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At least 397 records · Page 22

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NASA NTRS2014

Sintering Characteristics of Multilayered Thermal Barrier Coatings Under Thermal Gradient and Isothermal High Temperature Annealing Conditions

Pyrochlore oxides have most of the relevant attributes for use as next generation thermal barrier coatings such as phase stability, low sintering kinetics and low thermal conductivity. One of the issues with the pyrochlore oxides is their lower toughness and therefore higher erosion rate compared to the current state-of-the-art TBC material, yttria (6 to 8 wt%) stabilized zirconia (YSZ). In this work, sintering characteristics were investigated for novel multilayered coating consisted of alternating layers of pyrochlore oxide viz Gd2Zr2O7 and t' low k (rare earth oxide doped YSZ). Thermal gradient and isothermal high temperature (1316 C) annealing conditions were used to investigate sintering and cracking in these coatings. The results are then compared with that of relevant monolayered coatings and a baseline YSZ coating.

Thermal Barrier Coatings↗

NASA NTRS1996

Low Temperature Characterization of Ceramic and Film Power Capacitors

Among the key requirements for advanced electronic systems is the ability to withstand harsh environments while maintaining reliable and efficient operation. Exposures to low temperature as well as high temperature constitute such stresses. Applications where low temperatures are encountered include deep space missions, medical imaging equipment, and cryogenic instrumentation. Efforts were taken to design and develop power capacitors capable of wide temperature operation. In this work, ceramic and film power capacitors were developed and characterized as a function of temperature from 20 C to -185 C in terms of their dielectric properties. These properties included capacitance stability and dielectric loss in the frequency range of 50 Hz to 100 kHz. DC leakage current measurements were also performed on the capacitors. The manuscript presents the results that indicate good operational characteristic behavior and stability of the components tested at low temperatures.

Hammoud, Ahmad↗

NASA NTRS2001

Effects of Rotor Design Variations on Tiltrotor Whirl-Mode Stability

Ultimate tiltrotor performance is constrained by coupled wing/rotor whirl-mode aeroelastic instability. A multifaceted research effort to alleviate those constraints is currently underway at NASA Ames Research Center. Design changes to the XV-15 rotor created large increases in the predicted stability boundary; alternatively, they allowed large increases in pitch-flap coupling (delta-three) for a given stability margin. A wind-tunnel experiment has been proposed to demonstrate the improvements at minimum cost. The design methods are also being applied to the V-22. This report summarizes the results to date for the V-22 and compares them to those for the XV-15. A proposed small-scale wind-tunnel model of the XV-15 proprotor is described.

Acree, C. W., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Saturn's F Ring Core: Calm in the Midst of Chaos

The long-term stability of the narrow F Ring core has been hard to understand. Instead of acting as "shepherds", Prometheus and Pandora together stir the vast preponderance of the region into a chaotic state, consistent with the orbits of newly discovered objects like S/2004S6. We show how a comb of very narrow radial locations of high stability in semimajor axis is embedded within this otherwise chaotic region. The stability of these semimajor axes relies fundamentally on the unusual combination of rapid apse precession and long synodic period which characterizes the region. This situation allows stable "antiresonances" to fall on or very close to traditional Lindblad resonances which, under more common circumstances, are destabilizing. We present numerical integrations of tens of thousands of test particles over tens of thousands of Prometheus orbits that map out the effect. The stable antiresonance zones are most stable in a subset of the region where Prometheus first-order resonances are least cluttered by Pandora resonances. This region of optimum stability is paradoxically closer to Prometheus than a location more representative of "torque balance", helping explain a longstanding paradox. One stable zone corresponds closely to the currently observed semimajor axis of the F Ring core. While the model helps explain the stability of the narrow F Ring core, it does not explain why the F Ring material all shares a common apse longitude; we speculate that collisional damping at the preferred semimajor axis (not included in the current simulations) may provide that final step. Essentially, we find that the F Ring core is not confined by a combination of Prometheus and Pandora, but a combination of Prometheus and precession.

