Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “unit dynamics”

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

A low dimensional dynamical system for the wall layer

Low dimensional dynamical systems which model a fully developed turbulent wall layer were derived.The model is based on the optimally fast convergent proper orthogonal decomposition, or Karhunen-Loeve expansion. This decomposition provides a set of eigenfunctions which are derived from the autocorrelation tensor at zero time lag. Via Galerkin projection, low dimensional sets of ordinary differential equations in time, for the coefficients of the expansion, were derived from the Navier-Stokes equations. The energy loss to the unresolved modes was modeled by an eddy viscosity representation, analogous to Heisenberg's spectral model. A set of eigenfunctions and eigenvalues were obtained from direct numerical simulation of a plane channel at a Reynolds number of 6600, based on the mean centerline velocity and the channel width flow and compared with previous work done by Herzog. Using the new eigenvalues and eigenfunctions, a new ten dimensional set of ordinary differential equations were derived using five non-zero cross-stream Fourier modes with a periodic length of 377 wall units. The dynamical system was integrated for a range of the eddy viscosity prameter alpha. This work is encouraging.

Aubry, N.↗

Design and fabrication of the Brayton rotating unit

The Brayton rotating unit (BRU), operating on a gas bearing system, has been designed, fabricated, and demonstrated for use in a closed Brayton cycle space power conversion system. The BRU uses a binary mixture of xenon and helium (molecular weight, 83.8) as the cycle working fluid and bearing lubricating medium and was designed to produce from 2.25 to 10.5 kw sub e of 1200 Hz three-phase electrical power. The single-shaft rotating assembly operates at a design speed of 36,000 rpm and comprises a radial single-stage compressor, a four-pole Rice alternator rotor, and a radial inflow turbine. Four units, a dynamic simulator and three component research packages, were supplied to the NASA Lewis Research Center for performance testing and further development.

Davis, J. E.↗

Mobile VLBI deployment plans of the Crustal Dynamics Project for the western United States and Alaska

Current plans for the Mobile VLBI program are addressed. Present mobile stations and their past activities are summarized, and past and future modes of obtaining data are compared, including the 'burst' and 'leap frog' modes. The observational campaign for Mobile VLBI is described, emphasizing the portions in Canada and Alaska. The extent to which the mobile stations are utilized and the ways in which the site visit yield may be increased are discussed.

Trask, D. W.↗

Analysis of Low-Speed Stall Aerodynamics of a Swept Wing with Seamless Flaps

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was conducted to study the low-speed stall aerodynamics of a Gulfstream G-III airplane (Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, Savannah, Georgia) swept wing modified with an experimental seamless, compliant flap called the Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge (ACTE) flap. The stall characteristics of the modified ACTE wing were analyzed and compared with the unmodified, clean wing at the flight speed of 120 knots and altitude of 2300 feet above mean sea level, in free air as well as in ground effect. A polyhedral finite-volume unstructured full Navier-Stokes CFD code, STAR-CCM (registered trademark) plus (CD-adapco [Computational Dynamics Limited, United Kingdom, and Analysis & Design Application Co., United States]), was used. Steady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes CFD simulations were conducted for a clean wing and the ACTE wings at various ACTE deflection angles in free air (-2 degrees, 15 degrees, and 30 degrees) as well as in ground effect (15 degrees and 30 degrees). Solution sensitivities to grid densities were examined. In free air, the ACTE wings are predicted to stall at lower angles of attack than the clean wing. In ground effect, all wings are predicted to stall at lower angles of attack than the corresponding wings in free air. Even though the lift curves are higher in ground effect than in free air, the maximum lift coefficients for all wings are lower in ground effect. Finally, the lift increase due to ground effect for the ACTE wing is predicted to be less than the clean wing.

