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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

Radiation exchange for a system with partially transmitting wall

An approach is presented for applying the net radiation method developed by Siegel and Howell (1972) and Sparrow and Cess (1966) to systems involving opaque and partially transmitting walls. The results obtained from the basic equations for various values of plate emissivities and temperatures are presented in graphs. Attention is given to the window temperature relative to the temperature of the hot wall and the heat transferred relative to that transferred without the window.

Hussain, N. A.↗

Combined radiation, convection, and conduction for a system with a partially transmitting wall

The net radiation method is developed for systems having both opaque and partially transparent walls. Heat convection is present at the surfaces and heat conduction through the windows is taken into account. Specific equations are derived for a window between two parallel plates, where one plate is at an elevated temperature typical of what would be encountered in an electric furnace, and the other plate is being cooled. A two-band model is used with cutoff wavelengths typical of glass or quartz. Numerical results are obtained for the window temperature and the heat flow through the window. The effect on these quantities of various plate temperatures and emissivities is shown.

Siegel, R.↗

Improvements to Wall Corrections at the NASA Langley 14 x 22-Ft Subsonic Tunnel

The new wall pressure measurement system and the TWICS wall correction system for the 14x22-Ft subsonic tunnel are described. Results from a recent semispan test and a full-span test are presented. Comparison with existing classical methods of correction is shown. A modification of the TWICS code to treat the effect due to a deflected wake from a high-lift wing is also discussed. The current implementation of TWICS for the 14x22-Ft tunnel is shown to be an improvement over existing methods.

Iyer, Venkit↗

Fabrication and Characterization of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube (MWCNT) and Ni-Coated Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube (Ni-MWCNT) Repair Patches for Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composite Systems

Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/epoxy and nickel-coated multi-walled carbon nanotube (Ni-MWCNT)/epoxy systems were fabricated into carbon fiber composite repair patches via vacuum resin infusion. Two 4 ply patches were manufactured with fiber orientations of [90/ 90/ 4590] and [0/90/ +45/ -45]. Prior to resin infusion, the MWCNT/Epoxy system and NiMWCNT/ epoxy systems were optimized for dispersion quality. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy (OM) were used to determine the presence ofcarbon nanotubes and assess dispersion quality. Decomposition temperatures were determined via thermogravametric analysis (TGA). SEM and TGA were also used to evaluate the composite repair patches.

Johnson, Brienne↗

High speed, low cost, LEO-thermal-cycling facility

The design and operations of a low cost, high rate thermal cycling facility designed for LEO conditions is described. Thermal cycling facilities were constructed with various design criteria. Some were designed to duplicate as closely as possible the conditions a cell or module would encounter while in orbit about the Earth. A typical facility to perform this type of cycling was a large vacuum system with liquid nitrogen cooled walls. The cells were heated by an AMO spectrum solar simulator, then a shutter was closed allowing the cells to give up their heat to the cold walls. This system was good at duplicating the orbital conditions but was slow and very costly to operate. Other systems used a gas atmosphere and heated the cells with radiant heat and cooled the cells by moving them into close proximity to a cold plate. The systems greatly increased the cycle times. Other systems moved the heating and cooling atmosphere into and out of the test areas and achieved reasonable cycle rates. All these systems, however, are expensive to operate.

Hart, R. E., Jr.↗

A wall interference assessment/correction interface measurement system for the NASA/ARC 12-ft PWT

Development of complex air vehicle configurations is placing increasing demands on wind tunnel testing capabilities. A major area of concern is wall induced interference. Recent developments in wall interference technology provide a means for assessing and correcting for the wall induced interference using information contained in the distribution of flow variables measured at, or near, the wall. The restoration of the NASA-ARC 12-ft pressure wind tunnel (PWT) provides an opportunity to incorporate a measurement system with which wall interference assessment/correction (WIAC) technology can be applied. In this first phase of the development of a WIAC system for the PWT, the design criteria for the placement and the geometry of wall static pressure orifices were determined with a three step approach. First, the operational environment of the PWT was analyzed as to the requirements for the WIAC system. Second, appropriate wall interference theories were evaluated against the requirements determined from the operational environment. Third, the flow about representative models in the PWT was calculated and, specifically, the pressure signatures at the location of the test section wall were obtained. The number of discrete pressure measurements and their locations were determined by curve fitting the pressure distribution through the discrete measurements and evaluating the resulting error.

