NATL INST. OF STAND & TECH

A 11ID 7 ESTfiMb

Reference

IMBS

PUBLICATIONS

National

Bureau of

Standards

-QC100

.U57

No. 679

1986
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Malcolm Baldrige, Secretary

National Bureau of Standards

Ernest Ambler, Director

National Bureau of Standards

Gaithersburg, MD 20899

(301) 921-1000

National Bureau of Standards

Boulder, CO 80303

(303) 497-3000

NBS Special Publication 679

Revised April 1986

Supersedes NBS Special Publication 679

July 1984 Edition

Library of Congress

Catalog Card Number:

84-601089

CODEN: XNBSAV

Prepared by the

Public Information Division A903 Administration Building

National Bureau of Standards

Gaithersburg, MD 20899

301/921-3181
Contents

NBS Gaithersburg laboratories.

NBS Boulder laboratories.

Foreword 2

Institute for Materials Science and Engineering 3

National Engineering Laboratory 7

Center for Manufacturing Engineering

Center for Chemical Engineering

Center for Fire Research

Center for Building Technology

Center for Applied Mathematics

Center for Electronics and Electrical Engineering

National Measurement Laboratory

Center for Basic Standards

Center for Radiation Research

Center for Chemical Physics

Center for Analytical Chemistry

Office of Measurement Services

Office of Standard Reference Data

Institute for Computer Sciences

and Technology

Special Programs

International Affairs

Office of Research and Technology Applications

Office of Product Standards Policy

Resources

Directory

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N3S

RESEARCH

INFORMATION CENTER

X

J

1
ooking at where we are today and where we want

to be— both for the National Bureau of Standards

as an institution and the nation as a whole—one

basic fact keeps coming to mind. Our knowledge and

technology are this country's major asset and advantage, both in ensuring domestic strength and health and

in competing with other nations. That means we must make the most of our research resources—our equip- ment as well as our people. Cooperation in research and development is one obvious answer. This is something that we have been doing since NBS was established

in 1901 as the nation's physical sciences, measurement,

and engineering laboratory. As an agency of the Depart- ment of Commerce, NBS has made cooperation with in- dustry a way of doing business, and it has served as a model for cooperative arrangements which are becoming more popular today as industry, universities, and gov- ernment form research partnerships all across the country. We are using cost-sharing arrangements with others whenever and wherever possible, and this brochure

provides a number of examples of our cooperative endeavors.

But cooperation in research and development will not be enough. Doing the research is only half the battle. The results of this research must be incorporated into new ideas, new processes, and new products. New tech- nology must diffuse throughout our industries, and dif- fuse more rapidly than it does now. We need to think about cooperation in the transfer and diffusion of tech- nology in the same way that we have addressed cooperation in research and development.

NBS is taking a lead here, too. We spend a good deal

of time with visiting scientists, engineers, and managers

from industrial firms. About 200 of these specialists work

at NBS each year as research associates, with their sponsoring organizations paying their salaries. They come to NBS to conduct research, but they also come

to learn how they can put our work to use.

We have taken other steps to encourage technology

transfer, by holding literally hundreds of conferences,

workshops, and seminars each year, by encouraging our

staff to publish results of their work as broadly as possible, and by working actively with professional and technical societies and standards organizations. We are using

videotapes to explain our research so that others can

take advantage of our work. We now are making many

of our databases and experts available through computer networks, and we are considering expanding this service so that industry will be able to tap into even more of our information. We will continue to look for new outlets, new ways to disseminate our research results and services throughout the U.S. economy. I am convinced that as a nation we must all join together to develop creative ways to transfer technology, just as we now seem to be develop

mg the capacity to conduct research together. There is not much choice if we want this country to be competitive in a changing world economy.

Ernest Ambler

Director
Institute for Materials Science and Engineering
mong the materials of the future are advanced

high-performance ceramics, which have unique

properties that make them well-suited for use in electronics, sensors, cutting tools, biomedical devices,

and advanced heat engines. The Institute for Materials Science and Engineering has begun to investigate the

relationships among the synthesis, microstructure, properties, and performance of these ceramic materials. In their initial work, researchers are emphasizing new

chemical approaches to synthesizing the submicron,

multicomponent powders needed by industry to pro- duce such complex ceramics. They have established

laboratory facilities to study the synthesis and

characterization of advanced ceramics. Other re- searchers are examining various properties of finished ceramics and developing a unique program to measure

their high-temperature wear characteristics. Another class of advanced materials is polymer-matrix

composites. Polymers reinforced with high-strength

fibers such as graphite or glass have outstanding

strength and stiffness for their weight. They are now

found extensively in aerospace applications and will be

used increasingly in automobiles and construction. The

Institute is developing measurement methods to investi- gate and control composite processing to aid industry in controlling product quality while increasing production

efficiency. IMSE is also investigating the mechanisms by

which fiber-reinforced composites fail. The test methods

and data produced by this program should lead to im- proved composite materials and better ways to predict the materials' useful service lives. One of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. synthetic polymer industry is the production of polymer

blends, which are mixtures of two or more polymers.

These materials are particularly useful as engineering

plastics designed to replace metals in products such as

gears, pumps, and machine housings. When a polymer

blend is processed, the component polymers separate

into phases of different compositions, affecting many of

its useful properties. The Institute's polymer blends pro- cessing program is focused on measurement methods,

data, predictive models, and general theoretical descriptions that will form a scientific basis for optimizing control

of blend processing. Researchers will use the small- angle neutron scattering (SANS) facility at the NBS re- search reactor to study the mechanism by which poly- mers separate from each other.

In addition to advanced ceramics and polymers, electro- optic materials help perform many of the dream feats of

forward-thinking engineers. IMSE has begun a program

to measure the optical properties of thin-film materials and to study their dependence on processing characteristics. This research will contribute scientific knowledge

to the ongoing effort to improve the performance of materials in optical information-processing devices and

systems.

In the future, many products made of advanced materials will be produced in automated manufacturing facilities. These facilities will use nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques to monitor product quality. Advanced

NDE techniques can now monitor important material properties and product parameters. The Institute's NDE

program is developing the science base, measurement

methods, and standards that will be needed to use NDE

for process control in automated manufacturing plants. The trend toward automated manufacturing is also ex- pected to affect welding. NBS collaborated with industry

to establish the American Welding Institute (AWI), which

will study and disseminate information about advanced

welding technology. One of AWI's high-priority pro- grams will focus on automated welding. NBS will study

how flaws are formed during this welding process by

conducting controlled solidification experiments in

Discussing quasicrystal structures

in alloys are (I. to r.) Daniel Shechtman,

Israel Institute of Technology; Frank

Biancaniello, NBS;

Denis Gratias, National

Science Research

Center, France; John

Cahn, NBS; Leonid

Bendersky, Johns

Hopkins University; and

Robert Schaefer, NBS.

The discovery of quasicrystal structures

in materials challenges

a 100-year-old theory of crystallography, and

the existence of quasicrystals may make it possible to produce

materials with radically different properties.
model materials. The experiments will use acoustic emission and ultrasonic techniques to detect flaws as

they are formed in the welded material. These experi- ments should lead to better control of defect formation, more effective feedback control for thick-section weld

automation, and improved weld efficiencies for specific processes. To provide the science base for the materials of the

future, the Institute organizes its research around four technical "themes": materials processing, microstructure characterization, properties, and performance.

Scientists from each IMSE division plan and coordinate

activities in each of these areas. For example, there is a coordinated effort within the

Institute to measure, collect, and evaluate phase

diagram data for the processing of metal alloys, ceramics, and polymer-blend materials. This information

is used in the development of new materials and the design of new materials processes. The Institute, in col- laboration with professional societies, periodically

publishes phase diagrams for alloys and ceramics and

makes them available to researchers and industrial users. A large body of evaluated data is being converted into computerized files so that it will be available

to users through on-line access. The Institute's phase

diagram work is carried out cooperatively with the American Society for Metals, the American Ceramics

Society, and the Society of Plastics Engineers. Ex- perimental results for metals, ceramics, and plastics are compiled and evaluated by authorities in 35 data

centers throughout the world. In addition to providing

phase diagram data, the Institute carries out experimental and theoretical research in support of the data program. An example of the Institute's activity in microstructure

characterization is the work carried out at the SANS

facility. This facility is used to study microstructure and

flaw development in new structural ceramics, to observe

precipitation transformations in supersaturated metallic systems, and to characterize molecular structure and

conformation in polymer blends. Similar work will be carried out with the NBS/Naval Research Laboratory beam

lines at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brook- haven National Laboratory. Researchers will use real- time topography for kinetic studies of solidification; small-angle x-ray scattering to measure block copolymer

structural features; and interface/inelastic spectroscopy

for characterizing multilayer metal-metal oxide coatings.

Research on the properties of materials focuses on wear characterization, measurements, and standards for metals, ceramics, and polymer-matrix composites. Re- searchers characterize metal-to-metal wear under both

clean and abrasive conditions as well as the wear of lubricated surfaces. They develop measurement

methods for wear-resistant materials and provide

reference materials for calibrating wear test equipment.

Institute scientists are investigating the erosion of refrac- tory materials by experimentally observing the effects of single-particle indentation. Their research has also shown that the wear of a polymer-matrix composite is in- fluenced by ambient liquids which soften the matrix. Performance is a crucial characteristic of all materials. A major materials performance problem is environmentally induced cracking. For example, stress corrosion can cause cracking in engineering alloys; hydrogen embrittlement can crack high-strength steels; cracking in glasses and ceramics is often induced by water vapor; and environmental stresses can crack ethylene-based

plastics. Toward the goal of reducing such damage, Institute researchers establish the basic mechanisms of the cracking processes and develop test methods to determine the failure resistance of various materials. As part of its general program, the Institute operates

several large facilities, which are used extensively by

guest scientists and research associates from academia

and industrial research institutions from across the country. One is a nuclear reactor dedicated to materials and

radiation standards research. Another is a metals- processing facility capable of modifying surfaces with electron beams and by laser melting, as well as pro- viding measurements of sample quality and microstructure. Together with the Naval Research Laboratory, the

Institute has led an effort to construct hard radiation branch lines at the National Synchrotron Light Source.

This facility permits unique experimental work in materials characterization. The Institute is also developing a cold neutron source

facility for advanced materials research. The facility is being designed to contain a low-background radiation experimental hall and up to 15 new instrument stations.

It will be managed and operated as a national research

facility for industrial, university, and government

scientists. Cold neutron beams can augment research in virtually every branch of materials science. Some of the experi- ments planned for the new facility will focus on the magnetic properties of new advanced alloys, the growth of

Chemist Kay

Hardman-Rhyne

conducts small-angle neutron scattering ex- periments at the 20- megawatt NBS research

reactor to observe

crystal structure and

microdefects in ceramics.

5
Metallurgist Joanne

Murray displays a

typical alloy phase

diagram. Such diagrams

are used in the development of new materials

and the design of new

materials processes.

cracks and nature of voids in new advanced ceramics,

the distribution of dopants in advanced semiconductor

materials, development of new catalytic materials for petroleum refining, and measurement of the size and

shape of engineered biomolecules.

In addition to managing and carrying out these facili- ties and programs, the Institute supports fundamental

theoretical work in phase stability and materials fracture. This work is basic to all of its technical programs and to materials science research throughout the United

States. Many of the Institute's prominent research activities are

carried out in cooperation with industrial organizations,

which fund the work of research associates at the Bureau. For example, Exxon has supported research in characterizing polymer blends with small-angle neutron

scattering; General Electric has used NBS' unique time- domain dielectric spectrometer for polymer measurements; Martin Marietta has cooperated in characterizing resins used on the space shuttle. Ongoing cooperative programs involve: The American Society for Metals—evaluation and

dissemination of computerized alloy phase diagrams

and bibliographic information worldwide with funding

support from industry.

The American Ceramic Society—establishment of computer access to phase diagrams and dissemination

of phase diagrams of interest to ceramists. The

American Ceramic Society will develop industry support

and disseminate the phase diagrams and related information. The Society for Plastics Engineers—development

and dissemination of data on thermodynamic behavior

of polymer blends. This information will be published

through the National Standard Reference Data System

at NBS.

The American Iron and Steel Institute— research aimed at development of process control sensors for the

steel industry. The joint program concentrates on rapid

on-line measurement of temperature distributions and

automatic detection of porosity in hot steel. The National Association of Corrosion Engineers

(NACE)—provision of evaluated corrosion data on alloys and other materials. NBS supplies technical guidance

and NACE develops program and funding support from

industry.

The American Dental Association—development of dramatically improved tooth restorative adhesives and more effective fluoridation treatments based on

understanding of tooth mineral phase diagrams. This research is part of a 58-year-old cooperative program

partly supported by the National Institute of Dental Research. The American Welding Institute (AWI)—

establishment of the AWI/NBS Welding Data Bank for rapid dissemination of welding data to U.S. industry and

improvement of narrow gap, thick-plate welding pro- cesses in order to increase industrial productivity.

The Welding Research Council—development of improved weld procedure qualification methods.

The Joint Committee on Powder Diffraction Standards/International Centre for Diffraction Data (JCPDS/ICDD)—critical evaluation of powder diffraction data, measurement of reference data, and dissemination of results. The JCPDS/ICDD provides funding support through sales of the Powder Diffraction File. They

also disseminate publications and a computer file from

the Crystal Data Center maintained by NBS.
National Engineering Laboratory

j

From basic studies of the

subtle behavior of microelectronic circuits to their work in engineering stan- dards, the staff of the NBS

National Engineering Laboratory (NEL) apply their expertise in engineering

and scientific measure- ment to a broad spectrum

of national concerns. NEL scientists and engi- neers conduct research in engineering and the applied sciences. They study

problems in electronics, automation and manufacturing, chemical engineering, the behavior (and

prevention) of fires, and

the design and construction

of buildings. NEL re- searchers also provide the

nation with state-of-the-art measurement and calibration services in these

areas. Their research and

services in applied mathematical and computer sci- ences support technical programs throughout the Bureau. To provide a more

precise voltage ref- erence for maintaining

the U.S. legal volt. NBS

is exploring the use of superconducting microelectronic circuits. Here, electronics engi- neer Richard Kautz

lowers a prototype into a liquid helium dewar

for testing.
Center for Manufacturing Engineering

or over a century U.S. factories have led the world

in production of material goods. From appliances

to aircraft, the domestic manufacture of products

having discrete parts annually adds $200 billion to the gross national product. This keystone of the U.S. econ- omy, under major challenge from foreign competitors,

operates on a system of measurements and standards supported by the NBS Center for Manufacturing Engineering (CME).

Through its measurement services, the Center pro- vides manufacturers with access to the national stan- dards of length, force, and related quantities such as

surface texture, acceleration, and acoustical power. The

Center's standards activities give industry the technical support it needs to develop voluntary standards for mechanical manufacturing. To extend and improve measurements and the technical basis for standards in these

areas, CME conducts research in measurement science,

precision engineering, robotics, and software for automated manufacturing systems.

A focal point for the Center's measurement and stan- dards work for the "factory of the future" is the Automated Manufacturing Research Facility (AMRF).

