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At least 991 records · Page 55

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NASA NTRS1982

Effects of installation of F101 DFE exhaust nozzles on the afterbody-nozzle characteristics of the F-14 airplane

A wind-tunnel investigation was conducted to determine the effects of F101 DFE (derivative fighter engine) nozzle axial positioning on the afterbody-nozzle longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of the F-14 airplane. The model was tested in the Langley 16-Foot Transonic Tunnel at Mach numbers from 0.7 to 1.25 and angles of attack from about -2 to 6 degrees. Compressed air was used to simulate nozzle exhaust flow at jet total-pressure ratios from 1 (jet off) to about 8. The results of the investigation show that for subsonic Mach numbers the intermediate cruise nozzle position of the three positions tested resulted in the lowest drag.

Reubush, D. E.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Improvement of pump tubes for gas guns and shock tube drivers

In a pump tube, a gas is mechanically compressed, producing very high pressures and sound speeds. The intensely heated gas produced in such a tube can be used to drive light gas guns and shock tubes. Three concepts are presented that have the potential to allow substantial reductions in the size and mass of the pump tube to be achieved. The first concept involves the use of one or more diaphragms in the pump tube, thus replacing a single compression process by multiple, successive compressions. The second concept involves a radical reduction in the length-to-diameter ratio of the pump tube and the pump tube piston. The third concept involves shock heating of the working gas by high explosives in a cyclindrical geometry reusable device. Preliminary design analyses are performed on all three concepts and they appear to be quite feasible. Reductions in the length and mass of the pump tube by factors up to about 11 and about 7, respectively, are predicted, relative to a benchmark conventional pump tube.

Bogdanoff, D. W.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Computational flow predictions for hypersonic drag devices

The effectiveness of two types of hypersonic decelerators are computationally examined: mechanically deployable flares and inflatable ballutes. CFD is used to predict the flowfield around a solid rocket motor (SRM) with a deployed decelerator. The computations are performed with an ideal gas solver using an effective specific heat ratio of 1.15. The surface pressure coefficients, the drag, and the extent of the compression corner separation zone predicted by the ideal gas solver compare well with those predicted by the nonequilibrium solver. The ideal gas solver is computationally inexpensive and is shown to be well suited for preliminary design studies. The computed solutions are used to determine the size and shape of the decelerator that are required to achieve a drag coefficient of 5 in order to assure that the SRM will splash down in the Pacific Ocean. Heat transfer rates to the SRM and the decelerators are predicted to estimate the amount of thermal protection required.

Tokarcik, Susan↗

NASA NTRS1992

The transition prediction toolkit: LST, SIT, PSE, DNS, and LES

The e(sup N) method for predicting transition onset is an amplitude ratio criterion that is on the verge of full maturation for three-dimensional, compressible, real gas flows. Many of the components for a more sophisticated, absolute amplitude criterion are now emerging: receptivity theory, secondary instability theory, parabolized stability equations approaches, direct numerical simulation and large-eddy simulation. This paper will provide a description of each of these new theoretical tools and provide indications of their current status.

Zang, Thomas A.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Thin tailored composite wing for civil tiltrotor

The tiltrotor aircraft is a flight vehicle which combines the efficient low speed (i.e., take-off, landing, and hover) characteristics of a helicopter with the efficient cruise speed of a turboprop airplane. A well-known example of such vehicle is the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey. The high cruise speed and range constraints placed on the civil tiltrotor require a relatively thin wing to increase the drag-divergence Mach number which translates into lower compressibility drag. It is required to reduce the wing maximum thickness-to-chord ratio t/c from 23% (i.e., V-22 wing) to 18%. While a reduction in wing thickness results in improved aerodynamic efficiency, it has an adverse effect on the wing structure and it tends to reduce structural stiffness. If ignored, the reduction in wing stiffness leads to susceptibility to aeroelastic and dynamic instabilities which may consequently cause a catastrophic failure. By taking advantage of the directional stiffness characteristics of composite materials the wing structure may be tailored to have the necessary stiffness, at a lower thickness, while keeping the weight low. The goal of this study is to design a wing structure for minimum weight subject to structural, dynamic and aeroelastic constraints. The structural constraints are in terms of strength and buckling allowables. The dynamic constraints are in terms of wing natural frequencies in vertical and horizontal bending and torsion. The aeroelastic constraints are in terms of frequency placement of the wing structure relative to those of the rotor system. The wing-rotor-pylon aeroelastic and dynamic interactions are limited in this design study by holding the cruise speed, rotor-pylon system, and wing geometric attributes fixed. To assure that the wing-rotor stability margins are maintained a more rigorous analysis based on a detailed model of the rotor system will need to ensue following the design study. The skin-stringer-rib type architecture is used for the wing-box structure. The design variables include upper and lower skin ply thicknesses and orientation angles, spar and rib web thicknesses and cap areas, and stringer cross-sectional areas. These design variables will allow the maximum tailoring of the structure to meet the design requirements most efficiently. Initial dynamic analysis has been conducted using MSC/NASTRAN to determine the baseline wing's frequencies and mode shapes. For the design study we intend to use the finite-element based code called WIDOWAC (Wing Design Optimization With Aeroeastic Constraints) that was developed at NASA Langley in early 1970's for airplane wing structural analysis and preliminary design. Currently, the focus is on modification and validation of this code which will be used for the civil tiltrotor design efforts.

