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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 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1973

High latitude electric fields and the modulations related to interplanetary magnetic field parameters

The meaning and characteristics of basic and average convection (i.e., electric field) patterns are described. The continuous existence of the basic convection pattern argues against treating magnetic field merging mechanisms as the fundamental cause of magnetospheric convection. However, whether related to merging or to some other mechanism, interplanetary magnetic field conditions significantly modulate the distribution, magnitudes, and boundaries of the convection pattern. A previous correlation between azimuthal angles of the interplanetary magnetic field and asymmetries in polar cap electric field distributions as seen by OGO-6 is reviewed. A new approach is taken to reveal correlations with the north-south angle and magnitude of the interplanetary field as well as additional features which correlate with the azimuthal angle. Both significant correlations and conditions which show a lack of correlation are found. Several aspects of the correlations appear to be particularly important.

Heppner, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Generalized multi-point inverse airfoil design

In a rather general sense, inverse airfoil design can be taken to mean the problem of specifying a desired set of airfoil characteristics, such as the airfoil maximum thickness ratio, pitching moment, part of the velocity distribution or boundary-layer development, etc., then from this information determine the corresponding airfoil shape. This paper presents a method which approaches the design problem from this perspective. In particular, the airfoil is divided into segments along which, together with the design conditions, either the velocity distribution or boundary-layer development may be prescribed. In addition to these local desired distributions, single parameters like the airfoil thickness can be specified. The problem of finding the airfoil shape is determined by coupling an incompressible, inviscid, inverse airfoil design method with a direct integral boundary-layer analysis method and solving the resulting nonlinear equations via a multidimensional Newton iteration technique. The approach is fast and easily allows for interactive design. It is also flexible and could be adapted to solving compressible, inverse airfoil design problems.

Selig, Michael S.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Automated Gold Nanorod Spectral Morphology Analysis Pipeline

The development of a colloidal synthesis procedure to produce nanomaterials with high shape and size purity is often a time-consuming, iterative process. This is often due to quantitative uncertainties in the required reaction conditions and the time, resources, and expertise intensive characterization methods required for quantitative determination of nanomaterial size and shape. Absorption spectroscopy is often the easiest method for colloidal nanomaterial characterization. However, due to the lack of a reliable method to extract nanoparticle shapes from absorption spectroscopy, it is generally treated as a more qualitative measure for metal nanoparticles. This work demonstrates a gold nanorod (AuNR) spectral morphology analysis tool, called AuNR-SMA, which is a fast and accurate method to extract quantitative structural information from colloidal AuNR absorption spectra. To demonstrate the practical utility of this model, we apply it to three distinct applications. First, we demonstrate this model's utility as an automated analysis tool in a high-throughput AuNR synthesis procedure by generating quantitative size information from optical spectra. Second, we use the predictions generated by this model to train a machine learning model to predict the resulting AuNR size distributions under specified reaction conditions. Third, we apply this model to spectra extracted from the literature where no size distributions are reported and impute unreported quantitative information on AuNR synthesis. This approach can potentially be extended to any other nanocrystal system where absorption spectra are size dependent, and accurate numerical simulation of absorption spectra is possible. In addition, this pipeline could be integrated into automated synthesis apparatuses to provide interpretable data from simple measurements, help explore the synthesis science of nanoparticles in a rational manner, or facilitate closed-loop workflows.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1984

Heat generation in aircraft tires under braked rolling conditions

An analytical model was developed to approximate the internal temperature distribution in an aircraft tire operating under conditions of unyawed braked rolling. The model employs an array of elements to represent the tire cross section and considers the heat generated within the tire to be caused by the change in strain energy associated with cyclic tire deflection. The additional heating due to tire slip and stresses induced by braking are superimposed on the previously developed free rolling model. An extensive experimental program was conducted to verify temperatures predicted from the analytical model. Data from these tests were compared with calculations over a range of operating conditions. The model results were in reasonably good agreement with measured values.

Clark, S. K.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Heat generation in Aircraft tires under yawed rolling conditions

An analytical model was developed for approximating the internal temperature distribution in an aircraft tire operating under conditions of yawed rolling. The model employs an assembly of elements to represent the tire cross section and treats the heat generated within the tire as a function of the change in strain energy associated with predicted tire flexure. Special contact scrubbing terms are superimposed on the symmetrical free rolling model to account for the slip during yawed rolling. An extensive experimental program was conducted to verify temperatures predicted from the analytical model. Data from this program were compared with calculation over a range of operating conditions, namely, vertical deflection, inflation pressure, yaw angle, and direction of yaw. Generally the analytical model predicted overall trends well and correlated reasonably well with individual measurements at locations throughout the cross section.

