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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

Plasma-screening effects on the electron-impact excitation of hydrogenic ions in dense plasmas

Plasma-screening effects are investigated on electron-impact excitation of hydrogenic ions in dense plasmas. Scaled cross sections Z(exp 4) sigma for 1s yields 2s and 1s yields 2p are obtained for a Debye-Hueckel model of the screened Coulomb interaction. Ground and excited bound wave functions are modified in the screened Coulomb potential (Debye-Hueckel model) using the Ritz variation method. The resulting atomic wave functions and their eigenenergies agree well with the numerical and high-order perturbation theory calculations for the interesting domain of the Debye length not less than 10. The Born approximation is used to describe the continuum states of the projectile electron. Plasma screening effects on the atomic electrons cannot be neglected in the high-density cases. Including these effects, the cross sections are appreciably increased for 1s yields 2s transitions and decreased for 1s yields 2p transitions.

Jung, Young-Dae↗

The piecewise-linear predictor-corrector code - A Lagrangian-remap method for astrophysical flows

We describe a time-explicit finite-difference algorithm for solving the nonlinear fluid equations. The method is similar to existing Eulerian schemes in its use of operator-splitting and artificial viscosity, except that we solve the Lagrangian equations of motion with a predictor-corrector and then remap onto a fixed Eulerian grid. The remap is formulated to eliminate errors associated with coordinate singularities, with a general prescription for remaps of arbitrary order. We perform a comprehensive series of tests on standard problems. Self-convergence tests show that the code has a second-order rate of convergence in smooth, two-dimensional flow, with pressure forces, gravity, and curvilinear geometry included. While not as accurate on idealized problems as high-order Riemann-solving schemes, the predictor-corrector Lagrangian-remap code has great flexibility for application to a variety of astrophysical problems.

Lufkin, Eric A.↗

Numerical simulation of entry flow over blunt swept-wing planes

Viscous, heat-conducting flow with chemical and vibrational relaxation processes of the constituent gases surrounding winged spacecraft is considered in the continuum regime. The Navier-Stokes equations are appended by additional vibrational energy and species rate equations and supplemented by the equations of state and the phenomenological laws based on mixture rules or collisional cross sections. Numerical convective flux can be obtained from several forms of one-dimensional Riemann solver, with or without entropy correction. High-order accuracy is obtained from two types of reconstructive interpolation. A number of explicit and implicit numerical schemes have been implemented as a means to yield converged solutions. Both shock-fitting, finite-difference and shock-capturing, finite-volume techniques have been tested for configurations such as a sphere, double ellipsoid, blunt-edge delta wing, a European Hermes vehicle, and the U.S. Shuttle Orbiter. The shock-fitting code provides excellent results only for simple configurations, whereas the shock-capturing code leads to overall satisfying solutions for complex geometries.

Li, C. P.↗

Component modes damping assignment methodology for articulated, multiflexible body structures

To simulate the dynamical motion of articulated, multiflexible body structures, one can use multibody simulation packages such as DISCOS. To this end, one must supply appropriate reduced-order models for all of the flexible components involved. The component modes projection and assembly model reduction (COMPARE) methodology is one way to construct these reduced-order component models, which when reassembled capture important system input-to-output mapping of the full-order model at multiple system configurations of interest. In conjunction, we must also supply component damping matrices which when reassembled generate a system damping matrix that has certain desirable properties. The problem of determining the damping factors of components' modes to achieve a given system damping matrix is addressed here. To this end, we must establish from first principles a matrix-algebraic relation between the system's modal damping matrix and the components' modal damping matrices. An unconstrained/constrained optimization problem can then be formulated to determine the component modes' damping factors that best satisfy that matrix-algebraic relation. The effectiveness of the developed methodology, called ModeDamp, has been successfully demonstrated on a high-order, finite element model of the Galileo spacecraft.