Rais-Rohani, Masoud↗

NASA NTRS1995

Nonaxisymmetric secular instabilities driven by star/disk coupling

We determine conditions for the onset of nonaxisymmetric secular instabilities in polytropes with a wide range of angular momentum distributions using Lagrangian techniques, and then calculate the growth rate of such instabilities when driven by the coupling of the perturbed star to a circumstellar disk. We use Langrangian displacement vectors with azimuthal dependence proportional to exp (im phi), where m is an integer and phi is the azimuthal coordinate. The onset of secular instability in terms of the quantity T/absolute value of W, the ratio of rotational kinetic energy to gravitational potential energy, is affected by both the compressibility and the angular momentum distribution of the polytrope. The largest effects occur when the angular momentum distribution is varied. For polytropic index n = 3/2, the onset of secular instability for the m = 2 mode (the bar mode), as determined by its neutral point, shifts from T/absolute value of W = 0.141 to 0.093, while the m = 5 mode neutral point shifts from T/absolute value of W = 0.088 to 0.031 over the range of angular momentum distributions we consider. The smallest critical T/absolute value of W-values occur for the angular momentum distributions which are the most peaked toward the equator. For the angular momentum distribution of a Maclaurin spheroid, as the polytropic index n is increased from 3/2 to 5/2, the neutral point for m = 2 shifts from T/absolute value of W = 0.141 to 0.144 and the netural point for m = 5 shifts from T/absolute value of W = 0.069 to 0.078. The netural points for m = 2 and 5 for the Maclaurin sequence (n = 0) are 0.137 and 0.0629, respectively. As the angular momentum distribution becomes more peaked toward the equatorial radius of the polytropes, the critical T/absolute value of W-values generally become less sensitive to the compressibility of the polytrope. Star/disk coupling can drive the secular instability in systems where the star is surrounded by a massive disk and, if the instability can grow to moderate amplitude, then the coupling can transport significant amounts of angular momentum from the star into the circumstellar disk. We find, for the particular case of rotating protostars during the accretion phase, that the instability growth time can be shorter than the accretion time. Further, if the instability can grow to amplitudes on the order of several percent, the star/disk coupling can remove angular momentum from the forming star faster than it is added by accretion.

Imamura, James, N.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Effect of Density Gradients in Confined Supersonic Shear Layers: Three-Dimensional Modes - 2

The effect of density gradients on three-dimensional (3-D) supersonic acoustic modes and 3-D subsonic modes in a compressible confined shear layer were investigated using linear analysis. The compressible Rayleigh equation with the solution of the steady compressible boundary layer equations as its basic profiles was solved for two different density ratios, 1.398 and 3.0, and several spanwise wave numbers. For a density ratio of 1.398, the 2-D Co, mode had the highest growth rate for a fixed aspect ratio BIH=2. At the higher-density ratio, the 3-D mode had a slightly higher maximum growth rate than the two-dimensional (2-D) mode, and the maximum growth rate was at a location where the phase speed was supersonic with respect to the fast stream.

Peroomian, Oshin↗

NASA NTRS2007

The Effects of Radiation on Imagery Sensors in Space

Recent experience using high definition video on the International Space Station reveals camera pixel degradation due to particle radiation to be a much more significant problem with high definition cameras than with standard definition video. Although it may at first appear that increased pixel density on the imager is the logical explanation for this, the ISS implementations of high definition suggest a more complex causal and mediating factor mix. The degree of damage seems to vary from one type of camera to another, and this variation prompts a reconsideration of the possible factors in pixel loss, such as imager size, number of pixels, pixel aperture ratio, imager type (CCD or CMOS), method of error correction/concealment, and the method of compression used for recording or transmission. The problem of imager pixel loss due to particle radiation is not limited to out-of-atmosphere applications. Since particle radiation increases with altitude, it is not surprising to find anecdotal evidence that video cameras subject to many hours of airline travel show an increased incidence of pixel loss. This is even evident in some standard definition video applications, and pixel loss due to particle radiation only stands to become a more salient issue considering the continued diffusion of high definition video cameras in the marketplace.

