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At least 487 records · Page 27

Acceleration Recorder and Playback Module

The present invention is directed to methods and apparatus relating to an accelerometer electrical signal recorder and playback module. The recorder module may be manufactured in lightweight configuration and includes analog memory components to store data. Signal conditioning circuitry is incorporated into the module so that signals may be connected directly from the accelerometer to the recorder module. A battery pack may be included for powering both the module and the accelerometer. Timing circuitry is included to control the time duration within which data is recorded or played back so as to avoid overloading the analog memory components. Multiple accelerometer signal recordings may be taken simultaneously without analog to digital circuits, multiplexing circuitry or software to compensate for the effects of multiplexing the signals.

Bozeman, Richard J., Jr.↗

Modeling of Particle Acceleration at Multiple Shocks Via Diffusive Shock Acceleration: Preliminary Results

We present preliminary results from a model that diffusively accelerates particles at multiple shocks. Our basic approach is related to box models (Protheroe and Stanev, 1998; Moraal and Axford, 1983; Ball and Kirk, 1992; Drury et al., 1999) in which a distribution of particles is diffusively accelerated inside the box while simultaneously experiencing decompression through adiabatic expansion and losses from the convection and diffusion of particles outside the box (Melrose and Pope, 1993; Zank et al., 2000). We adiabatically decompress the accelerated particle distribution between each shock by either the method explored in Melrose and Pope (1993) and Pope and Melrose (1994) or by the approach set forth in Zank et al. (2000) where we solve the transport equation by a method analogous to operator splitting. The second method incorporates the additional loss terms of convection and diffusion and allows for the use of a variable time between shocks. We use a maximum injection energy (Emax) appropriate for quasi-parallel and quasi-perpendicular shocks (Zank et al., 2000, 2006; Dosch and Shalchi, 2010) and provide a preliminary application of the diffusive acceleration of particles by multiple shocks with frequencies appropriate for solar maximum (i.e., a non-Markovian process).

Parker, Linda Neergaard↗

A finite volume method for the calculation of compressible chemically reacting flows

Several efficient pseudo time techniques have been developed for calculating steady state chemically reacting flows. The techniques include the implicit treatment of the chemical source term, point implicit multiple grid accelerator and a constant CFL condition. It turns out that these methods can be viewed as ways of rescaling the equations in time such that all chemical and convective phenomena evolve at comparable pseudo time scales. Consequently the number of iterations needed to solve reacting problems is approximately the same as for non-reacting problems. The techniques are demonstrated for a simple dissociation model and a nontrivial H2 - Air combustion model.

Bussing, T. R. A.↗

Enhanced reduction of velocity data obtained during CETA flight experiment

A newly developed technique for enhanced data reduction provides an improved procedure that allows least squares minimization to become possible between data sets with an unequal number of data points. This technique was applied in the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) experiment on the STS-37 Shuttle flight in April 1991 to obtain the velocity profile from the acceleration data. The new technique uses a least-squares method to estimate the initial conditions and calibration constants. These initial conditions are estimated by least-squares fitting the displacements indicated by the Hall-effect sensor data to the corresponding displacements obtained from integrating the acceleration data. The velocity and displacement profiles can then be recalculated from the corresponding acceleration data using the estimated parameters. This technique, which enables instantaneous velocities to be obtained from the test data instead of only average velocities at varying discrete times, offers more detailed velocity information, particularly during periods of large acceleration or deceleration.

Finley, Tom D.↗

Enhanced data reduction of the velocity data on CETA flight experiment

A newly developed technique for enhanced data reduction provides an improved procedure that allows least squares minimization to become possible between data sets with an unequal number of data points. This technique was applied in the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) experiment on the STS-37 Shuttle flight in April 1991 to obtain the velocity profile from the acceleration data. The new technique uses a least-squares method to estimate the initial conditions and calibration constants. These initial conditions are estimated by least-squares fitting the displacements indicated by the Hall-effect sensor data to the corresponding displacements obtained from integrating the acceleration data. The velocity and displacement profiles can then be recalculated from the corresponding acceleration data using the estimated parameters. This technique, which enables instantaneous velocities to be obtained from the test data instead of only average velocities at varying discrete times, offers more detailed velocity information, particularly during periods of large acceleration or deceleration.

