Optical Sensor Developments for Measuring the Surface Strains in Prestressed Concrete Members

Abstract: Conventionally, transfer‐length strain measurements are performed using mechanical gauges such as the Whittemore gauge, or demountable mechanical (DEMEC) strain gauges, and others devices using ‘contact’ measuring principles. These methods involve tedious surface preparation, and are also prone to significant human errors and inaccuracies. Furthermore, these mechanical sensors can only detect lateral displacements. This paper presents a new optical sensor of measuring prestress concrete surface strains. It makes use of the laser‐speckle displacement that is detected by cross correlating the associated optical signals from a Charged‐Coupled Device (CCD) sensor. The sensor was designed to be able to measure the surface displacement components without being affected by other surface motions that are generally present during the concrete detensioning process. Experiments were conducted on a compressed concrete beam and a real prestressed concrete member during the manufacturing process. The results from the optical strain sensor showed good consistency with contact measurements made by using both a foil strain gauge and a Whittemore gauge.     

无转速同步叶尖定时预处理方法及误差分析

提出了一种无转速同步叶尖定时信号预处理方法,通过同一叶片到达不同叶尖定时传感器的振动位移差进行振动参数辨识和转速测量。误差分析表明,该方法可以降低转速测量误差以及转速误差对振动位移测量的影响。分析了振动位移差的测量误差,并与采用转速同步的方法进行了比较。实验结果表明,该方法能够有效地实现叶尖定时测量并具有良好的测量精度。     

Detection of surface strain by three-dimensional digital holography

Three-dimensional digital holography with three object-illuminating beams has been successfully used for the detection of surface strain in metallic objects. The optical setup that uses illuminating beams to irradiate the object from three directions means that all three object surface displacement components, x, y, and z, can be independently calculated and used to find the strain gradients on the surface. The results show the conversion of the complete surface displacement field into a surface strain field. The method is capable of measuring microstrains for out-of-plane surface displacements of less than 10 microm.     

Backward-mode multiwavelength photoacoustic scanner using a planar Fabry-Perot polymer film ultrasound sensor for high-resolution three-dimensional imaging of biological tissues

A multiwavelength backward-mode planar photoacoustic scanner for 3D imaging of soft tissues to depths of several millimeters with a spatial resolution in the tens to hundreds of micrometers range is described. The system comprises a tunable optical parametric oscillator laser system that provides nanosecond laser pulses between 600 and 1200 nm for generating the photoacoustic signals and an optical ultrasound mapping system based upon a Fabry-Perot polymer film sensor for detecting them. The system enables photoacoustic signals to be mapped in 2D over a 50 mm diameter aperture in steps of 10 microm with an optically defined element size of 64 microm. Two sensors were used, one with a 22 microm thick polymer film spacer and the other with a 38 mum thick spacer providing -3 dB acoustic bandwidths of 39 and 22 MHz, respectively. The measured noise equivalent pressure of the 38 microm sensor was 0.21 kPa over a 20 MHz measurement bandwidth. The instrument line-spread function (LSF) was measured as a function of position and the minimum lateral and vertical LSFs found to be 38 and 15 microm, respectively. To demonstrate the ability of the system to provide high-resolution 3D images, a range of absorbing objects were imaged. Among these was a blood vessel phantom that comprised a network of blood filled tubes of diameters ranging from 62 to 300 microm immersed in an optically scattering liquid. In addition, to demonstrate the applicability of the system to spectroscopic imaging, a phantom comprising tubes filled with dyes of different spectral characteristics was imaged at a range of wavelengths. It is considered that this type of instrument may provide a practicable alternative to piezoelectric-based photoacoustic systems for high-resolution structural and functional imaging of the skin microvasculature and other superficial structures.     