Mathis, Dylan↗

DOE OSTI2014

Experimental investigation of piston heat transfer under conventional diesel and reactivity-controlled compression ignition combustion regimes

The piston of a heavy-duty single-cylinder research engine was instrumented with 11 fast-response surface thermocouples, and a commercial wireless telemetry system was used to transmit the signals from the moving piston. The raw thermocouple data were processed using an inverse heat conduction method that included Tikhonov regularization to recover transient heat flux. By applying symmetry, the data were compiled to provide time-resolved spatial maps of the piston heat flux and surface temperature. A detailed comparison was made between conventional diesel combustion and reactivity-controlled compression ignition combustion operations at matched conditions of load, speed, boost pressure, and combustion phasing. The integrated piston heat transfer was found to be 24% lower, and the mean surface temperature was 25 C lower for reactivity-controlled compression ignition operation as compared to conventional diesel combustion, in spite of the higher peak heat release rate. Lower integrated piston heat transfer for reactivity-controlled compression ignition was found over all the operating conditions tested. The results showed that increasing speed decreased the integrated heat transfer for conventional diesel combustion and reactivity-controlled compression ignition. The effect of the start of injection timing was found to strongly influence conventional diesel combustion heat flux, but had a negligible effect on reactivity-controlled compression ignition heat flux, even in the limit of near top dead center high-reactivity fuel injection timings. These results suggest that the role of the high-reactivity fuel injection does not significantly affect the thermal environment even though it is important for controlling the ignition timing and heat release rate shape. The integrated heat transfer and the dynamic surface heat flux were found to be insensitive to changes in boost pressure for both conventional diesel combustion and reactivity-controlled compression ignition. However, for reactivity-controlled compression ignition, the mean surface temperature increased with changes in boost suggesting that equivalence ratio affects steady-state heat transfer.

Splitter, Derek A↗

DOE OSTI2014

Optical/near-infrared polarization survey of Sh 2-29: Magnetic fields, dense cloud fragmentations, and anomalous dust grain sizes

Sh 2-29 is a conspicuous star-forming region marked by the presence of massive embedded stars as well as several notable interstellar structures. In this research, our goals were to determine the role of magnetic fields and to study the size distribution of interstellar dust particles within this turbulent environment. We have used a set of optical and near-infrared polarimetric data obtained at OPD/LNA (Brazil) and CTIO (Chile), correlated with extinction maps, Two Micron All Sky Survey data, and images from the Digitized Sky Survey and Spitzer. The region's most striking feature is a swept out interstellar cavity whose polarimetric maps indicate that magnetic field lines were dragged outward, piling up along its borders. This led to a higher magnetic strength value (≈400 μG) and an abrupt increase in polarization degree, probably due to an enhancement in alignment efficiency. Furthermore, dense cloud fragmentations with peak A{sub V} between 20 and 37 mag were probably triggered by its expansion. The presence of 24 μm point-like sources indicates possible newborn stars inside this dense environment. A statistical analysis of the angular dispersion function revealed areas where field lines are aligned in a well-ordered pattern, seemingly due to compression effects from the H II region expansion. Finally, Serkowski function fits were used to study the ratio of the total-to-selective extinction, revealing a dual population of anomalous grain particle sizes. This trend suggests that both effects of coagulation and fragmentation of interstellar grains are present in the region.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Siloxane-modified polycarbosilane flexible Prepregs for fabrication of ceramic matrix composites via compression molding and PIP densification

For this work, the development of ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) using 5 harness satin carbon fiber fabric impregnated with commercial polycarbosilane precursor plasticized by siloxane copolymer was investigated aiming to improve wetting behavior and shape conformability. The polycarbosilane precursor and polysiloxane plasticizer were mixed at varying weight ratios to obtain flexible preceramic resin prepreg cloths. 13 plies of preceramic polymer prepreg cloths were stacked in 0/90° layup and cured by compression molding, followed by densified via PIP process. The CMCs were densified with eight PIP cycles followed by final crystallization at 1600 °C. The CMCs made with 10 wt% polysiloxane loading showed lower viscosity of the prepreg resin as well as higher strength and displacement to failure compared to those fabricated from unplasticized polycarbosilane prepolymer. In contrast, at higher concentration of plasticizer, viscosity of the prepreg resin increased, and the CMC became more brittle; however, it exhibited considerably higher thermal conductivity.

