Abstract: A bushing for use in an axle/suspension system of a heavy-duty vehicle. A beam supports an axle for pivotal movement with a hanger of the heavy-duty vehicle at a pivot connection. A bumper is fixed to the beam and contacts an engagement member of the heavy-duty vehicle to limit the relative pivotal movement of the beam and axle in one direction. A force is applied to the pivot connection in a force application direction that is angularly spaced from horizontal and vertical planes. The pivot connection includes a bushing to connect the beam and the hanger. The bushing includes an elastomeric bushing body with at least one void for decreasing rigidity of the bushing body in a substantially vertical direction. The one void is located in the bushing body angularly spaced from the force application direction. The bushing body is substantially solid along the force application direction.

Abstract: Implants for vertebral body or functional spinal unit replacement comprise a bioactive surface roughening on one or more of the anterior, posterior, and lateral surfaces of the implant. The bioactive surface includes macro-, micro-, and nano-scale structural features that contact vertebral bone that lines a specialized channel in a vertebrae, and thereby facilitate bone growth and osteointegration of the implant with the vertebral bone.

Abstract: An apparatus for monitoring deployment of filtration media at least partially surrounding a tubular disposed in a borehole penetrating the earth includes a carrier configured to be conveyed through the tubular, a low-frequency acoustic wave source disposed on the carrier and configured to transmit acoustic waves in a frequency that is less than 3000 Hz into the tubular, and an acoustic wave receiver disposed on the carrier a distance from the low-frequency acoustic wave source and configured to receive acoustic waves transmitted by the low-frequency acoustic wave source. The apparatus also includes a controller configured to compare data characterizing the received acoustic waves to reference data characterizing acoustic waves with the filtration media not deployed.

Abstract: Methods, systems, devices, and products for hydrocarbon tubular evaluation. Methods comprise conveying the logging tool in the tubular with a carrier; inducing with a transmitter a horizontal shear (SH) wave; identifying higher order SH mode signals received at a plurality of offset receivers responsive to a higher order SH mode engendered by the horizontal shear (SH) wave; estimating a dominant frequency for higher order SH mode from the higher order SH mode signals; estimating a group velocity for the higher order SH mode from the higher order SH mode signals; and estimating a tubular parameter using the dominant frequency and the group velocity. The tubular parameter may be at least tubular thickness. The method includes estimating the tubular parameter independent of the fundamental horizontal shear wave mode (SH0).

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for performing formation evaluation in a borehole intersecting an earth formation. Methods may include exciting at a first borehole depth at least one critical refraction wave by steering an acoustic beam transmitted by at least one ultrasonic transmitter to an interface in the formation to intercept the interface at a critical angle; receiving an acoustic signal comprising critical refraction wave data at a logging tool in the borehole; and obtaining a wave property measurement from the critical refraction wave data. The interface may be the borehole wall in an open-hole well or behind casing. Methods include using ultrasonic transmitter(s) to generate the plurality of acoustic beams, identifying critical refraction wave data within the response signal corresponding to the at least one critical refraction wave, and obtaining the wave property measurement from the critical refraction wave data.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining physical properties of a material in contact with an external surface of a casing disposed in a borehole including inducing, with a transducer, a first shear horizontal (SH) wave in the casing at a first SH order, measuring, with a sensor disposed on the casing, an attenuation of the first SH wave to generate a first measurement, inducing a second SH wave in the casing at a second SH order that is different from the first SH order, measuring an attenuation of the second SH wave to generate a second measurement, and extracting a physical properties of the material in contact with the external surface of the casing from the first and second measurements.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for evaluating an earth formation intersected by a borehole. Methods include estimating a property of cement surrounding a tubular in the earth formation by: generating an acoustic signal with a logging tool in the borehole; estimating the property in dependence upon a late reflected wave field of a modified response acoustic signal, wherein the modified response acoustic signal is produced by suppression of a direct mode component.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for estimating a value of a downhole parameter of interest. Aspects include an apparatus for evaluating a tubular. The apparatus may include a sensor including an electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) device configured to be conveyed into the tubular. The EMAT device may include measurement circuitry comprising at least one conductive coil; and a magnet array comprising magnets arranged with a corresponding direction of magnetization of each magnet oriented according to a configuration producing a greater magnetic flux on a first side of the array than on a second side opposing the first side. The magnetic flux produced from the second side may be substantially zero. In embodiments, the configuration of magnets comprises at least a first set of permanent magnets in a linear Halbach configuration.

Abstract: A transducer assembly for downhole imaging includes a 1-3 Piezoelectric composite transducer of high Q ceramic rods in a polymer matrix. The assembly also includes a Teflon® window, a fluid-filled cavity adjacent to the window, and impedance matching material between the composite transducer and the fluid. The transducer is positioned to reduce the reverberation time.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for downhole evaluation using a sensor assembly that includes a sensor plate, wherein a surface of the sensor plate forms a portion of a surface of a downhole tool. Methods include bringing the surface of the sensor plate into contact with downhole fluid; generating a guided wave that propagates in the sensor plate by activating the sensor assembly at at least one frequency configured to excite both a symmetric mode and an anti-symmetric mode; making at least one first attenuation measurement of the symmetric mode of the guided wave; making at least one second attenuation measurement of the anti-symmetric mode of the guided wave; and using the at least one first attenuation measurement and the at least one second attenuation measurement to estimate at least one parameter of interest of the fluid. Methods may include submerging the surface of the sensor plate in a downhole fluid.

