Fluid Phase Separation (FPS) Experiment

For Flight On A Space Shuttle

Get Away Special (GAS) Canister

Final Project Report, June 1990

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Advanced Space Systems Design

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Department of Mechanical Engineering

The University of Alabama in Huntsville
FLUID PHASE SEPARATION (FPS) EXPERIMENT

FOR FLIGHT ON A SPACE SHUTTLE

"GET AWAY SPECIAL" (GAS) CANISTER

Final Project Report

June 1990

Advanced Space Systems Design

Department of Mechanical Engineering

The University of Alabama in Huntsville

Bruce Peters

Edited By

Dennis Wingo Dr. Mark Bower

Robert Amborski

Laura Blount

Alan Daniel

Bob Hagood

James Handley

Donald Hediger

Lisa Jimmerson

Scott Johnstone

Jimmy Love

Written By

Teresa Neal

Kent Northcut

Randy Riley

Guy Roberts

Robert Strider

Anthony Thomson

Mike Williams

Wesley Woods
Abstract

The separation of fluid phases in microgravity environments is of

importance to environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS) and

materials processing in space. A successful fluid phase separation experiment

will demonstrate a proof of concept for the separation technique and add to

the knowledge base of material behavior.

The phase separation experiment will contain a premixed fluid which will

be exposed to a microgravity environment. After the phase separation of the

compound has occured, small samples of each of the species will be taken for

analysis on the Earth. By correlating the time of separation and the

temperature history of the fluid, it will be possible to characterize the

process.

The phase separation experiment is totally self contained, with three

levels of containment on all fluids, and provides all necessary electrical

power and control. The controller regulates the temperature of the fluid, and

controls data logging and sampling. An astronaut activated switch will

initiate the experiment and an unmaskable interupt is provided for shutdown.

The experiment has been integrated into space available on a manifested Get

Away Special (GAS) experiment, CONCAP 2, part of the Consortium for Materials

Complex Autonomous Payload (CAP) Program, scheduled for STS-42.

This document presents the design and the production of a fluid phase

separation experiment for rapid implementation at low cost.
Table of Contents

Abstract

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Initial Response to Draft Request

1.0 Introduction

2.0 Experimental Process

3.0 Design Summary

3.1 Structural System

3.2 Fluid Sampling and Specimen Retrieval System

3.3 Environmental Control System

3.4 Controller

3.5 Power Supply

4.0 Safety

5.0 Project Management

6.0 Conclusion

List of Figures

Figure i Phase Separation Process

Figure 2 Time History of Experimental Process

Figure 3 Experimental Process, Block Diagram

Figure 4a - Verticle Section Of CONCAP-2 GAS Canister

Figure 4b - Isometric View Of FPS Experiment Systems

Figure 5 - Outer Shell Containment and Structural System

Figure 6a - Outer Shell Stress Field

Figure 6a Outer Shell Stress Field

Figure 7 Teflon Fluid Sample Container

Figure 8 - Exploded View of Inner Shell

i

3

5

5

8

12

15

16

17

18

19

21
Figure 9 - Fluid Sampling Mechanism And Sample Tube

Figure i0 - Cooling Times For Various Insulation Thicknesses

Figure Ii - Schematic Of Controller Architecture

Figure 12 - Schematic Of Interface Of FPS Experiment With Orbiter

Figure 13 - FPS Experiment Time Line

Figure 14 - FPS Experiment Estimated Budget

Safety Reports

Resumes
Foreword

"Advanced Space Systems Design" was a new course for the 1989-1990 school

year, open to engineering students at the University of Alabama in Huntsville

(UAH). The project began in September as the Mechanical Engineering Senior

Design Class, ME-465, and continued as a Special Topics Class, ME-496, until

June.

The design topic was an experiment for a Get Away Special (GAS) canister

which could be used to characterize the effects of microgravity on the fluid

phase separation process. Professor Mark Bower put together a proposal which

outlined the scope of the project and this was presented to the students in

September. In addition, unused payload space on an already manifested GAS

canister here at UAH, CONCAP-2, was identified for possible use by the

experiment. It was desided that the experiment should be designed with the

intent of being integrated into CONCAP-2, which posed severe size and weight

constraints upon the designers. Although this went beyond the typical

classroom design project, it immersed the students in a true engineering

environment where their designs had real constraints and deadlines since the

experiment was going to fly onboard the space shuttle.

The Fluid Phase Separation (FPS) Experiment team consisted of seventeen

undergraduate students, a graduate reseach assistant, who served as the

project manager, and several faculty members who acted as the principal

investigators for the experiment. The design was to be carried out by the

students as a team effort. The team was required to complete the design of

the experiment, make a formal oral presentation of the design for critique by

university and NASA personnel, and write this final report. Subsequent work

focused upon procurement of materials for fabrication of components and

construction of a prototype. Some redesign was conducted at this stage to
solve problems discovered with the manufacturing of the prototype.

Due to the small size of the design team, different technical areas and

experiment systems were the responsibilities of individual students. It was

the responsibility of the project managerto direct the flow of information

between the individuals and to integrate the many inputs into a single,

coherent design. The principle investigators provide muchof the raw

information concerning the nature of the fluid experiment, and NASAprovided

most of the information concerning GAScanister design requirements. It was

left to the students to assimilate all of this information and develop a

design concept for the experiment, evaluate the different ideas and decide

upon the final design which was going to be constructed.

It cannot be stressed enough that this course provided the students with

a unique combination of design and manufacturing experience (in a real-life

atmosphere) with the rare opportunity to participate in a space-based project.
Acknowledgements

There are many people who provided the Advanced Space Systems Design

Project design team with valuable information,to whom we would like to express

our sincere gratitude. From the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in

Huntsville, Alabama, we thank Frank Swally, Chris Rupp, Bob Porter, Sherry

Walker and Stephen Tucker for their helpful critiques and continued support of

the project during the year. We would also like to thank Dr. Lundquist, Jan

Bijvoet and all the people associated with CONCAP-2 at the Consortium for

Materials Development in Space (CMDS) here at the University of Alabama in

Huntsville (UAH). Thanks also to our sponsors from industry who have donated

essential materials and expertise to the design team: Mr. Richard Turner of

Turner Associates Consultants Inc., Ms. DeAnn Bauer Sievert of Sherwood

Medical Co., James Bullington of Intergraph Corp., The Dupont CompanyIndustrial Films Division, Fluoro-Plastics Inc., Gates Energy Products Inc. A

special thanks to the UAH faculty members, Dr. Russell, Dr. Karr and Dr.

Smith, who provided invaluable help in the development and evaluation of the

systems used in the experiment. And finally, thanks to Steve Noojin for his

expert aid in seting-up and operating the SINDA software package.
University of Alabama, Huntsville

RESPONSETO THE DRAFT REQUESTFOR PROPOSAL

Introduction

The separation of fluid phases in microgravity environments

is of importance to environmental control and life support

systems (ECLSS) and materials processing in space. A

successful fluid phase separation experiment will

demonstrate a proof of concept for the separation technique

and add to the knowledge base of material behavior. Because

of the significance of this experiment it is important that

the experiment fly at the earliest possible time. This can

be achieved by taking advantage of space available on a

manifested Get Away Special (GAS) experiment.

A GAS experiment which is part of the Consortium for

Materials Complex Autonomous Payload (CAP) Program has been

identified as a potential vehicle for the phase separation

project. To ride on the manifested GAS experiment, CONCAP

2, scheduled for STS 40 or STS 42, the phase separation

experiment must be integrated into the GAS container and

meet the established time schedule for CONCAP 2. The phase

separation experiment must be designed such that it will not

in any way interfere with CONCAP 2. The phase separation

experiment must be totally self contained, with multiple

levels of containment on all fluids, and provide all

necessary electrical power and control la barometer switch

signal will be available to initialize the experiment).

This document presents a preliminary design concept and a

development plan for the production of such an experiment.

This plan is a fast paced program for rapid implementation

at low cost.

Preliminary Design Concept

The phase separation experiment will contain a premixed

fluid which will be exposed to a microgravity environment.

This exposure in concert with temperature effects will

contribute to the phase separation of the compound into

component species. When this occurs, small samples of each

of the species will be taken for analysis on the Earth. By

correlating the time of separation and the temperature

history of the fluid, it will be possible to characterize

the process. Therefor, the experiment must be capable of

storing temperature data with respect to time and two

material samples, for each of the phase separation

specimens.

The temperature of the fluid will be obtained by a sensor.

The temperature record will be stored in non-volatile
electrically erasable and programmable memory (EEPROM). The

material samples will be obtained by mechanical separation.

