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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 253 records · Page 14

Finite element (MARC) solution technologies for viscoplastic analyses

A need for development of realistic constitutive models for structural components operating at high temperatures, accompanied by appropriate solution technologies for stress/life analyses of these components is studied. Viscoplastic models provide a better description of inelastic behavior of materials, but their mathematical structure is very complex. The highly nonlinear and stiff nature of the constitutive equations makes analytical solutions difficult. Therefore, suitable solution, finite element or other numerical, technologies must be developed to make these models adaptable for better and rational designs of components. NASA-Lewis has developed several solution technologies and successfully applied them to the solution of a number of uniaxial and multiaxial problems. Some of these solution technologies are described along with the models and representative results. The solution technologies developed and presented encompass a wide range of models, such as, isotropic, anisotropic, metal matrix composites, and single crystal models.

Arya, V. K.↗

Development of an unsteady aerodynamics model to improve correlation of computed blade stresses with test data

A reliable rotor aeroelastic analysis operational that correctly predicts the vibration levels for a helicopter is utilized to test various unsteady aerodynamics models with the objective of improving the correlation between test and theory. This analysis called Rotor Aeroelastic Vibration (RAVIB) computer program is based on a frequency domain forced response analysis which utilizes the transfer matrix techniques to model helicopter/rotor dynamic systems of varying degrees of complexity. The results for the AH-1G helicopter rotor were compared with the flight test data during high speed operation and they indicated a reasonably good correlation for the beamwise and chordwise blade bending moments, but for torsional moments the correlation was poor. As a result, a new aerodynamics model based on unstalled synthesized data derived from the large amplitude oscillating airfoil experiments was developed and tested.

Gangwani, S. T.↗

Using CASE to Exploit Process Modeling in Technology Transfer

A successful business will be one that has processes in place to run that business. Creating processes, reengineering processes, and continually improving processes can be accomplished through extensive modeling. Casewise(R) Corporate Modeler(TM) CASE is a computer aided software engineering tool that will enable the Technology Transfer Department (TT) at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to capture these abilities. After successful implementation of CASE, it could then go on to be applied in other departments at MSFC and other centers at NASA. The success of a business process is dependent upon the players working as a team and continuously improving the process. A good process fosters customer satisfaction as well as internal satisfaction in the organizational infrastructure. CASE provides a method for business process success through functions consisting of systems and processes business models; specialized diagrams; matrix management; simulation; report generation and publishing; and, linking, importing, and exporting documents and files. The software has an underlying repository or database to support these functions. The Casewise. manual informs us that dynamics modeling is a technique used in business design and analysis. Feedback is used as a tool for the end users and generates different ways of dealing with the process. Feedback on this project resulted from collection of issues through a systems analyst interface approach of interviews with process coordinators and Technical Points of Contact (TPOCs).

Renz-Olar, Cheryl↗

ICAN: Integrated composites analyzer

The ICAN computer program performs all the essential aspects of mechanics/analysis/design of multilayered fiber composites. Modular, open-ended and user friendly, the program can handle a variety of composite systems having one type of fiber and one matrix as constituents as well as intraply and interply hybrid composite systems. It can also simulate isotropic layers by considering a primary composite system with negligible fiber volume content. This feature is specifically useful in modeling thin interply matrix layers. Hygrothermal conditions and various combinations of in-plane and bending loads can also be considered. Usage of this code is illustrated with a sample input and the generated output. Some key features of output are stress concentration factors around a circular hole, locations of probable delamination, a summary of the laminate failure stress analysis, free edge stresses, microstresses and ply stress/strain influence coefficients. These features make ICAN a powerful, cost-effective tool to analyze/design fiber composite structures and components.

Murthy, P. L. N.↗

Autonomous satellite navigation methods using the Global Positioning Satellite System

This investigation considers the problem of autonomous satellite navigation using the NAVSTAR Global Positioning System (GPS). The major topics covered include the design, implementation, and validation of onboard navigation filter algorithms by means of computer simulations. The primary errors that the navigation filter design must minimize are computational effects and modeling inaccuracies due to limited capability of the onboard computer. The minimization of the effect of these errors is attained by applying the sequential extended Kalman filter using a factored covariance implementation with Q-matrix or dynamical model compensations. Peformance evaluation of the navigation filter design is carried out using both the CDC Cyber 170/750 computer and the PDP-11/60 computer. The results are obtained assuming the Phase I GPS constellation, consisting of six satellites, and a Landsat-D type spacecraft as the model for the user satellite orbit.

