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At least 649 records · Page 36

A variational approach to the question of temporal stability of equilibrium models of solar prominences. I - The formal theory

A Lagrangian approach to the equations describing small amplitude departures from equilibrium of solar prominences is presented. Seven quantities are derived which, by analogy to the concepts of energy, momentum, and angular momentum, are conserved under conditions corresponding to ignorable coordinates of classical mechanics. It is expected that these conservation laws will be useful as criteria of accuracy in obtaining eigenfrequencies for the perturbation equations when numerical techniques are used. The method is capable of handling complicated spatial dependences and has internal criteria for assessing the accuracy of any given numerical convergence scheme.

Lerche, I.↗

The role of turbulent convection in the primitive solar nebula. I - Theory. II - Results

A model of convective turbulence which takes radiative dissipation, rotation, and convective motion anisotropy into account, on the basis of a closure for the nonlinear interactions that employs the growth rates of hydrodynamic instabilities, is used to obtain a theoretical framework for modeling the primordial solar nebula. It is assumed that convection is the sole source of turbulence causing the solar nebula to evolve. Vertical structure equations in the thin disk approximation are developed and a detailed comparison with the previous solar nebula convective models of such workers as Lin et al. (1981, 1982) is undertaken. The present values for the turbulent efficiency are much lower and more sensitive to opacity and surface density, resulting in low turbulent speeds, a more massive disk, a lower accretion rate 'best value', and a longer characteristic dispersal time for the disk. It is concluded that convection may not be the dominant source of turbulence needed to evolve young solar/stellar nebulae.

Cabot, W.↗

Classical bump Cepheids - Reconciliation of theory with observations

New models of classical bump Cepheids lying along the Cepheid ridge line in the H-R diagram are computed to obtain a more accurate set of predicted surface velocity curves. Acceptable Cepheid models are found to be 0.5 mag brighter at a fixed stellar mass than standard evolutionary models. All the previously obtained manifestations of the Cepheid mass discrepancy, except for the anomalous double-mode Cepheid masses, are resolved, at least in a statistical sense, by accepting the implied luminosity increase. The need for the luminosity increase is independently inferred from standard evolutionary models of intermediate-mass and high-mass giant and supergiant stars from their location in the observational H-R diagram.

Carson, T. Richard↗

Linear simulation of the stationary eddies in a GCM. II - The 'Mountain' model

Linear stationary wave theory is used to account for zonal asymmetries of the winter-averaged tropospheric circulation obtained in a GCM. The eddy zonal velocity field in the upper troposphere indicates that the orographic and thermal plus transient contributions are nearly equal in amplitude, while the eddy meridional velocity field (which is dominated by shorter zonal scales) shows the orographic contribution to be dominant. The two contributions are found to be roughly in phase over the east Asian coast, and they contribute roughly equal amounts to the low level Siberian high. Results indicate that the 300 mb extratropical response to tropical forcing reaches 50 gpm over Alaska, and that the responses to sensible heating and lower tropospheric transients are strongly anticorrelated.

Nigam, Sumant↗

Application of cosmic-ray shock theories to the Cygnus Loop - An alternative model

Steady state cosmic-ray shock models are investigated here in the light of observations of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant. The predicted downstream temperature is derived for each model. The Cygnus Loop data and the application of the models to them, including wave dissipation, are presented. Heating rate and ionization fraction structures are provided along with an estimate of the cosmic-ray diffusion coefficient. It is found that the model of Voelk, Drury, and McKenzie (1984), in which the plasma waves are generated by the streaming instability of the cosmic rays and are dissipated into the gas, can be made consistent with some observed characteristics of the Cygnus Loop shocks. The model is used to deduce upstream densities and shock velocities and, compared to the usual pure gas shock interpretation, it is found that lower densities and approximately three times higher velocities are required.

Boulares, Ahmed↗

Thermospheric airglow emissions - A comparison of measurements from Atlas-1 and theory

A comprehensive thermospheric model is presently used to derive conditions appropriate to the time of the Atlas-1 Space Shuttle mission, comparing the slant-path intensities thus computed as a function of altitude, latitude, and local time with a dozen major emissions measured in the course of a specific observing sequence. The agreement thus obtained is found to be reasonably good, implying that the major thermospheric airglow-controlling processes are essentially understood.

Torr, Douglas G.↗

The Temporal Evolution of the Nanostructure of a Model Ni-Al-Cr Superalloy

The early to the later stages of precipitation of ordered gamma'-precipitates (L1(sub 2)) in Ni-5.2 Al-14.2 Cr (at.%) are studied at 873 K. Precipitates with radii as small as 0.45 nm are characterized fully by three-dimensional atom-probe (3DAP) microscopy. Contrary to what is often assumed by theory or in models, the average precipitate composition is shown to evolve with time, such that solute concentrations decrease toward an equilibrium value given by the solvus lines. Power-law time dependencies of the number density, mean radius, and supersaturations of Al and Cr are discussed in light of theoretical predictions for Ostwald ripening.

