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At least 361 records · Page 20

Sub-daily sea ice motion and deformation from RADARSAT observations

We find a persistent level of oscillatory sea ice motion and deformation, superimposed on the large-scale wind-driven field, in May 2002 (spring) and February 2003 (mid-winter), in the high Arctic over a region centered at approx.(85degreeN, 135degreeW). At this latitude, the RADARSAT wide-swath SAR coverage provides 4??equential observations every day, for ice motion retrieval, with a sampling interval at the orbital period of approx. 101 minutes.

ice motion ice mechanics oceanography↗

Geological Map of the Fredegonade (V-57) Quadrangle, Venus: Status Report

The Fredegonde quadrangle (V-57; 50-75degS, 60-120degE, Fig. 1) corresponds to the northeastern edge of Lada Terra and covers a broad area of the topographic province of midlands (0-2 km above MPR [1,2]). This province is most abundant on Venus and displays a wide variety of units and structures [3-11]. The sequence of events that formed the characteristic features of the midlands is crucially important in understanding of the timing and modes of evolution of this topographic province. Topographically, the Fredegonde quadrangle is within a transition zone between the elevated portion of Lada Terra to the west (Quetzalpetlatl-Boala Coronae rise, approx.3.5 km) and the lowland of Aino Planitia to the north and northeast (approx.-0.5 km). This transition is one of the key features of the V-57 quadrangle. In this respect the quadrangle resembles the region of V-4 quadrangle [12] that shows transition between the midlands and the lowlands of Atalanta Planitia. One of the main goals of our mapping within the V-57 quadrangle is comparison of this region with the other transitional topographic zones such as quadrangles V-4 and V-3 [13]. The most prominent features in the V-57 quadrangle are linear deformational zones of grooves and large coronae. The zones characterize the central and NW portions of the map area and represent broad (up to 100s of km wide) ridges that are 100s of m high. Morphologically and topographically, these zones are almost identical to the groove belt/corona complexes at the western edge of Atalanta Planitia [12]. Within the Fredegonde area, however, the zones are oriented at high angles to the general trend of elongated Aino Planitia, whereas within the V-4 quadrangle they are parallel to the edge of Atalanta Planitia. Relatively small (100s of km across, 100s of m deep) equidimensional basins occur between the corona-groove-chains in the area of V-57 quadrangle. These basins are similar to those that populate the area of the V-3 quadrangle [13]. Broad regional plains cover the surface of the basins in both regions. In contrast to Fredegonde, the area of the V-3 quadrangle displays a greater diversity of units and features [13]. Here we describe units that make up the surface within the V-57 quadrangle and present a summary of our geological map that shows the areal distribution of the major groups of units.

Ivanov, M. A.↗

Rotating Rig Development for Droplet Deformation/Breakup and Impact Induced by Aerodynamic Surfaces

This work presents the development of a Rotating Rig Facility by the Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial (INTA) in cooperation with the NASA Glenn Research Center. The facility is located at the INTA installations near Madrid, Spain. It has been designed to study the deformation, breakup and impact of large droplets induced by aerodynamic bodies. The importance of these physical phenomena is related to the effects of Supercooled Large Droplets in icing clouds on the impinging efficiency of the droplets on the body, that may change should these phenomena not be taken into account. The important variables and the similarity parameters that enter in this problem are presented. The facility's components are described and some possible set-ups are explained. Application examples from past experiments are presented in order to indicate the capabilities of the new facility.

