Developing a Confocal Acoustic Holography Microscope for non-invasive 3D temperature and composition measurements

A Confocal Acoustic Holography Microscope (CAHM) has been designed, simulated and partially verified experimentally to take holograms for non-invasive, three-dimensional measurements of a specimen's refractive indices from one view point. The designed and simulated prototype CAHM used a frequency of 2.25 MHz and measured sound speed changes of 16 m/s, temperature changes of 5 °C and had a spatial resolution of 660 μm. With future improvements utilizing the latest technologies such as two-dimensional array detectors, Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), and acoustic lenses, resolutions of 1 m/s, 0.5 °C, and 150 μm are expected. The CAHM is expected to have many useful applications, including non-invasive mass and heat transfer measurements in fluids and materials and as a medical diagnostic tool to non-intrusively visualize compositions and temperatures within the human body.     

An experimental study on the concrete hydration process using Fabry–Perot fiber optic temperature sensors

This paper describes the contribution of Fabry–Perot (FP) fiber optic temperature sensor to investigate the effects of concrete hydration process. The FP temperature sensor was easily fabricated by controllable chemical etching and adjustable fusion splicing. Detailed optical properties of the sensor were theoretically analyzed and temperature calibration experiments were performed. A sensor with a 90 μm cavity length was demonstrated to have a temperature sensitivity of 0.01 nm/°C and the linearity coefficient of 0.99. Furthermore, the FP sensor was embedded in the concrete structure for sensing the temperature change during the early age of hydration. During the concrete hydration experiments, the measured peak temperatures of the concrete specimens with different water-to-cement (w/c) ratios of 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6 were 51.42 °C, 52.88 °C, and 55.08 °C, respectively, corresponding to final setting times of 13.52 h (w/c = 0.4), 14.16 h (w/c = 0.5) and 15.2 h (w/c = 0.6) after concrete casting. Temperature profiles will be used for concrete hydration heat study, which will help us to have a better understanding of cement hydration behavior.     

Accurate conductance measurements of a pinhole orifice using a constant-pressure flowmeter

A pinhole orifice with a known conductance can be used as a secondary flow standard. Commercially available laser-drilled pinhole orifices with diameters ranging from 1.0 μm to 50 μm can have molecular-flow conductances ranging from about 0.1 μL/s to 200 μL/s for N₂ at 23 °C. Gas flows of 10⁻¹¹–10⁻⁶ mol/s can easily be produced by applying an upstream pressure in the range of 1–10⁵ Pa. Accurate measurements of the orifice conductance as a function of pressure are required to use the pinhole orifice as a basis of a flowmeter. We use a constant-pressure flowmeter to make accurate measurements of the conductance of a 20 μm orifice as a function of pressure for gas flows of Ar and N₂ into vacuum. We present results of these conductance measurements for an orifice with a nominal diameter of 20 μm. The N₂ conductance of this orifice ranged from 30 μL/s to 60 μL/s over the range of pressures investigated, and was measured with an uncertainty of better than 0.2% (k = 2) for upstream pressures greater than 10 Pa.     

Design and performance of an advanced metrology building for MIKES

Fundamental metrology is closely linked to the development of science and needs good facilities to achieve low measurement uncertainty in demanding experiments. The laboratories must have good temperature stability, low vibration level, good electromagnetic shielding, clean room air, and humidity control. This paper outlines specification and design principles of a compact laboratory building that brings most of the activities of MIKES under one roof, thus attaining the performance of the most demanding laboratories. The most demanding specifications of temperature and vibration were set for the length and mass laboratories. The tightest room temperature specification was (20 ± 0.05) °C. The vibration level was specified at the tightest level to 1 μm/s at frequencies of 0.1-5 Hz. Electromagnetic shielding was specified at best to 100 dB for plane waves up to 20 GHz. Relative humidity was specified (48 ± 2)% at 20 °C. The specifications were clearly achieved and state of the art metrology laboratories implemented.     

