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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 505 records · Page 28

Preliminary Thermal-Mechanical Sizing of Metallic TPS: Process Development and Sensitivity Studies

The purpose of this research was to perform sensitivity studies and develop a process to perform thermal and structural analysis and sizing of the latest Metallic Thermal Protection System (TPS) developed at NASA LaRC (Langley Research Center). Metallic TPS is a key technology for reducing the cost of reusable launch vehicles (RLV), offering the combination of increased durability and competitive weights when compared to other systems. Accurate sizing of metallic TPS requires combined thermal and structural analysis. Initial sensitivity studies were conducted using transient one-dimensional finite element thermal analysis to determine the influence of various TPS and analysis parameters on TPS weight. The thermal analysis model was then used in combination with static deflection and failure mode analysis of the sandwich panel outer surface of the TPS to obtain minimum weight TPS configurations at three vehicle stations on the windward centerline of a representative RLV. The coupled nature of the analysis requires an iterative analysis process, which will be described herein. Findings from the sensitivity analysis are reported, along with TPS designs at the three RLV vehicle stations considered.

Poteet, Carl C.↗

Precise and Efficient Static Array Bound Checking for Large Embedded C Programs

In this paper we describe the design and implementation of a static array-bound checker for a family of embedded programs: the flight control software of recent Mars missions. These codes are large (up to 250 KLOC), pointer intensive, heavily multithreaded and written in an object-oriented style, which makes their analysis very challenging. We designed a tool called C Global Surveyor (CGS) that can analyze the largest code in a couple of hours with a precision of 80%. The scalability and precision of the analyzer are achieved by using an incremental framework in which a pointer analysis and a numerical analysis of array indices mutually refine each other. CGS has been designed so that it can distribute the analysis over several processors in a cluster of machines. To the best of our knowledge this is the first distributed implementation of static analysis algorithms. Throughout the paper we will discuss the scalability setbacks that we encountered during the construction of the tool and their impact on the initial design decisions.

Venet, Arnaud↗

MSC/NASTRAN Stress Analysis of Complete Models Subjected to Random and Quasi-Static Loads

Space payloads, such as those which fly on the Space Shuttle in Spacelab, are designed to withstand dynamic loads which consist of combined acoustic random loads and quasi-static acceleration loads. Methods for computing the payload stresses due to these loads are well known and appear in texts and NASA documents, but typically involve approximations such as the Miles' equation, as well as possible adjustments based on "modal participation factors." Alternatively, an existing capability in MSC/NASTRAN may be used to output exact root mean square [rms] stresses due to the random loads for any specified elements in the Finite Element Model. However, it is time consuming to use this methodology to obtain the rms stresses for the complete structural model and then combine them with the quasi-static loading induced stresses. Special processing was developed as described here to perform the stress analysis of all elements in the model using existing MSC/NASTRAN and MSC/PATRAN and UNIX utilities. Fail-safe and buckling analyses applications are also described.

Hampton, Roy W.↗

Evaluation and Analysis of F-16XL Wind Tunnel Data From Static and Dynamic Tests

A series of wind tunnel tests were conducted in the NASA Langley Research Center as part of an ongoing effort to develop and test mathematical models for aircraft rigid-body aerodynamics in nonlinear unsteady flight regimes. Analysis of measurement accuracy, especially for nonlinear dynamic systems that may exhibit complicated behaviors, is an essential component of this ongoing effort. In this report, tools for harmonic analysis of dynamic data and assessing measurement accuracy are presented. A linear aerodynamic model is assumed that is appropriate for conventional forced-oscillation experiments, although more general models can be used with these tools. Application of the tools to experimental data is demonstrated and results indicate the levels of uncertainty in output measurements that can arise from experimental setup, calibration procedures, mechanical limitations, and input errors.