Scheduled to be fully operational by the end of 1986,

the AMRF is a research form of an advanced flexible manufacturing system made up of robots and machine

tools working together under computer control. A cooperative industry-university-government project, the AMRF has received substantial funding from the

U.S. Navy, and $3.5 million in equipment has been

loaned or donated by industry. Thirty-eight research

associates from industry and researchers from 20 uni- versities work collaboratively with NBS staff on various aspects of the AMRF.

The AMRF consists of a number of work stations, which typically have a numerically controlled machine

tool, a robot, and a computer controller. The work sta- tions are organized into cells, which are supplied by a

materials handling system and controlled through a computer network. Upon completion, the AMRF will be

capable of carrying raw metal material through a series

of machining operations to produce a finished, in- spected part from a computer design of that part, all under automatic computer control.

In the AMRF, the Center is addressing two critical problems in computer-integrated manufacturing, the basis of the factory of the future. The first problem is to get

robots, computers, and machine tools from different manufacturers to communicate and work together in an

integrated system. The second is to find a means for carrying out quality control in a fully automated factory

environment.

A solution to the first problem is the development of interface standards for the many devices, including the

robots, machine tools, sensors, controllers, and computers, which make up an automated factory system. Such

standards permit manufacturers of automated equipment

to design and build interfaces for their products that protect the proprietary aspects of these products while allow- ing them to work with those of other manufacturers. An important example of such an interface standard is the Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES), which was developed by an industry-government coali- tion led by NBS and adopted by the American National Standards Institute, a private voluntary standards organization. IGES allows the transfer of part-design data be- tween computer-aided design (CAD) systems from dif- ferent vendors. Every major producer of CAD systems is now using IGES, and organizations such as the U.S. Navy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and General Motors are writing IGES into procurement specifications. Within the AMRF, NBS has developed and implemented

a hierarchical control system with associated software and database systems as a basis for an entire family of standard interfaces. In such a computer control scheme,

The first spacemade product to be

offered for sale was NBS Standard Reference

Material 1960, 10-micrometer polystyrene

spheres that can be

used to improve microscopic measurements

made in electronics,

medicine, and other

high-technology areas. Physicists Thomas

Lettieri and Arie

Hartman (seated) used

a technique called "center distance find- ing" to make very ac- curate measurements

of the spheres.
Research engineers

Karl Murphy (fore- ground) and Rick Norcross study the per- formance of an experimental parts-deburring

station at the NBS Auto- mated Manufacturing

Research Facility.

the data processing and computation necessary to ac- complish a task is split into discrete levels, with the out- put of higher levels being used as input commands for lower levels, and lower levels furnishing status reports

for higher levels. Each level in the hierarchy accepts

tasks from the level above it and splits those tasks into subtasks that are parceled out to the levels below it. Such

systems tend to be fast and efficient, because they can be designed so that decisions are made no higher in the

architecture than necessary. Center researchers also are working on a solution to the second problem, how to carry out quality control in a fully automated factory. They are devising the means

to automatically monitor and control the manufacturing process so parts are made right the first time. Within the AMRF, researchers have designed and implemented measurement techniques for such process control. The turning center workstation in the AMRF, for example, employs a microcomputer-based error compensation

system for real-time control of the machining process.

This system calculates the positioning error associated

with a particular location of the cutting tool based on

prerecorded data, monitors the temperature of various

parts of the machine tool, and, through its automatic

tool-setting station, checks the position of the tool's cutting edge relative to the machine's coordinate system.

All three elements are used by the system to achieve

high-accuracy in part diameters without dependence on

post-production inspection.

At the same time that it gives measurement and stan- dards support for industry's development of computerintegrated manufacturing to meet a major foreign chal- lenge, the Center also provides 27 percent of the total volume of NBS calibration services and conducts ad- vanced measurement research in all its areas of

responsibility. For example, Center scientists have developed highresolution electron and optical techniques for the cali- bration of the dimensions of industrially important micro- scopic objects. They are using these techniques to cali- brate billions of tiny polystyrene spheres made aboard a NASA space shuttle flight and now being sold as an NBS

Standard Reference Material. The spheres, the first product manufactured in space to be offered for sale. Will be used to improve microscopic measurements made

throughout the economy in electronics, medicine, and

other high-technology areas.

In another project, researchers from CME and the Center for Radiation Research have developed a tech- nique for observing simultaneously the magnetic character of a surface and its physical structure over dimensions as small as 100 angstroms. Combining scanning

electron microscopy with polarization analysis, the tech- nique can be used to study important magnetic materials such as high-density magnetic media for computers.

Collaborative studies with industrial researchers are planned.
Center for Chemical Engineering

he NBS Center for Chemical Engineering (CCE)

provides measurement methods, traceability to national measurement standards, fundamental

chemical engineering science, and reliable evaluated

data and databases. This work helps to strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. industry in the world market, to assure equity in domestic and international trade, and to provide industry with the engineering basis for improved

design and control of chemical processes. Through re- search programs in chemical process metrology, ther- mophysical properties of fluids and solids, and chemical

engineering science, Center researchers develop experimental and theoretical techniques to provide needed

measurements and databases. The results of these ef- forts include calibration and other measurement ser- vices, measurement practices and standards, and engineering data. The CCE staff work closely with trade associations,

steering committees, and consortia of the chemical, pet- rochemical, plastic, gas, petroleum, and paper industries. Their research also contributes to the science base

of the rubber, metals, glass, food, pharmaceutical, and

related industries as well as the chemical engineering

science programs of other government agencies. As the prices of natural gas and oil have risen, in- dustry has sought more precise ways to measure these

fuels. NBS has developed a unique way to make pre- cise gas flow measurements on a mass flow basis. CCE's mass flow facility in Boulder, Colo., has the

capability to test measurement systems with pipelines up to 15 centimeters in diameter. A large heat ex- changer is used to vaporize liquid nitrogen for gas flow

tests at room temperature and high pressure. The gas is recondensed and weighed as a liquid, providing better than normal accuracy. The Gas Research Institute is sponsoring evaluation of orifice meters using this refer- ence measurement technique. In a companion program

supported by the American Petroleum Institute, CCE

researchers at NBS in Gaithersburg, Md., are using a

water test fluid to improve liquid and gas flow measure- ments made by orifice meters. An industry-government consortium of users and

manufacturers is sponsoring research at the Center on

vortex shedding flowmeters, a device that measures a wide range of flow rates. Researchers are designing

computer flow models as well as advanced laser tech- niques to define the meter flow field. Their work will lead

to a fundamental understanding of this type of flowmeter and will give industry the basis for designing and using

improved vortex flowmeters.

10

In response to the long-range needs of the biotech- nology industry, the Center has initiated and sponsored

workshops in collaboration with Lehigh University on

"Process Measurement for Biotechnology" and "Standardization Problems in the Design and Scale Translation of Bioreactors." These workshops complement a

small focused program in the Center on bioreactor measurement and bioseparations. Center researchers are collaborating with an industrial consortium of 13 private firms to develop the properties

needed to exploit supercritical extraction separation

techniques. They are working to develop the equationsof-state and phase equilibria properties of supercritical

Laser tomography

is used by mechanical engineer Steven

Ray to observe hightemperature reactions

important in a number

of industrial processes

such as power and

steam generation, re- covery of materials, and

materials processing.
J

A. Using an ellipsometer, physicist

James Schmidt measures the thickness of extremely thin liquid

layers adsorbed or flowing on solid sur- faces. The thickness

data are then used in the design of more effi- cient heat exchangers

and methods of oil extraction.

fluids (such as carbon dioxide) which can be used as

solvents to dissolve large amounts of other fluids (such as crude oil in oil recovery operations). By lowering the pressure of the mixture, the solute can be recovered

(separated) and the solvent can be reclaimed to be

used again. The use of supercritical fluids may reduce

significantly the cost of chemical separations in many

future industrial processes. Improved energy and equipment efficiencies could

result from the use of various types of membranes to separate and recover desired products from fluid chemical mixtures. The Center is conducting both

theoretical and experimental studies to provide ref- erence data and methods of measuring the performance

of different types of membranes. CCE researchers are modeling immobilized liquid membranes, ion exchange

membranes, and emulsion liquid membranes to deter- mine the effects of such factors as geometry, time,

solubility constants, diffusion coefficients, and forward and reverse reaction rates on mass transfer rates. To minimize expenditure on high-price fuel, U.S. in- dustry wants to obtain the maximum energy output from

fuel combustion. Advanced methods of measuring and

evaluating combustion are necessary for this effort to succeed. The Center is pursuing new ways to improve

combustion efficiency by studying particle formation and

growth at high temperatures. For example, Center re- searchers are using laser scattering, extinction, and

Doppler velocimetry to determine the size of soot particles, their distribution, and their velocity. In soot formation studies, researchers want to know how to adjust the

flame, oxygen, and fuel levels to form the optimum

amount of soot and then allow the proper amount of time for the soot to burn out. These studies are aimed at improving the performance of boilers, dryers, and

furnaces. The International Association for the Properties of Steam has endorsed steam tables developed by NBS

and the National Research Council of Canada. The

tables offer an unprecedented range of temperatures

and pressures for scientific and general use. The re- vised steam tables will help scientists and engineers in designing industrial and chemical processes; exploring

for petroleum and minerals; designing heat transfer systems, boilers, and turbines; and in harnessing geothermal energy. CCE researchers correlated all existing quality ther- modynamic data on water and steam with a wide-ranging

equation of state now known as the Haar-Gallagher-Kell

equation, on which the steam tables are based. The

equation establishes a formulation that provides scientists and engineers with thermodynamically consistent data on the properties and density of water from the tri- ple point to 2500 °C and from zero pressure of an ideal gas to more than 20 kilobars. Other important thermophysical properties data are being provided to industry through new correlations, equations, models, and transportable computer pro- grams. These programs predict the viscosity, density,

and thermal conductivity of various pure fluids and fluid mixtures. Additional work is in progress to extend the range of these predictive codes to fluid mixtures of over 100 components and to include phase equilibria properties. NBS is making these evaluated properties-predictive computer codes available to the public through the NBS Office of Standard Reference Data.

11
Center for Fire Research

he United States has one of the worst fire loss records in the industrialized world. The NBS

Center for Fire Research (CFR) is committed to providing the scientific and engineering bases needed

by manufacturers and the fire protection community to reduce both these losses and the cost of fire protection.

By improving the understanding of the chemistry and

physics that take place during combustion and by

developing accurate computer models of fire hazards,

the Center provides technical information to voluntary standards organizations, engineering and design communities, building industry, fire service and fire protection organizations, and materials manufacturers. The

Center also helps these groups to translate the findings

into new engineering practices, test methods, and pro- posals for improved standards or code provisions. NBS,

however, does not promulgate or enforce standards or

regulations.

One of the most complex and yet crucial phenomena

affecting fire growth is soot formation. It is incandescent

soot, radiating thermal energy that converts furnishings

or construction materials into gaseous fuels, that drives

fire growth. Soot also affects people's survivability in

fires, both from inhalation and the obstruction of vision. Yet the same particles form the fire "signature" that acti- vates the now-common smoke detectors. Center scientists are conducting a long-term study of the fundamental chemistry and physics of soot formation. They have

devised new, laser-based techniques for measuring key

molecules in the chemical chain of soot growth. Using

multiphoton ionization measurements researchers can

detect certain organic species, such as butadiene,

throughout the flame itself. They have also obtained profiles of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using ultraviolet and visible fluorescence. Concurrent theoretical calculations on the "stickiness" of aromatic molecules

have further clarified which chemistry is significant in building soot particles from small molecules. Perhaps the topic of most concern in fire research to- day is that of fire gas toxicity. Most fire deaths are caused

by the inhalation of smoke. Carbon monoxide, a combustion product of most burning materials, has been

widely considered as the primary cause of these deaths. Recent laboratory tests and analyses of samples from some fire victims, however, have suggested that other

toxicants or factors may contribute to some deaths.

Building on a decade of leadership in measuring the

12

lethal effects of fire-generated smoke, Center researchers are now studying the extent to which the generation

rates of a few principal toxic gases can be used to predict mortality. The results of experiments with carbon

monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen

chloride, and reduced oxygen levels are helping to explain the lethality of fire gases. Center researchers are also creating ways to predict the precise contribution of materials to a fire's severity. Their oxygen consumption technique greatly simplifies the measurement of a burning sample's rate of energy

release, a key factor in the rate of fire growth. This method is now used to measure the heat given off by

furniture and wall coverings during full-sized room fires. A Center-designed instrument, the cone calorimeter,

operates on the same principle and shows exceptional

To study how tur- bulence mixes fuel gases with air, thereby

feeding a fire, research

chemist William Pitts designed a unique camera that works with

other technologies, in- cluding a laser, to help

in the research.
promise for predicting the large-scale rate of heat

release using small samples.

Predicting fire growth requires a fundamental understanding of elemental fire processes, such as flame

spread, and the characterization of fire-induced flows. Researchers have developed methods to correlate the speed at which flame spreads across and down a burning vertical surface with the basic thermal properties of the burning materials. Measurements of flame height

and flame radiation are now providing key information in our understanding of upward flame spread, a faster and

therefore more critical process. The buoyancy-driven flow of fire gases through doors

and open windows and their replacement by ventilated

air is also predictable. Ventilation and the rate of heat

release of the burning materials are the primary factors

which determine if and when a room will "flashover," a

term used to describe the total fire involvement of all items in a room.

Information obtained in experimental work is used in mathematical models designed to predict the vulnerability of a building and its occupants to fire. These

computer-based models make it possible to simulate

real fire situations within a limited budget. It is far less costly to "burn" a room or building using a computer.

Center researchers are now designing a true general purpose model of fire hazard. It will include the burning

behavior of a room, the movement of fire gases throughout a building, and the effect of those gases on people.

By using such a model, fire professionals will be able to study "their fire" on a computer, varying each component as needed, and making quantitative decisions for improving fire safety. Several prediction models are already available. In one model, termed ASET (Available Safe Egress Time), the computer code incorporates sound but simplified

single-room fire growth. It calculates the time at which a smoke detector is activated and the time at which the room becomes uninhabitable. The difference between

these two events is the time that the occupants of the room have to escape. Another model, called FAST (Fire and Smoke Transport Model), can be used to determine the smoke level and temperature in a multiroom building with a fire in one room. The Center recently set up a Fire Simulation Laboratory where scientists and engineers from the fire protection community can see demonstrations and obtain "hands on" experience with various fire models. Researchers also use the laboratory to modify models

for particular applications.

More widespread and proper use of sprinkler systems

also could significantly reduce fire losses. To assure their efficacy, better operational and design criteria are needed.

The Center has recently produced a computer program

for calculating the response time of heat-activated

sprinklers. It predicts the response time based on

characteristics of the fire and the location and thermal

properties of the sprinkler heads. The predicted temperatures at those sites agree well with steady-state

laboratory tests. Large-scale tests with growing fires are planned to establish the range of applicability of the computer code. The Center for Fire Research also sponsors a pro- gram of grants and, to a lesser degree, contracts for fire research in support of the internal research program of the Center. Approximately 25 grants are awarded to universities and research institutes annually.

Physical scientist Randall Lawson adjusts instrumentation on the Bureau's furni- ture calorimeter, part of an NBS-developed

method to measure the

rate at which heat is re- leased by burning fur- nishings. The heat re- lease rate in large part

determines how a material will contribute to a room fire.

