SEARCH · Search NASA
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.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Arc tunnel tests on convective heating in surface insulation plate joints and gaps show that excessively wide gaps experience significant convective heating and may result in bondline overheating. A contoured joint affords more heat protection than a butt joint.
Heat transfer data for the Rockwell International Flat Plate Thermocouple Model are presented. The model simulated the Space Shuttle Vehicle Thermal Protection System. Data were recorded for locations in and around various size gaps for various gap orientation configurations. The test was conducted at Mach 5.1 for free-stream Reynolds number per foot values from 500,000 to 1,500,000.
Heat transfer to gap walls and surface of a simulated reusable surface insulation (RSI) tile array are presented. The data were obtained in the thick, turbulent tunnel wall boundary layer of the Langley Continuous Flow Hypersonic Tunnel at a freestream Mach number of 10.3 and a freestream unit Reynolds number of one million. Pertinent test variables were: (1) tile array orientation (staggered and in-line), (2) gap width, (3) flow angularity, and (4) tile mismatch.
The mathematical model developed by Brown and Shook is used to explain the absence of asteroids in the Kirkwood gaps as well as the existence of some resonant asteroids with orbital periods commensurable to that of Jupiter. In addition, this model can possibly explain the biased number distributions at the commensurable positions of both resonant gaps and clusters. However, this resonant model is probably not applicable to the Saturnian ring system due to the possible cosmogonic plasma process during its formation.
Review of the results of aerothermal heating tests of a simulated reusable surface insulation (RSI) tile array, performed on the sidewall of a Mach-10 hypersonic tunnel. In particular, the heating characteristics of the tile array, such as they result from heating inside the tile-expansion-space providing gaps between individual tiles, are investigated. The results include the finding that heating on the upstream face of a tile is strongly affected by the interacting longitudinal gap flow.
The effect of an increase in electron density in the vicinity of the cascade axis caused by an avalanche passing through the gap between lead filters of the emulsion chamber was investigated experimentally. Optical densities were measured in three X-ray films spaced at 400, 800 and 1200 micrometer from the filter surface having a thickness of 6 cascade units. The optical densities of blackening spots caused by electron photon cascades of 1 to 2, 2 to 7 and greater than 7 BeV energies were measured. The results prove the presence of a gap between the filter and the nuclear emulsion which results in the underestimation of energy by several tenths of a percent.
The concept of gravity tectonics is applied to reveal the major clue as to the conditions which result in the correspondence of seismic and tectonic gaps in the mantle. An asymptotic theory is developed for the calculation of the thrust and moment when a descending lithospheric plate encounters resistance to its downward motion in the mesosphere. Dynamic analysis falls into two parts: (1) deriving equations for forces in the descending lithosphere, (2) deducing moment distribution which causes the detachment of lithosphere. For the analysis of forces a mathematical theory of shells is given. In order to determine the detachment mechanism, solutions of equations are obtained by asymptotic integration. It is found that a thrust N sub phi coupled with a moment M sub phi due to gravitational forces generated by density contrast may play a key role in the initial detachment of a piece of descending lithosphere. The results are in agreement with the observed seismic gaps beneath South America, Toga-Fiji, New Zealand and New Hebrides regions.
Results are presented of a coordinated experimental and theoretical study of a sound shield concept which aims to provide a means of noise reduction in the test section of supersonic wind tunnels at high Reynolds numbers. The model used consists of a planar array of circular rods aligned with the flow, with adjustable gaps between them for boundary layer removal by suction, i.e., laminar flow control. One of the basic requirements of the present sound shield concept is to achieve sonic cross flow through the gaps in order to prevent lee-side flow disturbances from penetrating back into the shielded region. Tests were conducted at Mach 6 over a local unit Reynolds number range from about 1.2 x 10 to the 6th power to 13.5 x 10 to the 6th power per foot. Measurements of heat transfer, static pressure, and sound levels were made to establish the transition characteristics of the boundary layer on the rod array and the sound shielding effectiveness.
A spark gap switching system has been developed to coordinate the discharge of a 300 kJ capacitor bank with the high speed flow of helium in a shock tube driver. The trigger system includes a flow transducer, a pulse forming circuit, a high voltage spark generator, and four heavy duty spark gaps that can carry total peak currents greater than 1.5 million A. A glow gauge flow transducer sensitive to small gas density changes was used whose input power and signal output can withstand high voltage fluctuations. This switching system is of use with gasdynamic discharge devices requiring a minimum number of switches.
A detailed theoretical analysis of an n-on-p graded band-gap Al(x)Ga(1-x)As-GaAs solar cell yields a maximum air mass zero power conversion efficiency of 17% compared to 9% for a similar GaAs cell. The analysis includes surface and bulk minority carrier recombination, junction recombination current, spectrally varying surface reflection, and series resistance loss. The maximum efficiency is determined for a surface recombination velocity of 10,000 cm/sec and hole and electron diffusion lengths of 2.1 and 7.6 microns, respectively. The improved efficiency is primarily due to a built-in electric field, caused by the band-gap gradation, accelerating photogenerated holes toward the p-n junction. This field reduces the surface and bulk recombination of the holes, and thereby enhances their collection.
