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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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NASA NTRS1977

Ultraviolet observations of Mars and Saturn by the TD1A and OAO-2 satellites

Ultraviolet photometric and spectrophotometric observations of Mars and Saturn, obtained from two earth-orbiting satellites, are discussed. High-resolution data reveal no definite absorption features in the spectra of either planet. In order to reconcile the absence of a prominent absorption in the Mars data near 2150 A with preliminary Viking measurements of NO, this gas must be preferentially concentrated at high Martian altitudes. Broadband photometry from OAO-2 shows that atmospheric dust from the great dust storm of 1971-1972 on Mars reduced the ultraviolet geometric albedo by a factor of 3 at the height of the storm. Atmospheric energy deposition appears to be an important mechanism of the storm dynamics. The combined Saturn data indicate that NH3 is not the absorber that influences the UV spectrum of Saturn. The possibility that H2S is the absorber is investigated.

Caldwell, J.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Viking Orbiter Observations of Atmospheric Opacity During July-November 1976

Viking orbiter photography during the primary mission combined with lander indications of surface properties have permitted the estimation of atmospheric optical depths and phase functions. Highly variable time of day opacities ranging from 0.05 to 0.6 are seen to occur in three principle regions. A wavelength-dependent particulate component plus a time variable grey aerosol of higher density may explain these opacities versus time of day. These data should serve as a basis for extended mission comparisons.

Thorpe, T. E.↗

NASA NTRS1977

A method for measuring precipitation parameters and raindrop size distributions using radar reflectivity and optical extinction

A method of determining precipitation parameters from two remotely measurable quantities, the radar reflectivity factor and the optical extinction, is described. The raindrop size spectrum is approximated by a two-parameter exponential form; when these parameters are evaluated in terms of the radar reflectivity factor and the optical extinction, an exponential spectrum is obtained that is generally in very good agreement with the observed size spectrum. Other calculated precipitation parameters, such as rainfall rate and liquid water content, which are derived from the exponential approximation, also agree with experimental data. It is indicated that other combinations of two remote measurables can also be used to obtain more accurate estimates of precipitation parameters than can be obtained by the use of an empirical relationship.

Ulbrich, C. W.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Orbital analysis for the upper atmosphere research satellite missions

An orbital analysis has been performed to define the spatial and temporal coverage capabilities of limb scanning experiments for meeting the science requirements for the upper atmosphere research satellite missions. Results indicate that a combination of solar occultation experiments and limb thermal emission experiments having azimuthal scan capability can provide good temporal and spatial coverage of the earth from a 600-km, 56-deg inclined orbit for the first satellite mission. Using a 70-deg inclined orbit for the second satellite mission will complement the first mission and provide complete global coverage with the two types of experiments.

Harrison, E. F.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Bibliography on aerodynamics of airframe/engine integration of high-speed turbine-powered aircraft, volume 1

This bibliography was developed as a first step in the preparation of a monograph on the subject of the aerodynamics of airframe/engine integration of high speed turbine powered aircraft. It lists 1535 unclassified documents published mainly in the period from 1955 to 1980. Primary emphasis was devoted to aerodynamic problems and interferences encountered in the integration process; however, extensive coverage also was given to the characteristics and problems of the isolated propulsion system elements. A detailed topic breakdown structure is used. The primary contents of the individual documents are indicated by the combination of the document's title and its location within the framework of the bibliography.

Nichols, M. R.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Corotation of Saturn's magnetosphere - Evidence from energetic proton anisotropies

The theory and technique of Northrop and Thomsen (1980) are applied to the observations of energy spectra and directional anisotropies of 0.61- to 3.41 MeV protons in Saturn's magnetosphere. The observations were made by the Goddard Space Flight Center/University of New Hampshire and University of Iowa instruments aboard Pioneer 11 during the Pioneer encounter with Saturn in August-September 1979. Fourier fits to 15-min intervals of data are combined with spectral indices to yield information about the E x B convection velocity and temporal changes in the particle population. There is a fundamental inability to distinguish unambiguously between the two, but if one can be assumed, the other then follows from these calculations. It is found that although these data do not by themselves allow an unambiguous determination of the extent of corotation in Saturn's outer magnetosphere, they are consistent with exact corotation at the nominal rotation period in the presence of significant but not unreasonable temporal variations in the energetic proton population.