13
Center for Building Technology

ver two-thirds of the nation's fixed reproducible

wealth is invested in constructed facilities. Moreover, the construction industry is one of the nation's

largest, and constructed facilities shelter and support most human activities. The quality of these facilities af- fects the safety and quality of life of the American people

as well as the productivity of U.S. industry.

The NBS Center for Building Technology (CBT) in- creases the usefulness, safety, and economy of build- ings through the advancement of building technology

and its application to the improvement of building practices. CBT conducts laboratory, field, and analytical research to develop technologies for the prediction,

measurement, and testing of the performance of build- ing materials, components, systems, and practices. Center researchers concentrate their efforts in computer-integrated construction, structural engineering,

earthquake hazard reduction, building physics, building

materials, and building equipment. They carry out their work in sophisticated and comprehensive laboratory facilities, which include: a six-degree-of-freedom structural testing facility, a large-scale structures testing facility, en- vironmental chambers, a guarded hot plate, a calibrated hot box, a five-story plumbing tower, and anechoic and

reverberation chambers.

CBT provides technical support and information to a number of voluntary standards groups such as ASTM;

the American Concrete Institute; the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers;

the American Society of Civil Engineers; and building

code organizations. While it contributes to the develop- ment of voluntary product standards, the Center does

not promulgate or enforce standards or regulations.

Through this work, the Center helps eliminate technological market barriers of the construction industry and

reduces the burdens of unnecessary or ineffective building regulations while maintaining safety. CBT represents the United States in several international building research and standards organizations in- cluding the International Council for Building Research,

Studies and Documentation; the International Union of Testing and Research Laboratories for Materials and

Structures; and the U.S. -Japan Panel on Wind and

Seismic Effects. These efforts contribute to U.S. use of foreign research accomplishments and the international competitiveness of U.S. building technology.

Much of the Center's research is done in cooperation

with, or for, other federal agencies such as the Depart- ment of Energy, the General Services Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the White House. In addition, each year about 70 researchers

from international and U.S. universities and industries

join CBT staffers in cooperative programs. As an impartial third party, the Center is called upon

to investigate the physical causes of major building and

construction failures, such as the walkway collapse in the Kansas City Hyatt Regency in 1981 and the East Chicago, Indiana, ramp collapse in 1982. The results of the Center's investigations are promptly and publicly

reported to help preclude recurrences. More of the Center's research, however, is aimed at developing improved building practices so that such trag- edies do not occur. For example, Center engineers are working on ways to determine when poured concrete is strong enough for construction formwork to be removed.

They have developed a standardized test for determining

This computerized,

large-scale structural test facility is being used by NBS re- searchers to test how

full-scale bridge and

building components

perform during earth- quakes.

14
Civil engineer

Nicholas J. Carino

and co-op student Mary

Sansalone from Cornell

University are studying

a technique known as

pulse-echo detection to determine whether it can be used reliably to detect flaws in concrete

structures such as

buildings or bridge

columns.

concrete strength and a computerized method of analysis, both of which are being considered by ASTM for adoption as voluntary standards. Important from both

safety and economic standpoints, these tools will help a

builder remove the formwork as soon as possible, with- out risking the workers' safety. Center researchers have designed and constructed a computerized facility to test how full-scale bridge and

building components will perform during earthquakes.

In a project sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Cali- fornia Department of Transportation, CBT researchers

are testing 30-foot-high bridge columns under conditions

simulating earthquake forces. They are also running

tests on columns one-third and one-sixth that size. By

comparing the results of both tests, the researchers will be able to determine whether the behavior of small-scale

bridge columns can be used to predict that of full-scale columns. They will use this information to evaluate and

refine computer models that predict how structures per- form during earthquakes, enabling the building community to design safer buildings and bridges with fewer expensive physical tests. To help the construction industry respond effectively

to the opportunities and challenges offered by advanced

computation and automation, CBT is investigating their application to performance prediction and measurement

technology. For example, increases in computer power

and reductions in computing costs will lead to "smart

buildings" with integrated, automated control systems

for greater usefulness, safety, and economy in operation. Center researchers are developing and verifying

mmute-by-minute simulations of the performance of building control systems to help owners, designers,

manufacturers, and contractors set up economical and

reliable automated control systems for buildings.

Computer technologies will make possible measure- ment advances in building diagnostics, quality assur- ance, and prediction of building behavior. CBT is. for example, developing modeling techniques for the microstructure of cements that will allow prediction of how

cement ingredients, mixing, placement, and curing will affect the strength and durability of concrete structures. Center researchers are formulating three-dimensional,

dynamic computer simulations that will predict heat, air. moisture, and pollutant movements in buildings. These

techniques will help improve energy conservation, use

of solar energy and natural ventilation, smoke control for

fire safety, and indoor air quality. Other computer simulations are being developed and

verified for dynamic tests of the thermal performance of

walls. Improved test methods will provide more accurate assessments of effects of wall mass, air and moisture movements, and multi-dimensional heat, air, and moisture flow at junctions of building elements on thermal comfort and energy efficiency. To provide the technical bases for substantial increases

in the efficiency of innovative heat pumps and air conditioners, Center researchers are developing and verifying

computer simulations of heat transfer properties of mixed

refrigerants and refrigeration cycles. Center researchers are also working with leading construction standards organizations to adapt artificial intelli- gence technologies to the needs of the building community and to supply the advanced performance prediction and measurement technologies that will be needed

to realize the potential of expert systems for construction.

15
Center for Applied Mathematics

n virtually all the Bureau's research programs, and in laboratories throughout the United States, there is a

substantial need for advanced mathematical, statistical, modeling, and computing techniques. It is the role

of the NBS Center for Applied Mathematics (CAM) to provide the best available tools of modern applied

mathematics and computing to the NBS staff. Such

tools, developed at NBS, are often used widely by

American and foreign researchers. While schooled in theory, NBS mathematicians have

their feet firmly planted on the ground of application.

They are concerned primarily with developing and

adapting mathematical techniques for NBS research programs. Their work takes them into the areas of space

science, robotics, fire research, economics, manufacturing, measurement, and development of new hardware

and software for future computers. Center researchers

are aided in their work by visiting scientists from in- dustry, government, and universities.

In providing its support service, the Center's professional staff interacts and collaborates with the NBS

scientific staff to solve a wide variety of scientific and

engineering problems. This work calls for research into computing methods and for computer-intensive studies

in the applied mathematical sciences. Current applications involve all aspects of modern scientific computing,

including advanced programming languages, knowledgebased systems, interactive software tools, color graphics, and supercomputer algorithms

The Center also operates the central computing facil- ity— a CDC Cyber 205 supercomputer with a Cyber 855

"front end"—which serves both the NBS Gaithersburg

and Boulder sites as well as the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration's Environmental Research

Laboratories and the National Telecommunications and

A supercomputer

facility has been in- stalled at NBS to meet

its large-scale scientific computing needs as

well as those of the En- vironmental Research

Laboratories of the

National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration and the Institute of Telecommunication

Sciences of the National

Telecommunications

and Information Administration.

16

Information Administration. In addition to managing the

central facility, Center staff run local area networks in Gaithersburg and Boulder and provide engineering and

software support for distributed computing.

One recently completed project helps fire researchers understand how indoor fires behave. CAM, in collaboration with the Center for Fire Research, developed,

tested, and validated a mathematical model of fluid motion and smoke evolution patterns for an indoor fire. Researchers tested calculations based on both two- and

three-dimensional models. The high-resolution dynamic graphics display system

used in this project allows researchers to observe the

swirling motion of heated air on a computer screen. The

system, also permits users to cycle rapidly through any sequence of graphic figures stored in the computer,

moving them around in almost any way and observing

them from many angles. As the pictures appear to rotate three-dimensionally on the computer screen, new

patterns can be perceived. The researcher can "zoom

in" to study details or "zoom away" to take in the larger view. Soon after its introduction, the Center's graphics

display system became popular throughout NBS, pro- viding new ways to study a variety of phenomena. The

Institute for Materials Science and Engineering used it to develop dynamic displays of polymer chains and molecular structures. The Center for Chemical Engineering

used it to simulate molecular behavior in a dense liquid, taking into account local interactions between very large

numbers of atoms in order to achieve realistic answers.
Mathematician

James Blue (standing), CAM, and senior

research scientist Charles Wilson, CEEE,

developed a new computer model, CS 1

,

which brings sophisticated mathematical

analysis techniques to a semiconductor model

efficient enough to run on a minicomputer.

The need for a highly sophisticated "three-dimensional" dynamic computer graphics display is also pre- sent in the Bureau's robotics research. In order for robot-like machines to operate in an automated manufacturing facility, their grippers must be able to move

through space without colliding. CAM is working with the Bureau's Center for Manufacturing Engineering to develop algorithms and software which will plan trajec- tories for moving objects in space. They are constructing efficient methods for determining paths through

regions, avoiding obstructions. The Center has also developed models which aid in a

different area of manufacturing: the development of complex, custom integrated circuits for advanced computers and other electronics systems. This highly competitive field depends on efficient computer-aided

design tools. Cooperating with the Center for Electronics and Electrical Engineering, CAM mathematicians are designing a family of specialized computer packages

which can be run on minicomputers. The CS 1 package

offers features that were previously available only in codes which required large mainframe computers. It has been provided to more than 80 users since 1982. Applied mathematics also makes an important contri- bution to the quality and validity of the Bureau's measurement services. Specifically, CAM statisticians blend their theoretical statistical research with extensive experience to aid in the design of measurement assur- ance programs and in the development and certification

of Standard Reference Materials. Measurement assurance programs provide a frame- work for industrial and other government laboratories to compare their measurement system to national stan- dards and, thus, improve quality control. Working with the Office of Measurement Services, Center statisticians develop specific measurement sequences and control procedures. They have, for example, helped implement

four pilot measurement assurance programs at the Ford Motor Company Central Research Laboratory.

In the case of Standard Reference Materials, which

are homogeneous, stable materials that have one or more physical and/or chemical properties accurately

measured and certified by NBS, Center researchers

plan investigations of homogeneity of the materials and

evaluate variability from different sources. In current work, they are investigating improved methods for using

Standard Reference Materials to enhance the precision

of measurements in the laboratory.

In other recent work, the Center has: Streamlined the dissemination of alloy phase stability data to industrial users through development of an in- teractive computer program that generates cameraready diagrams.

Designed a model that helps state and local gov- ernments to evaluate the costs of proposed waste re- covery facilities. Developed and distributed a graphics and statistics interactive language system called DATAPLOT now used

at more than 100 sites including major industrial firms. Helped develop a model that improves control of a manufacturing method known as unidirectional solidifi- cation, used in the production of high-quality metal

alloys and semiconductors.

17
Center for Electronics and Electrical Engineering

he scope of research in the NBS Center for Electronics and Electrical Engineering (CEEE) extends

quite literally from the sand to the stars. Grains of sand are the genesis of silicon-based integrated circuits, the "miracle chips" of the computer industry and one

major focus of CEEE's work. Distant stars emitting radio

signals are used by Center scientists to evaluate advanced

telecommunications satellite equipment, a second emphasis of the Center's research.

In these areas, and others, Center researchers are working to eliminate measurement-related barriers to the

effective use of electrotechnology in a wide range of applications that are important to industrial productivity, national defense, safety, energy, and commerce. To

fulfill this goal, they conduct research, develop measure- ment methods and physical standards, provide calibration and special test services, and develop models and

data. The Center's research is concentrated in four major

areas: Measurements and analyses for advanced integrated

circuits and for semiconductor materials, processes, and devices. Fundamental metrology for fast signal acquisition,

processing, and transmission, covering the analog and

digital techniques and frequencies from direct current through microwave to lightwave.

Improved techniques for measuring electric power

and energy, fast high-energy transients, and the quality

of electrical insulation. Methods for measuring and characterizing the elec- tromagnetic environment, sources and reflectors of elec- tromagnetic energy, and immunity of equipment to out- side interference. Very large-scale integration (VLSI), which yields inte- grated circuits with hundreds of thousands of transistors on a single "chip" of silicon, is revolutionizing signal

processing, communications, and computing. Before the

full potential of VSLI can be realized, however, engineers must overcome significant technical barriers related to materials purity, demanding fabrication technology, and

circuit complexity. To address these barriers, CEEE is developing measurements, analytical techniques, and

Standard Reference Materials (SRM's) for evaluating the

quality of semiconductor materials and the performance

of integrated circuit fabrication equipment, fabrication processes, and circuit elements.

CEEE, for example, has prepared SRM's for calibrating

equipment used to measure semiconductor resistivity by

the four-probe and spreading resistance techniques.

These SRM's help engineers in the semiconductor in- dustry to obtain more accurate measurements of resistivity, one of the most important material parameters in the fabrication of integrated circuits. As international trade increases and computer tech- nology spreads throughout the world, the need for inter- national standards becomes critical. NBS has played a

key role in bringing together all five of the free-world organizations that write test-method standards for semi- conductor materials so these methods can have a com- mon basis in the United States, Europe, and Japan.

Techniques developed by CEEE for measuring line- widths on photomasks have been transferred to virtually every U.S. manufacturer of integrated circuits as well as

to manufacturers of photomask equipment. Photomasks,

which define the integrated circuit patterns on semiconductor wafers, are key elements in the fabrication of in- tegrated circuits. This work was disseminated to the semiconductor community through a series of training

seminars, NBS reports and archival papers, and professional meetings. Future work in this area, which will cover measurements for a broadened range of struc- tures and instruments important to microlithography, will be carried out by the NBS Center for Manufacturing Engineering.

Physical chemist

George Candela

(left) and physicist

Deane ChandlerHorowitz are shown

with the computer-controlled principal-angle

ellipsometer they

designed for measuring

the optical properties of

thin films on various

materials.

Physicist Robert

Hebner adjusts a unique NBS device that optically measures

electrical fields and

space charges in highvoltage insulating

systems.

18
J

Integrated circuit test structures developed by CEEE

are widely used by the semiconductor industry and

other government agencies. These specially-designed

semiconductor devices can be used to characterize

integrated circuit fabrication processes, to evaluate the

effectiveness of semiconductor processing equipment,

to obtain crucial parameters for device and process

models, and for product acceptance. Continuing collab- orations with several integrated circuit manufacturers are

yielding improved test structures and procedures. To address the metrological needs involved in improving signal acquisition and processing systems, the Center is working on standard waveform generators

and measurement systems, some of which use super- conducting electronics. To help solve signal transmission problems, CEEE is developing measurements for

characterizing optical fibers, national measurement stan- dards for microwave and millimeter-wave parameters,

measurement methods for complex antennas, and measurements and standards for lasers. The Center has taken the lead in providing the

technical basis for measurement methods and stan- dards for the rapidly expanding optical fiber communications industry. Measurement methods are tested

in round-robin intercomparisons organized in collaboration with a committee of the Electronics Industry Association (EIA), refined in the laboratory, and disseminated

as EIA or military standards. This work has aided the

transition from multimode to single-mode fibers and will continue to help advance the application of optical communications technology.

