Search

Luminescent oxygen sensor composed of platinum-porphyrin and a gas-permeable polymer binder was applied as an optical crack sensor paint for infrastructure. The sensor paints were designed as a three-layered structure in which the luminescent oxygen sensor layer was sandwiched between oxygen barrier layers. The sensor paints emitted intense luminescence under UV light irradiation, and the luminescence was efficiently quenched when a new crack formed on the concrete surface. Microcracks, which were

Friction stir welding (FSW) has many advantages rather than fusion welding, but details of internal phenomena during its processes have not yet been clarified. In this study, a thermo-mechanically coupled process model was developed to investigate FSW phenomena inside a tool and workpiece. As a workpiece, 6061-T6 aluminum alloy was employed. The system of FSW process model includes several thermal boundaries. Among heat flows through these boundaries, heat transfers into the exterior of the system become more sensitive to tool and workpiece temperatures than heat transfers within the system. This paper especially focused on a heat transfer coefficient at a workpiece bottom, and optimized it through experiments and finite element method (FEM) analyses. The tool temperatures during FSW were measured with a special tooling system with imbedded thermocouples within a tool. As a result, an analysis model that is able to investigate details at a wide range of traverse speeds was developed for practical high speed welding. Then, the accuracy of developed FEM model was validated with them. Finally, the temperatures and stress distribution around workpiece/tool interfaces were investigated with the developed model.

To predict accurate cutting forces and residual stresses while machining products or to design optimum machining conditions like friction stir welding (FSW), FEM analyses are effective because they can reduce the cost of product design and improve product qualities. In order to conduct these FEM analyses precisely, it is necessary to determine accurate flow stresses of workpieces used for the constitutive equations of analyses that generally have a wide range of temperatures and strain rates. Correct identification of flow stress can lead to better analysis results close to actual phenomenon. In this study, focusing on 6061-T6 aluminum alloy used for objects such as civil engineering structures and railway vehicle bodies, we investigated the properties for machining the material. For this, we carried out an inverse analysis to understand the flow stress of 6061-T6 machined at high-strain rates and high temperatures. Then, we used this identified flow stress in the constitutive equation of FEM models, and inspected the accuracy of material properties conducting verification experiments and analyses to check the cutting forces and chip temperature while machining. As a result, we obtained good correlations between verification experiments and an analysis, which means the identified flow stress can be used for precise FEM analyses when machining materials.

5083 aluminum alloy is increasingly used because of its excellent corrosion resistance, high work-hardening rate, and strength. In order to improve its weldability and feasibility, material behavior, material flow, and defects induced while friction stir welding 5083 should be studied. In this study, they were investigated by thermo-structural analysis. The flow stress of 5083-O has a high rate of sensitivity among high temperatures and wide strain rate ranges. Therefore, the details of the mechanical properties of 5083-O at high temperatures and wide strain rate ranges were investigated to obtain reasonable analysis results using a precise flow stress model. The tool/workpiece interface temperature during FSW is critical for accurate analysis results. This study used special equipment to measure tool temperature in order to investigate the interface temperatures precisely, and then the obtained data were used for optimization and verification of the thermal boundary conditions for analysis modeling. Using the developed model, the material behavior and material flow during FSW of 5083-O were analyzed. The tool and workpiece interface temperatures, flow stresses, strain rates, and velocities were investigated with the cylinder and threaded probes in detail. One of the analysis results indicated that the material flow rate on the rear side of a probe directly affected defect generation while joining.

Pultrusion is an easy molding method of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) to obtain a long composite material with a uniform cross-section at relatively low cost. In some cases, pultruded FRPs are now used in bridges and deck projects. Since the application of pultruded FRP as a structural material is increasing, a study on the durability of pultruded FRP under outdoor conditions is necessary in terms of safety. Some studies have shown that pultruded glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) exhibits a slight reduction in mechanical properties during outdoor exposure. Since pultruded GFRP consists of multi-layers, the change of mechanical properties in each layer is important to understand. In this study, an outdoor exposure test on pultruded GFRP for 10 years was conducted with three types of pultruded GFRP, which have different laminate systems, including surface-coated specimens of each type. Changes of strength and elastic modulus due to outdoor exposure were discussed with a focus on the contribution of each layer based on the rule of mixtures.

Surface protection by hydrophobic impregnation and surface coating are widely used for concrete bridges located at coastal area in Japan. This paper deals with the improvement of adhesion between surface coating and hydrophobic impregnated concrete by different types of silanes and by invastigating surface treatment methods. As a result, adhesion between hydrophobic impregnated concrete and epoxy-based surface coating were improved by applying abrasive paper, portable electric grinder, solvent or diluted hydrochloric acid treatment. Especially, using portable electric grinder gave a remarkable improvement to the adhesive property. Also, hybrid-surface protection system consisting of surface coating and hydrophobic impregnation was discussed to prevent blistering.

