Computer Code Generates Two-Dimensional Unstructured Grids

TRiangular Unstructured Mesh generator by Point insEr Tion (TRUMPET) is a computer program that generates meshes that are composed of triangular cells and are bounded by complex...

Designing Composite Repairs and Retrofits for Infrastructure

A method of analyzing and designing laminated composite-material wraps for columns, arches, domes, and other large reinforced-concrete structures involves an extension of...

Security System Based on Bragg Gratings in an Optical Fiber

The figure schematically illustrates an optoelectronic security system in which binary information on the identity of a person or object is encoded in Bragg gratings in an optical...

Higher-Resolution Optoelectronic Shaft-Angle Encoder

The apparatus shown schematically in the figure is an optoelectronic shaft-angle encoder that measures absolute angles with high resolution. This encoder is an improved version of the...

Communication Controller Board for a Wind-Tunnel Model

A communication controller circuit for a wind-tunnel model is undergoing development. The circuit is intended to serve as part of a highly miniaturized, distributed, modular electronic...

Software for Simulating Progressive Fracture in Braided PMCs

GENOA-PFA is a commercial version of the Composite Durability Structural Analysis (CODSTRAN) computer program, which simulates the progression of damage ultimately leading to...

Leak-Free Pressurizing Valve

A leak-free valve has been proposed as a more reliable, less expensive, adaptable alternative to a one-time-opening, pyrotechnically actuated valve (pyrovalve). In the original intended application, the pyrovalve...

Afterbody Cushions for Instrumented Penetrator Projectiles

Pneumatic cushions have been proposed for protecting the afterbodies of two-body instrumented soil-penetrator projectiles. These cushions would be, essentially, doughnut-shaped...

Ultrasonic Measurement of Bending of Bolts

Work performed at Johnson Space Center has brought about a major improvement in the means for measuring the bending that occurs whenever stress is applied to a bolted joint. This major improvement...

Efficient Ionizer for an Array of Mass Spectrometers

An electron-beam ionizer has been designed to deliver ions to the entrance apertures of nine miniature quadrupole mass spectrometers in an array. A similar electron-beam ionizer could also...

Analyzing Rocket Exhaust by Atomic-Absorption Spectroscopy

A computer-controlled instrumentation system has been developed for use in measuring concentrations of various atomic species in the exhaust gases of a space-shuttle main engine on a...

Adjustable Optics for Spectral Analysis of Rocket Exhaust

The figure presents additional information on the optics of the atomic-absorption-spectroscopy (AAS) system described in the preceding article. The optics include (1) a periscopic...

Thickness-Independent Ultrasonic Characterization of Tubes

A technique for ultrasonic characterization of plates has been extended to tubes and curved structures in general. In this technique, as explained in more detail below, one performs...

Preconditioning the Helmholtz Equation for a 2-D Duct

A preconditioning technique has been developed for numerical solution of the Helmholtz equation as applied to the steady-state propagation of sound in a semi-infinite,...

Analytic Technique for Separation of Cochannel FM Signals

A digital processing technique for separating two cochannel frequency-modulation (FM) signals involves a partial algebraic solution that gives the phases of the two signals to within...

Apparatus and Technique for Measuring Distance Between Axles

An optoelectronic apparatus and a technique for its operation have been developed to facilitate and accelerate the measurement of distances of the order of tens of feet to within...

Miniature, Low-Power, Digital, Wireless Electronic Camera

A portable, battery-powered camera unit contains a programmable digital camera that is implemented on a single chip utilizing active-pixel-sensor (APS) technology, plus circuitry for...

Improved Accelerated Corrosion Testing of Zinc-Rich Primers

An improved method of accelerated testing reduces the time needed to analyze the abilities of zinc-rich primers to protect steel substrates against corrosion in a seacoast...

Development of Multimode-Optical-Fiber Imaging Probe

A developmental electro-optical system would enable remote real-time viewing of a scene through a multimode optical fiber, as though the fiber were a conventional image-transmitting optic...

Fabricating Small Apertures in Silicon-on-Insulator Wafers

Precise small apertures for a variety of optical applications can be formed in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers by use of a photolithographic process developed specifically for the...

Cancellation of Laser Noise in an Unequal-Arm Interferometer

A method of processing phase measurements in an unequal-arm laser Michelson interferometer makes it possible to detect phase effects much smaller than the laser phase noise. In...

Tunable, Single-Frequency, Fiber Fabry-Perot VCSELs

The figure depicts several aspects of a unique type of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) that incorporate fiber Fabry-Perot (FFP) optical cavities. These lasers have been...

Reducing the Volume of a Holographic Data-Storage System

The size of a holographic data-storage system could be reduced by a proposed design modification that calls for replacement and repositioning of some optical components and the use of...

Filterless Si-Based Ultraviolet-Selective Photodetectors

Monolithic semiconductor photodiodes that discriminate against infrared and visible light and that can be tailored to detect ultraviolet light in selected wavelength bands have been...

Generating Synchronized WDM Pulses in a Nonlinear Optical Fiber

Pulse shepherding (defined below) can be exploited to impress synchronized amplitude-modulation pulses, with durations of the order of picoseconds, onto beams of light with...

Improved Cross-Correlation Dynamic-Light-Scattering Method

A dynamic-light-scattering (DLS) method that reduces undesired contributions from multiply scattered photons has been invented. The method involves, among other things,...

Alloy Casting Produces New Mirror Technology

Under a Phase 1 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) award of $99,000 with Goddard Space Flight Center, Advanced Optical Systems Inc. (AOS) has produced a 13.5-kg/m² 6-in.-diameter...

A Method for Designing Low-Pass FIR Digital Filters

A class of finite-impulse-response (FIR) digital filters has been developed to perform certain frequency-limiting, decimation, and differentiation (with respect to time) functions on a time...