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At least 343 records · Page 19

A 4 kV/120 A SiC Solid-State DC Circuit Breaker Powered By a Load-Independent IPT System

This article introduces a 4 kV/120 A solid-state dc circuit breaker (DCCB) based on discrete SiC mosfets. The DCCB is designed in a five-layer tower structure. Each layer consists of a circular main conduction branch and an attached gate driver. There are two primary benefits of the proposed DCCB. First, it reduces conduction loss with multiple devices in parallel. Second, it achieves an ultrafast response speed with SiC mosfets. Moreover, the gate drivers of the DCCB are powered by a domino inductive power transfer (IPT) system. It achieves the load-independent constant-voltage output characteristics, which means the outputs are immune to load variations. Additionally, an IPT system prototype is implemented to test the power transfer performance. At 500-kHz frequency, the total output power reaches 15.73 W, which is sufficient to power on five gate drivers, with a peak transfer efficiency of 75.4%. The IPT system is tested to power a 4 kV/120 A DCCB prototype. It validates that the DCCB is effective to turn off 120 A current within 3.5 μs.

42 ENGINEERING↗

WRATS Integrated Data Acquisition System

The Wing and Rotor Aeroelastic Test System (WRATS) data acquisition system (DAS) is a 64-channel data acquisition display and analysis system specifically designed for use with the WRATS 1/5-scale V-22 tiltrotor model of the Bell Osprey. It is the primary data acquisition system for experimental aeroelastic testing of the WRATS model for the purpose of characterizing the aeromechanical and aeroelastic stability of prototype tiltrotor configurations. The WRATS DAS was also used during aeroelastic testing of Bell Helicopter Textron s Quad-Tiltrotor (QTR) design concept, a test which received international attention. The LabVIEW-based design is portable and capable of powering and conditioning over 64 channels of dynamic data at sampling rates up to 1,000 Hz. The system includes a 60-second circular data archive, an integrated model swashplate excitation system, a moving block damping application for calculation of whirl flutter mode subcritical damping, a loads and safety monitor, a pilot-control console display, data analysis capabilities, and instrumentation calibration functions. Three networked computers running custom-designed LabVIEW software acquire data through National Instruments data acquisition hardware. The aeroelastic model (see figure) was tested with the DAS at two facilities at NASA Langley, the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) and the Rotorcraft Hover Test Facility (RHTF). Because of the need for seamless transition between testing at these facilities, DAS is portable. The software is capable of harmonic analysis of periodic time history data, Fast Fourier Transform calculations, power spectral density calculations, and on-line calibration of test instrumentation. DAS has a circular buffer archive to ensure critical data is not lost in event of model failure/incident, as well as a sample-and-hold capability for phase-correct time history data.

Piatak, David J.↗

Study of controlled diffusion stator blading

Tests were conducted on a high tip speed, highly loaded front compressor stage having low aspect ratio rotor and stator airfoils. The stator airfoils were designed by the controlled diffusion procedure recently developed by P&WA for designing transonic cascade airfoils. The rotor blades consisted of multiple-circular-arc airfoil sections. The stage had a tip speed of 442 m/sec (1450 ft/sec), a hub/tip ratio of 0.597, a rotor aspect ratio of 1.3, and a stator aspect ratio of 1.45. At design speed the rotor-stator stage achieved an adiabatic efficiency of 89.1% at design flow and pressure ratio. Surge margin was 14%. The stage efficiency exceeded the design goal by 0.6 percentage points. The rotor efficiency was 92.4%, exceeding design by 0.3 percentage points. The controlled diffusion stator demonstrated a lower minimum loss over the multiple-circular-arc stator from the root to 70 percent span. A surge diffusion factor of 0.72 was reached at both the rotor tip and the stator root. The NAS3-22008 program demonstrated its intent: high efficiency and loading levels with low aspect ratio blades and the controlled diffusion stator in the unfavorable front stage environment.

Behlke, R. F.↗

A test fixture for measuring high-temperature hypersonic-engine seal performance

A test fixture for measuring the performance of several high temperature engine seal concepts was installed at the NASA Lewis Research Center. The test fixture was developed to evaluate seal concepts under development for advanced hypersonic engines such as those being considered for the National Aerospace Plane. The fixture can measure static seal leakage performance from room temperature up to 1500 F and air pressure differentials up to 100 psi. Performance of the seals can be measured while sealing against flat or engine simulated distorted walls, where distortions can be as large as 0.150 in. in only an 18 in. span. The fixture is designed to evaluate seals 3 feet long, a typical engine panel length. The seal channel can be configured to test square, circular, or rectangular seals that are nominally 0.5 in. high. The sensitivity of leakage performance to lateral or axial loading can also be measured using specially designed high temperature lateral and axial bellows preload systems. Leakage data for a candidate ceramic wafer engine seal is provided by way of example to demonstrate the test fixture's capabilities.

