Stretchable Printed Device for the Simultaneous Sensing of Temperature and Strain Validated in a Mouse Wound Healing Model

Temperature and strain are two vital parameters that play a significant role in wound diagnosis and healing. As periodic temperature measurements with a custom thermometer or strain measurements with conventional metallic gauges became less feasible for the modern competent health monitoring, individual temperature and strain measurement modalities incorporated into wearables and patches were developed. The proposed research in the article shows the development of a single sensor solution which can simultaneously measure both the above mentioned parameters. This work integrates a thermoelectric principle based temperature measurement approach into wearables, ensuring flexibility and bendability properties without affecting its thermo-generated voltage. The modified thermoelectric material helped to achieve stretchability of the sensor, thanks to its superior mechano-transduction properties. Moreover, the stretch-induced resistance changes become an additional marker for strain measurements so that both the parameters can be measured with the same sensor. Due to the independent measurement parameters (open circuit voltage and sensor resistance ), the sensing model is greatly attractive for measurements without cross-sensitivity. The highly resilient temperature and strain sensor show excellent linearity, repeatability and good sensitivity. Besides, due to the compatibility of the fabrication scheme to low temperature processing of the flexible materials and to mass volume production, printed fabrication methodologies were adopted to realize the sensor. This promises low cost production and a disposable nature (single use) of the sensor patch. The temperature-strain dual parameter semi-transparent sensor has been further tested on mice wounds in vivo. The preliminary experiments on mice wounds offer prospects for developing smart, i.e. sensorized, wound dressings for clinical applications.

Design and Application of Spiral Wound Gasket Sealing for Big Opening Flange for High Temperature and Pressure Vessel

Metallic spiral-wound gasket sealing are generally applicable for the service conditions, which are subject to the periodic temperature and pressure changes, shocks or vibrations. The nominal size of the largest spiral wound gasket of flanges is according to the provisions of HG/T 20631; those more than this specification are in the scope of non-standard parts, which require customization and manufacturing. This paper aims for introducing the successful experience of the first application of customized for non-standard spiral-wound gasket sealing of the large opening flange used for pressure vessel which bears high temperature and high pressure. The paper demonstrated the basic principle and critical points for the design and application of customized non-standard spiral-wound gasket sealing for the large opening flange and provided the valuable reference of actual application experience for the design and manufacturing of similar components. This paper presents the experiences summary in the study field and provides valuable reference of actual application experience for the design and manufacturing of similar components.

Periodic Temperature Responses in a Thermal System Under a Periodic Heating

In this paper, the periodic temperature responses of a thermal system under a periodic heating input are studied. Using the implicit mapping method, periodic temperature responses varying with excitation frequency are predicted for different input amplitudes. The corresponding stability of the periodic responses are discussed through eigenvalue analysis. The experimental and numerical results of the periodic response are presented for comparison to the analytical results.

Analysis of Te Inclusion Striations in (Cd,Zn)Te Crystals Grown by Traveling Heater Method

The growth of (Cd,Zn)Te (CZT) crystals and the improvement of the crystal quality are part of a research project towards experiments under microgravity using the Traveling Heater Method (THM). In order to determine the experimental parameters, we performed a detailed ground-based program. Three CZT crystals with a nominal Zn content of 10% were grown using THM from a Te-rich solution. The size and distribution of the Te inclusions were evaluated by transmission infrared microscopy (IR). From the three-dimensional mapping of the inclusions, we observed striation-like patterns in all of the crystals. The correlation between the growth parameters and the formation of these striations was explored and discussed. We found that the inclusion striations are related to periodic temperature variations.