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NASA NTRS1984

Experimental studies on two dimensional shock boundary layer interactions

Experiments have been performed on the interaction of oblique shock waves with flat plate boundary layers in the 30.48 cm x 30.48 cm (1 ft. x 1 ft.) supersonic wind tunnel at NASA Lewis Research Center. High accuracy measurements of the plate surface static pressure and shear stress distributions as well as boundary layer velocity profiles were obtained through the interaction region. Documentation was also performed of the tunnel test section flow field and of the two-dimensionality of the interaction regions. The findings provide detailed description of two-dimensional interaction with initially laminar boundary layers over the Mach number range 2.0 to 4.0. Additional information with regard to interactions involving initially transitional boundary layers is presented over the Mach number range 2.0 to 3.0 and those for initially turbulent boundary layers at Mach 2.0. These experiments were directed toward providing well documented information of high accuracy useful as test cases for analytic and numerical calculations. Flow conditions encompassed a Reynolds number range of 4.72E6 to 2.95E7 per meter. The shock boundary layer interaction results were found to be generally in good agreement with the experimental work of previous authors both in terms of direct numerical comparison and in support of correlations establishing laminar separation characteristics.

Skebe, S. A.↗

NASA NTRS1984

A rule for selecting analytical boundary conditions for the conservative quasi-one-dimensional nozzle flow equations

For the one-dimensional nozzle flow equations, the number of analytical boundary conditions that may be applied corresponds to the number of exterior characteristics reaching the boundary points. Since the slopes of the characteristics are the characteristic speeds u, u+c, and u-c, one concludes that two analytical boundary conditions are required at a subsonic inflow boundary and one at a subsonic outflow boundary. However, using this guideline alone can lead to nonunique solutions in subsonic cases. This paper presents a rule for selecting analytical boundary conditions for the dependent variables which will yield unique solutions if they exist.

Wornom, S. F.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Computation of consistent boundary quantities in finite element thermal-fluid solutions

The consistent boundary quantity method for computing derived quantities from finite element nodal variable solutions is investigated. The method calculates consistent, continuous boundary surface quantities such as heat fluxes, flow velocities, and surface tractions from nodal variables such as temperatures, velocity potentials, and displacements. Consistent and lumped coefficient matrix solutions for such problems are compared. The consistent approach may produce more accurate boundary quantities, but spurious oscillations may be produced in the vicinity of discontinuities. The uncoupled computations of the lumped approach provide greater flexibility in dealing with discontinuities and provide increased computational efficiency. The consistent boundary quantity approach can be applied to solution boundaries other than those with Dirichlet boundary conditions, and provides more accurate results than the customary method of differentiation of interpolation polynomials.

Thornton, E. A.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Structure and Growth of the Marine Boundary Layer

LANDSAT visible imagery and a one-dimensional Lagrangian boundary layer model were used to hypothesize the nature and the development of the marine boundary layer during a winter episode of strong seaward cold air advection. Over-water heating and moistening of the cold, dry continental air is estimable from linear relations involving horizontal gradients of the near-surface air temperature and humidity. A line of enhanced convection paralleling the Atlantic U.S. coast from south of New York Bay to the vicinity of Virginia Beach, VA was attributed to stronger convergence at low levels. This feature was characterized as a mesoscale front. With the assistance of a three-dimensional mesoscale boundary layer model, initialized with data obtained from the MASEX, the marine boundary layer can be mapped over the entire Atlantic coastal domain and the evolution of the boundary layer can be studied as a function of different characteristics of important surface level forcings. The effects on boundary layer growth due to the magnitude and pattern of sea surface temperature, to the shape of the coastline, and to atmospheric conditions, such as the orientation of the prevailing wind are examined.

