FEDERAL COAL MINE HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT OF 1969 (PUBLIC LAW 91-173)

This act directed the Director of the National Bureau of Standards or his designate to serve on the Advisory Committee of Coal Mine Safety and a companion Interim Compliance Panel. An NBS delegate served on these bodies from January 16, 1970 to April 17, 1976 at which time they were dissolved.

An example of a service that NBS provided as a consequence of this act is the technical assistance that it provided to the General Accounting Office in preparing an overall evaluation of the mine dust monitoring system that was administered by the Department of the Interior's Mine Environment Safety Administration (MESA). At GAO's request NBS assisted in evaluating the ability of the personnel monitoring instruments and weighing laboratories to quantitatively sample and measure the level of respirable dust in operating coal mines. In its final report GAO concluded that the monitoring system could not measure the concentration of respirable dust with the accuracy specified in the Act. GAO also recommended that MESA obtain NBS assistance in effecting needed improvements in that system.

In November 1977 MESA engaged NBS to conduct research directed towards developing improvements in sampling statistics and measures of instrument performance under conditions actually encountered in the mine.

RADIATION CONTROL FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT OF 1968 (PUBLIC LAW 90–602)

Section 356 (a) (6) says the Secretary of HEW shall "consult and maintain liaison with the Secretary of Commerce ... on (A) techniques, equipment, and programs for testing and evaluating electronic product radiation, and (B) the development of performance standards. pursuant to control such radiation emissions." NBS supports and assists the Bureau of Radiological Health (BRH) with measurement standards and procedures as necessary to protect the public from harmful effects of ionizing, electromagnetic, laser, ultrasonic, and ultravoilet radiation. NBS also reviews regulations and guidelines proposed by BRH with emphasis on measurement implications. Voluntary standards which supplement or substitute for regulations are developed with NBS coordination and leadership. The NBS activities include: development of basic measurement standards, instruments, and procedures; calibration of field instruments against these standards; and conduct of measurement assurance programs for manufacturers, users, and regulators of electronic products. Examples of the latter are MAP's for laser power and energy, and for radiation therapy devices utilizing cobalt-60.

Senator STEVENSON. Dr. Lyons?

Dr. LYONS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am John W. Lyons, Director of the Institute for Applied Technology, and I am to become Director of the National Engineering Laboratory.

It's a pleasure for me to appear before this subcommittee to discuss the engineering and applied science programs of the NBS. I shall do this in terms of the National Engineering Laboratory.

In terms of disciplines, the Engineering Laboratory will have substantial programs in the following areas: electrical and electronics engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, fire protection engineering, applied physicists, applied chemists, applied mathematicians, economists, architects, and behavioral scientists.

It is natural to think of the Laboratory as a series of clusters of these skills or competencies. The programs of the Laboratory will include development of measurements for process control in the electronics industry, studies of electromagnetic interference; standards for industrial automation and research on interactive computercontrolled manufacturing; noise control measurements; measurements and technology for commercial operations at very low temperature, as, for example, shipping and storing liquefied natural gas; measuring combustion processes for various industrial applications; research and standards in building science and technology; development of methods

of measuring consumer product performance; a wide range of fire research activities; a series of measurements of standards activities related to energy conservation; technical support to the Department of Commerce on the long-term accreditation of testing laboratories and on the labeling of consumer products; research into the factors affecting technical innovation in our society-the ETIP program. We also have in the Engineering Laboratory the central NBS group working on applied mathematics.

Perhaps the most striking feature of all in this new laboratory is the breadth of its programs, as I have just indicated.

Let me now discuss one or two of the above programs. First, some of our work in electronics and electrical engineering. There are now serious problems with measuring the effects of electromagnetic radiation on people and with electromagnetic interference with electronically controlled devices.

For example, radiation levels in a normal environment have been known to prevent operation of electronically controlled truck brakes. Difficulties with EMI are expected to escalate. We are at work on improved techniques for measuring such radiation and for measuring the response of electronically controlled devices to it. We perceive a growing demand for results in this area and are increasing our efforts accordingly.

In electronics for many years the Bureau has worked on tests and measurements for the semiconductor industry. We have developed new methods of measurement and testing for processing and performance evaluation of semiconductor devices. As integrated circuits on semiconductor chips have become smaller and more complex, precision metrology has become more important on the production line. This work will be increasingly important as the industry moves to ever more complex, large-scale integrated circuits.

A second area is our comprehensive program of research in thermal insulation. The work draws on expertise across the Bureau in heat transfer, fire and electrical safety, durability, corrosion, consumer product labeling, and laboratory accreditation. We are developing an improved test apparatus for use with layers of insulation up to 12 inches thick.

We have developed two new fire tests. One of these defines the tendency of fire to spread over the surface of exposed insulation; the other is used to evaluate the propensity of an insulation material to sustain smoldering combustion given an accidental ignition.

