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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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At least 559 records · Page 31

Electrochemical Response of Alkaline Batteries Subject to Quasi-Static and Dynamic Loading

We report electrochemical changes were successfully monitored through the coupling of external loading, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and distribution of relaxation times (DRT) analysis. The development of the testing methods allows for detailed observation of changes due to mechanical loading and distinguishes responses between different cell geometries. Comparison of the force vs displacement, voltage vs displacement, and distribution of relaxation times plots to the different cell geometries display failure modes specific to geometry as well as the impact of different loading profiles. Numerical modeling confirmed the movement within individual cells and predicted locations with the most deformation based on the external loading condition applied. The results gathered from combining mechanical loading, electrochemical response, and numerical modeling, yield a viable approach to establishing an improved understanding of the effects of mechanical loading on the electrochemical response of multiple battery geometries and the methods herein may be extensible to additional battery chemistries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

High Temperature Brush Seal Tuft Testing of Selected Nickel-Chrome and Cobalt-Chrome Superalloys

The tribology of brush seals is of considerable interest to turbine engine designers because bristle wear continues to limit long term seal performance and life. To provide better materials characterization and foster the development of improved seals, NASA Lewis has developed a brush seal tuft tester. In this test, a 'paintbrush' sample tuft is loaded under constant contact pressure against the outside diameter of a rotating journal. With this configuration, load and friction are directly measured and accurate wear measurements are possible. Previously reported research using this facility showed excellent data repeatability and wear morphology similar to published seal data and dynamic rig tests. This paper is an update of the ongoing research into the tribology of brush seals. The effects of wire materials processing on seal wear and the tribological results for three journal coatings are discussed. Included in the materials processing were two nickel-chrome superalloys each processed to two different yield strengths. The results suggest that seal wear is dependent more on material composition than processing conditions.

Fellenstein, James A.↗

Deployment loads data from a free-flight investigation of all flexible parawings having 371.612 sq meters (4000 sq feet) of wing area

A free-flight test program to determine the deployment characteristics of all-flexible parawings was conducted. Both single-keel and twin-keel parawings having a wing area of 4000 square feet with a five-stage reefing system were tested by use of a bomb-type instrumented test vehicle. Several twin-keel-parawing tests were also made by using an instrumented controllable sled-type test vehicle. The systems were launched from either a C-130 or a C-119 carrier airplane, and a programer parachute was used to bring the test vehicle to a proper dynamic pressure and near-vertical flight path prior to deployment of the parawing system. The free-flight deployment loads data are presented in the form of time histories of individual suspension-line loads and total loads.

Croom, D. R.↗

Design and Fabrication of a 5-kWe Free-Piston Stirling Power Conversion System

Progress in the design and fabrication of a 5-kWe free-piston Stirling power conversion system is described. A scaled-down version of the successful 12.5-kWe Component Test Power Converter (CTPC) developed under NAS3-25463, this single cylinder prototype incorporates cost effective and readily available materials (steel versus beryllium) and components (a commercial linear alternator). The design consists of a displacer suspended on internally pumped gas bearings and a power piston/alternator supported on flexures. Non-contacting clearance seals are used between internal volumes. Heat to and from the prototype is supplied via pumped liquid loops passing through shell and tube heat exchangers. The control system incorporates several novel ideas such as a pulse start capability and a piston stroke set point control strategy that provides the ability to throttle the engine to match the required output power. It also ensures stable response to various disturbances such as electrical load variations while providing useful data regarding the position of both power piston and displacer. All design and analysis activities are complete and fabrication is underway. Prototype test is planned for summer 2008 at Foster-Miller to characterize the dynamics and steady-state operation of the prototype and determine maximum power output and system efficiency. Further tests will then be performed at Auburn University to determine start-up and shutdown characteristics and assess transient response to temperature and load variations.

Chapman, Peter A.↗

Tribological measurements on a Charnley-type artificial hip joint

A total hip simulator was used to determine the friction and wear properties of Charnley-type (316L stainless steel balls and sterile ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene cups) hip prostheses. Three different sets of specimens were tested to 395,000, 101,500 and 233,000 walking cycles, respectively. All tests were run unlubricated, at ambient conditions (22 to 26 C, 30 to 50 percent relative humidity), at 30 walking cycles per minute, under a dynamic load simulating walking. Polyethylene cup wear rates ranged from 1.4 to 39 ten billions cu m which corresponds to dimensional losses of 4.0 to 11 microns per year. Although these wear rates are lower than those obtained from other hip simulators and from in vivo X-ray measurements, they are comparable when taking run-in and plastic deformation into account. Maximum tangential friction forces ranged from 93 to 129 N under variable load (267 to 3090 N range) and from 93 to 143 N under a static load of 3090 N. A portion of one test 250,000 walking cycles) run under dry air ( 1 percent relative humidity) yielded a wear rate almost 6 times greater than that obtained under wet air ( 70 percent relative humidity) conditions.

