Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Open”

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 127 records · Page 7

NASA Open Science Data Repository: Maximizing Spaceflight Bioscience Data

The next era in human space exploration is rapidly approaching and will require the use of countermeasures to deep space health hazards. The development of countermeasures (or, the re-purposing of existing agents) will be highly dependent on our understanding of basic biological responses to space stressors (e.g. ionizing radiation, altered gravitational fields, altered day-night cycles, confinement, isolation, hostile-closed environments, distance-duration from Earth, exposure to celestial regolith, etc.). The fast-growing array of space biological data, which in the past was simply archived after minimal analysis, holds great potential if it can be reorganized and formatted for data re-analysis and re-use via Open Science. Organizing the data for such analysis is a challenge because of its diverse nature (molecular, cellular, tissue, imaging, whole organism and behavior). To address the challenges posed by gaining new knowledge from a vast and diverse amount of biological, health and environmental data in space, the NASA Open Science Data Repository (OSDR - osdr.nasa.gov/bio) plays a crucial role in curating and openly publishing biological data from space-related experiments. Its design incorporates successes and lessons from NASA GeneLab, encompassing not only high-throughput sequencing data but also physiological, phenotypic, and telemetry data. The OSDR makes space biological data FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable), and facilitates effective data ingestion, dissemination, and Open Science collaborations. The OSDR also has the capability to integrate human astronaut data with state-of-the-art security and accessibility procedures. We will discuss here several strategies that NASA’s Biological and Physical Science Division have put in place to maximize the return on investment for spaceflight bioscience data.

space biology↗

Crack-opening displacement transducer

Crack-opening displacement transducer consists of 30 deg cone, coil spring, and linear-displacement transducer. Conical probe is used to measure crack opening. Cone is pressed firmly into crack by spring. As applied load causes crack to open up, cone is pushed further into it. Movement of cone, and thus crack growth, is monitored by linear-displacement transducer. Method gives more accurate measurement of crack-opening displacement of very narrow slots.

Simonds, R. A.↗

Electromagnetic scattering from a class of open-ended waveguide discontinuities

A relatively simple high frequency analysis of electromagnetic scattering from a class of open-ended waveguide discontinuites was developed. The waveguides are composed of perfectly-conducting sections in which the electromagnetic field can be written as the sum of waveguide modes. Junctions are formed at the open end and also within interior regions where different sections are joined. The reflection and transmission properties of each junction are described in terms of a scattering matrix which is determined by combining the modal ray picture with high frequency techniques such as the Geometrical Theory of Diffraction (GTD), the Equivalent Current Method (ECM), and modifications of the Physical Theory of Diffraction (PTD). A new set of equivalent circuits are employed in this ECM analysis which leads to a simple treatment of many types of junction discontinuities. Also, a new procedure is presented to improve the efficiency of the aperture integration at the open end which is required in the PTD procedure for finding the fields radiated from (or coupled to) the open end. Once the scattering matrices are determined, they are then combined using a self-consistent multiple scattering method to obtain the total scattered fields.

Altintas, A.↗

Analysis of the EM scattering from arbitrary open-ended waveguide cavities using axial Gaussian Beam tracking

The electromagnetic (EM) scattering from a planar termination located inside relatively arbitrarily shaped open-ended waveguide cavities with smoothly curved interior walls is analyzed using a Gaussian Beam (GB) expansion of the incident plane wave fields in the open end. The cavities under consideration may contain perfectly-conducting interior walls with or without a thin layer of material coating, or the walls may be characterized by an impedance boundary condition. In the present approach, the GB's are tracked only to the termination of the waveguide cavity via beam reflections from interior waveguide cavity walls. The Gaussian beams are tracked approximately only along their beam axes; this approximation which remains valid for relatively well focussed beams assumes that an incident GB gives rise to a reflected GB with parameters related to the incident beam and the radius of curvature of the wall. It is found that this approximation breaks down for GB's which come close to grazing a convex surface and when the width of the incident beam is comparable to the radius of curvature of the surface. The expansion of the fields at the open end depend on the incidence angle only through the expansion coefficients, so the GB's need to be tracked through the waveguide cavity only once for a wide range of incidence angles. At the termination, the sum of all the GB's are integrated using a result developed from a generalized reciprocity principle, to give the fields scattered from the interior of the cavity. The rim edge at the open end of the cavity is assumed to be sharp and the external scattering from the rim is added separately using Geometrical Theory of Diffraction. The results based on the present approach are compared with solutions based on the hybrid asymptotic modal method. The agreement is found to be very good for cavities made up of planar surfaces, and also for cavities with curved surfaces which are not too long with respect to their width.

