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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 1,423 records · Page 79
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NASA NTRS1976

Computer-aided analysis of CCD linear image sensors

Special test equipment and techniques to collect and process image information from charge coupled devices (CCDs) by digital computer were reviewed. The video channel was traced from the CCD to the direct memory access bus of the Interdata Computer. Software was developed to evaluate and characterize a CCD for (1) dark signal versus temperature relationship, (2) calculation of temporal noise magnitude and noise shape for each pixel, (3) spatial noise into the video chain due to dark signal, (4) response versus illumination relationship (gamma), (5) response versus wavelength of illumination (spectral), (6) optimization of forcing functions, and (7) evaluation of an image viewed by a CCD. The basic software differences and specific examples of each program operating on real data are presented.

Prince, S. S.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Optimal design application on the advanced aeroelastic rotor blade

The vibration and performance optimization procedure using regression analysis was successfully applied to an advanced aeroelastic blade design study. The major advantage of this regression technique is that multiple optimizations can be performed to evaluate the effects of various objective functions and constraint functions. The data bases obtained from the rotorcraft flight simulation program C81 and Myklestad mode shape program are analytically determined as a function of each design variable. This approach has been verified for various blade radial ballast weight locations and blade planforms. This method can also be utilized to ascertain the effect of a particular cost function which is composed of several objective functions with different weighting factors for various mission requirements without any additional effort.

Wei, F. S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Advanced flow-polishing and surface metrology of the SO56 X Ray Telescope

The surface finishing of X ray grazing incidence optics is a most demanding area of optical processing, both in terms of metrology and application of optical finishing techniques. An existing optical mirror was processed using a new removal technique that uses a jet of finely dispersed and extremely small particles that impact a surface, which under the correct conditions, produces an ultrasmooth surface, especially on aspheric curvatures. The surfaces of the SO56 mirror are tapered conical shapes that have a continuously changing radius with the primary mirror having a parabolic shape and the secondary mirror a hyperbolic shape. An optical ray trace that was conducted of a telescope used the measured parameters from the existing substrates to set up the prescription for the optical layout. The optimization indicated a wavefront performance of 0.10 A at 0.633 micron.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1993

Nonlinear aerodynamics and the design of wing tips

This contract began in April 1990 with studies on the effect of wingtip shape on induced drag. That work considered problems of determining induced drag from computational aerodynamic methods and examined effects of wake roll up on the induced drag of elliptical and crescent wings. The research contract was continued in April 1991 and again in April 1992 with scope augmented to include considerations other than induced drag. The idea was to develop methods for comparing wing tip shapes on the basis of their effects on total drag, structural weight, and high lift performance. To accomplish this, work was done to improve methods for multidisciplinary analysis and optimization of wings. This report describes results of research conducted from April 1992 through March 1993. The general objective was to improve an existing wing optimization method and apply the method to specific problems of interest. The method, while a valuable tool for wing tip design studies, can be applied to more general problems, and has been applied to some of these other problems during its development. Specific goals that were accomplished are listed below and are explained in more detail in attached reports: analysis methods were improved in the area of structural modeling; small improvements to the high lift model were made, and ideas were collected on how clean wing c(sub l(sub max)) should vary with sweep - these ideas should provide a guide for future examination of high lift with experiment or CFD; and a calculation for drag due to the loss of leading edge suction was added to the wing analysis.

Kroo, Ilan↗
NASA NTRS2009

Sonic Boom Research at NASA Dryden: Objectives and Flight Results from the Lift and Nozzle Change Effects on Tail Shock (LaNCETS) Project

The principal objective of the Supersonics Project is to develop and validate multidisciplinary physics-based predictive design, analysis and optimization capabilities for supersonic vehicles. For aircraft, the focus will be on eliminating the efficiency, environmental and performance barriers to practical supersonic flight. Previous flight projects found that a shaped sonic boom could propagate all the way to the ground (F-5 SSBD experiment) and validated design tools for forebody shape modifications (F-5 SSBD and Quiet Spike experiments). The current project, Lift and Nozzle Change Effects on Tail Shock (LaNCETS) seeks to obtain flight data to develop and validate design tools for low-boom tail shock modifications. Attempts will be made to alter the shock structure of NASA's NF-15B TN/837 by changing the lift distribution by biasing the canard positions, changing the plume shape by under- and over-expanding the nozzles, and changing the plume shape using thrust vectoring. Additional efforts will measure resulting shocks with a probing aircraft (F-15B TN/836) and use the results to validate and update predictive tools. Preliminary flight results are presented and are available to provide truth data for developing and validating the CFD tools required to design low-boom supersonic aircraft.

