Non-contact Crack Detection in Metals Using a Cutoff-Cavity Probe

This paper presents a non-contact method for the detection of surface cracks in metal materials through a forced-resonance microwave method (FRMM) using a cutoff cavity-backed narrow slot as a crack detection probe without using a vector network analyzer (VNA) at microwave frequencies. The FRMM uses the deviations in the ammeter or voltmeter readings of the forcefully obtained resonance of a cutoff-cavity probe for a metal material with or without cracks. The cutoff cavity-backed narrow slot on metal with no cracks produces a series resonance (maximum current) or a parallel resonance through an external control element located on a post inside the cutoff cavity. Cracks were detected by a change in this forced-resonance state (maximum current) when the cutoff-cavity probe was scanned over a crack. The characteristic crack signal was derived from the resonance current deviation on the ammeter located on a post inside the cavity probe. Galerkin’s method of moments was used to obtain a forced-resonance state from which the crack signal of the FRMM was calculated. The experimental measurements for non-contact (remote or lift-off) crack detection are also presented.

Analysis of Narrow Slot Loading on a Half Guided Wavelength Folded Substrate Integrated Waveguide

In this paper, effects due to variation in positioning, width and length of a narrow slot loaded on central metal septum of a half guided wavelength Folded Substrate Integrated Waveguide (FSIW) segment is presented. The study shows that the most significant effect is due to variation in slot length. It was observed that the slot loading can be used both for slow wave structure and filter depending on the length of the slot. The smaller lengths of the slot provide the slow wave effect, whereas the longer lengths result in filtering effect. Both the phenomena are explained with the help of field diagrams for different propagating modes and extracted equivalent circuit for the Slot Loaded Folded Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SFSIW) segment. This study will help in deciding the dimensions of the slot as per application. The measured scattering parameters of the fabricated structure are compared with the simulated results obtained from the HFSS and the circuit simulator in ADS and are in good agreement.

Gain characteristics of the hybrid slot waveguide amplifiers integrated with NaYF4:Er3+ NPs-PMMA covalently linked nanocomposites

Waveguide amplifiers based on slot waveguide have enormous capacity due to their ability to confine light strongly to a narrow slot waveguide.

Sheet cathode design and experimental study on the electrochemical machining of deep narrow slots in TB6 titanium alloy

TB6 titanium alloy is extensively applied in lightweight vehicles, biomedicine, and other domains because of its high specific strength, excellent fracture toughness, and excellent corrosion resistance. Electrochemical machining is a non-contact processing technology that has significant advantages in processing materials that are difficult to cut, such as cemented carbide, high-temperature alloys, and titanium alloys. To improve the consistency of deep narrow slots fabricated in TB6 titanium alloy via electrochemical machining, a sheet cathode design and experimental studies were carried out in this work. Based on a unidirectional fluid–structure coupling simulation, the influence of the stiffener arrangement on the cathode rigidity and flow-velocity distribution was studied. Furthermore, by modifying the geometry of the stiffener, the cathode deformation was significantly reduced, and flow-velocity uniformity at the cathode outlet was improved. The influence of a superimposed low-frequency oscillation on the gap distribution and the profile error of a deep narrow slot was investigated experimentally. The results revealed that when an applied voltage of 24 V, an oscillation frequency of 50 Hz, and an amplitude of 0.05 mm were adopted, a highly homogeneous deep narrow slot with an entrance gap of 0.24 mm and a side gap of 0.33 mm was machined into the TB6 titanium alloy.

Ka-Band LTCC Stacked Substrate Integrated Waveguide Bandpass Filter

A Ka-band substrate integrated waveguide bandpass filter has been designed and fabricated using low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) technology. The in-house developed SICCAS-K5F3 material with a permittivity of 6.2 and a loss tangent of 0.002 was used. The size and surface area of the proposed bandpass filter are reduced by exploiting vertical coupling in vertically laminated three-dimensional structures. The coupling between adjacent cavities is realized by a narrow slot. A vertical transition structure between the coplanar-waveguide feed line and the substrate integrated waveguide is adopted to facilitate the internal signal connection. The demonstrated third-order filter has a compact size of 6.79 mm×4.13 mm×1.34 mm (0.63λ0 × 0.38λ0 × 0.12λ0) and exhibits good performance with a low insertion loss of 1.74 dB at 27.73 GHz and a 3 dB fractional bandwidth of 10 %.