The activities of this research team involve several areas. The first area is diagnostics of materials and structural analysis. This part of the team deals with the diagnostics of insulating systems of electrical machines and devices from the point of view of their properties relating to the measurement of insulation resistance, short-circuit factors, capacity and partial discharges. Apart from the electrical tests, mechanical tests are performed, for example, the measurement of tensile strength, compression strength and bending strength. Of all the structural analysis methods employed in this research workplace, it is necessary to mention thermal-mechanical analysis, dynamic-mechanical analysis, thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry and infra-red spectroscopy with the Fourier transformation.
The second area of interest involves the diagnostics of electronics components, printed-circuit boards and linkage structures. In this area, the microscopy laboratory is frequently exploited, which is, apart from conventional optical microscopes, equipped with a fluorescence microscope and a laser confocal microscope offering 3D measurement and the use of an atomic force microscopy (AFM) module. The application of these instruments enables monitoring of the influence of various factors on the inner structure of materials and on the parts of a device. One of these factors may be, for example, the influence of the environment, which can be simulated in a climatic chamber available. The climatic chamber can be further used to verify the functionality of materials and devices and to assess their life.
Acoustics is another area the team is actively involved in. Here, the researchers deal with noise measurement, electroacoustics and sound equipment, as well as construction and spatial acoustics. In addition to measurement and evaluation of the obtained data, the team is also concerned with the design of new measurement methods. In order to perform all these tasks, the acoustics team has an anechoic chamber and a reverberation laboratory at their disposal.
Another activity of the research team is related to electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). In this field, the team is predominantly concerned with diagnostics. The researchers verify interference immunity and measure the electromagnetic interference emitted by a device. These EMC activities are performed in the EMC anechoic chamber.
The diagnostics and testing team is equipped with an electrical laboratory (EL). It is an accredited testing laboratory (no. 1090) offering accredited tests in the field of electromagnetic compatibility and tests of environmental resistance.
Theoretical and Practical Applicability
The areas of concern and the equipment listed in the Diagnostics Team’s profile can be applied in basic, applied and contractual research. The diagnostics methods are exploited in verifying properties of new materials and in specific applications. However, this does not make the list of applications of diagnostics methods complete. Diagnostics is also used in case of an operating failure in order to determine causes of the fault. Diagnostics is also used to determine the life-time of an electrical device.
Problems Currently Being Solved
The team is currently concerned, among others, with the following problems:
- verifying the influence of long-term thermal aging and the life analysis of transformer oils
- the design of a technological system for monitoring and control of polymerization in industrial manufacturing
- optimization of PV panel manufacture
- application of stochastic methods in the qualitative assessment of materials by means of infrared spectroscopy
- analysis of processes accompanying the thermal decomposition of electrical insulating materials
- the application of prediction in the cable industry
- the application of nanodielectrics in electrical engineering
- searching for new ways to cure reactoplastics for the electrical engineering industry
In addition to the above-mentioned problems, the Diagnostics Team is implementing projects listed below and is involved in contractual research performed to order in both the short and long term.
What We Offer
The team offers the following instrumentation, cooperation, and consulting and advisory services:
- diagnostics of electrical insulation systems and on-line monitoring
- testing of high-voltage electrical insulation systems
- thermal analysis (thermal mechanical analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, simultaneous thermal analysis)
- infrared spectrometry FTIR (Nicolet)
- analyses of solid, liquid and gaseous substances
- determination of the temperature of glass transition, melting temperature, temperature and weight stability of materials, analysis of evolved gases accompanying the decomposition of materials, measurement of thermal expansion
- monitoring of technological discipline and quality control of supplies
- microscopy (laser confocal, fluorescence, and optical microscopy), 3D measurement
- materialography and visual analysis
- climatic testing
- diagnostics of electronic components, printed circuit boards and interconnection structures
- interference immunity
- measurement of electromagnetic noise
- measurement of acoustic noise
- electroacoustic diagnostics
- construction and spatial acoustics diagnostics
- testing of acoustic equipment
- the design of measurement and diagnostic methods
- accredited tests in the EMC field and testing of environmental resistance
The group offers a wide range of services to companies, research institutions and individuals, for example, to students of bachelor’s, masters and doctoral study programmes. Cooperation can be established in the form of specialist consultations, orders, announcements of topics of master’s theses and doctoral dissertations and in the form of co-implementation of grant projects.
