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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 235 records · Page 13

Ride quality of terminal-area flight maneuvers

Complex terminal-area flight maneuvers being considered for airline operations may not be acceptable to passengers. To provide technology in this area, a series of flight experiments was conducted by NASA using the U. S. Air Force Total In-Flight Simulator (TIFS) aircraft to obtain subjective responses of a significant number of passenger test subjects to closely controlled and repeatable flight maneuvers. Regression analysis of the data produced a mathematical model which closely predicts mean passenger ride-comfort rating as a function of the rms six-degree-of-freedom aircraft motions during the maneuver. This ride-comfort model was exercised to examine various synthesized flight maneuvers.

Schoonover, W. E., Jr.↗

GRCop-84 Developed for Rocket Engines

GRCop-84 (Cu-8 at.% Cr-4 at.% Nb) was developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center for use in regeneratively cooled rocket engines. This alloy possesses an excellent combination of conductivity, thermal expansion, strength, creep resistance, ductility, and low-cycle fatigue (LCF) life. In comparison to the currently used alloy, NARloy-Z (Cu-3 wt % Ag-0.5 wt % Zr), GRCop-84's significantly better properties give it the potential for significant gains in engine performance and reliability. For GRCop-84 to be safely used in a rocket engine, it is critical to develop a detailed data base of the important thermophysical and mechanical properties. Work has focused on five major properties: thermal conductivity, thermal expansion, tensile strength, creep resistance, and LCF life. The analysis went beyond simply measuring the data and reporting averages. A detailed statistical analysis was conducted that allowed regression of the data over the entire temperature range tested and establishment of design minimums. The design values were expressed as simple mathematical formulas that are highly amenable to use in computer codes such as in finite element analysis and related computer modeling work.

Ellis, David L.↗

Effects of Long-Term Thermal Exposure on Commercially Pure Titanium Grade 2 Elevated-Temperature Tensile Properties

Elevated-temperature tensile testing of commercially pure titanium (CP Ti) Grade 2 was conducted for as-received commercially produced sheet and following thermal exposure at 550 and 650 K (531 and 711 F) for times up to 5000 h. The tensile testing revealed some statistical differences between the 11 thermal treatments, but most thermal treatments were statistically equivalent. Previous data from room temperature tensile testing was combined with the new data to allow regression and development of mathematical models relating tensile properties to temperature and thermal exposure. The results indicate that thermal exposure temperature has a very small effect, whereas the thermal exposure duration has no statistically significant effects on the tensile properties. These results indicate that CP Ti Grade 2 will be thermally stable and suitable for long-duration space missions.

Ellis, David L.↗

Multi-Agency Ensemble Forecast of Wildfire Air Quality in the United States: Toward Community Consensus of Early Warning

Wildfires pose increasing risks to human health and properties in North America. Due to large uncertainties in fire emission, transport, and chemical transformation, it remains challenging to accurately predict air quality during wildfire events, hindering our collective capability to issue effective early warnings to protect public health and welfare. Here we present a new real-time Hazardous Air Quality Ensemble System (HAQES) by leveraging various wildfire smoke forecasts from three U.S. federal agencies (NOAA, NASA, and Navy). Compared to individual models, the HAQES ensemble forecast significantly enhances forecast accuracy. To further enhance forecasting performance, a weighted ensemble forecast approach was introduced and tested. Compared to the unweighted ensemble mean, the multilinear regression weighted ensemble reduced fractional bias by 34% in the major fire regions, false alarm rate by 72%, and increased hit rate by 17%. Finally, we improved the weighted ensemble using quantile regression and weighted regression methods to enhance the forecast of extreme air quality events. The advanced weighted ensemble increased the PM2.5 exceedance hit rate by 55% compared to the ensemble mean. Our findings provide insights into the development of advanced ensemble forecast methods for wildfire air quality, offering a practical way to enhance decision-making support to protect public health.

