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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 NTRS2001

Accurate Time-Dependent Traveling-Wave Tube Model Developed for Computational Bit-Error-Rate Testing

The phenomenal growth of the satellite communications industry has created a large demand for traveling-wave tubes (TWT's) operating with unprecedented specifications requiring the design and production of many novel devices in record time. To achieve this, the TWT industry heavily relies on computational modeling. However, the TWT industry's computational modeling capabilities need to be improved because there are often discrepancies between measured TWT data and that predicted by conventional two-dimensional helical TWT interaction codes. This limits the analysis and design of novel devices or TWT's with parameters differing from what is conventionally manufactured. In addition, the inaccuracy of current computational tools limits achievable TWT performance because optimized designs require highly accurate models. To address these concerns, a fully three-dimensional, time-dependent, helical TWT interaction model was developed using the electromagnetic particle-in-cell code MAFIA (Solution of MAxwell's equations by the Finite-Integration-Algorithm). The model includes a short section of helical slow-wave circuit with excitation fed by radiofrequency input/output couplers, and an electron beam contained by periodic permanent magnet focusing. A cutaway view of several turns of the three-dimensional helical slow-wave circuit with input/output couplers is shown. This has been shown to be more accurate than conventionally used two-dimensional models. The growth of the communications industry has also imposed a demand for increased data rates for the transmission of large volumes of data. To achieve increased data rates, complex modulation and multiple access techniques are employed requiring minimum distortion of the signal as it is passed through the TWT. Thus, intersymbol interference (ISI) becomes a major consideration, as well as suspected causes such as reflections within the TWT. To experimentally investigate effects of the physical TWT on ISI would be prohibitively expensive, as it would require manufacturing numerous amplifiers, in addition to acquiring the required digital hardware. As an alternative, the time-domain TWT interaction model developed here provides the capability to establish a computational test bench where ISI or bit error rate can be simulated as a function of TWT operating parameters and component geometries. Intermodulation products, harmonic generation, and backward waves can also be monitored with the model for similar correlations. The advancements in computational capabilities and corresponding potential improvements in TWT performance may prove to be the enabling technologies for realizing unprecedented data rates for near real time transmission of the increasingly larger volumes of data demanded by planned commercial and Government satellite communications applications. This work is in support of the Cross Enterprise Technology Development Program in Headquarters' Advanced Technology & Mission Studies Division and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Small Business Technology Transfer programs.

Kory, Carol L.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Shock-wave-induced turbulent boundary-layer separation at hypersonic speeds

An experiment is described that tests and guides computations of the interaction of a shock wave with a turbulent boundary layer. Numerical solutions of the time-averaged Navier-Stokes equations for the entire flow field employing algebraic eddy viscosity and turbulent Prandtl number models for shear stress and heat flux are presented and used to illustrate the dependence of the computations on the particulars of the turbulence models. To guide modifications in the models, the mean flow profiles and surface measurements of pressure, shear, and heat flux are analyzed critically. The results show that the models of eddy viscosity require substantial modifications in the interaction region. Improved solutions employing the experimentally modified models are presented.

Horstman, C. C.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Predicted and experimental steady and unsteady transonic flows about a biconvex airfoil

Results of computer code time dependent solutions of the two dimensional compressible Navier-Stokes equations and the results of independent experiments are compared to verify the Mach number range for instabilities in the transonic flow field about a 14 percent thick biconvex airfoil at an angle of attack of 0 deg and a Reynolds number of 7 million. The experiments were conducted in a transonic, slotted wall wind tunnel. The computer code included an algebraic eddy viscosity turbulence model developed for steady flows, and all computations were made using free flight boundary conditions. All of the features documented experimentally for both steady and unsteady flows were predicted qualitatively; even with the above simplifications, the predictions were, on the whole, in good quantitative agreement with experiment. In particular, predicted time histories of shock wave position, surface pressures, lift, and pitching moment were found to be in very good agreement with experiment for an unsteady flow. Depending upon the free stream Mach number for steady flows, the surface pressure downstream of the shock wave or the shock wave location was not well predicted.

Levy, L. L., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Parallel computation of 3-D Navier-Stokes flowfields for supersonic vehicles

Multidisciplinary design optimization of aircraft will require unprecedented capabilities of both analysis software and computer hardware. The speed and accuracy of the analysis will depend heavily on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) module which is used. A new CFD module has been developed to combine the robust accuracy of conventional codes with the ability to run on parallel architectures. This is achieved by parallelizing the ARC3D algorithm, a central-differenced Navier-Stokes method, on the Intel iPSC/860. The computed solutions are identical to those from conventional machines. Computational speed on 64 processors is comparable to the rate on one Cray Y-MP processor and will increase as new generations of parallel computers become available.

