High-speed Video Measurements Research Articles

Displacement Measurement of Urban Ramp Bridge Model Using Monocular High-Speed Camera

Urban ramp bridge plays an important role in unblocking urban traffic and improving urban road network structure. Aiming at the limitations of traditional contact sensors in global measurement, this paper adopts non-contact, high frame rate, high-precision monocular high-speed video measurement technology to measure the dynamic response of the ramp bridge model loaded on the shaking table. The feasibility of video measurement in structure measurement is verified by comparing with the results of wire displacement meter, and the overall measurement accuracy is better than 0.1mm. The seismic effects of two different isolation bearings are compared and analyzed, and the test shows that the plate rubber bearing has a better damping effect.

The role of the electric field in the departure of vapor bubbles in microgravity

We present the results of a study aimed at investigating the effects of electric fields on quasi-static bubble departure dynamics during pool boiling of perfluorohexane (FC-72) in microgravity conditions. Analysis was performed through an alternative formulation of the bubble momentum balance in which the contribution of non-uniform electric stress distributions at the bubble interface can be quantified through high-speed video measurements without having to numerically solve the laws of electrostatics. Data used in this study were obtained in the scope of the Multiscale Boiling Project, which included advanced single bubble growth experiments performed aboard the International Space Station. Our results confirm that bubble departure counterintuitively begins before the force resulting from electric stresses starts to pull the bubble up from the wall. When this occurs, it is shown that the shrinking process of the contact line accelerates, in agreement with known theoretical results. It is concluded that the electric force is essentially determined by the electric stress distribution at the bubble cap above the contact area. Furthermore, we show that the electric stress at the bubble interface is also responsible for the increase in bubble internal overpressure, which explains the early departure of the bubble while increasing the intensity of the electric field. The results of this study provide an important step in achieving a more comprehensive understanding of the bubble behavior at the heated surface in the presence of an electric field, which is essential to optimally design electrodes and two-phase heat transfer devices for future space applications.

An efficient method for determining DEM parameters of a loose cohesive soil modelled using hysteretic spring and linear cohesion contact models

Appropriate discrete element modelling (DEM) parameters are essential for accurate prediction of soil properties and disturbance. This study aims to provide an efficient method for accurately determining DEM parameters of a loose cohesive soil in a range of soil conditions. DEM parameters of the loose cohesive soil modelled using hysteretic spring and linear cohesion contact models were determined by a combination of Plackett–Burman, steepest ascent and central composite tests. The accuracies of DEM models developed under different soil moisture contents (0.27–22%) were evaluated using slumping angle of repose test and funnelling angle of repose test. Heap angles under different soil moisture contents decreased quadratically with time with determination coefficients ranging from 0.750 to 0.969. For the given soil, friction or rolling friction coefficient of soil–soil changed with a cubic function as moisture content increased. Similar coefficients of friction (0.23–0.25) and rolling friction (0.038–0.049) of soil–soil were found for moisture contents from 12 to 22%. Based on ANOVA outputs, soil properties tested were significantly affected by soil moisture content at p < 0.05, including angle of repose (AOR), releasing time, yield strength of soil and coefficients of friction and rolling friction of soil-steel. Low relative errors (<2.8%) were found for simulated AORs using developed soil DEM models under different soil moisture contents. Simulated releasing time agreed well with high-speed video measurements. The suggested method has good potential to accurately determine DEM parameters for loose cohesive soils in a range of conditions.

Experimental and simulation studies of solidification behaviour in undercooled CuCoNi equiatomic medium entropy alloy

Undercooling studies were carried out in equiatomic CuCoNi system with an aim to understand the growth kinetics and microstructural variations as a function of undercooling. The morphological change in microstructure was observed and correlated with the undercooling obtained. Non-linear variation of growth velocity with respect to the increase in undercooling was obtained from high-speed video measurements. The variation in growth velocity was compared with the dendritic growth model with a modified kinetic undercooling term. The segregation profile was predicted using multi-phase field method and compared with the experimental data. Micro-hardness variation was correlated with the undercooling obtained.

