A transducer assembly is provided. The transducer assembly includes a magnetic portion, a body, a tensile pulse transmitter, and a pulse and current control unit. The magnetic portion is configured to provide a magnetic field. The body is disposed within an opening of the magnetic portion, and has a conductive portion configured to pass electric current near a body surface oriented toward the test surface. The tensile pulse transmitter is disposed within a cavity of the body and configured to transmit a tensile pulse into the test object. The pulse and current control unit is configured to control the tensile pulse transmitted by the tensile pulse transmitter, and to provide a current that passes through the conductive portion of the body and the test object, whereby a force urging the transducer assembly and the test object toward each other is generated responsive to the magnetic field and the current.

Embodiments of the invention relate to a sealing element for thermally connecting thermoplastic materials along a bent or curved contour, including a plurality of flat support substrates with a front face and a rear face, the substrates having at least one heating element on the front face, and including a contoured element which has a front face in the shape of the contour to be sealed, wherein the rear face of the support substrates is secured to the front face of the contoured element and/or the front face of the support substrates is secured to the rear face of the contoured element.

A method for acquiring a signal from an encapsulated test point on a device under test, includes forming a hole in an encapsulant adjacent to the test point, the hole extending through the encapsulant to the test point, delivering a UV-curable conductive adhesive into the hole such that the delivered adhesive contacts the test point, applying UV light from a UV light source to cure the delivered adhesive, and connecting a conductive element between the cured adhesive and a test and measurement instrument.

Systems and methods for non-destructive inspection of curved composite laminate structures using interface guided waves. In particular, if the curved composite laminate structure has a noodle, then the noodle area may be inspected using interface guided waves. The systems and methods provide a repeatable and reliable nondestructive technique for monitoring the structural health of the noodle area of an adhesively bonded curved composite laminate structure by comparing detection data acquired from an inspected curved composite laminate structure with prediction data derived using a simulated curved composite laminate structure.

A method for acquiring a signal from an encapsulated test point on a device under test, includes forming a hole in an encapsulant adjacent to the test point, the hole extending through the encapsulant to the test point, delivering a UV-curable conductive adhesive into the hole such that the delivered adhesive contacts the test point, applying UV light from a UV light source to cure the delivered adhesive, and connecting a conductive element between the cured adhesive and a test and measurement instrument.

A sensor for real time monitoring the quality of welding joints in the plastic film at the production of plastic bags on roll by measuring material changes in the welding joint is provided. The sensor comprises at least two electrode pairs arranged to measure changes in the dielectric properties of the material when the welding joint is passing through the measuring gap of the electrodes and provide a measuring signal proportional to the material change in the welding joint. The measuring signal is evaluated to detect defective welding joints in the plastic film. The electrodes are arranged so that one pair of the electrodes constitutes the signal measuring gap arranged for measuring the welding profile. The form of the measuring electrode conforms to the direction and form of the welding joint. The other pair of electrodes constitutes the reference measuring gap arranged to provide an averaged signal across the surface of the plastic film. The difference between the reference signal and the measuring signal then provides a signal which can be used for monitoring the welding quality.

The invention provides a carbon fiber reinforced plastic electrofusion fitting and a self-monitoring method of strain for the fitting. Carbon fiber filled polymer is used to fabricate the fitting to improve the mechanical strength of the fitting. The fitting comprises an electrofusion fitting body embedded with a resistance heating wire and two terminals arranged on the electrofusion fitting body and connected to the two ends of the resistance heating wire respectively. For the self-monitoring of strain, at least one pair of electrodes are set on the surface of the electrofusion fitting. The resistance change between electrodes caused by fitting deformation due to temperature change or mechanical loading during operation can be measured, and could be further used for structural health monitoring of the electrofusion fitting. The combination of mechanical enhancement and strain sensing of the electrofusion fitting can improve the performance and reliability of plastic pipelines.

Systems and methods for non-destructive inspection of curved composite laminate structures using interface guided waves. In particular, if the curved composite laminate structure has a noodle, then the noodle area may be inspected using interface guided waves. The systems and methods provide a repeatable and reliable nondestructive technique for monitoring the structural health of the noodle area of an adhesively bonded curved composite laminate structure by comparing detection data acquired from an inspected curved composite laminate structure with prediction data derived using a simulated curved composite laminate structure.

The invention provides a carbon fiber reinforced plastic electrofusion fitting and a self-monitoring method of strain for the fitting. Carbon fiber filled polymer is used to fabricate the fitting to improve the mechanical strength of the fitting. The fitting comprises an electrofusion fitting body embedded with a resistance heating wire and two terminals arranged on the electrofusion fitting body and connected to the two ends of the resistance heating wire respectively. For the self-monitoring of strain, at least one pair of electrodes are set on the surface of the electrofusion fitting. The resistance change between electrodes caused by fitting deformation due to temperature change or mechanical loading during operation can be measured, and could be further used for structural health monitoring of the electrofusion fitting. The combination of mechanical enhancement and strain sensing of the electrofusion fitting can improve the performance and reliability of plastic pipelines.

A method for forming a geomembrane liner testable for leaks by securing adjacent panels together with the conductivity of the lower surface of an overlying panel broken along a line adjacent the panel overlapping edge, and the overlapping edges sealed along the line. A heat welder has slots for the overlapping panel edges, with a heated wedge between the slots and having a projection to break the conductivity of the overlying panel bottom surface as it passes the wedge. The slots merge to press the liner edges together to heat weld them along the line of broken conductivity as the welder is moved along the panel edges.