Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “COMPRESSION RATIO”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,639 records · Page 91

Abell 1430: A merging cluster with exceptional diffuse radio emission

Diffuse radio emission has been found in many galaxy clusters, predominantly in massive systems which are in the state of merging. The radio emission can usually be classified as relic or halo emission, which are believed to be related to merger shocks or volume-filling turbulence, respectively. Recent observations have revealed radio bridges for some pairs of very close galaxy clusters. The mechanisms that may allow one to explain the high specific density of relativistic electrons, which are necessary to explain the radio luminosity of these bridge regions, have been poorly explored until now. When inspecting the first data release of the LOFAR Two-Metre Sky Survey (LoTSS), we discovered diffuse radio emission in the galaxy cluster Abell 1430. Here, for this work, we aim to determine the dynamical state of the cluster and characterise the diffuse radio emission. We analysed the LoTSS data in detail and complemented them with recent Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array observations in the L-band. To study the dynamical state of the cluster, we analysed XMM-Newton data, Chandra data, and Sloan Digital Sky Survey data. Moreover, we compared our results to clusters extracted from THE THREE HUNDRED PROJECT cosmological simulation. We find that Abell 1430 consists of two components, namely A1430-A and A1430-B, with a mass ratio of about 2:1. The massive component shows diffuse radio emission which can be classified as radio halo which shows a low radio power at 1.4 GHz with respect to the mass of the cluster. Most interestingly, there is extended diffuse radio emission in the following dubbed as the ‘Pillow’ according to its morphology, which is apparently related to A1430-B and which is neither typical halo nor typical relic emission. The origin of this emission is puzzling. We speculate that the two components of Abell 1430 undergo an off-axis merger. In this scenario, A1430-B is moving towards the main cluster component and may have compressed and stirred the medium in the filament between the two cluster components. We have discovered evidence for diffuse radio emission related to the low-density intracluster or intergalactic medium in Abell 1430. To date, only a few examples of emission originating from such regions are known. These discoveries are crucial to constrain possible acceleration mechanisms which may allow us to explain the presence of relativistic electrons in these regions. In particular, our results indicate a spectral index of α 144 MHz 1.5 GHz = -1.4±0.5 for the Pillow. If upcoming observations confirm a slope as flat as -1.4 or even flatter, this would pose a challenge for the electron acceleration scenarios.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Supersonic quasi-axisymmetric vortex breakdown

An extensive computational study of supersonic quasi-axisymmetric vortex breakdown in a configured circular duct is presented. The unsteady, compressible, full Navier-Stokes (NS) equations are used for the present computational study. The NS equations are solved for quasi-axisymmetric flow using an implicit, upwind, flux-difference splitting, finite-volume scheme. The quasi-axisymmetric solutions are time accurate and are obtained by forcing the components of the flowfield vector to be equal on two axial planes, which are in close proximity of each other. The computational study addresses the effect of the Reynolds number, for laminar flows, on the evolution and persistence of vortex breakdown. The effect of boundary conditions at the duct exit on vortex breakdown is also studied. Finally, the effect of swirl ratio at the duct inlet is investigated.

Kandil, Osama A.↗

Generalization of Equivalent Crystal Theory to Include Angular Dependence

In the original Equivalent Crystal Theory, each atomic site in the real crystal is assigned an equivalent lattice constant, in general different from the ground state one. This parameter corresponds to a local compression or expansion of the lattice. The basic method considers these volumetric transformations and, in addition, introduces the possibility that the reference lattice is anisotropically distorted. These distortions however, were introduced ad-hoc. In this work, we generalize the original Equivalent Crystal Theory by systematically introducing site-dependent directional distortions of the lattice, whose corresponding distortions account for the dependence of the energy on anisotropic local density variations. This is done in the spirit of the original framework, but including a gradient term in the density. This approach is introduced to correct a deficiency in the original Equivalent Crystal Theory and other semiempirical methods in quantitatively obtaining the correct ratios of the surface energies of low index planes of cubic metals (100), (110), and (111). We develop here the basic framework, and apply it to the calculation of Fe (110) and Fe (111) surface energy formation. The results, compared with first principles calculations, show an improvement over previous semiempirical approaches.

