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At least 613 records · Page 34

General equations for the motions of ice crystals and water drops in gravitational and electric fields

General equations for the Reynolds number of a variety of types of ice crystals and water drops are given in terms of the Davies, Bond, and Knudsen numbers. The equations are in terms of the basic physical parameters of the system and are valid for calculating velocities in gravitational and electric fields over a very wide range of sizes and atmospheric conditions. The equations are asymptotically matched at the bottom and top of the size spectrum, useful when checking large computer codes. A numerical system for specifying the dimensional properties of ice crystals is introduced. Within the limits imposed by such variables as particle density, which have large deviations, the accuracy of velocities appears to be within 10 percent over the entire range of sizes of interest.

Nisbet, John S.↗

Undercooling of niobium-germanium alloys in a 100 meter drop tube

The undercoolings of pure Nb and Nb-Ge alloys are examined using the 100-m drop tube of the Marshall Space Flight Center. The temperatures of the samples prior to release were measured, and IR detectors were utilized to monitor recalescence from solidification. It is observed that the Nb and Nb-Ge samples undercooled to the homogeneous nucleation limit. The data reveal that all the samples displayed a dendritic primary phase, except for alloys nucleating in the beta-phase field, which had a cellular phase. The composition of these phases are studied using EDXA; it is detected that the composition of the phases corresponds to the Jorda (1978) phase diagram.

Hofmeister, W. H.↗

Third-order resonance effects and the nonlinear stability of drop oscillations

The three-dimensional nonlinear oscillations of an isolated, inviscid drop with surface tension are studied by a multiple timescale analysis and pre-averaging applied to the variational principle for the appropriate Lagrangian. Amplitude equations are derived which describe the generic cubic resonance caused by the spatial degeneracy of the eigenfrequencies of the linear normal modes. This resonant coupling leads to the instability of the finite amplitude axisymmetric oscillations to small nonaxisymmetric perturbations, as is demonstrated here for the three- and four-lobed normal modes. Solutions to the interaction equations that describe finite amplitude, nonaxisymmetric traveling-wave solutions are also obtained and their stability is investigated. A nongeneric cubic resonance between the two-lobed and four-lobed oscillatory modes leads to quasi-periodic motions.

Natarajan, Ramesh↗

Pressure drop and temperature rise in He II flow in round tubes, Venturi flowmeters and valves

Pressure drops in highly turbulent He II flow were measured in round tubes, valves, and Venturi flowmeters. Results are in good agreement with single-phase flow correlations for classical fluids. The temperature rise in flow in a round tube was measured, and found to agree well with predictions for isenthalpic expansion. Cavitation was observed in the venturis under conditions of low back pressure and high flow rate. Metastable superheating of the helium at the venturi throat was observed before the helium made a transition to saturation pressure.

Walstrom, P. L.↗

The dynamics of free liquid drops

The behavior of rotating and oscillating free liquid drops was studied by many investigators theoretically for many years. More recent numerical treatments have yielded predictions which are yet to be verified experimentally. The purpose is to report the results of laboratory work as well as that of the experiments carried out in space during the flight of Spacelab 3, and to compare it with the existing theoretical studies. Ground-based experiments were attempted as a first approximation to the ideal boundary conditions used by the theoretical treatments by neutralizing the overwhelming effects of the Earth's gravitational field with an outside supporting liquid and with the use of levitation technology. The viscous and inertial loading of such a suspending fluid was found to profoundly effect the results, but the information thus gathered has emphasized the uniqueness of the experimental data obtained in the low-gravity environment of space.

Wang, T. G.↗

Lateral stability analysis for X-29A drop model using system identification methodology

A 22-percent dynamically scaled replica of the X-29A forward-swept-wing airplane has been flown in radio-controlled drop tests at the NASA Langley Research Center. A system identification study of the recorded data was undertaken to examine the stability and control derivatives that influence the lateral behavior of this vehicle with particular emphasis on an observed wing rock phenomenon. All major lateral stability derivatives and the damping-in-roll derivative were identified for angles of attack from 5 to 80 degrees by using a data-partitioning methodology and a modified stepwise regression algorithm.

