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At least 469 records · Page 26

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NASA NTRS2013

Design and Execution of the Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator Large-Article Wind Tunnel Experiment

The testing of 3- and 6-meter diameter Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) test articles was completed in the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex 40 ft x 80 ft Wind Tunnel test section. Both models were stacked tori, constructed as 60 degree half-angle sphere cones. The 3-meter HIAD was tested in two configurations. The first 3-meter configuration utilized an instrumented flexible aerodynamic skin covering the inflatable aeroshell surface, while the second configuration employed a flight-like flexible thermal protection system. The 6-meter HIAD was tested in two structural configurations (with and without an aft-mounted stiffening torus near the shoulder), both utilizing an instrumented aerodynamic skin.

Cassell, Alan M.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Optical Alignment of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Star Trackers

The optical alignment of the star trackers on the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) core spacecraft at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) was challenging due to the layout and structural design of the GPM Lower Bus Structure (LBS) in which the star trackers are mounted as well as the presence of the star tracker shades that blocked line-of-sight to the primary star tracker optical references. The initial solution was to negotiate minor changes in the original LBS design to allow for the installation of a removable item of ground support equipment (GSE) that could be installed whenever measurements of the star tracker optical references were needed. However, this GSE could only be used to measure secondary optical reference cube faces not used by the star tracker vendor to obtain the relationship information and matrix transformations necessary to determine star tracker alignment. Unfortunately, due to unexpectedly large orthogonality errors between the measured secondary adjacent cube faces and the lack of cube calibration data, we required a method that could be used to measure the same reference cube faces as originally measured by the vendor. We describe an alternative technique to theodolite auto-collimation for measurement of an optical reference mirror pointing direction when normal incidence measurements are not possible. This technique was used to successfully align the GPM star trackers and has been used on a number of other NASA flight projects. We also discuss alignment theory as well as a GSFC-developed theodolite data analysis package used to analyze angular metrology data.

Hetherington, Samuel↗

NASA NTRS2020

An Initial Concept for a JUMP Mating Mechanism

Lunar landers currently under development for crew and cargo missions to the Moon are limited by the available boosters to launch them from Earth. Most landers are being developed for commercial launch vehicles (CLVs) in the Falcon Heavy / Vulcan / New Glenn / Atlas V class, limiting their performance with many lunar surface studies consequently restricted to 5-10 metric ton payloads. The JUMP Lander (Joinable Undercarriage to Maximize Payload) attempts to overcome this limitation by performing an in-space mating, linking multiple landers together. This research provides an initial proof of concept demonstration that two or more CLV-launched lunar landers can be mated in-space to produce a larger lander with greater payload capacity. Multiple rockets have been connected hundreds if not thousands of times in spaceflight history. An example is the space shuttle. The External Tank-Orbiter interface is an example where the 100-ton Orbiter is bolted to the side of the External Tank. This example serves as a concept metaphor for JUMP where a system of bolts is used as the mating system. This paper performs a high-level sizing analysis of the bolt, including the structural connection to each lander and the physical dimensions of the bolt, given the projected lander and payload masses. It sizes the necessary motors to perform the in-space mating and describes the motor to bolt integration. It describes the mounting and translation for the bolt-motor assembly, including structural supports, physical stops, and range of travel. It discusses active-active and active-passive implementations for the mating system and post-mating options to jettison no-longer-needed components of the assembly, including a discussion of benefits of jettisoning or not jettisoning. Finally, forward work for the mating mechanism and overall JUMP Lander concept is described.

Lunar Lander↗

NASA NTRS1980

Development of a facility for large-scale testing of multistory buildings

Current experimental research pertaining to response of structures subjected to lateral loads such as strong winds or earthquake motions is limited to either tests of single structural components or small scale multistory structures. The feasibility of developing a facility where large scale multistory structures could be loaded to failure is discussed. The test facility would consist of a series of hydraulic actuators mounted on reaction frames currently in use at the Marshall Space Flight Center for structural testing of spacecraft components. The actuators would be controlled from signals computed by an on-line analysis of measured data. This method of loading could be used to simulate inertial forces resisted by a structure behaving in the non linear range of response subjected to motion at the base or to impulses along the height as would occur during a strong earthquake or wind.

