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At least 343 records · Page 19

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NASA NTRS1986

A simple kinetic theory of auroral arc scales

A kinetic theory of the origins of the auroral arc scale spectrum is presented in this paper. The conceptual basis of the theory is current conservation in a turbulent plasma at the magnetospheric equatorial region in which a field-aligned current is generated and the local electrostatic potential structure is forced to adjust to the presence of the field-aligned current. This simple model uses an ad hoc Ohm's law relationship between the perpendicular current and the perpendicular electric field, but with a negative conductance in the generator region so that J(perpendicular) x E(perpendicular) is less than 0. An exact solution of a simple model of the concept yields a bistatic auroral generator for which multiple-arc formation is predicted if the field-aligned current exceeds a critical value. The predicted scale spectrum is inversely proportional to the square root of the field-aligned current strength spectrum.

Chiu, Y. T.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Correcting observed stellar Lyman alpha profiles for the effects of interstellar absorption and geocoronal emission

Techniques to compensate for interstellar absorption and geocoronal emission in IUE studies of late stars atmospheres were developed. Thus it is possible to determine the Lyman alpha flux from nearby cool stars using the low-resolution spectra in the IUE archives. The accuracy of such a procedure depends fundamentally upon the assumptions regarding the shape of the intrinsic profile and the density and velocity structure of the local interstellar medium, not upon measurement uncertainties of the low-resolution spectra. Geocoronal emission and saturated spectra are fatal only to a one-dimensional spectral analysis. When both the spatial and the spectral dimensions are considered, the observed Lyman alpha flux can be recovered.

Neff, J. E.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Satellite radars for geologic mapping in tropical regions

This paper presents interpretations of the satellite radar images of cloud-covered portions of Indonesia and Amazonia obtained from NASA's Shuttle imaging radar experiments in 1981 (SIR-A) and 1984 (SIR-B). It was found that different terrain categories observed from distinctive image textures correlate well with major lithologic associations. The images show geologic structures at regional and local scales. The SIR-B images of East Kalimantan, Indonesia, reveal structural features and terrain distributions that had been overlooked or not perceived in previous surface mapping. Variability in radar response from the vegetation cover is interpretable only in coastal areas or alluvial areas that are relatively level.

Ford, J. P.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Far-infrared heterodyne receivers

The development of open resonator mixer structures and laser local oscillators has made heterodyne spectroscopy at far infrared (FIR) wavelengths between 150 and 400 microns a reality. Several laser based receivers are now part of the instrument complement flown aboard the Kuiper Airborne Observatory. Lasers are eminently practical as FIR local oscillators whenever there is close frequency coincidence between a strong laser transition and the Doppler-shifted astronomical line. While it is desirable to have continuous frequency coverage in a spectrometer, it should be recognized that most astronomers will focus their interest on the few spectral lines deemed optimum for probing the cosmos. Ultimately, the development of a reliable thin film technology for the new high temperature oxide superconductors may favor SIS-type devices for all wavelengths in future space based FIR receivers.

Betz, Albert↗

NASA NTRS1990

Structural analysis of stratocumulus convection

The 1 and 20 Hz data are examined from the Electra flights made on July 5, 1987. The flight legs consisted of seven horizontal turbulent legs at the inversion, midcloud, and below clouds, plus 4 soundings made within the same period. The Rosemont temperature sensor and the top and bottom dewpoint sensors were used to measure temperature and humidity at 1 Hz. Inversion structure and entrainment; local dynamics and large scale forcing; convective elements; and decoupling of cloud and subcloud are discussed in relationship to the results of the Electra flight.

Siems, S. T.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Direct simulation of compressible turbulence

Several direct simulations of 3-D homogeneous, compressible turbulence are presented with emphasis on the differences with incompressible turbulent simulations. A fully spectral collocation algorithm, periodic in all directions coupled with a 3rd order Runge-Kutta time discretization scheme is sufficient to produce well-resolved flows at Taylor Reynolds numbers below 40 on grids of 128x128x128. A Helmholtz decomposition of velocity is useful to differentiate between the purely compressible effects and those effects solely due to vorticity production. In the context of homogeneous flows, this decomposition in unique. Time-dependent energy and dissipation spectra of the compressible and solenoidal velocity components indicate the presence of localized small scale structures. These structures are strongly a function of the initial conditions. Researchers concentrate on a regime characterized by very small fluctuating Mach numbers Ma (on the order of 0.03) and density and temperature fluctuations much greater than sq Ma. This leads to a state in which more than 70 percent of the kinetic energy is contained in the so-called compressible component of the velocity. Furthermore, these conditions lead to the formation of curved weak shocks (or shocklets) which travel at approximately the sound speed across the physical domain. Various terms in the vorticity and divergence of velocity production equations are plotted versus time to gain some understanding of how small scales are actually formed. Possible links with Burger turbulence are examined. To visualize better the dynamics of the flow, new graphic visualization techniques have been developed. The 3-D structure of the shocks are visualized with the help of volume rendering algorithms developed in-house. A combination of stereographic projection and animation greatly increase the number of visual cues necessary to properly interpret the complex flow.

