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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.

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At least 415 records · Page 23
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1997

Using Projection X-Ray Microscopy to Observe the Solidification Phenomena in Metals

This article outlines how projection x-ray microscopy can be used to view the structures that develop within solidifying metals during the freezing process (in real-time and in situ). A description of x-ray microscopy methods will be given. The specialized furnace design and techniques required to permit observation of solidification phenomena will also be described. Finally, a sampling of radiomicrographs taken during alloy solidification will be presented. By understanding how the microstructures in alloys form, we can improve the properties of materials (e.g. strength and corrosion resistance) or to design better materials.

Kaukler, William F.↗
NASA NTRS1999

GEOTAIL and POLAR Observations of Auroral Kilometric Radiation and Terrestrial Low Frequency Bursts and their Relationship to Energetic Particles, Auroras, and Other Substorm Phenomena

Terrestrial low frequency (LF) bursts are plasma wave phenomena that appear to be a part of the low frequency end of the auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) spectrum and are observed during strong substorms, GEOTAIL and POLAR plasma wave observations from within the magnetosphere show that the AKR increases in intensity and its lower frequency limits decrease when LF bursts are observed. The first is expected as it is shows substorm onset and the latter indicates that the AKR source region is expanding to higher altitudes. Images from the POLAR VIS Earth Camera operating in the far-UV range and the POLAR UVI experiment usually feature an auroral brightening and an expansion of the aurora to higher latitudes at the time of the LF bursts. Enhanced fluxes of X-rays from precipitating electrons have also been observed by POLAR PIXIE. High resolution ground Abstract: magnetometer data from the CANOPUS and IMAGE networks show that the LF bursts occur when the expansive phase onset signatures are most intense. The ground magnetometer data and the CANOPUS meridian scanning photometer data sometimes show that during the LF burst events the expansive phase onset starts at unusually low latitudes and moves poleward. Large injections of energetic protons and electrons have also been detected by the GOES and LANL geosynchronous satellites during LF burst events. While most of the auroral brightenings and energetic particle injections associated with the LF bursts occur near local midnight, several have been observed as early as mid-afternoon. From these various measurements, we are achieving a better understanding of the plasma and particle motions during substorms that are associated with the generation and propagation of terrestrial LF bursts

Anderson, R . R.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Thin Film Mediated Phase Change Phenomena: Crystallization, Evaporation and Wetting

We focus on two distinct materials science problems that arise in two distinct microgravity environments: In space and within the space of a polymeric network. In the former environment, we consider a near eutectic alloy film in contact with its vapor which, when evaporating on earth, will experience compositionally induced buoyancy driven convection. The latter will significantly influence the morphology of the crystallized end member. In the absence of gravity, the morphology will be dominated by molecular diffusion and Marangoni driven viscous flow, and we study these phenomena theoretically and experimentally. The second microgravity environment exists in liquids, gels, and other soft materials where the small mass of individual molecules makes the effect of gravity negligible next to the relatively strong forces of intermolecular collisions. In such materials, an essential question concerns how to relate the molecular dynamics to the bulk rheological behavior. Here, we observe experimentally the diffusive motion of a single molecule in a single polymer filament, embedded within a polymer network and find anomalous diffusive behavior.

Wettlaufer, John S.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Microgravity Studies Offer Insights into Solidification Phenomena and Processing of Metals and Alloys

The paper reviews historical aspects of solidification processing and the detrimental attributes associated with gravity-driven flow phenomena. Benefits of and avenues toward conducting experiments in a microgravity environment are presented and illustrated with relevant examples. Finally, some comments regarding the role of microgravity experimentation are given.

Grugel, Richard N.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Visualization of In-Flight Flow Phenomena Using Infrared Thermography

Infrared thermography was used to obtain data on the state of the boundary layer of a natural laminar flow airfoil in supersonic flight. In addition to the laminar-to-turbulent transition boundary, the infrared camera was able to detect shock waves and present a time dependent view of the flow field. A time dependent heat transfer code was developed to predict temperature distributions on the test subject and any necessary surface treatment. A commercially available infrared camera was adapted for airborne use in this application. Readily available infrared technology has the capability to provide detailed visualization of various flow phenomena in subsonic to hypersonic flight regimes.

Banks, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Investigation of High-Latitude Phenomena Using Polar Data and Global Simulations

The goal of this one-year project was to use data from the Polar satellite in conjunction with global simulations of Earth's magnetosphere to investigate phenomena in the high-latitude magnetosphere. Specifically, we addressed reconnection at the cusp during periods of northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), and the effects of substorms on the high-latitude magnetosphere.

