Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “distributed analytics”

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 379 records · Page 21

Infrared focal plane performance in the South Atlantic anomaly

Proton-induced pulse height distributions (PHD's) in Si:XX detectors were studied analytically and experimentally. In addition, a preliminary design for a flight experiment to characterize the response of Si:XX detectors to the trapped proton environment and verify PHD models was developed. PHD's were computed for two orbit altitudes for a variety of shielding configurations. Most of the proton-induced pulses have amplitudes less that about 3.5 x 10(exp 5) e-h pairs. Shielding has a small effect on the shape of the PHD's. The primary effect of shielding is to reduce the total number of pulses produced. Proton-induced PHD's in a Si:Sb focal plane array bombarded by a unidirectional 67-MeV beam were measured. The maximum pulse height recorded was 6 x 10(exp 5) pairs. The distribution had two peaks: the larger peak corresponded to 3.8 x 10(exp 5) pairs and the smaller peak to 1.2 x 10(exp 5) pairs. The maximum pulse height and the larger peak are within a factor of two of predicted values. The low-energy peak was not expected, but is believed to be an artifact of inefficient charge collection in the detector. The planned flight experiment will be conducted on a Space Shuttle flight. Lockheed's helium extended life dewar (HELD) will be used to provide the required cryogenic environment for the detector. Two bulk Si:Sb arrays and two Si:As impurity band conduction arrays will be tested. The tests will be conducted while the Space Shuttle passes through the South Atlantic Anomaly. PHD's will be recorded and responsivity changes tracked. This experiment will provide a new database on proton-induced PHD's, compare two infrared detector technologies in a space environment, and provide the data necessary to validate PHD modeling.

Junga, Frank A.↗

Attempts to Localize and Identify the Gravity-sensing Device of Plant Seedlings

The growth hormone asymmetry develops within three minutes following the initiation of the gravitational asymmetry and radio-labeled compounds being transported from the seed to the shoot also show asymmetric distribution. It is found that the target of the gravity stimulus resides primarily in the permability of the vascular tissue that regulates the supply of hormone to the surrounding tissues. It is hypothesized that the gravitational stimulus induces an asymmetric change in the rate of secretion of the growth hormone, IAA, from the vascular tissue into the surrounding cortical cells. More hormone would be secreted from the vascular stele proximal to the lower side of a horizontally placed plant shoot than from the upper side. This results in more growth hormone in the lower cortical (plus epidermal) cells, and ultimately more growth, such that the plant grows asymmetrically and, ultimately attain its normal vertical orientation. A theory was developed of how plants respond to the gravitational stimulus. The theory is based upon the analytical results concerning the effects of gravity on the distribution of the plant growth hormone, IAA, in both its free and conjugated forms, and upon the effect of the growth stimulis on the distribution of externally applied radio-labeled compounds. Its advantage is that it is testable and that it is built upon solid knowledge of the effects of the gravitational stimulus upon the endogenous growth hormone, IAA, and upon the distribution of externally applied radio-labeled compounds.

Bandurski, R. S.↗

Viscosity and mass transport in nonuniform Keplerian disks

A quantitative formalism for Keplerian particulate disk dynamics having its basis in a heuristic description of viscous transport is presently applied to the case of a ring with optical thickness radial gradient. A steady-state velocity distribution solution directly yields both the radial mass transport and the viscosity. The analytical method employed involves the solution of a novel form of the Krook equation through the separation of the phase-space collisional-products distribution into a symmetrical component and a delta function-approachable remainder. While this model is simplified for the case treated, its general approach may be extended to less artificially restricted cases.

Ojakangas, G. W.↗

Sparse distributed memory

Theoretical models of the human brain and proposed neural-network computers are developed analytically. Chapters are devoted to the mathematical foundations, background material from computer science, the theory of idealized neurons, neurons as address decoders, and the search of memory for the best match. Consideration is given to sparse memory, distributed storage, the storage and retrieval of sequences, the construction of distributed memory, and the organization of an autonomous learning system.

