Abstract: An additive manufacturing obstacle part can comprise a base structure comprising at least one external obstacle, and at least one internal obstacle that is formed at least partially within the base structure. The at least one internal obstacle can comprise an elongated internal obstacle extending through the base structure between an inlet and an outlet formed in the base structure. The elongated internal obstacle can comprise at least one wall extending along a nonlinear path. The non-linear path can hinder travel of excess material from an additive manufacturing process along a linear path between the inlet and outlet. This can help a designer to assess an additive manufacturers ability to cleanly produce an internal feature to specifications while removing excess material resulting from the additive manufacturing process.

Abstract: A hand-held lift loop assembly tester apparatus and method tests peel strength of a heat seal connection between a lift loop patch and a bulk bag body as an indicator of shear strength of the connection and whether the bag will pass industry safety lifting requirements. A lifting platform of the hand loop tester is inserted between the patch and the bag body in an unsealed area and measures the amount of peel and thus the peel strength of the heat seal bond or connection at the edges or sides of the unsealed area. If the peel strength is adequate, this is a reliable indicator that the shear strength of the bond or connection is also adequate and that the bag will meet the current industry required 5 to 1 safety lifting requirements.

Abstract: An in-situ bollard tester. The in-situ bollard tester may comprise: a frame, cable, and tensioner. The frame is preferably adapted to mount onto a pier or wharf and around a bollard to provide structural support for the cable and tensioner. The frame may comprise a rectangular frame, pair of hanging columns, pair of jacks and pair of legs. The pair of jacks are coupled near proximal corners of the rectangular frame and are vertically disposed. The hanging columns are coupled near distal corners of the rectangular frame. The pair of legs are coupled at the lower ends of the hanging columns and are disposed in a horizontal manner. The tensioner may be coupled above the rectangular frame. The cable may fasten to the bollard, and the tensioner may apply tension to the cable at various load angles in order to test the integrity of the bollard.

Abstract: A fatigue bending and folding test device for an ultra-thin metal strip, including: a first driver module, a first folding module, a first diameter adjustment module, an expansion module, and a frame. The first driver module, the first folding module, the first diameter adjustment module, and the expansion module are all disposed on the frame. The first driver module includes a servo motor, a coupler, and a drive gearbox; the drive gearbox includes a driving gear shaft, a driven gear shaft, a plurality of output end covers, and a plurality of bearings. The first folding module includes an upper folding member, a lower folding member, and a first mounting base. The first clamping member includes a sliding block, a lower clamping plate, an upper clamping plate, a rotating shaft, an intermediate pressure plate, and a plurality of fixing bolts.

Abstract: A device for testing overall anchorage performance of a basalt fiber reinforced plastic (BFRP) anchor cable includes an anchor cable anchoring system and a data acquisition system. The anchor cable anchoring system includes a test bed, BFRP arranged over the test bed, and a distributed optical fiber bonded to a surface of the BFRP, the test bed being provided with an anchoring section at one end and an outer anchoring section at the other end, the anchoring section anchors one end of the BFRP, and the outer anchoring section anchors the other end of the BFRP. The data acquisition system includes a modem and a grating connected to two ends of the distributed optical fiber in series, and a center hole jack and a dynamometer arranged between the outer anchoring section and an end of the test bed, and the BFRP penetrates the center hole jack and the dynamometer.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to simulate, approximate, or replicate conditions similar to concrete elements being placed under pressures equivalent to several hundred feet of ocean water and to provide information useful to assess relative durability of concrete without coring or other destructive actions. The quality of concrete can be assessed by measuring the pressure drop of water or other liquid to ingress through the concrete surface under high pressure over time. A rapid assessment of quality of existing concrete is provided. Systems and methods can efficiently assess long term durability of existing concrete elements such as those used in midrise buildings, parking garages, bridge decks, and the like.

Abstract: A cable barrier system is managed by a cable barrier management system including a management system controller having a management processor and a plurality of turnbuckle subsystems joined to respective barrier cables to provide pretension. Each of the turnbuckle subsystems has a strain gauge mounting zone, and strain is communicated from a strain gauge circuit to the management processor. The controller is configured to determine excess strain events. Strain event data is sent via a wireless data communications interface to a remote recipient computing device.

Abstract: A transducer assembly includes a mounting base, a collar, a magnet, and a Hall effect sensor. The collar defines a bore. One of the magnet and the Hall effect sensor is disposed within the bore and attached to the mounting base. The other of the magnet and the Hall effect sensor is attached to the collar. The Hall effect sensor is spaced from the magnet and is configured to detect movement of at least a portion of the collar relative to the mounting base.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for detecting a modification of a compound, the modification occurring during a transient period. The method may include: coupling at least one substance portion comprising ferro elastic material to a compound, the substance portion being configured to change a polarization level thereof continuously in response to a strain gradient applied thereto over the a transient period which results in said modification; sensing a physical property of said substance portion affected by the polarization level of the substance portion, due to the modification; and determining, using a computer processor, the modification, based on the sensed physical property of the substance portion.

Abstract: According to the embodiments disclosed herein, in a press-fitting test for measuring physical properties of a test object by pressing an indenter against the test object and measuring the load and displacement, the measured displacement value is corrected in real time in consideration of the amount of deformation according to the load of the load cell, and thus an accurate load-displacement curve can be derived, even when the amount of deformation of the load cell is included in a measured value of a displacement sensor.

