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At least 631 records · Page 35

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NASA NTRS2007

An Evaluation of High Temperature Airframe Seals for Advanced Hypersonic Vehicles

High temperature seals are required for advanced hypersonic airframe applications. In this study, both spring tube thermal barriers and innovative wafer seal systems were evaluated under relevant hypersonic test conditions (temperatures, pressures, etc.) via high temperature compression testing and room temperature flow assessments. Thermal barriers composed of a Rene 41 spring tube filled with Saffil insulation and overbraided with a Nextel 312 sheath showed acceptable performance at 1500 F in both short term and longer term compression testing. Nextel 440 thermal barriers with Rene 41 spring tubes and Saffil insulation demonstrated good compression performance up to 1750 F. A silicon nitride wafer seal/compression spring system displayed excellent load performance at temperatures as high as 2200 F and exhibited room temperature leakage values that were only 1/3 those for the spring tube rope seals. For all seal candidates evaluated, no significant degradation in leakage resistance was noted after high temperature compression testing. In addition to these tests, a superalloy seal suitable for dynamic seal applications was optimized through finite element techniques.

DeMange, Jeffrey J.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Dampers for Stationary Labyrinth Seals

Vibration dampers have been invented that are incorporated as components within the stationary labyrinth seal assembly. These dampers are intended to supplement other vibration-suppressing features of labyrinth seals in order to reduce the incidence of high-cycle-fatigue failures, which have been known to occur in the severe vibratory environments of jet engines and turbopumps in which labyrinth seals are typically used. A vibration damper of this type includes several leaf springs and/or a number of metallic particles (shot) all held in an annular seal cavity by a retaining ring. The leaf springs are made of a spring steel alloy chosen, in conjunction with design parameters, to maintain sufficient preload to ensure effectiveness of damping at desired operating temperatures. The cavity is vented via a small radial gap between the retaining ring and seal housing. The damping mechanism is complex. In the case of leaf springs, the mechanism is mainly friction in the slippage between the seal housing and individual dampers. In the case of a damper that contains shot, the damping mechanism includes contributions from friction between individual particles, friction between particles and cavity walls, and dissipation of kinetic energy of impact. The basic concept of particle/shot vibration dampers has been published previously; what is new here is the use of such dampers to suppress traveling-wave vibrations in labyrinth seals. Damping effectiveness depends on many parameters, including, but not limited to, coefficient of friction, mode shape, and frequency and amplitude of vibrational modes. In tests, preloads of the order of 6 to 15 lb (2.72 to 6.8 kilograms) per spring damper were demonstrated to provide adequate damping levels. Effectiveness of shot damping of vibrations having amplitudes from 20 to 200 times normal terrestrial gravitational acceleration (196 to 1,960 meters per square second) and frequencies up to 12 kHz was demonstrated for shot sizes from 0.032 to 0.062 in. (0.8 to 1.6 millimeters) at fill levels of from 70 to 95 percent.

El-Aini, Yehia↗

NASA NTRS2012

Shape Memory Composite Hybrid Hinge

There are two conventional types of hinges for in-space deployment applications. The first type is mechanically deploying hinges. A typical mechanically deploying hinge is usually composed of several tens of components. It is complicated, heavy, and bulky. More components imply higher deployment failure probability. Due to the existence of relatively moving components among a mechanically deploying hinge, it unavoidably has microdynamic problems. The second type of conventional hinge relies on strain energy for deployment. A tape-spring hinge is a typical strain energy hinge. A fundamental problem of a strain energy hinge is that its deployment dynamic is uncontrollable. Usually, its deployment is associated with a large impact, which is unacceptable for many space applications. Some damping technologies have been experimented with to reduce the impact, but they increased the risks of an unsuccessful deployment. Coalescing strain energy components with shape memory composite (SMC) components to form a hybrid hinge is the solution. SMCs are well suited for deployable structures. A SMC is created from a high-performance fiber and a shape memory polymer resin. When the resin is heated to above its glass transition temperature, the composite becomes flexible and can be folded or packed. Once cooled to below the glass transition temperature, the composite remains in the packed state. When the structure is ready to be deployed, the SMC component is reheated to above the glass transition temperature, and it returns to its as-fabricated shape. A hybrid hinge is composed of two strain energy flanges (also called tape-springs) and one SMC tube. Two folding lines are placed on the SMC tube to avoid excessive strain on the SMC during folding. Two adapters are used to connect the hybrid hinge to its adjacent structural components. While the SMC tube is heated to above its glass transition temperature, a hybrid hinge can be folded and stays at folded status after the temperature is reduced to below its glass transition temperature. After the deployable structure is launched in space, the SMC tube is reheated and the hinge is unfolded to deploy the structure. Based on test results, the hybrid hinge can achieve higher than 99.999% shape recovery. The hybrid hinge inherits all of the good characteristics of a tape-spring hinge such as simplicity, light weight, high deployment reliability, and high deployment precision. Conversely, it eliminates the deployment impact that has significantly limited the applications of a tape-spring hinge. The deployment dynamics of a hybrid hinge are in a slow and controllable fashion. The SMC tube of a hybrid hinge is a multifunctional component. It serves as a deployment mechanism during the deployment process, and also serves as a structural component after the hinge is fully deployed, which makes a hybrid hinge much stronger and stiffer than a tape-spring hinge. Unlike a mechanically deploying hinge that uses relatively moving components, a hybrid hinge depends on material deformation for its packing and deployment. It naturally eliminates the microdynamic phenomenon.

