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At least 253 records · Page 14
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

A theoretical and numerical study of polarimetric scattering and emission from random rough surfaces with anisotropic directional spectrum

In this paper, theoretical and numerical results of the polarimetric scattering and emission from random rough surfaces with anisotropic directional spectrum are presented for the remote sensing of ocean and soil surfaces. The polarimetric scattered field for rough dielectric surfaces is derived to the second order by the small perturbation method (SPM). It is found that the second-order scattered field is coherent in nature, and its coefficients for different polarizations present the lowest-order corrections to the Fresnel reflection coefficients of the surfaces. In addition, the cross-polarized (HV and VH) components of the coherent fields are reciprocal and not zero for surfaces with anisotropic directional spectrum when the azimuth angle of the incident direction is not aligned with the symmetry directions of surfaces. In order to verify the energy conservation condition of the theoretical results, which is important if the theory is to be applied to the passive polarimetry of rough surfaces, a Monte Carlo simulation is performed to numerically calculate the polarimetric reflectivities of one-dimensional random rough surfaces which are generated with a prescribed power-law spectrum in the spectral domain and transformed to the spatial domain by the FFT. The surfaces simulated by this approach are periodic with the period corresponding to the low-wavenumber cutoff. To calculate the scattering from periodic dielectric surfaces, the authors present a new numerical technique which applies the Floquet theorem to reduce the problem to one period and does not require the evaluation of one-dimensional periodic Green's function used in the conventional method of moment formulation. Once the scattering coefficients are obtained, the polarimetric Stokes vectors for the emission from the random surfaces are then calculated according to the Kirchhoff's law and are illustrated as functions of relative azimuth observation and row directions. The second-order SPM is also reduced to this one-dimensional case, and theoretical results for all four Stokes parameters are in excellent agreement with the numerical results obtained from the Monte Carlo simulation. Moreover, the second order coherent fields are found to be necessary for the theoretical evaluation of the third and fourth Stokes parameters. Without that, the reflectivities of random rough surfaces are significantly over-estimated, and the signs of the third and the fourth Stokes parameters are found to be incorrect, if calculated by using the first-order incoherent fields alone.

Yueh, S. H.↗
NASA NTRS1982

The dependence of the shape and stability of captive rotating drops on multiple parameters

Asymptotic and numerical techniques in bifurcation theory are applied to the Young-Laplace equation governing meniscus shape in order to analyze the dependence of the shape and stability of rigidly rotating drops held captive between corotating solid faces on multiple parameters. Asymptotic analysis of the evolution of drop shape from the cylindrical as a function of distance between the solid faces, drop volume, rotational Bond number and gravitational Bond number shows that some shape bifurcations from cylinders to wavy, axisymmetric menisci are ruptured by small changes in drop volume or gravity. Computer calculations of axisymmetric drop shapes based on a finite element representation of the interface and numerical algorithms for tracking shape families and singular points are then used to map drop stability for the four-dimensional parameter space. The results of the asymptotic and numerical analyses are shown to agree well within the limited range of parameters where the asymptotic analysis is valid.

Ungar, L. H.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Interactive computer modeling of combustion chemistry and coalescence-dispersion modeling of turbulent combustion

An interactive computer code for simulation of a high-intensity turbulent combustor as a single point inhomogeneous stirred reactor was developed from an existing batch processing computer code CDPSR. The interactive CDPSR code was used as a guide for interpretation and direction of DOE-sponsored companion experiments utilizing Xenon tracer with optical laser diagnostic techniques to experimentally determine the appropriate mixing frequency, and for validation of CDPSR as a mixing-chemistry model for a laboratory jet-stirred reactor. The coalescence-dispersion model for finite rate mixing was incorporated into an existing interactive code AVCO-MARK I, to enable simulation of a combustor as a modular array of stirred flow and plug flow elements, each having a prescribed finite mixing frequency, or axial distribution of mixing frequency, as appropriate. Further increase the speed and reliability of the batch kinetics integrator code CREKID was increased by rewriting in vectorized form for execution on a vector or parallel processor, and by incorporating numerical techniques which enhance execution speed by permitting specification of a very low accuracy tolerance.

