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At least 433 records · Page 24
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

Theoretical and experimental emittance measurements for a thin liquid sheet flow

Surface tension forces at the edges of a thin liquid (approximately 200 microns) sheet flow result in a triangularly shaped sheet. Such a geometry is ideal for an external flow radiator. Since the fluid must have very low vapor pressure, Dow Corning 705 silicone oil was used and the emittance of a flowing sheet of oil was determined by two methods. The emittance was derived as a function of the temperature drop between the top of the sheet and the coalescence point of the sheet, the sink temperature, the volumetric flow and the length of the sheet. the emittance for the oil was also calculated using an extinction coefficient determined from spectral transmittance data of the oil. The oil's emittance ranges from .67 to .87 depending on the sheet thickness and sheet temperature. The emittance derived from the temperature drop was slightly less than the emittance calculated from transmittance data. An investigation of temperature fluctuation upstream of the slit plate was also done. The fluctuations were determined to be negligible, not affecting the temperature drop which was due to radiation.

Englehart, Amy N.↗
NASA NTRS1996

On-Line Measurement of Heat of Combustion of Gaseous Hydrocarbon Fuel Mixtures

A method for the on-line measurement of the heat of combustion of gaseous hydrocarbon fuel mixtures has been developed and tested. The method involves combustion of a test gas with a measured quantity of air to achieve a preset concentration of oxygen in the combustion products. This method involves using a controller which maintains the fuel (gas) volumetric flow rate at a level consistent with the desired oxygen concentration in the combustion products. The heat of combustion is determined form a known correlation with the fuel flow rate. An on-line computer accesses the fuel flow data and displays the heat of combustion measurement at desired time intervals. This technique appears to be especially applicable for measuring heats of combustion of hydrocarbon mixtures of unknown composition such as natural gas.

Sprinkle, Danny R.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Resolution of the buoyancy in the 8-foot high temperature tunnel combustor

Currently, the 8-Foot High Temperature Tunnel (8-Ft. HTT) combustor produces a good profile at only one point (2000 psia and 3650 R with oxygen enrichment). Air is enriched with oxygen (liquid) so that the combustor product gas will contain the volumetric amount of oxygen normally found in air. The oxygen enriched air has a large fraction that is not reacted and flows through the outer periphery of the fuel injector. This ring of cold air in addition to the relatively cold walls of the combustor set up buoyancy forces that produce a segregation of relatively cool gases at the bottom of the combustor exit. The basic problem is to produce a test gas that has uniform properties at all combustor conditions. The combustor temperature may be as high as 3700 R or as low as 2000 R. Combustor pressures can be as high as 3500 psia (no oxygen enrichment) and as low as 600 psia. The segregation is most severe with oxygen enriched air, since its temperature is lower and its density is high. The combustor is lined with nickel 201 and can be operated at about 1600 R maximum. A global mixing process is desired that produces an acceptable profile of temperature, species, and velocity at the exit of the combustor. The ultimate goal is a temperature profile with about 100 R variance and about 2 percent variance in oxygen. The exit total temperature must not be lowered significantly by the mixing apparatus or mechanisms employed. If immersed bodies are used, they must also be kept very hot. All combustor wall modifications must be able to survive the heat and structural conditions of the varied operating conditions. Our approach to resolving this issue is being conducted in three stages: (1) Consider mixing exclusively, (2) Resolve the heat transfer concerns resulting from the chosen mixing strategy, and (3) Solve the material and structural problems resulting from stages (1) and (2). Since the 8-Ft. HTT is unavailable for experimentation, the study is conducted exclusively with computational fluid dynamic (CPD) codes (Fluent/Uns and Rampant 3.1) using unstructured grid through body fitted coordinates. Both CFD codes are general purpose Navier-Stokes solution packages that can solve integral conservation equations for conservation of mass, momentum and energy. The governing equations are discretized using a control-volume finite-element method on unstructured triangular 2-D grids. In the interest of time, a 3-D tetrahedral grid was used to check the 2-D results on one mixing strategy and the 2-D results were confirmed. Preliminary results indicate that excellent mixing can be achieved with a body placed in the center of the flowing hot fluid with a minor modification to the combustor wall similar to a model positioned in the test section of a wind tunnel. The concept here, is to create longitudinal vortices strong enough to bring both fluids into intimate contact with each other near the wall where the cold fluid resides. However, there may be a trade-off in the choice of mixing strategy, heat transfer and structural requirements. Currently, we are examining the more promising geometries for heat transfer concerns and developing strategies for the material of construction of the center body.