Steinetz, Bruce M.↗

Theoretical study of stress concentrations at circular holes and inclusions in strain hardening materials.

Nonlinear boundary value problems of an infinite elastic-plastic plate with a circular hole subjected to pure tension and pure shear at infinity are solved by a method involving Fourier series and finite difference. On the basis of these solutions, the validity of Neuber's relationship between the stress and strain concentration factors for the plane stress problems is examined and a generalized Stowell formula for the stress concentration factor is proposed for problems in which the applied loading may be pure shear as well as pure tension and, furthermore, other stress states. By the same method of solution, the stress distributions around a rigid circular cylindrical inclusion embedded in an infinite rigid-plastic matrix subjected to uniform transverse pure shear and tension are obtained.

Huang, W. C.↗

Experimental and Theoretical Study of a Rectangular Wing in a Vortical Wake at Low Speed

A systematic study has been made, experimentally and theoretically, of the effects of a vortical wake on the aerodynamic characteristics of a rectangular wing at subsonic speed. The vortex generator and wing were mounted on a reflection plane to avoid body-wing interference. Vortex position, relative to the wing, was varied both in the spanwise direction and normal to the wing. Angle of attack of the wing was varied from -40 to +60. Both chordwise and spanwise pressure distributions were obtained with the wing in uniform and vortical flow fields. Stream surveys were made to determine the flow characteristics in the vortical wake. The vortex-induced lift was calculated by several theoretical methods including strip theory, reverse-flow theory, and reverse-flow theory including a finite vortex core. In addition, the Prandtl lifting-line theory and the Weissinger theory were used to calculate the spanwise distribution of vortex-induced loads. With reverse-flow theory, predictions of the interference lift were generally good, and with Weissinger's theory the agreement between the theoretical spanwise variation of induced load and the experimental variation was good. Results of the stream survey show that the vortex generated by a lifting surface of rectangular plan form tends to trail back streamwise from the tip and does not approach the theoretical location, or centroid of circulation, given by theory. This discrepancy introduced errors in the prediction of vortex interference, especially when the vortex core passed immediately outboard of the wing tip. The wake produced by the vortex generator in these tests was not fully rolled up into a circular vortex, and so lacked symmetry in the vertical direction of the transverse plane. It was found that the direction of circulation affected the induced loads on the wing either when the wing was at angle of attack or when the vortex was some distance away from the plane of the wing.

Smith, Willard G.↗

Fracture Strength of Single-Crystal Silicon Carbide Microspecimens at Room and Elevated Temperature

Three shapes of tensile specimens were tested--curved with a very low stress concentration factor and straight with either a circular hole or an elliptical hole. The nominal thickness was 125 micron with a net section 100 micron wide; the overall length of these microspecimens was 3.1 mm. They were fabricated by an improved version of deep reactive ion etching, which produced specimens with smooth sidewalls and cross-sections having a slightly trapezoidal shape that was exaggerated inside the holes. The novel test setup used a vertical load train extending into a resistance furnace. The specimens had wedge-shaped ends which fit into ceramic grips. The fixed grip was mounted on a ceramic post, and the movable grip was connected to a load cell and actuator outside the furnace with a ceramic-encased nichrome wire. The same arrangement was used for tests at 24 and at 1000 C. The strengths of the curved specimens for two batches of material (made with slightly different processes) were 0.66+/-0.12 GPa and 0.45+/-0.20 GPa respectively at 24 C with identical values at 1000 C. The fracture strengths of the circular-hole and elliptical-hole specimens (computed from the stress concentration factors and measured loads at failure) were approximately 1.2 GPa with slight decreases at the higher temperature. Fractographic examinations showed failures initiating on the surface--primarily at corners. Weibull predictions of fracture strengths for the hole specimens based on the properties of the curved specimens were reasonably effective for the circular holes, but not for the elliptical holes.

Nemeth, Noel N.↗

On the mechanism of buckling of a circular cylindrical shell under axial compression

The present paper deals with the buckling of a circular cylindrical shell under axial compression from the viewpoint of energy and the characteristics of deformation. It is shown first, both theoretically and experimentally, that the reason why the buckling of a cylindrical shell is quite different from that of a flat plate is attributable to the existence of a nearly developable surface far apart from the original cylindrical surface. Based upon this result, the experimental fact that the buckling is really not general but local, that is, that the buckled region is limited axially to a range of 1.5 times the wave length of the lobe, is explained by the theoretical result that the minimum buckling load is smaller in the local buckling than in the general buckling case. The occurrence of local buckling is affirmed also from the viewpoint of the energy barrier to be jumped over during buckling, and from a comparison of the theoretical post-buckling state with the experimental results. Finally, the local buckling with the load applied by a spring is analyzed, and it is proved that the minimum buckling load increased with an increase of rigidity of the spring.

