Capacitive sensor for relative angle measurement

Based on a capacitive angle and angular rate sensor, a sensor measuring the relative angle between two rotating shafts has been developed. Two rotatable electrodes are placed between two sensor plates. The relative angle between the two rotors and the absolute position of the rotor blades are calculated from measurements of the capacitive coupling between different transmitting stator segments and a single receiving electrode. A prototype of this sensor has been developed with a range of the relative angle of /spl plusmn/7.5/spl deg/ with a resolution of 0.1/spl deg/.     

SiC-based cermet with electrically conductive grain boundaries

The present paper deals with the characterization of structural and electrical properties of SiC-based cermets prepared by in situ reaction. The surface structure and electrical conductivity of the samples was investigated by the standard four-point probe method, SEM, TEM, AFM, and STM techniques. It was found that the electrical conductivity of the SiC-based ceramic–metal composites increases with increased fraction of metallic phases. Interestingly, samples containing app. 12 vol.% of non-percolated (isolated) metallic phases exhibit up to 2 orders of magnitude better electrical conductivity compared with the base-line liquid phase sintered SiC (LPS SiC). This effect results from doping of the SiC grains by diffusion of metallic components as well as from chemical modification of the grain boundary phases due to the reaction of sintering aids and metallic particles at high sintering temperatures. Absorbed current measurements using SEM, as well as AFM in spreading resistance and STM in tunneling mode were used for visualization of electrical pathways.     

Single-crystal magneto-optic sensor with electrically adjustable sensitivity

A novel magneto-optic sensor with electrically adjustable sensitivity is proposed that is based on the approximate multiplication correlation between the linear electro-optic phase retardation and the Faraday magneto-optic rotation angle in a single bismuth germanate crystal. The measurement sensitivity and its temperature stability, linear and monotonic measurement ranges of the proposed sensor can be controlled in real time by adjusting the modulating voltage applied to the sensing crystal. In particular, the proposed sensor can be used for the precise measurement of dc magnetic field or dc current. The basic sensing performance is theoretically analyzed and experimentally demonstrated by dc current measurement.     

Evaluation and modelling of electrically conductive polymer nanocomposites with carbon nanotube networks

Superior electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have made them effective filler for multifunctional polymer nanocomposites (PNCs). In particular, electrically conductive PNCs filled with CNTs have been researched extensively. These studies aimed to increase the PNCs' electrical conductivity (σ) and to minimize the percolation thresholds (ϕ_c). In this work, we have developed an improved model to describe the CNT networks and thereby evaluate the PNCs' ϕ_c and σ. The new model accounts for the electrical conductance contributed by the continued CNT network across the boundary of adjacent representative volume elements. It more realistically represents the interconnectivity among CNTs and enhances the evaluation of the structure-to-property relationship of PNCs' σ.     

Electrical and mechanical properties of electrically conductive polyethersulfone composites

Electrically conductive polyethersulphone (pes) composites containing carbon fibres, nickel fibres, stainless steel fibres or aluminium flakes at various volume fractions up to 40% were fabricated and tested. For electromagnetic interference (emi) shielding effectiveness > 50 dB, the minimum filler volume fraction was 40% for carbon fibres of length 200 or 400 μm, 20% for nickel or stainless steel fibres, and 30% for aluminium flakes. The tensile strength first increased and then decreased with increasing filler content, such that the highest tensile strength occurred at 30 volume% (vol%) for carbon fibres (of length 200 or 400 μm) as the filler and at 10 vol% for nickel or stainless steel fibres. However, for carbon fibres (of length 100 μm) and aluminium flakes, the tensile strength increases up to at least 40 vol%. The best overall performance was provided by aluminium flakes at 40 vol%; the resistivity was 7 × 10⁻⁵ Ω cm, the emi shielding effectiveness was > 50 dB and tensile strength was 67 MPa. The resistivity of the aluminium flake composites was not affected by heating in air at 140°C for up to at least 144 h.     

