Abstract: A hydrostatic bearing 20 for a rotatable shaft 18 of the type in which lubricating fluid is fed through orifices 12 in the bearing to a plurality of recesses 14 and finally to a land 16. Land 16 comprises grooves 22 directed toward recesses 14 in the direction of the shaft's rotation so that lubricating fluid is pumped back toward recesses 14.

Abstract: An improvement for an off-axis, unstable, ring-resonator laser wherein the feedback beam 16 is rotated 90.degree. by a 90.degree. rotator 18 and is then magnified by magnification means 22 so that the dimensions of the rotated, magnified beam 24 will correspond to the dimensions of the gain medium 12 of the laser.

Abstract: Wastes, in the form of liquids, solids and slurries, are converted to a mixture of a gas and an inorganic ash by introducing the waste as a finely atomized spray into a zone heated by means of a hot gas. Contact of the spray particles with the hot gas results in drying the waste and calcining and combusting the dried waste. The process is particularly useful with wastes containing hazardous materials such as radioactive substances.

Abstract: An apparatus 10 for positioning a laser mirror 16 secured within mirror mount 14. A centrally disposed linear actuator 20 is positioned to impart a force to the mirror mount 14 which is in line with the net center of percussion of the laser mirror 16 and mirror mount 14, thus providing tip/tilt free single point piston actuation. Three tip/tilt actuator assemblies 18,76 equidistantly disposed about the linear actuator 20 provide coarse adjustments and fine tip/tilt actuation. The mirror mount 14 is resiliently connected to the base 12 by support means 24,54.

Abstract: A flywheel 2 comprising a hub 4 having at least one radially projecting disc 6, an annular rim 14 secured to said disc and providing a surface circumferential to said hub, a first plurality of resin-impregnated fibers 22 wound about said rim congruent to said surface, and a shell 26 enclosing said first plurality of fibers and formed by a second plurality of resin-impregnated fibers wound about said rim tangentially to said surface.

Abstract: A closed Rankine-cycle power unit 10 for powering a turbine 16. The unit comprises a single closed loop in which a working fluid is circulated. The fluid, in liquid phase, is brought to gaseous phase by passing it through a heat exchanger 14 and the gas is used to drive a turbine 16. The gas is then passed through supersonic condenser 20 of supersonic condenser-radiator 18. Supersonic condenser 20 comprises a supersonic DeLaval nozzle 30 connected to a long barrel 38 which converts the gas stream into liquid droplets. The droplets are formed into a droplet beam 22 by a spray nozzle 40, the droplets radiating away a large amount of their heat energy. The beam 22 is collected as a liquid by a collector 24 and pumped through a compressor 26 which raises its pressure. The liquid from the compressor 26 is then circulated through the heat exchanger 14 again.

Abstract: A ball bearing assembly comprising first and second race members 4 and 6 formed with concave ball engaging surfaces 22 and 24 cooperating to define a path of movement 26 for balls 16, 18 and 20 located therebetween and a cage member 8 interposed between said race members 4 and 6 having a plurality of apertures 42, 44 and 46 formed therein, each containing a respective one of said balls 16, 18 and 20 and configured to engage said balls 16, 18 and 20 at an angle to said path of movement 26.

Abstract: A turbine tip seal 10 for inhibiting fluid leakage between a turbine housing and the shroud 20 and runners 24 which are typically attached to turbine blade tips 18. The tip seal 10 has a resilient ring 28 and a plated layer 32. Plated layer 32 has a knurled inner surface 34. The knurled surface 34 allows only a small amount of fluid leakage between itself and the turbine blades 18 while maintaining high rotor stiffness.

Abstract: The present invention provides a rocket thrust chamber (30) comprising a combustor (32) with a fixed divergent profile, a nozzle (36) for further expanding the output of the divergent combustor and a high-velocity, throttleable injector (34) for injecting propellants at such an initial velocity and initially rapid, axial burning rate that the injected propellants achieve sonic flow conditions at preselected locations within the divergent combustor according to throttle setting. In operation, the throttle setting fixes the location of the sonic flow line within the divergent combustor, and the ratio of the nozzle exit area with respect to the effective area of the divergent combustor at the sonic location area fixes the expansion ratio for that throttle setting. At launch, the engine delivers a high propellant flow rate and a moderate expansion ratio, while in space, it delivers a low propellant flow rate and a far greater expansion ratio.

Abstract: A high speed induction motor comprising a stator and a rotor coaxially positioned within the stator, and mounted in a suitable frame having a water cooled jacket. The stator includes a multiphase winding 16 on a laminated core 18, and having stainless steel end plates 24. Cooling coils 30 are around the end turn portions of the windings, and layers of insulation 28 are between the windings and the cooling coils. The rotor 12 has a core section 37 and an integral shaft 38. A plurality of elongated conductor bars 40 fit tightly into semiclosed elongated slots 42 in the rotor core 37, the slots and bars preferably having a wedge shaped cross section, and having a narrow neck portion adjacent the outer periphery of the rotor core, forming rotor teeth 54 between adjacent conductor bars. Copper end rings 68 are provided at opposite ends of the rotor core, with reduced opposite end portions 76 of the conductor bars received and brazed within spaced slots 70 around the periphery of the end rings.

