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At least 163 records · Page 9

The characteristics of the planned National Transonic Facility

The National Transonic Facility is a high Reynolds number transonic wind tunnel designed to satisfy the research and development needs of NASA, DOD, and industry. The facility design incorporates the cryogenic approach to achieving high Reynolds numbers with manageable model loads. By using temperature as a test variable, a unique capability to clearly separate aeroelastic, Reynolds number, and Mach number effects will be possible. This capability will open new horizons in transonic aerodynamic research. The tunnel design including unique features and operating envelopes is described. A brief overview of the general operating arrangement and the schedule for facility construction is presented.

Mckinney, L. W.↗

LANDSAT-4 MSS and Thematic Mapper data quality and information content analysis

LANDSAT-4 thematic mapper (TM) and multispectral scanner (MSS) data were analyzed to obtain information on data quality and information content. Geometric evaluations were performed to test band-to-band registration accuracy. Thematic mapper overall system resolution was evaluated using scene objects which demonstrated sharp high contrast edge responses. Radiometric evaluation included detector relative calibration, effects of resampling, and coherent noise effects. Information content evaluation was carried out using clustering, principal components, transformed divergence separability measure, and supervised classifiers on test data. A detailed spectral class analysis (multispectral classification) was carried out to compare the information content of the MSS and TM for a large number of scene classes. A temperature-mapping experiment was carried out for a cooling pond to test the quality of thermal-band calibration. Overall TM data quality is very good. The MSS data are noisier than previous LANDSAT results.

Anuta, P.↗

GASCan 2 payload integration

This project, conducted in cooperation with the NASA Advanced Space Design Program, is part of an ongoing effort to place an experiment package into space. The goal of this project is to build and test flight-ready hardware that can be launched from the Space Shuttle. Get Away Special Canister 2 (GASCan 2) consists of three separate experiments. The Ionospheric Properties and Propagation Experiment (IPPE) determines effects of the ionosphere on radio wave propagation. The Microgravity Ignition experiment (MGI) tests the effects of combustion in a microgravity environment. The Rotational Fluid Flow experiment (RFF) examines fluid behavior under varying levels of gravity. This year the following tasks were completed: design of the IPPE antenna, X- and J-cell battery boxes, J-cell battery box enclosure, and structural bumpers; construction of the MGI canisters, MGI mounting brackets, IPPE antenna, and battery boxes; and the selection of the RFF's operating fluid and the analysis of the fluid behavior under microgravity test conditions.

Cody, Dennis J.↗

Transition and Turbulence Modeling for Blunt-Body Wake Flows

Aerobraking has been proposed as an efficient means of decelerating spacecraft for planetary missions. Most current aerobrake designs feature a blunt forebody shielding the payload from the intense heat generated during atmospheric entry. Although this forebody will absorb the largest portion of the heat pulse, accurate prediction of heating in the near wake is of great importance, since large local heating values can occur at points of shear-layer impingement. In order to address the various issues associated with these blunt-body wake flowfields, the Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development (AGARD) formed Working Group 18 in 1992. One of the objectives of this activity was to examine real-gas effects in high-speed flow fields around a 70 deg. blunted cone. To date, many researchers have conducted experiments using this geometry in various facilities, such as the Large Energy National Shock (LENS) tunnel at Cubric/Calspan and the HEG shock tunnel at DLR-Goettingen. Several computational studies have also been conducted in concert with these tests. Many of the experimental results have indicated the possible presence of a transitional shear layer through a large increase in heat transfer downstream of the reattachment point. The presence of transition could in fact lead to much higher peak heating than if the separated flow is entirely laminar or turbulent. In the shock-tunnel tests, however, it is difficult to separate such viscous-flow phenomena from real-gas effects. In order to help make this distinction, Horvath et al. recently conducted a set of experiments in the NASA Langley 20-Inch Mach 6 Tunnel, and compared the results to laminar Navier-Stokes calculations. They found heat-transfer distributions similar to those obtained in the high-enthalpy facilities, with the measured peak heating along the sting support markedly greater than that predicted by the laminar computations. These trends point to the need to find transitional and turbulent computational solutions for these flowfields.