We are studying the durability and corrosiveness of treatments applied to some forms of insulation.

We are working on the best way to display all or some of this information on product labels.

And, finally, thermal insulation is the first product category to have been selected by the Department of Commerce for voluntary accreditation of testing laboratories. Such accreditation will provide the Nation with a network of laboratories able to run the various tests required for labeling, for tax credits, and for building codes.

The National Engineering Laboratory will have responsibilities under nine specific legislative acts. In an attachment to my written. statement there is a brief review of NBS's response to each of those. At this point I should like to make a few observations on the Bureau's response to the fire safety and the energy acts.

The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 established a Center at NBS and gave it a very detailed charter. The act contains a separate authorization for this NBS Center. The budget for the Center is formulated at NBS in consultation with the administrator of the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration, and after consolidation with the budget of NFPCA is forwarded as a single document to the Congress. The center is a line item in this budget. NBS management is assured of continuity of funding and a voice in program planning. An appropriate portion of the funds are applied to building competence in the disciplines necessary for fire research programs. The Center for Fire Research is at once relevant and able to maintain its key competencies.

Now consider the situation in the energy area. There are four pieces of legislation. In the DOE budget request for appropriations for the Federal Non-Nuclear Research and Development Act, the NBS work on energy-related inventions is a separate line item. This is not the case with the other items. For these we are reimbursed by the other agencies. But we are not explicitly written into their appropriation requests.

The breakdown for the laboratory shows we have a $121⁄2 million program, only $0.9 million of which is directly appropriated. $1.2 million shown in my testimony for energy-related inventions is clearly earmarked for this purpose and is not flexible. The reimbursible funds from other agencies come from specific projects, generally short range in nature. Other agencies are not particularly concerned with building NBS's scientific competence over the long range. NBS management has relatively little discretion in developing the competencies necessary to support applied energy work. This lack of flexibility is a serious problem for us in a number of program areas. As a result of this the President's fiscal year 1979 budget request includes a request of Congress for funds for competence-building and for funds to augment our long-range planning efforts.

Let me now turn to our thinking about the future. One cannot have excellence in technical problem solving without excellence in science. Future selection of problem solving areas will be governed at least in part by our choices now as to which competencies are to be exercised. We propose to focus in a half-dozen areas in the National Engineering Laboratory with the first infusion of competence money in 1979. These are fluid mechanics, heat transfer, phenomena occuring in electronic devices, and substantial strengthening in our ability to work with complex systems using computers.

We chose fluid mechanics and heat transfer because we are certain we shall have programs relying on these skills in the years to come. Examples are the need to describe the behavior of fire in a room; the flow of air in buildings; and to make engineering measurements on combustion processes in various kinds of furnaces.

Basic work in electrotechnology is important, because we receive very strong demands for developing measuring techniques in the new world of large-scale integrated circuits. The stress on handling largescale problems in computers reflects our belief that the Bureau needs to improve its scientific computers very substantially.

During this calendar year we are to prepare a 5-year plan for the laboratory. From this exercise will come a rationale for management of the budgetary actions required in the years ahead.

The National Engineering Laboratory will be unique in its breadth of interest; its charter to serve many clients; its concern for engineering measurements and standards; and its ability to mount a variety of programs addressing national problems.

Thank you.

Senator STEVENSON. Thank you, sir.

[The statement follows:]

STATEMENT OF JOHN W. LYONS, DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED TECHNOLOGY, NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee: It is a pleasure for me to appear before this Subcommittee to discuss the engineering and certain applied science programs of the National Bureau of Standards (NBS). Dr. Ambler has discussed the dual role of NBS and his proposed reorganization which will place the problem solving role primarily into a new unit named the National Engineering Laboratory (NEL). I have served as head of a task force to give shape to this new entity and have spent several months thinking about the NEL, what it should be, what it should and should not do, and how it should relate to the National Measurement Laboratory (NML). I shall attempt today to set forth for you our views on these questions.

There are a number of ways to describe an organization-by its staff, its activities or programs, or its mission as enunciated by the organization itself and by its chartering body. For NEL, it is convenient to consider (1) the scientific and engineering disciplines, (2) the programs aimed at solving specific problems and (3) the context for these as given by various Federal Laws establishing the units, stating specific missions, or assigning tasks.

The National Engineering Laboratory of the National Bureau of Standards will be a Federal laboratory which will conduct technical programs to contribute to the solution of a broad spectrum of National problems. A distinguishing characteristic will be the breadth of our activities. In terms of disciplines we will have substantial groupings in the following areas:

Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Civil Engineers, Fire Protection Engineers, Applied Physicists, Applied Chemists, Applied Mathematicians, Economists, Architects, Behavioral Scientists.