Yunyao Li↗

Compensating for Sintering Distortion in Additively Manufactured Shaped Charge Liners using Physics-Informed Machine Learning

Copper is a challenging material to process using laser-based additive manufacturing due to its high reflectivity and high thermal conductivity. Sintering-based processes can produce solid copper parts without the processing challenges and defects associated with laser melting; however, sintering can also cause distortion in copper parts, especially those with thin walls. In this study, we use physics-informed Gaussian process regression to predict and compensate for sintering distortion in thin-walled copper parts produced using a Markforged Metal X bound powder extrusion (BPE) additive manufacturing system. Through experimental characterization and computational simulation of copper’s viscoelastic sintering behavior, we can predict sintering deformation. We can then manufacture, simulate, and test parts with various compensation scaling factors to inform Gaussian process regression and predict a compensated as-printed (pre-sintered) part geometry that produces the desired final (post-sintered) part.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Study of Rapid-Regression Liquefying Hybrid Rocket Fuels

A report describes experiments directed toward the development of paraffin-based hybrid rocket fuels that burn at regression rates greater than those of conventional hybrid rocket fuels like hydroxyl-terminated butadiene. The basic approach followed in this development is to use materials such that a hydrodynamically unstable liquid layer forms on the melting surface of a burning fuel body. Entrainment of droplets from the liquid/gas interface can substantially increase the rate of fuel mass transfer, leading to surface regression faster than can be achieved using conventional fuels. The higher regression rate eliminates the need for the complex multi-port grain structures of conventional solid rocket fuels, making it possible to obtain acceptable performance from single-port structures. The high-regression-rate fuels contain no toxic or otherwise hazardous components and can be shipped commercially as non-hazardous commodities. Among the experiments performed on these fuels were scale-up tests using gaseous oxygen. The data from these tests were found to agree with data from small-scale, low-pressure and low-mass-flux laboratory tests and to confirm the expectation that these fuels would burn at high regression rates, chamber pressures, and mass fluxes representative of full-scale rocket motors.

Zilliac, Greg↗

Effect of alloy composition on the sodium-sulfate induced hot corrosion attack of cast nickel-base superalloys at 900 C

The effects of Cr, Al, Ti, Mo, Ta, Nb, and W content on the hot corrosion of Ni-base alloys were examined experimentally. The superalloys were tested for 300 1-hr cycles at 900 C in a Mach 0.3 burner rig flame containing 0.5 ppmw sodium. The data reveal that the best corrosion resistance is obtained when the Cr content is greater than 12 percent; however, good resistance is detected in some alloys with Cr content less than 10 percent provided that the Al content is less than 2.5 wt pct and the Ti content is less than 4 wt pct. It is observed that the influence of W, Ta, Mo, and Nb content on resistance is dependent on Al and Ti contents. The derivation of an equation for estimating hot corrosion attack as a function of alloy composition using multiple linear regression analysis is described. The applicability of the equation is tested using various data sets of alloys. It is noted that the equation can be used to explain the effects of alloy composition on attack rates.

Stearns, C. A.↗

BEAST: Expanding Sustainable Data Infrastructure for High-Enthalpy Facilities

Reproducible, data-driven thermal protection system (TPS) research requires that experimental records from high-enthalpy testing be consistently structured, traceable, and accessible across campaigns and institutions. In practice, however, arcjet and plasma facilities data remain largely fragmented: raw diagnostics are stored in ad hoc formats, material sample histories are disconnected from test conditions, and metadata standards are absent, precluding systematic cross-campaign analysis and long-term reuse. BEAST (Backend for Experiment Analysis, Storage, and Traceability) is an open-source, web-based platform that addresses these limitations by providing a unified, queryable infrastructure for high-enthalpy ground-test data [1]. First presented at the 15th Ablation Workshop [2], BEAST has since undergone significant development. The platform ingests and structures multi-channel time-series diagnostics, facility configurations, and material property records within a common provenance model, ensuring end-to-end traceability from raw sensor acquisition to reduced experimental quantities. A versioned material library links specimen identity and processing history to the specific runs in which each sample was tested. An integrated modeling workbench enables training and evaluation of regression models directly on archived experimental data, supporting condition interpolation and the construction of empirical material response databases. Beyond its original deployment at NASA Ames Research Center, BEAST has been designed to be facility-agnostic, with ongoing efforts to extend its adoption to other facilities. Its modular architecture accommodates heterogeneous diagnostic setups and facility types, and its future open-source distribution allows institutions to build on a common data standard rather than maintaining isolated, bespoke solutions. BEAST is further integrated within a broader ecosystem of companion tools: arcjetCV [3] extracts recession rates and shock standoff distances from high-speed video using computer vision, and miniSTARscan [4] provides sub-minute, portable photogrammetric surface reconstruction of test articles before and after exposure. All tools share a common data schema, enabling seamless ingestion of surface geometry, imagery, and time-series data into a single, coherent experimental record.

