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At least 469 records · Page 26

Advanced Power Conditioning System

The second portion of the advanced power conditioning system development program is reported. Five 100-watt parallel power stages with majority-vote-logic feedback-regulator were breadboarded and tested to the design goals. The input voltage range was 22.1 to 57.4 volts at loads from zero to 500 watts. The maximum input ripple current was 200 mA pk-pk (not including spikes) at 511 watts load; the output voltage was 56V dc with a maximum change of 0.89 volts for all variations of line, load, and temperature; the maximum output ripple was 320 mV pk-pk at 512 watts load (dependent on filter capacitance value); the maximum efficiency was 93.9% at 212 watts and 50V dc input; the minimum efficiency was 87.2% at 80-watt load and 50V dc input; the efficiency was above 90% from 102 watts to 372 watts; the maximum excursion for an 80-watt load change was 2.1 volts with a recovery time of 7 milliseconds; and the unit performed within regulation limits from -20 C to +85 C. During the test sequence, margin tests and failure mode tests were run with no resulting degradation in performance.

Johnson, N. L.↗

Investigations of lubricant rheology as applied to elastohydrodynamic lubrication

The pressure viscometer was modified to permit the measurement of viscosity at elevated pressures and shear stresses up to 5 x 10 to the 6th power N/sq m (720 psi). This shear stress is within a factor of three of the shear stress occurring in a sliding ehd point contact such as occurs in the ehd simulator. Viscosity data were taken on five lubricant samples, and it was found that viscous heating effects on the viscosity were predominant and not non-Newtonian behavior at the high shear stresses. The development of the infrared temperature measuring technique for the ehd simulator was completed, and temperature data for a set of operating conditions and one lubricant are reported. The numerical analysis of the behavior of nonlinear lubricants in the lubrication of rollers is reported.

Carlson, S.↗

Wind tunnel test on a 1/4.622 Froude scale, hingeless rotor, tilt rotor model, volume 1

Wing tunnel test data on a 1/4.622 Froude scale, hingeless rotor, tilt rotor mode are reported for all potential flight conditions through hover and a wide envelope of transitions. A mathematical model was used to describe the rotor system in real time simulation by means of regression analyses. Details of the model, test program and data system are provided together with four data files for hover and transition.

Magee, J. P.↗

Silt-clay aggregates on Mars

Viking observations suggest abundant silt and clay particles on Mars. It is proposed that some of these particles agglomerate to form sand size aggregates that are redeposited as sandlike features such as drifts and dunes. Although the binding for the aggregates could include salt cementation or other mechanisms, electrostatic bonding is considered to be a primary force holding the aggregates together. Various laboratory experiments conducted since the 19th century, and as reported here for simulated Martian conditions, show that both the magnitude and sign of electrical charges on windblown particles are functions of particle velocity, shape and composition, atmospheric pressure, atmospheric composition and other factors. Electrical charges have been measured for saltating particles in the wind tunnel and in the field, on the surfaces of sand dunes, and within dust clouds on earth. Similar, and perhaps even greater, charges are proposed to occur on Mars, which could form aggregates of silt and clay size particles

Greeley, R.↗

Handbook of photothermal test data on encapsulant materials

Laboratory tests performed to characterize candidate encapsulation materials with respect to changes in their physical and chemical properties caused by photothermal aging are described. Several key material properties relating directly to material degradation and deterioration of performance were identified and were monitored as functions of aging conditions and time. A status report on accelerated testing activities is provided and experimental data are presented. It will be updated periodically as more data become available.

Liang, R. H.↗

Remote sensing for rural development planning in Africa

Multilevel remote-sensing techniques were combined to provide land resource and land-use information for rural development planning in Arusha Region, Tanzania. Enhanced Landsat imagery, supplemented by low-level aerial survey data, slope angle data from topographic sheets, and existing reports on vegetation and soil conditions, was used jointly by image analysts and district-level land-management officials to divide the region's six districts into land-planning units. District-planning officials selected a number of these land-planning units for priority planning and development activities. For the priority areas, natural color aerial photographs provided detailed information for land-use planning discussions between district officials and villagers. Consideration of the efficiency of this remote sensing approach leads to general recommendations for similar applications. The technology and timing of data collection and interpretation activities should allow maximum participation by intended users of the information.

