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At least 217 records · Page 12

Silicon solar cells with a total power capacity of 30 kilowatts

The bulk of the contract effort was carried out in the following two phases: Phase 1 -- module design, Pre-production module fabrication, inspection and test. Phase 2 -- Production, test and delivery. Effort during the first two months of the contract concentrated on design of a solar module to meet specification. Basic module design resulting from this effort is as follows: (1) frame design; (2) cell pan design; (3) cell interconnection; (4) encapsulation; (5) electrical performance.

Source record↗

Global measurements of gaseous and aerosol trace species in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere from daily flights of 747 airliners

A description is given of the NASA Global Atmospheric Sampling Program (GASP), taking into account the onboard system which collects atmospheric data automatically, the extensive atmospheric measurement capability, and the data handling and distribution procedure. GASP was implemented to assess the environmental impact of aircraft exhaust emissions in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Global air quality data are to be obtained for a period of five to ten years. Measurements of pollutants not related to aircraft exhaust emissions, such as chlorofluoromethanes, are now included. GASP systems are operating on a United Airlines 747, two Pan Am 747s, and a Qantas Airways of Australia 747. Real-time, in-situ measurements are conducted of ozone, water vapor, carbon monoxide, and oxides of nitrogen. Chlorofluoromethanes are measured by laboratory analysis. Typical GASP data show significant changes in ozone, carbon monoxide, and water vapor related to crossings of the tropopause.

Perkins, P. J.↗

Development of fire test methods for airplane interior materials

Fire tests were conducted in a 737 airplane fuselage at NASA-JSC to characterize jet fuel fires in open steel pans (simulating post-crash fire sources and a ruptured airplane fuselage) and to characterize fires in some common combustibles (simulating in-flight fire sources). Design post-crash and in-flight fire source selections were based on these data. Large panels of airplane interior materials were exposed to closely-controlled large scale heating simulations of the two design fire sources in a Boeing fire test facility utilizing a surplused 707 fuselage section. Small samples of the same airplane materials were tested by several laboratory fire test methods. Large scale and laboratory scale data were examined for correlative factors. Published data for dangerous hazard levels in a fire environment were used as the basis for developing a method to select the most desirable material where trade-offs in heat, smoke and gaseous toxicant evolution must be considered.

Tustin, E. A.↗

Modified carbon fibers to improve composite properties

Thin coatings, 5 to 10 wt. percent, were applied to PAN-based carbon fibers. These coatings were intended to make the carbon fibers less electrically conductive or to cause fibers to stick together when a carbon fiber/epoxy composite burned. The effectiveness of the coatings in these regards was evaluated in burn tests with a test rig designed to simulate burning, impact and wind conditions which might release carbon fibers. The effect of the coatings on fiber and composite properties and handling was also investigated. Attempts at sizing carbon fibers with silicon dioxide, silicon carbide and boron nitride meet with varying degrees of success; however, none of these materials provided an electrically nonconductive coating. Coatings intended to stick carbon fibers together after a composite burned were sodium silicate, silica gel, ethyl silicate, boric acid and ammonium borate. Of these, only the sodium silicate and silica gel provided any sticking together of fibers. The amount of sticking was insufficient to achieve the desired objectives.

Shepler, R. E.↗

A summary of research on the NASA-Global Atmospheric Sampling Program performed by the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center

The annual variations of ozone near the tropopause are derived from aircraft exhibit year-to-year differences which are not explicitly accounted for by the simple, classical ozone transport theory. Phenomena such as tropopause lifting, interannual variations in the rates of stratospheric-tropospheric exchange and meridional mixing, contribute differently to the distribution of ozone in this altitude region. Ozone encounter climatologies have been represented by global maps which show the probabilities of exceeding ambient ozone levels of 200, 300, and 400 ppbV along flight routes during the year. Continuous ozone records obtained from the GASP system revealed the presence of gravity waves whose wavelength is of the order 20 km. The GASP data cannot, however, be utilized for the evaluation of horizontal fluxes of such quantities as ozone, sensible heat, and zonal momentum; the data are too sparsely and irregularly distributed for the computation of stable correlations. Multiple species data from the unique circumglobal flight of a Pan American airliner on 28-30 October 1977 are discussed with particular regard to the apparent interhemispheric differences in tropospheric species concentrations, variation between the Arctic and Antarctic stratospheres, to possible covariations between species, and to potential source regions for various constituents.

