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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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Program evaluates influences of heat transfer, stress, and cycle life. Coolant passages may be tubes or channels, with or without gas-side wall coating. Program options include two-dimensional thermal analysis model of tube or channel cross-section using relaxation technique with variable number of nodes.
Major areas of study include: (1) edge effects in finite width laminated composites subjected to mechanical, thermal and hygroscopic loading with temperature dependent material properties and the influence of edge effects on the initiation of failure; (2) shear and compression testing of composite materials at room and elevated temperatures; (3) optical techniques for precise measurement of coefficients of thermal expansion of composites; (4) models for the nonlinear behavior of composites including material nonlinearity and damage accumulation and verification of the models under biaxial loading; (5) compressive failure of graphite/epoxy plates with circular holes and the buckling of composite cylinders under combined compression and torsion; (6) nonlinear mechanical properties of borsic/aluminum, graphite/polyimide and boron/aluminum; (7) the strength characteristics of spliced sandwich panels; and (8) curved graphite/epoxy panels subjected to internal pressure.
Three wind tunnel investigations of a commercial transport, high-lift, semi-span configuration have recently been conducted in the National Transonic Facility at the NASA Langley Research Center. Throughout the course of these investigations multiple improvements have been developed in the facility semi-span test capability. The primary purpose of the investigations was to assess Reynolds number scale effects on a modern commercial transport configuration up to full-scale flight test conditions (Reynolds numbers on the order of 27 million). The tests included longitudinal aerodynamic studies at subsonic takeoff and landing conditions across a range of Reynolds numbers from that available in conventional wind tunnels up to flight conditions. The purpose of this paper is to discuss lessons learned and improvements incorporated into the semi-span testing process. Topics addressed include enhanced thermal stabilization and moisture reduction procedures, assessments and improvements in model sealing techniques, compensation of model reference dimensions due to test temperature, significantly improved semi-span model access capability, and assessments of data repeatability.
Three wind tunnel investigations of a commercial transport, high-lift, semi-span configuration have recently been conducted in the National Transonic Facility at the NASA Langley Research Center. Throughout the course of these investigations multiple improvements have been developed in the facility semi-span test capability. The primary purpose of the investigations was to assess Reynolds number scale effects on a modern commercial transport configuration up to full-scale flight test conditions (Reynolds numbers on the order of 27 million). The tests included longitudinal aerodynamic studies at subsonic takeoff and landing conditions across a range of Reynolds numbers from that available in conventional wind tunnels up to flight conditions. The purpose of this paper is to discuss lessons learned and improvements incorporated into the semi-span testing process. Topics addressed include enhanced thermal stabilization and moisture reduction procedures, assessments and improvements in model sealing techniques, compensation of model reference dimensions due to test temperature, significantly improved semi-span model access capability, and assessments of data repeatability.
A new smart composite laminate model using the coupled thermal-piezoelectric-mechanical (t-p-m) theory is developed to investigate the behavior of multifield coupling due to segmented and distributed piezoelectric actuators. The model addresses structural response under various kinds of loading conditions, mechanical, thermal and electrical. The higher order displacement theory, which can accurately capture the transverse shear effects in the laminated composites, is used to model structural behavior of arbitrary thickness. Thus, the theory has the ability of characterizing in-plane warping and traction free boundary conditions while rendering computational efficiency. To provide more accurate evaluation of coupling effects due to electrical and thermal loading as well as the interaction between all fields, the temperature and electrical fields are modeled using higher order descriptions, which can accurately satisfy the surface boundary conditions of heat flux and electrical potential.
An effort to apply the reduced basis method to nonlinear transient thermal analysis is described. The method combines the classical Rayleigh-Ritz and modal superposition techniques with contemporary finite element methods to retain modeling versatility as the degrees of freedom in a problem are reduced. The essence of the method is to use a few thermal modes from eigenvalue analyses as basis vectors to represent the temperature response for a given thermal problem similar to the use of vibration modes to represent displacements in a dynamic response problem. Approximate temperature distributions were obtained using the reduced basis method for a small section of the Shuttle Orbiter lower wing undergoing reentry heating. Good agreement was obtained between the reduced basis method solutions and full system solutions with reductions in the degrees of freedom of up to a factor of four. The good agreement indicates the reduced basis method has the potential for significant reduction in computing effort for thermal analysis; however, considerable work remains to determine techniques for selecting the type and number of basis vectors needed for approximate solutions to more complex transient thermal problems.
