Tapping the practical technological advances from NASA projects.
NASA Technology Utilization Program for collection and dissemination of astronautical and aeronautical information, discussing computer programs
Howick, G. J.↗
SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Results for “TaP”
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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Modified thermal analyzer digital computer program (TAP)
Computer program for solving n-dimensional transient or steady state heat flow problems by creating electrical analogy of problem and solving by finite difference method
Knittle, D. E.↗
TAP 1: A Finite Element Program for Steady-State Thermal Analysis of Convectively Cooled Structures
The program has a finite element library of six elements: two conduction/convection elements to model heat transfer in a solid, two convection elements to model heat transfer in a fluid, and two integrated conduction/convection elements to represent combined heat transfer in tubular and plate/fin fluid passages. Nonlinear thermal analysis due to temperature dependent thermal parameters is performed using the Newton-Raphson iteration method. Program output includes nodal temperatures and element heat fluxes. Pressure drops in fluid passages may be computed as an option. A companion plotting program for displaying the finite element model and predicted temperature distributions is presented. User instructions and sample problems are presented in appendixes.
Thornton, E. A.↗
Shuttle Orbiter tethered subsatellite for exploring and tapping space plasmas
Consideration is given to the possibilities for studies in space plasma physics offered by a subsatellite mechanically tethered above the Space Shuttle Orbiter by a long conducting wire. The proposed experiment, designated the Shuttle Electrodynamic Tether Systems (SETS) is based on the concept of collecting electrons at the subsatellite and ejecting them from the Orbiter, made possible by the emf generated by the motion of the tether across geomagnetic field lines. The power generated in this manner can be used both for practical purposes within the Orbiter and for the creation of large-amplitude plasma and electromagnetic waves within the surrounding plasma. For a conducting spherical subsatellite 30 m in diameter with a 10-km tether drawing 1 A, calculations show that emfs on the order of 1000-2000 V and energy dissipation of as much as 10,000 W can be obtained, accompanied by the generation of two regions of net electric charge in the ionosphere. Scientific studies considered for SETS include the measurement of MHD waves artificially generated in the ionosphere, the investigation of current-driven plasma instabilities, VLF wave generation and the simulation of electrodynamics associated with the motion of celestial bodies through plasma.
Banks, P. M.↗
Tapped-Hole Vent Path
Long helical vent path cools and releases hot pyrotechnical gas that exits along its spiraling threads. Current design uses 1/4-28 threads with outer diameter of stud reduced by 0.025 in. (0.62 mm). To open or close gassampler bottle, pyrotechnic charges on either one side or other of valve cylinder are actuated. Gases vented slowly over long path are cool enough to present no ignition hazard. Vent used to meter flow in refrigeration, pneumaticcontrol, and fluid-control systems by appropriately adjusting size and length of vent path.
Chandler, J. A.↗
Determination of copper in tap water using solid-phase spectrophotometry
A new application of ion exchange films is presented. The films are used in a simple analytical method of directly determining low concentrations of Cu(2+) in aqueous solutions, in particular, drinking water. The basis for this new test method is the color and absorption intensity of the ion when adsorbed onto the film. The film takes on the characteristic color of the adsorbed cation, which is concentrated on the film by many orders of magnitude. The linear relationship between absorbance (corrected for variations in film thickness) and solution concentration makes the determinations possible. These determinations agree well with flame atomic absorption determinations.
Hill, Carol M.↗
Cybersonics: Tapping into Technology
With the assistance of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cybersonics, Inc., developed an ultrasonic drill with applications ranging from the medical industry to space exploration. The drill, which has the ability to take a core sample of the hardest granite or perform the most delicate diagnostic medical procedure, is a lightweight, ultrasonic device made to fit in the palm of the hand. Piezoelectric actuators, which have only two moving parts and no gears or motors, drive the components of the device, enabling it to operate in a wide range of temperatures. The most remarkable aspect of the drill is its ability to penetrate even the hardest rock with minimal force application. The ultrasonic device requires 20 to 30 times less force than standard rotating drills, allowing it to be safely guided by hand during operation. Also, the drill is operable at a level as low as three watts of power, where conventional drills require more than three times this level. Potential future applications for the ultrasonic drill include rock and soil sampling, medical procedures that involve core sampling or probing, landmine detection, building and construction, and space exploration. Cybersonics, Inc. developed an ultrasonic drill with applications ranging from the medical industry to space exploration.
Source record↗
The "Supercritical Pile" Model for GRB: Tapping the Proton Energy and Getting the v F(sub V) Peak at Approx. 1 MeV
We propose a process by which the kinetic energy of the protons, that carry most of the energy of GRB relativistic blast waves (RBW) of Lorentz factor is converted explosively into relativistic electrons of the same Lorentz factor, which subsequently produce the observed prompt gamma-ray emission of the burst. This conversion is the result of the combined effects of the reflection of photons produced within the flow by upstream located matter, their re-interception and conversion into e(+) e(-) pairs on the RBW by the p gamma (right arrow) p e(+) e(-) reaction.
