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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2018

The SMAP Level-4 ECO Project: Improving Terrestrial Flux Estimates Through Coupled Hydrology-Vegetation Data Assimilation

Simulations of hydrologic and vegetation states as well as water, energy and carbon fluxes from the land surface to the atmosphere are crucial for a wide range of applications, including agricultural advisories, forecasts of (short-term) atmospheric behavior and seasonal weather predictions including forecasts of extreme events, such as heatwaves or droughts. The NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission Level-4 Eco-Hydrology (L4-ECO) project aims to improve modeled estimates of the terrestrial water, energy and carbon fluxes and states by developing a fully-coupled hydrology-vegetation data assimilation system. This system is developed around the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) Catchment-CN land surface model, which combines land hydrology and energy balance components of the GEOS Catchment model with dynamic vegetation components of the Community Land Model version 4. Catchment-CN fully couples the terrestrial water, energy and carbon cycles, allowing feedbacks from the land hydrology to the biosphere and vice versa.Here, we implement a calibration of the Catchment-CN vegetation parameterization against observations of the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to improve the model's standalone skill. Later, the DA algorithm used to produce the SMAP L4 soil moisture product will be adapted to Catchment-CN to assimilate SMAP brightness temperatures and inform the model's land hydrology component. Finally, the DA system will be further extended to assimilate MODIS FPAR observations in order to constrain the model's dynamic vegetation component.In this presentation, we demonstrate that the Catchment-CN parameter calibration leads to more realistic vegetation simulations and reduces the root mean squared error between modeled and observed vegetation states across the model's various plant functional types. We also show that the assimilation of SMAP observations is able to improve the average correlation, bias and unbiased RMSE between the modeled surface and root zone soil moisture estimates, and ground observations from the SMAP core validation sites.

Kolassa, Jana↗
NASA NTRS1974

Lubricant pressure rippling in dynamic Hertzian contacts induced by surface roughness

A numerical analysis of the pressure distribution of a lubricant in contact with a rough surface was conducted. The magnitude of the pressures was determined by their root mean square value for the contact of two dimensional cylinders. The pressure was found to vary in the following manner: (1) the location in the contact, (2) the spectrum or frequency content of the surface roughness, (3) the mean plateau film thickness, and (4) the root mean square value of the surface roughness. Mathematical models are developed to show the relationships of the parameters.

Tallian, T. E.↗
NASA NTRS1982

SOYCHMBR.I - A model designed for the study of plant growth in a closed chamber

The analytical model SOYCHMBER.I, an update and alteration of the SOYMOD/OARDC model, for describing the total processes experienced by a plant in a controlled mass environment is outlined. The model is intended for use with growth chambers for examining plant growth in a completely controlled environment, leading toward a data base for the design of spacecraft food supply systems. SOYCHMBER.I accounts for the assimilation, respiration, and partitioning of photosynthate and nitrogen compounds among leaves, stems, roots, and potentially, flowers of the soybean plant. The derivation of the governing equations is traced, and the results of the prediction of CO2 dynamics for a seven day experiment with rice in a closed chamber are reported, together with data from three model runs for soybean. It is concluded that the model needs expansion to account for factors such as relative humidity.

Reinhold, C.↗
NASA NTRS2018

The SMAP Level-4 ECO Product - Phase 1: Improving Vegetation Simulations Through Observation-Driven Parameter Estimation

Simulations of hydrological fields as well as water, energy and carbon fluxes from the land surface to the atmosphere are crucial for a wide range of applications, including agricultural advisories, forecasts of (short-term) atmospheric behavior and seasonal weather predictions including forecasts of extreme events, such as heatwaves or droughts. The NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission Level-4 (L4) Eco-Hydrology (ECO) project aims to improve modeled estimates of the terrestrial water, energy and carbon fluxes and states by developing a fully-coupled hydrology-vegetation data assimilation (DA) algorithm. The DA system is developed for the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System version 5 (GEOS-5) Catchment-CN land surface model, which combines land hydrology components of the GEOS-5 Catchment model with dynamic vegetation components of the Community Land Model version 4. Catchment-CN fully couples the terrestrial water, energy and carbon cycles, allowing feedbacks from the land hydrology to the biosphere and vice versa. For SMAP L4 ECO a calibration of the Catchment-CN vegetation parameterization against observations of the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is implemented to improve the model's standalone skill. Next, the DA algorithm used to produce the SMAP L4 soil moisture product is adapted to Catchment-CN to assimilate SMAP brightness temperatures and inform the model's land hydrology component. The DA system is further extended to assimilate MODIS FPAR observations in order to constrain the model's dynamic vegetation component. In this presentation, we demonstrate that the Catchment-CN parameter calibration leads to more realistic vegetation simulations and reduces the root mean squared error between modeled and observed vegetation states across the model's various plant functional types. We also show that the assimilation of SMAP observations is able to improve the average correlation, bias and unbiased RMSE between the modeled surface and root zone soil moisture estimates, and ground observations from the SMAP core validation sites.

