NASA SBIR abstracts of 1990 phase 1 projects

The research objectives of the 280 projects placed under contract in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 1990 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 program are described. The basic document consists of edited, non-proprietary abstracts of the winning proposals submitted by small businesses in response to NASA's 1990 SBIR Phase 1 Program Solicitation. The abstracts are presented under the 15 technical topics within which Phase 1 proposals were solicited. Each project was assigned a sequential identifying number from 001 to 280, in order of its appearance in the body of the report. The document also includes Appendixes to provide additional information about the SBIR program and permit cross-reference in the 1990 Phase 1 projects by company name, location by state, principal investigator, NASA field center responsible for management of each project, and NASA contract number

Integration of micromachined thermal thermal shear stress sensors with microchannels - design, fabrication and testing

Rochester Institute of Technology, 2005 Includes bibliographical references (leaves 91-96) The emerging picture of microvascular flow strongly suggests that local gradients in shear rate along the arteriole walls play an integral role in the ability of a microvascular network to regulate and modify blood flow. The methods to estimate shear stress from approximations of the velocity profiles determined by in vivo particle tracking experiments in the hamster and computational simulation are limited by assumptions made about the flow and experimental techniques. Right now, our ability to relate wall shear stress in microvessels to corresponding biological function is limited by our ability to accurately determine shear stress. A three dimensional computational model was created to simulate the system\u27s thermal response to the constant temperature control circuit. The model geometry included all fabricated layers in thermal shear stress sensor and the microchannel structure (17 microns x 17 microns). This computational technique was used to optimize the dimensions of the system in order to reduce the amount of heat lost to the substrate and maximize the signal response. Hot film thermal shear stress sensors were successfully integrated with microchannel using surface micromachining technique. The entire device was fabricated and tested at Semiconductor Microsystems Fabrication Laboratory (SMFL) at RIT. This thesis discusses the design and optimization of a thermal shear stress sensor using computational techniques to simulate the sensor\u27s performance in microchannel models of arteriole bifurcations. An attempt has been made to verify thermal-transfer principle of hot film shear stress sensors in microchannel

Functional surface microstructures inspired by nature – From adhesion and wetting principles to sustainable new devices

In the course of evolution nature has arrived at startling materials solutions to ensure survival. Investigations into biological surfaces, ranging from plants, insects and geckos to aquatic animals, have inspired the design of intricate surface patterns to create useful functionalities. This paper reviews the fundamental interaction mechanisms of such micropatterns with liquids, solids, and soft matter such as skin for control of wetting, self-cleaning, anti-fouling, adhesion, skin adherence, and sensing. Compared to conventional chemical strategies, the paradigm of micropatterning enables solutions with superior resource efficiency and sustainability. Associated applications range from water management and robotics to future health monitoring devices. We finally provide an overview of the relevant patterning methods as an appendix

Functional surface microstructures inspired by nature : From adhesion and wetting principles to sustainable new devices

In the course of evolution nature has arrived at startling materials solutions to ensure survival. Investigations into biological surfaces, ranging from plants, insects and geckos to aquatic animals, have inspired the design of intricate surface patterns to create useful functionalities. This paper reviews the fundamental interaction mechanisms of such micropatterns with liquids, solids, and soft matter such as skin for control of wetting, self-cleaning, anti-fouling, adhesion, skin adherence, and sensing. Compared to conventional chemical strategies, the paradigm of micropatterning enables solutions with superior resource efficiency and sustainability. Associated applications range from water management and robotics to future health monitoring devices. We finally provide an overview of the relevant patterning methods as an appendix

