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At least 343 records · Page 19

Experiment to Characterize Aircraft Volatile Aerosol and Trace-Species Emissions (EXCAVATE)

The Experiment to Characterize Aircraft Volatile and Trace Species Emissions (EXCAVATE) was conducted at Langley Research Center (LaRC) in January 2002 and focused upon assaying the production of aerosols and aerosol precursors by a modern commercial aircraft, the Langley B757, during ground-based operation. Remaining uncertainty in the postcombustion fate of jet fuel sulfur contaminants, the need for data to test new theories of particle formation and growth within engine exhaust plumes, and the need for observations to develop air quality models for predicting pollution levels in airport terminal areas were the primary factors motivating the experiment. NASA's Atmospheric Effects of Aviation Project (AEAP) and the Ultra Effect Engine Technology (UEET) Program sponsored the experiment which had the specific objectives of determining ion densities; the fraction of fuel S converted from S(IV) to S(VI); the concentration and speciation of volatile aerosols and black carbon; and gas-phase concentrations of long-chain hydrocarbon and PAH species, all as functions of engine power, fuel composition, and plume age.

Anderson, B. E.↗

Analytical Failure Prediction Method Developed for Woven and Braided Composites

Historically, advances in aerospace engine performance and durability have been linked to improvements in materials. Recent developments in ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) have led to increased interest in CMCs to achieve revolutionary gains in engine performance. The use of CMCs promises many advantages for advanced turbomachinery engine development and may be especially beneficial for aerospace engines. The most beneficial aspects of CMC material may be its ability to maintain its strength to over 2500 F, its internal material damping, and its relatively low density. Ceramic matrix composites reinforced with two-dimensional woven and braided fabric preforms are being considered for NASA s next-generation reusable rocket turbomachinery applications (for example, see the preceding figure). However, the architecture of a textile composite is complex, and therefore, the parameters controlling its strength properties are numerous. This necessitates the development of engineering approaches that combine analytical methods with limited testing to provide effective, validated design analyses for the textile composite structures development.

Min, James B.↗

Low-Velocity Impact Response of Sandwich Beams with Functionally Graded Core

The problem of low-speed impact of a one-dimensional sandwich panel by a rigid cylindrical projectile is considered. The core of the sandwich panel is functionally graded such that the density, and hence its stiffness, vary through the thickness. The problem is a combination of static contact problem and dynamic response of the sandwich panel obtained via a simple nonlinear spring-mass model (quasi-static approximation). The variation of core Young's modulus is represented by a polynomial in the thickness coordinate, but the Poisson's ratio is kept constant. The two-dimensional elasticity equations for the plane sandwich structure are solved using a combination of Fourier series and Galerkin method. The contact problem is solved using the assumed contact stress distribution method. For the impact problem we used a simple dynamic model based on quasi-static behavior of the panel - the sandwich beam was modeled as a combination of two springs, a linear spring to account for the global deflection and a nonlinear spring to represent the local indentation effects. Results indicate that the contact stiffness of thc beam with graded core Increases causing the contact stresses and other stress components in the vicinity of contact to increase. However, the values of maximum strains corresponding to the maximum impact load arc reduced considerably due to grading of thc core properties. For a better comparison, the thickness of the functionally graded cores was chosen such that the flexural stiffness was equal to that of a beam with homogeneous core. The results indicate that functionally graded cores can be used effectively to mitigate or completely prevent impact damage in sandwich composites.

Apetre, N. A.↗

Advanced Composite Structures At NASA Langley Research Center

Dr. Eldred's presentation will discuss several NASA efforts to improve and expand the use of composite structures within aerospace vehicles. Topics will include an overview of NASA's Advanced Composites Project (ACP), Space Launch System (SLS) applications, and Langley's ISAAC robotic composites research tool.

Eldred, Lloyd B.↗

Building on the Cornerstone: Destinations for Nearside Sample Return

Discoveries from LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) have transformed our knowledge of the Moon, but LRO's instruments were originally designed to collect the measurements required to enable future lunar surface exploration. Compelling science questions and critical resources make the Moon a key destination for future human and robotic exploration. Lunar surface exploration, including rovers and other landed missions, must be part of a balanced planetary science and exploration portfolio. Among the highest planetary exploration priorities is the collection of new samples and their return to Earth for more comprehensive analysis than can be done in-situ. The Moon is the closest and most accessible location to address key science questions through targeted sample return. The Moon is the only other planet from which we have contextualized samples, yet critical issues need to be addressed: we lack important details of the Moon's early and recent geologic history, the full compositional and age ranges of its crust, and its bulk composition.

