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At least 253 records · Page 14

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DOE OSTI2021

A Custom High-Throughput Optical Mapping Instrument (OMI) for Accelerated Stress Testing of PV Module Materials

The performance and integrity of photovoltaic (PV) modules and materials may be assessed through optical characterizations. We have developed a custom Optical Mapping Instrument (OMI) to improve measurement throughput time, facilitate automated measurements, and obtain spatial information relative to commercial benchtop spectrophotometer instruments. Both the key components and the methods used to improve the measurements are described. The measurement precision for the OMI is benchmarked for hemispherical transmittance relative to a previous round-robin study for commercial spectrophotometers. Example mapping measurements and their implications are given for specimens from other studies, including: (1) the depletion of the UV absorber is revealed for specimens beyond a certain size after standardized artificial ultraviolet (UV) weathering, (2) an optical degradation by internal haze formation is confirmed following Damp Heat (85°C/85% relative humidity) testing, (3) the better uniformity of the wear pattern for falling sand abrasion is used to select the DIN 52348 fixture over the ASTM D968 fixture, and (4) the local (millimeter-scale) heterogeneity of surface contamination in the soiling-prone location of Dubai relative to Kuwait. The results of the UV study have already been used to improve the standardized weathering of encapsulants. The example for Damp Heat testing is given to increase awareness of a degradation believed to be ubiquitously occurring in safety and design-type qualification testing of PV modules.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗

NASA NTRS1984

The role of an intracrustal asthenosphere on the behavior of major strike-slip faults

Strain accumulation measurements adjacent to the San Andreas fault have indicated that the strain accumulation zone extends only a few tens of kms away from the fault. While the restricted zone of cyclic accumulation and release of elastic energy adjacent to major strike-slip faults has been attributed to a viscoelastic asthenosphere's damping effect, the narrowness of the San Andreas zone implies a thickness of the lithosphere that, at 10-20 km, may not be consistent with the relatively low surface heat flow measurements obtained. It is presently proposed that an upper elastic plate extends to a depth of 15 km, and that beneath this upper elastic plate is a soft, intracrustal asthenosphere exhibiting a viscoelastic behavior. A second elastic layer lies under this, followed by the asthenosphere. It is shown that the damping due to the intracrustal asthenosphere can explain the observed narrow zone of cyclic strain accumulation and release.

Turcotte, D. L.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Electromagnetic damping of neutron star oscillations

A simple model of magnetic field perturbations driven by neutron star oscillations is used to estimate the electromagnetic power radiated by g-modes and torsional oscillations. The calculation assumes that the neutron star has a frozen-in magnetic field which is perturbed by the oscillatory motions of the surface. The disturbances propagate into the vacuum as outgoing electromagnetic waves. The relative effectiveness of Joule heating of the neutron star crust by pulsation-induced electric currents is estimated. It is concluded that electromagnetic damping is the dominant energy dissipation mechanism for quadrupole g-mode oscillations of neutron stars. For dipole spheroidal modes, both electromagnetic radiation and Joule heating are important, and there is no gravitational radiation emitted by these modes.

Mcdermott, P. N.↗

DOE OSTI2021

A Custom High-Throughput Optical Mapping Instrument for Accelerated Stress Testing of PV Module Materials

The performance and integrity of photovoltaic (PV) modules and materials may be assessed through optical characterizations. We have developed a custom optical mapping instrument (OMI) to improve measurement throughput time, facilitate automated measurements, allow for localized specimen examination, obtain spatial information relative to commercial benchtop spectrophotometer instruments, and provide automated data analysis. Both the key components and the methods used to improve the measurements are described. The measurement precision for the OMI is benchmarked for hemispherical transmittance relative to a previous round-robin study for commercial spectrophotometers. In addition to the unique instrument developed in this study, new insights have emerged from the examination of specimens from previous experiments, including: the depletion of the UV absorber is revealed for specimens beyond a certain size after artificial ultraviolet (UV) weathering; an optical degradation by internal haze formation is confirmed following Damp Heat (85 °C/85% relative humidity) testing; the better uniformity of the wear pattern for falling sand abrasion is used to select the DIN 52348 fixture over the ASTM D968 fixture; and the greater local (in the order of millimeters) heterogeneity of surface contamination in the soiling-prone location of Dubai relative to Kuwait. The results of the UV study have already been used to improve the standardized weathering of encapsulants. The example for Damp Heat testing is given to increase awareness of a degradation believed to be ubiquitously occurring in safety and design-type qualification testing of PV modules.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

