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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 37 records · Page 2

Year-Round Pack Ice in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica: Response and Sensitivity to Atmospheric and Oceanic Forcing

Using a dynamic-thermodynamic numerical sea-ice model, external oceanic and atmospheric forcings on sea ice in the Weddell Sea are examined to identify physical processes associated with the seasonal cycle of pack ice, and to identify further the parameters that coupled models need to consider in predicting the response of the pack ice to climate and ocean-circulation changes. In agreement with earlier studies, the primary influence on the winter ice-edge maximum extent is air temperature. Ocean heat flux has more impact on the minimum-ice-edge extent and in reducing pack-ice thickness, especially in the eastern-Weddell Sea. Low relative humidity enhances ice growth in thin ice and open-water regions, producing a more realistic ice edge along the coastal areas of the western-Weddell Sea where dry continental air has an impact. The modeled extent of the Weddell summer pack is equally sensitive to ocean heat flux and atmospheric relative humidity variations with the more dynamic responses being from the atmosphere. Since the atmospheric regime in the eastern Weddell is dominated by marine intrusions from lower latitudes, with high humidity already, it is unlikely that either the moisture trans- port could be further raised or that it could be significantly lowered because of its distance from the continent (the lower humidity source). Ocean heat-transport variability is shown to lead to overall ice thinning in the model response and is a known feature of the actual system, as evidenced by the occurrence of the Weddell Polynya in the mid 1970s.

Geiger, Cathleen A.↗

The stimulation of auroral kilometric radiation by type III solar radio bursts

It has been found that the onset of auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) frequently coincides with the arrival of type III solar radio bursts. Although the AKR onsets are usually abrupt and appear to be spontaneous, they sometimes develop from a discrete frequency near the leading edge of a type III burst or sometimes occur at progressively lower frequencies following that edge. From this, and the absence of the related solar electrons in specific cases, it was concluded that the incoming type III waves were sometimes responsible for stimulating auroral kilometric radiation. It was estimated that intense, isolated type III bursts were capable of stimulating AKR roughly one third of the time, and that at least ten percent of the observed AKR onsets could be attributed to these and weaker bursts, including some barely detectable by the ISEE plasma wave receivers.

Calvert, W.↗

Utilizing Chamber Data for Developing and Validating Climate Change Models

Controlled environment chambers (e.g. growth chambers, SPAR chambers, or open-top chambers) are useful for measuring plant ecosystem responses to climatic variables and CO2 that affect plant water relations. However, data from chambers was found to overestimate responses of C fluxes to CO2 enrichment. Chamber data may be confounded by numerous artifacts (e.g. sidelighting, edge effects, increased temperature and VPD, etc) and this limits what can be measured accurately. Chambers can be used to measure canopy level energy balance under controlled conditions and plant transpiration responses to CO2 concentration can be elucidated. However, these measurements cannot be used directly in model development or validation. The response of stomatal conductance to CO2 will be the same as in the field, but the measured response must be recalculated in such a manner to account for differences in aerodynamic conductance, temperature and VPD between the chamber and the field.

Monje, Oscar↗

A fundamental aeroservoelastic study combining unsteady CFD with adaptive control

This paper describes a two-dimensional aeroservoelastic study in the time domain. The model, which is based on exact inviscid aerodynamics, correctly represents the large amplitude motions and the associated strong shock dynamics in the transonic regime. The aeroservoelastic system consists of a two degree-of-freedom airfoil with a trailing edge control surface. Using first-order actuator dynamics, a digital adaptive controller is applied to provide active flutter suppression. Comparisons between time-responses of the open-loop and closed loop systems show the ability of the trailing edge control surface to suppress non-linear transonic aeroelastic phenomena. A relation between actuator dynamics, sampling time-step and limits on the flap deflection angle to guarantee the effectiveness of the adaptive controller was demonstrated by the results generated.

Friedmann, P.↗

Annoyance to Noise Produced by a Distributed Electric Propulsion High-Lift System

A psychoacoustic test was performed using simulated sounds from a distributed electric propulsion aircraft concept to help understand factors associated with human annoyance. A design space spanning the number of high-lift leading edge propellers and their relative operating speeds, inclusive of time varying effects associated with motor controller error and atmospheric turbulence, was considered. It was found that the mean annoyance response varies in a statistically significant manner with the number of propellers and with the inclusion of time varying effects, but does not differ significantly with the relative RPM between propellers. An annoyance model was developed, inclusive of confidence intervals, using the noise metrics of loudness, roughness, and tonality as predictors.

