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At least 217 records · Page 12

Overset grids in compressible flow

Numerical experiments have been performed to investigate the importance of boundary data handling with overset grids in computational fluid dynamics. Experience in using embedded grid techniques in compressible flow has shown that shock waves which cross grid boundaries become ill defined and convergence is generally degraded. Numerical boundary schemes were studied to investigate the cause of these problems and a viable solution was generated using the method of characteristics to define a boundary scheme. The model test problem investigated consisted of a detached shock wave on a 2-dimensional Mach 2 blunt, cylindrical body.

Eberhardt, S.↗

SAMS Acceleration Measurements on Mir (NASA Increment 4)

During NASA Increment 4 (January to May 1997), about 5 gigabytes of acceleration data were collected by the Space Acceleration Measurements System (SAMS) onboard the Russian Space Station, Mir. The data were recorded on 28 optical disks which were returned to Earth on STS-84. During this increment, SAMS data were collected in the Priroda module to support the Mir Structural Dynamics Experiment (MiSDE), the Binary Colloidal Alloy Tests (BCAT), Angular Liquid Bridge (ALB), Candle Flames in Microgravity (CFM), Diffusion Controlled Apparatus Module (DCAM), Enhanced Dynamic Load Sensors (EDLS), Forced Flow Flame Spreading Test (FFFr), Liquid Metal Diffusion (LMD), Protein Crystal Growth in Dewar (PCG/Dewar), Queen's University Experiments in Liquid Diffusion (QUELD), and Technical Evaluation of MIM (TEM). This report points out some of the salient features of the microgravity environment to which these experiments were exposed. Also documented are mission events of interest such as the docked phase of STS-84 operations, a Progress engine bum, Soyuz vehicle docking and undocking, and Progress vehicle docking. This report presents an overview of the SAMS acceleration measurements recorded by 10 Hz and 100 Hz sensor heads. The analyses included herein complement those presented in previous summary reports prepared by the Principal Investigator Microgravity Services (PIMS) group.

DeLombard, Richard↗

SAMS Acceleration Measurements on Mir From January to May 1997 (NASA Increment 4)

During NASA Increment 4 (January to May 1997), about 5 gigabytes of acceleration data were collected by the Space Acceleration Measurements System (SAMS) onboard the Russian Space Station, Mir. The data were recorded on 28 optical disks which were returned to Earth on STS-84. During this increment, SAMS data were collected in the Priroda module to support the Mir Structural Dynamics Experiment (MiSDE), the Binary Colloidal Alloy Tests (BCAT), Angular Liquid Bridge (ALB), Candle Flames in Microgravity (CFM), Diffusion Controlled Apparatus Module (DCAM), Enhanced Dynamic Load Sensors (EDLS), Forced Flow Flame Spreading Test (FFFT), Liquid Metal Diffusion (LMD), Protein Crystal Growth in Dewar (PCG/Dewar), Queen's University Experiments in Liquid Diffusion (QUELD), and Technical Evaluation of MIM (TEM). This report points out some of the salient features of the microgravity environment to which these experiments were exposed. Also documented are mission events of interest such as the docked phase of STS-84 operations, a Progress engine burn, Soyuz vehicle docking and undocking, and Progress vehicle docking. This report presents an overview of the SAMS acceleration measurements recorded by 10 Hz and 100 Hz sensor heads. The analyses included herein complement those presented in previous summary reports prepared by the Principal Investigator Microgravity Services (PIMS) group.

DeLombard, Richard↗

STS-62 Space Shuttle mission report

The STS-62 Space Shuttle Program Mission Report summarizes the Payload activities as well as the Orbiter, External Tank (ET), Solid Rocket Booster (SRB), Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM), and the Space Shuttle main engine (SSHE) systems performance during the sixty-first flight of the Space Shuttle Program and sixteenth flight of the Orbiter vehicle Columbia (OV-102). In addition to the Orbiter, the flight vehicle consisted of an ET designated as ET-62; three SSME's which were designated as serial numbers 2031, 2109, and 2029 in positions 1, 2, and 3, respectively; and two SRB's which were designated BI-064. The RSRM's that were installed in each SRB were designated as 360L036A (lightweight) for the left SRB, and 36OWO36B (welterweight) for the right SRB. This STS-62 Space Shuttle Program Mission Report fulfills the Space Shuttle Program requirement as documented in NSTS 07700, Volume 8, Appendix E. That document requires that each major organizational element supporting the Program report the results of its hardware evaluation and mission performance plus identify all related in-flight anomalies. The primary objectives of the STS-62 mission were to perform the operations of the United States Microgravity Payload-2 (USMP-2) and the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology-2 (OAST-2) payload. The secondary objectives of this flight were to perform the operations of the Dexterous End Effector (DEE), the Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet/A (SSBUV/A), the Limited Duration Space Environment Candidate Material Exposure (LDCE), the Advanced Protein Crystal Growth (APCG), the Physiological Systems Experiments (PSE), the Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG), the Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA), the Middeck Zero-Gravity Dynamics Experiment (MODE), the Bioreactor Demonstration System (BDS), the Air Force Maui Optical Site Calibration Test (AMOS), and the Auroral Photography Experiment (APE-B).

