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At least 73 records · Page 4

Control of Cavity Resonance Using Steady and Oscillatory Blowing

An experimental study to investigate the effect of steady and oscillatory (with zero net mass flux) blowing on cavity resonance is undertaken. The objective is to study the basic mechanisms of the control of cavity resonance. An actuator is designed and calibrated to generate either steady blowing or oscillatory blowing with A zero net mass flux. The results of the experiment show that both steady and oscillatory blowing are effective, and reduce the amplitude of the dominant resonant mode by 1OdB. The oscillatory blowing is however found to be more superior in that the same effectiveness could be accomplished with a momentum coefficient an order of magnitude smaller than for steady blowing. The experiment also confirms the results of previous computations that suggest the forcing frequency for oscillatory blowing must not be at harmonic frequencies of the cavity resonant modes.

Lamp, Alison M.↗

Fundamental Processes of Atomization in Fluid-Fluid Flows

This report outlines the major results of the grant "Fundamental Processes of Atomization in Fluid-Fluid Flows." These include: 1) the demonstration that atomization in liquid/liquid shear flow is driven by a viscous shear instability that triggers the formation of a long thin sheet; 2) discovery of a new mode of interfacial instability for oscillatory two-layer systems whereby a mode that originates within the less viscous liquid phase causes interfacial deformation as the oscillation proceeds; 3) the demonstration that rivulet formation from gravity front occurs because the local front shape specified by gravity and surface tension changes from a nose to a wedge geometry, thus triggering a large increase in viscous resistance; and 4) extension of the studies on nonlinear wave evolution on falling films and in stratified flow, particularly the evolution towards large-amplitude solitary waves that tend to generate drops.

McCready, M. J.↗

Modal Analysis of the Orion Capsule Two Parachute System

As discussed in Ref [1], it is apparent from flight tests that the system made up of two main parachutes and a capsule can undergo several distinct dynamical behaviors. The most significant and problematic of these is the pendulum mode in which the system develops a pronounced swinging motion with an amplitude of up to 24 deg. Large excursions away from vertical by the capsule could cause it to strike the ground at a large horizontal or vertical speed and jeopardize the safety of the astronauts during a crewed mission. In reference [1], Ali et al. summarized a series of efforts taken by the Capsule Parachute Assembly System (CPAS) Program to understand and mitigate the pendulum issue. The period of oscillation and location of the system's pivot point are determined from post-flight analysis. Other noticeable but benign modes include: 1) flyout (scissors) mode, where the parachutes move back and forth symmetrically with respect to the vertical axis similar to the motion of a pair of scissors; 2) maypole mode, where the two parachutes circle around the vertical axis at a nearly constant radius and period; and 3) breathing mode, in which deformation of the non-rigid canopies affects the axial acceleration of the system in an oscillatory manner. Because these modes are relatively harm- less, little effort has been devoted to analyzing them in comparison with the pendulum motion. Motions of the actual system made up of two parachutes and a capsule are extremely complicated due to nonlinearities and flexibility effects. Often it is difficult to obtain insight into the fundamental dynamics of the system by examining results from a multi-body simulation based on nonlinear equations of motion (EOMs). As a part of this study, the dynamics of each mode observed during flight is derived from first principles on an individual basis by making numerous simplifications along the way. The intent is to gain a better understanding into the behavior of the complex multi-body system by studying the reduced set of differential equations associated with each mode. This approach is analogous to the traditional modal analysis technique used to study airplane flight dynamics, in which the full nonlinear behavior of the airframe is decomposed into the phugoid and short period modes for the longitudinal dynamics and the spiral, roll-subsidence, and dutch-roll modes for the lateral dynamics. It is important to note that the study does not address the mechanisms that cause the system to transition from one mode to another, nor does it discuss motions during which two or more modes occur simultaneously.

Pei, J.↗

Properties of r-modes in the sun

Global oscillations of the sun (r-modes) with very long periods of about 1 month are reviewed and studied. Such modes would be trapped in an acoustic cavity formed either by most of the convective envelope or by most of the radiative interior. A turning point frequency giving cavity boundaries is defined and the run of eigenvalues for angular harmonics l less than or equal to 3 are plotted for a conventional solar convection zone. The r-modes show equipartition of oscillatory energy among shells which each contain one antinode in the radial dimension. Toroidal motion is dominant to at least the 14th radial harmonic mode. Viscosity from convective turbulence is strong and would damp any mode in just a few solar rotations if it were the only significant nonadiabatic effect. 'Radial fine splitting' which lifts the degeneracy in n is very small (20 nHz or less) for all n less than or equal to 14 trapped in the envelope. But if splitting could be detected, there would be a valuable new constraint on solar convection theories.

