Abstract: The booster motors, each attached to and surrounding a centerbody, are mully connected to each other via one or more hollow manifold legs through which propulsive gases flow freely. At a predetermined time, the manifold cutter receives a signal activating the cutter to sever the manifold leg. Upon severance, the cut manifold leg still attached to the booster acts as a nozzle by venting residual propulsive gases and thereby propelling the booster away from the centerbody.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for forming an integrally wound joint structure with filament wound composite structure at an adjacent end of the integrally wound joint structure and having means for attaching said integrally wound joint structure to another structure provided at other end of said joint structure. The joint structure includes filament winding over a joint tube or joint solid with appropriately sized and spaced grooves running circumferentially around the outer surface of the joint structure. A curable resin is employed in filament winding to complete an assembly which is placed in a conventional oven and allowed to cure.

Abstract: An electronic triple point calibration system comprising in combination triple-point-of-water cells provided with means for sealing; a central thermowell provided in the heat conducting fixture for inserting thermometer being calibrated; a temperature probe installed on heat conducting fixture; and a housing for enclosing the heat conducting fixture and intimately mounted cells in a mounted combination. The cells are prepared from glass, polytetrafluoroethylene, or other material which does not react with water. After thoroughly cleaning, the cells are partially filled with pure water and vacuum sealed. A plurality of cells are intimately mounted on the heat conducting feature designed to accommodate the outer contours of the cells equally spaced around the central thermowell. The mounted combination with cells installed is frozen prior to testing.

Abstract: Upon the occurrence of a preset event, compressed gas is released from a mber and travels to fill a bellows. The bellows inflates and provides the power to eject a force transfer strut from the cavity of one body. The strut being fixedly attached at one end to a second body, this ejection accomplishes the separation of the two bodies from each other.

Abstract: A modulated Faraday rotation signal is produced by passing a linearly polarized laser beam through a semiconductor wafer sample in a modulated magnetic field that is induced in an electromagnet by a sine wave generator and driver coupled thereto. The rotation signal is normalized by dividing by a transmission signal produced by modulating the beam with a chopper that operates at a different frequency from the frequency of the driver. The result is a Faraday rotation measurement with high signal-to-noise ratio and compensation for laser drift in intensity.

Abstract: A method of providing a very strong mechanical interlock between the insuor and propellant of an interceptor rocket motor by employing a first lay-up material comprised of a cloth mat of woven cotton cloth (muslin) over a release liner with bleeder which covers a mandrel shell with a boss and a second lay-up material of an uncured vulcanizable rubber insulator, e.g., ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer (EPDM) with additives and curatives. The lay-up materials are subjected to a vacuum bag and autoclave curing environment to complete a vulcanization cycle to vulcanize and consolidate the insulator to the cloth mat. The vulcanized insulator/cloth mat is installed in a rocket motor case. The muslin cloth mat has many protruding microfibers which will be in the interface section when an uncured propellant composition is cast onto and cured to the vulcanized insulator/cloth mat. A very strong mechanical interlock is achieved which exceeds breaking strength of propellant and insulator.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and a fiber optic adhesive which composition is appd to a fiber optic having a buffer coat thereon and is, subsequently, partially cured to a tacky outer surface while being wound onto a bobbin from which the adhesively coated fiber optic material is to payout during use. The adhesively coated fiber optic material must be cured to a tacky cure while being wound onto a bobbin. The cured adhesive composition functions to hold the fiber optic material in place on the bobbin during storage and allows consistent payout during use of the fiber optic material. The typical composition of the fiber optic adhesive comprises hydroxyterminated polybutadiene from about 88.14 to about 92.48 percent by weight, isophorone diisocyanate from about 6.23 to about 6.42 percent by weight, a catalyst of ferric acetylacetonate of dibutyltin dilaurate in an amount from about 0.89 to about 1.15 percent by weight respectively, and a thixotropic agent in an amount of about 4.48 by weight.

