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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Methods of periodicity analysis - Relationship between the Rayleigh analysis and a maximum likelihood method

For periodicity analysis of occurrence rates of discrete events, one can use the maximum likelihood method or the 'Rayleigh analysis'. In a maximum likelihood analysis using a sinusoidal distribution, one tries various values of amplitude A and phase angle Theta(0) of the distribution function. We show that these two methods are essentially equivalent to one another in spite of their different mathematical origins. Using the Rayleigh analysis, therefore, we can simply calculate A and Theta(0) which maximize the likelihood. Using the cumulative nature of the logarithmic likelihood, we can identify time intervals during which the periodicity is in operation. When a periodicity operates only in certain time intervals, it is important to identify these intervals. Mathematically, the above technique is applicable only to discrete events. However, with slight modifications we can apply this technique to general cases - periodicity analysis of measurements of continuously varying quantities.

Bai, T.↗
NASA NTRS1992

On the morphological development of second-phase particles in elastically-stressed solids

We examine the equilibrium shape and the dynamics of the morphological evolution of a coherent misfitting particle in an elastically anisotropic medium. No a priori assumptions are made on the possible particle morphologies; the particle evolves in a manner consistent with both the diffusion and elastic fields surrounding the particle and the thermodynamics of interfaces in stressed solids. Through these calculations we find the thermodynamically stable equilibrium shape of a misfitting particle. By thermodynamically stable we mean that all the equilibrium conditions, elastic, chemical and interfacial are satisfied simultaneously, in contrast to previous treatments which determined the equilibrium shape by minimizing the sum of the elastic and interfacial energies for certain classes of particle shapes. We find that the equilibrium particle morphologies are not simple geometric shapes, have fourfold symmetry and a continuously varying interfacial curvature with position along the interface. Furthermore, the results show that the times required for a particle to evolve to its equilibrium morphology are likely to be within those which are accessible experimentally. In addition, we develop a general approach for determining the equilibrium shape of a particle in an elastically stressed solid.

Voorhees, P. W.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A self-reconfigurable manipulator system with dextrous bracing structure

The authors present a dextrous bracing structure of a dual-arm system as a means of implementing a self-reconfigurable manipulator system. The dextrous bracing structure allows a dual-arm system to relocate the bracing point between two arms, select the type of contact as the bracing point, and lock or release the joints of individual arms. The self-reconfigurable dual-arm system is now capable of reconfiguring its topology through serial, parallel and bracing structures, supporting general types of contact, rigid or sliding, as well as locking or releasing some of its joints as needed. The focus is on an analysis of the effects of the dextrous bracing on the performance of a dual-arm system in terms of dual-arm manipulabilities and resistivities. The analysis shows that a self-reconfigurable dual-arm system with a dextrous bracing structure gives continuously varying performance characteristics ranging from serial to parallel structures.

Lee, Sukhan↗
NASA NTRS1993

On the transfer of energy to an unstable liquid jet in a coflowing compressible airstream

The transfer of energy from a compressible airstream to a coflowing unstable liquid jet via the pressure perturbation at the interface is studied as the Mach number varies continuously from subsonic to supersonic values. The 'lift' component of the pressure perturbation has been demonstrated to predominate up to slightly supersonic free-stream Mach numbers, after which the 'drag' component predominates.

Li, Hsi-Shang↗
NASA NTRS1993

Variable Refractive Index Effects on Radiation in Semitransparent Scattering Multilayered Regions

A simple set of equations is derived for predicting the temperature distribution and radiative energy flow in a semitransparent layer consisting of an arbitrary number of laminated sublayers that absorb, emit, and scatter radiation. Each sublayer can have a different refractive index and optical thickness. The plane composite region is heated on each exterior side by a different amount of incident radiation. The results are for the limiting case where heat conduction within the layers is very small relative to radiative transfer, and is neglected. The interfaces are assumed diffuse, and all interface reflections are included in the analysis. The thermal behavior is readily calculated from the analytical expressions that are obtained. By using many sublayers, expressions provide the temperature distribution and heat flow for a diffusing medium with a continually varying refractive index, including internal reflection effects caused by refractive index gradients. Temperature and heat flux results are given to show the effect of variations in refractive index and optical thickness through the multilayer laminate.