Fang, Houfei↗

NASA NTRS2015

Causes of Interannual to Decadal Variability of Gila River Streamflow over the Past Century

Study region: The Gila River, New Mexico, is characterized by two peaks in streamflow: one in the winter-spring (December-May), and summer (August-September). The region is influenced both by Pacific SST variability as well as the North American Monsoon. Study focus: The mechanisms responsible for the variability of the winter-spring and summer streamflow peaks are investigated by correlation of streamflow with precipitation and sea surface temperature for 1928-2012. Decadal variability in the flow record is examined for a longer term perspective on Gila River streamflow using tree ring-based reconstructions of the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). New hydrological insights for the region: Results indicate a strong influence of winter-spring precipitation and Pacific SST anomalies on the winter-spring streamflow, with El Nino conditions in the Pacific causing increased precipitation and streamflow. Decadal Pacific variability helps explain the transition from high winter flow in the late 20th century to lower flows in the most recent decade. The summer streamflow has a somewhat weaker correlation with precipitation and Pacific SST than the winter-spring streamflow. Its variability is more likely influenced by local North American Monsoon precipitation variability. PDSI and SPI reconstructions indicate much more severe and extended periods of droughts and pluvials in past centuries as well as periods of concurrent winter and summer drought.

drought↗

NASA NTRS2016

Impacts of Snow Darkening by Absorbing Aerosols on Eurasian Climate

The deposition of absorbing aerosols on snow surfaces reduces snow-albedo and allows snowpack to absorb more sunlight. This so-called snow darkening effect (SDE) accelerates snow melting and leads to surface warming in spring. To examine the impact of SDE on weather and climate during late spring and early summer, two sets of NASA GEOS-5 model simulations with and without SDE are conducted. Results show that SDE-induced surface heating is particularly pronounced in Eurasian regions where significant depositions of dust transported from the North African deserts, and black carbon from biomass burning from Asia and Europe occur. In these regions, the surface heating due to SDE increases surface skin temperature by 3-6 degrees Kelvin near the snowline in spring. Surface energy budget analysis indicates that SDE-induced excess heating is associated with a large increase in surface evaporation, subsequently leading to a significant reduction in soil moisture, and increased risks of drought and heat waves in late spring to early summer. Overall, we find that rainfall deficit combined with SDE-induced dry soil in spring provide favorable condition for summertime heat waves over large regions of Eurasia. Increased frequency of summer heat waves with SDE and the region of maximum increase in heat-wave frequency are found along the snow line, providing evidence that early snowmelt by SDE may increase the risks of extreme summer heat wave. Our results suggest that climate models that do not include SDE may significantly underestimate the effect of global warming over extra-tropical continental regions.

GEOS-5↗

NASA NTRS2016

Direct Radiative Effects of Aerosols Over South Asia From Observations and Modeling