Dunford, C.↗

The design and analysis of single flank transmission error tester for loaded gears

To strengthen the understanding of gear transmission error and to verify mathematical models which predict them, a test stand that will measure the transmission error of gear pairs under design loads has been investigated. While most transmission error testers have been used to test gear pairs under unloaded conditions, the goal of this report was to design and perform dynamic analysis of a unique tester with the capability of measuring the transmission error of gears under load. This test stand will have the capability to continuously load a gear pair at torques up to 16,000 in-lb at shaft speeds from 0 to 5 rpm. Error measurement will be accomplished with high resolution optical encoders and the accompanying signal processing unit from an existing unloaded transmission error tester. Input power to the test gear box will be supplied by a dc torque motor while the load will be applied with a similar torque motor. A dual input, dual output control system will regulate the speed and torque of the system. This control system's accuracy and dynamic response were analyzed and it was determined that proportional plus derivative speed control is needed in order to provide the precisely constant torque necessary for error-free measurement.

Bassett, Duane E.↗

Improving the low temperature ductility of NiAl

As part of a study aimed at developing a ductile NiAl-based alloy, ingots of Ni-Fe-Al alloys were cast and hot extruded to rods. The purpose of the iron additions was two-fold viz; to produce a change in the slip vector from 001 to 111 line and, in one alloy, to add a L1(2)-structured ductile second phase. Extruded Ni-20Al-30Fe was two-phase, containing a pro-eutectic B2 phase in a fine lamellar structure of B2+L1(2) phases. Room temperature tensile testing of both single extruded and double extruded alloys resulted in 8-percent and 22-percent plastic elongation and yield stresses of 850 and 760 MPa, respectively. Fracture in both cases occurred by ductile tearing of the eutectic and transgranular cleavage of the proeutectic phase at 1350 MPa. The ductility in double extruded condition is higher than that reported earlier in rapidly solidified wires by Inoue et al. (1984). By comparison, extruded single-phase B2-structured Ni-30Al-20Fe exhibited a fracture strength of 780 MPa, no plasticity, and a mixture of intergranular fracture and transgranular cleavage. This is contrast to earlier work by Inoue et al. where a yield stress of 400 MPa, 5 percent plastic strain, and a mixture of dimple and intergranular fracture was reported.

Guha, Sumit↗

Nonlinear dynamics of global atmospheric and Earth-system processes

General Circulation Model (GCM) studies of the atmospheric response to change boundary conditions are discussed. Results are reported on an extensive series of numerical studies based on the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Climate Model (CCM) general circulation model. In these studies the authors determined the response to systematic changes in atmospheric CO2 ranging from 100 to 1000 ppm; to changes in the prescribed sea surface temperature (SST) in the Gulf of Mexico, such as occurred during the deglaciation phase of the last ice age; to changes in soil moisture over North America; and to changes in sea ice extent in the Southern Hemisphere. Study results show that the response of surface temperature and other variables is nearly logarithmic, with lower levels of CO2 implying greater sensitivity of the atmospheric state to changes in CO2. It was found that the surface temperature of the Gulf of Mexico exerts considerable control over the storm track and behavior of storm systems over the North Atlantic through its influence on evaporation and the source of latent heat. It was found that reductions in soil moisture can play a significant role in amplifying and maintaining North American drought, particularly when a negative soil moisture anomaly prevails late in the spring.

Saltzman, Barry↗

Experimental Study of Heat Transfer to Small Cylinders in a Subsonic, High-temperature Gas Stream

A Nusselt-Reynolds number relation for cylindrical thermocouple wires in crossflow was obtained from the experimental determination of time constants. Tests were conducted in exhaust gas over a temperature range of 2000 to 3400 R, a Mach number range of 0.3 to 0.8, and a static-pressure range from 2/3 to 1-1/3 atmospheres, yielding a Reynolds number range of 450 to 3000. The correlation obtained is Nu=(0.428 plus or minus 0.003) times the square root of Re* with average deviations of a single observation of 8.5 percent. This relation is the same as one previously reported for room-temperature conditions.

GASES, PROPERTIES↗

Research grant handbook

This handbook prescribes policies and procedures relating to the award and administration of NASA research grants and cooperative agreements with educational institutions and other nonprofit organizations. The handbook is divided into six subparts: (1) general; (2) definitions; (3) the process; (4) provisions and special conditions; (5) administration; and (6) reports. The appendix includes a listing of exhibits.