Jones, W. R., Jr.↗

Mass Mitigation in Structural Designs Via Dynamic Properties

The efforts reported here are focused on mitigating unnecessary mass in aerospace hardware. The approach to remove this undesired mass from the design is to leverage both the dynamic strength of materials and the frequency dependency of strain. Analytically predicted dynamic responses of structures are often applied as static loads in stress analyses that ultimately dictate the weight of a structural design. Assuming a dynamic response is a static load and then comparing resulting stress predictions to a static strength property is a long-standing engineering practice. Doing so is known to be, or is assumed to be, conservative. However, little indication of the order of magnitude of embedded conservatism has been identified. NASA/MSFC efforts in 2011, 2019, 2020, and now in 2021 have begun to qualitatively show the order of magnitude of that conservatism. A quick turnaround engineering method is pursued to leverage the subject facets of physics for the purpose of decreasing the weight of flight hardware. Tests performed using simple beams and significant observations are described.

conservative design loads↗

Stability and control of the Gossamer human powered aircraft by analysis and flight test

The slow flight speed, very light wing loading, and neutral stability of the Gossamer Condor and the Gossamer Albatross emphasized apparent-mass aerodynamic effects and unusual modes of motion response. These are analyzed, approximated, and discussed, and the resulting transfer functions and dynamic properties are summarized and compared. To verify these analytical models, flight tests were conducted with and electrically powered Gossamer Albatross II. Sensors were installed and their outputs were telemetered to records on the ground. Frequency sweeps of the various controls were made and the data were reduced to frequency domain measures. Results are given for the response of: pitch rate, airspeed and normal acceleration from canard-elevator deflection; roll rate and yaw rate from canard-rudder tilt; and roll rate and yaw rate from wing warp. The reliable data are compared with the analytical predictions.

Jex, H. R.↗

Effects of Fe atoms on hardening of a nickel matrix: Nanoindentation experiments and atom-scale numerical modeling

Significant hardening effect due to Fe concentrations in Ni-based alloys with face-centered-cubic structure has been studied by using a combined experimental and atomistic-based computational approach via nanoindentation tests. The obtained experimental load–displacement data for the [0 0 1] crystal orientation reached a qualitative good agreement with molecular dynamics simulations results, leading to strong evidence that the main strengthening factors are associated to sluggish dislocation diffusion, reduced defect sizes and the nucleation of tetrahedral stacking faults. Here, interstitial type prismatic dislocation loops mainly formed by $\frac{1}{6}$$\langle$1 1 2$\rangle$ Shockley dislocations are nucleated during the loading process, where their interaction leads to the formation of pyramidal shaped stacking fault which are mainly created by $\frac{1}{3}$$\langle$1 0 0$\rangle$ Hirth dislocations lines. Observing both types of defects coexisting in the same plastic deformation zone by both approaches. Reported mechanical data, measured experimentally and interpreted numerically, are also in accordance with microstructural SEM and TEM investigations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Deformation and Delamination of Dynamically Bulging Bilayered Films

We employ finite element simulations to study the dynamic bulging of films under shock tube conditions and compare these responses with quasi-static bulging. Both scenarios subject the film to time-varying pressure. Two film types are considered: uniform material films and bilayers with a relatively soft interior layer and a hard exterior layer. The interface between the materials in the bilayer cases is modeled as a cohesive zone that follows a bilinear normal traction-separation cohesive law. Additionally, bilayer films with preexisting cracks in the interior layer are analyzed. Parametric studies are also conducted to explore the effects of loading rate and specimen size. The mechanical response of all materials is assumed to be strain-rate independent, focusing solely on the inertial effects in the response of the films under dynamic loading, and the absence of such effects under quasi-static loading. The results indicate that quasi-static bulging exhibits a predictable plate bending like deformation. In contrast, depending on the loading rate and specimen size, dynamic bulging can give rise to elastic waves, and a sequence of deformation processes including initial uniform acceleration, followed by bending-like deformation, and finally through-thickness biaxial stretching. Dynamic loading also leads to larger bulge formation and greater deformation than quasi-static loading. A key finding is the role of preexisting cracks in driving delamination under dynamic loading, which is absent in quasi-static loading. This work enhances our understanding of dynamic bulging and motivates further research on characterizing delamination in layered films using dynamic bulge tests.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

