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At least 307 records · Page 17

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NASA NTRS1981

Analysis of coherent satellite communication systems in the presence of interference and noise

The general analysis presented can be used to evaluate the performance of M-ary phase shift keying (MPSK) used over a nonlinear satellite channel in the presence of interference (CW tone and ISI) and channel noise. The numerical evaluation is based on the classical moment technique for approximating the probability distribution from moments of a random variable. The mathematical formulation of error probabilities of MPSK signals transmitted over nonlinear satellite repeaters is presented to include the effect of CW tone interference as well as the intersymbol interference. The approach is general and can be extended to include the effect of the synchronization.

Huang, T.-C.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Finite difference solutions of the Euler equations in the vicinity of sharp edges

Attempts have been made to explain why finite difference solutions of the Euler equations can describe flows with large vortical structures around sharp-edged bodies. The present paper is concerned with the influence of a singular sharp edge on the truncation error for a set of discretized Euler equations. An analysis is conducted of the distribution of the truncation error of one finite difference approximation of the Euler equations near a sharp edge of a thin plate. The analysis leads to a determination of the size of the region of the neighborhood of such a singularity. Attention is given to the consistency of a discretization of the Euler equations, and numerical experiments.

Hartwich, P.-M.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Numerical simulation of Jet-A combustion approximated by improved propane chemical kinetics

Through the effort devoted to the chemical kinetics for propane air combustion, three mechanisms are developed. The full mechanism consists of 131 reactions. This mechanism is used as a guide for the evaluation of other mechanisms, but because of the long expected cpu time, it is not to be incorporated into the computer code KIVA-II for actual simulation. Through the sensitivity analysis, a reduced mechanism of 45 reactions is produced. But the calculated results from the 45 reaction mechanism are always low in temperature. Some efforts are devoted to correct this situation and details are included in this report. A simplified mechanism of reactions is successfully improved and computed results are compared with experimental data. Contour plots of physical parameters and species concentrations and results for emission indices of CO and NOx are presented.

Ying, Shuh-Jing↗

NASA NTRS1991

Probabilistic Structural Analysis Methods (PSAM) for select space propulsion system components

The fourth year of technical developments on the Numerical Evaluation of Stochastic Structures Under Stress (NESSUS) system for Probabilistic Structural Analysis Methods is summarized. The effort focused on the continued expansion of the Probabilistic Finite Element Method (PFEM) code, the implementation of the Probabilistic Boundary Element Method (PBEM), and the implementation of the Probabilistic Approximate Methods (PAppM) code. The principal focus for the PFEM code is the addition of a multilevel structural dynamics capability. The strategy includes probabilistic loads, treatment of material, geometry uncertainty, and full probabilistic variables. Enhancements are included for the Fast Probability Integration (FPI) algorithms and the addition of Monte Carlo simulation as an alternate. Work on the expert system and boundary element developments continues. The enhanced capability in the computer codes is validated by applications to a turbine blade and to an oxidizer duct.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1990

Improved approximations of displacements for structural optimization

In most structural optimization problems the implicit behavior constraints are evaluated for successive modifications in the design. For each trial design, the analysis equations must be solved and the multiple repeated analyses usually involve extensive computational effort. This difficulty motivated several studies on explicit approximations of the structural behavior in terms of the design variables. The latter approach can considerably reduce the amount of computations, but the quality of the approximations might not be sufficient. Many of the approximate behavior models proposed in the past are valid only for relatively small changes in the design variables. The accuracy of the results is often insufficient for large changes in the design. The object of this study is to present efficient and high quality approximations of the structural behavior. It will be shown that the quality of the approximations can greatly be improved by combining scaling of the initial design, using intervening variables, and scaling a set of fictitious loads. Integrating these means, a powerful solution procedure can be introduced. In addition, the errors in satisfying the analysis equations can readily be evaluated. A numerical example illustrates the solution methodology and the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Kirsch, Uri↗

