The underlying opportunity for this study is that process materials may show considerable change in their electrical properties in response to an injected signal over a wide frequency range. The use of this concept to demonstrate the construction of tomographic images for a range of frequency bands is described. These can then provide a deeper understanding and interpretation of a process under investigation. The thesis presents an in-depth review of the characteristics of the various wideband signals that could be used for simultaneous spectral measurements. This includes an objective selection process that demonstrates that a Chirp signal form offers key advantages. It then addresses the details of the developed method and algorithms for WElT systems that deploy a Chirp wideband excitation signal and a further aspect of the method, based on the time-frequency analysis, particularly wavelet transform, which is used to reveal spectral data sets. The method has been verified by simulation studies which are described. To provide measurements over a required frequency range a linear chirp is deployed as the excitation signal and corresponding peripheral measurements are synthesised using a 2D model. The measurements are then analysed using a wavelet transform algorithm to reveal spectral datasets which are exemplified in the thesis. The thesis then examines the feasibility of the presented method through various experimental trials; an overview of the implementation of the electronic system is included. This provides a single-channel EIT chirp excitation implementation, in essence simulating a real-time parallel data collection system. through the use of pseudo-static tests on foodstuff materials. The experimental data were then analysed and tomographic images reconstructed using the frequency banded data. These included results illustrate the promise of this composite approach in exploiting sensitivity to variations over a wide frequency range. They indicate that the described method can augment an EIT sensing procedure to support spectroscopic analysis of the process materials.

Non-destructive testing (NDT) is the process of non-invasive material examination. Within this field, ultrasonic inspection is one method of examination used to detect flaws in structural and functional industrial components, to assess their structural integrity and fitness for service. Conventional NDT ultrasonic array techniques transmit on multiple elements in parallel, according to a focal law, which facilitates beam steering, focussing and scanning within the test component. Received signals are then 'stacked' to generate images of the test component. With the advent of affordable high speed computing, novel data acquisition techniques based on sequential transmission are now able to be developed, which allow images to be generated using advanced signal processing and image reconstruction algorithms. One such data acquisition technique known as Full Matrix Capture (FMC), has received considerable research attention in recent years, largely because it allows fully focused images of test components to be generated. This project provides an improved understanding of the FMC technique and associated signal processing algorithms. It achieves this through the development of novel inspection techniques and signal processing algorithms. Collectively algorithms developed within this work were termed Sequential Phased Array (SPA). Initially comparisons were made between conventional ultrasonic techniques and the SPA algorithms in terms of image quality and speed of inspection. A novel approach was then suggested to facilitate inspection through dual-layered media, separated by a refractive interface using the SPA algorithms. The use of sparse arrays to enhance the speed of inspection using the SPA algorithms was also investigated, and the trade-off between speed of inspection against image degradation was addressed. Finally a novel approach to calibration of a FMC based system was developed, in order to provide uniform image sensitivity during inspection.

Dissertation submitted in compliance with the requirements for the Master's Diploma in Technology: Electrical Engineering (Light Current), Technikon Natal, 1987. / In the gold mining industry, one of the significant physical properties of the mineral slurry is its density and it is important to be able to measure this parameter in most processes. There are many techniques for determining the density of fluids, but because of the hostile, abrasive nature of mineral slurry, very few of these are suitable, This dissertation describes the deveiopment, construction and testing of a portable, ultrasonic, density measuring instrument. The instrument uses an ultrasonic transducer as the primary measuring element, and system operation is based on the fact that the driving impedance of the transducer varies with changes in the physical properties, and hence the characteristic impedance, of the surrounding medium into which the ultrasonic energy is being transferred. The technique may a-Lao be used to measure the relative concentrations of two liquids in a mixture or emulsion, provided that the characteristic impedances of the liquids are sufficiently dissimilar. The electronic circuitry is fairly straightforward, consisting essentially of an oscillator, driving circuit for the transducer and a voltage monitor to provide a d.c. voltage proportional to the impedance of the transducer, and hence to the density of the surrounding medium. Most of the research has been concentrated on the probe design, as the type of transducer, the type and thickness of facing material and the method of construction all contribute to the sensitivity of the instrument. A design of probe assembly has been developed that may be used for both slurry density measurement and the measurement of the ratio of aqueous to organic liquids in emulsion. / M

