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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 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1996

Nonlinear Analysis of the Space Shuttle Superlightweight External Fuel Tank

Results of buckling and nonlinear analyses of the Space Shuttle external tank superlightweight liquid-oxygen (LO2) tank are presented. Modeling details and results are presented for two prelaunch loading conditions and for two full-scale structural tests that were conducted on the original external tank. The results illustrate three distinctly different types of nonlinear response for thin-walled shells subjected to combined mechanical and thermal loads. The nonlinear response phenomena consist of bifurcation-type buckling, short-wavelength nonlinear bending, and nonlinear collapse associated with a limit point. For each case, the results show that accurate predictions of non- linear behavior generally require a large-scale, high-fidelity finite-element model. Results are also presented that show that a fluid-filled launch-vehicle shell can be highly sensitive to initial geometric imperfections. In addition, results presented for two full-scale structural tests of the original standard-weight external tank suggest that the finite-element modeling approach used in the present study is sufficient for representing the nonlinear behavior of the superlightweight LO2 tank.

Nemeth, Michael P.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Low-Dispersion Scheme for Nonlinear Acoustic Waves in Nonuniform Flow

The linear dispersion-relation-preserving scheme and its boundary conditions have been extended to the nonlinear Euler equations. This allowed computing, a nonuniform flowfield and a nonlinear acoustic wave propagation in such a medium, by the same scheme. By casting all the equations, boundary conditions, and the solution scheme in generalized curvilinear coordinates, the solutions were made possible for non-Cartesian domains and, for the better deployment of the grid points, nonuniform grid step sizes could be used. It has been tested for a number of simple initial-value and periodic-source problems. A simple demonstration of the difference between a linear and nonlinear propagation was conducted. The wall boundary condition, derived from the momentum equations and implemented through a pressure at a ghost point, and the radiation boundary condition, derived from the asymptotic solution to the Euler equations, have proven to be effective for the nonlinear equations and nonuniform flows. The nonreflective characteristic boundary conditions also have shown success but limited to the nonlinear waves in no mean flow, and failed for nonlinear waves in nonuniform flow.

Baysal, Oktay↗
NASA NTRS1998

Global Nonlinear Parametric Modeling with Application to F-16 Aerodynamics

A global nonlinear parametric modeling technique is described and demonstrated. The technique uses multivariate orthogonal modeling functions generated from the data to determine nonlinear model structure, then expands each retained modeling function into an ordinary multivariate polynomial. The final model form is a finite multivariate power series expansion for the dependent variable in terms of the independent variables. Partial derivatives of the identified models can be used to assemble globally valid linear parameter varying models. The technique is demonstrated by identifying global nonlinear parametric models for nondimensional aerodynamic force and moment coefficients from a subsonic wind tunnel database for the F-16 fighter aircraft. Results show less than 10% difference between wind tunnel aerodynamic data and the nonlinear parameterized model for a simulated doublet maneuver at moderate angle of attack. Analysis indicated that the global nonlinear parametric models adequately captured the multivariate nonlinear aerodynamic functional dependence.

Morelli, Eugene A.↗
NASA NTRS1999

An Analysis of the Macroscopic Tensile Behavior of a Nonlinear Nylon Reinforced Elastomeric Composite System Using MAC/GMC

A special class of composite laminates composed of soft rubbery matrices and stiff reinforcements made of steel wires or synthetic fibers is examined, where each constituent behaves in a nonlinear fashion even in the small strain domain. Composite laminates made of piles stacked at alternating small orientation angles with respect to the applied axial strain are primarily dominated by the nonlinear behavior of the reinforcing fibers. However; composites with large ply orientations or those perpendicular to the loading axis, will approximate the behavior of the matrix phase and respond in even a more complex fashion for arbitrarily stacked piles. The geometric nonlinearity due to small cord rotations during loading was deemed here to have a second order effect and consequently dropped from any consideration. The user subroutine USRMAT within the Micromechanics Analysis Code with the Generalized Method of Cells (MAC/GMC), was utilized to introduce the constituent material nonlinear behavior. Stress-strain behavior at the macro level was experimentally generated for single and multi ply composites comprised of continuous Nylon-66 reinforcements embedded in a carbon black loaded rubbery matrix. Comparisons between the predicted macro composite behavior and experimental results are excellent when material nonlinearity is included in the analysis. In this paper, a brief review of GMC is provided, along with a description of the nonlinear behavior of the constituents and associated constituent constitutive relations, and the improved macro (or composite) behavior predictions are documented and illustrated.

