Technology Bulletin 679

DN Staff

February 1, 1999

8 Min Read
Technology Bulletin

Radiation-hardened Pentium processor to travel in space

Microchips--the kind used in everything from personal computers to auto electronics to breadmaking machines--work fine in their intended environment. But if you try to operate one of these chips in the presence of ionizing radiation, the kind that satellites encounter in space, it won't function correctly. To overcome this problem, Intel Corp. will provide a royalty-free license for its Pentium(R) processor design to Sandia National Labs. to develop custom-made microprocessors for U.S. space and defense purposes. The agreement should save U.S. taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in microprocessor design costs, while providing the federal government with a 10-fold increase in processing power. Sandia was chosen for the project because of its design and microelectronic fabrication operations. Prototypes of the custom chips will be made and tested at Sandia's Microelectronics Development Lab in Albuquerque, NM. For larger quantities, Sandia will seek the participation of specialty commercial suppliers that traditionally serve the rad-hard IC needs of defense and space markets. E-mail [email protected]

Technology uncovers asbestos, radiation problems in buildings

At present, core samples must be sent to a lab in order to identify asbestos or to determine the depth of radiation contamination in walls made of concrete or similar materials. Such samples cost time and money. They also run the risk of releasing radioactivity into the air. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst. have developed non-destructive techniques that they feel can do the job better and at less cost. The Dept. of Energy agrees, and has awarded George Xu, assistant professor of environmental and energy engineering, a three-year contract to further explore the technology and develop a prototype portable system. In his research, Xu realized it was theoretically possible to use gamma spectroscopy to determine the depth profile of radiation contamination without core sampling. Xu is collaborating with Physics Professor Xi-Chen Zhang on the project, using Zhang's real-time electro-optic terahertz sensing system. Instead of the portion of the spectrum used for x-rays, this system, known as "T-rays," creates very sharp images using terahertz signals located between infrared and microwave radiation on the spectrum. Preliminary tests have shown that different types of asbestos result in unique signals that can serve as "fingerprints" to detect the carcinogens. E-mail [email protected]

Liquid membrane technology portends lower-cost purification

EPRI, the science and technology organization for the energy industry, together with SRI International, Spectrum Labs. Inc., and Edison Technology Solutions, will form a new company, Facilichem, to develop a novel liquid membrane purification technology. Know as FacilimaxTM, the technology could greatly reduce the economic and environmental costs of separating gases, liquids, and contaminants from mixtures, according to its sponsors. It also could be used to process industrial gases, waste, and wastewater, and to separate components in the chemical, food processing, agricultural, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries. Historically, the major drawback of liquid-membrane separation centers on its short life for commercial-scale industrial use. FaciliMax will provide exceptional access to the liquid membrane compartment, says Abhoyjit Bhown, president of the new company and inventor of the technology during his tenure at SRI. This, in turn, will enable constant replenishment of the separating agent to provide an economically feasible purification process, Bhown predicts. E-mail [email protected]

Winter road maintenance goes high-tech

Three years ago, the Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota departments of transportation formed a consortium to design and develop an advanced winter maintenance truck. They now have prototypes on the road. The vehicles start out as a standard tandem axle truck with a 50,000-lb gross vehicle weight. Iowa and Minnesota's trucks have dump boxes, while the Michigan truck has a chassis-mounted material spreader and brine tank. All three trucks include front, wing, and underbody plows. But here's where the conventional features stop. The prototypes also feature a global positioning system receiver that determines the location of the vehicle every five seconds. This data is recorded by an on-board system known as Plowmaster and developed by Rockwell especially for the prototypes. The trucks also come equipped with newly designed liquid and granular spreading equipment that dispenses dry, prewetted, or liquid material for deicing or anticing operations. Other additions include: a system that automatically injects ethanol fuel whenever an engine power boost is needed; fiber-optic lighting that provides more visibility during storms and whiteout conditions; and a custom-designed friction measuring device that records the friction of the road surface, then signals the driver and the on-board computer when more chemicals need to be applied to prevent slippery roads. E-mail [email protected],[email protected]

