Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “experimental measure”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 361 records · Page 20

Total Temperature Measurements using a Rearward Facing Probe in Supercooled Liquid Droplet and Ice Crystal Clouds

This paper presents an analysis of local total temperature and humidity experimental measurement taken in atmospheric ice cloud flows. The measurements were obtained in a series of tests in NASA's Propulsion Systems Laboratory. The probe used in the tests is referred to as the Rearward Facing Probe which was designed to mitigate the contamination effects of ice accretion and ingestion into the probe. The data provided important insights in the interaction of the ice cloud and the atmospheric flow. For the majority of the test runs, small temperature drops in the range of 0.6 to 2.8 C and up to 1.5 g/kg of water vapor rise were found as a result of the interaction. Under certain very low temperature or high TWC conditions, the interaction with the cloud produced a warming of the airflow. A thermal model based on evaporative and convective heat transfer mechanisms between the spray droplets and the airflow showed good agreement with the experimental data. Detailed analyses of the response of the probe under various flow, thermodynamic, and cloud conditions, are provided in the paper.

ice crystal↗

Ignition of magnesium powders in shock wave induced flows

Ignition of magnesium powders, resulting from an interaction with incident shock wave-induced flows, has been studied. A numerical analysis of particle dynamics and heating is presented and compared with experimental measurements. The induction period is strongly dependent on convective heat transfer and not on chemical reaction rate. Experimentally observed ignition delays were on the order of 100 microns and were inversely dependent on shock strength and initial pressure, directly dependent on particle size and cloud concentration, and independent of oxygen concentration down to 2.3 percent oxygen. Good agreement between experiment and theory was realized.

Fox, T. W.↗

Harmonic well matter densities and Pauli correlation effects in heavy-ion collisions

A generalized optical model heavy ion reaction theory is extended to include correlation effects between projectile and target constituents according to the Pauli exclusion principle. These correlation effects are significant for accurately predicting cross sections for projectile nucleus abrasions, but are relatively unimportant for determining total and absorption cross sections for heavy ion collisions. For lighter nuclei, predictive capabilities were also improved by developing an analytic method for extracting their nuclear single particle density distributions from experimentally measured harmonic well charge density distributions. This improved theory is compared with previous theoretical predictions and recent experimental results.

Townsend, L. W.↗

A comparison of experimental and theoretical results for rotordynamic coefficients of four annular gas seals

The test facility and initial test program developed to experimentally measure the fluid forces induced by annular gas seals is described. A comparison of theoretically predicted and experimentally obtained data for smooth and honeycomb seals is provided. And a comparison of experimental data from the tests of three smooth-rotor/smooth-stator seals is provided. The leakage of the working fluid through the seal, the pressure gradient along the seal length, entrance pressure-loss data, and rotordynamic coefficients provide a basis for comparison. A short discussion on seal theory is included, and various rotordynamic coefficient identification schemes are described.

Childs, D. W.↗

Two blowing concepts for roll and lateral control of aircraft

Two schemes to modulate aerodynamic forces for roll and lateral control of aircraft have been investigated. The first scheme, called the lateral blowing concept, consists of thin jets of air exiting spanwise, or at small angle with the spanwise direction, from slots at the tips of straight wings. For this scheme, in addition to experimental measurements, a theory was developed showing the analytical relationship between aerodynamic forces and jet and wing parameters. Experimental results confirmed the theoretically derived scaling laws. The second scheme, which was studied experimentally, is called the jet spoiler concept and consists of thin jets exiting normally to the wing surface from slots aligned with the spanwise direction.

Tavella, D. A.↗

Analysis of developing laminar flows in circular pipes using a higher-order finite-difference technique

A higher-order finite-difference technique is developed to calculate the developing-flow field of steady incompressible laminar flows in the entrance regions of circular pipes. Navier-Stokes equations governing the motion of such a flow field are solved by using this new finite-difference scheme. This new technique can increase the accuracy of the finite-difference approximation, while also providing the option of using unevenly spaced clustered nodes for computation such that relatively fine grids can be adopted for regions with large velocity gradients. The velocity profile at the entrance of the pipe is assumed to be uniform for the computation. The velocity distribution and the surface pressure drop of the developing flow then are calculated and compared to existing experimental measurements reported in the literature. Computational results obtained are found to be in good agreement with existing experimental correlations and therefore, the reliability of the new technique has been successfully tested.

Gladden, Herbert J.↗

A New Method for the Adaptive Control of Vortex-Wall Interactions

The control of vortical flows is gaining significance in the design of aeronautical and marine structures. While passive devices have been used effectively in the past, active control strategies have the potential of allowing a leap in the performance of future configurations. The efficiency of control schemes is strongly dependent on the development of accurate flow models that can be devised using information that is available not only from numerical solutions of the governing Navier-Stokes equations but also can be measured experimentally. In that context it is desirable to construct adaptive control schemes using information that can be measured at the wall.

