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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 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1977

Solar sail-solar electric technology readiness and transfer assessment

A method of conducting a technology readiness assessment was developed. It uses existing OAST technology readiness and risk criteria to define a technology readiness factor that considers both the required gain in technology readiness level to achieved technology readiness plus the degree of effort associated with achieving the gain. The results indicate that Solar Electric Propulsion is preferred based on technology readiness criteria. Both Solar Sail and Solar Electric Propulsion have a high level of transfer potential for future NASA missions, and each has considerable technology spillover for non-NASA applications.

Chase, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

An assessment of current methods for drag-due-to-lift minimization at supersonic speeds

The estimation and minimization of drag-due-to-lift at supersonic speeds has been examined in this study. Correlations of theory with experimental data are used to assess the applicability and limitations of the linearized theory. The role of leading-edge thrust and the use of twist and camber to develop distributed thrust are also discussed. A semiempirical design and estimation method which takes into account the shortcomings of the linear theory is presented. The use of this method will allow the design of more nearly optimum lifting surfaces and provide an accurate prediction of their level of performance. A preliminary examination is made of the use of an Euler code for estimation of the aerodynamic characteristics of a twisted and cambered wing.

Mann, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Orbiter Cold Plate Intergranular Corrosion: Development of NDE Standards and Assessment of NDE Methods

During pre-servicing of a space shuttle (orbiter vehicle, OV-102), helium leak detection of an avionics cold plate identified a leak located in the face sheet oriented towards the support shelf. Subsequent destructive examination of the leaking cold plate revealed that intergranular corrosion had penetrated the 0.017-inch thick aluminum (AA6061) face sheet. The intergranular attack (IGA) was likely caused by an aggressive crevice environment created by condensation of water vapor between the cold plate and support shelf. Face sheet susceptibility to IGA is a result of the brazing process used in the fabrication of the cold plates. Cold plate components were brazed at 1000 F followed by a slow cooling process to avoid distortion of the bonded cold plate. The slow cool process caused excessive grain boundary precipitation resulting in a material that is susceptible to IGA. The objectives of this work are as follows: (1) Develop first-of-a-kind nondestructive evaluation (NDE) standards that contain IGA identical to that found in the orbiter cold plates; and (2) Assess advanced NDE techniques for corrosion detection and recommend methods for cold plate examination. This report documents the results of work performed at Langley Research Center to fulfill these objectives.

Smith, Stephen W.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Usefulness of microvolt T-wave alternans for prediction of ventricular tachyarrhythmic events in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy: results from a prospective observational study

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to evaluate the ability of microvolt-level T-wave alternans (MTWA) to identify prospectively patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) at risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmic events and to compare its predictive accuracy with that of conventional risk stratifiers. BACKGROUND: Patients with DCM are at increased risk of sudden death from ventricular tachyarrhythmias. At present, there are no established methods of assessing this risk. METHODS: A total of 137 patients with DCM underwent risk stratification through assessment of MTWA, left ventricular ejection fraction, baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), heart rate variability, presence of nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (VT), signal-averaged electrocardiogram, and presence of intraventricular conduction defect. The study end point was either sudden death, resuscitated ventricular fibrillation, or documented hemodynamically unstable VT. RESULTS: During an average follow-up of 14 +/- 6 months, MTWA and BRS were significant univariate predictors of ventricular tachyarrhythmic events (p < 0.035 and p < 0.015, respectively). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that only MTWA was a significant predictor. CONCLUSIONS: Microvolt-level T-wave alternans is a powerful independent predictor of ventricular tachyarrhythmic events in patients with DCM.

Evaluation Studies↗
NASA NTRS1988

A panel method procedure for interference assessment in slotted-wall wind tunnels

This paper describes a method for three-dimensional wind tunnel interference assessment developed specifically for slotted-wall tunnels. The method is an adaptation to the assessment problem of a previously published high-order panel method procedure for simulating the flow in slotted-wall tunnel test sections. The method uses a mixed outer boundary condition, primarily a Neumann condition, with measured pressure constraints used to control only those boundary phenomena which can not be specified accurately a priori. Assessment results are illustrated from a calibration test with variations in wall geometry, and from tests of a generic subsonic transport aircraft configuration.

Kemp, William B., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Borehole geological assessment

A method and apparatus are discussed for performing geological assessments of a formation located along a borehole, and a boring tool that bores a pair of holes into the walls of the borehole and into the surrounding strata along with a pair of probes which are installed in the holes. One of the probes applies an input such as a current or pressured fluid, and the other probe senses a corresponding input which it receives from the strata.

