A new device for stress monitoring in continuously welded rails using bi-directional strain method

The technology of continuously welded rails （CWRs） is important in modern railway track structures. To measure rail stress, resistance strain gauges are preferred due to their good stability, sensitivity, and esistance to external interference. Based on the bi-directional strain method, we present a new method for measuring longitudinal rail stress using resistance strain gauges and develop a monitoring device for rail stress to realize long-term and multi-point measurement. Also relevant experimental verification and analysis are conducted. Results indicate that under various constraints the rail stress–strain values can be calculated just with the measured total longitudinal strain and total vertical strain. Considering the measurement error caused by sectional feature of sensors, we put forward a correction equation applicable to different stress conditions. Although the temperature values of the four full-bridge stress gauges can offset each other, the measurement error caused by rail flexural strain can also be eliminated to a certain extent at the same time, the nonuniform distribution of rail cross section temperature and unbalanced flexural strain still affect the measurement error. The experimental results also show that the developed rail-stress-monitoring sensor is suitable for measuring rail stress with reliable working performance.

Longitudinal growth strains in five clones of Eucalyptus tereticornis Sm

We studied the variability in longitudinal growth strains and wood basic density in five-year old trees from five clones （one tree per clone） of Eucalyptus tereticornis. Mean longitudinal growth strain in clones ranged from 466 to 876 μm. There was a significant difference between clones in growth strains and wood basic density. Clone 10 exhibited maximum growth strains and basic density, whereas clone 3 and clone 7 exhibited minimum growth strains and basic density, respectively. Within a tree, the growth strain variation with tree height was high but statistically insignificant while within tree variation in basic density was very small. There was no specific trend in variation in either strain or density within a tree. There was 5% 200% difference in growth strain on opposite sides of the logs. However two strains showed a strong positive correlation. There was a moderate positive association of wood basic density and mean growth strains in logs. The variation around the periphery emphasize the need to measure strain more than one, preferably on opposite sides at the same height, on a tree to know the mean strain level for the purpose of selection of clones.

Numerical Simulation and Experimental Study of the Stress Formation Mechanism of FDM with Different Printing Paths

Environmental contamination has been caused by petroleum-based polymeric materials in the melt deposition process.Nowadays biodegradable materials have been widely used in the fused deposition modeling(FDM)industry,such as polylactic acid(PLA).However,internal complex thermal stress and deformations in part caused by an uneven distribution of PLA filament deposition temperatures during FDM,which will seriously affect the geometric accuracy of the printed part.In order to reduce material waste and environmental pollution during the printing process,the accuracy of PLA part can be improved.Herein,numerical simulation was carried out to investigate the temperature field and stress field during the building and cooling process of cuboid specimens.The effects of printing path on the thermal stress and temperature field during the building process were mainly studied.The results show that the printing path has a significant effect on the stress distribution.The most uni-form stress distribution and the smallest deformation were obtained using the Zig Zag printing path.Finally,the residual stress during the cooling process was collected using strain gauges embedded at the mid-plane of the FDM built cuboid specimens.The simulation results are consistent with the experimental results.

Research on the strain gauge mounting scheme of track wheel force measurement system based on high-speed wheel/rail relationship test rig

Purpose-This paper aims to analyze the stress and strain distribution on the track wheel web surface and study the optimal strain gauge location for force measurement system of the track wheel.Design/methodology/approach-Finite element method was employed to analyze the stress and strain distribution on the track wheel web surface under varying wheel-rail forces.Locations with minimal coupling interference between vertical and lateral forces were identified as suitable for strain gauge installation.Findings-The results show that due to the track wheel web’s unique curved shape and wheel-rail force loading mechanism,both tensile and compressive states exit on the surface of the web.When vertical force is applied,Mises stress and strain are relatively high near the inner radius of 710 mm and the outer radius of 1110mmof the web.Under lateral force,high Mises stress and strain are observed near the radius of 670mmon the inner and outer sides of the web.As the wheel-rail force application point shifts laterally toward the outer side,the Mises stress and strain near the inner radius of 710 mm of the web gradually decrease under vertical force while gradually increasing near the outer radius of 1110 mm of the web.Under lateral force,the Mises stress and strain on the surface of the web remain relatively unchanged regardless of the wheel-rail force application point.Based on the analysis of stress and strain on the surface of the web under different wheel-rail forces,the inner radius of 870 mm is recommended as the optimal mounting location of strain gauges for measuring vertical force,while the inner radius of 1143 mm is suitable for measuring lateral force.Originality/value-The research findings provide valuable insights for determining optimal strain gauge locations and designing an effective track wheel force measurement system.

