US 12,031,954 B2
Force sensing strains in soft materials for millisecond-scale blast and impact characterization
Christopher Rudolf, Washington, DC (US)
Assigned to The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed by The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed on Feb. 24, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/184,030.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/980,810, filed on Feb. 24, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0262909 A1, Aug. 26, 2021
Int. Cl. G01N 3/30 (2006.01); G01N 3/06 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 3/30 (2013.01) [G01N 3/066 (2013.01); G01N 2203/001 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
providing at least one sensor comprising a channel and a pair of test leads, the channel comprising channel ends, the pair of test leads being connected to said channel ends; and an elastomer encasing the at least one sensor such that the test leads extend from the elastomer, the at least one sensor comprising a plurality of pressure sensors,
embedding the at least one sensor and the elastomer in a biofidelic human tissue, the elastomer being mechanically impedance-matched to the biofidelic human tissue, wherein said embedding the at least one sensor and the elastomer in a biofidelic human tissue comprises distributing the plurality of pressure sensors along an axis with known distances therebetween in the biofidelic human tissue,
applying a constant current to the at least one sensor;
subjecting the biofidelic human tissue to one of an impact and a blast;
measuring the one of the impact and the blast as a change in voltage in the at least one sensor;
converting the change in voltage to pressure on the biofidelic human tissue, and
calculating a pressure wave speed in the biofidelic human tissue of the one of the impact and the blast using time of flight between the distributed plurality of pressure sensors, the pressure on the biofidelic human tissue, and the known distances between the distributed plurality of pressure sensors.