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At least 379 records · Page 21
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2004

Gravitational Effects on Flow Instability and Transition in Low Density Jets

Experiments were conducted in Earth gravity and microgravity to acquire quantitative data on near field flow structure of helium jets injected into air. Microgravity conditions were simulated in the 2.2-second drop tower at NASA Glenn Research Center. The jet flow was observed by quantitative rainbow schlieren deflectometry, a non-intrusive line of sight measurement technique suited for the microgravity environment. The flow structure was characterized by distributions of helium mole fraction obtained from color schlieren images taken at 60 Hz. Results show that the jet in microgravity was up to 70 percent wider than that in Earth gravity. Experiments reveal that the global flow oscillations observed in Earth gravity are absent in microgravity. The report provides quantitative details of flow evolution as the experiment undergoes change in gravity in the drop tower.

Agrawal, Ajay K.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Scalar Measurements and Analysis of Helium Jets in Earth Gravity and Microgravity using Rainbow Schlieren Deflectometry

Recent experiments have shown that low-density gas jets injected into a high-density gas undergo an instability mode leading to highly periodic oscillations in the flow field. The transition from laminar to turbulent flow in these jets is abrupt, without a gradual change in scales. Although this type of instability at high Richardson numbers has been attributed to buoyancy, direct physical evidence was not acquired through experiments. In this study, several experiments were conducted in Earth gravity and microgravity to acquire qualitative data on near field flow structure of helium jets injected into air. Microgravity conditions were simulated in the 2.2-second drop tower at NASA Glenn Research Center. The operating parameters of this study included the tube inside diameter, the jet Reynolds number, and the jet Richardson number. Tubes with inside diameters of 19.05 mm and 31.75 mm were used in the experiments conducted in the drop tower. The jet flow was analyzed using quantitative rainbow schlieren deflectometry, a non-intrusive line of sight measurement technique for the whole field. The flow structure was characterized by distributions of angular deflection and the resulting helium mole fraction obtained from color schlieren images taken at 60 Hz. Three sets of experimental data with respect to three schlieren fields of view were acquired for each tube. Results show that the jet in microgravity was up to 70 percent wider than that in Earth gravity. The global jet flow oscillations observed in Earth gravity were absent in microgravity, providing direct experimental evidence that the flow instability in the low-density jet was buoyancy-induced. This study provides quantitative details of temporal flow evolution as the experiments undergo change in gravity in the drop tower.

Yep, Tze Wing↗
NASA NTRS2004

Gravitational Effects on Near-Field Flow Structure of Low-Density Gas Jets

Experiments were conducted in earth gravity and micro gravity to acquire quantitative data on near field flow structure of helium jets injected into air. Microgravity conditions were simulated in the 2.2 s drop tower at NASA John H. Glenn Research Center. The jet flow was observed by quantitative rainbow schlieren deflectometry, a non-intrusive line of sight measurement technique suited for the microgravity environment. The flow structure was characterized by distribution of helium mole fraction obtained from color schlieren images taken at 60 Hz. Results show that the jet in microgravity was up to 70% wider than that in Earth gravity. Experiments reveal that the global flow oscillations observed in Earth are absent in microgravity. Quantitative deatails are provided of the evolution as the experiment undergoes changes in gravity in the drop tower.

Yep, Tze-Wing↗
NASA NTRS2000

Full Field Scalar Measurements in a Pulsating Helium Jet using Rainbow Schlieren Deflectometry

The flow structure of a pulsating helium jet was investigated using quantitative rainbow schlieren deflectometry. The operating parameters included the tube inside diameter, the jet Reynolds number and the jet Richardson number. The jet structure was characterized by the frequency spectrum, temporal evolution of the oscillations and mean and root-mean-square profiles of the species mole fraction, which in this case, was helium. Experiments were conducted using a variable nozzle facility. Angular deflection data were obtained using rainbow schlieren deflectometry across full field of color images taken at a temporal resolution of 60Hz. The flicker cycle was analyzed by instantaneous rainbow schlieren images, contour plots of deflection angle and helium mole fraction placed sequentially in time. Two observe the flow downstream, the tube was lowered with respect to the optical setup and images were taken at different axial planes. In this way, the laminar, transition and turbulent regions of the jet flow were observed. Abel inversion algorithm was utilized to reconstruct the refractive index field from the measurements of the beam deflection angle. The concentration field was then generated from the refractive index field. The phenomenon of vortex initiation and propagation in the flicker cycle was described by correlating the ray deflection angle and concentration contour plots. Experiments in the flickering jet reveal global oscillation in the flow field. The effect of jet exit Reynolds number and jet Richardson number on the flickering frequency was analyzed. The effect of jet Richardson number was more pronounced than that of the jet exit Reynolds number. The flow field was studies quantitatively in terms of temporal evolution and statistical description of helium mole fraction.

