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Integrated multiple-quantum-well/Fabry-Perot structure provides high-contrast variation of reflection of reading beam, under control of writing beam. Periodic potential barriers separate photogenerated electrons from holes, leading to long recombination lifetimes and large concentrations of free charge carriers. Concentrations quench excitons or fill energy bands in quantum wells, altering absorption of reading beam.
The shrouded-impeller leakage path forces calculated by Childs have been analyzed to answer two questions. First, because of certain characteristics or the results of Childs, the forces could not be modeled with traditional approaches. Therefore, an approach has been devised to include the forces in conventional rotordynamic analyses. The forces were found to be well-modeled with this approach. Finally, the effect these forces had on a simple rotor-bearing system was analyzed, and, therefore, they, in addition to seal forces, were applied to a Jeffcott rotor. The traditional methods of dynamic system analysis were modified to incorporate the impeller forces and yielded results for the eigenproblem, frequency response, critical speed, transient response, and an iterative technique for finding the frequency of free vibration as well as system stability. All results lead to the conclusion that the forces have little influence on natural frequency but can have appreciable effects on system stability. Specifically, at higher values of fluid swirl at the leakage path entrance, relative stability is reduced. The only unexpected response characteristics that occurred are attributed to the nonlinearity of the model.
There is currently considerable interest in low-cost, lightweight, compactly packageable deployable elements for various future missions involving small spacecraft. These elements must also have a simple and reliable deployment scheme and possess zero or very small free-play. Although most small spacecraft do not experience large disturbances, very low stiffness appendages or free-play can couple with even small disturbances and lead to unacceptably large attitude errors which may involve the introduction of a flexible-body control system. A class of structures referred to as 'rigidized structures' offers significant promise in providing deployable elements that will meet these needs for small spacecraft. The purpose of this paper is to introduce several rigidizable concepts and to develop a design methodology which permits a rational comparison of these elements to be made with alternate concepts.
A miniature CHEMIN XRD/XRF (X-Ray Diffraction/X-Ray Fluourescence) instrument is currently being developed for definitive mineralogic analysis of soils and rocks on Mars. One of the technical issues that must be addressed in order to enable XRD analysis on an extraterrestrial body is how best to obtain a representative sample powder for analysis. For XRD powder diffraction analyses, it is beneficial to have a fine-grained sample to reduce preferred orientation effects and to provide a statistically significant number of crystallites to the X-ray beam. Although a 2-dimensional detector as used in the CHEMIN instrument will produce good results with poorly prepared powders, the quality of the data will improve if the sample is fine-grained and randomly oriented. An Ultrasonic/Sonic Driller/Corer (USDC) currently being developed at JPL is an effective mechanism of sampling rock to produce cores and powdered cuttings. It requires low axial load (< 5N) and thus offers significant advantages for operation from lightweight platforms and in low gravity environments. The USDC is lightweight (<0.5kg), and can be driven at low power (<5W) using duty cycling. It consists of an actuator with a piezoelectric stack, ultrasonic horn, free-mass, and drill bit. The stack is driven with a 20 kHz AC voltage at resonance. The strain generated by the piezoelectric is amplified by the horn by a factor of up to 10 times the displacement amplitude. The tip impacts the free-mass and drives it into the drill bit in a hammering action. The free-mass rebounds to interact with the horn tip leading to a cyclic rebound at frequencies in the range of 60-1000 Hz. It does not require lubricants, drilling fluid or bit sharpening and it has the potential to operate at high and low temperatures using a suitable choice of piezoelectric material. To assess whether the powder from an ultrasonic drill would be adequate for analyses by an XRD/XRF spectrometer such as CHEMIN, powders obtained from the JPL ultrasonic drill were analyzed and the results were compared to carefully prepared powders obtained using a laboratory bench scale Retsch mill.