Feo, A.↗

Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) for Non-Pneumatic Tires

Conventional mobility elements, such as pneumatic tires, suffer from a number of issues related to reliability. Two of the more prevalent problems are the high likelihood of single point failure owing to puncture (i.e. flat tire), and loss of efficiency due to reduction in tire pressure over time. In order to overcome these limitations, alternative compliant tire designs not requiring pneumatics have been developed. However, although current designs have significantly reduced the aforementioned issues, they tend to have their own set of limitations. First, non-pneumatic tires designed for high load applications often have restricted envelopment capability, making their performance less than optimal, especially on uneven terrain. Second, tires designed with larger envelopment capability tend to suffer from large amounts of plasticity (permanent deformation) or failure (rupture). Both of these limitations are the direct result of the choice of material being used for the design; conventional metals undergo plastic deformation at low strain while elastomer based designs are often too rigid for the localized deformations needed for high envelopment. Recent advancements at the NASA Glenn research center in a unique class of metals know as shape memory alloys (SMAs) has opened the design space for non-pneumatic compliant tire technologies allowing designs to incorporate orders of magnitude more deformation without damage. The work presented herein highlights the advantages of using SMAs as compared to conventional metals. Additionally, the development of a unique SMA compliant tire design capable of carrying up to 8.9 kN (2000 lbf) with reversible, local deformations on the order of the side wall height will be presented.

Padula, Santo↗

Carbonatite metasomatism and water systematics of peridotite xenoliths from Lanzarote, Canaries

Water in Earth’s mantle, present as structural hydrogen in minerals, influences large scale processes like mantle deformation, plate tectonics, and melting. To better understand the processes controlling water concentrations in the Earth’s upper mantle, we analyzed hydrogen (calculated as ppm wt. H2O), major, and trace element concentrations in minerals from harzburgite xenoliths of Lanzarote, Canaries. Previous studies have shown evidence for carbonatite metasomatism in Lanzarote peridotites and carbonatite magmas have erupted in the Canaries. Thus, the Canaries offer a rare opportunity to examine the role of metasomatism and carbonatitic magmas in rehydrating the oceanic lithosphere during plume-lithosphere interaction. Major element data (obtained by electron microprobe) show that these peridotites are highly depleted compared to the primitive mantle, with a high average olivine Mg# (91.1 ± 0.5), low bulk rock Al2O3 (0.4 to 1.4 wt.%), high spinel Cr# (40 to 72) from which high degrees of melting were estimated (15 to 21%). There is no evidence of hydrous phases (e.g., amphibole and phlogopite), thus water in these peridotites is thought to be stored only in nominally anhydrous minerals and melt inclusions. Water concentrations (determined by polarized FTIR spectroscopy), in the peridotite silicate minerals range from 2.7 to 13 ppm in olivine, 42 to 265 ppm in orthopyroxene (Opx), and 76 to 470 ppm in clinopyroxene (Cpx). Reconstructed bulk rock water concentrations range from 5 to 115 ppm, generally lower than estimates for the depleted mantle (DM, 50-200 ppm). Trace element data in Opx, Cpx, and bulk rock frequently show high La/Yb ratios (up to 12.2, 71.5, 45.2; respectively) and strong negative Zr, Hf, and Ti anomalies relative to REE, consistent with carbonatite metasomatism. With decreasing Ti/Eucpx ratios, a proxy for carbonatite metasomatism, the bulk water increases. The calculated trace element compositions of melts in equilibrium with Cpx strongly resemble those of carbonatites. However, the bulk rock water concentrations are two magnitudes lower than what is expected by equilibrium with a carbonatite melt. Evidently, carbonatitic metasomatism did rehydrate of the Lanzarote mantle lithosphere but less so than expected, implying lower partitioning of H in the presence of CO2than a silicate melt.

S. Patterson↗

Full-Field Strain Methods for Investigating Failure Mechanisms in Triaxial Braided Composites

Recent advancements in braiding technology have led to commercially viable manufacturing approaches for making large structures with complex shape out of triaxial braided composite materials. In some cases, the static load capability of structures made using these materials has been higher than expected based on material strength properties measured using standard coupon tests. A more detailed investigation of deformation and failure processes in large-unit-cell-size triaxial braid composites is needed to evaluate the applicability of standard test methods for these materials and to develop alternative testing approaches. This report presents some new techniques that have been developed to investigate local deformation and failure using digital image correlation techniques. The methods were used to measure both local and global strains during standard straight-sided coupon tensile tests on composite materials made with 12- and 24-k yarns and a 0 /+60 /-60 triaxial braid architecture. Local deformation and failure within fiber bundles was observed and correlations were made between these local failures and global composite deformation and strength.