The samples will remain in the sampling mechanism until such

time that they can be analyzed on Earth. This will prevent

the samples from being contaminated by the remaining fluid.

For the safety of CONCAP 2, the phase separation experiment

must be isolated from the rest of the GAS can experiments.

This isolation requires physical containment and electrical

isolation. To keep all fluid samples free from

contamination and to meet safety requirements, a three

tiered physical containment system will be used.

The first level of the containment system will be a

spherical vessel which will contain the fluid specimen. The

second level of containment will be a container which will

house the spherical vessel and all sampling mechanisms. The

third level of containment will be the experiment housing.

This housing will be the interface between the phase

separation experiment and CONCAP 2. To measure the

temperature of the fluids and separate the samples, the

spherical vessel will have access ports. These ports will

be designed to minimize the potential for contamination.

The sample separation mechanism will provide one level of

containment between the sample and the specimen, and the

first level of containment between the sample and CONCAP 2.

The electrical isolation of the phase separation experiment

will require a separate control system and power supply. To

minimize the complexity and weight of the experiment the

control system will be designed such that a computer will

not be necessary. The control system will maintain the

temperature of the experiment within the specified range and

control data logging and sampling. The experiment will be

initiated by an input from an externally supplied barometric

switch. No other outside control will be required. The

temperature range will be determined by the fluids used in

the phase separation experiment.

Development Plan

The proposed vehicle for the phase separation experiment is

CONCAP 2, a manifested high priority experiment. The

development of the phase separation experiment must meet the

existing time schedule for CONCAP 2. Development of both

experiments will proceed along parallel paths with

integration occurring at key milestones as designated by the

CAP program and the CONCAP 2 experiment. In the event that

the phase separation experiment fails to meet any of the

established requirements or key milestones it will be

divorced from the CONCAP 2 experiment.

The attached figure shows a proposed time schedule for the

phase separation experiment. The preliminary milestones
noted are those established for this program and do not

necessarily represent milestones established for CONCAP 2.

As information on the CONCAP 2 schedule becomes available

those milestones will be integrated into the program time

line. Key milestones to be noted on the figure are:

2 November 1989 - Design Proposal Due

4 December 1989 - Final Design Due (including all drawings)

- Initiate Procurement

15 January 1990 - Procurement Complete

28 February 1990 - Integration and Assembly Commences

31 March 1990 - Delivery of experiment to NASA for testing

30 June 1990 - Delivery of experiment to Kennedy Space

Center

This is an ambitious schedule, nevertheless we are confident

that this program can be completed on schedule and under

budget providing the best experiment in the shortest

possible time at the lowest cost.
i°0 Introduction

The separation of fluid phases in microgravity is of interest for

materials processing and long duration life support systems in space. On

earth, phase separation occurs due to buoyancy, but this is not the case in

the microgravity environment of space. Therefore, materials processing

relying on the phase separation of liquid mixtures will not occur in the same

way as on earth. This difference could be used to advantage to develop new

materials not presently available on earth.

Fluid phase separation has direct application to current research

concerning new metal alloys produced in microgravity. To optimize the

processing method for the alloys, the relationships between the different

phases of the metal must be known (ie. a phase diagram). Microgravity alters

the phase diagram. To construct a new phase diagram, the molten metal needs

to be analyzed while in space. It has been proposed that a simpler method

could use special fluid mixtures to model the molten metals. This has the

advantage that the transition temperature of phase separation for most fluids

is significantly lower than that of molten metals, so it will be easier to

study the fluids in the laboratory and then correlate the data to the metals.

The result will be a new space-based phase diagram which can be used to

develop stronger, lighter-weight metals.

Another possible application concerns spacecraft thermal control systems.

The heat from components, experiments and people must be dissipated from the

spacecraft environment. Present technology utilizes pumped liquid thermal

transport systems for heat exchange. The heat dissipation is controlled by

the mass flow rate of the system which is determined by the size of the pump.

Large heat dissipation requires large pumps which utilize a prohibitively

large amount of electrical power and add significantly to the weight of the
spacecraft. A specialized two phase (liquid to liquid) thermal transport

system could be more efficient in accomplishing this task. Therefore,

understanding the liquid-liquid phase separation process in space could aid in

the design of closed environments, such as the space station and the Mars

mission.

A detailed understanding of the separation process is essential to the

application of the fluid phase separation technology. Preliminary research

concerning potential fluid mixtures and their behavior in space is underway.

However, the fluid phase separation process is a complex interaction between

temperature and microgravity which is not possible to duplicate in an

earthbound laboratory. An experiment is needed which will characterize the

separation process in space and demonstrate a proof of concept for the fluid

phase separation technique.

At present, there are several approaches available to researchers. The

experiment could be placed onboard the Space Lab carried in the shuttle cargo

bay. This would allow maximum interaction between the investigator and the

experiment, permitting the greatest degree of flexibility. However, the lab

does not fly very frequently so the lag time between experiments could be

prohibitively long. Also, the experiment must meet the most stringent of NASA

safety requirements which would greatly increase the cost of the experiment.

Smaller middeck payloads are available which would allow some astronaut

interaction while holding down design and fabrication costs. The drawback is

the long waiting list at present for the small amount of available space,

which could mean that the experiment might take three years to fly. The final

alternative involved Get Away Special (GAS) Canisters. The Gas cans can fly

in the shuttle bay using excess space and payload not needed by the primary

mission experiments. They are self-contained units which permit a great deal

2
of design flexibility. Furthermore, they are the least expensive and can be

flown quite often. Due to the need for multiple experiments with many fluid

pairs and the desire to fly the experiment as soon as possible, it was decided

that a GAS canister was the optimal means of getting the experiment into

space. Here at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, a project was

undertaken to design a fluid phase separation experiment which would fulfill

the requirements of the researchers and be capable of integration into a GAS

canister.

The experiment will record a complete temperature history of the fluids

along with samples of component species to be analyzed on Earth. The phase

separation experiment is totally self contained, with multiple containment

levels for all fluids, and provides all necessary electrical power and

control. Since the GAS canister is quite large, it was decided to use a

modular design such that the experiment could be increased or decreased in

size depending upon the desires of the researchers and the available space.

Simultaneously, it was discovered that there was space available on a

manifested GAS canister, CONCAP 2, which was scheduled for STS-42 in December

of 1990. The Gas can is part of the Complex Autonomous Payload (CAP) Program

and contains a primary experiment which cannot be interfered with in any way.

The project proceeded with the design using constraints given by CONCAP°2 in

addition to those from the fluids researchers.

This document presents a design for the Fluid Phase Separation (FPS)

Experiment. It includes the description of the process, design of systems and

outline of a construction program.

2,0 Experimental Process

The liquid-liquid phase separation process is shown schematically in

Figure i. The system is initially a mixture of two fluids at temperature T i
within a container. As the system is cooled, it will reach a transition

temperature, Ts, at which point the two componentfluids will begin to

separate. Further cooling results in three separate components: the original

mixture and the two constituents. Eventually, the two constintuents will

completely separate from the mixture.

On earth, differences in density typically drive the separation process.

In microgravity, minimal surface energy will be controlling the separation.

It is anticipated that this will produce two spherically shapedvolumes

containing the different componentspecies. Onecomponentwill be collected

at the center of the fluid container, while the other will be wrapped around

the first, positioned at the edge of the container. The fluid phase

separation experiment will be used to characterize this process.

A mixture of Succinonitrile and Cyclohexane is of particular interest.

Succinonitrile is a solid at 20° C, room temperature, and has a vaporization

temperature of 85° C. This material is highly reactive with most metals

except for gold and stainless steel. Plastics and rubber are also reactive

but teflon is not. Cyclohexane is a liquid at room temperature and has a

vaporization temperature above 120° C. It is an organic solvent which will

dissolve most adhesives. All of the materials used to contain and support the

fluids must be carefully selected so as not to interact with the liquids to

produce erroneous results or jepordize the saftey of the experiment.

The active operation of the experiment is linked to temperature control

of the fluid. The mixture will not need to be heated prior to the experiment

start-up since the mixture will contract uniformly upon freezing. This is the

"dormant" phase shownin Figure 2. Just prior to the second sleep period,

during a time of low activity, each of the fluid samples will be heated to a

predetermined temperature and allowed to stabilized. The fluid mixture will
begin to cool until the "transition" temperature is reached. The phase

separation will then begin, accompaniedby a release of heat. This will cause

the fluid temperature to temporarily stabilize. As phase separation

continues, the fluid temperature will once again begin to fall and the

sampling mechanismwill be activated. The temperature of the fluid will be

stabilized and maintained constant, permitting small samples of each of the

species to be taken for analysis on earth. By correlating the time of

separation and the temperature history of the fluid, it will be possible to

characterize the process. After the sampling is complete, the experiment will

be deactivated for the duration of the space shuttle mission.

