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US 5,131,276 AGranted
Ultrasonic load indicating member with transducer
AssigneeUltrafast, Inc.
InventorIan E. Kibblewhite
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A load indicating member and load indicating fastener are disclosed and claimed. An ultrasonic transducer, grown on one surface of a load indicating member, such as a fastener, is used to determined the length, stress or other tensile load dependent characteristic of the member using ultrasonic techniques.
Claims62
A method of making a load indicating device comprising the steps of:
- providing a fastener with a head and a shank extending from said head, said shank being subjected to deformation when stressed longitudinally such that one portion thereof moves relative to another portion thereof, said fastener having a first surface functioning as a first electrode;
- and
- growing ultrasonic transducer means including an acoustoelectric film directly on said first surface such as to mechanically, electrically and acoustically interconnect said acoustoelectric film to said first surface.
A method of making a load indicating device comprising the steps of:
- providing a fastener with a head and a shank extending from said head, said shank being subjected to elastic deformation when stressed longitudinally such that one portion thereof moves relative to another portion thereof, said fastener having a first surface functioning as a first electrode on one longitudinal end of said shank;
- growing ultrasonic transducer means including an acoustoelectric film by vapor deposition on a metallic foil to mechanically and electrically interconnect said acoustoelectric film to said metallic foil, said metallic foil functioning as a second electrode of said ultrasonic transducer means;
- and
- mechanically, acoustically and electrically interconnecting said acoustoelectric film to said first surface of said fastener to electrically isolate said second electrode from said first surface.
1 more element
A load indicating device comprising:
- a fastener adapted to deform when stressed and having a first surface functioning as a first electrode;
- ultrasonic transducer means including an acoustoelectric film grown directly on and conforming to said first surface of said fastener so as to mechanically, electrically, and acoustically interconnect said acoustoelectric film to said first surface.
A load indicating device comprising:
- a fastener adapted to deform when stressed and having a first surface functioning as a first electrode;
- and
- ultrasonic transducer means including:
- (a) a second electrode, and
- (b) an acoustoelectric film grown directly on and conforming to the surface of said second electrode so as to mechanically, electrically, and acoustically interconnect said acoustoelectric film to said second electrode,
- said acoustoelectric film mechanically, acoustically, and electrically interconnected to said first surface of said fastener and adapted to electrically isolate said first electrode from said second electrode.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.