Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Curved Structures”

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.

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

At least 1,045 records · Page 58
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

The effect of entrance flow development on vortex formation and wall shear stress in a curved artery model

In this work, we numerically investigate the effect of entrance condition on the spatial and temporal evolution of multiple three-dimensional vortex pairs and the wall shear stress distribution in a curved artery model. We perform this study using a Newtonian blood-analog fluid subjected to a pulsatile flow with two inflow conditions. The first flow condition is fully developed while the second condition is undeveloped (i.e., uniform). We discuss the connection along the axial direction between regions of organized vorticity observed at various cross sections of the model and compare results between the different entrance conditions. We model a human artery with a simple, rigid 180° curved pipe with a circular cross section and constant curvature, neglecting the effects of taper, torsion, and elasticity. Numerical results are computed from a discontinuous high-order spectral element flow solver. The flow rate used in this study is physiological. We observe differences in secondary flow patterns, especially during the deceleration phase of the physiological waveform where multiple vortical structures of both Dean-type and Lyne-type coexist. The results indicate that decreased axial velocities under an undeveloped condition produce smaller secondary flows that ultimately inhibit growth of any interior flow vortices. We highlight the effect of the entrance condition on the formation of these structures and subsequent appearance of abnormal inner wall shear stresses, which suggest there may be a lower prevalence of cardiovascular disease in curved arteries where the flow is rather undeveloped—a potentially physiologically significant result to help understand the influence of blood flow development on disease.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2002

Recession Curve Generation for the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster Thermal Protection System Coatings

Ablatable Thermal Protection System (TPS) coatings are used on the Space Shuttle Vehicle Solid Rocket Boosters in order to protect the aluminum structure from experiencing excessive temperatures. The methodology used to characterize the recession of such materials is outlined. Details of the tests, including the facility, test articles and test article processing are also presented. The recession rates are collapsed into an empirical power-law relation. A design curve is defined using a 95-percentile student-t distribution. based on the nominal results. Actual test results are presented for the current acreage TPS material used.

Kanner, Howard S.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Crystalline phase transitions and vibrational spectra of silicon up to multiterapascal pressures

A composite high-pressure phase diagram for silicon has been predicted for up to 4 TPa. Here, this diagram has been built using a combination of evolutionary algorithm-based structure searches, electronic density functional theory, lattice dynamics of perfect crystals, and anharmonic corrections for the solid state in conjunction with molecular dynamics for evaluating the melt curve. The anharmonic corrections to free energy, arising from both finite-temperature three-phonon interactions and temperature dependence of the lattice axial ratios, play a critical role in properly identifying the solid–solid transition boundaries of the orthorhombic structures. A double hexagonal close-packed structure has been found to be thermodynamically and dynamically stable, sandwiched between the experimentally observed base-centered orthorhombic and hexagonal close-packed structures. In addition, beyond 2.8 TPa, there exists a sequence of face-centered cubic-to-body-centered cubic-to-simple cubic transitions that are accompanied by the localization of electrons in the interstitial spaces between the ions. Supplementing the structural calculations, second- and third-order interatomic force constants were evaluated to compute the phonon vibration modes and linewidths, respectively. This allowed an elaborate analysis of the Raman and infrared spectra for all of the structures of silicon identified so far.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Atomistic modeling of tensile deformation and fracture of carbon fibers: Nanoscale stress redistribution, effect of local structural characteristics and nanovoids

The mechanisms of tensile deformation and fracture of carbon fibers are investigated in large-scale molecular dynamics simulations. The simulations performed for computational samples with different structural characteristics enable analysis of the structural sensitivity of the mechanical properties. It is found that the carbon fiber nanostructure can be represented by a fine (nanoscale) mixture of stiff and soft regions. Despite the nanoscale structural heterogeneity of the computational fibers, their fracture strain and tensile strength exceed the experimental values by almost an order of magnitude. Here, this observation is explained by the ability of the carbon fiber nanostructure, largely consisting of curved and folded layers of turbostratic carbon, to exhibit continuous nanoscale load redistribution during the deformation. The transient, fluid nature of a percolating cluster of stress-holding structural elements prevents stress localization at the early stage of the deformation and enables the fiber nanostructure to adapt to the increasing load. Overall, the results of the simulations suggest that the design of advanced carbon fiber manufacturing and post-processing methods focused on the elimination of critical mesoscopic structural defects (internal voids, foreign inclusions, and surface flaws) can yield a substantial increase in the strength and fracture strain of carbon fibers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Seismicity and structure of Akutan and Makushin Volcanoes, Alaska, using joint body and surface wave tomography

