Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “circular data”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1981

The amazing X-ray light curve of 2A 0311-227

The X-ray light curve of the AM Herculis-type binary 2A 0311-227 is presented. A smooth modulation of the X-ray flux at the orbital period is obtained, along with an eclipse feature that is total for 0.1-0.8 keV photons yet not visible for photons above about 3 keV. This strong and smooth dependence on energy suggests an origin in the obscuration of the X-ray emitting region by a column of accreting gas. Furthermore, very strong quasi-periodic pulsations with a period of about 6 min are found in the soft X-ray light curve. This periodicity is also present in the optical and hard X-ray light curves, and in the circular polarization data. It seems likely that the periodicity arises from a modulation of the mass accretion rate onto the white dwarf, and possible that it originates in pulsations of a disk-magnetosphere boundary.

Patterson, J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Supersonic full-potential methods for missile body analysis

Accounts are presented of representative applications to missile bodies of arbitrary shape of methods based on the steady form of the full potential equation. The NCOREL and SIMP full-potential codes are compared, and their results are evaluated for the cases of an arrow wing and a wing-body configuration. Attention is given to the effect of cross-sectional and longitudinal geometries. Comparisons of surface pressure and longitudinal force and moment data for circular and elliptic bodies have shown that the full-potential methods yielded excellent results in attached-flow conditions. Results are presented for a conical star body, waveriders, the Shuttle Orbiter, and a highly swept wing-body cruising at Mach 4.

Pittman, James L.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Corrections of Heat Flux Measurements on Launch Vehicles

Knowledge of aerothermally induced convective heat transfer is important in the design of thermal protection systems for launch vehicles. Aerothermal models are typically calibrated via the data from circular, in-flight, flush-mounted surface heat flux gauges exposed to the thermal and velocity boundary layers of the external flow. Typically, copper or aluminum Schmidt- Boelter gauges, which take advantage of the one-dimensional Fourier's law of heat conduction, are used to measure the incident heat flux. This instrumentation, when surrounded by low-conductivity insulation, has a wall temperature significantly lower than the insulation. As a result of this substantial disturbance to the thermal boundary layer, the heat flux incident on the gauge tends to be considerably higher than it would have been on the insulation had the calorimeter not been there. In addition, radial conductive heat transfer from the hotter insulation can cause the calorimeter to indicate heat fluxes higher than actual. An overview of an effort to develop and calibrate gauge correction techniques for both of these effects will be presented.

Reinarts, Thomas R.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Characterization of Truncated Tumor-Associated NADH Oxidase (ttNOX)

Bacterial, plant and animal cells possess novel surface proteins that exhibit both NADH oxidation (NOX) or hydroquinone and protein disulfide-thiol interchange. These enzymatic activities alternate to yield oscillating patterns wjth period lengths of approximately 24 minutes. The catalytic period of NOX proteins are temperature compensated and gravity responsive. We report the cloning, expression and characterization of truncated tumor-associated NADH oxidase (ttNOX), in which the membrane spanning region has been deleted. The cDNA (originated from HeLa cells) was cloned into pET-34b and pET-14b (Novagen) vectors for E. coli expression. Optimized expression and purification protocols yielded greater than 300mg per liter of culture with greater than 95% purity. Circular dichroism data was collected from a 2.7mg/ml solution in a 0.1mm cuvette with variable scanning using an Olis RSM CD spectrophotometer. The ellipticity values were scanned from 190 to 260nm. The spectra recorded have characteristics for alpha proteins with band maxima at 216nm and a possible shoulder at 212nm at 12OC and 250 C. Protein crystal screens are in progress and, to date, only small crystals have been observed. The regular periodic oscillatory change in the ttNOX protein is indicative of a possible time-keeping functional role. A single protein possessing alternating catalytic activities, with a potential biological clock function, is unprecedented and structural determination is paramount to understanding this role.

Karr, Laurel J.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Analysis of Sample Acquisition Dynamics Using Discrete Element Method

The analysis presented in this paper is conducted in the framework of the Ocean Worlds Autonomy Testbed for Exploration Research and Simulation (OceanWATERS) project, currently under development at NASA Ames Research Center. OceanWATERS aims at designing a simulation environment which allows for testing autonomy of scientific lander missions to the icy moons of our solar system. Mainly focused on reproducing the end effector interaction with the inherent terrain, this paper introduces a novel discrete element method (DEM)-based approach to determine forces and torques acting on the lander’s scoop during the sample acquisition process. An accurate force feedback from the terrain on the scoop is required by fault-detection and autonomous decision-making algorithms to identify when the requested torque on the robotic arm’s joints exceeds the maximum available torque. Knowledge of the terrain force feedback significantly helps evaluating the arm’s links structural properties and properly selecting actuators for the joints. Models available in literature constitute a partial representation of the dynamics of the interaction. As an example, Balovnev derived an analytical expression of the vertical and horizontal force acting on a bucket while collecting a sample as a function of its geometry and velocity, soil parameters and reached depth. Although the model represents an adequate approximation of the two force components, it ignores the direction orthogonal to the scoop motion and neglects the torque. This work relies on DEM analysis to compensate for analytical models’ deficiencies and inaccuracies, i. e. provide force and torque 3D vectors, defined in the moving reference (body) frame attached to the scoop, at each instant of the sample collection process. Results from the first presented analysis relate to the specific OceanWATERS sampling strategy, which consists of collecting the sample through five consecutive passes with increasing depth, each pass following the same circularlinear- circular trajectory. Data is collected given a specific scoop design interacting with two types of bulk materials, which may characterize the surface of icy planetary bodies: snow and ice. Although specifically concerned with the OceanWATERS design, this first analysis provides the expected force trends for similar sampling strategies and allows to deduce phenomenological information about the general scooping process. In order to further instruct the community on the use of DEM tools as a solution to the sampling collection problem, two more analyses have been carried out, mainly focused on reducing the DEM computation time, which increases with a decrease in particle size. After running a set of identical simulations, where the only changing parameter is the size of the spherical particle, it is observed that the resulting force trajectories, starting from a given particle size, converge to the true trend. It is deducible that a further decrease in size yields negligible improvements in the accuracy, while it sensibly increases computation time. A final analysis aims at discussing limitations of approximating bulk material particles having a complex shape, e. g. ice fragments, with spheres, by comparing force trends resulting in the two cases for the same simulation scenario.

