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At least 37 records · Page 2

Space station capability for research in rotational hypogravity

Certain capabilities provided in preliminary designs of orbital space stations for research in rotational hypogravity are outlined. Also indicated are alternative configurations that are being considered. Principal addresses are members of an international community of physiologists whose work in earth oriented, as well as space oriented, physiology can be supported through observation under the background environment of null gravity. Their participation in originating and devising advanced experiments and in developing requirements is expected to enhance final design of the selected space station and to make the research program more meaningful.

Keller, G.↗

Interactions of form and orientation

It is well known that the orientation of an optical pattern relative to egocentric or extraneous references affects its figural quality, that is, alters its perceived form and concomitantly delays or quickens its identification (Rock 1973). A square presented in the frontal plane to an upright person (S), for instance, changes from a box to a diamond when it is rotated with respect to the S's median plane by 45 deg. This angle, that is, the angle between the orientations of the pattern in which the two apparent figures (Gestalten) attain a summit of purity and distinctness, will be called the figural disparity of the pattern. If, as in this case, the S is upright, the retinal meridian and the subjective vertical (SV) are both in the viewer's median plane. The question arises with respect to which of these orientation references the two figures are identified. The answer may be found when the pattern and the S are oriented in such a way that the projections of the retinal meridian and the SV into the plane of the pattern diverge by the pattern's figural disparity or its periodic multiples: that is, in this case of a square by 45 or 135 deg, respectively. Similarly, which reference determines whether an equilateral triangle is seen as a pyramid or a traffic warning sign may be revealed at a divergence of SV and retinal meridian of 60 or 180 deg, respectively. It is generally found that for head roll tilts (Rho) and figural disparities of up to 90 deg, the figure whose axis coincides with the SV is seen. At head tilts of Rho=180 deg, however, the retinal reference dominates, as a rule independently of the figural disparity.

Mittelstaedt, Horst↗

Extraction of lead and ridge characteristics from SAR images of sea ice

Image-processing techniques for extracting the characteristics of lead and pressure ridge features in SAR images of sea ice are reported. The methods are applied to a SAR image of the Beaufort Sea collected from the Seasat satellite on October 3, 1978. Estimates of lead and ridge statistics are made, e.g., lead and ridge density (number of lead or ridge pixels per unit area of image) and the distribution of lead area and orientation as well as ridge length and orientation. The information derived is useful in both ice science and polar operations for such applications as albedo and heat and momentum transfer estimates, as well as ship routing and offshore engineering.

Vesecky, John F.↗

Reversal ion source - A new source of negative ion beams

A new type of ion source utilizing beams of electrons and target molecules, rather than a diffuse, volume plasma, is described. The source utilizes an electrostatic electron 'mirror' which reverses trajectories in an electron beam, producing electrons at their turning point having a distribution of velocities centered at zero velocity. A gas which attaches zero-velocity electrons is introduced at this turning point. Negative ions are produced by an attachment or dissociative attachment process. For many of the thermal electron-attaching molecules the cross sections can be quite large, varying as the inverse square root of the electron energy or just the s-wave threshold law. The efficiency and current density of the ion source for production of Cl(-) through the large, thermal energy attachment process is estimated. It is argued that the source can be used for the production of negative ions through attachment resonances located at higher energies as well.

Orient, O. J.↗

The long term stability of VLBI earth orientation measurements

Tectonic motions will, in general, change the orientation as well as the length of baselines used in Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), and will thus cause slow divergences between earth orientation results obtained with different VLBI networks, as well as between VLBI results and those obtained by satellite laser ranging and lunar laser ranging. Such drifts (on the order of a milliarcsecond/year) are inherently interesting as well as being significant in combinations of orientation results from different sources. The geodetic study of tectonic motions is also closely connected to research into the nature and causes of systematic errors in data from the modern techniques of space geodesy. Both a special coordinate system found to be of use in the analysis of VLBI data and tectonic motion estimates for a VLBI baseline stretching from California to Australia are described.

Eubanks, T. M.↗

"Hybrid fracture/matrix modeling for well completion options evaluation"

Orientation and completion for well pairs that have been subjected to multi-zonal stimulation play a critical role in the long-term performance of an Enhanced Geothermal Reservoir. Here we present the development of a methodology to rapidly and efficiently numerically simulate mixed fracture-matrix flow systems for evaluation of well design and completion options. The methodology is based on a loose coupling framework, allowing the fracture and matrix systems to be meshed separately. The fracture system includes the integration of fracture growth and aperture data from well stimulation simulations of stochastically generated fracture networks. Automatic mesh refinement is used in the matrix simulation to resolve heat transfer near the fracture network. This simulation framework is used to efficiently determine optimal production and injection well placement using adaptive sampling.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

