the field based on the specified boundary conditions (BCs). In our study, the BC on the transducer surface, i.e. the distribution of the vibration velocity on the surface, is accurately determined by laser scanning measurement of discrete points and follows a data fitting computation. In addition, to ensure the calculation accuracy for the whole field even in an inhomogeneous medium, a finite element method is used to solve the governing PDE based on the mixed BCs, including the discretely measured velocity data and other specified BCs. The method is firstly validated on numerical piezoelectric transducer models. The acoustic pressure distributions generated by a transducer operating in an homogeneous and inhomogeneous medium, respectively, are both calculated by the proposed method and compared with the results from other existing methods. Then, the method is further experimentally validated with two actual ultrasonic transducers used for flow measurement in our lab. The amplitude change of the output voltage signal from the receiver transducer due to changing the relative position of the two transducers is calculated by the proposed method and compared with the experimental data. This method can also provide the basis for complex multi-physical coupling computations where the effect of the acoustic field should be taken into account.

  13. Positioning calibration apparatus for transducers employed in nuclear reactor vessel inspection apparatus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elsner, H.J.

    1979-01-01

    Calibration apparatus for verifying the position and orientation of transducers used in nuclear reactor vessel inspection apparatus is disclosed. A tank, filled with water, the operating inspection medium, is fitted with a movable mounting assembly adapted to securely accommodate a transducer and the mounting assembly in which it is normally secured during an inspection procedure. The tank is also provided with a slidably mounted target positioned therein at a predetermined distance from the target which is selected to avoid the distortion effects in the near field of the transducer response. The calibration apparatus can be used to check the normal transducer mounting for either perpendicularity or angular orientation by moving the tank's mounting assembly via a lead screw with which it is threadingly engaged. 6 claims

  14. Folding and Function of Proteorhodopsins in Photoenergy Transducing Membranes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Spudich, John L. [University of Texas Medical School, Houston, TX (United States). Health Science Center, Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

    2012-08-10

    The overall research objectives are to develop proteorhodopsin (PR) proteins as a model system for α-helical membrane protein insertion and folding, and to advance understanding of the diversity and mechanisms of PRs, a large family of photoenergy transducers (~4000 identified) abundant in the world’s oceans. Specific aims are: (1) To develop a high-efficiency genetic selection procedure for light-driven proton-pumping in E. coli cells. Such a procedure would provide a positive selection method for proper folding and function of PRs in the E. coli membrane. (2) Characterize flash-induced absorption changes and photocurrents in PR variants in organisms from various environments, and their expression level and function when expressed in E. coli. Subaims are to: (a) elucidate the relationship of the transport mechanism to mechanisms of other microbial rhodopsins, some of which like PRs function as ion transporters and some of which use light energy to activate signaling pathways (sensory rhodopsins); and (b) identify important residues and chemical events in light-driven proton transport by PRs. In addition to their importance to the energy of the biosphere PRs have attracted interest for their potential for use in making photoenergy-transducing membranes for bioengineering applications.

  15. Smooth driving of Mössbauer electromechanical transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Veiga, A.; Mayosky, M. A.; Martínez, N.; Mendoza Zélis, P.; Pasquevich, G. A.; Sánchez, F. H.

    2011-01-01

    Quality of Mössbauer spectra is strongly related to the performance of source velocity modulator. Traditional electromechanical driving techniques demand hard-edged square or triangular velocity waveforms that introduce long settling times and demand careful driver tuning. For this work, the behavior of commercial velocity transducers and drive units was studied under different working conditions. Different velocity reference waveforms in constant-acceleration, constant-velocity and programmable-velocity techniques were tested. Significant improvement in spectrometer efficiency and accuracy was achieved by replacing triangular and square hard edges with continuous smooth-shaped transitions. A criterion for best waveform selection and synchronization is presented and attainable enhancements are evaluated. In order to fully exploit this driving technique, a compact microprocessor-based architecture is proposed and a suitable data acquisition system implementation is presented. System linearity and efficiency characterization are also shown.

  16. Toward a generalized and high-throughput enzyme screening system based on artificial genetic circuits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Su-Lim; Rha, Eugene; Lee, Sang Jun; Kim, Haseong; Kwon, Kilkoang; Jeong, Young-Su; Rhee, Young Ha; Song, Jae Jun; Kim, Hak-Sung; Lee, Seung-Goo

    2014-03-21

    Large-scale screening of enzyme libraries is essential for the development of cost-effective biological processes, which will be indispensable for the production of sustainable biobased chemicals. Here, we introduce a genetic circuit termed the Genetic Enzyme Screening System that is highly useful for high-throughput enzyme screening from diverse microbial metagenomes. The circuit consists of two AND logics. The first AND logic, the two inputs of which are the target enzyme and its substrate, is responsible for the accumulation of a phenol compound in cell. Then, the phenol compound and its inducible transcription factor, whose activation turns on the expression of a reporter gene, interact in the other logic gate. We confirmed that an individual cell harboring this genetic circuit can present approximately a 100-fold higher cellular fluorescence than the negative control and can be easily quantified by flow cytometry depending on the amounts of phenolic derivatives. The high sensitivity of the genetic circuit enables the rapid discovery of novel enzymes from metagenomic libraries, even for genes that show marginal activities in a host system. The crucial feature of this approach is that this single system can be used to screen a variety of enzymes that produce a phenol compound from respective synthetic phenyl-substrates, including cellulase, lipase, alkaline phosphatase, tyrosine phenol-lyase, and methyl parathion hydrolase. Consequently, the highly sensitive and quantitative nature of this genetic circuit along with flow cytometry techniques could provide a widely applicable toolkit for discovering and engineering novel enzymes at a single cell level.

  17. A laboratory device for evaluation and study in the filed of ultrasonic transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vasiliu, S.

    1978-12-01

    A laboratory device for evaluation of the ultrasonic transducers, in view of adequate selection according to the testing requirements is presented. Recordings of ultrasonic beam of some transducers delivered as being of the same type are presented, showing important departures from specifications of the characteristics. Some of transducers evaluated have not been found acceptable for NDT in the nuclear field. (author)

  18. Angle transducer based on fiber Bragg gratings able for tunnel auscultation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quintela, A.; Lázaro, J. M.; Quintela, M. A.; Mirapeix, J.; Muñoz-Berti, V.; López-Higuera, J. M.

    2010-09-01

    In this paper an angle transducer based on Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) is presented. Two gratings are glued to a metallic platen, one in each side. It is insensitive to temperature changes, given that the temperature shifts affect equally to both FBG. When the platen is uniformly bent an uniform strain appears in both sides of the platen. It depends on the bend angle and the platen length and thickness. The transducer has been designed to be used in the auscultation of tunnels during their construction process and during their live time. The transducer design and its characterization are presented.

  19. Initial Design and Quick Analysis of SAW Ultra–Wideband HFM Transducers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Janeliauskas

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents techniques for initial design and quick fundamental and harmonic operation analysis of surface acoustic waves ultra–wideband hyperbolically frequency modulated (HFM interdigital transducer (IDT. The primary analysis is based on the quasi–static method. Quasi–electrostatic charge's density distribution was approximated by Chebyshev polynomials and the method of Green’s function. It assesses the non uniform charge distribution of electrodes, electric field interaction and the end effects of a whole transducer. It was found that numerical integration (e.g. Romberg, Gauss–Chebyshev requires a lot of machine time for calculation of the Chebyshev polynomial and the Green’s function convolution when integration includes coordinates of a large number of neighboring electrodes. In order to accelerate the charge density calculation, the analytic expressions are derived. Evaluation of HFM transducer fundamental and harmonics' operation amplitude response with simulation single–dispersive interdigital chirp filter structure is presented. Elapsed time of HFM IDT with 589 electrodes simulations and 2000 frequency response point is only 54 seconds (0.027 s/point on PC with CPU Intel Core I7–4770S. Amplitude response is compared with linear frequency modulated (LFM IDT response. It was determined that the HFM transducer characteristic is less distorted in comparison with LFM transducer.

  20. Progress towards developing neutron tolerant magnetostrictive and piezoelectric transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reinhardt, Brian; Tittmann, Bernhard; Rempe, Joy; Daw, Joshua; Kohse, Gordon; Carpenter, David; Ames, Michael; Ostrovsky, Yakov; Ramuhalli, Pradeep; Montgomery, Robert; Chien, Hualte; Wernsman, Bernard

    2015-03-01

    Current generation light water reactors (LWRs), sodium cooled fast reactors (SFRs), small modular reactors (SMRs), and next generation nuclear plants (NGNPs) produce harsh environments in and near the reactor core that can severely tax material performance and limit component operational life. To address this issue, several Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) research programs are evaluating the long duration irradiation performance of fuel and structural materials used in existing and new reactors. In order to maximize the amount of information obtained from Material Testing Reactor (MTR) irradiations, DOE is also funding development of enhanced instrumentation that will be able to obtain in-situ, real-time data on key material characteristics and properties, with unprecedented accuracy and resolution. Such data are required to validate new multi-scale, multi-physics modeling tools under development as part of a science-based, engineering driven approach to reactor development. It is not feasible to obtain high resolution/microscale data with the current state of instrumentation technology. However, ultrasound-based sensors offer the ability to obtain such data if it is demonstrated that these sensors and their associated transducers are resistant to high neutron flux, high gamma radiation, and high temperature. To address this need, the Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility (ATR-NSUF) is funding an irradiation, led by PSU, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Reactor to test the survivability of ultrasound transducers. As part of this effort, PSU and collaborators have designed, fabricated, and provided piezoelectric and magnetostrictive transducers that are optimized to perform in harsh, high flux, environments. Four piezoelectric transducers were fabricated with either aluminum nitride, zinc oxide, or bismuth titanate as the active element that were coupled to either Kovar or aluminum waveguides and two

  1. Progress towards developing neutron tolerant magnetostrictive and piezoelectric transducers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reinhardt, Brian; Tittmann, Bernhard [The Pennsylvania State University (United States); Rempe, Joy; Daw, Joshua [Idaho National Laboratory (United States); Kohse, Gordon; Carpenter, David; Ames, Michael; Ostrovsky, Yakov [Massachusetts Institute of Technology (United States); Ramuhalli, Pradeep; Montgomery, Robert [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (United States); Chien, Hualte [Argonne National Laboratory (United States); Wernsman, Bernard [Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corp (United States)

    2015-03-31

    Current generation light water reactors (LWRs), sodium cooled fast reactors (SFRs), small modular reactors (SMRs), and next generation nuclear plants (NGNPs) produce harsh environments in and near the reactor core that can severely tax material performance and limit component operational life. To address this issue, several Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) research programs are evaluating the long duration irradiation performance of fuel and structural materials used in existing and new reactors. In order to maximize the amount of information obtained from Material Testing Reactor (MTR) irradiations, DOE is also funding development of enhanced instrumentation that will be able to obtain in-situ, real-time data on key material characteristics and properties, with unprecedented accuracy and resolution. Such data are required to validate new multi-scale, multi-physics modeling tools under development as part of a science-based, engineering driven approach to reactor development. It is not feasible to obtain high resolution/microscale data with the current state of instrumentation technology. However, ultrasound-based sensors offer the ability to obtain such data if it is demonstrated that these sensors and their associated transducers are resistant to high neutron flux, high gamma radiation, and high temperature. To address this need, the Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility (ATR-NSUF) is funding an irradiation, led by PSU, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Reactor to test the survivability of ultrasound transducers. As part of this effort, PSU and collaborators have designed, fabricated, and provided piezoelectric and magnetostrictive transducers that are optimized to perform in harsh, high flux, environments. Four piezoelectric transducers were fabricated with either aluminum nitride, zinc oxide, or bismuth titanate as the active element that were coupled to either Kovar or aluminum waveguides and two

  2. Transducer project and optimization of the ultra low magnetic field NMR tomograph reception system system; Projeto de transdutores e otimizacao do sistema de recepcao do tomografo de RMN de campo magnetico ultra baixo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vidoto, Edson Luiz Gea

    1995-12-31

    The aim of the present work was to optimize the signal to noise ratio in our NMR imaging system (TORM 005) by improving transducer`s reception quality through better designed coils, balanced tuning circuit for this coils and power decoupling circuits and by reducing interference from the electromagnetic environment. For this purpose, we had to modify the internal electromagnetic shielding and incorporate line filters in the more critical signals paths. Also, new types of coils were developed, improving the signal to noise ratio, and allowing us to make clinical exams with superior quality for several anatomies. Balanced circuits for tuning and matching of the coil were studied and built, allowing a reduction of the coil losses because patient`s load. This produced a more reliable coil tuning after positioning each new patient. Circuits to avoid the receiver input overload and decoupling circuits for the isolation of receiver coils from excitation coil were designed and incorporated to the TORM 005. All these alterations of our imaging system (TORM 005) contributed to a significant improvement in the signal to noise ratio, reliability and reproducibility of the system. This permitted to operate the system routinely for clinical applications, research and development in the area of ultra low magnetic field tomography. (author) 46 refs., 66 figs., 11 tabs.

  3. Transducer project and optimization of the ultra low magnetic field NMR tomograph reception system system; Projeto de transdutores e otimizacao do sistema de recepcao do tomografo de RMN de campo magnetico ultra baixo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vidoto, Edson Luiz Gea

    1996-12-31

    The aim of the present work was to optimize the signal to noise ratio in our NMR imaging system (TORM 005) by improving transducer`s reception quality through better designed coils, balanced tuning circuit for this coils and power decoupling circuits and by reducing interference from the electromagnetic environment. For this purpose, we had to modify the internal electromagnetic shielding and incorporate line filters in the more critical signals paths. Also, new types of coils were developed, improving the signal to noise ratio, and allowing us to make clinical exams with superior quality for several anatomies. Balanced circuits for tuning and matching of the coil were studied and built, allowing a reduction of the coil losses because patient`s load. This produced a more reliable coil tuning after positioning each new patient. Circuits to avoid the receiver input overload and decoupling circuits for the isolation of receiver coils from excitation coil were designed and incorporated to the TORM 005. All these alterations of our imaging system (TORM 005) contributed to a significant improvement in the signal to noise ratio, reliability and reproducibility of the system. This permitted to operate the system routinely for clinical applications, research and development in the area of ultra low magnetic field tomography. (author) 46 refs., 66 figs., 11 tabs.

  4. The pH-static enzyme sensor: design of the pH control system

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Schoot, B.H.; van der Schoot, Bart H.; Voorthuijzen, Hans; Voorthuyzen, J.A.; Bergveld, Piet

    1990-01-01

    The pH-static enzyme sensor offers a solution to the buffer dependency of ISFET-based enzyme sensors. A continuous coulometric titration of the reaction products keeps the pH in the enzymatic membrane at a constant level. This paper presents an automatic system to control the compensating current

  5. Actuators, transducers and motors based on giant magnetostrictive materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Claeyssen, F.; Lhermet, N.; Le Letty, R. [Cedrat Recherche, Meylan (France); Bouchilloux, P. [Magsoft Corporation, 1223 People`s Avenue, New York 12180 (United States)

    1997-08-01

    Rare earth-iron magnetostrictive alloys, especially Terfenol-D, feature ``giant`` magnetostrains: static strains of 1000-2000 ppm and dynamic strains of 3500 ppm are reported. These strains permit building various actuating devices (actuators, transducers, motors) both at macro and micro scale. The object of the paper is to recall adapted design methods, especially finite element methods such as ATILA, and to review these different kinds of devices studied at Cedrat Recherche, providing both up-dated experimental and numerical results. The presented devices will include several large displacement longitudinal and shear actuators biased using permanent magnets and used either as characterisation devices or as electromechanical actuators (for active damping, for sonar transducers..), a 1 kHz 4 kW Tonpilz-type sonar transducer called the tripode, a 2 N m torque rotating multi-mode motor, a torsion based drift free micro actuator and a wireless linear micromotor. (orig.)

  6. Phased transducer array for acoustic energy harvesting inside an MRI machine

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klymko, V.; Roes, M.G.L.; Duivenbode, van J.; Lomonova, E.

    2013-01-01

    In this study, an array of piezoelectric speakers is used to focus acoustic energy on a single transducer that acts as a harvester. The transmitting transducers are located along a curve that fits inside the magnetic resonance interferometer (MRI) torus interior. The numerical results for the

  7. A Low-Power CMOS Piezoelectric Transducer Based Energy Harvesting Circuit for Wearable Sensors for Medical Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Taeho Oh

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric vibration based energy harvesting systems have been widely utilized and researched as powering modules for various types of sensor systems due to their ease of integration and relatively high energy density compared to RF, thermal, and electrostatic based energy harvesting systems. In this paper, a low-power CMOS full-bridge rectifier is presented as a potential solution for an efficient energy harvesting system for piezoelectric transducers. The energy harvesting circuit consists of two n-channel MOSFETs (NMOS and two p-channel MOSFETs (PMOS devices implementing a full-bridge rectifier coupled with a switch control circuit based on a PMOS device driven by a comparator. With a load of 45 kΩ, the output rectifier voltage and the input piezoelectric transducer voltage are 694 mV and 703 mV, respectably, while the VOUT versus VIN conversion ratio is 98.7% with a PCE of 52.2%. The energy harvesting circuit has been designed using 130 nm standard CMOS process.

  8. Acoustic Levitation With One Transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barmatz, Martin B.

    1987-01-01

    Higher resonator modes enables simplification of equipment. Experimental acoustic levitator for high-temperature containerless processing has round cylindrical levitation chamber and only one acoustic transducer. Stable levitation of solid particle or liquid drop achieved by exciting sound in chamber to higher-order resonant mode that makes potential well for levitated particle or drop at some point within chamber.

  9. Proceedings of transducer 84 conference

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1984-01-01

    In the broad and varied field of sensors this conference reviews thermal sensors for temperature measurements, gas sensors for gas analysis (for example analysis of exhaust gases from vehicles), optical fiber sensors, applications for optics, mechanics, robotics and signal processing. In particular one of the applications concerns acoustical transducers operating in liquid sodium for LMFBR reactors.

  10. On-chip RF-to-optical transducer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Simonsen, Anders; Tsaturyan, Yeghishe; Seis, Yannick

    2016-01-01

    these diverse systems, plus technologies that utilize them, and the mature toolbox of optical techniques that routinely operates at the quantum limit. In a previous work [1], we demonstrated such a bridge by realizing simultaneous coupling between an electronic LC circuit and a quantum-noise limited optical...... noise temperatures far below the actual temperature of the mechanical element. On-chip integration of the electrical, mechanical and optical elements is necessary for an implementation of the transduction scheme that is viable for commercial applications. Reliable assembly of a strongly coupled...... electromechanical device, and inclusion of an optical cavity for enhanced optical readout, are key features of the new platform. Both can be achieved with standard cleanroom fabrication techniques. We will furthermore present ongoing work to couple our transducer to an RF or microwave antenna, for low...

  11. Accuracy of soil stress measurements as affected by transducer dimensions and shape

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lamandé, Mathieu; Keller, Thomas; Berisso, Feto Esimo

    2015-01-01

    Accurate measurements of soil stress are needed to evaluate the impact of traffic on soil properties and prevent soil compaction. Four types of transducer commonly used to measure vertical stress were calibrated in realistic traffic conditions in the field. The four transducer types differed...... in shape and dimensions, which are important factors influencing stress. Deviation of measured stress from true stress ranged from 15% underestimation to 18% overestimation, with transducer thickness to width ratio being the most important shape factor influencing the stress recorded. Changes in physical...... conditions in the soil above the transducers due to their installation did not influence the accuracy of vertical stress measurements. The results of this calibration are valid for correcting stress measurements in topsoil, but should be used with caution for vertical stress measurements in subsoil. All...

  12. Improving the Design of Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers Aided with Sensitivity Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A Martowicz

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the results of analysis performed to search for feasible design improvements for capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer. Carried out search has been aided with the sensitivity analysis and the application of Response Surface Method. The multiphysics approach has been taken into account in elaborated finite element model of one cell of described transducer in order to include significant physical phenomena present in modelled microdevice. The set of twelve input uncertain and design parameters consists of geometric, material and control properties. The amplitude of dynamic membrane deformation of the transducer has been chosen as studied parameter. The objective of performed study has been defined as the task of finding robust design configurations of the transducer, i.e. characterizing maximal value of deformation amplitude with its minimal variation.

  13. Failure Analysis of High-Power Piezoelectric Transducers

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Gabrielson, T. B

    2005-01-01

    ... and stress in a piezoelectric material. For a transducer operated near resonance, there will be "hot spots" or regions of locally intense stress and electric field that precipitate premature failure...

  14. Making transducers and sensors which lead to safer mining

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Laird, R

    1977-10-20

    MRDE work on transducers and sensors is described. A device containing a radioactive source has already been developed for detecting the edge of a coal seam; on a device which senses the edge of the seam by measuring natural radiation form the neighbouring rocks. Hard bands or dirt in a seam can be located by measuring pick force or pick vibrations. Environmental monitors, sensors for measuring pressure and flow in methane drainage pipes, vibration monitors for fans, means of detecting cage position in pit shaft, and bunker control systems are also mentioned.

  15. A rectangle-type linear ultrasonic motor using longitudinal vibration transducers with four driving feet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yingxiang; Chen, Weishan; Liu, Junkao; Shi, Shengjun

    2013-04-01

    To make full use of the vibrational energy of a longitudinal transducer, a rectangle-type linear ultrasonic motor with four driving feet is proposed in this paper. This new motor consists of four longitudinal vibration transducers which are arranged in a rectangle and form an enclosed construction. Lead zirconate titanate ceramics are embedded into the middle of the transducer and fastened by a wedge-caulking mechanism. Each transducer includes an exponentially shaped horn located on each end. The horns of the vertical transducers intersect at the base of the horizontal transducers' horns; the tip ends of the horizontal transducers' horns are used as the driving feet. Longitudinal vibrations are superimposed in the motor and generate elliptical movements at the tip ends of the horns. The working principle of the proposed motor is analyzed. The resonance frequencies of two working modes are tuned to be close to each other by adjusting the structural parameters. Transient analysis is developed to gain the vibration characteristics of the motor. A prototype motor is fabricated and measured. The vibration test results verify the feasibility of the proposed design. Typical output of the prototype is a no-load speed of 928 mm/s and maximum thrust force of 60 N at a voltage of 200 Vrms.

  16. Detection and generation of first sound in4He by vibrating superleak transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giordano, N.; Edison, N.

    1986-07-01

    Measurement is made of the first-sound generation and detection efficiencies of vibrating superleak transducers (VSTs) operated in superfluid4He. This is accomplished by using an ordinary pressure transducer to generate first sound with a VST as the detector, and by using a pressure transducer to detect the sound generated by a VST. The results are in reasonably good agreement with the current theory of VST operation.

  17. Detection and generation of first sound in 4He by vibrating superleak transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giordano, N.; Edison, N.

    1986-01-01

    Measurement is made of the first-sound generation and detection efficiencies of vibrating superleak transducers (VSTs) operated in superfluid 4 He. This is accomplished by using an ordinary pressure transducer to generate first sound with a VST as the detector, and by using a pressure transducer to detect the sound generated by a VST. The results are in reasonably good agreement with the current theory of VST operation

  18. Evaluation of pressure transducers to measure surface level in the waste storage tanks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peters, T.J.; Colson, J.B.

