SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “research efforts”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

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

At least 181 records · Page 10

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS2000

Infrastructure for Training and Partnershipes: California Water and Coastal Ocean Resources

The purpose of this project was to advance the existing ICESS/Bren School computing infrastructure to allow scientists, students, and research trainees the opportunity to interact with environmental data and simulations in near-real time. Improvements made with the funding from this project have helped to strengthen the research efforts within both units, fostered graduate research training, and helped fortify partnerships with government and industry. With this funding, we were able to expand our computational environment in which computer resources, software, and data sets are shared by ICESS/Bren School faculty researchers in all areas of Earth system science. All of the graduate and undergraduate students associated with the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management and the Institute for Computational Earth System Science have benefited from the infrastructure upgrades accomplished by this project. Additionally, the upgrades fostered a significant number of research projects (attached is a list of the projects that benefited from the upgrades). As originally proposed, funding for this project provided the following infrastructure upgrades: 1) a modem file management system capable of interoperating UNIX and NT file systems that can scale to 6.7 TB, 2) a Qualstar 40-slot tape library with two AIT tape drives and Legato Networker backup/archive software, 3) previously unavailable import/export capability for data sets on Zip, Jaz, DAT, 8mm, CD, and DLT media in addition to a 622Mb/s Internet 2 connection, 4) network switches capable of 100 Mbps to 128 desktop workstations, 5) Portable Batch System (PBS) computational task scheduler, and vi) two Compaq/Digital Alpha XP1000 compute servers each with 1.5 GB of RAM along with an SGI Origin 2000 (purchased partially using funds from this project along with funding from various other sources) to be used for very large computations, as required for simulation of mesoscale meteorology or climate.

Siegel, David A.↗

NASA NTRS2000

The Eclipse Project

The Eclipse Project by Tom Tucker provides a readable narrative and a number of documents that record an important flight research effort at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. Carried out by Kelly Space and Technology, Inc., in partnership with the Air Force and Dryden at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert of California, this project tested and gathered data about a potential newer and less expensive way to launch satellites into space. Whether the new technology comes into actual use will depend on funding, market forces, and other factors at least partly beyond the control of the participants in the project. This is a familiar situation in the history of flight research.

Tucker, Tom↗

NASA NTRS2003

Upward And Downward Flame Spreading And Extinction In Partial Gravity Environments

The premise of this research effort has been to begin exploring the gap in the literature between studies of material flammability and flame spread phenomena in normal-gravity and those conducted in the microgravity environment, with or without forced flows. From a fundamental point of view, flame spreading in upward (concurrent) buoyant flow is considerably different from concurrent forced flow. The flow accelerates throughout the length of the buoyant flame bringing the streamlines and the flame closer to the fuel surface and strengthening the interaction between the flame and fuel. Forced flows are diverted around the flame and away from the fuel surface, except where the flow might be constrained by a finite duct. The differences may be most clearly felt as the atmospheric conditions, viz. pressure or oxygen content, approach the flammability limit. From a more practical point of view, flame spreading and material flammability behavior have not been studied under the partial gravity conditions that are the natural state in space exploration destinations such as the Moon and Mars. This effort constitutes the beginning of the research needed to engineer fire safety provisions for such future missions. In this program we have performed partial-gravity experiments (from 0.1 to 1 g/g(sub Earth)) considering both upward and downward flame spread over thin solid fuels aboard the NASA KC-135 aircraft. In those tests, the atmospheric pressure and the fuel sample width were varied. Steady flame spread rates and approximate extinction boundaries were determined. Flame images were recorded using video cameras and two-dimensional fuel surface temperature distributions were determined using an IR camera. These results are available, and complement our earlier work in downward spread in partial gravity varying oxygen content. In conjunction with the experiment, three-dimensional models of flame spreading in buoyant flow have been developed. Some of the computed results on upward spreading have been presented. A derivative three-dimensional model of downward spreading has been developed. It is currently being used to evaluate the standard limiting oxygen index (LOI) measuring device and its potential performance in different gravity levels.

