RK Mellon Faculty Fellow in Engineering, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Director, Engineering Science Program
Research Interests
- Optical fiber and photonic sensors and materials
- Applied electromagnetism and non-destructive evaluation
- Integrated Sensing and Real-Time Process Control
- Non-destructive evaluation and Applied electromagnetism
- Soft Magnetic Materials and Manufacturing
Activity
Distributed Acoustic Sensing for Infrastructure Inspection and Monitoring
Taking advantage of long-distance coverage of distributed acoustic sensors, the acoustic sensing group focuses on pushing the limits of conventional sensors to monitor acoustic signals over large and long structures by either actively interrogating or passively monitor acoustic emissions to infer structural integrity. Currently pursuing applications on pipeline and nuclear facilities.
Distributed Chemical and Hybrid (Gas, Temperature and Acoustic) Sensing
Transport of chemicals comprises extensive infrastructure, through extreme and sensitive environments, and ensuring safety is imperative. By designing specialized fibers and coatings, we enable distributed fiber sensing to perform chemical sensing combined with its long-distance sensing characteristics, and enhance the system for multiparameter monitoring through a hybrid, gas, temperature and acoustic, fiber sensing system. Active projects include hydrogen sensing for infrastructure safety and emissions as well as carbon dioxide sensing for oceanographic infrastructure and ocean acidification.
Electric Grid Modernization with Fiber and Quantum Sensing
Enhancement of low-cost measurement and sensing solutions for electrical grid is key to moving forward with integration of renewables in small rural and low-income producers. Once current solutions are viewed as too expensive and challenging to justify to ratepayers and grid operators, our researchers have focused their efforts on developing low-cost distributed sensors integrated with modern data analytics, and advancements on quantum sensing for grid monitoring.
Single Crystal Fiber Growth for Sensing
Single crystal fiber and single crystal derived fiber are promising candidates for next generation high power laser and telecommunication, enhancing harsh-environment applications. We have established an effort to grow customized optical fibers including single crystal fiber, glass fiber, and plastic fiber, using Laser Heated Pedestal Growth (LHPG) system, with different dopants and concentrations that are not commercially available. Currently we are investigating the growth of YIG fibers to improve magnetic and optical properties for next-generation magnetic field sensors integrated with photonic devices.
Advanced Magnetic Materials: from Concept to Industrial Applications
Focusing on the exploration of novel processing methods for emerging high frequency magnetic materials using applied electromagnetic fields spanning the frequency range from DC to optical. A separate branch of Ohodnicki Lab is engaged in projects on the area of advanced magnetic materials ranging from development of Soft Magnetic Materials and Manufacturing, Component Design and Optimization Methods, Power Electronics Converter / Component Interfaces. The activities are associated with the AMPED consortium, a related initiative.
