Development of a low temperature battery for space probe applications third quarterly report, 24 dec. 1964 - 23 mar. 1965
Test of electrochemical cell and local action mechanisms of wet cell battery for space probe applications
SPACE PROBE↗
SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Results for “Mechanisms of action”
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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Investigation of vibroshock stability of a mechanical contact by measurement of its resistance
Experimental results on the vibration and impact strength of a contact junction are presented, using contact resistance measurement. The contact pressure, condition, and cleanliness of surfaces are also considered, as well as the type and intensity of mechanical action.
Butsevichyus, S. G.↗
Mechanical-load indicator
By rotation of washerlike part, mechanical indicator shows when predetermined compression or tension load has been reached. Indicator consists of bolt, sleeve, load-indicating washer, and nut. Besides application as load indicator, device has uses as remote indicator of mechanical action. Rotating washer can also act as sequencer, signaling action to begin upon attainment of certain load. It can be used, for example, to initiate work cycle after stored energy has been built up in hydraulic or pneumatic power equipment. It can also be used as remote, nonelectrical switch in hazardous environments.
Appleberry, W. T.↗
Automatic shutoff valve
Cellulose-sponge disk absorbs incoming water and expands with enough force to shut valve. When water recedes, valve opens by squeezing sponge dry to its original size. This direct mechanical action is considered more reliable than solenoid valve.
Hawkins, S. F.↗
solar thermal power systems advanced solar thermal technology project, advanced subsystems development
The preliminary design for a prototype small (20 kWe) solar thermal electric generating unit was completed, consisting of several subsystems. The concentrator and the receiver collect solar energy and a thermal buffer storage with a transport system is used to provide a partially smoothed heat input to the Stirling engine. A fossil-fuel combustor is included in the receiver designs to permit operation with partial or no solar insolation (hybrid). The engine converts the heat input into mechanical action that powers a generator. To obtain electric power on a large scale, multiple solar modules will be required to operate in parallel. The small solar electric power plant used as a baseline design will provide electricity at remote sites and small communities.
Source record↗
Release mechanism for releasing and reattaching experiments on the Space Shuttle
The release mechanism (REM) unlatches an experiment so that it can be moved about inside and outside the shuttle bay by the remote manipulator system (RMS), and then reattaches it to the REM base. Operated from the crew compartment after the RMS has been attached to the experiment, the REM releases the experiment by an electric motor driving a gear train and linkage which extracts four pins from holes in four plates. Electrical connectors on the REM are disengaged by the mechanical action of the structural pins retracting from the plates. When the REM releases the experiment, an unlatched indicator is actuated in the crew compartment, and then the experiment can be moved by using the RMS. To reattach the experiment to the REM, the RMS places the experiment with REM attachment angles against the flat, smooth surface of the REM; then the RMS moves the experiment into position for latchup. Actuation of an electric motor drives the four pins into the four holes in the plates. When fully latched, a switch actuated by the motion of the linkage, shuts the electric motor off and gives an indication to the crew compartment that the REM is latched.
Clark, A. V.↗
Orthostasis test in the practice of the cardiologist
The orthostasis test makes it possible to evaluate neurohumoral regulation and reaction of the circulatory system and to detect changes in the function of a number of internal organs (especially the kidney). Simultaneous recording of the ECG in an orthostatic position despite nonspecificity, makes it possible to detect hidden damage (organic or metabolic) or increased sensitivity of the myocardium to stressor sympathetico-adrenal effects, stability of therapeutic effect, and the action mechanism of a number of drugs.
Moskalenko, N. P.↗
Alternative Food Preservation Techniques, New Technology in Food Preparation and Appropriateness of Food Supply for the Permanently Manned Space Station
Alternative food preservation techniques are defined as unique processes and combinations of currently used processes for food preservation. Food preservation is the extension of the useful shelf-life of normally perishable foods (from harvest to final consumption) by controlling micro-organisms, enzymes, chemical changes, changes in sensory characteristics and the prevention of subsequent recontamination. The resulting products must comply with all applicable food manufacturing practice regulations and be safe. Most of the foods currently used in both space and military feeding are stabilized either by dehydration or the use of a terminal sterilization process. Other available options would be formulation to reduce water activity, the refrigeration and freezing of perishable foods, chemical addition, and physical treatment (ionizing or nonionizing radiation or mechanical action). These alternatives are considered and proposals made.
Richard H. Whelan↗
IRIS thermal balance test within ESTEC LSS
The Italian Research Interim Stage (IRIS) thermal balance test was successfully performed in the ESTEC Large Space Simulator (LSS) to qualify the thermal design and to validate the thermal mathematical model. Characteristics of the test were the complexity of the set-up required to simulate the Shuttle cargo bay and allowing IRIS mechanism actioning and operation for the first time in the new LSS facility. Details of the test are presented, and test results for IRIS and the LSS facility are described.