Sacksteder, Kurt R.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Advanced High-Temperature Engine Materials Technology Progresses

The objective of the Advanced High Temperature Engine Materials Technology Program (HITEMP) is to generate technology for advanced materials and structural analysis that will increase fuel economy, improve reliability, extend life, and reduce operating costs for 21st century civil propulsion systems. The primary focus is on fan and compressor materials (polymer-matrix composites--PMC's), compressor and turbine materials (superalloys, and metal-matrix and intermetallic-matrix composites--MMC's and IMC's) and turbine materials (ceramic-matrix composites--CMC's). These advanced materials are being developed by in-house researchers and on grants and contracts. NASA considers this program to be a focused materials and structures research effort that builds on our base research programs and supports component-development projects. HITEMP is coordinated with the Advanced Subsonic Technology (AST) Program and the Department of Defense/NASA Integrated High-Performance Turbine Engine Technology (IHPTET) Program. Advanced materials and structures technologies from HITEMP may be used in these future applications. Recent technical accomplishments have not only improved the state-of-the-art but have wideranging applications to industry. A high-temperature thin-film strain gage was developed to measure both dynamic and static strain up to 1100 C (2000 F). The gage's unique feature is that it is minimally intrusive. This technology, which received a 1995 R&D 100 Award, has been transferred to AlliedSignal Engines, General Electric Company, and Ford Motor Company. Analytical models developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center were used to study Textron Specialty Materials' manufacturing process for titanium-matrix composite rings. Implementation of our recommendations on tooling and processing conditions resulted in the production of defect free rings. In the Lincoln Composites/AlliedSignal/Lewis cooperative program, a composite compressor case is being manufactured with a Lewis-developed matrix, VCAP. The compressor case, which will reduce weight by 30 percent and costs by 50 percent, is scheduled to be engine tested in the near future.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2016

Operational Characteristics Identification and Simulation Model Verification for Incheon International Airport

Incheon International Airport (ICN) is one of the hub airports in East Asia. Airport operations at ICN have been growing more than 5% per year in the past five years. According to the current airport expansion plan, a new passenger terminal will be added and the current cargo ramp will be expanded in 2018. This expansion project will bring 77 new stands without adding a new runway to the airport. Due to such continuous growth in airport operations and future expansion of the ramps, it will be highly likely that airport surface traffic will experience more congestion, and therefore, suffer from efficiency degradation. There is a growing awareness in aviation research community of need for strategic and tactical surface scheduling capabilities for efficient airport surface operations. Specific to ICN airport operations, a need for A-CDM (Airport - Collaborative Decision Making) or S-CDM(Surface - Collaborative Decision Making), and controller decision support tools for efficient air traffic management has arisen since several years ago. In the United States, there has been independent research efforts made by academia, industry, and government research organizations to enhance efficiency and predictability of surface operations at busy airports. Among these research activities, the Spot and Runway Departure Advisor (SARDA) developed and tested by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a decision support tool to provide tactical advisories to the controllers for efficient surface operations. The effectiveness of SARDA concept, was successfully verified through the human-in-the-loop (HITL) simulations for both spot release and runway operations advisories for ATC Tower controllers of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) in 2010 and 2012, and gate pushback advisories for the ramp controller of Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) in 2014. The SARDA concept for tactical surface scheduling is further enhanced and is being integrated into NASA's Airspace Technology Demonstration - 2 (ATD-2) project for technology demonstration of Integrated Arrival/Departure/Surface (ADS) operations at CLT. This study is a part of the international research collaboration between KAIA (Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement)/KARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute) and NASA, which is being conducted to validate the effectiveness of SARDA concept as a controller decision support tool for departure and surface management of ICN. This paper presents the preliminary results of the collaboration effort. It includes investigation of the operational environment of ICN, data analysis for identification of the operational characteristics of the airport, construction and verification of airport simulation model using Surface Operations Simulator and Scheduler (SOSS), NASA's fast-time simulation tool.

scheduling↗

NASA NTRS2016

Operational Characteristics Identification and Simulation Model Verification for Incheon International Airport