Assaad, Mahmoud↗
NASA NTRS1999

Z-Scan Measurement of the Nonlinear Absorption of a Thin Gold Film

We have used the z-scan technique at a wavelength (532 nm) near the transmission window of bulk gold to measure the nonlinear absorption coefficient of continuous approximately 50-Angstrom-thick gold films, deposited onto surface-modified quartz substrates. For highly absorbing media such as metals, we demonstrate that determination of either the real or imaginary part of the third-order susceptibility requires a measurement of both nonlinear absorption and nonlinear refraction, i.e. both open- and closed-aperture z-scans must be performed. Closed-aperture z-scans did not yield a sufficient signal for the determination of the nonlinear refraction. However, open-aperture z-scans yielded values ranging from Beta = 1.9 x 10(exp -3) to 5.3 x 10(exp -3) cm/W in good agreement with predictions which ascribe the nonlinear response to a Fermi smearing mechanism. We note that the sign of the nonlinearity is reversed from that of gold nanoparticle composites, in accordance with the predictions of mean field theories.

Smith, David D.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Global Nonlinear Parametric Modeling with Application to F-16 Aerodynamics

A global nonlinear parametric modeling technique is described and demonstrated. The technique uses multivariate orthogonal modeling functions generated from the data to determine nonlinear model structure, then expands each retained modeling function into an ordinary multivariate polynomial. The final model form is a finite multivariate power series expansion for the dependent variable in terms of the independent variables. Partial derivatives of the identified models can be used to assemble globally valid linear parameter varying models. The technique is demonstrated by identifying global nonlinear parametric models for nondimensional aerodynamic force and moment coefficients from a subsonic wind tunnel database for the F-16 fighter aircraft. Results show less than 10% difference between wind tunnel aerodynamic data and the nonlinear parameterized model for a simulated doublet maneuver at moderate angle of attack. Analysis indicated that the global nonlinear parametric models adequately captured the multivariate nonlinear aerodynamic functional dependence.

Morelli, Eugene A.↗
NASA NTRS2002

A Nonlinear Viscoelastic Model for Ceramics at High Temperatures

High-temperature creep behavior of ceramics is characterized by nonlinear time-dependent responses, asymmetric behavior in tension and compression, and nucleation and coalescence of voids leading to creep rupture. Moreover, creep rupture experiments show considerable scatter or randomness in fatigue lives of nominally equal specimens. To capture the nonlinear, asymmetric time-dependent behavior, the standard linear viscoelastic solid model is modified. Nonlinearity and asymmetry are introduced in the volumetric components by using a nonlinear function similar to a hyperbolic sine function but modified to model asymmetry. The nonlinear viscoelastic model is implemented in an ABAQUS user material subroutine. To model the random formation and coalescence of voids, each element is assigned a failure strain sampled from a lognormal distribution. An element is deleted when its volumetric strain exceeds its failure strain. Element deletion has been implemented within ABAQUS. Temporal increases in strains produce a sequential loss of elements (a model for void nucleation and growth), which in turn leads to failure. Nonlinear viscoelastic model parameters are determined from uniaxial tensile and compressive creep experiments on silicon nitride. The model is then used to predict the deformation of four-point bending and ball-on-ring specimens. Simulation is used to predict statistical moments of creep rupture lives. Numerical simulation results compare well with results of experiments of four-point bending specimens. The analytical model is intended to be used to predict the creep rupture lives of ceramic parts in arbitrary stress conditions.

Powers, Lynn M.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Geometrically Nonlinear Static Analysis of 3D Trusses Using the Arc-Length Method

Rigorous analysis of geometrically nonlinear structures demands creating mathematical models that accurately include loading and support conditions and, more importantly, model the stiffness and response of the structure. Nonlinear geometric structures often contain critical points with snap-through behavior during the response to large loads. Studying the post buckling behavior during a portion of a structure's unstable load history may be necessary. Primary structures made from ductile materials will stretch enough prior to failure for loads to redistribute producing sudden and often catastrophic collapses that are difficult to predict. The responses and redistribution of the internal loads during collapses and possible sharp snap-back of structures have frequently caused numerical difficulties in analysis procedures. The presence of critical stability points and unstable equilibrium paths are major difficulties that numerical solutions must pass to fully capture the nonlinear response. Some hurdles still exist in finding nonlinear responses of structures under large geometric changes. Predicting snap-through and snap-back of certain structures has been difficult and time consuming. Also difficult is finding how much load a structure may still carry safely. Highly geometrically nonlinear responses of structures exhibiting complex snap-back behavior are presented and analyzed with a finite element approach. The arc-length method will be reviewed and shown to predict the proper response and follow the nonlinear equilibrium path through limit points.

