ITEMS FOR CLARIFICATION REGARDING BALLOONS UNDER CONTRACT NO. PSC-293-UNV

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 05416089
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: February 15, 2017
• Case Number: F-2008-00941
• Publication Date: August 9, 1956

sTANDARO KORAI NO. 64 Approved for Release: 2016/10/24 C05416089
ce Memorawndum uNr
�
TEE
FROM
Chief,
: Acting
SUBJECT: Items
PBC-,
9
GOVERNMENT
Clarification Regarding Balloons Under Contract No
UNV
1. Attached are three letters (one copy of each)
which have been received zen Research Inc. These letters
Indicate problems that if not clarified in the near future will
probability cause delay in delivery of the items under
et. The first paragraph of Winzen's 19 July letter regard-
AD their letter of 4 July 1956 has been answered.
. 2. The Contractor, in the above referenced 19 July letter
requests the Corporation testing specifications which
include that certain of the Air Force's proposed specifications
be used. It appears that they desire those to be substituted
in the %MI Soecifications M23023" for that eomparable part of
the specifice-tions as to material testing and acceptance.
3. The Contractor requests the use of a fountain *ype
marking brush with self tip and red marking ink in lieu of the
black grease crayon markings. The Contractor also requests
detail drawings of Drawing NO. 230364 as per the attached letter
dated 20 July 1956,
4. This office should be advised at an early date Whether
or not the above testing procedures, the marking method and de-
tailed drawings are to be authorized. Your memorandum requesting
Specifications modification, if any, and the drawings are necessary
for the clarification of these items by change order.
- .
Distribution:
Orig addressee
1 - PSC-293-1JY/ (official
1 - Chief,
1 - Chrome
Or,
/64
(7 August 1956)
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19 July 1956
Dear
The balloon material specifications referred to in ti
currently hold with your organization are approxLmately Vi
old. They were drawn up at a time when C�,eneral ,\iiills, Inc. held an
Air Force contract for the testing of balloon tnaterials. Since that tirne,
the testing of the materials has been transferred by the Air Force to the
balloon material manufacturer, The. �Visking Corporation of Terre Haute,
Indiana. The Air Force is now in the process of preparing Federal
specifications for balloon materials which, however, as of this date
are not yet available.
We have, therefore, developed
specifications, two opies of
specifications are, in our opinion,
your contract, and utilize latest tes
fished to the Visking C',orporation '
request your authority to have the c
oration a set of
herewith. These
hose included us
_g techniques and equipment fur -
the Ti. S. Air Force. We respect
ter al manufacturor conduct the
test program in accordance with the enclosed specifications.
Sincerely yours,
NZEN RE
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0
THE VISKING CORPORATION
p, O. Box 1410
Terre Haute, Indiana
July 13, 1956
(Dic.7-12-56I
Mr. Otto C. Winzen
Winzen Research Inc.
8401 Lyndale Avenue South
Minneapolis 20, Minnesota
Dear e. Winzen:
This Is with reference to your Order No. 8-233.0 for 7,500 pounds
of :,00251 56 balloon film tubing which we discussed by phone on
July 9th. In the absence of a definite Air Corps specification
for ,:0025" film and in accordance with our telephone conversation,
th is Li i lm will be produced to the following spec if i cat ions;
ater ia 14' The film shall be produced as VISQUEENi
Type Ai-Balloon Film from Bakelite DFD'5500 virgin
resin with a melt index not higher than 1.1.f"-Mlelt ,0: jft
Index shall be run once on each lot of resin used
In producing the order by ASTM Test Method D-1238-52T.
'Thickness: Average thickness shall be .0025 .0003
inches with a minimum of not less than .0022 and a
maximum of not over .0029 inches.
Five thickness readings shall- be taken at approximately
equal intervals on a strip f,ample cut across the width
'9f each roll. This reading will be made with a Federal
.gauge graduated in .0001 inches and having a 4 ounce
eight and measuring foot 3/16 in diameter.
Flat Width: Flat width of the tubing shall be
56 inches � 1/2 inch.
One flat width measurement shall be made on each
roll. If the first sample does not meet this
requirement, two more samples shall be taken and
both these must meet the tolerance for the roll
to be acceptable.
