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NASA NTRS2018

Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Gravity on Heat Pipe Startup

This paper describes an experimental investigation of the effect of the gravity pressure head on the startup of a heat pipe under the reflux mode. In this study, a heat pipe with internal axial grooves was placed in an upright position with two different tilt angles relative to the horizontal plane. Heat was applied to the evaporator at the bottom and cooling was provided to the condenser at the top. The liquid-flooded evaporator was divided into seven segments along the axial direction, and electrical heaters were attached to each segment. Heat was applied to individual heaters in various combinations and sequences. Test results show that as long as an individual evaporator segment was flooded with liquid initially, a superheat was required to vaporize the liquid in that segment. The amount of superheat required for liquid vaporization was a function of gravity pressure head imposed on that evaporator segment. The most effective way to start the heat pipe was to apply a heat load with a high heat flux to the lowest segment of the evaporator. This paper describes an experimental investigation of the effect of the gravity pressure head on the startup of a heat pipe under the reflux mode. In this study, a heat pipe with internal axial grooves was placed in an upright position with two different tilt angles relative to the horizontal plane. Heat was applied to the evaporator at the bottom and cooling was provided to the condenser at the top. The liquid-flooded evaporator was divided into seven segments along the axial direction, and electrical heaters were attached to each segment. Heat was applied to individual heaters in various combinations and sequences. Test results show that as long as an individual evaporator segment was flooded with liquid initially, a superheat was required to vaporize the liquid in that segment. The amount of superheat required for liquid vaporization was a function of gravity pressure head imposed on that evaporator segment. The most effective way to start the heat pipe was to apply a heat load with a high heat flux to the lowest segment of the evaporator.

Heat Pipes↗

NASA NTRS2011

Structural Analysis of Pressurized Small Diameter Lines in a Random Vibration Environment

The pressurization and propellant feed lines for the Ares 1 Upper Stage Reaction and Roll Control Systems (ReCS and RoCS) were required to be in a high g-load random vibration flight environment. The lines connected the system components and were filled with both liquid hydrazine and gaseous helium. They are considered small and varied between one fourth to one inch in diameter. The random vibration of the lines was considered to be base excitation through the mating components and mounting hardware. It was found that reducing the amount of support structure for the lines added flexibility to the system and improved the line stresses from random vibration, but caused higher stresses from the static g-loads. The locations and number of brackets were optimized by analyzing the mode shapes of the lines causing high stresses. The use of brackets that only constrain motion in the direction of concern further reduced the stresses in the lines. Finite element analysis was used to perform the analysis. The lines were pre-stressed by temperature and internal pressure with fluid and insulation included as non-structural mass. Base excitation was added to the model using Power Spectral Density (PSD) data for the expected flight loads. The random vibration and static g-load cases were combined to obtain the total stress in the lines. This approach advances the state of the art in line analysis by using FEA to predict the stresses in the lines and to optimize the entire system based on the expected flight environment. Adding flexibility to lines has been used in piping system for temperature loads, but in flight environments flexibility has been limited for the static stresses. Adding flexibility to the system in a flight environment by reducing brackets has the benefit of reducing stresses and weight

Davis, Mark↗

NASA NTRS2006

Thermal Management Techniques for Oil-Free Turbomachinery Systems

Tests were performed to evaluate three different methods of utilizing air to provide thermal management control for compliant journal foil air bearings. The effectiveness of the methods was based on bearing bulk temperature and axial thermal gradient reductions during air delivery. The first method utilized direct impingement of air on the inner surface of a hollow test journal during operation. The second, less indirect method achieved heat removal by blowing air inside the test journal to simulate air flowing axially through a hollow, rotating shaft. The third method emulated the most common approach to removing heat by forcing air axially through the bearing s support structure. Internal bearing temperatures were measured with three, type K thermocouples embedded in the bearing that measured general internal temperatures and axial thermal gradients. Testing was performed in a 1 atm, 260 C ambient environment with the bearing operating at 60 krpm and supporting a load of 222 N. Air volumetric flows of 0.06, 0.11, and 0.17 cubic meters per minute at approximately 150 to 200 C were used. The tests indicate that all three methods provide thermal management but at different levels of effectiveness. Axial cooling of the bearing support structure had a greater effect on bulk temperature for each air flow and demonstrated that the thermal gradients could be influenced by the directionality of the air flow. Direct air impingement on the journal's inside surface provided uniform reductions in both bulk temperature and thermal gradients. Similar to the direct method, indirect journal cooling had a uniform cooling effect on both bulk temperatures and thermal gradients but was the least effective of the three methods.

