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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Assessment of reverse gun taylor cylinder experimental configuration

Experimental efforts for Taylor-anvil impact tests have often been limited to near room temperature. The ‘Reverse Gun’ method proposed by Gust in 1982 allows for the Taylor impact specimen to be uniformly heated without temperature losses before impact. Through the use of finite element analysis, we explore two topics in this work. First, we examine whether the reverse gun experimental configuration is comparable to the traditional Taylor-anvil setup. Second, we assess the accuracy of several commonly employed flow strength models in terms of their ability to predict the reverse gun experimental results which involve dynamic loading conditions and complex thermo-mechanical coupling. The reverse gun simulations are performed for tantalum targets at initial temperatures in the range 295 K to 1295 K and velocities from 135 m/s to 242 m/s. We show that with suitable care in the modeling of the preheated reverse gun experiments one can make valuable assessments of flow strength models. Given the conditions explored, these observations probe the thermal softening, strain hardening, and strain rate sensitivity of the material.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1980

Exploratory studies of the cruise performance of upper surface blown configurations. Experimental program: Test facilities, model design instrumentation, and lowspeed, high-lift tests

The model hardware, test facilities and instrumentation utilized in an experimental study of upper surface blown configurations at cruise is described. The high speed (subsonic) experimental work, studying the aerodynamic effects of wing nacelle geometric variations, was conducted around semispan model configurations composed of diversified, interchangeable components. Power simulation was provided by high pressure air ducted through closed forebody nacelles. Nozzle geometry was varied across size, exit aspect ratio, exit position and boattail angle. Three dimensional force and two dimensional pressure measurements were obtained at cruise Mach numbers from 0.5 to 0.8 and at nozzle pressure ratios up to about 3.0. The experimental investigation was supported by an analytical synthesis of the system using a vortex lattice representation with first order power effects. Results are also presented from a compatibility study in which a short haul transport is designed on the basis of the aerodynamic findings in the experimental study as well as acoustical data obtained in a concurrent program. High lift test data are used to substantiate the projected performance of the selected transport design.

Braden, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Exploratory studies of the cruise performance of upper surface blown configurations: Experimental program, high-speed pressure tests

Basic pressure data are presented which was obtained from an experimental study of upper-surface blown configurations at cruise. The high-speed (subsonic) experimental work, studying the aerodynamic effects of wing-nacelle geometric variations, was conducted around semi-span model configurations composed of diversified, interchangeable components. Power simulation was provided by high-pressure air ducted through closed forebody nacelles. Nozzle geometry was varied across size, exit aspect ratio, exit position and boattail angle. Both 3-D force and 2-D pressure measurements were obtained at cruise Mach numbers from 0.5 to 0.8 and at nozzle pressure ratios up to about 3.0. The experimental investigation was supported by an analytical synthesis of the system using a vortex lattice representation with first-order power effects. Results are also presented from a compatibility study in which a short-haul transport is designed on the basis of the aerodynamic findings in the experimental study as well as acoustical data obtained in a concurrent program. High-lift test data are used to substantiate the projected performance of the selected transport design.

Braden, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Exploratory studies of the cruise performance of upper surface blown configuration: Experimental program, high-speed force tests

The work to develop a wing-nacelle arrangement to accommodate a wide range of upper surface blown configuration is reported. Pertinent model and installation details are described. Data of the effects of a wide range of nozzle geometric variations are presented. Nozzle aspect ratio, boattail angle, and chordwise position are among the parameters investigated. Straight and swept wing configurations were tested across a range of nozzle pressure ratios, lift coefficients, and Mach numbers.

Braden, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Determining potential 30/20 GHZ domestic satellite system concepts and establishment of a suitable experimental configuration

NASA is conducting a series of millimeter wave satellite communication systems and market studies to: (1) determine potential domestic 30/20 GHz satellite concepts and market potential, and (2) establish the requirements for a suitable technology verification payload which, although intended to be modest in capacity, would sufficiently demonstrate key technologies and experimentally address key operational issues. Preliminary results and critical issues of the current contracted effort are described. Also included is a description of a NASA-developed multibeam satellite payload configuration which may be representative of concepts utilized in a technology flight verification program.