Optical fiber bundle displacement sensor using an ac-modulated light source with subnanometer resolution and low thermal drift

An optical fiber bundle displacement sensor with subnanometer order resolution and low thermal drift is proposed. The setup is based on a carrier amplifier system and involves techniques to eliminate fluctuation in the light power of the source. The achieved noise level of the sensor was 0.03nm/√Hz. The stability was estimated by comparing the outputs of two different sensors from the same target for 4 ks (67 min). The relative displacements between the fiber bundle ends of the two sensors and the target surface varied in the area of 400 nm depending on the ambient temperature variation at 2 °C. However, the difference in output between the two sensor systems is within 2 nm for more than 1 hour of measurement. It is expected that it would be reduced to within the area of 0.1 nm if the ambient temperature were controlled to within ±0.1 °C. It is concluded that the stability of the sensors is sufficiently good to be used with nanotechnological instruments.     

Spatially dispersive displacement sensor utilizing a semiconductor gain chip

We demonstrate the development of a simply equipped displacement sensor utilizing spatially dispersive confocal technology. It feeds the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) of a laser diode to a wavelength-selective feedback structure that corresponds to the position of a measured surface. The displacement sensor has a detecting range of 4 microm and precision of less than 2 nm, as proven by the analysis of the spectral shifts of the multipassed amplified output ASE. As compared with traditional sensors, the displacement sensor presented in our study requires fewer components and has as high precision as complex systems and a higher measurement rate due to the simpler strategy of displacement determination.     

Bubble-based acoustic radiation force elasticity imaging

Acoustic radiation force is applied to bubbles generated by laser-induced optical breakdown (LIOB) to study viscoelastic properties of the surrounding medium. In this investigation, femtosecond laser pulses are focused in the volume of gelatin phantoms of different concentrations to form bubbles. A two-element confocal ultrasonic transducer generates acoustic radiation force on individual bubbles while monitoring their displacement within a viscoelastic medium. Tone burst pushes of varying duration have been applied by the outer element at 1.5 MHz. The inner element receives pulse-echo recordings at 7.44 MHz before, during, and after the excitation bursts, and crosscorrelation processing is performed offline to monitor bubble position. Maximum bubble displacements are inversely related to the Young's moduli for different gel phantoms, with a maximum bubble displacement of over 200 microm in a gel phantom with a Young's modulus of 1.7 kPa. Bubble displacements scale with the applied acoustic radiation force and displacements can be normalized to correct for differences in bubble size. Exponential time constants for bubble displacement curves are independent of bubble radius and follow a decreasing trend with the Young's modulus of the surrounding medium. These results demonstrate the potential for bubble-based acoustic radiation force methods to measure tissue viscoelastic properties.     

Laser-machined fibers as Fabry-Perot pressure sensors

Cavities have been laser ablated in the ends of single-mode optical fibers and sealed by aluminized polycarbonate diaphragms to produce Fabry-Perot pressure sensors. Both conventional fibers and novel, multicore fibers were used, demonstrating the possibility of producing compact arrays of sensors and multiple sensors on an individual fiber 125 microm in diameter. This high spatial resolution can be combined with high temporal resolution by simultaneously interrogating the sensors by using separate laser sources at three wavelengths. Shock tube tests showed a sensor response time of 3 micros to a step increase in pressure.     

Manometer for Measurement of Differential Pressure of the Order of 2 Millibars

Examining the functioning of sensors for measuring pressure shows that most of them make we of a displacement. The linearity and the sensitivity of this type of sensor are closely dependent on the value of this displacement. For the sake of linearity and repeatabiity of large, signals, the displacement has to be small Consequently the output signals obtained are weak.     

用于判别连接状态的机器人手爪多传感器数据融合

舱外移动机器人在空间站工作时 ,其手爪与工件及空间站的安全连接至关重要。分别用BP神经网络和径向基函数神经网络 ,对机器人手爪上的力传感器、接近觉传感器和位移传感器的信息进行了融合 ,得到一个关于机器人手爪连接状态的正确判别     

High-resolution angular and displacement sensing based on the excitation of surface plasma waves

The possibility of building angular and displacement sensors based on the phenomenon of attenuated total reflection (ATR) is explored both numerically and experimentally. ATR occurs when a surface wave is excited by an incoming TM electromagnetic wave through a resonant phase-matching process, as in the Kretschmann coupling scheme. The reflected intensity strongly depends on the angle of incidence of the beam. We first show some computations of the sensitivity and the linearity of an ATR-based sensor, then proceed to the experiment, illustrating how an angular resolution of the order of 0.1 arc sec can be obtained with moderate effort. Finally we show how the sensor, combined with a simple optical arrangement, can be used to detect and measure nanometric displacements, as those provided by piezoelectric actuators.     