Joint inversions of seismic data recover models that simultaneously fit multiple constraints while playing upon the strengths of each data type. Here, we jointly invert 14 years of local earthquake body wave arrival times from the Alaska Volcano Observatory catalog and Rayleigh wave dispersion curves based upon ambient noise measurements for local V p , V s , and hypocentral locations at Akutan and Makushin Volcanoes using a new joint inversion algorithm.The velocity structure and relocated seismicity of both volcanoes are significantly more complex than many other volcanoes studied using similar techniques. Seismicity is distributed among several areas beneath or beyond the flanks of both volcanoes, illuminating a variety of volcanic and tectonic features. The velocity structures of the two volcanoes are exemplified by the presence of narrow high-V p features in the near surface, indicating likely current or remnant pathways of magma to the surface. A single broad low-V p region beneath each volcano is slightly offset from each summit and centered at approximately 7 km depth, indicating a potential magma chamber, where magma is stored over longer time periods. Differing recovery capabilities of the Vp and Vs datasets indicate that the results of these types of joint inversions must be interpreted carefully.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1976

The interpretation of optical light variations of Centaurus X-3

The interpretation of optical light variations of X-ray binaries is discussed for the case of negligible reflection effect. The limiting cases of synchronous rotation of the visible star (Roche configuration) and of no rotation (pure tidal deformation) are considered. The theoretical results are compared with the available light curves of Cen X-3. X-ray data of the Copernicus satellite are used to get an impression of the atmospheric structure of the outer layers of the visible component. It is shown, that the X-ray eclipse duration is in good agreement with the mass ration derived from the optical variations. The X-ray eclipse duration is discussed with respect to the extended low states, and a possible correlation of the extended lows with the appearance of the optical light curves is considered.

Mauder, H.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Mediastinal lymph node detection and station mapping on chest CT using spatial priors and random forest

Purpose: To develop an automated system for mediastinal lymph node detection and station mapping for chest CT. Methods: The contextual organs, trachea, lungs, and spine are first automatically identified to locate the region of interest (ROI) (mediastinum). The authors employ shape features derived from Hessian analysis, local object scale, and circular transformation that are computed per voxel in the ROI. Eight more anatomical structures are simultaneously segmented by multiatlas label fusion. Spatial priors are defined as the relative multidimensional distance vectors corresponding to each structure. Intensity, shape, and spatial prior features are integrated and parsed by a random forest classifier for lymph node detection. The detected candidates are then segmented by the following curve evolution process. Texture features are computed on the segmented lymph nodes and a support vector machine committee is used for final classification. For lymph node station labeling, based on the segmentation results of the above anatomical structures, the textual definitions of mediastinal lymph node map according to the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer are converted into patient-specific color-coded CT image, where the lymph node station can be automatically assigned for each detected node. Results: The chest CT volumes from 70 patients with 316 enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes are used for validation. For lymph node detection, their system achieves 88% sensitivity at eight false positives per patient. For lymph node station labeling, 84.5% of lymph nodes are correctly assigned to their stations. Conclusions: Multiple-channel shape, intensity, and spatial prior features aggregated by a random forest classifier improve mediastinal lymph node detection on chest CT. Using the location information of segmented anatomic structures from the multiatlas formulation enables accurate identification of lymph node stations.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1983

Chromospheric emission of W Ursae Majoris-type stars and its relation to the structure of their common envelopes

Short-wavelength IUE spectra of 14 W UMa binary systems were analyzed. All but the A2 V system GK Cep and possibly the A8 system AG Vir show chromospheric and transition-region emission lines. This property extends to at least as early as A8-9. The luminosity in transition-region emission lines is roughly proportional to bolometric luminosity. The strength of transition-region emission relative to chromospheric emission is roughly independent of spectral type and is at least as great as for other stars with enhanced surface activity. The enhanced chromospheric activity and light curve peculiarities of the hotter systems seem to disagree with the predictions of the contract-discontinuity models for contract binary structure.