Database↗

BEAST: Expanding Sustainable Data Infrastructure for High-Enthalpy Facilities

Reproducible, data-driven thermal protection system (TPS) research requires that experimental records from high-enthalpy testing be consistently structured, traceable, and accessible across campaigns and institutions. In practice, however, arcjet and plasma facilities data remain largely fragmented: raw diagnostics are stored in ad hoc formats, material sample histories are disconnected from test conditions, and metadata standards are absent, precluding systematic cross-campaign analysis and long-term reuse. BEAST (Backend for Experiment Analysis, Storage, and Traceability) is an open-source, web-based platform that addresses these limitations by providing a unified, queryable infrastructure for high-enthalpy ground-test data [1]. First presented at the 15th Ablation Workshop [2], BEAST has since undergone significant development. The platform ingests and structures multi-channel time-series diagnostics, facility configurations, and material property records within a common provenance model, ensuring end-to-end traceability from raw sensor acquisition to reduced experimental quantities. A versioned material library links specimen identity and processing history to the specific runs in which each sample was tested. An integrated modeling workbench enables training and evaluation of regression models directly on archived experimental data, supporting condition interpolation and the construction of empirical material response databases. Beyond its original deployment at NASA Ames Research Center, BEAST has been designed to be facility-agnostic, with ongoing efforts to extend its adoption to other facilities. Its modular architecture accommodates heterogeneous diagnostic setups and facility types, and its future open-source distribution allows institutions to build on a common data standard rather than maintaining isolated, bespoke solutions. BEAST is further integrated within a broader ecosystem of companion tools: arcjetCV [3] extracts recession rates and shock standoff distances from high-speed video using computer vision, and miniSTARscan [4] provides sub-minute, portable photogrammetric surface reconstruction of test articles before and after exposure. All tools share a common data schema, enabling seamless ingestion of surface geometry, imagery, and time-series data into a single, coherent experimental record.

Database↗

Chain pooling to minimize prediction errors in subset regression

The existing theory of subset regression is examined, taking into account optimality criteria, small experiments, nonlinear models, colinearities, and special techniques. Approaches based on chain pooling coupled with principal components regression are discussed, giving attention to a comparison of half-normal plotting with chain pooling, a procedure based on prior ordering, deletion under the F-test, the largest of a set of chi-square variates, and principal components regression and model deletion. The choice of a true (population) model for simulations is considered along with the evaluation of the decision procedure and suitable computer programs.

Holms, A. G.↗

Changes in aerobic power of women, ages 20-64 yr

This study quantified and compared the cross-sectional and longitudinal influence of age, self-report physical activity (SR-PA), and body composition (%fat) on the decline of maximal aerobic power (VO2peak) of women. The cross-sectional sample consisted of 409 healthy women, ages 20-64 yr. The 43 women of the longitudinal sample were from the same population and examined twice, the mean time between tests was 3.7 (+/-2.2) yr. Peak oxygen uptake was determined by indirect calorimetry during a maximal treadmill test. The zero-order correlation of -0.742 between VO2peak and %fat was significantly (P < 0.05) higher then the SR-PA (r = 0.626) and age correlations (r = -0.633). Linear regression defined the cross-sectional age-related decline in VO2peak at 0.537 ml.kg-1.min-1.yr-1. Multiple regression analysis (R = 0.851) showed that adding %fat and SR-PA and their interaction to the regression model reduced the age regression weight of -0.537, to -0.265 ml.kg-1.min-1.yr-1. Statistically controlling for time differences between tests, general linear models analysis showed that longitudinal changes in aerobic power were due to independent changes in %fat and SR-PA, confirming the cross-sectional results. These findings are consistent with men's data from the same lab showing that about 50% of the cross-sectional age-related decline in VO2peak was due to %fat and SR-PA.

