Modern lithographic techniques applied to stereographic imaging

The main aim of the research has been to produce and evaluate a high-quality diffusion screen to display projected film and television images. The screens have also been found to effectively de-pixelate LCD arrays viewed at a magnification of approximately 4x. The production process relies on the formation of localized refractive index gradients in a photopolymer. The photopolymer, specially formulated and supplied by Du Pont, is exposed to actinic light through a precision contact mask to initiate polymerization within the exposed areas. As polymerization proceeds, a monomer concentration gradient exists between the exposed and unexposed regions allowing the monomer molecules to diffuse. Since the longer polymer chains do not diffuse as readily, the molecular concentration of the material, which is related to its refractive index, is then no longer uniform. The generation of this refractive index profile can, to some extent, be controlled by careful exposure of the photopolymer through the correct mask so that the resulting diffusion screen can be tailored to suit specific viewing requirements. [Continues.

NASA Tech Briefs, February 1988

Topics covered include: New Product Ideas; NASA TU Services; Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Computer Programs; Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; Mathematics and Information Systems; and Life Sciences

Jet fuel spray characterisation using optical methods: an experimental study of high speed fuel injection systems in small rotary engines

This thesis was initiated by the need to develop a stable low vibration engine with a high power to weight ratio. A new rotary (Wankel) engine was chosen to meet these requirements. A further operating criterion was that the engine was required to use JP8 (aviation fuel). The difficulty created by the use of JP8 is that its combustion temperature is higher than other conventional fuels, and preheating is necessary, especially in the case of cold start. Thus, the question posed was, could a more appropriate and efficient method of fuel delivery be devised? This thesis presents the design and construction of a fluid spray visualisation system for investigating the macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of fuel sprays using low injection pressure up to 10 bar (1 MPa). Laser imaging techniques have been used for data acquisition. The thesis has been divided into several aspects. Firstly, a background study of fluid sprays and fuel injection strategies was carried out. This has centred on the relationship between droplet size and the combustion process. It further investigated what differentiated the fuel delivery approach to Wankle from that to other engines. Secondly, two families of fuel injector were tested and evaluated within the optical engineering laboratory using deionised water (DI) water for safety reasons. The first family involved conventional gasoline injectors with several nozzle arrangements. The second family involved medical nebulisers with several nozzle diameters. The evaluation of the fuel injectors required developing a fluid delivery circuit, and a specific ECU (Electronic Control Unit) for controlling pulse delivery and imaging instrument. The company associated with the project then set up a test cell for performing experiments on JP8 fuel. The initial global visualisation of the jet spray was made using a conventional digital camera. This gave a measurement of the spray angle and penetration length. However, as the study moved to the more precise determination of the fuel spray particulate size, a specialised Nd:YAG laser based diagnostic was created combined with a long range diffraction limited microscope. Microscopic characterisation of the fuel sprays was carried out using a backlight shadowgraph method. The microscopic shadowgraphy method was applied successfully to resolve droplets larger than 4 microns in diameter. The spray development process during an individual fuel injection cycle was investigated, presenting the frequency response effect of electronic fuel injectors (EFI) on the spray characteristics when operating at high injection frequencies (0.25 -­‐ 3.3 kHz). The velocity distribution during the different stages of an injection cycle was investigated using PIV. The influence of the injection pressure on the spray pattern and droplet size was also presented. Novel fluid atomisation systems were investigated for the capability of generating an optimum particulate distribution under low pressure. Finally, it was found that a new electronic medical nebuliser (micro-­‐dispenser) could be used to deliver the fuel supply with the relevant particle size distribution at low flow rate and high injection frequency. However, as yet it has not been possible to apply this approach to the engine; it is hoped that it will yield a more efficient method of cold starting the engine. The characteristics of this atomiser can be applied to provide a controllable fuel supply approach for all rotary engines to improve their fuel efficiency. The second part of this research discusses the droplets-­‐light interaction using Mie scattering for fluid droplets smaller than the microscope visualisation limit (4 microns). Mie scattering theory was implemented into Three-­‐Components Particle Image Velocimetry (3C-­‐ PIV) tests to address a number of problems associated with flow seeding using oil smoke. Mie curves were used to generate the scattering profile of the oil sub-­‐micron droplets, and therefore the scattering efficiency can be calculated at different angles of observation. The results were used in jet flow PIV system for the determination of the optimum position of the two cameras to generate balanced brightness between the images pairs. The brightness balance between images is important for improving the correlation quality in the PIV calculations. The scattering efficiency and the correlation quality were investigated for different seeding materials and using different interrogation window sizes

Cumulative Index to NASA Tech Briefs, 1963 - 1966

Cumulative index of NASA Tech Briefs dealing with electrical and electronic, physical science and energy sources, materials and chemistry, life science, and mechanical innovation

LASER Tech Briefs, September 1993

This edition of LASER Tech briefs contains a feature on photonics. The other topics include: Electronic Components and Circuits. Electronic Systems, Physical Sciences, Materials, Computer Programs, Mechanics, Machinery, Fabrication Technology, Mathematics and Information Sciences, Life Sciences and books and reports

Behavioural morphisms in virtual environments

One of the largest application domains for Virtual Reality lies in simulating the Real World. Contemporary applications of virtual environments include training devices for surgery, component assembly and maintenance, all of which require a high fidelity reproduction of psychomotor skills. One extremely important research question in this field is: "How closely does our facsimile of a real task in a virtual environment reproduce that Task?" At present the field of Virtual Reality is answering this question in subjective terms by the concept of presence and in objective terms by measures of task performance or training effectiveness ratios. [Continues.

Engineering data compendium. Human perception and performance. User's guide

The concept underlying the Engineering Data Compendium was the product of a research and development program (Integrated Perceptual Information for Designers project) aimed at facilitating the application of basic research findings in human performance to the design and military crew systems. The principal objective was to develop a workable strategy for: (1) identifying and distilling information of potential value to system design from the existing research literature, and (2) presenting this technical information in a way that would aid its accessibility, interpretability, and applicability by systems designers. The present four volumes of the Engineering Data Compendium represent the first implementation of this strategy. This is the first volume, the User's Guide, containing a description of the program and instructions for its use

Index to NASA tech briefs, 1971

The entries are listed by category, subject, author, originating source, source number/Tech Brief number, and Tech Brief number/source number. There are 528 entries

Cumulative index to NASA Tech Briefs, 1963-1967

Cumulative index to NASA survey on technology utilization of aerospace research outpu

An Induced Environment Contamination Monitor for the Space Shuttle

The Induced Environment Contamination Monitor (IECM), a set of ten instruments integrated into a self-contained unit and scheduled to fly on shuttle Orbital Flight Tests 1 through 6 and on Spacelabs 1 and 2, is described. The IECM is designed to measure the actual environment to determine whether the strict controls placed on the shuttle system have solved the contamination problem. Measurements are taken during prelaunch, ascent, on-orbit, descent, and postlanding. The on-orbit measurements are molecular return flux, background spectral intensity, molecular deposition, and optical surface effects. During the other mission phases dew point, humidity, aerosol content, and trace gas are measured as well as optical surface effects and molecular deposition. The IECM systems and thermal design are discussed. Preflight and ground operations are presented together with associated ground support equipment. Flight operations and data reduction plans are given