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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 487 records · Page 27

Static aeroelastic analysis of wings using Euler/Navier-Stokes equations coupled with improved wing-box finite element structures

Strong interactions between flow about an aircraft wing and the wing structure can result in aeroelastic phenomena which significantly impact aircraft performance. Time-accurate methods for solving the unsteady Navier-Stokes equations have matured to the point where reliable results can be obtained with reasonable computational costs for complex non-linear flows with shock waves, vortices and separations. The ability to combine such a flow solver with a general finite element structural model is key to an aeroelastic analysis in these flows. Earlier work involved time-accurate integration of modal structural models based on plate elements. A finite element model was developed to handle three-dimensional wing boxes, and incorporated into the flow solver without the need for modal analysis. Static condensation is performed on the structural model to reduce the structural degrees of freedom for the aeroelastic analysis. Direct incorporation of the finite element wing-box structural model with the flow solver requires finding adequate methods for transferring aerodynamic pressures to the structural grid and returning deflections to the aerodynamic grid. Several schemes were explored for handling the grid-to-grid transfer of information. The complex, built-up nature of the wing-box complicated this transfer. Aeroelastic calculations for a sample wing in transonic flow comparing various simple transfer schemes are presented and discussed.

Guruswamy, Guru P.↗

Frequency Domain Control Design of Large Space Structures: A Practical Approach

Requirements indicate the need for much larger, more accurate, and in some cases, very dynamic satellites. Large control system bandwidths are needed to meet accuracy and response requirements while maintaining tight control over appendage oscillations. Studies in recent years have shown that linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) controllers can achieve the desired performance if the system is linearized and if the system model is accurate. Results of an LQG controller applied to a single axis satellite with large solar arrays, are given. A reduced order model (ROM) comprises rigid body motion with dominant structural modes. Optimal control and estimation gains are calculated based on an extremely conservative 0.0005 critical damping ratio. In order to examine stability characteristics, single-input single-output (SISO) frequency response concepts are generalized to develop a method of displaying open loop frequency response of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) control system.

Harding, R.↗

The use of stellite scatterometer winds to drive a primitive equation model of the Indian Ocean: The impact of bandlike sampling

The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the bandlike sampling of spaceborne scatterometers on the ability of scatterometer winds to successfully force the mean flow and seasonal cycle of an ocean model in the context of equatorial and tropical dynamics. The equatorial ocean is simulated with a four-layer, primitive equation, reduced gravity model of the Indian Ocean. The variable wind stress used in this study is derived from one year (1988) of 6-hour analyses of the 10-m wind vector over the Indian Ocean performed at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). It is applied as a forcing at every grid point of the model to drive a reference circulation. Scatterometer winds are simulated from ECMWF winds, using the nominal configurations and orbital parameters of the European Remote Sensing 1 (ERS-1) and NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) missions. The model is forced in real time under swaths with the raw scatterometer winds of ERS-1 and NSCAT, with a persistence condition (i.e., the wind is kept constsnt until the next passage of the satellite provides a new value). The circulation obtained for each of the scatterometer experiments is compared with the reference circulation. The seasonal circulation of the Indian Ocean with NSCAT winds is very similar to the reference. The perturbations introduced by the bandlike sampling and the persistance condition have an impact similar to that of a small uncorrelated noise added to the reference forcing. The persistence condition for ERS-1 does not give results which are as good as those obtained for NSCAT.

Barnier, Bernard↗

Electromagnetic Launch Vehicle Fairing and Acoustic Blanket Model of Received Power Using FEKO

Evaluating the impact of radio frequency transmission in vehicle fairings is important to electromagnetically sensitive spacecraft. This study employs the multilevel fast multipole method (MLFMM) from a commercial electromagnetic tool, FEKO, to model the fairing electromagnetic environment in the presence of an internal transmitter with improved accuracy over industry applied techniques. This fairing model includes material properties representative of acoustic blanketing commonly used in vehicles. Equivalent surface material models within FEKO were successfully applied to simulate the test case. Finally, a simplified model is presented using Nicholson Ross Weir derived blanket material properties. These properties are implemented with the coated metal option to reduce the model to one layer within the accuracy of the original three layer simulation.

