United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Other

The University of New Mexico

Emil Valentin Ardelean

Jeremy A Banik

Sungeun K Jeon

Vit Babuska

Thomas W Murphey

Steven A Lane

Christos G Christodoulou

Firas Nazem Ayoub

Gregory E Sanford

James C Goodding

Lawrence M Robertson

A polarizer including an antenna connected to a waveguide. The waveguide including a broad wall having a cross-slot in communication with at least one port.

Cross slot polarizer

A compliant hinge for deployable membrane-like structures and other applications is provided. The compliant hinge generally includes a flexible intermediate portion having one or more enclosed contours connected by inner longitudinal segments along a longitudinal axis of symmetry. The enclosed contours are resiliently deformable in response to an in-plane load, including tension and shear forces. The compliant hinge allows for rotation, bending, and extension, and can interconnect rigid panels in tensioned precision structures and other applications.

Compliant hinge for membrane-like structures

A hitch device support assembly for securing hitch mounted accessories to a surface for storage or use when not attached to a vehicle hitch. One or more hitch accessory receivers are attached to a support strut by a pin. The pin may be a locking pin for security. The support strut mounts to any surface, preferably a wall or a work bench leg. The position of the hitch accessory receiver assembly relative to the support strut is adjustable by attachment of the hitch accessory receiver assembly through specific holes in the support strut. The hitch accessory receiver assembly can pivot with respect to the support strut. Hitch devices are secured to the hitch accessory receiver assembly by a pin or bolt, which may be a locking pin if security is required.

Adjustable device for supporting hitch mounted accessories

An improved test fixture to evaluate thin composite laminates commonly used in deployable space structures. The fixture is designed to impart a pure moment into the coupon, a necessary improvement to prior test methods where results are obtained by fitting material properties in a nonlinear structural analysis of the test. Fixture mechanics allow for direct calculation of the coupon flexural modulus and allowable flexural strain based on two key measurements, fixture displacement and applied load.

Device for testing thin specimens in pure bending

A standard tensile test device is improved to accurately measure the mechanical properties of stranded cables, ropes, and other composite structures wherein a witness is attached to the top and bottom mounting blocks holding the cable under test. The witness is comprised of two parts: a top and a bottom rod of similar diameter with the bottom rod having a smaller diameter stem on its upper end and the top rod having a hollow opening in its lower end into which the stem fits forming a witness joint. A small gap is present between the top rod and the larger diameter portion of the bottom rod. A standard extensometer is attached to the top and bottom rods of the witness spanning this small witness gap. When a force is applied to separate the mounting blocks, the gap in the witness expands the same length that the entire test specimen is stretched.

Growing community of inventors

Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Emil Valentin Ardelean