    1994-06-01

    This report describes the results of tests conducted at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) to determine if pressure transducers can be used to measure the surface level in the waste tanks. A survey was first conducted to evaluate which, if any, commercially available pressure transducers were available that could meet the requirements for use in the waste tanks. More than 35 companies were contacted to determine if they manufactured a pressure transducer that could be used in the 101-SY waste tank. The three basic requirements for a pressure transducer for this application were that they were radiation-hardened, could withstand a caustic environment, and were certified to be intrinsically safe. No manufacturer was able to meet all three of these requirements with a commercially available product. Seven companies were able to meet the requirements for being radiation-hardened and being able to withstand the caustic environment. However, only two of the nine companies were willing to supply a pressure transducer for laboratory testing. The two pressure transducers that were tested in this program were the VEGA D36-38 from HiTech Technologies, Inc., and the KP-1911-A from Kaman Instrumentation Corporation. Pressure transducers operate on the principle that the pressure at the location of a sensor increases directly with the depth of the liquid above it. A liquid is required in order for these devices to operate. For these tests, water was first used to determine the ideal operation of the devices, then the devices were placed in a 101-SY waste tank simulant. The simulant had a specific gravity of 1.96 and had the consistency similar to the convective layer in the 101-SY waste tank. In order to determine the surface level with pressure transducers, the density of the material needs to be known

  19. Purification and characterization of the bifunctional uridylyltransferase and the signal transducing proteins GlnB and GlnK from Herbaspirillum seropedicae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonatto, Ana C; Couto, Gustavo H; Souza, Emanuel M; Araújo, Luiza M; Pedrosa, Fabio O; Noindorf, Lilian; Benelli, Elaine M

    2007-10-01

    GlnD is a bifunctional uridylyltransferase/uridylyl-removing enzyme that has a central role in the general nitrogen regulatory system NTR. In enterobacteria, GlnD uridylylates the PII proteins GlnB and GlnK under low levels of fixed nitrogen or ammonium. Under high ammonium levels, GlnD removes UMP from these proteins (deuridylylation). The PII proteins are signal transduction elements that integrate the signals of nitrogen, carbon and energy, and transduce this information to proteins involved in nitrogen metabolism. In Herbaspirillum seropedicae, an endophytic diazotroph isolated from grasses, several genes coding for proteins involved in nitrogen metabolism have been identified and cloned, including glnB, glnK and glnD. In this work, the GlnB, GlnK and GlnD proteins of H. seropedicae were overexpressed in their native forms, purified and used to reconstitute the uridylylation system in vitro. The results show that H. seropedicae GlnD uridylylates GlnB and GlnK trimers producing the forms PII (UMP)(1), PII (UMP)(2) and PII (UMP)(3), in a reaction that requires 2-oxoglutarate and ATP, and is inhibited by glutamine. The quantification of these PII forms indicates that GlnB was more efficiently uridylylated than GlnK in the system used.

  20. Eliminating transducer distortion in acoustic measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Agerkvist, Finn T.; Torras Rosell, Antoni; McWalter, Richard Ian

    2014-01-01

    This paper investigates the in uence of nonlinear components that contaminate the linear response of acoustic transducer, and presents a method for eliminating the in uence of nonlinearities in acoustic measurements. The method is evaluated on simulated as well as experimental data, and is shown...

  1. Ultrasound power measurements of HITU transducer with a more stable radiation force balance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karaboece, B; Sadiko'lu, E; Bilgic, E

    2011-01-01

    A new radiation force balance (RFB) system was established at Turkish National Metrology Institute (UME) Ultrasonics Laboratory for High intensity therapeutic ultrasound (HITU) power measurements. The new system is highly stable at high power levels up to 500 Watts. The measurement system consists of a Plexiglas cylindrical balance arm, target mounting scale disks, conical reflecting and absorbing targets, adjustment nuts, and a hanging wire. Both of the two sides of balance were mounted similar size and weight targets. The equilibrium of the balance arm can be adjusted with nuts on screws located at both sides of the balance arm. Transducer was mounted to bottom of water tank. Absorbers in the bottom and the near walls of the tank were used for reflecting target case. Ultrasound power was applied to one scale of the balance where the reflecting/absorbing target was mounted and corresponding force was measured on the other scale of balance where was connected to a balance with a thin wire while the thin rest standing on a support. Ultrasound power of two HITU transducers at frequencies 0.93 MHz, 1.1 MHz and 3.3 MHz were measured with conventional and new system, the values were compared and uncertainty components were assessed in this paper.

  2. Ultrasound power measurements of HITU transducer with a more stable radiation force balance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karaboece, B; Sadiko' lu, E; Bilgic, E, E-mail: baki.karaboce@ume.tubitak.gov.t [Tuebitak Ulusal Metroloji Enstituesue (UME), P.K. 54 41470 Gebze-Kocaeli (Turkey)

    2011-02-01

    A new radiation force balance (RFB) system was established at Turkish National Metrology Institute (UME) Ultrasonics Laboratory for High intensity therapeutic ultrasound (HITU) power measurements. The new system is highly stable at high power levels up to 500 Watts. The measurement system consists of a Plexiglas cylindrical balance arm, target mounting scale disks, conical reflecting and absorbing targets, adjustment nuts, and a hanging wire. Both of the two sides of balance were mounted similar size and weight targets. The equilibrium of the balance arm can be adjusted with nuts on screws located at both sides of the balance arm. Transducer was mounted to bottom of water tank. Absorbers in the bottom and the near walls of the tank were used for reflecting target case. Ultrasound power was applied to one scale of the balance where the reflecting/absorbing target was mounted and corresponding force was measured on the other scale of balance where was connected to a balance with a thin wire while the thin rest standing on a support. Ultrasound power of two HITU transducers at frequencies 0.93 MHz, 1.1 MHz and 3.3 MHz were measured with conventional and new system, the values were compared and uncertainty components were assessed in this paper.

  3. PSpice Modeling of a Sandwich Piezoelectric Ceramic Ultrasonic Transducer in Longitudinal Vibration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Xiaoyuan; Yang, Yuan; Yao, Wenqing; Zhang, Lei

    2017-09-30

    Sandwiched piezoelectric transducers are widely used, especially in high power applications. For more convenient analysis and design, a PSpice lossy model of sandwiched piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers in longitudinal vibration is proposed by means of the one-dimensional wave and transmission line theories. With the proposed model, the resonance and antiresonance frequencies are obtained, and it is shown that the simulations and measurements have good consistency. For the purpose of further verification the accuracy and application of the PSpice model, a pitch-catch setup and an experimental platform are built. They include two sandwiched piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers and two aluminum cylinders whose lengths are 20 mm and 100 mm respectively. Based on this pitch-catch setup, the impedance and transient analysis are performed. Compared with the measured results, it is shown that the simulated results have good consistency. In addition, the conclusion can be drawn that the optimal excitation frequency for the pitch-catch setup is not necessarily the resonance frequency of ultrasonic transducers, because the resonance frequency is obtained under no load. The proposed PSpice model of the sandwiched piezoelectric transducer is more conveniently applied to combine with other circuits such as driving circuits, filters, amplifiers, and so on.

  4. Inspection of complex geometry pieces with an intelligent contact transducer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chatillon, S.; Roy, O.; Mahaut, St.

    2000-01-01

    A new multi-element contact transducer has been developed to improve the inspection of components with complex geometry. The emitting surface is flexible in order to optimize the contact with pieces. An algorithm, based on a simplified geometric model, has been used to determine the delays law which allows to control the focal characteristics of the transmitted field. Acquisition data lead in transmission with an articulated transducer validate the behavior provided by simulation. Thus the optimization of the delays law ensures the transmission of a beam which is homogeneous and controlled during the moving of the transducer. Inspections in echo-pulse mode are implemented on a sample simulating a component controlled on site. Results show that the dynamical adaptation of the delays law to the geometry of the piece leads to very good performances

  5. The EnzymeTracker: an open-source laboratory information management system for sample tracking

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Triplet Thomas

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In many laboratories, researchers store experimental data on their own workstation using spreadsheets. However, this approach poses a number of problems, ranging from sharing issues to inefficient data-mining. Standard spreadsheets are also error-prone, as data do not undergo any validation process. To overcome spreadsheets inherent limitations, a number of proprietary systems have been developed, which laboratories need to pay expensive license fees for. Those costs are usually prohibitive for most laboratories and prevent scientists from benefiting from more sophisticated data management systems. Results In this paper, we propose the EnzymeTracker, a web-based laboratory information management system for sample tracking, as an open-source and flexible alternative that aims at facilitating entry, mining and sharing of experimental biological data. The EnzymeTracker features online spreadsheets and tools for monitoring numerous experiments conducted by several collaborators to identify and characterize samples. It also provides libraries of shared data such as protocols, and administration tools for data access control using OpenID and user/team management. Our system relies on a database management system for efficient data indexing and management and a user-friendly AJAX interface that can be accessed over the Internet. The EnzymeTracker facilitates data entry by dynamically suggesting entries and providing smart data-mining tools to effectively retrieve data. Our system features a number of tools to visualize and annotate experimental data, and export highly customizable reports. It also supports QR matrix barcoding to facilitate sample tracking. Conclusions The EnzymeTracker was designed to be easy to use and offers many benefits over spreadsheets, thus presenting the characteristics required to facilitate acceptance by the scientific community. It has been successfully used for 20 months on a daily basis by over 50

  6. Superconducting microwave cavity parametric converter transducer sensitive to 10-19 M harmonic motion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reece, C.E.

    1984-01-01

    Toward the development of a transducer suitable for the detection of high frequency gravitational effects, a superconducting microwave coupled-cavity parametric converter transducer has been analyzed, developed and tested. An analysis is presented of the intermodal parametric conversion which is produced by harmonic perturbaton of the length of a 10 GHz TE 011 mode cylindrical resonant cavity. The converter is examined as a transducer of displacement with harmonic frequency near the intermodal difference frequency. Transducer sensitivity dependence upon cavity tunings, couplings, and Q-factors is analyzed and experimentally tested with excellent agreement. The transducer consists of two identical coupled TE 011 niobium cavities with one endwall driven into mechanical oscillation by an externally mounted piezoelectric ceramic. A displacement with effective amplitude (3.7 +/- 1.3) x 10 -19 m and frequency 1.13 MHz has been observed by detecting a 10GHz conversion power of 10 -21 watts. This measurement was obtained with 0.12 mJ stored in a cavity resonance with an unloaded Q-factor of 6.7 x 10 8 at 1.55 0 K. The applications of this device in the detection of high frequency gravitational effects are also discussed. Finally, the prospects for improvement of transducer sensitivity and the ultimate limitations are presented

  7. A stable murine-based RD114 retroviral packaging line efficiently transduces human hematopoietic cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ward, Maureen; Sattler, Rose; Grossman, I Robert; Bell, Anthony J; Skerrett, Donna; Baxi, Laxmi; Bank, Arthur

    2003-11-01

    Several barriers exist to high-efficiency transfer of therapeutic genes into human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) using complex oncoretroviral vectors. Human clinical trials to date have used Moloney leukemia virus-based amphotropic and gibbon ape leukemia virus-based envelopes in stable retroviral packaging lines. However, retroviruses pseudotyped with these envelopes have low titers due to the inability to concentrate viral supernatants efficiently by centrifugation without damaging the virus and low transduction efficiencies because of low-level expression of viral target receptors on human HSC. The RD114 envelope from the feline endogenous virus has been shown to transduce human CD34+ cells using transient packaging systems and to be concentrated to high titers by centrifugation. Stable packaging systems have potential advantages over transient systems because greater and more reproducible viral productions can be attained. We have, therefore, constructed and tested a stable RD114-expressing packaging line capable of high-level transduction of human CD34+ cells. Viral particles from this cell line were concentrated up to 100-fold (up to 10(7) viral particles/ml) by ultracentrifugation. Human hematopoietic progenitors from cord blood and sickle cell CD34+ cells were efficiently transduced with a Neo(R)-containing vector after a single exposure to concentrated RD114-pseudotyped virus produced from this cell line. Up to 78% of progenitors from transduced cord blood CD34+ cells and 51% of progenitors from sickle cell CD34+ cells expressed the NeoR gene. We also show transfer of a human beta-globin gene into progenitor cells from CD34+ cells from sickle cell patients with this new RD114 stable packaging system. The results indicate that this packaging line may eventually be useful in human clinical trials of globin gene therapy.

  8. Guided acoustic wave inspection system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chinn, Diane J.

    2004-10-05

    A system for inspecting a conduit for undesirable characteristics. A transducer system induces guided acoustic waves onto said conduit. The transducer system detects the undesirable characteristics of the conduit by receiving guided acoustic waves that contain information about the undesirable characteristics. The conduit has at least two sides and the transducer system utilizes flexural modes of propagation to provide inspection using access from only the one side of the conduit. Cracking is detected with pulse-echo testing using one transducer to both send and receive the guided acoustic waves. Thinning is detected in through-transmission testing where one transducer sends and another transducer receives the guided acoustic waves.

  9. Enzyme-regulated the changes of pH values for assembling a colorimetric and multistage interconnection logic network with multiple readouts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yanyan; Ran, Xiang; Lin, Youhui; Ren, Jinsong; Qu, Xiaogang

    2015-04-22

    Based on enzymatic reactions-triggered changes of pH values and biocomputing, a novel and multistage interconnection biological network with multiple easy-detectable signal outputs has been developed. Compared with traditional chemical computing, the enzyme-based biological system could overcome the interference between reactions or the incompatibility of individual computing gates and offer a unique opportunity to assemble multicomponent/multifunctional logic circuitries. Our system included four enzyme inputs: β-galactosidase (β-gal), glucose oxidase (GOx), esterase (Est) and urease (Ur). With the assistance of two signal transducers (gold nanoparticles and acid-base indicators) or pH meter, the outputs of the biological network could be conveniently read by the naked eyes. In contrast to current methods, the approach present here could realize cost-effective, label-free and colorimetric logic operations without complicated instrument. By designing a series of Boolean logic operations, we could logically make judgment of the compositions of the samples on the basis of visual output signals. Our work offered a promising paradigm for future biological computing technology and might be highly useful in future intelligent diagnostics, prodrug activation, smart drug delivery, process control, and electronic applications. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Damage detection with concentrated configurations of piezoelectric transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wandowski, T; Malinowski, P; Ostachowicz, W M

    2011-01-01

    In this paper results of investigation on concentrated piezoelectric networks with different configurations are presented. They were used for elastic wave generation and acquisition. The elastic wave propagation phenomenon was used for damage localization in thin aluminium panels. This approach utilized the fact that any discontinuities existing in structural elements cause local changes of physical material properties which affect elastic wave propagation. Elastic waves were excited and received using piezoelectric transducer networks with different element arrangements. The method of transducer placement and the number of piezoelectric elements used had an influence on the accuracy of the damage localization algorithm. Obviously, the more elements there were, the more data had to be processed. After the acquisition process signal processing was conducted in order to create damage influence maps. These maps presents elastic wave energy connected with reflection from discontinuities. In order to create such a map a computer program was developed that assigns a mesh of points to the panel surface. At each point the energy of elastic wave reflection was calculated. This energy was extracted from the acquired signals. This paper summarizes an extensive experimental investigation that included three damage scenarios and twelve transducer configurations

  11. Gene therapy/bone marrow transplantation in ADA-deficient mice: roles of enzyme-replacement therapy and cytoreduction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Xiangyang; Wang, Xingchao; Yu, Xiao-Jin; Rozengurt, Nora; Kaufman, Michael L.; Wang, Xiaoyan; Gjertson, David; Zhou, Yang; Blackburn, Michael R.; Kohn, Donald B.

    2012-01-01

    Gene therapy (GT) for adenosine deaminase–deficient severe combined immune deficiency (ADA-SCID) can provide significant long-term benefit when patients are given nonmyeloablative conditioning and ADA enzyme-replacement therapy (ERT) is withheld before autologous transplantation of γ-retroviral vector-transduced BM CD34+ cells. To determine the contributions of conditioning and discontinuation of ERT to the therapeutic effects, we analyzed these factors in Ada gene knockout mice (Ada−/−). Mice were transplanted with ADA-deficient marrow transduced with an ADA-expressing γ-retroviral vector without preconditioning or after 200 cGy or 900 cGy total-body irradiation and evaluated after 4 months. In all tissues analyzed, vector copy numbers (VCNs) were 100- to 1000-fold greater in mice receiving 900 cGy compared with 200 cGy (P < .05). In mice receiving 200 cGy, VCN was similar whether ERT was stopped or given for 1 or 4 months after GT. In unconditioned mice, there was decreased survival with and without ERT, and VCN was very low to undetectable. When recipients were conditioned with 200 cGy and received transduced lineage-depleted marrow, only recipients receiving ERT (1 or 4 months) had detectable vector sequences in thymocytes. In conclusion, cytoreduction is important for the engraftment of gene-transduced HSC, and short-term ERT after GT did not diminish the capacity of gene-corrected cells to engraft and persist. PMID:22833548

  12. Test rig with active damping control for the simultaneous evaluation of vibration control and energy harvesting via piezoelectric transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perfetto, S; Rohlfing, J; Infante, F; Mayer, D; Herold, S

    2016-01-01

    Piezoelectric transducers can be used to harvest electrical energy from structural vibrations in order to power continuously operating condition monitoring systems local to where they operate. However, excessive vibrations can compromise the safe operation of mechanical systems. Therefore, absorbers are commonly used to control vibrations. With an integrated device, the mechanical energy that otherwise would be dissipated can be converted via piezoelectric transducers. Vibration absorbers are designed to have high damping factors. Hence, the integration of transducers would lead to a low energy conversion. Efficient energy harvesters usually have low damping capabilities; therefore, they are not effective for vibration suppression. Thus, the design of an integrated device needs to consider the two conflicting requirements on the damping. This study focuses on the development of a laboratory test rig with a host structure and a vibration absorber with tunable damping via an active relative velocity feedback. A voice coil actuator is used for this purpose. To overcome the passive damping effects of the back electromagnetic force a novel voltage feedback control is proposed, which has been validated both in simulation and experimentally. The aim of this study is to have a test rig ready for the introduction of piezo-transducers and available for future experimental evaluations of the damping effect on the effectiveness of vibration reduction and energy harvesting efficiency. (paper)

  13. Test rig with active damping control for the simultaneous evaluation of vibration control and energy harvesting via piezoelectric transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perfetto, S.; Rohlfing, J.; Infante, F.; Mayer, D.; Herold, S.

    2016-09-01

    Piezoelectric transducers can be used to harvest electrical energy from structural vibrations in order to power continuously operating condition monitoring systems local to where they operate. However, excessive vibrations can compromise the safe operation of mechanical systems. Therefore, absorbers are commonly used to control vibrations. With an integrated device, the mechanical energy that otherwise would be dissipated can be converted via piezoelectric transducers. Vibration absorbers are designed to have high damping factors. Hence, the integration of transducers would lead to a low energy conversion. Efficient energy harvesters usually have low damping capabilities; therefore, they are not effective for vibration suppression. Thus, the design of an integrated device needs to consider the two conflicting requirements on the damping. This study focuses on the development of a laboratory test rig with a host structure and a vibration absorber with tunable damping via an active relative velocity feedback. A voice coil actuator is used for this purpose. To overcome the passive damping effects of the back electromagnetic force a novel voltage feedback control is proposed, which has been validated both in simulation and experimentally. The aim of this study is to have a test rig ready for the introduction of piezo-transducers and available for future experimental evaluations of the damping effect on the effectiveness of vibration reduction and energy harvesting efficiency.

  14. Dissipation in vibrating superleak second sound transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giordano, N.

    1985-01-01

    We have performed an experimental study of the generation and detection of second sound in 4 He using vibrating superleak second sound transducers. At temperatures well below T/sub lambda/ and for low driving amplitudes, the magnitude of the generated second sound wave is proportional to the drive amplitude. However, near T/sub lambda/ and for high drive amplitudes this is no longer the case--instead, the second sound amplitude saturates. In this regime we also find that overtones of the drive frequency are generated. Our results suggest that this behavior is due to critical velocity effects in the pores of the superleak in the generator transducer. This type of measurement may prove to be a useful way in which to study critical velocity effects in confined geometries

  15. Research of Ultrasound-Mediated Transdermal Drug Delivery System Using Cymbal-Type Piezoelectric Composite Transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huan, Huiting; Gao, Chunming; Liu, Lixian; Sun, Qiming; Zhao, Binxing; Yan, Laijun

    2015-06-01

    Transdermal drug delivery (TDD) implemented by especially low-frequency ultrasound is generally known as sonophoresis or phonophoresis which has drawn considerable wide attention. However, TDD has not yet achieved its full potential as an alternative to conventional drug delivery methods due to its bulky instruments. In this paper, a cymbal-type piezoelectric composite transducer (CPCT) which has advantages over a traditional ultrasound generator in weight, flexibility, and power consumption, is used as a substitute ultrasonicator to realize TDD. First, theoretical research on a CPCT based on the finite element analysis was carried out according to which a series of applicable CPCTs with bandwidths of 20 kHz to 100 kHz were elaborated. Second, a TDD experimental setup was built with previously fabricated CPCTs aimed at the administration of glucose. Finally, the TDD performance of glucose molecule transport in porcine skin was measured in vitro by quantifying the concentration of glucose, and the time variation curves were subsequently obtained. During the experiment, the driving wave form, frequency, and power consumption of the transducers were selected as the main elements which determined the efficacy of glucose delivery. The results indicate that the effectiveness of the CPCT-based delivery is constrained more by the frequency and intensity of ultrasound rather than the driving waveform. The light-weight, flexibility, and low-power consumption of a CPCT can potentially achieve effective TDD.

  16. Phononic Crystal Waveguide Transducers for Nonlinear Elastic Wave Sensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciampa, Francesco; Mankar, Akash; Marini, Andrea

    2017-11-07

    Second harmonic generation is one of the most sensitive and reliable nonlinear elastic signatures for micro-damage assessment. However, its detection requires powerful amplification systems generating fictitious harmonics that are difficult to discern from pure nonlinear elastic effects. Current state-of-the-art nonlinear ultrasonic methods still involve impractical solutions such as cumbersome signal calibration processes and substantial modifications of the test component in order to create material-based tunable harmonic filters. Here we propose and demonstrate a valid and sensible alternative strategy involving the development of an ultrasonic phononic crystal waveguide transducer that exhibits both single and multiple frequency stop-bands filtering out fictitious second harmonic frequencies. Remarkably, such a sensing device can be easily fabricated and integrated on the surface of the test structure without altering its mechanical and geometrical properties. The design of the phononic crystal structure is supported by a perturbative theoretical model predicting the frequency band-gaps of periodic plates with sinusoidal corrugation. We find our theoretical findings in excellent agreement with experimental testing revealing that the proposed phononic crystal waveguide transducer successfully attenuates second harmonics caused by the ultrasonic equipment, thus demonstrating its wide range of potential applications for acousto/ultrasonic material damage inspection.

  17. Competitive enzyme immunoassay for human chorionic somatomammotropin using the avidin-biotin system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rappuoli, R.; Leoncini, P.; Tarli, P.; Neri, P.

    1981-01-01

    Human chorionic somatomammotropin (HCS) is determined by an enzyme immunoassay where HCS competes with biotin-labeled HCS for insolubilized anti-HCS antibodies. Enzyme-labeled avidin is then used to reveal the amount of bound HCS. The system proves to be sensitive (1 ng/ml of HCS can be detected) and results agree with radioimmunoassay determinations (correlation coefficient = 0.979). Kinetics of the avidin-biotin reaction and coating of polystyrene wells are also investigated

  18. Monitoring of composite structures using a network of integrated PVDF film transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guzmán, Enrique; Cugnoni, Joël; Gmür, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    Aiming to reduce costs, polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) film patches are an emerging alternative to more classic piezoelectric technologies, like ceramic patches, as transducers to measure local deformation in many structural applications. This choice is supported by advantages such as the low weight and mechanical flexibility of PVDF, making this polymer suitable for embedding inside full scale polymer based composite structures. Piezoelectric transducer patches can be used as actuators to dynamically excite full-scale composite structures, and as sensors to measure the strain. The main objective of this paper is to verify that the PVDF transducers can provide exploitable signals in the context of structural health monitoring. In order to do so, two aspects of the design of transducer network are investigated: the optimization of the sensor network, for which the effective independence method is proposed, and the use of operational modal analysis (OMA), since it is a simple method to extract the natural frequencies of a structure from a time series. The results of the analysis are compared to a reference set issued from experimental modal analysis (EMA), a simple, well-known, classic method, which is carried out using accelerometers and an impact hammer. By statistical means, it is shown that there is no significant difference between the two methods, and an optimized PVDF transducer network combined with OMA can perform the dynamic analysis of a structure as well as a classic EMA setup would do. This leads the way to the use of low-cost PVDF embedded transducer networks for robust composite material characterization. (paper)

  19. Bulk Shear-Wave Transduction Experiments Using Magnetostrictive Transducers with a Thin Fe-Co Alloy Patch

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Jae Ha; Cho, Seung Hyun; Ahn, Bong Young; Kwon, Hyu Sang [Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-08-15

    Recently, the results of many studies have clarified the successful performance of magnetostrictive transducers in which a ferromagnetic patch is used for the transduction of guided shear waves; this is because a thin ferromagnetic patch with strong magnetostriction is very useful for generating and detecting shear wave. This investigation deals with bulk shear wave transduction by means of magnetostriction; on the other hand, the existing studies have been focused on guided shear waves. A modular transducer was developed: this transducer comprised a coil, magnets, and a thin ferromagnetic patch that was made of Fe-Co alloy. Some experiments were conducted to verify the performance of the developed transducer. Radiation directivity pattern of the developed transducer was obtained, and a test to detect the damage on a side drill hole of a steel block specimen was carried out. From the results of these tests, the good performance of the transducer for nondestructive testing was verified on the basis of the signal-to-noise ratio and narrow beam directivity.