Lee, Allan Y.↗

An exploratory investigation of the flight dynamics effects of rotor rpm variations and rotor state feedback in hover

This paper presents the results of an analytical study conducted to investigate airframe/engine interface dynamics, and the influence of rotor speed variations on the flight dynamics of the helicopter in hover, and to explore the potential benefits of using rotor states as additional feedback signals in the flight control system. The analytical investigation required the development of a parametric high-order helicopter hover model, which included heave/yaw body motion, the rotor speed degree of freedom, rotor blade motion in flapping and lead-lag, inflow dynamics, a drive train model with a flexible rotor shaft, and an engine/rpm governor. First, the model was used to gain insight into the engine/drive train/rotor system dynamics and to obtain an improved simple formula for easy estimation of the dominant first torsional mode, which is important in the dynamic integration of the engine and airframe system. Then, a linearized version of the model was used to investigate the effects of rotor speed variations and rotor state feedback on helicopter flight dynamics. Results show that, by including rotor speed variations, the effective vertical damping decreases significantly from that calculated with a constant speed assumption, thereby providing a better correlation with flight test data. Higher closed-loop bandwidths appear to be more readily achievable with rotor state feedback. The results also indicate that both aircraft and rotor flapping responses to gust disturbance are significantly attenuated when rotor state feedback is used.

Chen, Robert T. N.↗

Round-off error in long-term orbital integrations using multistep methods

Techniques for reducing roundoff error are compared by testing them on high-order Stormer and summetric multistep methods. The best technique for most applications is to write the equation in summed, function-evaluation form and to store the coefficients as rational numbers. A larger error reduction can be achieved by writing the equation in backward-difference form and performing some of the additions in extended precision, but this entails a larger central processing unit (cpu) cost.

Quinlan, Gerald D.↗

Extended cooperative control synthesis

This paper reports on research for extending the Cooperative Control Synthesis methodology to include a more accurate modeling of the pilot's controller dynamics. Cooperative Control Synthesis (CCS) is a methodology that addresses the problem of how to design control laws for piloted, high-order, multivariate systems and/or non-conventional dynamic configurations in the absence of flying qualities specifications. This is accomplished by emphasizing the parallel structure inherent in any pilot-controlled, augmented vehicle. The original CCS methodology is extended to include the Modified Optimal Control Model (MOCM), which is based upon the optimal control model of the human operator developed by Kleinman, Baron, and Levison in 1970. This model provides a modeling of the pilot's compensation dynamics that is more accurate than the simplified pilot dynamic representation currently in the CCS methodology. Inclusion of the MOCM into the CCS also enables the modeling of pilot-observation perception thresholds and pilot-observation attention allocation affects. This Extended Cooperative Control Synthesis (ECCS) allows for the direct calculation of pilot and system open- and closed-loop transfer functions in pole/zero form and is readily implemented in current software capable of analysis and design for dynamic systems. Example results based upon synthesizing an augmentation control law for an acceleration command system in a compensatory tracking task using the ECCS are compared with a similar synthesis performed by using the original CCS methodology. The ECCS is shown to provide augmentation control laws that yield more favorable, predicted closed-loop flying qualities and tracking performance than those synthesized using the original CCS methodology.

Davidson, John B.↗

A new approach to mixed H2/H infinity controller synthesis using gradient-based parameter optimization methods

In the past few years, the mixed H(sub 2)/H-infinity control problem has been the object of much research interest since it allows the incorporation of robust stability into the LQG framework. The general mixed H(sub 2)/H-infinity design problem has yet to be solved analytically. Numerous schemes have considered upper bounds for the H(sub 2)-performance criterion and/or imposed restrictive constraints on the class of systems under investigation. Furthermore, many modern control applications rely on dynamic models obtained from finite-element analysis and thus involve high-order plant models. Hence the capability to design low-order (fixed-order) controllers is of great importance. In this research a new design method was developed that optimizes the exact H(sub 2)-norm of a certain subsystem subject to robust stability in terms of H-infinity constraints and a minimal number of system assumptions. The derived algorithm is based on a differentiable scalar time-domain penalty function to represent the H-infinity constraints in the overall optimization. The scheme is capable of handling multiple plant conditions and hence multiple performance criteria and H-infinity constraints and incorporates additional constraints such as fixed-order and/or fixed structure controllers. The defined penalty function is applicable to any constraint that is expressible in form of a real symmetric matrix-inequity.