Abrams, D. P.↗

NASA NTRS1995

SOFIA 2 model telescope wind tunnel test report

This document outlines the tests performed to make aerodynamic force and torque measurements on the SOFIA wind tunnel model telescope. These tests were performed during the SOFIA 2 wind tunnel test in the 14 ft wind tunnel during the months of June through August 1994. The test was designed to measure the dynamic cross elevation moment acting on the SOFIA model telescope due to aerodynamic loading. The measurements were taken with the telescope mounted in an open cavity in the tail section of the SOFIA model 747. The purpose of the test was to obtain an estimate of the full scale aerodynamic disturbance spectrum, by scaling up the wind tunnel results (taking into account differences in sail area, air density, cavity dimension, etc.). An estimate of the full scale cross elevation moment spectrum was needed to help determine the impact this disturbance would have on the telescope positioning system requirements. A model of the telescope structure, made of a light weight composite material, was mounted in the open cavity of the SOFIA wind tunnel model. This model was mounted via a force balance to the cavity bulkhead. Despite efforts to use a 'stiff' balance, and a lightweight model, the balance/telescope system had a very low resonant frequency (37 Hz) compared to the desired measurement bandwidth (1000 Hz). Due to this mechanical resonance of the balance/telescope system, the balance alone could not provide an accurate measure of applied aerodynamic force at the high frequencies desired. A method of measurement was developed that incorporated accelerometers in addition to the balance signal, to calculate the aerodynamic force.

Keas, Paul↗

NASA NTRS1992

High temperature superconducting infrared imaging satellite

A low earth orbiting platform for an infrared (IR) sensor payload is examined based on the requirements of a Naval Research Laboratory statement of work. The experiment payload is a 1.5-meter square by 0.5-meter high cubic structure equipped with the imaging system, radiators, and spacecraft mounting interface. The orbit is circular at 509 km (275 nmi) altitude and 70 deg. inclination. The spacecraft is three-axis stabilized with pointing accuracy of plus or minus 0.5 deg. in each axis. The experiment payload requires two 15-minute sensing periods over two contiguous orbit periods for 30 minutes of sensing time per day. The spacecraft design is presented for launch via a Delta 2 rocket. Subsystem designs include attitude control, propulsion, electric power, telemetry, tracking and command, thermal design, structure, and cost analysis.

Angus, B.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Cryogenic-Compatible Winchester Connector Mount and Retaining System for Composite Tubes

A connector retainer and mounting system has been designed to replace screw-mounting of Winchester connectors. Countersunk screws are normally used to secure connectors to structures, and to keep them from coming apart. These screws are normally put into threaded or through-holes in metallic structures. This unique retainer is designed such that integral posts keep the connector halves retained, and a groove permits a cable tie to be fastened around the retainer and composite tube, thus securing the connector to the structure. The system is compatible for use on cryogenic (and conventional) bonded composite tube assemblies. Screws and tapped/through-holes needed to retain and mount Winchester connectors cannot be used on blind-access composite tubes. This system allows for rapid installation, removal, low-molecular-outgassing materials, and particulate-free installation and removal. Installation and/or changes late in the integration, and test flow with limited access in a cleanroom environment are possible. No sanding or bonding is needed.

Pontius, James↗

NASA NTRS2017

The STAR-X X-Ray Telescope Assembly (XTA)

The Survey and Time-domain Astrophysical Research eXplorer (STAR-X) science goals are to discover what powers the most violent explosions in the Universe, understand how black holes grow across cosmic time and mass scale, and measure how structure formation heats the majority of baryons in the Universe. To achieve these goals, STAR-X requires a powerful X-ray telescope with a large field of view, large collecting area, and excellent point spread function. The STAR-X instrument, the X-Ray Telescope Assembly (XTA), meets these requirements using a powerful X-ray mirror technology based on precision-polished single crystal silicon and a mature CCD detector technology. The XTA is composed of three major subsystems: an X-ray Mirror Assembly (MA) of high resolution, lightweight mirror segments fabricated out of single crystal silicon; a Focal Plane Assembly (FPA) made of back-illuminated CCD's capable of detecting X-rays with excellent quantum efficiency; and a composite Telescope Tube that structurally links the MA and FPA. The MA consists of 5,972 silicon mirror segments mounted into five subassemblies called meta-shells. A meta-shell is constructed from an annular central structural shell covered with interlocking layers of mirror segments. This paper describes the requirements, design, and analysis of the XTA subsystems with particular focus on the MA.

NGXO↗

NASA NTRS2022

Lithium-ion Battery Strain Gauge Monitoring and Depth of Discharge Estimation

Lithium-ion battery diagnostics and prognostics rely on measurements of electrical impedance, capacity, and voltage to infer the internal state of the battery. Mechanical changes to the cell structure represent an additional measure of the battery’s state because these changes are related to the overall battery health. As lithium-ion batteries are charged and discharged, lithium ions are inserted or removed from the anode and cathode, a process called intercalation and de-intercalation. As lithium ions intercalate and de-intercalate, they can cause changes to the lattice of the electrode particles, resulting in volumetric changes. These volumetric changes cause mechanical stresses and strains on the lithium-ion battery electrodes, and subsequently, the whole cell’s thickness varies as it is charged and discharged. This paper presents a study on the use of surface-mounted strain gauges for in-situ measurement of structural changes to lithium-ion batteries, along with a characterization of the unit-to-unit differences in strain response. A neural network modeling structure is then used to predict the battery’s depth of discharge under dynamic discharge conditions.

