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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 109 records · Page 6

Specifying and calibrating instrumentations for wideband electronic power measurements

The wideband electric power measurement related topics of electronic wattmeter calibration and specification are discussed. Tested calibration techniques are described in detail. Analytical methods used to determine the bandwidth requirements of instrumentation for switching circuit waveforms are presented and illustrated with examples from electric vehicle type applications. Analog multiplier wattmeters, digital wattmeters and calculating digital oscilloscopes are compared. The instrumentation characteristics which are critical to accurate wideband power measurement are described.

Lesco, D. J.↗

Electronically Controlled Resistor Bank

Resistance quickly varied in small steps over wide range. Device with no moving parts provides variable electrical resistance. Used with analog or digital circuity to provide electronic selection of large number of resistance values for testing, simulation, control, or other purposes. Nearest electromechanical equivalent of all-electronic device is potentiometer driven by servomotor.

Ross, Walter L.↗

Aircraft jolts from lightning bolts

The trend toward the use of composite materials and digital electronics has renewed the need to quantify the effects of lightning strikes to airplanes, since composite structures do not provide shielding equivalent to that of metal aircraft, and digital systems are potentially more susceptible to upset by electrical transients than are analog electronic systems. A research program, called the Storm Hazards Program, has been run by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the past eight years and has provided the first statistically significant measurements of the electromagnetic interaction between lightning and aircraft. A NASA-owned F-106B airplane has been flown through thunderstorms about 1500 times at altitudes between 5,000 and 40,000 feet (1,500 to 12,000 meters). The airplane, lightning-hardened and outfitted with special instruments, was hit by lightning 714 times. The types of measurements made and the results are described.

Pitts, Felix L.↗

Electric dipole moment of the electron and of the neutron

It is shown that if Higgs-boson exchange mediates CP violation a significant electric dipole moment for the electron can result. Analogous effects can contribute to the neutron's electric dipole moment at a level competitive with Weinberg's three-gluon operator.

Barr, S. M.↗

Distributed Accounting on the Grid

By the late 1990s, the Internet was adequately equipped to move vast amounts of data between HPC (High Performance Computing) systems, and efforts were initiated to link together the national infrastructure of high performance computational and data storage resources together into a general computational utility 'grid', analogous to the national electrical power grid infrastructure. The purpose of the Computational grid is to provide dependable, consistent, pervasive, and inexpensive access to computational resources for the computing community in the form of a computing utility. This paper presents a fully distributed view of Grid usage accounting and a methodology for allocating Grid computational resources for use on a Grid computing system.

Thigpen, William↗

Bolometer Simulation Using SPICE

A general model is presented that assimilates the thermal and electrical properties of the bolometer - this block model demonstrates the Electro-Thermal Feedback (ETF) effect on the bolometers performance. This methodology is used to construct a SPICE model that by way of analogy combines the thermal and electrical phenomena into one simulation session. The resulting circuit diagram is presented and discussed.

Jones, Hollis H.↗

Programmable Analog Memory Resistors For Electronic Neural Networks

Electrical resistance of new solid-state device altered repeatedly by suitable control signals, yet remains at steady value when control signal removed. Resistance set at low value ("on" state), high value ("off" state), or at any convenient intermediate value and left there until new value desired. Circuits of this type particularly useful in nonvolatile, associative electronic memories based on models of neural networks. Such programmable analog memory resistors ideally suited as synaptic interconnects in "self-learning" neural nets. Operation of device depends on electrochromic property of WO3, which when pure is insulator. Potential uses include nonvolatile, erasable, electronically programmable read-only memories.

Ramesham, Rajeshuni↗

Digital resolver for helicopter model blade motion analysis

The paper reports the development and initial testing of a digital resolver to replace existing analog signal processing instrumentation. Radiometers, mounted directly on one of the fully articulated blades, are electrically connected through a slip ring to analog signal processing circuitry. The measured signals are periodic with azimuth angle and are resolved into harmonic components, with 0 deg over the tail. The periodic nature of the helicopter blade motion restricts the frequency content of each flapping and yaw signal to the fundamental and harmonics of the rotor rotational frequency. A minicomputer is employed to collect these data and then plot them graphically in real time. With this and other information generated by the instrumentation, a helicopter test pilot can then adjust the helicopter model's controls to achieve the desired aerodynamic test conditions.