A 2.5 MHz 2D array with Z-axis electrically conductive backing

The design, fabrication and initial testing of a prototype fully λ/2 sampled, 2500 element 2D phased array is presented. The array utilizes a unique Z-axis electrical conductivity backing layer to provide both acoustic attenuation and electrical interconnect for the signal channels. The electrical interconnect is designed to be in the acoustic shadow of the transducer elements so as to minimize the foot print of the array. A modular, demountable Pad Grid Array interconnect is used to connect to the backing of the array. Results are presented for measurements of the single element properties of electrical impedance, pulse echo waveform and spectrum, directivity, and cross talk     

采用光纤传感测量的直升机旋翼桨叶分布载荷识别

针对直升机旋翼载荷识别的传统技术具有测量信/噪比低、不易分布式识别等缺点,基于光纤传感测量技术,建立了一种新的旋翼桨叶分布载荷识别方法.首先建立了基于分布测量应变和模态分析的旋翼桨叶分布载荷识别理论,然后进行了悬停状态下模型旋翼桨叶的光纤传感测量,最后应用建立的识别理论,识别出了模型旋翼桨叶沿径向分布的载荷.     

有机二元酸与导电胶的作用机理

利用有机二元酸乙醇溶液表面处理微米银片制备导电胶,或者直接将有机二元酸固体加入微米银片与基体树脂体系中,可以降低导电胶的电阻率至(2～5) ×10-5Ω·cm.通过拉曼光谱、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)对有机酸与微米银片作用机理的研究表明,戊二酸通过单齿配位的方式化学吸附到微米银片表面.差示扫描量热(DSC)分析结果显示...     

高热导率Ag-AlN/聚丙烯酸酯导电胶黏剂的制备与性能

分别采用无钯化学镀法和溶液聚合法制备了Ag-AlN和聚丙烯酸酯胶黏剂,并采用超声辅助溶液共混法制备了高热导率Ag-AlN/聚丙烯酸酯导电胶黏剂。采用XRD、EDS和SEM等对Ag-AlN的结构进行分析。结果表明:经过高温和酸性清洗液清洗等处理, AlN表面的杂质被除去,并且在AlN表面形成致密的Al₂O₃层,采用无钯化学镀法制备的Ag-AlN具有优异的电导率和热导率,其电导率由AlN的10-13 S/cm提高到了7.06×102 S/cm,热导率由AlN的170 W/(m·K)提高到了230 W/(m·K)。经过计算, Ag-AlN表面的Ag镀层质量分数约为13%, Ag镀层的厚度约为80 nm。当导电胶黏剂中Ag-AlN填料的质量分数为50%时, Ag-AlN/聚丙烯酸酯导电胶黏剂的电导率为1.9 S/cm,热导率为3.1 W/(m·K)。      

Single-step formation of a graphene-metal hybrid transparent and electrically conductive film

We report here a rapid (10 s of heating) graphene growth method that can be carried out on any desired substrate, including an insulator, thus negating the need for the transfer from the metal substrate. This technique is based on metal-induced crystallization of amorphous carbon (a-C) to graphene, and involves an ultra-thin metal layer that is less than 10 nm in thickness. Rapid annealing of a bilayer of a-C and metal deposited on the surface leads to the formation of graphene film, and to subsequent breaking-up of the thin metal layer underneath the film, thus resulting in the formation of a graphene–metal hybrid film which is both transparent and electrically conducting. Based on Raman studies, we have also systematically compared ultra-thin metal-induced crystallization behavior with a case of conventional thick metal. Based on the present investigation, it was observed that the dominant growth mechanism in ultra-thin metal-induced crystallization is nucleation controlled.     