Koumoutsakos, P.↗

Comparison of PLIF and CFD Results for the Orion CEV RCS Jets

Nitric-oxide planar laser-induced fluorescence (NO PLIF) was used to visualize and measure centerline streamwise velocity of the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) Reaction Control System (RCS) Jets at NASA Langley Research Center's 31-Inch Mach 10 Air wind tunnel. Fluorescence flow visualizations of pitch, roll, and yaw RCS jets were obtained using different plenum pressures and wind tunnel operating stagnation pressures. For two yaw RCS jet test cases, the PLIF visualizations were compared to computational flow imaging (CFI) images based on Langley Aerothermal Upwind Relaxation Algorithm (LAURA) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of the flowfield. For the same test cases, the streamwise velocity measurements were compared to CFD. The CFD solution, while showing some unphysical artifacts, generally agree with the experimental measurements.

Ivey, Christopher B.↗

Effects of alloy composition on cyclic flame hot-corrosion attack of cast nickel-base superalloys at 900 deg C

The effects of Cr, Al, Ti, Mo, Ta, Nb, and W content on the hot corrosion of nickel base alloys were investigated. The alloys were tested in a Mach 0.3 flame with 0.5 ppmw sodium at a temperature of 900 C. One nondestructive and three destructive tests were conducted. The best corrosion resistance was achieved when the Cr content was 12 wt %. However, some lower-Cr-content alloys ( 10 wt%) exhibited reasonable resistance provided that the Al content alloys ( 10 wt %) exhibited reasonable resistance provided that the Al content was 2.5 wt % and the Ti content was Aa wt %. The effect of W, Ta, Mo, and Nb contents on the hot-corrosion resistance varied depending on the Al and Ti contents. Several commercial alloy compositions were also tested and the corrosion attack was measured. Predicted attack was calculated for these alloys from derived regression equations and was in reasonable agreement with that experimentally measured. The regression equations were derived from measurements made on alloys in a one-quarter replicate of a 2(7) statistical design alloy composition experiment. These regression equations represent a simple linear model and are only a very preliminary analysis of the data needed to provide insights into the experimental method.

Deadmore, D. L.↗

Geometry and Unoccupied Electronic States of Ba and BaO on W(001)

A study aimed at understanding the geometrical and electronic properties of barium and oxygen coadsorbed on the tungsten(001) surface has been carried out by means of work-function measurements (Delta-phi), Auger-electron spectroscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, inverse photoelectron spectroscopy, and relativistic-electronic-structure calculations. A report of the experimental measurements and a comparison with theoretical results from embedded-cluster-model calculations are presented. Our experimental studies show that the work function of the W(001) surface (phi = 4.63 eV) is lowered to approximately 2.3-2.4 eV by coadsorption of 1 ML of Ba and O regardless of the order of deposition of these two species. The technique of IPS in the isochromat mode was used to determine the unoccupied electronic-energy band structure for ordered c (2 X 2) Ba and O layers on W(001). Several spectral features are observed above the Fermi level (E(F)), which we assign to transitions into Ba and W d-states. The measured two-dimensional electronic band structure is independent of the order of Ba and O deposition. Using embedded-cluster-model calculations, we investigated two possible adsorption configurations of an ordered c(2 X 2) adlayer of Ba and O on W(001): 'tilted,' where Ba and O are placed on alternate fourfold-hollow sites, and 'upright,' where the adsorbed atoms lay above the same site with Ba outer-most. The calculated densities of states for the tilted geometry show distinct peaks above E(F) originating from Ba and W d-orbitals and are in good agreement with the experimental results.

Lamouri, A.↗

A Review of Evidence for High Life Coefficients on Propeller and Rotor Blades Under Static Thrust Conditions with Some New Experimental Results

Interest has increased recently in the thrust-producing capability of rotors at very high collective pitch angles. An early reference noted this behaviour in rotors and offered alternative models for section lift characteristics to explain it. The same phenomenon was coincidentally noted and used in a propeller code, resulting in very good correlation with static thrust data. The proposed paper will present experimental data demonstrating the pronounced persistence of thrust for propellers at increasing collective pitch angles. Comparisons with blade element/momentum theory will be made. These results are expected to point to the need to define (ultimately to explain) aerodynamic lift and drag behaviour in a rotating environment. Experimental measurements made by the U.S. Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate at the Ames Research Center have shown that locally measured normal force coefficients along the span of a highly twisted rotor blade continue to increase at high values of collective pitch. In some cases these coefficients exceed expected values for the same type of airfoil tested under two dimensional conditions. To date no one to the authors' knowledge has defined the variation of C(n) with pitch for very high angles (to 45 deg) in a rotating environment and for a blade of reasonably high aspect ratio; however, total propeller thrust measurements support the idea that stalling does not occur in the same way as on a wing. This paper will present experimental data in the form of surface pressure distributions as well as flow visualization (microtufts) to explore the aerodynamic behavior of the rotating airfoil at high values of blade incidence. This paper also reviews experimental evidence and infers some high lift coefficient behavior from it. Comparisons between predicted thrust, utilizing modified airfoil characteristics and a blade element model, and measured thrust for both rotors and propellers that cover the extremes of collective pitch are shown and discussed.

