Application of stereolithographic custom models for studying the impact of biofilms and mineral precipitation on fluid flow.

Here we introduce the use of transparent experimental models fabricated by stereolithography for studying the impacts of biomass accumulation, minerals precipitation, and physical configuration of flow paths on liquid flow in fracture apertures. The internal configuration of the models ranged in complexity from simple geometric shapes to those that incorporate replicated surfaces of natural fractures and computationally derived fracture surfaces. High-resolution digital time-lapse imaging was employed to qualitatively observe the migration of colloidal and soluble dyes through the flow models. In this study, a Sphingomonas sp. and Sporosarcina (Bacillus) pasteurii influenced the fluid dynamics by physically altering flow paths. Microbial colonization and calcite deposition enhanced the stagnant regions adjacent to solid boundaries. Microbial growth and calcite precipitation occurred to a greater extent in areas behind the fabricated obstacles and less in high-velocity orifices.

Imaging anisotropic elastic properties of an orthotropic paper sheet using photorefractive dynamic holography.

An important material property in the paper industry is the anisotropic stiffness distribution due to the fibrous microstructure of paper and to processing procedures. Ultrasonic methods offer a means of determining the stiffness of sheets of paper from the anisotropic propagation characteristics of elastic Lamb waves along the machine direction and the cross direction. That is, along and perpendicular to the direction of paper production. Currently, piezoelectric ultrasonic methods are employed in the industry to measure the elastic polar diagram of paper through multiple contacting measurements made in all directions. This paper describes a new approach utilizing the INEEL Laser Ultrasonic Camera to provide a complete image of the elastic waves traveling in all directions in the plane of the paper sheet. This approach is based on optical dynamic holographic methods that record the out of plane ultrasonic motion over the entire paper surface simultaneously without scanning. The full-field imaging technique offers great potential for increasing the speed of the measurement and it ultimately provides a substantial amount of information concerning local property variations and flaws in the paper. This report shows the success of the method and the manner in which it yields the elastic polar diagram for the paper from the dispersive flexural or antisymmetric Lamb wave.

Off-axis propagation of ultrasonic guided waves in thin orthotropic layers: theoretical analysis and dynamic holographic imaging measurement.

The elastic properties of many materials in sheet or plate form can be approximated with orthotropic symmetry. In many sheet material manufacturing industries (e.g., the paper industry), manufacturers desire knowledge of certain anisotropic elastic properties in the sheet for handling and quality issues. Ultrasonic wave propagation in plate materials forms a method to determine the anisotropic elastic properties in a nondestructive manner. This work explores exact and approximate analysis methods of ultrasonic guided wave propagation in thin layers, explicitly dealing with orthotropic symmetry and propagation off-axis with respect to the manufacturing direction. Recent advances in full-field ultrasonic imaging methods, based on dynamic holography, allow simultaneous measurement of the plate wave motion in all planar directions within a single image. Results from this laser ultrasonic imaging approach are presented that record the lowest anti-symmetric (flexural) mode wavefront in a single image without scanning. Specific numerical predictions for flexural wave propagation in two distinctly different types of paper are presented and compared with direct imaging measurements. Very good agreement is obtained for the lowest anti-symmetric plate mode using paper properties independently determined by a third party. Complete determination of the elastic modulus tensor for orthotropic layers requires measurement of other modes in addition to the lowest anti-symmetric. Theoretical predictions are presented for other guided wave modes [extensional (S), flexural (A), and shear-horizontal (SH)] in orthotropic plates with emphasis on propagation in all planar directions. It is shown that there are significant changes in the dispersion characterization of these modes at certain frequencies (including off-axis mode coupling) that can be exploited to measure additional in-plane elastic moduli of thin layers. At present, the sensitivity of the imaging measurement approach limits experimental investigation to relatively large amplitudes easily produced by flexural wave motion (> 0.1 nm). Extension of the measurement range and application to other plate wave modes are in progress and shall be reported in future work.

Photorefractive optical lock-in vibration spectral measurement.

An optical photorefractive frequency-domain method is described for measuring displacement amplitude and phase of vibrating surfaces. The method is applicable to diffusely scattering surfaces and usable in either a point-detection or imaging configuration. The method utilizes an optical lock-in approach to measure phase modulation of light scattered from continuously vibrating surfaces. Picometer displacement sensitivities have been demonstrated over a frequency range of 100 Hz to greater than 100 kHz. The response of the spectral method is independent of the vibration frequency above the photorefractive cutoff frequency. Two methods are described that produce a readout beam intensity that is a direct function of the vibration amplitude suitable for imaging.