Ly, Uy-Loi↗

Low-dissipation and -dispersion Runge-Kutta schemes for computational acoustics

In this paper, we investigate accurate and efficient time advancing methods for computational acoustics, where non-dissipative and non-dispersive properties are of critical importance. Our analysis pertains to the application of Runge-Kutta methods to high-order finite difference discretization. In many CFD applications multi-stage Runge-Kutta schemes have often been favored for their low storage requirements and relatively large stability limits. For computing acoustic waves, however, the stability consideration alone is not sufficient, since the Runge-Kutta schemes entail both dissipation and dispersion errors. The time step is now limited by the tolerable dissipation and dispersion errors in the computation. In the present paper, it is shown that if the traditional Runge-Kutta schemes are used for time advancing in acoustic problems, time steps greatly smaller than that allowed by the stability limit are necessary. Low-Dissipation and -Dispersion Runge-Kutta (LDDRE) schemes are proposed, based on an optimization that minimizes the dissipation and dispersion errors for wave propagation. Order optimizations of both single-step and two-step alternating schemes are considered. The proposed LDDRK schemes are remarkably more efficient than the classical Runge-Kutta schemes for acoustic computations. Moreover, low storage implementations of the optimized schemes are discussed. Special issues of implementing numerical boundary conditions in the LDDRK schemes are also addressed.

Hu, F. Q.↗

Development of an adaptive hp-version finite element method for computational optimal control

In this research effort, the usefulness of hp-version finite elements and adaptive solution-refinement techniques in generating numerical solutions to optimal control problems has been investigated. Under NAG-939, a general FORTRAN code was developed which approximated solutions to optimal control problems with control constraints and state constraints. Within that methodology, to get high-order accuracy in solutions, the finite element mesh would have to be refined repeatedly through bisection of the entire mesh in a given phase. In the current research effort, the order of the shape functions in each element has been made a variable, giving more flexibility in error reduction and smoothing. Similarly, individual elements can each be subdivided into many pieces, depending on the local error indicator, while other parts of the mesh remain coarsely discretized. The problem remains to reduce and smooth the error while still keeping computational effort reasonable enough to calculate time histories in a short enough time for on-board applications.

Hodges, Dewey H.↗

Numerical simulation of shock/turbulent boundary layer interaction

Most flows of aerodynamic interest are compressible and turbulent. However, our present knowledge on the structures and mechanisms of turbulence is mostly based on incompressible flows. In the present work, compressibility effects in turbulent, high-speed, boundary layer flows are systematically investigated using the Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) approach. Three-dimensional, time-dependent, fully nonlinear, compressible Navier-Stokes equations were numerically integrated by high-order finite-difference methods; no modeling for turbulence is used during the solution because the available resolution is sufficient to capture the relevant scales. The boundary layer problem deals with fully-turbulent compressible flows over flat geometries. Apart from its practical relevance to technological flows, turbulent compressible boundary layer flow is the simplest experimentally realizable turbulent compressible flow. Still, measuring difficulties prohibit a detailed experimental description of the flow, especially in the near-wall region. DNS studies provide a viable means to probe the physics of compressible turbulence in this region. The focus of this work is to explore the paths of energy transfer through which compressible turbulence is sustained. The structural similarities and differences between the incompressible and compressible turbulence are also investigated. The energy flow patterns or energy cascades are found to be directly related to the evolution of vortical structures which are generated in the near-wall region. Near-wall structures, and mechanisms which are not readily accessible through physical experiments are analyzed and their critical role on the evolution and the behavior of the flow is documented extensively.