HP-FLEX: Field demonstration of the semantics-driven configuration of a Model Predictive Control system to make heat pumps flexible

Model Predictive Control (MPC) has demonstrated significant potential for optimizing building operations and enabling demand flexibility. However, the widespread adoption of MPC is hindered by complex manual configuration and commissioning processes that must be conducted by control experts working alongside building operators. These challenges drive up costs and reduce scalability, particularly when technical human resources and building automation systems are limited, such as in small and medium commercial buildings (SMCBs). This paper demonstrates how semantic standards, specifically ASHRAE 223P, can accelerate the adoption of MPC applications for load flexibility in SMCBs. The authors present a replicable control framework, titled “HP-FLEX” that leverages a building’s semantic model to bootstrap the required data configuration for an MPC controller developed for optimizing heat pump systems as flexible grid resources. The semantic model helps streamline the deployment workflow, particularly for site setup, data/control commissioning, and model setup. This integration enhances portability, transferability, and scalability of the HP-FLEX MPC, which has been developed to support MPC-based supervisory HVAC controllers in SMCBs. Additionally, the paper details the required building and thermostat metadata information to enable the HP-FLEX MPC based on field demonstrations. The new workflow was tested in a small commercial building located in California, U.S., and demonstrated a load shifting performance of 9% based on a dynamic pricing signal that varies by the hour. This work provides a practical pathway for transitioning sophisticated building applications from custom to standardized semantic representations, supporting the broader adoption of advanced control strategies like MPC. The framework also establishes a foundation for evolving metadata requirements as applications mature while maintaining compatibility with industry standards.

Paul, Lazlo↗

HP-FLEX: Field Demonstration of the Semantics-Driven Configuration of a Model Predictive Control System to Make Heat Pumps Flexible

Model Predictive Control (MPC) has demonstrated significant potential for optimizing building operations and enabling demand flexibility. However, the widespread adoption of MPC is hindered by complex manual configuration and commissioning processes that must be conducted by control experts working alongside building operators. These challenges drive up costs and reduce scalability, particularly when technical human resources and building automation systems are limited, such as in small and medium commercial buildings (SMCBs). This paper demonstrates how semantic standards, specifically ASHRAE 223P, can accelerate the adoption of MPC applications for load flexibility in SMCBs. The authors present a replicable control framework, titled “HP-FLEX” that leverages a building’s semantic model to bootstrap the required data configuration for an MPC controller developed for optimizing heat pump systems as flexible grid resources. The semantic model helps streamline the deployment workflow, particularly for site setup, data/control commissioning, and model setup. This integration enhances portability, transferability, and scalability of the HP-FLEX MPC, which has been developed to support MPC-based supervisory HVAC controllers in SMCBs. Additionally, the paper details the required building and thermostat metadata information to enable the HP-FLEX MPC based on field demonstrations. The new workflow was tested in a small commercial building located in California, U.S., and demonstrated a load shifting performance of 9% based on a dynamic pricing signal that varies by the hour. This work provides a practical pathway for transitioning sophisticated building applications from custom to standardized semantic representations, supporting the broader adoption of advanced control strategies like MPC. The framework also establishes a foundation for evolving metadata requirements as applications mature while maintaining compatibility with industry standards.

Paul, Lazlo↗

Water impact test of aft skirt end ring, and mid ring segments of the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster

The results of water impact loads tests using aft skirt end ring, and mid ring segments of the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) are examined. Dynamic structural response data is developed and an evaluation of the model in various configurations is presented. Impact velocities are determined for the SRB with the larger main chute system. Various failure modes are also investigated.

Source record↗

Langley Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility

NASA Reference Publication reports on NASA Langley Research Center's recent upgrading of Landing Loads Track (LLT) to improve capability of low-cost testing of conventional and advanced landing-gear systems. Features include ability to test aircraft landing-gear systems on actual runway surfaces at operational ground speeds and loading conditions. Historical overview of original LLT given, followed by detailed description of systems and operational capabilities of new ALDF.

