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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1973

Collapsible pistons for light-gas guns

Moving and expandable parts of gun consist of pump-tube diaphragm, piston, launch-tube diaphragm, and saboted projectile. As a result of improved piston design, pressure cycle has been significantly improved by smoother buildup, increasing muzzle velocities up to 50%.

Teng, R. N.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Repeatability and uncertainty analyses of NASA/MSFC light gas gun test data

This Final Report presents an overview of the impact tests performed at NASA/MSFC in the time period 1985 to 1991 and the results of phenomena repeatability and data uncertainty studies performed using the information obtained from those tests. An analysis of the data from over 400 tests conducted between 1989 and 1991 was performed to generate a database to supplement the Hypervelocity Impact Damage Database developed under a previous effort.

Schonberg, William P.↗
NASA NTRS1955

Development of a high-velocity free-flight launcher : the Ames light-gas gun

Recent interest in long-range missiles has stimulated a search for new experimental techniques which can reproduce in the laboratory the high temperatures and Mach numbers associated with the missiles' flight. One promising possibility lies in free-flight testing of laboratory models which are flown at the full velocity of the missile. In this type of test, temperatures are approximated and aerodynamic heating of the model is representative of that experienced by the missile in high-velocity flight. A prime requirement of the free-flight test technique is a device which had the capacity for launching models at the velocities desired. In response to thie need, a gun firing light models at velocities up to 15,000 feet per second has been developed at the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory. The design of this gun, the analysis of its performance, and the results of the initial firing trials are described in this paper. The firing trials showed that the measured velocities and pressures agreed well with the predicted values. Also, the erosion of the launch tube was very small for the eleven rounds fired. The performance of the gun suggests that it will prove to be a satisfactory launcher for high-velocity free-flight tests. However, it should be mentioned that only the gross performance has been evaluated so far, and, consequently, the operation of the gun must be investigated in further detail before its performance can be reliably predicted over its full operating range.

Charters, A C↗
NASA NTRS1995

Structural Damage Prediction and Analysis for Hypervelocity Impact. UDRI Light Gas Gun Test Data Summaries

The HEX bumper was originally developed for use with the Defensive Shields Demonstration (DSD) Program. The University of Dayton Research Institute was a subcontractor to the Martin Marietta Astronautics Group in Denver Colorado at the time the HEX bumper was designed for use on the DSD Program. The design originated at the University and was essentially made available to interested parties. All HEX bumpers used in the DSD Program were fabricated at the University by rolling sheet stock through a special set of rollers. Two pieces of 3003-H14 aluminum sheet were rolled to produce the bumpers evaluated in Shots 4-1302 and 4-1304. A brief summary of the results of these tests is given in below. Contact prints of the multiple-exposure, orthogonal view radiographs of the debris clouds produced by the tests are attached. A sketch of the HEX bumper design is also attached.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1995

Improving the Performance of Two-Stage Gas Guns By Adding a Diaphragm in the Pump Tube

Herein, we study the technique of improving the gun performance by installing a diaphragm in the pump tube of the gun. A CFD study is carried out for the 0.28 in. gun in the Hypervelocity Free Flight Radiation (HFF RAD) range at the NASA Ames Research Center. The normal, full-length pump tube is studied as well as two pump tubes of reduced length (approximately 75% and approximately 33% of the normal length). Significant improvements in performance are calculated to be gained for the reduced length pump tubes upon the addition of the diaphragm. These improvements are identified as reductions in maximum pressures in the pump tube and at the projectile base of approximately 20%, while maintaining the projectile muzzle velocity or as increases in muzzle velocity of approximately 0.5 km/sec while not increasing the maximum pressures in the gun. Also, it is found that both guns with reduced pump tube length (with diaphragms) could maintain the performance of gun with the full length pump tube without diaphragms, whereas the guns with reduced pump tube lengths without diaphragms could not. A five-shot experimental investigation of the pump tube diaphragm technique is carried out for the gun with a pump tube length of 75% normal. The CFD predictions of increased muzzle velocity are borne out by the experimental data. Modest, but useful muzzle velocity increases (2.5 - 6%) are obtained upon the installation of a diaphragm, compared to a benchmark shot without a diaphragm.

