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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2024

The Activity Profiles and Peak Flux of Radar Meteor Showers

Meteor showers are transient phenomena; a limited duration is what distinguishes a shower from a sporadic source. They do not, however, have clear start and end times; instead, shower activity gradually (or rapidly) increases over time, reaches a peak, and then decays. In this report, we examine the activity profiles of 38 meteor showers using 20 years of single-station shower fluxes from the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar (CMOR). We find that a number of showers, such as the Southern delta Aquariids (SDAs), exhibit a broad maximum in activity rather than a sharp peak. We also find that approximately one-third of showers exhibit asymmetric activity profiles in which the rate in which activity rises prior to the peak differs from the rate at which it decays after the peak. We provide a functional form for meteor shower activity profiles that incorporates these features and use these profile fits to estimate each shower’s peak flux. This report also includes an uncertainty analysis for CMOR fluxes. This includes the first (to our knowledge) characterization of systematic uncertainty in radar meteor fluxes.

A V Moorhead↗
NASA NTRS1985

Mega-geomorphology: Mars vis a vis Earth

The areas of chaotic terrain, the giant chasma of the Valles Marineris region, the complex linear and circular depressions of Labyrinthus Noctis on Mars all suggest the possibility of large scale collapse of parts of the martian crust within equatorial and sub equatorial latitudes. It seems generally accepted that the above features are fossil, being perhaps, more than a billion years old. It is possible that parts of Earth's crust experienced similar episodes of large scale collapse sometime early in the evolution of the planet.

Sharp, R. P.↗
DOE OSTI2015

WE-G-207-05: Relationship Between CT Image Quality, Segmentation Performance, and Quantitative Image Feature Analysis

Purpose: Segmentation quality can affect quantitative image feature analysis. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between computed tomography (CT) image quality, segmentation performance, and quantitative image feature analysis. Methods: A total of 90 pathology proven breast lesions in 87 dedicated breast CT images were considered. An iterative image reconstruction (IIR) algorithm was used to obtain CT images with different quality. With different combinations of 4 variables in the algorithm, this study obtained a total of 28 different qualities of CT images. Two imaging tasks/objectives were considered: 1) segmentation and 2) classification of the lesion as benign or malignant. Twenty-three image features were extracted after segmentation using a semi-automated algorithm and 5 of them were selected via a feature selection technique. Logistic regression was trained and tested using leave-one-out-cross-validation and its area under the ROC curve (AUC) was recorded. The standard deviation of a homogeneous portion and the gradient of a parenchymal portion of an example breast were used as an estimate of image noise and sharpness. The DICE coefficient was computed using a radiologist’s drawing on the lesion. Mean DICE and AUC were used as performance metrics for each of the 28 reconstructions. The relationship between segmentation and classification performance under different reconstructions were compared. Distributions (median, 95% confidence interval) of DICE and AUC for each reconstruction were also compared. Results: Moderate correlation (Pearson’s rho = 0.43, p-value = 0.02) between DICE and AUC values was found. However, the variation between DICE and AUC values for each reconstruction increased as the image sharpness increased. There was a combination of IIR parameters that resulted in the best segmentation with the worst classification performance. Conclusion: There are certain images that yield better segmentation or classification performance. The best segmentation Result does not necessarily lead to the best classification Result. This work has been supported in part by grants from the NIH R21-EB015053. R Nishikawa is receives royalties form Hologic, Inc.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2009