Kazanas, D.↗
Installing a Test Tap on a Metal Battery Case
A mechanical fitting and relatively simple and safe method of installing it on the metal case of a battery have been devised to provide access to the interior of the battery to perform inspection and/or to measure such internal conditions as temperature and pressure. A metal boss or stud having an exterior thread is attached to the case by capacitor-discharge stud welding (CDSW), which takes only 3 to 6 milliseconds and in which the metallurgical bond (weld) and the heat-affected zone are limited to a depth of a few thousandths of an inch (a few hundredths of a millimeter). These characteristics of CDSW prevent distortion of the case and localized internal heating that could damage the chemical components inside of the battery. An access hole is then drilled through the stud and case, into the interior of the battery. A mechanical fitting having a matching thread is installed on the stud and the interior end of the fitting is sealed with a pressure-sealing washer/gasket. The exterior end of the fitting is configured for attachment of whatever instrumentation is required for the selected inspection or measurement.
Mayes, Daniel R.↗
Tapping the Brake for Entry, Descent, and Landing
A matrix of simulations of hypersonic flow over blunt entry vehicles with steady and pulsing retropropulsion jets is presented. Retropropulsion in the supersonic domain is primarily designed to reduce vehicle velocity directly with thrust. Retropropulsion in the hypersonic domain may enable significant pressure recovery through unsteady, oblique shocks while providing a buffer of reactant gases with relatively low total temperature. Improved pressure recovery, a function of Mach number squared and oblique shock angle, could potentially serve to increase aerodynamic drag in this domain. Pulsing jets are studied to include an additional degree of freedom to search for resonances in an already unsteady flow domain with an objective to maximize the time-averaged drag coefficient. In this paradigm, small jets with minimal footprints of the nozzle exit on the vehicle forebody may be capable of delivering the requisite perturbations to the flow. Simulations are executed assuming inviscid, symmetric flow of a perfect gas to enable a rapid assessment of the parameter space (nozzle geometry, plenum conditions, jet pulse frequency). The pulsed-jet configuration produces moderately larger drag than the constant jet configuration but smaller drag than the jet-off case in this preliminary examination of a single design point. The fundamentals of a new algorithm for this challenging application with time dependent, interacting discontinuities using the feature detection capabilities of Walsh functions are introduced.
Gnoffo, Peter A.↗
Small Businesses Tap into America’s Seed Fund and Help NASA
U.S. companies with less than 500 employees can receive funding to pursue innovative ideas while helping address our nation’s technical challenges, thanks to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Here are just a few of the hundreds of companies—spanning a wide range of industries—that used SBIR/STTR funds from NASA for their cutting-edge research and development (R&D). Through SBIR/STTR, small companies successfully access new markets, grow their business, and expand their capabilities while helping NASA achieve its goals.
SBIR↗
In-Flight Evaluation of the Traffic Aware Planner on the NASA HU-25A Guardian Aircraft
NASA’s Traffic Aware Planner (TAP) software is a research-prototype decision support tool that provides pilots with time- and fuel-saving route recommendations that optimize their current trajectory. The software runs on a first-of-a-kind system architecture onboard three aircraft in revenue service conducting operational evaluations with a major domestic airline. Therefore, significant NASA-internal testing is required prior to releasing the software to the partner airline. This paper describes a flight test plan that exercises the functionality of the TAP software in a representative operational environment, describes the system architecture developed and implemented for the NASA Langley HU-25A Guardian aircraft to support the test objectives, presents outcomes of the flight test campaign, and discusses use cases that demonstrate the value of flight testing for this activity.Research into flight path optimization of transport aircraft conducted by the National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration (NASA) has produced an operational concept known as Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Requests(TASAR) [1, 2]. This near-term concept [3] provides the aircrew with a flight deck decision support tool known asthe Traffic Aware Planner (TAP). The TAP software leverages a growing number of information sources on the flightdeck to make time- and fuel-saving route optimization recommendations to the aircrew while en route. The aircrewcan then use the suggestions provided by the tool to make route change requests with a greater likelihood of acceptanceby air traffic control (ATC). Since TASAR is a concept intended for the current operational environment, it isintentionally designed to have no safety-critical impact or require any changes to current Federal AviationAdministration (FAA) rules and procedures [4, 5].The research prototype TAP system [6–8], explained further in Section III.C, continually incorporates up-to-dateaircraft state data from onboard avionics, as well as the latest position of surrounding traffic, the most recent windforecast, and the most recent convective weather forecast, in order to calculate candidate trajectory modifications thatimprove upon the current active route. These trajectories account for user-selectable objective functions [3] of reducedfuel burn, reduced flight time, or an airline-derived combination of factors known as trip cost. Previous analyses andsimulations have estimated substantial savings for airlines employing this technique within the U.S. National AirspaceSystem (NAS) [9–11]. Operational evaluations with Alaska Airlines seek to validate these projected benefits usingmeasured data while simultaneously providing benefits to the airline [12, 13].The TAP software has undergone a number of human-in-the-loop simulations [14] and flight test activities[15–17] in order to validate the operational concept, evaluate human factors considerations (e.g., workload, usability,distraction, etc.), and to assess the ability of the software to function in a