Southwest Research Institute assistance to NASA in biomedical areas of the technology utilization program

The activities are reported of the NASA Biomedical Applications Team at Southwest Research Institute between 25 August, 1972 and 15 November, 1973. The program background and methodology are discussed along with the technology applications, and biomedical community impacts

Highly Abrasion-resistant and Long-lasting Concrete

Studded tire usage in Alaska contributes to rutting damage on pavements resulting in high maintenance costs and safety issues. In this study binary, ternary, and quaternary highly-abrasion resistant concrete mix designs, using supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), were developed. The fresh, mechanical and durability properties of these mix designs were then tested to determine an optimum highly-abrasion resistant concrete mix that could be placed in cold climates to reduce rutting damage. SCMs used included silica fume, ground granulated blast furnace slag, and type F fly ash. Tests conducted measured workability, air content, drying shrinkage, compressive strength, flexural strength, and chloride ion permeability. Resistance to freeze-thaw cycles, scaling due to deicers, and abrasion resistance were also measured. A survey and literature review on concrete pavement practices in Alaska and other cold climates was also conducted. A preliminary construction cost analysis comparing the concrete mix designs developed was also completed

Reconciling Speed Limits with Design Speeds

In recent years, context-sensitive highway design has been promoted to ensure that designers consider the environmental, scenic, aesthetic, historic, community, and preservation aspects of the road. Context-sensitive design may lead to situations where the current design standards cannot be met because of restricting local conditions. Indiana has road sections designed and built some time ago. In a considerable number of roads with the statutory limit of 55 mph (90 km/h), the road geometry does not meet the current standards. At individual intersections and on curves, advisory speeds are posted together with warning signs. Although this solution increases the safety of road users and allows for traveling at reasonably high speeds outside of these segments, the final solution is to upgrade their geometry to the desirable level. This report presents models that predict user-selected percentile free-flow speeds on two-lane rural and four-lane rural and suburban highways. The percentile speeds are computed as a linear combination of the mean speed and the standard deviation in panel data models with random effects. The developed percentile speed models involve more design variables than typical speed models, and separate the mean speed factors from the speed dispersion factors. These benefits ease the model interpretation and its use in highway design. The study results should help designers bring the predicted speed to the desired speed as close as possible given the budget constraints. Engineering judgment can then be applied to balance safety and construction cost in highway improvement projects

Mechanisms Of Head Injuries In Road Traffic Accidents; A Potential Solution For Data Collection

Despite advances in road safety, head injuries still account for many of the most serious and fatal injuries in road traffic accidents. This PhD thesis provides a summary of knowledge regarding the current position in head injury research with regard to: Previous assertions as to head injury mechanisms Existing head injury criteria The availability of data to explore potential confounding factors in predicting head injury risk and to propose or validate a new injury criterion or criteria. On the basis of the existing information the question was posed, whether it is possible to validate advanced head injury criteria and head models using additional (new) head injury case data so as to make their application more robust in efforts to mitigate future injuries. In order to answer this question, priority was given to the pursuit of new data, offering six degree of freedom time-series data with detailed information on the exact injuries sustained. A working in-ear sensor system was deemed to offer a potential solution in obtaining elusive data regarding the kind of impact events that could cause head injuries for road users. An in-ear accelerometer system used by the FIA Institute was evaluated through experimentation. Then a low-cost solution was developed with the aim to give similar sensor performance for a wider market of potential wearers. The prototype low-cost sensor system was evaluated in a small series of drop tests and also in a very small real-world data collection trial. This evaluation identified a series of issues that need to be resolved before the system can be used to generate valuable data. A viable system is not ready immediately, but could be following modifications to the prototype system evaluated. Taking this revised system, the next step would be to initiate a larger trial to start the collection of high fidelity data and impact event details; in order to address the need for such information and confirm that even the low-cost system would be fit for that purpose

