NBSIR 87-3596

Process and Quality Control and

Calibration Programs of the

National Bureau of Standards

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Bureau of Standards

Gaithersburg, MD 20899

June 1987

Final Report

Prepared for: The U.S. Congress in Response to Public Law 99.574

NBSIR 87-3596

PROCESS AND QUALITY CONTROL AND

CALIBRATION PROGRAMS OF THE

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Bureau of Standards

Gaithersburg, MD 20899

June 1987

Final Report

Prepared for: The U.S. Congress in Response to Public Law 99.574

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Malcolm Baldrige, Secretary

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS. Ernest Ambler. Director

FOREWORD

Public Law 99- 574^- , enacted October 28, 1986, charged the

Director of the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) to ask the

Bureau's major clients about their needs for research and services

related to NBS "process and quality control and calibration

programs". This report is in response to that request.

(Excerpt from P.L. 99-574)

PROCESS AND QUALITY CONTROL AND

CALIBRATION PROGRAMS

Sec. 9 (a) The Director of the National Bureau of

Standards shall hold discussions with representatives of

Federal agencies, including the Department of Defense,

the Department of Energy, the National Aeronautics and

Space Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Nuclear

Regulatory Commission, and the Federal Communications

Commission, which use (or the contractors of which

depend on) the process and quality control and calibration programs of the Bureau, and with companies,

organizations and major engineering societies from the

private sector, in order to determine the extent of the

demand for research and services under such programs

,

the appropriate methods of paying for research and

services under such programs , and with willingness of

Federal agencies and the private sector to pay for such

research and services.

(b) Within six months after the date of the

enactment of this Act^, the Director shall submit to the

Committee on Science and Technology of the House of

Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science,

and Transportation of the Senate a report of the

Director's findings based on the discussions held under

subsections (a)

,

together with recommendations for such

legislative actions as may be needed to implement a comprehensive Federal process and quality control and

calibration program.

1 Public Law 99-574, Section 9, Parts (a) and (b)

,

National Bureau

of Standards Authorization Act.

^ The National Bureau of Standards was later granted a two -month

extension of this deadline.

i
‘
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword i

Table of Contents iii

Executive Summary v

I. NBS ROLES, PRODUCTS, & CUSTOMERS

A. Introduction 1

B . NBS Measurement Services 8

C. Customers 21

II. COMMON CUSTOMER THEMES

A. Lead Agency Status 29

B. Cost Recovery and Pricing of Services 33

C. Measurement and the Current National Concern with

Competitiveness 37

III. SENIOR MANAGEMENT VISITS BY NBS TO ITS CUSTOMERS

A. Results 41

B. Attendees 55

Appendix A. Customer Needs for Calibrations & Special Tests 73

Appendix B. Customer Needs for Standard Reference Materials 103

Appendix C. Defense Department Needs for Measurement

Research & Services 151

Appendix D. The Status of Emerging Technologies: An

Economic/Technological Assessment to the Year 2000 177

iii

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

General Observations

There has been an explosion in applied science in the last

two decades that is manifested in a considerable number of emerging technologies Computers and robots are revolutionizing the

manufacturing industries. Ceramics, polymers, and composites are

revolutionizing the materials industries. Biotechnology is re- volutionizing the chemical, agricultural, medical, and drug industries. Computers, telecommunications, and optoelectronics are

revolutionizing financial, information, and government services

and operations as well as manufacturing. New materials that become superconducting at near- room temperature hold tremendous

promise for the electric power, medical, and transportation industries .

Movement from basic commodities and materials to highervalue-added products and systems is inevitable and irreversible.

Opportunities afforded by the new technologies and challenges from

worldwide competition will compel industry to build highlyflexible manufacturing facilities. Customers will benefit from a previously undreamed of variety of products.

The Nation is facing a challenge. Economic competition is

increasing throughout the world. The technology- induced rise of

new industries and revamping of older industries is taking place

in a context of intense global competition. New technologies, new

industries, new products and services mean that a new technological infrastructure -- including measurements, test methods, standards, and evaluated data -- has to be constructed and integrated.

The private sector is underinvesting in the science and technology which underlies industrial process design, process control,

and quality assurance. Because it is difficult to capture the

returns from investment in this science and technology, industry

^•Under the direction of Deputy Secretary of Commerce Clarence J.

Brown, NBS Director Ernest Ambler recently chaired a Department of

Commerce committee to identify emerging technologies and barriers

to their expedient commercial application. The Department's re- port, "The Status of Emerging Technologies: An Economic/Technological Assessment to the Year 2000", is included as Appendix D.

v
systematically underinvests in its production, to the detriment of

national economic growth and international competitiveness.

American firms and Government agencies believe that implementation of process control and quality assurance in the United

States is and ought to be primarily the responsibility of the

producers of the Nation's goods and services, that is, the individual firms, organizations, and agencies. NBS shares this view.

No Federal program, no matter how competent or well-meaning, can

assume decision-making responsibility for those who take the risks

and reap the rewards.

In order to respond effectively to the global competitive

challenge, our customers see a need for new measurement services

at earlier stages in the product or program development process.

This comes at a time when the mechanism for generating these services has become reactive to the product or program needs so that

measurement support is often available late in the cycle . This

inhibits first- to -market strategies, slows down product introduction, and can cause major setbacks in Government programs.

The National Bureau of Standards also faces a challenge.

While measurements and standards for existing technologies and

industries continue to require NBS support, new research and services are needed to bring measurement uniformity and compatibility

to an array of new technologies. New, emerging technologies have

enlarged the scope of measurement requirements; and new kinds of

automated processes have changed the scale of measurement support

required (e.g., for real-time, in-situ measurement ).

Customer Reactions

When asked about the need for a national program for process

and quality control, nearly all of the Bureau's industrial customers expressed the view that the current implementation of the

Nation's process control and calibration program, which assigns

NBS the role of a central reference laboratory, is the most appropriate national program.

The firms, Government agencies, and other laboratories we

visited recognize the importance of process control and quality

assurance to their organizations and to the Nation.

vi
Our customers also believe that the National Bureau of Standards plays a unique role with respect to infrastructure support

for process control and quality assurance in the Nation. Our

customers believe that NBS must provide the measurement foundation

needed for process control and quality assurance in the private

and public sectors. Many would like to see NBS explicitly designated the lead national laboratory^ for advanced thinking and ex- perimentation in the measurement science and technology that underlies gains in process control and quality assurance.

Our customers also endorse the Bureau's unique, non- regulatory role that relies on voluntary participation by industry.

They believe that NBS should provide technical tools and information to lubricate our free enterprise engine; measurement tools

and information which underlie the process control and quality

assurance of all firms and facilitate company- to -company consistency in key measurements, but which do not interfere with their

proprietary interests.

The customers we visited recognize the symbiotic relationship

that exists between forefront research and measurement services.

They find the Bureau's measurement services valuable because they

are linked to U.S. national standards maintained by NBS. Measurement services are seen as mechanisms for transferring measurement

science and theory into practice in industry and elsewhere. Even

though a particular service may seem to be provided through relatively routine operations, customers value the fact that each

measurement service is built on a sound experimental and theoretical basis, is validated, and is capable of rapid adaptation to

high levels of performance.

9 "Lead Agency" is the term applied to an agency with a mission that crosses agency lines. A "lead agency's" authorization

and funding may require it to perform work for another agency or

ask another agency to perform work in furtherance of its mission.

At a minimum, a "lead agency" is required to coordinate the activities of all agencies which contribute to its "lead" mission.

(See Chapter II for further discussion)

vii
Pricing of Services

Customers showed a high degree of agreement about how NBS research and services should be funded. All believe that the direct

costs of delivering services should be paid by the organization

that receives the service. If the organization is unable to pay

because of some market imperfection, some Government entity should

subsidize the purchase, if the service is sufficiently important

to the Nation.

If a particular measurement technology exists and has been

validated, and a service is developed specifically to benefit a particular industry or agency, most would be willing to pay "their

share” by having the development costs (amortized over the life of

the product or service) added to the direct cost of providing the

service or by supplying a "share" of staff, equipment or funding

needed for the development. Customers want to be assured, however, that these development costs are directly related to the

service they are purchasing and only that service. They are opposed to cross -charging in which high-demand SRMs are priced higher to subsidize the development of other SRMs. They are also opposed to paying for generic development research that might underlie several services.

Both industry and government expressed their inability to

fund the fundamental or generic measurement research and technology which is required before the final development of a measurement service can be undertaken. Industry, other Federal agencies,

and NBS have all become more selective. NBS cannot provide all of

the needed measurement support from its appropriation, so NBS is

becoming more selective in conducting underlying, fundamental

measurement research with its appropriations. Other agencies fund

only those measurement activities that directly support their

programs. They will not fund underlying measurement research.

Firms are willing to pay for services they use directly, but are

unwilling to fund generic measurement research or services. Private firms are focusing their R&D on areas with known and predictable profit potential. The times when industry invested broadly

in order to have options later are past.

Our customers were unanimous in their belief that the timely

availability of measurement research is essential, because it

supports the technologies and services needed to meet rapidly

expanding international competition, in the case of industry, and

mission objectives, in the case of Government. They see such re- search to be a mandated NBS mission; they expect it to be funded

by NBS appropriations at a high enough level to allow services to

be available when they need them.

viii
Implications for NBS Services

Demands for NBS measurement services have increased in both

scale and scope. Existing measurement services are inadequate

because greater accuracies are needed or because the service needs

to cover a broader range of temperatures, pressures, frequencies,

etc. At the same time, new technologies are creating demands for

additional, often entirely new, measurement methods, data, and

services

Today's measurement requirements are also different in kind.

Now, more than ever before, dynamic measurements are needed. That

is , industry wants to measure some property or characteristic

while a process or production line is in motion. It is not economical to stop, make a measurement, and begin again. Furthermore,

stopping can alter the process. In addition, now more than ever

before, measurement is required in situ . Industry needs the means

to verify the measurement performance of instruments , devices , and

sensors under use conditions in the production or process stream.

Calibration Services

o Industry needs greater numbers of individual measurements over

a diversity of parameters and ranges. Therefore, NBS needs to

develop a generic theoretical basis and statistical and other

procedures for quality control of measurements by automated

systems

o Because very-high- accuracy measurement capability is being

built into commercial devices, NBS needs to develop more measurement standards which are based on the invariant properties

of matter which can be used in such devices (e.g., electrical/electronic measurement and test structures on a picosecond

time scale)

o The mature technologies need calibration services such as mass

,

flow, force, temperature, pressure, and optical radiation to be

maintained, refined, or advanced.

o The trend toward real-time feedback and modification of process

control and quality assurance systems will require different

and better sensors, measurement devices, and calibration methods .

ix
o Advances in microwave and millimeter wave technology and applications have created needs to develop and document a variety

of measurement methods and procedures

o NBS needs to work with industry to develop the capability to

make and characterize high quality solid state devices that can

serve as standards, transfer standards, or transducers for a variety of physical parameters. This promising new technology

has the potential to dramatically improve industrial measurements and to provide the U.S. instrumentation industry with a new line of very competitive products.

Standard Reference Materials (SRMs’)

o Industrial concern for quality seems to be translating into

concern for achieving traceability to NBS, which is increasing

demand for NBS SRMs of all types.

o In particular, new, emerging technologies have produced a large

and growing demand for new, high-technology Standard Reference

Materials (for example, new and renewal SRMs are needed for advanced semiconductors, ceramics, superalloys, nutrition, and

advanced physical and chemical metrology) . To respond to these

needs, the SRM program will need a rapid expansion of its re- search component.

o "Multi-parameter" SRMs in which both physical and chemical

properties are certified for the same material are of especially high priority for the future. For example, an SRM for an

industrial plastic needs to be characterized for its chemical

composition (polymer, unpolymerized monomer, plasticizer, solvent content, filler, pigment etc) and for its mechanical properties as well.

o U.S. industry has come to rely on NBS SRMs to calibrate "relative" measuring instruments (automated devices which do not

measure absolutely) . Most firms no longer have any laboratory

capabilities of their own to calibrate such instruments.

o Customers believe that tomorrow's highly- automated, multi-component chemical processes will be "optimized" by incorporating

standard analytical methods and Standard Reference Materials

into "chemometric models" which will control processing. Industry is now pressing for automatic, simultaneous multi-component analyses for many industrial purposes: exhaust gas,

medical diagnostics, materials.

x
Summary of Specific Technical Findings

Measurement -related needs that were identified during recent

senior management visits to customers, in documents those customers referred us to, or directly from the users of NBS measurement

services are summarized below.

Advanced Materials

o Design and operation of industrial processes for new, advanced

materials such as ceramics, sophisticated metal-allovs . and

composites require automated process control to an extent

unprecedented in today's manufacturing technologies. These

systems will depend on the availability of

nonintrusive , nondestructive measurement devices (sensors)

that can survive in harsh processing environments; and

models and expert systems that incorporate measurement data,

test methods , and standards

For example, automating these advanced processes will require

knowledge of the variability of materials properties versus

process parameters fundamental understanding of the relationships between the atomic and molecular structures of materials

and their characteristics and performance (e.g., interfacial

energies in composites)

o Methods for analyzing and treating the surfaces of materials

are important to a variety of industrial applications. Critical industrial applications will require in- situ diagnosis and

treatment of surfaces in harsh environments to assess defects

,

improve wear, prevent corrosion, prevent stress and fatigue.

o NBS has received a large number of requests from industry for

help in developing a scientific basis (measurement methods,

nondestructive tests, predictive models) for assessing wear

durability, and longevity of materials in all sorts of applications and environments. Predictive capability and techniques for improving durability would have significant effects

on industrial productivity.

o Users expect that the speedy development and application of

new superconducting materials will depend, in part, on the

availability of measurement methods and Standard Reference

Materials for identification and characterization, as well as an understanding of process -structure-property relationships.

xi
Advanced Electronics & Semiconductors

o Industry has asked for improvements in the measurement services which assure the measurement of numerous electrical

parameters such as voltage, impedance, and current (e.g., new

or improved calibration services have been requested for capacitance; magnetic field strength; microwave impedance, low &

high power, attenuation, noise, antenna gain, and phase

noise.

)

o The user community expects new technologies such as Josephson

junction technology and superconductivity to lead to the development of new instrumentation and principles for electronic

measurement .

o Standards are needed to assure the measurement of semiconductor line width and depth profile and to assure the ouritv of

raw materials used in the chemical production processes of

semiconductor manufacture (e.g., Standard Reference Materials

such as "known good" and "known defect" wafers; linewidth on

wafer; linewidth on X-ray mask; defect size on photomask and

wafer; thickness of oxide and metal patterns; internal precipitate concentration, size, and spatial distribution; Gallium

Arsenide properties for quality assurance in the production

and application of semiconductor devices ; minority carrier

lifetime; dopant concentration; epitaxial layer thicknesses;

carrier density profiles; defect densities; slice flatness;

and purity of water, acids, and gases.)

o Measurement methods are needed for manufacturing and evaluating multi -layer semiconductor materials (heterostructures) by

chemical beam epitaxy, which combines some of the most attractive features of molecular beam epitaxy and metal -organic

chemical vapor deposition.

o Measurement and test methods are needed to assure the measurement of picosecond risetimes and amplitudes of wave propagation on integrated circuits

Microwave Systems

o Measurement methods, physical standards, and calibration services for numerous electrical parameters in the microwave and

millimeter wave ranges are a very high priority to industry

(see first "Advanced Electronics & Semiconductors").

o Development of Monolithic Microwave and Millimeter Wave Integrated Circuits (MMICs) will require test methods and standards for the measurement of radio frequency parameters on

gallium arsenide semiconductor wafers during processing.

xii
Automation

o To support artificial intelligence applications in factory

automation, industry sees a need for generic research in ar- tificial intelligence and robotics . In addition, software

standards for computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) systems are

needed.

o The user community would like to have guidelines for interfaces . so they will not be dependent on custom, vendor -specific computer networks, software, and workstations.

o Industry sees a need for generic research to develop modeling

capabilities for CAD/CAM (Computer-Aided Design & ComputerAided Manufacturing) that they can use for product development

and testing prior to manufacture. Such systems require new

quality assurance methodology, methods to verify the accuracy

of input data, and a family of application- specific data format standards.

o The complex systems and computing processes that are used in

production control, automation, data processing and robotics

require additional definition and generic research.

o Specific Calibration Services and/or Measurement Assurance

Programs have been requested high- accuracy coordinate measuring machines and for attributes important in manufacturing

such as flatness, force, gloss, haze, length (gage block'),

mass, particle size, surface roughness, and surface finish .

Biotechnology

o As industry begins to bring new biotechnology products to

market, the lack of a base of measurement support and research

in this area becomes more critical. Industry would like NBS

to conduct generic measurement research in biotechnology to

create a base of knowledge for the chemical characterization

of these new products.

o Industry and the research community need reference materials

for immunoassay, for protein sequencing of antibodies used in

this technique, and for assessing specific antibody activity

in immunoassays .

o New principles of measurement for gas sensing in blood are

needed.

o Industry would like NBS to develop complex protein separation

techniques for use in "gene fingerprinting" to analyze genetic

xiii
defects and for use in general protein pattern characterization to detect viruses and cancers in plants and animals

o Industry needs quality control procedures for enzvme ouri tv

and activity measurements .

o Flow cvtometrv reference materials are needed for cell sorting

and diagnostic technologies

Computer Applications

o NBS customers want additional development, verification, and

testing of standards and guidelines for software development,

maintenance, and portability.

o Industry sees a need for data interchange standards (physical

and logical) for high density computer storage media and systems to facilitate the exchange of media between drives manufactured by a wide variety of suppliers.

o Conceptual designs are needed for advanced information systems

used for traffic guidance and control , along with methods for

verifying system performance.

Electro-Optics

o New lightwave systems for communications, sensing, and process

control in manufacturing have led to requests for NBS to improve, refine, or add new Calibration Services or Measurement

Assurance Programs for measurement of power, attenuation, and

wavelength; the characterization of fiber-optic sources and

detectors; and time domain- reflectome ters

o Calibration Services or Measurement Assurance Programs have

also been requested to assure the measurement of ambient and

cryogenic blackbodies, laser power, laser beam profiles, and

optical fiber power meters

o Measurement methods and calibration services are also needed

for infrared sensors used in satellite monitoring .

o Methods are needed to measure the performance of fiber-optic

data communications systems . including switching and multiplexing, determining the location of defective fibers and

connectors, and the connectivity of fiber-optic subsystems.

xiv
Physics and Chemistry

o Fundamental physical and chemical measurements are the basis

of the entire measurement system and many companies visited or

receiving services from NBS have expressed the need for continued services . and for service over wider ranees . with

greater accuracy, including time -dependent -parameters .

o Industry requires sensors, i.e. devices that convert a parameter to be measured into a current or frequency signal. Many

such devices will be needed for process control, chemical

analyses, control of apparatus and machines; others are needed

to transfer accurate measurements from NBS to the manufacturers of instrumentation and from there to the point of use

in industry. Industry is seeking closer collaboration with

NBS in the development of more sophisticated sensors for fun-

(iflnienffll measurements

o Quality assurance methods and measurement test methods are

needed to test components and assure the performance of catalytic converters .

o Tests, Standard Reference Materials, and process control data

are needed for assessing the purity of silicon, ceramic powders , and gases

o Calibration services have been requested to assure vacuum

measurement

o Standard Reference Materials are needed to assure measurements

involving basic physical units such as the standard volt, the

standard ohm, microlength and atomic scale standards, temperature standards near absolute zero, and density.

o Standard Reference Materials are needed to assure measurements

involving specialized chemical quantities such as for partper-billion constituents in solid state materials; gases and

light elements in solid state materials; particle standards

certified for inorganic, organic, and isotopic constituents;

and standards for compositional mapping.

o Calibration Services and/or Measurement Assurance Programs

have been requested for critical parameters of temperature

pressure , and related quantities (e.g., electrolytic conductivity-conductance, improved accuracy for optical fiber thermometry and high- temperature freezing points).

o Measurement Assurance Programs, Standard Reference Materials,

and calibration services have been requested to assure measurements made by spectrophotometers to monitor, detect, or

xv
control processes (e.g., luminescence, bidirectional scattering ultraviolet, and infrared spectrophotometry)

o To extend the basic length scale to the atomic domain , to

provide the metrological basis for the development of nanotechnology devices and production processes, and to improve

the design and performance of new devices, customers want NBS

to develop fundamental understanding and measurement methods

for direct length measurements on microscopic systems of atomic dimension.

o A Measurement Assurance Program for radioactivity measurement

has been requested by the nuclear power industry .

o New dosimeters, a Measurement Assurance Program, and calibration services have been requested for industrial radiation

dosimeters to extend existing services to electron beams and

pulsed fields (e.g., for industrial uses such as food processing, radiopharmaceuticals, medical supplies, electronics,

plastics, eleatomers, and composites).

o Methods have been requested for calibrating and characterizing

transducers used for the measurement of dynamic ( time -varying')

forces such as are used to measure rocket and engine thrust,

test ordnance, analyze crashes, conduct in-motion weighing,

and monitor advanced manufacturing processes.

o Calibration services have been requested for testing the many

types of fringe -counting interferometer systems coming into

use throughout the dimensional metrology community.

o The angular pointing accuracy required for the Strategic Defense Initiative, plus extensive civilian applications is

driving a need for development of a next generation of angular

measurement instrumentation with at least an order-of -magnitude improvement over current capabilities.

o One of the most frequently requested calibration services that

is not currently available at NBS is the calibration of ultrasound hydrophones that are used to determine the field produced by ultrasonic flaw detectors and medical diagnostic and

imaging systems. Many different users have asked NBS to develop measurement techniques and calibration services for

ultrasonic contact transducers which are used for industrial

and medical ultrasonic measurements . A measurement method is

also required for performing the secondary calibration of

acoustic emission transducers.

xvi
Safety and Health

o Standard Reference Materials have been requested to assure the

measurement of:

- protein, cholesterol, fiber, vitamin, mineral, toxic metal,

pesticide, fungicide, and herbicide content of foodstuffs : eight different enzymes of medical importance, including the

certification of each enzyme at three critical levels in human

serum;

critical levels of all major drugs of abuse in human serum and

urine;

- environmentally important substances for the identification of

metals, monitoring of man-made versus natural nuclides, acid

rain analysis, detection of organic pollutants and toxic or- ganic gases, and for atmospheric monitoring;

substances and attributes related to worker safety and health

such as respirator filters, hazardous compounds on filters and

surrounding vegetation, and hazardous compounds in human

urine ; and

levels of major therapeutic drugs in human serum for diagnosis

and treatment.

Other

o Industry has asked for Standard Reference Materials to assure

the measurement of:

color in piece-part manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and transportation;

nutrients and minerals (including salt’) in soils and water for

agricultural purposes;

o New standards, calibration facilities and training services

are needed to improve the accuracy and reliability of barometric pressure measurement to improve the safety and economy of

commercial and general aviation.

o Several Federal agencies and private companies have asked for

transfer standards to calibrate devices used to measure radon

flux through the ground, floors, and other surfaces.

xvii
.

P 1**l iW, ** »«* ' |

'
CHAPTER I: NBS ROLES, PRODUCTS & CUSTOMERS

Introduction

On the face of it, measurement standards, test

methods, and data do not sound very critical

when you are talking about national competitiveness. But as one who grew up and made my

living working in industry, I can assure you

that it is the nuts and bolts details of how

you make your product that determine how well

it performs, its cost, and ultimately, your

success in the marketplace.

Malcolm Baldrige^

Sound monetary policy, tax policy, and trade policy; a technologically literate work force; and a robust science base exert a strong effect on the competitiveness of U.S. industry. But on the

factory floor where products are made and processes are controlled

and in the industrial research lab where processes and products are

designed, quality and competitiveness are literally a matter of

nanometers, picoseconds, and millivolts. ^ Machinery that works to

extremely fine tolerances, components that mesh perfectly into wellcrafted final products, and the processes used to create them are

coming more and more to depend on cost effective, accurate measurement.

^ Malcolm Baldrige, Secretary of Commerce, in Testimony before the

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation. February

24 , 1987 .

p^Nanometers - billionths of meter; picosecond - trillionths of

seconds ; millivolts - thousandths of volts

1
Manufacturing is the key to U.S. competitiveness. Even though

the service sector of the U.S. economy is producing more jobs than

manufacturing, economists agree that manufacturing, rather than

agriculture and the services sector, is the key to curing U.S.

international trade problems.

The U.S. faces stiff competition from abroad, and its problems

have been developing for many years. According to Jerry J. Jasinowski, Senior Vice President of the National Association of Manufacturers ,

"[The United States] ... had superior manufacturing

technology in the 1960s and thought we could continue to

run on that . . . manufacturing is a very complicated,

messy process that does not provide a lot of quick

fixes .

4

In response to a recent survey, members of the National Asso

elation of Manufacturers said that they were trying to

"...cut costs, to improve quality and service, to improve

manufacturing processes, to instill a commitment to

competitiveness among their employees and to invest more

in research and development"

in an attempt to improve their competitiveness . ^ Measurement is

central to that task.

^Timothy B. Clark. "The Key is Manufacturing", National Journal . January 10, 1987, pp. 73-78.

4Ibid, p. 78.

5 Ibid. , p. 78.

2
The National Bureau of Standards fills a critical niche in

helping U.S. industry produce high-quality, low-cost, internationally competitive goods. NBS works very closely with industry to

make sure that essential measurement science and technology is

available to meet industry's needs.

Measurement science adds to the pool of basic knowledge that

all scientists and engineers use. Scientific advances are often

driven by state-of-the-art measurements. New measurements open up

new fields for scientific investigation.

Measurement technologies, standards, and data make industrial

research and development more productive by making it easier for

industrial scientists and engineers to transform general technical

principles into new processes and new product technologies

In production, measurements, measurement methods, standards

and data are crucial to quality assurance and process control.

Modem production depends heavily on measurement. In the past,

measurement for process control was mostly a static or "snap shot"

activity. By contrast, many modem processes require continuous

measurement and the ability to respond continuously to measurement

change. Similarly, quality assurance was once mostly a matter of

inspection to reject defects or select parts for rework. Today, the

emphasis is on making it right the first time.

3
Acccording to Business Week .

"The typical factory invests a staggering 20% to 25% of

its operating budget in finding and fixing mistakes. As

many as one-quarter of all factory hands don't produce

anything- -they just rework things that were not done

right the first time. Add in the expense of repairing

or replacing the flawed products that slip out of the

factory and into the market, and the total burden of

'unquality' can mount to a punishing 30% or more of

production costs

In the most modem production processes, machines are programmed •

to measure their own attributes, to measure the attributes of the

product being processed, and to adjust the process automatically

to account for deviations from some ideal.

Measurements, measurement methods, standards and data also

holp marVpfq develop and grow. New, high-technology products

introduce a certain level of risk into the marketplace. Early

buyers may be uncertain about the product's attributes or ability

to meet their needs. Test methods, test structures and industry

standards help new technologies "diffuse" or get into wider use

faster by giving both buyers and sellers "yardsticks" to use in

assessing the product and its performance. These measurement

tools reduce risk or uncertainty, which leads to higher sales,

^"The Push for Quality", Business Week . June 8, 1987, p. 132.

4
which leads to economies of scale in production, lower costs, and

even higher market growth.

The overall economy benefits greatly from measurements, measurement methods, data, and standards but industry tends to underinvest in research leading to measurement science and technology.

The first rationale for a national measurements and standards

laboratory is based on this economic imperfection: everyone benefits from measurement science and technology, but no one benefits

enough to see that the work gets done .

Industry creates many of the test methods and measurement

devices needed for their own research, development, production,

and marketing. But individual firms and industry groups do not

have sufficient economic incentive to create and maintain the

overall measurement system needed for the Nation's economic wellbeing. In general, these specialized technologies do not offer

firms an adequate return on the investment required to produce

them. The intrinsic nature of measurements , measurement methods,

test methods, and data is their self-consistency; their value

comes in part from being used throughout an industry or the entire

economy.

^ "Long-Range Plan of the National Bureau of Standards for FY 1988

and Beyond", September 30, 1985.

5
Measurement technologies frequently require expensive equipment and highly skilled staff which have limited usefulness to a particular firm or industry. Thus, the measurement -related re- search of a firm or industry may have insufficient scale to be

efficientFurthermore, individual firms and industries tend to

use a limited set of measurement methodologies , but the science

and technology of measurement is highly interrelated and can be

applied to the problems of many different industries . Thus , the

measurement -related research of a particular firm or industry may . have insufficient scone to be efficient: the number or range of

applications of the research by a single firm may be insufficient

to justify the minimum efficient scale of investment in the needed

measurement technologies

The second rationale for a national measurements and standards

laboratory is based on the need for equity and uniformity in the

marketplace and, thus, for a competitively neutral, technically

competent third party in the market to facilitate consensus formation among competitors. Measurement methods, standards and data

are critical for conducting and transmitting the results of R&D,

for controlling production processes , and for assuring buyers and

sellers that products perform as specified. The integrity and

efficiency of the free market depends on the development of technically sound, mutually agreeable measurement tools. The presence

of a competent, neutral government laboratory can provide the

6
basis for agreement among competitors, without undermining their

proprietary technologies

American industry spends more than $200 billion every year on

measurement.® As production becomes more automated and highly

controlled, measurement is even more important. Why? Because one

of the central characteristics of high technology production processes is built-in. on-line, real-time measurement . The result is

quality assurance during design and production rather than after

production.

How does NBS provide for the common measurement needs of our

complex industrial society? It provides tools and reference points

that allow industry to trace its measurements back to a common set

of national reference standards. NBS also provides advanced measurement technology which allows industry to apply these tools.

Some of these tools and reference points include:

o Calibration Services

o Standard Reference Materials

o Measurement Assurance Programs

o Services for the Other Agencies of Government

o Technical Support for Industrial Product Standards

The next section will describe each service briefly.

o Pasquale DonVito. "Estimates of the Cost of Measurement in the

U.S. Economy", Planning Report 21. Washington. D.C.: National

Bureau of Standards, November, 1984.

7
NBS Kp-flfiiiTftBp.nt Services

At the beginning of any discussion of measurement services

,

it is necessary to say plainly that "our services go far beyond

the sale of calibrations and Standard Reference Materials. These

are important, but they represent only the tip of the iceberg" of

the Bureau contribution.^ An industry request for a new service

or, more frequently, an industry description of a problem in controlling some critical measurement, may lead to research that

develops entirely new theories and measurement techniques . This

research, in turn, can have profound effects on entire industrial

processes

Throughout the evolution of the research, NBS stays in regular

contact with all parts of the user community to report on progress

and to make sure we are on the right track. NBS also works closely

with individual companies to help them decide (1) how they can

take our "primary" calibration or Standard Reference Material or

Measurement Assurance Program and use it to perform "secondary"

calibrations or measurement assurance; (2) how they can embody the

new measurement technology into instruments and devices for their

own use; or (3) how they can embody the technology into instruments

they can develop and sell to others

^ Ernest Ambler. "The State of the Bureau Address," April 21,

1987.

8
The final calibration or Standard Reference Material then

becomes much more than a mere service or product that changes

hands. Frequently there are seminars and workshops to explain the

significance of the new measurement technique and always there are

extensive publications.

The leverage of such a program is tremendous . In the case of

NBS ' development of a new linewidth standard and Standard Reference

Material for the integrated circuit industry, the program cost

about $5 million over 14 years (about $350,000 per year). This

year alone, savings of over $30 million will be realized on a

worldwide sales volume of $375 million in semiconductor device

masks, which support $14.6 billion in U.S. semiconductor products.

