A method for measuring the relative dielectric constant of powder in a powder-dispersed composite material. A composite material is assumed as a cell combination in which unit cells having the same length a in each of an x-axis direction, a y-axis direction, and a z-axis direction are combined together and which has a length l in the x-axis direction, a length m in the y-axis direction, and a length n in the z-axis direction, each of the unit cells of the cell combination is considered to be constituted by a single powder element or a single medium element, the cell combination is created in which the powder element or the medium element is assigned to each of the unit cells in consideration of the number-based median particle diameter D.sub.50, the maximum diameter D.sub.max, the minimum diameter D.sub.min, and the geometric standard deviation ?.sub.g.

An apparatus for evaluating an electrical insulator includes: a frame having a base and a pair of spaced-apart resilient arms each having a distal end; and a flexible probe disposed between the arms, the flexible probe being generally U-shaped and having a pair of distal ends, each distal end of the probe being connected to a respective distal end of one of the arms.

A device for measuring characteristics of a wafer is provided. The device includes a first circuit on the wafer and having a first number of parallelly connected oscillators, and a second circuit on the wafer and having the first number of parallelly connected oscillators; wherein a first portion of the second circuit is disconnected from a second portion of the second circuit.

A multichannel fuel cell test station for testing a performance of a fuel cell membrane electrode assembly (MEA) is provided. The multichannel fuel cell test station may include a cell mounting portion configured to receive a plurality of unit cells, a gas supply configured to supply fuel gas to the unit cells and including a pressure generator and a mass flow controller (MFC), a temperature controller configured to maintain a constant ambient temperature of the unit cells, a humidifying portion configured to maintain a constant humidification state around the unit cells, a measurer configured to measure performances and electrochemical impedances of the unit cells, and a controller configured to control the gas supply, the temperature controller, the humidifying portion and the measurer.

A disclosed electrical cell enables experimental measurements of dielectric properties of an electrochromic material in the radio-frequency range of the electromagnetic spectrum. In an example embodiment, the electrical cell includes a layer of the electrochromic material under test that is sandwiched between a conducting base plane and a microstrip line. The conducting base plane and the microstrip line are electrically connected to a co-planar waveguide configured for application of superimposed DC-bias and RF-probe signals using a conventional probe station and a vector network analyzer. The S-parameters of the electrical cell measured in this manner can then be used, e.g., to obtain the complex dielectric constant of the electrochromic material under test as a function of frequency.

A method for providing fast and efficient solution of partial differential equations to calculate the permittivity modes of an arbitrarily complex scatterer geometry using a modal approach, comprising the steps of defining the background geometry and the scatterer's geometry; embedding each scatterer in a simpler geometry; calculating the base transverse modes for each embedding geometry; for each scatterer, calculating the longitudinal modes; calculating the overlap matrix; solving and the resulting eigenvalue equation, using the base transverse modes that have been calculated for each embedding geometry and the longitudinal modes that have been calculated for the each scatterer; if there is more than one scatterer, hybridizing the modes of each pair of scatterers, otherwise, solving the resulting eigenvalue equation for the complete structure; projecting the source is on target modes; substituting the result is in the final equation.

A method of testing an insulation system is disclosed. The method comprises coupling a first test lead to a first conductor, the first conductor at least partly isolated by the insulation system and coupling a second test lead to a second conductor or a ground. The method further comprises applying a test signal to the first test lead, receiving a test response from the second test lead, and analyzing the test response from the second test lead to determine a harmonic content of the test response. The method further comprises, when the harmonic content is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, determining that the insulator system has non-linear properties.

A portable device includes first and second connectors capable of guiding an electromagnetic wave, a sample carrier installed between the first premier and second connectors and including a cavity housing a sample, an electronic module including an electromagnetic wave generator, and a processing system capable of analysing the electromagnetic wave exiting the second connector in order to deliver a first dielectric permittivity measurement and/or a second magnetic permeability measurement, a computer device including a control system capable of controlling the operation of the electronic module and of recovering each first or second measurement, and a portable container housing the first and second connectors, the sample carrier, the electronic module and the computer device.

Systems, methods, and software for measuring the spatially variable relative dielectric permittivity of materials along a linear or otherwise configured sensor element, and more specifically the spatial variability of soil moisture in one dimension as inferred from the dielectric profile of the soil matrix surrounding a linear sensor element. Various methods provided herein combine advances in the processing of time domain reflectometry data with innovations in physical sensing apparatuses. These advancements enable high temporal (and thus spatial) resolution of electrical reflectance continuously along an insulated waveguide that is permanently emplaced in contact with adjacent soils. The spatially resolved reflectance is directly related to impedance changes along the waveguide that are dominated by electrical permittivity contrast due to variations in soil moisture. Various methods described herein are thus able to monitor soil moisture in profile with high spatial resolution.

A method and system of a method of measuring complex dielectric constant and permeability includes directing two polarizations onto a material under test and measuring one or more values of reflection coefficients. Further, the method includes integrating a p-wave reflection coefficient and a s-wave reflection coefficient and calculating, based on the measured one or more values of the reflection coefficients in association with a Brewster's angle, one or more of a complex dielectric constant and permeability.