Planetary Rings↗

NASA NTRS1973

Lunar surface magnetometers

Discussion of the properties of both the stationary and portable magnetometers used in the Apollo program to measure static and dynamic fields on the lunar surface. A stationary magnetometer is described in which the three orthogonal vector components of the magnetic field are measured by three fluxgate sensors which are located at the ends of three orthogonal booms and contain ferromagnetic cores driven to saturation by means of a periodic current. In the Apollo 16 magnetometer special high-stability ring-core sensors were used which provided an output voltage to the analog-to-digital converter which is proportional to the magnetic field. A portable magnetometer is described which consists of a set of three orthogonal fluxgate sensors mounted on top of a tripod connected to an electronics box by a ribbon cable. The above-mentioned stationary magnetometer simultaneously measured the time-varying components of the field which were later subtracted from the portable magnetometer measurements to give the desired resultant steady field values caused by the magnetized crustal material.

Dyal, P.↗

NASA NTRS1976

OAST Space Theme Workshop. Volume 3: Working group summary. 1: Navigation, guidance, control (E-1) A. Statement. B. Technology needs (form 1). C. Priority assessment (form 2)

The six themes identified by the Workshop have many common navigation guidance and control needs. All the earth orbit themes have a strong requirement for attitude, figure and stabilization control of large space structures, a requirement not currently being supported. All but the space transportation theme have need for precision pointing of spacecraft and instruments. In addition all the themes have requirements for increasing autonomous operations for such activities as spacecraft and experiment operations, onboard mission modification, rendezvous and docking, spacecraft assembly and maintenance, navigation and guidance, and self-checkout, test and repair. Major new efforts are required to conceptualize new approaches to large space antennas and arrays that are lightweight, readily deployable, and capable of precise attitude and figure control. Conventional approaches offer little hope of meeting these requirements. Functions that can benefit from increasing automation or autonomous operations are listed.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1979

Survey of inorganic polymers

A literature search was carried out in order to identify inorganic, metallo-organic, and hybrid inorganic-organic polymers that could serve as potential matrix resins for advanced composites. The five most promising candidates were critically reviewed and recommendations were made for the achievement of their potential in terms of performance and cost. These generic polymer classes comprise: (1) Poly(arylsil sesquioxanes); (2) Poly(silyl arylene siloxanes); (3) Poly(silarylenes); (4) Poly(silicon-linked ferrocenes); and (5) Poly(organo phosphazenes). No single candidate currently possesses the necessary combination of physicomechanical properties, thermal stability, processability, and favorable economics. The first three classes exhibit the best thermal performance. On the other hand, poly (organo phosphazenes), the most extensively studied polymer class, exhibit the best combination of structure-property control, processability, and favorable economics.

Gerber, A. H.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Alternative Food Preservation Techniques, New Technology in Food Preparation and Appropriateness of Food Supply for the Permanently Manned Space Station

Alternative food preservation techniques are defined as unique processes and combinations of currently used processes for food preservation. Food preservation is the extension of the useful shelf-life of normally perishable foods (from harvest to final consumption) by controlling micro-organisms, enzymes, chemical changes, changes in sensory characteristics and the prevention of subsequent recontamination. The resulting products must comply with all applicable food manufacturing practice regulations and be safe. Most of the foods currently used in both space and military feeding are stabilized either by dehydration or the use of a terminal sterilization process. Other available options would be formulation to reduce water activity, the refrigeration and freezing of perishable foods, chemical addition, and physical treatment (ionizing or nonionizing radiation or mechanical action). These alternatives are considered and proposals made.

Richard H. Whelan↗

NASA NTRS1985

Beyond singular values and loop shapes

The status of singular value loop-shaping as a design paradigm for multivariable feedback systems is reviewed. It shows that this paradigm is an effective design tool whenever the problem specifications are spacially round. The tool can be arbitrarily conservative, however, when they are not. This happens because singular value conditions for robust performance are not tight (necessary and sufficient) and can severely overstate actual requirements. An alternate paradign is discussed which overcomes these limitations. The alternative includes a more general problem formulation, a new matrix function mu, and tight conditions for both robust stability and robust performance. The state of the art currently permits analysis of feedback systems within this new paradigm. Synthesis remains a subject of research.

