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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 415 records · Page 23
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2008

Verifying and Validating Proposed Models for FSW Process Optimization

This slide presentation reviews Friction Stir Welding (FSW) and the attempts to model the process in order to optimize and improve the process. The studies are ongoing to validate and refine the model of metal flow in the FSW process. There are slides showing the conventional FSW process, a couple of weld tool designs and how the design interacts with the metal flow path. The two basic components of the weld tool are shown, along with geometries of the shoulder design. Modeling of the FSW process is reviewed. Other topics include (1) Microstructure features, (2) Flow Streamlines, (3) Steady-state Nature, and (4) Grain Refinement Mechanisms

Schneider, Judith↗
NASA NTRS2013

Virtual Construction of Space Habitats: Connecting Building Information Models (BIM) and SysML

Current trends in design, construction and management of complex projects make use of Building Information Models (BIM) connecting different types of data to geometrical models. This information model allow different types of analysis beyond pure graphical representations. Space habitats, regardless their size, are also complex systems that require the synchronization of many types of information and disciplines beyond mass, volume, power or other basic volumetric parameters. For this, the state-of-the-art model based systems engineering languages and processes - for instance SysML - represent a solid way to tackle this problem from a programmatic point of view. Nevertheless integrating this with a powerful geometrical architectural design tool with BIM capabilities could represent a change in the workflow and paradigm of space habitats design applicable to other aerospace complex systems. This paper shows some general findings and overall conclusions based on the ongoing research to create a design protocol and method that practically connects a systems engineering approach with a BIM architectural and engineering design as a complete Model Based Engineering approach. Therefore, one hypothetical example is created and followed during the design process. In order to make it possible this research also tackles the application of IFC categories and parameters in the aerospace field starting with the application upon the space habitats design as way to understand the information flow between disciplines and tools. By building virtual space habitats we can potentially improve in the near future the way more complex designs are developed from very little detail from concept to manufacturing.

space architecture↗
NASA NTRS2019

Development of a Design for Manufacturing Tool for Automated Fiber Placement Structures

Existing design processes for laminates constructed with automated fiber placement lack significant integration between the various software tools that compose the process. Tools for finite element analysis, computer aided drafting, stress analysis, tool path simulation, and manufacturing defect prediction are all critical parts of the design process. With traditional hand-layup laminates, the analysis performed with each of these tools could be fairly well decoupled from one another. However, for laminates generated by automated fiber placement, the disciplines can become significantly coupled, especially on structures with curvature. This gives rise to a need for integrated “design for manufacturing” software tools that are able to balance the competing objectives from each discipline. This paper describes the preliminary development of such a tool.

Noevere, August T.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Hole-Aligning Tool

Tool designed for use in aligning holes in plates or other structural members to be joined by bolt through holes. Holes aligned without exerting forces perpendicular to planes of holes. Tool features screw-driven-wedge design similar to (but simpler than) that of some automotive exhaust-pipe-expanding tools.

Collins, Frank A.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Tool for Turbine Engine Closed-Loop Transient Analysis (TTECTrA) Users' Guide

The tool for turbine engine closed-loop transient analysis (TTECTrA) is a semi-automated control design tool for subsonic aircraft engine simulations. At a specific flight condition, TTECTrA produces a basic controller designed to meet user-defined goals and containing only the fundamental limiters that affect the transient performance of the engine. The purpose of this tool is to provide the user a preliminary estimate of the transient performance of an engine model without the need to design a full nonlinear controller.

systems analysis↗
DOE OSTI2026

Thermoelectric heating and cooling–integrated dishwasher with thermal energy storage

Household dishwashers must address several performance goals: maximize washing and drying performance, while minimizing cycle duration, energy consumption, and water consumption. This study develops and examines a novel thermoelectric heating and cooling (TEHC) system with thermal energy storage applied to a household dishwasher (DW), aiming to improve the energy and drying performance of a commercially-available dishwasher while maintaining its washing performance, water consumption, and cycle duration. Experimental testing conducted on the novel TEHC-DW system demonstrates an 8.7% reduction in total energy consumption, lowering the per-cycle usage to 0.952 kWh, and a 40% reduction in energy consumption for internal water heating. The novel TEHC-DW system also demonstrates better drying performance, shortening the drying time by 42% to reach the same remaining moisture content as a commercially-available system. In addition, a resistance-capacitance network model is developed that predicts total drying time, total energy consumption, and the highest temperature reached in the tub (53.4 °C). The model accuracy is validated with experimental data (within ±1 K), and the model functions as a design tool via a parametric study to evaluate the next-generation design and the effect of the number of thermoelectric modules and thermoelectric driving force (i.e., current). Overall, this study demonstrates the potential for TEHC technology to improve energy efficiency and drying performance in household dishwashers.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
NASA NTRS1974

