PVDF Based Pressure Sensor for the Characterisation of the Mechanical Loading during High Explosive Hydro Forming of Metal Plates

High explosive hydro forming (HEHF) is a suitable technique for large metal plate forming. Manufacturing stages of such a part requires an adapted design of explosive charge configurations to define the mechanical loading exerted on the part. This mechanical loading remains challenging to be experimentally determined but necessary for predictive numerical simulation in the design of parts to form. Providing that the actual mechanical impulse would allow the neglecting of the modelling of the detonation stage, this considerably increases the computational time. The present work proposes an experimental method for obtaining the exerted mechanical loading by HEHF on the part to form. It relies on the development of low-cost sensor based on a polyvinyliden fluorid (PVDF) gauge. In addition to it, an analytical approach based on shock physics is proposed for the sensor signal interpretation. The method considers the multi-layer aspect of the sensor and its intrusiveness with respect to waves propagation. Measurements were repeated to assess their relevance and the reproducibility by using steel and aluminium anvils in HEHF. Numerical modelling in 2D plane geometry of the experiments was performed with two commercial hydrocodes. The comparison of mechanical impulses shows an agreement in terms of chronology but a noticeable difference in terms of amplitude, explained by mesh size and numerical diffusion.

Determination of Young’s Modulus by Specific Vibration of Basalt and Diabase

The elasticity is an important parameter for the evaluation of the mechanical behavior of a rock mass and a fundamental factor in the definition of the resistance characteristics, stability, and blastability in rock blasts, and it is an important parameter for the blastability equations like the Kuz–Ram method. This paper presents a comparison of the Uniaxial Compression Method (UCM) and the Impulse Excitation Technique (IET) in determining Young’s modulus. The IET is a static and nondestructive dynamic method of characterizing mechanical parameters of materials, while the UCM is a quasistatic and destructive method. We determined Young’s modulus of samples from nine basalt and diabase mines used as aggregates in the construction industry. Young’s modulus was determined by the acoustic response due to longitudinal oscillations caused by a mechanical impulse (IET) in the Sonelastic equipment and the stress-strain curve (UCM). Young’s modulus values showed high repeatability and agreed with those reported in the literature for the same material. The work shows that the solnelastic is an innovate equipment and elucidated advantages of IET in comparison to the UCM such as shorter execution time, greater safety, and a lower cost ranging from 11.5% to 22.5% of the UCM.

Correlation of Thermo-Elastic Material and Corrosion Behavior of Refractory Castables by In-Situ Measurements

Corrosion is one of the most common wear mechanisms of refractories. Corrosive attacks lead to chemical and microstructural changes. Hot corrosion compromises chemical and/or physical interactions. Thus, the process is complex and not yet fully understood. Currently, corrosion is investigated post mortem by means of X-ray diffraction or scanning electron microscopy. These methods have the drawback that some information is lost on cooling. In-situ measurements, however, take measurements within the process. In resonant frequency and damping analysis (RFDA), a sample is excited to vibrate by a mechanical impulse. The vibrating sample emits an acoustic signal. This is recorded with a microphone and evaluated by means of Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT). We measured the change of the frequency of a low cement castable during the corrosion process. Further simplified experiments with less complex materials were done to confirm the results. Distinctive points of the curves could be correlated to specific corrosion phenomena, like melting or infiltration. The applied methods include a first characterization of the material with open porosity, density and in-situ high-temperature (HT)-RFDA measurements as well as a study of the slag behavior.

Supplementation with a Mango Leaf Extract (Zynamite®) in Combination with Quercetin Attenuates Muscle Damage and Pain and Accelerates Recovery after Strenuous Damaging Exercise

Prolonged or unusual exercise may cause exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). To test whether Zynamite®, a mango leaf extract rich in the natural polyphenol mangiferin, administered in combination with quercetin facilitates recovery after EIMD, 24 women and 33 men were randomly assigned to two treatment groups matched by sex and 5 km running performance, and ran a 10 km race followed by 100 drop jumps to elicit EIMD. One hour before the competition, and every 8 h thereafter for 24 h, they ingested placebo (728 mg of maltodextrin) or 140 mg of Zynamite® combined with 140 mg of quercetin (double-blind). Although competition times were similar, polyphenol supplementation attenuated the muscle pain felt after the competition (6.8 ± 1.5 and 5.7 ± 2.2 a.u., p = 0.035) and the loss of jumping performance (9.4 ± 11.5 and 3.9 ± 5.2%, p = 0.036; p = 0.034) and mechanical impulse (p = 0.038) 24 h later. The polyphenols attenuated the increase of serum myoglobin and alanine aminotransferase in men, but not in women (interaction p < 0.05). In conclusion, a single dose of 140 mg Zynamite® combined with 140 mg of quercetin, administered one hour before competition, followed by three additional doses every eight hours, attenuates muscle pain and damage, and accelerates the recovery of muscle performance.

Knocking and Listening: Learning Mechanical Impulse Response for Understanding Surface Characteristics

Inspired by spiders that can generate and sense vibrations to obtain information regarding a substrate, we propose an intelligent system that can recognize the type of surface being touched by knocking the surface and listening to the vibrations. Hence, we developed a system that is equipped with an electromagnetic hammer for hitting the ground and an accelerometer for measuring the mechanical responses induced by the impact. We investigate the feasibility of sensing 10 different daily surfaces through various machine-learning techniques including recent deep-learning approaches. Although some test surfaces are similar, experimental results show that our system can recognize 10 different surfaces remarkably well (test accuracy of 98.66%). In addition, our results without directly hitting the surface (internal impact) exhibited considerably high test accuracy (97.51%). Finally, we conclude this paper with the limitations and future directions of the study.

Assessing safety conditions in underground excavations after a methane-air mixture explosion

A technique for evaluation of shock wave impulse after a methane-air mixture explosion is elaborated. The numerical model developed in previous studies has been verified in the laboratory by using laser initiation of explosives and measuring the pressure impulses of explosion products on a ballistic pendulum. To evaluate the mechanical impulse the functional correlations between its magnitude, the swing angle, and the pendulum characteristics have been derived analytically. The reliability of experimental results is ensured by calibrating the sensor that measures the pendulum swing angle and estimating the impulse measurement errors caused by specifics of angle measurements by a digital voltmeter, pendulum axis friction, and the pauses between measurements. Testing the developed technique to evaluate the shock wave impact showed satisfactory consistency of experimental and theoretical results with the momentum deviation below 9%, which confirms model applicability and correct reproducibility of the shock wave propagation process.

Perdecanoic acid as a safe and stable medium-chain peracid for Baeyer–Villiger oxidation of cyclic ketones to lactones

Stability studies dedicated to high-energy compounds for a series of linear peracids (C6–C12), including sensitivity to mechanical impulse, electrical and thermal sensitivity, were presented in this work for the first time.