Stein, G.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Stability boundaries for aircraft with unstable lateral-directional dynamics and control saturation

Aircraft that do not possess inherent (aerodynamic) stability must rely on closed-loop control systems for stable operation. Because there are limits on the deflections of an aircraft's control surfaces, the region of stable operation also is bounded. These boundaries are investigated for a lateral-directional example in which vertical fin size is inadequate to provide directional stability and where aileron and rudder deflections are subject to saturation. Fourth-order models are used in this study, with flight control logic based on minimum-control-energy linear-quadratic-regulatory theory. It is found that the stability boundaries can be described by unstable limit cycles surrounding stable equilibrium points. Variations in regions of stability with gain levels and command inputs are illustrated. Current results suggest guidelines for permissible limits on the open-loop instability of an aircraft's lateral-directional modes.

Shrivastava, Prakash C.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Sensor requirements for Earth and planetary observations

Future generations of Earth and planetary remote sensing instruments will require extensive developments of new long-wave and very long-wave infrared detectors. The upcoming NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) will carry a suite of instruments to monitor a wide range of atmospheric and surface parameters with an unprecedented degree of accuracy for a period of 10 to 15 years. These instruments will observe Earth over a wide spectral range extending from the visible to nearly 17 micrometers with a moderate to high spectral and spacial resolution. In addition to expected improvements in communication bandwidth and both ground and on-board computing power, these new sensor systems will need large two-dimensional detector arrays. Such arrays exist for visible wavelengths and, to a lesser extent, for short wavelength infrared systems. The most dramatic need is for new Long Wavelength Infrared (LWIR) and Very Long Wavelength Infrared (VLWIR) detector technologies that are compatible with area array readout devices and can operate in the temperature range supported by long life, low power refrigerators. A scientific need for radiometric and calibration accuracies approaching 1 percent translates into a requirement for detectors with excellent linearity, stability and insensitivity to operating conditions and space radiation. Current examples of the kind of scientific missions these new thermal IR detectors would enhance in the future include instruments for Earth science such as Orbital Volcanological Observations (OVO), Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS), and Spectroscopy in the Atmosphere using Far Infrared Emission (SAFIRE). Planetary exploration missions such as Cassini also provide examples of instrument concepts that could be enhanced by new IR detector technologies.

Chahine, Moustafa T.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Beyond singular values and loop shapes

Stein, Gunter↗

NASA NTRS1992

Reaction-bonded Si3N4 and SiC matrix composites

A development status evaluation is presented for the reaction-bonded SiC- and Si3N4-matrix types of fiber-reinforced ceramic-matrix composite (FRCMC). A variety of reaction-bonding methods are being pursued for FRCMC fabrication: CVI, CVD, directed metal oxidation, and self-propagating high-temperature synthesis. Due to their high specific modulus and strength, toughness, and fabricability, reaction-bonded FRCMC are important candidate materials for such heat-engine components as combustor liners, nozzles, and turbine and stator blading. The improvement of long-term oxidative stability in these composites is a major goal of current research.

Bhatt, Ramakrishna T.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Paramagnetic-Salt Thermometer With Flux Pump And SQUID's

Paramagnetic-salt low-temperature thermometer incorporates improved superconducting magnetic-flux pump, multiple superconducting quantum interference devices as magnetometers, and feedback stabilization of magnetic flux. Requires much smaller initial magnetizing currents and provides improved temperature resolution via suppression of drift in magnetic induction.

