Thermal Evaluation of Scorched Graphite-Epoxy Panels by Infrared Scanning

A simple measurement system is described for evaluating damage to graphite-epoxy panels, such as those used in high-performance aircraft. The system uses a heating laser and infrared imaging system to measure thermal performance. Thermal conductivity or diffusivity is a sensitive indicator of damage in materials, allowing this thermal measurement to show various degrees of damage in graphite-epoxy composites. Our measurements track well with heat-flux damage to graphite epoxy panels. This measurement system, including analysis software, could easily be used in the field, such as on the deck of an aircraft carrier or at remote air strips.     

Measurement of the tunnel rate in SIS' tunnel junctions as function of bias voltage

Cryogenic detectors with superconducting tunnel junctions can provide an energy resolution improved by at least one order of magnitude compared with standard semiconductor detectors. While the detection principle was already demonstrated many years ago, the past years were dedicated to the transition from the laboratory sample to practical detectors. Our most favored detector design gives rise to tunnel junctions with electrodes of unequal energy gaps. In such hetero tunnel junctions bias conditions can be established which cause a negative signal current. We report the experimental verification of this effect, and we discuss the yield of charge signal of cryogenic detectors based upon superconducting tunnel junctions.     

Infrared heat treatment of Ti-6Al-4V with electroplated Cu

The objective of this study is to investigate an innovative infrared (IR) technique to enhance adhesion of electroplated copper (Cu) on Ti-6Al-4V without dichromate dipping. The ultimate goal is to develop a Cu coating process on Ti-6Al-4V without hazardous hexavalent chromium (Cr) solution treatments. Cu coatings of around 50 μm were electroplated on Ti-6Al-4V specimens at a current density of 0.03 A/cm² in an acidic Cu solution. To improve adhesion of coatings, IR heat treatments were performed on the Cu-coated samples at different temperatures and durations: 860 °C for 600 s and 875 °C for 20–120 s. This process was accomplished in an attempt to replace the use of dichromate dipping before electroplating. For samples heat treated at 860 °C, no bonding existed, even after 600 s. It is believed that solid-state diffusion prevailed at 860 °C and that 600 s was not enough for sufficient diffusion to occur. Adhesion was poor when samples were heat treated at 875 °C for 20 s. Excellent adhesion was observed when the heat treatment holding time was increased to 40 s. For 90 s, the surface appearance of coatings partially changed from Cu-colored to a grayish color. There was no Cu left on the surface after a 120 s heat treatment. From optical microscopic observations on sample cross sections, an interlayer between the Cu and Ti-6Al-4V formed when heat treated at 875 °C for 40 s and longer. The interlayer thickness increased as the holding time increased, until depletion of Cu. The sheet resistivity of coated specimens was on the order of pure Cu for samples heat treated at 875 °C and less than 90 s. During the 875 °C heat treatment, the following occurred: solid-state diffusion of Cu in Ti-6Al-4V, formation of eutectic solutions, dissolution of Cu and Ti-6Al-4V into the liquid phase, and the formation of intermetallic compounds. The lowest eutectic temperature of 875 °C played a key role in this innovative process of Cu coating on Ti-6Al-4V. This paper was presented at the 2nd International Surface Engineering Congress sponsored by ASM International, on September 15–17, 2003, in Indianapolis, Indiana and appears on pp. 403–10 of the Proceedings.     

Radiometric normalization and image mosaic generation of ASTER thermal infrared data: An application to extensive sand sheets and dune fields

Data from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) have a significant advantage over previous datasets because of the combination of high spatial resolution (15-90 m) and enhanced multispectral capabilities, particularly in the thermal infrared (TIR) atmospheric window (8-12 μm) of the Earth where common silicate minerals are more easily identified. However, the 60 km swath width of ASTER can limit the effectiveness of accurately tracing large-scale features, such as eolian sediment transport pathways, over long distances. The primary goal of this paper is to describe a method for generating a seamless and radiometrically accurate ASTER TIR mosaic of atmospherically corrected radiance and from that, extract surface emissivity for arid lands, specifically, sand seas. The Gran Desierto in northern Sonora, Mexico was used as a test location for the radiometric normalization technique because of past remote sensing studies of the region, its compositional diversity, and its size. A linear approach was taken to transform adjacent image swaths into a direct linear relationship between image acquisition dates. Pseudo-invariant features (PIFs) were selected using a threshold of correlation between radiance values, and change-pixels were excluded from the linear regression used to determine correction factors. The degree of spectral correlation between overlapping pixels is directly related to the amount of surface change over time; therefore, the gain and offsets between scenes were based only on regions of high spectral correlation. The result was a series of radiometrically normalized radiance-at-surface images that were combined with a minimum of image edge seams present. These edges were subsequently blended to create the final mosaic. The advantages of this approach for TIR radiance (as opposed to emissivity) data include the ability to: (1) analyze data acquired on different dates (with potentially very different surface temperatures) as one seamless compositional dataset; (2) perform decorrelation stretches (DCS) on the entire dataset in order to identify and discriminate compositional units; and (3) separate brightness temperature from surface emissivity for quantitative compositional analysis of the surface, reducing seam-line error in the emissivity mosaic. The approach presented here is valid for any ASTER-related study of large geographic regions where numerous images spanning different temporal and atmospheric conditions are encountered.     

