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NASA NTRS2009

Characteristics of Whipple Shield Performance in the Shatter Regime

Between the onset of projectile fragmentation and the assumption of rear wall failure due to an impulsive load, multi-wall ballistic limit equations are linearly interpolated to provide reasonable yet conservative predictions of perforation thresholds with conveniently simple mathematics. Although low velocity and hypervelocity regime predictions are based on analytical expressions, there is no such scientific foundation for predictions in the intermediate (or shatter) regime. As the debris flux in low earth orbit (LEO) becomes increasingly dominated by manmade pollution, the profile of micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) risk shifts continually towards lower velocities. For the International Space Station (ISS), encounter velocities below 7 km/s now constitute approximately 50% of the penetration risk. Considering that the transition velocity from shatter to hypervelocity impact regimes described by common ballistic limit equations (e.g. new non-optimum Whipple shield equation [1]) occurs at 7 km/s, 50% of station risk is now calculated based on failure limit equations with little analytical foundation. To investigate projectile and shield behavior for impact conditions leading to projectile fragmentation and melt, a series of hypervelocity impact tests have been performed on aluminum Whipple shields. In the experiments projectile diameter, bumper thickness, and shield spacing were kept constant, while rear wall thickness was adjusted to determine spallation and perforation limits at various impact velocities and angles. The results, shown in Figure 1 for normal and 45 impacts, demonstrated behavior that was not sufficiently described by the simplified linear interpolation of the NNO equation (also shown in Figure 1). Hopkins et al. [2] investigated the performance of a nominally-identical aluminum Whipple shield, identifying the effects of phase change in the shatter regime. The results (conceptually represented in Figure 2) were found to agree well with those obtained in this study at normal incidence, suggesting that shielding performance in the shatter regime could be well described by considering more complex phase conditions than currently implemented in most BLEs. Furthermore, evidence of these phase effects were found in the oblique test results, providing the basis for an empirical description of these effects that can be applied in MMOD risk assessment software. In this paper, results of the impact experiments are presented, and characteristics of target damage are evaluated. A comparison of intermediate velocity impact failure mechanisms in current BLEs are discussed and compared to the findings of the experimental study. Risk assessment calculations have been made on a simplified structure using currently implemented penetration equations and predicted limits from the experimental program, and the variation in perceived mission risk is discussed. It was found that ballistic limit curves that explicitly incorporated phase change effects within the intermediate regime lead to a decrease in predicted MMOD risk for ISS-representative orbits. When considered for all Whipple-based shielding configurations onboard the ISS, intermediate phase change effects could lead to significant variations in predicted mission risk.

