Editor’s choice
Fully automated test cells from Kistler can efficiently handle testing of enormous quantities with no errors
measuring waves
Force sensors from Kistler have played a key part in tsunami research. Effective design of defensive structures
depends on knowing what forces tsunami waves produce when they impact on structures – but until now, almost no research has been undertaken on this subject. Coastal protection agencies clearly need to base the construction of future installations on guaranteed data. To meet this requirement, HR Wallingford – an independent British hydraulic research association – joined forces with Dr David McGovern, a Lecturer at London South Bank University and former Research Associate at University College London. Wallingford is home to one of Europe’s largest wave-current flumes, the Fast Flow Facility, and is the only location in the world where tsunamis can be simulated. The present tests were undertaken at a scale of 1:50. The Fast Flow Facility measures 70 x 4 meters. The extremely complex forces that give rise to tsunamis can only be understood by examining how they develop in three-dimensional space.
bad par ts – and this must also be ensured in exceptional situations. For this reason, Kistler accords the highest priority to guaranteeing that its automated test systems will prevent faulty par ts from ending up in the OK par ts container under any circumstances – during normal operation and also in numerous abnormal situations – and at the same time, there must be no loss of speed. To give customers the cer tainty they need, Kistler ensures smooth interaction with a well- programmed PLC, asynchronous handling and KiVision, which suppor ts asynchronous handling; for example, vir tual par t numbers help to assign related images to the correct test specimen even if they are captured at different times. For this purpose, the PLC (as the primary instance) collects the results from the individual tests, and it can make a reliable good/bad decision or even stop the machine if need be.
EAgEr for morE progrEss Despite all that has been achieved in industrial image processing, the pace of innovation continues unabated. Kistler aims to offer solutions for the constant flow of new and more extensive requirements from customers,
‘‘ 14
so the company is continuing to develop its KiVision software at the Vision Competence Centre in Karlsruhe, and to offer comprehensive training. The image processing specialists at Karlsruhe collaborate closely with Kistler's teams in Straubenhardt: their vast stock of industry exper tise helps to expand KiVision by adding routines for specific customers and applications. The software is par t of a coordinated complete package supplied from one single source: exper tise in mechanical engineering, image processing and software as well as individual feasibility analyses and intensive dialogue with customers – a combination that generates impetus to develop new solutions. Toth concludes with a summary: “We are making use of our concentrated exper tise in optical sensor technology and image processing to offer innovative, user-friendly software that will give customers even more autonomy and open up yet more possibilities for them. Although so much has already been achieved, the vast potential of industrial image processing has not yet been exhausted, especially with Industry 4.0 in view.”
Kistler Group
www.kistler.com
Although so much has already been achieved, the vast potential of industrial image processing has not yet been exhausted, especially with Industry 4.0 in view
’’
© HR Wallingford Faced with this challenge, Dr McGovern
approached Kistler, the Swiss expert on sensor technology, for help with realistic visualisation of the forces that act as the wave builds up. Kistler, the market leader for piezoelectric measurement, works with sensors that include specially grown quartz crystals. The crystal converts forces generated by waves and moving masses of water into electrical charges – and this makes it possible to measure the forces. The special feature in this case: the sensors used for tsunami research can measure forces in all three dimensions. Thanks to this technology, the research team
was able to obtain precise measurements of the entire build-up of the wave in space and over time. The team was also able to confirm that data for the simulated waves matched the data for real tsunamis, so they could be sure that their research results were meaningful and reliable. The data now provides a sound basis for future coastal defense construction projects, because researchers finally have a reliable method to simulate and calculate the effects of tsunami on different structural shapes. With support from the Swiss measurement technology experts, the British team has played an important part in ensuring that future defensive measures will help save lives when a tsunami strikes.
www.kistler.com October 2019 Instrumentation Monthly
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82