Spuck, W. H., III↗
NASA NTRS1980

Assessment of analytic methods for the prediction of aerodynamic characteristics of arbitrary bodies at supersonic speeds

Trends toward the automation of the design process for airplanes and missiles accentuate the need for analytic techniques for the prediction of aerodynamic characteristics. A number of computer codes have been developed or are under development which show promise of significantly improving the estimation of aerodynamic characteristics for arbitrarily-shaped bodies at supersonic speeds. The programs considered range in complexity from a simple linearized solution employing slender body theory to an exact finite difference solution of the Euler equations. The results from five computer codes are compared with experimental data to determine the accuracy, range of applicability, ease of use, and computer time and cost of the programs. The results provide a useful guide for selecting the appropriate method for treating bodies at the various levels of an automated design process.

Landrum, E. J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Assessment of modern methods in numerical simulations of high speed flows

Results of extensive studies on CFD algorithms for 2D inviscid flows in Cartesian and body fitted coordinates geometries are reviewed. These studies represent part of an ongoing investigation of combustion instabilities involving the interactions of high-speed nonlinear acoustic waves. Four numerical methods for the treatment of high speed flows are compared, namely, Roe-Sweby TVD, Yee symmetric TVD; Osher-Chakravarthy TVD; and the Colella's multi-dimensional Godunov method.

Pindera, M. Z.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Development of Methodologies for IV and V of Neural Networks

Non-deterministic systems often rely upon neural network (NN) technology to "lean" to manage flight systems under controlled conditions using carefully chosen training sets. How can these adaptive systems be certified to ensure that they will become increasingly efficient and behave appropriately in real-time situations? The bulk of Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) research of non-deterministic software control systems such as Adaptive Flight Controllers (AFC's) addresses NNs in well-behaved and constrained environments such as simulations and strict process control. However, neither substantive research, nor effective IV&V techniques have been found to address AFC's learning in real-time and adapting to live flight conditions. Adaptive flight control systems offer good extensibility into commercial aviation as well as military aviation and transportation. Consequently, this area of IV&V represents an area of growing interest and urgency. ISR proposes to further the current body of knowledge to meet two objectives: Research the current IV&V methods and assess where these methods may be applied toward a methodology for the V&V of Neural Network; and identify effective methods for IV&V of NNs that learn in real-time, including developing a prototype test bed for IV&V of AFC's. Currently. no practical method exists. lSR will meet these objectives through the tasks identified and described below. First, ISR will conduct a literature review of current IV&V technology. TO do this, ISR will collect the existing body of research on IV&V of non-deterministic systems and neural network. ISR will also develop the framework for disseminating this information through specialized training. This effort will focus on developing NASA's capability to conduct IV&V of neural network systems and to provide training to meet the increasing need for IV&V expertise in such systems.

Taylor, Brian↗
NASA NTRS2018

Application of PoF Based Virtual Qualification Methods for Reliability Assessment of Mission Critical PCBs

Reliability is the ability of a product to perform the function for which it was intended for a specified period of time (or cycles) for a given set of life cycle conditions. In today's compressed mission development cycles where designing, building and testing the physical models has to occur in a matter of months not years, Projects don't have the luxury of iteratively building and testing those models. Physics of failure (PoF) is an engineering-based approach to reliability that begins with an understanding of materials, processes, physical interactions, degradation and failure mechanisms, as well as identifying failure models. The PoF approach uses modeling and simulation to qualify a design and manufacturing process, with the ultimate intent of eliminating failures early in the design process by addressing the root cause. The physics-of-failure analysis proactively incorporates reliability into the design process by establishing a scientific basis for evaluating new materials, structures and technologies. Virtual physics-of-failure modeling allows engineers to determine if new technological node can be added to an existing system. This presentation will illustrate an application of a PoF based tool during the initial phases of a printed circuit board assembly development and how the NASA GSFC team was able to dynamically study the effects of electronics parts and printed circuit board material configuration changes under simulated thermal and vibrational stresses

Electronics packaging↗
NASA NTRS2018

Application of PoF Based Virtual Qualification Methods for Reliability Assessment of Mission Critical PCBs

