Performance of a Continuously Traversing 2-Camera Non-Contact Optical Strain Sensor for In-Plant Assessment of Prestressed Concrete Railroad Crosstie Transfer Length

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Terry Beck ◽  
Aaron A. Robertson ◽  
Robert J. Peterman ◽  
Chih-Hang John Wu
Keyword(s):  
Measurement System ◽  
Prestressed Concrete ◽  
Strain Measurement ◽  
Production Quality ◽  
Step Change ◽  
Surface Strain ◽  
Length Measurement ◽  
Transfer Length ◽  
Measurement Systems ◽  
New System

Accurate knowledge of transfer length has been shown to be crucial to the goal of maintaining continuous production quality in the modern manufacture of prestressed concrete railroad ties. Traditional manual laboratory methods, such as the conventional Whittemore method which requires the use of embedded reference points, are clearly not suitable for production operation or for use in reliable production quality-control. This paper presents the results of another advance in the development of automated transfer length measurement systems for practical in-plant operation. The new device offers a significant improvement over the previously successful automated Laser-Speckle Imaging (LSI) system developed by the authors. The earlier automated LSI strain measurement system has been modified to provide significantly improved optical resolution of longitudinal surface strain, with the ability to resolve longitudinal prestressed concrete crosstie surface strain without time-consuming special surface preparation. More importantly, the new system is also capable of making measurements of strain in a real-time “on-the-fly” manner over the entire distance range of interest on the tie associated with transfer length development. It features both a “jog” mode of operation, similar to its predecessor in which measurements of longitudinal surface strain are automatically captured in arbitrary spatial increments over the entire range of the computer-controlled traverse, and an “on-the-fly” mode in which measurements of longitudinal surface strain are captured without the need for stopping at each measurement location. This latter mode offers the potential of a much faster capture of the strain profile and should prove to be very beneficial for field testing and in-plant diagnostic applications. The performance of this new system is first demonstrated using a new calibrated step-wise uniform strain field setup which has been developed specifically for verification of this and other automated transfer length measurement systems. This verification system produces a calibrated step change in surface deflection, effectively subjecting the automated strain measurement system to an ideal step change in longitudinal strain for a given gauge length. In addition, the new automated system is demonstrated by conducting measurements of longitudinal surface strain on prestressed concrete crossties in a manufacturing plant. For this latter experimental in-plant testing, strain measurements using the new system are also compared directly with those from the recently introduced 6-camera transfer length measurement system, as well as with the traditional Whittemore gauge measurements. The agreement between these independent measurement systems is remarkable, and it is shown to even be possible to discern differences in strain profile and associated transfer length between adjacent crossties within a given casting bed. This new automated and high-resolution device should provide a very convenient and fast diagnostic tool for the manufacturer to quickly identify the need to modify production (e.g., concrete mix) if transfer length specifications fall out of desired range.

In-Plant Testing of a New Multi-Camera Transfer Length Measurement System for Monitoring Quality Control of Railroad Crosstie Production

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Terry Beck ◽  
Robert J. Peterman ◽  
Chih-Hang John Wu ◽  
Naga Narendra B. Bodapati
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Measurement System ◽  
Surface Preparation ◽  
Production Quality ◽  
Surface Strain ◽  
Length Measurement ◽  
Transfer Length ◽  
Camera System ◽  
Strain Measurements ◽  
Strain Profile

Knowledge of transfer length is critical for maintaining continuous production quality in the modern manufacture of prestressed concrete railroad ties. Traditional manual laboratory methods for measuring transfer length are simply not suitable for production operation. They are much too time-consuming to implement, and typically require extensive surface preparation in order to obtain the required surface strain measurements needed for determining the transfer length. In addition, the traditional 95% Average Maximum Strain (95% AMS) method of assessing transfer length from the measured surface strain profile has been shown to possess bias. The accuracy of transfer length assessment using this method is generally influenced by individual operator judgment; therefore, making it unsuitable for use as a reliable production quality-control parameter. This paper presents recent in-plant testing of a newly developed prototype multi-camera non-contact transfer length measurement system, representing a major improvement over the traditional manual methods. The testing was conducted on concrete railroad ties at a manufacturing facility in North America. Concrete ties tested included those which were manufactured using indented prestressing wire as well as with 7-wire strand. The new device represents a next generation version of the previously successful Laser-Speckle Imaging (LSI) system developed by the authors. The multi-camera system is shown to provide nearly real-time surface strain profile measurements (subsequent to de-tensioning), with surface strain accuracy comparable to the mechanical Whittemore gage device, yet with little or no required surface preparation. Furthermore, with the previously demonstrated Zhao-Lee (ZL) transfer length processing algorithm built into a LabVIEW data acquisition and control interface, the multi-camera system is shown to provide assessments of transfer length within a nominal tolerance of +/− 1.5 inches using as few as six uniformly spaced surface strain measurements. This brings within reach the ultimate goal of providing the railroad tie manufacturer with the ability to measure the transfer length of every tie produced prior to leaving the plant, thereby ensuring that they are within an acceptable tolerance, and providing the means to quickly identify the need to modify production (e.g., concrete mix) if transfer length specifications fall out of desired range.