Thomsen, M. F.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Development of partially fluorinated resin apex seals

Partially fluorinated polyimides were prepared and molded in the form of discs and pins for test as potential apex seal materials for advanced rotary combustion engines. The polyimides were formulated from the diamine 2,2-bis 4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl hexafluoropropane (4-BDAF) and the dianhydrides of pyromellitic acid (PMDA) and benzophenonetetracarboxylic acid (BTDA). Tribological testing was performed at sliding speeds of 0.31 to 11.6 m/s and at temperatures of from 298K to 573K. It is shown that the carbon fiber filled polyimides, particularly the 80/20 compositions, have an excellent balance of wear/friction at 573K. The unfilled, 80/20 and 60/40 compositions indicate an unusual combination of high friction and low wear which may be advantageous in such applications as brakes and traction drives.

Green, H. E.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Evaluation of performance characteristics for a space antenna system subjected to stochastic disturbances

Control system synthesis for a large space antenna system is investigated based on stochastic linear optimal control techniques and the minimization of a quadratic Gaussian performance index. Parametric studies indicate that suitable combinations of plant and sensor noise characteristics, and state weighting matrices, can be found to meet the mission RMS pointing requirements. Using a combination of the Kalman filter and linear feedback, an optimal control law for the finite element model of the Hoop/Column structural system without damping is obtained. Removing the hoop-mounted actuator resulted in an increase in the RMS errors, an increased control effort, and an increase in the least damped modal time constant. Removing the hoop-mounted sensor resulted in an RMS error increase and estimator performance degradation, with less system RMS performance degradation than noted for removal of the hoop-mounted actuator.

Ananthakrishnan, S.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Parallel scheduling of recursively defined arrays

A new method of automatic generation of concurrent programs which constructs arrays defined by sets of recursive equations is described. It is assumed that the time of computation of an array element is a linear combination of its indices, and integer programming is used to seek a succession of hyperplanes along which array elements can be computed concurrently. The method can be used to schedule equations involving variable length dependency vectors and mutually recursive arrays. Portions of the work reported here have been implemented in the PS automatic program generation system.

Myers, T. J.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Parameterization of turbulence and the planetary boundary layer in the GLA Fourth Order GCM

A new scheme has been developed to model the planetary boundary layer in the GLAS Fourth Order GCM through explicit resolution of its vertical structure into two or more vertical layers. This involves packing the lowest layers of the GCM close to the ground and developing new parameterization schemes that can express the turbulent vertical fluxes of heat, momentum and moisture at the earth's surface and between the layers that are contained with the PBL region. Offline experiments indicate that the combination of the modified level 2.5 second-order turbulent closure scheme and the 'extended surface layer' similarity scheme should work well to simulate the behavior of the turbulent PBL even at the coarsest vertical resolution with which such schemes will conceivably be used in the GLA Fourth Order GCM.

Helfand, H. M.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Biochemical assays on plasminogen activators and hormones from kidney sources

Investigations were established for the purpose of analyzing the conditioned media from human embryonic kidney cell subpopulations separated in space by electrophoresis. This data is based on the experiments performed on STS-8 on the continuous flow electrophoresis system. The primary biological activity that was analyzed was plasminogen activator activity, but some assays for erythropoeitin and human granulocyte colony stimulating activity were also performed. It is concluded that a battery of assays are required to completely define the plasminogen activator profile of a conditioned media from cell culture. Each type of assay measures different parts of the mixture and are influenced by different parameters. The functional role of each assay is given along with an indication of which combination of assays are required to answer specific questions. With this type of information it is possible by combinations of assays with mathematical analysis to pinpoint a specific component of the system.

