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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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1975

On the cost of approximating and recognizing a noise perturbed straight line or a quadratic curve segment in the plane

Approximation of noisy data in the plane by straight lines or elliptic or single-branch hyperbolic curve segments arises in pattern recognition, data compaction, and other problems. The efficient search for and approximation of data by such curves were examined. Recursive least-squares linear curve-fitting was used, and ellipses and hyperbolas are parameterized as quadratic functions in x and y. The error minimized by the algorithm is interpreted, and central processing unit (CPU) times for estimating parameters for fitting straight lines and quadratic curves were determined and compared. CPU time for data search was also determined for the case of straight line fitting. Quadratic curve fitting is shown to require about six times as much CPU time as does straight line fitting, and curves relating CPU time and fitting error were determined for straight line fitting. Results are derived on early sequential determination of whether or not the underlying curve is a straight line.

Cooper, D. B.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Scaling laws for light-weight optics

Scaling laws for light-weight optical systems are examined. A cubic relationship between mirror diameter and weight has been suggested and used by many designers of optical systems as the best description for all light-weight mirrors. A survey of existing light-weight systems in the open literature has been made to clarify this issue. Fifty existing optical systems were surveyed with all varieties of light-weight mirrors including glass and beryllium structured mirrors, contoured mirrors, and very thin solid mirrors. These mirrors were then categorized and weight to diameter ratio was plotted to find a best fit curve for each case. A best fitting curve program tests nineteen different equations and ranks a 'goodness of fit' for each of these equations. The resulting relationship found for each light-weight mirror category helps to quantify light-weight optical systems and methods of fabrication and provides comparisons between mirror types.

Valente, Tina M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Computer codes for the evaluation of thermodynamic properties, transport properties, and equilibrium constants of an 11-species air model

The computer codes developed provide data to 30000 K for the thermodynamic and transport properties of individual species and reaction rates for the prominent reactions occurring in an 11-species nonequilibrium air model. These properties and the reaction-rate data are computed through the use of curve-fit relations which are functions of temperature (and number density for the equilibrium constant). The curve fits were made using the most accurate data believed available. A detailed review and discussion of the sources and accuracy of the curve-fitted data used herein are given in NASA RP 1232.

Thompson, Richard A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Computer codes for the evaluation of thermodynamic and transport properties for equilibrium air to 30000 K

The computer codes developed here provide self-consistent thermodynamic and transport properties for equilibrium air for temperatures from 500 to 30000 K over a temperature range of 10 (exp -4) to 10 (exp -2) atm. These properties are computed through the use of temperature dependent curve fits for discrete values of pressure. Interpolation is employed for intermediate values of pressure. The curve fits are based on mixture values calculated from an 11-species air model. Individual species properties used in the mixture relations are obtained from a recent study by the present authors. A review and discussion of the sources and accuracy of the curve fitted data used herein are given in NASA RP 1260.

Thompson, Richard A.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Development of equilibrium air computer programs suitable for numerical computation using time-dependent or shock-capturing methods

Computer programs were developed which compute the thermodynamic properties of equilibrium air for use in either the time-dependent or shock-capturing computational methods. For the time-dependent method, tne NASA-ARC RGAS computer program was modified to allow internal energy and density to be used as the independent variables. In addition, simplified-curve fits for p = p(e,rho), a = a(e,rho), and T = T(p,rho) were devised to reduce computer time. For the shock-capturing method a simplified curve fit for h = h(p,rho) was made. These approximate curve fits may be particularly useful when employed on advanced computers such as the Illiac 4 or the CDC Star since they avoid the cumbersome table-lookup feature of the RGAS program.

Tannehill, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Three-Dimensional Turbomachine-Blade-Row Analysis Code

Computer program (MERNEW3D) developed that prepares bulk of input data set required for Denton three-dimensional inviscid turbomachine-blade-row analysis code. Denton input generated from minimum of geometry and flow-variable information by using cubic spline curve fits for interpolation and extrapolation. Curve-fitting procedures taken from previously developed and widely used NASA computer program (MERIDL), which performs meridional streamsurface analysis.

Glassman, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Radiative Heating Methodology for the Huygens Probe

The radiative heating environment for the Huygens probe near peak heating conditions for Titan entry is investigated in this paper. The task of calculating the radiation-coupled flowfield, accounting for non-Boltzmann and non-optically thin radiation, is simplified to a rapid yet accurate calculation. This is achieved by using the viscous-shock layer (VSL) technique for the stagnation-line flowfield calculation and a modified smeared rotational band (SRB) model for the radiation calculation. These two methods provide a computationally efficient alternative to a Navier-Stokes flowfield and line-by-line radiation calculation. The results of the VSL technique are shown to provide an excellent comparison with the Navier-Stokes results of previous studies. It is shown that a conventional SRB approach is inadequate for the partially optically-thick conditions present in the Huygens shock-layer around the peak heating trajectory points. A simple modification is proposed to the SRB model that improves its accuracy in these partially optically-thick conditions. This modified approach, labeled herein as SRBC, is compared throughout this study with a detailed line-by-line (LBL) calculation and is shown to compare within 5% in all cases. The SRBC method requires many orders-of-magnitude less computational time than the LBL method, which makes it ideal for coupling to the flowfield. The application of a collisional-radiative (CR) model for determining the population of the CN electronic states, which govern the radiation for Huygens entry, is discussed and applied. The non-local absorption term in the CR model is formulated in terms of an escape factor, which is then curve-fit with temperature. Although the curve-fit is an approximation, it is shown to compare well with the exact escape factor calculation, which requires a computationally intensive iteration procedure.

