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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

Technology readiness assessment of advanced space engine integrated controls and health monitoring

An evaluation is given for an integrated control and health monitoring system (ICHM) system that is designed to be used with hydrogen-oxygen rocket engines. The minimum required ICHM functions, system elements, technology readiness, and system cost are assessed for a system which permits the operation of H-O engines that are space-based, reusable, and descent throttleable. Based on the evaluation of the H-O ICHM, it is estimated that the minimum system requirements for demonstration on an engine system testbed will require an investment of 30 to 45 million dollars over six years.

Millis, Marc G.↗

Simulation of UV atomic radiation for application in exhaust plume spectrometry

Quantitative analysis of exhaust plume spectral data has long been a goal of developers of advanced engine health monitoring systems which incorporate optical measurements of rocket exhaust constituents. Discussed herein is the status of present efforts to model and predict atomic radiation spectra and infer free-atom densities from emission/absorption measurements as part of the Optical Plume Anomaly Detection (OPAD) program at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). A brief examination of the mathematical formalism is provided in the context of predicting radiation from the Mach disk region of the SSME exhaust flow at nominal conditions during ground level testing at MSFC. Computational results are provided for Chromium and Copper at selected transitions which indicate a strong dependence upon broadening parameter values determining the absorption-emission line shape. Representative plots of recent spectral data from the Stennis Space Center (SSC) Diagnostic Test Facility (DTF) rocket engine are presented and compared to numerical results from the present self-absorbing model; a comprehensive quantitative analysis will be reported at a later date.

Wallace, T. L.↗

GOES-8 and -9 mission launch and operations support overview

The new series of geosynchronous operational environmental satellite (GOES) missions, GOES-8 and GOES-9, provide greater instrument coverage flexibility and greater resolution than previous GOES spinners. This added flexibility and the three-axis stabilized operating mode results in control system of increased complexity: almost 5000 real-time commands are sent daily to the satellites compared to 200 commands per day for GOES-7. These advanced technologies present new challenges to the NASA operations support personnel. In order to prepare for launching, post-launch tests and in-orbit operations, a mission planning scheme was developed in order to assure the flight system command and the systems' health monitoring. The mission operations approaches are reviewed together with the associated philosophies and the operation tools developed to assist the personnel in performing complex routine and special operation tasks.

McCuistion, D.↗

Integrating Oil Debris and Vibration Gear Damage Detection Technologies Using Fuzzy Logic

A diagnostic tool for detecting damage to spur gears was developed. Two different measurement technologies, wear debris analysis and vibration, were integrated into a health monitoring system for detecting surface fatigue pitting damage on gears. This integrated system showed improved detection and decision-making capabilities as compared to using individual measurement technologies. This diagnostic tool was developed and evaluated experimentally by collecting vibration and oil debris data from fatigue tests performed in the NASA Glenn Spur Gear Fatigue Test Rig. Experimental data were collected during experiments performed in this test rig with and without pitting. Results show combining the two measurement technologies improves the detection of pitting damage on spur gears.

Dempsey, Paula J.↗

Sensors and Data Acquisition Development Efforts at KSC

This viewgraph presentation describes efforts at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to develop spacecraft sensors and instruments which meet the expected needs of potential clients on a budget. Sensors are profiled, and the topics covered include systems health monitoring, smart structures, software algorithms, and testing.

Perotti, Jose M.↗

Spiral Bevel Gear Damage Detection Using Decision Fusion Analysis

A diagnostic tool for detecting damage to spiral bevel gears was developed. Two different monitoring technologies, oil debris analysis and vibration, were integrated using data fusion into a health monitoring system for detecting surface fatigue pitting damage on gears. This integrated system showed improved detection and decision-making capabilities as compared to using individual monitoring technologies. This diagnostic tool was evaluated by collecting vibration and oil debris data from fatigue tests performed in the NASA Glenn Spiral Bevel Gear Fatigue Rigs. Data was collected during experiments performed in this test rig when pitting damage occurred. Results show that combining the vibration and oil debris measurement technologies improves the detection of pitting damage on spiral bevel gears.