NASA NTRS2002

Sensorimotor integration in human postural control

It is generally accepted that human bipedal upright stance is achieved by feedback mechanisms that generate an appropriate corrective torque based on body-sway motion detected primarily by visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive sensory systems. Because orientation information from the various senses is not always available (eyes closed) or accurate (compliant support surface), the postural control system must somehow adjust to maintain stance in a wide variety of environmental conditions. This is the sensorimotor integration problem that we investigated by evoking anterior-posterior (AP) body sway using pseudorandom rotation of the visual surround and/or support surface (amplitudes 0.5-8 degrees ) in both normal subjects and subjects with severe bilateral vestibular loss (VL). AP rotation of body center-of-mass (COM) was measured in response to six conditions offering different combinations of available sensory information. Stimulus-response data were analyzed using spectral analysis to compute transfer functions and coherence functions over a frequency range from 0.017 to 2.23 Hz. Stimulus-response data were quite linear for any given condition and amplitude. However, overall behavior in normal subjects was nonlinear because gain decreased and phase functions sometimes changed with increasing stimulus amplitude. "Sensory channel reweighting" could account for this nonlinear behavior with subjects showing increasing reliance on vestibular cues as stimulus amplitudes increased. VL subjects could not perform this reweighting, and their stimulus-response behavior remained quite linear. Transfer function curve fits based on a simple feedback control model provided estimates of postural stiffness, damping, and feedback time delay. There were only small changes in these parameters with increasing visual stimulus amplitude. However, stiffness increased as much as 60% with increasing support surface amplitude. To maintain postural stability and avoid resonant behavior, an increase in stiffness should be accompanied by a corresponding increase in damping. Increased damping was achieved primarily by decreasing the apparent time delay of feedback control rather than by changing the damping coefficient (i.e., corrective torque related to body-sway velocity). In normal subjects, stiffness and damping were highly correlated with body mass and moment of inertia, with stiffness always about 1/3 larger than necessary to resist the destabilizing torque due to gravity. The stiffness parameter in some VL subjects was larger compared with normal subjects, suggesting that they may use increased stiffness to help compensate for their loss. Overall results show that the simple act of standing quietly depends on a remarkably complex sensorimotor control system.

NASA Discipline Neuroscience↗

NASA NTRS1990

Aeroservoelastic tailoring for lateral control enhancement

The application of an automated optimization approach to the integrated structural and control design of an aircraft wing and its control surface is illustrated. The performance index or cost function for optimization is the aileron hinge moment required to sustain a specified terminal roll rate at a chosen design speed at which aeroelastic effects are significant. The design variables used for aileron hinge-moment minimization are the aileron flap-to-chord ratio; the location of the aileron with respect to the roll axis; and the orientations of three advanced composite plies comprising 60 percent of the wing structure. The effects of aileron location and advanced composite ply orientation on the terminal roll rate and aileron hinge moment are examined. Optimization is seen to involve a compromise between a laminated structure/aileron combination that is effective in creating large rolling moments and one that minimizes the damping-in-roll. These two requirements are in conflict; the optimization driver must locate a compromise design point by moving the control surface and changing its size while also creating a suitable structural design.

Weisshaar, Terrence A.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Characteristics of finite amplitude stationary gravity waves in the atmosphere of Venus

This paper extends the study of stationary gravity waves generated near the surface of Venus reported previously by Young et al. to include finite amplitude effects associated with large amplitude waves. Waves are forced near the surface of Venus by periodic forcing. The height-dependent profiles of static stability and mean wind in the Venus atmosphere play a very important role in the evolution of the nonlinear behavior of the waves, just as they do in the linear wave solutions. Certain wave properties are qualitatively consistent with linear wave theory, such as wave trapping, resonance, and wave evanescence for short horizontal wavelenghts. However, the finite amplitude solutions also exhibit many other interesting features. In particular, for forcing amplitudes representative of those that could be expected in mountainous regions such as Aphrodite Terra, waves generated near the surface can reach large amplitudes at and above cloud levels, with clear signatures in the circulation pattern. At still higher levels, the waves can reach large enough amplitude to break, unless damping rates above the clouds are sufficient to limit wave amplitude growth. Well below cloud levels the waves develop complex flow patterns as the result of finite amplitude wave-wave interactions, and waves are generated having considerably shorter horizontal wavelenghts than that associated with the forcing near the surface. Nonlinear interactions can excite waves that are resonant with the background wind and static stability fields even when the primary surface forcing does not, and these waves can dominate the wave spectrum near cloud levels. A global map of Venus topographic slopes derived from Magellan altimetry data shows that slopes of magnitude comparable to or exceeding that used to force the model are ubiquitous over the surface.