Spinoff 2009

Topics covered include: Image-Capture Devices Extend Medicine's Reach; Medical Devices Assess, Treat Balance Disorders; NASA Bioreactors Advance Disease Treatments; Robotics Algorithms Provide Nutritional Guidelines; "Anti-Gravity" Treadmills Speed Rehabilitation; Crew Management Processes Revitalize Patient Care; Hubble Systems Optimize Hospital Schedules; Web-based Programs Assess Cognitive Fitness; Electrolyte Concentrates Treat Dehydration; Tools Lighten Designs, Maintain Structural Integrity; Insulating Foams Save Money, Increase Safety; Polyimide Resins Resist Extreme Temperatures; Sensors Locate Radio Interference; Surface Operations Systems Improve Airport Efficiency; Nontoxic Resins Advance Aerospace Manufacturing; Sensors Provide Early Warning of Biological Threats; Robot Saves Soldier's Lives Overseas (MarcBot); Apollo-Era Life Raft Saves Hundreds of Sailors; Circuits Enhance Scientific Instruments and Safety Devices; Tough Textiles Protect Payloads and Public Safety Officers; Forecasting Tools Point to Fishing Hotspots; Air Purifiers Eliminate Pathogens, Preserve Food; Fabrics Protect Sensitive Skin from UV Rays; Phase Change Fabrics Control Temperature; Tiny Devices Project Sharp, Colorful Images; Star-Mapping Tools Enable Tracking of Endangered Animals; Nanofiber Filters Eliminate Contaminants; Modeling Innovations Advance Wind Energy Industry; Thermal Insulation Strips Conserve Energy; Satellite Respondent Buoys Identify Ocean Debris; Mobile Instruments Measure Atmospheric Pollutants; Cloud Imagers Offer New Details on Earth's Health; Antennas Lower Cost of Satellite Access; Feature Detection Systems Enhance Satellite Imagery; Chlorophyll Meters Aid Plant Nutrient Management; Telemetry Boards Interpret Rocket, Airplane Engine Data; Programs Automate Complex Operations Monitoring; Software Tools Streamline Project Management; Modeling Languages Refine Vehicle Design; Radio Relays Improve Wireless Products; Advanced Sensors Boost Optical Communication, Imaging; Tensile Fabrics Enhance Architecture Around the World; Robust Light Filters Support Powerful Imaging Devices; Thermoelectric Devices Cool, Power Electronics; Innovative Tools Advance Revolutionary Weld Technique; Methods Reduce Cost, Enhance Quality of Nanotubes; Gauging Systems Monitor Cryogenic Liquids; Voltage Sensors Monitor Harmful Static; and Compact Instruments Measure Heat Potential.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2012

Enabling high-temperature nanophotonics for energy applications

The nascent field of high-temperature nanophotonics could potentially enable many important solid-state energy conversion applications, such as thermophotovoltaic energy generation, selective solar absorption, and selective emission of light. However, special challenges arise when trying to design nanophotonic materials with precisely tailored optical properties that can operate at high-temperatures (> 1,100 K). These include proper material selection and purity to prevent melting, evaporation, or chemical reactions; severe minimization of any material interfaces to prevent thermomechanical problems such as delamination; robust performance in the presence of surface diffusion; and long-range geometric precision over large areas with severe minimization of very small feature sizes to maintain structural stability. We report an approach for high-temperature nanophotonics that surmounts all of these difficulties. It consists of an analytical and computationally guided design involving high-purity tungsten in a precisely fabricated photonic crystal slab geometry (specifically chosen to eliminate interfaces arising from layer-by-layer fabrication) optimized for high performance and robustness in the presence of roughness, fabrication errors, and surface diffusion. It offers near-ultimate short-wavelength emittance and low, ultra-broadband long-wavelength emittance, along with a sharp cutoff offering 4:1 emittance contrast over 10% wavelength separation. This is achieved via Q-matching, whereby the absorptive and radiative rates of the photonic crystal’s cavity resonances are matched. Strong angular emission selectivity is also observed, with short-wavelength emission suppressed by 50% at 75° compared to normal incidence. Finally, a precise high-temperature measurement technique is developed to confirm that emission at 1,225 K can be primarily confined to wavelengths shorter than the cutoff wavelength.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Excess entropy and crystallization in Stillinger-Weber and Lennard-Jones fluids

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to contrast the supercooling and crystallization behaviour of monatomic liquids that exemplify the transition from simple to anomalous, tetrahedral liquids. As examples of simple fluids, we use the Lennard-Jones (LJ) liquid and a pair-dominated Stillinger-Weber liquid (SW{sub 16}). As examples of tetrahedral, water-like fluids, we use the Stillinger-Weber model with variable tetrahedrality parameterized for germanium (SW{sub 20}), silicon (SW{sub 21}), and water (SW{sub 23.15} or mW model). The thermodynamic response functions show clear qualitative differences between simple and water-like liquids. For simple liquids, the compressibility and the heat capacity remain small on isobaric cooling. The tetrahedral liquids in contrast show a very sharp rise in these two response functions as the lower limit of liquid-phase stability is reached. While the thermal expansivity decreases with temperature but never crosses zero in simple liquids, in all three tetrahedral liquids at the studied pressure, there is a temperature of maximum density below which thermal expansivity is negative. In contrast to the thermodynamic response functions, the excess entropy on isobaric cooling does not show qualitatively different features for simple and water-like liquids; however, the slope and curvature of the entropy-temperature plots reflect the heat capacity trends. Two trajectory-based computational estimation methods for the entropy and the heat capacity are compared for possible structural insights into supercooling, with the entropy obtained from thermodynamic integration. The two-phase thermodynamic estimator for the excess entropy proves to be fairly accurate in comparison to the excess entropy values obtained by thermodynamic integration, for all five Lennard-Jones and Stillinger-Weber liquids. The entropy estimator based on the multiparticle correlation expansion that accounts for both pair and triplet correlations, denoted by S{sub trip}, is also studied. S{sub trip} is a good entropy estimator for liquids where pair and triplet correlations are important such as Ge and Si, but loses accuracy for purely pair-dominated liquids, like LJ fluid, or near the crystallization temperature (T{sub thr}). Since local tetrahedral order is compatible with both liquid and crystalline states, the reorganisation of tetrahedral liquids is accompanied by a clear rise in the pair, triplet, and thermodynamic contributions to the heat capacity, resulting in the heat capacity anomaly. In contrast, the pair-dominated liquids show increasing dominance of triplet correlations on approaching crystallization but no sharp rise in either the pair or thermodynamic heat capacities.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