Hrinda, Glenn A.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Method and system for training dynamic nonlinear adaptive filters which have embedded memory

Described herein is a method and system for training nonlinear adaptive filters (or neural networks) which have embedded memory. Such memory can arise in a multi-layer finite impulse response (FIR) architecture, or an infinite impulse response (IIR) architecture. We focus on filter architectures with separate linear dynamic components and static nonlinear components. Such filters can be structured so as to restrict their degrees of computational freedom based on a priori knowledge about the dynamic operation to be emulated. The method is detailed for an FIR architecture which consists of linear FIR filters together with nonlinear generalized single layer subnets. For the IIR case, we extend the methodology to a general nonlinear architecture which uses feedback. For these dynamic architectures, we describe how one can apply optimization techniques which make updates closer to the Newton direction than those of a steepest descent method, such as backpropagation. We detail a novel adaptive modified Gauss-Newton optimization technique, which uses an adaptive learning rate to determine both the magnitude and direction of update steps. For a wide range of adaptive filtering applications, the new training algorithm converges faster and to a smaller value of cost than both steepest-descent methods such as backpropagation-through-time, and standard quasi-Newton methods. We apply the algorithm to modeling the inverse of a nonlinear dynamic tracking system 5, as well as a nonlinear amplifier 6.

Rabinowitz, Matthew↗
NASA NTRS2006

Geometrically Nonlinear Shell Analysis of Wrinkled Thin-Film Membranes with Stress Concentrations

Geometrically nonlinear shell finite element analysis has recently been applied to solar-sail membrane problems in order to model the out-of-plane deformations due to structural wrinkling. Whereas certain problems lend themselves to achieving converged nonlinear solutions that compare favorably with experimental observations, solutions to tensioned membranes exhibiting high stress concentrations have been difficult to obtain even with the best nonlinear finite element codes and advanced shell element technology. In this paper, two numerical studies are presented that pave the way to improving the modeling of this class of nonlinear problems. The studies address the issues of mesh refinement and stress-concentration alleviation, and the effects of these modeling strategies on the ability to attain converged nonlinear deformations due to wrinkling. The numerical studies demonstrate that excessive mesh refinement in the regions of stress concentration may be disadvantageous to achieving wrinkled equilibrium states, causing the nonlinear solution to lock in the membrane response mode, while totally discarding the very low-energy bending response that is necessary to cause wrinkling deformation patterns.

Tessler, Alexander↗
NASA NTRS2017

Thermal Expansion from Stochastic Nonlinear Acoustic Fields

The methods of stochastic mechanics are applied to nonlinear acoustic fields generated by random acoustic radiation sources associated with oscillating lattice sites in nonlinear lattices. The assumption of stochastically independent zero-point and temperature-dependent acoustic fields leads to expressions of the thermodynamic internal and Helmholtz free energies per unit mass in terms of modal energies per unit mass that account for the nonlinearity of the propagation modes. The thermodynamic state functions canonically transform to the familiar results of a system of quantized, simple harmonic oscillators in the linear field limit. The thermal expansion coefficient, derived from the Helmholtz free energy per unit mass, is obtained as a sum of the zero-point modal nonlinearity parameters, weighted by temperature-dependent, modal heat capacities. The relationship is fully anharmonic, in contrast to commonly used quasi-harmonic models, and predicts with excellent agreement the experimentally observed null thermal expansion of vitreous silica at the ‘cross-over’ temperature corresponding to the balance between long wavelength modes that contribute negative nonlinearity parameters to the modal sum and short wavelength modes that contribute positive nonlinearity parameters.

