I think on a Tardis-board basis or did I mean maybe ouija? … the middle wave of the secondary fifth set has the Freo Doctor* riding high to shores which remain, so far, mysterious?
And speaking of winds..
(*The Fremantle Doctor is the one that blows off the ocean in that locale during summer months, to often cool the coast on blazing afternoons)
…are those of change ever going to visit here?
My weather vane says: probably … however it doesn’t know which way or when.
So on the basis of that and to say hello and add something to the forum, here’s a share of some non price-relevant Sunday afternoon research as AEM gets on with supporting staff and, no doubt, others impacted by the horrendous Kelowna wildfires [recent update]
… and SMN chairman, Ross Love, continues to progress his plans to relocate back to .. I’m guessing New York .. next year (but according to the last quarterly he’ll also be spending a significant amount of time in Kelowna)
And Boeing continues to do its research into the APB?
…….. and all the sets of all the waves roll to shore, one after the other in a pulse that pre-dates even the invention of CVM back in the 1980s and the naming of the Freo doctor too.
And - speaking again of doctors - I have been looking a bit at Dr Dennis Roach.
Many here know he’s now SMN’s ‘senior technical fellow’ and is a very long term associate/proponent of CVM tech.
More history : Prior to his appointment to SMN and the setting up of his engineering firm - DR Engineering, Dennis used to head Sandia’s now closed Albuquerque Federal Aviation Administration Airworthiness Assurance Center which was operated for many years by Sandia Labs for the FAA, but which, in 2021, was relocated from New Mexico [ref] to Wichita State University .
Previous management here had this department of Sandia doing lots of studies - initially I think for free - and then on a ‘paid for’ basis …
CVM and BRIDGES:
And I don’t know Dr Roach’s current financial status with SMN - but curiously despite Ross Love telling us last November that bridges are off the immediate agenda (see @Burnzie post [ Q:2 - 18/11/22 ], Dennis seems to still be following up on his long term drive to have CVM sensors recognised as a crack detector on bridges.
— He presented in July 2022 on this subject - in Barcelona at the Eleventh International Conference on Bridge Maintenance, Safety and Management - and will presumably also present at the next conference - to be held next June in Copenhagen (which has talk submissions due by Wednesday week (06/09/23).)
Also - for the record - his Barcelona presentation warranted a chapter on CVM in the book I’ve linked in the spoiler.
Reliable Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems can automatically process data, assess structural condition, and signal the need for specific maintenance actions. Comparative Vacuum Monitoring (CVM) is a simple pneumatic sensor technology developed to monitor the onset and propagation of structural cracks. The use of in-situ CVM sensors, coupled with remote interrogation, can be employed to overcome a myriad of inspection impediments stemming from accessibility limitations, complex geometries, the location of hidden damage, and the isolated location of the structure. The ease of monitoring an entire network of distributed sensors means that structural health assessments can occur more often, allowing operators to be even more vigilant with respect to damage onset. A series of CVM validation and certification programs have been completed to establish the overall viability of these sensors for monitoring such diverse structures as bridges, buildings, aircraft, ships, railroad cars and mining equipment. Factors that affect SHM sensitivity - including flaw size, shape, orientation, and operational environments – were studied and multi-year field tests were completed to certify the routine use of CVM sensors. This paper presents the quantitative crack detection capabilities of the CVM sensor, its performance in real operating environments, and the prospects for structural health monitoring applications on bridges. Economic barriers to the replacement of bridges and other civil structures have created an aging infrastructure and placed greater demands on the deployment of effective and rapid health monitoring methods. The ability to quickly and remotely gather sensor data can transform maintenance practices, allowing for more a proactive, predictive, and optimized maintenance schemes. The application of SHM technology in the sustainment of bridges can reduce maintenance costs, allow for minimized repairs as a result of early damage detection, compensate for uncertainties in bridge aging and even prevent premature failures.
So bridges may not be on Ross Love’s near term maps, but they are still out there and Dr Roach remains keen?
More history :according to this July 2018 press release from Sandia (when he was still working there, and about to attend the ninth biennial bridge safety conference):
“Sandia National Laboratories has worked with Structural Monitoring Systems PLC, a U.K.-based manufacturer of structural health monitoring sensors, for over 15 years to turn this science fiction into science fact. They outfitted a U.S. bridge with a network of eight real-time sensors able to alert maintenance engineers when they detect a crack or when a crack reaches a length that requires repair.https://newsreleases.sandia.gov/sma...ies mechanical engineer,if it detects a crack.
Perhaps he is just rehashing old information on the bridges conference circuit to ensure CVM is not forgotten ?
Beyond the bridges he is definitely still promoting CVM to the aeronautical industry.
Dr Roach and Paul Swindell (another long term researcher/presenter into SHM systems including CVM [how it looked according to Paul back in 2014]
…will be on the podium this September 10 talking at the 14th International Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring (IWSHM) will be held at Stanford University, CA (as previously linked by @Hatrack .)
And our client/ (also soon to be reconfirmed sales agent?), Delta appears to be all over this workshop like a rash with Davis Piotrowski of Delta Tech Ops chairing proceedings https://iwshm2023.stanford.edu/aisc-2023/agenda
Will we have news before then?
And maybe Ross pulled Dr Roach off the bridges circuit after the Barcelona conference?
Cheers
SMN Price at posting:
74.0¢ Sentiment: Hold Disclosure: Held
(20min delay)