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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 NTRS1977

Prosthetic EMG control enhancement through the application of man-machine principles

An area in medicine that appears suitable to man-machine principles is rehabilitation research, particularly when the motor aspects of the body are involved. If one considers the limb, whether functional or not, as the machine, the brain as the controller and the neuromuscular system as the man-machine interface, the human body is reduced to a man-machine system that can benefit from the principles behind such systems. The area of rehabilitation that this paper deals with is that of an arm amputee and his prosthetic device. Reducing this area to its man-machine basics, the problem becomes one of attaining natural multiaxis prosthetic control using Electromyographic activity (EMG) as the means of communication between man and prothesis. In order to use EMG as the communication channel it must be amplified and processed to yield a high information signal suitable for control. The most common processing scheme employed is termed Mean Value Processing. This technique for extracting the useful EMG signal consists of a differential to single ended conversion to the surface activity followed by a rectification and smoothing.

Simcox, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Flywheels Upgraded for Systems Research

With the advent of high-strength composite materials and microelectronics, flywheels are becoming attractive as a means of storing electrical energy. In addition to the high energy density that flywheels provide, other advantages over conventional electrochemical batteries include long life, high reliability, high efficiency, greater operational flexibility, and higher depths of discharge. High pulse energy is another capability that flywheels can provide. These attributes are favorable for satellites as well as terrestrial energy storage applications. In addition to energy storage for satellites, the several flywheels operating concurrently can provide attitude control, thus combine two functions into one system. This translates into significant weight savings. The NASA Glenn Research Center is involved in the development of this technology for space and terrestrial applications. Glenn is well suited for this research because of its world-class expertise in power electronics design, rotor dynamics, composite material research, magnetic bearings, and motor design and control. Several Glenn organizations are working together on this program. The Structural Mechanics and Dynamics Branch is providing magnetic bearing, controls, and mechanical engineering skills. It is working with the Electrical Systems Development Branch, which has expertise in motors and generators, controls, and avionics systems. Facility support is being provided by the Space Electronic Test Engineering Branch, and the program is being managed by the Space Flight Project Branch. NASA is funding an Aerospace Flywheel Technology Development Program to design, fabricate, and test the Attitude Control/Energy Storage Experiment (ACESE). Two flywheels will be integrated onto a single power bus and run simultaneously to demonstrate a combined energy storage and 1-degree-of-freedom momentum control system. An algorithm that independently regulates direct-current bus voltage and net torque output will be experimentally demonstrated.

Jansen, Ralph H.↗
NASA NTRS2008

A Cryogenic High-Power-Density Bearingless Motor for Future Electric Propulsion

The NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) is developing a high-power-density switched-reluctance cryogenic motor for all-electric and pollution-free flight. However, cryogenic operation at higher rotational speeds markedly shortens the life of mechanical rolling element bearings. Thus, to demonstrate the practical feasibility of using this motor for future flights, a non-contact rotor-bearing system is a crucial technology to circumvent poor bearing life that ordinarily accompanies cryogenic operation. In this paper, a bearingless motor control technology for a 12-8 (12 poles in the stator and 8 poles in the rotor) switched-reluctance motor operating in liquid nitrogen (boiling point, 77 K (-196 C or -321 F)) was presented. We pushed previous disciplinary limits of electromagnetic controller technique by extending the state-of-the-art bearingless motor operating at liquid nitrogen for high-specific-power applications. The motor was levitated even in its nonlinear region of magnetic saturation, which is believed to be a world first for the motor type. Also we used only motoring coils to generate motoring torque and levitation force, which is an important feature for developing a high specific power motor.

