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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 127 records · Page 7

Spray combustion under oscillatory pressure conditions

The performance and stability of liquid rocket engines is often argued to be significantly impacted by atomization and droplet vaporization processes. In particular, combustion instability phenomena may result from the interactions between the oscillating pressure field present in the rocket combustor and the fuel and oxidizer injection process. Few studies have been conducted to examine the effects of oscillating pressure fields on spray formation and its evolution under rocket engine conditions. The pressure study is intended to address the need for such studies. In particular, two potentially important phenomena are addressed in the present effort. The first involves the enhancement of the atomization process for a liquid jet subjected to an oscillating pressure field of known frequency and amplitude. The objective of this part of the study is to examine the coupling between the pressure field and or the resulting periodically perturbed velocity field on the breakup of the liquid jet. In particular, transverse mode oscillations are of interest since such modes are considered of primary importance in combustion instability phenomena. The second aspect of the project involves the effects of an oscillating pressure on droplet coagulation and secondary atomization. The objective of this study is to examine the conditions under which phenomena following the atomization process are affected by perturbations to the pressure or velocity fields. Both coagulation and represent a coupling mechanism between the pressure field and the energy release process in rocket combustors. It is precisely this coupling which drives combustion instability phenomena. Consequently, the present effort is intended to provide the fundamental insights needed to evaluate these processes as important mechanisms in liquid rocket instability phenomena.

Jacobs, H. R.↗

Computer modeling of pulsed CO2 lasers for lidar applications

The experimental results will enable a comparison of the numerical code output with experimental data. This will ensure verification of the validity of the code. The measurements were made on a modified commercial CO2 laser. Results are listed as following. (1) The pulse shape and energy dependence on gas pressure were measured. (2) The intrapulse frequency chirp due to plasma and laser induced medium perturbation effects were determined. A simple numerical model showed quantitative agreement with these measurements. The pulse to pulse frequency stability was also determined. (3) The dependence was measured of the laser transverse mode stability on cavity length. A simple analysis of this dependence in terms of changes to the equivalent fresnel number and the cavity magnification was performed. (4) An analysis was made of the discharge pulse shape which enabled the low efficiency of the laser to be explained in terms of poor coupling of the electrical energy into the vibrational levels. And (5) the existing laser resonator code was changed to allow it to run on the Cray XMP under the new operating system.

Spiers, Gary D.↗

Slosh wave excitation in gravity Probe-B spacecraft experiment

The dynamical behavior of fluids, in particular the effect of surface tension on partially-filled fluids in a rotating dewar under microgravity environment have been investigated. Results show that there is a group of wave trains, both in longitudinal and transverse modes, with various frequencies and wavelengths of slosh waves generated by the restoring force field of gravity jitters and centrifugal forces in this study.

Hung, R. J.↗

High power singlemode GaInAs lasers with distributed Bragg reflectors

High power singlemode strained GaInAs lasers have been fabricated which use buried second order gratings as distributed Bragg reflectors. The lasers operate in an edge emitting fashion with CW powers in excess of 110 mW with single longitudinal and transverse mode operation at 971.9 nm up to 42 mW.

O'Brien, S.↗

CO2 laser preionisation

The final report for work done during the reporting period of January 25, 1990 to January 24, 1991 is presented. A literature survey was conducted to identify the required parameters for effective preionization in TEA CO2 lasers and the methods and techniques for characterizing preionizers are reviewed. A numerical model of the LP-140 cavity was used to determine the cause of the transverse mode stability improvement obtained when the cavity was lengthened. The measurement of the voltage and current discharge pulses on the LP-140 were obtained and their subsequent analysis resulted in an explanation for the low efficiency of the laser. An assortment of items relating to the development of high-voltage power supplies is also provided. A program for analyzing the frequency chirp data files obtained with the HP time and frequency analyzer is included. A program to calculate the theoretical LIMP chirp is also included and a comparison between experiment and theory is made. A program for calculating the CO2 linewidth and its dependence on gas composition and pressure is presented. The program also calculates the number of axial modes under the FWHM of the line for a given resonator length. A graphical plot of the results is plotted.

Spiers, Gary D.↗

Every Good Virtue You Ever Wanted in a Q-switched Solid-state Laser and More: Monolithic, Diode-pumped, Self-q-switched, Highly Reproducible, Diffraction-limited Nd:yag Laser

