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Electroimpact Automatic Fiber Placement (AFP) machines lay-up composite parts by accurately placing carbon fiber tow (strips of impregnated carbon fiber) on a mould. In order to achieve high accuracy at high speeds, the processes of feeding and cutting tows must be tuned. Historically, the tuning has been a time-consuming, manual process. This paper will present a methodology to replace manual measurements with an automated laser, improve measurement speed by an order of magnitude, improve accuracy from +/? 0.020? (manual) to +/? 0.015? (laser), and eliminate human error. Presenter Joshua Cemenska, Electroimpact Inc.

A series of flight tests were conducted to design and evaluate a Combined Vision System (CVS) that integrates a forward looking infrared video image with synthetic vision on a primary flight display. System features included colorizing the video image to mesh with the synthetic terrain background, decluttering the approach symbology to facilitate the detection of the approach lights and runway markings, creating a semi-transparent IR sky to ensure continuous situational awareness of the surrounding terrain, and annunciating the decision height to facilitate the transition to the actual runway environment. Over 100 approaches were flown during three flight test sessions. For the first flight test session pilots reviewed early CVS proofs of concept on Honeywell's Citation Sovereign.

This paper presents a novel method and system for an electric power alternating-current (AC)-to-direct-current (DC) converter employing composite technology. The term composite entails utilization of more than one type of conversion operating in parallel. In addition, background information for the prior art, based on conventional autotransformer rectifier units (ATRUs), and active converters are discussed. The major requirements of AC-to-DC converters from both functional and protection perspectives are provided. The concept of the new approach is defined. Comparative analysis between the new and old methods is documented. The performance features and technical details of the system parameters with respect to AC-to-DC converter system requirements are presented and discussed. Analysis, simulation results, and test data are included. Finally, the advantages of this technology, which nearly doubles power density compared to the state-of-the-art, are summarized and a conclusion included.

Many of the certification regulations in 14 CFR Part 25 are by design, broad and as such, can be subject to large differences in the interpretation of what constitutes adequate compliance. Advisory Circulars (AC's) were developed for many of the regulations to assist industry, as well as certification personnel, with what is considered an acceptable, but not the only means, of compliance. However, there are many regulations where no advisory material is available. In these cases, the “acceptable means” of compliance can vary to a greater degree among the various aircraft certification offices. This difficulty is aggravated as new applicants and regulatory personnel enter the certification field. Recent discussions and interpretations on the usage of an avionic unit's mean time between failure or MTBF for its detectable faults as the basic repair rate for undetected or latent faults, is a subject area where no significant advisory material exists.

The cascaded distiller CD5 is a 5-stage, rotary vacuum distiller developed jointly by Honeywell International (USA) and Thermodistillation Co. (Kiev, Ukraine) for processing of human urine and other streams of waste water onboard a spacecraft during long-duration missions. Initial performance testing of the first model of the distiller CD5-1 was conducted at the Thermodistillation laboratory in Kiev in 1999. Results of testing demonstrated superior performance of the machine, but also indicated that performance could be improved. This paper reports on performance of the next generation of the distiller, CD5-2, which is an improved model of the cascaded distiller CD5-1.

Since the 1960s, aerospace research and development (R&D) has been on a quest to eliminate oil lubrication systems from gas turbine engines. Beginning with small solar power dynamic “engines” for space applications, U.S. Government and industry have invested millions of dollars to mature this technology for incorporation into modern aircraft propulsion engines. This paper traces the evolution of oil-free rotor support systems that have actually been tested in advanced demonstrators, and the technology that enables this revolutionary engine configuration. However, this technology has yet to be fielded in aerospace products. The key factors of 45 years of Government and industry R&D and a vision to mature oil-free gas turbine engines are presented herein.