Rizzi, Stephen A.↗

Parameters Describing Earth Observing Remote Sensing Systems

The Earth science community needs to generate consistent and standard definitions for spatial, spectral, radiometric, and geometric properties describing passive electro-optical Earth observing sensors and their products. The parameters used to describe sensors and to describe their products are often confused. In some cases, parameters for a sensor and for its products are identical; in other cases, these parameters vary widely. Sensor parameters are bound by the fundamental performance of a system, while product parameters describe what is available to the end user. Products are often resampled, edge sharpened, pan-sharpened, or compressed, and can differ drastically from the intrinsic data acquired by the sensor. Because detailed sensor performance information may not be readily available to an international science community, standardization of product parameters is of primary performance. Spatial product parameters described include Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), point spread function, line spread function, edge response, stray light, edge sharpening, aliasing, ringing, and compression effects. Spectral product parameters discussed include full width half maximum, ripple, slope edge, and out-of-band rejection. Radiometric product properties discussed include relative and absolute radiometry, noise equivalent spectral radiance, noise equivalent temperature diffenence, and signal-to-noise ratio. Geometric product properties discussed include geopositional accuracy expressed as CE90, LE90, and root mean square error. Correlated properties discussed include such parameters as band-to-band registration, which is both a spectral and a spatial property. In addition, the proliferation of staring and pushbroom sensor architectures requires new parameters to describe artifacts that are different from traditional cross-track system artifacts. A better understanding of how various system parameters affect product performance is also needed to better ascertain the utility of existing datasets and products as well as to specify the performance of new sensors and products. Examples of simulations performed for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission illustrate how various parameters affect system and product performance. Specific examples include the effects of ground sample distance, MTF, and band-to-band registration on various products.

Zanoni, Vicki↗

Thermal control paints on LDEF: Results of M0003 sub-experiment 18

Several thermal control paints were flown on the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF), including the white paints Chemglaze A276, S13GLO, and YB-71, and the black paint D-111. The effects of low earth orbit, which includes those induced by UV radiation and atomic oxygen, varied significantly with each paint and its location on LDEF. For example, samples of Chemglaze A276 located on the trailing edge of LDEF darkened significantly due to UV-induced degradation of the paint's binder, while leading edge samples remained white but exhibited severe atomic oxygen erosion of the binder. Although the response of S13GLO to low earth orbit is much more complicated, it also exhibited greater darkening on trailing edge samples as compared to leading edge samples. In contrast, YB-71 and D-111 remained relatively stable and showed minimal degradation. The performance of these paints as determined by changes in their optical and physical properties, including solar absorptance as well as surface chemical changes and changes in surface morphology is examined. It will also provide a correlation of these optical and physical property changes to the physical phenomena that occurred in these materials during the LDEF mission.

Jaggers, C. H.↗

Development of Ni-based Multilayer Coatings for Extended Broadband X-ray Imaging

Next-generation astronomical hard x-ray telescopes require new multilayer coating designs to extend the current imaging capabilities into the 100’s of keV. W/Si and Pt/C demonstrate excellent reflectivity response and effective area up to approximately 70 and 80 keV but are severely limited beyond this due to Kα absorption lines. Lower-density metals provide a promising alternative to Pt and W for broader energy bands as their K-edges occur at significantly lower energies. Ni/C is such a low-density pairing that through modeling can achieve the desired energy responses. However, Ni is a notoriously difficult metal to sputter, often resulting is relatively low deposition rates and rough coating surfaces. The goal of this work is to characterize Ni/C multilayers using a custom deposition chamber at GSFC and determine the feasibility of these designs for future hard x-ray missions such as HEX-P.

Danielle N. Gurgew↗

Preliminary results of unsteady blade surface pressure measurements for the SR-3 propeller

Unsteady blade surface pressures were measured on an advanced, highly swept propeller known as SR-3. These measurements were obtained because the unsteady aerodynamics of these highly loaded transonic blades is important to noise generation and aeroelastic response. Specifically, the response to periodic angle-of-attack change was measured for both two- and eight-bladed configurations over a range of flight Mach numbers from 0.4 to 0.85. The periodic angle-of-attack change was obtained by placing the propeller axis at angles up to 4 deg to the flow. Most of the results are presented in terms of the unsteady pressure coefficient variation with Mach number. Both cascade and Mach number effects were largest on the suction surface near the leading edge. The results of a three-dimensional Euler code applied in a quasi-steady fashion were compared to measured data at the reduced frequency of 0.1 and showed relatively poor agreement. Pressure waveforms are shown that suggest shock phenomena may play an important part in the unsteady pressure response at some blade locations.