Stevens, G. H.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Experimental Configuration and Preliminary Results of Testing a Rapid Cycle Adsorption Pump for Martian CO2 Acquisition

Temperature-swing adsorption pumps have been proposed as a method of acquiring and compressing Martian atmospheric CO2 for downstream processing. Most industrial applications and previous research targeted at space in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) utilize long (~hours) temperature swing periods, typically limited by the ability to transfer heat from a naturally insulating sorbent bed. A rapid cycle adsorption pump (RCAP) would reduce these periods to minutes, in the hope of increasing overall throughput. This paper details the design and preliminary experimental results from testing an RCAP in a simulated Martian environment. The test configuration features a central, liquid-cooled and heated heat transfer plate surrounded by symmetrical rectangular sorbent beds. Various bed thicknesses and commercially available Zeolite 13X sorbent particle sizes are evaluated to both determine performance and provide data for a parallel modeling effort. Discussions of multi-stage configurations and methods of boosting bed conductivity are included.

Berg, Jared↗
NASA NTRS1977

Noise characteristics of upper surface blown configurations. Experimental program and results

An experimental data base was developed from the model upper surface blowing (USB) propulsive lift system hardware. While the emphasis was on far field noise data, a considerable amount of relevant flow field data were also obtained. The data were derived from experiments in four different facilities resulting in: (1) small scale static flow field data; (2) small scale static noise data; (3) small scale simulated forward speed noise and load data; and (4) limited larger-scale static noise flow field and load data. All of the small scale tests used the same USB flap parts. Operational and geometrical variables covered in the test program included jet velocity, nozzle shape, nozzle area, nozzle impingement angle, nozzle vertical and horizontal location, flap length, flap deflection angle, and flap radius of curvature.

Brown, W. H.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Determining potential 30/20 GHz domestic satellite system concepts and establishment of a suitable experimental configuration

Issues and results in a NASA study of the potential concepts and markets for a multibeam 30/20 GHz domestic satellite system in the 1990s are presented. Issues considered include the reduction of signal attenuation due to rain, beam-beam interference isolation in the multibeam system, the method of access/modulation (FDMA, TDMA or hybrid) and the market for reduced reliability and wideband services. A hypothetical demonstration payload configuration which would attempt to resolve these issues is illustrated. The communications payload would employ a system of seven contiguous coverage spots in order to demonstrate a typical cell in a contiguous beam system having extensive frequency re-use, as in a direct-to-user system, and a single spot, typical of a trunking system, to determine signal isolation. The payload could be carried on several existing buses and is illustrated on an MMS bus.

Stevens, G. H.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Interpretation of discrepancies in mass spectroscopy data obtained from different experimental configurations

Many helium mass spectrometer leak detectors at KSC employ sampling systems that feature hand held sniffer probes. Authors of general leakage-testing literature recommend sniffer probes for leak location but not for quantitative leakage measurement. Their use in the latter application at KSC involves assumptions that may be subtle. The purpose of the research effort reported herein was to establish the significance of indicated leak rates displayed by sniffer-probe equipped leak detectors and to determine whether the use of alternative hardware or testing procedures may reduce the uncertainty of leakage measurements made with them. The report classifies probe-type sampling systems for helium leak detectors according to their internal plumbing (direct or branched), presents a basic analysis of the fluid dynamics in the sampling system in the branched-conduit case, describes the usual test method for measuring the internal supply-to-sample flowrate ratio (a.k.a permeation ratio), and describes a concept for a sponge-tipped probe whose external supply-to-sample flowrate ratio promises to be lower than that of a simple-ended probe. One conclusion is that the main source of uncertainty in the use of probe-type sampling systems for leakage measurement is uncertainty in the external supply-to-sample flowrate ratio. In contrast, the present method for measuring the internal supply-to-sample flowrate ratio is quantitative and satisfactory. The implication is that probes of lower external supply-to-sample flowrate ratio must be developed before this uncertainty may be reduced significantly.

