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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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At least 91 records · Page 5

Apparatus for measurement of thermal conductivity of insulation systems subjected to extreme temperature differences

Advanced aerospace designs require thermal insulation systems which are consistent with cryogenic fluids, high thermal loads, and design restrictions such as weight and volume. To evaluate the thermal performance of these insulating systems, an apparatus capable of measuring thermal conductivity using extreme temperature differences (27 to 1100 K) is being developed. This system is described along with estimates of precision and accuracy in selected operating conditions. Preliminary data are presented.

Dube, W. P.↗

New rotation-balance apparatus for measuring airplane spin aerodynamics in the wind tunnel

An advanced rotation-balance apparatus has been developed for the Ames 12-ft pressure tunnel to study the effects of spin rate, angles of attack and sideslip, and, particularly, Reynolds number on the aerodynamics of fighter and general aviation aircraft in a steady spin. Angles of attack to 100 deg and angles of sideslip to 30 deg are possible with spin rates to 42 rad/sec (400 rpm) and Reynolds numbers to 30 million/m on fighter models with wing spans that are typically 0.7 m. A complete description of the new rotation-balance apparatus, the sting/balance/model assembly, and the operational capabilities is given.

Malcolm, G. N.↗

Preliminary Calibration Report of an Apparatus to Measure Vibration Characteristics of Low Frequency Disturbance Source Devices

This report presents a description of the test apparatus and the method of testing the low frequency disturbance source characteristics of small pumps, fans, camera motors, and recorders that are typical of those used in microgravity science facilities. The test apparatus will allow both force and acceleration spectra of these disturbance devices to be obtained from acceleration measurements over the frequency range from 2 to 300 Hz. Some preliminary calibration results are presented.

Russell, James W.↗

A method and apparatus for measuring homogeneity with a material part

The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for interactively analyzing the characteristics of a material part in real-time. The invention enables the storage, calculation and display of the properties of the material part. A ultrasonic scan is performed on the material part. The material properties are then calculated from the scanned data and displayed. An image system is then used to select one point of the material part in real time and display all of the associated properties of that one point interactively.

Roth, Don J.↗

A New Apparatus for Measuring the Temperature at Machine Parts Rotating at High Speeds

After a brief survey of the available methods for measuring the temperatures of machine parts at high speed, in particular turbine blades and rotors, an apparatus is described which is constructed on the principle of induction. Transmission of the measuring current by sliding contacts therefore is avoided. Up-to-date experiments show that it is possible to give the apparatus a high degree of sensitivity and accuracy. In comparison with sliding contact types, the present apparatus shows the important advantage that it operates for any length of time without wear, and that the contact difficulties, particularly occurring at high sliding speeds,are avoided.

Gnam, E.↗

Detector absorptivity measuring method and apparatus

A method and apparatus for measuring the absorptivity of a radiation detector by making the detector an integral part of a cavity radiometer are described. By substituting the detector for the surface of the cavity upon which the radiation first impinges a comparison is made between the quantity of radiation incident upon the detector and the quantity reflected from the detector. The difference between the two is a measurement of the amount of radiation absorbed by the detector.

Sheets, R. E.↗

Ultrasonic Detection Of Transply Cracks In Composites

Nondestructive testing technique measures densities of transply cracks and used to monitor propagation of such damage in advanced polymer-matrix composite materials. Acousto-ultrasonic measuring apparatus, used to measure stress-wave factors (SWF's) of undamaged specimens and specimens that contained various numbers of transply cracks. Acousto-ultrasonic technique of value in examining damage to material from one surface only.

Bowles, Kenneth J.↗

Method and Apparatus for Measuring Near-Angle Scattering of Mirror Coatings

Disclosed herein is a method of determining the near angle scattering of a sample reflective surface comprising the steps of: a) splitting a beam of light having a coherence length of greater than or equal to about 2 meters into a sample beam and a reference beam; b) frequency shifting both the sample beam and the reference beam to produce a fixed beat frequency between the sample beam and the reference beam; c) directing the sample beam through a focusing lens and onto the sample reflective surface, d) reflecting the sample beam from the sample reflective surface through a detection restriction disposed on a movable stage; e) recombining the sample beam with the reference beam to form a recombined beam, followed by f) directing the recombined beam to a detector and performing heterodyne analysis on the recombined beam to measure the near-angle scattering of the sample reflective surface, wherein the position of the detection restriction relative to the sample beam is varied to occlude at least a portion of the sample beam to measure the near-angle scattering of the sample reflective surface. An apparatus according to the above method is also disclosed.

Chipman, Russell A.↗

Seebeck Coefficient Measured With Differential Heat Pulses

Common experimental errors reduced because pulse technique suppresses drifts in thermoelectric measurements. Differential-heat-pulse apparatus measures Seebeck coefficient in semiconductors at temperatures up to 1,900 K. Sample heated to measuring temperature in furnace. Ends of sample then differentially heated a few degrees more by lamps. Differential temperature rise and consequent Seebeck voltage measured via thermocouple leads. Because pulse technique used, errors that often arise from long-term drifts in thermoelectric measurements suppressed. Apparatus works with temperature differences of only few degrees, further increasing accuracy of coefficients obtained.