Thus, behind each measurement service lies a significant

investment in time and effort by highly competent and dedicated

scientists and engineers in the National Bureau of Standards. The

central measurement mission of the National Bureau of Standards is

to provide the basis for and the leadership to establish a compatible, coherent measurement system of national scope that is

harmonized with the measurement systems of all nations

9

i
Accuracy Requirements of Customers in Relation to NBS Standards

The tens of billions of measurements made in the U.S. economy

each year may be categorized as follows: Working Level Measurements, Working Standardization, and Primary Standardization. A

particular firm or laboratory may not be certain which level of

measurement they need. The choice may be dictated by some other

organization (e.g., the Department of Defense or a regulatory

agency) . In other cases , Measurement Assurance Programs may be

formulated by trade groups, professional associations, or standards

groups to define accuracy requirements at each level. NBS, as the

central reference laboratory, must be knowledgeable about the

accuracy required at each level as well as the technology required

to achieve that accuracy level.

Working-Level Measurements , the vast majority of all measurements support day-to-day decisions related to production, inspection, health care delivery, public safety, commerce, and trade.

Because of their high volume, they need to be low in cost, speedy

to perform, and require relatively low levels of specialized training, equipment, or controls. While reliability and accuracy are

needed, working- level measurements usually do not require the

highest levels of accuracy.

Working Standardization Measurements are used to set and

maintain the accuracy of working- level measurements. Accuracy

requirements for such measurements greatly exceed those of working

10
level measurements. Usually they establish a direct link to primary

standards. Consequently, they require more specialized training,

equipment, and controls. Since they support day-to-day operations,

including checking working- level measurements which have gone out

of control, easy access is a necessity.

NBS Primary Standardization involves a direct link to national

standards and must be of the highest accuracy achievable. Accuracy

requirements greatly exceed that for working standardization.

Because of the very high accuracy needed, such measurements require

specialized personnel, equipment, and operating conditions.

11
Calibration Services

NBS calibration services link the makers and users of precision

instruments to national measurement standards. As the fundamental

basis for assuring all physical measurements in the Nation, this

measurement transfer system is a critical factor in controlling

manufacturing and assembly processes and assuring the quality of

manufactured goods.

Firms and other users send instruments or devices to NBS where

technicians check, adjust, or characterize the instrument using a measurement process that NBS scientists have specified completely

and have demonstrated to be stable, predictable, and tied to national reference standards. NBS currently provides nearly 500 different

calibrations, measurement assurance programs, and special tests in

seven major measurement areas. About 13,000 tests or measurements

were performed on 7,000 different instruments for 1,000 different

customers in Fiscal Year 1986. To ensure the skills and procedures

needed to transfer precision measurement to the working levels in

industry, NBS holds 5-10 technical seminars or workshops each year

for 150-200 engineers and high-level technicians who are responsible

for measurement and technical support in their own organizations.

Fee income from these two activities was $4.7 million in Fiscal

Year 1986.

About 80 percent of these calibrations are done for industry,

especially those groups involved with product design, research,

12
government procurement, production control, and quality assurance

and testing. This relatively small number of NBS -provided calibrations and special tests exert enormous leverage in the manufacturing economy. For example, one large U.S. photographic company

relies on photometric and radiometric calibrations by NBS to generate 500 internal standards each year, which in turn are used to

produce an annual sales volume of $5 billion. In another case,

the 60 calibrations NBS performs each year for the primary standards

laboratory of a major U.S. instrument manufacturer, support the

company's measurement requirements for its research and development

laboratory, for 10 of its technical service centers that repair

and calibrate 18,000 instruments annually, and for the company's

two manufacturing plants, which calibrate 75 percent of the instruments produced.

13
Standard Reference Materials

Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) are well-characterized,

homogeneous, stable materials with specific properties measured and

certified by NBS. Produced by NBS since 1906, SRMs are used widely

throughout the United States and the world to help develop test

methods of proven accuracy, to calibrate instruments and measurement systems used to maintain quality control, to help assure

equity in buyer-seller transactions, and to assure the long-term

reliability and integrity of the measurement process

SRMs provide a valuable and economical way of linking laboratory measurements to national standards for large numbers of users

in all parts of the country. Very frequently SRMs are cited in

voluntary measurement standards promulgated by such groups as the

Atomic Industrial Forum, the Society of Automotive Engineers, the

Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association, and the American Society

for Testing and Materials. Many firms consider SRMs to be an

indispensible tool for their manufacturing processes.

In Fiscal Year 1986, about 40,000 SRM units were sold to about

10,000 customers. The Bureau currently has about 1000 different

SRMs available. For example, SRMs are used to establish reference

points on the International Practical Temperature Scale, the scale

to which all temperature measurements are referenced. The composition of 90 percent of the steel produced in the United States is

controlled by measurements based on SRMs . SRMs help improve the

14
accuracy of clinical measurements, including those of glucose,

urea, and sodium, that are used by physicians to diagnose and

treat disease. The manufacture of virtually all automated clinical

analyzers involves reference to NBS SRMs. SRMs serve nearly all

sectors of manufacturing including electronics, instruments, computer instrumentation, ferrous and nonferrous metals, mining,

glass, rubber, plastics, primary chemicals, nuclear power, and

transportation

15
Measurement Assurance Programs

These programs help public and private laboratories to improve

or verify their ability to make accurate measurements . Measurement

Assurance Programs (MAPs) allow other laboratories to test their

entire measurement system for accuracy relative to NBS. This is

important where very high accuracies are required, because final

accuracy of a measurement depends on more than the calibration of

a measurement instrument. It also depends on the environment in

which the instrument is used, the skill of the technician making

the measurement, the measurement procedures used, and similar

factors

Measurement Assurance Programs provide the basis for statistical quality control procedures that industry can use to increase

productivity and improve product quality. In setting up Measurement

Assurance Programs , NBS works with both individual laboratories

and groups of laboratories, who share the cost of the program. At

present, NBS offers measurement assurance services in mass; electrical resistance, capacitance, power, and dc voltage; laser power and

energy; and temperature.

16
Technical Support for Industrial Product Standards

NBS provides technical support to the industrial voluntarystandards system that specifies the characteristics and performance of devices and materials through measurements and test methods. Our highly competitive industrial economy depends on an

extensive system of voluntary organizations, especially voluntary

engineering standards organizations, which allow competitors to

develop consensus on the minimum set of technical characteristics

or requirements to which all competitors will adhere. In the U.S.

system, the government does not prescribe which test methods industry will use to manufacture its products, nor does it specify

what classification scheme industry should use to describe product

characteristics. Industrial committees develop consensus on such

questions, publish the results, and then, in most cases, allow

individual manufacturers to use the documentary standard or not.

But in order for that voluntary, consensus system to work well,

there needs to be an impartial, technically competent, organization

acting as a competitively-neutral third party to facilitate the

consensus process. NBS plays that role in the unique U.S. standards system.

About 450 NBS staff members (about 1/3 of the technical staff)

hold 1,444 memberships on over 1,000 voluntary standards committees. NBS staff chair more than 150 committees. Our National

Center for Standards and Certification information maintains information on more than 240,000 documentary standards, specifications,

17
test methods, codes, and recommended practices issued by technical

societies, professional organizations, trade associations, State

purchasing offices, Federal agencies, and foreign national and

international standards organizations.

NBS participation in the voluntary standards process serves two

functions: (1) NBS provides the link to the national reference

system of physical and chemical measurements and methods; and (2)

the committees provide one window for NBS on the measurement needs

of American industry.

In the next section, we describe the users of the Bureau's ser- vices .

18
Customers

It is a simple fact that everyone relies upon measurements

and, to that extent, is dependent on the National Bureau of Standards . The greatest demands on NBS tend to be at the highest

levels of accuracy, and that usually implies the highest levels of

science and technology. While U.S. industry is the Bureau's primary

customer , many other institutions require some level of NBS services. NBS is authorized to perform its functions for the U.S.

Government; for international organizations of which the U.S. is a member; for governments of friendly countries; for any State or

municipal government in the U.S.; for any scientific society,

educational institution, firm, corporation, or individual within

the U.S. or friendly countries engaged in manufacturing or other

pursuits requiring the use of standards or standard measuring

instruments . NBS is unique among national laboratories in serving

such a broad clientele.

One measure of the scope of current NBS interactions with the

private sector is shown in Table 1 (following 2 pages). The top

R&D-spending firms in the United States are among the Bureau's

best customers. Eighty-five of the top 100 R&D-spending firms^

^As compiled by Inside R&D . Volume 15, Number 23, June 4, 1986,

pp. 3-6.

19
Table 1. FY 1 986 Interaction Between NBS & Top Hundred U.S. R&D-Spending

Compan i es

1 General Motors (I)3 2 IBM (5) 3 AT&T (8) 4 Ford (4) 5 Du Pont (9) 6 ITT (25) 7 General Electric (10) 8 Eastman Kodak (33) 9 United Technologies (16) 10 Digital Equipment (55)

1 1 Hewlett-Packard

12 Exxon (2) 13 Chrysler (13)

14 Xerox (40) 15 Dow (28) 16 3M (47) 17 Sperry (63) 18 Johnson & Johnson (59)

19 Monsanto (53)

20 Motorola (66) 21 Honeywell (56)

3 22 Lockheed (36)

23 Merck (110)

24 McDonnell Douglas (29) 25 Boeing (21) 26 Texas Instruments (75) 27 Proctor & Gamble (22) 28 Eli Lilly (119)

29 Rockwell International (30)

30 Allied Signal (37) 31 Control Data (106)

32 GTE (Not Listed)

33 SmithKIine (121)

34 NCR (89) 35 Goodyear Tire & Rubber (35)

36 Chevron (7) 37 Northrop (71) 38 Pfizer (99) 39 Burroughs (72)

40 Upjohn (176) 41 Union Carbide (39)

3 42 Bristol-Myers (84) 43 Raytheon (60)

44 Shell Oil (14)

45 RCA (Not Listed)

46 American Cyanamid (109)

47 Westinghouse Electric (32)

48 Abbott Labs (116)

49 General Dynamics (42) 50 Mobil (3)

Based on data reported in Inside R&D, June 4, 1986 Membership on the NBS Visiting Committee and sponsorship of a Research Associate is indicated for the last 10 years. Numbers in Parenthesis after company name indicate Fortune 500 company rank.

20
Table 1 (Continued). FY 1986 Interaction Between NBS & Top Hundred U.S.

R&D-Spending Companies

/

/ * <5 £

£ /

51 Deere (96) 52 Caterpiller Tractor (52) 53 American Home Products (79) 54 Warner-Lambert (125) 55 National Semiconductor (209) 56 Tektronics (245) 57 Amoco (11) 58 Intel (251) 59 Wang Labs (161) 60 PPG (88)

61 Schering-Plough (189)3 62 Texaco (6) 63 Squibb (180) 64 TRW (57) 65 AMP (223) 66 Standard Oil (24) 67 FMC (120) 68 Gould (233) 69 Emerson Electric (81) 70 Atlantic Richfield (12)

71 Amdahl (348) 72 Data General (269)

73 Baxter Travenol (160) 74 Syntex (Not Listed) 75 Rolm and Haas (179)

76 Eaton (107) 77 NYNEX (Not Listed)

78 General Foods (38) 79 Aluminum Company of America (69) 80 Polaroid (257)

81 Ingersoll-Rand (145)

82 Harris (163)3 83 Litton Industries (82) 84 Kimberly-Clark (94) 85 Phillips Petroleum (17) 86 Celanese (132)

87 General Signal (208)

88 Perkin-Elmer (256)

89 Zenith Electronics (225)

90 Teledyne (122)

91 W. R. Grace (49)

92 Coming Glass (217)

93 Dart & Kraft (34) 94 Sterling Drug (202)

95 Colgate-Palmolive (73) 96 Firestone Tire & Rubber (102)

97 Prime Computer (366)

98 Haliburton (Not Listed)

99 Hercules (147) 100 Dresser Industries (91)

ised on data reported in Inside R&D, June 4, 1986. ombership on the NBS Visiting Committee and sponsorship of a Research Associate is indicated for the last 10 years imbers in Parenthesis after company name indicate Fortune 500 company rank.

21
use NBS Standard Reference Materials. More than half of them use

NBS calibrations and Standard Reference Data and send staff to NBS

conferences . Nearly half participate in technical collaborations

with NBS or send Research Associates to NBS to work on mutually

beneficial research.

It should be noted that these top R&D spending firms accounted

for nearly $39 billion in R&D spending in 1985; 73% of all the

privately financed R&D in the Country. Even so, some of the most •

innovative, cutting-edge firms are too small to appear on Table x

(e.g., Genentech, Sun Microsystems, Lotus Development Corporation,

LSI Logic, and Convex Corp) . Many of these smaller companies are

measurement instrumentation companies such as Varian and MTS Systems, to which NBS services and technical data may be especially

important

In addition to the formally structured services and interactions reflected in Table 1, the Bureau carries out many informal

discussions and consultations with private sector organizations.

It is impossible to quantify the overall level of such consultations with any precision, but NBS technical managers believe that

such exchanges (whether by telephone or informal site visits) are

among the most effective interactions with industry for purposes

of technology- transfer and joint problem-solving.

22
Even though Table 1 does not reflect the total number of companies with which NBS has significant interactions in Fiscal Year

1986, it demonstrates that NBS programs and services are reaching

a significant number of the leading R&D firms in the United States.

Such firms will necessarily play a key role in success or failure

of the effort to regain international competitiveness in the years

ahead.

The Bureau's broad charge as custodian of the Nation's measurements and standards defines an array of needs and technical opportunities far larger than NBS resources. Clearly no single institution can supply all the measurement capability, data, standard

materials, or methods for a nation such as the U.S. Firms, standards organizations , educational institutions , and government

agencies throughout the country provide a reservoir of science and

technology. NBS, through its measurement science and measurement

services, provides the links that binds these institutions and

their measurement -dependent products into a coherent, compatible

whole

.

Bureau programs are broadly defined by Congressional and

Administration guidance, usually in the form of approval or disapproval of specific programs. These specific programs are based on

extensive laboratory- level interactions between users and NBS

staff. It is the laboratory- level linkage of which the National

Bureau of Standards is most proud. It is these interactions which

23
allow NBS to work directly with the users, from the definition of

the problem to the implementation of the solution.

Therefore, although the NBS Director and his senior managers

have made a number of visits to industry and government specifically in response to the Congressional charge, NBS also has many

diverse mechanisms, cultivated over the years, for assessing user

needs . Table 2 shows examples of the high level and diversity of

the major services and interactions between NBS and its constituents .

NBS has evolved an approach for most effectively selecting and

producing this variety of services and products. It is characterized by a high degree of cooperation, interaction, and costsharing with all types of users . Close cooperation in defining

needs, conducting research, and disseminating results is a way of

life and a "corporate culture" in the technical programs at NBS.

The major components of the NBS user community are described

below:

o Large Corporations carry out measurements in many locations

and many functions , including process control and quality

assurance (both in manufacturing and in the acceptance of

components and assembling them), research and development,

occupational health and safety, environmental control, and

24
Table 2. Examples of NBS Services and Interactions

Measurement and Data Services

:

7.000 calibrations performed for 3,000 customers

--at a value of $4,600,000.

40.000 units of Standard Reference Materials worth $6,000,000

--sold to 10,000 customers at 32,000 sites

170 testing laboratories accredited in 9 product areas

.

22 Standard Reference Data Centers published 3,272 pages of

data.

Annual Information Exchange:

1,600 technical publications

1.000 technical talks presented

115 major conferences held at NBS

600 workshops and seminars held at NBS

11,500 conference attendees at NBS -held conferences

48.000 public inquiries answered

Collaborations with the Private Sector:

244 technical collaborations with 174 separate U.S. firms

--20% with small firms, 80% with large firms

65 firms have loaned or donated equipment

nnwimentarv Standards Support bv NBS:

446 NBS staff active in voluntary standards organizations

(1/3 of the technical staff)

1,444 memberships in standards committees

157 standards committees chaired by NBS staff

5.000 annual inquiries answered by the National Center for Standards and Certification Information

Visiting Scientists Working at NBS Annually:

200 Industrial Research Associates

380 visiting faculty and students

38 postdoctoral research associates

715 guest scientists

Measurement-Related Research for Other Federal Agencies:

$74 million in 640 individual contracts

Formal Advisory and Oversight Panels:

188 industry, university & government scientists & engineers on

18 panels reporting to NAS

.

5 prominent scientists & engineers & science policy

leaders reporting to the Secretary of Commerce.

Examples of Links to National Agenda- Setting Groups:

National Conference of Standards Laboratories

Conference on Radiation Control Program Directors

National Conference on Weights and Measures

National Conference of States on Building Codes & Standards

25
the purchase of raw materials . Large corporations which conduct

significant levels of research and development, have strong

direct interactions with NBS and influence NBS research patterns

and technology transfer mechanisms. Many have standards laboratories which use NBS primary standards to produce secondary

standards for internal use or for sale to others

o Small Businesses usually carry out measurements in one or a few locations. Their applications are similar to those of

large corporations , but usually are more limited owing to a more limited range of products or services. High-accuracy

applications may require access to NBS primary standards

,

while less -demanding applications may depend on secondary

standards purchased from private laboratories . Small firms

may depend heavily on the voluntary standards process to provide

access to measurement and test methods that will support their

ability to become suppliers to larger firms.

o Private Testing Laboratories carry out measurements for fees

paid by industry, State, local or Federal agencies.

o Hospitals and Clinics carry out measurements in support of

medical diagnosis and treatment. (The U.S. health care system

carries out measurements in an estimated 100,000 locations.)

26
o Utilities carry out measurements in support of all operations

:

purchase of fuels, plant safety and monitoring, plant emissions, coordination of power grids, metering for billing, etc.

o Federal Agencies . Non- regulatory agencies such as the Defense

Department, NASA, the National Institutes of Health, and the

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration carry

out measurements in support of technology development, safety,

testing, environmental programs, occupational health and safety.

Regulatory agencies such as EPA, FDA, FAA, DOT, and NRC carry

out measurements to assess risk, develop regulatory strategy,

and enforce regulations

.

o State and Local Governments make measurements in support of

commerce (i.e., State weights and measures), public health and

safety, environment, waste disposal, etc.

27

CHAPTER II: COMMON CUSTOMER THEMES

During the visits (and in the documents to which we were

referred) National Bureau of Standards customers touched on three

common themes that relate to the funding of Bureau programs , the

pricing of Bureau services, and the Bureau's ability to respond

quickly enough to satisfy customer needs

.

Lead Agency Status:

Nearly all of the Bureau's industrial customers expressed

satisfaction with NBS's role as the Nation's central reference

laboratory. They feel this is the most appropriate implementation

of a national process control and quality assurance program. Some

went further and said that the National Bureau of Standards' lead

agency role^ with respect to the Nation's measurement system should

^The lead agency concept is a well -recognized Government

management tool. A lead agency is designated for overall planning

and monitoring of Government -wide programs which draw upon the

resources and technical capabilities of several agencies. The

lead agency is a focal point for formulating objectives and for

coordinating activities to achieve the objectives without duplication or gaps. Depending upon Congressional authorizations and

appropriations, funding authority may lie fully with the lead

agency or may be divided among several agencies. For example, the

Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for all energy programs,

including measurement -related programs. When firms from energyrelated industries such as the nuclear power industry ask NBS for

measurement support, NBS or the industry must ask DOE to fund the

work.

29
be explicitly acknowledged. Many expressed the view that when

American industry identifies measurement standards, methods, data,

and services required from the Nation's central reference laboratory, they should be able to go directly to NBS, rather than through

another agency.

From the NBS point of view, the lead agency principle has

been successfully applied in several cases. The designation of a lead agency provides a focal point for coordination and cooperatiofi

that is essential for effective, efficient, and concerted national

action. However, implementation of the lead agency policy has

also led to gaps and delays in the Bureau's ability to meet indus

trv's measurement needs. Often, a designated lead agency declines

to fund measurement- related components of a program because (a)

they perceive them to be an NBS responsibility; (b) the benefits

of the research accrue too widely for them to justify sole responsibility; or (c) they have not budgeted for such work. NBS, in

turn, cannot fund the work because (a) the other agency is seen as having the "lead"; or (b) the resources allocated to NBS do not

reflect the needs associated with the lead. Many agency missions

constrain that agency to fund only part of the measurement -related

research needed to solve a major problem (e.g., regulatory agencies

do not, as a rule, fund research leading to test methods for industry to use in demonstrating compliance with their regulations)

In addition, when other agency sponsors view NBS as a contractor

rather than as a partner in carrying out measurement -related re30
search, there is little chance that they will fund the long-term,

fundamental research needed to maintain NBS capabilities or create

new competence for future measurement problems .

In recent years, other Federal agencies (particularly Department of Defense units and NASA) have required American industry to

produce products and components at levels of technical sophistication and quality that challenge industry's process control and

quality assurance capabilities. Many of these requirements, which

are at the leading edge of tomorrow's commercial requirements , have stringent measurement requirements. Industry expects the

National Bureau of Standards to be ready with the measurement

methods and services on which they rely. Part of the reason some

research and services have not proceeded fast enough is that there

are unresolved "lead agency" issues with respect to funding for

these programs.

In our discussion, the Bureau's industrial and Government

customers expressed the view that it is appropriate for other

Federal agencies to pay for project -specific measurements and

standards development and services^, but that measurement -related

L ^There was some customer support for the concept of authorizing

NBS to place a surcharge on all research performed on a contractual basis for other Federal agencies to ensure adequate funding

for the fundamental base of measurement expertise at NBS . However

,

many other Federal agencies are not in favor or this approach.

1 ^ See Table C-l, Appendix C for the levels of NBS income from

other Federal agencies.

31
research that supports industry's general process control and

quality assurance needs should be the purview of the National

Bureau of Standards. These customers believe that NBS -proposed

budget initiatives which are justified on the basis of other agency

and industry requirements should not be automatically rejected

because of the other-agency connection. Where industry expresses

a need and the relevant agencies assert that the work is not duplicative, the work should be considered for inclusion in the NBS

budget.

From the industrial customer's point of view, all Government

funding comes from a single source, the Federal Treasury. To such

a customer it may be "obvious" that some measurement- related program

is a Government responsibility and that it ought to have high

priority. Therefore, the customer may have little patience with

being told to go ask the Department of Defense or NASA to give

money to NBS to do the work. Such a process could cause several

years' delay, even if successful. The customer wants to be able

to come directly to NBS to get a response to his needs . This

leads to industry's desire for NBS to be (a) designated a lead

agency for process control and quality assurance; and (b) funded

directly to provide the measurement standards, methods, data, and

services that industry needs for process control and quality as- surance .

32
Cost Recovery and Pricing of Services:

In the 1980s, the Federal Government has placed much greater

emphasis on recovering the costs of Government services by charging

user fees when individual beneficiaries can be identified and

charged. This policy has been applied to many Government services,

from entrance fees for national parks to the sale of data.

There is a strong consensus among customers that the direct

costs of delivering services -- after the feasibility of offering

a service has been proven, and specific customers have been identified, and services are offered on a routine basis (e.g., costs of

performing calibration services, cost of producing and distributing Standard Reference Materials) -- should be paid by the organization that receives the service. They believe that the service

should be priced at marginal cost. The customer buys a material

or sends a device to NBS and receives value added in the form of a direct link to national standards which the customer may use as

the foundation for quality assurance.

If a service is developed specifically to benefit a particular

industry or agency, many would be willing to pay "their share" by

having the development cost (amortized over the life of the product/service) added to the direct cost of providing the service or

by supplying a "share" of staff, equipment, or funding needed for

the development. If the development is generic in nature or if the

service has more diffuse beneficiaries, most firms believe that

33
development costs should be borne by NBS appropriations. Customers

are apprehensive about "free rider" issues with such charges.

They want to be assured that any development cost associated with

a service would be specific to that service alone, not generic or

fundamental in any sense.

Under the same constraints, most would be willing to pay

"their share" for service upgrades . As technology advances, it is

usually necessary to improve services so that they keep pace with ‘

the accuracy demands of technology. This may entail upgrading

services in the form of new equipment or refined methods which

permit the higher accuracies needed. Delivering and upgrading

services at the primary standardization level are more likely to

require generic measurement research than upgrades at lower ac- curacy levels.

Customers were unanimously unwilling to pay directly for

fimfiamental or generic research required to undertake development

of a service. Such research is risky and entails many costs that

are not directly related to service delivery. Fundamental measurement research is primarily concerned with investigating measurement concepts, investigating generic devices for use as transfer

standards, and acquiring data related to the concepts or use of

such standards. The principal products of this phase of research

are publications and other forms of dissemination in the public

domain. Such forms of output are highly desirable, since concepts

34
and data are widely applicable in industry, government, and universities. They provide a basis for development of new instruments

and devices . .

As was described briefly in Chapter I, measurements and standards research and services are carried out by Government (NBS)

rather than industry because, in general, industry cannot capture

sufficient return on the investment they would have to make to

undertake them. Therefore, there is systematic underinvestment by

the private sector in measurement -related research and services,

despite their importance to competitiveness, to the detriment of

the U.S. economy. Measurement -related research and services are

considered to be "public goods" to the extent that they have the

following characteristics:

o The science and technology is complex, expensive, and

time-consuming and therefore requires a significant

commitment of resources

.

o The skills (personnel) needed to conduct it are frequently different from those required for a firm's proprietary

technology development.

o "Economies of scope" exist in the conduct of measurement-related science and technology in that measurement

research related to one industry or technology may be

highly related to that of another industry or technology. "Economies of scale" exist in that the level and

frequency of use of the expensive staff and facilities

needed for the conduct of measurement research may be

insufficient to elicit adequate investment by a single

firm or even a whole industry.

o It is difficult for a private firm to capture an adequate

return on investment in such science and technology

because part of its value lies in its use throughout an

industry or even the whole economy.

35
o The results of the research (including services based on

the research) must be highly credible among competitors

and between buyers and sellers . The results of the

research must be regarded as both technically correct

and competitively neutral.

On the other hand, measurement research and services are

considered to be subject to the same legitimate requirement for

recovery of user fees , to the extent that

o benefits flow directly to an individual beneficiary who

can be charged; and

o no other market imperfection exists that would require

the Government to subsidize the beneficiary.

The Bureau's principal goals in setting fees for measurement

services are to ensure the availability of needed services while

ensuring the appropriate balance of public and private expenditure

for such services .

Based on customer reactions and the Bureau's goals, the policy

which achieves the overall goals in an optimum manner, and is at

the same time consistent with other Federal R&D policies, is one

which sets fees to recover the costs of delivering and upgrading a

^Tt must be noted that many customers expressed the view that the

National Bureau of Standards should provide low cost, high quality

services for all users. These customers would rather use NBS

services, even at higher dollar cost. Therefore, these customers

stressed the Bureau's being "cost competitive" with private standards laboratories rather than have NBS adhere to its current

policy of discontinuing services when other organizations are able

to provide secondary calibrations or reference materials that are

sufficiently accurate for working purposes.

36
"capturable" service, but does not seek to recover the cost of

generic research from which the service is but one result.

This balanced approach simultaneously optimizes access, matches

accuracy to need, and limits public expenditure on a National

standards program. The main concern with this policy is that the

span of applications is so large (from purely public to purely

private) and the range of organizations is so broad (from large,

private enterprises to small businesses or municipalities) , that

high prices may effectively deny some users who need primary standards direct access to those National standards. One way of providing access would be to place greater emphasis on the creation

of high-quality Measurement Assurance Programs to serve those

users as well as laboratories that create secondary standards.

Such access is needed for good quality assurance and to make certain

that suppliers of working level standards maintain high standards

.

Measurement & the Current National Concern with Competitiveness:

As might be expected considering the level of attention paid

to "competitiveness" in the popular press and in policy circles,

many of the Bureau's customers discussed the relevance of measurement to competitiveness and productivity improvements . The principal linkages cited between measurement and these national concerns are discussed below.

37
KniftTfTi ng Technologies such as biotechnology, advanced materials , advanced electronics , and flexible automated manufacturing

were described as extremely measurement intensive. These new

technologies require more measurement in all stages of R&D, processing, testing, and marketing than the more traditional technologies .

While stressing the importance of measurement to the application of emerging technologies, NBS's customers emphasized the

importance of continuing to improve measurement standards that are

supporting the evolution of the traditional science and technology

areas

(No customer told us to stop doing "this" and do "that"

instead.

)

Many customers described their plans for productivity improvement through automation. Automation depends on the ability to

incorporate automated sensing, inspection, and testing. The optimization of processes throughout the economy requires reliable,

rapid measurement.

Measurement is the principal tool by which quality is defined.

For many Bureau customers , process control and quality assurance

are moving from an art to a science; from engineering art to measurement-based science and engineering.

38
Customers noted that technical regulatory barriers are reduced

by the availability of performance standards that are based on

objective criteria which can be verified by measurement. Several

customers said that a strong U.S. voluntary standards system supported by a reliable national measurement system helps to minimize

the need for government regulation. They believe that this system

helps to moderate costly and wasteful national "swings" between

regulation and deregulation.

39
s
CHAPTER III:

NEEDS IDENTIFIED BY SENIOR MANAGEMENT VISITS TO MBS CUSTOMERS

November 1986 - May 1987

As directed by Congress^, the Director of the National Bureau

of Standards (NBS), the NBS Deputy Director, the Associate Director

for Programs, Budget and Finance, and other senior NBS managers

recently visited several of NBS's major industrial and Government

customers

.

NBS is appreciative of the time and effort expended by these

companies and agencies to brief NBS on their needs in emerging

technology areas in general, and their needs for measurement re- search and services in particular. In many cases these visits

serve as kick off meetings that will be followed by more detailed

technical working sessions.

Meeting Participants

Customer organizations were selected for visits on the basis

of their use of NBS Standard Reference Materials, calibrations and

special tests; their collaborations with NBS through joint research

or exchange of staff; and their participation on technical over-

^

Public Law 99-574, Section 9, Parts (a) and (b)

,

National Bureau

of Standards Authorization Act.

41
sight and advisory committees for NBS. In general, the organizations are large, high-technology, and laboratory-based.

The industry and government leaders who participated in these

meetings represented a variety of research, quality control, marketing, and manufacturing functions. Policy- level managers (i.e.,

vice presidents of firms, heads of agencies or their deputies) as well as metrology or quality assurance managers were present in

nearly every case.

The organizations and individuals who attended each of the

meetings are listed in Exhibit A, "Senior Management Visits by NBS

to Its Customers: Participants."

Discussion Tonics

Discussions during these meetings included trends in science

and technology, the needs for measurement research and standards,

the funding issues of measurement research and standards, and the

potential influence of such topics on national competitiveness

See Chapter II for presentation of some of the policy- level themes

expressed. Technical findings are discussed below.

These meetings brought out the high value these organizations

place on NBS research and services. Customers emphasized the

42
importance of NBS's continuing to provide uniform and accurate

measurements to industry and government. They stressed that NBS

measurement research, calibration services, and standards need to

continue to anticipate the needs of the public and private sectors

,

in terms of accuracy, range, and technological directions, in both

the mature and emerging technologies.

Customers emphasized their need both for more research and

services and for coverage of more areas of science and technology.

Trends in the Need for Measurement Research

During these meetings , NBS both confirmed earlier findings

and discovered new trends in national needs for uniform and accurate

measurement for industrial research, development, production design,

and production control. The findings relate to very broad areas

of science and technology, including fundamental physical and

chemical measurements , advanced materials , advanced electronics

,

semiconductors, and superconductors, automation, biotechnology,

computers, electro-optics, optical fiber data communications, and

microwave systems

.

