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At least 397 records · Page 22

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NASA NTRS1972

Lunar soil properties and soil mechanics. Flow in porous media under rarefied gas conditions. Research phase: Fluid conductivity of lunar surface materials

Theoretical and experimental research on fluid conductivity of lunar surface materials is summarized. Theoretical methods were developed for the analysis of transitional and free-molecular flows, and for analysis of lunar permeability probe data in general. Experimental studies of rarefied flows under conditions of a large pressure gradient show flows in the continuum regime to be responsible for the largest portion of the pressure drop between source and sink for one dimensional flow, provided the entrance Knudsen number is sufficiently small. The concept of local similarity leading to a universal nondimensional function of Knudsen number was shown to have approximate validity; flows in all regimes may be described in terms of an area fraction and a single length parameter. Synthetic porous media prepared from glass beads exhibited flow behavior similar in many regards to that of a natural sandstone; studies using artificial stones with known pore configurations may lead to new insight concerning the structure of natural materials. The experimental method involving the use of segmented specimens of large permeability is shown to be fruitful.

Hurlbut, F. C.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Electromagnetic sounding of the moon using Apollo 16 and Lunokhod 2 surface magnetometer observations /preliminary results/

A technique of deep electromagnetic sounding of the moon using simultaneous magnetic-field measurements at two lunar surface sites is described. The method, used with the assumption that deep electrical conductivity is a function only of lunar radius, has the advantage of allowing calculation of the external driving field from two surface-site measurements only and therefore does not require data from a lunar orbiting satellite. A transient-response calculation is presented for the example of a magnetic-field discontinuity, measured simultaneously by Apollo 16 and Lunokhod 2 surface magnetometers.

Vanian, L. L.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Tangle-Free Mesh Motion for Ablation Simulations

Problems involving mesh motion-which should not be mistakenly associated with moving mesh methods, a class of adaptive mesh redistribution techniques-are of critical importance in numerical simulations of the thermal response of melting and ablative materials. Ablation is the process by which material vaporizes or otherwise erodes due to strong heating. Accurate modeling of such materials is of the utmost importance in design of passive thermal protection systems ("heatshields") for spacecraft, the layer of the vehicle that ensures survival of crew and craft during re-entry. In an explicit mesh motion approach, a complete thermal solve is first performed. Afterwards, the thermal response is used to determine surface recession rates. These values are then used to generate boundary conditions for an a posteriori correction designed to update the location of the mesh nodes. Most often, linear elastic or biharmonic equations are used to model this material response, traditionally in a finite element framework so that complex geometries can be simulated. A simple scheme for moving the boundary nodes involves receding along the surface normals. However, for all but the simplest problem geometries, evolution in time following such a scheme will eventually bring the mesh to intersect and "tangle" with itself, inducing failure. This presentation demonstrates a comprehensive and sophisticated scheme that analyzes the local geometry of each node with help from user-provided clues to eliminate the tangle and enable simulations on a wide-class of difficult problem geometries. The method developed is demonstrated for linear elastic equations but is general enough that it may be adapted to other modeling equations. The presentation will explicate the inner workings of the tangle-free mesh motion algorithm for both two and three-dimensional meshes. It will show abstract examples of the method's success, including a verification problem that demonstrates its accuracy and correctness. The focus of the presentation will be on the algorithm; specifics on how the techniques may be used in spacecraft design will be not discussed.

Droba, Justin↗

NASA NTRS1984

Mechanisms of graviperception and response in pea seedlings

A new method for the mass isolation and purification of multigranular amyloplasts from the bundle sheath parenchyma of etiolated pa epicotyls was presented. These bodies, which displace within 2+3 minutes of exposure to 1 x g, are probably the gravity receptors (statoliths) in this plant. These amyloplasts were characterized as having a doublemembrane with a surface-localized ATPase, a high calcium content, and their own genomic DNA. These amyloplasts are investigated as to (a) the reasons for their especially high density, probable related to their starch content, (b) the possible identity of their DNA with the DNA of chloroplasts and unigranular amyloplasts, and (c) possible importance of their high calcium content.

Galston, A. W.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Liquid crystals for high-altitude in-flight boundary layer flow visualization

A novel method for visualization of laminar to turbulent boundary layer transition in flight is presented, in which liquid crystal coatings are used to indicate the transition by a change of color (in response to the changes in the wall shear and the temperature). The liquid crystals applied to the wing surfaces were either cholesteric crystals formulated to be active between temperatures of 30 and 100 F or a sample of chiral nematic liquid crystals formulated to be active between -18 and -22 F. Liquid crystal coatings were shown to provide visualization data at flight altitudes and temperatures at which data could not be obtained previously. Flight evaluations were successfully conducted on a T-34C and a Learjet research aircraft at Mach numbers of up to 0.8 and altitudes of up to 50,000 ft. The time response during oscillating sideslip tests was very rapid. In wind tunnel tests, a hysteresislike behavior was observed in the liquid crystal coatings, possibly because of the lower dynamic pressures in wind tunnels as compared to flight.