Heidelberg, L. J.↗

Preliminary results of unsteady blade surface pressure measurements for the SR-3 propeller

Unsteady blade surface pressures were measured on an advanced, highly swept propeller known as SR-3. These measurements were obtained because the unsteady aerodynamics of these highly loaded transonic blades is important to noise generation and aeroelastic response. Specifically, the response to periodic angle-of-attack change was measured for both two- and eight-bladed configurations over a range of flight Mach numbers from 0.4 to 0.85. The periodic angle-of-attack change was obtained by placing the propeller axis at angles up to 4 deg to the flow. Most of the results are presented in terms of the unsteady pressure coefficient variation with Mach number. Both cascade and Mach number effects were largest on the suction surface near the leading edge. The results of a three-dimensional Euler code applied in a quasi-steady fashion were compared to measured data at the reduced frequency of 0.1 and showed relatively poor agreement. Pressure waveforms are shown that suggest shock phenomena may play an important part in the unsteady pressure response at some blade locations.

Heidelberg, L. J.↗

Identification and Study of Validation Level Test Cases for Computational Modeling of Non-Charring Ablators

Computational modeling of Thermal Protection System (TPS) materials, used for aerospace applications, provides numerous advantages in preliminary selection and design of a heatshield material and shape for atmospheric entry vehicles. However, to serve as a reliable tool for prediction of material thermal and ablative behavior, the modeling approach needs to be validated against real experimental and flight data, preferably at a range of applied conditions. The validation study is typically very complex as it requires reliable measured data not only for the material thermal response and surface recession, but also well characterized environmental conditions. The validation problem becomes even more complex when the material thermal response is dictated by multi-physics effects such as solid conduction, in-depth thermal decomposition, pyrolysis gas flow and chemical reactions. The multi-physics effects complicate not only the modeling effort, but also the experimental measurement for validation of various aspects of the highly coupled problem. In this study, an attempt is made to identify suitable experimental data that could serve as a source for validation of material thermal response modeling tools. To reduce the computational complexity, this study focuses only on non-charring ablators, where the material thermal response could be modeled with a single governing equation for solid conduction and the ablation is limited only to the surface of the material. With a well characterized and publicly available experimental data being sparse, the study is limited in presenting test cases for only three materials: camphor, graphite and FiberForm® in the sequence of increased modeling complexity. Graphite is a commonly used TPS material for aerospace applications, both for leading edges of high-speed vehicles and internal insulation of solid rocket motors. FiberForm® is a porous carbon pre-form used in preparation of the well known PICA material Tran et al. [1996]. Inclusion of camphor into the list is conditioned with the relative simplicity in modeling the material thermal and chemical response and the low-enthalpy flow environment. In addition, camphor has been used as a simple test material for study of flow transition behavior by Stock and Ginoux [1973] and assessment of a heatshield shape change at flight relevant conditions by Rotondi et al. [2022]. In this work, the identified experimental data was extracted from the public literature and test cases that yet have been published. As it was found from the review, not a single test case contains an exhaustive set of data that would validate every aspect of the material physics. However, in the data collected, various aspects of the material behavior can be still validated, such as surface and in-depth temperature, amount of recession and a shape change. The identified experimental data for each case is accompanied with a characterized flow environment and simulated boundary conditions predicted by a Data-Parallel Line Relaxation (DPLR) code Wright et al. [1998]. In addition, material thermal response numerical simulations in each test case are performed with Kentucky Aerothermodynamics and Thermal Response System (KATS-MR) Zibitsker et al. [2022] providing a comparative study and a sanity check for the proposed validation data. Sample results from the performed numerical study are shown below. Figure 1 shows distribution of surface heat flux and pressure values on a hemi-cylinder model made of FiberForm® and tested in HyMETS arc-jet facility. The results are shown for the high pressure condition among the two tests. Flow simulation was performed with DPLR code on a quarter of original geometry. In the figure, the quarter shape was mirrored across zx and xy planes to show the complete distribution. Figure 2 shows the material response results for the high pressure case (7500 Pa), simulated with KATS-MR and a comparison to the experimental data for the surface temperature and shape shape. The simulation was performed on a 2-D slice, extracted in the xy plane at the middle of the sample. Figure 3 shows the material response simulation for the low pressure case (3500 Pa) and a comparison to the experimental data for surface temperature and shape change.