Listed below are examples of the scientific and technological

areas these customers emphasized during our visits, along with

specific requests they made for new NBS research and services or

43
for expansion of current NBS activities. In addition, NBS's current

activity in each area is indicated briefly.

Fundamental Physical and Chemical Measurements

o A system of uniform and accurate measurements . Manufacturers

of a broad range of instrumentation rely on NBS for the provision of a system of uniform and accurate measurements. This

includes electrical parameters (voltage, current, impedance),

thermophysical parameters (pressure, temperature, mass), and

time or frequency. Manufacturers use these measurements to

develop and calibrate instruments for scientific research,

process and quality control, and many other applications.

The instrumentation industry is concerned that NBS measurement

capabilities may not be far enough ahead of industry capabilities in terms of range, accuracy, and time response.

NBS is improving its capabilities in several of the

areas mentioned above, partly with funds from the Process

and Quality Control initiatives

o Sensors for process control measurements . The instrumentation

industry is particularly interested in the development of new

sensors, i.e. devices that convert a parameter to be measured

- temperature, pressure, density - into an electrical voltage

or frequency that is more easily measured with electronic

instrumentation. Sensors play a very major role in all process

control measurements and in many other applications

NBS has collaborated closely with instrument manufacturers

in the past in the development of sensors. This collaboration is now expanding. The Stevenson Wydler Act

of 1986 calls for close collaboration between industry and

government agencies and sets new rules for the assignment

of exclusive rights to industry. NBS is discussing ways

for more efficient collaboration and technology transfer

with several industry associations and individual companies. NBS is also interested in the development of

sensors for use as transfer standards that carry accurate

measurements from NBS laboratories into the field.

NBS has recently issued a publication describing to

industry the opportunities for carrying out joint research

and development on a broad range of subjects in NBS

laboratories

o Standard Reference Materials. In industrial practice the

verification of measurements made in a production process is

often made with standards reference materials (SRM) provided

44
by NBS. In the past these SRM's were mostly characterized for

chemical composition. Industry now requires SRM's that are

also characterized for related physical properties. For

example, SRM's for microelectronic devices must be characterized for (three dimensional) chemical composition and for

electrical properties.

NBS is now developing the microanalytical methods , depth

profile analysis, and the software for digital imaging

(pictorial display) of the three dimensional composition

of microelectronic SRM's.

For SRM's for industrial plastics NBS is developing

methods to determine chemical composition and concentration of leachable organics , such as unpolymerized

monomers, plasticizers, and solvents. The same SRM's

will also be characterized for their mechanical properties .

o Multi -component analysis methodologies. Multi -component

chemical analyses are used in many industrial applications

from medical diagnostic measurements to exhaust gas testing

of internal combustion engines. Because of the number of

needed analyses and the increasing number of elements included

industry is beginning to look for simultaneous, multi -component

analysis methodologies and suitable SRM's.

NBS has initiated the development of new Fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance methods as a prototype

for simultaneous multi -component analyses that would

require a minimum of time to resolve the composition of

fairly complex samples. Other methods should follow:

x-ray fluorescence, ion cyclotron resonance, mass spectral

analysis

.

o Automation of measurements under computer control. Laboratory

automation has significantly advanced over the past decade.

NBS has worked closely with industry in the development of

instrumentation, test methods, and documentary standards for

automating measurements under computer control. The next

challenge is now to automate some or all of the functions of

laboratory technicians in chemical or physical testing laboratories . NBS has started a collaboration with a U.S. manufacturer

of robots . The goal is to develop the necessary hardware and software to automate a wide range of activities

in a typical chemical analytical laboratory.

45
Advanced Materials

o Test methods to determine the durability of materials. Such

testing includes the assessment of defects, their causes,

prevention, and effects on the reliability and life expectancy

of materials. Additionally, the effects of various external

agents, on advanced materials, in virtually all environments,

require the development of new tests. Test methods and predictive models , which include temperature and humidity variations

,

high energy radiation, shock, and vibration are needed for

advanced materials used in offices, computers, aerospace, and

factories

NBS has designed a test program for the study in the

effects of defects and lifetime prediction of high density

optical storage media.

NBS has developed a method for low-cost, high- temperature

tensile testing of ceramics to measure the high- temperature strength and deformation behavior of materials for

heat engine and heat exchanger applications

o Test methods to perform in- situ analysis of surface properties

and the treatment of materials , including the effects of

stress, fatigue, surface protection, wear, corrosion and

interactions (such as adhesion) with other materials. For

example, the durability of polymers that are used for structural adhesive bonding, under varying environmental conditions,

needs to be analyzed.

Test methods to evaluate ceramic and composite (metal, polymer,

and ceramic) materials, including surfaces, and adhesives,

for such properties as viscoelasticity, toughness, flammability, toxicity, rheology, microstructure, and the performance

of high temperature materials.

NBS has major programs for the development of the measurement science needed to understand the role of toughness

and strength on the performance of ceramics at high

temperature

o The study of polymer structures using small angle x-ray and

neutron scattering. The development of sensors for various

polymer processing techniques is needed.

NBS has pioneered the use of small angle x-ray and neutron

scattering techniques to study the structure of a new,

potentially important class of polymers , colymer composites, and polymer blends, as a part of a larger program

to couple sensors and process models in advancing processing technology. A new, small angle x-ray scattering

facility at NBS is available to scientists in industry,

46
government, and universities for cooperative and proprietary research.

o The application of non- destructive evaluation (NDE) methods

for the evaluation of process control during manufacturing

and in-service inspection of composite (metal, polymer, and

ceramic matrices) materials and for the evaluation of precision

parts with real-time x-ray systems.

NBS is currently a sole source for many NDE standards

.

o The study of interfacial energies to evaluate blends of composite materials to provide understanding of both the

fabrication processes required to produce high quality materials and the mechanisms by which these materials fail in

service

.

NBS has initiated a program to evaluate the behavior of

the interface between the reinforcing material and the

matrix material in metal matrix composites, to study the

role of the fabrication process.

o The development of integrated processing methods (systems

approach involving non-destructive evaluation sensors, process

models, and expert systems with computer integration) to

facilitate the production of advanced materials in one manufacturing stage and measurement standards for monitoring materials

during their manufacture and processing by the user. For

example, methods are needed for measurement and process control

of fibers in non-woven materials

.

NBS has initiated a joint effort with American industry

to plan, support, and conduct an interdisciplinary program

to develop an integrated system for the automated production of rapidly solidified metal powder.

o The characterization and development of reference materials

to analyze friction and wear of lubricants and soft films

,

e.g., hydrocarbons and polymers, especially in "dirty" environments. Techniques are needed for the characterization of

friction additives in fuels , which address how fuel properties

effect engine design.

NBS has an established program to develop measurement

methods to study the friction and wear behavior of ceramic

materials at high temperatures with and without lubricants .

o The conduct of generic research in the relationship between

physical properties and chemical composition of advanced

47
materials . Reference materials that measure both properties

are needed for the analysis of advanced materials and

fuels/fluids

NBS has a major program in the area of rapid solidification processing of metal alloys which results in

materials with unique physical properties that are related

to the chemical composition of alloys.

Advanced Electronics. Semiconductors, and Superconductors

o The high accuracy automated calibration of electrical parameters and the development of new instrumentation principles

for state-of-the-art electronic measurements.

o The design and development of semiconductor feature linewidth and depth profile standards

o The design of tests and reference materials, in addition to

the generation of process control data for the analysis of

purity of silicon the analysis of process gases.

o The measurement and calibration of radio frequency parameters

on gallium arsenide semiconductor wafers during processing.

These measurements and calibrations are needed due to recent

developments in monolithic microwave and millimeter wave

integrated circuits (MMICS)

o The development of methods for manufacturing and evaluating

heterostructures, by chemical beam epitaxy. This new technique

combines some of the most attractive features of molecular

beam epitaxy and metal -organic chemical vapor deposition.

o The design of calibrations for amplitudes and picosecond

risetimes of signals propagating in integrated circuitry.

o The continued identification, characterization, and understanding of new superconducting materials

NBS is very aware of many of the needs for measurements in

these areas, related to advanced electronics and semiconductors.

NBS has continuing high-level contacts with organizations in the

semiconductor industries through its ongoing program and therefore

is very aware of the measurement needs of the industry and has

developed plans to address these needs.

48
Automation

o The conduct of generic research in artificial intelligence

and robotics. Software development is needed for ComputerAided-Manufacturing (CAM) systems that support artificial

intelligence applications in factory automation.

NBS has a competence project for knowledge -based computing

systems and pattern- recognition systems for generic

research which could potentially support this area.

o The development of guidelines to provide alternatives to

vendor -specific computer networks. Currently, multi-vendor

computer networks require customization of software, work

stations, hardware interfaces, and training.

NBS has a competence project in global telecommunications

to provide technical solutions for applications of computer networks, nationally and internationally.

NBS has competence projects in developing guidelines and

standards for computer networks for industry and government.

o The development of modeling capabilities, used in ComputerAided- Design (CAD) and Computer -Aided-Manufacturing (CAM)

systems, for pre -manufacture product development and testing.

Ways of assuring that computer modeling is based on accurate

input data are needed. Additionally, quality assurance methods, using on-line design software needs to be developed.

NBS conducts generic research in data management, software

engineering, and computer security, which includes re- search related to quality assurance of data.

In the areas of Manufacturing Automation Protocol (MAP)

and Technical and Office Protocols (TOP) computer communication protocols , which deal with virtual computer to

virtual computer communications via local area networks

,

NBS coordinates users and suppliers in industry and the

users in government to promote implementors agreements

,

thereby, NBS research will reduce the risk of using MAP

and TOP and provide lower cost solutions to interconnecting computers in "technical office environments."

o The continued development of interfaces within CAD/CAM, re- quires a family of application-specific data format standards.

NBS is active in the development of the Initial Graphics

Exchange Specification (IGES) for the CAD drafting representation of part geometry, the developing Product Data

Exchange Specification (PDES) which deals with concepts

49
such as standardized work elements for process plans and

a complete factory system architecture.

o The definition and continued research of complex systems and

computing processes . These are used in control and automation

systems, data processing, and robotics.

Biotechnology

o The conduct of generic measurement research in biotechnology.

Although industry is heavily committed to bringing products

to market, the base of support and research expertise do not

exist to develop the basic measurement science for chemical

characterization of products of biotechnology.

NBS has a research effort in measurement support for

industrial biotechnology. However, this effort will

have to be expanded to meet the diverse measurement

needs of industry.

o The development of reference materials for immunoassay and for

protein sequencing of antibodies used in this technique

NBS is developing techniques for separations of complex

mixtures such as antibody proteins. Separation of such

complex mixtures is a prerequisite to issuance of structural reference materials for immunoassay.

o The development of reference materials for assessing specific

antibody activity in immunoassays

The NBS research program in chemical characterization of

antibodies and related biomolecules would have to be

significantly expanded to undertake research in development of reference materials for standardizing and interrelating antibody activity.

o The development of new principles of measurement for gas

sensing in blood.

NBS has research programs in gas measurements and standards, as well as a small program in clinical chemistry.

This specific request identifies a new measurement need

that we will have to study.

o The development of complex protein separation techniques for

use in gene "fingerprinting" to analyze genetic defects, and

for use in general protein pattern characterization to detect

viruses and cancers in plants and animals

50
This request would require considerable basic research

and competence development by NBS to expand existing

efforts in protein separations and digital imaging of

electrophoretic gels to the fingerprinting necessary for

detection of various health related states.

o The development of quality control procedures for enzyme

purity and activity measurements

.

This request for generic measurement science reaffirms a need which is being addressed in the current NBS program

of measurement support for industrial biotechnology.

o The development of flow cytometry reference materials for

cell sorting and diagnostic technologies

.

NBS currently does not have research activity in this

area. NBS has prior experience with fluorescent micro

beads, a related technology. Active involvement in this

important area of health measurement would require support

beyond that currently available

.

Computers

o Continued development and verification testing of standards

and. guidelines for software development, maintenance, and

portability, in addition to advanced application development

techniques of computing software.

NBS has an extensive software standards program, e.g.,

standards for database management, computer graphics

software , and programming languages . NBS has supported

the development of the Portable Operating Systems for

Computer Environments (POSIX) and is leading the public/private sector development of verification test

methods

.

o The development of data interchange standards for high density

computer storage media and systems. These standards are

needed to ensure that systems are physically and logically

compatible and therefore facilitate exchange of the media

between drives manufactured by a wide variety of

suppliers and also between new generations and systems models

.

NBS established and manages the Federal Council on Computer Storage Standards and Technology (FCCSSAT) to

provide a forum for the discussion of the user requirements for the design of the Federal Information Processing

Standards (FIPS) for data interchange of 12 -inch (outside

diameter -nominal) write -once -read-many times optical

digital data disk media and systems.

51
o The development of conceptual designs for advanced information

systems, to be used in traffic guidance and control. Methods

for acceptance testing and verification of functionality of

these systems

Electro -Optics and Optical Fiber Communications

o The development of laser power measurements and beam profile

characterizations for a wide range of laser power levels and

wavelengths. These measurements are needed for the development

and testing of a wide range of industrial, military, and

commercial laser-assisted systems, including weapon systems,

and optical recording, and communications systems.

NBS has capabilities in these areas of measurement, but

does not have sufficient resources to address all power

levels and wavelengths

o The development of calibration services for the infrared

sensors used in satellite monitoring systems, to assess system

reliability and to measure sensitivity and wavelength response.

NBS has begun building a cryogenic chamber for the development of this calibration service.

o The development of performance measurements for fiber optics

data communications systems.

NBS is already providing comprehensive measurement development for single-mode and multi-mode optical fibers.

This effort supports applications in long-haul communications and in local area networks. On a selective basis,

NBS is developing measurements for sources , detectors

,

and waveguides and has requested FY88 funding for developing measurements in modulators, demodulators, and

couplers

o The development of measurements and test methods for switching

and multiplexing schemes in fiber optics communications systems . NBS is participating in the development of Fiber Distributed Interface (FDDI) for the connection of highperformance computers, workstations and storage servers.

FDDI is used for the connection and distribution of data

through a campus -type environment, over high bandwidth.

52
o The design of methods for determining the location of defective

fibers and connectors in optical communications systems.

NBS is developing ways to calibrate commercial equipment

of this type and exploring an innovative method for

these determinations.

o The development of standards for connectivity of fiber optics

subsystems

.

Microwave Systems

o The development of measurement methods, physical standards,

and calibration services for power, noise, impedance, and

other microwave and millimeter wave parameters. These measurements are needed for the optimization of microwave systems

and testing to verify that specifications have been

met in systems used in the aerospace, instrumentation and

communications industries

.

NBS currently offers a variety of microwave calibration

services , but the needs are acute to extend these to

higher frequencies and to achieve higher accuracies. We

are addressing these needs as rapidly as our available

funding permits and we are seeking both other agency and

private sector support to accelerate our work.

o The development of new metrology responding to potential

industrial development of hardware for microwave and millimeter

technology, based on new high temperature superconductors.

This may include Josephson junction devices and cooled waveguides . NBS is well versed in superconductor and microwave and

millimeter wave technologies.

o For information on Department of Defense applications for

microwave metrology, see Appendix C, "Defense Department Needs

for Measurement Research and Services .

53
*
EXHIBIT A

SENIOR MANAGEMENT VISITS BY NBS TO ITS CUSTOMERS: PARTICIPANTS

Date Organization Location Page

1986

Nov 11 US Department of Defense, Gaithersburg, MD 56

1987

Jan 20 US Department of Defense, Gaithersburg, MD 57

Feb 12 AT&T Bell Laboratories, Holmdel, NJ 58

Feb 24 Hewlett-Packard, Palo Alto, CA 59

Mar 2 US Department of Defense, Washington, DC 60

Mar 19 National Conference of Standards Laboratories,

Gaithersburg, MD 61

Mar 27 General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY 62

Mar 30 Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, DC 63

Mar 31 Lockheed, TRW, Hughes, and Hewlett-Packard, Sunnyvale, CA 64

Apr 3 Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI 65

Apr 16 3M Company, St. Paul, MN 66

Apr 30 E.I. du Pont de Nemours, Wilmington, DE 68

May 1 American Association of Engineering Societies

,

Washington, DC 69

May 12 Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 70

May 13 Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 71

May 15 National Aeronautics And Space Admins tration,

Washington, DC 72

55
NBS/US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) MEETING

HELD AT NBS , GAITHERSBURG, MD

NOVEMBER 24, 1987

DOD PARTICIPANTS:

Ronald L. Kerber, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Research and

Advanced Technology (R&AT)

Raymond Siewert, Director, Military Systems Technology

Ted Berlincourt, Director, Research and Laboratory Management

Virginia Castor, Staff Member, Computers and Electronic Technology

Directorate

Col. Ted Cress, Military Assistant to Deputy Undersecretary of Defense

R&AT

NBS PARTICIPANTS:

Ernest Ambler, Director, NBS

Raymond Kammer, Deputy Director, NBS

Helmut Hellwig, Associate Director for Programs, Budget and Finance

John Lyons, Director, National Engineering Laboratory

Guy Chamberlin, Director of Administration

Lyle Schwartz, Director, Institute for Materials Science and

Engineering

Peter Heydemann, Director, Center for Basic Standards

David Jefferson, Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology

Brian Belanger, NBS/DOD Liaison

56
NBS/US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MEETING

HELD AT NBS, GAITHERSBURG, MD

JANUARY 20, 1987

DOD PARTICIPANTS:

James Cercy, Commanding General, US Army Laboratory Command (LABCOM)

Richard Vitali, Technical Director, LABCOM

Louis Cameron, Director, US Army Research and Technology

Harry Fair, Assistant Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects

Agency (DARPA)

General Henry Miley, Jr. (Retired), Director, American Defense

Preparedness Association (ADPA)

John Frasier, Ballistic Research Lab, Aberdeen

NBS PARTICIPANTS:

Ernest Ambler, Director, NBS

Helmut Hellwig, Associate Director for Programs, Budget and Finance

Brian Belanger, NBS/DOD Liaison

57
NBS/AT&T BELL LABORATORIES MEETING

HELD AT AT&T BELL LABORATORIES, HOLMDEL, NJ

FEBRUARY 12, 1987

AT&T PARTICIPANTS:

Robert Lucky, Executive Director,

Research Communications Sciences Division

and staff

NBS PARTICIPANTS:

John Lyons, Director, National Engineering Laboratory

George Sinnott, Associate Director for Technical Evaluation, National

Engineering Laboratory

58
NBS/HEWLETT- PACKARD MEETING

HELD AT HEWLETT-PACKARD, PALO ALTO, CA

FEBRUARY 24, 1987

HEWLETT-PACKARD PARTICIPANTS:

Frank Carrubba, Director, Hewlett-Packard Laboratories

Bernard Oliver, Technical Adviser, Hewlett-Packard Laboratories

Donald Hammond, Associate Director, Hewlett-Packard Laboratories

John Minck, Marketing Communications Manager

Leonard Cutler, Director of Instruments and Photonics Laboratory

NBS PARTICIPANTS:

Helmut Hellwig, Associate Director for Programs, Budget and Finance

Peter Heydemann, Director, Center for Basic Standards

Judson French, Director, Center for Electronics and Electrical

Engineering

59
NBS/US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MEETING

HELD AT THE PENTAGON, WASHINGTON, DC

MARCH 2, 1987

DOD PARTICIPANT:

Louis Cameron, Director, US Army Research and Technology

NBS PARTICIPANTS:

Helmut Hellwig, Associate Director for Programs, Budget and Finance

Brian Belanger, NBS/DOD Liaison

60
NBS/NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STANDARDS LABORATORIES (NCSL) MEETING

HELD AT NBS, GAITHERSBURG, MD

MARCH 19, 1987

NCSL PARTICIPANTS:

Ed Nemeroff, NCSL President, Datron Instruments

Gary Davidson, Executive Vice President, TRW Corporation/OSG

Pete England, Past NCSL President, General Dynamics

George Rice, Past NCSL President, Rockwell International

John Lee, Chairman, NCSL Government Affairs Committee, Telogy, Inc.

NBS PARTICIPANTS:

Helmut Hellwig, Associate Director for Programs, Budget, and Finance

Alvin Sher, Chief, Program Office

George Uriano, Director, Measurement Services

Elaine Bunten-Mines , Program Analyst, Program Office

Jean Freedman, Program Analyst, Program Office

61
NBS/GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY MEETING

HELD AT

GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, SCHENECTADY, NY

MARCH 27, 1987

GE PARTICIPANTS

Walter L. Robb, Senior Vice President

Peter W. Dietz, Manager, Engineering Information Systems Branch

Peter C. Juliano, Manager, Polymer Physics and Engineering Branch

(PP&EB)

John T. Bendler, Polymer Physicist, PP&EB

Michael T. Takemori, Polymer Physicist, PP&EB

Stuart G. Miller, Manager, Automated Systems Laboratory (ASL)

Lowell W. Bauer, Systems Engineer, ASL

Robert S. Gilmore, Geophysicist/Physicist, Quality Systems Program, ASL

Weiping Wang, Mechanical Engineer, Solid Modeling Program, ASL

Eric Lifshin, Manager, Materials Characterization and Engineering

Support Operation (MCESO)

Elizabeth A. Williams, Manager, Organic Characterization Unit, MCESO

Ernest L. Hall, Supervisor, Transmission Electron Microscopy, MCESO

Woodfin V. Ligon, Supervisor, Mass Spectrometry, MCESO

Bernard Gorowitz, Manager, Unit Step Engineering Program, VLSI

Technology Laboratory

NBS PARTICIPANTS:

Ernest Ambler, Director, NBS

Helmut Hellwig, Associate Director for Programs, Budget and Finance

John Lyons, Director, National Engineering Laboratory

Donald Johnson, Director, National Measurement Laboratory

62
NBS/FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) MEETING

HELD AT FAA, WASHINGTON, DC

MARCH 30, 1987

FAA PARTICIPANT:

Martin Pozesky, Acting Deputy Associate Administrator, National Air

Space System Programs

NBS PARTICIPANTS:

Helmut Hellwig, Associate Director for Programs, Budget, and Finance

Peter Heydemann, Director, Center for Basic Standards

63
NBS/LOCKHEED/TRW/HUGHES/HEWLETT- PACKARD MEETING

HELD AT, LOCKHEED MISSLES SUNNYVALE, CA

MARCH 31, 1987

LOCKHEED PARTICIPANTS:

Al Thompson, Vice President, Operations

Harvey Crosby, Director, Operations Technology

Robert Weber, Manager, Metrology

TRW PARTICIPANTS:

Wendell Seal, Manager, Measurement Engineering

Al Strand, Director of Equipment Management Center

Hartwell Keith, Manager of Calibration Services

HUGHES PARTICIPANTS:

Walter Maquire, Staff Vice President, Quality Management

Ted Mukaihata, Manager, Primary Standards Laboratory of Quality

Management

HEWLETT-PACKARD PARTICIPANTS:

Bill Terry, Executive Vice President

John Minck, Marketing Communications Manager

Donald Hammond, Associate Director, Hewlett-Packard Laboratories

NBS PARTICIPANTS:

Ernest Ambler, Director, NBS

John W. Lyons, Director, National Engineering Laboratory

Judson C. French, Director, Center for Electronics and Electrical

Engineering

64
NBS/FORD MOTOR COMPANY MEETING

HELD AT FORD MOTOR COMPANY, DEARBORN, MI

APRIL 3, 1987

FORD PARTICIPANTS:

John McTauge, Vice President, Scientific Research Laboratory

William Goering, Director, Central Laboratories

Dennis Scheutzle, Principal Research Manager, Chemical Analysis

Research

D. Baker, Fuels and Lubricants

P. Beardmore, Materials Science

C. Davis, Physics

H. Halloway, Semiconductor Materials

S. Labana, Polymer Sciences

N. Laurance, Senior Staff Scientist, Programming Science and Technology

S. McCarthy, Integrated Circuit Laboratory

R. Pett, Physical Analysis and Technical Services

Margery Roberts, Director, Chemical and Physical Sciences

M. Shelef, Chemistry Department

R. Terhune, Physics

Gordon Willis, Computer-Aided Engineering

NBS PARTICIPANTS:

Helmut Hellwig, Associate Director for Programs, Budget, and Finance

Donald Johnson, Director, National Measurement Laboratory

Lyle Schwartz, Director, Institute for Materials Science and

Engineering

Harry Hertz, Director, Center for Analytical Chemistry

65
NBS/3M COMPANY MEETING

HELD AT 3M COMPANY, ST. PAUL, MN

APRIL 16, 1987

3M COMPANY PARTICIPANTS:

L.D. DeSimone, Executive Vice President, Industrial and Consumer Sector

Lawrence Eaton, Group Vice President, Electronic and Information

Technologies Sector

Allan J. Huber, Executive Vice President, Electronic and Information

Technologies Sector

Merrill A. Johnson, Vice President, Federal Systems Department

Lester C. Krogh, Vice President, Corporate Research and Development

Manual J. Monteiro, Vice President, International Operations

Krzysztof K. Burhardt, Vice President, Research and Development,

Electronic and Information Technologies Sector

Mark L. Anderson, Business Development Manager, Optical Recording

Project

Robert L. Bohon, Director, Analytical and Properties Research

Laboratory, Corporate Research Laboratories

David F. Clark, Manager, OEM Liaison, Optical Recording Project

Robert J. Clark, Manager, Research and Development Contracts, Federal

Systems Department

Dave Davies, Director, Optical Recording Project

Timothy Farrel, Director, Corporate Research Process Technology

Robert P. Freese, Manager, Erasable Media Development

Gerald W. Kottong, Director, Research and Development, Federal Systems

Department

Thomas J. Savereide, Executive Director, Corporate Research

Laboratories

Ronald Schmid, Director, Engineering Systems and Technology Division

Thomas Wollner, Director, Industrial and Consumer Sector

66
NBS PARTICIPANTS:

Ray Kammer, Deputy Director, NBS

Helmut Hellwig, Associate Director for Programs, Budget & Finance

James Burrows, Director, Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology

Lyle Schwartz, Director, Institute for Materials Science and

Engineering

Curt Reimann, Deputy Director, National Measurement Laboratory

Jean Freedman, Program Analyst, Program Office

67
NBS/DU PONT MEETING

HELD AT E.I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS, WILMINGTON, DE

APRIL 30, 1987

DU PONT PARTICIPANTS:

Howard Simmons, Vice President, Central Research and Development

Peter Jesson, Director, Physical Services

Ed Chait, Manager, Business Development, Biotechnology Systems Division

NBS PARTICIPANTS:

Ernest Ambler, Director, NBS

Helmut Hellwig, Associate Director for Programs, Budget and Finance

Donald Johnson, Director, National Measurement Laboratory

Lyle Schwartz, Director, Institute for Materials Science and

Engineering

Harry Hertz, Director, Center for Analytical Chemistry

68
NBS/AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ENGINEERING SOCIETIES (AAES) MEETING

HELD AT THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ENGINEERING SOCIETIES,

WASHINGTON, DC

MAY 1, 1987

AAES PARTICIPANTS:

Daniel De Simone, Executive Director

Janis Fritts, Director of Communications

Harry Tollerton, Project Manager of International Affairs

NBS PARTICIPANTS:

Helmut Hellwig, Associate Director for Programs, Budget, and Finance

Burt Colvin, Director, Office of Academic Affairs

69
NBS/SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORY MEETING

HELD AT SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORY, ALBUQUERQUE, NM

MAY 12, 1987

SANDIA PARTICIPANT:

Robert Peurifoy, Vice President for Technical Support

NBS PARTICIPANTS:

Helmut Hellwig, Associate Director for Programs, Budget, and Finance

Ernest Gamer, Chief, Office of Physical Measurement Services

70
NBS/LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY MEETING

HELD AT LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY, LOS ALAMOS, NM

MAY 13, 1987

LOS ALAMOS PARTICIPANT:

Fred Morse, Associate Director for Research

NBS PARTICIPANTS:

Helmut Hellwig, Associate Director for Programs, Budget, and Finance

Ernest Gamer, Chief, Office of Physical Measurement Services

71
NBS/NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION MEETING

HELD AT NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION,

WASHINGTON, DC

MAY 15, 1987

NASA PARTICIPANTS:

George Rodney, Associate Administer for Safety, Reliability,

Maintainability and Quality Assurance

Harry Quong, Director, Reliability, Maintainability and Quality

Assurance

NBS PARTICIPANTS:

Helmut Hellwig, Associate Director for Programs, Budget, and Finance

Curt Reimann, Deputy Director, National Measurement Laboratory

Howard Yolken, Chief, Office of Nondestructive Evaluation

Jean Freedman, Program Analyst, Program Office

72
APPENDIX A. CUSTOMER NEEDS FOR CALIBRATIONS & SPECIAL TESTS

June 1987
Introduction

NBS Calibration Services help makers and users of precision

instruments achieve the highest levels of measurement quality and

productivity. Either directly or indirectly, they link precision

equipment or transfer standards to national measurement standards

maintained at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) . This linkage

is the basis for quality assurance and process control in the

manufacture of products as well as in the assembly of complex

systems from sophisticated components obtained from a variety of

manufacturers . Under the broad umbrella of calibration services

,

NBS provides nearly 500 calibrations, Measurement Assurance Programs

(MAPS) and special tests in seven measurement areas:

- Dimensional

- Mechanical

- Thermodynamic quantities

- Optical radiation

- Ionizing radiation

- Electromagnetic

- Time and frequency.

Types of Services

Calibrations and Measurement Assurance Programs (MAPs) are

regularly performed services with pre-established and well-defined

conditions. In these services, the measurement process is wellcharacterized, and shown to be stable and predictable. While calibrations are used to check, adjust or characterize instruments,

devices or standards, MAPs are quality control programs for calibrating an entire measurement system. Special Tests are measure74
ments meeting one or more of the following criteria: one-of-akind or seldom-calibrated items; measurements or calibration methods

for which refinements and/or modifications are still expected.

Users

During a typical year, the largest portion (76%) of services

are purchased by American industry. The other major user groups

are the Department of Defense (15%), other federal agencies (5%),

international customers (2%), hospitals and universities (1.3%), and

state/local government (0.7%). Within the industrial sector,

customers making products for the Department of Defense (DOD) are

the top users of calibration services . This is an anticipated

result because of the driving force created by the traceability^

requirements of MIL- STD 45662 and its effective enforcement by

auditors

.

User Fees

Calibration services are available to public and private

organizations and to individuals. The cost of providing these

services is recovered by charging a fee for each calibration performed. These fees range from a low of less than $100 for calibration of a laboratory thermometer to $50,000 or more for special

tests of large microwave antenna systems. The customer base of

the calibration services is fewer than 3,000. Most customers return

their precision equipment or standards every 2-3 years. During

l^See Exhibit C-l (page 98) for a brief discussion of "traceability”

75
fiscal year 1986, calibration services were used by more than 1,000

different customers for a total income of $4.7 million. These

calibration services, representing about 13,000 tests/measurements

,

are then used by manufacturers, commercial metrology and standards

laboratories, and government metrology and standards laboratories

to support the measurement needs of a large segment of the U.S.

economy, a primary goal of the program.

76
NBS Calibration Needs Assessment

NBS assesses calibration needs continuously using diverse

methods. Several important methods of information gathering are

direct contact, formal studies, liaison, and literature.