SHELLS, STRUCTURAL↗

surf3d: A 3-D finite-element program for the analysis of surface and corner cracks in solids subjected to mode-1 loadings

A computer program, surf3d, that uses the 3D finite-element method to calculate the stress-intensity factors for surface, corner, and embedded cracks in finite-thickness plates with and without circular holes, was developed. The cracks are assumed to be either elliptic or part eliptic in shape. The computer program uses eight-noded hexahedral elements to model the solid. The program uses a skyline storage and solver. The stress-intensity factors are evaluated using the force method, the crack-opening displacement method, and the 3-D virtual crack closure methods. In the manual the input to and the output of the surf3d program are described. This manual also demonstrates the use of the program and describes the calculation of the stress-intensity factors. Several examples with sample data files are included with the manual. To facilitate modeling of the user's crack configuration and loading, a companion program (a preprocessor program) that generates the data for the surf3d called gensurf was also developed. The gensurf program is a three dimensional mesh generator program that requires minimal input and that builds a complete data file for surf3d. The program surf3d is operational on Unix machines such as CRAY Y-MP, CRAY-2, and Convex C-220.

Raju, I. S.↗

Shooting and bouncing rays - Calculating the RCS of an arbitrarily shaped cavity

A ray-shooting approach is presented for calculating the interior radar cross section (RCS) from a partially open cavity. In the problem considered, a dense grid of rays is launched into the cavity through the opening. The rays bounce from the cavity walls based on the laws of geometrical optics and eventually exit the cavity via the aperture. The ray-bouncing method is based on tracking a large number of rays launched into the cavity through the opening and determining the geometrical optics field associated with each ray by taking into consideration (1) the geometrical divergence factor, (2) polarization, and (3) material loading of the cavity walls. A physical optics scheme is then applied to compute the backscattered field from the exit rays. This method is so simple in concept that there is virtually no restriction on the shape or material loading of the cavity. Numerical results obtained by this method are compared with those for the modal analysis for a circular cylinder terminated by a PEC plate. RCS results for an S-bend circular cylinder generated on the Cray X-MP supercomputer show significant RCS reduction. Some of the limitations and possible extensions of this technique are discussed.

Ling, Hao↗

Improved Flat Specimens For Tensile And Fatigue Testing Of Composites

Improved shape proposed for flat, reduced-gauge-section specimens for tensile and fatigue testing of advanced composite materials at ambient and high temperatures. Typical specimen consists of flat bar 15.2 centimeters long, 1.27 centimeters wide, and 0.318 centimeters thick, with full-width tab regions at ends, 3.81-centimeters-long gauge section of reduced width in middle, and two transition regions where width tapers between tab and gauge widths along 6.35-centimeters-radius circular arc tangent to edge of gauge section. Specimen gripped by squeezing between tabs in tab regions, and tensile test load applied via tab grips. Configuration reduces undesired concentrations of stresses in transition and tab regions, forcing tensile failure to occur in gauge section and ensuring more-consistent results in tensile tests.

Worthem, Dennis W.↗

Charting a Path for Research and Development of Reliability and Resilience in South Asia's Power Sector

The power sector in South Asia faces several trends with the potential to impact its reliability and resilience. Rapidly increasing demand, coupled with an increasing reliance on variable renewable resources and the circular linkages with climate change points to an increasing need to understand the extent of climate impacts on both the electricity load and the electricity generation. These larger shifts are also coupled with opportunities near the grid edge that could have a large impact on system planning and operations, such as electrification of the transport sector, increased reliance on buildings to serve a broader set of loads and be flexible resources for utilities, more efficient use of industrial and agricultural loads, and growth in distributed energy resources such as rooftop solar and batteries. It is critical that as this transformation takes place that expectations for reliability and resilience of the grid continue to increase in the region. The South Asia Group for Energy (SAGE), composed of USAID, the US Department of Energy, and three national laboratories, has been tasked with providing an overview of the research and development resources necessary to understand the upcoming challenges for the power system as it pertains to reliability and resilience. This discussion paper identifies some of the key trends and connections that are important for power sector reliability and resilience and provides a starting point for eliciting feedback from power sector stakeholders about their experiences and needs.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

