Abstract: This invention offers a unique method to fabricate unique, straight, curved, or coiled tubes as small as 5 nanometers in diameter with wall thicknesses starting at about 1 nanometer. These tubes can be made from many materials such as polymers, ceramics and metals that can be applied to a surface of carbon, glass, or other tube forming fibers and then made to withstand the environment used to remove the fiber.

Abstract: Provided are methods for laminating ordered polymers such as PBZT/sol-gel glass microcomposite film layers by first roughing the bonding surfaces of such film layers and then inserting therebetween a PEEK resin adhesive layer and compressing the film and adhesive layers together at sufficient temperature and pressure to laminate such layers. In one embodiment the ordered polymer layers are hot-pressed before surface roughing, stacking and laminating of film and adhesive layers. The invention also includes the novel laminates prepared thereby which exhibit high tensile strength, high compressive strength and good interlaminar strength, suitable for high-performance structures in e.g. aircraft, spacecraft or other structures or vehicles.

Abstract: In a gas turbine engine having rotor blades which rotate with the blade tips in proximity with a surrounding rub strip in the engine shroud, an improvement is provided in the form of a radially adjustable rub strip-air bladder assembly. That is, an air bladder is mounted between the rub strip and the shroud and compressed air is fed to or withdrawn from the bladder to radially displace the rub strip so it can follow changes in the rotor blade length and maintain a close clearance with the tips of such blades under varying engine conditions, e.g. accels and decels, while minimizing contact of blade tips and rub-strip. The rub strip-bladder assembly is flexible and can react automatically to radially withdraw in advance of extending rotor blades as a pressure surge suddenly backs through such blades.

Abstract: Method for tack free positioning of aircraft panel components for subsequent fastening is disclosed. Thus according to the invention, an assembly jig is provided which has a frame, including a plurality of lower contour boards, which pneumatically clamp a plurality of stringers thereon, which stringers hold a panel sheet thereover and on the other side of such sheet, a plurality of upper contour boards. Means are provided for closing the upper contour boards against the sheet, stringers and lower contour boards, to clamp and also to drape-form the sheet against the stringers in a desired contour in such jig assembly so that such components can be subsequently fastened without pretacking. The jig assembly and clamped panel components are then transported to a riveting stage where panel and stringers are riveted together in rivet rows extending across such panel, which rows are spaced laterally between the upper and lower contour boards. The panel assembly is then lifted off the assembly jig, e.g.

Abstract: Spatially variable nonlinear optical thresholding in the Fourier plane reduces signal-dependent noise, such as scalar multiplicative noise. Coherent artifact noise reduction by a factor of four is attained using deamplifying photorefractive two-beam coupling. A variable light transmittance threshold across a spatially thresholded light modulating element such as a photorefractive crystal is utilized for this purpose.

Abstract: A degenerate four-wave mixing arrangement employs a photorefractive crystal as a real time holographic recording medium to record a hologram of the noisy optical signal. The signal passes through the crystal and is phase conjugated by a self pumped barium titanate phase conjugator, and the resulting phase conjugate beam reads out the hologram and multiplicative noise is substantially reduced in the optical output signal.

Abstract: An optical switch comprises a heterojunction transistor having a source electrode, a gate, a mesa, and three self-aligned waveguides, the mesa being ion implanted and having a single quantum well under the gate electrode, the single quantum well being comprises of undoped, narrow bandgap material bound on both sides by regions p-doped, wide bandgap material, both of said p-doped regions have symmetrically graded bandgaps, being most narrow next to the quantum well and increasing out to a wide and constant value away from the quantum well. A highly n-doped and totally depleted charge sheet is placed in a wide bandgap material, very near the gate side of the quantum well heterojunction. The charge sheet serves to induce a voltage controllable inversion channel within the quantum well.

Abstract: A method for two dimensional imaging of a two or three dimensional target is disclosed. As shown, a radar transmitter transmits a beam on a beam axis originating at a position spaced from the target and a radar receiver receives return signals from the target. The stationary radar observes the precessing target whose normal to the two dimensional target plane (or whose axis through a three dimensional target) intersects the transmitted beam axis at a point, and forms a cone half angle with the beam axis. With the normal (or target axis) moving along a conical surface while precessing 2 Pi around the beam axis, signal returns from the target are processed to develop a two dimensional image of the target. The process is repeated at other cone half angles and a composite, reduced-sidelobe image generated by vectorial superposition of images at multiple cone half angles.

Abstract: System and method for high temperature lubrication of a bearing surface of a movable machine part using lubricant sublimation is described which comprises a source of solid lubricant, a heater disposed in thermal contact with the lubricant for heating the lubricant to sublimation and a conduit for conducting sublimated lubricant vapors into contact with the bearing surface to be lubricated.