Hydrogen Production with a Simple and Scalable Membraneless Electrolyzer

Ion-conducting membranes are essential components in many electrochemical devices, but they often add substantial cost, limit performance, and are susceptible to degradation. This work investigates membraneless electrochemical flow cells for hydrogen production from water electrolysis that are based on angled mesh flow-through electrodes. These devices can be fabricated with as few as three parts (anode, cathode, and cell body), reflecting their simplicity and potential for low-cost manufacture. 3D printing was used to fabricate prototype electrolyzers that were demonstrated to be electrolyte agnostic, modular, and capable of operating with minimal product crossover. Prototype electrolyzers operating in acidic and alkaline solutions achieved electrolysis efficiencies of 61.9% and 72.5%, respectively, (based on the higher heating value of H2) when operated at 100 mA cm−2. Product crossover was investigated using in situ electrochemical sensors, in situ imaging, and by gas chromatography (GC). GC analysis found that 2.8% of the H2 crossed over from the cathode to the anode stream under electrolysis at 100 mA cm−2 and fluid velocity of 26.5 cm s−1. Additionally, modularity was demonstrated with a three-cell stack, and high-speed video measurements tracking bubble evolution from electrode surfaces provide valuable insight for the further optimization of electrolyzer design and performance.

Investigation of the Durability of a Diaphragm for a Total Artificial Heart.

One of the most critical components regarding the durability of the ReinHeart total artificial heart (TAH) is its biocompatible diaphragm, which separates the drive unit from the ventricles. Hence, a durability tester was designed to investigate its required 5-year lifetime. The aim of this study was to prove the validity of accelerated testing of the polyurethane diaphragm. The durability tester allows simultaneous testing of 12 diaphragms and mimics physiological conditions. To accelerate the time of testing, it operates with an increased speed at a frequency of 8 Hz. To prove the correctness of this acceleration, a servo-hydraulic testing machine was used to study the effect of different frequencies and their corresponding loads. Thereby the viscoelastic behavior of the polyurethane was investigated. Additionally, high-speed video measurements were performed. The force against frequency and the high-speed video measurements showed constant behavior. In the range of 1-10 Hz, the maximum resulting forces varied by 3%, and the diaphragm movement was identical. Frequencies below 10 Hz allow a valid statement of the diaphragm's mechanical durability. Viscoelasticity of the polyurethane in the considered frequency-range is negligible. The accelerated durability test is applicable to polyurethane diaphragms, and the results are applicable to TAH use. The reliability of the diaphragm for a lifetime of 5 years was found to be 80% with a confidence of 62%.

Friction Induced Vibration in Windscreen Wiper Contacts

This research is aimed at understanding the mechanisms that give rise to friction induced noise in automotive windscreen wipers, with a focus on frequencies between 500 and 3500 Hz. To study this phenomenon, experimental friction, sound, and high-speed video measurements are combined with finite element modeling of a rubber wiper/glass contact. In agreement with previous research, simultaneous sound and friction measurements showed that wiper noise in this frequency range results from the negative damping effect caused by the dependence of friction on speed in the mixed lubrication regime. Furthermore, during sliding, the friction induced noise recorded by the microphone occurred in one of two frequency ranges (close to 1000 Hz and between 2000 and 2500 Hz). These coincided closely with the eigen-frequencies of first two bending modes, predicted by finite element modeling. Experimental observations also showed the wiper to be oscillating backward and forward without any torsional motion and that the thickness of the glass had no effect on the emitted noise. These observations highlight how friction induced noise—although caused by conditions within contact—has characteristics that are determined by the structure of the excited component. A number of additional findings are made. Most importantly, both experiment and finite element modeling showed that the presence of water in contact with the wiper modulates the frequency and amplitude of the emitted noise by effectively adding mass to the vibrating system. While this is occurring, Faraday-like standing waves are observed in the water. In addition to this, friction induced vibration is shown only to occur for glass surfaces with intermediate surface energies, which is possibly due to high contact angles preventing water reaching the contact. Based on the understanding gained, a number of suggestions are made regarding means of reducing windscreen wiper noise.

