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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1987

Concept of an Opto-electronic Accelerometer System (OAS)

An accelerometer based on a spring-suspended reference mass and its precise relative motion measurement by means of 3 two-dimensional position sensitive detectors (PSD) is described. A breadboard model achieves a resolution (longterm linearity) of 25 nm in one direction. Due to the physical principle of the PSD, the second layer is slightly less sensitive than the top layer; accordingly for gravity gradient detection the more sensitive layer is selected for the Z/X component detection. At 10 Hz sampling rate an acceleration gradient of under 10 to the minus 12th power g (i.e., 0.01 E or 0.001 Gal/km) is considered to be detectable.

Kunkel, B.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The LPL radial accelerometer

The LPL stellar accelerometer, an interferometrically calibrated spectrometer, is described. Particular attention is given to light feed, image scrambling, and interferometric wavelength calibration. Changes in radial velocity are inferred from changes in the relative intensities of starlight transmitted through the Fabry-Perot.

Mcmillan, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS1990

MSL-2 accelerometer data results

The Materials Science Laboratory-2 (MSL-2) mission flew the Marshall Space Flight Center-developed Linear Triaxial Accelerometer (LTA) on the Space Transportation System (STS) 61-C Shuttle mission launched January 21, 1986. Flight data were analyzed to verify the quietness of the MSL carrier and to characterize the acceleration environment for future MSL users. The MSL was found to introduce no significant experiment acceleration; and the effects of crew treadmill exercise, Orbiter vernier engine firings, and other routine flight occurrences were established. The LTA was found to be well suited for measuring nominal to very quiet STS acceleration levels at frequencies below 50 Hz. Special processing was used to examine the low-frequency spectrum and to establish the effective rms amplitude associated with dominant frequencies.

Henderson, Fred↗
NASA NTRS1990

The MESA accelerometer for space application

An electrostatically suspended proof mass in the Miniature Electrostatic Accelerometer (MESA) is used to measure acceleration in the submicro-g range. Since no fixed mechanical suspension (such as springs or strings) is used, the constrainment scaling can be changed electrically after being placed in orbit. A single proof mass can sense accelerations in three axes simultaneously. It can survive high-g pyrotechnic-generated shocks and launch environments while unpowered.

Lange, William G.↗
NASA NTRS1990

The perfectly ideal accelerometer

Given here is a condensed version of the results and conclusions that developed during the Workshop. Upper limits of residual accelerations that can be tolerated during materials processes, presented as acceptable and as desirable limits, are shown. Designs and capabilities of various accelerometers, and their inherent problems, are compared. Results of acceleration measurements on Spacelab flights are summarized, and expected acceleration levels on the Space Station under various conditions are estimated.

Stuhlinger, Ernst↗
NASA NTRS1990

A silicon micromachined piezoresistive accelerometer for health and condition monitoring

Silicon micromachining etching techniques were utilized to batch-fabricate hundreds of general purpose microaccelerometers on a single silicon substrate. Piezoresistive sensing elements were aligned to the back-side patterns using an IR mask aligner and then diffused into the areas of maximum stress. Capping of the two-arm cantilever beam structure was achieved using a combination of electrostatic bonding and low temperature glass films. Overrange protection, critical damping, and overall protection from the outside environment are achieved by controlling the cavity depths of the top and bottom covers. Temperature compensation, amplification, and filtering are performed by a companion LSI chip that is interfaced to the accelerometer by conventional wire-bonding techniques.

Walsh, Kevin M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Passive Accelerometer

Motion of ball in liquid indicates acceleration. Passive accelerometer measures small accelerations along cylindrical axis. Principle of operation based on Stokes' law. Provides accurate measurements of small quasi-steady accelerations. Additional advantage, automatically integrates out unwanted higher-frequency components of acceleration.