Ferrante, John↗

Slow plastic strain rate compressive flow in binary CoAl intermetallics

Constant-velocity elevated temperature compression tests have been conducted on a series of binary CoAl intermetallics produced by hot extrusion of blended prealloyed powders. The as-extruded materials were polycrystalline, and they retained their nominal 10-micron grain size after being tested between 1100 and 1400 K at strain rates ranging from 2 x 10 to the -4th to 2 x 10 to the -7th per sec. Significant plastic flow was obtained in all cases; while cracking was observed, much of this could be due to failure at matrix-oxide interfaces along extrusion stringers rather than to solely intergranular fracture. A maximum in flow strength occurs at an aluminum-to-cobalt ratio of 0.975, and the stress exponent appears to be constant for aluminum-to-cobalt ratios of 0.85 or more. It is likely that very aluminum-deficient materials deform by a different mechanism than do other compositions.

Whittenberger, J. D.↗

Experimental Investigation at Mach Number 3.0 of the Effects of Thermal Stress and Buckling on the Flutter of Four-Bay Aluminum Alloy Panels with Length-Width Ratios of 10

Skin-stiffener aluminum alloy panels consisting of four bays, each bay having a length-width ratio of 10, were tested at a Mach number of 3.0 at dynamic pressures ranging from 1,500 psf to 5,000 psf and at stagnation temperatures from 300 F to 655 F. The panels were restrained by the supporting structure in such a manner that partial thermal expansion of the skins could occur in both the longitudinal and lateral directions. A boundary faired through the experimental flutter points consisted of a flat-panel portion, a buckled-panel portion, and a transition point at the intersection of the two boundaries. In the region where a panel must be flat when flutter occurs, an increase in panel skin temperature (or midplane compressive stress) makes the panel more susceptible to flutter. In the region where a panel must be buckled when flutter occurs, the flutter trend is reversed. This reversal in trend is attributed to the panel postbuckling behavior.

Dixon, Sidney C.↗

Generation of highly symmetric, cylindrically convergent shockwaves in water

We report on pulsed power driven, exploding copper wire array experiments conducted to generate cylindrical convergent shockwaves in water employing μs risetime currents >550 kA in amplitude and with stored energies of >15 kJ—a substantial increase over previous results. The experiments were carried out on the recently constructed Mega-Ampere-Compression-and-Hydrodynamics facility at Imperial College London in collaboration with colleagues of Technion, Israel. 10 mm diameter arrays consisting of 60 × 130 μm wires were utilized, and the current and voltage diagnostics of the load region suggested that ~8 kJ of energy was deposited in the wires (and the load region close to the wires) during the experiments, resulting in the formation of dense, highly resistive plasmas that rapidly expanded driving the shockwaves in water. Laser-backlit framing images of the shockfront were obtained at radii <0.25 mm for the first time, and there was strong evidence that even at radii <0.1 mm this front remains stable, resulting in a convergence ratio of >50:1. Framing images and streak photographs showed that the velocity of the shockwave reached ~7.5 km s -1 at 0.1 mm from the axis. 2D hydrodynamic simulations that match the experimentally obtained implosion trajectory suggest that pressures >1 Mbar are produced within 10 μm of the axis along with water densities of 3gcm -3 and temperatures of many 1000 s of Kelvin. Under these conditions, Quotidian Equation of State suggests that a strongly coupled plasma with an ionization fraction of ~0.7 would be formed. The results represent a “stepping stone” in the application of the technique to drive different material samples into high pressure, warm dense matter regimes with compact, university scale generators, and provide support in scaling the technique to multi-mega ampere currents.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Observation of carbon fractionation in HE debris by large geometry secondary ion mass spectrometry

Detonation of high explosives (HE) is an exothermic process producing a variety of simple gaseous molecules (e.g. CO, CO 2 , N 2 , H 2 O) and solid carbon soot. The chemistry of formed carbon soot is influenced by the high pressures (P) and temperatures (T) induced by shock compression that occurs due to detonation. This can result in isotopic fractionation of the soot as the lighter 12 C is more likely to participate in reactions forming gaseous products, resulting in 13 C enriched particulate soot material. Isotopic analysis of HE soot is usually performed at the bulk level of an agglomerated sample, which gives an average value of HE derived soot and other bystander debris and can obscure trends among individual particles. To study C isotopic fractionation of HE debris at the individual particle level, we have used Large Geometry Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (LG-SIMS), which has the ability to deliver in-situ high precision and accuracy isotope ratios of individual particles. This allows for evaluating thousands of individual particles from HE detonations, providing isotopic data at the per particle level. HE debris particles from a variety of detonation conditions (P ranging from 25 – 85 GPa) have been measured by LG-SIMS showing a general trend of higher 13 C fractionation with increasing P.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Unsupervised learning approaches to characterizing heterogeneous samples using X-ray single-particle imaging

