Flexible and stretchable systems-in-foil allow easy attachment to bodies with non-planar shapes and therefore offer a very attractive approach to new forms of sensing dynamic 3D shape changes. They may find applications in structural health monitoring or in the medical fields. This paper describes the design and fabrication of a novel 3D flexible curvature sensor-array on a plastic foil substrate which could be used for respiration monitoring of newborns. Each sensor element consists of four strain gages in a Wheatstone bridge configuration. To suppress sensor response on foil stretching and to increase sensitivity to foil bending the strain gages are located on opposite foil surfaces. Two resistors of the Wheatstone bridge are placed on the top and the two others, which are orthogonal to the top side resistors, on the bottom of the foil substrate. Thereby, an output signal can be achieved, which is at least 100% higher when compared with a one-sided sensor design. To characterize the sensor, bending experiments have been performed of both the double-sided and one-sided sensor designs. As the carrier foil material, we used a SU-8 photoresist additionally encapsulated with Polyimide from both sides to protect the sensing elements. The resistors are made of gold and are fabricated by a sputter process with subsequent photolithography. The advantage of our process sequence is that the complete double sided sensor with a thickness below 50 μm can be fabricated without the need to flip over the substrate in between. A key challenge in the fabrication process is the interconnection between the top and the bottom resistors. The interconnect vias are made in a photo definable interlayer and can withstand the bending experiments without disruption.

Current work deals with the non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of the fatigue behavior of metal matrix composites (MMCs) materials using Infrared Thermography (IRT) and Acoustic Emission (AE). AE monitoring was employed to record a wide spectrum of cracking events enabling the characterization of the severity of fracture in relation to the applied load. IR thermography as a non-destructive, real-time and non-contact technique, allows the detection of heat waves generated by the thermo-mechanical coupling during mechanical loading of the sample. In this study an IR methodology, based on the monitoring of the intrinsically dissipated energy, was applied for the determination of the fatigue limit of A359/SiCp composites. The thermographic monitoring is in agreement with the AE results enabling the reliable monitoring of the MMCs’ fatigue behavior.

This paper outlines a demodulation technique developed for low-bandwidth, high sensor density fiber Bragg grating (FBG) applications. Currently there are no such demodulation techniques that can be easily scaled to large networks of sensors. The technique takes advantage of known differences in FBG spectral profiles to uniquely identify each multiplexed grating. Known grating profiles are individually cross-correlated with the measured spectrum to locate each Bragg peak. Cross-correlation was used because of its rapid processing speed. This paper covers preliminary experimental validations to identify accuracy limits, as well as investigations into a correction factor for improved accuracy.

Protecting the environment and future generations against the potential hazards arising from high-level and heat emitting radioactive waste is a worldwide concern. Following this direction, the Belgian Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile Materials has come up with the reference design which considers the geological disposal of the waste in purely indurated clay. In this design the wastes are first post-conditioned in massive concrete structures called Supercontainers before being transported to the underground repositories. The Supercontainers are cylindrical structures which consist of four engineering barriers that from the inner to the outer surface are namely: the overpack, the filler, the concrete buffer and possibly the envelope. The overpack, which is made of carbon steel, is the place where the vitrified wastes and spent fuel are stored. The buffer, which is made of concrete, creates a highly alkaline environment ensuring slow and uniform overpack corrosion as well as radiological shielding. In order to evaluate the feasibility to construct such Supercontainers two scaled models have so far been designed and tested. The first scaled model indicated crack formation on the surface of the concrete buffer but the absence of a crack detection and monitoring system precluded defining the exact time of crack initiation, as well as the origin, the penetration depth, the crack path and the propagation history. For this reason, the second scaled model test was performed to obtain further insight by answering to the aforementioned questions using the Digital Image Correlation, Acoustic Emission and Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity nondestructive testing techniques.

