Index to 1984 NASA Tech Briefs, volume 9, 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 1984 Tech B 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

Index to 1981 NASA Tech Briefs, volume 6, 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 1981 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

Index to NASA Tech Briefs, January - June 1966

Index to NASA technological innovations for January-June 196

Analysis of systems hardware flown on LDEF. Results of the systems special investigation group

The Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) was retrieved after spending 69 months in low Earth orbit (LEO). LDEF carried a remarkable variety of mechanical, electrical, thermal, and optical systems, subsystems, and components. The Systems Special Investigation Group (Systems SIG) was formed to investigate the effects of the long duration exposure to LEO on systems related hardware and to coordinate and collate all systems analysis of LDEF hardware. Discussed here is the status of the LDEF Systems SIG investigation through the end of 1991

Sensing Applications in Aircrafts Using Polymer Optical Fibres

We report on recent advances in the use of inexpensive polymer optical fibres (POFs) for sensing applications in avionics. The sensors analysed in this manuscript take advantage of the unique properties of polymers, such as high flexibility, elasticity, and sensitivity, and they range from strain, elongation, and vibration interrogators to level and temperature meters, leading to cost-effective techniques for structural health monitoring in aircraft structures. We also highlight recent power-supply methods using Power-over-POF in order to feed sensors remotely, and we discuss the constraints imposed by connectors on the performance of POF networks in aircrafts

Full-fashioned Garment In A Fabric And Optionally Having Intelligence Capability

The present invention is directed to a process for the production of a single-piece woven garment which can be converted into a full-body garment, similar to an overall or a hospital gown, using a minimum number of seams and a minimum amount of cutting. The garment is made a two-dimensional fabric, with the various parts produced as a single piece. Additionally, the garment can include an integrated infrastructure component for collecting, processing, transmitting and receiving information, giving it intelligence capability.Georgia Tech Research Corp

NASA technology utilization survey on composite materials

NASA and NASA-funded contractor contributions to the field of composite materials are surveyed. Existing and potential non-aerospace applications of the newer composite materials are emphasized. Economic factors for selection of a composite for a particular application are weight savings, performance (high strength, high elastic modulus, low coefficient of expansion, heat resistance, corrosion resistance,), longer service life, and reduced maintenance. Applications for composites in agriculture, chemical and petrochemical industries, construction, consumer goods, machinery, power generation and distribution, transportation, biomedicine, and safety are presented. With the continuing trend toward further cost reductions, composites warrant consideration in a wide range of non-aerospace applications. Composite materials discussed include filamentary reinforced materials, laminates, multiphase alloys, solid multiphase lubricants, and multiphase ceramics. New processes developed to aid in fabrication of composites are given

Textile Reinforced Structural Composites for Advanced Applications

Textile-reinforced composites are increasingly used in various industries such as aerospace, construction, automotive, medicine, and sports due to their distinctive advantages over traditional materials such as metals and ceramics. Fiber-reinforced composite materials are lightweight, stiff, and strong. They have good fatigue and impact resistance. Their directional and overall properties can be tailored to fulfill specific needs of different end uses by changing constituent material types and fabrication parameters such as fiber volume fraction and fiber architecture. A variety of fiber architectures can be obtained by using two- (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) fabric production techniques such as weaving, knitting, braiding, stitching, and nonwoven methods. Each fiber architecture/textile form results in a specific configuration of mechanical and performance properties of the resulting composites and determines the end-use possibilities and product range. This chapter highlights the constituent materials, fabric formation techniques, production methods, as well as application areas of textile-reinforced composites. Fiber and matrix materials used for the production of composite materials are outlined. Various textile production methods used for the formation of textile preforms are explained. Composite fabrication methods are introduced. Engineering properties of textile composites are reviewed with regard to specific application areas. The latest developments and future challenges for textile-reinforced composites are presented

Monolithic solder-on nanoporous Si-Cu contacts for stretchable silicone composite sensors

We report a method of creating solderable, mechanically robust, electrical contacts to interface (soft) silicone-based strain sensors with conventional (hard) solid-state electronics using a nanoporous Si-Cu composite. The Si-based solder-on electrical contact consists of a copper-plated nanoporous Si top surface formed through metal-assisted chemical etching and electroplating, and a smooth Si bottom surface which can be covalently bonded onto silicone-based strain sensors through plasma bonding. We investigated the mechanical and electrical properties of the contacts proposed under relevant ranges of mechanical stress for applications in physiological monitoring and rehabilitation. We also produced a series of proof-of-concept devices, including a wearable respiration monitor, leg band for exercise monitoring and Squeeze-ball for monitoring rehabilitation of patients with hand injuries or neurological disorders, to demonstrate the mechanical robustness and versatility of the technology developed, in real-world applications

Tension-Compression Fatigue Behavior of a Carbon Fiber/Epoxy (IM7/EPON 862) Composite Fabricated Using Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding Process

New composite materials and processing methods are continually being developed for use in high performance aerospace systems. One of these new processing methods is the vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process, which shows promise in producing large structural components that have good properties at a lower cost than traditional manufacturing methods. Future widespread use of components manufactured using the VARTM process depends on understanding how these components perform under service conditions, specifically under impact and fatigue conditions. The tension-compression fatigue behavior of a four-harness satin weave carbon fiber/epoxy (IM7/EPON 862) composite manufactured using the VARTM process is investigated in this research. The results are compared to previous research done to determine the tension-tension fatigue behavior of the same material. An anti-buckling fixture was used to allow a long, thin specimen to be used for the tests without causing a buckling failure when the specimen was under compression loading. The tension-compression fatigue tests were carried out at a percentage of the ultimate compressive strength at room temperature. Failed specimens were examined using an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope to investigate and document damage mechanisms and failure modes. Fatigue life curves were developed for stress range, maximum stress, and normalized stress. Specimens tested under tension-compression loading were shown to have lower fatigue life than those under tension-tension loading