Russell, John M.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Stability and Control Estimation Flight Test Results for the SR-71 Aircraft With Externally Mounted Experiments

A maximum-likelihood output-error parameter estimation technique is used to obtain stability and control derivatives for the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center SR-71A airplane and for configurations that include experiments externally mounted to the top of the fuselage. This research is being done as part of the envelope clearance for the new experiment configurations. Flight data are obtained at speeds ranging from Mach 0.4 to Mach 3.0, with an extensive amount of test points at approximately Mach 1.0. Pilot-input pitch and yaw-roll doublets are used to obtain the data. This report defines the parameter estimation technique used, presents stability and control derivative results, and compares the derivatives for the three configurations tested. The experimental configurations studied generally show acceptable stability, control, trim, and handling qualities throughout the Mach regimes tested. The reduction of directional stability for the experimental configurations is the most significant aerodynamic effect measured and identified as a design constraint for future experimental configurations. This report also shows the significant effects of aircraft flexibility on the stability and control derivatives.

Moes, Timothy R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Some experimental and theoretical flutter characteristics of an arrow-wing configuration

Experimental and theoretical flutter results are presented for a simplified 1/50-size wind-tunnel model of an arrow-wing configuration. Transonic flutter characteristics are presented for three configurations - wing without engine nacelles, wing with flow-through nacelles, and wing with pencil nacelles (thin, streamline bodies). Experimental results are correlated with analytical results obtained from kernel-function and doublet-lattice unsteady aerodynamic theories. Theoretical results are presented that show the effects on flutter of systematic changes in structural stiffness and mass.

Doggett, R. V., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1959

Preliminary Measurements of the Noise Characteristics of Some Jet-Augmented-Flap Configurations

Experimental noise studies were conducted on model configurations of some proposed jet-augmented flaps to determine their far-field noise characteristics. The tests were conducted using cold-air jets of circular and rectangular exits having equal areas, at pressure ratios corresponding to exit velocities slightly below choking. Results indicated that the addition of a flap to a nozzle may change both its noise radiation pattern and frequency spectrum. Large reductions in the noise radiated in the downward direction are realized when the flow from a long narrow rectangular nozzle as permitted to attach to and flow along a large flap surface. Deflecting or turning the jet flow by means of impingement on the under surfaces increases the noise radiated in all directions and especially in the downward direction for the jet-flap configurations tested. Turning of the flow from nozzles by means of a flap turns the noise pattern approximately an equal amount. The principle of using a jet-flap shield with flow attachment may have some application as a noise suppressor.

Maglieri, Domenic J.↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Verification of Flux Sensitivity Estimates Using the MCNP Tally Perturbation Tool

Nuclear data is commonly used in applications such as nuclear nonproliferation, safeguards, and criticality safety. More specifically, nuclear data is used in predictive simulation codes like the Monte-Carlo N-Particle (MCNP ® ) transport code, Serpent, and similar radiation transport codes. The improvement of nuclear data enables more precise and accurate simulations, which result in higher fidelity designs and reduced operational/procedural costs. Therefore, the improvement of nuclear data is of paramount importance across the nuclear community. Nuclear data is improved and validated through integral benchmark experiments. The design of benchmark experiments is an extensive process; therefore, these experiments are often optimized on multiple characteristics, including sensitivity to the nuclear data, during the design process. Sensitivity is a measure of how much a quantity changes due to changes in independent variables such as experimental configuration. An experimental design that has a larger sensitivity to the nuclear data of interest will have a larger impact on the accuracy and precision of the validated data. Past integral benchmark experiments have primarily used the effective multiplication factor ($k_{eff}$) as the predominant measured quantity; however, experiments designed with other quantities in mind would be able to optimize on validating different areas of the nuclear data. A primary goal of the EUCLID project is to design, constrain, and reduce compensating errors in experiments focused on quantities other than $k_{eff}$ to better validate nuclear data across the board. Currently, there is a capability in MCNP to easily calculate the sensitivity of $k_{eff}$ to specific nuclear data of numerous reactions types and isotopes (KSEN card); however, the sensitivity of other quantities must be estimated in more strenuous manners. For example, the perturbation feature (PERT card) of MCNP can be used to estimate first-order sensitivities of some response in fixed source simulations. A recent announcement revealed that the first- and second-order perturbation features in previous releases of MCNP contained a bug. It was identified that particles were being scored into the wrong energy bin. The bug is in the most recent public release (MCNP6.2); however, a patch has been added to the most up to date version (MCNP6.2.2) that has not been released publicly. A direct comparison of the PERT card results for an F4 (neutron flux averaged over a cell) tally before and after the patch are shown in figure 1. All simulations used in the sensitivity estimates in this report were performed with MCNP6.2.2. This work verifies the patched MCNP perturbation tool by comparing first order sensitivities made using the PERT card to estimates made using manual perturbation of the compact ENDF (ACE) files.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1995