Mccumber, M.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Investigations of the Mars Cratered Terrain: Smooth Plains Boundary in the Eastern Equatorial Region

As part of an ongoing study to place geologic constraints on, and to interpret the origin of the ancient cratered terrain - smooth plains boundary on Mars, structural features in the eastern hemisphere were mapped, looking at wide-scale variations in aereal percentage of crater vocer and distinctive landforms. Maps and a digitized data set for graben, scarps, ridges and elongate plateaus in the eastern hemisphere were completed for 30 deg N to 30 deg. In the equatorial region, results indicate a marked change from the N oriented ridges north of the boundary to the NW orientations of those in the inter and intracrater plains south of the boundary. The WNW orientation of the boundary itself is matched by similar orientations of graben and scraps in the southern terrain. In order to determine whether outlying plateaus and isolated knobby hills found north of the boundary are formed from material of the ancient cratered terrain, the Viking 2 approach color data were used to discriminate surface materials in the eastern hemisphere. In the southern half of the Amenthes quadrange (MC-14), several correlations exist among surficial spectral reflectance and observed geologic units. Old terrain on the eastern rim of the Isidis basin is much redder than the smooth volcanic plains on either side of the rim, even though the plains unit east of the rim is located several kilometers higher than the plains on the floor of Isidis. Based on statistics derived from the color data, the plains within Isidis were found to differ from those north of the boundary zone.

Maxwell, T. A.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Absorbing boundary conditions for exterior problems

Elliptic and hyperbolic problems in unbounded regions are considered. These problems, when one wants to solve them numerically, have the difficulty of prescribing boundary conditions at infinity. Computationally, one needs a finite region in which to solve these problems. The corresponding conditions at infinity imposed on the finite distance boundaries should dictate the boundary condition at infinity and be accurate with respect to the interior numerical scheme. Such boundary conditions are commonly referred to as absorbing boundary conditions. A treatment is given of these boundary conditions for wave-like equations.

Hariharan, S. I.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Boundary layers of the earth's outer magnetosphere

The magnetospheric boundary layer and the plasma-sheet boundary layer are the primary boundary layers of the earth's outer magnetosphere. Recent satellite observations indicate that they provide for more than 50 percent of the plasma and energy transport in the outer magnetosphere although they constitute less than 5 percent by volume. Relative to the energy density in the source regions, plasma in the magnetospheric boundary layer is predominantly deenergized whereas plasma in the plasma-sheet boundary layer has been accelerated. The reconnection hypothesis continues to provide a useful framework for comparing data sampled in the highly dynamic magnetospheric environment. Observations of 'flux transfer events' and other detailed features near the boundaries have been recently interpreted in terms of nonsteady-state reconnection. Alternative hypotheses are also being investigated. More work needs to be done, both in theory and observation, to determine whether reconnection actually occurs in the magnetosphere and, if so, whether it is important for overall magnetospheric dynamics.

Eastman, T. E.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Free boundary shape of a convectively cooled solidified region

The two-dimensional steady-state shape of a solidified region, such as a frost layer, was determined analytically for formation on a plate that is convectively cooled. The nonuniform shape of the layer is produced by exposure to a spatially nonuniform distribution of radiant energy. For high convective cooling the cooled wall approaches a uniform temperature, and an exact solution is obtained for the free boundary shape. For a lesser amount of convective cooling, the variation in temperature along the cooled boundary is treated by a boundary perturbation method. Some illustrative examples are given that show the effects of nonuniform heating and the magnitude of convective heat transfer at the cooled wall. Only one boundary condition is approximated by the perturbation solution; all of the other boundary conditions are satisfied exactly. The calculated results given here were found to satisfy the approximate boundary condition within a very small error.

Siegel, R.↗

NASA NTRS1985

A discussion of the constraints which lead to steady state electrophoretic boundaries

The electric field variation across moving boundaries in three component systems is analyzed with a model based on electromigration only (moving boundary equation and regulating function). A decrease in the electric field strength across a boundary in the direction of migration is the most general requirement for the establishment of steady state migrating boundaries. The formation of that electric field gradient is shown to be based on two fundamental constraints. These are (1) the higher net mobility of the leading component compared to that of the terminating constituent and (2) the higher concentration ratio of the leading component to the terminating component ahead of the moving boundary compared to that in the terminating zone. The relations are discussed with respect to strong and weak electrolytes where all three components are present on either side of the boundary. The predictions are verified experimentally. Limitations of the model based on migration only are discussed.