Messidoro, Piero↗
Studies of mechano-chemical interactions in the tribological behavior of materials
Mechano-chemical interaction studies can contribute to the understanding of wear and friction of materials. Specific examples of experimental results relative to the subject are discussed. There are two parts: one describes the synergistic effect of corrosion and wear of iron sliding on sapphire in sulfuric acid, and the other describes the effect of surface films on the wear and friction of plasma-deposited diamondlike carbon (amorphous hydrogenated carbon) films in sliding contact with silicon nitride. The concentration of acid (pH) is an important factor in controlling the iron loss caused by wear-corrosion processes in sulfuric acid. The mechanical action can cause chemical reactions to proceed much faster than they would otherwise. The diamondlike carbon (DLC) films are shown to behave tribologically much like bulk diamond. In a dry nitrogen environment, a mechano-chemical reaction produces a substance which greatly decreases the coefficient of friction. In a moist air environment, mechano-chemical interactions drastically reduce the wear life of DLC films and water vapor greatly increases friction.
Miyoshi, Kazuhisa↗
Studies of mechanochemical interactions in the tribological behavior of materials
Mechanochemical interaction studies can contribute to the understanding of wear and friction of materials. Specific examples of experimental results relative to the subject are discussed. There are two parts: one describes the synergistic effect of corrosion and wear of iron sliding on sapphire in sulfuric acid, and the other describes the effect of surface films on the wear and friction of plasma-deposited diamondlike carbon (amorphous hydrogenated carbon) films in sliding contact with silicon nitride. The concentration of acid (pH) is an important factor in controlling the iron loss caused by wear-corrosion processes in sulfuric acid. The mechanical action can cause chemical reactions to proceed much faster than they would otherwise. The diamondlike carbon (DLC) films are shown to behave tribologically much like bulk diamond. In a dry nitrogen environment, a mechanochemical reaction produces a substance which greatly decreases the coefficient of friction. In a moist air environment, mechanochemical interactions drastically reduce the wear life of DLC films and water vapor greatly increases friction.
Miyoshi, Kazuhisa↗
Fatigue-Resistant Metal Hook-And-Loop Fastener
Proposed metal hook-and-loop fastener engaged and disengaged many hundreds of times without breaking. Fastener opens by mechanical action. Translation moves hooks out of loops or pushes loops away from hooks. Hooks not required to flex and, therefore, do not fail by fatigue. Lifetime much greater than that of other metal hook-and-loop fasteners, depending on flexure for disengagement such as article, "Hook-and-Loop Metal Fastener" (MSC-21586).
Sawaf, Bernard↗
Heavy ion induced DNA-DSB in yeast and mammalian cells
Molecular changes at the DNA are assumed to be the main cause for radiation effects in a number of organisms. During the course of the last decades techniques have been developed for measuring DNA double-strand breaks (dsb), generally assumed to be the most critical DNA lesions. The outcome of all those different approaches portrays a collection of data useful for a theoretical description of radiation action mechanisms. However, in the case of heavy ion induced DNA dsb the picture is not quite clear yet and further projects and strategies have to be developed. The biological systems studied in our group are yeast and mammalian cells. While in the case of yeast cells technical and methodical reasons highlight these organisms mammalian cells reach greater importance when dsb repair studies are performed. In both types of organisms the technique of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) is applied, although with different modifications and evaluation procedures mainly due to the different genome sizes.
Loebrich, M.↗
Balanced-Rotating-Spray Tank-And-Pipe-Cleaning System
Spray head translates and rotates to clean entire inner surface of tank or pipe. Cleansing effected by three laterally balanced gas/liquid jets from spray head that rotates about longitudinal axis. Uses much less liquid. Cleaning process in system relies on mechanical action of jets instead of contaminant dissolution. Eliminates very difficult machining needed to make multiple converging/diverging nozzles within one spray head. Makes nozzle much smaller. Basic two-phase-flow, supersonic-nozzle design applied to other spray systems for interior or exterior cleaning.
