Damage developing in a material can be difficult to see until something breaks or fails. A new polymer damage indication system automatically highlights areas that are cracked, scratched or stressed, allowing engineers to address problem areas before they become more problematic.
The early warning system would be particularly useful in applications like petroleum pipelines, air and space transport, and automobiles – applications where one part’s failure could have costly ramifications that are difficult to repair. Led by U. of I. materials science and engineering professor Nancy Sottos and aerospace engineering professor Scott White, the researchers published their work in the journal Advanced Materials.
“Polymers are susceptible to damage in the form of small cracks that are often difficult to detect. Even at small scales, crack damage can significantly compromise the integrity and functionality of polymer materials,” Sottos said. “We developed a very simple but elegant material to autonomously indicate mechanical damage.”
The researchers embedded tiny microcapsules of a pH-sensitive dye in an epoxy resin. If the polymer forms cracks or suffers a scratch, stress or fracture, the capsules break open. The dye reacts with the epoxy, causing a dramatic color change from light yellow to a bright red – no additional chemicals or activators required.
The deeper the scratch or crack, the more microcapsules are broken, and the more intense the color. This helps to assess the extent of the damage. Even so, tiny microscopic cracks of only 10 micrometers are enough to cause a color change, letting the user know that the material has lost some of its structural integrity.
“”Detecting damage before significant corrosion or other problems can occur provides increased safety and reliability for coated structures and composites,” White said. White and Sottos are affiliated with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the U. of I.
The researchers demonstrated that the damage indication system worked well for a variety of polymer materials that can be applied to coat different substrates including metals, polymers and glasses. They also found that the system has long-term stability – no microcapsule leaking to produce false positives, and no color fading.
In addition to averting unforeseen and costly failure, another economic advantage of the microcapsule system is the low cost, Sottos said.
“A polymer needs only to be 5 percent microcapsules to exhibit excellent damage indication ability,” Sottos said. “It is cost effective to acquire this self-reporting ability.”
Now, the researchers are exploring further applications for the indicator system, such as applying it to fiber-reinforced composites, as well as integrating it with the group’s previous work in self-healing systems.
“We envision this self-reporting ability can be seamlessly combined with other functions such as self-healing and corrosion protection to both report and repair damage,” Sottos said. “Work is in progress to combine the ability to detect new damage with self-healing functionality and a secondary indication that reveals that crack healing has occurred.”
Read more:Â Making the invisible visible: Color-changing indicators highlight microscopic damage
The Latest on: Damage indication system
via Google News
The Latest on: Damage indication system
- 1 dead, extensive storm damage in western and central Minnesotaon May 12, 2022 at 7:12 pm
Another round of severe weather hammered western and central Minnesota Thursday evening. The system formed in Kansas and Nebraska and then raced rapidly into South Dakota and southwest Minnesota at ...
- Mixing ibuprofen with common high blood pressure drugs may cause permanent kidney damageon May 10, 2022 at 3:39 am
If you’re currently taking a diuretic and a renin-angiotensin system (RSA) inhibitor for hypertension, researchers from the University of Waterloo warn that taking ibuprofen could be a very harmful ...
- Ibuprofen, blood pressure drugs may cause kidney damageon May 9, 2022 at 6:00 pm
WATERLOO, Ontario (StudyFinds.org) — If you’re currently taking a diuretic and a renin-angiotensin system (RSA ... practitioners a much earlier indication of any potential drug interaction ...
- Lawmakers approve funds for state lab amid damage at facilityon May 6, 2022 at 10:01 pm
Some photos even show sensitive equipment like gas chromatographs covered with plastics. DOH insists no samples were impacted by the water damage. But the damage is prompting lawmakers to step in. "It ...
- Looking back at Kitsap's COVID response to help strengthen overall health systemon May 5, 2022 at 3:58 pm
COVID isn’t over yet, but with critical hospitalizations and deaths remaining low despite increasing cases, the virus appears to have morphed into a form we can monitor and manage. We are ...
- Assessing the Damageon May 5, 2022 at 1:29 pm
This was the worst day of weakness of the year, but it's also part of the market's cycle.
- Examples of 'cause damage' in a sentenceon May 4, 2022 at 11:26 pm
We welcome feedback: report an example sentence to the Collins team. Read more… The 2007 exercise, involving 26,000 troops, caused damage to marine life, green protesters claimed. Wet steam is ...
- Severe storm outbreak spawns multitude of funnel clouds but no injuries, minimal damage Friday night in countyon May 3, 2022 at 8:59 pm
Two tornados touched down and about "seven or eight" funnel clouds formed in Dickinson County during Friday's thunderstorms, according to Emergency Management Director Chancy Smith. No one was hurt ...
- Voices: Women’s lives will be collateral damage if Roe v Wade is overturnedon May 3, 2022 at 1:58 am
It is also that the newly-appointed justices gave no indication they would seek ... politics has also claimed the judicial system as its latest victim. The bigger tragedy is that women will be the ...
- Statins side effects: The colour of your pee could signal liver damage - experton April 23, 2022 at 9:00 pm
Designed to keep the levels in check and protect your cardiovascular system from further damage, the little pills ... it may be an indication of an excess of potentially dangerous waste products ...
via Bing News