Patent Document ID: 8831894
Application ID: 13304136
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A method to evaluate material comprising: utilizing at least one computer to operate a material features acquisition system operable to detect a plurality of material features in a material under evaluation, said material features acquisition system comprising of at least one sensor with an output indicative of at least one of said plurality of material features from said material under evaluation; repeatedly scanning said material under evaluation with said material features acquisition system to produce said output over time; utilizing said at least one computer to evaluate said output to detect new material features and monitor previously detected material features in said material under evaluation; programming said at least one computer to utilize said new material features and said previously detected material features to determine at least one degradation mechanism from a plurality of possible degradation mechanisms affecting said material under evaluation, and said programming further comprising a calibration step of providing at least one material sample with at least one feature from at least one degradation mechanism and scanning said material sample and adjusting said programming of said at least one computer whereby said determination of said at least one degradation mechanism matches a known degradation mechanism of said material sample.