Sudbrack, Chantal K.↗

Abstracting event-based control models for high autonomy systems

A high autonomy system needs many models on which to base control, management, design, and other interventions. These models differ in level of abstraction and in formalism. Concepts and tools are needed to organize the models into a coherent whole. The paper deals with the abstraction processes for systematic derivation of related models for use in event-based control. The multifaceted modeling methodology is briefly reviewed. The morphism concepts needed for application to model abstraction are described. A theory for supporting the construction of DEVS models needed for event-based control is then presented. An implemented morphism on the basis of this theory is also described.

Luh, Cheng-Jye↗

A theoretical and experimental study of planing surfaces including effects of cross section and plan form

A summary is given of the background and present status of pure-planing theory. Data for models having sharp chines have been obtained for a rectangular flat plate and two V-bottom surfaces having constant angles of dead rise of 20 degrees and 40 degrees and also for rectangular-flat-plate surfaces having very slightly rounded chines. The theory presented in NACA Technical Note 3233 for a rectangular flat plate is revised and extended to include triangular flat plates planing with base forward and V-shaped prismatic surfaces having a constant angle of dead rise, horizontal chine flare, or vertical chine strips. The agreement between the results calculated by the proposed theory and the experimental data is satisfactory for engineering calculations of lift and center-of-pressure location.

HYDRODYNAMIC CONFIGURATIONS - GENERAL STUDIES↗

Towards a Theory for Integration of Mathematical Verification and Empirical Testing

From the viewpoint of a project manager responsible for the V&V (verification and validation) of a software system, mathematical verification techniques provide a possibly useful orthogonal dimension to otherwise standard empirical testing. However, the value they add to an empirical testing regime both in terms of coverage and in fault detection has been difficult to quantify. Furthermore, potential cost savings from replacing testing with mathematical verification techniques cannot be realized until the tradeoffs and synergies can be formulated. Integration of formal verification with empirical testing is also difficult because the idealized view of mathematical verification providing a correctness proof with total coverage is unrealistic and does not reflect the limitations imposed by computational complexity of mathematical techniques. This paper first describes a framework based on software reliability and formalized fault models for a theory of software design fault detection - and hence the utility of various tools for debugging. It then describes a utility model for integrating mathematical and empirical techniques with respect to fault detection and coverage analysis. It then considers the optimal combination of black-box testing, white-box (structural) testing, and formal methods in V&V of a software system. Using case studies from NASA software systems, it then demonstrates how this utility model can be used in practice.

Lowry, Michael↗

Advances and trends in structures and dynamics; Proceedings of the Symposium, Washington, DC, October 22-25, 1984

Among the topics discussed are developments in structural engineering hardware and software, computation for fracture mechanics, trends in numerical analysis and parallel algorithms, mechanics of materials, advances in finite element methods, composite materials and structures, determinations of random motion and dynamic response, optimization theory, automotive tire modeling methods and contact problems, the damping and control of aircraft structures, and advanced structural applications. Specific topics covered include structural design expert systems, the evaluation of finite element system architectures, systolic arrays for finite element analyses, nonlinear finite element computations, hierarchical boundary elements, adaptive substructuring techniques in elastoplastic finite element analyses, automatic tracking of crack propagation, a theory of rate-dependent plasticity, the torsional stability of nonlinear eccentric structures, a computation method for fluid-structure interaction, the seismic analysis of three-dimensional soil-structure interaction, a stress analysis for a composite sandwich panel, toughness criterion identification for unidirectional composite laminates, the modeling of submerged cable dynamics, and damping synthesis for flexible spacecraft structures.

Noor, A. K.↗

Inadequacy of the statistical many-body model for molecular infrared absorption in the far wings

It is known that the infrared absorption coefficient of CO2 in the far wings is far less than what is derived from the assumption of a Lorentzian absorption profile. Sorgen and Ben-Aryeh (1972) tried to show that by incorporating the statistical many-body model into impact theory, the discrepancy between the Lorentzian absorption profile and the experimental infrared absorption coefficient can be removed. This paper attempts to show that the high frequency or short-time property of the dipole-dipole interaction cannot be adequately explained by the many-body model; in other words, the statistical model as conventionally understood is not applicable to infrared spectral lines in the far wings.

Fowler, B. W.↗

Identification of aerodynamic models for maneuvering aircraft

A Fourier analysis method was developed to analyze harmonic forced-oscillation data at high angles of attack as functions of the angle of attack and its time rate of change. The resulting aerodynamic responses at different frequencies are used to build up the aerodynamic models involving time integrals of the indicial type. An efficient numerical method was also developed to evaluate these time integrals for arbitrary motions based on a concept of equivalent harmonic motion. The method was verified by first using results from two-dimensional and three-dimensional linear theories. The developed models for C sub L, C sub D, and C sub M based on high-alpha data for a 70 deg delta wing in harmonic motions showed accurate results in reproducing hysteresis. The aerodynamic models are further verified by comparing with test data using ramp-type motions.

