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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 469 records · Page 26
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1977

Data analysis to separate particles of different speed regimes and charges

Although the instruments on the lunar ejecta and meteorite experiment (LEAM) and the Pioneer 8 and 9 space probes were essentially similar, a comparison of their results indicates that different sets of particles caused the different responses. On Pioneer, the events were caused by the impact of cosmic dust, the so-called beta particles expelled from the vicinity of the sun by solar radiation pressure, augmented by extremely high energy but definitely identifiable interstellar grains. On the moon, the events were due to the impact of slowly moving, highly charged lunar dust being propelled electrostatically across the terminator. Both theoretical analysis and experimental testing confirming these conclusions are discussed.

Wolf, H.↗
NASA NTRS1979

The effects of confining pressure and stress difference on static fatigue of granite

Samples of Barre granite were creep tested at room temperature at confining pressures up to 2 kilobars. The time to fracture increased with decreasing stress difference at every pressure, but the rate of change of fracture time with respect to the stress difference increased with pressure. At 87% of the short-term fracture strength, the time to fracture increased from about 4 minutes at atmospheric pressure to longer than one day at 2 Kb of pressure. The inelastic volumetric strain at the onset of tertiary creep, delta, was constant within 25% at any particular pressure but increased with pressure in a manner analogous to the increase of strength with pressure. At the onset of tertiary creep, the number of cracks and their average length increased with pressure. The crack angle and crack length spectra were quite similar, however, at each pressure at the onset of tertiary creep.

Kranz, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Statistical comparisons of aircraft flyover noise adjustment procedures for different weather conditions

Aircraft flyover noise spectra and effective perceived noise level (EPNL) values obtained under widely different weather conditions were adjusted according to a proposed national standard. The results were statistically compared with the same measured spectra adjusted according to an alternate procedure and with reference spectra and EPNL values obtained under almost ideal weather conditions. Three different ways to represent the weather condition through which the sound propagated were also evaluated.

Mueller, A. W.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Differences between measured and linearly interpolated synoptic variables over a 12-h period during AVE 4

Results of analyses revealed that nonlinear changes or differences formed centers or systems, that were mesosynoptic in nature. These systems correlated well in space with upper level short waves, frontal zones, and radar observed convection, and were very systematic in time and space. Many of the centers of differences were well established in the vertical, extending up to the tropopause. Statistical analysis showed that on the average nonlinear changes were larger in convective areas than nonconvective regions. Errors often exceeding 100 percent were made by assuming variables to change linearly through a 12-h period in areas of thunderstorms, indicating that these nonlinear changes are important in the development of severe weather. Linear changes, however, accounted for more and more of an observed change as the time interval (within the 12-h interpolation period) increased, implying that the accuracy of linear interpolation increased over larger time intervals.

Dupuis, L. R.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Flux vector splitting of the inviscid equations with application to finite difference methods

The conservation-law form of the inviscid gasdynamic equations has the remarkable property that the nonlinear flux vectors are homogeneous functions of degree one. This property readily permits the splitting of flux vectors into subvectors by similarity transformations so that each subvector has associated with it a specified eigenvalue spectrum. As a consequence of flux vector splitting, new explicit and implicit dissipative finite-difference schemes are developed for first-order hyperbolic systems of equations. Appropriate one-sided spatial differences for each split flux vector are used throughout the computational field even if the flow is locally subsonic. The results of some preliminary numerical computations are included.

Steger, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Finite elements and finite differences for transonic flow calculations

The paper reviews the chief finite difference and finite element techniques used for numerical solution of nonlinear mixed elliptic-hyperbolic equations governing transonic flow. The forms of the governing equations for unsteady two-dimensional transonic flow considered are the Euler equation, the full potential equation in both conservative and nonconservative form, the transonic small-disturbance equation in both conservative and nonconservative form, and the hodograph equations for the small-disturbance case and the full-potential case. Finite difference methods considered include time-dependent methods, relaxation methods, semidirect methods, and hybrid methods. Finite element methods include finite element Lax-Wendroff schemes, implicit Galerkin method, mixed variational principles, dual iterative procedures, optimal control methods and least squares.

Hafez, M. M.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Determination of the time of occurrence of gamma flares at different points in space

The problem of determining the time of occurrence of gamma flares at different points in space is considered. This problem arises in the localization of sources of gamma flares by the triangulation method using several spacecraft. A study is made of different methods for determining the time at which the flare reaches the spacecraft and algorithms are given for estimating their accuracy. Results of processing the model information are also given.

Novak, B. L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

On One-Dimensional Stretching Functions for Finite-Difference Calculations

The class of one dimensional stretching function used in finite difference calculations is studied. For solutions containing a highly localized region of rapid variation, simple criteria for a stretching function are derived using a truncation error analysis. These criteria are used to investigate two types of stretching functions. One is an interior stretching function, for which the location and slope of an interior clustering region are specified. The simplest such function satisfying the criteria is found to be one based on the inverse hyperbolic sine. The other type of function is a two sided stretching function, for which the arbitrary slopes at the two ends of the one dimensional interval are specified. The simplest such general function is found to be one based on the inverse tangent. The general two sided function has many applications in the construction of finite difference grids.

Vinokur, M.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Time dependent difference theory for sound propagation in axisymmetric ducts with plug flow

The time dependent governing/acoustic-difference equations and boundary conditions are developed and solved for sound propagation in an axisymmetric (cylindrical) hard wall duct with a plug mean flow and spinning acoustic modes. The analysis begins with a harmonic sound source radiating into a quiescent duct. This explicit iteration method then calculates stepwise in real time to obtain the transient as well as the 'steady' state solutions of the acoustic field. The time dependent finite difference analysis has two advantages over the steady state finite difference and finite element techniques: (1) the elimination of large matrix storage requirements, and (2) shorter solution times under most conditions.

