Abstract: A portable test hammer apparatus that produces repeatable and adjustable impacts to make traditional "tap testing" more reliable and quantified. The apparatus includes an impactor head device having a housing sized to be held in a human hand and engageable with the structural member, a plurality of adaptor bases, each readily mounted on the housing, an impactor head disposed within the housing for reciprocating movement therein, and a fluid piston assembly for moving the impactor head from a retracted position within the housing to a projected position in which the impactor head impacts the structural member. Impactor devices can be rapidly slid across test surfaces on non-marring feet, vacuum adhered to the test surface, or both. The apparatus further includes a rugged acoustic transducer for generating and transmitting an electrical signal based on the acoustic signature of the strike of the impactor head against the structural member.

Abstract: A first magnetoresistive (MR) element of an MR element portion of the MR sensor has line patterns of a ferromagnetic thin film, that are arranged in parallel to each other, and connecting patterns that connect ends of the line patterns. The resistance of the MR element is set only by the length of the ferromagnetic thin film, irrespective of formation and removal of an Au layer. The connecting patterns, that connect between the line patterns of the ferromagnetic thin film, are designed in a configuration so as not to be influenced by a magnetic field which may cause variation of resistance value of the ferromagnetic thin film of the line pattern. The end of the connecting portion pattern is formed into an angle configuration having a portion oriented at a 45.degree. angle relative to the longitudinal direction of the line pattern. This avoids influence of the applied magnetic field. Adjacent to the outermost line pattern, an adjacent pattern is arranged.

Abstract: An atmospheric water vapor sensing system using Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) to determine the refractivity and Slant-path Water Vapor (SWV) between an Earth-based GPS receiver and a plurality of satellite-based GPS transmitters. Either the refractivity measure or the SWV measure can be input directly into weather forecasting models. SWV is the integrated atmospheric water vapor in a column of atmosphere at an acute angular line-of-sight path between the Earth-based GPS receiver and any one of the plurality of satellite-based GPS transmitters. SWV sensing facilitates atmospheric soundings over land and water to provide global scale high resolution atmospheric tomography for use in operational meteorology and meteorological forecasting.

Abstract: The present invention provides an innovative method and apparatus for determining continuous, visual clamp load status during tightening and throughout the life of a fastener. The present invention provides a nondeformable element (or in some cases elements) that is suitably configured and positioned within a fastener to amplify the deformation of the fastener as a load is applied to the fastener. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a lever is connected at an internal pivot point of a cartridge. One end of the lever rests upon an abutment within the fastener, while the other end serves as an indicator. As the fastener is tightened, the fastener will elongate causing the abutment to move away form the lever end. As the abutment moves, the lever rotates causing the indicator end to move relative to the visual scale which is calibrated to indicate clamping force. If the fastener loses tension, the fastener will contract, thereby forcing the lever to rotate toward its original position.

Abstract: A system for tightening a threaded fastener with a hydraulic wrench has a pumping unit which measures parameters representative of the torque applied to the fastener and the angle of advance of the fastener, remote from the wrench. The pump measures pressure as a parameter representative of torque and measures flow rate, pump speed (for a fixed displacement pump), or time (for a fixed displacement pump driven at constant speed) as a parameter representative of the angle of advance of the fastener. A ratchet-type hydraulic wrench is used, and the pressure versus angle data produced in tightening a fastener is manipulated to discard irrelevant portions and smooth relevant portions to provide data representative of torque and angle during the tightening process from which to determine a final stopping parameter for terminating tightening. The system also has a calibration fixture for determining the volumetric rate of angle advance for a given wrench.

Abstract: In a load monitoring device of a mechanical type with a deformable basic body (1), the latter has a deformation part (2,3) provided with detent stops (5,6,7) which hold pivoting levers (10,11) in positions corresponding to different load ranges. When predetermined limit values are reached, the detent stops (5,6,7) release the free ends (8,9) of the pivoting levers (10,11), and these are transferred by springs (12) into positions corresponding to the respective degree of loading or of overloading.

