Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “curvature”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1989

Curvature effects on the stability of laminar boundary layers on swept wings

The stability of the laminar boundary layer on a swept wing is examined. An improved linear stability theory which includes the effects of body and streamline curvature and compressibility is utilized for the calculations. The computed N-factor is correlated with the onset of transition. For this study, only test conditions where transition is due to the growth of highly amplified crossflow instabilities on convex surfaces are examined. The calculations show that the effect of the curvature terms is to dramatically reduce local amplification rates in regions where body and streamline curvature are large. For the cases where transition occurred ahead of the pressure minimum on the upper surface of the wing, the N-factor at transition onset is near 9 when the effects of body and streamline curvature are included in the computations. When the curvature terms are neglected, the average N-factor is about 17. The calculations show that traveling crossflow waves are most amplified.

Collier, F. S., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Effects of curvature and rotation on turbulence in the NASA low-speed centrifugal compressor impeller

The flow in the NASA Low-Speed Impeller is affected by both curvature and rotation. The flow curves due to the following: (1) geometric curvature, e.g. the curvature of the hub and shroud profiles in the meridional plane and the curvature of the backswept impeller blades; and (2) secondary flow vortices, e.g. the tip leakage vortex. Changes in the turbulence and effective turbulent viscosity in the impeller are investigated. The effects of these changes on three-dimensional flow development are discussed. Two predictions of the flow in the impeller, one with, and one without modification to the turbulent viscosity due to rotation and curvature, are compared. Some experimental and theoretical background for the modified mixing length model of turbulent viscosity will also be presented.

Moore, Joan G.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Effect of curvature on stationary crossflow instability of a three-dimensional boundary layer

An incompressible three-dimensional laminar boundary-layer flow over a swept wing is used as a model to study both the wall-curvature and streamline-curvature effects on the stationary crossflow instability. The basic state is obtained by solving the full Navier-Stokes (N-S) equations numerically. The linear disturbance equations are cast on a fixed, body-intrinsic, curvilinear coordinate system. Those nonparallel terms which contribute mainly to the streamline-curvature effect are retained in the formulation of the disturbance equations and approximated by their local finite difference values. The resulting eigenvalue problem is solved by a Chebyshev collocation method. The present results indicate that the convex wall curvature has a stabilizing effect, whereas the streamline curvature has a destabilizing effect. A validation of these effects with an N-S solution for the linear disturbance flow is provided.

Lin, Ray-Sing↗
NASA NTRS1991

Exploratory study of in-plane streamline curvature effects on a turbulent boundary layer at a Mach number of 3

This report on a program to study in-plane streamline curvature effects in a turbulent boundary layer at a Mach number of 3. The original proposal, for a 3-year program to explore in-plane streamline curvature effects on a supersonic turbulent boundary layer using three-dimensional pressure fields generated by fins and wall geometry, ended after one year. The purpose of these tests was to compare these streamline curvature effects to the more classical two-dimensional curvature generated by wall shape and imposed pressure gradients, previously considered primarily in a plane normal to the floor. The studies were carried out in the Mach number of 3, 8 x 8 inch High Reynolds Number Supersonic Tunnel. The usual surface visualization and mean wall static pressures were supplemented by the use of many small high frequency wall static pressure gauges (Kulites) to get some indication of the amplification of boundary layer disturbances by the in-plane streamline curvature caused by the three-dimensional pressure fields imposed on the boundary layer.

Bogdonoff, Seymour M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Streamline-curvature effect in three-dimensional boundary layers

The effect of including wall and streamline curvature terms in swept-wing boundary-layer stability calculations is studied. The linear disturbance equations are cast on a fixed, body-intrinsic, curvilinear coordinate system. Those nonparallel terms which contribute mainly to the streamline-curvature effect are retained in this formulation and approximated by their local finite-difference values. Convex-wall curvature has a stabilizing effect, while streamline curvature is destabilizing if the curvature exceeds a critical value.

Reed, Helen L.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Analysis of growth patterns during gravitropic curvature in roots of Zea mays by use of a computer-based video digitizer

A computer-based video digitizer system is described which allows automated tracking of markers placed on a plant surface. The system uses customized software to calculate relative growth rates at selected positions along the plant surface and to determine rates of gravitropic curvature based on the changing pattern of distribution of the surface markers. The system was used to study the time course of gravitropic curvature and changes in relative growth rate along the upper and lower surface of horizontally-oriented roots of maize (Zea mays L.). The growing region of the root was found to extend from about 1 mm behind the tip to approximately 6 mm behind the tip. In vertically-oriented roots the relative growth rate was maximal at about 2.5 mm behind the tip and declined smoothly on either side of the maximum. Curvature was initiated approximately 30 min after horizontal orientation with maximal (50 degrees) curvature being attained in 3 h. Analysis of surface extension patterns during the response indicated that curvature results from a reduction in growth rate along both the upper and lower surfaces with stronger reduction along the lower surface.