Loney, Norman W.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Flexure fatigue testing of 90 deg graphite/epoxy composites

A great deal of research has been performed characterizing the in-plane fiber-dominated properties, under both static and fatigue loading, of advanced composite materials. To the author's knowledge, no study has been performed to date investigating fatigue characteristics in the transverse direction. This information is important in the design of bonded composite airframe structure where repeated, cyclic out-of-plane bending may occur. Recent tests characterizing skin/stringer debond failures in reinforced composite panels where the dominant loading in the skin is flexure along the edge of the frame indicate failure initiated either in the skin or else the flange, near the flange tip. When failure initiated in the skin, transverse matrix cracks formed in the surface skin ply closest to the flange and either initiated delaminations or created matrix cracks in the next lower ply, which in turn initiated delaminations. When failure initiated in the flanges, transverse cracks formed in the flange angle ply closest to the skin and initiated delamination. In no configuration did failure propagate through the adhesive bond layer. For the examined skin/flange configurations, the maximum transverse tension stress at failure correlates very well with the transverse tension strength of the composites. Transverse tension strength (static) data of graphite epoxy composites have been shown to vary with the volume of material stressed. As the volume of material stressed increased, the strength decreased. A volumetric scaling law based on Weibull statistics can be used to predict the transverse strength measurements. The volume dependence reflects the presence of inherent flaws in the microstructure of the lamina. A similar approach may be taken to determine a volume scale effect on the transverse tension fatigue behavior of graphite/epoxy composites. The objective of this work is to generate transverse tension strength and fatigue S-N characteristics for composite materials using 3-point flexure tests of 90 deg graphite/epoxy specimens. Investigations will include the volume scale effect as well as frequency and span-to-thickness ratio effects. Prior to the start of the experimental study, an analytical study using finite element modeling will be performed to investigate the span-to-thickness effect. The ratio of transverse flexure stress to shear stress will be monitored and its values predicted by the FEM analysis compared with the value obtained using a 'strength of materials' based approach.

Peck, Ann Nancy W.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Multifractal scaling of the kinetic energy flux in solar wind turbulence

The geometrical and scaling properties of the energy flux of the turbulent kinetic energy in the solar wind have been studied. By present experimental technology in solar wind measurements, we cannot directly measure the real volumetric dissipation rate, epsilon(t), but are constrained to represent it by surrogating the energy flux near the dissipation range at the proton gyro scales. There is evidence for the multifractal nature of the so defined dissipation field epsilon(t), a result derived from the scaling exponents of its statistical q-th order moments. The related generalized dimension D(q) has been determined and reveals that the dissipation field has a multifractal structure. which is not compatible with a scale-invariant cascade. The associated multifractal spectrum f(alpha) has been estimated for the first time for MHD turbulence in the solar wind. Its features resemble those obtained for turbulent fluids and other nonlinear multifractal systems. The generalized dimension D(q) can, for turbulence in high-speed streams, be fitted well by the functional dependence of the p-model with a comparatively large parameter, p = 0.87. indicating a strongly intermittent multifractal energy cascade. The experimental value for D(p)/3, if used in the scaling exponent s(p) of the velocity structure function, gives an exponent that can describe some of the observations. The scaling exponent mu of the auto correlation function of epsilon(t) has also been directly evaluated. It has the value of 0.37. Finally. the mean dissipation rate was determined, which could be used in solar wind heating models.

Marsch, E.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Evaluation of high temperature superconductive thermal bridges for space borne cryogenic detectors