Friction joining techniques, such as Friction Stir Spot Welding (FSSW) and high power Ultrasonic Welding (USW), could offer a solution for joining dissimilar materials combinations, such as aluminium (Al) to magnesium (Mg), where high intermetallic reaction rates make the use of conventional joining techniques problematic. Ultrasonic welds have been produced between 1 mm gauge Al 6111-T4 and Mg AZ31-H24 sheets, and the interfacial reaction has been studied as a function of welding time. For this welding system, the mechanical properties of the joints were optimised when a double reed welding system was employed to join materials that had been prepared using 800 grit SiC paper under a clamping force of 1.9 kN, and when the materials were oriented with the rolling direction parallel to the vibration direction. Welds produced between Al and Mg achieved similar peak lap shear strengths to those produced between Mg and Mg at welding times of 0.4 s, but the failure energy of the Al-Mg welds was less than half that of the parent material. In addition, the Al-Mg welds always failed at the interface between the sheets, rather than the desirable, and more energy intensive, pullout mechanism. The inferior mechanical properties were attributed to the rapid formation of a brittle intermetallic layer that initially formed as islands of the γ-Al12Mg17 phase. These islands rapidly spread and became continuous within 0.3 s of welding time, at which point a second sublayer of the β-Al3Mg2 phase began to form on the Al side of the intermetallic reaction layer. The combined layers reached a total thickness of 20 µm within 0.9 s of welding time, with the β-Al3Mg2 sublayer becoming the thicker of the two by this point. At longer welding times, interface liquation was observed at temperatures below the recognised lowest temperature eutectic reaction in the Al-Mg binary phase diagram. This was the result of the alloying elements present in the system and there was no depression in the melting point as a result of the high strain rate associated with this process, as has been proposed elsewhere. The rate of growth of the intermetallic layer during welding was higher than in static heat treatments, which was most likely due to the deformation causing microcracking in the brittle intermetallic layer, allowing short circuit diffusion to occur, and enhancing the growth rate by a factor of approximately 2. Finally, attempts were made to limit the rate of intermetallic compound (IMC) formation by applying coatings to the Mg sheet. The effect of the coatings was to reduce the overall IMC layer thickness by 50 %.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a influência do teor de umidade e da dimensão do corpo−de−prova na velocidade de propagação ultra−sônica em madeira serrada. As espécies utilizadas no procedimento experimental foram: cupiúba {Goupia glabra), eucalipto grandis (Eucalyptus grandis), jatobá (Hymenaea spp), eucalipto citriodora (Eucalyptus citriodora), pinus caribea (Pinus caribea var. caribea) e pinus elliottii (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii). Utilizou−se o equipamento de ultra−som Sylvatest, com transdutores exponenciais de 22 kHz. A experimentação para avaliar a influência da dimensão do corpo−de−prova foi feita em duas etapas: variando a seção transversal e mantendo o comprimento da peça constante e a seguir mantendo a seção e variando o comprimento. Na primeira etapa, foram utilizados doze corpos−de−prova com dimensões variando desde 6 cm x 12 cm x 50 cm até 1 cm x 12 cm x 50 cm. Para a análise da influência do comprimento, foram utilizadas doze vigas por espécie com dimensão inicial de 6 cm x 12 cm x 300 cm, avaliadas até o comprimento final de 10 cm. A aplicação da onda ultra−sônica foi feita na direção longitudinal. Foram feitos ensaios destrutivos em vigas e corpos−de−prova para a comparação entre os módulos de elasticidade obtidos nos ensaios estáticos e no ensaio com ultra−som. Na experimentação para avaliar a influência do teor de umidade na velocidade de propagação, foram avaliadas doze peças por espécie com dimensões 2,5 cm x 30 cm x 75 cm, desde saturadas até o teor de umidade em torno de 6%. Os resultados demonstraram que a influência da seção transversal do corpo−de−prova ocorre em função da relação entre as dimensões da seção e o comprimento de onda utilizado. Quando o comprimento de onda (λ) se aproxima de uma das dimensões da peça, ocorre uma diminuição na velocidade causada pelo efeito fronteira. O estudo sobre a influência do comprimento do corpo−de−prova (L) evidenciou que existe um ponto crítico na relação entre L e comprimento de onda (L/λ)a partir do qual a velocidade não é mais afetada. Os resultados sobre a influência do teor de umidade indicaram uma tendência de diminuição da velocidade com o aumento do teor de umidade, em ambas as direções de propagação da onda ultra−sônica (paralela e perpendicular às fibras), para todas as espécies estudadas. A influência do teor de umidade ocorreu de modo diferente, acima e abaixo do ponto de saturação, sendo mais significativa no segundo caso. Os resultados obtidos permitiram desenvolver uma expressão matemática para a correção da velocidade de propagação em função do teor de umidade e da densidade da madeira / The aim of this research was to evaluate the influence of moisture content and dimensions of specimens on the ultrasonic velocity in wood. The species used were: cupiúba (Goupia glabra),eucalipto grandis (Eucalyptus grandis), jatobá (Hymenaea spp), eucalipto citriodora (Eucalyptus citriodora), pinus caribea (Pinus caribea var. caribea) and pinus elliottii (pinus elliottii var. elliottii). Ultrasonic measurements were taken with the experimental equipment Sylvatest with 22 kHz transducers. Experimental procedure about dimensions were carried out in two steps: specimens of constant length and variable cross−section and of constant cross−section and variable length. In the first case, were taken twelve specimens with initial cross−section of 6 cm x 12 cm, planed until 1 cm x 12 cm and constant length (50 cm). In the second case, were taken twelve specimens with length from 300 cm to 10 cm and constant cross−section (6 cm x 12 cm). Ultrasonic measurements were made in the longitudinal direction. They were also made destructive tests in beams and specimens with the purpose of comparison between static and ultrasonic methods. In the study of the influence of moisture content, twelve specimens (2.5 cm x 30 cm x 75 cm) were dried from green until about 6% moisture content The results showed that the influence of cross−section depends on the relation between dimensions and wavelength, when λ is next to one of the dimensions, the ultrasonic velocity decreases because edge’ s effect. The study about the length showed that there is a critical point in the relation between sample length and wavelength (L/λ), and above it the velocity is not affected. The results about moisture content demonstrated that ultrasonic velocity, parallel and perpendicular to the grain, decreased when moisture content increased, and this influence was more significant below the fiber saturation point. It was developed an expression to correct the ultrasonic velocity as a function of moisture content and density of wood

