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

Liquid rocket metal tanks and tank components

Significant guidelines are presented for the successful design of aerospace tanks and tank components, such as expulsion devices, standpipes, and baffles. The state of the art is reviewed, and the design criteria are presented along with recommended practices. Design monographs are listed

A feasibility study for advanced technology integration for general aviation

An investigation was conducted to identify candidate technologies and specific developments which offer greatest promise for improving safety, fuel efficiency, performance, and utility of general aviation airplanes. Interviews were conducted with general aviation airframe and systems manufacturers and NASA research centers. The following technologies were evaluated for use in airplane design tradeoff studies conducted during the study: avionics, aerodynamics, configurations, structures, flight controls, and propulsion. Based on industry interviews and design tradeoff studies, several recommendations were made for further high payoff research. The most attractive technologies for use by the general aviation industry appear to be advanced engines, composite materials, natural laminar flow airfoils, and advanced integrated avionics systems. The integration of these technologies in airplane design can yield significant increases in speeds, ranges, and payloads over present aircraft with 40 percent to 50 percent reductions in fuel used

High Voltage Components in Commercial Vehicles

The main goal of the thesis was to find out what kinds of requirements commercial electrical vehicles set to wiring harness components and electrical centres. The document presents basic structures of the electrical vehicles, charging methods, standardization and the main challenges of the electrically propelled vehicles. It also compares differences of the voltage levels in automotive and industrial segments. This thesis represents main power distribution components like wires, cables, connectors, fuses and relays used in a high voltage automotive electrical system. An electrical safety concern in an automotive high voltage environment starts from human safety issues continuing to design rules and safety features in a vehicle. Design considerations bring up facts about how high voltage affects different materials, introduces some selected printed circuit board design rules and other things, which need to be taken into account with high voltage systems. The company version also includes a technical overview about request for quotations, which are focused on electrical vehicle segment. The short summary points out improvements needed from the design point-of-view to continue in this area. This chapter is intended for PKC Group’s internal use only. As an outcome, this thesis work provides needed knowhow for understanding the basic challenges and details needed to be considered in high voltage component design and production inquiries.Opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli selvittää, minkälaisia vaatimuksia ajoenergian siirtoon ja varastointiin käytetty korkeajännite asettaa hyötyajoneuvojen johdinsarjoille komponentteineen sekä sähkökeskusten toimilaitteille. Opinnäytetyössä käsiteltiin sähköajoneuvojen mukanaan tuomia haasteita ja mahdollisuuksia sekä jännitetasojen eroavaisuuksia teollisuus- ja ajoneuvopuolella. Lisäksi käsiteltiin lyhyesti erilaisia latausmetodeja sekä alan standardisointia. Työ tehtiin PKC Wiring Systems Oy:lle. Korkeajännitejärjestelmässä käytettäviä komponentteja ja niiden ominaisuuksia käsiteltiin siten, että lopputuloksesta muodostuu yleiskäsitys uusista vaatimuksista. Keskeisimpänä ominaisuutena olivat henkilöturvallisuusnäkökohdat sekä suunnittelussa ja materiaalivalinnoissa huomioonotettavat asiat toimittaessa korkeajänniteympäristössä. Yrityksen sisäiseen käyttöön tarkoitetussa osiossa laadittiin lyhyt tekninen analyysi korkeajännitekomponentteja sisältäneistä tarjouskyselyistä. Näiden pohjalta tehtiin ehdotuksia mihin osa-alueisiin tulisi panostaa, mikäli jatkossa halutaan suunnitella ja valmistaa korkeajännitetuotteita. Opinnäytetyön tulokseksi saatiin riittävät lähtötiedot ymmärtää korkeajännitekomponenttien suunnittelussa ja valmistuksessa huomioitavat asiat

Safety and Mission Assurance Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Definitions

This NASA Technical Handbook compiles into a single volume safety, reliability, maintainability, and quality assurance and risk management terms defined and used in NASA safety and mission assurance directives and standards. The purpose of this handbook is to support effective communication within NASA and with its contractors. The definitions in this handbook are updated when the definition of the acronym or term is updated in the originating document

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

Improved micro-contact resistance model that considers material deformation, electron transport and thin film characteristics

This paper reports on an improved analytic model forpredicting micro-contact resistance needed for designing microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS) switches. The originalmodel had two primary considerations: 1) contact materialdeformation (i.e. elastic, plastic, or elastic-plastic) and 2) effectivecontact area radius. The model also assumed that individual aspotswere close together and that their interactions weredependent on each other which led to using the single effective aspotcontact area model. This single effective area model wasused to determine specific electron transport regions (i.e. ballistic,quasi-ballistic, or diffusive) by comparing the effective radius andthe mean free path of an electron. Using this model required thatmicro-switch contact materials be deposited, during devicefabrication, with processes ensuring low surface roughness values(i.e. sputtered films). Sputtered thin film electric contacts,however, do not behave like bulk materials and the effects of thinfilm contacts and spreading resistance must be considered. Theimproved micro-contact resistance model accounts for the twoprimary considerations above, as well as, using thin film,sputtered, electric contact

NASA Tech Briefs, June 1993

Topics include: Imaging Technology: Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Computer Programs; Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; Mathematics and Information Sciences; Life Sciences