Rui Miguel Moreira Araújo
PhD Supervisor: Dr. Slim Soua, Dr. Maysam Abbod, Prof. Wamadeva Balachandran
Research Area: Long Range Ultrasonic
Sponsoring Organization: School of Engineering & Design, Brunel University, UK
Academic Qualification :
- Masters Degree in Mechatronics Engineering, Minho University (Portugal), First Class Honours
- Bachelor Degree in Electronic and Computer Networks Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo (Portugal), First Class Honours
Research Interests: Mechatronics, Electronics, LRU, AE, Tidal Energy, Data Communication
PhD Research:
Tidal streams are fast flowing volumes of water caused by the motion of the tide. These usually occur in shallow a sea where a natural constriction exists which forces the water to speed up. The technology involved is very similar to wind energy, but there are some differences. Water is 800 times denser than air and has a much slower flowrate; this means that the turbine experiences much larger forces and moments. Tidal energy is of course an underwater structure and naturally corrosion is a possible problem that can jeopardize the whole structure, also others variables must be accountable such as cracks and fatigue. Structural Health Monitoring plays a key component area that can be applied in many fields of application ranging from civil buildings to even space shuttles and can have a very important role in tidal energy. The main goal of utilizing a structural health monitoring system is to examine a structure for any damage. Developing such a system is vital in optimizing tasks related to inspection and maintenance.
The structural health monitoring system proposed will perform a non-destructive inspection to detect any possible damage through the usage of the combination of both Long-Range Ultrasonics (LRU) and Acoustic Emission (AE) techniques.
An example of tidal stream generator
Principle of the acoustic emission technique