Finley, Tom D.↗

Unstructured multigrid methods for the compressible Euler equations

A two-step explicit finite element based solution procedure for the compressible Euler equations is described. Convergence to steady state can be accelerated by using a multigrid technique. The geometric flexibility of the finite element method is retained by using a sequence of unnested grids. The viability of this approach is demonstrated for elliptic problems and initial experiences with the technique applied to the Euler equations are reported.

Loehner, R.↗

Fast Simulations of Gas Sloshing and Cold Front Formation

We present a simplified and fast method for simulating minor mergers between galaxy clusters. Instead of following the evolution of the dark matter halos directly by the N-body method, we employ a rigid potential approximation for both clusters. The simulations are run in the rest frame of the more massive cluster and account for the resulting inertial accelerations in an optimised way. We test the reliability of this method for studies of minor merger induced gas sloshing by performing a one-to-one comparison between our simulations and hydro+N-body ones. We find that the rigid potential approximation reproduces the sloshing-related features well except for two artefacts: the temperature just outside the cold fronts is slightly over-predicted, and the outward motion of the cold fronts is delayed by typically 200 Myr. We discuss reasons for both artefacts.

Roediger, E.↗

Fast Simulations of Gas Sloshing and Cold Front Formation

We present a simplified and fast method for simulating minor mergers between galaxy clusters. Instead of following the evolution of the dark matter halos directly by the N-body method, we employ a rigid potential approximation for both clusters. The simulations are run in the rest frame of the more massive cluster and account for the resulting inertial accelerations in an optimised way. We test the reliability of this method for studies of minor merger induced gas sloshing by performing a one-to-one comparison between our simulations and hydro+N-body ones. We find that the rigid potential approximation reproduces the sloshing-related features well except for two artifacts: the temperature just outside the cold fronts is slightly over-predicted, and the outward motion of the cold fronts is delayed by typically 200 Myr. We discuss reasons for both artifacts.

Roediger, E.↗

Large-amplitude inviscid fluid motion in an accelerating container

Study of dynamic behavior of the liquid-vapor interface of an inviscid fluid in an accelerating cylindrical container includes an analytical-numerical method for determining large amplitude motion. The method is based on the expansion of the velocity potential in a series of harmonic functions with time dependent coefficients.

Perko, L. M.↗

Air film cooling in a nonadiabatic wall conical nozzle.

Experimental data for an air-film cooled conical nozzle operating with a heated-air main stream and a water-cooled wall confirm the validity of Lieu's (1964) method for correlating film cooling data in the accelerated flow of a nonadiabatic-wall nozzle. The film cooling effectiveness modified for nonadiabatic walls by Lieu can be used to correlate film cooling under the condition that the main-stream to coolant velocity ratio at the slot is about 1. Such a ratio provides the optimum cooling effectiveness.

Boldman, D. R.↗

Nonlinear transient analysis of multi-mass flexible rotors - theory and applications

The equations of motion necessary to compute the transient response of multi-mass flexible rotors are formulated to include unbalance, rotor acceleration, and flexible damped nonlinear bearing stations. A method of calculating the unbalance response of flexible rotors from a modified Myklestad-Prohl technique is discussed in connection with the method of solution for the transient response. Several special cases of simplified rotor-bearing systems are presented and analyzed for steady-state response, stability, and transient behavior. These simplified rotor models produce extensive design information necessary to insure stable performance to elastic mounted rotor-bearing systems under varying levels and forms of excitation. The nonlinear journal bearing force expressions derived from the short bearing approximation are utilized in the study of the stability and transient response of the floating bush squeeze damper support system. Both rigid and flexible rotor models are studied, and results indicate that the stability of flexible rotors supported by journal bearings can be greatly improved by the use of squeeze damper supports. Results from linearized stability studies of flexible rotors indicate that a tuned support system can greatly improve the performance of the units from the standpoint of unbalanced response and impact loading. Extensive stability and design charts may be readily produced for given rotor specifications by the computer codes presented in this analysis.