Wolff, C. L.↗

A numerical study of the stability of radiative shocks

Attention is given to the oscillatory instability of optically thin radiative shocks in time-dependent numerical calculations of accretion flows onto degenerate dwarfs. The present nonlinear calculations yield good quantitative agreement with the linear results obtained for oscillation frequencies, damping rates, and critical alpha-values. The fundamental mode and the first overtone in the shock radius and luminosity variations can be clearly identified, and evidence is sometimes seen for the second overtone. Time-dependent calculations are also performed which include additional physics relevant to degenerate dwarf accretion, such as electron thermal conduction, unequal electron and ion temperatures, Compton cooling, and relativistic corrections to the bremsstrahlung cooling law. All oscillatory modes are found to be damped, and hence stable, in the case of a 1-solar mass white dwarf accreting in spherical symmetry.

Imamura, J. N.↗

Quantification of Inlet Impedance Concept and a Study of the Rayleigh Formula for Noise Radiation from Ducted Fan Engines

This paper addresses two aspects of duct propagation and radiation which can contribute to more efficient fan noise predictions. First, we assess the effectiveness of Rayleigh's formula as a ducted fan noise prediction tool. This classical result which predicts the sound produced by a piston in a flanged duct is expanded to include the uniform axial inflow case. Radiation patterns using Rayleigh's formula with single radial mode input are compared to those obtained from the more precise ducted fan noise prediction code TBIEM3D. Agreement between the two methods is excellent in the peak noise regions both forward and aft. Next, we use TBIEM3D to calculate generalized radiation impedances and power transmission coefficients. These quantities are computed for a wide range of operating parameters. Results were obtained for higher Mach numbers, frequencies, and circumferential mode orders than have been previously published. Viewed as functions of frequency, calculated trends in lower order inlet impedances and power transmission coefficients are in agreement with known results. The relationships are more oscillatory for higher order modes and higher Mach numbers.

Posey, Joe W.↗

Generation of dynamo magnetic fields in protoplanetary and other astrophysical accretion disks

A computational method for treating the generation of dynamo magnetic fields in astrophysical disks is presented. The numerical difficulty of handling the boundary condition at infinity in the cylindrical disk geometry is overcome by embedding the disk in a spherical computational space and matching the solutions to analytically tractable spherical functions in the surrounding space. The lowest lying dynamo normal modes for a 'thick' astrophysical disk are calculated. The generated modes found are all oscillatory and spatially localized. Tha potential implications of the results for the properties of dynamo magnetic fields in real astrophysical disks are discussed.

Stepinski, T. F.↗

Separation of crack extension modes in composite delamination problems

This work concerns fracture mechanics modeling of composite delamination problems. In order to predict delamination resistance, an applied stress intensity factor, K, or energy release rate, G, must be compared to a mode-dependent critical value of K or G from experiment. In the interfacial fracture analysis of most applications and some tests, the mode of crack extension is not uniquely defined. It is instead a function of distance from the crack tip due to the oscillating singularity existing at the tip. In this work, a consistent method is presented of extracting crack extension modes in such cases. In particular, use of the virtual crack closure technique (VCCT) to extract modes of crack extension is studied for cases of a crack along the interface between two in-plane orthotropic materials. Modes of crack extension extracted from oscillatory analyses using VCCT are a function of the virtual crack extension length, delta. Most existing efforts to obtain delta-independent modes of crack extension involve changing the analysis in order to eliminate its oscillatory nature. One such method involves changing one or more properties of the layers to make the oscillatory exponent parameter, epsilon, equal zero. Standardized application of this method would require consistent criteria for identifying which properties can be altered without changing the physical aspects of the problem. Another method involves inserting a thin homogeneous layer (typically referred to as a resin interlayer) along the interface and placing the crack within it. The drawbacks of this method are that it requires increased modeling effort and introduces the thickness of the interlayer as an additional length parameter. The approach presented here does not attempt to alter the interfacial fracture analysis to eliminate its oscillatory behavior. Instead, the argument is made that the oscillatory behavior is non-physical and that if its effects were separated from VCCT quantities, then consistent, delta-independent modes of crack extension could be defined. Knowledge of the near-tip fields in a planar orthotropic material interfacial fracture analysis is used to determine the explicit delta dependence of VCCT parameters. Once this delta dependence is determined, energy release rates are defined with this delta dependence factored out. This modified VCCT method is applied to results from two finite element test cases. It is shown that, as predicted, delta-independent modes of crack extension result. The modified VCCT approach shows potential as a consistent method of extracting crack extension modes. It uses the same information from a finite element analysis (i.e., nodal forces and displacements) as the traditional VCCT method does. The A-independent modes extracted using the modified VCCT approach can also be used as guides to test the convergence of finite element solutions.

