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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.

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At least 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1983

Remarkable modification of light curves for shadowing effects on irregular surfaces - The case of the asteroid 37 Fides

Photometric observations of the asteroid 37 Fides carried out at four observatories are reported. The data were taken at phase angles ranging from approximately 2-23 deg. A composite of the light curves obtained revealed that, considering a period of 7.33 hr, the full cycle light curve exhibits one maximum and one minimum. An increase in brightness was observed following a primary minimum, a factor that indicated the cyclical appearance and disappearance of a large topographical feature. It is concluded that the 7.33 hr period is the rotational speed of the asteroid, in contrast with a previously held 14.66 hr rotational period. The method is concluded useful for identifying rotational periods of asteroids when only partial light curve data from different sources is available, and when the projections can be checked observationally.

Zappala, V.↗
NASA NTRS1983

A linear analysis of the transition curve for the baroclinic annulus

A primitive equation linear model is shown to be capable of quantitatively predicting the neutral curve for a baroclinic annulus. Flows unstable to small nonaxisymmetric perturbations are assumed to lie on the nonaxisymmetric side of a transition curve, while the stable flows are on the axisymmetric side. The stability in the presence of perturbations is tested with linearized hydrostatic primitive equations. Attention is given to the fastest growing eigenmodes, demonstrating that the linear and nonlinear wave have similar structures at a particular point in the nonaxisymmetric regime. All the waves are similar to the Eddy wave except at the extreme to the transition curve, where the waves maintain little structure with height. The eddy kinetic energy is baroclinic with a potential energy suppresed by the large static stability of the basic state. Eddy dissipation is noted to be significant near all boundaries.

Miller, T. L.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Spectral response curve models applied to forest cover-type discrimination

The potential of remote sensing systems to provide a cost-effective inventory tool in the case of forest resources is currently of interest to a variety of natural resources management agencies. A number of studies have been performed regarding the use of Landsat data for mapping forest resources in Michigan. The present paper is concerned with current research, which has been directed toward the development and evaluation of computer-implemented classifications for the identification and characterization of coniferous forest types in Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula. Attention is given to the characteristic response curves from Landsat MSS data, spectral response curve models, and forest cover-type discrimination. It is found that spectral response curve models can be used to evaluate and explain the characteristic spectral responses of coniferous forest types on a snow-covered, winter Landsat scene.

Hudson, W. D.↗
NASA NTRS1986

A study of a collision avoidance system mounted on a curved ground plane

Research conducted on a traffic advisory and collision avoidance system (TCAS 2) mounted on a curved ground plane is described. It is found that a curved finite ground plane can be used as a good simulation model for the fuselage of an aircraft but may not be good enough to model a whole aircraft due to the shadowing of the vertical stabilizer, wings, etc. The surface curvature of this curved disc significantly affects the monopulse characteristics in the azimuth plane but not as much in the elevation plane. These variations of the monopulse characteristics verify the need of a lookup table for the 64 azimuth beam positions. The best location of a TCAS 2 array on a Boeing 737 is to move it as far from the vertical stabilizer as possible.

Law, P. H.↗
NASA NTRS1986

An average interstellar extinction curve for the Large Magellanic Cloud

LMC regions located more than 0.5 deg from the center of the 30 Doradus nebula have an average UV extinction curve that is about 2 units higher in the far UV than the average Galactic curve. Within the 30 Doradus region, the normalized far-UV extinction is much steeper than the average Galactic or average LMC curves, yet has been considered to be representative of the LMC in general in the past. The present results show typical LMC extinction properties to have much more in common with those in the Milky Way.

Fitzpatrick, Edward L.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The optical light curve of SN 1985f in NGC 4618

The 4930-A optical light curve obtained for the bizarre 1985f supernova in NGC 4618 covers a six-month interval; care has been taken to eliminate contamination by bright underlying H II regions. The light curve is well approximated by a constant decline of 0.0153 mag/day. The spectroscopic work of Gaskell et al. (1986) suggests that this supernova is a Type Ib object; if so, the present observations represent the first light curve of an object of this type at late times in its evolution, furnishing a standard against which future sightings can be compared.