There are more than 4 million miles of roads and 600,000 bridges in the United States alone. On-going investments are required to maintain the physical and operational quality of these assets to ensure public’s safety and prosperity of the economy. Planning efficient maintenance and repair (M&R) operations must be armed with a meticulous pavement inspection method that is non-disruptive, is affordable and requires minimum manual effort. The Versatile Onboard Traffic Embedded Roaming Sensors (VOTERS) project developed a technology able to cost- effectively monitor the condition of roadway systems to plan for the right repairs, in the right place, at the right time. VOTERS technology consists of an affordable, lightweight package of multi-modal sensor systems including acoustic, optical, electromagnetic, and GPS sensors. Vehicles outfitted with this technology would be capable of collecting information on a variety of pavement-related characteristics at both surface and subsurface levels as they are driven. By correlating the sensors’ outputs with the positioning data collected in tight time synchronization, a GIS-based control center attaches a spatial component to all the sensors’ measurements and delivers multiple ratings of the pavement every meter. These spatially indexed ratings are then leveraged by VOTERS decision making modules to plan the optimum M&R operations and predict the future budget needs. In 2014, VOTERS inspection results were validated by comparing them to the outputs of recent professionally done condition surveys of a local engineering firm for 300 miles of Massachusetts roads. Success of the VOTERS project portrays rapid, intelligent, and comprehensive evaluation of tomorrow’s transportation infrastructure to increase public’s safety, vitalize the economy, and deter catastrophic failures.

The objective of this study is to develop a model-free optimization algorithm to improve the total wind farm power production in a cooperative game framework. Conventionally, for a given wind condition, an individual wind turbine maximizes its own power production without taking into consideration the conditions of other wind turbines. Under this greedy control strategy, the wake formed by the upstream wind turbine, due to the reduced wind speed and the increased turbulence intensity inside the wake, would affect and lower the power productions of the downstream wind turbines. To increase the overall wind farm power production, researchers have proposed cooperative wind turbine control approaches to coordinate the actions that mitigate the wake interference among the wind turbines and thus increase the total wind farm power production. This study explores the use of a data-driven optimization approach to identify the optimum coordinated control actions in real time using limited amount of data. Specifically, we propose the Bayesian Ascent (BA) method that combines the strengths of Bayesian optimization and trust region optimization algorithms. Using Gaussian Process regression, BA requires only a few number of data points to model the complex target system. Furthermore, due to the use of trust region constraint on sampling procedure, BA tends to increase the target value and converge toward near the optimum. Simulation studies using analytical functions show that the BA method can achieve an almost monotone increase in a target value with rapid convergence. BA is also implemented and tested in a laboratory setting to maximize the total power using two scaled wind turbine models.

For validating physics based analytical models predicting spallation life of environmental barrier coating (EBC) on fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composites, the fracture strength of EBC and kinetics of crack growth in EBC layers need to be experimentally determined under engine operating conditions. In this study, a multi layered barium strontium aluminum silicate (BSAS) based EBC-coated, melt infiltrated silicon carbide fiber reinforced silicon carbide matrix composite (MI SiC/SiC) specimen was tensile tested at room temperature. Multiple tests were performed on a single specimen with increasing predetermined stress levels until final failure. During loading, the damage occurring in the EBC was monitored by digital image correlation (DIC). After unloading from the predetermined stress levels, the specimen was examined by optical microscopy and computed tomography (CT). Results indicate both optical microscopy and CT could not resolve the primary or secondary cracks developed during tensile loading until failure. On the other hand, DIC did show formation of a primary crack at ~ 50% of the ultimate tensile strength and this crack grew with increasing stress and eventually led to final failure of the specimen. Although some secondary cracks were seen in the DIC strain plots prior to final failure, the existence of these cracks were not confirmed by other methods. By using a higher resolution camera, it is possible to improve the capability of DIC in resolving secondary cracks and damage in coated specimen tested at room temperature, but use of DIC at high temperature requires significant development. Based on the current data, it appears that both optical microscopy and CT do not offer any hope for detecting crack initiation or determining crack growth in EBC coated CMC tested at room or high temperatures after the specimen has been unloaded. Other methods such as, thermography and optical/SEM of the polished cross section of EBC coated CMC specimens stressed to predetermined levels and cycled to certain time at a given stress need to be explored.

Efforts to update and improve turbine engine components in meeting flights safety and durability requirements are commitments that engine manufacturers try to continuously fulfill. Most of their concerns and developments energies focus on the rotating components as rotor disks. These components typically undergo rigorous operating conditions and are subject to high centrifugal loadings which subject them to various failure mechanisms. Thus, developing highly advanced health monitoring technology to screen their efficacy and performance is very essential to their prolonged service life and operational success. Nondestructive evaluation techniques are among the many screening methods that presently are being used to pre-detect hidden flaws and mini cracks prior to any appalling events occurrence. Most of these methods or procedures are confined to evaluating material’s discontinuities and other defects that have mature to a point where failure is eminent. Hence, development of more robust techniques to pre-predict faults prior to any catastrophic events in these components is highly vital. This paper is focused on presenting research activities covering the ongoing research efforts at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) rotor dynamics laboratory in support of developing a fault detection system for key critical turbine engine components. Data obtained from spin test experiments of a rotor disk that relates to investigating behavior of blade tip clearance, tip timing and shaft displacement based on measured data acquired from sensor devices such as eddy current, capacitive and microwave are presented. Additional results linking test data with finite element modeling to characterize the structural durability of a cracked rotor as it relays to the experimental tests and findings is also presented. An obvious difference in the vibration response is shown between the notched and the baseline no notch rotor disk indicating the presence of some type of irregularity.

