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A user's manual is described and is provided for ASAP, an automated tool for static source code analysis of programs written in the Ada programming language. The purpose of the analysis is to collect and store information pertaining to the analyzed Ada compilation unit's size, complexity, usage of Ada language constructs and features, and static interface with other Ada compilation units.
The application of the explicit nonlinear finite element analysis code DYNA3D to crashworthiness problems is discussed. Emphasized in the first part of this work are the most important capabilities of an explicit code for crashworthiness analyses. The areas with significant research promise for the computational simulation of crash events are then addressed.
A new release rate equation to model the phase change of water to steam in composite materials was derived from the theory of molecular diffusion and equilibrium moisture concentration. The new model is dependent on internal pressure, the microstructure of the voids and channels in the composite materials, and the diffusion properties of the matrix material. Hence, it is more fundamental and accurate than the empirical Arrhenius rate equation currently in use. The model was mathematically formalized and integrated into the thermostructural analysis code CHAR. Parametric studies on variation of several parameters have been done. Comparisons to Arrhenius and straight-line models show that the new model produces physically realistic results under all conditions.
The Array of Low Energy X-ray Imaging Sensors (ALEXIS) experiment consists of a mini-satellite containing six wide angle EUV/ultrasoft x-ray telescopes. Its purpose is to map out the sky in three narrow (approximately 5 percent) bandpasses around 66, 71, and 93 eV. The 66 and 71 eV bandpasses are centered on intense Fe emission lines which are characteristic of million degree plasmas such as the one thought to produce the soft x-ray background. The 93 eV bandpass is not near any strong emission lines and is more sensitive to continuum sources. The mission will be launched on the Pegasus Air Launched Vehicle in the second half of 1992 into a 400-nautical-mile, high inclination orbit and will be controlled entirely from a small ground station located at Los Alamos. The project is a collaborative effort between Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory, and the University of California-Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory. The six telescopes are arranged in three pairs. As the satellite spins twice a minute they scan the entire anti-solar hemisphere. Each f/1 telescope consists of a spherical, multilayer-coated mirror with a curved, microchannel plate detector located at the prime focus. The multilayer coatings determine the bandpasses of the telescopes. The field of view of each telescope is 30 degrees with a spatial resolution of 0.5 degree, limited by spherical aberration. The data processing requirements for ALEXIS are large. Each event is one of the six telescopes is telemetered to the ground with its time of arrival and position on the detector. This information must be folded with the aspect solution for the satellite to reconstruct the direction on the sky from which the photon came. Because of the way the six telescopes scan the sky, the effective exposure calculation is also very computationally intensive. ALEXIS may generate up to 100 megabytes of raw data per day, which are converted into a gigabyte per day of processed data. While the processing job for ALEXIS is sizable, the programming staff is small. To maximize programming efficiency, and to make the best use of tools available in the public domain, we chose IDL as our software development platform. IDL was used from the start of instrument development through flight. We use IDL as a top-level executive for the processing tasks (replacing Unix shell scripts), as a device independent graphics engine, as a database manager, and as a final data manipulator. IDL routines spawn special purpose C programs to perform detailed telemetry deconvolution and other specialized functions. We discuss the use of IDL and C within the processing and archiving strategy for the ALEXIS data anlaysis system as implemented on a SPARCstation platform. We also show results from our End-to-End software simulation capability as processed by our analysis codes.
Foil journal bearings consist of a compliant metal shell or foil which supports a rigid journal by means of a fluid film. Foil bearings are considered to be a potential alternative to rolling element or traditional rigid surface bearings in cryogenic turbomachinery applications. The prediction of foil bearing performance requires the coupled solution of the foil deflection and the fluid flow in the bearing clearance between the rotor and the foil. The investigations being conducted in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Penn State are focused in three areas: theoretical prediction of steady state bearing performance, modeling of the dynamic bearing characteristics to determine performance in rotor systems, and experimental verification of analysis codes. The current status and results from these efforts will be discussed.
Increasing the pressure and temperature of the engines of a new generation of supersonic airliners increases the emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO(x)) to a level that would have an adverse impact on the Earth's protective ozone layer. In the process of evolving and implementing low emissions combustor technologies, NASA LeRC has pursued a combustion analysis code program to guide combustor design processes, to identify potential concepts of the greatest promise, and to optimize them at low cost, with short turnaround time. The computational analyses are evaluated at actual engine operating conditions. The approach is to upgrade and apply advanced computer programs for gas turbine applications. Efforts were made in further improving the code capabilities for modeling the physics and the numerical methods of solution. Then test cases and measurements from experiments are used for code validation.
The Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) mission support team has made extensive use of geometric ray tracing to analyze the performance of AXAF developmental and flight optics. One important aspect of this performance modeling is the incorporation of finite element analysis (FEA) data into the surface deformations of the optical elements. TransFit is software designed for the fitting of FEA data of Wolter I optical surface distortions with a continuous surface description which can then be used by SAO's analytic ray tracing software, currently OSAC (Optical Surface Analysis Code). The improved capabilities of Transfit over previous methods include bicubic spline fitting of FEA data to accommodate higher spatial frequency distortions, fitted data visualization for assessing the quality of fit, the ability to accommodate input data from three FEA codes plus other standard formats, and options for alignment of the model coordinate system with the ray trace coordinate system. TransFit uses the AnswerGarden graphical user interface (GUI) to edit input parameters and then access routines written in PV-WAVE, C, and FORTRAN to allow the user to interactively create, evaluate, and modify the fit. The topics covered include an introduction to TransFit: requirements, designs philosophy, and implementation; design specifics: modules, parameters, fitting algorithms, and data displays; a procedural example; verification of performance; future work; and appendices on online help and ray trace results of the verification section.
High surface temperatures and temperature gradients can affect the vibratory characteristics and stability of aircraft structures. Aircraft designers are relying more on finite-element model analysis methods to ensure sufficient vehicle structural dynamic stability throughout the desired flight envelope. Analysis codes that predict these thermal effects must be correlated and verified with experimental data. Experimental modal data for aluminum, titanium, and fiberglass plates heated at uniform, nonuniform, and transient heating conditions are presented. The data show the effect of heat on each plate's modal characteristics, a comparison of predicted and measured plate vibration frequencies, the measured modal damping, and the effect of modeling material property changes and thermal stresses on the accuracy of the analytical results at nonuniform and transient heating conditions.
The three-dimensional, electromagnetic circuit analysis code, Micro-SOS, can be used to reduce expensive and time consuming experimental 'cold-testing' of traveling-wave tube (TWT) circuits. The frequency-phase dispersion and beam interaction impedance characteristics of a ferruleless coupled-cavity traveling-wave tube slow-wave circuit were simulated using the code. Computer results agree closely with experimental data. Variations in the cavity geometry dimensions of period length and gap-to-period ratio were modeled. These variations can be used in velocity taper designs to reduce the radiofrequency (RF) phase velocity in synchronism with the decelerating electron beam. Such circuit designs can result in enhanced TWT power and efficiency.
The goal of this project was to develop analysis codes for computing the scattering and radiation of antennas on cylindrically and doubly conformal platforms. The finite element-boundary integral (FE-BI) method has been shown to accurately model the scattering and radiation of cavity-backed patch antennas. Unfortunately extension of this rigorous technique to coated or doubly curved platforms is cumbersome and inefficient. An alternative approximate approach is to employ an absorbing boundary condition (ABC) for terminating the finite element mesh thus avoiding use of a Green's function. A FE-ABC method is used to calculate the radar cross section (RCS) and radiation pattern of a cavity-backed patch antenna which is recessed within a metallic surface. It is shown that this approach is accurate for RCS and antenna pattern calculations with an ABC surface displaced as little as 0.3 lambda from the cavity aperture. These patch antennas may have a dielectric overlay which may also be modeled with this technique.
The NASA Lewis Research Center (LeRC) has been testing free-piston Stirling engine/linear alternators (FPSE/LA) to develop advanced power convertors for space-based electrical power generation. Tests reported herein were performed to evaluate the interaction and transient behavior of FPSE/LA-based power systems with typical user loads. Both resistive and small induction motor loads were tested with the space power research engine (SPRE) power system. Tests showed that the control system could maintain constant long term voltage and stable periodic operation over a large range of engine operating parameters and loads. Modest resistive load changes were shown to cause relatively large voltage and, therefore, piston and displacer amplitude excursions. Starting a typical small induction motor was shown to cause large and, in some cases, deleterious voltage transients. The tests identified the need for more effective controls, if FPSE/LAs are to be used for stand-alone power systems. The tests also generated a large body of transient dynamic data useful for analysis code validation.
An analytical/numerical method has been developed to predict the static thrust performance of non-axisymmetric, two-dimensional convergent-divergent exhaust nozzles. Thermodynamic nozzle performance effects due to over- and underexpansion are modeled using one-dimensional compressible flow theory. Boundary layer development and skin friction losses are calculated using an approximate integral momentum method based on the classic karman-Polhausen solution. Angularity effects are included with these two models in a computational Nozzle Performance Analysis Code, NPAC. In four different case studies, results from NPAC are compared to experimental data obtained from subscale nozzle testing to demonstrate the capabilities and limitations of the NPAC method. In several cases, the NPAC prediction matched experimental gross thrust efficiency data to within 0.1 percent at a design NPR, and to within 0.5 percent at off-design conditions.