Bogdanoff, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Impact Testing for Materials Science at NASA - MSFC

The Impact Testing Facility (ITF) at NASA - Marshall Space Flight Center is host to different types of guns used to study the effects of high velocity impacts. The testing facility has been and continues to be utilized for all NASA missions where impact testing is essential. The Facility has also performed tests for the Department of Defense, other corporations, as well as universities across the nation. Current capabilities provided by Marshall include ballistic guns, light gas guns, exploding wire gun, and the Hydrometeor Impact Gun. A new plasma gun has also been developed which would be able to propel particles at velocities of 20km/s. This report includes some of the guns used for impact testing at NASA Marshall and their capabilities.

Sikapizye, Mitch↗
NASA NTRS2008

Marshall Space Flight Center's Impact Testing Facility Capabilities

Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Impact Testing Facility (ITF) serves as an important installation for space and missile related materials science research. The ITF was established and began its research in spacecraft debris shielding in the early 1960s, then played a major role in the International Space Station debris shield development. As NASA became more interested in launch debris and in-flight impact concerns, the ITF grew to include research in a variety of impact genres. Collaborative partnerships with the DoD led to a wider range of impact capabilities being relocated to MSFC as a result of the closure of Particle Impact Facilities in Santa Barbara, California, The Particle Impact Facility had a 30 year history in providing evaluations of aerospace materials and components during flights through rain, ice, and solid particle environments at subsonic through hypersonic velocities. The facility's unique capabilities were deemed a 'National Asset' by the DoD, The ITF now has capabilities including environmental, ballistic, and hypervelocity impact testing utilizing an array of air, powder, and two-stage light gas guns to accommodate a variety of projectile and target types and sizes. Relocated test equipment was dated and in need of upgrade. Numerous upgrades including new instrumentation, triggering circuitry, high speed photography, and optimized sabot designs have been implemented. Other recent research has included rain drop demise characterization tests to obtain data for inclusion in on-going model development. Future ITF improvements will be focused on continued instrumentation and performance enhancements. These enhancements will allow further, more in-depth, characterization of rain drop demise characterization and evaluation of ice crystal impact. Performance enhancements also include increasing the upper velocity limit of the current environmental guns to allow direct environmental simulation for missile components. The current and proposed ITF capabilities range from rain to micrometeoroids allowing the widest test parameter range possible for materials investigations in support of space, atmospheric, and ground environments. These test capabilities including hydrometeor, single/multi-particle, ballistic gas guns, exploding wire gun, and light gas guns combined with Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics Code (SPHC) simulations represent the widest range of impact test capabilities in the country.

Evans, Steve↗
NASA NTRS2008

Marshall Space Flight Center's Impact Testing Facility Capabilities

Marshall Space Flight Center s (MSFC) Impact Testing Facility (ITF) serves as an important installation for space and missile related materials science research. The ITF was established and began its research in spacecraft debris shielding in the early 1960s, then played a major role in the International Space Station debris shield development. As NASA became more interested in launch debris and in-flight impact concerns, the ITF grew to include research in a variety of impact genres. Collaborative partnerships with the DoD led to a wider range of impact capabilities being relocated to MSFC as a result of the closure of Particle Impact Facilities in Santa Barbara, California. The Particle Impact Facility had a 30 year history in providing evaluations of aerospace materials and components during flights through rain, ice, and solid particle environments at subsonic through hypersonic velocities. The facility s unique capabilities were deemed a "National Asset" by the DoD. The ITF now has capabilities including environmental, ballistic, and hypervelocity impact testing utilizing an array of air, powder, and two-stage light gas guns to accommodate a variety of projectile and target types and sizes. Numerous upgrades including new instrumentation, triggering circuitry, high speed photography, and optimized sabot designs have been implemented. Other recent research has included rain drop demise characterization tests to obtain data for inclusion in on-going model development. The current and proposed ITF capabilities range from rain to micrometeoroids allowing the widest test parameter range possible for materials investigations in support of space, atmospheric, and ground environments. These test capabilities including hydrometeor, single/multi-particle, ballistic gas guns, exploding wire gun, and light gas guns combined with Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics Code (SPHC) simulations represent the widest range of impact test capabilities in the country.