Lawrence, S. J.↗

Post-Landing Major Element Quantification Using SuperCam Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

The SuperCam instrument on the PerseveranceMars 2020 rover uses a pulsed 1064 nm laser to ablate targets at a distance and conduct laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) by analyzing the light from the resulting plasma. SuperCam LIBS spectra are preprocessed to remove ambient light, noise, and the continuum signal present in LIBS observations. Prior to quantification, spectra are masked to remove noisier spectrometer regions andspectra are normalized to minimize signal fluctuations and effectsof target distance.In some cases, the spectra are also standardized or binned prior to quantification. To determine quantitative elemental compositionsof diverse geologic materials at Jezero crater, Mars, we use a suite of 1198 laboratory spectra of 334 well-characterized reference samples. The samples were selected to span a wide range of compositions and include typical silicate rocks, pure minerals (e.g.,silicates, sulfates, carbonates, oxides),more unusual compositions (e.g.,Mn oreand sodalite), andreplicates of the sintered SuperCam calibration targets (SCCTs) onboardthe rover. For each major element (SiO2, TiO2, Al2O3, FeOT, MgO, CaO, Na2O, K2O), the database was subdivided into five“folds” with similar distributions of the element of interest. One fold was held out as an independent test set, and the remaining fourfolds were used to optimize multivariate regression models relating the spectrum to the composition. We considered a variety of models, and selected several for further investigation for each element, based primarily on the root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP) on the test set, when analyzed at 3m. In cases with several models of comparable performance at 3 m, we incorporated the SCCT performance at different distances to choose the preferred model. Shortly after landing on Mars and collecting initial spectra of geologic targets, we selected one model per element. Subsequently, with additional data from geologic targets, some models were revised to ensure results that are more consistent with geochemical constraints. The calibration discussed here is a snapshot of an ongoing effort to deliver the most accurate chemical compositions with SuperCam LIBS.

Mars 2020↗

The Effects of Experimentally Induced Zircon Annealing on Melt Inclusion-Zircon Geochemistry: A Case Study of Archean Zircon From the Barberton Complex

Crystalline melt inclusions (MIs) in Archean zircons can potentially constrain the evolution of magmatic processes. However, to obtain a homogeneous glassy MI representative of the parent melt, devitrified MIs must be heated at temperatures above the liquidus. Although, it is well known that radiation damaged domains in MI-host zircon undergo temperature-time dependent annealing, the effects of annealing on zircon stable isotope and trace element compositions has received less attention. In this study, we heated multiple aliquots of low-magnetism zircons with relatively low levels of radiation damage (Deff<9.6x1014 α-events/mg) from a 3.304 Ga tonalite gneiss xenolith from the Barberton greenstone belt (sample B87-18; Kamo and Davis, 1994) in an internally-heated pressure vessel at 0.4GPa and 1000–1200°C. Zircons were imaged by SEM (CL, BSE) to determine the zoning patterns around the MIs. The radiation damage preserved in the heated and unheated zircons was determined by measuring broadening of the 3(SiO4) Raman stretching band of zircon (FWHM). Oxygen isotope ratios (δ18O), OH/O ratios, and trace and rare earth element (TREE) concentrations were measured in the zircons and MIs using SIMS. The FWHM and Raman shift of the zircon 3(SiO4) band show a systematic increase of zircon crystallinity with increasing experimental temperature. Despite increasing crystallinity, the 3(SiO4) FWHM is not correlated with δ18O(Zrn) values in the heated or unheated zircons, suggesting that δ18O was not altered by laboratory heating in these low initial radiation damage zircons. FWHM and OH/O are positively correlated in both heated and unheated zircons. The unheated zircons have the largest FWHM and OH/O (OH/OMAX=3.5×10-4) suggesting that H2O was lost during experimental heating due to the progressive annealing of radiation-damaged domains in the zircons. Zircon TREE concentrations and FWHM values are not correlated despite the presence of TREE altered domains in both the heated and unheated zircons. Our results demonstrate that pre-experimental zircon TREE concentrations and δ18O(Zrn) remain intact during laboratory heating of crystalline MIs in zircon, while secondary H2O hosted in radiation damaged domains is partially lost. Thus, MIs in low initial radiation damage Archean zircon are a potentially viable tool for constraining melt compositions.

Joseph P. Gonzalez↗

The isotopic composition of low energy cosmic rays

High-resolution isotope measurements are reported of B, C, N, O, and Ne nuclei with 5-140 MeV/n. These observations extend the study of cosmic ray isotopes to lower energies than before, and provide new information on the isotopic composition of the anomalous cosmic ray component.

Mewaldt, R. A.↗

NICER Uncovers the Transient Nature of the Type-B Quasi-periodic Oscillation in the Black Hole Candidate MAXI J1348−63

We present a systematic spectral-timing analysis of a fast appearance/disappearance of a type-B quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO),observed in four Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer(NICER) observations of MAXI J1348−630. By comparing the spectra of the period with and without the type-B QPO, we found that the main difference appears at energy bands above∼2keV,suggesting that the QPO emission is dominated by the hard Comptonized component. During the transition, a change in the relative contribution of the disc and Comptonized emission was observed. The disc flux decreased while the Comptonized flux increased from non-QPO to type-B QPO. However, the total flux did not change too much in the NICER band. Our results reveal that the type-B QPO is associated with a redistribution of accretion power between the disc and Comptonized emission. When the type-B QPO appears, more accretion power is dissipated into the Comptonized region than in the disc. Our spectral fits give a hint that the increased Comptonized emission may come from an additional component that is related to the base of the jet.