One of the outstanding analytical problems in X-ray single-particle imaging (SPI) is the classification of structural heterogeneity, which is especially difficult given the low signal-to-noise ratios of individual patterns and the fact that even identical objects can yield patterns that vary greatly when orientation is taken into consideration. Proposed here are two methods which explicitly account for this orientation-induced variation and can robustly determine the structural landscape of a sample ensemble. The first, termed common-line principal component analysis (PCA), provides a rough classification which is essentially parameter free and can be run automatically on any SPI dataset. The second method, utilizing variation auto-encoders (VAEs), can generate 3D structures of the objects at any point in the structural landscape. Both these methods are implemented in combination with the noise-tolerant expand–maximize–compress (EMC) algorithm and its utility is demonstrated by applying it to an experimental dataset from gold nanoparticles with only a few thousand photons per pattern. Both discrete structural classes and continuous deformations are recovered. These developments diverge from previous approaches of extracting reproducible subsets of patterns from a dataset and open up the possibility of moving beyond the study of homogeneous sample sets to addressing open questions on topics such as nanocrystal growth and dynamics, as well as phase transitions which have not been externally triggered.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Sensitivity Analysis of Flutter Response of a Wing Incorporating Finite-Span Corrections

Flutter analysis of a wing is performed in compressible flow using state-space representation of the unsteady aerodynamic behavior. Three different expressions are used to incorporate corrections due to the finite-span effects of the wing in estimating the lift-curve slope. The structural formulation is based on a Rayleigh-Pitz technique with Chebyshev polynomials used for the wing deflections. The aeroelastic equations are solved as an eigen-value problem to determine the flutter speed of the wing. The flutter speeds are found to be higher in these cases, when compared to that obtained without accounting for the finite-span effects. The derivatives of the flutter speed with respect to the shape parameters, namely: aspect ratio, area, taper ratio and sweep angle, are calculated analytically. The shape sensitivity derivatives give a linear approximation to the flutter speed curves over a range of values of the shape parameter which is perturbed. Flutter and sensitivity calculations are performed on a wing using a lifting-surface unsteady aerodynamic theory using modules from a system of programs called FAST.

Issac, Jason Cherian↗

Buckling of axially compressed conical shells

The buckling of a truncated elastic conical shell subjected to an axial compression is a classical problem in shell structures. The paper reinvestigates the buckling of an axially compressed truncated conical shell with rigid bulkheads. Two improvements are achieved. First, the condition that the total horizontal displacement must vanish due to rigid bulkhead and axisymmetry is treated as a constraint. This constraint is incorporated into the system through the use of the Lagrange multiplier; then the variational method is used to derive a complete set of boundary conditions for conical shells. Second, the stability is evaluated in the deformed state using the asymptotic solutions of the pair of Donnell-type equations for axisymmetric configuration. The results indicate that the buckling strength of conical shells depends mainly on the condition of the smaller end. In addition to the vertex angle, the distance ratio plays, at least, an equally important role.

Chang, C.-H.↗

Energy considerations in computational aeroacoustics

A finite-volume multistage time-stepping Euler code is used to investigate the use of CFD algorithms for the direct calculation of acoustics. The 2D compressible inviscid flow about an accelerating or decelerating circular cylinder is used as a model problem. The time evolution of the energy transfer from the cylinder to the fluid, as the cylinder is moved from rest to some nonnegligible velocity, is clearly seen. By examining the temporal and spatial characteristics of the numerical solution, a distinction can be made between the propagating acoustic energy, the convecting energy associated with the entropy change in the fluid, and the energy contained in the local aerodynamic field. Systematic variation of the cylinder acceleration shows that the radiated acoustic energy depends strongly upon the rate of acceleration or deceleration. The computational grid has a large effect on the ratio of acoustic energy to nonphysical entropy associated energy, while the role of the explicit artificial viscosity seems to be of second order. The entropy term was nearly negligible in all cases the cylinder was started slowly.

