Skylab M518 multipurpose furnace convection analysis

An analysis was performed of the convection which existed on ground tests and during skylab processing of two experiments: vapor growth of IV-VI compounds growth of spherical crystals. A parallel analysis was also performed on Skylab experiment indium antimonide crystals because indium antimonide (InSb) was used and a free surface existed in the tellurium-doped Skylab III sample. In addition, brief analyses were also performed of the microsegregation in germanium experiment because the Skylab crystals indicated turbulent convection effects. Simple dimensional analysis calculations and a more accurate, but complex, convection computer model, were used in the analysis

Physical forces influencing Skylab experiments M551, M552, and M553

The forces concerned with metals melting, exothermic brazing, and sphere forming experiments on Skylab 1 mission are reported. The conclusions reached are that no significant practical differences exist between terrestrial and microgravity electron beam melting, and braze gap clearances are far less critical to joining operations in space than on earth. Altered microstructures, increased grain refinement, and the appearance of a single, large interior shrinkage pore were found in the Skylab specimens

Convection effects on Skylab experiments M551, M552, and M553, phase C report

This report described an analysis of Skylab Experiments M551 (Metals Melting), M552 (Exothermic Brazing), and M553 (Sphere Forming). The primary objective is the study of convection in the molten metals and their attendant solidification theory. Particular attention is given to clarifying the effects of reduced gravity on molten metal flow and solidification. Based on an analysis of physical forces and solidification theory expected for ground-based and Skylab processing, low-g variations were predicted for each experiment. A comparison was then made with the Skylab results available to date. Both metallurgical analyses of other investigators and movies of ground-based and Skylab samples were utilized. Several low-g variations in Skylab processed materials were successfully predicted based on expected variations in physical forces and fluid convection. The same analysis also successfully predicted several features in the Skylab-processed materials which were identical to terrestrially-processed materials. These results are summarized in the conclusion section for each experiment

Comparison of decision methods to initiate fungicide applications against cercospora blight of carrot

Un modèle prévisionnel a été comparé, en 1991 et 1992, à d'autres méthodes pour son efficacité à déterminer le début des applications de fongicides utilisés pour lutter contre la brûlure cercosporéenne de la carotte, causée par le Cercospora carotae. Le premier traitement fongicide était appliqué lorsque : 1) les plants avaient atteint 15 cm de hauteur (méthode conventionnelle); 2) les feuilles intermédiaires de 50 % des plants présentaient des symptômes (méthode du 50 % d'incidence); 3) lorsque la valeur cumulative d'équivalence d'infection (CE) avait atteint 14 (méthode de prévision avec la valeur CIE = 14); 4) lorsque la valeur CIE avait atteint 18 (méthode de prévision avec la valeur CIE = 18). Pour toutes les méthodes, les applications subséquentes de fongicides ont été faites aux 10 jours lorsqu'il n'y avait pas de pluie, et aux 7 jours en présence de pluie. Les valeurs CIE ont été calculées en fonction de la durée d'humectation du feuillage et de la température durant cette période, tout en tenant compte des périodes d'humidité élevée et d'interruptions des périodes d'humectation du feuillage, et étaient cumulatives depuis l'émergence des plants. Pour les méthodes avec prévision, que ce soit pour une valeur CIE de 14 ou de 18, aucune perte de rendement n'a été observée et moins de traitements ont été nécessaires comparativement à la méthode conventionnelle et à celle du 50 % d'incidence. Dans une autre étude, les valeurs CIE ont été comparées aux pourcentages de champs qui avaient atteint des niveaux d'incidence de 50, 80 et 100% afin d'établir les seuils de risque léger (11 < CIE < 15) et de risque élevé (16 < CIE < 20). Seulement 3% des champs avaient déjà atteint l'incidence de 50 % lorsqu'une valeur CIE a atteint le seuil préconisé pour un risque faible et, 19 % des champs, une incidence de 80% pour un risque élevé.In 1991 and 1992, two thresholds of a forecasting model were compared with two other decision methods for effectiveness in timing the first fungicide application against Cercospora blight of carrot induced by Cercospora carotae. The first fungicide application was made when : 1) the plants reached 15 cm in height (conventional method); 2) the intermediate (middle) leaves of 50% of the plants were diseased (50% disease incidence threshold method); 3) the cumulative infection equivalence (CE) was 14 (forecasting model CE 14); and 4) the CE was 18 (forecasting model CE 18). In all four treatments, subsequent applications of fungicide were made at 10-d intervals when there was no rain, and at 7-d intervals when there was rain. The CE was calculated based on duration of leaf wetness and temperature during the wet period, corrected for high humidity and interrupted wet periods, and was cumulative starting at crop emergence. For thresholds of CE 14 and CE 18, no yield losses were observed and the total number of fungicide applications needed was lower compared to conventional and 50% disease incidence threshold methods. In a separate study, the CE thresholds were related to the percentage of commercial fields that reached disease incidence thresholds of 50, 80 and 100% to establish low risk (CE 11-15) and high risk (CE 16-20) thresholds. The forecasting of low and high risk CE thresholds were too late for 3 and 19% of the commercial fields because those fields had more than 50 and 80% of the plants diseased, respectively

Maser Oscillation in a Whispering-Gallery-Mode Microwave Resonator

We report the first observation of above-threshold maser oscillation in a whispering-gallery(WG)-mode resonator, whose quasi-transverse-magnetic, 17th azimuthal-order WG mode, at a frequency of approx. 12.038 GHz, with a loaded Q of several hundred million, is supported on a cylinder of mono-crystalline sapphire. An electron spin resonance (ESR) associated with Fe3+ ions, that are substitutively included within the sapphire at a concentration of a few parts per billion, coincides in frequency with that of the (considerably narrower) WG mode. By applying a c.w. `pump' to the resonator at a frequency of approx. 31.34 GHz, with no applied d.c. magnetic field, the WG (`signal') mode is energized through a three-level maser scheme. Preliminary measurements demonstrate a frequency stability (Allan deviation) of a few times 1e-14 for sampling intervals up to 100 s.Comment: REVTeX v.4, 3 pages, with a separate .bbl file and 3 .eps figure