A mechanical resonant piezo-optical ring sensor was studied, designed to selectively enhance the response of piezoelectric wafer active sensors (PWAS) and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. The frequency characteristics of the ring sensor were modeled through modal and harmonic analyses. The models were used to guide the experimentation, serving as a basis for comparison and implementation. Pitch-catch, resonance, and acoustic emission (AE) experiments were performed to compare the performance of the ring sensor to plate-mounted PWAS and FBG. Factors relating to optimal in-service implementation, particularly symmetric placement of FBG and PWAS, were investigated. It was found that the ring sensor was capable of amplifying an incoming Lamb wave signal. This was applied to AE experiments, where selective frequencies were amplified such that the time-domain signal had a larger amplitude response.

The propagation of longitudinal waves through concrete materials is strongly affected by dispersion. This is clearly indicated experimentally from the increase of phase velocity at low frequencies whereas many attempts have been made to explain this behavior analytically. Since the classical elastic theory for bulk media is by default non-dispersive, enhanced theories have been developed. The most commonly used higher order theory is the dipolar gradient elastic theory which takes into account the microstructural effects in heterogeneous media like concrete. The microstructural effects are described by two internal length scale parameters (g and h) which correspond to the micro-stiffness and micro-inertia respectively. In the current paper, this simplest possible version of the general gradient elastic theory proposed by Mindlin is reproduced through non-local lattice models consisting of discrete springs and masses. The masses simulate the aggregates of the concrete specimen whereas the springs are the mechanical similitude of the concrete matrix. The springs in these models are connecting the closest masses between them as well as the second or third closest to each other masses creating a non-local system of links. These non-neighboring interactions are represented by massless springs of constant stiffness while on the other hand one cannot neglect the significant mass of the springs connecting neighboring masses as this is responsible for the micro-inertia term. The major advantage of the presented lattice models is the fact that the considered microstructural effects can be accurately expressed as a function of the size and the mechanical properties of the microstructure.

Elastic helical guided wave propagation in pipes that has recently gained importance in applications related to tomography and structural health monitoring is analyzed using an alternate formalism. Closed form exponential function based solutions for the Helmholtz vector equation in cylindrical polar coordinates are derived. Relationship of these alternate solutions for the Helmholtz vector equation with the traditional integer order Bessel function based formulation – that has been established for the corresponding solutions of Helmholtz scalar equation in prior literature – is presented. The solutions are single valued at every point in the physical space, and therefore, unlike traditional non-integer order Bessel function based methods, the formulation presented herein preserves the physical uniqueness of the field quantities involved in the wave propagation. The alternate solutions, when applied to the boundary value problem of an isotropic elastic pipe with stress free boundaries, yield a formulation for helical guided wave propagation. A class of helical guided wave modes that have a constant helix angle across the wall thickness of the pipe is predicted. Dispersion characteristics for guided wave propagation such as phase velocity curves; displacement profiles for some points of interest on the phase velocity curves, for select helical angles are presented. The results are compared against traditional notions about helical guided wave propagation.

This research aims to investigate the influence of the nano-reinforcement on the thermal properties of cement mortar. Nano-modified cement mortar with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) leading to the development of innovative materials possessing multi-functionality and smartness. Such multifunctional properties include enhanced mechanical behavior, electrical and thermal conductivity, and piezo-electric characteristics. The assessment of the thermal behavior was evaluated using IR Thermography. Two different thermographic techniques are used to monitor the influence of the nano-reinforcement. To eliminate any extrinsic effects (e.g. humidity) the specimens were dried in an oven before testing. The electrical resistivity was measured with a contact test method using a custom made apparatus and applying a known D.C. voltage. This study indicate that the CNTs nano-reinforcement enhance the thermal and electrical properties and demonstrate them useful as sensors in a wide variety of applications.

The present paper describes the acoustic emission (AE) behavior and the mechanical properties of Portlant cement-based mortars due to the addition of multi wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). This research aims in investigating the crack growth behavior of modified cement mortar with MWCNTs that act as nanoreinforcement during an unaxial compression test using acoustic emission technique. MWCNTs were used in various concentrations inside the matrix. Density, sound's speed, modulus, bending strength, compression strength were studied for five different concentrations. The adding and the increase of MWCNTs concentrations upper to 0.2 % by weight of cement not improving the mechanical properties of cement-based mortar but increase the acoustic emission activity.

