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At least 235 records · Page 13

Diffusion in the system K2O-SrO-SiO2. II - Cation self-diffusion coefficients.

The self-diffusion coefficients were measured by introducing a slab of glass previously irradiated in a reactor between two slabs of unirradiated glass. By heating the specimens, etching them sequentially and determining the radioactivity, self-diffusion coefficients for K and Sr were measured. It is pointed out that the results obtained in the investigations appear to support the proposal that the network of the base glass predominantly controls the activation energy for the diffusion of ions.

Varshneya, A. K.↗

Electron density measurements of an inhomogeneous plasma using millimeter wave Fabry-Perot interferometers.

The electron density of a laboratory generated inhomogeneous plasma was measured using 60-90, GHz flat-plate and 150 GHz semi-confocal Fabry-Perot interferometers. The plasma was a negative glow-type and had a measured parabolic electron density profile. An analytical comparison between the derived equations of electron density for an assumed homogeneous plasma slab and an inhomogeneous plasma with parabolic distribution showed that the slab approximation was valid for such a profile. Comparison of measured values of electron density with those using X-band and K-band interferometers for the same plasma indicated good agreement.

Kendall, B. M.↗

Apollo 16 neutron stratigraphy.

The Apollo 16 soils have the largest low-energy neutron fluences yet observed in lunar samples. Variations in the isotopic ratios Gd-158/Gd-157 and Sm-150/Sm-149 (up to 1.9 and 2.0%, respectively) indicate that the low-energy neutron fluence in the Apollo 16 drill stem increases with depth throughout the section sampled. Such a variation implies that accretion has been the dominant regolith 'gardening' process at this location. The data may be fit by a model of continuous accretion of pre-irradiated material or by models involving as few as two slabs of material in which the first slab could have been deposited as long as 1 b.y. ago. The ratio of the number of neutrons captured per atom by Sm to the number captured per atom by Gd is lower than in previously measured lunar samples, which implies a lower energy neutron spectrum at this site. The variation of this ratio with chemical composition is qualitatively similar to that predicted by Lingenfelter et al. (1972). Variations are observed in the ratio Gd-152/Gd-160 which are fluence-correlated and probably result from neutron capture by Eu-151.

Russ, G. P., III↗

Design, development and testing of a cryogenic temperature heat pipe for the icicle system

An analytical model was formulated for a cryogenic heat pipe, and thermal and transport analyses were developed to predict the performance characteristics of various heat pipe designs. These analyses permitted optimization of various design parameters. A series of four breadboard heat pipes were fabricated and tested to provide inputs such as internal film coefficients, minimum capillary radii, and wick permeabilities which are required for the analyses. The results of instrumentation, charging, and testing of cryogenic heat pipes were applied to the prototype heat pipes. After a thorough design analysis of three potential heat pipe wicks (slab, artery, and axial groove), the first two were chosen for application to two prototype heat pipes. Detailed designs were made of the two heat pipes and the units were fabricated. Tests were conducted which verified the integrity and safety margin of the design to withstand the internal pressure at ambient temperature and fatigue of thermal cycling. During the acceptance testing in the vacuum chamber, no difficulty was experienced in priming the slab-wick heat pipe and it met the performance design requirements. The artery-wick heat pipe would not prime with nitrogen working fluid for any test conditions.

Trimmer, D. S.↗

Developments in convective heat transfer models featuring seamless and selected detail surfaces, employing electroless plating

Several model/instrument concepts employing electroless metallic skin were considered for improvement of surface condition, accuracy, and cost of contoured-geometry convective heat transfer models. A plated semi-infinite slab approach was chosen for development and evaluation in a hypersonic wind tunnel. The plated slab model consists of an epoxy casting containing fine constantan wires accurately placed at specified surface locations. An electroless alloy was deposited on the plastic surface that provides a hard, uniformly thick, seamless skin. The chosen alloy forms a high-output thermocouple junction with each exposed constantan wire, providing means of determining heat transfer during tunnel testing of the model. A selective electroless plating procedure was used to deposit scaled heatshield tiles on the lower surface of a 0.0175-scale shuttle orbiter model. Twenty-five percent of the tiles were randomly selected and plated to a height of 0.001-inch. The purpose was to assess the heating effects of surface roughness simulating misalignment of tiles that may occur during manufacture of the spacecraft.