Pasumarthi, Kasyap S.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Polyhedral Serpentine Grains in CM Chondrites

CM chondrites are primitive rocks that experienced aqueous alteration in the early solar system. Their matrices and fine-grained rims (FGRs) sustained the effects of alteration, and the minerals within them hold clues to the aqueous reactions. Sheet silicates are an important product of alteration, and those of the serpentine group are abundant in the CM2 chondrites. Here we expand on our previous efforts to characterize the structure and chemistry of serpentines in CM chondrites and report results on a polyhedral form that is structurally similar to polygonal serpentine. Polygonal serpentine consists of tetrahedral (T) sheets joined to M(2+)-centered octahedral (O) sheets (where (M2+) is primarily Mg(2+) and Fe(2+)), which give rise to a 1:1 (TO) layered structure with a 0.7-nm layer periodicity. The structure is similar to chrysotile in that it consists of concentric lizardite layers wrapped around the fiber axis. However, unlike the rolled-up chrysotile, the tetrahedral sheets of the lizardite layers are periodically inverted and kinked, producing sectors. The relative angles between sectors result in 15- and 30-sided polygons in terrestrial samples.

Zega, Thomas J.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Characterization of Forested Landscapes From Remotely Sensed Data Using Fractals and Spatial Autocorrelation

The characterization of forested areas is frequently required in resource management practice. Passive remotely sensed data, which are much more accessible and cost effective than are active data, have rarely, if ever, been used to characterize forest structure directly, but rather they usually focus on the estimation of indirect measurement of biomass or canopy coverage. In this study, some spatial analysis techniques are presented that might be employed with Landsat TM data to analyze forest structure characteristics. A case study is presented wherein fractal dimensions, along with a simple spatial autocorrelation technique (Moran s I), were related to stand density parameters of the Oakmulgee National Forest located in the southeastern United States (Alabama). The results of the case study presented herein have shown that as the percentage of smaller diameter trees becomes greater, and particularly if it exceeds 50%, then the canopy image obtained from Landsat TM data becomes sufficiently homogeneous so that the spatial indices reach their lower limits and thus are no longer determinative. It also appears, at least for the Oakmulgee forest, that the relationships between the spatial indices and forest class percentages within the boundaries can reasonably be considered linear. The linear relationship is much more pronounced in the sawtimber and saplings cases than in samples dominated by medium sized trees (poletimber). In addition, it also appears that, at least for the Oakmulgee forest, the relationships between the spatial indices and forest species groups (Hardwood and Softwood) percentages can reasonably be considered linear. The linear relationship is more pronounced in the forest species groups cases than in the forest classes cases. These results appear to indicate that both fractal dimensions and spatial autocorrelation indices hold promise as means of estimating forest stand characteristics from remotely sensed images. However, additional work is needed to confirm that the boundaries identified for Oakmulgee forest and the linear nature of the relationship between image complexity indices and forest characteristics are generally evident in other forests. In addition, the effects of other parameters such ,as topographic relief and image distortion due to sun angle and cloud cover, for example, need to be examined.

Al-Hamdan, Mohammad Z.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Nonlinear Aeroelastic Analysis Using a Time-Accurate Navier-Stokes Equations Solver

A method to simulate limit cycle oscillation (LCO) due to control surface freeplay using a modified CFL3D, a time-accurate Navier-Stokes computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis code with structural modeling capability, is presented. This approach can be used to analyze aeroelastic response of aircraft with structural behavior characterized by nonlinearity in the force verses displacement curve. A limited validation of the method, using very low Mach number experimental data for a three-degrees-of-freedom (pitch/plunge/flap deflection) airfoil model with flap freeplay, is also presented.

