In structural health monitoring (SHM), using only the existing noise has long been an attractive goal. The advances in understanding cross-correlations in ambient noise in the past decade, as well as new understanding in damage indication and other advanced signal processing methods, have continued to drive new research into passive SHM systems. Because passive systems take advantage of the exi...

We present an experimental study of the mechanical impulse propagation through a horizontal alignment of elastic spheres of progressively decreasing diameter phi(n): namely, a tapered chain. Experimentally, the diameters of spheres which interact via the Hertz potential are selected to keep as close as possible to an exponential decrease, phi(n+1) = (1-q)phi(n), where the experimental tapering ...

This article reports an experimental study carried out with the aim of quantifying performance and failure modes of sandwich structures when subjected to impulsive blast loading. In particular, performance enhancement with respect to solid panels of equal mass per unit area is assessed. Likewise, the optimal distribution of the mass per unit area in the design of sandwich structures is investig...

Ground reaction force (GRF) data were collected on twenty adult males during running stance to establish normative standards to aid in assessment of the gait of atypical runners. Subjects ran between 30 and 40 trials across a Kistler 0.6 X 0.9 m force platform at self-selected speeds ranging from 2.5 to 5.5 m s-1. Best fit polynomials for a given descriptor variable were constructed for each su...

Overview This Getting Started tutorial demonstrates how to compile a simple digital signal processing (DSP) filter written in C into HDL, ready for FPGA synthesis. The goal of this application will be to generate a 16bit, 12-tap FIR filter as hardware in the form of either VHDL or Verilog. Although this is a relatively simple example in terms of the required lines of C code, it does illustrate ...

As a consequence of performing plyometric type exercises, such as depth jumps, impact forces placed on the musculoskeletal system during landing can lead to a potential for injury. A reduction of impact forces upon landing could therefore contribute to reduce the risk of injury. Twenty subjects performed a series of loaded jumps for maximal height, with and without a brake mechanism designed to...

Mechanically, the most economical gait for slow bipedal locomotion requires walking as an 'inverted pendulum', with: I, an impulsive, energy-dissipating leg compression at the beginning of stance; II, a stiff-limbed vault; and III, an impulsive, powering push-off at the end of stance. The characteristic 'M'-shaped vertical ground reaction forces of walking in humans reflect this impulse-vault-i...

PURPOSE This study was aimed to investigate the function of toes while running through comparing bound toes by external- manipulation with natural separate toes by evaluating kinematics and plantar pressure analysis. METHODS Seven habitually barefoot male runners participated in the running test under toes binding and non-binding conditions, and Vicon and Novel insole plantar pressure measure...