Abstract: The White Light Optical Fourier Transform Device comprises symmetrical wedges of uniaxial birefringent crystal placed on either side of a half-wave plate to induce an angle between the wavefronts of the polarized components of the beam travelling through the device. The wavefront tilt angle of the output beam is shown to be linearly proportional to the angle of incidence. This is sufficient to generate the necessary phase factor for a Fourier transform of the incident intensity image.

Abstract: A laser actuated thru-bulkhead initiator for transmission of detonation within the initiator without destroying the pressure integrity of the initiator and the seal of the pressure vessel in which the initiator is installed comprises a body portion having an aperture extending throughout the length thereof. This aperture provides an optical path from a laser source to a detonable explosive material positioned within the aperture. The body portion provides a housing for retaining in a first section of the aperture, a primary window element, an attenuator for an explosive shock wave, a second window element, and an explosive material within the aperture and the optical path. A second section of the aperture of the body portion which extends from the outer surface of the second window performs the function of receiving the explosive shock wave energy dissipated from an explosive force released by the detonable explosive composition.

Abstract: A solid state stripper for stripping H.sup.- to H.sup.O is provided that includes a very thin solid state material such as polyvinylidene chloride, mica, and cellophane that is moved at a predetermined speed in front of an accelerated beam of negative ions to cause the negative ions to be stripped to form neutral ions as they pass through the solid state stripper material.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for forming an integrally wound joint structure with filament wound composite structure at an adjacent end of the integrally wound joint structure and having means for attaching said integrally wound joint structure to another structure provided at other end of said joint structure. The joint structure includes filament winding over a joint tube or joint solid with appropriately sized and spaced grooves running circumferentially around the outer surface of the joint structure. A curable resin is employed in filament winding to complete an assembly which is placed in a conventional oven and allowed to cure.

Abstract: A process for mapping the path of an electric arc through a sample of resive material whereby the magnetic field propagated by the arc is recorded on a sleeve of magnetic sensitive material which surrounds the sample, with the intensity of the recorded field at different points on the sleeve indicating the path of the arc.

Abstract: A propulsion system is disclosed comprising a glycidyl azide polymer (GAP) olid fuel generator (SFGG) that produces fuel-rich hot gases which are combusted in a combustion zone of a combustion chamber of a solid fuel ducted rocket. A basic embodiment comprises an airbreathing engine wherein a ducted member scoops air in from the atmosphere for hypergolic reaction with the fuel-rich hot gases for propulsion during a sustain stage of a flight. An augmentation of the basic embodiment is achieved by combusting the fuel-rich GAP SFGG effluent with inhibited red fuming nitric acid (IRFNA) gel oxidizer to produce higher thrust during the boost and dash stages of a flight. During the high thrust stages, the air ducts of the ducted member are closed and IRFNA gel is injected into the combustion chamber to react with the fuel-rich hot gases from the GAP SFGG.

Abstract: Surface plasmon resonance in small particles of metal is employed to polarize light propagating in a waveguide. An ion-exchanged glass waveguide is provided with a 50 Angstrom (5 nm) mass thick layer of silver which is deposited on the waveguide. The ion-exchanged glass waveguide having the specified layer of silver is annealed at 200.degree. C. for 1 minute causing the silver film to bead, much like water droplets on a waxed car. The silver microparticles have a nonspherical shape with their major axes parallel to the surface of the waveguide and their minor axis perpendicular to the surface of the waveguide as illustrated in the Figures of the Drawing. When light from a HeNe laser at a wavelength of 633 nm is prism-coupled into the waveguide with the field of laser beam parallel to the major axes of the spheroids (TE polarization) the laser light is strongly absorbed and the TM light is passed.