Russell, Christopher T.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Experimental Observations of Localization Phenomena in Sands: Plane Strain Versus Triaxial Compression Conditions

A comprehensive experimental investigation was conducted to investigate the effects of loading condition and confining pressure on strength properties and instability phenomena in sands. A uniform sub-rounded to rounded natural silica sand known as F-75 Ottawa sand was used in the investigation. The results of a series on Conventional Triaxial Compression (CTC) experiments tested under very low confining pressures (0.05 - 1.30) kPa tested in a Microgravity environment abroad the NASA Space Shuttle are presented in addition to the results similar specimens tested in terrestrial laboratory to investigate the effect of confining pressure on the constitutive behavior of sands. The behavior of the CTC experiments is compared with the results of Plane Strain (PS) experiments. Computed tomography and other digital imaging techniques were used to study the development and evolution of shear bands.

Alshibli, Khalid A.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Transient Interfacial Phenomena in Miscible Polymer Systems (TIPMPS)

Almost one hundred years ago Korteweg published a theory of how stresses could be induced in miscible fluids by concentration gradients, causing phenomena that would appear to be the same as with immiscible fluids. Miscible fluids could manifest a transient or effective interfacial tension (EIT). To this day, there has been no definitive experiment to confirm Korteweg's model but numerous fascinating and suggestive experiments have been reported. The goal of TIPMPS is to answer the question: Can concentration and temperature gradients in miscible materials induce stresses that cause convection? Many polymer processes involving miscible monomer and polymer systems could be affected by fluid flow and so this work could help understand miscible polymer processing, not only in microgravity, but also on earth. Demonstrating the existence of this phenomenon in miscible fluids will open up a new area of study for materials science. The science objectives of TIPMPS are: (1) Determine if convection can be induced by variation of the width of a miscible interface; (2) Determine if convection can be induced by variation of temperature along a miscible interface; (3) Determine if convection can be induced by variation of conversion along a miscible interface An interface between two miscible fluids can best be created via a spatially-selective photopolymerization of dodecyl acrylate with a photoinitiator, which allows the creation of precise and accurate concentration gradients between polymer and monomer. Optical techniques will be used to measure the refractive index variation caused by the resultant temperature and concentration fields. The viscosity of the polymer will be measured from the increase in the fluorescence of pyrene. Because the large concentration and temperature gradients cause buoyancy-driven convection that prevents the observation of the predicted flows, the experiment must be done in microgravity. In this report, we will consider our efforts to estimate the square gradient parameter, k, and our use of the estimates in modeling of the planned TIPMPS experiments. We developed a model consisting of the heat and diffusion equations with convective terms and of the Navier-Stokes equations with an additional volume force written in the form of the Korteweg stresses arising from nonlocal interaction in the fluid. The fluid's viscosity dependence on polymer conversion and temperature was taken from measurements of poly(dodecyl acrylate). Numerical modeling demonstrated that significant flows would arise for conditions corresponding to the planned experiments.

Pojman, John A.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Fluid Physics and Transport Phenomena in a Simulated Reduced Gravity Environment

We describe a ground-based apparatus that allows the cancellation of gravity on a fluid using magnetic forces. The present system was designed for liquid oxygen studies over the range 0.001 - 5 g s. This fluid is an essential component of any flight mission using substantial amounts of liquid propellant, especially manned missions. The apparatus has been used to reduce the hydrostatic compression near the oxygen critical point and to demonstrate inverted phase separation. It could also be used to study pool boiling and two-phase heat transfer in Martian, Lunar or near-zero gravity, as well as phenomena such as Marangoni flow and convective instabilities. These studies would contribute directly to the reliability and optimization of the Moon and Mars flight programs.

Lipa, J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Near Space Tracking of the EM Phenomena Associated with the Main Earthquakes

Searching for electromagnetic (EM) phenomena originating in the Earth's crust prior to major earthquakes (M>5) are the object of this exploratory study. We present the idea of a possible relationship between: (1) electro-chemical and thermodynamic processes in the Earth's crust and (2) ionic enhancement of the atmosphere/ionosphere with tectonic stress and earthquake activity. The major source of these signals are proposed to originate from electromagnetic phenomenon which are responsible for these observed pre-seismic processes, such as, enhanced IR emission, also born as thermal anomalies, generation of long wave radiation, light emission caused by ground-to-air electric discharges, Total Electron Content (TEC) ionospheric anomalies and ionospheric plasma variations. The source of these data will include: (i) ionospheric plasma perturbations data from the recently launched DEMETER mission and currently available TEC/GPS network data; (ii) geomagnetic data from ORSTED and CHAMP; (iii) Thermal infra-red (TIR) transients mapped by the polar orbiting (NOAA/AVHRR, MODIS) and (iv) geosynchronous weather satellites measurements of GOES, METEOSAT. This approach requires continues observations and data collecting, in addition to both ground and space based monitoring over selected regions in order to investigate the various techniques for recording possible anomalies. During the space campaign emphasis will be on IR emission, obtained from TIR (thermal infrared) satellites, that records land/sea surface temperature anomalies and changes in the plasma and total electron content (TEC) of the ionosphere that occur over areas of potential earthquake activity.