Pratt, D. T.↗
NASA NTRS1994

An application of a two-equation model of turbulence to three-dimensional chemically reacting flows

A numerical study of three dimensional chemically reacting and non-reacting flowfields is conducted using a two-equation model of turbulence. A generalized flow solver using an implicit Lower-Upper (LU) diagonal decomposition numerical technique and finite-rate chemistry has been coupled with a low-Reynolds number two-equation model of turbulence. This flow solver is then used to study chemically reacting turbulent supersonic flows inside combustors with synergetic fuel injectors. The reacting and non-reacting turbulent combustor solutions obtained are compared with zero-equation turbulence model solutions and with available experimental data. The hydrogen-air chemistry is modeled using a nine-species/eighteen reaction model. A low-Reynolds number k-epsilon model was used to model the effect of turbulence because, in general, the low-Reynolds number k-epsilon models are easier to implement numerically and are far more general than algebraic models. However, low-Reynolds number k-epsilon models require a much finer near-wall grid resolution than high-Reynolds number models to resolve accurately the near-wall physics. This is especially true in complex flowfields, where the stiff nature of the near-wall turbulence must be resolved. Therefore, the limitations imposed by the near-wall characteristics and compressible model corrections need to be evaluated further. The gradient-diffusion hypothesis is used to model the effects of turbulence on the mass diffusion process. The influence of this low-Reynolds number turbulence model on the reacting flowfield predictions was studied parametrically.

Lee, J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Development of an integrated BEM for hot fluid-structure interaction

One of the most difficult problems in engine structural component durability analysis is the determination of the temperatures and fluxes in the structural components directly in contact with the hot gas flow path. Currently there exists no rational analytical or numerical technique which can effectively deal with this problem. Since the temperature distribution in the structural components are strongly influenced by both the fluid flow and the deformation as well as the cooling system in the structure, the only effective way to deal with this problem is to develop an integrated solid mechanics, fluid mechanics and heat transfer analysis for this problem. Herein, the Boundary Element Method (BEM) is chosen as the basic analysis tool principally because the definition of quantities like fluxes, temperatures, displacements, and velocities are very precise on a boundary based discretization scheme. One fundamental difficulty is that a BEM analysis requires a considerable amount of analytical work which is not present in other numerical methods. During the past year, all of this analytical work was completed and a two dimensional, general purpose code was written. A portion of the work is summarized.

Dargush, G. F.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A theoretical analysis of the electromagnetic environment of the AS330 super Puma helicopter external and internal coupling

Numerical techniques such as Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) computer programs, which were first developed to analyze the external electromagnetic environment of an aircraft during a wave illumination, a lightning event, or any kind of current injection, are now very powerful investigative tools. The program called GORFF-VE, was extended to compute the inner electromagnetic fields that are generated by the penetration of the outer fields through large apertures made in the all metallic body. Then, the internal fields can drive the electrical response of a cable network. The coupling between the inside and the outside of the helicopter is implemented using Huygen's principle. Moreover, the spectacular increase of computer resources, as calculations speed and memory capacity, allows the modellization structures as complex as these of helicopters with accuracy. This numerical model was exploited, first, to analyze the electromagnetic environment of an in-flight helicopter for several injection configurations, and second, to design a coaxial return path to simulate the lightning aircraft interaction with a strong current injection. The E field and current mappings are the result of these calculations.

Flourens, F.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Fracture Behavior in Nylon 6 Fibers

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques are used to determine the number of free radicals produced during deformation leading to fracture of nylon 6 fibers. A reaction rate molecular model is proposed to explain some of the deformation and bond rupture behavior leading to fracture. High-strength polymer fibers are assumed to consist of a sandwich structure of disordered and ordered regions along the fiber axis. In the disordered or critical flaw regions, tie chains connecting the ordered or crystalline block regions are assumed to have a statistical distribution in length. These chains are, therefore, subjected to different stresses. The effective length distribution was determined by EPR. The probability of bond rupture was assumed to be controlled by reaction-rate theory with a stress-aided activation energy and behavior of various loadings determined by numerical techniques. The model is successfully correlated with experimental stress, strain, and bond rupture results for creep, constant rate loadings, cyclic stress, stress relaxation and step strain tests at room temperature.

Lloyd, B. A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Efficient solution of parabolic equations by Krylov approximation methods

Numerical techniques for solving parabolic equations by the method of lines is addressed. The main motivation for the proposed approach is the possibility of exploiting a high degree of parallelism in a simple manner. The basic idea of the method is to approximate the action of the evolution operator on a given state vector by means of a projection process onto a Krylov subspace. Thus, the resulting approximation consists of applying an evolution operator of a very small dimension to a known vector which is, in turn, computed accurately by exploiting well-known rational approximations to the exponential. Because the rational approximation is only applied to a small matrix, the only operations required with the original large matrix are matrix-by-vector multiplications, and as a result the algorithm can easily be parallelized and vectorized. Some relevant approximation and stability issues are discussed. We present some numerical experiments with the method and compare its performance with a few explicit and implicit algorithms.