representative operational environment (e.g.,connected to live avionics data, using in-flight internet connectivity, etc.). However, these simulations and flight testcampaigns did not account for the hardware architecture implemented on the three aircraft for Alaska Airlines’operational evaluations of the TAP software. Therefore, a need was identified to thoroughly test the functionality ofthe software in a similar hardware architecture to that of the partner airline’s aircraft. Information regarding testapparatus and environments used to evaluate TAP prior to testing on the HU-25A can be found in reference [18].A campaign of flight trials on a NASA aircraft, the HU-25A Guardian, was conducted to ensure that the researchprototype TAP system functions well in a configuration similar to the Alaska Airlines aircraft prior to deployment.This airborne, networked environment enables an assessment of the operational factors unique to the flight environment. Additionally, this activity evaluated the effectiveness and benefit of new TAP functionality andoperation in a relevant flight environment while allowing the rapid prototyping of new concepts and features.This paper is organized as follows: Section II discusses the details of the flight test plan, flight profiles, and theduties of personnel involved with conducting flight operations. Section III describes the test platform, avionicsequipage, and system architecture. Section IV presents a discussion of results, and Section V contains concludingremarks.
Underwood, Matthew C.↗
Elimination of current spikes in buck power converters
Current spikes in a buck power converter due to commutating diode turn-off time are eliminated by using a tapped inductor in the converter with the tap connected to the switching transistor. The commutating diode is not in the usual place, but is instead connected to conduct current from one end of the tapped inductor remote from the load during the interval in which the transistor is not conducting. In the case of a converter having a center-tapped (primary and secondary) transformer between two switching power transistors operated in a push-pull mode and two rectifying diodes in the secondary circuit, current spikes due to transformer saturation are also eliminated by using a tapped inductor in the converter with the tap connected to the rectifying diodes and a diode connected to conduct current from one end of the tapped inductor remote from the load during the interval in which the transistors are not conducting.
Mclyman, W. T.↗
Yield modeling of acoustic charge transport transversal filters
This paper presents a yield model for acoustic charge transport transversal filters. This model differs from previous IC yield models in that it does not assume that individual failures of the nondestructive sensing taps necessarily cause a device failure. A redundancy in the number of taps included in the design is explained. Poisson statistics are used to describe the tap failures, weighted over a uniform defect density distribution. A representative design example is presented. The minimum number of taps needed to realize the filter is calculated, and tap weights for various numbers of redundant taps are calculated. The critical area for device failure is calculated for each level of redundancy. Yield is predicted for a range of defect densities and redundancies. To verify the model, a Monte Carlo simulation is performed on an equivalent circuit model of the device. The results of the yield model are then compared to the Monte Carlo simulation. Better than 95% agreement was obtained for the Poisson model with redundant taps ranging from 30% to 150% over the minimum.
Kenney, J. S.↗
Deploying a Route Optimization EFB Application for Commercial Airline Operational Trials
The Traffic Aware Planner (TAP), developed for NASA Langley Research Center to support the Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Requests (TASAR) project, is a flight-efficiency software application developed for an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB). Tested in two flight trials and planned for operational testing by two commercial airlines, TAP is a real-time trajectory optimization application that leverages connectivity with onboard avionics and broadband Internet sources to compute and recommend route modifications to flight crews to improve fuel and time performance. The application utilizes a wide range of data, including Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) traffic, Flight Management System (FMS) guidance and intent, on-board sensors, published winds and weather, and Special Use Airspace (SUA) schedules. This paper discusses the challenges of developing and deploying TAP to various EFB platforms, our solutions to some of these challenges, and lessons learned, to assist commercial software developers and hardware manufacturers in their efforts to implement and extend TAP functionality in their environments. EFB applications (such as TAP) typically access avionics data via an ARINC 834 Simple Text Avionics Protocol (STAP) server hosted by an Aircraft Interface Device (AID) or other installed hardware. While the protocol is standardized, the data sources, content, and transmission rates can vary from aircraft to aircraft. Additionally, the method of communicating with the AID may vary depending on EFB hardware and/or the availability of onboard networking services, such as Ethernet, WIFI, Bluetooth, or other mechanisms. EFBs with portable and installed components can be implemented using a variety of operating systems, and cockpits are increasingly incorporating tablet-based technologies, further expanding the number of platforms the application may need to support. Supporting multiple EFB platforms, AIDs, avionics datasets, and user interfaces presents a challenge for software developers and the management of their code baselines. Maintaining multiple baselines to support all deployment targets can be extremely cumbersome and expensive. Certification also needs to be considered when developing the application. Regardless of whether the software is itself destined to be certified, data requirements in support of the application and user interface elements may introduce certification requirements for EFB manufacturers and the airlines. The example of TAP, the challenges faced, solutions implemented, and lessons learned will give EFB application and hardware developers insight into future potential requirements in deploying TAP or similar flight-deck EFB applications.