High‐pressure phases in shock‐induced melt of the unique highly shocked LL 6 chondrite Northwest Africa 757

Abstract Northwest Africa 757 is unique in the LL chondrite group because of its abundant shock‐induced melt and high‐pressure minerals. Olivine fragments entrained in the melt transform partially and completely into ringwoodite. Plagioclase and Ca‐phosphate transform to maskelynite, lingunite, and tuite. Two distinct shock‐melt crystallization assemblages were studied by FIB ‐ TEM analysis. The first melt assemblage, which includes majoritic garnet, ringwoodite plus magnetite‐magnesiowüstite, crystallized at pressures of 20–25 GP a. The other melt assemblage, which consists of clinopyroxene and wadsleyite, solidified at ~15 GP a, suggesting a second veining event under lower pressure conditions. These shock features are similar to those in S6 L chondrites and indicate that NWA 757 experienced an intense impact event, comparable to the impact event that disrupted the L chondrite parent body at 470 Ma.

Hu, Jinping↗
DOE OSTI2019

Resonant Two-Photon Photoelectron Imaging and Intersystem Crossing from Excited Dipole-Bound States of Cold Anions

In this work, we report the observation of a dipole-bound state (DBS) 659 cm –1 below the electron detachment threshold of cryogenically cooled deprotonated 4,4'-biphenol anion (bPh – ) and 19 of its lowest vibrational levels. Resonant two-photon photoelectron imaging (R2P-PEI) via the vibrational levels of the DBS displays a sharp peak with a constant binding energy. This observation indicates vertical detachment from the vibrational levels of the DBS to the corresponding neutral levels with the conservation of the vibrational energy, suggesting that the highly diffuse electron in the DBS has little effect on the neutral core. The R2P-PEI spectra also exhibit two features at lower binding energies, which come from intersystem crossings from the DBS to two lower-lying valence-bound triplet excited states of bPh – . The current study discloses the first R2P-PEI spectra from vibrational excited states of a DBS and direct spectroscopic evidence of transitions from a DBS to valence-bound states of anions.irect spectroscopic evidence of transitions from a DBS to valence-bound states of anions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Harnessing the Spin-Flip Radiative Lifetimes of Optically Addressable Molecular Qubits

Optically addressable molecular qubits based on spin-flip (SF) emissive transitions are promising candidates for quantum technologies due to their sharp luminescence lines and tunable optical-spin interfaces. Yet, the microscopic mechanisms controlling the spin-flip radiative lifetime of SF emitters, a key property for efficient spin readout, remain largely unexplored. Here, we present a computational study of several Cr 4+ and Mo 4+ pseudotetrahedral molecular qubits, and we identify chemical and structural features that influence the transition dipole moment associated with the SF emission, which, in turn, governs the SF radiative lifetime. We find that the magnitude of the dipole moment is governed by the multireference character of the spin-flip excited-state wave function, which can be modulated by tuning the energy separation between the d orbitals of the metal and the spin-pairing energy. Both parameters are sensitive to molecular symmetry, metal–ligand bond covalency, and bond anisotropy and leave room for modulation via ligand and metal design, as well as applied strain, which is relevant for sensing applications. Our findings provide a mechanistic framework for understanding and tuning the spin-flip radiative behavior of molecular qubits and SF emitters that may guide future advances in quantum information science.

molecular qubits↗
NASA NTRS1973

Mars: Troughed terrain

One of the spectacular revelations of the Mariner 9 pictures was the assemblage of huge troughs in the Tithonius Lacus-Coprates region of equatorial Mars. These features represent a significant phase in the planet's evolution, and their interpretation although necessarily highly speculative is justified by the potential for indicating something of the nature of surficial and internal conditions and processes of Mars.