Ryan, Shannon↗
NASA NTRS2022

Predicting the Penetration of a Shielded TPS Tile

All spacecraft are subject to the possibility of high-speed particle impacts during their mission life. In low earth orbit, those impacts could be the result of collisions with pieces of orbital debris or with meteorites. Beyond LEO, and especially beyond GEO, those impacts will likely be caused by meteorites. Such high-speed impacts on spacecraft surfaces create debris clouds that travel towards and eventually impact other downstream spacecraft components. In addition to the impulsive load that such debris clouds would impart to the spacecraft elements with which they subsequently collide, the largest fragment in these debris clouds poses a significant threat on its own to those spacecraft elements. In order to be able to assess the severity of the threat posed by such a fragment, it is important to be able to predict the extent of damage sustained by the impacted spacecraft element. In this paper, we present a new process for determining the penetration depth in a shielded TPS tile system. The requirements for the process were that it be applicable across a full spectrum of impact low velocities (i.e. from ~ 7 km/s to above 50 km/s), that it be applicable over a wide range of projectile materials densities (i.e. ranging from water to steel, for example), and that it be applicable over a wide range of trajectory obliquities (i.e. not just normal impacts). Furthermore, the process developed should be sufficiently flexible so that it can be used for shield design parameter and / or system configuration trade studies (i.e. be written in terms of as many shield and TPS tile system parameters as possible). Following the initial impact of the projectile on the outer wall of the dual-wall shield, a debris cloud (i.e. the primary debris cloud) is created that travels towards and impacts the inner wall of the shield. Within this debris cloud is a combination of solid, liquid, and vaporized material, depending on the impact velocity and the impedance mismatch of the projectile and outer wall materials. The impact of this debris cloud on the inner wall creates another debris cloud (i.e. the secondary debris cloud) that then travels towards and impacts the TPS tile. Within the particulate distribution of the material in each of these debris clouds is a so-called largest fragment. The process used to calculate the penetration depth in a shielded TPS tile system developed herein consists of the following three steps: 1. Does the initial projectile perforate the outer wall of the shield? If NO, the TPS tile remains undamaged. If YES, calculate the size and speed of the largest fragment exiting the outer wall of the shield and traveling towards the shield’s inner wall. 2. Does the largest fragment in the debris cloud exiting the outer wall of the shield perforate the inner wall of the shield? If NO, the TPS tile again remains undamaged. If YES, calculate the size and speed of the largest fragment exiting the rear of the shield inner wall. 3. Calculate the penetration depth of the largest fragment in the debris cloud exiting the inner wall into the TPS. Perforation of the inner and outer shield walls is predicted using the Cour-Palais penetration depth equation and an associated failure criterion [1]. The largest debris cloud fragment diameters and associated velocities are calculated using regression equations developed from a mix of hydrocode and experimental diameter and velocity information [2]. Finally, TPS penetration depths are calculated using an empirical penetration depth predictor equation based on high-speed impact test data and are calibrated using a limited number of hydrocode penetration depth predictions for water, nylon, aluminum, Dunite, and steel projectiles The predictions of the penetration depth calculation process are compared against the predictions of more than 60 SPHC hydrocode runs. These comparisons show that the process used to calculate TPS tile penetration depths usually yields values that are within 1 mm of the predictions of hydrocode simulations. If a maximum allowable TPS penetration depth is known, the process developed herein can now be used to develop a failure limit equation that would predict whether or not an impacting particle would penetrate deeply enough into the TPS to result in a “failed” or “not failed” end state. References [1] E.L. Christiansen, “Design and performance equations for advanced meteoroid and debris shields”, International Journal of Impact Engineering, Vol. 14, 1993, pp. 145-156. [2] W.P. Schonberg, “Predicting the size of the largest particle fragment in a debris cloud created by an orbital debris impact and its associated velocity”, 2021 Applied Space Environments Conference, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, November, 2021.

Meteroid↗
NASA NTRS1973

Study of an experimental technique for application to structural dynamic problems

An experimental program was conducted to determine the feasibility of using subscale plastic models to determine the response of full-scale aerospace structural components to impulsive, pyrotechnic loadings. A monocoque cylinder was impulsively loaded around the circumference of one end, causing a compressive stress wave to propagate in the axial direction. The resulting structural responses of two configurations of the cylinder (with and without a cutout) were recorded by photoelasticity, strain gages, and accelerometers. A maximum dynamic stress concentration was photoelastically determined and the accelerations calculated from strain-gage data were in good agreement with those recorded by accelerometers. It is concluded that reliable, quantitative structural response data can be obtained by the experimental techniques described in this report.

Snell, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Analysis of Ares Crew Launch Vehicle Transonic Alternating Flow Phenomenon

A transonic wind tunnel test of the Ares I-X Rigid Buffet Model (RBM) identified a Mach number regime where unusually large buffet loads are present. A subsequent investigation identified the cause of these loads to be an alternating flow phenomenon at the Crew Module-Service Module junction. The conical design of the Ares I-X Crew Module and the cylindrical design of the Service Module exposes the vehicle to unsteady pressure loads due to the sudden transition between a subsonic separated and a supersonic attached flow about the cone-cylinder junction as the local flow randomly fluctuates back and forth between the two flow states. These fluctuations produce a square-wave like pattern in the pressure time histories resulting in large amplitude, impulsive buffet loads. Subsequent testing of the Ares I RBM found much lower buffet loads since the evolved Ares I design includes an ogive fairing that covers the Crew Module-Service Module junction, thereby making the vehicle less susceptible to the onset of alternating flow. An analysis of the alternating flow separation and attachment phenomenon indicates that the phenomenon is most severe at low angles of attack and exacerbated by the presence of vehicle protuberances. A launch vehicle may experience either a single or, at most, a few impulsive loads since it is constantly accelerating during ascent rather than dwelling at constant flow conditions in a wind tunnel. A comparison of a windtunnel- test-data-derived impulsive load to flight-test-data-derived load indicates a significant over-prediction in the magnitude and duration of the buffet load. I. Introduction One

