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Show 10 KXJL TOT afic news TIMS 11, lft7 fV-i- r 0 5 equipment bank the cars parked at right angles, simulates flight conditions. It contains all the conentrols, instruments, rotating outputs, oil supply, and fittings vironmental chambers, fixtures, hoses needed to hook up and test a component. "When an accessory is completely hooked up to the test stand, it is put through tests as if it were on the airplane," said Mr. Barclay. "The stand emits hums like your car running at idle, and when max you 'rev up' the drive motor to test a pump at RPM you can hear the RPM increase much like your car engine being revved up." The stand is partially computerized. For examand ple, a menu can be selected for a particular test, features can be displayed in some case the test stand itself malfunctions. Energy efficiency was built in too, especially when selecting heat exchangers and motors sizes. "It's a very quiet machine," said Jim Dotson, a mechanical engineer. "We have plenty of sound insulation and quiet pumps, to keep the noise level The test stand, an size of two full-siz- e TINKER AFB, Okla. (AFLCNS) The Directorate of Maintenance at Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center will soon provide depot-leve- l maintenance on the new F108 engine. The F108 refueling replaces older J57 engines on tankers. As the engines arrive at Tinker, accessories will be stripped off, delivered to the accessories division, and one at a time, either placed on test stands to see if they need overhaul, or overhauled and then tested. "In June we received six different test stands from the prime contractor, General Electric," said Dannie Barclay, a mechanical engineer in the accessories engineering service section. "Each stand tests a different accessory such as KC-135- R self-diagnost- electrical accessory, lube pump, fuel pump, lube ac- cessory and main engine control. To make best use of our resources and because of the similarity between the F108, F101 and F110 engine components, the stands were purposely designed and built to accommodate components from all three engines." TEney ot AFB, WRIGHT-PATTERSO- N might be the interior of a costume shop, with masklike face casts lining the shelves. But the people in Bldg. 40, Area B at AFB, Ohio, aren't getting ready for Halloween. building They work year-roun- d -It n oxygen masks for Department of Defense aircraft crewe members who don't fit into standard-issumasks. A staff sergeant lifts a plaster-cas- t "face" from one of the shelves and blows some dust off its surface. This reveals detailed impressions of a person's facial features even the eyelashesmost importantly, the imper- fections that make this person unique. "It's kind off eerie, having all these faces on our shelves," said SSgt. Steven B. Flynn, noncommissioned officer in charge of the custom mask shop. The shop is under the direction of Lt. Col. J ay M. Howard, chief of the !' oxygen mask, according to Sgt. Bruce R. Mclver, a physiological training technician in the custom mask shop. Approximately 30 masks are made in a month, he said, and each is returned to its owner within six to eight weeks, barring any problems. He explained that the group can run into problems if the facial form is damaged during shipment, if it is damaged while working with it, or if other problems arise in the construction process. The mask shop workers take many steps before an oxygen mask can be put together and sent back to a person's home base. First, the face cast is placed on a flat surface and an oxygen mask mold is placed over the nose and mouth area of the face. A hardening material is poured into the mold, taking the shape of the person's facial features on one side, and the outer boundaries of the oxygen mask on the other side. This hardened mold is then baked at high temperatures and painted so that it will not chip or crack. It is then attached to a steel rod, to make easier the various dipping processes to 2750th ABW Office of Public Affairs custom-mad- e 10-fo- oxygen masks custom-mad- e By Donna Pernot Wright-Patterso- ic ait r urce Bwmuaru ui ueciDeis in a radius. We made sure the operator could work eight hours a day without ear plugs!" The test stand contains over 100 knobs, dials, air flow meters, pressure gauges, start-sto- p buttons and position switches to test accessories from all F101 and F110. The operator three engines-F1- 08, must train for two weeks on each engine accessory group; approximately six weeks total. Two plexiglass doors enclose the part under test, for cleanliness of the work area and safety of the operator. When oil, for example, is pumped in and out of a lube pump, it either uses a return line or falls into the sink below for recycling. All six test stands should