Burkholder, R. J.↗

A method for determining crack opening load from load-displacement data

The fatigue crack opening load is determined as the tangent point on the ascending load-displacement data between the curved portion and the upper linear region. A model for the 'unzipping' behavior of the crack indicates that the curved portion of the load-deflection curve is second order. The opening load is determined by a nonlinear, least squares fit of the data to the model, which optimally locates the tangent point of the two curves. The method provided consistent results for determining opening load P(op) for 7475-T731 aluminum using data from a crack tip opening gage.

Carman, C. Davis↗

Tester Detects Steady-Short Or Intermittent-Open Circuits

Momentary open circuits or steady short circuits trigger buzzer. Simple, portable, lightweight testing circuit sounds long-duration alarm when it detects steady short circuit or momentary open circuit in coaxial cable or other two-conductor transmission line. Tester sensitive to discontinuities lasting 10 microseconds or longer. Used extensively for detecting intermittent open shorts in accelerometer and extensometer cables. Also used as ordinary buzzer-type continuity checker to detect steady short or open circuits.

Anderson, Bobby L.↗

On the large-scale structures formed by wakes of open cosmic strings

Large-scale structures of the universe have been variously described as sheetlike, filamentary, cellular, bubbles or spongelike. Recently cosmic strings became one of viable candidates for a galaxy formation scenario, and some of the large-scale structures seem to be simply explained by the open cosmic strings. According to this scenario, sheets are wakes which are traces of moving open cosmic strings where dark matter and baryonic matter have accumulated. Filaments are intersections of such wakes and high density regions are places where three wakes intersect almost orthogonally. The wakes formed at t sub eq become the largest surface density among all wakes, where t sub eq is the epoch when matter density equals to radiation density. If we assume that there is one open cosmic string per each horizon, then it can be explained that the typical distances among wakes, filaments and clusters are also approx. 10(exp 2) Mpc. This model does not exclude a much more large scale structure. Open cosmic string may move even now and accumulate cold dark matter after its traces. However, the surface density is much smaller than the ones formed at t sub eq. From this model, it is expected that the typical high density region will have extended features such as six filaments and three sheets and be surrounded by eight empty regions (voids). Here, the authors are mainly concerned with such structures and have made numerical simulations for the formation of such large scale structures.

Hara, Tetsuya↗

Disconnection of open coronal magnetic structures

We have examined the Solar Maximum Mission coronagraph/polarimeter observations for evidence of magnetic disconnection of previously open magnetic structures and a number of likely examples have been found. Probable coronal disconnections typically appear as pinching off of helmet streamers followed by the release and outward acceleration of a large U or V-shaped structure. The observed sequence of events is consistent with reconnection across the heliospheric current sheet between previously open magnetic field regions, and the creation of a detached magnetic structure which is open to interplanetary space at both ends. Sunward of the reconnection point, coronal disconnection events would return previously open magnetic flux to the Sun as closed field arches. Here we (1) describe one clear disconnection event (1 June 1989); (2) examine the results of a limited survey of disconnection events; and (3) discuss the potential importance of coronal disconnections for maintaining flux in interplanetary space.

Mccomas, D. J.↗

The Effect of Injection-Valve Opening Pressure on Spray-Tip Penetration

The effect of various injection-valve opening pressures on the spray-tip penetration was determined for several injection pressure. A common-rail fuel injection system was used. For a given injection pressure a maximum rate of penetration was obtained with an injection-valve opening pressure equal to the injection pressure. As the excess of the injection pressure over the injection-valve opening pressure was increased for a given injection pressure, the effect of the injection-valve opening pressure on the spray-tip penetration was increased.

Rothrock, A M↗

Boundary-Layer Transition on an Open-Nose Cone at Mach 3.1

Comparison of transition locations for an open-nose cone, a conventional sharp cone, and a hollow cylinder showed that transition locations on the open-nose cone and the hollow cylinder were identical but differed greatly from those on the sharp cone. This is believed to be caused by the essentially two-dimensional character of leading edge of the open-nose cone. Bluntness effects on the open-nose cone observed on the hollow cylinder. Transition 2.2 times the sharp-cone transition distance by blunting the tip.

Brinich, Paul F↗

Linear theory of boundary effects in open wind tunnels with finite jet lengths

In the first part, the boundary conditions for an open wind tunnel (incompressible flow) are examined with special reference to the effects of the closed entrance and exit sections. Basic conditions are that the velocity must be continuous at the entrance lip and that the velocities in the upstream and downstream closed portions must be equal. In the second part, solutions are derived for four types of two-dimensional open tunnels, including one in which the pressures on the two free surfaces are not equal. Numerical results are given for every case. In general, if the lifting element is more than half the tunnel height from the inlet, the boundary effect at the lifting element is the same as for an infinitely long open tunnel. In the third part, a general method is given for calculating the boundary effect in an open circular wind tunnel of finite jet length. Numerical results are given for a lifting element concentrate at a point on the axis.