Cantrell, John H., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2021

On Parametric Generation of Deep UV Light in Monolithic Cavities With Cubic Nonlinearity

Coherent ultra violet (UV) light has broad applications in optical atomic clocks and quantum computers. Since availability of semiconductor tunable monochromatic lasers is limited at short wavelengths, optical nonlinear processes are frequently used to produce the desirable radiation wavelength. Optical crystals with quadratic nonlinearity are promising for this purpose because of their transparency and high optical damage threshold. In this paper we discuss a possibility of generation of coherent deep UV light utilizing high quality factor (-Q) monolithic optical microcavities made of crystalline optical materials characterized with cubic nonlinearities. We show that the generation is feasible in spite of the relatively small cubic nonlinearities, due to the ultra-broad-band high optical transparency of the crystals and associated high-Q achievable in the cavities created out of the materials. We found that the birefringence as well as the tensor nature of the nonlinear susceptibility of the crystalline optical materials can simplify the phase matching of the nonlinear processes.

Matsko, A.B.↗
NASA NTRS2022

A Waveform Skewness Index for Measuring Time Series Nonlinearity and Its Applications to the ENSO-Indian Monsoon Relationship

Many geophysical time series possess nonlinear characteristics that reflect the underlying physics of the phenomena the time series describe. The nonlinear character of times series can change with time, so it is important to quantify time series nonlinearity without assuming stationarity. A common way of quantifying the time evolution of time series nonlinearity is to compute sliding skewness time series, but it is shown here that such an approach can be misleading when time series contain periodicities. To remedy this deficiency of skewness, a new waveform skewness index is proposed for quantifying local nonlinearities embedded in time series. A waveform skewness spectrum is proposed for determining the frequency components that are contributing to time series waveform skewness. The new methods are applied to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Indian monsoon to test a recently proposed hypothesis that states that changes in the ENSO–Indian monsoon relationship are related to ENSO nonlinearity. We show that the ENSO–Indian rainfall relationship weakens during time periods of high ENSO waveform skewness. The results from two different analyses suggest that the breakdown of the ENSO–Indian monsoon relationship during time periods of high ENSO waveform skewness is related to the more frequent occurrence of strong central Pacific El Niño events, supporting arguments that changes in the ENSO–Indian rainfall relationship are not solely related to noise.

Justin Schulte↗
DOE OSTI2020

Nonlinear integrable optics beam dynamics experiment and diagnostics

All present circular particle accelerators are built around linear focusing optics. Un-avoidable nonlinear elements appear in accelerators, such as magnetic aberrations and space-charge effects, which are typically corrected using nonlinear magnets. However, these added nonlinearities degrade particle beam stability, and in most cases, the system becomes non-integrable. The Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA), at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), is a test bed to study beam dynamics in integrable lattices for both electron and proton beams, independently. This work presents experimental results of the nonlinear electron beam dynamics behavior in IOTA using an elliptical nonlinear magnet. The elliptical nonlinear magnet allows for a large betatron tune spread, allowing for a stable high-intensity beam. In a future experimental run, minimally invasive beam instrumentation is needed to study time-dependent collective instabilities, and halo formation in space-chargedominated proton beams. Traditional profile monitors are too destructive to the beam or just measure one dimension of the beam. A gas sheet can be injected perpendicular to theproton beam at an angle. By doing so, a two-dimensional, turn-by-turn, transverse profile measurement can be made, which will preserve the integrity of the beam. The developmentand progress of a gas sheet beam profile monitor will also be presented.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Focusing Ions at Atmospheric Pressure using Nonlinear DC Voltage Sequences Applied to a Stacked Ring Ion Guide

Many modern ion mobility (IM) and mass spectrometers (MS) operate under low pressure (= 10 Torr) and employ high voltage radiofrequencies (RF) to provide ion confinement. Unfortunately, RF effectiveness drastically decreases as pressure increases, and few techniques for focusing ions at elevated pressures exist. Here we demonstrate a new approach for focusing ions at atmospheric pressure (AP) by applying nonlinear DC voltage sequences following quadratic and power (exponential) functions to a stacked ring ion guide. We used ion trajectory simulations to rigorously explore how ions react to nonlinear electric fields and validate the simulations with a set of ion current measurements performed at AP. Ion trajectory simulations show that ions initially defocus near the entrance of the device but then become intensely focused as they travel through the device. Contour plots for both nonlinear voltage sequences show electric field lines that increasingly curve inwards as a function of distance, resulting in spatial ion focusing. Experimental ion current and spot size measurements were performed at AP using a 10-cm stacked ring ion guide and a segmented Faraday cup detector. Quadratic sequences produced ~5% smaller spot sizes (~22.8 mm) and ~25% higher ion current compared to a linear voltage sequence (~24.0 mm). Alternatively, power sequences produced ~64% smaller spot sizes (~8.7 mm), albeit with ~10x lower ion current. However, both nonlinear voltage sequences produced similar ion currents at the center of the Faraday cup detector, indicating that higher ion densities are achieved when using nonlinear voltage gradients. These results demonstrate a new way to focus ions at AP, and the capabilities demonstrated here provide fundamental insights on how to keep ions inside analytical devices at elevated pressures without RF.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Kernel Manifolds: Nonlinear‐Augmentation Dimensionality Reduction Using Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Spaces