方波激励的无铁芯多分段电感位移传感器

传统的差动变压器式电感位移传感器存在着铁芯惯量大、线性范围小、对正弦波激励电源的品质要求高、正弦波发生及传感信号提取电路复杂等问题。本文提出了一种具有多抽头螺管线圈和轻质滑环结构的电感位移传感器 ,取消了铁芯 ,采用方波激励 ,由简单的运放电路合成传感信号 ,并利用传感器自身提供的温度信号进行温度补偿 ,克服了传统差动变压器存在的问题。实验结果表明 ,这种传感器具有优良的综合性能     

RF Cavity Passive Wireless Sensors With Time-Domain Gating-Based Interrogation for SHM of Civil Structures

Many existing sensing technologies for application to the monitoring of civil structures have a serious deficiency in that they require some type of wired physical connection to the outside world. This causes significant problems in the installation and long-term use of these sensors. This paper describes a new type of passive wireless sensor that is based on resonant RF cavities, where the resonant frequency is modulated by a measurand. In the case of a strain sensor, the electrical length of the cavity directly modulates its resonant frequency. A probe inside the cavity couples RF signals from the cavity to an externally attached antenna. The sensor can then be interrogated remotely using microwave pulse-echo techniques. Such a system has the advantage of requiring no permanent physical connection between the sensor and the data acquisition system. In this type of sensor, the RF interrogation signal is transmitted to the sensor and then reradiated back to the interrogator from the sensor resulting in a signal strength that decreases with the forth power of distance. This places an upper limit on the distance over which the sensor can be interrogated. Theoretical estimates show that these sensors can be interrogated with sufficient SNR at distances exceeding 10 m for radiated powers of less than 1 mW. We present results for a strain sensor and a displacement sensor that can be interrogated at a distance of 8 m with a strain resolution of less than 10 ppm and displacement resolution of 0.01 mm, respectively.     

Miniaturization of EISCAP sensor for triglyceride detection

In this paper we discuss the fabrication and characterization of miniaturized triglyceride biosensors on crystalline silicon and porous silicon (PS) substrates. The sensors are miniaturized Electrolyte Insulator Semiconductor Capacitors (mini-EISCAPs), which primarily sense the pH variation of the electrolyte used. The lipase enzyme, which catalyses the hydrolysis of triglycerides, was immobilized on the sensor surface. Triglyceride solutions introduced into the enzyme immobilized sensor produced butyric acid which causes the change in pH of the electrolyte. Miniaturized EISCAP sensors were fabricated using bulk micromachining technique and have silicon nitride as the pH sensitive dielectric layer. The sensors are cubical pits of dimensions 1,500 microm x 1,500 microm x 100 microm which can hold an electrolyte volume of 0.1 microl. The pH changes in the solution can be sensed through the EISCAP sensors by monitoring the flatband voltage shift in the Capacitance-Voltage (C-V) characteristics taken during the course of the reaction. The reaction rate is found to be quite high in the miniature cells when compared to the sensors of bigger dimensions.     

位移传感器校验装置的研制

为解决大量程位移传感器检定过程中,传统人工手动检定法操作复杂、耗时长、测量准确度低的问题,研制了大量程位移传感器自动校验装置。详细介绍了该装置的硬件组成和软件设计,并阐述其创新特色。利用该装置对LVDT位移传感器进行校准,并对其测量不确定度进行评定。试验证明,该位移传感器校验装置测量准确度高、运行稳定性好,可有效提高检定效率,能够替代人工对位移传感器进行自动化检定,具有重要技术借鉴意义。     