The work documented in this report tests the concept of using plasma actuators as a simple and easy way to generate a simulated moving-wake and the disturbances associated with it in turbines. This wake is caused by the blades of the upstream stages of the turbine. Two types of devices, one constructed of arrays of NACA 0018 airfoils, and the one constructed of flat plates were studied. The airfoils or plates were equipped with surface mounted dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators, which were used to generate flow disturbances resembling moving-wakes. CTA hot-wire anemometry and flow visualization using a smoke-wire were used to investigate the wake independence at various spacings and downstream locations. The flat plates were found to produce better results than the airfoils in creating large velocity fluctuations in the free-stream flow. Different dielectric materials, plasma actuator locations, leading edge contours, angles of attack and plate spacings were investigated, some with positive results. The magnitudes of the velocity fluctuations were found to be comparable to existing mechanical moving-wake generators, thus proving the feasibility of using plasma actuators as a moving-wake generator.
The effects of dust storms on cloud properties and radiative forcing are analyzed over northwestern China from April 2001 to June 2004 using data collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instruments on the Aqua and Terra satellites. On average, ice cloud effective particle diameter, optical depth and ice water path of the cirrus clouds under dust polluted conditions are 11%, 32.8%, and 42% less, respectively, than those derived from ice clouds in dust-free atmospheric environments. The humidity differences are larger in the dusty region than in the dust-free region, and may be caused by removal of moisture by wet dust precipitation. Due to changes in cloud microphysics, the instantaneous net radiative forcing is reduced from -71.2 W/m2 for dust contaminated clouds to -182.7 W/m2 for dust-free clouds. The reduced cooling effects of dusts may lead to a net warming of 1 W/m2, which, if confirmed, would be the strongest aerosol forcing during later winter and early spring dust storm seasons over the studied region.
Due to numerous engine power-loss events associated with high-altitude convective weather, ice accretion within an engine due to ice-crystal ingestion is being investigated. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada are starting to examine the physical mechanisms of ice accretion on surfaces exposed to ice-crystal and mixed-phase conditions. In November 2010, two weeks of testing occurred at the NRC Research Altitude Facility utilizing a single wedge-type airfoil designed to facilitate fundamental studies while retaining critical features of a compressor stator blade or guide vane. The airfoil was placed in the NRC cascade wind tunnel for both aerodynamic and icing tests. Aerodynamic testing showed excellent agreement compared with CFD data on the icing pressure surface and allowed calculation of heat transfer coefficients at various airfoil locations. Icing tests were performed at Mach numbers of 0.2 to 0.3, total pressures from 93 to 45 kPa, and total temperatures from 5 to 15 C. Ice and liquid water contents ranged up to 20 and 3 grams per cubic meter, respectively. The ice appeared well adhered to the surface in the lowest pressure tests (45 kPa) and, in a particular case, showed continuous leading-edge ice growth to a thickness greater than 15 millimeters in 3 minutes. Such widespread deposits were not observed in the highest pressure tests, where the accretions were limited to a small area around the leading edge. The suction surface was typically ice-free in the tests at high pressure, but not at low pressure. The icing behavior at high and low pressure appeared to be correlated with the wet-bulb temperature, which was estimated to be above 0 C in tests at 93 kPa and below 0 C in tests at lower pressure, the latter enhanced by more evaporative cooling of water. The authors believe that the large ice accretions observed in the low pressure tests would undoubtedly cause the aerodynamic performance of a compressor component such as a stator blade to degrade significantly, and could damage downstream components if shed.
Due to numerous engine power-loss events associated with high-altitude convective weather, ice accretion within an engine due to ice crystal ingestion is being investigated. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada are starting to examine the physical mechanisms of ice accretion on surfaces exposed to ice-crystal and mixed-phase conditions. In November 2010, two weeks of testing occurred at the NRC Research Altitude Facility utilizing a single wedge-type airfoil designed to facilitate fundamental studies while retaining critical features of a compressor stator blade or guide vane. The airfoil was placed in the NRC cascade wind tunnel for both aerodynamic and icing tests. Aerodynamic testing showed excellent agreement compared with CFD data on the icing pressure surface and allowed calculation of heat transfer coefficients at various airfoil locations. Icing tests were performed at Mach numbers of 0.2 to 0.3, total pressures from 93 to 45 kPa, and total temperatures from 5 to 15 C. Ice and liquid water contents ranged up to 20 and 3 g/m3, respectively. The ice appeared well adhered to the surface in the lowest pressure tests (45 kPa) and, in a particular case, showed continuous leading-edge ice growth to a thickness greater than 15 mm in 3 min. Such widespread deposits were not observed in the highest pressure tests, where the accretions were limited to a small area around the leading edge. The suction surface was typically ice-free in the tests at high pressure, but not at low pressure. The icing behavior at high and low pressure appeared to be correlated with the wet-bulb temperature, which was estimated to be above 0 C in tests at 93 kPa and below 0 C in tests at lower pressure, the latter enhanced by more evaporative cooling of water. The authors believe that the large ice accretions observed in the low pressure tests would undoubtedly cause the aerodynamic performance of a compressor component such as a stator blade to degrade significantly, and could damage downstream components if shed.