Direct Contact

Perhaps the most dominant source of information is direct

contact with customers which is carried out by the entire staff

and affects all areas of calibrations on a continuing basis.

Direct contact takes many forms, including visits to and from

industry, cooperative research projects, consultations with trade

associations and standards organizations , workshops , seminars

,

training courses, guest workers, and research associates. Examples

of staff interactions producing a broad spectrum of feedback are:

Participation in National and/or Regional Meetings

American Society for Quality Control (ASQC)

Instrument Society of America (ISA)

Precision Measurement Association (PMA)

Measurement Science Conference (MSC)

National Conference of Standards Laboratories (NCSL)

Promote National Microwave Standards (PNMS)

Council for Optical Radiation Measurements (CORM)

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)

Government -Indus try Data Exchange Program (GIDEP)

Conference on Precision Electromagnetic Measurements (CPEM)

Annual or Planning Meetings

NBS participates in the annual or planning meetings of

the metrology laboratory managers of other government

agencies such as the Department of Energy, the National

77
Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the U.S. Navy.

These meetings provide an opportunity for NBS to give an

overview and update of its measurement programs , and to

receive in return direct feedback on the delivery of

services and new measurement requirements.

POD Liaison

NBS puts special effort into liaison with the Department of Defense, the major user of calibration services

within the U.S. government. DOD's calibration requirements are not only rapidly changing but also require

long lead times to be in place when new defense systems

are fielded. As Defense moves more and more into the

high technology and energy technology arena, the measurement requirements are at or beyond the current forefront

of measurement science.

NBS Studies

Another valuable source of information in assessing calibration

requirements are NBS formal studies seeking detailed information

about specific technical fields. These studies yield highly beneficial information in terms of (1) identification of many of the

measurement needs, (2) the status and probable development of a technology, (3) industry's view of the NBS role, and (4) impact of

the completed work. In general these studies are lengthy tasks

requiring up to several years to complete. NBS benefits from a number of formal studies, mostly by other organizations. As an

example of an NBS study in progress, the Center for Electronics

and Electrical Engineering is evaluating U.S. electronic measurement

needs in the frequency range dc to 10 megahertz . To identify

those having interest in the field and willing to participate,

78
preliminary circulars were mailed to about 11,000 individuals in

industry, academic institutions, and other Government agencies.

These recipients had been identified with the cooperation of professional and technical societies as having broad electrical and

electronic measurement interests. Some 1,400 individuals responded

and accordingly were mailed the questionnaire. Over 500 completed

questionnaires and returned them to NBS. The results of this

study are undergoing final analysis and review prior to publication

general distribution, and integration into the long range planning

process

.

Liaison

The technical liaison, marketing and information dissemination

activities of the Office of Physical Measurement Services (OPMS)

yield numerous group and individual contacts who provide feedback

on the delivery of services and requirements for calibrations

.

Literature

The open literature yields a vast amount of information which

impacts all areas of calibration needs assessment. Both the type

of literature and the range of subjects covered in the needs assess

ment process is extensive and include the technical literature,

trade industry literature for economic and technical content, and

economic literature to assess impact on productivity and competitiveness .

79
Customer Services

Seminars /Workshops

Training is a means of providing advice and assistance on

measurements and calibrations and, in the long term, promoting

measurements consistent with national standards. Participation in

regularly conducted workshops and seminars is open to a limited

number of persons from measurement and standard laboratories who

meet appropriate prerequisites relating to education, work ex- perience and professional activity. Some currently scheduled or

recently conducted seminars are:

Seminar DATE

Precision Thermometry Seminar 10/87 & 3/88

Calibration and Use of Piston Gage Workshop 5/87

Calibration of Ionization Gages Using the

Spinning Rotor Gage 5/87

Noise Measurement Seminar 3/87

Workshop on Electrical Measurement Assurance Progs. 3/87

Time and Frequency Seminar To be Announced

All of the above seminars have been scheduled at least once

each year for the past several years, the final determinant being

the level of participation. For seminars/workshops requiring

hands-on laboratory exposure, participation is limited to 10-15.

In other cases the number may be as high as 50 participants.

During a typical year, 150-200 participants responsible for engineering and technical support in industry and government will take

these seminars. All costs for the conduct of the seminar are paid

by the participants.

80
Exhibits

Technical or professional society meetings represent an opportunity to meet relatively large numbers of users from industry and

government, to receive direct feedback, and to disseminate information on the wide range of measurement, standard and cooperative

programs available. To date this effort has generated a number of

positive responses for information.

FY 1987 Exhibit Schedule

Date Conference /Location Attendance

New

Contacts

10/86 Instrument Society of America

Houston, TX

25,000 500

10/86 Quality Time Expo -West

Los Angeles , CA

7,000 400

1/87 Measurement Science Conference

Irvine , CA

500 150

3/87 Pittsburgh Conference

Atlantic City, NJ

31,000 170

4/87 Quality Central

Chicago , IL

25,000 450

7/87 NCSL Workshop and Symposium

Denver , CO

500

Overviews and Briefings

Reports on the status of calibration services and programs in

measurement science are given each year, on request, to societies,

companies, and educational institutions. These occasions are

often used to visit metrology programs and laboratories. Examples

of these activities are shown in Exhibit C-2 (page 99).

81
Formal Needs Assessment bv Technical/Professional Societies

One of the most valuable sources of information in assessing

the needs for current and new calibration services are the formal

studies, reports, surveys and needs assessments of technical and

professional societies. These studies are conducted in a variety

of ways ; several organizations maintain standing committees with

major responsibilities for assessing and updating calibration

requirements. Brief descriptions of such activities are as follows:

National Conference of Standards laboratories (NCSL')

NCSL is a non-profit association of laboratories and organizations with a primary goal of advancing the state of the art and

practice of metrology through the concerted or cooperative voluntary

action of its members. Since its founding in 1961, the NCSL has

grown to a membership of more than 700 member organizations from

industry, government, and academia. Each member organization

appoints a "member delegate" who represents it in NCSL activities.

Included among its members are almost all major companies of the

defense, aerospace, electronic and other high technology industries.

Along with concerns for the measurement of physical quantities, the calibration of standards and instruments, and the

development of standards of practice, the NCSL assesses needs for

new or improved measurements. This task is accomplished through a standing committee, the National Measurements Requirements Commit82
tee, and results are published periodically. For its 1983 published

report^ f this committee surveyed more than 1400 organizations

within the United States to assess measurement requirements.

Currently, the National Measurement Requirements Committee is

updating the 1983 needs assessment as part of a continuing effort

to provide a basis for identifying overall needs for major segments

of the economy. The updated report^ is in the final stages of

drafting and is still subject to review and approval by the NCSL

Board of Directors . This report identifies critical needs in five

broad areas of particular importance to NCSL members , reflecting

in general a heavy emphasis on needs for defense, aerospace and

electronic industries. The findings of the subcommittees making

this study are summarized as follows:

o DC - Low Frequency : Capacitance and Magnetic Field Strength

are two areas specifically identified for improvement.

o RF- Microwave : Eight parameters are covered in detail with

comments on the status at NBS . Of the eight categories, the

RF-Microwave Subcommittee has determined that NBS has existing

capability to cover most of the requests for Q-meter standards

,

however, for most areas there is no NBS capability or limited

capability to meet the requirements. Some work is in progress

but is not expected to reach a point of fruition for several

more years . Meanwhile , many DoD programs are proceeding toward

full-scale production without new or improved standards to meet

perceived needs . Work in this area has been given a number

one priority by the subcommittee. Specific areas identified

17 "National Measurement Requirements Survey", National Measurement Requirement Committee of the National Conference of Standards

Laboratories, May 1983.

1 o "Report by the National Measurement Requirements Committees

(Revised Draft)," National Conference of Standards Laboratories,

February 1987.

83
include impedance, low/high power, attenuation, noise temperature, antenna gain and phase noise.

o Electro-Optics : Critical parameters were reviewed in radiometry/photome try technology, laser technology and fiber optics

systems technology. While parameters were not classified by

priority, three items were identified for further emphasis in

terms of priority by NBS. These are: ambient and cryogenic

blackbodies; laser beam profile; and optical fiber power meters.

o Temperature and Pressure : Critical parameters were reviewed

but priorities were not established. Two parameters identified

as warranting special mention are: electrolytic conductivityconductance standards and documentation and improvements in

the accuracy of optical fiber thermometry and high temperature

freezing points.

o Dimensional : This subcommittee covered a number of parameters

with no clear distinction in terms of priorities. New requirements were identified for coordinate measuring machines, flatness, force, gloss, haze, length (gage block), mass, particle

standards, surface roughness, and surface finish.

The Council for Optical Radiation Measurements (CORM’)

CORM is a non-profit organization of professionals and institutions engaged in optical radiometry and spectrophotometry.

Among its organizational goals are: (1) assessment of national

measurement requirements; and (2) establishment of a national

consensus on priorities for these requirements . In its Fourth

Report on Pressing Problems and Projected National Needs in Optical

Radiation Measurements^, CORM proposed a multicomponent program to

address needs for Measurement Assurance Programs, Standard Reference

Materials and new measurement methodologies to correct standardi-

"Pressing Problems and Projected National Needs in Optical

Radiation Measurements," Council for Optical Radiation Measurements

,

August 1982.

84
zation deficiencies in broad areas of industrial process and quality

control.

Spectrophotometry, one of the principal areas of concern,

covers the quantitative application of measurements of spectral

transmittance, reflectance, and luminescence, and related quantities, in the near -ultraviolet , visible, and near infrared wavelength regions. This type of metrology is vitally important to

many materials -producing and materials -using industries in support

of research and development as well as quality control; to clinical

and health applications requiring reliable diagnostic tools; and

to the analysis of processes and materials important to energy

conservation. Surveys estimate that there are more than 50,000

spectrophotometers of various types in facilities throughout the

country. The need for standardization is readily apparent when

results from only a small fraction of the instruments are compared.

In its report CORM recommended a program to improve services

from NBS to the private, state and federal sectors in a manner to

assure safety, compatibility and traceability consistent with the

economic health of the nation. The proposed program would be

carried out in cooperation between a hierarchy of laboratories and

NBS. This approach has the advantage of appropriately distributing

the burden between the participating laboratories and NBS

.

85
CORM's next in-depth assessment of needs and requirements for

optical radiation measurements is currently underway. The report

will probably be issued in 1988.

Department of Defense

The metrology requirements of the DoD are published in the

"Tri- Service Metrology and Calibration Research, Development and

Engineering Plan" . This plan documents both the short- and longrange needs for current and future defense systems for fiscal

years 1987 through 1991. These as well as other requirements are

discussed in Appendix C, "Defense Department Needs for Measurement

Research & Services."

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE’)

The IEEE Committee on National Measurement in Electro-Technology has undertaken studies^ in parallel with those of Promotion of

National Microwave Standards (PNMS) . While the studies are still

in progress , the findings to date provide enough information to

define general areas of critical need. In general terms, areas of

concern are:

o Electrical/Electronic Measurement Technology : All electrical/electronic measurements ultimately relate to the basic

parameters of voltage, impedance and current. Sophisticated

and advanced commercial electronic instrumentation supporting

90^

Interim Report, Chairman, Committee on National Measurement

Standards in Electro-Technology, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, February 1987.

86
numerous quality assurance systems, process and quality control

and measurement processes in both industry and government

depend upon accurate national standards for traceability and

measurement uniformity. As the technology advances rapidly

and automation is expanded into all segments of the economy,

instrumentation performance capabilities are pushed to new

levels. Under these dynamic conditions, research and development are required in all basic areas of electrical/electronic

measurement science to improve the accuracy, range and transportability of national standards. Specific areas of primary

concern are:

AC voltage measurements accurate to 5 ppm from 20 KHz , and

better accuracy at higher values (1000 v, >1 MHz)

.

More accurate (-< 0.1%) four terminal-pair impedance measurements to 60 Hz to 10 MHz

.

Transportable capacitance standards of great stability and

resistance to environmental effects.

Dissipation measurements for standard capacitors at accuracies at 1 ppm and better.

Calibrations of four terminal standard capacitors at values

up to 1 farad at frequencies from 100 Hz to 1 MHz at accuracies -< 0.01%.

Calibration capability in DC voltage of 0.1 ppm at 10

volts; 1 ppm at 0.01 to 1000 volts. Improved ratio capability in the calibration process

.

Certified confidence of NRC Canada as an NBS surrogate

laboratory service at currents up to 4.5 Kamps (AC) at

accuracies -< 50 ppm for shunts, or establishment of equivalent NBS service.

o Lightwave Measurement Technology : The ever increasing demand

for optoelectronic instrumentation is based upon a need for

lightwave systems that perform functions such as communications,

sensing and process control of large industrial plants. This

emerging technology has very clear and important military and

commercial applications. The advanced optoelectronic technologies currently available are of such sophistication that

radically new test equipment and measurement technologies are

essential to assure performance within specifications. As a result, there are requirements for new approaches to measurement

problems encountered in the instrumentation as well as research

and development for problems that are not satisfactorily addressed by current approaches. In parallel with these require87
ments, there is the need to improve, refine or extend existing

capabilities. Specific needs include:

Power measurements of greater accuracy and related primary

standards, 1 to 200 milliwatts at 600 to 860 nanometers of

wavelength, and from 1 to 8 milliwatts at 1200 to 1550

nanometers

Primary standards and techniques for attenuation measurements from 0.1 to lOOdb from 600 to 1550 nanometers to

support a hierarchy of standards to support a field test

set measurement requirement of O.ldb/lOdb.

Accurate wavelength measurements from 600 to 1550 nanometers

and at wavelengths above and below that.

Measurements to accurately characterize fiber optic sources

and detectors and test fibers.

Methods and techniques for reliable calibrations for state

of the art optical time domain reflectometers

In summarizing National measurement standards and metrology

requirements, Jerry Hayes, Chairman, IEEE Instrumentation and

Measurement Society Technical Committee on National Measurement

Standards in Electro -Technology writes:

"There exists a need for careful documentation and

indoctrination lectures describing the newly emerging

measurement processes. There also exists a need for

training of industry personnel in primary laboratory

practices and procedures . There is a wave of retirements

taking place in industrial standards laboratories and the

integrity of our measurement processes are at risk until

new engineers and technicians are trained at the only

facility in the U.S. logically equipped and chartered to

do so , NBS

These are but a few of the deficiencies we have identified. We believe they are but the tip of an iceberg of

needs. We are aware of several others, but have yet to

pin down the specifics in the way of range, accuracy and

frequency. Our studies will be directed to identify and

report these as we proceed.

88
We wish to emphasize the great importance that is placed

by the measurement community in industry and government on

the resolution of these measurement deficiencies. Critical

ongoing projects are affected and delayed, future technological developments are impeded, and manufacture of

reliable, high quality products is imperiled. We are

further concerned about the requirements that will emerge

in the future. Continuous and intensive research and

development to improve the precision and accuracy of all

measurement parameters is imperative as a prelude to technological advancements . We must be moving nationally to

measure the 'micro' and the 'macro' of all physical quantities to ever greater accuracies. Electrical-electronic

measurements are dependent upon physical -mechanical advances

and vice versa. We support advances in all measurement

areas as the essential foundation for national measurement

technology and the scientific advancements that proceed from

it.

89
NBS Response

The needs assessment process produces an extensive list of

parameters and critical areas where industrial needs for measurement

methods and services are not being met. Whether an independent

study by prominent members of industry and government or the report

of a workshop, areas of critical need are usually defined, but

priorities, which depend upon many factors, are not always clear.

From this wide range of critical needs , many requirements are

incorporated into existing NBS programs, or planning processes to

develop new programs

For example, the NBS initiative for "Process and Quality

Control Measurements" asked Congress to fund high priority measurement requirements identified through the needs assessment programs

of a number of national organizations . In addition to expanding

measurement capabilities, this initiative will develop the scientific base for new and improved measurement standards, instrumentation and documentation to transfer measurement technology to the

private sector. This program was first funded in FY 1985 at

$556,000. In FY 1986 the funding increased by $1,994,000. In FY

1988 an increase of $3,550,000 is pending (see Exhibit C-3, page

100 )

Both the calibration community in general and the national

organizations presenting formal assessment studies are being kept

90
informed of our progress. This is done through published reports

or articles (see Exhibit C-4, page 101) providing information on

the exact nature of the requirement, current NBS capability, the

status of development, and future plans.

As a complement to these relatively extensive reports, NBS

publishes a bi-annual report on changes in calibration services

such as improvements in the accuracy of measurements , initiation

of new services, and discontinuance or reduction of little used

services. Before any service is discontinued, comments are solicited through a general announcement, and all users are notified

directly so that they may comment on the impact of the proposed

action on their operation. In addition, the Editor of the "NCSL

Newsletter" makes space available for NBS to keep its members

informed of improvements , breakthroughs or changes in the services

offered. Finally, the "NBS Update" publication is an editor's

guide to recent activities at NBS of interest to science and technology. This guide is published bi-weekly and widely distributed

to editors of technical magazines and newsletters.

91
Implications for NBS Calibration Services

The results of extensive NBS interactions with industry and

government provide guidance on what should be done and feedback on

how well current activities are meeting the needs of NBS customers.

A representative cross section of identified NBS calibration needs

include

o Barometric Pressure Measurements : Develop new standards,

calibration facilities and training services to improve the

accuracy and reliability of barometric pressure measurements.

This program will impact the safety of commercial and general

aviation, leading to reduced operating cost through improved

climb patterns and higher capacity in air traffic lanes.

o Quantum Metrology : Develop the capability to make and characterize solid state devices that may serve as standards, transfer

standards, or transducers for a variety of physical parameters.

This small effort would enable NBS to collaborate with industry

and other research laboratories in the exploitation of a new

and promising technology that could dramatically improve industrial measurements and would provide the U.S. instrumentation

industry with a new line of very competitive products

o Micrometrologv Measurements : Develop the metrology basis for

direct length measurements on microscopic systems on the order

of atomic dimensions. This effort will: extend the length

scale to the atomic domain in terms of national standards;

provide the metrology for research and develop of nanotechnology

devices and production processes; improve the design and performance of new devices.

o Radioactivity Calibrations : Provide improved calibration

services for the community of users and measurers of radioactivity services. Current procedures for data analysis and

producing certificates are quite slow and labor intensive.

This effort will reduce delays and cost to customers, and also

provide a measurement assurance program to the nuclear power

industry.

92
o Dynamic Force Measurements : Develop procedures for calibration and characterization of transducers used for the measurement of dynamic (time -varying) forces. The program will provide

high levels of accuracy and precision for calibration and

characterization of the dynamic performance of force transducers

and force measurement systems over wide ranges of both force and

frequency. This project will meet critical civilian and military requirements related to rocket and engine thrust measurement, ordnance testing, crash studies, material and component

testing, in-motion weighing, soil mechanics and advanced manufacturing processes

.

o Spectrophotometry Measurements : Provide improved measurements, transfer standards and calibration services for luminescence, bi-directional scattering ultraviolet and infrared

spectrophotometry. This program will provide uniform measurement scales and transfer standards for widely diverse applications of modem spectrophotometry.

o Dosimetry for High-Dose Applications : Develop new dosimeters,

provide measurement assurance services , develop a calibration

facility for industrial radiation dosimeters and extend services

to electron beams and pulsed fields. This program will provide

the measurement services that will improve quality control and

economic competitiveness in industrial radiation processing of

food, radiopharmaceuticals, medical supplies, electronics,

plastics, elastomers, and composites, an industry that is

growing at steady rate of approximately 25% per year.

o Radon Transfer Standards : The requirement is for radon transfer

standards to calibrate devices used to measure radon flux

through the ground, floors and other surfaces. This service

has been requested by EPA, DoE and private companies involved

in radon measurements in and around homes throughout the country.

o Linewidth Standards for VLSI : Optical and electron microscope

standards for thin and thick lines of a variety of materials

on a variety of substrates as well as low-voltage scanning

electron microscope (SEM) magnification standards. This need

has been substantiated by extensive interactions with manufacturers .

o Laser Interferometer Calibrations : For testing the many types

of fringe -counting interferometer systems becoming commonly

used throughout the dimensional metrology community. This

need is verified by customer requests.

93
o Angle Measurement : A requirement exists for the development

of a next generation of angular measurement instrumentation

with at least an order -of -magnitude improvement over the current

state-of-the-art. The primary driver here is the angular

pointing accuracy required in the Strategic Defense Initiative

(SDI) program but extensive civilian applications also exist.

o Cylinder and Bore Measurements : The requirements are to extend

our ability to accurately measure cylinders and bores by at

least an order of magnitude. Prime users will be those developing pressure and microwave impedance standards

o Force Measurements : The extensive use of load scales for

electronic weighing requires development of capability for

measurement of the influence of temperature and pressure on

force sensor sensitivity, determination of the creep and hysteresis characteristics of force sensors, and the automated calibration of force sensors to high accuracies.

o Vibration Measurements : The requirement is to extend the

amplitude and frequency range and the accuracy of vibration

measurements needed for experimental model and impact analysis,

pointing and tracking systems, and vibration control in a wide

variety of civilian and military applications.

o Ultrasound Hydrophones : A calibration service is needed for

determining the response of ultrasound hydrophones , used to

determine the field produced by ultrasonic flaw detectors and

medical diagnostic and imaging systems. This is one of the

most frequently requested measurement services which we cannot

meet. Use of hydrophones traceable to national standards is

written into several ultrasound exposure safety standards.

Greater safety and better diagnostics would result from the

service

o Ultrasonic Contact Transducers : About 90 percent of industrial

and medical ultrasonics is done by the contact method. The

ultrasound field in a solid is the important quantity in this

method and yet no measurement techniques , much less calibration

services, exist for determining such quantities. This need is

recognized by American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM)

,

DOD, FDA and others. Meeting this need would result in more

efficient testing and improved product life.

94
o Acoustic Emission Transducers : A measurement method is needed

for performing the secondary calibration of acoustic emission

transducers . This need has been recognized by equipment manufacturers, by ASTM and by acoustic-emission practitioners,

including those in DoD. NBS currently has adequate capability

for primary calibration but development of the next link is

needed to support this rapidly growing technology. Meeting

this need would result in increased productivity in a wide

range of manufacturing industries , including electronics

,

metal cutting, and chemicals.

o In-Process Sensors : The expanded use of in-process measurement

for quality control in manufacturing has lead to totally new

calibration requirements for in-process dimension and surface

finish measurements as well as more indirect indicators such

as acoustic emission and vibration spectra. The Automated

Manufacturing Research Facility (AMRF) provides a unique facility for developing these services . Improvements in productivity

would be great.

o Power Loss of Voltage Transformers : Develop and document NBS

reference measurement capability for measurement assurance

program for power loss/power factor (ratio of effective resistance to effective impedance) of voltage transformers. Industry

needs access to reference measurement capability traceable to

national standards , including means for effective comparison

of calibrations of transformer loss -measuring systems. NBS

has already developed calibration procedures for these systems

,

in collaboration with industry. The average annual capitalized

cost of transformer losses in the United States is estimated

to be about two billion dollars.

o Quality Assurance for Automated Microwave Measurement Systems : Develop generic theoretical basis and statistical and other

procedures for quality control of measurements by automated

systems. Tasks include verifying systems performance, computational processing of calibration data, and reporting of

validated results. Automated microwave measurement systems

require capability for operator to ensure that performance of

system at time measurement is made meets system specifications

and is consistent with system historical performance data base.

o Microwave Impedance Measurements for "TNC" Type Connectors : Develop and document NBS impedance calibration service for

"TNC" connectors over the frequency range of 0.1 to 26.5 GHz

TNC connectors are widely used in civil and defense systems

that require a compact, rugged, high-quality connector.

95
o Microwave Waveguide Impedance Standards : Develop and verify

performance of waveguide impedance standards over the frequency

range 2.6 to 18 GHz. IEEE PNMS "B" priority. These standards

are required for NBS waveguide calibration services over the

specified range based on the dual six-port automatic network

analyzer

o Noise Figure for Amplifiers : Develop methods and associated

documented measurement service for effective input noise temperature for amplifiers used in communications and other microwave

systems in the 2 to 4 GHz range. Industry has expressed need

for this measurement service traceable to national standards

Service would constitute first step in development of needed

reference noise figure measurements and services for a range

of frequency bands

o Low Flow Rate Calibration and Testing : With the growth of

high technology comes the need to accurately measure low flow

rates. A prime example of these needs comes from the microelectronics industry where the flow of poisonous corrosive

gases (such as salines, phosphines, arsines, etc.) has to be

measured with high accuracy. Similar requests come from the

automobile industry where engine performance testing require

accurate measurement of fuel and air consumption.

o Flow Rate Transfer Standards : Design and develop tailor-made

flow rate transfer standards which are critically needed to

test performance of aircraft engines, aerospace components and

liquid fuel driven space engines.

o Slurry Flow Testing : Develop and test slurry meters to measure

the dispersed solid phase found in nearly 70% of all process

flows. There is need to expand the existing facility, equipped

for handling of setting slurries only, by developing the instrumentation and non- intrusive techniques for solid fractions

in flowing slurries.

o Characterization of Active Antennas : Develop methods needed

to characterize new class of antennas -- active antennas -- in

which each element of an array incorporates an active transmitting and an active receiving component. Techniques develop

for conventional passive antennas will not be directly applicable, as an active antenna cannot be treated as a reciprocal

device. Active antennas offer enhanced control of the beam of

electromagnetic energy transmitted by the antenna, increased

power in the beam, and greatly increased sensitivity with

respect to the received signal. These antennas are finding

96
use of airborne radar and satellite earth resources mapping

systems, and offer benefits for future communications systems.

In resource mapping, use of an active antenna provides capability for obtaining information not previously available from

satellite measurements, as a result of the enhanced sensitivity

combined with the capability of the antenna to transmit first

a horizontally and then a vertically polarized signal, while

receiving in both polarization orientations

.

o Dielectric Properties of Materials at Microwave Frequencies : Develop and document NBS calibration services for dielectric

properties of materials for electronic and electromagnetic

applications , primarily at microwave frequencies . NBS survey

results and contacts show strong industry needs for reference

dielectric measurements for a wide range of applications

,

among them substrates for various types of integrated circuits

,

including microwave monolithic; radomes; lenses for quasioptical systems; microwave absorbing material, including ma- terial commonly used in pyramidal form for measurement systems;

and reflectivity issues, including " low- observables "

.

o Digital Information System Performance Measures : Develop

measurement methods and supporting mathematical analyses for

determining the quality of high-speed digital data streams in

computer and communications systems employing electrical,

microwave, or optical means of digital data transfer. Improved

measurement methods will support the development and sale of

more competitive, high-performance digital products. The new

methods will also improve the performance of these systems in

service by providing early warning of degradation of signal

quality and by providing objective measurements for restoring

signal quality.

97
EXHIBIT C-l

THE CONCEPT OF TRACEABILITY

"The ideas implicit in the concept of traceability are

ancient. The desire for procedures by which measurements

made at the working level can be made consistent with an

established reference standard can be observed in the

building of the pyramids of ancient Egypt, where the length

of the pharaoh's arm was defined to be the national standard

of length (the cubit). For convenience in disseminating

this length unit, this arm's length was transferred to a marked granite rod, which in turn could be compared for

consistency with the working measuring rods made of wood

that were used by the construction forces .

National Standards, as a necessary basis for accurate measurements,

are useful only if they are accessible to those responsible for

making measurements throughout the Nation in all sectors of the

economy. In principle, National Standards are required to calibrate

or otherwise characterize measuring instruments and devices. In

practice, the instruments and devices are usually qualified in

terms of laboratory standards which, in turn, are qualified in

terms of National Standards. Thus, measurements at remote locations, widely distributed and made at different times may be known

in terms of units realized on the basis of National Standards

through a process which often involves hierarchial levels of intermediate standards. This process with supporting documentation is

referred to by the term traceability . A hierarchical system for

realizing traceability exists in some form in all developed countries. Traceability may also be achieved through the use of Standard

Reference Materials

In the most general sense, however, traceability means the existence

of any systematic process or combination of processes, hierarchical

or otherwise, whereby a quantity may be determined in terms of units

obtained from any specified standard. Certain measurements of high

accuracy are possible, however, without the need for comparison with

national artifact standards. For many practical levels of accuracy,

intrinsic properties of atoms, molecules and larger aggregates of

matter are useful in the realization of units without direct comparison to a national standard.

98
EXHIBIT C-2

SOME TYPICAL EXAMPLES OF VISITS AND TALKS TO USER GROUPS

Talk :

Talk:

Visit:

Talk:

Visit:

Visit:

Visit:

Visit:

Visit:

Talk:

Talk:

Talk:

Talk:

Visit:

Talk:

Visit:

Talk:

Annual Meeting of the Government- Industry Data Exchange Program, October 1985

DoE Standards Laboratory Managers Conference, October 1985

Metrology and Analytical Laboratories, Rockwell International, Golden, CO, October 1985

Region- 9 Meeting of the National Conference of Standards

Laboratories, December 1985

Metrology Laboratory & Facility, John Fluke Manufacturing

Company, Everett, WA, January 1986

Metrology Laboratory, Boeing Aerospace Company, Seattle,

WA, January 1986

Metrology Laboratory, Lockheed Missile and Space Company,

Sunnyvale, CA, January 1986

Metrology Laboratory and Plant Facility, Hewlett-Packard

Company, Palo Alto, CA, January 1986

Analytical Laboratories , Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory

Port Hueneme, CA, January 1986

Butler Community College, Butler, PA, April 1986

Capital Cities Control Conference, Albany, NY, May 1986

American Society for Quality Control, Horsham, PA, October

1986

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, September 1986

U.S. Navy Primary Standards Laboratory, Coronado, CA,

January 1987

Houston Section of the National Conference of Standards

Laboratories, January 1987

Houston Power & Light Company, Bay City, TX, January 1987

AT&T Network Systems, Oklahoma City, OK, March 1987

99
EXHIBIT C-3

PROCESS AND QUALITY CONTROL MEASUREMENTS

PROJECTS REQUESTED IN FY 88

Prioritv Proiect iSKl

1 Frequency Standard R&D 438

2 High-Pressure Measurements 305

3 AC 6c DC Voltage 441

4 Radon Measurements 246

5 High- Temperature Thermometry 174

6 Low-Frequency Measurements 967

7 Electrical Documentation 6c Training 255

8 Neutron Dosimetry 246

9 Electrical Resistance Measurements 306

10 Primary Temperature Facility 172

$3550K

100
EXHIBIT C-4

NBS PUBLISHED RESPONSES TO FORMAL MEASUREMENT REQUIREMENT

STUDIES AND SURVEYS

1. Belanger, B. C., Kirby, R. K. , and Simmons, J. D., "NBS Response

to the 1982 National Measurement Requirements Survey of the

NCSL National Measurement Requirements Committee", NBSIR 84-

2847 March 1984.

2. Mielenz, K. D. , "NBS Response to the Fourth CORM Report on

Pressing Problems and Projected National Needs in Optical

Radiation Measurements", NBSIR 84-2889 May 1984.

3. Uriano, G. A., "Update of NBS Response to the NCSL National

Measurement Requirements Study: DC/LF Electrical Measurements",

NCSL Newsletter, Vol. 26, No. 2, P. 20, July 1986.

4. Uriano, G. A., "Update of NBS Response to the NCSL Measurement

Requirements Study: Electro-Optical Measurements", NCSL Newsletter, Vol. 26, No. 4, P. 13, October 1986.