In the area of microwave and millimeter-wave para- meters, CEEE is developing high-accuracy six-port measurement systems to support calibration services focusing on critical quantities to 50 GHz. The Center is also working on an automated radiometer that will aid in the calibration of solid-state and gas-discharge noise sources by extending noise measurements first into the range 1 to 12 GHz and then to 50 GHz. A 94-GHz noise standard of novel design is already in place which will permit extension of noise standards to millimeter-wave

frequencies. Center researchers have developed a new test sys- tem for accurately determining the important properties

of precision 12-18 bit digital-to-analog (D/A) and analogto-digital (AID) converters. Both static linearity and dynamic step response characteristics can be measured

and reported in an NBS calibration service now avail- able for these devices. Using precision waveform synthesis techniques that incorporate microprocessor-based electronics, CEEE

Engineering aide

David Dean takes

readings of phase shifter settings of the large (4 feet by 25 feet) AWACS

antenna being measured

in the newly enlarged

NBS near-field facility.

19
Here electrical engineer Robert

Gallawa measures the

bandwidth of multi- mode optical fibers as

part of an NBS program

to develop measure- ment methods that can

be used in fiber devel- opment, fiber evaluation in the marketplace,

and fiber compatibility

in communications

systems.

researchers are working on a new generation of waveform standards. An audio frequency phase-angle stan- dard with 5-20 millidegree accuracy over 2 Hz to 50 kHz now provides special calibration tests for phase-angle

meters. New voltage, power, and energy calibrations are being developed based on a dual-channel synthesized waveform source, with 18 bit D/A converters, that generates precision amplitude and phase ac waveforms.

Many Center projects involve direct collaboration with

industrial firms and laboratories. For instance, CEEE

completed a special study for a major domestic aero- space manufacturer. The company wanted to know if near-field antenna testing could provide accuracies as good as or better than far-field testing for a complete

range of measurements. Based on the NBS study results, the company selected the Bureau's near-field antenna measurement methodology for performance testing of antennas to be flown on a new satellite. The indoor

near-field technique, pioneered by NBS, offers higher

resolution as well as savings in personnel, travel, and

equipment costs over the conventional outdoor far-field technique. It is frequently used by industry for perform- ance testing and is now finding use in manufacturing process control for complex antennas. Some projects involve international collaboration. NBS

researchers, working with scientists from a West German

standards laboratory, have demonstrated constant volt- age steps at 1 .2 volts from a series array of 1 ,464

Josephson junctions operating with a 90-GHz signal. This major achievement showed that there are no scientific barriers to the development of Josephson-junction

voltage standards at convenient voltage levels. NBS

researchers are proceeding with the development of such a practical, convenient standard. A recent achievement is a microcomputer-based stan- dard for measuring the average power contained in highly distorted electrical waveforms. This standard pro- vides an improved basis for comparing the performance

of commercially available wideband wattmeters and

permits on-site power tests using an NBS standard. Much of the Center's work in advanced power metrol- ogy has been performed in the newly completed highvoltage and high-current laboratories. These laboratories can generate voltage pulses with peak amplitudes

up to 600,000 volts and current pulses with peak ampli- tudes up to 100,000 amperes. They are also equipped

with a wide range of conventional, computer-based,

and optical systems to measure these pulses and the re- sponses of various systems to pulsed stimuli. These facilities are being used by university and industrial guest

scientists in collaboration with Center staff. The nation's electrical power systems, communications

networks, computers, and defense systems are all vul- nerable to disturbance by electromagnetic pulses. To

resolve system performance problems caused by electro- magnetic interference, scientists must be able to measure

electromagnetic environmental conditions produced by

signal patterns from multiple sources. The Center is fo- cusing on measurements of complex, interfering electro- magnetic fields and electromagnetic emissions and on

generating standard fields for immunity testing. As part of this work, the Center, in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories, has performed electro- optical measurements of 2.5 million-volt pulses of 100- nanosecond duration. The Center also has developed

the capability to characterize voltage sensors in the

1 -nanosecond range, a first step toward standardized

techniques for evaluating pulse power systems. In addition, the Center has the capability to make the quantitative measurements necessary to evaluate the effects of aging on gaseous insulation. Research to characterize the electromagnetic environ- ment requires new tools. Broadband sensors (covering from 10 MHz to beyond 10 GHz) and electro-optic trans- ducers in conjunction with fiber optic transmission lines are under development. Center researchers are also working on smaller isotropic sensors needed for measuring fields within small enclosures, such as electronic instrument cases.

All of these projects provide some of the world's most advanced measurement techniques for the rapid devel- opment of the electrical and electronics technology which

pervades almost every facet of modern life.

20
National Measurement Laboratory

j

Our highly technical society

demands increasing measurement accuracy for the continued advancement

of technology. And im- provements in measure- ment science require an

ever deepening under- standing of the physical

world. Scientists in the NBS National Measure- ment Laboratory (NML)

conduct research at the

frontiers of physics which

leads to improved realization of the basic physical

quantities that underlie measurement sciencemass, length, time, temperature, electric current, and radiant intensity. Their research also helps to im- prove understanding of fundamental atomic, molecular, and nuclear radiation processes. NML pro- vides the nation with state- of-the-art measurement

services in thermodynamics, transport properties, chemical kinetics, sur- face science, molecular

spectroscopy, and

chemical analysis.

Research chemist

Laurence Hilpert

prepares to analyze an environmental sample

by gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry, a sensitive analytical

technique used to measure trace level toxic organic compounds at the parts per billion

level.

21
Center for Basic Standards

s the inheritor of the government's, nearly centuryold attempts to standardize weights and

measures, the NBS Center for Basic Standards

(CBS) is responsible for the consistency of physical

measurement standards in the United States. It devel- ops and maintains the national standards for mass,

length, time and frequency, temperature, pressure, vacuum, and electrical quantities. The Center's work en- sures that these national standards are compatible with those of other nations, and the staff provide a variety of measurement services to the public.

In addition, the Center conducts basic experimental

and theoretical research to build a stronger and more

accurate foundation for physical measurements and to improve our understanding of the phenomena upon

which physical measurements are based. For example,

researchers in the Center and their collaborators from

the State University of New York at Stony Brook (SUNY)

recently announced the first electromagnetic trapping of neutral atoms in experiments at NBS Gaithersburg. To

trap the atoms, the NBS/SUNY team developed tech- niques for producing ultra-cold atoms using laser cooling. With these techniques, an atomic sodium beam is decelerated, stopped, and finally trapped using the

radiation pressure from a laser beam. The stopped atoms are then confined in a magnetic trap. Demonstration of a practical method of confining neutral atoms in a

trap opens the possibility of a new generation of ex- periments in atomic physics.

The Center is also working vigorously to develop an

"atomic" standard of resistance based on a phenomenon of solid-state physics known as the quantum Hall ef- fect or OHE. This phenomenon occurs in certain semi- conductor devices when they are cooled to temperatures near absolute zero and placed in a large magnetic

field. Under these conditions, the resistance of the device is quantitized, that is, it has specific, discrete

values, and these values depend upon certain invariant fundamental constants of nature. Center researchers have now devised and put into operation a new auto- mated resistance bridge for measuring quantitized Hall resistances with an accuracy of a few parts in 100

million. The OHE has been used to monitor the U.S.

legal ohm since the summer of 1983, and it is expected

that by 1987 the OHE will be used to define and maintain the U.S. legal ohm.

To assure accuracy of the kilogram, the last remaining

artifact standard, the NBS kilograms were compared

22

with those at the International Bureau of Weights and

Measures, and they were found to agree to a few parts per billion. A new generation of high-precision kilogram

comparators is now being designed and constructed at NBS.

As part of its responsibilities for maintaining and

disseminating the nation's physical measurement stan- dards for the benefit of industry, commerce, and

science, the Center presents seminars on standards and measurement technology for technicians engaged

in industrial metrology. The Center also has published

the first volume of a new industrial Measurement Series, called A Primer for Mass Metrology.

Through the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics

in Boulder, Colo., which NBS cosponsors with the University of Colorado, Center scientists collaborate with

university faculty and visiting scientists to conduct the

kind of long-term basic research on which the Bureau's

standards, measurements, and data ultimately depend.

One recent achievement complementing the atom-trapping experiments in Gaithersburg has been the use of

With researchers

from the State

University of New York,

physicists Alan Migdall,

John Prodan, and

William Phillips, pictured, completed what

is believed to be the

first successful experiment to trap neutral atoms, an important ad- vance in the technology

of atomic physics.
Kilogram Prototype

K-20, one of two

prototypes that define a kilogram of mass in the

United States, and

hence the entire U.S. measurement system

for mass, is the small

platinum-iridium cylinder resting on the

balance pan on the

right-hand side of this photograph.

radiation from a tunable dye laser to slow, stop, and

reverse a free-flying atomic beam of sodium. The major

innovation here is the development of efficient electro- optic phase modulators that produce a frequency-swept

laser sideband to match the changing absorption fre- quency as the atoms slow down. In addition to potential

advances in frequency standards, these experiments

should make it possible to test theories in quantum elec- trodynamics and general relativity. Center scientists also are exploring the practicality of a space experiment to detect gravitational waves from sources such as binary stars. The experiment involves the use of laser heterodyne techniques to measure vari- ations in the million-kilometer separation of three masses

in Earth-like orbits around the Sun. A new generation of portable absolute gravity meters designed by Center scientists will aid in geodetic, geophysical, geological, tidal, and tectonic studies. The in- struments use the free fall method and consist of four

parts: a drag-free dropping chamber, a long-period

isolation device, a stabilized laser, and the necessary

timing electronics. The meters are sensitive enough to detect vertical tectonic motions as small as 2

centimeters.

In other experiments, Center researchers have demonstrated an ingenious new approach for measuring

highly accurate photodissociation quantum yields of electronically excited states. The method uses a fast time response laser probe to measure the gain immediately after photolysis and the subsequent total absorption, the ratio giving a relative quantum yield that is in- dependent of most experimental parameters. Another

researcher has succeeded in measuring the relative abundance of the radicals composed of silicon and

hydrogen present in electrical discharges in silane. Such

discharges are used in producing solar cells of amor- phous silicon, which could be valuable sources of solar- derived energy if the processes involved in the deposition of the silicon compounds were better understood.

In parallel experiments, Center scientists will use an

optical fiber thermometer (OFT) and a new NBS photoelectric pyrometer to determine the difference between

the thermodynamic temperatures of gold and silver freezing points. The goal' of the experiments is to pro- vide state-of-the-art measurements of the various parameters of the OFT so the overall uncertainty of a

temperature determination will be less than 20 parts per

million. Because of its high index of refraction and its proximity to the source, the sapphire probe of the OFT captures

significantly more signal than the optics of conventional pyrometers. As a consequence, the OFT has greater

sensitivity and can operate at lower temperatures than those instruments. In principle, once the OFT is calibrated at a single temperature within its range, it is capable of measuring thermodynamic temperatures

over its entire range (600 to 2000 °C). Using high-energy accelerators and reactors around

the world, Center scientists have developed the capability

of making very accurate x-ray and gamma-ray wavelength measurements. They have also designed new

techniques for investigating the structure of matter and

studying high-energy interactions that test fundamental

theories. Experiments have been carried out at a number of locations including the reactors at the Institute Laue-Langevm in Grenoble, France, and at the Gesell- schaft fu Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt, Ger- many. Work is planned for a new beam line on the

National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven

National Laboratory.

23
Center for Radiation Research

hrough its research to understand and measure

various forms of radiation. NBS produces information that is used to enhance industrial productivity, assure public health and safety, explore outer space,

control pollution, conduct energy research, and design

advanced telecommunications eguipment.

In the NBS Center for Radiation Research (CRR),

scientists examine both electromagnetic radiation, in- cluding visible light and x rays, and particle radiation, such as beams of electrons, ions, and neutrons. They

study and measure ways in which such radiation in- teracts with matter, ranging from extended materials sur- faces to the molecular and subnuclear levels. Much of this work results in accurate methods for measuring, characterizing, and producing radiation sources and standards. In recent years, radiation research has developed an important new relationship

to health and medicine. For example, doctors are now

trying to determine the long-range health effects of human exposure to low-level radiation. To do so, they

need new measurement tools and data describing how

radiation interacts with the human body.

One research group in CRR is studying the chemical

mechanisms through which ionizing radiation affects biological systems. Such information is vital to the proper use of radiation, food irradiation processing, and

post-irradiation dosimetry, a technique used to deter- mine if a substance has been irradiated and how much

radiation it has received. CRR scientists have discovered novel physiological antioxidants that may inhibit the effects of radiation or, possibly, even promote recovery from radiation damage. Some of their findings, which show how the

structure of antioxidants affects their performance, could be used in the design of novel, tailor-made antioxidants. These researchers are also exploring the role structure plays in the behavior of DNA-base materials in irradiated

cells.

In addition, Center scientists are collaborating with researchers from local universities, the National Cancer

Institute, and the Armed Forces Radiation Research In- stitute to study the DNA-damage/radiation-sensitivity

correlations in normal and Alzheimer cells.

Other research is aiding in the real-time monitoring of radiation used to treat cancer patients where the ac- curacy with which the dose is administered helps deter- mine treatment success. Special optical waveguide

dosimeters with the same response characteristics as human tissue are being developed at CRR to improve

clinical dosimetry and thereby help reduce the dan- gerous side effects of radiotherapy. These dosimeters

are small enough to be placed directly into the body

through conventional catheters. The radiation-processing industry is growing by about

30 percent annually, in part because the use of several chemical decontaminants, recently found to be unsafe,

is now limited by federal regulatory agencies. Ionizing

radiation, for example, could be used instead of EDB

(ethylene dibromide) to control pests in foodstuffs, as

well as to sterilize medical devices instead of EO

(ethylene oxide). Radiation-processing industries have

installed more than 200 radiation sources to meet the new industrial demand. The Center has contributed to

this technology by developing radiation standards and

improved industrial quality control systems to monitor

radiation doses, so that safely sterilized products are

delivered to consumers.

By combining an

ultrahigh vacuum,

high-resolution scan- ning electron microscope with a new, compact electron spinpolarization detector,

physicists (I. to r.) Gary

Hembree, CME, Robert

Celotta, John Unguris,

and Daniel Pierce can observe simultaneously

the magnetic character

of a surface and its physical structure over dimensions as small as 100 angstroms.

24
The steady growth of the use of radiation in medical,

industrial, and energy applications has created a need

for increased assurance of measurement accuracy. A

system of secondary laboratories that will provide the supporting services required for measurement quality assurance is being developed in conjunction with in- terested organizations in the private, state, and federal

sectors. These laboratories will meet documented per- formance criteria and use procedures that achieve a

high degree of consistency with the standards maintained

by CRR.

To produce radiation for experimental purposes, the Center builds and operates sophisticated accelerators and other radiation sources that it shares with the general scientific community. The largest is the Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility (SURF II), which at- tracts users from a wide range of universities, govern- ment laboratories, and private companies.

SURF II is one of a few sources in the world that can

provide continuous radiation in the ultraviolet and near

x-ray region of the spectrum. The special properties of

this radiation enable NBS to use this synchrotron as the only absolute national radiometric standard in the far ultraviolet range of the light spectrum (below 100 nanoPhysicist Paul

Lamperti adjusts an

ion-chamber type detector in an x-ray

calibration facility (laser

beam is used to align

the detector). The ion chamber will be used as

a "transfer standard"

to calibrate x-ray sources and other

detectors.

meters). It is used as a research and calibration tool by numerous visiting scientists and for the study of optical

properties of materials, molecular kinetics, ionization dynamics, and other fields of investigation.