Sekula, Martin K.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Analysis of a Transonic Alternating Flow Phenomenon Observed During Ares Crew Launch Vehicle Wind Tunnel Tests

A transonic wind tunnel test of the Ares I-X Rigid Buffet Model (RBM) identified a Mach number regime where unusually large buffet loads are present. A subsequent investigation identified the cause of these loads to be an alternating flow phenomenon at the Crew Module-Service Module junction. The conical design of the Ares I-X Crew Module and the cylindrical design of the Service Module exposes the vehicle to unsteady pressure loads due to the sudden transition from separated to attached flow about the cone-cylinder junction with increasing Mach number. For locally transonic conditions at this junction, the flow randomly fluctuates back and forth between a subsonic separated flow and a supersonic attached flow. These fluctuations produce a square-wave like pattern in the pressure time histories which, upon integration result in large amplitude, impulsive buffet loads. Subsequent testing of the Ares I RBM found much lower buffet loads since the evolved Ares I design includes an ogive fairing that covers the Crew Module-Service Module junction, thereby making the vehicle less susceptible to the onset of alternating flow. An analysis of the alternating flow separation and attachment phenomenon indicates that the phenomenon is most severe at low angles of attack and exacerbated by the presence of vehicle protuberances. A launch vehicle may experience either a single or, at most, a few impulsive loads since it is constantly accelerating during ascent rather than dwelling at constant flow conditions in a wind tunnel. A comparison of a wind-tunnel-test-data-derived impulsive load to flight-test-data-derived load indicates a significant over-prediction in the magnitude and duration of the buffet load

Sekula, Martin K.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Finite-element nonlinear transient response computer programs PLATE 1 and CIVM-PLATE 1 for the analysis of panels subjected to impulse or impact loads

Two computer programs are described for predicting the transient large deflection elastic viscoplastic responses of thin single layer, initially flat unstiffened or integrally stiffened, Kirchhoff-Lov ductile metal panels. The PLATE 1 program pertains to structural responses produced by prescribed externally applied transient loading or prescribed initial velocity distributions. The collision imparted velocity method PLATE 1 program concerns structural responses produced by impact of an idealized nondeformable fragment. Finite elements are used to represent the structure in both programs. Strain hardening and strain rate effects of initially isotropic material are considered.

Spilker, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Dynamic blade loading in the ERDA/NASA 100 kW and 200 kW wind turbines

Dynamic blade loads, including aerodynamic, gravitational, and inertial effects, are presented for two large horizontal-axis wind turbines: the ERDA-NASA 100 kW Mod-0 and 200 kw Mod-0A wind power systems. Calculated and measured loads are compared for an experimental Mod-0 machine in operation. Predicted blade loads are also given for the higher power Mod-0A wind turbine now being assembled for operation as part of a municipal power plant. Two major structural modifications have been made to the Mod-0 wind turbine for the purpose of reducing blade loads. A stairway within the truss tower was removed to reduce the impulsive aerodynamic loading caused by the tower wake on the downwind rotor blades. Also, the torsional stiffness of the yaw drive mechanism connecting the turbine nacelle to the tower was doubled to reduce rotor-tower interaction loads. Measured reductions in load obtained by means of these two modifications equaled or exceeded predictions.