The imperative to quantify the Earths electromagnetic-energy budget with an extremely high accuracy has been widely recognized but has never been formulated in the framework of fundamental physics. In this paper we give a first-principles definition of the planetary electromagnetic-energy budget using the Poynting- vector formalism and discuss how it can, in principle, be measured. Our derivation is based on an absolute minimum of theoretical assumptions, is free of outdated notions of phenomenological radiometry, and naturally leads to the conceptual formulation of an instrument called the double hemispherical cavity radiometer (DHCR). The practical measurement of the planetary energy budget would require flying a constellation of several dozen planet-orbiting satellites hosting identical well-calibrated DHCRs.
Final Paper and not the abstract is attached. a summary of the Design, Development, and Qualification of the Capture Latch Assembly (CLA) for the NASA Docking System Block 1 (NDSB1). The CLA is an integral part of the Soft Capture System (SCS) of the NDSB1, serving the purpose of connecting the mating SCS Rings of two docking vehicles. The paper will present an overview of the function of the CLA and its basic concept of operations, including a summary of the major components of the CLA. The development, qualification, and production of the CLA will then be described. Particular focus will be provided on two major issues that occurred during production and qualification of the CLA. The first issue was failures of the CLA Motor (CLM) during acceptance testing (AT). The failures of the CLM were ultimately determined to be due to design defects and manufacturing errors in the motor commutation sensor assembly. The second issue was failure of the secondary release mechanism, or Contingency Capture Latch Release (CCLR) mechanism during development and qualification testing. The CCLR failures were found to be a result of excess free play in the release mechanism, resulting in wear leading to galling inside the release mechanism. An overview of each failure will be provided, along with a summary of the failure investigation and recovery process. Finally, Lessons Learned from each of the major issues and the overall development of the Capture Latch will be presented.
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.
There exists a plethora of ice adhesion testing methods such as centrifuge-based methods, push/pull methods, and lap joint shear tests. However, these methods often cannot be done in-situ during an icing spray and require researcher handling/preparation prior to testing. Additionally, many of these methods test ice accretions that are not representative of the ice shapes that grow on airframes which can have unintended consequences such as edge or corner stress concentrations. In order to mitigate the issues present with other ice adhesion tests a novel, hands-free, in-situ test method imbedded into the leading edge of the airfoil has been developed and tested in the NASA Glenn Research Center Icing Research Tunnel. The mechanics of the new test method are discussed with finite element simulations being used to highlight the fundamental mechanics of this test method. The testing procedures used during the experimental test campaign are discussed along with the icing cloud test matrix. Analysis of the force-displacement results highlights the repeatability of the test method with regards to both sample behavior across several days of testing and different ice shapes. The results from first run of the day showed a significant discrepancy from subsequent runs and differential image analysis was used to determine differences in the interfacial bonding states between runs.
There exists a plethora of ice adhesion testing methods such as centrifuge-based methods, push/pull methods, and lap joint shear tests. However, these methods often cannot be done in-situ during an icing spray and require researcher handling/preparation prior to testing. Additionally, many of these methods test ice accretions that are not representative of the ice shapes that grow on airframes which can have unintended consequences such as edge or corner stress concentrations. In order to mitigate the issues present with other ice adhesion tests a novel, hands-free, in-situ test method imbedded into the leading edge of the airfoil has been developed and tested in the NASA Glenn Research Center Icing Research Tunnel. The mechanics of the new test method are discussed with finite element simulations being used to highlight the fundamental mechanics of this test method. The testing procedures used during the experimental test campaign are discussed along with the icing cloud test matrix. Analysis of the force-displacement results highlights the repeatability of the test method with regards to both sample behavior across several days of testing and different ice shapes. The results from first run of the day showed a significant discrepancy from subsequent runs and differential image analysis was used to determine differences in the interfacial bonding states between runs.