Kanerva, Pentti↗

Lunar Neutral Exposphere Properties from Pickup Ion Analysis

Composition and structure of neutral constituents in the lunar exosphere can be determined through measurements of phase space distributions of pickup ions borne from the exosphere [1]. An essential point made in an early study [ 1 ] and inferred by recent pickup ion measurements [2, 3] is that much lower neutral exosphere densities can be derived from ion mass spectrometer measurements of pickup ions than can be determined by conventional neutral mass spectrometers or remote sensing instruments. One approach for deriving properties of neutral exospheric source gasses is to first compare observed ion spectra with pickup ion model phase space distributions. Neutral exosphere properties are then inferred by adjusting exosphere model parameters to obtain the best fit between the resulting model pickup ion distributions and the observed ion spectra. Adopting this path, we obtain ion distributions from a new general pickup ion model, an extension of a simpler analytic description obtained from the Vlasov equation with an ion source [4]. In turn, the ion source is formed from a three-dimensional exospheric density distribution, which can range from the classical Chamberlain type distribution to one with variable exobase temperatures and nonthermal constituents as well as those empirically derived. The initial stage of this approach uses the Moon's known neutral He and Na exospheres to deriv e He+ and Na+ pickup ion exospheres, including their phase space distributions, densities and fluxes. The neutral exospheres used are those based on existing models and remote sensing studies. As mentioned, future ion measurements can be used to constrain the pickup ion model and subsequently improve the neutral exosphere descriptions. The pickup ion model is also used to estimate the exosphere sources of recently observed pickup ions on KAGUYA [3]. Future missions carrying ion spectrometers (e.g., ARTEMIS) will be able to study the lunar neutral exosphere with great sensitivity, yielding the necessary ion velocity spectra needed to further analysis of parent neutral exosphere properties.

Hartle, R. E.↗

Consequences of magnetotail ion dynamics

The trajectories of a large ensemble of particles are calculated in a modified Tsyganenko magnetic field model with a uniform cross-tail electric field. The model magnetotail can be divided into several distinct dynamical regimes of ion motion. Near Earth, where the field lines are dipolar the adiabatic formalism is adequate. In the mid-tail and distant tail, guiding-center theory breaks down and must be replaced by a quasi-adiabatic formalism. There is an important transition region between the adiabatic and quasi-adiabatic regions where ion trajectories become more complicated and no simple analytical description holds. This wall region is characterized by rapid ion acceleration and a major loss of particles to the dusk flank. The moments of the ion distribution function are constructued from the ion trajectories, including density, temperature, and pressure in the x-z and x-y planes. In the noon-midnight meridian plane, parameters are relatively constant except near the Earth, while the x-y plots show strong gradients across the magnetotail. Magnetotail plasma convects earthward, drifts toward dusk, and is squeezed out of the tail in the near-Earth region. A thin current sheet forms in the quasi-adiabatic region, and the pressure tensor has significant off-diagonal terms at its edges. These terms are the result of quasi-adiabatic ion trajectories which lead to azimuthally asymmetric distribution functions capable of maintaining approximate stress balance across the current sheet. Simplified analytical descriptions provide further physical insight into ion dynamics that are observed.

Ashour-Abdalla, Maha↗

The effects of inlet turbulence and rotor/stator interactions on the aerodynamics and heat transfer of a large-scale rotating turbine model, volume 1

A combined experimental and analytical program was conducted to examine the effects of inlet turbulence on airfoil heat transfer. Heat transfer measurements were obtained using low conductivity airfoils with miniature thermocouples welded to a thin, electrically heated surface skin. Heat transfer data were acquired for various combinations of low or high inlet turbulence intensity, flow coefficient (incidence), first-stator/rotor axial spacing, Reynolds number, and relative circumferential position of the first and second stators. Aerodynamic measurements include distributions of the mean and fluctuating velocities at the turbine inlet and, for each airfoil row, midspan airfoil surface pressures and circumferential distributions of the downstream steady state pressures and fluctuating velocities. Analytical results include airfoil heat transfer predictions and a examination of solutions of the unstead boundary layer equipment.