Development of a 5-Camera Transfer Length Measurement System for Real-Time Monitoring of Railroad Crosstie Production

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weixin Zhao ◽  
B. Terry Beck ◽  
Robert J. Peterman ◽  
Chih-Hang John Wu
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Measurement System ◽  
Laser Speckle ◽  
Surface Strain ◽  
Length Measurement ◽  
Plant Production ◽  
Automated System ◽  
Production Operation ◽  
Transfer Length ◽  
Strain Measurements

Knowledge of transfer length during production is critical for maintaining continuous production quality in the modern manufacture of prestressed concrete railroad crossties. Traditional laboratory methods for measuring transfer length, using manual instruments such as a Whittemore mechanical gauge or surface mounted resistance-type strain gauge, are simply not suitable for production operation. They are too time-consuming to implement, require extensive surface preparation, and can also require special operator training to provide accurate and reliable surface strain profiles from which the transfer length can be determined in a post-processing manner. In contrast with earlier manual methods, the newly developed non-contact Laser Speckle Imaging (LSI) technique has been shown to be capable of providing rapid and accurate surface strain measurement and consequently also rapid transfer length assessment. This system has recently been automated and combined with the new Zhao-Lee (ZL) least-squares strain profile fitting technique for quickly and reliably processing surface strain data. The automated system and processing procedure have been shown to provide an improved assessment of transfer length, unhampered by human intervention and subsequent potential human judgment bias. This paper presents recent progress toward the development of a 5-camera non-contact transfer length measurement system that is capable of continuous monitoring of railroad crossties in a production plant. This is made possible using an optimized version of the previously successful LSI system, which minimizes the number of surface strain measurements required to achieve reliable transfer length assessment. Experimental results and analysis will be presented for the latest multi-camera prototype concept for this new system design, demonstrating that only a few discrete surface strain measurements are required to achieve accurate and reliable transfer length assessment. Thus, for the first time it is now possible to envision practical real-time quality control monitoring of railroad crossties during an in-plant production operation.

Reliable Transfer Length Assessment for Real-Time Monitoring of Railroad Crosstie Production

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weixin Zhao ◽  
B. Terry Beck ◽  
Robert J. Peterman ◽  
Chih-Hang John Wu ◽  
Naga Narendra B. Bodapati ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Prestressed Concrete ◽  
Laser Speckle ◽  
Surface Strain ◽  
Experimental Comparison ◽  
Profile Measurement ◽  
Transfer Length ◽  
General Validity ◽  
Strain Profile ◽  
Average Maximum

Automated in-plant diagnostic testing of prestressed concrete railroad crossties is now within reach due to recent progress in robust surface strain measurement techniques. The newly developed non-contact Laser Speckle Imaging (LSI) technique has been shown to provide rapid and accurate surface strain profile measurement, which is a key requirement for rapid transfer length assessment. Accurate determination of transfer length is critical for maintaining continuous production quality in the modern manufacture of prestressed concrete railroad crossties. Conventional assessment of transfer length generally presumes the underlying existence of a bilinear prestressing force distribution and a corresponding bilinear surface strain profile. Furthermore, it is well-known that this bilinear profile is smoothed due to the effects of finite gauge length during the process of measuring surface strain. In addition, recent extensive crosstie measurements in concrete railroad tie plants have shown significant departures from this simple bilinear profile, which bring to question the general validity and reliability of the traditional 95% AMS (95% Average Maximum Strain) method. Deviations from the simple bilinear profile shape were shown to be partially due to the non-prismatic shape of typical concrete railroad ties. In addition, extensive comparisons between predicted and measured surface strain profiles on numerous crossties suggest that the underlying strain distribution for crossties is best represented by an exponential strain profile, with an asymptotic approach to the fully-developed compressive strain. This is in contrast with extensive testing of prisms with fixed cross-section and fixed prestressing wire eccentricity, for which the surface strain appears to be best represented by the simple bilinear strain profile. Clearly, departures from non-prismatic behavior have added complexity to transfer length measurement. If accurate and reliable measurements of this important quality control parameter are to be realized, these issues of transfer length uncertainty need to be addressed. This paper provides an experimental comparison of several possible alternative transfer length assessment procedures, in an attempt to answer important uncertainty questions which need to be addressed if rapid real-time transfer length is to be achieved. It is shown that in spite of considerable differences in the transfer length processing methods, and significant departures from prismatic behavior, the averaged results are in many cases consistent with the simple bilinear underlying strain profile assumption. Bias in the measurement of crosstie transfer length due to non-prismatic behavior will also be investigated in this paper.

