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A completely nondestructive means of r-value measurement is being developed. Unlike the modul-r method, it requires no specimen removal and has potential for on-line measure-ment. The method employs noncontacting ultrasonic transducers which generate waves propagating at three different angles relative to the sheet rolling direction. A prototype instrument based on these principles has been jointly developed by researchers at Ford Motor Company and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). At present, there are correlations between ultrasonic and mechanical measurements of r̄. The ultrasonic measurements generally agree with mechanical measurements to 0.1 or better. A method based on metallurgical theories is being developed to use ultrasonic velocity measure-ments to predict not only r̄, but individual r values. To date, all measurements have been made on static sheet. We are currently developing a device to move sheet metal at controlled velocity.

The US Air Force (USAF) has evolved a policy for the acquisition of fighter jet engines (FJE). In the 1970s and 1980s that policy placed a premium on FJE performance primarily measured by the metric: thrust/engine weight. In the 1990s, the USAF policy changed from an emphasis on performance to reduced life-cycle cost with a premium on sustainment. This paper reports the results of a study of how the USAF and Corporation Alpha (Alpha) have adapted their processes, practices, and policies to design, develop, manufacture, test, and sustain a family of FJEs. Each member of the family of FJEs is sequentially linked relative to insertion of technology designed to reduce sustainment costs. In addition to the technology linkages, the development of the family of FJEs selected for this case study is also tracked relative to US Department of Defense and USAF policy and industry design, build, and maintain processes, methods, and tools.

NASA is developing and validating technology to incorporate aircraft icing effects into a flight training device concept demonstrator. Flight simulation models of a DHC-6 Twin Otter were developed from wind tunnel data using a subscale, complete aircraft model with and without simulated ice, and from previously acquired flight data. The validation of the simulation models required additional aircraft response time histories of the airplane configured with simulated ice similar to the subscale model testing. Therefore, a flight test was conducted using the NASA Twin Otter Icing Research Aircraft. Over 500 maneuvers of various types were conducted in this flight test. The validation data consisted of aircraft state parameters, pilot inputs, propulsion, weight, center of gravity, and moments of inertia with the airplane configured with different amounts of simulated ice.

An experimental research effort was begun to develop a database of airplane aerodynamic characteristics with simulated ice accretion over a large range of incidence and sideslip angles. Wind-tunnel testing was performed at the NASA Langley 12-ft Low-Speed Wind Tunnel using a 3.5% scale model of the NASA Langley Generic Transport Model. Aerodynamic data were acquired from a six-component force and moment balance in static-model sweeps from α = -5 to 85 deg. and β = -45 to 45 deg. at a Reynolds number of 0.24x10⁶ and Mach number of 0.06. The 3.5% scale GTM was tested in both the clean configuration and with full-span artificial ice shapes attached to the leading edges of the wing, horizontal and vertical tail. Aerodynamic results for the clean airplane configuration compared favorably with similar experiments carried out on a 5.5% scale GTM.

Many vehicle-dynamics models exist to study the motion of a vehicle. Most of these models fall into one of two categories: very simple models for basic analyses and high-order models consisting of many degrees-of-freedom. For many scenarios, the simple models are not adequate. At the same time, for many vehicle handling and braking studies, the high-order models are more complex than necessary. This paper presents a model that includes the dynamics that are relevant to studying vehicle handling and braking, but is still simple enough to run in near real-time. The model was implemented in such a way that it is easily customized for a particular study. Predictions from this simplified model were compared against a high-order model and against actual vehicle test data. The simulations indicate a close agreement in the results.

During the NASA/FAA Tailplane Icing Program, pilot evaluations of aircraft flying qualities were conducted with various ice shapes attached to the horizontal tailplane of the NASA Twin Otter Icing Research Aircraft. Initially, only NASA pilots conducted these evaluations, assessing the differences in longitudinal flight characteristics between the baseline or clean aircraft, and the aircraft configured with an Ice Contaminated Tailplane (ICT). Longitudinal tests included Constant Airspeed Flap Transitions, Constant Airspeed Thrust Transitions, zero-G Pushovers, Repeat Elevator Doublets, and, Simulated Approach and Go-Around tasks. Later in the program, guest pilots from government and industry were invited to fly the NASAT win Otter configured with a single full-span artificial ice shape attached to the leading edge of the horizontal tailplane.

The linked cell system gives both reduced cost and volume flexibility. The characteristics of the linked cell system are a consequence of decoupling the operators from the machines, using standard work in process between the cells and by integrating the information system with the cell and system design. By decoupling the operators from the machines the capacity can be increased/decreased in small increments by using more or fewer operators in the cell. The information system is integrated with the linked cell design by the use of a Heijunka box. The Heijunka is used to level production and to initiate the pace of production as a result of pulling withdrawal kanban at a standard time interval. This standard time interval is called the pitch of production. The kanban cards give information about what to produce, when to produce, when to make changeovers but they also give information to control the material replenishment.

We report on a feasibility study of an optical micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) flow sensor to measure flow rate using Moiré fringe displacement of a floating element. Due to constraints on weight, power, and size for space environmental systems, the development of sensor components that minimize the equivalent systems mass (ESM) while maintaining or exceeding required specifications is highly desirable. A feature of the optical detection method is a physical separation of electrical components from the flow stream. The geometric Moiré fringe shift optically amplifies small displacements by the ratio of the fringe pitch to the movable grating pitch that is detected using an external CCD imager, providing an electrically isolated, robust, direct scheme for detecting flow from shear stress induced displacement.

In an engine system, the piston pin is subjected to high loading and severe lubrication conditions, and pin seizures still occur during new engine development. A better understanding of the lubricating oil behavior and the dynamics of the piston pin could lead to cost- effective solutions to mitigate these problems. However, research in this area is still limited due to the complexity of the lubrication and the pin dynamics. In this work, a numerical model that considers structure deformation and oil cavitation was developed to investigate the lubrication and dynamics of the piston pin. The model combines multi-body dynamics and elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication. A routine was established for generating and processing compliance matrices and further optimized to reduce computation time and improve the convergence of the equations. A simple built-in wear model was used to modify the pin bore and small end profiles based on the asperity contact pressures.