Littell, Justin D.↗

Regional Deformation Studies with GRACE and GPS

GRACE data indicate large seasonal variations in gravity that have been shown to be to be related to climate-driven fluxes of surface water. Seasonal redistribution of surface mass deforms the Earth, and our previous study using GRACE data demonstrate that annual radial deformations of +/-13 mm in the region of Amazon River Basin were observed by both GRACE and ten GPS sites in the region. For the GRACE determinations, we estimate in a least-squares solution for each Stokes coefficient parameters that represent the amplitudes of the annual variation. We then filter these parameters based on a statistical test that uses the scatter of the postfit residuals. We demonstrate by comparison to the GPS amplitudes that this method is more accurate, for this region, than Gaussian smoothing. Our model for the temporal behavior of the gravity coefficients includes a rate term, and although the time series are noisy, the glacial isostatic adjustment signal over Hudson s Bay can be observed. .

Davis, J. L.↗

Solar sail attitude dynamics and control

This paper describes some results of an attitude dynamics and control study for a solar sailing vehicle. This type of vehicle is currently under study and evaluation at JPL and has very high potential for interplanetary missions in and beyond the 1980s. Crucial to the success of such a vehicle would be the performance of its onboard attitude control system. Because of the vehicle's large size and its flexibility, vehicle deformations may have a potential for causing a degradation in vehicle performance. It may therefore be necessary for the control system to take into account the vehicle deformations as well as its rigid-body motions. Distributed parameter system analysis techniques are used in the paper to study certain fundamental aspects of such a control system for the sail vehicle. The techniques can, however, be more generally applicable to other large flexible vehicles.

Rodriguez, G.↗

Influence of grain size on the creep behavior of HfC-dispersed NiAl

Rapid solidification technology has been utilized to produce a NiAl-4(wt pct)HfC composite containing about 0.3 vol pct HfC as dispersed 50 nm particles. Study of the 1300 K compressive creep properties demonstrated that the initial, small grain size microstructure was unstable under slow strain rate deformation conditions. The grain growth which occurred during testing led to considerable strengthening. Subsequent measurements of the creep properties of the coarse grained specimens revealed that this strength was achieved by a large increase in the activation energy for deformation without any change in the stress exponent. Based on this work, it is concluded that large grain microstructures will be required for optimum elevated temperature creep properties in dispersed NiAl.

Whittenberger, J. D.↗

Deformation of the central Andes (15-27 deg S) derived from a flow model of subduction zones

A simple viscous flow model of a subduction zone is used to calculate the deformation within continental lithosphere above a subducting slab. This formulation accounts for two forces that dominate the deformation in the overriding lithosphere: tectonic forces and buoyancy forces. Numerical solutions, obtained by using a finite element technique, are compared with observations from the central Andes (15-27 deg S). The model predicts the observed deformation pattern of extension in the forearc, compression in the Western Monocline (corresponding to magmatic activity), extension in the Altiplano, compression in the Eastern Monocline and Subandes, and no deformation in the Brazilian Shield. By comparing the calculated solutions with the large-scale tectonic observations, the forces that govern the deformation in the central Andes are evaluated. The approximately constant subduction velocity in the past 26 million years suggests that the rate of crustal shortening in the Andes has decreased with time due to the thickening of the crust.

Wdowinski, Shimon↗

Thermomechanical phenomena in high speed rubbing

An analytical approach is presented for the modeling of the thermomechanical interactions which occur in high speed sliding situations. These sliding contact problems which are characterized by active and interrelated thermal and mechanical phenomena could be called 'rub energetics' problems. Analytical models were developed to simulate two different rub situations: high energy braking of disk brakes and high speed rubs of gas path seals in turbine engines. The models proved to be particularly useful in predicting the severe temperatures and deformations near hot contact patches on the rubbing surfaces. The size of the hot patches is generally determined by normal load and the properties of the contacting materials. Temperatures at the contact patches can approach the melting point of the materials, especially at high sliding velocities. These high temperatures can lead to large amounts of near-surface deformation and high wear rates. Decreased contact temperatures can result from using materials with increased thermal conductivity and increased heat capacity or choosing mechanical properties (decreased stiffness, yield stress or coefficient of thermal expansion) which give larger hot spot size.