Zang, T. A.↗

NASA NTRS1989

An embedded grid formulation applied to delta wings

An embedded grid algorithm for the Euler and/or Navier-Stokes equations is developed and applied to delta wings at high angles of attack in low speed flow. The Navier-Stokes code is an implicit, finite volume algorithm, using flux difference splitting for the convective and pressure terms and central differencing for the viscous and heat transfer terms. Calculations are compared with detailed experimental results over an angle of attack range up to and beyond the maximum lift coefficient, corresponding to vortex breakdown at the trailing edge, for a delta wing nominally of unit aspect ratio. The results indicate that the overall flowfield, including surface pressures, surface streamlines, and vortex trajectories, can be simulated accurately with the global grid version of the present algorithm. However, comparison of computed velocities and vorticity with experimentally measured off-body values at an angle of attack of 20.5 deg indicates the core region is substantially more diffuse in the computations than that measured with either a five-hole probe or a laser velocimeter. Embedded grids, used to improve the numerical discretization in the core region, are formulated within the framework of the implicit, upwind-biased multi-grid algorithm. Structured levels of local nested refinements are made. Three-dimensional results for both Euler and Navier-Stokes calculations are shown, with up to 3 levels of embedded refinement. The embedding procedure was effective in eliminating a crossflow secondary separation produced in the Euler solutions on coarse grids.

Thomas, James L.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Damage and fracture in composite thin shells

The effect of fiber fracture on the load carrying capability and structural behavior of a composite cylindrical shell under internal pressure is investigated. An integrated computer code is utilized for the simulation of composite structural degradation under loading. Damage initiation, damage growth, fracture progression, and global structural fracture are included in the simulation. Results demonstrate the significance of local damage on the structural durability of pressurized composite cylindrical shells.

Minnetyan, Levon↗

NASA NTRS1991

Damping and structural control of the JPL phase 0 testbed structure

This paper describes recent advances in structural quieting technology as applied to active truss structures intended for high precision space based optics applications. The active structure incorporates piezoelectric active members which exert control forces internal to the structure and thereby improve the structure's dimensional stability. The control architecture involves two layers of feedback control. The first utilizes collocated measurements of force and velocity at the active member to achieve active damping, the second utilizes noncollocated measurements of acceleration at the location of a simulated optical component to achieve structural stabilization. The local control loops are based on the concept of impedance matching, the global control loops are designed using robust control methods. These two levels of control are intended to operate simultaneously; however, in this paper each approach is applied individually. The combined implementation is left for future work.

Fanson, James L.↗

NASA NTRS1991

A Mars environmental survey (MESUR) - Feasibility of a low cost global approach

In situ measurements of Mars' surface and atmosphere are the objectives of a novel network mission concept called the Mars Environmental SURvey (MESUR). As envisioned, the MESUR mission will emplace a pole-to-pole global distribution of 16 landers on the Martian surface over three launch opportunites using medium-lift (Delta-class) launch vehicles. The basic concept is to deploy small free-flying probes which would directly enter the Martian atmosphere, measure the upper atmospheric structure, image the local terrain before landing, and survive landing to perform meteorology, seismology, surface imaging, and soil chemistry measurements. Data will be returned via dedicated relay orbiter or direct-to-earth transmission. The mission philosophy is to: (1) 'grow' a network over a period of years using a series of launch opportunities; (2) develop a level-of-effort which is flexible and responsive to a broad set of objectives; (3) focus on Mars science while providing a solid basis for future human presence; and (4) minimize overall project cost and complexity wherever possible.

Hubbard, G. S.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Impact design methods for ceramic components in gas turbine engines

Methods currently under development to design ceramic turbine components with improved impact resistance are presented. Two different modes of impact damage are identified and characterized, i.e., structural damage and local damage. The entire computation is incorporated into the EPIC computer code. Model capability is demonstrated by simulating instrumented plate impact and particle impact tests.

