A water hardness mitigation or treatment evaluation system includes a first quartz crystal microbalance cell and a fluid coupling adapted to be fluidly coupled to a pre-treated water to be flowed over a first quartz crystal. A second quartz crystal microbalance cell and a fluid coupling are adapted to be fluidly coupled to a post-treated water to be flowed over a second quartz crystal. A computer processor receives a first frequency data from the first quartz crystal and a second frequency data from the second quartz crystal and based on a difference of frequency over time between the first frequency data and the second frequency data, provides an indication of an effectiveness of a water hardness mitigation or treatment component or system. A method to evaluate and effectiveness of a water hardness mitigation or treatment evaluation system is also described.

The invention is a method for the nondestructive examination of a test specimen using ultrasound. Ultrasonic waves are coupled into the test specimen with ultrasonic transducers. Ultrasonic waves, which are reflected within the test specimen, are received by the ultrasonic transducers and converted into ultrasonic signals. The method determines an average noise level, to which all discrete signal information is subjected, determines volume elements assigned to each discrete signal information having a signal level with a signal-to-noise ratio R (which is referred to as an average noise level), of 6 dB≤R, determines pairs of volumes separated by a distance A which is equal to or less than a wavelength of the ultrasonic waves coupled into the test specimen. Volumes are combined into a group and the discrete signal information is evaluated, based on at least one of polarization, frequency, wave type and wave mode.

A method for nondestructive inspection by ultrasound of a bonded assembly is provided. The method comprises two steps, consisting of measuring a thickness of an adhesive joint of the bonded assembly by an ultrasound transducer arranged on the bonded assembly in a determined position, and measuring the degree of adhesion of parts of the bonded assembly by the same ultrasound transducer maintained in the determined position, the degree of adhesion being measured by ZGV Lamb waves.

An ultrasonic transverse wave is transmitted or ultrasonic longitudinal wave and transverse wave are transmitted in a perpendicular direction to a bonding interface between materials by transmission such as a probe. A reflection signal of the transmitted transverse wave reflected by the bonding interface and/or a transmission signal of the transmitted transverse wave transmitted through the bonding interface and the longitudinal wave, a reflection signal of the transmitted longitudinal wave reflected by the bonding interface and/or a transmission signal of the transmitted longitudinal wave transmitted through the bonding interface are received by reception such as the probe. A physical quantity of the reflection signal or the transmission signal of the transverse wave, out of the received signals, and the longitudinal wave, a joined state of the bonding interface is evaluated by analysis evaluation, utilizing a predetermined physical quantity of the reflection signal or the transmission signal of the longitudinal wave.

A system and a method of monitoring physical properties of a physical medium over time are provided herein. The method may include the following steps: embedding a plurality of acoustic sensors into a physical medium before curing thereof; transmitting an acoustic wave by at least one transmitter coupled to or embedded within said physical medium; repeatedly calculating, over different points of time, a travel time of said acoustic wave between the at least one transmitter and the plurality of acoustic sensors; and analyzing said travel times, to detect a change over time in physical properties of said physical medium associated with said travel time.

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.

Diagnostic device including a hammering sound signal acquisition unit, a frequency characteristic conversion unit, and an abnormality determination unit. The hammering sound signal acquisition unit acquires an i-th hammering sound signal and a j-th hammering sound signal representing hammering sounds with respect to striking applied to an i-th and a j-th struck position of an inspection target. The frequency characteristic conversion unit respectively converts the i-th hammering sound signal and the j-th hammering sound signal into an i-th frequency characteristic and a j-th frequency characteristic. The abnormality determination unit determines presence or absence of an abnormality in the inspection target on the basis of a matching degree of waveforms around peaks in the i-th frequency characteristic and waveforms around peaks in the j-th frequency characteristic. The diagnostic device can be used with an inspection robot to automatically analyze for loose stator wedges.

Systems and methods are provided for evaluating a lung via ultrasound. A plurality of ultrasound images are generated at each of a plurality of locations on a lung using an ultrasound imager to provide a plurality of images. Respective grades are assigned to each of the plurality of images according to an amount of B-line artifact in the image to generate a plurality of grades for the lung. A composite score for the lung is calculated from the plurality of grades. The composite score represents a general assessment of the lung. The composite score is provided to a user at an associated output device.

Acoustic transducers generate and receive acoustic signals at multiple locations along a surface of rigid structure, wherein longitudinal spacing between transducer locations define measurement zones. Acoustic signals with chosen amplitude-time-frequency characteristics excite multiple vibration modes in the structure within each zone. Small mechanical changes in inspection zones lead to scattering and attenuation of broadband acoustic signals, which are detectable as changes in received signal characteristics as part of a through-transmission technique. Additional use of short, narrowband pulse acoustic signals as part of a pulse-echo technique allows determination of the relative location of the mechanical change within each zone based on the differential delay profiles. For accurate acoustic modeling and simulation, the mesh size, time step, time delay, and time-window size are optimized. Frequency normalization of the Short-Time Fourier Transform of acoustic response output improves experiment-simulation cross-validation. Applications of the method to structures with arbitrarily complex geometries are also demonstrated.

A method and device are provided for determining a mode of detection of an element that reflects ultrasonic waves, wherein it comprises at least the following steps: For each point P of a given volume Zr, determining an ultrasonic field value A.sub.ij.sup.m (P) for N emitter-receiver pairs (i, j) and for one detection mode m, computing a number $C^m\left(P,\stackrel{.fwdarw.}{n}\right)=\underset{i,j=1}{\overset{N}{.Math.}}{c}_{\mathrm{ij}}^m\left(P,\stackrel{.fwdarw.}{n}\right)$
of reflections of the wave where