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At least 37 records · Page 2

Hydrodynamics of rotating stars and close binary interactions: Compressible ellipsoid models

We develop a new formalism to study the dynamics of fluid polytropes in three dimensions. The stars are modeled as compressible ellipsoids, and the hydrodynamic equations are reduced to a set of ordinary differential equations for the evolution of the principal axes and other global quantities. Both viscous dissipation and the gravitational radiation reaction are incorporated. We establish the validity of our approximations and demonstrate the simplicity and power of the method by rederiving a number of known results concerning the stability and dynamical oscillations of rapidly rotating polytropes. In particular, we present a generalization to compressible fluids of Chandrasekhar's classical results for the secular and dynamical instabilities of incompressible Maclaurin spheroids. We also present several applications of our method to astrophysical problems of great current interest, such as the tidal disruption of a star by a massive black hole, the coalescence of compact binaries driven by the emission of gravitational waves, and the development of instabilities in close binary systems.

Lai, Dong↗

Thrust Augmentation with Mixer/Ejector Systems

Older commercial aircraft often exceed FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) sideline noise regulations. The major problem is the jet noise associated with the high exhaust velocities of the low bypass ratio engines on such aircraft. Mixer/ejector exhaust systems can provide a simple means of reducing the jet noise on these aircraft by mixing cool ambient air with the high velocity engine gases before they are exhausted to ambient. This paper presents new information on thrust performance predictions, and thrust augmentation capabilities of mixer/ejectors. Results are presented from the recent development program of the patented Alternating Lobe Mixer Ejector Concept (ALMEC) suppressor system for the Gulfstream GII, GIIB and GIII aircraft. Mixer/ejector performance procedures are presented which include classical control volume analyses, compound compressible flow theory, lobed nozzle loss correlations and state of the art computational fluid dynamic predictions. The mixer/ejector thrust predictions are compared to subscale wind tunnel test model data and actual aircraft flight test measurements. The results demonstrate that a properly designed mixer/ejector noise suppressor can increase effective engine bypass ratio and generate large thrust gains at takeoff conditions with little or no thrust loss at cruise conditions. The cruise performance obtained for such noise suppressor systems is shown to be a strong function of installation effects on the aircraft.

Presz, Walter M., Jr.↗

Hydrodynamic effects in the atmosphere of variable stars

Numerical models of variable stars are established, using a nonlinear radiative transfer coupled hydrodynamics code. The variable Eddington method of radiative transfer is used. Comparisons are for models of W Virginis, beta Doradus, and eta Aquilae. From these models it appears that shocks are formed in the atmospheres of classical Cepheids as well as W Virginis stars. In classical Cepheids, with periods from 7 to 10 days, the bumps occurring in the light and velocity curves appear as the result of a compression wave that reflects from the star's center. At the head of the outward going compression wave, shocks form in the atmosphere. Comparisons between the hydrodynamic motions in W Virginis and classical Cepheids are made. The strong shocks in W Virginis do not penetrate into the interior as do the compression waves formed in classical Cepheids. The shocks formed in W Virginis stars cause emission lines, while in classical Cepheids the shocks are weaker.

Davis, C. G., Jr.↗

Postbuckling of long thick plates in compression including higher order transverse shearing effects

Aluminum plates of various length/width ratios loaded in compression are examined analytically in terms of buckling and postbuckling for comparison with classical theory. The plates are considered to be subjected to longitudinal compressive displacement with no edge stress and are assumed to be simply supported at the side edges. The average longitudinal direct stresses are computed to plot characteristic curves by means of the following theories: 3D flexibility, higher-order shear deformation, first-order shear deformation, and classical von Karman. The 3D flexibility approach yields the lowest results with more unknowns than the higher-order shear-deformation method. The 3D flexibility approach is considered to be the most accurate, and it is shown that the calculated resultants and displacements tend to vary when consideration is given to the effects of transverse shear.

Stein, Manuel↗

Vortex modeling for rotor aerodynamics - The 1991 Alexander A. Nikolsky Lecture

The efforts toward realistic vortex modeling for rotary wings which began under the guidance of professor A. A. Nikolsky of Princeton University in 1955-1956 are discussed. Attention is given to Nikolsky's flow-visualization studies and major theoretical considerations for vortex modeling. More recent efforts by other researchers have led to models of increasing complexity. The neglect of compressibility and viscous effects in the classical approach is noted to be a major limiting factor in full-scale rotor applications of the classical vortex theory; it has nevertheless been valuable for the delineation of problem areas and the guiding of both experimental and theoretical investigations.