A self-consistent version of the compressible boundary-value problem for configurations with leading-edge vortex separation is formulated, based on the assumption that the compressible flow field is controlled by the linearized potential equation. The stream surface boundary condition and the zero pressure jump condition of the compressible free vortex flows are analyzed; application of the Goethert rule permits the compressible nonlinear boundary-value problem for the subsonic flow domain to be transformed into an equivalent nonlinear incompressible problem. The compressibility corrections developed are used in numerical calculations of subsonic leading-edge vortex flows about planar wing geometries. The sample calculations, employing an inviscid flow model in which the wing and vortex sheets are represented by piecewise continuous quadratic doublet sheet distributions, are applicable to high subsonic Mach numbers.
Polymer dispersed liquid crystal thin films have been deposited on glass substrates by the processes of polymerization and solvent evaporation induced phase separation. The electron and the optical polarization microscopies of the films reveal that PDLC microdroplets formed during the process of phase separation near the top surface of the film remain exposed and respond to shear stress due to air or gas flow on the surface. Optical response of the film to an air flow-induced shear stress input on the free surface has been measured. Director orientation in the droplets changes with the applied shear stress leading to time varying transmitted light intensity. Director dynamics of the droplet for an applied step shear stress has been discussed from free energy considerations. Results on the measurement of light transmission as a function of the gas flow parameter unambiguously demonstrate the potential of these systems for use as boundary layer and gas flow sensors.
The low-speed flight and transonic maneuvering characteristics of combat air vehicles designed for efficient supersonic flight are significantly affected by the presence of free vortices. At moderate-to-high angles of attack, the flow invariably separates from the leading edges of the swept slender wings, as well as from the forebodies of the air vehicles, and rolls up to form free vortices. The design of military vehicles is heavily driven by the need to simultaneously improve performance and affordability.1 In order to meet this need, increasing emphasis is being placed on using Modeling & Simulation environments employing the Integrated Product & Process Development (IPPD) concept. The primary focus is on expeditiously providing design teams with high-fidelity data needed to make more informed decisions in the preliminary design stage. Extensive aerodynamic data are needed to support combat air vehicle design. Force and moment data are used to evaluate performance and handling qualities; surface pressures provide inputs for structural design; and flow-field data facilitate system integration. Continuing advances in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) provide an attractive means of generating the desired data in a manner that is responsive to the needs of the preliminary design efforts. The responsiveness is readily characterized as timely delivery of quality data at low cost.
Surface heat transfer rates were measured on a sharp flat plate at zero angle of attack in a hypersonic shock tunnel. The density and leading edge Knudsen number were varied to span the continuum to near free molecule regimes. The strong interaction parameter varied from 11 to 16,000 with Knudsen numbers from 0.56 to 17.1 respectively. Local heat transfer rates in the corner flow region produced by the intersection of two perpendicular flat plates with sharp leading edges were determined for various flow densities. The strength of the shock wave from the vertical plate was varied by adjusting the angle of attack from 0 to 5 deg. The unit Reynolds number varied from 1,000 to 17,200 and the Knudsen numbers from 1.6 to 27. The strong interaction parameter varied from 14 to 500.
The space-time integral of the thermodynamic pressure plays the role of the thermodynamic potential for compressible, adiabatic flow in the sense that the pressure integral for stable flow is less than for all slightly different flows. This stability criterion can be converted into a variational minimum principle by requiring the molar free-enthalpy and the temperature, which are the arguments of the pressure function, to be generalized velocities, that is, the proper-time derivatives of scalar spare-time functions which are generalized coordinates in the canonical formalism. In a fluid context, proper-time differentiation must be expressed in terms of three independent quantities that specify the fluid velocity. This can be done in several ways, all of which lead to different variants (canonical transformations) of the same constraint-free action integral whose Euler-Lagrange equations are just the well-known equations of motion for adiabatic compressible flow.