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At least 19 records

Non-Axisymmetric Inflatable Pressure Structure (NAIPS) Full-Scale Pressure Test

Inflatable space structures have the potential to significantly reduce the required launch volume for large pressure vessels required for exploration applications including habitats, airlocks and tankage. In addition, mass savings can be achieved via the use of high specific strength softgoods materials, and the reduced design penalty from launching the structure in a densely packaged state. Large inclusions however, such as hatches, induce a high mass penalty at the interfaces with the softgoods and in the added rigid structure while reducing the packaging efficiency. A novel, Non-Axisymmetric Inflatable Pressure Structure (NAIPS) was designed and recently tested at NASA Langley Research Center to demonstrate an elongated inflatable architecture that could provide areas of low stress along a principal axis in the surface. These low stress zones will allow the integration of a flexible linear seal that substantially reduces the added mass and volume of a heritage rigid hatch structure. This paper describes the test of the first full-scale engineering demonstration unit (EDU) of the NAIPS geometry and a comparison of the results to finite element analysis.

Jones, Thomas C.↗

Pressure scaled water impact test of a 12.5 inch diameter model of the Space Shuttle solid rocket booster

A total of 59 tail first drops were made. Model entry conditions simulated full scale vertical velocities of approximately 75 to 110 ft/sec with horizontal velocities up to 45 ft/sec and impact angles to + or - 10 deg. These tests were conducted at scaled atmospheric pressures (1.26 psia or 65 mm.Hg). The model, test program, test facility, test equipment, instrumentation system, data reduction procedures, and test results are described.

Source record↗

Test Report for MSFC Test No. 83-2: Pressure scaled water impact test of a 12.5 inch diameter model of the Space Shuttle solid rocket booster filament wound case and external TVC PCD

Water impact tests using a 12.5 inch diameter model representing a 8.56 percent scale of the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster configuration were conducted. The two primary objectives of this SRB scale model water impact test program were: 1. Obtain cavity collapse applied pressure distributions for the 8.56 percent rigid body scale model FWC pressure magnitudes as a function of full-scale initial impact conditions at vertical velocities from 65 to 85 ft/sec, horizontal velocities from 0 to 45 ft/sec, and angles from -10 to +10 degrees. 2. Obtain rigid body applied pressures on the TVC pod and aft skirt internal stiffener rings at initial impact and cavity collapse loading events. In addition, nozzle loads were measured. Full scale vertical velocities of 65 to 85 ft/sec, horizontal velocities of 0 to 45 ft/sec, and impact angles from -10 to +10 degrees simulated.

Source record↗

Imparting Barely Visible Impact Damage to a Stitched Composite Large-Scale Pressure Box

The Pultruded Rod Stitched Efficient Unitized Structure (PRSEUS) is a concept that was developed by The Boeing Company to address the complex structural design aspects associated with a pressurized hybrid wing body (HWB) aircraft configuration, which has been a focus of the NASA Environmentally Responsible Aviation Project. The NASA-Boeing structural development for the HWB aircraft culminated in testing of the multi-bay box, which is an 80%-scale representation of the pressurized center-body section. This structure was tested in the NASA Langley Research Center Combined Loads Test System facility. As part of this testing, barely visible impact damage was imparted to the interior and exterior of the test article to demonstrate compliance with a condition representative of the requirements for Category 1 damaged composite structure as defined by the Federal Aviation Regulations. Interior impacts were imparted using an existing spring-loaded impactor, while the exterior impacts were imparted using a newly designed, gravity-driven impactor. This paper describes the impacts to the test article, and the design of the gravitydriven guided-weight impactor. The guided-weight impactor proved to be a very reliable method to impart barely visible impact damage in locations which are not easily accessible for a traditional drop-weight impactor, while at the same time having the capability to be highly configurable for use on other aircraft structures.

Lovejoy, Andrew E.↗

Pressure scaling effects in a scramjet combustion chamber

The test results obtained for a model scramjet over a range of pressure levels corresponding to different flight altitudes involve enthalpies that vary from the ignition limit, at the low temperature end, to temperatures where the dissociation of combustion products severely limits heat release. The minimum temperature is noted to be highly pressure-sensitive; above the ignition limit, the amount of heat release increased markedly with pressure and with combustion chamber length. A FEM computer code has been used to model the mixing and combustion processes.