NASA Discipline Plant Biology↗
NASA NTRS1995

Nastic curvatures of wheat coleoptiles that develop in true microgravity

Dark-grown wheat coleoptiles developed strong curvatures within 5 h of being transferred in orbit from a 1 g centrifuge to microgravity during an experiment flown on the IML-1 shuttle mission. The curving tendency was strongest in seedlings that were immature, with coleoptiles shorter than 10 mm at the time of transfer. The curvature direction was non-random, and directed away from the caryopsis (the coleptile face adjacent to the caryopsis becoming convex). The curvatures were most marked in the basal third of the coleoptiles, contrasting with phototropic responses, which occur in the apical third. We interpret these curvatures as being nastic, and related to the curvatures commonly reported to occur during clinostat rotation treatments.

manned↗
NASA NTRS1992

Stimulation of root elongation and curvature by calcium

Ca2+ has been proposed to mediate inhibition of root elongation. However, exogenous Ca2+ at 10 or 20 millimolar, applied directly to the root cap, significantly stimulated root elongation in pea (Pisum sativum L.) and corn (Zea mays L.) seedlings. Furthermore, Ca2+ at 1 to 20 millimolar, applied unilaterally to the caps of Alaska pea roots, caused root curvature away from the Ca2+ source, which was caused by an acceleration of elongation growth on the convex side (Ca2+ side) of the roots. Roots of an agravitropic pea mutant, ageotropum, responded to a greater extent. Roots of Merit and Silver Queen corn also responded to Ca2+ in similar ways but required a higher Ca2+ concentration than that of pea roots. Roots of all other cultivars tested (additional four cultivars of pea and one of corn) curved away from the unilateral Ca2+ source as well. The Ca(2+)-stimulated curvature was substantially enhanced by light. A Ca2+ ionophore, A23187, at 20 micromolar or abscisic acid at 0.1 to 100 micromolar partially substituted for the light effect and enhanced the Ca(2+)-stimulated curvature in the dark. Unilateral application of Ca2+ to the elongation zone of intact roots or to the cut end of detipped roots caused either no curvature or very slight curvature toward the Ca2+. Thus, Ca2+ action on root elongation differs depending on its site of application. The stimulatory action of Ca2+ may involve an elevation of cytoplasmic Ca2+ in root cap cells and may partipate in root tropisms.

NASA Program Space Biology↗
NASA NTRS1999

Robust pupil center detection using a curvature algorithm

Determining the pupil center is fundamental for calculating eye orientation in video-based systems. Existing techniques are error prone and not robust because eyelids, eyelashes, corneal reflections or shadows in many instances occlude the pupil. We have developed a new algorithm which utilizes curvature characteristics of the pupil boundary to eliminate these artifacts. Pupil center is computed based solely on points related to the pupil boundary. For each boundary point, a curvature value is computed. Occlusion of the boundary induces characteristic peaks in the curvature function. Curvature values for normal pupil sizes were determined and a threshold was found which together with heuristics discriminated normal from abnormal curvature. Remaining boundary points were fit with an ellipse using a least squares error criterion. The center of the ellipse is an estimate of the pupil center. This technique is robust and accurately estimates pupil center with less than 40% of the pupil boundary points visible.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2016

Performance of the Primary Mirror Center-of-curvature Optical Metrology System During Cryogenic Testing of the JWST Pathfinder Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) primary mirror (PM) is 6.6 m in diameter and consists of 18 hexagonal segments, each 1.5 m point-to-point. Each segment has a six degree-of-freedom hexapod actuation system and a radius-of-curvature (RoC) actuation system. The full telescope will be tested at its cryogenic operating temperature at Johnson Space Center. This testing will include center-of-curvature measurements of the PM, using the Center-of-Curvature Optical Assembly (COCOA) and the Absolute Distance Meter Assembly (ADMA). The COCOA includes an interferometer, a reflective null, an interferometer-null calibration system, coarse & fine alignment systems, and two displacement measuring interferometer systems. A multiple-wavelength interferometer (MWIF) is used for alignment & phasing of the PM segments. The ADMA is used to measure, and set, the spacing between the PM and the focus of the COCOA null (i.e. the PM center-of-curvature) for determination of the ROC. The performance of these metrology systems was assessed during two cryogenic tests at JSC. This testing was performed using the JWST Pathfinder telescope, consisting mostly of engineering development & spare hardware. The Pathfinder PM consists of two spare segments. These tests provided the opportunity to assess how well the center-of-curvature optical metrology hardware, along with the software & procedures, performed using real JWST telescope hardware. This paper will describe the test setup, the testing performed, and the resulting metrology system performance. The knowledge gained and the lessons learned during this testing will be of great benefit to the accurate & efficient cryogenic testing of the JWST flight telescope.