Source record↗

Molded Concrete Center Mine Wall

Proposed semiautomatic system forms concrete-foam wall along middle of coal-mine passage. Wall helps support roof and divides passage into two conduits needed for ventilation of coal face. Mobile mold and concrete-foam generator form sections of wall in place.

Lewis, E. V.↗

Space Launch System Implementation of Adaptive Augmenting Control

Given the complex structural dynamics, challenging ascent performance requirements, and rigorous flight certification constraints owing to its manned capability, the NASA Space Launch System (SLS) launch vehicle requires a proven thrust vector control algorithm design with highly optimized parameters to provide stable and high-performance flight. On its development path to Preliminary Design Review (PDR), the SLS flight control system has been challenged by significant vehicle flexibility, aerodynamics, and sloshing propellant. While the design has been able to meet all robust stability criteria, it has done so with little excess margin. Through significant development work, an Adaptive Augmenting Control (AAC) algorithm has been shown to extend the envelope of failures and flight anomalies the SLS control system can accommodate while maintaining a direct link to flight control stability criteria such as classical gain and phase margin. In this paper, the work performed to mature the AAC algorithm as a baseline component of the SLS flight control system is presented. The progress to date has brought the algorithm design to the PDR level of maturity. The algorithm has been extended to augment the full SLS digital 3-axis autopilot, including existing load-relief elements, and the necessary steps for integration with the production flight software prototype have been implemented. Several updates which have been made to the adaptive algorithm to increase its performance, decrease its sensitivity to expected external commands, and safeguard against limitations in the digital implementation are discussed with illustrating results. Monte Carlo simulations and selected stressing case results are also shown to demonstrate the algorithm's ability to increase the robustness of the integrated SLS flight control system.

Wall, John H.↗

In-Flight Suppression of a Destabilized F/A-18 Structural Mode Using the Space Launch System Adaptive Augmenting Control System

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) Flight Control System (FCS) includes an Adaptive Augmenting Control (AAC) component which employs a multiplicative gain update law to enhance the performance and robustness of the baseline control system for extreme off nominal scenarios. The SLS FCS algorithm including AAC has been flight tested utilizing a specially outfitted F/A-18 fighter jet in which the pitch axis control of the aircraft was performed by a Non-linear Dynamic Inversion (NDI) controller, SLS reference models, and the SLS flight software prototype. This paper describes test cases from the research flight campaign in which the fundamental F/A-18 airframe structural mode was identified using frequency-domain reconstruction of flight data, amplified to result in closed loop instability, and suppressed in-flight by the SLS adaptive control system.

Wall, John H.↗

Characterization of the Test Section Walls at the 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel

The test section walls of the NASA Langley Research Center 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel are known to move under thermal and pressure loads. Videogrammetry was used to measure wall motion during the summer of 2002. In addition, a laser distancemeter was used to measure the relative distance between the test section walls at a single point. Distancemeter and videogrammetry results were consistent. Data were analyzed as a function of temperature and pressure to determine their effects on wall motion. Data were collected between 50 and 100 F, 0 and 0.315 Mach, and dynamic pressures of 0 and 120 psf. The overall motion of each wall was found to be less than 0.25 in. and less than facility personnel anticipated. The results show how motion depends on the temperature and pressure inside the test section as well is the position of the boundary layer vane. The repeatability of the measurements was +/-0.06 in. This report describes the methods used to record the motion of the test section walls and the results of the data analysis. Future facility plans include the development of a suitable wall restraint system and the determination of the effects of the wall motion on tunnel calibration.