Quantitative assessment of the seasonal variations in the direct radiative effect (DRE) of composite aerosols as well as the constituent species over the Indian sub continent has been carried out using a synergy of observations from a dense network of ground based aerosol observatories and modeling based on chemical transport model simulations. Seasonal variation of aerosol constituents depict significant influence of anthropogenic aerosol sources in winter and the dominance of natural sources in spring, even though the aerosol optical depth doesn't change significantly between these two seasons. A significant increase in the surface cooling and atmospheric warming has been observed as season changes from winter DRE(sub SUR) = −28 +/- 12 W m(exp −2) and DRE(sub ATM) = +19.6 +/- 9 W m(exp −2) to spring DRE(sub SUR) = −33.7 +/- 12 W m(exp −2) and DRE(sub ATM) = +27 +/- 9 W m(exp−2). Interestingly, springtime aerosols are more absorptive in nature compared to winter and consequently the aerosol induced diabatic heating of the atmosphere goes as high as approximately 1 K day(exp -1) during spring, especially over eastern India. The atmospheric DRE due to dust aerosols (+14 +/- 7 W m(exp 2) during spring overwhelms that of black carbon DRE (+11.8 +/- 6 W m(exp -2) during winter. The DRE at the top of the atmosphere is mostly governed by the anthropogenic aerosols during all the seasons. The columnar aerosol loading, its anthropogenic fraction and radiative effects shows a steady increase with latitude across Indian mainland leading to a larger aerosol-induced atmospheric warming during spring than in winter.

dust aerosols↗

NASA NTRS2018

Quantifying the Early Snowmelt Event of 2015 in the Cascade Mountains, USA by Developing and Validating MODIS-Based Snowmelt Timing Maps

Spring snowmelt serves as the major hydrological contribution to many watersheds of the US West. Since the 1970s the conterminous western USA has seen an earlier arrival of spring snowmelt. The extremely low snowpack and early melt of 2015 in the Cascade Mountains may be a harbinger of winters to come, underscoring the interest in advancements in spring snowmelt monitoring. Target-of-opportunity and point measurements of snowmelt using meteorological stations or stream gauges are common sources of these data, however, there have been few attempts to identify snowmelt timing using remote sensing. In this study, we describe the creation of snowmelt timing maps (STMs) which identify the day of year that each pixel of a remotely sensed image transitions from "snow-covered" to "no snow" during the spring melt season, controlling for cloud coverage and ephemeral spring snow storms. Derived from the 500 meter MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) standard snow map, MOD10A2, this new dataset provides annual maps of snowmelt timing, with corresponding maps of cloud interference and interannual variability in snow coverage from 2001-2015. We first show that the STMs agree strongly with in-situ snow telemetry (SNOTEL) meteorological station measurements in terms of snowmelt timing. We then use the STMs to investigate the early snowmelt event of 2015 in the Cascade Mountains, USA, highlighting the protected areas of Mt. Rainier, Crater Lake, and Lassen Volcanic National Parks. In 2015 the Cascade Mountains experienced snowmelt 41 days earlier than the 2001-2015 average, with 25 percent of its land area melting more than 65 days earlier than average. The upper elevations of the Cascade Mountains experienced the greatest snowmelt anomaly. Our results are relevant to land managers and biologists as they plan adaptation strategies for mitigating the effects of climate change throughout temperate mountains.

snowmelt timing↗

NASA NTRS2021

Tree-ring cellulose δ(18)O records similar large-scale climate influences as precipitation δ(18)O in the Northwest Territories of Canada

Stable oxygen isotopes measured in tree rings are useful for reconstructing climate variability and explaining changes in physiological processes occurring in forests, complementing other tree-ring parameters such as ring width. Here, we analyzed the relationships between different climate parameters and annually resolved tree-ring δ(18)O records (δ(18)O(TR)) from white spruce (Picea glauca [Moench]Voss) trees located near Tungsten (Northwest Territories, Canada) and used the NASA GISS ModelE2 isotopically-equipped general circulation model (GCM) to better interpret the observed relationships. We found that the δ(18)O(TR) series were primarily related to temperature variations in spring and summer, likely through temperature effects on the precipitation δ(18)O in spring, and evaporative enrichment at leaf level in summer. The GCM simulations showed significant positive relationships between modelled precipitation δ(18)O over the study region and surface temperature and geopotential height over northwestern North America, but of stronger magnitudes during fall-winter than during spring–summer. The modelled precipitation δ(18)O was only significantly associated with moisture transport during the fall-winter season. The δ(18)O(TR) showed similar correlation patterns to modelled precipitation δ(18)O only during spring–summer when water matters more for trees, with significant positive correlations with surface temperature and geopotential height, but no correlations with moisture transport. Overall, the δ(18)O(TR) records for northwestern Canada reflect the same significant large-scale climate patterns as precipitation δ(18)O for spring–summer, and therefore have potential for reconstructing past atmospheric dynamics in addition to temperature variability in the region.

