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At least 181 records · Page 10

ATS-F Comsat Millimeter Wave Propagation Experiment

The ATS-F Comsat Millimeter Wave Propagation Experiment has been designed to gather statistical data on the attenuation caused by rain at millimeter wave frequencies. These data will be used to determine system design parameters for future communications satellite systems operating at frequencies above 10 GHz. The experiment has 39 ground terminals transmitting at 13.2 or 17.8 GHz to a transponder on board the ATS-F satellite. The transponder retransmits these signals at 4 GHz to a central earth terminal which records their amplitudes once each second. The data will be analyzed to provide probabilities of attenuation as functions of parameters such as rainfall, location, and time. These probabilities can then be used to determine the required power margins of millimeter wave communications systems. Techniques of overcoming severe attenuation such as site diversity and the use of a spot beam to increase the power level at selected locations will also be evaluated.

Westerlund, L. H.↗

The COMSAT 13 and 18 GHz Propagation Experiment

The ATS-6 COMSAT Propagation Experiment was designed to gather statistical data on attenuation caused by rain and snow at 13 and 18 GHz. These data will be used to determine system design parameters for future communications satellite systems operating at frequencies above 10 GHz. The experiment used 25, 18 GHz, and 15, 13 GHz unattended ground transmitters at 25 locations in the eastern U.S. to transmit to the ATS-6. The ATS-6 transponder converts these carriers to frequencies around 4150 MHz and transmits these signals to the COMSAT large horn antenna/data acquisition and receiving facility at Andover, Me. This facility calibrates and digitally records each carrier once per second. These data have been processed and analyzed for the period from July to Nov. 2, 1972. Plans are being made to conduct the experiment in Europe and India during the 35 deg E longitude site phase of ATS-6 operations.

King, J. L.↗

Simulating Remote Sensing Systems

The Application Research Toolbox (ART) is a collection of computer programs that implement algorithms and mathematical models for simulating remote sensing systems. The ART is intended to be especially useful for performing design-tradeoff studies and statistical analyses to support the rational development of design requirements for multispectral imaging systems. Among other things, the ART affords a capability to synthesize coarser-spatial-resolution image-data products. The ART also provides for simulations of image-degradation effects, including point-spread functions, misregistration of spectral images, and noise. The ART can utilize real or synthetic data sets, along with sensor specifications, to create simulated data sets. In one example of a particular application, simulated imagery of a coarse resolution system was created using high-resolution imagery from another system in order to perform a radiometric cross-comparison. In the case of a proposed sensor system, the simulated data can be used to conduct trade studies and statistical analyses to ensure that the sensor system will satisfy the requirements of potential scientific, academic, and commercial user communities.

Zanoni, Vicki↗

Software for Simulating Remote Sensing Systems

The Application Research Toolbox (ART) is a collection of computer programs that implement algorithms and mathematical models for simulating remote sensing systems. The ART is intended to be especially useful for performing design-tradeoff studies and statistical analyses to support the rational development of design requirements for multispectral imaging systems. Among other things, the ART affords a capability to synthesize coarser-spatial-resolution image-data sets from finer-spatial-resolution data sets and multispectral-image-data products from hyperspectral-image-data products. The ART also provides for synthesis of image-degradation effects, including point-spread functions, misregistration of spectral images, and noise. The ART can utilize real or synthetic data sets, along with sensor specifications, to create simulated data sets. In one example of a typical application, simulated data pertaining to an existing multispectral sensor system are used to verify the data collected by the system in operation. In the case of a proposed sensor system, the simulated data can be used to conduct trade studies and statistical analyses to ensure that the sensor system will satisfy the requirements of potential scientific, academic, and commercial user communities.

Zanoni, Vicki↗

Software for Simulating Remote Sensing Systems

The Application Research Toolbox (ART) is a collection of computer programs that implement algorithms and mathematical models for simulating remote sensing systems. The ART is intended to be especially useful for performing design-tradeoff studies and statistical analyses to support the rational development of design requirements for multispectral imaging systems. Among other things, the ART affords a capability to synthesize coarser-spatial-resolution image-data sets from finer-spatial-resolution data sets and multispectral-image-data products from hyperspectral-image-data products. The ART also provides for synthesis of image-degradation effects, including point-spread functions, misregistration of spectral images, and noise. The ART can utilize real or synthetic data sets, along with sensor specifications, to create simulated data sets. In one example of a typical application, simulated data pertaining to an existing multispectral sensor system are used to verify the data collected by the system in operation. In the case of a proposed sensor system, the simulated data can be used to conduct trade studies and statistical analyses to ensure that the sensor system will satisfy the requirements of potential scientific, academic, and commercial user communities.