3.0 Design Summary

The fluid phase separation experiment has a total weight of 11.8 and a

volume of 1105 in 3 which is within the initial payload constraints imposed by

CONCAP 2. This value includes six fluid containers and the support apparatus,

the controller and power supply. The overall dimensions are: 14.5 in (width)

x 8.5 in (height) x 9.75 in (depth from the mounting plate). Figure 8a is a

mass schedule for the experiment, and Figure 8b is a complete materials list.

Volume of an individual fluid sample is 0.22 in 3. The GAS canister is shown in

Figure 4a with the relative placement of the components within the GAS Can

shown in Figure 4b.

3.1 Structural System

The structure will support the experiment and isolate the fluid phase

separation experiment from the rest of the GAS Can. The whole experiment will

be contained within this shell and will allow the liquid containers and

sampling mechanism to be attached to the GAS Can mounting plate.

Several ideas for the shape of the outer shell were considered. The

criteria used to evaluate the proposed shape included: size of the enclosed
volume, minimization of the weight, ease of fabrication and structural

stability. The dimensions of the GAScannister and the allocated space

provided by CONCAP-2set the maximumdimensions. The experiment was to be

located in the bottom, on one side of the cannister and have a height of no

more than i0 in. Later, the height was further reduced to 8.5 in. due to a

change in the primary experiment, CONCAP-2.

It was decided that the volume occupied by the fluid phase experiment

should be large enough to fully contain six fluid sample containers, a

controller and a battery. Since the experiment had to be completely isolated

from the other experiments in the GAScannister, there needed to be a minimum

of seamsand joints in the outer shell. To maximize structural stability, the

shell needed to be self supporting.

The semi-cylinder was chosen as the best shape for the outer shell

(Figure 5). The shell will have overall dimensions of 14.5 in. in length,

8.5 in. in height and a depth (measuredout from the mounting plate) of 9.25

in. The shell will be formed from 0.031 in., type 304 stainless steel sheet

which is inert to the chemicals used for the fluids. By using thin steel, we

can maintain the high strength and minimize the weight. The 304 stainless

steel is easy to form and can be welded to increase the strength of the shell

and provide containment.

To reduce the weight, there is no backplane on the shell. The

containment is maintained by covering the GASCan mounting plate with a

continuous 3 mil thick teflon sheet. A 0.125 in thick teflon O-ring gasket is

placed between the outer shell and the mounting plate to absorb the

displacements induced by thermal and mechanical loads. This will maintain a

tight seal and prevent contamination of the other experiments in the GASCan.

The shell is held to the mounting plate by 22, #I0-24 grade 8 socket head
bolts with 0.5 in. washers. The bolt material is A-286 corrosion resistant

steel with an allowable stress of 20 Ksi. The bolts are spaced at 2 in.

centers around the 0.75 in. flange on the outer shell. Although twenty-two

bolts are not needed to support the outer shell, they are needed to maintain

an adequate distributed pressure between the teflon gasket and the mounting

plate to ensure a tight seal under launch loads. This bolt configuration

produces a worst case maximumbolt stress of 3000 psi., for a factor of saftey

of 6, under a I0 g load applied during the launch. The outer shell

experiences a maximumstress of 400 psi. at launch, which is well below the

yield stress of the stainless steel which should prevent even a fatigue

failure of the outer shell(Figure 6a and 6b).

The shell will be penetrated at three points. A D-type electrical

connector is located on the bottom of the shell to connect with control cables

from the shuttle (located at the bottom of the GAScan). The connector will

have gold plated pins and a teflon gasket on the interior to prevent corrosion

and contamination of the GASCan. The other two openings are covered with

seven-micron teflon filters in a 304 stainless steel housing. The filters are

25 mm. diameter and have a maximumpressure of I00 psi. at the inlet, with an

allowable pressure difference of 50 psi. This will permit the purging of the

fluid phase separation experiment with nitrogen prior to launch. Also, these

two ports will permit rapid dissipation of the interior pressure while

maintaining containment of the fluid in the event that the GASCan is

depressurized while in space. If this were to occur, the fluid would sublime

to a solid and be trapped by the filter while the nitrogen gas could escape,

preventing a rupture of the outer shell.

An analysis of displacements showedthat deflections of the large

diaphram-like surfaces were acceptable, but a dynamic analysis showedthat the
fundamental frequency of vibration was too low. To improve the dynamic

response of the outer shell, triangular ribs were added to the top, bottom and

side of the shell. These ribs broke up the area which could freely oscillate,

and stiffened the surfaces to out-of-plane motion.

3.2 Fluid Sampling and Specimen Retrieval System

Within the outer shell is the fluid phase separation experiment. The

experimental apparatus is composed of three subsystems: the fluid containers,

the sampling mechanism and the structural frame (inner shell). Size and

weight restrictions determined the maximum number of fluid sampling systems to

be six.

Many materials were considered for the fluid containers. Due to the

unusually corrosive nature of the fluids, stainless steel, gold and teflon

were the only materials which were chemically suitable. A material with a low

specific gravity was desired to minimize weight. Furthermore, uniform thermal

conductivity was necessary to transfer heat from the external heaters into the

fluid. Since the external heaters are to be positioned on the outside of the

container, it is essential that the material have a high melting point.

Finally, a high tensile strength will be needed to withstand the expected

loads during the shuttle flight. All of these criteria are met by teflon.

The teflon was machined into the desired geometrical shape. A 0.75 in.

diameter spherical fluid cavity is inside a truncated cone with a nominal wall

thickness of 0.25 in. A flat octahedron plate passes through the sphere/cone

dividing it in two halves. Assembly of the fluid containers is accomplished

using a ferrel type joint for alignment with six bolts to ensure an adequate

seal. This will also provide the first level of containment for the fluid.

The orientation of the fluid containers is shown in Figure 7.

Although a spherical shape both inside and out would be optimal for heat
flow considerations, the exterior sphere is difficult to produce. Therefore,

a cone was used since it can be easily machine and still provides a minimumof

exposed surface to conduct and radiate heat away from the fluid. The shape

will produce an even heat flow through the teflon container and into the fluid

sphere.

Provisions had to be madeto fill the spherical cavity of each sample

container after assembly. This problem was remedied by designing a special

fill port that included a stainless steel tube press fit into the fluid

container and sealed at the outside with a removable teflon plug. This

permits over filling of the spherical cavity so that no air pockets are

present within the sphere.

The teflon container has a maximumtensile strength of 3000 psi. which is

strong enough to withstand the increase in internal pressure created by

partial vaporization of the fluid within the cavity (an internal pressure of

I00 psi.). However, the controller should terminate the heating of the fluid

before this pressure is reached.

Surrounding the fluid containers is the inner stainless steel shell which

provides the structural support and acts as the second level of containment.

The housing will be fabricated from the samematerial as the outer shell

discussed earlier and will also have welded seams. The fluid containers will

be mountedwithin this housing but separated from the stainless steel shell by

an insulating phenolic pad to minimize heat transfer away from the fluid

spheres. Each of the fluid containers is attached to the inner shell by four,

#5-40, socket head screws, threaded 0.375 in. into the teflon. Under the

worse loading case at the time of launch, the maximumload (including the

preload) is 84 ibs. per screw. This gives a safety factor of 9 with respect

to tear out, bearing and shear stresses.
The inner shell is constructed in two parts (Figure 8). A base plate

mounts the shell to the GAScannister with 12, #10-24, grade 8, socket head

screws. The A-286 corrosion resistant steel used in the screws has a 20 Ksi.

allowable tensile stress which is four times greater than the maximumstress

of 5000 psi. which occurs at launch. The base plate has four flanges which

are normal to the surface of the plate for attachment of the box containing

the fluid spheres.

The box has four sides (open front and back), and is madeslightly larger

than the tabs of the base plate. The box is then bolted to the tabs on the

base plate. Stainless steel nuts were spot welded to the base plate to accept

the 12, #5-40, A-286 steel, socket head screws. This was done to permit

easier assembly of the experiment by allowing access to the front and back of

the fluid spheres. To'seal the box onto the base plate, a teflon O-ring

gasket fits inside of the tabs. To completely seal the box, the front panel

is attached using 12, #5-40, A-286 steel, socket head screws and a teflon Oring gasket. As before, stainless steel nuts are welded onto the inside edge

of the box to accept the screws. This panel permits access to the spheres to

fill them prior to launch.

