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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 145 records · Page 8

XV-15 Tiltrotor Aircraft: 1999 Acoustic Testing - Test Report

An XV-15 acoustic test is discussed, and measured results are presented. The test was conducted by NASA Langley and Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc., during October 1999, at the BHTI test site near Waxahachie, Texas. As part of the NASA-sponsored Short Haul Civil Tiltrotor noise reduction initiative, this was the third in a series of three major XV-15 acoustic tests. Their purpose was to document the acoustic signature of the XV-15 tiltrotor aircraft for a variety of flight conditions and to minimize the noise signature during approach. Tradeoffs between flight procedures and the measured noise are presented to illustrate the noise abatement flight procedures. The test objectives were to support operation of future tiltrotors by further developing and demonstrating low-noise flight profiles, while maintaining acceptable handling and ride qualities, and refine approach profiles, selected from previous (1995 & 1997) tiltrotor testing, to incorporate Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), handling qualities constraints, operations and tradeoffs with sound. Primary emphasis was given to the approach flight conditions where blade-vortex interaction (BVI) noise dominates, because this condition influences community noise impact more than any other. An understanding of this part of the noise generating process could guide the development of low noise flight operations and increase the tiltrotor's acceptance in the community.

Edwards, Bryan D.↗

A two-equation soot-in-flamelet modeling approach applied under Spray A conditions

Soot production (including formation and oxidation) is studied in the transient, high-pressure and turbulent n-dodecane Spray A flames from the Engine Combustion Network (ECN) using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. A two-equation soot-in-flamelet modeling approach is applied within the framework of the Unsteady Flamelet Progress Variable (UFPV) model and results are validated against experimental data. Equations for soot mass fraction and soot number density derived in the mixture fraction space are solved in the context of detailed flamelet calculations. Source terms for the different steps in the soot chemistry are tabulated and incorporated in the flamelet manifold. For the reference condition, the modeling approach based on the tabulated flamelet manifold reduces the computational cost of a CFD calculation by approximately 40 times compared to a non-tabulated well-mixed (WM) modeling approach. The soot-in-flamelet approach is then extended to study the effect of ambient oxygen concentration, ambient mixture composition and ambient temperature on soot production. Results show that the modeling approach is able to capture the experimental trends for the soot volume fraction (SVF) with good quantitative agreement, especially in the soot ramp-up region.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

A probability distribution model for rain rate

A systematic approach is suggested for modeling the probability distribution of rain rate. Rain rate, conditional on rain and averaged over a region, is modeled as a temporally homogeneous diffusion process with appropiate boundary conditions. The approach requires a drift coefficient-conditional average instantaneous rate of change of rain intensity-as well as a diffusion coefficient-the conditional average magnitude of the rate of growth and decay of rain rate about its drift. Under certain assumptions on the drift and diffusion coefficients compatible with rain rate, a new parametric family-containing the lognormal distribution-is obtained for the continuous part of the stationary limit probability distribution. The family is fitted to tropical rainfall from Darwin and Florida, and it is found that the lognormal distribution provides adequate fits as compared with other members of the family and also with the gamma distribution.

Kedem, Benjamin↗

Validation of Proposed Go-Around Criteria Under Various Environmental Conditions

This paper evaluates the effects of environmental conditions on touchdown performance under varying approach states and validates proposed go-around criteria developed using data from a previously conducted study under these various environmental conditions. An experiment was conducted using Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A330-200 Level D full-flight simulators in which 24 pilots flew multiple approaches under different approach conditions and environmental variables. Pilots were instructed to always land the aircraft, even from conditions considered to be an unstable approach. Various touchdown performance metrics were analyzed. In addition, pilots’ perceptions of risk under the various unstable approach conditions and resulting landings were assessed. The results of the study revealed that wind speed/direction and visibility had a stronger effect on touchdown performance than the approach parameters. Specifically, wind had a highly significant effect on longitudinal and lateral touchdown point, as well as a significant effect on sink-rate at touchdown. Wind and visibility, along with localizer deviation, also had a strong effect on pilots’ perception of risk and workload ratings. Furthermore, the study confirmed that touchdown performance was similar among the runs with a 300-foot and 500-foot starting gate, as was found in the previously conducted experiment. These results support the previous finding that lowering the go-around decision gate to 300-foot might be acceptable, but suggest that certain environmental conditions might warrant altered thresholds of the proposed go-around criteria at this gate. Finally, the findings of this experiment highlight the importance of environmental factors in the assessment of risk of unwanted outcomes on approach and landing.

