Abstract: A device to monitor tension in a fastener assembly such as a stationary bolt and a moveable nut for securing elements therebetween. The device is in the form of a washer for use in the assembly between the nut and the elements or the bolt head and the elements. In one example, a slot is provided in the surface of the washer and extends radially outwardly from the inner periphery thereof. A recess is formed in the bottom of the slot, creating at least one fulcrum point in the slot. A monitor and indicating strip, for example a spring steel, is located in the slot and, under tension from one of the fastener assembly members, the distal end of the strip rises from the slot to provide a visual and measurable monitor of tension in the assembly. In another example, the monitor strip is located on the surface of the washer and the fulcrum is located on one of the fastener elements, such as on the underside of the nut, for engaging the strip under pressure, causing its distal end to rise.

Abstract: A mass air flow sensor device for determining the mass of air flowing therethrough is operatively associated with an engine control module of an internal combustion engine which uses data corresponding to the mass of air flowing to the engine for controlling the operation of the engine for increased efficiency and lower exhaust emissions. The mass air flow sensor device includes a housing having an air flow-through housing comprising an electrically resistant air temperature sensing element at the air inlet end of the housing and an electrically resistant air heating element in the housing downstream of the air temperature sensing element. The resistor of the air temperature sensing element and the resistor of the air heating element are components of a common electrical circuit.

Abstract: A misfire-detecting system for an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders. A rotational speed of the engine is detected and a rotational speed signal indicative of the detected rotational speed of the engine is output. The rotational speed signal is filtered. Occurrence of a misfire in the engine is determined based on the filtered rotational speed signal.

Abstract: A strain or stress gauge 1A is presented for measuring the stress of a structure or a member. The gauge 1A comprises a bundle of electric conductive fibers 3, and a pair of terminals 4, for measuring an electric resistance of the bundle of electric conductive fibers provided on both ends thereof. It presents a strain or stress gauge having a simple structure, which can be produced inexpensively, and its size can be chosen freely. It is possible to know not only the state of a strain or stress but also the history of stress in a structure or a structural member which, by the characteristics of a specific curve relating the stress/strain relationship of the gauge.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a test cell 1 suitable for use in applying directionally variable three dimensional stress fields to cylindrical test specimens 6 normally obtained by conventional coring techniques used for sample recovery. The test cell 1 comprises a cell body 2 having a barrel 4 extending therethrough for receiving a test specimen 6. The barrel 4 has an array 8 of elongate tubes 10 mounted side-by-side so as to line the inside wall 12 of the barrel. The tubes 10 have flexible side walls 14 and are formed and arranged for connection to a pressurized fluid supply 16. The test cell 1 also includes a control system 15 so that at least one tube 10a can be supplied with pressurized fluid at a different pressure to that in another tube 10b so as to provide an angularly variable radial pressure loading on the test specimen 6 mounted in the barrel 2.

Abstract: A system for detecting a fault in an exhaust gas oxygen (EGO) sensor includes generating a first signal with a first voltage if the EGO sensor output signal is approaching an unacceptable voltage and a second voltage if the EGO sensor output signal has an unacceptable voltage. The system further includes setting a first flag if the first signal has the first voltage and a second flag, indicating an EGO sensor fault, if the first signal has the second voltage and the first flag is set.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for measuring the deflection in a golf club shaft (3) for controlling the dynamic loft angle of a shaft. The method comprises the steps of fixedly clamping a shaft (3) at a certain distance from a club head (5), setting club head (5) in vibration, and measuring the vibration frequency while shaft (3) is clamped at the clamping distance. This is followed by releasing the shaft (3) from clamping and by repeating the above actions at varying distances from the club head (5) and by using the thus obtained measuring results for setting up a frequency profile for shaft (3).

Abstract: A method for identifying and correcting errors in time measurement on rotating shafts, particularly on crankshafts or shafts connected thereto in internal combustion engines, whereby the shafts are provided with marks which are scanned with sensors. The segment times required by the shaft to rotate about a defined angular distance are measured and compared with a reference segment.

Abstract: A method of measuring the volume and the velocity of fluid flow through individual ports or combination of ports of a ported cylinder as defined by the cut away of an isolation tube, and utilizing a pitot tube coupled with a pressure differential gage to measure flow velocity while imposing fluid pressure at a predetermined pressure, and at a predetermined inlet opening and a measuring device for comparing inlet pressures to determine differences in flow volume, and an apparatus for carrying out the method.

Abstract: The invention relates to a test apparatus for carrying out analysis on fluids or components comprising two specimens which are movable with respect to each other by means of an oscillating driving means. Means are provided for applying a measurable load between the two specimens. The oscillating driving means further comprises a stiffness adjusting means in order to control the degree of lateral movement of the oscillating driving means. The test apparatus also comprises a force measuring means which is connected to a support which is relatively much heavier than the oscillating driving means and the specimens in order that accurate results are achieved.

Abstract: A method for identifying misfiring is employed in an internal combustion engine with multiple cylinders. The identification is effected by measuring segment times required for the crankshaft to rotate about given angular segments during the cylinder work cycle. Any fluctuations are then calculated and compared with threshold values. During thrust cutoff, i.e. when no fuel is supplied to the cylinders, errors in the segment time measurement are identified and corrected, and in dependence of the number of the completed cycles for calculating the correction factors, the threshold values are modified.