Fricke, Robert W., Jr.↗

Dynamic tests on the NASA Langley CSI evolutionary model

A modal analysis study, representing one of the anticipated 'Cooperative Spacecraft Structural Dynamics Experiments on the NASA Langley CSI Evolutionary Model', was carried out as a sub-task under the NASA/DLR collaboration in dynamics and control of large space systems. The CSI evolutionary testbed (CEM) is designed for the development of Controls-Structures Interaction (CSI) technology to improve space science platform pointing. For orbiting space structures like large flexible trusses, new identification challenges arise due to their specific dynamic characteristics (low frequencies and high modal density) on the one hand, and the limited possibilities of exciting such structures and measuring their responses on orbit on the other. The main objective was to investigate the modal identification potential of several different types of forcing functions that could possibly be realized with on-board excitation equipment using a minimum number of exciter locations as well as response locations. These locations were defined in an analytical test prediction process used to study the implications of measuring and analyzing the responses thus produced. It turned out that broadband excitation is needed for a general modal survey, but if only certain modes are of particular interest, combinations of exponentially decaying sine functions provide favorable excitation conditions as they allow to concentrate the available energy on the modes being of special interest. From a practical point-of-view structural nonlinearities as well as noisy measurements make the analysis more difficult, especially in the low frequency range and when the modes are closely spaced.

Troidl, H.↗

Dynamic Stability Analysis Using Free-Flight CFD

Blunt body probes are the primary design for atmospheric entry. The blunted capsule shape, while desirable for the decreased forebody heating, typically experiences dynamic instability at low supersonic and transonic flight. At moderate to low supersonic conditions, the unsteady wake begins to adversely interact with the vehicle in free-flight resulting in attitude oscillations which can grow in time and result in tumbling. Understanding vehicle dynamics is thus important when considering vehicle entry design and guidance navigation and control (GN&C) considerations. Historically, dynamic stability has been carried out exclusively using experimental techniques. The wide range of experimental approaches provide reasonable coverage in Mach and dynamic pressure space for a given trajectory, however achieving flight similitude is often difficult or impossible. Advancements in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques allow for dynamic motion of the vehicle surface during the simulation with either forced/prescribed motion or free motion in response to fluid forces. Several examples of CFD software with the ability to simulate fluid dynamics and vehicle motion are available in literature. The Free-Flight CFD (FF-CFD) capability developed by NASA Ames within the US3D flow solver has shown extensive validation and verification (V&V) efforts from moderate to low supersonic flow across a range of vehicle architectures. The solver is able to simulate full rotational and translation motion resulting in full 6 degrees-of-freedom (DoF) motion. The validation and verification efforts the solver's ability to predict the motion of a ballistic range model as compared to experimental results. Similar to other computational capabilities in literature, FF-CFD relied on heritage data reduction methodologies and processes for reducing dynamic data into aerodynamic coefficients intended for use in design and trajectory codes. These heritage approaches, initially developed with the assumptions (and restrictions) of ground test facilities, resulted in the significant culling of the full 6-DoF dynamic data set to discrete values which are then fit using an aerodynamic model. Recent development of simulation and data reduction methodologies has resulted in an improved approach to FF-CFD simulations of vehicle dynamics which leverage the control of dynamic constraints within a simulation set-up. The presentation of this work will cover the constrained dynamic simulation approach for deriving dynamic coefficients for a Genesis capsule. The methodology will be outlined and a discussion of implications in motion restriction will be discussed. Finally, reconstructed vehicle trajectories using FF-CFD derived aerodynamic coefficients will be presented.

Joseph M Brock↗

Requirements and sensitivity analysis for temporally- and spatially-resolved thermometry using neutron resonance spectroscopy

