Design and implementation of an optical fiber sensing based vibration monitoring system

Vibration analysis is generally used in the industries for condition monitoring of various electromechanical equipment. For the predictive maintenance of the industry equipment, several techniques have been applied which are based on capacitive and piezoelectric accelerometers. However, they possess several real time problems due to the negative influence of electromagnetic interference. The major problem lies in the detection and transmission of various physical parameters in the noisy and harsh environment. In order to solve the weak points of commonly used structural vibration detection sensors that are easily affected by the harsh environment of the engineering site, the principle of optical fiber sensing is studied, and the system optical path is designed based on MZ interference technology. In this work, a special data acquisition and processing software is developed to acquire the sensed data and the vibration detection is carried out on the steel cantilever structure pasted with fiber optic sensors. Extraction using FFT and pattern recognition through bp neural network yields the system accuracy rate of 96.7 %. The proposed interference type optical fiber technology provides a novel approach for real-time monitoring of engineering structure vibration laying the foundation for the research of intelligent buildings

Micro/Nano Manufacturing

Micro manufacturing involves dealing with the fabrication of structures in the size range of 0.1 to 1000 µm. The scope of nano manufacturing extends the size range of manufactured features to even smaller length scales—below 100 nm. A strict borderline between micro and nano manufacturing can hardly be drawn, such that both domains are treated as complementary and mutually beneficial within a closely interconnected scientific community. Both micro and nano manufacturing can be considered as important enablers for high-end products. This Special Issue of Applied Sciences is dedicated to recent advances in research and development within the field of micro and nano manufacturing. The included papers report recent findings and advances in manufacturing technologies for producing products with micro and nano scale features and structures as well as applications underpinned by the advances in these technologies

Index to 1984 NASA Tech Briefs, volume 9, numbers 1-4

Short announcements of new technology derived from the R&D activities of NASA are presented. These briefs emphasize information considered likely to be transferrable across industrial, regional, or disciplinary lines and are issued to encourage commercial application. This index for 1984 Tech B Briefs contains abstracts and four indexes: subject, personal author, originating center, and Tech Brief Number. The following areas are covered: electronic components and circuits, electronic systems, physical sciences, materials, life sciences, mechanics, machinery, fabrication technology, and mathematics and information sciences

Advances in Computer Recognition, Image Processing and Communications, Selected Papers from CORES 2021 and IP&C 2021

As almost all human activities have been moved online due to the pandemic, novel robust and efficient approaches and further research have been in higher demand in the field of computer science and telecommunication. Therefore, this (reprint) book contains 13 high-quality papers presenting advancements in theoretical and practical aspects of computer recognition, pattern recognition, image processing and machine learning (shallow and deep), including, in particular, novel implementations of these techniques in the areas of modern telecommunications and cybersecurity

Fiber Optic Sensors and Fiber Lasers

The optical fiber industry is emerging from the market for selling simple accessories using optical fiber to the new optical-IT convergence sensor market combined with high value-added smart industries such as the bio industry. Among them, fiber optic sensors and fiber lasers are growing faster and more accurately by utilizing fiber optics in various fields such as shipbuilding, construction, energy, military, railway, security, and medical.This Special Issue aims to present novel and innovative applications of sensors and devices based on fiber optic sensors and fiber lasers, and covers a wide range of applications of optical sensors. In this Special Issue, original research articles, as well as reviews, have been published

Advanced Sensors for Real-Time Monitoring Applications

It is impossible to imagine the modern world without sensors, or without real-time information about almost everything—from local temperature to material composition and health parameters. We sense, measure, and process data and act accordingly all the time. In fact, real-time monitoring and information is key to a successful business, an assistant in life-saving decisions that healthcare professionals make, and a tool in research that could revolutionize the future. To ensure that sensors address the rapidly developing needs of various areas of our lives and activities, scientists, researchers, manufacturers, and end-users have established an efficient dialogue so that the newest technological achievements in all aspects of real-time sensing can be implemented for the benefit of the wider community. This book documents some of the results of such a dialogue and reports on advances in sensors and sensor systems for existing and emerging real-time monitoring applications

Advances in Sensors and Sensing for Technical Condition Assessment and NDT

The adequate assessment of key apparatus conditions is a hot topic in all branches of industry. Various online and offline diagnostic methods are widely applied to provide early detections of any abnormality in exploitation. Furthermore, different sensors may also be applied to capture selected physical quantities that may be used to indicate the type of potential fault. The essential steps of the signal analysis regarding the technical condition assessment process may be listed as: signal measurement (using relevant sensors), processing, modelling, and classification. In the Special Issue entitled “Advances in Sensors and Sensing for Technical Condition Assessment and NDT”, we present the latest research in various areas of technology

Investigating the ultrastructure of enamel white spot lesions (WSL) using Optical Coherence Tomography at different length scales

White spot lesion (WSL) is the clinical presentation of early caries, which is a demineralisation that occurs at subsurface level, with a well-mineralised surface layer enclosing the lesion. Early diagnosis and treatment of WSL is crucial to prevent further destruction of tooth structure. The aim of this research is to investigate the potential of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to be used as an adjunct diagnostic clinical tool to evaluate the severity of such lesions. This research also compared the OCT outputs with traditional histology, X-ray Microtomography (XMT), Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction (SXRD) and Scanning Electron microscope (SEM). All specimens were collected from patients undergoing dental treatment at Eastman Dental Hospital with informed consent following ethical approvall. Initially, Artificial WSLs were induced on sound enamel surfaces using a buffered methylcellulose gel system at pH 4.6 for 7 and 14 days. Type-matched native WSL and healthy control teeth were selected based on ICDAS for comparison. Imaging of samples was obtained using OCT of whole teeth and by polarised microscopy, SXRD, XMT and SEM of polished 250 μm thick sections. Polarised microscope, XMT and SEM confirmed the findings of the OCT results. Images showed that the more back scattered signals recorded, the deeper the destruction throughout enamel thickness. SXRD results showed changes in enamel texture, which was interpreted from measuring crystallite orientations and lattice parameter. SXRD result showed some correlation with OCT images, however more investigation is required to confirm the findings. In conclusion, the variations observed in the back-scattered light in OCT experiment were because of mineral density variation within enamel structure, as well as the changes in prismatic structure and may be related to crystallite texture and orientation. OCT has shown to be a reliable non-destructive technique, that can investigate the internal structure, by measuring the back-scattered light from materials such as enamel and dentine. In healthy samples, OCT B-scans showed a homogenous pattern of scattering intensity throughout enamel structure, indicating healthy structure, while in both natural and induced white spot lesions, a non homogenous scattering intensity was observed, indicating changes in enamel structure