In collaboration with the Naval Research Laboratory

and the University of Maryland, with support from the

National Science Foundation, a high-resolution spectrometer was installed on SURF II to permit research on

the dynamics of energy transfer in atoms and molecules

with an energy resolution 10 times better than was

previously obtainable. Other ongoing CRR projects will aid a wide variety of theoretical and practical scientific and technological in- vestigations. These projects involve: Combining scanning electron microscopy with electron polarization analysis to produce high-resolution

images of microscopic magnetic domains. Developed in cooperation with the NBS Center for Manufacturing

Engineering, this new measurement technique is being

used to study submicron magnetic microstructure of ad- vanced magnetic materials. It is expected to have im- portant applications in a number of fields, including the development of high-density magnetic recording media

for computers and small, high-efficiency electric motors. Constructing a race-track microtron (RTM) electron accelerator that will be used in a variety of radiation research programs of interest to NBS, other government

agencies, industrial laboratories, and university researchers.

Establishing a new calibration service for beta particle sources and transfer instruments to assist users in- volved in radiation monitoring in medicine and nuclear power.

Calibrating rocket-, satellite-, and shuttle-borne in- struments used to measure far ultraviolet radiations from

the Sun and stars. Developing atomic physics codes needed to identify atomic ions produced by hot plasmas in fusion reactions and other computer codes that describe collisional interactions between ions and plasmas. These codes

provide data necessary for modeling fusion plasma

behavior.

25
Center for Chemical Physics

nvironmental monitoring, fossil fuel combustion,

and biotechnology are among the applications of research conducted by the NBS Center for Chemical Physics (CCP). Center researchers develop

advanced measurement techniques in surface science,

chemical kinetics, thermodynamics, and molecular

spectroscopy. Using these techniques, scientists can

achieve greater understanding of the molecular foundations of complex physicochemical systems.

Many rapidly growing areas of technology, including the development of high-performance materials, computers, and semiconductors, involve surface characterization. One thrust of NBS surface science research is to develop measurement techniques for surface characterization. A second major goal of NBS surface science

research is to determine the structure and reactivity of molecules adsorbed on surfaces, especially those im- portant in catalysis. To conduct this research, the Center has established some unique experimental facilities. Center researchers, for example, constructed an atom

probe field ion microscope that has several novel features. It combines principles of field ion microscopy—

which provides images of a crystal structure's individual atoms at magnifications up to several million times—and

a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The microscope, a powerful tool in materials analysis, can detect the loca- tions and mass of individual atoms in a crystal structure. With it scientists can probe regions ranging from only 5 angstroms in diameter to areas 800 times as wide. Re- searchers from NBS and industry are now using this microscope to analyze high-technology alloys. The NBS synchrotron (SURF II) and an x-ray light source at the Brookhaven National Laboratory are being

used to study the bonding of atoms and molecules to surfaces of metals and oxides. Combined with other sur- face-sensitive methods, this research is providing new

insights into the geometrical and electronic structures of molecules on surfaces and the electronic properties of the substrate. The results of this research could help to improve materials used in electronics and other hightechnology industries. The study of chemical kinetics at NBS has numerous

near-term applications, particularly in controlling and

monitoring environmental pollution, of interest to in- dustry, energy, defense, and standards experts. For ex- ample, Center researchers have proposed a new way to monitor the effectiveness of the burning of hazardous

waste using tracer compounds known to be more difficult to destroy than the hazardous components of the waste mixture. They have also conducted the first definitive study of the chlorine content of municipal solid waste in the United States. This work provides an important foundation for understanding how chlorinated pollutants, such

as dioxins, are formed and destroyed during waste in- cineration. Sponsored by the Department of Energy, this research is part of a cooperative effort with the Warren

Spring Laboratory, United Kingdom, to study waste

combustion. In addition, CCP scientists are cooperating

Physical chemist

Eugene Domalski

and engineering techni- cian Sally Bruce assemble the NBS 2.5-kilo- gram combustion flow

calorimeter for an ex- periment to measure

the heating value of a refuse-derived fuel.

26
I

with the Solar Energy Research Institute to provide evaluated thermodynamic data for major components of

solid waste.

Industry is interested in the Center's recently patented

idea that could help solve the nation's acid rain problem. Center scientists proposed a new chemical process

for removing the noxious pollutant sulfur dioxide from in- dustrial gas streams, which could prove more efficient and reliable than the slurry systems presently in use. Other Center scientists are compiling and evaluating

thermodynamic data for flue gas cleanup using current

fossil fuel technology.

The nationwide effort to develop more efficient and

less polluting combustion systems has created a growing need for chemical kinetics data and models. NBS is working to provide the scientific database for the

design, modeling, and optimization of high-temperature

processes. With the Department of Energy, NBS is asking research groups throughout the United States to cooperate in preparing an evaluated chemical kinetics database of elementary single-step reactions for use in combustion modeling.

As part of its data evaluation services, the Center, in conjunction with the Standard Reference Data Program,

produced a new set of tables of chemical thermodynamic properties. More than 60,000 references were

used to compile the original data, which were then

carefully evaluated and checked for thermodynamic

consistency using specially developed computer pro- grams. The tables have been published by the Ameri- can Chemical Society and the American Physical

Society.

In the NBS tradition of providing the measurement

base for new and growing industries, the Center is beginning studies in the area of biothermodynamics.

CCP researchers are evaluating existing thermodynamic

data to estimate the properties of important biological

building blocks. They are examining enzyme-catalyzed

reactions to obtain data on product formation under

varying process conditions and measuring the energetics of nucleic acids by combustion bomb calorimetry.

NBS-designed microcalorimeters and a high-perfor- mance liquid chromatography technique developed

and validated at NBS are being used to investigate the thermodynamics of isomerization reactions.

In a related area, CCP and the National Foundation

for Cancer Research have established a cooperative

research program to study the chemical behavior of metalloenzymes. These proteins are important in DNA

replication and may play a role in the growth of tumors. NBS researchers have developed quantum chemical

computation techniques to calculate how complex

systems of organic molecules interact with metal ions. These calculations will enable them to predict important

chemical properties.

Another major effort in the Center is a study of the

properties of weakly bonded molecules. Center scientists are presently interested in hydrogen bonding at the molecular level in condensed phase systems. They are coupling theoretical spectroscopy with their infrared and

microwave experimental results to explain the highly resolved rotation-vibration spectrum of hydrogenbonded molecules. From this spectroscopic data, scientists can obtain bond strengths and potential energies of the hydrogen-bonded systems.

In support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's project HALOE, Center scientists are making very precise spectroscopic measurements of hydrogen fluoride and hydrogen chloride. This work is aimed

at broadening the database used to make and evaluate spectroscopic measurements of atmospheric consti- tuents by ground-based and balloon- and satellite-borne instruments. They are also collaborating with the Chemical Manufacturers Association to develop the spectroscopy needed for the direct detection of trace components of the stratosphere. Most recently, they

studied the compound hypochlorus acid, thought to be

important in ozone destruction.

Research chemists

Jennifer Colbert

and Duane Kirklin prepare Standard Refer- ence Materials using

this precision calori- meter which measures

the thermodynamic

properties of foods,

biological materials,

and fuels.

2"
Center for Analytical Chemistry

ore than 50 billion chemical analyses are per- formed each year in the United States by scientists and technicians in government, industry,

academia, and private and public testing laboratories. The NBS Center for Analytical Chemistry (CAC) helps to ensure the accuracy of these analyses. The Center

serves as the nation's reference laboratory for chemical

compositional measurements of inorganic, organic, gaseous, and particulate materials. To help solve national problems that involve analytical

chemistry, the Center develops accurate measurement

methods and Standard Reference Materials (SRM's) by:

(1) investigating fundamental chemical and physical

principles to develop new analytical procedures; (2) developing analytical methods, which have been in- vestigated exhaustively to remove bias and obtain high measurement accuracy and precision; (3) extending

and modifying existing analytical methods to include new sample types and to permit accurate measurement

of samples with lower concentrations of important

chemical constituents; and (4) performing standardization research, including certification of chemical compositions in SRM's. Much of the Center's research has important applications in technology development. For example, to design new high-technology machines and instruments,

engineers must be able to predict the performance of materials such as alloys, composites, and electronic components. The performance of these materials is linked

to their chemical composition and structure on a micrometer scale. In collaboration with more than 15 guest workers and research associates from the aero- space, metals, and electronics industries, academia,

and other national laboratories, Center scientists are

using beams of neutrons and ions to measure elemental compositions in materials important in high-technology

industries. The data from these techniques— neutron depth profiling and microprobe analysis—are combined

using digital image processing to form compositional maps. These maps, with resolution at the tens to hun- dreds of nanometer levels, can play a major role in establishing relationships between the chemical composition of materials and their performance.

In the biotechnology area, the Center's work has two

focuses: to develop measurement methods and stan- dards for use in separating, identifying, and measuring

biomolecules and to use the very specialized reaction properties of biomolecules themselves as measurement

tools. This research will give scientists in the public and

private sectors the means to determine the purity of

23

molecules, such as insulin, produced by bioengineering

and to monitor processes in bioreactors. The research can also be used in such unique applications as identify- ing subspecies of commercially important fish and other marine organisms by protein profiles and determining

the effects of various pollutants on the genetic make up

of species in the food chain. While developing new chemical measurement methods

and techniques at the cutting edge of technology, Center researchers also produce highly accurate methods that are the cornerstone of quantitative

analytical chemistry. Using these methods, Center

scientists determine chemical concentrations for a wide

variety of complex sample types and have certified the chemical composition of more than 700 SRM's. These

SRM's cover a broad spectrum of inorganic and/or

organic constituents in a variety of matrices, including

human serum, metals, gases, nuclear materials, and

Technician James

Norris adjusts the Bureau's ozone refer- ence photometer which

is used as a "defini- tive" standard for calibrating the refer- ence photometers in Environmental Protection Agency regional

laboratories.
I

Using a secondary

ion mass spectrometry instrument, metallurgist Dale Newbury

is able to map the dis- tribution of elements

both on and below a sample's surface.

glasses. Scientists in both the public and private sectors use SRM's to assess the accuracy of their own analytical

methods.

In one specific area of research, Center scientists use

very accurate mass spectrometry to determine isotopic

ratios. They have, for example, recently redetermined

the atomic weights of gallium and silver. An accurate

value for the atomic weight of gallium is important in the semiconductor industry while an accurate value for

silver is needed to determine fundamental physical constants such as the faraday.

The International Ozone Commission has recom- mended to the World Meteorological Organization that CAC ozone cross-section data be accepted as the inter- national standard. These cross sections, important in determining accurate concentrations of ozone in the at- mosphere and stratosphere, are used in the modeling of ozone atmospheric processes and have already

significantly reduced previously reported discrepancies

between aerial- (plane and satellite) and ground-based ozone measurements.

Center scientists are also developing measurement

methods and reference materials for selected vitamins and trace elements in foods and body fluids as part of a

major National Cancer Institute epidemiological study to assess the effect of nutrition in cancer prevention. To provide the more accurate and highly complex measurements that are needed today, Center researchers have investigated the interaction between chromatographic column materials and the chemicals being

analyzed. Using the results of this investigation, they will be able to develop chromatographic systems tailored

for the separation and analysis of specific organic com- pounds in complex samples containing thousands of chemicals.

In other work done to respond to new requirements

arising from health and environmental concerns, Center

scientists analyzed the reactive gases nitric oxide,

nitrogen dioxide, and nitric acid using infrared diode

lasers to resolve discrepancies in measurements. They

analyzed cholestrol and other constituents in human

serum for proficiency testing in collaboration with the College of American Pathologists, and developed a

diesel particulate SRM and a nitro-polynuclear aromatic

hydrocarbon reference material with the Coordinating

Research Council. In addition, they produced trace organic reference materials for analysis of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) and dioxins and. in cooperation with industry and the Food and Drug Administration, developed microspectrofluonmetnc stan- dards for use in medical research. The Center, in cooperation with the Environmental

Protection Agency, established a pilot environmental

specimen bank that contains well-characterized biological samples for analysis of chemicals present in the en- vironment. These samples can be used in the future to evaluate environmental changes that may occur over

time and also to distinguish human-caused changes

from natural ones. The project to date has involved developing analytical protocols for sampling, processing, and storing samples; evaluating analytical methods

for determining trace elements and organic pollutants in biological samples; establishing baseline data on se- lected environmental specimens; and evaluating the feasibility of long-term sample storage under various conditions. Several international conferences have resulted from this project, and collaboration has expanded to in- clude the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Food and Drug Administration as well as the govern- ments of Germany, Japan, Canada, and Sweden.

29
Office of Measurement Services

—Maw—a

eliable measurements can help avoid costly

manufacturing mistakes and ensure more effective use of products and systems. They can pro- vide the basis for sound and economical environmental

and safety regulations. Good measurements can also improve health care by ensuring the validity of clinical tests and procedures.

At the heart of the NBS mission are services that en- sure the accuracy and compatibility of measurements

on a national and international scale. Through these ser- vices NBS-developed measurement technology also is disseminated to users around the world. Two such pro- grams are directed by the NBS Office of Measurement

Services: the Standard Reference Materials (SRM) Pro- gram and the Calibration Services Program.

SRM's, produced by NBS since 1906, are stable, homogeneous materials that have one or more physical

and/or chemical properties accurately measured and

certified by NBS. They are used throughout the world to calibrate instruments and evaluate test methods used in industrial quality control, medical diagnostics, environ- mental monitoring, and basic metrology. NBS currently maintains an inventory of about 900 different SRM's,

which are described in the NBS Standard Reference

Materials Catalog 1986-87, NBS Special Publication 260. Each year, NBS sells nearly 40,000 SRM units to over 10,000 customers, including 2,500 foreign customers.

While NBS has been providing basic measurement

services such as SRM's for about 80 years, the ac- celerated pace of technology development has called

for new and more accurately certified SRM's. Some of the most recently developed SRM's are used in hightechnology applications and advanced materials pro- duction. These include SRM's designed for controlling the quality of integrated circuits, for evaluating the per- formance of automated analytical instrument systems

such as mass spectrometers, and for evaluating the per- formance properties of new materials, such as ad- vanced lubricating oils. Billions of tiny (10-micrometer) polystyrene spheres

made aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger have been

certified as SRM 1960, the first product made in space

to be offered for sale. This SRM is one of a series of

micro-dimensional SRM's designed for calibrating particle-sizing equipment used in such fields as metallurgy,

clinical chemistry, environmental monitoring, and food

technology, as well as in the production of printing inks, explosive powders, and cement. Developed by Lehigh

University and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, SRM 1960 was certified by NBS, in cooperation with a research associate sponsored by

ASTM, using an array-sizing optical microscope

technique.

Machinist Frank

Mills uses a lathe to chip metal that will be

ground, sieved, and

blended into a titanium

alloy Standard Refer- ence Material, which

manufacturers will be

able to use to control the quality of their titanium products.

