A digital technique for determining 1/3-octave sound-pressure levels with a more uniform confidence level
Computer program for determining third octave sound spectra in acoustic test data
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Computer program for determining third octave sound spectra in acoustic test data
Potential high performance shock tube for high pressure opacity measurements of gaseous rocket propellants for nuclear rocket engines
A new method of opacity determination is described that uses an improved shock tube design and is applicable to measurements of Planck and Rosseland mean opacities in hydrogen or seeded hydrogen at hydrogen partial pressures of 500 atm, at temperatures from 2300 to 8000 K. The selection of seed materials to be added to the gases to make them semiopaque is discussed. Currently favored seeds are silicon and carbon or graphite for reactive seeds, and depleted uranium and tungsten 184 for nonreactive seeds.
A wind tunnel investigation was conducted in the Langley 0.3-Meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel to study the effects of porous (sintered metal) plug orifices on orifice-induced static-pressure measurement error at high Reynolds numbers. A NACA airfoil was tested at Mach numbers from 0.60 to 0.80 and at Reynolds numbers from 6 x 1,000,000 to 40 x 1,000,000. Data are included which compare pressure measurements obtained from porous plug orifices and from conventional orifices with diameters of 0.025 cm (0.010 in.) and 0.102 cm (0.040 in.). The two dimensional airfoil code GRUMFOIL was used to calculate boundary layer displacement thickness. The response time and the downstream effect of the porous plug orifice were considered in this investigation. The results showed that the porous plug orifice could be a viable method of reducing pressure error. The data also showed that the pressure measurements obtained with a 0.102-cm-diameter orifice were very close to the measurements obtained with 0.025-cm-diameter orifice over such of the airfoil and that downstream of a shock the orifice size was not critical.
Changes in intracranial pressure can be measured dynamically and non-invasively by monitoring one or more cerebrospinal fluid pulsatile components. Pulsatile components such as systolic and diastolic blood pressures are partially transferred to the cerebrospinal fluid by way of blood vessels contained in the surrounding brain tissue and membrane. As intracranial pressure varies these cerebrospinal fluid pulsatile components also vary. Thus, intracranial pressure can be dynamically measured. Furthermore, use of acoustics allows the measurement to be completely non-invasive. In the preferred embodiment, phase comparison of a reflected acoustic signal to a reference signal using a constant frequency pulsed phase-locked-loop ultrasonic device allows the pulsatile components to be monitored. Calibrating the device by inducing a known change in intracranial pressure allows conversion to changes in intracranial pressure.
A new method is described for measurement of the electrical conductivity of silicate melts under controlled oxygen partial pressure at temperatures to 1550 C. The melt samples are suspended as droplets on platinum-rhodium loops, minimizing iron loss from the melt due to alloying with platinum, and providing maximum surface exposure of the melt to the oxygen-buffering gas atmosphere. The latter provides extremely rapid equilibration of the melt with the imposed oxygen partial pressure. The loop technique involves a minimum of setup time and cost, provides reproducible results to within + or - 5% and is well suited to electrical conductivity studies on silicate melts containing redox cations.
Combining computer vision techniques, high-speed cameras, pressure-sensitive paint and a transonic wind tunnel, NASA studies unsteady aerodynamic forces on the Space Launch System rocket with unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution. NASA’s most powerful supercomputer, Pleiades, enables parallel processing and real-time visualization to investigate buffet forces and aeroacoustic physics.
Combining computer vision techniques, high-speed cameras, pressure-sensitive paint and a transonic wind tunnel, NASA studies unsteady aerodynamic forces on the Space Launch System rocket with unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution. NASA’s most powerful supercomputer, Pleiades, enables real-time visualization and parallel processing to investigate buffet forces and aeroacoustic physics.
A numerical method was developed that could predict the pressure distribution of a ducted source from far field pressure inputs. Using an initial value formulation, the two-dimensional homogeneous Helmholtz wave equation (no steady flow) was solved using explicit marching techniques. The Von Neumann method was used to develop relationships which describe how sound frequency and grid spacing effect numerical stability. At the present time, stability considerations limit the approach to high frequency sound. Sample calculations for both hard and soft wall ducts compare favorably to known boundary value solutions. In addition, assuming that reflections in the duct are small, this initial value approach was successfully used to determine the attenuation of a straight soft wall duct. Compared to conventional finite difference or finite element boundary value approaches, the numerical marching technique is orders of magnitude shorter in computation time and required computer storage and can be easily employed in problems involving high frequency sound.
A numerical method is developed that could predict the pressure distribution of a ducted source from far-field pressure inputs. Using an initial value formulation, the two-dimensional homogeneous Helmholtz wave equation (no steady flow) is solved using explicit marching techniques. The Von Neumann method is used to develop relationships which describe how sound frequency and grid spacing effect numerical stability. At the present time, stability considerations limit the approach to high frequency sound. Sample calculations for both hard and soft wall ducts compare favorably to known boundary value solutions. In addition, assuming that reflections in the duct are small, this initial value approach is successfully used to determine the attenuation of a straight soft wall duct. Compared to conventional finite difference or finite element boundary value approaches, the numerical marching technique is orders of magnitude shorter in computation time and required computer storage and can be easily employed in problems involving high frequency sound.
