Using the Kriging Response Surface Method for the Estimation of Failure Values of Carbon-Fibre-Epoxy Subsea Composite Flowlines under the Influence of Stochastic Processes

This paper investigates the use of the Kriging response surface method to estimate failure values in carbon-fibre-epoxy composite flow-lines under the influence of stochastic processes. A case study of a 125 mm flow-line was investigated. The maximum stress, Tsai-Wu and Hashin failure criteria was used to assess the burst design under combined loading with axial forces, torsion and bending moments. An extensive set of measured values was generated using Monte Carlo simulation and used as the base case population to which the results from the response surfaces was compared. The response surfaces were evaluated in detail in their ability to reproduce the statistical moments, probability and cumulative distributions and failure values at low probabilities of failure. In addition, the optimisation of the response surface calculation was investigated in terms of reducing the number of input parameters and size of the response surface. Finally, a decision chart that can be used to build a response surface to calculate failures in a carbon fibre-epoxy-composite (CFEC) flow-line was proposed based on the findings obtained. The results show that the response surface method is suitable and can calculate failure values close to that calculated using a large set of measured values. The results from this paper provide an analytical framework for identifying the principal design parameters, response surface generation, and failure prediction for CFEC flow-lines.publishedVersio

Combined optical- and acoustic-resolution photoacoustic microscopy based on an optical fiber bundle

Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM), whose spatial resolution and penetration depth are both scalable, has made great progress in recent years. According to their different lateral resolutions, PAM systems can be categorized into either optical-resolution (OR) PAM, with optical-diffraction-limited lateral resolution, or acoustic-resolution (AR) PAM, with acoustically limited resolution and a deeper maximum imaging depth. In this report, we present a combined OR and AR PAM system with resolutions of 2.2 μm and 40 μm, respectively. Sharing most components between the OR and AR implementations, the system achieves separated illumination for OR and AR imaging by an optical fiber bundle through different channels, and two discrete lasers are used to provide either high-power energy for AR imaging or highrepetition- rate pulses for OR imaging. The design enables automatically co-registered OR and AR photoacoustic imaging in one single system, which extends the usability of current photoacoustic systems and simplifies the imaging procedure

Integrated optical- and acoustic-resolution photoacoustic microscopy based on an optical fiber bundle

Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM), whose spatial resolution and maximum imaging depth are both scalable, has made great progress in recent years. However, each PAM system currently achieves only one resolution with an associated maximum imaging depth. Here, we present an integrated optical-resolution (OR) and acoustic-resolution (AR) PAM system implemented by delivering light via an optical fiber bundle. A single fiber core is used to deliver light for OR illumination in order to achieve a small spot size and hence high lateral resolution, whereas all the fiber cores are used to deliver more energy for AR illumination. Most other components are shared by the OR and AR imaging. The lateral resolution can be seamlessly switched between 2.2 and 40 μm as the maximum imaging depth is switched between 1.3 and 3.0 mm. The system enables automatically coregistered higher-resolution OR and deeper AR photoacoustic imaging

Video-rate photoacoustic microscopy of micro-vasculatures

We report the development of photoacoustic microscopy capable of video-rate high-resolution in-vivo imaging in deep tissue. A lightweight photoacoustic probe is made of a single-element broadband ultrasound transducer, a compact photoacoustic beam combiner, and a bright-field light delivery system. Focused broadband ultrasound detection provides a 44-μm lateral resolution and a 28-μm axial resolution. A multimode optical fiber is used to deliver laser pulses. The bright-field light delivery system can effectively improve the illumination efficiency. The photoacoustic probe weighs less than 40 grams and is mounted on a voice-coil scanner to acquire 40 cross-sectional images per second over several-mm range. The fast speed can effectively improve imaging throughput, reduce motion artifacts, and enable the visualization of highly dynamic biomedical processes. High-resolution micro-vascular imaging is successfully demonstrated

Ultrasound-heated photoacoustic flowmetry

We report the development of photoacoustic flowmetry assisted by high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). This novel method employs HIFU to generate a heating impulse in the flow medium, followed by photoacoustic monitoring of the thermal decay process. Photoacoustic flowmetry in a continuous medium remains a challenge in the optical diffusive regime. Here, both the HIFU heating and photoacoustic detection can focus at depths beyond the optical diffusion limit (~1 mm in soft tissue). This method can be applied to a continuous medium, i.e., a medium without discrete scatterers or absorbers resolvable by photoacoustic imaging. Flow speeds up to 41  mm⋅s^(-1) have been experimentally measured in a blood phantom covered by 1.5-mm-thick tissue

Handheld photoacoustic microscopy to detect melanoma depth in vivo

We developed handheld photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) to detect melanoma and determine tumor depth in nude mice in vivo. Compared to our previous PAM system for melanoma imaging, a new light delivery mechanism is introduced to improve light penetration. We show that melanomas with 4.1 and 3.7 mm thicknesses can be successfully detected in phantom and in in vivo experiments, respectively. With its deep melanoma imaging ability and handheld design, this system can be tested for clinical melanoma diagnosis, prognosis, and surgical planning for patients at the bedside

In vivo melanoma depth detection by a handheld photoacoustic microscope

We developed a handheld photoacoustic microscope (PAM) to detect melanoma and determine tumor depth in nude mice in vivo. Compared to our previous PAM system for melanoma imaging, a new light delivery mechanism is introduced to improve light penetration. We show that melanomas with 4.1 mm and 3.3 mm thicknesses can be successfully detected in phantom and in vivo experiments, respectively. With its deep melanoma imaging ability and novel handheld design, this system is promising for clinical melanoma diagnosis, prognosis, and surgical planning for patients at the bedside

Microcirculatory changes identified by photoacoustic microscopy in patients with complex regional pain syndrome type I after stellate ganglion blocks

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain syndrome that causes intractable pain, disability, and poor quality of life for patients. The etiology and pathophysiology of CRPS are still poorly understood. Due to a lack of proper diagnostic tools, the prognosis of CRPS is primarily based on clinical observation. The objective of this work is to evaluate a new imaging modality, photoacoustic microscopy (PAM), for assisting diagnoses and monitoring the progress and treatment outcome of CRPS. Blood vasculature and oxygen saturation (sO_2) were imaged by PAM from eight adult patients with CRPS-1. Patients’ hands and cuticles were imaged both before and after stellate ganglion block (SGB) for comparison. For all patients, both vascular structure and sO_2 could be assessed by PAM. In addition, more vessels and stronger signals were observed after SGB. The results show that PAM can help diagnose and monitor CRPS