Beuth, Jack L.↗

Morphological instability in rapid directional solidification

Mullins and Sekerka (1964) showed for fixed temperature gradient that the planar interface is linearly stable for all pulling speeds V above some critical value, the absolute stability limit. Near this limit, where solidification rates are rapid, the assumption of local equilibrium at the interface may be violated. Here, nonequilibrium effects are incorporated into a linear stability analysis of the planar front by allowing the segregation coefficient and interface temperature to depend on V in a thermodynamically consistent way. The absolute stability limit of the cellular mode is modified. A new oscillatory state is formed which, in the absence of latent heat, has a critical wavenumber of zero; by itself this instability would lead to the formation of solute bands in the solid. This mode has its own absolute-stability limit determined by solute trapping and kinetics. Under certain conditions, there exists a window of stability above the steady absolute-stability boundary and below the oscillatory-stability boundary; here the planar segregation-free state is restabilized.

Merchant, G. J.↗

A numerical study of wave propagation in a confined mixing layer by eigenfunction expansions

It is well known that the growth rate of instability waves of a two-dimensional free shear layer is reduced greatly at supersonic convective Mach numbers. In previous works, it has been shown that new wave modes exist when the shear layers are bounded by a channel due to the coupling effect between the acoustic wave modes and the motion of the mixing layer. The present work studies the simultaneous propagation of multiple stability waves using numerical simulation. It is shown here that the coexistence of two wave modes in the flow field can lead to an oscillatory growth of disturbance energy with each individual wave mode propagating linearly. This is particularly important when the growth rates of the unstable waves are small. It is also shown here that the propagation of two neutrally stable wave modes can lead to a stationary periodic structure of rms fluctuations. In the numerical simulations presented here the forced wave modes are propagating at same frequency, but with different phase velocities. In order to track the growth of each wave mode as it propagates downstream, a numerical method that can effectively detect and separate the contribution of the individual wave is given. It is demonstrated that by a least square fitting of the disturbance field with eigenfunctions the amplitude of each wave mode can be found. Satisfactory results as compared to linear theory are obtained.

Hu, Fang Q.↗

Binary Oscillatory Crossflow Electrophoresis

Electrophoresis has long been recognized as an effective analytic technique for the separation of proteins and other charged species, however attempts at scaling up to accommodate commercial volumes have met with limited success. In this report we describe a novel electrophoretic separation technique - Binary Oscillatory Crossflow Electrophoresis (BOCE). Numerical simulations indicate that the technique has the potential for preparative scale throughputs with high resolution, while simultaneously avoiding many problems common to conventional electrophoresis. The technique utilizes the interaction of an oscillatory electric field and a transverse oscillatory shear flow to create an active binary filter for the separation of charged protein species. An oscillatory electric field is applied across the narrow gap of a rectangular channel inducing a periodic motion of charged protein species. The amplitude of this motion depends on the dimensionless electrophoretic mobility, alpha = E(sub o)mu/(omega)d, where E(sub o) is the amplitude of the electric field oscillations, mu is the dimensional mobility, omega is the angular frequency of oscillation and d is the channel gap width. An oscillatory shear flow is induced along the length of the channel resulting in the separation of species with different mobilities. We present a model that predicts the oscillatory behavior of charged species and allows estimation of both the magnitude of the induced convective velocity and the effective diffusivity as a function of a in infinitely long channels. Numerical results indicate that in addition to the mobility dependence, the steady state behavior of solute species may be strongly affected by oscillating fluid into and out of the active electric field region at the ends of the cell. The effect is most pronounced using time dependent shear flows of the same frequency (cos((omega)t)) flow mode) as the electric field oscillations. Under such conditions, experiments indicate that solute is drawn into the cell from reservoirs at both ends of the cell leading to a large mass build up. As a consequence, any initially induced mass flux will vanish after short times. This effect was not captured by the infinite channel model and hence numerical and experimental results deviated significantly. The revised model including finite cell lengths and reservoir volumes allowed quantitative predictions of the time history of the concentration profile throughout the system. This latter model accurately describes the fluxes observed for both oscillatory flow modes in experiments using single protein species. Based on the results obtained from research funded under NASA grant NAG-8-1080.S, we conclude that binary separations are not possible using purely oscillatory flow modes because of end effects associated with the cos((omega)t) mode. Our research shows, however, that a combination of cos(2(omega)t) and steady flow should lead to efficient separation free of end effects. This possibility is currently under investigation.

