Challenges and Accomplishments in Mechanical Testing Instrumented by In Situ Techniques: Infrared Thermography, Digital Image Correlation, and Acoustic Emission

A Miniaturized Device Coupled with Digital Image Correlation for Mechanical Testing

Miniaturized mechanical testing based on small sample testing technology is a powerful technique to characterize the mechanical properties of different materials, and it is being used in different application fields. However, the small size of the specimens poses several challenges because the results are highly sensitive to measurement accuracy and the corresponding mechanical properties can change substantially due to the so-called specimen size effect. In this work, a novel testing device based on miniaturized specimens is presented. The equipment is designed to test materials in tensile and compressive loadings, but it is also capable of performing reverse-loading tests. Buckling of the specimen is an inherent phenomenon in compression loadings, especially for thin materials. Therefore, specimen geometry is properly studied and optimized to mitigate this effect. To evaluate the deformation of the specimen, the digital image correlation (DIC) technique is used to capture the full-field strain in the central gauge section of the sample. A sensitivity analysis of the DIC setting parameters was performed for this application. To evaluate the performance of the developed system, experimental results of monotonic tests and tests with reverse loadings (tension-compression) are presented, considering two high-strength steels (DP500 and DP780).

Dynamic Behavior of Thermally Affected Injection-Molded High-Density Polyethylene Parts Modified by Accelerated Electrons

Polyethylenes are the most widely used polymers and are gaining more and more interest due to their easy processability, relatively good mechanical properties and excellent chemical resistance. The disadvantage is their low temperature stability, which excludes particular high-density polyethylenes (HDPEs) for use in engineering applications where the temperature exceeds 100 °C for a long time. One of the possibilities of improving the temperature stability of HDPE is a modification by accelerated electrons when HDPE is cross-linked by this process and it is no longer possible to process it like a classic thermoplastic, e.g., by injection technology. The HDPE modified in this way was thermally stressed five times at temperatures of 110 and 160 °C, and then the dynamic tensile behavior was determined. The deformation and surface temperature of the specimens were recorded by a high-speed infrared camera. Furthermore, two thermal methods of specimen evaluation were used: differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The result of the measurement is that the modification of HDPE by accelerated electrons had a positive effect on the dynamic tensile behavior of these materials.

Monitoring a Bolted Vibrating Structure Using Multiple Acoustic Emission Sensors: A Benchmark

The dataset presented in this work, called ORION-AE, is made of raw AE data streams collected by three different AE sensors and a laser vibrometer during five campaigns of measurements by varying the tightening conditions of two bolted plates submitted to harmonic vibration tests. With seven different operating conditions, this dataset was designed to challenge supervised and unsupervised machine/deep learning as well as signal processing methods which are developed for material characterization or structural health monitoring (SHM). One motivation of this work was to create a common benchmark for comparing data-driven methods dedicated to AE data interpretation. The dataset is made of time series collected during an experiment designed to reproduce the loosening phenomenon observed in aeronautics, automotive, or civil engineering structures where parts are assembled together by means of bolted joints. Monitoring loosening in jointed structures during operation remains challenging because contact and friction in bolted joints induce a nonlinear stochastic behavior.

Laser Vibration Characteristics of Marble Specimens and Failure Criterion

Rock failure and instability usually lead to significant engineering disasters. This paper aims to establish an experimental failure criterion to predict rock failure via testing the laser vibration characteristics of marble specimens. Uniaxial compression tests and Brazilian tests were carried out on marble specimens coupled with acoustic emission technology and laser Doppler vibrometry measurement technology. The whole laser vibration waveform of the marble specimen was divided into elastic stage, plastic stage, and failure stage. Although different frequency spectrum characteristics were identified in different waveform phases, a wide frequency spectrum was always present prior to rock failure. Furthermore, the wide frequency band frequency spectra characteristics took place 30.9 s and 21.3 s earlier than the rapid increase of the acoustic emission counts in the uniaxial compression test and Brazilian test, respectively. Taking the wide frequency spectrum as a failure criterion for the failure of loaded marble is quick, convenient, and reasonable. Using laser Doppler vibrometry measurement has the advantages of being remote, non-contacting, and earlier warning. This research can provide a reference for the further study of forecasting rock failure.

Effectiveness of Selected Strain and Displacement Measurement Techniques in Civil Engineering

The aim of this study was to assess how useful certain selected measurement techniques are in civil engineering. In this work, the focus was placed on the measurement of displacement and strain. Classical methods with an established position in the industry, such as electrical resistance strain gauge measurements and linear variable differential transducers (LVDT), were compared with modern techniques that do not require direct contact with the measured object, such as laser scanning and digital image correlation. A simply supported beam was bent in two types of tests. In the first test, a small load was applied on the beam, causing a slight deflection of the structure of approximately 0.5 mm. This enabled us to assess how effective the tested methods were, given the very precise measurement of the structure. In the second test, a much higher load was introduced, which caused displacement that can realistically be found in actual civil engineering structures. Ultimately, the model went through the plastic phase and was damaged. This enabled the measurement of displacement and strain that were much higher than those of the safe operating range of the structure. Based on conducted examinations, practical conclusions were drawn relative to the analyzed measurement methods.