An experimental investigation was made on a simulated reusable-surface-insulation tile array in a turbulent boundary layer to determine aerodynamic-heating distributions representative of those expected on the surface of the shuttle orbiter during earth entry due to the presence of longitudinal and transverse surface gaps. The tests were conducted in an 8-foot high-temperature structures tunnel in a test medium of methane-air combustion products at a nominal Mach number of 6.6 and over a free-stream Reynolds number range from 2,000,000 to 4,900,000 per meter (600,000 to 1,500,000 per foot). The results were used to assess the aerodynamic heating effects produced by parameters that include gap width, boundary-layer displacement thickness, in-line and staggered tile arrangement, and tile protrusion.
A practical theoretical analysis of an n/p graded band-gap Al(x)Ga(1-x)As-GaAs solar cell indicates that the presence of a built-in electric field acting on holes in the surface layer increases the hole collection efficiency of a nearly optimum cell to a maximum of 97.8%. The electric field is created by the band-gap gradient and serves to reduce the surface hole recombination by 97% and reduce the bulk hole recombination by 80%, compared to a similar GaAs cell. These reduced losses increase cell response substantially for wavelengths less than 0.59 micron and yield a maximum air-mass-zero efficiency of 17.7% (not corrected for a 13% front-surface contact). The model includes an optimized antireflection coating, series resistance, and junction-recombination current.
Methodical approaches to the design of inductors for use in LC filters and dc-to-dc converters using air gapped magnetic structures are presented. Methods for the analysis and design of full wave rectifier LC filter circuits operating with the inductor current in both the continuous conduction and the discontinuous conduction modes are also described. In the continuous conduction mode, linear circuit analysis techniques are employed, while in the case of the discontinuous mode, the method of analysis requires computer solutions of the piecewise linear differential equations which describe the filter in the time domain. Procedures for designing filter inductors using air gapped cores are presented. The first procedure requires digital computation to yield a design which is optimized in the sense of minimum core volume and minimum number of turns. The second procedure does not yield an optimized design as defined above, but the design can be obtained by hand calculations or with a small calculator. The third procedure is based on the use of specially prepared magnetic core data and provides an easy way to quickly reach a workable design.
An experimentally based methodology that determines the effective gap shrinkage and lifetime in the emitter of a p-n junction solar cell is described which provides an experimental means for assessing the importance of gap shrinkage relative to that of large recombination rates in the highly doped emitter. The base lifetime is also determined. The methodology pertains to a solar cell after the junction is formed, so that each material parameter determined includes the effects of the processing used in junction fabrication. The methodology consists of strategy and procedures for designing experiments and interpreting data consistently with the physical mechanisms governing device behavior. This careful linking to the device physics uncover the material parameters concealed in the data. To illustrate the procedures, they are applied to an n(+)-p solar cell having substrate resistivity of about 0.1 ohm-cm.
A new double graded band-gap (DGBG) Al sub x Ga sub l-x As-Al sub z Ga sub l-z As solar cell has potential for providing high efficiency performance throughout the entire life of a solar cell in a space environment. A preliminary theoretical analysis indicates that short circuit current available from an optimized DGBG cell is slightly larger than that of a previously reported single graded band-gap cell. However, the DGBG cell potentially offers a substantial improvement in radiation resistance of the base region.
Gaps between ceramic tiles filled with ceramic-coated fabric that withstands temperatures as high as 2,000 degrees F (1,300 degrees C). Reusable high-temperature gap filler is made of fabric coated with ceramic slurry and bonded in place with room-temperature-vulcanized adhesive. Procedure used in kilns and furnaces.
High pressure structural phase transitions of GaAs and GaP have been studied by energy dispersive X-ray diffraction with the radiation from the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source. GaAs began to transform at 172 + or - 7 kbar to an orthorhombic structure possibly belonging to space group Fmmm. GaP transformed to a tetragonal beta-Sn type phase at 215 + or - 8 kbar. Although pressure transmitting media were used to minimize shear stresses in the specimens, the high pressure diffraction results were interpreted as showing evidence for planar defects in the specimens.
The results of Voyager experiments to characterize the eccentric ringlet at 1.45 Saturn radius are discussed. The Voyager I carried out microwave occultation trials with a dual-frequency transmitter, while Voyager 2 observed the occultation of delta Scorpii using an UV spectrometer and a photopolarimeter. The ringlet was associated with a basically empty region next to an edge of the C ring which decreased to a few hundred meters thickness. The width of the ringlet in the gap was estimated to vary from 38-88 km, and it maintains an elliptical shape. It precesses within the 265 km gap it occupies, and has a double-peaked core 15 km wide. The bulk of the ringlet is particles of less than 1 cm radius.