Abstract: Eye alignment is determined by producing a combined iris/retinal image by use of an imaging system. The relative position of the centroid of the pupil and various structures on the retina is indicative of the eye alignment. The eye alignment may be determined by comparing a combined iris/retinal image at the present time with a stored iris/retinal image at a past time. The imaging system may be a laser scanning ophthalmoscope.

Abstract: An alignment system for use with a keratoscope to form an eye measurement system uses a source of a light beam which is directed towards a cornea. A reflection from that beam is supplied to first and second quadrant detectors which are connected to circuits to generate an output when the cornea is properly aligned. Upon proper alignment, the system triggers the calculation of the cornea shape by the keratoscope.

Abstract: A quality assurance of surface treatments, typically with shot peening, by analysis of substrate surface line traces is disclosed. In particular, line traces are created over the surface treated substrate. These line traces are filtered with a low pass filter to create relative maximums. The coordinates of the relative maximums are determined and the spatial distance between these coordinates are measured and recorded. The actual plastic upset depth of the surface treatment substrate is determined. The surface treatment is then adjusted, if necessary, based upon the values of these spatial distances and actual plastic upset depths.

Abstract: A Si--SiC ceramic layer is bonded to a non-porous SiC substrate with the Si etched from the layer to form a relatively porous surface on the otherwise non-porous high strength SiC substrate. A quartz layer is softened by heating and forced into the pores of the porous layer to form a mechanical bond to the SiC substrate. A refractory metal layer is bonded to the quartz layer to complete the joint. A refractory metal support component is then bonded to the refractory layer whereby the quartz serves as a high strength, high temperature reaction barrier between the metal of the refractory layer and the silicon of the SiC substrate.

Abstract: A hologram is used to project an image of a pattern similar to a placido upon the cornea of a subject. By viewing the reflection of the pattern in the subject's cornea, one may measure the curvature of the cornea. The use of the hologram in the keratometer system allows the pattern to be imaged at infinity, thereby minimizing any error which might otherwise result from incorrect assumptions about the cornea position.

Abstract: A process for impregnating a glass fiber mat with a resin, and for producing composite structures having impregnated glass fibers, is provided which substantially reduces the number of voids in the resulting structure, provides fast and efficient heating of the materials, and requires low capital cost equipment to perform the process. The process includes heating a glass fiber mat and an RF-sensitive resin in a radio frequency electromagntic field to quickly heat the mat and resin, the resin flowing into voids in the glass fiber mat, thereby impregnating the mat; forming the resulting composite structure into a desired end shape; and cooling the structure. Reduction in the number of voids is advantageously accomplished by impregnating the resin into the mat under vacuum, which removes air and decomposition products which result from the RF heating of the resin.

Abstract: The present invention, in one embodiment, is a method for identifying a test to perform for fault isolation. The method comprises the steps of identifying a loop/string of components having at least one component therein which is suspected of faulty operation, identifying a test, from a listing of tests, which satisfies pre-determined conditions, and selecting the identified test for performance.

Abstract: A method for reducing the NO.sub.x produced by the engine of a supersonic aircraft. A reducing agent is injected into the combustor or the exhaust region of the engine. The reducing agent can be either hydrogen azide or hydrazine in an aqeuous form. For injection into the combustor, injection will be perpendicular to the main air flow through the engine and into a downstream portion of the combustor. Injection is carried out whenever NO.sub.x reduction is needed. By injecting the reducing agent into the downstream portion of the combustor or into the exhaust region, the reduction reaction is decoupled from the combustion process so that engine performance is not impaired.

Abstract: This invention relates to additives to mixed-metal oxides that act simultaneously as sorbents and catalysts in cleanup systems for hot coal gases. Such additives of this type, generally, act as a sorbent to remove sulfur from the coal gases while substantially simultaneously, catalytically decomposing appreciable amounts of ammonia from the coal gases.

Abstract: A configuration for three-dimensional cone beam computerized tomography imaging which minimizes the incompleteness of the data set and, at the same time, avoids corrupted data and resulting artifacts when only a portion of an object is imaged, the object being of greater axial extent compared to a cylindrical field of view. At least two circular source scanning trajectories are defined centered on a rotation axis and lying respectively in two endplanes defining the axial extent of the field of view. At least one cone beam x-ray source and at least one corresponding two-dimensional array detector are employed to scan the object along the source scanning trajectories, while acquiring cone beam projection data only from rays passing through the field of view. Preferably, at least one additional circular source scanning trajectory is defined, centered on the rotation axis and lying in a plane intermediate the two endplanes.

