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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 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Logarithm-Based Methods for Interpolating Quaternion Time Series

In this paper, we discuss a modified quaternion interpolation method based on interpolations performed on the logarithmic form. This builds on prior work that demonstrated this approach maintains C 2 continuity for prescriptive rotation. However, we develop and extend this method to descriptive interpolation, i.e., interpolating an arbitrary quaternion time series. To accomplish this, we provide a robust method of taking the logarithm of a quaternion time series such that the variables $\theta$ and $\hat{n}$ have a consistent and continuous axis-angle representation. We then demonstrate how logarithmic quaternion interpolation out-performs Renormalized Quaternion Bezier interpolation by orders of magnitude.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Developing a Decision Support System for Regional Agricultural Nonpoint Salinity Pollution Management: Application to the San Joaquin River, California

Environmental problems and production losses associated with irrigated agriculture, such as salinity, degradation of receiving waters, such as rivers, and deep percolation of saline water to aquifers, highlight water-quality concerns that require a paradigm shift in resource-management policy. New tools are needed to assist environmental managers in developing sustainable solutions to these problems, given the nonpoint source nature of salt loads to surface water and groundwater from irrigated agriculture. Equity issues arise in distributing responsibility and costs to the generators of this source of pollution. This paper describes an alternative approach to salt regulation and control using the concept of “Real-Time Water Quality management”. The approach relies on a continually updateable WARMF (Watershed Analysis Risk Management Framework) forecasting model to provide daily estimates of salt load assimilative capacity in the San Joaquin River and assessments of compliance with salinity concentration objectives at key monitoring sites on the river. The results of the study showed that the policy combination of well-crafted river salinity objectives by the regulator and the application of an easy-to use and maintain decision support tool by stakeholders have succeeded in minimizing water quality (salinity) exceedances over a 20-year study period.

real-time management economics↗
NASA NTRS1973

Transonic flow past lifting wings.

Work conducted by Norstrud (1971) has been extended to lifting flows with the inclusion of embedded continuous supercritical regions. The approach taken follows some fundamental steps proposed for two-dimensional flows by Oswatitsch (1950). The governing integral equation is replaced by a system of nonlinear algebraic equations. The method of parametric differentiation is applied to the solution of this system of equations. The analytical analysis is discussed together with a numerical analysis in the case of a wing configuration with arbitrary thickness distribution.

Norstrud, H.↗
NASA NTRS1978

An orbital service module systems concept

An Orbital Service Module (OSM) system represents a concept for an evolutionary program that will provide utilities services such as electrical power, heat rejection, attitude control, and communications to support payload operations in both Shuttle-tended and untended (free-flyer) modes. The initial program step is a Space Transportation System (STS) power extension package (a solar array system carried by the Orbiter and deployed by the remote manipulator system). The power extension package (PEP) develops the major components of the more sophisticated OSM vehicles. Major objectives of such an approach are (1) the continuous matching of a capability to meet real needs while avoiding the pitfalls usually associated with the uncertainties inherent in long-range prediction of future requirements, and (2) the economies attendant with program continuity and hardware commonality. The initial Orbiter-carried PEP and several later OSM system growth options are discussed.

Craig, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1980

A new method of efficient heat transfer and storage at very high temperatures

A unique, high temperature (1000-2000 K) continuously operating capacitive heat exchanger system is described. The system transfers heat from a combustion or solar furnace to a working gas by means of a circulating high temperature molten refractory. A uniform aggregate of beads of a glass-like refractory is injected into the furnace volume. The aggregate is melted and piped to a heat exchanger where it is sprayed through a counter-flowing, high pressure working gas. The refractory droplets transfer their heat to the gas, undergoing a phase change into the solid bead state. The resulting high temperature gas is used to drive a suitable high efficiency heat engine. The solidified refractory beads are delivered back to the furnace and melted to continue the cycle. This approach avoids the important temperature limitations of conventional tube-type heat exchangers, giving rise to the potential of converting heat energy into useful work at considerably higher efficiencies than currently attainable and of storing energy at high thermodynamic potential.

Shaw, D.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Education and training of personnel in space simulation

The training program and procedures developed and implemented at the space simulation laboratory at Martin Marietta Aerospace in Denver are discussed. The training of technicians and professionals as well as preparation for instructors is covered. Training manuals and their compilation are reported as applicable to the specific needs of the laboratory. The development of a space simulation course as part of the Martin Marietta Continuing Education Night School approaching space simulation from an academic viewpoint is presented. Finally, public relations tours of the facility as an informational/educational tool are discussed.