30
The steel and basic metals industries use more than 250 different reference materials to assure quality pro- duction and to calibrate automated measurement sys- tems. The SRM 1200 series of low-alloy steels, prepared

to NBS specifications, has been the standard for the

low-alloy steel industry for more than a decade. NBS is

in the process of replacing this entire series of SRM's by

materials that meet state-of-the-art specifications. Other

recently developed metal SRM's include: unalloyed tita- nium, low-carbon and sulfur-silicon steel, cast irons, and

nickel steels. SRM's are used not only in America's basic industries and manufacturing but also in areas important to public

health and safety such as environmental monitoring and

clinical chemistry. NBS now has over 30 SRM's to support clinical chemistry measurements and over 100 SRM's for use in environmental testing, including a new SRM series for use in the analysis of trace organic

pollutants. The calibration and other physical measurement ser- vices provideo by NBS are as essential as the SRM ser- vices. By calibrating a variety of measurement stan- dards and instruments of industry and other govern- ment agencies, these services provide the basis for a complete and consistent national system of physical measurements. NBS offers over 300 different calibration

services, which are described in NBS Special Publication 250, NBS Calibration Services Users Guide

1986-88. Services include a variety of calibrations and

special tests for important parameters including fun- damental quantities (mass, length, time, electrical current, and temperature) and derived quantities (such as

fluid flow rate, electrical resistance, spectral radiance,

and microwave attenuation). NBS performs nearly 7,000

calibrations each year on a variety of instruments and

transfer standards submitted by more than 1 ,500 customers.

In its continuing search to identify new measurement

requirements and develop priorities for new services,

NBS works very closely with such organizations as the

National Conference of Standards Laboratories, the

Council on Optical Radiation Measurements, and the Institute for Electronics and Electrical Engineers. These

organizations have recently issued several reports aimed at assisting NBS in planning future physical

measurement service activities. When customers properly use instruments calibrated by NBS, they can be reasonably assured of accurate measurements in their laboratories. Inaccuracy can occur, however, if the device is damaged in shipment, or if other factors (such as unskilled operators or environ- mental conditions) hamper accurate measurements. For customers whose measurements must be of the highest accuracy and traceable to national measurement stan- dards, NBS has developed a limited number of Measurement Assurance Program (MAP) services. MAP's are multilaboratory testing programs that enable participants to evaluate the performance of their

total measurement systems relative to national stan- dards maintained by NBS and to the performance of other participating laboratories. NBS offers MAP ser- vices for electrical resistance, dc voltage, platinum

resistance thermometers, mass, gage blocks, watt-hour

meters, laser power and energy, optical retro-reflec- tance, and optical transmittance. MAP's have been

shown to improve the precision and accuracy of participants' measurement systems substantially. To pro- vide information on how to set up and operate a MAP.

NBS has published a two-volume manual designated as NBS Special Publications 676-I and 676-II, Measure- ment Assurance Programs. To enhance the use of accurate measurements

throughout the scientific community, NBS has also developed a series of special measurement assurance

seminars and training courses, which are held

periodically at different locations throughout the United

States. These seminars provide in-depth training in both measurement techniques and statistical evaluation of measurement processes and are intended to assist participants in establishing rigorous quality control pro- grams in their laboratories. Areas covered by these seminars include electrical measurements, precision

thermometry, and calibration of piston gages. NBS also

offers a very popular seminar in the field of chemical

measurements, which covers the use of SRM's in chemical measurement applications.

Here engineering

technician Linwood

Jenkins calibrates a force-measuring instru- ment which is in turn used to calibrate equipment that tests the

strength of materials.

31
Office of Standard Reference Data

cientists and engineers frequently find it difficult to be sure about the reliability of data in technical papers. Yet research and development decisions based on inadequate or outdated technical information

often result in the costly overdesign of industrial facilities or failure of products.

Researchers at all levels of industry, government, and

academia depend on the evaluated physical and chemical databases developed and distributed by the NBS

Office of Standard Reference Data. This program, mandated by the Standard Reference Data Act (Public Law

90-396), coordinates the activities of 23 continuing data

centers and 40 other data evaluation projects. Each

data center monitors an important scientific area and

develops and maintains one or several databases, while the smaller data projects often answer the need for specialized databases in particularly important areas of science and technology. These databases are then made available to the technical community in several

formats: published, computer-readable, or on-line. The Office now distributes 10 major databases in computer-readable format on magnetic tape in its Stan- dard Reference Database Series. In this way, the databases are more accessible to a variety of users and

can be updated more easily. These databases have numerous uses, such as identifying chemical unknowns

encountered in different environments, predicting

chemical reaction equilibria, and designing industrial processes. For example, the Photon and Charged Parti- cle Data Center has just prepared two such databases

of accurate cross-section data for the interaction of photons and electrons with matter. These data are needed by many scientists working in energy research,

medical physics, space science, radiation sterilization, and materials processing. The first, called Photon At- tenuation Coefficients in Materials, contains data pertaining to the interaction of x rays and gamma rays with substances in the energy region 1 keV and 100 GeV. The second, which is known as Electron and Positron Stopping Powers of Materials, consists of stopping

powers for electrons in 285 materials and for positrons

in 29 materials of dosimetric interest in the energy range 10keVto 10 GeV. The other databases presently available on magnetic

tape are: NBS/NIH/EPA/MSDC Mass Spectral Data- base, NBS Chemical Thermodynamics Database, NBS

Thermophysical Properties of Hydrocarbon Mixtures Database, NBS Crystal Data Identification File, Thermophysical Properties of Helium, Interactive Fortran Pro- gram to Calculate Thermophysical Properties of Six

32

Fluids, Activity and Osmotic Coefficients of Aqueous

Electrolyte Solutions, and the NBS Steam Tables. Some of the Office's recent data evaluation and data- base development work involves the use of prediction

and correlation techniques. These techniques help

determine hard-to-measure data and provide internal checks to assure that a particular database is scientifically self-consistent. An example of this effort is the NBS Chemical Thermodynamics Database which contains data on the thermodynamic properties of 15,000

substances, all totally consistent with the laws of thermodynamics.

Researchers in the Fluid Mixtures Data Center are developing techniques which will enable scientists to predict transport properties of pure fluids from thermo- dynamic and molecular data, to predict properties of mixtures from the properties of pure fluids, and to inter- polate and extrapolate data over a range of temperature, pressure, and relative concentrations (in mixtures).

Physicist Stephen

Seltzer works on an

evaluated, interactive x-ray attenuation data- base designed to be

used in radiation safety

and medical physics.
NBS research associate

with the JCPDS Inter- national Centre for Dif- fraction Data, studies an x-ray powder diffrac- tion pattern that was

recorded on a laboratory diffractometer.

With such capabilities, researchers can generate needed

thermophysical data on-line for specific multi-component

mixtures. It would be impossible to provide such infor- mation on all possible mixtures in printed tabular form. To make the Standard Reference Data program successful, its managers must be aware of data require- ments in the U.S. technical community and obtain that community's assistance in the job of providing needed

data. For this reason, program managers collaborate

with a variety of industrial and professional groups. These cooperative activities provide considerable

assistance-in-kind to the program, as well as highly ef- fective routes for dissemination of data. For example, the National Association of Corrosion

Engineers and NBS have established a joint program to provide evaluated corrosion data on alloys and other

materials. Corrosion of materials, such as in machinery

and bridges, cost the United States an estimated $167

billion in 1985. The new cooperative effort is aimed at reducing these costs through improved utilization of materials and application of good anti-corrosion practices. The Office of Standard Reference Data has

established a new Corrosion Data Center within the NBS Institute for Materials Science and Engineering.

The data center will provide overall guidance of the

technical aspects of the program and will assure reliability of the data evaluations. The Office of Standard Reference Data also collaborates with the Design Institute for Physical Properties Data (DIPPR), sponsored through the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. DIPPR's purpose is to provide

reference data to the chemical industry by a combination of critical data evaluation and experimental measurement. The more than 40 organizations that support

DIPPR include companies which manufacture chemicals,

design processes and plants, and provide a variety of services to the chemical industry. As a result of this cooperative effort, the Office will disseminate the magnetic tape version of the American Institute of Chemical

Engineers DIPPR database.

In addition to new activities, the Office of Standard

Reference Data enjoys a number of long-standing cooperative arrangements. One is its 14-year collaboration

with the American Chemical Society and the American

Institute of Physics to publish the Journal of Physical and

Chemical Reference Data, the major printed output channel for the National Standard Reference Data System. The journal presents compilations of physical and

chemical property data that have been evaluated by

scientists knowledgeable in the pertinent field of research. The American Chemical Society handles promotion

and subscriptions as well as a unique service: selling bound offprints of articles. The American Institute of Physics is responsible for composition, printing, and

mailing, while NBS provides technical and editorial control. By sponsoring this effort and actively disseminating

the results to their membership, these two professional

societies demonstrate their recognition of the data's importance.

These database development and cooperative activities are merely representative of the large and comprehensive efforts through which the Office of Standard

Reference Data provides up-to-date evaluated scientific information to the technical community.

33
Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology

One of the most significant

technological develop- ments of the past 40 years, computer technology is used to carry out basic manufacturing processes,

to manage programs and

financial activities, and to provide a broad range of consumer and information

services. It has spawned

increases in productivity

throughout the American

economy, contributed to the development of high-technology products and ser- vices, and advanced sci- ence and engineering re- search. The NBS Institute for Computer Sciences and

Technology (ICST) plays a

vital and unique role in pro- viding the standards, specifications, measurement and

test methods, and technical guidance needed by gov- ernment and industry to make better use of computer technology. ICST ser- vices and research contrib- ute to the development of better products, the growth

of markets, and productive

applications of computer

products and services. Through participation in the development of national and international voluntary

standards, ICST supports

U.S. industry competitive- ness and leadership in computer technology.

To improve the

management of in- formation resources, computer scientists (I. to r.) Patricia Konig,

Helen Wood, and Alan

Goldfine are working on

specifications for a federal, ANSI, and interitional standard for data dictionary software.

34
J

omputer technology—a technology of rapid

change— results in new products and new appli- cations of computers almost every day. As with

all new, changing technologies, however, this also leads

to new problems relating to computer use. The Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology's programs in standards development, technical assistance,

and research focus on helping government and industry

manage this changing technology to improve productivity

and help U.S. industry keep its technical lead in inter- national trade. To carry out its programs, ICST researchers work cooperatively with a broad spectrum of organizations,

such as federal, state, and local governments; industry

computer users and manufacturers; research organizations; and voluntary standards groups. In many cases,

scientists and engineers from industry come to ICST lab- oratories to collaborate on joint research projects. Tech- nology and test methods developed in Institute laboratories are transferred to industry and academia as well as other government agencies. Industry depends upon

ICST's neutrality and technical expertise to support the development of broad consensus standards and the impartial tests needed to assure that products conform to standards. Voluntary computer standards continue to be one of the most effective means for managing change. Standards

help to bring order to the computer marketplace and to broaden the market for computer products. The complexities of computer systems and their many interfaces between users, programs, data, operating systems, hard- ware, and communications systems make it difficult to

link different components and systems, to exchange in- formation between different automated activities, and to take full advantage of automation. As a large computer user, the federal government's

requirements for standards are similar to other large

users. More than $15 billion is spent annually on computer-related activities by federal agencies, and the implications of faulty computer operations, waste, and in- efficiency are far reaching. Many organizations have

made large investments in small computers for indi- vidual applications, while microcomputers and large

mainframe computers serve other organizational needs.

Yet tying these systems together for true distributed pro- cessing is still a technical challenge.

As more users need to integrate existing automated

systems, the standards process becomes more complex

and distributed. Standards development is segmented

by technical issues addressed, by special user community needs, and by organizations developing the stan- dards. To meet the federal government's need for co- herent and compatible standards, ICST supports the development of voluntary national and international standards that are cooperatively produced by users and

industry and that result in off-the-shelf, compatible hard- ware and software products. ICST staff members provide technical expertise and

leadership to the voluntary standards development pro- cess by helping to write technical specifications and pro- viding laboratory results. They work with more than 70

different committees in national and international organizations such as the American National Standards Insti- tute (ANSI), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engi- neers (IEEE), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the European Computer Manufacturers

Association (ECMA), and the Consultative Committee on

International Telegraph and Telephone (CCITT). Increasingly, the focus of the Institute's standards-making activities has been in international organizations because

of the global nature of communications and information exchange and the importance of having U.S. technology

used in international standards. As a result of its close

collaboration with U.S. industry, ICST represents U.S. in- terests in international standards development.

For several years, the Institute has been conducting

workshops for vendors and users to discuss the implementation of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model. The OSI Reference Model, which was

developed by ISO with ICST assistance, provides the framework for the development of a complex system of standards that will enable different manufacturers' equipment to work together in computer networks. ICST

Investigating ways

to make software

maintenance less complex and time consuming

are computer scientists Wilma Osborne and

Roger Martin.

35
is cooperating with ISO, ANSI, and other groups to de- velop the needed standards and with industry in implementing the standards in commercial products for the

office and factory. Participants in the workshops have represented more

than 175 organizations, including computer manufacturers, semiconductor manufacturers, word processing

vendors, process control vendors, communications carriers, and industry and government users from the United

States, Canada, and Europe. Two successful demonstrations—one at the 1984 National Computer Confer- ence, the other at AUTOFACT '85—of standards for the OSI reference model have resulted from the workshops.

Two major U.S. corporations, General Motors and Boeing Computer Services, have adopted standards for

their computer operations based on the workshop effort. The corporate standards are Manufacturing Automation

Protocol (MAP) and Technical and Office Protocol (TOP), respectively. ICST contributed to these demonstrations and to the development of commercial products implementing the standards by helping participating organizations test

their products using test methods developed in Institute laboratories. New techniques were also devised to auto- mate the design-to-implementation, testing, and perfor- mance measurement processes, thereby reducing the time needed to write the sophisticated testing procedures. In addition, ICST will coordinate a globally dis- tributed digital data network for OSI research—called OSINET—to which 15 companies have agreed to commit resources.

Institute researchers are also working on the standards needed to integrate different computer programs and

user applications and to establish standard formats and

definitions for data processed by computer. They have

ICST researchers

(I. to r.) Richard

Linn, Jr., Jeffrey Gura,

Daniel Rorrer, Wayne

McCoy, and Stephen

Nightingale (seated)

worked with industry to develop a transport pro- tocol test system, which

allows vendors and

users to test their computer systems to make

sure they conform to networking standards.

contributed to voluntary standards for programming applications for database and graphics systems as well as

for tying these applications languages to high-level pro- gramming languages. These standards will make pro- gramming easier and programs, training, and skills trans- portable from one system to another. ICST's standards efforts cover other application areas, including system interfaces and information exchange.

For example, Institute researchers are involved in devel- oping standards for magnetic media and for structuring data files on media. ICST is supporting more than 35 dif- ferent final, proposed, and planned standards that rep- resent basic requirements for exchanging information stored on different types of magnetic media.

Developing standards is just the first step toward compatibility of products. The standards must be implemented properly in products to assure compatibility with other products, and test and measurement methods are

essential for ensuring that products and systems meet

the increasingly complex standards. Without tests, stan- dards are simply paper specifications, and no one can be sure that products are compatible.