Nance, Robert P.↗

A block-spectral adaptive H-/$p$-refinement strategy for shock-dominated problems

An adaptive H-/p-refinement strategy using a novel sensor is devised and tested in a block-spectral compressible Euler code equipped with adaptive-mesh refinement (AMR) and high-order flux-reconstruction numerics. At each Gauss quadrature point (or solution point) within each spectral block (or mesh element) the discrete velocity jump ΔU = ∂U/∂y 1 Δy 1 + ∂V/∂y 2 Δy 2 + ∂W/∂y 3 Δy 3 is calculated and normalized by the local speed of sound, a. Here, the grid spacing, Δx i , is calculated in each direction as the distance between auxiliary Gauss-Lobatto points, staggered relative to the solution points. The polynomial order is increased from p = 0 to p = p max in regions of weak compression, (ΔU/a) crit < ΔU/a < 0 and kept at p = p max in regions of flow expansion ΔU/a ≥ 0, while staying at the H = 0 base mesh level. Regions experiencing strong compressions, i.e. ΔU/a < (ΔU/a) crit , are H-refined up to H = H max where H max is applied at the location of maximum compression, ΔU/a = min(ΔU/a) in the domain, while keeping p = 0 to guarantee robustness and monotonicity of the solution in the H refined region. The critical value of (ΔU/a) crit = -0.06 is found to effectively separate smooth and non-smooth solution regions, supported by a 1D detonation initiation test case in ideal gas and a shock-to-detonation transition in high explosives. Using this value, the Sod shock tube, Shu-Osher problem, double Mach reflection and a 2D detonation in a high-explosive are simulated with the proposed adaptive H-/p-refinement. In the Sod shock tube case, p-refinement resolves the (weak) contact discontinuity while H-refinement enhances the grid resolution in the shock exploiting the monotonicity of the p = 0 reconstruction. For the Shu-Osher problem, p-refinement captures the small-scale oscillations trailing the shock that would be otherwise attenuated, while H-refinement triggered by the ΔU-sensor appropriately tracks the shock. In the double Mach reflection problem, H-refinement confines the numerical diffusion around the reflected shock while p-refinement recaptures many physical features trailing the shock. Finally, in the 2D high-explosive detonation case, H-refinement follows the leading shock and resolves the curvature of the detonation wave, while p-refinement adds resolution to the trailing reaction zone. Finally, the proposed methodology is tested in a detonation-wave propagation test case in high-explosives with numerical predictions comparing favorably against experiments.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Effect of Reynolds number variation on aerodynamics of a hydrogen-fueled transport concept at Mach 6

Two separate tests have been made on the same blended wing-body hydrogen-fueled transport model at a Mach number of about 6 and a range of Reynolds number (based on theoretical body length) of 1.577 to 55.36 X 10 to the 6th power. The results of these tests, made in a conventional hypersonic blowdown tunnel and a hypersonic shock tunnel, are presented through a range of angle of attack from -1 to 8 deg, with an extended study at a constant angle of attack of 3 deg. The model boundary layer flow appeared to be predominately turbulent except for the low Reynolds number shock tunnel tests. Model wall temperatures varied considerably; the blowdown tunnel varied from about 255 F to 340 F, whereas the shock tunnel had a constant 70 F model wall temperature. The experimental normal-force coefficients were essentially independent of Reynolds number. A current theoretical computer program was used to study the effect of Reynolds number. Theoretical predictions of normal-force coefficients were good, particularly at anticipated cruise angles of attack, that is 2 to 5 deg. Axial-force coefficients were generally underestimated for the turbulent skin friction conditions, and pitching-moment coefficients could not be predicted reliably.