L Zhang↗

Thermomechanical Performance of C and SiC Multilayer, Fiber-Reinforced, CVI SiC Matrix Composites

Hybrid fiber approaches have been attempted in the past to alloy desirable properties of different fiber-types for mechanical properties, thermal stress management, and oxidation resistance. Such an approach has potential for the CrSiC and SiCrSiC composite systems. SiC matrix composites with different stacking sequences of woven C fiber (T300) layers and woven Sic fiber (Hi-NicalonTM) layers were fabricated using the standard CVI process. Delamination occurred to some extent due to thermal mismatch for all of the composites. However, for the composites with a more uniform stacking sequence, minimal delamination occurred, enabling tensile properties to be determined at room temperature and elevated temperatures (stress-rupture in air). Composites were seal-coated with a CVI SiC layer as well as a proprietary C-B-Si (CBS) layer. Definite improvement in rupture behavior was observed in air for composites with increasing SiC fiber content and a CBS layer. The results will be compared to standard C fiber reinforced CVI SiC matrix and Hi-Nicalon reinforced CVI SiC matrix composites.

Morscher, Gregory N.↗

Carbon and Nitrogen Abundance, Distribution, and Isotopic Composition in Samples of Asteroid (101955) Bennu

Material from the B-type carbonaceous asteroid (101955) Bennu was returned on September 24, 2023, by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission. The mission brought back the largest sample of pristine primordial asteroidal material, largely free from the challenges of terrestrial contamination that are common in meteorite studies. The Bennu sample thus provides a unique source of material to investigate the abundance and isotopic signatures of C and N. The specific hypotheses tested by these analyses are whether Bennu contains macromolecular material and/or presolar grains similar to the populations found in CI and CM chondrites and recently returned samples from Ryugu.

M. M. Grady↗

Simulation of L-band and HH microwave backscattering from coniferous forest stands - A comparison with SIR-B data

SIR-B images of the Mt. Shasta region of northern California are used to evaluate a composite L-band HH backscattering model of coniferous forest stands. It is found that both SIR-B and simulated backscattering coefficients for eight stands studied have similar trends and relations to average tree height and average number of trees per pixel. Also, the dispersion and distribution of simulated backscattering coefficients from each stand broadly match SIR-B data from the same stand. Although the limited quality and quantity of experimental data makes it difficult to draw any strong conclusions, the comparisons indicate that a stand-based L-band HH composite model seems promising for explaining backscattering features.

Sun, Guo-Qing↗

Method of Estimating Continuous Cooling Transformation Curves of Glasses

A method is proposed for estimating the critical cooling rate and continuous cooling transformation (CCT) curve from isothermal TTT data of glasses. The critical cooling rates and CCT curves for a group of lithium disilicate glasses containing different amounts of Pt as nucleating agent estimated through this method are compared with the experimentally measured values. By analysis of the experimental and calculated data of the lithium disilicate glasses, a simple relationship between the crystallized amount in the glasses during continuous cooling, X, and the temperature of undercooling, (Delta)T, was found to be X = AR(sup-4)exp(B (Delta)T), where (Delta)T is the temperature difference between the theoretical melting point of the glass composition and the temperature in discussion, R is the cooling rate, and A and B are constants. The relation between the amount of crystallisation during continuous cooling and isothermal hold can be expressed as (X(sub cT)/X(sub iT) = (4/B)(sup 4) (Delta)T(sup -4), where X(sub cT) stands for the crystallised amount in a glass during continuous cooling for a time t when the temperature comes to T, and X(sub iT) is the crystallised amount during isothermal hold at temperature T for a time t.

Zhu, Dongmei↗

Evaluation of RTM370 Polyimide Composites by Resin Film Infusion (RFI)

RTM370 imide oligomer based on 2,3,3',4'-biphenyl dianhydride (a-BPDA), 3,4'-oxydianiline (3,4'-ODA) and terminated with the 4-phenylethynylphthalic (PEPA) endcap has been shown to exhibit a low melt viscosity (10-30 poise) at 280 C with a pot-life of 1-2 h and a high cured glass-transition temperature (Tg) of 370 C. RTM370 resin has been successfully infused into fiberglass-stitched T650-35 carbon-fabric preforms (ranged from 3- to 6-mm thick) by resin film infusion (RFI). The resulting composite panels were inspected by ultrasonic C-scan and by photomicrographs before and after post-curing as a quality control. Mechanical tests such as unnotched compression (UNC), open-hole compression (OHC), and short-beam shear strength (SBS) at ambient and elevated temperatures were performed before and after isothermal aging at 288 C for 1000 h to assess high-temperature performance. Thermal cycling of RTM370 stitched composites was also conducted from -54 C to 288 C for up to 1600 cycles to evaluate the microcrack resistance of RTM370 polyimide composites fabricated by RFI.

Polyimide↗