Infrared sensor satellites are used to monitor the conditions in the earth's upper atmosphere. In these systems, the electronic links connecting the cryogenically cooled infrared detectors to the significantly warmer amplification electronics act as thermal bridges and, consequently, the mission lifetimes of the satellites are limited due to cryogenic evaporation. High-temperature superconductor (HTS) materials have been proposed by researchers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Langley's Research Center (NASA-LaRC) as an alternative to the currently used manganin wires for electrical connection. The potential for using HTS films as thermal bridges has provided the motivation for the design and the analysis of a spaceflight experiment to evaluate the performance of this superconductive technology in the space environment. The initial efforts were focused on the preliminary design of the experimental system which allows for the quantitative comparison of superconductive leads with manganin leads, and on the thermal conduction modeling of the proposed system. Most of the HTS materials were indicated to be potential replacements for the manganin wires. In the continuation of this multi-year research, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the sources of heat transfer on the thermal bridges that have been neglected in the preliminary conductive model and then to develop a methodology for the estimation of the thermal conductivities of the HTS thermal bridges in space. The Joule heating created by the electrical current through the manganin wires was incorporated as a volumetric heat source into the manganin conductive model. The radiative heat source on the HTS thermal bridges was determined by performing a separate radiant interchange analysis within a high-T(sub c) superconductor housing area. Both heat sources indicated no significant contribution on the cryogenic heat load, which validates the results obtained in the preliminary conduction model. A methodology was presented for the estimation of the thermal conductivities of the individual HTS thermal bridge materials and the effective thermal conductivities of the composite HTS thermal bridges as functions of temperature. This methodology included a sensitivity analysis and the demonstration of the estimation procedure using simulated data with added random errors. The thermal conductivities could not be estimated as functions of temperature; thus the effective thermal conductivities of the HTS thermal bridges were analyzed as constants.

Scott, Elaine P.↗
NASA NTRS1996

A Study of Nucleate Boiling with Forced Convection in Microgravity

Boiling is a rather imprecise term applied to the process of evaporation in which the rate of liquid-vapor phase change is large. In seeking to determine the role and significance of body forces on the process, of which buoyancy or gravity is just one agent, it becomes necessary to define the term more precisely. It is generally characterized by the formation and growth of individual vapor bubbles arising from heat transfer to the liquid, either at a solid/liquid or liquid/liquid interface, or volumetrically. The terms 'bubble' boiling and 'nucleate' boiling are frequently used, in recognition of the interactions of surface tension and other forces in producing discrete bubbles at distinctive locations (although not always). Primary considerations are that evaporation can occur only at existing liquid-vapor interfaces, so that attention must be given to the formation of an interface (the nucleation process), and that the latent heat for this evaporation can come only from the superheated liquid, so that attention must also be given to the temperature distributions in the liquid.

Merte, Herman, Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Bubble Dynamics on a Heated Surface

In this work, we study the combined thermocapillary and natural convective flow generated by a bubble on a heated solid surface. The interaction between gas and vapor bubbles with the surrounding fluid is of interest for both space and ground-based processing. On earth, the volumetric forces are dominant, especially, in apparatuses with large volume to surface ratio. But in the reduced gravity environment of orbiting spacecraft, surface forces become more important and the effects of Marangoni convection are easily unmasked. In order to delineate the roles of the various interacting phenomena, a combined numerical-experimental approach is adopted. The temperature field is visualized using Mach-Zehnder interferometry and the flow field is observed by a laser sheet flow visualization technique. A finite element numerical model is developed which solves the two-dimensional momentum and energy equations and includes the effects of bubble surface deformation. Steady state temperature and velocity fields predicted by the finite element model are in excellent qualitative agreement with the experimental results. A parametric study of the interaction between Marangoni and natural convective flows including conditions pertinent to microgravity space experiments is presented. Numerical simulations clearly indicate that there is a considerable difference between 1-g and low-g temperature and flow fields induced by the bubble.

Kassemi, Mohammad↗
NASA NTRS1995

Correlations of Different Surface Tests: Tire Behavior Math Model for the High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) and Michelin Tire Properties Tests for Boeing 777

In the surfaces correlation study, several different volumetric and drainage measurement techniques for classifying surface texture were evaluated as part of a major study to develop and improve methods for predicting tire friction performance on all types of pavement. The objective of the evaluation was to seek relationships between the different techniques, and to relate those results to surface frictional characteristics. We needed to know how each of the tests could be related to each other. Another of my assigned projects was to make a tire behavior math model for the High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) using the same methods used for the space shuttle a few years ago. A provided third order equation with two variables was used. This model will also be used for studies with the Boeing 777. Only a few changes will be necessary to adapt it for this other aircraft, which is the newest offered by Boeing. In my final project I was involved with testing the tires for this new aircraft using the Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility (ALDF) test carriage within the carriage house at LaRC. A 50 inch diameter radial tire manufactured by Michelin Aircraft Tire Corporation had to be tested to double overload of 114,000 pounds. The rated load of each tire is 57,000 pounds, but Boeing required tests assuming failure of a companion tire that could have cost Michelin approximately $12 million to build a facility to provide the required test capability. Here at LaRC, only minimum modifications to the facility were required to perform this specific test.