Industry is contributing to this effort by providing re- searchers to collaborate with Institute staff members and

by donating research equipment. More than 20 major

computer and communications companies have been

working with ICST in developing test methods for net- work standards. To extend that effort to the critical soft- ware needed for processing data distributed in networks, ICST has started a new project with industry to develop

test methods for software standards. These include data- base management systems, data dictionary systems,

computer graphics, programming languages, user inter- faces to operating systems, and office systems/docu- ment interchange.

In the case of magnetic media, reference measurement

systems and reference materials are needed to support

the standards that are developed for tapes, disks, and

cartridges. ICST has developed and maintains such ref- erence services for six different types of magnetic

media. Standard Reference Materials are used to evaluate the performance of media and systems and to maintain quality control over their production.

NBS and the Physikalisch-Technische Bundersanstalt (PTB) in West Germany are the only organizations pro- viding these services. To focus the efforts of both

organizations more effectively, NBS has agreed to concentrate on developing new Standard Reference Materials for magnetic tape products while PTB will center its work around the production of reference materials for flexible disk cartridges. ICST is also working on stan- dards and supporting services for optical digital data

disks, a new storage technology.

36
J

Electronics

engineer James

Park works on Standard

Reference Materials

that can be used to evaluate the perform- ance of magnetic

storage media.

Institute researchers provide technical assistance to other government agencies and industry in a number of areas, including computer security, communications security, and reduction of software management costs. The need for security has increased as organizations

become more dependent on computers. Systems and

networks must be protected against all hazards including

"hacker break-ins," computer center disasters, computer-related crimes, erroneous funds disbursements, dis- closure of sensitive information, and theft of data and

software. If left uncorrected, system and network vulnerabilities could result in costly losses and dangerous in- terruptions to data processing. ICST researchers are currently investigating security

for small computer systems, contingency planning,

communications security, and personal identification methods. Other technical efforts involve development of

risk assessment methods, use of cryptography, and

development of computer-access controls. A number of management guides, tests, performance measures,

standards, and guidelines have been developed to assist organizations in protecting their computer infor- mation from unauthorized modification, destruction, or disclosure and in assuring that computers are available

for processing when needed.

Working with the President's Council on Integrity and

Efficiency as well as computer experts and auditors from government and industry, the Institute is developing procedures to help auditors determine the most critical aspects of system security to review. Protection of electronic funds transfers is important to the stability of the banking system as billions of dollars are transferred electronically each day. ICST researchers

are working with the banking community and the Treasury

Department to apply data encryption techniques to protect the transfer of financial messages. A Treasury policy

requires that electronic funds transfer (EFT) messages be

authenticated using federal and voluntary industry stan- dards to assure that messages have been sent by an

authorized party and have not been tampered with during transmission. These researchers are also helping the

voluntary standards community to develop the standards needed for data authentication and encryption of data. As part of the same project, ICST researchers have

developed tests to validate devices that implement the standards. Vendors can now test their devices via elec- tronic hook up with the Institute. The test results will be

used by Treasury to certify devices for use in EFT trans- missions. The National Security Agency is also assisting

in this effort. Institute researchers are planning a cooperative pro- gram to investigate the possible use of small, credit- card-sized devices for personal identification and record

keeping. Meetings with government and industry repre- sentatives have pointed up the potential applications of such devices, as well as the security technology that is needed to make them practical and effective.

Several ICST projects support the Office of Management and Budget's government-wide initiatives to re- duce the costs of software management and to manage

end-user computing. Well-publicized problems with complex systems have focused attention on the critical need for high-quality, error-free software. The Institute is investigating ways to make the process of software maintenance less complex and time consuming.

While the use of off-the-shelf software packages avoids

software development costs, these software packages

must be compatible with existing software if they are to be integrated into existing systems. Institute researchers

are examining approaches for evaluating software packages to assure that they meet user requirements. They

then plan to issue guidelines to help federal agencies

develop their requirements for off-the-shelf software and

to aid in the selection of software packages that meet

their needs. ICST is also studying other ways to improve the productivity of workers who develop their own computer

applications, for example, the use of fourth-generation

programming languages to make programming methods more efficient and easier to maintain. To make the ex- change of information between computer-based office systems more efficient, ICST is developing standards for document interchange between different manufacturers'

systems.

In addition to providing general technical support to computer users, ICST carries out specific projects on a

reimbursable basis for federal agencies. Typical projects

include: assistance in establishing and maintaining soft- ware development policies and guidelines; evaluation of the data management capabilities of software: assis- tance in developing and implementing computer security

procedures: and development of prototype network sys- tems to meet special agency requirements.

The results of ICST research are disseminated through

guides, forecasts, analyses, workshops, and symposia. ICST publishes a computer science and technology series

that transfers technology about new applications to users. The Institute is also experimenting with automated

information services that computer users can reach by

phone using computer terminals and small computers.

In other cases, teleconferences are used to exchange

information with state and local governments and in- dustry users. Working, directly with industry and computer users to get standards implemented in products is ICST's preferred way of transferring technology. This helps to advance the development of standard products

and the productive application of computers.

3~
Special Programs

The planning, organizing,

and executing of NBS re- search programs require extensive interaction with numerous groups to assure

that NBS is developing the measurement technology

needed by the country and

that it is reaching the Bureau's clients. Many of these interactions are co- ordinated through the Associate Director for Inter- national Affairs, responsible

for cooperative work with other countries; the Office

of Research and Tech- nology Applications, which

disseminates the results of NBS research to industry

and state and local governments; and the Office of Product Standards Policy, which, among other activities, provides guidance

and services to state and

local weights and measures officials.

Research associate

Eric Reisenauer

from Naval Ordnance

Station examines a microcomputer-controlled buffer system for robot fingers, turning center collets, and

quick-change tooling in the NBS Automated

Manufacturing Re- search Facility.

38
International Affairs

helaws of science and the art of measurement

know no International boundaries. To achieve its goals. NBS must interact with scientists and insti- tutions of other nations whose objectives are related to those of NBS. The Bureau's international activities include: Representation of the United States in international governmental bodies such as the International Bureau

of Weights and Measures, which was created by the

Treaty of the Meter, and the International Organization of Legal Metrology.

Participation in bilateral agreements for cooperation

in science and technology. NBS currently is participating

in cooperative programs with Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, India, Italy, Korea, China, Yugoslavia,

Spain, Egypt, Hungary, Pakistan, and other countries. Provision of training and technical assistance to de- veloping countries. Interchange of guest scientists with foreign countries.

In 1985, NBS hosted several hundred short-term foreign

visitors, plus 265 foreign guest scientists from 40 countries who worked at the Bureau for periods- f rom 2 weeks

to 1 year or more. The number of foreign scientists working at the Bureau has increased dramatically in recent

years, as has the number of NBS personnel visiting or working at foreign institutions. United States participation in international standards

organizations dates from 1875, when the United States

joined other countries in signing the Treaty of the Meter. From the time of the Bureau's birth in 1901 , NBS has

been assigned the responsibility of representing the U.S. government in technical activities associated with this

treaty. The NBS Director serves as the U.S. delegate to the quadrennial General Conference on Weights and

Measures and is a member of the International Committee of Weights and Measures, which sets policy and

guides the technical work of the General Conference.

NBS staff members serve on the eight technical sub- committees of this parent body.

In a similar vein, NBS cooperates with related institu- tions in the major industrialized countries of the world,

including Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Canada. An example of this cooperative effort is the

U.S. -Japan Panel on Wind and Seismic Effects, for which NBS serves as co-chair for the United States. By

sharing research results in an annual joint seminar, and

by jointly determining objectives for future research, the two countries are able to work together to minimize future damage by earthquakes, hurricanes, and typhoons.

An example of the Bureau's work with developing

countries is its program of providing technical assis- tance to Egyptian standards organizations. Sponsored

and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Devel- opment, Egyptian scientists are trained at NBS, and

NBS specialists are sent to Egypt to provide consultation and assistance in procuring special equipment.

Literally hundreds

of guest workers

from other countries

visit or work at NBS

each year. Shown here

is Yang Zu Zhang of the

Shanghai Bureau of Metrology, People's

Republic of China, who

is working with re- searchers in the Center

for Analytical Chemistry.

39
Office of Research and Technology Applications

he competitiveness of U.S. industry and the well- being of U.S. society are increasingly dependent

on technology. In 1985 the United States spent

$107 billion on research and development. The federal government spent about $50 billion of that amount, with federal laboratories doing approximately $10 billion of the research and development. For the nation to gain the maximum benefit from the federally sponsored research, the results must be actively made available to users and

interested members of the public. The Stevenson-Wydler

Technology Innovation Act of 1980 promotes the active

transfer of federal technology to private industry and

state and local governments.

At NBS, the Office of Research and Technology Appli- cations (ORTA), as required by this Act, provides private

industry and state and local governments ready access

to federal technology and to NBS research and facilities,

in particular. ORTA staff respond to inquiries and

establish cooperative research programs between NBS

and other organizations.

One of the most popular and effective ways to make

NBS research and facilities accessible to U.S. industry is through the Industrial Research Associate program, which

NBS has run since the 1920's. Under this program, in- dustrial scientists and engineers join NBS researchers in solving technical problems of mutual interest. Industrial interest in collaborative research is at an all-time high: In- dustry currently sponsors and pays the salaries of about

200 research associates in more than 80 different pro- grams at the Bureau. Recent changes make the program

even more attractive to industry. For example, revisions

in patent policy give industrial research associates rights

to inventions conceived while working at NBS. And,

under prescribed circumstances, companies can now

conduct proprietary research in NBS facilities. In keeping with the growing national interest in indus- try-government interaction, ORTA participates in a wide

range of joint activities. The Office arranges and partici- pates in industry-government workshops that promote

the exchange of information on exciting advances in technology. The Office also helps state officials organize

and implement conferences on opportunities for using

federal technology. ORTA staff and other NBS

managers joined the Department of Commerce Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and representatives from other Commerce agencies in visits to Louisiana, Oregon,

Pennsylvania, and Minnesota to advise the state officials about federal services that might promote their economic development.

The Office is part of a federal laboratory computer net- work set up to locate federal technology and facilitate its transfer to potential users. Also, ORTA staff provide

leadership for the U.S. Technology Transfer Society.

ORTA participates in the national and regional meetings, panels, and workshops of city, county, and state government officials to help them solve their technical problems. Subjects of particular current interest to these

officials are computer security and technology, fire research, building technology, and law enforcement

product standards.

In a cooperative

industry/government effort to develop

process control sensors

for the steel industry,

NBS metallurgist Floyd

A. Mauer (left) and

David C. Rogers, Ameri- can Iron and Steel In- stitute research associate from U.S. Steel Corporation, set up a

cylindrical steel billet for ultrasonic tomographic temperature im- aging measurements.

40
Office of Product Standards Policy

j

he NBS Office of Product Standards Policy (OPSP)

formulates and carries out federal policy relating to national and international standardization, laboratory accreditation, and legal metrology. As part of this

effort, the Office works with domestic, foreign, and inter- national organizations concerned with standardization and related measurement activities. The Office also pro- vides guidance and services to state and local weights

and measures jurisdictions and manages U.S. international legal metrology obligations.

The Office maintains information on a quarter of a million standards-related documents and responds to thou- sands of inquiries each year. Its National Center for Standards and Certification Information develops directories and indexes and disseminates information to the

public. In support of U.S. trade, the Office serves as the

U.S. Inquiry Point for the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade ("Standards Code") of the General Agree- ment on Tariffs and Trade and furnishes technical assis- tance to industry and trade negotiators in addressing

trade problems with other countries. To promote equity in the marketplace, OPSP sponsors

the National Conference on Weights and Measures. Office staff develop procedures to evaluate measuring in- struments for the marketplace, coordinate training pro- grams, support state metrology laboratories, and cooperate with the Conference to promote nationwide unifor- mity of state and local government requirements pertaining to measurements in the marketplace. At the international level the Office manages U.S. participation in over 100 committees of the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), which aims for international uniformity of requirements for legal metrology.

In view of the importance of having valid U.S. test data accepted abroad, the Office works at the national and international levels to assure reliable laboratory

testing. OPSP conducts workshops on test methods, develops techniques for proficiency testing, and operates

the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Pro- gram (NVLAP). NVLAP is a voluntary system for assessing and evaluating testing laboratories and accrediting those found competent to perform specific test methods

or types of tests on products and materials. Through this program, laboratories are accredited for testing a variety

of products, including telecommunications equipment,

thermal insulation, and radiation dosimeters. The Office works closely with international organizations to have U.S. technology and practices incorporated in international standards and guidelines. Its staff serve on key committees of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the International Laboratory

Accreditation Conference, the International Electrotechnical Commission, the International Organization for Standardization, OIML, and many others.

To provide traceability to national

standards, the Office

supports the system of state weights and measures laboratories.
Resources

The Bureau's work is carried out by highly skilled staff who are often recognized as

national or international leaders in their specialties.

In Gaithersburg, Maryland,

located north of Washington,

D.C., NBS has about 2,350

full-time employees working

in 26 buildings on 576 acres. The Bureau also has nearly

390 full-time staffers who

work in 14 buildings on 208

acres in Boulder, Colorado. The Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, co- sponsored by NBS and the

University of Colorado, is located in Boulder, where

scientists study atomic and

molecular physics and astro- physics. At Ft. Collins, Col- orado, NBS operates radio

stations WWV and WWVB,

which broadcast standard

time and frequency infor- mation. Another station, WWVH, broadcasts from

Kauai, Hawaii.

In an overhead

view of the small- angle neutron scatter- ing (SANS) spectrometer, physicist Charles

Glinka analyzes data at a computerized color- display terminal linked

to a two-dimensional

neutron detector

located inside the

3.5-meter flight path

tube behind the sample

chamber.

42
J

M s the nation's central reference laboratory, the Mx Bureau houses a number of special facilities and

equipment, many of which are available for use

by the scientific and engineering communities—some

for conducting proprietary research. For example, the NBS 20-megawatt research reactor is a major national

facility for cooperative research in materials characterization. About 200 scientists from industrial fi r ms, universities, and federal agencies use the NBS reactor each

year in projects ranging from nuclear theory to analyses

of food contaminants. An electron accelerator, capable of producing well- focused electron beams at energies between 14 and

140 million electron volts, is used to produce high- energy electrons, positrons, photons, and neutrons for nuclear physics research, neutron measurements and

standards, analytical chemistry, and dosimetry research. As part of this facility, a 200-million-electron-volt racetrack microtron, which will be a user facility for research in nuclear physics, is now being installed. The

microtron, which is scheduled to be available for re- search in late 1987, is expected to have a number of unique performance characteristics, including a contin- uous-wave beam, high current, easily variable energy

over a wide range, excellent emittance, and very small energy spread.

The Bureau's Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility (SURF II) is a 280-million-electron-volt electron storage

ring that radiates synchrotron radiation which is highly

collimated, nearly linearly polarized, and of calculable in- tensity. SURF II is used in studies in atomic, molecular,

biomolecular, and solid-state physics; surface and materials science; electro-optics; and chemistry and radiation

effects on matter. Among other NBS facilities are an Automated Manufacturing Research Facility, several environmental chambers, a tri-directional structural testing facility, a fire research laboratory which includes a facility for smoke

movement studies, a 2-story structural steel test facility, and a network protocol testing and evaluation laboratory. In addition, an extensive instrument shops group

answers specialized research needs. Shop capabilities include glass blowing, optics, and metalworking.