Ryan, James S.↗
NASA NTRS1980

The relation between tilt table and acceleration-tolerance and their dependence on stature and physical fitness

A group of 12 highly trained athletes and a group of 12untrained students were subjected to passive changes of position on a tilt table and positive accelerations in a centrifuge. During a 20 min tilt, including two additional respiratory maneuvers, the number of faints and average cardiovascular responses did not differ significantly between the groups. During linear increase of acceleration, the average blackout level was almost identical in both groups. Statistically significant coefficients of product-moment correlation for various relations were obtained. The coefficient of multiple determination computed for the dependence of acceleration tolerance on heart-eye distance and systolic blood pressure at rest allows the explanation of almost 50% of the variation of acceleration tolerance. The maximum oxygen uptake showed the expected significant correlation to the heart rate at rest, but not the acceleration tolerance, or to the cardiovascular responses to tilting.

Klein, K. E.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Modeling of Time-Dependent Strength Degradation of SiC/SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites via MAC/GMC Computer Code

Silicon carbide fiber reinforced silicon carbide (SiC/SiC) ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) display time-dependent strength degradation at intermediate temperatures (600 to 900 degrees Centigrade). This is generally believed to be an oxidation induced phenomenon. The understanding of the effect of temperature with environment (oxidation) is key towards development of SiC/SiC CMCs with a reliable load carrying capacity. Various theories have been proposed to explain the strength degradation. One suggests that the boron nitride (BN) coating deposited on the fibers oxidizes causing fusion of fibers. Another theory proposes that the SiC fibers are oxidized forming a silica scale leading to premature fiber failure. A more recent theory suggests that SiC fiber strength is intrinsically time-dependent due to slow crack growth of flaws in the fibers. An empirical model, termed as a "fiber classic model," which is based on a standard slow crack growth type power-law, has been implemented within NASA's micromechanics-based MAC/GMC computer code as a user routine. Model parameters for this "classic model" were calibrated from stress-rupture data of Hi-Nicalon (TM) monofilaments using the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) technique. This new capability in the MAC/GMC computer code was then used to predict the stress-rupture behavior of Hi-Nicalon (TM) tows as well as 2-D SiC/SiC composites reinforced with Hi-Nicalon (TM) fibers. Results demonstrate that the MAC/GMC with this new capability successfully predicts the time-to-failure vs. applied stress within the intermediate temperature range at various scales as well as laminated composites in an oxidizing environment.

Environmental degradation↗
NASA NTRS2001

Distributed Accounting on the Grid

By the late 1990s, the Internet was adequately equipped to move vast amounts of data between HPC (High Performance Computing) systems, and efforts were initiated to link together the national infrastructure of high performance computational and data storage resources together into a general computational utility 'grid', analogous to the national electrical power grid infrastructure. The purpose of the Computational grid is to provide dependable, consistent, pervasive, and inexpensive access to computational resources for the computing community in the form of a computing utility. This paper presents a fully distributed view of Grid usage accounting and a methodology for allocating Grid computational resources for use on a Grid computing system.

Thigpen, William↗
NASA NTRS1974

Motion of magnetospheric particle clouds in a time-dependent electric field model

A computer code has been developed to study quantitatively the drift motion of magnetospheric particles in a time-dependent electric field. These calculations were applied to the case of proton and electron injections from the plasma sheet during substorms; the model predictions were checked against observations on board the geosynchronous satellite ATS 5 by DeForest and McIlwain (1971). It was found that it is possible to simulate the observed proton spectrograms with an adequate choice of a time-dependent electric field model. The resulting kinematics is physically quite simple and in its gross features does not depend too strongly on the particular fine structure of the model.

Roederer, J. G.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Flowfield-Dependent Mixed Explicit-Implicit (FDMEL) Algorithm for Computational Fluid Dynamics

Despite significant achievements in computational fluid dynamics, there still remain many fluid flow phenomena not well understood. For example, the prediction of temperature distributions is inaccurate when temperature gradients are high, particularly in shock wave turbulent boundary layer interactions close to the wall. Complexities of fluid flow phenomena include transition to turbulence, relaminarization separated flows, transition between viscous and inviscid incompressible and compressible flows, among others, in all speed regimes. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new approach, called the Flowfield-Dependent Mixed Explicit-Implicit (FDMEI) method, in an attempt to resolve these difficult issues in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). In this process, a total of six implicitness parameters characteristic of the current flowfield are introduced. They are calculated from the current flowfield or changes of Mach numbers, Reynolds numbers, Peclet numbers, and Damkoehler numbers (if reacting) at each nodal point and time step. This implies that every nodal point or element is provided with different or unique numerical scheme according to their current flowfield situations, whether compressible, incompressible, viscous, inviscid, laminar, turbulent, reacting, or nonreacting. In this procedure, discontinuities or fluctuations of an variables between adjacent nodal points are determined accurately. If these implicitness parameters are fixed to certain numbers instead of being calculated from the flowfield information, then practically all currently available schemes of finite differences or finite elements arise as special cases. Some benchmark problems to be presented in this paper will show the validity, accuracy, and efficiency of the proposed methodology.

