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X-ray Device Makes Scrubbing Rugs Clean a Spotless
Effort
Consumer, Home, and Recreation
Originating Technology/NASA
Contribution
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KeyMaster
Technologies, Inc.’s TRACeR III-V portable, hand-held
scanner, for detecting and tagging unique elemental
codes. This instrument was designed to help NASA
evaluate parts destined for the space shuttle. |
If “pulling the rug out from under” means suddenly withdrawing
support and assistance, then NASA is pretty good at
“putting the rug under” when it comes to offering technical
support and assistance to private industry. In the
case of a new X-ray fluorescence (XRF) sensor featuring
enhancements compliments of NASA, the Space Agency
not only provided the rug, but helped give private
industry a means to ensure it keeps clean.
This sensor, utilized by NASA to read chemical bar codes
concealed by paint and other coatings, perform on-the-spot
chemical analyses in field conditions, and detect difficult-to-identify
contaminants, has found another use as a tool that can
measure how much soil is removed from household and commercial
carpets.
The original technology was developed in 2002 to conduct
quality control for critical aluminum alloy parts destined
for the space
shuttle. Evaluation of these parts is critical
for the Space Agency, as any signs of contamination,
corrosion, or material deviation could compromise a shuttle
mission.
Partnership
In the summer of 2001, NASA began seeking a company that
could design and manufacture a lightweight, hand-held
scanner capable of detecting data matrix symbols on parts
covered by layers of paint and coatings containing various
chemicals. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
was also looking for this type of technology, to eliminate
the use of unapproved parts. (Counterfeit parts, like
expended pieces that had been sold for scrap and pieces
made by unqualified suppliers, do not fit the criteria
for FAA acceptability. Without safeguards, the potential
exists for such unapproved items to find their way back
into the supply chain. One of the safeguards is to provide
a positive identification system for all parts in the
FAA system—one that goes beyond the simple marking of
a data matrix bar code or human-readable identity on
a part.)
In its search, the FAA came across a company named KeyMaster
Technologies, Inc., that was willing to let its XRF hand-held
scanning technology serve as the basis for new developments.
Since the FAA had recently participated with NASA in
developing a technical standard for part marking, it
recommended NASA and KeyMaster work together to create
an anti-counterfeit technology that would benefit both
agencies.
KeyMaster agreed to meet with NASA, sharing
its opinion that its XRF scanner could be adapted to
fit the required needs. Up to this point, the XRF instrument
was primarily being used as an alloy analyzer in the
metals industry.
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Researchers
at the Carpet and Rug Institute use the TRACeR III-V
to test the carpet-cleaning efficiency of a commercial
vacuum cleaner. The TRACeR III-V is capable of detecting
the amount of soil a vacuum cleaner removes, determining
how well an extracting vacuum cleaner recovers water,
and determining whether a vacuum cleaner is causing
excessive carpet wear. |
In January 2002, KeyMaster visited Marshall
Space Flight Center’s Technology Transfer Office to demonstrate the
XRF technology. Technical personnel from Marshall’s Engineering
and Science Directorates were on hand to witness the
demonstration. The XRF demo was convincing, as all of
the NASA participants were impressed with the portability
of the XRF scanner, its proven ability to quickly analyze
the composition of most materials in the Earth’s environment,
and its potential to help NASA avoid hardware nonconformance
issues. NASA and KeyMaster signed a Space Act Agreement
in March 2002, instituting the formal research and development
partnership.
Dr. Bruce Kaiser, KeyMaster’s chief technology officer,
worked with NASA personnel, guided by Fred Schramm of
Marshall’s Technology Transfer Office, to enhance the
preexisting XRF scanning technology for NASA’s purposes.
During the early stages of development, NASA found that
advances were required to extend the XRF instrument’s
detection range to include aluminum alloys, since aluminum
is used to build the space shuttle, its external tank,
parts of the reusable solid rocket motor, and many other
shuttle-related components. To extend the detection range,
NASA and KeyMaster determined that the air between the
X-ray source, the object being evaluated, and the detector
would have to be removed, because X-rays emitted by the
instrument were strong enough to penetrate the air on
the way to the object and stimulate atoms in the substrate,
but X-rays returning to the detector were not strong
enough to penetrate the air and, therefore, could not
be detected. According to Schramm, this was an industry-wide
limitation.
First, NASA and KeyMaster needed to conduct a test to
gauge whether the air-removal concept was even possible.
To do so, the partners placed the XRF instrument inside
a vacuum chamber, where it was then used to detect aluminum
alloy samples. This proof-of-concept was successful,
as the instrument quickly analyzed the samples with ease
and precision.
|
The
Advance AquaClean 16XP carpet extractor, from Nilfisk-Advance,
Inc., was honored at the Carpet and Rug Institute’s
Seal of Approval program launch at Kennedy Space
Center in September 2005. |
The next step was to devise a way to actually remove
the air from the instrument chamber, outside of a vacuum
chamber and in a real-life environment, so the return
X-rays could travel easily to the detector. By incorporating
a vacuum system into the instrument, NASA and KeyMaster
arrived at a design that successfully accomplished this.