Moes, Timothy R.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Fast Response Shape Memory Effect Titanium Nickel (TiNi) Foam Torque Tubes

Shape Change Technologies has developed a process to manufacture net-shaped TiNi foam torque tubes that demonstrate the shape memory effect. The torque tubes dramatically reduce response time by a factor of 10. This Phase II project matured the actuator technology by rigorously characterizing the process to optimize the quality of the TiNi and developing a set of metrics to provide ISO 9002 quality assurance. A laboratory virtual instrument engineering workbench (LabVIEW'TM')-based, real-time control of the torsional actuators was developed. These actuators were developed with The Boeing Company for aerospace applications.

Jardine, Peter↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

AI-Enhanced Computational Tools for Entry Systems Modeling

To advance the understanding of complex atmospheric entry phenomena, NASA’s Entry Systems Modeling (ESM) team [1] has developed high-fidelity computational tools addressing multiscale challenges, from material microstructures to full-scale heatshield response. This abstract highlights a subset of ESM tools, focusing on AI integration to enhance workflows and predictive modeling. - PuMA [2] computes effective material properties from high-resolution micro-CT scans, supporting TPS analysis for NASA missions. - TomoSAM [3] automates 3D tomography dataset segmentation for PuMA using the Segment Anything Model, reducing manual effort and improving accuracy. - PATO [4] models porous reactive materials under extreme conditions, with advancements such as unified solvers, mechanical erosion, and TPS coatings for NASA missions. - arcjetCV [5] employs deep learning to analyze arc jet test footage, measuring recession rates, shape changes, and shock standoff distances, bridging simulations, and experiments to reveal TPS ablation behavior. - ARCHeS [6] simulates arc heater plasma flows, modeling turbulence, radiation, and electromagnetic interactions to optimize arc heater performance, validate TPS under extreme conditions, and serve as a foundation for developing digital twins of arc heater facilities. - SPARTA [7] simulates rarefied hypersonic flows and gas-surface interactions for planetary entry missions, leveraging GPU architectures for scalable and efficient aerothermal and ablation analyses. AI-driven solutions, such as deep learning segmentation, have streamlined workflows in ESM tools and still hold significant potential to further accelerate processes and enhance automation in entry systems modeling. [1] Haskins, J.B. (2023), [2] Ferguson, J.C. (2018), [3] Meurisse, J.B.E. (2018), [4] Semeraro, F. (2023), [5] Quintart, A. (2024) [6] Meurisse, J.B.E. (2022), [7] Plimpton, S.J. (2019)

Predictive Modeling↗
DOE OSTI2018

Chapter 4 - Mechanical Fractionations of Biomass Feedstocks for Enhanced Pretreatment and Conversion. In the book Biomass Preprocessing and Pretreatments for Production of Biofuels: Mechanical, Chemical and Thermal Methods.

Living plant biomass consists of multiple types of tissues and organs, each performing unique and essential physical or biological functions in the living plant. Because of these differences in form and function, these tissues and organs can retain these unique physical and chemical properties after senescence or harvest. Properties such as ash composition, ash content, carbohydrate content, lignin content, density, and recalcitrance can vary widely between plant parts and tissues. Mechanical fractionation of biomass feedstocks has the potential to take advantage of these naturally occurring differences to produce physically or chemically unique fractions that have higher or lower value within specific biochemical or thermochemical conversion platforms. Mechanical fractionation techniques that have shown promise include density separations in air or liquid, size separations, and automated sorting. Density separations, such as air classification, separate based on particle density, size, and shape. Size separations are highly dependent upon size reduction techniques, however anatomical differences can affect particle size. The chemical and physical properties of the resulting fractions help determine their optimal use. These unique fractions can be used directly or treated as ingredients and blended with other feedstocks or fractions of feedstocks to meet cost, quality, or conversion specifications.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Concept of a polarized positron source for CEBAF

This thesis focuses on the development of polarized and unpolarized positron beams for the future experimental pro- gram of hadronic physics at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab). The primary challenge is to produce high-duty-cycle and high-intensity polarized positron beams. The JLab positron source, which is based on the PEPPo (Polarized Electrons for Polarized Positrons) technique, aims to use a high intensity (1 mA) and highly polarized (90%) continuous electron beam of moderate energy (120 MeV) to produce either a low intensity (>50 nA), highly polarized (60%) positron beam or a high intensity (>1 ?A), unpolarized positron beam. The optimization of the layout and performance of the positron source is examined in this thesis. The source is designed with a specialized second injector to generate, transport, accelerate, and shape positron beams. It is compatible with acceleration at the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF), and the investigation results are presented in this document.