Relations between oxidative wear and Cr content of steels

Dry sliding wear tests at 25-400 °C were performed for 45, 4Cr5MoSiV1 and 3Cr13 steels; the relations between oxidative wear and Cr content of steels were explored. The low and medium-Cr steels had a substantially lower wear rate and increasing tendency than the high-Cr steel at 25-200 °C, but the contrary case occurred at 400 °C. With an increase of ambient temperature, the wear rate of the low and medium-Cr steels first decreased, then increased and reached the lowest value at 200 °C, while the wear rate of the high-Cr steel decreased monotonously with the lowest value at 400 °C. At 25 °C, trace tribo-oxides reduced wear to some extent in adhesive-dominated wear for the low and medium-Cr steels. At 200 °C, a small amount of tribo-oxides formed and reached a thickness of 10 μm on contacting asperities in the low and medium-Cr steels, thus oxidative mild wear prevailed. At 400 °C, a great amount of tribo-oxides appeared in the low and medium-Cr steels; unexpectedly, the high-Cr steel had more tribo-oxides than the low or medium-Cr steels in some cases. Its high wear resistance may be attributed to Cr-strengthened adhesion power of tribo-oxides and matrix.     

Fabrication and characterization of ZnO thin film for hydrogen gas sensing prepared by RF-magnetron sputtering

A ZnO thin film-based gas sensor was fabricated using a SiO₂/Si substrate with an integrated platinum comb-like electrode and heating element. The structural characteristics, morphology, and surface roughness of the as-grown ZnO nanostructure were investigated. The optical properties were examined by UV–vis spectrophotometry. The film revealed the presence of a c-axis oriented (0 0 2) phase of 20.8 nm grain size. The sensor response was tested for hydrogen concentrations of 50, 70, 100, 200, 400, and 500 ppm at operating temperatures ranging from 250 °C to 400 °C. The sensitivity toward 50 and 200 ppm of hydrogen at the optimum operating temperature of 350 °C were about 78% and 98%, respectively. The response was linear within the range of 50–200 ppm of hydrogen concentration. Our results demonstrated the potential application of ZnO nanostructure for fabricating cost-effective and high-performance gas sensors.     

基于波长调制技术的甲烷气体浓度检测的研究

与谐波检测相结合的波长调制技术是目前检测有害气体的主要方法。主要是用实验的方法找到了甲烷气体在1 650 nm附近的一根吸收线,然后采用正弦信号对激光器的驱动进行了调制,实现了甲烷气体浓度的谐波检测。用锁相放大器RS830来提取二次谐波,然后根据锁相放大器的原理,用LabVIEW软件实现了锁相放大器的设计,来提取一次谐波信号,节约了成本。由气体吸收室中的GRIN透镜引起的标准具效应是影响检测灵敏度的主要原因,最后对该噪声和其他可能的影响进行了分析。     

Design and implementation of a low-cost multi-channel temperature measurement system for photovoltaic modules

An efficient and low-cost temperature logging system with a 16-channel input was developed for measurements of photovoltaic module temperature. This paper reports the principle of operation, design aspects, as well as the experimentation and performance of the simultaneous temperature measurement of 16 solar cells/modules. The system consists of a 16 channel multiplexer, a 12 bit A/D, a differential amplifier and NTC temperature sensors. The temperature range of the sensor is from −20 °C to 120 °C. The simplistic design requires no large internal memory to store data but incorporates a high degree of sensitivity and dynamic range (according to climate condition), thus the cost of the design remains low and makes it suitable for field applications. The system was successfully tested for the operating temperature of a 40-cell mono crystalline Si photovoltaic module under realistic outdoor conditions during a summer and a winter day. The temperature Instrumentation developed for avoidance of special interface card use enabled the successful collection of data from long distances with negligible level of noise.     

Effects of carbon content on the high temperature friction and wear of chromium carbonitride coatings

Chromium nitride-based coatings are often used in application at high temperature. They possess high wear and oxidation resistance; however, the friction coefficient is typically very high. Therefore, we doped CrN coatings by carbon with the aim to improve tribological properties at elevated temperature, particularly to lower the friction. CrCN coatings were prepared by cathode arc evaporation technology using constant N₂ flow and variable C₂H₂ flow. The coatings with a thickness of 3-4 μm were deposited on hardened steel substrates and high-temperature resistant alloy. The carbon content varied from 0 at.% (i.e. CrN) up to 31 at.%. The standard coating characterization included the nano-hardness, adhesion, chemical composition and structure (including hot X-ray diffraction). Wear testing was done using a high temperature tribometer (pin-on-disc); the maximum testing temperature was 700 °C. The coatings with carbon content 12-31 at.% showed almost identical tribological behaviour up to 700 °C.     

