Publications
Fracture mode analysis of cementitious mortars by simultaneous application of 4D-XCT and acoustic emission technique KU Leuven
Cementitious brittle construction materials are susceptible to fracturing due to their heterogeneous material composition and relatively weak bond between the aggregates and paste. Hence, enhanced methods of fracture analysis in these materials are an important subject of research. The acoustic emission technique (AET) is frequently used in the study of brittle construction materials, yet the random nature of cracking and the het erogeneity of ...
Effects of Water Uptake on the Electrical Properties of Carbon Black-Epoxy Nanocomposites KU Leuven
Water ingress in composite structures is a potentially costly problem, and its detection before related damage begins to appear is of utmost importance. Carbon black fillers (CB) and epoxy matrices can be used to produce water-sensitive nanocomposites that can be integrated into composites during production. Nevertheless, the effects of water uptake on the electrical properties of CB-epoxy nanocomposites have scarcely been reported. Therefore, ...
Defect detection in carbon fiber-reinforced plate by imaging of mechanical nonlinearity-induced sideband vibrations KU Leuven
Laser Doppler scanning vibrometry is used for imaging spectral vibration components in a carbon fiber-reinforced composite plate that contains a sub-surface delamination defect caused by hammer impact. The images reveal sideband generation at the location of the defect, reflecting mechanical nonlinearity-induced mixing between a high amplitude, low-frequency vibration that modulates the stress–strain behavior near the defect and a low amplitude, ...
Resistive response of carbon-black-epoxy nanocomposites upon exposure to moisture KU Leuven
Water ingress in composite structures is an extremely costly problem, and its detection before related damage begins to appear is of utmost importance. Nanocomposites, based on epoxy matrices and Carbon Black fillers (CB), are promising humidity sensors that can be integrated in composite structures during production. Nevertheless, the effects of water uptake on the electrical properties of CB-epoxy films have scarcely been reported. Therefore, ...
Effect of liquid metal environment on nucleation of fatigue cracks in an austenitic stainless steel KU Leuven
The compatibility of nuclear materials in contact with Generation IV reactor coolants such as lead‑bismuth eutectic (LBE) still requires experimental justification. One of the key mechanical properties is fatigue life, both for reactor design and for life extension programmes. In this work, the characteristics of surface cracks in austenitic stainless steel 316 L was analysed after low cycle fatigue tests at 350 °C in three different ...
Internal and interfacial microstructure characterization of ice droplets on surfaces by X-ray Computed Tomography KU Leuven
HYPOTHESIS: Characterizing the microstructure of an ice/surface interface and its effect on the icephobic behavior of surfaces remains a significant challenge. Introducing X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) can provide unprecedented insights into the internal (porosity) and interfacial structures, i.e. wetting regime, between (super)hydrophobic surfaces and ice by visualizing these optically inaccessible regions. EXPERIMENTS: Frozen droplets with ...
Statistical analysis of the effect of lead-bismuth eutectic on fatigue resistance of 316L KU Leuven
Environments like liquid lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) or air can have an effect on the fatigue resistance of nuclear materials such as ferritic-martensitic and austenitic stainless steels if compared to vacuum. This paper provides a quantitative assessment, supported by statistical tools, of the effects of LBE and air on the fatigue life. Low cycle fatigue tests were performed on cylindrical samples of 316L in three environments: air, vacuum, and ...
Cryogenic contrast-enhanced microCT enables nondestructive 3D quantitative histopathology of soft biological tissues KU Leuven
Biological tissues comprise a spatially complex structure, composition and organization at the microscale, named the microstructure. Given the close structure-function relationships in tissues, structural characterization is essential to fully understand the functioning of healthy and pathological tissues, as well as the impact of possible treatments. Here, we present a nondestructive imaging approach to perform quantitative 3D histo(patho)logy ...