Siegel, R.↗
NASA NTRS1953

Acceleration of high-pressure-ratio single-spool turbojet engine as determined from component performance characteristics I : effect of air bleed at compressor outlet

An analytical investigation was made to determine from component performance characteristics the effect of air bleed at the compressor outlet on the acceleration characteristics of a typical high-pressure-ratio single-spool turbojet engine. Consideration of several operating lines on the compressor performance map with two turbine-inlet temperatures showed that for a minimum acceleration time the turbine-inlet temperature should be the maximum allowable, and the operating line on the compressor map should be as close to the surge region as possible throughout the speed range. Operation along such a line would require a continuously varying bleed area. A relatively simple two-step area bleed gives only a small increase in acceleration time over a corresponding variable-area bleed. For the modes of operation considered, over 84 percent of the total acceleration time was required to accelerate through the low-speed range ; therefore, better low-speed compressor performance (higher pressure ratios and efficiencies) would give a significant reduction in acceleration time.

ENGINES, TURBOJET↗
NASA NTRS1993

The role of atmospheric heat transport in the seasonal carbon dioxide cycle

We have carried out numerical experiments with a general circulations model (GCM) and energy balance model of the martian atmosphere to define the importance of heat transported to the polar regions in determining the amount of CO2 condensed on the surface during the fall and winter seasons and the amount sublimated during the spring and summer seasons. In so doing, we performed both sensitivity experiments, in which the dust opacity was varied over the full range of its observed values, and annual simulations, in which the dust opacity varied continuously with seasonal data, in accord with measurements taken at the Viking landers. Dust opacity represents the key variable for determining the contribution of atmospheric heat advection to the energy budget in the polar regions. The amount of heat advected to the winter polar regions increases monotonically as the dust opacity at low and middle latitudes increases. However, the increase is sharpest between optical depths of 0 and 1 tends to level off at still higher optical depths. Heat advection is more important at times of CO2 condensation than CO2 sublimation, since the temperature gradients are much steeper in the winter hemisphere than in the summer hemisphere. Because dust opacity is much higher during northern winter than during southern winter, atmospheric heat advection reduces the amount of CO2 that condenses in the north by a much larger factor than it does in the south.

Pollack, James B.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Modulating terrestrial impacts from Oort cloud comets by the adiabatically changing galactic tides

Time modulation of the flux of new Jupiter-dominated Oort cloud comets is the subject of interest here. The major perturbation of these comets during the present epoch is due to the tidal field of the relatively smooth distribution of matter in the galactic disk. A secondary source of the near-parabolic comet flux are stars penetrating the inner Oort cloud and providing impulses that create brief comet showers. Substantial stellar-induced showers occur approximately every 100 m.y. Less frequent (but stronger) impulses due to giant molecular clouds can also perturb comets from the inner cloud. These occur on timescales of approximately equal to 500 m.y. In contrast to these infrequent stochastic shower phenomena is the continuously varying tidal-induced flux due to the galaxy. As the Sun orbits the galactic center it undergoes quasiharmonic motion about the galactic midplane, which is superimposed on the small eccentricity, near-Keplerian motion in the plane having epicycle period approximately equal to 150 m.y. In the process the galactic tidal field on the Sun/cloud system will vary causing a modulation of the observable Oort cloud flux. We have created a model of the galactic matter distribution as it affects the solar motion over a time interval ranging from 300 m.y. in the past to 100 m.y. into the future. As constraints on the disk's compact dark matter component we require consistency with the following: (1) the observed galactic rotation curve, (2) today's flux distribution of new comets, (3) the studies of K-giant distributions, and (4) the periodicity found in the terrestrial cratering record. The adiabatically varying galactic tidal torque is then determined and used to predict the time dependence of the flux. We find that a model in which approximately half the disk matter is compact is consistent with these constraints. Under such circumstances the peak-to-trough flux variation will be approx. equal to 5:1 with a full width of 9 m.y. This variability will manifest in the terrestrial cratering record and is consistent with the observed cratering periodicity, if over half of the impacts on Earth are caused by comets or asteroids that originate in the outer Oort cloud.