Naumann, Robert J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Ground and flight calibration assessment of HiRAP accelerometer data from missions STS-35 and STS-40

A method of removing non-aerodynamic signals and calibrating the High Resolution Accelerometer Package (HiRAP) flight data was developed and is discussed for Shuttle Orbiter missions STS-35 and STS-40. These two mission data sets were analyzed using ground (dynamic) calibration data and flight calibrations using a flight calibration technique that was developed and refined over the HiRAP operational lifetime. This technique evolved early in the flight program, since it was recognized that ground calibration factors are insufficient to determine absolute low acceleration levels. The application of flight calibration factors to the data sets from these missions produced calibrated acceleration levels within an accuracy of less than plus or minus 1.5 micro-g of zero during a time in the flight when the acceleration level was known to be less than 1 micro-g. This analysis further confirms the theory that flight calibrations are required in order to obtain the absolute measurement of low-frequency, low-acceleration flight signals.

Blanchard, Robert C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Design of a self-diagnostic beam-mode piezoelectric accelerometer

A technique was developed for detecting in situ real-time soft failures in a beam-mode piezoelectric accelerometer. The new technique can be used to detect changes in the piezoelectric capacitance, the equivalent mechanical stiffness of the piezoelectric element and the surface mounting impedance, and the piezoelectric efficiency.

Flanagan, Patrick M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Flight calibration assessment of HiRAP accelerometer data

A flight derived method of calibrating the High Resolution Accelerometer Package (HiRAP) flight data has been developed and is discussed for Shuttle Orbiter missions STS-35 and STS-40. These two mission data sets have been analyzed using ground calibration factors and flight derived calibration factors. This flight technique evolved early in the flight program when it was recognized that ground calibration factors are insufficient to determine absolute low-acceleration levels. The application of flight calibration factors to the data sets from these missions produced calibrated acceleration levels within an accuracy of less than +/- 1.5 microgravity of zero during a time in the flight when the acceleration level was known to be less than 1.0 microgravity. This analysis further confirms the theory that flight calibrations are required in order to obtain the absolute measurement of low-frequency, low-acceleration flight signals.

Blanchard, Robert C.↗
NASA NTRS1993

A study of the earth's free core nutation using international deployment of accelerometers gravity data

In this study we consider the influence of the earth's free core nutation (FCN) on diurnal tidal admittance estimates for 11 stations of the globally distributed International Deployment of Accelerometers network. The FCN causes a resonant enhancement of the diurnal admittances which can be used to estimate some properties of the FCN. Estimations of the parameters describing the FCN (period, Q, and resonance strength) are made using data from individual stations and many stations simultaneously. These yield a result for the period of 423-452 sidereal days, which is shorter than theory predicts but is in agreement with many previous studies and suggests that the dynamical ellipticity of the core may be greater than its hydrostatic value.

Cummins, Phil R.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Detailed analysis of Honeywell In-Space Accelerometer data - STS-32

The Honeywell In-Space Accelerometer (HISA) system collected data in the mid-deck area of the Shuttle Columbia during the flight of STS-32, January 1990. The resulting data were to be used to investigate the response of crystal microstructure to different types of residual acceleration. The HISA is designed to detect and record transient and oscillatory accelerations. The sampling and electronics package stored averaged accelerations over two sampling periods; two sampling rates were available: 1 Hz and 50 Hz. Analysis of the HISA data followed the CMMR Acceleration Data Processing Guide, considering in-house computer modelling of a float-zone indium crystal growth experiment. Characteristic examples of HISA data showing the response to the primary reaction control system, Orbiter Maneuvering System operations, and crew treadmill activity are presented. Various orbiter structural modes are excited by these and other activities.

Rogers, Melissa J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Micromachined silicon cantilever beam accelerometer incorporating an integrated optical waveguide

A micromachined cantilever beam accelerometer is described in which beam deflection is determined optically. A diving board structure is anisotropically etched into a silicon wafer. This diving board structure is patterned from the wafer backside so as to leave a small gap between the tip of the diving board and the opposite fixed edge on the front side of the wafer. In order to sense a realistic range of accelerations, a foot mass incorporated onto the end of the beam is found to provide design flexibility. A silicon nitride optical waveguide is then deposited by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) onto the sample. Beam deflection is measured by the decrease of light coupled across the gap between the waveguide sections. In order to investigate sensor response and simulate deflection of the beam, we utilized a separate beam and waveguide section which could be displaced from one another in a precisely controlled manner. Measurements were performed on samples with gaps of 4.0, 6.0, and 8.0 micron and the variation of the fraction of light coupled across the gap as a function of displacement and gap spacing was found to agree with overlap integral calculations.