Abstract: Systems, devices and methods for evaluating an earth formation intersected by a borehole. Method include detecting a reflective boundary in the earth formation by: generating a multipole acoustic signal with a logging tool in the borehole; identifying a shear wave signal resulting from shear body waves reflected in the formation in a near-field region of the formation around the borehole responsive to the generated multipole acoustic signal; and estimating at least a depth along the borehole of the boundary based on the shear wave signal. The boundary may have an angle of incidence with respect to the borehole of greater than 70 degrees. The boundary may be at least one of i) a fracture; and ii) a fault. The method may include evaluating the boundary using at least one attribute of the shear wave signal and the estimated depth.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for inspecting oilfield infrastructure components. Methods include estimating an optimal value for at least one excitation parameter for an acoustic excitation source to produce a guided wave of mixed multiple modes in the component; selecting at least one excitation parameter corresponding to an optimal simulated guided wave determined in dependence upon the application of waveform criteria to the time domain waveforms; and generating a guided wave in the tubular using the at least one optimal excitation parameter. Methods may include calculating a guided wave dispersion relation; modeling each of the plurality of simulated guided waves, wherein the modeling comprises generating a time domain waveform for each of a plurality of wave modes in dependence upon the acoustic excitation source; selecting the at least one excitation parameter corresponding to an optimal simulated guided wave determined in dependence upon the application of waveform criteria to the time domain waveforms.

Abstract: A gripping assembly for a fishing tool which includes first and second end members and a plurality of gripping members which are retained by the first and second end members and which are moveable between a radially expanded configuration and a radially restricted configuration by rotation of the second end member with respect to the first end member.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for evaluating an earth formation intersected by a borehole using signals produced at a plurality of borehole depths by an ultrasonic transducer in the borehole, the signals produced by the transducer including ringdown signals from the ultrasonic transducer and echo signals from a wall of the borehole from a plurality of azimuthal orientations.

Abstract: A bushing for use in an axle/suspension system of a heavy-duty vehicle. A beam supports an axle for pivotal movement with a hanger of the heavy-duty vehicle at a pivot connection. A bumper is fixed to the beam and contacts an engagement member of the heavy-duty vehicle to limit the relative pivotal movement of the beam and axle in one direction. A force is applied to the pivot connection in a force application direction that is angularly spaced from horizontal and vertical planes. The pivot connection includes a bushing to connect the beam and the hanger. The bushing includes an elastomeric bushing body with at least one void for decreasing rigidity of the bushing body in a substantially vertical direction. The one void is located in the bushing body angularly spaced from the force application direction. The bushing body is substantially solid along the force application direction.

Abstract: A composition and method for a high solids yogurt with reduced water activity. The high solids yogurt can be formed, for example, by culturing a high solids milk. Lactose present in the high solids milk can be hydrolyzed to glucose and galactose. Water activity of the yogurt can be further reduced by applying a vacuum-dehydration process to the high solids yogurt. The water activity of the yogurt can also be reduced by adding solutes to the yogurt. The composition can be used in food products, either in isolation or in combination with other components, for example, grain-based components.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for performing formation evaluation in a borehole intersecting an earth formation. Methods may include exciting at a first borehole depth at least one critical refraction wave by steering an acoustic beam transmitted by at least one ultrasonic transmitter to an interface in the formation to intercept the interface at a critical angle; receiving an acoustic signal comprising critical refraction wave data at a logging tool in the borehole; and obtaining a wave property measurement from the critical refraction wave data. The interface may be the borehole wall in an open-hole well or behind casing. Methods include using ultrasonic transmitter(s) to generate the plurality of acoustic beams, identifying critical refraction wave data within the response signal corresponding to the at least one critical refraction wave, and obtaining the wave property measurement from the critical refraction wave data.

Abstract: Implants are formed from a multiple staged process that combines both additive and subtractive techniques. Additive techniques melt powders and fragments of a desired material, then successively layer the molten material into the desired implant shape, without compressing or remelting for homogenization of the layers, thereby producing an implant that is substantially free of pores and inclusions. Subtractive techniques refine implant surfaces to produce a bioactive roughened surface comprised of macro, micro, and nano structural features that facilitate bone growth and fusion.

Abstract: A gripping assembly for a fishing tool which includes first and second end members and a plurality of gripping members which are retained by the first and second end members and which are moveable between a radially expanded configuration and a radially restricted configuration by rotation of the second end member with respect to the first end member.

Abstract: Techniques facilitating using flow graphs to represent a data analysis program in a cloud based system for open science collaboration and discovery are provided. In an example, a system can represent a data analysis execution as a flow graph where vertices of the flow graph represent function calls made during the data analysis program and edges between the vertices represent objects passed between the functions. In another example, the flow graph can then be annotated using an annotation database to label the recognized function calls and objects. In another example, the system can then semantically label the annotated flow graph by aligning the annotated graph with a knowledge base of data analysis concepts to provide context for the operations being performed by the data analysis program.