Improvement of minimum paint film thickness for THz paint meters by multiple-regression analysis

We propose a numerical parameter fitting method to determine the time delay between two temporally overlapped echo pulses in terahertz (THz) tomography measurements. The method is based on multiple-regression analysis with the least-squares method and is applied to decrease the minimum paint film thickness for THz paint meters. Applying multiple-regression analysis to paint thickness measurements is five times more sensitive with regard to the minimum thickness than numerical Fourier deconvolution. We apply the proposed method to determine the optical thickness, geometrical thickness, and group refractive index of dry paint film and wet paint film. The proposed method is useful for decreasing the minimum thickness for a THz paint meter and other THz tomography measurements.     

Absolute distance measurement of optically rough objects using asynchronous-optical-sampling terahertz impulse ranging

We report on a real-time terahertz (THz) impulse ranging (IPR) system based on a combination of time-of-flight measurement of pulsed THz radiation and the asynchronous-optical-sampling (ASOPS) technique. The insensitivity of THz radiation to optical scattering enables the detection of various objects having optically rough surfaces. The temporal magnification capability unique to ASOPS achieves precise distance measurements of a stationary target at an accuracy of -551 μm and a resolution of 113 μm. Furthermore, ASOPS THz IPR is effectively applied to real-time distance measurements of a moving target at a scan rate of 10 Hz. Finally, we demonstrate the application of ASOPS THz IPR to a shape measurement of an optically rough surface and a thickness measurement of a paint film, showing the promise of further expanding the application scope of ASOPS THz IPR. The reported method will become a powerful tool for nondestructive inspection of large-scale structures.     

Thermal wave measurement of wet paint film thickness

Thermal wave phase measurements are reported on the drying of wet paint films on aluminium substrates. Measurements of the change in thickness as the paint dries have also been obtained using a differential focussing technique on an optical microscope. By including the optical microscope measurements of the drying paint film thickness together with estimates for the density and thermal properties of the drying and cured paint, predictions have been made of the thermal phase/thickness relationships for the wet, dry, curing and cured paints. It is concluded that a phase measurement on the wet paints could be used to predict a final cured paint thickness with an accuracy of approximately ±2 μm. Errors in predicting cured film thickness from a wet film thermal phase measurement arises principally from uncertainty over the solvent content of the wet paint film, the state of cure, and the consequent uncertainty over the paint density and thermal properties.     

Drying process in a solvent-based paint analyzed by phase-shifting digital holography and an estimation of time for tack free

A technique to study the drying of paints, based on phase-shifting digital holography, is presented. The technique is applied to the drying process of solvent-based paint on a three-dimensional surface at different substrate temperatures. For processing the data, a cross-correlation function and phase change derived from reconstructed complex amplitudes are calculated to visualize and to evaluate the local variations in the dryness of paint. The relationship between the optical signal obtained by the holographic method and the actual microscopic variations occurring in the paint film is also investigated using the gravimetric technique and a microscope. It is shown that the holographic technique can determine the stationary state of a painted surface corresponding to the end of the falling rate period in the drying process. The holographic technique detects mainly the activity on the surface and is applicable to assessment of the early drying process of paint.     

Sustainable manufacturing: a case study of the forklift painting process

Life cycle assessment (LCA) and design for environment (DFE) methods were applied to assess opportunities for reducing the environmental impacts of forklift manufacturing unit processes and to redesign those unit processes to increase overall sustainability. The unit processes of forklift manufacture generating the most environmental emissions were identified by applying LCA methodology. The results show that eco-toxicity and human toxicity were the most significant impacts of the forklift manufacturing process overall. Also, within the manufacturing unit processes, cutting, welding and painting had the highest impact values. In order to minimise environmental impacts, a new paint was created with increased solid content over the existing solvent paint used in the painting process. In addition, by applying DFE methodology and the high solid paint, overcoat and drying steps were eliminated from the forklift painting process. As a result, the environmental index of a follow-up LCA showed that environmental impacts could be reduced by 20%, while volatile organic compound (VOC) and paint usage could be decreased by 30% and 20%, respectively.     

