ISAAC - A Testbed for Advanced Composites Research

The NASA Langley Research Center is acquiring a state-of-art composites fabrication environment to support the Center's research and technology development mission. This overall system described in this paper is named ISAAC, or Integrated Structural Assembly of Advanced Composites. ISAAC's initial operational capability is a commercial robotic automated fiber placement system from Electroimpact, Inc. that consists of a multi-degree of freedom commercial robot platform, a tool changer mechanism, and a specialized automated fiber placement end effector. Examples are presented of how development of advanced composite materials, structures, fabrication processes and technology are enabled by utilizing the fiber placement end effector directly or with appropriate modifications. Alternatively, end effectors with different capabilities may either be bought or developed with NASA's partners in industry and academia

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

The contribution of design in sustaining social activities in central urban squares within large cities: the case of Belo Horizonte

Design plays an important role in facilitating (or inhibiting) the performance of social activities in urban open spaces. Although recent literature has acknowledged that visual and non-visual sensory aspects should be taken into account in the design of environments, most theory, practice and teaching of urban design have focused on the visual qualities of spaces. Furthermore, design processes have often been based on the practitioners own intuitions and preferences instead of knowledge of how people interact with urban open spaces. The present research demonstrates that an approach to the multisensory design of urban open spaces responsive to user needs and preferences is feasible and holds the promise of guiding best practice in the creation of high-quality gathering urban open spaces. Using structured interviews, unstructured observation, behavioural mapping techniques, sketch maps and an innovative sensory-behavioural mapping technique, this research identifies fundamental urban design elements and qualities to inform a responsive multisensory approach to design. The methodology proposed is hoped to motivate practitioners to apply environment behaviour knowledge throughout the process of multisensory urban design in different cultural contexts. Further, the urban design elements (props, boundaries, landmarks, spaces, atmospheres, views, anchors and repellents) that emerged from the present study as supportive of social activities in urban open spaces are applicable to the design of most gathering urban open spaces while robustness, richness and legibility are identified as key urban design qualities in attracting and retaining people in these spaces due to their responsiveness to various user needs and preferences

Process simulation of wet compression moulding for continuous fibre-reinforced polymers

Interdisciplinary development approaches for system-efficient lightweight design unite a comprehensive understanding of materials, processes and methods. This applies particularly to continuous fibre-reinforced plastics (CoFRPs), which offer high weight-specific material properties and enable load path-optimised designs. This thesis is dedicated to understanding and modelling Wet Compression Moulding (WCM) to facilitate large-volume production of CoFRP structural components