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At least 595 records · Page 33
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1982

Pressure transfer function of a JT15D nozzle due to acoustic and convected entropy fluctuations

An acoustic transmission matrix analysis of sound propagation in a variable area duct with and without flow is extended to include convected entropy fluctuations. The boundary conditions used in the analysis are a transfer function relating entropy and pressure at the nozzle inlet and the nozzle exit impedance. The nozzle pressure transfer function calculated is compared with JT15D turbofan engine nozzle data. The one dimensional theory for sound propagation in a variable area nozzle with flow but without convected entropy is good at the low engine speeds where the nozzle exit Mach number is low (M=0.2) and the duct exit impedance model is good. The effect of convected entropy appears to be so negligible that it is obscured by the inaccuracy of the nozzle exit impedance model, the lack of information on the magnitude of the convected entropy and its phase relationship with the pressure, and the scatter in the data. An improved duct exit impedance model is required at the higher engine speeds where the nozzle exit Mach number is high (M=0.56) and at low frequencies (below 120 Hz).

Miles, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Improved boundary layer heat transfer calculations near a stagnation point

A thermal design of a solar receiver has been developed for the solutions of problems involving phase-change thermal energy storage and natural convection loss. Two dimensional axisymmetrical solidification and melting of materials contained between two concentric cylinders of finite length has been studied for thermal energy storage analysis. For calculation of free convection loss inside receiver cavity, two dimensional axisymmetrical, laminar, transient free convection including radiation effects has been studied using integral/finite difference method. Finite difference equations are derived for the above analysis subject to constant or variable material properties, initial conditions, and boundary conditions. The validity of the analyses has been substantiated by comparing results of the present general method with available analytic solutions or numerical results reported in the literature. Both explicit and implicit schemes are tested in phase change analysis with different number of nodes ranging from 4 to 18. The above numerical methods have been applied to the existing solar receiver analyzing computer code as additional subroutines. The results were computed for one of the proposed Brayton cycle solar receiver models running under the actual environmental conditions. Effect of thermal energy storage on the thermal behavior of the receiver has been estimated. Due to the thermal energy storage, about 65% reduction on working gas outlet temperature fluctuation has been obtained; however, maximum temperature of thermal energy storage containment has been increased about 18%. Also, effect of natural convection inside a receiver cavity on the receiver heat transfer has been analyzed. The finding indicated that thermal stratification occurs during the sun time resulting in higher receiver temperatures at the outlet section of the gas tube, and lower temperatures at the inlet section of the gas tube when compared with the results with no natural convection. Due to heat supply from the air during the shade time, minimum temperature has been increased, while maximum temperature has been reduced due to convection loss to air. Consequently, cyclic temperature fluctuation has been reduced 29% for working gas and 16% for thermal energy storage containment. On the other hand, despite the presence of the natural convection the time-averaged temperatures for receiver components were found to be similar for two cases with/without natural convection (maximum difference was 1.8%).

Ahn, Kyung Hwan↗
NASA NTRS1995

Identifying Human Factors Issues in Aircraft Maintenance Operations

Maintenance operations incidents submitted to the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) between 1986-1992 were systematically analyzed in order to identify issues relevant to human factors and crew coordination. This exploratory analysis involved 95 ASRS reports which represented a wide range of maintenance incidents. The reports were coded and analyzed according to the type of error (e.g, wrong part, procedural error, non-procedural error), contributing factors (e.g., individual, within-team, cross-team, procedure, tools), result of the error (e.g., aircraft damage or not) as well as the operational impact (e.g., aircraft flown to destination, air return, delay at gate). The main findings indicate that procedural errors were most common (48.4%) and that individual and team actions contributed to the errors in more than 50% of the cases. As for operational results, most errors were either corrected after landing at the destination (51.6%) or required the flight crew to stop enroute (29.5%). Interactions among these variables are also discussed. This analysis is a first step toward developing a taxonomy of crew coordination problems in maintenance. By understanding what variables are important and how they are interrelated, we may develop intervention strategies that are better tailored to the human factor issues involved.

Veinott, Elizabeth S.↗
NASA NTRS1981

The effects of controls and controllable and storage loads on the performance of stand-alone photovoltaic systems

Stand-alone photovoltaic systems have been modeled and analyzed from sunlight in to consumer product out. By including the consumer product in the analysis, concepts such as 'product storage' (a storage tank for water or cold-plates for refrigeration) and loads controllable by the system controller have been added to the system analysis. From a controls analysis viewpoint, this adds state variables to the system. The result is that the system controller can make operating control decisions on the energy flow between these various system elements to optimize system performance and reduce system cost. The effects on system performance of various control schemes employing these concepts are presented. Analysis of water pumping and/or refrigeration systems show possible performance improvements of greater than 15% with the addition of controllable loads with product storage.