Topics covered include: Laser Truss Sensor for Segmented Telescope Phasing; Qualifications of Bonding Process of Temperature Sensors to Deep-Space Missions; Optical Sensors for Monitoring Gamma and Neutron Radiation; Compliant Tactile Sensors; Cytometer on a Chip; Measuring Input Thresholds on an Existing Board; Scanning and Defocusing Properties of Microstrip Reflectarray Antennas; Cable Tester Box; Programmable Oscillator; Fault-Tolerant, Radiation-Hard DSP; Sub-Shot Noise Power Source for Microelectronics; Asynchronous Message Service Reference Implementation; Zero-Copy Objects System; Delay and Disruption Tolerant Networking MACHETE Model; Contact Graph Routing; Parallel Eclipse Project Checkout; Technique for Configuring an Actively Cooled Thermal Shield in a Flight System; Use of Additives to Improve Performance of Methyl Butyrate-Based Lithium-Ion Electrolytes; Li-Ion Cells Employing Electrolytes with Methyl Propionate and Ethyl Butyrate Co-Solvents; Improved Devices for Collecting Sweat for Chemical Analysis; Tissue Photolithography; Method for Impeding Degradation of Porous Silicon Structures; External Cooling Coupled to Reduced Extremity Pressure Device; A Zero-Gravity Cup for Drinking Beverages in Microgravity; Co-Flow Hollow Cathode Technology; Programmable Aperture with MEMS Microshutter Arrays; Polished Panel Optical Receiver for Simultaneous RF/Optical Telemetry with Large DSN Antennas; Adaptive System Modeling for Spacecraft Simulation; Lidar-Based Navigation Algorithm for Safe Lunar Landing; Tracking Object Existence From an Autonomous Patrol Vehicle; Rad-Hard, Miniaturized, Scalable, High-Voltage Switching Module for Power Applications; and Architecture for a 1-GHz Digital RADAR.
The design of an IR rig to supply and monitor radiation fluxes in order to verify a thermal math model is discussed. The design incorporates IR lamps, Calrods and baffles to best suit the requirements of the specific zones. The required fluxes are calculated from the IR lamp/Calrod configuration software which can account for the effect of specular baffles and surface absorptivities. Radiation intensities are measured using the absorbed flux technique. Sensors, with surface properties matched to the appropriate spacecraft zone, are calibrated under conditions identical to test. The rig itself is capable of reproducing all test conditions and is versatile enough to handle other spacecrafts.
The prognostic technique for a power MOSFET presented in this paper is based on accelerated aging of MOSFET IRF520Npbf in a TO-220 package. The methodology utilizes thermal and power cycling to accelerate the life of the devices. The major failure mechanism for the stress conditions is dieattachment degradation, typical for discrete devices with leadfree solder die attachment. It has been determined that dieattach degradation results in an increase in ON-state resistance due to its dependence on junction temperature. Increasing resistance, thus, can be used as a precursor of failure for the die-attach failure mechanism under thermal stress. A feature based on normalized ON-resistance is computed from in-situ measurements of the electro-thermal response. An Extended Kalman filter is used as a model-based prognostics techniques based on the Bayesian tracking framework. The proposed prognostics technique reports on preliminary work that serves as a case study on the prediction of remaining life of power MOSFETs and builds upon the work presented in [1]. The algorithm considered in this study had been used as prognostics algorithm in different applications and is regarded as suitable candidate for component level prognostics. This work attempts to further the validation of such algorithm by presenting it with real degradation data including measurements from real sensors, which include all the complications (noise, bias, etc.) that are regularly not captured on simulated degradation data. The algorithm is developed and tested on the accelerated aging test timescale. In real world operation, the timescale of the degradation process and therefore the RUL predictions will be considerable larger. It is hypothesized that even though the timescale will be larger, it remains constant through the degradation process and the algorithm and model would still apply under the slower degradation process. By using accelerated aging data with actual device measurements and real sensors (no simulated behavior), we are attempting to assess how such algorithm behaves under realistic conditions.
