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At least 199 records · Page 11

Elastic Modulus Testing for TriTruss Struts

The TriTruss is a novel structural module developed by researchers at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) that can be used in space to assemble large backing structures for a variety of applications. One such application is the metering truss and primary mirror backbone support structure of an in-space assembled telescope(iSAT). For the iSAT application, the TriTruss will be supporting mirror segments, payloads, and instruments, all of which require the TriTruss to have robust structural integrity. An accurate elastic modulus value is crucial to the finite element analysis(FEA) of the structure. Initial testing indicated that the equivalent elastic modulus provided by the manufacturer and used in the analyses did not accurately predict the behavior of the structure. In this paper, the in-house testing method developed at LaRC to accurately measure the equivalent elastic modulus of the composite struts for use in the analyses is described. A tensile and compressive equivalent elastic modulus was computed from the data obtained in this test. The testing resulted in a tensile equivalent elastic modulus of 24.6 Msi (standard deviation of 0.888 Msi) or 169 GPa (standard deviation of 6.20 GPa) and a compressive equivalent elastic modulus of 22.8 Msi (standard deviation of 0.780 Msi) or 157 GPa(standard deviation of 5.38 GPa) for the single wall thickness struts. For double wall thickness struts, the testing resulted in a tensile equivalent elastic modulus of32.1 Msi (standard deviation of 1.003 Msi) or 221 GPa (standard deviation of 6.91GPa) and a compressive equivalent elastic modulus of 31.9 Msi (standard deviation of 1.123) or 220 GPa (standard deviation of 7.74 GPa).1

TriTruss↗

Absorption line studies of reflection from horizontally inhomogeneous layers

The article details an inhomogeneous reflecting layer (IRFL) model designed to survey absorption line behavior from a Squires-like cloud cover (which is characterized by convection cell structure). Computational problems and procedures are discussed in detail. The results show trends usually opposite to those predicted by a simple reflecting layer model. Per cent equivalent width variations for the tower model are usually somewhat greater for weak than for relatively strong absorption lines, with differences of a factor of about two or three. IRFL equivalent width variations do not differ drastically as a function of geometry when the total volume of absorbing gas is held constant. The IRFL results are in many instances consistent with observed equivalent width variations of Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus.

Appleby, J. F.↗

The effects of moisture on trapped mountain lee waves

The effects of latent heat release on the dynamics of mountain lee waves are examined with the aid of two-dimensional numerical simulations, for several situations in which the Scorer parameter has a nearly two-layer vertical structure. Changes in the moisture in the lowest layer are found to produce three fundamentally different behaviors: (1) resonant waves in an absolutely stable environment are distorted and untrapped by an increase in moisture; (2) resonant waves in a conditionally unstable layer are destroyed by an increase in moisture; and (3) resonant waves in a moist environment are detuned by a decrease in moisture. Changes in the humidity in the upper layer are found to amplify or damp the wave response, depending on the depth of the lower layer. In most situations, the wave response is significantly more complicated than that predicted by simply replacing the dry stability with an equivalent moist stability in the saturated layer.

Durran, D. R.↗

Theoretical modelling of AFM for bimetallic tip-substrate interactions

Recently, a new technique for calculating the defect energetics of alloys based on Equivalent Crystal Theory was developed. This new technique successfully predicts the bulk properties for binary alloys as well as segregation energies in the dilute limit. The authors apply this limit for the calculation of energy and force as a function of separation of an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip and substrate. The study was done for different combinations of tip and sample materials. The validity of the universality discovered for the same metal interfaces is examined for the case of different metal interactions.

Bozzolo, Guillermo↗

Ground-based simulations of cosmic ray heavy ion interactions in spacecraft and planetary habitat shielding materials

This paper surveys some recent accelerator-based measurements of the nuclear fragmentation of high energy nuclei in shielding and tissue-equivalent materials. These data are needed to make accurate predictions of the radiation field produced at depth in spacecraft and planetary habitat shielding materials and in the human body by heavy charged particles in the galactic cosmic radiation. Projectile-target combinations include 1 GeV/nucleon 56Fe incident on aluminum and graphite and 600 MeV/nucleon 56Fe and 290 MeV/nucleon 12C on polyethylene. We present examples of the dependence of fragmentation on material type and thickness, of a comparison between data and a fragmentation model, and of multiple fragments produced along the beam axis.