  20. Detecting failed elements on phased array ultrasound transducers using the Edinburgh Pipe Phantom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inglis, Scott; Pye, Stephen D

    2016-01-01

    Aims Imaging faults with ultrasound transducers are common. Failed elements on linear and curvilinear array transducers can usually be detected with a simple image uniformity or ‘paperclip’ test. However, this method is less effective for phased array transducers, commonly used in cardiac imaging. The aim of this study was to assess whether the presence of failed elements could be detected through measurement of the resolution integral (R) using the Edinburgh Pipe Phantom. Methods A 128-element paediatric phased array transducer was studied. Failed elements were simulated using layered polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tape as an attenuator and measurements of resolution integral were carried out for several widths of attenuator. Results All widths of attenuator greater than 0.5 mm resulted in a significant reduction in resolution integral and low contrast penetration measurements compared to baseline (p tests to detect failed elements on phased array transducers. Particularly encouraging is the result for low contrast penetration as this is a quick and simple measurement to make and can be performed with many different test objects, thus enabling ‘in-the-field’ checks. PMID:27482276

  1. ACT listening test[Active transducers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Agerkvist, F. [Oersted, DTU, Kgs. Lyngby (Denmark); Fenger, L.M. [Bang and Olufsen ICEPower a/s, Kgs. Lyngby (Denmark)

    2004-07-01

    This report describes the series of subjective listening that was performed in order to test the subjective quality of the integration of amplifier and loudspeaker developed in the Active transducer project. The project is a fundamental study of the loss mechanisms in loudspeakers and amplifiers. The project has resulted in new switch mode amplifier topologies with very high audio performance at a very low cost. (BA)

  2. Studies on cell-free metabolism: ethanol production by a yeast glycolytic system reconstituted from purified enzymes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Welch, P; Scopes, R K

    1985-07-01

    A reconstituted glycolytic system has been established from individually purified enzymes to simulate the conversion of glucose to ethanol plus CO/sub 2/ by yeast. Sustained and extensive conversion occurred provided that input of glucose matched the rate of ATP degradation appropriately. ATPase activity could be replaced by arsenate, which uncoupled ATP synthesis from glycolysis. The mode of uncoupling was investigated, and it was concluded that the artificial intermediate, 1-arseno-3-phosphoglycerate, has a half-life of no more than a few milliseconds. Arsenate at 4 mM concentration could simulate the equivalent of 10 ..mu..mol/ml min. of ATPase activity. The reconstituted enzyme system was capable of totally degrading one M (18% w/v) glucose in 8 hours giving 9% (w/v) ethanol. The levels of metabolites during metabolism were measured to detect rate-limiting steps. The successful operation of the reconstituted enzyme system demonstrates that it is possible to carry out complex chemical transformations with multiple enzyme systems in vitro. 36 references.

  3. PSpice Modeling of a Sandwich Piezoelectric Ceramic Ultrasonic Transducer in Longitudinal Vibration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoyuan Wei

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Sandwiched piezoelectric transducers are widely used, especially in high power applications. For more convenient analysis and design, a PSpice lossy model of sandwiched piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers in longitudinal vibration is proposed by means of the one-dimensional wave and transmission line theories. With the proposed model, the resonance and antiresonance frequencies are obtained, and it is shown that the simulations and measurements have good consistency. For the purpose of further verification the accuracy and application of the PSpice model, a pitch-catch setup and an experimental platform are built. They include two sandwiched piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers and two aluminum cylinders whose lengths are 20 mm and 100 mm respectively. Based on this pitch-catch setup, the impedance and transient analysis are performed. Compared with the measured results, it is shown that the simulated results have good consistency. In addition, the conclusion can be drawn that the optimal excitation frequency for the pitch-catch setup is not necessarily the resonance frequency of ultrasonic transducers, because the resonance frequency is obtained under no load. The proposed PSpice model of the sandwiched piezoelectric transducer is more conveniently applied to combine with other circuits such as driving circuits, filters, amplifiers, and so on.

  4. Monitoring of the submerged arc welding process using current and voltage transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barrera, G.; Velez, M.; Espinosa, M.A.; Santos, O.; Barrera, E.; Gomez, G.

    1996-01-01

    Welding by fusion is one of the most used techniques to join materials in the manufacture industry. given the increase in applications of this welding process and the demand of more quality in the welding deposits, these welding processes are good candidates for the improvement of their instrumentation and control. Any improvement in the control technique will have a positive effect in the quality and productivity of the welding process. Some of the most significant variables in the submerged arc welding process are: current, voltage and torch speed. For the instrumentation of this research work, two transducers were designed, one for CD current monitoring and one for CD voltage monitoring of the welding machine. The design of both transducers includes an isolation amplifier. Graphical programming and the concept of virtual instrumentation were the main tools used for the design of the data acquisition system and the signal processing task. (Author) 9 refs

  5. Where do the immunostimulatory effects of oral proteolytic enzymes ('systemic enzyme therapy') come from? Microbial proteolysis as a possible starting point.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biziulevicius, Gediminas A

    2006-01-01

    Enteric-coated proteolytic enzyme preparations like Wobenzym and Phlogenzym are widely used for the so-called 'systemic enzyme therapy' both in humans and animals. Numerous publications reveal that oral proteolytic enzymes are able to stimulate directly the activity of immune competent cells as well as to increase efficiency of some of their products. But origins of the immunostimulatory effects of oral proteolytic enzymes are still unclear. The hypothesis described here suggests that it may be proteolysis of intestinal microorganisms that makes the immune competent cells to work in the immunostimulatory manner. The hypothesis was largely formed by several scientific observations: First, microbial lysis products (lipopolysaccharides, muropeptides and other peptidoglycan fragments, beta-glucans, etc.) are well known for their immunostimulatory action. Second, a normal human being hosts a mass of intestinal microorganisms equivalent to about 1 kg. The biomass (mainly due to naturally occurring autolysis) continuously supplies the host's organism with immunostimulatory microbial cell components. Third, the immunostimulatory effects resulting from the oral application of exogenously acting antimicrobial (lytic) enzyme preparations, such as lysozyme and lysosubtilin, are likely to be a result of the action of microbial lysis products. Fourth, cell walls of most microorganisms contain a considerable amount of proteins/peptides, a possible target for exogenous proteolytic enzymes. In fact, several authors have already shown that a number of proteases possess an ability to lyse the microbial cells in vitro. Fifth, the pretreatment of microbial cells (at least of some species) in vitro with proteolytic enzymes makes them more sensitive to the lytic action of lysozyme and, otherwise, pretreatment with lysozyme makes them more susceptible to proteolytic degradation. Sixth, exogenous proteases, when in the intestines, may participate in final steps of food-protein digestion

  6. Influence of Ultrasonic Nonlinear Propagation on Hydrophone Calibration Using Two-Transducer Reciprocity Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshioka, Masahiro; Sato, Sojun; Kikuchi, Tsuneo; Matsuda, Yoichi

    2006-05-01

    In this study, the influence of ultrasonic nonlinear propagation on hydrophone calibration by the two-transducer reciprocity method is investigated quantitatively using the Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov (KZK) equation. It is proposed that the correction for the diffraction and attenuation of ultrasonic waves used in two-transducer reciprocity calibration can be derived using the KZK equation to remove the influence of nonlinear propagation. The validity of the correction is confirmed by comparing the sensitivities calibrated by the two-transducer reciprocity method and laser interferometry.

  7. Hepatoprotective effects of Nigella sativa L and Urtica dioica L on lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzyme systems and liver enzymes in carbon tetrachloride-treated rats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanter, Mehmet; Coskun, Omer; Budancamanak, Mustafa

    2005-01-01

    AIM: To investigate the effects of Nigella sativa L (NS) and Urtica dioica L (UD) on lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzyme systems and liver enzymes in CCl4-treated rats. METHODS: Fifty-six healthy male Wistar albino rats were used in this study. The rats were randomly allotted into one of the four experimental groups: A (CCl4-only treated), B (CCl4+UD treated), C (CCl4+NS treated) and D (CCl4+UD+NS treated), each containing 14 animals. All groups received CCl4 (0.8 mL/kg of body weight, sc, twice a week for 60 d). In addition, B, C and D groups also received daily i.p. injections of 0.2 mL/kg NS or/and 2 mL/kg UD oils for 60 d. Group A, on the other hand, received only 2 mL/kg normal saline solution for 60 d. Blood samples for the biochemical analysis were taken by cardiac puncture from randomly chosen-seven rats in each treatment group at beginning and on the 60th d of the experiment. RESULTS: The CCl4 treatment for 60 d increased the lipid peroxidation and liver enzymes, and also decreased the antioxidant enzyme levels. NS or UD treatment (alone or combination) for 60 d decreased the elevated lipid peroxidation and liver enzyme levels and also increased the reduced antioxidant enzyme levels. The weight of rats decreased in group A, and increased in groups B, C and D. CONCLUSION: NS and UD decrease the lipid per-oxidation and liver enzymes, and increase the anti-oxidant defense system activity in the CCl4-treated rats. PMID:16425366

  8. Near-field multiple traps of paraxial acoustic vortices with strengthened gradient force generated by sector transducer array

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qingdong; Li, Yuzhi; Ma, Qingyu; Guo, Gepu; Tu, Juan; Zhang, Dong

    2018-01-01

    In order to improve the capability of particle trapping close to the source plane, theoretical and experimental studies on near-field multiple traps of paraxial acoustic vortices (AVs) with a strengthened acoustic gradient force (AGF) generated by a sector transducer array were conducted. By applying the integration of point source radiation, numerical simulations for the acoustic fields generated by the sector transducer array were conducted and compared with those produced by the circular transducer array. It was proved that strengthened AGFs of near-field multiple AVs with higher peak pressures and smaller vortex radii could be produced by the sector transducer array with a small topological charge. The axial distributions of the equivalent potential gradient indicated that the AGFs of paraxial AVs in the near field were much higher than those in the far field, and the distances at the near-field vortex antinodes were also proved to be the ideal trapping positions with relatively higher AGFs. With the established 8-channel AV generation system, theoretical studies were also verified by the experimental measurements of pressure and phase for AVs with various topological charges. The formation of near-field multiple paraxial AVs was verified by the cross-sectional circular pressure distributions with perfect phase spirals around central pressure nulls, and was also proved by the vortex nodes and antinodes along the center axis. The favorable results demonstrated the feasibility of generating near-field multiple traps of paraxial AVs with strengthened AGF using the sector transducer array, and suggested the potential applications of close-range particle trapping in biomedical engineering.

  9. Application of thermophilic enzymes and water jet system to cassava pulp.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaikaew, Siriporn; Maeno, Yuka; Visessanguan, Wonnop; Ogura, Kota; Sugino, Gaku; Lee, Seung-Hwan; Ishikawa, Kazuhiko

    2012-12-01

    Co-production of fermentable sugars and nanofibrillated cellulose from cassava pulp was achieved by the combination of thermophilic enzymes (endoglucanase, β-glucosidase, and α-amylase) and a new atomization system (Star Burst System; SBS), which employs opposing water jets. The SBS represents a key technology for providing cellulose nanofibers and improving the enzymatic saccharification of cassava pulp. Depending on the enzymes used, the production of glucose from cassava pulp treated with the SBS was 1.2- to 2.5-fold higher than that from pulp not treated with the SBS. Nanofibrillated cellulose with the gel-like property in suspension was produced (yield was over 90%) by α-amylase treatment, which completely released trapped starch granules from the fibrous cell wall structure of cassava pulp pretreated with the SBS. The SBS provides an environmentally low-impact pretreatment system for processing biomass material into value-added products. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Energetic balance in an ultrasonic reactor using focused or flat high frequency transducers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hallez, L; Touyeras, F; Hihn, J Y; Klima, J

    2007-09-01

    In order to undertake irradiation of polymer blocks or films by ultrasound, this paper deals with the measurements of ultrasonic power and its distribution within the cell by several methods. The electric power measured at the transducer input is compared to the ultrasonic power input to the cell evaluated by calorimetry and radiation force measurement for different generator settings. Results obtained in the specific case of new transducer types (composites and focused composites i.e., HIFU: high intensity focused ultrasound) provide an opportunity to conduct a discussion about measurement methods. It has thus been confirmed that these measurement techniques can be applied to HIFU transducers. For all cases, results underlined the fact that measurement of radiation pressure for power evaluation is more adapted to low powers (generator-transducer-liquid and sample.

  11. Development of ultrasonic testing equipment incorporating electromagnetic acoustic transducer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Michio; Kimura, Motohiko; Okano, Hideharu; Miyazawa, Tatsuo; Nagase, Koichi; Ishikawa, Masaaki

    1989-01-01

    An ultrasonic testing equipment for use in in-service inspection of nuclear power plant piping has been developed, which comprises an angle-beam electromagnetic acoustic transducer mounted on a vehicle for scanning the piping surface to be inspected. The transducer functions without direct contact with the piping surface through couplant, and the vehicle does not require a guide track installed on the piping surface, being equipped with magnetic wheels that adhere to the piping material, permitting it to travel along the circumferential weld joint of a carbon steel pipe. The equipment thus dispenses with the laborious manual work involved in preparing the piping for inspection, such as removal of protective coating, surface polishing and installation of guide track and thereby considerably reduces the duration of inspection. The functioning principle and structural features of the transducer and vehicle are described, together with the results of trial operation of a prototype unit, which proved a 1mm deep notch cut on a test piece of 25mm thick carbon steel plate to be locatable with an accuracy of ±2mm. (author)

  12. Structural model of standard ultrasonic transducer array developed for FEM analysis of mechanical crosstalk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Celmer, M; Opieliński, K J; Dopierała, M

    2018-02-01

    One of the reasons of distortions in ultrasonic imaging are crosstalk effects. They can be divided into groups according to the way of their formation. One of them is constituted by mechanical crosstalk, which is propagated by a construction of a multi-element array of piezoelectric transducers. When an individual transducer is excited, mechanical vibrations are transferred to adjacent construction components, thereby stimulating neighboring transducers to an undesired operation. In order to explore ways of the propagation of such vibrations, the authors developed the FEM model of the array of piezoelectric transducers designed for calculations in COMSOL Multiphysics software. Simulations of activating individual transducers and calculated electrical voltages appearing on transducers unstimulated intentionally, were performed in the time domain in order to assess the propagation velocity of different vibration modes through the construction elements. On this basis, conclusions were drawn in terms of the participation of various construction parts of the array of piezoelectric transducers in the process of creating the mechanical crosstalk. The elaborated FEM model allowed also to examine the ways aimed at reducing the transmission of mechanical crosstalk vibrations through the components of the array. Studies showed that correct cuts in the fasteners and the front layer improve the reduction of the mechanical crosstalk effect. The model can become a helpful tool in the process of design and modifications of manufactured ultrasonic arrays particularly in terms of mechanical crosstalk reduction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. The copying power of one-state tree transducers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Engelfriet, Joost; Skyum, Sven

    1982-01-01

    One-state deterministic top-down tree transducers (or, tree homomorphisms) cannot handle “prime copying,” i.e., their class of output (string) languages is not closed under the operation L → {$(w$)f(n) short parallel w ε L, f(n) greater-or-equal, slanted 1}, where f is any integer function whose...... range contains numbers with arbitrarily large prime factors (such as a polynomial). The exact amount of nonclosure under these copying operations is established for several classes of input (tree) languages. These results are relevant to the extended definable (or, restricted parallel level) languages......, to the syntax-directed translation of context-free languages, and to the tree transducer hierarchy....

  14. Assessing cellulolysis in passive treatment systems for mine drainage: a modified enzyme assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonald, Corina M; Gould, W Douglas; Lindsay, Matthew B J; Blowes, David W; Ptacek, Carol J; Condon, Peter D

    2013-01-01

    A modified cellulase enzyme assay was developed to monitor organic matter degradation in passive treatment systems for mine drainage. This fluorogenic substrate method facilitates assessment of exo-(1,4)-β-D-glucanase, endo-(1,4)-β-D-glucanase, and β-glucosidase, which compose an important cellulase enzyme system. The modified method was developed and refined using samples of organic carbon-amended mine tailings from field experiments where sulfate reduction was induced as a strategy for managing water quality. Sample masses (3 g) and the number of replicates ( ≥ 3) were optimized. Matrix interferences within these metal-rich samples were found to be insignificant. Application of this modified cellulase assay method provided insight into the availability and degradation of organic carbon within the amended tailings. Results of this study indicate that cellulase enzyme assays can be applied to passive treatment systems for mine drainage, which commonly contain elevated concentrations of metals. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  15. Modeling transducer impulse responses for predicting calibrated pressure pulses with the ultrasound simulation program Field II

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bæk, David; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt; Willatzen, Morten

    2010-01-01

    FIELD II is a simulation software capable of predicting the field pressure in front of transducers having any complicated geometry. A calibrated prediction with this program is, however, dependent on an exact voltage-to-surface acceleration impulse response of the transducer. Such impulse response...... is not calculated by FIELD II. This work investigates the usability of combining a one-dimensional multilayer transducer modeling principle with the FIELD II software. Multilayer here refers to a transducer composed of several material layers. Measurements of pressure and current from Pz27 piezoceramic disks...... transducer model and the FIELD II software in combination give good agreement with measurements....

  16. Effect of stimuli, transducers and gender on acoustic change complex

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hemanth N. Shetty

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of stimuli, transducers and gender on the latency and amplitude of acoustic change complex (ACC. ACC is a multiple overlapping P1-N1-P2 complex reflecting acoustic changes across the entire stimulus. Fifteen males and 15 females, in the age range of 18 to 25 (mean=21.67 years, having normal hearing participated in the study. The ACC was recorded using the vertical montage. The naturally produced stimuli /sa/ and /si/ were presented through the insert earphone/loud speaker to record the ACC. The ACC obtained from different stimuli presented through different transducers from male/female participants were analyzed using mixed analysis of variance. Dependent t-test and independent t-test were performed when indicated. There was a significant difference in latency of 2N1 at the transition, with latency for /sa/ being earlier; but not at the onset portions of ACC. There was no significant difference in amplitude of ACC between the stimuli. Among the transducers, there was no significant difference in latency and amplitude of ACC, for both /sa/ and /si/ stimuli. Female participants showed earlier latency for 2N1 and larger amplitude of N1 and 2P2 than male participants, which was significant. ACC provides important insight in detecting the subtle spectral changes in each stimulus. Among the transducers, no difference in ACC was noted as the spectra of stimuli delivered were within the frequency response of the transducers. The earlier 2N1 latency and larger N1 and 2P2 amplitudes noticed in female participants could be due to smaller head circumference. The findings of this study will be useful in determining the capacity of the auditory pathway in detecting subtle spectral changes in the stimulus at the level of the auditory cortex.

  17. Development of a Modular Magnetostrictive Transducer for Torsional Guided Wave Transduction in a Cylindrical Structure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cho, Seung Hyun; Park, Jae Ha; Kwon, Hyu Sang; Ahn, Bong Young; Lee, Seung Seok [Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2009-10-15

    Cylindrical structures such as pipes and shafts are widely used in various industrial facilities. Recently, researches on magnetostrictive transduction of torsional waves have been actively reported for the nondestructive evaluation of those cylindrical structures. However, the existing magnetostrictive patch transducer has somewhat inconvenient and time. Consuming process like patch bonding to a structure since it should employ a magnetostrictive patch having strong magnetostriction. To overcome these limitations of the existing transducer, in this work, we develop a novel modular magnetostrictive transducer to generate and measure torsional waves to inspect a cylindrical structure. The proposed transducer can be applied as viscous liquid coupling with shear couplant or dry coupling without coupling media instead of patch bonding to a structure. We describe a detailed structure of the modular transducer and conduct some experiments to verify its performance

  18. Development of a Modular Magnetostrictive Transducer for Torsional Guided Wave Transduction in a Cylindrical Structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Seung Hyun; Park, Jae Ha; Kwon, Hyu Sang; Ahn, Bong Young; Lee, Seung Seok

    2009-01-01

    Cylindrical structures such as pipes and shafts are widely used in various industrial facilities. Recently, researches on magnetostrictive transduction of torsional waves have been actively reported for the nondestructive evaluation of those cylindrical structures. However, the existing magnetostrictive patch transducer has somewhat inconvenient and time. Consuming process like patch bonding to a structure since it should employ a magnetostrictive patch having strong magnetostriction. To overcome these limitations of the existing transducer, in this work, we develop a novel modular magnetostrictive transducer to generate and measure torsional waves to inspect a cylindrical structure. The proposed transducer can be applied as viscous liquid coupling with shear couplant or dry coupling without coupling media instead of patch bonding to a structure. We describe a detailed structure of the modular transducer and conduct some experiments to verify its performance

  19. A 32 x 32 capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer array manufactured in standard CMOS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lemmerhirt, David F; Cheng, Xiaoyang; White, Robert; Rich, Collin A; Zhang, Man; Fowlkes, J Brian; Kripfgans, Oliver D

    2012-07-01

    As ultrasound imagers become increasingly portable and lower cost, breakthroughs in transducer technology will be needed to provide high-resolution, real-time 3-D imaging while maintaining the affordability needed for portable systems. This paper presents a 32 x 32 ultrasound array prototype, manufactured using a CMUT-in-CMOS approach whereby ultrasonic transducer elements and readout circuits are integrated on a single chip using a standard integrated circuit manufacturing process in a commercial CMOS foundry. Only blanket wet-etch and sealing steps are added to complete the MEMS devices after the CMOS process. This process typically yields better than 99% working elements per array, with less than ±1.5 dB variation in receive sensitivity among the 1024 individually addressable elements. The CMUT pulseecho frequency response is typically centered at 2.1 MHz with a -6 dB fractional bandwidth of 60%, and elements are arranged on a 250 μm hexagonal grid (less than half-wavelength pitch). Multiplexers and CMOS buffers within the array are used to make on-chip routing manageable, reduce the number of physical output leads, and drive the transducer cable. The array has been interfaced to a commercial imager as well as a set of custom transmit and receive electronics, and volumetric images of nylon fishing line targets have been produced.

  20. Development of an SH Wave Magnetostrictive Transducer Module for Guided Wave Testing of Plate Structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Seung Hyun; Park, Jae Ha; Kwon Hyu Sang; Ahn, Bong Young; Lee, Seung Seok

    2009-01-01

    Recently much attention has been paid to a guided wave due to its effective applicability to long range and fast inspection of structures. In guided wave based NDE, the appropriate selection of wave modes is one of important factors since the test performance is highly dependent on which mode of guided waves is employed. As far as plate-like structures are concerned, so far, SH guided wave has not been frequently applied compared to Lamb waves, which is mostly caused by the lack of proper and convenient transducers to generate and measure the SH waves. In this investigation, a new small-sized SH guided wave transducer based on magnetostriction is proposed. The present transducer was designed to be modular and be used with shear couplant to avoid the inconvenience of the existing magnetostrictive patch transducers, which comprises the ferromagnetic patch tightly bonded to a structure. The wave transduction mechanism and the detailed configuration of the present transducer are presented. Experimental verification is also conducted on test specimens and the results confirm the good performance of the present transducer module

  1. Development of an SH Wave Magnetostrictive Transducer Module for Guided Wave Testing of Plate Structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cho, Seung Hyun; Park, Jae Ha; Kwon Hyu Sang; Ahn, Bong Young; Lee, Seung Seok [Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2009-04-15

    Recently much attention has been paid to a guided wave due to its effective applicability to long range and fast inspection of structures. In guided wave based NDE, the appropriate selection of wave modes is one of important factors since the test performance is highly dependent on which mode of guided waves is employed. As far as plate-like structures are concerned, so far, SH guided wave has not been frequently applied compared to Lamb waves, which is mostly caused by the lack of proper and convenient transducers to generate and measure the SH waves. In this investigation, a new small-sized SH guided wave transducer based on magnetostriction is proposed. The present transducer was designed to be modular and be used with shear couplant to avoid the inconvenience of the existing magnetostrictive patch transducers, which comprises the ferromagnetic patch tightly bonded to a structure. The wave transduction mechanism and the detailed configuration of the present transducer are presented. Experimental verification is also conducted on test specimens and the results confirm the good performance of the present transducer module

  2. Ultrasonic non-destructive testing of pieces of complex geometry with a flexible phased array transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chatillon; Cattiaux; Serre; Roy

    2000-03-01

    Ultrasonic non-destructive testing of components of complex geometry in the nuclear industry faces several difficulties: sensitivity variations due to unmatched contact, inaccurate localization of defects due to variations of transducer orientation, and uncovered area of the component. To improve the performances of such testing and defect characterization, we propose a new concept of ultrasonic contact phased array transducer. The phased array transducer has a flexible radiating surface able to fit the actual surface of the piece to optimize the contact and thus the sensitivity of the test. To control the transmitted field, and therefore to improve the defect characterization, a delay law optimizing algorithm is developed. To assess the capability of such a transducer, the Champ-Sons model, developed at the French Atomic Energy Commission for predicting field radiated by arbitrary transducers into pieces, has to be extended to sources directly in contact with pieces of complex geometry. The good behavior of this new type of probe predicted by computations is experimentally validated with a jointed transducer positioned on pieces of various profiles.