Eaton, J. A.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Barless flocculent galaxies: a dynamic puzzle

We draw attention to the bright galaxies that do not show a bar in their structure but have a flocculent spiral structure. Using the THINGS and HERACLES kinematic data for four barless galaxies (NGC 2841, NGC 3512, NGC 5055, NGC 7331), we built their mass models including dark haloes. We concluded that the fraction of the dark matter does not exceed 50 per cent within the optical radii of the galaxies. This is too little to explain the lack of a bar in these galaxies. In an attempt to understand the featureless structure of these galaxies, we constructed several N-body models with an initially reduced content of dark matter. We concluded that, in addition to the low mass of the dark halo, the decisive factor that leads to a barless disc is the start from an initially unstable state. An isolated dynamically cold disc (with the Toomre parameter Q < 0.5) settled into rotational equilibrium passes through the short stage of violent instability with fragmentation and formation of stellar clumps. After that, it evolves passively and ends up with a featureless structure. We assume that the barless flocculent galaxies studied in this work may be descendants of galaxies at high redshifts with rotation curves that are consistent with the high mass fraction of baryons relative to the total dark matter halo.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Ion complexation waves emerge at the curved interfaces of layered minerals

Abstract Visualizing hydrated interfaces is of widespread interest across the physical sciences and is a particularly acute need for layered minerals, whose properties are governed by the structure of the electric double layer (EDL) where mineral and solution meet. Here, we show that cryo electron microscopy and tomography enable direct imaging of the EDL at montmorillonite interfaces in monovalent electrolytes with ångstrom resolution over micron length scales. A learning-based multiple-scattering reconstruction method for cryo electron tomography reveals ions bound asymmetrically on opposite sides of curved, exfoliated layers. We observe conserved ion-density asymmetry across stacks of interacting layers in cryo electron microscopy that is associated with configurations of inner- and outer-sphere ion-water-mineral complexes that we term complexation waves. Coherent X-ray scattering confirms that complexation waves propagate at room-temperature via a competition between ion dehydration and charge interactions that are coupled across opposing sides of a layer, driving dynamic transitions between stacked and aggregated states via layer exfoliation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Shear-induced breaking of cages in colloidal glasses: Scattering experiments and mode coupling theory

We employ x-ray scattering on sheared colloidal suspensions and mode coupling theory to study structure factor distortions of glass-forming systems under shear. We find a transition from quadrupolar elastic distortion at small strains to quadrupolar and hexadecupolar modes in the stationary state. The latter are interpreted as signatures of plastic rearrangements in homogeneous, thermalized systems. From their transient evolution with strain, we identify characteristic strain and length-scale values where these plastic rearrangements dominate. This characteristic strain coincides with the maximum of the shear stress versus strain curve, indicating the proliferation of plastic flow. The hexadecupolar modes dominate at the wavevector of the principal peak of the equilibrium structure factor that is related to the cage-effect in mode coupling theory. We hence identify the structural signature of plastic flow of glasses.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Stress-strain state of mechanical rebar couplings

Mechanical rebar couplers are preferable in the advanced building construction and structural design of anti-seismic elements. The paper presents destructive inspection techniques used to investigate stress fields (tensile and compressive) and deformation curves for mechanical rebar splicing. The properties of mechanical rebar splicing are investigated by the non-destructive testing digital radiography. The behavior of real connections (column-to-column, beam-to-column) is studied under static and dynamic loads. Investigation results allow the elaboration of recommendations on their application in the universal prefabricated anti-seismic structural system developed at Tomsk State University of Architecture and Building, Tomsk, Russia.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS2004

Controllable Curved Mirrors Made from Single-Layer EAP Films

A document proposes that lightweight, deployable, large-aperture, controllable curved mirrors made of reflectively coated thin electroactive-polymer (EAP) films be developed for use in spaceborne microwave and optical systems. In these mirrors, the EAP films would serve as both structures and actuators. EAPs that are potentially suitable for such use include piezoelectric, electrostrictive, ferroelectric, and dielectric polymers. These materials exhibit strains proportional to the squares of applied electric fields. Utilizing this phenomenon, a curved mirror according to the proposal could be made from a flat film, upon which a nonuniform electrostatic potential (decreasing from the center toward the edge) would be imposed to obtain a required curvature. The effect would be analogous to that of an old-fashioned metalworking practice in which a flat metal sheet is made into a bowl by hammering it repeatedly, the frequency of hammer blows decreasing with distance from the center. In operation, the nonuniform electrostatic potential could be imposed by use of an electron gun. Calculations have shown that by use of a single- layer film made of a currently available EAP, it would be possible to control the focal length of a 2-m-diameter mirror from infinity to 1.25 m.

