The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.

The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.

Date of Patent:
Jun. 06, 2017

Filed:

May. 01, 2014
Applicant:

University of Washington Through Its Center for Commercialization, Seattle, WA (US);

Inventors:

Brian D. Flinn, Seattle, WA (US);

Alex Kwan-yue Jen, Kenmore, WA (US);

Sei-Hum Jang, Seattle, WA (US);

Tucker Howie, Seattle, WA (US);

Zhengwei Shi, Seattle, WA (US);

Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
G01N 33/44 (2006.01); G01K 11/20 (2006.01); G01N 21/64 (2006.01);
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
G01N 33/442 (2013.01); G01K 11/20 (2013.01); G01N 21/643 (2013.01);
Abstract

Improved methods of detecting thermal exposure are provided herein. The provided methods utilize initially dormant luminescent probes incorporated into a matrix to form a composite. When exposed to heat over a period of time, the luminescent probes are 'activated' through a molecular transformation initiated by thermal energy. The activated probes exhibit a luminescent profile based on the extent of thermal exposure, thereby providing an indicator of the thermal exposure experienced by the matrix. When the composite is used to produce a structural component of a vehicle (e.g., an aircraft), the methods provide a convenient, large-area indicator of thermal damage experienced by the structural component.


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