SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “WEBER FUNCTION”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

80 records · Page 5

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1986

Performance characteristics of wind profiling radars

Doppler radars used to measure winds in the troposphere and lower stratosphere for weather analysis and forecasting are lower-sensitivity versions of mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere radars widely used for research. The term wind profiler is used to denote these radars because measurements of vertical profiles of horizontal and vertical wind are their primary function. It is clear that wind profilers will be in widespread use within five years: procurement of a network of 30 wind profilers is underway. The Wave Propagation Laboratory (WPL) has operated a small research network of radar wind profilers in Colorado for about two and one-half years. The transmitted power and antenna aperture for these radars is given. Data archiving procedures have been in place for about one year, and this data base is used to evaluate the performance of the radars. One of the prime concerns of potential wind profilers users is how often and how long wind measurements are lacking at a given height. Since these outages constitute an important part of the performance of the wind profilers, they are calculated at three radar frequencies, 50-, 405-, and 915-MHz, (wavelengths of 6-, 0.74-, and 0.33-m) at monthly intervals to determine both the number of outages at each frequency and annual variations in outages.

Strauch, R. G.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Kinetics of Organic Transformations Under Mild Aqueous Conditions: Implications for the Origin of Life and Its Metabolism

The rates of thermal transformation of organic molecules containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen were systematically examined in order to identify the kinetic constraints that governed origin-of-life organic chemistry under mild aqueous conditions. Arrhenius plots of the kinetic data were used to estimate the reaction half-life at 50 C, and to reveal the effect of functional groups on reactivity. This survey showed that hydrocarbons and organic substances containing a single oxygenated group were kinetically the most stable (i. e. acetate decarboxylation half-life was l0(exp 18) years at 50 C); whereas, organic substances containing two oxygenated groups in which one group was a beta-positioned carbonyl group were the most reactive (i. e. acetoacetate decarboxylation half-life was l0(exp-2) years at 50 C). Of all functional groups the beta-positioned carbonyl group (aldehyde or ketone) was the strongest activating group, giving rates of reaction that were up to 10(exp 24)-times faster than rates of similar molecules lacking the beta-carbonyl group. From this knowledge of organic reactivity and the inherent constraints of autocatalytic processes, we concluded that an origins-of-life process based on autocatalytic transformation of C,H,O-substrates was constrained to using the most reactive organic molecules that contain alpha- or beta-carbonyl groups, since small autocatalytic domains of plausible catalytic power that used less reactive substrates could not carry out chemical transformations fast enough to prevent catastrophic efflux (escape) of reaction intermediates. Knowledge of the kinetics of organic transformations is useful, not only in constraining the chemistry of the earliest autocatalytic process related to the origin of life, but also in establishing the relative reactivity of organic molecules on the early Earth and other planets that may or may not be related to the origin of life.

Weber, Arthur L.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Advanced diesel engine component development program, tasks 4-14

This report summarizes the Advanced Diesel Engine Component Development (ADECD) Program to develop and demonstrate critical technology needed to advance the heavy-duty low heat rejection engine concept. Major development activities reported are the design, analysis, and fabrication of monolithic ceramic components; vapor phase and solid film lubrication; electrohydraulic valve actuation; and high pressure common rail injection. An advanced single cylinder test bed was fabricated as a laboratory tool in studying these advanced technologies. This test bed simulates the reciprocator for a system having no cooling system, turbo compounding, Rankine bottoming cycle, common rail injection, and variable valve actuation to achieve fuel consumption of 160 g/kW-hr (.26 lb/hp-hr). The advanced concepts were successfully integrated into the test engine. All ceramic components met their functional and reliability requirements. The firedeck, cast-in-place ports, valves, valve guides, piston cap, and piston ring were made from silicon nitride. Breakthroughs required to implement a 'ceramic' engine included the fabrication of air-gap cylinder heads, elimination of compression gaskets, machining of ceramic valve seats within the ceramic firedeck, fabrication of cast-in-place ceramic port liners, implementation of vapor phase lubrication, and elimination of the engine coolant system. Silicon nitride valves were successfully developed to meet several production abuse test requirements and incorporated into the test bed with a ceramic valve guide and solid film lubrication. The ADECD cylinder head features ceramic port shields to increase insulation and exhaust energy recovery. The combustion chamber includes a ceramic firedeck and piston cap. The tribological challenge posed by top ring reversal temperatures of 550 C was met through the development of vapor phase lubrication using tricresyl phosphate at the ring-liner interface. A solenoid-controlled, variable valve actuation system that eliminated the conventional camshaft was demonstrated on the test bed. High pressure fuel injection via a common rail system was also developed to reduce particulate emissions.