5. Uriano, G. A., "Update of NBS Response to the NCSL Measurement

Requirements Study: Temperature, Pressure and Mechanical

Measurements", NCSL Newsletter, Vol. 27, No. 1, P 17, January

1987.

6. Adair, R. T. ,' Reeve, G. R. , and Gatterer, L. E. , "The Expanding

Need for Microwave and Millimeter Wave Calibration Services",

NCSL Newsletter, Vol. 27, No. 1, P. 21, January 1987.

7. Uriano, G. A., "NBS Response to 1986 Feedback From NCSL Region

8", NCSL Newsletter, Vol. 27, No. 1, P. 32, January 1987.

101

APPENDIX B. CUSTOMER NEEDS FOR STANDARD REFERENCE MATERIALS

May 1987

103
Introduction

Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) have been disseminated by

the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) in support of American

industry for more than 80 years. Currently, all the operations

and production costs associated with providing this service are

borne by customers, who during fiscal year 1987 will pay NBS about

$5.5 million for SRMs.

SRMs provide a valuable and economical way of linking laboratory measurements to national standards. They are prepared (usually

in batch quantities) and certified for the properties of interest

in order to provide measurement "benchmarks" for the users. In application, they are used either to calibrate or validate the ac- curacy of the users' instruments.

For example, steel is produced to close compositional specifications. (Different, but exact, proportions of ingredient elements

such as carbon, silicon, chromium, and nickel are required to make

steel that is suitable for specific applications.) In order to

insure equity in commerce and the quality of final products, producers and buyers of steel need to measure the composition of each

lot. To do this efficiently requires that they have accurate

benchmarks (SRMs) to calibrate their measurements. SRMs serve

this need on both sides of the transaction point and ultimately

have a positive impact on quality assurance for the goods produced.

104
Table B-l is a summary of the kinds of materials for which SRMs

are available. About one -third of the inventory consists of metal

alloys certified for chemical composition. Another third covers

other materials which are certified for composition. The final

third includes materials with certified physical or engineering

properties

.

Each SRM must pay its own way. As stocks of a given type

begin to run low, careful decisions are made to continue or discontinue production based on projected customer ability and willingness

to pay development and production costs. In a typical year, supplies of 100-150 different SRMs are exhausted. Of these, about 75

percent are renewed with similar material and 25 percent are discontinued due to declining technological need. Only by discontinuing some SRMs can resources be made available to develop some new

ones each year. Where technical need continues, NBS takes pride

in maintaining continuity of SRM supply.

Dozens of SRMs are cited in voluntary measurement standards

promulgated by such groups as the Atomic Industrial Forum, the

Society of Automotive Engineers , the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers

Association, and the American Society for Testing and Materials.

Industrialists depend on SRMs to assure material measurements that

are critical to the success of their business. Usually these

critical points are at commercial transaction points, or at places

where significant gains can be made in quality assurance.

105
Table B-l. Standard Reference Material Categories.

Steels

Steelmaking Alloys

Cast Irons and Steels

Radioactivity

Isotopics

Ion Activity

Nonferrous Alloys

Gases in Metals

High Purity Metals

Mechanical and Metrology

Superconducting

Freezing Points

Electron Probe Microanalytical

Primary Chemicals

Spectrometric Solutions

Calorimetric

Vapor Pressure

Thermal Properties

Clinicals

Biologicals

Botanicals

Thermocouple Materials

Magnetic

Optical

Environmental

Industrial Hygiene

Lubricating Materials

Gas Transmission

Reference Fuels

Resistivity

Fertilizers

Ores

Minerals

Rubber Materials

Computer Tapes

Sizing Standards

Refractories

Carbides

Glasses

Color

Photographic

Surface Flammability

Cements

Trace Elements

Nuclear Materials

Smoke Density

Water Vapor Permeance

X-ray Diffraction

106
Table B-2 provides just a few of the many instances where SRMs

are mentioned in American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)

standards and vice versa. These have been selected to demonstrate

the range of standards supported. The depth of support, especially

in the field of chemical analysis of metal alloys, is quite extensive, with several hundred alloy SRMs available for use in conjunction with standard methods of analysis. Many firms consider SRMs

indispensible to their manufacturing processes. For example,

James Kanzelmeyer, chief chemist at St. Joe Minerals Corporation

states

:

"The laboratory at St. Joe Zinc Smelter has used standard reference materials from NBS for more than 30 years . Right now we have

128 different SRMs in stock, ranging from environmental standards

and reagent chemicals to ceramic materials , ores and minerals , pure

metals, and alloys. Just as we check and adjust our analytical

balances with a standard set of weights traceable to NBS, we use

SRMs to ensure that new methods measure what they are supposed to

measure within required accuracy. . . . Properly used, SRMs provide

a means for laboratories to reach agreement on specific measurements. The analyses themselves, if not the interpretation of

their significance, can be eliminated as a source of controversy."^

James P. McKaveney, manager of analytical services at Occidental Petroleum Corporation, contributed the following comment:

"At OPC we have long range projects concerned

with refining chemicals from coal as well as coal desulfurization; we use a number of

SRMs.... Because of large cost increases in

recent years, we don't use the large quantities

2l Standardization News . September 1979, pp . 25-27.

107
Table B-2. Examples of Support to American Society of Testing and Materials

(ASTM) Standards

ASTM

Std.

C 204

C 115

C 430

C 336

C 338

C 657

C 770

C 829

D 1238

D 1505

D 1434

D 1434

D 3985

D 1646

D 2268

D 3177

D 4239

D 2795

E 27

E 129

E 322

E 539

E 162

E 648

F 746

Test NBS SRM

Cement Fineness (Blaine)

Cement Fineness (Wagner)

Sieve Residue

Glass Annealing and Strain Points

Glass Softening Points

Glass Electrical Resistivity

Glass Stress Optical Coefficient

Glass Liquidus Temperature

Melt Flow Rate (Plastic)

Density (Plastic)

Gas Transmission Rate

(volumetric)

Gas Transmission Rate

(manometric)

Gas Transmission Rate

(coulometric)

Mooney Viscosity

Chemical Analysis of Fuels

Sulfur Analysis in Coal and Coke

Sulfur Analysis in Coal and Coke

Analysis of Coal and Coke Ash

Analysis of Zinc and Zinc Alloys

Analysis of Thermionic Nickel

Analysis of Steels and Cast Irons

Analysis of 6A1-4V Titanium Alloy

Flame Spread Index

Critical Radiant Flux

Pitting and Crevice Corrosion

114n Portland Cement

114n Portland Cement

114n Portland Cement

711 and 717 Glass Viscosity

711 and 717 Glass Viscosity

624 Glass Electrical

Resistivity

708 and 709 Glass , 773 Glass Liquidus Temp.

1475 and 1476 Polyethylene

1475 and 1476 Polyethylene

1470 Polyester Film

1470 Polyester Film

1470 Polyester Film

388m Butyl Rubber

1816a Isooctane

2682-2685 Sulfur in Coal

2682-2685 Sulfur in Coal

99a Soda Feldspar

94c Zinc Base Alloy

671-673 Nickel Oxide

Various SRMs

173 and 654a Ti Alloy

1002c Surface Flammability

1012 Flooring Radiant Panel

1890-1891 Crevice Corrosion

108
of SRMs that we used about 10 years ago.... I believe

both American industry and the federal government need

to better appreciate the value of NBS and use it more

efficiently.... U.S. industry will require strong support

from such agencies as NBS." 22

Robert J. Bendure, director of research at Armco (Steel),

Inc .

,

added:

"For many years, Armco has used NBS standard reference

materials to establish calibration points for chemical

analysis. The large demand for standards often necessitates use of secondary standards for day-to-day calibration. However, it is extremely important that these

secondary standards are calibrated against primary NBS

SRMs so that wet and instrumental calibration is traceable

to NBS. Unless this is done, measurement of both intralaboratory and interlaboratory accuracy will become increasingly difficult, and resolving differences between

suppliers and users as to material composition would

become impossible . " 23

Lynn L. Lewis, assistant department head at General Motors

Research Laboratories had this to say:

"The automotive industry may appear to be like a duck on

water -- calm, unruffled, and moving forward serenely.

But I assure you that there is furious paddling beneath

the surface! Much of this vigorous activity is concerned

with ensuring product quality, conserving materials, and

solving environmental problems - - all three of which

require SRMs as the keystone in assuring measurement

compatibility and integrity.... Our industry's use of

SRMs goes back to 1906 when a standard was issued for

cast iron in chip form. Our reliance on standards for

alloys has grown, and today we depend on more than 90

chip-form and powder-form SRMs, as well as more than 100

solid-form SRMs. All of these standards were issued on

22 Ibid.

23 Ibid.

109
the basis of established needs, most of which will con

tinue far into the future. " 24

Perhaps even more revealing of the essential nature of the

program are the cries of distress heard when an SRM runs out of

stock. In 1985, it was necessary to certify a new lot of SRM 927,

Bovine Serum Albumin, an important standard in clinical and nutritional chemistry. The first batch of material purchased to prepare

the renewal lot was of unsatisfactory quality, so the reissue was

delayed. The following comments were received from Dr. Marvin C.

Feil, Project Manager for Allied Corp., Instrumentation Laboratory

Division. His comments are typical of the distress suffered by

many users of SRM 927

"The extended ' out-of -stock' situation for SRM 927 is a major problem for my colleagues and me. The SRMs enable

us to ensure the accuracy of our products over long

periods of time. Accuracy is so important to us that we

use SRMs to validate every lot of material we make. The

unanticipated lack of an SRM forces us to use inherently

less reliable standards . We depend upon the National

Bureau of Standards to provide these vital materials in

a timely manner so that we can provide our customers

with the high quality products they demand."

"Please do whatever is necessary to provide SRM 927 as soon as possible. Please tell me if I can assist in any

way to make SRM 927 available quickly and to ensure an

uninterrupted supply of all the SRMs which are so important to my profession, company and industry. " 2 ^

24Ibid.

^Letter dated October 22, 1985.

110
More than 40,000 Standard Reference Materials are sold each

year to over 20,000 customers in every state and to numerous overseas laboratories. See map, Exhibit B-l (page 128). The main

reason customers use SRMs is to assure the quality of a wide variety

of economically- important measurements. About 1000 different types

of SRMs are currently available to support measurements in such

areas as:

Industrial quality assurance

Efficient energy utilization

Semiconductor electronic components

Construction materials

Mining and metal production

Petroleum industry

Environmental protection

Industrial hygiene

Health (clinical) analyses

- Agriculture

Nutritional information

Support to research laboratories

The set of available SRMs will vary over a period of years as customer demand, technology, and means for assuring measurement

quality change.

The Office of Standard Reference Materials (OSRM) attempts to

operate in a business-like fashion. The catalog which lists the

available SRMs is revised each two years and distributed to about

60,000 potential clients. (Copies can be made available to readers

of this report.)

Ill
Description of Interactions /Needs Assessment

Because the SRM program must recover all development, production, and distribution costs, its very survival depends on selecting

SRMs that customers will buy. Therefore, the Office of Standard

Reference Materials is eager to know exactly what customers want

and will buy. In order to assess customer needs, OSRM has employed

a multifaceted approach using increasingly diverse methods. Direct

customer demand, while not the only criterion for producing an

SRM, has carried especially heavy weight as a factor in the selection process since the program began to operate on a cost recovery

basis. Below are listed (approximately in the order of effectiveness) ten ways OSRM uses to learn about customer needs for Standard Reference Materials

Sales Results

"Brown Cards" Returned by Buyers

SRM Request Forms

Technical Committee Advice (Including NBS Divisions)

Workshops/Seminars

Exhibits at Technical Meetings

Monthly Magazine Forum

Magazine Surveys

Exchange of Visits/Visitors

Surveys Prepared External to OSRM

Sales Results

NBS keeps careful records of monthly and annual sales for each

SRM type. These data are most important in assessing the need to

renew materials which are going out of stock. In addition, they

112
provide valuable information about similar SRMs when considering a new material. Exhibit B-2 (page 129) is an example from the 27-

page monthly report titled "Four Year Sales Summary Report," for

the end of January 1987. Each report provides year-to-date (YTD)

sales for each SRM in comparison with the last four years of its

sales history.

"Brown Cards" Returned bv Buyers

In FY 1985, OSRM began packing a user feedback card with each

outgoing shipment (more than 20,000 shipments per year). These

"brown cards," see Exhibit B-3 (page 130), ask customers to comment

on the service received and potential new SRM products that are

needed. About two hundred are returned to NBS each year. Every

brown card is answered and then considered when priorities are set

for production.

SRM Request Forms

See Exhibit B-4 (pages 131-132). These forms give customers

and non- customers alike an opportunity to provide input to the OSRM

priority setting process.

Technical Committee Advice

NBS technical division chiefs are a very important source of

ideas about new SRMs, because this input is based on broad connections with the U.S. technical community. Specific advice about

industrial priorities for reference materials is received from

113
numerous technical committees, some of which exist solely to provide

advice to NBS. The participants on these committees represent

their own firms, and their salaries and expenses are paid by their

firms. Together the individuals strive to reach a technically

correct and competitively neutral consensus on industrial needs for

NBS SRMs . Some important contributors to the SRM program are

listed below.

o American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)

-- Comm. S-17 ASTM/NBS Research Associate Program

-- Comm. C-14.91 SRMs for the Glass Industry

-- Comm. D-22 Methods of Sampling and Analysis of Atmospheres

-- Comm. E°13 Molecular Spectroscopy

-- Comm. E-29 Particle Size Measurement

-- Comm. F-l Semiconductor Materials

-- Association of Official Analytical Chemists

-- College of American Pathologists

-- International Oceanographic Commission

o Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association

o National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards

o Portland Cement Association

o Society of Automotive Engineers

Exhibits at Technical Meetings

Project managers from OSRM make more than 1000 contacts each

year at technical exhibits throughout the country. These contacts

keep the project managers closely coupled to the needs of the

technical community. Table B-3 shows exhibits for Fiscal Years

1984, 1985, and 1986.

114
Table B-3. Technical Exhibits for Fiscal Years 1984-86.

Date Conference Attend '

Contacts

10/83 Assoc, of Official Analytical Chemists 1,500 75

3/84 Pittsbgh. Conf . on Analytical Chem. 27,000 900

3/84 Quality Expo , Chicago 8,000 550

4/84 Amer. Chem. Society, St. Louis 9,000 300

6/84 Soc. of Nucl. Medicine, Los Angeles 6,000 200

6/84 Air Pollution Control Assoc. 4,000 200

7/84 Amer. Assoc, for Clinical Chem. 3,000 150

8/84 Amer. Chem. Society 10,000 300

9/84

Total

LABCON Central 3,000 150

2,825

Date Conference Attend'd Contacts

10/84 Quality West 12,000* 500

10/84 LABCON New Eng. 3,000* 150

1/85 Measurement Science 500* 75

2/85 Pittsbgh. Conf. on Anal. Chem. 23,000 900

4/85 Quality Expo 18,000 650

4/85 LABCON West 3,000 175

4/85 Amer. Chem. Society 9,000 300

5/85 Test & Measurement 5 , 000* 200

6/85 Soc. of Nucl. Medicine 6,000 200

7/85 Rocky Mtn. 2,500* 150

7/85 Amer. Assoc, for Clinical Chem. 3,000 150

Total 3,450

Date Conference /Location Attend'd Contacts

10/85 LABCON Central 3,000 150

10/85 Instrumnt. Soc. of America 20,000* 400

11/85 Quality West 10,500 200

11/85 Eastern Analytical 8,000* 250

1/86 Measurement Science 500 100

3/86 Pittsbgh. Conf. on Anal. 26,000 1,150

4/86 Amer. Chemical Soc. 8,000 300

4/86 Quality Central 22,000 700

5/86 Amer. Soc. of Qual. Control 8,000* 300

6/86 Air Pollution Control Assoc. 6,000 200

9/86 Amer. Chemical Soc. 9,000 350

9/86 Federation of Anal. Chemical Socs. 2,500 150

Total 4,250

*New Exhibit - First time attending this conference.

115
Workshops /Seminars

Over the past three years, OSRM project managers have participated in more than two dozen workshops, seminars, and symposia.

Several of these have been arranged, sponsored, or chaired by

them. Often the workshops have been co-sponsored with an NBS

technical division. In addition, they have all participated twice

yearly in workshops on quality assurance in analytical chemistry

conducted at NBS. These workshops annually bring into the Office

of Standard Reference Materials about 50 chemists, many of whom

are very active SRM users and can provide the office with input on

needs

The workshop/seminar participation by OSRM staff during 1986

are shown in Table B-4, as an example of such activities. Lists of

participation in prior years are available on request. These

interactions have two goals: to let clients know about SRM availability and to give users all across the country an opportunity to

give NBS feedback and describe their needs.

Monthly Magazine Forum

Each month since June 1980, American Laboratory has published

a column entitled "Reference Materials," edited by the Chief of

OSRM. One of the functions of this column is to solicit customers

and needs for SRMs. More than 1,000 letters have been received and

responded to in the first seven years of the column. See Exhibit

B-5 (pages 133-134) for a sample column.

116
Table B-4. Fiscal Year 1986 Workshops and Seminars.

Alvarez, R. , "Recently Developed NBS Standard Reference Materials

for Use in Method Validation and Instrument Calibration," Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Scottsdale, AZ,

September 16, 1986.

Alvarez, R. , "New NBS SRMs for Environmental Measurement," University of Maryland, College Park, MD, September 26, 1986. Cosponsored by OSRM.

Gills, T. E. , "Reference Materials for Quality Assurance in Geochemistry and Health," Annual Lab Instrument and Equipment

Conference, Chicago, IL, October 3, 1985. Half-day workshop

chaired by Mr. Gills.

Gills, T. E. , "Development of Natural Matrix Standards for Use in

the Analysis of Environmental Materials," Rocky Mountain Conference, Denver, CO, August 5, 1986.

Gills, T. E. , "Importance of SRMs in Applied Science," Norfolk State

University Workshop, NBS, Gaithersburg, MD, August 17, 1986.

Co-sponsored by OSRM.

Rasberry, S. D. , "Standard Reference Materials in Support of Quality

Measurements , " Mid-Michigan Section of the Society for Applied

Spectroscopy (SAS) , Midland, MI, October 8, 1985.

Rasberry, S. D. , "A Strategy for Making Enzyme Reference Materials

Available," NRSCL Workshop on a Reference System for Clinical

Enzymology, Arlington, VA, October 16, 1985. Co-sponsored by

NBS , 2 - day workshop

Rasberry, S. D., "Standard Reference Materials for Dimensional and

Physical Property Measurements," 1986 Measurement Science

Conference, Irvine, CA, January 24, 1986. Half-day session

chaired by Mr. Rasberry.

Rasberry, S. D. , "Biological Reference Materials from the U.S.

National Bureau of Standards - An Update," Second International Symposium of Biological Reference Materials, Munich,

Germany, April 24, 1986. Co-sponsored by OSRM.

Rasberry S. D. , "Standard Reference Materials," Quantitative X-ray

Diffraction Analysis Workshop, NBS, Gaithersburg, MD, June

23, 1986. Sponsored by NBS.

Rasberry, S. D. , "Standard Reference Materials for X-ray Fluorescence Analysis," 1986 Denver X-ray Conference, Denver, CO,

August 5, 1986. Half-day session arranged by Mr. Rasberry.

Reed, W. P. , "Standard Reference Materials: A Program for Good

Measurement," Coming Section of the American Chemical Society

(ACS), Waverly, NY, September 15, 1986.

Reed, W. P., "SRMs in Chemical Monitoring Systems" Special Symposium

on U. S. National Monitoring Strategies at the OCEANS '86

Conference, Washington, DC, September 23, 1986.

117
Magazine Surveys

In 1983 and 1987 magazine surveys were conducted. See

Exhibit B-6 (135-136) for an example. The point of these surveys

is to obtain input from the technical community regarding needs for

SRMs. One conclusion drawn from the 1983 survey was that NBS should

certify and issue solution standards for atomic absorption spectroscopy. Seventy- two types are now available or under development.

Exchange of Visits /Visitors

One source of ideas for new SRMs that is especially important

from the perspective of idea quality is exchange of visits. Visits

to and from industrial and university scientists, as well as counterpart laboratories abroad are important mechanisms for keeping up

with changing technical needs

Surveys Prepared External to OSRM

"The Market Book" 26 and "Survey of Industries"^ are examples

of externally prepared marketing studies which are useful to OSRM.

They are not directlly focused on needs for SRMs , so they cannot

be used to set priorities for SRM production. Rather, they indicate

general growth areas in use of instrumentation requiring or bene-

^^Alpert Research Group, The Market Book. The 1985-1989 Market

for Analytical Instruments . Centcom, Ltd., 1 Belmont Ave., BalaCynwyd, PA 19004 (1985).

2^Hord, J., Survey of Measurement Needs in the Chemical and

Related Industries . National Bureau of Standards Tech Note 1087 (1985)

118
fitting from use of SRMs. This provides information helpful to

the OSRM staff in setting production priorities.

SRM Formal Needs Assessment Process

The previous two sections of this report have described how

input is received from customers regarding needs for SRM research,

development, and production. Each year the senior OSRM staff

(Chief, Deputy, and five Project Managers) reviews and puts into

priority order proposals for more than 200 SRMs. Priority setting

is essential because production funds are only available for certifying 125-150 SRMs each year. Standard Reference Materials are

only produced following establishment of need by the technical

community; they are not made by NBS "on speculation." This tradition stems from production, over 80 years ago, of the first four

SRMs in cooperation with the American Foundrymens Society (AFS)

The four main stages of the process are:

1. Receiving Input . (Year-round) Input is received, considered,

and responded to throughout the year by the senior OSRM staff,

as has been described above.

2. Organizing Input . (March-May) A concentrated effort is made

during this period to gather data pertinent to each proposed

119
SRM. Each proposal is assigned a project manager and undergoes

technical review by the appropriate NBS technical division.

3. Setting Priorities . (June) One week, usually the first week

in June, is used for the seven senior OSRM staff members to

meet together with the Director of Measurement services to

set the OSRM project priorities for the year. Each project

is discussed, usually with the assigned project manager describing the project and defending his preliminary assessment

of it.

Formal criteria are used to rate each project. See

Exhibit B-7 (pages 137-138). Following a presentation by the

assigned project manager, each of the eight staff members

rate the project. The highest rating and lowest rating are

dropped and the remaining six are averaged to produce a final

rating for the project. This rating determines the priority

assignment for the project.

4. Writing Budgets . (July) Following careful review of the

work of the priority- setting conference, the office chief can

produce budgets for SRM research and production activities

120
Needs and Priorities

Exhibit B-8 (pages 139-149) shows the result of the prioritysetting conference of June 1986 which developed budgets for FY

1987 SRM research and SRM production. In Exhibit B-8, the production budget is labeled "WCF Projects," which means Working Capital

Fund Projects. All "WCF Projects" are financed by sales income.

"STRS Projects" are development projects supported by Congressional

ly- appropriated funds under the title "Science and Technical Research and Services." A few highly rated production projects (WCF

project listing) received no funding (priorities 1, 2, 3, 7, 40,

and 46). These projects were completely funded in fiscal year

1986 but were not expected to be completed by 1 October 1986. Individual projects often require production of more than one SRM.

Ratings of zero for all WCF projects below priority 102 mean that

the final rating of the project was postponed.

As of March 1, 1987, it appears there will be sufficient

production funds (based on sales income projections prepared at

the end of February) to reach priority 80 on the FY 1986 production

list. Thus, about $2.8 million in projects will be funded and

about $1.4 million in possible production projects will be delayed

or dropped. For development of new SRMs, funding will be sufficient

to reach priority 32 on the STRS list.

121
SRM Costs -- Who Should Pav?

All costs of producing SRMs and operating the SRM program are

paid by customers who buy the materials. Congressional appropriations pay for part of the development costs associated with SRMs

The level of the Congressional support ($0.5 million) is about 8

percent of the total program cost ($6.0 million). Therefore,

customers are currently bearing 92% of total program cost.

The Office of Standard Reference Materials has operated for

several years under the principle that customers should pay the full

costs for SRMs they use. This principle works extremely well for

many SRMs . Based on current government policy with respect to

user fees , SRMs which cannot pay for themselves should be weeded

out of the system, or never made in the first place.

There may be at least two cases where the Government should

pay a larger share of SRM development (and perhaps even production) costs. These are SRMs which are vital to specific Government

programs and SRMs which are vital to the commonwealth. Some details

on each case are given below:

SRMs vital to specific Government Programs

These are mostly related to the military, NASA, and safety in

aviation. Sponsorship of the work by specific agencies is difficult

and costly to arrange. Due in part to interservice "placement of

122
responsibility" problems, inefficiencies arise in attempting to

get other agency sponsorship. Usually, the argument comes back to

the point that NBS is the mission agency for measurement and reference materials and, therefore, should finance and control the

work. The current rate of SRM development is far too slow in

several fields. Table B-5 indicates the fields and the level of

program needed to develop SRMs vital to specific government programs .

SRMs Vital to the Connnomraal th

Society would benefit from the development of numerous SRMs

but the beneficiaries cannot be marshalled beforehand to provide

the necessary capital to produce them. Several examples and the

level of program needed to develop them are shown in Table B-6.

123
Table B-5. SRMs Vital to Government Programs

NLnber

of

Description Types

Thermal Expansion Materials ; From space shuttles to scram jets

to twenty-first century automobiles, thermal expansion is of

vital importance. Our nation has no SRMs to support engineering

and quality production of such components as rocket engine seals.

We have no measurement benchmarks for rubber materials such as 0-

rings. We have no benchmarks for measuring, predicting, and

controlling the performance of new plastic and ccnposite materials, which are at the center of the technological future for

world-coupetitive automobiles. 4 SRMs each are needed for rubber,

plastic, composite, and metal types. 16

Composite Materials : The future of aircraft, automobiles, and

numerous construction materials is composites. The U.S. has no

reference materials for composite materials. SRMs are needed for

starting materials and composites incorporating a variety of

plastics, ceramics, glass, carbon, and metal components. 20

Nfp.tal s : From transformers and electric motors to nuclear

sihmarine propulsion systems, glassy metal applications may in- crease 1000% by the end of the century. The U.S. has no reference

materials for glassy metals and no plans to develop ary. SRMs are 8

needed for conposition, microstructure, and physical properties.

Super Alloys : Space stations, SDI, scram jets, ballistic missiles, fighter aircraft, ships and tanks will all rely on accurate

formulation of new super alloys now being defined in metallurgical

research. NBS has produced a few super alloy SRMs but they are not the latest, highest performance alloys that will move our

nation's defense into the twenty- first century. SRMs are needed

for the newest alloy compositions. 8

Semiconductor Devices : Ten years ago, if semiconductors failed

in an automobile it only meant the radio would not play. Today

it may mean the engine will not run. Ten years from now it may

mean the loss of anti-skid braking, loss of collision avoidance

system, loss of power, and loss of steering. On-board computers

are pervasive in autos, aircraft, rockets and nearly every other

motive system more complex than a skateboard. Our nation has

very limited reference materials resources to support quality

assurance in the production and application of semiconductor

devices. "Known good" and "known defect" wafers; linewidth on

wafer; linewidth on X-ray mask; defect size on photomask and

wafer; thickness of oxide and metal patterns; internal precipitate

concentration, size, and spatial distribution; GaAs 25

properties

Est. Cost

of Develop.

($. Millions')

1.6

3.0

1.2

1.2

7.5

124
Table B-5. SRMs Vital to Government Programs (Continued)

Ntnber

Description of Types

Semiconductor Reagents : The raw materials used in the chemical

production processes of semiconductor manufacture mist be of

exceptional purity if quality production is to be assured. Despite the encouragement of such firms as IBM, the U.S. still has no

reference materials in this field. Minority carrier lifetime;

dopant concentration; epitaxial layer thicknesses; carrier density

profiles; defect densities, slice flatness; purity of water,

acids, and gases. 20

Rockwell Hardness : Tank armor, ship plates, bridge decking all

have their performance characteristics predicted based on Rockwell

hardness. This engineering quantity is a relative measurement

that is not currently well-defined metrological 1 y, thus, making

the need for reference materials especially critical. NBS has

produced no SRMs for Rockwell hardness. A complete set of Rockwell benchmarks is needed. 10

Tensile Testing: Tensile testing measures material "toughness,"

resistance to breaking and tearing, in contrast to hardness.

Tcugjmess is a vital parameter to higfo-quality materials design

and use. NBS has produced no SRMs for calibrating tensile testers. A set of benchmarks for calibrating tensile testing instruments is needed. 6

Surface Finish; Piston rings and cylinders, shafts and bushings,

bearings and journals- -every place where two surfaces slide together- -even aircraft skins through the atmosphere, require careful

measurement of material, surface finish. NBS has developed one SRM for such measurements, but mary more are needed. SRMs are needed having defined finishes of constant period and different

anplitudes, and constant amplitudes and different periods. 8

X-rav Diffraction: Additional intensity and wavelength markers

are needed and the composition of crystalline phases should be

certified for several mineralogical specimens. 20

Totals 141

Est. Cost

of Develop.

L $.M )

6.0

1.0

0.6

1.6

3.0

26.7

125
Table B-6. Standard Reference Materials Vital to the Commonwealth

Nuifoer

Description of Types

Nutrition-Related Matari al s : SRMs are needed for protein, cholesterol, fiber, vitamin, mineral, toxic metal, pesticide, fungicide,

and herbicide content of foodstuffs and prepared diets. 30

Enzymes in Hunan Serum: At least eigfrt different enzymes are of

medical importance and should be certified at three critical

levels in human serum. 8

Drugs of Abuse in Serun and Urine : SRMs are needed for all major

drugs at three critical levels in human serun and urine. 12

Environmental Materials; Speciation SRMs are needed for several

metals; isotope tracers are needed to monitor man-made versus

natural nuclides; several new acid rain (including dry deposition)

SRMs are needed; carbon dioxide isotopics; residues, waste chemicals, and heavy metals in soil and water; priority organic pollutants in soil, plants, animal tissue and marine biota; organic

hazardous wastes; toxic organic gases; benchmark atmospheric

monitoring gases. 50

Industrial Worker Health and Safety: Benchmarks for industrial

atmospheres, benchmarks for respirator filters, hazardous com- pounds on filters and surrounding vegetation, hazardous compounds

in human urine. 20

Advanced Rxvsical Metrology: Standard volt and ohn SRMs , microlength and atomic scale standards, temperature standards near

absolute zero, and density standards are needed. 10

Advanced Chemical Metrology: Generic standards for part-perbillion constituents in solid state materials, gases and light

elements in solid state materials, particle standards certified

for inorganic, organic and isotopic constituents, standards for

compositional mapping. 20

Color: A complete CIE Lab benchmark color set to support manufacturing, pharmaceutical , agricultural, transportation, and defense

industries. 1

Agriculture : Soils and waters for nutrient and mineral levels,

including salt. 10

Clinical Analysis : Major therapeutic drugs in human serun. 30

Totals 191

Est. Cost

of Develop.