Trout, Dawn H.↗

Properties of Vector Preisach Models

This paper discusses rotational anisotropy and rotational accommodation of magnetic particle tape. These effects have a performance impact during the reading and writing of the recording process. We introduce the reduced vector model as the basis for the computations. Rotational magnetization models must accurately compute the anisotropic characteristics of ellipsoidally magnetizable media. An ellipticity factor is derived for these media that computes the two-dimensional magnetization trajectory for all applied fields. An orientation correction must be applied to the computed rotational magnetization. For isotropic materials, an orientation correction has been developed and presented. For anisotropic materials, an orientation correction is introduced.

Kahler, Gary R.↗

Linear and non-linear dynamic models of a geared rotor-bearing system

A three degree of freedom non-linear model of a geared rotor-bearing system with gear backlash and radial clearances in rolling element bearings is proposed here. This reduced order model can be used to describe the transverse-torsional motion of the system. It is justified by comparing the eigen solutions yielded by corresponding linear model with the finite element method results. Nature of nonlinearities in bearings is examined and two approximate nonlinear stiffness functions are proposed. These approximate bearing models are verified by comparing their frequency responses with the results given by the exact form of nonlinearity. The proposed nonlinear dynamic model of the geared rotor-bearing system can be used to investigate the dynamic behavior and chaos.

Kahraman, Ahmet↗

Model Refinement Using Eigensystem Assignment

IA novel approach for the refinement of finite-element-based analytical models of flexible structures is presented. The proposed approach models the possible refinements in the mass, damping, and stiffness matrices of the finite element model in the form of a constant gain feedback with acceleration, velocity, and displacement measurements, respectively. Once the free elements of the structural matrices have been defined, the problem of model refinement reduces to obtaining position, velocity, and acceleration gain matrices with appropriate sparsity that reassign a desired subset of the eigenvalues of the model, along with partial mode shapes, from their baseline values to those obtained from system identification test data. A sequential procedure is used to assign one conjugate pair of eigenvalues at each step using symmetric output feedback gain matrices, and the eigenvectors are partially assigned, while ensuring that the eigenvalues assigned in the previous steps are not disturbed. The procedure can also impose that gain matrices be dissipative to guarantee the stability of the refined model. A numerical example, involving finite element model refinement for a structural testbed at NASA Langley Research Center (Controls-Structures-Interaction Evolutionary model) is presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach.

Maghami, Peiman G.↗

An Overview of the Semi-Span Super-Sonic Transport (S4T) Wind-Tunnel Model Program

A summary of computational and experimental aeroelastic (AE) and aeroservoelastic (ASE) results for the Semi-Span Super-Sonic Transport (S4T) wind-tunnel model is presented. A broad range of analyses and multiple AE and ASE wind-tunnel tests of the S4T wind-tunnel model have been performed in support of the ASE element in the Supersonics Program, part of the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program. This paper is intended to be an overview of multiple papers that comprise a special S4T technical session. Along those lines, a brief description of the design and hardware of the S4T wind-tunnel model will be presented. Computational results presented include linear and nonlinear aeroelastic analyses, and rapid aeroelastic analyses using CFD-based reduced-order models (ROMs). A brief survey of some of the experimental results from two open-loop and two closed-loop wind-tunnel tests performed at the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) will be presented as well.

Silva, Walter A.↗

System and method for phase retrieval for radio telescope and antenna control

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for radio phase retrieval. A system practicing the method gathers first data from radio waves associated with an object observed via a first aperture, gathers second data from radio waves associated with the object observed via an introduced second aperture associated with the first aperture, generates reduced noise data by incoherently subtracting the second data from the first data, and performs phase retrieval for the radio waves by modeling the reduced noise data using a single Fourier transform. The first and second apertures are at different positions, such as side by side. This approach can include determining a value Q which represents a ratio of wavelength times a focal ratio divided by pixel spacing. This information can be used to accurately measure and correct alignment errors or other optical system flaws in the apertures.