Brentner, Kenneth S.↗

A Low-Cost Lightweight Entropic Alloy with High Strength

In this study, a series of lightweight Al–Mg system entropic alloys containing Zn, Cu, and Si were designed based on the order/disorder or entropy, and eutectic concepts. The alloys of Al{sub 58.5}Mg{sub 31.5}Zn{sub 4.5}Cu{sub 4.5}Si{sub 1}; Al{sub 63}Mg{sub 27}Zn{sub 4.5}Cu{sub 4.5}Si{sub 1}; Al{sub 66.7}Mg{sub 23.3}Zn{sub 4.5}Cu{sub 4.5}Si{sub 1}; Al{sub 80}Mg{sub 14}Zn{sub 2.7}Cu{sub 2.7}Si{sub 0.6}; Al{sub 85}Mg{sub 10.5}Zn{sub 2.025}Cu{sub 2.025}Si{sub 0.45}; and Al{sub 90}Mg{sub 7}Zn{sub 1.35}Cu{sub 1.35}Si{sub 0.3} were prepared by induction melting under a high-purity argon atmosphere and then casted into stainless steel molds. The microstructures which were tested in the as-cast state exhibited multiphases and contained apparent volume fractions of intermetallic compounds and solid solutions. Then, the compressive mechanical properties of the alloys were measured, and high fracture strengths of 577, 677, 590, 498, 814, and 794 MPa, respectively, were determined. Strong hardening phenomena were observed in the Al{sub 80}Mg{sub 14}Zn{sub 2.7}Cu{sub 2.7}Si{sub 0.6}, Al{sub 85}Mg{sub 10.5}Zn{sub 2.025}Cu{sub 2.025}Si{sub 0.45}, and Al{sub 90}Mg{sub 7}Zn{sub 1.35}Cu{sub 1.35}Si{sub 0.3} alloys at room temperature, with amazing plasticity percentages of 13.8, 24.8, and 32.7%, respectively. The property differences in the lightweight alloys were analyzed using the following parameters: the critical values of the enthalpy of mixing; atomic size differences; ratio of entropy to enthalpy; valence electron concentration (VEC); and Pauling electronegativity difference. Finally, three of the aforementioned parameters (atomic size difference, enthalpy of mixing, and Pauling electronegativity difference) were regarded in this study as the crucial rules for the lightweight multicomponent alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effects of Yarn Crimping on Braided Composite Design Allowables

Braided composite materials are currently being evaluated for wing skin stiffeners on commercial aircraft. These carbon-fiber/epoxy materials allow for low-cost manufacturing while maintaining high strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios. The proposed braid architecture consists of axial carbon fiber yarns and braider carbon fiber yarns making 60 deg to 70 deg angles with respect to the axial yarns. These 2-D triaxial braids are produced as long, continuous tubes, which are flattened, cut, and stacked to produce the desired part thickness and shape. When infiltrated with epoxy resin and cured under a compaction pressure, the fiber yarns become crimped, allowing for higher fiber packing. Although high fiber packing is desirable, yarn crimping (especially in the axial fiberyarns) is undesirable. Significant axial yarn crimp angles (greater than 10 deg) have been measured in braided composites. Comparable levels of crimping have been found to produce significant compressive strength reductions in laminated composites consisting of planar fiber sheets. Thus, axial yarn crimping is suspected of producing significant reductions in compressive strength allowables for braided composites. The objective of this research is to quantify the reduction in compressive strength as a function of axial yarn crimp severity. Since crimp severity can be reduced by lowering the compaction pressure during curing, the resulting compressive strengths may be used to determine optimum processing conditions. A 'cure-on-the-loom' manufacturing process was developed to produce braided composites with controlled levels of crimping. This method allowed for controlled levels of tension to be placed on the axial yarns and maintained during the curing process. With increasing tension, the crimp severity in the axial yarns was reduced. Thus, varying crimp severities were produced ranging from conventional levels (greater than 10 deg) to virtually straight axial yarns. Test results indicate that a 30% increase in compressive strength is obtainable by eliminating axial yarn crimping. Further compression testing is underway to quantify the relationship between crimp severity and compressive strength. Additional testing is planned to investigate the effect of crimping on the open-hole compressive strength, often considered a more significant design allowable.

Adams, Dan↗

Effects of Compressibility on the Flow Past Thick Airfoil Sections

Six, 3-inch-chord symmetrical airfoil sections having systematic variations in thickness and thickness location were tested at Mach numbers near flight values for propeller-shank sections. The tests, the results of which are presented in the form of schlieren photographs of the flow past each model and pressure-distribution charts for two of the model, were performed to illustrate the effects of compressibility on the flow past thick symmetrical airfoil sections. Representative flow photographs indicated that at Mach numbers approximately 0.05 above the critical Mach number a speed region was reached in which the flow oscillated rapidly and the separation point and the location of the shock wave were unstable. Fixing the transition on both surfaces of the airfoil was effective in reducing these rapid oscillations. The pressure distributions showed that the section normal-force coefficients for thick airfoils were very erratic at subcritical speeds; at supercritical speeds the section normal-force coefficients for the thick airfoils became more regular. Drag coefficients showed that considerable drag decreases can be expected by decreasing the model thickness ratio.