Zoltan, L.↗

Faraday rotation measurement method and apparatus

A method and device for measuring Faraday rotation of a received RF signal is described. A simultaneous orthogonal polarization receiver compensates for a 3 db loss due to splitting of a received signal into left circular and right circular polarization channels. The compensation is achieved by RF and modulation arraying utilizing a specific receiver array which also detects and measures Faraday rotation in the presence or absence of spin stabilization effects on a linear polarization vector. Either up-link or down-link measurement of Faraday rotation is possible. Specifically, the Faraday measurement apparatus utilized in conjunction with the specific receiver array provides a means for comparing the phase of a reference signal in the receiver array to the phase of a tracking loop signal related to the incoming signal, and comparing the phase of the reference signal to the phase of the tracking signal shifted in phase by 90 degrees. The averaged and unaveraged signals, are compared, the phase changes between the two signals being related to Faraday rotation.

Brockman, M. H.↗

Measuring Seebeck Coefficient

A high temperature Seebeck coefficient measurement apparatus and method with various features to minimize typical sources of errors is described. Common sources of temperature and voltage measurement errors which may impact accurate measurement are identified and reduced. Applying the identified principles, a high temperature Seebeck measurement apparatus and method employing a uniaxial, four-point geometry is described to operate from room temperature up to 1300K. These techniques for non-destructive Seebeck coefficient measurements are simple to operate, and are suitable for bulk samples with a broad range of physical types and shapes.

Snyder, G. Jeffrey↗

Apparatus for measuring internal friction Q factors in brittle materials

A flexural analog of the torsion pendulum for measuring the Young's modulus and the internal friction Q factor of brittle materials has been developed for Q greater than 10 to the 3rd measurements at a zero static stress and at 10 to the -7th strains of brittle materials in the Hz frequency range. The present design was motivated by the desire to measure Q in fragile lunar return samples at zero static stress to shed light on the anomalously low attenuation of seismic waves on the moon. The use of the apparatus is demonstrated with data on fused silica and on a terrestrial analog of lunar basalt.

Tittmann, B. R.↗

Observing Quantum Measurement Collapse as a Learnability Phase Transition

During a quantum measurement, superpositions of states with different observable properties probabilistically collapse into one with a sharp value of the measured observable. In macroscopic quantum systems, this collapse arises via a continuous measurement-induced phase transition (MIPT) at a critical value of the strength of interaction with the measurement apparatus. MIPTs lie outside established paradigms for equilibrium or nonequilibrium critical phenomena and delineate distinct, stable dynamical and computational phases of matter. Quantum computers enable programmable simulation of the interaction of a measurement apparatus with a dynamical quantum system, to explore MIPT phenomena over a range of system sizes while retaining quantum coherence. Yet, existing experimental protocols rely on fundamentally nonscalable postselection techniques or direct classical simulation of quantum circuits. Here, we report the scalable observation of finite-size scaling evidence for an observable-sharpening MIPT in monitored quantum circuits in a chain of Yb + 171 ions in Quantinuum’s H1-1 trapped-ion quantum processor. By leveraging an equivalent description as a statistical physics problem, we implement scalable classical algorithms to infer the value of the measured observable from a single experimental shot. This technique enables a truly scalable protocol to observe observable-sharpening MIPTs in generic classes of circuits that cannot be directly classically simulated and also provides enhanced means to detect and suppress errors in the quantum simulation. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Uterine Contraction Modeling and Simulation

Building a training system for medical personnel to properly interpret fetal heart rate tracing requires developing accurate models that can relate various signal patterns to certain pathologies. In addition to modeling the fetal heart rate signal itself, the change of uterine pressure that bears strong relation to fetal heart rate and provides indications of maternal and fetal status should also be considered. In this work, we have developed a group of parametric models to simulate uterine contractions during labor and delivery. Through analysis of real patient records, we propose to model uterine contraction signals by three major components: regular contractions, impulsive noise caused by fetal movements, and low amplitude noise invoked by maternal breathing and measuring apparatus. The regular contractions are modeled by an asymmetric generalized Gaussian function and least squares estimation is used to compute the parameter values of the asymmetric generalized Gaussian function based on uterine contractions of real patients. Regular contractions are detected based on thresholding and derivative analysis of uterine contractions. Impulsive noise caused by fetal movements and low amplitude noise by maternal breathing and measuring apparatus are modeled by rational polynomial functions and Perlin noise, respectively. Experiment results show the synthesized uterine contractions can mimic the real uterine contractions realistically, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Liu, Miao↗

Apparatus automatically measures soluble residue content of volatile solvents

Solvent Purity Meter /SPM/ automatically measures the soluble residue in volatile solvents used in cleaning or extraction of oils, greases, and other nonvolatile materials. The SPM gives instantaneous and continuous readout of soluble contaminant residues in concentrations as low as one part per million of solution.

Oswalt, F. W.↗