Lunsford, Charles B.↗

Change in the coil distribution of electrodynamic suspension system

At the Miyazaki Maglev Test Center, the initial test runs were completed using a system design that required the superconducting coils to be parallel with the ground levitation coils. Recently, the coil distribution was changed to a system such that the two types of coils were perpendicular to each other. Further system changes will lead to the construction of a side wall levitation system. It is hoped that the development will culminate in a system whereby a superconducting coil will maintain all the functions: levitation, propulsion, and guidance.

Tanaka, Hisashi↗

Changes in gravity inhibit lymphocyte locomotion through type I collagen

Immunity relies on the circulation of lymphocytes through many different tissues including blood vessels, lymphatic channels, and lymphoid organs. The ability of lymphocytes to traverse the interstitium in both nonlymphoid and lymphoid tissues can be determined in vitro by assaying their capacity to locomote through Type I collagen. In an attempt to characterize potential causes of microgravity-induced immunosuppression, we investigated the effects of simulated microgravity on human lymphocyte function in vitro using a specialized rotating-wall vessel culture system developed at the Johnson Space Center. This very low shear culture system randomizes gravitational vectors and provides an in vitro approximation of microgravity. In the randomized gravity of the rotating-wall vessel culture system, peripheral blood lymphocytes did not locomote through Type I collagen, whereas static cultures supported normal movement. Although cells remained viable during the entire culture period, peripheral blood lymphocytes transferred to unit gravity (static culture) after 6 h in the rotating-wall vessel culture system were slow to recover and locomote into collagen matrix. After 72 h in the rotating-wall vessel culture system and an additional 72 h in static culture, peripheral blood lymphocytes did not recover their ability to locomote. Loss of locomotory activity in rotating-wall vessel cultures appears to be related to changes in the activation state of the lymphocytes and the expression of adhesion molecules. Culture in the rotating-wall vessel system blunted the ability of peripheral blood lymphocytes to respond to polyclonal activation with phytohemagglutinin. Locomotory response remained intact when peripheral blood lymphocytes were activated by anti-CD3 antibody and interleukin-2 prior to introduction into the rotating-wall vessel culture system. Thus, in addition to the systemic stress factors that may affect immunity, isolated lymphocytes respond to gravitational changes by ceasing locomotion through model interstitium. These in vitro investigations suggest that microgravity induces non-stress-related changes in cell function that may be critical to immunity. Preliminary analysis of locomotion in true microgravity revealed a substantial inhibition of cellular movement in Type I collagen. Thus, the rotating-wall vessel culture system provides a model for analyzing the microgravity-induced inhibition of lymphocyte locomotion and the investigation of the mechanisms related to lymphocyte movement.

Weightlessness↗

Aerodynamic loss generation in a low-pressure turbine stage with high lift blading

The present work aims to investigate the loss generation mechanisms in a highly loaded low-pressure turbine (LPT) stage. The turbine employs high-lift airfoils to reduce the number of blades and therefore the overall engine weight. Large Eddy Simulation (LES) is applied to study the detailed flow fields at two representative Reynolds numbers (150,000 and 40,000). The calculated flow fields are compared with available measured data. LES calculates the measured aerodynamic performance of the current turbine stage well. Both the measurements and the CFD simulations indicate that most of the aerodynamic loss is generated by the development of secondary flows near the rotor hub. An area of low momentum and high aerodynamic loss forms at roughly 25 % span above the hub downstream of the rotor. Formation and migration of a vortex system near the hub is the primary source of the loss generation. The hub wall vortex system in this highly loaded turbine stage is quite different from the horse-shoe vortex system in a typical stationary turbine cascade. Calculated instantaneous and time-averaged flow fields at two Reynolds numbers are examined in detail to study Reynolds number effects on the turbine stage performance. Steady and unsteady flow separation on the rotor suction side is calculated at both high and low Reynolds numbers. At the lower Reynolds number of 40,000, thicker blade boundary layers increase the area of flow separation on the rotor suction side, resulting in a 1.9 % increase in aerodynamic loss compared to the higher Reynolds number case.

low pressure turbine↗

Channel Wall Nozzle Manufacturing Technology Advancements for Liquid Rocket Engines