Time Series-, Time-Frequency- and Spectral Analyses of Sensor Measurements in an Offshore Wave Energy Converter Based on Linear Generator Technology

Inside the second experimental wave energy converter (WEC) launched at the Lysekil research site on the Swedish west coast in March 2009 a number of sensor systems were installed for measuring the mechanical performance of the WEC and its mechanical subsystems. One of the measurement systems was a set-up of 7 laser triangulation sensors for measuring relative displacement of the piston rod mechanical lead-through transmission in the direct drive. Two measurement periods, separated by 2.5 month, are presented in this paper. One measurement is made two weeks after launch and another 3 months after launch. Comparisons and correlations are made between different sensors measuring simultaneously. Noise levels are investigated. Filtering is discussed for further refinement of the laser triangulation sensor signals in order to separate noise from actual physical displacement and vibration. Measurements are presented from the relative displacement of the piston rod mechanical lead-through, from magnetic flux in the air gap, mechanical strain in the WEC structure, translator position and piston rod axial displacement and active AC power. Investigation into the measurements in the time domain with close-ups, in the frequency domain with Fast Fourier transform (FFT) and with time-frequency analysis with short time Fourier transform (STFT) is carried out to map the spectral content in the measurements. End stop impact is clearly visible in the time-frequency analysis. The FFT magnitude spectra are investigated for identifying the cogging bandwidth among other vibrations. Generator cogging, fluctuations in the damping force and in the Lorenz forces in the stator are distinguished and varies depending on translator speed. Vibrations from cogging seem to be present in the early measurement period while not so prominent in the late measurement period. Vibration frequencies due to wear are recognized by comparing with the noise at generator standstill and the vibration sources in the generator. It is concluded that a moving average is a sufficient filter in the time domain for further analysis of the relative displacement of the piston rod mechanical lead-through transmission.

Dynamic characteristics of a switch and crossing on the West Coast main line in the UK

Railway switches and crossings constitute a small fraction of linear track length but consume a large proportion of the railway track system maintenance budget.While switch and crossing(S&C)faults rarely prevent trains from running,switches and crossings are the source of many faults and need continual attention.On the rare occasions when trains are prevented from running the cost of the disruption is very high.Condition monitoring of the point operating equipment that moves the switchblades has been in use for many years but condition monitoring of the state of the switch in terms of the support and mechanical damage as trains pass over has only recently started to become possible.To this end,it is important to understand the correlation between S&C faults and sensor data that can detect those faults.This paper assesses some of the data collected from multiple sensors variously positioned on and around a switch and crossing on the UK mainline for a few days of normal train operation.Accelerometers,geophones,and strain gauges were installed at the locations where they were anticipated to be most useful.Forces at the load transfer point on the crossing nose were estimated from two separate strain gauge bridges and possible use of acceleration on the crossing is discussed.Correlations between different data are analysed and assessed and correlation between peak estimated load transfer forces and accelerations is presented.Based on the analysis,conclusions are drawn about the different types of dynamic information around S&Cs that can be obtained from a variety of sensor types.

CRACK INITIATION POINT DETERMINATION AND DYNAMIC FRACTURE TOUGHNESS FOR CHARPY PRE-CRACKED SPECIMEN

The method to detect the crack initiation point of Charpy pre-cracked specimen under dy- namie loading was studied using strain gauge.The load-time curve and nominal strain-time curve at the crack tip for impact testing specinens may be shnultaneously measured by twin-channel oscilloscope with high speed sampling and diskette storing.Based on the dynam- ic finite element simulation of impact response of Charpy specimen,the measuring method of dynamic fracture toughness was analysed and some problems in previous dynamic fracture toughness measurement were discussed.

Stress Analysis of Ellipsoidal Shell with Inner Guide Structure

In order to overcome stress concentration and increase fatigue life of ellipsoidal shells with inner guide structure,the stress analysis for strength check is very important. Owing to the main sectional profile with ellipsoidal shape,the stress distribution for perfect ellipsoidal shell is firstly conducted based on the theoretical calculation and strain gauges measurement. The experiment results show that the stresses increase gradually from pole region to equatorial plane,but still within elastic range. Secondly,strain gauge measurement for ellipsoidal shells with inner guide structure is conducted. The results show that stresses are concentrated at the vicinity of bottom plate and beyond elastic range,so the structural redesign is needed. Finally based on the analysis mentioned above,a redesigned structure with local thickening is proposed. Experimental research shows that the stress varies more even after structural redesign and within allowable range. Numerical simulation shows that both the deformation and fatigue life after redesign are acceptable.

Experimental Research on Early-Age Property of High-Performance Concrete Column by Embedded Sensors

This paper aims at monitoring the autogenous shrinkage （AS） of a high-performance concrete （HPC） column specimen using an embedded strain gauge just after concrete pouring. A real size specimen （40 cm×40 cm×100cm） was made to simulate the structural members in construction site. The results show that the amount of HPC AS is comparable to that of drying shrinkage and even larger than it, so AS can not be omitted for HPC. By comparing the plain HPC and reinforced HPC specimens, the influences of reinforced bars on autogenous shrinkage and temperature distribution were obtained.