Room temperature stretch forming of scale space shuttle external tank dome gores. Volume 1: Technical

An account of activities and data gathered in the Room Temperature Stretch Forming of One-third Scale External Tank Bulkhead Gores for space shuttle study, and a tooling design and production cost study are reported. The following study phases are described: (1) the stretch forming of three approximately one-third scale external tank dome gores from single sheets of 2219-T37 aluminum alloy; (2) the designing of a full scale production die, including a determination of tooling requirements; and (3) the determination of cost per gore at the required production rates, including manufacturing, packaging, and shipping.

Blunck, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Interactive Graphics Analysis for Aircraft Design

Program uses higher-order far field drag minimization. Computer program WDES WDEM preliminary aerodynamic design tool for one or two interacting, subsonic lifting surfaces. Subcritical wing design code employs higher-order far-field drag minimization technique. Linearized aerodynamic theory used. Program written in FORTRAN IV.

Townsend, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Interchangeable Tools for Remote Manipulators

Report presents concepts and specifications for set of interchangeable end-effector tools used on remotely operated manipulator to work on satellites in orbit. Tools make urgent repairs, do routine maintenance, transfer fluids, construct and assemble satellites, and deploy and retract appendages. With modifications, tool concepts and systematic approach to tool design applicable to such terrestrial uses as industrial robots, manually operated tools, and safety equipment. Report discusses concept for tool-storage system that holds tools securely when not used but kept accessible to manipulator.

Cody, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Control issues of microgravity vibration isolation

Active vibration isolation systems contemplated for microgravity space experiments may be designed to reach given performance requirements in a variety of ways. An analogy to passive isolation systems proves to be illustrative but lacks the flexibility as a design tool of a control systems approach and may lead to poor design. Control theory as applied to vibration isolation is reviewed and passive analogies discussed.

Knospe, Carl R.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Modeling, simulation, and control of an extraterrestrial oxygen production plant

The immediate objective is the development of a new methodology for simulation of process plants used to produce oxygen and/or other useful materials from local planetary resources. Computer communication, artificial intelligence, smart sensors, and distributed control algorithms are being developed and implemented so that the simulation or an actual plant can be controlled from a remote location. The ultimate result of this research will provide the capability for teleoperation of such process plants which may be located on Mars, Luna, an asteroid, or other objects in space. A very useful near-term result will be the creation of an interactive design tool, which can be used to create and optimize the process/plant design and the control strategy. This will also provide a vivid, graphic demonstration mechanism to convey the results of other researchers to the sponsor.

Schooley, L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Control issues of microgravity vibration isolation

Active vibration isolation systems contemplated for microgravity space experiments may be designed to reach given performance requirements in a variety of ways. An analogy to passive isolation systems proves to be illustrative but lacks the flexibility as a design tool of a control systems approach and may lead to poor designs. For example, it is shown that a focus on equivalent stiffness in isolation system design leads to a controller that sacrifices robustness for performance. Control theory as applied to vibration isolation is reviewed and passive analogies are discussed. The loop shaping trade-off is introduced and used to design a single-degree-of-freedom fedback controller. An algebraic control design methodology is contrasted to loop shaping and critiqued. Multi-axis vibration isolation and the problems of decoupled single loop control are introduced through a two-degree-of-freedom example problem. It is shown that center of mass uncertainty may result in instability when decoupled single loop control is used. This results from the ill-conditioned nature of the feedback control design. The use of the Linear Quadratic Regulator synthesis procedure for vibration isolation controller design is discussed.