Spera, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Time-Varying Loads of Co-Axial Rotor Blade Crossings

The blade crossing event of a coaxial counter-rotating rotor is a potential source of noise and impulsive blade loads. Blade crossings occur many times during each rotor revolution. In previous research by the authors, this phenomenon was analyzed by simulating two airfoils passing each other at specified speeds and vertical separation distances, using the compressible Navier-Stokes solver OVERFLOW. The simulations explored mutual aerodynamic interactions associated with thickness, circulation, and compressibility effects. Results revealed the complex nature of the aerodynamic impulses generated by upperlower airfoil interactions. In this paper, the coaxial rotor system is simulated using two trains of airfoils, vertically offset, and traveling in opposite directions. The simulation represents multiple blade crossings in a rotor revolution by specifying horizontal distances between each airfoil in the train based on the circumferential distance between blade tips. The shed vorticity from prior crossing events will affect each pair of upperlower airfoils. The aerodynamic loads on the airfoil and flow field characteristics are computed before, at, and after each airfoil crossing. Results from the multiple-airfoil simulation show noticeable changes in the airfoil aerodynamics by introducing additional fluctuation in the aerodynamic time history.

Time-Varying Loads↗
NASA NTRS1992

Tilt rotor hover aeroacoustics

The methodology, results, and conclusions of a study of tilt rotor hover aeroacoustics and aerodynamics are presented. Flow visualization and hot wire velocity measurement were performed on a 1/12-scale model of the XV-15 Tilt Rotor Aircraft in hover. The wing and fuselage below the rotor cause a complex recirculating flow. Results indicate the physical dimensions and details of the flow including the relative unsteadiness and turbulence characteristics of the flow. Discrete frequency harmonic thickness and the loading noise mechanism were predicted using WOPWOP for the standard metal blades and the Advanced Technology Blades. The recirculating flow created by the wing below the rotor is a primary sound mechanism for a hovering tilt rotor. The effects of dynamic blade response should be included for fountain flow conditions which produce impulsive blade loading. Broadband noise mechanisms were studied using Amiet's method with azimuthally varying turbulence characteristics derived from the measurements. The recirculating fountain flow with high turbulence levels in the recirculating zone is the dominant source of broadband noise for a hovering rotor. It is shown that tilt rotor hover aeroacoustic noise mechanisms are now understood. Noise predictions can be made based on reasonably accurate aerodynamic models developed here.

Coffen, Charles David↗
NASA NTRS1998

Comprehensive Structural Dynamic Analysis of the SSME/AT Fuel Pump First-Stage Turbine Blade

A detailed structural dynamic analysis of the Pratt & Whitney high-pressure fuel pump first-stage turbine blades has been performed to identify the cause of the tip cracking found in the turbomachinery in November 1997. The analysis was also used to help evaluate potential fixes for the problem. Many of the methods available in structural dynamics were applied, including modal displacement and stress analysis, frequency and transient response to tip loading from the first-stage Blade Outer Gas Seals (BOGS), fourier analysis, and shock spectra analysis of the transient response. The primary findings were that the BOGS tip loading is impulsive in nature, thereby exciting many modes of the blade that exhibit high stress at the tip cracking location. Therefore, a proposed BOGS count change would not help the situation because a clearly identifiable resonance situation does not exist. The recommendations for the resolution of the problem are to maintain the existing BOGS count, eliminate the stress concentration in the blade due to its geometric design, and reduce the applied load on the blade by adding shiplaps in the BOGS.

Brown, A. M.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Analytic Ballistic Performance Model of Whipple Shields