NASA Discipline Radiation Health↗

Supersonic Quadrupole Noise Theory for High-Speed Helicopter Rotors

High-speed helicopter rotor impulsive noise prediction is an important problem of aeroacoustics. The deterministic quadrupoles have been shown to contribute significantly to high-speed impulsive (HSI) noise of rotors, particularly when the phenomenon of delocalization occurs. At high rotor-tip speeds, some of the quadrupole sources lie outside the sonic circle and move at supersonic speed. Brentner has given a formulation suitable for efficient prediction of quadrupole noise inside the sonic circle. In this paper, we give a simple formulation based on the acoustic analogy that is valid for both subsonic and supersonic quadrupole noise prediction. Like the formulation of Brentner, the model is exact for an observer in the far field and in the rotor plane and is approximate elsewhere. We give the full analytic derivation of this formulation in the paper. We present the method of implementation on a computer for supersonic quadrupoles using marching cubes for constructing the influence surface (Sigma surface) of an observer space- time variable (x; t). We then present several examples of noise prediction for both subsonic and supersonic quadrupoles. It is shown that in the case of transonic flow over rotor blades, the inclusion of the supersonic quadrupoles improves the prediction of the acoustic pressure signature. We show the equivalence of the new formulation to that of Brentner for subsonic quadrupoles. It is shown that the regions of high quadrupole source strength are primarily produced by the shock surface and the flow over the leading edge of the rotor. The primary role of the supersonic quadrupoles is to increase the width of a strong acoustic signal.

Farassat, F.↗

Spark Ignition of Monodisperse Fuel Sprays

A study of spark ignition energy requirements was conducted with a monodisperse spray system allowing independent control of droplet size, equivalent ratio, and fuel type. Minimum ignition energies were measured for n-heptane and methanol sprays characterized at the spark gap in terms of droplet diameter, equivalence ratio (number density) and extent of prevaporization. In addition to sprays, minimum ignition energies were measured for completely prevaporized mixtures of the same fuels over a range of equivalence ratios to provide data at the lower limit of droplet size. Results showed that spray ignition was enhanced with decreasing droplet size and increasing equivalence ratio over the ranges of the parameters studied. By comparing spray and prevaporized ignition results, the existence of an optimum droplet size for ignition was indicated for both fuels. Fuel volatility was seen to be a critical factor in spray ignition. The spray ignition results were analyzed using two different empirical ignition models for quiescent mixtures. Both models accurately predicted the experimental ignition energies for the majority of the spray conditions. Spray ignition was observed to be probabilistic in nature, and ignition was quantified in terms of an ignition frequency for a given spark energy. A model was developed to predict ignition frequencies based on the variation in spark energy and equivalence ratio in the spark gap. The resulting ignition frequency simulations were nearly identical to the experimentally observed values.

Danis, Allen M.↗

Equivalent linearization for fatigue life estimates of a nonlinear structure

An adaptation of the method of equivalent linearization is developed in order to estimate the fatigue life of a nonlinear structure excited by Gaussian white noise. While conventional equivalent linearization has been successfully applied to approximate the mean square responses of the variety of complex nonlinear systems, it has not been possible to apply the method for fatigue predictions. This limitation results from the assumption that the probability density of the response of the nonlinear system is Gaussian, which is not generally true. In the present effort, a modification of equivalent linearization, developed by the author, is employed which has been shown in recent studies to provide a much more accurate description of the random response of a nonlinear structure than provided by conventional equivalent linearization. A method is presented for estimating fatigue life based on this approach and results are compared with those obtained using both numerical simulation and the classical method. The fatigue life is estimated for a nonlinear plate vibrating in a single resonant mode with random white noise excitation. Excellent agreement is found between all three methods. These results indicate that equivalent linearization may be extended to predict the fatigue life of more complex nonlinear systems than can be analyzed at present.