Morgan, R. G.↗

Flight Tests on U.S.S. Los Angeles. Part I : Full Scale Pressure Distribution Investigation

The primary purpose of this investigation was to obtain simultaneous data on the loads and stress experience in flight by the U. S. S. Los Angeles which could be used in rigid airship structure design. A secondary object of the investigation was to determine the turning and drag characteristics of the airship. The aerodynamic loading was obtained by measuring the pressure at 95 locations on the tail surfaces, 54 on the hull, and 5 on the passenger car. These measurements were made during a series of maneuvers consisting of turns and reversals in smooth air and during a cruise in rough air which was just short of squall proportions. The results of the pressure measurements on the hull indicate that the forces on the forebody of an airship are relatively small. The tail surface measurements show conclusively that the forces caused by gusts are much greater than those caused by horizontal maneuvers. In this investigation the tail surface loadings caused by gusts closely approached the designed loads of the tail structure. The turning and drag characteristics will be reported in separate reports.

De France, S J↗

Mixing-length, shears, and differential rotation

Three aspects of convection in the solar envelope, the mixing length, the shears, and the differential rotation, are considered. Numerical experiments show that the mixing length is scaled by the pressure scale height rather than by the density scale height. Results indicate that the effective viscosity of convective turbulence on large scale shears may be approximated as 1/3 the product of the rms vertical velocity and the pressure scale height. It is suggested that the differential rotation of the solar convection zone may be viewed as an unstable axisymmetric mode which produces slower rotation at the surface.

Chan, K. L.↗

Middle Atmosphere Reference Model Derived from Satellite Data

Zonally averaged temperature and geostrophic zonal wind for each month and for latitudes from 80 S to 80 N with pressure scale height as a vertical coordinate are given tabular form. The pressure scale height is defined as -ln (p/P sub O) where p is pressure and P sub O is surface pressure. The height interval corresponding to one pressure scale height is proportional to absolute temperature, and is 7 km at 240 K. Values in are given at intervals of 0.5 pressure scale heights, i.e., approximately 3,5 km. The geopotential height fields for the principal seasons are given. Temperature, pressure and density with geometric height as the vertical coordinate at invervals of 5 km. The temperature values were obtained from a combination of satellite data above 30 mb with values supplied by the Berlin Free University at 30 mb and the climatology derived by OORT (1983) for 50 mb and below. The geopotential height fields were obtained from these temperature fields by integrating up and down from the 30 mb geopotential height supplied by Berlin Free University. The geostrophic winds were obtained by differentiating these geopotential height fields.

Barnett, J. J.↗

Laboratory Studies of the Optical Properties and Condensation Processes of Cosmic Dust Grains

A laboratory facility for conducting a variety of experiments on single isolated dust particles of astrophysical interest levitated in an electrodynamics balance has been developed at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center. The objective of the research is to employ this experimental technique for studies of the physical and optical properties of individual cosmic dust grains of 0.1-100 micron size in controlled pressure/temperatures environments simulating astrophysical conditions. The physical and optical properties of the analogs of interstellar and interplanetary dust grains of known composition and size distribution will be investigated by this facility. In particular, we will carry out three classes of experiments to study the micro-physics of cosmic dust grains. (1) Charge characteristics of micron size single dust grains to determine the photoelectric efficiencies, yields, and equilibrium potentials when exposed to UV radiation. (2) Infrared optical properties of dust particles (extinction coefficients and scattering phase functions) in the 1-30 micron region using infrared diode lasers and measuring the scattered radiation. (3) Condensation experiments to investigate the condensation of volatile gases on colder nucleated particles in dense interstellar clouds and lower planetary atmospheres. The condensation experiments will involve levitated nucleus dust grains of known composition and initial mass (or m/q ratio), cooled to a temperature and pressure (or scaled pressure) simulating the astrophysical conditions, and injection of a volatile gas at a higher temperature from a controlled port. The increase in the mass due to condensation on the particle will be monitored as a function of the dust particle temperature and the partial pressure of the injected volatile gas. The measured data will permit determination of the sticking coefficients of volatile gases and growth rates of dust particles of astrophysical interest. Some preliminary results based on measurements of photoelectric emission and radiation pressure on single isolated 0.2 to 6.6 micron size silica particles exposed to UV radiation at 120-200 nm and green laser light at 532 nm are presented.