NASA NTRS2005

The Hollow Spheres of the Orgueil Meteorite: A Re-Examination

In 1971, Rossignol-Strick and Barghoorn provided images and a description of a number of spherical hollow microstructures showing well-defined walls in acid macerated extract of the Orgueil CI carbonaceous meteorite. Other forms such as membranes and spiral shaped structures were also reported. The carbon-rich (kerogen) hollow spheres were found to be in a narrowly constrained distribution of sizes (mainly 7 to 10 microns in diameter). Electron microprobe analysis revealed that these spheres contained Carbon, possibly P, N, and K. It was established that these forms could not be attributed to pollen or other recent terrestrial contaminants. It was concluded that they most probably represented organic coatings on globules of glass, olivine or magnetite in the meteorite. However, recent studies of the Orgueil meteorite have been carried out at the NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center with the S-4000 Hitachi Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM). These investigations have revealed the presence of numerous carbon encrusted spherical magnetite platelets and spherical and ovoidal bodies of elemental iron in-situ in freshly fractured interior surfaces of the meteorite. Their size range is also very narrowly constrained (typically approximately 6 to 12 microns) in diameter. High resolution images reveal that these bodies are also encrusted with a thin carbonaceous sheath and are surrounded by short nanofibrils that are shown to be composed of high purity iron by EDAX elemental analysis. We present Secondary and Backscatter Electron FESEM images and associated EDAX elemental analyses and 2D X-ray maps of these forms as we re-examine the hollow spheres of Orgueil and attempt to determine if they are representatives of the same population of indigenous microstructures.

Hoover, Richard B.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Numerical analysis of flow through oscillating cascade sections

The design of turbomachinery blades requires the prevention of flutter for all operating conditions. However, flow field predictions used for aeroelastic analysis are not well understood for all flow regimes. The present research focuses on numerical solutions of the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations using an ADI procedure to model two-dimensional, transonic flow through oscillating cascades. The model prescribes harmonic pitching motions for the blade sections for both zero and non-zero inter-blade phase angles. The code introduces the use of a deforming grid technique for convenient specification of the periodic boundary conditions. Approximate nonreflecting boundary conditions have been coded for the inlet and exit boundary conditions. Sample unsteady solutions have been performed for an oscillating cascade and compared to experimental data. Also, test cases were fun for a flat plate cascade to compare with an unsteady, small-perturbation, subsonic analysis. The predictions for oscillating cascades with non-zero inter-blade phase angles are in good agreement with experimental data and small-perturbation theory. The zero degree inter-blade phase angle cases, which were near a resonant condition, differ from the experiment and theory. Studies on reflecting versus non-reflecting inlet and exit boundary conditions show that the treatment of the boundary can have a significant effect on the first harmonic, unsteady pressure distributions for certain flow conditions. This code is expected to be used as a tool for reviewing simpler models that do not include the full nonlinear aerodynamics or as a final check for designs against flutter in turbomachinery.

Huff, Dennis L.↗

NASA NTRS1977

An antenna for limited scan in one plane - Design criteria and numerical simulation

Aperture illumination is synthesized through the use of overlapping subarrays with independently controlled excitations. Detailed analysis and design criteria are provided for a specific limited-scan antenna configuration scanning in one plane. The number of phase shifts is the theoretical minimum corresponding to specified aperture size and field of view. Beam pointing and width are approximately constant for moderate frequency variation, and ultralow sidelobes outside the field of view can be produced at the cost of a slight loss of illumination efficiency. Accurate aperture illumination control makes for excellent independently specified sum and difference patterns in beamforming.

Borgiotti, G. V.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Rotordynamic Analysis of the SSME Turbopumps Using Reduced Models

Alternative methods for the rotor-dynamic and sensitivity analysis of large rotor systems are examined. The methods are assessed for their ability to utilize accurate models of reduced size along with effective procedures for describing the dynamic behavior of the systems. Frequency response-based techniques are developed for determining the steady state response to imbalance of the space shuttle main engine (SSME) turbopumps and the related eigenvalue problem. The rotor and housing are represented by reduced receptances associated with their coupling points. The housing may be described by all of its normal modes within a frequency range of interest. The effects of truncated higher and lower modes are accounted for in an approximate manner. A procedure is described for determining the sensitivity of the coupling forces to changes in the coupling elements and rotor speed of the turbopump systems. In addition, an eigenvalue sensitivity analysis technique is adopted for application to the systems. Computer programs were developed for the numerical implementation of the impedance and eigenvalue sensitivity formulated in this study.