Implicit Memory in Monkeys: Development of a Delay Eyeblink Conditioning System with Parallel Electromyographic and High-Speed Video Measurements.

Delay eyeblink conditioning, a cerebellum-dependent learning paradigm, has been applied to various mammalian species but not yet to monkeys. We therefore developed an accurate measuring system that we believe is the first system suitable for delay eyeblink conditioning in a monkey species (Macaca mulatta). Monkey eyeblinking was simultaneously monitored by orbicularis oculi electromyographic (OO-EMG) measurements and a high-speed camera-based tracking system built around a 1-kHz CMOS image sensor. A 1-kHz tone was the conditioned stimulus (CS), while an air puff (0.02 MPa) was the unconditioned stimulus. EMG analysis showed that the monkeys exhibited a conditioned response (CR) incidence of more than 60% of trials during the 5-day acquisition phase and an extinguished CR during the 2-day extinction phase. The camera system yielded similar results. Hence, we conclude that both methods are effective in evaluating monkey eyeblink conditioning. This system incorporating two different measuring principles enabled us to elucidate the relationship between the actual presence of eyelid closure and OO-EMG activity. An interesting finding permitted by the new system was that the monkeys frequently exhibited obvious CRs even when they produced visible facial signs of drowsiness or microsleep. Indeed, the probability of observing a CR in a given trial was not influenced by whether the monkeys closed their eyelids just before CS onset, suggesting that this memory could be expressed independently of wakefulness. This work presents a novel system for cognitive assessment in monkeys that will be useful for elucidating the neural mechanisms of implicit learning in nonhuman primates.

The simulation and visual test contact process of a MEMS inertial switch with flexible electrodes

A MEMS inertial switch with flexible electrodes to contact-enhanced is designed and fabricated. ANSYS software is used to simulate the displacement of the mass, deformation of the flexible electrode and contact time of the switch. A high-speed video measurement has been used to visualize the switch contact process instead of electrical measurement for a deeper understanding of the dynamic contact process, and these images are used to visually validate simulation results. Comparisons between the simulation and image results are discussed. The image results are seen to be in good agreement with the dynamics simulation results.

Hybrid Method for Assessing the Performance of Sports Surfaces During Ball Impacts

Predicting the behaviour of sports surfaces during ball impacts can be extremely complex, especially if both the surface and the ball are made up of combinations of materials that behave non-linearly. This study uses a hybrid approach of experimental measurement and mathematical modelling to predict the performance of sports surfaces in real impact situations. An impact hammer system was first designed and developed, which is capable of accurate field testing and provides data to form model parameters for a variety of sports surfaces (e.g. tennis court, cricket pitch). A mass-spring-damper model of a deformable ball impacting on a rigid surface was then combined with a model of the rigid hammer-surface impact to form a two degre-of-freedom model of a deformable ball impacting on a deformable surface. Model predictions were independently verified using high speed video measurements of cricket ball-pitch impacts, and a good agreement was found. This hybrid approach provides parameters to categorize a surface and predict impact performance.

Electrode displacement measurement dynamics in monitoring of small scale resistance spot welding