Miles, R. N.↗

Rapid variability of P Cygni lines in massive X-ray binaries

In early-type X-ray binaries, the recombination time scales for ions such as C IV, Si IV, and N V in the stellar winds of their massive OB companion stars can be very short compared to typical X-ray pulsation or fluctuation time scales. Thus, the authors predict that the 'bleached zones', in which these ions are removed from the stellar wind by X-ray photoionization, will track the X-ray beam as it rotates and that the P Cygni line profiles due to these ions will pulsate. With the IUE satellite the authors obtained low-resolution UV spectra of the binary X-ray system HD 77581/4U 0900-40 resolved into six phase bins of the 283 s pulse period; the observed upper limit to the pulse amplitude of the equivalent width of C IV 1550 A was less than the predicted value. However, the pulsations should be easy to observe with the Hubble Space Telescope.

Kallman, Timothy R.↗

Arrhenius' law in turbulent media and an equivalent tunnel effect

The indeterminacy inherent to the formal extension of Arrhenius' law to reactions in turbulent flows is shown to be surmountable in the case of a binary exchange reaction with a sufficiently high activation energy. A preliminary calculation predicts that the turbulent reaction rate is invariant in the Arrhenius form except for an equivalently lowered activation energy. This is a reflection of turbulence-augmented molecular vigor, and causes an appreciable increase in the reaction rate. A similarity to the tunnel effect in quantum mechanics is indicated. The anomaly associated with the mild ignition of oxy-hydrogen mixtures is discussed in this light.

Tsuge, S.↗

The detection and characterization of high frequency and high wavenumber solar oscillations

Doppler shift measurements of the Na D(sub 1) absorption line have revealed solar oscillations in a new regime of frequency and wavenumber. Oscillations of vertical velocities in the temperature minimum and low chromosphere of the Sun are observed with frequencies ranging up to 9.5 mHz. There is no evidence for chromospheric modes of 3 minute period. This indicates that the chromosphere does not form a good cavity for acoustic waves. The fundamental-modes appear with wavenumbers up to 5.57 M per m (equivalent spherical harmonic degree, 3877). The frequencies lie below the predicted values at wavenumbers above 1 M per m. The values are in agreement with previous measurements that exist for wavenumbers up to 2.67 M per m. Spatial maps of velocity power show that high wavenumber oscillations are suppressed in active regions. The shape of the power depression indicates that wave motion is affected in the layer of atmosphere where the measurement is made. The f-modes are suppressed in the same way as p-modes, indicating that the mechanism for wave suppression affects velocity fluctuations. Mode frequencies are not affected by the magnetic fields by more than 50 micro Hz, the precision of the measurement.

Fernandes, David Neil↗

Consistent Pl Analysis of Aqueous Uranium-235 Critical Assemblies

The lethargy-dependent equations of the consistent Pl approximation to the Boltzmann transport equation for slowing down neutrons have been used as the basis of an IBM 704 computer program. Some of the effects included are (1) linearly anisotropic center of mass elastic scattering, (2) heavy element inelastic scattering based on the evaporation model of the nucleus, and (3) optional variation of the buckling with lethargy. The microscopic cross-section data developed for this program covered 473 lethargy points from lethargy u = 0 (10 Mev) to u = 19.8 (0.025 ev). The value of the fission neutron age in water calculated here is 26.5 square centimeters; this value is to be compared with the recent experimental value given as 27.86 square centimeters. The Fourier transform of the slowing-down kernel for water to indium resonance energy calculated here compared well with the Fourier transform of the kernel for water as measured by Hill, Roberts, and Fitch. This method of calculation has been applied to uranyl fluoride - water solution critical assemblies. Theoretical results established for both unreflected and fully reflected critical assemblies have been compared with available experimental data. The theoretical buckling curve derived as a function of the hydrogen to uranium-235 atom concentration for an energy-independent extrapolation distance was successful in predicting the critical heights of various unreflected cylindrical assemblies. The critical dimensions of fully water-reflected cylindrical assemblies were reasonably well predicted using the theoretical buckling curve and reflector savings for equivalent spherical assemblies.