  3. Piezoelectric transducer array microspeaker

    KAUST Repository

    Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo

    2016-12-19

    In this paper we present the fabrication and characterization of a piezoelectric micro-speaker. The speaker is an array of micro-machined piezoelectric membranes, fabricated on silicon wafer using advanced micro-machining techniques. Each array contains 2n piezoelectric transducer membranes, where “n” is the bit number. Every element of the array has a circular shape structure. The membrane is made out four layers: 300nm of platinum for the bottom electrode, 250nm or lead zirconate titanate (PZT), a top electrode of 300nm and a structural layer of 50

  4. the distribution of enzyme group systems in a sample of south ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    which show polymorphic variation in at least some human populations; the subject ... variation in enzyme systems in other ethnic groups: among these are studies on ... before we have a complete picture of the world range of gene frequencies.

  5. Study of a Modified Displacement Transducer of a Piston in a Power Cylinder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. C. BERA

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available The position monitoring of the piston inside a power cylinder is very important in process plant measurement and control. In the present paper a modified inductance type position sensing technique of a power cylinder piston has been described. A modified inductance measuring transducer circuit has been designed to measure the change of inductance of a very high inductance coil. The theoretical equations of the proposed inductive sensor and the displacement transducer have been derived. The transducer has been experimentally tested and the experimental data are presented in the paper.

  6. Effect of planecta and ROSE? on the frequency characteristics of blood pressure-transducer kits

    OpenAIRE

    Fujiwara, Shigeki; Kawakubo, Yoshifumi; Mori, Satoshi; Tachihara, Keiichi; Toyoguchi, Izumi; Yokoyama, Takeshi

    2014-01-01

    Pressure-transducer kits have frequency characteristics such as natural frequency and damping coefficient, which affect the monitoring accuracy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of planecta ports and a damping device (ROSE?, Argon Medical Devices, TX, USA) on the frequency characteristics of pressure-transducer kits. The FloTrac sensor kit (Edwards Lifesciences, CA, USA) and the DTXplus transducer kit (Argon Medical Devices) were prepared with planecta ports, and the...

  7. Bio-applications of ionic polymer metal composite transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aw, K. C.; McDaid, A. J.

    2014-07-01

    Traditional robotic actuators have advanced performance which in some aspects can surpass that of humans, however they are lacking when it comes to developing devices which are capable of operating together with humans. Bio-inspired transducers, for example ionic polymer metal composites (IPMC), which have similar properties to human tissue and muscle, demonstrate much future promise as candidates for replacing traditional robotic actuators in medical robotics applications. This paper outlines four biomedical robotics applications, an IPMC stepper motor, an assistive glove exoskeleton/prosthetic hand, a surgical robotic tool and a micromanipulation system. These applications have been developed using mechanical design/modelling techniques with IPMC ‘artificial muscle’ as the actuation system. The systems are designed by first simulating the performance using an IPMC model and dynamic models of the mechanical system; the appropriate advanced adaptive control schemes are then implemented to ensure that the IPMCs operate in the correct manner, robustly over time. This paper serves as an overview of the applications and concludes with some discussion on the future challenges of developing real-world IPMC applications.

  8. Bio-applications of ionic polymer metal composite transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aw, K C; McDaid, A J

    2014-01-01

    Traditional robotic actuators have advanced performance which in some aspects can surpass that of humans, however they are lacking when it comes to developing devices which are capable of operating together with humans. Bio-inspired transducers, for example ionic polymer metal composites (IPMC), which have similar properties to human tissue and muscle, demonstrate much future promise as candidates for replacing traditional robotic actuators in medical robotics applications. This paper outlines four biomedical robotics applications, an IPMC stepper motor, an assistive glove exoskeleton/prosthetic hand, a surgical robotic tool and a micromanipulation system. These applications have been developed using mechanical design/modelling techniques with IPMC ‘artificial muscle’ as the actuation system. The systems are designed by first simulating the performance using an IPMC model and dynamic models of the mechanical system; the appropriate advanced adaptive control schemes are then implemented to ensure that the IPMCs operate in the correct manner, robustly over time. This paper serves as an overview of the applications and concludes with some discussion on the future challenges of developing real-world IPMC applications

  9. W-Band Circularly Polarized TE11 Mode Transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhan, Mingzhou; He, Wangdong; Wang, Lei

    2018-06-01

    This paper presents a balanced sidewall exciting approach to realize the circularly polarized TE11 mode transducer. We used a voltage vector transfer matrix to establish the relationship between input and output vectors, then we analyzed amplitude and phase errors to estimate the isolation of degenerate mode. A mode transducer with a sidewall exciter was designed based on the results. In the 88-100 GHz frequency range, the simulated axial ratio is less than 1.05 and the isolation of linearly polarization TE11 mode is higher than 30 dBc. In back-to-back measurements, the return loss is generally greater than 20 dB with a typical insertion loss of 1.2 dB. Back-to-back transmission measurements are in excellent agreement with simulations.

  10. Clinical and diagnostic significance of activity of enzymes participating in endoergic reactions of patients systemic lupus erythematosus and systemic sclerosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LA Zborovskaya

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. To improve quality of diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE and systemic sclerosis (SS. Material and methods. 30 pts with SLE and 30 with SS were included. Besides complex clinical, instrumental and laboratory examination activity and isoenzymes of succinate dehydrogenase (SDG, fumarate hydrase (FH, malate dehydrogenase (MDG, cytochrome oxidase (CO were evaluated trice (at admission, after two weeks and at discharge with original methods. 30 healthy persons were included in the control group. Results. SLE and SS pts had significant changes of energy metabolism enzymes depended on clinical features of the disease. Enzyme indices at minimal activity of SLE and SS were more informative than most of traditional laboratory tests. Comparative analysis of enzyme indices in SLE and SS pts revealed some features with along with clinical, instrumental and traditional laboratory data should be consider in diagnosis of these diseases. Enzyme indices correlated with changes of pts clinical state what allow to use them as criteria of treatment efficacy.

  11. Dual-Use Transducer for Use with a Boundary-Stiffened Panel and Method of Using the Same

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schiller, Noah H. (Inventor); Cabell, Randolph H. (Inventor)

    2011-01-01

    A transducer for use with a boundary-stiffened panel has an inter-digitated electrode (IDE) and a piezoelectric wafer portion positioned therebetween. The IDE and/or the wafer portion are triangular, with one edge or side aligned with a boundary edge of the panel. The transducer generates and transmits an output force to the panel in response to an input voltage signal from a sensor, which can be another transducer as described above or an accelerometer. A controller can generate an output force signal in response to the input voltage signal to help cancel the input voltage signal. A method of using the transducer minimizes vibration in the panel by connecting multiple transducers around a perimeter thereof. Motion is measured at different portions of the panel, and a voltage signal determined from the motion is transmitted to the transducers to generate an output force at least partially cancelling or damping the motion.

  12. Design and fabrication of liner-arroy ultrasonic transducer using KLM and FEM simulation for non-destructive testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Chan Yuk; Sung, Jin Ho; Jeong, Jong Seob

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, a linear-array transducer capable of overcoming the faults of a single element and phased array transducers with convex shape for non-destructive ultrasonic testing was designed and fabricated. A 5.5 MHz linear-array transducer was designed using the PiezoCAD program based on the KLM analysis and the PZFlex program based on the FEM analysis. A 2-2 composite structure was employed to achieve broad-band characteristics. A 128 element linear-array transducer was fabricated and its performance was compared with the simulation results. The center frequency of the fabricated transducer was 5.5 Mhzand the -6 dB frequency bandwidth was 70 %. Thus, we expect that the designed transducer can provide an effective inner image of the test material during non-destructive ultrasonic testing.

  13. Design and fabrication of liner-arroy ultrasonic transducer using KLM and FEM simulation for non-destructive testing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Chan Yuk; Sung, Jin Ho; Jeong, Jong Seob [Dept. of Medical Biotechnology, Dongguk University Biomedi Campus, Goyang (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-04-15

    In this paper, a linear-array transducer capable of overcoming the faults of a single element and phased array transducers with convex shape for non-destructive ultrasonic testing was designed and fabricated. A 5.5 MHz linear-array transducer was designed using the PiezoCAD program based on the KLM analysis and the PZFlex program based on the FEM analysis. A 2-2 composite structure was employed to achieve broad-band characteristics. A 128 element linear-array transducer was fabricated and its performance was compared with the simulation results. The center frequency of the fabricated transducer was 5.5 Mhzand the -6 dB frequency bandwidth was 70 %. Thus, we expect that the designed transducer can provide an effective inner image of the test material during non-destructive ultrasonic testing.

  14. Detection of cyclic-fold bifurcation in electrostatic MEMS transducers by motion-induced current

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Sangtak; Khater, Mahmoud; Effa, David; Abdel-Rahman, Eihab; Yavuz, Mustafa

    2017-08-01

    This paper presents a new detection method of cyclic-fold bifurcations in electrostatic MEMS transducers based on a variant of the harmonic detection of resonance method. The electrostatic transducer is driven by an unbiased harmonic signal at half its natural frequency, ω a   =  1/2 ω o . The response of the transducer consists of static displacement and a series of harmonics at 2 ω a , 4 ω a , and so on. Its motion-induced current is shifted by the excitation frequency, ω a , to appear at 3 ω a , 5 ω a , and higher odd harmonics, providing higher sensitivity to the measurement of harmonic motions. With this method, we successfully detected the variation in the location of the cyclic-fold bifurcation of an encapsulated electrostatic MEMS transducer. We also detected a regime of tapping mode motions subsequent to the bifurcation.

  15. Detection of cyclic-fold bifurcation in electrostatic MEMS transducers by motion-induced current

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Sangtak; Abdel-Rahman, Eihab; Khater, Mahmoud; Effa, David; Yavuz, Mustafa

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a new detection method of cyclic-fold bifurcations in electrostatic MEMS transducers based on a variant of the harmonic detection of resonance method. The electrostatic transducer is driven by an unbiased harmonic signal at half its natural frequency, ω a   =  1/2  ω o . The response of the transducer consists of static displacement and a series of harmonics at 2  ω a , 4  ω a , and so on. Its motion-induced current is shifted by the excitation frequency, ω a , to appear at 3  ω a , 5  ω a , and higher odd harmonics, providing higher sensitivity to the measurement of harmonic motions. With this method, we successfully detected the variation in the location of the cyclic-fold bifurcation of an encapsulated electrostatic MEMS transducer. We also detected a regime of tapping mode motions subsequent to the bifurcation. (paper)

  16. Lead-free piezoelectric transducers for vibration-based energy harvesting devices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roescher, Mark

    2011-11-15

    Future applications like piezoelectric energy harvesters in addition with increasing environmental awareness ultimately demand novel sophisticated material systems in the field of piezoelectrics as an alternative to the long-established system lead-zirconate-titanate. In this publication state-of-the-art microgenerators have been designed to possess nonlinear Duffing oscillator characteristics. It is shown by measurement and simulation that lead-zirconate-titanate may hence no longer be the first choice in material selection for a piezoelectric microgenerator. Polyvinylidene fluoride has been integrated in a piezoelectric microgenerator and identified as an extraordinarily promising material system for transducer applications being highly insusceptible to stretching induced material failure. Finally, a fundamentally new chemical synthesis approach has been developed for the fabrication of potassium-sodium-niobate films that may also be suitable for other complex oxides.

  17. A variable-frequency structural health monitoring system based on omnidirectional shear horizontal wave piezoelectric transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huan, Qiang; Miao, Hongchen; Li, Faxin

    2018-02-01

    Structural health monitoring (SHM) is of great importance for engineering structures as it may detect the early degradation and thus avoid life and financial loss. Guided wave based inspection is very useful in SHM due to its capability for long distance and wide range monitoring. The fundamental shear horizontal (SH0) wave based method should be most promising since SH0 is the unique non-dispersive wave mode in plate-like structures. In this work, a sparse array SHM system based on omnidirectional SH wave piezoelectric transducers (OSH-PT) was proposed and the multi data fusion method was used for defect inspection in a 2 mm thick aluminum plate. Firstly, the performances of three types OSH-PTs was comprehensively compared and the thickness-poled d15 mode OSH-PT used in this work was demonstrated obviously superior to the other two. Then, the signal processing method and imaging algorithm for this SHM system was presented. Finally, experiments were carried out to examine the performance of the proposed SHM system in defect localization and imaging. Results indicated that this SHM system can locate a through hole as small as 0.12λ (4 mm) in diameter (where λ is the wavelength corresponding to the central operation frequency) under frequencies from 90 to 150 kHz. It can also locate multiple defects accurately based on the baseline subtraction method. Obviously, this SHM system can detect larger areas with sparse sensors because of the adopted single mode, non-dispersive and low frequency SH0 wave which can propagate long distance with small attenuation. Considering its good performances, simple data processing and sparse array, this SH0 wave-based SHM system is expected to greatly promote the applications of guided wave inspection.

  18. Finite element analysis of hysteresis effects in piezoelectric transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simkovics, Reinhard; Landes, Hermann; Kaltenbacher, Manfred; Hoffelner, Johann; Lerch, Reinhard

    2000-06-01

    The design of ultrasonic transducers for high power applications, e.g. in medical therapy or production engineering, asks for effective computer aided design tools to analyze the occurring nonlinear effects. In this paper the finite-element-boundary-element package CAPA is presented that allows to model different types of electromechanical sensors and actuators. These transducers are based on various physical coupling effects, such as piezoelectricity or magneto- mechanical interactions. Their computer modeling requires the numerical solution of a multifield problem, such as coupled electric-mechanical fields or magnetic-mechanical fields as well as coupled mechanical-acoustic fields. With the reported software environment we are able to compute the dynamic behavior of electromechanical sensors and actuators by taking into account geometric nonlinearities, nonlinear wave propagation and ferroelectric as well as magnetic material nonlinearities. After a short introduction to the basic theory of the numerical calculation schemes, two practical examples will demonstrate the applicability of the numerical simulation tool. As a first example an ultrasonic thickness mode transducer consisting of a piezoceramic material used for high power ultrasound production is examined. Due to ferroelectric hysteresis, higher order harmonics can be detected in the actuators input current. Also in case of electrical and mechanical prestressing a resonance frequency shift occurs, caused by ferroelectric hysteresis and nonlinear dependencies of the material coefficients on electric field and mechanical stresses. As a second example, a power ultrasound transducer used in HIFU-therapy (high intensity focused ultrasound) is presented. Due to the compressibility and losses in the propagating fluid a nonlinear shock wave generation can be observed. For both examples a good agreement between numerical simulation and experimental data has been achieved.

  19. Recombinant human parvovirus B19 vectors: erythroid cell-specific delivery and expression of transduced genes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ponnazhagan, S; Weigel, K A; Raikwar, S P; Mukherjee, P; Yoder, M C; Srivastava, A

    1998-06-01

    A novel packaging strategy combining the salient features of two human parvoviruses, namely the pathogenic parvovirus B19 and the nonpathogenic adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV), was developed to achieve erythroid cell-specific delivery as well as expression of the transduced gene. The development of such a chimeric vector system was accomplished by packaging heterologous DNA sequences cloned within the inverted terminal repeats of AAV and subsequently packaging the DNA inside the capsid structure of B19 virus. Recombinant B19 virus particles were assembled, as evidenced by electron microscopy as well as DNA slot blot analyses. The hybrid vector failed to transduce nonerythroid human cells, such as 293 cells, as expected. However, MB-02 cells, a human megakaryocytic leukemia cell line which can be infected by B19 virus following erythroid differentiation with erythropoietin (N. C. Munshi, S. Z. Zhou, M. J. Woody, D. A. Morgan, and A. Srivastava, J. Virol. 67:562-566, 1993) but lacks the putative receptor for AAV (S. Ponnazhagan, X.-S. Wang, M. J. Woody, F. Luo, L. Y. Kang, M. L. Nallari, N. C. Munshi, S. Z. Zhou, and A. Srivastava, J. Gen. Virol. 77:1111-1122, 1996), were readily transduced by this vector. The hybrid vector was also found to specifically target the erythroid population in primary human bone marrow cells as well as more immature hematopoietic progenitor cells following erythroid differentiation, as evidenced by selective expression of the transduced gene in these target cells. Preincubation with anticapsid antibodies against B19 virus, but not anticapsid antibodies against AAV, inhibited transduction of primary human erythroid cells. The efficiency of transduction of primary human erythroid cells by the recombinant B19 virus vector was significantly higher than that by the recombinant AAV vector. Further development of the AAV-B19 virus hybrid vector system should prove beneficial in gene therapy protocols aimed at the correction of inherited and

  20. Recombinant Human Parvovirus B19 Vectors: Erythroid Cell-Specific Delivery and Expression of Transduced Genes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ponnazhagan, Selvarangan; Weigel, Kirsten A.; Raikwar, Sudhanshu P.; Mukherjee, Pinku; Yoder, Mervin C.; Srivastava, Arun

    1998-01-01

    A novel packaging strategy combining the salient features of two human parvoviruses, namely the pathogenic parvovirus B19 and the nonpathogenic adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV), was developed to achieve erythroid cell-specific delivery as well as expression of the transduced gene. The development of such a chimeric vector system was accomplished by packaging heterologous DNA sequences cloned within the inverted terminal repeats of AAV and subsequently packaging the DNA inside the capsid structure of B19 virus. Recombinant B19 virus particles were assembled, as evidenced by electron microscopy as well as DNA slot blot analyses. The hybrid vector failed to transduce nonerythroid human cells, such as 293 cells, as expected. However, MB-02 cells, a human megakaryocytic leukemia cell line which can be infected by B19 virus following erythroid differentiation with erythropoietin (N. C. Munshi, S. Z. Zhou, M. J. Woody, D. A. Morgan, and A. Srivastava, J. Virol. 67:562–566, 1993) but lacks the putative receptor for AAV (S. Ponnazhagan, X.-S. Wang, M. J. Woody, F. Luo, L. Y. Kang, M. L. Nallari, N. C. Munshi, S. Z. Zhou, and A. Srivastava, J. Gen. Virol. 77:1111–1122, 1996), were readily transduced by this vector. The hybrid vector was also found to specifically target the erythroid population in primary human bone marrow cells as well as more immature hematopoietic progenitor cells following erythroid differentiation, as evidenced by selective expression of the transduced gene in these target cells. Preincubation with anticapsid antibodies against B19 virus, but not anticapsid antibodies against AAV, inhibited transduction of primary human erythroid cells. The efficiency of transduction of primary human erythroid cells by the recombinant B19 virus vector was significantly higher than that by the recombinant AAV vector. Further development of the AAV-B19 virus hybrid vector system should prove beneficial in gene therapy protocols aimed at the correction of inherited

  1. High power Co3O4/ZnO p–n type piezoelectric transducer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu, Yuh-Chung; Lee, Tsung-Han; Chang, Pei-Zen; Su, Pei-Chen

    2015-01-01

    Enhancing the output power of piezoelectric transducer is essential in order to supply sufficient and sustainable power to wireless sensor nodes or electronic devices. In this work, a Co 3 O 4 /ZnO p–n type power piezoelectric transducer which can be operated at low frequencies has been developed by utilizing n-type semiconducting zinc oxide (ZnO) and p-type semiconducting tricobalt tetroxide (Co 3 O 4 ). We utilize ZnO to be the piezoelectric transducer and build a multi-layer (Au/Co 3 O 4 /ZnO/Ti) thin film structure. The ZnO thin film with preferred orientation along the (002) plane was deposited under optimized deposition conditions on the flexible titanium (Ti) foil with thickness of 80 μm. The Co 3 O 4 /ZnO interface forms a p–n junction and increases the difference in Fermi levels between the two electrodes, resulting in the great enhancement of output power. The measured output power of the p–n type piezoelectric transducer with optimal resistance of 100 kΩ is 10.4 μW at low operating frequency of 37 Hz, which is 10.9 times of output power of ZnO piezoelectric transducers. - Highlights: • Deposited zinc oxide performed good piezoelectric coefficient. • ZnO thin film with preferred orientation along the (002) plane was deposited. • A p–n type piezoelectric transducer with enhanced output power was fabricated. • 10.9 times increment in output power was obtained. • Increase of difference in Fermi level and p–n junction formation was explained

  2. Performance limitations of piezoelectric and force feedback electrostatic transducers in different applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hadjiloucas, S; Walker, G C; Bowen, J W; Karatzas, L S

    2009-01-01

    Current limitations in piezoelectric and electrostatic transducers are discussed. A force-feedback electrostatic transducer capable of operating at bandwidths up to 20 kHz is described. Advantages of the proposed design are a linearised operation which simplifies the feedback control aspects and robustness of the performance characteristics to environmental perturbations. Applications in nanotechnology, optical sciences and acoustics are discussed.

  3. Performance limitations of piezoelectric and force feedback electrostatic transducers in different applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hadjiloucas, S; Walker, G C; Bowen, J W [Cybernetics, School of Systems Engineering, University of Reading, RG6 6AY (United Kingdom); Karatzas, L S, E-mail: s.hadjiloucas@reading.ac.u [Temasek Polytechnic, School of Engineering, 21 Tampines Avenue 1, Singapore, 529757 (Singapore)

    2009-07-01

    Current limitations in piezoelectric and electrostatic transducers are discussed. A force-feedback electrostatic transducer capable of operating at bandwidths up to 20 kHz is described. Advantages of the proposed design are a linearised operation which simplifies the feedback control aspects and robustness of the performance characteristics to environmental perturbations. Applications in nanotechnology, optical sciences and acoustics are discussed.

  4. Transducers for the Brazilian gravitational wave detector 'Mario Schenberg'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frajuca, Carlos; Ribeiro, Kilder L; Andrade, Luiz A; Jr, Walter F Velloso; Melo, Jose L; Aguiar, Odylio D; Magalhaes, Nadja S

    2002-01-01

    'Mario Schenberg' is a spherical resonant-mass gravitational wave (GW) detector that will be part of a GW detection array of three detectors. The other two will be built in Italy and the Netherlands. Their resonant frequencies will be around 3.2 kHz with a bandwidth of about 200 Hz. This range of frequencies is new in a field where the typical frequencies lie below 1 kHz, making the transducer development much more complex. In this paper, the design of the mechanical part of the transducer will be shown, as well as the attachment method to the sphere and the expected sensitivity

  5. Effect of tillage systems and permanent groundcover intercropped with orange trees on soil enzyme activities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elcio Liborio Balota

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different soil tillage systems and groundcover crops intercropped with orange trees on soil enzyme activities. The experiment was performed in an Ultisol soil in northwestern Paraná State. Two soil tillage systems were evaluated [conventional tillage (CT across the entire area and strip tillage (ST with a 2-m strip width] in combination with various groundcover vegetation management systems. Soil samples were collected after five years of experimental management at a depth of 0-15 cm under the tree canopy and in the inter-row space in the following treatments: (1 CT-Calopogonium mucunoides; (2 CT-Arachis pintoi; (3 CT-Bahiagrass; (4 CT-Brachiaria humidicola; and (5 ST-B. humidicola. The soil tillage systems and groundcover crops influenced the soil enzyme activities both under the tree canopy and in the inter-row space. The cultivation of B. humidicola provided higher amylase, arylsulfatase, acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase than other groundcover species. Strip tillage increased enzyme activities compared to the conventional tillage system.