The whole structure of the inner box has a maximumstress of 900 psi.

which is well below the yield stress of the stainless steel which should

prevent failure of the inner shell. To stiffen the inner shell and to provide

a rigid plate upon which to mount the rotary actuators, a stainless steel

plate is welded across the interior of the box. Onceall of the components

are in place, selected areas inside the box are filled with expanded

polystyrene foam which helps to dampenvibration and provides thermal

insulation.

The sampling mechanismis composedof two tubes fitted one inside the

I0
other (Figure 9). The exterior tube is rigidly mounted across the inside of

the fluid sphere. It has two holes in the wall of the tube positioned such

that one is at the center, and the other is near the edge. A rotary actuator

will rotate the inner tube to align the inner two holes with the outer two and

permit diffusion of the fluid species into the inner tube. After sampling is

completed, the inner tube will be rotated in a reverse direction to seal the

samples within the innermost tube.

The exterior tube is limited to approximately 0.050 in. in diameter in

order to limit the effects of wetting along the tube which would destroy the

concentric sphericity of the two fluids as they separate. To prevent this,

the tube has two small disks or fins on it to keep the one fluid from wetting

along the whole length of the tube. This will ensure that each component

species is sampled.

In order to provide rigidity, maintain precision and to simplify the

design and construction, the sampling tubes are madefrom stainless steel

spinal needles, which are modified as needed. The ends of the needles are

closed by a quick touch with a TIG welder. The rotary actuators have a

maximum40° rotation which limits the size of the holes in the tubes to 0.013

in. in diameter. To makesure that the holes on both tubes are aligned and

free of jagged edges, which would disrupt the fluid flow into the tube, both

holes are simultaneously cut with a file and then the tubes are dipped in

nitric acid to remove burrs.

An interference or press fit is used where ever a teflon to stainless

steel seal occurs. The outer tube pierces the sampling chamber, the rotaty

seal between the inner and outer tubes, and the plug in the inner tube are all

examples of an interference fit. Adequate pressure is maintained at the seal

up to 130° C. This allows for the difference in the thermal expansions of the

ii
two materials.

3.3 Environmental Control System

The fluid phase separation requires careful control of the fluid

temperature during the experiment. Conductive and radiative heat flow will

account for the heat transfer within the GAS Can. The design of the

environmental control system must compensate for the rapidly changing

temperatures of the GAS Can environment while providing enough heat to raise

the fluid temperature above the transition temperature so that phase

separation can occur.

The problem is not one of steady state conduction but of time varying

conduction. The orbit (sunlight to darkness every 45 minutes), periodic

turning within orbit, and the attitude of shuttle within orbit (earth or space

viewing) will influence the ambient GAS Can environment. The environment may

vary from -i00 ° to 20 ° C. Therefore, the design of the heaters and the

insulation must consider the rate at which heat will be lost from the fluid so

that the cooling time is long enough. Likewise, the cooling period must not

be too long or the experiment may not be completed within the allotted time.

Initial calculations modeled a fluid heated to 90 ° C and cooled to 20 ° C

which is surrounded by a cold environment. The fluid is a sphere, at a

uniform temperature, which is suddenly immersed in a colder fluid.

Surrounding the fluid is a low density, high heat capacity polystyrene

insulative layer. As the thickness of the insulation layer increases, the

cooling time increases. However, if the ambient environment is too warm, the

cooling time becomes prohibitively long. This means that the insulation layer

must be designed for the warmer environment and supplemental heating used to

stretch the cooling time in colder environments.

More detailed modeling was done using SINDA (Systems Improved Numerical

12
Differencing Analyzer). This computer program is well suited to solving

lumpedparameter representations of physical problems. The model represents

the heat flow paths as a conductor/capacitor network.

The experiment componentswere first broken into smaller elements and

assigned a nodal number. The volume and capacitance of each node was

calculated. The nodes are then linked to reflect conductive and radiation

heat flow paths between all of the possible nodes. The final aspect is to

assign boundary nodes to represent the properties of space around the GAS

cannister. This computer model is then converted into executable Fortran

code, and run for a predetermined amount of time or until steady state is

reached. The end result is a complete temperature history of each node as it

cools and/or warms. The temperatures of the fluid were of interest in the

cooling phase, and they were dependent upon the temperature chosen for the

heat sink (space node). From these tests, the heaters and the layer of

insulation were sized and are shown in Figure I0.

A polystyrene layer, with nominal thickness of 1 in, will be affixed to

the exterior of the fluid container housing. Additional insulation can be

addedwithin the cylindrical aluminum container and inside the fluid container

housing to shield individual fluid containers from the other containers. This

will allow customization of individual fluid samples without affecting the

overall performance of the experiment.

Sensors will constantly monitor the temperature of the fluid and activate

the heaters to keep the liquid from freezing. In orbit, the expected

equilibrium GASCan temperatures are -I00 ° C during space viewing and -I0 ° C

during Earth viewing. Due to occassional rotating of the shuttle, the sun may

heat the outside of the GASCanwhich may cause the temperature within the GAS

Can to rise to 20° C. Although the effects of the extreme cold can be

13
minimized with heaters and insulation, the warming of the GAS Can will be a

problem. There is no adequate means at our disposal to cool the experiment if

it should get too warm. Because of this, the thermal heating design was

determined for the worst case temperatures of °i00 ° C and it is assumed that

the insulation provided will prevent the experiment from warming too much.

Once the experiment begins, the fluid will be heated to a maximum

temperature of 90 ° C over a one hour period and then maintained at that

temperature for five hours. This will require 81 mW/hr or 486 mW total. The

fluid will also need to be cooled slowly, so intermittent heating may be

required during cooling. Once sampling of the two fluid components begins,

the fluid temperature will be stabilized for an additional hour. This heating

load is used to determine the size and number of heaters required.

The heat flow for a single fluid container is 81 mW/hr over a six hour

period. Because there is some thermal lag in transferring the load, and the

heaters should not be in continuous operation, the heaters had to have a

greater output than the heating load required. It was determined that the

heaters should operate only one-third of the time which requires 243 mW/hr.

With six heaters chosen, the output from a single heater must be 40.5 mW/hr.

Given that the voltage available from the battery is 6 volts, the resistance

of an individual heater was calculated to be 0.88 ohms. These requirements

can be met by Thermofoil heaters, each being 0.5 inches in diameter, with an

effective area of 0.15 square inches.

For control and safety, each heater will have a resistance thermometer

laminated within it. The resistance thermometers (RTDrs) increase resistance

with temperature, and are considered to be accurate and stable sensing

devices. The RTD chosen will have either platinum, nickel, copper, or nickeliron elements.

14
Temperature sensors will also be needed to monitor the temperature of the

sample, as well as the temperature of the battery. They must have an output

range from O-10V. For the sphere, it will be necessary to have a coated

sensor which will resist any type of reaction with the fluid. It must have a

temperature range at least from -50 ° to 150 ° C. A teflon coated thermocouple

with a length of 0.05 in and a time constant of I sec has been selected.

3.4 Controller

The controller executes three primary functions. Function one provides

dynamic temperature contol of six fluid samples during the experiment cycle.

In addition, the temperature of the experiment battery pack will be regulated

to maintain optimum battery output throughout the experiment cycle. Function

two is the independent timing and control of each of the sample actuators once

the phase transition is reached. Function three is the data logging in nonvolatile memory of experiment temperatures for the duration of the

experiment's operation. Finally, the controller will monitor saftey and

control power for the experiment. The control and data logging requirements

for the Fluid Phase Separation Experiment are relatively simple. The

requirements fall into four catagories. These catagories constitute the

logical division of work for the controller (Figure Ii).

Category one is data storage. The non-volatile electrically erasable and

programmable memory (EEPROM) requirements are driven by the number of

temperatures stored multiplied by the sample rate, multiplied by the

experiment total operating time. A three day experiment cycle time will

generate 30240 bytes which need to be stored.

Category two is active temperature control. The active control for

temperature requires thirteen separate temperature inputs, two each from each

of the six fluid specimens plus one from the battery. In addition there are

15
seven temperature control outputs, one for each of the six experiments plus

one output for the battery.

Category three is the control of the experiment actuators. There are six

one bit control outputs for the actuation of the experiment sample mechanisms.

The timing for the sample mechanismswill be controlled by the temperature

inputs from the experiments themselves. A minimumtime delay between sample

actuation will be used to prevent overloading of the batteries.