Fieno, Daniel↗

Predicting the Influence of Nano-Scale Material Structure on the In-Plane Buckling of Orthotropic Plates

A multi-scale analysis of the structural stability of a carbon nanotube-polymer composite material is developed. The influence of intrinsic molecular structure, such as nanotube length, volume fraction, orientation and chemical functionalization, is investigated by assessing the relative change in critical, in-plane buckling loads. The analysis method relies on elastic properties predicted using the hierarchical, constitutive equations developed from the equivalent-continuum modeling technique applied to the buckling analysis of an orthotropic plate. The results indicate that for the specific composite materials considered in this study, a composite with randomly orientated carbon nanotubes consistently provides the highest values of critical buckling load and that for low volume fraction composites, the non-functionalized nanotube material provides an increase in critical buckling stability with respect to the functionalized system.

Gates, Thomas S.↗

Viscoelastic flow modeling in the extrusion of a dough-like fluid

This work attempts to investigate the effect of viscoelasticity and three-dimensional geometry in screw channels. The Phan-Thien Tanner (PTT) constitutive equation with simplified model parameters was solved in conjunction with the flow equations. Polyflow, a commercially available finite element code was used to solve the resulting nonlinear partial differential equations. The PTT model predicted one log scale lower pressure buildup compared to the equivalent Newtonian results. However, the velocity profile did not show significant changes for the chosen PTT model parameters. Past Researchers neglected viscoelastic effects and also the three dimensional nature of the flow in extruder channels. The results of this paper provide a starting point for further simulations using more realistic model parameters, which may enable the food engineer to more accurately scale-up and design extrusion processes.

NASA Discipline Life Support Systems↗

Application of Fast Multipole Methods to the NASA Fast Scattering Code

The NASA Fast Scattering Code (FSC) is a versatile noise prediction program designed to conduct aeroacoustic noise reduction studies. The equivalent source method is used to solve an exterior Helmholtz boundary value problem with an impedance type boundary condition. The solution process in FSC v2.0 requires direct manipulation of a large, dense system of linear equations, limiting the applicability of the code to small scales and/or moderate excitation frequencies. Recent advances in the use of Fast Multipole Methods (FMM) for solving scattering problems, coupled with sparse linear algebra techniques, suggest that a substantial reduction in computer resource utilization over conventional solution approaches can be obtained. Implementation of the single level FMM (SLFMM) and a variant of the Conjugate Gradient Method (CGM) into the FSC is discussed in this paper. The culmination of this effort, FSC v3.0, was used to generate solutions for three configurations of interest. Benchmarking against previously obtained simulations indicate that a twenty-fold reduction in computational memory and up to a four-fold reduction in computer time have been achieved on a single processor.

Dunn, Mark H.↗

Interactive, Automated Management of Icing Data

IceVal DatAssistant is software (see figure) that provides an automated, interactive solution for the management of data from research on aircraft icing. This software consists primarily of (1) a relational database component used to store ice shape and airfoil coordinates and associated data on operational and environmental test conditions and (2) a graphically oriented database access utility, used to upload, download, process, and/or display data selected by the user. The relational database component consists of a Microsoft Access 2003 database file with nine tables containing data of different types. Included in the database are the data for all publicly releasable ice tracings with complete and verifiable test conditions from experiments conducted to date in the Glenn Research Center Icing Research Tunnel. Ice shapes from computational simulations with the correspond ing conditions performed utilizing the latest version of the LEWICE ice shape prediction code are likewise included, and are linked to the equivalent experimental runs. The database access component includes ten Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 (VB) form modules and three VB support modules. Together, these modules enable uploading, downloading, processing, and display of all data contained in the database. This component also affords the capability to perform various database maintenance functions for example, compacting the database or creating a new, fully initialized but empty database file.

Levinson, Laurie H.↗

Peer Review of Launch Environments

Catastrophic failures of launch vehicles during launch and ascent are currently modeled using equivalent trinitrotoluene (TNT) estimates. This approach tends to over-predict the blast effect with subsequent impact to launch vehicle and crew escape requirements. Bangham Engineering, located in Huntsville, Alabama, assembled a less-conservative model based on historical failure and test data coupled with physical models and estimates. This white paper summarizes NESC's peer review of the Bangham analytical work completed to date.

Wilson, Timmy R.↗