The addition of a conductive admixture in a cement-based material could lead to innovative products with multifunctional features. These materials are designed to possess enhanced properties, such as improved mechanical properties, electrical and thermal conductivity, and piezo-electric characteristics. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be used as nano-reinforcement in cement-based materials because of their huge aspect ratio as well as their extremely large specific surface area. For cement-based composites, one of the major types of environmental attack is the chloride ingress, which leads to corrosion of the material and, subsequently, to the reduction of strength and serviceability of the structure. A common method of preventing such deterioration is to avert chlorides from penetrating the structure. The penetration of the concrete by chloride ions is a slow process. It cannot be determined directly in a time frame that would be useful as a quality control measure. Therefore, in order to assess chloride penetration, a test method that accelerates the process is needed, to allow the determination of diffusion values in a reasonable time. In the present research, nanomodified mortars with various concentrations of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (0.2% wt. cement CNTs - 0.6% wt. cement CNTs) were used. The chloride penetration in these materials was monitored according to ASTM C1202 standard. This is known as the Coulomb test or Rapid Chloride Permeability Test (RCPT).

Optical excitation and detection of a quartz crystal resonator have been realized experimentally. Optical fibers have been used to excite the crystal through the thermoelastic effect. The resonator vibration was detected through another piece of optical fiber. The results provided a foundation for future remote optical excitation of resonant sensors for sensing application in extreme environments.

A temperature compensation method is proposed for CNT-composite strain sensors. CNT-composite sensors are fabricated on an elastic polymer substrate having known thermo-mechanical properties to introduce thermo-mechanical strain and further calibration of the sensor. Strain is induced on the sensor by bending the substrate as a cantilever configuration. Response of the sensor is measured using a bridge circuit method. Induced strain in the beam is determined using beam theory. The sensors are characterized for different CNT concentrations and at various temperatures. A model based temperature compensation scheme is proposed and verified experimentally. The result proves the ability of CNT-nanocomposite strain sensors to be used under varying temperature applications. A method is proposed to determine the strain and temperature simultaneously. The CNT sensors are simple to fabricate in complex patterns with excellent repeatability and do not require bonding layer.

Quantum computing fundamentally depends on the ability to concurrently entangle and individually address/control a large number of qubits. In general, the primary inhibitors of large scale entanglement are qubit dependent; for example inhomogeneity in quantum dots, spectral crowding brought about by proximity-based entanglement in ions, weak interactions of neutral atoms, and the fabrication tolerances in the case of Si-vacancies or SQUIDs. We propose an inherently scalable solid-state qubit system with individually addressable qubits based on the coupling of a phonon with an acceptor impurity in a high-Q Phononic Crystal resonant cavity. Due to their unique nonlinear properties, phonons enable new opportunities for quantum devices and physics. We present a phononic crystal-based platform for observing the phonon analogy of cavity quantum electrodynamics, called phonodynamics, in a solid-state system. Practical schemes involve selective placement of a single acceptor atom in the peak of the strain field in a high-Q phononic crystal cavity that enables strong coupling of the phonon modes to the energy levels of the atom. A qubit is then created by entangling a phonon at the resonance frequency of the cavity with the atomic acceptor states. We show theoretical optimization of the cavity design and excitation waveguides, along with estimated performance figures of the phoniton system. Qubits based on this half-sound, half-matter quasi-particle, may outcompete other quantum architectures in terms of combined emission rate, coherence lifetime, and fabrication demands.

A full elastodynamic multiple scattering approach is employed to investigate the behavior of nonreciprocal phononic structures consisting of periodic helical assemblies of spheres. We report on cases of dense and sparse helical chains, cases with size variation and low frequency behavior.

Phononic crystal (PnC) structures based on an array of metallic pillars on a piezzoelectric substrate will be discussed as a means for achieving PnBG at high (e.g., GHz) frequencies. In addition to operation at higher frequencies, the advantage of metallic-pillar-based structures in providing design flexibility for functional PnC-based devices will be discussed. Experimental evidence for the existence of the PnBG in these structures and the use of their relatively wide bandgap for the implementation of practical PnC devices (especially waveguides and resonators) will be theoretically and experimentally demonstrated, and the prospects of these structures for practical applications (e.g., sensing and wireless communications) will be discussed.