Length: The film 'shall be furnished as a
cont inuots roll 230 yards � 2 yards in length.
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.1101.�
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Tensile Strength The film shall nice
minimum average tensile strength and
as measured by AS-TM Method D-882 4T
the inclined plane tester.
Machine
Direction
the following
longat ion,
ethod C using
Transverse
Direction
Tensile Strength
lbs/sq. in. 2000 1600
Elongation (1%) 250 . 400
Samples -shall be taken once per shift per machine
operating. Five strips shall be run in each direction
for each sample. The average of these five shall
constitute the values Which must meet the specification.
If a sample does not meet the specification, two more
samples shall be taken from the same shift and machine.
If these meet the requirement the production from that
shift and machine is acceptable. If one of the two
resamples does not meet the.-requirement then all the
production from that shift and machine is unacceptable.
Toughness or Impact Test: The film shall meet the
following time interval minimum values when tested
with the type of apparatus described in Exhibit
AFCRC-54-21, 19 August 1954, (pp. 4.4.4.1) and more
precisely in.proOosed revision MIL�F-4640 (USAF),
24 April 1956, (pp, 4.4.3.1).
Center film sample 41.0 milliseconds
Crease sample 39.3
Five test samples containing no visible mechanical
damage shall be taken from each fourth roll. Two
of these shall be selected so that the ball strikes
the right crease, two the left crease and one the
center of the film. If any of the samples do not
exceed the specified minimum time intervals the
roll shall be rejected._ All preceeding rolls back
to the previous test roll shall be impact tested
and passed or rejected individually on the same
basis. Each succeeding roll shall be individually
tested until a roll passes the test, then normal
testing is resumed.
Cold Brittleness Tests Because of the impracticality
of running this test on small and irregular brders, this
test will not be run. It has been our experience in
producing balloon film, that when the specified resin
Is used together with the VISQUEEN A film process the
film generally passes the �68�C cold brittleness test -
as described in proposed specification MIL�F-4640 (USAF).
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Samples and Test Data; Samples shall be furnished with
the film shipment as follows:
Sam le Size Frequency
1 yard
4 yards
each roll
each 40th roll
Copies of test data on tests performed according to
this specification will be fUrnished at the time of
.shipment. .
I hope that this information will be adequate for your purposes.
If there are any further questions please let me know.
Very truly yours,
THE VISKING CORPORATION
/a/ C. J. P. Thor -
C. J. B. THOR, MANAGER
TECHNICAL SERVICES DEPT.
CJBT:bb
cc:Messrs: E. S. Cahn
J. F. Bernard
R. A. Gore
J. Washburn
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ItithJuly 1956, we note that he Addendum
1 dated 31 May 1956 has alimrnstsd the problem to which it refer.
ajjLver, we would still like to have your advice 'with regard to
d paragraph of our letter of 5 July.
ddendurn No. 1 dated 31 May refers to the use of a black narking
crayon for marking a.in 1naz tapes. On the basis Dr our eu erience
in the marking of balloons, -we have completely eliminated tho
of. crayons because they very often damage the balloon fabric b
of the pressure
the Crayon has
cessary in
rd inclusio
our practice for several years to use a fountain '
We respectfully request your permission to use this device
instead of that you specify in Addendum 1. Curthep, i respectfully
your authorization to u ), f black in
balloon flights under extreme solar radiation lack -markings may
in burns causing the balloon fabric to melt. \ve are tncludtric' herewith,
for your information, samples of the marking we propose to employ.
.pplying the marking and because frequently
which will tear the material. It has been
brush with
1 be looking forward to your comment at an earl
OCW:vw
Sincerely.yours,
Willt3EARCIII INC. �
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Dear
Among the he 39 foot balloon, we have d
interpreting the Drawing No. 230364 entitled Duct Tie-Off . This
drawing shows a portion of the duct, a bushing and a spring clip.
Neither of these accessories is in sufficient detail to permit us to
interpret the design.
We, therefore, resPec
ittg dimensions, specifi
we can provide the desi
We would reiterate that this drawing was no,
which we orsgrnally submitted our proposal. It is, of cou
that all of these requests be handled as expeditiously as possible, so
that they will not interfere with the delivery schedule,
you for your ante.
ereiy ours,
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