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Nondestructive screening tests for identifying electronic and electromechanical parts susceptible to failure, reviewing techniques of Apollo spacecraft program
A technique is reviewed for calculating thermodynamic quantities for mixtures of light elements at high pressure, in the metallic state. Ensemble averages are calculated with Monte Carlo techniques and periodic boundary conditions. Interparticle potentials are assumed to be coulombic, screened by the electrons in dielectric function theory. This method is quantitatively accurate for alloys at pressures above about 10 Mbar. An alloy of equal parts hydrogen and helium by mass appears to remain liquid and mixed for temperatures above about 3000 K, at pressures of about 15 Mbar. The additive volume law is satisfied to within about 10%, but the Gruneisen equation of state gives poor results. A calculation at 1300 K shows evidence of a hydrogen-helium phase separation.
A wicking concept is described for efficient evaporation of heat pipe working fluids under diverse conditions. It embodies the high heat transfer coefficient of the circumferential groove while retaining the circumferential fluid transport capability of a thick porous wick or screen. Experimental tests are described which substantiate the efficacy of the evaporation technique for a circumferentially-grooved heat pipe charged alternately with ammonia and R-ll (CCl3F). With ammonia, heat transfer coefficients in the range of 2 to 2.7 W/sq cm K were measured at heat flux densities up to 20 W/sq cm while, with R-ll, a heat transfer coefficient of l.0 W/sq cm K was measured with flux densities up to 5 W/sq cm. Heat transfer coefficients and flux densities were unusually high compared to literature data for other nonboiling evaporative surfaces.
A metric half-span model is considered as a means of mechanical support for a wind-tunnel model which allows measurement of aerodynamic forces and moments without support interference or model distortion. This technique can be applied to interference-free propulsion models. The vapor screen method of flow visualization at supersonic Mach numbers is discussed. The use of smoke instead of water vapor as a medium to produce the screen is outlined. Vapor screen data are being used in the development of analytical vortex tracking programs. Test results for a remote control model system are evaluated. Detailed control effectiveness and cross-coupling data were obtained with a single run. For the afterbody tail configuration, tested control boundaries at several roll orientations were established utilizing the facility's on-line capability to 'fly' the model in the wind tunnel.
The feasibility of the electrostatic beneficiation of lunar ores is studied. It is shown that the lunar environment with its sustained high vacuum, low temperature, and low acceleration of gravity, is suitable for the use of the electrostatic technique with magnetic as well as nonmagnetic ores. Only an initial coarse screening will be required prior to processing, as the lunar soil is already in fine particulate form. The low temperature and the absence of water suggest the use of tribo-electrification for the electric charging of lunar soils.
The Mechanical Universe project required the production of over 550 different animated scenes, totaling about 7 and 1/2 hours of screen time. The project required the use of a wide range of techniques and motivated the development of several different software packages. A documentation is presented of many aspects of the project, encompassing artistic design issues, scientific simulations, software engineering, and video engineering.
A propulsion/airframe integration experiment conducted in the NASA Langley 20-Inch Mach 6 Tunnel using a 16.8-in.-long version of the Langley Test Technique Demonstrator configuration with simulated scramjet propulsion is described. Schlieren and vapor screen visualization of the nozzle flow field is presented and correlated with pitot-pressure flow-field surveys. The data were obtained at nominal free-stream conditions of Re = 2.8 x 10 exp 6 and a nominal engine total pressure of 100 psia. It is concluded that pitot-pressure surveys coupled to schlieren and vapor-screen photographs, and oil flows have revealed flow features including vortices, free shear layers, and shock waves occurring in the model flow field.
The aggregation (sorting) of the individual solar cells into an array is commonly based on a single operating point on the current-voltage (I-V) characteristic curve. An alternative approach for cell performance prediction and cell screening is provided by modeling the cell using an equivalent electrical circuit, in which the parameters involved are related to the physical phenomena in the device. These analytical models may be represented by a double exponential I-V characteristic with seven parameters, by a double exponential model with five parameters, or by a single exponential equation with four or five parameters. In this article we address issues concerning methodologies for the determination of solar cell parameters based on measured data points of the I-V characteristic, and introduce a procedure for screening of solar cells for arrays. We show that common curve fitting techniques, e.g., least squares, may produce many combinations of parameter values while maintaining a good fit between the fitted and measured I-V characteristics of the cell. Therefore, techniques relying on curve fitting criteria alone cannot be directly used for cell parameterization. We propose a consistent procedure which takes into account the entire set of parameter values for a batch of cells. This procedure is based on a definition of a mean cell representing the batch, and takes into account the relative contribution of each parameter to the overall goodness of fit. The procedure is demonstrated on a batch of 50 silicon cells for Space Station Freedom.
