N76-20480* National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Pasadena Office, Calif. ZERO TORQUE GEAR HEAD WRENCH Patent Allan R. McDougal (JPL) and Robert M. Norman, inventors (to (NASA-Case-NPO-13059-1; NASA-Case-NPO-13436-1; A gear head wrench particularly suited for use in applying torque to bolts without transferring torsional stress to boltreceiving structures is introduced. The wrench is characterized by a coupling including a socket, for connecting a bolt head with a torque multiplying gear train, provided within a housing having an annulus concentrically related to the socket and adapted to be coupled with a spacer interposed between the bolt head and the juxtaposed surface of the bolt-receiving structure for applying a balancing counter-torque to the spacer as torque is applied to the bolt head whereby the bolt-receiving structure is substantially isolated from torsional stress. As a result of the foregoing, the operator of the wrench is substantially isolated from any forces which may be imposed. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office Donald L. Alger, William Schwab, and Edward R. Furman, inventors (to NASA) Filed 31 Mar. 1976 11 p (NASA-Case-LEW-11981-1; US-Patent-Appl-SN-672220) Avail: NTIS HC $3.50 CSCL 131 A closed loop apparatus for spraying coolant against the back of a radiation target is described. The coolant is circulated through a closed loop with a bubble of inert gas being maintained around the spray. Mesh material is disposed between the bubble and the surface of the liquid coolant which is below the bubble at a predetermined level. In a second embodiment no inert gas is used, the bubble consisting of vapor produced when the coolant is sprayed against the target. NASA -16 RR -60 62 13 p (NASA-Case-ARC-10917-1; US-Patent-Appl-SN-672223) Avail: NTIS HC $3.50 CSCL 131 A tread drum is described for animals, such as primates. It includes a cylindrical housing mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis of revolution with a cylindrical treadway portion on which the animal treads while the drum is rotated by a motorized drive. The treadway portion of the drum includes an electrode structure with sectors independently energizable by a commutator and source of potential, so that an electrical shock station is created behind a running-in-place station on the moving treadway. In this manner, if the animal should fall behind its running-in-place station, it may be shocked by treading on the energized electrode structure. One end of the tread drum comprises 21 CONTROL CIRCUIT N76-20487*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio. COUNTER PUMPING DEBRIS EXCLUDER AND SEPARATOR Patent Application Lawrence P. Ludwig, inventor (to NASA) Filed 31 Mar. 1976 13 p (NASA-Case-LEW-11855-1; US-Patent-Appl-SN-672222) Avail: NTIS HC $3.50 CSCL 131 A dirt separator and excluder is described for removing entrained debris from gas turbine shaft seals. A helical groove pattern is constructed on the rotating shaft with the pumping pattern such that it tends to pump seal pressurizing gas toward the gas turbine seal. A second helical groove pattern is provided on the stationary housing or counter rotating member coaxial with the shaft, and this pattern is designed to provide pumping in the direction opposite from that of the groove pattern on the shaft. Gas with entrained debris entering this grooved area is subjected to high centrifugal forces due to the swirl motion induced by the groove pattern and the rotation of the shaft. This debris is centrifuged outwardly into the outer groove pattern on the housing or counter rotating member. Since the outer groove pattern has a pumping direction opposite from that of the seal, dirt is pumped away from the seal and collected in a suitable debris trap. NASA surface may be curved, vertical, or overhead and since local load concentrations are avoided, fragile ceramic tiles may be installed using the apparatus. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office N76-20488*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio. CIRCUMFERENTIAL SHAFT SEAL Patent Application L. P. Ludwig, inventor (to NASA) Filed 31 Mar. 1976 9 p (NASA-Case-LEW-12119-1; US-Patent-Appl-SN-672219) Avail: NTIS HC $3.50 CSCL 11A A circumferential shaft seal comprising two sealing rings held to a rotating shaft by means of a surrounding elastomeric band is described. The rings are segmented and are of a rigid sealing material such as carbon or a polyimide and graphite fiber composite. 17 NASA (NASA-Case-LAR-11465-1; US-Patent-3.945,879: US-Patent-Appl-SN-502137; US-Patent-Class-156-556; US-Patent-Class-33-1G; US-Patent-Class-33-174B; US-Patent-Class-156-286; US-Patent-Class-156-382; US-Patent-Class-248-362; US-Patent-Class-248-363; US-Patent-Class-269-21) Avail: US Patent Office CSCL 131 An apparatus is disclosed for holding a plurality of modular components against a surface. A fixture prepositions the components and a vacuum develops a uniform pressure which presses and holds the fixture and objects against a surface. The disposed with respect to the runner and sealing ring, includes a radial sealing surface which engages the sealing surface of the sealing ring. A circular wave spring is anchored to the housing and is disposed between the composite sealing ring and a snap ring secured to the housing: an axial force is provided which forces the two sealing surfaces into sealing contact. The waves of the spring act as individual hydrodynamic bearings, and the axial force is transmitted across an oil film. This eliminates rubbing contact and the need for a separate thrust bearing. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office second direction. A binder prevents separation of the yarns in the backing section. NASA 46 ·38 36 An apertured casting is made by first forming a duplicate in the shape of the finished casting, positioning refractory metal bodies such as wires in the duplicate at points corresponding to apertures or passageways in finished products, forming a ceramic coating on the duplicate, removing the duplicate material, firing the ceramic in a vacuum or inert atmosphere, vacuum casting the metal in the ceramic form, removing the ceramic form, heating the cast object in an atmospheric furnace to oxidize the refractory metal bodies and then leaching the oxidized refractory bodies from the casting with a molten caustic agent or acid solution. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office (NASA-Case-LAR-10073-1; US-Patent-3,956,050; A method for molding a silicone elastomer into a fiberglass honeycomb panel previously bonded to a face sheet panel is described. The elastomer is introduced into a mold under vacuum to prevent air entrapment, and the bonded honeycomb panel is positioned above the elastomer filled mold and forced into the elastomer for vacuum filling the honeycomb structure. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office N76-23585*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration. George E. Anderson (Rockwell Intern. Corp. Downey. Calif.). A flexible pile thermal barrier insulator including a plurality of upstanding pile yarns is described. A generally planar backing section supports the upstanding pile yarns The backing section includes a plurality of filler yarns forming a mesh in a first direction. A plurality of warp yarns is looped around filler yarns and pile yarns in the backing section and forms a mesh in a N76-26511*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (NASA-Case-MSC-12731-1; US-Patent-APPL-SN-690816) Avail: NTIS HC $3.50 CSCL 13K A valve assembly for controlling the flow of fluids between the inlet and outlet of a fluid valve is described. The valve assembly is comprised of a barrier element in the body of the valve with a porous portion for providing fluid communication between the valve inlet and outlet. The valve assembly is also comprised of a sealing element in the valve body which is movable, relative to the barrier element between a first position, in which fluid flow through the porous portion of the barrier element is sealed preventing fluid communication between the valve inlet and outlet, and a second position, in which the porous A connector is described for connecting circuits located on different layers of a multilayer printed circuit board through a hole in the board. The connector is a hollow cylindrical conductor made from a conductive, metallic, springy material. A slit in the conductor and a plurality of sharp teeth located on the outside of the conductor extend the full length. The conductor has a slightly larger outside diameter than the diameter of the hole. Consequently, when the connector is forced into the hole the springback (resiliency) of the connector forces the teeth against the circuits on the printed circuit board thereby providing a positive connection between the circuits. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office N76-28554*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. WRIST JOINT ASSEMBLY Patent Application J. Dwight Johnston and Leendert Kersten, inventors (to NASA) (Nebraska Univ., Lincoln) Filed 26 Jul. 1976 22 p (NASA-Case-MFS-23311-1; US-Patent-Appl-SN-708800) Avail: NTIS HC $3.50 CSCL 131 A wrist joint assembly is provided for use with a mechanical manipulator arm for finely positioning an end-effector carried by the wrist joint on the terminal end of the manipulator arm wherein the wrist joint assembly is pivotable about a first axis to produce a yaw motion, a second axis to produce a pitch motion, and a third axis to produce a roll motion. The three axes are mutually perpendicular and have a common point of origin. The wrist joint assembly includes a disk segment affixed to the terminal end of the manipulator arm and a first housing member rotatably carried on the disk segment about the first axis. A second housing member is rotatably carried on the first housing member and a third housing member is rotatably carried on the second housing member whereby the third housing member and the mechanical end-effector carried thereon are moved in the yaw, pitch, and roll motion. NASA 106 22 20 22 ~10 -23 21 N76-27568* National Aeronautics and Space Administration. N76-29588* National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio. THRUST BEARING Patent William J. Anderson, inventor (to NASA) Issued 27 Jul. 1976 6 p Filed 25 Jun. 1975 (NASA-Case-LEW-11949-1; US-Patent-3,971,602; A gas lubricated thrust bearing is described which employs relatively rigid inwardly cantilevered spokes carrying a relatively resilient annular member or annulus. This annulus acts as a beam on which are mounted bearing pads. The resilience of the beam mount causes the pads to accept the load and, with proper design, responds to a rotating thrust-transmitting collar by creating a gas film between the pads and the thrust collar. The bearing may be arranged for load equalization thereby avoiding the necessity of gimbal mounts or the like for the bearing. It may (NASA-Case-NPO-13613-1; US-Patent-3.971,230; US-Patent-Appl-SN-574208; US-Patent-Class-62-6) Avail: US Patent Office CSCL 131 A Stirling cycle heat engine is disclosed in which displacer motion is controlled as a function of the working fluid pressure P sub 1 and a substantially constant pressure P sub 0. The heat engine includes an auxiliary chamber at the constant pressure P sub O. An end surface of a displacer piston is disposed in the auxiliary chamber. During the compression portion of the engine cycle when P sub 1 rises above P sub O the displacer forces the working fluid to pass from the cold chamber to the hot chamber of the engine. During the expansion portion of the engine cycle the heated working fluid in the hot chamber does work by pushing down on the engine's drive piston. As the working fluid pressure P sub 1 drops below P sub O the displacer forces most of the working fluid in the hot chamber to pass through the regenerator to the cold chamber. The engine is easily combinable with a refrigeration section to provide a refrigeration system in which the engine's single drive piston serves both the engine and the refrigeration section. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office 78 mimi N76-31529*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (Contract NAS9-14000) (NASA-Case-MSC-19666-1; US-Patent Appl-SN-721150) Avail: NTIS HC $3.50 CSCL 131 A device with a flexible securing base for which the surface radius of curvature can be adjusted to adapt it to support workpieces with different curved surfaces is described. The apparatus comprises a flexible thin plate with a support surface for accommodating a part or workpiece The flexible plate is supported at its centerline across its width by a 'U' shaped trough member which forms a pivot about which the plate can bend. The inverted T shaped bases support the ends of the pivot member and provide the support legs for the apparatus. A gear linked deflecting mechanism permits rapid manual adjustment of the curvature of the hold down plate and support surface to the exact concave or convex cylindrical curvature needed to support different workpieces such as tiles for roller coating or similar operations. A large knurled knob with vertical threaded shaft is used to pivotally move the linkage arm and rotate the horizontal shaft. NASA |