Radil, Kevin↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Operating and Maintaining the JWST Cleanroom attached to JSC's Chamber A during preparations for the OTIS Cryogenic Thermal Vacuum Test

In order to maintain cleanliness during preparations for JWST’s OTIS (Optical Telescope Element-Integrated Science Instrument Module) Cryogenic Thermal Vacuum Test, a cleanroom was built that attached directly to the 60-year-old Chamber A. The cleanroom and chamber were outfitted with independent environmental control systems each providing ISO Class 71 air cleanliness. To maintain balanced, positive pressure in both the cleanroom and chamber volumes, a special control protocol was developed and successfully implemented. Dual back-up environmental control units (one each for the chamber and cleanroom) were installed just outside the building to provide environmental control redundancy due to a single source chilled water supply and weather threats. In addition, lack of a dedicated cleanroom airlock facilitating clean ingress and egress made it necessary to perform additional cleaning and packaging, as well as augment the uncontrolled truck lock space with small clean tents for pre-cleaning. Special procedures were developed to allow ingress of extra-large support equipment required for load testing of the cleanroom crane, installation of optical equipment in Chamber A and accommodation of the OTIS shipping container. A thorough bake-out and cleaning of Chamber A was also necessary to reduce volatiles from the shroud’s black thermal paint and to reduce particle fallout. Acrylic adhesive fracture discovered during early cryo-testing represented a significant challenge that was successfully mitigated prior to OTIS testing. A dedicated team of Contamination Control (CC) Technicians was specifically trained to clean support equipment and screen materials entering the cleanroom and chamber to ensure cleanliness and vacuum compatibility.

Optics↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Operating and Maintaining the JWST Cleanroom attached to JSC's Chamber A during preparations for the OTIS Cryogenic Thermal Vacuum Test

James Webb Space Telescope↗

NASA NTRS1976

Environmental effects on aluminum fracture

The sustained load stress corrosion cracking (SCC) threshold for aluminum alloy 214 was determined using smooth (sigma sub TH) and precracked (K sub ISCC) specimens, and cyclic load growth behavior in 3.5% NaCl salt solution was studied. The relationship between K sub ISCC and sigma sub TH was also studied. The work showed that 2124-T851 aluminum alloy in plate gage has a moderately high resistance to stress corrosion attack. Experimental results showed that no SCC occurred in the longitudinal and long transverse directions in any of the tests. Some SCC was found by smooth tests in the short transverse direction, and the data were confirmed by two test methods-sigma sub TH = 275 MN/sq m (40 ksi). No SCC was found from compact specimen tests in any direction: surface flaw and center notch specimens evaluated in the short transverse direction exhibited SCC. The data indicate that stress corrosion behavior is defect, size, and stress dependent, but not entirely in accordance with a stress intensity controlled mechanism.

Schwartzberg, F. R.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Experimental analysis of thread movement in bolted connections due to vibrations

The objective of this study was to identify the main design parameters contributing to loosening of bolts due to vibration and to identify their relative importance and degree of contribution to bolt loosening. Vibration testing was conducted on a shaketable with a controlled-random input in the dynamic testing laboratory of the Structural Test Division of MSFC. Test specimens which contained one test bolt were vibrated for a fixed amount of time and percentage of pre-load loss was measured. Each specimen tested implemented some combination of eleven design parameters as dictated by the design of experiment methodology employed. The eleven design parameters were: bolt size (diameter), lubrication on bolt, hole tolerance, initial pre-load, nut locking device, grip length, thread pitch, lubrication between mating materials, class of fit, joint configuration and mass of configuration. These parameters were chosen for this experiment because they are believed to be the design parameters having the greatest impact on bolt loosening. Two values of each design parameter were used and each combination of parameters tested was subjected to two different directions of vibration and two different g-levels of vibration. One replication was made for each test to gain some indication of experimental error and repeatability and to give some degree of statistical credibility to the data, resulting in a total of 96 tests being performed. The results of the investigation indicated that nut locking devices, joint configuration, fastener size, and mass of configuration were significant in bolt loosening due to vibration. The results of this test can be utilized to further research the complex problem of bolt loosening due to vibration.