Category four covers the general control requirements. This includes the

input from the GCDswitch actuated by an astronaut to begin and end the

experiment (Figure 12). If there is an indication that the battery charge is

low (voltage is less than 4.75 V for an extended period), a non-maskable

interrupt will be sent to the controller to shut itself off. This is done for

safety since this is the minimumreliable operating voltage for TTL digital

logic. Also, a software timer will be monitored by the processor to indicate

that the controller is operating the experiment properly. If the experiment

does not seemto be progressing (the fluid is not cooling, etc.), a maskable

interrupt will be sent to shut off that portion of the experiment.

Furthermore, if any of the heaters should fail in the "on" position, an

interrupt will cause the controller to sink enough current to blow a fuse and

thereby disable the bad heater.

To permit speed in construction and ensure certification for flight, the

controller will be a modification of NSC800 controller from the GAS Explorer

Program. To test the logical sections and permit integration of the

experiment and controller, simulated mission tests will be performed at The

University of Alabama in Huntsville.

3.5 Power Supply

A power supply is needed to provide power to various systems in the

16
experiment: sample actuators, fluid heaters, battery heater, data acquisition

and storage, and the experiment controller. Collectively, these systems

require 3.2 amphours for a sixty hour experiment duration. A 6 volt, 5

amphourGates Lead-acid MonoblocBattery, 5.47 in. in length, 2.11 in. in

width, and 3.02 in. in height will provide the necessary electrical power.

The battery weighs 2.43 Ibs, is self-contained in a flame retardant material

and is flight qualified. The battery is fused so that if a catastrophic short

circuit were to occur, the fuse will open to isolate the battery and stop the

experiment.

4.0 Safety

Safety has been of primary concern throughout the design process for the

experiment. The potential hazards concerning possible collision, corrosion,

explosion, and fire were identified. Each was carefully examined and a

detailed description of the hazard, hazard causes and hazard controls are

presented. All of the safety requirements are referenced from NSTS 1700.7B,

"Safety Policy and Requirements for Payloads Using the Space Transportation

System." Appendix B contains the safety documents for this experiment.

Collision is of paramount concern for any experiment on board the space

shuttle. Because of structural failure, damage could occur to surrounding

experiments or to the shuttle itself. The result could be a loss of control

or even the ability of the shuttle to stay in orbit. The ultimate hazard

would be penetration of the crew compartment, placing the safety of the

astronauts in jeopardy. To prevent these hazards from occuring, a factor of

safety of 1.4 was applied to all structural design. Furthermore, close

inspection of all assemblies for quality of materials and workmanship will

reduce the potential for material failure. The applicable NASA safety

requirements concerning collision (206, 208.1, 208.2 and 208.3) have been met.

17
Damage of the fluid containment vessels caused by sudden expansion of the

sample fluid, collision, or a fire could result in the release of some

corrosive material. If the fluid comes in contact with metal, the reaction

may weaken the metal and cause the component to fail. To prevent this hazard,

the experiment is self contained with three levels of containment surrounding

the experimental fluid. This containment will protect the surrounding

experiments by minimizing the spread of shrapnel and corrosive material if a

structural failure occurs. These measures fulfill the safety regulations

concerning corrosion (206 and 209.1).

Overheating of the battery due to heater runaway, polarity reversal or

short circuit could cause the battery to explode. The battery explosion could

spread corrosive material and shrapnel throughout the GAS Can. This is

prevented by using a sealed, flight qualified battery along with a fused bus

to prevent short circuits. Finally, a pure nitrogen environment around the

experiment will deprive a fire of the oxygen necessary to burn. Non-flammable

elements will be used near connections and all wiring and heaters will be

properly inspected. The design is in line with the NASA safety regulations

for explosion and fire (206, 213.1 and 213.2).

5.0 Pro_ect Management

The design has emphasized the use of prefabricated components whenever

possible to quicken the procurement and assembly of the experiment. The

delivery of the battery will be set for August so that the battery is not over

six months old at the time of launch. The acquisition of the controller is

paramount to assembly of the experiment. Adequate time is needed to modify

and test the controller.

The project was designed and assembled by engineering students at the

University of Alabama in Huntsville. The fall 1989 Senior Student Design

18
class (ME465) was the nucleus of the design team. The students were

responsible for generating all of the necessary design documentation. They

will also serve as the transition to the construction phase of the experiment.

Construction has begun, with anticipated completion by August of 1990. The

current work is done by students enrolled in a "Special Topics Class: Advanced

SpaceSystemsDesign". The resumesof the design team are included in

Appendix C.

The planned schedule for the construction of the fluid phase separation

experiment is a fast paced program to permit complete integration of the

experiment into CONCAP2. The development of the phase separation experiment

must meet the existing time schedule for CONCAP2. In the event that the

phase separation experiment fails to meet any of the established requirements,

it will be divorced from the CONCAP2 project.

Figure 13 shows the revised time schedule for the phase separation

experiment. It should be noted that originally, it was unknownwether CONCAPo

2 was to fly on STS-40in August, 1990 or STS-42 in December, 1990 since these

were the only two flights with the GASBridge installed. However, due to the

schedule of CONCAPo2,they were finally approved for STS-42. Since then, the

shuttle schedule has been further delaided due to problems with one of the

shuttles which has indefinetly postponed the flight. The current most likely

date for launch of STS-42is April of 1991. Weare confident that the fluid

phase separation experiment will meet this deadline.

6,0 Conclusion

The fluid phase separation experiment will characterize the liquid-liquid

phase separation process in a microgravity environment. The experiment

capitalizes on a cost effective system (GAS canister) while maintaining a high

degree of experiment flexibility. The design will allow six samples of a

19
fluid to be monitored for three days while in orbit. The system will record

temperature data and obtain samples of the component species for analysis on

Earth. The data will be analyzed to produce a phase relationship or phase

diagram for the fluid mixture. Ultimately, the FPS experiment will increase

the knowledge base of material processing and provide information for the

design of long duration life support systems.

20
Figures
W

Q_ Ts

f...-

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w

ONE-PHASE REGION

1C]C_ A

COMPOSITION 100_ B

Figure i Phase Separation Process
W

o-

<

nQ_

i,a

DORMANT

HEATING

TI NSITION TEMP

"ION OCCURS

SAMPLING

SLEEP PERIOD

TIME

Figure 2 - Experimental Process, Time History For A Single Fluid Sample
Dormant before and

during launch

Experiment enabled

by Astronaut

EMERGENCY !

Experiment disabled

by Astronaut

!

I Heat fluid to temp

hold fluid at temp for

6 hrs

Begin cooling,

heaters off

!

Minimum Surface [ Transition

(notEnergy density) I separation Temperature,begins

Hold temperature

begin sampling

End sampling,

allow to cool

Begin 4 hrs

before

second night

Sleep Period

(low activity)

End 6-8 hrs

later at

wake-up

I

shutdown

Experiment disabled

by Astronaut

Figure 3 - Experimental Process, Block Diagram
I

Figure 4a - Verticle Section Of CONCAP-2 GAS Canister

(showing placement of FPS Experiment)

0_- _-"OCR QUALITY,
--BATTERY

FLUID CONTAINMENT

CONTROLLER

OUTER CONTAINMENT IS CUT AWAY TO EXPOSE INTERNAL COMPONENTS.

Figure 4b - Isometric View Of FPS Experiment Systems
Figure 5 - Outer Shell Containment and Structural System
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OREGINAL _A,'-- r_,._ _. IS

OF POOR QUALITY
• lJ

- Optimized design for the FPS Experiment (began

prel/minsry design September, 1989 and finished design

May, 1990)

- Use fast track method for fabr/eat/on of fl/sht hardware

(anticipate eompbtion by July, 1990)

. Begin testing and q_, summar of 1990

. rnhegra_on of expm-/ment/nto _ can by Sepetember, 1990

-DefiverytoNASAinNovember, 1990

. Fly on 8TS-42 in April, 1991

Figure 13 - FPS Experiment Time Line

ORIGINAL PAGE IS

OF POOR QUALITY
COMPONENT

Teflon Occahedron

Sampllns Mechanism

Scaleless Steel IV

1/16in S_ainleas Sceel

Tubins & ¥iccinss

Phenolic Katerlal

Teflon Gasket

Structural Frame

Outer

Inner Housing

Fascners

Teflon Gasket

Teflon Sheet

Insulaclon

Fllters (7 micron)

D-Type Connector

Heaters

Thermoconple

Battery

Misc. Electrical

Assembly

TesCin S

TOTAL COST

MATERIAL COST

2.00 ea.

