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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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Instrument measures rapidly changing knee of V-I curve with extra care. Portable data logger runs on own batteries. Includes microcomputer, which controls voltage-, current-measurement increment, and solid state memory, which stores data until transferred to EPROM module. Data logger is light, compact and easily caried to remote field locations.
Staking tool compact and portable. Tool combines clamping and staking operations in single unit. Tool clamps workpiece (a bearing or bushing), alines it, and stakes on of flat faces. Used for most roller staking operations which acess both faces of workpiece.
Lightweight device uses one drive motor for surface scanning. Electromechanical X-Y Scanner indexed in both x and y by single motor. Constructed of readily available inexpensive parts. Used to move eddycurrent sensor over surface of metal plate; other applications for unique features include low power consumption, light weight, and portability.
Plating system mounted on portable cart includes 30-gallon (23.5 liter) electrolyte tank, filler pump, heaters, replenishing anodes, plating rectifiers and tank rectifier to continously remove contaminants.
Portable machine constructed for fatigue testing of structural materials or machinery parts subjected to fatigue loads. Piezoelectric crystal stack adds oscillatory force to constant force. Machine tests wider variety of objects than with usual rotating-beam fatigue tests.
A portable oil recovery turbopump concept, using the Firefly module as primer mover, for the offloading of distressed tank vessels is examined. The demands to be met both in terms of the type of petroleum to be offloaded, as well as the operational requirements placed on the pump, are studied with respect to the capability of different pump configurations. Two configurations, one a centrifugal type and the other a screw type pump, are developed and evaluated. While the centrifugal configuration is found to be effective in a large proportion of tank vessel offloading situations, the screw type will be required where high viscosity cargoes are involved. The feasibility of the turbopump concept, with the Firefly module as prime mover, is established.
A portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer for use as an analyzer in mineral resource investigative work was built and tested. The prototype battery powered spectrometer, measuring 11 by 12 by 5 inches and weighing only about 15 pounds, was designed specifically for field use. The spectrometer has two gas proportional counters and two radioactive sources, Cd (10a) and Fe (55). Preliminary field and laboratory tests on rock specimens and rock pulps have demonstrated the capability of the spectrometer to detect 33 elements to date. Characteristics of the system present some limitations, however, and further improvements are recommended.
It is pointed out that for the past several years, one school of IC designers has used a simplified set of nMOS geometric design rules (GDR) which is 'portable', in that it can be used by many different nMOS manufacturers. The present investigation is concerned with a preliminary set of design rules for bulk CMOS which has been verified for simple test structures. The GDR are defined in terms of Caltech Intermediate Form (CIF), which is a geometry-description language that defines simple geometrical objects in layers. The layers are abstractions of physical mask layers. The design rules do not presume the existence of any particular design methodology. Attention is given to p-well and n-well CMOS processes, bulk CMOS and CMOS-SOS, CMOS geometric rules, and a description of the advantages of CMOS technology.
A portable dynamic pressure generator was developed to meet the requirements of determining the dynamic sensitivities of in situ pressure transducers at low frequencies. The device is designed to operate in a frequency range of 0 to 100 Hz, although it was only tested up to 30 Hz, and to generate dynamic pressures up to 13.8 kPa (2 psi). A description of the operating characteristics and instrumentation used for pressure, frequency, and displacement measurements is given. The pressure generator was used to statically and dynamically calibrate transducers. Test results demonstrated that a difference an exist between the static and dynamic sensitivity of a transducer, confirming the need for dynamic calibrations of in situ pressure transducers.
The UMET-1 is a microprocessor-based portable system for automatic real-time processing of flight data transmitted from the standard RAWINSONDE upper atmosphere meteorological balloonsonde. The first 'target system' is described which was designed to receive data from a mobile tracking and telemetry receiving station (TRADAT), as the balloonsonde ascends to apogee. After balloon-burst, the UMET-1 produces user-ready hardcopy.
Modern piloted flight simulators require detailed models of many aircraft components, such as the airframe, propulsion system, flight deck controls and instrumentation, as well as motion drive and visual display systems. The amount of computing power necessary to implement these systems can exceed that offered by dedicated mainframe computers. One approach to this problem is through the use of distributed computing, where parts of the simulation are assigned to computing subsystems, such as microcomputers. One such subsystem, such as microcomputers. One such subsystem, a real-time, portable, microcomputer-based jet engine simulator, is described in this paper. The simulator will be used at the NASA Ames Vertical Motion Simulator facility to perform calculations previously done on the facility's mainframe computer. The mainframe will continue to do all other system calculations and will interface to the engine simulator through analog I/0. The engine simulator hardware includes a 16-bit microcomputer and floating-point coprocessor. There is an 8 channel analog input board and an 8 channel analog output board. A model of a small turboshaft engine/control is coded in floating-point FORTRAN. The FORTRAN code and a data monitoring program run under the control of an assembly language real-time executive. The monitoring program allows the user to isplay and/or modify simulator variables on-line through a data terminal. A dual disk drive system is used for mass storage of programs and data. The CP/M-86 operating system provides file management and overall system control. The frame time for the simulator is 30 milliseconds, which includes all analog I/0 operations.