Subsonic-to-Hypersonic Aerodynamic Characteristics for a Winged, Circular-Body, Single-Stage-to-Orbit Spacecraft Configuration

Experimental aerodynamic characteristics were obtained for a generic, winged, circular-body, single-stage-to-orbit spacecraft configuration. The baseline configuration was longitudinally stable and trimmable at almost all Mach numbers from 0.15 to 10.0--with the exception occurring at low supersonic speeds. Landing speed and subsonic-to-hypersonic longitudinal stability and control appear to be within design guidelines. Lateral-directional instabilities found over the entire speed range, however, create a problem area for this configuration. Longitudinal aerodynamic predictions made utilizing the Aerodynamic Preliminary Analysis System (APAS) were in qualitative, often quantitative agreement with experimental values.

Phillips, W. P.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Results of tests in the MSFC 14 x 14 inch trisonic wind tunnel on a .004 scale model of the Rockwell International Space Shuttle Vehicle 3, (integrated configuration)

Experimental aerodynamic investigations were conducted during mid-July, 1973 on a .004 scale model of the Rockwell International integrated configuration Space Shuttle Vehicle 3. The purpose of the tests was three fold: (1) to determine the static stability characteristics of the integrated vehicle, utilizing the Vehicle 3 orbiter configuration; (2) to determine the effect of interstage structure and tank external fuel lines on the integrated vehicle aerodynamic characteristics; (3) to determine the effects of the aft interstage structure on orbiter aerodynamic loads. Data were recorded on the integrated vehicle (test no. 579) at angles of attack and sideslip ranging from -10 deg to 10 deg over a Mach number schedule from 0.6 to 4.96. Data were obtained on the orbiter alone in the presence of the external tank with SRB attached (test no. 580) at angles of attack from -10 deg to 10 deg over a Mach number range from .6 to 1.96. Plotted data are presented in the body axis system.

Allen, E. C.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Effects of angle of attack and vertical fin on transonic flutter characteristics of an arrow-wing configuration

Experimental transonic flutter results are presented for a simplified 1/50 size, aspect ratio 1.77, wind tunnel model of an arrow wing design. Flutter results are presented for two configurations; namely, one with and one without a ventral fin mounted at the 0.694 semispan station. Results are presented for both configurations trimmed to zero lift and in a lifting condition at angles of attack up to 4 deg. The results show that the flutter characteristics of both configurations are similar to those usually observed. Increasing angle of attack reduces the flutter dynamic pressure by a small amount (about 13 percent maximum) for both configurations. The addition of the fin to the basic wing increases the flutter dynamic pressure. Calculated results for both configurations in the nonlifting condition obtained by using subsonic doublet lattice unsteady aerodynamic theory correlate reasonably well with the experimental results. Calculated results for the basic wing obtained by using subsonic kernal function unsteady aerodynamic theory did not agree as well with the experimental data.

Doggett, R. V., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Aerodynamic static stability and control effectiveness of a parametric shuttle launch configuration

Experimental aerodynamic investigations were conducted in the NASA/MSFC 14-inch Trisonic Wind Tunnel on a 0.004-scale model of the NR ATP baseline Shuttle launch configuration. The test model consisted of the NR ATP baseline orbiter, external tank, and SRB's with nozzles. Six component aerodynamic force and moment data were recorded over an angle of attack range from minus 10 deg to 10 deg at zero degrees sideslip and angle of sideslip range of minus 10 deg to 10 deg at zero angle of attack for a Mach range of 0.6 to 4.96. Rudder flare was constant at 10 deg during the entire test. The purpose of the test was to define the performance, stability, and control characteristics of the launch configuration as well as to investigate the buildup effect of two geometrical parameters.

Ramsey, P. E.↗