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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 559 records · Page 31

Aerodynamic characteristics of an NASA supercritical-wing research airplane model with and without fuselage area-rule additions at Mach 0.25 to 1.00

Transonic pressure tunnel tests at Mach numbers from 0.25 to 1.00 were performed to determine the effects of area-rule additions to the sides of the fuselage on the aerodynamic characteristics of a 0.087 scale model of an NASA supercritical-wing research airplane. Presented are the longitudinal aerodynamic force and moment characteristics for horizontal-tail deflection angles of -2.5 deg and -5 deg with the side fuselage area-rule additions on and off the model. The effects of the side fuselage area-rule additions on selected wing and fuselage pressure distributions at near-cruise conditions are also presented.

Bartlett, D. W.↗

Bounds on thickness and loading noise of rotating blades and the favorable effect of blade sweep on noise reduction

The maxima of amplitudes of thickness and loading noise harmonics are established when the radial distribution of blade chord, thickness ratio, and lift coefficient is specified. It is first shown that only airfoils with thickness distribution and chordwise loading distributions which are symmetric with respect to midchord need be considered for finding the absolute maxima of thickness and loading noise. The resulting chordwise thickness and load distributions for these maximum noise conditions require infinite slope at some points along the chord but otherwise are uniform. It is shown that sweeping the blades reduces the thickness and loading noise, but there is no optimum sweep which generates the lowest noise.

Farassat, F.↗

Instrumentation complex for Langley Research Center's National Transonic Facility

The instrumentation discussed in the present paper was developed to ensure reliable operation for a 2.5-meter cryogenic high-Reynolds-number fan-driven transonic wind tunnel. It will incorporate four CPU's and associated analog and digital input/output equipment, necessary for acquiring research data, controlling the tunnel parameters, and monitoring the process conditions. Connected in a multipoint distributed network, the CPU's will support data base management and processing; research measurement data acquisition and display; process monitoring; and communication control. The design will allow essential processes to continue, in the case of major hardware failures, by switching input/output equipment to alternate CPU's and by eliminating nonessential functions. It will also permit software modularization by CPU activity and thereby reduce complexity and development time.

Russell, C. H.↗

Soft X-ray structure of the Perseus cluster of galaxies

A 0.5-1.5-keV X-ray image of the Perseus cluster of galaxies was obtained with a focusing telescope system aboard a sounding rocket. The source consists of a region of diffuse emission plus a superposed central source in the vicinity of NGC 1275 smaller than 4 arcmin in diameter that accounts for one-quarter of the total intensity within a radius of 25 arcmin. The results for the diffuse source are consistent with the isothermal-hydrostatic picture in which the hot gas has a core radius of 17 arcmin and is approximately symmetric about NGC 1275. Several isothermal-hydrostatic models are considered which relate the size and temperature of the diffuse X-ray source with the core radius of the galaxies and their velocity dispersion. Fixing the velocity dispersion at values measured by Chincarini and Rood (1971) requires the core radius of the galaxies to be 28 + or - 9 arcmin, which is larger than present measurements. Conversely, fixing the core radius of the galaxies at 8 arcmin requires a smaller velocity dispersion or a condition in which the velocity distribution is anisotropic. Upper limits on the intrinsic X-ray absorption of the central source place the bulk of its X-ray emission beyond the nuclear region of NGC 1275.

Gorenstein, P.↗

Heat and moisture flow in concrete as a function of temperature

Due to temperature, reactors in operation cause heat and moisture flows in the thick walled prestressed pressure vessels. These flows were studied in three beams of concrete made with crushed limestone aggregate, and in three beams made of crushed gravel/sand aggregate. The flow phenomena were related to the structural development of the concrete by determining the amount of non-evaporatable water, the total porosity, and the pore size distribution. Local temperature and moisture conditions also influenced the technical properties. Compressive strength, changes in length due to shrinkage and contraction, thermal expansion, and thermal conductivity were determined.

Hundt, J.↗

A wave-envelope of sound propagation in nonuniform circular ducts with compressible mean flows

An acoustic theory is developed to determine the sound transmission and attenuation through an infinite, hard-walled or lined circular duct carrying compressible, sheared, mean flows and having a variable cross section. The theory is applicable to large as well as small axial variations, as long as the mean flow does not separate. The technique is based on solving for the envelopes of the quasi-parallel acoustic modes that exist in the duct instead of solving for the actual wave, thereby reducing the computation time and the round-off error encountered in purely numerical techniques. The solution recovers the solution based on the method of multiple scales for slowly varying duct geometry. A computer program was developed based on the wave-envelope analysis for general mean flows. Results are presented for the reflection and transmission coefficients as well as the acoustic pressure distributions for a number of conditions: both straight and variable area ducts with and without liners and mean flows from very low to high subsonic speeds are considered.

