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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 1,135 records · Page 63
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1997

Electric Power System for High Altitude UAV Technology Survey

Electric powertrain technologies with application to high altitude Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are assessed. One hundred twenty five solar electric UAV configurations and missions were simulated. Synergistic design opportunities were investigated with the premise that specific benefits may be realized, for example, if a single component can serve multiple functions, such as a battery being used for energy storage as well as for a structural component of the aircraft. For each UAV mission simulation, the airframe structure, powertrain configuration (type of solar cells, energy storage options) and performance baseline (1997 or 2001) were specified. It has been found that the use of the high efficiency (multijunction) solar cells or the use of the synergistic amorphous silicon solar cell configuration yields aircraft that can accomplish the majority of the missions of interest for any latitude between 0 deg and 55 deg, hence, a single versatile aircraft can be constructed and implemented to accomplish these missions.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1999

BFS Simulation and Experimental Analysis of the Effect of Ti Additions on the Structure of NiAl

The Bozzolo-Ferrante-Smith (BFS) method for alloy energetics is applied to the study of ternary additions to NiAl. A description of the method and its application to alloy design is given. Two different approaches are used in the analysis of the effect of Ti additions to NiAl. First, a thorough analytical study is performed, where the energy of formation, lattice parameter and bulk modulus are calculated for a large number of possible atomic distributions of Ni, Al and Ti. Substitutional site preference schemes and formation of precipitates are thus predicted and analyzed. The second approach used consists of the determination of temperature effects on the final results, as obtained by performing a number of large scale numerical simulations using the Monte Carlo-Metropolis procedure and BFS for the calculation of the energy at every step in the simulation. The results indicate a sharp preference of Ti for Al sites in Ni-rich NiAl alloys and the formation of ternary Heusler precipitates beyond the predicted solubility limit of 5 at. % Ti. Experimental analysis of three Ni-Al-Ti alloys confirms the theoretical predictions.

Bozzolo, Guillermo↗
NASA NTRS1997

Atomistic Simulations and Experimental Analysis of the Effect of Ti Additions on the Structure of NiAl

The Bozzolo-Ferrante-Smith (BFS) semiempirical method for alloy energetics is applied to the study of ternary additions to NiAl alloys. A detailed description of the method and its application to alloy design is given. Two different approaches are used in the analysis of the effect of Ti additions to NiAl. First, a thorough analytical study is performed, where the energy of formation, lattice parameter and bulk modulus are calculated for hundreds of possible atomic distributions of Ni, Al and Ti. Substitutional site preference schemes and formation of precipitates are thus predicted and analyzed. The second approach used consists of the determination of temperature effects on the final results, as obtained by performing a number of large scale numerical simulations using the Monte Carlo - Metropolis procedure and BFS for the calculation of the energy at every step in the simulation. The results indicate a sharp preference of Ti for Al sites in Ni-rich NiAl alloys and the formation of ternary Heusler precipitates beyond the predicted solubility limit of 5 at. % Ti. Experimental analysis of three NiAl+Ti alloys confirms the theoretical predictions.

Bozzolo, Guillermo↗
NASA NTRS1985

Neurophysiological model of the normal and abnormal human pupil

Anatomical, experimental, and computer simulation studies were used to determine the structure of the neurophysiological model of the pupil size control system. The computer simulation of this model demonstrates the role played by each of the elements in the neurological pathways influencing the size of the pupil. Simulations of the effect of drugs and common abnormalities in the system help to illustrate the workings of the pathways and processes involved. The simulation program allows the user to select pupil condition (normal or an abnormality), specific site along the neurological pathway (retina, hypothalamus, etc.) drug class input (barbiturate, narcotic, etc.), stimulus/response mode, display mode, stimulus type and input waveform, stimulus or background intensity and frequency, the input and output conditions, and the response at the neuroanatomical site. The model can be used as a teaching aid or as a tool for testing hypotheses regarding the system.