This report describes the efforts completed during the contract period beginning November 1, 1990 and ending April 30, 1991. Samples of product hygiene and potable water from WRT 3A were supplied by NASA/MSFC prior to contract award on July 24, 1990. Humidity condensate samples were supplied on August 3, 1990. During the course of this contract chemical analyses were performed on these samples to qualitatively determine specific components comprising, the measured organic carbon concentration. In addition, these samples and known standard solutions were used to identify and develop methodology useful to future comprehensive characterization of similar samples. Standard analyses including pH, conductivity, and total organic carbon (TOC) were conducted. Colorimetric and enzyme linked assays for total protein, bile acid, B-hydroxybutyric acid, methylene blue active substances (MBAS), urea nitrogen, ammonia, and glucose were also performed. Gas chromatographic procedures for non-volatile fatty acids and EPA priority pollutants were also performed. Liquid chromatography was used to screen for non-volatile, water soluble compounds not amenable to GC techniques. Methods development efforts were initiated to separate and quantitate certain chemical classes not classically analyzed in water and wastewater samples. These included carbohydrates, organic acids, and amino acids. Finally, efforts were initiated to identify useful concentration techniques to enhance detection limits and recovery of non-volatile, water soluble compounds.
The U.S. Bureau of Mines has developed a technique for dewatering mineral waste slurries which utilizes polymer and a static screen. A variety of waste slurries from placer gold mines and crushed stone operations have been successfully treated using the system. Depending on the waste, a number of polymers have been used successfully with polymer costs ranging from $0.05 to $0.15 per 1,000 gal treated. The dewatering is accomplished using screens made from either ordinary window screen or wedge wire. The screens used are 8 ft wide and 8 ft long. The capacity of the screens varies from 3 to 7 gpm/sq. ft. The water produced is acceptable for recycling to the plant or for discharge to the environment. For example, a fine grain dolomite waste slurry produced from a crushed stone operation was dewatered from a nominal 2.5 pct solids to greater than 50 pct solids using $0.10 to $0.15 worth of polymer per 1,000 gal of slurry. The resulting waste water had a turbidity of less than 50 NTU and could be discharged or recycled. The paper describes field tests conducted using the polymer-screen dewatering system.
Breast cancer is one of the major causes of cancer death in women in the United States. The most effective way to treat breast cancer is to detect it at an early stage by screening patients periodically. Conventional film-screening mammography uses X-ray films which are effective in detecting early abnormalities of the breast. Direct digital mammography has the potential to improve the image quality and to take advantages of convenient storage, efficient transmission, and powerful computer-aided diagnosis, etc. One effective alternative to direct digital imaging is secondary digitization of X-ray films. This technique may not provide as high an image quality as the direct digital approach, but definitely have other advantages inherent to digital images. One of them is the usage of satellite-transmission technique for transferring digital mammograms between a remote image-acquisition site and a central image-reading site. This technique can benefit a large population of women who reside in remote areas where major screening and diagnosing facilities are not available. The NASA-Lewis Research Center (LeRC), in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF), has begun a pilot study to investigate the application of the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) network to telemammography. The bandwidth of the T1 transmission is limited (1.544 Mbps) while the size of a mammographic image is huge. It takes a long time to transmit a single mammogram. For example, a mammogram of 4k by 4k pixels with 16 bits per pixel needs more than 4 minutes to transmit. Four images for a typical screening exam would take more than 16 minutes. This is too long a time period for a convenient screening. Consequently, compression is necessary for making satellite-transmission of mammographic images practically possible. The Wavelet Research Group of the Department of Electrical Engineering at The Ohio State University (OSU) participated in the LeRC-CCF collaboration by providing advanced compression technology using wavelet transform. OSU developed a time-efficient software package with various wavelets to compress a serious of mammographic images. This documents reports the result of the compression activities.
Templates for fabricating sharply pointed microscopic peaks arranged in nearly regular planar arrays can be fabricated by a relatively inexpensive technique that has recently been demonstrated. Depending on the intended application, a semiconducting, insulating, or metallic film could be deposited on such a template by sputtering, thermal evaporation, pulsed laser deposition, or any other suitable conventional deposition technique. Pointed structures fabricated by use of these techniques may prove useful as photocathodes or field emitters in plasma television screens. Selected peaks could be removed from such structures and used individually as scanning tips in atomic force microscopy or mechanical surface profiling.