Roman, Ivan↗
NASA NTRS1996

Development of Electrochemical Supercapacitors for EMA Applications

A limitation of the typical electrochemical capacitor is the maximum available power and energy density, and an improvement in capacitance per unit weight and volume is needed. A solid-ionomer electrochemical capacitor having a unit cell capacitance greater than 2 F/sq cm and a repeating element thickness of 6 mils has been developed. This capacitor could provide high-current pulses for electromechanical actuation (EMA). Primary project objectives were to develop high-capacitance particulates, to increase capacitor gravimetric and volumetric energy densities above baseline and to fabricate a 10-V capacitor with a repeating element thickness of 6 mils or less. Specific EMA applications were identified and capacitor weight and volume projections made.

Kosek, John A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Wideband Interferometric Sensing and Imaging Polarimetry

Wideband Interferometric Sensing and Imaging Polarimetry (WISIP) has become an important, indispensible tool in wide area military surveillance and global environmental monitoring of the terrestrial and planetary covers. It enables dynamic, real time optimal feature extraction of significant characteristics of desirable targets and/or target sections with simultaneous suppression of undesirable background clutter and propagation path speckle at hitherto unknown clarity and never before achieved quality. WISIP may be adopted to the detection, recognition, and identification (DRI) of any stationary, moving or vibrating targets or distributed scatterer segments versus arbitrary stationary, dynamical changing and/or moving geo-physical/ecological environments, provided the instantaneous 2x2 phasor and 4x4 power density matrices for forward propagation/backward scattering, respectively, can be measured with sufficient accuracy. For example, the DRI of stealthy, dynamically moving inhomogeneous volumetric scatter environments such as precipitation scatter, the ocean/sea/lake surface boundary layers, the littoral coastal surf zones, pack ice and snow or vegetative canopies, dry sands and soils, etc. can now be successfully realized. A comprehensive overview is presented on how these modern high resolution/precision, complete polarimetric co-registered signature sensing and imaging techniques, complemented by full integration of novel navigational electronic tools, such as DGPS, will advance electromagnetic vector wave sensing and imaging towards the limits of physical realization. Various examples utilizing the most recent image data take sets of airborne, space shuttle, and satellite imaging systems demonstrate the utility of WISIP.

Verdi, James Salvatore↗
NASA NTRS1997

A Study of Large Droplet Ice Accretion in the NASA Lewis IRT at Near-Freezing Conditions

Results of experiments designed to determine the effects of large droplet ice accretion on a NACA 23012 wing section are presented. Using primarily an icing condition with a median volumetric diameter droplet size of 160 micron and a liquid water content of 0.82 grams per cubic meter, the effects of various air temperatures, angles of attack, and de-icer boot cycle interval times on ice accretion were studied. Measurements of aerodynamic performance penalties due to the ice accretions were made. Results were also compared with similar tests conducted with a Twin Otter wing section in Part 1 of this study. The form of the ice from the large droplet cloud varied as a function of air total temperature; particularly at the near-freezing temperatures of 28 F to 34 F. Changing boot cycle interval time did not prevent formation of an ice ridge. The most detrimental aerodynamic effects occurred at an air total temperature of 28 F.

Addy, Harold E., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Analysis of Radiation-natural Convection Interactions in 1-g and low-g Environments using the Discrete Exchange Factor Method

A new numerical method is presented for the analysis of combined natural convection and radiation heat transfer with applications in many engineering situations such as materials processing, combustion and fire research. Because of the recent interest in the low gravity environment of space, attention is devoted to both 1-g and low-g applications. The two-dimensional mathematical model is represented by a set of coupled nonlinear integro-partial differential equations. Radiative exchange is formulated using the Discrete Exchange Factor method (DEF). This method considers point to point exchange and provides accurate results over a wide range of radiation parameters. Numerical results show that radiation significantly influences the flow and heat transfer in both low-g and 1-g applications. In the low-g environment, convection is weak, and radiation can easily become the dominant heat transfer mode. It is also shown that volumetric heating by radiation gives rise to an intricate cell pattern in the top heated enclosure.

