Robert Lewis Reuben

Embedded micromachined fiber-optic Fabry-Perot pressure sensors in aerodynamics applications

Small size, high bandwidth pressure sensors are required for instrumentation of probes and test models in aerodynamic studies of complex unsteady flows. Optical-fiber pressure sensors promise potential advantages of small size and low cost in comparison with their electrical counterparts. We describe miniature Fabry-Perot cavity pressure sensors constructed by micromachining techniques in a turbine test application. The sensor bodies are 500 /spl mu/m squared, 300 /spl mu/m deep with a /spl sim/2 /spl mu/m-thick copper diaphragm electroplated on one face. The sensor cavity is formed between the diaphragm and the cleaved end of a single mode fiber sealed to the sensor by epoxy. Each sensor is addressed interferometrically in reflection by three wavelengths simultaneously, giving an unambiguous phase determination; a pressure sensitivity of 1.6 radbar/sup -1/ was measured, with a typical range of vacuum to 600 kPa. Five sensors were embedded in the trailing edge of a nozzle guide vane installed upstream of a rotor in a full-scale turbine stage transient test facility. Pressure signals in the trailing edge flow show marked structure at the 8 kHz blade passing frequency. To our knowledge, this is the first report of sensors located at the trailing edge of a normal-sized turbine blade.

Detection of incipient cavitation in pumps using acoustic emission

Abstract This work concerns the detection of incipient cavitation in pumps using acoustic emission (AE). Three activities have been pursued in this context: (a) the construction of a small-scale rig for the investigation of cavitation detection using AE sensors; (b) the acquisition of data on a 75 kW single-stage centrifugal pump in an industrial test loop under normal running and cavitation conditions; (c) the determination of parameters that could be used for the early diagnosis of cavitation within pumps. In the laboratory-scale apparatus water was pumped around a short loop by a 3 kW centrifugal pump. The flow loop contained a section specifically designed to induce cavitation by means of reducing the pressure level to that of the vapour pressure of the fluid. This apparatus was used to produce a variety of well-controlled cavitation conditions which were useful in determining the suitability of AE for the detection of cavitation. The industrial-scale tests consisted of progressively reducing the net positive suction head in a 75 kW pump while recording the AE signals at various points on the test loop and pump. Results are presented from both laboratory and full-scale tests which demonstrate the feasibility of detecting incipient cavitation using AE in the face of background noise from normal running of the pump. The features of AE which are indicative of cavitation are also seen to change continuously as NPSH is decreased. Thus early detection of cavitation is possible, certainly before any indication is seen on the dynamic head.

A study of wear on MEMS contact morphologies

The fabrication of many micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) is mainly based on silicon and its compounds and, for moving structures such as micromotors, tribological behaviour plays a key role in the performance. In this paper the wear of MEMS-compatible materials has been investigated for a range of contact areas and contact forces typical of MEMS. Special test specimens incorporating a range of micromachined micro structures on their top surfaces have been fabricated in order to simulate those conditions. These single crystal silicon (SCS) micro structures were coated with a range of materials used in MEMS; diamond-like carbon (DLC), silicon nitride (Si3N4), silicon dioxide (SiO2), and doped and undoped polysilicon. A specimen-on-disc arrangement (a development of the macroscopic pin-on-disc) was used for the wear experiments and dead weight loading was applied using micro loads specially calibrated for this purpose. The results show that the wear rates of DLC and SCS sliding on DLC decrease with increasing sliding distance whereas Si3N4 and SiO2 showed approximately linear wear behaviour. The effect of contact morphology and contact pressure was investigated for doped polysilicon sliding on DLC and for doped and undoped polysilicon sliding on Si3N4. The results can be attributed to the differing mechanical and chemical properties of the materials leading to wear mechanisms ranging from asperity fracture to asperity deformation.