Gallopoulos, E.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Thermocapillary convection in a rectangular cavity with a deformable interface

A finite-volume method and a boundary element technique are used to compute two-dimensional (2D) thermocapillary convection in a rectangular cavity. The free surface is deformable and the deviations from a flat interface, h, are assumed small in the finite-volume calculations as appropriate for small Capillary (Ca). Two asymptotic approaches are employed; the first is an expansion valid as Ca tends towards 0 and the second assumes h tends towards 0, retaining Ca explicitly as a parameter. On the other hand, the boundary elements approach can be used with O(1) surface deformations. These three different formulations are used to calculate thermocapillary motions in fluids with small Prandtl numbers of about 0.01, Ca less than 0.05, aspect ratios (width/height) 1, 2 and 4, and various values of the Maragoni number (Ma). The same solutions are calculated with these different approaches and are found in good agreement for values of Ca up to 0.05. All solutions calculated are steady, which is both in agreement and disagreement with recently published results by different authors employing different numerical techniques.

Mundrane, M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Analytic and numerical models of wave-CISK with conditional heating

Wave-CISK with conditional heating is investigated in the equatorial zonal-height plane by analytic and numerical techniques. For two- and three-level models, previous results are extended to give additional evidence that the most unstable mode has a single wet region of infinitesimal width. A three-level model has qualitatively similar behavior as the two-level model except that propagating solutions are possible due to coalescence of internal vertical modes. Phase speeds with conditional heating are found to be slightly greater than those for unconditional heating. The structure has one circulation cell in the vertical and is asymmetric in longitude with stronger motion on the leading edge. Growth rate is inversely proportional to the width of the single wet region. That width can be limited by second-order diffusion. A general integral relationship between growth rate, viscosity, phase speed, and heating is derived. The main conclusion is that the linear wave-CISK catastrophe is modified by conditional heating but not eliminated. The preferred mode of instability has one wet region, but it occurs on the smallest possible scale. It is likely that numerical models that use conditional heating are sensitive to resolution, especially for the commonly used spectral truncations, unless there is sufficiently strong damping at the smallest scales.

Crum, Francis X.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Predicting the X-Ray Spectra of Stellar-mass Black Holes from Simulations

We describe results from a new technique for the prediction of complete, self-consistent X-ray spectra from three-dimensional general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations of black hole accretion flows. Density and cooling rate data from a harm3d GRMHD simulation are post-processed by an improved version of the Monte Carlo radiation transport code pandurata (in the corona) and the Feautrier solver PTRANSX (in the disk), with xstar subroutines. The codes are run in a sequential, iterative fashion to achieve globally energy-conserving and self-consistent radiation fields, temperature maps, and photoionization equilibria. The output is the X-ray spectrum as seen by a distant observer, including features, such as the Fe Kα emission line and corresponding K-edge absorption trough, due to disk reprocessing of coronal power. For the example cases we consider—a non-rotating 10 M(sub ⊙) black hole with solar abundances, accreting at 0.01, 0.03, 0.1, or 0.3 Eddington—we find spectra resembling actual observations of stellar-mass black holes in the soft or steep power-law state: broad thermal peaks (at 1–3 keV), steep power laws extending to high energy (Γ = 2.7–4.5), and prominent, asymmetric Fe Kα emission lines with equivalent widths in the range 40–400 eV (larger EW at lower accretion rates). By starting with simulation data, we obviate the need for parameterized descriptions of the accretion flow geometry—no a priori specification of the corona's shape or flux, or the disk temperature or density, etc., is needed. Instead, we apply the relevant physical principles to simulation output using appropriate numerical techniques; this procedure allows us to calculate inclination-dependent spectra after choosing only a small number of physically meaningful parameters: black hole mass and spin, accretion rate, and elemental abundances.

Kinch, Brooks E.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Theoretical and Numerical Investigation of Radiative Extinction of Diffusion Flames