ablation↗

Aircraft System Noise Assessment of the NASA Single-Aisle Over-the-Wing Nacelle Configuration

A system noise assessment of the NASA single-aisle over-wing nacelle configuration, the OWN160, is carried out to estimate the performance of the configuration relative to NASA noise goals. The vehicle was first designed during the Environmentally Responsible Aviation(ERA)project, and last analyzed in 2016.Renewed interest in the concept necessitates an updated acoustic prediction. A model for jet-trailing edge interaction noise is developed from experimental data and included in the system noise assessment and analysis. Total system noise is predicted using NASA’s research-level Aircraft Noise Prediction Program (ANOPP-Research). Results are evaluated with and without the jet-trailing edge effect and compared to prior analysis and an equivalent conventional aircraft configuration, the TW160. The jet-trailing edge interaction affects the noise source ranking and increases the total noise of the OWN160, but the concept retains an advantage for noise reduction when compared to the conventional configuration with a cumulative reduction of 7.7 EPNdB (ERA results showed a 9.7 EPNdB reduction).

Kelly M Shelts↗

Behavioral Indicators in Air Traffic Controllers: How Do You Know When You Are Working at The Edge of Performance?

Air traffic controllers are responsible for the safety and efficiency of air traffic and therefore must maintain a consistently high standard of performance. However, performance can be negatively affected by factors such as workload and fatigue, potentially leading to performance decline and performance-related incidents. Real-time identification of negative influences would facilitate timely implementation of supportive strategies prior to performance decline. The current study aimed to explore the concept of ‘behavioral indicators’ to identify when a controller was reaching a performance limit. A second aim was to capture behavioral indicators associated with performance influencing factors. A total of 65 controllers spanning Tower, Approach and Enroute facilities across the United States of America were interviewed. Findings revealed that controllers were familiar with the concept of behavioral indicators, and that indicators were associated with specific performance-influencing factors. Implications for implementing behavioral indicators training in control environments are discussed.

behavioral indicators↗

Excess Heat Capacity in Mo/Au Transition Edge Sensor Bolometric Detectors

Excessheat capacity in a bolometric detector has the consequence of increasing or leading to multiple device time con-stants.The Mo/Au bilayer transition edge sensor (TES) bolo-metric detectors intended for the high resolution mid-infrared spectrometer (HIRMES) have two response time, one of which is a few times longer than that estimated from materials used in the design. The relative contribution of this settling time to the overall time response of the detectors is roughly proportional with the pixel area, which ranges between ~0.3 and 2.6 mm2.Use of laser ablation to remove sections of the silicon membranes comprising the pixels results in a detector response with a smaller contribution from the secondary time constant.Additional information about the nature of this excess heat capacity is gleaned from glancing in-cidence x-ray diffraction, which reveals the presence of molyb-denum silicides near the silicon surface from the bi-layer deposi-tion.Quantitative analysis of the concentration of excess molyb-denum, estimated with secondary ion mass spectroscopy, is com-mensurate to the additional heat capacity needed to explain the anomalous time response of the detectors.

HIRMES↗

Step Bunching: Influence of Impurities and Solution Flow

Step bunching results in striations even at relatively early stages of its development and in inclusions of mother liquor at the later stages. Therefore, eliminating step bunching is crucial for high crystal perfection. At least 5 major effects causing and influencing step bunching are known: (1) Basic morphological instability of stepped interfaces. It is caused by concentration gradient in the solution normal to the face and by the redistribution of solute tangentially to the interface which redistribution enhances occasional perturbations in step density due to various types of noise; (2) Aggravation of the above basic instability by solution flowing tangentially to the face in the same directions as the steps or stabilization of equidistant step train if these flows are antiparallel; (3) Enhanced bunching at supersaturation where step velocity v increases with relative supersaturation s much faster than linear. This v(s) dependence is believed to be associated with impurities. The impurities of which adsorption time is comparable with the time needed to deposit one lattice layer may also be responsible for bunching; (4) Very intensive solution flow stabilizes growing interface even at parallel solution and step flows; (5) Macrosteps were observed to nucleate at crystal corners and edges. Numerical simulation, assuming step-step interactions via surface diffusion also show that step bunching may be induced by random step nucleation at the facet edge and by discontinuity in the step density (a ridge) somewhere in the middle of a face. The corresponding bunching patterns produce the ones observed in experiment. The nature of step bunching generated at the corners and edges and by dislocation step sources, as well as the also relative importance and interrelations between mechanisms 1-5 is not clear, both from experimental and theoretical standpoints. Furthermore, several laws controlling the evolution of existing step bunches have been suggested, though unambiguous conclusions are still missing. Addressing these issues is the major goal of the present project. The theory addressing the above problem, experimental methods, several figures which include: (1) the spatial wave numbers at which the system is neutrally stable as a function of growth velocity for linear kinetics and supersaturation for nonlinear kinetics; (2) a schematic of the experiment of lysozyme crystal growing under conditions of natural convection; (3) fluctuations in time, t, of the normal growth rate, R(t), vicinal slope, p(t) and Fourier Spectra of R(t), discussions and conclusions are presented.

