A new sensing device for disaster prevention and biomedical applications

在石化和核电站中，老化的管道和恶劣的环境要求采用先进的方法来监控复杂的管道网络，以防止灾难性的爆炸。流动加速腐蚀和冲刷腐蚀是钢管最常见的失效形式。维护范例之一，以减轻结构故障的风险包括定期测量管壁的厚度，在预定义的位置，使用传统的无损评估方法。然而，当缺陷在两次维护检查之间被诱发或变得至关重要时，这种维护策略几乎起不到作用。此外，复杂的管道网络，其中一些在非常高的温度下运行，使得定期检查既不琐碎也不便宜。在这个项目中，我们提出了一个新的转导机制，可以用来连续监测管道的利益。该传感器由四个主要部件组成：能够维持高度非线性孤立波传播的几毫米球形颗粒链;触发链中波的机制;检测波的嵌入式传感器;现场处理数据并无线传输有价值信息的硬件系统。研究假设是，波的某些特性取决于管道的厚度。如果假设将被验证，新的传感器将允许连续监测感兴趣的结构，而无需关闭工厂，并且不会由于高温操作或与耦合机制相关的可变性而受到数据保真度的影响。 最后，建议的传感器应能够远程测量在任何温度和任何位置（地上和地下）运行的管道的壁厚。在研究这种新传感器的基本原理以解决管道爆裂的工程问题的同时，研究人员将探索传感器的可行性，适当地缩小和设计，测量人眼的眼内压。目的是让青光眼患者能够频繁地自我测量眼内压，而无需承担临床访视的负担。这将使数百万患有青光眼的患者受益，青光眼是一种与年龄有关的疾病，也是世界上第二大致盲原因。本项目是研制一种新型便携式眼压计的第一步，它能使青光眼患者自动测量眼压，并能在任何温度和任何地点远程测量金属管的厚度。以及（2）一种新的经眼睑眼压计，可以随时随地进行自我测量。该研究团队由孤立波传播和无损评估专家、电化学传感器电子开发专家以及具有青光眼和白内障手术经验的眼科护理专业人士组成。一名研究生和一名博士后将从事该项目。许多研究生和本科生也将受到影响，计划在交叉列出的课程中纳入一些实验室课程。根据活动的综合记录，研究人员致力于通过外联活动，志愿服务或国际比赛中的裁判来教育最年轻的人。最后，项目成果将在国际会议上展示，并通过同行评审的出版物传播。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In petrochemical and nuclear power plants, aging pipelines and harsh environment call for advanced methodologies to monitor the intricate network of piping to prevent catastrophic explosions. Flow-accelerated corrosion and erosion-corrosion are among the most common degradation modes of the steel piping. One of the maintenance paradigms to mitigate the risks of structural failures consists of measuring the thickness of pipe walls periodically, at predefined locations using conventional nondestructive evaluation methods. However, this maintenance strategy can do little when flaws are induced or become critical between two maintenance inspections. In addition, the intricate network of pipes, some of which operating at very high temperature, makes periodic inspection neither trivial nor inexpensive. In this project, we propose a new transduction mechanism that can be used to monitor continuously the pipes of interests. The transducer consists of four main components: a chain of a few millimeter spherical particles able to sustain the propagation of highly nonlinear solitary waves; a mechanism to trigger the waves in the chain; an embedded sensor to detect the waves; a hardware system to process in-situ the data and transmit valuable information wirelessly. The research hypothesis is that certain characteristics of the waves are dependent on the thickness of the pipe. If the hypothesis will be validated, the new transducer will allow the continuous monitoring of the structure of interest without plant shutdown, and will not suffer from data fidelity due to high-temperature operation or variability associated with coupling mechanism. Ultimately, the proposed transducer shall enable the remote measurement of the wall thickness of pipes operating at any temperature and at any location, above and below ground. While studying the fundamental principles of this new transducer to address the engineering problem of pipe bursts, the investigators will explore the feasibility of the transducer, opportunely downscaled and designed, at measuring the intraocular pressure of the human eye. The objective is to allow glaucoma patients to perform frequent self-measurement of their intraocular pressure without the burden of clinical visits. This will benefit the millions of patients that suffer from glaucoma, an age-related disease and the second leading cause of blindness in the world. To this end, this project represents the initial step towards the development of a new portable tonometer for self-measurements to allow glaucoma patients capturing the spontaneous circadian rhythm of the eye pressure.The two main technological innovations that are expected from the scientific advancements of this project are: (1) a new transducer for the remote measurement of metallic pipe thickness operating at any temperature and at any location; and (2) a new trans-palpebral tonometer to perform self-measurements anywhere anytime. The research team is formed by an expert in solitary wave propagation and nondestructive evaluation an expert in the electronic development of electrochemical sensors and an eye care professional with experience in glaucoma and cataract surgery. A graduate student and a post-doc will work on the project. Many graduates and undergraduates will be impacted as well, a plan to incorporate a few laboratory sessions in their cross-listed courses. Following a consolidated record of activities, the Investigators are committed to educating the youngest through outreach activities, volunteering, or judging at international competitions. Finally, the project results will be presented at international conferences and disseminated through peer-reviewed publications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.