The applications of Q-switched lasers are well known, for example, laser radar, laser remote sensing, satellite orbit determination, Moon orbit and 'moon quake' determination, satellite laser communication, and many nonlinear optics applications. Most of the applications require additional properties of the Q-switched lasers, such as single-axial and/or single-transverse mode, high repetition rate, stable pulse shape and pulse width, or ultra compact and rugged oscillators. Furthermore, space based and airborne lasers for lidar and laser communication applications require efficient, compact, lightweight, long-lived, and stable-pulsed laser sources. Diode-pumped solid-state lasers (DPSSL) have recently shown the potential for satisfying all of these requirements. We will report on the operating characteristics of a diode-pumped, monolithic, self-Q-switched Cr,Nd:YAG laser where the chromium ions act as a saturable absorber for the laser emission at 1064 nm. The pulse duration is 3.5 ns and the output is highly polarized with an extinction ratio of 700:1. It is further shown that the output is single-longitudinal-mode with transform-limited spectral line width without pulse-to-pulse mode competition. Consequently, the pulse-to-pulse intensity fluctuation is less than the instrument resolution of 0.25 percent. This self-stabilization mechanism is because the lasing mode bleaches the distributed absorber and establishes a gain-loss grating similar to that used in the distributed feedback semiconductor lasers. A repetition rate above 5 KHz has also been demonstrated. For higher power, this laser can be used for injection seeding an amplifier (or amplifier chain) or injection locking of a power oscillator pumped by diode lasers. We will discuss some research directions on the master oscillator for higher output energy per pulse as well as how to scale the output power of the diode-pumped amplifier(s) to multi-kilowatt average power.

Chen, Y. C.↗

Prospects for Nonlinear Laser Diagnostics in the Jet Noise Laboratory

Two experiments were conducted to test whether optical methods, which rely on laser beam coherence, would be viable for off-body flow measurement in high-density, compressible-flow wind tunnels. These tests measured the effects of large, unsteady density gradients on laser diagnostics like laser-induced thermal acoustics (LITA). The first test was performed in the Low Speed Aeroacoustics Wind Tunnel (LSAWT) of NASA Langley Research Center's Jet Noise Laboratory (JNL). This flow facility consists of a dual-stream jet engine simulator (with electric heat and propane burners) exhausting into a simulated flight stream, reaching Mach numbers up to 0.32. A laser beam transited the LSAWT flow field and was imaged with a high-speed gated camera to measure beam steering and transverse mode distortion. A second, independent test was performed on a smaller laboratory jet (Mach number < 1.2 and mass flow rate < 0.1 kg/sec). In this test, time-averaged LITA velocimetry and thermometry were performed at the jet exit plane, where the effect of unsteady density gradients is observed on the LITA signal. Both experiments show that LITA (and other diagnostics relying on beam overlap or coherence) faces significant hurdles in the high-density, compressible, and turbulent flow environments similar to those of the JNL.

Herring, Gregory C.↗

Solid-state non-planar internally reflecting ring laser

A solid-state non-planar internally-reflecting ring laser is described including a single piece of solid state laser material which incorporates at least two mirrored surfaces oriented to change the plane of incidence of the propagating ray path to define a ray path having at least four segments defining at least two planes, when the prism is located in a magnetic field of sufficient strength, the laser will lase in a single longitudinal and transverse mode, the magnetic field decoupling the counter propagating waves.

Kane, Thomas J.↗

The Selection of Q-Switch for a 350mJ Air-borne 2-micron Wind Lidar

In the process of designing a coherent, high energy 2micron, Doppler wind Lidar, various types of Q-Switch materials and configurations have been investigated for the oscillator. Designing an oscillator with a relatively low gain laser material, presents challenges related to the management high internal circulating fluence due to high reflective output coupler. This problem is compounded by the loss of hold-off. In addition, the selection has to take into account the round trip optical loss in the resonator and the loss of hold-off. For this application, a Brewster cut 5mm aperture, fused silica AO Q-switch is selected. Once the Q-switch is selected various rf frequencies were evaluated. Since the Lidar has to perform in single longitudinal and transverse mode with transform limited line width, in this paper, various seeding configurations are presented in the context of Q-Switch diffraction efficiency. The master oscillator power amplifier has demonstrated over 350mJ output when the amplifier is operated in double pass mode and higher than 250mJ when operated in single pass configuration. The repetition rate of the system is 10Hz and the pulse length 200ns.

Petros, Mulugeta↗

Nonlinear Combustion Instability Prediction

The liquid rocket engine stability prediction software (LCI) predicts combustion stability of systems using LOX-LH2 propellants. Both longitudinal and transverse mode stability characteristics are calculated. This software has the unique feature of being able to predict system limit amplitude.

Flandro, Gary↗

Significance of the Direct Excitation Mechanism for High-Frequency Response of Premixed Flames to Flow Oscillations

Premixed flames are sensitive to flow disturbances, which can arise from acoustic or vortical fluctuations. For transverse instabilities, it is known that a dominant mechanism for flame response is “injector coupling,” whereby pressure oscillations associated with transverse waves excite axial flow disturbances. These axial flow disturbances then excite heat release oscillations. The objective of this paper is to consider another mechanism—the direct sensitivity of the unsteady heat release to transverse acoustic waves—and to compare its significance relative to the induced axial disturbances, in a linear framework. The rate at which the flame adds energy to the disturbance field is quantified using the Rayleigh criterion and evaluated over a range of control parameters, such as flame length and swirl number. The results show that radial modes induce heat release fluctuations that always add energy to the acoustic field, whereas heat release fluctuations induced by mixed radial-azimuthal modes can add or remove energy. These amplification rates are then compared to the flame response from induced axial fluctuations. For combustor-centered flames, these results show that the direct excitation mechanism has negligible amplification rates relative to the induced axial mechanism for radial modes. For transverse modes, the fact that the nozzle is located at a pressure node indicates that negligible induced axial velocity disturbances are excited; as such, the direct mechanism dominates. As a result, for flames that are not centered on pressure nodes, the direct mechanism for mixed modes dominates for certain nozzle locations and flame angles.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Electron-ion hybrid mode due to transverse velocity shear

Cases in which the velocity shear scale length is larger than the electron gyroradius but much smaller than the ion gyroradius are considered. In this situation, it is found that a hybrid mode with short wavelength and high frequency can be excited.