Garcia, S. M.↗
NASA NTRS2000

First-Order Model Management With Variable-Fidelity Physics Applied to Multi-Element Airfoil Optimization

First-order approximation and model management is a methodology for a systematic use of variable-fidelity models or approximations in optimization. The intent of model management is to attain convergence to high-fidelity solutions with minimal expense in high-fidelity computations. The savings in terms of computationally intensive evaluations depends on the ability of the available lower-fidelity model or a suite of models to predict the improvement trends for the high-fidelity problem, Variable-fidelity models can be represented by data-fitting approximations, variable-resolution models. variable-convergence models. or variable physical fidelity models. The present work considers the use of variable-fidelity physics models. We demonstrate the performance of model management on an aerodynamic optimization of a multi-element airfoil designed to operate in the transonic regime. Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations represent the high-fidelity model, while the Euler equations represent the low-fidelity model. An unstructured mesh-based analysis code FUN2D evaluates functions and sensitivity derivatives for both models. Model management for the present demonstration problem yields fivefold savings in terms of high-fidelity evaluations compared to optimization done with high-fidelity computations alone.

Alexandrov, N. M.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Ground-Support Algorithms for Simulation, Processing, and Calibration of Barnes Static Earth Sensor Measurements: Applications to Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Observatory

New algorithms are described covering the simulation, processing, and calibration of penetration angles of the Barnes static Earth sensor assembly (SESA) as implemented in the Goddard Space Flight Center Flight Dynamics Division ground support system for the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Observatory. The new treatment involves a detailed analysis of the measurements by individual quadrants. It is shown that, to a good approximation, individual quadrant misalignments can be treated simply as penetration angle biases. Simple formulas suitable for real-time applications are introduced for computing quadrant-dependent effects. The simulator generates penetration angles by solving a quadratic equation with coefficients uniquely determined by the spacecraft's position and the quadrant's orientation in GeoCentric Inertial (GCI) coordinates. Measurement processing for attitude determination is based on linearized equations obtained by expanding the coefficients of the aforementioned quadratic equation as a Taylor series in both the Earth oblateness coefficient (alpha approx. 1/150) and the angle between the pointing axis and the geodetic nadir vector. A simple formula relating a measured value of the penetration angle to the deviation of the Earth-pointed axis from the geodetic nadir vector is derived. It is shown that even near the very edge of the quadrant's Field Of View (FOV), attitude errors resulting from quadratic effects are a few hundredths of a degree, which is small compared to the attitude determination accuracy requirement (0.18 degree, 3 sigma) of TRMM. Calibration of SESA measurements is complicated by a first-order filtering used in the TRMM onboard algorithm to compute penetration angles from raw voltages. A simple calibration scheme is introduced where these complications are avoided by treating penetration angles as the primary raw measurements, which are adjusted using biases and scale factors. In addition to three misalignment parameters, the calibration state vector contains only two average penetration angle biases (one per each pair of opposite quadrants) since, because of the very narrow sensor FOV (+/- 2.6 degrees), differences between biases of the penetration angles measured by opposite quadrants cannot be distinguished from roll and pitch sensor misalignments. After calibration, the estimated misalignments and average penetration angle biases are converted to the four penetration angle biases and to the yaw misalignment angle. The resultant biases and the estimated scale factors are finally used to update the coefficients necessary for onboard computations of penetration angles from measured voltages.