Kim, Sungwan↗

Space Launch System Ascent Static Aerodynamic Database Development

This paper describes the wind tunnel testing work and data analysis required to characterize the static aerodynamic environment of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) ascent portion of flight. Scaled models of the SLS have been tested in transonic and supersonic wind tunnels to gather the high fidelity data that is used to build aerodynamic databases. A detailed description of the wind tunnel test that was conducted to produce the latest version of the database is presented, and a representative set of aerodynamic data is shown. The wind tunnel data quality remains very high, however some concerns with wall interference effects through transonic Mach numbers are also discussed. Post-processing and analysis of the wind tunnel dataset are crucial for the development of a formal ascent aerodynamics database.

Pinier, Jeremy T.↗

Layered Composite Analysis Capability

Laminated composite material construction is gaining popularity within industry as an attractive alternative to metallic designs where high strength at reduced weights is of prime consideration. This has necessitated the development of an effective analysis capability for the static, dynamic and buckling analyses of structural components constructed of layered composites. Theoretical and user aspects of layered composite analysis and its incorporation into CSA/NASTRAN are discussed. The availability of stress and strain based failure criteria is described which aids the user in reviewing the voluminous output normally produced in such analyses. Simple strategies to obtain minimum weight designs of composite structures are discussed. Several example problems are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and user convenient features of the capability.

Narayanaswami, R.↗

Conjugating binary systems for spacecraft thermal control. Appendix C: Aeroassist Flight Experiment Carrier Vehicle preliminary stress analysis

An assessment of the static strength of the Aeroassist Flight Experiment (AFE) Carrier Vehicle is presented. The Carrier Vehicle is the structural component which provides the mounting platform for the experiments, on-board computers, batteries, and other black boxes. In addition, the Solid Rocket Motor (SRM), the Thrusters, and the Aerobrake are all attached directly to the Carrier Vehicle. The basic approach in this analysis was to develop a NASTRAN Finite Element Model as a parallel effort to the preliminary design, and to use the internal loads from this model to perform the stress analysis. The NASTRAN method of Inertial Relief was employed. This method involves either specifying a set of CG (center of gravity) accelerations or applying forces at the CG and representing the Carrier Vehicle and all its mounted devices with the proper stiffness and mass properties.

Ingram, J. E.↗

Theoretical prediction of airplane stability derivatives at subcritical speeds

The theoretical development and application is described of an analysis for predicting the major static and rotary stability derivatives for a complete airplane. The analysis utilizes potential flow theory to compute the surface flow fields and pressures on any configuration that can be synthesized from arbitrary lifting bodies and nonplanar thick lifting panels. The pressures are integrated to obtain section and total configuration loads and moments due side slip, angle of attack, pitching motion, rolling motion, yawing motion, and control surface deflection. Subcritical compressibility is accounted for by means of the Gothert similarity rule.

Tulinius, J.↗

Task Analysis of Shuttle Entry and Landing Activities

The Task Analysis of Shuttle Entry and Landing (E/L) Activities documents all tasks required to land the Orbiter following an STS mission. In addition to analysis of tasks performed, task conditions are described, including estimated time for completion, altitude, relative velocity, normal and lateral acceleration, location of controls operated or monitored, and level of g's experienced. This analysis precedes further investigations into potential effects of zero g on piloting capabilities for landing the Orbiter following long-duration missions. This includes, but is not limited to, researching the effects of extended duration missions on piloting capabilities. Four primary constraints of the analysis must be clarified: (1) the analysis depicts E/L in a static manner--the actual process is dynamic; (2) the task analysis was limited to a paper analysis, since it was not feasible to conduct research in the actual setting (i.e., observing or filming duration an actual E/L); (3) the tasks included are those required for E/L during nominal, daylight conditions; and (4) certain E/L tasks will vary according to the flying style of each commander.