Transport Aircraft↗

Comparison of the Aeroacoustics of Two Small-Scale Supersonic Inlets

An aerodynamic and acoustic investigation was performed on two small-scale supersonic inlets to determine which inlet would be more suitable for a High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) aircraft during approach and takeoff flight conditions. The comparison was made between an axisymmetric supersonic P inlet and a bifurcated two-dimensional supersonic inlet. The 1/14 scale model supersonic inlets were used in conjunction with a 4.1 in (10.4 cm) turbofan engine simulator. A bellmouth was utilized on each inlet to eliminate lip separation commonly associated with airplane engine inlets that are tested under static conditions. Steady state measurements of the aerodynamic flowfield and acoustic farfield were made in order to evaluate the aeroacoustic performance of the inlets. The aerodynamic results show the total pressure recovery of the two inlets to be nearly identical, 99% at the approach condition and 98% at the takeoff condition. At the approach fan speed (60% design speed), there was no appreciable difference in the acoustic performance of either inlet over the entire 0 deg to 110 deg farfield measurement sector. The inlet flow field results at the takeoff fan speed (88% design speed), show the average inlet throat Mach number for the P inlet (Mach 0.52) to be approximately 2 times that of the 2D inlet (Mach 0.26). The difference in the throat Mach number is a result of the smaller throughflow area of the P inlet. This reduced area resulted in a 'soft choking' of the P inlet which lowered the tone and overall sound pressure levels of the simulator in the forward sector by an average of 9 dB and 3 dB, respectively, when compared to the 2D inlet.

Ng, Wing↗

Oleaginous Yeast Biology Elucidated With Comparative Transcriptomics

ABSTRACT Extremophilic yeasts have favorable metabolic and tolerance traits for biomanufacturing‐ like lipid biosynthesis, flavinogenesis, and halotolerance – yet the connection between these favorable phenotypes and strain genotype is not well understood. To this end, this study compares the phenotypes and gene expression patterns of biotechnologically relevant yeasts Yarrowia lipolytica , Debaryomyces hansenii , and Debaryomyces subglobosus grown under nitrogen starvation, iron starvation, and salt stress. To analyze the large data set across species and conditions, two approaches were used: a “network‐first” approach where a generalized metabolic network serves as a scaffold for mapping genes and a “cluster‐first” approach where unsupervised machine learning co‐expression analysis clusters genes. Both approaches provide insight into strain behavior. The network‐first approach corroborates that Yarrowia upregulates lipid biosynthesis during nitrogen starvation and provides new evidence that riboflavin overproduction in Debaryomyces yeasts is overflow metabolism that is routed to flavin cofactor production under salt stress. The cluster‐first approach does not rely on annotation; therefore, the coexpression analysis can identify known and novel genes involved in stress responses, mainly transcription factors and transporters. Therefore, this work links the genotype to the phenotype of biotechnologically relevant yeasts and demonstrates the utility of complementary computational approaches to gain insight from transcriptomics data across species and conditions.

Weintraub, Sarah J. [Department of Bioinformatics ↗

Inflight Medical Conditions Risk – Overview and Strategic Approach

The risk of adverse health outcomes and decrements in performance due to inflight medical conditions is among NASA’s “red” risks for Mars missions, scored at the highest likelihood and consequence on the rating scale. Importantly, this risk encompasses all possible medical conditions that might occur in spaceflight. At thesame time, exploration spaceflight will have significant resource constraints (mass, power, volume, data, etc.) and supplying the full complement of medical capabilities available on Earth will be impossible. Inevitably, medical conditions will develop during a human Mars mission and having inadequate inflight capabilities will have a negative impact on the health and performance of the astronauts, leading to adverse crew and/or mission outcomes.