  6. Enhanced clinical-scale manufacturing of TCR transduced T-cells using closed culture system modules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Jianjian; Gkitsas, Nikolaos; Fellowes, Vicki S; Ren, Jiaqiang; Feldman, Steven A; Hinrichs, Christian S; Stroncek, David F; Highfill, Steven L

    2018-01-24

    Genetic engineering of T-cells to express specific T cell receptors (TCR) has emerged as a novel strategy to treat various malignancies. More widespread utilization of these types of therapies has been somewhat constrained by the lack of closed culture processes capable of expanding sufficient numbers of T-cells for clinical application. Here, we evaluate a process for robust clinical grade manufacturing of TCR gene engineered T-cells. TCRs that target human papillomavirus E6 and E7 were independently tested. A 21 day process was divided into a transduction phase (7 days) and a rapid expansion phase (14 days). This process was evaluated using two healthy donor samples and four samples obtained from patients with epithelial cancers. The process resulted in ~ 2000-fold increase in viable nucleated cells and high transduction efficiencies (64-92%). At the end of culture, functional assays demonstrated that these cells were potent and specific in their ability to kill tumor cells bearing target and secrete large quantities of interferon and tumor necrosis factor. Both phases of culture were contained within closed or semi-closed modules, which include automated density gradient separation and cell culture bags for the first phase and closed GREX culture devices and wash/concentrate systems for the second phase. Large-scale manufacturing using modular systems and semi-automated devices resulted in highly functional clinical-grade TCR transduced T-cells. This process is now in use in actively accruing clinical trials and the NIH Clinical Center and can be utilized at other cell therapy manufacturing sites that wish to scale-up and optimize their processing using closed systems.

  7. D33 mode piezoelectric diaphragm based acoustic transducer with high sensitivity

    KAUST Repository

    Shen, Zhiyuan; Lu, Jingyu; Tan, Cheewee; Miao, Jianmin; Wang, Zhihong

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of an acoustic transducer using a piezoelectric freestanding bulk diaphragm as the sensing element. The diaphragm bearing the spiral electrode operates in d 33 mode, which allows the in-plane deformation of the diaphragm to be converted to the out-of-plane deformation and generates an acoustic wave in the same direction. A finite element code is developed to reorient the material polarization distribution according to the poling field calculated. The first four resonance modes have been simulated and verified by impedance and velocity spectra. The sensitivity and the sound pressure level of the transducer were characterized. The realized sensitivity of 126.21 μV/Pa at 1 kHz is nearly twenty times of the sensitivity of a sandwich d31 mode transducer. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

  8. Why there is no cookbook approach to palliative care: implications of the P450 enzyme system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuebler, Kim K; Varga, James; Mihelic, Ronald A

    2003-01-01

    A plethora of literature describes the impact of the P450 enzyme system, but this information is limited regarding its relevancy to nursing practice. However, oncology nurses providing palliative symptom management must have a working knowledge of the P450 enzyme system to recognize the variability that exists among individual medication reactions or why a "cookbook approach" to symptom management is not always effective and appropriate. This article describes the variations associated with medication metabolism with reference to ethnic differences. Having a basic understanding of the P450 enzyme system and, more specifically, the CYP2D6 influence on the metabolism of common medications used in palliative symptom management can help to prevent medication toxicity or underdosing, which interferes with patients' quality of life.

  9. Immersed acoustical transducers and their potential uses in LMFBR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Argous, J.P.; Brunet, M.; Baron, J.; Lhuillier, C.; Segui, J.L.

    1980-04-01

    Six years satisfactory operation in PHENIX has proved the reliability and effectivness of under-sodium viewing (VISUS) and Acoustic Detection. This fact has been strong incentive to maintain, on the future LMFBR the visus as well as the Acoustic Detection functions. These two functions are performed on SUPER PHENIX, by two sets of distinct systems using the well-known solution. Taking into account of recent improvements in sodium immersible acoustic transducers technology, CEA decided to undertake the development of a multi-functions instrument. This paper gives an outline of this new concept, which should be able to reduce the cost and the complexity of core instrumentation

  10. A Design of Portable Pesticide Residue Detection System Based on the Enzyme Electrode

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xia SUN

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a portable detection system was designed based on amperometric acetylcholinesterase biosensor for rapidly detecting pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables. There were potentiostat, three electrode system, differential amplification circuit and double integral analog to digital (A/D circuit modules in this system. The measurement principle of this system was depended on the weak current from enzyme catalyzing substrate in acetylcholinesterase biosensor for detecting pesticide residues. The weak current generated by the enzyme biosensor was changed into 0-5 V standard voltage signal by this system as an output signal. The proposed system was investigated with eight kinds of standard pesticide of different concentrations, the results showed that the detection limits were all lower than 10 ng/kg. Thus, a new effective home-made system of detecting pesticide residues with portable, easy-to-use, fast response was developed. The pesticide residues rapid detection system can collect the weak current signal generated by electrochemical reaction and on-site detect the concentration of pesticide residues in real fruits and vegetables samples.

  11. Optimisation of synergistic biomass-degrading enzyme systems for efficient rice straw hydrolysis using an experimental mixture design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suwannarangsee, Surisa; Bunterngsook, Benjarat; Arnthong, Jantima; Paemanee, Atchara; Thamchaipenet, Arinthip; Eurwilaichitr, Lily; Laosiripojana, Navadol; Champreda, Verawat

    2012-09-01

    Synergistic enzyme system for the hydrolysis of alkali-pretreated rice straw was optimised based on the synergy of crude fungal enzyme extracts with a commercial cellulase (Celluclast™). Among 13 enzyme extracts, the enzyme preparation from Aspergillus aculeatus BCC 199 exhibited the highest level of synergy with Celluclast™. This synergy was based on the complementary cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic activities of the BCC 199 enzyme extract. A mixture design was used to optimise the ternary enzyme complex based on the synergistic enzyme mixture with Bacillus subtilis expansin. Using the full cubic model, the optimal formulation of the enzyme mixture was predicted to the percentage of Celluclast™: BCC 199: expansin=41.4:37.0:21.6, which produced 769 mg reducing sugar/g biomass using 2.82 FPU/g enzymes. This work demonstrated the use of a systematic approach for the design and optimisation of a synergistic enzyme mixture of fungal enzymes and expansin for lignocellulosic degradation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Effect of dietary supplementation of probiotics and enzymes on the haematology of rabbits reared under two housing systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarat Chandra Amaravadhi

    Full Text Available Aim : To study the influence of housing system and dietary supplementation of probiotics and enzymes on haematological parameters of rabbits. Materials and Methods: A total of 144 weaned rabbits were divided into 2 groups of 72 in each group and housed under conventional cage system and backyard system. The rabbits in each housing system were divided into 4 groups of 18 in each group and the diets were supplemented with probiotics, enzymes and both. Results: The housing system and supplementation of probiotics and enzymes did not exert significant influence on any of the haematological parameters studied. However, there was slight positive influence of probiotic and enzyme supplementation on the health status of rabbits as revealed by haematological parameters. The overall mean Total erythrocyte count, total leucocyte count, lymphocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, monocytes, haemoglobin and packed cell volume were 7.52, 6.29 (103/mm3, 60.27%, 35.71%, 1.35%, 1.92%, 10.67 g/dl and 34.25%, respectively. Conclusion: Rabbits can be reared on low input backyard system without any adverse effect on health and supplementation of probiotics and enzymes had a positive influence on health status of rabbits. [Vet World 2012; 5(12.000: 748-753

  13. Practical ultrasonic transducers for high-temperature applications using bismuth titanate and Ceramabind 830

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Janet L.; Batista, Caio F. G.; Tittmann, Bernhard R.

    2018-04-01

    Structural health monitoring of large valve bodies in high-temperature environments such as power plants faces several limitations: commercial transducers are not rated for such high temperatures, gel couplants will evaporate, and measurements cannot be made in-situ. To solve this, we have furthered the work of Ledford in applying a practical transducer in liquid form which hardens and air dries directly onto the substrate. The transducer material is a piezoceramic film composed of bismuth titanate and a high-temperature binding agent, Ceramabind 830. The effects of several fabrication conditions were studied to optimize transducer performance and ensure repeatability. These fabrication conditions include humidity, binder ratio, water ratio, substrate roughness, and film thickness. The final product is stable for both reactive and non-reactive substrates, has a quick fabrication time, and has an operating temperature up to the Curie temperature of BIT, 650°C, well beyond the safe operating temperature of PZT (150°C).

  14. Ultrasonic Transducer Fabricated Using Lead-Free BFO-BTO+Mn Piezoelectric 1-3 Composite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Chen

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Mn-doped 0.7BiFeO3-0.3BaTiO3 (BFO-0.3BTO+Mn 1% mol lead-free piezoelectric ceramic were fabricated by traditional solid state reaction. The phase structure, microstructure, and ferroelectric properties were investigated. Additionally, lead-free 1–3 composites with 60% volume fraction of BFO-BTO+Mn ceramic were fabricated for ultrasonic transducer applications by a conventional dice-and-fill method. The BFO-BTO+Mn 1-3 composite has a higher electromechanical coupling coefficient (kt = 46.4% and lower acoustic impedance (Za ~ 18 MRayls compared with that of the ceramic. Based on this, lead-free piezoelectric ceramic composite, single element ultrasonic transducer with a center frequency of 2.54 MHz has been fabricated and characterized. The single element transducer exhibits good performance with a broad bandwidth of 53%. The insertion loss of the transducer was about 33.5 dB.

  15. Comparison Of Vented And Absolute Pressure Transducers For Water-Level Monitoring In Hanford Site Central Plateau Wells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mcdonald, J.P.

    2011-01-01

    Automated water-level data collected using vented pressure transducers deployed in Hanford Site Central Plateau wells commonly display more variability than manual tape measurements in response to barometric pressure fluctuations. To explain this difference, it was hypothesized that vented pressure transducers installed in some wells are subject to barometric pressure effects that reduce water-level measurement accuracy. Vented pressure transducers use a vent tube, which is open to the atmosphere at land surface, to supply air pressure to the transducer housing for barometric compensation so the transducer measurements will represent only the water pressure. When using vented transducers, the assumption is made that the air pressure between land surface and the well bore is in equilibrium. By comparison, absolute pressure transducers directly measure the air pressure within the wellbore. Barometric compensation is achieved by subtracting the well bore air pressure measurement from the total pressure measured by a second transducer submerged in the water. Thus, no assumption of air pressure equilibrium is needed. In this study, water-level measurements were collected from the same Central Plateau wells using both vented and absolute pressure transducers to evaluate the different methods of barometric compensation. Manual tape measurements were also collected to evaluate the transducers. Measurements collected during this study demonstrated that the vented pressure transducers over-responded to barometric pressure fluctuations due to a pressure disequilibrium between the air within the wellbores and the atmosphere at land surface. The disequilibrium is thought to be caused by the relatively long time required for barometric pressure changes to equilibrate between land surface and the deep vadose zone and may be exacerbated by the restriction of air flow between the well bore and the atmosphere due to the presence of sample pump landing plates and well caps. The

  16. A novel high pressure, high temperature vessel used to conduct long-term stability measurements of silicon MEMS pressure transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wisniewiski, David

    2014-03-01

    The need to quantify and to improve long-term stability of pressure transducers is a persistent requirement from the aerospace sector. Specifically, the incorporation of real-time pressure monitoring in aircraft landing gear, as exemplified in Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS), has placed greater demand on the pressure transducer for improved performance and increased reliability which is manifested in low lifecycle cost and minimal maintenance downtime through fuel savings and increased life of the tire. Piezoresistive (PR) silicon MEMS pressure transducers are the primary choice as a transduction method for this measurement owing to their ability to be designed for the harsh environment seen in aircraft landing gear. However, these pressure transducers are only as valuable as the long-term stability they possess to ensure reliable, real-time monitoring over tens of years. The "heart" of the pressure transducer is the silicon MEMS element, and it is at this basic level where the long-term stability is established and needs to be quantified. A novel High Pressure, High Temperature (HPHT) vessel has been designed and constructed to facilitate this critical measurement of the silicon MEMS element directly through a process of mechanically "floating" the silicon MEMS element while being subjected to the extreme environments of pressure and temperature, simultaneously. Furthermore, the HPHT vessel is scalable to permit up to fifty specimens to be tested at one time to provide a statistically significant data population on which to draw reasonable conclusions on long-term stability. With the knowledge gained on the silicon MEMS element, higher level assembly to the pressure transducer envelope package can also be quantified as to the build-effects contribution to long-term stability in the same HPHT vessel due to its accommodating size. Accordingly, a HPHT vessel offering multiple levels of configurability and robustness in data measurement is presented, along

  17. Nuclear Radiation Tolerance of Single Crystal Aluminum Nitride Ultrasonic Transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reinhard, Brian; Tittmann, Bernhard R.; Suprock, Andrew

    Ultrasonic technologies offer the potential for high accuracy and resolution in-pile measurement of a range of parameters, including geometry changes, temperature, crack initiation and growth, gas pressure and composition, and microstructural changes. Many Department of Energy-Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) programs are exploring the use of ultrasonic technologies to provide enhanced sensors for in-pile instrumentation during irradiation testing. For example, the ability of small diameter ultrasonic thermometers (UTs) to provide a temperature profile in candidate metallic and oxide fuel would provide much needed data for validating new fuel performance models, (Rempe et al., 2011; Kazys et al., 2005). These efforts are limited by the lack of identified ultrasonic transducer materials capable of long term performance under irradiation test conditions. To address this need, the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) was awarded an Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility (ATR NSUF) project to evaluate the performance of promising magnetostrictive and piezoelectric transducers in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Reactor (MITR) up to a fast fluence of at least 1021 n/cm2. The irradiation is also supported by a multi-National Laboratory collaboration funded by the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation (NEET ASI) program. The results from this irradiation, which started in February 2014, offer the potential to enable the development of novel radiation tolerant ultrasonic sensors for use in Material Testing Reactors (MTRs). As such, this test is an instrumented lead test and real-time transducer performance data is collected along with temperature and neutron and gamma flux data. Hence, results from this irradiation offer the potential to bridge the gap between proven out-of-pile ultrasonic techniques and in-pile deployment of ultrasonic sensors by acquiring the data necessary to demonstrate the

  18. Cymbal and BB underwater transducers and arrays

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Newnham, R.E.; Zhang, J.; Alkoy, S.; Meyer, R.; Hughes, W.J.; Hladky-Hennion, A.C.; Cochran, J.; Markley, D. [Materials Research Laboratory, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States)

    2002-09-01

    The cymbal is a miniaturized class V flextensional transducer that was developed for use as a shallow water sound projector and receiver. Single elements are characterized by high Q, low efficiency, and medium power output capability. Its low cost and thin profile allow the transducer to be assembled into large flexible arrays. Efforts were made to model both single elements and arrays using the ATILA code and the integral equation formulation (EQI).Millimeter size microprobe hydrophones (BBs) have been designed and fabricated from miniature piezoelectric hollow ceramic spheres for underwater applications such as mapping acoustic fields of projectors, and flow noise sensors for complex underwater structures. Green spheres are prepared from soft lead zirconate titanate powders using a coaxial nozzle slurry process. A compact hydrophone with a radially-poled sphere is investigated using inside and outside electrodes. Characterization of these hydrophones is done through measurement of hydrostatic piezoelectric charge coefficients, free field voltage sensitivities and directivity beam patterns. (orig.)

  19. Co-immobilized Coupled Enzyme Systems in Biotechnology

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    coimmobilized by ~n­ capsulation in silica spheres that were formed by a polymer -templated silicificatiOn reaction (Betancor et al., 2006). Nitrobenzene...F. , FERNANDEZ-LAFUENTE, R. , GUISAN J. M. (2005). Stabilization of enzymes by multipoint immobilization of thiolated proteins on new epoxy-thiol... polymer monoliths in microftuidic devices for steady- state kinetic analysis and spatially separated multi-enzyme reactions. Analytical Chemistry, 79

  20. Investigation of factors affecting the calibration of strain gage based transducers (''Goodzeit gages'') for SSC magnets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davidson, M.; Gilbertson, A.; Dougherty, M.

    1991-03-01

    These transducers are designed to measure stresses on SSC collared coils. They are individually calibrated with a bonded ten-stack of SSC inner coil cable by applying a known load and reading corresponding output from the gages. The transducer is supported by a notched ''backing plate'' that allows for bending of the gage beam during calibration or in use with an actual coil. Several factors affecting the calibration and use of the transducers are: the number of times a ''backing plate'' is used, the similarities or difficulties between bonded ten-stacks, and the differences between the ten-stacks and the coil they represent. The latter is probably the most important because a calibration curve is a model of how a transducer should react within a coil. If the model is wrong, the calibration curve is wrong. Information will be presented regarding differences in calibrations between Brookhaven National Labs (also calibrating these transducers) and Fermilab -- what caused these differences, the investigation into the differences between coils and ten-stacks and how they relate to transducer calibration, and some suggestions for future calibrations

  1. Linearization of resistance thermometers and other transducers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Diamond, Joseph M.

    1970-01-01

    deflection output or to null balance output. The application to the common temperature transducers is considered. It is shown that thermistors, linear metals (e.g., copper), and nickel can be linearized in terms of temperature, but platinum cannot be. If linearization is desired in terms of the reciprocal...

  2. Correction of acid beta-galactosidase deficiency in GM1 gangliosidosis human fibroblasts by retrovirus vector-mediated gene transfer: higher efficiency of release and cross-correction by the murine enzyme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sena-Esteves, M; Camp, S M; Alroy, J; Breakefield, X O; Kaye, E M

    2000-03-20

    Mutations in the lysosomal acid beta-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.23) underlie two different disorders: GM1 gangliosidosis, which involves the nervous system and visceral organs to varying extents, and Morquio's syndrome type B (Morquio B disease), which is a skeletal-connective tissue disease without any CNS symptoms. This article shows that transduction of human GM1 gangliosidosis fibroblasts with retrovirus vectors encoding the human acid beta-galactosidase cDNA leads to complete correction of the enzymatic deficiency. The newly synthesized enzyme is correctly processed and targeted to the lysosomes in transduced cells. Cross-correction experiments using retrovirus-modified cells as enzyme donors showed, however, that the human enzyme is transferred at low efficiencies. Experiments using a different retrovirus vector carrying the human cDNA confirmed this observation. Transduction of human GM1 fibroblasts and mouse NIH 3T3 cells with a retrovirus vector encoding the mouse beta-galactosidase cDNA resulted in high levels of enzymatic activity. Furthermore, the mouse enzyme was found to be transferred to human cells at high efficiency. Enzyme activity measurements in medium conditioned by genetically modified cells suggest that the human beta-galactosidase enzyme is less efficiently released to the extracellular space than its mouse counterpart. This study suggests that lysosomal enzymes, contrary to the generalized perception in the field of gene therapy, may differ significantly in their properties and provides insights for design of future gene therapy interventions in acid beta-galactosidase deficiency.

  3. Research on Effective Electric-Mechanical Coupling Coefficient of Sandwich Type Piezoelectric Ultrasonic Transducer Using Bending Vibration Mode

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qiang Zhang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available An analytical model on electromechanical coupling coefficient and the length optimization of a bending piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer are proposed. The piezoelectric transducer consists of 8 PZT elements sandwiched between four thin electrodes, and the PZT elements are clamped by a screwed connection between fore beam and back beam. Firstly, bending vibration model of the piezoelectric transducer is built based on the Timoshenko beam theory. Secondly, the analytical model of effective electromechanical coupling coefficient is built based on the bending vibration model. Energy method and electromechanical equivalent circuit method are involved in the modelling process. To validate the analytical model, sandwich type piezoelectric transducer example in second order bending vibration mode is analysed. Effective electromechanical coupling coefficient of the transducer is optimized with simplex reflection technique, and the optimized ratio of length of the transducers is obtained. Finally, experimental prototypes of the sandwich type piezoelectric transducers are fabricated. Bending vibration mode and impedance of the experimental prototypes are tested, and electromechanical coupling coefficient is obtained according to the testing results. Results show that the analytical model is in good agreement with the experimental model.

  4. High temperature ultrasonic immersion measurements using a BS-PT based piezoelectric transducer without a delay line

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bilgunde, Prathamesh N.; Bond, Leonard J.

    2018-04-01

    Ultrasonic imaging is a key enabling technology required for in-service inspection of advanced sodium fast reactors at the hot stand-by operating mode (˜250C). Current work presents development of a single element, 2.4MHz, planar, ultrasonic immersion transducer for a potential application in ranging, inspection and imaging of the reactor components. The prototype immersion transducer is first tested in water for three thermal cycles up to 92C. The transducer is further evaluated for four thermal cycles in silicone oil, with total seven thermal cycles that exceeded operation period of 21 hours. Moreover, the preliminary data acquired for speed of sound in silicone oil indicates 24% reduction from 22C to 142C. Sensitivity of the ultrasonic transducer is also measured as a function of temperature and demonstrates the effect of multiple thermal cycles on the transducer components.

  5. Performance comparison of 2-1-3, 1-3 and 1-3-2 piezoelectric composite transducers by finite element method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. Sun

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available 1-3 type, 1-3-2 type and 2-1-3 type piezoelectric composites are three proper smart materials for the design and manufacture of ultrasonic transducers. They have been proposed in different stages but possess similar properties. Compared with the initial 1-3 type composite, 1-3-2 composite is of higher mechanical stability. Compared with 1-3-2 composite, 2-1-3 composite has lower manufacturing difficulty. In this paper, a comparative study on these three composites in terms of receiving transducer material properties is presented. Finite element method (FEM has been adopted to calculate longitudinal velocity, thickness electromechanical coupling coefficient and voltage receiving sensitivity. It is concluded that for a large aspect ratio α=1, the performance of 2-1-3 composite transducer is much better than that of 1-3 and 1-3-2 composite transducers. The thickness electromechanical coupling coefficient of 2-1-3 composite transducer is about 5.58 times that of 1-3 composite transducer and 7.42 times that of 1-3-2 composite transducer. The voltage receiving sensitivity at 2 kHz of 2-1-3 composite transducer is 13.1 dB higher than that of 1-3-2 composite transducer and 12.3 dB higher than that of 1-3 composite transducer.

  6. Comparison of low and high frequency transducers in the detection of liver metastases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schacherer, D; Wrede, C; Obermeier, F; Schölmerich, J; Schlottmann, K; Klebl, F

    2006-09-01

    To evaluate the benefit of the additional use of a high frequency ultrasound probe (7.5 MHz) in finding suspicious liver lesions compared to the examination using a 3.5-MHz transducer only. One hundred and fifty-seven patients with underlying malignant disease were examined with both transducers using one of three ultrasound machines (Siemens Sonoline Elegra, GE Healthcare Logic 9, or Hitachi EUB-8500). Findings on hepatic lesions were collected on a standardised documentation sheet and evaluated by descriptive statistics. Ninety-three patients (59.2% of all patients) showed no evident liver lesion on conventional ultrasound with the 3.5 MHz probe. In 29 patients (18.5%) new suspicious liver lesions were found by using the high frequency transducer. Thirteen of these 29 patients (44.8%) were suspected to suffer from diffuse infiltration of the liver with malignant lesions or at least 10 additional visible lesions. In 14 patients, no liver lesion had been known before high frequency ultrasound examination. The size of newly described liver lesions ranged from 2 mm to 1.5 cm. Time needed for the additional examination with the high frequency transducer ranged between 1 and 15 min with an average of 4.0 min. The additional use of a high frequency transducer in patients with underlying malignant disease slightly extends the examination time, but reveals new, potentially malignant hepatic lesions in almost every fifth patient.