Strayer, Donald M.↗

NASA NTRS1993

New monomers for high performance polymers

This laboratory has been concerned with the development of new polymeric materials with high thermo-oxidative stability for use in the aerospace and electronics industries. Currently, there is special emphasis on developing matrix resins and composites for the high speed civil transport (HSCT) program. This application requires polymers that have service lifetimes of 60,000 hr at 350 F (177 C) and that are readily processible into void-free composites, preferably by melt-flow or powder techniques that avoid the use of high boiling solvents. Recent work has focused on copolymers which have thermally stable imide groups separated by flexible arylene ether linkages, some with trifluoromethyl groups attached to the aromatic rings. The presence of trifluoromethyl groups in monomers and polymers often improves their solubility and processibility. The goal of this research was to synthesize several new monomers containing pendant trifluoromethyl groups and to incorporate these monomers into new imide/arylene ether copolymers. Initially, work was begun on the synthesis of three target compounds. The first two, 3,5-dihydroxybenzo trifluoride and 3-amino 5-hydroxybenzo trifluoride, are intermediates in the synthesis of more complex monomers. The third, 3,5-bis (3-amino-phenoxy) benzotrifluoride, is an interesting diamine that could be incorporated into a polyimide directly.

Gratz, Roy F.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Does the ballooning instability trigger substorms in the near-Earth magnetotail?

The stability of the near-Earth magnetotail against ballooning (or configurational) instability is examined in the framework of the MHD approximation. It is emphasized that a change in plasma pressure induced by a meriodional electric field drift delta u(sub n) is an important factor that determines the stability. We have to consider two ways in which plasma pressure changes, that is, a convective change -delta u(sub n) grad(P(sub 0)), where P(sub 0) is background plasma pressure, and plasma expansion/compression -P(sub 0) dive (delta u(sub n)). Since delta u(sub n) is perpendicular to the magnetic field and its magnitude is inversely proportional to the magnetic field strength, delta u(sub n) diverges/converges in usual tail magnetic field configurations. For the instability, the convective change must overwhelm the effects of the plasma expansion/compression. However, near the equator in the near-Earth tail, the latter may overcompensate for the former. We describe the ballooning instability in terms of a coupling between the Alfven and slow magnetosonic waves in an inhomogeneous plasma and derive instability conditions. The result shows that the excessive curvature stabilizes, rather than destabilizes, perturbations. It is also found that the field-aligned flow stabilizes perturbations, as well as the field-aligned current. We infer that under quiet conditions, the plasma pressure gradient in the near-Earth tail is not sharp enough to trigger the instability. The plasma sheet is expected to become more stable during the substorm growth phase because of an increase in the field line curvature associated with the plasma sheet thinning. In the region closer to the Earth, including the ring current, the plasma pressure gradient may be localized in a limited range of the radial distance during the growth phase. However, recently reported plasma and magnetic field parameters before substorm onsets do not provide very convincing evidence that the ballooning instability is the triggering mechanism of substorms.

Ohtani, Shin-Ichi↗

NASA NTRS1995

Development of a Telemanipulator for Dexterity Enhanced

The precision and stability of motion achievable with the human hand limits current microsurgical practice. Were it possible to overcome these natural limits, better procedures of the eye, ear, hand, brain, and spin would result. Such issues of dexterity enhancement lie not only with scaling down surgical skills of the most gifted, but also addressing widely variable skills of the entire surgical community.

Robotic Dexterity↗

NASA NTRS2005

A high performance frequency standard and distribution system for Cassini Ka-band experiment

This paper provides an overview and update of a specialized frequency reference system for the NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) to support Ka-band radio science experiments with the Cassini spacecraft, currently orbiting Saturn. Three major components, a Hydrogen Maser, Stabilized Fiber-optic Distribution Assembly (SFODA), and 10 Kelvin Cryocooled Sapphire Oscillator (10K CSO) and frequency-lock-loop, are integrated to achieve the very high performance, ground based frequency reference at a remote antenna site located 16 km from the hydrogen maser. Typical measured Allan Deviation is 1.6 -14 1 0a't 1 second and 1.7 x 10 -15 at 1000 seconds averaging intervals. Recently two 10K CSOs have been compared in situ while operating at the remote DSN site DSS-25. The CSO references were used operationally to downconvert the Ka band downlink received from the Cassini spacecraft in a series of occultation measurements performed over a 78 day period from March to June 2005.

sapphire↗