Non-destructive Evaluation of Absolute Stress in Steel Members Using Shear-Wave Spectroscopy

Non-destructive measurement of absolute stress in steel members can provide useful information to optimize the design of steel structures and allow the safety of existing structures to be evaluated.This paper investigates the non-destructive capability of ultrasonic shear-wave spectroscopy in absolute stress evaluation of steel members.The effect of steel-member stress on the shear-wave amplitude spectrum is investigated,and a method of absolute stress measurement is proposed.Specifically,the process for evaluating absolute stress using shear-wave spectroscopy is summarized.Two steel members are employed to investigate the relationship between the stress and the frequency in shear-wave echo amplitude spectrum.The H-beam loaded by the universal testing machine is evaluated by the proposed method and the traditional strain gauge method for verification.The results show that the proposed method is effective and accurate for determining absolute stress in steel members.

Use of the SPAD-502 in Estimating Nitrogen Content in Leaves and Grape Yield in Grapevines in Soils with Different Texture

The SPAD reading may be used in estimating total nitrogen content (N) in leaves and even in estimating grape yield in grapevines. The objective of this study was to estimate total N content in leaves and grape yield using the SPAD-502 in grapevines submitted to nitrogen fertilization in soils with clayey and sandy texture. In 2008, two experiments were installed in the Southern region of Brazil. In experiment 1, Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines were planted in a soil with clayey texture and with application of 10, 20, 40 and 80 kg·N·ha-1·year-1. In experiment 2, Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines were planted in a soil with sandy texture and with the application of 0, 10, 15, 20, 40, 80 and 120 kg·N·ha-1·year-1. In the grapevines of the two experiments and during the period from 2008 to 2010, SPAD readings were made on leaves throughout the flowering period and at change in color of the berries using the portable chlorophyll meter Minolta-SPAD-502. The leaves were collected, dried, ground and submitted to analysis of the total N content. In addition, grape yield per hectare was evaluated. The SPAD-502 readings estimated the total N content in flowering and at change in color of the berries in the Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines grown on soils with clayey texture and sandy texture, especially in the first year of evaluation. However, the precision of the SPAD-502 readings is low, with there being no relationship between the SPAD-502 readings and grape yield.

Research of Large Field of View Scan Mode for Industrial CT

For industrial computed tomography systems, generation II scan mode has a large field of view but time consuming and generation III has a small field of view but fast. In order to realize the rapid ICT test of large objects, a scan mode based on generation III called large field of view scan was discussed and its reconstruction algorithm based on FBP was deduced. The validity of the algorithm was verified by the results of computer simulation and experiments. Analysis showed that the effective scan field of view could be improved by more than 90% compared with that of generation III.

Experimental Set-up of Laser Ultrasonic Techniques and Applications

A laser ultrasonics generation and non contact detection system has been developed. The weak generated ultrasonic signal of nanosecond duration and nanometer amplitude can be detected with a confocal Fabry Perot interferometer (CFPI). It can be applied to determination of elastic constants of material and flaw detection. The experimental results show that laser ultrasonic technique is practical and effective.