Stalmach, C. J., Jr.↗

On the passage of radiation through inhomogeneous, moving media. XII - Polarized waves in a plane, sheared medium

Using the complete set of Maxwell equations, the ray paths and Stokes parameters of a polarized wave are followed which passes through a slab of differentially shearing material of variable refractive index. The polarization state of the signal leaving the top of the slab is related to the polarization state of the initial wave. In general, the two are not the same. These calculations were made to illustrate the point that the polarization properties of observed pulsar signals may be very different from those of the emitted signals due to propagation effects in the differentially shearing magnetospheres that most pulsars are believed to possess. While it is recognized that the precise amount of polarization variations is model dependent, the calculations show that even for simple situations a noticeable polarization variation occurs. Accordingly, the calculations reported here are an educative device: they show that it is, perhaps, unwise to assume that the observed polarization properties of pulsar signals are the same as the emitted signals.

Lee, M. A.↗

Curvature effects on stagnation radiative transfer in shock wave around blunt axisymmetric bodies

During hypersonic entry of a probe into the atmospheres of outer planets, the radiative energy transport in the shock-heated layer is of great significance in computing the heating to the heat shield. The so-called tangential slab approximation is frequently employed to evaluate the radiative flux to the surface of entry probes. A simple assessment of the accuracy of the tangential slab approximation at the stagnation point is given here for blunt axisymmetric bodies of various shock shapes which include spheres, paraboloids, hyperboloids and ellipsoids of different shock parameters.

Poon, P. T. Y.↗

Arc heater code validation tests of heat shield materials

Results are reported for tests of candidate heat-shield materials for outer-planet entry probes, which were conducted in two different arc-heater facilities at heating rates below those predicted for entry. One facility supplied a combined radiative-convective heating environment in air while the other provided a hydrogen/helium environment for convective heating only. Both 'infinite-slab' and 'finite-slab' models consisting of various carbon phenolic (CP) and fused silica (FS) materials were tested. The test results obtained are expressed in terms of ablation rates and surface as well as in-depth temperature variations with time for the air environment and in terms of normalized ablation rate as a function of temperature for the H/He environment. The measured values are compared with calculations based on a charring material thermal response and ablation code. For the CP models, good agreement between predicted and measured mass-loss rates is noted, surface temperatures in air are predicted within 18%, and in-depth temperature predictions are shown to be conservative in comparison with measured values. For the FS models, discrepancies are found between the predicted and measured mass-loss rates and surface temperatures.

Kesselring, J. P.↗

Thermal microwave emission from a random inhomogeneous layer over a homogeneous medium using the method of invariant imbedding

The paper studies thermal microwave emission from an inhomogeneous slab of a random medium, with possible nonuniform absorption, scattering, and temperature profiles, bounded by different dielectrics on both sides. The invariant imbedding method is used to cast the boundary value problem of the radiative transfer equations into an initial value problem at zero slab thickness. As a numerical example, the angular and polarization variations of brightness temperatures for ice over water are considered.

Tsang, L.↗

Two-dimensional radiative transfer. I - Planar geometry

Differential-equation methods for solving the transfer equation in two-dimensional planar geometries are developed. One method, which uses a Hermitian integration formula on ray segments through grid points, proves to be extremely well suited to velocity-dependent problems. An efficient elimination scheme is developed for which the computing time scales linearly with the number of angles and frequencies; problems with large velocity amplitudes can thus be treated accurately. A very accurate and efficient method for performing a formal solution is also presented. A discussion is given of several examples of periodic media and free-standing slabs, both in static cases and with velocity fields. For the free-standing slabs, two-dimensional transport effects are significant near boundaries, but no important effects were found in any of the periodic cases studied.

Mihalas, D.↗

One-step microwave foaming and curing

Process that combines microwave foaming and curing of polyimide precursors in single step produces fire-resistant foam slabs of much larger volume than has previously been possible. By adding selected conductive fillers to powder precursors and by using high-power microwave oven, foam slabs with dimensions in excess of 61 by 61 by 7.6 cm are made. Typical foaming and curing and curing time is 35 minutes in microwave oven with additional 1 to 2 hour postcure in conventional oven.

Gagliani, J.↗

The heating of a thermally conducting stratified medium. I - Self-gravitating gas threaded by magnetic fields

Two theoretical problems are presented to illustrate the equilibrium structure of a gravitating gas threaded by magnetic fields. The gas is heated everywhere at a rate proportional to the local density and cooled by thermal conduction channeled along the magnetic field. Emphasis is placed on the influence of anisotropic thermal conduction on the distribution of the gas. In the first problem, the magnetic field has straight field lines that are nearly parallel. The simple field line geometry allows us to calculate, in closed form, the equilibria configurations of a gas slab which is cooled nonuniformly by thermal conduction along field lines which leave the gas slab at varying angles. The problem involves the gas having a free boundary, which is one of the unknowns to be determined. A discussion is given of the set of all possible equilibria so constructed. In the second problem there is no electric current flowing in the gas but there is a potential magnetic field having curved field lines. Exact solutions of equilibriums are presented to illustrate the heating of stellar and galactic coronas.

