The Rene 150 directionally solidified superalloy turbine blades, volume 1

Turbine blade design and analysis, preliminary Rene 150 system refinement, coating adaptation and evaluation, final Rene 150 system refinement, component-test blade production and evaluation, engine-test blade production, and engine test are discussed

Materials for advanced turbine engines. Project 2: Rene 150 directionally solidified superalloy turbine blades, volume 2

The results of the engine testing of Rene 150 Stage 1 high pressure turbine blades in CF6-50 core and fan engines are presented. The core engine test was conducted for 233 hours with a variety of test cycles, and the fan engine test was conducted for 1000 C cycles. Post-test analysis of the core engine test data confirmed the suitability of the Rene 150 HPT blade for fan engine testing. Post-test evaluation and analysis of the fan engine test blades included visual and dimensional inspection as well as metallographic examination of selected blades. The Rene 150 HPT blade met the target goal of this project by demonstrating increased metal temperature capability; however, the post-test analysis revealed several areas that would have to be addressed in designing a long-life Rene 150 CF6-50 HPT blade

The Georgia Tech High Sensitivity Microwave Measurement System

As observations and models of the planets become increasingly more accurate and sophisticated, the need for highly accurate laboratory measurements of the microwave properties of the component gases present in their atmospheres become ever more critical. This paper describes the system that has been developed at Georgia Tech to make these measurements at wavelengths ranging from 13.3 cm to 1.38 cm with a sensitivity of 0.05 dB/km at the longest wavelength and 0.6 db/km at the shortest wavelength

Activation in the COMPTEL double-scattering gamma-ray telescope

Abstract-The COMPTEL gamma-ray telescope has been operating in low Earth orbit for six years, since the launch of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory in April 1991. Comparisons of data for different orbits and epochs show evidence of activation on time scales from minutes (27Mg, q,2=9.5 min) to years C2Na, q&.58 yr). The activation is correlated with both the orbital altitude and solar cosmic-ray modulation. Because it requires coincident measurements in two different detectors, COMPTEL is most susceptible to instrumental background events in which two or more photons are produced simultaneously

Strengthening Cohesion between Research Administrators and the Researchers: A Case Study at a Tier One University on Proposal Submission

Last-minute submissions have become a chronic problem for the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). The tendency to provide proposals last-minute to this office provoked an investigation into the Principal Investigator’s (PI’s) understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the pre-award administrator, their knowledge of the proposal submission process in regards to JHU KSAS proposal submission procedures, and the resources available to them. Last-minute submissions devalue the work of the administrator and create a stressful environment forcing them to drop all other work to accommodate these submissions. Through interviews with PIs and Research Administrators (RAs), this case study evaluated the culture of the Research Administration Office (RAO) and the support it provides to the PI. This case study acquires the understanding of the roles and responsibilities, the support available to the PI, the support provided by the Research Administrator (RA), the partnership and communication between these two entities, the environment surrounding last-minute submission, and the prevention and management of last-minute submission. Results provided evidence which supports inconsistency in the understanding of the RAs role and a need for transparency in the proposal requirements and procedures for submission. Some PIs feel the system should tailor to the needs of the PI because funds from approved proposals are critical to the university and last-minute submission should be accommodated. However, all players are important to the proposal submission process, and lack of clarity of the role of the RA creates disorder and disrupts not only the quality of the proposal but also the cohesiveness of these entities. Both parties, as well as the institution, can benefit from a submission-aware culture by creating a combined effort of the benefit of the University for the advancement of science

Deposition and preservation of estuarine sediment, Turnagain Arm, Cook Inlet, Alaska

Master of ScienceDepartment of GeologyAllen W. ArcherTurnagain Arm is the hypertidal (commonly exceeding 9 m) west-east trending extension of Cook Inlet in south-central Alaska. The inlet formed from a drowned glacial valley that was subsequently filled with tidal deposits of silt and fine sand. The tidal system is semidiurnal with a prominent diurnal inequality. There are also variations due to spring and neap tides. Turnagain Arm is home to a tidal bore generated during spring tides that can reach heights of up to 2 m and travel at speeds of up to 5 m/s. Current reversals can be dramatic with ebb tidal velocities of 6 m/s changing to flood velocities of 10 m/s over a period of a few minutes. During the initial flood tide, highly turbid water can rise as fast as 10 cm/min. This combination of elements results in a highly dynamic depositional setting. Measurements taken in the inner estuary during several neap-spring cycles in the summers of 2007-08 documented deposition upon mud bars of as much as 8.9 cm per tidal event. Conversely, erosion of up to 13.5 cm per tidal event has been measured. The highest rates of deposition and erosion occurred during the spring tides while much lower rates occur during the neap tides. Some portions of the inner estuary are only submerged during the extreme high tides. The magnitude of the high tide needed to cover each site increases with increasing distance into the upper estuary. Even if submerged, deposition does not always occur. Such a high percentage of non-depositional events has real implications when interpreting tidal cyclicity of the rhythmites found at these sites

Evaluation of Aerosol-cloud Interaction in the GISS Model E Using ARM Observations

Observations from the US Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program are used to evaluate the ability of the NASA GISS ModelE global climate model in reproducing observed interactions between aerosols and clouds. Included in the evaluation are comparisons of basic meteorology and aerosol properties, droplet activation, effective radius parameterizations, and surface-based evaluations of aerosol-cloud interactions (ACI). Differences between the simulated and observed ACI are generally large, but these differences may result partially from vertical distribution of aerosol in the model, rather than the representation of physical processes governing the interactions between aerosols and clouds. Compared to the current observations, the ModelE often features elevated droplet concentrations for a given aerosol concentration, indicating that the activation parameterizations used may be too aggressive. Additionally, parameterizations for effective radius commonly used in models were tested using ARM observations, and there was no clear superior parameterization for the cases reviewed here. This lack of consensus is demonstrated to result in potentially large, statistically significant differences to surface radiative budgets, should one parameterization be chosen over another

COMPTEL observations of the inner galaxy

This paper presents a first global study of COMPTEL observations of the inner Galaxy in the energy range 0.75–10 MeV. Preliminary findings demonstrate COMPTEL’s capabilities for mapping the observed gamma radiation and disentangling the contributions from point sources and diffuse emission