Baumeister, K. J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

A two-dimensional finite-difference solution for the transient thermal behavior of a tubular solar collector

A numerical procedure was established using the finite-difference technique in the determination of the time-varying temperature distribution of a tubular solar collector under changing solar radiancy and ambient temperature. Three types of spatial discretization processes were considered and compared for their accuracy of computations and for selection of the shortest computer time and cost. The stability criteria of this technique were analyzed in detail to give the critical time increment to ensure stable computations. The results of the numerical analysis were in good agreement with the analytical solution previously reported. The numerical method proved to be a powerful tool in the investigation of the collector sensitivity to two different flow patterns and several flow control mechanisms.

Lansing, F. L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Radiatively driven winds for different power law spectra

The analytic solutions for radiatively driven winds are given for the case in which the winds are driven by absorption of line and continuum radiation. The wind solutions are analytically estimated for different parameters of the central source and for different power law spectra. For flat spectra, three sonic points can exist; it is shown, however, that only one of these sonic points is physically realistic. Parameters of the central source are given which generate winds of further interest for explaining the narrow and broad absorption lines in quasars. For the quasar model presented here, winds which could give rise to the narrow absorption lines are generated by central sources with parameters which are not realistic for quasars.

Beltrametti, M.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Comparison of undulation difference accuracies using gravity anomalies and gravity disturbances

Errors in the outer zone contribution to oceanic undulation differences computed from a finite set of potential coefficients based on satellite measurements of gravity anomalies and gravity disturbances are analyzed. Equations are derived for the truncation errors resulting from the lack of high-degree coefficients and the commission errors arising from errors in the available lower-degree coefficients, and it is assumed that the inner zone (spherical cap) is sufficiently covered by surface gravity measurements in conjunction with altimetry or by gravity anomaly data. Numerical computations of error for various observational conditions reveal undulation difference errors ranging from 13 to 15 cm and from 6 to 36 cm in the cases of gravity anomaly and gravity disturbance data, respectively for a cap radius of 10 deg and mean anomalies accurate to 10 mgal, with a reduction of errors in both cases to less than 10 cm as mean anomaly accuracy is increased to 1 mgal. In the absence of a spherical cap, both cases yield error estimates of 68 cm for an accuracy of 1 mgal and between 93 and 160 cm for the lesser accuracy, which can be reduced to about 110 cm by the introduction of a perfect 30-deg reference field.

Jekeli, C.↗
NASA NTRS1980

A conservative implicit finite difference algorithm for the unsteady transonic full potential equation

An implicit finite difference procedure is developed to solve the unsteady full potential equation in conservation law form. Computational efficiency is maintained by use of approximate factorization techniques. The numerical algorithm is first order in time and second order in space. A circulation model and difference equations are developed for lifting airfoils in unsteady flow; however, thin airfoil body boundary conditions have been used with stretching functions to simplify the development of the numerical algorithm.

Steger, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Comparison of and conversion between different implementations of the FORTRAN programming language

A guideline for computer programmers who may need to exchange FORTRAN programs between several computers is presented. The characteristics of the FORTRAN language available on three different types of computers are outlined, and procedures and other considerations for the transfer of programs from one type of FORTRAN to another are discussed. In addition, the variance of these different FORTRAN's from the FORTRAN 77 standard are discussed.

Treinish, L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Flux vector splitting of the inviscid gasdynamic equations with application to finite-difference methods

The conservation-law form of the inviscid gasdynamic equations has the remarkable property that the nonlinear flux vectors are homogeneous functions of degree one. This property readily permits the splitting of flux vectors into subvectors by similarity transformations so that each subvector has associated with it a specified eigenvalue spectrum. As a consequence of flux vector splitting, new explicit and implicit dissipative finite-difference schemes are developed for first-order hyperbolic systems of equations. Appropriate one-sided spatial differences for each split flux vector are used throughout the computational field even if the flow is locally subsonic. The results of some preliminary numerical computations are included.

Steger, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

On the computational noise of finite-difference schemes used in ocean models

Different distributions of variables over the horizontal array of grid points in an ocean circulation model are investigated, using the shallow water equations as a guide in the choice of finite-difference schemes for use in ocean modeling. It is shown that the scheme with diffusive dissipation, in which the horizontal velocity is carried at the center and the height field is carried at each corner of a rectangular grid, successively suppresses numerical noise in a coarse (greater than 100 km) grid ocean model. For resolutions smaller than 50 km, it is shown that the scheme in which zonal velocity is carried at points to the east and west of the point of a rectangular grid where the height is carried, with meridional velocity carried to the north and south of the height point, can be free of noise for the gravest mode.

Batteen, M. L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Application of 'steady' state finite element and transient finite difference theory to sound propagation in a variable duct - A comparison with experiment

Experimental data are presented for sound propagation in a simulated infinite hard wall duct with a large change in duct cross sectional area. The data are conveniently tabulated for further use. The 'steady' state finite element theory of Astley and Eversman (1981) and the transient finite difference theory of White (1981) are in good agreement with the data for both the axial and transverse pressure profiles and the axial phase angle. Therefore, numerical finite difference and finite element theories appear to be ideally suited for handling duct propagation problems which encounter large axial gradients in acoustic parameters. The measured energy reflection coefficient agrees with the values from the Astley-Eversman modal coupling model.

Baumeister, K. J.↗