Dodge, Richard N.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Measured pressure distributions inside nonaxisymmetric nozzles with partially deployed thrust reversers

An investigation was conducted in the Langley 16-Foot Transonic Tunnel at static conditions to measure the pressure distributions inside a nonaxisymmetric nozzle with simultaneous partial thrust reversing (50-percent deployment) and thrust vectoring of the primary (forward-thrust) nozzle flow. Geometric forward-thrust-vector angles of 0 and 15 deg. were tested. Test data were obtained at static conditions while nozzle pressure ratio was varied from 2.0 to 4.0. Results indicate that, unlike the 0 deg. vector angle nozzle, a complicated, asymmetric exhaust flow pattern exists in the primary-flow exhaust duct of the 15 deg. vectored nozzle.

Green, Robert S.↗
NASA NTRS1981

A new approach for synthesizing dual reflector antennas

It is pointed out that the offset geometry for dual reflector antennas is attractive for satellite communications where low side lobes are necessary to achieve good isolation between adjacent main lobes operating over the same frequency band. A description is presented of a new, numerically rigorous technique for synthesizing dual offset reflectors. The objective of the synthesis procedure is to transform a given primary feed pattern into a desired aperture distribution through two reflections in an offset dual reflector system. It is found that a given specification for the aperture distribution does not always lead to a smooth solution for the two surfaces. In this event, the so-called energy condition on the specified amplitude distribution is relaxed, and an approximate solution which satisfies the energy condition only within a certain numerical tolerance is derived.

Mittra, R.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Numerical Simulations of the XR-5 Hall Thruster for Life Assessment at Different Operating Conditions

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been investigating the applicability of Aerojet Rocketdyne's XR-5 thruster, a 4.5 kW class Hall thruster, for deep-space missions. Major considerations for qualifying the XR-5 for deep-space missions are demonstration of a wide throttling envelope and a usable life capability in excess of 10,000 h. Numerical simulations with the 2-D axisymmetric code Hall2De are employed to inform the qualification process by assessing erosion rates at the thruster surfaces in a wide range of throttling conditions without the need for conducting costly endurance testing. In previous work at JPL by Jorns et al., the anomalous collision frequency distribution for 11 different throttling conditions of the XR-5 spanning 0.3-4.5 kW were identified based on probe measurements of the electron temperature in the near plume region. In this paper, we provide estimates for the erosion rates at the channel walls and pole covers for the same 11 conditions. Uncertainties in the plasma measurements and in the anomalous collision frequency distribution are addressed by determining upper and lower bounds of the erosion rates. Results suggest that erosion of the walls only occurs in the last 5% of the acceleration channel and the rate of such erosion decreases as the geometry of the thruster changes in time due to magnetic shielding. A quasi-zero-erosion state is eventually achieved in all the examined throttling conditions. Examination of the results for pole surface erosion and estimated cathode life indicates that the XR-5 propellant throughput capability will exceed 700 kg, which provides 50% margin over the usable throughput capability of 466 kg as already demonstrated in wear testing.

Lopez Ortega, Alejandro↗
NASA NTRS2003

Non-Gaussian PDF Modeling of Turbulent Boundary Layer Fluctuating Pressure Excitation

The purpose of the study is to investigate properties of the probability density function (PDF) of turbulent boundary layer fluctuating pressures measured on the exterior of a supersonic transport aircraft. It is shown that fluctuating pressure PDFs differ from the Gaussian distribution even for surface conditions having no significant discontinuities. The PDF tails are wider and longer than those of the Gaussian model. For pressure fluctuations upstream of forward-facing step discontinuities and downstream of aft-facing step discontinuities, deviations from the Gaussian model are more significant and the PDFs become asymmetrical. Various analytical PDF distributions are used and further developed to model this behavior.