This paper generalizes recent advances on quadratic manifold (QM) dimensionality reduction by developing kernel methods-based nonlinear-augmentation dimensionality reduction. QMs, and more generally feature map-based nonlinear corrections, augment linear dimensionality reduction with a nonlinear correction term in the reconstruction map to overcome approximation accuracy limitations of purely linear approaches. While feature map-based approaches typically learn a least squares optimal polynomial correction term, we generalize this approach by learning an optimal nonlinear correction from a user-defined reproducing kernel Hilbert space. Our approach allows one to impose arbitrary nonlinear structure on the correction term, including polynomial structure, and includes feature map and radial basis function-based corrections as special cases. Furthermore, our method has relatively low training cost and has monotonically decreasing error as the latent space dimension increases. In conclusion, we compare our approach to proper orthogonal decomposition and several recent QM approaches on data from several example problems.

kernel methods↗
DOE OSTI2026

Nonlinear viscoelastic response of silicone additively manufactured direct ink write (DIW) foams under repetitive compression

To investigate dynamic fatigue behavior of foam in military protective applications, such as helmets, additively manufactured (AM) foams were compressively strained into the plateau region using a reduced design of experiments. A simple power law was found to govern the decline in dynamic stiffness (complex modulus) as the foams underwent the purchase order requirement of 10,000 cycles of small deformation in the plateau region. This rate of decline was newly found to correlate with the degree of nonlinearity in the material’s deformation, quantified using total harmonic distortion. Materials with low nonlinearity exhibited relatively stable stiffness across cycles, while those with high nonlinearity experienced greater losses. The observed nonlinearity depended on both applied stress and strain rate. A strong linear correlation (R 2 = 0.78) was identified between second-order nonlinearity and the time-dependent stiffness response. Two lattice structures were examined: face-centered tetragonal (FCT) and simple cubic (SC). The SC material exhibited higher total harmonic distortion (5%) and lower stiffness retention than the FCT (2%). In conclusion, these results suggest that for cyclic compression applications in a wide variety of industries such as packaging, personal protective equipment, or aerospace, selecting materials with lower stress and greater structural uniformity can enhance the stability of dynamic performance.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Nonlinear control of the minimum safety factor in tokamaks by optimal allocation of spatially moving electron cyclotron current drive

The minimum value of the safety factor profile is related to the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability of the plasma confined in a tokamak. Therefore, active control of the minimum safety factor may mitigate MHD instabilities that can degrade or even terminate plasma confinement. Typically, in most tokamak scenarios, the minimum safety factor evolves spatially with time, i.e., the location at which the safety factor achieves the minimum value changes with time. In addition to the inherent nonlinearities in the minimum safety factor evolution, its spatial variation makes the control design challenging. In particular, complexity in control design may arise from the need for time-dependent nonlinear models that account for spatial variation of the minimum safety factor. Furthermore, the minimum safety factor may drift to locations where the actuator authority is low. The problem of minimum safety factor control with target location tracking and moving electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) is addressed in this work. A nonlinear time-dependent model that incorporates the spatial variation of the minimum safety factor is presented. A nonlinear controller based on optimal feedback linearization is developed to track a target minimum safety factor. The proposed controller treats the ECCD position as a controllable variable. In other words, the controller prescribes the ECCD position (in addition to the non-inductive powers) in real time based on an optimal criterion that is defined a priori. This work also presents the steps necessary to integrate the minimum safety factor controller with a total energy controller to achieve multiple control objectives simultaneously. In conclusion, the proposed integrated control algorithm is tested using nonlinear simulations in the Control Oriented Transport SIMulator (COTSIM) for a DIII-D tokamak scenario.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