Kolassa, J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

An adaptive human response mechanism controlling the V/STOL aircraft. Appendix 3: The adaptive control model of a pilot in V/STOL aircraft control loops

Importance of the role of human operator in control systems has led to the particular area of manual control theory. Human describing functions were developed to model human behavior for manual control studies to take advantage of the successful and safe human operations. A single variable approach is presented that can be extended for multi-variable tasks where a low order human response model is used together with its rules, to adapt the model on-line, being capable of responding to the changes in the controlled element dynamics. Basic control theory concepts are used to combine the model, constrained with the physical observations, particularly, for the case of aircraft control. Pilot experience is represented as the initial model parameters. An adaptive root-locus method is presented as the adaptation law of the model where the closed loop bandwidth of the system is to be preserved in a stable manner with the adjustments of the pilot handling qualities which relate the latter to the closed loop bandwidth and damping of the closed loop pilot aircraft combination. A Kalman filter parameter estimator is presented as the controlled element identifier of the adaptive model where any discrepancies of the open loop dynamics from the presented one, are sensed to be compensated.

Kucuk, Senol↗
NASA NTRS1990

Effects of spoiler surfaces on the aeroelastic behavior of a low-aspect-ratio rectangular wing

An experimental research study to determine the effectiveness of spoiler surfaces in suppressing flutter onset for a low-aspect-ratio, rectangular wing was conducted in the Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT). The wing model used in this flutter test consisted of a rigid wing mounted to the wind-tunnel wall by a flexible, rectangular beam. The flexible beam was connected to the wing root and cantilever mounted to the wind-tunnel wall. The wing had a 1.5 aspect ratio based on wing semispan and a NACA 64A010 airfoil shape. The spoiler surfaces consisted of thin, rectangular aluminum plates that were vertically mounted to the wing surface. The spoiler surface geometry and location on the wing surface were varied to determine the effects of these parameters on the classical flutter of the wing model. Subsonically, the experiment showed that spoiler surfaces increased the flutter dynamic pressure with each successive increase in spoiler height or width. This subsonic increase in flutter dynamic pressure was approximately 15 percent for the maximum height spoiler configuration and for the maximum width spoiler configuration. At transonic Mach numbers, the flutter dynamic pressure conditions were increased even more substantially than at subsonic Mach numbers for some of the smaller spoiler surfaces. But greater than a certain spoiler size (in terms of either height or width) the spoilers forced a torsional instability in the transonic regime that was highly Mach number dependent. This detrimental torsional instability was found at dynamic pressures well below the expected flutter conditions. Variations in the spanwise location of the spoiler surfaces on the wing showed little effect on flutter. Flutter analysis was conducted for the basic configuration (clean wing with all spoiler surface mass properties included). The analysis correlated well with the clean wing experimental flutter results.

Cole, Stanley R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Estimating unsteady aerodynamic forces on a cascade in a three-dimensional turbulence field

An analytical method has been developed to estimate the unsteady aerodynamic forces caused by flow field turbulence on a wind tunnel turning vane cascade system (vane set). This method approximates dynamic lift and drag by linearly perturbing the appropriate steady state force equations, assuming that the dynamic loads are due only to free stream turbulence and that this turbulence is homogeneous, isotropic, and Gaussian. Correlation and unsteady aerodynamic effects are also incorporated into the analytical model. Using these assumptions, equations relating dynamic lift and drag to flow turbulence, mean velocity, and vane set geometry are derived. From these equations, estimates for the power spectra and rms (root mean squared value, delta) loading of both lift and drag can be determined.

