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At least 523 records · Page 29
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

State Estimation of Main Rotor Flap and Lead-Lag Using Accelerometers and Laser Transducers on the RASCAL UH-60 Helicopter

Modern rotorcraft flight control system designs which promise to yield high vehicle response bandwidth and good gust rejection can benefit from the use of rotor-state feedbacks. The measurement of main rotor blade motions is also desirable to validate and improve rotorcraft simulation models, to identify high-order linear flight dynamics models, to provide rotor system health monitoring; during flight test, and to provide for correlation with acoustic measurements from wind tunnel and flight tests. However, few attempts have been made to instrument a flight vehicle in this manner, and no previous system has had the robustness and accuracy required for these diverse applications. A rotor blade motion measurement and estimation system has been developed by NASA and the U.S. Army for use on the Rotorcraft Aircrew Systems Concepts Airborne Laboratory (RASCAL) helicopter. RASCAL is a UH-60 Blackhawk which is being modified at Ames Research Center in a phased development program for use in flight dynamics and controls, navigation, airspace management, and rotorcraft human factors research. The aircraft will feature a full-authority, digital, fly-by-wire research flight control system; a coupled ring laser gyro, differential GPS based navigation system; a stereoscopic color wide field of view helmet, mounted display; programmable panel mounted displays; and advanced navigation sensors. The rotor blade motion system is currently installed for data acquisition only, but will be integrated with the research flight control system when it is installed later this year.

Fletcher, Jay W.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Fast Offset Laser Phase-Locking System

Figure 1 shows a simplified block diagram of an improved optoelectronic system for locking the phase of one laser to that of another laser with an adjustable offset frequency specified by the user. In comparison with prior systems, this system exhibits higher performance (including higher stability) and is much easier to use. The system is based on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and operates almost entirely digitally; hence, it is easily adaptable to many different systems. The system achieves phase stability of less than a microcycle. It was developed to satisfy the phase-stability requirement for a planned spaceborne gravitational-wave-detecting heterodyne laser interferometer (LISA). The system has potential terrestrial utility in communications, lidar, and other applications. The present system includes a fast phasemeter that is a companion to the microcycle-accurate one described in High-Accuracy, High-Dynamic-Range Phase-Measurement System (NPO-41927), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 31, No. 6 (June 2007), page 22. In the present system (as in the previously reported one), beams from the two lasers (here denoted the master and slave lasers) interfere on a photodiode. The heterodyne photodiode output is digitized and fed to the fast phasemeter, which produces suitably conditioned, low-latency analog control signals which lock the phase of the slave laser to that of the master laser. These control signals are used to drive a thermal and a piezoelectric transducer that adjust the frequency and phase of the slave-laser output. The output of the photodiode is a heterodyne signal at the difference between the frequencies of the two lasers. (The difference is currently required to be less than 20 MHz due to the Nyquist limit of the current sampling rate. We foresee few problems in doubling this limit using current equipment.) Within the phasemeter, the photodiode-output signal is digitized to 15 bits at a sampling frequency of 40 MHz by use of the same analog-to-digital converter (ADC) as that of the previously reported phasemeter. The ADC output is passed to the FPGA, wherein the signal is demodulated using a digitally generated oscillator signal at the offset locking frequency specified by the user. The demodulated signal is low-pass filtered, decimated to a sample rate of 1 MHz, then filtered again. The decimated and filtered signal is converted to an analog output by a 1 MHz, 16-bit digital-to-analog converters. After a simple low-pass filter, these analog signals drive the thermal and piezoelectric transducers of the laser.

Shaddock, Daniel↗
NASA NTRS1987

Analysis of intrapulse chirp in CO2 oscillators

Pulsed single-frequency CO2 laser oscillators are often used as transmitters for coherent lidar applications. These oscillators suffer from intrapulse chirp, or dynamic frequency shifting. If excessive, such chirp can limit the signal-to-noise ratio of the lidar (by generating excess bandwidth), or limit the velocity resolution if the lidar is of the Doppler type. This paper describes a detailed numerical model that considers all known sources of intrapulse chirp. Some typical predictions of the model are shown, and simple design rules to minimize chirp are proposed.

Moody, Stephen E.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Transition probabilities in OH A 2 sigma + - X 2 pi i: Bands with v prime = 0 and 1, v double prime = 0 to 4

Experimental results for relative vibrational band transition probabilities for v prime = 0 and 1, and v double prime = 0 to 4 in the A-X electronic system of OH are presented. The measurements, part of a larger set involving v prime = 0 to 4 and v double prime = 0 to 6, were made using spectrally dispersed laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) in the burnt gases of a flame. These Einstein coefficients will be useful in dynamics experiments for quantitative LIF determinations of OH radical concentrations in high v double prime.

