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At least 289 records · Page 16

Application of the QSDC procedure to the formulation of space shuttle design criteria. Volume 2: Applications guide

Criteria to determine the probability of aircraft structural failure were established according to the Quantitative Structural Design Criteria by Statistical Methods, the QSDC Procedure. This criteria method was applied to the design of the space shuttle during this contract. An Applications Guide was developed to demonstrate the utilization of the QSDC Procedure, with examples of the application to a hypothetical space shuttle illustrating the application to specific design problems. Discussions of the basic parameters of the QSDC Procedure: the Limit and Omega Conditions, and the strength scatter, have been included. Available data pertinent to the estimation of the strength scatter have also been included.

Bouton, I.↗

Molecular configuration and pyrolysis reactions of phenolic-novolaks.

Description of a statistical method for characterizing the structure of an average phenolic-novolak prepolymer molecule in terms of the total number of phenolic nuclei that compose the molecule and the number of these nuclei that are pendent. It is only necessary to resort to experimental pyrolysis to evaluate the thermokinetic parameters for pyrolysis for the ablator. In addition, the fraction of phenolic involved in the major pyrolysis reactions can be estimated in terms of the parameters previously evaluated. It is shown that the overlapping reactions which occur during pyrolysis of a phenolic-novolak can be resolved by pyrolyzing samples with different extents of cure. It is then possible to determine the kinetic parameters for pyrolysis for the major reactions by well-known methods which often fail when reactions are not well resolved.

Winkler, E. L.↗

Indirect sensing of atmospheric temperature and water vapor using microwaves.

A prototype of the Nimbus E microwave spectrometer was flown in an airplane over various atmospheric and surface conditions. Effects of clouds and the terrestrial surface on the data are discussed. Using a multiple-regression statistical method of inverting the equation of radiative transfer, estimates of temperature and integrated contents of water vapor and liquid water in the atmosphere below the aircraft were made from the microwave data obtained at high altitude. These estimates are compared with direct measurements made by other experiments on board the aircraft, in both clear atmospheres and in the presence of clouds.

Rosenkranz, P. W.↗

Lunar crater origin in the maria from analysis of Orbiter photographs.

Attempt to diagnose the origin of craters that are predominantly between 100 and 2000 m diam by the use of a statistical method that is capable of measuring both the chaining and clustering of craters. It is argued that craters with aligned centers that trend in parallel directions over vast distances are exclusively of internal origin. Strong evidence that a high proportion of the chains are of tectonic origin is found. Other criteria, such as a systematic change in the number density of craters over a test area or an excess of craters on a recent lava flow, are also used to argue for endogenic craters. Using all the data together, it is found that at least 33%, but not more than 51%, of the craters sampled are of endogenic origin. It is shown that the flux of meteoroids has not necessarily varied for the past few billion years.

Fielder, G.↗

Determination of the effects of graphite material properties on ablation performance.

Application of statistical methods to the problem of identifying those material properties of artificial graphite having the strongest effect on ablation performance. Ablation performance, as determined by total length change during test, recession rate, surface temperature, surface texture, and degree of gouging, was measured on 40 different, commercially available, artificial graphites in a Mach 2 airstream having a nominal enthalpy of 2.2 MJ/kg and a stagnation pressure of 5.6 atm. Eighteen material properties were measured on these same graphites, and correlations between pairs of these material properties were developed where possible, reducing the original 18 properties to ten mutually independent properties. Multiple regression equations were formulated relating ablation performance to the reduced set of ten independent material properties, thereby identifying those material properties having the most pronounced effect on ablation performance. These regression equations reveal that for optimum ablation performance in the present environment, grain size should be small, ash content low, density and thermal conductivity high, and mean pore radius large.

Maahs, H. G.↗

Medical Automation System at the Marshall Space Flight Center

A computer system is reported for scheduling and coordinating physical examinations for groups of people who work with chemicals, lasers, X-rays, isotopic sources, toxic fuels, adhesives, and exotic metals. Complete medical data on the examined population are continuously updated for a broad medical master file. Statistical methods are employed to project progressive changes in the health status of these employees for possible clinical interventions.

Spraul, J. H.↗

Results of a real-time irradiation of lithium P/N and conventional N/P silicon solar cells.

Eight types of lithium-diffused P/N and three types of conventional 10 ohm-cm N/P silicon solar cells were irradiated at four different temperatures with a strontium-90 radioisotope at a rate typical of that expected in earth orbit. The six-month irradiation confirmed earlier accelerator results, showed that certain cell types outperform others at the various temperatures, and, in general, verified the recent improvements and potential usefulness of lithium solar cells. The experimental approach and statistical methods and analyses employed yielded increased confidence in the validity of the results. Injection level effects were observed to be significant.

Reynard, D. L.↗

Investigation of vibration characteristics of electric motors

The vibration characteristics of electric motors were analyzed using mathematical statistics methods. The equipment used and the method of conducting the test are described. Curves are developed to show the visualization of the electric motor vibrations in the vertical direction. Additional curves are included to show the amplitude-phase frequency characteristic of dynamic rotor-housing vibrations at the first lug and the same data for the second lug of the electric motor. Mathematical models were created to show the transmission function of the dynamic rotor housing system.