马钢汽车用钢与PPG阴极电泳涂料配套性研究

本文以马钢汽车用钢为基板,结合PPG阴极电泳漆涂料及其实际生产工艺参数,探讨了电泳漕液中的pH值、电泳电压、电泳时间对漆膜的外观状态和膜厚的影响。通过优化试验得出在电泳漕液的pH值为5．8,电泳电压为200V和电泳时间180s的条件下,所获得的漆膜外观和膜厚较佳。根据化工行业标准HG／T3952—2007中阴极电泳涂料和部分汽车企业关于阴极电泳漆膜的评价,对本试验的电泳漆膜综合性能进行比较性研究,结果表明：通过上述条件做得的电泳漆膜性能完全符合工业企业对汽车底漆的性能要求,也进一步证明马钢汽车用钢与PPG阴极电泳漆完全配套性,藉此可以在汽车行业中推广应用。     

镜面彩电用新型水星银白漆喷涂机理及质量控制

从水星银白漆喷涂机理着手探讨涂膜质量控制措施,以便快速、准确地分析处理生产过程中出现的喷涂质量问题。     

MBE技术蓝宝石衬底上生长VO2薄膜及其太赫兹和金属-绝缘体相变特性研究

采用分子束外延(MBE)技术在单晶蓝宝石衬底上生长了高质量化学计量比二氧化钒(VO₂)薄膜, 通过该技术实现薄膜厚度15~60 nm精确控制。对于优化条件下VO₂薄膜, 实现了电阻率变化超过4个数量级的优异金属-绝缘体相变, 近似于之前报道高质量单晶VO₂相变特性。特别是通过太赫兹时域光谱分析了不同厚度的VO₂薄膜在太赫兹波段的光学特性。结果表明: VO₂薄膜的厚度对其在太赫兹波段的光学特性有很大影响。因此, 为了获得更优的可靠性和重复性能, VO₂薄膜的厚度必须得到精确控制。本研究结果对于下一步VO₂基太赫兹器件研究具有重要意义。     

FeNHf软磁薄膜中磁各向异性对太赫兹波调控的研究

本文制备了具有磁各向异性的纳米FeNHf软磁薄膜,表征了FeNHf薄膜的微结构、磁性能、微波磁动力学行为和磁各向异性对太赫兹波传输特性的影响.FeNHf薄膜的难轴方向具有410的磁导率,易轴方向没有磁导率信号,磁各向异性场为2537.65 A/m.FeNHf薄膜在1.04 THz时出现了共振吸收峰,当调控磁化强度方向分...     

Terahertz modulator based on insulator-metal transition in photonic crystal waveguide

A terahertz modulator based on the insulator-metal transition (IMT) in a photonic crystal waveguide (PCW) coated by vanadium dioxide (VO2) film is proposed. The numerical simulations show that a dielectric state and a metallic state with quite different photonic band structures and transmission properties in the proposed PCW are reciprocally converted because of the IMT of VO2, and the pass-bands of this PCW are greatly shifted from 0.68 to 0.8 and 1.02 to 1.25 THz to 0.8-1.45 THz. This PCW significantly enhances the modulation depth and sensitivity compared with bare VO2 film. Extensive investigation demonstrates that the thickness of VO2 film greatly affects the IMT process in the PCW, and limits the ultimate modulation depth of the device. The proposed modulation scheme will be of great significance for potential THz applications.     

Non-destructive Investigation of Paintings on Canvas by Continuous Wave Terahertz Imaging and Flash Thermography

Terahertz (THz) imaging is increasingly used in the cultural heritage field. In particular, continuous wave (CW) and low frequency THz is attracting more attention. The first application of the THz technique inherent to the cultural heritage field dates back 10 years ago. Since 2006, tangible improvements have been conducted in the refinement of the technique, with the aim to produce clear maps useful for any art restorer. In this paper, a CW THz (0.1 THz) imaging system was used to inspect paintings on canvas both in reflection and in transmission modes. In particular, two paintings were analyzed: in the first one, similar materials and painting execution of the original artwork were used, while in the second one, the canvas layer is slightly different. Flash thermography was used herein together with the THz method in order to observe the differences in results for the textile support materials. A possible application of this method for the detection of artwork forgery requires some parameterization and analysis of various materials or thickness influence which will be addressed in a future study. In this work, advanced image processing techniques including principal component thermography (PCT) and partial least squares thermography (PLST) were used to process the infrared data. Finally, a comparison of CW THz and thermographic results was conducted.     