Choi, Benjamin↗
NASA NTRS2012

Overheating Anomalies during Flight Test Due to the Base Bleeding

In this paper we present the results of the analytical and numerical studies of the plume interaction with the base flow in the presence of base out-gassing. The physics-based analysis and CFD modeling of the base heating for single solid rocket motor performed in this research addressed the following questions: what are the key factors making base flow so different from that in the Shuttle [1]; why CFD analysis of this problem reveals small plume recirculation; what major factors influence base temperature; and why overheating was initiated at a given time in the flight. To answer these questions topological analysis of the base flow was performed and Korst theory was used to estimate relative contributions of radiation, plume recirculation, and chemically reactive out-gassing to the base heating. It was shown that base bleeding and small base volume are the key factors contributing to the overheating, while plume recirculation is effectively suppressed by asymmetric configuration of the flow formed earlier in the flight. These findings are further verified using CFD simulations that include multi-species gas environment both in the plume and in the base. Solid particles in the exhaust plume (Al2O3) and char particles in the base bleeding were also included into the simulations and their relative contributions into the base temperature rise were estimated. The results of simulations are in good agreement with the temperature and pressure in the base measured during the test.

base bleeding↗
NASA NTRS2003

All-Optical Micro Motors Based on Moving Gratings in Photosensitive Media

This research effort was a feasibility study of the concept of an all-optical micro motor with a rotor driven by a traveling wave. The wave was a result of a photo induced surface deformation of a photosensitive material produced by a traveling holographic grating. Two phases modulated coherent optical beams were used to generate the grating in two types of photosensitive materials. The materials that were studied were photorefractive crystals and thin polymer films. Theoretical studies were performed on lithium niobate giving predictions of deformations of the order of nanometers. The experimental deformation size was also on the order of nanometers. The deformations were deep enough to provide conditions for the implementation of the all-optical motor using lithium niobate. We also were able to align micron-size dielectric particles along the holographic gratings by means of the periodic electric forces generated by the grating. These forces can also move the particles along the surface if the grating is moving. We then turned our attention on thin films and obtained a deformation visible on the order of 100 microns. An experimental breadboard demonstration of a prototype was done in the summer of 2001 at Glenn Research Center (GRC). The demonstration included the movement of clocks mechanical workings by an optically driven motor based on a polymer film. The application of this technology can be adapted to government as well as industrial uses. One such project is to make a chemical sensor for the detection of hazardous chemicals. The thin polymer film is highly suited for this purpose since a marker dye could be easily placed on the film in order to detect chemical compounds. This system could be a self-regulating chemical monitoring system used on launches of the space shuttle or locations where hazardous chemicals are present. The project provided support for two black minority graduate students targeting MS and PhD degrees in Applied Optics.

Adamovsky, Gregory↗
NASA NTRS1971

Technology for low cost solid rocket boosters.

A review of low cost large solid rocket motors developed at the Lewis Research Center is given. An estimate is made of the total cost reduction obtainable by incorporating this new technology package into the rocket motor design. The propellant, case material, insulation, nozzle ablatives, and thrust vector control are discussed. The effect of the new technology on motor cost is calculated for a typical expandable 260-in. booster application. Included in the cost analysis is the influence of motor performance variations due to specific impulse and weight changes. It is found for this application that motor costs may be reduced by up to 30% and that the economic attractiveness of future large solid rocket motors will be improved when the new technology is implemented.

Ciepluch, C.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Prototype Motor Controllers Demonstrated for the James Webb Space Telescope Cryogenic Environment

NASA is in the process of designing the James Webb Space Telescope. This telescope will investigate images of objects in deep space (stars, galaxies, etc.) by using light in the infrared region of the light spectrum. To make such observations, the telescope must have light sensors that operate at very cold temperatures, near absolute zero. To achieve this low-temperature tolerance, designers must place the light sensors behind a Sun shield that will prevent sunlight, and its heat, from reaching the sensors. In this cold region inside the telescope, electric motors and some motor controls must operate at temperatures near 40 K (40 degrees above absolute zero). These motors will be used to position light filters needed by the telescope. There are motors that operate at the low temperatures, but there is little technology for low-temperature motor-control electronics. The drawing shows how the motors and their controls are positioned behind the Sun shield. Simplified version of the layout of the motor and control electronics that are located, as dictated by mission requirements, in the cold zone of the James Webb Space Telescope. A Sun shield provides protection and isolation of these electronics from the heat of the rays of the sun. Room temperature compoenets (control computer, motor select command, motor phase drive, power supply, parallel to serial, and sun shield) as well as 40-kelvin components (motor select, serial to parallel, and motors) are shown. The Low Temperature Electronics Group at the NASA Glenn Research Center has been working to develop motor control electronics that will operate at a temperature of 40 K. The group conducted tests to determine which electronic components will operate at such very low temperatures. Then, components that were determined to operate successfully at the low temperatures were used to design low-temperature motor-controller circuits. A prototype motor controller circuit was built, evaluated, and demonstrated to operate at 70 K. Next, Glenn researchers plan to determine circuit performance at much colder temperatures--down to 40 K. This low-temperature program was supported by the James Webb Space Telescope Electrical Systems Design Group at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and by the NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging Program at NASA Headquarters and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Patterson, Richard L.↗
NASA NTRS1996

