Abstract: This report presents a long-range plan for roofing research. The plan was developed in response to a need for roofing research addressing major materials problems and changes in low-sloped roofing materials technology. The intent of the plan is to establish the technical basis for developing standards and minimum levels of performance to assist in the selection of cost-effective and durable roofing materials. Four major areas of needed research are identified: (1) low-sloped roofing systems, (2) roofing membranes including single-ply and built-up, (3) thermal insulation for roofing systems, and (4) condition assessment and repair of roofs. Within each research area, a goal is given as well as a number of objectives to achieve the goal. A recommended approach to accomplish each objective is also given.

Abstract: Productivity is one of the most important factors influencing our economic well-being. Productivity growth is essential to a higher standard of living and is vital to a sound economic and political environment. However, there has been a slowdown in the growth of productivity in the United States since the mid-1960s. This slowdown has caused concern among policy makers and researchers. Accordingly, several questions persist both in policy and academic circles. Why has productivity been slowing? and What can be done to reverse this trend? The purpose of this report is to address broadly the first of these two questions by surveying and synthesizing the vast literature on the measurement and determinants of productivity. This review is intended to be a source document for those interested in the measurement and analysis of productivity growth. The report is divided into five sections. In the first section, the importance of productivity growth on economic activity is discussed. In the second section, the so called "facts" about patterns of measured productivity growth in the United States are presented. In the third section, the methods currently used for calculating productivity indices are summarized. In the fourth section, the literature related to the determinants of …

Abstract: This manual provides DATAPLOT code solution to a variety of commonly occurring graphical problems. A line-by-line explanation of code is given, along with illustrations and general discussion.

Abstract: This report summarizes NBS standards committee activities and accomplishments during calendar year 1983. It profiles NBS state participation on outside standards committees and highlights significant technical and individual contributions made by NBS staff. In 1983, 446 staff members (or 28% of NBS' professionals, scientific, and technical staff) participated in 989 standards committees of 87 national and international standards organizations.

This is an article on the center for materials science, the National Bureau Standards (NBS). From ceramic tiles that shield the space shuttle to dental adhesives which replace metal fillings, new materials are revolutionizing technology and everyday life. NBS is at the forefront of materials technology with its broad-based research effort conducted by the Center for Materials Science (CMS). The Center provides measurements, data, standards, reference materials, and other technical information regarding materials to industry, government agencies, universities, and other scientific organizations. CMS research supports development of new and improved materials which can be used safely, efficiently, and economically.

From forward: Every laboratory in this country is a valuable national resource. Along with the people who work in these facilities, U.S. laboratories constitute the basic foundation of this country's scientific and industrial strength. As the nation's foremost science and engineering measurement laboratory, the National Bureau of Standards has some of the premier research and testing facilities in the United States, and several of our laboratories are unequaled anywhere in the world. Bureau scientists and engineers use these special facilities to pursue the measurement-related work that U.S. science and industry need to grow and prosper. This brochure highlights only a small number of the special facilities available at NBS and provides information about their availability for collaborative or independent research and testing.

Abstract: This is a selected and annotated bibliography of sources of compiled and evaluated chemical thermodynamic data relevant to biochemical and aqueous systems. The principal thermodynamic properties considered herein are Gibbs energy and equilibrium data, enthalpies of formation and reaction, heat capacities and entropies, and the corresponding partial molar and excess properties. Derived quantities used in calculating the above are also included. Transport and mechanical data have also been identified to a lesser degree. Included in the annotations to the data sources are brief descriptions of the types of properties tabulated, the classes of materials dealt with, and the degree of completeness of the compilations.

Abstract: The National Bureau of Standards receives repeated requests from industry and Federal agencies (e.g. , Department of Defense, Nuclear Regulatory Commission) for information about the capabilities of and services provided by State measurement laboratories. This directory is a compilation of such information by State, including a description of the services available and fees charged. The directory will be updated annually in January of each year to coincide with the issuance of annual certification of these laboratories.

Abstract: Laboratories accredited by the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) are identified along with the specific test methods for which they are accredited. The current status of existing accreditation programs is given for laboratories that test thermal insulation, freshly mixed concrete, carpet, wood burning stoves, paint, and personnel radiation dosimeters, and that provide acoustical testing services. Indexes are provided for searching the Directory for laboratories accredited in specific testing areas or for specific test methods.

Abstract: This report summarizes the recommendations of a Workshop in Computerized Materials Data as related to engineers in the Nuclear Power Industry. Four areas of discussion are featured: the content of a proposed data system; its size and data sources; the user interfaces and system capabilities; and ways of making further progress. In addition, changes in the use of materials data in the Nuclear Power Industry and progress-to-date in computerizing these data are presented.

Abstract: This report identifies experimental and analytical research needed to advance the state-of-the-art and improve safety and economy in the design, fabrication and construction of steel buildings. A five year plan for a coordinated research program is included. Recommendations for research projects dealing with the following topics are presented: total building systems, connections and members, frames, seismic design, load and resistance factor design, fire protection, and design loads. The recommendations were developed at a workshop involving participation by steel industry representatives, design professionals, Federal agency representatives and university researchers.

This document contains the Proceedings of the Sixth NBS/NCSBCS Joint Conference on Research and Innovation in the Building Regulatory Process, held on September 11, 1984, in Denver, CO. This conference addressed streamlined administrative procedures, computers in construction, and fire safety technology. These Proceedings contain the 10 papers selected for presentation at the conference.