Kuruvila, Geojoe↗
NASA NTRS2006

In-Vacuum Photogrammetry of a Ten-Meter Square Solar Sail

Solar sailing is a promising, future in-space propulsion method that uses the small force of reflecting sunlight to accelerate a large, reflective membrane without expendable propellants. One of two solar sail configurations under development by NASA is a striped net approach by L'Garde, Inc. This design uses four inflatably deployed, lightweight booms supporting a network of thin strings onto which four quadrants of ultrathin aluminized membranes are attached. The NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) provided both experimental and analytical support to L'Garde for validating the structural characteristics of this unique, ultralightweight spacecraft concept. One of LaRC's responsibilities was to develop and apply photogrammetric methods to measure sail shape. The deployed shape provides important information for validating the accuracy of finite-element modeling techniques. Photogrammetry is the science and art of calculating 3D coordinates of targets or other distinguishing features on structures using images. A minimum of two camera views of each target is required for 3D determination, but having four or more camera views is preferable for improved reliability and accuracy. Using retroreflective circular targets typically provides the highest measurement accuracy and automation. References 3 and 4 provide details of photogrammetry technology, and reference 5 discusses previous experiences with photogrammetry for measuring gossamer spacecraft structures such as solar sails. This paper discusses the experimental techniques used to measure a L Garde 10-m solar sail test in vacuum with photogrammetry. The test was conducted at the NASA-Glenn Space Power Facility (SPF) located at Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio. The SPF is the largest vacuum chamber in the United States, measuring 30 m in diameter by 37 m in height. High vacuum levels (10(exp -6) torr) can be maintained inside the chamber, and cold environments (-195 C) are possible using variable-geometry cryogenic cold walls. This test used a vacuum level of approximately 1 torr (sufficient for structural static/dynamic characterization) and instead of using the cryogenic cold walls, used local LN2 cold plates underneath each of the four cold-rigidizable solar sail booms instead.

Pappa, Richard S.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Use of Combined A-Train Observations to Validate GEOS Model Simulated Dust Distributions During NAMMA

During August 2006, the NASA African Multidisciplinary Analyses Mission (NAMMA) field experiment was conducted to characterize the structure of African Easterly Waves and their evolution into tropical storms. Mineral dust aerosols affect tropical storm development, although their exact role remains to be understood. To better understand the role of dust on tropical cyclogenesis, we have implemented a dust source, transport, and optical model in the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) atmospheric general circulation model and data assimilation system. Our dust source scheme is more physically based scheme than previous incarnations of the model, and we introduce improved dust optical and microphysical processes through inclusion of a detailed microphysical scheme. Here we use A-Train observations from MODIS, OMI, and CALIPSO with NAMMA DC-8 flight data to evaluate the simulated dust distributions and microphysical properties. Our goal is to synthesize the multi-spectral observations from the A-Train sensors to arrive at a consistent set of optical properties for the dust aerosols suitable for direct forcing calculations.

Nowottnick, E.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Vibroacoustic Response of Residential Housing due to Sonic Boom Exposure: A Summary of two Field Tests

Two experiments have been performed to measure the vibroacoustic response of houses exposed to sonic booms. In 2006, an old home in the base housing area of Edwards Air Force Base, built around 1960 and demolished in 2007, was instrumented with 288 transducers. During a 2007 follow-on test, a newer home in the base housing area, built in 1997, was instrumented with 112 transducers. For each experiment, accelerometers were placed on walls, windows and ceilings in bedrooms of the house to measure the vibration response of the structure. Microphones were placed outside and inside the house to measure the excitation field and resulting interior sound field. The vibroacoustic response of each house was measured for sonic boom amplitudes spanning from 2.4 to 96 Pa (0.05 to 2 lbf/sq ft). The boom amplitudes were systematically varied using a unique dive maneuver of an F/A-18 airplane. In total, the database for both houses contains vibroacoustic response data for 154 sonic booms. In addition, several tests were performed with mechanical shaker excitation of the structure to characterize the forced response of the houses. The purpose of this paper is to summarize all the data from these experiments that are available to the research community, and to compare and contrast the vibroacoustic behavior of these two dissimilar houses.