Fiber-optic sensors are increasingly established in the sensor market. Their advantages have unquestionably been verified by numerous demonstrations to enhance the operational performance of aged structures or to monitor the structural behavior of safety-relevant structures or their components. However, there are some barriers in use due to a lack of extensive standardization of fiber-optic sensors. This leads very often to restraints in the user’s community. The paper shows the status in international standardization of fiber-optic sensors as well as current activities in leading institutions such as IEC and ISHMII and others with the purpose of providing relevant standards for a broader use of selected fiber-optic sensor technologies.

The amount of construction and demolition waste has increased considerably over the last few years, making desirable the reuse of this waste in the concrete industry. In the present study concrete specimens are subjected at the age of 28 days to four-point bending with concurrent monitoring of their acoustic emission (AE) activity. Several concrete mixtures prepared using recycled aggregates at various percentages of the total coarse aggregate and also a reference mix using natural aggregates, were included to investigate their influence of the recycled aggregates on the load bearing capacity, as well as on the fracture mechanisms. The results reveal that for low levels of substitution the influence of using recycled aggregates on the flexural strength is negligible while higher levels of substitution lead into its deterioration. The total AE activity, as well as the AE signals emitted during failure, was related to flexural strength. The results obtained during test processing were found to be in agreement with visual observation.

The current study reports the establishment of a novel feasible way for processing glass- and ceramic- matrix composites reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The technique is based on high shear compaction of glass/ceramic and CNT blends in the presence of polymeric binders for the production of flexible green bodies which are subsequently sintered and densified by spark plasma sintering. The method was successfully applied on a borosilicate glass / multi-wall CNT composite with final density identical to that of the full-dense ceramic. Preliminary non-destructive evaluation of dynamic mechanical properties such as Young’s and shear modulus and Poisson’s ratio by ultrasonics show that property improvement maximizes up to a certain CNT loading; after this threshold is exceeded, properties degrade with further loading increase.

Cement-based materials have in general low electrical conductivity. Electrical conductivity is the measure of the ability of the material to resist the passage of electrical current. The addition of a conductive admixture such as Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) in a cement-based material increases the conductivity of the structure. This research aims to characterize nano-modified cement mortars with MWCNT reinforcements. Such nano-composites would possess smartness and multi-functionality. Multifunctional properties include electrical, thermal and piezo-electric characteristics. One of these properties, the electrical conductivity, was measured using a custom made apparatus that allows application of known D.C. voltage on the nano-composite. In this study, the influence of different surfactants/plasticizers on CNT nano-modified cement mortar specimens with various concentrations of CNTs (0.2% wt. cement CNTs - 0.8% wt. cement CNTs) on the electrical conductivity is assessed.

Nowadays, construction and demolition waste constitutes a major portion of the total solid waste production in the world. Due to both environmental and economical reasons, an increasing interest concerning the use of recycled aggregate to replace aggregate from natural sources is generated. This paper presents an investigation on the properties of recycled aggregate concrete. Concrete mixes are prepared using recycled aggregates at a substitution level between 0 and 100% of the total coarse aggregate. The influence of this replacement on strengthened concrete’s properties is being investigated. The properties estimated are: density and dynamic modulus of elasticity at the age of both 7 and 28 days. Also, flexural strength of 28 days specimens is estimated. The determination of the dynamic elastic modulus was made using the ultrasonic pulse velocity method. The results reveal that the existence of recycled aggregates affects the properties of concrete negatively; however, in low levels of substitution the influence of using recycled aggregates is almost negligible. Concluding, the controlled use of recycled aggregates in concrete production may help solve a vital environmental issue apart from being a solution to the problem of inadequate concrete aggregates.

Internet of things (IoT), focusing on providing users with information exchange and intelligent control, attracts a lot of attention of researchers from all over the world since the beginning of this century. IoT is consisted of large scale of sensor nodes and data processing units, and the most important features of IoT can be illustrated as energy confinement, efficient communication and high redundancy. With the sensor nodes increment, the communication efficiency and the available communication band width become bottle necks. Many research work is based on the instance which the number of joins is less. However, it is not proper to the increasing multi-join query in whole internet of things. To improve the communication efficiency between parallel units in the distributed sensor network, this paper proposed parallel query optimization algorithm based on distribution attributes cost graph. The storage information relations and the network communication cost are considered in this algorithm, and an optimized information changing rule is established. The experimental result shows that the algorithm has good performance, and it would effectively use the resource of each node in the distributed sensor network. Therefore, executive efficiency of multi-join query between different nodes could be improved.