Abstract: The Symposium on Real-Time Optimization in Automated Manufacturing Facilities was held at the National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, Maryland, January 21-22, 1986. It was jointly sponsored by the Center for Manufacturing Engineering (with funds obtained from the Navy Manufacturing Technology Program) and the Center for Applied Mathematics. It was designed to bring together those who design and test optimization procedures for solving planning, scheduling, and routing problems with those who must use these procedures in a real-time manufacturing environment. Included in the proceedings are discussions of the following topics: an approach to hierarchical production planning and scheduling; a hierarchy of intelligent scheduling and control for automated manufacturing systems; the integration of planning scheduling, and control for automated manufacturing; intelligent manufacturing planning systems; a decision making framework for manufacturing systems; PATRIARCH -- hierarchical production scheduling; low-level interactive scheduling; the general employee scheduling problem: an effective large scale solution approach; ISIS project in review; dynamic control in automated manufacturing: a knowledge integrated approach; a management control approach to the manufacturing, planning, and scheduling problem; hierarchies of sub-periods in constraint-directed scheduling; a two-level planning and scheduling approach for computer integrated manufacturing; match-up real-time scheduling; a maximal covering model for loading flexible manufacturing …

Abstract: This report is the result of an in-depth review of the recent technical literature on expert systems,. The material contained in this report provided a basis for assessing the potential for using expert systems in emergency management operations. In choosing the material for inclusion in this report, special emphasis was placed on those aspects of expert systems which addressed the types of problems encountered in emergency management operations. The report is designed for use as a resource document and as a tutorial on expert systems and emergency management. Each chapter consists of a brief topic essay followed by a set of references which expand on the main themes of the essay.

Abstract: This report summarizes information obtained during the first year of a four-year feasibility study for a national earthquake engineering experimental facility. A five-year research program is presented for a national facility in which full-scale or large-scale structures or structural components would be subjected to static or dynamic lateral loads. The facility would have applicability to tests in the following areas: low-rise buildings, medium-rise buildings, high-rise buildings, industrial processing facilities, and power facilities. Representatives from a broad spectrum of professional, industrial, and trade organizations and Federal agencies participated in developing the research program. A comparison of existing testing facilities in the U.S. and other countries engaged in seismic testing and a discussion of international cooperation in large-scale testing are included.

Abstract: This publication contains papers presented at the Seventeenth International Symposium on Free Radicals, held at Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, Colorado, on August 18-23, 1985. The Symposium was attended by 147 people, representing industry, government, and academia, from 18 countries. A total of 67 papers appear in written form in this document.

Abstract: The First Symposium on The Theory and Application of Expert Systems in Emergency Management, held at the Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C. (April 24 and 25, 1985) was funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and organized by the National Bureau of Standards' Operations Research Division. The purpose of the symposium was to bring together researchers in expert systems, artificial intelligence, and emergency operations in a forum to review the concepts of expert systems and the problems of emergency management, with the objective of determining how expert systems can be used to augment the experience of local, State and Federal emergency managers faced with the difficult tasks of determining the best response to an emergency situation. Speakers addressed the following areas: The theory and uncertainty aspects of expert systems, artificial intelligence's future role in emergency management, technology for building and using expert systems, emergency management decisions and information needs and uses, applications of expert systems in the management of chemical spills and shipboard and coal mine fires, and the role and use of simulation in emergency management expert systems.

Abstract: Contained herein are bibliographies of Sources of experimental and correlated thermodynamic data for seven binary aqueous mixtures of industrial importance, namely mixtures of CO2, H2S, NH3, H2S0, H3P4, CuCl2 and ZnCl2 with water. The categories of equilibrium data included in the bibliographies are activity and osmotic coefficients, equilibria in solution, enthalpies and heat capacity data, vapor-liquid equilibria, and phase equilibrium data.

Summary describing research projects and other activities undertaken by the U.S. National Bureau of Standards, lists of publications from the year, and a calendar of upcoming events.

Summary describing research projects and other activities undertaken by the U.S. National Bureau of Standards, lists of publications from the year, and a calendar of upcoming events.

Abstract: The Voluminous amount of data than can be collected by automatic data acquisition systems during large scale fire tests requires the use of a digital computer for the reduction of data. RAPID is a stand-alone program specifically designed to convert raw instrument voltages collected during such tests into meaningful units. The reduced data can also be used alone or in combinations to obtain quantities that require more than minimal data reduction. The program is written with the ability to accept data from a user defined data acquisition system, with the ability to check the correctness of data included. Through the use of input data provided by the user, the data can be converted into meaningful scientific units. The data can then be presented in tabular or printer plot form, or stored for further processing. This user's guide provides detailed instructions for the use of the program.

From page 5: Numerous opportunities exist for scientists and engineers from industrial professional trade and other organizations to collaborate in research at the National Bureau of Standards on projects of mutual interest. To accomplish its objective of supplying the measurement foundation for industry, science, and technology. NBS conducts research in many areas, including advanced ceramics, automated manufacturing, opto-electronics, and biotechnology.

Abstract: This report documents the initial phases of the MIST database, which is a demonstration project jointly supported by the Department of Energy and the National Bureau of Standards. The purpose of the Materials Information for Science and Technology (MIST) is to demonstrate the power and utility of computer access to materials property data. The initial goals include: to exercise the concept of a computer network of materials databases and to build a demonstration of such a system in a way as to be suitable for use as the core of operational systems in the future. Phases I and II are described in detail. In addition, a discussion is given of the expected usage of the databases.

Abstract: This directory presents information on 61 U.S. Government certification programs for products and services. Entries describe the scope and nature of each certification program, testing and inspection practices, standards used, methods of identification and enforcement, reciprocal recognition or acceptance of certification, and other relevant details. This directory is part of an ongoing NBS effort to establish and maintain a comprehensive database on standards, regulations, certification programs and related information. This material has bee. compiled to meet the needs of government, industry, and the public for information on U.S. Government certification programs in accordance with the requirements of the U.S. Trade Agreements Act of 1979.