The ultrasonic welding of polymer optical fibres (POFs) onto carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers for advanced fibre-optic sensing is demonstrated. The relationships among the welding time, preload, optical loss, and adhesive force are fully evaluated. A high-speed camera to monitor changes in the cross section of the POF during the ultrasonic welding is also used.

Here we will propose the conceptual new idea of the inspection of concrete bridge using smart materials and mobile IoT system. We apply opal photonic crystal film to detect cracks on concrete infrastructures. High quality opal photonic crystal films were coated on black color PET sheet over 1000 cm2 area. The opal film sheet was cut and adhered to concrete or mortar test pieces by epoxy resin. In the tensile test, the structural color of the opal sheet was changed when the crack was formed. As a demonstration, we have installated the opal film sheet on the wall of the concrete bridge. Our final purpose is the color change will be recorded by portable CCD devices, and send to expert via IoT network.

Polymer-modified asphalt binder is applied for the heavy trafficked pavement because the asphalt is superior in terms of plastic flow and abrasion resistance. Recently, the development of warm-mix polymer modified asphalt has proceeded. Then, it is necessary to evaluate the characteristics of these asphalt binders. In general, the authors have estimated the physical behavior of polymer-modified asphalt by DSR test. However, it seems to difficult for DSR test to estimate the nonlinear viscoelastic behavior such as warm-mix polymer-modified asphalt. In this study, the authors validated the availability of MSCR test for the characteristics of the widely distributed warm-mix polymer-modified asphalts. ポリマー改質アスファルトバインダは塑性変形抵抗性や摩耗抵抗性、はく離抵抗性等に優れており，重交通路を中心に普及している．近年では，CO₂排出量削減や作業環境改善策として中温化ポリマー改質アスファルトバインダの開発も進んでおり，既に複数メーカーから市販されている．一般的に，アスファルトバインダの物理性状はDSR試験から得られるパラメータによって評価されてきたが，改質アスファルトバインダの非線形粘弾性状を適切に評価できないことが指摘されている．本研究では，国内で流通している複数の中温化ポリマー改質アスファルトバインダの性状を調査し，基本性状の相違を明らかにするとともに，物理性状評価に対して繰り返しクリープ試験(MSCR試験)の有効性を検証したので報告する．

Hexavalent chromium is sometimes eluted from cement concrete recycled base course material. Therefore, hexavalent chromium eluted restraint technology is developed. The concentration analysis of hexavalent chromium is difficult, when a reducer coexists. There were not that standard measurement methods. The authors have already developed the analysis method of hexavalent chromium when a return substance coexists. When using this way, even if there is a return substance, hexavalent chromium is measured right. So hexavalent chromium reduction technologies were studied using accessible materials. As a result, hexavalent chromium eluted restraint technologyreducing sugar has been developed. セメントコンクリート再生路盤材からは六価クロムが溶出する可能性があるため，溶出の確認が行われるようになっている．これに伴い，六価クロム溶出低減技術も開発されるようになっているが，還元物質を用いる対策の場合，JISの分析法を用いることができず，評価が難しいのが現状である．本研究では，独自に開発した還元物質共存下でも容易に六価クロムを分析できる方法を用いて，自然由来の物質や入手が容易な物質の中から，還元効果が期待できる物質を選定し，六価クロムの溶出低減効果を検討した．その結果，比較的入手が容易な一部の果汁や還元糖の中に六価クロム溶出低減効果が高いものがあることを把握した．

The warm-mix asphalt technics have been applied to the hot asphalt pavements to improve the quality of constructions and to reduce CO₂ emission. Although many studies have reported that the warm-mix additives affected the physical characteristics of asphalt mixtures, the basic characteristics of the warm-mix asphalt binder has not been revealed. In this investigation, the authors measure the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the viscoelastic property of the warm-mix asphalt binder in a wide range of temperature. Also, they discuss the validity of the thermal analysis to detect the physical change of the asphalt binder. 施工性改善やCO₂排出削減などを目的として，加熱アスファルト舗装に対する中温化技術の開発や利用が進んでいる．これまで，中温化剤の添加によるアスファルト混合物の物理的性状の変化は多く報告されているが，アスファルトバインダの基礎的な物理性状については十分な言及がなされていない．本研究では，中温化剤によるアスファルトバインダの性状変化を把握することを目的として，示差走査熱量測定によりアスファルトや中温化剤の広範囲の温度域での熱特性や，これに対応した粘弾性状を調べた．さらに，熱特性と粘弾性状の関係について検討した．