Source record↗

How Dry is the Tropical Free Troposphere? Implications for Global Warming Theory

The humidity of the free troposphere is being increasingly scrutinized in climate research due to its central role in global warming theory through positive water vapor feedback. This feedback is the primary source of global warming in general circulation models (GCMs). Because the loss of infrared energy to space increases nonlinearly with decreases in relative humidity, the vast dry zones in the Tropics are of particular interest. These dry zones are nearly devoid of radiosonde stations, and most of those stations have, until recently, ignored the low humidity information from the sondes. This results in substantial uncertainty in GCM tuning and validation based on sonde data. While satellite infrared radiometers are now beginning to reveal some information about the aridity of the tropical free troposphere, the authors show that the latest microwave humidity sounder data suggests even drier conditions than have been previously reported. This underscores the importance of understanding how these low humidity levels are controlled in order to tune and validate GCMs, and to predict the magnitude of water vapor feedback and thus the magnitude of global warming.

Spencer, Roy W.↗

Real-Time Unsteady Loads Measurements Using Hot-Film Sensors

Several flight-critical aerodynamic problems such as buffet, flutter, stall, and wing rock are strongly affected or caused by abrupt changes in unsteady aerodynamic loads and moments. Advanced sensing and flow diagnostic techniques have made possible simultaneous identification and tracking, in real-time, of the critical surface, viscosity-related aerodynamic phenomena under both steady and unsteady flight conditions. The wind tunnel study reported here correlates surface hot-film measurements of leading edge stagnation point and separation point, with unsteady aerodynamic loads on a NACA 0015 airfoil. Lift predicted from the correlation model matches lift obtained from pressure sensors for an airfoil undergoing harmonic pitchup and pitchdown motions. An analytical model was developed that demonstrates expected stall trends for pitchup and pitchdown motions. This report demonstrates an ability to obtain unsteady aerodynamic loads in real-time, which could lead to advances in air vehicle safety, performance, ride-quality, control, and health management.

Mangalam, Arun S.↗

Real-Time Unsteady Loads Measurements Using Hot-Film Sensors

Several flight-critical aerodynamic problems such as buffet, flutter, stall, and wing rock are strongly affected or caused by abrupt changes in unsteady aerodynamic loads and moments. Advanced sensing and flow diagnostic techniques have made possible simultaneous identification and tracking, in realtime, of the critical surface, viscosity-related aerodynamic phenomena under both steady and unsteady flight conditions. The wind tunnel study reported here correlates surface hot-film measurements of leading edge stagnation point and separation point, with unsteady aerodynamic loads on a NACA 0015 airfoil. Lift predicted from the correlation model matches lift obtained from pressure sensors for an airfoil undergoing harmonic pitchup and pitchdown motions. An analytical model was developed that demonstrates expected stall trends for pitchup and pitchdown motions. This report demonstrates an ability to obtain unsteady aerodynamic loads in real time, which could lead to advances in air vehicle safety, performance, ride-quality, control, and health management.

Mangalam, Arun S.↗

Agent-Based Chemical Plume Tracing Using Fluid Dynamics

This paper presents a rigorous evaluation of a novel, distributed chemical plume tracing algorithm. The algorithm is a combination of the best aspects of the two most popular predecessors for this task. Furthermore, it is based on solid, formal principles from the field of fluid mechanics. The algorithm is applied by a network of mobile sensing agents (e.g., robots or micro-air vehicles) that sense the ambient fluid velocity and chemical concentration, and calculate derivatives. The algorithm drives the robotic network to the source of the toxic plume, where measures can be taken to disable the source emitter. This work is part of a much larger effort in research and development of a physics-based approach to developing networks of mobile sensing agents for monitoring, tracking, reporting and responding to hazardous conditions.

Zarzhitsky, Dimitri↗

STS-114 Flight Day 13 and 14 Highlights

On Flight Day 13, the crew of Space Shuttle Discovery on the STS-114 Return to Flight mission (Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot James Kelly, Mission Specialists Soichi Noguchi, Stephen Robinson, Andrew Thomas, Wendy Lawrence, and Charles Camarda) hear a weather report from Mission Control on conditions at the shuttle's possible landing sites. The video includes a view of a storm at sea. Noguchi appears in front of a banner for the Japanese Space Agency JAXA, displaying a baseball signed by Japanese MLB players, demonstrating origami, displaying other crafts, and playing the keyboard. The primary event on the video is an interview of the whole crew, in which they discuss the importance of their mission, lessons learned, shuttle operations, shuttle safety and repair, extravehicular activities (EVAs), astronaut training, and shuttle landing. Mission Control dedicates the song "A Piece of Sky" to the Shuttle crew, while the Earth is visible below the orbiter. The video ends with a view of the Earth limb lit against a dark background.

Source record↗