Bakshis, A. K.↗

The spectrum of galactic electrons with energies between 10 and 900 GeV

A cosmic-ray electron detector has been exposed during 1970 in three high-altitude balloon flights from Palestine, Texas. The data analysis is based on results from accelerator calibrations with electrons and pions at SLAC. Discrimination against a contamination of the electron data due to interacting protons has been achieved by statistical methods. The resulting differential energy spectrum of cosmic-ray electrons can be well described by a single power law with spectral index 2.66 plus or minus 0.1 up to energies around 250 GeV. Within the experimental uncertainty, no change in this spectral slope up to almost 1000 GeV can be detected. Some implications of these results are discussed.

Mueller, D.↗

A Practical Statistical Model for Telecommunications Performance Uncertainty

A statistical method, the probability distribution method, is presented which will give the probability of link performance values. The advantages of a design control procedure are preserved and optimum use of the system capabilities is permitted by improving the accuracy and completeness of the system model.

Yuen, J. H.↗

Ion temperatures in HIP-1 and SUMMA from charge-exchange neutral optical emission spectra

Ion temperatures were obtained from observations of the H sub alpha, D sub alpha, and He 587.6 nm lines emitted from hydrogen, deuterium, and helium plasmas in the SUMMA and HIP-1 mirror devices at Lewis Research Center. Steady state discharges were formed by applying a radially inward dc electric field between cylindrical or annular anodes and hollow cathodes located at the peaks of the mirrors. The ion temperatures were found from the Doppler broadening of the charge-exchange components of spectral lines. A statistical method was developed for obtaining scaling relations of ion temperature as a function of current, voltage, and magnetic flux density. Derivations are given that take into account triangular monochromator slit functions, loss cones, and superimposed charge-exchange processes. In addition, the Doppler broadening was found to be sensitive to the influence of drift on charge-exchange cross section. The effects of finite ion-cyclotron radius, cascading, and delayed emission are reviewed.

Patch, R. W.↗

The accelerations of the earth and moon from early astronomical observations

An investigation has compiled a very large amount of data on central or near central solar eclipses as recorded in four principal ancient sources (Greek and Roman classics, medieval European chronicles, Chinese annals and astronomical treatises, and Late Babylonian astronomical texts) and applied careful data selectivity criteria and statistical methods to obtain reliable dates, magnitudes, and places of observation of the events, and thereby made estimates of the earth acceleration and lunar acceleration. The basic conclusion is that the lunar acceleration and both tidal and nontidal earth accelerations have been essentially constant during the period from 1375 B.C. to the present.

Muller, P. M.↗

Time-dependent MOS breakdown

A general model for time-dependent breakdown in metal-oxide-silicon (MOS) structures is developed and related to experimental measurements on samples deliberately contaminated with Na. A statistical method is used for measuring the breakdown probability as a function of log time and applied field. It is shown that three time regions of breakdown can be explained respectively in terms of silicon surface defects, ion emission from the metal interface, and lateral ion diffusion at the silicon interface.

Li, S. P.↗

Correlation between multispectral photography and near-surface turbidities

Four-band multispectral photography obtained from an aerial platform at an altitude of about 10,000 feet has been utilized to measure near-surface turbidity at numerous sampling sites in the Ross Barnett Reservoir, Mississippi. Correlation of the photographs with turbidity measurements has been accomplished via an empirical mathematical model which depends upon visual color recognition when the composited photographs are examined on either an I squared S model 600 or a Spectral Data model 65 color-additive viewer. The mathematical model was developed utilizing least-squares, iterative, and standard statistical methods and includes a time-dependent term related to sun angle. This model is consistent with information obtained from two overflights of the target area - July 30, 1973 and October 30, 1973 - and now is being evaluated with regard to information obtained from a third overflight on November 8, 1974.

Wertz, D. L.↗

Retrieval of atmospheric temperature profiles by a scanning microwave spectrometer

The Nimbus-6 satellite carries a scanning microwave spectrometer (SCAMS) experiment. The five frequency bands observed are near 22.2, 31.6, 52.8, 53.8, and 55.4 GHz. The calibration system permitted preflight calibration to an accuracy of about 1 K. In orbit, small empirical corrections were made to the calibration constants to obtain agreement in the mean of SCAMS measurements with computations based on conventional data analyzed by the National Meteorological Center (NMC). Global maps of temperature profiles were retrieved from the SCAMS measurements by a statistical method. Using the NMC analysis as the verification, RMS errors in level temperatures range of about 2-4 K, depending on altitude. Errors for layers of octave extent in pressure are uniformly about 2 K. Theoretical computations show that additional spectrometer channels would improve temperature sensing performance

Rosenkranz, P. W.↗

Verification of redundancy management design

Statistical method checks designs by simulating system operating conditions and adding error factors. Method has potential applicability to commercial and industrial situations where redundancy management system is used to detect and isolate failed components.

Gelderloos, H. C.↗

Statistical principles of inversion theory

Statistical methods are used to deal with the inverse problem of radiative transfer. All the available information about an unknown profile can be expressed in the form of values of functions of that profile and error estimates of these values. Estimation theory shows how these values are combined to give an estimate of the unknown profile and its error covariance. Many inversion methods are expressed in this form, although the error estimate is not usually carried out. Practical applications are described, both for inversion of individual profiles, and the global analysis of satellite data.

Rodgers, C. D.↗