High-Strength Composite Fabric Tested at Structural Benchmark Test Facility

Large sheets of ultrahigh strength fabric were put to the test at NASA Glenn Research Center's Structural Benchmark Test Facility. The material was stretched like a snare drum head until the last ounce of strength was reached, when it burst with a cacophonous release of tension. Along the way, the 3-ft square samples were also pulled, warped, tweaked, pinched, and yanked to predict the material's physical reactions to the many loads that it will experience during its proposed use. The material tested was a unique multi-ply composite fabric, reinforced with fibers that had a tensile strength eight times that of common carbon steel. The fiber plies were oriented at 0 and 90 to provide great membrane stiffness, as well as oriented at 45 to provide an unusually high resistance to shear distortion. The fabric's heritage is in astronaut space suits and other NASA programs.

Krause, David L.↗

Perovskite superlattices with efficient carrier dynamics

Compared with their three-dimensional (3D) counterparts, low-dimensional metal halide perovskites (2D and quasi-2D; B 2 A n-1 M n X 3n+1 , such as B = R-NH 3 + , A = HC(NH 2 ) 2 + , Cs + ; M = Pb 2+ , Sn 2+ ; X = Cl - , Br - , I - ) with periodic inorganic-organic structures have shown promising stability and hysteresis-free electrical performance. However, their unique multiple-quantum-well structure limits the device efficiencies because of the grain boundaries and randomly oriented quantum wells in polycrystals. In single crystals, the carrier transport through the thickness direction is hindered by the layered insulating organic spacers. Furthermore, the strong quantum confinement from the organic spacers limits the generation and transport of free carriers. Also, lead-free metal halide perovskites have been developed but their device performance is limited by their low crystallinity and structural instability 11 . Here, in this paper, we report a low-dimensional metal halide perovskite BA 2 MA n-1 Sn n I 3n+1 (BA, butylammonium; MA, methylammonium; n = 1, 3, 5) superlattice by chemical epitaxy. The inorganic slabs are aligned vertical to the substrate and interconnected in a criss-cross 2D network parallel to the substrate, leading to efficient carrier transport in three dimensions. A lattice-mismatched substrate compresses the organic spacers, which weakens the quantum confinement. The performance of a superlattice solar cell has been certified under the quasi-steady state, showing a stable 12.36% photoelectric conversion efficiency. Moreover, an intraband exciton relaxation process may have yielded an unusually high open-circuit voltage (V OC ).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The space orientation of stars

Stellar rotation periods recently determined from short-term variations in Ca II H and K emission-line flux associated with starspot activity can be combined with both rotational spectral-line-broadening velocity measurements and independent measurements of stellar radii to give the inclination of the star's rotation axis to the line of sight. Assuming that the limits of distribution of sunspots on the sun apply similarly to solar-type stars, interferometric measurements of stellar radii in Ca II H and K flux may be performed to determine the clock-like, on-the-plane-of-the-sky orientation as well. Various stellar-radius measuring techniques are discussed, and photon limits on the measurability of this latter parameter are derived for Ca II H and K speckle interferometry. The accuracy with which the space orientation of stars can be determined is discussed in the context of existing data as well as photon limits. The importance of determining the space orientation of stars is then discussed, with emphasis on its important application to the present search for extrasolar planetary systems.

Doyle, L. R.↗

Effect of elastic anisotropy on thermally induced distortions of a laser beam in single cubic syngony crystals with radial cooling. Part I

We have studied thermally induced distortions of a beam in single cubic syngony crystals of all symmetry groups with an anisotropic elastic stiffness tensor. The arithmetic mean and the difference between the thermally induced phase incursions of eigenpolarisations, as well as the angle of incidence of these polarisations, are calculated for a long rod and a thin disk with radial cooling under uniform volume pumping of the active element. The position of the specific crystal orientations unrelated to its symmetry elements is investigated. The effective values of the thermo-optical constant Q in two specific orientations, as well as the thermo-optical constant P in an arbitrary orientation, are found. (invited paper)

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Mechanically induced orientation of adult rat cardiac myocytes in vitro

The present study describes the spatial orientation of a population of freshly isolated adult rat cardiac myocytes using a computerized mechanical cell stimulator device for tissue cultured cells. A continuous unidirectional stretch of the substratum at 60 to 400 microns/min for 120 to 30 min, respectively, during the cell attachment period in a serum-free medium was found to induce a significant threefold increase in the number of rod-shaped myocytes oriented parallel to the direction of movement. The myocytes orient less well with unidirectional substratum stretching after their adhesion to the substratum. Adult myocytes plated onto a substratum undergoing continuous 10-percent stretch-relaxation cycling show no significant change in the myocyte orientation or cytoskeletal organization. In addition to the type of mechanical activity, orientation of rod-shaped myocytes is dependent on the speed of the substratum, the final stretch amplitude, and the timing between initiation of substratum stretching and adhesion of myocytes to the substratum.