Young, Richard E.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Primary fission fragment mass yields across the chart of nuclides

In this work, we have calculated a complete set of primary fission fragment mass yields, Y(A), for heavy nuclei across the chart of nuclides, including those of particular relevance to the rapid neutron capture process (r process) of nucleosynthesis. We assume that the nuclear shape dynamics are strongly damped, which allows for a description of the fission process via Brownian shape motion across nuclear potential-energy surfaces. The macroscopic energy of the potential was obtained with the Finite-Range Liquid-Drop Model (FRLDM), while the microscopic terms were extracted from the single-particle level spectra in the fissioning system by the Strutinsky procedure for the shell energies and the BCS treatment for the pairing energies. For each nucleus considered, the fission fragment mass yield, Y(A), is obtained from 50 000 to 500 000 random walks on the appropriate potential-energy surface. The full mass and charge yield, Y(Z,A), is then calculated by invoking the Wahl systematics. With this method, we have calculated a comprehensive set of fission-fragment yields from over 3800 nuclides bounded by 80 ≤ Z ≤ 130 and A ≤ 330; these yields are provided as an ASCII formatted database in the Supplemental Material. We compare our yields to known data and discuss general trends that emerge in low-energy fission yields across the chart of nuclides.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS2002

Nonlinear Propagation of Planet-Generated Tidal Waves

The propagation and evolution of planet-generated density waves in protoplanetary disks is considered. The evolution of waves, leading to shock formation and wake dissipation, is followed in the weakly nonlinear regime. The 2001 local approach of Goodman and Rafikov is extended to include the effects of surface density and temperature variations in the disk as well as the disk cylindrical geometry and nonuniform shear. Wave damping due to shocks is demonstrated to be a nonlocal process spanning a significant fraction of the disk. Torques induced by the planet could be significant drivers of disk evolution on timescales of approx. 10(exp 6)-10(exp 7) yr, even in the absence of strong background viscosity. A global prescription for angular momentum deposition is developed that could be incorporated into the study of gap formation in a gaseous disk around the planet.

Rafikov, R. R.↗

NASA NTRS1950

Dynamic Response of Control Servo System Installed in NAES-Equipped SB2C-5 Airplane (BuAer No. 83135)

Dynamic--response measurements for various conditions of displacement and rate signal input, sensitivity setting, and simulated hinge moment were made of the three control-surface servo systems of an NAES-equipped remote-controlled airplane while on the ground. The basic components of the servo systems are those of the General Electric Company type G-1 autopilot using electrical signal. sources, solenoid-operated valves, and hydraulic pistons. The test procedures and difficulties are discussed, Both frequency and transient-response data, are presented and comparisons are made. The constants describing the servo system, the undamped natural frequency, and the damping ratio, are determined by several methods. The response of the system with the addition of airframe rate signal is calculated. The transfer function of the elevator surface, linkage, and cable system is obtained. The agreement between various methods of measurement and calculation is considered very good. The data are complete enough and in such form that they may be used directly with the frequency-response data of an airplane to predict the stability of the autopilot-airplane combination.

Smaus, Louis H.↗

DOE OSTI2024

The Raman gap and collisional absorption

One of the long-standing puzzles observed in many laser-plasma experiments is the gap in the Raman backscattering spectrum. This gap is characterized by the absence of backscattered light between some critical wavelength and twice the incident laser wavelength. The latter is associated with the absolute Raman instability from the quarter-critical density surface. Supported by particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, it is suggested that the gap can result from the collisional damping of the backscattered light. A linear analysis of the competition between the Raman growth rate and the damping rate in a non-homogenous plasma predicts the gap's existence and width as a function of the system's parameters. The theory is compared with the PIC simulations and past experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

The Dependence of Mean Climate State on Shortwave Absorption by Water Vapor

Abstract State-of-the-art climate models exhibit significant spread in the climatological value of atmospheric shortwave absorption (SWA). This study investigates both the possible causes and climatic impacts of this SWA intermodel spread. The intermodel spread of global-mean SWA largely originates from the intermodel difference in water vapor shortwave absorptivity. Hence, we alter the water vapor shortwave absorptivity in the Community Earth System Model, version 1, with the Community Atmosphere Model, version 4 (CESM1-CAM4). Increasing the water vapor shortwave absorptivity leads to a reduction in global-mean precipitation and a La Niña–like cooling over the tropical Pacific. The global-mean atmospheric energy budget suggests that the precipitation is suppressed as a way to compensate for the increased SWA. The precipitation reduction is driven by the weakened surface winds, stabilized planetary boundary layer, and surface cooling. The La Niña–like cooling over the tropical Pacific is attributed to the zonal asymmetry of climatological evaporative damping efficiency and the low cloud enhancement over the eastern basin. Complementary fixed SSTs simulations suggest that the latter is more fundamental and that it primarily arises from atmospheric processes. Consistent with our experiments, the CMIP5/6 models with a higher global-mean SWA tend to produce tropical Pacific toward a more La Niña–like mean state, highlighting the possible role of water vapor shortwave absorptivity for shaping the mean-state climate patterns.