Dempsey, Paula J.↗

A Variational Principle for Reconstruction of Elastic Deformations in Shear Deformable Plates and Shells

A variational principle is formulated for the inverse problem of full-field reconstruction of three-dimensional plate/shell deformations from experimentally measured surface strains. The formulation is based upon the minimization of a least squares functional that uses the complete set of strain measures consistent with linear, first-order shear-deformation theory. The formulation, which accommodates for transverse shear deformation, is applicable for the analysis of thin and moderately thick plate and shell structures. The main benefit of the variational principle is that it is well suited for C(sup 0)-continuous displacement finite element discretizations, thus enabling the development of robust algorithms for application to complex civil and aeronautical structures. The methodology is especially aimed at the next generation of aerospace vehicles for use in real-time structural health monitoring systems.

Tessler, Alexander↗

Transmission Bearing Damage Detection Using Decision Fusion Analysis

A diagnostic tool was developed for detecting fatigue damage to rolling element bearings in an OH-58 main rotor transmission. Two different monitoring technologies, oil debris analysis and vibration, were integrated using data fusion into a health monitoring system for detecting bearing surface fatigue pitting damage. This integrated system showed improved detection and decision-making capabilities as compared to using individual monitoring technologies. This diagnostic tool was evaluated by collecting vibration and oil debris data from tests performed in the NASA Glenn 500 hp Helicopter Transmission Test Stand. Data was collected during experiments performed in this test rig when two unanticipated bearing failures occurred. Results show that combining the vibration and oil debris measurement technologies improves the detection of pitting damage on spiral bevel gears duplex ball bearings and spiral bevel pinion triplex ball bearings in a main rotor transmission.

Dempsey, Paula J.↗

Thermal Evaluation of Fiber Bragg Gratings at Extreme Temperatures

The development of integrated fiber optic sensors for use in aerospace health monitoring systems demands that the sensors be able to perform in extreme environments. In order to use fiber optic sensors effectively in an extreme environment one must have a thorough understanding of the sensor's capabilities, limitations, and performance under extreme environmental conditions. This paper reports on our current sensor evaluation examining the performance of freestanding fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) at extreme temperatures. While the ability of FBGs to survive at extreme temperatures has been established, their performance and long term survivability is not well documented. At extreme temperatures the grating structure would be expected to dissipate, degrading the sensors performance and eventually ceasing to return a detectable signal. The fiber jacket will dissipate leaving a brittle, unprotected fiber. For FBGs to be used in aerospace systems their performance and limitations need to be thoroughly understood at extreme temperatures. As the limits of the FBGs performance are pushed the long term survivability and performance of the sensor comes into question. We will not only examine the ability of FBGs to survive extreme temperatures but also look at their performance during many thermal cycles. This paper reports on test results of the performance of thermal cycling commercially available FBGs, at temperatures up to 1000 C, seen in aerospace applications. Additionally this paper will report on the performance of commercially available FBGs held at 1000 C for hundreds of hours. Throughout the evaluation process, various parameters of the FBGs performance were monitored and recorded. Several test samples were subjected to identical test conditions to allow for statistical analysis of the data. Test procedures, calibrations, referencing techniques, performance data, and interpretations and explanations of results are presented in the paper along with directions for future research.

Juergens, Jeffrey↗

Damage Assessment of Aerospace Structural Components by Impedance Based Health Monitoring

This paper addresses recent efforts at the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field relating to the set-up and assessment of electro-mechanical (E/M) impedance based structural health monitoring. The overall aim is the application of the impedance based technique to aeronautic and space based structural components. As initial steps, a laboratory was created, software written, and experiments conducted on aluminum plates in undamaged and damaged states. A simulated crack, in the form of a narrow notch at various locations, was analyzed using piezoelectric-ceramic (PZT: lead, zirconate, titarate) patches as impedance measuring transducers. Descriptions of the impedance quantifying hardware and software are provided as well as experimental results. In summary, an impedance based health monitoring system was assembled and tested. The preliminary data showed that the impedance based technique was successful in recognizing the damage state of notched aluminum plates.

Gyekenyesi, Andrew L.↗

Using information Theory in Optimal Test Point Selection for Health Management in NASA's Exploration Vehicles

In this paper, we will present a new methodology that measures the "worth" of deploying an additional testing instrument (sensor) in terms of the amount of information that can be retrieved from such measurement. This quantity is obtained using a probabilistic model of RLV's that has been partially developed in the NASA Ames Research Center. A number of correlated attributes are identified and used to obtain the worth of deploying a sensor in a given test point from an information-theoretic viewpoint. Once the information-theoretic worth of sensors is formulated and incorporated into our general model for IHM performance, the problem can be formulated as a constrained optimization problem where reliability and operational safety of the system as a whole is considered. Although this research is conducted specifically for RLV's, the proposed methodology in its generic form can be easily extended to other domains of systems health monitoring.