Gall, P. D.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Response of a grounded dielectric slab to an impulse line source using leaky modes

This paper describes how expansions in leaky (or improper) modes may be used to represent the continuous spectrum in an open radiating waveguide. The technique requires a thorough knowledge of the life history of the improper modes as they migrate from improper to proper Riemann surfaces. The method is illustrated by finding the electric field resulting from an impulsively forced current located in the free space above a grounded dielectric slab.

DIELECTRIC SLABS↗

NASA NTRS1973

Experimental study of shock-wave reflection from a thermally accommodating wall.

Shock-tube experiments have been conducted to study the nonequilibrium gas-surface interaction which occurs when a thick shock wave in argon reflects from a coplanar, heat-conducting wall. Fast-response instrumentation was used to monitor variations in temperature and normal stress on the surface of the shock-tube end wall during and immediately following reflection of the incident shock wave. The laboratory observations are compared with computer predictions obtained by Deiwert using the direct-simulation Monte Carlo method, and excellent agreement is obtained when a suitable average thermal accommodation coefficient is chosen for the wall surface.

Hanson, R. K.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Virtual zone Navier-Stokes computations for oscillating control surfaces

A new zoning method called 'virtual zones' has been developed for application to an unsteady finite difference Navier-Stokes code. The virtual zoning method simplifies the zoning and gridding of complex configurations for use with patched multi-zone flow codes. An existing interpolation method has been extensively modified to bring the run time for the interpolation procedure down to the same level as for the flow solver. Unsteady Navier-Stokes computations have been performed for transonic flow over a clipped delta wing with an oscillating control surface. The computed unsteady pressure and response characteristics of the control-surface motion compare well with experimental data.

Klopfer, G. H.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Uncertainty Quantification of Inducer Natural Frequency using Conditional Assessment of Modeling and Modal Testing of Simpler Systems

The low pressure fuel pump inducer of the new Space Launch System RS25 core stage engine operates in a highly complex environment that substantially affects its modal characteristics. Some of the more important effects are fluid-added mass resulting from operation within a light liquid (Hydrogen), and the magnification of this effect due to tight tip clearance. Since higher order cavitation has been identified as a significant harmonic driver, knowledge of the natural frequency of potentially excitable modes is critical for safe operation, but this frequency cannot be measured during the severe operational environment. A comprehensive testing and analysis program has therefore been performed over the last four years to identify the nominal value and uncertainty of the frequency by modeling and testing four simpler structures which share some of the characteristics of the operational inducer. This testing was used to assess and adjust modeling techniques and excellent correlation was achieved. Identification of the uncertainty in the inducer frequency itself was still problematic, however. This difficulty led to an investigation of Bayesian uncertainty quantification techniques, and to the application of the relatively simple technique of Multi-Variate Normal conditional distributions to calculate the inducer natural frequency uncertainty. Assumptions on prior distributions of uncertainty of the fluid-added mass and tip clearance effect are initially applied to models of each of the simple structures and the inducer itself, and these uncertainties are propagated to generate natural frequencies using design of experiments. Simple response surfaces are then created from this data in order to calculate a Covariance Matrix relating all of these natural frequencies. Finally, the results from modal test of the simple structures are considered to be observations and used to calculate the conditional variance of the desired inducer frequencies. As this method is less rigorous than more complicated Bayesian methods reported in the literature, a conservative factor is applied to the result, but the resulting uncertainty is still significantly less than originally estimated and will greatly assist certification of the inducer for use in the engine.

Uncertainty Quantification↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Uncertainty Quantification of Inducer Eigenvalues using Conditional Assessment of Models and Modal Test of Simpler Systems

Uncertainty Quantification↗

NASA NTRS1983

Gear Lubrication and Cooling Experiment and Analysis

A gear tooth temperature analysis was performed using a finite element method combined with a calculated heat input, a calculated oil jet impingement depth, and estimated heat transfer coefficients for the different parts of the gear tooth that are oil cooled and air cooled. Experimental measurements of gear tooth average surface temperature and gear tooth instantaneous surface temperature were made with a fast response, infrared, radiometric microscope. Increasing oil pressure has a significant effect on both average surface temperature and peak surface temperature at loads above 1895 N/cm(1083 lb/in) and speeds of 10,000 and 7500 rpm. Both increasing speed (from 5000 to 10,000 rpm) at constant speed cause a significant rise in the average surface temperature and in the instantaneous peak surface temperatures on the gear teeth. The oil jet pressure required to provide the best cooling for gears is the pressure required to obtain full gear tooth impingement. Calculated results for gear tooth temperatures were close to experimental results for various oil jet impingement depths for identical operating conditions.