( S.M )

6.0

4.0

6.0

10.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

2.0

1.0

4.5

48.5

126
127
Standard

Reference

Materials

FY86

Service

to

All

Customers

(in

Units

by

State)

Exhibit B- 1

128
Exhibit B-2

poi.ir vFiff Qfli P? snwHflBv report pwv u

01/31/87

sw SEQUENCE

NUMBER core DESCRIPTION PACK BULK TOTAL

1573 324491 TOMATO LEAVES 95 51 146

1575 324492 PINE NEEDLES 18 433 451

1577(A) 324510 BOVINE LIVER 859 524 1383

1577(B) 324510 BOVINE LIVER 0 866 866

1579 326050 POR LEAD-BASED PAINT 23 0 23

1580 326051 SHALE OIL 340 0 340

1581 326052 PCB/ S IN OIL 387 0 387

1582 326053 PETROLEUM CRUDE OIL 130 213 343

1583 326054 CHLCR PESTICIDE ISOOCTANE 196 81 277

1584 326055 PHENOLS IN METHANOL 96 841 937

1585 326057 CHLORINATED RTPENYLS 192 152 344

1586 326056 ISOTOPE LABEL POLLUTANT? 315 625 940

1587 326058 NITRATED PAH IN (ETHANOL 278 169 447

1589 326064 PCB'S IN HUMAN SERUM 10 250 260

1590 324900 STABILIZED MINE 35 136 171

1595 324995 TRIPALHITIN 31 477 508

1599 324101 2 ANTICONVULSANT DRUGS 478 0 478

1600 423310 MAGNETIC TAPE-CASSETTE 4 0 4

1614 326390 DIOXIN 71 369 440

!618 326088 VANAOIW & NT IN FUEL OIL - l4 628 642

1619 326089 PJLPR IN F1.EL OIL 0.77 183 0 183

1620(A) 326090 ~ PJLPR TN PEL OTL 51 too 0 100

1621 (0 32609? PJLPR IN PEL OTL 17 23 800 823

,a??(C) '326096 PJLFIR TN PEL OTL 2Z 30 800 830

!A?3(A) 326104 PI.FIR IN PEI OTL 0.37 24 198 222

fW4(A) “32611? PI.PR IN BIST. OIL 0.27 47 —99 146

A95 323422 P32 PERMEATION TIRE-iOCH 26 44 70

“372474 “507 PPMFATTON TUBE-5CN “ 49 5" 54

m 323426 SO? PFRfEATTON TT.1RG-2CM 8 0 8

629(A) 323450 “NO? PFRMFATTON DP/TCE-10 “"13 “0 “13

630 326130 (ERC1JRY IN COAL 48 1 49

627(13) ~ 32614? TRACE ELE?ENT? TN COAL 86 “ 863 ” 949

622(A) 3261 4ft coal p.y asm 657 0 657

624(B) “326152 —TRACE" P PffNTS/P.EI. OIL “ ' “132 665 “797

e._

326143 TRACE ELEMENTS IN COAL 14 1231 1245 mmoj 326700 TEAO IN kfcftKtNtfc l*UEL 34 7? 106

627(A) 326204 LEAD IN REFERENCE PJEL 20 0 20

fcft(B) —3?A?0ft —DEAD TN REFERENCE’ PEI. 51 —173 —224

629 •326119 HALOCARBONS POR H20 59 618 677

(41(B) “326360 MERCURY TN UATFR-CONCFNTR 18ft — 0 “188

(42(B) 326366 MFRTJ.RY IN HATER-TRACE 2 65 67

642(B) “37636ft —TRACE ELEMENTS TN UATFR “ 150 —0 “150

6U

IIW 326380 PAH GENERATOR CaUWS 25 0 25

p

326605 RTVFft SEDNENT T62 0 162

(4A 376606 EST1IARTNF SPDTMENT 499 472 971

j47 —376387 PRTflftTTY PP 1 IITANT PAH'S —93 - 274 317

Ua 326610 IRRAN, PARTTPI ATP HftTTPP 429 n 429

32661? 1RBAN [I.KT/ORRANTCS 283 ~ A ’ 289

I 129

**»$ALES«+*

MONTHS

PK TL FY83 FY84 FY85 FY86

4-VR

AVERAGE

YTD UNITS t>® 147 181 174 200 176 64

1 44 98 133 137 114 121 60

35 56 248 303 295 331 294 116 0 99 0 0 0 0 0 0

17 17 13 17 17 17 16 5

99 99 37 28 9 7 20 1 41 41 143 110 80 109 111 42

47 99 41 27 31 33 5

63 89 39 35 37 11 60 99 30 18 10 19 5 49 87 47 47 9

99 99 0 55 3 19 2

99 99 6 31 19 7

3 99 31 31 ft 23 99 23 16 18 16 18 11 37 99 0 24 8 9 '10 1 99 99 44 17 18 30 27 7

12 12 5 3 4 2 4 2

11 70 37 113 75 10 2 97 102 56 “79 22

. — - -

27 27 89 65 72 90 79 27

13 13 77 110 “90 ... 9t 92

" ' 34

1 50 180 225 189 193 197 69

1 50 197 206

‘ ~168 22* 199 “ 64

.. _ .

2 22 105 too 138 133 119 49

3 12 125 135 "157 “159 “144 '"33 — •*' '

4 12 85 75 56 50 67 7 3 3 16* 167 “183 “169 “171 ‘ 19

— -- 5 5 13 23 19 21 19 3

10 10 “21 ~ 14 9 “17 15

' 0

57 59 8 10 13 10 10 1 *65 207

-—114 “151 " 222‘“174 -

56

“ -~r 40 40 191 174 220 204 197 69

12 73 140 133 148 —99 130 “50 *

2 99 77 63 57 35 58 12

10 31 44

- 29- 41 —47 “ 40

5 5 23 47 84 34 47

"—

24

11 — 27 99 15 34 5 35 22 -10

26 99 29 36 21 22 27 15

61 At — 24 -—33 —36 “54 “37 —20 ’ “

0 14 45 47 76 56 -3 ?r“196 “ “177 269 —327 “242 '120

60 60 4 4 7 6 5 0

10 to -190 ““171 “207 - 205 193 - 52

47 93 126 126 120 127 125 43

121 128 191 224 166 56

4K46) 118 108 110 109 111 40 62 - 61 —35 * 52 53 25

• —
Exhibit 3-3

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Bureau of Standards

s.'nr.Morrsbury. rs/rv . and 2GB5S

April 1, 1987

Oxford, MS 38655

Dear Mr.

Thank you for replying to our customer feedback card—we are trying in every

way possible to stay in contact with SRM users.

Your comment with regard to the need for dissolved and total organic carbon and

natural organic reference materials was very helpful. It will be forwarded to

the project manager of these SRM's, Robert Alvarez, for consideration for

future production.

Determining the need for specific SRM's and estimating the sales rate is one of

our toughest problems. While we are considering your suggestion, your

additional input on one of the enclosed forms could be very useful to us. Again, many thanks for your suggestion. We hope to be able to respond

favorably to it as satisfying customer needs is one of our most important

functions.

Sincerely,

William P. Reed

Deputy Chief

Office of Standar

Reference Mater

Enclosure

cc: R. Alvarez

r. ri. 40%<" gM Ciatomw Feedback V , '

. * 1 .. .. .

. .

- v - v ;;

i sdf-addressed mailer is provided in case you ne«l to send us feedback abou yourSRM shipment

Delivery Problems?

*^^0 < . .

SRM Certificate Clear7 •••*>£'

.*

•

• ;• . .•• • ....

Suggestions for Better Service?* i- - < - 9k

» -

• .^^^uggesuonjAx

j 4-^ PROP CgiDO^

T,r 3^

130 I
\*i' \

Exhibit B-A

- &CC

1 Tine o( proooseo SRM

7 n>

— TJ'Ps'S >4 /^ - ±T&0 £ /^T/y, Ap-/ ;)/) Purpose lor when SRM a mienoed ^ * c C-t. 7~>£

/

-<--

3~iw,srm ^

2£'*«x***TrJ*'

A/S 6UJT/2C

^r- >-- ^

* Special characteristics ana requirements^£^23*=^ A=~^ GSXSt?* 7Z> 3^ S*74£V=-

<E£*L CW<£Zr/< as? ASry*? _T> /& *- y -<&&

5 Estimate ol present and future demand lor prooosefl SRM:

‘ “ —<&(. ST&eZt ^ /1te&?z>s -Z&A — —

i

a* &>/? stWs*/<: y'j^zr r /z / ste*

7 Other pertinent information:

No postage necessary

it matted

in me

United States BUSINESS REPLY MAIL

first class permit no i28S6 Washington oc

postage will be paio by national bureau of stanoaros

Office of Standard Reference Materials

Room B31 1 , Chemistry Building

National Bureau of Standards

Gaithersburg. MD 20878-9950

131
Exhibit B-4

(Reverse Side of Form;

Guide for

RequestingDeveiopmentof

StandardReference Materials

The National Bureau of Standards develops Standard Reference Materials (SRM's] to provide a basis

for comparison of measurements on matehals and

to aid in the control of production processes. The

Office of Standard Reference Materials evaluates the

requirements of science, industry, and government

for carefully characterized reference matehals, then

directs the production and disthbution of these

materials.

NBS currently has over 1000 SRM’s available, about

1 00 new ones in preparation, and requests for the

development of many more. The demand for new

SRM's greatly exceeds the Bureau 's capacity to produce and certify these matenals. Consequently,

requests for new SRM’s of limited use are deferred

in favor of those that sen/e a substantial area of

interest. In determining which requests receive top

priohty, NBS relies heavily upon information supplied by industry and interested organizations.

The Bureau welcomes all requests for SRM's. Both

the Bureau and potential users would be helped if these requests included as much of the information

below as possible.

1. Short title of the proposed Standard Reference

Matehal.

2. Purpose for which this SRM is intended.

3. Reason why the SRM would be useful.

4. Special characteristics and/or requirements ofthe

matehal. Include necessary additional information, if more than one SRM is needed for standardization in

an area. 5. An estimate of the possible present and future

(6- 1 0 years] demand for such an SRM in your

operations and elsewhere. (National and international estimates are very useful].

6. Facts about whether such an SRM (ora similar

one] could be produced by, or obtained from a source other than NBS. If so, justify preparation by

NBS.

7. Other pertinent information to justify the SRM,

such as: (a] an estimate of the range of application,

economic significance of the measurement affected,

and scientific and/or technological significance, including estimates of the impact upon mdustnal

productivity or growth, and (b] supporting letters

from industry leaders, trade organizations, interested committees, and others.

In developing an NBS-SRM, the candidate matenal

must meet one or more of the chteha listed below:

1 . The SRM must permit users to attain more

accurate measurements.

2. The production of the SRM must not be economically or technically feasible elsewhere,

3. The SRM must serve as an industry-wide standard for commerce, provided by a unique neutral

source,

4. NBS production of the SRM would provide

readily available, highly characterized matenal useful

to science, industry, or government.

NBS has recognized the need to enlarge the scope

of the SRM program to include all types of wellcharacterized matenals that can be used to calibrate a measurement system, or to produce scientific data

that can be widely used. Input from science, industry, and government assists NBS in continuing to provide Standard Reference Matenals that will be

valuable in many areas.

132
Exhibit B-5

Stanley Rasberry, Editor

Mr. Rasberry is Deputy Chief of the Office of Standard Reference Materials, National Bureau of Standards.

Reference materials

T

he objectives of this new column are described on the Editor’s Page of this issue. In

brief, the column’s aim is to report current news about the availability

and uses of reference materials. Suppliers of reference materials wishing

coverage should write Stanley Rasberry at B-3II Chemistry Bldg., National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C. 20234, or call him at (301) 921-2408. While we await contributions, the next few columns will examine the Standard Reference

Materials (SRMs) produced at the National Bureau of Standards

(NBS).

NBS defines SRMs as materials

which “have been characterized by

the National Bureau of Standards

for some chemical or . physical property and are issued with a Certificate

that gives the results of the characterization.” In accordance with international definitions (ISO), SRMs are

the same as Certified Reference Materials (CRMs).

Approximately 1000 SRMs currently available span a range of

many different types as indicated in Table /. This month we highlight

several recently issued SRMs that are of special interest to industry:

White iron, SRM 3d

SRM 3d is in chip form and is in- tended for use in checking chemical

methods of analysis. It is certified for carbon (2.54%), manganese

(0.40%), phosphorus (0.025%),

sulfur (0.052%), silicon (1.31%),

copper (0.043%), nickel (0.025%),

and chromium (0.03%). Additional

information is provided for vana- dium, molybdenum, and titanium.

The composition of the SRM is similar to that of malleable iron except that all of the carbon is in combined form, rather than some

being present as graphitic carbon.

Although difficult to machine be- cause of their hardness, the white

iron chips offer material of high

homogeneity, particularly for cali- bration of rapid carbon/sulfur analyzers. The issuance of this renewal

SRM is the culmination of an important industry-ASTM-NBS cooperative project, with major input from

the ASTM-NBS Research Associate

Program.

Iron ores, SRMs 690, 692, and 693

Three new iron ore SRMs have

been produced to complement the currently available SRM 27f, Sibley Iron Ore. Each of these iron ores has

been certified for total iron, phosphorous, and sulfur, as well as the oxides of silicon, aluminum, potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium,

manganese, and titanium. These

Standard Reference Materials are: SRM 690, Iron Ore Concentrate

(Canada) SRM 692, Iron Ore (Labrador) and SRM 693, Iron Ore (Nimba).

The analytical work leading to the

certification of this series of ores was

performed under the ASTM-NBS

Research Associate Program.

Polystyrene, SRM 1478

SRM 1478 is a linear polystyrene

with a certified weight-average

molecular weight of 37,400 g/mol.

This material also is certified for number-average molecular weight,

35,800 g/mol, and limiting viscosity

number at 25.0 °C in toulene, 23.06

mL/g.

The SRM is useful to polymer

technologists for calibrating and

validating methods for determining

molecular weight and molecularweight distribution. It should be particularly useful as a calibrant for gel

permeation chromatography. The

SRM also serves as a characterized

reference for the measurement of

other physical properties of polystyrene.

Glass sand, SRM 81a (high iron)

and 165a (low iron)

Renewal SRMs 81a and 165a are two sands used in glass manufacturing. Each of them is intended for use

in checking methods of analysis and

in calibrating instrumental methods

of analysis. Each SRM is certified for ALO,, FejOj, TiO:, and ZrOj. In addition, SRM 81a is certified for C^:0^ content.

Tungsten concentrate, SRM 277

This new SRM is certified for WO)

,)ui4c iqso

133

AMERICAN LABORATORY : 113
REFERENCE MATERIALS continued

Exhibit B-5

(Con t i nued

content at 67.4 (wt%), and approximate values are provided for cal- cium, iron, lead, manganese, molybdenum, niobium, phosphorus, sili- con, sulfur, tin, and titanium. Additional information is provided for 15 major or minor elements and 19 trace elements. Need for the material was demonstrated by discrepancies

in analyses between buyers and

sellers of large quantities of similar concentrates, involving millions of

dollars. SRM 277 (and improved

methodology) should provide the means for assuring fair measurement

for buyers and sellers. Nickel-copper alloy, SRM 882

SRM 882 is prepared in the form

of small granules resulting from

water atomization. It is a compositional reference for nickel-copper al- loys of a type used in industrial applications requiring high strength

and resistance to corrosion, including marine and electrical uses. The

certified weight percent of four principal elements are nickel (65.25),

copper (3 1 .02). aluminum (2.85), and

titanium (0.57). Carbon, manganese,

sulfur, silicon, and iron are also certified in the SRM.

Futher information is available

from Stanley Rasberrv. The next column will examine some new SRMs of interest to analysts of en- vironmental and energy-related materials.

Table 1 SRM types produced at NBS

Steels

Steelmaking alloys Cast irons Cast steels Nonferrous alloys

Gases in metals

High purity metals

Electron probe microanalytical

Standard chemicals

Clinicals Biologicals

Botanicals

Environmentals

Industrial hygiene

Metallo-organic compounds

Fertilizers Ores

Minerals

Refractories

Carbides

Glasses

Cements

Trace elements

Nuclear materials

Radioactivity

X-ray diffraction

Isotopics

Ion activity

Mechanical and metrology

Superconductive thermometric

Freezing points

Melting points

Colorimetric

Vapor pressure Thermal conductivity

Thermal expansion

Thermal resistance

Thermocouple materials

Magnetic

Optical

Gas transmission

Permittivity

Reference fuels Resistivity

Rubber materials

Computer tapes

Sizing standards

Color

Photographic

Surface flammability

Smoke density

Water vapor permeance

114 : JUNE 1980

134
Reference

materials

ctM nIsxT fA6®'*

O

ne OF the areas hardest hit by cutbacks in federal re- sources for SRM production

has been industrial hygiene analysis.

The concern voiced by the American

Industrial Hygiene Association and

many individual laboratories has helped us redirect some effort to this area, with the result being the SRMs

described here. Continued scarcity of

resources makes it essential that projects be selected carefully.

You can help us a great deal by

completing the survey in this" month’s column. Your answers will be tabulated and published in the fall to assist all producers of reference

materials in planning their production. As this column enters its fourth

year, your guidance as to useful topics would also be greatly appreciated.

New industrial hygiene/clinical SRMs

The NBS Office of Standard Ref- erence Materials has announced the

availability of a series of four SRMs

Mr. Rasberry is Deputy Chief of the Office of Standard Reference Materials, National Bureau ofStandards.

Exhibit B-6

Edited by Stanley Rasberry

developed especially for clinical and

industrial hygiene analyses. These

SRMs should be helpful in toxicol- ogy research and for monitoring hu- man exposure to selected toxic ele- ments in the workplace environment.

SRM 2670, toxic metals in freeze- dried urine, is a recently developed

multielement standard which complements the others in the series and

promotes standardization in the multielement analysis of human body

fluids. Constituents certified or analyzed are listed in Table I. SRMs 2670, 2671a, and 2672a consist of freeze-dried urine in 30-mL

serum bottles. The freeze-dried urine

SRMs are reconstituted by the addition of 20 mL of pure water to each

bottle. Each unit contains a set of

four bottles, two bottles each at nor- mal and elevated levels. SRM 2676b

contains duplicates of membrane fil- ters at three concentration levels for four selected toxic metals. The-membrane filters can be easily dissolved

in 5 mL of 1:1 nitric acid and diluted

with distilled water to desired vol- umes. For details contact OSRM, Room

B311 Chemistry Building, National

Bureau of Standards, Washington,

D.C. 20234. Tel. (301) 921-2045.

Table 1 Freeze-dried urine and metals on filter media SRMs

Constituent certified Approximate

SRM Matrix or analyzed availability

2670 Freeze-dried

urine

Arsenic, cadmium, calcium,

chloride, copper, lead, magnesium, manganese,

nickel, potassium, selenium,

sodium, zinc

August 1983

2671a Freeze-dried

urine Fluoride Available

2672a Freeze-dried

urine Mercury Available

2676b Metals on

filter media

Cadmium, lead, manganese, zinc Available

102 : JUNE 1983

135
1983 Reference materials survey

This survey will be used to gauge your needs for new reference materials and topics of interest for future columns Please copy, complete, and mail the completed copy to:

Stanley Rasberry, International Scientific Communications, Inc P.O. Box 827, Fairfield, CT 06430

Check one box in each set of columns for every row that is of interest to you.

A. SRM production

Need Need

Category fewer OK more

By instrument type

1. Atomic absorption

2. Chromatography, column

3. Chromatography, gas

4. Chromatography, HPLC

5. Electron microscopy (incl. SEM)

6. Electron probe microanalysis

7. Electron spectroscopy

8. Fluorescence

9. Infrared

10. Ion chromatography

11. Mass spectrometry

12. Nuclear magnetic resonance

13. Optical emission (incl. ICP)

14. Optical microscopy

15. pH/Ion specific electrodes

16. Thermal analysis

17. UV/Visible

18. Voltammetry/polarography

19. X-ray diffraction

20. X-ray fluorescence

21. Other

By specimen type

22. Amino acids

23. Biological

24. Botanical

25. Cement n

26. Chemicals

27. Clinical

28. Color

29. Environmental n

30. Fertilizer/soil 31. Glass

32. Industrial hygiene

33. Metals, ferrous

34. Metals, nonferrous n

35. Metallo-organics

36. Nuclear materials n

37. Ores/rocks n

38. Pesticides n

39. Plastics n

40. Radioactivity

41. Rubber

42. Other

(Optional) Write other ideas or comments here:

B. Column topics

Cover Cover

less OK more

(Optional)

Name

Company/Institute

Address

June. II $3 AMERICAN LABORATORY : 103

136
March 4, 1986

National Bureau of

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Standards

Gaithersburg. Maryland 20099

MEMORANDUM FOR OSRM Technical Staff

From: D. Rasberry

Chief

Office of Standard Reference Materials

Subject: WCF Production Priority Evaluation for FY 87 Proposals

Given Below

1* Impact and User Acceptance

Delivery of NBS measurement capability to user community. Unique responsibility - mandated regulations, etc. National

concern, economic growth, health, etc. User community track

record for purchase and use of SRM's.

2. Technical Risk/Track Record of Performers

Track record of group working on project (i.e., other work

completed on time at, .or under, budget). Material stability - measurement problems. Degree of enthusiasm for promoting

SRM development and dissemination.

3. Type of Proposal

Renewal - currently out of stock in area of need

Orderly renewal - will go out of stock soon in

area of need

New - in area of need

New - planned multi-year effort-this funding

to complete

Additional certification data in area of user

need

Bailout proposal - completes old work

4. Fiscal Credibility

Total cost to NBS WCF including prior year costs divided by estimated sales.

SRM selling fewer than 20 units per year should be rated low.

5. Outside Support

Ratio of contributions of other groups to WCF costs must be

greater than 1

.

6. Resource Availability

Material here

Equipment and methods now available

Technical staff availability

: G. A. Uriano

T. D. Siedling

(15)

( 12 ) ( 10)

( 10 )

(5)

(5)

Maximum

Points

30

25

15

10

10

10
Exhibit B-7

(cont'd.)

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Bureau of Standards

Gaithersburg. Maryland 2GS99

MEMORANDUM FOR OSRM Technical Staff

From: ‘"'sT D. Rasberry

Chief

Office of Standard Reference Materials

March 4, 1986

Subject: Priority Rating Criteria for FY 87 SRM-STRS and Research

Reimbursable Projects

We will, as in the past, rate all STRS proposals. In order to be rated, the

proposals must adhere to the following:

1. Supports R&D leading directly to new SRM*s (usually within one to two

years).

2. Supports R&D to solve unforeseen problems arising after production of

an SRM starts.

3. Supports SRM development where Center STRS or OA funds are already

committed.

For proposals that meet the above criteria, the numerical rating should be

determined by applying the following rating system on the basis of 100 maximum

points:

1. Degree of technical risk, scientific or technical up to 40

challenge, quality, track record, and enthusiasm

of people, manpower and equipment availability,

etc. For renewed cost centers, degree of technical

progress.

2. Outside of Technical Division support. up to 25

3. Area of national concern (i.e., health, industrial up to 25

productivity, energy, consumer interest) and taking

into account NBS priorities and measurement delivery

missions.

4.

Annual cost of proposal (pro-rated with 0 points

for proposals over $100K).

up to 10

Please note that the cost limit for the pro-rated score of item 4 above has been decreased to $100K.

cc: G. A. Uriano

T. D. Siedling

138
EXHIBIT B-8

Examples of the Results from the Priority Setting Conference

of June 1986

139

1 Oct 1986

WCF PROJECTS , IN PRIORITY ORDER * Exh i b i

PAGE

5-8

1

PRITY CONTROL DESCRIPTION TOTAL K$ MGR RTG CUM K$

1 534.04 Aluminum Mirrors 2003a 0 RWS 100 0

2 534.08 Hi Density Photo Step 0 RWS 100 0

3 652.02 Hi Dens . Mag. Cart . 3217 0 RWS 100 0

4 551.23 S in Fuel Oil 1623a-24a 40 TEG 99 40

5 553.02 Gas Calib. testing 25 TEG 99 65

6 420.01 Catalyst Pkg Lube Oxidat 20 RLM 97 85

7 551.22 Rocky Fits & R. Sediment 0 TEG 96 85

8 553.07 NO/N2 5 10 20ppm 2627-29 51 TEG 96 136

9 511.01 Microcopy 1010a 10 RWS 95 146

10 551.25 T.E. in H20 1643c 135 RA 95 281

11 552.07 PAH/Acetonitri le 1647a 25 RA 95 306

12 553.03 S02/N2 50& lOOppm 1693-4 17 TEG 95 323

13 553.04 02/N2 2 % 10% 2 1% 2657-59 46 TEG 95 369

14 553.08 S02/N2 1661-2 1693-4 34 TEG 95 403

15 652.03 Tapes 1600 3200 6250 42 RWS 95 445

16 536.02 H-3 Solution 4361-B 25 TEG 94 470

17 551.01 Spectromet . Soln. 2121-34 175 RWS 94 645

18 553.12 S02 Perm Tube 5cm 1626 36 TEG 94 681

19 440.04 Butyl Rubber Hi Mooney 38 RLM 93 719

20 551.05 River Sediment 1645a 75 TEG 93 794

21 551.1 Spectrophot Filters 930d 48 RLM 93 842

22 552.02 Stability Tstg. Clinical 15 RA 93 857

23 552.03 Stability Tstg. Environ. 15 RA 93 872

24 553.06 C02/N2 14% 1675 15 TEG 93 887

141
1 0

PRI

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

Exhibit B-8

1986

WCF PROJECTS , IN PRIORITY ORDER • (cont 'd.

)

PAGE 2

CONTROL DESCRIPTION TOTAL K$ MGR RTG CUM K$

552.05 Bilirubin 916a 15 RLM 92 902

652.01 Four Disk Cartridges 10 RWS 92 912

727.01 Si Resis. 1521-23 2526-29 150 RWS 92 1062

511.02 Metals Processing 80 WPR 91 1142

511.03 Metals Purchasing 40 WPR 91 1182

543.01 Update QA of Coal 15 TEG 91 1197

551.21 H in Unalloyed Ti 352c 15 TEG 91 1212

553.09 NO/N2 50 lOOppm 1683-84 64 TEG 91 1276

727.02 Additional Si Production 100 RWS 91 1376

420.03 N in Lube Base Oil 25 RLM 90 1401

450.01 Coating Thickness 130 RWS 90 1531

511.05 Sediment 1645a &RMs/Hg 15 TEG 90 1546

536.07 Gd-153 Solution 7 TEG 90 1553

543.02 Benzoic Acid 39i 25 RLM 90 1578

551.03 Metal Homogeneity 200 WPR 90 1778

553. 14 H2S/N2 5 15ppm (EPA) 0 TEG 90 1778

731.02 SEM Magnification 484 40 RLM 90 1818

773.01 DTA 2226 2227 2228 30 RLM 90 1848

420.08 XRD Profile 2-theta 45 RLM 89 1893

511.04 Agricultural soils (2) 12 TEG 89 1905

551.09 Bovine Serum/ Inorganics 40 RA 89 1945

551.15 (Comb, with 551.03) 348a 0 WPR 89 1945

551.16 S in Coal (1%) 2689 25 TEG 89 1970

551.18 Pb in Ref. Fuel 1636b-37b 30 TEG 89 2000

142
Exhibit B-8

1 Oct 1986

WCF PROJECTS , IN PRIORITY ORDER • (cont'd.

PAGE 3

PRITY CONTROL DESCRIPTION TOTAL K$ MGR RTG CUM K$

49 553.05 CO/N2 25ppm 2635 15 TEG 89 2015

50 522.02 Thermo . Fix . Pt . 767a & 768 37 RWS 88 2052

51 522.01 Indium MP Cells 1971 13 RWS 87 2065

52 551.11 Ext*d Abs Filters 1930 25 RLM 87 2090

53 551.2 Unalloyed Zr 358a 25 TEG 87 2115

54 420.09 Cryst. Alpha-alumina 14 RLM 86 2129

55 440.01 Polyethylene Gas Pipe 49 RLM 86 2178

56 536.05 Al-26 Solution 4229-B 19 TEG 86 2197

57 541.01 Thin-film "Marker” (new) 30 RLM 86 2227

58 552.06 Cholesterol 911b 20 RLM 86 2247

59 420.06 Ceramic Particle Size 33 RLM 85 2280

60 430.01 Eddy Current 1861a & 3a 40 RWS 85 2320

61 511.07 Filter Media 2673a-74a 3 TEG 85 2323

62 534.01 X-ray Step Tablets 1001 38 RWS 85 2361

63 534.1 Fluores.Cor.Emis.Spectr. 42 RLM 85 2403

64 536.01 Pu-238 Pt. Source 4906-C 13 TEG 85 2416

65 551.06 Reactor Fuel Charges 25 TEG 85 2441

66 551.12 Ni & Sr Isotopics 986-7 6 RWS 85 2447

67 551.14 Aq. Elect rolyt ic Conduct. 30 RWS 85 2477

68 551.31 Filter Media 2673a-74a 25 TEG 85 2502

69 552.04 PCB's in Sediment 30 RA 85 2532

70 553.17 Thin Film Glass Micropro 38 RLM 85 2570

71 553.18 Thin Film Glass Add*l. 15 RLM 85 2585

72 440.02 Lin.Polyeth. Narrow MW 15 RLM 84 2600
1 0

PHI

73

74

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

Exhibit B-8

1986

WCF PROJECTS , IN PRIORITY ORDER • (cont'd.

)

PAGE 4

CONTROL DESCRIPTION TOTAL K$ MGR RTG CUM K$

420.05 Four-Ball Ceramic Wear 61 RLM 83 2661

420.07 Tridymite Quantitative 14 RLM 83 2675

534.03 Microcopy 1010a 6 RWS 83 2681

534.09 Gray Specular Reflect. 40 RWS 83 2721

536.06 Sr-89 Solution 4945-F 7 TEG 83 2728

552.09 Fat Sol . Vitamins/E thanol 22 RA 83 2750

552.1 River Sediment 1645a 20 TEG 83

‘ 2770

553.01 Metals Homogeneity 30 WPR 83 2800

714.01 Metals Stat Analysis 65 WPR 83 2865

731.06 Documentation 1960 lOmu 15 RLM 83 2880

534.02 Photo Step Tablets 1008 23 RWS 82 2903

536.08 Nat.U & Am-241 & Pu-238 36 TEG 82 2939

551.19 H in Unalloyed Ti 354-5a 25 TEG 82 2964

420.04 High Boron Glass 10 RLM 81 2974

534.05 Gold Mirrors 2011 10 RWS 81 2984

534.06 Second Surf A1 Mirrors 12 RWS 81 2996

511.08 Steel (Vac Remelt) 1092a 5 TEG 80 3001

536.03 Cs-137 Pt Source 4207-B 19 TEG 80 3020

420.02 Glass Viscosity 15 RLM 78 3035

553.11 C02/N2. 1X2X431681 2640-1 32 TEG 77 3067

534.07 Reflectance Step Tablets 7 RWS 75 3074

551.26 Oyster Tissue 1566a 5 RA 75 3079

552.08 Deuterated PAH/Solvent 35 RA 75 3114

551.24 Cert. Si in Exist. SRM’s 36 TEG 73 3150

144
Exhibit B-8

1 Oct 1986

WCF PROJECTS , IN PRIORITY ORDER • (cont 'd.