Matese, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Rapid Airplane Parametric Input Design (RAPID)

RAPID is a methodology and software system to define a class of airplane configurations and directly evaluate surface grids, volume grids, and grid sensitivity on and about the configurations. A distinguishing characteristic which separates RAPID from other airplane surface modellers is that the output grids and grid sensitivity are directly applicable in CFD analysis. A small set of design parameters and grid control parameters govern the process which is incorporated into interactive software for 'real time' visual analysis and into batch software for the application of optimization technology. The computed surface grids and volume grids are suitable for a wide range of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation. The general airplane configuration has wing, fuselage, horizontal tail, and vertical tail components. The double-delta wing and tail components are manifested by solving a fourth order partial differential equation (PDE) subject to Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions. The design parameters are incorporated into the boundary conditions and therefore govern the shapes of the surfaces. The PDE solution yields a smooth transition between boundaries. Surface grids suitable for CFD calculation are created by establishing an H-type topology about the configuration and incorporating grid spacing functions in the PDE equation for the lifting components and the fuselage definition equations. User specified grid parameters govern the location and degree of grid concentration. A two-block volume grid about a configuration is calculated using the Control Point Form (CPF) technique. The interactive software, which runs on Silicon Graphics IRIS workstations, allows design parameters to be continuously varied and the resulting surface grid to be observed in real time. The batch software computes both the surface and volume grids and also computes the sensitivity of the output grid with respect to the input design parameters by applying the precompiler tool ADIFOR to the grid generation program. The output of ADIFOR is a new source code containing the old code plus expressions for derivatives of specified dependent variables (grid coordinates) with respect to specified independent variables (design parameters). The RAPID methodology and software provide a means of rapidly defining numerical prototypes, grids, and grid sensitivity of a class of airplane configurations. This technology and software is highly useful for CFD research for preliminary design and optimization processes.

Smith, Robert E.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Inverse correlations between the ion temperature anisotropy and plasma beta in the Earth's quasi-parallel magnetosheath

Average proton parameters in the magnetosheath downstream from the quasi-perpendicular shock (the quasi-perpendicular magnetosheath) for high solar wind dynamic pressure conditions are observed to vary continuously from high-beta, low-temperature anisotropy to low-beta, high-temperature anisotropy. Observations and theory have shown that this inverse correlation is a direct consequence of pitch angle scattering by electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves, which regulate the anisotropy, restoring the plasma toward marginal stability. ALthough the previously documented spectral characteristics of EMIC waves are not evident downstream of the quasi-parallel bow shock, the inverse anisotropy-beta relation found in the quasi-perpendicular magnetosheath also holds in the quasi-parallel magnetosheath. This indicates that the EMIC instability regulates the ion anisotropy regardless of the shock geometry.

Fuselier, Stephen A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Improving situation awareness displays for air traffic controllers

Situation awareness displays play a critical role in the performance of air traffic controllers, but present versions are far from ideal. One problem is the use of alphanumeric datablocks for critical information such as altitude and speed. Reading datablocks is cumbersome and time-consuming, and additional cognitive effort is required to retain and use the information obtained. We investigated redundant pictorial display of datablock information. Four experiments tested different schemes for depicting altitude. The performance measure was the time to find a target aircraft whose altitude was within 1000 feet of a cued aircraft. Color-coding of altitude (either discrete bands or continuously varying hues) substantially improved performance. A variety of achromatic pictorial codes for altitude (including size, intensity and micro-texture pattern) produced modest improvement or none at all. Icons that provide an integrated perceptual reprensation of aircraft altitude, altitude change, speed, and projected path are discussed.