An airborne, radar-based, precision approach concept is being developed and flight tested as a part of NASA's Rotorcraft All-Weather Operations Research Program. A transponder-based beacon landing system (BLS) applying state-of-the-art X-band radar technology and digital processing techniques, was built and is being flight tested to demonstrate the concept feasibility. The BLS airborne hardware consists of an add-on microprocessor, installed in conjunction with the aircraft weather/mapping radar, which analyzes the radar beacon receiver returns and determines range, localizer deviation, and glide-slope deviation. The ground station is an inexpensive, portable unit which can be quickly deployed at a landing site. Results from the flight test program show that the BLS concept has a significant potential for providing rotorcraft with low-cost, precision instrument approach capability in remote areas.
An extensive program exists for the systematic sampling and analysis of lubricants in U.S. Air Force aircraft engines. The sudden development of excessive engine wear can usually be detected on the basis of monitoring the concentration of several key metallic elements for each aircraft engine. In many cases even the specific fault within an engine can be recognized. The two types of equipment which are currently being employed for the conduction of oil analyses make use of atomic emission or atomic absorption spectroscopy. In both cases, heavy, large, and relatively fragile pieces of equipment are involved. Difficulties concerning the transportation of these devices have led to the development of a small, sturdy, and easily portable wearmetal analyzer. The analyzer makes use of an X-ray fluorescence technique.
Two off-the-shelf instruments combine to control chamber temperature over wide range. Portable controller for environmental test chambers changes temperatures automatically over range of -300 degrees to +400 degrees F (-184 degrees to + 204 degrees C). Unit controls rate of temperature change and time at given temperature. Controller developed to meet NASA Shuttle test requirements.
An airborne, radar based, precision approach concept is being developed and flight tested as a part of NASA's Rotorcraft All-Weather Operations Research Program. A transponder based beacon landing system (BLS) applying state of the art X band radar technology and digital processing techniques, has been built and is being flight tested to demonstrate the concept feasibility. The BLS airborne hardware consists of an add on microprocessor, installed in conjunction with the aircraft weather/mapping radar, which analyzes the radar beacon receiver returns and determines range, localizer deviation, and glide slope derivation. The ground station is an inexpensive, portable unit which can be quickly deployed at a landing site. Results from the flight test program show that the BLS concept has a significant potential for providing rotorcraft with low cost, precision instrument approach capability in remote areas.
A portable laser system for remote detection of methane gas leaks and concentrations is disclosed. The system transmitter includes first and second lasers, tuned respectively to a wavelength coincident with a strong absorption line of methane and a reference wavelength which is weakly absorbed by methane gas. The system receiver includes a spherical mirror for collecting the reflected laser radiation and focusing the collected radiation through a narrowband optical filter onto an optial detector. The filter is tuned to the wavelength of the two lasers, and rejects background noise. The output of the optical detector is processed by a lock-in detector synchronized to the chopper, and which measures the difference between the first wavelength signal and the reference wavelength signal.
The need for a standardized battery of human performance tests to measure the effects of various treatments is pointed out. Progress in such a program is reported. Three batteries are available which differ in length and the number of tests in the battery. All tests are implemented on a portable, lap held, briefcase size microprocessor. Performances measured include: information processing, memory, visual perception, reasoning, and motor skills, programs to determine norms, reliabilities, stabilities, factor structure of tests, comparisons with marker tests, apparatus suitability. Rationale for the battery is provided.
A beacon landing system (BLS) is being developed and flight tested as a part of NASA's Rotorcraft All-Weather Operations Research Program. The system is based on state-of-of-the-art X-band radar technology and digital processing techniques. The bLS airborne hardware consists of an X-band receiver and a small micropreocessor, installed in conjunction wht the aircraft instrument landing system (ILS) receiver. The microprocessor analyzes the X-band, BLS pulses and outputs ILS-compatible localizer and glide slope signals. Range information is obtained using an on-board weather/mapping radar in conjunction with the BLS. The ground station is an inexpensive, portable unit; it weighs less than 70 lb and can be quickly deployed at a landing site. Results from the flight-test program show that the BLS has a significant potential for providing rotorcaraft with low-cost, precision instrument approach capability in remote areas.