Abbas, M. M.↗

Frequencies and Flutter Speed Estimation for Damaged Aircraft Wing Using Scaled Equivalent Plate Analysis

Equivalent plate analysis is often used to replace the computationally expensive finite element analysis in initial design stages or in conceptual design of aircraft wing structures. The equivalent plate model can also be used to design a wind tunnel model to match the stiffness characteristics of the wing box of a full-scale aircraft wing model while satisfying strength-based requirements An equivalent plate analysis technique is presented to predict the static and dynamic response of an aircraft wing with or without damage. First, a geometric scale factor and a dynamic pressure scale factor are defined to relate the stiffness, load and deformation of the equivalent plate to the aircraft wing. A procedure using an optimization technique is presented to create scaled equivalent plate models from the full scale aircraft wing using geometric and dynamic pressure scale factors. The scaled models are constructed by matching the stiffness of the scaled equivalent plate with the scaled aircraft wing stiffness. It is demonstrated that the scaled equivalent plate model can be used to predict the deformation of the aircraft wing accurately. Once the full equivalent plate geometry is obtained, any other scaled equivalent plate geometry can be obtained using the geometric scale factor. Next, an average frequency scale factor is defined as the average ratio of the frequencies of the aircraft wing to the frequencies of the full-scaled equivalent plate. The average frequency scale factor combined with the geometric scale factor is used to predict the frequency response of the aircraft wing from the scaled equivalent plate analysis. A procedure is outlined to estimate the frequency response and the flutter speed of an aircraft wing from the equivalent plate analysis using the frequency scale factor and geometric scale factor. The equivalent plate analysis is demonstrated using an aircraft wing without damage and another with damage. Both of the problems show that the scaled equivalent plate analysis can be successfully used to predict the frequencies and flutter speed of a typical aircraft wing.

Krishnamurthy, Thiagarajan↗

NASA/GE Energy Efficient Engine low pressure turbine scaled test vehicle performance report

The low pressure turbine for the NASA/General Electric Energy Efficient Engine is a highly loaded five-stage design featuring high outer wall slope, controlled vortex aerodynamics, low stage flow coefficient, and reduced clearances. An assessment of the performance of the LPT has been made based on a series of scaled air-turbine tests divided into two phases: Block 1 and Block 2. The transition duct and the first two stages of the turbine were evaluated during the Block 1 phase from March through August 1979. The full five-stage scale model, representing the final integrated core/low spool (ICLS) design and incorporating redesigns of stages 1 and 2 based on Block 1 data analysis, was tested as Block 2 in June through September 1981. Results from the scaled air-turbine tests, reviewed herein, indicate that the five-stage turbine designed for the ICLS application will attain an efficiency level of 91.5 percent at the Mach 0.8/10.67-km (35,000-ft), max-climb design point. This is relative to program goals of 91.1 percent for the ICLS and 91.7 percent for the flight propulsion system (FPS).

Bridgeman, M. J.↗

Closed coronal structures. II - Generalized hydrostatic model

Numerical computations of stationary solar coronal loop atmospheres are used to extend earlier analytical work. Two classes of loops are examined, namely symmetric loops with a temperature maximum at the top but now having a length greater than the pressure scale height and loops which have a local temperature minimum at the top. For the first class, new scaling laws are found which relate the base pressure and loop length to the base heating, the heating deposition scale height, and the pressure scale height. It is found that loops for which the length is greater than about two to three times the pressure scale height do not have stable solutions unless they have a temperature minimum at the top. Computed models with a temperature inversion at the top are permitted in a wider range of heating deposition scale height values than are loops with a temperature maximum at the top. These results are discussed in relation to observations showing a dependence of prominence formation and stability on the state of evolution of magnetic structures, and a general scenario is suggested for the understanding of loop evolution from emergence in active regions through the large-scale structure phase to opening in coronal holes.

