Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Burr, M. E..
Operational leakage rates of various working fluids predicted from test data. Method converts leakage through fixed area flow passage from one set of fluid conditions to another. Correction factor improves correlation of measured engine static seal leak rate under test conditions with rate under operating conditions. Potential applications include extrapolating from test conditions to operating condition.
Thin wire welded to bottom of hole down center of bolt permits measurement of tension in bolt. Bolt lengthens under strain, but wire is not loaded, so gap between wire and eddy-current gap transducer mounted on bolt head indicates bolt loading. Eddy-current transducer could measure gap within 0.05 mm. Method does not require separate "standard" for each bolt type, and is not sensitive to dirt or oil in bolt hole, unlike ultrasonic probes.
Pressure-gage calibration, mass-spectrometer leak detector measures leakage rates up to 300 times greater than its normal limit. Approach utilizes constant-volume displacement characteristic of mechanical vacuum pump. Vacuum system must be small for calibration measurement validity and reduction of outgassing.
Triangular-cross-section Teflon ring seals against cryogenic fluid at temperature where standard wedge of U-rings fail. Ring can be mounted in groove in either piston or bore.
Two configurations of radial static seals are developed for high-pressure 773 kg per sq cm cryogenic applications: a U-shaped fluorocarbon seal and a delta-shaped PTFE seal. The U-seal is a common commercial design consisting of a spring-loaded cup-shaped jacket; the basic principle is that the soft plastic jacket provides the interface between the piston and the bore, the jacket being held in place by a metal spring. The delta seal is based on the principle that the soft plastic delta cross section furnishes the interface at the metal face and circumferential face of the gland and cylinder. Test results indicate that both the plastic U-seal and the delta seal designs are sufficiently flexible to accommodate assembly in bore or piston grooves. Of these two configurations, the delta seal is found to be superior as it meets all the design requirements for proof pressure testing the turbopump components of the main engine in the Space Shuttle.