  7. Characterization of HIFU transducers designed for sonochemistry application: Acoustic streaming.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hallez, L; Touyeras, F; Hihn, J-Y; Bailly, Y

    2016-03-01

    Cavitation distribution in a High Intensity Focused Ultrasound sonoreactors (HIFU) has been extensively described in the recent literature, including quantification by an optical method (Sonochemiluminescence SCL). The present paper provides complementary measurements through the study of acoustic streaming generated by the same kind of HIFU transducers. To this end, results of mass transfer measurements (electrodiffusional method) were compared to optical method ones (Particle Image Velocimetry). This last one was used in various configurations: with or without an electrode in the acoustic field in order to have the same perturbation of the wave propagation. Results show that the maximum velocity is not located at the focal but shifted near the transducer, and that this shift is greater for high powers. The two cavitation modes (stationary and moving bubbles) are greatly affect the hydrodynamic behavior of our sonoreactors: acoustic streaming and the fluid generated by bubble motion. The results obtained by electrochemical measurements show the same low hydrodynamic activity in the transducer vicinity, the same shift of the active focal toward the transducer, and the same absence of activity in the post-focal axial zone. The comparison with theoretical Eckart's velocities (acoustic streaming in non-cavitating media) confirms a very high activity at the "sonochemical focal", accounted for by wave distortion, which induced greater absorption coefficients. Moreover, the equivalent liquid velocities are one order of magnitude larger than the ones measured by PIV, confirming the enhancement of mass transfer by bubbles oscillation and collapse close to the surface, rather than from a pure streaming effect. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Thermoelectric Transducer Using Bio Nano Process

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-08-01

    Ferritin; Thermal Transducer; Nanoparticle; Ammonium acetate; Separation distance; Debye length . ABSTRACT: As an application to thermos...condition of 10 mM concentration, the Debye length of ferritin is shorter than 3 nm 40 . Comparing it with the DLS results (Fig. 3), the Debye length is...modified PEGs will obstruct additional modification. This effect should strengthen when PEG length becomes longer which means the utilization of

  9. Transducer Analysis and ATILA++ Model Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-10-10

    the behavior of single crystal piezoelectric devices. OBJECTIVES To carry out this effort, a team consisting of ISEN...recording the vibration displacements on the opposite surface of the sample with a second receiving transducer. A software program is used to curve-fit the ...analysis in a loop until the desired quality of fit is achieved. 12 The technique has, in the past, been successfully used to determine

  10. Glucose biosensor based on disposable electrochemical paper-based transducers fully fabricated by screen-printing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamas-Ardisana, P J; Martínez-Paredes, G; Añorga, L; Grande, H J

    2018-06-30

    This paper describes a new approach for the massive production of electrochemical paper-based analytical devices (ePADs). These devices are fully fabricated by screen-printing technology and consist of a lineal microfluidic channel delimited by hydrophobic walls (patterned with diluted ultraviolet screen-printing ink in chromatographic paper grade 4) and a three-electrode system (printed with carbon and/or Ag/AgCl conductive inks). The printing process was characterised and optimized for pattern each layer with only one squeeze sweep. These ePADs were used as transducers to develop a glucose biosensor. Ionic strength/pH buffering salts, electrochemical mediator (ferricyanide) and enzyme (glucose dehydrogenase FAD-dependent) were separately stored along the microfluidic channel in order to be successively dissolved and mixed after the sample dropping at the entrance. The analyses required only 10 µl and the biosensors showed good reproducibility (RSD = 6.2%, n = 10) and sensitivity (0.426 C/M cm 2 ), wide linear range (0.5-50 mM; r 2 = 0.999) and low limit of detection (0.33 mM). Furthermore, the new biosensor was applied for glucose determination in five commercial soft-drinks without any sample treatment before the analysis. These samples were also analysed with a commercial enzymatic-kit assay. The results indicated that both methods provide accurate results. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Investigations of DC power supplies with optoelectronic transducers and RF energy converters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guzowski, B.; Gozdur, R.; Bernacki, L.; Lakomski, M.

    2016-04-01

    Fiber Distribution Cabinets (FDC) monitoring systems are increasingly popular. However it is difficult to realize such system in passive FDC, due to lack of source of power supply. In this paper investigation of four different DC power supplies with optoelectronic transducers is described. Two converters: photovoltaic power converter and PIN photodiode can convert the light transmitted through the optical fiber to electric energy. Solar cell and antenna RF-PCB are also tested. Results presented in this paper clearly demonstrate that it is possible to build monitoring system in passive FDC. During the tests maximum obtained output power was 11 mW. However all converters provided enough power to excite 32-bit microcontroller with ARM-cores and digital thermometer.

  12. A digital transducer and digital microphone using an optical technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghelmansarai, F. A.

    1996-09-01

    A transducer is devised to measure pressure, displacements or angles by optical means. This transducer delivers a digital output without relying on interferometry techniques or analogue-to-digital converters. This device is based on an optical scanner and an optical detector. An inter-digital photoconductive detector (IDPC) is employed that delivers a series of pulses, whose number depends on the scan length. A pre-objective scanning configuration is used that allows for the possibility of a flat image plane. The optical scanner provides scanning of IDPC and the generated scan length is proportional to the measurand.

  13. An overview of the dynamic calibration of piezoelectric pressure transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Theodoro, F. R. F.; Reis, M. L. C. C.; d’ Souto, C.

    2018-03-01

    Dynamic calibration is a research area that is still under development and is of great interest to aerospace and automotive industries. This study discusses some concepts regarding dynamic measurements of pressure quantities and presents an overview of dynamic calibration of pressure transducers. Studies conducted by the Institute of Aeronautics and Space focusing on research regarding piezoelectric pressure transducer calibration in shock tube are presented. We employed the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty and a Monte Carlo Method in the methodology. The results show that both device and methodology employed are adequate to calibrate the piezoelectric sensor.

  14. Characterization of the acoustic field generated by a horn shaped ultrasonic transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, B.; Lerch, J. E.; Chavan, A. H.; Weber, J. K. R.; Tamalonis, A.; Suthar, K. J.; DiChiara, A. D.

    2017-09-01

    A horn shaped Langevin ultrasonic transducer used in a single axis levitator was characterized to better understand the role of the acoustic profile in establishing stable traps. The method of characterization included acoustic beam profiling performed by raster scanning an ultrasonic microphone as well as finite element analysis of the horn and its interface with the surrounding air volume. The results of the model are in good agreement with measurements and demonstrate the validity of the approach for both near and far field analyses. Our results show that this style of transducer produces a strong acoustic beam with a total divergence angle of 10°, a near-field point close to the transducer surface and a virtual sound source. These are desirable characteristics for a sound source used for acoustic trapping experiments.

  15. Characterization of the acoustic field generated by a horn shaped ultrasonic transducer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hu, B.; Lerch, J. E.; Chavan, A. H.; Weber, J. K. R.; Tamalonis, A.; Suthar, K. J.; DiChiara, A. D.

    2017-09-04

    A horn shaped Langevin ultrasonic transducer used in a single axis levitator was characterized to better understand the role of the acoustic profile in establishing stable traps. The method of characterization included acoustic beam profiling performed by raster scanning an ultrasonic microphone as well as finite element analysis of the horn and its interface with the surrounding air volume. The results of the model are in good agreement with measurements and demonstrate the validity of the approach for both near and far field analyses. Our results show that this style of transducer produces a strong acoustic beam with a total divergence angle of 10 degree, a near-field point close to the transducer surface and a virtual sound source. These are desirable characteristics for a sound source used for acoustic trapping experiments

  16. Development of a Flexible Broadband Rayleigh Waves Comb Transducer with Nonequidistant Comb Interval for Defect Detection of Thick-Walled Pipelines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Huamin; He, Cunfu; Yan, Lyu; Zhang, Haijun

    2018-03-02

    It is necessary to develop a transducer that can quickly detect the inner and outer wall defects of thick-walled pipes, in order to ensure the safety of such pipes. In this paper, a flexible broadband Rayleigh-waves comb transducer based on PZT (lead zirconate titanate) for defect detection of thick-walled pipes is studied. The multiple resonant coupling theory is used to expand the transducer broadband and the FEA (Finite Element Analysis) method is used to optimize transducer array element parameters. Optimization results show that the best array element parameters of the transducer are when the transducer array element length is 30 mm, the thickness is 1.2 mm, the width of one end of is 1.5 mm, and the other end is 3 mm. Based on the optimization results, such a transducer was fabricated and its performance was tested. The test results were consistent with the finite-element simulation results, and the -3 dB bandwidth of the transducer reached 417 kHz. Transducer directivity test results show that the Θ -3dB beam width was equal to 10 °, to meet the defect detection requirements. Finally, defects of thick-walled pipes were detected using the transducer. The results showed that the transducer could detect the inner and outer wall defects of thick-walled pipes within the bandwidth.

  17. Reliability and Validity Assessment of a Linear Position Transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garnacho-Castaño, Manuel V.; López-Lastra, Silvia; Maté-Muñoz, José L.

    2015-01-01

    The objectives of the study were to determine the validity and reliability of peak velocity (PV), average velocity (AV), peak power (PP) and average power (AP) measurements were made using a linear position transducer. Validity was assessed by comparing measurements simultaneously obtained using the Tendo Weightlifting Analyzer Systemi and T-Force Dynamic Measurement Systemr (Ergotech, Murcia, Spain) during two resistance exercises, bench press (BP) and full back squat (BS), performed by 71 trained male subjects. For the reliability study, a further 32 men completed both lifts using the Tendo Weightlifting Analyzer Systemz in two identical testing sessions one week apart (session 1 vs. session 2). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) indicating the validity of the Tendo Weightlifting Analyzer Systemi were high, with values ranging from 0.853 to 0.989. Systematic biases and random errors were low to moderate for almost all variables, being higher in the case of PP (bias ±157.56 W; error ±131.84 W). Proportional biases were identified for almost all variables. Test-retest reliability was strong with ICCs ranging from 0.922 to 0.988. Reliability results also showed minimal systematic biases and random errors, which were only significant for PP (bias -19.19 W; error ±67.57 W). Only PV recorded in the BS showed no significant proportional bias. The Tendo Weightlifting Analyzer Systemi emerged as a reliable system for measuring movement velocity and estimating power in resistance exercises. The low biases and random errors observed here (mainly AV, AP) make this device a useful tool for monitoring resistance training. Key points This study determined the validity and reliability of peak velocity, average velocity, peak power and average power measurements made using a linear position transducer The Tendo Weight-lifting Analyzer Systemi emerged as a reliable system for measuring movement velocity and power. PMID:25729300

  18. Structural Diagnostics of CFRP Composite Aircraft Components by Ultrasonic Guided Waves and Built-In Piezoelectric Transducers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matt, Howard M. [Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States)

    2006-01-01

    To monitor in-flight damage and reduce life-cycle costs associated with CFRP composite aircraft, an autonomous built-in structural health monitoring (SHM) system is preferred over conventional maintenance routines and schedules. This thesis investigates the use of ultrasonic guided waves and piezoelectric transducers for the identification and localization of damage/defects occurring within critical components of CFRP composite aircraft wings, mainly the wing skin-to-spar joints. The guided wave approach for structural diagnostics was demonstrated by the dual application of active and passive monitoring techniques. For active interrogation, the guided wave propagation problem was initially studied numerically by a semi-analytical finite element method, which accounts for viscoelastic damping, in order to identify ideal mode-frequency combinations sensitive to damage occurring within CFRP bonded joints. Active guided wave tests across three representative wing skin-to-spar joints at ambient temperature were then conducted using attached Macro Fiber Composite (MFC) transducers. Results from these experiments demonstrate the importance of intelligent feature extraction for improving the sensitivity to damage. To address the widely neglected effects of temperature on guided wave base damage identification, analytical and experimental analyses were performed to characterize the influence of temperature on guided wave signal features. In addition, statistically-robust detection of simulated damage in a CFRP bonded joint was successfully achieved under changing temperature conditions through a dimensionally-low, multivariate statistical outlier analysis. The response of piezoceramic patches and MFC transducers to ultrasonic Rayleigh and Lamb wave fields was analytically derived and experimentally validated. This theory is useful for designing sensors which possess optimal sensitivity toward a given mode-frequency combination or for predicting the frequency dependent

  19. The comparison between the acquisition vibration data obtained by different types of transducers for hydraulic turbine head cover

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Youping; Lu, Jinsong; Cheng, Jian; Yin, Yongzhen; Wang, Jianlan

    2017-04-01

    Based on the summaries of the rules about the vibration measurement for hydro-generator sets with respect to relevant standards, the key issues of the vibration measurement, such as measurement modes, the transducer selection are illustrated. In addition, the problems existing in vibration measurement are pointed out. The actual acquisition data of head cover vertical vibration respectively obtained by seismic transducer and eddy current transducer in site hydraulic turbine performance tests during the rising of the reservoir upstream level in a certain hydraulic power plant are compared. The difference of the data obtained by the two types of transducers and the potential reasons are presented. The application conditions of seismic transducer and eddy current transducer for hydro-generator set vibration measurement are given based on the analysis. Research subjects that should be focused on about the topic discussed in this paper are suggested.

  20. A Mathematical Model of a Novel 3D Fractal-Inspired Piezoelectric Ultrasonic Transducer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canning, Sara; Walker, Alan J; Roach, Paul A

    2016-12-17

    Piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers have the potential to operate as both a sensor and as an actuator of ultrasonic waves. Currently, manufactured transducers operate effectively over narrow bandwidths as a result of their regular structures which incorporate a single length scale. To increase the operational bandwidth of these devices, consideration has been given in the literature to the implementation of designs which contain a range of length scales. In this paper, a mathematical model of a novel Sierpinski tetrix fractal-inspired transducer for sensor applications is presented. To accompany the growing body of research based on fractal-inspired transducers, this paper offers the first sensor design based on a three-dimensional fractal. The three-dimensional model reduces to an effective one-dimensional model by allowing for a number of assumptions of the propagating wave in the fractal lattice. The reception sensitivity of the sensor is investigated. Comparisons of reception force response (RFR) are performed between this novel design along with a previously investigated Sierpinski gasket-inspired device and standard Euclidean design. The results indicate that the proposed device surpasses traditional design sensors.

  1. Testing of electron beam welding by ultrasonic transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Touffait, A.-M.; Roule, M.; Destribats, M.-T.

    1978-01-01

    Focalized ultrasonic testing is well adapted to the study of electron beam welding. This type of welding leads to narrow weld beads and to small dimension testing zones. Focalized transducers can be used enabling very small defects to be detected [fr

  2. Analysis of the conical piezoelectric acoustic emission transducer

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Červená, Olga; Hora, Petr

    2008-01-01

    Roč. 2, č. 1 (2008), s. 13-24 ISSN 1802-680X R&D Projects: GA ČR GA101/06/1689 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20760514 Keywords : acoustic emission * conical transducer * FEM Subject RIV: BI - Acoustics

  3. Variability in effective radiating area and output power of new ultrasound transducers at 3 MHz.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johns, Lennart D; Straub, Stephen J; Howard, Samuel M

    2007-01-01

    Spatial average intensity (SAI) is often used by clinicians to gauge therapeutic ultrasound dosage, yet SAI measures are not directly regulated by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards. Current FDA guidelines permit a possible 50% to 150% minimum to maximum range of SAI values, potentially contributing to variability in clinical outcomes. To measure clinical values that describe ultrasound transducers and to determine the degree of intramanufacturer and intermanufacturer variability in effective radiating area, power, and SAI when the transducer is functioning at 3 MHz. A descriptive and interferential approach was taken to this quasi-experimental design. Measurement laboratory. Sixty-six 5-cm(2) ultrasound transducers were purchased from 6 different manufacturers. All transducers were calibrated and then assessed using standardized measurement techniques; SAI was normalized to account for variability in effective radiating area, resulting in an nSAI. Effective radiating area, power, and nSAI. All manufacturers with the exception of Omnisound (P = .534) showed a difference between the reported and measured effective radiating area values (P nSAI (P < .05) than all other manufacturers functioning at 3 MHz. Intramanufacturer variability in SAI ranged from 16% to 35%, and intermanufacturer variability ranged from 22% to 61%. Clinicians should consider treatment values of each individual transducer, regardless of the manufacturer. In addition, clinicians should scrutinize the power calibration and recalibration record of the transducer and adjust clinical settings as needed for the desired level of heating. Our data may aid in explaining the reported heating differences among transducers from different manufacturers. Stricter FDA standards regarding effective radiating area and total power are needed, and standards regulating SAI should be established.

  4. Underwater characterizations of monolithic piezoceramic and 1-3 composite using a self-designed transducer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saleem Mirza, Muhammad; Yasin, Tariq; Ikram, Masroor; Altaf, Muhammad; Mushtaq, Zahir; Nasir Khan, Muhammad

    2016-03-01

    Underwater characterizations of (Pb0.94Sr0.04)(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) and PZT/araldite-F 1-3 composite were carried out through a self-designed transducer. Disc-shaped samples of bulk PZT and PZT/araldite-F composite were first characterized in air and then were assembled in the transducer individually. The transducer's underwater voltage receiving sensitivity (Sh) and transmitting voltage response (Sv) were investigated in the frequency range of 10-200 kHz (well below thickness mode resonance) using a calibrated projector and receiver method with pulse technique. Results revealed that the transducer made with composite sample exhibited better (Sh) values (-214 dB ref 1 V/µPa) due to ~295% higher piezoelectric voltage coefficient gh (30 × 10-3 Vm/N) of the composite compared to PZT. In addition, the transducer with the PZT sample showed better Sv values (80 dB ref 1 µPa/1 V at 1 m) due to the presence of planar mode peaks in the frequency range of 10-200 kHz. These results indicate that the monolithic piezoceramic can exhibit underwater Sv response in both planar and thickness resonance modes owing to the admittance peaks in these frequency regions.

  5. An adjustable multi-scale single beam acoustic tweezers based on ultrahigh frequency ultrasonic transducer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xiaoyang; Lam, Kwok Ho; Chen, Ruimin; Chen, Zeyu; Yu, Ping; Chen, Zhongping; Shung, K Kirk; Zhou, Qifa

    2017-11-01

    This paper reports the fabrication, characterization, and microparticle manipulation capability of an adjustable multi-scale single beam acoustic tweezers (SBAT) that is capable of flexibly changing the size of "tweezers" like ordinary metal tweezers with a single-element ultrahigh frequency (UHF) ultrasonic transducer. The measured resonant frequency of the developed transducer at 526 MHz is the highest frequency of piezoelectric single crystal based ultrasonic transducers ever reported. This focused UHF ultrasonic transducer exhibits a wide bandwidth (95.5% at -10 dB) due to high attenuation of high-frequency ultrasound wave, which allows the SBAT effectively excite with a wide range of excitation frequency from 150 to 400 MHz by using the "piezoelectric actuator" model. Through controlling the excitation frequency, the wavelength of ultrasound emitted from the SBAT can be changed to selectively manipulate a single microparticle of different sizes (3-100 μm) by using only one transducer. This concept of flexibly changing "tweezers" size is firstly introduced into the study of SBAT. At the same time, it was found that this incident ultrasound wavelength play an important role in lateral trapping and manipulation for microparticle of different sizes. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 2637-2647. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Proof-of-concept experimental study of damage detection of concrete piles using embedded piezoceramic transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, R L; Gu, H; Song, G; Mo, Y L

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents a proof-of-concept experimental study of an innovative active-sensing approach for damage detection of concrete piles by using embedded piezoceramic transducers. In the proposed active-sensing approach, one piezoceramic transducer is used as an actuator to generate a stress wave to propagate through the concrete pile and the other distributed piezoceramic transducers are used as sensors to detect the wave response. Cracks or damage inside the concrete structure act as stress relief in the wave propagation path. The amplitude of the wave and the transmission energy will decrease due to the existence of cracks or damage. Experiments were performed on two bored piles instrumented with embedded piezoceramic transducers. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach for pile damage detection. (fast track communication)

  7. Non-contact optoacoustic imaging with focused air-coupled transducers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deán-Ben, X. Luís [Institute for Biological and Medical Imaging (IBMI), Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg (Germany); Pang, Genny A.; Razansky, Daniel, E-mail: dr@tum.de [Institute for Biological and Medical Imaging (IBMI), Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg (Germany); School of Medicine, Technische Universität München (TUM), Munich (Germany); Montero de Espinosa, Francisco [CSIC, Institute of Physics and Communication Technologies, Madrid (Spain)

    2015-08-03

    Non-contact optoacoustic imaging employing raster-scanning of a spherically focused air-coupled ultrasound transducer is showcased herein. Optoacoustic excitation with laser fluence within the maximal permissible human exposure limits in the visible and near-infrared spectra is applied to objects with characteristic dimensions smaller than 1 mm and absorption properties representative of the whole blood at near-infrared wavelengths, and these signals are shown to be detectable without contact to the sample using an air-coupled transducer with reasonable signal averaging. Optoacoustic images of vessel-mimicking tubes embedded in an agar phantom captured with this non-contact sensing technique are also showcased. These initial results indicate that an air-coupled ultrasound detection approach can be suitable for non-contact biomedical imaging with optoacoustics.

  8. Field computation for two-dimensional array transducers with limited diffraction array beams.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Jian-Yu; Cheng, Jiqi

    2005-10-01

    A method is developed for calculating fields produced with a two-dimensional (2D) array transducer. This method decomposes an arbitrary 2D aperture weighting function into a set of limited diffraction array beams. Using the analytical expressions of limited diffraction beams, arbitrary continuous wave (cw) or pulse wave (pw) fields of 2D arrays can be obtained with a simple superposition of these beams. In addition, this method can be simplified and applied to a 1D array transducer of a finite or infinite elevation height. For beams produced with axially symmetric aperture weighting functions, this method can be reduced to the Fourier-Bessel method studied previously where an annular array transducer can be used. The advantage of the method is that it is accurate and computationally efficient, especially in regions that are not far from the surface of the transducer (near field), where it is important for medical imaging. Both computer simulations and a synthetic array experiment are carried out to verify the method. Results (Bessel beam, focused Gaussian beam, X wave and asymmetric array beams) show that the method is accurate as compared to that using the Rayleigh-Sommerfeld diffraction formula and agrees well with the experiment.

  9. Routine Ultrasound Quality Assurance in a Multi-Unit Radiology Department: A Retrospective Evaluation of Transducer Failures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vitikainen, Anne-Mari; Peltonen, Juha I; Vartiainen, Eija

    2017-09-01

    The importance of quality assurance (QA) in medical ultrasound (US) has been widely recognized and recommendations concerning technical QA have been published over the years. However, the demonstrated impact of a properly working QA protocol on clinical routine has been scarce. We investigated the transducer write-off causes for a 5-y period in a multi-unit radiology department with an annual average of 230 transducers in demanding diagnostic use. The transducer faults and the initial observers of the faults leading to transducer write-offs were traced and categorized. The most common cause of transducer write-off was an image uniformity problem or element failure. Mechanical faults or excessive leakage current and defects in the lens constituted smaller yet substantial shares. Our results suggest that a properly working routine QA program can detect majority of the faults before they are reported by users. Copyright © 2017 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Motion Sensors and Transducers to Navigate an Intelligent Mechatronic Platform for Outdoor Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michail G. PAPOUTSIDAKIS

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The initial goal of this project is to investigate if different sensor types and their attached transducers can support everyday human needs. Nowadays, there is a constant need to automate many time consuming applications not only in industrial environments but also in smaller scale applications, therefore robotics is a field that continuously tracks research interest. The area of human assistance by machines in everyday needs, continues to grow and to keep users interest very high. "Mechatronics" differ from Robotics in terms of integrated electronics, the advantage of being easily re-programmable and more over the versatility of hosting all kind of sensor types, sensor networks, transducers and actuators. In this research project, such an integrated autonomous device will be presented, focusing around the use of sensors and their feedback signals for proximity, position, motion, distance, placement and finally navigation. The ultimate sensor type choice for the task as well as all transducers signals management will also be highlighted. An up-to-date technology microcontroller will host all the above information and moreover move the mechatronic platform via motor actuators. The control algorithm which will be designed for the application is responsible for receiving all feedback signals, processing them and safely navigate the system in order to undertake its mission. The project scenario, the necessary electronic equipment and the controller design method will be highlighted in the following paragraphs of this document. Conclusions and results of sensor usage, platform's performance and problems solutions, forms the rest of this paper body.

  11. Evaluation of a novel therapeutic focused ultrasound transducer based on Fermat’s spiral

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramaekers, P.; de Greef, M.; Berriet, R.; Moonen, C. T. W.; Ries, M.

