Articles

May 5, 2017
Optimal Design of Composite Wing Spar Subjected to Fatigue Loadings
Students at the Cal Poly Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering were tasked with the challenge of ensuring that a wing structure is within design limits.  To accomplish this task, a...
April 27, 2017
Bronco Busting Horsepower
The Cal Poly Pomona Baja SAE team wanted to conduct tests that closely resembled the conditions their vehicle would experience during competition. Obstacles included rock gardens, steep inclines,...
April 6, 2017
Minimizing Strain-Induced Temperature Measurement Errors When Using Bondable RTDs
Resistance Temperature Detectors (RTD), such as the Micro-Measurements®TG-series, can achieve impressive temperature measurement accuracy (better than ±0.3°C). But, achieving these...
March 14, 2017
Virginia Tech Formula SAE 2016
The Challenge The use of a computer simulation model has been invaluable for designing the suspension components on the Formula SAE racecar. The model uses the known geometry and weight...
February 28, 2017
Strain Measurement at Cryogenic Temperature
A question came up recently about how to best approach gaging the inside of a tank that will be filled with liquid nitrogen for a test; following were our recommendations. The requirements of the...
February 14, 2017
How to Survive a Stressful Date with a Sensor
Every choice in life is like that first date.  First impressions can set the stage for three very different results: excellent bonding, crack propagation or full delamination. We all want to...
January 31, 2017
Residual Stress…The Nemesis of the Liberty Bell
The term residual stress is generally used to describe the “locked-in” stress which may exist in a structural member or other specimen of material when the object is in thermal...
January 24, 2017
An Interview Between a Strain-Gager and a Foil Strain Sensor
While it’s true that some interviewers take a fairly unusual approach to interview questions for strain sensors, most interviews involve an exchange of common questions and answers. Here are...
January 17, 2017
Micro-Measurements helping actors to not “Break a Leg”
Thespians the world over are a superstitious lot.  So much so that they believe that wishes of good luck prior to a performance will bring just the opposite.  This has evolved into the...
January 10, 2017
Getting soft around the middle or, what is Modulus compensation?
Being the New Year, many of us take notice that we no longer have that fit and trim shape we once enjoyed. We’ve become a little soft around the middle. Well, materials have a similar problem...