Neutron resonance spectroscopy (NRS) has been used extensively to make temperature measurements that are accurate, absolute, and nonperturbative within the interior of material samples under extreme conditions applied quasistatically. Yet NRS has seldom been used in dynamic experiments. There is a compelling incentive to do so because of the significant shortcomings of alternative techniques. An important barrier to adopting dynamic NRS thermometry is the difficulty in fielding it with conventional spallation neutron sources. To enable time-dependent and spatially resolved temperature measurements in dynamic environments, more compact neutron sources that can be used at user facilities in conjunction with other diagnostic probes (such as x-ray light sources) are required. Such sources may be available using ultrafast high-intensity optical lasers. We evaluate such possibilities by determining the sensitivities of the temperature estimate on neutron-beam and diagnostic parameters. Based on that evaluation, requirements are set on a pulsed neutron-source and diagnostics to make a meaningful dynamic temperature measurement. Dynamic thermometry measurements are examined in this context when driven by two alternative fast-neutron sources: the Los Alamos Neutron Scattering Center (LANSCE) proton accelerator driving isotropic spallation neutrons as a baseline and a laser-plasma ion accelerator driving a neutron beam from deuterium breakup. Strategies to close the gap between the required and demonstrated performance of laser-based fast-neutron sources are presented. A short-pulse high-intensity laser with state-of-the-art pulse contrast and an energy of a few hundred Joules would drive a compact neutron source suitable for NRS thermometry that could transform the dynamic study of materials.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Dynamic stiffness modification by internal features in additive manufacturing

Dynamic stiffness, or the product of the modal stiffness and damping ratio, is an important consideration for the design of additively manufactured parts that will experience dynamic loading. Here, this paper describes a demonstration component which was designed and manufactured in two configurations using a metal wire arc additive process. The first configuration was an open channel structure, while the second contained a dynamic absorber in the internal cavity. Frequency response measurements of the two components showed a significant magnitude reduction for the modified component at the original open channel structure's natural frequency and an overall increase in dynamic stiffness. Polymer damping material was then added to further increase the dynamic stiffness.

Additive manufacturing↗

The status of measurement technologies concerning micrometer and submicrometer space articulate matter capture, recovery, velocity and trajectory

The return of a pristine sample from a comet would lead to greater understanding of cometary structures, as well as offering insights into exobiology. The paper presented at the Discovery Program Workshop outlined a set of measurements for what was identified as a SOCCER-like interplanetary mission. Several experiments comprised the total instrumentation. This paper presents a summary of CCSR with an overview of three of the four major instruments. Details of the major dust dynamics experiment including trajectory are given in this paper. The instrument proposed here offers the opportunity for the return of cometary dust particles gathered in situ. The capture process has been employed aboard the space shuttle with successful results in returning samples to Earth for laboratory analysis. In addition, the sensors will measure the charge, mass, velocity, and size of cometary dust grains during the encounter. This data will help our understanding of dusty plasmas.

Alexander, W. M.↗

Towards Improving luminosity using optics tuning and data-driven methods

The results of Run 24 experiments at Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) for improving luminosity using optics tuning are presented in this study. In the first experiment, MADx matching was used to output magnet strengths corresponding to specific s star movements around Interaction Region 8 (IR8). The corresponding Zero Degree Calorimeter (ZDC) signal was measured in place of luminosity, and Bayesian Optimization aids search of optimal movements. It was found that values retrieved from matching were inaccurate, resulting in negative feedback loops. The second experiment focused on calculating accurate s star movements. The matching method was replaced with a linear sensitivity matrix, directly relating optics to power supply, and its null space was used to fit constraints such as hysteresis effects. At the experiment, beam losses were observed at collimators around boundary of IR8, which were fixed for the third experiment. Dynamic mode decomposition was also introduced to improve quality of turn-by-turn (TBT) data as well as accuracy and consistency of optics measurements at IR8. These improvements will be tested in the experiment of next RHIC run for luminosity optimization.

Accelerator Physics↗

Recent Progress in Heliogyro Solar Sail Structural Dynamics

Results from recent National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) research on the structural dynamics and control characteristics of heliogyro solar sails are summarized. Specific areas under investigation include coupled nonlinear finite element analysis of heliogyro membrane blade with solar radiation pressure effects, system identification of spinning membrane structures, solarelastic stability analysis of heliogyro solar sails, including stability during blade deployment, and results from small-scale in vacuo dynamics experiments with spinning high-aspect ratio membranes. A low-cost, rideshare payload heliogyro technology demonstration mission concept, used as a mission context for these heliogyro structural dynamics and solarelasticity investigations, is also described.

Wilkie, William K.↗

Design, Development, Implementation, and On-Orbit Performance of the Dynamic Ionosphere CubeSat Experiment Mission

Funded by the NSF CubeSat and NASA ELaNa programs, the Dynamic Ionosphere CubeSat Experiment (DICE) mission consists of two 1.5U (1.5 Unit) CubeSats which were launched into an eccentric low Earth orbit on October 28, 2011. Each identical spacecraft carries two Langmuir probes to measure ionospheric in-situ plasma densities, electric field probes to measure in-situ DC and AC electric fields, and a science grade magnetometer to measure in-situ DC and AC magnetic fields. Given the tight integration of these multiple sensors with the CubeSat platforms, each of the DICE spacecraft is effectively a sensor-sat capable of comprehensive ionospheric diagnostics. The use of two identical sensor-sats at slightly different orbiting velocities in nearly identical orbits permits the deconvolution of spatial and temporal ambiguities in the observations of the ionosphere from a moving platform. In addition to demonstrating nanosat-based constellation science, the DICE mission is advancing a number of groundbreaking CubeSat technologies including miniaturized mechanisms and high-speed downlink communications.