Filippenko, Alexei V.↗
NASA NTRS1987

An experimental investigation of straight and curved annular wall jets

Accurate turbulence measurements taken in wall jet flows are difficult to obtain, due to high intensity turbulence and problems in achieving two-dimensionality. The problem is compounded when streamwise curvature of the flow is introduced, since the jet entrainment and turbulence levels are greatly increased over the equivalent planar values. In this experiment, two-dimensional straight and curved incompressible wall jet flows are simulated by having a jet blow axially over a cylinder. Hot wire measurements and some Laser Doppler Velocimetry measurements are presented for straight and curved wall jet flows. The results for the straight wall showed good agreement between the annular flow data and the rectangular data taken by previous researchers. For the jets with streamwise curvature, there was agreement between the annular and corresponding rectangular jets for the flow region closest to the slot exit. An integral analysis was used as a simple technique to interpret the experimental results. Integral momentum calculations were performed for both straight and curved annular and two dimensional wall jets. The results of the calculation were used to identify transverse curvature parameters and to predict the values of those parameters which would delineate the region where the annular flow can satisfactorily simulate two dimensional flow.

Rodman, L. C.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Electromagnetic propagation in PEC and absorbing curved S-ducts

A finite-element Galerkin formulation has been developed to study transverse magnetic (TM) wave propagation in 2-D S-curved ducts with both perfectly conducting and absorbing walls. The reflection and transmission at the entrances and the exits of the curved ducts are determined by coupling the finite-element solutions in the curved ducts to the eigenfunctions of an infinite, uniform, perfectly conducting duct. Example solutions are presented for a double mitred and S-ducts of various lengths. The length of the S-duct is found to significantly effect the reflective characteristics of the duct. Also, the effect of curvature on an absorbing duct is illustrated.

Baumeister, Kenneth J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Method and models for R-curve instability calculations

This paper presents a simple method for performing elastic R-curve instability calculations. For a single material-structure combination, the calculations can be done on some pocket calculators. On microcomputers and larger, it permits the development of a comprehensive program having libraries of driving force equations for different configurations and R-curve model equations for different materials. The paper also presents several model equations for fitting to experimental R-curve data, both linear elastic and elastoplastic. The models are fit to data from the literature to demonstrate their viability.

Orange, Thomas W.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Application of the V(R) resistance curve method to fracture of various crack configurations

The fracture resistance curve method of Newman (1985), based on the crack-tip-opening displacement, V(R), for a 'stationary' crack, was applied to various crack configurations in 2024-T351 and 7075-T651 aluminum alloys tested at room temperature. Using a stationary crack solution, the crack-tip-displacement was calculated at the current crack length for the crack configurations which included compact, middle-crack, single-edge-crack, and three-hole-crack tension specimens. The results showed that the V(R) resistance curves are insensitive to crack length, specimen width, and specimen type up to maximum load. After the maximum load is reached, the V(R) remains nearly constant; this constant depends only on specimen type, specimen width, and crack length. The V(R) resistance curve method can be used with the strip-yield analyses to accurately predict stable crack growth and instability of cracked metallic materials.

Newman, J. C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Nonlinear Curve-Fitting Program

Nonlinear optimization algorithm helps in finding best-fit curve. Nonlinear Curve Fitting Program, NLINEAR, interactive curve-fitting routine based on description of quadratic expansion of X(sup 2) statistic. Utilizes nonlinear optimization algorithm calculating best statistically weighted values of parameters of fitting function and X(sup 2) minimized. Provides user with such statistical information as goodness of fit and estimated values of parameters producing highest degree of correlation between experimental data and mathematical model. Written in FORTRAN 77.

Everhart, Joel L.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Influence of bulk turbulence and entrance boundary layer thickness on the curved duct flow field

The objective of this investigation was the experimental evaluation of bulk turbulence and boundary thickness influence on the secondary flow development in a square, 90 deg turning duct. A three dimensional laser velocimetry system was utilized to measure the mean and fluctuating components of velocity in the large curved duct facility. The three dimensional development of the viscous shear layers in the curved duct has a strong influence on the complete flow field. Since ducted three dimensional flows are found in many engineering applications, including gas turbine engines, and contain high turbulence levels and high wall heat transfer rates, they present a difficult challenge to computational fluid mechanics codes. Turbulence modeling remains one of constraints to CFD advance due to inadequate physical understanding and experimental definition of turbulent shear flows. The results of this investigation expand the curved duct data base to higher turbulence levels and thicker entrance boundary layers. The experimental results provide a challenging benchmark data base for computational fluid dynamics code development and validation. The variation of inlet bulk turbulence intensity provides additional information to aid in turbulence model evaluation.

