Advanced scanning infrared laser system for dynamic measurements on soft materials

由流体流动引起的机械振动--申请人是这方面的知名专家--会影响对公众至关重要的系统的安全运行；它们可能导致核电厂堆芯中裂变材料的释放，以及人体大动脉(如主动脉)的坍塌和相关主动脉移植物的失败。今天，根据传统方法避免共振是不够的，但有必要预测在灾难性事件期间达到的振动的严重程度。振动测试需要使用先进的非接触式系统，如扫描激光多普勒测振仪(SLDV)，对原型进行精确测量。这些交钥匙系统可以非常精确地测量数千个点的速度和位移，从而测量整个表面的振动模式形状。几十年的SLDV经验表明，没有其他技术可以在不同条件下(如浸入水中)测量表面数千个点上纳米级精度的缓慢位移以及每秒数百万次的振动。申请者的主要实验资产现在是一个SLDV，这是麦吉尔大学唯一的一个，在允许不同的研究后，达到了生命的尽头。单点模型是可用的，但对于价格的很大一部分，它们只测量一个点，因此它们的时间效率要低数百倍。所要求的设备是一种SLDV，取代并改进了目前的型号。与旧的不同，它将使用一种新的红外激光技术，允许测量橡胶和生物医学材料等非反射表面。虽然它将复制和改进以前在金属材料上的性能，但它也将是首次允许对人体大动脉(如主动脉)进行体外动态表征的关键因素。该设备紧凑而灵活，多亏了摄像机，可以直观地对准结构，输出直观的动画，也可用于培训目的。它完全具有基于PC的功能，易于使用，速度极快。因此，任何需要它的研究人员都可以轻松、连续地获得它。它坚固耐用，可以毫不迟延地运送到其他地方。它是安全的，所以它可以立即分享，而且在申请人已经监督的四名研究生和两名研究生之间几乎不需要培训。到目前为止，SLDV是振动测试领域的领先技术，因此对于任何寻求该领域工作的HQP来说，实践经验是绝对必要的。拟议的SLDV将在屏幕上可视化振动对现代生活基础系统的直接影响；它们将改善加拿大公众的安全，并提供开发新一代心血管假体和核反应堆堆芯所需的数据。因此，HQP在这些领域的学术成就和就业能力将得到极大的促进。

Mechanical vibrations excited by fluid flow, of which the applicant is a renowned expert, affect the safe operation of systems of crucial importance to the public; they may result in the release of fissile material in the cores of nuclear plants as well as in the collapse of large human arteries such as the aorta and in the failure of relevant aortic grafts. Today it is not sufficient to avoid resonances according to traditional methods, but it is necessary to predict the severity of the vibrations reached during catastrophic events. Vibration testing requires the accurate measurement of prototypes by advanced non-contact systems like scanning laser Doppler vibrometers (SLDVs). These turnkey systems can measure the vibration mode shape of entire surfaces in terms of very accurate velocity and displacement of thousands of points. Decades of experience with SLDVs indicate that no other technology measures with nanometer accuracy slow displacements as well as millions of oscillations per seconds on thousands of points on surfaces in different conditions (e.g. immersed in water). The main experimental asset of the applicant is now one SLDV, the only one at McGill University, that, after allowing disparate researches, reached its end of life. Single point models are available, but for an important fraction of the price they measure one point only, thus they are hundreds of times less time effective. The requested equipment is a SLDV that substitutes and improves the current model. Differently than the old one available, it will employ a novel infrared laser technology, allowing the measurement of non-reflective surfaces such as rubbers and biomedical materials. While it will replicate and improve previous performances on metallic materials, it will also be a key factor in allowing for the first time the ex vivo dynamic characterization of large human arteries (e.g. aortas). The equipment is compact and flexible and, thanks to a video-camera, can be aimed intuitively onto structures giving as output intuitive animations, also used for training purposes. It is complete with PC-based capabilities, easy to use and extremely fast. Thus, it is easily and continuously available to any researcher needing it. It is rugged and can be transported to other locations without delay. It is safe, so it can be shared immediately and with little training between four graduate and two post-graduate students already supervised by the applicant. SLDV is by far the leading technology in vibration testing, so hands-on experience is absolutely necessary for any HQP pursuing employment in this field. The proposed SLDV will visualize on screen the direct impact of vibrations on systems at the base of modern life; they will improve the safety of the Canadian public and give data necessary to develop a new generation of cardiovascular prostheses and nuclear reactor cores. Consequently, the academic success and employability of HQP in these sectors will be highly facilitated.