Abstract: Described herein are examples of improved material (and/or universal) testing machines having a lower crossbeam that may be moved via a drive system of the material testing machine. In some examples, this may be accomplished via drive shafts with different threading in upper and lower portions, and/or independent drive systems for upper and lower crossbeams. The ability to dynamically adjust (e.g., raise) the lower crossbeam may allow an operator to interact with test samples at a more comfortable height, and reduce the need for an operator to repeatedly bend and/or kneel.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods for assessing the risk that a male subject is affected by prostate cancer and to methods for assessing the risk that such cancer is aggressive, by analysing the gaseous headspace of urine samples with at least three metal oxide semiconductor-based gas sensors, wherein the metal oxide of the first gas sensor is pure or doped SnO2, the metal oxide of the second sensor is pure or doped ZnO and the metal oxides of the third sensor are pure or doped SnO2, pure or doped TiO2 and pure or doped Nb2O5.

Abstract: A collision simulation test apparatus including a table to which a test piece is to be attached, the table being movable in a predetermined direction, a toothed belt for transmitting power to drive the table, a drive module capable of driving the toothed belt, and a control part capable of controlling the drive module. The control part is capable of controlling the drive module to generate an impact to be applied to the test piece, and the impact generated by the drive module is transmitted to the table by the toothed belt.

Abstract: An example flexible substrate testing system includes: a first substrate support structure configured to hold stationary a first portion of a flexible substrate under test; a second substrate support structure configured to hold a second portion of the flexible substrate; an actuator configured to move the second substrate support structure to fold the flexible substrate and to unfold the flexible substrate; and a load cell configured to measure a load on the flexible substrate.

Abstract: Safety systems requiring intentional function activation and material testing systems including safety systems requiring intentional function activation are disclosed. An example material testing system includes: an actuator configured to control an operator-accessible component of the material testing system; an operator interface comprising a plurality of inputs; and one or more processors configured to: control the actuator based on at least one of a material testing process or an input from the operator interface; and require two or more inputs to be received within a predetermined threshold time to permit at least one operation of the actuator.

Abstract: Aspects of various embodiments are directed to sensor apparatuses and methods thereof. An example sensor apparatus includes a capacitor and sensor circuitry. The capacitor includes a first substrate having a first electrode, a second substrate having a second electrode, and a dielectric layer. The dielectric layer has a plurality of dielectric structures arranged in a pattern, the first and second electrode being separated by the dielectric layer and arranged with an overlapping area with respect to one another. The sensor circuitry is coupled to the capacitor and configured and arranged to detect normal and shear forces applied to the sensor apparatus based on changes in capacitance derived from changes in at least one of a distance between first and second electrodes and the overlapping area of the first and second electrodes.

Abstract: Disclosed is a multi-shaft pressurized rock mechanics tester, pertaining to the technical field of rock mechanics testing devices, comprising a base; the base is of an integral rectangular structure, and welded six vertical support plates symmetrically at the front and back ends, a -shaped bracket plate is horizontally welded at the top of the six vertical support plates (“” is a Chinese character, read as “Ri”), and a bracket plate is rotatably installed on the top section of the three rear vertical support plates, pressed against the -shaped bracket plate; the left and right sides of the base are symmetrically welded with four vertical bracing plates, an I-shaped installation plate is welded on the top of the four vertical bracing plates, four hydraulic cylinders are locked, fixed and hoisted on the bottom of the I-shaped installation plate with screws.

Abstract: A method of measuring a stress-strain curve in a cell-cell adhesion interface, the method including: providing a structure including a first movable island supported by a first beam, a second movable island supported by a second beam, and a gap therebetween connected by a pair of cells forming a junction, the pair of cells comprising a cell-cell adhesion interface having an initial length defined by a distance between nuclei of the pair of cells; moving the second movable island with a defined displacement; determining a displacement of the first movable island based on moving the second movable island; calculating a difference between the displacement of the first movable island and the defined displacement of the second movable island based on moving the second movable island; determining an applied strain in the cell-cell adhesion interface between the pair of cells based on the difference divided by the initial length of the cell-cell adhesion interface; calculating a force between the cell-cell adhesion

Abstract: A device and method for testing the bearing capacity of grouped pillars in the inclined goaf under coupled biaxial static and disturbance stresses are provided. Four protection rings are arranged on a base, each protection ring is installed with one machine frame therein, a bottom end of the machine frame is connected with the base and a top end thereof is connected with a transverse frame. Sliding rails are arranged on two sides of the base, side frames are installed on the sliding rails. A vertical force loading device is arranged at a bottom of a workbench, transverse force loading devices are arranged on inner sides of the side frames respectively. A force disturbance device is arranged at the bottom of the transverse frame. An upper slidable clamping seat and an upper pressure disk are arranged above the samples, and a lower slidable clamping seat is arranged below the samples.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a force measurement device that includes mechanical amplification of linear elastic deformation along the axis of loading by estimating the quasi-linear incremental displacement between two points on arcs inscribed due to angular movements of a pair of cantilever arms located on opposite quadrants on a closed contour load sensing element to improve the sensitivity, and hence the resolution, of the force measurement device.