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OUTLINE OF ACOUSTIC EMISSION EXPERIMENTS PERFORMED
WITH A PERSON REPUTED TO HAVE PARANORMAL
METAL BENDING ABILITIES
R. S. Hawke
Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, University of California
Livermore, CA 94550
January 11, 1979
ABSTRACT
This outline summarizes the design, use and results of an
acoustic emission experiment intended to investigate para-
normal metal bending phenomena. The experiment was designed
not merely to verify or refute the occurrence of paranormal
metal bending, but rather to gain some insight into the
phenomena occurring in a test specimen while bending was
attempted. Although large amounts of bending were not
observed during the experiments, acoustic emission signals
typical of single grain or grain boundary fracture with and
without evidence of plastic strain-induced emission were
recorded during periods of time when there was no contact
with the test specimens. These results are consistent with
those of Crussard (1). Further experiments are warranted.
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İ.
Introduction
A.
Previous claims :
1.
Metal can be paranormally bent without physical
contact.
2.
Metal seemingly becomes soft and pliable (sub-
jective experience of subject) .
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B.
Type of research needed:
1.
Determine internal phenomenology.
2.
Determine physical cause of phenomenology.
3.
Develop and test hypothesis of actualization
mechanism.
c.
Reason acoustic emission (A.E.) was chosen:
1.
Very sensitive.
a ..
Responds to a single intragranular or inter-
granular fracture or grain boundary slip or
crystallographic change.
b.
Good potential for use as a feedback device
to subject.
c.
High sensitivity requires non-contact, hence
decreases possibility of deception.
2.
Provides continuous record during the event and
can be recorded for later analysis.
3.
Can distinguish between different types of metal-
lurgical phenomenon.
4.
A. E. signals are very distinct from all forms of
touching, rubbing and other noise.
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Experimental design: (Ref. 2)
A.
Acoustic emission components (See Figure 1) .
1.
A. E. Sensor
a.
Lead Zirconate Titinate (PZT) element.
b.
Bandpass, DC - 1 MHz, low Q, resonant at 140
KHz.
c.
Open circuit sensitivity, 4.47 mV/Pa @ 140
kHz; 0.141 mV/Pa @ 1 kHz.
d.
Shaped to fit and epoxied to bowl of standard
stainless steel spoon.
2.
Preamplifier
a.
Gain 60 db.
b.
Bandpass 1 kHz - 1 MHZ
3.
Amplifier
a.
Gain 35 db.
b.
Bandpass 1 kHz - 1 MHZ
4.
Video tape recorder
a.
Modified to record positive and negative sig-
nals (Standard TV is non-symmetric pulse
code) .
b.
Bandpass 30 Hz - 3MHZ.
c.
A. E. and room conversation recorded on video
channel.
d.
Auxillary audio channel (See Below) .
5.
Root mean square (RMS) voltmeter.
6.
Pulse counter.
7.
Strip chart recorders.
a.
Record RMS voltmeter and pulse counter outputs.
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B.
TV video camera and recorder (Figure 2).
1.
Standard System
a.
Used to record the location of people and
objects.
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b.
Used to record the response of the logic
probes used in diagnostics.
c.
Used to monitor the laser beam position which
monitors the degree of bending.
c.
Other diagnostics:
1.
Electric field on spoon.
a.
Logic probe connected to vise and spoon.
b.
Light emission whenever input signal is
greater than 1 V, DC - 1 GHZ.
c.
Logic probe light output recorded with TV
vidicon.
d.
Background electromagnetic (EM) effects.
i.
Below logic probe threshold when not
touched.
ii.
Above threshold when touched.
2.
Magnetic field near spoon.
a.
Air core inductor placed beneath spoon handle
and connected to logic probe.
b.
Coil inductance 30 mH.
c.
Bandpass
1kHz - 10 MHz.
.
a.
Background EM effects.
.
i.
None.
%
3.
AM radio
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a.
Tuned to . 1600 kHz at end of band (no broad-
cast station) .
.
b.
Output connected to logic probe and auxillary
audio input to A. E. video recorder.
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c.
Background EM effects.
i.
None.
4.
Laser beam bend detector.
a.
HeNe laser beam reflected off bottom of spoon
bowl and down onto table with target.
b.
Position of beam on target changes with spoon
bending.
c.
Beam position on target recorded by vidicon
TV system.
III. Experimental protocol
A.
Spoon and vise could not be moved during experiment.
B. .
Spoon could be lightly touched by subject for short
periods of time but subject was informed that touching
obliterated any useful result that might be present
while touching occurred and hence was to be minimized
if not totally avoided.
1.
Logic probe connected to electric field detector
provided record of spoon touching.
2.
A. E. System provided record of noise if the spoon
was rubbed.
3.
TV vidicon provided record of hand or finger in
proximity of spoon and vise.
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c.
Experimental sessions were about 1 hour long.
.
D.
Sessions had subject and 2 or 3 observers present.
IV.
Experimental results:
A.
At least 4 clear instances of A. E. events occurred with
one subject during one session.
1.
Records verified events occurred while spoon and
vise were untouched.
2.
Sufficient bending to move the reflected laser
beam was not observed.
a.
Normal elastic bending (without A. E. ) prior
to plastic deformation (with A.E. ) would have
caused an observable displacement of the
laser beam.
3.
The events were typical of single grain or grain
boundary fracture with and without evidence of
plastic strain induced emission following.
(See
-
Figure 3A and 3B) .
4.
No anomalous A. E. events were recorded during dry
runs.
B.
Fewer but similar results were obtained with one other
subject.
V.
Conclusions
A.
Acoustic emissions were recorded in the presence of a
person who claimed the ability to paranormally bend
metal.
B.
Elastic deformation was not observed.
c.
Observable plastic deformation did not occur.
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D.
Further experiments are warranted.
E.
Future experiments should be more sensitive to minute
bending.
F.
Other materials and crystalline structures should be
investigated.
References
(1) C. Crussard and J. Bouvaist, Memoires Scientifiques
Revue Metallurgie, p. 117, February 1978.
(2)
The assistance of A. E. Brown and C. A. Tatro through-
out the design, implementation and interpretation of
the experiments, is greatly appreciated.
.
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Acoustic emission
tape recorder
(modified video)
Acoustic
emission
sensor
Preamp
Amplifier
Pulse
counter
Strip
chart
recorder
RMS
voltmeter
Strip
chart
recorder
Figure 1
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Top View
Target
AM radio
Electric field
Magnetic field
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Logic probes
Auxiliary
audio
(AM radio
input)
Laser
spot
+Vise
Spoon
Amplifier
Acoustic emission
tape recorder
(modified video)
Preamp
Acoustic-
emission
sensor
Video
camera
o
Microphone
Pulse
counter
Laser
-Strip
chart
recorders
Table
AM
radio
Magnetic field coil
Microphone-
RMS
voltmeter
Video
recorder
Figure 2
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Brittle fracture
emission
Plastic strain induced
emission
50 mV/cm
50 us/cm
20 us/cm
Figure 3A and 3B
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