Carbon nanotube-coated silicone as a flexible and electrically conductive biomedical material

Artificial cell scaffolds that support cell adhesion, growth, and organization need to be fabricated for various purposes. Recently, there have been increasing reports of cell patterning using electrical fields. We fabricated scaffolds consisting of silicone sheets coated with single-walled (SW) or multi-walled (MW) carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and evaluated their electrical properties and biocompatibility. We also performed cell alignment with dielectrophoresis using CNT-coated sheets as electrodes. Silicone coated with 10 μg/cm² SWCNTs exhibited the least sheet resistance (0.8 kΩ/sq); its conductivity was maintained even after 100 stretching cycles. CNT coating also improved cell adhesion and proliferation. When an electric field was applied to the cell suspension introduced on the CNT-coated scaffold, the cells became aligned in a pearl-chain pattern. These results indicate that CNT coating not only provides electro-conductivity but also promotes cell adhesion to the silicone scaffold; cells seeded on the scaffold can be organized using electricity. These findings demonstrate that CNT-coated silicone can be useful as a biocompatible scaffold.     

Preparation and properties of electrically conductive PPS/expanded graphite nanocomposites

Nanocomposites based on poly (phenylene sulfide) (PPS) and expanded graphite (EG) or ultrasonicated EG (S-EG) were prepared by melt blending. Morphologies of the nanocomposites were examined using both SEM and TEM. Electrical conductivity and thermal stability of PPS were notably enhanced by the introduction of EG. The percolation threshold values are 1 wt% (S-EG) and 2 wt% (EG) for PPS/S-EG and PPS/EG nanocomposites, respectively. The variation of mechanical strength with the weight fraction of EG and S-EG in the nanocomposites showed somewhat correlation with the threshold filler concentration. The crystallization behavior of PPS matrix in the nanocomposites was investigated using DSC, and the results indicated that the crystallization process was significantly accelerated, leading to an increase in crystallinity.     

Pressure-sensitive electrically conductive nitrile rubber composites filled with particulate carbon black and short carbon fibre

The electrical conductivity of pressure-sensitive nitrile rubber composites, containing different loadings of particulate carbon black filler and short carbon fibre, have been studied. The conductivity of composites increases with increasing of filler concentration as well as with increased applied pressure up to a certain limit. The composites containing particulate fillers register low conductivity as compared to composites containing short carbon fibres, due to easy formation of an interconnecting network in the latter case. The effect of the orientation of short carbon fibre with respect to an applied electric field has also been studied. The pressure dependence of composites with transversely oriented carbon fibres with respect to electric fields is higher than that of composites with longitudinally oriented carbon fibres. The results are interpreted on the basis of the formation of interconnecting continuous conducting networks.     

Design of reconfigurable systems for control and measurement apparatus with natural redundancy

We consider the, possibility of designing reconfigurable systems for increasing the confidence in control and measurement apparatus using natural redundancy. We present necessary conditions for design of such systems from theviewpoint of control capability, an algorithm for synthesis of recofigurable systems, and an example of a design for a system for measuring time intervals. Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 9, pp 14–18, September 1997.     

Load and health monitoring in glass fibre reinforced composites with an electrically conductive nanocomposite epoxy matrix

Fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs) are an important group of materials in lightweight constructions. Most of the parts produced from FRPs, like aircraft wings or wind turbine rotor blades are designed for high load levels and a lifetime of 30 years or more, leading to an extremely high number of load cycles to sustain. Consequently, the fatigue life and the degradation of the mechanical properties are aspects to be considered. Therefore, in the last years condition monitoring of FRP-structures has gained importance and different types of sensors for load and damage sensing have been developed.

In this work a new approach for condition monitoring was investigated, which, unlike other attempts, does not require additional sensors, but instead is performed directly by the measurement of a material property of the FRP. An epoxy resin was modified with two different types of carbon nanotubes and with carbon black, in order to achieve an electrical conductivity. Glass fibre reinforced composites (GFRP) were produced with these modified epoxies by resin transfer moulding (RTM). Specimens were cut from the produced materials and tested by incremental tensile tests and fatigue tests and the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) was measured. During the mechanical tests the electrical conductivity of all specimens was monitored simultaneously, to assess the potential for stress/strain and damage monitoring.

