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At least 469 records · Page 26

Hostile environmental conditions facing candidate alloys for the automotive Stirling engine

The materials research program in support of the Automotive Stirling Engine Project focuses on the hot heater head of the engine including the heater head tubes, cylinders, and regenerator housings, which are considered to be the most critical components from a materials viewpoint. The specific areas of investigation in the program involve hydrogen permeability testing, doping of the hydrogen working fluid to reduce permeability rates, oxidation/corrosion studies, creep-rupture evaluation, and assessing effects of hydrogen environment on mechanical properties. Emphasis is placed on the materials challenges that result from the use of hydrogen as the working fluid. Previously announced in STAR as N81-26236

Stephens, J. R.↗

Composites for large transports - Facing the challenge

NASA has undertaken development and test programs in collaboration with the large transport aircraft construction industry, in order to remove existing barriers to the use of composite material primary structures and to assess their advantages in terms of both acquisition cost and mission performance. These programs are expected to reach design technology readiness for wing and fuselage structures by 1988, paving the way for the validation of design and manufacturing methods in the early 1990s. While composites promise a reduction in fuselage manufacturing costs, it is judged that the relative cost of a metallic wing will be more difficult to surpass. Nevertheless, a 40 percent wing weight saving may more than compensate for increased wing structure cost.

Bohon, H. L.↗

The many faces of Capella - A search for rotational modulations and a study of systematic velocities of emission lines in the ultraviolet

The UV spectra of Capella were monitored for fluctuations using IUE instrumentation, and radial velocities of the emission lines were determined. The possible fluctuations were studied from March through April 1981, and radial velocity data were taken over six days in 1982. The Capella surface activity emissions proved to be steady, while redshifts from high excitation were found in the photospheric plasma. Downflows of 100,000 K plasma in the stellar transition zone could produce the redshifts. The FWHMs of the emission lines exceeded the redshift by an order of magnitude, suggesting that the observed excitations could be only averaged values of the dynamics of the outer atmosphere of Capella.

Ayres, T. R.↗

Variable friction secondary seal for face seals

Vibration and stability of a primary seal ring is controlled by a secondary seal system. An inflatable bladder which forms a portion of the secondary seal varies the damping applied to this seal ring. The amplitude of vibration of the primary seal ring is sensed with a proximity probe that is connected to a microprocessor in a control system. The bladder pressure is changed by the control system to mitigate any sensed instability or vibration.

Dirusso, E.↗

Numerical simulation of a turbulent flame stabilized behind a rearward-facing step

Flow of combustible mixtures in a plane channel past a smooth contraction followed by an abrupt expansion, in a typical dump combustor configuration, is modeled by a two-dimensional numerical technique based on the random vortex method. Both the inert and the reacting case are considered. In the latter, the flame is treated as an interface, self-advancing at a prescribed normal burning speed, while the dynamic effects of expansion due to the exothermicity of combustion are expressed by volumetric source lines delineated by its front. Solutions are shown to be in satisfactory agreement with experimental results, especially with respect to global properties such as the average velocity profiles and the reattachment length. The stochastic turbulent velocity components manifest interesting differences, especially near the walls where three-dimensional effects of turbulence are expected to be of importance.

Hsiao, C. C.↗

Three-dimensional numerical predictions of the flow behind a rearward-facing-step in a supersonic combustor

A CFD code was developed to compute the mixing and combustion of hydrogen fuel in the turbulent flow fields of scramjets. The code is based on the complete Reynold's time-averaged three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations, and chemical species equations. The code includes a global finite rate hydrogen-air chemical reaction model and the Baldwin-Lomax (1978) turbulence model. The validity of this CFD code was demonstrated by comparing computed results from the code with existing data for three configurations, each containing an important feature of the scramjet combustor flow. The code was then applied to the reacting flow field in a complex combustor model in which hydrogen fuel was injected transversely into a supersonic hot airstream through several fuel injectors.

