Abstract: The invention disclosed is (1) a sine wave web for structural elements made of composite materials, (2) structural combinations incorporating the web, and (3) a method of manufacturing the web. The concept disclosed avoids bunching and distortion of the fibers of the composite web material as it is shaped and flanged for attachment to adjacent structure, such as the chords and capstrips of an I-beam.

Abstract: A controlled thermal expansivity structure whose length along a given axis of the structure and thermal expansivity in the direction of the axis, i.e. total change in length in response to a given temperature change, are independently adjustable in a manner which permits adjustment of the structure in length while maintaining its thermal expansivity constant and adjustment of the thermal expansivity of the structure while maintaining its length constant. The range of thermal expansivity adjustment may include zero expansivity to permit adjustment of the structure to dimensionally stable mode. The described structure is a load-bearing strut with end fittings which are adjustable to vary the length and thermal expansivity of the strut.

Abstract: A tie-down method and apparatus are disclosed which facilitate automated, resilient securing of wheeled vehicles to shipping pallets or the floors of containers. Four links are detachably pivoted to the vehicle frame. Rollers at the lower ends of the links engage rails on the pallet or floor as the vehicle is moved into place by cooperating support equipment. The forward rollers engage spring loaded stops carried by the rails. The aft rollers are forced along the rails toward the forward rollers and the angling of the links compresses the vehicle springs and tires and the spring loaded stops. Lock-stops are set in place behind the rear rollers to secure the vertically and longitudinally resilient tie-down.

Abstract: A vacuum pump having a mechanically operated plunger or piston which is so arranged as to either fully open or fully close a supply of compressed gas. The compressed gas flows through a venturi tube to create a vacuum. This vacuum in turn causes the atmospheric pressure to urge the plunger against a spring force to close the connection between the compressed gas and the venturi tube. This will maintain the vacuum pressure between two predetermined limits. As soon as the pressure in the vacuum chamber rises above a predetermined value the compressed gas supply is opened again to reduce the gas pressure in the vacuum chamber. There are also disclosed a new desoldering tool, a power cylinder, clamping fixtures and suction cups operable with the vacuum pump of the invention.

Abstract: An improved soldering-desoldering instrument is disclosed which includes a stainless steel, thin walled sheath having a front end which is both internally and externally threaded: internally for securing the electric heater cartridge, and externally for securing the soldering tip, all in very high thermal energy flow relation. The rear of the sheath is formed integrally with a hexagonal nut to facilitate the indicated threaded assembly and disassembly.

Abstract: A vertical dipole antenna for the ELF (extremely low frequency) range. The antenna provides a series resonant circuit consisting of an inductor and the distributed capacitance of the conductor such as a wire which may be carried by lighter-than-air craft. The lighter-than-air craft may be conductive, in which case it contributes to the capacitance or the capacitance may be solely represented by the wire. The antenna may be frequency or phase modulated. In case of frequency modulation the frequency of the generator must be changed accordingly so that the series resonant circuit remains resonant at the frequency to be radiated. The antenna can be readily moved. A plurality of antennas may be provided to form a super-radiant array.

Abstract: A laser of the type which generates linearly polarized light and including optical means for self-alignment. Among such polarized lasers are, for example, solid state lasers and particularly ruby lasers, as well as various gas lasers employing Brewster windows. The problem is solved by utilizing a corner reflector in the laser cavity which generates two parallel laser beams. In order to achieve effective laser operation the polarization determining aspect of the laser, that is the crystal axis or Brewster windows, must be so oriented with respect to the corner reflector that the laser beam in passing through the laser is so reflected by the corner reflector that the light will return through the laserable material with the same directon of polarization as that of the original laser beam generated by the laser.

Abstract: An open chamber gas powered tool and gas generating charge for the tool. The charge has a hollow open-ended plastic jacket of uniform noncircular cross-section from end to end containing a propellant, such as nitrocellulose, which may be electrically ignited through an open end of the jacket by a spark, hot wire or the like or ignited by detonation of a dab of priming compound contained within a recess in one end of the jacket. The tool has an open chamber breech mechanism including a cylinder containing a firing chamber opening through the cylinder circumference for transporting charges to firing position wherein the chamber is closed by the breech frame, a trigger actuated firing means for firing the charges in firing position, and operating means powered by the gas generated by each fired charge for performing a work function.

Abstract: A demodulator for a biphase or quadriphase shift-keying system. The demodulator includes two AND gates for biphase demodulation. The AND gate is one which will provide an output signal if and only if the two input signals are in phase. Each of the AND gates forms a feedback with an injection locked oscillator. Therefore depending on the phase of the input signal, one or the other AND gate provides an output which is then injected at the proper phase into the injection locked oscillator. The output of the AND gates is fed to a data logic and envelope detector to recover the data. For quadriphase phase-shift keying, four AND gates are required. The circuit can be constituted either by transistors or by transferred electron devices sometimes called Gunn effect devices.

Abstract: Selected variables of a fluid flowing through a conduit are measured by transmitting acoustic pulses through the conduit wall and fluid stream along normal and oblique transmission paths between acoustic transducers located externally of the conduit, measuring the transit times of the pulses between the transducers, and combining these transit times with certain conduit and transducer parameters according to predetermined mathematical relationships to obtain the values of the variables. The variables which may be measured are flow velocity, mass flow rate, sonic velocity of the fluid, fluid compressibility, fluid temperature, and fluid density.