Lan, C. Edward↗

Optical-model abrasion cross sections for high-energy heavy ions

Within the context of eikonal scattering theory, a generalized optical model potential approximation to the nucleus-nucleus multiple scattering series is used in an abrasion-ablation collision model to predict abrasion cross sections for relativistic projectile heavy ions. Unlike the optical limit of Glauber theory, which cannot be used for very light nuclei, the abrasion formalism is valid for any projectile target combination at any incident kinetic energy for which eikonal scattering theory can be utilized. Results are compared with experimental results and predictions from Glauber theory.

Townsend, L. W.↗

Unsteady Thick Airfoil Aerodynamics: Experiments, Computation, and Theory

An experimental, computational and theoretical investigation was carried out to study the aerodynamic loads acting on a relatively thick NACA 0018 airfoil when subjected to pitching and surging, individually and synchronously. Both pre-stall and post-stall angles of attack were considered. Experiments were carried out in a dedicated unsteady wind tunnel, with large surge amplitudes, and airfoil loads were estimated by means of unsteady surface mounted pressure measurements. Theoretical predictions were based on Theodorsen's and Isaacs' results as well as on the relatively recent generalizations of van der Wall. Both two- and three-dimensional computations were performed on structured grids employing unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS). For pure surging at pre-stall angles of attack, the correspondence between experiments and theory was satisfactory; this served as a validation of Isaacs theory. Discrepancies were traced to dynamic trailing-edge separation, even at low angles of attack. Excellent correspondence was found between experiments and theory for airfoil pitching as well as combined pitching and surging; the latter appears to be the first clear validation of van der Wall's theoretical results. Although qualitatively similar to experiment at low angles of attack, two-dimensional URANS computations yielded notable errors in the unsteady load effects of pitching, surging and their synchronous combination. The main reason is believed to be that the URANS equations do not resolve wake vorticity (explicitly modeled in the theory) or the resulting rolled-up un- steady flow structures because high values of eddy viscosity tend to \smear" the wake. At post-stall angles, three-dimensional computations illustrated the importance of modeling the tunnel side walls.

Strangfeld, C.↗

Theory of beat-resonant coupling of electrostatic modes

A general expression is derived for the beat-resonant coupling electrostatic modes in a Vlasov plasma. The result for the coupling of two modes has a simple structure: the appropriate momentum gradient of the equilibrium particle distribution is weighted by a positive coupling coefficient and averaged over the resonance surface in momentum space. The contributions of all the resonance surfaces are then summed. This basic structure had been previously exhibited only for specific homogeneous plasma models. The present theory, which unifies and greatly simplifies these individual treatments, is based on a variational formulation of the Vlasov-Poisson equations. Using Lie transforms, the variational principle is reexpressed in oscillation-center variables, and then the nonlinear wave dynamics are obtained from the independent variations of the wave phase and the wave amplitude. The power of the method is then applied to a strongly magnetized, strongly inhomogeneous, non-neutral plasma model.

Crawford, John David↗

Theoretical models for electron energy relaxation in the lower ionosphere

Elastic collisions and rotation inelastic collisions involving quadrupole molecular transitions are important in energy relaxation of electrons in molecular gases. It has been customary in studying the cooling of electrons in a plasma heated by high-frequency waves to characterize this relaxation by the ionospheric G factor. The G factor is first defined in a fundamental way by use of kinetic theory. Then present models for theoretical cross sections for electron collision with O2 and N2 are used to derive expressions for the G factor in the lower ionosphere. Two models are considered: one uses Gerjuoy-Stein models for both N2 and O2; the other uses a Gerjuoy-Stein model for N2 and a Geltman-Takayanaki model for O2. Neither O2 model has been definitely established experimentally. It is found that temperature dependence of G is critically dependent on the O2 model.

Hagenbuch, K. M.↗

Nonlinear Large Deflection Theory with Modified Aeroelastic Lifting Line Aerodynamics for a High Aspect Ratio Flexible Wing

This paper investigates the effect of nonlinear large deflection bending on the aerodynamic performance of a high aspect ratio flexible wing. A set of nonlinear static aeroelastic equations are derived for the large bending deflection of a high aspect ratio wing structure. An analysis is conducted to compare the nonlinear bending theory with the linear bending theory. The results show that the nonlinear bending theory is length-preserving whereas the linear bending theory causes a non-physical effect of lengthening the wing structure under the no axial load condition. A modified lifting line theory is developed to compute the lift and drag coefficients of a wing structure undergoing a large bending deflection. The lift and drag coefficients are more accurately estimated by the nonlinear bending theory due to its length-preserving property. The nonlinear bending theory yields lower lift and span efficiency than the linear bending theory. A coupled aerodynamic-nonlinear finite element model is developed to implement the nonlinear bending theory for a Common Research Model (CRM) flexible wing wind tunnel model to be tested in the University of Washington Aeronautical Laboratory (UWAL). The structural stiffness of the model is designed to give about 10% wing tip deflection which is large enough that could cause the nonlinear deflection effect to become significant. The computational results show that the nonlinear bending theory yields slightly less lift than the linear bending theory for this wind tunnel model. As a result, the linear bending theory is deemed adequate for the CRM wind tunnel model.

Aeroelasticity↗