Kaushal, Tony S.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Temperature Stability in the Sub-milliHertz Band With Lisa Pathfinder

LISA Pathfinder (LPF) was a technology pioneering mission designed to test key technologies required for gravitational wave detection in space. In the low frequency regime (milliHertz and below), where space-based gravitational wave observatories will operate, temperature fluctuations play a crucial role since they can couple into the interferometric measurement and the test masses’ free-fall accuracy in many ways. A dedicated temperature measurement subsystem, with noise levels in 10 μKHz −1/2 down to 1 mHz was part of the diagnostics unit onboard LPF. In this paper we report on the temperature measurements throughout mission operations, characterize the thermal environment, estimate transfer functions between different locations, and report temperature stability (and its time evolution) at frequencies as low as 10 μHz, where typically values around 1KHz −1/2 were measured.

gravitational waves↗

NASA NTRS2000

The Sugar Model: Catalytic Flow Reactor Dynamics of Pyruvaldehyde Synthesis from Triose Catalyzed by Poly-L-Lysine Contained in a Dialyzer

The formation of pyruvaldehyde from triose sugars was catalyzed by poly-L-lysine contained in a small dialyzer (100 MWCO) suspended in a much larger triose substrate reservoir. The polylysine confined in the dialyzer functioned as a catalytic flow reactor that constantly brought in triose from the substrate reservoir by diffusion to offset the drop in triose concentration within the reactor caused by its conversion to pyruvaldehyde. A 400 mM solution of poly-L-lysine contained in a 0.35 ml dialyzer placed in a 120 ml solution of triose substrate (pH 5.5, 40 C) generated pyruvaldehyde 11 -times faster than an a control reaction without the catalytic dialyzer. However, since the catalytic dialyzer's volume was 343-times smaller than the control reaction, the synthetic intensity (rate/volume) of pyruvaldehyde synthesis within the catalytic dialyzer was 3400-times greater than that of the control reaction and substrate solution. A similar result was obtained using a dialyzer with a 500 MWCO value. Acting as a catalytic flow reactor the polylysine catalytic dialyzer synthesized about 3.5 molecules of pyruvaldehyde per lysine residue in 7 days -- an amount of triose equal to twice the weight of the catalyst. At 7 days the catalytic activity of polylysine was 16% of its initial value, a result indicating catalyst-poisoning caused by reaction of pyruvaldehyde with the e-amino groups of polylysine. The dialyzer method of catalyst containment was selected it provides a simple, flexible, and easily manipulated experimental system for studying the dynamics and evolutionary development of confined autocatalytic processes related to the origin of life under anaerobic conditions.

Weber, Arthur L.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Towards Integrated Computational Materials Engineering for Quantifying Performance Impacts of Microstructure and Defect Interactions in Powder Bed Fusion Parts

Powder bed fusion (PBF) additive manufacturing (AM) enables the creation of parts with complexity and functionality levels that were previously impossible with traditional manufacturing methods. By modifying the laser power, hatch spacing, or the numerous other processing parameters, the PBF process supports the production of a wide set of materials and geometries. However, that same process parameter design flexibility causes the process-design space of PBF to be massive and expensive to explore experimentally. Another challenge is quality variation across a build. As a part is being built, geometric variance between locations, such as at a thin-wall section vs. the bulk material, may cause the specified processing parameters to no longer be acceptable for producing defect-free printing. Furthermore, if the processing parameters deviate during the print process, it is difficult to assess if the part will still perform satisfactorily. Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) provides a way to understand and address these various challenges. This talk will present advancements in process-structure simulations of PBF at NASA Langley Research Center. The ability to simulate grain-scale PBF microstructures using the Physically Based Monte Carlo method will be demonstrated and compared to experimental measurements. Techniques for simulating three-dimensional lack-of-fusion and keyhole porosity defects based on the specific processing conditions and approaches for integrating the two porosity prediction techniques alongside the computational microstructure evolution models will be shown. Finally, the integration of simulated PBF microstructures, embedded process defects, and crystal plasticity finite element models to elucidate the interaction of porosity and microstructure on micromechanical fields will be demonstrated. These integrated techniques demonstrate an example of using ICME to relate processing to performance for PBF AM materials. With continued maturity, it is hoped that such ICME approaches will lead to next-generation computational-materials supported qualification and certification of AM parts.

Additive manufacturing↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Correlated Electromagnetic Levitation Actuator: A Reaction Sphere Based Attitude Control System

