Systems and methods for monitoring a cheesemaking process, and for identifying certain stages of the process, are disclosed. The system includes a sonic sensor, along with a processor that will receive, from the sonic sensor, a signal that is indicative of a speed of sound in a material that is being processed in the cheesemaking process. The processor will use the speed of sound to identify a cut point in the cheesemaking process. The processor will generate a signal when the cut point is reached. Optionally, before this happens the processor also may use the speed of sound to identify a flocculation point in the cheesemaking process.

An ultrasonic sensing technique and a signal interpretation method based on a spectral element multiphase poromechanical approach overcomes critical gaps in permafrost, frozen soil, and saturated soil characterization. Ultrasonic sensing produces high-quality response signals that are sensitive to the soil properties. A transfer function denoting a ratio of induced displacement and applied force in the frequency domain, is independent of the distribution of the stress force applied by the transducer to the sample, and allows interpretation of the measured electrical signal using a theoretical transfer function relation to efficiently determine the most probable properties from response signals using an inverse spectral element multiphase poromechanical approach. This ultrasonic sensing technique enables rapid characterization of soil samples in terms of both physical and mechanical properties. The Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS) system can be used in a laboratory setup or brought on site for in-situ investigation of permafrost, frozen, and saturated soil samples.

A system for sensing the volume and/or viscosity of a slurry (e.g., like concrete) contained in a rotating container or drum, having a sensor and a signal processor. The sensor is configured to attach inside a rotating container or drum having a known geometry, sense angular positions of the sensor and also sense associated entry and exit points when the sensor enters and exits the slurry, including concrete, contained in the rotating container or drum, and provide signaling containing information about the angular positions and the associated entry and exit points. The signal processor receives the signaling, and determines corresponding signaling containing information about a volumetric amount, or a viscosity, or both, of the slurry in the rotating container or drum, based upon the signaling received.

The present invention pertains to a method and experimental apparatus for studying properties of cement slurry to be used in an oil or gas well under varied pressure and temperature conditions. This apparatus can be used to predict the likelihood of gas migration, compressive strength and static gel strength of cement slurry. It comprises a servo motor and coupling magnets to drive a paddle at a very slow speed through the cement in a pressure vessel, a pair of acoustic transducers to generate an acoustic signal and measure the transit time of the acoustic signal after it transits the cement, and a gas injection system to predict the severity of gas migration in cement.

According to one or more embodiments, a method of growing crystals on a QCM sensor may include treating a crystal growth surface of the QCM sensor with a coupling agent, applying a cation stream to the crystal growth surface of the QCM sensor, and applying an anion stream to the crystal growth surface of the QCM sensor. The crystals forming a crystal layer may have an average thickness greater than 5 nanometers. According to one or more embodiments, a QCM sensor may include a crystal layer on a crystal growth surface of the QCM sensor, where the crystal layer is formed by a process including treating the crystal growth surface of the QCM sensor with a coupling agent, applying a cation stream to the crystal growth surface of the QCM sensor, and applying an anion stream to the crystal growth surface of the QCM sensor.

Disclosed are an apparatus for measuring an in-situ crosslink density includes a support configured to fix or support a cross-linkable structure, a light source configured to irradiate light for crosslinking to the cross-linkable structure, and a probe configured to provide in-situ micro-deformation to the cross-linkable structure, wherein the in-situ crosslink density of the cross-linkable structure is measured from a stress-strain phase lag of the cross-linkable structure by the in-situ micro-deformation, a method of measuring the in-situ crosslink density, a method of manufacturing a crosslinked product, a crosslinked product obtained by the method, and a polymer substrate and an electronic device including the crosslinked product.

The present disclosure provides a system and method for real-time visualization of a material during ultrasonic non-destructive testing. The system includes a graphical user interface (GUI) capable of showing a three-dimensional (3-D) image of a composite laminate constructed of a series of two-dimensional (2-D) cross sections. The GUI is capable of displaying the 3-D image as each additional 2-D cross section is scanned by an ultrasonic testing apparatus in real time or near real time, including probable defect regions that contain a flaw such as a hole, crack, wrinkle, or foreign object within the composite. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the system includes an artificial intelligence capable of highlighting defect areas within the 3-D image in real time or near real time and providing data regarding each defect area, such as the depth, size, and/or type of each defect.

A method for measuring fracture characteristics of adhesive polymeric material comprises: (i) bonding a sample to a rigid substrate; (ii) cooling the sample from a first temperature to a second temperature such that thermally-induced stresses are generated within the sample, wherein the thermally-induced stresses generate an inward-growing three-dimensional spiral crack within the sample; (iii) detecting, by three or more AE piezoelectric sensors, mechanical transient waves generated during development of the inward-growing three-dimensional spiral crack within the sample and determining the accurate 3D geometry of the spiral using source location technique; (iv) visualizing the two-dimensional spiral cracking pattern deposited on a surface of the rigid substrate and measuring the precise width of the crack; (v) determining, using the detected mechanical waves and the visualized deposited sample, AE-based fracture characteristics of the sample; and (vi) reporting the determined one or more fracture characteristics of the sample.

A laser apparatus includes: an optical fiber through which a laser beam propagates; a resin that fixes the optical fiber; a sound sensor that detects a sound produced by the resin that shrinks when a power of light propagating through the optical fiber decreases from its peak value; a storage that stores a threshold relating to a sound produced when the resin shrinks; and a comparison determination part. The comparison determination part compares a detected value representative of the sound detected by the sound sensor to the threshold stored in the storage and determines that the resin has been degraded when the detected value exceeds the threshold.

Disclosed are a method of inspecting a printing quality of a 3D printing object using a femtosecond laser beam during a 3D printing process, and an apparatus and a 3D printing system for the same. A laser beam is irradiated from a femtosecond laser source disposed coaxially with a 3D printing laser source to inspect a state of the printing object. The laser beam generated by the femtosecond laser source is separated into a pump laser beam and a probe laser beam. The printing laser beam irradiated from a 3D printing laser source or the pump laser beam is irradiated onto a printing object to generate ultrasonic waves. To measure the ultrasonic waves, a probe laser beam is irradiated onto the printing object. The probe laser beam reflected by the printing object is detected. The quality of the printing object is inspected by analyzing the reflected probe laser beam.