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At least 199 records · Page 11

Linear stability analysis of the Vlasov-Poisson equations in high density plasmas in the presence of crossed fields and density gradients

The equations for the single-particle orbits in a nonneutral high density plasma in the presence of inhomogeneous crossed fields are obtained. Using these orbits, the linearized Vlasov equation is solved as an expansion in the orbital radii in the presence of inhomogeneities and density gradients. A model distribution function is introduced whose cold-fluid limit is exactly the same as that used in many previous studies of the cold-fluid equations. This model function is used to reduce the linearized Vlasov-Poisson equations to a second-order ordinary differential equation for the linearized electrostatic potential whose eigenvalue is the perturbation frequency.

Kaup, D. J.↗

Flow study in the cross sectional planes of a turbine scroll

A numerical study of the nonviscous flow characteristics in the cross-sectional planes of a radial inflow turbine scroll is presented. The velocity potential is used in the formulation to determine the flow velocity in these planes resulting from the continuous mass discharge. The effect of the through flow velocity is simulated by a continuous distribution of source/sink in the cross-section. A special iterative procedure is devised to handle the solution of the resulting Poisson's differential equation with Neumann boundary conditions in a domain with generally curved boundaries. The analysis is used to determine the effects of the radius of curvature, the location of the scroll section and its geometry on the flow characteristics in the turbine scroll.

Hamed, A.↗

Cell volume control at a surface for three-dimensional grid generation packages

An alternate method of calculating the cell size for orthogonality control in the solution of Poisson's 3D space equations is presented. The method provides the capability to enforce a better initial guess for the grid distribution required for boundary layer resolution. This grid point distribution is accomplished by enforcing grid spacing from a grid block boundary where orthogonality is required. The actual grid spacing or cell size for that boundary is determined by the two or four adjacent boundaries in the grid block definition, which are two dimensional grids. These two dimensional grids are in turn defined by the user using insight into the flow field and boundary layer characteristics. The adjoining boundaries are extended using a multifunctional blending scheme, with user control of the blending and interpolating functions to be used. This grid generation procedure results in an enhanced computational fluid dynamics calculation by allowing a quicker resolution of the configuration's boundary layer and flow field and by limiting the number of grid re-adaptations. The cell size specification calculation was applied to a variety of configurations ranging from axisymmetric to complex three-dimensional configurations. Representative grids are shown for the Space Shuttle and the Langley Lifting Body (HL-20).

Alter, Stephen J.↗

Numerical simulation of spacecraft charging phenomena

A numerical simulation program is being constructed having the following features: (1) infinite circular cylindrical geometry with angle-dependence, (2) inclusion of incident particles, photoelectrons, secondary electrons, backscattered electrons, any gun emissions, and any internal current pathways including surface conductive layers, (3) quasistatic time-dependent iteration, in which sheath potential changes during particle transit times are ignored, (4) use of approximate, locally-dependent space charge density expressions in solving Poisson's equation for sheath potentials, with use of numerical orbit-following to determine surface currents, and (5) incident particle velocity distributions isotropic or beam-like, or some superposition of these. Rationales for each of these features are discussed.

Laframboise, J. G.↗

Generation of orthogonal boundary-fitted coordinate systems

A method is presented for computing orthogonal boundary fitted coordinate systems for geometries with coordinate distributions specified on all boundaries. The system which has found most extensive use in generating boundary fitted grids is made up of Poisson equations, of which the functions P and Q provide a means for controlling the spacing and density of grid lines in the coordinate system. While questions remain concerning the existence and uniqueness of orthogonal systems, the generating method presented adds to the available, useful techniques for constructing these systems.

Coleman, R. M.↗

Using Response Surface Methods to Correlate the Modal Test of an Inflatable Test Article

This paper presents a practical application of response surface methods (RSM) to correlate a finite element model of a structural modal test. The test article is a quasi‐cylindrical inflatable structure which primarily consists of a fabric weave, with an internal bladder and metallic bulkheads on either end. To mitigate model size, the fabric weave was simplified by representing it with shell elements. The task at hand is to represent the material behavior of the weave. The success of the model correlation is measured by comparing the four major modal frequencies of the analysis model to the four major modal frequencies of the test article. Given that only individual strap material properties were provided and material properties of the overall weave were not available, defining the material properties of the finite element model became very complex. First it was necessary to determine which material properties (modulus of elasticity in the hoop and longitudinal directions, shear modulus, Poisson's ratio, etc.) affected the modal frequencies. Then a Latin Hypercube of the parameter space was created to form an efficiently distributed finite case set. Each case was then analyzed with the results input into RSM. In the resulting response surface it was possible to see how each material parameter affected the modal frequencies of the analysis model. If the modal frequencies of the analysis model and its corresponding parameters match the test with acceptable accuracy, it can be said that the model correlation is successful.