CFD↗

Development of the Multi-Purpose Transportation System for the Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage (CS) Flight Article

NASA's Multi-Purpose Transportation System (MPTS) is designed to transport the Space Launch System (SLS) vehicle segments by waterway and roadway. It is tasked with transporting the vehicle from where it is manufactured to its intermediate test location and final launch destination. Its design incorporates mechanisms that release degrees of freedom to prevent excessive loading during transit and ensure a successful delivery of the vehicle to its intended destination. In addition to the Core Stage (CS) flight article, the system will also move three Structural Test Articles (STAs), the Dynamic Demonstration Unit (DDU), and a simulated CS Pathfinder (weight, center of gravity, outer mold line dimensions, and overall length) over road terrain at four NASA centers and on the Pegasus barge. The MPTS independently supports the article at both ends while operating as a combined unit through automated monitoring of its released degree of freedom and corrective responses. This allows the system to constrain its payload in a statically determinate manner while traversing highly variable terrain. Multi-body simulation of the transportation route is useful to predict free-body motion within its range of mobility. The MPTS has completed its design and analysis developmental cycles. This paper describes the design challenges encountered in developing this system of large-scale structure, which incorporates complex mechanisms. The unique techniques and methodologies developed for analytical assessment of the hardware are also discussed.

Sandridge, Sarah↗

Design, fabrication, and dynamic testing of a V-groove radiator mechanical development unit

This paper describes the design, fabrication, and dynamic testing of a V-groove radiator development unit. The intended goal was to survive the dynamic environment of the Mars Observer mission. The development unit was designed to achieve a temperature of 80 K with a heat load of about 80 milliwatts. An analysis was performed to predict the thermal performance of the development unit. The radiator with a mass mockup of a Gamma Ray Spectrometer detector, the most massive of the candidate Mars Observer instrument detectors (1.7 Kg), passed vibration and acoustic testing to the Mars Observer requirements in effect at that time.

Petrick, S. Walter↗

The cavity heat pipe Stirling receiver for space solar dynamics

The receiver/storage unit for the low-earth-orbiting Stirling system is discussed. The design, referred to as the cavity heat pipe (CHP), has been optimized for minimum specific mass and volume width. A specific version of this design at the 7-kWe level has been compared to the space station Brayton solar dynamic design. The space station design utilizes a eutectic mixture of LiF and CaF2. Using the same phase change material, the CHP has been shown to have a specific mass of 40 percent and a volume of 5 percent of that of the space station Brayton at the same power level. Additionally, it complements the free-piston Stirling engine in that it also maintains a relatively flat specific mass down to at least 1 kWe. The technical requirements, tradeoff studies, critical issues, and critical technology experiments are discussed.

Kesseli, James B.↗

Method of calculating gas dynamics and heat transfer in single stage refrigeration units

A generalized mathematical model of gas-dynamic and heat transfer processes in single-stage regenerative installations operating in Stirling, MacMahon, Gifford-MacMahon, and pulsating tube cycles is proposed. A numerical method os solving initial equations on a digital computer is given. This makes it possible to calculate the change in the thermodynamic parameters in the working cycle in different machine components, as well as the dependence of cold productivity on the temperature level in the steady regime.

Zhitomirskiy, I. S.↗

Ensemble Canonical Correlation Prediction of Seasonal Precipitation Over the United States: Raising the Bar for Dynamical Model Forecasts

This paper presents preliminary results of an ensemble canonical correlation (ECC) prediction scheme developed at the Climate and Radiation Branch, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center for determining the potential predictability of regional precipitation, and for climate downscaling studies. The scheme is tested on seasonal hindcasts of anomalous precipitation over the continental United States using global sea surface temperature (SST) for 1951-2000. To maximize the forecast skill derived from SST, the world ocean is divided into non-overlapping sectors. The canonical SST modes for each sector are used as the predictor for the ensemble hindcasts. Results show that the ECC yields a substantial (10-25%) increase in prediction skills for all the regions of the US in every season compared to traditional CCA prediction schemes. For the boreal winter, the tropical Pacific contributes the largest potential predictability to precipitation in the southwestern and southeastern regions, while the North Pacific and the North Atlantic are responsible to the enhanced forecast skills in the Pacific Northwest, the northern Great Plains and Ohio Valley. Most importantly, the ECC increases skill for summertime precipitation prediction and substantially reduces the spring predictability barrier over all the regions of the US continent. Besides SST, the ECC is designed with the flexibility to include any number of predictor fields, such as soil moisture, snow cover and additional local observations. The enhanced ECC forecast skill provides a new benchmark for evaluating dynamical model forecasts.