    2017-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate a novel phased array transducer design rule for therapeutic focused ultrasound applications. This design rule uses the discretized Fermat’s spiral to determine the positioning of the transducer elements for a given number of elements and f-number. Using this principle, three variations of Fermat’s spiral were generated, aimed at (1) grating lobe minimization, (2) side lobe minimization, and (3) an optimized element packing efficiency. For each spiral, sparse layouts using identical circular elements and fully populated layouts based on additional Voronoi tessellation were evaluated numerically. Evaluation criteria included the element size distribution, beam steering capabilities, focal plane pressure distribution, prefocal pressure distribution, and practical considerations. Finally, one Voronoi-tessellated design with a focal length and aperture diameter of 16 cm and a natural frequency of 1.3 MHz was evaluated experimentally through hydrophone measurements. The numerical evaluation showed that while sparse arrays possess superior beam steering capabilities for a given number of elements, the focal point quality and prefocal pressure distribution is substantially more favorable when using the Voronoi-tessellated designs. Beam steering was shown to be feasible with the tessellated designs for lateral deflections up to 10 mm and axial deflections up to 20 mm. The experimental evaluation showed that such a transducer is capable of inducing 40.00 MPa rarefactional and 237.50 MPa compressional peak pressure levels at 800 W instantaneous acoustic output power under free-field conditions, making the system potentially relevant for thermal ablation therapy, histotripsy applications, and shockwave-enhanced heating.

  12. Wideband Single Crystal Transducer for Bone Characterization, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — TRS proposes to develop a simple-to-use, launch capable, ultrasound transducer that is capable of producing the necessary bandwidth to accurately determine in vivo...

  13. Integration of Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasound Transducers to Microfluidic Devices

    KAUST Repository

    Viržonis, Darius; Kodzius, Rimantas; Vanagas, Galius

    2013-01-01

    The design and manufacturing flexibility of capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducers (CMUT) makes them attractive option for integration with microfluidic devices both for sensing and fluid manipulation. CMUT concept is introduced here

  14. Universal Quantum Transducers Based on Surface Acoustic Waves

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schuetz, M.J.A.; Kessler, E.M.; Giedke, G.; Vandersypen, L.M.K.; Lukin, M.D.; Cirac, J.I.

    2015-01-01

    We propose a universal, on-chip quantum transducer based on surface acoustic waves in piezoactive materials. Because of the intrinsic piezoelectric (and/or magnetostrictive) properties of the material, our approach provides a universal platform capable of coherently linking a broad array of qubits,

  15. PMN-PT single crystal, high-frequency ultrasonic needle transducers for pulsed-wave Doppler application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Qifa; Xu, Xiaochen; Gottlieb, Emanuel J; Sun, Lei; Cannata, Jonathan M; Ameri, Hossein; Humayun, Mark S; Han, Pengdi; Shung, K Kirk

    2007-03-01

    High-frequency needle ultrasound transducers with an aperture size of 0.4 mm were fabricated using lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-33% PT) as the active piezoelectric material. The active element was bonded to a conductive silver particle matching layer and a conductive epoxy backing through direct contact curing. An outer matching layer of parylene was formed by vapor deposition. The active element was housed within a polyimide tube and a 20-gauge needle housing. The magnitude and phase of the electrical impedance of the transducer were 47 omega and -38 degrees, respectively. The measured center frequency and -6 dB fractional bandwidth of the PMN-PT needle transducer were 44 MHz and 45%, respectively. The two-way insertion loss was approximately 15 dB. In vivo high-frequency, pulsed-wave Doppler patterns of blood flow in the posterior portion and in vitro ultrasonic backscatter microscope (UBM) images of the rabbit eye were obtained with the 44-MHz needle transducer.

  16. Hysteretic self-oscillating bandpass current mode control for Class D audio amplifiers driving capacitive transducers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Dennis; Knott, Arnold; Andersen, Michael A. E.

    2013-01-01

    A hysteretic self-oscillating bandpass current mode control (BPCM) scheme for Class D audio amplifiers driving capacitive transducers are presented. The scheme provides excellent stability margins and low distortion over a wide range of operating conditions. Small-signal behavior of the amplifier...... the rules of electrostatics have been known as very interesting alternatives to the traditional inefficient electrodynamic transducers. When driving capacitive transducers from a Class D audio amplifier the high impedance nature of the load represents a key challenge. The BPCM control scheme ensures a flat...

  17. Molecular characterization of a new efficiently transducing bacteriophage identified in meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varga, Marian; Pantůček, Roman; Růžičková, Vladislava; Doškař, Jirˇí

    2016-01-01

    In Staphylococcus aureus, generalized transduction mediated by temperate bacteriophages represents a highly efficient way of transferring antibiotic resistance genes between strains. In the present study, we identified and characterized in detail a new efficiently transducing bacteriophage of the family Siphoviridae, designated ϕJB, which resides as a prophage in the meticillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strain Jevons B. Whole-genome sequencing followed by detailed in silico analysis uncovered a linear dsDNA genome consisting of 43 ,12 bp and comprising 70 ORFs, of which ∼40 encoded proteins with unknown function. A global genome alignment of ϕJB and other efficiently transducing phages ϕ11, ϕ53, ϕ80, ϕ80α and ϕNM4 showed a high degree of homology with ϕNM4 and substantial differences with regard to other phages. Using a model transduction system with a well-defined donor and recipient, ϕJB transferred the tetracycline resistance plasmid pT181 and a penicillinase plasmid with outstanding frequencies, beating most of the above-mentioned phages by an order of magnitude. Moreover, ϕJB demonstrated high frequencies of transferring antibiotic resistance plasmids even upon induction from a lysogenic donor strain. Considering such transducing potential, ϕJB and related bacteriophages may serve as a suitable tool for elucidating the nature of transduction and its contribution to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in naturally occurring MRSA populations.

  18. Dicarbonyl stress and glyoxalase enzyme system regulation in human skeletal muscle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mey, Jacob T; Blackburn, Brian K; Miranda, Edwin R; Chaves, Alec B; Briller, Joan; Bonini, Marcelo G; Haus, Jacob M

    2018-02-01

    Skeletal muscle insulin resistance is a hallmark of Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and may be exacerbated by protein modifications by methylglyoxal (MG), known as dicarbonyl stress. The glyoxalase enzyme system composed of glyoxalase 1/2 (GLO1/GLO2) is the natural defense against dicarbonyl stress, yet its protein expression, activity, and regulation remain largely unexplored in skeletal muscle. Therefore, this study investigated dicarbonyl stress and the glyoxalase enzyme system in the skeletal muscle of subjects with T2DM (age: 56 ± 5 yr.; BMI: 32 ± 2 kg/m 2 ) compared with lean healthy control subjects (LHC; age: 27 ± 1 yr.; BMI: 22 ± 1 kg/m 2 ). Skeletal muscle biopsies obtained from the vastus lateralis at basal and insulin-stimulated states of the hyperinsulinemic (40 mU·m -2 ·min -1 )-euglycemic (5 mM) clamp were analyzed for proteins related to dicarbonyl stress and glyoxalase biology. At baseline, T2DM had increased carbonyl stress and lower GLO1 protein expression (-78.8%), which inversely correlated with BMI, percent body fat, and HOMA-IR, while positively correlating with clamp-derived glucose disposal rates. T2DM also had lower NRF2 protein expression (-31.6%), which is a positive regulator of GLO1, while Keap1 protein expression, a negative regulator of GLO1, was elevated (207%). Additionally, insulin stimulation during the clamp had a differential effect on NRF2, Keap1, and MG-modified protein expression. These data suggest that dicarbonyl stress and the glyoxalase enzyme system are dysregulated in T2DM skeletal muscle and may underlie skeletal muscle insulin resistance. Whether these phenotypic differences contribute to the development of T2DM warrants further investigation.

  19. New technique for fabrication of high frequency piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasound Transducers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, T; Thomsen, Erik Vilain; Zawada, T

    2008-01-01

    A novel technique for fabrication of linear arrays of high frequency piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasound Transducers (pMUT) on silicon substrates is presented. Piezoelectric elements are formed by deposition of PZT ((PbZrxTi1-x)O3) into etched features of the silicon substrate such that the de......A novel technique for fabrication of linear arrays of high frequency piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasound Transducers (pMUT) on silicon substrates is presented. Piezoelectric elements are formed by deposition of PZT ((PbZrxTi1-x)O3) into etched features of the silicon substrate...

  20. Overproduction of ligninolytic enzymes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elisashvili, Vladimir; Kachlishvili, Eva; Torok, Tamas

    2014-06-17

    Methods, compositions, and systems for overproducing ligninolytic enzymes from the basidiomycetous fungus are described herein. As described, the method can include incubating a fungal strain of Cerrena unicolor IBB 303 in a fermentation system having growth medium which includes lignocellulosic material and then cultivating the fungal strain in the fermentation system under conditions wherein the fungus expresses the ligninolytic enzymes. In some cases, the lignocellulosic material is mandarin peel, ethanol production residue, walnut pericarp, wheat bran, wheat straw, or banana peel.

  1. Design and flight performance evaluation of the Mariners 6, 7, and 9 short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patterson, R. E.

    1973-01-01

    The purpose of the short-circuit voltage transducer is to provide engineering data to aid the evaluation of array performance during flight. The design, fabrication, calibration, and in-flight performance of the transducers onboard the Mariner 6, 7 and 9 spacecrafts are described. No significant differences were observed in the in-flight electrical performance of the three transducers. The transducers did experience significant losses due to coverslides or adhesive darkening, increased surface reflection, or spectral shifts within coverslide assembly. Mariner 6, 7 and 9 transducers showed non-cell current degradations of 3-1/2%, 3%, and 4%, respectively at Mars encounter and 6%, 3%, and 4-12%, respectively at end of mission. Mariner 9 solar Array Test 2 showed 3-12% current degradation while the transducer showed 4-12% degradation.

  2. Bioinformatics algorithm based on a parallel implementation of a machine learning approach using transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roche-Lima, Abiel; Thulasiram, Ruppa K

    2012-01-01

    Finite automata, in which each transition is augmented with an output label in addition to the familiar input label, are considered finite-state transducers. Transducers have been used to analyze some fundamental issues in bioinformatics. Weighted finite-state transducers have been proposed to pairwise alignments of DNA and protein sequences; as well as to develop kernels for computational biology. Machine learning algorithms for conditional transducers have been implemented and used for DNA sequence analysis. Transducer learning algorithms are based on conditional probability computation. It is calculated by using techniques, such as pair-database creation, normalization (with Maximum-Likelihood normalization) and parameters optimization (with Expectation-Maximization - EM). These techniques are intrinsically costly for computation, even worse when are applied to bioinformatics, because the databases sizes are large. In this work, we describe a parallel implementation of an algorithm to learn conditional transducers using these techniques. The algorithm is oriented to bioinformatics applications, such as alignments, phylogenetic trees, and other genome evolution studies. Indeed, several experiences were developed using the parallel and sequential algorithm on Westgrid (specifically, on the Breeze cluster). As results, we obtain that our parallel algorithm is scalable, because execution times are reduced considerably when the data size parameter is increased. Another experience is developed by changing precision parameter. In this case, we obtain smaller execution times using the parallel algorithm. Finally, number of threads used to execute the parallel algorithm on the Breezy cluster is changed. In this last experience, we obtain as result that speedup is considerably increased when more threads are used; however there is a convergence for number of threads equal to or greater than 16.

  3. Strategies for enzyme saving during saccharification of pretreated lignocellulo-starch biomass: effect of enzyme dosage and detoxification chemicals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.G. Mithra

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Two strategies leading to enzyme saving during saccharification of pretreated lignocellulo-starch biomass (LCSB was investigated which included reducing enzyme dosage by varying their levels in enzyme cocktails and enhancing the fermentable sugar yield in enzyme-reduced systems using detoxification chemicals. Time course release of reducing sugars (RS during 24–120 h was significantly higher when an enzyme cocktail containing full dose of cellulase (16 FPU/g cellulose along with half dose each of xylanase (1.5 mg protein/g hemicelluloses and Stargen (12.5 μl/g biomass was used to saccharify conventional dilute sulphuric acid (DSA pretreated biomass compared to a parallel system where only one-fourth the dose of the latter two enzymes was used. The reduction in RS content in the 120 h saccharified mash to the extent of 3–4 g/L compared to the system saccharified with full complement of the three enzymes could be overcome considerably by supplementing the system (half dose of two enzymes with detoxification chemical mix incorporating Tween 20, PEG 4000 and sodium borohydride. Microwave (MW-assisted DSA pretreated biomass on saccharification with enzyme cocktail having full dose of cellulase and half dose of Stargen along with detoxification chemicals gave significantly higher RS yield than DSA pretreated system saccharified using three enzymes. The study showed that xylanase could be eliminated during saccharification of MW-assisted DSA pretreated biomass without affecting RS yield when detoxification chemicals were also supplemented. The Saccharification Efficiency and Overall Conversion Efficiency were also high for the MW-assisted DSA pretreated biomass. Since whole slurry saccharifcation of pretreated biomass is essential to conserve fermentable sugars in LCSB saccharification, detoxification of soluble inhibitors is equally important as channelling out of insoluble lignin remaining in the residue. As one of the major factors contributing

  4. Multilayer piezoelectric transducer models combined with Field II

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bæk, David; Willatzen, Morten; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt

    2012-01-01

    One-dimensional and three-dimensional axisymmetric transducer model have been compared to determine their feasibility to predict the volt-to-surface impulse response of a circular Pz27 piezoceramic disc. The ceramic is assumed mounted with silver electrodes, bounded at the outer circular boundary...

  5. Integration of Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasound Transducers to Microfluidic Devices

    KAUST Repository

    Viržonis, Darius

    2013-10-22

    The design and manufacturing flexibility of capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducers (CMUT) makes them attractive option for integration with microfluidic devices both for sensing and fluid manipulation. CMUT concept is introduced here by presentin

  6. A Feasibility Study on Timber Damage Detection Using Piezoceramic-Transducer-Enabled Active Sensing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jicheng Zhang

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, piezoelectric-based transducers and technologies have made significant progress towards structural health monitoring and damage evaluation for various metal and concrete structures. Timber is still commonly used as a construction material in practical engineering; however, there is a lack of research on the health monitoring of timber-based structures using piezoelectric-based transducers and methods. This paper conducts a feasibility study on timber damage detection using surface-mounted piezoelectric patches, which enable the stress-wave-based active sensing approach. Typical damage modes in timber frame structures, such as surface cracks and holes, were investigated in this study. In the active sensing approach, one piezoceramic transducer is used as an actuator to generate stress waves, which propagate along the surface of the timber structure, and other piezoceramic transducers function as sensors to detect the propagating stress waves. Defects, such as a crack or a hole, induce additional attenuation to the propagating stress wave. Based on this attenuation, the proposed method can detect the defects using the wavelet-packet-based damage index, demonstrating its implementation potential for real-time timber damage detection.

  7. Sensitivity of diamond-capped impedance transducer to Tröger's base derivative.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stehlik, Stepan; Izak, Tibor; Kromka, Alexander; Dolenský, Bohumil; Havlík, Martin; Rezek, Bohuslav

    2012-08-01

    Sensitivity of an intrinsic nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) layer to naphthalene Tröger's base derivative decorated with pyrrole groups (TBPyr) was characterized by impedance spectroscopy. The transducer was made of Au interdigitated electrodes (IDE) with 50 μm spacing on alumina substrate which were capped with the NCD layer. The NCD-capped transducer with H-termination was able to electrically distinguish TBPyr molecules (the change of surface resistance within 30-60 kΩ) adsorbed from methanol in concentrations of 0.04 mg/mL to 40 mg/mL. An exponential decay of the surface resistance with time was observed and attributed to the readsorption of air moisture after methanol evaporation. After surface oxidation the NCD cap layer did not show any leakage due to NCD grain boundaries. We analyzed electronic transport in the transducer and propose a model for the sensing mechanism based on surface ion replacement.

  8. Air-Coupled Low Frequency Ultrasonic Transducers and Arrays with PMN-32%PT Piezoelectric Crystals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rymantas J. Kazys

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Air-coupled ultrasonic techniques are being increasingly used for material characterization, non-destructive evaluation of composite materials using guided waves as well as for distance measurements. Application of those techniques is mainly limited by the big losses of ultrasonic signals due to attenuation and mismatch of the acoustic impedances of ultrasonic transducers and air. One of the ways to solve this problem is by application of novel more efficient piezoelectric materials like lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-PT type crystals. The objective of this research was the development and investigation of low frequency (<50 kHz wide band air-coupled ultrasonic transducers and arrays with an improved performance using PMN-32%PT crystals. Results of finite element modelling and experimental investigations of the developed transducers and arrays are presented. For improvement of the performance strip-like matching elements made of low acoustic impedance, materials such as polystyrene foams were applied. It allowed to achieve transduction losses for one single element transducer −11.4 dB, what is better than of commercially available air-coupled ultrasonic transducers. Theoretical and experimental investigations of the acoustic fields radiated by the eight element ultrasonic array demonstrated not only a good performance of the array in a pulse mode, but also very good possibilities to electronically focus and steer the ultrasonic beam in space.

  9. Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers for medical imaging and therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khuri-Yakub, Butrus T; Oralkan, Omer

    2011-05-01

    Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) have been subject to extensive research for the last two decades. Although they were initially developed for air-coupled applications, today their main application space is medical imaging and therapy. This paper first presents a brief description of CMUTs, their basic structure, and operating principles. Our progression of developing several generations of fabrication processes is discussed with an emphasis on the advantages and disadvantages of each process. Monolithic and hybrid approaches for integrating CMUTs with supporting integrated circuits are surveyed. Several prototype transducer arrays with integrated frontend electronic circuits we developed and their use for 2-D and 3-D, anatomical and functional imaging, and ablative therapies are described. The presented results prove the CMUT as a MEMS technology for many medical diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

  10. Electromechanical modelling of tapered ionic polymer metal composites transducers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rakesha Chandra Dash

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs are relatively new smart materials that exhibit a bidirectional electromechanical coupling. IPMCs have large number of important engineering applications such as micro robotics, biomedical devices, biomimetic robotics etc. This paper presents a comparison between tapered and uniform cantilevered Nafion based IPMCs transducer. Electromechanical modelling is done for the tapered beam. Thickness can be varied according to the requirement of force and deflection. Numerical results pertaining to the force and deflection characteristics of both type IPMCs transducer are obtained. It is shown that the desired amount of force and deflections for tapered IPMCs can be achieved for a given voltage. Different fixed end (t0 and free end (t1 thickness values have been taken to justify the results using MATLAB.

  11. Analysis of ultrasonic beam profile due to change of elements' number for phased array transducer (part 2)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Sang Woo; Lee, Joon Hyun

    1998-01-01

    The phased array offers many advantages and improvements over conventional single-element transducers such as the straight-beam and angle-beam. The advantages of array sensors for large structures are two folds; firstly, array transducers provide a method of rapid beam steering and sequential addressing of a large area of interest without requiring mechanical or manual scanning which is particularly important in real-time application. Secondly, array transducer provide a method of dynamic focusing, in which the focal length of the ultrasonic beam varies as the pulse propagates through the material. There are some parameters such as number, size, center to center space of elements to design phased array transducer. In previous study. the characteristics of beam steering and dynamic focusing had been simulated for ultrasonic SH-wave with varying the number of phased array transducer's element. In this study, the characteristic of beam steering for phased array transducer has been simulated for ultrasonic SH-wave on the basis of Huygen's principle with varying center to center space of elements. Ultrasonic beam directivity and focusing due to change of time delay of each element were discussed with varying center to center space of elements.

  12. MOSFET-based high voltage short pulse generator for ultrasonic transducer excitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hidayat, Darmawan; Setianto, Syafei, Nendi Suhendi; Wibawa, Bambang Mukti

    2018-02-01

    This paper presents the generation of a high-voltage short pulse for the excitation of high frequency ultrasonic transducers. This is highly required in the purpose of various ultrasonic-based evaluations, particularly when high resolution measurement is necessary. A high voltage (+760 V) DC voltage source was pulsated by an ultrafast switching MOSFET which was driven by a pulse generator circuit consisting of an astable multivibrator, a one-shot multivibrator with Schmitt trigger input and a high current MOSFET driver. The generated pulses excited a 200-kHz and a 1-MHz ultrasonic transducers and tested in the transmission mode propagation to evaluate the performances of the generated pulse. The test results showed the generator were able to produce negative spike pulses up to -760 V voltage with the shortest time-width of 107.1 nanosecond. The transmission-received ultrasonic waves show frequency oscillation at 200 and 961 kHz and their amplitudes varied with the voltage of excitation pulse. These results conclude that the developed pulse generator is applicable to excite transducer for the generation of high frequency ultrasonic waves.

  13. Smart concrete slabs with embedded tubular PZT transducers for damage detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Weihang; Huo, Linsheng; Li, Hongnan; Song, Gangbing

    2018-02-01

    The objective of this study is to develop a new concept and methodology of smart concrete slab (SCS) with embedded tubular lead zirconate titanate transducer array for image based damage detection. Stress waves, as the detecting signals, are generated by the embedded tubular piezoceramic transducers in the SCS. Tubular piezoceramic transducers are used due to their capacity of generating radially uniform stress waves in a two-dimensional concrete slab (such as bridge decks and walls), increasing the monitoring range. A circular type delay-and-sum (DAS) imaging algorithm is developed to image the active acoustic sources based on the direct response received by each sensor. After the scattering signals from the damage are obtained by subtracting the baseline response of the concrete structures from those of the defective ones, the elliptical type DAS imaging algorithm is employed to process the scattering signals and reconstruct the image of the damage. Finally, two experiments, including active acoustic source monitoring and damage imaging for concrete structures, are carried out to illustrate and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  14. Transducer Placement Option of Lamb Wave SHM System for Hotspot Damage Monitoring

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vincentius Ewald

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we investigated transducer placement strategies for detecting cracks in primary aircraft structures using ultrasonic Structural Health Monitoring (SHM. The approach developed is for an expected damage location based on fracture mechanics, for example fatigue crack growth in a high stress location. To assess the performance of the developed approach, finite-element (FE modelling of a damage-tolerant aluminum fuselage has been performed by introducing an artificial crack at a rivet hole into the structural FE model and assessing its influence on the Lamb wave propagation, compared to a baseline measurement simulation. The efficient practical sensor position was determined from the largest change in area that is covered by reflected and missing wave scatter using an additive color model. Blob detection algorithms were employed to determine the boundaries of this area and to calculate the blob centroid. To demonstrate that the technique can be generalized, the results from different crack lengths and from tilted crack are also presented.

  15. Fabrication and Characterization of Single-Aperture 3.5-MHz BNT-Based Ultrasonic Transducer for Therapeutic Application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taghaddos, Elaheh; Ma, T; Zhong, Hui; Zhou, Qifa; Wan, M X; Safari, Ahmad

    2018-04-01

    This paper discusses the fabrication and characterization of 3.5-MHz single-element transducers for therapeutic applications in which the active elements are made of hard lead-free BNT-based and hard commercial PZT (PZT-841) piezoceramics. Composition of (BiNa 0.88 K 0.08 Li 0.04 ) 0.5 (Ti 0.985 Mn 0.015 )O 3 (BNKLT88-1.5Mn) was used to develop lead-free piezoelectric ceramic. Mn-doped samples exhibited high mechanical quality factor ( ) of 970, thickness coupling coefficient ( ) of 0.48, a dielectric constant ( ) of 310 (at 1 kHz), depolarization temperature ( ) of 200 °C, and coercive field ( ) of 52.5 kV/cm. Two different unfocused single-element transducers using BNKLT88-1.5Mn and PZT-841 with the same center frequency of 3.5 MHz and similar aperture size of 10.7 and 10.5 mm were fabricated. Pulse-echo response, acoustic frequency spectrum, acoustic pressure field, and acoustic intensity field of transducers were characterized. The BNT-based transducer shows linear response up to the peak-to-peak voltage of 105 V in which the maximum rarefactional acoustic pressure of 1.1 MPa, and acoustic intensity of 43 W/cm 2 were achieved. Natural focal point of this transducer was at 60 mm from the surface of the transducer.

