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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 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2012

Mixed Integer Programming and Heuristic Scheduling for Space Communication Networks

In this paper, we propose to solve the constrained optimization problem in two phases. The first phase uses heuristic methods such as the ant colony method, particle swarming optimization, and genetic algorithm to seek a near optimal solution among a list of feasible initial populations. The final optimal solution can be found by using the solution of the first phase as the initial condition to the SQP algorithm. We demonstrate the above problem formulation and optimization schemes with a large-scale network that includes the DSN ground stations and a number of spacecraft of deep space missions.

Communication Network Scheduling↗
NASA NTRS1995

Structure of magnetic field in the solar wind

This work is concerned with empirical data on magnetic field in the solar wind in frame of a concept of dissipative solar wind, developed in papers (Solar Wind 7 Conf., Pergamon Press, 1992, 165 and 1992 STEP/5th COSPAR Coll. Pergamon Press, 1994, 117; 235; 803). Interplanetary magnetic fields should be classified with respect to their origin. It is very important for all the theoretical problems from the necessity to specify correctly boundary and initial conditions: the magnetic field must be sewed with its source. One should select the field, connected directly with the Sun (stretched out from it), and the field of moving electric currents. It occured central in discussion about the velocity of Alfven waves, probably warming up the solar wind, relative to the Sun, the magnetic field and solar wind plasma. The selection problem corresponds to an inverse problem and obviously has no single solution. The dissipative model of the solar wind introduce the slipping and leakage of plasma relative to magnetic field. There are no 'interplanetary current sheets' in it. But temporal fluctuations from the filamentation of electric currents play the key role. As a whole, the new concept requires the re-interpretation of main objects in the interplanetary magnetic field.

Chertkov, A. D.↗
NASA NTRS1973

A result on differential inequalities and its application to higher order trajectory derivatives

A result on differential inequalities is obtained by considering the adjoint differential equation of the variational equation of the right side of the inequality. The main theorem is proved using basic results on differentiability of solutions with respect to initial conditions. The result is then applied to the problem of determining solution behavior using comparison techniques.

Gunderson, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1995

An assessment of artificial damping models for aeroacoustic calculations

We present a study of the effect of artificial dissipation models on nonlinear wave computations using a few high order schemes. Our motivation is to assess the effectiveness of artificial dissipation models for their suitability for aeroacoustic computations. We solve three model problems in one dimension using the Euler equations. Initial conditions are chosen to generate nonlinear waves in the computational domain. We examine various dissipation models in central difference schemes such as the Dispersion Relation Preserving (DRP) scheme and the standard fourth and sixth order schemes. We also make a similar study with the fourth order MacCormack scheme due to Gottieb and Turkel.

Hayder, M. Ehtesham↗
NASA NTRS1996

Stability Analysis for Constrained Principal Axis Slew Maneuvers

This paper addresses the problem of reorienting a rigid spacecraft from arbitrary initial conditions to prescribed final conditions with zero angular velocity. The control law analyzed is based on quaternion feedback and leaves the user to choose two gains as functions of position, angular rate, and time. For arbitrary initial states, conditions on the controller gains are identified that guarantee global asymptotic stability. For the special case of rest-to-rest reorientations, the control law reduces to earlier results involving a principal axis rotation. The paper also addresses slew rate constraints, both, in terms of the two and infinity norms.

Seywald, Hans↗
NASA NTRS1993

Steady induction effects in geomagnetism. Part 1B: Geomagnetic estimation of steady surficial core motions: A non-linear inverse problem

The problem of estimating a steady fluid velocity field near the top of Earth's core which induces the secular variation (SV) indicated by models of the observed geomagnetic field is examined in the source-free mantle/frozen-flux core (SFI/VFFC) approximation. This inverse problem is non-linear because solutions of the forward problem are deterministically chaotic. The SFM/FFC approximation is inexact, and neither the models nor the observations they represent are either complete or perfect. A method is developed for solving the non-linear inverse motional induction problem posed by the hypothesis of (piecewise, statistically) steady core surface flow and the supposition of a complete initial geomagnetic condition. The method features iterative solution of the weighted, linearized least-squares problem and admits optional biases favoring surficially geostrophic flow and/or spatially simple flow. Two types of weights are advanced radial field weights for fitting the evolution of the broad-scale portion of the radial field component near Earth's surface implied by the models, and generalized weights for fitting the evolution of the broad-scale portion of the scalar potential specified by the models.