一种基于波段比值法的海面厚油膜评估方法

激光诱导荧光(LIF)技术是目前较为有效的海面溢油探测技术之一,然而基于该技术的油膜厚度反演算法目前仅适用于薄油膜(≤20μm)。鉴于此,建立了一种基于LIF技术利用油膜荧光信号评估较厚油膜厚度的双波段比值模型,利用油膜荧光光谱的波形特性反演油膜厚度并论证了该算法的适用范围。实验数据得出,当油膜较薄时反演结果误差较大,随着油膜厚度增加误差逐渐降低,当油膜荧光信号趋于饱和时,误差较大且随油膜厚度的增加而快速变大。实验结果表明,该算法可以有效评估200~1400μm范围内的海面溢油油膜的厚度,并可以利用油膜荧光信号的测量相对误差评估该算法的适用范围。     

Piezoelectric paint: Ceramic-polymer composites for vibration sensors

A piezoelectric ceramic-polymer composite has been developed for use as a novel thick film strain sensor for vibration monitoring of structures. The material is in the form of a paint that can be applied to a wide range of substrates using conventional spraying equipment. The sensor properties depend on the morphology of the composite and on the electrodes that are used to couple it to the charge amplifier. Electrodes of various kinds have been tested. Interaction between the electrode and the piezoelectric paint sometimes occurs (for example, the organic vehicle for spray-coated electrodes may interact with the paint binder). The morphologies of the piezoelectric paint and of the electrode materials have been studied using light optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy to investigate the effect of different compositions and of different processing conditions (e.g., paint mixing schedule). Preliminary work is reported on the characteristics of the piezoelectric particles and on the effect of heat treatment applied to anneal out defects produced by milling. X-ray analysis and particle size analysis have been used to characterize the changes that take place on heat treatment. X-ray diffractometry has also been used to follow the effect of poling on the paint sensors. At the present state of development, sensors made using the paint have a dynamic range of at least 40–4000 microstrain and a bandwidth of at least 1 Hz–2 kHz, and piezoelectric coefficient d ₃₁ of approximately 20 pC/N. The sensors are resistant to outdoor exposure and a successful field trial has been conducted.     

A study on the resolution of a terahertz spectrometer for the assessment of the porosity of pharmaceutical tablets

In this study, the resolution of a time-domain terahertz spectrometer for tablet porosity measurements was estimated using two sets of pharmaceutical tablets. One set consisted of tablets with constant thickness and with porosity as a variable. The other set consisted of tablets with variable thickness and only a relatively small change in porosity. The set with constant thickness was used for the calibration of the terahertz (THz) spectrometer for the porosity measurements, and the resolution of the terahertz spectrometer was estimated using the set with different thicknesses and slightly different porosities. It was shown that a time-domain THz spectrometer is a sensitive device that allows monitoring of minute changes in the porosity of pharmaceutical tablets by detecting the time delay of the THz pulse, which is attributable to different refractive indices within the tablet.     

A colour-batching problem using selectivity banks in automobile paint shops

This paper studies the colour-batching problem frequently raised in automobile paint shops, where selectivity banks are used as storage and retrieval systems to execute practices of resequencing car bodies before painting operations are performed. The purpose of resequencing is to obtain colour-oriented batches of cars in order to reduce setup costs incurred in paint shops. In this paper, two heuristic procedures, arraying and shuffling heuristics, are developed aimed at quickly and effectively achieving good colour-batching results. The arraying heuristic can be applied in the car placing stage, while the shuffling heuristic can be utilised in the car releasing stage. Computational experiments are carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed heuristics. It is shown that the shuffling heuristic can generate comparable car retrieval sequences with an exact branch &; bound approach, and the proposed arraying and shuffling heuristics can be jointly applied to achieve good colour batching in a very short time duration of less than 0.4?s in comparison with two existing batching methods. These research findings can provide good insights into the practice of colour batching in automobile manufacturing.     