Samuel, J.-L.↗

Factors controlling injection-induced rupture of intersecting faults during geological sequestration of CO 2

This study addresses coupled multiphase fluid flow and geomechanics effects on potential fault activation associated with subsurface CO 2 injection around intersecting faults. An enhanced fault-representation model is used to capture geomechanical responses of two intersecting faults with finite length during CO 2 injection. The faults are embedded in a strike-slip stress regime of a caprock-reservoir-basement system with the faults represented by zero-thickness interfaces with adjacent finite-thickness damage zones. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to study the effect of fault permeability, slip-weakening behavior, well location relative to the orientation of faults, and well placement (the number and location of injection wells). Five metrics (pressure, CO 2 plume, shear state on the fault, as well as shear displacement and stress path at selected fault monitoring points) are selected to assess CO 2 migration and reactivation of intersecting faults. The results show that induced ruptures are favored by low permeability faults due to high pressure buildup and by slip-weakening behavior resulting from fault strength reduction. The location of one injection well relative to fault orientation determines the magnitude of changes in effective normal stress and shear stress, affecting the location of induced ruptures. Well placement (two injection wells used in the paper) dominates pressure diffusion around the intersection and tips of faults. This redistributes changes in effective normal stress caused by each injection well, influencing the spatial distribution of ruptures along faults. A larger injection volume induces far-field ruptures that are controlled by stress transfer within the injection layer. The findings presented here can provide valuable insights into engineering operations for a long-term, safe, and reliable geologic CO 2 storage.

Fault permeability↗

A time dependent anatomically detailed model of cardiac conduction

In order to understand the determinants of transitions in cardiac electrical activity from normal patterns to dysrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation, we are constructing an anatomically and physiologically detailed finite element simulation of myocardial electrical propagation. A healthy human heart embedded in paraffin was sectioned to provide a detailed anatomical substrate for model calculations. The simulation of propagation includes anisotropy in conduction velocity due to fiber orientation as well as gradients in conduction velocities, absolute and relative refractory periods, action potential duration and electrotonic influence of nearest neighbors. The model also includes changes in the behaviour of myocardial tissue as a function of the past local activity. With this model, we can examine the significance of fiber orientation and time dependence of local propagation parameters on dysrhythmogenesis.

Computer Simulation↗

The Modified Void Nucleation and Growth Model (MNAG) for Damage Evolution in BCC Ta

A void coalescence term was proposed as an addition to the original void nucleation and growth (NAG) model to accurately describe void evolution under dynamic loading. The new model, termed as modified void nucleation and growth model (MNAG model), incorporated analytic equations to explicitly account for the evolution of the void number density and the void volume fraction (damage) during void nucleation, growth, as well as the coalescence stage. The parameters in the MNAG model were fitted to molecular dynamics (MD) shock data for single-crystal and nanocrystalline Ta, and the corresponding nucleation, growth, and coalescence rates were extracted. The results suggested that void nucleation, growth, and coalescence rates were dependent on the orientation as well as grain size. Compared to other models, such as NAG, Cocks–Ashby, Tepla, and Tonks, which were only able to reproduce early or later stage damage evolution, the MNAG model was able to reproduce all stages associated with nucleation, growth, and coalescence. The MNAG model could provide the basis for hydrodynamic simulations to improve the fidelity of the damage nucleation and evolution in 3-D microstructures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Noise Spectra and Directivity For a Scale-Model Landing Gear

An extensive experimental study has been conducted to acquire detailed noise spectra and directivity data for a high-fidelity, 6.3%-scale, Boeing 777 main landing gear. The measurements were conducted in the NASA Langley Quiet Flow Facility using a 41-microphone directional array system positioned at a range of polar and azimuthal observer angles with respect to the model. DAMAS (Deconvolution Approach for the Mapping of Acoustic Sources) array processing as well as straightforward individual microphone processing were employed to compile unique flyover and sideline directivity databases for a range of freestream Mach numbers (0.11 - 0.17) covering typical approach conditions. Comprehensive corrections were applied to the test data to account for shear layer ray path and amplitude variations. This allowed proper beamforming at different measurement orientations, as well as directivity presentation in free-field emission coordinates. Four different configurations of the landing gear were tested: a baseline configuration with and without an attached side door, and a noise reduction concept "toboggan" truck fairing with and without side door. DAMAS noise source distributions were determined. Spectral analyses demonstrated that individual microphones could establish model spectra. This finding permitted the determination of unique, spatially-detailed directivity contours of spectral band levels over a hemispherical surface. Spectral scaling for the baseline model confirmed that the acoustic intensity scaled with the expected sixth-power of the Mach number. Finally, comparison of spectra and directivity between the baseline gear and the gear with an attached toboggan indicated that the toboggan fairing may be of some value in reducing gear noise over particular frequency ranges.