Cull, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Geochemical Mapping of 4 Vesta Begins

By December, the NASA Dawn spacecraft will have descended to a low altitude mapping orbit (LAMO), where the Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector (GRaND) will acquire global mapping data for up to four months. Measurements by GRaND will help answer elusive questions about how Vesta differentiated and the nature of processes that shaped Vesta s surface. The data will be analyzed to determine the abundances of Mg, Si, Fe, K, Th, and H at a spatial resolution of roughly 300 km full-width-at-half-maximum from a 465 km radius orbit. Thermal and fast neutron counting data will be analyzed to determine the neutron macroscopic absorption cross section and average atomic mass, providing constraints on additional elements, such as Ca and Al. GRaND will quantify the elemental composition of coarse spatial units identified by Dawn s Framing Camera (FC) and the Visible & Infrared Spectrometer (VIR). In addition, GRaND will map the mixing ratio of compositional end members selected from the howardite, eucrite and diogenite (HED) meteorites, determine the relative proportions of plagioclase and mafic minerals, and search for compositions that are absent or under-represented in the meteorite collection. While it is generally thought that Vesta s crust on a regional scale should be well-represented by linear mixing of HED whole-rock compositions, there are hints that Vesta may be more diverse than implied by this model. For example, the discovery of K-rich impact glasses in howardites suggests that K-rich rocks may be present on a portion of Vesta s surface, and the analysis of diogenites indicates considerable variability in the magmatic processes that formed them. The chemical composition of materials within Vesta s south polar structure may provide further clues to how it formed. An impact might have exposed mantle and lower crustal materials, which should have a distinctive compositional signature. We present the analysis of data acquired by GRaND from cruise through the descent to LAMO, including GRaND s sensitivity to different elements and geochemical processes.

Prettyman, Thomas H.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Generalized wave envelope analysis of sound propagation in ducts with stepped noise source profiles and variable axial impedance

A finite difference formulation is presented for sound propagation in a rectangular two-dimensional duct without steady flow. Before the difference equations are formulated, the governing Helmholtz equation is first transformed to a form whose solution tends not to oscillate along the length of the duct. This transformation reduces the required number of grid points by an order of magnitude. Example solutions indicate that stepped noise source profiles have much higher attenuation than plane waves in a uniform impedance liner. Also, multiple stepped impedance liners are shown to have higher attenuation than uniform ducts if the impedances are chosen properly. For optimum noise reduction with axial variations in impedance, the numerical analysis indicates that for a plane wave input the resistance should be near zero at the entrance of a suppressor duct, while the reactance should be near the optimum value associated with the least-attenuated mode in a uniform duct.

Baumeister, K. J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Probabilistic fatigue methodology for six nines reliability

Fleet readiness and flight safety strongly depend on the degree of reliability that can be designed into rotorcraft flight critical components. The current U.S. Army fatigue life specification for new rotorcraft is the so-called six nines reliability, or a probability of failure of one in a million. The progress of a round robin which was established by the American Helicopter Society (AHS) Subcommittee for Fatigue and Damage Tolerance is reviewed to investigate reliability-based fatigue methodology. The participants in this cooperative effort are in the U.S. Army Aviation Systems Command (AVSCOM) and the rotorcraft industry. One phase of the joint activity examined fatigue reliability under uniquely defined conditions for which only one answer was correct. The other phases were set up to learn how the different industry methods in defining fatigue strength affected the mean fatigue life and reliability calculations. Hence, constant amplitude and spectrum fatigue test data were provided so that each participant could perform their standard fatigue life analysis. As a result of this round robin, the probabilistic logic which includes both fatigue strength and spectrum loading variability in developing a consistant reliability analysis was established. In this first study, the reliability analysis was limited to the linear cumulative damage approach. However, it is expected that superior fatigue life prediction methods will ultimately be developed through this open AHS forum. To that end, these preliminary results were useful in identifying some topics for additional study.