Penland, Jim A.↗

Control of low-speed turbulent separated flow over a backward-facing ramp

The relative performance and flow phenomena associated with several devices for controlling turbulent separated flow were investigated at low speeds. Relative performance of the devices was examined for flow over a curved, backward-facing ramp in a wind tunnel, and the flow phenomena were examined in a water tunnel using dye-flow visualization. Surface static pressure measurements and oil-flow visualization results from the wind tunnel tests indicated that transverse grooves, longitudinal grooves, submerged vortex generators, vortex generator jets (VGJ's), Viets' fluidic flappers, elongated arches at positive angle of attack, and large-eddy breakup devices (LEBU's) at positive angle of attack placed near the baseline separation location reduce flow separation and increase pressure recovery. Spanwise cylinders reduce flow separation but decrease pressure recovery downstream. Riblets, passive porous surfaces, swept grooves, Helmholtz resonators, and arches and LEBU's with angle of attack less than or = 0 degrees had no significant effect in reducing the extent of the separation region. Wall-cooling computations indicated that separation delay on a partially-cooled ramp is nearly the same as on a fully-cooled ramp, while minimizing the frictional drag increase associated with the wall cooling process. Dry-flow visualization tests in the water tunnel indicated that wishbone vortex generators in the forward orientation shed horseshoe vortices; wishbone vortex generators oriented in the reverse direction and doublet vortex generators shed streamwise counterrotating vortices; a spanewise cylinder located near the wall and LEBU's at angle of attack = -10 degrees produced eddies or transverse vortices which rotated with the same sign as the mean vorticity in a turbulent boundary layer; and the most effective VGJ's produced streamwise co-rotating vortices. Comparative wind-tunnel test results indicated that transferring momentum from the outer region of a turbulent boundary layer through the action of embedded streamwise vortices is more effective than by transverse vortices for the separation control application studied herein.

Lin, John C.↗

Optimization of a Lethal, Combat-Relevant Model of Sterile Inflammation in Mice for Drug Candidate Screening

ABSTRACT Introduction Extensive trauma, commonly seen in wounded military Service Members, often leads to a severe sterile inflammation termed systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), which can progress to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and death. MODS is a serious threat to wounded Service Members, historically causing 10% of all deaths in trauma admissions at a forward deployed combat hospital. The importance of this problem will be exacerbated in large-scale combat operations, in which evacuation will be delayed and care of complex injuries at lower echelons of care may be prolonged. The main goal of this study was to optimize an existing mouse model of lethal SIRS/MODS as a therapeutic screening platform for the evaluation of immunomodulatory drugs. Materials and Methods Male C57BL/6 mice were euthanized, and the bones and muscles were collected and blended into a paste termed tissue–bone matrix (TBX). The TBX at 12.5%–20% relative to body weight of each recipient mouse was implanted into subcutaneous pouches created on the dorsum of anesthetized animals. Mice were observed for clinical scores for up to 48 hours postimplantation and euthanized at the preset point of moribundity. To test effects of anesthetics on TBX-induced mortality, animals received isoflurane or ketamine/xylazine (K/X). In a separate set of studies, mice received TBX followed by intraperitoneal injection with 20 mg/kg or 40 mg/kg Eritoran or a placebo carrier. All Eritoran studies were performed in a blinded fashion. Results We observed that K/X anesthesia significantly increased the lethality of the implanted TBX in comparison to inhaled anesthetics. Although all the mice anesthetized with isoflurane and implanted with 12.5% TBX survived for 24 hours, 60% of mice anesthetized with K/X were moribund by 24 hours postimplantation. To mimic more closely the timing of lethal SIRS/MODS following polytrauma in human patients, we extended observation to 48 hours. We performed TBX dose–response studies and found that as low as 15%, 17.5%, and 20% TBX caused moribundity/mortality in 50%, 80%, and 100% mice, respectively, over a 48-hour time period. With 17.5% TBX, we tested if moribundity/mortality could be rescued by anti-inflammatory drug Eritoran, a toll-like receptor 4 antagonist. Neither 20 mg/kg nor 40 mg/kg doses of Eritoran were found to be effective in this model. Conclusions We optimized a TBX mouse model of SIRS/MODS for the purpose of evaluating novel therapeutic interventions to prevent trauma-related pathophysiologies in wounded Service Members. Negative effects of K/X on lethality of TBX should be further evaluated, particularly in the light of widespread use of ketamine in treatment of pain. By mimicking muscle crush, bone fracture, and necrosis, the TBX model has pleiotropic effects on physiology and immunology that make it uniquely valuable as a screening tool for the evaluation of novel therapeutics against trauma-induced SIRS/MODS.