Biringen, Sedat↗

Voids and constraints on nonlinear clustering of galaxies

Void statistics of the galaxy distribution in the Center for Astrophysics Redshift Survey provide strong constraints on galaxy clustering in the nonlinear regime, i.e., on scales R equal to or less than 10/h Mpc. Computation of high-order moments of the galaxy distribution requires a sample that (1) densely traces the large-scale structure and (2) covers sufficient volume to obtain good statistics. The CfA redshift survey densely samples structure on scales equal to or less than 10/h Mpc and has sufficient depth and angular coverage to approach a fair sample on these scales. In the nonlinear regime, the void probability function (VPF) for CfA samples exhibits apparent agreement with hierarchical scaling (such scaling implies that the N-point correlation functions for N greater than 2 depend only on pairwise products of the two-point function xi(r)) However, simulations of cosmological models show that this scaling in redshift space does not necessarily imply such scaling in real space, even in the nonlinear regime; peculiar velocities cause distortions which can yield erroneous agreement with hierarchical scaling. The underdensity probability measures the frequency of 'voids' with density rho less than 0.2 -/rho. This statistic reveals a paucity of very bright galaxies (L greater than L asterisk) in the 'voids.' Underdensities are equal to or greater than 2 sigma more frequent in bright galaxy samples than in samples that include fainter galaxies. Comparison of void statistics of CfA samples with simulations of a range of cosmological models favors models with Gaussian primordial fluctuations and Cold Dark Matter (CDM)-like initial power spectra. Biased models tend to produce voids that are too empty. We also compare these data with three specific models of the Cold Dark Matter cosmogony: an unbiased, open universe CDM model (omega = 0.4, h = 0.5) provides a good match to the VPF of the CfA samples. Biasing of the galaxy distribution in the 'standard' CDM model (omega = 1, b = 1.5; see below for definitions) and nonzero cosmological constant CDM model (omega = 0.4, h = 0.6 lambda(sub 0) = 0.6, b = 1.3) produce voids that are too empty. All three simulations match the observed VPF and underdensity probability for samples of very bright (M less than M asterisk = -19.2) galaxies, but produce voids that are too empty when compared with samples that include fainter galaxies.

Vogeley, Michael S.↗

Wavelets, period-doubling, and time-frequency localization with application to organization of convection over the tropical western Pacific

In this paper, preliminary results in using orthogonal and continuous wavelet transform (WT) to identify period doubling and time-frequency localization in both synthetic and real data are presented. First, the Haar WT is applied to synthetic time series derived from a simple nonlinear dynamical system- a first-order quadratic difference equation. Second, the complex Morlet WT is used to study the time-frequency localization of tropical convection based on a high-resolution Japanese Geostationary Meteorological Satellite infrared (IR) radiance dataset. The Haar WT of the synthetic time series indicates the presence and distinct separation of multiple frequencies in a period-doubling sequence. The period-doubling process generates a multiplicity of intermediate frequencies, which are manifested in the nonuniformity in time with respect to the phase of oscillations in the lower frequencies. Wavelet transform also enables the detection of extremely weak signals in high-order subharmonics resulting from the period-doubling bifurcations. These signals are either undetected or considered statistically insignificant by traditional Fourier analysis. The Morlet WT of the IR radiance dataset indicates the presence of multiple timescales, which are localized in both frequency and time. There are two regimes in the variation of IR radiance, corresponding to the wet and dry periods. Multiple timescales, ranging from semidiurnal, diurnal, synoptic, to intraseasonal with embedding structures, are active in the wet regime. In particular, synoptic variability is more prominent during the wet phase of an intensive intraseasonal cycle. These are not only consistent with, but also show more details than, previous findings by using other techniques. The phase-locking relationships among the oscillations with different time-scales suggest that both synoptic and intraseasonal variations may be mixed oscillations due to the interaction of self-excited oscillations in the tropical atmosphere and external forcings such as annual and diurnal solar radiation variations. Both examples show that WT is a powerful tool for analysis of phenomena involving multiscale interactions that exhibit localization in both frequency and time. A discussion on the caveats in the use of WT in geophysical data analysis is also presented.

Weng, Hengyi↗

Protostellar hydrodynamics: Constructing and testing a spacially and temporally second-order accurate method. 2: Cartesian coordinates

In Boss & Myhill (1992) we described the derivation and testing of a spherical coordinate-based scheme for solving the hydrodynamic equations governing the gravitational collapse of nonisothermal, nonmagnetic, inviscid, radiative, three-dimensional protostellar clouds. Here we discuss a Cartesian coordinate-based scheme based on the same set of hydrodynamic equations. As with the spherical coorrdinate-based code, the Cartesian coordinate-based scheme employs explicit Eulerian methods which are both spatially and temporally second-order accurate. We begin by describing the hydrodynamic equations in Cartesian coordinates and the numerical methods used in this particular code. Following Finn & Hawley (1989), we pay special attention to the proper implementations of high-order accuracy, finite difference methods. We evaluate the ability of the Cartesian scheme to handle shock propagation problems, and through convergence testing, we show that the code is indeed second-order accurate. To compare the Cartesian scheme discussed here with the spherical coordinate-based scheme discussed in Boss & Myhill (1992), the two codes are used to calculate the standard isothermal collapse test case described by Bodenheimer & Boss (1981). We find that with the improved codes, the intermediate bar-configuration found previously disappears, and the cloud fragments directly into a binary protostellar system. Finally, we present the results from both codes of a new test for nonisothermal protostellar collapse.