Gray, Robin B.↗

Polarization and Compressibility of Oblique Kinetic Alfven Waves

Even though solar wind, as a collisionless plasma, is properly described by the kineticMaxwell-Vlasov description, it can be argued that much of our understanding of solar wind observational data comes from an interpretation and numerical modeling which is based on a fluid description of magnetohydrodynamics. In recent years, there has been a significant interest in better understanding the importance of kinetic effects, i.e. the differences between the kinetic and usual fluid descriptions. Here we concentrate on physical properties of oblique kinetic Alfvn waves (KAWs), which are often recognized as one of the key ingredients in the solar wind turbulence cascade. We use three different fluid models with various degrees of complexity and calculate polarization and magnetic compressibility of oblique KAWs (propagation angle q = 88), which we compare to solutions derived from linear kinetic theory. We explore a wide range of possible proton plasma b = [0.1,10.0] and a wide range of length scales krL = [0.001,10.0]. It is shown that the classical isotropic two-fluid model is very compressible in comparison with kinetic theory and that the largest discrepancy occurs at scales larger than the proton gyroscale. We also show that the two-fluid model contains a large error in the polarization of electric field, even at scales krL 1. Furthermore, to understand these discrepancies between the two-fluid model and the kinetic theory, we employ two versions of the Landau fluid model that incorporate linear low-frequency kinetic effects such as Landau damping and finite Larmor radius (FLR) corrections into the fluid description. It is shown that Landau damping significantly reduces the magnetic compressibility and that FLR corrections (i.e. nongyrotropic contributions) are required to correctly capture the polarization.We also show that, in addition to Landau damping, FLR corrections are necessary to accurately describe the damping rate of KAWs. We conclude that kinetic effects are important even at scales which are significantly larger than the proton gyroscale krL 1.

Turbulence↗

Approaches for Tensile Testing of Braided Composites

For angleply composites, lamina tension and compression strengths are commonly determined by applying classical lamination theory to test data obtained from testing of angleply composite specimens. For textile composites such as 2D triaxial braids, analysis is more complex and standard test methods do not always yield reliable strength measurements. This paper describes recent research focused on development of more reliable tensile test methods for braided composites and presents preliminary data for various approaches. The materials investigated in this work have 0deg+/-60 2D triaxial braid architecture with nearly equal fiber volume fraction in each of the three fiber directions. Flat composite panels are fabricated by resin transfer molding (RTM) using six layers of the braided preform aligned along the 0deg fiber direction. Various epoxy resins are used as matrix materials. Single layer panels are also fabricated in order to examine local variations in deformation related to the braid architecture. Specimens are cut from these panels in the shape of standard straight-sided coupons, an alternative bowtie geometry, and an alternative notched geometry. Axial tensile properties are measured using specimens loaded along the 0deg fiber direction. Transverse tensile properties are measured using specimens loaded perpendicular to the 0deg fibers. Composite tubes are also fabricated by RTM. These tubes are tested by internal pressurization using a soft rubbery material sealed between the inside diameter of the tube and the load fixtures. The ends of the tube are unconstrained, so the primary load is in the hoop direction. Tubes are fabricated with the 0deg fibers aligned along the tube axis by overbraiding the preform on a mandrel. Since the loading is in the hoop direction, testing of the overbraided tube provides a measure of transverse tensile strength. Previous work has indicated that straight-sided coupons yield a transverse tensile strength that is much lower than the expected material strength because of premature edge-initiated failure. Full-field strain measured during transverse tensile tests clearly showed accumulation of edge damage prior to failure. In the current work, high speed video and testing of single layer specimens are used to investigate potential failure mechanisms in more detail. High speed video clearly shows the edge initiation in six layer transverse tensile test coupons. Specimens with the bowtie geometry and the notched geometry minimize this edge effect and yield significantly higher transverse tensile strength values compared to the straight-sided coupons. However, bowtie and notched specimens geometries are not ideal because of the non-uniform stress and strain fields in the region of failure. Testing of tubes using internal pressurization eliminates edge-initiated failure and provides a more uniform state of stress and strain. Preliminary results indicate that bowtie, notched, and tube specimens yield comparable values for transverse tensile strength and that these values are much higher than the strength measured using a straight-sided coupon.