Lithium-ion batteries, depth of discharge, strain ↗

NASA NTRS1992

Development of a precision, six-axis laboratory dynamometer

This paper describes the design, fabrication, test, and operation of a unique six axis force/torque dynamometer The specimen table used to hold components under test is supported in a full six axis kinematic mount. Support struts fabricated from high strength steel with special integral two axis flexures link the specimen table to the load cell transducers. Realtime force/torque coordinate transform, root mean squared calculation, and data averaging, and color six axis display with controllable scaling are provided by a specially programmed desktop computer. The extensive structural analysis and design optimization required to obtain a stiff, well damped, lightweight structure is described in detail. Geometric optimization of the kinematic mount and fabrication details of the struts are also described.

P. J. Champagne↗

DOE OSTI2023

Systems and methods for maintaining structures

A motorized apparatus includes a body assembly and a maintenance device mounted to the body assembly. The maintenance device is configured to perform a service operation on a surface. The maintenance device extends from the body assembly at an angle. The motorized apparatus also includes a plurality of leg assemblies coupled to the body assembly and configured to support the body assembly and the maintenance device at a distance from the surface. The motorized apparatus further includes at least one actuator assembly coupled to the plurality of leg assemblies and configured to independently actuate each leg assembly of the plurality of leg assemblies. The at least one actuator assembly is configured to receive instructions related to a position of the maintenance device and actuate the plurality of leg assemblies to adjust an orientation of the body assembly and the maintenance device relative to the surface.

Duncan, Alexander Kyle↗

NASA NTRS1981

Space Shuttle main engine nozzle-steerhorn dynamics

On two occasions during the Space Shuttle main engine development, the LH2 feedline (called the steerhorn, because of its shape) failed during the cutoff transient. A dynamic test was undertaken, and an analytical model was developed and correlated to the dynamic test. Detailed models of the tube bundle were required to obtain the equivalent shell coefficients. All-shell models of the nozzle wall were found better than beam-shell models. The most difficult part of the structure to simulate was the felt-metal pad between the feedline and its mount, which introduced nonlinear stiffness and damping and led to the use of separate low amplitude and high amplitude models. The total structure was found to have 400 modes in the frequency range of interest, 0 to 500 Hz. Good test analysis correlation was obtained and a modified feedline configuration was found to demonstrate a 40% reduction of response stress from the original configuration.

Kiefling, L.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Optimization of COMPASS-U Support Structure

The global support structure for Compass Upgrade (COMPASS-U) employs many bolted and pinned components to improve the manufacturability of the whole structures. This is a departure from other designs used for highly loaded tokamaks, like Alcator C-Mod which used large forgings. Modeling of the numerous connections and interfaces was a challenge. This article will describe how to optimize the C-frame support structure with the goal to eliminate differential displacements at those interfaces and, importantly, minimize toroidal mutual displacement at the sliding joint of the toroidal field (TF) coils. The global support structure consists of 16 C-frames, and it can be simplified as a 1/8th cyclic symmetry model due to the eight vertical rods mounting that connect bottom CS and PF1-3 assemblies to the C-frames. Structure variants with different connection webs between two neighboring C-frames have been analyzed. The preloading of bolts can be split into several preload substeps to simulate the real assembly process of the COMPASS-U support structure. Additionally, the TF crown and the wedge plate can be further improved to become a solid part to better hold the TF coils.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS2012

Focal Plane Alignment Utilizing Optical CMM

In many applications, an optical detector has to be located relative to mechanical reference points. One solution is to specify stringent requirements on (1) mounting the optical detector relative to the chip carrier, (2) soldering the chip carrier onto the printed circuit board (PCB), and (3) installing the PCB to the mechanical structure of the subsystem. Figure 1 shows a sketch of an optical detector mounted relative to mechanical reference with high positional accuracy. The optical detector is typically a fragile wafer that cannot be physically touched by any measurement tool. An optical coordinate measuring machine (CMM) can be used to position optical detectors relative to mechanical reference points. This approach will eliminate all requirements on positional tolerances. The only requirement is that the PCB is manufactured with oversized holes. An exaggerated sketch of this situation is shown in Figure 2. The sketch shows very loose tolerances on mounting the optical detector in the chip carrier, loose tolerance on soldering the chip carrier to the PCB, and finally large tolerance on where the mounting screws are located. The PCB is held with large screws and oversized holes. The PCB is mounted loosely so it can move freely around. The optical CMM measures the mechanical reference points. Based on these measurements, the required positions of the optical detector corners can be calculated. The optical CMM is commanded to go to the position where one detector corner is supposed to be. This is indicated with the cross-hairs in Figure 2(a). This figure is representative of the image of the optical CMM monitor. Using a suitable tapping tool, the PCB is manually tapped around until the corner of the optical detector is at the crosshairs of the optical CMM. The CMM is commanded to another corner, and the process is repeated a number of times until all corners of the optical detector are within a distance of 10 to 30 microns of the required position. The situation is sketched in Figure 2(b) (the figure also shows the tapping tool and where to tap). At this point the fasteners for the PCB are torqued slightly so the PCB can still move. The PCB location is adjusted again with the tapping tool. This process is repeated 3 to 4 times until the final torque is achieved. The oversized mounting holes are then filled with a liquid bonding agent to secure the board in position (not shown in the sketch). A 10- to 30-micron mounting accuracy has been achieved utilizing this method..