The NASA SBIR product catalog

The purpose of this catalog is to assist small business firms in making the community aware of products emerging from their efforts in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. It contains descriptions of some products that have advanced into Phase 3 and others that are identified as prospective products. Both lists of products in this catalog are based on information supplied by NASA SBIR contractors in responding to an invitation to be represented in this document. Generally, all products suggested by the small firms were included in order to meet the goals of information exchange for SBIR results. Of the 444 SBIR contractors NASA queried, 137 provided information on 219 products. The catalog presents the product information in the technology areas listed in the table of contents. Within each area, the products are listed in alphabetical order by product name and are given identifying numbers. Also included is an alphabetical listing of the companies that have products described. This listing cross-references the product list and provides information on the business activity of each firm. In addition, there are three indexes: one a list of firms by states, one that lists the products according to NASA Centers that managed the SBIR projects, and one that lists the products by the relevant Technical Topics utilized in NASA's annual program solicitation under which each SBIR project was selected

Research in Natural Laminar Flow and Laminar-Flow Control, part 2

Part 2 of the Symposium proceedings includes papers addressing various topics in basic wind tunnel research/techniques and computational transitional research. Specific topics include: advanced measurement techniques; laminar flow control; Tollmien-Schlichting wave characteristics; boundary layer transition; flow visualization; wind tunnel tests; flight tests; boundary layer equations; swept wings; and skin friction

NASA Tech Briefs Index, 1977, volume 2, numbers 1-4

Announcements of new technology derived from the research and development activities of NASA are presented. Abstracts, and indexes for subject, personal author, originating center, and Tech Brief number are presented for 1977

Index to 1983 NASA Tech Briefs, volume 8, numbers 1-4

Short announcements of new technology derived from the R&D activities of NASA are presented. These briefs emphasize information considered likely to be transferrable across industrial, regional, or disciplinary lines and are issued to encourage commercial application. This index for 1983 Tech Briefs contains abstracts and four indexes: subject, personal author, originating center, and Tech Brief Number. The following areas are covered: electronic components and circuits, electronic systems, physical sciences, materials, life sciences, mechanics, machinery, fabrication technology, and mathematics and information sciences

Optical MEMS sensors for wall-shear stress measurements

Ph. D. Thesis.This research reports on the development and experimental characterisation of optical sensors based on Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) technologies for walls hear stress quantification in turbulent boundary-layer flows. The MEMS sensors are developed to measure the instantaneous wall-shear stress directly via a miniature flush-mounted floating element, which is on the order of hundreds of microns square. The floating element is suspended flush to the wall by up to four specially designed micro-springs. As the flow passes over the wall, the sensor’s floating element moves, allowing direct measurement of the local forces exerted by the flow on the wall. A new optical transduction scheme based on the Moiré fringe pattern is developed alongside with an optical pathway to measure the instantaneous wall-shear stress using a single photodetector. Using this new optical technique consists of a lens array and fibre optics that provides the ability to detect the wall-shear stress using different sensing element sizes, leads to miniaturisation of sensors. Utilising the lens array, the focused light spot size is controlled, providing the opportunity of scanning the Moiré fringe pattern area on the sensors with different sensing element sizes. The microfabrication process of the devices are carried out by using a four mask bulk Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) process and a BF33 wafer, where each device is placed at the center of a 5 mm × 5mm chip. Two generations of sensor packaging are developed to accommodate the sensors’ dies as well as the sensors’ optoelectronics, whilst the floating element is flush-mounted to the surface. The MEMS sensors calibration is carried out in a laminar flow rig over a wall-shear stress range of 0 to 5.32 Pa, where the results indicate a sensitivity range of 38 to 740 nm/Pa, an accuracy range of 1.4 to 2.36% and a repeatability range of 0.68 to 1.96%. The value of the of minimum detectable wall-shear stress for the developed MEMS wall-shear stress sensors varies in a range of 17 to 593 µPa, resulting in a minimum and maximum dynamic range value of 79 dB and 109 dB, respectively. The results from the dynamic characterisation indicate a resonant frequency range of 1 to 8.3 kHz. In a series of wind tunnel experiments over a range of Reτ = 560 to 1320, the instantaneous wall-shear stress within the turbulent boundary-layer flow is measured simultaneously by the MEMS sensors and an by either hot-wire anemometry or laser Doppler velocimetry using the near-wall velocity gradient technique. Excellent agreement is observed in the time series and statistics across these three independant measurement techniques.Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering (SAgE), Newcastle Universit