Mosher, Richard A.↗

NASA NTRS1988

A defect stream function, law of the wall/wake method for turbulent boundary layers

The application of the defect stream function to the solution of the two-dimensional, incompressible boundary layer problem is reexamined. A law-of-the-wall/law-of-the-wake formulation for the inner part of the boundary layer is presented which greatly simplifies the computational task near the wall and eliminates the need for an eddy viscosity model in this region. The eddy viscosity model in the outer part of the boundary layer is arbitrary. Formulations for both equilibrium and nonequilibrium boundary layers are presented, and results are compared with previous methods for equilibrium boundary layers. A formulation for primitive variables is presented. The present treatments eliminate the need for resolving the flow in the inner part of the boundary layer computationally, thereby improving computational efficiency.

Barnwell, Richard W.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Grain boundary oxidation and its effects on high temperature fatigue life

Fatigue lives at elevated temperatures are often shortened by creep and/or oxidation. Creep causes grain boundary void nucleation and grain boundary cavitation. Grain boundary voids and cavities will accelerate fatigue crack nucleation and propagation, and thereby shorten fatigue life. The functional relationships between the damage rate of fatigue crack nucleation and propagation and the kinetic process of oxygen diffusion depend on the detailed physical processes. The kinetics of grain boundary oxidation penetration was investigated. The statistical distribution of grain boundary penetration depth was analyzed. Its effect on high temperature fatigue life are discussed. A model of intermittent micro-ruptures of grain boundary oxide was proposed for high temperature fatigue crack growth. The details of these studies are reported.

Liu, H. W.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Geochemistry of K/T boundaries in India and contributions of Deccan volcanism

Three possible Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary sections in the Indian subcontinent were studied for their geochemical and fossil characteristics. These include two marine sections of Meghalaya and Zanskar and one continental section of Nagpur. The Um Sohryngkew river section of Meghalaya shows a high iridium, osmium, iron, cobalt, nickel and chromium concentration in a 1.5 cm thick limonitic layer about 30 cm below the planktonic Cretaceous-Palaeocene boundary identified by the characteristic fossils. The Bottaccione and Contessa sections at Gubbio were also analyzed for these elements. The geochemical pattern at the boundary at the Um Sohryngkew river and Gubbio sections are similar but the peak concentrations and the enrichment factors are different. The biological boundary is not as sharp as the geochemical boundary and the extinction appears to be a prolonged process. The Zanskar section shows, in general, similar concentration of the siderophile, lithophile and rare earth elements but no evidence of enrichment of siderophiles has so far been observed. The Takli section is a shallow inter-trappean deposit within the Deccan province, sandwiched between flow 1 and flow 2. The geochemical stratigraphy of the inter-trappeans is presented. The various horizons of ash, clay and marl show concentration of Fe and Co, generally lower than the adjacent basalts. Two horizons of slight enrichment of iridium are found within the ash layers, one near the contact of flow 1 and other near the contact of flow 2, where iridium occurs at 170 and 260 pg/g. These levels are lower by a factor of 30 compared to Ir concentration in the K/T boundary in Meghalaya section. If the enhanced level of some elements in a few horizons of the ash layer are considered as volcanic contribution by some fractionation processes than the only elements for which it occurs are REE, Ir and possibly Cr.

Bhandari, N.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Shocked quartz and more: Impact signatures in K-T boundary clays and claystones