Ramey, G. ED↗

NASA NTRS1996

Supersonic Channel Concept for Enhancement of Lift/Drag Ratio

The concept studied during the summer NASA/ASEE Fellowship provides a means of lowering drag and a means for directional control of supersonic and hypersonic vehicles. Low drag and efficient directional control are essential for the success of aircraft, atmospheric entry vehicles, missiles, and other vehicles in supersonic and hypersonic flight. Drag reduction can result in increased vehicle range, increased speed, improved fuel efficiency, increased lift/drag ratio, and increased climb rate. For high supersonic and hypersonic vehicles heat transfer considerations dictate the design of the nose and leading edge. The heat transfer to such vehicles is most severe at stagnation points which occur on the leading edges and nose of the vehicle. Theoretical formulations, experimental data, and semi-empirical formulas all agree in the fact that stagnation point heat transfer is inversely proportional to the square root of the nose or leading edge radius. Thus, the noses and leading edges of supersonic and hypersonic vehicles are typically blunted so that the heat transfer and structural loads will be manageable. However, much of the wave drag experienced by these vehicles is due to nose blunting.

Ruffin, Stephen M.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Preliminary study of a large span-distributed-load flying-wing cargo airplane concept

An aircraft capable of transporting containerized cargo over intercontinental distances is analyzed. The specifications for payload weight, density, and dimensions in essence configure the wing and establish unusually low values of wing loading and aspect ratio. The structural weight comprises only about 18 percent of the design maximum gross weight. Although the geometric aspect ratio is 4.53, the winglet effect of the wing-tip-mounted vertical tails, increase the effective aspect ratio to approximately 7.9. Sufficient control power to handle the large rolling moment of inertia dictates a relatively high minimum approach velocity of 315 km/hr (170 knots). The airplane has acceptable spiral, Dutch roll, and roll-damping modes. A hardened stability augmentation system is required. The most significant noise source is that of the airframe. However, for both take-off and approach, the levels are below the FAR-36 limit of 108 db. The design mission fuel efficiency is approximately 50 percent greater than that of the most advanced, currently operational, large freighter aircraft. The direct operating cost is significantly lower than that of current freighters, the advantage increasing as fuel price increases.

Jernell, L. S.↗

NASA NTRS1942

Investigation of the Forces Acting on Gliders in Automobile-pulley-winch and Airplane Towed Flight

The magnitude, the direction, and the fluctuation of towing forces exerted upon gliders by towing them aloft behind an automobile, by means of a winch, and by airplane were measured under a variety of conditions covering a range from gentle to severe types of operation. For these tests the towing forces did not exceed 92 percent of the gross weight of the glider. The results indicate that in pulley and winch towing the towing forces are of about the same magnitude as in automobile towing. Speed increases in the accelerated phases of the towing jerks encountered in airplane towing can readily become critical as speeds in excess of placard speeds can be attained. Passage through the slipstream of the towing airplane can be equivalent to a severe gust that, at high speed, may impose high wing loads and require large control moments.

Klemperer, W B↗

NASA NTRS1995

Experimental analysis of thread movement in bolted connections due to vibrations

This is the final report of research project NAS8-39131 #33 sponsored by NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and carried out by the Civil Engineering Department of Auburn University (Auburn, Alabama) and personnel of MSFC. The objective of this study was to identify the main design parameters contributing to the loosening of bolts due to vibration and to identify their relative importance and degree of contribution to bolt loosening. Vibration testing was conducted on a shaketable with a controlled-random input in the dynamic testing laboratory of the Structural Test Division of MSFC. Test specimens which contained one test bolt were vibrated for a fixed amount of time and a percentage of pre-load loss was measured. Each specimen tested implemented some combination of eleven design parameters as dictated by the design of experiment methodology employed. The eleven design parameters were: bolt size (diameter), lubrication on bolt, hole tolerance, initial pre-load, nut locking device, grip length, thread pitch, lubrication between mating materials, class of fit, joint configuration, and mass of configuration. These parameters were chosen for this experiment because they are believed to be the design parameters having the greatest impact on bolt loosening. Two values of each design parameter were used and each combination of parameters tested was subjected to two different directions of vibration and two different g-levels of vibration. One replication was made for each test to gain some indication of experimental error and repeatability and to give some degree of statistical credibility to the data, resulting in a total of 96 tests being performed. The results of the investigation indicated that nut locking devices, joint configuration, fastener size, and mass of configuration were significant in bolt loosening due to vibration. The results of this test can be utilized to further research the complex problem of bolt loosening due to vibration.