Burcham, Kevin E.↗
NASA NTRS1953

A Method of Calibrating Airspeed Installations on Airplanes at Transonic and Supersonic Speeds by the Use of Accelerometer and Attitude-Angle Measurements

A method is described for calibrating airspeed installation on airplanes at transonic and supersonic speeds in vertical-plane maneuvers in which use is made of measurements of normal and longitudinal accelerations and attitude angle. In this method all the required instrumentation is carried within the airplane. An analytical study of the effects of various sources of error on the accuracy of an airspeed calibration by the accelerometer method indicated that the required measurements can be made accurately enough to insure a satisfactory calibration.

Zalovick, John A↗
NASA NTRS1993

Modelling of the MEA float zone using accelerometer data

During a floating zone experiment involving the growth of indium on a recent orbiter mission, (STS 32) oscillation of the zone shapes were observed to occur in response to the background acceleration. An understanding of the nature of the response of the zone shape to forced (g-jitter) oscillations and predictions of its impact on future experiments is of great interest not only to the PI's but to other commercial and academic investigators who plan to fly similar experiments in the orbiter and on space station. Motivated by this, a 15 month study was undertaken to analyze the nature of the g-sensitivity of the STS 32 floating zone crystal growth experiment. Numerical models were used to describe the time-dependent free surface motion of the zone as it responds to the spacecraft residual acceleration. Relevant experimental data concerning the acceleration environment was obtained from the Honeywell in Space Accelerometer (HISA) investigators through MSFC's ACAP program and processed and analyzed. For the indium floating zone experiment, a series of calculations were made using time-dependent axial accelerations g(t). The form of g(t) included simple sinusoidal disturbances as well as actual data (subject to appropriate filtering) measured on the STS 32 mission. Focus was on the calculation of the response of the free surface of the zone as well as the internal flows and internal heat transfer. The influence of solidification on the response of the zone shape was also examined but found to be negligible.

Alexander, J. Iwan D.↗
NASA NTRS1994

CSI, optimal control, and accelerometers: Trials and tribulations

New results concerning optimal design with accelerometers are presented. These results show that the designer must be concerned with the stability properties of two Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) compensators, one of which does not explicitly appear in the closed-loop system dynamics. The new concepts of virtual and implemented compensators are introduced to cope with these subtleties. The virtual compensator appears in the closed-loop system dynamics and the implemented compensator appears in control electronics. The stability of one compensator does not guarantee the stability of the other. For strongly stable (robust) systems, both compensators should be stable. The presence of controlled and uncontrolled modes in the system results in two additional forms of the compensator with corresponding terms that are of like form, but opposite sign, making simultaneous stabilization of both the virtual and implemented compensator difficult. A new design algorithm termed sensor augmentation is developed that aids stabilization of these compensator forms by incorporating a static augmentation term associated with the uncontrolled modes in the design process.

Benjamin, Brian J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Accelerometer having integral fault null

An improved accelerometer is introduced. It comprises a transducer responsive to vibration in machinery which produces an electrical signal related to the magnitude and frequency of the vibration; and a decoding circuit responsive to the transducer signal which produces a first fault signal to produce a second fault signal in which ground shift effects are nullified.

Bozeman, Richard J., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Superconducting Rebalance Accelerometer

A multi-axis accelerometer which utilizes a magnetically-suspended, high-TC proof mass is under development. The design and performance of a single axis device which is stabilized actively in the axial direction but which utilizes ring magnets for passive radial stabilization is discussed. The design of a full six degree-of-freedom device version is also described.

Torti, R. P.↗