Humphreys, William M., Jr.↗

Orientation-Controlled Large-Area Epitaxial PbI 2 Thin Films with Tunable Optical Properties

Lead iodide (PbI 2 ) as a layered material has emerged as an excellent candidate for optoelectronics in the visible and ultraviolet regime. Micrometer-sized flakes synthesized by mechanical exfoliation from bulk crystals or by physical vapor deposition have shown a plethora of applications from low-threshold lasing at room temperature to high-performance photodetectors with large responsivity and faster response. However, large-area centimeter-sized growth of epitaxial thin films of PbI 2 with well-controlled orientation has been challenging. Additionally, the nature of grain boundaries in epitaxial thin films of PbI 2 remains elusive. Here, we use mica as a model substrate to unravel the growth mechanism of large-area epitaxial PbI 2 thin films. The partial growth leading to uncoalesced domains reveals the existence of inversion domain boundaries in epitaxial PbI 2 thin films on mica. Combining the experimental results with first-principles calculations, we also develop an understanding of the thermodynamic and kinetic factors that govern the growth mechanism, which paves the way for the synthesis of high-quality large-area PbI 2 on other substrates and heterostructures of PbI 2 on single-crystalline graphene. Here, the ability to reproducibly synthesize high-quality large-area thin films with precise control over orientation and tunable optical properties could open up unique and hitherto unavailable opportunities for the use of PbI 2 and its heterostructures in optoelectronics, twistronics, substrate engineering, and strain engineering.

2D materials↗

Heat transfer in rotating serpentine passages with selected model orientation for smooth or skewed trip walls

Experiments were conducted to determine the effects of model orientation as well as buoyancy and Coriolis forces on heat transfer in turbine blade internal coolant passages. Turbine blades have internal coolant passage surfaces at the leading and trailing edges of the airfoil with surfaces at angles which are as large as +/- 50 to 60 degrees to the axis of rotation. Most of the previously-presented, multiple-passage, rotating heat transfer experiments have focused on radial passages aligned with the axis of rotation. Results from serpentine passages with orientations 0 and 45 degrees to the axis of rotation which simulate the coolant passages for the mid chord and trailing edge regions of the rotating airfoil are compared. The experiments were conducted with rotation in both directions to simulate serpentine coolant passages with the rearward flow of coolant or with the forward flow of coolant. The experiments were conducted for passages with smooth surfaces and with 45 degree trips adjacent to airfoil surfaces for the radial portion of the serpentine passages. At a typical flow condition, the heat transfer on the leading surfaces for flow outward in the first passage with smooth walls was twice as much for the model at 45 degrees compared to the model at 0 degrees. However, the differences for the other passages and with trips were less. In addition, the effects of buoyancy and Coriolis forces on heat transfer in the rotating passage were decreased with the model at 45 degrees, compared to the results at 0 degrees. The heat transfer in the turn regions and immediately downstream of the turns in the second passage with flow inward and in the third passage with flow outward was also a function of model orientation with differences as large as 40 to 50 percent occurring between the model orientations with forward flow and rearward flow of coolant.

Johnson, B. V.↗

Roughness-induced generation of crossflow vortices in three-dimensional boundary layers

The receptivity theory of Goldstein and Ruban is extended within the nonasymptotic (quasi-parallel) framework of Zavol'skii et al to predict the roughness-induced generation of stationary and nonstationary instability waves in three-dimensional, incompressible boundary layers. The influence of acoustic-wave orientation, as well as that of different types of roughness geometries, including isolated roughness elements, periodic arrays, and two-dimensional lattices of compact roughness shapes, as well as random, but spatially homogeneous roughness distributions, is examined. The parametric study for the Falkner-Skan-Cooke family of boundary layers supports our earlier conjecture that the initial amplitudes of roughness-induced stationary vortices are likely to be significantly larger than the amplitudes of similarly induced nonstationary vortices in the presence of acoustic disturbances in the free stream. Maximum unsteady receptivity occurs when the acoustic velocity fluctuation is aligned with the wavenumber vector of the unsteady vortex mode. On the other hand, roughness arrays that are oriented somewhere close to the group velocity direction are likely to produce higher instability amplitudes. Limitations of the nonasymptotic theory are discussed, and future work is suggested.

Choudhari, Meelan↗