Infrared spectroscopic evaluation of the photodegradation of paint Part I The UV degradation of acrylic films pigmented with titanium dioxide

In situ, quantitative infrared spectrometry has been used to measure the evolution of carbon dioxide during the photo-degradation of pigmented and unpigmented acrylic-emulsion paint films. It is demonstrated that the method permits a fast and convenient way of assessing the resistance of such paints to UV degradation. However, it is also shown that valid comparisons of paints prepared with different grades of titanium dioxide, but with the same acrylic emulsion, require careful selection and control of the experimental conditions. Thus, the relative importance of (a) direct photochemical oxidation of the binder and (b) indirect photo-catalysed oxidation (mediated by titanium dioxide) depend not only on the spectral distribution of the radiation source, particularly the output between 300 and 400 nm, but also on the humidity of the ambient atmosphere. The increased rate of oxidation with increased humidity is not unexpected, but the size of the effect is unexpectedly high. In addition, there is some carbon dioxide formation during irradiation of the paint film in nitrogen and further investigation of this phenomenon is in hand. For both pigmented and unpigmented films, the rate of carbon dioxide evolution is sensitive to the film thickness. The dependence of the oxidation rate on the thickness of clear, unpigmented films is consistent with the measured UV absorption. However, for pigmented films, this dependence extends over greater film thicknesses than predicted by a simple model based on paint film optics.     

Production system design to achieve energy savings in an automotive paint shop

Vehicle painting typically consumes the largest amount of energy in an automotive assembly plant. Effective reduction of energy usage in paint shops will lead to significant savings. Substantial effort has been devoted to reducing energy usage in paint shops through renovating the painting process and equipment. In this paper, we introduce a case study at an automotive paint shop to show that the energy consumption can be reduced significantly through production system design. Specifically, by selecting the appropriate repair capacity, the number of repainted jobs can be reduced, and less material and energy will be consumed. In addition, less atmospheric emissions would be generated during the painting process. Such a technique does not need to invent new chemicals, new painting processes or new control systems in painting booths and ovens. It provides an alternative way for energy and emission reduction to achieve energy-efficient and environmentally friendly manufacturing.     

基于太赫兹量子阱光电探测器的成像技术研究进展

太赫兹(THz)波对非极性材料有较好的穿透性,对生物医学组织无电离效应,因而非常适合无损检测、生物医学成像等应用。THz量子阱光电探测器(THz QWPs)具有响应速度快、响应率高、噪声等效功率低、体积小的特点。相较于其他探测器,THz QWPs作为成像系统接收器时,系统具有成像分辨率高、成像速度快、成像信噪比高、结构紧凑等优势。本文综述了基于THz QWPs的成像研究进展,并对成像系统核心指标的影响因素进行了分析和总结。采用更稳定的装置固定THz QWPs,提升器件响应速度、探测灵敏度、阵列规模,可以有效提升系统各项核心性能。     

食品红外辅助冷冻干燥技术的研究进展

目的概述红外辅助冷冻干燥技术在食品干燥中的研究进展,旨在为红外辅助冷冻干燥技术的选用以及工业化应用提供借鉴和理论支持。方法通过归纳总结国内外的最新研究进展,对红外辅助冷冻干燥技术的机理、红外辐射器波长和温度、食品干燥过程的预测以及对最终品质的影响等进行论述,并且提出改进措施。结果红外辅助冷冻干燥技术的发展潜力巨大,目前研究还处于初级阶段,其中控制红外辐射器温度、波长,监测干燥过程,以及建立适当的动力学模型是实现工业生产规模化的最新研究方向。结论红外辅助冷冻干燥技术可以有效地降低系统能耗,提高产品质量,具有很大的研究价值,新的研究方向具有很大的发展前景。