Ramsey, G. ED↗

NASA NTRS2016

Fatigue Analysis of Notched Laminates: A Time-Efficient Macro-Mechanical Approach

A coupled transversely isotropic deformation and damage fatigue model is implemented within the finite element method and was utilized along with a static progressive damage model to predict the fatigue life, stiffness degradation as a function of number of cycles, and post-fatigue tension and compression response of notched, multidirectional laminates. Initially, the material parameters for the fatigue model were obtained utilizing micromechanics simulations and the provided [0], [90] and [plus or minus 45] experimental composite laminate S-N (stress-cycle) data. Within the fatigue damage model, the transverse and shear properties of the plies were degraded with an isotropic scalar damage variable. The damage in the longitudinal (fiber) ply direction was suppressed, and only the strength of the fiber was degraded as a function of fatigue cycles. A maximum strain criterion was used to capture the failure in each element, and once this criterion was satisfied, the longitudinal stiffness of the element was decreased by a factor of 10 (sup 4). The resulting, degraded properties were then used to calculate the new stress state. This procedure was repeated until final failure of the composite laminate was achieved or a specified number of cycles reached. For post-fatigue tension and compression behavior, four internal state variables were used to control the damage and failure. The predictive capability of the above-mentioned approach was assessed by performing blind predictions of the notched multidirectional IM7/977-3 composite laminates response under fatigue and post-fatigue tensile and compressive loading, followed by a recalibration phase. Although three different multidirectional laminates were analyzed in the course of this study, only detailed results (i.e., stiffness degradation and post-fatigue stress-train curves as well as damage evolution states for a single laminate ([30/60/90/minus 30/minus 60] (sub 2s)) are discussed in detail here.

Composite Fatigue analysis↗

DOE OSTI2024

Green co-solvent-assisted one-pot synthesis of high-performance flexible lignin polyurethane foam

Although lignin is a promising candidate as a source of polyol for producing eco-friendly polyurethane foam (PUF), its direct application has limitations, primarily stemming from the brittleness of the resulting products and poor processibility at high lignin loadings. To address these technical challenges, we introduced an effective co-solvent for the lignin-based polyurethane foams (LPUFs) with up to 80wt% of lignin substitution for petroleum polyols. As a green co-solvent that involves carbon dioxide fixation during its production, propylene carbonate (PC), was blended with lignin and improved the distribution of lignin by decreasing the viscosity, providing a room-temperature reaction. The LPUFs demonstrated a comparable thermal insulation performance (R-values greater than 5 in -1 ) with commercially available PUF with a uniform size of closed-cell structure induced by the reduced viscosity of lignin-based polyol. LPUFs also showed enhanced fire retardancy and moisture resistance compared to the control PUFs, benefiting from lignin’s intrinsic fire-resistant and hydrophobic properties. To mitigate the brittleness issue at high lignin loadings, flexible polyethylene glycols (PEGs) with a high molecular weight (i.e., PEG-1000) were dissolved in PC at room temperature to further improve the mechanical strength of LPUFs. The compressive strength of LPUFs with 80 wt% lignin substitution content was remarkably improved to 226 kPa by the employment of co-solvent and PEG-1000 compared to the control PUF (<140 kPa). Moreover, the flexibility of the LPUFs was successfully controlled by simply adjusting the PEG-400/PEG-1000 ratio. In conclusion, the results of this study provide valuable insights for accelerating and broadening the utilization of lignin in sustainable materials and manufacturing areas.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

NASA NTRS1977

Low-profile heliostat design for solar central receiver systems

Heliostat designs intended to reduce costs and the effect of adverse wind loads on the devices were developed. Included was the low-profile heliostat consisting of a stiff frame with sectional focusing reflectors coupled together to turn as a unit. The entire frame is arranged to turn angularly about a center point. The ability of the heliostat to rotate about both the vertical and horizontal axes permits a central computer control system to continuously aim the sun's reflection onto a selected target. An engineering model of the basic device was built and is being tested. Control and mirror parameters, such as roughness and need for fine aiming, are being studied. The fabrication of these prototypes is in process. The model was also designed to test mirror focusing techniques, heliostat geometry, mechanical functioning, and tracking control. The model can be easily relocated to test mirror imaging on a tower from various directions. In addition to steering and aiming studies, the tests include the effects of temperature changes, wind gusting and weathering. The results of economic studies on this heliostat are also presented.

Fourakis, E.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Integrated Modeling Tools for Thermal Analysis and Applications

