Field deployable impedance-based corrosion sensor

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has been used in various applications, such as metal corrosion monitoring. However, many conventional corrosion monitoring setups are bulky and inconvenient for in-situ testing. The purpose of this work is to reduce the size of the whole corrosion monitoring system. We utilized EIS to design a field deployable impedance-based corrosion sensor (FDICS), capable of performing in-situ EIS analysis. Experiments verified the sensor’s accuracy, and the results showed that the sensor performed similarly to a bench-top EIS machine when we tested on circuit models. Furthermore, we used the proposed FDICS to monitor a metal corrosion experiment and performed EIS. The result showed that the proposed FDICS is able to obtain the sample’s impedance spectroscopy, which could help researchers test its corrosion severity on a metallic sample in-situ. Compared to other bulky conventional setups, our device eliminates the design complexity while still showing insights into the corrosion reaction.

Analysis of the Results from In Situ Testing of a Sensor In-Stalled on a Powered Roof Support, Developed by KOMAG, Measuring the Tip to Face Distance

Mining in underground plants is associated with high risk. Improving work safety and increasing the productivity of longwall systems in the mining industry is a problem considering many criteria. Safety aspects concern both the crew and the machinery. The KOMAG Institute of Mining Technology designed and manufactured a geometry monitoring system based on inclinometers that meet the requirements of the ATEX directive. Monitoring of the roof support geometry is used for the prevention of loss of roof stability: roof fall or/and cave-in. The system was tested on a real object in real conditions.

Design and implementation of nZEB buildings in Poland. Building certification.

The article will discuss the design and construction aspects of nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEB) in Poland. It is the newest building standard introduced by the Directive on the energy performance of buildings 2010/31/EU. The directive made the implementation of nZEB buildings compulsory in European countries. The article will present analyzes of the energy performance of nZEB buildings, in accordance with Polish legal requirements, and discuss the possibility of achieving this standard in terms of economic efficiency. An important issue is also the certification of newly designed buildings, allowing the promotion of buildings with more restrictive parameters than the minimum energy efficiency requirements specified for nZEB buildings. In the article, the authors will present the developed methodology for certifying buildings in Poland, based on the requirements related to energy efficiency, and on in situ testing of buildings. The article will also present examples of building certification in Poland.

The effect of tamping conditions and sample preparation on undrained shear strengths of a non-plastic sandy silt tailings

A series of direct simple shear (DSS) tests were carried out on a non-plastic sandy silt lead-zinc-silver tailings to develop a relationship between undrained shearing behaviour and density, where in situ testing had identified contractive behaviour. The critical state line was also obtained through triaxial compression tests to enable the DSS tests to be viewed in a critical state framework and allow comparison with in situ testing. It was found that the gravimetric water content (GWC) used to tamp the specimens had a significant effect on the resulting undrained strengths when attempting to achieve dense states - with higher GWC giving lower strength at a given density than a lower GWC. Intact and slurry deposited (SD) samples were also tested to access denser states without inducing tamping-related stresses. These showed a more consistent trend with the loose-tamped specimens, and with other data from the literature. Plausible explanations as to the causes of the increased strength of dense-tamped samples were obtained through estimating potential preconsolidation stresses and “locked in” horizontal stresses that may occur from dense tamping. The importance of these observations on the development of density - strength profiles in engineering practice was outlined.