A study of shock impacts and vibration dose values onboard highspeed marine craft

The shocks and impacts encountered on small high-speed craft exceed the limits set for safe working practice according to current standards. European legislation regarding the exposure to vibration will have far reaching effects on the operators of such craft with respect to the safety of their employees. This paper sets out to highlight the vibration dose values that can be expected during typical transits onboard high-speed craft and attempts to clarify some of the controversy currently surrounding vibration dose measurement in such circumstances. In order to relate vibration dosage to the impacts encountered and to boat motion, an algorithm was developed that identifies the timing and magnitude of impacts

Carrier extraction circuit

Feedback loop extracts demodulated reference signals from IF input and feeds signal back to demodulator. Since reference signal is extracted directly from carrier, no separate reference need be transmitted. Circuit obtains coherent carrier from balanced or unbalanced four-phase signal of varying characteristics

Four Testable Predictions of Instanton Cosmology

A new cosmological model makes the following predictions: (1) The deceleration parameter $q_{0}$ is approximately zero. (2) The mass density parameter $\Omega_{m}$ is less than 1. (3) The universe is spatially closed, but is asymptotically flat as $t\to\infty$, regardless of its matter content. (4) The age of the universe is approximately 15 Gyr if the Hubble parameter $h$ is approximately 0.65.Comment: 4 pages. 2 minor changes to reconcile with the printed versio

Development of test methodology for dynamic mechanical analysis instrumentation

Dynamic mechanical analysis instrumentation was used for the development of specific test methodology in the determination of engineering parameters of selected materials, esp. plastics and elastomers, over a broad range of temperature with selected environment. The methodology for routine procedures was established with specific attention given to sample geometry, sample size, and mounting techniques. The basic software of the duPont 1090 thermal analyzer was used for data reduction which simplify the theoretical interpretation. Clamps were developed which allowed 'relative' damping during the cure cycle to be measured for the fiber-glass supported resin. The correlation of fracture energy 'toughness' (or impact strength) with the low temperature (glassy) relaxation responses for a 'rubber-modified' epoxy system was negative in result because the low-temperature dispersion mode (-80 C) of the modifier coincided with that of the epoxy matrix, making quantitative comparison unrealistic

Ride quality and international standard ISO 2631 (Guide for the evaluation of human exposure to whole-body vibration)

The evolution of the standard, which is aimed at promoting research and production of more data, and providing some design guidance, is outlined and its contents summarized. Some of the assumptions and information on which it is based are analyzed. Its application to vehicle ride quality is considered in the context of the safety, efficiency and comfort of crew and passengers. The importance of establishing the precise criteria against which vibration limits are required is underlined, particularly the difficulties of first defining comfort and then postulating appropriate levels. Some current and future work related to improving the standard is outlined and additional suggestions offered

Stability analysis of automobile driver steering control

In steering an automobile, the driver must basically control the direction of the car's trajectory (heading angle) and the lateral deviation of the car relative to a delineated pathway. A previously published linear control model of driver steering behavior which is analyzed from a stability point of view is considered. A simple approximate expression for a stability parameter, phase margin, is derived in terms of various driver and vehicle control parameters, and boundaries for stability are discussed. A field test study is reviewed that includes the measurement of driver steering control parameters. Phase margins derived for a range of vehicle characteristics are found to be generally consistent with known adaptive properties of the human operator. The implications of these results are discussed in terms of driver adaptive behavior

USDA/federal user of LANDSAT remote sensing

Developed and potential uses of remote sensing in crop condition and acreage assessment, renewable resources inventories, conservation practices, and water and forest management applications are described. Operational approaches, the adaptation of procedures to needs, and the agency's concern about data continuity and cost are discussed as well as support for future technology development for enhanced sensing capability. The use of improved camera systems for soil mapping and conservation monitoring from space shuttle, and of aerospace radar to improve soil moisture monitoring are mentioned

USDA registration and rectification requirements

Some of the requirements of the United States Department of Agriculture for accuracy of aerospace acquired data, and specifically, requirements for registration and rectification of remotely sensed data are discussed. Particular attention is given to foreign and domestic crop estimation and forecasting, forestry information applications, and rangeland condition evaluations