Roberts, Gary D.↗

Subsonic and Supersonic Effects in Bose-Einstein Condensate

A paper presents a theoretical investigation of subsonic and supersonic effects in a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). The BEC is represented by a time-dependent, nonlinear Schroedinger equation that includes terms for an external confining potential term and a weak interatomic repulsive potential proportional to the number density of atoms. From this model are derived Madelung equations, which relate the quantum phase with the number density, and which are used to represent excitations propagating through the BEC. These equations are shown to be analogous to the classical equations of flow of an inviscid, compressible fluid characterized by a speed of sound (g/Po)1/2, where g is the coefficient of the repulsive potential and Po is the unperturbed mass density of the BEC. The equations are used to study the effects of a region of perturbation moving through the BEC. The excitations created by a perturbation moving at subsonic speed are found to be described by a Laplace equation and to propagate at infinite speed. For a supersonically moving perturbation, the excitations are found to be described by a wave equation and to propagate at finite speed inside a Mach cone.

Zak, Michail↗

Ellipsoidal figures of equilibrium - Compressible models

The results of Chandrasekhar (1969) are generalized to polytropes, using a formalism based on ellipsoidal energy variational principle to construct approximate stellar equilibrium solutions and study their stability. After reviewing the energy variational method and describing the approach, several equivalent stability conditions are established and secular vs. dynamical instabilities are discussed. Then, the equilibrium structure equations are derived for isolated, rotating polytropes, and axisymmetric configurations (compressible Maclaurin spheroids) are considered. Particular attention is given to triaxial configurations, either in a state of uniform rotation (generalizing the classical Jacobi ellipsoids) or with internal fluid motions of uniform vorticity (the compressible analogues of Riemann-S ellipsoids) and to the stability of these single star configurations. The compressible generalizations of the Roche and Roche-Riemann problems for a polytrope in orbit about a point-mass companion are solved, and the generalized Darwin problem for two identical polytropes in a binary is considered.

Lai, Dong↗

Sound Emission of Rotor Induced Deformations of Generator Casings

The casing of large electrical generators can be deformed slightly by the rotor's magnetic field. The sound emission produced by these periodic deformations, which could possibly exceed guaranteed noise emission limits, is analysed analytically and numerically. From the deformation of the casing, the normal velocity of the generator's surface is computed. Taking into account the corresponding symmetry, an analytical solution for the acoustic pressure outside the generator is round in terms of the Hankel function of second order. The normal velocity or the generator surface provides the required boundary condition for the acoustic pressure and determines the magnitude of pressure oscillations. For the numerical simulation, the nonlinear 2D Euler equations are formulated In a perturbation form for low Mach number Computational Aeroacoustics (CAA). The spatial derivatives are discretized by the classical sixth-order central interior scheme and a third-order boundary scheme. Spurious high frequency oscillations are damped by a characteristic-based artificial compression method (ACM) filter. The time derivatives are approximated by the classical 4th-order Runge-Kutta method. The numerical results are In excellent agreement with the analytical solution.

Polifke, W.↗

A Preconditioning Method for Shape Optimization Governed by the Euler Equations

We consider a classical aerodynamic shape optimization problem subject to the compressible Euler flow equations. The gradient of the cost functional with respect to the shape variables is derived with the adjoint method at the continuous level. The Hessian (second order derivative of the cost functional with respect to the shape variables) is approximated also at the continuous level, as first introduced by Arian and Ta'asan (1996). The approximation of the Hessian is used to approximate the Newton step which is essential to accelerate the numerical solution of the optimization problem. The design space is discretized in the maximum dimension, i.e., the location of each point on the intersection of the computational mesh with the airfoil is taken to be an independent design variable. We give numerical examples for 86 design variables in two different flow speeds and achieve an order of magnitude reduction in the cost functional at a computational effort of a full solution of the analysis partial differential equation (PDE).