Lau, William K. M.↗

Lumped Parameter Modeling for Rapid Vibration Response Prototyping and Test Correlation for Electronic Units

Present preliminary work using lumped parameter models to approximate dynamic response of electronic units to random vibration; Derive a general N-DOF model for application to electronic units; Illustrate parametric influence of model parameters; Implication of coupled dynamics for unit/board design; Demonstrate use of model to infer printed wiring board (PWB) dynamics from external chassis test measurement.

random vibration↗

Neurological applications of man-machine systems analysis

Quantitative descriptions of human control properties are formulated that take into account the dynamics of muscle actuation units, neuromuscular sensor units, and sensory feedback mechanics. Detailed dynamic measurements on neurologically disordered patients are correlated with clinical manifestations of various neurological syndromes to quantify operator behavior.

Mcruer, D. T.↗

The Sacramento Peak fast microphotometer

The Sacramento Peak Observatory Fast Microphotometer translates an optical system that includes a laser and photodiode detector across the film to scan the Y direction. A stepping motor moves the film gate in the X direction. This arrangement affords high positional accuracy, low noise (0.002 RMS density units), modest speed (5000 points/second), large dynamic range (4.5 density units), high stability (0.005 density units), and low scattered light. The Fast Microphotometer is interfaced to the host computer by a 6502 microprocessor.

Arrambide, M. R.↗

The Impact of Total Liberalization of Domestic Air Transport on the Social Welfare and on the Dynamic of Competition: Comparison Between the United States and the European Union

Since the lst of April 1997 date of the implementation of the third package of the liberalization, air transport, within the european Union has become totally liberalized. In the United States the deregulation of domestic air traffic was earlier and faster since it took place in October 1978 after the adoption of the only act of deregulation. This paper, in its first part, deals with the liberalization of the industry of air traffic in the european union. After a comparison with US system based on market demand, fare policy and network restrictions, we present our descriptive results coming from treatments on the OAG data. These results present several aspects such as the evolution of the competitive structure of the intra-european routes, the level of airport dominance and the growth of hub structure. The second part of the paper presents models of entry in the airline industry. As profitability" of route flown explains correctly decisions taken by airlines to serve or not a route, the paper focuses on the specification and the estimation of the determinants of city, pair profitability in the european union. Treatments done on the OAG data show a rapid development of leasing space agreement (partial and total) and code sharing practices between 1995 and 2000 in Europe that's why we differentiate first between the two type of competitive strategy of entry(direct entry and leasing space agreement) and second between the competitive strategy of entry and the alliance strategy of code sharing. So the estimation of model will be able to answer the question if the european air transport market is contestable and in case not to see if the decision of entry is more directed by the level of airport dominance (as in the domestic United States market)or essentially by the competitive structure of the routes. We try to explain the nature of entry(directleasing or code sharing) by the different levels of these two determinants.