Kim, Hanjun↗

NASA NTRS1973

Vibration characteristics of aluminum plates reinforced with boron-epoxy composite material.

Analytical and experimental data on the vibration characteristics of cantilevered winglike flat trapezoidal aluminum plates are presented. The plates had been reinforced with boron-epoxy composite material which had been placed symmetrically about the plate middle surface. The effect of filament orientation on the mode shapes and frequencies of the first ten modes and on the damping coefficients of several of the lowest frequency modes has been investigated experimentally. Experimental data are compared with results from a finite-element analysis. Stiffness properties of the composite material for use in the analysis were determined from vibration tests of composite reinforced aluminum beams.

Clary, R. R.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Boundary condition program for aerodynamic lifting surface theory

Users manual for a U.S.A. FORTRAN 4 computer program which determines boundary conditions for a thin wing lifting surface program is described. This program, the geometry program, and several other programs are used together in the analysis of lifting, thin wings in steady, subsonic flow according to a kernel function lifting surface theory. The program calculates specific types of boundary conditions automatically such as those necessary to determine pitch and roll damping derivatives. The program also accepts descriptions of the camber or downwash and twist in the form of tables and/or coefficients of equations. The program performs interpolations so that tables and/or coefficients can apply at stations selected by the user and not at stations dictated by the control point locations.

Medan, R. T.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Synchrotron brightness distribution of turbulent radio jets

Radio jets are considered as turbulent mixing regions and it is proposed that the essential small scale viscous dissipation in these jets is by emission of MHD waves and by their subsequent strong damping due, at least partly, to gyro-resonant acceleration of supra-thermal particles. A formula relating the synchrotron surface brightness of a radio jet to the turbulent power input is deduced from physical postulates, and is tested against the data for NGC315 and 3C31 (NGC383). The predicted brightness depends essentially on the collimation behavior of the jet, and, to a lesser extent, on the CH picture of a 'high' nozzle with accelerating flow. The conditions for forming a large scale jet at a high nozzle from a much smaller scale jet are discussed. The effect of entrainment on the prediction is discussed with the use of similarity solutions. Although entrainment is inevitably associated with the turbulent jet, it may or may not be a dominant factor depending on the ambient density profile.

Henriksen, R. N.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Quasi-Lagrangian measurements of density surface fluctuations and power spectra in the stratosphere

Pressure and temperature data from eight superpressure balloon flights at 26 km in the southern hemisphere stratosphere are analyzed. The balloons, which float on a constant density surface, travel steadily westward during summer and eastward during winter, as expected from local climatology. Two types of fluctuations are observed: neutral buoyancy oscillations (NBO) of around 4 min, and 0.1- to 1-hour oscillations that are characterized as small-amplitude density surface fluctuations. Lapse rates and densities are calculated and found to agree well with the expected values. Examples of wave damping and simultaneous fluctuation at two nearby balloons are presented. Spectral analysis is performed clearly showing the NBO and that the majority of the power is in the mesoscale range. Spectral slopes of power versus frequency are measured to be on the average -2.18 + or - 0.24 for pressure and -1.72 + or - 0.24 for temperature. These slopes are compared to the predictions of turbulence theories and the theory of a universal gravity wave spectrum.

Quinn, Elizabeth P.↗

NASA NTRS1992

External Coulomb-Friction Damping For Hydrostatic Bearings

External friction device damps vibrations of shaft and hydrostatic ring bearing in which it turns. Does not rely on wear-prone facing surfaces. Hydrostatic bearing ring clamped in radially flexing support by side plates clamped against radial surfaces by spring-loaded bolts. Plates provide friction against radial motions of shaft.

Buckmann, Paul S.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Smart Materials and Structures Applications at the NASA Langley Research Center

This overview of the presentation covers Langley's smart materials infrastructure, materials research, applications, and summary. Langley's infrastructure consists of fabrication and characterization of smart structures. Materials researched include ceramics, polymers, and polymer-ceramic composites. Applications include interior aircraft noise suppression, aircraft engine noise reduction, active flutter damping of aircraft wings for better performance, active shape control of polymeric reflectors, and aircraft wing distortion to eliminate control surfaces.

Horner, Garnett↗