Mehr, Ali Farhang↗

Extremum-seeking control for an Ultrasonic/Sonic Driller/Corer (USDC) driven at high-power

Future NASA exploration missions will increasingly require sampling, in-situ analysis and possibly the return of material to Earth for further tests. One of the challenges to addressing this need is the ability to drill using for low axial loading while operating from light weight platforms (e.g., lander, rover, etc.) as well as operate at planets with low gravity. For this purpose, the authors developed the Ultrasonic/Sonic Driller/Corer (USDC) jointly with Cybersonics Inc. Studies of the operation of the USDC at high power have shown there is a critical need to self-tune to maintain the operation of the piezoelectric actuator at resonance. Performing such tuning is encountered with difficulties and to address them an extremum-seeking control algorithm is being investigated. This algorithm is designed to tune the driving frequency of a time-varying resonating actuator subjected to both random and high-power impulsive noise disturbances. Using this algorithm the performance of the actuator is monitored on a time-scale that is compatible with its slowly time-varying physical characteristics. The algorithm includes a parameter estimator, which estimates the coefficients of a function that characterizes the quality factor of the USDC. Since the parameter estimator converges sufficiently faster than the time-varying drift of the USDC's physical parameters, the proposed extremum-seeking estimation and control algorithm is potentially applicable for use as a closed-loop health monitoring system. Specifically, this system may be programmed to automatically adjust the duty-cycle of the sinusoidal driver signal to guarantee that the quality factor of the USDC does not fall below a user-defined set-point. Such fault-tolerant functionality is especially important in automated drilling applications where it is essential not to inadvertently drive the piezoelectric ceramic crystals of the USDC beyond their capacities. The details of the algorithm and experimental results will be described and discussed in this paper.

Peek-seeking estimation and control↗

Adaptive piezoelectric sensoriactuator

An adaptive algorithm implemented in digital or analog form is used in conjunction with a voltage controlled amplifier to compensate for the feedthrough capacitance of piezoelectric sensoriactuator. The mechanical response of the piezoelectric sensoriactuator is resolved from the electrical response by adaptively altering the gain imposed on the electrical circuit used for compensation. For wideband, stochastic input disturbances, the feedthrough capacitance of the sensoriactuator can be identified on-line, providing a means of implementing direct-rate-feedback control in analog hardware. The device is capable of on-line system health monitoring since a quasi-stable dynamic capacitance is indicative of sustained health of the piezoelectric element.

Clark, Jr., Robert L.↗

Structural Health System for Crew Habitats

This viewgraph presentation reviews the history of JPL, and its affilation with CalTech and NASA. It continues by examining some of the sensors, and systems to ensure structural health that JPL has developed. It also reviews some of the habitat designs that are being developed for the lunar base. With these crew habitats, there is a requirement to have embedded systems health monitoring, to alert the crew in time about adverse structural conditions. The use of sensing technologies and smart materials are being developed to assure mechanical flexibility, minimumally invasive, autonomous, and enhanced reliability.

self healing↗

Finite-difference simulation and visualization of elastodynamics in time-evolving generalized curvilinear coordinates

Modeling and simulation of free and forced structural vibrations is essential to an overall structural health monitoring capability. In the various embodiments, a first principles finite-difference approach is adopted in modeling a structural subsystem such as a mechanical gear by solving elastodynamic equations in generalized curvilinear coordinates. Such a capability to generate a dynamic structural response is widely applicable in a variety of structural health monitoring systems. This capability (1) will lead to an understanding of the dynamic behavior of a structural system and hence its improved design, (2) will generate a sufficiently large space of normal and damage solutions that can be used by machine learning algorithms to detect anomalous system behavior and achieve a system design optimization and (3) will lead to an optimal sensor placement strategy, based on the identification of local stress maxima all over the domain.

Kaul, Upender K.↗

Smart Sensors Assess Structural Health

NASA frequently inspects launch vehicles, fuel tanks, and other components for structural damage. To perform quick evaluation and monitoring, the Agency pursues the development of structural health monitoring systems. In 2001, Acellent Technologies Inc., of Sunnyvale, California, received Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding from Marshall Space Flight Center to develop a hybrid Stanford Multi-Actuator Receiver Transduction (SMART) Layer for aerospace vehicles and structures. As a result, Acellent expanded the technology's capability and now sells it to aerospace and automotive companies; construction, energy, and utility companies; and the defense, space, transportation, and energy industries for structural condition monitoring, damage detection, crack growth monitoring, and other applications.

