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Load-transfer capacities and resistances to fatigue increased. Series of high-strength bonded-stud designs developed for joining laminated wood to metal. Test results for bonded-stud designs demonstrated joint strengths approaching 10,000 to 12,000 psi (69 to 83 MPa) in ultimate strength and 5,000 psi (34 MPa) in high cycle fatigue strength of wood/epoxy composite achieved.
The central Andes of South America extend from approximately 14 deg. S to 28 deg. S as an unbroken chain of mountains and volcanoes over 2000 km long. It is here that the Nazca plate dives under the South American plate at angles varying from 10 deg to 30 deg. Very little is known about the volcanoes comprising this classic, subduction-type plate margin. A catalogue of the volcanoes in the central Andes is being prepared by Dr. P.W. Francis and Dr. C.A. Wood at the NASA Lunar and Planetary Institute. At present, more than 800 volcanoes of Cenozoic age have been recognized in the chain, with an estimated 75-80 major, active Quarternary volcanoes. Approximately one hundred 1536 x 1536 pixel color composite Optronics positives were produced from six full LANDSAT Thermatic Mapper scenes and three partial TM scenes. These positives cover a large portion of the central Andes. The positives were produced from LANDSAT data using the VAX imaging package, LIPS. The scenes were first transferred from magnetic tape to disk. The LIPS package was then used to select volcanically interesting areas which were then electronically enhanced. Finally, the selected areas were transferred back to tape and printed on the Optronics equipment. The pictures are color composites using LANDSAT TM bands 7,4, and 2 in the red, green, and blue filters, respectively.
The age of the surf clam (Spisula solidissima) can be determined with the use of the Digital Image Processor. This technique is used in conjunction with a modified method for aging, refined by John Ropes of the Woods Hole Laboratory, Massachusetts. This method utilizes a thinned sectioned chondrophore of the surf clam which contains annual rings. The rings of the chondrophore are then counted to determine age. By digitizing the chondrophore, the Digital Image Processor is clearly able to separate these annual rings more accurately. This technique produces an easier and more efficient way to count annual rings to determine the age of the surf clam.
Radio observations toward 47 unidentified sources from the HEAO-1 all-sky X-ray survey (Wood et al., 1984), obtained at 1.418 GHz using the C configuration of the VLA on May 11-14, 1983 are reported. Of the 238 radio sources detected at flux density 1-3 mJy or greater, 26 are found to be within 5 arcsec of optical objects, which are thereby considered to be candidate X-ray sources. Tentative classifications of the candidates include five RS CVn systems, three AGNs, three galaxy or cluster sources, and two X-ray binaries.
Emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) have been analyzed from industrial boilers and from a large experimental combustor burning natural gas, oil, or coal. Production of N2O and production of NO(x) were observed to be correlated, with an average molar ratio of 0.58:1 (N2O-N:NO). In conventional single-stage combustors, about 14 percent of fuel nitrogen is converted to N2O and 24 percent is converted to NO(x). Conversion of fuel nitrogen to N2O was much less efficient in a two-stage experimental combustor and in wood fires. A model is presented describing emissions of N2O globally, from the beginning of the industrial revolution to the present. It is expected that concentrations of N2O should rise more than 20 percent to about 367 ppb by the year 2050, based on conservative projections of world energy consumption.
Tree attenuation results at 870 MHz are described for experiments conducted in October 1985 and March 1986 in Central Maryland. These experiments employed a helicopter as a source platform and a van with receiver and data acquisition instrumentation. Tree attenuation results were obtained for the cases in which the van was stationary and in motion. The experiments were performed for the purpose of providing the designers of planned land mobile satellite systems with important elements in the determination of link parameter requirements; namely, the expected fading statistics due to roadside trees for both mobile and stationary vehicles. Single tree attenuation results gave worst case median fades as high as 15 dB although roadside tree values were noted to produce fades in excess of 20 dB for small percentages of time. The cumulative fade distributions and their relative contributions as a function of path elevation angle, right side versus left side driving, and different road types are derived from the field measurements. Upon comparing the attenuations from bare deciduous trees (March 1986) with those due to trees in full foliage (October 1985), the increase in dB attenuations were, in general, less than 25 percent for the dynamic cases, and less than 40 percent for the worst case static configuration. This result demonstrates that the dominant fading is caused by the wooded tree branches as opposed to the leaves on these branches. The tail end of the observed fade distributions was observed to follow lognormal distributions with respect to dB attenuation.