The dual-wall Whipple shield is the shield of choice for lightweight, long-duration flight. The shield uses an initial sacrificial wall to initiate fragmentation and melt an impacting threat that expands over a void before hitting a subsequent shield wall of a critical component. The key parameters to this type of shield are the rear wall and its mass which stops the debris, as well as the minimum pressure generated under threat particle impact of the sacrificial wall and the amount of void that is available for expansion. Ensuring the minimum pressure is sufficiently high to achieve large scale fragmentation/melt of the threat particle enables the expansion of the threat and reduces the momentum flux of the debris on the rear wall. Three key factors in the minimum pressure achieved are the thickness of the sacrificial wall relative to the characteristic dimension of the impacting particle, the density and material cohesion contrast of the sacrificial wall relative to the threat particle and the impact speed. The mass of the rear wall and the sacrificial wall are desirable to minimize for launch costs and dynamic concerns making it important to have an understanding of the effects of density contrast and impact speed. In this paper a fourth key parameter is identified related to fragmentation, which corresponds to the ratio of the size of the projectile relative to the transition from brittle to ductile hole growth in the projectile. Ballistic limit equations have been developed to define the failure limits of a MMOD shield, generally in terms of projectile diameter (or mass), impact velocity, and angle. Within the range of impact velocities relevant for Earth-orbiting spacecraft, three distinct regions of penetration phenomenology have been identified for Whipple shields: center dot Low velocity: the projectile is eroded (and possibly deformed) during its passage through the bumper plate, but is not fragmented. Thus, perforation of the rear wall is by a fragment with a mass and speed equal to or less than the original impactor. center dot Intermediate (shatter) velocity: impact velocities are sufficient to induce projectile fragmentation upon impact with the bumper plate, resulting in a coarse debris cloud with large solid fragments. Increasing velocity within the shatter regime results in increased fragmentation, and eventually melting, of the projectile and bumper fragments, generating a finer and more evenly dispersed debris cloud. Failure of the rear wall is a complicated combination of modes observed at low- and hypervelocity. center dot Hypervelocity: the projectile and holed-out bumper material is completely, or nearly completely, melted and/or vaporized by the initial impact. The resultant debris cloud impacts over a dispersed area of the rear wall, loading it impulsively and inducing failure through rupture or petalling. While each of these regimes are well observed with extensive empirical methods to describe these regions, differences in impactor materials, configurations of shields and questions about the limitations of the attainable impact speeds have left questions that are difficult to answer from completely empirical methods.

Miller, J. E.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Modeling Shed Vorticity from Coaxial Blade Interactions

Coaxial counter-rotating rotors operate in a flowfield different from single rotors. Aerodynamic interactions such as blade crossing and shed vorticity result in potential sources of noise and impulsive blade loads. In previous research, the authors simulated two trains of airfoils traveling in opposite directions for specified speeds, airfoil thickness and vertical separation distances, using the compressible Navier-Stokes solver OVERFLOW. Previously, the effects of circulation, thickness, and compressibility were explored. This work continues the previous research by exploring downwash and shed vorticity effects. These phenomena are explored by simulating two trains of eight airfoils vertically separated traveling in opposite directions. The effects of downwash are simulated by introducing a vertical flow. Vorticity shed from the upper train of airfoils is shown to interact with the lower train, affecting the loading on the lower airfoils. Furthermore, viscid and inviscid calculations are performed to further understand the behavior of shed vorticity.

Natasha L Schatzman↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Auroral ovals versus flare ribbons: Optical footprints of explosive magnetic field reconfiguration in Earth’s magnetosphere and the Sun’s corona

Despite drastically different plasma conditions in the two systems, eruptive energy release events in solar active regions and in Earth’s magnetosphere have a lot in common. Both solar active region eruptions and the substorm activity in the nightside magnetosphere are known to be associated with an abrupt large-scale reorganization of the supporting magnetic systems enabling the conversion and dissipation of the stored free magnetic energy. The rate of energy accumulation in either system tends to be by orders of magnitude slower than the energy release rate, leading to the formation of an impulsive loading-unloading cycle involving a relatively long pre-reconnection phase (substorm growth phase, pre-flare stressing of an active region magnetic field), a short and explosive reconnection phase (substorm breakup and expansion, eruptive flares and CMEs), and a prolonged post-reconnection phase (substorm recovery phase and the post-flare active region reconfiguration). In Earth’s magnetosphere, this loading-unloading cycle is diagnosed by monitoring characteristic changes in the particle precipitation pattern in the northern and southern auroral ovals marking the boundary between the open and close magnetic flux. The position, shape, structure, and dynamics of the auroral borealis were shown to communicate critically important information about an upcoming substorm, the location and timing of the initial reconnection onset, and the subsequent return of the magnetosphere to a lower-energy state. On the Sun, a similar role is played by the chromospheric flare ribbons which enable a detailed diagnostics of the overlying reconnecting magnetic field. In this talk, we’ll discuss similarities and differences in using auroral and flare ribbon observations for monitoring eruptive energy release in respectively Earth’s magnetosphere and solar corona. Special emphasis will be placed on the quantitative interpretation of the two types of optical signatures for empirical diagnostics of the underlying reconnection activity and for constraining its theoretical models. We’ll also compare forecasting capabilities of the two types of optical signatures in the context of space weather prediction objectives.