Johnston, James C.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Analytical studies of hypersonic viscous dissociated flows

This project primarily dealt with integral boundary-layer solution techniques that are directly applicable to the problem of determining aerodynamic heating rates of hypersonic vehicles like X-33 in the vicinity of stagnation points, windward centerlines, and swept-wing leading edges. The analyses include effects of finite-rate gas chemistry across the boundary layer and finite-rate catalysis of atom recombination at the surface. A new approach for combining the insight afforded by integral boundary-layer analysis with comprehensive (and expensive) computational fluid dynamic (CFD) flowfield solutions of the thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations was developed. The approach extracts CFD derived quantities at the wall and at the boundary layer edge for inclusion in a post-processing boundary-layer analysis. The post-processed data base allows a designer at a workstation to ask and answer the following questions: (1) How much does the heating change if one uses a thermal protection system (TPS) with different catalytic properties than was used in the original CFD solution? (2) How does the heating change when one moves the interface of two different TPS materials with different catalytic efficiencies for the purpose of reducing vehicle weight and expense? The answer to the second question is particularly critical, because abrupt changes from low catalytic efficiency to high catalytic efficiency can lead to localized increase in heating which exceeds the usually conservative estimate provided by a fully catalytic wall assumption. A secondary issue that was addressed involves the prediction of heating levels in the vicinity of sharp corners that are transverse to or aligned with the flow. An example of the first case is heating at the edge of the COMET reentry module. An example of the second case is heating along the side edge of a deflected body flap on an SSV. The difficulty of putting grids in the vicinity of such corners with continuously varying metric coefficients causes problems in CFD predictions. A preliminary theory for prediction that says the heating at the corner is X percent of the heating N boundary-layer thicknesses inboard was developed. This will prove useful to analytically evaluate the possible benefits of rounding the edges of these configurations and defining how much rounding is sufficient.

Inger, George R.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Polymer-Induced Depletion Interaction and Its Effect on Colloidal Sedimentation in Colloid-Polymer Mixtures

In this paper we focus on the polymer-induced depletion attraction and its effect on colloidal sedimentation in colloid-polymer mixtures. We first report a small angle neutron scattering (SANS) study of the depletion effect in a mixture of hard-sphere-like colloid and non-adsorbing polymer. Then we present results of our recent sedimentation measurements in the same colloid-polymer mixture. A key parameter in controlling the sedimentation of heavy colloidal particles is the interparticle potential U(tau), which is the work required to bring two colloidal particles from infinity to a distance tau under a give solvent condition. This potential is known to affect the average settling velocity of the particles and experimentally one needs to have a way to continuously vary U(tau) in order to test the theory. The interaction potential U(tau) can be altered by adding polymer molecules into the colloidal suspension. In a mixture of colloid and non-adsorbing polymer, the potential U(tau) can develop an attractive well because of the depletion effect, in that the polymer chains are expelled from the region between two colloidal particles when their surface separation becomes smaller than the size of the polymer chains. The exclusion of polymer molecules from the space between the colloidal particles leads to an unbalanced osmotic pressure difference pushing the colloidal particles together, which results in an effective attraction between the two colloidal particles. The polymer-induced depletion attraction controls the phase stability of many colloid-polymer mixtures, which are directly of interest to industry.