Thesis: B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology, 1976 / Includes bibliographical references. / by Ann B. Mansfield. / B.S. / B.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology

A dislocation density-based constitutive model has been developed and implemented into a crystal plasticity quasi-static finite element framework. This approach captures the statistical evolution of dislocation structures and grain fragmentation at the bonding interface when sufficient boundary conditions pertaining to the Ultrasonic Consolidation (UC) process are prescribed. The hardening is incorporated using statistically stored and geometrically necessary dislocation densities (SSDs and GNDs), which are dislocation analogs of isotropic and kinematic hardening, respectively. Since the macroscopic global boundary conditions during UC involves cyclic sinosuidal simple shear loading along with constant normal pressure, the cross slip mechanism has been included in the evolution equation for SSDs. The inclusion of cross slip promotes slip irreversibility, dislocation storage, and hence, cyclic hardening during the UC. The GND considers strain-gradient and thus renders the model size-dependent. The model is calibrated using experimental data from published refereed literature for simple shear deformation of single crystalline pure aluminum alloy and uniaxial tension of polycrystalline Aluminum 3003-H18 alloy. The model also incorporates various local and global effects such as (1) friction, (2) thermal softening, (3) acoustic softening, (4) surface texture of the sonotrode and initial mating surfaces, and (6) presence of oxide-scale at the mating surfaces, which further contribute significantly specifically to the grain substructure evolution at the interface and to the anisotropic bulk deformation away from the interface during UC in general. The model results have been predicted for Al-3003 alloy undergoing UC. A good agreement between the experimental and simulated results has been observed for the evolution of linear weld density and anisotropic global strengths macroscopically. Similarly, microscopic observations such as embrittlement due to grain substructure evolution at the UC interface have been also demonstrated by the simulation. In conclusion, the model was able to predict the effects of macroscopic global boundary conditions on bond quality. It has been found that the normal pressure enhances good bonding characteristics at the interface, though beyond a certain magnitude enhances dynamic failure. Similarly, lower oscillation amplitudes result in a lower rate of gap closure, whereas higher oscillation amplitude results in an enhanced rate of gap relaxation at the interface. Henceforth, good bonding characteristics between the constituent foils are found at an optimum oscillation amplitude. A similar analogy is also true for weld speed where the longitudinal locations behind the sonotrode rip open when higher weld speeds are implemented in the UC machine, leading to lower linear weld density and poor bonding characteristics.

This research is a systematic study exploring a new fabrication methodology for long-fiber-reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs) using a novel additive manufacturing technology. The research is devoted to the manufacture of long-fiber-reinforced MMC structures using the Ultrasonic Consolidation (UC) process. The main objectives of this research are to investigate the bond formation mechanisms and fiber embedment mechanisms during UC, and further to study the effects of processing parameters on bond formation and fiber embedment, and the resultant macroscopic mechanical properties of UC-made MMC structures. From a fundamental research point of view, bond formation mechanisms and fiber embedment mechanisms have been clarified by the current research based on various experimental observations. It has been found that atomic bonding across nascent metal is the dominant bond formation mechanism during the UC process, whereas the embedded fiber are mechanically entrapped within matrix materials due to significant plastic deformation of the matrix material during embedment. From a manufacturing process point of view, the effects of processing parameters on bond formation and fiber embedment during the UC process have been studied and optimum levels of parameters have been identified for manufacture of MMC structures. An energy-based model has been developed as a first step toward analytically understanding the effects of processing parameters on the quality of ultrasonically consolidated structures. From a material applications point of view, the mechanical properties of ultrasonically consolidated structures with and without the presence of fibers have been characterized. The effects on mechanical properties of UC-made structures due to the presence of embedded fibers have been discussed.

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