Abstract: High fence supports can be expensive, difficult to ship, and awkward to install. Often, and particularly for the control of deer, it is desirable to increase the height of existing fence that uses steel T-posts for support. The T-post extender combined with a steel T-post becomes a high fence support useful for supporting high fence. A T-post extender consists of a longitudinal element, typically a length of steel rebar, and a stop element, typically a washer welded to the longitudinal element at a selected location along its length. For existing T-post fence supports, the T-post extender is slipped into place alongside the top of the T-post where it is captured laterally by existing wire ties and vertically by the stop element resting against the top of the T-post under the force of gravity. This arrangement has cost, installation, and shipping advantages both in new high fence construction and in the case where the height of existing T-post supported fence must be increased.

Abstract: The inherent smoothing in bending stiffness measurement of wood boards as occurs in the machine grading of lumber can mask the effect of knots and other local characteristics affecting structural value. Improved estimates of local (pointwise) stiffness will be useful in decisions about further processing and use of a tested board. Measured compliance is reciprocally related to measured stiffness and is the convolution of local compliance and a “span function”. Span function is specific to the bending span configuration used and can change during measurement of a board. A general procedure for computing span function, which heretofore has been known only for simple bending spans, is disclosed. A Kalman filter uses this and other available information to optimally estimate local compliance from an observed relationship between local compliance and state variables of a state-space model. Method for linear algebraic determination of local compliance also depends on span functions and is disclosed.

Abstract: Method and apparatus are described for obtaining information about the real and imaginary parts of permittivity in dielectric materials and relating this information to other properties of the materials.

Abstract: A box beam has an interior and an exterior. Fire resistance is obtained by preventing the rapid progression of fire from the exterior to the interior. Fire resistant covers for the web elements and sufficiently sized wood flanges protect the interior of the beam, thus giving it improved fire safety. In some instances, longitudinal reinforcement elements embedded in protected areas of the flanges are desirable to provide additional stiffness and strength.

Abstract: Improved apparatus is described for measuring bending stiffness of dimension lumber. Innovative details are introduced that make the measurement more accurate and repeatable as well as making the apparatus simpler, more robust and easier to maintain than the prior art.

Abstract: Method and apparatus are described for obtaining information about the real and imaginary parts of permittivity in dielectric materials and relating this information to other properties of the materials.

Abstract: Method and apparatus are described for using stress wave measurements in the estimation of quality of finger joints in wood and quality of lumber, where quality is typically defined as strength. Application and measurement of stress waves in the transverse direction of the material allows localized measurements to be made, and features developed from this information are used in the quality estimation. A feature is a quantifiable characteristic developed from stress wave signals which can be used either by itself or in combination with other features to estimate quality. Examples of features include the propagation velocity of a stress wave, the attenuation of a stress wave, the difference in stress wave propagation times measured at different locations along the lumber, and the effects on amplitude and phase of frequency components of a stress wave. Treating features together as a feature vector and as input to an estimator function, estimated quality can be evaluated.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for compensating for errors in the measurement of force applied to a load beam interposed between two compliant supports and a load point involves placement of an accelerometer at a selected location on the load beam. Signals produced by the accelerometer are added to a signal produced by a transducer at one of the compliant supports to obtain a composite signal which is compensated for accelerations of the load beam.

Abstract: Wood grain angle information is detected electronically by use of a sensor having a common electrode and a plurality of electrodes spaced from the common electrode and arranged angularly about a sensor axis. The common electrode can serve as a sense electrode or as a drive electrode for the remaining angularly spaced electrodes. By modulating applied drive signals and demodulating the sensed signals that result from capacitive coupling of an adjacent wood specimen, values that are a function of wood grain angle are identified.

Abstract: A flexure coupling includes a backing plate and an adjacent hub, the backing plate being adapted to be mounted to a first machine member and the hub being adapted to be mounted to a second machine member. The hub is supported on the backing plate by a plurality of equiangularly positioned radial springs that permit compliant torsional movement of the hub relative to the backing plate. The springs prevent relative axial or longitudinal translational movement between the hub and backing plate, as well as relative radial movement. Substitution of the flexure coupling for conventional bearings eliminates the problem of false brinelling that results from vibration of stationary bearings.

Abstract: A non-destructive testing system for lumber involves measurement of grain angle about a board and transformation of the measured grain angle values to extract features indicative of knot identification, grain angle perturbations or strength of the board. Individual boards can then be processed for grading or sorting purposes as a function of the extracted features. Specific features utilized for knot identification are curl, divergence, and novel transformations termed gradient, edges and knots, as well as various pattern matching techniques. Strength estimation involves transformations pertaining to failure distance, which is a function of board tensile strength. Failure distance can be computed by an ellipsoidal model, a search model or a tracks model. When utilized in conjunction with conventional bending test procedures, highly accurate strength estimation is achieved by the described system.

Abstract: A lumber testing apparatus incorporates opposed wedges to simultaneously exert tension and clamp forces on boards being tested. The inclined wedge surfaces utilize bearing materials and wedge angles selected to match the required clamp forces to tension forces on each board, without crushing the boards at high loads. This is accomplished by using bearing materials having a variable coefficient of friction under varying load conditions.