Utilization of High Resolution 3D Optical Scanning of Crossties to Assess Cross-Sectional Parameters and the Effects of Long-Term Abrasion and Wear

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Terry Beck ◽  
Aaron A. Robertson ◽  
Naga Narendra B. Bodapati ◽  
Robert J. Peterman ◽  
Chih-Hang John Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prestressed Concrete ◽  
Surface Strain ◽  
Scanning System ◽  
Cad Model ◽  
Surface Geometry ◽  
Transfer Length ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Optical Scanning ◽  
3D Cad

Accurate unbiased assessment of transfer length for prestressed concrete railroad ties requires detailed knowledge of the longitudinal variation of geometrical cross-section parameters responsible for establishing the resulting surface strain profile. This is because the complex cross-sectional shape produces a non-uniform strain plateau region, which makes the accurate evaluation of transfer length more difficult. In particular, human judgment of a “plateau region” for assessment of the average maximum strain becomes subject to large uncertainty, and clearly this procedure cannot be used in any type of automated in-plant transfer length diagnostics. The important geometrical tie parameters include the cross-sectional area, centroid, moment of inertia, and the eccentricity of the prestressing wires. If a CAD drawing is available, this information can be digitally extracted from the CAD model representation of the crosstie. In fact, this digital extraction has been done and has already been in use for some time in assessing transfer length for one of the common crosstie manufacturer designs. However, current research efforts are investigating the characteristics of existing crossties which have been in track for many years, for which CAD drawings of the original designs are unlikely to be available. The objective of the current research is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the material characteristics that have caused splitting failures in prestressed concrete railroad ties, and those characteristics that have resulted in ties that have performed well after many years in track. As part of this effort, a three-dimensional (3D) Optical Scanning System is being used to accurately scan and quantify the surface geometry of previously manufactured ties that have been in service, so as to produce an accurate 3D CAD model for later analysis associated with the above long-term research objectives. For the initial phase of this work, a sample from the CXT crossties of known geometrical characteristics that were subjected to representative long-term loading at the TTCI Facility in Pueblo Colorado, was scanned so as to accurately map out detailed 3D tie surface geometry. These ties were cast using the same concrete materials but with different prestressing wires, and were all subjected to the same extreme in-track loading for a period of several years. A commercially-available 3D Laser-Based Optical Scanning System, having a maximum spatial resolution of approximately 0.1mm, was used to perform the surface scanning operations presented in this paper. The CXT tie provides a useful initial evaluation of the accuracy and general feature capture capability of the scanning procedure, since a 3D CAD model for this tie has been provided by the manufacturer. A detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis is presented which compares the 3D CXT CAD model geometry with the 3D geometry of the experimentally scanned ties. Illustrations as to how this 3D technique can reveal such features as abrasion and wear, along with the longitudinal variation of the above mentioned cross-section parameters associated with longitudinal surface strain and transfer length assessment, are included in this paper.

Transfer Length Characterization of Entire Crosstie Plant Casting Bed Using Continuously Traversing Dual-Camera Non-Contact Optical Strain Sensors

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Terry Beck ◽  
Aaron A. Robertson ◽  
Robert J. Peterman ◽  
Kyle A. Riding ◽  
John Wu
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Prestressed Concrete ◽  
Manufacturing Process ◽  
Control Parameter ◽  
Strain Sensors ◽  
Surface Strain ◽  
Manufacturing Plant ◽  
Transfer Length ◽  
Optical Strain