paleoclimate↗

NASA NTRS2022

Seasonal Variability in the Mechanisms Behind the 2020 Siberian Heatwaves

Record-breaking heatwaves and wildfires immersed Siberia during the boreal spring of 2020 following an anomalously warm winter. Springtime heatwaves are becoming more common in the region, with statistically significant trends in the frequency, magnitude, and duration of heatwave events over the past four decades. Mechanisms by which the heatwaves occur and contributing factors differ by season. Winter heatwave frequency is correlated with the atmospheric circulation, particularly the Arctic Oscillation, while the frequency of heatwaves during the spring months is highly correlated with aspects of the land surface including snow cover, albedo, and latent heat flux. Idealized AMIP-style experiments are used to quantify the contribution of suppressed Arctic sea ice and snow cover over Siberia on the atmospheric circulation, surface energy budget, and surface air temperature in Siberia during the winter and spring of 2020. Sea ice concentration contributed to the strength of the stratospheric polar vortex and Arctic Oscillation during the winter months, thereby influencing the tropospheric circulation and surface air temperature over Siberia. Warm temperatures across the region resulted in an earlier-than-usual recession of the winter snowpack. The exposed land surface contributed to up to 20% of the temperature anomaly during the spring through the albedo feedback and changes in the ratio of the latent and sensible heat fluxes. This, in combination with favorable atmospheric circulation patterns, resulted in record-breaking heatwaves in Siberia in the spring of 2020.

Allison B. Marquardt Collow↗

NASA NTRS2022

Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover SHERLOC Instrument Isolation System

The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) successfully landed the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover at Jezero Crater on the Martian surface. Perseverance’s main mission objective is to cache Martian rock and regolith samples in hermetically sealed tubes to be brought back to Earth by future missions. To achieve this goal the rover is equipped with a 2-meter-long Robotic Arm (RA) which manipulates the Turret to interact with the surface. The Turret is comprised of science instruments and tools that enable surface sampling and science. The backbone of the Turret hardware is the Rotary Percussive Coring Drill. The science instruments, which are directly mounted to the structural housing of this drill, must be able to withstand not only the launch and entry, descent and landing (EDL) loads of the vehicle but also the dynamic percussive environment, induced by the drill throughout surface operations. This paper discusses the technical hardware design, development and testing of a vibration isolation system to protect the Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) Instrument from these dynamic environments. The hardware design aspect of this problem was limited by both size and mass constraints. The Turret is tightly configured and the physical space in which hardware can reside is restricted due to multiple axes of surface interaction points. Another driving requirement is the extreme range of thermal non-operational environment from -135C to +90C. This, in addition to SHERLOC being a heavier instrument than previously integrated on a turret, made the use of isolation systems employed on previous rover missions problematic. The final design incorporates custom wire mesh springs preloaded within titanium hexapod struts equipped with flexure ends. Custom versions of commercially available wire mesh springs were designed and tested. These custom springs differed in dimension, density and stiffness from the off the shelf options. The newly designed springs went through various stages of flight acceptance testing. Detailed physics-based modeling to understand what loads the isolation system would experience was used to define the test conditions for the springs and entire isolation subsystem. The testing program developed around this was extensive to fully characterize the isolation performance over cleanliness levels, temperature and life. Another major aspect of this work was developing a method of replicating the drill’s percussive environment for performance and life testing of Turret mounted hardware. Attaching the instrument to an operating drill for testing was not a viable option. A method of using a Highly Accelerated Life Test (HALT) table was developed and applied across the project as the most representative and tunable option to physically simulate this new environment. This method, along with launch environment random vibration testing, was used to build an entire dynamic qualification and flight hardware test program. The results of the design, modeling, testing and analysis of the SHERLOC Isolation System is described throughout the following paper.

Krafchak, Todd↗

NASA NTRS1972

Vibration computer programs E13101, E13102, E13104, and E13112 and application to the NERVA program. Project 187: Methodology documentation

Programs for the analyses of the free or forced, undamped vibrations of one or two elastically-coupled lumped parameter teams are presented. Bearing nonlinearities, casing and rotor distributed mass and elasticity, rotor imbalance, forcing functions, gyroscopic moments, rotary inertia, and shear and flexural deformations are all included in the system dynamics analysis. All bearings have nonlinear load displacement characteristics, the solution is achieved by iteration. Rotor imbalances allowed by such considerations as pilot tolerances and runouts as well as bearing clearances (allowing concail or cylindrical whirl) determine the forcing function magnitudes. The computer programs first obtain a solution wherein the bearings are treated as linear springs of given spring rates. Then, based upon the computed bearing reactions, new spring rates are predicted and another solution of the modified system is made. The iteration is continued until the changes to bearing spring rates and bearing reactions become negligibly small.