Uenishi, K.↗

Thermal effects in two-phase flow through face seals

When liquid is sealed at high temperature, it flashes inside the seal due to pressure drop and/or viscous heat dissipation. Two-phase seals generally exhibit more erratic behavior than their single phase counterparts. Thermal effects, which are often neglected in single phase seal analyses, play an important role in determining seal behavior under two-phase operation. It is necessary to consider the heat generation due to viscous shear, conduction into the seal rings and convection with the leakage flow. Analytical models developed work reasonably well at the two extremes - for low leakage rates when convection is neglected and for higher leakage rates when conduction is neglected. A preliminary model, known as the Film Coefficient Model, is presented which considers conduction and convection both, and allows continuous boiling over an extended region unlike the previous low-leakage rate model which neglects convection and always forces a discrete boiling interface. Another simplified, semi-analytical model, based on the assumption of isothermal conditions along the seal interafce, has been developed for low leakage rates. The Film Coefficient Model may be used for more accurate and realistic description.

Basu, Prithwish↗

Local synthesis and tooth contact analysis of face-milled spiral bevel gears

A new approach is proposed for the local synthesis of spiral bevel gears. The approach provides contact at the mean contact point with the desired deviation of the transmission error function by a predesigned parabolic function. The orientation of the contact path on the gear tooth surface and the length of the major axis of the instantaneous contact ellipse are also included in the analysis. A tooth contact analysis (TCA) computer program was developed to simulate meshing and contact of the gear tooth surfaces. A numerical example of the process is given.

Litvin, F. L.↗

The many faces of F stars - A rotational modulation study of Capella, Procyon, and Caph with the International Ultraviolet Explorer

Far-UV spectroscopy of the F stars Capella, Procyon, and Caph is reported. Although all three stars are regard as chromospherically 'active', none exhibited any sensible rotational modulations, indicating a smooth surface distribution of chromospheric emission. Balancing this nonsolar behavior are a variety of puzzling differences among the three stars. On the one hand, the C IV features of Procyon are narrow, while that of the Capella secondary and Caph are broad; differences in v sin i alone cannot explain the dichotomy. On the other hand, the high-excitation emissions of the Capella secondary and Procyon, but not Caph, exhibit statistically significant redshifts. The significance of these results is discussed in the light of the speculation by Simon and Drake (1989) that the X-ray deficient coronae of the early F dwarfs are produced by classical acoustic heating.

Ayres, Thomas R.↗

Perception of interstellar structure - Facing complexity

Some orthodox notions concerning the structure and evolution of star-forming regions are challenged; it is proposed that they arise largely by a dual process in which conceptual models are fashioned after categories which are in great part reflections of observational limitations, and the models are projected onto interpretations of data. Several examples are discussed. The need for internal support of molecular clouds is questioned. It is suggested that the inverse density-size relation often claimed for clouds and accounted for by several theoretical models is an artifact caused by limited dynamic range column density detectability, selection bias, distance uncertainties, and internal density gradients, and is contradicted by several unbiased surveys. Column density structures mapped with a large spatial and column density dynamic range are found to be dominated by irregular, connected, and nested forms on all sides. These features and a technique for the quantification of the complex structure are illustrated with a densely-sampled column density image of the Taurus region constructed from IRAS data.

Scalo, John↗

Facing page test for the astronaut science advisor presentation

The goal of the Astronaut Science Advisor (ASA) project is to improve the scientific return of experiments performed in space by providing astronaut experimenters with an 'intelligent assistant' that encapsulates much of the domain- and experiment-related knowledge commanded by the Principal Investigator (PI) on the ground. By using expert systems technology and the availability of flight-qualified personal computers, it is possible to encode the requisite knowledge and make it available to astronauts as they perform experiments in space. The system performs four major functions: diagnosis and troubleshooting of experiment apparatus, data collection, protocol management, and detection of interesting data. The experiment used for development of the system measures human adaptation to weightlessness in the context of the neurovestibular system. This so-called 'Rotating Dome' experiment was flown on the recent Spacelab Life Sciences One (SLS-1) Mission. This mission was used as an opportunity to test some of the system's functionality. Experiment data was downlinked from the orbiter, and the system then captured the data and analyzed it in real time. The system kept track of the time being used by the experiment, recognized occurrences of interesting data, summarized data statistically and generated potential new protocols that could be used to optimize the course of the experiment.

Compton, Michael M.↗

Revealing the face of Venus: Magellan

An overview of the Magellan spacecraft and mission is presented. Topics covered include: a description of the Magellan spacecraft; Venus geology; Venus gravity; synthetic aperture radar; and radar sensing.

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