Noah, S. T.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Binary collision rates of relativistic thermal plasmas. II - Spectra

Spectra of importance for the analysis of relativistic thermal plasmas are numerically calculated assuming a thermal form for the particle distribution functions. Complete sets of optically thin thermal electron-proton, electron-electron, and electron-positron bremsstrahlung spectra are calculated throughout the transrelativistic regime of electron temperatures and compared with approximate expressions for the spectra in the nonrelativistic and extreme relativistic regimes of temperature. A method for calculating accurate secondary particle production spectra in proton-proton collisions from threshold to the highest energies is presented based on an isobaric model near threshold and scaling representations at high energies. The production spectra of charged and neutral pions resulting from proton-proton collisions in relativistic proton plasmas are calculated, and the resultant electron, positron, and gamma-ray spectra from the decay of secondary pions are presented.

Dermer, C. D.↗

NASA NTRS1959

Some Finite Difference Solutions of the Laminar Compressible Boundary Layer Showing the Effects of Upstream Transpiration Cooling

Three numerical solutions of the partial differential equations describing the compressible laminar boundary layer are obtained by the finite difference method described in reports by I. Flugge-Lotz, D.C. Baxter, and this author. The solutions apply to steady-state supersonic flow without pressure gradient, over a cold wall and over an adiabatic wall, both having transpiration cooling upstream, and over an adiabatic wall with upstream cooling but without upstream transpiration. It is shown that for a given upstream wall temperature, upstream transpiration cooling affords much better protection to the adiabatic solid wall than does upstream cooling without transpiration. The results of the numerical solutions are compared with those of approximate solutions. The thermal results of the finite difference solution lie between the results of Rubesin and Inouye, and those of Libby and Pallone. When the skin-friction results of one finite difference solution are used in the thermal analysis of Rubesin and Inouye, improved agreement between the thermal results of the two methods of solution is obtained.

Howe, John T.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Integrated identification and robust control tuning for large space structures

System identification is studied for the explicit purpose of supporting modern H-infinity robust control design objectives. In the analysis, the true plant is not assumed to be in the identification model set. An integrated identification/robust control problem is posed in which the optimal solution guarantees the best robust performance relative to the system information contained in a given experimental data set. A numerical example demonstrating an approximate solution to the problem indicates the usefulness of the approach.

Yam, Y.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Computational analysis of methods for reduction of induced drag

The purpose of this effort was to perform a computational flow analysis of a design concept centered around induced drag reduction and tip-vortex energy recovery. The flow model solves the unsteady three-dimensional Euler equations, discretized as a finite-volume method, utilizing a high-resolution approximate Riemann solver for cell interface flux definitions. The numerical scheme is an approximately-factored block LU implicit Newton iterative-refinement method. Multiblock domain decomposition is used to partition the field into an ordered arrangement of blocks. Three configurations are analyzed: a baseline fuselage-wing, a fuselage-wing-nacelle, and a fuselage-wing-nacelle-propfan. Aerodynamic force coefficients, propfan performance coefficients, and flowfield maps are used to qualitatively access design efficacy. Where appropriate, comparisons are made with available experimental data.

Janus, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Optimal guidance law development for an advanced launch system

The objective of this research effort was to develop a real-time guidance approach for launch vehicles ascent to orbit injection. Various analytical approaches combined with a variety of model order and model complexity reduction have been investigated. Singular perturbation methods were first attempted and found to be unsatisfactory. The second approach based on regular perturbation analysis was subsequently investigated. It also fails because the aerodynamic effects (ignored in the zero order solution) are too large to be treated as perturbations. Therefore, the study demonstrates that perturbation methods alone (both regular and singular perturbations) are inadequate for use in developing a guidance algorithm for the atmospheric flight phase of a launch vehicle. During a second phase of the research effort, a hybrid analytic/numerical approach was developed and evaluated. The approach combines the numerical methods of collocation and the analytical method of regular perturbations. The concept of choosing intelligent interpolating functions is also introduced. Regular perturbation analysis allows the use of a crude representation for the collocation solution, and intelligent interpolating functions further reduce the number of elements without sacrificing the approximation accuracy. As a result, the combined method forms a powerful tool for solving real-time optimal control problems. Details of the approach are illustrated in a fourth order nonlinear example. The hybrid approach is then applied to the launch vehicle problem. The collocation solution is derived from a bilinear tangent steering law, and results in a guidance solution for the entire flight regime that includes both atmospheric and exoatmospheric flight phases.