Barlow, Grant H.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Elevated temperature crack growth in advanced powder metallurgy aluminum alloys

Rapidly solidified Al-Fe-V-Si powder metallurgy alloy FVS0812 is among the most promising of the elevated temperature aluminum alloys developed in recent years. The ultra fine grain size and high volume fraction of thermally stable dispersoids enable the alloy to maintain tensile properties at elevated temperatures. In contrast, this alloy displays complex and potentially deleterious damage tolerant and time dependent fracture behavior that varies with temperature. J-Integral fracture mechanics were used to determine fracture toughness (K sub IC) and crack growth resistance (tearing modulus, T) of extruded FVS0812 as a function of temperature. The alloy exhibits high fracture properties at room temperature when tested in the LT orientation, due to extensive delamination of prior ribbon particle boundaries perpendicular to the crack front. Delamination results in a loss of through thickness constraint along the crack front, raising the critical stress intensity necessary for precrack initiation. The fracture toughness and tensile ductility of this alloy decrease with increasing temperature, with minima observed at 200 C. This behavior results from minima in the intrinsic toughness of the material, due to dynamic strain aging, and in the extent of prior particle boundary delaminations. At 200 C FVS0812 fails at K levels that are insufficient to cause through thickness delamination. As temperature increases beyond the minimum, strain aging is reduced and delamination returns. For the TL orientation, K (sub IC) decreased and T increased slightly with increasing temperature from 25 to 316 C. Fracture in the TL orientation is governed by prior particle boundary toughness; increased strain localization at these boundaries may result in lower toughness with increasing temperature. Preliminary results demonstrate a complex effect of loading rate on K (sub IC) and T at 175 C, and indicate that the combined effects of time dependent deformation, environment, and strain aging may play a role. Fractography showed that microvoid coalescence was the microscopic mode of fracture in FVS0812 under all testing conditions. However, the nature of the microvoids varied with test temperature and loading rate, and is complex for the fine grain and dipersoid sizes of FVS0812.

Porr, William C., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Measurement and calculation of forces in a magnetic journal bearing actuator

Numerical calculations and experimental measurements of forces from an actuator of the type used in active magnetic journal bearings are presented. The calculations are based on solution of the scalar magnetic potential field in and near the gap regions. The predicted forces from single magnet with steady current are compared with experimental measurements in the same geometry. The measured forces are smaller than calculated ones in the principal direction but are larger than calculated in the normal direction. This combination of results indicate that material and spatial effects other than saturation play roles in determining the force available from an actuator.

Knight, Josiah↗

NASA NTRS1993

A study of subsurface crack initiation produced by rolling contact fatigue

Results of subsurface crack initiation studies produced by pure rolling contact fatigue in 7075-T6 aluminum alloy are presented in this article. Microstructural changes and subsequent crack initiation below the contacting surface in cylindrical test specimens subjected to repeated rolling contact are illustrated. The rolling conditions are simulated in a three-dimensional elastic-plastic finite element model in order to estimate the plastic strains and residual stresses in the test material. The numerically estimated distribution of plastic strains in the model correlate well with the extent of microstructural changes observed in the test specimen. Results also indicate that a combination of plastic strains and low values of residual stresses is conducive to subsurface crack initiation and growth.

Kumar, Arun M.↗

NASA NTRS1993

A seven-year northern sky survey of Ap stars for rapid variability

A high-speed photometric survey of 120 Ap stars in the northern sky, has been conducted, between 1985 and 1991, in order to search for rapid variability. Stars of spectral types, namely from B8 to F4, have been selected for the survey. The selected pulsational variable stars occupy the hotter regions of the instability strip of the Hertzsprung-Russel diagram. Noted is the absence of pulsations in the hotter B8-A3 Ap stars; this does not, however, preclude the existence of pulsations, since HD 218495 was recently discovered to be a rapidly oscillating Ap (roAp) star. The primary result of this study is that various combinations of photometric indices, while pointing towards roAp stars having the characteristic signatures of cool, SrCrEu stars, still fail to isolate the roAp phenomenon from similar nonpulsating Ap stars. Color-magnitude and color-color diagrams are presented in order to complete this survey.