CFD Analysis of the 24-inch JIRAD Hybrid Rocket Motor

A series of multispecies, multiphase computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses of the 24-inch diameter joint government industry industrial research and development (JIRAD) hybrid rocket motor is described. The 24-inch JIRAD hybrid motor operates by injection of liquid oxygen (LOX) into a vaporization plenum chamber upstream of ports in the hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) solid fuel. The injector spray pattern had a strong influence on combustion stability of the JIRAD motor so a CFD study was initiated to define the injector end flow field under different oxidizer spray patterns and operating conditions. By using CFD to gain a clear picture of the flow field and temperature distribution within the JIRAD motor, it is hoped that the fundamental mechanisms of hybrid combustion instability may be identified and then suppressed by simple alterations to the oxidizer injection parameters such as injection angle and velocity. The simulations in this study were carried out using the General Algorithm for Analysis of Combustion SYstems (GALACSY) multiphase combustion codes. GALACSY consists of a comprehensive set of droplet dynamic submodels (atomization, evaporation, etc.) and a computationally efficient hydrocarbon chemistry package built around a robust Navier-Stokes solver optimized for low Mach number flows. Lagrangian tracking of dispersed particles describes a closely coupled spray phase. The CFD cases described in this paper represent various levels of simplification of the problem. They include: (A) gaseous oxygen with combusting fuel vapor blowing off the walls at various oxidizer injection angles and velocities, (B) gaseous oxygen with combusting fuel vapor blowing off the walls, and (C) liquid oxygen with combusting fuel vapor blowing off the walls. The study used an axisymmetric model and the results indicate that the injector design significantly effects the flow field in the injector end of the motor. Markedly different recirculation patterns are observed in the vaporization chamber as the oxygen velocity and/or spray pattern is varied. The ability of these recirculation patterns to stabilize the diffusion flame above the surface of the solid fuel gives a plausible explanation for the experimentally determined combustion stability characteristics of the JIRAD motor, and suggests how combustion stability can be assured by modifications to the injector design.

Liang, Pak-Yan↗
NASA NTRS1979

Solid Rocket Motor Technology

These Conference Proceedings contain the 36 papers presented at the AGARD Propulsion and Energetics Panel 53rd Symposium on "Solid Rocket Motor Technology", which was held in Oslo, Norway, 2-5 April 1979. The questions and answers after the various presentations are included as well as the Round Table Discussion. The Symposium was organized into seven sessions: Survey Papers (2); Ignition, Extinction and Internal Ballistics (8); Burn Rate Modelling and Combustion of Metal (5); New Propellants (5); Combustion Instability (7); Heat Transfer and Materials (3); and Testing and Instrumentation (6).The Symposium provided a forum for discussion and exchange between research scientists ,propellant formulators and motor technologists. Though main emphasis was placed on transient processes like ignition and extinction and on combustion instability with the various related aspects there were a number of papers dealing with propellants, their characteristics and their development. Whether the symposium achieved its initial aim, i.e. furnishing a comprehensive survey of the technology available for solid propellant rocket motors and its further development capabilities, will be assessed in a Technical Evaluation Report, to be published as AGARD Advisory Report AR 151.

Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Developm↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Flight-Test Approach for X-57 Mod II Configuration

The primary objective of the X-57 Mod II test flights is to perform a functional checkout of the research traction battery power and motor systems, perform an airworthiness assessment of the modified vehicle, and to collect baseline performance, stability, and acoustic data for comparisons with later modifications of the X-57 airplane. This paper describes the planned flight operations of the Mod II airplane, the unique considerations and decisions made in operating an electric aircraft, and the development and planning of the research test points necessary to achieve the Mod II flight objectives. Due to the constrained flight time, which resulted from limited capacity of the battery system, careful scripting of flights was required to maximize test time and execute test points efficiently.

James Reynolds↗
NASA NTRS1992

Advanced mechanisms for robotics

An overview of applied research and development at NASA-Goddard (GSFC) on mechanisms and the collision avoidance skin for robots is presented. First the work on robot end effectors is outlined, followed by a brief discussion on robot-friendly payload latching mechanisms and compliant joints. This, in turn, is followed by the collision avoidance/management skin and the GSFC research on magnetostrictive direct drive motors. Finally, a new project, the artificial muscle, is introduced. Each of the devices is described in sufficient detail to permit a basic understanding of its purpose, fundamental principles of operation, and capabilities. In addition, the development status of each is reported along with descriptions of breadboards and prototypes and their test results. In each case, the implications of the research for commercialization is discussed. The chronology of the presentation will give a clear idea of both the evolution of the R&D in recent years and its likely direction in the future.

Vranish, John M.↗
NASA NTRS2008

NASA Langley's AirSTAR Testbed: A Subscale Flight Test Capability for Flight Dynamics and Control System Experiments

As part of the Airborne Subscale Transport Aircraft Research (AirSTAR) project, NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) has developed a subscaled flying testbed in order to conduct research experiments in support of the goals of NASA s Aviation Safety Program. This research capability consists of three distinct components. The first of these is the research aircraft, of which there are several in the AirSTAR stable. These aircraft range from a dynamically-scaled, twin turbine vehicle to a propeller driven, off-the-shelf airframe. Each of these airframes carves out its own niche in the research test program. All of the airplanes have sophisticated on-board data acquisition and actuation systems, recording, telemetering, processing, and/or receiving data from research control systems. The second piece of the testbed is the ground facilities, which encompass the hardware and software infrastructure necessary to provide comprehensive support services for conducting flight research using the subscale aircraft, including: subsystem development, integrated testing, remote piloting of the subscale aircraft, telemetry processing, experimental flight control law implementation and evaluation, flight simulation, data recording/archiving, and communications. The ground facilities are comprised of two major components: (1) The Base Research Station (BRS), a LaRC laboratory facility for system development, testing and data analysis, and (2) The Mobile Operations Station (MOS), a self-contained, motorized vehicle serving as a mobile research command/operations center, functionally equivalent to the BRS, capable of deployment to remote sites for supporting flight tests. The third piece of the testbed is the test facility itself. Research flights carried out by the AirSTAR team are conducted at NASA Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The UAV Island runway is a 50 x 1500 paved runway that lies within restricted airspace at Wallops Flight Facility. The facility provides all the necessary infrastructure to conduct the research flights in a safe and efficient manner. This paper gives a comprehensive overview of the development of the AirSTAR testbed.

Jordan, Thomas L.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Solid propellant rocket motor internal ballistics performance variation analysis, phase 3

Results of research aimed at improving the predictability of off nominal internal ballistics performance of solid propellant rocket motors (SRMs) including thrust imbalance between two SRMs firing in parallel are reported. The potential effects of nozzle throat erosion on internal ballistic performance were studied and a propellant burning rate low postulated. The propellant burning rate model when coupled with the grain deformation model permits an excellent match between theoretical results and test data for the Titan IIIC, TU455.02, and the first Space Shuttle SRM (DM-1). Analysis of star grain deformation using an experimental model and a finite element model shows the star grain deformation effects for the Space Shuttle to be small in comparison to those of the circular perforated grain. An alternative technique was developed for predicting thrust imbalance without recourse to the Monte Carlo computer program. A scaling relationship used to relate theoretical results to test results may be applied to the alternative technique of predicting thrust imbalance or to the Monte Carlo evaluation. Extended investigation into the effect of strain rate on propellant burning rate leads to the conclusion that the thermoelastic effect is generally negligible for both steadily increasing pressure loads and oscillatory loads.

