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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 433 records · Page 24
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Sparsely Sampled Phase-Insensitive Ultrasonic Transducer Arrays

Three methods of interpretation of outputs from sparsely sampled two-dimensional array of receiving ultrasonic transducers used in transmission experiments investigated. Methods are: description of sampled beam in terms of first few spatial moments of sampled distribution of energy; use of signal-dependent cutoff to limit extent of effective receiver aperture; and use of spatial interpolation to increase apparent density of sampling during computation. Methods reduce errors in computations of shapes of ultrasonic beams.

Patrick H. Johnston↗
NASA NTRS1992

Absolute ultrasonic displacement amplitude measurements with a submersible electrostatic acoustic transducer

An experimental technique for absolute measurement of ultrasonic wave particle displacement amplitudes in liquids is reported. The technique is capable of measurements over a frequency range of two decades with a sensitivity less than one angstrom. The technique utilizes a previously reported submersible electrostatic acoustic transducer (ESAT) featuring a conductive membrane stretched over a recessed electrode. An uncertainty analysis shows that the displacement amplitude of an ultrasonic plane wave incident on the ESAT can be experimentally determined to better than 2.3-4 percent, depending on frequency, in the frequency range of 0.5-15 MHz. Membranes with lower and more uniform areal densities can improve the accuracy and extend the operation to higher frequencies.

Yost, William T.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Elongation Transducer For Tensile Tests

Extensometer transducer measures elongation of tensile-test specimen with negligible distortion of test results. Used in stress-versus-strain tests of small specimens of composite materials. Clamping stress distributed more evenly. Specimen clamped gently between jaw and facing surface of housing. Friction force of load points on conical tips onto specimen depends on compression of spring, adjusted by turning cover on housing. Limp, light nylon-insulated electrical leads impose minimal extraneous loads on measuring elements.

Roberts, Paul W.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Improved Micromachined Transducers

Sensor systems of proposed type incorporate micromachined silicon-based structures as electrostatic force and displacement actuators and micromachined quantum-mechanical-tunneling electrodes as one form of displacement transducers, along with electronic circuits providing multiple electrical stimuli to displacement electrodes for measurement, calibration, monitoring of sensor status, and adjustment. Concept applicable to accelerometers, seismometers, geophones, magnetometers, pressure gauges, and other sensors in which phenomena of interest measured in terms of forces on, and/or displacements of, structural components. Provides completely remote measurement, control, health monitoring, treatment, and like, using telemetry commands.

Hartley, Frank T.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Broadband, High-Temperature Ultrasonic Transducer

Materials chosen for endurance at high temperatures and acoustic coupling and damping. Acoustic transducer designed to exhibit broad frequency response and to survive temperatures close to melting points of brazing alloys. Attached directly and continuously to hot object monitored ultrasonically: for example, it can be attached to relatively cool spot on workpiece during brazing for taking ultrasonic quality-control measurements.

Parker, F. Raymond↗
NASA NTRS1996

Instrument For Simulation Of Piezoelectric Transducers

Electronic instrument designed to simulate dynamic output of integrated-circuit piezoelectric acceleration or pressure transducer. Operates in conjunction with external signal-conditioning circuit, generating square-wave signal of known amplitude for use in calibrating signal-conditioning circuit. Instrument also useful as special-purpose square-wave generator in other applications.

Mcnichol, Randal S.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Single Transducer Ultrasonic Imaging Method that Eliminates the Effect of Plate Thickness Variation in the Image

This article describes a single transducer ultrasonic imaging method that eliminates the effect of plate thickness variation in the image. The method thus isolates ultrasonic variations due to material microstructure. The use of this method can result in significant cost savings because the ultrasonic image can be interpreted correctly without the need for machining to achieve precise thickness uniformity during nondestructive evaluations of material development. The method is based on measurement of ultrasonic velocity. Images obtained using the thickness-independent methodology are compared with conventional velocity and c-scan echo peak amplitude images for monolithic ceramic (silicon nitride), metal matrix composite and polymer matrix composite materials. It was found that the thickness-independent ultrasonic images reveal and quantify correctly areas of global microstructural (pore and fiber volume fraction) variation due to the elimination of thickness effects. The thickness-independent ultrasonic imaging method described in this article is currently being commercialized under a cooperative agreement between NASA Lewis Research Center and Sonix, Inc.