Nelson, Matthew J.↗

NASA NTRS1993

The feasibility of producing aluminum-lithium structures for cryogenic tankage applications by laser beam welding

Aluminum-lithium alloys exhibit high strength, high elastic modulus, and low density as well as excellent cryogenic mechanical properties making them ideal material candidates for cryogenic tanks. NASA has proposed the use of 'built-up' structure for panels fabricated into cryogenic tanks replacing current conventional machining. Superplastically formed stiffeners would be joined to sheet (tank skin) that had been roll formed to the radius of the tank in order to produce panels. Aluminum-lithium alloys of interest for producing the built-up structure include alloy 2095-T6 stiffeners to 2095-T8 sheet and alloy 8090-T6 stiffeners to 2090-T83 sheet. Laser welding, with comparable joint properties, offers the following advantages over conventional welding: higher production rates, minimal degradation within the heat affected zones, and full process automation. This study established process parameters for laser beam welding, mechanical property determinations, metallographic characterization, and fabrication of prototype panels. Tensile tests representing partial penetration of the skin alloys provided joint efficiencies between 65 and 77 percent, depending upon alloy and degree of penetration. Results of tension shear tests of lap welds indicated that the combination of 2095-T6 to 2090-T8 exhibited significantly higher weld shear strength at the interface in comparison to welds of 8090-T6 to 2090-T83. The increased shear strength associated with 2095 is believed to be due to the alloy's ability to precipitation strengthening (naturally age) after welding.

Martukanitz, R. P.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Building an experience factory for maintenance

This paper reports the preliminary results of a study of the software maintenance process in the Flight Dynamics Division (FDD) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA/GSFC). This study is being conducted by the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL), a research organization sponsored by the Software Engineering Branch of the FDD, which investigates the effectiveness of software engineering technologies when applied to the development of applications software. This software maintenance study began in October 1993 and is being conducted using the Quality Improvement Paradigm (QIP), a process improvement strategy based on three iterative steps: understanding, assessing, and packaging. The preliminary results represent the outcome of the understanding phase, during which SEL researchers characterized the maintenance environment, product, and process. Findings indicate that a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis is effective for studying the software maintenance process, that additional measures should be collected for maintenance (as opposed to new development), and that characteristics such as effort, error rate, and productivity are best considered on a 'release' basis rather than on a project basis. The research thus far has documented some basic differences between new development and software maintenance. It lays the foundation for further application of the QIP to investigate means of improving the maintenance process and product in the FDD.

Valett, Jon D.↗

NASA NTRS1961

Local Aerodynamic Heat Transfer and Boundary-Layer Transition on Roughened Sphere-Ellipsoid Bodies at Mach Number 3.0

A wind-tunnel investigation was made to determine heat-transfer distributions on three steel sphere-ellipsoid bodies with surface roughnesses of 5, 100, and 200 microinches. Tests were conducted in the Langley 9- by 6-foot thermal structures tunnel at a Mach number of 3.0, free-stream Reynolds numbers (based on model spherical diameter) of 4.25 x 10(exp 6) and 2.76 x l0(exp 6), and at a stagnation temperature of 650 F. Pressure distributions were obtained also on a fourth model. The results indicated that the combination of surface roughness and boundary-layer cooling tended to promote early transition and nullify the advantages attributable to the blunt shape of the model for reducing local temperatures. Good correlation between experimental heating rates and those calculated from laminar theory was achieved up to the start of boundary-layer transition. The correlation also was good with the values predicted by turbulent theory for surface stations downstream from the 45 deg. station.

Deveikis, William D.↗