Sensor material characterisation for magnetometer application

Pengukuran dan gangguan medan magnet arus terus dan arus ulang-alik memerlukan penderia medan magnet yang mempunyai kepekaan yang tinggi dan stabil. Untuk menghasilkan penderia tersebut, ciri-ciri bahan magnet yang baik telah dikenalpasti. Beberapa jenis bahan magnet yang berbeza telah digunakan untuk mengkaji ciri-ciri dan kesannya terhadap medan magnet. Teras gelang yang diperbuat daripada bahan-bahan magnet tersebut direkabentuk dengan dimensi yang sama bagi membolehkan perbandingan dibuat dengan mudah. Selain itu, rod tunggal dan berkembar juga telah digunakan sebagai teras penderia fluxgate, untuk melihat prestasi setiap jenis penderia tersebut. Kedua-dua penderia tersebut telah diuji dengan menggunakan dua sumber bahan magnet iaitu bar magnet tetap dan solenoid dengan diameter dawai yang berbeza. Isyarat keluaran bagi setiap penderia fluxgate seterusnya diproses bagi mengenalpasti hubungannya dengan ketumpatan medan magnet

Material Characterization and Real-Time Wear Evaluation of Pistons and Cylinder Liners of the Tiger 131 Military Tank

Material characterisation and wear evaluation of the original and replacement pistons and cylinder-liners of Tiger 131 is reported. Original piston and cylinder-liner were operative in the Tigers’ engine during WWII. The replacement piston and cylinder-liner were used as substitutes and were obtained after failure in two hours of operation in the actual engine. Material characterisation revealed that the original piston was aluminium silicon hypereutectic alloy whereas the replacement piston was aluminium copper alloy with very low silicon content. Both original and replacement cylinder-liners consisted of mostly iron which is indicative of cast iron, a common material for this application. The replacement piston average surface roughness was found to be 9.09 μm while for replacement cylinder-liner it was 5.78 μm

Post-yield characterisation of metals with significant pile-up through spherical indentations

Finite element simulations of spherical indentations accounting for frictional contact provide validated load–indentation output for assessing and improving existing methods used to determine the stress–strain curve of materials with significant pile-up. The importance of friction to the proper assessment of the pile-up effect is established. Weaknesses in current characterisation relations and procedures are also identified. Existing correction formulae accounting for pile-up are modified so that the contact area radius is more accurately determined. This modification is implemented in the context of a characterisation process that relies on analysing unloading portions of load–indentation curves. Post-yield material behaviour predictions from such analysis are found to be in very good agreement with the initial finite element material input

Bioinspired low-frequency material characterisation

New-coded signals, transmitted by high-sensitivity broadband transducers in the 40–200 kHz range, allow subwavelength material discrimination and thickness determination of polypropylene, polyvinylchloride, and brass samples. Frequency domain spectra enable simultaneous measurement of material properties including longitudinal sound velocity and the attenuation constant as well as thickness measurements. Laboratory test measurements agree well with model results, with sound velocity prediction errors of less than 1%, and thickness discrimination of at least wavelength/15. The resolution of these measurements has only been matched in the past through methods that utilise higher frequencies. The ability to obtain the same resolution using low frequencies has many advantages, particularly when dealing with highly attenuating materials. This approach differs significantly from past biomimetic approaches where actual or simulated animal signals have been used and consequently has the potential for application in a range of fields where both improved penetration and high resolution are required, such as nondestructive testing and evaluation, geophysics, and medical physics

Numerical and experimental studies of multi-ply woven carbon fibre prepreg forming process

Woven carbon fibre prepreg is being increasingly used in high-performance aerospace and automotive applications, primarily because of its superior mechanical properties and formability. A wide range of forming simulation options are available for predicting material deformation during the prepreg forming process, particularly change in fibre orientation. Development of a robust validated simulation model requires comprehensive material characterisation and reliable experimental validation techniques. This paper presents experimental and numerical methods for studying the fibre orientation in multi-ply woven carbon fibre prepreg forming process, using a double-dome geometry. The numerical study is performed using the commercial forming simulation software PAM-FORM and the material input data are generated from a comprehensive experimental material characterisation. Two experimental validation methods are adopted for fibre shear angle measurement: an optical method for measuring only the surface plies, and a novel CT scan method for measuring both the surface plies and the internal plies. The simulation results are compared against the experimental results in terms of fibre shear angle and the formation of wrinkles to assess the validity of the model

Les sables de Fontainebleau: a natural quartz reference sample and its characterisation

Fundamental studies on luminescence production in natural quartz require samples which can be studied by groups of laboratories using complementary methods. In the framework of a European collaboration studying quartz luminescence, a sample originating from the Fontainebleau Sandstone Formation in France was selected for characterisation and distribution to establish a starting point for interlaboratory work. Here we report on the preparation and characterisation work undertaken before distribution with the aim of ensuring that each laboratory received comparable material. Material was purified to enrich the quartz concentration, followed by mineralogical screening by SEM and ICP-MS analyses. Luminescence screening measurements were undertaken at a single laboratory (SUERC) to verify the suitability of the sample for use within the study, and to establish the level of homogeneity of subsamples prepared for distribution. The sample underwent minimal non-chemical pre-treatment by multiple cycles of magnetic separation and annealing. SEM analysis showed that the sample consists mainly of SiO2. The luminescence characterisation confirmed a dose sensitivity of ca. 22,000–160,000 cts K−1 Gy−1 per 260– 290 grains for the 110◦C UV TL peak, well developed low (here: 100–300◦C) temperature (pre-dose) TL signals and high OSL sensitivities. The grain to grain OSL response varies by more than one order of magnitude. No significant IRSL signal was observed. In summary, the results from luminescence characterisation confirm the suitability of the sample for the luminescence experiments envisaged and have established a basis for comparability in studies conducted by a network of laboratories

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microfluidic channel with integrated commercial pressure sensors

The precise characterisation of boiling in microchannels is essential for the optimisation of applications requiring two phase cooling. In this paper polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is employed to make microchannels for characterising microboiling. In particular the material properties of PDMS facilitate rapid prototyping and its optical transparency provides the capability to directly view any fluid flow. The production of microchannels is complicated by the need to integrate custom made sensors. This paper presents a PDMS microfluidic device with integrated commercial pressure sensors, which have been used to perform a detailed characterisation of microboiling phenomena. The proposed approach of integrating commercial pressure sensors into the channel also has potential applications in a range of other microsystems