Kirk, R. G.↗

Measurements of the spectrum of galactic electrons at very high energies

A counter telescope has been exposed in three balloon flights in 1970 to measure the flux and energy spectrum of cosmic ray electrons between 10 and 1000 GeV. This instrument has been modified by incorporating a large area CsI crystal as well as highly efficient time of flight circuitry, and was flown again twice during 1972. The methods of data analysis are based on extensive accelerator calibrations at SLAC. The resulting electron spectrum fits well to a single power law with an index (gamma) equal to 2.66 over the whole energy region. No obvious steepening can be observed, although statistical uncertainties prohibit definite claims beyond 250 GeV.

Mueller, D.↗

Experiments on the properties of superfluid helium in zero gravity

The paper describes a research program designed to study the behavior of superfluid liquid helium in low and zero gravity in order to determine the properties which are critically important to its use as a stored cryogen for cooling scientific instruments aboard spacecraft for periods up to several months. The experiment program consists of a series of flights of an experiment package on a free-fall trajectory both on an aircraft and on a rocket. The objectives are to study thickness of thin films of helium as a function of acceleration, heat transfer in thin films, heat transfer across copper-liquid helium interfaces, fluid dynamics of bulk helium in high and low accelerations and under various conditions of rotations, alternate methods of separation of liquid and vapor phases and of efficient venting of the vapor, and undesirable thermomechanical oscillations in the vent pipes. Preliminary results from aircraft tests are discussed.

Mason, P.↗

Numerical comparisons of nonlinear convergence accelerators

As part of a continuing program of numerical tests of convergence accelerators, the iterated Aitken's Delta-squared method, Wynn's epsilon algorithm, Brezinski's theta algorithm, and Levin's u transform are compared on a broad range of test problems: linearly convergence alternating, monotone, and irregular-sign series, logarithmically convergent series, power method and Bernoulli method sequences, alternating and monotone asymptotic series, and some perturbation series arising in applications. In each category either the epsilon algorithm or the u transform gives the best results of the four methods tested. In some cases differences among methods are slight, and in others they are quite striking.

Smith, D. A.↗

Using the boundary-layer equations in three-dimensional viscous flow simulation

A simple and computationally efficient algorithm for solving the unsteady three dimensional boundary layer equations in a time accurate or relaxation mode is presented. The algorithm is used to compute the separated flow over a 6:1 ellipsoid at angle of attack and the transonic flow over a finite wing with shock induced separation. These results are compared to available experimental data. A method of using the boundary layer algorithm to accelerate a Navier-Stokes computation is also presented. Example computations indicate that a boundary layer algorithm can be used to improve both the accuracy and efficiency of a Navier-Stokes algorithm.

Vandalsem, William R.↗

Empirical modeling of Single-Event Upset (SEU) in NMOS depletion-mode-load static RAM (SRAM) chips

A detailed experimental investigation of single-event upset (SEU) in static RAM (SRAM) chips fabricated using a family of high-performance NMOS (HMOS) depletion-mode-load process technologies, has been done. Empirical SEU models have been developed with the aid of heavy-ion data obtained with a three-stage tandem van de Graaff accelerator. The results of this work demonstrate a method by which SEU may be empirically modeled in NMOS integrated circuits.

Zoutendyk, J. A.↗

Fermi acceleration at shocks with arbitrary velocity profiles

Diffusive particle acceleration in modified shock fronts is considered. A method by means of which to obtain the resulting particle spectrum for an arbitrary flow profile is outlined; this method is based on a reformulation of the transport equation as a nonlinear first-order equation. Besides the shape of the flow profile, the spectral index of particles depends on the Peclet number of the shock. Results are given for some sample profiles.

Schneider, Peter↗