Habet, Sami↗
NASA NTRS2007

Robust Design Optimization via Failure Domain Bounding

This paper extends and applies the strategies recently developed by the authors for handling constraints under uncertainty to robust design optimization. For the scope of this paper, robust optimization is a methodology aimed at problems for which some parameters are uncertain and are only known to belong to some uncertainty set. This set can be described by either a deterministic or a probabilistic model. In the methodology developed herein, optimization-based strategies are used to bound the constraint violation region using hyper-spheres and hyper-rectangles. By comparing the resulting bounding sets with any given uncertainty model, it can be determined whether the constraints are satisfied for all members of the uncertainty model (i.e., constraints are feasible) or not (i.e., constraints are infeasible). If constraints are infeasible and a probabilistic uncertainty model is available, upper bounds to the probability of constraint violation can be efficiently calculated. The tools developed enable approximating not only the set of designs that make the constraints feasible but also, when required, the set of designs for which the probability of constraint violation is below a prescribed admissible value. When constraint feasibility is possible, several design criteria can be used to shape the uncertainty model of performance metrics of interest. Worst-case, least-second-moment, and reliability-based design criteria are considered herein. Since the problem formulation is generic and the tools derived only require standard optimization algorithms for their implementation, these strategies are easily applicable to a broad range of engineering problems.

Crespo, Luis G.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Piston geometry and stroke optimization for high efficiency propane spark ignition engines

Propane has unique properties and offers interesting characteristics for high-efficiency spark ignition engines. Its high volatility reduces or completely eliminates fuel-wall wetting and facilitates fuel air mixing. Furthermore, propane has a research octane number of 112 and a high octane sensitivity of 15. Finally, its laminar flame speed is on the same order as that of conventional gasoline, and it exhibits high dilution tolerance. Modern spark ignition internal combustion engines rely on fast combustion rates and high dilution to achieve high brake thermal efficiencies. To accomplish this, high stroke-to-bore ratios and high geometric compression ratios have been used in new engine designs. Therefore, propane’s relatively high laminar flame speeds, high knock resistance, and dilution tolerance make it an excellent candidate fuel for modern spark ignition engines. The objective of this work is to co-optimize the piston geometry and the engine stroke to maximize the efficiency of a spark-ignition engine fueled with propane. 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations employing the extended coherent flamelet model were used to study the parametric effects of piston shape and stroke length. A piston geometry based on high performing pistons was parameterized using four controlling parameters. The piston geometry and engine stroke design space was explored using deterministic and quasi-random sampling techniques. In conclusion, a Gaussian process regression model was built using the simulation data to explain the results observed.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Alloy Evaluation and Flow Forming Process Modeling for Net Shape Aerospace Structures

Over the past decade, NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) has led several manufacturing demonstration projects exploiting flow forming technology. The work has resulted in the commercial-scale manufacture of 10-ft. diameter single-piece, integrally stiffened cylinders. Near-net-shape flow forming offers simplified manufacturing schedules and cost savings through reduced part count. Reduction or elimination of machining, welding, and/or riveting can also lead to significant performance gains. NASA LaRC recently established a flow forming research facility to investigate new alloys and stiffener geometries for fuselage and launch vehicle cryotank applications. Candidate aluminum alloys and heat treatment combinations have been characterized through advanced mechanical testing and microscopy to maximize workability during flow forming trials. Elasto-plastic deformation simulations of the forming process have been performed using the finite element software DEFORM and correlated with forming trial results. The overall objective is to optimize structural performance through a combination of innovative materials, processes, and designs.

single-piece↗
DOE OSTI2020

Shoulder fillet effects in strength distributions of microelectromechanical system components

The failure forces and fracture strengths of polysilicon microelectromechanical system (MEMS) components in the form of stepped tensile bars with shoulder fillets were measured using a sequential failure chain methodology. Approximately 150 specimens for each of four fillet geometries with different stress concentration factors were tested. The resulting failure force and strength distributions of the four geometries were related by a common sidewall flaw population existing within different effective stressed lengths. The failure forces, strengths, and flaw population were well described by a weakest-link based analytical framework. Finite element analysis was used to verify body-force based expressions for the stress concentration factors and to provide insight into the variation of specimen effective length with fillet geometry. Monte Carlo simulations of flaw size and location, based on the strength measurements, were also used to provide insight into fillet shape and size effects. The successful description of the shoulder fillet specimen strengths provides further empirical support for application of the strength and flaw framework in MEMS fabrication and design optimization.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Parametric Study of Two Stable Forms of Discharge Burning in a Hall-Effect Thruster