This study is to investigate the thermal stress of a wind turbine blade made of wood composite material. First, the governing partial differential equation on heat conduction is stated, then, a finite element procedure using a variational approach is employed for the solution of the governing equation. Thus, the temperature field throughout the blade is determined. Next, based on the temperature field, a finite element procedure using potential energy approach is applied to determine the thermal stress field. A set of results is obtained through the use of a computer, which is considered to be satisfactory.
The acousto-ultrasonic approach for nondestructive evaluation provides a measurement procedure for quantifying the integrated effect of globally distributed damage characteristic of fiber reinforced composite materials. The evaluation procedure provides a stress wave factor that correlates closely with several material performance parameters. The procedure was investigated for a variety of materials including advanced composites, hybrid structure bonds, adhesive bonds, wood products, and wire rope. The research program focused primarily on development of fundamental understanding and applications advancements of acousto-ultrasonics for materials characterization. This involves characterization of materials for which detection, location, and identification of imperfections cannot at present be analyzed satisfactorily with mechanical performance prediction models. In addition to presenting definitive studies on application potentials, the understanding of the acousto-ultrasonic method as applied to advanced composites is reviewed.
The global soot layer at the K-T boundary indicates a major fire triggered by meteorite impact. However, it is not clear whether the principal fuel was biomass or fossil carbon. Forests are favored by delta value of C-13, which is close to the average for trees, but the total amount of elemental C is approximately 10 percent of the present living carbon, and thus requires very efficient conversion to soot. The PAH was analyzed at Woodside Creek, in the hope of finding a diagnostic molecular marker. A promising candidate is 1-methyl-7-isopropyl phenanthrene (retene,), which is probably derived by low temperature degradation of abietic acid. Unlike other PAH that form by pyrosynthesis at higher temperatures, retene has retained the characteristic side chains of its parent molecule. A total of 11 PAH compounds were identified in the boundary clay. Retene is present in substantial abundance. The identification was confirmed by analysis of a retene standard. Retene is characteristic of the combustion of resinous higher plants. Its formation depends on both temperature and oxygen access, and is apparently highest in oxygen-poor fires. Such fires would also produce soot more efficiently which may explain the high soot abundance. The relatively high level of coronene is not typical of a wood combustion source, however, though it can be produced during high temperature pyrolysis of methane, and presumably other H, C-containing materials. This would require large, hot, low O2 zones, which may occur only in very large fires. The presence of retene indicates that biomass was a significant fuel source for the soot at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. The total amount of elemental C produced requires a greater than 3 percent soot yield, which is higher than typically observed for wildfires. However, retene and presumably coronene imply limited access of O2 and hence high soot yield.
The derivations of the Lippmann-Schwinger equation and Watson multiple scattering are given. A simple optical potential is found to be the first term of that series. The number density distribution models of the nucleus, harmonic well, and Woods-Saxon are used without t-matrix taken from the scattering experiments. The parameterized two-body inputs, which are kaon-nucleon total cross sections, elastic slope parameters, and the ratio of the real to the imaginary part of the forward elastic scattering amplitude, are presented. The eikonal approximation was chosen as our solution method to estimate the total and absorptive cross sections for the kaon-nucleus scattering.
The Li-Strahler canopy reflectance model, driven by Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data, provided regional estimates of tree size and density in two bioclimatic zones in West Africa. This model exploits tree geometry in an inversion technique to predict average tree size and density from reflectance data using a few simple parameters measured in the field (spatial pattern, shape, and size distribution of trees) and in the imagery (spectral signatures of scene components). The model was tested in sparse woodland and wooded grassland in the Sahelian and Sudanian bioclimatic zones in West Africa.