Falconer, P. D.↗

Automated meteorological data from commercial aircraft via satellite - Present experience and future implications

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has developed a low-cost communications system to provide meteorological data from commercial aircraft, in near real-time, on a fully automated basis. The complete system including the low profile antenna and all installation hardware weighs 34 kg. The prototype system has been installed on a Pan American B-747 aircraft and has been providing meteorological data (wind angle and velocity, temperature, altitude and position as a function of time) on a fully automated basis for the past several months. The results have been exceptional. This concept is expected to have important implications for operational meteorology and airline route forecasting.

Steinberg, R.↗

Experimental evidence of interhemispheric transport from airborne carbon monoxide measurements

During the period 28-30 October 1977, a Pan American 747-SP aircraft flew around the world with an automated instrument package that included measurements of atmospheric CO made every 4 sec. The flight path extended from San Francisco, over the North Pole to London, south to Capetown, over the South Pole to Auckland, and back to San Francisco. The data collected show large changes with longitude, which are interpreted as direct evidence of interhemispheric mixing. Possible sources for CO are discussed.

Newell, R. E.↗

JT9D-7A (SP) jet engine performance deterioration trends

The levels, trends, and causes of engine performance deterioration were investigated. A series of installed engine calibrations (both on-the-ground and in-flight) were performed on two new Pan American World Airways 747 SP aircraft. The performance data gathered covered from before the first flight through approximately 1000 flight cycles and 6900 flight hours. To accomplish the calibrations a special instrumentation system for ground testing of installed engines over a broad power range was used along with performing concurrent in-flight engine calibrations under revenue service conditions. Results of the analysis of the data, which provide a better understanding of short and long term performance deterioration of both engines and modules are presented.

Richter, G. P.↗

JT9D-7A /SP/ jet engine performance deterioration trends

It is noted that increasing fuel costs and the decreasing availability of fuel supplies have lead to an increase in the importance of maintaining good specific fuel consumption over the life cycle of jet engines. Attention is given to an engine diagnostics program sponsored by NASA Lewis Research Center which has the objectives of identifying and quantifying the levels, trends, and causes of engine performance deterioration. It is reported that as part of the program, a series of installed engine calibrations were performed on two new Pan American World Airways 747 SP aircraft. A discussion of this specific test program and the results of the analysis of the data are presented.

Richter, G. P.↗

Carbon fiber modification

The effect of several chemical treatments on the electrical and mechanical properties of carbon fibers was investigated with an optimum goal of increasing the electrical resistivity by a factor of 1000 without appreciably changing the mechanical properties. It was possible to effect resistivity increases from 10 to 50 percent without adversely affecting the tensile strength or Young's modulus for T-300 and C-6000 PAN fibers by treatments with either AlCl3 or nitric acid mixtures. Larger increases in the resistivity were produced with pitch fibers treated with nitric acid mixtures. This treatment also produced a partial decomposition of the pitch fiber and deterioration of the mechanical properties. The rationale behind the approch was to immobilize the conductivity producing pi electrons in the microscopic aromatic structure of the carbon fibers without destroying the strength producing sigma bonds. The investigations indicate that certain chemical treatments can produce such results, but the total reduction in the electrical conductivity which was achieved was not large enough to impact on problems which might arise from the high conductivities of the fibers.

Thompson, T. E.↗

Carbon-fiber technology

The state of the art of PAN based carbon fiber manufacture and the science of fiber behavior is surveyed. A review is given of the stabilization by oxidation and the subsequent carbonization of fibers, of the apparent structure of fibers deduced from scanning electron microscopy, from X-ray scattering, and from similarities with soft carbons, and of the known relations between fiber properties and heat treatment temperature. A simplified model is invoked to explain the electrical properties of fibers and recent quantum chemical calculations on atomic clusters are used to elucidate some aspects of fiber conductivity. Some effects of intercalation and oxidative modification of finished fibers are summarized.

