Synopsis: NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA solicits inquiries from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology. License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use. NASA provides no funding in conjunction with these potential licenses. THE TECHNOLOGIES: Two technologies for calibrating and validating wind-tunnel force balances and other multi-component force transducers NASA Langley Research Center has developed two techniques and systems to calibrate and validate wind-tunnel force balances and other multi-component force transducers. A force balance is a complex structural spring element instrumented with strain gauges for measuring three orthogonal components of aerodynamic force (normal, axial, and side force) and three orthogonal components of aerodynamic torque (rolling, pitching, and yawing moments). In order to set the independent variables of applied load to calibrate a force balance, a high-precision mechanical system is required. Over the past decade, advancements in calibration and verification systems have been developed at NASA to increase efficiency, enhance availability, and improve accuracy. The first system is the In-Situ Load System (ILS). The ILS is designed for in-situ verification just prior to testing. Building off of the ILS, the second system is the Variable Acceleration Force Calibration System (VACS), which uses a single-vector force application concept, but keeps the mass constant and varies the acceleration. These techniques and systems provide for less complex and less labor-intensive calibration and verification of multi-component force transducers. The ILS is based on a force-vector concept where a single deadweight load is used to apply up to six loads simultaneously. The ILS provides for complex multiple-component load verification prior to testing that is not typically done with current methods. The ILS also provides axial force (aerodynamic drag) verification in wind-tunnel applications, which is often the aerodynamic component of highest interest but is rarely verified during preexisting checkout processes. The second system, the Variable Acceleration Force Calibration System (VACS), employs a novel loading technique using a minimal number of weights and varying the centripetal force to obtain the complete set of forces necessary for the calibration. A proof-of-concept version of the new variable acceleration system has been shown to be capable of performing force balance calibration. NASA is seeking to license these technologies commercially in the United States. US Patents 9,052,250 and 9,354,134. To express interest in this opportunity, please respond to
[email protected] with the title of this Technology Transfer Opportunity as listed in this FBO notice and your preferred contact information. Please also provide how you foresee using the technology along with a brief background of your company. Additionally, please identify any non-US interests/subsidiaries in your company as well. For more information about licensing other NASA Langley-developed technologies, please visit the NASA Langley's Technology Gateway at https://technologygateway.nasa.gov/ These responses are provided to members of NASA Langley's Office of Strategic Analysis and Business Development "OSACB" for the purpose of promoting public awareness of NASA-developed technology products, and conducting preliminary market research to determine public interest in and potential for future licensing opportunities. If direct licensing interest results from this posting, OSACB will follow the required formal licensing process of posting in the Federal Register. No follow-on procurement is expected to result from responses to this Notice.