Katzoff, S↗

Aerodynamic Load Measurements and Opening Characteristics of Automatic Leading Edge Slats on a 45 deg Sweptback Wing at Transonic Speeds

Measurements of the normal force and chord force were made on the slats of a sting-mounted wing-fuselage model through a Mach number range of 0.60 to 1.03 and at angles of attack from 0 to 20 deg at subsonic speeds and from 0 to 8 deg at Mach number 1.03. The 20-percent-chord tapered leading-edge slats extended from 25 to 95 percent of the semispan and consisted of five segments. The model wing had 45 deg sweep, an aspect ratio of 3.56, a taper ratio of 0.3, and NACA 64(06)AO07 airfoil sections. Slat forces and moments were determined for the slats in the almost-closed and open positions for spanwise extents of 35 to 95 percent and 46 to 95 percent of the semispan. The results of the investigation showed little change in the slat maximum force and moment coefficients with Mach number. The coefficients for the open and almost-closed slat positions had similar variations with angle of attack. The loads on the individual slat segments were found to increase toward the tip for moderate angles of attack and decrease toward the tip for high angles of attack. An analysis of the opening and closing characteristics of aerodynamically operated slats opening on a circular-arc path is included.

Arabian, Donald D.↗

Satellite Observed Variability in Antarctic and Arctic Surface Temperatures and Their Correlation to Open Water Areas

Recent studies using meterological station data have indicated that global surface air temperature has been increasing at a rate of 0.05 K/decade. Using the same set of data but for stations in the Antarctic and Arctic regions (>50 N) only, the increases in temperature were 0.08, and 0.22 K/decade, when record lengths of 100 and 50 years, respectively, were used. To gain insights into the increasing rate of warming, satellite infrared and passive microwave observations over the Arctic region during the last 20 years were processed and analyzed. The results show that during this period, the ice extent in the Antarctic has been increasing at the rate of 1.2% per decade while the surface temperature has been decreasing at about 0.08 K per decade. Conversely, in the Northern Hemisphere, the ice extent has been decreasing at a rate of 2.8% per decade, while the surface temperatures have been increasing at the rate of 0.38 K per decade. In the Antarctic, it is surprising that there is a short term trend of cooling during a global period of warming. Very large anomalies in open water areas in the Arctic were observed especially in the western region, that includes the Beaufort Sea, where the observed open water area was about 1x10(exp 6) sq km, about twice the average for the region, during the summer of 1998. In the eastern region, that includes the Laptev Sea, the area of open water was also abnormally large in the summer of 1995. Note that globally, the warmest and second warmest years in this century, were 1998 and 1995, respectively. The data, however, show large spatial variability with the open water area distribution showing a cyclic periodicity of about ten years, which is akin to the North Atlantic and Arctic Oscillations. This was observed in both western and eastern regions but with the phase of one lagging the other by about two years. This makes it difficult to interpret what the trends really mean. But although the record length of satellite data is still relatively short and the climate trend difficult to establish, the immediate impact of a continued warming trend may be very profound.

Comiso, Josefino C.↗

Hurricane Directional Wave Spectrum Spatial Variation in the Open Ocean and at Landfall

The sea surface directional wave spectrum was measured for the first time in all quadrants of a hurricane in open water using the NASA scanning radar altimeter (SRA) carried aboard one of the NOAA WP-3D hurricane research aircraft at 1.5 kilometer height. The SRA measures the energetic portion of the directional wave spectrum by generating a topographic map of the sea surface. The data were acquired on 24 August 1998 when Hurricane Bonnie was 400 km east of Abaco Island, Bahamas. Individual waves with heights up to 19 meters were observed and the spatial variation of the wave field was dramatic. The dominant waves generally propagated at significant angles to the downwind direction. At one position, three different wave systems of comparable energy and wavelength crossed each other. The aircraft spent over five hours within 180 kilometers of the Hurricane Bonnie eye and made five eye penetrations. On 26 August 1998, the SRA at 2.2 kilometer height documented the directional wave spectrum in the region between Charleston, SC, and Cape Hatteras, NC, as Hurricane Bonnie was making landfall near Wilmington, NC. The storm was similar in size during the two flights, but the maximum speed in the NOAA Hurricane Research Division surface wind analysis was 15% lower prior to landfall (39 meters per second) than it had been in the open ocean (46 meters per second). This was compensated for by its faster movement prior to landfall (9.5 meters per second) than when it was encountered in the open ocean (5 meters per second), significantly increasing the effective fetch and duration of waves near the peak of the spectrum which propagated in the direction of the storm track. The open ocean wave height variation indicated that Hurricane Bonnie would have produced waves of 11 meters significant wave height on the shore northeast of Wilmington had it not been for the continental shelf. The bathymetry distributed the steepening and breaking process across the shelf so that the wavelength and wave height were reduced gradually as the shore was approached. The wave height 5 kilometers from shore was about 4 meters.