Liebe, Carl Christian↗

NASA NTRS1996

[Two-phase Interfaces in Weak External Fields]

Our aim has been that of understanding from first principles the behavior of two-phase interfaces in the absence of gravitational constraints. This is fundamental to our ability to deal with the fluid structures that abound in the real biological, chemical, and physical world. A substantial effort was mounted to determine how familiar hydrodynamic concepts have to be modified and interpreted to make them appropriate to the multi-level structure alluded to above. This was primarily in the context of the microscopic symmetric pressure tensor, which was, for the first time, expressed in the invaluable density functional format, and the used to follow the predictions of popular microscopic models of the energetics of interfacial systems. In the course of these investigations, the previous murky relation between pressure tensor and thermodynamics was completely clarified. The process of extending thermodynamic information to interfacial dynamics was initiated along two paths. One was from the viewpoint of an inertialess lattice gas, resulting in the surprising conclusion that at this level, all transport is governed by precisely the thermodynamic free energy, albeit with a non-trivial effective particle mobility. The other aimed at understanding the fashion in which slow macroscopic motions, accounted for by a time-varying microscopic energy, generate effective hydrodynamic parameters. By examining a solvable model system, it was found that all current procedures for doing so are deficient, and suitable alleviation suggested. The major effect of this project was to set the stage for the analysis of the substantial dynamical regimes in which extensive equilibrium information provides the dominant background. This produces a smooth junction to the models of Araki and Munakata, Giacomin and Lebowitz, and Oxtoby. It is also crucial to our understanding of the complex interfacial equilibrium configurations required for intermediate stages of two-phase separation, for which the "phase-field" techniques we have been developing are uniquely effective. And it puts us within striking range of the physical experiments that can provide incisive tests of the theoretical framework.

Percus, J. K.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Torque sensor having a spoked sensor element support structure

Piezoelectric sensor devices are attached across pairs of circularly arranged spokes arrayed on the periphery of an annular ring. The sensor devices each include a preloaded steel ball mounting arrangement for mounting a piezoelectric sensor element. A first circular interface plate on one side of the sensor structure attaches to alternate one of the spokes, and a circular interface plate on the opposite side of the same diameter as the first interface plate attaches to the remaining spokes.

Lurie, Boris J.↗

DOE OSTI2023

140° Line of Sight (LOS) Mounting Fixture Prototype for ZNeutron Time of Flight (Z-NToF)

The 140° Line of Sight (LOS) Mounting Fixture Prototype for the Z-Neutron Time of Flight diagnostic (Z-NToF) is a prototype support structure for the NToF Jac Black that will be fielded at Sandia’s Z-Machine. The Mounting Fixture will allow the detector to be properly positioned and aligned horizontally from the load, with manual horizontal and vertical translation capabilities, and a limited manual rotation capability. It attaches overhead I-beams at Sandia’s Z machine 140° location approximately 18m from the average source location. The assembly (1011219955) is shown in Figure 1 below. It is capable of rotating ±20° about the vertical axis of the Jac Black detector and translating ±37.5mm horizontally along the Mounting Plate. Vertical adjustments of ±76.2mm can be made using the Lead Screw. Coarser adjustments are possible by changing the number of plates between the I-Beam Hanger Assemblies and the 5in and changing the position of the clamps on the I-beams at Z.

42 ENGINEERING↗

NASA NTRS1991

Cross-flow vortex structure and transition measurements using multi-element hot films

An experiment on a 45-degree swept wing was conducted to study three-dimensional boundary-layer characteristics using surface-mounted, micro-thin, multi-element hot-film sensors. Cross-flow vortex structure and boundary-layer transition were measured from the simultaneously acquired signals of the hot films. Spanwise variation of the root-mean-square (RMS) hot-film signal show a local minima and maxima. The distance between two minima corresponds to the stationary cross-flow vortex wavelength and agrees with naphthalene flow-visualization results. The chordwise and spanwise variation of amplified traveling (nonstationary) cross-flow disturbance characteristics were measured as Reynolds number was varied. The frequency of the most amplified cross-flow disturbances agrees with linear stability theory.

Agarwal, Naval K.↗