be completely installed, checked out and operational this month. "Great care was taken," said Mr. Dotson, "to cut costs by buying modified versions of previously developed F101F110 engine test stands. The stands will test components from all three engines, while costing about half of the original F101 stand cost of $1.4 million each." below tne ' II do youir feceS Trio makes Ohio (AFLCNS)- ed (30(iQgqdD . Aerospace Physiological Training Directorate, part of the Medical Center. It's the only shop in DOD that makes custom-fi- t oxygen masks for defense aircrew members. Four standard sizes of oxygen masks are available through government issue, Sergeant Flynn noted, and all but 5 percent of aircraft members using oxygen masks fit into those sizes. Persons with extra long, small or large faces, or those with unique facial features, such as a broken nose, have the most trouble fitting into standard masks, Sergeant Flynn said. Decause the seal off the mask to the face is broken without proper fit, the 5 percent who do not fit into standard masks must have special ones made for them. About 5 to 10 percent of these people are women, he said. The mask-fittinprocess begins when a person needing an oxygen mask visits the Life Support Shop at his local base for mask fitting. If it's seen that there will be an oxygen leak with a standard mask, the crew member is sent to the dental clinic at his home base for pouring of a face cast. The face cast, a replica of the person from forehead to Adam's apple and from ear to ear, is made of hardened dental stone. The cast is then sent to the three members of the Aerospace Physiological Training Directorate at Wright-PattersoWhen the cast is received, they begin treasuring and constructing an V.i.V. Vf- ' - follow. The mold is submerged into a bucket of coagulant to keep the mask from sticking to the mold; the coagulant is then allowed to The drip-dr- y. mold is then latex into rubber for seven dipped minutes and allowed to gel into a soft layer. The coagulant and latex layers gel-coal- ed are repeated to increase the thickness and durability of the mask, Sergeant Mclver said. The constructed mask should be thick enough to keep its shape, yet thin enough to form a strong seal against the face, he noted. After the masks are into coagulant and latex, they are cured in water for four hours and then baked. Before baking, however, people in the section apply dental stone to the facial surface of the mold so that the latex will not shrink during baking. Once the mask comes out of the oven, a hole is cut in the underside. The hole must be big enough to peel the mask off easily, but small enough to maintain proper seal against the user's face, according to A1C Kevin D. Dittmar, the third member of the shop. This step takes great care, because tearing the latex means starting over. Other stops tachfcSe cutting several holes into the latex for attaching hardware such as microphones and breathing valves. hand-dunke- 70-degr- g . n. . d U.S. Air Force Photo by Amn. Eric Broz Strange facial Impression material is layered on Airman Dittmar's face during the initial step. Gauze layers are then added to help the plaster mold to the impression material. "Most of the work here is done by hand," Airman Dittmar said. "A lot of it is just an art." One of the final steps is creating a hard outer shell that protects the latex mask, provides structural integrity and allows a strap to be attached for connecting mask to helmet. Making this hard shell begins with a piece of Kydex plastic that's heated and pressed into a standard shape and size. Finger-acces- s holes are drilled into the shell, so the crew member can squeeze his or her nose to complete the maneuver that clears the ears during descent, Sergeant Flynn explained. The finished mask is coated with talcum powder and sent for to its user. Should the wearer find any leaks or problems, Sergeant Flynn said, he or she can send the mask back to the shop for refitting. wear-testin- g Shop workers keep face casts for six months, in case a user notices problems. If a mask is sent back, the mask makers here compare the mask to the face cast and mold, then build a new one if necessary. Under normal clrcumstances however, most people don't return the mask because of discrepancies, Sergeant Flynn noted. But requests for a new mask, after several ye'ars of normal wear and tear, are routine. Molds are stored in the building here for five years and can be easily located for such requests. About 3,000 molds are stored there now. "In many cases, our 'customer' is grounded until his or her custom mask arrives," Sergeant Flynn said. "So our work is another critical aspect of the crew medical care and aircraft maintenance that keeps the Air Force flying. That gives you a good feeling-- ' |