A 58 x 62 pixel Si:Ga array camera for 5 - 14 micron astronomical imaging

A new infrared array camera system has been successfully applied to high background 5 - 14 micron astronomical imaging photometry observations, using a hybrid 58 x 62 pixel Si:Ga array detector. The off-axis reflective optical design incorporating a parabolic camera mirror, circular variable filter wheel, and cold aperture stop produces diffraction-limited images with negligible spatial distortion and minimum thermal background loading. The camera electronic system architecture is divided into three subsystems: (1) high-speed analog front end, including 2-channel preamp module, array address timing generator, bias power suppies, (2) two 16 bit, 3 microsec per conversion A/D converters interfaced to an arithmetic array processor, and (3) an LSI 11/73 camera control and data analysis computer. The background-limited observational noise performance of the camera at the NASA/IRTF telescope is NEFD (1 sigma) = 0.05 Jy/pixel min exp 1/2.

Gezari, D. Y.↗

A Rigid Mid-Lift-to-Drag Ratio Approach to Human Mars Entry, Descent, and Landing

Current NASA Human Mars architectures require delivery of approximately 20 metric tons of cargo to the surface in a single landing. A proposed vehicle type for performing the entry, descent, and landing at Mars associated with this architecture is a rigid, enclosed, elongated lifting body shape that provides a higher lift-to-drag ratio (L/D) than a typical entry capsule, but lower than a typical winged entry vehicle (such as the Space Shuttle Orbiter). A rigid Mid-L/D shape has advantages for large mass Mars EDL, including loads management, range capability during entry, and human spaceflight heritage. Previous large mass Mars studies have focused more on symmetric and/or circular cross-section Mid-L/D shapes such as the ellipsled. More recent work has shown performance advantages for non-circular cross section shapes. This paper will describe efforts to design a rigid Mid-L/D entry vehicle for Mars which shows mass and performance improvements over previous Mid-L/D studies. The proposed concept, work to date and evolution, forward path, and suggested future strategy are described.

Cerimele, Christopher J.↗

Evaluation of flawed composite structure under static and cyclic loading

This paper presents the results of a program investigating the effects of initial defects on the fatigue and fracture response of composite laminates. The structural laminates investigated were a typical angle-ply laminate, a polar/hoop-wound pressure vessel laminate, and a typical engine fan blade laminate. Defects investigated were full- and half-penetration circular holes, full- and half-penetration slits, and countersink holes. Results are presented showing the effects of the defect size and type on the static fracture strength, fatigue performance, and residual static strength. The results of inspection procedures are shown, describing the effect of cyclic and static loadings on damage propagation in composite laminates. The data in this study were used to define proof test levels as a qualification procedure in composite structure subjected to cyclic loading.

Porter, T. R.↗

Corrosion Engineering of Part‐Per‐Million Single Atom Pt 1 /Ni(OH) 2 Electrocatalyst for PET Upcycling at Ampere‐Level Current Density

The plastic waste issue has posed a series of formidable challenges for the ecological environment and human health. While conventional recycling strategies often lead to plastic down-cycling, the electrochemical strategy of recovering valuable monomers enables an ideal, circular plastic economy. Here a corrosion synthesized single atom Pt 1 /Ni(OH) 2 electrocatalyst with part-per-million noble Pt loading for highly efficient and selective upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into valuable chemicals (potassium diformate and terephthalic acid) and green hydrogen is reported. Electro-oxidation of PET hydrolysate, ethylene glycol (EG), to formate is processed with high Faraday efficiency (FE) and selectivity (>90%) at the current density close to 1000 mA cm −2 (1.444 V vs RHE). The in situ spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations provide insights into the mechanism and the understanding of the high efficiency. Remarkably, the electro-oxidation of EG at the ampere-level current density is also successfully illustrated by using a membrane-electrode assembly with high FEs to formate integrated with hydrogen production for 500 h of continuous operation. In conclusion, this process allows valuable chemical production at high space-time yield and is highly profitable (588–700 $\$$ ton −1 PET), showing an industrial perspective on single-atom catalysis of electrochemical plastic upcycling.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Laser tuners using circular piezoelectric benders

The paper presents the results of an experimental evaluation of a new type of piezoelectric ceramic device designed for use as a laser mirror tuner. Thin plates made from various materials were assembled into a circular bimorph configuration and tested for linearity of movement, maximum travel, and resonant frequency for varying conditions of clamping torque and mirror loading values. Most of the devices tested could accept mirror diameters up to approximately 1.3 cm and maintain a resonant frequency above 2 kHz. Typical mirror translation without measurable tilt was plus or minus 20 micrometers or greater for applied voltages of less than plus or minus 300 V.

Mcelroy, J. H.↗