Everett, R. A., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Simultaneous Aerodynamic and Structural Design Optimization (SASDO) for a 3-D Wing

The formulation and implementation of an optimization method called Simultaneous Aerodynamic and Structural Design Optimization (SASDO) is shown as an extension of the Simultaneous Aerodynamic Analysis and Design Optimization (SAADO) method. It is extended by the inclusion of structure element sizing parameters as design variables and Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis responses as constraints. The method aims to reduce the computational expense. incurred in performing shape and sizing optimization using state-of-the-art Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) flow analysis, FEM structural analysis and sensitivity analysis tools. SASDO is applied to a simple. isolated, 3-D wing in inviscid flow. Results show that the method finds the saine local optimum as a conventional optimization method with some reduction in the computational cost and without significant modifications; to the analysis tools.

Gumbert, Clyde R.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Nonlinear zero-sum differential game analysis by singular perturbation methods

A class of nonlinear, zero-sum differential games, exhibiting time-scale separation properties, can be analyzed by singular-perturbation techniques. The merits of such an analysis, leading to an approximate game solution, as well as the 'well-posedness' of the formulation, are discussed. This approach is shown to be attractive for investigating pursuit-evasion problems; the original multidimensional differential game is decomposed to a 'simple pursuit' (free-stream) game and two independent (boundary-layer) optimal-control problems. Using multiple time-scale boundary-layer models results in a pair of uniformly valid zero-order composite feedback strategies. The dependence of suboptimal strategies on relative geometry and own-state measurements is demonstrated by a three dimensional, constant-speed example. For game analysis with realistic vehicle dynamics, the technique of forced singular perturbations and a variable modeling approach is proposed. Accuracy of the analysis is evaluated by comparison with the numerical solution of a time-optimal, variable-speed 'game of two cars' in the horizontal plane.

Sinar, J.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Role of Satellite Rainfall Information in Improving Understanding of the Dynamical Link Between the Tropics and Extratropics Prospects of Improved Forecasts of Weather and Short-Term Climate Variability on Sub-Seasonal Time Scales

The tropics and extratropics are two dynamically distinct regimes. The coupling between these two regimes often defies simple analytical treatment. Progress in understanding of the dynamical interaction between the tropics and extratropics relies on better observational descriptions to guide theoretical development. However, global analyses currently contain significant errors in primary hydrological variables such as precipitation, evaporation, moisture, and clouds, especially in the tropics. Tropical analyses have been shown to be sensitive to parameterized precipitation processes, which are less than perfect, leading to order-one discrepancies between estimates produced by different data assimilation systems. One strategy for improvement is to assimilate rainfall observations to constrain the analysis and reduce uncertainties in variables physically linked to precipitation. At the Data Assimilation Office at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, we have been exploring the use of tropical rain rates derived from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) and the Special Sensor Microwave/ Imager (SSM/I) instruments in global data assimilation. Results show that assimilating these data improves not only rainfall and moisture fields but also related climate parameters such as clouds and radiation, as well as the large-scale circulation and short-range forecasts. These studies suggest that assimilation of microwave rainfall observations from space has the potential to significantly improve the quality of 4-D assimilated datasets for climate investigations (Hou et al. 2001). In the next few years, there will be a gradual increase in microwave rain products available from operational and research satellites, culminating to a target constellation of 9 satellites to provide global rain measurements every 3 hours with the proposed Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission in 2007. Continued improvements in assimilation methodology, rainfall error estimates, and model parameterizations are needed to ensure that we derive maximum benefits from these observations.

Hou, Arthur Y.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Absorption Properties of Mediterranean Aerosols Obtained from Multi-year Ground-based and Satellite Remote Sensing Observations

