Test & Measurement

The Hydrogen Umbilical Mass Spectrometer (HUMS) consists of an integrated sample delivery system, a commercial mass-spectrometer-based gas analyzer, and a set of calibration gas mixtures traceable to NIST (National Institute for Standards and Technology). The system, except for the calibration gas...

Miniature fiber-optic-coupled sensors based on optically excited, self-resonant microbeams have been proposed for measuring temperatures within muscle fascicles and tendons. The proposed sensors could be used in medical and biological research on humans and other animals. The proposed...

Some improvements have been made in the instrument described in "Instrument Records Magnetic Fields Generated by Lightning" (KSC-11769) NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 19, No. 4 (April 1995), page 38. To conserve battery energy, the instrument was made to record the output of only one of three mutually...

Everybody creates models. These models are used to understand how products will hold up to the stresses, use, and abuse of real-world deployment; analyze the impact of design decisions on cost; simulate interactions; or evaluate numerous other metrics. Unfortunately, because of the variety of software...

An instrument that noninvasively measures alternating current over a broad frequency band (typically from about 0.3 to about 110 MHz) has been invented. This instrument could be especially useful for assessing radio-frequency hazards by measuring currents in various parts of humans or personnel...

Optoelectronic instruments for real-time, in situ monitoring of particle fallout are undergoing development. Settings in which these instruments could prove useful include clean rooms for assembly of optical and electronic equipment, food-packaging facilities, and other industrial facilities in...

A computer program enables the simultaneous monitoring and control of two commercial digital instrumentation recorders, each comprising a variable-rate buffer and a data tape recorder. The program can issue all standard tape-motion-related commands (fast forward, rewind, record, forward,...

Fiber-optic sensors for measuring concentrations of oxygen dissolved in water are undergoing development. In comparison with electrochemical dissolved-oxygen sensors, the fiber-optic sensors are expected to be easier to use and maintain. Also, unlike electrochemical dissolved-oxygen...

Compact instruments, similar in appearance to common personal pagers, have been proposed for warning aircraft crewmembers that cabin air pressure has decreased to a potentially dangerous level. An instrument of this type, called a "personal cabin pressure monitor and warning system" (PCPMWS), implements a warning...

The Impulse Combustion Excel (ICE) computer program was developed to facilitate and accelerate the design and analysis of subscale rocket engines for use in base-heating tests. Such tests are performed on the ground to obtain data for estimating the heating effects of hot exhaust plumes on...

A method of electromechanical testing has been proposed for general diagnosis, evaluation of performance, and burn-in (accelerated life testing) of microelectromechanical devices. The tests would ordinarily be performed at the wafer level; that is, after the devices have been fabricated on...

A continuous-wave CO2 laser has been selected as a source of heat for testing the thermal response of carbon-cloth phenolic like that used as insulating material in a reusable solid-fuel rocket motor (RSRM). The particular thermal response of interest, observed during operation of an RSRM,...