Nayfeh, A. H.↗

Transonic assessment of two-dimensional wind tunnel wall interference using measured wall pressures

A method is described for assessing wall interference in two dimensional wind tunnels with better realism and accuracy than is achieved with methods based on classical wall interference theory. Measured pressure distributions were imposed as boundary conditions on a nonlinear transonic form of the potential equation to obtain an accurate computational reproduction of the actual tunnel flow. Wall-induced velocity perturbations were then extracted to yield both corrections to the tunnel test conditions and a measure of the adequacy of these corrections to account for tunnel interference. Application of the method to a transonic tunnel with variable porosity walls is illustrated.

Kemp, W. B., Jr.↗

Planning for large construction projects in space

The paper discusses briefly some broad plans for developing the technology needed for large construction projects in space ranging from orbiting solar power stations to large communications antennas. Space construction classes include assembly of modules, deployment of compacted structures, assembly of passive preformed pieces, and fabrication of structures from sheet stock. Technological areas related to structural concepts include (1) analyses for prediction of structural behavior, structural/control interaction, electromagnetic and control performance, and integrated design development; (2) electronics for signal conditioning and data acquisition, power distribution, and signal channel interference and multipaction; (3) concepts for shape control, attitude/pointing control, and orbital transfer and station keeping; and (4) materials and techniques for 30-year dimensional stable composites, thermal control, thin-lightweight structural alloys, and material joining in space. The concept of a power module for the construction operations is discussed along with a concept for a habitability module.

Disher, J. H.↗

Validation of helicopter noise prediction techniques

The current techniques of helicopter rotor noise prediction attempt to describe the details of the noise field precisely and remove the empiricisms and restrictions inherent in previous methods. These techniques require detailed inputs of the rotor geometry, operating conditions, and blade surface pressure distribution. The purpose of this paper is to review those techniques in general and the Farassat/Nystrom analysis in particular. The predictions of the Farassat/Nystrom noise computer program, using both measured and calculated blade surface pressure data, are compared to measured noise level data. This study is based on a contract from NASA to Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc. with measured data from the AH-1G Helicopter Operational Loads Survey flight test program supplied by Bell Helicopter Textron.

Succi, G. P.↗

Limits on the prediction of helicopter rotor noise using thickness and loading sources: Validation of helicopter noise prediction techniques

The techniques of helicopter rotor noise prediction attempt to describe precisely the details of the noise field and remove the empiricisms and restrictions inherent in previous methods. These techniques require detailed inputs of the rotor geometry, operating conditions, and blade surface pressure distribution. The Farassat noise prediction techniques was studied, and high speed helicopter noise prediction using more detailed representations of the thickness and loading noise sources was investigated. These predictions were based on the measured blade surface pressures on an AH-1G rotor and compared to the measured sound field. Although refinements in the representation of the thickness and loading noise sources improve the calculation, there are still discrepancies between the measured and predicted sound field. Analysis of the blade surface pressure data indicates shocks on the blades, which are probably responsible for these discrepancies.

Succi, G. P.↗

Spatial variability of soil hydraulics and remotely sensed soil parameters

The development of methods to correctly interpret remotely sensed information about soil moisture and soil temperature requires an understanding of water and energy flow in soil, because the signals originate from the surface, or from a shallow surface layer, but reflect processes in the entire profile. One formidable difficulty in this application of soil physics is the spatial heterogeneity of natural soils. Earlier work has suggested that the heterogeneity of soil hydraulic properties may be described by the frequency distribution of a single scale factor. The sensitivity of hydraulic and energetic processes to the variation of this scale factor is explored with a suitable numerical model. It is believed that such an analysis can help in deciding how accurately and extensively basic physical properties of field soils need to be known in order to interpret thermal or radar waveband signals. It appears that the saturated hydraulic conductivity needs to be known only to its order of magnitude, and that the required accuracy of the soil water retention function is about 0.02 volume fraction. Furthermore, the results may be helpful in deciding how the total scene or view field, as perceived through a sensor, is composed from the actual mosaic of transient soil properties, such as surface temperature or surface soil moisture. However, the latter proposition presupposes a random distribution of permanent properties, a condition that may not be met in many instances, and no solution of the problem is apparent.

Lascano, R. J.↗

Photovoltaic concentrator pointing dynamics and plasma interaction study

The objectives of this experiment are to use the Space Technology Experiments Platform (STEP) system to demonstrate the viability of concentrator photovoltaic arrays by: (1) configuring a deployable mast on the STEP pallet with concentrator mass models and some active photovoltaic modules; (2) measuring the array pointing dynamics under normal rotation as well as disturbance conditions; (3) performing an array plasma interaction experiment to determine the steady-state plasma losses under various voltage conditions; and (4) providing active distributed control of the support truss to determine the improvement in dynamic response. Experiment approach and test control and instrumentation are described.