Norman, T.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Estimating unsteady aerodynamic forces on a cascade in a three-dimensional turbulence field

An analytical method has been developed to estimate tne unsteady aerodynamic forces caused by flow field turbulence on a wind tunnel turning vane cascade system (vane set). This method approximates dynamic lift and drag by linearly perturbing the appropriate steady state force equations, assuming that the dynamic loads are due only to free stream turbulence and that this turbulence is homogeneous, isotropic, and Gaussian. Correlation and unsteady aerodynamic effects are also incorporated into the analytical model. Using these assumptions, equations relating dynamic lift and drag to flow turbulence, mean velocity, and vane set geometry are derived. From these equations, estimates for the power spectra and rms (root mean squared value, delta) loading of both lift and drag can be determined.

Norman, T. R.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Numerical Calculation of the Drag Force Acting on an Insoluble Particle Moving in Front of a Solidifying Interface

The distribution of insoluble particles in a metal casting depends primarily on the interaction of the particles with the solid/liquid interface (SLI) during the solidification process. Whether a particle will be engulfed or continuously pushed by SLI is essentially determined by the balance of forces acting on the particle. An important component of this force balance is the drag force generated by the particle motion in front of the SLI. Previously developed mathematical models for particle/SLI interaction made use of steady-state solutions of this force provided by the lubrication theory. However, our numerical model based on the SLI tracking approach shows that not only the steady-state approach is inappropriate to model the interaction process but also that even at steady-state the theoretical solution underestimates the drag force. A regression analysis of steady-state numerical solutions for cylindrical particles moving normal to a flat SLI gave a relationship of the form F(sub d) (exp num) = (square root of 3) pi eta V(sub p)((R(sub p) / d) (exp 10 gamma/3)) as compared to the theoretical solution F(sub d) (exp theor) = 3 X (square root of 2) pi eta V(sub p)((R(sub p) / d) (exp 3/2)) where F(sub d) is the drag force, eta is the dynamic viscosity of the fluid, V(sub p) is the particle velocity, R(sub p) is the particle radius, gamma is Euler's constant (gamma is approximately equal to 0.577), and d is the width of the gap between the particle and the SLI. Model validation as well as the influence of the interface shape on the value of F(sub d) will also be discussed.

Catalina, Adrian V.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Numerical Calculation of the Drag Force Acting on a Solid Particle Pushed by a Solid/Liquid Interface

The distribution of insoluble particles in a metal casting depends primarily on the interaction of the particles with the solid/liquid interface (SLI) during the solidification process. The balance of the forces acting on the particle essentially determines whether a particle will be engulfed or pushed by the SLI. An important component of this force balance is the drag force generated by the particle motion in front of the SLI. Previously developed mathematical models for particle/SLI interaction made use of steady-state solutions of this force provided by the lubrication theory. However, our numerical model based on the SLI tracking approach shows that the steady-state approach is inappropriate to model the interaction process and that at steady-state the theoretical solution underestimates the drag force. It was found that regression analysis of steady-state numerical solutions for cylindrical particles moving normal to a flat SLI gives a relationship of the form: Abstract The distribution of insoluble particles in a metal casting depends primarily on the interaction of the particles with the solid/liquid interface (SLI) during the solidification process. The balance of the forces acting on the particle essentially determines whether a particle will be engulfed or pushed by the SLI. An important component of this force balance is the drag force generated by the particle motion in front of the SLI. Previously developed mathematical models for particle/SLI interaction made use of steady-state solutions of this force provided by the lubrication theory. However, our numerical model based on the SLI tracking approach shows that the steady-state approach is inappropriate to model the interaction process and that at steady-state the theoretical solution underestimates the drag force. It was found that regression analysis of steady-state numerical solutions for cylindrical particles moving normal to a flat SLI gives a relationship of the form: F(sub D, sup num) =sqoare root of 3(pi)(eta)V(sub p)(R(sub p)/d)(sup 10(gamma)/3). This is to compared to the solution provided by the lubrication theory: F(sub D), sup theor) = 3 square root of 2(pi)(eta)V(sub p)(R(sub p)/d)(sub 3/2), where F(sub D) is the drag force, eta is the dynamic viscosity of the fluid, V(sub p) is the particle velocity, R(sub p) is the particle radius, gamma is Euler's constant (gamma approx. = 0.577), and d is the width of the gap between the particle and the SLI. The domain on which the equations proposed by the lubrication theory are relevant is clearly identified in the paper. The numerical model was then validated against the classical lubrication theory within the domain of its validity.

