Did You Know...
...that the x-ray was discovered purely by accident? When German physicist Wilhelm Konrad von Roentgen was experimenting with cathode rays in 1895, he put an activated Crookes tube in a book and went out to lunch. When he returned, he discovered that a key that had also been placed in the book showed up as an image on the developed film!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7614304 | Ultrasonic testing system and method for ceramic honeycomb structures Both a system and method for detecting the presence or absence of internal discontinuities or inhomogeneities in a fired or green ceramic honeycomb structure is provided. The system includes a membrane disposed over a surface of the honeycomb structure, at least one... | 11/10/2009 |
| 7516662 | Detecting rail defects A method of detecting defects in a railway track rail, the rail (101) having a longitudinal centre plane and a surface, the surface including a running surface (102), the method comprising directing an excitation laser beam (106) to an excitatio... | 04/14/2009 |
| 7434757 | Zero-backlash baitcast fishing reel A fishing reel directly measuring line travel (not velocity or acceleration) past two or more points along the line, with said data being fed back in real time to a comparative control loop which initiates a direct contact spool brake to slow or near-instantaneously... | 10/14/2008 |
| 7418866 | Method and apparatus for evaluation of standing timber A method and apparatus for measuring the quality of live, standing timber employs deep-set spike probes angled to create a longitudinal compression wave. Alignment tools and isolation of the probes provide an improved signal, automated detection of probe separation ... | 09/02/2008 |
| 7363817 | System and technique for detecting the presence of foreign material Systems and techniques for detecting the presence of foreign material in food utilizing optical backlighting and/or ultrasonic inspection are presented. In optical backlighting, a substantially monochromatic light source optically backlights a food stream with sourc... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7337672 | Method for inspecting grinding wheels This invention discloses a method of evaluating the internal structure of a grinding wheel through ultrasonic inspection. ... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7331249 | Non-destructive inspection apparatus and non-destructive inspection system A nondestructive inspection device nondestructively inspects an internal state of an inspection target, and transmits information indicating a progress status of the inspection to the outside of an inspection site. A nondestructive inspection system which uses this ... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7328619 | Phased array ultrasonic NDT system for fastener inspections An ultrasonic probe suited for testing the integrity of sheet metal surfaces around fastener openings is provided with means to center the probe over such openings. Both a mechanical centering rod and an electronic display assist the user in centering such probe. On... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7328618 | Non-destructive testing of pipes To perform a non-destructive condition assessment of a pipe carrying a fluid, an actual value representative of the propagation velocity of an acoustic disturbance propagating between two longitudinally separated points on the pipe is determined. A corresponding pre... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7330799 | Method and algorithm for using surface waves A method and an algorithm allowing the use of surface waves. In particular, the method uses separation of the modes and, by the dispersion curve of more than one mode in the inversion process, it allows a determination of a shear wave propagation velocity profile th... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7305898 | Installation for non-destructive inspection of a part An installation for non-destructive inspection makes use simultaneously of sensors responsive to different physical characteristics. In an example, a sensor support, e.g. a kind of carriage having running wheels via which it comes into contact with the surface to be... | 12/11/2007 |
| 7301497 | Stereo display for position sensing systems A method for display of radar data includes performing a first radar scan to obtain, for at least one object (24), a first range reading, a first azimuth reading, and a first altitude reading. A second radar scan is then performed to obtain, for the at least ... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7299697 | Method and system for inspecting objects using ultrasound scan data A method and apparatus for estimating a depth of a crack from ultrasound scan data are provided. The method includes mapping multiple amplitude responses from the ultrasound scan data, each mapped amplitude response being representative of a signal from one of the s... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7290451 | Status discriminating apparatus of human, animal, machine or the like using ultrasonic vibration detecting sensor, and status discriminating method of human, animal, machine or the like using the same A human or other status discriminating apparatus includes an ultrasonic vibration detecting sensor comprising a container main body, a liquid packed tightly in the container main body, and an ultrasonic vibrator for transmitting ultrasonic waves into the liquid and ... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7278305 | Apparatus for detecting hunting and angle of attack of a rail vehicle wheelset An apparatus and method for estimating the angle of attack of wheels, wheelsets, trucks and railway vehicles traveling over a track employing a wayside system having a plurality of sensors, adjacent to the rails of the track, for detecting the passing of each wheels... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7278315 | Laser-ultrasonic detection of subsurface defects in processed metals Subsurface defects in a processed metal are detected by a laser-ultrasonic method involving generation of a surface acoustic wave at one location on the processed metal surface, and detection of a scattered acoustic wave at another location on the processed metal su... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7275438 | Method and device for recognition of a tear-off strip on a material web In order to check a material web (12), in particular a film web, with regard to the correct arrangement of a tear-off strip (11) extending in the longitudinal direction of the material web (12), ultrasonic transmitters are used, specifically an ... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7270021 | Apparatus and method for mounting and moving a working apparatus on a structure for the performance of works on the structure A working apparatus has: a working equipment for doing works on a structure; an operation mechanism adapted to actively move the working equipment relative to the structure; and an adhering/traveling module coupled to the operation mechanism and adapted to adhere to... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7263886 | Apparatus for and methods of stress testing metal components A tuning device (23) and an apparatus that incorporates the tuning device (23) for use in testing the integrity of a railway line (30) to obtain an improved test signal, the tuning device (23) including an elongate member (23) adap... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7266234 | Method and device to control the straightness and torsions of long products Device and method to control the straightness and torsions of a long product (11), comprising at least two profile-detection devices (12a, 12b, 12c), each presenting a visual field (13) that includes a perimete... