System for conducting measurements of friction of a chosen material with reduced errors. The system includes a sample holder, a bushing accommodating such holder while permitting reversible repositioning of the holder along a bushing axis, a horizontal force sensor, a vertical force sensor, a sample holder pusher and a subsystem including a linear vertical bearing (disposed in the bushing and separating the holder from the bushing) and/or a horizontally-sliding element between the rod pusher and the vertical force sensor. The subsystem is structured to reduce a rocking motion of the holder in the bushing caused by a relative motion between the sample and an auxiliary body brought in contact with the sample. The method for performing measurements with such system.

A method for assessing the release performance of microcapsules comprising at least one volatile ingredient, the method comprising the steps of: a. applying a plurality of said microcapsules to an underlying surface; b. applying a kinetic frictional shear stress τ through a contact surface of a probe under a predefined load, a predefined contact surface area and a predefined shear rate to said plurality of microcapsules; and c. measuring the amount of the at least one volatile ingredient released per second from said microcapsules under said kinetic frictional shear stress τ.

A load control method and a load control system of an indenter based on fuzzy predictive control, are provided. The method includes acquiring an actual measured force value of a sensor and an expected force value of the n.sup.th cycle in the loading stage; calculating a first error and a change rate; establishing and optimizing a fuzzy predictive controller; determining movement steps of a motor in the loading stage; acquiring the actual measured value of the sensor and an expected force value of the n.sup.th cycle in the full load stage; controlling the movement of the motor; acquiring the actual measured force value of the sensor and an expected force value of the n.sup.th cycle in the unloading stage; calculating a third error and a change rate; and determining the movement steps of the motor in the unloading stage.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a hardness meter which estimates hardness in a stable manner regardless of a compression strength. A hardness meter includes: a movable portion which is continuously pressed against an object to be measured; a sensor which outputs an output signal reflecting a reaction force at a part of the object to be measured; a motive force mechanism that causes the movable portion to perform a piston motion; a hardness estimating portion which estimates the hardness of the object on the basis of an alternating current component of the output signal, generated by the piston motion; a position estimating portion which estimates a measurement position information by shooting with a camera; and a hardness map display portion which maps and displays the hardness on a schematic diagram of the surface of a living body based on the measurement position information.

The present invention discloses a system for measuring the mechanical properties of sea floor sediments at full ocean depth. The system includes an overwater monitoring unit and an underwater measurement device, where the underwater measurement device includes an observation platform and a measuring mechanism; the observation platform includes a frame-type body and a floating body, a wing panel, a floating ball cabin, a leveling mechanism, a counterweight, and a release mechanism mounted on the frame-type body; the floating ball cabin seals a circuit system; the leveling mechanism adjusts the underwater measurement device horizontally on the sea floor when the frame-type body reaches the sea floor; the release mechanism discards the counterweight for recovery of the unit after the underwater measurement device completes the underwater operation; the measuring mechanism includes at least one of a cone penetration measuring mechanism, a spherical penetration measuring mechanism, and a vane shear measuring mechanism, or a sampling mechanism.

A method for assessing the release performance of microcapsules comprising at least one volatile ingredient, the method comprising the steps of: a. applying a plurality of said microcapsules to an underlying surface; b. applying a kinetic frictional shear stress τ through a contact surface of a probe under a predefined load, a predefined contact surface area and a predefined shear rate to said plurality of microcapsules; and c. measuring the amount of the at least one volatile ingredient released per second from said microcapsules under said kinetic frictional shear stress τ.

An impact test method and an impact test device is provided, wherein an impact application member is caused to fall freely onto a test sample placed on a placement platform. When the impact application member collides with the test sample, an impact force applied to the test sample and an indentation amount of the impact application member with respect to the test sample are measured by a load meter and a displacement meter, respectively. Based on the measured impact force and the measured indentation amount, a calculation unit calculates energy loss absorbed by the test sample when the impact application member and the test sample collide with each other.

The invention comprises an apparatus for testing mechanical materials, including, but not limited to, plates, welded pipes, metal shells, and the like. The apparatus may include an outer module; an inner module, wherein the inner module is affixed to a target mechanical material to be tested; and at least one main bolt, wherein the at least one main bolt physically contacts the outer module and the inner module. In some embodiments, the inner module may include a plurality of clasps for holding the target material. A mechanical force can be applied to the main bolt, which results in application of mechanical force to the target mechanical material for testing. Additionally, the apparatus does not require any hydraulic elements or electrical elements.

A loading device, a monitoring system, and a method thereof can measure stiffness of a structural member (SM) and monitor progress or property thereof over time. The loading device includes two types of displacement sensors, one type being an antenna. As the SM, which is in a magnetic or electromagnetic field and electromagnetically coupled to the antenna without contact, undergoes displacement under known loads, characteristics of the electromagnetic field coupling between the antenna and the SM change over time due to the displacement of the SM. The shift in the characteristics of the electromagnetic field coupling between the antenna and the SM can be used to determine the displacement of the SM. Based on the changes in the displacement over time, diagnosis of the SM being monitored over an evaluation period can be made. The loading device includes at least one movable frame to apply a preload to the SM.

Multiple deflections of a structural member (SM) can be measured at multiple locations thereof, which deflections can be used to monitor changes in stiffness over time, using an antenna to measure the resonant frequencies at different harmonic frequency numbers of a predetermined radio frequency spectrum. The antenna includes a plurality of coils providing at least a first coil region that has a maximum sensitive to a first resonant frequency harmonic number and a second coil region spaced from the first coil region and that has a maximum sensitivity to a second resonant frequency harmonic number that is different from the first predetermined resonant frequency harmonic number. Using different harmonic resonant frequency numbers, deflections at multiple regions of the SM can be determined concurrently using a single antenna.