Hansen, C. F.↗

Rapid solution casting under vacuum of very thick sheets of a segmented polyurethane elastomer

A technique has been developed for rapidly casting from solution under vacuum smooth, bubble-free, clear-white and uniformly thick (about 0.20 cm) sheets of a segmented polyurethane elastomer. The casting is carried out from dimethylformamide solutions inside temperature-controlled air-circulated ovens in order to minimize the establishment of thermal gradients throughout the casting solution. The technique produces quality sheets in 9 days, compared with 40-45 days for an inferior film produced in open pans.

Cuddihy, E. F.↗

Video Target Tracking and Ranging System

Proposed target tracking and ranging system uses two automatic video target trackers to keep two TV cameras trained on object being tracked. Microcomputer calculates range and range-rate information by triangulation. Input data for calculation are position coordinates of two cameras and pan and tilt aiming angles of two cameras. System is useful for target ranging at distances up to about 1,000 feet (300 m) in such applications as vehicle collision avoidance, traffic monitoring and surveillance. Also substitutes for short-range radar in situations where radar signal can not be tolerated.

Freedman, L. A.↗

Full-scale flammability test data for validation of aircraft fire mathematical models

Twenty-five large scale aircraft flammability tests were conducted in a Boeing 737 fuselage at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC). The objective of this test program was to provide a data base on the propagation of large scale aircraft fires to support the validation of aircraft fire mathematical models. Variables in the test program included cabin volume, amount of fuel, fuel pan area, fire location, airflow rate, and cabin materials. A number of tests were conducted with jet A-1 fuel only, while others were conducted with various Boeing 747 type cabin materials. These included urethane foam seats, passenger service units, stowage bins, and wall and ceiling panels. Two tests were also included using special urethane foam and polyimide foam seats. Tests were conducted with each cabin material individually, with various combinations of these materials, and finally, with all materials in the cabin. The data include information obtained from approximately 160 locations inside the fuselage.

Kuminecz, J. F.↗

HCMM hydrological analysis in Utah

Temperature calibration and groundwater depth location studies were finalized. Distinctions among algae species and among suspended materials (turbidity) using HCMM data were investigated. Field evaluations of algae's effect on evaporation pan readings were completed and related to the lake and HCMM data. Additional correlations among infrared and reflectivity data were made using the color graphics capabilities developed during this project.

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Carbon catalyzed SO2 oxidation by NO2 and O3

The oxidation of SO2 to sulfate on carbon particles by trace quantities of NO2 and O3 was studied. Particulate carbon black was either: (1) directly exposed on the pan of a microbalance to various humidified mixtures of SO2 and oxidant gas and the resultant weight gains monitored, or (2) the gas mixtures were bubbled through aqueous suspensions of carbon black and pure water blanks. In each set of experiments the run times were varied appropriately and the yields of sulfate were determined analytically. Conversion of SO2 to sulfate was thus characterized as a function of exposure time and of oxidant gas. Carbon black was determined to be an excellent catalyst for SO2 oxidation to sulfate by both NO2 and O3. No saturation effects were observed in either experimental approach. Conversions of SO2 to sulfate did not appear pH dependent.

Cofer, W. R., III↗

Study of highly sweptback wings by the free vortex sheet method

The aerodynamic characteristics of highly sweptback wings with separations induced vortex flows have been numerically investigated using the free vortex sheet method, developed by Boeing Company, under a contract with NASA/Langley Research Center. The models studied included delta and straked wings, and wings with leading edge extensions. Also, PAN-AIR code has been used to design a fixed leading edge extension into a thick delta wing. The theoretical results predicted have been compared with the experimental data wherever available, and the code capabilities and limitations explored. New fuselage effects also have been considered in some cases.

C Subba Reddy↗

Automation of the longwall mining system

Cost effective, safe, and technologically sound applications of automation technology to underground coal mining were identified. The longwall analysis commenced with a general search for government and industry experience of mining automation technology. A brief industry survey was conducted to identify longwall operational, safety, and design problems. The prime automation candidates resulting from the industry experience and survey were: (1) the shearer operation, (2) shield and conveyor pan line advance, (3) a management information system to allow improved mine logistics support, and (4) component fault isolation and diagnostics to reduce untimely maintenance delays. A system network analysis indicated that a 40% improvement in productivity was feasible if system delays associated with all of the above four areas were removed. A technology assessment and conceptual system design of each of the four automation candidate areas showed that state of the art digital computer, servomechanism, and actuator technologies could be applied to automate the longwall system.

Zimmerman, W.↗