Ouzounov, Dimitar↗
NASA NTRS2004

The "Approximate 150 Day Quasi-Periodicity" in Interplanetary and Solar Phenomena During Cycle 23

A"quasi-periodicity" of approx. 150 days in various solar and interplanetary phenomena has been reported in earlier solar cycles. We suggest that variations in the occurrence of solar energetic particle events, inter-planetary coronal mass ejections, and geomagnetic storm sudden commenceents during solar cycle 23 show evidence of this quasi-periodicity, which is also present in the sunspot number, in particular in the northern solar hemisphere. It is not, however, prominent in the interplanetary magnetic field strength.

Richardson, I. G.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Recent Applications of the Volterra Theory to Aeroelastic Phenomena

The identification of nonlinear aeroelastic systems based on the Volterra theory of nonlinear systems is presented. Recent applications of the theory to problems in experimental aeroelasticity are reviewed. These results include the identification of aerodynamic impulse responses, the application of higher-order spectra (HOS) to wind-tunnel flutter data, and the identification of nonlinear aeroelastic phenomena from flight flutter test data of the Active Aeroelastic Wing (AAW) aircraft.

Silva, Walter A.↗
NASA NTRS2004

The Role of the Heavy Ions in the Wave Magnetospheric Phenomena

This talk will emphasize the role of the heavy ions in the number of wave-particle interaction magnetospheric processes. In particular, we will discuss some of the experimental and theoretical studies that have investigated the role of the heavy ions (mainly He(+) and O(+)) in generation and propagation of electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves and their contribution to the heating of magnetospheric electrons and ions. The more recent studies have also shown that the heavy ions can greatly contribute to a generation of lower hybrid waves, ring current precipitation phenomena, and the overall energy redistribution in the inner magnetosphere. Using newly developed 2.5-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, we study the energization and nonlinear coupling of different plasma waves in the presence of the heavy ions. We have shown that the high frequency wave modes critically depend on the heavy ion density and irrespective of the driven wave modes, both the light and heavy ions undergo significant transverse acceleration. But for the large heavy-ion densities, even the electrons are significantly accelerated in the parallel direction by the waves below the LH frequency.

Khazanov, G. V.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Bleed Hole Flow Phenomena Studied

Boundary-layer bleed is an invaluable tool for controlling the airflow in supersonic aircraft engine inlets. Incoming air is decelerated to subsonic speeds prior to entering the compressor via a series of oblique shocks. The low momentum flow in the boundary layer interacts with these shocks, growing in thickness and, under some conditions, leading to flow separation. To remedy this, bleed holes are strategically located to remove mass from the boundary layer, reducing its thickness and helping to maintain uniform flow to the compressor. The bleed requirements for any inlet design are unique and must be validated by extensive wind tunnel testing to optimize performance and efficiency. To accelerate this process and reduce cost, researchers at the NASA Lewis Research Center initiated an experimental program to study the flow phenomena associated with bleed holes. Knowledge of these flow properties will be incorporated into computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models that will aid engine inlet designers in optimizing bleed configurations before any hardware is fabricated. This ongoing investigation is currently examining two hole geometries, 90 and 20 (both with 5-mm diameters), and various flow features.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2004

Magnetohydrodynamic and Paramagnetic Phenomena in Electrochemistry with Diamagnetic and Ferromagnetic Millielectrodes

There are three kinds of body forces operating in electrolytic solutions in the magnetic field: the magnetohydrodynamic force F(sub B) (=i x B), the F(sub delB) force (approximately B(raised dot)gradB) and the F(sub delC) force (approximately |B|(sup 2)gradC). These three forces manifest themselves differently, depending on the experimental conditions. Thus, diamagnetic disc millielectrodes (e.g., Au) with their plane parallel to the flux density of the homogeneous magnetic field of an electromagnet yield convective behavior analogous to that observed with rotating electrodes; that response is controlled by F(sub B). The same electrodes placed in the inhomogeneous field of a strong permanent magnet yield also convective behavior that is controlled by both F(sub B) and F(sub delB). Finally, similarly sized millielectrodes made of permanent magnets (e.g., Au-coated Nd-Fe-B discs) yield diffusion-controlled behavior at conditions where a gold disc electrode shows behavior dominated by density gradient driven natural convection; in this case the predominant forces are both F(sub delB) and F(sub delC). Under open circuit conditions, ferromagnetic (i.e., magnetizable) millielectrodes (Co, Fe, Ni) dipped in corrosive solutions and placed in homogeneous magnetic fields yield mass-transfer phenomena that seem to be controlled by magnetophoresis.

Leventis, Nicholas↗