Serio, S.↗

Space shuttle: Stability and control effectiveness at high and low angles of attack and effects of variations in engine shround, fin, and drag petal configurations for the Boeing 0.008899-scale pressure-fed ballistic recoverable booster, model 979-160

Experimental aerodynamic investigations were carried out in the Boeing transonic and supersonic wind tunnels on a 0.008899-scale model of a proposed pressure-fed ballistic recoverable booster (BRB) configuration. The purpose of the test program was to determine the stability and control effectiveness of the basic configuration at high and low angles of attack, and to conduct parametric studies of various engine shroud, fin, and drag petal configurations. Six-component force data and base pressure data were obtained over a Mach number range of 0.35 to 4.0 at angles of attack of -5 to 25 and 55 to 85 at zero degrees sideslip and over a sideslip range of -10 to +10 at angles of attack ranging from -10 to 72.5. Two-component force data were also obtained with a fin balance on selected runs.

Hanson, R. L.↗

Summary of Activities for Health Monitoring of Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels

This three-year project (FY12-14) will design and demonstrate the ability of new Magnetic Stress Gages for the measurement of stresses on the inner diameter of a Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel overwrap. The sensors are being tested at White Sands Testing Facility (WSTF) where the results will be correlated with a known nondestructive technique acoustic emission. The gages will be produced utilizing Meandering Winding Magnetometer (MWM) and/or MWM array eddy current technology. The ultimate goal is to utilize this technology for the health monitoring of Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels for all future flight programs. The first full-scale pressurization test was performed at WSTF in June 2012. The goals of this test were to determine adaptations of the magnetic stress gauge instrumentation that would be necessary to allow multiple sensors to monitor the vessel's condition simultaneously and to determine how the sensor response changes with sensor selection and orientation. The second full scale pressurization test was performed at WSTF in August 2012. The goals of this test were to monitor the vessel's condition with multiple sensors simultaneously, to determine the viability of the multiplexing units (MUX) for the application, and to determine if the sensor responses in different orientations are repeatable. For both sets of tests the vessel was pressured up to 6,000 psi to simulate maximum operating pressure. Acoustic events were observed during the first pressurization cycle. This suggested that the extended storage period prior to use of this bottle led to a relaxation of the residual stresses imparted during auto-frettage. The pressurization tests successfully demonstrated the use of multiplexers with multiple MWM arrays to monitor a vessel. It was discovered that depending upon the sensor orientation, the frequencies, and the sense element, the MWM arrays can provide a variety of complementary information about the composite overwrapped pressure vessel load conditions. For example, low frequency measurements can be used to monitor the overwrap thickness and changes associated with pressure level. High frequency data is dominated by the properties of the overwrap, including the fiber orientations and lay-up of the layers.

Russell, Rick↗

Wind Tunnel to Atmospheric Mapping for Static Aeroelastic Scaling

Wind tunnel to Atmospheric Mapping (WAM) is a methodology for scaling and testing a static aeroelastic wind tunnel model. The WAM procedure employs scaling laws to define a wind tunnel model and wind tunnel test points such that the static aeroelastic flight test data and wind tunnel data will be correlated throughout the test envelopes. This methodology extends the notion that a single test condition - combination of Mach number and dynamic pressure - can be matched by wind tunnel data. The primary requirements for affecting this extension are matching flight Mach numbers, maintaining a constant dynamic pressure scale factor and setting the dynamic pressure scale factor in accordance with the stiffness scale factor. The scaling is enabled by capabilities of the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) and by relaxation of scaling requirements present in the dynamic problem that are not critical to the static aeroelastic problem. The methodology is exercised in two example scaling problems: an arbitrarily scaled wing and a practical application to the scaling of the Active Aeroelastic Wing flight vehicle for testing in the TDT.

Heeg, Jennifer↗