Natanson, G. A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Numerical solution of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations

The current work is initiated in an effort to obtain an efficient, accurate, and robust algorithm for the numerical solution of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in two- and three-dimensional generalized curvilinear coordinates for both steady-state and time-dependent flow problems. This is accomplished with the use of the method of artificial compressibility and a high-order flux-difference splitting technique for the differencing of the convective terms. Time accuracy is obtained in the numerical solutions by subiterating the equations in psuedo-time for each physical time step. The system of equations is solved with a line-relaxation scheme which allows the use of very large pseudo-time steps leading to fast convergence for steady-state problems as well as for the subiterations of time-dependent problems. Numerous laminar test flow problems are computed and presented with a comparison against analytically known solutions or experimental results. These include the flow in a driven cavity, the flow over a backward-facing step, the steady and unsteady flow over a circular cylinder, flow over an oscillating plate, flow through a one-dimensional inviscid channel with oscillating back pressure, the steady-state flow through a square duct with a 90 degree bend, and the flow through an artificial heart configuration with moving boundaries. An adequate comparison with the analytical or experimental results is obtained in all cases. Numerical comparisons of the upwind differencing with central differencing plus artificial dissipation indicates that the upwind differencing provides a much more robust algorithm, which requires significantly less computing time. The time-dependent problems require on the order of 10 to 20 subiterations, indicating that the elliptical nature of the problem does require a substantial amount of computing effort.

Rogers, Stuart E.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Demographic and psychological variables affecting test subject evaluations of ride quality

Ride-quality experiments similar in objectives, design, and procedure were conducted, one using the U.S. Air Force Total In-Flight Simulator and the other using the Langley Passenger Ride Quality Apparatus to provide the motion environments. Large samples (80 or more per experiment) of test subjects were recruited from the Tidewater Virginia area and asked to rate the comfort (on a 7-point scale) of random aircraft motion typical of that encountered during STOL flights. Test subject characteristics of age, sex, and previous flying history (number of previous airplane flights) were studied in a two by three by three factorial design. Correlations were computed between one dependent measure, the subject's mean comfort rating, and various demographic characteristics, attitudinal variables, and the scores on Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. An effect of sex was found in one of the studies. Males made higher (more uncomfortable) ratings of the ride than females. Age and number of previous flights were not significantly related to comfort ratings. No significant interactions between the variables of age, sex, or previous number of flights were observed.

Duncan, N. C.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Numerical solution of the compressible Navier-Stokes equations using density gradients as additional dependent variables

Numerical solution of two dimensional, time dependent, compressible viscous Navier-Stokes equations about arbitrary bodies was treated using density gradients as additional dependent variables. Thus, six dependent variables were computed with the SOR iteration method. Besides formulation for pressure gradient terms, a formulation for computing the body density was presented. To approximate the governing equations, an implicit finite difference method was employed. In computing the solution for the flow about a circular cylinder, a problem arose near the wall at both stagnation points. Thus, computations with various conditions were tried to examine the problem. Also, computations with and without formulations are compared. The flow variables were computed on 37 by 40 field first, then on an 81 by 40 field.

Kwon, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Portability and the National Energy Software Center

The software portability problem is examined from the viewpoint of experience gained in the operation of a software exchange and information center. First, the factors contributing to the program interchange to date are identified, then major problem areas remaining are noted. The import of the development of programming language and documentation standards is noted, and the program packaging procedures and dissemination practices employed by the Center to facilitate successful software transport are described. Organization, or installation, dependencies of the computing environment, often hidden from the program author, and data interchange complexities are seen as today's primary issues with dedicated processors and network communications offering an alternative solution.

Butler, M. K.↗
NASA NTRS1980

A vectorized code for calculating laminar and turbulent hypersonic flows about blunt axisymmetric bodies at zero and small angles of attack

A user's guide is provided for a computer code which calculates the laminar and turbulent hypersonic flows about blunt axisymmetric bodies, such as spherically blunted cones, hyperboloids, etc., at zero and small angles of attack. The code is written in STAR FORTRAN language for the CDC-STAR-100 computer. Time-dependent, viscous-shock-layer-type equations are used to describe the flow field. These equations are solved by an explicit, two-step, time asymptotic, finite-difference method. For the turbulent flow, a two-layer, eddy-viscosity model is used. The code provides complete flow-field properties including shock location, surface pressure distribution, surface heating rates, and skin-friction coefficients. This report contains descriptions of the input and output, the listing of the program, and a sample flow-field solution.

Kumar, A.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Trends and pacing items in computational aerodynamics

A perspective is presented of trends in computational aerodynamics, and of important technology development items that pace future advanced applications. From a survey of AIAA Journal papers published during the past two decades, the growth trends and the progressively increasing emphasis on code development for viscous, compressible, turbulent flow are illustrated. These trends are reflected in the chronology of introduction by the aerospace industry of new computational methods in aircraft design. Key pacing items outlined are: automatic grid generation for nonlinear inviscid computations; advanced computers, improved efficiency of numerical methods, and improved turbulence models for Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes computations; advanced computers, time-dependent three-dimensional law-of-the-wall, code development, improved efficiency of numerical methods, and improved subgrid-scale turbulence modeling for large eddy simulations.

Chapman, D. R.↗