Gupta, Anju↗

Statistical Analyses of Raw Material Data for MTM45-1/CF7442A-36% RW: CMH Cure Cycle

This report describes statistical characterization of physical properties of the composite material system MTM45-1/CF7442A, which has been tested and is currently being considered for use on spacecraft structures. This composite system is made of 6K plain weave graphite fibers in a highly toughened resin system. This report summarizes the distribution types and statistical details of the tests and the conditions for the experimental data generated. These distributions will be used in multivariate regression analyses to help determine material and design allowables for similar material systems and to establish a procedure for other material systems. Additionally, these distributions will be used in future probabilistic analyses of spacecraft structures. The specific properties that are characterized are the ultimate strength, modulus, and Poisson􀂶s ratio by using a commercially available statistical package. Results are displayed using graphical and semigraphical methods and are included in the accompanying appendixes.

Coroneos, Rula↗

Plasma oscillations and Landau damping

The Fourier-Hermite expansion is used to follow the time development of a non-analytic initial perturbation of the linearized Vlasov-Poisson system. The calculations differ from some previous applications of the Fourier-Hermite expansion in that they relax certain symmetry conditions on the distribution functions and in that many coefficients are required to describe the initial conditions. The results confirm Weitzner's prediction of the asymptotic t to the -3rd time dependence for this problem, and exhibit the way in which this behavior develops. An appendix outlines the way in which the initial conditions are expanded in Hermite functions.

Crownfield, F. R., Jr.↗

A 3DGRAPE/AL: The Ames/Langley technology upgrade

This paper describes a new three-dimensional structured multiple-block volume grid generator called 3DGRAPE/AL. It is a significantly improved version of the previously-released and widely-distributed program 3DGRAPE, with many of the improvements taken from the grid-generator program 3DMAGGS. It generates volume grids by iteratively solving the Poisson Equations in three-dimensions. The right-hand-side terms are designed so that user-specified grid cell heights and user-specified grid cell skewness near boundary surfaces result automatically, with little user intervention. Versatility was a high priority in this code's development, and as a result it can generate grids in almost any three-dimensional physical domain. Improvements include added kinds of forcing functions, improved control of cell skewness, improved initial conditions, convergence acceleration, the ability to take as input the output from GRIDGEN, and a simple but powerful graphical user interface (GUI).

Sorenson, Reese L.↗

Statistical-mechanical selection of the shapes of disk galaxies

A new method is proposed for selecting steady state shapes of disk galaxies as 'most probable states' of a large number of stars, given only the total energy and total angular momentum. A partial differential equation is derived for the mean gravitational potential; it is closely related to the 'sinh-Poisson' equation for the mean-field description of a line vortex system or electrostatic guiding-center plasma. A 'water bag' approximation to the distribution function for bound stars renders the equation analytically tractable, but accurate solution of it may require numerical integration, in view of its general nonlinearity.

Montgomery, David↗

Probalistic Assessment of Radiation Risk for Solar Particle Events

For long duration missions outside of the protection of the Earth's magnetic field, exposure to solar particle events (SPEs) is a major safety concern for crew members during extra-vehicular activities (EVAs) on the lunar surface or Earth-to-moon or Earth-to-Mars transit. The large majority (~90%) of SPEs have small or no health consequences because the doses are low and the particles do not penetrate to organ depths. However, there is an operational challenge to respond to events of unknown size and duration. We have developed a probabilistic approach to SPE risk assessment in support of mission design and operational planning. Using the historical database of proton measurements during the past 5 solar cycles, the functional form of hazard function of SPE occurrence per cycle was found for nonhomogeneous Poisson model. A typical hazard function was defined as a function of time within a non-specific future solar cycle of 4000 days duration. Distributions of particle fluences for a specified mission period were simulated ranging from its 5th to 95th percentile. Organ doses from large SPEs were assessed using NASA's Baryon transport model, BRYNTRN. The SPE risk was analyzed with the organ dose distribution for the given particle fluences during a mission period. In addition to the total particle fluences of SPEs, the detailed energy spectra of protons, especially at high energy levels, were recognized as extremely important for assessing the cancer risk associated with energetic particles for large events. The probability of exceeding the NASA 30-day limit of blood forming organ (BFO) dose inside a typical spacecraft was calculated for various SPE sizes. This probabilistic approach to SPE protection will be combined with a probabilistic approach to the radiobiological factors that contribute to the uncertainties in projecting cancer risks in future work.

Kim, Myung-Hee Y.↗

Multi-Dimensional Quantum Effect Simulation Using a Density-Gradient Model and Script-Level Programming Techniques

A density-gradient (DG) model is used to calculate quantum-mechanical corrections to classical carrier transport in MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) inversion/accumulation layers. The model is compared to measured data and to a fully self-consistent coupled Schrodinger and Poisson equation (SCSP) solver. Good agreement is demonstrated for MOS capacitors with gate oxide as thin as 21 A. It is then applied to study carrier distribution in ultra short MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) with surface roughness. This work represents the first implementation of the DG formulation on multidimensional unstructured meshes. It was enabled by a powerful scripting approach which provides an easy-to-use and flexible framework for solving the fourth-order PDEs (Partial Differential Equation) of the DG model.