Aging/physiology↗

Local primordial non-Gaussianity from the large-scale clustering of photometric DESI luminous red galaxies

ABSTRACT We use angular clustering of luminous red galaxies from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) imaging surveys to constrain the local primordial non-Gaussianity parameter fNL. Our sample comprises over 12 million targets, covering 14 000 deg2 of the sky, with redshifts in the range 0.2 < z < 1.35. We identify Galactic extinction, survey depth, and astronomical seeing as the primary sources of systematic error, and employ linear regression and artificial neural networks to alleviate non-cosmological excess clustering on large scales. Our methods are tested against simulations with and without fNL and systematics, showing superior performance of the neural network treatment. The neural network with a set of nine imaging property maps passes our systematic null test criteria, and is chosen as the fiducial treatment. Assuming the universality relation, we find $f_{\rm NL} = 34^{+24(+50)}_{-44(-73)}$ at 68 per cent (95 per cent) confidence. We apply a series of robustness tests (e.g. cuts on imaging, declination, or scales used) that show consistency in the obtained constraints. We study how the regression method biases the measured angular power spectrum and degrades the fNL constraining power. The use of the nine maps more than doubles the uncertainty compared to using only the three primary maps in the regression. Our results thus motivate the development of more efficient methods that avoid overcorrection, protect large-scale clustering information, and preserve constraining power. Additionally, our results encourage further studies of fNL with DESI spectroscopic samples, where the inclusion of 3D clustering modes should help separate imaging systematics and lessen the degradation in the fNL uncertainty.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Simulation and Flight Evaluation of a Parameter Estimation Input Design Method for Hybrid-Wing-Body Aircraft

As part of an effort to improve emissions, noise, and performance of next generation aircraft, it is expected that future aircraft will make use of distributed, multi-objective control effectors in a closed-loop flight control system. Correlation challenges associated with parameter estimation will arise with this expected aircraft configuration. Research presented in this paper focuses on addressing the correlation problem with an appropriate input design technique and validating this technique through simulation and flight test of the X-48B aircraft. The X-48B aircraft is an 8.5 percent-scale hybrid wing body aircraft demonstrator designed by The Boeing Company (Chicago, Illinois, USA), built by Cranfield Aerospace Limited (Cranfield, Bedford, United Kingdom) and flight tested at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Dryden Flight Research Center (Edwards, California, USA). Based on data from flight test maneuvers performed at Dryden Flight Research Center, aerodynamic parameter estimation was performed using linear regression and output error techniques. An input design technique that uses temporal separation for de-correlation of control surfaces is proposed, and simulation and flight test results are compared with the aerodynamic database. This paper will present a method to determine individual control surface aerodynamic derivatives.

Taylor, Brian R.↗

Mechanical properties of a biodegradable bone regeneration scaffold

Poly (Propylene Fumarate) (PPF), a novel, bulk erosion, biodegradable polymer, has been shown to have osteoconductive effects in vivo when used as a bone regeneration scaffold (Peter, S. J., Suggs, L. J., Yaszemski, M. J., Engel, P. S., and Mikos, A. J., 1999, J. Biomater. Sci. Polym. Ed., 10, pp. 363-373). The material properties of the polymer allow it to be injected into irregularly shaped voids in vivo and provide mechanical stability as well as function as a bone regeneration scaffold. We fabricated a series of biomaterial composites, comprised of varying quantities of PPF, NaCl and beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP), into the shape of right circular cylinders and tested the mechanical properties in four-point bending and compression. The mean modulus of elasticity in compression (Ec) was 1204.2 MPa (SD 32.2) and the mean modulus of elasticity in bending (Eb) was 1274.7 MPa (SD 125.7). All of the moduli were on the order of magnitude of trabecular bone. Changing the level of NaCl from 20 to 40 percent, by mass, did not decrease Ec and Eb significantly, but did decrease bending and compressive strength significantly. Increasing the beta-TCP from 0.25 g/g PPF to 0.5 g/g PPF increased all of the measured mechanical properties of PPF/NVP composites. These results indicate that this biodegradable polymer composite is an attractive candidate for use as a replacement scaffold for trabecular bone.