Dean, Bruce H.↗

Bleed Roughness Mechanism

Suction applied through wall bleed is expected to reduce boundary-layer thickness and lead to a profile that can resist separation. However, experiments with rows of suction holes or slots have shown that the benefits of suction are not realized under certain circumstances. Lee, Sloan and Paynter attributed this to a 'bleed roughness', and modeled the phenomena using a modified inner-length scale with convective lag for the eddy viscosity. Test information was required to determine the roughness values at each Mach number and bleed rate. The present work used numerical calculation, subsonic and supersonic experimentation, and physical modeling were used to explore bleed roughness. It was found that the phenomena can exist in the absence of bleed, that it is a function of geometry and Mach number, and that it does not appear in low subsonic flow. The inner-length scale/convective lag approach was found to be inconsistent with recent physical observation. Alternate steady models for the roughness effect disagreed with mass flux trends and the choked flow limit, and suggested that non-steady mechanisms are present. While new supersonic experiments did exhibit low-frequency plenum oscillations, high-frequency unsteadiness associated with the orifice flow scale appears to be the cause of bleed roughness. In fact, boundary-layer calculations with an oscillatory orifice flow produced the same effect in the time-averaged downstream profile for incompressibile flow. A new empirical turbulence-model was proposed which increased the eddy viscosity throughout the entire boundary-layer by a constant which was calibrated using the zero-bleed profile. Preliminary calculations agreed with the experimental data. The model significantly reduced the test information required to determine roughness values for turbulence modeling, and provided prediction capability for supersonic bleed flows. An abstract of a thesis entitled 'Boundary-Layer Bleed Roughness' is included.

Russell, David A.↗

Active rejection of persistent disturbances in flexible space structures

A dynamic compensator for active rejection of persistent disturbances in flexible space structures is designed on the principle of the H(infinity)-optimization of the sensitivity transfer function matrix. A general state space solution is formulated to the multiinput multioutput H(infinity)-optimal control problem, allowing the use of the H(infinity)-optimal synthesis algorithm for the state-space models of space structures that result from model order reduction. Disturbances encountered in flexible space structures, such as shuttle docking, are investigated using the high-mode and the reduced-order models of a cantilevered two-bay truss, demonstrating the applicability of the H(infinity)-optimal approach.

Hwang, Cheng-Neng↗

Advanced experimental techniques for transonic testing

Problems common to wind tunnels, including low Reynolds numbers, wall interference, support interference, and flow unsteadiness are discussed, and it is noted that with increasing aircraft size, existing transonic tunnels are becoming more inadequate in terms of their Reynolds-number capability. Problems attributed to scale effect are covered, and techniques for increasing Reynolds number are presented. These include operating with a heavy gas or a mixture of gases, increasing the operating pressure in the tunnel, increasing the size of the model, and/or reducing the test temperature. Acceptable levels of flow unsteadiness are reviewed, along with the problems associated with the flow over wind-tunnel models influenced by flow unsteadiness. Sources of flow unsteadiness present in a continuous transonic tunnel driven by a compressor or a fan are listed, and rules for ensuring low levels of flow unsteadiness are given.

Kilgore, Robert A.↗

Computational Aeroelastic Analyses of a Low-Boom Supersonic Configuration

An overview of NASA's Commercial Supersonic Technology (CST) Aeroservoelasticity (ASE) element is provided with a focus on recent computational aeroelastic analyses of a low-boom supersonic configuration developed by Lockheed-Martin and referred to as the N+2 configuration. The overview includes details of the computational models developed to date including a linear finite element model (FEM), linear unsteady aerodynamic models, unstructured CFD grids, and CFD-based aeroelastic analyses. In addition, a summary of the work involving the development of aeroelastic reduced-order models (ROMs) and the development of an aero-propulso-servo-elastic (APSE) model is provided.

Silva, Walter A.↗

Closed-Loop Simulations of Human-Scale Mars Lander Descent Trajectories on Frontier

A computational campaign was performed to run high-fidelity, free-flight simulations of a human-scale Mars lander concept vehicle decelerating under retropropulsion through the Martian atmosphere with closed-loop flight control. A novel approach is used to couple computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software with a mature flight mechanics package, where the two applications communicate in real-time across two geographically-dispersed computational facilities. The CFD is performed on the Frontier exascale system located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the flight mechanics are executed on a system located at NASA Langley Research Center. In the current campaign, CFD is performed using finite-rate chemistry to account for the interactions between the LOXCH 4 engines and the CO 2 Martian atmosphere. A simulation of a closed-loop main engine throttling and RCS actuation is presented, demonstrating that the vehicle and model are able to maintain stability in a long-duration CFD-in-the-loop flight simulation. Comparisons are made to a reduced order model ignoring aero-propulsive interactions.