Arian, Eyal↗

Buckling analysis for axially compressed flat plates, structural sections, and stiffened plates reinforced with laminated composites

A classical buckling analysis is developed for stiffened, flat plates composed of a series of linked plate and beam elements. Plates are idealized as multilayered orthotropic elements. Structural beads and lips are idealized as beams. The loaded edges of the stiffened plate are simply-supported and the conditions at the unloaded edges can be prescribed arbitrarily. The plate and beam elements are matched along their common junctions for displacement continuity and force equilibrium in an exact manner. Offsets between elements are considered in the analysis. Buckling under uniaxial compressive load for plates, sections, and stiffened plates is investigated. Buckling loads are the lowest of all possible general and local failure modes, and the mode shape is used to determine whether buckling is a local or general instability. Numerical correlations with existing analysis and test data for plates, sections, and stiffened plates including boron-reinforced structures are discussed. In general correlations are reasonably good.

Viswanathan, A. V.↗

Compressible seal flow analysis using the finite element method with Galerkin solution technique

High pressure gas sealing involves not only balancing the viscous force with the pressure gradient force but also accounting for fluid inertia--especially for choked flow. The conventional finite element method which uses a Rayleigh-Ritz solution technique is not convenient for nonlinear problems. For these problems, a finite element method with a Galerkin solution technique (FEMGST) was formulated. One example, a three-dimensional axisymmetric flow formulation has nonlinearities due to compressibility, area expansion, and convective inertia. Solutions agree with classical results in the limiting cases. The development of the choked flow velocity profile is shown.

Zuk, J.↗

Hypersonic panel flutter in a rarefied atmosphere

Panel flutter is a form of dynamic aeroelastic instability resulting from the interaction between motion of an aircraft structural panel and the aerodynamic loads exerted on that panel by air flowing past one of the faces. It differs from lifting surface flutter in the sense that it is not usually catastrophic, the panel's motion being limited by nonlinear membrane stresses produced by the transverse displacement. Above some critical airflow condition, the linear instability grows to a limit cycle . The present investigation studies panel flutter in an aerodynamic regime known as 'free molecule flow', wherein intermolecular collisions can be neglected and loads are caused by interactions between individual molecules and the bounding surface. After collision with the panel, molecules may be reflected specularly or reemitted in diffuse fashion. Two parameters characterize this process: the 'momentum accommodation coefficient', which is the fraction of the specularly reflected molecules; and the ratio between the panel temperature and that of the free airstream. This model is relevant to the case of hypersonic flight vehicles traveling at very high altitudes and especially for panels oriented parallel to the airstream or in the vehicle's lee. Under these conditions the aerodynamic shear stress turns out to be considerably larger than the surface pressures, and shear effects must be included in the model. This is accomplished by means of distributed longitudinal and bending loads. The former can cause the panel to buckle. In the example of a simply-supported panel, it turns out that the second mode of free vibration tends to dominate the flutter solution, which is carried out by a Galerkin analysis. Several parametric studies are presented. They include the effects of (1) temperature ratio; (2) momentum accommodation coefficient; (3) spring parameters, which are associated with how the panel is connected to adjacent structures; (4) a parameter which relates compressive end load to its value which would cause classical column buckling; (5) a parameter proportional to the pressure differential between the front and back faces; and (6) initial curvature. The research is completed by an investigation into the possibility of accounting for molecular collisions, which proves to be infeasible given the speeds of current mainframe supercomputers.

Resende, Hugo B.↗

A Viscoplastic Constitutive Theory for Monolithic Ceramic Materials

With increasing use of ceramic materials in high temperature structural applications such as advanced heat engine components, the need arises to accurately predict thermomechanical behavior. This paper, which is the first of two in a series, will focus on inelastic deformation behavior associated with these service conditions by providing an overview of a viscoplastic constitutive model that accounts for time-dependent hereditary material deformation (e.g., creep, stress relaxation, etc.) in monolithic structural ceramics. Early work in the field of metal plasticity indicated that inelastic deformations are essentially unaffected by hydrostatic stress. This is not the case, however, for ceramic-based material systems, unless the ceramic is fully dense. The theory presented here allows for fully dense material behavior as a limiting case. In addition, ceramic materials exhibit different time-dependent behavior in tension and compression. Thus, inelastic deformation models for ceramics must be constructed in a fashion that admits both sensitivity to hydrostatic stress and differing behavior in tension and compression. A number of constitutive theories for materials that exhibit sensitivity to the hydrostatic component of stress have been proposed that characterize deformation using time-independent classical plasticity as a foundation. However, none of these theories allow different behavior in tension and compression. In addition, these theories are somewhat lacking in that they are unable to capture creep, relaxation, and rate-sensitive phenomena exhibited by ceramic materials at high temperature. When subjected to elevated service temperatures, ceramic materials exhibit complex thermomechanical behavior that is inherently time-dependent, and hereditary in the sense that current behavior depends not only on current conditions, but also on thermo-mechanical history. The objective of this work is to present the formulation of a macroscopic continuum theory that captures these time-dependent phenomena. Specifically, the overview contained in this paper focuses on the multiaxial derivation of the constitutive model, and examines the scalar threshold function and its attending geometrical implications.

