In a case where control input is performed via a low-pass filter, a control gain more appropriate for both stability and responsiveness is set according to setting of the low-pass filter. A control unit (21) performs control input for a load mechanism (40) via a low-pass filter, discriminates a stability of a control system including the load mechanism (40) and the low-pass filter when setting of the low-pass filter is changed, sets an appropriate control gain based on a maximum control gain at which an excess amount of a measured value with respect to a target value is equal to or less than a predetermined value within a range where that the control system is stable, and controls an operation of the load mechanism (40) by using the appropriate control gain.

The present disclosure provides an apparatus and method of use thereof for compressive creep testing of materials in the presence of fluids. The apparatus includes a cantilever arm connected on a first end to a cantilever pivot and including a weight holder on a second end; a first platen connected to the cantilever arm via a swivel located between the first end and the second end; a reservoir; and a second platen disposed within the reservoir and positioned to secure a sample between the first platen and the second platen when a force is applied via the weight holder and the first platen to a sample. Electrical properties of the material can be monitored and measured during the compression creep testing.

A hose to be evaluated is installed on a fixing frame in a preset shape, and a strain gauge and markers are attached to a surface of the hose. During a course of application of predetermined internal pressure to the hose, strain data is acquired using the strain gauge and an image of an external shape of the hose is captured using a camera device to acquire image data. Based on the strain data and the image data acquired, a change in the shape of the hose between a plurality of time points at identical internal pressure is determined. Such hose fatigue resistance evaluation system can determine changes in the degree of deformation of a hose over time due to repeated application of internal pressure.

A method and a test fixture for evaluating a junction between an electrical lead trace and a busbar are described, and include an electric power supply disposed to supply electric power to the electrical lead trace and an electric monitoring device disposed to monitor electrical potential across the junction. A mechanical stress-inducing device is disposed to apply mechanical stress proximal to the junction. The electric monitoring device monitors the electrical potential across the junction of the electrical lead trace coincident with the mechanical stress-inducing device applying mechanical stress proximal to the junction when the electric power supply is supplying electric power to the electrical lead trace. Electrical integrity of the junction is evaluated based upon the monitored electrical potential across the junction.

The present invention provides a method of surely detecting a crack in piezoelectric elements regardless of size of the crack. The method includes applying voltage to a first piezoelectric element of a pair of piezoelectric elements to cause deformation in the first piezoelectric element, forcibly deforming a second piezoelectric element of the pair of the piezoelectric elements to generate voltage from the second piezoelectric element according to the deformation of the first piezoelectric element, finding a transfer function of the pair of the piezoelectric elements based on values of the applied voltage and the generated voltage, and detecting presence or absence of a crack in the pair of the piezoelectric elements based on an objective value obtained from the found transfer function.

A system for measuring a mechanical property of a material or component under test comprises a hardness testing device with a computing device. The hardness testing device is configured to measure at least one measurement value indicative of a hardness of a material or component under test. The computing device includes a display, a processor, and memory. The memory has instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to control the hardness testing device to measure a measurement value indicative of hardness of a material. Executing the instructions further causes the processor to control to save testing data to a database. The computing device accesses the database, calculates a parameter related to hardness, and displays at least one of the portion of the database and the parameter related to hardness.

A system and a method for measuring drilling damage in fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) composites is described. Multiple holes are drilled in the FRP composite using a drill having nominal diameter, and the FRP composite is separated into multiple drilled blocks. Each block, covered with the black substrate, is scanned on a scanner to generate a scanned image depicting a hole region, a background, and delamination damage peaks. For each scanned image, a maximum delamination damage peak and a maximum diameter of a first circle concentric with the drilled hole and passing through tip of the maximum delamination peak, are measured. Further, a delamination size and a delamination factor are calculated based on the maximum diameter of the first circle and the nominal diameter of the drill.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a hardness meter which estimates hardness in a stable manner regardless of a compression strength. Disclosed is a hardness meter characterized in being provided with: a movable portion which is continuously pressed against an object to be measured; a sensor which outputs an output signal reflecting a reaction force at a part of the object to be measured that is in contact with the movable portion; a motive force mechanism that causes the movable portion to perform a piston motion; and a hardness estimating portion which estimates the hardness of the object to be measured on the basis of an alternating current component of the output signal, generated by the piston motion of the movable portion.

A material testing machine is provided. The material testing machine includes a force detector that detects the testing force that acts on the target to be tested; a displacement detector that detects displacement generated in the target to be tested; and a controller that controls the load mechanism. The controller includes: a differential displacement calculator that obtains a differential displacement value from a value of the displacement detected by the displacement detector and a target displacement value that has been set in advance as a test condition; and a display controller that displays, on a display device, a differential displacement graph indicating, in a form of a graph, time-series data of the differential displacement value calculated by the differential displacement calculator.

A method for detecting components of dielectric materials is disclosed. The method includes use of a sensor to obtain at least one of a strain-dielectric coefficient data series at multiple frequencies or a stress-dielectric coefficient data series at multiple frequencies and using a processor to analyze resulting data, when a strain field or a stress field is known. The method also includes use of a sensor to obtain rheo-dielectric coefficient data at single frequency or data series at multiple frequencies and using a processor to analyze resulting data, when shear rate is known. The resulting data is used to perform material process or operation monitoring and control, quality examination, and characterization. Systems for detecting components of dielectric materials and for dielectrostriction measurement are also disclosed.