  16. The design of high-efficiency and wide-band ultrasonic transducers for immersion application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Myung Sun; Kim, Jin Ho; Kang, Eun Kyung

    2001-01-01

    The optimum design of low-loss and broad-band piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers has been performed for immersion application. In order to obtain the highest efficiency, the piezo plates are backed by air. After determining the matching layers by using the formulas proposed by Desilet et al., inserting both a series inductor and a series or parallel resistor was considerated such that the transducers are electrically matched to the voltage source at the free resonance frequency. By analysing the transfer functions and the time responses of the transducers numerically, it has been shown that the frequency bandwidth becomes broad with increasing the electro-mechanical coupling factor and the number of matching layers, and that the sensitivity becomes best as the motional resistance at the resonance frequency is equal to the voltage source resistance.

  17. Annular spherically focused ring transducers for improved single-beam acoustical tweezers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mitri, F. G., E-mail: F.G.Mitri@ieee.org [Chevron, Area 52 Technology—ETC, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87508 (United States)

    2016-02-14

    The use of ultrasonic transducers with a central hollow is suggested for improved single-beam acoustical tweezers applications. Within the framework of the Fresnel-Kirchhoff parabolic approximation, a closed-form partial-wave series expansion (PWSE) for the incident velocity potential (or pressure) field is derived for an annular spherically focused ring (asfr) with uniform vibration across its surface in spherical coordinates. The Rayleigh-Sommerfeld diffraction integral and the addition theorems for the Legendre and spherical wave functions are used to obtain the PWSE assuming a weakly focused beam (with a focusing angle α ≤ 20°). The PWSE allows evaluating the incident field from the finite asfr in 3D. Moreover, the obtained solution allows computing efficiently the acoustic scattering and radiation force on a sphere centered on the beam's axis of wave propagation. The analytical solution is valid for wavelengths largely exceeding the radius of the asfr and when the viscosity of the surrounding fluid can be neglected. Numerical predictions for the beam-forming, scattering, and axial time-averaged radiation force are performed with particular emphasis on the asfr thickness, the axial distance separating the sphere from the center of the transducer, the (non-dimensional) size of the transducer, as well as the sphere's elastic properties without restriction to the long- (i.e., Rayleigh) or the short-wavelength (i.e., ray acoustics) regimes. Potential applications of the present solution are in beam-forming design, particle tweezing, and manipulation due to negative forces using ultrasonic asfr transducers.

  18. Cooling Acoustic Transducer with Heat Pipes

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-07-29

    a heat sink. [0009] In Kan et al (United States Patent No. 6,528,909), a spindle motor assembly is disclosed which has a shaft with an integral...heat pipe. The shaft with the integral heat pipe improves the thermal conductively of the shaft and the spindle motor assembly. The shaft includes...Description of the Prior Art [0004] It is known in the art that transducers, designed to project acoustic power, are often limited by the build

  19. Advancements in the Design and Fabrication of Ultrasound Transducers for Extreme Temperatures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bosyj, Christopher

    An ultrasound transducer for operation from room temperature to 800 °C is developed. The device includes a lithium niobate piezoelectric crystal, a porous zirconia attenuative backing layer, and a quarter wavelength matching layer. The manufacturing procedure for porous zirconia is optimized by adjusting pore size and forming pressure to yield good acoustic performance and mechanical integrity. Several acoustic coupling methods are evaluated. A novel silver-copper braze and an aluminum-based braze are found to be suitable at elevated temperatures. Several materials are evaluated for their performance as a quarter wavelength matching layer in the transducer stack. The use of either a nickel-chromium or stainless steel matching layer is established in place of ceramic components. Equipment limitations prevent evaluation at 800 °C, though ultrasound transmission is theoretically achievable with the devices established by this study. Reliable high-amplitude, wide-bandwidth ultrasound transmission is achieved from room temperature to 600 °C with two transducer variants.

  20. Control of the ultrasonic beam transmitted through an irregular profile using a smart flexible transducer: modelling an application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roy, O.; Mahaut, S.; Casula, O. [CEA Fontenay aux Roses, DRT/LIST/DECS/STA/LMUS, 92 (France)

    2001-07-01

    In most of industries as aeronautics, aerospace and nuclear, the main part of the ultrasonic testing is carried out directly in touch with the inspected component. Among others, the cooling piping of French pressurized water reactor comprises many welding components with complex geometry: elbows, butt welds, nozzles. In service inspections of such components performed with conventional ultrasonic contact transducers present limited performances. Variations in sensitivity are produced by unmatched contact on irregular surface, which results in poor detection performances. In addition, the beam orientation transmitted through complex interfaces cannot be totally controlled, because of the disorientations suffered by the transducer during its displacement. As a result, a possible defect cannot be correctly detected, positioned and characterized. At last, the geometry of some components limits the displacement of the transducer, resulting in an uncovered scan area. To overcome these difficulties and to improve the performances of such inspections, the CEA, supported by the safety authorities (IPSN), has developed a new concept of phased array. Recent studies have been made to obtain further performances improvements of this system, including instrumentation development and a new phased array design. Inspections have been performed on a specimen containing artificial defects under a realistic profile, with an adaptive mode to compensate the effect of the irregular profile. Experimental results, displayed using specific imaging, show the ability of this system to detect and characterize defects under irregular profiles, using longitudinal or shear waves in a fully mastered beam. (authors)

  1. Voltammetric enzyme sensor for urea using mercaptohydroquinone-modified gold electrode as the base transducer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mizutani, F; Yabuki, S; Sato, Y

    1997-01-01

    A voltammetric urea-sensing electrode was prepared by combining a lipid-attached urease layer with a 2,5-dihydroxythiophenol-modified gold electrode. A self-assembled monolayer of dihydroxythiophenol was prepared on the gold surface by soaking the electrode into an ethanolic solution containing the modifier. A layer of the lipid-attached enzyme and that of acetyl cellulose overcoat were successively made on the dihydroxythiophenol-modified electrode by applying a dip-coating procedure. The addition of urea in a test solution (10 mM phosphate buffer, pH 7.0) brought about an increase of pH near the urease layer. The pH shift accompanied a negative shift of the anodic peak, which corresponded to the electro-oxidation of dihydroxyphenol moiety to form quinone, on the linear sweep voltammograms for the urease/dihydroxythiophenol electrode. The concentration of urea (0.2-5 mM) could be determined by measuring the electrode current at -0.05 V versus Ag/AgCl from the voltammogram. The electrode was applied to the determination of urea in human urine; the measurement of electrode current at such a low potential provided the urea determination without any electrochemical interference from L-ascorbic acid and uric acid.

  2. The random phase transducer in ultrasonic NDT of coarse grain stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bordier, J.M.; Fink, M.; Le Brun, A.; Cohen-Tenoudji, F.

    1993-11-01

    Ultrasonic NDT of cast stainless steel is known to be difficult due to a huge loss of focussing of the ultrasonic beam, and to a high level speckle noise generated by the coarse grain structure. In this paper, we describe the principle of the ultrasonic random phase transducer. Experimental results are compared with those obtained with a standard spatial compound technique. We show that the random phase transducer is a good tool to characterize the multiple scattering process generated by these materials. (authors). 7 figs., 11 refs

  3. Cellulase enzyme and biomass utilization

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    STORAGESEVER

    2009-06-03

    Jun 3, 2009 ... human population grows and economic development. However, the current .... conditions and the production cost of the related enzyme system. Therefore ... Given the importance of this enzyme to these so many industries,.

  4. Transcriptional regulation of the xylanolytic enzyme system of Aspergillus

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Peij, van N.N.M.E.

    1999-01-01

    Filamentous fungi, such as Aspergillus niger , produce high levels of polysaccharide degrading enzymes and are frequently used as production organisms for industrial enzyme preparations. The application of these polysaccharidases as xylanases and cellulases comprises

  5. Ultrasonic system for hyperthermia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seppi, E.J.; Shapiro, E.G.; Zitelli, L.T.

    1985-01-01

    A system using ultrasound has been developed for hyperthermia application. It consists of a water bed containing a large ultrasound transducer array for heat application, an annular imaging transducer for alignment and treatment monitoring, and a 30-channel monitoring system for invasive temperature measurements. The heat applicator array contains 30 transducers mounted in a hexagonal configuration. Four subsets of transducers in the array can be remotely mechanically driven in such a way as to allow control of the distribution and diameter of ultrasound power at the effective focus of the array. The array can be remotely translated in three dimensions and can be rotated about its axis of symmetry. These motions allow positioning of the focal area of the array at the desired location. Each transducer of the array is powered by an individual amplifier and can be controlled in intensity and phase. The system can operate at variable ultrasound frequencies. An imaging transducer located at the center of the heat applicator array is used to collect data for ultrasound imaging and other purposes. Ultrasound images are displayed along with marks indicating the location of the heat applicator focal region for setup and for monitoring during treatment. The entire system is under computer control. This allows for operator ease in the control of the numerous parameters involved in the operation of the system

  6. Na, K-ATPase as signaling transducer

    OpenAIRE

    Li, Juan

    2007-01-01

    It is now generally agreed that Na,K-ATPase (NKA), in addition to its role in the maintenance of Na+ and K+ gradients across the cell membrane, is a signal transducer. Our group has identified a novel signaling pathway where NKA interact with IP3R to form a signaling microdomain. Ouabain, a specific ligand of NKA, activates this pathway, triggers slow Ca2+ oscillations and activates NF-κB. In current study, the molecular mechanisms and some important downstream effects of NK...

  7. Template-based fluoroethylenepropylene piezoelectrets with tubular channels for transducer applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altafim, Ruy Alberto Pisani; Qiu, Xunlin; Wirges, Werner; Gerhard, Reimund; Altafim, Ruy Alberto Corrêa; Basso, Heitor Cury; Jenninger, Werner; Wagner, Joachim

    2009-07-01

    We describe the concept, the fabrication, and the most relevant properties of a piezoelectric-polymer system: Two fluoroethylenepropylene (FEP) films with good electret properties are laminated around a specifically designed and prepared polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) template at 300 °C. After removing the PTFE template, a two-layer FEP film with open tubular channels is obtained. For electric charging, the two-layer FEP system is subjected to a high electric field. The resulting dielectric barrier discharges inside the tubular channels yield a ferroelectret with high piezoelectricity. d33 coefficients of up to 160 pC/N have already been achieved on the ferroelectret films. After charging at suitable elevated temperatures, the piezoelectricity is stable at temperatures of at least 130 °C. Advantages of the transducer films include ease of fabrication at laboratory or industrial scales, a wide range of possible geometrical and processing parameters, straightforward control of the uniformity of the polymer system, flexibility, and versatility of the soft ferroelectrets, and a large potential for device applications e.g., in the areas of biomedicine, communications, production engineering, sensor systems, environmental monitoring, etc.

  8. Antioxidant enzyme gene delivery to protect from HIV-1 gp120-induced neuronal apoptosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agrawal, L; Louboutin, J-P; Reyes, B A S; Van Bockstaele, E J; Strayer, D S

    2006-12-01

    Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection in the central nervous system (CNS) may lead to neuronal loss and progressively deteriorating CNS function: HIV-1 gene products, especially gp120, induce free radical-mediated apoptosis. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), are among the potential mediators of these effects. Neurons readily form ROS after gp120 exposure, and so might be protected from ROS-mediated injury by antioxidant enzymes such as Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) and/or glutathione peroxidase (GPx1). Both enzymes detoxify oxygen free radicals. As they are highly efficient gene delivery vehicles for neurons, recombinant SV40-derived vectors were used for these studies. Cultured mature neurons derived from NT2 cells and primary fetal neurons were transduced with rSV40 vectors carrying human SOD1 and/or GPx1 cDNAs, then exposed to gp120. Apoptosis was measured by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Transduction efficiency of both neuron populations was >95%, as assayed by immunostaining. Transgene expression was also ascertained by Western blotting and direct assays of enzyme activity. Gp120 induced apoptosis in a high percentage of unprotected NT2-N. Transduction with SV(SOD1) and SV(GPx1) before gp120 challenge reduced neuronal apoptosis by >90%. Even greater protection was seen in cells treated with both vectors in sequence. Given singly or in combination, they protect neuronal cells from HIV-1-gp120 induced apoptosis. We tested whether rSV40 s can deliver antioxidant enzymes to the CNS in vivo: intracerebral injection of SV(SOD1) or SV(GPx1) into the caudate putamen of rat brain yielded excellent transgene expression in neurons. In vivo transduction using SV(SOD1) also protected neurons from subsequent gp120-induced apoptosis after injection of both into the caudate putamen of rat brain. Thus, SOD1 and GPx1 can be delivered by SV40 vectors in vitro or in vivo. This approach may merit consideration for

  9. Condition Assessment of Foundation Piles and Utility Poles Based on Guided Wave Propagation Using a Network of Tactile Transducers and Support Vector Machines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ulrike Dackermann

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a novel non-destructive testing and health monitoring system using a network of tactile transducers and accelerometers for the condition assessment and damage classification of foundation piles and utility poles. While in traditional pile integrity testing an impact hammer with broadband frequency excitation is typically used, the proposed testing system utilizes an innovative excitation system based on a network of tactile transducers to induce controlled narrow-band frequency stress waves. Thereby, the simultaneous excitation of multiple stress wave types and modes is avoided (or at least reduced, and targeted wave forms can be generated. The new testing system enables the testing and monitoring of foundation piles and utility poles where the top is inaccessible, making the new testing system suitable, for example, for the condition assessment of pile structures with obstructed heads and of poles with live wires. For system validation, the new system was experimentally tested on nine timber and concrete poles that were inflicted with several types of damage. The tactile transducers were excited with continuous sine wave signals of 1 kHz frequency. Support vector machines were employed together with advanced signal processing algorithms to distinguish recorded stress wave signals from pole structures with different types of damage. The results show that using fast Fourier transform signals, combined with principal component analysis as the input feature vector for support vector machine (SVM classifiers with different kernel functions, can achieve damage classification with accuracies of 92.5% ± 7.5%.

  10. Enzyme-modified starch as an oil delivery system for bake-only chicken nuggets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purcell, Sarah; Wang, Ya-Jane; Seo, Han-Seok

    2014-05-01

    This study investigated the effects of enzyme modification on starch as an effective oil delivery system for bake-only chicken nuggets. Various native starches were hydrolyzed by amyloglucosidase to a hydrolysis degree of 20% to 25% and plated with 50% (w/w, starch dry basis) with canola oil to create a starch-oil matrix. This matrix was then blended into a dry ingredient blend for batter and breader components. Nuggets were prepared by coated with predust, hydrated batter, and breader, and the coated nuggets were steam-baked until fully cooked and then frozen until texture and sensory analyses. The enzyme-modified starches showed a significant decrease in pasting viscosities for all starch types. For textural properties of nuggets, no clear relationship was found between peak force and starch source or amylose content. Sensory attributes related to fried foods (for example, crispness and mouth-coating) did not significantly differ between bake-only nuggets formulated using the enzyme-modified starches and the partially fried and baked ones. The present findings suggest that enzyme-modified starches can deliver sufficient quantity of oil to create sensory attributes similar to those of partially fried chicken nuggets. Further study is needed to optimize the coating formulation of bake-only chicken nugget to become close to the fried one in sensory aspects. The food industry has become increasingly focused on healthier items. Frying imparts several critical and desirable product functionalities, such as developing texture and color, and providing mouth-feel and flavor. The food industry has yet to duplicate all of the unique characteristics of fried chicken nuggets with a baking process. This study investigated the application of enzyme-modified starch as an oil delivery system in bake-only chicken nugget formulation in attempts to provide characteristics of fried items. This information is useful to improve the nutritional value of fried food by eliminating the

  11. Thermodynamic activity-based intrinsic enzyme kinetic sheds light on enzyme-solvent interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grosch, Jan-Hendrik; Wagner, David; Nistelkas, Vasilios; Spieß, Antje C

    2017-01-01

    The reaction medium has major impact on biocatalytic reaction systems and on their economic significance. To allow for tailored medium engineering, thermodynamic phenomena, intrinsic enzyme kinetics, and enzyme-solvent interactions have to be discriminated. To this end, enzyme reaction kinetic modeling was coupled with thermodynamic calculations based on investigations of the alcohol dehydrogenase from Lactobacillus brevis (LbADH) in monophasic water/methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) mixtures as a model solvent. Substrate concentrations and substrate thermodynamic activities were varied separately to identify the individual thermodynamic and kinetic effects on the enzyme activity. Microkinetic parameters based on concentration and thermodynamic activity were derived to successfully identify a positive effect of MTBE on the availability of the substrate to the enzyme, but a negative effect on the enzyme performance. In conclusion, thermodynamic activity-based kinetic modeling might be a suitable tool to initially curtail the type of enzyme-solvent interactions and thus, a powerful first step to potentially understand the phenomena that occur in nonconventional media in more detail. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:96-103, 2017. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

  12. Thermal stress in flexible interdigital transducers with anisotropic electroactive cellulose substrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, Sean J.; Kim, Jung Woong; Kim, Hyun Chan; Kang, Jinmo; Kim, Jaehwan

    2017-12-01

    Thermal stress in flexible interdigital transducers a reliability concern in the development of flexible devices, which may lead to interface delamination, stress voiding and plastic deformation. In this paper, a mathematical model is presented to investigate the effect of material selections on the thermal stress in interdigital transducers. We modified the linear relationships in the composite materials theory with the effect of high curvature, anisotropic substrate and small substrate thickness. We evaluated the thermal stresses of interdigital transducers, fabricated with various electrodes, insulators and substrate materials for the comparison. The results show that, among various insulators, organic polymer developed the highest stress level while oxide showed the lowest stress level. Aluminium shows a higher stress level and curvature as an electrode than gold. As substrate materials, polyimide and electroactive cellulose show similar stress levels except the opposite sign convention to each other. Polyimide shows positive curvatures while electroactive cellulose shows negative curvatures, which is attributed to the stress and thermal expansion state of the metal/insulator composite. The results show that the insulator is found to be responsible for the confinement across the metal lines while the substrate is responsible for the confinement along the metal lines.

  13. Acoustic streaming in the transducer plane in ultrasonic particle manipulation devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lei, Junjun; Glynne-Jones, Peter; Hill, Martyn

    2013-06-07

    In acoustofluidic manipulation and sorting devices, Rayleigh streaming flows are typically found in addition to the acoustic radiation forces. However, experimental work from various groups has described acoustic streaming that occurs in planar devices in a plane parallel to the transducer face. This is typically a four-quadrant streaming pattern with the circulation parallel to the transducer. Understanding its origins is essential for creating designs that limit or control this phenomenon. The cause of this kind of streaming pattern has not been previously explained as it is different from the well-known classical streaming patterns such as Rayleigh streaming and Eckart streaming, whose circulation planes are generally perpendicular to the face of the acoustic transducer. In order to gain insight into these patterns we present a numerical method based on Nyborg's limiting velocity boundary condition that includes terms ignored in the Rayleigh analysis, and verify its predictions against experimental PIV results in a simple device. The results show that the modelled particle trajectories match those found experimentally. Analysis of the dominant terms in the driving equations shows that the origin of this kind of streaming pattern is related to the circulation of the acoustic intensity.

  14. Use of inexpensive pressure transducers for measuring water levels in wells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keeland, B.D.; Dowd, J.F.; Hardegree, W.S.

    1997-01-01

    Frequent measurement of below ground water levels at multiple locations is an important component of many wetland ecosystem studies. These measurements, however, are usually time consuming, labor intensive, and expensive. This paper describes a water-level sensor that is inexpensive and easy to construct. The sensor is placed below the expected low water level in a shallow well and, when connected to a datalogger, uses a pressure transducer to detect groundwater or surface water elevations. Details of pressure transducer theory, sensor construction, calibration, and examples of field installations are presented. Although the transducers must be individually calibrated, the sensors have a linear response to changing water levels (r2 ??? .999). Measurement errors resulting from temperature fluctuations are shown to be about 4 cm over a 35??C temperature range, but are minimal when the sensors are installed in groundwater wells where temperatures are less variable. Greater accuracy may be obtained by incorporating water temperature data into the initial calibration (0.14 cm error over a 35??C temperature range). Examples of the utility of these sensors in studies of groundwater/surface water interactions and the effects of water level fluctuations on tree growth are provided. ?? 1997 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

  15. Detection of plane, poorly oriented wide flaws using focused transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vadder, D. de; Azou, P.; Bastien, P.; Saglio, R.

    1976-01-01

    The detection of plane, poorly oriented, wide flaws by ultrasonic non destructive testing is distinctly improved when using focused transducers. An increased echo can be obtained crossing the defect limit [fr

  16. Phenomenally High Transduction Air/gas Transducers for Practical Non-Contact Ultrasonic Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhardwaj, Mahesh C.

    2009-03-01

    Based on novel acoustic impedance matching layers and high coupling piezoelectric materials this paper describes exceptionally high air/gas transduction ultrasonic transducers. By providing applications oriented performance of these transducers we also usher in the era of much desired Non-Contact Ultrasound (NCU) testing and analysis of a wide range of materials including early stage formation of materials such as uncured composite prepregs, green ceramics and powder metals, plastics, elastomers, porous, hygroscopic, chemically bonded and other materials. Besides quality control, ultimately NCU offers timely opportunities for cost-effective materials production, energy savings, and environment protection.

  17. Transducer frequency response variations investigated by time reversal calibration

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kober, Jan; Převorovský, Zdeněk

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 26, č. 2 (2016), A16-A16 ISSN 1213-3825. [Europen Conference on Acoustic Emission Testing /32./. 07.09.2016-09.09.2016, Praha] Institutional support: RVO:61388998 Keywords : calibration * time reversal * transducer * frequency response Subject RIV: BI - Acoustics

  18. Specimen ferromagnetism and the behaviour of electromagnetic ultrasonic shear-wave transducers below and above the Curie point

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robinson, T.S.

    1981-04-01

    Interest in the potentialities of electromagnetic ultrasonic transducers for non-destructive testing was re-awakened about 1968 and since then a goodly number of articles have appeared concerning transducers design, performance and use. The aim of this report is to fill a gap by describing the relations between theoretical and actual performance of shear-wave transducers, used on magnetic and on non-magnetic specimens: in particular to trace the phenomena occuring as the temperature of a magnetic specimen (mild steel) is raised through the Curie point. At the transmitting transducer generation of ultrasonic wave is almost exclusively by Lorentz forces applied to the skin of the specimen; at the receiver transduction is via Faraday induction. Wave attenuation in mild steel above the curie point hampers the use of shear waves, but does not render unusable there. An anomaly in performance with mild steel specimens just above the Curie temperature is discussed, which necessitates a brief consideration of electromagnetic longitudinal wave transducers, where the need to invoke magnetostriction as a dominant phenomenon is expressed. (Auhtor)

  19. Campylobacter jejuni transducer like proteins: Chemotaxis and beyond.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chandrashekhar, Kshipra; Kassem, Issmat I; Rajashekara, Gireesh

    2017-07-04

    Chemotaxis, a process that mediates directional motility toward or away from chemical stimuli (chemoeffectors/ligands that can be attractants or repellents) in the environment, plays an important role in the adaptation of Campylobacter jejuni to disparate niches. The chemotaxis system consists of core signal transduction proteins and methyl-accepting-domain-containing Transducer like proteins (Tlps). Ligands binding to Tlps relay a signal to chemotaxis proteins in the cytoplasm which initiate a signal transduction cascade, culminating into a directional flagellar movement. Tlps facilitate substrate-specific chemotaxis in C. jejuni, which plays an important role in the pathogen's adaptation, pathobiology and colonization of the chicken gastrointestinal tract. However, the role of Tlps in C. jejuni's host tissue specific colonization, physiology and virulence remains not completely understood. Based on recent studies, it can be predicted that Tlps might be important targets for developing strategies to control C. jejuni via vaccines and antimicrobials.

  20. Electromagnetic acoustic transducers noncontacting ultrasonic measurements using EMATS

    CERN Document Server

    Hirao, Masahiko

    2017-01-01

    This second edition provides comprehensive information on electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs), from the theory and physical principles of EMATs to the construction of systems and their applications to scientific and industrial ultrasonic measurements on materials. The original version has been complemented with selected ideas on ultrasonic measurement that have emerged since the first edition was released. The book is divided into four parts: PART I offers a self-contained description of the basic elements of coupling mechanisms along with the practical designing of EMATs for various purposes. Several implementations to compensate for EMATs’ low transfer efficiency are provided, along with useful tips on how to make an EMAT. PART II describes the principle of electromagnetic acoustic resonance (EMAR), which makes the most of EMATs’ contactless nature and is the most successful amplification mechanism for precise measurements of velocity and attenuation. PART III applies EMAR to studying physical ...