Murata, M.↗

ICAN - Integrated composites analyzer

The ICAN computer program performs all the essential aspects of mechanics/analysis/design of multilayered fiber composites. Modular, open-ended and user friendly, the program can handle a variety of composite systems having one type of fiber and one matrix as constituents as well as intraply and interply hybrid composite systems. It can also simulate isotropic layers by considering a primary composite system with negligible fiber volume content. This feature is specifically useful in modeling thin interply matrix layers. Hygrothermal conditions and various combinations of in-plane and bending loads can also be considered. Usage of this code is illustrated with a sample input and the generated output. Some key features of output are stress concentration factors around a circular hole, locations of probable delamination, a summary of the laminate failure stress analysis, free edge stresses, microstresses and ply stress/strain influence coefficients. These features make ICAN a powerful, cost-effective tool to analyze/design fiber composite structures and components.

Murthy, P. L. N.↗

Mathematical modeling of a class of multibody flexible spacecraft structures

A mathematical model for a general multibody flexible spacecraft is obtained. The generic spacecraft considered consists of a flexible central body to which a number of flexible multibody structures are attached. The coordinate systems used in the derivation allow effective decoupling of the translational motion of the entire spacecraft from its rotational motion about its center of mass. The derivation assumes that the deformations in the bodies are only due to elastic motions. The dynamic model derived is a closed-form vector-matrix differential equation. The model developed can be used for analysis and simulation of many realistic spacecraft configurations.

Kelkar, Atul, G.↗

Simulation of the ATIC-2 Silicon Matrix for Protons and Helium GCR Primaries at 0.3, 10, and 25 TeV/Nucleon

The energy deposition distribution for protons and helium galactic cosmic ray primaries at 0.3, 10, and 25 TeV/nucleon in the ATIC-2 silicon matrix detector are simulated with GEANT4. The GEANT3 geometrical model of ATIC developed by the University of Maryland was combined with a GEANT4 application developed for the Deep Space Test Bed (DSTB) detector package. The new code included relatively minor modifications to completely describe the ATIC materials and a more detailed model of the Silicon Matrix detector. For this analysis all particles were started as a unidirectional beam at a single point near the center of the Silicon Matrix front surface. The point was selected such that each primary passed through at least two of the overlapping silicon pixels.

Watts, J.↗

Implementation of Laminate Theory Into Strain Rate Dependent Micromechanics Analysis of Polymer Matrix Composites

A research program is in progress to develop strain rate dependent deformation and failure models for the analysis of polymer matrix composites subject to impact loads. Previously, strain rate dependent inelastic constitutive equations developed to model the polymer matrix were implemented into a mechanics of materials based micromechanics method. In the current work, the computation of the effective inelastic strain in the micromechanics model was modified to fully incorporate the Poisson effect. The micromechanics equations were also combined with classical laminate theory to enable the analysis of symmetric multilayered laminates subject to in-plane loading. A quasi-incremental trapezoidal integration method was implemented to integrate the constitutive equations within the laminate theory. Verification studies were conducted using an AS4/PEEK composite using a variety of laminate configurations and strain rates. The predicted results compared well with experimentally obtained values.

Goldberg, Robert K.↗

MATRIX-VBS Condensing Organic Aerosols in an Aerosol Microphysics Model

The condensation of organic aerosols is represented in a newly developed box-model scheme, where its effect on the growth and composition of particles are examined. We implemented the volatility-basis set (VBS) framework into the aerosol mixing state resolving microphysical scheme Multiconfiguration Aerosol TRacker of mIXing state (MATRIX). This new scheme is unique and advances the representation of organic aerosols in models in that, contrary to the traditional treatment of organic aerosols as non-volatile in most climate models and in the original version of MATRIX, this new scheme treats them as semi-volatile. Such treatment is important because low-volatility organics contribute significantly to the growth of particles. The new scheme includes several classes of semi-volatile organic compounds from the VBS framework that can partition among aerosol populations in MATRIX, thus representing the growth of particles via condensation of low volatility organic vapors. Results from test cases representing Mexico City and a Finish forrest condistions show good representation of the time evolutions of concentration for VBS species in the gas phase and in the condensed particulate phase. Emitted semi-volatile primary organic aerosols evaporate almost completely in the high volatile range, and they condense more efficiently in the low volatility range.