Roth, Don J.↗
NASA NTRS1996

The Evolution of Energy-Transducing Systems. Studies with Archaebacteria

The dicyclohexyl carbodiimide (DCCD)- binding site of the membrane ATPase from Halobacterium saccharovorum was investigated during earlier periods of this Cooperative Agreement and was localized to a cyanogen bromide fragment of subunit 2 from amino acids 379 (Glu) to 442 (Met). Although the exact position of the reactive amino acid (probably a glutamic acid) has not yet been determined, the data, together with recently obtained immuno reactions and sequences of Cyanogen Bromide (CNBr) fragments from E.coli F-ATPase, suggested subunit interactions in the halobacterial ATPase which had not been recognized before. They also provided evidence for the presence of a gamma subunit in the halobacterial ATPase, and for a stretch of a amino acids similar to the 'catch' between beta and gamma in bovine F-ATPase. The evolutionary implications of these findings are twofold: first, halobacterial (or archaebacterial) ATPases appear as complex as those from higher organisms - no simpler versions of these membrane enzymes are known to date; second, a monophyletic origin of the energy-transducing ATPases is becoming more apparent, and - together with other data - the split into V- and F-ATPases may have occurred much later than had been previously thought (i.e., after the split into Archaea and Bacteria). Other work included the characterization of an extremely halophilic isolate (Halococcus salifodinae ) from Permian salt sediments. This organism appeared to be an autotrophic halobacterium; its incorporation of C02 was investigated.

Stan-Lotter, Helga↗
NASA NTRS1998

Scaling up the Single Transducer Thickness-Independent Ultrasonic Imaging Method for Accurate Characterization of Microstructural Gradients in Monolithic and Composite Tubular Structures

Ultrasonic velocity/time-of-flight imaging that uses back surface reflections to gauge volumetric material quality is highly suited for quantitative characterization of microstructural gradients including those due to pore fraction, density, fiber fraction, and chemical composition variations. However, a weakness of conventional pulse-echo ultrasonic velocity/time-of-flight imaging is that the image shows the effects of thickness as well as microstructural variations unless the part is uniformly thick. This limits this imaging method's usefulness in practical applications. Prior studies have described a pulse-echo time-of-flight-based ultrasonic imaging method that requires using a single transducer in combination with a reflector plate placed behind samples that eliminates the effect of thickness variation in the image. In those studies, this method was successful at isolating ultrasonic variations due to material microstructure in plate-like samples of silicon nitride, metal matrix composite, and polymer matrix composite. In this study, the method is engineered for inspection of more complex-shaped structures-those having (hollow) tubular/curved geometry. The experimental inspection technique and results are described as applied to (1) monolithic mullite ceramic and polymer matrix composite 'proof-of-concept' tubular structures that contain machined patches of various depths and (2) as-manufactured monolithic silicon nitride ceramic and silicon carbide/silicon carbide composite tubular structures that might be used in 'real world' applications.

Roth, Don J.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Blade Surface Pressure Distributions in a Rocket Engine Turbine: Experimental Work With On-Blade Pressure Transducers

Understanding the unsteady aspects of turbine rotor flowfields is critical to successful future turbine designs. A technology program was conducted at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center to increase the understanding of unsteady environments for rocket engine turbines. The experimental program involved instrumenting turbine rotor blades with surface-mounted high frequency response pressure transducers. The turbine model was then tested to measure the unsteady pressures on the rotor blades. The data obtained from the experimental program is unique in three respects. First, much more unsteady data was obtained (several minutes per set point) than has been possible in the past. Also, two independent unsteady data acquisition systems and fundamental signal processing approaches were used. Finally, an extensive steady performance database existed for the turbine model. This allowed an evaluation of the effect of the on-blade instrumentation on the turbine's performance. This unique data set, the lessons learned for acquiring this type of data, and the improvements made to the data analysis and prediction tools will contribute to future turbine programs such as those for reusable launch vehicles.

Hudson, Susan T.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Nitric-oxide synthase is a mechanical signal transducer that modulates talin and vinculin expression

Mechanical stimuli can cause changes in muscle mass and structure which indicate that mechanisms exist for transducing mechanical stimuli into signals that influence gene expression. Myotendinous junctions show adaptations to modified muscle loading which suggest that these are transcriptionally distinct domains in muscle fibers that may experience local regulation of expression of structural proteins that are concentrated at these sites. Vinculin and talin are cytoskeletal proteins that are highly enriched at myotendinous junctions that we hypothesize to be subject to local transcriptional regulation. Our findings show that mechanical stimulation of muscle cells in vivo and in vitro causes an increase in the expression of vinculin and talin that is mediated by nitric oxide. Furthermore, nitric oxide-stimulated increases in vinculin and talin expression occur through a protein kinase G-dependent pathway and therefore differ from other mechanisms through which nitric oxide has been shown previously to modulate transcription. Analysis of vinculin mRNA distribution in mechanically stimulated muscle fibers shows that the mRNA is highly concentrated at myotendinous junctions, which supports the hypothesis that myotendinous junctions are distinct domains in which the expression of cytoskeletal proteins is modulated by mechanical stimuli through a nitric oxide and protein kinase G-dependent pathway.