Carbosilane↗

DOE OSTI2015

Stabilization of high-compression, indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion implosions using a 4-shock adiabat-shaped drive

Hydrodynamic instabilities and poor fuel compression are major factors for capsule performance degradation in ignition experiments on the National Ignition Facility. Using a recently developed laser drive profile with a decaying first shock to tune the ablative Richtmyer-Meshkov (ARM) instability and subsequent in-flight Rayleigh-Taylor growth, we have demonstrated reduced growth compared to the standard ignition pulse whilst maintaining conditions for a low fuel adiabat needed for increased compression. Using in-flight x-ray radiography of pre-machined modulations, the first growth measurements using this new ARM-tuned drive have demonstrated instability growth reduction of ∼4× compared to the original design at a convergence ratio of ∼2. Corresponding simulations give a fuel adiabat of ∼1.6, similar to the original goal and consistent with ignition requirements.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2018

Radial Inertia Effect on Dynamic Compressive Response of Polymeric Foam Materials

Polymeric foams have been extensively used in shock isolation applications because of their superior shock or impact energy absorption capability. However, as a type of soft condensed matter, the highly nonlinear, heterogeneous, and dissipative behavior of polymeric foams may result in an ineffective mitigation or isolation to shock/blast loading. To meet certain desired shock mitigation or isolation requirements, the polymeric foams need to be experimentally characterized to obtain their intrinsic material response. However, radial inertia during dynamic compression has become a severe issue and needs to be fully understood. In this study, we developed an analytical method to calculate the additional stress induced by radial inertia in a polymeric foam specimen. The radial inertia is generally caused by Poisson’s effect and associated with three different mechanisms – axial strain acceleration, large deformation, and Poisson’s ratio change. In conclusion, the effect of Poisson’s ratio change during deformation on radial inertia was specifically investigated for hyperelastic foam materials, and verified with experimental results obtained from Kolsky compression bar tests on a silicone foam.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2021

Spectral properties of three-dimensional Anderson model

The three-dimensional Anderson model represents a paradigmatic model to understand the Anderson localization transition. In this work we first review some key results obtained for this model in the past 50 years, and then study its properties from the perspective of modern numerical approaches. Our main focus is on the quantitative comparison between the level sensitivity statistics and the level statistics. While the former studies the sensitivity of Hamiltonian eigenlevels upon inserting a magnetic flux, the latter studies the properties of unperturbed eigenlevels. We define two versions of dimensionless conductance, the first corresponding to the width of the level curvature distribution relative to the mean level spacing, and the second corresponding to the ratio of the Heisenberg time and the Thouless time obtained from the spectral form factor. We show that both conductances look remarkably similar around the localization transition, in particular, they predict a nearly identical critical point consistent with other well-established measures of the transition. We then study some further properties of those quantities: for level curvatures, we discuss particular similarities and differences between the width of the level curvature distribution and the characteristic energy studied by Edwards and Thouless (1972) in their pioneering work, in which the hopping at one lattice edge is changed from periodic to antiperiodic boundary conditions. In the context of the spectral form factor, we show that at the critical point it enters a broad time-independent regime, in which its value is consistent with the level compressibility obtained from the level variance. Finally, we test the scaling solution of the average level spacing ratio in the crossover regime using the cost function minimization approach introduced recently in Šuntajs et al. (2020). The latter approach seeks for the optimal scaling solution in the vicinity of the crossing point, while at the same time it allows for the crossing point to drift due to finite-size corrections. We find that the extracted transition point and the scaling coefficient agree with those from the literature to high numerical accuracy.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2019

Frequency and energy characteristics of a Cu – Ne laser at different durations of the leading edge of the excitation pulse

The lasing characteristics of a copper vapour laser in a tube with forced heating, having a length of 50 cm and a diameter of 2 cm, excited by a train of pulses are investigated. Comparative studies of the frequency and energy characteristics of the laser are performed with a leading edge duration of the excitation pulse of ∼25 ns (when the capacitance discharges through a thyratron and a magnetic compression line) and ∼3 and 1 ns (using circuits with a high-speed switch – kivotron). It is shown that a decrease in the leading edge duration gives rise to an increase in the optimal pulse repetition rate up to ∼30 kHz, the generation efficiency up to 3.2 % and the generation power per unit length over 100 W m{sup −1}. The results obtained confirm the concept of limiting the frequency and energy characteristics of a copper vapour laser due to the insufficient rate of energy input into the plasma at high prepulse electron concentrations. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

