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At least 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1989

Modelling asteroid brightness variations. I - Numerical methods

A method for generating lightcurves of asteroid models is presented. The effects of the shape of the asteroid and the scattering law of a surface element are distinctly separable, being described by chosen functions that can easily be changed. The shape is specified by means of two functions that yield the length of the radius vector and the normal vector of the surface at a given point. The general shape must be convex, but spherical concavities producing macroscopic shadowing can also be modeled.

Karttunen, H.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Multigrid Solution of the Navier-Stokes Equations at Low Speeds with Large Temperature Variations

Multigrid methods for the Navier-Stokes equations at low speeds and large temperature variations are investigated. The compressible equations with time-derivative preconditioning and preconditioned flux-difference splitting of the inviscid terms are used. Three implicit smoothers have been incorporated into a common multigrid procedure. Both full coarsening and semi-coarsening with directional fine-grid defect correction have been studied. The resulting methods have been tested on four 2D laminar problems over a range of Reynolds numbers on both uniform and highly stretched grids. Two of the three methods show efficient and robust performance over the entire range of conditions. In addition none of the methods have any difficulty with the large temperature variations.

Sockol, Peter M.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Comparison of Traditional Design Nonlinear Programming Optimization and Stochastic Methods for Structural Design

Structural design generated by traditional method, optimization method and the stochastic design concept are compared. In the traditional method, the constraints are manipulated to obtain the design and weight is back calculated. In design optimization, the weight of a structure becomes the merit function with constraints imposed on failure modes and an optimization algorithm is used to generate the solution. Stochastic design concept accounts for uncertainties in loads, material properties, and other parameters and solution is obtained by solving a design optimization problem for a specified reliability. Acceptable solutions were produced by all the three methods. The variation in the weight calculated by the methods was modest. Some variation was noticed in designs calculated by the methods. The variation may be attributed to structural indeterminacy. It is prudent to develop design by all three methods prior to its fabrication. The traditional design method can be improved when the simplified sensitivities of the behavior constraint is used. Such sensitivity can reduce design calculations and may have a potential to unify the traditional and optimization methods. Weight versus reliabilitytraced out an inverted-S-shaped graph. The center of the graph corresponded to mean valued design. A heavy design with weight approaching infinity could be produced for a near-zero rate of failure. Weight can be reduced to a small value for a most failure-prone design. Probabilistic modeling of load and material properties remained a challenge.

Patnaik, Surya N.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A variationally coupled FE-BE method for elasticity and fracture mechanics

A new method for coupling finite element and boundary element subdomains in elasticity and fracture mechanics problems is described. The essential feature of this new method is that a single variational statement is obtained for the entire domain, and in this process the terms associated with tractions on the interfaces between the subdomains are eliminated. This provides the additional advantage that the ambiguities associated with the matching of discontinuous tractions are circumvented. The method leads to a direct procedure for obtaining the discrete equations for the coupled problem without any intermediate steps. In order to evaluate this method and compare it with previous methods, a patch test for coupled procedures has been devised. Evaluation of this variationally coupled method and other methods, such as stiffness coupling and constraint traction matching coupling, shows that this method is substantially superior. Solutions for a series of fracture mechanics problems are also reported to illustrate the effectiveness of this method.

Lu, Y. Y.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Issues and Strategies in Solving Multidisciplinary Optimization Problems

Optimization research at NASA Glenn Research Center has addressed the design of structures, aircraft and airbreathing propulsion engines. The accumulated multidisciplinary design activity is collected under a testbed entitled COMETBOARDS. Several issues were encountered during the solution of the problems. Four issues and the strategies adapted for their resolution are discussed. This is followed by a discussion on analytical methods that is limited to structural design application. An optimization process can lead to an inefficient local solution. This deficiency was encountered during design of an engine component. The limitation was overcome through an augmentation of animation into optimization. Optimum solutions obtained were infeasible for aircraft and airbreathing propulsion engine problems. Alleviation of this deficiency required a cascading of multiple algorithms. Profile optimization of a beam produced an irregular shape. Engineering intuition restored the regular shape for the beam. The solution obtained for a cylindrical shell by a subproblem strategy converged to a design that can be difficult to manufacture. Resolution of this issue remains a challenge. The issues and resolutions are illustrated through a set of problems: Design of an engine component, Synthesis of a subsonic aircraft, Operation optimization of a supersonic engine, Design of a wave-rotor-topping device, Profile optimization of a cantilever beam, and Design of a cylindrical shell. This chapter provides a cursory account of the issues. Cited references provide detailed discussion on the topics. Design of a structure can also be generated by traditional method and the stochastic design concept. Merits and limitations of the three methods (traditional method, optimization method and stochastic concept) are illustrated. In the traditional method, the constraints are manipulated to obtain the design and weight is back calculated. In design optimization, the weight of a structure becomes the merit function with constraints imposed on failure modes and an optimization algorithm is used to generate the solution. Stochastic design concept accounts for uncertainties in loads, material properties, and other parameters and solution is obtained by solving a design optimization problem for a specified reliability. Acceptable solutions can be produced by all the three methods. The variation in the weight calculated by the methods was found to be modest. Some variation was noticed in designs calculated by the methods. The variation may be attributed to structural indeterminacy. It is prudent to develop design by all three methods prior to its fabrication. The traditional design method can be improved when the simplified sensitivities of the behavior constraint is used. Such sensitivity can reduce design calculations and may have a potential to unify the traditional and optimization methods. Weight versus reliability traced out an inverted-S-shaped graph. The center of the graph corresponded to mean valued design. A heavy design with weight approaching infinity could be produced for a near-zero rate of failure. Weight can be reduced to a small value for a most failure-prone design. Probabilistic modeling of load and material properties remained a challenge.