Mironenko, G.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Thermally oscillating actuators

The actuator was redesigned to accommodate the new thermal motor for the Helios flipper. This design retained the basic configuration and dimensions of the original actuator. Changes were made primarily to the cradle and motor assembly. Because of the increased dimensions of the thermal motor, it was necessary to increase the diameter of the pellet case and associated parts including the back off spring and the piston return spring. The new springs were designed to yield the same spring rate differential as the originals. The design effort resulted in a new top assembly and approximately twenty sub-assembly and detail drawings. A list of drawings generated by EMR is attached.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1974

Variable resistance constant tension and lubrication device

A variable resistance device is described which includes a cylindrical housing having elongated resistance wires. A movable arm having a supporting block carried on the outer end is rotatably carried by the cylindrical housing. An arcuate steel spring member is pivotally supported by the movable arm. A leather wiper member is carried adjacent to one end of the spring steel member, and an electrically conductive surface is carried adjacent to the other end. The supporting block maintains the spring steel member in compression so that a constant pressure is applied to the conductive end of the spring steel member and the leather wiper. The leather wiper is saturated with a lubricating oil for maintaining the resistance wire clean as the movable arm is manipulated.

Smith, H. J.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Combined pressure regulator and shutoff valve

A remotely operable pressure regulator and shutoff valve particularly suited for achieving high resolution and flow control, and positive shutoff is described. The valve is characterized by a spring-loaded ball coaxially aligned with a fluid port to be sealed, a spring-loaded pintle extended through the port into engagement with the ball, for controlling the position, a spring-loaded diaphragm for controlling the position of the pintle, and an axially displaceable spring supported by a movable stop which, in turn, is repositioned by a selectively operable stepper motor. Thus, the pressure-response characteristics for the valve can be varied through a selective repositioning of the stop.

Koch, E. F.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Preload Torque Limiting Shaft Coupling

A torque limiting spring for a rotating shaft system which acts bidirectionally and is preloaded is examined. The spring is a split circular ring compressed into cavities on facing surfaces of matching shafts. The spring is preloaded by varying the width of a tang in the shaft cavity relative to the split in the spring.

Harmening, W. A.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Tire stiffness and damping determined from static and free-vibration tests

Stiffness and damping of a nonrolling tire were determined experimentally from both static force-displacement relations and the free-vibration behavior of a cable-suspended platen pressed against the tire periphery. Lateral and force-and-aft spring constants and damping factors of a 49 x 17 size aircraft tire for different tire pressure and vertical loads were measured assuming a rate-independent damping form. In addition, a technique was applied for estimating the magnitude of the tire mass which participates in the vibratory motion of the dynamic tests. Results show that both the lateral and force-and-aft spring constants generally increase with tire pressure but only the latter increased significantly with vertical tire loading. The fore-and-aft spring constants were greater than those in the lateral direction. The static-spring-constant variations were similar to the dynamic variations but exhibited lower magnitudes. Damping was small and insensitive to tire loading. Furthermore, static damping accounted for a significant portion of that found dynamically. Effective tire masses were also small.

Sleeper, R. K.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Canadian crop calendars in support of the early warning project

The Canadian crop calendars for LACIE are presented. Long term monthly averages of daily maximum and daily minimum temperatures for subregions of provinces were used to simulate normal daily maximum and minimum temperatures. The Robertson (1968) spring wheat and Williams (1974) spring barley phenology models were run using the simulated daily temperatures and daylengths for appropriate latitudes. Simulated daily temperatures and phenology model outputs for spring wheat and spring barley are given.

Trenchard, M. H.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Hydraulic actuator mechanism to control aircraft spoiler movements through dual input commands

An aircraft flight spoiler control mechanism is described. The invention enables the conventional, primary spoiler control system to retain its operational characteristics while accommodating a secondary input controlled by a conventional computer system to supplement the settings made by the primary input. This is achieved by interposing springs between the primary input and the spoiler control unit. The springs are selected to have a stiffness intermediate to the greater force applied by the primary control linkage and the lesser resistance offered by the spoiler control unit. Thus, operation of the primary input causes the control unit to yield before the springs, yet, operation of the secondary input, acting directly on the control unit, causes the springs to yield and absorb adjustments before they are transmitted into the primary control system.

Irick, S. C.↗