In response to need to accurately and efficiently predict performance of variable-conductance heat pipes (VCHP's) incorporated in spacecraft thermalcontrol systems, computer code VCHPDA developed to interact with thermal analyzer programs such as SINDA (Systems Improved Numerical Differencing Analyzer). Calculates length of gas-blocked region and vapor temperature in active portion. Advantages of VCHPDA over prior programs improved accuracy, unconditional stability, and increased efficiency of solution resulting from novel approach and use of state-of-the-art numerical techniques for solving VCHP mathematical model. Code valuable tool in design and evaluation of advanced thermal-control systems using variable-conductance heat pipes. Written in FORTRAN IV for use on CDC 600 computers.
Under the Propulsion Discipline of NASA s Fundamental Aeronautics Program s Hypersonics Project, a test apparatus, for testing a scramjet isolator model, is being constructed at NASA's Langley Research Center. The test apparatus will incorporate a 1-inch by 2-inch by 15-inch-long scramjet isolator model supplied with 2.1 lbm/sec of unheated dry air through a Mach 2.5 converging-diverging nozzle. The planned research will incorporate progressively more challenging measurement techniques to characterize the flow field within the isolator, concluding with the application of the Laser-Induced Thermal Acoustic (LITA) measurement technique. The primary goal of this research is to use the data acquired to validate Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models employed to characterize the complex flow field of a scramjet isolator. This paper describes the test apparatus being constructed, pre-test CFD simulations, and the LITA measurement technique.
Non-isothermal crystallization techniques are frequently used to determine the kinetic parameters for crystallization in glasses. These techniques are experimentally simple and quick compared to the isothermal techniques. However, the analytical models used for non-isothermal data analysis, originally developed for describing isothermal transformation kinetics, are fundamentally flawed. The present paper describes a technique for determining the kinetic parameters for isothermal crystallization in glasses, which eliminates most of the common problems that generally make the studies of isothermal crystallization laborious and time consuming. In this technique, the volume fraction of glass that is crystallized as a function of time during an isothermal hold was determined using differential thermal analysis (DTA). The crystallization parameters for the lithium-disilicate (Li2O.2SiO2) model glass were first determined and compared to the same parameters determined by other techniques to establish the accuracy and usefulness of the present technique. This technique was then used to describe the crystallization kinetics of a complex Ca-Sr-Zn-silicate glass developed for sealing solid oxide fuel cells.
A study is made of the effects of variation in the lamination and geometric parameters, and boundary conditions of multi-layered composite panels on the accuracy of the detailed response characteristics obtained by five different modeling approaches. The modeling approaches considered include four two-dimensional models, each with five parameters to characterize the deformation in the thickness direction, and a predictor-corrector approach with twelve displacement parameters. The two-dimensional models are first-order shear deformation theory, third-order theory; a theory based on trigonometric variation of the transverse shear stresses through the thickness, and a discrete layer theory. The combination of the following four key elements distinguishes the present study from previous studies reported in the literature: (1) the standard of comparison is taken to be the solutions obtained by using three-dimensional continuum models for each of the individual layers; (2) both mechanical and thermal loadings are considered; (3) boundary conditions other than simply supported edges are considered; and (4) quantities compared include detailed through-the-thickness distributions of transverse shear and transverse normal stresses. Based on the numerical studies conducted, the predictor-corrector approach appears to be the most effective technique for obtaining accurate transverse stresses, and for thermal loading, none of the two-dimensional models is adequate for calculating transverse normal stresses, even when used in conjunction with three-dimensional equilibrium equations.