Daniels, T. S.↗

Reconfigurable fuzzy cell

This invention relates to a reconfigurable fuzzy cell comprising a digital control programmable gain operation amplifier, an analog-to-digital converter, an electrically erasable PROM, and 8-bit counter and comparator, and supporting logic configured to achieve in real-time fuzzy systems high throughput, grade-of-membership or membership-value conversion of multi-input sensor data. The invention provides a flexible multiplexing-capable configuration, implemented entirely in hardware, for effectuating S-, Z-, and PI-membership functions or combinations thereof, based upon fuzzy logic level-set theory. A membership value table storing 'knowledge data' for each of S-, Z-, and PI-functions is contained within a nonvolatile memory for storing bits of membership and parametric information in a plurality of address spaces. Based upon parametric and control signals, analog sensor data is digitized and converted into grade-of-membership data. In situ learn and recognition modes of operation are also provided.

Salazar, George A.↗

Modeling Auditory-Haptic Interface Cues from an Analog Multi-line Telephone

The Western Electric Company produced a multi-line telephone during the 1940s-1970s using a six-button interface design that provided robust tactile, haptic and auditory cues regarding the "state" of the communication system. This multi-line telephone was used as a model for a trade study comparison of two interfaces: a touchscreen interface (iPad)) versus a pressure-sensitive strain gauge button interface (Phidget USB interface controllers). The experiment and its results are detailed in the authors' AES 133rd convention paper " Multimodal Information Management: Evaluation of Auditory and Haptic Cues for NextGen Communication Dispays". This Engineering Brief describes how the interface logic, visual indications, and auditory cues of the original telephone were synthesized using MAX/MSP, including the logic for line selection, line hold, and priority line activation.

Begault, Durand R.↗

Property investigation and sputter deposition of dispersion-hardened copper for fatigue specimen fabrication

Sputter-deposited alloys of dispersion-hardenable Cu-0.25 vol% SiC and Cu-0.50 vol% SiC and precipitation-hardenable Cu-0.15 wt% Zr and Cu-0.05 wt% Mg-0.15 wt% Zr-0.40 wt% Cr were investigated for selection to evaluate fatigue specimen performance with potential application in fabricating regeneratively cooled rocket thrust chambers. Yield strengths in the 700 to 1000-MN/sq m range were observed with uniform elongation ranging from 0.5 to 1.5% and necking indicative of greater ductility. Electrical conductivity measured as an analog to thermal conductivity gave values 90% IACS for Cu-0.15 wt% Zr and Cu-0.05 wt% Mg-0.15 wt% Zr-0.40 wt% Cr. A 5500-g sputtered deposit of Cu-0.15 wt% Zr alloy, 12.29 mm (0.484 in.) average thickness in the fatigue specimen gage length, was provided to NASA on one of their substrates.

Mcclanahan, E. D.↗

Transparent sound screens

Transparent sound screens consisting of glass (organic glass) plates placed at fixed angles with respect to the floor are considered. Noise levels in the screened area depend on the cumulative effect of direct, reverberated and refracted components of sound energy radiated by the source. This effect is analyzed on the analogy of the summation of electrical impedances. Inasmuch as under given circumstances sufficient noise control can be obtained, transparent screens seem to solve the problem of unimpeded supervision of installations in noisy workshops and power plants; in administrative buildings, computing centers, design bureaus, etc., they ensure acoustic comfort without space losses and without inspiring claustrophobia.

Bizo, F.↗

Elements of solar sail navigation with application to a Halley's comet rendezvous

The problem of interplanetary navigation of a solar sail spacecraft is examined and found to be analogous to that of solar electric spacecraft. The dominant navigation error sources are shown to be accelerations that are unaccounted for in the description of the vehicle's motion, due to the inability to precisely model the solar radiation pressure. A strategy for navigation in the presence of these accelerations is devised, based on techniques previously developed for solar electric vehicles. An evaluation of the strategy is made for a Halley's comet rendezvous mission, and the results of that evaluation indicate that the strategy gives acceptable performance.