Premixed combustors, which are being considered for low NOx engines, are susceptible to instabilities due to feedback between pressure perturbations and combustion. This feedback can cause damaging mechanical vibrations of the system as well as degrade the emissions characteristics and combustion efficiency. In a lean combustor instabilities can also lead to blowout. A model was developed to perform linear combustion-acoustic stability analysis using detailed chemical kinetic mechanisms. The Lewis Kinetics and Sensitivity Analysis Code, LSENS, was used to calculate the sensitivities of the heat release rate to perturbations in density and temperature. In the present work, an assumption was made that the mean flow velocity was small relative to the speed of sound. Results of this model showed the regions of growth of perturbations to be most sensitive to the reflectivity of the boundary when reflectivities were close to unity.
The objective was to evaluate NASCRAC (trademark) version 2.0, a second generation fracture analysis code, for verification and validity. NASCRAC was evaluated using a combination of comparisons to the literature, closed-form solutions, numerical analyses, and tests. Several limitations and minor errors were detected. Additionally, a number of major flaws were discovered. These major flaws were generally due to application of a specific method or theory, not due to programming logic. Results are presented for the following program capabilities: K versus a, J versus a, crack opening area, life calculation due to fatigue crack growth, tolerable crack size, proof test logic, tearing instability, creep crack growth, crack transitioning, crack retardation due to overloads, and elastic-plastic stress redistribution. It is concluded that the code is an acceptable fracture tool for K solutions of simplified geometries, for a limited number of J and crack opening area solutions, and for fatigue crack propagation with the Paris equation and constant amplitude loads when the Paris equation is applicable.
Two design procedures for composite panels with cutouts are described and illustrated by example applications. One of these procedures uses a specialized cutout analysis code to obtain preliminary sizing information for the panel laminate, cutout padup, and cutout stiffener reinforcements. The other procedure uses a finite element based structural optimization code to develop a minimum weight panel design. The best features of both procedures form the basis of a design strategy for weight-efficient cutout panels.
Year 1 progress can be characterized with four major achievements which are crucial toward the development of robust, easy to use antenna analysis code on doubly conformal platforms. (1) A new FEM code was developed using prismatic meshes. This code is based on a new edge based distorted prism and is particularly attractive for growing meshes associated with printed slot and patch antennas on doubly conformal platforms. It is anticipated that this technology will lead to interactive, simple to use codes for a large class of antenna geometries. Moreover, the codes can be expanded to include modeling of the circuit characteristics. An attached report describes the theory and validation of the new prismatic code using reference calculations and measured data collected at the NASA Langley facilities. The agreement between the measured and calculated data is impressive even for the coated patch configuration. (2) A scheme was developed for improved feed modeling in the context of FEM. A new approach based on the voltage continuity condition was devised and successfully tested in modeling coax cables and aperture fed antennas. An important aspect of this new feed modeling approach is the ability to completely separate the feed and antenna mesh regions. In this manner, different elements can be used in each of the regions leading to substantially improved accuracy and meshing simplicity. (3) A most important development this year has been the introduction of the perfectly matched interface (PMI) layer for truncating finite element meshes. So far the robust boundary integral method has been used for truncating the finite element meshes. However, this approach is not suitable for antennas on nonplanar platforms. The PMI layer is a lossy anisotropic absorber with zero reflection at its interface. (4) We were able to interface our antenna code FEMA_CYL (for antennas on cylindrical platforms) with a standard high frequency code. This interface was achieved by first generating equivalent magnetic currents across the antenna aperture using the FEM code. These currents were employed as the sources in the high frequency code.
An experimental and analytical study of spiral bevel gears operating in an aerospace environment has been performed. Tests were conducted within a closed loop test stand at NASA Lewis Research Center. Tests were conducted to 537 kW (720 hp) at 14,400 rpm. The effects of various operating conditions on spiral bevel gear steady state and transient temperature are presented. Also, a three-dimensional analysis of the thermal behavior was conducted using a nonlinear finite element analysis computer code. The analysis was compared to the experimental results attained in this study. The results agreed well with each other for the cases compared and were no more than 10 percent different in magnitude.
An experimental method has been developed to determine the water droplet impingement characteristics on two- and three-dimensional aircraft surfaces. The experimental water droplet impingement data are used to validate particle trajectory analysis codes that are used in aircraft icing analyses and engine inlet particle separator analyses. The aircraft surface is covered with thin strips of blotter paper in areas of interest. The surface is then exposed to an airstream that contains a dyed-water spray cloud. The water droplet impingement data are extracted from the dyed blotter paper strips by measuring the optical reflectance of each strip with an automated reflectometer. Experimental impingement efficiency data represented for a NLF (1)-0414 airfoil, a swept MS (1)-0317 airfoil, a Boeing 737-300 engine inlet model, two simulated ice shapes and a swept NACA 0012 wingtip. Analytical impingement efficiency data are also presented for the NLF (1)-0414 airfoil and the Boeing 737-300 engine inlet model.