PAGE 5

PRITY CONTROL DESCRIPTION TOTAL K$ MGR RTG CUM K$

97 536.04 Be-10 Isotopic Ratio 13 TEG 72 3163

98 420.1 Aqueous Butyltin 20 RLM 71 3183

99 551.27 Total Diet 120 RA 71 3303

100 551.29 Cert. Al in Exist. SRM’s 25 RA 70 3328

101 551.3 Micros for Microspectro 35 RLM 70 3363

102 553.1 N02/Air 250ppm 2653 17 TEG 60 3380

103 440.03 Polystyrene Narrow MW 95 RLM 0 3475

104 450.02 Microhardnes 1893-6 1905 80 RWS 0 3555

105 450.03 STEP Test (Plating) 40 RWS 0 3595

106 511.06 SNM Repackaging 25 TEG 0 3620

107 521.01 Eddy Current 1861a & 63a 30 RWS 0 3650

108 551.02 Aq. Chromatographic 3101 50 RWS 0 3700

109 551.04 Tr .Metals/Filters 2676c 50 TEG 0 3750

110 551.07 Fluoride/Vegetation 2695 0 RA 0 3750

111 551.08 CaC03 0 RA 0 3750

112 551.13 ICP & DCP Inst. Perform. 20 RWS 0 3770

113 551.17 Be on Filters 2675a 12 TEG 0 3782

114 551.28 Orch. Leaves (Mv to Opns) 20 RA 0 3802

115 552.01 Cocaine in Urine 35 RA 0 3837

116 553.13 Meth/Air 1.35 1.7 2.0ppm 28 TEG 0 3865

117 553.15 C02/Air ppm 35 TEG 0 3900

118 553.16 C3H8 CO C02 in N2 (EPA) 0 TEG 0 3900

119 731.01 Documentation 484 12 RLM 0 3912

120 731.03 Precision Rough. 2074-75 63 RLM 0 3975

1*»5
Exhibit B:-8

1 Oct 1986

WCF PROJECTS , IN PRIORITY ORDER • (cont'd.

)

PAGE 6

PRITY CONTROL DESCRIPTION TOTAL K$ MGR RTG CUM K$

121 731.04 Documentation Roughness 15 RLM 0 3990

122 731.05 3 Micron Spheres 1962 50 RLM 0 4040

123 731.07 Documentation 1691 . 3mu 10 RLM 0 4050

124 738.01 Socketed Ball Bar 2083 0 RLM 0 4050

125 738.02 Photomask 474 475 125 RLM 0 4175

126 753.01 Smoke Toxicity 10 RWS 0 4185

146
Exhibit B-8

1 Oct 1986

STRS PROJECTS , IN PRIORITY ORDER • (cont'd.

PAGE 1

PRITY CONTROL DESCRIPTION TOTAL K$ MGR RTG CUM K$

1 420.05 Pyrite Me t . Proc . B iotech 25 RLM 90 25

2 450.02 Solder Coating Thicknes 30 RWS 90 55

3 551.03 Stab.Multielem.Spectro. 5 RWS 90 60

4 551.08 Meth. for Ni at PPB Lev 45 TEG 90 105

5 727.01 Stab. Sheet Res.Prototyp 10 RWS 90 115

6 552.02 Drugs of Abuse in Urine 40 RA 89 155

7 553.03 Meth. for Zero Gas Mixes 50 TEG 89 205

8 552.08 Cholesterol in Serum 20 RA 88 225

9 553.09 SIMS Depth Profiling 30 RLM 88 255

10 522.01 MP Stds Hyperthermia Th 30 RWS 87 285

11 551.01 Hi Ionic Strength pH 30 RWS 87 315

12 551.04 Ion-exchange Separation 25 WPR 87 340

13 552.05 Organics in Tissue 35 RA 87 375

14 553.04 Long-term Stab.S02 Perm 20 TEG 87 395

15 727.02 3-in. Dia. Resistivity 25 RWS 87 420

16 753.01 Smoke Toxicity 50 RWS 87 470

17 430.01 Hardness (Rockwell) 35 RWS 86 505

18 652.01 Hi-dens . Mag. Tape Carts 10 RWS 86 515

19 731.01 Surface Particle Stds. 40 RLM 86 555

20 773.01 Calib . Proc . DSC & DTA’s 12 RLM 86 567

21 552.07 Tr.Org/Food Int.Round-R 15 RA 85 582

22 738.01 Diamond Turned Line 25 RLM 85 607

23 534.01 Fluores.Cor.Emis.Spectr 50 RLM 84 657

24 738.02 Low V SEM Pitch Std. 25 RLM 84 682

147
1 0

PRI

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

Exhibit B-8

1986

STRS PROJECTS , IN PRIORITY ORDER • (cont 'd.

)

PAGE 2

CONTROL DESCRIPTION TOTAL K$ MGR RTG CUM K$

420.03 Alpha-Beta Si Nitride 15 RLM 83 697

551.06 ICP-MS Error Sources 30 RA 83 727

420.01 ASTM Research Associate 20 RLM 80 747

420.02 Crystallite Size 10 RLM 80 757

450.01 Ni-P Electrodep. Foils 20 RWS 80 777

551.05 IDMS Meth — B in steel 10 WPR 80 787

551.1 Activity in Biol. Fluids 20 RA 80 807

553.01 N02 & HN03 Stability 10 TEG 80 817

551.02 Mult ielem. Spectromet ric 20 RWS 78 837

552.06 Milk Screen/Pollutants 20 RA 77 857

420.04 Oxygen in Si Nitride 15 RLM 76 872

551.09 Accel. Environ. Studies 30 WPR 76 902

553.05 Trace Mult i . Organic Gas 50 TEG 76 952

440.01 Low Mol.Wt. Polystyrene 30 RLM 75 982

551.11 Li Tetraborate Ultratrc 20 RA 75 1002

552.01 Pest.PCB Hg/Oyster Tiss 20 RA 75 1022

-775.01 Liquid Bulk Conductivty 50 RLM 75 1072

552.03 Serum Screen/Pollutants 15 RA 73 1087

536.01 Be-10/Be-9 Nucl. Dating 45 TEG 72 1132

553.08 Low Lev. Dynamic HN03 53 TEG 72 1185

551.07 XRF Fixed Phase Chelat. 25 TEG 70 1210

551.12 Total N by NAA 30 RA 70 1240

552.04 HPLC Col.Perf. Mixture 20 RA 70 1260

553.06 XRF Fixed Phase Chelate 30 TEG 70 1290

148
Exhibit B-8

(cont'd.

STRS PROJECTS , IN PRIORITY ORDER.

1 Oct 1986 PAGE 3

PRITY CONTROL DESCRIPTION TOTAL K$ MGR RTG CUM K$

49 553.07 C Chemical & Isotopic 35 TEG 70 1325

50 553.02 Diode Laser Gas Meas. 0 TEG 0 1325

149

APPENDIX C

DEFENSE DEPARTMENT NEEDS FOR MEASUREMENT RESEARCH & SERVICES

JUNE 1987

151

Introduction

The Department of Defense (DOD) currently accounts for the

largest share of the contractual work performed by the National

Bureau of Standards (NBS) for other Federal Agencies (approximately

48% of NBS's total FY 1986 other-agency income of $74.5 million).

In addition to performing research and development (R&D) under

contract to DOD, NBS provided almost $700,000 in calibration ser- vices and Standard Reference Materials to DOD in FY 1986. R&D projects performed for DOD ranged from rather fundamental physics and

chemistry studies to very applied work such as developing a calibration technique for a particular piece of defense hardware. In

addition to serving many different commands in the Army, Navy, and

Air Force, NBS often works closely with defense agencies such as

the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Defense Nuclear

Agency, and the Defense Communications Agency. NBS has also been

in close touch with the Strategic Defense Initiative Office.

Modem high-technology weapons systems often require stateof-the-art measurements for data verification during the R&D phases

for quality control during production, for performance verification

during testing, and for critical adjustments during the deployment

phase . Quantities to be measured cover the entire gamut of measure

ment technology- - from precision electrical measurements which

determine the accuracy of missile guidance systems and laser power

measurements to determine the sensitivity of laser warning recei153
vers, to fluid flow measurements used to monitor fuel consumption

in high-performance aircraft. The military Services look to NBS for

support of this entire spectrum of measurements

The Army, Navy, and Air Force each operate a major program to

provide calibration standards support for testing and maintenance

operations .

hierarchical approach is used, with each service

operating a primary standards laboratory that relies on calibration

services from NBS and in turn provides calibration services to

second and third tier operating units. Through this hierarchy,

the calibration of virtually every instrument used in the Army,

Navy, and Air Force for precision measurement can be traced to

national standards at NBS. The Services^ employ nearly 10,000

people at over 1000 calibration facilities world-wide, and perform

approximately 3.7 million calibrations annually, all of which

ultimately rely on NBS's capability to support the measurement

needs of DOD and its contractors

This close cooperation between NBS and DOD dates back to the

early days of the Bureau, but the level of support required today

28 The focal points within the Services for metrology and calibration issues are: the Army Test, Measurement, and Diagnostic

Support Group (Redstone Arsenal, AL) ; the Navy Metrology Engineering

Center (Corona, CA) ; and the Air Force Aerospace Guidance and

Metrology Center (Newark AF Station, OH)

9

^Q The Marine Corps considered the fourth military Service,

but calibration support for the Marine Corps is provided by the

Navy. Therefore, calibration and standards issues sometimes are

discussed as involving only three Services: the Navy, Army, and Air

Force

154
is the highest of any peacetime era. Table C-l shows how the DOD

component of NBS's other agency funding has grown over the last

twenty years. Not only are defense and national security more

dependent on science and technology today, but DOD is funding

major portions of the Nation's R&D. These DOD -funded R&D programs

require measurement support in and of themselves. Military requirements often precede civilian applications of technology by several

years , so work performed today by NBS for DOD will often have

important implications for civilian technology several years hence.

In light of the importance of our support to DOD, NBS has

made a concerted effort over the past five years to improve our

ability to respond to defense needs. The Director of NBS and

other top NBS staff have met frequently with high-level defense

officials to explore how NBS can be more effective in assisting

DOD. Top DOD managers have visited NBS to familiarize themselves

with NBS programs that support their requirements . NBS managers

have encouraged their technical staffs to become more familiar

with defense needs and to ensure that NBS's long-range plans properly reflect these needs. The number and diversity of NBS projects

undertaken in support of DOD have increased in recent years

.

Table C-2 lists significant meetings between the NBS Director

and Deputy Director and high level DOD managers over the past three

years

.

155
Table C-l. Research Funding to NBS from Other Federal Agencies (1966-1986).

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Table C-2. High-Level Meetings to Improve NBS/DOD Communications

April 20. 1985

Dr. Ernest Ambler, Director of NBS

Dr. James Wade, Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Research and

Engineering (USDRE)

Dr. Robert Cooper, Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects

Agency

Brig. Gen. James Cercy, Commander, US Army Electronics Research

and Development Command (ERADCOM)

Mr. Charles Church, Asst. Dir. , Technology Planning, HQ US Army

November 15. 1985

Mr. Raymond Rammer , Deputy Director of NBS

Col. Donald Carter, Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for

Research & Engineering (Research and Advanced Technology)

January 16. 1986

Dr. Ernest Ambler, Director of NBS

Dr. Donald Hicks, Under Sec. of Defense for Research & Engineering

February 14. 1986

Mr. Raymond Rammer, Deputy Director of NBS

Dr. Ronald Rerber, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Research

and Engineering (Research & Advanced Technology)

April 24. 1986

Dr. Ernest Ambler, Director of NBS

Dr. Donald Hicks, Under Sec. of Defense for Research and Engineering

June 18. 1986

Dr. Ambler, Director of NBS

Briefed the Joint Logistics Commanders at Hanscom AF Base.

November 24. 1986

Dr. Ernest Ambler, NBS Director

Dr. Ronald Rerber, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Research

and Engineering

January 20. 1987

Dr. Ernest Ambler, NBS Director

Maj . Gen. James Cercy, Commanding General, US Army LABCOM

Mr. Richard Vitali, Technical Director, US Army LABCOM

Dr. Louis Cameron, Director of Army Research and Technology

157
As a result of increased contacts between NBS and DOD personnel, the NBS/DOD working relationship is more effective today. A

number of important technical people from the Department of Defense

have visited NBS over the past three years to present seminars on

their technical programs, tour NBS laboratories to learn how our

programs support their needs, and discuss cooperation. Table C-3

lists examples of such visitors.

Table C-3. Examples of Other DOD Visitors to NBS

Dr. A. T. Stair, Director, AF Geophysics Laboratory

Dr. Dwight Duston, Deputy Director, Innovative Science & Technology

Office, Strategic Defense Initiative Office (SDIO)

Col. Perry Butler, Commander, US Army Test, Measurement & Diagnostics Equipment Support Group, Redstone Arsenal

Col. Pete Miner, Director of Metrology, Aerospace Guidance & Metrology Center, Newark Air Force Station

Mr. Steve Kimmel, Asst. Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for

Developmental Test and Evaluation

Mr. Richard Verga, Director, Space Power, SDIO

An additional important mechanism for NBS -DOD communication

is the hosting by NBS of DOD technical meetings . NBS encourages

DOD and outside groups concerned with defense technology to hold

technical meetings at NBS . Such meetings may include tours of NBS

facilities and help foster more interaction between DOD and contractor laboratories and NBS. The Joint Technical Coordinating Group

on Nondestructive Inspection has, for many years, held the annual

meeting of its Standards and Specifications Subgroup at NBS, largely

158
to facilitate consultations between the Services ' representatives

and NBS's technical experts. In January of this year, the Army and

the American Defense Preparedness Association held a conference at

NBS called "Technology Forecast for Army Key Operational Capabilities". Furthermore, NBS often co-hosts defense -related meetings

at other locations. Examples include the 1984 and 1985 Millimeter

Wave Measurement Requirements Seminars held at the Army's Harry

Diamond Laboratories (Adelphi, MD) and the 1986 Millimeter

Wave/Microwave Measurements and Standards for Miniaturized Systems

Conference held at Redstone Arsenal, AL.

In spite of NBS and DOD efforts to develop a more effective

working relationship and to improve NBS's ability to respond to

rapidly advancing defense technology; NBS, DOD, and DOD contractors

continue to be deeply concerned about NBS's ability to provide all

of the standards^ support needed by the Services and defense agen-

<3 AJUNote that "standards" in this case refers to measurement

reference standards, not written or documentary standards. NBS

does assist the DOD in developing written military standards from

time to time, particularly test method standards. In fact, a long-term collaboration between the Army's Materials Technology

Laboratory and NBS continues to produce many of the new and improved

military standards for nondestructive testing. However, this

discussion focuses instead on the other type of standards, the

artifacts or hardware used to determine the accuracy of an unknown

instrument or device by comparing it to a well -characterized instrument or device. Thus, for example, a standard for laser power

would be an NBS -developed laser calorimeter (power meter) that

compares the absorbed power or energy of a particular laser to the

power or energy from electrical resistors carrying currents sufficient to cause a temperature rise in the calorimeter identical to

that caused by the absorption of laser energy or power. In this

way a difficult- to -measure parameter such as laser power can be

related to the fundamental electrical units in a meaningful way.

159
cies and their contractors in a number of technical areas . The

"lead agency" issued has contributed to difficulty in obtaining

funding either through NBS appropriations or through the DOD budget.

The Joint Logistics Commanders have established a Joint Technical Coordinating Group for Metrology and Calibration^ (JTCGMETCAL) to foster inter- Service cooperation on measurement and

calibration issues and avoid duplication of effort among the Services. NBS works closely with the JTCG-METCAL and its principal

subgroup, the Joint-Service Calibration Coordination Group (CCG)

.

(The CCG consists of representatives of each of the Service's

Metrology Engineering Centers listed earlier.) For many years NBS

has had a Memorandum of Understanding with the Calibration Coordination Group. It covers (1) the calibration services we provide,

and; (2) special engineering projects funded by CCG to improve NBS's

ability to support their calibration needs. In Fiscal Year 1986

NBS carried out over $3.7 million worth of engineering projects

for the Calibration Coordination Group (roughly 10% of the total

DOD contracts received by NBS)

.

^See Chapter II for a more complete discussion of the "lead

agency" issue.

"Metrology" is the science of precision measurement.

160
POP's Metrology Research. Development & Engineering Planning

There is considerable commonality among the Services 's measurement requirements , so the Engineering Working Group of the CCG has

combined them into an overall plan called the "Tri- Service Metrology

Research, Development, and Engineering Plan." Volume 1 of this

plan is an overall description of the needs and the rationale for

carrying out the measurement R&D needed to address needs . Volume

2 of the plan contains more detailed task statements for the actual

work that needs to be performed. The plan is updated every year

or two. The most recent edition is dated September 30, 1985;

publication of a 1987 edition is planned for later this year.

Many of the tasks identified in the current plan would be carried

out by NBS (those involving the development of new national standards) . Others would be carried out by industrial contractors or

by the Services in-house (e.g. those tasks involving the development

of "ruggedized" standards and instruments to be used in the field.)

As an example of common requirements , all three Services use

lasers for guided weapons, range finding, etc. and hence all three

need to measure laser attributes such as power and energy and beam

profile to predict system performance and to determine whether

lasers meet their specifications. By mutual agreement, a "lead

Service" has been designated to accept responsibility for each

task identified in the Plan. Designation of responsibility for a given task is based on which Service has the requirement first

161
and/or which Service has the most stringent requirement for the

particular measurement.

The new calibration capabilities resulting from R&D sponsored

by the CCG are available to all three Services. This inter-Service

cooperation has ensured that no duplication of effort occurs in

the development of new calibration capabilities. An important

assumption in this cooperative mode of operation is that each

Service will carry its share of the R&D load. If one Service

fails to receive its share of the funding in a given year, the

other Services will also suffer and may have to reprogram their

funding to avoid having any high priority tasks of interest to all

three Services remain unfunded.

The total 5 -year metrology R&D requirement identified in the

DOD metrology plan is roughly $100 million. Approximately 60

percent of that total would come to NBS were the entire plan funded.

Up to now, none of the three Services has received the funding to

carry on its share of the tasks identified in the plan.

The preface to the "Tri- Service Plan” (page i) states in part:

"Metrology and calibration support is absolutely essential

to the operation of modem, sophisticated military hardware. Measurement science research and development,

however, has not been heavily supported during the period

of time which has seen a virtual technology explosion.

The national metrology problem has been emphasized by

commercial users complaining that the US National Bureau

of Standards has failed to provide adequate standards to

calibrate existing hardware. Department of Defense

(DOD) calibration requirements are significantly more

162
stringent than those of commercial organizations. In

many areas , the total national calibration requirement has

been driven by military hardware advances. Naturally,

problems are most obvious in those parameters which are

newest and most abstract- -high frequency microwaves,

electro-optics, etc. --but these are not the only areas

of deficiency."

Section II of this plan (page 3) notes further:

"Military systems currently being developed and fielded

are demanding calibration support and standards that

cannot be provided by NBS or DOD laboratories . This

situation, if not immediately rectified, will result in

unreliable performance, higher development costs, and a multitude of logistical problems. The use of obsolete,

inadequate, or nonexistent calibration standards during

weapons system development and acquisition make both the

DOD and its contractors unable to legally validate system

performance during testing, evaluation, and production

acceptance. Inadequate METCAL support after deployment

results in degraded weapons system performance, poor

reliability, and higher logistics costs. DOD METCAL

organizations are unable to maintain confidence in their

own test results when it is impossible to compare their

most critical measurements to higher accuracy national

standards. The technical sophistication of future weapons

systems will require significant advances in metrology if

they are to be tested, adjusted, repaired, and maintained."

The DOD metrology plan has been divided into seven technical

areas. Examples of the needs in each area are given below. This

list is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather to illustrate

the wide diversity of measurement requirements. Because in some

cases , the quantitative relationship between measurement accuracy

and weapons system performance is classified, the discussion here

is qualitative. NBS is pursuing most of the topics covered in the

1985 DOD metrology plan with CCG support, but in almost every case

the level of effort is insufficient to upgrade our capabilities in

a timely fashion to meet the needs DOD has identified.

163
Electro -optics

Low power lasers are being used by all of the Services to guide

weapons and determine target ranges. Systems such as the Air

Force's laser- guided Pave Tac offer higher performance than more

conventional missiles. The Army's M-l tank uses a carbon- dioxide

laser range finder. The Navy is putting considerable emphasis on

developing a blue -green laser communications system that will

permit secure and rapid communications with deeply- submerged ballistic missile submarines. Laser communications inter-satellite

cross links are being investigated for the Strategic Defense Initiative. Sensitive laser warning receivers are being developed to

alert pilots that they are being irradiated with enemy laser designators. Laser radar is of considerable interest to the SDI for

reentry vehicle mid-course discrimination. High power lasers (in

excess of 1 megawatt) are being investigated as possible directed

energy weapons for the SDI.

In order to develop and test all of the above systems, the

capability for measuring laser power and energy and laser beam

profile must be in place. NBS has developed laser measurement

capabilities for a number of different wavelengths and for levels

ranging from the very low levels needed for laser target designators

to a 15 kilojoule pulse calorimeter for the Air Force Weapons

laboratory. Thus while NBS has developed considerable expertise

in laser measurements , and presently offers a variety of laser

calibration services, we do not have the capability to provide

calibration support to the Services and their contractors at the

accuracy levels desired for all of the wavelengths and power levels

needed for the systems mentioned above.

The following anecdote illustrates the problems that can arise

when inadequate attention is devoted to ensuring the quality of

measurements. The X-ray laser program of the Strategic Defense

Initiative ran into difficulty near the end of 1985 because of

questions about the credibility of test data. Photonics Spectra , a trade magazine, reported in January of 1986 that a Congressional

investigation of the controversy was being held to examine "flawed

test measurements" within this program and that 29 members of

Congress were asking Defense Secretary Weinberger to delay an

underground nuclear test to evaluate an X-ray laser "because of

supposed flaws in laser power measurement devices. The following

month this same magazine continued its coverage of this issue and

stated that "... beam brightness was greatly exaggerated because

of wrongly calibrated measurement equipment

.

'5 0 Photonics Spectra . January 1986, p. 30.

Photonics Spectra . February 1986, p. 36.

164
NBS has not had access to the data from these tests, so we

cannot comment on whether or not the criticism in the press was

justified. Whether or not the criticisms are valid, the point is

that credible measurements are crucial to any technical program,

and NBS's mission is to help laboratories achieve that credibility.

An editorial about the X-ray laser measurement controversy in the

November 13, 1985 Los Angeles Times summarizes this point well.

After describing the measurements in question, the editor wrote,

"The results of scientific experiments can only be as valid as the

accuracy of the instruments used to measure them." . . . "It is

self-evident that millions of taxpayer dollars should not be thrown

away in a test that cannot be accurately and reliably calibrated."

Optical fiber data communication links are being exploited by

all three Services. For example, the Navy has found that considerable weight and space can be saved on ships by replacing

conventional copper coaxial cables interconnecting computers and

monitoring systems with optical fiber cables . The performance of

such systems cannot be evaluated unless careful measurements can

be made. In order to use fiber optic cables the Navy must be able

to measure their performance and locate defective fibers or connectors . Such measurements involve an instrument called an optical

time domain reflectometer (OTDR) , and the Navy looks to NBS to

develop calibration techniques and standards so high precision

OTDRs can be calibrated to the desired accuracy levels.

The performance of missile seekers employing infrared (IR)

sensors must be measured during production and checked during

deployment. Instruments for these measurements must be carefully

calibrated. The strategic surveillance sensors (focal plane array

IR sensors) required for the SDI monitoring satellites are advancing

rapidly, and our ability to measure them accurately is not keeping

pace with the ability of the contractors and DOD laboratories to

improve their sensitivity. If company A claims that their sensors

are 50% more sensitive than those of company B, but neither firm

can guarantee that their data are accurate to better than + 50%

,

then such comparisons are not meaningful. Extra expense will be

incurred when expensive measurements must be repeated. Ambiguous

data could cause the DOD to pursue a technical approach that later

turns out to be non-optimal. A recent article notes that such

sensor systems may contain in excess of 100,000 tiny pixels (picture

elements). ^5 Calibration, which must be performed in an ultra-cold

cryogenic chamber, is a challenge. Unless measurements for IR

sensors can be improved, the Department of Defense could well have

difficultly determining unambiguously whether a particular contractor has achieved the performance level required by the contract.

^

IEEE Spectrum . Sept. 1985. (Note that this issue contains

a number of articles on SDI technology- -the stringent sensor re- quirements are mentioned in several places .

)

165
Microwave /Millimeter Wave Metrology

NBS has developed a variety of measurement methods and standards to meet the needs of the defense microwave community to

support systems such as navigation, imaging, and fire control

radars, communications systems, and electronic warfare devices

(e.go jammers). Good measurements are needed to be able to adjust

these systems for best performance and to determine whether or not

a given systems meets its specifications. If a contractor claims

that a system meets the specification but the DOD measures it and

thinks that it does not, lengthy delays and extra expense will be

incurred while tests are repeated- -perhaps several times to try to

resolve the discrepancy.

Until recently most of these systems operated in the microwave

region at frequencies below about 20 or 30 GHz . Now these same

kinds of systems are being developed and deployed with operating

frequencies in the millimeter region- -well above the old range.

(The millimeter wave region extends from approximately 30 to 300

GHz) . Standards previously developed by NBS for lower frequencies

cannot be used at these higher frequencies, and new measurement

techniques and hardware must be developed. Examples of systems

exploiting millimeter waves include space based radar for SDI (60

GHz) , the seekers for the Multiple -Launched Rocket System (MLRS)

(94 GHz) , and a variety of special-purpose covert communications

systems and special electronic intelligence systems.

Measurements of interest include power, attenuation, noise,

antenna gain, phase angle, and others. The standards available at

these frequencies have not kept pace with the calibration needs.

For example, the new MILSTAR military satellite communications

system has a link operating in a range for which no NBS standards

are currently available. Fortunately, the MILSTAR Program recognized the deficiency and recently funded NBS to develop a capability

for the frequencies used by MILSTAR. (Note, however, that the

MILSTAR funding will not permit NBS to develop a complete calibration capability in these frequency bands- -only the minimum necessary

to support MILSTAR.) Had this not been done, serious disagreements

regarding data on component values and system performance between

contractors and subcontractors and between the prime contractors

and DOD would undoubtedly have arisen.

Recent emphasis on developing monolithic microwave and millimeter wave integrated circuits (MMICs) has generated an entire

family of new measurement problems, such as measuring radio frequency parameters directly on the gallium- arsenide wafers during

the processing. NBS has been in touch with the office in DOD

concerned with MMIC devices and is now in the process of defining

the measurement requirements

.

166
Electrical/Electronic Metrology

The Services own thousands of pieces of general purpose electronic test equipment, such as digital multimeters for measuring

voltages and currents, oscilloscopes for viewing electrical signals,

and signal generators and spectrum analyzers. Each of these instruments must be calibrated periodically to ensure its continued

accuracy. Many of the measurements made on a daily basis for

servicing and adjusting avionics equipment, troubleshooting computers and communications equipment, etc. are supported by existing

NBS measurement services and standards which must be maintained.

At the same time, there are some critical parameters for which

state-of-the-art electrical measurements must be made in the field

with extremely high reliability. For example, voltage or resistance

measurements in the guidance systems of missiles such as Trident

and Peacekeeper must be made at accuracy levels comparable to the

best that NBS can do in its own laboratories, because the targeting

accuracy can be directly related to measurement accuracy.

For measurements such as these, NBS must work with the Services

to improve our ability to transfer state-of-the-art measurements

made at NBS to the field without losing appreciable accuracy.

Frequently, the latest scientific developments must be exploited.

For example, NBS has worked with the Navy to develop arrays of

thousands of microscopic superconducting Josephson junctions cooled

to the temperature of liquid helium (about 450 degrees F below

zero) . The use of this exotic technology was necessary to achieve

much improved accuracy for dc voltage standards in Navy and Navy

contractor laboratories. Lockheed, for example, has stated that

this new, much improved voltage standard is essential in achieving

the desired performance for the Trident missile.

Another recently- developed physical phenomenon, the Quantum

Hall Effect, promises similar improvements in field- level accuracy

for standards of electrical resistance. Cesium or rubidium atomic

clocks are used in Navy submarines in conjunction with their precision navigation systems. One of the factors affecting how long

submarines can stay on patrol is the ability of these atomic clocks

on board to stay synchronized with atomic time standards on shore.

Years ago the requirements of the Navy were considerably less

stringent than NBS's ability to measure time. Today this gap has

closed and NBS needs to improve its own capabilities if it is to

stay ready to meet the military requirements.

167
Physical /Mechanical Measurements

Important parameters for this category include force, temperature, pressure, length, angle, and fluid flow. As with the areas

above, new military requirements are straining the state-of-the-art.

Space weapons must be tested in evacuated chambers. Future

requirements are for accurate measurements of levels of vacuum

1000 times lower than NBS currently supports. Many military systems

(e.g. electronics used in space) have requirements for ultra-high

reliability. In order to achieve such reliability, the hermeticity

of the packaging must be tested. This means that extremely minute

leaks must be detected. The development of NBS's new calibration

service for leak rate measurements was supported in part by Sandia

National Laboratories in order to satisfy measurement requirements

for civilian nuclear power applications. However, military requirements for leak rate standards exceed those of the civilian sector

by a considerable amount. If leaks cannot be measured accurately,

contractors cannot produce systems with assured long-term reliability.

The measurement of angles is conceptually straightforward,

however the requirement for precision angle measurement associated

with the pointing and tracking requirements of the Strategic Defense

Initiative are formidable. One SDI official compared the requirement to being able to point a weapon from atop the Sears Tower in

Chicago and hit a particular window in the Empire State Building

in New York. NBS's current capability for angle measurement is

approximately 1 microradian or an accuracy of about 0.00006 degrees. In order to meet the requirements for SDI, this capability

will need to be about 100 times better. Unless NBS can improve the

state of the art for precision angle measurement, future tests of

SDI pointing systems could produce data of dubious credibility.

Pressure transducers and gauges are ubiquitous in many DOD

systems. One might think that pressure measurement is a wellestablished measurement for which no new exotic requirements are

likely to arise, but this is not the case. Army scientists studying

ways to improve the performance of large guns such as those used

in tanks and howitzers, must measure the pressure transients in

the breach of a gun when the weapon is fired in order to understand

how the charge bums during the detonation. NBS standards to

calibrate the pressure transducers used for such dynamic measurements, where the pressure increases from atmospheric to over 100,000

pounds per square inch in a fraction of a second, are not currently

available. The consequence is that it is difficult to compare

results from one laboratory with those from another or to be sure

that results obtained one month are consistent with those obtained

the next.

There is also a need for improved nondestructive testing (NDT)

techniques and standards to support the fabrication and maintenance

168
of planes, helicopters, and cruise missiles made of fiber-reinforced

composite materials. It is common practice to check ordinary

metallic structures for fatigue- induced cracks or other defects

that develop during manufacturing and testing by using conventional

techniques such as ultrasonics and dye penetrants. NBS has developed a variety of such techniques and calibration standards for

them, for example, our ultrasonic reference blocks. Analogous

standards for testing composite materials for cracks and\or delaminations do not currently exist. In the absence of adequate standards and test methods, two options are available, neither of

which is appealing. Either a very conservative but costly approach

is taken where wings, rotor blades, etc. are replaced frequently

lest undetected flaws cause problems, or a high-risk posture is

adopted where the safety of pilots or the reliability of systems

is compromised.

Automated Metrology

Complex automated test equipment (ATE) and complex built-in

test systems are commonplace in the Services today. For example,

the Navy's new Consolidated Automated Support System (CASS) supports

avionics and weapon system electronics of the latest types while

greatly reducing the amount of shop space occupied by analogous

prior- generation test equipment. ^CASS is predicted to save the

Navy $3 billion in testing costs over its projected 18 year life.