Sforzini, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Solid-propellant rocket motor ballistic performance variation analyses

Results are presented of research aimed at improving the assessment of off-nominal internal ballistic performance including tailoff and thrust imbalance of two large solid-rocket motors (SRMs) firing in parallel. Previous analyses using the Monte Carlo technique were refined to permit evaluation of the effects of radial and circumferential propellant temperature gradients. Sample evaluations of the effect of the temperature gradients are presented. A separate theoretical investigation of the effect of strain rate on the burning rate of propellant indicates that the thermoelastic coupling may cause substantial variations in burning rate during highly transient operating conditions. The Monte Carlo approach was also modified to permit the effects on performance of variation in the characteristics between lots of propellants and other materials to be evaluated. This permits the variabilities for the total SRM population to be determined. A sample case shows, however, that the effect of these between-lot variations on thrust imbalances within pairs of SRMs is minor in compariosn to the effect of the within-lot variations. The revised Monte Carlo and design analysis computer programs along with instructions including format requirements for preparation of input data and illustrative examples are presented.

Sforzini, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Cold-welding test environment

A flight test was conducted and compared with ground test data. Sixteen typical spacecraft material couples were mounted on an experimental research satellite in which a motor intermittently drove the spherical moving specimens across the faces of the fixed flat specimens in an oscillating motion. Friction coefficients were measured over a period of 14-month orbital time. Surface-to-surface sliding was found to be the controlling factor of generating friction in a vacuum environment. Friction appears to be independent of passive vacuum exposure time. Prelaunch and postlaunch tests identical to the flight test were performed in an oil-diffusion-pumped ultrahigh vacuum chamber. Only 50% of the resultant data agreed with the flight data owing to pump oil contamination. Identical ground tests were run in an ultrahigh vacuum facility and a ion-pumped vacuum chamber. The agreement (90%) between data from these tests and flight data established the adequacy of these test environments and facilities.

Wang, J. T.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Benefits of detailed models of muscle activation and mechanics

Recent biophysical and physiological studies identified some of the detailed mechanisms involved in excitation-contraction coupling, muscle contraction, and deactivation. Mathematical models incorporating these mechanisms allow independent estimates of key parameters, direct interplay between basic muscle research and the study of motor control, and realistic model behaviors, some of which are not accessible to previous, simpler, models. The existence of previously unmodeled behaviors has important implications for strategies of motor control and identification of neural signals. New developments in the analysis of differential equations make the more detailed models feasible for simulation in realistic experimental situations.

Lehman, S. L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Advanced mechanisms for robotics

An overview of applied research and development at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) on mechanisms and collision avoidance skin for robots is presented. The work on robot end effectors is outlined, followed by a brief discussion of robot-friendly payload latching mechanisms and compliant joints. This is followed by discussions of the collision avoidance/management skin and the GSFC research on magnetorestrictive direct drive motors. A new project, the artificial muscle, is introduced. Each of the devices is described sufficiently to permit a basic understanding of its purpose, capabilities, and operating fundamentals. The implications for commercialization are discussed.

Vranish, John M.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Breaking the Language Barrier

Preparation for the Apollo Soyuz mission entailed large-scale informational exchange that was accomplished by a computerized translation system. Based on this technology of commercial machine translation, a system known as SYSTRAN II was developed by LATSEC, Inc. and the World Translation Company of Canada. This system increases the output of a human translator by five to eight times, affording cost savings by allowing a large increase in document production without hiring additional people. Extra savings accrue from automatic production of camera-ready copy. Applications include translation of service manuals, proposals and tenders, planning studies, catalogs, list of parts and prices, textbooks, technical reports and education/training materials. System is operational for six language pairs. Systran users include Xerox Corporation, General Motors of Canada, Bell Northern Research of Canada, the U.S. Air Force and the European Commission. The company responsible for the production of SYSTRAN II has changed its name to SYSTRAN.

Source record↗