3.00 ea.

57.00 ea.

1.00 ea.

17.00 ea.

50.00

75.00

25.0o/100

34.00

160.00

6.00

35.00 ea.

25.00 ea.

15.00 ca.

53.00 ea.

15.00 ea.

LABOR COST

60.00 ea.

10.00 ea.

80.00

160.00

20.00

QTY

6

6

6

1

1

26

i

2

2

36

6

2

TOTAL COST

372.00

18.00

342.00

66.00

102.00

130.00

235.00

6.00

54.00

160.00

6.00

70.00

50.00

540.00

318.00

30.00

50.00

240.00

loo.oo

$ 2,461.00

Figure 14 FPS Experiment Estimated Budget
SAFETY REPORT
)AYLOAD

GAS PAYLOAD SAFETY MATRIX

PAYLOAD ORGAFIIZATION

G - CONCAP 2-Fluid Phase

HAZARD

SUBSYSTEM _ _

BIOMEDICAL

_ --e- X

m_

W

Z

r_ e_

X

RADIATION

STRUCTURES X

ELECTRICAL

ENVIRONMENTAL

;ONTROL

_UMAN FACTORS

_YDRAULICS

4ATERIALS

MECHANICAL

OPTICAL

X ×

ATE PAGE

DEC 89

)RESSURE

,SYSTEMS

PYROTECHNICS

i

i
GAS HAZARD LIST

HAYLUaU

COI_.CAP 2-_luid Pha._ S_D. E×_.

HAZARD GROUP

COLLISION

GCONTAMINATION

CORROSION

F1

G_ F2

EXPLOSION

G- F3

MULTIPLE, AS LISTED

HAZARD TITLE

FIRE, TEMPERATURE

EXTREMES

G- F4

STRUCTURES, MECHANICAL

Failure of support structures.

MATERIALS

Release of contaminating or corrosive

materials

ELECTRICAL

Rupture of Battery

ELECTRICAL

Thermal Runaway

DATE

APPLICABLESAFETY

REOUIREME._W

NSTS 1700.7B

zb : zo8.i

208.2-20B.3

206-

i20g.I

206-

213.2

206

213.1

213.2
GAS PAYLOAD HAZARD REPORT

! No.

I G-

) PAYLOAD

SUBSYSTEM STRUCTURES iHAZARD GROUP

HAZARD TITLE

Failure of Support Structures

APPLICABLE SAFETY REOUIREMENTS:

206- Failure Propogation

208.1- Structural Design

CONCAP 2-Fluid Phase Separation Experiment

COLLISION

I PHASE

i DATE4 DEC 1989

HAZARD CATEGORY

)

)Catastrophic

208.2- Emergency Landing Loads )

pOR R- _rr_== c_sinn ) X ( Critical

DESCRIPTION OF HAZARD: Failure of experiment support plate, failure of experiment

structure on experiment support plate or failure of internal support structur_

when exposed to launch or landing conditions.

HAZARD CAUSES:

i. Design inadequate to withstand launch, space, and/or landing loads.

2. Failure of adjoining experiments.

3. Use of defective, improper, or improperly manufactured materials.

4. Stress corrosion.

HAZARD CONTROLS:

i. Properly sized and inspected bolts, screws, or other fasteners.

2. Safety factor of 1.4.

3. All joints properly constructed and inspected.

SAFETY VERIFICATION METHODS:

;TATUS OF VERIFICATION:

PHASE III

APPROVALS

GAS P/L Manager

GAS ProJect Manager

GAS Safety Officer

STS
GAS PAYLOAD HAZARD REPORT

I No.

I GPAYLOAD

CONCAP 2- Fluid Phase Separation Experiment

t PHASE

I

t

SUBSYSTEM I HAZARD GROUP

MATER IALS f CORROS ION

HAZARD TITLE

Release of corrosive materials

I DAT_ DEC 1989

APPLICABLE SAFETY REOUIREMENTS: HAZARD CATEGORY

206- Failure Propogation i

209 i- Hazardous Materials i Catastr°phic

• I

X I Critical i

DESCRIPTION OF HAZARD:

Rupture of sample containers resulting in release of corrosive materials.

HAZARD CAUSES:

i. Rupture of sample containment vessels.

2. Contraction/expansion of sample vessel and sample fluid.

3. Fire resulting in sample vessel damage.

HAZARD CONTROLS:

Expansion cavity.

Multiple levels of containment.

Shrink wrap around containers•

Structural mounting of vessels.

Non-mettallic vessels.

Containment vessels made of approved material for experimental.fluid.

Insulation could absorb some spilled fluid.

SAFE_ VERIFICATION METHODS:

STATUS OF VERIFICATION:

I

PHASE I I I I

F

i

APPROVALS i

t

GAS P/L Manaaer

GAS Project Manaaer

GAS Safety Officer

J STS
GAS PAYLOAD HAZARD REPORT

PAYLOAD

CONCAP 2- Fluid Phase Separation Experiment

SUBSYSTEM )HAZARD GROUP

ELECTRICAL I EXPLOS ION

NO.

Gi

PHASE

I

DAT_ DEC 1989

HAZARD TI_E

Rupture of battery

APPLICABLE SAFETY REOUIREMENTS:

206- Failure Propogation

213.2- Electrical System, Batteries

HAZARD CATEGOI

1'i Catastrophic

t

I × ( Critical

DESCRIPTION OF HAZARD:

Batteries are ruptured creating corrosive materials and shrapnel resulting

in damage to the orbiter.

HAZARD CAUSES:

i. Uverheating of battery due to heater runaway, polarity reversal, or short

circuit.

2. Overpressurization of battery caused by outgassing.

3. Explosion of hydrogen and oxygen buildup created by short circuit.

4. Damage to batteries created by structural damage during ascent/descent.

5. Use of corrosive or otherwise hazardous electrolytes.

HAZARD CONTROLS:

I. Shrink wrap of all batteries.

2. Use of flight approved battery.

3. Multiple containment levels.

4. Use of bus board to reduce fire hazards.

SAFE3_,v VERIFICATION METHODS:

STATUS OF VERIFICATION:

PHASE III

GAS P/L Manaaer

I

I GAS Project Manaaer !"i STS

APPROVALS ) I

k I

GAS Safety Officer

,a
GAS PAYLOAD HAZARD REC::

! No.

I Gt

PAYLOAD

CONCAP 2- Fluid Phase Separation Experiment

SUBSYSTEM IHAZARD GROUP

I PHASE

I

i

eLECTRICAL I

FIRE, THERMAL RUNAWA_ DAT_ DEC 1989

HAZARD TITLE

_hermal runaway

APPLICABLE SAFETY REOUIREMENTS:

206- Failure Propogation

213.1- Electrical Systems, General

213.2- Electrical Systems, Batteries

HAZARD CATEGO_

I

i Catastroohic

I

X t Critical

DESCRIPTION OF HAZARD:

Failure of heater elements resulting in potential fire hazard or a short

circuit contacting flammable material.

HAZARD CAUSES:

1. Malfunction of heater elements.

2. Malfunction of temperature control monitors.

HAZARD CONTROLS:

1. Use of non-flammable elements adjoining batteries and/or heater elements.

2. Properly inspected wiring and heaters.

3. Multiple containment levels.

4. Use of a Nitrogen atmosphere.

SAFER' VERIFICATION METHODS:

STATUS OF VERIFICATION:

GAS Safety Officer

I GAS P/L Manaaer t

PHASE 111 I

I GAS Project ManaQer I STS

APPROVALS ) 1

I t
RESUMES
LAURAJO BLOUNT

EXPERIENCE Teaching Assistant, Fall 1989

Department of Mechanical Engineering

University of Alabama in Huntsville

-Graded papers for the Heat and Mass Transfer class

Metallographer, Summer 1988

Department of Mechanical Engineering

NASA/University of Alabama in Huntsville

-Cast and polished flight specimens from a

microgravity laser-welding experiment.

-Examined specimens under a microscope which

had photographic capabilities.

Research Assistant, Summer 1987

Department of Mechanical Engineering

NASA/University of Alabama in Huntsville

-Established and reviewed data from a

crystal hollography experiment.

-developed photographs and aided computer

analysis programs.

Medical Reqords Clerk, Summer 1986

Department of Medical Records

University of Alabama in Huntsville Medical Clinic

-Posted doctor's dictation in patient's medical

charts.

-Filed charts.

-Pulled charts for the next day's schedule.

EDUCATION B.S.E. Mechanical Engineering

University of Alabama in Huntsville, expected December 1989.