Johnston, Christopher O.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Flight transition data for angles of attack at Mach 22 with correlations of the data

Boundary-layer transition data for angles of attack from 2.5 to 47 deg from a flight experiment with a cone that reentered at angles of attack up to 75 deg were analyzed and their local flow conditions are presented. The transition data were obtained from both acoustic and electrostatic sensors. The data from the acoustic and electrostatic sensors were correlated by use of three different sets of correlating parameters. For each set of correlating parameters, the transitional and turbulent data from the acoustic and electrostatic sensors were plotted separately. Each of the correlations was compared with a linear curve fit of previous cone-flight data at near zero angle of attack. Results indicate that the data from acoustic sensors falls below the linear curve fits to the flight data and indicates the sensitivity of the sensors. It is shown that the transition data from the electrostatic sensors tends to scatter much more than the data from the acoustic sensors. However, the data from the electrostatic sensors tends to scatter about the linear curve fits based on previous flight data.

Johnson, C. B.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Transverse Tension Fatigue Life Characterization Through Flexure Testing of Composite Materials

The transverse tension fatigue life of S2/8552 glass-epoxy and IM7/8552 carbon-epoxy was characterized using flexure tests of 90-degree laminates loaded in 3-point and 4-point bending. The influence of specimen polishing and specimen configuration on transverse tension fatigue life was examined using the glass-epoxy laminates. Results showed that 90-degree bend specimens with polished machined edges and polished tension-side surfaces, where bending failures where observed, had lower fatigue lives than unpolished specimens when cyclically loaded at equal stress levels. The influence of specimen thickness and the utility of a Weibull scaling law was examined using the carbon-epoxy laminates. The influence of test frequency on fatigue results was also documented for the 4-point bending configuration. A Weibull scaling law was used to predict the 4-point bending fatigue lives from the 3-point bending curve fit and vice-versa. Scaling was performed based on maximum cyclic stress level as well as fatigue life. The scaling laws based on stress level shifted the curve fit S-N characterizations in the desired direction, however, the magnitude of the shift was not adequate to accurately predict the fatigue lives. Furthermore, the scaling law based on fatigue life shifted the curve fit S-N characterizations in the opposite direction from measured values. Therefore, these scaling laws were not adequate for obtaining accurate predictions of the transverse tension fatigue lives.

OBrien, T. Kevin↗
NASA NTRS1986

On the analytical determination of relaxation modulus of viscoelastic materials by Prony's interpolation method

A computer implementation to Prony's curve fitting by exponential functions is presented. The method, although more than one hundred years old, has not been utilized to its fullest capabilities due to the restriction that the time range must be given in equal increments in order to obtain the best curve fit for a given set of data. The procedure used in this paper utilizes the 3-dimensional capabilities of the Interactive Graphics Design System (I.G.D.S.) in order to obtain the equal time increments. The resultant information is then input into a computer program that solves directly for the exponential constants yielding the best curve fit. Once the exponential constants are known, a simple least squares solution can be applied to obtain the final form of the equation.

Rodriguez, Pedro I.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Achieving high data reduction with integral cubic B-splines

During geometry processing, tangent directions at the data points are frequently readily available from the computation process that generates the points. It is desirable to utilize this information to improve the accuracy of curve fitting and to improve data reduction. This paper presents a curve fitting method which utilizes both position and tangent direction data. This method produces G(exp 1) non-rational B-spline curves. From the examples, the method demonstrates very good data reduction rates while maintaining high accuracy in both position and tangent direction.

Chou, Jin J.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Fitting Nonlinear Curves by use of Optimization Techniques

MULTIVAR is a FORTRAN 77 computer program that fits one of the members of a set of six multivariable mathematical models (five of which are nonlinear) to a multivariable set of data. The inputs to MULTIVAR include the data for the independent and dependent variables plus the user s choice of one of the models, one of the three optimization engines, and convergence criteria. By use of the chosen optimization engine, MULTIVAR finds values for the parameters of the chosen model so as to minimize the sum of squares of the residuals. One of the optimization engines implements a routine, developed in 1982, that utilizes the Broydon-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno (BFGS) variable-metric method for unconstrained minimization in conjunction with a one-dimensional search technique that finds the minimum of an unconstrained function by polynomial interpolation and extrapolation without first finding bounds on the solution. The second optimization engine is a faster and more robust commercially available code, denoted Design Optimization Tool, that also uses the BFGS method. The third optimization engine is a robust and relatively fast routine that implements the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm.