Abstract: A device under test is placed in a metallic reverberation chamber and test are run for various characteristics. An antenna positioned in the chamber radiates microwave energy into the chamber. There is disclosed a method of frequency stirring which uses band limited White Gaussian noise (WGN) up-converted by performing double sideband, suppressed carrier modulation with a microwave signal from a synthesized sweeper. The output is then amplified with a TWT amplifier to meet the higher power level requirements. The synthesized sweeper is used to generate the monochromatic signal which determines the center frequency of the output while the WGN source and low pass filters provide the frequency agility.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing an electrical impulse comprising a tube made of superconducting material; a source of magnetic flux is mounted about one end of the tube; a means for intercepting the flux is mounted along the tube; and a means for changing the temperature of the superconductor is mounted about the tube. As the tube is progressively made superconducting, the magnetic field is trapped within the tube and in so doing creates an electrical impulse in the means for intercepting. A reversal of the superconducting state produces a second pulse.

Abstract: A modification to the design of high speed logic circuitry will increase the speed of the circuitry. The modification consists of a delayed negative feedback added to the interface between two gates (a driving gate and a driven gate). The feedback is delayed by a time similar to the gate propagation delay, so that when a transition occurs, the feedback is effectively positive for times less than the feedback delay time. The effect of this is to add a bias at the interface that will aid the next transition of the driven gate during the transition. After a transition, the polarity of the bias is reversed so it will again aid the next transition.

Abstract: The growth of bismuth silicate crystals occurs in a high pressure vessel or autoclave using a hydrothermal growth process. The nutrient material is placed in a sealed container of noble metal, liner, along with a solvent to a selected fill level. A filler fluid is also placed between the liner and the pressure vessel. The oriented seeds are placed in the cooler top seed zone over a baffle that slows the movement of supersaturated liquid from the hotter lower nutrient zone. Using a selected heating schedule for the top and the bottom zones, a plurality of large crystals are grown in the seed zone. The temperature differential is about 5.degree. C.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a liquid conducting porous article having micron sized metallic particles suspended on a ceramic substrate member. The method includes coating the ceramic substrate with a particle slurry on top of which is added an additional amount of the same particles as a dry powder, and then heat treating the article in a reducing gas atmosphere. The use of less than ten micron sized Nickel particles for the porous material and sintered fusion of the particles are also included.

Abstract: A system for determining the angles of elevation and azimuth of a source of collimated energy comprises a detector consisting of an annular entrance opening in an opaque structure, and an annular segmented optical detector spaced from and axisymmetric with the opening. Laser, or other collimated light energy passing through the opening illuminates all, or particular portions of the segmented detector depending on the direction and angle of incidence of the energy, thereby providing all of the information necessary to determine the elevation and azimuth of the source of the energy.

Abstract: A high energy level arrangement for generating microwave frequency electromagnetic energy from a DC power source by way of a high energy level electron beam coupled into an output waveguide member and serving therein as an antenna source of energy for the waveguide member. The electron beam is preferably spatially and timewise modulated with sinusoids to improve conversion efficiency to dominant mode waveguide energy. The disclosure includes several embodiments including a waveform splicing arrangement and plural electron gun embodiments and discloses quantitative efficiency and operating voltage level data. Use of the invention in weaponry, radar, deep space communication and other high radio frequency level energy applications is also disclosed.

Abstract: A sheathed syringe assembly including a syringe having a cylindrical body provided with a needle at one end thereof and a plunger slideably disposed within said cylindrical body for aspirating or dispensing substances into or from the cylindrical body. A sheath assembly comprised of inner and outer tubular members is attached to the cylindrical body. The inner tubular member is telescopically received in the outer member for reciprocal movement therein between a retracted position exposing said needle and an extended position covering said needle to prevent accidental needle stick. The sheath assembly is provided with a ratchet means for manually advancing said inner tubular member into the extended position with the same hand holding said syringe assembly.

Abstract: A support bracket for securing medical equipment on or near a litter carried within a medical vehicle, which comprises an extensible tubular member having a threaded lock fitting along the length thereof for locking the extensible member at selected length, first and second tubular end members of preselected inner diametric size attached to the ends of the extensible member for receiving a pair of substantially parallel rod members, such as the handles of a litter, and a pair of set screws threaded into the tubular end members for releasably securing the rod members within the tubular end members.

Abstract: An optical data transducer system is described which comprises a cryogenic dewar for containing an infrared focal plane array at low temperature and an optical spatial light modulator, collimated laser beam and associated optical train and detector for efficient extraction of information from the array.

Abstract: The system is a remotely operated, autonomous multi-channel time history recording device which uses digital and computer technologies to detect, record and display the results of tests that are time varying dependent. It is particularly suited to monitoring the effects of exploding warheads. By placing a series of piezoelectric detectors in an exploding shock wave field, it is possible to ascertain the wavefront propagation. A dynamic peak detector is used is used with each piezoelectric detector to detect the exact peak of the unknown pulse which peak defines the "time-of-arrival" of the pulse. By controlling the system with a computer program it is possible to display the complete time history of the propagating shock wave. When the exploding device is detonated a counter increments in 100 ns steps with its output on a timing bus.