Roscoe, David A.↗
Laser Scanning System for Pressure and Temperature Paints
Acquiring pressure maps of aerodynamic surfaces is very important for improving and validating the performance of aerospace vehicles. Traditional pressure measurements are taken with pressure taps embedded in the model surface that are connected to transducers. While pressure taps allow highly accurate measurements to be acquired, they do have several drawbacks. Pressure taps do not give good spatial resolution due to the need for individual pressure tubes, compounded by limited space available inside models. Also, building a model proves very costly if taps are needed because of the large amount of labor necessary to drill, connect and test each one. The typical cost to install one tap is about $200. Recently, a new method for measuring pressure on aerodynamic surfaces has been developed utilizing a technology known as pressure sensitive paints (PSP). Using PSP, pressure distributions can be acquired optically with high spatial resolution and simple model preparation. Flow structures can be easily visualized using PSP, but are missed using low spatial resolution arrays of pressure taps. PSP even allows pressure distributions to be found on rotating machinery where previously this has been extremely difficult or even impossible. The goal of this research is to develop a laser scanning system for use with pressure sensitive paints that allows accurate pressure measurements to be obtained on various aerodynamic surfaces ranging from wind tunnel models to high speed jet engine compressor blades.
Sullivan, John↗
Laser Scanning System for Pressure and Temperature Paints
Acquiring pressure maps of aerodynamic surfaces is very important for improving and validating the performance of aerospace vehicles. Traditional pressure measurements are taken with pressure taps embedded in the model surface that are connected to transducers. While pressure taps allow highly accurate measurements to be acquired, they do have several drawbacks. Pressure taps do not give good spatial resolution due to the need for individual pressure tubes, compounded by limited space available inside models. Also, building a model proves very costly if taps are needed because of the large amount of labor necessary to drill, connect and test each one. The typical cost to install one tap is about $200. Recently, a new method for measuring pressure on aerodynamic surfaces has been developed utilizing a technology known as pressure sensitive paints (PSP). Using PSP, pressure distributions can be acquired optically with high spatial resolution and simple model preparation. Flow structures can be easily visualized using PSP, but are missed using low spatial resolution arrays of pressure taps. PSP even allows pressure distributions to be found on rotating machinery where previously this has been extremely difficult or even impossible. The goal of this research is to develop a laser scanning system for use with pressure sensitive paints that allows accurate pressure measurements to be obtained on various aerodynamic surfaces ranging from wind tunnel models to high speed jet engine compressor blades.
Sullivan, John↗
Sensors for Using Times of Flight to Measure Flow Velocities
Thin-film sensors for measuring flow velocities in terms of times of flight are undergoing development. These sensors are very small and can be mounted flush with surfaces of airfoils, ducts, and other objects along which one might need to measure flows. Alternatively or in addition, these sensors can be mounted on small struts protruding from such surfaces for acquiring velocity measurements at various distances from the surfaces for the purpose of obtaining boundary-layer flow-velocity profiles. These sensors are related to, but not the same as, hot-wire anemometers. Each sensor includes a thin-film, electrically conductive loop, along which an electric current is made to flow to heat the loop to a temperature above that of the surrounding fluid. Instantaneous voltage fluctuations in segments of the loop are measured by means of electrical taps placed at intervals along the loop. These voltage fluctuations are caused by local fluctuations in electrical resistance that are, in turn, caused by local temperature fluctuations that are, in turn, caused by fluctuations in flow-induced cooling and, hence, in flow velocity. The differential voltage as a function of time, measured at each pair of taps, is subjected to cross-correlation processing with the corresponding quantities measured at other pairs of taps at different locations on the loop. The cross-correlations yield the times taken by elements of fluid to travel between the pairs of taps. Then the component of velocity along the line between any two pairs of taps is calculated simply as the distance between the pairs of taps divided by the travel time. Unlike in the case of hot-wire anemometers, there is no need to obtain calibration data on voltage fluctuations versus velocity fluctuations because, at least in principle, the correlation times are independent of the calibration data.
Fralick, Gutave↗