A diamond-anvil, high-pressure apparatus was used to extend the upper pressure limit of static laboratory experiments. Shifts of the R1 strong fluorescent line of ruby were observed that correspond to static pressures of 0.21 to 0.55 terapascal (2.1 to 5.5 megabars) at 25 C. Sensitive spectroscopic techniques in the pressure range 0.15 to 0.28 terapascal were used to observe ruby and diamond fluorescence separately; these two fluorescent emissions overlap strongly at high pressures. At pressures greater than approximately 0.28 terapascal, the diamond fluorescence diminished and the ruby fluorescence reappeared strongly. Pressure was determined by extrapolation of the calibrated shift of the ruby R1 line.
High pressure water cutting techniques have a wide range of applications to the American space effort. Hydroblasting techniques are commonly used during the refurbishment of the reusable solid rocket motors. The process can be controlled to strip a thermal protective ablator without incurring any damage to the painted surface underneath by using a variation of possible parameters. Hydroblasting is a technique which is easily automated. Automation removes personnel from the hostile environment of the high pressure water. Computer controlled robots can perform the same task in a fraction of the time that would be required by manual operation.
Experimental results and analysis are presented on a technique for obtaining time averaged pressure in the harsh and highly unsteady environment of a pressure gain combustor. The technique utilizes a long, narrow, stand-off tube leading from the measurement point to a pressure transducer. The tube damps the fluctuations (which may result from strong shocks and/or detonations) and thermally isolates the transducer. The damping must be sufficient to ensure that net gasdynamic work exchange does not occur on the fluid in the stand-off tube, and it must be linear to insure that the time-averaged pressure at the transducer end is the same as that at the combustor end. The paper presents experimental and analytical results from two rigs which indicate that, using certain stand-off tube dimensions, these criteria are met. Physical rational for the tube dimensions (i.e., guidelines) are also presented.
Relatively-simple pressure-control apparatus calibrates dewpoint probes considerably faster than conventional methods, with no loss of accuracy. Technique requires only pressure measurement at each calibration point and single absolute-humidity measurement at beginning of run. Several probes can be calibrated simultaneously and points can be checked above room temperature.
The nature of primary mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) is reviewed from the primary-magma composition point of view. The concept of primary MORB magma used in the study stipulates that melting of the mantle produces a discrete identifiable magma that separates from the mantle and ascends toward the surface. Constraints from abyssal peridotites are considered along with constraints from high-pressure phase equilibria studies with emphasis on partial melting of mantle peridotites, basalt-peridotite sandwich techniques, high-pressure experiments on MORB-type compositions, and constraints on the pressure of origin from mineral compositions. Compositional variations in primitive MORB glasses are discussed, and possible models for the origin of these glasses are presented.
The phase relations of some mixtures of ammonia and water are investigated to create a phase diagram in pressure-temperature-composition space relevant to the geophysical study of bodies in the outer solar system. The mixtures of NH3(x)H2O(1-x), where x is greater than 0.30 but less than 0.51, are examined at pressures and temperatures ranging from 0-6.5 GPa and 125-400 K, respectively. The ruby luminescence technique monitors the pressure and a diamond-anvil cell compresses the samples, and the phases are identified by means of normal- and polarized-light optical microscopy. The melting curve for NH3H2O(2) is described by the equation T = 176 + 60P - 8.5P squared for the ranges of 0.06-1.4 GPa and 179-243 K. The equation for NH3H2O is T = 194 + 37P - P squared, which represents a minor correction of a previous description by Johnson et al. (1985). Observed phase transitions are consistent with the high-pressure stability limit of NH3H2O(2), and the transition boundary is found to be linear.
Improvements to computational fluid dynamics modeling of cryogenic fluid management operations are presented with experimental validations. Modeling improvements includes utilizing improved delayed detaches eddy simulation to more effectively model turbulence compared to the Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes modeling, modeling temperature dependent tank solid properties to capture large variation in thermodynamic properties at cryogenic conditions, modeling real gas equation of state for hydrogen instead of ideal gas behavior, and an on-going effort to improve interface turbulence transport for the volume of fluid method. Two flight-scale ground tests, five K-site tank axial jet pressure control experiments and an Engineering Design Unit tank autogenous pressurization experiment are validated and show the effectiveness of the improved modeling techniques. The successful validation establishes further trust in these models for flight project support and provides a pathway for maturation of in-development interface turbulence damping model for the volume of fluid method for more generalized applications.
Improvements to computational fluid dynamics modeling of cryogenic fluid management operations are presented with experimental validations. Modeling improvements includes utilizing improved delayed detaches eddy simulation to more effectively model turbulence compared to the Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes modeling, modeling temperature dependent tank solid properties to capture large variation in thermodynamic properties at cryogenic conditions, modeling real gas equation of state for hydrogen instead of ideal gas behavior, and an on-going effort to improve interface turbulence transport for the volume of fluid method. Two flight-scale ground tests, five K-site tank axial jet pressure control experiments and an Engineering Design Unit tank autogenous pressurization experiment are validated and show the effectiveness of the improved modeling techniques. The successful validation establishes further trust in these models for flight project support and provides a pathway for maturation of in-development interface turbulence damping model for the volume of fluid method for more generalized applications.