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Technology at a Glance is a quarterly newsletter from the National Institute of Standards and Technology reporting on research results, funding programs, and manufacturing extension and technology services. If you have comments or general questions about this newsletter or if you would like to receive the four-page, color newsletter in hard copy, please email your mailing address to Gail Porter, editor, or call (301) 975-3392. About Technology at a Glance. [Technology at a Glance Search] [Technology at a Glance Archives] |
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Making Car Engines the 21st-Century WayOne day soon the ubiquitous, gas-guzzling sport utility vehicle may become a leaner, cleaner machine. The reason behind this transformation could well be a thick, brightly colored plastic putty, shoved into the intake manifold during the engine manufacturing process. This special abrasive goo (technically a viscoelastic media impregnated with grit) is made for smoothing and shaping cast airway passages by Extrude Hone, a small Irwin, Pa., company. The technology increases the functional precision of cast-metal parts, thereby enhancing combustion efficiency. Combined with a similar treatment for manufacturing combustion chambers, Extrude Hone's machined parts can boost an engine's performance by up to 6 percent. Until recently, only low-volume, high-value parts (for aircraft engines and specialty cars) were made this way, because the laborious, multi-step process involved repeated machining and testing of parts until the desired performance level was reached. Now the process has been streamlined and given the machine equivalent of a brain, opening the door to mass-market applications. Development of the advanced process control system, which measures the flow characteristics of a part as it is machined, was made possible by support from NIST's Advanced Technology Program, matched by co-funding by Extrude Hone and its joint venture partners. The extent of machining required is determined by a neural network model-a computer architecture modeled on the brain's interconnected system of neurons-which correlates media flow with after-machining measurements of air flow. A laboratory prototype machine to perform this process was built and run on 5,000 intake manifolds, and the increase in functional performance was measured by running numerous tests on engines fitted with the new manifolds. The process likely will be applied by the auto industry first to
sport-utility vehicles and other light-truck classes of autos, which
are most in demand and most affected by fuel-efficiency requirements,
according to a recent ATP economic study (see www.atp.nist.gov/eao/ Contact: Ralph Resnick, ralphr@extrudehone.com, (724) 863-5900. |
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Smokeview: Best Show Yet for Fire
The Fire Dynamics Simulator solves numerical equations to model the movement of smoke and hot gases from a fire, predicting gas temperatures, heat fluxes, gas velocities, and sprinkler activation times. The information is visualized with Smokeview, written with the programming language that is commonly used to make video games. Based on three-dimensional arrays of numbers produced by the FDS, Smokeview's animations of colored particles depict the movement and temperature of the gases emanating from the fire, rendering volumes, slices, or other selected aspects. [A kitchen fire is depicted in the graphic above.] The program is the latest and most sophisticated of NIST fire models because it reveals flow patterns instead of averages, offering greater precision and detail regarding the movement of gases. The programs were developed by NIST Building and Fire Research Laboratory engineers, who expect FDS and Smokeview to be used worldwide by both fire investigators looking into why a fire behaved in a specific way and builders or architects who want to know how detection equipment will react to fires. The programs can be downloaded free of charge from www.fire.nist.gov/fds. Contact: Glenn Forney, (301) 975-2313. |
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Neutrons and the Beginning of Time
The implications of the research are far-reaching, extending back, literally, to the beginning of time. The ability to trap neutrons should allow scientists to improve measurements of the neutron lifetime, an important value for modeling the beginning of the universe. Among the basic particles of matter, neutrons have been confined before, but this experiment, reported earlier this year in the journal Nature, featured a novel approach. The neutrons were slowed to velocities of a few meters per second in a liquid helium bath-slow enough to prevent their escape from a three-dimensional magnetic trap. Although neutrons have no net charge, they act like tiny bar magnets, which can point their spins either parallel or anti-parallel to the magnetic field. The scientists created a magnetic field geometry, which contained the neutrons with spin parallel to the field. The graphic shows a cross-section of the magnetic field, with red representing the highest strength, and blue, the lowest. Scientists from NIST participated in the research, which was led by Harvard University and also included researchers from the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Hahn-Meitner Institute. Contact: Paul Huffman, (301) 975-6465. |
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Helping Concrete Go with the FlowA $50 billion industry, concrete is the most commonly used building material. But for something so ubiquitous, building researchers still have a lot to learn about how to optimize the performance of concrete for specific types of jobs. For example, fresh concrete should flow smoothly for easy placement, without sacrificing strength and durability when hardened. With partial funding from Boral Material Technologies and in collaboration with Master Builders Technologies and a committee of the American Concrete Institute, NIST researchers are studying factors affecting the flow of concrete. The basic method for gauging concrete flow has remained essentially
unchanged for a century. A standard cone-shaped mold is filled with
concrete and then the mold is removed. As the concrete spreads under
its own weight, its "slump" is measured. To help develop better instruments
for such tests, NIST researchers have begun simulating how concrete
flows using computer models that take into account the ratio of water
to cement, the amount and sizes of rocks and sand grains, and the
presence of chemicals like "superplasticizers" that improve flow.
