Application Stories: Research and Development

Engineers at University College London (UCL) are investigating the effects of wind-driven flood conditions on different wall cladding materials. To do this they are using a Microlink 3000 with Windmill software to log data and control the simulation of conditions in a laboratory.

Environmental parameters such as temperature and humidity are monitored at a number of positions within the test lab, using Microlink 3050 modules interfacing combined T (temperature) and RH (relative humidity) sensors. Strain on the wall cladding panels under test is monitored using strain gauges connected to a Microlink 3052 bridge input module. This also interfaces the load cells to monitor compression of the panels during each compression event.

The researchers record the timing of compression events with a Microlink 3020 in event timing mode.

They use Windmill Test Sequence software to control the flood event parameters (water from rainfall, wind etc) so that many events can be cycled during the monitoring period, enabling them to examine long term changes to the wall cladding.

Control of the spray nozzles is by 4-20mA control signals from a 3031 4-channel analogue output module.

The Microlink connects to the PC via USB. The Windmill Graphics software shows the status of the lab in real-time, updating continuously to reflect the real-world conditions.

For more information about the design, and research expectations, for the laboratory contact:
Victoria Stephenson
Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering
University College London
Gower Street
London
WC1E 6BT
UK
[email protected]

About The Microlink 3000

The Microlink 3000 is a modular system for measurement and control. It offers unrivalled hardware flexibility, allowing almost any instrument or transducer to be connected to a personal computer. With a range of over 40 interchangeable modules, Microlink is equally suited to high or low speed data acquisition and to control, timing or counting. For more details contact Biodata.

More on the Windmill Software

For more information on the Windmill software visit https://www.windmillsoft.com/daqshop/software.html.