Dring, R. P.↗

Frequency-Domain Analysis of Diffusion-Cooled Hot-Electron Bolometer Mixers

A new theoretical model is introduced to describe heterodyne mixer conversion efficiency and noise (from thermal fluctuation effects) in diffusion-cooled superconducting hot-electron bolometers. The model takes into account the non-uniform internal electron temperature distribution generated by Wiedemann-Franz heat conduction, and accepts for input an arbitrary (analytical or experimental) superconducting resistance-versus- temperature curve. A non-linear large-signal solution is solved iteratively to calculate the temperature distribution, and a linear frequency-domain small-signal formulation is used to calculate conversion efficiency and noise. In the small-signal solution the device is discretized into segments, and matrix algebra is used to relate the heating modulation in the segments to temperature and resistance modulations. Matrix expressions are derived that allow single-sideband mixer conversion efficiency and coupled noise power to be directly calculated. The model accounts for self-heating and electrothermal feedback from the surrounding bias circuit.

Skalare, A.↗

Measurements and Predictions for a Distributed Exhaust Nozzle

The acoustic and aerodynamic performance characteristics of a distributed exhaust nozzle (DEN) design concept were evaluated experimentally and analytically with the purpose of developing a design methodology for developing future DEN technology. Aerodynamic and acoustic measurements were made to evaluate the DEN performance and the CFD design tool. While the CFD approach did provide an excellent prediction of the flowfield and aerodynamic performance characteristics of the DEN and 2D reference nozzle, the measured acoustic suppression potential of this particular DEN was low. The measurements and predictions indicated that the mini-exhaust jets comprising the distributed exhaust coalesced back into a single stream jet very shortly after leaving the nozzles. Even so, the database provided here will be useful for future distributed exhaust designs with greater noise reduction and aerodynamic performance potential.

Kinzie, Kevin W.↗

Application of optical distributed sensing and computation to control of a large flexible spacecraft

Advances in real-time holography make possible the development of new distributed optical sensors and processors that may have application to the control of flexible structures. This paper presents the analytic evaluation of control system concepts utilizing this new technology on realistic spacecraft. The design of a distributed estimator based on this new optical sensing technique is targeted to vibration control of a complex spacecraft with multiple optical sensors, each of which views a portion of the spacecraft. A simulation of a complex truss structure that was flown in the Solar Array Flight Experiment is utilized to evaluate the performance of the estimator. It is shown that good performance can be obtained from a distributed estimator even in the presence of significant sensor noise.

Montgomery, R. C.↗

Experimental investigation of resonance self-shielding and the Doppler effect in uranium and tantalum

A series of average transmission and average self-indication ratio measurements were performed in order to investigate the temperature dependence of the resonance self-shielding effect in the unresolved resonance region of depleted uranium and tantalum. The measurements were carried out at 77 K, 295 K and approximately 1000 K with sample thicknesses varying from approximately 0.1 to 1.0 mean free path. The average resonance parameters as well as the temperature dependence were determined by using an analytical model which directly integrates over the resonance parameter distribution functions.

Byoun, T. Y.↗

Liquid rocket propellant feedline dynamics

An analytical and experimental study of liquid rocket propellant feedline dynamics has been performed. The analytical model, which includes the effects of turbulent flow, distributed and local compliances, bellows, side branches, and structural mounting stiffness, was verified by an experimental program. Water was used as the internal fluid and the dynamic perturbations in pressure and flow were created by a piston pulser. Measurements were made to determine the pressure perturbation amplitude and phase at the line terminal due to a sinusoidal pulser excitation. The frequency response of the various line configurations tested were compared with the computed theoretical results.