Rempt, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Interaction of a cumulus cloud ensemble with the large-scale environment. III - Semi-prognostic test of the Arakawa-Schubert cumulus parameterization

The verification of the Arakawa and Schubert (1974) cumulus parameterization is continued using a semiprognostic approach. Observed data from Phase III of GATE are used to provide estimates of the large-scale forcing of a cumulus ensemble at each observation time. Instantaneous values of the precipitation and the warming and drying due to cumulus convection are calculated using the parameterization. The results show that the calculated precipitation agrees very well with estimates from the observed large-scale moisture budget and from radar observations. The calculated vertical profiles of cumulus warming and drying also are quite similar to the observed. It is shown that the closure assumption adopted in the parameterization (the cloud-work function quasi-equilibrium) results in errors of generally less than 10% in the calculated precipitation. The sensitivity of the parameterization to some assumptions of the cloud ensemble model and the solution method for the cloud-base mass flux is investigated.

Lord, S. J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Software fault tolerance for real-time avionics systems

Avionics systems have very high reliability requirements and are therefore prime candidates for the inclusion of fault tolerance techniques. In order to provide tolerance to software faults, some form of state restoration is usually advocated as a means of recovery. State restoration can be very expensive for systems which utilize concurrent processes. The concurrency present in most avionics systems and the further difficulties introduced by timing constraints imply that providing tolerance for software faults may be inordinately expensive or complex. A straightforward pragmatic approach to software fault tolerance which is believed to be applicable to many real-time avionics systems is proposed. A classification system for software errors is presented together with approaches to recovery and continued service for each error type.

Anderson, T.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Creep fatigue life prediction for engine hot section materials (isotropic): Third year progress review

This program is designed to investigate fundamental damage processes, identify modeling strategies, and develop practical models which can be used to guide the early design and development of new engines and to increase the durability of existing engines. A review is given of the base program, completed in 1984, which included the comparison and evaluation of several popular high-temperature life prediction approaches as applied to continuously cycled isothermal specimen tests. The option program, of which one year is completed, is designed to develop models which can account for complex cycles and loadings, such as thermomechanical cycling, cumulative damage, multiaxial stress/strain rates, and environmental effects.

Nelson, Richard S.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Concept for a large master/slave-controlled robotic hand

A strategy is presented for the design and construction of a large master/slave-controlled, five-finger robotic hand. Each of the five fingers will possess four independent axes each driven by a brushless DC servomotor and, thus, four degrees-of-freedom. It is proposed that commercially available components be utilized as much as possible to fabricate a working laboratory model of the device with an anticipated overall length of two-to-four feet (0.6 to 1.2 m). The fingers are to be designed so that proximity, tactile, or force/torque sensors can be imbedded in their structure. In order to provide for the simultaneous control of the twenty independent hand joints, a multilevel master/slave control strategy is proposed in which the operator wears a specially instrumented glove which produces control signals corresponding to the finger configurations and which is capable of conveying sensor feedback signals to the operator. Two dexterous hand master devices are currently commercially available for this application with both undergoing continuing development. A third approach to be investigated for the master control mode is the use of real-time image processing of a specially patterned master glove to provide the respective control signals for positioning the multiple finger joints.

Grissom, William A.↗
NASA NTRS1989

A review of the supply of liquid propellants and other fluids in support of the Space Shuttle Program

In this study, over twenty significant liquid propellants and other fluids were reviewed as to their supply in support of the Space Shuttle Program (SSP), primarily at KSC. The uniqueness of most of the products, either by their application or production characteristics, present a variety of supply issues to contend with. Each, however, is critical to the success of the SSP. It becomes necessary to formulate, and maintain, a logistic approach to assure a continued availability of each product. For convenience, two categories were established. One, labeled limited-availability, represents those products wherein they are single sourced, have production restrictions and/or there has been a history of supply problems. The other, labeled universally-available, is characteristic of those having several sources and/or having little, if any, historical supply problems. This last category was not examined in depth. Through concepts of establishing stockpile inventories, multiple supply contracts, or other arrangements, the supply of liquid propellants and other fluids can be assured.

Churchwell, Stacy E.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Quasinormal modes of Reissner-Nordstrom black holes

A matrix-eigenvalue algorithm is presented for accurately computing the quasi-normal frequencies and modes of charged static blackholes. The method is then refined through the introduction of a continued-fraction step. The approach should generalize to a variety of nonseparable wave equations, including the Kerr-Newman case of charged rotating blackholes.

Leaver, Edward W.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Ionospheric plasma flow about a system of electrically biased flat plates

The steady state interaction of two electrically biased parallel plates immersed in a flowing plasma characteristic of low earth orbit is studied numerically. Fluid equations are developed to describe the motion of the cold positively charged plasma ions, and are solved using finite-differences in two dimensions on a Cartesian grid. The behavior of the plasma electrons is assumed to be described by the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. Results are compared to an analytical and a particle simulation technique for a simplified flow geometry consisting of a single semi-infinite negatively biased plate. Comparison of the extent of the electrical disturbance into the flowing plasma and the magnitude of the current collected by the plate is very good. The interaction of two equally biased parallel plates is studied as a function of applied potential. The separation distance at which the current collected by either plate decreases by five and twenty percent is determined as a function of applied potential. The percent decreases were based on a non-interacting case. The decrease in overall current is caused by a decrease in ionic density in the region between the plates. As the separation between the plates decreases, the plates collect the ions at a faster rate than they are supplied to the middle region by the oncoming plasma flow. The docking of spacecraft in orbit is simulated by moving two plates of unequal potential toward one another in a quasi-static manner. One plate is held at a large negative potential while the other floats electrically in the resulting potential field. It is found that the floating plate does not charge continuously negative as it approaches the other more negatively biased plate. Instead, it charges more and then less negative as ionic current decreases and then increases respectively upon approach. When the two plates come into contact, it is expected that the electrically floating plate will charge rapidly negative to a potential near that of the other plate.