Within these groups there will be many subdivisions; for example, the mechanical engineering group will include specialists in fluid flow and heat transfer; the applied physics group will include specialists in acoustics, electricity and magnetism and aerosols, to name but a few. When one views the proposed NEL in terms of its people and their training it is natural to think of the Laboratory as a series of clusters of skills or competences. As you know we are now engaged in assessing these competences as to which are essential and which need to be strengthened. The competences will be the scientific foundation on which effective problem-solving activities will be based.

The programs of the laboratory will include development of measurements for process control in the electronics industry, studies of electromagnetic interference, standards for industrial automation and research on interactive, computercontrolled manufacturing, noise control measurements, measurements and technology for commercial operations at a very low temperature as, for example, shipping and storing liquified natural gas, measurements on combustion processes for various industrial applications, research and standards in building science and technology, development of methods of measuring consumer product performance, a wide range of fire research activities, a series of measurement and standards activities related to energy conservation, technical support to the Department of Commerce on the voluntary accreditation of testing laboratories and on the labeling of consumer products, and research into the factors affecting technical innovation in our society (the ETIP program). We will have in NEL the central NBS group working on applied mathematics and providing skills in mathematics, statistics, and numerical computations to all NBS programs which require such support.

Let me now discuss a few of the above programs as they are now, programs which are done under the general authority of the NBS organic act. Our work in electronics and electrical engineering is remarkable for its breadth and the pervasiveness of its results. NBS is expert in making measurements across the electromagnetic spectrum. In recent years the Bureau has been the referee

laboratory for measuring leaks of electromagnetic radiation from microwave ovens. There are now serious problems with measuring the effects of electromagnetic radiation on people and with electromagnetic interference (EMI) with electronically controlled devices; for example, radiation levels in the normal environment have been known to prevent operation of electronically controlled truck brakes. As the automobile industry turns to microprocessors for control of engines to achieve high efficiency in gasoline consumption and low exhaust emissions, difficulties with EMI are expected to escalate.

We are at work on improved techniques for measuring such electromagnetic radiation and for measuring the response of electronically controlled devices to such radiation. We perceive a growing demand for results in this area and are increasing our efforts accordingly.

For many years the Bureau has worked on tests and measurements for the semiconductor industry at the request of industry and other government agencies and under joint sponsorship with those agencies, principally the Department of Defense. We have developed key methods of measurement and testing for the processing and performance of semiconductor devices, procedures which have greatly improved the efficiency of production and reliability of products. These tests and procedures are used throughout the entire industry. As integrated circuits on semiconductor chips have become smaller and more complex, precision metrology has become more important on the production line. Recently our electronics experts have joined with our experts in length measurements to give the semiconductor manufacturers, and those who provide them with manufacturing and test equipment, new means of microscopic positioning of lines and patterns on semiconductor chips and ways of measuring and controlling line width in these patterns. These and related techniques will be increasingly important as the industry moves to ever more complex large-scale integrated circuits.

Because of the rapid development of automated, computer controlled machine tools, we are developing new concepts of dynamic, in-process measurement and control of part dimensions, surface finish and part integrity, and new traceability and calibration services to support that technology. In the most sophisticated of these concepts, a robot fitted with sensors is operated by a computer serving in the same control capacity as the human brain i.e., receiving sensory signals and responding with motor commands. We are working to develop the techniques, the instrumentation and the computer software to produce an economical production technique. NBS has a unique combination of skills which enable us to do this job.

We have for some years been making measurements of chemical and physical properties of liquids at very low temperatures and developing techniques for storing and transferring these materials. A recent application has been to liquified natural gas (LNG) a material shipped and stored at temperatures near -160°C (-256°F). NBS has determined ways of calculating, from simple physical measurements, the heating value of the mixtures normally used in commerce, has developed ways of metering LNG, and has assisted with matters of safety.

As a final example, NBS has undertaken in collaboration with DoE a comprehensive program of research on insulation. NBS work on thermal insulation draws on expertise across the Bureau in heat transfer, fire and electrical safety, durability, corrosion, consumer product labeling, and laboratory accreditation. NBS maintains the standard engineering test apparatus for measuring the thermal conductivity of insulation.

We are developing an improved test apparatus for use with layers of insulation up to 12 inches thick. We have developed two new fire tests in the past year. One of these defines the tendency of fire to spread over the surface of exposed insulation, for example, in attics. The other is used to evaluate the propensity of an insulation material to sustain smoldering combustion given an accidental ignition such as from a dropped cigarette in a crawl space, an electrical short in a wall, or an overheated recessed lighting fixture. We are studying the durability and corrosiveness of treatments applied to some forms of insulation. We are working with other elements of the Department of Commerce and the FTC on the best way to display all or some of this information on product labels. And finally thermal insulation is the first product category to have been selected by the Department of Commerce for voluntary accreditation of testing laboratories. Such accreditation will provide the Nation with a network of laboratories able to run the various tests required for labeling, for tax credits, and for build