Quartz grains displaying multiple sets of planar features are described from numerous Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary clays and claystones at both marine and nonmarine depositional sites around the world. All these sites also show anomalously high amounts of iridium and enrichments of other siderophile elements in cosmic ratios within these boundary units. This combination of mineralogical and geochemical features are used in support of an impact hypothesis for the end-Cretaceous event. Recently, it was suggested that some combination of explosive and nonexplosive volcanism associated with the formation of the Deccan traps in India could be responsible for the mineralogy and geochemistry seen in the K-T boundary units. Besides the obvious contradition of simultaneous explosive and nonexplosive volcanism from one locality during an instant of geologic time, there remains the difficulty of spreading both iridium (and trace elements in cosmic proportions) and quartz grains around the world by volcanic (atmospheric) transport. In addition, the ability of volcanism to produce the type of shock metamorphism seen in minerals at the K-T boundary was not demonstrated. Multiple sets of shock lamellae in quartz are considered characteristic of shock metamorphism in rocks at the sites of known impact craters and are the type of deformation seen in quartz from K-T boundary clays and claystones. Single sets of poorly defined lamellae described from rare quartz grains in certain volcanic deposits are characteristic of tectonic deformation and do not correspond to the shock lamellae in quartz from K-T sediments and impact structures. So-called shock mosaicism in quartz and feldspar grains described from volcanic deposits can result from many processes other than shock metamorphism, and therefore is not considered to be an effect characteristic solely of shock. The mineralogy of shock-metamorphosed grains at the K-T boundary also argues against a volcanic origin.

Bohor, Bruce F.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Nitrogen geochemistry of a Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary site in New Zealand

Nitrogen in the basal layer of the K-T boundary clay at Woodside Creek, New Zealand, has an abundance of 1100 ppm, a 20-fold enrichment over Cretaceous and Tertiary values. The enrichment parallels that for Ir and elemental carbon (soot); all decrease over the next 6 mm of the boundary clay. The C/N ratio, assuming the nitrogen to be associated with organic rather than elemental carbon, is approximately 5 for the basal layer compared to 20 to 30 for the remainder of the boundary clay. The correlation between N and Ir abundances appears to persist above the boundary, implying that the N is intimately associated with the primary fallout and remained with it during the secondary redeposition processes that kept the Ir abundance relatively high into the lowermost Tertiary. Apparently the basal layer of the boundary clay represents the accumulation of a substantial quantity of N with an isotopic composition approximately 10 percent heavier than background delta value of N-15 values. If the boundary clay represents an altered impact glass from a meteorite impact than it probably denotes a time period of less than 1 year. Therefore, the changes in nitrogen geochemistry apparently occurred over a very short period of time. The high abundance of N and the correspondingly low C/N ratio may reflect enhanced preservation of organic material as a result of the rapid sweepout and burial of plankton by impact ejecta, with little or no bacterial degradation. It is conceivable that the shift in delta value of N-15 may represent an influx of nitrogen from a different source deposited contemporaneously with the impact ejecta. An interesting possibility is that it may be derived from nitrate, produced from the combustion of atmospheric nitrogen.

Gilmour, Iain↗

NASA NTRS1988

Trace element and isotope geochemistry of Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary sediments: identification of extra-terrestrial and volcanic components

Trace element and stable isotope analyses were performed on a series of sediment samples crossing the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary from critical sections at Aumaya and Sopelano, Spain. The aim is to possibly distinguish extraterrestrial vs. volcanic or authigenic concentration of platinum group and other elements in K-T boundary transitional sediments. These sediments also have been shown to contain evidence for step-wise extinction of several groups of marine invertebrates, associated with negative oxygen and carbon isotope excursions occurring during the last million years of the Cretaceous. These isotope excursions have been interpreted to indicate major changes in ocean thermal regime, circulation, and ecosystems that may be related to multiple events during latest Cretaceous time. Results to date on the petrographic and geochemical analyses of the Late Cretaceous and Early Paleocene sediments indicate that diagenesis has obviously affected the trace element geochemistry and stable isotope compositions at Zumaya. Mineralogical and geochemical analysis of K-T boundary sediments at Zumaya suggest that a substantial fraction of anomalous trace elements in the boundary marl are present in specific mineral phases. Platinum and nickel grains perhaps represent the first direct evidence of siderophile-rich minerals at the boundary. The presence of spinels and Ni-rich particles as inclusions in aluminosilicate spherules from Zumaya suggests an original, non-diagenetic origin for the spherules. Similar spherules from southern Spain (Caravaca), show a strong marine authigenic overprint. This research represents a new approach in trying to directly identify the sedimentary mineral components that are responsible for the trace element concentrations associated with the K-T boundary.