In this paper, we experimentally studied the behavior of the integral operation parameters of a Hall-effect thruster (thrust and specific thrust impulse) in two stable discharge glow modes significantly different from each other in anodic efficiency. The studies were conducted using a laboratory model of a Hall-effect thruster with an extended layer with an average discharge channel diameter of 77 mm in the discharge voltage range of 500–900 V and in the gas-flow rate range from 2 to 5 mg/s. The most striking distinguishing features of the observed glow regimes are the plasma jet shape and the discharge current value at almost identical input parameters (gas flow, discharge voltage, and magnetic field). In the entire studied range of input parameters when changing from the optimal mode (in terms of efficiency) to suboptimal, the main integral characteristics of the engine are shown to undergo a stepwise change: the discharge current increases by 10‒30% with a simultaneous relative drop in thrust by 5–15% and in efficiency by 20–40%. A detailed study of the anodic efficiency structure showed that, at abrupt rebuilding, the efficiency of using the electron current (the ratio of the ion current to the discharge current) changes, i.e., the electron conductivity in the engine discharge channel.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1985

Kalman-like estimation for static distributed systems Antenna shape from radiation measurements

This paper advances an approach to the determination of shape of static distributed systems. It also illustrates the application of the approach to the problems of surface diagnosis of large parabolic reflectors. The estimation methods developed combine in an optimal sense the information from an elliptic model of the structure and from measurements of the structural deflection and of the far-field pattern changes due to the structural deformation. The estimators have a predictor-corrector structure, quite similar to that of a Kalman filter. The system model is first used to obtain a predicted estimate. A correction term is then added to the prediction to obtain the final state estimate. The relative weighting between prediction and correction terms is determined by an estimator gain. As in a Kalman filter, the estimator gain can be expressed in terms of the state estimation error covariance.

Rodriguez, G.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Design of 9.271-pressure-ratio 5-stage core compressor and overall performance for first 3 stages

Overall aerodynamic design information is given for all five stages of an axial flow core compressor (74A) having a 9.271 pressure ratio and 29.710 kg/sec flow. For the inlet stage group (first three stages), detailed blade element design information and experimental overall performance are given. At rotor 1 inlet tip speed was 430.291 m/sec, and hub to tip radius ratio was 0.488. A low number of blades per row was achieved by the use of low-aspect-ratio blading of moderate solidity. The high reaction stages have about equal energy addition. Radial energy varied to give constant total pressure at the rotor exit. The blade element profile and shock losses and the incidence and deviation angles were based on relevant experimental data. Blade shapes are mostly double circular arc. Analysis by a three-dimensional Euler code verified the experimentally measured high flow at design speed and IGV-stator setting angles. An optimization code gave an optimal IGV-stator reset schedule for higher measured efficiency at all speeds.

Steinke, Ronald J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Optimization Of Array Of Laser Retroreflectors

Report discusses analysis and optimization of design of array of corner-cube prism retroreflectors for use on TOPEX satellite. Analysis builds on methodology developed for array antennas where far-field pattern-shape requirements dictate optimum orientation and location of antenna elements, in this case laser retroreflectors. Reviews design requirements for array and describes signal-attenuation effects that must be considered.

Dolinsky, Shlomo↗
NASA NTRS1993

State-constrained booster trajectory solutions via finite elements and shooting

This paper presents an extension of a FEM formulation based on variational principles. A general formulation for handling internal boundary conditions and discontinuities in the state equations is presented, and the general formulation is modified for optimal control problems subject to state-variable inequality constraints. Solutions which only touch the state constraint and solutions which have a boundary arc of finite length are considered. Suitable shape and test functions are chosen for a FEM discretization. All element quadrature (equivalent to one-point Gaussian quadrature over each element) may be done in closed form. The final form of the algebraic equations is then derived. A simple state-constrained problem is solved. Then, for a practical application of the use of the FEM formulation, a launch vehicle subject to a dynamic pressure constraint (a first-order state inequality constraint) is solved. The results presented for the launch-vehicle trajectory have some interesting features, including a touch-point solution.

Bless, Robert R.↗