Copeland, Richard A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Experimental investigation of a supersonic swept ramp injector using laser-induced iodine fluorescence

Planar measurements of injectant mole fraction and temperature have been conducted in a nonreacting supersonic combustor configured with underexpanded injection in the base of a swept ramp. The temperature measurements were conducted with a Mach 2 test section inlet in streamwise planes perpendicular to the test section wall on which the ramp was mounted. Injection concentration measurements, conducted in cross flow planes with both Mach 2 and Mach 2.9 free stream conditions, dramatically illustrate the domination of the mixing process by streamwise vorticity generated by the ramp. These measurements, conducted using a nonintrusive optical technique (laser-induced iodine fluorescence), provide an accurate and extensive experimental data base for the validation of computation fluid dynamic codes for the calculation of highly three-dimensional supersonic combustor flow fields.

Hartfield, Roy J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Experimental investigation of vortex-fin interaction

An experimental investigation has been conducted to examine the mechanisms of vortex-fin interaction on a twin-fin configuration. The investigation included a parametric study of the effect of tail location. The vortices were generated by a 76 deg sharp-edged delta wing with vertical tails mounted behind the wing. The model included both a dynamically-scaled flexible tail and a pressure instrumented rigid tail. Surface oil-flow patterns, off-body laser light sheet visualizations, aerodynamic load measurements, mean and unsteady flexible tail response, and unsteady tail surface pressure measurements were obtained. The results show that the tail location did not affect the upstream trajectory of the delta wing vortex. The tail location did affect the location of vortex breakdown, the global structure of the flow field, the aerodynamic loads, and the fin buffeting levels. The buffeting levels were reduced as the fins were moved laterally toward the vortex core trajectory. Two distinct peaks were observed in the pressure excitation spectra in the post-breakdown flow. Finally, the presence of the flexible tail opposite the rigid pressure tail altered the pressure measurements at one angle of attack.

Washburn, Anthony E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Some aspects of unsteady separation

Unsteady separation can be forced in a variety of ways and in this presentation two fundamental means will be considered: (1) the introduction of convected vorticular disturbances into the flow; and (2) the influence of a specific type of three-dimensional geometry. In both situations a response of the viscous flow near the wall is provoked wherein the fluid near the surface abruptly focuses into a narrow region that erupts from the surface into the mainstream. In two-dimensional flows, the eruption takes the form of a narrow, explosively-growing spike, while in three-dimensional situations, examples are presented which indicate that the eruption is along a narrow zone in the shape of a crescent-shaped plume. The nature of the three-dimensional flow near a circular cylinder, which is mounted normal to a flat plate, is also examined in this study. Here the three-dimensional geometry induces complex three-dimensional separations periodically. The dynamics of the generation process is studied experimentally in a water channel using hydrogen bubble wires and a laser sheet, and the main features of the laminar regime through to transition are documented.

Smith, C. R.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Experimental Investigation of the Near Wall Flow Structure of a Low Reynolds Number 3-D Turbulent Boundary Layer

Laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) measurements and hydrogen bubble flow visualization techniques were used to examine the near-wall flow structure of 2D and 3D turbulent boundary layers (TBLs) over a range of low Reynolds numbers. The goals of this research were (1) an increased understanding of the flow physics in the near wall region of turbulent boundary layers,(2) to observe and quantify differences between 2D and 3D TBL flow structures, and (3) to document Reynolds number effects for 3D TBLs. The LDV data have provided results detailing the turbulence structure of the 2D and 3D TBLs. These results include mean Reynolds stress distributions, flow skewing results, and U and V spectra. Effects of Reynolds number for the 3D flow were also examined. Comparison to results with the same 3D flow geometry but at a significantly higher Reynolds number provided unique insight into the structure of 3D TBLs. While the 3D mean and fluctuating velocities were found to be highly dependent on Reynolds number, a previously defined shear stress parameter was discovered to be invariant with Reynolds number. The hydrogen bubble technique was used as a flow visualization tool to examine the near-wall flow structure of 2D and 3D TBLs. Both the quantitative and qualitative results displayed larger turbulent fluctuations with more highly concentrated vorticity regions for the 2D flow.

FLOW VISUALIZATION↗
NASA NTRS2001

Measurement of Separated Flow Structures Using a Multiple-Camera DPIV System

A novel multiple-camera system for the recording of digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) images acquired in a two-dimensional separating/reattaching flow is described. The measurements were performed in the NASA Langley Subsonic Basic Research Tunnel as part of an overall series of experiments involving the simultaneous acquisition of dynamic surface pressures and off-body velocities. The DPIV system utilized two frequency-doubled Nd:YAG lasers to generate two coplanar, orthogonally polarized light sheets directed upstream along the horizontal centerline of the test model. A recording system containing two pairs of matched high resolution, 8-bit cameras was used to separate and capture images of illuminated tracer particles embedded in the flow field. Background image subtraction was used to reduce undesirable flare light emanating from the surface of the model, and custom pixel alignment algorithms were employed to provide accurate registration among the various cameras. Spatial cross correlation analysis with median filter validation was used to determine the instantaneous velocity structure in the separating/reattaching flow region illuminated by the laser light sheets. In operation the DPIV system exhibited a good ability to resolve large-scale separated flow structures with acceptable accuracy over the extended field of view of the cameras. The recording system design provided enhanced performance versus traditional DPIV systems by allowing a variety of standard and non-standard cameras to be easily incorporated into the system.