Finchum, Andy↗
NASA NTRS1994

Experimental investigation of nozzle/plume aerodynamics at hypersonic speeds

Much of the work involved the Ames 16-Inch Shock Tunnel facility. The facility was reactivated and upgraded, a data acquisition system was configured and upgraded several times, several facility calibrations were performed and test entries with a wedge model with hydrogen injection and a full scramjet combustor model, with hydrogen injection, were performed. Extensive CFD modeling of the flow in the facility was done. This includes modeling of the unsteady flow in the driver and driven tubes and steady flow modeling of the nozzle flow. Other modeling efforts include simulations of non-equilibrium flows and turbulence, plasmas, light gas guns and the use of non-ideal gas equations of state. New experimental techniques to improve the performance of gas guns, shock tubes and tunnels and scramjet combustors were conceived and studied computationally. Ways to improve scramjet engine performance using steady and pulsed detonation waves were also studied computationally. A number of studies were performed on the operation of the ram accelerator, including investigations of in-tube gasdynamic heating and the use of high explosives to raise the velocity capability of the device.

Bogdanoff, David W.↗
NASA NTRS1961

A Technique for Obtaining Hypervelocity Impact Data by using the Relative Velocities of Two Projectiles

A facility has been developed and put into operation to determine the feasibility of obtaining hypervelocity impact data by using the relative velocities of two projectiles. The facility utilizes the technique of firing a target toward an oncoming high-velocity projectile so that the impact velocity is equal to the sum of the projectile velocity and the target velocity. A 37-millimeter powder gun is utilized to accelerate the targets, and a specially designed 22-caliber light-gas gun accelerates the impacting projectiles. The light-gas gun is operated by detonating an explosive charge which permits it to be synchronized with the firing of the 37-millimeter gun. Impact velocities as great as 21,850 ft/sec have been obtained during development of the facility. After the oncoming projectiles impact the targets fired from the 37-millimeter gun, these targets are recovered by allowing them to impact into Celotex and soft wooden blocks. The craters formed in the targets then can be observed and measured. The results of several preliminary firings of the facility are included in this report.

Kinard, William H.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Preliminary investigations into UHCRE thermal control materials

An overview is given of the initial work which has been done in the European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC) Materials and Processes Division to evaluate the effect of space environment on the thermal blankets of the Ultra-Heavy Cosmic Ray Nuclei Experiment (UHCRE). Also, an account is given of the simulation of the impacts of micrometeoroids and space debris in a spare flight thermal blanket by means of plasma gun and light gas gun acceleration facilities.

Levadou, Francois↗
NASA NTRS1993

Intact capture of hypervelocity particles on Shuttle

The capability for capturing micrometeoroid analogs intact through laboratory simulations in passive underdense media offers a valuable tool for cosmic dust research. However, no amount of laboratory simulations can replace actual space experiments due to the technical inability to launch high fidelity analogs of micrometeoroids in ground laboratories and then reliably simulating high hypervelocities (greater than 7 km/s). Fluffy composite micrometeoroid analogs tend to break up and have not survived laboratory launches at beyond 4 km/s, however, a new technique of launching cluster analogs was developed for the two-stage light-gas gun at NASA Ames Vertical Gun Range. Plasma drag or electrostatic accelerators may be able to achieve higher speeds than two-stage light-gas guns but only with very limited projectile compositions and may result in severe projectile deformation. Consequently, a space demonstration of intact capture was sought since 1983. Initial results from our STS-47 flight, which carried the first Shuttle Sample Return Experiment (SRE) with silica aerogel capture media, are reported.

Tsou, P.↗