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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Direct measurement of aircraft-engine thrust by use of strain gauges offers several advantages over traditional model-based methods of calculating thrust, provided that care is...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
An improved quadrupole mass analyzer (QMA) has been proposed for use in determining the compositions of gas mixtures. The proposed QMA would incorporate two major innovations over traditional...
Briefs: Materials
Properties of Cubic Boron Nitride Films
A report describes an experimental study of the surface-chemical, microstructural, and tribological properties of cubic boron nitride (c-BN) films, which are potentially useful as hard, wear-resistant coatings on bearings and on steel-cutting tools. For the experiments, BN films about 500 nm thick were...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Improved sensor assemblies have been invented for measuring acoustic signals in gases or liquids flowing in or around any of a variety of moving or stationary objects. Examples of such objects...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
A method of computing the concentrations of chemical species in chemically reacting flows includes, among other things, utilization of a prior chemical-kinetic method based on a concept...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Active Homopolar Magnetic Bearing
A report presents information on an earlier work on active magnetic bearings with high-critical-temperature superconducting coils. To recapitulate, the device is a homopolar radial-type active magnetic bearing with a bias coil and control coils made of a high-critical-temperature superconductor. The report...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Experiments have demonstrated the feasibility of inflatable reflectors with very low system aerial densities of the order of 1 kg/m². Diverse applications include radio and...
Briefs: Materials
Polymeric Composite Damage Protective Overwraps for Composite Pressure Vessels
Damage-tolerant polymeric composite overwraps have been proposed for lightweight pressure vessels that are made of composites of graphite fibers in polymeric matrices. Graphite-fiber/polymer composites are vulnerable to impact damage; overwraps on the pressure vessels...
Briefs: Materials
Continuing efforts to develop lightweight, flexible thermal-insulation blankets that withstand high temperatures have led to design and fabrication concepts that effect the following...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
An experiment consisting of flight tests on the X-31A airplane (see figure) has demonstrated the ability to use thrust vectoring to replace the functions of stabilization and turn...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Electron-beam (e-beam) lithography has shown promise as a technique for fabricating diffractive optical elements on nonflat substrates. Such optical elements could include convex or concave...
Briefs: Medical
An improved suit to be worn by a worker during abrasive blasting has been developed. Denoted an environmentally controlled abrasive-blasting suit (ECAB), it provides comprehensive protection...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
A biotelemetric system for monitoring key physiological parameters of a fetus and its uterine environment is undergoing development. The main purpose of the monitoring is to detect...
Briefs: Medical
Exoskeletal System for Neuromuscular Rehabilitation
A system of sensors and actuators designed to fit on the lower extremities of human patients and astronauts like an exoskeleton is under development to serve diverse purposes in neuromuscular research and rehabilitation. This system will be operated under both Earth and microgravity conditions. A...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Studies of physical and chemical effects in the hydride-forming electrodes of rechargeable nickel/metal hydride electrochemical cells have yielded results that now guide...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Small ball (full sphere) lenses in the 0.5-mm to 3.0-mm diameter range offer a number of practical advantages for fiber-to-fiber coupling and fiber collimation. Ball lenses are...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Scientists, astronomers, optical re-searchers, and manufacturers frequently require two-axis reflective optical mechanisms to meet the requirements of robust beamsteering...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Compact, low-power-consumption magnetic-sensor units called "integrated sensor system" (ISS) units are being developed for detecting buried mines and arsenals without exposing human searchers to...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
The upper part of Figure 1 illustrates an antenna derived by widening the middle strip conductor of a finite-width coplanar waveguide (FCPW) to form a rectangular patch. An FCPW offers all the...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Integrally Wound Skirt for Composite-Overwrapped Tank
The skirt that supports a composite-overwrapped tank would be made an integral part of the composite overwrap, according to a proposal. In current practice, the structure that supports a composite-overwrap tank usually includes a layer of rubber between the tank and its skirt. The rubber layer...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
A crimping technique has been developed for fastening polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tubes of 0.032-in. (0.81-mm) outside diameter and 0.0105-in. (0.267-mm) inside diameter onto...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Foam Heat Exchangers
Experiments have demonstrated the feasibility of heat exchangers with flow channels containing open-cell metallic foams. Nonmetallic foams could also be used. One proposed design calls for an open-cell foam in the annular region between an inner and an outer tube, with a heat-transfer fluid flowing along the annular region...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Human-powered machines that can be operated as centrifuges or as stationary exercise stations have been invented. These machines are suitable for a variety of terrestrial and...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
A proposed multilayer metal-film/dielectric-plate laminate would serve as a passive radio-frequency (RF) interlayer stripline transition. This device is designed to provide RF coupling from (a) an input...
Briefs: Materials
An improved method of fabricating membrane electrode structures for methanol fuel cells is similar to the method described in the preceding article, except that in this method, the...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Circuit for Automatic Tunneling-Controlled Golay Cell
An automatic tunneling-controlled, micromachined Golay cell has been implemented in a multichip integrated-circuit module. The module is designed specifically for sensing infrared radiation indicative of the concentration of glucose in blood, but its low noise, high gain, and low power...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
"HOTCFGM-1D" denotes a collection of four computer programs, plus the underlying theory, for calculating thermomechanical and inertial effects in axisymmetric cylindrical...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Vertical-Bloch-line (VBL) memory devices of a proposed type would include stacks of VBL memory chips plus other components (see figure on next page). Each chip would be square, approximately...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Details of Apparatus for Advanced Ultrasonic C-Scan Imaging
A report comprising the main contents of U. S. Patent 5,750,895 presents detailed information on the subject of "Apparatus for Advanced Ultrasonic C-Scan Imaging (GSC-13524), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 21, No. 4 (April 1997), page 34. The apparatus is a computer-controlled ultrasonic C-scan...
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Webcasts
Upcoming Webinars: AR/AI
The Real Impact of AR and AI in the Industrial Equipment Industry
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SAE Automotive Engineering Podcast: Additive Manufacturing
Podcasts: Defense
A New Approach to Manufacturing Machine Connectivity for the Air Force
On-Demand Webinars: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Streamlining Manufacturing with Integrated Digital Planning and Simulation
On-Demand Webinars: Automotive