Abstract: An integral combination of two motor pumps wherein two pumps 12, 14 are operated preferably from the motor shafts 41, 43 of a centrally located, pancake-type, d.c., brushless electric motor 10, the entire combination being housed in a unitary casing. The stator 22 is located within a central peripheral cavity between a pair of rotor faces 26, 28 in which are set spaced permanent mangets 32, 34 which react with the commutated d.c. fields of the stator coils to rotate the rotors 36, 38. Each rotor, e.g. 38, is integral with a motor shaft section which is integrally coupled with a pump shaft, e.g., 44. The pump shaft 44 supports an inducer 46 and an impeller 48 which pump a fluid that is also sent through passages in the motor 10 to lubricate the sleeve bearings 54 and to cool the motor components. The speeds of the rotor 36, 38 can be individually adjusted, for example, by adjusting the number of permanent magnets 32, 34 in each rotor face 26, 28.

Abstract: A pancake, d.c., brushless electric motor 10 and pump 32 in which the rotating parts of the pump 32 are integral with the rotor 18 of the motor 10. The motor and pump housing is hermetically sealed from the flow of the pumped fluid. A small portion of fluid is leaked through a seal 38 and acts to cool the motor 10 and to lubricate a sleeve bearing 24 which supports the rotor 18 on the motor's stationary shaft 26. The rotor 18 has permanent magnets 22 divided into two sets which lie on opposite sides of the poles of the stator coils 14 and, therefore, the magnetic thrust between stator and rotor is balanced out.

Abstract: A pump having a shrouded inducer rotatably mounted within a housing. An outer periphery of the shroud and an adjacent inner surface of the housing defines an annular space through which a recirculation flow of fluid occurs during operation of the pump. The shroud is provided with a plurality of vent holes located about an outer periphery of the shroud and extending therethrough to alleviate damage which would otherwise result from such recirculation flow.

Abstract: A hollow thermally-conditioned turbine stator nozzle 12 is set forth to distribute and guide combustion gases from a forward inlet 15 to the turbine rotor blades 18. The nozzle includes a plurality of vanes 20 arranged annularly in the turbine. Each vane 20 has a body 22 to guide the fluid, the body being supported by outer and inner ends 34,64. The outer and inner ends each have a forward lug 44,74 and a rear lug 46,76. A floating support is provided for the vanes and includes forward shoulders 110,136 to engage the forward lugs and prevent rearward movement of the vanes and rear shoulders 114,142 having notches 116,144 to receive and confine the tangential movement of the vanes. Each vane also includes a hollow core 152 to pass a portion of fluid and reduce thermal stresses on the vane. The vane is preferably made of silicon nitride ceramic.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for deploying and forming a rocket engine nozzle extension 10. A pneumatic bag 18 within the fixed nozzle 14 of a rocket engine is inflated to push and unfold the nozzle extension 10. The nozzle extension 10 is of the type which attaches to the end of the fixed nozzle 14 and is turned inwardly toward the central axis of said fixed nozzle 14 and folded along creases so that prior to it being extended the nozzle extension 10 is in a stowed configuration inside the fixed nozzle 14. After the nozzle extension 10 is completely formed, pneumatic bag 18 may be jettisoned by firing the rocket engine or by a mechanical releasing mechanism.

Abstract: A process is described for reducing the volume of a liquid waste containing an organic amine chelating agent in which a finely atomized spray of the liquid waste is contacted with a gas stream having a temperature in excess of the thermal decomposition temperature of the chelating agent. The proportions of the hot gas stream and liquid waste are controlled to rapidly evaporate water from the liquid waste and cool the gas to a temperature below the decomposition temperature of the chelating agent in a time of less than about 6 seconds to produce a dry, flowable powder product including the chelating agent.

Abstract: A thermally regenerated four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine, comprises a cold side cylinder having intake and exhaust valves independently located through cold side cylinder wall, and a cold side piston connected through a connecting rod to a crankshaft; a hot side cylinder having fuel injector and ignitor and hot side piston connected to said cold side piston through the crankshaft; and a regenerator duct for housing a regenerator and for connecting cold and hot side cylinders.

Abstract: An efficient power amplifier for high-capacitive device C2 in load string 10. The load string 10 includes a reference capacitor C3, a resistor R1, and an inductor L1. A large capacitor C1 is connected to load string 10 through high voltage power bridge 28. A current sensing feedback 30 is utilized to produce a triangular waveform of current in load string 10 for causing charge to be alternatively removed from capacitor C1 and delivered to device C2 through inductor L1 and then returned to capacitor C1 with any losses replenished by the dc power source. A voltage sensing feedback 14 is used to modulate the triangular current waveform. The power amplifier behaves as a stable linear dc coupled operational amplifier delivering a large reactive current with only slight losses.

Abstract: A gaseous mixture comprising iodine, oxygen and fluorine gases is circulated in a closed loop system 16 through a laser cavity 14. The gases in the cavity 14 are pumped by infrared laser radiation 12 from an iodine laser 10. A set of reactions occurs in the cavity 14 resulting in the production of excited, iodine monofluoride, molecules [IF**(B)] which emit laser radiation in the visible spectrum.

Abstract: A connector 10 for a fluid-flow line comprising a pair of truncated spheres, the inner 14 nesting within the outer 12, with the truncated ends facing in opposite directions. The non-truncated ends of the spheres are each connected to a different circular disc with a grid structure, called an end member 22, 22'. An adjustable tension wire 24 is stretched between the end members 22, 22' and holds the spheres 12, 14 together. A fluid-bearing seal 16 is affixed to the outer surface of the inner sphere 14 and is in contact with the inner surface of the outer sphere 12. A second seal 18 is attached between the spheres 12, 14 but spaced from the fluid-bearing seal 16 to form a seepage space 30 therebetween. The fluid-bearing seal 16 is formed with internal tubes 32 which permit a small leakage flow from the main flow into the seepage space 30 between the upper surface 34 of the seal 16 and the inner surface of the outer sphere 12 so as to reduce friction between these surfaces.