To address problems experienced by current reaction wheels and control moment gyroscopebased attitude control systems (ACS), researchers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center have begun developing a reaction sphere actuator based on correlated electromagnetic levitation that will be immune to destructive bearing friction, momentum saturation, and gimbal lock. The Correlated Electromagnetic Levitation Actuator (CELA) advances the state of the art of reaction sphere ACSs by employing the concept of correlated magnetics. It is a frictionless, direct-drive reaction sphere that harnesses a unique technology with an array of applications across multiple disciplines. Correlated electromagnets function in a manner that is analogous to a matched filter; the convolution of two signals is peaked at the index representing the greatest match. For CELA, the signals are the patterns of magnetic flux density as a function of position. The magnitude of the convolution equates to an attractive or repulsive force, and these forces can be azimuthal or radial. The development of CELA is based in four distinct disciplines: Advanced Manufacturing, Prototype Development, Electromagnetic Modeling, and Controls. We are developing novel manufacturing techniques required to build arrays of permanent and electromagnet dipoles on curved surfaces. To print the permanent magnetic array, we have developed a probe with pyramidal magnets that will reside on a robotic arm to induce localized magnetic fields on a surface. The probe also includes the ability to erase dipole patterns from a permanent magnet by heating the surface to its Curie temperature. A number of test articles and prototypes have been developed using additive manufacturing methods. These prototypes have included hemispherical motors to test the drive algorithm, and a levitation test bed that demonstrates a magnetic bearing method based on attractive magnetic forces and ratiometric Hall effect sensors. We developed an array of electromagnetic dipoles on a printed circuit board (PCB) with individual H-bridges controlling each coil. This device created various flux density patterns and we measured their magnetic fields using a custom Hall effect 3-D probe and a LabVIEW virtual instrument. These data will serve as a benchmark for characterizing the accuracy of future models. Current work is focused on modeling the magnetic fields of our prototype arrays using COMSOL Finite Element Analysis and verifying the model against our test data. Accurate modeling will allow us to quickly test new patterns of electromagnets and their macro behavior. Eventually, the magnetic field models will be implemented in our controls simulations to facilitate precise control of the reaction sphere. Initial model results agree with field measurements to within 1 G (5% of measured flux density). Currently, we are testing different material properties of the electromagnets and their magnetic fields and thermal effects. These results will be used to refine the design of the electromagnetic dipoles. Our control efforts have centered on developing commutation, levitation, and field pattern shaping hardware in the form of breadboards and PCBs with software running on a local microcontroller. In addition, our partners developed MATLAB Simulink models to demonstrate a PID controller thatmitigates disturbance forces resulting from the interaction of drive and levitation magnetics. Finally, we have designed a three-axis test stand that will be used in future work to demonstrate CELA’s orientation control capability.

controls↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Correlated Electromagnetic Levitation Actuator: A Reaction Sphere-Based Attitude Control System

To address problems experienced by current reaction wheels and control moment gyroscopebased attitude control systems (ACS), researchers at National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) have begun developing a reaction sphere actuator based on correlated electromagnetic levitation that will be immune to destructive bearing friction, momentum saturation, and gimbal lock. The Correlated Electromagnetic Levitation Actuator (CELA) advances the state of the art of reaction sphere ACSs by employing the concept of correlated magnetics. It is a frictionless, direct-drive reaction sphere that harnesses a unique technology with an array of applications across multiple disciplines. Correlated electromagnets function in a manner that is analogous to a matched filter; the convolution of two signals is peaked at the index representing the greatest match. For CELA, the signals are the patterns of magnetic flux density as a function of position. The magnitude of the convolution equates to an attractive or repulsive force, and these forces can be azimuthal or radial. The development of CELA is based in four distinct disciplines: Advanced Manufacturing, Prototype Development, Electromagnetic Modeling, and Controls. We are developing novel manufacturing techniques required to build arrays of permanent and electromagnet dipoles on curved surfaces. To print the permanent magnetic array, we have developed a probe with pyramidal magnets that will reside on a robotic arm to induce localized magnetic fields on a surface. We have also used high temperature ovens to erase dipole patterns from a permanent magnet by heating the surface to its Curie temperature. A number of test articles and prototypes have been developed using additive manufacturing methods. These prototypes have included hemispherical motors to test the drive algorithm, and a levitation test bed that demonstrates a magnetic bearing method based on attractive magnetic forces and ratiometric Hall effect sensors. We developed an array of electromagnetic dipoles on a printed circuit board (PCB) with individual H-bridges controlling each coil. This device created various flux density patterns and we measured their magnetic fields using a custom Hall effect 3-D probe and a LabVIEW virtual instrument. These data will serve as a benchmark for characterizing the accuracy of future models. Current work is focused on modeling the magnetic fields of our prototype arrays using COMSOL finite element analysis (FEA) and verifying the model against our test data. Accurate modeling will allow us to quickly test new patterns of electromagnets and their macro behavior. Eventually, the magnetic field models will be implemented in our controls simulations to facilitate precise control of the reaction sphere. Initial model results agree with field measurements to within 1 G (5% of measured flux density). Currently, we are testing different material properties of the electromagnets and their magnetic fields and thermal effects. These results will be used to refine the design of the electromagnetic dipoles. Our control efforts have centered on developing commutation, levitation, and field pattern shaping hardware in the form of breadboards and PCBs with software running on a local microcontroller. In addition, our partners developed MATLAB Simulink models to demonstrate a PID controller that mitigates disturbance forces resulting from the interaction of drive and levitation magnetics. Finally, we have designed a three-axis test stand that will be used in future work to demonstrate CELA’s orientation control capability.

reaction sphere↗