Provided are material testing devices and methods for measuring certain physical properties of materials, such as for example, drying, curing, film formation, friction, adhesion, print resistance, and scratch resistance. The testing device includes a platform, a stylus comprising a probe, an angle sensor, a linear position sensor, a control system with a power supply and a control center which may be programmed with testing parameters.

A hardness tester includes a memory storing, as a parts program, definitions of measurement conditions including a coordinate system and test position defined with respect to an image of a standard reference sample; a pattern searcher performing a pattern searching process, with reference to a plurality of samples to be measured, using a pattern image based on the image of the standard reference sample, and detecting a number of samples having a shape identical to that of the standard reference sample, as well as a position and angle of the samples having the identical shape; a pattern definer defining a coordinate system and test position for each of the samples having the identical shape based on the position and angle of each of the samples having the identical shape; and a measurer measuring the hardness of the samples for which the coordinate system and test position have been defined.

The present invention pertains to a device, system, and method for evaluating the condition of a wooden structure by automated profiling of the hardness of the structure. More particularly, the present invention is directed towards a probing device comprising a blade coupled to a resistance mechanism and a mechanical sensor for measuring the hardness of wood in a structure; a system comprising such a device, and a computing device coupled to the device that outputs the hardness measurements of the device; and a method for operating such a device and determining the condition of wood by identifying changes in hardness in a wooden structure.

The present invention pertains to a device, system, and method for evaluating the condition of a wooden structure by automated profiling of the hardness of the structure. More particularly, the present invention is directed towards a probing device comprising a blade coupled to a resistance mechanism and a mechanical sensor for measuring the hardness of wood in a structure; a system comprising such a device, and a computing device coupled to the device that outputs the hardness measurements of the device; and a method for operating such a device and determining the condition of wood by identifying changes in hardness in a wooden structure.

The present invention relates to a method for measuring a fracture toughness using an instrumented indentation testing, which measures a load and an indentation depth in real time while applying a load to a specimen by an indenter having a flat punch shape.

A hardness tester includes a correlation memory storing correlation data which associates hardness of a standard reference sample based on dimensions of an indentation formed by pressing an indenter into a surface of the standard reference sample, and hardness of the standard reference sample based on test force and depression amount during formation of the indentation in the standard reference sample. A CPU measures the test force and depression amount during formation of the indentation in a measured sample; calculates an estimated value of the hardness of the measured sample based on the measured test force and depression amount; and calculates the hardness of the measured sample based on the calculated estimated value and the correlation data.

A method for determining mechanical properties of a material includes positioning a probe tip of selected material properties having a selected geometry and a selected accelerating mass at a selected position and a selected height above a sample of the material. The probe tip is released to accelerate toward the sample. A first parameter related to force on the probe tip with respect to time is recorded. The releasing the probe tip is repeated with at least one of a different selected probe tip material, a different tip geometry, a different height and a different accelerating mass to record a second parameter related to force. The first and second parameters are used to determine at least one of an elastic property and a strength of the material.

A hardness tester includes a memory storing, as a parts program, definitions of measurement conditions including a coordinate system and test position defined with respect to an image of a standard reference sample; a pattern searcher performing a pattern searching process, with reference to a plurality of samples to be measured, using a pattern image based on the image of the standard reference sample, and detecting a number of samples having a shape identical to that of the standard reference sample, as well as a position and angle of the samples having the identical shape; a pattern definer defining a coordinate system and test position for each of the samples having the identical shape based on the position and angle of each of the samples having the identical shape; and a measurer measuring the hardness of the samples for which the coordinate system and test position have been defined.

An optical detector determines a relative depth between a first position and a second position on an inclined surface. A controller determines a slope of the inclined surface based on the relative depth between the first position and the second position and the distance moved between positions. An actuator displaces a punch at a plurality of intermediate positions on the inclined surface located between the first position and the second position. A displacement detector determines a depth at which the sample is touched by the punch at each of the plurality of intermediate positions. The controller further determines a calculated depth of the inclined surface at each of the plurality of intermediate positions based on the slope of the inclined surface and the distance moved between positions. The controller further compares the depth measured by the displacement detector to each corresponding calculated depth to verify accuracy of the displacement detector.