Sharp, R. P.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Strong Stability Preserving Integrating Factor Two-Step Runge-Kutta Methods

In this report, problems with components that feature significantly different time scales, where the stiff time-step restriction comes from a linear component, implicit-explicit (IMEX) methods alleviate this restriction if the concern is linear stability. However, when nonlinear non-inner-product stability properties are of interest, such as in the evolution of hyperbolic partial differential equations with shocks or sharp gradients, linear inner-product stability is no longer sufficient for convergence, and so strong stability preserving (SSP) methods are often needed. Where the SSP property is needed, IMEX SSP Runge-Kutta (SSP-IMEX) methods have very restrictive time-steps. An alternative to SSP-IMEX schemes is to adopt an integrating factor approach to handle the linear component exactly and step the transformed problem forward using some time-evolution method. The strong stability properties of integrating factor Runge-Kutta methods were established in Isherwood et al. (SIAM J Numer Anal 56(6):3276–3307, 2018), where it was shown that it is possible to define explicit integrating factor Runge-Kutta methods that preserve strong stability properties satisfied by each of the two components when coupled with forward Euler time-stepping. It was proved that the solution will be SSP if the transformed problem is stepped forward with an explicit SSP Runge-Kutta method that has non-decreasing abscissas. However, explicit SSP Runge-Kutta methods have an order barrier of p=4, and sometimes higher order is desired. In this work we consider explicit SSP two-step Runge-Kutta integrating factor methods to raise the order. We show that strong stability is ensured if the two-step Runge-Kutta method used to evolve the transformed problem is SSP and has non-decreasing abscissas. We find such methods up to eighth order and present their SSP coefficients. Adding a step allows us to break the fourth order barrier on explicit SSP Runge-Kutta methods; furthermore, our explicit SSP two-step Runge-Kutta methods with non-decreasing abscissas typically have larger SSP coefficients than the corresponding one-step methods. A selection of our methods are tested for convergence and demonstrate the design order. We also show, for selected methods, that the SSP time-step predicted by the theory is a lower bound of the allowable time-step for linear and nonlinear problems that satisfy the total variation diminishing (TVD) condition. We compare some of the non-decreasing abscissa SSP two-step Runge-Kutta methods to previously found methods that do not satisfy this criterion on linear and nonlinear TVD test cases to show that this non-decreasing abscissa condition is indeed necessary in practice as well as theory. We also compare these results to our SSP integrating factor Runge-Kutta methods designed in Isherwood et al. (2018).

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Advanced Computational Modeling of High-Level Waste Vitrification at the Hanford Site

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected vitrification for stabilizing legacy tank waste at the Hanford site, where radioactive waste from plutonium production was historically stored in underground tanks. This waste will be separated into low-activity waste (LAW) and high-level waste (HLW) fractions and processed at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). At WTP, glass melters are used for the vitrification of radioactive tank waste, transforming it into a stable borosilicate glass form for safe long-term storage. The melter vessel is constructed from highly durable and heat-resistant materials, where the vitrification process occurs. The main regions that are modeled are the melt pool, plenum, cold cap, riser/discharge chamber, and surrounding structure with insulation layers. Forced convection induced by air bubblers at the base of the melter ensure uniform temperature distribution and provide heat to the cold cap layer. The cold cap is a region of reacting batch feed that floats on top of the molten glass and is where the batch-to-glass reactions occur. Joule heating provided by electrodes mounted along the vertical walls of the melter and immersed directly in the glass, generates the necessary heat for the net endothermic conversion processes that occur in the cold cap. The high temperatures, radioactivity, and opaque nature of the glass prevent direct observation inside the melters. Therefore, computational models are essential for providing insight into factors that affect melter throughput. Thermocouples in the plenum provide operators with plenum temperature measurements. Operational adjustments include bubbling rate, voltage supplied to the electrodes, feed adjustments, and glass removal rate. Different computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models have been developed, each serving a specific purpose. There are CFD models of different scale melters, as well as models that capture the two-phase flow interfaces of rising bubbles in the molten glass or models with a simplified molten glass region so that the surrounding structure and plenum can be feasibly incorporated. Pilot-scale melter models have been developed to serve as validation of the methods employed in the simulation of the full-scale WTP melters. Models incorporating resolved bubbling are used to develop momentum source terms to implement into a single phase, multi-region, steady-state flow model that is being validated by measured process parameters such as glass production rate, voltage, input power, plenum temperatures, etc. The resolved bubbling model uses the multiphase volume of fluid approach to model the system with a high-resolution interface capturing scheme to maintain sharp interfaces between the molten glass and the air phase. The suite of CFD models is continually being improved to incorporate more realistic physics and achieve faster turnaround time. For example, an incremental controller is implemented to automatically adjust electrode voltage within the simulation to a molten glass set point temperature of 1150°C. Newer models feature improved meshes to ensure conformal meshes between regions and eliminate unnecessary mesh refinement in areas that are not of interest (such as boundary layers in offgas ports). Instead of explicitly modeling the structural, refractory, and insulation layers of the melter, a thermal resistance approach is used with published correlations used for boundary conditions. The development of robust and efficient CFD models will be instrumental in enabling the WTP to successfully fulfill its mission of safely stabilizing legacy nuclear waste.