In fiscal year 1985, direct Congressional appropriations accounted for about 60 percent of NBS budget of $208.9 million. The balance resulted from work performed

by NBS for other government agencies, and from the

sale of NBS goods and services such as Standard Ref- erence Materials and calibrations.

Total NBS Operating Funds—All Sources

(in millions of dollars)

FY 1984

(actual) FY 1985

(actual) FY 1986

(estimate)

Measurement research and standards $ 55.8 $ 60.7 $ 61.7

Materials science and engineering 27.5 31.2 33.4

Engineering measurements

and standards 72.1 77.9 79.1

Computer sciences and technology 12.4 13.6 13.0

Research support activities 28.9 25.5 26 2

Total NBS $196.7 $208.9 $213.4

43
Director

Deputy Director

Office of the Legal Adviser

Office of Congressional and Legislative

Affairs

Office of Research and Technology

Applications Associate Director for International Affairs

Associate Director for Programs, Budget, & Finance

Program Office Budget Office

Office of the Comptroller

Office of Product Standards Policy Standards Code &

Information Laboratory Accreditation Standards Management

Weights & Measures

National Measurement

Laboratory

Office of Standard Reference Data

Office of Measurement Services Center for Basic Standards

Center for Radiation Research

Center for Chemical Physics Center for Analytical Chemistry

National Engineering

Laboratory

Center for Applied Mathematics

Center for Electronics & Electrical Engineering Center for Manufacturing

Engineering Center for Building Technology

Center for Fire Research

Center for Chemical

Engineering

Office of the Director NBS Boulder Laboratories

Director of Administration EEO Support

Information Resources & Services

Public Information Management Systems

Plant

Facilities Services Occupational Health & Safety Personnel

Acquisition & Assistance

Institute for Computer

Sciences & Technology

Center for Programming Science & Technology

Center for Computer Systems

Engineering

Institute for Materials Science & Engineering

Ceramics

Fracture and Deformation Polymers

Metallurgy Reactor Radiation Nondestructive Evaluation

44
echnical work is carried out in the

National Measurement Laboratory, the

National Engineering Laboratory, the Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology,

and the Institute for Materials Science and Engineering. These groups are supported by the

Office of the Director of Administration; the Office of the Director, NBS/Boulder Laboratories; and the Office of the Associate Director for Programs, Budget, and Finance. This amal- gam of people and programs forms a community dedicated to service. An interdisciplinary

approach allows NBS to provide the nation

with scientific measurements of high precision

and accuracy, coupled with solutions for current and future technological problems.

This brochure highlights only some of the Bureau's programs. For more information on

specific projects, contact the people listed in

this directory. To reach members of the Gaithersburg, MD staff, dial (301) 921 + ex- tension or write to the National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD 20899. Bureau staff located in Boulder, CO, can be contacted on

(303) 497 + extension or write to the National Bureau of Standards, Boulder, CO 80303.

Boulder staff members are designated in the

directory with asterisks.

Office of the Director

Dr. E. Ambler, Director (2411)

Mr. R.G. Kammer, Deputy Director (2451)

Legal Adviser

Mr. A.J. Farrar (2425)

Office of Congressional and Legislative

Affairs

Mrs. E.C. Cassidy, Director (2441)

Office of Research and Technology

Applications

Dr. H.E. Sorrows, Director (2226)

Industrial Liaison/Research Associates

Dr. H.E. Sorrows (2226)

State and Local Governments Liaison

Mr. J.M. Wyckoff (3814)

Associate Director for International Affairs

Dr. E.L. Brady (3641)

Office of Product Standards Policy

Dr. S.I. Warshaw, Director (3751)

Mr. J.L. Donaldson, Deputy Director (3751)

Office of the Director,

NBS/Boulder Laboratories

The Office of the Director, NBS/ Boulder

Laboratories, which is located in Boulder,

Colo., oversees the technical programs of the NBS/ Boulder Laboratories. These Laboratories conduct research in time and frequency,

quantum physics, and thermodynamics for the National Measurement Laboratory and in materials science for the Institute for Materials Science and Engineering. The Laboratories

also carry out programs for the National Engineering Laboratory in electromagnetics,

thermophysical properties, and fluid dynamics.

Dr. R.A. Kamper, Director (3237)*

Office of the Associate Director

for Programs, Budget,

and Finance

The Office of the Associate Director for Pro- grams, Budget, and Finance plans, develops,

and evaluates Bureau-level programs and for- mulates and carries out policies and strategies

for programmatic, budgetary, and financial matters. It develops techniques for and coor- dinates the review of technical and overhead

programs; serves as the NBS Director's staff for Bureau-level, programmatic budget for- mulation and execution and finance matters; and develops and maintains mechanisms to monitor planned and actual uses of resources by providing integrated, evaluated information on program progress, opportunities, and re- sources to the NBS Director. In addition, the

Office advises management on significant

changes and deviations and recommends pro- gram, budget, finance, and accounting

priorities to the NBS Director.

Dr. P.L.M. Heydemann, Associate Director (3361)

Program Office

Dr. A.H. Sher, Chief (3137)

Budget Office

Mr. T.A. Gary, Budget Officer (2544)

Office of the Comptroller

Vacant (2814)

45
Office of the Director of

Administration

The Office of the Director of Administration

directs the management of Bureau-wide facilities, information systems, and management

and administrative services including information resources and publications services; pro- curement, administrative computing, technical and public information functions; personnel,

management analysis, health, safety, and

security services as well as physical plant,

facilities, and space management. The Office also decides on policies and plans and directs actions to assure that these services are responsive to the needs of the technical programs.

Mr. G.W. Chamberlin, Jr., Director (2477)

Mr. K.E. Bell, Deputy Director (3444)

Equal Employment Opportunity Support

Division

Mr. A.C. Lewis, Chief (3494)

Public Information Division

Mr. R.S. Franzen, Chief (3112)

Management Systems Division

Mr. OH. Tobey, Chief (3384)

Information Resources and Services

Division

Ms. P.W. Berger, Chief (3405)

Plant Division

Mr. J.N. Brewer, Chief (2825)

Facilities Services Division

Mr. W.J. Rabbitt, Chief (2525)

Occupational Health and Safety Division

Mr. L.E. Pevey, Chief (3366)

Personnel Division

Mrs. E.W. Stroud, Chief (3555)

Acquisition and Assistance Division

Mr. R. de la Menardiere, Chief (3521)

Boulder Executive Office

Mr. F.P. McGehan, Acting Executive Officer (3955)* Instrument Shops Division

Mr. D.W. Cook, Chief (3855)*

Plant Division

Mr. R.L. Rodger, Chief (3886)*

Institute for Materials Science

and Engineering

The Institute for Materials Science and

Engineering (IMSE) provides the nation with a

central basis for uniform physical measurements, measurement methods, and measure- ment services basic to the processing, microstructural characterization, properties, and per- formance of materials. It provides government,

industry, universities, and consumers with standards, measurement methods, data, and

quantitative understanding concerning metals,

polymers, ceramics, composites, and glasses.

IMSE also obtains accurate experimental data on the behavior and properties of materials under service conditions to assure effective use of materials.

Dr. L.H. Schwartz, Director (2891)

Office of Nondestructive Evaluation

Dr. H.T Yolken, Chief (3331)

Ceramics Division

Dr. S.M. Hsu, Chief (2847) Fracture and Deformation Division

Dr R.P Reed, Chief (3870)*

Polymers Division

Dr. L.E. Smith, Chief (3734)

Metallurgy Division

Dr. E.N. Pugh, Chief (2811) Reactor Radiation Division

Dr. R.S. Carter, Chief (2421)

National Measurement Laboratory

The National Measurement Laboratory (NML)

provides the national system of physical and

chemical measurements; coordinates the sys- tem with measurement systems of other nations; and furnishes essential services leading to ac- curate and uniform physical and chemical measurements throughout the nation's scientific community, industry, and commerce. NML

also furnishes advisory and research services

to other government agencies; conducts physical and chemical research; develops, pro- duces, and distributes Standard Reference

Materials; and provides standard reference data and calibration services.

Dr. D.R. Johnson, Director (2828)

Dr. C.W. Reimann, Deputy Director for Resources and Operations (2878)

Standard Reference Data

Dr. D.R. Lide, Jr., Director (2467)

Measurement Services

Mr. G.A. Uriano, Director (3231)

Office of Standard Reference Materials

Mr. S.D. Rasberry, Chief (3479)

Office of Physical Measurement Services

Mr. E. Garner, Chief (2805)

Center for Basic Standards

Dr. K.G. Kessler, Director (2001)

Dr. J.D. Simmons, Deputy Director (2001)

Electricity Division

Dr. B.N. Taylor, Chief (2701)

Temperature and Pressure Division

Dr. R.J. Soulen, Jr., Chief (3315) Length and Mass Division

Dr. J.D. Simmons, Chief (2001)

Time and Frequency Division

Dr. D.B. Sullivan, Chief (3772)*

Quantum Physics Division

Dr. K.B. Gebbie, Chief (3527)*

46
Center for Radiation Research

Dr. C.E. Kuyatt, Director (2551)

Dr. W.A. Cassatt, Deputy Director (2551)

Atomic and Plasma Radiation Division

Dr. W.L Wiese, Chief (2071)

Radiation Physics Division

Dr. W.R. Ott, Chief (3201)

Radiometric Physics Division

Dr. K.D. Mielenz, Chief (3864)

Radiation Source and Instrumentation

Division

Dr. S. Penner, Chief (2503)

Ionizing Radiation Division

Dr. R.S. Caswell, Chief (2625)

Center for Chemical Physics

Dr. P.J. Ausloos. Director (2711)

Dr. R.A. Haines, Deputy Director (2711) Surface Science Division

Dr. C.J. Powell, Chief (2188)

Chemical Kinetics Division

Dr. S. Stem, Chief (2792)

Chemical Thermodynamics Division

Dr. S. Abramowitz, Chief (2131)

Molecular Spectroscopy Division

Dr. A. Weber, Chief (2021)

Center for Analytical Chemistry

Dr. H.S. Hertz, Director (2851)

Dr. R.A. Durst, Acting Deputy Director (2852)

Inorganic Analytical Research Division

Dr. J.R. DeVoe, Chief (2748)

Organic Analytical Research Division

Dr. W.E. May, Chief (3778)

Gas and Particulate Science Division

Dr. H.L. Rook, Chief (2886)

Institute for Computer Sciences

and Technology

The Institute for Computer Sciences and Tech- nology (ICST) develops computer standards,

conducts research, and provides scientific and

technical services to aid federal agencies in the selection, acquisition, application, and use

of computer technology to improve effective- ness and economy in government operations

in accordance with Public Law 89-306, rele- vant Executive Orders, and other directives. ICST manages a government-wide program for standards development and use, including

management of federal participation in ADP

voluntary standardization activities. In addition, ICST provides technical support in: the devel- opment of federal ADP management and pro- curement policies, the selection and direction

of federally sponsored computer research and

development, and the resolution of computer

utilization issues.

Mr. J.H. Burrows, Director (3151)

Center for Programming Science

and Technology

Mr. T.N. Pyke, Jr., Director (3436)

Information Systems Engineering Division Ms. H.M. Wood, Chief (3553)

Systems and Software Technology

Division

Mr. A.L, Hankinson, Chief (2208)

Center for Computer Systems

Engineering

Mr. R.P Blanc, Director (3817)

Systems and Network Architecture

Division

Dr. J.F. Heafner, Chief (3537)

Systems Components Division Vacant (2705)

National Engineering Laboratory

The National Engineering Laboratory (NEL)

furnishes technology and technical services to users in the public and private sectors to help

to solve national problems in public interest. NEL conducts research in engineering and

applied science in support of these efforts, builds and maintains competence in the nec- essary disciplines required to carry out this research and technical services; and develops

engineering data and measurement capabilities. NEL also provides engineering measure- ment traceability services; develops test methods and proposes engineering standards and code changes; develops and proposes new engineering practices; and develops and

improves mechanisms to transfer results of its research to the ultimate user.

Dr. J.W. Lyons, Director (3434)

Mr. S. Kramer, Deputy Director (3233)

Dr. G.A. Sinnott, Associate Director for Technical Evaluation (3235)

Office of Energy-Related Inventions

Mr. CP. Lewert, Chief (3694)

Law Enforcement Standards Laboratory

Mr. L. Eliason, Chief (3161)

Office of Product Safety Technology

Mr. S. Kramer, Acting Chief (3233)

Center for Applied Mathematics

Dr. B.H. Colvin, Director (2541)

Dr. J.R. Rosenblatt, Deputy Director (2541)

Mathematical Analysis Division

Dr. F.C. Johnson, Chief (2631)

Scientific Computing Division

Dr. RE. Sullivan, Chief (3395)

Statistical Engineering Division

Mrs. M.G. Natrella, Acting Chief (3651)

Computer Services Division

Mr. M.R. Shaver, Chief (3424)

Computer Systems and Communications

Division

Mr. S. White, Chief (2905)

47
Center for Electronics and

Electrical Engineering

Mr J.C. French, Director (3357)

Mr. R.I. Scace, Deputy Director (3357)

Electrosystems Division

Dr. 0. Petersons, Chief (2328)

Electromagnetic Fields Division

Mr. C.K.S. Miller, Chief (3131)*

Electromagnetic Technology Division

Dr. R.A. Kamper, Chief (3535)*

Semiconductor Electronics Division Dr K.F. Galloway, Chief (3541)

Center for Manufacturing

Engineering

Dr. J A. Simpson. Director (3421)

Dr. D A. Swyt, Deputy Director (3421)

Factory Automation Systems Division

Mr. H M. Bloom, Chief (2461)

Fabrication Technology Division

Mr. R.T. Penn, Chief (2436)

Automated Production Technology

Division

Mr. D.S. Blomquist, Chief (3565)

Precision Engineering Division

Dr. R.J. Hocken, Chief (2577)

Robot Systems Division

Dr. J.S. Albus, Chief (2181)

48

Center for Building Technology

Dr. R.N. Wright, Director (3377)

Mr. J.G. Gross, Deputy Director (3375) Structures Division

Dr. C.G. Culver, Chief (2196)

Building Physics Division

Dr. T. Kusuda, Chief (3637)

Building Equipment Division

Dr. J.E. Hill, Chief (3465)

Building Materials Division

Dr. G.J. Frohnsdorff. Chief (3704)

Center for Fire Research

Dr. J.E. Snell, Director (3143)

Mr. J. Winger, Deputy Director (3143)

Office of Fire Research Resources

Dr. R.S. Levme. Chief (3845)

Fire Safety Technology Division

Dr. A.J. Fowell, Chief (3255)

Fire Measurement and Research Division

Dr. R.G. Gann, Chief (2963)

Center for Chemical Engineering

Mr. J. Hord, Director (5108)*

Dr. M.M. Hessel, Deputy Director (2034)

Chemical Engineering Sciences Division

Mr. M.J. Sikdar, Chief (5232)*

Thermophysics Division

Mr. N.A. Olien, Chief (3257)*

Chemical Process Metrology Division

Dr. J.J. Ulbrecht, Chief (3558)

US GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1986 - 491-097 - 814/52532
Any mention of commercial products is for information only: it does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Bureau of Standards nor does it imply that the products mentioned are necessarily

the best available for the purpose.