Daley, Bernard N.↗

Axial and Centrifugal Compressor Mean Line Flow Analysis Method

This paper describes a method to estimate key aerodynamic parameters of single and multistage axial and centrifugal compressors. This mean-line compressor code COMDES provides the capability of sizing single and multistage compressors quickly during the conceptual design process. Based on the compressible fluid flow equations and the Euler equation, the code can estimate rotor inlet and exit blade angles when run in the design mode. The design point rotor efficiency and stator losses are inputs to the code, and are modeled at off design. When run in the off-design analysis mode, it can be used to generate performance maps based on simple models for losses due to rotor incidence and inlet guide vane reset angle. The code can provide an improved understanding of basic aerodynamic parameters such as diffusion factor, loading levels and incidence, when matching multistage compressor blade rows at design and at part-speed operation. Rotor loading levels and relative velocity ratio are correlated to the onset of compressor surge. NASA Stage 37 and the three-stage NASA 74-A axial compressors were analyzed and the results compared to test data. The code has been used to generate the performance map for the NASA 76-B three-stage axial compressor featuring variable geometry. The compressor stages were aerodynamically matched at off-design speeds by adjusting the variable inlet guide vane and variable stator geometry angles to control the rotor diffusion factor and incidence angles.

Veres, Joseph P.↗

Elastic Properties of Plasma-Exposed Tungsten Predicted by Molecular-Dynamics Simulations

We report results of systematic molecular-dynamics computations of the elastic properties of single-crystalline tungsten containing structural defects, voids and overpressurized He nanobubbles, related to plasma exposure of tungsten serving as a plasma- facing component (PFC) in nuclear fusion devices. Our computations reveal that the empty voids are centers of dilatation resulting in development of tensile stress in the tungsten matrix, whereas He-filled voids (nanobubbles) introduce compressive stress in the plasma-exposed tungsten. We find that the dependence of the elastic moduli of plasma-exposed tungsten, namely, the bulk, Young, and shear modulus, on its void fraction follows a universal exponential scaling relation. We also find that the elastic moduli of plasma-exposed tungsten soften substantially as a function of He content in the tungsten matrix, following an exponential scaling relation; this He-induced exponential softening is in addition to the softening caused in the matrix with increasing temperature. A systematic characterization of the dependence of the elastic moduli on the He bubble size reveals that He bubble growth affects significantly both the bulk modulus and the Poisson ratio of plasma-exposed tungsten, while its effect on the Young and shear moduli of the plasma-exposed material is weak. Our findings contribute directly to the development of a structure-properties database that is required for the predictive modeling of the dynamical response of PFCs in nuclear fusion devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Design and implementation of a Thomson parabola for fluence dependent energy-loss measurements at the Neutralized Drift Compression eXperiment

The interaction of ion beams with matter includes the investigation of the basic principles of ion stopping in heated materials. An unsolved question is the effect of different, especially higher, ion beam fluences on ion stopping in solid targets. This is relevant in applications such as in fusion sciences. To address this question, a Thomson parabola was built for the Neutralized Drift Compression eXperiment (NDCX-II) for ion energy-loss measurements at different ion beam fluences. The linear induction accelerator NDCX-II delivers 2 ns short, intense ion pulses, up to several tens of nC/pulse, or 1010-1011 ions, with a peak kinetic energy of ~1.1 MeV and a minimal spot size of 2 mm FWHM. For this particular accelerator, the energy determination with conventional beam diagnostics, for example, time of flight measurements, is imprecise due to the non-trivial longitudinal phase space of the beam. In contrast, a Thomson parabola is well suited to reliably determine the beam energy distribution. The Thomson parabola differentiates charged particles by energy and charge-to-mass ratio, through deflection of charged particles by electric and magnetic fields. During first proof-of-principle experiments, we achieved to reproduce the average initial helium beam energy as predicted by computer simulations with a deviation of only 1.4%25. Successful energy-loss measurements with 1 μm thick silicon nitride foils show the suitability of the accelerator for such experiments. The initial ion energy was determined during a primary measurement without a target, while a second measurement, incorporating the target, was used to determine the transmitted energy. The energy-loss was then determined as the difference between the two energies.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