Walsh, E. J.↗

Miniature, Lightweight, One-Time-Opening Valve

The figure depicts the main parts of a prototype miniature, lightweight, onetime- opening valve. Like some other miniature one-time-opening valves reported in previous issues of NASA Tech Briefs, this valve is opened by melting a material that blocks the flow path. This valve is designed to remain closed at some temperature between room temperature and cryogenic temperature until the time of opening. The prototype valve includes a 1/8-in. (3-mm) aluminum tube, one end of which is plugged with a solder comprising about 37 weight percent of lead and 63 weight percent of tin. The tube and the solder both have a coefficient of thermal expansion of 23 micron/m-K at room temperature. Before plugging, the interior surface of the plug end of the tube is cleaned with a commercial flux paste developed specifically for preparing aluminum for bonding with lead/tin solder. The solder is then melted into the cleaned end of the tube, forming the plug. In a test, the plugged tube was pressurized to 1,000 psi (6.9 MPa) with helium and leak-tested. It was then cooled to a temperature of 77 K (about 196 C) and again leak-tested at the same pressure. Finally, at a lower pressure, the plugged end of the tube was heated to about 200 C (the melting temperature of the solder is 183 C), causing the solder plug to be ejected (see figure). It has been estimated that in a subsequent version of the valve, the plug could be melted by electrical heating, using a nichrome wire having a mass of only 10 g.

Jones, Jack↗

Sound Radiation from a Supersonic Jet Passing Through a Partially Open Exhaust Duct

The radiation of sound from a perfectly expanded Mach 2.5 cold supersonic jet of 25.4 mm exit diameter flowing through a partially open rigid-walled duct with an upstream i-deflector has been studied experimentally. In the experiments, the nozzle is mounted vertically, with the nozzle exit plane at a height of 73 jet diameters above ground level. Relative to the nozzle exit plane (NEP), the location of the duct inlet is varied at 10, 5, and -1 jet diameters. Far-field sound pressure levels were obtained at 54 jet diameters above ground with the aid of acoustic sensors equally spaced around a circular arc of radius equal to 80 jet diameters from the jet axis. Data on the jet acoustic field for the partially open duct were obtained and compared with those with a free jet and with a closed duct. The results suggest that for the partially open duct the overall sound pressure level (OASPL) decreases as the distance between the NEP and the duct inlet plane decreases, while the opposite trend is observed for the closed duct. It is also concluded that the observed peak frequency in the partially open duct increases above the free jet value as the angle from the duct axis is increased, and as the duct inlet plane becomes closer to the NEP.

Kandula, Max↗

Empennage Noise Shielding Benefits for an Open Rotor Transport

NASA sets aggressive, strategic, civil aircraft performance and environmental goals and develops ambitious technology roadmaps to guide its research efforts. NASA has adopted a phased approach for community noise reduction of civil aircraft. While the goal of the near-term first phase focuses primarily on source noise reduction, the goal of the second phase relies heavily on presumed architecture changes of future aircraft. The departure from conventional airplane configurations to designs that incorporate some type of propulsion noise shielding is anticipated to provide an additional 10 cumulative EPNdB of noise reduction. One candidate propulsion system for these advanced aircraft is the open rotor engine. In some planned applications, twin open rotor propulsors are located on the aft fuselage, with the vehicle s empennage shielding some of their acoustic signature from observers on the ground. This study focuses on predicting the noise certification benefits of a notional open rotor aircraft with tail structures shielding a portion of the rotor noise. The measured noise of an open rotor test article--collected with and without an acoustic barrier wall--is the basis of the prediction. The results are used to help validate NASA s reliance on acoustic shielding to achieve the second phase of its community noise reduction goals. The noise measurements are also compared to a popular empirical diffraction correlation often used at NASA to predict acoustic shielding.

Berton, Jeffrey J.↗

Performance and Weight Estimates for an Advanced Open Rotor Engine

NASA s Environmentally Responsible Aviation Project and Subsonic Fixed Wing Project are focused on developing concepts and technologies which may enable dramatic reductions to the environmental impact of future generation subsonic aircraft. The open rotor concept (also historically referred to an unducted fan or advanced turboprop) may allow for the achievement of this objective by reducing engine fuel consumption. To evaluate the potential impact of open rotor engines, cycle modeling and engine weight estimation capabilities have been developed. The initial development of the cycle modeling capabilities in the Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS) tool was presented in a previous paper. Following that initial development, further advancements have been made to the cycle modeling and weight estimation capabilities for open rotor engines and are presented in this paper. The developed modeling capabilities are used to predict the performance of an advanced open rotor concept using modern counter-rotating propeller designs. Finally, performance and weight estimates for this engine are presented and compared to results from a previous NASA study of advanced geared and direct-drive turbofans.

Hendricks, Eric S.↗