The results presented in this work, show a high potential for both, damage and load detection of FRP structures via electrical conductivity methods, involving a nanocomposite matrix.     

Triboelectric nanogenerators with gold-thin-film-coated conductive textile as floating electrode for scavenging wind energy

We report triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) composed of a flexible and cost-effective gold-coated conductive textile (CT) to convert wind energy into electricity. The Au-coated CT is employed because of its high surface roughness resulting from Au nanodots distributed on microsized fibers. Thus, the Au-coated CT with nano/microarchitecture plays an important role in enhancing the effective contact area as well as the output performance of the TENG. Moreover, the surface roughness of the Au-coated CT is controlled by adjusting the Au thermal deposition time or tailoring the diameter of the Au nanodots. At an applied wind speed of 10 m·s^–1, a wind-based TENG (W-TENG) with dimensions of 75 mm × 12 mm × 25 mm produces an open-circuit voltage (V _OC) of ～39 V and a short-circuit current (I _SC) of ～3 μA by using the airflow-induced vibrations of an optimized Au-coated CT between two flat polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layers. To further specify the device performance, the electric output of the W-TENG is analyzed by varying several parameters such as the distance between the PDMS layer and Au-coated CT, applied wind speed, external load resistance, and surface roughness of the PDMS layers. Introducing an inverse micropyramid architecture on the PDMS layers further improves the output performance of the W-TENG, which exhibits the highest V _OC (～49 V) and I _SC (～5 μA) values at an applied wind speed of 6.8 m·s^?1. Additionally, the reliability of the W-TENG is also tested by measuring its output current during long-term cyclic operation. Furthermore, the rectified output signals observed by the W-TENG device are used as a direct power source to light 45 green commercial light-emitting diodes connected in series and also to charge capacitors (100 and 4.7 μF). Finally, the output performance of the W-TENG device in an actual windy situation is also investigated.

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Dynamic-strain measurement with dual-grating fiber sensor

A dual-grating sensor head, which was designed for temperature-insensitive strain measurement, was used to measure fast-varying strain perturbations. Using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer technique, we obtained ~0.1-muepsilon (microstrain) rms resolution with a 200-Hz strain input. The feasibility of measuring a dynamic-strain with a static-strain measuring configuration was also demonstrated.     

Thermal conductivity measurement with a free floating molecule detector

“Zero‐pressure” elimination with Pirani principle for vacuum measurement and increase of the measurement range limit of thermal gas‐sensors and flow sensors Measurement of pressure in the medium vacuum range has been done via thermal conductivity. The literature on the Pirani principle has defined a lower range limit — the so‐called “zero pressure” until now [1]. The minimum power needed to hold a sensor up to operating temperature exceeds the useful signal, due to the conductivity of the sensor mounting and the resulting heat loss through the suspension. The author was able to eliminate the “zero pressure”, thereby expanding the measurement range of Pirani sensors significantly downwards. Measurement results confirmed an extension of the measurement range of two decades downwards with the coiled Pirani. Also with other sensors that use thermal conductivity and heatentrainment effects, e.g. gas sensors and sensors for flow measurement, the new principle can be applied and thus lower the lower range limit.     

Distance measurement sensor with PIN-photodiode and bridge circuit

The presented integrated optical distance measurement sensor works on the time-of-flight principle. The distance information is obtained from the correlation of received light and the transmitted signal. The PIN-bridge circuit concept ensures suppression of background light by equally charging and discharging the capacitor within one period, while integrating the wanted signal. The advantages of the included PIN-photodiode are high bandwidth f/sub 3 dB/>1.35 GHz together with high responsivity R=0.36 A/W at 660 nm. A single distance measurement is performed in 2 ms. With averaging, an accuracy of better than 1% is achieved for distances up to 3.7 m. Effective pixel size is 250/spl times/200 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ having a fill-factor of /spl sim/16%. The sensor was manufactured in a 0.6-/spl mu/m BiCMOS process.