NASA Discipline Cell Biology↗

Densification and properties of alpha-silicon carbide

The sintering behavior of alpha-SiC with B and C sintering aids and without sintering aids was investigated experimentally. The sintering was performed for 30-60 min in argon flow at 2150 and 2200 C. The density of the sintered bars was determined by weighing and measuring the bars, four-point flexure tests were conducted on machined bars, and the Weibull modulus was determined by regression analysis. It is found that type 1 alpha-SiC powder, which does not densify, can be sintered to a high final density (in excess of 96 percent of the theoretical value) using B and C sintering aids. Flexure test results and Weibull modulus data suggest that the strength of the alpha-SiC ceramic is greatly affected by processing flaws and also by inclusions and machining flaws.

Dutta, S.↗

Multi-Axis Identifiability Using Single-Surface Parameter Estimation Maneuvers on the X-48B Blended Wing Body

The problem of parameter estimation on hybrid-wing-body type aircraft is complicated by the fact that many design candidates for such aircraft involve a large number of aero- dynamic control effectors that act in coplanar motion. This fact adds to the complexity already present in the parameter estimation problem for any aircraft with a closed-loop control system. Decorrelation of system inputs must be performed in order to ascertain individual surface derivatives with any sort of mathematical confidence. Non-standard control surface configurations, such as clamshell surfaces and drag-rudder modes, further complicate the modeling task. In this paper, asymmetric, single-surface maneuvers are used to excite multiple axes of aircraft motion simultaneously. Time history reconstructions of the moment coefficients computed by the solved regression models are then compared to each other in order to assess relative model accuracy. The reduced flight-test time required for inner surface parameter estimation using multi-axis methods was found to come at the cost of slightly reduced accuracy and statistical confidence for linear regression methods. Since the multi-axis maneuvers captured parameter estimates similar to both longitudinal and lateral-directional maneuvers combined, the number of test points required for the inner, aileron-like surfaces could in theory have been reduced by 50%. While trends were similar, however, individual parameters as estimated by a multi-axis model were typically different by an average absolute difference of roughly 15-20%, with decreased statistical significance, than those estimated by a single-axis model. The multi-axis model exhibited an increase in overall fit error of roughly 1-5% for the linear regression estimates with respect to the single-axis model, when applied to flight data designed for each, respectively.

Ratnayake, Nalin A.↗

Thermal Testing and Analysis Techniques for Wires and Wire Bundles

Determining wire and wire bundle amperage capacity (i.e., “ampacity”) currently relies on the use of standards to derate wire ampacity when in a bundle configuration. The feasibility of developing physics-based and regression thermal models of single wires and wire bundles to determine ampacity using a customized test apparatus was investigated during a pathfinder study. A wire bundle test apparatus was developed for measuring the temperatures of single wires and wire bundles and collected wire conductor temperature data under high vacuum and atmospheric conditions and varying environmental temperatures and currents for the two most common wire types used on spacecraft.

Thermal↗

Probabilistic-graphical and phenomenological analysis of combined bending-torsion fatigue reliability data

Fatigue data generated by three combined bending-torsion fatigue reliability research machines at The University of Arizona are probabilistic-graphically and phenomenologically analyzed. Distributions that are applicable to fatique life and static strength data are discussed. Phenomenological justifications for the use of these distributions are presented. It is found that the normal distribution represents the cycles-to-failure data at the highest stress levels best. The lognormal distribution appears to fit the cycles-to-failure data at the lower stress levels best and quite well at all stress levels including the highest. A regression analysis and least-squares goodness-of-fit test was performed for normal and lognormal plots. In most cases, the correlation coefficient gave a better fit to the data using the normal distribution, but the difference between the two was so slight that positive discrimination could not be made.

Kececioglu, D.↗