Transfer length has been identified as a key diagnostic parameter for evaluating the load bearing capability of prestressed concrete railroad crossties. Furthermore, it has been proposed for use as a valuable quality control parameter. However, until quite recently the capability to easily and accurately measure transfer length has been limited primarily to a laboratory setting. This is especially true for measurements made in the harsh environment of a tie manufacturing plant. The development of portable non-contact optical strain sensors has opened the door to rapid in-plant transfer length measurement. The measurement capability of these devices has been repeatedly demonstrated not only in the laboratory, but more importantly also through actual testing at multiple tie manufacturing plants. The latest version of the automated Laser-Speckle Imaging (LSI) system developed by the authors offers improved optical resolution of longitudinal surface strain, with the ability to resolve longitudinal prestressed concrete crosstie surface strain without time-consuming special surface preparation. The new system is also capable of making measurements of strain in a real-time “on-the-fly” manner over the entire distance range of interest on the tie associated with transfer length development. This faster capability to capture the strain profile with high resolution makes this new technology very beneficial for field testing and in-plant diagnostics applications. It has been demonstrated to be capable of resolving minor differences in longitudinal surface strain profiles associated with ties even in adjacent cavities. As a logical next step toward eventual implementation of transfer length as a quality control parameter, it is important to evaluate the expected variation of transfer length during the tie manufacturing process. This paper presents the results of extensive in-plant assessment of transfer length in an attempt to characterize experimentally the in-plant manufacturing variations that can occur in practice. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time extensive real-time measurements to this extent have been attempted in an actual tie manufacturing plant with the expressed purpose of statistically characterizing the variations in transfer length that take place over an entire casting bed. A sampling of transfer lengths from well over 50 ties was determined during the manufacturing process (corresponding to over 100 transfer length measurements). The sampled tie measurement locations were distributed at different “form” locations along the casting bed, and included samplings of ties from several different “cavities” within a given form. The entire bed was 45 forms in length, each form having 6 tie cavities, for a total bed size of 270 ties. The statistical distribution of overall transfer length measurement results is presented, along with what may be typical variations in strain profile and resulting transfer length as a result of variations that took place in the manufacturing process. The overall range of transfer length observed, along with an investigation of possible bias due to position within the casting bed, and apparent variations of transfer length within a given form, are identified and discussed.

Development of Strain Measurement System Based on Virtual Instrument Technology

2015 ◽  
Vol 744-746 ◽  
pp. 1680-1683
Author(s):  
Ying Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Measurement System ◽  
Virtual Instrument ◽  
Strain Measurement ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Signal Acquisition ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Operation Performance ◽  
Traditional System ◽  
New System

Based on LabVIEW and CompactRIO platform, a strain measurement system was developed for structure monitoring. The design and achieve method of the system is introduced in detailed. The module of NI 9235 is used to realize the multi-channel signal acquisition at the same time. Data processing and storage online is supported. At last, a test is hold to verify the validity of the system. Comparing with traditional strain measurement system, the system proposed in the paper is stable and reliable. And it is easy to carry, simple operation, performance, high efficiency and good expansibility. The new system with those advantages can adapt to all kinds of complicated and special working environment. It is totally possible that virtual instrument replace the traditional system complete. The new system is worth to promote in application.

A Direct Comparison of the Traditional Method and a New Approach in Determining 220 Transfer Lengths in Prestressed Concrete Railroad Ties

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weixin Zhao ◽  
B. Terry Beck ◽  
Robert J. Peterman ◽  
Robert Murphy ◽  
Chih-Hang John Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prestressed Concrete ◽  
The United States ◽  
Laser Speckle ◽  
Surface Strain ◽  
Transfer Length ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Average Maximum ◽  
Concrete Mix ◽  
Strain Data ◽  
Length Determination

This paper presents the detailed analysis of surface strain data obtained at six prestressed concrete tie plants in the United States. These data were obtained by the authors by conducting a total of 220 transfer length measurements on prestressed concrete railroad ties with different concrete-mix designs and reinforcement variations. The surface strain profiles of the railroad ties were obtained using the traditional Whittemore gage, as well as a rapid non-contact technology, called laser-speckle imaging (LSI), that was previously developed by the authors. The LSI technique achieved a microstrain resolution comparable to that was obtained using mechanical gauge technology. The measured surface strain profiles were then analyzed by both the 95% AMS (95% Average Maximum Strain) method, and the ZL (Zhao-Lee) method that was recently proposed by the authors. The ZL method is an unbiased statistical method that provides a more accurate and reliable transfer length determination. A direct comparison between the 95% AMS method and the ZL method was achieved by applying both methods to determine the 220 railroad tie transfer length values. The comparison confirmed the bias of the 95% AMS method in estimating transfer length value, as predicated by theoretical analysis.

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