CFD↗

South Atlantic Anomaly Entry and Exit as Measured by the X-Ray Timing Explorer

The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) carries instruments that must switch off high voltages (HV) when passing through the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA). The High Energy X-ray Timing Experiment (HEXTE) contains a particle monitor that detects the increased particle flux associated with the SAA and autonomously reduces its voltage. The Proportional Counter Array (PCA) relies on uplinked predictions of SAA entry/exit times based on ephemeris data provided by the Flight Dynamics Facility. A third instrument, the All-Sky Monitor (ASM) also uses a predicted SAA model to reduce voltage when passing through the SAA. Data collected from the HEXTE particle monitor, as well as other instrument readings near the times of SAA entry/exit offer the potential for refining models of the boundaries of the SAA. The SAA has an increased particle flux which causes high rates of detection in the RXTE instruments designed to observe x-rays. The high counting rates could degrade the PCA if HV is not reduced during SAA passages. On the other hand, PCA downtime can be minimized and the science return can be optimized by having the best possible model of the SAA boundary. Thus, the PCA team planned an extensive effort during in-orbit checkout to utilize both the HEXTE particle monitor data and instrument counting rates to refine the model of the SAA boundary. The times of SAA entry and exit are compared with the definitive epemeris to determine the precise location (latitude and longitude) of the SAA boundary. Over time, the SAA and its perimeter were mapped. The RXTE Science Operations Center is continuously working to feed back the results of this effort into the science scheduling process, improving the SAA model as it affects the RXTE instruments, thus obtaining more accurate estimates of the SAA entry/exit times.

Smith, Evan↗

Elevation control system model for the DSS 13 antenna

In order to meet the requirements for precision pointing of 34-m antennas, adequate control design and simulation software have to be developed along with a detailed description of the supporting analytical tools. This article describes a control system model for the elevation drive of the DSS 13 antenna. The model allows one to simulate elevation dynamics, cross-coupled dynamics in azimuth and elevation, and RF pointing error. A modal state-space model of the antenna structure was obtained from its finite-element model with a free rotating tipping structure. Model reduction techniques were applied separately for the antenna model and rate-loop model, thereby reducing the system order to one-third of the original one while preserving its dynamic properties. Extensive simulation results illustrate properties of the model.

Gawronski, W.↗

Creating A Consistent Historical NASA POWER Solar Radiation Dataset to Support Renewable Energy, Building Energy Efficiency and Agro-Climatology Decisions

Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resources (POWER) project provides irradiance dataset to support renewable energy, building energy efficiency and agricultural needs. These datasets are derived from Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment Surface Radiation Budget (GEWEX SRB) and Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES SYN1Deg). A systematic bias has been reported between these two datasets for the years with overlapping observations. For obtaining a consistent climate data record spanning the entire time record of observations, it is crucial to understand and remove the bias in the irradiance dataset. Inconsistency in solar radiation data can lead to inaccurate conclusions about solar energy potential and obscure real trends in solar radiation patterns that would impact energy availability assessments. In this study, we adapt quantile mapping approach to remove the systematic bias and to improve reliability of shortwave and longwave irradiance data. We present a validation of the bias corrected data against ground truth. For each 1° latitude and 1° longitude grid box across the globe, we match the CDFs of the reference dataset (CERES SYN1Deg) to that of the SRB dataset, thereby, adjusting the irradiance values to match the empirical distribution of two different measurements. The performance of quantile mapping is evaluated by using the metrics such as Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD). The results indicate that the quantile mapping significantly improves the accuracy and reliability of solar irradiance dataset especially for the weather conditions associated with high cloud cover and extreme irradiance values. The initial range of MAD for the studied sites for daily data was 4 to 19 Wm-2. After correction these reduced to 3 to 7 Wm-2. The findings from this study have important implications for solar energy system design, agricultural planning, and climate modeling community. Reducing the inconsistency and biases in solar irradiance dataset can enable better planning and operation of solar energy systems, leading to increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Additionally, this work also contributes to the statistical post-processing techniques in the renewable energy domain and highlights the potential of historical and near-real-time NASA POWER dataset as a valuable resource for solar energy research and applications.

POWER↗

A modified Monte Carlo model for the ionospheric heating rates

A Monte Carlo method is adopted as a basis for the derivation of the photoelectron heat input into the ionospheric plasma. This approach is modified in an attempt to minimize the computation time. The heat input distributions are computed for arbitrarily small source elements that are spaced at distances apart corresponding to the photoelectron dissipation range. By means of a nonlinear interpolation procedure their individual heating rate distributions are utilized to produce synthetic ones that fill the gaps between the Monte Carlo generated distributions. By varying these gaps and the corresponding number of Monte Carlo runs the accuracy of the results is tested to verify the validity of this procedure. It is concluded that this model can reduce the computation time by more than a factor of three, thus improving the feasibility of including Monte Carlo calculations in self-consistent ionosphere models.

Mayr, H. G.↗