High-stability capacitance strain gauge for use at extreme temperatures

Noltingk, B E; McLachlan, Dan; Owen, C.K.V.; O'Neill, P C

doi:10.1049/piee.1972.0191

Cited by 17 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 2 publications

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“…The IDE design enables for a low-profile CSG with multiple in-plane electrodes that are parallel to the substrate, which have been shown to have high strain sensitivity and low hysteresis [2,3]. In addition, the capacitive sensing mechanism of CSGs have shown to be better suited for long-term static measurements in harsh environments due to its low environmental sensitivity to high-temperature degradation effects (e.g., oxidation) that affect the electrical performance of RSGs [1,[4][5][6]. The lowprofile nature, high temperature compatibility, and suitability for wireless signal transmission [2,7] make the IDE CSG a promising design and sensing mechanism for strain gauges in harsh environments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Additively Manufactured Strain Sensing for Nuclear Reactor Applications

Phero,

Novich,

Fujimoto

et al. 2023

13th Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control &Amp; Human-Machine Interface Technologies (NPIC&HMIT 2023)

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Real-time monitoring of materials in harsh environments is a crucial technique towards reducing innovation time in nuclear systems. The successful measurement of real time, in-situ strain measurements during nuclear reactor operation requires innovative sensing solutions, including novel sensing strategies as well as advanced sensor design, manufacturing, and materials selection. In this paper, we will discuss two primary strategies for in-situ strain measurement strategies: additively manufactured (AM) capacitive strain gauges (CSGs) and digital image correlation (DIC).Current commercial strain gauges have limited applications in reactors due to the harsh operating conditions and non-trivial attachment strategies (i.e., welding, epoxy-adhesive) that can affect both the sensing performance and the underlying substrate under testing. AM CSGs are a viable solution as they have a low profile, low hysteresis, and wireless sensing integration capabilities that will enhance nuclear sensing technologies. In this work, the mechanical and thermal performance of the AM CSGs were tested up to 300 °C using ASTM standardized testing procedures to simulate the temperatures found in existing light water reactors. The AM CSGs had a similar performance across multiple samples which correlates to analytical models. This work leads towards the development of CSGs designed for higher temperatures and additional environmental factors found in Generation-IV reactors.Non-contact sensors, such as DIC, offer a less destructive way to measure deformation of materials when compared to alternative methods of in-situ strain determination, such as weldable strain gauges. However, DIC requires high contrast surfaces, which often relies on the implementation of artificial patterns. Using traditional splatter techniques to fabricate these patterns have limitations, including poor surface adhesion and reproducibility. In this work, AM fabrication techniques were implemented to avoid such limitations. Accordingly, aerosol jet printing (AJP) was used to print small scale periodic patterns of silver on stainless steel and aluminum tensile specimens. DIC was employed to monitor strain (up to 1100 µε) during temperature cycling from 23-600 °C. The results validated the use of AJP to better control pattern parameters for small fields of view applications at high temperatures.

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