This information then is used to help explain the flow behavior of
different concrete mixtures in the laboratory. NIST researchers hope
their results will provide a predictive tool for optimizing concrete
mixtures for specific applications. The graphic to the right is a single frame from a video simulating the flow of concrete between two walls. In this example, forces are being applied to the right along the top and to the left along the bottom, placing the concrete under shear. Various colors are used to represent rock particles of different sizes. The NIST computer models used for these concrete flow simulations also may be applicable for studying the flow of other complex fluids such as polymer blends. Contact: Nicos Martys,
(301) 975-5915. |
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Simulations Look and Feel RealMedical professionals now can learn to perform the dreaded needle stick-the most common medical procedure-and practice certain types of minimally invasive surgery using simulators instead of traditional tools, such as plastic models, cadavers, and animals. The simulators, which offer the high level of realism needed for medical applications at reasonable cost, are based on technologies developed over the past few years by HT Medical Systems, Inc. (Gaithersburg, Md.) with support from NIST's Advanced Technology Program. Among these technologies are a "printing press for medical virtual reality," which can create three-dimensional visual structures from any sequential two-dimensional images; capabilities to model complex natural phenomena, such as the cutting and bleeding of human tissues; and robotic tactile-feedback devices that replicate the "feel" of endoscopic and endovascular procedures. Resulting products include a simulator that combines visual and tactile elements to teach nurses the cognitive and motor skills needed to insert a needle properly into a vein. It already is used in six countries. Contact: Gail Friedman, gfriedman@ht.com, (301) 984-3706. |
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Candy Is More Dandy When the Shipper Is Quicker
Contact: Robert Johnson, robert@manex.org, (510) 249-1480. Fighting Crime with Gunpowder AnalysisLaw enforcement agencies are getting some new scientific tools that are expected to help obtain more courtroom convictions in bombing and handgun crimes. NIST chemists, in conjunction with the National Institute of Justice, have come up with a rational basis for associating samples of unfired gunpowder or ammunition with handgun or pipe bomb residues. Chemists collected residues from handguns fired at a test firing range and analyzed nitroglycerin and stabilizer additives. They also developed a numerical identification ratio for linking residues to unfired powders. In another project, NIST is asking 13 forensic labs to analyze test samples of two commercial gunpowders. This voluntary interlaboratory comparison is designed to demonstrate their proficiency in gunpowder measurements, thereby making forensic gunpowder analysis more defensible in criminal prosecutions. These efforts will help forensic laboratories keep pace with a growing number of gunshot and explosives residue analyses. Contact: Bill MacCrehan, (301) 975-3122. Match-Making Software Will Help Finger CriminalsSmudged and partial fingerprints found at crime scenes will be easier to match to convicted criminals and fugitives thanks to new software developed by NIST and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Until now, it has been impossible to match poor-quality crime scene fingerprints electronically with prints in the FBI database of convicts and fugitives. The new computer program enhances low-quality fingerprints for electronic matching and makes it possible to search the entire database, instead of only part of it. Additionally, it allows police departments in different states to exchange fingerprint information directly, instead of working through a national database. Law enforcement agencies around the country are testing the new software, the latest in a 30-year series of NIST/FBI efforts to enhance and automate the very laborious process of fingerprint analysis. Contact: Michael Garris, (301) 975-2928. Tell It to Your PC, Doc
Contact: Richard Johannes, (781) 788-4825, no e-mail available. |
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![]() Smooth RideIn its quest to produce the smoothest and most reliable suspension system, Ford Motor Co. asked the NIST Center for Neutron Research to study whether a new process for making springs-cold-coiling-left residual stresses consistent with well-established theoretical models. NIST researchers used highly penetrating neutron radiation to probe the interatomic distances in several prototype springs. From the variations in these distances, they derived the residual stress field contained within the springs. They found that the residual stresses were at a manageable level and commensurate with the theoretical models. NIST also performed research that will enable Ford to check for residual stress on the factory floor. Contact: Paul Brand, (301) 975-5072. Sulfur StandardsNIST measurement standards for sulfur in fossil fuels have saved the fossil fuel industry $113 for every dollar NIST spent on their development, according to a new economic impact study prepared for NIST by the Research Triangle Institute. The standards program, in operation since 1984, has produced a net value to society of more than $409 million while also generating more than $78 million in environmental benefits. Fossil fuel producers and their industrial customers use the NIST standards to verify the accuracy of their measurements of sulfur in coal and petroleum products. The study is available online at www.nist.gov/director/prog-ofc/report00-1.pdf. For a paper copy, e-mail dherbert@ nist.gov. Lean ManufacturingThanks to a partnership between centers in NIST's Manufacturing Extension Partnership's nationwide network and Productivity Inc., small manufacturing firms now have access to a new training course in the "lean enterprise" series. The lean enterprise approach eliminates manufacturing activities or actions that add no real value to the product or service. Field manufacturing specialists at MEP centers will receive training in Productivity's course on "The 5S System," previously available only to large manufacturers, which teaches plant managers how to apply the five "pillars" of workplace organization and standardization: sort, set in order, shine, standardize, and sustain. Contact: Maria Elena Stopher, (301) 975-5106. Small manufacturers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico can reach their local NIST MEP affiliate by calling (800) MEP-4MFG (637-4634). |
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About Technology at a Glance:NIST is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Technology Administration. NIST promotes US economic growth by working with industry to develop and apply technology, measurements, and standards. Technology at a Glance is produced by Public and Business Affairs, NIST, 100 Bureau Dr., Stop 3460, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-3460. Any mention of commercial products is for information only; it does not imply recommendation or endorsement by NIST. Technology at a Glance Editor: Gail Porter, (301) 975-3392, email: gail.porter@nist.gov. For patent information, call (301) 975-3084. Technology at a Glance Archive Files
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