Krenz, W.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A simulation study of the flight dynamics of elastic aircraft. Volume 1: Experiment, results and analysis

The simulation experiment described addresses the effects of structural flexibility on the dynamic characteristics of a generic family of aircraft. The simulation was performed using the NASA Langley VMS simulation facility. The vehicle models were obtained as part of this research. The simulation results include complete response data and subjective pilot ratings and comments and so allow a variety of analyses. The subjective ratings and analysis of the time histories indicate that increased flexibility can lead to increased tracking errors, degraded handling qualities, and changes in the frequency content of the pilot inputs. These results, furthermore, are significantly affected by the visual cues available to the pilot.

Waszak, Martin R.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A simulation study of the flight dynamics of elastic aircraft. Volume 2: Data

The simulation experiment described addresses the effects of structural flexibility on the dynamic characteristics of a generic family of aircraft. The simulation was performed using the NASA Langley VMS simulation facility. The vehicle models were obtained as part of this research project. The simulation results include complete response data and subjective pilot ratings and comments and so allow a variety of analyses. The subjective ratings and analysis of the time histories indicate that increased flexibility can lead to increased tracking errors, degraded handling qualities, and changes in the frequency content of the pilot inputs. These results, furthermore, are significantly affected by the visual cues available to the pilot.

Waszak, Martin R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Interdisciplinary design analysis of a precision spacecraft antenna

The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) will operate in the 20/30 GHz range (Ka Band), and will include a multi-beam antenna (MBA) capable of 0.3 degree scanning spot beams with very high beam-to-beam isolation. The antenna Radio Frequency (RF) performance requirements lead to stringent requirements on the antenna reflector surface shape. A prediction of RF performance of a potential flight model antenna reflector operating under space environmental conditions is made using a radiant heat input model (TRASYS), a thermal analyzer (SINDA), a structural model (NASTRAN), and RF far field pattern simulation. Interfacing software has been written to pass thermal model temperature results to the structural model, and structural model thermal deformation results to the RF far field pattern simulation. A complete analysis can be performed in a single computer run, and potential changes in design can be quickly and easily evaluated using this interdisciplinary design analysis tool.

Steinbach, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Application of optical distributed sensing and computation to control of a large flexible spacecraft

Advances in real-time holography make possible the development of new distributed optical sensors and processors that may have application to the control of flexible structures. This paper presents the analytic evaluation of control system concepts utilizing this new technology on realistic spacecraft. The design of a distributed estimator based on this new optical sensing technique is targeted to vibration control of a complex spacecraft with multiple optical sensors, each of which views a portion of the spacecraft. A simulation of a complex truss structure that was flown in the Solar Array Flight Experiment is utilized to evaluate the performance of the estimator. It is shown that good performance can be obtained from a distributed estimator even in the presence of significant sensor noise.

Montgomery, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Single-mode projection filters for modal parameter identification for flexible structures

Single-mode projection filters are developed for eigensystem parameter identification from both analytical results and test data. Explicit formulations of these projection filters are derived using the orthogonal matrices of the controllability and observability matrices in the general sense. A global minimum optimization algorithm is applied to update the filter parameters by using the interval analysis method. The updated modal parameters represent the characteristics of the test data. For illustration of this new approach, a numerical simulation for the MAST beam structure is shown by using a one-dimensional global optimization algorithm to identify modal frequencies and damping. The projection filters are practical for parallel processing implementation.

Huang, Jen-Kuang↗
NASA NTRS2002

Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of the Circumnuclear Environments of the CfA Seyfert Galaxies: Nuclear Spirals and Fueling