Reliability is the ability of a product to perform the function for which it was intended for a specified period of time (or cycles) for a given set of life cycle conditions. In today's compressed mission development cycles where designing, building and testing the physical models has to occur in a matter of months not years, Projects don't have the luxury of iteratively building and testing those models. Physics of failure (PoF) is an engineering-based approach to reliability that begins with an understanding of materials, processes, physical interactions, degradation and failure mechanisms, as well as identifying failure models. The PoF approach uses modeling and simulation to qualify a design and manufacturing process, with the ultimate intent of eliminating failures early in the design process by addressing the root cause. The physics-of-failure analysis proactively incorporates reliability into the design process by establishing a scientific basis for evaluating new materials, structures and technologies. Virtual physics-of-failure modeling allows engineers to determine if new technological node can be added to an existing system. This presentation will illustrate an application of a PoF based tool during the initial phases of a printed circuit board assembly development and how the NASA GSFC team was able to dynamically study the effects of electronics parts and printed circuit board material configuration changes under simulated thermal and vibrational stresses.

Physics of Failure↗
NASA NTRS2021

Sub-city Scale Hourly Air Quality Forecasting by Combining Models, Satellite Observations, and Ground Measurements

While multiple information sources exist concerning surface-level air pollution, no individual source simultaneously provides large-scale spatial coverage, fine spatial and temporal resolution, and high accuracy. It is, therefore, necessary to integrate multiple data sources, using the strengths of each source to compensate for the weaknesses of others. In this study, we propose a method incorporating outputs of NASA’s GEOS Composition Forecasting model system with satellite information from the TROPOMI instrument and ground measurement data on surface concentrations. Although we use ground monitoring data from the Environmental Protection Agency network in the continental United States, the model and satellite data sources used have the potential to allow for global application. This method is demonstrated using surface measurements of nitrogen dioxide as a test case in regions surrounding five major US cities. The proposed method is assessed through cross-validation against withheld ground monitoring sites. In these assessments, the proposed method demonstrates major improvements over two baseline approaches which use ground-based measurements only. Results also indicate the potential for near-term updating of forecasts based on recent ground measurements.

C. Malings↗
NASA NTRS2021

Normalization Method and Application for MODIS TEB Assessments using Earth Scene Measurements

Selected Earth targets are commonly used for satellite sensor calibration assessments (e.g. sensor stability and inter-comparisons). Moreover, typical scenes used for the calibration assessment of the thermal emissive bands (TEBs) includeDome Concordia (Dome-C), ocean, desert, and deep convective clouds (DCC). Reference data used for these calibration assessments can come from another band, another instrument, or ground measurements. The Dome-C site, covered with uniformly-distributed permanent snow, is normally used for the assessment of the TEBsat cold temperatures. Furthermore, ocean and desert measurements prove useful for scenes with higher temperatures. The DCC, one of the most consistent and coldest targets, can be used for the TEBs calibration and product stability assessments. MODIS band 31 (~ 11 m) can be used as a reference for these scenes. However, measurements over these scenes have seasonal variations, and the DCC brightness temperatures (BTs) have asymmetrical distributions. These features can introduce additional uncertainty to the stability assessments. A normalization method is applied by using an empirical model to derive reference-dependent BTs. Using the developed empirical model, measurements can be normalized to a reference BT in order to enhance the calibration assessment’s accuracy. This method is evaluated using all four scene types (i.e. ocean, desert, snow (Dome-C), and DCC) and applied to all the Terra and Aqua MODIS TEBs. Stability assessments over the instruments’ entire data records are presented and discussed. The technique can be applied in future efforts to support MODIS TEBs calibration assessments.