Incheon International Airport (ICN) is one of the hub airports in East Asia. Airport operations at ICN have been growing more than 5 percent per year in the past five years. According to the current airport expansion plan, a new passenger terminal will be added and the current cargo ramp will be expanded in 2018. This expansion project will bring 77 new stands without adding a new runway to the airport. Due to such continuous growth in airport operations and future expansion of the ramps, it will be highly likely that airport surface traffic will experience more congestion, and therefore, suffer from efficiency degradation. There is a growing awareness in aviation research community of need for strategic and tactical surface scheduling capabilities for efficient airport surface operations. Specific to ICN airport operations, a need for A-CDM (Airport - Collaborative Decision Making) or S-CDM (Surface - Collaborative Decision Making), and controller decision support tools for efficient air traffic management has arisen since several years ago. In the United States, there has been independent research efforts made by academia, industry, and government research organizations to enhance efficiency and predictability of surface operations at busy airports. Among these research activities, the Spot and Runway Departure Advisor (SARDA) developed and tested by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a decision support tool to provide tactical advisories to the controllers for efficient surface operations. The effectiveness of SARDA concept, was successfully verified through the human-in-the-loop (HITL) simulations for both spot release and runway operations advisories for ATC Tower controllers of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) in 2010 and 2012, and gate pushback advisories for the ramp controller of Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT) in 2014. The SARDA concept for tactical surface scheduling is further enhanced and is being integrated into NASA's Airspace Technology Demonstration-2 (ATD-2) project for technology demonstration of Integrated Arrival-Departure-Surface (IADS) operations at CLT. This study is a part of the international research collaboration between KAIA (Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement), KARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute) and NASA, which is being conducted to validate the effectiveness of SARDA concept as a controller decision support tool for departure and surface management of ICN. This paper presents the preliminary results of the collaboration effort. It includes investigation of the operational environment of ICN, data analysis for identification of the operational characteristics of the airport, construction and verification of airport simulation model using Surface Operations Simulator and Scheduler (SOSS), NASA's fast-time simulation tool.

surface operations analysis↗

NASA NTRS1995

Evaluation of HFC 245ca and HFC 236ea as foam blowing agents

Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) 141b has been selected as the interim blowing agent for use in urethane insulations on NASA's Space Shuttle External Tank. Due to the expected limited commercial lifetime of this material, research efforts at the NASA Thermal Protection Systems Materials Research Laboratory at the Marshall Space Flight Center are now being devoted to the identification and development of alternatives with zero ozone depletion potential. Physical blowing agents identified to date have included hydrocarbons, fluorocarbons, hydrofluoroethers, and more predominantly, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The majority of the HFC evaluations in industry have focused on the more readily available, low boiling candidates such as HFC 134a. Higher boiling HFC candidates that could be handled at ambient conditions and use current processing equipment would be more desirable. This paper will describe results from a research program of two such candidate HFC's performed as a cooperative effort between Martin Marietta Manned Space Systems, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Oak Ridge National Laboratories. The purpose of this effort was to perform a cursory evaluation of the developmental HFC's 245ca and 236ea as blowing agents in urethane based insulations. These two materials were selected from screening tests of 37 C2, C3, and C4 isomers based on physical properties, atmospheric lifetime, flammability, estimated toxicity, difficulty of synthesis, suitability for dual use as a refrigerant, and other factors. Solubility of the two materials in typical foam components was tested, pour foaming trials were performed, and preliminary data were gathered regarding foam insulation performance.

Sharpe, Jon↗

NASA NTRS1991

Tiltrotor Acoustic Flight Test: Terminal Area Operations

This paper provides a comprehensive description of an acoustic flight test of the XV- 15 Tiltrotor Aircraft with Advanced Technology Blades (ATB) conducted in August and September 1991 at Crows Landing, California. The purpose of this cooperative research effort of the NASA Langley and Ames Research Centers was to obtain a preliminary, high quality database of far-field acoustics for terminal area operations of the XV-15 at a takeoff gross weight of approximately 14,000 lbs for various glide slopes, airspeeds, rotor tip speeds, and nacelle tilt angles. The test also was used to assess the suitability of the Crows Landing complex for full scale far-field acoustic testing. This was the first acoustic flight test of the XV-15 aircraft equipped with ATB involving approach and level flyover operations. The test involved coordination of numerous personnel, facilities and equipment. Considerable effort was made to minimize potential extraneous noise sources unique to the region during the test. Acoustic data from the level flyovers were analyzed, then compared with data from a previous test of the XV-15 equipped with Standard Metal Blades

SantaMaria, O. L.↗

NASA NTRS1984

A route generator concept for aircraft onboard fault monitoring

Because of the increasingly complex environments in which the flight crews of commercial aviation aircraft must operate, a research effort is currently underway at NASA Langley Research Center to investigate the potential benefits of intelligent cockpit aids, and to establish guidelines for the application of artificial intelligence techniques to advanced flight management concepts. The segment of this research area that concentrates on automated fault monitoring and diagnosis requires that a reference frame exist, against which the current state of the aircraft may be compared to determine the existence of a fault. This paper describes a computer program which generates the position of that reference frame that specifies the horizontal flight route.