Time-resolved vibration measurement with temporal speckle pattern interferometry

Temporal speckle pattern interferometry (TSPI) is an optical measurement procedurefor measuring the displacement of rough technical surfaces. The time-dependent speckle modulation due to optical path difference changes is tracked during the whole displacement of the surface and then evaluated pointwise without referring to neighboring pixels. This feature allows for its use as independent point sensors. This aspect of incremental phase tracking enables TSPI to be used to measure time-resolved mechanical vibrations. It also reduces the deteriorating effect of the decorrelation. Therefore large displacements can be measured. A concept for an inexpensive fiber-optical point sensor was developed and the theoretical accuracy for vibration measurement was investigated. The TSPI measurement of a loudspeaker membrane is compared with a high-precision vibrometer measurement. The first results show good agreement.     

Investigation of two different types of displacement transducers in the cryogenic environment

This paper presents the investigation of two different types of conventional displacement sensors applied in the cryogenic environment for instrumentation of superconducting fusion magnets and its test facilities. The first one is a wire-wound potentiometer and the second one is a strain gauge displacement sensor. These sensors were tested at different temperature levels between 300 and 6 K. Another test at high magnetic fields between 0 and 9 T was performed as well. The most important sensor properties such as sensitivity, linearity and hysteresis were derived and calculated.     

A Frequency Modulation Based System Using Bilayer Thin-Film Displacement Sensors

A novel method has been used for accurately measuring low voltage signals (~10^-4 V) associated with inductance changes of bilayer thin-film sensors under bending stress. In this paper the architecture of the system is first presented, and then the design ideas and key technologies are followed. Initially, the frequency modulated signals were simulated with superimposed noise signals to test the demodulation performance of the written program. From the results, the expected output of the program was confirmed. Following this, the frequency modulation technique was used with actual sensor signals to measure the displacement of a bilayer thin film sensor. The results from the acquisition were compared with a previously developed amplitude modulation based setup, and it proved that the frequency modulation system provided a robust and accurate solution to evaluate magnetostrictive materials and their application in magnetic sensors     

Capacitive sensor arrays in dimensional analysis of surfaces

The theoretical aspects of dimensional analysis and shape reconstruction of surfaces by means of displacement sensor arrays are investigated. Although this analysis is focused on surface profiles and linear arrays of capacitive sensors, its results could be easily extended to surfaces and bidimensional arrays of displacement sensors. Capacitance variations related to sensor-to-surface displacements during array scanning are used in the reconstruction equations obtained from the analysis. The reconstruction accuracy depends mainly on the dimensional stability of the array, and it is independent from the array trajectory. The problems raised by nonideal array and sensor behavior, such as fringe effects and geometry deviations are discussed. Capacitance variations due to such effects are calculated and taken into account by means of an energy method. A reconstruction system based on the theoretical results is proposed, and its performance in the reconstruction process is evaluated by a computer simulation which accounts for measurement uncertainties. Simulation results confirm both the effectiveness of the method and the feasibility of the system. Its features are compared with those of other noncontact surface-measuring instruments, and possible applications are outlined     

Micro-electro-discharge machining as microsensor fabrication technology

This paper presents the design and fabrication of three miniaturized mechanical sensors to demonstrate the three-dimensional machining capabilities of micro-electro-discharge machining (EDM). The first sensor is an inertial bi-axial inclination sensor. The displacement of an inertial mass is measured optically by means of a two-dimensional position sensitive device (PSD). The machining freedom of micro-EDM makes it possible to produce both sensor and housing in one monolithic structure. The second sensor is an inertial uni-axial inclination sensor, which demonstrates the compatibility of the micro-EDM technology with the conventional photolithographic micromachining technologies. The mechanical structure of the sensor is machined by micro-EDM and the capacitive sensing part is produced by lithography. The aim of the integration is to set up a hybrid technology, which inherits the benefits of both micro-EDM and photolithography. The third miniaturized sensor is a three-component force sensor. The mechanical structure of the force sensor converts forces into displacements, which are measured optically. The mechanical structure of the force sensor is produced by wire-EDM and micro-EDM.