PROFESSIONAL American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Associate Member

ORGANIZATIONS
ALANL. DANIEL

EXPERIENCE Mechanical Engineer, March 1988 - September 1989

Essex Corporation

Huntsville, AL 35806

-Responsible for design and development of two out three

of the Maintance Trainers on the Integrated Avionics at

the E6-A program.

-Lead Engineer on the integration between Boeing, Essex

and Rediffusion Simulation Limited with all Avionic

Trainers produced by Essex.

-Responsible for design and analysis work on the end

effector on the Remote Manipulator System to be used

by NASA in the Neuytral Buoyancy Simulator.

-Lead Engineer on BDM Autobus contract, responsible

for all drawings and design of card cage and

container which are to be used in military vehicles

-Certified to dive in the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator

on RSA, have dived in support of the Hubble Space

Telescope Program.

Engineering Aide, Summer 1987

E. Wayne McCain Boiler and Engineering Company

Birmingham, Alabama

-Performed tests evaluations on the boiler systems

on RSA.

-Performed various studies and experiments on the

boilers to determine their efficiency.

Intake Officer, June 1986 - June 1987

Madison County Juvenile Court System

Huntsville, Alabama 35811

-Responsible for processing all juvenile offenders

brought to the Madison County Detention Home.

EDUCATION B.S. Mechanical Engineering

University of Alabama in Huntsville, expected Fall 1989.

B.S. Applied Mathematics

Auburn University, June 1986

A_S, Mathematics

Calhoun Community College, August 1985

PROFESSIONAL American Society of Mechanical Engineers

ORGANIZATIONS
JAMESW. HANDLEY

EXPERIENCE Cgoperative Education Student, June 1987 - September 1989

Intergraph Corporation

Huntsville, AL 35807

-Responsible for design and drafting of various parts used

on Intergraph computer systems and on line production

systems.

Sales Clerk, June 1986 - December 1987

Rogers Department Store

Decatur, AL 35601

-Part time sales clerk responsible for displays and

selling merchandise.

Data Entry Clerk, June 1984 - September 1986

Wheeler Basin Regional Library

Decatur, AL 35601

-Part time computer data base entry operator, placing

books and patrons on existing data base files and

creating new files.

EDUCATION B,S, Mechanical Engineering

University of Alabama in Huntsville, expected Winter 1990.

HONORS Pi Tau Sigma Mechanical Engineering Honorary, President

Alpha Lambda Delta Freshman Honorary, Secretary

T_u Beta Pi Engineering Honorary Society, Cataloguer

Phi Kappa Phi National Junior Academic Honorary

Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honorary

Who's Who Among American Universities and Colleges

Outstanding College Students of America

The National Dean's List (Two years)

All-American Scholar

PROFESSIONAL American Society of Mechanical Engineers

ORGANIZATIONS

SCHOLARSHIPS Decatur Scholarship

UAH Leadership Scholarship

UAH Student Affairs Scholarship (Two years)

William R. Gillies Society of Manufacturing Engineers

Scholarship
TERESAW. NEAL

EXPERIENCEAerospace Engineer (Co-op), January 1987-present

U.S. Army Missile Command, RD&E center

-performed tasks on the composite materials

used for the nozzle section of missile

systems.

-serve as the service life program leader of

the nozzle materials

-assisted in modifying the test series run for

the service life program and designed the new

test fixtures for this test series

-modified programs written in FORTRAN and

BASIC used for data analysis

-ran uniaxial tensile tests on solid rocket

propellant from various U.S. missile systems

-ran service life codes with the test results

EDUCATION B,S, Mechanical Engineering, expected March 1990

University of Alabama in Huntsville

PUBLICATIONS Neal, Teresa W., Mechanical Property

"Characterization for the MLRS Nozzle Stored One

Year", U.S, Army Missile Command, RD&E, Sept.

1989, RD-PR-89-1.

Fisher, Jamie; Neal, Teresa; and Cook, Felicia

"Baseline Mechanical Properties Characterization

of the HELLFIRE Phenolic Nozzle", U,S, A_my

Missile Command, RD_E, July 1989 (submitted),

RD-PR-89-2.

HONORS Cooperative Education Program

National Champion Crew 1988 (UAH)
BRUCER. PETERS

EXPERIENCE Research Assistant, December 1985 - present

Department of Mechanical Engineering

University of Alabama in Huntsville

-Incorporated fiber optics into specialized ultrasonic

systems for nondestructive evaluation.

-Conducted applied research in holographic interferometry.

-Developed fiber optic systems for remote sensing, precision

measurement and optical inspection.

-Project manager for student designed Fluid Phase Separation

Experiment to be flown on the space shuttle.

Teaching Assistant, January-June, 1989

Department of Mechanical Engineering

University of Alabama in Huntsville

-Instructor for junior level Dynamics course.

-Lab instructor for junior level Soil Mechanics course.

Consultant, Summer 1985, Fall 1986, Summer 1987

AT&T Bell Laboratories

Murray Hill, New Jersey 07974

-Participated in design of a prototype optical fiber

interferometer (applied for patent).

-Conducted innovative research into laser generated

ultrasound.

Research Assistant, January-December, 1985

Department of Civil Engineering

University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee

-Holographic studies using triple pulsed ruby laser system.

-Developed fiber optic coupling device for high energy laser.

Teaching Assistant, September-December, 1984

Department of Civil Engineering

University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee

-Lab instructor for Strength of Materials course.

Surveyor's Assistant, summer 1982

Milwaukee Metropolitian Sewage District

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201

-Survey and inspection of sanitary and drainage control

projects.

EDUCATION Ph,D, Engineering Mechanics and Applied Optics

University of Alabama in Huntsville, expected Winter 1989

M,S, Engineering Mechanics

University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, December 1985

B.S, Civil Engineering

University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, May 1984

B,S, Architecture

University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, May 1982
PUBLICATIONSBurger, C.P., Dudderar, T.D., Gilbert, J.A., Peters, B.R.,

Smith, J.A., Raj, B., "Thermal acousto-optic excitation for noncontacting NDE, Proc. of the 1986 Spring Conference on

Experimental Mechanics, Society for Experimental Mechanics, New

Orleans, Louisiana, June 8-13, 1986, pp. 680-685.

Burger, C.P., Dudderar, T.D., Gilbert, J.A., Peters, B.R.,

Smith, J.A., Raj, B., "Laser excitation through fiber optics for

NDE," Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation, 7(1): 57-64 (1987).

Gilbert, J.A., Johnson, H.S., Peters, B.R., Ruggiero, R.M.,

"Optical systems for nondestructive evaluation," Proc. of the

Nondestructive Evaluation for Aerospace Requirements Conference,

Huntsville, Alabama, August 26-27, 1987.

Burger, C.P., Dudderar, T.D., Gilbert, J.A., Smith, J°A.,

Peters, B.R., "The use of fiber optic interferometry to sense

ultrasonic waves," ISA Transactions, 28(2): 51-55 (1989).

Gilbert, J.A., Burger, C.P., Dudderar, T.D., Smith, J.A.,

Peters, B.R°, "Detection and evaluation of ultrasonic waves

using single mode optical fiber," Proc. of the VI International

Congress on Experimental Mechanics, Portland, Oregon, June 5-10,

1988.

Dudderar, T.D., Burger, C.P., Gilbert, J.A., Smith, J°A.,

Peters, B.R., "Fiber optic sensing for ultrasonic NDE," accepted

for publication by the Journal of Nondestructive Evatuation,

1988.

Dudderar, T.D., Gilbert, J.A., Johnson, H.S., Peters, B.R.,"The

use of singlemode fiber-optics for illumination and wavefront

transmission in holography and holo-interferometry," Proc. of

the 1989 Spring Conference on Experimental Mechanics, Society

for Experimental Mechanics, Cambridge, Massachusetts, May 28-

June i, 1989, pp. 765-770.

Peters, B.R., Gilbert, J.A., Dudderar, T.D., "The use of fiberoptics for TAP-NDE," Proc. of the 1989 Spring Conference on

Experimental Mechanics, Society for Experimental Mechanics,

Cambridge, Massachusetts, May 28-June i, 1989, pp. 792-797.

HONORS ASNT 1987 Fellowship Student Research Fellowship

Physical S_iences Award Sigma Xi Student Research Day, 1988

Tau Beta P_ Engineering Honary Society

Phi Eta Sigma Freshman Honary Society

PROFESSIONAL American Society for Nondestructive Testing

ORGANIZATIONS American Society of Civil Engineers

American Society of Mechanical Engineers
EXPERIENCE

GUY T. ROBERTS

Associate Process Engineer, November 1984 - present

Onan Corporation

Huntsville, Alabama 35807

-Provide technical services support to manufacturing.