'Green' labels address plastic recycling issues

Durable goods manufacturers demand lower recycling costs, a major reduction in waste materials, and enhanced economic and environmental benefits. 3M has answered these demands by creating 3MTM Recycling-compatible Label Materials suited for plastic housings made of ABS, PC, PC/ABS, and HIPS. The result: significant improvements for the electronics and computer industry's plastic recycling programs. Until now, identification labels had to be removed before recycling plastic components due to the fact that traditional pigments, films, and adhesives used to make the labels were different from the components' base materials. Removing the labels proves labor-intensive and costly. If left on, however, the labels might contaminate the recycling process and result in a lower-grade plastic unsuited for use as a raw material. The 3M labels consist of a modified polymer film in a white matte finish and a compatible, high-performance acrylic adhesive. Tests have shown the labels can perform in temperatures from -40 to 200F, 90% humidity, and resist detergents, engine cleaners, transformer oils, and diesel fuels. E-mail [email protected]

Molding technology produces low-cost, low-volume composites

Premix Inc. has developed a patented composite- molding compound technology that operates as a closed-molding system. Called OpTorr, the technology produces low-volume composite products said to have the same characteristics as sheet molding compound (SMC). The innovation, according to Warren Owens, vice president, Compound Molding Group, resides in its ability to be used with polymer and other low-cost tooling alternatives at 100 psi and cure at 200F. This enables the process to easily fill ribs and details using less expensive compression presses. The development is especially timely, Owens notes, given the increased scrutiny manufacturers are under by the EPA to control emission levels during production. As a result, Owens notes that many potential Premix customers have indicted a wish to abandon open-molding in favor of a closed-molding system. "OpTorr has been under development since 1995, when we conducted extensive research and identified a significant market need for a low-pressure, low-temperature composite system," Owens adds. "Though there are other composite alternatives on the market, ours is the only system that provides excellent flowability and processing, while allowing manufacturers to abandon less-efficient processes that are difficult to perform within environmental guidelines." FAX (440) 224-2766

Fiber-reinforced polymer promises less expensive bridge repairs

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) estimates that 31% of the nation's bridges are substandard. Several factors contribute to the problem: aging structures, lower durability because of airborne pollutants and deicing salts, increased daily traffic, more frequent vehicle overloads, and insufficient repair funds. A bridge rehabilitation project funded by the Georgia Dept. of Transportation (GDOT) in cooperation with the FHWA may provide a solution to the problem, at least when it comes to longer-lasting, less expensive repairs. The initial project, conducted by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, involves the use of high-performance, carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) to strengthen and extend the life of a bridge in Murray County, GA. The contractors used sheets of the FRP material to repair the bridge's pile caps. The work took only four days. Two types of FRP materials used on the bridge weigh two and five ounces a square foot--only a fraction of the weight of traditional steel plates used for bridge repair. "Ease of installation is a definite advantage of FRP materials," says Abdul-Hamid Zureick, a professor in Georgia Tech's School of Civil and Environmental Engineering involved in the project. "Its kind of like pasting on wallpaper." E-mail [email protected]

Theory Center grant to study how cracks develop in materials

A tiny, invisible crack in the aluminum-alloy skin of an airplane can sometimes propogate into a major fissure, causing the skin to tear open in flight. A new research program at Cornell University aims to understand how this happens, starting at the level of atoms and working up. The National Science Foundation awarded a $1.5 million, three-year grant to the Cornell Theory Center to get the project underway. Called Multiscale Modeling of Defects in Solids, the project will enable researchers to create computer simulations that show how defects at the atomic level can lead to changes at increasingly larger scales, up to the visible cracks seen and measured in the everyday world. Multiscale modeling, explains James P. Sethna, Cornell professor of physics, comprises one aspect of a larger project called the Digital Material, a software environment where researchers can build simulations of materials on many levels. "The goal is to understand how metals and other solids form defects as they age and fatigue," Sethna reveals. FAX (607) 255-5373

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