Kennedy, F. E.↗

Using the NASTRAN Thermal Analyzer to simulate a flight scientific instrument package

The NASTRAN Thermal Analyzer has proven to be a unique and useful tool for thermal analyses involving large and complex structures where small, thermally induced deformations are critical. Among its major advantages are direct grid point-to-grid point compatibility with large structural models; plots of the model that may be generated for both conduction and boundary elements; versatility of applying transient thermal loads especially to repeat orbital cycles; on-line printer plotting of temperatures and rate of temperature changes as a function of time; and direct matrix input to solve linear differential equations on-line. These features provide a flexibility far beyond that available in most finite-difference thermal analysis computer programs.

Lee, H.-P.↗

Dynamic analysis of flexible multibody structures

A system composed of several interconnected elastic components that may experience large angular motion relative to each other during operation is referred to as a flexible multibody structure. Several formulations were proposed for the determination of the dynamic response of controlled flexible multibody structures. In general, these formulations consist of superposing elastic deformations of the component body onto the large rigid body motion of the component. It was shown that this particular methodology for combining linear structural deformations with nonlinear kinematics can lead to erroneous response predictions when either the beam member is very flexible or the rotational speed is high. In addition, previous formulations introduce constraint equations to define the interrelations among system components. This approach increases the number of equations that must be solved, and may result in contraint violation when numerical error accumulates during the integration process. In order to overcome the difficulties, a new approach was suggested. The approach is essentially a finite element formulation which takes advantage of the fact that many multibody structures are joint dominated. The Large Angle Transient Dynamic Analysis (LATDYN) program for clarity of documentation, ease of use, user friendliness, modeling generality, and accuracy of results was evaluated. This required gaining a working familiarity with the code and performing several case studies.

Hernried, Alan G.↗

Tectonics and volcanism in central Mexico - A Landsat Thematic Mapper perspective

Digitally enhanced Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images were used to map neotectonic deformation in central Mexico. This region has been studied for decades using a variety of geological and geophysical techniques, but synoptic mapping of neotectonic activity and major fault zones there, and an evaluation of their regional relationship to the character and location of volcanism were not previously possible until the application of synoptic, high resolution satellite imagery. Interpretation of the TM images shows that the tectonic deformation is closely linked in time and space to the dominantly calc-alkaline volcanics of the Mexican Volcanic Belt (MVB). The eruptive style and distribution of the volcanics is clearly related to the deformation resulting from relative motions of three large crustal blocks south of the MVB. Therefore, zones of weakness within the crust of central Mexico, which may be inherited from earlier episodes of deformation, are a principal factor controlling the oblique orientation of the MVB relative to the Acapulco Trench.

Johnson, C. A.↗

Attitude Control Approach for Solar Cruiser, a Large, Deep Space Solar Sail

Solar Cruiser is a small satellite Technology Demonstration Mission (TDM) to mature solar sail propulsion technology using a solar sail larger than 1600 square meters, demonstrating performance as a propulsion system and a stable pointing platform for science observations in an artificial halo orbit sunward of the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 (sub-L1). For the “sailcraft” to meet mission objectives, there are several unique attitude control challenges that the Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) must overcome. Large disturbance torques, primarily due to sail deformations coupled with off-sun pointing angles, make it more difficult to maintain adequate controls performance and manage accumulated momentum on the control actuators. The large-amplitude, low-frequency flexible body modes of the sail, in concert with noisy sensors and actuators, make it challenging to mitigate control-structure interactions and maintain fine pointing capabilities. Stability and control performance during sail deployment is complicated by rapidly and widely varying inertias. The Solar Cruiser ADCS effectively addresses these challenges using a simple, traditional control system – including momentum management actuators that use bang-bang control to constrain internal accumulated momentum, a low-pass controls filter and an attitude determination Kalman Filter (KF) that blends multiple star tracker solutions, and a reaction wheel assembly (RWA) with controller gains tuned to specific configurations or inertias. Solar Cruiser’s attitude control approach, and lessons learned from its development, establishes a state of the art of high value to future solar sail missions and other small spacecraft with large deployable structures operating in deep space.