Humphreys, William M., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Dot-Projection Photogrammetry and Videogrammetry of Gossamer Space Structures

This paper documents the technique of using hundreds or thousands of projected dots of light as targets for photogrammetry and videogrammetry of gossamer space structures. Photogrammetry calculates the three-dimensional coordinates of each target on the structure, and videogrammetry tracks the coordinates versus time. Gossamer structures characteristically contain large areas of delicate, thin-film membranes. Examples include solar sails, large antennas, inflatable solar arrays, solar power concentrators and transmitters, sun shields, and planetary balloons and habitats. Using projected-dot targets avoids the unwanted mass, stiffness, and installation costs of traditional retroreflective adhesive targets. Four laboratory applications are covered that demonstrate the practical effectiveness of white-light dot projection for both static-shape and dynamic measurement of reflective and diffuse surfaces, respectively. Comparisons are made between dot-projection videogrammetry and traditional laser vibrometry for membrane vibration measurements. The paper closes by introducing a promising extension of existing techniques using a novel laser-induced fluorescence approach.

Pappa, Richard S.↗
NASA NTRS2000

The fluid dynamic and shear environment in the NASA/JSC rotating-wall perfused-vessel bioreactor

The rotating-wall perfused-vessel (RWPV) bioreactor, used for both microgravity and Earth-based cell science experiments, is characterized in terms of the fluid dynamic and fluid shear stress environment. A numerical model of the flow field is developed and verified with laser Doppler velocimeter measurements. The effects of changes in operating conditions, including rotation rates and fluid perfusion rates, are investigated with the numerical model. The operating conditions typically used for ground-based experiments (equal rotation of the inner and outer cylinders) leads to flow patterns with relatively poor mass distribution characteristics. Approximately 50% of the inlet-perfused fluid bypasses the bulk of the fluid volume and flows to the perfusion exit. For operating conditions typical in microgravity, small differential rotation rates between the inner and outer cylinders lead to greatly improved flow distribution patterns and very low fluid shear stress levels over a large percentage of the fluid volume. Differences in flow patterns for the different operating conditions are explored. Large differences in the hydrodynamic environments for operating conditions typical of true microgravity and ground-based "microgravity simulations" are demonstrated.

Bioreactors↗
NASA NTRS2012

Topography of the Northern Hemisphere of Mercury from MESSENGER Laser Altimetry

Laser altimetry by the MESSENGER spacecraft has yielded a topographic model of the northern hemisphere of Mercury. The dynamic range of elevations is considerably smaller than those of Mars or the Moon. The most prominent feature is an extensive lowland at high northern latitudes that hosts the volcanic northern plains. Within this lowland is a broad topographic rise that experienced uplift after plains emplacement. The interior of the 1500-km-diameter Caloris impact basin has been modified so that part of the basin floor now stands higher than the rim. The elevated portion of the floor of Caloris appears to be part of a quasi-linear rise that extends for approximately half the planetary circumference at mid-latitudes. Collectively, these features imply that long-wavelength changes to Mercury s topography occurred after the earliest phases of the planet s geological history.

Zuber,Maria T.↗
NASA NTRS2014

An Intrinsic Fiber-Optic Sensor for Structure Lightning Current Measurement

An intrinsic optical-fiber sensor based on Faraday Effect is developed that is highly suitable for measuring lightning current on aircraft, towers and complex structures. Originally developed specifically for aircraft installations, it is light-weight, non-conducting, structure conforming, and is immune to electromagnetic interference, hysteresis and saturation. It can measure total current down to DC. When used on lightning towers, the sensor can help validate other sensors and lightning detection network measurements. Faraday Effect causes light polarization to rotate when the fiber is exposed to a magnetic field in the direction of light propagation. Thus, the magnetic field strength can be determined from the light polarization change. By forming closed fiber loops and applying Ampere's law, measuring the total light rotation yields the total current enclosed. A broadband, dual-detector, reflective polarimetric scheme allows measurement of both DC component and AC waveforms with a 60 dB dynamic range. Two systems were built that are similar in design but with slightly different sensitivities. The 1310nm laser system can measure 300 A - 300 kA, and has a 15m long sensing fiber. It was used in laboratory testing, including measuring current on an aluminum structure simulating an aircraft fuselage or a lightning tower. High current capabilities were demonstrated up to 200 kA at a lightning test facility. The 1550nm laser system can measure 400 A - 400 kA and has a 25m fiber length. Used in field measurements, excellent results were achieved in the summer of 2012 measuring rocket-triggered lightning at the International Center for Lightning Research and Testing (ICLRT), Camp Blanding, Florida. In both systems increased sensitivity can be achieved with multiple fiber loops. The fiber optic sensor provides many unique capabilities not currently possible with traditional sensors. It represents an important new tool for lightning current measurement where low weight, complex shapes, large structure dimension, large current, and low frequency capabilities are important considerations.