optical testing↗
DOE OSTI2023

Widely Tunable Berry Curvature in the Magnetic Semimetal Cr 1+ δ Te 2

Abstract Magnetic semimetals have increasingly emerged as lucrative platforms hosting spin‐based topological phenomena in real and momentum spaces. Cr 1+ δ Te 2 is a self‐intercalated magnetic transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD), which exhibits topological magnetism and tunable electron filling. While recent studies have explored real‐space Berry curvature effects, similar considerations of momentum‐space Berry curvature are lacking. Here, the electronic structure and transport properties of epitaxial Cr 1+ δ Te 2 thin films are systematically investigated over a range of doping, δ (0.33 – 0.71). Spectroscopic experiments reveal the presence of a characteristic semi‐metallic band region, which shows a rigid like energy shift with δ. Transport experiments show that the intrinsic component of the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) is sizable and undergoes a sign flip across δ. Finally, density functional theory calculations establish a link between the doping evolution of the band structure and AHE: the AHE sign flip is shown to emerge from the sign change of the Berry curvature, as the semi‐metallic band region crosses the Fermi energy. These findings underscore the increasing relevance of momentum‐space Berry curvature in magnetic TMDs and provide a unique platform for intertwining topological physics in real and momentum spaces.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Leveraging Curvature on N–Doped Carbon Materials for Hydrogen Storage

Carbon sorbent materials have shown great promise for solid-state hydrogen (H 2 ) storage. Modification of these materials with nitrogen (N) dopants has been undertaken to develop materials that can store H 2 at ambient temperatures. In this work density functional theory (DFT) calculations are used to systematically probe the influence of curvature on the stability and activity of undoped and N-doped carbon materials toward H binding. Specifically, four models of carbon materials are used: graphene, [5,5] carbon nanotube, [5,5] D 5d -C 120 , and C 60 , to extract and correlate the thermodynamic properties of active sites with varying degrees of sp 2 hybridization (curvature). From the calculations and analysis, it is found that graphitic N-doping is thermodynamically favored on more pyramidal sites with increased curvature. In contrast, it is found that the hydrogen binding energy is weakly affected by curvature and is dominated by electronic effects induced by N-doping. These findings highlight the importance of modulating the heteroatom doping configuration and the lattice topology when developing materials for H 2 storage.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2023

Stress and Curvature Effects in Layered 2D Ferroelectric CuInP 2 S 6

Nanoscale ferroelectric 2D materials offer the opportunity to investigate curvature and strain effects on materials functionalities. Among these, CuInP 2 S 6 (CIPS) has attracted tremendous research interest in recent years due to combination of room temperature ferroelectricity, scalability to a few layers thickness, and ferrielectric properties due to coexistence of 2 polar sublattices. Here, we explore the local curvature and strain effect on polarization in CIPS via piezoresponse force microscopy and spectroscopy. To explain the observed behaviors and decouple the curvature and strain effects in 2D CIPS, we introduce the finite element Landau–Ginzburg–Devonshire model, revealing strong changes in hysteresis characteristics in regions subjected to tensile and compressive strain. The piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) results show that bending induces ferrielectric domains in CIPS, and the polarization-voltage hysteresis loops differ in bending and nonbending regions. Furthermore, these studies offer insights into the fabrication of curvature-engineered nanoelectronic devices.

2D materials↗
DOE OSTI2020

Nonaxisymmetric Shapes of Biological Membranes from Locally Induced Curvature

In various biological processes such as endocytosis and caveolae formation, the cell membrane is locally deformed into curved morphologies. Previous models to study membrane morphologies resulting from locally induced curvature often only consider the possibility of axisymmetric shapes-an indeed unphysical constraint. Past studies predict that the cell membrane buds at low resting tensions and stalls at a flat pit at high resting tensions. In this work, we lift the restriction to axisymmetry to study all possible membrane morphologies. Only if the resting tension of the membrane is low, we reproduce axisymmetric membrane morphologies. When the resting tension is moderate to high, we show that 1) axisymmetric membrane pits are unstable and 2) nonaxisymmetric ridge-shaped structures are energetically favorable. Furthermore, we find the interplay between intramembrane viscous flow and the rate of induced curvature affects the membrane's ability to transition into nonaxisymmetric ridges and axisymmetric buds. In particular, we show that axisymmetric buds are favored when the induced curvature is rapidly increased, whereas nonaxisymmetric ridges are favored when the curvature is slowly increased. Overall, our results hold relevant implications for biological processes such as endocytosis and physical phenomena like phase separation in lipid bilayers.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Understanding the Effect of Curvature on the Magnetization Reversal of Three-Dimensional Nanohelices

