I-Corps: Surface-wave-based sensing of strength and stiffness of soft materials

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a robust and easily installed sensor module that delivers mechanical properties of soft materials in industrial processing lines. Materials that can deform visibly under small forces are classified as soft. Natural and synthetic soft materials such as rubber, foams, gels and biological tissues are ubiquitous in food production, structures, robots, 3D-printing, agriculture, pharmaceutical processing, and biomedical applications.

Hence, the mechanical properties of soft materials are of primary interest to many industries. The development and deployment of the proposed sensor is immediately feasible for the soft food processing industry. When integrated to food processing lines, this sensor will provide high throughput real-time data to the production line managers and operators about strength, stiffness, texture, and consistency of the food being processed.

This feedback will enable optimization of the processing settings and environment and thus will facilitate reduction of trim losses and online quality control of the processed food. Therefore, the proposed technology will help food waste reduction efforts of the food processors and manufacturers. Natural expansion to biomedical, agricultural and polymer processing industries is possible as the innovation is scalable and adaptable to various soft materials and processing lines.

This I-Corps project is based on the development of a surface-wave-based sensing method that delivers elastic and failure properties of soft materials. The sensing method is based on correlations between surface wave and mechanical properties: surface waves emitted during processing of soft materials are measured and analyzed, and estimated wave amplitude, energy and frequencies are correlated to the elastic and failure properties of soft materials.

Measured properties (strength, stiffness, and toughness) deliver essential information on microstructure, texture, and consistency of soft materials. Therefore, this innovative sensing technique is broadly applicable to soft material processing industries. Initially, the sensing module will be adapted to the food processing industry.

In this module, surface-waves emitted during cutting, slicing, peeling, and shredding of fruits, vegetables, cheese, meat, and meat substitutes will be monitored by non-contact optical sensors, and the elasticity and fracture properties of the products will be extracted from the surface-wave analyses. Those properties will provide online monitoring of product quality, processing conditions and operations. Such a monitoring system is currently missing in the food processing industry.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.