Small-scale resistance spot welding (SSRSW) process is widely used in medical and electronic devices manufacturing, where it is used to join thin foils and fine wires. Although tremendous work has been focused on traditional RSW process monitoring and control, SSRSW has received less attention, one reason being the process variables that are used in monitoring and control are very small in magnitude. A good example of a process variable that presents this difficulty is electrode displacement, which is generally regarded as one of the variables that can provide real-time information useful for monitoring and controlling RSW process quality. However, in SSRSW production, it is difficult to measure the displacement because its magnitude is very small. In this work, a fibre optic sensor was used for displacement monitoring. It was discovered that the implementation of the sensor introduced extraneous transient fluctuations into the measured signature. To develop techniques to improve the accuracy of the fibre optic sensor displacement measurements, more reliable electrode movement data were obtained using a high-speed video set-up. It was found that the displacement obtained by the fibre optic sensor had a delay and oscillatory feature compared to true displacement. Although it is a valuable research tool, the high-speed video system is not practical for online monitoring and control, while the fibre optic sensor has more potential for real-time monitoring and control implementation. Therefore, attempts were made to recover true displacement from the contaminated fibre optic displacement. A number of dynamic models in state-space form were identified to decode and predict the true displacement from fibre optic sensor measurement. Model parameters were estimated from two sets of known displacement data with fibre optic sensor displacement as input and high-speed video displacement as output. A fifth order innovations form model optimized by the subspace method was found to have the best accuracy compared to high-speed video measurement. Compared to uncorrected fibre optic and high-speed video displacement, fibre optic measurements corrected by this model are promising for real-time monitoring and control algorithms that use electrode displacement measurements.

Plume attenuation under high power Nd:yttritium–aluminum–garnet laser welding

During high-power continuous wave (cw) Nd:yttritium–aluminum–garnet (YAG) laser welding a vapor plume is formed containing vaporized material ejected from the keyhole. The gas used as a plume control mechanism affects the plume shape but not its temperature, which has been found to be less than 3000 K, independent of the atmosphere and plume control gases. In this study high-power (up to 8 kW) cw Nd:YAG laser welding has been performed under He, Ar, and N2 gas atmospheres, extending the power range previously studied. The plume was found to contain very small evaporated particles of diameter less than 50 nm. Rayleigh and Mie scattering theories were used to calculate the attenuation coefficient of the incident laser power by these small particles. In addition the attenuation of a 9 W Nd:YAG probe laser beam, horizontally incident across the plume generated by the high-power Nd:YAG laser, was measured at various positions with respect to the beam-material interaction point. Up to 40% attenuation of the probe laser power was measured at positions corresponding to zones of high concentration of vapor plume, shown by high-speed video measurements. These zones interact with the high-power Nd:YAG laser beam path and, can result in significant laser power attenuation.

Mechanical power output during running accelerations in wild turkeys.

We tested the hypothesis that the hindlimb muscles of wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) can produce maximal power during running accelerations. The mechanical power developed during single running steps was calculated from force-plate and high-speed video measurements as turkeys accelerated over a trackway. Steady-speed running steps and accelerations were compared to determine how turkeys alter their running mechanics from a low-power to a high-power gait. During maximal accelerations, turkeys eliminated two features of running mechanics that are characteristic of steady-speed running: (i) they produced purely propulsive horizontal ground reaction forces, with no braking forces, and (ii) they produced purely positive work during stance, with no decrease in the mechanical energy of the body during the step. The braking and propulsive forces ordinarily developed during steady-speed running are important for balance because they align the ground reaction force vector with the center of mass. Increases in acceleration in turkeys correlated with decreases in the angle of limb protraction at toe-down and increases in the angle of limb retraction at toe-off. These kinematic changes allow turkeys to maintain the alignment of the center of mass and ground reaction force vector during accelerations when large propulsive forces result in a forward-directed ground reaction force. During the highest accelerations, turkeys produced exclusively positive mechanical power. The measured power output during acceleration divided by the total hindlimb muscle mass yielded estimates of peak instantaneous power output in excess of 400 W kg(-1) hindlimb muscle mass. This value exceeds estimates of peak instantaneous power output of turkey muscle fibers. The mean power developed during the entire stance phase increased from approximately zero during steady-speed runs to more than 150 W kg(-1) muscle during the highest accelerations. The high power outputs observed during accelerations suggest that elastic energy storage and recovery may redistribute muscle power during acceleration. Elastic mechanisms may expand the functional range of muscle contractile elements in running animals by allowing muscles to vary their mechanical function from force-producing struts during steady-speed running to power-producing motors during acceleration.