Klos, Jacob↗
NASA NTRS2009

Non-Contact Measurement of Density and Thickness Variation in Dielectric Materials

This non-contact, single-sided terahertz electromagnetic measurement and imaging method characterizes micro structural (e.g., spatially-lateral density) and thickness variation in dielectric (insulating) materials. This method was demonstrated for space shuttle external tank sprayed-on foam insulation and has been designed for use as an inspection method for current and future NASA thermal protection systems and other dielectric material inspection applications where no contact can be made with the sample due to fragility and it is impractical to use ultrasonic methods

Roth, Ron↗
NASA NTRS2011

LES of a Jet Excited by the Localized Arc Filament Plasma Actuators

The fluid dynamics of a high-speed jet are governed by the instability waves that form in the free-shear boundary layer of the jet. Jet excitation manipulates the growth and saturation of particular instability waves to control the unsteady flow structures that characterize the energy cascade in the jet.The results may include jet noise mitigation or a reduction in the infrared signature of the jet. The Localized Arc Filament Plasma Actuators (LAFPA) have demonstrated the ability to excite a high-speed jets in laboratory experiments. Extending and optimizing this excitation technology, however, is a complex process that will require many tests and trials. Computational simulations can play an important role in understanding and optimizing this actuator technology for real-world applications. Previous research has focused on developing a suitable actuator model and coupling it with the appropriate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods using two-dimensional spatial flow approximations. This work is now extended to three-dimensions (3-D) in space. The actuator model is adapted to a series of discrete actuators and a 3-D LES simulation of an excited jet is run. The results are used to study the fluid dynamics near the actuator and in the jet plume.

Brown, Clifford A.↗
NASA NTRS2011

The Quest for Organic Carbon on Mars

We are entering an era of Mars exploration in which organic carbon detection, characterization, and structural identification will be key to addressing some of the outstanding science objectives of the Mars Exploration Program. Success of these missions will depend on technical, scientific, and strategic elements--all of which are strongly determined based on terrestrial experience and knowledge of organic matter formation, concentration, and preservation. Analog studies including Precambrian sediments, modern endolithic communities, and experiments help us fine-tune these approaches, but we also need to expect the unexpected. This presentation will provide perspective on the challenges of detecting organic carbon on Mars, how we may achieve such detections with the in situ instruments, such as the SAM (Science Analysis at Mars) instrument suite onboard Curiosity, the rover for the 2011 Mars Science Laboratory mission.

Eigenbrode, Jennifer↗
NASA NTRS2011

Cryogenic Thermal Distortion Performance Characterization for the JWST ISIM Structure

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) Structure is a precision optical metering structure for the JWST science instruments. Optomechanical performance requirements place stringent limits on the allowable thermal distortion of the metering structure between ambient and cryogenic operating temperature (~35 K). This paper focuses on thermal distortion testing and successful verification of performance requirements for the flight ISIM Structure. The ISIM Structure Cryoset Test was completed in Spring 2010 at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in the Space Environment Simulator Chamber. During the test, the ISIM Structure was thermal cycled twice between ambient and cryogenic (~35 K) temperatures. Photogrammetry was used to measure the Structure in the ambient and cryogenic states for each cycle to assess both cooldown thermal distortion and repeatability. This paper will provide details on the post-processing of the metrology datasets completed to compare measurements with performance requirements.

Johnston, John D.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Revitalization of the NASA Langley Research Center's Infrastructure

The NASA Langley Research Center (Langley) was founded in 1917 as the nation's first civilian aeronautical research facility and NASA's first field center. For nearly 100 years, Langley has made significant contributions to the Aeronautics, Space Exploration, and Earth Science missions through research, technology, and engineering core competencies in aerosciences, materials, structures, the characterization of earth and planetary atmospheres and, more recently, in technologies associated with entry, descent, and landing. An unfortunate but inevitable outcome of this rich history is an aging infrastructure where the longest serving building is close to 80 years old and the average building age is 44 years old. In the current environment, the continued operation and maintenance of this aging and often inefficient infrastructure presents a real challenge to Center leadership in the trade space of sustaining infrastructure versus not investing in future capabilities. To address this issue, the Center has developed a forward looking revitalization strategy that ties future core competencies and technical capabilities to the Center Master Facility Plan to maintain a viable Center well into the future. This paper documents Langley's revitalization strategy which integrates the Center's missions, the Langley 2050 vision, the Center Master Facility Plan, and the New Town repair-by-replacement program through the leadership of the Vibrant Transformation to Advance Langley (ViTAL) Team.