Voorhies, Coerte V.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Disruption of the Globular Cluster Pal 5

Orbit calculations suggest that the sparse globular cluster, Pal 5, will pass within 7 kpc of the Galactic center the next time it crosses the plane, where it might be destroyed by tidal stresses. We study this problem, treating Pal 5 as a self-consistent dynamical system orbiting through an external potential that represents the Galaxy. The first part of the problem is to find suitable analytic approximations to the Galactic potential. They must be valid in all regions the cluster is likely to explore. Observed velocity and positional data for Pal 5 are used as initial conditions to determine the orbit. Methods we used for a different problem some 12 years ago have been adapted to this problem. Three experiments have been run, with M/L= 1, 3, and 10, for the cluster model. The cluster blew up shortly after passing through the Galactic plane (about 130 Myrs after the beginning of the run) with M/L=1. At M/L = 3 and 10 the cluster survived, although it got quite a kick in the fundamental mode on passing through the plane. But the fundamental mode oscillation died out in a couple of oscillation cycles at M/L=10. Pal 5 will probably be destroyed on its next crossing of the Galactic plane if M/L=1, but it can survive (albeit with fairly heavy damage) if NI/L=3. We haven't tried to trap the mass limits more closely than that. Pal 5 comes through pretty well unscathed at M/L=10. An interesting follow-up experiment would be to back the cluster up along its orbit to look at its previous passage through the Galactic plane, to see what kind of object it might have been at earlier times.

Miller, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Probabilistic Multi-Factor Interaction Model for Complex Material Behavior

Complex material behavior is represented by a single equation of product form to account for interaction among the various factors. The factors are selected by the physics of the problem and the environment that the model is to represent. For example, different factors will be required for each to represent temperature, moisture, erosion, corrosion, etc. It is important that the equation represent the physics of the behavior in its entirety accurately. The Multi-Factor Interaction Model (MFIM) is used to evaluate the divot weight (foam weight ejected) from the external launch tanks. The multi-factor has sufficient degrees of freedom to evaluate a large number of factors that may contribute to the divot ejection. It also accommodates all interactions by its product form. Each factor has an exponent that satisfies only two points - the initial and final points. The exponent describes a monotonic path from the initial condition to the final. The exponent values are selected so that the described path makes sense in the absence of experimental data. In the present investigation, the data used were obtained by testing simulated specimens in launching conditions. Results show that the MFIM is an effective method of describing the divot weight ejected under the conditions investigated. The problem lies in how to represent the divot weight with a single equation. A unique solution to this problem is a multi-factor equation of product form. Each factor is of the following form (1 xi/xf)ei, where xi is the initial value, usually at ambient conditions, xf the final value, and ei the exponent that makes the curve represented unimodal that meets the initial and final values. The exponents are either evaluated by test data or by technical judgment. A minor disadvantage may be the selection of exponents in the absence of any empirical data. This form has been used successfully in describing the foam ejected in simulated space environmental conditions. Seven factors were required to represent the ejected foam. The exponents were evaluated by least squares method from experimental data. The equation is used and it can represent multiple factors in other problems as well; for example, evaluation of fatigue life, creep life, fracture toughness, and structural fracture, as well as optimization functions. The software is rather simplistic. Required inputs are initial value, final value, and an exponent for each factor. The number of factors is open-ended. The value is updated as each factor is evaluated. If a factor goes to zero, the previous value is used in the evaluation.

Abumeri, Galib H.↗
NASA NTRS1994

An approximate Riemann solver for magnetohydrodynamics (that works in more than one dimension)

An approximate Riemann solver is developed for the governing equations of ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). The Riemann solver has an eight-wave structure, where seven of the waves are those used in previous work on upwind schemes for MHD, and the eighth wave is related to the divergence of the magnetic field. The structure of the eighth wave is not immediately obvious from the governing equations as they are usually written, but arises from a modification of the equations that is presented in this paper. The addition of the eighth wave allows multidimensional MHD problems to be solved without the use of staggered grids or a projection scheme, one or the other of which was necessary in previous work on upwind schemes for MHD. A test problem made up of a shock tube with rotated initial conditions is solved to show that the two-dimensional code yields answers consistent with the one-dimensional methods developed previously.

Powell, Kenneth G.↗
NASA NTRS1972

A class of neutral functional differential equations.

Formulation and study of the initial value problem for neutral functional differential equations. The existence, uniqueness, and continuation of solutions to this problem are investigated, and an analysis is made of the dependence of the solutions on the initial conditions and parameters, resulting in the derivation of a continuous dependence theorem in which the fundamental mathematical principles underlying the continuous dependence problem for a very general system of nonlinear neutral functional differential equations are separated out.

Melvin, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Elasto visco-plastic flow with special attention to boundary conditions

A simple but nontrivial steady-state creeping elasto visco-plastic (Maxwell fluid) radial flow problem is analyzed, with special attention given to the effects of the boundary conditions. Solutions are obtained through integration of a governing equation on stress using the Runge-Kutta method for initial value problems and finite differences for boundary value problems. A more general approach through the finite element method, an approach that solves for the velocity field rather than the stress field and that is applicable to a wide range of problems, is presented and tested using the radial flow example. It is found that steady-state flows of elasto visco-plastic materials are strongly influenced by the state of stress of material as it enters the region of interest. The importance of this boundary or initial condition in analyses involving materials coming into control volumes from unusual stress environments is emphasized.

Shimazaki, Y.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Multiple steady states for characteristic initial value problems

The time dependent, isentropic, quasi-one-dimensional equations of gas dynamics and other model equations are considered under the constraint of characteristic boundary conditions. Analysis of the time evolution shows how different initial data may lead to different steady states and how seemingly anamolous behavior of the solution may be resolved. Numerical experimentation using time consistent explicit algorithms verifies the conclusions of the analysis. The use of implicit schemes with very large time steps leads to erroneous results.