We present archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images of the nuclear regions of 43 of the 46 Seyfert galaxies found in the volume limited,spectroscopically complete CfA Redshift Survey sample. Using an improved method of image contrast enhancement, we created detailed high-quality " structure maps " that allow us to study the distributions of dust, star clusters, and emission-line gas in the circumnuclear regions (100-1000 pc scales) and in the associated host galaxy. Essentially all of these Seyfert galaxies have circumnuclear dust structures with morphologies ranging from grand-design two-armed spirals to chaotic dusty disks. In most Seyfert galaxies there is a clear physical connection between the nuclear dust spirals on hundreds of parsec scales and large-scale bars and spiral arms in the host galaxies proper. These connections are particularly striking in the interacting and barred galaxies. Such structures are predicted by numerical simulations of gas flows in barred and interacting galaxies and may be related to the fueling of active galactic nuclei by matter inflow from the host galaxy disks. We see no significant differences in the circumnuclear dust morphologies of Seyfert 1s and 2s, and very few Seyfert 2 nuclei are obscured by large-scale dust structures in the host galaxies. If Sevfert 2s are obscured Sevfert Is, then the obscuration must occur on smaller scales than those probed by HST.

Pogge, Richard W.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Fiber Composite Sandwich Thermostructural Behavior: Computational Simulation

Several computational levels of progressive sophistication/simplification are described to computationally simulate composite sandwich hygral, thermal, and structural behavior. The computational levels of sophistication include: (1) three-dimensional detailed finite element modeling of the honeycomb, the adhesive and the composite faces; (2) three-dimensional finite element modeling of the honeycomb assumed to be an equivalent continuous, homogeneous medium, the adhesive and the composite faces; (3) laminate theory simulation where the honeycomb (metal or composite) is assumed to consist of plies with equivalent properties; and (4) derivations of approximate, simplified equations for thermal and mechanical properties by simulating the honeycomb as an equivalent homogeneous medium. The approximate equations are combined with composite hygrothermomechanical and laminate theories to provide a simple and effective computational procedure for simulating the thermomechanical/thermostructural behavior of fiber composite sandwich structures.

Chamis, C. C.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Simulation of Low-density Nozzle Plumes in Non-zero Ambient Pressures

The direct simulation Monte-Carlo (DSMC) method was applied to the analysis of low-density nitrogen plumes exhausting from a small converging-diverging nozzle into finite ambient pressures. Two cases were considered that simulated actual test conditions in a vacuum facility. The numerical simulations readily captured the complicated flow structure of the overexpanded plumes adjusting to the finite ambient pressures, including Mach disks and barrel shaped shocks. The numerical simulations compared well to experimental data of Rothe.

Chung, Chan-Hong↗
NASA NTRS1996

Computational Issues Associated with Temporally Deforming Geometries Such as Thrust Vectoring Nozzles

During the past decade, computational simulation of fluid flow around complex configurations has progressed significantly and many notable successes have been reported, however, unsteady time-dependent solutions are not easily obtainable. The present effort involves unsteady time dependent simulation of temporally deforming geometries. Grid generation for a complex configuration can be a time consuming process and temporally varying geometries necessitate the regeneration of such grids for every time step. Traditional grid generation techniques have been tried and demonstrated to be inadequate to such simulations. Non-Uniform Rational B-splines (NURBS) based techniques provide a compact and accurate representation of the geometry. This definition can be coupled with a distribution mesh for a user defined spacing. The present method greatly reduces cpu requirements for time dependent remeshing, facilitating the simulation of more complex unsteady problems. A thrust vectoring nozzle has been chosen to demonstrate the capability as it is of current interest in the aerospace industry for better maneuverability of fighter aircraft in close combat and in post stall regimes. This current effort is the first step towards multidisciplinary design optimization which involves coupling the aerodynamic heat transfer and structural analysis techniques. Applications include simulation of temporally deforming bodies and aeroelastic problems.

Boyalakuntla, Kishore↗
NASA NTRS1990

Statistical analysis of near-wall structures in turbulent channel flow

The two-point correlation tensor is used to analyze near-wall structures in turbulent channel flow. Simulation results have been utilized to obtain the correlation tensor with sufficient spatial resolution to permit accurate differentiation for computing the vorticity correlation, and the resolution of sharp features such as the shear layer and its corresponding region of spanwise vorticity. Proper orthogonal decomposition and stochastic estimation were observed to yield similar results when appropriate conditions were employed for the estimation. Resulting structures were such that they would be detected by standard conditional sampling methods. The results of decomposing the vorticity field and the velocity field were significantly different, indicating that if a coherent structure is found that dominates the velocity fields, the curl of that velocity structure will not dominate the vorticity field.