12 - MGMT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTE↗
DOE OSTI2017

A Suzaku View of Accretion-powered X-Ray Pulsar GX 1+4

We present results obtained from a Suzaku observation of the accretion-powered X-ray pulsar GX 1+4. A broadband continuum spectrum of the pulsar was found to be better described by a simple model consisting of a blackbody component and an exponential cutoff power law than the previously used compTT continuum model. Though the pulse profile had a sharp dip in soft X-rays (<10 keV), phase-resolved spectroscopy confirmed that the dimming was not due to an increase in photoelectric absorption. Phase-sliced spectral analysis showed the presence of a significant spectral modulation beyond 10 keV except for the dip phase. A search for the presence of a cyclotron resonance scattering feature in the Suzaku spectra yielded a negative result. Iron K-shell (K{sub α} and K{sub β}) emission lines from nearly neutral iron ions (<Fe iii) were clearly detected in the source spectrum. A significant K{sub α} emission line from almost neutral Ni atoms was detected for the first time in this source. We estimated an iron abundance of ∼80% of the solar value and an Ni/Fe abundance ratio of about two times the solar value. We searched for an iron Ly{sub α} emission line and found a significant improvement in the spectral fitting by inclusion of this line. We found a clear intensity modulation of the iron K{sub α} line with the pulse phase with an amplitude of 7%. This finding favored an inhomogeneous fluorescent region with a radius much smaller than the size (∼3 × 10{sup 12} cm) estimated by an assumption of homogeneous matter.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1994

Infrared diffuse reflectance spectra of carbonaceous chondrites: Amount of hydrous minerals

Infrared diffuse reflectance spectra (2.53-25 microns) of some carbonaceous (C) chondrites were measured. The integrated intensity of the absorption bands near 3 microns caused by hydrous minerals were compared with the modal content of hydrous minerals for the meteorites. The CM and CI chondrites show larger values of the intergated intensity than those of the unique C chondrites Y82162, Y86720 and B7904, suggesting that the amount of hydrous minerals in the CM and CI chondrites is larger, which supports the contention that hydrous minerals were dehydrated by thermal metamorphism in the unique chondrites. Orgueil (CI) has the largest value of the integrated intensity among the C chondrites we measured and shows a sharp absorption band at 3685/cm (2.71 microns) that is not seen in the spectra of the CM chondrites. There is an excellent correlation between the observed hydrogen content in C chondrites and the integrated intensity. The CM chondrites show a wide variation in the strength of absorption bands at 1470/cm (6.8 microns), despite the similarity in absorption features near 3 micron for all CM chondites. The 1470/cm band could be due to the presence of some hydrocarbons but may also be a result of terrestrial alteration processes.

