A testing apparatus for evaluating a medical implant for electric potential oscillations that lead to corrosion. The testing apparatus uses a uniaxial load device having a mounting base for accepting a medical implant and orienting the implant along a predetermined axis, a support plate positioned under the uniaxial load device and moveable to apply a force to the implant, a load cell positioned above the mounting plate to measure the force applied to the implant, and a set of differential variable reluctance transducers positioned to measure motion of the implant. A chamber encloses the uniaxial load device so that the implant can be submerged in a fluid replicating human synovial fluid. A faraday cage surrounds the chamber for isolation from environmental electromagnetic radiation. An array of near field antenna are positioned circumferentially around the chamber and driven by a multi-frequency generator.

A testing apparatus for evaluating a medical implant for electric potential oscillations that lead to corrosion. The testing apparatus uses a uniaxial load device having a mounting base for accepting a medical implant and orienting the implant along a predetermined axis, a support plate positioned under the uniaxial load device and moveable to apply a force to the implant, a load cell positioned above the mounting plate to measure the force applied to the implant, and a set of differential variable reluctance transducers positioned to measure motion of the implant. A chamber encloses the uniaxial load device so that the implant can be submerged in a fluid replicating human synovial fluid. A faraday cage surrounds the chamber for isolation from environmental electromagnetic radiation. An array of near field antenna are positioned circumferentially around the chamber and driven by a multi-frequency generator.

Systems and methods for automated MIMO force-response characterization of a structure-under-test. The structure-under-test is coupled to a plurality of exciter devices and a plurality of response sensors. An excitation signal is automatically and iteratively applied to each exciter device while sensor data is collected from each response sensor to collect response data for a plurality of different exciter-sensor combinations (i.e., response data collected by a single response sensor while the excitation signal is applied to a single exciter device). A signal quality test is applied to the collected sensor data and, in response to determining that the collected response data for a particular exciter-sensor combination is of insufficient quality, the data collection for that exciter-sensor combination is automatically repeated. The excitation signal can be automatically adjusted before repeating the data collection to improve the quality of the collected data for the exciter-sensor combination.

Systems and methods for automated MIMO force-response characterization of a structure-under-test. The structure-under-test is coupled to a plurality of exciter devices and a plurality of response sensors. An excitation signal is automatically and iteratively applied to each exciter device while sensor data is collected from each response sensor to collect response data for a plurality of different exciter-sensor combinations (i.e., response data collected by a single response sensor while the excitation signal is applied to a single exciter device). A signal quality test is applied to the collected sensor data and, in response to determining that the collected response data for a particular exciter-sensor combination is of insufficient quality, the data collection for that exciter-sensor combination is automatically repeated. The excitation signal can be automatically adjusted before repeating the data collection to improve the quality of the collected data for the exciter-sensor combination.

A sensor-enabled geogrid system for and method of monitoring the health, condition, and/or status of rail track infrastructure is disclosed. In some embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid system includes a sensor-enabled geogrid that further includes a geogrid holding an arrangement of one or more sensors. The sensor-enabled geogrid system further includes a communication means or network for collecting information and/or data from the sensor enabled geogrid about the health, condition, and/or status of rail track infrastructure. Further, a method of using the presently disclosed sensor-enabled geogrid system for monitoring the health, condition, and/or status of rail track infrastructure is provided.

A sensor-enabled geogrid system for and method of monitoring the health, condition, and/or status of infrastructure is disclosed. In some embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid system includes a sensor-enabled geogrid that further includes a geogrid holding an arrangement of one or more sensors. The sensor-enabled geogrid system further includes a communication means or network for collecting information and/or data from the sensor enabled geogrid about the health, condition, and/or status of infrastructure. Further, a method of using the presently disclosed sensor-enabled geogrid system for monitoring the health, condition, and/or status of infrastructure is provided.

A sensor-enabled geogrid system for and method of monitoring the health, condition, and/or status of infrastructure is disclosed. In some embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid system includes a sensor-enabled geogrid that further includes a geogrid holding an arrangement of one or more sensors. The sensor-enabled geogrid system further includes a communication means or network for collecting information and/or data from the sensor enabled geogrid about the health, condition, and/or status of infrastructure. Further, a method of using the presently disclosed sensor-enabled geogrid system for monitoring the health, condition, and/or status of infrastructure is provided.

Methods for assessing fiber and bundle orientations and mechanical properties of fiber reinforced composite materials using Thermal Digital Image Correlation (TDIC) are disclosed. In some examples, the method comprises exposing the composite material to a temperature change; imaging the composite material at a plurality of time points before, during and/or after the temperature change; and assessing the characteristic of the composite material based on the imaging. In others, temperature changes naturally occur during the cooling process after manufacturing can be employed for this method such as compression molding process, injection molding process, resin transfer molding processes and its variants.

Methods for assessing fiber and bundle orientations and mechanical properties of fiber reinforced composite materials using Thermal Digital Image Correlation (TDIC) are disclosed. In some examples, the method comprises exposing the composite material to a temperature change; imaging the composite material at a plurality of time points before, during and/or after the temperature change; and assessing the characteristic of the composite material based on the imaging. In others, temperature changes naturally occur during the cooling process after manufacturing can be employed for this method such as compression molding process, injection molding process, resin transfer molding processes and its variants.

An apparatus for performing a contact mechanics test in a substrate includes a stylus having at least two contact elements. Each contact element has a contact profile, and the contact elements are disposed in the stylus to define a stretch passage therebetween. The stylus is configured to deform the substrate so as to cause the substrate to flow between the contact elements and induce tension in the substrate in order to generate and preserve micromodifications in the substrate. Methods of performing a contact mechanics test using the apparatus are also provided.