Abstract: A rail axial-force measuring method and an axial-force measurable rail which eliminate the effects of residual stresses existing in a rail and thus enables an axial force acting on the rail to be measured quickly and accurately are provided. The rail is provided with a stress sensing portion which is magnetized by a magnetizing head, and changes in the magnetization of the stress sensing portion are detected by a detection head as a voltage signal from which an axial force acting on the rail is measured. Preferably, the voltage signal is a Barkhausen noise signal and, also preferably, the stress sensing portion is constructed from a portion formed by first locally heating the rail into a .gamma.-phase region, and then causing cementite to precipitate by heat treatment at a temperature lower than the .gamma.-phase region. The axial-force measurable rail including the above-described stress sensing portion is also provided.

Abstract: The liquid level sensor comprises a graduated tape or cable whose free end is fixed to a plunger core that includes a housing and a probe for detecting the presence of a liquid. The probe comprises a metal waveguide having a cylindrical solid top portion, a portion of smaller section constituting a mechanical amplifier, a frustoconical portion, and a cylindrical bottom end portion constituting the sensitive portion of the probe. The metal waveguide is connected to the housing of the plunger core in sealed manner via a support flange which is fixed to the conical portion of the metal waveguide in such a manner that only the portion of the waveguide situated beneath the fixing zone emerges from the housing and can come into contact with a liquid. A transducer electrically powered by electronic processing circuits is disposed at the free end of the top portion and is excited at a predetermined frequency f.sub.i to create incident elastic waves in the waveguide.

Abstract: A method and apparatus (10) for sensing a surface level (24) of fluid (12) in a tank (14) having an electrically conducting pickup tube (20) extending through a wall (16) of the tank (14) and into the fluid (12) includes a time domain reflectometry circuit (40) connected to the tube (20) for generating an incident pulse (68) that travels down the tube (20) and a portion of which is reflected at the surface (24) as a reflected pulse (70,72) which travels back along the tube (20) and is sensed by the circuit (40). The circuit (40) includes a microprocessor (92) which utilizes the elapsed time between the generation of the incident pulse (68) and the receipt of the reflected pulse to determine the position of the surface (24) relative to a reference point and the amount of the fluid (12) in the tank (14) and indicate the amount of fluid at a display (106). The tube (20) forms a transmission line with one of a plate (48), an outer tube (110) and a return tube (130).

Abstract: A fluid flowmeter includes a conduit through which fluid flows by way of an inlet and an outlet for flow rate measurement. A first transducer transmits signals to and receives signals from a second transducer by way of the conduit. A second transducer is spaced from the first transducer along the conduit and transmits signals to and receives signals from the first transducer. A detector detects the time of flight of the signals between the transducers in order to measure the flow rate of the fluid along the conduct. A rod extends along the conduit to provide an annular flow path along which the signals are transmitted.

Abstract: A method for detecting the integrity of a bond between strain gages and the circumferential surface of a rod having an intended use comprises bonding at least four strain gages to the surface of the rod in a predetermined orientation, each of the strain gages being connected to a separate strain gage bridge circuit. The rod is used for its intended use and each of the strain gage bridge circuit outputs a plurality of instantaneous first, second, third and fourth output signals, each being associated with one of the strain gages. A plurality of instantaneous bonding values are calculated from the output signals equal to the sum of the first signal and the fourth signal minus the sum of the second signal and the third signal. If the instantaneous bonding values remain constant, the bond integrity of the strain gages is good whereas if the bonding values are not constant, the bond integrity of at least one of the strain gages is poor.

Abstract: A method of tightening a bolt in an optimum time length does not require an additional program for controlling speed once optimum internal parameters have been determined through several learning cycles. A target torque is first preset and the nut runner is subjected to several learning cycles so that the nut runner automatically determines such internal parameters as to stop the motor immediately after the target torque is reached, requiring a minimum time for tightening the bolt.

Abstract: A motor driven screwdriver has a drive train including a driving shaft, a driven shaft, and a planetary transmission arranged between the shafts, a measuring value transducer located in the drive train for determining a torque transmitted in the drive train, the measuring value transducer having a torsion shaft which transmits the drive torque, the torsion shaft being formed as a part of the driven shaft, and the driven shaft having an end which faces the planetary transmission and carries planetary gears of the planetary transmission.