Monitoring land surface processes with thermal infrared data: Calibration of SVAT parameters based on the optimisation of diurnal surface temperature cycling features

Land Surface Models (LSM) have been designed to describe water and energy transfers at the soil-vegetation-atmosphere interface, and are therefore essential in many environmental disciplines. These numerical models, driven by the boundary conditions in the atmosphere and in the soil, require adequate knowledge of those vegetation and soil characteristics which are determinant in the characterisation of mass and energy transfers. In view of the fact that, firstly this information is often only partially known, and secondly the transfers are sometimes incorrectly represented, these models can rapidly drift and need to be regularly corrected. To this aim, remote sensing is a promising tool and many studies are currently devoted to the development of assimilation techniques to control their inputs or internal variables. The research presented in this paper contributes to this effort. Its ambition is to explore new methodologies, designed to make use of remote sensing thermal infrared data recorded from space. This study is based on the analysis of links between the characteristics of the diurnal cycle of the surface brightness temperature and the soil-atmosphere interface parameters and variables. The proposed methodology takes advantage of these temperatures cycling features, instead of absolute temperature values, to calibrate the LSM. The results show that the model parameters have a significant impact on the diurnal temperature dynamics, sometimes to a greater extent than on the temperature itself, and that these relationships have diurnal and seasonal variations. As a consequence, the use of TIR data for LSM calibration can be optimised by considering only those parts of the information which are really relevant to parameter calibration.     

The election problem in asynchronous distributed systems with bounded faulty processes

Determining the “weakest” failure detectors is a central topic in solving many agreement problems such as Consensus, Non-Blocking Atomic Commit and Election in asynchronous distributed systems. So far, this has been studied extensively for several such fundamental problems. It is stated that Perfect Failure Detector P is the weakest failure detector to solve the Election problem with any number of faulty processes. In this paper, we introduce Modal failure detector M and show that to solve Election, M is the weakest failure detector to solve election when the number of faulty processes is less than ⌈n/2⌉. We also show that it is strictly weaker than P.

基于多种特征的红外目标识别技术研究

红外图像独特的热辐射特性,通常是由其各个子部件的红外热辐射特性所形成的。文中在传统红外热图像特征量的基础上,通过分析红外热图像自身特性以及它的形成与其自身姿态的关系,提出了对目标物体红外热图像基于目标姿态的子分类,并对目标红外热图像进行了子区域分割,通过多目标分类器进行识别,形成了新的红外图像特征量。     

普适计算中的上下文及纯方位定位模型

室内高精度定位问题是普适计算中位置感知研究的首要难题。介绍了普适计算中上下丈的概念,就上下文中的位置问题进行了探讨。通过分析目前室内定位中存在的问题,给出了一种利用红外无源定位技术定位的模型,通过测得的方位角计算出用户的位置。对该模型进行了证明,证明结果显示该模型可以定出目标的准确位置。     

冬青树叶表面的红外光谱特征

用红外衰减全反射技术(ATR)研究了各生长期和不同环境中冬青树叶表面的红外光谱特征.当用黑色塑料袋套在冬青枝条上48 h后,树叶表面的水分有所增加,其它成分变化甚微.当用透明塑料袋套在枝条上48 h后,树叶表面酯类物质的特征峰1 730、1 682 cm-1增加,且峰强度相当.当冬青叶片与甲苯气体接触48 h后,叶片反面酯类物质的特征峰(1 730、1 168、1 039 cm-1)有所减少.同样,叶片正面的酯类物质(1 730、1 168、1 039 cm-1)也有所减少.扫描电镜能谱也证实了叶片反面酯类物质确有减少.     

适用于微机电系统的自适应红外探测器的可调谐滤光器设计与开发

微机电系统与高品质红外探测技术联合运用为国防、商业、通信、生物医学检测及环境监测等许多应用领域面临的一系列具有挑战性的问题提供了唯一可行的解决方案．可调谐法布里．玻罗滤光片是适用于微机电系统的红外探测器的核心部件．滤光片的结构设计和关键结构件的材料对于滤光片的性能和整个装置的完善性有重要影响．阐述了利用有限元建模进行法布里-玻罗滤光片机械设计和分析的方法．报告了滤光片的结构材料——用低温等离子增强化学沉积法制造的氮化硅的结构表征和机械性能测定方法和结果．最后展示了一些所制作的滤光片阵列．