Embedded micromachined fibre optic Fabry-Perot pressure sensors in aerodynamics applications

Small size, high bandwidth pressure sensors are required for instrumentation of probes and test models in aerodynamic studies of complex unsteady flows. Optical fibre pressure sensors promise potential advantages of small size and low cost in comparison with their electrical counterparts. We describe miniature Fabry-Perot cavity pressure sensors constructed by micromachining techniques in a turbine test application. The sensor bodies are 500 /spl mu/m square, 300 /spl mu/m deep with a /spl sim/2 /spl mu/m thick copper diaphragm electroplated on one face. The sensor cavity is formed between the diaphragm and the cleaved end of a singlemode fibre sealed to the sensor by epoxy. Each sensor is addressed interferometrically in reflection by 3 wavelengths simultaneously, giving an unambiguous phase determination; a pressure sensitivity of /spl sim/1.8 rad bar/sup -1/ was measured, with a typical range of vacuum to 600 kPa. Five sensors were embedded in the trailing edge of a nozzle guide vane installed upstream of a rotor in a full-scale turbine stage transient test facility. Pressure signals in the trailing edge flow show marked structure at the 10 kHz blade passing frequency. To our knowledge, this is the first report of sensors located at the trailing edge of a normal-sized turbine blade.

Coupled electrostatic and mechanical FEA of a micromotor

The electrostatic forces occurring in a novel double stator axial-drive variable capacitance micromotor (VCM) are studied as a function of rotor-stator overlap, applied voltage, rotor support morphology, and rotor thickness. Analytical equations are developed using parallel plate assumptions, and results are compared with those obtained with 3D Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for tangential, axial, and radial electrostatic forces. The influence of the axial forces on the rotor deflections are studied using iterative indirect coupled field analysis, where the axial forces obtained from the electrostatic 3D FE model are iteratively applied to a structural FE model until stable rotor deflections are obtained. It was found that the axial forces, taking the rotor deflection into account, are twice as high as those obtained by analytical evaluation neglecting rotor deflections and about 70 times higher than the radial forces at a typical operating voltage of 100 V. Inclusion of bushing supports results in lower axial forces and decreases the influence of rotor tilt. Tangential forces likely to be exerted on the rotor at start-up are also examined and compared with analytical predictions. The study demonstrates that FEA provides more accurate results than analytical equations due to the geometry and field simplifications assumed in the latter. >

Wear at microscopic scales and light loads for MEMS applications

Abstract The fabrication of micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) such as micromotors is mainly based on silicon and its compounds and their tribological behaviour plays a key role in the performance of such systems. In this paper the wear of MEMS-compatible materials has been investigated for a range of contact areas and contact forces typical of micro electro mechanical systems. Special test specimens incorporating a range of micromachined micro structures on their top surfaces were fabricated in order to simulate those conditions. The micro structures were coated with diamond-like carbon (DLC), silicon nitride, silicon dioxide, and doped polysilicon. A specimen-on-disc arrangement was used for the wear experiments and dead weight loading was applied. The results show that the wear rate of DLC and single-crystal silicon sliding on DLC decreases with increasing sliding distance whereas silicon dioxide and silicon nitride showed linear wear behaviour. The effect of contact morphology and contact pressure was investigated for doped polysilicon sliding on DLC. The results can be attributed to the differing mechanical and chemical properties of the materials leading to wear mechanisms ranging from asperity fracture to asperity deformation.

Frictional study of micromotor bearings

Abstract Static and kinetic coefficients of friction have been determined in air for a range of microbearing designs suitable for use in micromotors. Both dry sliding and rolling friction using microspheres have been investigated using forces, contact areas and contact pressures typical of those expected in a particular design of double-stator axial-drive micromotor. Micromachined test specimens coated with polysilicon have been slid on a variety of substrate materials. It is found that the coefficients of friction for these small areas and loads are not constant and decrease with surface pressure for all ceramics except silicon dioxide. The coefficient of friction on aluminium remains constant through all the variations studied. Sliding of polysilicon on diamond-like carbon and single-crystal silicon exhibits the lowest static coefficients of friction of 0.42 and 0.35, respectively. The use of glass microspheres of diameter 40 μm for the rolling tests reveals effective static and kinetic coefficients of friction of 0.04 and 0.02, respectively. The electrostatic torques of the micromotor for applied stator voltages of 100 and 150 V determined using 3D finite-element analysis are compared with the friction torques for the bearings studied. The resultant motive torques suggest that a bushing design is the preferred option for this motor, since it results in both lower coefficients of friction and reduced electrostatic contact forces.