Holland, Albert W.↗

The seasonal cycle of low stratiform clouds

The seasonal cycle of low stratiform clouds is studied using data from surface-based cloud climatologies. The impact of low clouds on the radiation budget is illustrated by comparison of data from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment with the cloud climatologies. Ten regions of active stratocumulus convection are identified. These regions fall into four categories: subtropical marine, midlatitude marine, Arctic stratus, and Chinese stratus. With the exception of the Chinese region, all the regions with high amounts of stratus clouds are over the oceans. In all regions except the Arctic, the season of maximum stratus corresponds to the season of greatest lower-troposphere static stability. Interannual variations in stratus cloud amount also are related to changes in static stability. A linear analysis indicates that a 6 percent increase in stratus fractional area coverage is associated with each 1 C increase in static stability. Over midlatitude oceans, sky-obscuring fog is a large component of the summertime stratus amount. The amount of fog appears to be related to warm advection across sharp gradients of SST.

Klein, Stephen A.↗

Sensitivity analysis of aeroelastic response of a wing using piecewise pressure representation

A sensitivity analysis scheme of the static aeroelastic response of a wing is developed, by incorporating a piecewise panel-based pressure representation into an existing wing aeroelastic model to improve the model's fidelity, including the sensitivity of the wing static aeroelastic response with respect to various shape parameters. The new formulation is quite general and accepts any aerodynamics and structural analysis capability. A program is developed which combines the local sensitivities, such as the sensitivity of the stiffness matrix or the aerodynamic kernel matrix, into global sensitivity derivatives.

Eldred, Lloyd B.↗

Develop advanced nonlinear signal analysis topographical mapping system

The SSME has been undergoing extensive flight certification and developmental testing, which involves some 250 health monitoring measurements. Under the severe temperature pressure, and dynamic environments sustained during operation, numerous major component failures have occurred, resulting in extensive engine hardware damage and scheduling losses. To enhance SSME safety and reliability, detailed analysis and evaluation of the measurements signal are mandatory to assess its dynamic characteristics and operational condition. Efficient and reliable signal detection techniques will reduce catastrophic system failure risks and expedite the evaluation of both flight and ground test data, and thereby reduce launch turn-around time. The basic objective of this contract are threefold: (1) Develop and validate a hierarchy of innovative signal analysis techniques for nonlinear and nonstationary time-frequency analysis. Performance evaluation will be carried out through detailed analysis of extensive SSME static firing and flight data. These techniques will be incorporated into a fully automated system. (2) Develop an advanced nonlinear signal analysis topographical mapping system (ATMS) to generate a Compressed SSME TOPO Data Base (CSTDB). This ATMS system will convert tremendous amounts of complex vibration signals from the entire SSME test history into a bank of succinct image-like patterns while retaining all respective phase information. A high compression ratio can be achieved to allow the minimal storage requirement, while providing fast signature retrieval, pattern comparison, and identification capabilities. (3) Integrate the nonlinear correlation techniques into the CSTDB data base with compatible TOPO input data format. Such integrated ATMS system will provide the large test archives necessary for a quick signature comparison. This study will provide timely assessment of SSME component operational status, identify probable causes of malfunction, and indicate feasible engineering solutions. The final result of this program will yield an ATMS system of nonlinear and nonstationary spectral analysis software package integrated with the Compressed SSME TOPO Data Base (CSTDB) on the same platform. This system will allow NASA engineers to retrieve any unique defect signatures and trends associated with different failure modes and anomalous phenomena over the entire SSME test history across turbo pump families.