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7261620 | Method and device for reprofiling railway wheels The present invention relates to a method for reprofiling wheel disks (7) or brake disks of a railway wheel or wheelset (6), rotatably mounted in bearing housings (9), by machining using a machine tool (12), which is designed to be portab... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7260984 | Power generation utilizing tire pressure changes A method of powering one or more electronic devices in a tire monitoring system using a tire pressure based energy scavenger is provided. With this method, a tire is rotated on a surface to generate pressure changes within the tire. These pressure changes are then c... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7249514 | Repositionable mask for ultrasonic inspection Methods and apparatus are provided for protecting an acoustic liner having a perforated facesheet from water leakage during a through-transmission ultrasonic (TTU) inspection using an ultrasonic squirter system. The apparatus comprises a repositionable mask that cov... | 07/31/2007 |
| 7245063 | Optimized ultrasonic phased array transducer for the inspection of billet material An ultrasonic phased array transducer system comprises an ultrasonic phased array transducer having a piezo central element, concentric piezo ring elements enclosing the piezo central element, concentric sectored piezo rings having piezo sector elements enclosing th... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7240553 | Non-invasive detection and analysis of microorganisms in diary products packaged in paper or paperboard based laminated recipients using dry coupling elastic waves The invention relates to a method and a device for the early detection of the presence of micro-organisms in food, particularly in milk and derivatives thereof. One of the main advantages of the invention lies in the fact that the aforementioned detection method can... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7231832 | System and method for detecting cracks and their location A system and method are provided for detecting cracks and their location in a structure. A circuit coupled to a structure has capacitive strain sensors coupled sequentially and in parallel to one another. When excited by a variable magnetic field, the circuit has a ... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7204147 | Ultrasonic inspection method for weld zone An inspection method can easily determine welding condition by just comparing an echo height returned from the weld zone of a real product with a master data. An master data is made based on the data from prepared test pieces corresponding to the real product... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7202797 | System and a method for detecting, locating and discerning an approach towards a linear installation A system and a method for detecting, locating and identifying incidents of approaching a linear installation (e.g.—buried pipe line, railway, fence etc.), that includes plurality of sensing units positions in an array along the length of the linear installation, a... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7197932 | Failure detecting system The present invention relates to a failure detecting system that enables the detection of a break in a rail and the like by a simple network configuration. Detecting units (20 and 50), relay units (30A, 30B, 60A through 60C)... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7194907 | Method for measuring part thickness having an external coating using impedance matching delay lines An ultrasonic transducer for measuring a part with a coating having at least one acoustic transducer, and a buffer delay line having an impedance matched to an impedance of the coating. ... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7149633 | Displacement method of knot sizing A method of estimating the displaced size of a knot in a lumber piece includes the steps of: translating the lumber piece downstream along a flow path between a radiation source and sensor while simultaneously irradiating the lumber piece with radiation from the fir... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7146846 | Non-destructive testing of in-service wooden beams Wooden utility pole structures are nondestructively tested while in service, in particular utility pole cross-arms. A helicopter or boom truck brings an operator to the cross-arm. Manually striking the cross-arm using a hammer or other weight with an attached accele... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7131331 | Non-destructive testing apparatus Apparatus for non-destructively testing material to enable detection of any damage sites, comprising means for generating localized heating at any damage site in the material, and means for imaging the material to enable detection of any localized heating at the dam... | 11/07/2006 |
| 7131345 | Device for inspecting plant parts located under water A device for inspecting submersed plant parts is particularly suited for ultrasonic inspection of screws in the core baffle of a nuclear reactor pressure vessel. The device includes a remote-controlled underwater vehicle that is provided at its end face with a carri... | 11/07/2006 |
| 7107852 | Method of inspecting food stuffs and/or associated packaging A system to perform measurements on liquids, meat, viscous sugar or starch-based materials, and other foodstuffs using air-coupled ultrasound is provided. The technique uses ultrasonic transducers (advantageously capacitive transducers with polymer membranes), to ge... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7103509 | System and method for predicting component failures in large systems A method for predicting a time to failure of a component in a system is presented. The method comprises obtaining a set of data measurements related to the component. The set of data measurements are representative of a plurality of parameters including a plurality ... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7097783 | Method for inspecting a titanium-based component A process for detecting an aluminum-based material deposited onto a titanium-based gas turbine engine component during engine operation is disclosed. The process comprises immersing at least a portion of the titanium-based component, which has been subjected to engi... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7099782 | Vibration analysis for predictive maintenance in machinery A method for detecting vibration signatures in a reversible drive is disclosed. The method includes the steps of acquiring digital data representative of vibrations in the reversible drive and identifying and grouping together portions of data in a plurality of grou... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7089795 | Ultrasonic characterization of polymeric containers The present invention provides a system and method for detecting changes in the properties of a polymeric material. A frame is hand held against the outside surface of a curved polymeric test specimen, e.g., fluid tank. A transmitting probe attached to the frame emi... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7082822 | Internal riser inspection device and methods of using same An inspection apparatus includes an inspection unit that is lowered into vertically supported pipe filled with seawater. The apparatus includes a pipe weld location detector module carried by the inspection unit. The apparatus also includes a rotating time of flight... | 08/01/2006 |