Mechanoluminescence?

[The Thing]

What is mechanoluminescence? I've searched around the internet but all I found were research and experiment ON it, and nothing that explains about it. So what is it?

 

Also, I am hoping to do an experiment regarding mechanoluminescence for a school project and I think I will have access to an oscilloscope. What is a good experiment?

 

Thanks a lot.

[Tannin]

So far I've located only the definition:

Mechanoluminescence - The emission of light as a response to a mechanical stimulus.

http://perg.phys.ksu.edu/vqm/resources/vqm_glos.html

This looks interesting and seems to have a lot of applications. I'll try to read and understand one of the research papers.

[swansont]

Try googling triboluminescence. AFAIK the terms are interchangeable.

 

 

And go buy some wintergreen lifesavers and a hammer.

[insane_alien]

or grin some sugar in a darkroom

[The Thing]

Thanks swansont. Triboluminescence yielded a lot more results.

I've seen the lifesaver experiment, but it was bitten, not crushed with a hammer =).

Can there be any value to this property? As far as I know, only asymetric crysal structures exhibit this behavior (?). Can it be used, say, to tell when a bridge is about to give? Or even for lighting maybe?

I'm thinking of doing an experiment on the former possibility. What equipments should I use? An oscilloscope?

Thanks a lot.

[Ferdinand]

The grinding of sugar in a darkroom....with mortar and pestle???

[insane_alien]

yeah or you could hit it with a hammer like swansont said. basically anything tho crush the crystals. i prefer grinding because you get a series of lights cause you break a lot of crystals at once.

[swansont]

Thanks swansont. Triboluminescence yielded a lot more results.

I've seen the lifesaver experiment' date=' but it was bitten, not crushed with a hammer =).

Can there be any value to this property? As far as I know, only asymetric crysal structures exhibit this behavior (?). Can it be used, say, to tell when a bridge is about to give? Or even for lighting maybe?

I'm thinking of doing an experiment on the former possibility. What equipments should I use? An oscilloscope?

Thanks a lot.[/quote']

 

I was thinking photodiode, hooked up to the scope, and it's a lot easier with a mechanical device than sticking it in somebody's mouth.

[ski_power]

is it something like piezo-electricity, but instead of sparks you get light?

[insane_alien]

kind of yeah except with a lot of things the crystals don't get back to their origional state so you only get light out once per crystal.

[RICHARDBATTY]

If you pushed two crystals together (flat surfaces) at high pressure, then slid them along each other would you get light that way other than frictional heating ?.

[The Thing]

kind of yeah except with a lot of things the crystals don't get back to their origional state so you only get light out once per crystal.

Would that be hysteresis, which is usually a precursor of material failure? Hmm... the bridge collapse detection experiment is forming... So, for the experiment, I can attempt to crush a crystal and record the photon emissions using an oscilloscope (would I need a photomultiplier?)

I was thinking photodiode' date=' hooked up to the scope, and it's a lot easier with a mechanical device than sticking it in somebody's mouth.[/quote']

Well, I won't really use the lifesaver. I'm thinking of an alkali halide to crush. Would this have any real applications, like the bridge collapsing detector I mentioned? For the experiment I can try to crush it at various pressures, durations and, in general, stressed in different ways. Any suggestions for the experiment (for which alkali halide to use too)?

Thanks a lot!

[ski_power]

If we get light only once per crystal then frankly I find no application for this.

 

Suppose the bridge is going to collapse, fine, it'll shine for a few brief seconds and then Boom!!! the bridge is gone. In those few seconds how can one expect to quickly reinforce the bridge. Maybe lives can be saved, but the collapse will occur and nothing can stop it.

 

That's think, correct me if I'm wrong.

[The Thing]

Yea, but my aim isn't to stop it. Frankly, how many times does a bridge collapse? Once only, so one shine per crystal would suit the purpose.

If a bridge's deformed or about to collapse, I'm not aiming to reinforce it to make it hang on. Saving lives sounds pretty good to me .

Now, say we have this crystal, and if say when the stress is critical or when the bridge undergoes hysteresis or other material failure signs, the crystal will shine. We can have an oscilloscope attached to it just for experimental purposes. However, where on the bridge would this crystal be placed to detect the material failure? That's what I'm wondering...

And also help for the experiment and which alkali halide to use?

[ski_power]

The part about placing it on the bridge.

I think it should be placed at the mid-point between the pillars having maximum distance.

 

And how about ordering around 5 to 6 more from eBay to place it on the base of each pillar (if feasible)?

[The Thing]

Um, what crystal should I use? That's my biggest problem now. What crystal would be good for an experiment like this?

[ALF]

Hello, people! I'm sorry for my bad English. I have a problem. I'm studying the triboluminescence in sugar, but I have no much literature here. If you know something about it, please let me know. Maybe you've already got some links? They will be usefull for me. Thanx