Salas, M. D.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Quantitative characterization of spatial distribution of particles in materials: Application to materials processing

Most engineering materials contain second phase particles or fibers which serve to reinforce the matrix phase. The effect of reinforcements on material properties is usually analyzed in terms of the average volume fraction and spacing of reinforcements, quantities which are global microstructural characteristics. However, material properties can also depend on local microstructural characteristics; for example, on how uniformly the reinforcing phase is distributed in the material. The analysis method will then be applied to a materials processing problem to discover how processing parameters can be selected to maximize redistribution of the reinforcing phase during processing. Several mathematical analysis methods could be adapted to the problem of characterizing the distribution of particles in materials. A tessellation-based method was selected. In the first phase of the investigation, a software package was written to automate the analysis. Typical results are shown. The analysis technique allows the degree to which particles are clustered together, the size and spacing of particle clusters, and the particle density in clusters to be found. The analysis methods were applied to computer-generated distributions and to a few real particle-containing materials. Methods for analyzing a nonuniform particle distribution in a material can be applied to two broad classes of materials science problems: understanding how the resulting particle distribution affects properties. The analysis method described is applied to a materials processing problem: how to select extrusion conditions to maximize the redistribution of reinforcing particles that are initially nonuniformly distributed. In addition, the tessellation-based method to analyze star distributions in spiral galaxies was adapted, illustrating the diverse types of problems to which the analysis method can be applied.

Parse, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Analysis of unsteady wave processes in a rotating channel

The impact of passage rotation on the gas dynamic wave processes is analyzed through a numerical simulation of ideal shock-tube flow in a closed rotating-channel. Initial conditions are prescribed by assuming homentropic solid-body rotation. Relevant parameters of the problem such as wheel Mach number, hub-to-tip radius ratio, length-to-tip radius ratio, diaphragm temperature ratio, and diaphragm pressure ratio are varied. The results suggest possible criteria for assessing the consequences of passage rotation on the wave processes, and they may therefore be applicable to pressure-exchange wave rotors. It is shown that for a fixed geometry and initial conditions, the contact interface acquires a distorted three-dimensional time-dependent orientation at non-zero wheel Mach numbers. At a fixed wheel Mach number, the level of distortion depends primarily on the density ratio across the interface as well as the hub-to-tip radius ratio. Rarefaction fronts, shocks, and contact interfaces are observed to propagate faster with increasing wheel Mach number.

Larosiliere, L. M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Analysis of unsteady wave processes in a rotating channel

The impact of passage rotation on the gas dynamic wave processes is analyzed through a numerical simulation of ideal shock-tube flow in a closed rotating-channel. Initial conditions are prescribed by assuming homentropic solid-body rotation. Relevant parameters of the problem such as wheel Mach number, hub-to-tip radius ratio, length-to-tip radius ratio, diaphragm temperature ratio, and diaphragm pressure ratio are varied. The results suggest possible criteria for assessing the consequences of passage rotation on the wave processes, and they may therefore be applicable to pressure-exchange wave rotors. It is shown that for a fixed geometry and initial conditions, the contact interface acquires a distorted three-dimensional time-dependent orientation at non-zero wheel Mach numbers. At a fixed wheel Mach number, the level of distortion depends primarily on the density ratio across the interface as well as the hub-to-tip radius ratio. Rarefaction fronts, shocks, and contact interfaces are observed to propagate faster with increasing wheel Mach number.

Larosiliere, Louis M.↗
NASA NTRS1977

An explicit solution to the exoatmospheric powered flight guidance and trajectory optimization problem for rocket propelled vehicles

A derivation of an explicit solution to the two point boundary-value problem of exoatmospheric guidance and trajectory optimization is presented. Fixed initial conditions and continuous burn, multistage thrusting are assumed. Any number of end conditions from one to six (throttling is required in the case of six) can be satisfied in an explicit and practically optimal manner. The explicit equations converge for off nominal conditions such as engine failure, abort, target switch, etc. The self starting, predictor/corrector solution involves no Newton-Rhapson iterations, numerical integration, or first guess values, and converges rapidly if physically possible. A form of this algorithm has been chosen for onboard guidance, as well as real time and preflight ground targeting and trajectory shaping for the NASA Space Shuttle Program.

Jaggers, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Calculation of two-dimensional inlet flow fields in a supersonic free stream by an implicit marching code with nonorthogonal mesh generation: User's manual

An implicit, shock-capturing finite-difference code which is used to calculate two-dimensional inlet flow fields in a supersonic free stream is explained. The Euler equations are subjected to general nonorthogonal transformation and a body-fitted coordinate system is employed. The mathematical formulation of the problem is given along with the numerical algorithm. Initial and boundary conditions, numerical stability, program limitations, and accuracy is discussed. An overall program logic as well as instructions for program use and operation are also furnished.

Biringen, S. H.↗