Chernov, A. A.↗

Spatial Resolution Determination with the Stennis Edge Target and NIIRS

Methodologies for determining the modulation transfer function (MTF) and National Imagery Interpretability Rating Scale (NIIRS) of airborne panchromatic and multispectral digital imaging cameras using the NASA Stennis Space Center (SSC) edge target have been developed. The application of NIIRS for determining the relative utility of data sets against various applications is discussed. Sampling requirements and optimal flightlines for focal plane imagers have been investigated. It is shown that with sufficient flight tilt angle, an adequate number of samples can be obtained to define the edge response accurately. The relationships between the tilt angle, Ground Sample Distance (GSD), and the number of samples are discussed. Sample results using commercially available data and the NASA SSC edge target are presented and compared to theoretical results.

Ryan, Robert↗

Abrupt Increases in Amazonian Tree Mortality Due to Drought-Fire Interactions

Interactions between climate and land-use change may drive widespread degradation of Amazonian forests. High-intensity fires associated with extreme weather events could accelerate this degradation by abruptly increasing tree mortality, but this process remains poorly understood. Here we present, to our knowledge, the first field-based evidence of a tipping point in Amazon forests due to altered fire regimes. Based on results of a large-scale, longterm experiment with annual and triennial burn regimes (B1yr and B3yr, respectively) in the Amazon, we found abrupt increases in fire-induced tree mortality (226 and 462%) during a severe drought event, when fuel loads and air temperatures were substantially higher and relative humidity was lower than long-term averages. This threshold mortality response had a cascading effect, causing sharp declines in canopy cover (23 and 31%) and aboveground live biomass (12 and 30%) and favoring widespread invasion by flammable grasses across the forest edge area (80 and 63%), where fires were most intense (e.g., 220 and 820 kW x m(exp −1)). During the droughts of 2007 and 2010, regional forest fires burned 12 and 5% of southeastern Amazon forests, respectively, compared with less than 1% in nondrought years. These results show that a few extreme drought events, coupled with forest fragmentation and anthropogenic ignition sources, are already causing widespread fire-induced tree mortality and forest degradation across southeastern Amazon forests. Future projections of vegetation responses to climate change across drier portions of the Amazon require more than simulation of global climate forcing alone and must also include interactions of extreme weather events, fire, and land-use change.

MODIS↗

Cockpit Window Edge Proximity Effects on Judgements of Horizon Vertical Displacement

To quantify the influence of a spatially fixed edge on vertical displacement threshold, twenty-four males (12 pilots, 12 non-pilots) were presented a series of forced choice, paired comparison trials in which a 32 deg arc wide, thin, luminous horizontal stimulus line moved smoothly downward through five angles from a common starting position within a three second-long period. The five angles were 1.4, 1.7, 2, 2.3, and 2.6 deg. Each angle was presented paired with itself and the other four angles in all combinations in random order. For each pair of trials the observer had to choose which trial possessed the largest displacement. A confidence response also was made. The independent variable was the angular separation between the lower edge of a stable 'window' aperture through which the stimulus was seen to move and the lowest position attained by the stimulus. It was found that vertical displacement accuracy is inversely related to the angle separating the stimulus and the fixed window edge (p = .05). In addition, there is a strong tendency for pilot confidence to be lower than that of non-pilots for each of the three angular separations. These results are discussed in erms of selected cockpit features and as they relate to how pilots judge changes in aircraft pitch attitude.

Haines, R. F.↗