Margolis, S. V.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in the Antarctic: Climatic cooling precedes biotic crisis

Stable isotopic investigations were conducted on calcareous microfossils across two deep sea Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary sequences on Maud Rise, Weddell Sea, Antarctica. The boundary is taken at the level of massive extinctions in calcareous planktonic microfossils, and coincides with a sharp lithologic change from pure calcareous ooze to calcareous ooze with a large volcanic clay component. The uppermost Maestrichtian is marked by a long-term decrease in delta value of 0 to 18 which spans most of the lower and middle A. mayaroensis Zone and represents a warming trend which culminated in surface water temperatures of about 16 C. At approximately 3 meters below the K-T boundary this warming trend terminates abruptly and benthic and planktonic isotopic records exhibit a rapid increase in delta value of 0 to 18 that continues up to the K-T boundary. The trend towards cooler surface water temperatures stops abruptly at the K-T boundary and delta value of 0 to 18 values remain relatively stable through the Paleocene. Comparison of the Antarctic sequence with the previously documented deep sea records in the South Atlantic reveal shifts of similar magnitude in the latest Maestrichtian. It is indicated that the Southern Ocean underwent the most significant, and apparently permanent, climatic change. The latest Cretaceous oxygen isotopic shift recorded at Maud Rise and other deep sea sites is similar in magnitude to large positive delta valve of 0 to 18 shifts in the middle Eocene, at the Eocene/Oligocene boundary and in the middle Miocene that marked large scale climatic transitions which ultimately lead to cryospheric development of the Antarctic. The climatic shift at the end of the Cretaceous represents one of the most significant climatic transitions recorded in the latest Phanerozoic and had a profound effect on global climate as well as oceanic circulation.

Stott, Lowell D.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Geochemical comparison of K-T boundaries from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres

Closely spaced (cm-scale) traverses through the K-T boundary at Stevns Klint (Denmark), Woodside Creek (New Zealand) and a new Southern Hemisphere site at Richards Bay (South Africa) were subjected to trace element and isotopic (C, O, Sr) investigation. Intercomparison between these data-sets, and correlation with the broad K-T database available in the literature, indicate that the chemistry of the boundary clays is not globally constant. Variations are more common than similarities, both of absolute concentrations, and interelement ratios. For example, the chondrite normalized platinum-group elements (PGE) patterns of Stevns Klint are not like those of Woodside Creek, with the Pt/Os ratios showing the biggest variation. These differences in PGE patterns are difficult to explain by secondary alteration of a layer that was originally chemically homogeneous, especially for elements of such dubious crustal mobility as Os and Ir. The data also show that enhanced PGE concentrations, with similar trends to those of the boundary layers, occur in the Cretaceous sediments below the actual boundary at Stevns Klint and all three the New Zealand localities. This confirms the observations of others that the geochemistry of the boundary layers apparently does not record a unique component. It is suggested that terrestrial processes, eg. an extended period of Late Cretaceous volcanism can offer a satisfactory explanation for the features of the K-T geochemical anomaly. Such models would probably be more consistent with the observed stepwise, or gradual, palaeontological changes across this boundary, than the instant catastrophe predicated by the impact theory.

Tredous, M.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Diverging boundary layers with zero streamwise pressure gradient

The effects of spanwise divergence on the boundary layer forming between a pair of embedded streamwise vortices with the common flow between them directed toward the wall was studied. Measurements indicate that divergence controls the rate of development of the boundary layer and that large divergence significantly retards boundary layer growth and enhances skin friction. For strongly diverging boundary layers, divergence accounts for nearly all of the local skin friction. Even with divergence, however, the local similarity relationships for two-dimensional boundary layers are satisfactory. Although divergence modifies the mean development of the boundary layer, it does not significantly modify the turbulence structure. In the present experiments with a zero streamwise pressure gradient, it was found that spanwise divergence dit not significantly affect the Reynolds stress and the turbulent triple product distributions.

Pauley, Wayne R.↗