Comprehending the interaction between geometry and magnetism in three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures is important to understand the fundamental physics of domain wall (DW) formation and pinning. Here, we use focused-electron-beam-induced deposition to fabricate magnetic nanohelices with increasing helical curvature with height. Using electron tomography and Lorentz transmission electron microscopy, we reconstruct the 3D structure and magnetization of the nanohelices. The surface curvature, helical curvature, and torsion of the nanohelices are then quantified from the tomographic reconstructions. Furthermore, by using the experimental 3D reconstructions as inputs for micromagnetic simulations, we can reveal the influence of surface and helical curvature on the magnetic reversal mechanism. Hence, we can directly correlate the magnetic behavior of a 3D nanohelix to its experimental structure. In conclusion, these results demonstrate how the control of geometry in nanohelices can be utilized in the stabilization of DWs and control of the response of the nanostructure to applied magnetic fields.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Curvature Induced Modifications of Chirality and Magnetic Configuration in Perpendicular Films

Designing curvature in three-dimensional (3D) magnetic nanostructures enables controlled manipulation of local energy landscapes, allowing for the modification of noncollinear spin textures relevant for next-generation spintronic devices. In this study, we experimentally investigate 3D magnetization textures in a Co/Pd multilayer film, exhibiting strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), deposited onto curved Cu nanowire meshes with diameters as small as 50 nm and lengths of several microns. Utilizing magnetic soft X-ray nanotomography, we achieve reconstructions of 3D magnetic domain patterns at approximately 30 nm spatial resolution. This approach provides detailed information on both the orientation and magnitude of magnetization within the film. Our results reveal that interfacial anisotropy in the Co/Pd multilayers drives the magnetization toward the local surface normal. In contrast to typical labyrinth domains observed in planar films, the presence of curved nanowires significantly alters the domain structure, with domains preferentially aligning along the nanowire axis in close proximity, while adopting random orientations farther away. We report direct experimental observation of a curvature-induced Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI), which is quantified to be approximately one-third of the intrinsic DMI in Co/Pd stacks. The curvature induced DMI enhances stability of Néel-type domain walls. These experimental observations are further supported by micromagnetic simulations. Altogether, our findings demonstrate that introducing curvature into magnetic nanostructures provides a powerful strategy for tailoring complex magnetic behaviors, paving the way for the design of advanced 3D racetrack memory and neuromorphic computing devices.

Raftrey, David↗
DOE OSTI2020

Berry curvature memory through electrically driven stacking transitions

In two-dimensional layered quantum materials, the interlayer stacking order determines both crystalline symmetry and quantum electronic properties such as Berry curvature, topology and electron correlation. Electrical stimuli can strongly influence quasi-particle interactions and the free energy landscape, thus making it possible to access hidden stacking orders with novel quantum properties and enabling dynamic engineering of these attributes. In this paper, we demonstrate electrically driven stacking transitions and a new type of nonvolatile memory based on Berry curvature in few-layer WTe 2 . The interplay of out-of-plane electric fields and electrostatic doping controls in-plane interlayer sliding and creates multiple polar and centrosymmetric stacking orders. In-situ nonlinear Hall transport reveals such stacking rearrangements result in a layer-parity-selective Berry curvature memory in momentum space, where the sign reversal of the Berry curvature only occurs in odd layer crystals. Our findings open an avenue towards exploring coupling between topology, electron correlations, and ferroelectricity in hidden stacking orders and demonstrate a new low energy cost, electrically-controlled topological memory in the atomically thin limit.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Flat band separation and robust spin Berry curvature in bilayer kagome metals

Kagome materials have emerged as a setting for emergent electronic phenomena that encompass different aspects of symmetry and topology. It is debated whether the XV 6 Sn 6 kagome family (where X is a rare-earth element), a recently discovered family of bilayer kagome metals, hosts a topologically non-trivial ground state resulting from the opening of spin–orbit coupling gaps. These states would carry a finite spin Berry curvature, and topological surface states. Here we investigate the spin and electronic structure of the XV 6 Sn 6 kagome family. We obtain evidence for a finite spin Berry curvature contribution at the centre of the Brillouin zone, where the nearly flat band detaches from the dispersing Dirac band because of spin–orbit coupling. In addition, the spin Berry curvature is further investigated in the charge density wave regime of ScV 6 Sn 6 and it is found to be robust against the onset of the temperature-driven ordered phase. Utilizing the sensitivity of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to the spin and orbital angular momentum, our work unveils the spin Berry curvature of topological kagome metals and helps to define its spectroscopic fingerprint.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