Jong, Jen-Yi↗

Develop advanced nonlinear signal analysis topographical mapping system

The Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) has been undergoing extensive flight certification and developmental testing, which involves some 250 health monitoring measurements. Under the severe temperature, pressure, and dynamic environments sustained during operation, numerous major component failures have occurred, resulting in extensive engine hardware damage and scheduling losses. To enhance SSME safety and reliability, detailed analysis and evaluation of the measurements signal are mandatory to assess its dynamic characteristics and operational condition. Efficient and reliable signal detection techniques will reduce catastrophic system failure risks and expedite the evaluation of both flight and ground test data, and thereby reduce launch turn-around time. The basic objective of this contract are threefold: (1) develop and validate a hierarchy of innovative signal analysis techniques for nonlinear and nonstationary time-frequency analysis. Performance evaluation will be carried out through detailed analysis of extensive SSME static firing and flight data. These techniques will be incorporated into a fully automated system; (2) develop an advanced nonlinear signal analysis topographical mapping system (ATMS) to generate a Compressed SSME TOPO Data Base (CSTDB). This ATMS system will convert tremendous amount of complex vibration signals from the entire SSME test history into a bank of succinct image-like patterns while retaining all respective phase information. High compression ratio can be achieved to allow minimal storage requirement, while providing fast signature retrieval, pattern comparison, and identification capabilities; and (3) integrate the nonlinear correlation techniques into the CSTDB data base with compatible TOPO input data format. Such integrated ATMS system will provide the large test archives necessary for quick signature comparison. This study will provide timely assessment of SSME component operational status, identify probable causes of malfunction, and indicate feasible engineering solutions. The final result of this program will yield an ATMS system of nonlinear and nonstationary spectral analysis software package integrated with the Compressed SSME TOPO Data Base (CSTDB) on the same platform. This system will allow NASA engineers to retrieve any unique defect signatures and trends associated with different failure modes and anomalous phenomena over the entire SSME test history across turbo pump families.

Source record↗

Thermo-viscoplastic analysis of hypersonic structures subjected to severe aerodynamic heating

A thermoviscoplastic computational method for hypersonic structures is presented. The method employs unified viscoplastic constitutive model implemented in a finite element approach for quasi-static thermal-structural analysis. Applications of the approach to convectively cooled hypersonic structures illustrate the effectiveness of the approach and provide insight into the transient inelastic structural behavior at elevated temperatures.

Thornton, Earl A.↗

Theoretical and software considerations for nonlinear dynamic analysis

In the finite element method for structural analysis, it is generally necessary to discretize the structural model into a very large number of elements to accurately evaluate displacements, strains, and stresses. As the complexity of the model increases, the number of degrees of freedom can easily exceed the capacity of present-day software system. Improvements of structural analysis software including more efficient use of existing hardware and improved structural modeling techniques are discussed. One modeling technique that is used successfully in static linear and nonlinear analysis is multilevel substructuring. This research extends the use of multilevel substructure modeling to include dynamic analysis and defines the requirements for a general purpose software system capable of efficient nonlinear dynamic analysis. The multilevel substructuring technique is presented, the analytical formulations and computational procedures for dynamic analysis and nonlinear mechanics are reviewed, and an approach to the design and implementation of a general purpose structural software system is presented.

Schmidt, R. J.↗

Test and Analysis of an Inflatable Parabolic Dish Antenna

NASA is developing ultra-lightweight structures technology for large communication antennas for application to space missions. With these goals in mind, SRS Technologies has been funded by NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) to undertake the development of a subscale ultra-thin membrane inflatable antenna for deep-space applications. One of the research goals is to develop approaches for prediction of the radio frequency and structural characteristics of inflatable and rigidizable membrane antenna structures. GRC has teamed with NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) to evaluate inflatable and rigidizable antenna concepts for potential space missions. GRC has completed tests to evaluate RF performance, while LaRC completed structural tests and analysis to evaluate the static shape and structural dynamic responses of a laboratory model of a 0.3 meter antenna. This paper presents the details of the tests and analysis completed to evaluate the radio frequency and structural characteristics of the antenna.

Gaspar, james L.↗

Coupled Elastic-Thermal Dynamics of Deployable Mesh Reflectors

This paper presents a coupled elastic-thermal dynamic model and a quasi-static strategy on the analysis of the reflector dynamics in the space mission. The linearized model, its natural frequencies and mode shapes are then derived upon the nonlinear static equilibrium of the structure. The numerical example is provided to fully adapt the strategy and investigate the dynamic behaviors of the structure. Finally the proposed method is applied on the sample of the deployable mesh reflector and the simulation results are presented. The research work delivered in the paper will be used to design the feedback surface in future.

fixed boundaries↗