Calise, Anthony J.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Obliquity Variations of Extrasolar Terrestrial Planets

A planet's obliquity, which is the angle between its orbital angular momentum and its rotational angular momentum, is an important factor in determining its climate and habitability. For small obliquities, as well as obliquities close to 180 degrees, the planet receives more radiant energy from its star at equatorial latitudes than near its poles, whereas the poles are heated the most for obliquities near 90 degrees. Jacques Laskar has analyzed possible obliquity variations of the planets in our Solar System. His study also considers the same planets with different rotational periods, and the Earth without the Moon. He finds, using frequency map analysis, that the obliquity of the Earth is stabilized by the Moon, and can vary by at most a few degrees. In contrast, the obliquity of Mars can range from 0 to 60 degrees, and a hypothetical moonless Earth's axial tilt could be close to 0 degrees or as large as 85 degrees. Numerical integrations by Laskar and others have shown that Mars' obliquity indeed varies over most of its permitted range on time scales of tens of millions of years. In contrast, our analysis shows that the obliquity of a moonless Earth appears to be confined to the range of approximately 12 - 38 degrees over time scales of 100 million years. Results of ongoing longer integrations will be presented, and their implications discussed.

Lissauer, Jack J.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Nonlinear potential analysis techniques for supersonic-hypersonic configuration design

Approximate nonlinear inviscid theoretical techniques for predicting aerodynamic characteristics and surface pressures for relatively slender vehicles at moderate hypersonic speeds were developed. Emphasis was placed on approaches that would be responsive to preliminary configuration design level of effort. Second order small disturbance and full potential theory was utilized to meet this objective. Numerical pilot codes were developed for relatively general three dimensional geometries to evaluate the capability of the approximate equations of motion considered. Results from the computations indicate good agreement with higher order solutions and experimental results for a variety of wing, body and wing-body shapes for values of the hypersonic similarity parameter M delta approaching one. Case computational times of a minute were achieved for practical aircraft arrangements.

Clever, W. C.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Quasi-three-dimensional flow solution by meridional plane analysis

A computer program has been developed to obtain subsonic or shockfree transonic, nonviscous flow analysis on the hub-shroud mid-channel flow surface of a turbomachine. The analysis may be for any annular passage, with or without blades. The blades may be fixed or rotating and may be twisted and leaned. The flow may be axial, radial or mixed. Blade surface velocities over the entire blade are approximated based on the rate of change of angular momentum. This gives a 3-D flow picture based on a 2-D analysis. The paper discusses the method used for the program and shows examples of the type of passages and blade rows which can be analyzed. Also, some numerical examples are given to show how the program can be used for practical assistance in design of blading, annular passages, and annular diffusers.

Katsanis, T.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Perturbation solutions of combustion instability problems

A method involving approximate modal analysis using the Galerkin method followed by an approximate solution of the resulting modal-amplitude equations by the two-variable perturbation method (method of multiple scales) is applied to two problems of pressure-sensitive nonlinear combustion instability in liquid-fuel rocket motors. One problem exhibits self-coupled instability while the other exhibits mode-coupled instability. In both cases it is possible to carry out the entire linear stability analysis and significant portions of the nonlinear stability analysis in closed form. In the problem of self-coupled instability the nonlinear stability boundary and approximate forms of the limit-cycle amplitudes and growth and decay rates are determined in closed form while the exact limit-cycle amplitudes and growth and decay rates are found numerically. In the problem of mode-coupled instability the limit-cycle amplitudes are found in closed form while the growth and decay rates are found numerically. The behavior of the solutions found by the perturbation method are in agreement with solutions obtained using complex numerical methods.

Googerdy, A.↗