Rafferty, Connor S.↗

Heavy Ion Irradiation Fluence Dependence for Single-Event Upsets of NAND Flash Memory

We investigated the single-event effect (SEE) susceptibility of the Micron 16 nm NAND flash, and found the single-event upset (SEU) cross section varied inversely with fluence. The SEU cross section decreased with increasing fluence. We attribute the effect to the variable upset sensitivities of the memory cells. The current test standards and procedures assume that SEU follow a Poisson process and do not take into account the variability in the error rate with fluence. Therefore, heavy ion irradiation of devices with variable upset sensitivity distribution using typical fluence levels may underestimate the cross section and on-orbit event rate.

Single Event Effects (SEE)↗

Computation of transonic vortex flows past delta wings Integral equation approach

The steady full-potential equation is written in the form of Poisson's equation, and the solution of the velocity field is expressed in terms of an integral equation. The solution consists of a surface integral of vorticity distribution on the wing and its free-vortex sheets and a volume integral of source distribution within a volume around the wing and its free-vortex sheets. The solution is obtained through successive iteration cycles. The source distribution is computed by using a mixed finite-difference scheme of the Murman-Cole type. The method is applied to delta wings. Numerical examples show that a conical shock is captured on the suction side of the wing. It is attached to the lower surface of the leading-edge vortex but does not necessarily reach to the wing surface.

Kandil, O. A.↗

Application of the sine-Poisson equation in solar magnetostatics

Solutions of the sine-Poisson equations are used to construct a class of isothermal magnetostatic atmospheres, with one ignorable coordinate corresponding to a uniform gravitational field in a plane geometry. The distributed current in the model (j) is directed along the x-axis, where x is the horizontal ignorable coordinate; (j) varies as the sine of the magnetostatic potential and falls off exponentially with distance vertical to the base with an e-folding distance equal to the gravitational scale height. Solutions for the magnetostatic potential A corresponding to the one-soliton, two-soliton, and breather solutions of the sine-Gordon equation are studied. Depending on the values of the free parameters in the soliton solutions, horizontally periodic magnetostatic structures are obtained possessing either a single X-type neutral point, multiple neural X-points, or solutions without X-points.

Webb, G. M.↗

On the prediction of velocity fields from redshift space galaxy samples

We present a new method for recovering the underlying velocity field from an observed distribution of galaxies in redshift space. The method is based on a kinematic Zel'dovich relation between the velocity and density fields in redshift space. This relation is expressed in a differential equation slightly modified from the usual Poisson equation and which depends nontrivially on Beta identically equal to Omega(exp 0.6)/b. The linear equation can be readily solved by standard techniques of separation of variables by means of spherical harmonics. One can also include a term describing the 'rocket effect' discussed by Kaiser (1987). From this redshift space information alone, one can generate a prediction of the peculiar velocity field for each harmonic (l, m) as a function of distance. We note that for the quadrupole and higher order moments, the equation is a boundary value problem with solutions dependent on both the interior and exterior mass distribution. However, for a shell at distance r, the dipole, as well as the monopole, of the velocity field in the Local Group frame is fully determined by the interior mass distribution. This implies that the shear of the measured velocity field, when fitted to a dipole distortion, should be aligned and consistent with the gravity field inferred from the well determined local galaxy distribution. As a preliminary application we compute the velocity dipole of distant shells as predicted from the 1.2 Jy IRAS survey compared to the measured velocity dipole on shells, as inferred from a recent POTENT analysis. The coherence between the two fields is good, yielding a best estimate of Beta = 0.6 +/- 0.2.

Nusser, Adi↗

Approximate factorization with an elliptic pressure solver for incompressible flow

Two-dimensional curvilinear coordinates are used to solve the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, in conjunction with approximate factorization for the solution of the momentum equation and the successive overrelaxation by lines method for the solution of a Poisson equation for the pressure. The combined algorithm, although not fully explicit, is marginally stable at Reynolds numbers lower than 10,000 and time increments of 0.01. Pressure distributions calculated for attack angles of zero and 6 deg are of the same shape as the experimental curves, but are shifted to one side.

Bernard, R. S.↗

Equilibrium stellar systems with spindle singularities

Equilibrium sequences of axisymmetric Newtonian clusters that tend toward singular states are constructed. The distribution functions are chosen to be of the form f = f(E, Jz). The numerical method then determines the density and gravitational potential self-consistently to satisfy Poisson's equation. For the prolate models, spindle singularities arise from the depletion of angular momentum near the symmetry axis. While the resulting density enhancement is confined to the region near the axis, the influence of the spindle extends much further out through its tidal gravitational field. Centrally condensed prolate clusters may contain strong-field regions even though the spindle mass is small and the mean cluster eccentricity is not extreme. While the calculations performed here are entirely Newtonian, the issue of singularities is an important topic in general relativity. Equilibrium solutions for relativistic star clusters can provide a testing ground for exploring this issue. The methods used in this paper for building nonspherical clusters can be extended to relativistic systems.

Shapiro, Stuart L.↗