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At least 343 records · Page 19

Boundary force method for analyzing two-dimensional cracked bodies

The Boundary Force Method (BFM) was formulated for the two-dimensional stress analysis of complex crack configurations. In this method, only the boundaries of the region of interest are modeled. The boundaries are divided into a finite number of straight-line segments, and at the center of each segment, concentrated forces and a moment are applied. This set of unknown forces and moments is calculated to satisfy the prescribed boundary conditions of the problem. The elasticity solution for the stress distribution due to concentrated forces and a moment applied at an arbitrary point in a cracked infinite plate are used as the fundamental solution. Thus, the crack need not be modeled as part of the boundary. The formulation of the BFM is described and the accuracy of the method is established by analyzing several crack configurations for which accepted stress-intensity factor solutions are known. The crack configurations investigated include mode I and mixed mode (mode I and II) problems. The results obtained are, in general, within + or - 0.5 percent of accurate numerical solutions. The versatility of the method is demonstrated through the analysis of complex crack configurations for which limited or no solutions are known.

Tan, P. W.↗

Unsteady Aerodynamic Forces on a Slender Body of Revolution in Supersonic Flow

Linearized slender-body theory is applied to the computation of aerodynamic forces on an oscillating, or deforming, body in supersonic flow. The undeformed body is a body of revolution and the deformed body is represented by movement of a line through the centers of the cross sections which are assumed to remain circular. The time dependence is based on sinusoidal motion. For a body of vanishing thickness the slender-body theory yields the apparent mass approximation as it is obtained for incompressible crossflow around a cylinder. Both linearized slender-body theory and the apparent mass approximation are used to calculate the pitching-moment coefficients on a rigid slender body with a parabolic arc nose cone, and these coefficients are compared with some experimental results.

Bond, Reuben↗

A residual flexibility approach to multibody dynamics

Many complex systems can be modeled as a collection of interacting bodies, where the relative motion of the bodies may be large. The dynamics of such systems are simulated using multibody dynamic formulations. Many of these treat each body as a rigid component, but recently the flexibility of the components has been incorporated. This paper presents a residual flexibility formulation of the multibody dynamics problem. The formulation is very simple and offers great computational efficiency since it treats each body as a free structure in space, interacting with other bodies only through interface forces. Each body's accelerations can be solved independently, as can each set of interface forces. We have applied the technique successfully to several special applications, and the initial implementation in a general mechanisms code has given excellent results in comparison to a direct finite element representation of flexibility.

Blelloch, Paul A.↗

New Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) Lift Concept for More Efficient Missions to Mars and Neptune

The potential for using an applied magnetic field to augment the aerodynamic lift and drag of a hypersonic vehicle entering Neptune or Mars was studied. The study was conducted to assess whether magnetohydrodynamics (MHD)could boost aerodynamic lift and/or drag for aerocapture of a spacecraft into planetary orbit. MHD seemed well suited to create Lorentz forces during aerocapture when the flow is most ionized and conductive. Neptune and Mars were selected since larger payloads and faster trip times to each planet may substantially increase scientific and exploration opportunities. The results of the systems analysis presented herein suggest that a single MHD effector located off-centerline creates steering forces equaling whole-body aerodynamic forces and suggests a ground-breaking opportunity for new mission classes. The magnetic field required to produce these large forces is around 1 Tesla (T) having a mass roughly the same amount as the ballast used for recent Mars lander missions.

Aerocapture↗

Discreteness noise versus force errors in N-body simulations

A low accuracy in the force calculation per time step of a few percent for each particle pair is sufficient for collisionless N-body simulations. Higher accuracy is made meaningless by the dominant discreteness noise in the form of two-body relaxation, which can be reduced only by increasing the number of particles. Since an N-body simulation is a Monte Carlo procedure in which each particle-particle force is essentially random, i.e., carries an error of about 1000 percent, the only requirement is a systematic averaging-out of these intrinsic errors. We illustrate these assertions with two specific examples in which individual pairwise forces are deliberately allowed to carry significant errors: tree-codes on supercomputers and algorithms on special-purpose machines with low-precision hardware.

Hernquist, Lars↗

Flow and Force Equations for a Body Revolving in a Fluid

Part I gives a general method for finding the steady-flow velocity relative to a body in plane curvilinear motion, whence the pressure is found by Bernoulli's energy principle. Integration of the pressure supplies basic formulas for the zonal forces and moments on the revolving body. Part II, applying this steady-flow method, finds the velocity and pressure at all points of the flow inside and outside an ellipsoid and some of its limiting forms, and graphs those quantities for the latter forms. Part III finds the pressure, and thence the zonal force and moment, on hulls in plane curvilinear flight. Part IV derives general equations for the resultant fluid forces and moments on trisymmetrical bodies moving through a perfect fluid, and in some cases compares the moment values with those found for bodies moving in air. Part V furnishes ready formulas for potential coefficients and inertia coefficients for an ellipsoid and its limiting forms. Thence are derived tables giving numerical values of those coefficients for a comprehensive range of shapes.

Zahm, A F↗

Flow and Force Equations for a Body Revolving in a Fluid

A general method for finding the steady flow velocity relative to a body in plane curvilinear motion, whence the pressure is found by Bernoulli's energy principle is described. Integration of the pressure supplies basic formulas for the zonal forces and moments on the revolving body. The application of the steady flow method for calculating the velocity and pressure at all points of the flow inside and outside an ellipsoid and some of its limiting forms is presented and graphs those quantities for the latter forms. In some useful cases experimental pressures are plotted for comparison with theoretical. The pressure, and thence the zonal force and moment, on hulls in plane curvilinear flight are calculated. General equations for the resultant fluid forces and moments on trisymmetrical bodies moving through a perfect fluid are derived. Formulas for potential coefficients and inertia coefficients for an ellipsoid and its limiting forms are presented.