Hill, Scott A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

On the reduction of occultation light curves

The two basic methods of reducing occultation light curves - curve fitting and inversion - are reviewed and compared. It is shown that the curve fitting methods have severe problems of nonuniqueness. In addition, in the case of occultation curves dominated by spikes, it is not clear that such solutions are meaningful. The inversion method does not suffer from these drawbacks. Methods of deriving temperature profiles from refractivity profiles are then examined. It is shown that, although the temperature profiles are sensitive to small errors in the refractivity profile, accurate temperatures can be obtained, particularly at the deeper levels of the atmosphere. The ambiguities that arise when the occultation curve straddles the turbopause are briefly discussed.

Wasserman, L.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Conservation equations and physical models for hypersonic air flows in thermal and chemical nonequilibrium

The conservation equations for simulating hypersonic flows in thermal and chemical nonequilibrium and details of the associated physical models are presented. These details include the curve fits used for defining thermodynamic properties of the 11 species air model, curve fits for collision cross sections, expressions for transport properties, the chemical kinetics models, and the vibrational and electronic energy relaxation models. The expressions are formulated in the context of either a two or three temperature model. Greater emphasis is placed on the two temperature model in which it is assumed that the translational and rotational energy models are in equilibrium at the translational temperature, T, and the vibrational, electronic, and electron translational energy modes are in equilibrium at the vibrational temperature, T sub v. The eigenvalues and eigenvectors associated with the Jacobian of the flux vector are also presented in order to accommodate the upwind based numerical solutions of the complete equation set.

Peter A. Gnoffo↗
NASA NTRS1993

Development of a gridless CFD method

The objective of this paper is to stimulate ideas concerning alternative approaches to discretizing fluid flow problems, i.e., the so-called gridless approach. The gridless approach uses only clouds of points and does not require that the points be connected to form a grid as is necessary in conventional CFD algorithms. The governing equations are solved directly by performing local least-squares curve fits in each cloud of points and then analytically differentiating the resulting curve fits to approximate the derivatives. A discussion of these topics is presented in viewgraph form.

John T Batina↗
NASA NTRS1996

Studies of Vestibular Neurons in Normal, Hyper- and Hypogravity

During the past year, pre-, in- and postflight studies were conducted in association with the Axon project for Bion 10 (Cosmos 2229). Recordings were made during pre- and postflight studies, from 118 horizontal semicircular canal afferents and 27 vestibular nucleus neurons in 7 rhesus monkeys; 137 pulse rotation protocols alone were executed (548 acceleration and deceleration responses were curve fit). Usable data was obtained from 127 horizontal afferents concerning their spontaneous discharge. Curve fits and analysis was made of sinusoidal and sum of sinusoidal responses from 42 and 35 horizontal afferents, respectively. Also recordings were made from neurons inflight from the two flight animals. The mean spontaneous rate varied from 128 spikes/sec. during preflight to 92 spikes/sec during postflight (day 5) - a change of 28%. In direct contrast to the results of Cosmos 2044, the best fitted neural adaptation operator (k) and the gain of the pulse response were decreased during post flight when compared to preflight. Surprisingly, the best fitted gain and k values for the sum of sines were slightly elevated during post flight tests. The gain and phase of single sine responses were compared for pre- and post flight tests and compared to a larger population of afferents. In contrast to Cosmos 2044 results where on the first day of post flight testing the gains of the best fitted sine response were skewed toward the higher values of the Miles and Braitman distribution, the gain of the best fitted sine responses during the first day of post flight testing (day 2) during Cosmos 2229 were exactly on the mode of the Miles and Braitman distribution. Thus, at least for the periodic stimuli, (pulses and sine waves) we found no change in gain and neural adaptation during post flight testing following Cosmos 2229. This conclusion is different from the one derived following the Cosmos 2044 flight. Cosmos flight 2229 differed from Cosmos flight 2044 in several significant ways: For example, during preflight, (1) The animals preflight training was different (less well trained on the gaze task) and (2) the animals were exposed to more experimental manipulations (surgical and rotational). Inflight, (1) the animals were required to make a pointing gesture (motor response) in association with eye movements to obtain reward, (2) the inflight diet was different (more balanced), (3) the feeder for one of the animals clogged following 9 days of flight resulting in evident dehydration and probably less head motion exposure in that monkey and (4) there was limited video taping of the monkeys in space. During postflight, (1) we were unable to test the flight animals until 26 hours postflight as compared to 14.5 hours during Cosmos 2044, (2) the animals received significantly more exposure to motion stimuli during postflight testing than during Cosmos 2044. These differences in the vestibular environment will require analysis of several parameters other than just neural and eye movement responses. For example, computer programs will have to be written and used to recover and quantify the number of head movements made by each animal during flight. This activity is critical to the production of neural adaptation and increased gain.

Correia, Manning J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Fitting voltage curves with an electrochemically derived equation

Previous work is refined and extended to describe the discharge curve of Ni-Cd cells. Several models are discussed which are based on chronopotentiometry theory and on a thermodynamic approach. Emphasis is placed on improvement of the fit for the initial portion of discharge. Equations are presented which improve the fit for all regions of the discharge curve.

Spritzer, M. S.↗