Townsend, D. P.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Application of dual-fuel propulsion to a single stage AMLS vehicle

As part of NASA's Advanced Manned Launch System (AMLS) study to determine a follow-on, or complement, to the Space Shuttle, a reusable single-stage-to-orbit concept utilizing dual-fuel rocket propulsion has been examined. Several dual-fuel propulsion concepts were investigated. These include: a separate engine concept combining Russian RD-170 kerosene-fueled engines with SSME-derivative engines; the kerosene and hydrogen-fueled Russian RD-701 engine concept; and a dual-fuel, dual-expander engine concept. Analysis to determine vehicle weight and size characteristics was performed using conceptual level design techniques. A response surface methodology for multidisciplinary design was utilized to optimize the dual-fuel vehicle concepts with respect to several important propulsion system and vehicle design parameters in order to achieve minimum empty weight. Comparisons were then made with a hydrogen-fueled reference, single-stage vehicle. The tools and methods employed in the analysis process are also summarized.

Lepsch, Roger A., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1959

Sampled-Data Techniques Applied to a Digital Controller for an Altitude Autopilot

Sampled-data theory, using the Z transformation, is applied to the design of a digital controller for an aircraft-altitude autopilot. Particular attention is focused on the sensitivity of the design to parameter variations and the abruptness of the response, that is, the normal acceleration required to carry out a transient maneuver. Consideration of these two characteristics of the system has shown that the finite settling time design method produces an unacceptable system, primarily because of the high sensitivity of the response to parameter variations, although abruptness can be controlled by increasing the sampling period. Also demonstrated is the importance of having well-damped poles or zeros if cancellation is attempted in the design methods. A different method of smoothing the response and obtaining a design which is not excessively sensitive is proposed, and examples are carried through to demonstrate the validity of the procedure. This method is based on design concepts of continuous systems, and it is shown that if no pole-zero cancellations are allowed in the design, one can obtain a response which is not too abrupt, is relatively insensitive to parameter variations, and is not sensitive to practical limits on control-surface rate. This particular design also has the simplest possible pulse transfer function for the digital controller. Simulation techniques and root loci are used for the verification of the design philosophy.

Schmidt, Stanley F.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Statistical Wind-Tunnel Experimentation Advancements for eVTOL Aircraft Aero-Propulsive Model Development

Compared to many conventional aircraft, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle designs present greater aero-propulsive complexity and many interacting factors requiring development of novel testing and model development strategies. This paper describes several advances in statistically-rigorous experiment design methods for wind-tunnel testing of eVTOL aircraft enabling accurate aero-propulsive model development. The techniques are applied to a subscale tilt-rotor eVTOL aircraft configuration built at NASA Langley Research Center that has 24 independent control effectors. The general testing approach, leveraging design of experiments and response surface methodology, is outlined and followed by a detailed description of the experiment design and modeling approach employed for different phases of the wind-tunnel testing. A new approach for gravitational tare modeling is developed and validated, which reduces the required wind-tunnel test time by nearly 50%. A mostly automated trim envelope determination approach is formulated to rapidly determine the aircraft flight envelope to inform transition testing for aero-propulsive model development. Efficient powered-airframe characterization tests are conducted using a nested I-optimal design approach formulated in previous simulation-based testing. The collective wind-tunnel testing approach facilitates rapid characterization of eVTOL aircraft configurations and produces accurate aero-propulsive models that can be used in flight dynamics simulations.

design of experiments↗

NASA NTRS1975

Transonic flight flutter tests of a control surface utilizing an impedance response technique

Transonic flight flutter tests of the XF3H-1 Demon Airplane were conducted utilizing a frequency response technique in which the oscillating rudder provides the means of system excitation. These tests were conducted as a result of a rudder flutter incident in the transonic speed range. The technique employed is presented including a brief theoretical development of basic concepts. Test data obtained during the flight are included and the method of interpretation of these data is indicated. This method is based on an impedance matching technique. It is shown that an artificial stabilizing device, such as a damper, may be incorporated in the system for test purposes without complicating the interpretation of the test results of the normal configuration. Data are presented which define the margin of stability introduced to the originally unstable rudder by design changes which involve higher control system stiffness and external damper. It is concluded that this technique of flight flutter testing is a feasible means of obtaining flutter stability information in flight.

