HYDROGEN-RICH GAS GENERATOR NASA Case No. NPO-13560-1 Address inquiries to: NASA Resident Legal Office Corresponding to U.S. Patent No. 3,982,910 Filed 7-10-74 Issued 9-28-76 The inventions of NASA Case Nos. NPO-13342, NPO-13402 and NPO-13464 all require pure water and a consequent water tank. The inherent problems of maintaining a water tank in an automobile, such as finding sources of pure water and preventing freezing of the water, can be obviated with this invention which is a means for generating a soot-free hydrogen-rich gas from liquid hydrocarbon fuel. In this invention, the hydrocarbon fuel is vaporized and is then mixed with preheated air. Thereafter, the mixture is ignited and partial oxidation is permitted. Finally, the products of the combustion chamber in the hydrogen reactor are passed through a nickel catalyst bed where flameless partial oxidation of the fuel takes place on the surface of the catalyst to produce a hydrogen-rich gas. HIGH TEMPERATURE RESISTANT CERMET NASA Case No. NPO-13690 Inventor: Wayne M. Phillips * Japan Address inquiries to: Corresponding to U.S. Patent No. 4,072,532 Filed 11-20-75 Cermet compositions having high temperature oxidation resistance, high hardness and high abrasion and wear resistance, and particularly adapted for production of high temperature resistant cermet insulator bodies, comprising a sintered body of particles of a high temperature resistant metal or metal alloy, preferably molybdenum or tungsten particles, dispersed in and bonded to a solid solution formed of aluminum oxide and silicon nitride, and particularly a ternary solid solution formed of a mixture of aluminum oxide, silicon nitride and aluminum nitride. Also disclosed are novel ceramic compositions comprising a sintered solid solution of aluminum oxide, silicon nitride and aluminum nitride. The cermet compositions are designed particularly to provide high temperature resistant refractory coatings on metal substrates, preferably molybdenum or tungsten substrates. *Japanese manufacturing rights exclusively licensed to Japan Engineering Development Company. See page 23 for address. All other foreign patent rights available from NASA. ACOUSTIC ENERGY SHAPING OF SUSPENDED PLASTER SHAPE NASA Case No. NPO-13802 Inventor: Taylor G. Wang, et al. Canada, Japan Address inquiries to: Corresponding to U.S. Patent No. 4,052,181 Filed 2-13-76 Issued 10-4-77 A suspended mass is shaped by melting all or a selected portion of the mass and applying acoustic energy in varying amounts to different portions of the mass. In one technique for forming an optical waveguide slug, a mass of oval section is suspended and only a portion along the middle of the cross-section is heated to a largely fluid consistency. Acoustic energy is applied to opposite edges of the oval mass to press the unheated opposite edge portions together so as to form bulges at the middle of the mass. In another technique for forming a ribbon of silicon for constructing solar cells, a cylindrical thread of silicon is drawn from a molten mass of silicon, and acoustic energy is applied to opposite sides of the molten thread to flatten it into a ribbon. *Japanese manufacturing rights exclusively licensed to Japan Engineering Development Company. See page 23 for address. All other foreign patent rights available from NASA. Arc metal spraying is used to spray liquid metal onto an array of high strength fibers that have been previously wound onto large drum contained inside a controlled atmosphere chamber. This chamber is first evacuated to remove any contaminants and then backfilled with a neutral gas up to atmospheric pressure. The object of the invention is to provide a traveling wave tube with increased linearity to avoid intermodulation of signals being amplified. In a traveling wave tube, the slow wave structure is a helix including a sever. A dynamic velocity taper is provided by gradually reducing the spacing between the repeating elements of the slow wave structure which are the windings of helix. The reduction takes place between Z, and Z,, indicated by a line, which coincides with the output point of helix as indicated by the line. The spacing begins to decrease at Z. and is decreased by up to about 15% efficiency at Z,. |