B D Easter↗

Geometry-Dependent Solidification Regimes in Metal Additive Manufacturing

Recent modeling and experimental work in additive manufacturing has suggested that cross-sectional geometry may play a significant role in the local development of the solidification structure through its influence on the heat source path. This effect has been rationalized as the transition from a quasi-static point heat source regime, to a regime dominated by the quasi-static motion of an equivalent line source. This work provides a simple analytical framework for determining the conditions under which a system transitions between these regimes. Here, a transient semi-analytical heat transfer model is used to examine a wide range of process conditions and material properties. A simple analytical expression is derived and shown to accurately predict the transition between solidification regimes over these conditions. The functional form of this expression is then used to help understand the importance of various material properties, process parameters, and geometric factors on the characteristics of the solidification conditions. This approach may be used as a simple guideline for optimizing process conditions in response to variations in cross-sectional geometry to produce more consistent microstructural distributions in additively manufactured components.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Screening and Qualification of BME Feedthrough Capacitors for a Space Project

Surface mount technology feedthrough ceramic capacitors are gaining popularity in Hi-Rel systems due to small size and great filtering characteristics. In this work, BME feedthrough capacitors compliant with AEC-Q200 requirements have been evaluated, screened and qualified for a space project. Evaluation included analysis of the effect of post-soldering thermal shocks, temperature dependencies of leakage currents, distribution of breakdown voltages, assessments of high-current capability, and thermal resistance of the parts. The parts have been screened and qualified at conditions close to the military requirements for ceramic capacitors. No failures were detected during screening including burning-in, but two samples failed during monitored 2000 hour life testing at 125C and two times rated voltage. Failure analysis revealed manufacturing defects that required additional analysis of screening and qualification test conditions. Highly accelerated life testing (HALT) has been carried out to assess reliability acceleration factors and the probability of failure at the use conditions. An approach to selection of adequate burning-in and life test conditions is discussed.

Alexander Teverovsky↗

Screening and Qualification of BME Feedthrough Capacitors for a Space Project

Surface mount technology feedthrough ceramic capacitors are gaining popularity in Hi-Rel systems due to small size and great filtering characteristics. In this work, BME feedthrough capacitors compliant with AEC-Q200 requirements have been evaluated, screened and qualified for a space project. Evaluation included analysis of the effect of post-soldering thermal shocks, temperature dependencies of leakage currents, distribution of breakdown voltages, assessments of high-current capability, and thermal resistance of the parts. The parts have been screened and qualified at conditions close to the military requirements for ceramic capacitors. No failures were detected during screening including burning-in, but two samples failed during monitored 2000 hour life testing at 125C and two times rated voltage. Failure analysis revealed manufacturing defects that required additional analysis of screening and qualification test conditions. Highly accelerated life testing (HALT) has been carried out to assess reliability acceleration factors and the probability of failure at the use conditions. An approach to selection of adequate burning-in and life test conditions is discussed.

Alexander Teverovsky↗

Aircraft maneuver envelope warning system

A maneuver envelope warning system for an aircraft having operating limits, operating condition sensors and an indicator driver. The indicator driver has a plurality of visual indicators. The indicator driver determines a relationship between sensed operating conditions and the operating limits; such as, a ratio therebetween. The indicator driver illuminates a number of the indicators in proportion to the determined relationship. The position of the indicators illuminated represents to a pilot in an easily ascertainable manner whether the operational conditions are approaching operational limits of the aircraft, and the degree to which operational conditions lie within or exceed operational limits.

Bivens, Courtland C.↗

Investigation of Multiple Data Streams for Gearbox Bearing Fault Prediction Through Machine-Learning Models

Operations and maintenance (O&M) cost of wind plant accounts up to 30% of total energy cost, which can be reduced through continuous monitoring and successfully detecting incipient wind turbine failures. To accomplish this, condition monitoring and predictive maintenance systems are being implemented in wind industry to support O&M decision making. A wide range of approaches for condition monitoring and fault prediction have been developed. These approaches generally use historical data of wind turbines collected by Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to identify patterns that lead to failure. These SCADA data show the overall condition of a wind turbine and can be leveraged to detect when the turbine's performance is degrading and to identify if a fault is developing. However, it becomes challenging to predict the failure of a specific wind turbine gearbox bearing, because the SCADA data are often not directly linked to the component. To bridge the gap, we have investigated features calculated from SCADA data using physics-based models and the gearbox design over the years. The damaged metric we used in the physics domain is frictional energy. Combining these physics domain variables with SCADA data as inputs to various machine learning models for gearbox bearing fault prediction, we have demonstrated the benefits of leveraging both physics and data domain models. It was an attempt to improve frictional-energy-based damage metric by adding data domain inputs, as we had learned that the frictional-energy-based damage metric alone is not sufficient to single out failed bearings from healthy. As condition monitoring data (either vibration or oil debris data) has become available at more and more wind plants, we would like to evaluate whether by adding the condition monitoring data can help further improve the performance of frictional-energy-based damage metric for gearbox bearing fault prediction. Both cases by modeling through various machine learning algorithms are discussed in this study along with some observations.