Aerosol absorption properties are of high importance to assess aerosol impact on regional climate. This study presents an analysis of aerosol absorption products obtained over the Mediterranean Basin or land stations in the region from multi-year ground-based AERONET and satellite observations with a focus on the Absorbing Aerosol Optical Depth (AAOD), Single Scattering Albedo (SSA) and their spectral dependence. The AAOD and Absorption Angstrom Exponent (AAE) data set is composed of daily averaged AERONET level 2 data from a total of 22 Mediterranean stations having long time series, mainly under the influence of urban-industrial aerosols and/or soil dust. This data set covers the 17 yr period 1996-2012 with most data being from 2003-2011 (approximately 89 percent of level-2 AAOD data). Since AERONET level-2 absorption products require a high aerosol load (AOD at 440 nm greater than 0.4), which is most often related to the presence of desert dust, we also consider level-1.5 SSA data, despite their higher uncertainty, and filter out data with an Angstrom exponent less than 1.0 in order to study absorption by carbonaceous aerosols. The SSA data set includes both AERONET level-2 and satellite level-3 products. Satellite-derived SSA data considered are monthly level 3 products mapped at the regional scale for the spring and summer seasons that exhibit the largest aerosol loads. The satellite SSA dataset includes the following products: (i) Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) over 2000-2011, (ii) Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) near-UV algorithm over 2004-2010, and (iii) MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Deep-Blue algorithm over 2005-2011, derived only over land in dusty conditions. Sun-photometer observations show that values of AAOD at 440 nm vary between 0.024 +/- 0.01 (resp. 0.040 +/- 0.01) and 0.050 +/- 0.01 (0.055 +/- 0.01) for urban (dusty) sites. Analysis shows that the Mediterranean urban-industrial aerosols appear "moderately" absorbing with values of SSA close to approximately 0.94-0.95 +/- 0.04 (at 440 nm) in most cases except over the large cities of Rome and Athens, where aerosol appears more absorbing (SSA approximately 0.89-0.90 +/- 0.04). The aerosol Absorption Angstrom Exponent (AAE, estimated using 440 and 870 nm) is found to be larger than 1 for most sites over the Mediterranean, a manifestation of mineral dust (iron) and/or brown carbon producing the observed absorption. AERONET level-2 sun-photometer data indicate the existence of a moderate East-West gradient, with higher values over the eastern basin (AAEEast. = 1.39/AAEWest. = 1.33) due to the influence of desert dust. The North-South AAE gradient is more pronounced, especially over the western basin. Our additional analysis of AERONET level-1.5 data also shows that organic absorbing aerosols significantly affect some Mediterranean sites. These results indicate that current climate models treating organics as nonabsorbing over the Mediterranean certainly underestimate the warming effect due to carbonaceous aerosols. A~comparative analysis of the regional SSA variability has been attempted using satellite data. OMI and MODIS data show an absorbing zone (SSA approximately 0.90 at 470-500 nm) over Northeastern Africa that does not appear in the MISR retrievals. In contrast, MISR seems able to observe the East-West SSA gradient during summer, as also detected by AERONET. Also, the analysis of SSA provided by satellites indicates that the aerosol over the Mediterranean Sea appears less absorbing during spring (MAM) than summer (JJA).

satellite remote sensing observations↗
NASA NTRS2013

Application of Spectral Analysis Techniques in the Intercomparison of Aerosol Data: 1. an EOF Approach to the Spatial-Temporal Variability of Aerosol Optical Depth Using Multiple Remote Sensing Data Sets

Many remote sensing techniques and passive sensors have been developed to measure global aerosol properties. While instantaneous comparisons between pixel-level data often reveal quantitative differences, here we use Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis, also known as Principal Component Analysis, to demonstrate that satellite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) data sets exhibit essentially the same spatial and temporal variability and are thus suitable for large-scale studies. Analysis results show that the first four EOF modes of AOD account for the bulk of the variance and agree well across the four data sets used in this study (i.e., Aqua MODIS, Terra MODIS, MISR, and SeaWiFS). Only SeaWiFS data over land have slightly different EOF patterns. Globally, the first two EOF modes show annual cycles and are mainly related to Sahara dust in the northern hemisphere and biomass burning in the southern hemisphere, respectively. After removing the mean seasonal cycle from the data, major aerosol sources, including biomass burning in South America and dust in West Africa, are revealed in the dominant modes due to the different interannual variability of aerosol emissions. The enhancement of biomass burning associated with El Niño over Indonesia and central South America is also captured with the EOF technique.

variability↗
NASA NTRS2016

Multi-Wheat-Model Ensemble Responses to Interannual Climate Variability

We compare 27 wheat models' yield responses to interannual climate variability, analyzed at locations in Argentina, Australia, India, and The Netherlands as part of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) Wheat Pilot. Each model simulated 1981e2010 grain yield, and we evaluate results against the interannual variability of growing season temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation. The amount of information used for calibration has only a minor effect on most models' climate response, and even small multi-model ensembles prove beneficial. Wheat model clusters reveal common characteristics of yield response to climate; however models rarely share the same cluster at all four sites indicating substantial independence. Only a weak relationship (R2 0.24) was found between the models' sensitivities to interannual temperature variability and their response to long-termwarming, suggesting that additional processes differentiate climate change impacts from observed climate variability analogs and motivating continuing analysis and model development efforts.

uncertainty↗
NASA NTRS1990

Stacking optimization of compressor blades of gas turbine engines

A procedure is presented to obtain optimal designs of axial compressor blades with structural design constraints. Coefficients of the polynomials defining the circumferential tilting angles and the axial leaning distances of the airfoil cross sections from the initial design geometry are used as design variables. The compressor blades are modeled by 20-node solid elements. An efficient finite element method is developed for modal analysis and sensitivity analysis with respect to the design variables. Based on this information, a sequential linear programming method is applied to calculate the required change of geometry for the desired structural design constraints.