Such equipment is required because of the complexity of the multifunction equipment it supports- -equipment that in some cases would

take days to test, troubleshoot, and calibrate if old-fashioned

manual testing were used, where multiple points were checked in

each operating range and where the system was checked in all of

its possible operating modes. The Navy has asked NBS to help

design calibration strategies for CASS. The cost and productivity

advantages of equipment such as CASS are significant, but adequately

verifying the performance of these powerful multi-purpose systems

is a formidable task.

Built-in test systems must perform accurately because errors

can be costly. A system that fails to detect a genuine problem can

compromise a mission, whereas a system that continually triggers

false alarms can be a logistics nightmare and result in large

unnecessary expense. Recent articles about false alarm problems

with the electronic diagnostics for the B1 bomber (80 false alarms

per flight have been reported) and the large costs associated with

^

"Navy's CASS to Cut Operating Costs", Defense Electronics . March 1986, pp. 131-134.

169
eliminating this and other problems ($1.5 billion being requested

for upgrades to the plane) illustrate the point. ^7

While most of the work in developing ATE verification techniques is the responsibility of the producers of the electronic

systems, both the Services and contractors look to NBS to help

from time to time, both because we have expertise in this area and

because we are a neutral third party and can, therefore, be objective in helping to resolve disputes between a Service and a supplier

of ATE. (For example, NBS recently assisted the Air Force in

investigating diagnostics problems with the F-15 aircraft.) One

of the areas where NBS has special capabilities is the impact of

measurement error in defining the minimum number of test points

that must be examined to verify that a particular system is performing properly. More work is needed on the basic theory and

practice of tracking errors in complex ATE systems.

The digital revolution has generated demanding new requirements

previously unheard of. For example, NBS has had to develop the

capability to calibrate analog to digital and digital to analog

converters . Virtually every modern sensor or transducer used in

automated defense systems generates an analog signal that must be

accurately converted to a digital signal for processing. It is

obviously important to be able to characterize this conversion

process and quantify the errors introduced by the conversion.

A particularly demanding measurement challenge is automated

nondestructive evaluation of precision parts during manufacture.

Real-time X-ray radiography holds great promise for meeting this

need. NBS recently held a workshop with representatives of the

Services and defense contractors to define standards and calibration

requirements for this new technology. Funding to develop these

standards and measurement services remains a problem, however.

Analytical Metrology and Systems Metrology

These final two categories discussed in the DOD metrology plan

are important to the Services. They involve such issues as designing equipment to minimize calibration requirements, determining

optimum calibration intervals, designing Service calibration capabilities for rapid deployment in wartime, etc. While NBS does

occasionally help with these issues, the role of NBS in these

topics is considerably less than in those previously mentioned,

and thus these topics will not be addressed in this report.

37 "Officials Say Air Force Understates B1 Problems", Washington Post . February 26, 1987, p. A6.

170
The Lead Agency Issue

The "Lead Agency" policy-^® of the Federal Government has

presented some particular difficulties in securing adequate funding

for NBS to support DOD's metrology needs.

The Department of Commerce and the Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) expect DOD to reimburse NBS for research undertaken to

support DOD metrology needs. DOD budget officers and the DOD

managers who are developing systems that require new or better

standards generally act on the assumption that the science and

technology which underlies the national measurement system is the

Bureau's responsibility, particularly as DOD needs are often the

forerunners of general industrial needs. Therefore, when DOD does

underwrite NBS measurement research, it budgets only for the incremental cost of providing traceability-^ to this underlying base of

science, engineering, and measurement techniques. DOD managers

assume that such research which upgrades the capability of the

national central reference laboratory (NBS) is a part of the Bureau's legislative mandate and should be funded from NBS appropriations .

Thus , even though there is no dispute about the importance of

50

See Chapter II for a more complete discussion of "traceability".

-5Q See Appendix A. "Customer Needs for Calibrations and Special

Tests", Exhibit A, for a discussion of the concept of "traceability".

171
the work, there remains ambiguity about who should budget for this

area of generic measurement research in support of DOD's needs.

DOD's industrial contractors expect NBS to provide the measurement science and technology they rely on for traceability to national standards. From their perspective, all the funding comes from

the Federal Treasury, so it does not matter who funds the work.

What does matter to them is that they are able to come to NBS to

get the measurement tools they need, when they need them.

Because of the importance of measurement to the DOD mission

and because NBS has been unsuccessful in acquiring additional appropriations for fundamental and generic research driven by DOD re- quirements, the DOD Calibration Coordination Group (CCG) has attempted to secure funding in DOD's budget to permit NBS to develop

broader capabilities. Their "Tri-Service Metrology Research, Development, and Engineering Plan" calls for a total program amounting

about $10 million per year for 5 years, but their funding to NBS in

recent years has amounted to only about $1 million per year per

Service

.

172
NBS's Response to POD Needs

Where NBS has existing expertise that can be brought to bear

on defense problems, the work is consistent with the NBS mission,

and the appropriate DOD office is willing to transfer funds; NBS

gives the work high priority. For example:

o The Navy has provided support in recent years for NBS's Automated Manufacturing Research Facility (AMRF) because they

intend to apply this technology to achieve dramatic increases

in productivity in piece-part manufacturing at Navy shipyards

and depots

.

o The software approaches developed for the hierarchical control

system used in the AMRF are similar in many ways to the hierarchical controls that will be needed for SDI battle management, and so NBS's Center for Manufacturing Engineering is

working with the Army Strategic Defense Command to help them

develop benchmarks for SDI battle management software.

o NBS has received funding from the Army Strategic Defense

Command to develop a cryogenic test chamber for infrared

radiometry required to support the SDI.

o By virtue of its design, NBS's new accelerator, the microtron,

lends itself very well to driving a free electron laser (FEL)

,

and so, with SDI funds, NBS will be developing a FEL facility

that will be available to SDI and other researchers.

o NBS is assisting with the DOD's new Computer-Aided Logistics

Support Project (CALS).

173
Early Identification of Standards Needs

Once measurement requirements have been identified and the

funding is available, significant lead time may be required for

NBS to respond. When a new standard or calibration service is

required for a measurement that is beyond the state of the art, it

often takes two or three years and sometimes much longer for the

capability to be developed. DOD program managers often are not

aware of the time required for research that underlies a standards

or calibration need. Therefore, they frequently do not ask for

help until an immediate solution is needed.

To avoid long delays , it is important that DOD be able to

anticipate new standards requirements and notify NBS in advance of

the need. NBS scientists and engineers, because they are experienced in standards development for DOD, also monitor technical

progress in relevant areas to try to anticipate long-range DOD

needs

.

There are mechanisms that require DOD project managers to

report standards needs. However, reports are not likely to be

filed until managers recognize that they have a problem. The most

demanding requirements occur in highly classified areas, where the

number of people familiar with the technical details is intentionally kept as small as possible.

174
The individual Services are tasked to attend to measurement

and standards requirements. The Office of the Secretary of Defense

in the Pentagon has no staff member with full-time responsibility

for monitoring the adequacy of measurement standards. Within the

Services , Calibration Coordination Group members are part of the

logistics function, so they are functionally separated from the

developers of new weapons systems, which is where new measurement

requirements originate.

NBS and CCG have discussed with DOD possible ways of improving

early identification of measurement and standards needs that may

require NBS research. Several possible approaches have been proposed, involving modifications to DOD and Service regulations and

instructions. The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) is

currently studying possible changes in organization or operation

to better address metrology concerns , but the results of that

study are not available at this time.

175
'
APPENDIX D

FINAL REPORT

THE STATUS OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES:

AN ECONOMIC/TECHNOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT TO THE YEAR 2000

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

May 1987

The Department of Commerce has concluded, in a review of

emerging technologies and their future impact on the economy,

that American businesses lag behind many of their foreign

competitors, especially the Japanese, in exploiting technological

breakthroughs

.

The review was ordered by Deputy Secretary Clarence J. Brown

in April 1986 to identify the new .technologies that will lead to

new products or processes, analyze their commercialization, and

recommend means of reducing the barriers. It is based on an

assessment by technical experts and agency heads within the

Department, under the leadership of Dr. Ernest Ambler, Director

of the National Bureau of Standards. They studied scientific and

industrial plans and the commercialization process here and

abroad.

Once the list of technologies was determined, the experts

determined their probable contribution to the gross national

product by the year 2000. While recognizing this as an imprecise

measure requiring some subjective forecasting, the Department

believes it to be the best proxy to judge economic impact.

Although the technologies are ranked in terms of high, moderate

or low impact, the terms are relative; all are expected to play a

significant role in future growth.

Identifying the technological opportunities and their

probable economic effect is not difficult. The real problem

facing U.S. companies is converting these opportunities into real

economic success. The review* s primary focus is upon identifying

ten barriers to commercialization and making recommendations for

overcoming them. The recommendations require action by all

sectors of American life, sometimes unilaterally and occasionally

together.

The barriers to commercialization are also ranked in order

of importance. The two most important are inadequate tax

incentives and the high cost of capital. The remaining barriers

include two that require actions by individual companies. The

Department found that there is a lack of integration and

communication among functions within companies, and it also cites

companies for being too complacent and dependent on the domestic

market for growth opportunities.

The recommendations include fostering participative

management by employees, training managers in the production

process, eliminating provisions in foreign tax laws that

discriminate against U.S. products, and updating business school

curricula. They also reiterate recommendations of President

Reagan* s competitiveness initiative, such as those regarding • improving export controls, reforming product liability and tort

laws, and lifting antitrust restrictions.

179
Since the list of technologies was determined, there have

been significant and highly publicized breakthroughs in the fiel

of superconductors -- materials that have zero electrical

resistance. Several developments must be achieved before their

economic potential can be realized, particularly an improvement

in the current-carrying capacity of these materials. Until it i

known whether this is possible, superconductors should be

considered a potential emerging technology . The accompanying appendices describe in detail the

technologies, barriers, and recommendations.

1 80
APPENDICES

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B

APPENDIX C

- DESCRIPTIVE TABLES

Table 1 - Emerging Technologies (4 pages)

Table 2 - Emerging Technologies Ranked by Economic

Impact

Table 3 - Generic Barriers to Achieving Maximum

Benefits from Emerging Technologies

- DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF BARRIERS

- RECOMMENDATIONS OF METHODS TO OVERCOME BARRIERS

181
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183
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184
185

Chemical

separations

Chemical

manufacturing
Table 2

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES RANKED BY ECONOMIC IMPACT

Group A (Highest) Advanced Materials; Composites

Biotechnology; Genetic Engineering

Electronics; Optoelectronics

Electronics; Advanced Microelectronics

Computing; Computing equipment

Automation; Manufacturing

Group B Automation; Business and Office Systems

Biotechnology; Biochemical Processing

Medical Technology; Drugs

Advanced Materials; Ceramics

Automation; Technical Services

Computing; Artificial Intelligence Tech.

Medical Technology; Devices

Group C Thin Layer Technology; Membranes

Advanced Materials; Metals

Thin Layer Tech. ; Surfaces & Interfaces

Electronics; Millimeter Wave Technology

186
Table 3

GENERIC BARRIERS TO ACHIEVING MAXIMUM ECONOMIC BENEFITS FROM

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

1. High costs of capital funds in the U.S. relative to foreign

competitors.

2. Tax incentives for U.S. companies relative to foreign

competitors to deploy emerging technologies (including the

stability of tax regulations)

.

3. Poor integration of manufacturing, design, and R&D functions.

4. Inadequate laws, regulations, and enforcement protecting

intellectual property rights in the U.S. or overseas.

5. Complacency and dependence on the domestic market.

6. Restrictive trade policies in foreign markets.

7. Federal or State regulations on corporate activities intended

to protect the public health and safety (e.g., building codes,

environmental lavs, drug approval regulations, and occupational

health regulations)

.

8. Export controls on advanced technologies and high-technology

products

.

9. Restraints and uncertainty caused by product liability and

tort laws.

10. Anti-trust restrictions against cooperative ventures for

marketing or production methods. There may still be perceived

barriers against cooperative R&D, but legal restrictions against

procompetitive R&D were eased by legislation in 1984.

187
APPENDIX B

DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF

GENERIC BARRIERS TO ACHIEVING MAXIMUM ECONOMIC BENEFITS FROM

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES 1.

High costs of capital funds in the U.S. relative to foreign

competitors.

Higher interest rates, lower debt-equity ratios, cultural

practices, and tax laws combine to make the effective cost cf

capital funds for U.S. firms up to twice as high as their

Japanese competitors. For example, U.S. savings rates, as a

percentage of GNP, have historically been, and continue to

be, among the lowest of developed countries (and about half

that of Japan) . Recent declines in the value of the dollar

relative to foreign currencies have reduced some capital cost

differentials, but the above factors combine to keep that

differential high.

2.

Tax incentives for U.S. companies relative to foreign

competitors to deploy emerging technologies (including the

stability of tax regulations)

Foreign countries continue to employ a variety of incentives

to encourage the growth of new technologies. These range

from subsidies for the conduct of R&D to import protection cf

the products derived from the new technologies, at least in

their early marketing stages. U.S. firms receive few such

subsidies. Some predict that recent changes in the tax law

will have a stultifying effect upon venture capital, thus

denying U.S. firms access to a previously major source of

funding for new high-technology firms.

Frequent changes have made it difficult for U.S. businessmen.

Drafting of regulations often lag behind legislation

significantly. These changes and delays have created an air

of uncertainty in business planning: uncertainty is always ar. anathema to the businessman.

3.

Poor integration of manufacturing, design, and R&D functions.

For rapid movement of new technologies through the functions

of R&D, design, product development, and production, it is

necessary to have effective communication among these

functions. Lack of willingness and opportunity of key

technical staff to move with the emerging technology from R&D

into manufacturing, for example, has been common in U.S.

188
organizations, although much improvement has occurred in

recent years. A contributing factor in the U.S. has been the

lower status, reflected in lower salaries and recognition,

given to manufacturing relative to other branches of

engineering.

Lack of cooperation and integration among institutions in

the U.S. is just as important a barrier as among functions

within a firm. For example, more rapid application of new

technologies could be the result of closer coupling of firms

to technical activities in Universities and Federal

laboratories, and from intercompany cooperation to jointly

address generic or structural technical problems of a

longer-term nature. In this category would fall the classic

Government research (carried out by NBS , NOAA, and NTIA) to

provide technical data and standards that industry needs to

design reliable new products/processes, but single firms do

not have the incentive, expertise, or funds to develop

themselves

.

The Japanese are said to be particularly strong in

integrating functions; this may partly account for the rapid

speed with which their firms introduce new products into the

market. Rotation of staff among these functions in Japan

also helps this integration process.

4. Inadequate laws, regulations, and enforcement protecting

intellectual property rights in the U.S. or overseas.

U.S. businesses rely upon strong intellectual property

protection to realize the benefits of emerging technologies.

In fact, the rate of development of emerging technologies may

well depend upon patents as incentives and security for R&D

or marketing investment, and upon trademarks to build and

protect reputations for quality. Barriers exist where laws,

regulations or enforcement procedures are inadequate. When

innovation is neither rewarded nor encouraged, markets are

either forfeited, left untapped, or are underdeveloped.

Examples of domestic barriers include (1) the inadequacy of

the statutory 17-year patent term for certain agricultural

and pharmaceutical products which are subject to extensive

premarket testing, and (2) the absence of effective

protection for process patent holders against imports of

products made abroad under the patented process.

On the international front, it is well recognized that many

countries do not offer adequate intellectual property

protection and, in some cases, actually sanction abuse of

intellectual property rights. This would include, for

example, a nation's outright appropriation of foreign-owned

technologies or of creative and artistic works. This robs

189
the inventor or creator and, of course, the associated

business concern of any possibilities of realization of world

market potential.

5. Complacency and Dependance on the Domestic Market

This barrier encompasses the attitudinal problems generated

by the size and ready availability of the U.S. market for new

products and services — the lack of an immediately apparent

need to compete with Japan and other countries head-to-head

in the international marketplace. American companies,

separately and in joint ventures, must aggressively seek

export opportunities abroad and anticipate challenges in the

U.S. from new foreign competitors. This barrier also

encompasses the attitudinal differences toward "risk taking”

between U.S. and Japanese firms and the cultural differences

in approaches to production and marketing. The Japanese

preference is to produce and market technological

improvements in small increments, thereby gaining a foothold

and experience in the marketplace. The U.S. approach is to

complete as much research and development as possible before

producing and marketing a new product which M leap frogs”

existing technology.

6. Restrictive Trade Policies in Foreign Markets

Restrictive trade policies take many forms — laws,

regulations and practices — with an overriding consequence

of protecting a home market from foreign products. Although

most of these policies are sponsored by governments, business

practices and social mores may also act as significant trade

barriers.

Direct Government Practices are one type of policy affecting

trade. Included here are:

- Tariffs and other import duties designed to protect a

domestic market rather than to raise revenues.

- Import licensing designed to create uncertainty,

delays, and discrimination for foreign products.

- Government procurement (i.e., buy national products)

- Product development and export subsidies programs.

Indirect Government Practices are a second type of policy.

Included here are:

- Standards codes, testing, labeling, and certification

requirements which interfere with market availability

and acceptance of foreign products.

- Local or domestic content (e.g. rules or origin)

190
requirements on foreign products which adversely

affect technology and process innovations.

- Market reserve policies that designate certain

markets for domestic products only.

- Disregard of intellectual property rights by foreign

governments which undermine the ability to exploit

markets with new products.

Non-trade and Non-government Measures and Practices are a

third type. Included here are:

- Public health and safety laws that indirectly

restrict the importation of foreign products.

- Local and national distribution systems that

discriminate against foreign products through

interlocking relationships among manufacturers,

wholesalers, and financial institutions.

7. Federal or State regulations on corporate activities

intended to protect the public health and safety (e.g., building

codes, environmental laws, occupational health regulations, and

drug approvals)

.

Emerging technologies generally require, somewhere in their

development and production, some form of environmental

and/or health clearance or regulation. This will occur on

the Federal or State levels depending on which of the

Federal regulation (s) apply.

Those technologies involving large-scale use of new

materials, particularly in the broader electronics

categories, will have to continue to meet the existing

water, air and disposal requirements. In the case of new

and exotic materials, such as the new semiconductor

compounds (e.g. Gallium Arsenide) , OSHA regulations are

constantly being revised to protect against potential

hazards, while EPA has control of various emissions through

clean air and clean water legislation.

Solid waste reclamation also will enter into the cost of

using new technologies. Disposal of new composite materials

as scrap in products that have reached the end of their

useful life, will impose a new set of costs and possible

barriers. The present case of what to do with worn-out lead

storage batteries is a good example of what might happen to

a higher technology material with end-of-cycle toxicity.

For those technologies involved in medical and health care,

regulations covering production, product certification,

standards, OSHA considerations and disposal add to the

burden of time/testing, as well as to the cost of meeting

191
stringent health and environmental standards. The current

issues surrounding the regulation and testing of

genetically-altered naturally occurring organisms is a prime

example of an emerging technology in the early stages of

development.

The costs and time delays involved are further exacerbated

if competing countries have less stringent certification and

environmental requirements. Technologies in those countries

are often put into production faster, thus putting U.S.

suppliers at a competitive disadvantage. There are several

recent examples in the pharmaceutical industry of the effect

of these differences.

8. Export controls on advanced technologies and high-technology

products

While the need for control of the export of technology for

purposes of U.S. national security has been clearly

established, the costs attributable to "over-control” are

also now becoming more apparent. That is, the Executive

Branch's inability to decontrol goods and technology — that

are no longer strategic or are available from foreign

competitors —is now seen as inhibiting our ability to remain

technologically superior to our international competitors as

well as contributing to the erosion of our defense

industrial base . The Department of Commerce is trying to

establish interagency procedures that will facilitate the

decontrol to take place as Congress intended.

9. Restraints and uncertainty caused by product liability and

tort laws.

With increasing frequency, claims are made that innovation

and ability to compete are retarded in the U.S. by product

liability and tort laws. The resulting uncertainty and

instability have brought about a need for reform. Reasons

include: — A patchwork of 50 different state laws on product

liability. Cases based on similar facts, but tried

in different states, can produce strikingly

different and contradictory results. — The enormous transaction costs for all parties

involved in litigation.

-- The high costs of insurance for product-liability

related protection.

192
Over the past 20 years our product liability law has moved

away from fault as its basic guiding principle. The

Commerce Department has taken the position that as a matter

of fairness to manufacturers and as an incentive to them to

construct new and safe products, businesses should generall

be held liable only for behavior based on fault.

10. Anti-trust restrictions against cooperative ventures for

marketing or production. There may still be perceived barriers

against cooperative R&D, but legal restrictions against

procompetitive R&D were eased by legislation in 1984.

Many U.S. anti-trust restrictions have been in place,

substantially unchanged, for over 75 years. In these times

of strong foreign competition and worldwide markets, U.S.

firms are at a disadvantage when compared to foreign firms

not subject to such strong, legal strictures. Production

economies not envisaged when the original laws were enacted

are now possible. These economics permit firms jointly to

build and operate facilities at lower cost, thus improving

world-competitive positions. Facilities housing flexible

automated manufacturing systems are one example, but other

shared facilities are also possible. Joint production by

large firms, joint marketing of the products, and mergers of

such large firms are subject to close scrutiny by U.S.

Federal agencies, even though they may increase efficiency.

This is viewed as an anachronism, particularly in the light

of foreign practice.

Cooperative funding of procompetitive R&D was eased by

changes enacted in 1984 which, among other things, reduced

damages to be assessed to losses actually incurred. These

changes are still not as widely known as they might be, with

the result that some cooperative U.S. ventures are not being

undertaken in fear of anti-trust prosecution.

193
APPENDIX C

RECOMMENDATIONS OF METHODS TO OVERCOME BARRIERS

BARRIER: HIGH COST OF CAPITAL IN THE U.S. RELATIVE TO FOREIGN

COMPETITORS

Efforts to reduce Federal budget deficits should continue

because of negative effects of the high deficits on capital

markets and on interest rates.

State and local level efforts to meet local capital needs

should be encouraged. The creation of venture capital pools

would help increase the availability of capital for the new,

high-risk developments that sometimes have very large

innovation and competitive payoffs. Investment rebates and

other incentives might also be used.

Actions should be taken to increase aggregate savings in the

U.S. Additional tax incentives (beyond the recent tax

reform), direct appeal to savers, and other actions could

increase savers willingness to save rather than consume.

Increased savings levels are necessary to help increase

capital supply and lower interest rates. The U.S. savings

level is much lower than in competitor nations.

BARRIER: TAX INCENTIVES FOR DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES

In order to encourage rapid commercialization of

technological advances, any future changes in the tax law

should focus on the incentives available for long-term

investment in all factors of the production, marketing, and

distribution processes. Changes in cost recovery provisions

should not force U.S. companies into a competitive

disadvantage. American businesses must have confidence that

major tax changes will not be made repeatedly.

The tax laws of foreign countries should be analyzed to

determine if they discriminate against U.S. products being

sold there. Discriminatory effects should be alleviated

through negotiation or, if necessary, compensated through

legislation.

BARRIER: POOR INTEGRATION OF MANUFACTURING, DESIGN, AND R&D

MARKETING FUNCTIONS

All managers should have a grounding in the basic production

process of the company. Beyond this, managers should

receive cross-functional training so they have at least a
minimal appreciation of finance, personnel, technology

development, marketing, as well as production.

Top management must foster attitudes throughout management

staff that foster flexibility, change, innovation and

adaptability.

Business schools must update curricula to train business

students in the total process — from R&D to marketing and

servicing. Business students must see any particular

specialization within the fullest context of what is

required for corporations to achieve maximum productivity.

BARRIER: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION

Industrial firms in the U.S should take great care in

transferring their technology and other intellectual

property to foreign firms. For protecting the

competitiveness of the nation as a whole, firms should

establish safeguards against non-economic transfers.

Export control procedures should be changed to include

intellectual property protection agreements and concerns, so

that sales by U.S. firms are protected and enhanced.

Insist other nations protect U.S-owned intellectual

property. Treaties, reciprocal agreements, tariffs, and

other mechanisms used by the U.S. government in dealing with

other nations should incorporate strong intellectual

property provisions. U.S. laws could be strengthened to

insure reciprocity and to prevent unapproved imports of

products made abroad by processes patented in the U.S.

Enforcement in other countries is often the weakest link in

the protection process.

Ownership of rights stemming from collaborative research

should be clarified. The goal is to eliminate uncertainty

and thus maximize the incentives to rapidly commercialize

technological developments by U.S. firms. Similarly,

actions should be taken to assure that ownership rights and

other benefits from Federally-funded research flow to U.S.

organizations.

Ways should be sought to obtain payments from foreign

graduate students for the intellectual property they benefit

from while doing research in the U.S.

BARRIER: COMPLACENCY AND DEPENDENCE ON THE DOMESTIC MARKET

We must foster entrepreneurial risk-taking. Several steps

can be taken. Promote greater ownership by executives of

corporate stock so that executives become owners, not simply

195
managers. Include employees in "participative management"

so that more decisions are made by those closest to

production operations. Incentive systems must be improved

so that more employees feel they have a greater stake in the

success of the company.

Shift emphasis in our business schools so that executive

responsibilities are taught more within the context of

"owners" responsibilities rather than "management"

responsibilities

We must promote a greater sense of the "common good" so that

government, management and labor interact on a basis of

achieving positive goals rather than on the historic

adversarial basis.

We must foster the awareness that there is no longer

anything such as a purely "domestic" market. What we think

of as the U.S. domestic market is, in fact, part of the

global market. Thus as soon as a product leaves the

shipping dock, it has hit the world market, even if it is

only being shipped across town. This perspective must

permeate all management levels.

BARRIER: RESTRICTIVE TRADE POLICIES IN FOREIGN MARKETS

Adaptability to foreign preferences should be improved by

U.S. firms. The result should be U.S. -made products that

better meet the special preferences of consumers in other

nations and better performance in the marketing/distributior.

systems overseas. Increased exports and reduced trade

deficits are the obvious goal.

Foreign languages should be introduced earlier into the U.S.

educational process, so that our citizens will have a

greater ability to understand foreign needs/preferences, and

have an increased ability to successfully do business

overseas.

BARRIER: FEDERAL AND STATE REGULATIONS FOR PROTECTION OF HEALTH

AND SAFETY

Wherever possible, domestic regulations (from such sources

as EPA, OSHA, FDA, and SEC) should be reduced and simplified

in order to minimize their negative effects on industry's

use of new technology. In some cases, foreign competitors

have an advantage of less stringent or loosely enforced

regulations.

A better balance should be achieved between the desirable

safety goals of domestic regulations and the economic costs

to U.S. manufacturers and businesses. In addition to the

196
added costs, firms often have the application of new

technology or marketing of new products delayed

significantly. In the current global economy, we should

recognize that economic viability is as important a national

goal as public safety. The key is to balance these goals in

a meaningful way.

BARRIER: EXPORT CONTROLS ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES AND

HIGH-TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS

The January 1987 President’s Competitiveness Initiative

directs the Cabinet to review the export controls program

and provide recommendations to achieve the following:

o Decontrolling those technologies that offer no serious

threat to U.S. security;

o Strengthening enforcement controls on those technologies

that could harm U.S. security;

o Eliminating unilateral controls in those areas where

there is widespread foreign availability;

o Reducing the time required to acquire a license by at

least one-third and implementing a fair, equitable, and

timely dispute resolution process;

o Seeking agreement with our allies for concrete actions

to be taken which will make export control procedures

more uniform and enforcement more rigorous;

o Seeking overall to level the competitive playing field

while strengthening multinational controls over products

and technologies that can contribute to Soviet military

capabilities; and

o Recognizing the continued improvement in U.S ./People '

s

Republic of China (PRC) relations and the commitment of

the PRC to protect sensitive technology, and working

with our allies to further liberalize high technology

trade with China.

BARRIER: RESTRAINTS AND UNCERTAINTY CAUSED BY PRODUCT LIABILITY

LAWS

The January 1987 President's Competitiveness Initiative

proposes several methods to overcome this barrier. Proposed

legislation would:

o Retain a fault-based standard of liability;

197
o Eliminate joint and several liability except in cases

where defendants have acted in concert;

o Limit noneconomic damages to a fair and reasonable

amount;

o Provide for periodic, instead of lump sum, payments of

damages for future medical care or lost income;

o Reduce awards in cases where a plaintiff also is

compensated by other sources, such as government

benefits

o Reduce transaction costs by limiting attorneys'

contingent fees to reasonable amounts on a sliding

scale; and

o Encourage litigants to resolve more cases out of court.

BARRIER: ANTI-TRUST RESTRICTION AGAINST COOPERATIVE VENTURES

The January 1987 President's Competitiveness Initiative

proposes several methods to overcome this barrier. The

statutory proposals include:

o Amending Section 7 of the Clayton Act to distinguish

more clearly between pro-competitive mergers and mergers

that would create a significant probability of increased

prices to consumers;

o Limiting private and Government antitrust actions to

actual (rather than treble) damages, except for damages

caused by overcharges or underpayments;

o Removing unwarranted and cumbersome restrictions on

interlocking directorates;

o Clarifying the application of U.S. antitrust laws in

private cases involving international trade; and

o Requiring that any antitrust claims remaining against

other defendants after a partial settlement in a case be

appropriately reduced.

198
u.s. DEPT. OF COMM.

bibliographic data

SHEET (See instructions)

1. PUBLICATION OR

REPORT NO.

NBS 1 R 87-3596

2. Performing Organ. Report No.

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE

3. Publication Date

JUNE 1987

rrotca 3 ail'-' i h y wwn «. i w anw wa i I u I a L I VJM ii uy i auio w i liic lid L I und I DUI caU O r Standards; A Report by the National Bureau of Standards in Response to Public Law 99- 57

A

5. AUTHOR(S)

6. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION (If joint or other than NBS. see instructions)

111.00

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

GAITHERSBURG, MD 20899

7. Contract/Grant No.

t. Type of Report & Period Covered

final

9.

SPONSORING ORGANIZATION NAME AND COMPLETE ADDRESS (Street. City . State, ZIP)

N/A

10.

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

| | Document describes a computer program; SF-185, FIPS Software Summary, is attached.

11. ABSTRACT (A 200-word or less factual summary of most significant information. If document includes a significant

bibliography or literature survey

.

mention it here)

This report responds to Public Law 99*57^, which directed the NBS Director to ask the

Bureau's major clients about their needs for research and services related to NBS

"process and quality control and calibration programs"; and to report findings and

recommendations to the Bureau's Congressional authorizing committees.

NBS found that American firms and government agencies believe that implementation of

process control and quality assurance are and ought to be primarily the responsibility

of the producers of the Nation's goods and services; and that to respond to global

competitiveness, measurement services are needed at earlier stages in the

product/program development process. Greater accuracies and broader coverage are

needed for existing measurement services, and new technologies are creating demands

for additional, often entirely new or different services.

In general, customers are willing to pay costs directly related to the delivery of NBS

services, but are opposed to subsidizing basic or generic research that might underlie

several services. They see such research to be a mandated NBS mission, they expect it

to be funded by NBS appropriations, and they expect services to be available when

needed.

Finally, the report lists customers' specific measurement-rel ated needs in a variety

of technical areas.

12. KEY WORDS (Six to twelve entries; alphabetical order; capitalize only proper names; and separate key words by semicolons)

calibration; competitiveness; industry needs; process control; quality control;

standard reference materials

13. AVAILABILITY

Qunl i mi ted

I | For Official Distribution. Do Not Release to NTIS

H Order From Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

20402.

fxl Order From National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Springfield, VA. 22161

14. NO. OF

PRINTED PAGES

207

15. Price

$24.95

U SCOMM-O C 6043-P80
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