MODIS TEB↗
NASA NTRS2008

Assessment of Proper Bonding Methods and Mechanical Characterization FPGA CQFPs

This presentation discusses fractured leads on field-programmable gate array (FPGA) during flight vibration. Actions taken to determine root cause and resolution of the failure include finite element analysis (FEA) and vibration testing and scanning electron microscopy (with X-ray microanalysis) and energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM/EDS) failure assessment. Bonding methods for surface mount parts is assessed, including critical analysis and assessment of random fatigue damage. Regarding ceramic quad flat pack (CQFP) lead fracture, after disassembling the attitude control electronics (ACE) configuration, photographs showed six leads cracked on FPGA RTSX72SU-1 CQ208B package located on the RWIC card. An identical package (FPGA RTSX32SU-1 CQ208B) mounted on the RWIC did not results in cracked pins due to vibration. FPGA lead failure theories include workmanship issues in the lead-forming, material defect in the leads of the FPGA packages, and the insecure mounting of the board in the card guides, among other theories. Studies were conducted using simple calculations to determine the response and fatigue life of the package. Shorter packages exhibited more response when loaded by out-of-plane displacement of PCB while taller packages exhibit more response when loaded by in-plane acceleration of PCB. Additionally, under-fill did not contribute to reducing stress in leads due to out-of-plane PCB loading or from component twisting, as much as corner bonding. The combination of corner bond and under-fill is best to address mechanical and thermal S/C environment. Test results of bonded parts showed reduced (dampened) amplitude and slightly shifted peaks at the un-bonded natural frequency and an additional response at the bonded frequency. Stress due to PCBB out-of-plane loading was decreased on in the corners when only a corner bond was used. Future work may address CQFP fatigue assessment, including the investigation of discrepancy in predicted fatigue damage, as well as comparing fatigue life and fatigue damage cycle ration computed using FEA and Miner's rule to results from a fatigue assessment software program.

Davis, Milton C.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Chaparral vegetation reflectance and its potential utility for assessment of fire hazard

Current methods for assessment of ignition potential often fail to alert wildland managers to the severity of drought-induced fire hazard at remote locations and over large geographic areas. After the severe fires of 1988 in the western United States, the need was heightened for improved fire hazard assessment techniques. Chaparral vegetation is particularly receptive to recurring drought-related episodes of extreme fire hazard and was thus chosen for study here. Demonstrated herein is that chaparral vegetation has considerably different reflecting properties at different levels of drought stress. As such, remote sensing may have utility for fire hazard assessment in this vegetation type.

Cohen, Warren B.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Development of Advanced Life Cycle Costing Methods for Technology Benefit/Cost/Risk Assessment

The overall objective of this three-year grant is to provide NASA Langley's System Analysis Branch with improved affordability tools and methods based on probabilistic cost assessment techniques. In order to accomplish this objective, the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory (ASDL) needs to pursue more detailed affordability, technology impact, and risk prediction methods and to demonstrate them on variety of advanced commercial transports. The affordability assessment, which is a cornerstone of ASDL methods, relies on the Aircraft Life Cycle Cost Analysis (ALCCA) program originally developed by NASA Ames Research Center and enhanced by ASDL. This grant proposed to improve ALCCA in support of the project objective by updating the research, design, test, and evaluation cost module, as well as the engine development cost module. Investigations into enhancements to ALCCA include improved engine development cost, process based costing, supportability cost, and system reliability with airline loss of revenue for system downtime. A probabilistic, stand-alone version of ALCCA/FLOPS will also be developed under this grant in order to capture the uncertainty involved in technology assessments. FLOPS (FLight Optimization System program) is an aircraft synthesis and sizing code developed by NASA Langley Research Center. This probabilistic version of the coupled program will be used within a Technology Impact Forecasting (TIF) method to determine what types of technologies would have to be infused in a system in order to meet customer requirements. A probabilistic analysis of the CER's (cost estimating relationships) within ALCCA will also be carried out under this contract in order to gain some insight as to the most influential costs and the impact that code fidelity could have on future RDS (Robust Design Simulation) studies.

Yackovetsky, Robert↗
NASA NTRS2002

Method and Apparatus for Assessment of Changes in Intracranial Pressure

A non-invasive method and apparatus for monitoring changes in intracranial pressure which removes extracranial effects from the measurements. The method and apparatus can include the supplying of a fixed frequency electrical output to a transducer coupled to the patient's head, thereby generating an acoustical tone burst in the patient's head which generates a first echo and a second echo, the first echo reflecting from a first interface in the side of the patient's head coupled to the transducer, and the second echo reflecting from a second interface at the opposite side of the patient's head. The first and second echoes are received by the transducer which can generate a first electrical signal and a second electrical signal, wherein the first and second electrical signals vary in accordance with the corresponding first and second echoes. The counterbalancing phase shifts required to bring about quadrature between each of the first and second electrical signals and the fixed frequency electrical output can be measured, and values for the change in intracranial distance based on the changes in the counterbalancing phase shifts can be obtained.

Yost, William T.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Risk assessment of metal vapor arcing

A method for assessing metal vapor arcing risk for a component is provided. The method comprises acquiring a current variable value associated with an operation of the component; comparing the current variable value with a threshold value for the variable; evaluating compared variable data to determine the metal vapor arcing risk in the component; and generating a risk assessment status for the component.

Hill, Monika C.↗