Aerosols↗

Determination of stability derivatives from flight data using a Newton-Raphson minimization technique

A modified Newton-Raphson or quasilinearization minimization technique for determining stability derivatives from flight data was developed and compared with simple-equations, analog-matching, least-squares, and Shinbrot methods of analysis. For the data analyzed, the solutions computed by using the estimates obtained from the Newton-Raphson technique fit the data and determined coefficients adequately. A further modification to include a priori information was found to be useful. A model statistically similar to the flight data was analyzed using the same methods (excluding analog matching), and the Newton-Raphson technique was found to yield superior estimates. An approximate Cramer-Rao bound was compared with the error covariance matrix of the model and was found to provide information about the reliability of the individual estimates obtained. The technique was successfully applied to data obtained from a light airplane, a large supersonic airplane, and a lifting body vehicle. It was shown that the reliability of the estimates of a given coefficient obtained from these vehicles depends upon the data analyzed.

Iliff, K. W.↗

Implementation of Fiber Substructuring Into Strain Rate Dependent Micromechanics Analysis of Polymer Matrix Composites

A research program is in progress to develop strain rate dependent deformation and failure models for the analysis of polymer matrix composites subject to impact loads. Previously, strain rate dependent inelastic constitutive equations developed to model the polymer matrix were incorporated into a mechanics of materials based micromechanics method. In the current work, the micromechanics method is revised such that the composite unit cell is divided into a number of slices. Micromechanics equations are then developed for each slice, with laminate theory applied to determine the elastic properties, effective stresses and effective inelastic strains for the unit cell. Verification studies are conducted using two representative polymer matrix composites with a nonlinear, strain rate dependent deformation response. The computed results compare well to experimentally obtained values.

Goldberg, Robert K.↗

Ultrasonic Assessment of Impact-Induced Damage and Microcracking in Polymer Matrix Composites

The main objective of this NASA Faculty Awards for Research (FAR) project is to conduct ultrasonic assessment of impact-induced damage and microcracking in fiber-metal laminated (FML) composites at various temperatures. It is believed that the proposed study of impact damage assessment on FML composites will benefit several NASA's missions and current interests, such as ballistic impact testing of composite fan containment and high strain rate deformation modeling of polymer matrix composites. Impact-induced damage mechanisms in GLARE and ARALL fiber-metal laminates subject to instrumented drop-weight impacts at various temperatures were studied. GLARE and ARALL are hybrid composites made of alternating layers of aluminum and glass- (for GLARE) and aramid- (for ARALL) fiber reinforced epoxy. Damage in pure aluminum panels impacted by foreign objects was mainly characterized by large plastic deformation surrounding a deep penetration dent. On the other hand, plastic deformation in fiber-metal laminates was often not as severe although the penetration dent was still produced. The more stiff fiber-reinforced epoxy layers provided better bending rigidity; thus, enhancing impact damage tolerance. Severe cracking, however, occurred due to the use of these more brittle fiber-reinforced epoxy layers. Fracture patterns, e.g., crack length and delamination size, were greatly affected by the lay-up configuration rather than by the number of layers, which implies that thickness effect was not significant for the panels tested in this study. Immersion ultrasound techniques were then used to assess damages generated by instrumented drop-weight impacts onto these fiber-metal laminate panels as well as 2024-T3 aluminum/cast acrylic sandwich plates adhered by epoxy. Depending on several parameters, such as impact velocity, mass, temperature, laminate configuration, sandwich construction, etc., various types of impact damage were observed, including plastic deformation, radiating cracks emanating from the impact site, ring cracks surrounding the impact site, partial and full delamination, and combinations of these damages.

Gyekanyesi, John↗

An Analytical Thermal Model for Autonomous Soaring Research

A viewgraph presentation describing an analytical thermal model used to enable research on autonomous soaring for a small UAV aircraft is given. The topics include: 1) Purpose; 2) Approach; 3) SURFRAD Data; 4) Convective Layer Thickness; 5) Surface Heat Budget; 6) Surface Virtual Potential Temperature Flux; 7) Convective Scaling Velocity; 8) Other Calculations; 9) Yearly trends; 10) Scale Factors; 11) Scale Factor Test Matrix; 12) Statistical Model; 13) Updraft Strength Calculation; 14) Updraft Diameter; 15) Updraft Shape; 16) Smoothed Updraft Shape; 17) Updraft Spacing; 18) Environment Sink; 19) Updraft Lifespan; 20) Autonomous Soaring Research; 21) Planned Flight Test; and 22) Mixing Ratio.