Vicki Zanoni↗

Evaluation of Response Surface Experiment Designs for Distributed Propulsion Aircraft Aero-Propulsive Modeling

Modern distributed hybrid and electric propulsion aircraft, including vertical, short, and conventional takeoff and landing configurations, exhibit significant aero-propulsive complexity and a large number of interacting test factors. This paper presents the development and evaluation of experiment designs for aero-propulsive characterization of distributed propulsion aircraft. Five different foundational response surface designs are evaluated to inform the development of two sequential design approaches tailored to complex aircraft aerodynamic characterization experiments. The first approach, which builds on sequential face-centered central composite designs, has been used previously to develop aero-propulsive models for complex aircraft using wind tunnel testing. The second approach is a new design strategy leveraging a regular I-optimal and nested I-optimal design that was developed for this study. The two sequential design strategies are compared for experiments with a large number of test factors using pre-experiment design evaluation metrics, as well as modeling results obtained from simulated wind tunnel data for the NASA LA-8 aircraft. The design evaluation metrics show that the sequential I-optimal base design has higher statistical power, lower correlation among candidate regressors, lower prediction variance, and more precise parameter estimates. The simulated wind tunnel experiments conducted using each design reveal that the sequential I-optimal base design has better predictive capability with fewer test points. The experiment design and evaluation procedures are described in detail to inform future aerodynamic characterization experiments for complex aircraft.

design of experiments↗

Auxiliary Inlet Design Study for Mach 1.4

Auxiliary inlet configurations were developed for inlets designed for a NASA Mach 1.4 Supersonic Technology Concept Aeroplane (STCA). The inlets included axisymmetric pitot and axisymmetric spike inlets. The auxiliary inlets were full circumferential slots within the cowl. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed to obtain inlet performance metrics of total pressure recovery and radial distortion at the engine face for take-off and approach conditions. Methods of design of experiments were used to explore the statistical significance of the design factors for the auxiliary inlets which included the axial location, length of the opening, and auxiliary inlet angle. The results demonstrate the effect of the design factors and show the potential for improved inlet performance with the use of auxiliary inlets.

supersonic inlets↗

Plant growth modeling at the JSC variable pressure growth chamber - An application of experimental design

This paper describes the approach and results of an effort to characterize plant growth under various environmental conditions at the Johnson Space Center variable pressure growth chamber. Using a field of applied mathematics and statistics known as design of experiments (DOE), we developed a test plan for varying environmental parameters during a lettuce growth experiment. The test plan was developed using a Box-Behnken approach to DOE. As a result of the experimental runs, we have developed empirical models of both the transpiration process and carbon dioxide assimilation for Waldman's Green lettuce over specified ranges of environmental parameters including carbon dioxide concentration, light intensity, dew-point temperature, and air velocity. This model also predicts transpiration and carbon dioxide assimilation for different ages of the plant canopy.

Miller, Adam M.↗

Single element injector cold flow testing for STME swirl coaxial injector element design

An oxidizer-swirled coaxial element injector is being investigated for application in the Space Transportation Main Engine (STME). Single element cold flow experiments were conducted to provide characterization of the STME injector element for future analysis, design, and optimization. All tests were conducted to quiescent, ambient backpressure conditions. Spray angle, circumferential spray uniformity, dropsize, and dropsize distribution were measured in water-only and water/nitrogen flows. Rupe mixing efficiency was measured using water/sucrose solution flows with a large grid patternator for simple comparative evaluation of mixing. Factorial designs of experiment were used for statistical evaluation of injector geometrical design features and propellant flow conditions on mixing and atomization. Increasing the free swirl angle of the liquid oxidizer had the greatest influence on increasing the mixing efficiency. The addition of gas assistance had the most significant effect on reducing oxidizer droplet size parameters and increasing droplet size distribution. Increasing the oxidizer injection velocity had the greatest influence for reducing oxidizer droplet size parameters and increasing size distribution for non-gas assisted flows. Single element and multi-element subscale hot fire testing are recommended to verify optimized designs before committing to the STME design.

Hulka, J.↗

Design allowables for T300/5208 graphite/epoxy composite materials

Material coupon tests were conducted to formulate design allowables for T300/5208 graphite/epoxy unidirectional tape and bidirectional fabric composites. This paper gives a description of the tests conducted, representative ply level and laminate test data, and results of the statistical analysis. The design allowables for tension and compression strength are given and include the effect of notches, impact damage, temperature extremes and moisture absorption.