Patnaik, Surya↗
NASA NTRS2013

On the Use of Quartic Force Fields in Variational Calculations

The use of quartic force fields (QFFs) has been shown to be one of the most effective ways to efficiently compute vibrational frequencies for small molecules. In this paper we outline and discuss how the simple-internal or bond-length bond-angle (BLBA) coordinates can be transformed into Morse-cosine(-sine) coordinates which produce potential energy surfaces from QFFs that possess proper limiting behavior and can effectively describe the vibrational (or rovibrational) energy levels of an arbitrary molecular system. We investigate parameter scaling in the Morse coordinate, symmetry considerations, and examples of transformed QFFs making use of the MULTIMODE, TROVE, and VTET variational vibrational methods. Cases are referenced where variational computations coupled with transformed QFFs produce accuracies compared to experiment for fundamental frequencies on the order of 5 cm(exp −1) and often as good as 1 cm(exp −1).

quartic force field↗
NASA NTRS1990

Localized basis functions and other computational improvements in variational nonorthogonal basis function methods for quantum mechanical scattering problems involving chemical reactions

The Generalized Newton Variational Principle for 3D quantum mechanical reactive scattering is briefly reviewed. Then three techniques are described which improve the efficiency of the computations. First, the fact that the Hamiltonian is Hermitian is used to reduce the number of integrals computed, and then the properties of localized basis functions are exploited in order to eliminate redundant work in the integral evaluation. A new type of localized basis function with desirable properties is suggested. It is shown how partitioned matrices can be used with localized basis functions to reduce the amount of work required to handle the complex boundary conditions. The new techniques do not introduce any approximations into the calculations, so they may be used to obtain converged solutions of the Schroedinger equation.

Schwenke, David W.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Pulse-Echo Ultrasonic Imaging Method for Eliminating Sample Thickness Variation Effects

A pulse-echo, immersion method for ultrasonic evaluation of a material which accounts for and eliminates nonlevelness in the equipment set-up and sample thickness variation effects employs a single transducer and automatic scanning and digital imaging to obtain an image of a property of the material, such as pore fraction. The nonlevelness and thickness variation effects are accounted for by pre-scan adjustments of the time window to insure that the echoes received at each scan point are gated in the center of the window. This information is input into the scan file so that, during the automatic scanning for the material evaluation, each received echo is centered in its time window. A cross-correlation function calculates the velocity at each scan point, which is then proportionalized to a color or grey scale and displayed on a video screen.

Roth, Don J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Pulse-echo ultrasonic imaging method for eliminating sample thickness variation effects

A pulse-echo, immersion method for ultrasonic evaluation of a material is discussed. It accounts for and eliminates nonlevelness in the equipment set-up and sample thickness variation effects employs a single transducer, automatic scanning and digital imaging to obtain an image of a property of the material, such as pore fraction. The nonlevelness and thickness variation effects are accounted for by pre-scan adjusments of the time window to insure that the echoes received at each scan point are gated in the center of the window. This information is input into the scan file so that, during the automatic scanning for the material evaluation, each received echo is centered in its time window. A cross-correlation function calculates the velocity at each scan point, which is then proportionalized to a color or grey scale and displayed on a video screen.

Roth, Don J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

A multivariate variational objective analysis-assimilation method. Part 2: Case study results with and without satellite data

The variational multivariate assimilation method described in a companion paper by Achtemeier and Ochs is applied to conventional and conventional plus satellite data. Ground-based and space-based meteorological data are weighted according to the respective measurement errors and blended into a data set that is a solution of numerical forms of the two nonlinear horizontal momentum equations, the hydrostatic equation, and an integrated continuity equation for a dry atmosphere. The analyses serve first, to evaluate the accuracy of the model, and second to contrast the analyses with and without satellite data. Evaluation criteria measure the extent to which: (1) the assimilated fields satisfy the dynamical constraints, (2) the assimilated fields depart from the observations, and (3) the assimilated fields are judged to be realistic through pattern analysis. The last criterion requires that the signs, magnitudes, and patterns of the hypersensitive vertical velocity and local tendencies of the horizontal velocity components be physically consistent with respect to the larger scale weather systems.

Achtemeier, Gary L.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Development of New Modeling and Analysis Tools for Solar Sails

Existing finite-element-based structural analysis codes are ineffective in treating deployable gossamer space systems, including solar sails that are formed by long space-deployable booms and extremely large thin-film membrane apertures. Recognizing this, the NASA Space transportation Technology Program has initiated and sponsored a focused research effort to develop new and computationally efficient structural modeling and analysis tools for solar sails. The technical approach of this ongoing effort will be described. Two solution methods, the Distributed Transfer Function Method and the Parameter-Variation-Principle method, based on which the technical approach was formatted are also discussed.

boom↗