A regeneratively-cooled nozzle is a critical component for expansion of the hot gases to enable high temperature and performance liquid rocket engines systems. Channel wall nozzles are a design solution used across the propulsion industry as a simplified method to fabricate the nozzle structure with internal coolant passages. The scale and complexity of the channel wall nozzle (CWN) design is challenging to fabricate leading to extended lead times and higher costs. Some of these challenges include: 1) unique and high temperature materials, 2) Tight tolerances during manufacturing and assembly to contain high pressure propellants, 3) thin-walled features to maintain adequate wall temperatures, and 4) Unique manufacturing process operations and tooling. The United States (U.S.) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) along with U.S. specialty manufacturing vendors are maturing modern fabrication techniques to reduce complexity and decrease costs associated with channel wall nozzle manufacturing technology. Additive Manufacturing (AM) is one of the key technology advancements being evaluated for channel wall nozzles. Much of additive manufacturing for propulsion components has focused on powder bed fusion, but the scale is not yet feasible for application to large scale nozzles. NASA is evolving directed energy deposition (DED) techniques for nozzles including arc-based deposition, blown powder deposition, and Laser Wire Direct Closeout (LWDC). There are different approaches being considered for fabrication of the nozzle and each of these DED processes offer unique process steps for rapid fabrication. The arc-based and blown powder deposition techniques are being used for the forming of the CWN liner. A variety of materials are being demonstrated including Inconel 625, Haynes 230, JBK-75, and NASA HR-1. The blown powder DED process is also being demonstrated for forming an integral channel nozzle in a single operation in similar materials. The LWDC process is a method for closing out the channels within the liner and forming the structural jacket using a localized laser wire deposition technique. Identical materials mentioned above have been used for this process in addition to bimetallic closeout (C-18150–SS347, and C-18150–Inconel 625). NASA has completed process development, material characterization, and hot-fire testing on a variety of these channel wall nozzle fabrication techniques. This paper will present an overview of the various processes and materials being evaluated and the results from the hot-fire testing. Future development and technology focus areas will also be discussed relative to channel wall nozzle manufacturing.

Gradl, Paul R.↗

Preventing Damaging Pressure Gradients at the Walls of an Inflatable Space System

An inflatable structural system to deploy a space system such as a solar shield, an antenna or another similar instrument, requires a stiffening element after it is extended by the inflated gas pressure. The stiffening element has to be packaged in a folded configuration before the deployment. It must be relatively small, lightweight, non-damaging to the inflated system, and be able to become stiff in a short time. One stiffening method is to use a flexible material inserted in the deployable system, which, upon a temperature curing, can become stiff and is capable to support the entire structure. There are two conditions during the space operations when the inflated volume could be damaged: during the transonic region of the launch phase and when the curing of the rigidizing element occurs. In both cases, an excess of pressure within the volume containing the rigid element could burst the walls of the low-pressure gas inflated portion of the system. This paper investigates those two conditions and indicates the vents, which will prevent those damaging overpressures. Vent openings at the non-inflated volumes have been calculated for the conditions existing during the launch. Those vents allow the initially folded volume to exhaust the trapped atmospheric gas at approximately the same rate as the ambient pressure drops. That will prevent pressure gradients across the container walls which otherwise could be as high as 14.7 psi. The other condition occurring during the curing of the stiffening element has been investigated. This has required the testing of the element to obtain the gas generation during the curing and the transformation from a pliable material to a rigid one. The tested material is a composite graphite/epoxy weave. The outgassing of the uncured sample at 121C was carried with the Cahn Microbalance and with other outgassing facilities including the micro-CVCM ASTM E-595 facility. The tests provided the mass of gas evolved during the test. That data, including the chemical nature of the evolved gas, provided the data for the calculation of the pressure produced within the volume. The evaluation of the areas of the vents that would prevent excessive pressures and provide a rapid release of the gas away from contamination sensitive surfaces has been carried out. The pressure decay with time has been indicated.

Scialdone, John J.↗