Bao, Xiaoqi↗
DOE OSTI2019

Impact of Ultraviolet Irradiation on Stress–Strain Behavior of Syndiotactic 1,2-Polybutadien: The Role of Oxidation

We studied the impact of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation on stress–strain characteristics, derived from uniaxial stretching measurements, and the molecular structure (photoinduced changes) of syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadien, a polymer with thermoplastic elastomer properties. Uniaxial stretching stress–strain curves are recorded for samples subjected to UV irradiation for different times and the effects UV irradiation has on the stress–strain behavior of polymers are analyzed. Long UV irradiation is found to markedly increase the hardening of polymers: Young’s modulus and yield strength increase, while the fracture strain decreases. At the same time, we observe a sharp increase in polymer molecular weight and its considerable oxidation that particularly involves surface layers. The mechanisms of cross-linking between macromolecules and their simultaneous oxidation induced by exposure to UV light are discussed along with the role these processes play in evolution of the physical mechanical properties under UV irradiation.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Investigation of the pressure dependent thermodynamic and elastic properties of 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene using dispersion corrected density functional theory

The influence of pressure on the thermodynamic, structural, and elastic properties of the 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB) molecular crystal at T = 0 is systematically studied. Calculations are carried out using density functional theory methods in a plane wave basis set with dispersion corrections for the exchange-correlation part of total energy, and ultrasoft pseudopotentials. The equilibrium unit cell parameters, the cold compression curve in the pressure range of 0–50 GPa and the sound speeds are computed. The effect of finite pressure on the molecular structure of TATB is elucidated from the analysis of relative changes in the intra- and intermolecular geometrical parameters. For the first time, the full set of elastic constants of this crystal at zero and non-zero pressures is determined from ab initio calculations. The resulted structural, elastic, and acoustic properties of TATB are shown to be in a good agreement with available experimental and theoretical data.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

A Hierarchical Modeling for Reactive Power Optimization With Joint Transmission and Distribution Networks by Curve Fitting

Here, in order to solve the reactive power optimization with joint transmission and distribution networks, a hierarchical modeling method is proposed in this paper. It allows the reactive power optimization of transmission and distribution networks to be performed separately, leading to a master–slave structure and improves traditional centralized modeling methods by alleviating the big data problem in a control center. Specifically, the transmission-distribution-network coordination issue of the hierarchical modeling method is investigated. First, a curve-fitting approach is developed to provide a cost function of the slave model for the master model, which reflects the impacts of each slave model. Second, the transmission and distribution networks are decoupled at feeder buses, and all the distribution networks are coordinated by the master reactive power optimization model to achieve the global optimality. Finally, numerical results on two test systems verify the effectiveness of the proposed hierarchical modeling and curve-fitting methods.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2019

More exact results in the Wilson loop defect CFT: bulk-defect OPE, nonplanar corrections and quantum spectral curve

We perform here exact computations of correlation functions of 1/2-BPS local operators and protected operator insertions on the 1/8-BPS Wilson loop in $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM. This generalizes the results of our previous paper arXiv:1802.05201, which employs supersymmetric localization, OPE and the Gram-Schmidt process. In particular, we conduct a detailed analysis for the 1/2-BPS circular (or straight) Wilson loop in the planar limit, which defines an interesting nontrivial defect CFT. We compute its bulk-defect structure constants at finite 't Hooft coupling, and present simple integral expressions in terms of the $Q$-functions that appear in the Quantum Spectral Curve---a formalism originally introduced for the computation of the operator spectrum. The results at strong coupling are found to be in precise agreement with the holographic calculation based on perturbation theory around the AdS$_2$ string worldsheet, where they correspond to correlation functions of open string fluctuations and closed string vertex operators inserted on the worldsheet. Along the way, we clarify several aspects of the Gram-Schmidt analysis which were not addressed in the previous paper. Specifically, we clarify the role played by the multi-trace operators at the non-planar level, and confirm its importance by computing the non-planar correction to the defect two-point function. We also provide a formula for the first non-planar correction to the defect correlators in terms of the Quantum Spectral Curve, which suggests the potential applicability of the formalism to the non-planar correlation functions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