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.

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 method for evaluating the compactness of a layer of railroad ballast near a railroad tie includes at least one step of taking at least two measurements (11,11a,11b) of the penetration resistance (Qd) of the ballast (13) near one and the same railroad tie (10), and a step of calculating the mean value (Qd.sub.mean) of these measurements (11,11a,11b) of penetration resistance (Qd). Also provided are a device for implementing such a method and a method for predicting the settlement of the ballast of a railroad track including a step of evaluating the compactness of a ballast near a railroad tie.

A new method for evaluating embrittlement of an amorphous alloy ribbon is provided. The method includes: pressing a pressurization member from one side to a plurality of positions of an amorphous alloy ribbon; scattering, in the amorphous alloy ribbon, pressurization portions where the pressurization member is pressed to form indentation; and evaluating embrittlement by the number or distribution of pressurization portions where cracks have occurred.

A controller of a hardness tester can determine, in a condition where a driver is not in operation and when a spring displacement detector and an arm displacement detector detect an amount of displacement of respective objects (plate spring and loading arm), that a loading arm and a plate spring are deformed according to changes in environmental temperature. A favorable hardness test can be performed by the hardness tester corresponding to the environmental temperature according to the determination by carrying out an initialization process that resets the displacement amount of respective object to zero, the displacement amount detected by the spring displacement detector and the arm displacement detector respectively.

The disclosure discloses a micro-nano indentation testing device and method. A lower end of an upright post is fixedly connected to a base, a top support plate is fixedly connected to an upper end of the upright post, a precise pressing device is fixedly connected to the top support plate; a load detection module is fixedly connected to the lower end of the output shaft, an elastic element is sleeved on the output shaft, and two ends of the elastic element respectively press against the precise pressing device and the load detection module; the displacement detection module is fixedly connected to the lower end of the load detection module, an indenter fixer is fixedly connected to the lower end of the displacement detection module and used for fixedly mounting an indenter; and a stage is fixedly connected to the base and used for fixedly mounting a sample.

In one version there is provided a test system including a layup tool having a layup surface, and two fairing bars attached to the layup surface. The test system includes the composite laminate having a plurality of stacked plies, and positioned between the two fairing bars. The test system includes fiber distortion initiator(s) positioned at one or more locations under, and adjacent to, one or more plies of the plurality of stacked plies. The test system includes two caul plates with a gap in between, and positioned over the composite laminate. When the test system undergoes a pressurized cure process with a vacuum compaction, a restricted outward expansion of the plurality of stacked plies by the fairing bars, and a pressure differential region formed by the one or more fiber distortion initiators at the one or more locations, create the controlled and repeatable out-of-plane fiber distortion in the composite laminate.

A method for evaluating a weld in a formed object includes performing a contact mechanics test of a first region that includes the weld and storing one or more corresponding weld surface mechanical property measurements, performing a contact mechanics test of a second region that excludes the weld and storing one or more corresponding base material surface mechanical property measurements, determining a relative difference in the weld surface mechanical property measurements and the base material surface mechanical property measurements, determining one or more weld width measurements on the exterior surface of the formed object, and evaluating the weld based on the determined relative difference in the weld surface mechanical property measurements and the base material surface mechanical property measurements in relation to the determined weld width measurements in order to provide an index of weld quality that is traditionally measured through a destructive test or examination.

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.

A controller of a hardness tester can determine, in a condition where a driver is not in operation and when a spring displacement detector and an arm displacement detector detect an amount of displacement of respective objects (plate spring and loading arm), that a loading arm and a plate spring are deformed according to changes in environmental temperature. A favorable hardness test can be performed by the hardness tester corresponding to the environmental temperature according to the determination by carrying out an initialization process that resets the displacement amount of respective object to zero, the displacement amount detected by the spring displacement detector and the arm displacement detector respectively.