Stern, T. G.↗

Adaptation of two-dimensional transonic analysis code, TSFOIL, for use in modeling adaptive wall test sections

The effects of the elastic deformation of the wind tunnel wall held to a streamline-like shape were simulated numerically. The wall itself is simulated by a finite element model and is allowed to deform under the pressure loading developing in the wind tunnel with an airfoil model present. A modified version of the transonic analysis program, TSFOIL, is then used to determine the resulting flow field with the effects of the deformed wall included, the shape of the wall and the flow field. Once a result from a particular operating condition was obtained, the pressure distribution on the airfoil in the wind tunnel model is compared with solutions generated by TSFOIL in the free air mode.

Webb, J.↗

Photovoltaic module encapsulation design and materials section, volume 2

Tests for chemical structure, material properties, water absorption, aging and curing agent of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) and UV absorption studies are carried out. A computer model was developed for thermal optical modeling, to investigate dependence between module operating temperature and solar insolation, and heat dissapation behavior. Structural analyses were performed in order to determine the stress distribution under wind and heat conditions. Curves are shown for thermal loading conditions. An electrical isolation was carried out to investigate electrical stress aging of non-metallic encapsulation materials and limiting material flaws, and to develop a computer model of electrical fields and stresses in encapsulation materials. In addition, a mathematical model was developed and tests were conducted to predict hygroscopic and thermal expansion and contraction on a plastic coated wooden substrate. Thermal cycle and humidity freezing cycle tests, partial discharge tests, and hail impact tests were also carried out. Finally, the effects of soiling on the surface of photovoltaic modules were investigated. Two antisoiling coatings, a fluorinated silane and perflourodecanoic acid were considered.

Cuddihy, E. F.↗

A model of the radiative properties of the El Chichon stratospheric aerosol layer

An accurate multiple-scattering model has been employed to examine the effect of an aerosol layer at 25 mb, corresponding to the El Chichon observations, on the reflection, transmission and absorption of radiation by the stratosphere as a function of latitude, optical thickness and aerosol size distribution. Results are presented and parameterized for each of two wavelength intervals in the shortwave region and 17 wavelength intervals in the longwave region for three models of the aerosol size distribution. They include one model representing the unperturbed stratospheric aerosol plus two models based on measurements of the El Chichon aerosol size distribution. In addition to models of the radiative properties of the aerosol layer, a simple model of the latitudinal distribution of aerosol optical thickness as a function of time is developed, based on diffusive transport in latitude and exponential decay in time. These parameterizations for solar and infrared radiation, together with the dispersion model, permit climate models to account for the evolution of an aerosol size distribution from post-volcanic conditions to background conditions.

King, M. D.↗

CID-720 aircraft Langley Research Center preflight hardware tests: Development, flight acceptance and qualification

The testing conducted on LaRC-developed hardware for the controlled impact demonstration transport aircraft is discussed. To properly develop flight qualified crash systems, two environments were considered: the aircraft flight environment with the focus on vibration and temperature effects, and the crash environment with the long pulse shock effects. Also with the large quantity of fuel in the wing tanks the possibility of fire was considered to be a threat to data retrieval and thus fire tests were included in the development test process. The aircraft test successfully demonstrated the performance of the LaRC developed heat shields. Good telemetered data (S-band) was received during the impact and slide-out phase, and even after the aircraft came to rest. The two onboard DAS tape recorders were protected from the intense fire and high quality tape data was recovered. The complete photographic system performed as planned throughout the 40.0 sec of film supply. The four photo power distribution pallets remained in good condition and all ten onboard 16 mm high speed (400 frames/sec) cameras produced good film data.

Pride, J. D.↗

Numerical Simulation Of Silicon-Ribbon Growth

Mathematical model includes nonlinear effects. In development simulates growth of silicon ribbon from melt. Takes account of entire temperature and stress history of ribbon. Numerical simulations performed with new model helps in search for temperature distribution, pulling speed, and other conditions favoring growth of wide, flat, relatively defect-free silicon ribbons for solar photovoltaic cells at economically attractive, high production rates. Also applicable to materials other than silicon.

Woda, Ben K.↗

Theoretical investigation of gas-surface interactions

A Dirac-Hartree-Fock code was developed for polyatomic molecules. The program uses integrals over symmetry-adapted real spherical harmonic Gaussian basis functions generated by a modification of the MOLECULE integrals program. A single Gaussian function is used for the nuclear charge distribution, to ensure proper boundary conditions at the nuclei. The Gaussian primitive functions are chosen to satisfy the kinetic balance condition. However, contracted functions which do not necessarily satisfy this condition may be used. The Fock matrix is constructed in the scalar basis and transformed to a jj-coupled 2-spinor basis before diagonalization. The program was tested against numerical results for atoms with a Gaussian nucleus and diatomic molecules with point nuclei. The energies converge on the numerical values as the basis set size is increased. Full use of molecular symmetry (restricted to D sub 2h and subgroups) is yet to be implemented.

Dyall, Kenneth G.↗