Talbot, Peter D.↗

Indoor and outdoor measurements of performance of photovoltaic arrays

A description of the techniques and methodology for making outdoor I-V measurements of solar cells is given. Temperature and irradiance measurement, experimental arrangement, data acquisition system and I-V data transformations are discussed. Data are presented comparing outdoor measurements to indoor measurements using a pulsed solar simulator.

Curtis, H. B.↗

Navier-Stokes analysis and experimental data comparison of compressible flow in a diffusing S-duct

Full three-dimensional Navier-Stokes computational results are compared with new experimental measurements for the flowfield within a round diffusing S-duct. The present study extends previous computational and experimental results for a similar smaller scale S-duct. Predicted results are compared with the experimental static and total pressure fields, and velocity vectors. Additionally, wall pressures, velocity profiles in wall coordinates, and skin friction values are presented. The CFD results employ algebraic and k-epsilon turbulence models. The CFD computed and experimentally determined separated flowfield is carefully examined.

Harloff, Gary J.↗

Navier-Stokes analysis and experimental data comparison of compressible flow in a diffusing S-duct

Full three-dimensional Navier-Stokes computational results are compared with new experimental measurements for the flowfield within a round diffusing S-duct. The present study extends previous computational and experimental results for a similar smaller scale S-duct. Predicted results are compared with the experimental static and total pressure fields, and velocity vectors. Additionally, wall pressures, velocity profiles in wall coordinates, and skin friction values are presented. The CFD results employ algebraic and k-epsilon turbulence models. The CFD computed and experimentally determined separated flowfield is carefully examined.

Harloff, Gary J.↗

Preliminary Development and Testing of a Self-Injecting Gallium MPD Thruster

Discharge current and terminal voltage measurements were performed on a gallium electromagnetic thruster at discharge currents in the range of 20-54 kA. It was found that the arc impedance has a value of 6-7 m(Omega) at peak current. The absence of high-frequency oscillations in the terminal voltage trace indicates lack of the "onset" condition often seen in MPD arcs, suggesting that a sufficient number of charge carriers are present for current conduction. The mass ablated per pulse was not measured experimentally; however the mass flow rate was calculated using an ion current assumption and an anode power balance. Measurement of arc impedance predicts a temperature of 3.5 eV which from Saha equilibrium corresponds to Z = 2.0 - 3.5, and assuming Z = 2 yields an Isp of 3000 s and thrust efficiency of 50%.

Thomas, Robert E.↗

Transonic airfoil calculations including wind tunnel wall-interference effects

The results of Reynolds-averaged time-dependent inviscid and turbulent compressible Navier-Stokes computations using the implicit finite-difference approach of Steger (1978), modified by incorporating a pressure boundary condition, (PBC) to account for wall interference are compared with experimental data on a NACA 64A010 airfoil (Johnson and Bachalo, 1980) in graphs and briefly characterized. The computational approach is the same as that used by King and Johnson (1980), but a 137 x 50 mesh is used instead of a 97 x 35 mesh, and special care is taken in resolving the nose, shock, and trailing-edge regions. Imposition of PBC is shown to improve significantly the accuracy of the computations for the flowfield on the upper surface of the airfoil, shifting the shock forward to its experimentally measured position in the case of turbulent flow. The failure of the method, even with PBC, to match the experimental shock location in the case of a flow with a separation bubble is attributed to inadequacies in the algebraic turbulence model employed (Baldwin and Lomax, 1978).

King, L. S.↗

Bond verification of space shuttle tiles using time-domain techniques

The application of a high-resolution time-domain reflectometer (TDR) to the detection of faulty bonds in space shuttle tile structures is discussed. Experimental measurements on bonded and debonded tiles are included to demonstrate the technique. Computer simulations were used to verify the experimental results. A criterion for bond verification is proposed.

Bennia, Abdelhak↗

Large area QNDE inspection for airframe integrity

Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation (QNDE) technology is being developed to provide new options for cost effective inspection of airframes. An R&D effort based on five NDE technologies is addressing questions of structural bonding assessment, corrosion detection, multisite damage detection, and fatigue characterization. The research/applications are being conducted by prioritized focussing and staging of the following technologies: (1) thermal NDE; (2) ultrasonic NDE; (3) coherent optical NDE; (4) magnetic imaging NDE; and (5) radiographic NDE. The focus here is on the most recent applications of thermal NDE technology to large area inspection of lap-joint and stiffener bonds. The approach is based on pulsed radiant heating of the airframe and measurement of the surface temperature of the structure with an infrared imager. Several advantages of the technique are that it is noncontacting, inspects one square meter area in a period of less than 2 minutes and has no difficulty inspecting typical curvatures of the fuselage. Numerical models of heat flow in these geometries are used to determine appropriate techniques for reduction of the infrared images, thereby delineating regions of disbonds. These models are also used to determine the optimum heating and measurement times for maximizing the contrast between bonded and unbonded structures. Good agreement is found between these results and experimental measurements, and a comparison of the two are presented. Also presented are results of measurements on samples with fabricated defects which show the technique is able to clearly indicate regions of disbonds. Measurements on an airframe also clearly image subsurface structure.

Winfree, William P.↗