Catanoso, Damiana↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Geologic Maps for Civil Engineering and Infrastructure Planning

The Artemis Program mandate for sustainable, long-term presence on the Moon requires learning to "Live Off the Land". Geologic maps enable a paradigm shift to model the development and scaling of infrastructure for robotic and human exploration inside a bounded system on the lunar surface. Relying on geologic maps produced from orbital data and robotic precursor missions, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) will be required to produce infrastructure, building materials and consumables. The ISRU value chain must be mapped to identify linkages of resources, producers, processes and equipment capabilities for transforming excavated regolith into usable feedstocks. Coordination will be required to balance supply and demand across the whole system of lunar infrastructure and operations, at each stage of development.

Geologic Mapping↗
NASA NTRS1991

Linear and circular digital spectral analysis of serial data

Two methods of digital spectral analysis of unevenly sampled data are developed and illustrated here. One method uses a linear function of time (or space), the other uses circular functions. The circular method turns out to be essentially equivalent to a least-squares sine-wave analysis. The linear, anharmonic method uses only the field of real numbers and elementary algebraic operations, and hence it can be made computationally very fast and accurate. Both methods are very general, properly handling all kinds of time series ranging from simple series consisting only of the times of events to complicated series consisting of pulses with long duty cycles. The two methods are here applied to the analysis of annual mean relative sunspot numbers.

Stothers, Richard B.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Diurnal, seasonal, and nighttime variations of atomic nitrogen in the equatorial thermosphere

The open source neutral mass spectrometer on board the equatorial Atmosphere Explorer E satellite (AE-E) measured atomic nitrogen densities at frequent intervals during both the elliptical and circular orbit phases of satellite operations. Elliptical orbit data presented here by means of empirical models at 225- and 300-km altitude provide diurnal and seasonal profiles at altitudes lower than previously possible. Data from individual circular orbits later in the AE-E mission confirm essential features of these models, particularly the diurnal density profile. At lower altitudes, considerable variation is evident near midnight, with density enhancements correlated with increasing levels of geomagnetic activity.

Engebretson, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

NASA dilution jet mixing, phase 3

Many of the gas turbine combustors in operation use multiple rows of dilution jets, and some have geometries that are different from circular holes. The data base available in literature is generally applicable to a single row of circular holes. Tests were performed with uniform mainstream conditions for several orifice plate configurations. Temperature and pressure measurements were made in the test section at 4 axial and 11 transverse stations. These measurements were made with a 60-element rake probe. Test results for some of these cases are discussed.

Srinivasan, R.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Prediction of rotating-blade vortex noise from noise of nonrotating blades

Measurements were conducted in an acoustic wind tunnel to determine vortex noise of nonrotating circular cylinders and NACA 0012 airfoils. Both constant-width and spanwise tapered models were tested at a low turbulence level. The constant-diameter cylinder and constant-chord airfoil also were tested in the turbulent wake generated by an upstream cylinder or airfoil. Vortex noise radiation from nonrotating circular cylinders at Reynolds numbers matching those of the rotating-blade tests were found to be strongly dependent on surface conditions and Reynolds number. Vortex noise of rotating circular cylinder blades, operating with and without the shed wake blown downstream, could be predicted using data for nonrotating circular cylinders as functions of Reynolds number. Vortex noise of nonrotating airfoils was found to be trailing-edge noise at a time frequence equal to that predicted for maximum-amplitude Tollmein-Schlichting instability waves at the trailing edge.

Fink, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Geologic analysis and evaluation of ERTS-A imagery for the State of New Mexico

The author has identified the following significant results. Many circular to elliptical features have been identified on the ERTS-1 images, only some of which can be accounted for by existing data. A small number of circular features are adjacent to existing ore deposits, but such relationships should not be emphasized unless other supporting data exists. Circular features may be tectonically or geomorphically controlled, or a combination of the two. A limited number are man-made. A preliminary listing of features which may have circular expression are listed. Photographic examples of identified and unidentified circular features will be included in the final report along with a thorough discussion and analysis. Comparisons will be made with existing gravity and magnetic data.

Kottlowski, F. E.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Data Images and Other Graphical Displays for Directional Data

Vectors, axes, and periodic phenomena have direction. Directional variation can be expressed as points on a unit circle and is the subject of circular statistics, a relatively new application of statistics. An overview of existing methods for the display of directional data is given. The data image for linear variables is reviewed, then extended to directional variables by displaying direction using a color scale composed of a sequence of four or more color gradients with continuity between sequences and ordered intuitively in a color wheel such that the color of the 0deg angle is the same as the color of the 360deg angle. Cross over, which arose in automating the summarization of historical wind data, and color discontinuity resulting from the use a single color gradient in computational fluid dynamics visualization are eliminated. The new method provides for simultaneous resolution of detail on a small scale and overall structure on a large scale. Example circular data images are given of a global view of average wind direction of El Nino periods, computed rocket motor internal combustion flow, a global view of direction of the horizontal component of earth's main magnetic field on 9/15/2004, and Space Shuttle solid rocket motor nozzle vectoring.

Morphet, Bill↗