Abstract: A single axis force sensor assembly for sensing compressive and tensile forces along a first axis includes a first member having a center hub and a plurality of arms extending radially outward therefrom. Each of the plurality of arms terminate at a peripheral flange of the first member. Strain sensing gauges are mounted to at least one of the plurality of arms so as to detect mechanical deformation of the arm or arms to which the gauges are attached. A second member is joined to the center hub such that the first and second members are oriented generally parallel to one another. A gap extends between the first member and the second member. A circuit carrying substrate may be physically incorporated as a part of the force sensor assembly, i.e., above and adjacent to the plurality of arms. A circuit of the circuit carrying substrate is electrically connected to the strain sensing gauges.

Abstract: A magnetoelastic torque transducer for measuring, in a non-contacting manner, the torque in a stationary or a rotating shaft. The transducer comprises a shaft (1) with surrounding excitation windings (2, 3) and measuring windings (10, 11). Concentrically with the windings, anisotropic measuring zones are created by applying layers (8, 9), for example in the form of copper strips, on the surface of the shaft. The angle between the strips and a generatrix to the cylinder surface of the transducer shaft is in a preferred embodiment chosen to be .+-.45.degree. (FIG. 5).

Abstract: An ocean profiler that utilizes ocean wave energy to provide power for repeated ascent and descent of an oceanographic instrument. In one embodiment the instrument assembly is provided with either positive or negative buoyancy such that the instrument can traverse one half of the travel cycle rapidly utilizing the buoyancy force. Utilizing wave power for instrument traversing greatly reduces the power requirement of the apparatus allowing extended unattended operation.

Abstract: The inductive flow meter and method of exciting a coil includes a coil with unipolar excitation, which generates exciting pulses having a pulse interval therebetween. The length of the pulse interval is shorter than that of an exciting pulse. The associated evaluation circuit includes two alternately clocked channels whose evaluation phases overlap each other in time, the measuring voltage being obtained at the ends of the signal paths by alternately sampling the channels.

Abstract: A torque sensor is provided with a pair of coils whose inductances vary in opposite directions in accordance with torque, and a differential amplifier circuit for differentially amplifying a pair of detection voltages induced by and received from the pair of coils so as to detect the torque by means of the output of the differential amplifier circuit. The torque sensor further includes a detection circuit using the detection voltage as an input to send out a detection signal when the input exceeds a predetermined upper limit value or becomes lower than a predetermined lower limit value, and a control circuit for controlling the differential amplifier circuit on receiving the detection signal so that the output of the differential amplifier circuit has a predetermined value outside a steady output range.

Abstract: The invention is related to a feedback method and apparatus for a capacitive differential pressure transducer. According to the method, a pressure-transducing conducting diaphragm (1) forming a first, moving electrode of the transducer capacitances is kept in a force balance state by means of a pulse train signal applied to a fixed electrode (2, 3). According to the invention, the diaphragm (1) is kept stationary in a geometrically constant state and a desired electric potential is applied to the diaphragm (1), the pulse train signal is applied to at least two of the fixed electrodes (2, 3), or alternatively, sets of fixed subelectrodes. The signals applied to separate electrodes (2, 3) or sets of subelectrodes are at opposite polarities referenced to the electric potential of the pressure-transducing diaphragm (1) for at least a portion of the measurement duration, and are of equal amplitude at least for each pair of electrodes (2, 3).

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer array, and a method for manufacturing it, having a plurality of transducer elements aligned along an array axis in an imaging plane. Each transducer element includes a piezoelectric layer and one or more acoustic matching layers. The piezoelectric layer has a concave front surface overlayed by a front electrode and a rear surface overlayed by a rear electrode. The shape of each transducer element is selected such that it is mechanically focused into the imaging plane. A backing support holds the plurality of transducer elements in a predetermined relationship along the array axis such that each element is mechanically focused in the imaging plane.