National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC

Other

Sandia Corporation

Charles A Walker

Bradley C Salzbrenner

Michael E McReaken

Marshall S Klee

Rick A Kellogg

Grant Biedermann

Jongmin Lee

Juan A Romero

Dennis J De Smet

Howard W Walker

Peter Schwindt

Richard C Givler

Dianna S Blair

David Bossert

Aaron M Ison

Ronald S Goeke

Aaron C Hall

Kevin Albert Thomas

F Michael Hosking

Daniel Paul Gillund

Jim D Pierce

Nathan A Davey

John J Stephens, Jr

Ellis L Nordbeck

Peter D D Schwindt

Kyle H Fuerschbach

Lawrence R Shapnek

Charles S Field, Iii

Connie C Bodmer

WVenner Saul

Frank R Trowbridge

Andrew Lee McCourt

Daniel M C Odell

A compact grating-mirror magneto-optical trap (GMOT) cold atom inertial sensor head is disclosed. To make the sensor head compatible with the high vibration levels encountered in dynamic environments, the number of optical ports in the vacuum chamber is minimized and various components, including fixed optical components and a reflective grating chip, are hard mounted within the vacuum chamber. The use of the reflective grating chip reduces the number of optical ports required for cooling beams from six to one. The number of optical ports is further reduced by time multiplexing multiple beams passing through a given optical port.

Compact grating magneto-optical trap sensor head for inertial navigation in dynamic environments

A sealed, passively pumped, polycrystalline ceramic vacuum chamber and method for fabricating the chamber are disclosed. The body of the vacuum chamber is made from a polycrystalline ceramic, for example, alumina. The vacuum chamber includes one or more windows made from a transparent ceramic, for example, sapphire, to accommodate optical access, while remaining amorphous-glass free to minimize or eliminate helium permeation. The vacuum chamber components are joined via laser welding or furnace brazing and the completed chamber is bakeable at temperatures up to 400&#xb0; C. The vacuum chamber can operate at high or ultra-high vacuum pressures for an extended period through the use of one or more getter-based pumps. The vacuum chamber may include one or more atomic sources depending upon the application.

Passively pumped, polycrystalline ceramic high and ultra-high vacuum chambers

A hermetically-sealed edge-connect header that can withstand high temperatures, high pressures (or high vacuum levels), and high vibration environments, along with two corresponding connectors are disclosed. After brazing the edge-connect header components, the assembly is machined to form a slot with a portion of each of a plurality of electrical conductors removed in the machining process, resulting in a header with a high pin density. During the process of mating the first connector design to the edge-connect header, a plurality of wipers in the connector deflect, thereby causing the wipers to extend from the connector and contact the corresponding electrical conductors in the header. During the process of mating the second connector design to the edge-connect header, each of a plurality of wipers formed of low-mass, compliant metal wool, forms multiple contact points with a corresponding electrical conductor in the header.

Hermetic edge-connect headers and corresponding connectors

Nanometers thick conformal coatings deposited by atomic-layer deposition (ALD) onto the metal surface of an active braze joint modifies the surface chemistry to eliminate excess braze filler metal flow. Unlike other means used to prevent braze filler metal runout, the thin ALD coating does not hinder next assembly processes, does not require post-braze cleaning, and does not alter the base material mechanical properties.

Method for eliminating runout of braze filler metal during active brazing

A device for rendering safe a detonator firing circuit by short circuiting multiple conductors in the circuit includes a base portion and cable piercing members. The base portion has a cylindrical block and apertures for retentively receiving the cable piercing members. The cable piercing member has a first end to impinge on and penetrate a cable insulation when forcibly attached to an external surface of the cable. The cable piercing member has a low electrical resistance and impedance to generate a short circuit between conductors of the cable. Also, a method for rendering safe a detonator firing circuit of by short circuiting multiple conductor cables or a pigtail connector of a detonator system.

Multi-dimensional cable shorting tool

A rally towel apparatus comprising a body having first end and a second end. The rally towel apparatus also comprises a first end cap engaged with a first end and a second end cap engaged with a second end. The rally towel apparatus also comprises a cord connected to the first end cap and a cord lock member arranged on the cord. The rally towel apparatus also comprises a wrist strap connected to the second end cap and a rally towel arranged and secured within a loop of the cord.