V. M. Uritskiy↗
NASA NTRS2007

Zero-Gravity Locomotion Simulators: New Ground-Based Analogs for Microgravity Exercise Simulation

Maintaining health and fitness in crewmembers during space missions is essential for preserving performance for mission-critical tasks. NASA's Exercise Countermeasures Project (ECP) provides space exploration exercise hardware and monitoring requirements that lead to devices that are reliable, meet medical, vehicle, and habitat constraints, and use minimal vehicle and crew resources. ECP will also develop and validate efficient exercise prescriptions that minimize daily time needed for completion of exercise yet maximize performance for mission activities. In meeting these mission goals, NASA Glenn Research Center (Cleveland, OH, USA), in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, Ohio, USA), has developed a suite of zero-gravity locomotion simulators and associated technologies to address the need for ground-based test analog capability for simulating in-flight (microgravity) and surface (partial-gravity) exercise to advance the health and safety of astronaut crews and the next generation of space explorers. Various research areas can be explored. These include improving crew comfort during exercise, and understanding joint kinematics and muscle activation pattern differences relative to external loading mechanisms. In addition, exercise protocol and hardware optimization can be investigated, along with characterizing system dynamic response and the physiological demand associated with advanced exercise device concepts and performance of critical mission tasks for Exploration class missions. Three zero-gravity locomotion simulators are currently in use and the research focus for each will be presented. All of the devices are based on a supine subject suspension system, which simulates a reduced gravity environment by completely or partially offloading the weight of the exercising test subject s body. A platform for mounting treadmill is positioned perpendicularly to the test subject. The Cleveland Clinic Zero-g Locomotion Simulator (ZLS) utilizes a pneumatic subject load device to apply a near constant gravity-replacement load to the test subject during exercise, and is currently used in conjunction with the General Clinical Research Center for evaluating exercise protocols using a bedrest analog. The enhanced ZLS (eZLS) at NASA Glenn Research Center features an offloaded treadmill that floats on a thin film of air and interfaces to a force reaction frame via variably-compliant isolators, or vibration isolation system. The isolators can be configured to simulate compliant interfaces to the vehicle, which affects mechanical loading to crewmembers during exercise, and has been used to validate system dynamic models for new countermeasures equipment designs, such as the second International Space Station treadmill slated for use in 2010. In the eZLS, the test subject and exercise device can be pitched at the appropriate angle for partial gravity simulations, such as lunar gravity (1/6th earth gravity). On both the eZLS and the NASA-Johnson Space Center standalone ZLS installed at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, USA, the subject's body weight relative to the treadmill is controlled via a linear motor subject load device (LM-SLD). The LM-SLD employs a force-feedback closed-loop control system to provide a relatively constant force to the test subject during locomotion, and is set and verified for subject safety prior to each session. Locomotion data were collected during parabolic flight and on the eZLS. The purpose was to determine the similarities and differences between locomotion in actual and simulated microgravity. Subjects attained greater amounts of hip flexion during walking and running during parabolic flight. During running, subjects had greater hip range of motion. Trunk motion was significantly less on the eZLS than during parabolic flight. Peak impact forces, loading rate, and impulse were greater on the eZLS than during parabolic while walking with a low external load (EL) and rning with a high EL. Activation timing differences existed between locations in all muscles except for the rectus femoris. The tibialis anterior and gluteus maximus were active for longer durations on the eZLS than in parabolic flight during walking. Ground reaction forces were greater with the LM-SLD than with bungees during eZLS locomotion. While the eZLS serves as a ground-based analog, researchers should be aware that subtle, but measurable, differences in kinematics and leg musculature activities exist between the environments. Aside from space applications, zero-gravity locomotion simulators may help medical researchers in the future with development of rehabilitative or therapeutic protocols for injured or ill patients. Zero-gravity locomotion simulators may be used as a ground-based test bed to support future missions for space exploration, and eventually may be used to simulate planetary locomotion in partial gravity environments, including the Moon and Mars. Figure: Zero-gravity Locomotion Simulator at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Perusek, Gail P.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Multi-disciplinary optimization of aeroservoelastic systems