Mirowitz, L. I.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Thermoregulation and heat exchange in a nonuniform thermal environment during simulated extended EVA. Extravehicular activities

BACKGROUND: Nonuniform heating and cooling of the body, a possibility during extended duration extravehicular activities (EVA), was studied by means of a specially designed water circulating garment that independently heated or cooled the right and left sides of the body. The purpose was to assess whether there was a generalized reaction on the finger in extreme contradictory temperatures on the body surface, as a potential heat status controller. METHOD: Eight subjects, six men and two women, were studied while wearing a sagittally divided experimental garment with hands exposed in the following conditions: Stage 1 baseline--total body garment inlet water temperature at 33 degrees C; Stage 2--left side inlet water temperature heated to 45 degrees C; right side cooled to 8 degrees C; Stage 3--left side inlet water temperature cooled to 8 degrees C, right side heated to 45 degrees C. RESULTS: Temperatures on each side of the body surface as well as ear canal temperature (Tec) showed statistically significant Stage x Side interactions, demonstrating responsiveness to the thermal manipulations. Right and left finger temperatures (Tfing) were not significantly different across stages; their dynamic across time was similar. Rectal temperature (Tre) was not reactive to prevailing cold on the body surface, and therefore not informative. Subjective perception of heat and cold on the left and right sides of the body was consistent with actual temperature manipulations. CONCLUSIONS: Tec and Tre estimates of internal temperature do not provide accurate data for evaluating overall thermal status in nonuniform thermal conditions on the body surface. The use of Tfing has significant potential in providing more accurate information on thermal status and as a feedback method for more precise thermal regulation of the astronaut within the EVA space suit.

Non-NASA Center↗

NASA NTRS2012

Comparison of Predictive Modeling Methods of Aircraft Landing Speed

Expected increases in air traffic demand have stimulated the development of air traffic control tools intended to assist the air traffic controller in accurately and precisely spacing aircraft landing at congested airports. Such tools will require an accurate landing-speed prediction to increase throughput while decreasing necessary controller interventions for avoiding separation violations. There are many practical challenges to developing an accurate landing-speed model that has acceptable prediction errors. This paper discusses the development of a near-term implementation, using readily available information, to estimate/model final approach speed from the top of the descent phase of flight to the landing runway. As a first approach, all variables found to contribute directly to the landing-speed prediction model are used to build a multi-regression technique of the response surface equation (RSE). Data obtained from operations of a major airlines for a passenger transport aircraft type to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport are used to predict the landing speed. The approach was promising because it decreased the standard deviation of the landing-speed error prediction by at least 18% from the standard deviation of the baseline error, depending on the gust condition at the airport. However, when the number of variables is reduced to the most likely obtainable at other major airports, the RSE model shows little improvement over the existing methods. Consequently, a neural network that relies on a nonlinear regression technique is utilized as an alternative modeling approach. For the reduced number of variables cases, the standard deviation of the neural network models errors represent over 5% reduction compared to the RSE model errors, and at least 10% reduction over the baseline predicted landing-speed error standard deviation. Overall, the constructed models predict the landing-speed more accurately and precisely than the current state-of-the-art.

Diallo, Ousmane H.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Incorporation of Plasticity and Damage Into an Orthotropic Three-Dimensional Model with Tabulated Input Suitable for Use in Composite Impact Problems

The need for accurate material models to simulate the deformation, damage and failure of polymer matrix composites under impact conditions is becoming critical as these materials are gaining increased usage in the aerospace and automotive industries. While there are several composite material models currently available within commercial transient dynamic finite element codes, several features have been identified as being lacking in the currently available material models that could substantially enhance the predictive capability of the impact simulations. A specific desired feature pertains to the incorporation of both plasticity and damage within the material model. Another desired feature relates to using experimentally based tabulated stress-strain input to define the evolution of plasticity and damage as opposed to specifying discrete input properties (such as modulus and strength) and employing analytical functions to track the response of the material. To begin to address these needs, a combined plasticity and damage model suitable for use with both solid and shell elements is being developed for implementation within the commercial code LS-DYNA. The plasticity model is based on extending the Tsai-Wu composite failure model into a strain-hardening based orthotropic plasticity model with a non-associative flow rule. The evolution of the yield surface is determined based on tabulated stress-strain curves in the various normal and shear directions and is tracked using the effective plastic strain. The effective plastic strain is computed by using the non-associative flow rule in combination with appropriate numerical methods. To compute the evolution of damage, a strain equivalent semi-coupled formulation is used, in which a load in one direction results in a stiffness reduction in multiple coordinate directions. A specific laminated composite is examined to demonstrate the process of characterizing and analyzing the response of a composite using the developed model.

Impact↗