The energy-efficient, environmentally friendly technology that will be presented is the result of a Space Act Agreement between NthDegree Technologies Worldwide, Inc., and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The work combines semiconductor and printing technologies to advance lightweight electronic and photonic devices having excellent potential for commercial and exploration applications. Device development involves three projects that relate to energy generation and consumption: (1) a low-mass efficient (low power, low heat emission) micro light-emitting diode (LED) area lighting device; (2) a low-mass omni-directional efficient photovoltaic (PV) device with significantly improved energy capture; and (3) a new approach to building super-capacitors. These three technologies, energy capture, storage, and usage (e.g., lighting), represent a systematic approach for building efficient local micro-grids that are commercially feasible; furthermore, these same technologies, appropriately replacing lighting with lightweight power generation, will be useful for enabling inner planetary missions using smaller launch vehicles and to facilitate surface operations during lunar and planetary surface missions. The PV device model is a two sphere, light trapped sheet approximately 2-mm thick. The model suggests a significant improvement over current thin film systems. For lighting applications, all three technology components are printable in-line by printing sequential layers on a standard screen or flexographic direct impact press using the three-dimensional printing technique (3DFM) patented by NthDegree. One primary contribution to this work in the near term by the MSFC is to test the robustness of prototype devices in the harsh environments that prevail in space and on the lunar surface. It is anticipated that this composite device, of which the lighting component has passed off-gassing testing, will function appropriately in such environments consistent with NASA s exploration missions. Advanced technologies such as this show promise for both space flight and terrestrial applications.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) deep space exploration missions will be of significant duration requiring long-life and reliably performing spacecraft cabin ventilation filters. A particulate filter system is being developed at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) to meet the challenges of these remote and long duration missions. The capabilities and features of the filter system are expected to expand the life and reduce the maintenance requirements over that of the current ISS (International Space Station) filter by providing pre-filtration stages with novel self-cleaning and regenerable techniques. The filter provides two regenerable pre-filtration stages using a screen mesh media and an impactor collection system, and also provides intermediate stage filtration employing self-replacing filter media. The filter system is also designed to be compatible with the interfaces and performance requirements of the ISS distributed ventilation architecture in the US modules to facilitate testing on ISS type test or mock up platforms. Currently, a prototype of the filter system is undergoing tests in a custom configured filter test stand at the NASA GRC. The test stand provides the same range of flow rates produced on the ISS distributed architecture, and is equipped and instrumented to perform filter tests based on industrial test standards. The test stand has been used successfully to perform filter and flow performance test on returned ISS Bacterial Filter Elements. Similar test protocols were used to characterize the performance of the current filter system. Different performing grades of filter media will be installed and tested on the filter system, and different test particle standards will be used to simulate the range of particulate matter particles and debris the filter will see during a mission. This paper will present results and analysis of the test data to guide and provide input to the next generation filter system.
Primary objectives of this effort were to define the following: (1) Approaches for quantification of the accumulation of thermal energy within a capillary screen liquid acquisition device (LAD) for a lunar lander upper stage during periods of up to 210 days on the lunar surface, (2) techniques for mitigating heat entrapment, and (3) perform initial testing, data evaluation. The technical effort was divided into the following categories: (1) Detailed thermal modeling of the LAD/feed system interactions using both COMSOL computational fluid device and standard codes, (2) FLOW-3D modeling of bulk liquid to provide interfacing conditions for the LAD thermal modeling, (3) condensation conditioning of capillary screens to stabilize surface tension retention capability, and (4) subscale testing of an integrated LAD/feed system. Substantial progress was achieved in the following technical areas: (1) Thermal modeling and experimental approaches for evaluating integrated cryogen LAD/feed systems, at both the system and component levels, (2) reduced gravity pressure control analyses, (3) analytical modeling and testing for capillary screen conditioning using condensation and wicking, and (4) development of rapid turnaround testing techniques for evaluating LAD/feed system thermal and fluid integration. A comprehensive effort, participants included a diverse cross section of representatives from academia, contractors, and multiple Marshall Space Flight Center organizations.
The Telstar project required a variety of components and structures of high reliability. The program for obtaining these components was essentially that originated for submarine cable devices, in which designs of proven integrity were manufactured under controlled conditions, screened and aged to remove defectives, and then life tested and certified using techniques for selecting the most stable components. This program summary illustrates in principle the techniques described in detail in the body of this components section of the issue.
Technical problems of design and flight qualification of the proposed classes of surface insulation materials and leading edge materials were reviewed. A screening test plan, a preliminary design data test plan and a design data test plan were outlined. This program defined the apparent critical differences between the surface insulators and the leading edge materials, structuring specialized screening test plans for each of these two classes of materials. Unique testing techniques were shown to be important in evaluating the structural interaction aspects of the surface insulators and a separate task was defined to validate the test plan. In addition, a compilation was made of available information on proposed material (including metallic TPS), previous shuttle programs, pertinent test procedures, and other national programs of merit. This material was collected and summarized in an informally structured workbook.
An investigation of hardware configurations which attempt to minimize carbon and soot-production without sacrificing performance in small gas turbine combustors was conducted. Four fuel injectors, employing either airblast atomization, pressure atomization, or fuel vaporization techniques were combined with nozzle air swirlers and injector sheaths. Eight configurations were screened at sea-level takeoff and idle test conditions. Selected configurations were focused upon in an attempt to quantify the influence of combustor pressure, inlet temperature, primary zone operation, and combustor loading on soot and carbon formation. Cycle tests were also performed. It was found that smoke emission levels depended on the combustor fluid mechanics, the atomization quality of the injector and the fuel hydrogen content.