Lamb wave ultrasonic evaluation of welded AA2024 specimens at tensile static and fatigue testing

The paper deals with the investigation of Lamb waves ultrasonic testing technique applied for evaluation of different stress-strain and damaged state of aluminum specimens at static and fatigue loading in order to develop a Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) approach. The experimental results of tensile testing of AA2024T3 specimens with welded joints are presented. Piezoelectric transducers used as actuators and sensors were adhesively bonded to the specimen's surface using two component epoxy. The set of static and cyclic tensile tests with two frequencies of acoustic testing (50 kHz and 335 kHz) were performed. The recorded signals were processed to calculate the maximum envelope in order to evaluate the changes of the stress-strain state of the specimen and its microstructure during static tension. The registered data are analyzed and discussed in terms of signal attenuation due to the formation of fatigue defects during cyclic loading. Understanding the relations between acoustic signal features and fatigue damages will provide us the ability to determine the damage state of the structure and its residual lifetime in order to design a robust SHM system

Effect of grain refinement on deformation behavior of technical grade titanium under tension

The paper deals with the study on the impact of grain refinement by severe plastic deformation upon the microstructure, as well as deformation and fracture behavior under tensile loading of technical grade titanium. The microstructure of coarse- and ultra-fine grain technical grade titanium was investigated by optical, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. In situ monitoring of deformation behavior was conducted by means of acoustic emission and digital image correlation. Scanning electron microscopy was employed for fracture surface observation. The results of the tensile tests have revealed significant growth in ultimate strength and decrease of ductility due to grain-boundary strengthening. The experimental data obtained allow one to get the appropriate understanding of the mechanisms responsible for variation of mechanical properties and fracture patterns as well as to attain quantitative estimation of strain localization induced by the grain refinement

Carcinogenicity Screening of Chemicals Using Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy

Chemical carcinogens are the main cause of cancer. Many thousands of new chemicals are synthesized annually in the world, unknown part of them is carcinogens. There are several methods, which are currently used for testing carcinogenicity. The fastest arephysicochemical methods. We suggest the method of fast carcinogen screening using the positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS). It is based on the fact that the presence of carcinogens, being strong electrophiles, significantly decreases positronium (Ps) formation probability. This quantity can be measured by means of conventional PAS techniques: positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS), angular correlation of annihilation radiation (ACAR) or Doppler broadening of annihilation radiation (DBAR). It is also possible to evaluate anti-carcinogenic properties of chemicals using the anti-inhibition effect of Ps formation. Keywords: carcinogen, electrophilicity, positron annihilation spectroscopy, positroniu

Mechanical state assessment using lamb wave technique in static tensile tests

The paper deals with the investigation of Lamb wave ultrasonic technique for damage (or mechanical state) evaluation of AA7068T3 specimens in the course of tensile testing. Two piezoelectric transducers (PZT), one of which is used as an actuator and the other as sensor, were adhesively bonded on the specimen surface using epoxy. Two frequencies of testing signals (60 kHz and 350 kHz) were used. The set of static tensile tests were performed. The recorded signals were processed to calculate the informative parameters in order to evaluate the changes in stress-strain state of the specimens and their microstructure