USAF Thunderbirds F-16, McChord Air Force Base, Tacoma, Washington
Discovery within the mental sphere results from consolidating information, arriving at creative solutions for complex problems. Once a discovery is made, an idea formulated, it may be engineered and put to the test. Discoveries in the complex realm of ideas require well engineered solutions, exquisite execution in construction prototypes and rigorous testing. The experimental phase allows for testing of the construct developed in the conceptual phase and seeking to affirm the success of the initial discovery in the end result.
Thus prototypes allow for ensuring that all aspects of the discovery, the idea, are explored in a range of scenarios in a well conceived test pattern to shake out all the bugs before going into mass production.
This testing process is necessary not only for the physical device being engineered but also for the human beings that will be using them. Human engineering may reflect the psychological bonding with the new technology or physiological constraints and reactions.
Today we seek to defy gravity in powerful machines such as the USAF Thunderbirds Jet (F-16) shown above. The F-16 is in the middle of a maneuver in which the jet becomes inverted. The tensile strength of the jet’s materials must satisfy certain requirements to allow it to perform high-performance maneuvers. On the human side, pilots are subject to considerable g-forces in doing their maneuvers that involve important physiological issues. Colonel John Stapp was a career United States Air Force officer and flight surgeon who did ground breaking work as a researcher and test subject in determining the impact of acceleration and deceleration on the human body, subjecting his body to record-breaking g-forces.
No comments:
Post a Comment