Palmer, M. T.↗

NASA NTRS1986

A detailed numerical model of a supersonic reacting mixing layer

A current research effort is underway at the NASA Langley Research Center to achieve a detailed understanding of important phenomena present when a supersonic flow undergoes chemical reaction. A computer program has been developed to study the details of such flows. The program has been constructed to consider the multicomponent diffusion and convection of important species, the finite-rate reaction of these species, and the resulting interaction between the fluid mechanics and chemistry. Code results from the analysis of a spatially developing and reacting mixing layer are presented, and conclusions are drawn regarding the structure of the evolving layer and its associated flame.

Drummond, J. P.↗

NASA NTRS1987

A numerical model for supersonic reacting mixing layers

A current research effort is underway at the NASA Langley Research Center to achieve a detailed understanding of important phenomena present when a supersonic flow undergoes a chemical reaction. A computer program has been developed to study the details of such flows. The program has been constructed to consider the multicomponent diffusion and convection of important species, the finite-rate reaction of these species, and the resulting interaction between the fluid mechanics and chemistry. Code results from the analysis of a spatially developing and reacting mixing layer are presented, and conclusions are drawn regarding the structure of the evolving layer and its associated flame.

Drummond, J. Philip↗

NASA NTRS1988

Views on the impact of HOST

Esgar, J. B.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Views on the impact of HOST

The Hot Section Technology (HOST) Project, which was initiated by NASA Lewis Research Center in 1980 and concluded in 1987, was aimed at improving advanced aircraft engine hot section durability through better technical understanding and more accurate design analysis capability. The project was a multidisciplinary, multiorganizational, focused research effort that involved 21 organizations and 70 research and technology activities and generated approximately 250 research reports. No major hardware was developed. To evaluate whether HOST had a significant impact on the overall aircraft engine industry in the development of new engines, interviews were conducted with 41 participants in the project to obtain their views. The summarized results of these interviews are presented. Emphasis is placed on results relative to three-dimensional inelastic structural analysis, thermomechanical fatigue testing, constitutive modeling, combustor aerothermal modeling, turbine heat transfer, protective coatings, computer codes, improved engine design capability, reduced engine development costs, and the impacts on technology transfer and the industry-government partnership.

J B Esgar↗

NASA NTRS1990

Modal identification of a deployable space truss

Work performed under a collaborative research effort between NASA and the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DLR) is summarized. The objective is to develop and demonstrate advanced technology for system identification of future large space structures. Recent experiences using the eigensystem realization algorithm (ERA) for modal identification of Mini-Mast are reported. Mini-Mast is a 20-meter-long deployable space truss used for structural dynamics and active-vibration control research at the NASA Langley Research Center. Due to nonlinearities and numerous local modes, modal identification of Mini-Mast proved to be surprisingly difficult. Methods available with ERA for obtaining detailed, high-confidence results are illustrated.

Schenk, Axel↗

NASA NTRS2002

Some Aviation Growth Events

The growth of aviation since the first flight of a heavier-than-air powered manned vehicle in 1903 has been somewhat remarkable. Some of the events that have influenced this growth are reviewed in this paper. This review will include some events prior to World War I; the influence of the war itself; the events during the post-war years including the establishment of aeronautical research laboratories; and the influence of World War II which, among other things, introduced new technologies that included rocket and jet propulsion and supersonic aerodynamics. The subsequent era of aeronautical research and the attendant growth in aviation over the past half century will be reviewed from the view point of the author who, since 1944, has been involved in the NACA/NASA aeronautical research effort at what is now the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The review will discuss some of the research programs related to the development of some experimental aircraft, the Century series of fighter aircraft, multi-mission aircraft, advanced military aircraft and missiles, advanced civil aircraft, supersonic transports, spacecraft and others.