Crawford, Roger A.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Parametric study of electromagnetic waves propagating in absorbing curved S ducts

A finite-element Galerkin formulation has been developed to study attenuation of transverse magnetic (TM) waves propagating in two-dimensional S-curved ducts with absorbing walls. In the frequency range where the duct diameter and electromagnetic wave length are nearly equal, the effect of duct length, curvature (duct offset), and absorber wall thickness was examined. For a given offset in the curved duct, the length of the S-duct was found to significantly affect both the absorptive and reflective characteristics of the duct. For a straight and a curved duct with perfect electric conductor terminations, power attenuation contours were examined to determine electromagnetic wall properties associated with maximum input signal absorption. Offset of the S-duct was found to significantly affect the value of the wall permittivity associated with the optimal attenuation of the incident electromagnetic wave.

Baumeister, Kenneth J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Fitting theoretical photometric functions to asteroid phase curves

The ways in which variations in the parameters of Hapke's (1981, 1984, 1986) theoretical photometric function for fitting photometric phase data of asteroids can affect the shape of the theoretical curve are considered. It is noted that, between phase angles of 2 and 25 deg, the opposition effect parameters, the roughness parameter, and the single-particle phase function parameter have similar effects on the shape and the photometric curve and are difficult to separate on the basis of disk-integrated data alone. The uniqueness of asteroid surface properties deduced from phase curve observations over a limited phase-angle range is judged to remain questionable.

Domingue, Deborah↗
NASA NTRS1988

X-ray rocking curve measurements of bent crystals

A three-crystal laboratory X-ray spectrometer is used to measure the Bragg reflection from concave cylindrically curved crystals to be used in the high-resolution X-ray spectrometer of the NASA Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF). The first two crystals, in the dispersive (1.1) arrangement, select a narrow collimated monochromatic beam in the Cu K-alpha(1) line at 1.5 A (8.1 keV), which illuminates the test crystal. The angular centroids of rocking curves measured along the surface provide a measure of the conformity of the crystal to the desired radius of curvature. Individual and combined rocking-curve widths and areas provide a measure of the resolution and efficiency at 1.54 A. The crystals analyzed included LiF(200), PET, and acid phthalates such as TAP.

Hakim, M. B.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Experimental investigation of straight and curved annular wall jets

Accurate turbulence measurements taken in wall jet flows are difficult to obtain, due to high intensity turbulence and problems in achieving two-dimensionality. The problem is compounded when streamwise curvature of the flow is introduced, since the jet entrainment and turbulence levels are greatly increased over the equivalent planar values. In this experiment, two-dimensional straight and curved incompressible wall jet flows are simulated by having a jet blow axially over a cylinder. Hot wire measurements and some Laser Doppler Velocimetry measurements are presented for straight and curved wall jet flows. The results for the straight wall showed good agreement between the annular flow data and the rectangular data taken by previous researchers. For the jets with streamwise curvature, there was agreement between the annular and corresponding rectangular jets for the flow region closest to the slot exit. An integral analysis was used as a simple technique to interpret the experimental results. Integral momentum calculations were performed for both straight and curved annular and two-dimensional wall jets. The results of the calculation were used to identify transverse curvature parameters and to predict the values of those parameters which would delineate the region where the annular flow can satisfactorily simulate two-dimensional flows.

Rodman, L. C.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Multilayer theory for delamination analysis of a composite curved bar subjected to end forces and end moments

A composite test specimen in the shape of a semicircular curved bar subjected to bending offers an excellent stress field for studying the open-mode delamination behavior of laminated composite materials. This is because the open-mode delamination nucleates at the midspan of the curved bar. The classical anisotropic elasticity theory was used to construct a multilayer theory for the calculations of the stress and deformation fields induced in the multilayered composite semicircular curved bar subjected to end forces and end moments. The radial location and intensity of the open-mode delamination stress were calculated and were compared with the results obtained from the anisotropic continuum theory and from the finite element method. The multilayer theory gave more accurate predictions of the location and the intensity of the open-mode delamination stress than those calculated from the anisotropic continuum theory.

Ko, William L.↗