Abstract: A safe ordnance initiation system which is safe for normal handling, expoe to strong electromagnet fields, and electrostatic discharge comprises a firing circuit which provides a method for rapidly and efficiently connecting (switching) a charged capacitor to an electrical discharge inititation element; an enclosed and environmentally protected electrical discharge initiation element which provides a means of rapidly dissipating the capacitor charge and converting it to a shock wave and thermal/plasma energy output; a transmission line shock tubing which is connected to the electrical discharge initiation element at one end which is terminated in a target element at the other end thereof; and a target element having the capability for interacting with a predetermined output energy level of shock charge and thermal/plasma energy transmitted through the transmission line shock transfer tube to achieve a desired result for igniting or detonating the target element depending on the type of end termination employe

Abstract: Low frequency broadband energy is separated from an accelerator structure ndamental radio frequency (rf) energy in the broadband electromagnetic energy within specific frequency bands. The particle beam accelerator electromagnetic arc detection system comprises employing signal lines extended from existing particle beam accelerator diagnostic sensors to electrical filter circuits. Depending on the application requirements, filters are grouped by types such as low-pass, high pass, or bandpass types. The bandpass filters are employed in banks in a preferred embodiment to reject all electrical signals except those within the band of interest. The increase in broadband electromagnetic energy radiated through the accelerator structure as an arc begins to form is readily detectable in the rf spectrum at frequencies below 10 MHz. The electrical signals received by the filters are subsequently passed to detectors which produce a direct current (DC) level proportional to the strength of the signal.

Abstract: A video data link system utilizes spread spectrum to decrease the susceptlity of a low power video link to radio frequency countermeasures. The video data link system utilizes a combination of spread spectrum direct-sequence modulation and frequency-hop along with frequency modulation to provide spectral spreading of radio frequency energy to a bandwidth much greater than the information bandwidth. The direct sequence modulation allows minimization of the number of frequency steps required for complete spectral filling of the operational bandwidth on an average basis. Frequency hop timing is determined from the phase of the direct sequence generator to simplify the frequency hop synchronization process in the receiver. Bandwidth of the fm video signal, after being spread in spectral width by the bi-phase direct sequence signal, is approximately equal to the direct pseudo random sequence clock rate.

Abstract: A system for quantitatively evaluating resolution and image quality of dees which produce images or images produced by such devices. A charge coupled device (CCD) camera is disposed in a position to view a standard resolution test pattern displayed or produced by an imaging device and generates a video signal in response to the images viewed by the CCD camera. The video signal is modified by a custom image analysis circuit to provide 1) a video signal with a blanked region of interest and 2) triggering pulses to measure light intensity variations of this region using an oscilloscope. The easily moved, highlighted region of interest within the video image viewed on a monitor is digitized by the oscilloscope to provide quantitative data representing the imaging device's ability to faithfully reproduce detail at various spatial scales. A series of standard resolution patterns are measured and a modulation transfer function is fitted to the level of light modulation of individual resolution targets.

Abstract: A gel/solid bipropellant propulsion system employs fuel-rich combustion gs from a solid gas generator and an oxidizer gel in a highly efficient combustion chamber wherein the fuel-rich combustion gases and the oxidizer gel are each metered through a vortex injector into a combustion chamber to produce a hypergolic reaction. The solid gas generator (SSG) has a preferred composition of glycidly azide polymer (GAP). The GAP SSG is composed of GAP diol and/or triol polymerized with a di-or tri-function isocyanate, such as isophorone diisocyanate. The gel/solid bipropellant propulsion system comprises the SSG in combination with an oxidizer storage/extrusion vessel system, a combustion chamber system, and a system controller which controls initial ignition of the SSG to produce fuel rich combustion gas which pressurize the system. The system controller monitors pressures and flow rates of fuel and gel oxidizer.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for providing an optical quality aspheric surface f a thin film metalized elastic membrane by treating the membrane with x-rays to cause the elasticity of the membrane to be increased in predetermined area so that when the membrane is subjected to a differential pressure across faces thereof the membrane will assume the desired aspheric surface.