DICE↗

FEgen (v.1): Field Emission Distribution Generator Freeware Based on Fowler–Nordheim Equation

This work presents an open-source code, FEgen, that generates initial field emission distributions based on the time-dependent Fowler–Nordheim equation. Current in-demand and open-source beam tracking software—such as ASTRA, IMPACT-T, and GPT—do not contain native distribution generator functions suitable for field emitted electron tracking and phase space analysis. Furthermore, the intuitive graphical user interface of FEgen generates input files shown to be fully compatible with both ASTRA and GPT. Here, detailed application examples demonstrating a subset of FEgen’s capabilities are given by creating a customized emitter pattern with application to transverse beam shaping and longitudinal beam dynamic experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Understanding and predicting damage and failure at grain boundaries in BCC Ta

Understanding the effect of grain boundaries (GBs) on the deformation and spall behavior is critical to designing materials with tailored failure responses under dynamic loading. This understanding is hampered by the lack of in situ imaging capability with the optimum spatial and temporal resolution during dynamic experiments, as well as by the scarcity of a systematic data set that correlates boundary structure to failure, especially in BCC metals. To fill in this gap in the current understanding, molecular dynamics simulations are performed on a set of 74 bi-crystals in Ta with a [110] symmetric tilt axis. Our results show a correlation between GB misorientation angle and spall strength and also highlight the importance of GB structure itself in determining the spall strength. Specifically, we find a direct correlation between the ability of the GB to plasticity deform through slip/twinning and its spall strength. Additionally, a change in the deformation mechanism from dislocation-meditated to twinning-dominated plasticity is observed as a function of misorientation angles, which results in lowered spall strengths for high-angle GBs.

Chen, J. (ORCID:000000018633229X)↗

In situ and ex situ studies of anomalous eutectic formation in undercooled Ni–Sn alloys

Anomalous eutectic formation in undercooled Ni-Sn alloys was investigated by in situ X-ray diffraction and ex situ remelting and annealing experiments. Dynamic recrystallization and partial remelting of primary solids followed by repeated nucleation and growth of eutectic grains in the mushy zone were revealed by time-resolved X-ray diffraction. Ex situ experiments demonstrated that partial remelting of near-equilibrium solidified alloys of eutectic or near-eutectic composition can convert regular lamellar eutectic into anomalous eutectic, whereas high-temperature annealing of splat-quenched alloys of similar composition can convert eutectic or two-phase dendrites into anomalous eutectic. It is concluded that compared to ripening in solid-states, partial remelting of eutectic or two-phase dendrites in a mushy zone provides a more realistic mechanism for anomalous eutectic formation in undercooled solidification of Ni-Sn eutectic alloys. (C) 2020 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Crystal growth↗

Tailored ultrasound propagation in microscale metamaterials via inertia design

The quasi-static properties of micro-architected (meta)materials have been extensively studied over the past decade, but their dynamic responses, especially in acoustic metamaterials with engineered wave propagation behavior, represent a new frontier. However, challenges in miniaturizing and characterizing acoustic metamaterials in high-frequency (megahertz) regimes have hindered progress toward experimentally implementing ultrasonic-wave control. Here, we present an inertia design framework based on positioning microspheres to tune responses of 3D microscale metamaterials. We demonstrate tunable quasi-static stiffness by up to 75% and dynamic longitudinal-wave velocities by up to 25% while maintaining identical material density. Using noncontact laser-based dynamic experiments of tunable elastodynamic properties and numerical demonstrations of spatio-temporal ultrasound wave propagation, we explore the tunable static and elastodynamic property relation. This design framework expands the quasi-static and dynamic metamaterial property space through simple geometric changes, enabling facile design and fabrication of metamaterials for applications in medical ultrasound and analog computing.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Multiple Satellite Observations of High-Latitude Ionospheric Outflows

We will present reported observations of up- and down-flows of topside ionospheric thermal plasmas from multiple near-simultaneous tracks through the high-latitude topside ionosphere. From several Southern polar passes, it has been possible to construct plots of field-aligned flows of O+ observed by the Thermal Ion Dynamics Experiment(TIDE) on the POLAR spacecraft near 5000 km altitude together with vertical ion flow observations from one or more DMSP spacecraft near 800 km altitude. We will also involve simulations from our Dynamic Fluid-Kinetic(DyFK) modeling of polar plasma transport and display resulting altitude profiles of ion parallel velocities and densities, and overlay those profiles with the "conjunction" measurements by DMSP(800 km) and POLAR(approx. 5000 km altitude). We also will present simultaneous observations of POLAR auroral UVI images with field-aligned flows.

Horwitz, J.↗