solar sail↗

Loads and Deformations of Buckled Rectangular Plates

The nonlinear large-deflection equations of von Karman for plates are converted into a set of linear equations by expanding the displacements Into a power series in terms of an arbitrary parameter. The postbuckling behavior of simply supported rectangular plates subjected to longitudinal compression and subject to a uniform temperature rise is investigated in detail by solving the first few of the equations. Experimental data are presented for the compression problem. Comparisons are made for total shortening and local strains and deflections which indicate good agreement between experimental and theoretical results.

Stein, Manuel↗

A Summary of Results from Two Full-Scale Fokker F28 Fuselage Section Drop Tests

During 2017, two vertical drop tests were conducted on two partial sections removed from a Fokker F28 MK4000 aircraft as a part of a joint NASA / Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) effort to investigate the crashworthiness characteristics of Transport Category Aircraft, as defined by 14 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 25. The first test was a pure vertical drop test of a relatively uniform forward section, which included an underfloor area for luggage. The second test was a canted drop test onto a sloped surface of a portion of the fuselage representing the wingbox stiffened structure. In both tests, accelerometers were installed on the floor, seat track, luggage, and overhead bin to measure responses in the two airframe sections. In addition, ten Anthropomorphic Test Devices (ATDs, a.k.a. crash test dummies) were included in each test to measure the potential of onboard occupant injury. Self-contained data recorders, logging accelerations and rotational rates, were also used on the seat tracks and lower structure for evaluation as potential crash recording devices in future tests. Finally, the starboard side of each section was painted with a stochastic black and white speckle pattern for use in full field photogrammetric imaging techniques. The results collected show notable differences in the Forward and Wingbox Section responses. The Forward Section floor accelerations showed a relatively uniform response of approximately 7 g throughout the impact event. This section exhibited large amounts of subfloor crushing, floor stiffener failures and seat deformation upon impact. These results are contrasted by the Wingbox Section accelerations, which showed large differences when comparing accelerations recorded from either the rear or the front portion of the section reaching peaks of 39 g in some locations. Additionally, the Wingbox Section test induced a forward motion caused from the rotation at impact. With the exception of the lower cavity, there was minimal deformation in the Wingbox Section, and ATD responses were consistently higher than those for the Forward Section. A complete set of results are presented for the airframe, seat, ATD, overhead bin, and subfloor regions for each section. The ATD results are compared to current injury criteria, and determinations will be made on the likelihood of injury. Additional results for cargo-hold stored luggage are presented in an attempt to provide a component-level characterization for better understanding of under-floor loading. Finally, a discussion of the relevance of the results for a proposed airframe level crashworthiness guideline are presented.

Littell, Justin D.↗

Hybrid Electrostatic/Flextensional Mirror for Lightweight, Large-Aperture, and Cryogenic Space Telescopes

A lightweight, cryogenically capable, scalable, deformable mirror has been developed for space telescopes. This innovation makes use of polymer-based membrane mirror technology to enable large-aperture mirrors that can be easily launched and deployed. The key component of this innovation is a lightweight, large-stroke, cryogenic actuator array that combines the high degree of mirror figure control needed with a large actuator influence function. The latter aspect of the innovation allows membrane mirror figure correction with a relatively low actuator density, preserving the lightweight attributes of the system. The principal components of this technology are lightweight, low-profile, high-stroke, cryogenic-capable piezoelectric actuators based on PMN-PT (piezoelectric lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate) single-crystal configured in a flextensional actuator format; high-quality, low-thermal-expansion polymer membrane mirror materials developed by NeXolve; and electrostatic coupling between the membrane mirror and the piezoelectric actuator assembly to minimize problems such as actuator print-through.

Patrick, Brian↗