Cheu, Tsu-Chien↗
NASA NTRS2010

Robustness-Based Design Optimization Under Data Uncertainty

This paper proposes formulations and algorithms for design optimization under both aleatory (i.e., natural or physical variability) and epistemic uncertainty (i.e., imprecise probabilistic information), from the perspective of system robustness. The proposed formulations deal with epistemic uncertainty arising from both sparse and interval data without any assumption about the probability distributions of the random variables. A decoupled approach is proposed in this paper to un-nest the robustness-based design from the analysis of non-design epistemic variables to achieve computational efficiency. The proposed methods are illustrated for the upper stage design problem of a two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) vehicle, where the information on the random design inputs are only available as sparse point and/or interval data. As collecting more data reduces uncertainty but increases cost, the effect of sample size on the optimality and robustness of the solution is also studied. A method is developed to determine the optimal sample size for sparse point data that leads to the solutions of the design problem that are least sensitive to variations in the input random variables.

Zaman, Kais↗
NASA NTRS2005

Effects of Variable Temperature on Mossbauer Data Acquisition: Laboratory-based and MER A Results

Mossbauer spectrometers on the Spirit and Opportunity rovers have played a valuable role in identifying mineralogy at both the Gusev and Meridiani landing sites. Key to the application of Mossbauer results is the issue of how accurately the peak positions, on which the mineral identifications are based, can be determined. Remote Mossbauer spectroscopy has by necessity some unusual experimental constraints that may influence the confidence with which peak positions can be fit. We present here an analysis of the effects of variable temperature and short duration run times on spectral resolution.

Rothstein, Y.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Logistic Risk Model for the Unique Effects of Inherent Aerobic Capacity on (+)G(sub z) Tolerance Before and After Simulated Weightlessness

Small sample size (n less than 1O) and inappropriate analysis of multivariate data have hindered previous attempts to describe which physiologic and demographic variables are most important in determining how long humans can tolerate acceleration. Data from previous centrifuge studies conducted at NASA/Ames Research Center, utilizing a 7-14 d bed rest protocol to simulate weightlessness, were included in the current investigation. After review, data on 25 women and 22 men were available for analysis. Study variables included gender, age, weight, height, percent body fat, resting heart rate, mean arterial pressure, Vo(sub 2)max and plasma volume. Since the dependent variable was time to greyout (failure), two contemporary biostatistical modeling procedures (proportional hazard and logistic discriminant function) were used to estimate risk, given a particular subject's profile. After adjusting for pro-bed-rest tolerance time, none of the profile variables remained in the risk equation for post-bed-rest tolerance greyout. However, prior to bed rest, risk of greyout could be predicted with 91% accuracy. All of the profile variables except weight, MAP, and those related to inherent aerobic capacity (Vo(sub 2)max, percent body fat, resting heart rate) entered the risk equation for pro-bed-rest greyout. A cross-validation using 24 new subjects indicated a very stable model for risk prediction, accurate within 5% of the original equation. The result for the inherent fitness variables is significant in that a consensus as to whether an increased aerobic capacity is beneficial or detrimental has not been satisfactorily established. We conclude that tolerance to +Gz acceleration before and after simulated weightlessness is independent of inherent aerobic fitness.

Ludwig, David A.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Instrumental variables algorithm for modal parameter identification in flutter testing

The paper is concerned with the task of estimating modal parameters from system response measurement in aircraft flutter testing. A frequency-domain derivation of an instrumental-variables algorithm is presented for a linear time-invariant dynamic system of order n. Basically, this algorithm fits a set of poles and zeros to the measured transfer function. An illustrative example is provided regarding the application of the algorithm to aeroelasticity testing. It is shown that the algorithm can be implemented for on-line data reduction with a microcomputer-based analysis system. By using instrumental variables the sensitivity of the modal parameter estimates to noise in the system-response measurements is reduced greatly. The algorithm is expected to be a powerful and valuable tool for on-line estimation of modal parameters in flutter testing and should be useful in control system and structural dynamics tests.

Johnson, W.↗