摘要:
A bulge tester (20) for determining residual stresses, and mechanical, thermal and other properties of a thin film (26) of material. The bulge tester includes a chuck (22) that supports the substrate (24) on which the film is deposited by stiction rather than through the use of mounting waxes, adhesives and mechanical clamping. The stiction inducing media (52) may be viscous grease, a flexible sheet of material such as a rubber, an elastomer, both or other materials. Bulge testing performed using the stiction-based chuck involves inducing stiction between the base (42) of the chuck and substrate of at least at least 1 kPascal (0.69 lb/in2), as determined using a corner peel test. The pressurized fluid is delivered to the film to be tested, and materials properties of the film are determined as a function of pressure of the fluid and deflection of the film.
摘要:
A bulge testing system (10) for testing the material properties of a thin film window (14) using a Michelson interferometer (18) that generates an interference pattern (32) having fringes (34) and nodes (36) that move as the thin film window is inflated or deflated. The bulge testing system includes a fringe counting module (82), an analysis module (114) and an output module (88). The fringe counting module allows a user to interactively select from an image of the interference pattern one or more sampling regions (30) in which the user interface will count fringes. The analysis module allows a user to interactively change the location of maxima/minima indicators (116) in the event that noise in the image causes the analysis module to incorrectly determine the locations of the fringes and nodes. The output module automatically calculates material properties and provides test results to an output file and/or a results window (168).
摘要:
Self-healing cable apparatus and methods disclosed. The self-healing cable has a central core surrounded by an adaptive cover that can extend over the entire length of the self-healing cable or just one or more portions of the self-healing cable. The adaptive cover includes an axially and/or radially compressible-expandable (C/E) foam layer that maintains its properties over a wide range of environmental conditions. A tape layer surrounds the C/E layer and is applied so that it surrounds and axially and/or radially compresses the C/E layer. When the self-healing cable is subjected to a damaging force that causes a breach in the outer jacket and the tape layer, the corresponding localized axially and/or radially compressed portion of the C/E foam layer expands into the breach to form a corresponding localized self-healed region. The self-healing cable is manufacturable with present-day commercial self-healing cable manufacturing tools.
摘要:
A thermoelectric device (100, 342) that includes at least one thermoelectric couple (118, 304) that contains a thermoelectric junction (156) between two dissimilar materials (P, N) that allow exploitation of either the Seebeck effect or Peltier effect of the junction. The thermoelectric couple includes two thermoelements (120, 124, 324, 326) that extend between the hot side (104) and cold side (108) of the device. Each thermoelement has a thermally insulating region (128, 132) that insulates the hot side from the cold side and an electrical energy storage device (136, 138, 308, 310) that stores electrical energy. When operating in a Seebeck mode, each storage device may be periodically discharged by harvesting circuitry (200, 300) so as to harvest the energy stored therein. When operating in a Peltier mode, each storage device may be periodically charged by charging circuitry (900, 1000) so as to induce a temperature change at the thermoelectric junction.
摘要:
An improved Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) system is provided. The system advantageously employs full waveform digitization of a returning signal to significantly reduce the number of launch signals and allowing the amount of radiation emitted to stay within the limit set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), while producing a robust information detection signal. In addition, intermittent large latent-duty-cycle sampling employs a less expensive digitizer typically used in prior an GPRs. The system is scalable at low-cost to accommodate multi-antenna multi-static testing for subsurface tomographic imaging.
摘要:
A system (100, 200, 300) for damping vibrations of a vibratory structure (104, 308). The damping system includes an active damper (112, 124, 128, 216), a vibration sensor (116, 208, 208A′-C′), and a controller (120, 212) for controlling the active damper in a manner that damps vibration of the vibratory structure. In some embodiments, the active damper comprises an active mass (132, 220, 220A′-C′, 220A″-C″) and an actuator (136) for controlling the movement of the active mass. In other embodiments, the active damper comprises a flexural damper (128).
摘要:
An improved Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) system is provided. The system advantageously employs full waveform digitization of a returning signal to significantly reduce the number of launch signals and allowing the amount of radiation emitted to stay within the limit set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), while producing a robust information detection signal. In addition, intermittent large latent-duty-cycle sampling employs a less expensive digitizer typically used in prior art GPRs. The system is scalable at low-cost to accommodate multi-antenna multi-static testing for subsurface tomographic imaging.
摘要:
A magnetic on-off robotic attachment device (MOORAD) (100, 300, 400, 624, 624′, 660, 676, 804) is used to make a number of systems, such as a mobile apparatus (608, 644, 668, 700, 700′), a belt mechanism (800) and a sensor device (504, 508, 656). The MOORAD allows the respective system to be removably magnetically attached to a ferromagnetic structure/object (228, 420, 604, 604′, 720A-B, 720A′-B′, 848). Each MOORAD generally includes a dipole magnet (104, 304A-B, 404) movable relative to first and second ferromagnetic portions (112, 116, 316A-D, 408, 412) that are separated by corresponding magnetically insulating portions (120, 320A-C, 416) so as to change that MOORAD between off and on states.
摘要:
Self-healing cable apparatus and methods disclosed. The self-healing cable has a central core surrounded by an adaptive cover that can extend over the entire length of the self-healing cable or just one or more portions of the self-healing cable. The adaptive cover includes an axially and/or radially compressible-expandable (C/E) foam layer that maintains its properties over a wide range of environmental conditions. A tape layer surrounds the C/E layer and is applied so that it surrounds and axially and/or radially compresses the C/E layer. When the self-healing cable is subjected to a damaging force that causes a breach in the outer jacket and the tape layer, the corresponding localized axially and/or radially compressed portion of the C/E foam layer expands into the breach to form a corresponding localized self-healed region. The self-healing cable is manufacturable with present-day commercial self-healing cable manufacturing tools.