Moser, Robert D.↗
NASA NTRS2007

General Relativistic Radiative Transfer and General Relativistic MHD Simulations of Accretion and Outflows of Black Holes

We have calculated the emission from relativistic flows in black hole systems using a fully general relativistic radiative transfer, with flow structures obtained by general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations. We consider thermal free-free emission and thermal synchrotron emission. Bright filament-like features are found protruding (visually) from the accretion disk surface, which are enhancements of synchrotron emission when the magnetic field is roughly aligned with the line-of-sight in the co-moving frame. The features move back and forth as the accretion flow evolves, but their visibility and morphology are robust. We propose that variations and location drifts of the features are responsible for certain X-ray quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) observed in black-hole X-ray binaries.

Fuerst, Steven V.↗
NASA NTRS1979

NASA/FAA general aviation crash dynamics program - An update

Work in progress in the NASA/FAA General Aviation Crash Dynamics Program for the development of technology for increased crash-worthiness and occupant survivability of general aviation aircraft is presented. Full-scale crash testing facilities and procedures are outlined, and a chronological summary of full-scale tests conducted and planned is presented. The Plastic and Large Deflection Analysis of Nonlinear Structures and Modified Seat Occupant Model for Light Aircraft computer programs which form part of the effort to predict nonlinear geometric and material behavior of sheet-stringer aircraft structures subjected to large deformations are described, and excellent agreement between simulations and experiments is noted. The development of structural concepts to attenuate the load transmitted to the passenger through the seats and subfloor structure is discussed, and an apparatus built to test emergency locator transmitters in a realistic environment is presented.

Hayduk, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Hurricane Forecasts with a Global Mesoscale-resolving Model on the NASA Columbia Supercomputer Preliminary Simulations of Hurricane Katrina (2005)

It is known that the General Circulation Models (GCMs) have sufficient resolution to accurately simulate hurricane near-eye structure and intensity. To overcome this limitation, the mesoscale-resolving finite-element GCM (fvGCM) has been experimentally deployed on the NASA Columbia supercomputer, and its performance is evaluated choosing hurricane Katrina as an example in this study. On late August 2005 Katrina underwent two stages of rapid intensification and became the sixth most intense hurricane in the Atlantic. Six 5-day simulations of Katrina at both 0.25 deg and 0.125 deg show comparable track forecasts, but the 0,125 deg runs provide much better intensity forecasts, producing center pressure with errors of only +/- 12 hPa. The 0.125 deg simulates better near-eye wind distributions and a more realistic average intensification rate. A convection parameterization (CP) is one of the major limitations in a GCM, the 0.125 deg run with CP disabled produces very encouraging results.

Shen, B.-W.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Hexcomb Pattern Roughness Effects on Blunt Body Transition and Heating

An experimental investigation of hexcomb pattern surface roughness effects on boundary-layer transition and convective heating has been performed. Two representative entry vehicle geometries, a spherical-cap aeroshell and a sphere-cone aeroshell, were considered. Multiple cast ceramic models of each geometry were fabricated with various roughness pattern densities and depths that simulated an ablated hexcomb-structure thermal protection system. Wind tunnel testing was performed at Mach 6 over a range of Reynolds numbers sufficient to produce laminar, transitional, and turbulent flow. Aeroheating and boundary-layer transition onset data were obtained using global phosphor thermography. The experimental heating data are presented herein, as are comparisons to laminar and turbulent smooth-wall heat transfer distributions from computational flow field simulations. The experimental data were used to develop a unified boundary-layer transition correlation for both sandgrain distributed roughness and hexcomb pattern roughness.

Brian R Hollis↗