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- Creators: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program
The two general categories of structural health monitoring (SHM) systems include passive and active monitoring. Active SHM systems utilize an input of energy to monitor the health of a structure (such as sound waves in ultrasonics), while passive systems do not. As such, passive SHM tends to be more desirable. A system could be permanently fixed to a critical location, passively accepting signals until it records a damage event, then localize and characterize the damage. This is the goal of acoustic emissions testing.
When certain types of damage occur, such as matrix cracking or delamination in composites, the corresponding release of energy creates sound waves, or acoustic emissions, that propagate through the material. Audio sensors fixed to the surface can pick up data from both the time and frequency domains of the wave. With proper data analysis, a time of arrival (TOA) can be calculated for each sensor allowing for localization of the damage event. The frequency data can be used to characterize the damage.
In traditional acoustic emissions testing, the TOA combined with wave velocity and information about signal attenuation in the material is used to localize events. However, in instances of complex geometries or anisotropic materials (such as carbon fibre composites), velocity and attenuation can vary wildly based on the direction of interest. In these cases, localization can be based off of the time of arrival distances for each sensor pair. This technique is called Delta T mapping, and is the main focus of this study.
The goal of themed entertainment is to use activities and environments to tell a story and immerse the guest in a novel experience. By applying these concepts to nonfiction and educational topics, the concept of edutainment is created. In recent years museums have begun utilizing the concept of edutainment and techniques typically found in themed entertainment experiences to capture the attention and focus of guests and create experiences that connect emotionally with them. My goal in this thesis pathway project was to investigate this trend and technique of connecting with an audience and apply it to the STEAMtank project within ASU’s Innovation Space. The goal of STEAMtank is to design and fabricate children’s STEAM museum exhibits in two semesters with focus on accessible design. My team conducted research and interviews exploring current market trends in theme parks and museums, best practice designs and operations, and interests of children to develop the concept for our exhibit, Gust of Dust, which was then fine-tuned, constructed, and installed in the STEAMtank Exhibit Space. Gust of Dust is an exciting exhibit demonstrating the power of a haboob that was developed from preconcept to installation in under a year by two determined and talented interdisciplinary teams. Learning about haboobs connect concepts of environmentalism, earth science, and safety to real concepts in children’s lives.