Catalina, Adrian V.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Experimental Replication of an Aeroengine Combustion Instability

Combustion instabilities in gas turbine engines are most frequently encountered during the late phases of engine development, at which point they are difficult and expensive to fix. The ability to replicate an engine-traceable combustion instability in a laboratory-scale experiment offers the opportunity to economically diagnose the problem (to determine the root cause), and to investigate solutions to the problem, such as active control. The development and validation of active combustion instability control requires that the causal dynamic processes be reproduced in experimental test facilities which can be used as a test bed for control system evaluation. This paper discusses the process through which a laboratory-scale experiment was designed to replicate an instability observed in a developmental engine. The scaling process used physically-based analyses to preserve the relevant geometric, acoustic and thermo-fluid features. The process increases the probability that results achieved in the single-nozzle experiment will be scalable to the engine.

Cohen, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Longitudinal Mode Aeroengine Combustion Instability: Model and Experiment

Combustion instabilities in gas turbine engines are most frequently encountered during the late phases of engine development, at which point they are difficult and expensive to fix. The ability to replicate an engine-traceable combustion instability in a laboratory-scale experiment offers the opportunity to economically diagnose the problem more completely (to determine the root cause), and to investigate solutions to the problem, such as active control. The development and validation of active combustion instability control requires that the casual dynamic processes be reproduced in experimental test facilities which can be used as a test bed for control system evaluation. This paper discusses the process through which a laboratory-scale experiment and be designed to replicate an instability observed in a developmental engine. The scaling process used physically-based analyses to preserve the relevant geometric, acoustic, and thermo-fluid features, ensuring that results achieved in the single-nozzle experiment will be scalable to the engine.

Cohen, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Porous media matric potential and water content measurements during parabolic flight

Control of water and air in the root zone of plants remains a challenge in the microgravity environment of space. Due to limited flight opportunities, research aimed at resolving microgravity porous media fluid dynamics must often be conducted on Earth. The NASA KC-135 reduced gravity flight program offers an opportunity for Earth-based researchers to study physical processes in a variable gravity environment. The objectives of this study were to obtain measurements of water content and matric potential during the parabolic profile flown by the KC-135 aircraft. The flight profile provided 20-25 s of microgravity at the top of the parabola, while pulling 1.8 g at the bottom. The soil moisture sensors (Temperature and Moisture Acquisition System: Orbital Technologies, Madison, WI) used a heat-pulse method to indirectly estimate water content from heat dissipation. Tensiometers were constructed using a stainless steel porous cup with a pressure transducer and were used to measure the matric potential of the medium. The two types of sensors were placed at different depths in a substrate compartment filled with 1-2 mm Turface (calcined clay). The ability of the heat-pulse sensors to monitor overall changes in water content in the substrate compartment decreased with water content. Differences in measured water content data recorded at 0, 1, and 1.8 g were not significant. Tensiometer readings tracked pressure differences due to the hydrostatic force changes with variable gravity. The readings may have been affected by changes in cabin air pressure that occurred during each parabola. Tensiometer porous membrane conductivity (function of pore size) and fluid volume both influence response time. Porous media sample height and water content influence time-to-equilibrium, where shorter samples and higher water content achieve faster equilibrium. Further testing is needed to develop these sensors for space flight applications.

Parabolic Flight↗
NASA NTRS2015

Hybrid Glacier Inventory, Gravimetry and Altimetry (HIGA) Mass Balance Product for Greenland and the Canadian Arctic

We present a novel inversion algorithm that generates a mass balance field that is simultaneously consistent with independent observations of glacier inventory derived from optical imagery, cryosphere-attributed mass trends derived from satellite gravimetry, and ice surface elevation trends derived from airborne and satellite altimetry. We use this algorithm to assess mass balance across Greenland and the Canadian Arctic over the Sep-2003 to Oct- 2009 period at 26 kilometers resolution. We evaluate local algorithm-inferred mass balance against forty in situ point observations. This evaluation yields a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 0.15 mWE/a ( 0.15 meters (water equivalent) per annum), and highlights a paucity of in situ observations from regions of high dynamic mass loss and peripheral glaciers. We assess mass losses of 212 plus or minus 67 Gigatons per annum to the Greenland ice sheet proper, 38 Gigatons per annum to peripheral glaciers in Greenland, and 42 Gigatons per annum to glaciers in the Canadian Arctic. These magnitudes of mass loss are dependent on the gravimetry-derived spherical harmonic mass trend we invert. We spatially partition the transient glacier continuity equation by differencing algorithm inferred mass balance from modeled surface mass balance, in order to solve the horizontal divergence of ice flux as a residual. This residual ice dynamic field infers flux divergence (or submergent flow) in the ice sheet accumulation area and at tidewater margins, and flux convergence (or emergent flow) in land-terminating ablation areas, which is consistent with continuum mechanics theory.