Lerche, I.↗

Heat Pipe Blocks Return Flow

Metal-foil reed valve in conventional slab-wick heat pipe limits heat flow to one direction only. With sink warmer than source, reed is forced closed and fluid returns to source side through annular transfer wick. When this occurs, wick slab on sink side of valve dries out and heat pipe ceases to conduct heat.

Eninger, J. E.↗

Transfer of line radiation in differentially expanding atmospheres. VI The plane parallel atmosphere with expanding and contracting regions

The non-LTE radiative transfer problem for a two level atom with complete redistribution over a Doppler profile is solved for a plane parallel slab (overlying a radiating photosphere) that has a velocity field which rises symmetrically from zero at either face to a central maximum. Since the velocity gradient reverses, distant layers of the slab become coupled by radiation that jumps intervening layers. The Feautrier method is used, but an iterative variant is also employed as a check in cases where poorly conditioned matrices are encountered. Approximations are developed to explain some of the principal features. It is found that the source function S tends to have two plateaus with values near 2/3 I sub 0 and 1/3 I sub 0, where I sub 0 is the photospheric continuum incident from below; the larger value lies nearer the photosphere. The upper layers sometimes exhibit a rise in S owing to interconnection by radiation to the base. It is noted that the radiation force is largest at the two faces and the midplane. Some line profiles are found to have unusually steep absorptions at rest frequency because of the low excitation in the uppermost, stationary layers.

Noerdlinger, P. D.↗

Tiedown Bracket

Tiedown bracket secured to concrete slab with lag anchor and lag bolt. A trailer or other heavy equipment can be anchored by tethering it to strapping bolt. When bracket is no longer needed, it can be removed, leaving behind only lag anchor. Bracket is easily installed and removed without damage to concrete slab.

Mashburn, D.↗

Quasi-Lagrangian models of nascent thermals

Slab-symmetric and axisymmetric geometries are considered in the modeling of thermals by considering their boundaries as self-advecting vortex sheets, for the case of a neutral environment without turbulent processes. The initial accelerations for circular cross section thermals are obtained analytically, and a numerical method is developed to simulate the evolution of thermals by time-marching in which the vortex sheet is divided into finite segments whose positions are tracked in a quasi-Lagrangian fashion. Self-advection is considered, and a redistribution procedure is adopted to prevent the segments from bunching unmanageably. The induced field of motion is determined both inside and outside the thermal. It is shown that (1) the axisymmetric thermal rises more quickly than the slab-symmetric thermal, (2) vorticity maxima occur both within the concavities and on the trailing edges, and (3) the leading edges are very smooth.

Rambaldi, S.↗

Bread board float zone experiment system for high purity silicon

A breadboard float zone experimental system has been established at Westech Systems for use by NASA in the float zone experimental area. A used zoner of suitable size and flexibility was acquired and installed with the necessary utilities. Repairs, alignments and modifications were made to provide for dislocation free zoning of silicon. The zoner is capable of studying process parameters used in growing silicon in gravity and is flexible to allow trying of new features that will test concepts of zoning in microgravity. Characterizing the state of the art molten zones of a growing silicon crystal will establish the data base against which improvements of zoning in gravity or growing in microgravity can be compared. 25 mm diameter was chosen as the reference size, since growth in microgravity will be at that diameter or smaller for about the next 6 years. Dislocation free crystals were growtn in the 100 and 111 orientations, using a wide set of growth conditions. The zone shape at one set of conditions was measured, by simultaneously aluminum doping and freezing the zone, lengthwise slabbing and delineating by etching. The whole set of crystals, grown under various conditions, were slabbed, polished and striation etched, revealing the growth interface shape and the periodic and aperiodic natures of the striations.

Kern, E. L.↗

Nuclear track records in the Abee enstatite chondrite

A determination of preatmospheric mass and a delineation of cosmic ray exposure history are made, through the study of nuclear track records in 14 samples taken from different locations of an Abee enstatite chondrite cut slab. Measured track densities in different samples range from 10,000 to 1,000,000/sq cm. Excess tracks of fissiogenic origin were found near the grain edges and across cleavage planes in eight enstatite grains out of the 300 analyzed. The track data rule out preirradiation of any of the analyzed samples with shielding of less than a few tens of cm. The isotrack density contours on the plane of the slab imply an asymmetric ablation of the Abee chondrite during its atmospheric transit. A sphere of about 30 cm radius approximates the preatmospheric shape and size of the Abee meteorite, which underwent a 70% mass loss during ablation.

Goswami, J. N.↗