Davis, Pamela A.↗

Preliminary experimental results for a cryogenic brush seal configuration

Preliminary fluid nitrogen flow data are reported for a five-brush, ceramic-coated-rub-runner brush seal system, where the brushes and the rub runner were placed at each end of a centrally pressurized multifunction tester ('back-to-back' set of brushes) and tested at rotor speeds of 0, 10, 18, and 22.5 krpm. After testing, both the brushes and the ceramic-coated rub runner appeared pristine. The coating withstood both the thermomechanical and dynamic loadings with minor wear track scarring. The bristle tips showed some indication of material shearing (smearing) wear. The Ergun porous flow equation was applied to the brush seal data. The Ergun relation, which required heuristic information to characterize the coefficients, fit the gaseous data but was in poor agreement with the fluid results. The brush seal exit conditions were two phase. Two-phase, choked-flow design charts were applied but required one data point at each rotor speed to define the (C(sub f)A x Constant) flow and area coefficients. Reasonable agreement between prediction and data was found, as expected, but such methods are not to be construed as two-phase-flow brush seal analyses.

Carlile, J. A.↗

Preliminary experimental results for a cryogenic brush seal configuration

Preliminary fluid nitrogen flow data are reported for a five-brush, ceramic-coated-rub-runner brush seal system, where the brushes and the rub runner were placed at each end of a centrally pressurized multifunction tester ('back-to-back' set of brushes) and tested at rotor speeds of 0, 10, 18, and 22.5 krpm. After testing, both the brushes and the ceramic-coated rub runner appeared pristine. The coating withstood both the thermomechanical and dynamic loadings with minor wear track scarring. The bristle tips showed some indication of material shearing (smearing) wear. The Ergun (1952) porous flow equation was applied to the brush seal data. The Ergun relation fit the gaseous data but was in poor agreement with the fluid results. The brush seal exit conditions were two phase. Two-phase, choked-flow design charts were applied but required one data point at each rotor speed to define the flow and area coefficients. Reasonable agreement between prediction and data was found, but such methods are not to be construed as two-phase-flow brush seal analyses.

Carlile, J. A.↗

Dynamic Force Reconstruction of Transient Flap Control Force Experiments in a Hypersonic Wind Tunnel

This work details the design of a sliced-cone model with a flap embedded within the slice. The flap is controlled by a fast acting servo to simulate a control force of a hypersonic vehicle. Design considerations such as sensor placement, expected loading, servo arm selection, and cavity temperatures are detailed in this work. Such a design imparts a dynamic response of the test article and as such, dynamic force measurement methodologies are required to reconstruct the control forcing. Three methods are of particular interest: the Sum of Weighted Accelerations Technique, Time Domain Deconvolution Method, and Frequency Domain Inverse Method. Novel versions of each method have been applied to this dataset to improve the reconstruction accuracy.

dynamic balance↗

Dynamic Force Reconstruction of Transient Flap Control Force Experiments in a Hypersonic Wind Tunnel

This work details the design of a sliced-cone model with a flap embedded within the slice. The flap is controlled by a fast acting servo to simulate a control force of a hypersonic vehicle. Design considerations such as sensor placement, expected loading, servo arm selection, and cavity temperatures are detailed in this work. Such a design imparts a dynamic response of the test article and as such, dynamic force measurement methodologies are required to reconstruct the control forcing. Three methods are of particular interest: the Sum of Weighted Accelerations Technique, Time Domain Deconvolution Method, and Frequency Domain Inverse Method. Novel versions of each method have been applied to this dataset to improve the reconstruction accuracy.

dynamic balance↗

Pressure loads and aerodynamic force information for the -89A space shuttle orbiter configuration, volume 2

Experimental aerodynamic investigations were conducted on an 0.0405 scale representation of the Rockwell -89A Light Weight Space Shuttle Orbiter. The test purpose was to obtain pressure loads data in the presence of the ground for orbiter structural strength analysis. Aerodynamic force data was also recorded to allow correlation with all pressure loads information. Angles of attack from minus 3 deg to 18 deg and angles of sideslip of 0 deg, plus or minus 50 deg, and plus or minus 10 deg were tested in the presence of the NAAL ground plane. Static pressure bugs were used to obtain a pressure loads survey of the basic configuration, elevon deflections of 5 deg, 10 deg, 15 deg, and minus 20 deg and a rudder deflection of minus 15 deg, at a tunnel dynamic pressure of 40 psi. The test procedure was to locate a maximum of 30 static pressure bugs on the model surface at various locations calculated to prevent aerodynamic and physical interference. Then by various combinations of location the pressure bugs output was to define a complete pressure survey for the fuselages, wing, vertical tail, and main landing gear door.

Mennell, R. C.↗