Source record↗

NASA Tech Briefs, January 2011

The topics include: 1) Distributed Aerodynamic Sensing and Processing Toolbox; 2) Collaborative Supervised Learning for Sensor Networks; 3) Hazard Detection Software for Lunar Landing; 4) Onboard Nonlinear Engine Sensor and Component Fault Diagnosis and Isolation Scheme; 5) Network-Capable Application Process and Wireless Intelligent Sensors for ISHM; 6) Interface Supports Multiple Broadcast Transceivers for Flight Applications; 7) FPGA Sequencer for Radar Altimeter Applications; 8) Miniature Sapphire Acoustic Resonator - MSAR; 9) Process-Hardened, Multi-Analyte Sensor for Characterizing Rocket Plume Constituents; 10) SAD5 Stereo Correlation Line-Striping in an FPGA; 11) Hybrid Composite Cryogenic Tank Structure; 12) Nanoscale Deformable Optics; 13) Reliability-Based Design Optimization of a Composite Airframe Component; 14) Zinc Oxide Nanowire Interphase for Enhanced Lightweight Polymer Fiber Composites; 15) Plasma Igniter for Reliable Ignition of Combustion in Rocket Engines; 16) Wire Test Grip Fixture; 17) A Sub-Hertz, Low-Frequency Vibration Isolation Platform; 18) Carbon Nanofibers Synthesized on Selective Substrates for Nonvolatile Memory and 3D Electronics; 19) Nanoparticle/Polymer Nanocomposite Bond Coat or Coating; 20) High-Resolution Wind Measurements for Offshore Wind Energy Development; 21) Spring Tire; 22) Marsviewer 2008; 23) Mission Services Evolution Center Message Bus; 24) Major Constituents Analysis for the Vehicle Cabin Atmosphere Monitor; 25) Astronaut Health Participant Summary Application; 26) Adaption of the AMDIS Method to Flight Status on the VCAM Instrument; 27) Natural Language Interface for Safety Certification of Safety-Critical Software; 28) Cryogenic Caging for Science Instrumentation; 29) Wide-Range Neutron Detector for Space Nuclear Applications; 30) In Situ Guided Wave Structural Health Monitoring System; 31) Multiplexed Energy Coupler for Rotating Equipment; 32) Attitude Estimation in Fractionated Spacecraft Cluster Systems; 33) Full Piezoelectric Multilayer-Stacked Hybrid Actuation/Transduction Systems; 34) Active Flow Effectors for Noise and Separation Control; 35) Method and System for Temporal Filtering in Video Compression Systems; 36) Apparatus for Measuring Total Emissivity of Small, Low-Emissivity Samples; 37) Multiple-Zone Diffractive Optic Element for Laser Ranging Applications; 38) Simplified Architecture for Precise Aiming of a Deep-Space Communication Laser Transceiver; 39) Two-Photon-Absorption Scheme for Optical Beam Tracking; 40) High-Sensitivity, Broad-Range Vacuum Gauge Using Nanotubes for Micromachined Cavities; 41) Wide-Field Optic for Autonomous Acquisition of Laser Link; 42) Extracting Zero-Gravity Surface Figure of a Mirror; 43) Modeling Electromagnetic Scattering From Complex Inhomogeneous Objects; 44) Visual Object Recognition and Tracking of Tools; 45) Method for Implementing Optical Phase Adjustment; 46) Visual SLAM Using Variance Grid Maps; 47) Rapid Calculation of Spacecraft Trajectories Using Efficient Taylor Series Integration; 48) Efficient Kriging Algorithms; 49) Predicting Spacecraft Trajectories by the WeavEncke Method; 50) An Augmentation of G-Guidance Algorithms; 51) Comparison of Aircraft Icing Growth Assessment Software; 52) Silicon-Germanium Voltage-Controlled Oscillator at 105 GHz; 53) Estimation of Coriolis Force and Torque Acting on Ares-1; 54) Null Lens Assembly for X-Ray Mirror Segments; and 55) High-Precision Pulse Generator.

Source record↗