Zahm, A. F.↗

Completed Beltrami-Michell Formulation for Analyzing Radially Symmetrical Bodies

A force method formulation, the completed Beltrami-Michell formulation (CBMF), has been developed for analyzing boundary value problems in elastic continua. The CBMF is obtained by augmenting the classical Beltrami-Michell formulation with novel boundary compatibility conditions. It can analyze general elastic continua with stress, displacement, or mixed boundary conditions. The CBMF alleviates the limitations of the classical formulation, which can solve stress boundary value problems only. In this report, the CBMF is specialized for plates and shells. All equations of the CBMF, including the boundary compatibility conditions, are derived from the variational formulation of the integrated force method (IFM). These equations are defined only in terms of stresses. Their solution for kinematically stable elastic continua provides stress fields without any reference to displacements. In addition, a stress function formulation for plates and shells is developed by augmenting the classical Airy's formulation with boundary compatibility conditions expressed in terms of the stress function. The versatility of the CBMF and the augmented stress function formulation is demonstrated through analytical solutions of several mixed boundary value problems. The example problems include a composite circular plate and a composite circular cylindrical shell under the simultaneous actions of mechanical and thermal loads.

Kaljevic, Igor↗

An Exploratory Investigation of Some Types of Aeroelastic Instability of Open and Closed Bodies of Revolution Mounted on Slender Struts

Aeroelastic instability phenomena of isolated open and closed rigid bodies of revolution free to move under elastic restraint have been investigated experimentally at low speeds by means of models suspended at zero angles of attack and yaw on slender flexible struts from a wind tunnel ceiling. Three types of instability were observed - flutter similar to classical bending-torsion flutter, divergence, and an uncoupled oscillatory instability which consists in nonviolent continuous or intermittent small-amplitude oscillations involving only angular deformations. The speeds at which this oscillatory instability starts were found to be as low as about one-third of the speed at flutter or divergence and to depend on the shape of the body, particularly that of the afterbody, and on the relative location of the elastic axis. An attempt has been made to calculate the airspeeds and, in the case of the oscillatory phenomena, the frequencies at which these instabilities occur by using slender-body theory for the aerodynamic forces on the bodies and neglecting the aerodynamic forces on the struts. However, the agreement between the speeds and frequencies calculated in this manner and those actually observed has been found to be generally unsatisfactory; with the exception of the frequencies of the uncoupled oscillations which could be predicted with fair accuracy. The nature of the observed phenomena and of the forces on bodies of revolution suggests that a significant improvement in the accuracy of analytical predictions of these aeroelastic instabilities can be had only by taking into account the effects of boundary-layer separation on the aerodynamic forces.

Clevenson, S. A.↗

The gas kinetics of very high flight speeds

The aerodynamic forces on bodies of arbitrary shape were investigated under conditions such that the mean free path of the air molecule is greater than the dimensions of the body. Air pressures and friction forces were calculated from gas kinetic theory for surfaces facing both toward and away from the air stream at any angle. Air forces for an atmosphere of definite composition (molecular hydrogen) were calculated as a function of the flight velocity. The results indicate that the friction stresses between the air and the body surface are of the same magnitude as the dynamic pressure and as the air pressures normal to the surface. The application of the general method to the specific cases such as thin airfoils and projectiles leads to high drag coefficients and poor glide ratios even for the theoretically best wing sections.

AIR FLOW VELOCITY - MOLECULAR ENERGIES↗

Apparatus for and method of compensating dynamic unbalance

An apparatus to stabilize a fine platform that carries a parabolic reflecting dish, utilized in connection with the large aperture, multichannel microwave radiometer, is discussed. It provides compensation for dynamic unbalance imparted to a fixed body by a shaft about which the rotating body rotates. Force components exerted on the fixed body by the rotating body in a plane at right angles to the axis are determined. In response to the determined force components, the rotational speed and effective direction of mass means mounted on the rotating body are controlled. The mass means has an effective axis of rotation in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis.

Hrastar, J. A.↗

Validation of Multibody Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories II Parachute Simulation with Interacting Forces

A capability to simulate trajectories of multiple interacting rigid bodies has been developed, tested and validated. This capability uses the Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories II (POST 2). The standard version of POST 2 allows trajectory simulation of multiple bodies without force interaction. In the current implementation, the force interaction between the parachute and the suspended bodies has been modeled using flexible lines, allowing accurate trajectory simulation of the individual bodies in flight. The POST 2 multibody capability is intended to be general purpose and applicable to any parachute entry trajectory simulation. This research paper explains the motivation for multibody parachute simulation, discusses implementation methods, and presents validation of this capability.

Raiszadeh, Behzad↗

A new environment to simulate the dynamics in the close proximity of rubble-pile asteroids

This paper presents a new environment to simulate close-proximity dynamics around rubble-pile asteroids. The code provides methods for modeling the asteroid’s gravity field and surface through granular dynamics. It implements stateof-the-art techniques to model both gravity and contact interaction between particles: 1) mutual gravity as either direct N2 or Barnes-Hut GPU-parallel octree and 2) contact dynamics with a soft-body (force-based, smooth dynamics), hard-body (constraint-based, non-smooth dynamics), or hybrid (constraint-based with compliance and damping) approach. A very relevant feature of the code is its ability to handle complex-shaped rigid bodies and their full 6D motion. Examples of spacecraft close-proximity scenarios and their numerical simulations are shown.

Ferrari, Fabio↗