Allen, Michael↗

Evaluation of trends in wheat yield models

Trend terms in models for wheat yield in the U.S. Great Plains for the years 1932 to 1976 are evaluated. The subset of meteorological variables yielding the largest adjusted R(2) is selected using the method of leaps and bounds. Latent root regression is used to eliminate multicollinearities, and generalized ridge regression is used to introduce bias to provide stability in the data matrix. The regression model used provides for two trends in each of two models: a dependent model in which the trend line is piece-wise continuous, and an independent model in which the trend line is discontinuous at the year of the slope change. It was found that the trend lines best describing the wheat yields consisted of combinations of increasing, decreasing, and constant trend: four combinations for the dependent model and seven for the independent model.

Ferguson, M. C.↗

Piloted Simulation Assessment of the Impact of Flexible Structures on Handling Qualities of Generic Supersonic Aircraft

The NASA Langley Research Center Cockpit Motion Facility (CMF) was used to conduct a piloted simulation assessment of the impact of flexible structures on flying qualities. The CMF was used because of its relatively high bandwidth, six degree-of-freedom motion capability. Previous studies assessed and attempted to mitigate the effects of multiple dynamic aeroservoelastic modes (DASE). Those results indicated problems existed, but the specific cause and effect was difficult to ascertain. The goal of this study was to identify specific DASE frequencies, damping ratios, and gains that cause degradation in handling qualities. A generic aircraft simulation was developed and designed to have Cooper-Harper Level 1 handling qualities when flown without DASE models. A test matrix of thirty-six DASE modes was implemented. The modes had frequencies ranging from 1 to 3.5 Hz and were applied to each axis independently. Each mode consisted of a single axis, frequency, damping, and gain, and was evaluated individually by six subject pilots with test pilot backgrounds. Analysis completed to date suggests that a number of the DASE models evaluated degrade the handling qualities of this class of aircraft to an uncontrollable condition.

Stringer, Mary T.↗

Analysis of metal-matrix composite structures. I - Micromechanics constitutive theory. II - Laminate analyses

The micromechanical constitutive theory is used to examine the nonlinear behavior of continuous-fiber-reinforced metal-matrix composite structures. Effective lamina constitutive relations based on the Abouli micromechanics theory are presented. The inelastic matrix behavior is modeled by the unified viscoplasticity theory of Bodner and Partom. The laminate constitutive relations are incorporated into a first-order deformation plate theory. The resulting boundary value problem is solved by utilizing the finite element method. Attention is also given to computational aspects of the numerical solution, including the temporal integration of the inelastic strains and the spatial integration of bending moments. Numerical results the nonlinear response of metal matrix composites subjected to extensional and bending loads are presented.

Arenburg, R. T.↗

Spectroscopic Determination of the Physical Conditions in Hot Optically Thin Sources

Astrophysical Plasma Emission Database - APED consists of atomic data, primarily theoretical, needed to calculate X-ray through optical emission spectra of hot thermal plasmas. These data are supplemented by experimental values, such as laboratory plasma wave- lengths, and are validated by experiment only rarely. Thus the comparison of predicted spectra to astrophysical spectra serves as invaluable feedback on the quality of the models. Following up on unfavorable comparisons, we have communicated atomic data needs to atomic theorists and experimental plasma physicists so that improvements can be made to the database. The database is now reasonably complete from approx. 1 to 30 A, and from - 90 to 180 A, with significant gaps remaining in the range 30 to 90 A. Astrophysical Plasma Emission Code - APEC uses the APED data as inputs and computes level populations and line emissivities using a rate matrix solver. Tabulated models for a fine grid of temperatures and densities can be applied to observational data. The current public version of APEC output uses an input ionization balance model, assuming CIE; however, we have a working version to calculate the ionization state of the gas. We will begin testing non-equilibrium ionization (NEI) models over the next year - we are now finalizing the atomic database needed to perform the ionization state calculations. At that time, the code will be made public. We have developed optimized error codes, additional testing protocols and substantial documentation, in preparation for this public release. Secondarily, we have begun to investigate the use of APED and APEC for X-ray photoionized plasma, beginning with opacity modeling (e.g. warm absorbers). Application to bright AGN Chandra grating spectra suggests that the accurate wavelengths in APED are of great importance to fitting the data. We are exploring additional subroutines to APEC to extend its usefulness for X-ray photoionized plasma, e.g. to include collisional or photo-excitation of metastable levels for absorption.

Oliversen, Ronald J.↗