Aerospace

Compact Engine Offers Quiet, Clean Power

Ismaning, Germany - Many machines feature bearing housings or other parts with semi-circular reference surfaces. Alignment via traditional taut-wire techniques and precision-ground shafts works for conventional applications. But such methods are labor intensive, and may fall short on jobs that...

April 10, 1995

Federal role in technology redefined by Capital Hill By the end of the year, government involvement in developing and promoting technology could change sharply. That, at least, is an aim of Republican leaders in Congress. Especially vulnerable are programs that border on industrial policy. Top...

March 27, 1995

Automotive

Boise, ID- With the Environmental Protection Agency's emissions standards for 1996 calling for cleaner industrial engines, designers are scrambling for replacements. One candidate is the Stirling Engine, which was patented in 1816 by Robert Stirling, a young Scottish minister. The Stirling engine...

Pulse of the OEM

March 06, 1995

Five-axis gantry does it all

Communication Equipment: UP One of the hottest high-tech sectors continues to be communication equipment-a broad array of consumer and business products that includes cellular phones, fax machines, satellite and cable-TV equipment. Through 11 months of 1994, dollar value of new orders for these...

March 06, 1995

Quartz accelerometer eliminates A/D conversion error

Dayton, OH --By combining compact, rigid construction with an innovative drive, a new five-axis gantry offers fast, accurate digitizing and machining. The huge system plows new ground for automakers, shipbuilders, and airframe manufacturers with its unprecedented combination of size and speed. The...

March 06, 1995

X-31: Prelude to tailless flight?

Concord, CA-- To find their way around the sky, modern aircraft depend on accurate velocity and positional data generated by an inertial navigation system (INS). A typical INS includes several gyroscopes and, increasingly, miniature accelerometers. These accelerometers generally produce an analog...

February 20, 1995

Thermopolymer-driven actuators challenge hydraulics

M ission: Demonstrate the use of thrust vectoring-coupled with advanced flight controls-to provide enhanced flight maneuverability at very high angles of attack. Mission accomplished: Flight tests yield an almost 10:1 kill ratio, far surpassing the optimistic 3:1 ratio predicted by simulation. The...

February 20, 1995