Ganguli, G.↗

Source mechanism for terrestrial kilometric radiation

The intense electromagnetic radiation of near earth origin, observed by the OGO, IMP, and Hawkeye satellites, can be explained in terms of plasma oscillations near the upper hybrid frequency which are stimulated in the high latitude regions at distances within 5 earth radii. The wave energy is converted from the longitudinal electrostatic mode to the transverse electromagnetic mode as it travels in the slightly inhomogeneous magnetosphere, and it is reflected at the point where the wave frequency equals the local electron plasma frequency. Peak emission region occurs near 2 earth radii. The original plasma oscillations are generated in the turbulent plasma produced by precipitating electrons associated with discrete auroral arcs. The mechanism has possible applications to studies of the irregular structure of the magnetospheric thermal plasma and to models for the decametric radiation from Jupiter.

Benson, R. F.↗

Ultrafast X-Ray Scattering Reveals Composite Amplitude Collective Mode in the Weyl Charge Density Wave Material ( TaSe 4 ) 2 I

Here we report ultrafast x-ray scattering experiments of the quasi-1D charge density wave (CDW) material (TaSe 4 ) 2⁢ I following ultrafast infrared photoexcitation. From the time-dependent diffraction signal at the CDW sidebands we identify a 0.11 THz amplitude mode derived primarily from a transverse acoustic mode of the high-symmetry structure. From our measurements we determine that this mode interacts with the valence charge indirectly through another collective mode, and that the CDW system in (TaSe 4 ) 2 ⁢I has a composite nature supporting multiple dynamically active structural degrees of freedom.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Concepts for improving the damage tolerance of composite compression panels

The residual strength of specimens with damage and the sensitivity to damage while subjected to an applied inplane compression load were determined for flatplate specimens and blade-stiffened panels. The results suggest that matrix materials that fail by delamination have the lowest damage tolerance capability. Alternate matrix materials or laminates which are transversely reinforced suppress the delamination mode of failure and change the failure mode to transverse shear crippling which occurs at a higher strain value. Several damage-tolerant blade-stiffened panel design concepts are evaluated. Structural efficiency studies conducted show only small mass penalties may result from incorporating these damage-tolerant features in panel design. The implication of test results on the design of aircraft structures was examined with respect to FAR requirements.

Rhodes, M. D.↗

Nonlinear Reduced Order Random Response Analysis of Structures With Shallow Curvature

The goal of this investigation is to further develop nonlinear modal numerical simulation methods for application to geometrically nonlinear response of structures with shallow curvature under random loadings. For reduced order analysis, the modal basis selection must be capable of reflecting the coupling in both the linear and nonlinear stiffness. For the symmetric shallow arch under consideration, four categories of modal basis functions are defined. Those having symmetric transverse displacements (ST modes) can be designated as transverse dominated (ST-T) modes and in-plane dominated (ST-I) modes. Those having anti-symmetric transverse displacements (AT modes) can similarly be designated as transverse dominated (AT-T) modes and in-plane dominated (AT-I) modes. The response of an aluminum arch under a uniformly distributed transverse random loading is investigated. Results from nonlinear modal simulations made using various modal bases are compared with those obtained from a numerical simulation in physical degrees-of-freedom. While inclusion of ST-T modes is important for all response regimes, it is found that the ST-I modes become increasingly important in the nonlinear response regime, and that AT-T and AT-I modes are critical in the autoparametric regime.

Przekop, Adam↗

Nonlinear Reduced Order Random Response Analysis of Structures with Shallow Curvature

The goal of this investigation is to further develop nonlinear modal numerical simulation methods for application to geometrically nonlinear response of structures with shallow curvature under random loadings. For reduced order analysis, the modal basis selection must be capable of reflecting the coupling in both the linear and nonlinear stiffness. For the symmetric shallow arch under consideration, four categories of modal basis functions are defined. Those having symmetric transverse displacements (ST modes) can be designated as transverse dominated (ST-T) modes and in-plane dominated (ST-I) modes. Those having anti-symmetric transverse displacements (AT modes) can similarly be designated as transverse dominated (AT-T) modes and in-plane dominated (AT-I) modes. The response of an aluminum arch under a uniformly distributed transverse random loading is investigated. Results from nonlinear modal simulations made using various modal bases are compared with those obtained from a numerical simulation in physical degrees-of-freedom. While inclusion of ST-T modes is important for all response regimes, it is found that the ST-I modes become increasingly important in the nonlinear response regime, and that AT-T and AT-I modes are critical in the autoparametric regime.

Przekop, Adam↗