Raney, David L.↗

Oscillations of drops in zero gravity with weak viscous effects

Nonlinear oscillations and other motions of large axially symmetric liquid drops in zero gravity are studied numerically by a boundary-integral method. The effect of small viscosity is included in the computations by retaining first-order viscous terms in the normal stress boundary condition. This is accomplished by making use of a partial solution of the boundary-layer equations which describe the weak vortical surface layer. Small viscosity is found to have a relatively large effect on resonant mode coupling phenomena.

Lundgren, T. S.↗

General equations for the motions of ice crystals and water drops in gravitational and electric fields

General equations for the Reynolds number of a variety of types of ice crystals and water drops are given in terms of the Davies, Bond, and Knudsen numbers. The equations are in terms of the basic physical parameters of the system and are valid for calculating velocities in gravitational and electric fields over a very wide range of sizes and atmospheric conditions. The equations are asymptotically matched at the bottom and top of the size spectrum, useful when checking large computer codes. A numerical system for specifying the dimensional properties of ice crystals is introduced. Within the limits imposed by such variables as particle density, which have large deviations, the accuracy of velocities appears to be within 10 percent over the entire range of sizes of interest.

Nisbet, John S.↗

Undercooling studies on Nb-Pt and Nb-Si alloys using the 105 meter drop tube

Niobium-platinum samples of compositions ranging from 16 to 32 at. pct have been undercooled to as much as 540 K in the low gravity, containerless environment of a 105 meter drop tube. Undercooling was terminated in the Nb-Pt samples by the nucleation and growth of the Nb3Pt phase. In the 16-18 at. pct Pt samples, this resulted in samples which are completely Nb3Pt, in contrast to both the equilibrium phase diagram and the nonundercooled samples which formed with Nb dendrites and interdendritic Nb3Pt. Undercoolings for the Nb-Si samples were up to 670 K, which corresponds to 27 percent of the liquidus temperature or 80 percent of the estimated hypercooling limit. In the Nb-Si system, a coupled zone was identified as well as a metastable extension of the solubility limit of Si in Nb due to deep undercooling.

Robinson, M. B.↗

Predicting Pressure Drop In Porous Materials

Theory developed to predict drop in pressure based on drag of individual fibers. Simple correlation method for data also developed. Helps in predicting flow characteristics of many strain-isolation pad (SIP) glow geometries in Shuttle Orbiter tile system. Also helps in predicting venting characteristics of tile assemblies during ascent and leakage of hot gas under tiles during descent. Useful in study of mechanics of flows through fibrous and porous media, and procedures applicable to purged fiberglass insulation, dialysis filters, and other fibrous and porous media.

Lawing, Pierce L.↗

Behavior Of Evaporating Liquid Drops In Clusters

Report presents critical analysis of methods, developed for calculating behavior of evaporating liquid drops in dense and dilute clusters. Essential to understanding variety of physical and chemical phenomena occurring in combustion of sprayed fuels and in sprays used in agriculture, food industry, and painting. Presents insights on important aspects of two-phase flow.

Bellan, Josette↗

Comparison of drop size distributions from two droplet sizing systems

A comparison between the Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer and the combined measurements from Particle Measuring Systems' Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe and the Optical Array Probe was conducted in an icing wind tunnel using NASA Icing Research Tunnel spray nozzles to produce the supercooled water droplet cloud. Clouds having a range of volume median diameters from 10 to greater than 50 microns were used for the instrument comparisons. A volume median diameter was calculated from combining the droplet distributions of the Optical Array Probe and the Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe. A comparison of the combined volume median diameters and the Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer volume median diameters showed agreement from 10 microns up to 30 microns. Typical drop size distributions from the Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer, the Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe, and Optical Array Probe are presented for several median volume diameters. A comparison of the distributions illustrates regions of the distributions where there is good agreement and other regions where there are discrepancies between the Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer and the Particle Measuring Systems' droplet size instruments.