General & Internal Medicine↗

Space Hardware Test Effectiveness

A reassessment of the Assurance Processes regarding spacecraft is underway at JPL. Missions are more difficult, funding is constrained, and development guidelines are different. It is necessary to separate the nice-to-do tasks from the required tasks. We need to determine what we are doing, how well we are doing it, and what we should be doing. Tools to be used are reports of flight anomolies, reports of preflight test anomolies, evaluations of flight performance, and studies of the management of risk during development and performance stages and within programmatic realms.

product assurance risk management funding costs an↗

HPLC for quality control of polyimides

High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) as a quality control tool for polyimide resins and prepregs are presented. A data base to help establish accept/reject criteria for these materials was developed. This work is intended to supplement, not replace, standard quality control tests normally conducted on incoming resins and prepregs. To help achieve these objectives, the HPLC separation of LARC-160 polyimide precursor resin was characterized. Room temperature resin aging effects were studied. Graphite reinforced composites made from fresh and aged resin were fabricated and tested to determine if changes observed by HPLC were significant.

Young, P. R.↗

The NASA Juncture Flow Test as a Model for Effective CFD/Experimental Collaboration

The NASA Juncture Flow test, whose purpose is CFD validation for wing juncture trailing edge separation and progression, was designed from the outset to be a highly collaborative effort between CFD computationalists and experimentalists. This paper highlights key aspects of the planning and execution of the project, which has recently completed its first phase of wind tunnel testing. The joint CFD/experimental team is described, and its accomplishments to date are summarized.

Rumsey, Christopher L.↗

Recent wake turbulence flight test programs

In early flight tests the size and intensity of the wake vortexes generated by aircraft ranging in size from the Learjet to the C-5A and the B-747 were studied to determine the effects of aircraft configuration, weight, and speed. Early problems were related to vortex marking, the measurement of separation distance, and test techniques. Recent tests conducted with B-747 showed that vortexes were alleviated by reducing the deflection of the outboard flaps. It was found that a more rapid dissipation of the vortex system can be obtained through alterations in the span lift distribution.

Tymczyszyn, J. J.↗

Filter Media Tests Under Simulated Martian Atmospheric Conditions

Human exploration of Mars will require the optimal utilization of planetary resources. One of its abundant resources is the Martian atmosphere that can be harvested through filtration and chemical processes that purify and separate it into its gaseous and elemental constituents. Effective filtration needs to be part of the suite of resource utilization technologies. A unique testing platform is being used which provides the relevant operational and instrumental capabilities to test articles under the proper simulated Martian conditions. A series of tests were conducted to assess the performance of filter media. Light sheet imaging of the particle flow provided a means of detecting and quantifying particle concentrations to determine capturing efficiencies. The media's efficiency was also evaluated by gravimetric means through a by-layer filter media configuration. These tests will help to establish techniques and methods for measuring capturing efficiency and arrestance of conventional fibrous filter media. This paper will describe initial test results on different filter media.

Martian Atmosphere↗

Design of a separate effects MiniFuel irradiation experiment investigating microstructure evolution in high burnup UO 2