Herr, Joel L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Control and stabilization of nonholonomic dynamic systems

The paper establishes a theoretical framework for the control of nonholonomic dynamic systems, i.e., dynamic systems with nonintegrable constraints, with emphasis on control properties for nonholonomic systems that have no counterpart in holonomic systems. A model for nonholonomic dynamic systems is presented in terms of differential-algebraic equations defined on a phase space. A reduction procedure is carried out to obtain reduced-order state equations. Conditions for smooth asymptotic stabilization to an m-dimensional equilibrium manifold are presented. It is also demonstrated that a single equilibrium solution cannot be asymptotically stabilized using continuous state feedback. An approach using geometric phases is developed as a basis for the control of Caplygin systems.

Bloch, Anthony M.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Continual improvement: A bibliography with indexes, 1992-1993

This bibliography lists 606 references to reports and journal articles entered into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Database during 1992 to 1993. Topics cover the philosophy and history of Continual Improvement (CI), basic approaches and strategies for implementation, and lessons learned from public and private sector models. Entries are arranged according to the following categories: Leadership for Quality, Information and Analysis, Strategic Planning for CI, Human Resources Utilization, Management of Process Quality, Supplier Quality, Assessing Results, Customer Focus and Satisfaction, TQM Tools and Philosophies, and Applications. Indexes include subject, personal author, corporate source, contract number, report number, and accession number.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1995

A long-term space astrophysics research program: An x-ray perspective of the components and structure of galaxies

X-ray studies of galaxies by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) and MIT are described. Activities at SAO include ROSAT PSPC x-ray data reduction and analysis pipeline; x-ray sources in nearby Sc galaxies; optical, x-ray, and radio study of ongoing galactic merger; a radio, far infrared, optical, and x-ray study of the Sc galaxy NGC247; and a multiparametric analysis of the Einstein sample of early-type galaxies. Activities at MIT included continued analysis of observations with ROSAT and ASCA, and continued development of new approaches to spectral analysis with ASCA and AXAF. Also, a new method for characterizing structure in galactic clusters was developed and applied to ROSAT images of a large sample of clusters. An appendix contains preprints generated by the research.

Fabbiano, G.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Open-Mode Debonding Analysis of Curved Sandwich Panels Subjected to Heating and Cryogenic Cooling on Opposite Faces

Increasing use of curved sandwich panels as aerospace structure components makes it vital to fully understand their thermostructural behavior and identify key factors affecting the open-mode debonding failure. Open-mode debonding analysis is performed on a family of curved honeycomb-core sandwich panels with different radii of curvature. The curved sandwich panels are either simply supported or clamped, and are subjected to uniform heating on the convex side and uniform cryogenic cooling on the concave side. The finite-element method was used to study the effects of panel curvature and boundary condition on the open-mode stress (radial tensile stress) and displacement fields in the curved sandwich panels. The critical stress point, where potential debonding failure could initiate, was found to be at the midspan (or outer span) of the inner bonding interface between the sandwich core and face sheet on the concave side, depending on the boundary condition and panel curvature. Open-mode stress increases with increasing panel curvature, reaching a maximum value at certain high curvature, and then decreases slightly as the panel curvature continues to increase and approach that of quarter circle. Changing the boundary condition from simply supported to clamped reduces the magnitudes of open-mode stresses and the associated sandwich core depth stretching.

Ko, William L.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Design and Performance of 40 cm Ion Optics

A 40 cm ion thruster is being developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center to obtain input power and propellant throughput capabilities of 10 kW and 550 kg. respectively. The technical approach here is a continuation of the "derating" technique used for the NSTAR ion thruster. The 40 cm ion thruster presently utilizes the NSTAR ion optics aperture geometry to take advantage of the large database of lifetime and performance data already available. Dome-shaped grids were chosen for the design of the 40 cm ion optics because this design is naturally suited for large-area ion optics. Ion extraction capabilities and electron backstreaming limits for the 40 cm ion optics were estimated by utilizing NSTAR 30 cm ion optics data. A preliminary service life assessment showed that the propellant throughput goal of 550 kg of xenon may be possible with molybdenum 40 cm ion optics. One 40 cm ion optics' set has been successfully fabricated to date. Additional ion optics' sets are presently being fabricated. Preliminary performance tests were conducted on a laboratory model 40 cm ion thruster.

Soulas, George C.↗