Steinwolf, Alexander↗
NASA NTRS1990

Three-dimensional analytical model for the spatial variation of the foreshock electron distribution function - Systematics and comparisons with ISEE observations

A model which is consistent with the solar wind and shock surface boundary conditions for the foreshock electron distribution in the absence of wave-particle effects is formulated for an arbitrary location behind the magnetic tangent to the earth's bow shock. Variations of the gyrophase-averaged velocity distribution are compared and contrasted with in situ ISEE observations. It is found that magnetic mirroring of solar wind electrons is the most important process by which nonmonotonic reduced electron distributions in the foreshock are produced. Leakage of particles from the magnetosheath is shown to be relatively unimportant in determining reduced distributions that are nonmonotonic. The two-dimensional distribution function off the magnetic field direction is the crucial contribution in producing reduced distributions which have beams. The time scale for modification of the electron velocity distribution in velocity space can be significantly influenced by steady state spatial gradients in the background imposed by the curved shock geometry.

Fitzenreiter, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Aerodynamic influence coefficient method using singularity splines.

A new numerical formulation with computed results, is presented. This formulation combines the adaptability to complex shapes offered by paneling schemes with the smoothness and accuracy of the loading function methods. The formulation employs a continuous distribution of singularity strength over a set of panels on a paneled wing. The basic distributions are independent, and each satisfies all of the continuity conditions required of the final solution. These distributions are overlapped both spanwise and chordwise (termed 'spline'). Boundary conditions are satisfied in a least square error sense over the surface using a finite summing technique to approximate the integral.

Mercer, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1994

The dynamical evolution of poor clusters of galaxies: Growth and properties of the first-ranked galaxy

We report N-body simulations of the dynamical evolution of isolated clusters of 50 galaxies containing a dark matter component that comprises 90% of the cluster mass. For our adopted physical scaling, the line-of-sight velocity dispersion of the cluster is 310 km/s and the initial core radius is 250 kpc. Our results are applicable to (1) present-day poor clusters, (2) the small systems that may have merged to produce present-day rich clusters, and (3) virialized subclumps within larger systems, in between major substructure merger events. We have evolved a total of 10 cluster models, using N = 40,000 particles per model. The models are fully self-consistent in that each galaxy is represented as an extended structure containing many particles and the gravitational potential arises from the particles alone. Dark matter is apportioned between the galaxy halos and a smoothly distributed common group halo, the intracluster background (ICB). The percentage of cluster mass initially in the ICB, Beta, is chosen to be 50, 75, or 90. Increasing Beta has the effect of removing mass from dark halos around galaxies and distributing it throughout the cluster. The initial conditions were constructed by randomly sampling a King distribution with W(sub 0) = 6. The galaxies are also King models; the masses of the galaxies follow a Schechter distribution function.

Bode, Paul W.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Aerosol size distribution, composition, and CO2 backscatter

The aerosol size distribution, composition, and CO2 backscatter at 10.6 microns (beta-CO2) were measured continuosly at the Mauna Loa Observatory (Hawaii) during January-March and November-December, 1988 periods to compare the characteristics of periods associated with appreciable Asian dust transport to that site (January-March) with those of periods characterized by low-dust condition. The aerosol size distribution in the range 0.15 micron to 7.6 microns was measured at temperatures of 40, 150, and 340 C to differentiate between volatile and nonvolatile aerosols. Large ranges of variability was found in measurements of aerosol size distribution during both periods, but the average distributions were similar for both the high-dust and the low-dust periods. However, values for beta-CO2 were more elevated (by about six times) during periods associated with active Asian dust transport to the observatory site than during the low-dust periods.

Clarke, Antony D.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Free vibrations of thermally stressed orthotropic plates with various boundary conditions

An analytical investigation of the vibrations of thermally stressed orthotropic plates in the prebuckled region is presented. The investigation covers the broad class of trapezoidal plates with two opposite sides parallel. Each edge of the plate may be subjected to different uniform boundary conditions. variable thickness and arbitrary temperature distributions (analytical or experimental) for any desired combination of boundary conditions may be prescribed. Results obtained using this analysis are compared to experimental results obtained for isotropic plates with thermal stress, and to results contained in the literature for orthotropic plates without thermal stress. Good agreement exists for both sets of comparisons.

Bailey, C. D.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Unsteady shock-induced turbulent separation in Mach 5 cylinder interactions

Wall pressure fluctuations have been determined under the unsteady separation shock in interactions generated by unswept circular cylinders, using a nominal freestream Mach number of 5 and a freestream unit Reynolds number of 53 x 10 to the 6th/m. The distributions of shock frequency and period were calculated using a conditional sampling algorithm. The shock frequency distributions were all found to be broadband, with frequencies being typically 1-2 kHz. The results support the previous suggestion that pressure fluctuations in the separated flow drive the shock motion.