Design and fabrication of a novel linear oscillating conventional micro air pump

A novel permanent magnetically and electro-magnetically powered, linear oscillating conventional micro air pump was designed, fabricated and characterized. This new pump might be used in a wrist-type blood pressure monitor or other similar devices that require high air pressure discharge. Factors considered in designing this micro air pump include feature size (especially the thickness), operation voltage, efficiency, heat transfer, noise and weight. For evaluating the feasibility of this novel design, basic performance calculations and ANSYS magnetic flux simulations had been conducted before the first prototype was made. Both theoretical calculations and simulation results show that this novel design meets the requirements for use in a wrist-type blood pressure monitor. The developed pump prototype pump was able to achieve a maximum air pressure of 180 mmHg. Compared to an existing air pump used in a wrist-type blood pressure meter, this new design shows significant reduction in the thickness (reduced by 33%) as well as in the overall size (reduced by 50%). It is also quieter, environmentally friendly, and easily manufactured at low cost

NASA Tech Briefs, September 2012

Topics covered include: Beat-to-Beat Blood Pressure Monitor; Measurement Techniques for Clock Jitter; Lightweight, Miniature Inertial Measurement System; Optical Density Analysis of X-Rays Utilizing Calibration Tooling to Estimate Thickness of Parts; Fuel Cell/Electrochemical Cell Voltage Monitor; Anomaly Detection Techniques with Real Test Data from a Spinning Turbine Engine-Like Rotor; Measuring Air Leaks into the Vacuum Space of Large Liquid Hydrogen Tanks; Antenna Calibration and Measurement Equipment; Glass Solder Approach for Robust, Low-Loss, Fiber-to-Waveguide Coupling; Lightweight Metal Matrix Composite Segmented for Manufacturing High-Precision Mirrors; Plasma Treatment to Remove Carbon from Indium UV Filters; Telerobotics Workstation (TRWS) for Deep Space Habitats; Single-Pole Double-Throw MMIC Switches for a Microwave Radiometer; On Shaft Data Acquisition System (OSDAS); ASIC Readout Circuit Architecture for Large Geiger Photodiode Arrays; Flexible Architecture for FPGAs in Embedded Systems; Polyurea-Based Aerogel Monoliths and Composites; Resin-Impregnated Carbon Ablator: A New Ablative Material for Hyperbolic Entry Speeds; Self-Cleaning Particulate Prefilter Media; Modular, Rapid Propellant Loading System/Cryogenic Testbed; Compact, Low-Force, Low-Noise Linear Actuator; Loop Heat Pipe with Thermal Control Valve as a Variable Thermal Link; Process for Measuring Over-Center Distances; Hands-Free Transcranial Color Doppler Probe; Improving Balance Function Using Low Levels of Electrical Stimulation of the Balance Organs; Developing Physiologic Models for Emergency Medical Procedures Under Microgravity; PMA-Linked Fluorescence for Rapid Detection of Viable Bacterial Endospores; Portable Intravenous Fluid Production Device for Ground Use; Adaptation of a Filter Assembly to Assess Microbial Bioburden of Pressurant Within a Propulsion System; Multiplexed Force and Deflection Sensing Shell Membranes for Robotic Manipulators; Whispering Gallery Mode Optomechanical Resonator; Vision-Aided Autonomous Landing and Ingress of Micro Aerial Vehicles; Self-Sealing Wet Chemistry Cell for Field Analysis; General MACOS Interface for Modeling and Analysis for Controlled Optical Systems; Mars Technology Rover with Arm-Mounted Percussive Coring Tool, Microimager, and Sample-Handling Encapsulation Containerization Subsystem; Fault-Tolerant, Real-Time, Multi-Core Computer System; Water Detection Based on Object Reflections; SATPLOT for Analysis of SECCHI Heliospheric Imager Data; Plug-in Plan Tool v3.0.3.1; Frequency Correction for MIRO Chirp Transformation Spectroscopy Spectrum; Nonlinear Estimation Approach to Real-Time Georegistration from Aerial Images; Optimal Force Control of Vibro-Impact Systems for Autonomous Drilling Applications; Low-Cost Telemetry System for Small/Micro Satellites; Operator Interface and Control Software for the Reconfigurable Surface System Tri-ATHLETE; and Algorithms for Determining Physical Responses of Structures Under Load