Miyamoto, M.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Systems Development, Data Mining, and Knowledge Discovery

The primary role of the Technical Integration Office is to provide technical solutions and services to different branches at KSC (Kennedy Space Center) and NASA program customers. The Technical Integration Office helps support KSC's operational needs by providing services such as digital connectivity, data center services, modelling and simulation tools, and communication video services. To learn the necessary technology and processes for my internship, I am working on two projects: learning C# (C Sharp programming language) with SQL and developing requirements for a PX (Communication and Public Engagement) inventory management system. To learn how to efficiently program with C#, my mentor assigned me to complete a sports informatics application that would let users discover facts and rules about various sports. The sports informatics application comes with search capabilities, report generating features, rule lists that users can modify, and diagrams for various sport strategies. To further build upon this project, I also developed a sport simulation game with the application. Once I begin more SQL-based projects, I will have the opportunity to learn how to manage databases and link SQL servers with C# programs. To develop requirements for the inventory management system, I have met with PX representatives and toured their storage facilities to see how they organize and store their items and equipment. I will also be meeting with representatives from the budget office to find out what information must be in a system budget report. The main components the system must have are customer request management, a search feature for items and equipment, report generation capabilities, and automated system warnings when item quantities reach or go below administrator-specified threshold levels. I have drafted questions and shall statements that will ultimately become part of the inventory management system requirements document.

Espinosa, Gabriel↗
DOE OSTI2015

Impact of isotopic disorders on thermal transport properties of nanotubes and nanowires

We present a one-dimensional lattice model to describe thermal transport in isotopically doped nanotubes and nanowires. The thermal conductivities thus predicted, as a function of isotopic concentration, agree well with recent experiments and other simulations. Our results display that for any given concentration of isotopic atoms in a lattice without sharp atomic interfaces, the maximum thermal conductivity is attained when isotopic atoms are placed regularly with an equal space, whereas the minimum is achieved when they are randomly inserted with a uniform distribution. Non-uniformity of disorder can further tune the thermal conductivity between the two values. Moreover, the dependence of the thermal conductivity on the nanoscale feature size becomes weak at low temperature when disorder exists. In addition, when self-consistent thermal reservoirs are included to describe diffusive nanomaterials, the thermal conductivities predicted by our model are in line with the results of macroscopic theories with an interfacial effect. Our results suggest that the disorder provides an additional freedom to tune the thermal properties of nanomaterials in many technological applications including nanoelectronics, solid-state lighting, energy conservation, and conversion.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Turbulent Processes that Influence Boundary-Layer Cloud Structure (Final Technical Report)

Many models of the atmosphere simulate vertical profiles of observable fields, such as temperature, moisture, and vertical velocity. To assess the realism of such model output, it is important to evaluate the modeled profiles against observations. However, many extant evaluations consist of comparing time averaged profiles from the model and the observations. Such time averages can smooth out unrealistic features that appear in instantaneous profiles. In this way, the time averages may obscure certain model errors from detection. For instance, many models misrepresent turbulent processes, leading to profiles that are too smoothed out or too noisy. E.g., if a model has coarse vertical resolution and overly strong diffusion, then the model may be unable to produce observed sharp peaks. On the other hand, a model may have artificial approximations that produce spurious jumps in the vertical. Much can be learned by browsing through instantaneous snapshots of model output. But the volume of output produced by a global model is far too great to rely purely on visual inspection. In addition, we need a way to statistically characterize the profiles, so that anomalies can be detected more conveniently.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2004

Pressure-Sensitive Paint Investigation of Double-Delta Wing Vortex Flow Manipulation

A pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) technique was applied in a wind tunnel experiment in the NASA Langley Research Center 8-Foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel to quantify the effect of wing fillets on the global vortex-induced surface static pressure field about a sharp leading-edge 76o/40o double delta wing, or strake-wing, model at subsonic and transonic speeds. Global calibrations of the PSP were obtained at M = 0.50, 0.70, 0.85, 0.95, and 1.20, a Reynolds number per unit length of 2.0 million, and angles of attack from 10 degrees to 20 degrees using an in-situ method featuring the simultaneous acquisition of electronically-scanned pressures (ESP) at discrete locations on the model. The mean error in the PSP measurements relative to the ESP data was approximately 2 percent or less at M = 0.50 to 0.85 but increased to several percent at M =0.95 and 1.20. The PSP pressure distributions and pseudo-colored planform view pressure maps clearly revealed the vortex-induced pressure signatures at all Mach numbers and angles of attack. Small fillets having a parabolic or diamond planform situated at the strake-wing intersection were designed to manipulate the vortical flows by, respectively, removing the leading-edge discontinuity or introducing additional discontinuities. The fillets caused global changes in the vortex-dominated surface pressure field that were effectively captured in the PSP measurements. The vortex surface pressure signatures were compared to available off-surface vortex cross-flow structures obtained using a laser vapor screen (LVS) flow visualization technique. The fillet effects on the PSP pressure distributions and the observed leading-edge vortex flow characteristics were consistent with the trends in the measured lift, drag, and pitching moment coefficients.

Erickson, Gary E.↗