Nguyen, Truong X.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Topography of the Northern Hemisphere of Mercury From MESSENGER Laser Altimetry

Laser altimetry by the MESSENGER spacecraft has yielded a topographic model of the northern hemisphere of Mercury. The dynamic range of elevations is considerably smaller than those of Mars or the Moon. The most prominent feature is an extensive lowland at high northern latitudes that hosts the volcanic northern plains. Within this lowland is a broad topographic rise that experienced uplift after plains emplacement. The interior of the 1500-km-diameter Caloris impact basin has been modified so that part of the basin floor now stands higher than the rim. The elevated portion of the floor of Caloris appears to be part of a quasi-linear rise that extends for approximately half the planetary circumference at mid-latitudes. Collectively, these features imply that long-wavelength changes to Mercury’s topography occurred after the earliest phases of the planet’s geological history.

Maria T Zuber↗
NASA NTRS2017

ICESAT GLAS Altimetry Measurements: Received Signal Dynamic Range and Saturation Correction

NASAs Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat), which operated between 2003 and 2009, made the first satellite-based global lidar measurement of earths ice sheet elevations, sea-ice thickness, and vegetation canopy structure. The primary instrument on ICESat was the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS), which measured the distance from the spacecraft to the earth's surface via the roundtrip travel time of individual laser pulses. GLAS utilized pulsed lasers and a direct detection receiver consisting of a silicon avalanche photodiode and a waveform digitizer. Early in the mission, the peak power of the received signal from snow and ice surfaces was found to span a wider dynamic range than anticipated, often exceeding the linear dynamic range of the GLAS 1064-nm detector assembly. The resulting saturation of the receiver distorted the recorded signal and resulted in range biases as large as approximately 50 cm for ice- and snow-covered surfaces. We developed a correction for this saturation range bias based on laboratory tests using a spare flight detector, and refined the correction by comparing GLAS elevation estimates with those derived from Global Positioning System surveys over the calibration site at the salar de Uyuni, Bolivia. Applying the saturation correction largely eliminated the range bias due to receiver saturation for affected ICESat measurements over Uyuni and significantly reduced the discrepancies at orbit crossovers located on flat regions of the Antarctic ice sheet.

Sun, Xiaoli↗
NASA NTRS1991

Autonomous docking ground demonstration

The Autonomous Docking Ground Demonstration is an evaluation of the laser sensor system to support the docking phase (12 ft to contact) when operated in conjunction with the guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) software. The docking mechanism being used was developed for the Apollo/Soyuz Test Program. This demonstration will be conducted using the 6-DOF Dynamic Test System (DTS). The DTS simulates the Space Station Freedom as the stationary or target vehicle and the Orbiter as the active or chase vehicle. For this demonstration, the laser sensor will be mounted on the target vehicle and the retroflectors will be on the chase vehicle. This arrangement was chosen to prevent potential damage to the laser. The laser sensor system, GN&C, and 6-DOF DTS will be operated closed-loop. Initial conditions to simulate vehicle misalignments, translational and rotational, will be introduced within the constraints of the systems involved.

Lamkin, Steve L.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Miniature instrumentation for laser light scattering experiments

Traditional optical systems for photon correlation spectroscopy and laser anemometry have relied upon physically large and fairly expensive lasers, bulk-optics such as lenses of a few inches diameter, large mechanical mounts and carefully selected, fragile and bulky photon counting photomultiplier detectors. In some cases, experimental fluid dynamics at a desired position in a flow, perhaps deep inside complex machinery, is physically impossible or very difficult. Similar problems exist with photon correlation spectroscopy, e.g., remote and heterodyne experiments. Various optical and electro optical components were investigated and characterized with the aim of replacing existing photon correlation laser spectroscopy and anemometry techniques in miniaturized form, and with significant cost reduction. Very recently, a range of miniature, modular light scattering systems were constructed from little solid state optical and electro optical components, and experimentally verified measurement performance comparable to standard lab photon correlation spectroscopy and laser anemometry equipment.

Brown, Robert G. W.↗