Altimetry↗
NASA NTRS1975

Optimization of structures undergoing harmonic or stochastic excitation

The optimal design was investigated of simple structures subjected to dynamic loads, with constraints on the structures' responses. Optimal designs were examined for one dimensional structures excited by harmonically oscillating loads, similar structures excited by white noise, and a wing in the presence of continuous atmospheric turbulence. The first has constraints on the maximum allowable stress while the last two place bounds on the probability of failure of the structure. Approximations were made to replace the time parameter with a frequency parameter. For the first problem, this involved the steady state response, and in the remaining cases, power spectral techniques were employed to find the root mean square values of the responses. Optimal solutions were found by using computer algorithms which combined finite elements methods with optimization techniques based on mathematical programming. It was found that the inertial loads for these dynamic problems result in optimal structures that are radically different from those obtained for structures loaded statically by forces of comparable magnitude.

Johnson, E. H.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Acceleration and transport of galactic cosmic rays

A recently proposed cosmic-ray acceleration mechanism is combined with a model of transport and loss from the Galaxy to construct a model for galactic cosmic rays. Various aspects of the cosmic-ray spectrum, including the secondary-to-primary ratio as a function of energy, are found to fit naturally into the overall picture. A solution to the dynamical-halo model with energy-dependent diffusion coefficient (kappa) is presented. This model is consistent with the observed spectra if kappa is proportional to the square root of the kinetic energy. The observed flattening of the secondary-to-primary ratio below about 1-2 GeV per nucleon is shown to be a natural consequence of the model. Similarly, the primary electron spectrum is predicted to flatten below about 1-2 GeV, which is consistent with deconvolution of the local nonthermal radio spectrum, although the flattening is not quite as much as indicated by the observations.

Jokipii, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Helicopter theory

A comprehensive presentation is made of the engineering analysis methods used in the design, development and evaluation of helicopters. After an introduction covering the fundamentals of helicopter rotors, configuration and operation, rotary wing history, and the analytical notation used in the text, the following topics are discussed: (1) vertical flight, including momentum, blade element and vortex theories, induced power, vertical drag and ground effect; (2) forward flight, including in addition to momentum and vortex theory for this mode such phenomena as rotor flapping and its higher harmonics, tip loss and root cutout, compressibility and pitch-flap coupling; (3) hover and forward flight performance assessment; (4) helicopter rotor design; (5) rotary wing aerodynamics; (6) rotary wing structural dynamics, including flutter, flap-lag dynamics ground resonance and vibration and loads; (7) helicopter aeroelasticity; (8) stability and control (flying qualities); (9) stall; and (10) noise.

Johnson, W.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Seasonal LAI in slash pine estimated with LANDSAT TM

The leaf area index (LAI, total area of leaves per unit area of ground) of most forest canopies varies throughout the year, yet for logistical reasons it is difficult to estimate anything more detailed than a seasonal maximum LAI. To determine if remotely sensed data can be used to estimate LAI seasonally, field measurements of LAI were compared to normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values derived using LANDSAT Thematic Mapper (TM) data, for 16 fertilized and control slash pine plots on 3 dates. Linear relationships existed between NDVI and LAI with R(sup 2) values of 0.35, 0.75, and 0.86 for February 1988, September 1988, and March, 1989, respectively. This is the first reported study in which NDVI is related to forest LAI recorded during the month of sensor overpass. Predictive relationships based on data from eight of the plots were used to estimate the LAI of the other eight plots with a root-mean-square error of 0.74 LAI, which is 15.6 percent of the mean LAI. This demonstrates the potential use of LANDSAT TM data for studying seasonal dynamics in forest canopies.

Curran, Paul J.↗