National Physical Laboratory

About: National Physical Laboratory is a facility organization based out in London, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Dielectric & Thin film. The organization has 7615 authors who have published 13327 publications receiving 319381 citations.

New Theoretical Model of Stress Transfer Between Fibre and Matrix in a Uniaxially Fibre-Reinforced Composite

Abstract: A new analytical method has been developed that can predict the stress transfer between fibre and matrix in a uniaxially fibre-reinforced composite associated with either a single matrix crack or a fibre break. Account is taken of thermal residual stresses arising from a mismatch in thermal expansion coefficients between the fibre and matrix. In addition Poisson ratio mismatches are also taken into account. The theoretical approach retains all relevant stress and displacement components, and satisfies exactly the equilibrium equations, the interface conditions and other boundary conditions involving stresses. Two of the four stress-strain-temperature relations are satisfied exactly, whereas the remaining two are satisfied in an average sense. The required non-interface displacement boundary conditions are also satisfied in an average sense. The general representation is used to solve three types of stress transfer problem. A matrix crack and a broken fibre are analysed for the case when there is perfect bonding between fibre and matrix. The third type of problem takes account of frictional slip at the interface governed by the Coulomb friction law. The approximate analytic approach described in this paper, and the preliminary numerical predictions presented, indicate that the stress transfer between fibres and matrix in a unidirectional fibre-reinforced composite, loaded in tension, can now be investigated theoretically in more detail than before. The paper includes some discussion of singularities in the stress fields, which are smoothed by the averaging techniques employed in the analysis. The analytical approach has enabled the development of a micro-mechanical model of frictional slip at the fibre-matrix interface based on the Coulomb friction law, which is more realistic than assuming that the interfacial shear stress is a constant. Predictions are presented of the stress distributions along the fibre-matrix interface and, in particular, it is shown how the length of the frictional slip zone is related to applied strain, friction coefficient, fibre volume fraction and the difference between the test and ‘manufacturing’ temperatures. An indication is given of many other areas of composite modelling where the new theory will be applied.

MWCNT-conducting polymer composite based ammonia gas sensors: A new approach for complete recovery process

Abstract: Highly sensitive ammonia gas sensors were fabricated using Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) reinforced electrically conducting polymer composites following solution casting method. Two types of conducting polymers like poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)–polystyrene sulfonic acid (PEDOT:PSS) and polyaniline (PANI) were used and compared for their ammonia gas sensing properties at room temperature (RT). Both the sensors were found to exhibit excellent sensitivity and poor recovery for ammonia gas at room temperature, but as compared to PANI, PEDOT:PSS polymer composite was found to be more sensitive (with sensitivity of ∼16%) with less response time (∼15 min). In addition, thermal behavior of both the composites was investigated in detail, where MWCNT–PEDOT:PSS composite showed significantly better thermal stability than MWCNT–PANI composite. Sensor recovery posed a great problem at room temperature and a new approach is proposed to get complete recovery, exclusively tested in polymer–CNT composite sensor, to lessen the heat dependence and improve the cycling behavior. A trial experiment is conducted in combination of heat and DC electric field to optimize the complete recovery of the MWCNT–PEDOT:PSS composite based sensor where the recovery time was reduced from 48 h to 20 min. It is believed that such stimulation process provides sufficient energy to desorb chemisorbed ammonia from CNT surface completely.

Estimation of above-ground biomass of large tropical trees with Terrestrial LiDAR

Abstract: 1. Tropical forest biomass is a crucial component of global carbon emission estimations. However, calibration and validation of such estimates require accurate and effective methods to estimate in situ above-ground biomass (AGB). Present methods rely on allometric models that are highly uncertain for large tropical trees. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) tree modelling has demonstrated to be more accurate than these models to infer forest AGB. Nevertheless, applying TLS methods on tropical large trees is still challenging. We propose a method to estimate AGB of large tropical trees by three-dimensional (3D) tree modelling of TLS point clouds. 2. Twenty-nine plots were scanned with a TLS in three study sites (Peru, Indonesia and Guyana). We identified the largest tree per plot (mean diameter at breast height of 73.5 cm), extracted its point cloud and calculated its volume by 3D modelling its structure using quantitative structure models (QSM) and converted to AGB using species-specific wood density. We also estimated AGB using pantropical and local allometric models. To assess the accuracy of our and allometric methods, we harvest the trees and took destructive measurements. 3. AGB estimates by the TLS–QSM method showed the best agreement in comparison to destructive harvest measurements (28.37% coefficient of variation of root mean square error [CV-RMSE] and concordance correlation coefficient [CCC] of 0.95), outperforming the pantropical allometric models tested (35.6%–54.95% CV-RMSE and CCC of 0.89–0.73). TLS–QSM showed also the lowest bias (overall underestimation of 3.7%) and stability across tree size range, contrasting with the allometric models that showed a systematic bias (overall underestimation ranging 15.2%–35.7%) increasing linearly with tree size. The TLS–QSM method also provided accurate tree wood volume estimates (CV RMSE of 23.7%) with no systematic bias regardless the tree structural characteristics. 4. Our TLS–QSM method accounts for individual tree biophysical structure more effectively than allometric models, providing more accurate and less biased AGB estimates for large tropical trees, independently of their morphology. This non-destructive method can be further used for testing and calibrating new allometric models, reducing the current under-representation of large trees in and enhancing present and past estimates of forest biomass and carbon emissions from tropical forests.