Interferometric observations of Saturn and its rings at a wavelength of 1.30 cm are presented in an attempt to place constraints upon the amount of thermal radiation emitted by the ring particles. Model-fitting and aperture synthesis techniques were used to analyze the data obtained on nine baselines at a frequency of 23 GHz. Ring optical depth is found to be close to that observed at visible wavelengths, while ring brightness temperature is only 7 + or - 1 K, requiring the ring particles to be nearly conservative scatterers at this wavelength and implying an upper limit of 2.4 m to the radius of a typical ring particle with a lower limit of 0.95 to its single scattering albedo. An observed difference between planetary radii observed at 1.30 and 3.71 cm is interpreted in terms of limb darkening and found to be marginally different from the predictions of atmospheric models in which NH3 is the principal source of microwave opacity.
Caterpillar's approach to applying Thick Thermal Barrier Coatings (TTBC's) to diesel engine combustion chambers has been to use advanced modeling techniques to predict engine conditions and combine this information with fundamental property evaluation of TTBC systems to predict engine performance and TTBC stress states. Engine testing has been used to verify the predicted performance of the TTBC systems and provide information on failure mechanisms. The objective of Caterpillar's subcontract with ORNL is to advance the fundamental understanding of thick thermal barrier coating systems. Previous reviews of thermal barrier coating technology concluded that the current level of understanding of coating system behavior is inadequate and the lack of fundamental understanding may impede the application of TTBC's to diesel engines. Areas of TTBC technology being examined in this program include powder characteristics and chemistry; bond coat composition; coating design, microstructure, and thickness as they affect properties, durability, and reliability; and TTBC 'aging' effects (microstructural and property changes) under diesel engine operating conditions. Methods to evaluate the reliability and durability of TTBC's have been developed that attempt to understand the fundamental strength of TTBC's for particular stress states.
Caterpillar's approach to applying thick thermal barrier coatings (TTBC's) to diesel engine combustion chambers has been to use advanced modeling techniques to predict engine conditions and combine this information with fundamental property evaluation of TTBC systems to predict engine performance and TTBC stress states. Engine testing has been used to verify the predicted performance of the TTBC systems and provide information on failure mechanisms. The objective Caterpillar's program to date has been to advance the fundamental understanding of thick thermal barrier coating systems. Previous reviews of thermal barrier coating technology concluded that the current level of understanding of coating system behavior is inadequate and the lack of fundamental understanding may impeded the application of TTBC's to diesel engines. Areas of TTBC technology being examined in this program include powder characteristics and chemistry; bond coat composition; coating design, microstructure, and thickness as they affect properties, durability, and reliability; and TTBC 'aging' effects (microstructural and property changes) under diesel engine operating conditions. Methods to evaluate the reliability and durability of TTBC's have been developed that attempt to understand the fundamental strength of TTBC's for particular stress states.
The funded project seeked a unified description of the ionization, physical structure, and evolution of the intergalactic medium (IGM) and quasar intervening absorption systems. We proposed to conduct theoretical studies of the IGM and QSO absorbers in the context of current theories of galaxy formation, developing and using numerical and analytical techniques aimed at a detailed modeling of cosmological radiative transfer, gas dynamics, and thermal and ionization evolution. The ionization history of the IGM has important implications for the metagalactic UV background, intergalactic helium absorption 21-cm tomography, metal absorption systems, fluctuations in the microwave background, and the cosmic rate of structure and star formation. All the original objectives of our program have been achieved, and the results widely used and quoted by the community. Indeed, they remain relevant as the level and complexity of research in this area has increased substantially since our proposal was submitted, due to new discoveries on galaxy formation and evolution, a flood of high-quality data on the distant universe, new theoretical ideas and direct numerical simulations of structure formation in hierarchical clustering theories.
A transient thermal model of the lunar surface and regolith was developed along with analytical techniques which will be used to evaluate the storage of cryogenic fluids at equatorial and polar landing sites. The model can provide lunar surface and subsurface temperatures as a function of latitude and time throughout the lunar cycle and season. It also accounts for the presence of or lack of the undisturbed fluff layer on the lunar surface. The model was validated with Apollo 15 and Clementine data and shows good agreement with other analytical models.