Tong, Penger↗
NASA NTRS1999

A Discussion of Zero Spring Rate Mechanisms Used for the Active Isolation Mount Experiment

In the summer of 1995 the Structural Dynamics Branch at NASA Langley Research Center set out to conceive a small, lightweight, low frequency isolation mount that could be used for spaceflight experiments. The Engineering Design Branch undertook the task of developing the isolation mount. This report describes the engineering process that led to three phases of a study entitled "Active Isolation Mounts" (AIM). A zero spring rate mechanism was used to achieve low fundamental frequencies for a payloads in the 1 to 10 pound range. It worked by balancing both a positive and a negative stiffness so that the net result was a small positive stiffness. The study demonstrated devices that could reduce the initial corner frequency by a factor of six for brief periods and a factor of two for extended periods. The designs were relatively simple and minimized weight, volume, and power. They could be scaled down and they were made of spaceflight compatible materials. All designs offered the ability to continuously vary the fundamental frequency. Yet, the goal of reducing the frequency by an order of magnitude was not achieved because the systems were too unstable at low frequencies. There was a trade between performance and stability.

Teter, John E., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Phase-Shifting Shearing Interferometer

A single-element phase-shifting interferometer has been developed based on the lateral shearing interferometer. This new interferometer requires no precise alignment, and the phase is continuously varied by changes in the voltage across a commercially available liquid-crystal phase retarder.

Griffin, DeVon W.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Reflexive OKN is Biased Like Perception

The classic "barber-pole illusion" demonstrates how the perceived motion of an ambiguous stimulus is influenced by the shape of the viewing aperture: the motion is preferentially seen in the direction of the long axis of the aperture. We have previously reported (ARVO 94) that we are able to continuously vary the strength of this effect by varying the aspect ratio of the window. In the present study we examined the motion of the eyes while subjects viewed such stimuli in an attempt to discover whether the eye movement control system performs the same computation underlying the perceptual judgments.

Mulligan, Jeffrey B.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Evidence for the Widespread Presence of Liquid-Phase Particles During the 1999-2000 Arctic Winter

In-situ Multi-Angle Spectrometer Probe (MASP) particle measurements have been analyzed to determine the typical behaviour of sulphate particles during the SOLVE campaign. The analysis has focussed on variations in the total particle concentration measured by MASP, which is a diagnostic that is primarily sensitive to the growth of small particles (those which are initially smaller than 0.2 micrometers in radius). At all levels of the stratosphere, the total MASP concentration varies continuously with temperature. This behaviour is well-reproduced by assuming that the sulphate aerosols are liquid ternary solutions, but cannot be reproduced if the aerosol is assumed to be frozen. This liquid-like behaviour is apparent for all measurements made during SOLVE, both inside and outside the vortex, and even at the coldest temperatures sampled during the campaign. The only anomalous measurements were made during the flight of January 14th, 2001; however, this midlatitude flight is very unlikely to contain SAT particles based on the recent warm temperatures experienced by the air. At the levels with the coldest measured temperatures, at least 90% of the particles grow as liquids. Therefore, the freezing that occurred during the 1999-2000 Arctic winter was selective, causing most of the particles to remain liquid even in the presence of a small number of frozen particles.

Drdla, K↗
NASA NTRS2002

Structural Response of Compression-Loaded, Tow-Placed, Variable Stiffness Panels

Results of an analytical and experimental study to characterize the structural response of two compression-loaded variable stiffness composite panels are presented and discussed. These variable stiffness panels are advanced composite structures, in which tows are laid down along precise curvilinear paths within each ply and the fiber orientation angle varies continuously throughout each ply. The panels are manufactured from AS4/977-3 graphite-epoxy pre-preg material using an advanced tow placement system. Both variable stiffness panels have the same layup, but one panel has overlapping tow bands and the other panel has a constant-thickness laminate. A baseline cross-ply panel is also analyzed and tested for comparative purposes. Tests performed on the variable stiffness panels show a linear prebuckling load-deflection response, followed by a nonlinear response to failure at loads between 4 and 53 percent greater than the baseline panel failure load. The structural response of the variable stiffness panels is also evaluated using finite element analyses. Nonlinear analyses of the variable stiffness panels are performed which include mechanical and thermal prestresses. Results from analyses that include thermal prestress conditions correlate well with measured variable stiffness panel results. The predicted response of the baseline panel also correlates well with measured results.

Wu, K. Chauncey↗