The microstructural evolution of UO 2 fuel pellets during commercial operation in light water reactors (LWRs) is known to vary significantly across the pellet radius due to spatial variations in local temperature and burnup. The primary obstacle to extending LWR refueling cycles to 24-month intervals is the susceptibility of certain high burnup fuel microstructures to fuel fragmentation, relocation, and dispersal (FFRD) during a loss of coolant accident (LOCA). Although FFRD of the high burnup structure in the rim region of a pellet is well studied, the fine fragmentation that has been observed in a second region, near the midradius of the pellet (termed the “dark zone”) following mock LOCA testing of high burnup commercial fuel rods is less understood. This paper describes the design, analysis, and execution of a separate effects MiniFuel irradiation experiment that aims to identify the specific temperature and burnup regimes under which FFRD-susceptible dark zone microstructures form. The small disc specimens (3 mm diameter by ∼0.3 mm thick) enable more precise control of the relatively uniform temperature and burnup conditions. A total of 42 specimens were fabricated with typical LWR fuel densities (∼96%–98% of theoretical density) and grain sizes (∼12 μm) and are being irradiated over a range of temperatures (600°C–1000°C) and discharge burnups (50–72 MWd/kg-U) that bound the midradius region of high burnup LWR fuel. Fuel specimens with identical 235 U enrichments were inserted in two irradiation locations in the High Flux Isotope Reactor and are currently undergoing irradiation to further evaluate the impact of rate effects (fission rate, time at temperature) on the microstructural evolution. The fuel fabrication and the thermal and neutronic simulations used for designing the experiment are detailed in this paper. A secondary objective of the experiment is to observe fission gas release (FGR) under the various irradiation conditions, and this work provides first-order predictions of FGR from all fuel specimens. The insights gained from these experiments will inform future high burnup core designs that could minimize the formation of susceptible microstructures and ultimately enable 24-month refueling cycles while minimizing the fraction of the fuel susceptible to FFRD.

FFRD↗

Conjectures regarding the structure of a sunspot penumbra

A study of simple radiative transfer models for some of the dark filaments on the outer edge of penumbras, which observations suggest may lie several hundred km above the base of the quiet photosphere, has determined that elevated dark filaments probably have higher temperatures and densities than the surrounding atmosphere. The possibility of a connection between the dark filaments, the photospheric Evershed flow, and umbral dots, is discussed. An important observational test of the present model would involve an attempt to separate temperature and optical depth effects in the dark filaments. This could be accomplished by either continuum photometry at a few, widely separated wavelengths, or by spectroscopic studies.

Cram, L. E.↗

Study of Low Reynolds Number Effects on the Losses in Low-Pressure Turbine Blade Rows

Experimental data from jet-engine tests have indicated that unsteady blade row interactions and separation can have a significant impact on the efficiency of low-pressure turbine stages. Measured turbine efficiencies at takeoff can be as much as two points higher than those at cruise conditions. Several recent studies have revealed that Reynolds number effects may contribute to the lower efficiencies at cruise conditions. In the current study numerical experiments have been performed to study the models available for low Reynolds number flows, and to quantify the Reynolds number dependence of low-pressure turbine cascades and stages. The predicted aerodynamic results exhibit good agreement with design data.

Ashpis, David E.↗

Study of Low Reynolds Number Effects on the Losses in Low-Pressure Turbine Blade Rows

Experimental data from jet-engine tests have indicated that unsteady blade row interactions and separation can have a significant impact on the efficiency of low-pressure turbine stages. Measured turbine efficiencies at takeoff can be as much as two points higher than those at cruise conditions. Several recent studies have revealed that Reynolds number effects may contribute to the lower efficiencies at cruise conditions. In the current study numerical experiments have been performed to study the models available for low Reynolds number flows, and to quantify the Reynolds number dependence of low-pressure turbine cascades and stages. The predicted aerodynamic results exhibit good agreement with design data.

Dorney, Daniel J.↗

Aerodynamic challenges of ALT

The approach and landing test (ALT) of the Space Shuttle Orbiter presented a number of unique challenges in the area of aerodynamics. The purpose of the ALT program was both to confirm the use of the Boeing 747 as a transport vehicle for ferrying the Orbiter across the country and to demonstrate the flight characteristics of the Orbiter in its approach and landing phase. Concerns for structural fatigue and performance dictated a tailcone be attached to the Orbiter for ferry and for the initial landing tests. The Orbiter with a tailcone attached presented additional challenges to the normal aft sting concept of wind tunnel testing. The landing tests required that the Orbiter be separated from the 747 at approximately 20,000 feet using aerodynamic forces to fly the vehicles apart. The concept required a complex test program to determine the relative effects of the two vehicles on each other. Also of concern, and tested, was the vortex wake created by the 747 and the means for the Orbiter to avoid it following separation.

Hooks, I.↗