Holster, J. L.↗

Use of potential flow theory to evaluate subsonic inlet data from a simulator-powered nacelle at cruise conditions

Incompressible potential flow theory corrected for compressibility effects, using the Lieblein-Stockman compressibility correction, was used to predict surface and flow field static pressures for a subsonic inlet at cruise conditions. The calculated internal and external surface static pressures were in good agreement with data at most conditions. The analysis was used to determine the capture stream-tube location and static-pressure distribution. Additive drag coefficients obtained from these results were consistently higher than those obtained using one-dimensional compressible flow theory. Increasing the distance between the inlet and boattail increased the cowl drag force. The effect of the boundary layer on internal and external surface static-pressure distributions was small at the design cruise condition. The analytical results may be used as an aid to data reduction and for predicting inlet mass flow, stagnation point location, and inlet additive drag.

Bober, L. J.↗

Determination of rotor harmonic blade loads from acoustic measurements

The magnitude of discrete frequency sound radiated by a rotating blade is strongly influenced by the presence of a nonuniform distribution of aerodynamic forces over the rotor disk. An analytical development and experimental results are provided for a technique by which harmonic blade loads are derived from acoustic measurements. The technique relates, on a one-to-one basis, the discrete frequency sound harmonic amplitudes measured at a point on the axis of rotation to the blade-load harmonic amplitudes. This technique was applied to acoustic data from two helicopter types and from a series of test results using the NASA-Langley Research Center rotor test facility. The inferred blade-load harmonics for the cases considered tended to follow an inverse power law relationship with harmonic blade-load number. Empirical curve fits to the data showed the harmonic fall-off rate to be in the range of 6 to 9 db per octave of harmonic order. These empirical relationships were subsequently used as input data in a compatible far field rotational noise prediction model. A comparison between predicted and measured off-axis sound harmonic levels is provided for the experimental cases considered.

Kasper, P. K.↗

Ocean foam generation and modeling

A laboratory investigation was conducted to determine the physical and microwave properties of ocean foam. Special foam generators were designed and fabricated, using porous glass sheets, known as glass frits, as the principal element. The glass frit was sealed into a water-tight vertical box, a few centimeters from the bottom. Compressed air, applied to the lower chamber, created ocean foam from sea water lying on the frit. Foam heights of 30 cm were readily achieved, with relatively low air pressures. Special photographic techniques and analytical procedures were employed to determine foam bubble size distributions. In addition, the percentage water content of ocean foam was determined with the aid of a particulate sampling procedure. A glass frit foam generator, with pore diameters in the range 70 - 100 micrometers, produced foam with bubble distributions very similar to those found on the surface of natural ocean foam patches.

Porter, R. A.↗

A physical parameter method for the design of broad-band X-ray imaging systems to do coronal plasma diagnostics

The technique commonly used for the analysis of data from broad-band X-ray imaging systems for plasma diagnostics is the filter ratio method. This requires the use of two or more broad-band filters to derive temperatures and line-of-sight emission integrals or emission measure distributions as a function of temperature. Here an alternative analytical approach is proposed in which the temperature response of the imaging system is matched to the physical parameter being investigated. The temperature response of a system designed to measure the total radiated power along the line of sight of any coronal structure is calculated. Other examples are discussed.

Kahler, S.↗

A study of inner zone electron data and their comparison with trapped radiation models

A summary and intercomparison of recent inner radiation zone electron data are presented. The morphology of the inner radiation zone is described and the data compared with the current generation of inner zone trapped electron models. An analytic representation of the inner zone equatorial pitch angle distribution is presented. This model was based upon data from eight satellites and was used to reduce all data to the form of equatorial flux. Although no Starfish-free high energy electron measurements were available from the inner portion of the inner radiation zone, it was found that the AE-6 model provided a good description of the present solar maximum environment.

Teague, M. J.↗