Atomistic aspects of ductile responses of cubic silicon carbide during nanometric cutting

Cubic silicon carbide (SiC) is an extremely hard and brittle material having unique blend of material properties which makes it suitable candidate for microelectromechanical systems and nanoelectromechanical systems applications. Although, SiC can be machined in ductile regime at nanoscale through single-point diamond turning process, the root cause of the ductile response of SiC has not been understood yet which impedes significant exploitation of this ceramic material. In this paper, molecular dynamics simulation has been carried out to investigate the atomistic aspects of ductile response of SiC during nanometric cutting process. Simulation results show that cubic SiC undergoes sp3-sp2 order-disorder transition resulting in the formation of SiC-graphene-like substance with a growth rate dependent on the cutting conditions. The disorder transition of SiC causes the ductile response during its nanometric cutting operations. It was further found out that the continuous abrasive action between the diamond tool and SiC causes simultaneous sp3-sp2 order-disorder transition of diamond tool which results in graphitization of diamond and consequent tool wear.

The use of cutting force and acoustic emission signals for the monitoring of tool insert geometry during rough face milling

The use of acoustic emission (AE) and cutting force has been applied to the detection of changes in milling tool insert geometries. These geometries, produced by precision grinding, were intended to simulate different forms of naturally occurring wear such as crater, notch and flank wear, local changes in rake angle and edge breakdown. The results indicate that both cutting force and AE can be used as indicators of changes in cutting tool geometry with consequent implications for diagnostic, geometry-specific, wear detection.

Indentation testing and its acoustic emission response: applications and emerging trends

Abstract This review summarises the state of knowledge on acoustic emission (AE) techniques applied to material property evaluation during indentation (e.g. hardness) testing. There are two aspects of application of AE technique to indentation which makes it unique, i.e. (1) enhancing the understanding of the evolution of material accommodation mechanisms under loading and (2) qualitative and quantitative evaluation of mechanical properties such as fracture toughness and bond strength from the AE signal. Both of these aspects have the potential to improve our understanding of the structure property relationships of current and future generation materials. In addition, the knowledge developed here can be incorporated to improve the AE based condition monitoring systems for stress critical applications. This review concentrates on the phenomena which occur during indentation and how its examination can be used to study more fundamental behaviour of materials such as deformation and fracture. The uncertainty in quantifying and measuring the total crack surface in indentation makes a simple fracture mechanics based assessment of toughness difficult. It is therefore expected that correlation between AE and fracture patterns will lead to an improved method for material’s quality evaluation. The main part of this review is presented on AE of material classifications. These classifications include ceramics, glasses, composites, metals and metallic foams, thin solid films and thermally sprayed coatings. Apart from quasi‐static indentation testing, attention has also been paid to studies on various AE instrumented indentation systems so that information can be derived about the progress of deformation and cracking processes. This review discusses the studies summarising those aspects that have so far been established and the areas of controversy and/or lack of knowledge. The prospect of using AE techniques to monitor indentation tests is also assessed, taking into account those few studies that have been reported so far in different groups of materials. Although with some limitations, it is concluded that AE monitored indentation testing has considerable scope to assess in much more detail the deformation and cracking properties of materials under localised stress condition. It is possible to construct empirical relationships and develop theoretical understanding linking mechanical parameters with AE signal characteristics and its derived features. However, the occurrence of multiple events at different locations superimposing the AE signal requires more advanced signal processing techniques. With the advancement of very thin films and nanomaterials, it is anticipated that AE response measured during nanoindentation will be critical for enhancing our understanding of future generation applications, as it allows individual events to be investigated without resorting to more complex signal processing techniques. In terms of material accommodation, the understanding of physical mechanisms generating AE require a multiscale approach, e.g. correlations exist between fracture and sudden release of AE energy, dislocations and Bremsstrahlung and Frank–Reid sources, and maternsitic phase transformation with rapid variation in the shape of deformation volume generating AE exist; however, integration of continuum elastic–plastic and molecular dynamics models is necessary to enhance our understanding of the physical mechanisms generating AE response. This multiscale approach can be further helped by the experimental data using AE instrumented nanoindentation as it allows very localised and fine scale measurement in load or displacement control.