Full-field dynamic strain reconstruction of an aero-engine blade from limited displacement responses

Blade strain distribution and its change with time are crucial for reliability analysis and residual life evaluation in blade vibration tests.Traditional strain measurements are achieved by strain gauges(SGs)in a contact manner at discrete positions on the blades.This study proposes a method of full-field and real-time strain reconstruction of an aero-engine blade based on limited displacement responses.Limited optical measured displacement responses are utilized to reconstruct the full-field strain.The full-field strain distribution is in-time visualized.A displacement-to-strain transformation matrix is derived on the basis of the blade mode shapes in the modal coordinate.The proposed method is validated on an aero-engine blade in numerical and experimental cases.Three discrete vibrational displacement responses measured by laser triangulation sensors are used to reconstruct the full-field strain over the whole operating time.The reconstructed strain responses are compared with the results measured by SGs and numerical simulation.The high consistency between the reconstructed and measured results demonstrates the accurate strain reconstructed by the method.This paper provides a low-cost,real-time,and visualized measurement of blade full-field dynamic strain using displacement response,where the traditional SGs would fail.

Fabrication and Performance Investigation of Karma Alloy Thin Film Strain Gauge

Karma alloy thin film strain gauges were fabricated on alumina substrates by magnetron sputtering. The electrical properties of strain gauges annealed at different temperatures were then tested. The surface morphology and phase structure of the Karma alloy thin films were analyzed using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The effect of the annealing temperature on the performance of the Karma alloy thin film strain gauge was also investigated. As the annealing temperature increased, it was found that the resistivity of the thin films decreased, whereas the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of the thin films increased. A Karma alloy thin film strain gauge was annealed at 200 °C, thereby obtaining a gauge factor of 1.7 and a corresponding TCR of 64.8 × 10−6 K−1. The prepared Karma alloy thin film strain gauge had a lower TCR than other strain gauges at room temperature. This result can provide a reference for the preparation and application of Karma alloy thin film strain gauges in specific scenarios.

Design of temperature insensitive in vivo strain sensor using multilayer single mode optical fiber

Bone strain measurement is a case of interest and demanding task for osteogenic adaption responses. In this paper, a novel biocompatible optical sensor for the bone axial strain measurement was proposed. In case modern multilayer single mode WII type optical fibers are well designed, they exhibit superior characteristics compared to conventional metal strain gauges （SGs）. Furthermore, they could be strong competitors for SGs based on fiber Bragg grating （FBG） devices. In this study, mode field diameter （MFD） was selected as the indirect parameter for sensing task, which was totally a new approach. The strain sensitivity of 70.7733 pm/με was obtained. Moreover, temperature sensitivity was -3.0031 x 10-6 pm/℃, which was negligible and removed the temperature compensation complexity for the sensor structure presented. The satisfactory property achieved for the designed sensor is as a result of multilayer fiber＇s complicated structure as well as the design procedure based on evolutionary genetic algorithm （GA）. In addition, the sensor demonstrated a reliable performance as its sensitivity was independent of the magnitude of the applied load.

Continuous measurement method and mathematical model for soil compactness

With the continuous improvement of agricultural mechanization,soil compaction becomes more and more serious.Serious soil compaction has been considered as an important negative factor affecting crop growth and yield.The measurement of soil compactness is a common method to measure the soil compaction level.In order to solve the problems of discontinuous sampling,time-consuming and poor real-time soil compactness measurement,a real-time measurement method of soil compactness based on fertilizing shovel was proposed,and the mathematical model between fertilizing shovel arm deformation and soil compactness was established.Based on the interaction mechanism between fertilizing shovel and soil,through the force analysis of fertilizing shovel,it was found that the deformation of fertilizing shovel arm was positively correlated with the sum of soil compactness(SSC)within the range of tillage depth.In order to verify the theoretical analysis results and the detection accuracy of strain gauge,the static bench test was carried out.The test results showed that the strain gauge signal for measuring the deformation of the fertilizing shovel arm was significantly correlated with the applied force.The fitting curve of the linear correlation coefficient was 0.999,the maximum detection error was 0.68 kg,and the detecting accuracy was within the tolerance of 0.57%.Through field orthogonal experiments with four working depths and four compaction levels,a mathematical model of the strain gauge signal and the SSC within the range of tillage depth was established.The experiment showed that compared with the other three depths,the linear correlation coefficient at the tillage depth of 5 cm(TD5)was the lowest,and the slope of the fitting curve was obviously different from the other three depths,so the 5 cm data were excluded when modeling.The model between mean signal value and mean SSC within the range of tillage depth was established based on the data of sampling points with tillage depths of 7.5 cm(TD7.5),10 cm(TD10),and 12.5 cm(TD12.5).The linear correlation coefficient(R^(2))of the model between mean signal value and mean SSC which eliminated 5 cm data was 0.980 and the root mean square error(RMSE)was 143.57 kPa.Compared with the linear model before averaging,the R^(2) was improved by 8.65%,and the RMSE was reduced by 52.39%.This system can realize the real-time and continuous measurement of soil compactness and provide data support for follow-up intelligent agricultural operations.