Abstract: A device for measuring strain in substrates at high temperatures in which the thermally induced apparent strain is nulled. Two gages are used, one active gage and one compensating gage. Both gages are placed on the substrate to be gaged; the active gage is attached such that it responds to mechanical and thermally induced apparent strain while the compensating gage is attached such that it does not respond to mechanical strain and measures only thermally induced apparent strain. A thermal blanket is placed over the two gages to maintain the gages at the same temperature. The two gages are wired as adjacent arms of a Wheatstone bridge which nulls the thermally induced apparent strain giving a true reading of the mechanical strain in the substrate.

Abstract: The apparatus and method of the present invention is designed for testing dampers of a motor vehicle without removing the dampers from the vehicle. The apparatus includes a movable support for contacting the bottom surface of a tire associated with a damper to be tested and members for oscillating the movable support to impose vertical oscillations on the tire. Transducers sense the force applied by the tire to the support during oscillation of the support while the oscillating members are controlled to oscillate the support over a predetermined range of frequencies. Circuitry is provided responsive to the transducers for determining, as a function of the frequency of oscillation, the adhesion of the tire to the support and the phase angle of the response of the tire to the oscillation. The circuitry further determines from the phase angle at a single frequency the adequacy of the damping of the damper under test.

Abstract: Provided is a method and apparatus for measuring evaporative vehicle emissions in a fixed-volume/variable temperature test chamber. The method comprises the steps of providing a volume compensation device in fluid communication with a test chamber for compensating for changes in the test chamber fluid volume, determining the density of the evaporative emissions and the test chamber fluid in mass per unit volume at selected sample times t.sub.n, where n is a positive integer, measuring the temperature of the test chamber fluid at the sample times t.sub.n, measuring the absolute fluid pressure of fluid at the sample times t.sub.n, determining the difference in the test chamber fluid volume between successive sample times t.sub.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method and apparatus for determining the stretching characteristics of thermoplastic articles such as bottles on a consistently accurate basis by making an initial measurement such as dimension or volume, stretching the article to the onset of strain hardening, and correlating the measurements to a physical property such as inherent viscosity, intrinsic viscosity or molecular weight of the thermoplastic article.

Abstract: A system and method for processing test measurements collected from an internal combustion engine that is cold-tested for diagnostic purposes. Test measurements are collected from an engine. The test measurements are "pre-processed" by filtering and subsampling techniques so that Principle Component Analysis can be applied to condense the quantity of test measurements while still retaining a statistically accurate indication of a majority of the original measurements. The pre-processed test measurements are then passed through one or more classifiers including: a Neural Network classifier, a Fuzzy Logic classifier, a cluster-based classifier (or "Spherical" classifier) and a Genetic Program classifier. Results from these classifiers can be used to obtain a verdict about an engine (i.e., whether the engine is "normal" or "faulty").

Abstract: A method of measuring radial and/or lateral run-out of a rotary member, where the rotary member is mounted in a testing machine by a play-compensating clamping arrangement, and rotated. While it rotates the rotary member is sensed in the region of its peripheral and/or lateral surfaces and the result of the sensing operation is used to produce run-out diagrams. First and second run-out diagrams which are turned relative to each other through 180.degree. with respect to the clamping mounting arrangement are combined together, thereby to compensate in the combination diagram for the geometrical measurement errors resulting from the clamping mounting arrangement in the initial diagrams.

Abstract: In one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for analyzing a plurality of events of an internal combustion engine is provided. A crankshaft sensor monitors the rotational position of the crankshaft and responsively produces a crankshaft pulsetrain. A cylinder pressure sensor senses the pressure produced in the engine cylinder and responsively produces a cylinder pressure signal. A memory device stores previously calculated values representing engine cylinder volumes at predetermined crankshaft positions. A microprocessor determines the start of combustion for an occurring engine cycle in response to a cylinder pressure signal magnitude, P.sub.2, at a current crankshaft position being equal or greater than the relationship:P.sub.1 (V.sub.1 /V.sub.2).sup.nwhere, P.sub.1 equals the cylinder pressure corresponding to a previous crankshaft position, V.sub.1 equals cylinder volume corresponding to the previous crankshaft position, V.sub.

Abstract: A pressure actuated sensor device (20) has an upper plate (21) functionally cooperating with an optical fiber (26) so that when pressure is applied onto the upper plate (21) light transmitted through the optical fiber is attenuated. The optical fiber (26) in the device (20) is sandwiched between one layer (24) made of a flexible material and a second layer (25) of rigid wires.

Abstract: A misfire detection system for an internal combustion engine is disclosed with the system being used to evaluate wheel rpm fluctuations. This system detects a rough roadway over which the misfire detection is to be inhibited. This detection is made with the aid of wheel rpm signals; that is, signals as they are present for all motor vehicles equipped with anti-locking brake systems and for motor vehicles which utilize the wheel rpm signal for determining road speed. In motor vehicles of this kind, the advantage is provided that the wheel rpm signal has a double use. The advantage is provided that a reliable detection of a rough roadway is possible for all motor vehicles independently of whether wheel rpm signals are used for inhibiting the misfire detection or not.