Janosik, Lesley A.↗

Constitutive Theory Developed for Monolithic Ceramic Materials

With the increasing use of advanced ceramic materials in high-temperature structural applications such as advanced heat engine components, the need arises to accurately predict thermomechanical behavior that is inherently time-dependent and that is hereditary in the sense that the current behavior depends not only on current conditions but also on the material's thermomechanical history. Most current analytical life prediction methods for both subcritical crack growth and creep models use elastic stress fields to predict the time-dependent reliability response of components subjected to elevated service temperatures. Inelastic response at high temperatures has been well documented in the materials science literature for these material systems, but this issue has been ignored by the engineering design community. From a design engineer's perspective, it is imperative to emphasize that accurate predictions of time-dependent reliability demand accurate stress field information. Ceramic materials exhibit different time-dependent behavior in tension and compression. Thus, inelastic deformation models for ceramics must be constructed in a fashion that admits both sensitivity to hydrostatic stress and differing behavior in tension and compression. A number of constitutive theories for materials that exhibit sensitivity to the hydrostatic component of stress have been proposed that characterize deformation using time-independent classical plasticity as a foundation. However, none of these theories allow different behavior in tension and compression. In addition, these theories are somewhat lacking in that they are unable to capture the creep, relaxation, and rate-sensitive phenomena exhibited by ceramic materials at high temperatures. The objective of this effort at the NASA Lewis Research Center has been to formulate a macroscopic continuum theory that captures these time-dependent phenomena. Specifically, the effort has focused on inelastic deformation behavior associated with these service conditions by developing a multiaxial viscoplastic constitutive model that accounts for time-dependent hereditary material deformation (such as creep and stress relaxation) in monolithic structural ceramics. Using continuum principles of engineering mechanics, we derived the complete viscoplastic theory from a scalar dissipative potential function.

Janosik, Lesley A.↗

Remote driving with reduced bandwidth communication

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed a real-time video transmission system for low bandwidth remote operations. The system supports both continuous transmission of video for remote driving and progressive transmission of still images. Inherent in the system design is a spatiotemporal limitation to the effects of channel errors. The average data rate of the system is 64,000 bits/s, a compression of approximately 1000:1 for the black and white National Television Standard Code video. The image quality of the transmissions is maintained at a level that supports teleoperation of a high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle at speeds up to 15 mph on a moguled dirt track. Video compression is achieved by using Laplacian image pyramids and a combination of classical techniques. Certain subbands of the image pyramid are transmitted by using interframe differencing with a periodic refresh to aid in bandwidth reduction. Images are also foveated to concentrate image detail in a steerable region. The system supports dynamic video quality adjustments between frame rate, image detail, and foveation rate. A typical configuration for the system used during driving has a frame rate of 4 Hz, a compression per frame of 125:1, and a resulting latency of less than 1s.

Depiero, Frederick W.↗

Statistical foundation of the fluid analogue of the soliton formalism

A fully nonlinear analysis is used to develop a general soliton formalism for the description of the nonlinear evolution of soliton fluctuations in both plasmas and classical fluids. From the Navier-Stokes equations for plasmas and compressible fluids of two scales, two equations for the propagation of density waves are derived. A fast soliton field is spontaneously created by rarefaction, and a slow density wave modulates the field intensity as a ponderomotive force. Constitutive properties are demonstrated using a Lagrangian-kinetic formalism of the fluctuation-dissipation theory.

Tchen, C. M.↗