NASA Discipline Musculoskeletal↗
NASA NTRS1999

Transducer model produces facilitation from opposite-sign flanks

Small spots, lines and Gabor patterns can be easier to detect when they are superimposed upon similar spots, lines and Gabor patterns. Traditionally, such facilitation has been understood to be a consequence of nonlinear contrast transduction. Facilitation has also been reported to arise from non-overlapping patterns with opposite sign. We point out that this result does not preclude the traditional explanation for superimposed targets. Moreover, we find that facilitation from opposite-sign flanks is weaker than facilitation from same-sign flanks. Simulations with a transducer model produce opposite-sign facilitation.

NASA Discipline Space Human Factors↗
NASA NTRS2005

Comparison of the Effects of using Tygon Tubing in Rocket Propulsion Ground Test Pressure Transducer Measurements

This paper documents acoustics environments data collected during liquid oxygen- ethanol hot-fire rocket testing at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in November- December 2003. The test program was conducted during development testing of the RS-88 development engine thrust chamber assembly in support of the Orbital Space Plane Crew Escape System Propulsion Program Pad Abort Demonstrator. In addition to induced environments analysis support, coincident data collected using other sensors and methods has allowed benchmarking of specific acoustics test measurement methodologies during propulsion tests. Qualitative effects on data characteristics caused by using tygon sense lines of various lengths in pressure transducer measurements is discussed here.

Farr, Rebecca A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Current transducer

A current transducer for rugged environments uses a solid permalloy core including a magnetic gap for a Hall effect generator and rigid mounting extensions.

McLyman, W. T.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Non-destructive evaluation method employing dielectric electrostatic ultrasonic transducers

An acoustic nonlinearity parameter (.beta.) measurement method and system for Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) of materials and structural members novelly employs a loosely mounted dielectric electrostatic ultrasonic transducer (DEUT) to receive and convert ultrasonic energy into an electrical signal which can be analyzed to determine the .beta. of the test material. The dielectric material is ferroelectric with a high dielectric constant .di-elect cons.. A computer-controlled measurement system coupled to the DEUT contains an excitation signal generator section and a measurement and analysis section. As a result, the DEUT measures the absolute particle displacement amplitudes in test material, leading to derivation of the nonlinearity parameter (.beta.) without the costly, low field reliability methods of the prior art.

Yost, William T.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Real-Time Implementation of Intelligent Actuator Control with a Transducer Health Monitoring Capability

This paper presents a concept of feedback control for smart actuators that are compatible with smart sensors, communication protocols, and a hierarchical Integrated System Health Management (ISHM) architecture developed by NASA s Stennis Space Center. Smart sensors and actuators typically provide functionalities such as automatic configuration, system condition awareness and self-diagnosis. Spacecraft and rocket test facilities are in the early stages of adopting these concepts. The paper presents a concept combining the IEEE 1451-based ISHM architecture with a transducer health monitoring capability to enhance the control process. A control system testbed for intelligent actuator control, with on-board ISHM capabilities, has been developed and implemented. Overviews of the IEEE 1451 standard, the smart actuator architecture, and control based on this architecture are presented.

Jethwa, Dipan↗
NASA NTRS2010

Model Robust Calibration: Method and Application to Electronically-Scanned Pressure Transducers

This article presents the application of a recently developed statistical regression method to the controlled instrument calibration problem. The statistical method of Model Robust Regression (MRR), developed by Mays, Birch, and Starnes, is shown to improve instrument calibration by reducing the reliance of the calibration on a predetermined parametric (e.g. polynomial, exponential, logarithmic) model. This is accomplished by allowing fits from the predetermined parametric model to be augmented by a certain portion of a fit to the residuals from the initial regression using a nonparametric (locally parametric) regression technique. The method is demonstrated for the absolute scale calibration of silicon-based pressure transducers.

Walker, Eric L.↗