| Scholar Profiles Jennifer Gustetic2002 - 2003 University Scholar "I feel engineers have a huge responsibility on their shoulders--they hold people's lives in their designs. For the same reason, I feel that practical experience through research is essential. I want to leave UF as a real engineer, and I feel the USP is giving me the real world research experience that will allow me to do just that." |
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Jennifer is a junior majoring in aerospace engineering. She is an Anderson Scholar, a member of Golden Key National Honor Society and a recipient of the Mayo Clinic and TARR Engineering scholarships. She is secretary of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and co-social chair for Phi Eta Sigma honors fraternity. She also serves as a young life leader at Ft. Clarke Middle School and assistant director for the Orange and Blue Golf Tournament that will be held during Homecoming 2002.
Research Description:Thickness Correlation to the Intensity Response of SSP2 The University of Florida has developed a luminescent-based coating, that when applied to a structural component that is subjected to external forces or loads, measures the corresponding strain field. The coating is sprayed on the component, and then excited with proper illumination. In turn, the coating emits a higher wavelength luminescence, that is captured in images taken by a digital camera. The optical strain response by the coating is intensity-based, and is related to the maximum shear strain. I have been studying the effect that the thickness of the coating has on the intensity of the luminescence, and hence the measured strain. The coating cannot be applied uniformly (of constant thickness), and hence introduces error in the measured strain. My task for the university scholars program is to determine a correction technique for the thickness of the coating. This investigation is performed with the use of test coupons. These testing components are favored because they are small and easy to test, they eliminate complex geometry and 3-D effects, and they can be produced in mass quantity. In order to prepare these coupons for testing, first a luminescent undercoat, with a thickness between 50 and 100 microns, is applied to the coupon. Then the overcoat, with a thickness between 200 and 400 microns, is applied over the undercoat. The thickness of the two coatings can then be varied in order to create a test matrix. If a coupon is connected to a devise that produces constant strain over the area of the coupon, thickness variations can be tested using the values in this test matrix. For each of these different thickness combinations, a different intensity of luminescence will be emitted. Comparing the data collected by exciting these coupons with varying coating thickness yields a means for understanding how thickness effects the strain distributions that are derived from the intensity measurements. Once the thickness is understood, intensity based images can be corrected to create accurate strain maps. |
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