Myhill, Elizabeth A.↗

Reduction of blade-vortex interaction noise through porous leading edge

The effect of the porous leading edge of an airfoil on the blade-vortex interaction noise, which dominates the far-field acoustic spectrum of the helicopter, is investigated. The thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations are solved with a high-order upwind-biased scheme and a multizonal grid system. The Baldwin-Lomax turbulence model is modified for considering transpiration on the surface. The amplitudes of the propagating acoustic wave in the near field are calculated directly from the computation. The porosity effect on the surface is modeled in two ways: (1) imposition of prescribed transpiration velocity distribution and (2) calculation of transpiration velocity distribution by Darcy's law. Results show leading-edge transpiration can suppress pressure fluctuations at the leading edge during blade-vortex interaction and consequently reduce the amplitude of propagating noise by 30% at a maximum in the near field.

Lee, Soogab↗

Head-on parallel blade-vortex interaction

An experimental and computational study was carried out to investigate the parallel head-on blade-vortex interaction (BVI) and its noise generation mechanism. A shock tube, with an enlarged test section, was used to generate a compressible starting vortex which interacted with a target airfoil. The dual-pulsed holographic interferometry (DPHI) technique and airfoil surface pressure measurements were employed to obtain quantitative flow data during the BVI. A thin-layer Navier-Stokes code (BV12D), with a high-order upwind-biased scheme and a multizonal grid, was also used to simulate numerically the phenomena occurring in the head-on BVI. The detailed structure of a convecting vortex was studied through independent measurements of density and pressure distributions across the vortex center. Results indicate that, in a strong head-on BVI, the opposite pressure peaks are generated on both sides of the leading edge as the vortex approaches. Then, as soon as the vortex passes by the leading edge, the high-pressure peak suddenly moves toward the low-peak-reducing in magnitude as it moves--simultaneously giving rise to the initial sound wave. In both experiment and computation, it is shown that the viscous effect plays a significant role in head-on BVIs.

Lee, Soogab↗

Algorithmic trends in computational fluid dynamics; The Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering (ICASE)/LaRC Workshop, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, US, Sep. 15-17, 1991

The purpose here is to assess the state of the art in the areas of numerical analysis that are particularly relevant to computational fluid dynamics (CFD), to identify promising new developments in various areas of numerical analysis that will impact CFD, and to establish a long-term perspective focusing on opportunities and needs. Overviews are given of discretization schemes, computational fluid dynamics, algorithmic trends in CFD for aerospace flow field calculations, simulation of compressible viscous flow, and massively parallel computation. Also discussed are accerelation methods, spectral and high-order methods, multi-resolution and subcell resolution schemes, and inherently multidimensional schemes.

Hussaini, M. Y.↗

Coupling Approaches with Non-matching Grids for Classical Linear Elasticity and Bond-based Peridynamic Models in 1D

Local-nonlocal coupling approaches provide a means to combine the computational efficiency of local models and the accuracy of nonlocal models. To facilitate the coupling of the two models, non-matching grids are often desirable as nonlocal grids usually require a finer resolution than local grids. In that case, it is often convenient to resort to interpolation operators so that models can exchange information in the overlap regions when nodes from the two grids do not coincide. This paper studies three existing coupling approaches, namely 1) a method that enforces matching displacements in an overlap region, 2) a variant that enforces a constraint on the stresses instead, and 3) a method that considers a variable horizon in the vicinity of the interfaces. Further, the effect of the interpolation order and of the grid ratio on the performance of the three coupling methods with non-matching grids is carefully studied on one-dimensional examples using polynomial manufactured solutions. The numerical results show that the degree of the interpolants should be chosen with care to avoid introducing additional modeling errors, or simply minimize these errors, in the coupling approach.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