Fabrication of high-aspect ratio Si pillars for atom probe ‘lift-out’ and field ionization tips

A process for fabricating high-aspect ratio (∼1:20), micron-sized Si [0 0 1] pillars using mechanical and chemical size reduction is presented. A dicing saw was used for mechanically patterning an array of square pillars with side lengths of >20 μm. These pillars were then reduced in size using an aqueous NaOH and KOH solution heated to 100 °C. The chemical etch reduces the pillar size within the time range amenable for focus ion beam milling and/or attachment for atom probe ‘lift-out’ specimens. The pillars can be formed with either a flat top surface or into <100 nm tip points for direct field ionization.     

In-process out-of-roundness measurement probe for turned workpieces

A new in-process and non-contact probe is proposed to measure the diameter and the roundness of turned workpieces. The initial probe discussed in previous publications exhibited diameter measurements with good accuracy (uncertainty 5 μm over 100 mm). This paper discusses the implementation of roundness measurement into the initial probe and its performance. The principle of the roundness measurement is based on the relationship between the displacement and the light intensity. The probe delivers a maximum error of 0.5 μm with an uncertainty of 1 μm for roundness measurement over a range of 100 mm diameter.     

Added advantages in using a fiber Bragg grating sensor in the determination of early age setting time for cement pastes

A fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor was used to monitor the early age curing temperatures of cement paste. Additional advantages in using the sensor were highlighted. The FBG was inscribed by a Continuous Wave 244 nm argon ion laser in the photosensitivity fiber. The fabricated FBG was calibrated from room temperature to 105 °C. In this temperature range, the FBG was found to be good in terms of both the sensitivity and linearity which were around 9 pm/°C and 99.9%, respectively. A host specimen with ratio of Portland cement, sand and water of 800, 500, and 275 ml by volume was used in the experiment. Results showed that the FBG could determine the initial and the final early age setting times. The initial early age setting time for the cement paste was about 5 h and the final early age setting time was about 14 h after casting.     

The effect of body temperature on the accuracy of arterial and end-tidal carbon dioxide measurement

Measurement of carbon dioxide has great clinical significance during mechanical ventilation, in the adjustment of ventilatory parameters and detection of respiratory complications. The main objective is to investigate the correlation between end-tidal carbon dioxide pressure (PetCO₂) and partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO₂) measured at 37 °C and corrected for body temperature in patients with thermal instability. Altogether, 110 measurements were analyzed, and the correlation was statistically more significant for corrected temperature than measured PaCO₂. The difference between corrected and uncorrected PaCO₂ varies from 3% per °C for hypothermic patients and 6.5% per °C for hiperthermic patients. The difference between PaCO₂ measured and PetCO₂ (Pa-etCO₂) resulted in an increase for all temperature degree, reaching a maximum difference of 9 torr. In contrast, Pa-etCO₂ has little variation when corrected PaCO₂ was used for calculation around −2.1 to 3.1 torr for hypo and hiperthermic patients. Thus, PetCO₂ reflects temperature corrected PaCO₂ more adequately than measured PaCO₂.     

Studies of high temperature sliding wear of metallic dissimilar interfaces IV: Nimonic 80A versus Incoloy 800HT

Wear variations of Nimonic 80A slid against Incoloy 800HT between room temperature (RT) and 750 °C, and sliding speeds of 0.314 and 0.905 m s⁻¹ were investigated using a ‘reciprocating-block-on-cylinder’, low debris retention configuration. These were considered alongside previous observations at 0.654 m s⁻¹.Different wear types occurring were mapped, including high transfer ‘severe wear’ (RT and 270 °C, also 0.905 m s⁻¹ at ≤570°C), low transfer ‘severe wear’ (0.314 m s⁻¹ at 390 °C to 510 °C oxide abrasion assisted at 510 °C), and ‘mild wear’ (0.314 m s⁻¹ at ≥570 °C; 0.905 m s⁻¹ at ≥630 °C). Wear surfaces at 750 °C were cross-sectioned and profiled.     