Zbidi, Karim↗

Deducing Electronic Unit Internal Response During a Vibration Test Using a Lumped Parameter Modeling Approach

During random vibration testing of electronic boxes there is often a desire to know the dynamic response of certain internal printed wiring boards (PWBs) for the purpose of monitoring the response of sensitive hardware or for post-test forensic analysis in support of anomaly investigation. Due to restrictions on internally mounted accelerometers for most flight hardware there is usually no means to empirically observe the internal dynamics of the unit, so one must resort to crude and highly uncertain approximations. One common practice is to apply Miles Equation, which does not account for the coupled response of the board in the chassis, resulting in significant over- or under-prediction. This paper explores the application of simple multiple-degree-of-freedom lumped parameter modeling to predict the coupled random vibration response of the PWBs in their fundamental modes of vibration. A simple tool using this approach could be used during or following a random vibration test to interpret vibration test data from a single external chassis measurement to deduce internal board dynamics by means of a rapid correlation analysis. Such a tool might also be useful in early design stages as a supplemental analysis to a more detailed finite element analysis to quickly prototype and analyze the dynamics of various design iterations. After developing the theoretical basis, a lumped parameter modeling approach is applied to an electronic unit for which both external and internal test vibration response measurements are available for direct comparison. Reasonable correlation of the results demonstrates the potential viability of such an approach. Further development of the preliminary approach presented in this paper will involve correlation with detailed finite element models and additional relevant test data.

random vibration response↗

System, Apparatus, and Method for Active Debris Removal

Systems, apparatuses, and methods for removal of orbital debris are provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a spacecraft control unit configured to guide and navigate the apparatus to a target. The apparatus also includes a dynamic object characterization unit configured to characterize movement, and a capture feature, of the target. The apparatus further includes a capture and release unit configured to capture a target and deorbit or release the target. The collection of these apparatuses is then employed as multiple, independent and individually operated vehicles launched from a single launch vehicle for the purpose of disposing of multiple debris objects.

Griffith, Sr., Anthony D.↗

Dynamic modeling of brushless dc motor-power conditioner unit for electromechanical actuator application

A comprehensive digital model for the analysis of the dynamic-instantaneous performance of a power conditioner fed samarium-cobalt permanent magnet brushless DC motor is presented. The particular power conditioner-machine system at hand, for which this model was developed, is a component of an actual prototype electromechanical actuator built for NASA-JSC as a possible alternative to hydraulic actuators as part of feasibility studies for the shuttle orbiter applications. Excellent correlation between digital simulated and experimentally obtained performance data was achieved for this specific prototype. This is reported on in this paper. Details of one component of the model, its applications and the corresponding results are given in this paper.

Demerdash, N. A.↗

Shuttle Upgrade Using 5-Segment Booster (FSB)

In support of NASA's continuing effort to improve the over-all safety and reliability of the Shuttle system- a 5-segment booster (FSB) has been identified as an approach to satisfy that overall objective. To assess the feasibility of a 5-segment booster approach, NASA issued a feasibility study contract to evaluate the potential of a 5-segment booster to improve the overall capability of the Shuttle system, especially evaluating the potential to increase the system reliability and safety. In order to effectively evaluate the feasibility of the 5-segment concept, a four-member contractor team was established under the direction of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). MSFC provided the overall program oversight and integration as well as program contractual management. The contractor team consisted of Thiokol, Boeing North American Huntington Beach (BNA), Lockheed Martin Michoud Space Systems (LMMSS) and United Space Alliance (USA) and their subcontractor bd Systems (Control Dynamics Division, Huntsville, AL). United Space Alliance included the former members of United Space Booster Incorporated (USBI) who managed the booster element portion of the current Shuttle solid rocket boosters. Thiokol was responsible for the overall integration and coordination of the contractor team across all of the booster elements. They were also responsible for all of the motor modification evaluations. Boeing North American (BNA) was responsible for all systems integration analyses, generation of loads and environments. and performance and abort mode capabilities. Lockheed Martin Michoud Space Systems (LMMSS) was responsible for evaluating the impacts of any changes to the booster on the external tank (ET), and evaluating any design changes on the external tank necessary to accommodate the FSB. USA. including the former USBI contingent. was responsible for evaluating any modifications to facilities at the launch site as well as any booster component design modifications.

Sauvageau, Donald R.↗