Rally towel apparatus

Seals have a flexible wire that can be looped through a hasp-like device. The seals include a body having a recess, a plug insertable into the recess and a snap ring for fastening the plug to the body. The plug and/or body can have access holes for inserting the wire into the recess. 'Teeth' on the outer diameter and through-holes through the thickness of the snap ring allow for passing the ends of the flexible wire from the recess through the snap ring. The ends of the wire can be folded back over the snap ring and into engagement with the teeth. Assembly of the seal causes the ends of the wire to be securely fastened between the teeth of the snap ring and the sidewall of the recess. Seals can include a plug and/or body made of a frangible material such as glass, ceramic, glass-ceramic or brittle polymer.

Tamper indicating seal

Methods are disclosed for batch fabrication of vacuum switch tubes that reduce manufacturing costs and improve tube to tube uniformity. The disclosed methods comprise creating a stacked assembly of layers containing a plurality of adjacently spaced switch tube sub-assemblies aligned and registered through common layers. The layers include trigger electrode layer, cathode layer including a metallic support/contact with graphite cathode inserts, trigger probe sub-assembly layer, ceramic (e.g. tube body) insulator layer, and metallic anode sub-assembly layer. Braze alloy layers are incorporated into the stacked assembly of layers, and can include active metal braze alloys or direct braze alloys, to eliminate costs associated with traditional metallization of the ceramic insulator layers. The entire stacked assembly is then heated to braze/join/bond the stack-up into a cohesive body, after which individual switch tubes are singulated by methods such as sawing. The inventive methods provide for simultaneously fabricating a plurality of devices as opposed to traditional methods that rely on skilled craftsman to essentially hand build individual devices.

Methods for batch fabrication of cold cathode vacuum switch tubes

A method for making a braze joint across a discontinuity in a work piece using alternating current. A filler metal is pre-placed at a location sufficiently close to the discontinuity such that, when an alternating current is applied across a work piece to heat the work piece and melt the filler metal, the filler metal is drawn into the discontinuity. The alternating current is maintained for a set residence time, generally less than 10 seconds and more particularly less than 3 seconds. The alternating current is then altered, generally by reducing the current and/or voltage such that the filler metal can solidify to form a braze joint of desired quality and thickness.

Method for controlling brazing

A method of reversibly brazing surfaces together. An interface is affixed to each surface. The interfaces can be affixed by processes such as mechanical joining, welding, or brazing. The two interfaces are then brazed together using a brazing process that does not defeat the surface to interface joint. Interfaces of materials such as Ni-200 can be affixed to metallic surfaces by welding or by brazing with a first braze alloy. The Ni-200 interfaces can then be brazed together using a second braze alloy. The second braze alloy can be chosen so that it minimally alters the properties of the interfaces to allow multiple braze, heat and disassemble, rebraze cycles.

Reversible brazing process

The swim fins (10) each include a molded center guide (14) and a shoe portion (12). A first wing (16) is pivotally attached to one side of the center guide (14) by a hinge member (18). A second wing (20) is pivotally attached to the other side of the center guide (14) by a hinge member (22). The hinge members (18, 22) have a flexible web (50) and flanges (52, 54). One of the flanges (54) of the hinge (18) is inserted into a hinge bead retainer slot (24) in the center guide (14) and the other flange (52) is inserted into a hinge bead retainer slot (38) in the wing (16). One of the flanges (52) of the hinge (22) is inserted into a hinge bead retainer slot (26) in the center guide (14) and the other flange (54) is inserted into a hinge bead retainer slot (40) in the wing (20). Stop surfaces (42, 44, 46, 48) on the wings (16, 20) cooperate with stop surfaces (30, 32, 34, 36) on the center guide (14) to limit pivotal movement of the wings relative to the center guide.

Swim fin

A pneumatic call amusement game is provided and consists of players rolling balls across playing tables in which the balls are pneumatically propelled into hoppers spaced back from and elevated above the table until one of the players places a predetermined amount of balls into the respective hopper needed to win.

Pneumatic ball amusement game

Growing community of inventors

Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Charles A Walker