fault prediction↗

Flows into de Sitter space from anisotropic initial conditions: An effective field theory approach

For decades, physicists have analyzed various versions of a “cosmic no-hair” conjecture, to understand under what conditions a spacetime that is initially spatially anisotropic and/or inhomogeneous will flow into an isotropic and homogeneous state. Wald’s theorem, in particular, established that homogeneous but anisotropic spacetimes, if filled with a positive cosmological constant plus additional matter sources that satisfy specific energy conditions, will necessarily flow toward an (isotropic) de Sitter state at late times. Here, in this paper, we study the flow of homogeneous but anisotropic spacetimes toward isotropic states under conditions more general than those to which Wald’s theorem applies. We construct an effective field theory (EFT) treatment for generic “single-clock” systems in anisotropic spacetimes—which are not limited to realizations compatible with scalar-field constructions—and identify fixed points in the resulting phase space. We identify regions of this phase space that flow to isotropic fixed points—including a de Sitter fixed point—even in the absence of a bare cosmological constant, and for matter sources that do not obey the energy conditions required for Wald’s theorem. Such flows into de Sitter reveal the emergence of an effective cosmological constant.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Outdoor flat-plate collector performance prediction from solar simulator test data

This paper describes how collector performance obtained from test data with a simulator can be modified for real-life conditions. The approach taken is to correct the performance data obtained with the simulator for the variable conditions of ambient temperature, wind, incident angle, flow rate, etc., that are encountered in outdoor conditions. Modification of simulator data is accomplished by combining experiment with theory. The technique is demonstrated by application to a spectrally selective and a nonselective type of collector. This kind of modified simulator collector performance data should be valuable in solar systems analyses and for collector performance ranking based on all-day calculated conditions.

Simon, F. F.↗

The Behavior of Unsteady Thermocapillary Flows

We have found that it is possible to have steady thermocapillary flows in any of these three systems provided the liquid layer is not too thin or the surface tension is not too small. If these conditions are not met, then no steady solutions are possible and the film thins and approaches a condition of rupture near the hot end. Future work on these problems will include the effect of liquid inertia in the calculations for the cylindrical cavity. The stabilization effect of inertia may offset the destabilization effect inherent in the cylindrical geometry and result in a stable film flow on the cylinder. This type of behavior could be very significant in terms of understanding the stability of thermocapillary flow in liquid bridges and in the float-zone crystal growth process.

Smith, Marc K.↗

Explaining Verification Conditions

The Hoare approach to program verification relies on the construction and discharge of verification conditions (VCs) but offers no support to trace, analyze, and understand the VCs themselves. We describe a systematic extension of the Hoare rules by labels so that the calculus itself can be used to build up explanations of the VCs. The labels are maintained through the different processing steps and rendered as natural language explanations. The explanations can easily be customized and can capture different aspects of the VCs; here, we focus on their structure and purpose. The approach is fully declarative and the generated explanations are based only on an analysis of the labels rather than directly on the logical meaning of the underlying VCs or their proofs. Keywords: program verification, Hoare calculus, traceability.

Deney, Ewen↗

Classification of data patterns using an autoassociative neural network topology

A diagnostic expert system based on neural networks is developed and applied to the real-time diagnosis of jet and rocket engines. The expert system methodologies are based on the analysis of patterns of behavior of physical mechanisms. In this approach, fault diagnosis is conceptualized as the mapping or association of patterns of sensor data to patterns representing fault conditions. The approach addresses deficiencies inherent in many feedforward neural network models and greatly reduces the number of networks necessary to identify the existence of a fault condition and estimate the duration and severity of the identified fault. The network topology used in the present implementation of the diagnostic system is described, as well as the training regimen used and the response of the system to inputs representing both previously observed and unknown fault scenarios. Noise effects on the integrity of the diagnosis are also evaluated.

Dietz, W. E.↗