Jacobson, R. A.↗

The geomagnetic mass spectrometer - Mass and energy dispersions of ionospheric ion flows into the magnetosphere

Observations of ion flows in the polar magnetosphere, made by the retarding ion mass spectrometer on NASA's Dynamics Explorer (DE) 1, are compared with those made simultaneously in the topside ionosphere by the ion drift meter on the lower-altitude DE 2 spacecraft. The results show the dayside auroral ionosphere to be a significant and highly persistent source of plasma for the magnetosphere. The upwelling ionospheric ions are spatially dispersed, according to both their energy and mass, by the combined actions of the geomagnetic field and the dawn-to-dusk convection electric field, in an effect analogous to the operation of an ion mass spectrometer.

Lockwood, M.↗

An airfoil pitch apparatus-modeling and control design

The study of dynamic stall of rapidly pitching airfoils is being conducted at NASA Ames Research Center. Understanding this physical phenomenon will aid in improving the maneuverability of fighter aircraft as well as civilian aircraft. A wind tunnel device which can linearly pitch and control an airfoil with rapid dynamic response is needed for such tests. To develop a mechanism capable of high accelerations, an accurate model and control system is created. The model contains mathematical representations of the mechanical system, including mass, spring, and damping characteristics for each structural element, as well as coulomb friction and servovalve saturation. Electrical components, both digital and analog, linear and nonlinear, are simulated. The implementation of such a high-performance system requires detailed control design as well as state-of-the-art components. This paper describes the system model, states the system requirements, and presents results of its theoretical performance which maximizes the structural and hydraulic aspects of this system.

Andrews, Daniel R.↗

An airfoil pitch apparatus-modeling and control design

The study of dynamic stall of rapidly pitching airfoils is being conducted at NASA Ames Research Center. Understanding this physical phenomenon will aid in improving the maneuverability of fighter aircraft as well as civilian aircraft. A wind tunnel device which can linearly pitch and control an airfoil with rapid dynamic reponse is needed for such tests. To develop a mechanism capable of high accelerations, an accurate model and control system is created. The model contains mathematical representations of the mechanical system, including mass, spring, and damping characteristics for each structural element, as well as coulomb friction and servovalve saturation. Electrical components, both digital and analog, linear and nonlinear, are simulated. The implementation of such a high-performance system requires detailed control design as well as state-of-the-art components. This paper describes the system model, states the system requirements, and presents results of its theoretical performance which maximizes the structural and hydraulic aspects of this system.

Andrews, Daniel R.↗

Software breadboard study

The overall goal of this study was to develop new concepts and technology for the Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby (CRAF), Cassini, and other future deep space missions which maximally conform to the Functional Specification for the NASA X-Band Transponder (NXT), FM513778 (preliminary, revised July 26, 1988). The study is composed of two tasks. The first task was to investigate a new digital signal processing technique which involves the processing of 1-bit samples and has the potential for significant size, mass, power, and electrical performance improvements over conventional analog approaches. The entire X-band receiver tracking loop was simulated on a digital computer using a high-level programming language. Simulations on this 'software breadboard' showed the technique to be well-behaved and a good approximation to its analog predecessor from threshold to strong signal levels in terms of tracking-loop performance, command signal-to-noise ratio and ranging signal-to-noise ratio. The successful completion of this task paves the way for building a hardware breadboard, the recommended next step in confirming this approach is ready for incorporation into flight hardware. The second task in this study was to investigate another technique which provides considerable simplification in the synthesis of the receiver first LO over conventional phase-locked multiplier schemes and in this approach, provides down-conversion for an S-band emergency receive mode without the need of an additional LO. The objective of this study was to develop methodology and models to predict the conversion loss, input RF bandwidth, and output RF bandwidth of a series GaAs FET sampling mixer and to breadboard and test a circuit design suitable for the X and S-band down-conversion applications.

Nuckolls, C.↗