Song, J.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Damage and fracture in composite thin shells

Minnetyan, Levon↗

NASA NTRS1993

Selection of experimental modal data sets for damage detection via model update

When using a finite element model update algorithm for detecting damage in structures, it is important that the experimental modal data sets used in the update be selected in a coherent manner. In the case of a structure with extremely localized modal behavior, it is necessary to use both low and high frequency modes, but many of the modes in between may be excluded. In this paper, we examine two different mode selection strategies based on modal strain energy, and compare their success to the choice of an equal number of modes based merely on lowest frequency. Additionally, some parameters are introduced to enable a quantitative assessment of the success of our damage detection algorithm when using the various set selection criteria.

Doebling, S. W.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Function approximations

A development status evaluation is presented for applications of main approximation concepts in nonlinear programming for structural optimization requiring local, midrange, and global approximations. It is noted that there is not yet a sufficient basis for a comprehensive evaluation of relative effectiveness among approximation concepts. Attention is presently given to the careful selection of intermediate-variable and response quantity, and improvements in the traditional Taylor-series expansion by inclusion of either some higher-order terms or information at various points in the design space.

Barthelemy, J.-F. M.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Intrinsic fatigue crack growth rates for Al-Li-Cu-Mg alloys in vacuum

The influences of microstructure and deformation mode on inert environment intrinsic fatigue crack propagation were investigated for Al-Li-Cu-Mg alloys AA2090, AA8090, and X2095 compared to AA2024. The amount of coherent shearable delta-prime (Al3Li) precipitates and extent of localized planar slip deformation were reduced by composition (increased Cu/Li in X2095) and heat treatment (double aging of AA8090). Intrinsic growth rates, obtained at high constant K(max) to minimize crack closure and in vacuum to eliminate any environmental effect, were alloy dependent; da/dN varied up to tenfold based on applied Delta-K or Delta-K/E. When compared based on a crack tip cyclic strain or opening displacement parameter, growth rates were equivalent for all alloys except X2095-T8, which exhibited unique fatigue crack growth resistance. Tortuous fatigue crack profiles and large fracture surface facets were observed for each Al-Li alloy independent of the precipitates present, particularly delta-prime, and the localized slip deformation structure. Reduced fatigue crack propagation rates for X2095 in vacuum are not explained by either residual crack closure or slip reversibility arguments; the origin of apparent slip band facets in a homogeneous slip alloy is unclear.

Slavik, D. C.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Experimental evaluation of certification trails using abstract data type validation

Certification trails are a recently introduced and promising approach to fault-detection and fault-tolerance. Recent experimental work reveals many cases in which a certification-trail approach allows for significantly faster program execution time than a basic time-redundancy approach. Algorithms for answer-validation of abstract data types allow a certification trail approach to be used for a wide variety of problems. An attempt to assess the performance of algorithms utilizing certification trails on abstract data types is reported. Specifically, this method was applied to the following problems: heapsort, Hullman tree, shortest path, and skyline. Previous results used certification trails specific to a particular problem and implementation. The approach allows certification trails to be localized to 'data structure modules,' making the use of this technique transparent to the user of such modules.

Wilson, Dwight S.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Adaptive Attitude Control System For Space Station

Report presents theoretical foundation for attitude control system for proposed Space Station Freedom in orbit around Earth. Intended to maintain space station in torque equilibrium with designated axes of its structure aligned with local vertical, local along-trajectory horizontal, and local across-trajectory horizontal axes, respectively. System required to provide desired combination of control performance and stability in presence of disturbances (e.g., variations in masses of payloads, movements of astronauts and equipment, atmospheric drag, gravitational anomalies, and interactions with docking spacecraft).

Boussalis, Dhemetrios↗

NASA NTRS1997

Interfacing Relativistic and Nonrelativistic Methods: A Systematic Sequence of Approximations

A systematic sequence of approximations for the introduction of relativistic effects into nonrelativistic molecular finite-basis set calculations is described. The theoretical basis for the approximations is the normalized elimination of the small component (ESC) within the matrix representation of the modified Dirac equation. The key features of the normalized method are the retention of the relativistic metric and the ability to define a single matrix U relating the pseudo-large and large component coefficient matrices. This matrix is used to define a modified set of one- and two-electron integrals which have the same appearance as the integrals of the Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian. The first approximation fixes the ratios of the large and pseudo-large components to their atomic values, producing an expansion in atomic 4-spinors. The second approximation defines a local fine-structure constant on each atomic centre, which has the physical value for centres considered to be relativistic and zero for nonrelativistic centres. In the latter case, the 4-spinors are the positive-energy kinetic al ly-balanced solutions of the Levy-Leblond equation, and the integrals involving pseudo-large component basis functions on these centres, are set to zero. Some results are presented for test systems to illustrate the various approximations.

Dyall, Ken↗