Spearman, M. Leroy↗

NASA NTRS2001

Welcome to NASA's Earth Science Enterprise

There are strong scientific indications that natural change in the Earth system is being accelerated by human intervention. As a result, planet Earth faces the possibility of rapid environmental changes that would have a profound impact on all nations. However, we do not fully understand either the short-term effects of our activities, or their long-term implications - many important scientific questions remain unanswered. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is working with the national and international scientific communities to establish a sound scientific basis for addressing these critical issues through research efforts coordinated under the U.S. Global Change Research Program, the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program, and the World Climate Research Program. The Earth Science Enterprise is NASA's contribution to the U.S. Global Change Research Program. NASA's Earth Science Enterprise will use space- and surface-based measurement systems to provide the scientific basis for understanding global change. The space-based components will provide a constellation of satellites to monitor the Earth from space. A major component of the Earth Science Enterprise is the Earth Observing System (EOS). The overall objective of the EOS Program is to determine the extent, causes, and regional consequences of global climate change. EOS will provide sustained space-based observations that will allow researchers to monitor climate variables over time to determine trends. A constellation of EOS satellites will acquire global data, beginning in 1998 and extending well into the 21st century.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2004

Enhancing In-Flight Transoceanic Communications Using Swift-64 Packet Mode Service

Current aeronautical communications can be divided into two segments. The first provides state of the art, packet switched technology to the cabin passengers so that they have access to e-mail and web services. The second provides basic circuit switch communication technology to the cockpit, which does not use bandwidth as efficiently as packet switching nor promotes resource sharing. This paper explores the research efforts currently being conducted by the NASA/Glenn Research Center (GRC) for transoceanic communications. The goal is to bring packet mode services to both the cabin and the cockpit of the aircraft and be able to attain benefits by sharing the data link with cabin services. First, this paper will outline the goals of the program and detail the benefits and issues related to this research. We will explain our current laboratory setup and show an architecture implemented in the testbed. Finally, we will present a work plan that will show the progression of research over the next year. This plan will describe a complete cycle from conceptual design and laboratory implementation to the final flight testing.

Slywczak, Richard A.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Models for Facilitating Government-Funded Activities in the Post-ISS LEO Ecosystem

The International Space Station National Lab (ISSNL) was established through Congressional authority in 2005 and has been managed by a nonprofit called the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) since 2011 to support research, development, education, and commercial activities in low-Earth orbit (LEO). NASA leadership is considering next steps for microgravity and orbital activities in LEO in preparation for the retirement of the International Space Station (ISS) and transition to Commercial LEO Destinations (CLDs) in the 2030 timeframe. Specifically, our study team within the NASA Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy addressed the question: What are potential models for an ISS National Lab facilitating government-funded or subsidized activities on a commercial LEO platform after the transition of the ISS to one or more private platforms? To inform the trade space of potential models, we conducted over 40 discussions with stakeholders internal and external to NASA and reviewed over 35 documents related to LEO legislation, commercialization, models, and activities. Following the extensive literature review and discussions with diverse stakeholders, we defined and evaluated six models, in addition to the current ISSNL model. We assessed each model across three possible future scenarios (dynamic, steady, and limited growth of the commercial LEO market and activities) and across five stakeholder-driven model evaluation criteria (ability to meet NASA’s needs, adaptability, opportunity for collaboration, market sustainability, and equity and accessibility). The six models in the future trade space were: • Government Research Broker: Customizable research efforts on transport vehicles and CLDs • Innovation Campus: Modern terrestrial campus with workforce focus • Anchor Tenant: Long-term, substantial agreement for leasing space on a single CLD • Fee for Service: Free market approach with NASA-sponsored grants and service/data buys • Matchmaker: Neutral third-party connecting users to platforms • Institute Network: Network of separate but related efforts to enable commercial scaling The Government Research Broker model performed best across the scenarios, followed by Innovation Campus, Anchor Tenant, and Fee for Service. While Matchmaker and Institute Network exhibited positive aspects, the two models performed most favorably in future scenarios with well-established communities and markets. The six models presented in this study are representative of the potential trade space and are illustrative examples. NASA leadership can adjust models as desired to align to their priorities more closely by using combinations of the unique model features provided in our analysis. The optimal model is likely a combination of features from multiple models. Building upon this work to best position NASA and the diverse stakeholders of LEO activities for success post-ISS, further work will explore the near-term impact of preparing for the transition of the ISS to CLDs by identifying opportunities for modifying the current ISSNL-CASIS partnership. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank the many reviewers and discussants, internal and external to NASA, that contributed to the work.

Erica Rodgers↗