Abstract: A dynamic positioning system for a sea-going vessel containing an ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) system utilizes the thrust produced by the sea water effluents resulting from the energy conversion process to position the vessel against wind and ocean current forces. In one preferred embodiment applicable to both cylindrical surface and spar buoy types of vessels, both the warm water and cold water discharges are collected in a common annular plenum and then discharged through nozzles spaced angularly around the periphery of the plenum. Each nozzle is rotatable through a 90.degree. arc in a vertical plane to alter the direction of the discharge water jet and thereby to alter the horizontal component of the thrust or the driving force acting upon the vessel. The nozzles may be selected as to location and angular orientation to attain the net resultant force vector necessary to provide station-keeping or propulsion to the vessel under most any combination of wind and ocean current conditions.

Abstract: A parabolic dish is constructed by forming from relatively thin flexible sheet material a planar assembly of relatively narrow curved strips arranged side by side and having arcuate longitudinal edges which conform to curves defined by certain parametric equations, such that the strip assembly may be deformed to a parabolic dish configuration wherein the adjacent strip edges are disposed contiguous one another in planes parallel to a plane containing the principle axis of the dish, and joining the strips of the deformed strip assembly to retain the latter in its parabolic dish configuration.

Abstract: A fiber reinforced composite tube is molded by applying an annular, liquid-resin-impregnated layer of reinforcing fibers to a cylindrical mold or mandrel; placing in contact with the exposed surface of the fiber-resin layer a compression sleeve which is split lengthwise to permit circumferential contraction or expansion of the sleeve into pressurizing relation with the layer; pressurizing the compression sleeve with fluid pressure to compress the fiber-resin layer and thereby compact the reinforcing fibers and expell entrapped air and excess resin from the layer; and curing the resin while the fiber-resin layer is so compressed.

Abstract: An electrical structure having a wire conductor secured to a supporting substrate is fabricated by stitching the substrate with a sewing machine using a wire as one sewing filament of the machine. The particular electrical structure described is a parabolic antenna having a wire screen reflector consisting of a plurality of wire screen sections or "squares" secured in checkerboard fashion to a supporting frame with the edges of adjacent squares in electrical contact. Each square is fabricated by utilizing the wire stitching technique of the invention to lock stitch a supporting substrate in a grid pattern consisting of the stitched wires disposed in intersecting parallel rows and electrically joined to one another at their intersections to form a screen square.

Abstract: A holographic optics orientation assembly for a holographic recording unit having a laser holographic recording system for recording holograms of subjects situated within a holographic recording field of the recording system. The orientation assembly is adjustable to adjust or shift the recording field without moving the entire recording unit and thereby permit pointing or aiming of the recording system at a selected subject without moving the entire unit.

Abstract: A chemical laser including a laser pump which is relativey lightweight with no moving parts is provided. This produces a low pressure, regenerable, closed system for treating laser cavity exhaust gases to remove (i.e., pump) them from the system.The exhaust gases which emerge from the laser cavity of the chemical laser are pumped by reacting them preferably with titanium, titanium-zirconium alloys, zirconium, tantalum, etc. These gases include hydrogen, deuterium and their halides, the halogens, oxygen, CO.sub.2, nitrogen and H.sub.2 O. This obviates the requirements for heavy equipment normally employed to produce a high vacuum in the laser cavity.

Abstract: An optics module for use in a holographic borehole instrument which is operable to determine the stress in the wall of a borehole by recording successively on the same holographic recording medium two holograms of a selected surface region of the wall and, in the interval between the two recordings, drilling a stress relief hole in the wall in stress relieving relation to the selected surface region to produce on the recording medium a double exposure hologram containing holographic information representing the stress. The optics module embodies a frame which adjustably mounts the optical elements of the holographic system of the instrument in a manner which facilitates initial alignment of the system and preserves the alignment during instrument operation.

Abstract: Disclosed is an improved method and apparatus for remote sensing of the salinity of large bodies of water. Intensity values are simultaneously obtained for the horizontally and vertically polarized components of sunlight specularly reflected as a solar glitter pattern at a point on the surface of the body of water where the salinity is known. The aperture of the vertical polarization detection optical system is adjusted so that the signal voltage from that system is equal to that generated from the horizontal polarization detection optical system at that point. A signal whose amplitude corresponds to the change in salinity between another point and that known point on the surface is generated by multiplying the signal from the horizontal polarization detector by a function of the solar zenith angle and dividing the difference between the output from the horizontal polarization detector and a vertical polarization detector by this product.

Abstract: Polymetal acrylates, permanently filled with an excess of a polyvalent metal carbonate and saturated with water, exhibit properties ranging from moldable elastomers to moldable clays. Polyvalent metal carbonates may be selected from zinc carbonate, cadmium carbonate, cobalt carbonate, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, strontium carbonate, barium carbonate, copper carbonate, lead carbonate, nickel carbonate, iron carbonate, and manganese carbonate. Water, or water and water miscible organic liquids (such as alcohols or ketones which are plasticizers for the polymer) provide flexible compounds with integrity, while removal of the liquid provides hard plaster-like compounds. Rewetting the compounds provides the original maleable properties.

Abstract: A soldering iron holder system for a soldering station is disclosed which includes a protective, insulated chamber into which the working shaft and heated tip of the soldering tool may be inserted. A self locking cradle supports the tool from its handle portion and prevents its undesired removal from the holder system. For additional security, the system includes hold-down for fastening the entire system to the bench top. The holder also includes means for dispensing wire solder on demand. A built in reservoir and pump are also provided to supply cleansing fluid as for cleaning the soldering tip. To assist in the latter, a sponge is affixed to the body of the holder and is wetted from the reservoir by operation of the pump.