New lignin sensor takes only few minutes to measure lignin content of specimen of wood, pulp, paper, or similar material. Includes flash pyrolizer and ion-trap detector that acts as mass spectrometer. Apparatus measures amount of molecular fragments of lignin in pyrolysis products of samples. Helpful in controlling digestors in paper mills to maintain required lignin content, and also in bleaching plants, where good control of bleaching becomes possible if quick determination of lignin content made.
Technique developed to increase radiographic contrasts of inherent latent defects in wood. Involves introduction of radiopaque substance into defect site and subjecting site to penetrating radiation. Radiopaque penetrant used is commercially available fluorocarbon cleaning solvent, trichlorotrifluoroethane. Applicable in inspection of wooden aircraft components, fan and wind-turbine blades, marine parts, insulators, and other wooden components, assemblies, and structures.
Perhaps 80 percent of papermaking energy is expended in chemical pulping of vegetable cellulose, a natural polymer. Commercial supplies of wood, bagasse, cotton and flax are valued as renewable resources and bio-mass assets; however, few enterprises will salvage waste-paper and cardboard from their trash. A basic experiment in the Materials Lab uses simple equipment to make crude handsheets. Students learn to classify secondary fibers, identify contraries, and estimate earnings.
Theoretical calculations show that detectable amounts of FIR radiation can be produced by accretion disks around compact sources. Here, the HEAO A-1 Catalog (Wood et al., 1984) and Bradt and McClintock (1983) are used to select a likely set of candidate sources, and the IRAS Point Source Catalog and IRAS Serendipitous Survey Catalog are used to search for characteristic IR emission from sources in fields around them. Eighty-one candidates with 242 IRAS field sources were examined and color corrected. Eight of these have IR flux measurements which are consistent with emisison from an accretion disk S/N, although other mechanisms for their IR emission cannot yet be ruled out. Most have poor positional corespondences and must be considered suspect as identifications.
"Alpha/beta" lightweight instrumentation vanes made of composite of phenolic, epoxy, and fiberglass stronger and more accurate than conventional vanes made partly of balsa wood. Absorbs little or no moisture and provides more repeatable measurements. Because weight same as balsa vanes, no instrumentation changes needed. If vane breaks away from stem, not likely to damage aircraft engine if ingested; more likely crumbles into low-density particles that pass through without causing harm.
Acousto-ultrasonics utilizes simulated stress waves to detect and quantify defect states, damage conditions, and variations of mechanical properties in fiber reinforced composites. The term acousto-ultrasonics denotes a combination of aspects of acoustic emission methodology with ultrasonic materials characterization. The acousto-ultrasonic approach was developed to deal primarily with evaluation of the integrated effect of minor flaws and diffuse flaw populations of subcritical flaws in composite and bonded structures. These factors singly and collectively also influence acousto-ultrasonic measurements that, in turn, correlate with dynamic response and mechanical property variations. Since it was first introduced, the acousto-ultrasonic approach was successfully applied to a variety of materials, including polymeric, metallic, and ceramic matrix composites; adhesively bonded materials; paper and wood products; cable and rope; and also human bone. Examples of applications and limitations of the approach are reviewed. Basic methods and guidelines are discussed. The underlying hypothesis and theory development needs are indicated.
The time between storms, the duration of storms, and the storm depths are studied in relation to vegetation controls on the disposition of rainfall. It is proposed that understanding the movement of water between the vegetation and soil (including evapotranspiration and infiltration) will be the gateway for modeling atmospheric flux and improving global climate models. The overall objective goal of the proposed research effort is to develop a field/lab methodology which will provide a better understanding of vegetation induced water movement. Water flow initiated from stem flow of wooded slopes feeds soil water pathways, which in turn feed the deeper ground water system and give rise to stream response. This is balanced by more water inputs via throughfall, where it percolates the soil matrix and allows much greater rates of evapotranspiration and atmospheric/soil moisture flux. This research study seeks to gain an understanding of the effect of vegetation on soil moisture, and the effect of this differential wetting on resulting evapotranspiration and atmospheric flux.