The influence of soot radiation on diffusion flames was investigated using both analytical and numerical techniques. Soot generated in diffusion flames dominate the flame radiation over gaseous combustion products and can significantly lower the temperature of the flame. In low gravity situations there can be significant accumulation of soot and combustion products in the vicinity of the primary reaction zone owing to the absence of any convective buoyant flow. Such situations may result in substantial suppression of chemical activities in a flame, and the possibility of a radiative extinction may also be anticipated. The purpose of this work was to not only investigate the possibility of radiative extinction of a diffusion flame but also to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the influence of soot radiation on a diffusion flame. In this study, first a hypothetical radiative loss profile of the form of a sech(sup 2) was assumed to influence a pure diffusion flame. It was observed that the reaction zone can, under certain circumstances, move through the radiative loss zone and locate itself on the fuel side of the loss zone contrary to our initial postulate. On increasing the intensity and/or width of the loss zone it was possible to extinguish the flame, and extinction plots were generated. In the presence of a convective flow, however, the movement of the temperature and reaction rate peaks indicated that the flame behavior is more complicated compared to a pure diffusional flame. A comprehensive model of soot formation, oxidation and radiation was used in a more involved analysis. The soot model of Syed, Stewart and Moss was used for soot nucleation and growth and the model of Nagle and Strickland-Constable was used for soot oxidation. The soot radiation was considered in the optically thin limit. An analysis of the flame structure revealed that the radiative loss term is countered both by the reaction term and the diffusion term. The essential balance for the soot volume fraction was found to be between the processes of soot convection and soot growth. Such a balance yielded to analytical treatment and the soot volume fraction could be expressed in the form of an integral. The integral was evaluated using two approximate methods and the results agreed very well with the numerical solutions for all cases examined.

Ray, Anjan↗
NASA NTRS2000

Atomistic Method Applied to Computational Modeling of Surface Alloys

The formation of surface alloys is a growing research field that, in terms of the surface structure of multicomponent systems, defines the frontier both for experimental and theoretical techniques. Because of the impact that the formation of surface alloys has on surface properties, researchers need reliable methods to predict new surface alloys and to help interpret unknown structures. The structure of surface alloys and when, and even if, they form are largely unpredictable from the known properties of the participating elements. No unified theory or model to date can infer surface alloy structures from the constituents properties or their bulk alloy characteristics. In spite of these severe limitations, a growing catalogue of such systems has been developed during the last decade, and only recently are global theories being advanced to fully understand the phenomenon. None of the methods used in other areas of surface science can properly model even the already known cases. Aware of these limitations, the Computational Materials Group at the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field has developed a useful, computationally economical, and physically sound methodology to enable the systematic study of surface alloy formation in metals. This tool has been tested successfully on several known systems for which hard experimental evidence exists and has been used to predict ternary surface alloy formation (results to be published: Garces, J.E.; Bozzolo, G.; and Mosca, H.: Atomistic Modeling of Pd/Cu(100) Surface Alloy Formation. Surf. Sci., 2000 (in press); Mosca, H.; Garces J.E.; and Bozzolo, G.: Surface Ternary Alloys of (Cu,Au)/Ni(110). (Accepted for publication in Surf. Sci., 2000.); and Garces, J.E.; Bozzolo, G.; Mosca, H.; and Abel, P.: A New Approach for Atomistic Modeling of Pd/Cu(110) Surface Alloy Formation. (Submitted to Appl. Surf. Sci.)). Ternary alloy formation is a field yet to be fully explored experimentally. The computational tool, which is based on the BFS (Bozzolo, Ferrante, and Smith) method for the calculation of the energetics, consists of a small number of simple PCbased computer codes that deal with the different aspects of surface alloy formation. Two analysis modes are available within this package. The first mode provides an atom-by-atom description of real and virtual stages 1. during the process of surface alloying, based on the construction of catalogues of configurations where each configuration describes one possible atomic distribution. BFS analysis of this catalogue provides information on accessible states, possible ordering patterns, and details of island formation or film growth. More importantly, it provides insight into the evolution of the system. Software developed by the Computational Materials Group allows for the study of an arbitrary number of elements forming surface alloys, including an arbitrary number of surface atomic layers. The second mode involves large-scale temperature-dependent computer 2. simulations that use the BFS method for the energetics and provide information on the dynamic processes during surface alloying. These simulations require the implementation of Monte-Carlo-based codes with high efficiency within current workstation environments. This methodology capitalizes on the advantages of the BFS method: there are no restrictions on the number or type of elements or on the type of crystallographic structure considered. This removes any restrictions in the definition of the configuration catalogues used in the analytical calculations, thus allowing for the study of arbitrary ordering patterns, ultimately leading to the actual surface alloy structure. Moreover, the Monte Carlo numerical technique used for the large-scale simulations allows for a detailed visualization of the simulated process, the main advantage of this type of analysis being the ability to understand the underlying features that drive these processes. Because of the simplicity of the BFS method for e energetics used in these calculations, a detailed atom-by-atom analysis can be performed at any point in the simulation, providing necessary insight on the details of the process. The main objective of this research program is to develop a tool to guide experimenters in understanding and interpreting often unexpected results in alloy formation experiments. By reducing the computational effort without losing physical accuracy, we expect that powerful simulation tools will be developed in the immediate future, which will allow material scientists to easily visualize and analyze processes at a level not achievable experimentally.

Bozzolo, Guillermo H.↗