The purpose of the research project was to continue the development of new methods for efficient aeroservoelastic analysis and optimization. The main targets were as follows: to complete the development of analytical tools for the investigation of flutter with large stiffness changes; to continue the work on efficient continuous gust response and sensitivity derivatives; and to advance the techniques of calculating dynamic loads with control and unsteady aerodynamic effects. An efficient and highly accurate mathematical model for time-domain analysis of flutter during which large structural changes occur was developed in cooperation with Carol D. Wieseman of NASA LaRC. The model was based on the second-year work 'Modal Coordinates for Aeroelastic Analysis with Large Local Structural Variations'. The work on continuous gust response was completed. An abstract of the paper 'Continuous Gust Response and Sensitivity Derivatives Using State-Space Models' was submitted for presentation in the 33rd Israel Annual Conference on Aviation and Astronautics, Feb. 1993. The abstract is given in Appendix A. The work extends the optimization model to deal with continuous gust objectives in a way that facilitates their inclusion in the efficient multi-disciplinary optimization scheme. Currently under development is a work designed to extend the analysis and optimization capabilities to loads and stress considerations. The work is on aircraft dynamic loads in response to impulsive and non-impulsive excitation. The work extends the formulations of the mode-displacement and summation-of-forces methods to include modes with significant local distortions, and load modes. An abstract of the paper,'Structural Dynamic Loads in Response to Impulsive Excitation' is given in appendix B. Another work performed this year under the Grant was 'Size-Reduction Techniques for the Determination of Efficient Aeroservoelastic Models' given in Appendix C.

Karpel, Mardechay↗
NASA NTRS1987

Dynamical response to pulse excitations in large space structures

Finite dimensional approximations of large space structures as distributed parameter systems may lead to a loss of contribution of high frequencies to the dynamic response in case of impulsive or concentrated loads. It is shown that the unmodeled part of this response can be represented by a system of thin pulses which propagate as characteristic waves. It is demonstrated that the dynamical response to such a system of pulses can be modeled by a system of equations with delay argument. Fundamental dynamical properties of this system such as Liapunov stability, structural stability, loss of periodicity and transition to ergodicity are analyzed in this study. The results are illustrated by examples.

Zak, Michail↗
NASA NTRS1990

Vibrational Responses Of Structures To Impulses

Report discusses propagation of vibrations in structure in response to impulsive and/or concentrated loads. Effects of pulsed loads treated by analyzing propagation of characteristic vibrational waves explicitly through each member of structure. This wave-front analysis used in combination with usual finite-element modal analysis to obtain more accurate representation of overall vibrational behavior.

Zak, Michail A.↗
NASA NTRS2004

External Load Affects Ground Reaction Force Parameters Non-uniformly during Running in Weightlessness

Long-term exposure to microgravity induces detrimefits to the musculcskdetal system (Schneider et al., 1995; LeBlanc et al., 2000). Treadmill exercise is used onboard the International Space Station as an exercise countermeasure to musculoskeletal deconditioning due to spaceflight. During locomotive exercise in weightlessness (0G), crewmembers wear a harness attached to an external loading mechanism (EL). The EL pulls the crewmember toward the treadmill, and provides resistive load during the impact and propulsive phases of gait. The resulting forces may be important in stimulating bone maintenance (Turner, 1998). The EL can be applied via a bungee and carabineer clip configuration attached to the harness and can be manipulated to create varying amounts of load levels during exercise. Ground-based research performed using a vertically mounted treadmill found that peak ground reaction forces (GRF) during running at an EL of less than one body weight (BW) are less than those that occur during running in normal gravity (1G) (Davis et al., 1996). However, it is not known how the GRF are affected by the EL in a true OG environment. Locomotion while suspended may result in biomechanics that differ from free running. The purpose of this investigation was to determine how EL affects peak impact force, peak propulsive force, loading rate, and impulse of the GRF during running in 0G. It was hypothesized that increasing EL would result in increases in each GRF parameter.

DeWitt, John↗