Abstract: A system and method for noiseless measurement of a biomagnetic field uses magnetic field magnitude and gradient measurement at a reference point together with mathematical extrapolation techniques to provide an effectively infinite order gradiometer response from a lower order physical gradiometer. Such a system has the advantages of potentially lower cost, higher accuracy, and easier adjustment and balancing.

Abstract: The invention discloses an inspection system for detecting near surface flaws or defects in conductors using nondestructive eddy current testing suitable for industrial application. The system provides a method and apparatus for acquiring real time, synchronized, discrete eddy current measurement signals from a plurality of sufficiently disposed, spatially correlated eddy current probes then processing and formatting said measurement signals automatically over parallel data channels to accommodate digital processing techniques in order to produce on eddy current image. Utilizing digital image processing provides a capability for improving flaw detection limits while simultaneously enhancing image resolution.

Abstract: The present invention relates to shot peening and more specifically, shot peening where the shot is sensed capacitance-based densitometer in order to determine the average velocity of the shot as it exits the nozzle of a shot peening gun.

Abstract: A multilayered insulated mold structure is provided. An insulation layer provided on each of the mold cores retains heat at the molding surface, thereby increasing surface quality of the finished part. The insulating layer has a varying density across its thickness so as to have a low density center region and high density surface regions. By having a relatively low denisty, the center region of the insulating layer has a low thermal conductivity. Thus, the insulating layer may be made from the same material as the core and still have an acceptable insulating value. The use of the same material for adjacent layers reduces the potential of delamination of the layers. The multilayered mold is compatible with passive or active heating of the molding surface.

Abstract: Apparatus for measuring flaws in an object, such as a tube, having both an erratic motion, e.g. a back and forth oscillation, and a net axial motion has an idler wheel engaging the tube, and a digital rotary shaft encoder attached to the wheel. A POP circuit is coupled to the encoder. A pair of coils disposed around the object make up the active elements in an eddy current bridge. An ADC is coupled to both the bridge and POP circuit and corrects the signal from the bridge for motion complications. A method for doing same comprises sensing only the net motion of the object, detecting flaws in the object, providing an erratic motion complicated flaw signal, and correcting the flaw signal for the erratic motion.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for directly measuring the amount of surface cold work due to a surface treatment operation. Such methods of this type, generally, allow the surface cold work created by a shot peening operation to be directly measured without having to destruct the substrate.

Abstract: The detection of sound emitted from a source in a dynamic environment of ambient background noise employs a sufficiently distributed array of sound intensity probes enclosing a sound source is adapted to collect measurements over the same time interval in a non-specific acoustic environment. Each probe in the array is comprised of a pair of mutually spaced microphones generally unmatched in their gain and phase response. A multi-channel fourier spectrum analyzer is used to provide a direct signal processing determination of sound intensity at each probe from pressure measurements taken at each microphone. Their computation is corrected to compensate for gain and phase mismatch between each microphone pair using independently derived probe calibration factors. These correction factors are linearly applied to the sound intensity determination at each probe of the array.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for impregnating the superconductors on a superconductor winding with epoxy such that a vacuum/pressure containment vessel, in which the winding is placed, allows epoxy to be introduced into the vessel whereby the epoxy eventually impregnates the superconductors through the application of various evacuating, pressuring and epoxy transporting steps.

Abstract: A method for monitoring the surface treatment of substrates is disclosed. The surface treatment, preferably, is shot peening. The surface treatment is monitored through the use of a selective spectral analysis of the 3-D information relating to the 3-D profilometry of the surface treatment on the substrate.

Abstract: A nozzle assembly design and a method for making the nozzle assembly, as well as a method for controlling a continuous skull nozzle process employing the nozzle assembly are provided wherein the cooling heat transfer coefficient at the nozzle is increased to maintain a steady-state solidified layer of a noncontaminating liner material, the cooling heat transfer coefficient being increased by reducing the contact resistance between a nozzle outer wall member and an inner liner made of the noncontaminating material, the reduction in contact resistance being achieved by shrink-fitting the nozzle outer wall member around the inner liner to increase the contact pressure between those members.