Integrated modeling of spacecraft systems is a rapidly evolving area in which multidisciplinary models are developed to design and analyze spacecraft configurations. These models are especially important in the early design stages where rapid trades between subsystems can substantially impact design decisions. Integrated modeling is one of the cornerstones of two of NASA's planned missions in the Origins Program -- the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) and the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM). Common modeling tools for control design and opto-mechanical analysis have recently emerged and are becoming increasingly widely used. A discipline that has been somewhat less integrated, but is nevertheless of critical concern for high precision optical instruments, is thermal analysis and design. A major factor contributing to this mild estrangement is that the modeling philosophies and objectives for structural and thermal systems typically do not coincide. Consequently the tools that are used in these discplines suffer a degree of incompatibility, each having developed along their own evolutionary path. Although standard thermal tools have worked relatively well in the past. integration with other disciplines requires revisiting modeling assumptions and solution methods. Over the past several years we have been developing a MATLAB based integrated modeling tool called IMOS (Integrated Modeling of Optical Systems) which integrates many aspects of structural, optical, control and dynamical analysis disciplines. Recent efforts have included developing a thermal modeling and analysis capability, which is the subject of this article. Currently, the IMOS thermal suite contains steady state and transient heat equation solvers, and the ability to set up the linear conduction network from an IMOS finite element model. The IMOS code generates linear conduction elements associated with plates and beams/rods of the thermal network directly from the finite element structural model. Conductances for temperature varying materials are accommodated. This capability both streamlines the process of developing the thermal model from the finite element model, and also makes the structural and thermal models compatible in the sense that each structural node is associated with a thermal node. This is particularly useful when the purpose of the analysis is to predict structural deformations due to thermal loads. The steady state solver uses a restricted step size Newton method, and the transient solver is an adaptive step size implicit method applicable to general differential algebraic systems. Temperature dependent conductances and capacitances are accommodated by the solvers. In addition to discussing the modeling and solution methods. applications where the thermal modeling is "in the loop" with sensitivity analysis, optimization and optical performance drawn from our experiences with the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM), and the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) are presented.

Milman, Mark H.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Comprehensive Modeling and Analysis of Rotorcraft Variable Speed Propulsion System With Coupled Engine/Transmission/Rotor Dynamics

This project develops comprehensive modeling and simulation tools for analysis of variable rotor speed helicopter propulsion system dynamics. The Comprehensive Variable-Speed Rotorcraft Propulsion Modeling (CVSRPM) tool developed in this research is used to investigate coupled rotor/engine/fuel control/gearbox/shaft/clutch/flight control system dynamic interactions for several variable rotor speed mission scenarios. In this investigation, a prototypical two-speed Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT) is proposed and designed to achieve 50 percent rotor speed variation. The comprehensive modeling tool developed in this study is utilized to analyze the two-speed shift response of both a conventional single rotor helicopter and a tiltrotor drive system. In the tiltrotor system, both a Parallel Shift Control (PSC) strategy and a Sequential Shift Control (SSC) strategy for constant and variable forward speed mission profiles are analyzed. Under the PSC strategy, selecting clutch shift-rate results in a design tradeoff between transient engine surge margins and clutch frictional power dissipation. In the case of SSC, clutch power dissipation is drastically reduced in exchange for the necessity to disengage one engine at a time which requires a multi-DCT drive system topology. In addition to comprehensive simulations, several sections are dedicated to detailed analysis of driveline subsystem components under variable speed operation. In particular an aeroelastic simulation of a stiff in-plane rotor using nonlinear quasi-steady blade element theory was conducted to investigate variable speed rotor dynamics. It was found that 2/rev and 4/rev flap and lag vibrations were significant during resonance crossings with 4/rev lagwise loads being directly transferred into drive-system torque disturbances. To capture the clutch engagement dynamics, a nonlinear stick-slip clutch torque model is developed. Also, a transient gas-turbine engine model based on first principles mean-line compressor and turbine approximations is developed. Finally an analysis of high frequency gear dynamics including the effect of tooth mesh stiffness variation under variable speed operation is conducted including experimental validation. Through exploring the interactions between the various subsystems, this investigation provides important insights into the continuing development of variable-speed rotorcraft propulsion systems.

DeSmidt, Hans A.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Advanced electrical power system technology for the all electric aircraft

The application of advanced electric power system technology to an all electric airplane results in an estimated reduction of the total takeoff gross weight of over 23,000 pounds for a large airplane. This will result in a 5 to 10 percent reduction in direct operating costs (DOC). Critical to this savings is the basic electrical power system component technology. These advanced electrical power components will provide a solid foundation for the materials, devices, circuits, and subsystems needed to satisfy the unique requirements of advanced all electric aircraft power systems. The program for the development of advanced electrical power component technology is described. The program is divided into five generic areas: semiconductor devices (transistors, thyristors, and diodes); conductors (materials and transmission lines); dielectrics; magnetic devices; and load management devices. Examples of progress in each of the five areas are discussed. Bipolar power transistors up to 1000 V at 100 A with a gain of 10 and a 0.5 microsec rise and fall time are presented. A class of semiconductor devices with a possibility of switching up to 100 kV is described. Solid state power controllers for load management at 120 to 1000 V and power levels to 25 kW were developed along with a 25 kW, 20 kHz transformer weighing only 3.2 kg.

Finke, R. C.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Advanced electrical power system technology for the all electric aircraft

Finke, R. C.↗