METHOD OF IMPROVING THE RELIABILITY OF A ROLLING ELEMENT SYSTEM NASA Case No. XLE-02999 Canada, France, United Kingdom [Corresponding to U.S. Patent No. 3,262,186] Current bearing manufacturing practice generally specifies that bearings shall have balls or rollers of hardness equal to the hardness of the races. This invention method greatly improves the load capacity and fatigue life of roller element systems by controlling the relative hardnesses such that the hardness of the elements subjected to the greater number of stress cycles is less than that of the elements engaging them by an amount between one and two points as measured on the "Rockwell C" Scale. 50 43 44 46 48 INSTRUMENT FOR USE IN PERFORMING A NASA Case No. XMS-01615 Canada, France, Italy, United Kingdom [Corresponding to U.S. Patent No. 3,298,362] One of the clinical tests in the evaluation of the cardiovascular system of a human being is the Flack test which requires the imposition of a known constant pressure (greater than atmospheric) within the lungs and thorax and then a sudden release of the overpressure. The changes in the pulse rate and blood pressure of the subject associated with this maneuver (called a Valsalva Maneuver) are used in the Flack test as indicators for evaluating the cardiac control mechanism. Known devices for performing this maneuver have the disadvantages of requiring a gravitational field for proper readings of a manometer, large size, and fragile construction. There also is a possibility that the subject will use cheek muscles rather than the thoracic muscles, rendering incorrect results. This invention is rugged and compact, requires use of the thoracic muscles, and is not dependent upon the presence of a gravitational field for operation. INTERCONNECTION OF SOLAR CELLS NASA Case No. XGS-01475 Australia, Beligum, Canada, France, [Corresponding to U.S. Patent No. 3,459,391] Expanded metal, that is, a thin metal strip which has first had short longitudinal cuts made therein and then been pulled transverse to the cuts to open the cuts into diamond shaped holes, has been used as interconnectors in a solar cell matrix to provide a flexible, somewhat resilient array. The solar cell array can be compactly stored prior to deployment and then deployed into a variety of shapes through the use of a new expandable frame in which telescoping tubes are extended to a desired length and then cemented to form a rigid support structure. USE OF UNILLUMINATED SOLAR CELLS AS NASA Case No. GSC-10344 Canada, France, Holland, Italy, [Corresponding U.S. Patent-Application Pending] An improvement has been made in the electrical interconnection of solar cells in an array of solar batteries. Each individual cell of a shaded battery is electrically connected in parallel with a corresponding cell of an illuminated solar battery. The p-n junction solar cell of the shaded battery provides a forward biased diode equivalent in a by-pass conducting path around the corresponding illuminated cell in the event it becomes non-conductive. Thus, uninterrupted current flow is maintained in the event the illuminated cell fails to function. WELDING SKATE AND TRACK NASA Case No. XMF-01542 Canada, Japan [Corresponding to U.S. Patent No. 3,229,883] A track and skate combination is commonly used in the precision welding of relatively large articles such as tanks, ship hulls, etc. The track is contoured to the desired shape and placed alongside and parallel to the seam to be welded. This invention features a reusable track fabricated of a plurality of laminates that is easily bent into any desired shape and a skate having individually pivoted sets of wheels which can negotiate sharp curves on the track. |