NASA NTRS2002

Genetic Optimization of a Tensegrity Structure

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is charged with developing advanced technologies for space telescopes. The next generation of space optics will be very large and lightweight. Tensegrity structures are built of compressive members (bars), and tensile members (strings). For most materials, the tensile strength of a longitudinal member is larger than its buckling strength; therefore a large stiffness to mass ratio can be achieved by increasing the use of tensile members. Tensegrities are the epitome of lightweight structures, since they take advantage of the larger tensile strength of materials. The compressive members of tensegrity structures are disjoint allowing compact storage of the structure. The structure has the potential to eliminate the requirement for assembly by man in space; it can be deployed by adjustments in its cable tension. A tensegrity structure can be more reliably modeled since none of the individual members experience bending moments. (Members that experience deformation in more than one dimension are much harder to model.) Structures that can be more precisely modeled can be more precisely controlled. Furthermore, an astoundingly wide variety of natural systems, including carbon atoms, water molecules, proteins, viruses, cells, tissues and even human and other living creatures are tensegrity structures. Through the process of evolution, nature continually improves the design of living creatures for the environment they live in. Since tensegrities are nature's structure of choice, it is conceivable that they have other benefits we are unaware of. A. Keane and S. Brown designed a satellite boom truss system with an enhanced vibration performance. They started with a standard truss system, then used a genetic algorithm to alter the design, while optimizing the vibration performance. An improvement of over 20,000% in frequency-averaged energy levels was obtained using this approach. In this report an introduction to tensegrity structures is given, along with a description of how to generate the nodal coordinates and connectivity of a multiple stage cylindrical tensegrity structure. A description of how finite elements can be used to develop a stiffness and mass matrix so that the modes of vibration can be determined from the eigenvalue problem is shown. A brief description of a micro genetic algorithm is then presented.

Jaime R. Taylor↗

NASA NTRS1982

Numerical simulation of the flow and fuel-air mixing in an axisymmetric piston-cylinder arrangement

The implicit factored method of Beam and Warming was employed to describe the flow and the fuel-air mixing in an axisymmetric piston-cylinder configuration during the intake and compression strokes. The governing equations were established on the basis of laminar flow. The increased mixing due to turbulence was simulated by appropriately chosen effective transport properties. Calculations were performed for single-component gases and for two-component gases and for two-component gas mixtures. The flow field was calculated as functions of time and position for different geometries, piston speeds, intake-charge-to-residual-gas-pressure ratios, and species mass fractions of the intake charge. Results are presented in graphical form which show the formation, growth, and break-up of those vortices which form during the intake stroke and the mixing of fuel and air throughout the intake and compression strokes. It is shown that at bore-to-stroke ratio of less than unity, the vortices may break-up during the intake stroke. It is also shown that vortices which do not break-up during the intake stroke coalesce during the compression stroke. The results generated were compared to existing numerical solutions and to available experimental data.

Shih, T. I. P.↗

DOE OSTI2017

Spherical nanoindentation of proton irradiated 304 stainless steel: A comparison of small scale mechanical test techniques for measuring irradiation hardening

Experimentally quantifying the mechanical effects of radiation damage in reactor materials is necessary for the development and qualification of new materials for improved performance and safety. This can be achieved in a high-throughput fashion through a combination of ion beam irradiation and small scale mechanical testing in contrast to the high cost and laborious nature of bulk testing of reactor irradiated samples. The current paper focuses on using spherical nanoindentation stress-strain curves on unirradiated and proton irradiated (10 dpa at 360 °C) 304 stainless steel to quantify the mechanical effects of radiation damage. Spherical nanoindentation stress-strain measurements show a radiation-induced increase in indentation yield strength from 1.36 GPa to 2.72 GPa and a radiation-induced increase in indentation work hardening rate of 10 GPa–30 GPa. These measurements are critically compared against Berkovich nanohardness, micropillar compression, and micro-tension measurements on the same material and similar grain orientations. The ratio of irradiated to unirradiated yield strength increases by a similar factor of 2 when measured via spherical nanoindentation or Berkovich nanohardness testing. A comparison of spherical indentation stress-strain curves to uniaxial (micropillar and micro-tension) stress-strain curves was achieved using a simple scaling relationship which shows good agreement for the unirradiated condition and poor agreement in post-yield behavior for the irradiated condition. Finally, the disagreement between spherical nanoindentation and uniaxial stress-strain curves is likely due to the plastic instability that occurs during uniaxial tests but is absent during spherical nanoindentation tests.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