Ekvall, J. C.↗

General specifications for the development of a USL NASA PC R and D statistical analysis support package

The University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL) NASA PC R and D statistical analysis support package is designed to be a three-level package to allow statistical analysis for a variety of applications within the USL Data Base Management System (DBMS) contract work. The design addresses usage of the statistical facilities as a library package, as an interactive statistical analysis system, and as a batch processing package.

Dominick, Wayne D.↗

A Self-Adaptive Missile Guidance System for Statistical Inputs

A method of designing a self-adaptive missile guidance system is presented. The system inputs are assumed to be known in a statistical sense only. Newton's modified Wiener theory is utilized in the design of the system and to establish the performance criterion. The missile is assumed to be a beam rider, to have a g limiter, and to operate over a flight envelope where the open-loop gain varies by a factor of 20. It is shown that the percent of time that missile acceleration limiting occurs can be used effectively to adjust the coefficients of the Wiener filter. The result is a guidance system which adapts itself to a changing environment and gives essentially optimum filtering and minimum miss distance.

Peery, H. Rodney↗

Instantaneous diversity gain in 10-30 GHz satellite systems

As usually defined, diversity gain is a statistical measure which conveys little or no information about the instantaneous behavior of site-diversity reception in a satellite communications system. A new quantity called instantaneous diversity gain is introduced and some measurements of it from an 11.6 GHz low-angle two-site downlink are presented. It is shown how instantaneous diversity gain is related to system reliability and some results are presented which indicate that designs based on statistical diversity gain will achieve their intended reliability levels.

Towner, G. C., III↗

Verification of Space Station Secondary Power System Stability Using Design of Experiment

This paper describes analytical methods used in verification of large DC power systems with applications to the International Space Station (ISS). Large DC power systems contain many switching power converters with negative resistor characteristics. The ISS power system presents numerous challenges with respect to system stability such as complex sources and undefined loads. The Space Station program has developed impedance specifications for sources and loads. The overall approach to system stability consists of specific hardware requirements coupled with extensive system analysis and testing. Testing of large complex distributed power systems is not practical due to size and complexity of the system. Computer modeling has been extensively used to develop hardware specifications as well as to identify system configurations for lab testing. The statistical method of Design of Experiments (DoE) is used as an analysis tool for verification of these large systems. DOE reduces the number of computer runs which are necessary to analyze the performance of a complex power system consisting of hundreds of DC/DC converters. DoE also provides valuable information about the effect of changes in system parameters on the performance of the system. DoE provides information about various operating scenarios and identification of the ones with potential for instability. In this paper we will describe how we have used computer modeling to analyze a large DC power system. A brief description of DoE is given. Examples using applications of DoE to analysis and verification of the ISS power system are provided.

Karimi, Kamiar J.↗

A procedure for combining acoustically induced and mechanically induced loads (first passage failure design criterion)

The combined load statistics are developed by taking the acoustically induced load to be a random population, assumed to be stationary. Each element of this ensemble of acoustically induced loads is assumed to have the same power spectral density (PSD), obtained previously from a random response analysis employing the given acoustic field in the STS cargo bay as a stationary random excitation. The mechanically induced load is treated as either (1) a known deterministic transient, or (2) a nonstationary random variable of known first and second statistical moments which vary with time. A method is then shown for determining the probability that the combined load would, at any time, have a value equal to or less than a certain level. Having obtained a statistical representation of how the acoustic and mechanical loads are expected to combine, an analytical approximation for defining design levels for these loads is presented using the First Passage failure criterion.

Crowe, D. R.↗

Unsteady Probabilistic Analysis of a Gas Turbine System

In this work, we have considered an annular cascade configuration subjected to unsteady inflow conditions. The unsteady response calculation has been implemented into the time marching CFD code, MSUTURBO. The computed steady state results for the pressure distribution demonstrated good agreement with experimental data. We have computed results for the amplitudes of the unsteady pressure over the blade surfaces. With the increase in gas turbine engine structural complexity and performance over the past 50 years, structural engineers have created an array of safety nets to ensure against component failures in turbine engines. In order to reduce what is now considered to be excessive conservatism and yet maintain the same adequate margins of safety, there is a pressing need to explore methods of incorporating probabilistic design procedures into engine development. Probabilistic methods combine and prioritize the statistical distributions of each design variable, generate an interactive distribution and offer the designer a quantified relationship between robustness, endurance and performance. The designer can therefore iterate between weight reduction, life increase, engine size reduction, speed increase etc.

Brown, Marilyn↗