Molloy, Richard F.↗

Separation of crack extension modes in orthotropic delamination models

In the analysis of an interface crack between dissimilar elastic materials, the mode of crack extension is typically not unique, due to oscillatory behavior of near-tip stresses and displacements. This behavior currently limits the applicability of interfacial fracture mechanics as a means to predict composite delamination. The Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) is a method used to extract mode 1 and mode 2 energy release rates from numerical fracture solutions. The mode of crack extension extracted from an oscillatory solution using the VCCT is not unique due to the dependence of mode on the virtual crack extension length, Delta. In this work, a method is presented for using the VCCT to extract Delta-independent crack extension modes for the case of an interface crack between two in-plane orthotropic materials. The method does not involve altering the analysis to eliminate its oscillatory behavior. Instead, it is argued that physically reasonable, Delta-independent modes of crack extension can be extracted from oscillatory solutions. Knowledge of near-tip fields is used to determine the explicit Delta dependence of energy release rate parameters. Energy release rates are then defined that are separated from the oscillatory dependence on Delta. A modified VCCT using these energy release rate definitions is applied to results from finite element analyses, showing that Delta-independent modes of crack extension result. The modified technique has potential as a consistent method for extracting crack extension modes from numerical solutions. The Delta-independent modes extracted using this technique can also serve as guides for testing the convergence of finite element models. Direct applications of this work include the analysis of planar composite delamination problems, where plies or debonded laminates are modeled as in-plane orthotropic materials.

Beuth, Jack L.↗

The effect of gravity modulation on thermosolutal convection in an infinite layer of fluid

The effect of time-periodic vertical gravity modulation on the onset of thermosolutal convection in an infinite horizontal layer with stress-free boundaries is investigated using Floquet theory for the linear stability analysis. Situations for which the fluid layer is stably stratified in either the fingering or diffusive regimes of double-diffusive convection are considered. Results are presented both with and without steady background acceleration. Modulation may stabilize an unstable base solution or destabilize a stable base solution. In addition to synchronous and subharmonic response to the modulation frequency, instability in the double diffusive system can occur via a complex conjugate mode. In the diffusive regime, where oscillatory onset occurs in the unmodulated system, regions of resonant instability occur and exhibit strong coupling with the unmodulated oscillatory frequency. The response to modulation of the fundamental instability of the unmodulated system is described both analytically and numerically; in the double-diffusive system this mode persists under subcritical conditions as a high-frequency lobe.

Saunders, B. V.↗

Comments on the dissipation of hydromagnetic surface waves

A recent paper by Wentzel, which claims to calculate a plasma heating rate due to dissipation of surface waves in an ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) fluid, is found to be in error in interpretation. A well-established general theorem pertaining to the conservative ideal MHD fluid requires that the normal mode calculated by Wentzel be oscillatory in time. Within ideal MHD, dissipation and plasma heating are therefore impossible.

Lee, M. A.↗

Developmental testing resulting in a simplified liquid oxygen check valve for the Space Shuttle Main Propulsion System

The coil spring in a Space Shuttle liquid oxygen check valve failed due to cyclic fatigue in September, 1991. The dual-flapper, swing check valve is used to prevent reverse flow to the Space Shuttle Main Engines. Upon inspection of the failed component, the spring tangs were found to be missing and heavy wear was observed on the inner diameter of the spring coils. The fracture surfaces revealed that the metal had been steadily worn away until a simple overload caused the final fracture. A series of flow tests using water and a water/gas mixture was conducted to identify the flow phenomenon which produced the cyclic wear. A Plexiglas outlet housing was utilized to view the flapper behavior under different flow conditions and to aid in high speed photography. The tests revealed that flow instabilities induced two oscillatory flapper responses: a rocking mode and a chattering mode. Initially, attempts were made to reduce the spring-flapper oscillations. However, the final solution to the problem was a springless configuration which satisfied the valve's design requirements and eliminated the oscillations. The springless design relied on the inherent ability of the reverse flow momentum to close the flappers.