In addition, this new design provided a new capability
for detecting low-energy elements.
KeyMaster forged ahead with manufacturing three of the
advanced instruments for NASA’s Return
to Flight mission.
Upon completion, the scanning devices were delivered
to NASA’s External Tank Project, Space Shuttle Main Engine,
and Reusable Solid Rocket Motor offices.
NASA and KeyMaster filed two patent applications for
the finished product, called TRACeR III-V. The first
patent pertained to the vacuum-assist element that removes
air from the instrument chamber and enables the detection
of low-energy elements, like aluminum and magnesium,
as well as contaminants within NASA hardware, like silicon.
The second patent was for intrinsic product authentication
through chemical tag identifiers that are converted to
bar code language. This patent was primarily intended
for commercial applications, as NASA and KeyMaster had
realized the technology’s value in other industries.
Product Outcome
Shaped like a portable drill and weighing less than
5 pounds, TRACeR III-V has found commercial success in
bar code identification and chemical analysis. Recently,
the technology set the stage for a major breakthrough
in carpet cleaning, helping to create stricter standards
for today’s vacuum cleaners, to ensure that they are
removing soil and stains impervious to conventional cleaning
techniques. This breakthrough came courtesy of NASA and
KeyMaster, in collaboration with the Carpet
and Rug Institute (CRI)—the national trade organization for the carpet
and rug industry that represents over
90 percent of all carpeting produced in the United States
and
offers scientific insight into how carpet and rugs can
“create a better environment for living, working, learning,
and healing.”
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KeyMaster
Technologies, Inc.’s Lloyd Starks (left), special
projects consultant, and John Landefeld, chief executive
officer, share a handshake at the Seal of Approval
program launch. |
The three organizations worked together to establish
a multifaceted testing program that utilizes an XRF-detectable
soil media that can be quantified after a carpet cleaning,
to measure the effectiveness of a given cleaning system.
This designer “soil” contains properties similar to actual
soil found in carpeting throughout the country, according
to CRI.
Using the TRACeR III-V scanner, laboratories can measure
the starting compound applied to a carpet sample and
then quantify the precise amount of soil removed following
a cleaning. The scanner can additionally be used to determine
the amount of water being removed from a carpet during
a cleaning, in the event of a spill, or if a wet-vac
had been used. To measure how well an extractor (vacuum
cleaner) recovers water, a carpet sample is weighed before
and after the testing process to determine how much water
remained.
Extractors that do not sufficiently remove soil or water
from a carpet can increase the potential for growth of
mold spores, plus damage the carpet fibers. Add to this
the buildup of everyday contaminants that are prevalent
in
the home, such as dust mites, pet dander, pollen, and
other allergens, and the potential for health problems
exists.
Compounding these concerns for mold and contaminants
is air quality. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, air within homes and other buildings can be up
to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air. “Removing
dirt and particles from a carpet and containing them
within the canisters of the best performing vacuum helps
improve overall air quality,” maintained CRI.
Michael Berry, Ph.D., former deputy director of the National
Center for Environmental Assessment of the Environmental
Protection Agency and a leading authority on indoor air
quality, stated, “In my 30 years’ experience, the XRF
taggant technology is the first scientific approach to
quantifying carpet cleanliness that I will stand behind
100 percent.”
The XRF testing also evaluates surface-appearance changes
in carpeting, as a result of vacuuming. This test is
included, because experience has shown that some extraction
machines can cause excessive wear on carpet, according
to CRI.
Any carpet-cleaning companies that subject their extraction
products to CRI’s XRF testing and meet the institute’s
strict standards for soil removal, water removal, and
surface appearance are awarded a CRI Seal of Approval.
Since soil removal is the primary test, efficiency is
rated on three levels: extractors that exceed average
soil removal receive a Bronze Seal rating; extractors
achieving higher soil removal receive a Silver Seal rating;
and extractors removing the highest amount of soil measurable
receive a Gold Seal rating. So far, more than 30 products
have received Seal of Approval certification.
On September 12, 2005, Kennedy
Space Center hosted the
official launch of CRI’s Seal of Approval program. Several
national carpet manufacturers in attendance were honored
with the Gold Seal of Approval, including: Sears Carpet & Upholstery
Care, of Lewis Center, Ohio; Mohawk FloorCare Essentials,
of Fayetteville, Georgia; Prochem, of Englewood, Colorado;
ZeroRez, of Lindon, Utah; and CleanMaster Corporation,
of Mukilteo, Washington. Two weeks later, on September
23, 2005, the product-testing program was recognized
as a Certified Space Technology by the Space Foundation.
In March 2006, CRI announced that it is accepting products
for testing under the latest phase of the Seal of Approval
program. This new “Deep Cleaning Systems” phase evaluates
the combined effectiveness of cleaning equipment and
cleaning chemistries.
AquaClean® is a registered trademark
of Nilfisk- Advance, Inc.
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