Detection of gas leakage using microcolor schlieren technique

This article presents microcolor schlieren technique for gas leakage detection with medium of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG, 50% C₃H₈ and 50% C₄H₁₀), which can be further applied in pipe gas leakage inspection, e.g. checking gas leakage of condenser and evaporator pipes of air conditioning in the automatic production line. In this work, experiments used microcolor schlieren to observe leaking LPG from microholes with pipes and determined the technical sensitivity, where the microholes were made by using electric discharge machining (E.D.M.). The experimental run conditions are different LPG leaking flow rates integrated with different microhole diameters of 1130, 176, 75, 45.6, 35.32, and 27.5 μm. The results show that present microcolor schlieren can clearly visualize microhole with ?27.5 μm under leaking pressure difference of 5 torr and ?35.32 μm with leaking pressure difference under 1 torr.     

Ultra-low friction of TiC/a-C composite coatings

Ultra-low coefficient of friction with a statistically averaged value of 0.0067 was observed during the tribological test on TiC/a-C composite coating synthesized by gas-solid interaction of Ti metal with CH₄ gas in a thermogravimetric analyzer. Ultra-low friction behavior appeared due to transformation of D-band associated with disordered carbon lattice obtained at lower synthesis temperatures (1050 and 1150 °C) to graphitic G-band mode, which steam from ordered atomic layering occurring at higher synthesis temperature of 1250 °C.     

Studies of high temperature sliding wear of metallic dissimilar interfaces III: Incoloy MA956 versus Incoloy 800HT

Wear variations of Incoloy MA956 slid against Incoloy 800HT between room temperature and 750 °C, and sliding speeds of 0.314, 0.654 and 0.905 m s⁻¹ were investigated using a ‘reciprocating block-on-cylinder’ (low debris retention) configuration.Three forms of wear depending largely on sliding temperature were observed: ‘severe wear’ with high transfer between room temperature and 270 °C, ‘severe wear’ with low transfer between 390 and 570 °C and ‘glaze formation’ (retarded by increased sliding speed) at 630 °C and above. The differences in wear behaviour are discussed, with wear behaviour mapped and wear surfaces at 750 °C (0.314 and 0.905 m s⁻¹) cross-sectioned and profiled.     

Effect of laser pulsing on the composition measurement of an Al–Mg–Si–Cu alloy using three-dimensional atom probe

The effect of laser pulse energy on the composition measurement of an Al–Mg–Si–Cu alloy (AA6111) specimen has been investigated over a base temperature range of 20–80 K and a voltage range of 2.5–5 kV. Laser pulse energy must be sufficiently higher to achieve pulse-controlled field evaporation, which is at least 0.9 nJ with a beam spot size of about 5 μm, providing an equivalent voltage pulse fraction, ∼14% at 80 K for the alloy specimen. In contrast to the cluster composition, the measured specimen composition is sensitive to base temperature and laser energy changes. The exchange charge state under the influence of laser pulsing makes the detection of Si better at low base temperature, but detection of Cr and Mn is better at a higher temperature and using higher laser energy. No such effect occurs for detection of Mg and Cu under laser pulsing, although Mg concentration is sensitive to the analysis temperature under voltage pulsing. Mass resolution at full-width half-maximum is sensitive to local taper angle near the apex, but has little effect on composition measurement.     

Experimental study on micro EDM-drilling of Ti6Al4V using helical electrode

There is a growing interest in the machining of micro-holes with high aspect-ratio in difficult-to-machine alloys for the aerospace industry. Processes based on electro discharge machining (EDM) and developed for the manufacture of both micro-electrode and micro-hole are actually used, but most of them involve micro-EDM machines. In this work, the influence of EDM parameters on material removal rate, electrode wear, machining time and micro-hole quality when machining Ti6Al4V is studied. Due to an inefficient removal of debris when increasing hole depth, a new strategy based on the use of helical-shaped electrodes has been proposed. The influence of helix angle and flute depth with respect to process performance has been addressed. Main results include 37% reduction in machining times (hole diameter 800 μm) when using electrode helix angle of 45° and flute-depth of 50 μm, and an additional 19% with flute-depth of 150 μm. Holes of 661 μm diameter and as much as 6.81 mm depth, which yields in aspect ratio of 10:1, have successfully been machined in Ti6Al4V.