Dolling, D. S.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Wind-tunnel investigation of aerodynamic loading on a 0.237-scale model of a remotely piloted research vehicle with a thick, high-aspect-ratio supercritical wing

Wind-tunnel measurements were made of the wing-surface static-pressure distributions on a 0.237 scale model of a remotely piloted research vehicle equipped with a thick, high-aspect-ratio supercritical wing. Data are presented for two model configurations (with and without a ventral pod) at Mach numbers from 0.70 to 0.92 at angles of attack from -4 deg to 8 deg. Large variations of wing-surface local pressure distributions were developed; however, the characteristic supercritical-wing pressure distribution occurred near the design condition of 0.80 Mach number and 2 deg angle of attack. The significant variations of the local pressure distributions indicated pronounced shock-wave movements that were highly sensitive to angle of attack and Mach number. The effect of the vertical pod varied with test conditions; however at the higher Mach numbers, the effects on wing flow characteristics were significant at semispan stations as far outboard as 0.815. There were large variations of the wing loading in the range of test conditions, both model configurations exhibited a well-defined peak value of normal-force coefficient at the cruise angle of attack (2 deg) and Mach number (0.80).

Byrdsong, T. A.↗
NASA NTRS2024

Real-Time Temperature Field State Observer and Digital Replica to Support Cyber-Physical Testing

Cyber-physical testing is a class of experimental methods in which a system is partitioned into physical and numerical components to study its overall behavior. Transfer systems are typically needed to capture relevant interactions by enforcing appropriate interface conditions between the physical and numerical portions. While cyber-physical testing is often performed using lumped-parameter systems, thermomechanical cyber-physical testing requires the use of thermal actuators as transfer systems to apply a thermal condition over a spatially distributed region or surface. Thus, the interactions between the numerical and physical components are of a distributed nature, i.e., a field rather than point values. In this paper, we develop and experimentally validate a state observer for temperature fields to enable thermomechanical cyber-physical testing. The state observer provides continuous estimates of temperature over a surface of the thermal actuator using only temperature measurements at discrete locations. The estimated temperature field is then leveraged to account for localized mechanical defects in the interface condition. The method consists of building a digital replica of one portion of the control plant. By imposing defects in the digital replica it is used to generate and output the response of a thermal load pattern that represents that of a physical system with mechanical defects.

Manuel Salmeron↗
NASA NTRS1995

Parasitic current collection by PASP Plus solar arrays

Solar cells at potentials positive with respect to a surrounding plasma collect electrons. Current is collected by the exposed high voltage surfaces: the interconnects and the sides of the solar cells. This current is a drain on the array power that can be significant for high-power arrays. In addition, this current influences the current balance that determines the floating potential of the spacecraft. One of the objectives of the Air Force (PL/GPS) PASP Plus (Photovoltaic Array Space Power Plus Diagnostics) experiment is an improved understanding fo parasitic current collection. We have done computer modeling of parasitic current collection and have examined current collection flight data from the first year of operations. Prior to the flight we did computer modeling to improve our understanding of the physical processes that control parasitic current collection. At high potentials, the current rapidly rises due to a phenomenon called snapover. Under snapover conditions, the equilibrium potential distribution across the dielectric surface is such that part of the area is at potentials greater than the first crossover of the secondary yield curve. Therefore, each incident electron generates more than one secondary electron. The net effect is that the high potential area and the collecting area increase. We did two-dimensional calculations for the various geometries to be flown. The calculations span the space of anticipated plasma conditions, applied potential, and material parameters. We used the calculations and early flight data to develop an analytic formula for the dependence of the current on the primary problem variables. The analytic formula was incorporated into the EPSAT computer code. EPSAT allows us to easily extend the results to other conditions. PASP Plus is the principal experiment integrated onto the Advanced Photovoltaic and Electronics Experiments (APEX) satellite bus. The experiment is testing twelve different solar array designs. Parasitic current collection is being measured for eight of the designs under various operational and environment conditions. We examined the current collected as a function of the various parameters for the six non-concentrator designs. The results are similar to those obtained in previous experiments and predicted by the calculations. We are using the flight data to validate the analytic formula developed. The formula can be used to quantify the parasitic current collected. Anticipating the parasitic current value allows the spacecraft designer to include this interaction when developing the design.

Davis, Victoria Ann↗