Aber, Gregory S.↗

Control of Cavity Resonance Using Oscillatory Blowing

The near-zero net mass oscillatory blowing control of a subsonic cavity flow has been experimentally investigated. An actuator was designed and fabricated to provide both steady and oscillatory blowing over a range of blowing amplitudes and forcing frequencies. The blowing was applied just upstream of the cavity front Wall through interchangeable plate configurations These configurations enabled the effects of hole size, hole shape, and blowing angle to be examined. A significant finding is that in terms of the blowing amplitude, the near zero net mass oscillatory blowing is much more effective than steady blowing; momentum coefficients Lip two orders of magnitude smaller than those required for steady blowing are sufficient to accomplish the same control of cavity resonance. The detailed measurements obtained in the experiment include fluctuating pressure data within the cavity wall, and hot-wire measurements of the cavity shear layer. Spectral and wavelet analysis techniques are applied to understand the dynamics and mechanisms of the cavity flow with control. The oscillatory blowing, is effective in enhancing the mixing in the cavity shear layer and thus modifying the feedback loop associated with the cavity resonance. The nonlinear interactions in the cavity flow are no longer driven by the resonant cavity modes but by the forcing associated with the oscillatory blowing. The oscillatory blowing does not suppress the mode switching behavior of the cavity flow, but the amplitude modulation is reduced.

Scarfe, Alison Lamp↗

Surface Instability of Liquid Propellant under Vertical Oscillatory Forcing

Fluid motion in a fuel tank produced during thrust oscillations can circulate sub-cooled hydrogen near the liquid-vapor interface resulting in increased condensation and ullage pressure collapse. The first objective of this study is to validate the capabilities of a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool, CFD-ACE+, in modeling the fundamental interface transition physics occurring at the propellant surface. The second objective is to use the tool to assess the effects of thrust oscillations on surface dynamics. Our technical approach is to first verify the CFD code against known theoretical solutions, and then validate against existing experiments for small scale tanks and a range of transition regimes. A 2D axisymmetric, multi-phase model of gases, liquids, and solids is used to verify that CFD-ACE+ is capable of modeling fluid-structure interaction and system resonance in a typical thrust oscillation environment. Then, the 3D mode is studied with an assumed oscillatory body force to simulate the thrust oscillating effect. The study showed that CFD modeling can capture all of the transition physics from solid body motion to standing surface wave and to droplet ejection from liquid-gas interface. Unlike the analytical solutions established during the 1960 s, CFD modeling is not limited to the small amplitude regime. It can extend solutions to the nonlinear regime to determine the amplitude of surface waves after the onset of instability. The present simulation also demonstrated consistent trends from numerical experiments through variation of physical properties from low viscous fluid to high viscous fluids, and through variation of geometry and input forcing functions. A comparison of surface wave patterns under various forcing frequencies and amplitudes showed good agreement with experimental observations. It is concluded that thrust oscillations can cause droplet formation at the interface, which results in increased surface area and enhanced heat transfer between the liquid and gas phases as the ejected droplets travel well into the warmer gas region.

Yang, H. Q.↗

Introduction of the M-85 high-speed rotorcraft concept

As a result of studying possible requirements for high-speed rotorcraft and studying many high-speed concepts, a new high-speed rotorcraft concept, designated as M-85, was derived. The M-85 is a helicopter that is reconfigured to a fixed-wing aircraft for high-speed cruise. The concept was derived as an approach to enable smooth, stable conversion between fixed-wing and rotary-wing while retaining hover and low-speed flight characteristics of a low disk loading helicopter. The name, M-85, reflects the high-speed goals of 0.85 Mach number at high altitude. For a high-speed rotorcraft, it is expected that a viable concept must be a cruise-efficient, fixed-wing aircraft so it may be attractive for a multiplicity of missions. It is also expected that a viable high-speed rotorcraft concept must be cruise efficient first and secondly, efficient in hover. What makes the M-85 unique is the large circular hub fairing that is large enough to support the aircraft during conversion between rotary-wind and fixed-wing modes. With the aircraft supported by this hub fairing, the rotor blades can be unloaded during the 100 percent change in rotor rpm. With the blades unloaded, the potential for vibratory loads would be lessened. In cruise, the large circular hub fairing would be part of the lifting system with additional lifting panels deployed for better cruise efficiency. In hover, the circular hub fairing would slightly reduce lift potential and/or decrease hover efficiency of the rotor system. The M-85 concept is described and estimated forward flight performance characteristics are presented in terms of thrust requirements and L/D with airspeed. The forward flight performance characteristics reflect recent completed wind tunnel tests of the wing concept. Also presented is a control system technique that is critical to achieving low oscillatory loads in rotary-wing mode. Hover characteristics, C(sub p) versus C(sub T) from test data, is discussed. Other techniques pertinent to the M-85 concept such as passively controlling inplane vibration during starting and stopping of the rotor system, aircraft control system, and rotor drive technologies are discussed.

Stroub, Robert H.↗