Thaxton, Eric A.↗
Enhancing Adhesion: Relative Merits of Different Approaches
Adhesive performance is improved mainly by manipulation of the bimaterials interface zone, which is only a few molecules thick. There are three approaches to enhancement of interfacial adhesion at the molecular level. They are 1) changing the nonchemically bonded interactions across the interface from weak ones to strong ones, 2) making the true interfacial area much larger than the simple geometric area, and 3) inducing chemical bonding between the two materials forming the interface. Our goal this summer was to question some of the built-in assumptions contained within these approaches and to determine the most promising approach, both theoretically and practically, for enhancing adhesion in NASA structures. Our computations revealed that all three of these approaches have, in theory, the potential to enhance molecular adhesion approximately ten-fold. Experiments, however, revealed that this excellent level of enhancement is not likely to be reached in practice. Each approach was found to be severely limited by practical problems. In addition, some of the built-in assumptions associated with these approaches were found to be insufficient or inadequate. The first approach, changing the nonchemically bonded interactions from weak to strong, Is an example of one containing inadequate assumptions. The extensive literature on intermolecular interactions, based on solution studies, shows that certain functional group pairs interact much more strongly than others. It has always been assumed that these data can be reliably extended to systems where only one member of the pair is in solution and the other Is contained in a solid surface. Our experiments this summer demonstrated that solution data do not adequately predict the strength of functional group interaction at the solid-liquid interface. Furthermore, the strong solvents needed to dissolve the monomers or polymers to which the functional groups of interest are attached compete successfully with the solid surface for the functional group. As a result, functional groups in solution cannot pair with the complementary groups in the solid surface, and the expected enhancement of nonchemically bonded interactions is not realized. The second approach, increasing the true interfacial area, is an example of one containing inadequate assumptions and suffering from numerous practical problems. First, practitioners have assumed that material removal, such as bead blasting or etching, increases true surface area (and therefore interfacial area) in a meaningful way. Our geometric analysis demonstrated that removal methods increase area by a factor of two at most. To increase interfacial area by an order of magnitude or more. a thin layer of high porosity must be added to the substrate surface prior to application of the adhesive phase. Consistent with this finding, we attempted to create a thin layer of rigid, highly porous glass on the surface of our smooth glass substrate by means of sol-gel technology. We were unable to surmount a wide variety of practical problems and obtained only collapsed, nonporous layers. Thus this approach, appealing in principle, would require long term development and is not promising in the near term. The third approach, inducing chemical bonding at the interface, is an example of one having neither inadequate assumptions nor insurmountable practical problems. When silicate glass is the substrate, there are only a few chemical reactions that can be successfully conducted to create these chemical bonds, and these reactions usually involve silicon-containing reagents. We compared the silazane reagents to the silane reagents and found through experiment that the silazanes react with the glass surface much more readily, and under milder conditions, than the silanes. The functional groups attached to the glass surface by silazane reactions were not able to be removed by solvent extraction, elevated temperature exposure, or mechanical action. This clearly indicates that the formation of chemical bonds at the interface is the most effective approach for enhancing molecular adhesion.
Penn, L. S.↗
Teleoperation, Telerobotics
In a general sense, teleoperator devices enable human operators to remotely perform mechanical actions that usually are performed by the human arm and hand.
applications↗
Robotic Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering and Organ Growth
The aim of tissue engineering (TE) is to restore tissue and organ functions with minimal host rejection. TE is seen as a future solution to solve the crisis of donor organs for transplant, which faces a shortage expected only to increase in the future. In this innovation, a flexible and configurable scaffold has been conceived that mechanically stresses cells that are seeded on it, stimulating them to increased growth. The influence of mechanical stress/ loading on cell growth has been observed on all forms of cells. For example, for cartilages, studies in animals, tissue explants, and engineered tissue scaffolds have all shown that cartilage cells (chondrocytes) modify their extracellular matrix in response to loading. The chondrocyte EMC production response to dynamics of the physical environment (in vivo cartilage development) illustrates a clear benefit (better growth) when stressed. It has been shown that static and dynamic compression regulates PRG4 biosynthesis by cartilage explants. Mechanical tissue stimulation is beneficial and (flexible) scaffolds with movable components, which are able to induce mechanical stimulation, offer advantages over the fixed, rigid scaffold design. In addition to improved cell growth from physical/mechanical stimulation, additional benefits include the ability to increase in size while preserving shape, or changing shape. By making scaffolds flexible, allowing relative movement between their components, adding sensing (e.g., for detecting response of cells to drug release and to mechanical actions), building controls for drug release and movement, and building even simple algorithms for mapping sensing to action, these structures can actually be made into biocompatible and biodegradable robots. Treating them as robots is a perspective shift that may offer advantages in the design and exploitation of these structures of the future.
Stoica, Adrian↗
Mechanisms of insulin action on sympathetic nerve activity
Insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia may contribute to the development of arterial hypertension. Although insulin may elevate arterial pressure, in part, through activation of the sympathetic nervous system, the sites and mechanisms of insulin-induced sympathetic excitation remain uncertain. While sympathoexcitation during insulin may be mediated by the baroreflex, or by modulation of norepinephrine release from sympathetic nerve endings, it has been shown repeatedly that insulin increases sympathetic outflow by actions on the central nervous system. Previous studies employing norepinephrine turnover have suggested that insulin causes sympathoexcitation by acting in the hypothalamus. Recent experiments from our laboratory involving direct measurements of regional sympathetic nerve activity have provided further evidence that insulin acts in the central nervous system. For example, administration of insulin into the third cerebralventricle increased lumbar but not renal or adrenal sympathetic nerve activity in normotensive rats. Interestingly, this pattern of regional sympathetic nerve responses to central neural administration of insulin is similar to that seen with systemic administration of insulin. Further, lesions of the anteroventral third ventricle hypothalamic (AV3V) region abolished increases in sympathetic activity to systemic administration of insulin with euglycemic clamp, suggesting that AV3V-related structures are critical for insulin-induced elevations in sympathetic outflow.
Muntzel, Martin S.↗