Kassemi, M.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Real-Time X-Ray Transmission Microscopy of Solidifying Al-In Alloys

Real-time observations of transparent analog materials have provided insight, yet the results of these observations are not necessarily representative of opaque metallic systems. In order to study the detailed dynamics of the solidification process, we develop the technologies needed for real-time X ray microscopy of solidifying metallic systems, which has not previously been feasible with the necessary resolution, speed, and contrast. In initial studies of Al-In monotectic alloys unidirectionally solidified in an X-ray transparent furnace, in situ records of the evolution of interface morphologies, interfacial solute accumulation, and formation of the monotectic droplets were obtained for the first time: A radiomicrograph of Al-30In grown during aircraft parabolic maneuvers is presented, showing the volumetric phase distribution in this specimen. The benefits of using X-ray microscopy for postsolidification metallography include ease of specimen preparation, increased sensitivity, and three-dimensional analysis of phase distribution. Imaging of the solute boundary layer revealed that the isoconcentration lines are not parallel (as is often assumed) to the growth interface. Striations in the solidified crystal did not accurately decorate the interface position and shape. The monotectic composition alloy under some conditions grew in an uncoupled manner.

Curreri, Peter A.↗
NASA NTRS1997

A NASA/University Joint Venture in Space Science (JOVE)

Several papers have been given to national level meeting and a paper has been published in an international journal. Several additional papers have been co-author by students. The initial research project on the Atchafalaya Delta seems to have died in part due to a transfer of the NASA colleague to another location and subsequent reassigment to another job title. I have continued to include credit to NASA for many of my papers presented and published: A major debris flow along the Wasatch front in Northern Ogden; Spatial and volumetric changes in the Atchafalaya delta, Louisiana; An analysis of prehistoric Greenstone artifact in northern Alabama; An assessment of surfacing algorithm; Analysis of georeferencing algorithms to assess spatial accuracy.

Vaughn, Danny M.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Profiled Roller Stress/Fatigue Life Analysis Methodology and Establishment of an Appropriate Stress/Life Exponent

The objective of this work was to determine the three dimensional volumetric stress field, surface pressure distribution and actual contact area between a 0.50" square roller with different crown profiles and a flat raceway surface using Finite Element Analysis. The 3-dimensional stress field data was used in conjunction with several bearing fatigue life theories to extract appropriate values for stress-life exponents. Also, results of the FEA runs were used to evaluate the laminated roller model presently used for stress and life prediction.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1997

Some things we can infer about the Moon from the Composition of the Apollo 16 Regolith

Characteristics of the regolith of Cayley plains as sampled at the Apollo 16 lunar landing site are reviewed and new compositional data are presented for samples of less than 1 mm fines ('soils') and 1-2 mm regolith particles. As a means of determining which of the many primary (igneous) and secondary (crystalline breccias) lithologic components that have been identified in the soil are volumetrically important and providing an estimate of their relative abundances, more than 3 x 10(exp 6) combinations of components representing nearly every lithology that has been observed in the Apollo 16 regolith were systematically tested to determine which combinations best account for the composition of the soils. Conclusions drawn from the modeling include the following. At the site, mature soil from the Cayley plains consists of 64.5% +/- 2.7% components representing 'prebasin' materials: anorthosites, feldspathic breccias, and a small amount (2.6% +/- 1.5% of total soil) of nonmare, mafic plutonic rocks, mostly gabbronorites. On average, these components are highly feldspathic, with average concentrations of 3l-32% Al2O3 and 2-3% FeO and a molar Mg/(Mg+Fe) ratio of O.68. The remaining 36% of the regolith is syn- and postbasin material: 28.8% +/- 2.4% mafic impact-melt breccias (MIMBS, i.e., 'LKFM' and 'VHA basalts') created at the time of basin formation, 6.0% +/- 1.4% mare-derived material (impact and volcanic glass, crystalline basalt) with an average TiO2 concentration of 2.4%, and 1% postbasin meteoritic material. The MIMBs are the principal (80-90%) carrier of incompatible trace elements (rare earths, Th, etc.) and the carrier of about one-half of the siderophile elements and elements associated with mafic mineral phases (Fe, Mg, Mn, Cr, Sc). Most (71 %) of the Fe in the present regolith derives from syn- and postbasin sources (MIMBS, mare-derived material, and meteorites). Thus, although the bulk composition of the Apollo 16 regolith is nominally that of noritic anorthosite, the noritic part (the MIMBs) and anorthositic parts (the prebasin components) are largely unrelated.

Korotev, Randy L.↗
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.↗