Weiser, Erik S.↗
NASA NTRS2012

High-Data-Rate Quadrax Cable Microwave Characterization at the NASA Glenn Structural Dynamics Laboratory

An experiment was performed to determine the degradation in the bit-error-rate (BER) in the high-data-rate cables chosen for the Orion Service Module due to extreme launch conditions of vibrations with a magnitude of 60g. The cable type chosen for the Orion Service Module was no. 8 quadrax cable. The increase in electrical noise induced on these no. 8 quadrax cables was measured at the NASA Glenn vibration facility in the Structural Dynamics Laboratory. The intensity of the vibrations was set at 32g, which was the maximum available level at the facility. The cable lengths used during measurements were 1, 4, and 8 m. The noise measurements were done in an analog fashion using a performance network analyzer (PNA) by recording the standard deviation of the transmission scattering parameter S(sub 21) over the frequency range of 100 to 900 MHz. The standard deviation of S(sub 210 was measured before, during, and after the vibration of the cables at the vibration facility. We observed an increase in noise by a factor of 2 to 6. From these measurements we estimated the increase expected in the BER for a cable length of 25 m and concluded that these findings are large enough that the noise increase due to vibration must be taken in to account for the design of the communication system for a BER of 10(exp -8).

Theofylaktos, Onoufrios↗
NASA NTRS2012

An Analysis of the Rapidly Rotating Bp star HD 133880

HD 133880 is a rapidly rotating chemically peculiar B-type (Bp) star (nu sin i approx = 103km/s) and is host to one of the strongest magnetic fields of any Ap/Bp star. A member of the Upper Centaurus Lupus association, it is a star with a well-determined age of 16 Myr. 12 new spectra, four of which are polarimetric, obtained from the FEROS, ESPaDOnS and HARPS instruments, provide sufficient material from which to re-evaluate the magnetic field and obtain a first approximation to the atmospheric abundance distributions of He, O, Mg, Si, Ti. Cr, Fe, Ni, Pr and Nd. An abundance analysis was carried out using ZEEMAN, a program which synthesizes spectral line profiles for stars with permeating magnetic fields. The magnetic field structure was characterized by a colinear multipole expansion from the observed variations of the longitudinal and surface fields with rotational phase. Both magnetic hemispheres are clearly visible during the stellar rotation, and thus a three-ring abundance distribution model encompassing both magnetic poles and magnetic equator with equal spans in colatitude was adopted. Using the new magnetic field measurements and optical photometry together with previously published data, we refine the period of HD 133880 to P = 0.877 476 +/- 0.000009 d. Our simple axisymmetric magnetic field model is based on a predominantly quadrupolar component that roughly describes the field variations. Using spectrum synthesis, we derived mean abundances for O, Mg, Si, Ti, Cr, Fe and Pr. All elements; except Mg, are overabundant compared to the Son. Mg appears to be approximately uniform over the stellar surface, while all other elements are more abundant in the negative magnetic hemisphere than in the positive magnetic hemisphere. In contrast to most Ap/Bp stars which show an underabundance in 0, in HD 133880 this element is clearly overabundant compared to the solar abundance ratio. In studying the Ha and Paschen lines in the optical spectra, we could not unambiguously detect information about the magnetosphere of HD 133880. However, radio emission data at both 3 and 6 cm suggest that the magnetospheric plasma is held in rigid rotation with the star by the magnetic field and further supported against collapse by the rapid rotation. Subtle differences in the shapes of the optically thick radio light curves at 3 and 6 cm suggest that the large-scale magnetic field is not fully axisymmetric at large distances from the star.

Bailey, J. D.↗