Oldenburg, John R.↗

IR optical fiber-based noncontact pyrometer for drop tube instrumentation

The design of a two color pyrometer with infrared optical fiber bundles for collection of the infrared radiation is described. The pyrometer design is engineered to facilitate its use for measurement of the temperature of small, falling samples in a microgravity materials processing experiment using a 100 meter long drop tube. Because the samples are small and move rapidly through the field of view of the pyrometer, the optical power budget of the detection system is severly limited. Strategies for overcoming this limitation are discussed.

May, R. G.↗

Critical point wetting drop tower experiment

The 100 m Drop Tower at NASA-Marshall was used to provide the step change in acceleration from 1.0 to 0.0005 g. An inter-fluid meniscus oscillates vertically within a cylindrical container when suddenly released from earth's gravity and taken into a microgravity environment. Oscillations damp out from energy dissipative mechanisms such as viscosity and interfacial friction. Damping of the oscillations by the later mechanism is affected by the nature of the interfacial junction between the fluid-fluid interface and the container wall. In earlier stages of the project, the meniscus shape which developed during microgravity conditions was applied to evaluations of wetting phenomena near the critical temperature. Variations in equilibrium contact angle against the container wall were expected to occur under critical wetting conditions. However, it became apparent that the meaningful phenomenon was the damping of interfacial oscillations. This latter concept makes up the bulk of this report. Perfluoromethyl cyclohexane and isopropanol in glass were the materials used for the experiment. The wetting condition of the fluids against the wall changes at the critical wetting transition temperature. This change in wetting causes a change in the damping characteristics of the interfacial excursions during oscillation and no measurable change in contact angle. The effect of contact line friction measured above and below the wetting transition temperature was to increase the period of vertical oscillation for the vapor-liquid interface when below the wetting transition temperature.

Kaukler, William F.↗

Pressure drop and mass transfer in two-pass ribbed channels

The combined effects of the sharp 180-deg turn and of the rib configuration on the pressure drop and mass transfer characteristics in a two-pass square channel with a pair of opposite rib-roughened walls (to simulate turbine airfoil cooling passages) were determined for a Reynolds number range of 10,000-60,000. Heat transfer enhancements were compared for the first pass and for the two-pass channel with the sharp 180-deg turn. Correlations for the fully-developed friction factors and loss coefficients were obtained.

Chandra, P. R.↗

Preliminary drop-tower experiments on liquid-interface geometry in partially filled containers at zero gravity

Plexiglass containers with rounded trapezoidal cross sections were designed and built to test the validity of Concus and Finn's existence theorem (1974, 1983) for a bounded free liquid surface at zero gravity. Experiments were carried out at the NASA Lewis two-second drop tower. Dyed ethanol-water solutions and three immiscible liquid pairs, with one liquid dyed, were tested. High-speed movies were used to record the liquid motion. Liquid rose to the top of the smaller end of the containers when the contact angle was small enough, in agreement with the theory. Liquid interface motion demonstrated a strong dependence on physical properties, including surface roughness and contamination.

Smedley, G.↗

Graphite/copper alloy interfacial energies determined using the sessile drop method

Graphite surfaces are not wet by pure copper. This lack of wetting is responsible for a debonding phenomenon that was found in continuous graphite fiber/copper matrix composites materials subjected to elevated temperatures. By suitably alloying copper, its capability to wet graphite surfaces can be enhanced. In situ measurements of graphite/copper alloy wetting angles were made using the sessile drop method. Interfacial energy values were calculated based upon these measurements.

Devincent, Sandra M.↗

Optical scattering methods applicable to drops and bubbles

An overview of optical scattering properties of drops and bubbles is presented. The properties lead to unconventional methods for optically monitoring the size or shape of a scatterer and are applicable to acoustically levitated objects. Several of the methods are applicable to the detection and measurement of small amplitude oscillations. Relevant optical phenomena include: (1) rainbows; (2) diffraction catastrophes from spheroids; (3) critical angle scattering; (4) effects of coatings; (5) glory scattering; and (6) optical levitation.

Marston, Philip L.↗