Knospe, C. R.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Design and Test of Fan/Nacelle Models Quiet High-Speed Fan Design

The primary objective of the Quiet High-Speed Fan (QHSF) program was to develop an advanced high-speed fan design that will achieve a 6 dB reduction in overall fan noise over a baseline configuration while maintaining similar performance. The program applies and validates acoustic, aerodynamic, aeroelastic, and mechanical design tools developed by NASA, US industry, and academia. The successful fan design will be used in an AlliedSignal Engines (AE) advanced regional engine to be marketed in the year 2000 and beyond. This technology is needed to maintain US industry leadership in the regional turbofan engine market.

Miller, Christopher J.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Model for Predicting the Performance of Planetary Suit Hip Bearing Designs

Designing a space suit is very complex and often requires difficult trade-offs between performance, cost, mass, and system complexity. During the development period of the suit numerous design iterations need to occur before the hardware meets human performance requirements. Using computer models early in the design phase of hardware development is advantageous, by allowing virtual prototyping to take place. A virtual design environment allows designers to think creatively, exhaust design possibilities, and study design impacts on suit and human performance. A model of the rigid components of the Mark III Technology Demonstrator Suit (planetary-type space suit) and a human manikin were created and tested in a virtual environment. The performance of the Mark III hip bearing model was first developed and evaluated virtually by comparing the differences in mobility performance between the nominal bearing configurations and modified bearing configurations. Suited human performance was then simulated with the model and compared to actual suited human performance data using the same bearing configurations. The Mark III hip bearing model was able to visually represent complex bearing rotations and the theoretical volumetric ranges of motion in three dimensions. The model was also able to predict suited human hip flexion and abduction maximums to within 10% of the actual suited human subject data, except for one modified bearing condition in hip flexion which was off by 24%. Differences between the model predictions and the human subject performance data were attributed to the lack of joint moment limits in the model, human subject fitting issues, and the limited suit experience of some of the subjects. The results demonstrate that modeling space suit rigid segments is a feasible design tool for evaluating and optimizing suited human performance. Keywords: space suit, design, modeling, performance

Cowley, Matthew S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Pegasus hypersonic flight research

Hypersonic aeronautics research using the Pegasus air-launched space booster is described. Two areas are discussed in the paper: previously obtained results from Pegasus flights 1 and 2, and plans for future programs. Proposed future research includes boundary-layer transition studies on the airplane-like first stage and also use of the complete Pegasus launch system to boost a research vehicle to hypersonic speeds. Pegasus flight 1 and 2 measurements were used to evaluate the results of several analytical aerodynamic design tools applied during the development of the vehicle as well as to develop hypersonic flight-test techniques. These data indicated that the aerodynamic design approach for Pegasus was adequate and showed that acceptable margins were available. Additionally, the correlations provide insight into the capabilities of these analytical tools for more complex vehicles in which design margins may be more stringent. Near-term plans to conduct hypersonic boundary-layer transition studies are discussed. These plans involve the use of a smooth metallic glove at about the mid-span of the wing. Longer-term opportunities are proposed which identify advantages of the Pegasus launch system to boost large-scale research vehicles to the real-gas hypersonic flight regime.

Curry, Robert E.↗
NASA NTRS1982

User interface design of software tool system as a technology transfer vehicle

Design considerations of an on going research project for developing an effective and easy to use tool system that supports entire maintenance phases are introduced. The primary focus is the design of an intelligent user interface mechanism. By analyzing why existing tools and tool systems are not used very effectively, we can define user requirements for the user interface mechanisms, specify design criteria of user interface functions, and introduce some features of the implementation. Because this project is still in process, intermediate evaluation and expected effectiveness are discussed.

Miyamoto, I.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Real-Time Simulation of Aeroheating of the Hyper-X Airplane

A capability for real-time computational simulation of aeroheating has been developed in support of the Hyper-X program, which is directed toward demonstrating the feasibility of operating an air-breathing ramjet/scramjet engine at mach 5, mach 7, and mach 10. The simulation software will serve as a valuable design tool for initial trajectory studies in which aerodynamic heating is expected to exert a major influence in the design of the Hyper-X airplane; this tool will aid in the selection of materials, sizing of structural skin thicknesses, and selection of components of a thermal-protection system (TPS) for structures that must be insulated against aeroheating.

Gong, Les↗