-Perform capital equipment analysis, justification of

expenditures and follow with procurement of equipment.

-Originate and develop processes, improve processes and

strive for cost reductions.

-Determine tooling, gaging and fixturing requirements.

-Current areas of responsibility:

a) Cylinder Head machining line Cummins "A" diesel engine

b) Crankshaft machining line - Cummins "A" diesel engine

-Past areas of responsibility:

a) Connecting Rod machining line Cummins "A" diesel engine

b) Miscellaneous machining department - Onan gas engine

c) Fabrication department Cummins "A" and Onan engines

Supervisor of Tool Design, December 1977 November 1984

Onan Corporation

-Supervised tool design and print services groups.

-Trained personnel, scheduled duties, evaluated performances

and made recommendations for merit raises.

-Programed computer numerical control (CNC) machines,

established machine cutter lists and operator instruction

sheets for the CNC machines.

Tool Designer, September 1974 - December 1977

Onan Corporation

-Developed concepts and detailed designs for dies, jigs,

fixtures, gages, and special machinery.

-Designed hydraulic and pneumatic circuits for use in

automated fixturing and machinery.

Draftsman, August 1974 - September 1974

GTE Automatic Electric

Huntsville, Alabama

-Produced detailed product drawings from engineering sketches.

Draftsman, April 1972 - August 1974

Cutler-Hammer

Arab, Alabama

-Created detail drawings, assembly drawings, and dimensional

drawings.

Contract Tool Designer, 1976 - 1980

-Contracted design of progressive dies, blanking dies, form

dies, and draw dies for sheet metal fabrication to various

Tool and Die shops in the Huntsville, Alabama area.

EDUCATION B.S, Mechanical Engineering

University of Alabama in Huntsville, expected May 1990
ROBERT K. STRIDER

EXPERIENCE Engineer Trainee, Sept. 1986-present

U.S. Army TMDE Support Group

Redstone Arsenal, Alabama

-Worked in systems engineering group dealing with calibration

equipment

-Formed database for all TMDE equipment

-Evaluated items for procurement

-Worked with many different aspects of physical calibration

Sales Associate, Aug. 1985-present

Parisian Department Store

Huntsville, Alabama

-Salesperson for men's clothing

-Authorizer of credits and sales

Lawn Specialist, Jan. 1985-July 1985

Chemlawn Services Corporation

Hunstville, Alabama

-Responsible for complete fertilization and weed control of

residential and commercial lawns

Agribusiness Teacher, Aug. 1979-Nov. 1984

Hazel Green High School

Hazel Green, Alabama

-Responsible for vocational training of high school students

in production agriculture and all shop related areas such as

welding, wood working, electricity, building construction,

drafting, and mechanics

-Maintained a work experience program for each student

-Supervised 5 student teachers

-Taught adult night classes in electricity, welding, and

woodworking

Other Employment

-Wildlife Management Worker, June-July 1979

-Agribusiness Teacher (Special Services), Nov. 1978-May 1979

-Substitute Agribusiness Teacher, Aug.-Oct. 1978

EDUCATION B.S.Eo MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

University of Alabama, Huntsville, December 1989

M,S. AGRIBUSINESS EDUCATION

Alabama A & M University, Normal, AL, May 1983

B.S AGRIBUSINESS EDUCATION

Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, August 1978

HONORS Listed in Outstanding Young Men of America for 1985

Former President and Sight Chairman of Hazel GreenMeridianville Lions Club

Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Organization,

Auburn University, 1978

Honorary State Farmer Degree, Future Farmers of America 1984
MICHAELT. WILLIAMS

EXPERIENCE

EDUCATION

Assoc, Process Engineer, Dec. 1988 to present

Onan Corporation, Huntsville, Alabama (May, 1977 to present)

Responsibilities:

-Capital Equipment analysis, justification and procurement

-Develop machining processes to hold required print

tolerances

-Select and purchase required tooling and gaging

-Write processes and inspection instructions

-Develop CNC programs

-Provide manufacturing support necessary to assure

production requirements

Senior Tool Designer, (CNC Programmer) May 1977 to Dec. 1988

Responsibilities:

-Provide highly capable designs and drafting services for new

dies, jigs, fixtures,gages, cutting tools and special

machinery, etc.

-Specify standard components such as bushings,clamps, die

sets, etc., for use in tool designs. Initiate vendor contact

for assistance in specifying said comppnents.

-Specify materials to be used in tool designs; i.e.,

aluminum, brass, steels and hardness etc.

-Examine tool drawings made by fellow tool designers for

inaccuracies and to assure desired results are accomplished.

-Assist Tool Room in evaluation of machine setups to produce

required designs.

-Develop CNC programs.

Associated Degree in Applied Science

Calhoun Community College Technical School, May 1977

Major in Technical Drafting

Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering

University of Alabama in Huntsville, expected Spring 1990.

Major in Mechanical Engineering
DENNIS RAY WINGO

EXPERIENCE Research/Engineering Assistant, January 1988, current.

University of Alabama in Huntsville 35899.

-Center for Plasma and Aeronomy Research

-Working with Shuttle and Delta II payloads.

-Wrote ethernet software for NASA (MSFC) AMPS breadboard.

-Specify and procure test equipment for Consort program.

Engineering Techniclan, (Consultant) February-August, 1988

New Technology Inc. MSFC Huntsville AI.

-Debug of the DRCC system for STS SSME telemetry routing.

Operations Engineer, June-November, 1987

Delores Press 1204 S. Glendale Ave, Glendale Ca. 91205.

-Video tape operations for University Network.

-Camera work for live programming.

-DJ during live programming.

Test Engineer/Field Engineer, July 1985-June 1987

Alpharel Inc 765 Flynn Rd. Camarillo Ca. 91030.

-Worked on the design and development team of the

DSREDS/EDCARS engineering document archival system.

-Subcontract engineering liaison to AT&T throughout

development period at AT&T development labs in N.J.

Installed first system at US army MICOM, Huntsville AI.

-Worked in marketing dept on development of new

opportunities for Alpharel products.

market

Test Engineer, September 1984-July 1985

Ibis Systems Inc. 5775 Lindero Cyn. Rd. Westlake Ca. 91360

-Worked on the development, debug and implementation of test

equipment used to qualify the Ibis Winchester disk products

installed on the Cray supercomputer.

-Trained manufacturing techs and maintained in-house

computers.

Test Engineer, April 1984-September 1984

Symbolics Inc. 9600 Desoto Chatsworth Ca.

-Debugged boards and systems for Symbolics 3600 Lisp Machines.

Member of Technlcal Staff, August 1983-April 1984

Remote Transmission Systems. 5839 Sebastion Rd. San Antonio Tx

-Designed a two channel statistical multiplexer.

-Helped design remote point of sale inventory controller for

NCR cash registers.

Sr R&D Technic%aB, April 1981-August 1983

Vector Graphic Inc. 500 N Ventu Pk. Rd. Thousand Oaks Ca. 91320.

-Intermediate tech, debug digital logic boards and systems.

-Senior Tech, Debug of complex logic boards and systems.

-Supervisor Customer Support Repair, Organized new department

and supervised six technicians.

-Sr R&D tech, debugged new designs and wrote mfg. test plans.
Service Manager, June 1980-April 1981

Electrolux Inc. 1020 20th St. S Birmingham AI. 35205

-Service manager for Electrolux plus inside sales.

Engineerin_ Technician, February 1980-June 1980

Space Vector Corp. 19631 Prairie St. Northridge Ca.

-Debug and environmental test of electronic subsystems used

on Aries sounding rockets.

Sound Engineer, July 1979-February 1980

-free-lance work with sound boards for concerts.

Associate Field Engineer, August 1978-June 1979

Documation Inc. 205 Corporate East. Birmingham AI.

-Maintained 3000 line per minute impact line printers, high

speed card readers and card punches.

EDUCATION B,S, physics and Mechanical Engineering, expected 1992

University of Alabama in Huntsville

Associate Degree in Communications Electronics, 1978

Area Vocational Center, Gardendale AL,

PUBLICATIONS "Using the VME Bus for a Low Cost Spacecraft Data Bus", April

1989 IEEE Southeast Conference.

PROFESSIONAL Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. IEEE

ORGANIZATIONS American Society of Mechanical Engineers. ASME

Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. SEDS

Amateur Radio Satellite Organization. AMSAT

HONORS First place winner for IEEE technical paper competition,

Southeast Region 1989.