Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “limitations”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 613 records · Page 34
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1997

Imaging of the Field of 4C41.17 Below the Lyman Limit

Imaging of zeta greater than or equal to 3.4 radio galaxy fields below the Lyman continuum wavelength allows companion galaxies to be identified on the basis of red colors across the wavelength of redshifted Ly(alpha) and very red colors across the redshifted Lyman continuum. These arise due to a combination of absorption by intervening Ly(alpha) forest and Lyman-limit systems, and intrinsic Lyman-limit breaks in the galaxy spectral energy distribution caused by an Hi screen or breaks in stellar spectra. As a pilot study, we have imaged the field of the zeta = 3.8 radio galaxy 4C41.17 in U, V and R with the Auxiliary Port of the WHT. We find a number of potential companion galaxies, which require confirmation via spectroscopy or narrow-band imaging. The Lyman-limit in the spectrum of the radio galaxy itself and its implications for the origin of the UV flux is also discussed.

Lacy, Mark↗
NASA NTRS1997

Cassini spacecraft and instrument force limited vibration testing

The application of force limiting to spacecraft equipment is illustrated with the random vibration test of the Cassini radio plasma wave subsystem antenna instrument. Force limiting was used in the vibration tests of most of the instruments and major equipment on the Cassini spacecraft, as well as in the vibration test of the complete flight spacecraft. Force limits for the Cassini instruments and complete spacecraft vibration tests were developed using a semi-empirical method which only requires the acceleration specification and the data from a low level pre-test in order to determine the mass of the test item.

Chang, Kurng Y.↗
NASA NTRS1998

A Study of Breakdown Limits in Microstrip Gas Counters with Preamplification Structures

We have studied the charge and breakdown limits of Microstrip Gas Counters (MSGCs) with 2 different preamplification structures: the Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) and the Parallel-Plate Avalanche Counter (PPAC). It was found that in both cases the breakdown limit was increased by 1-2 orders of magnitude compared to the bare MSGC that this is due to the spread of the primary electron cloud during pre-amplification. This spreading reduces the charge density in the final MSGC avalanche, permitting much higher total gains before streamers form. The real practical gain limitations in these two-stage detectors arose not from sparking, but from a loss of proportionality due to space charge effects.

Fonte, P.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Potential and Limitations of the Modal Characterization of a Spacecraft Bus Structure by Means of Active Structure Elements

Theoretical and experimental studies have been performed to investigate the potential and limitations of the modal characterization of a typical spacecraft bus structure by means of active structure elements. The aim of these studies has been test and advance tools for performing an accurate on-orbit modal identification which may be characterized by the availability of a generally very limited test instrumentation, autonomous excitation capabilities by active structure elements and a zero-g environment. The NASA LARC CSI Evolutionary Testbed provided an excellent object for the experimental part of this study program. The main subjects of investigation were: (1) the selection of optimum excitation and measurement to unambiguously identify modes of interest; (2) the applicability of different types of excitation means with focus on active structure elements; and (3) the assessment of the modal identification potential of different types of excitation functions and modal analysis tools. Conventional as well as dedicated modal analysis tools were applied to determine modal parameters and mode shapes. The results will be presented and discussed based on orthogonality checks as well as on suitable indicators for the quality of the acquired modes with respect to modal purity. In particular, the suitability for modal analysis of the acquired frequency response functions as obtained by excitation with active structure elements will be demonstrated with the help of reciprocity checks. Finally, the results will be summarized in a procedure to perform an on-orbit modal identification, including an indication of limitation to be observed.

Grillenbeck, Anton M.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Undercooling Limits and Thermophysical Properties in Glass Forming Alloys

The primary objective of this program is to produce deeply undercooled metallic liquids and to identify factors that limit undercooling and glass formation. The main research objectives are: (1) Investigating undercooling limits in glass-forming alloys and identifying factors that affect undercooling; (2) Measuring thermophysical properties and investigating the validity of the classical nucleation theory and other existing theories in the extreme undercooled states; and (3) To investigate the limits of electrostatic levitation technology in the ground base and to identify thermophysical parameters that might require reduced-g environment.

Rhim, Won-Kyu↗
NASA NTRS1998

Experiments to Determine Whether Recursive Partitioning (CART) or an Artificial Neural Network Overcomes Theoretical Limitations of Cox Proportional Hazards Regression

New computationally intensive tools for medical survival analyses include recursive partitioning (also called CART) and artificial neural networks. A challenge that remains is to better understand the behavior of these techniques in effort to know when they will be effective tools. Theoretically they may overcome limitations of the traditional multivariable survival technique, the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Experiments were designed to test whether the new tools would, in practice, overcome these limitations. Two datasets in which theory suggests CART and the neural network should outperform the Cox model were selected. The first was a published leukemia dataset manipulated to have a strong interaction that CART should detect. The second was a published cirrhosis dataset with pronounced nonlinear effects that a neural network should fit. Repeated sampling of 50 training and testing subsets was applied to each technique. The concordance index C was calculated as a measure of predictive accuracy by each technique on the testing dataset. In the interaction dataset, CART outperformed Cox (P less than 0.05) with a C improvement of 0.1 (95% Cl, 0.08 to 0.12). In the nonlinear dataset, the neural network outperformed the Cox model (P less than 0.05), but by a very slight amount (0.015). As predicted by theory, CART and the neural network were able to overcome limitations of the Cox model. Experiments like these are important to increase our understanding of when one of these new techniques will outperform the standard Cox model. Further research is necessary to predict which technique will do best a priori and to assess the magnitude of superiority.

Kattan, Michael W.↗
NASA NTRS1998

The Fundamental Gain Limitation of High-Rate Gaseous Detectors and Optimum Designs for High-Rate Applications

We have performed a systematic study of the breakdown mechanism of high-rate detectors: MSGC, MGC, MICROMEGAS and GEM, recently chosen or considered as candidates for high-luminosity applications, together with newly elaborated designs such as high-rate wire chambers, thin gap parallel-plate chamber and super-high-rate RPC's. It was found for all these that the maximum breakdown-limited dramatically with incident flux and further decreases in the presence of alpha particles which are typical of the backgrounds in high-energy experiments. It was determined that the key parameter that limits a detector's performance is the effective current density in the avalanche, and that above a certain value breakdowns occur. At these limits the subsequent breakdowns take place by a mechanism which does not seem to have been previously reported in the literature. We present the results of this study together with a qualitative theory of this new type of breakdown and suggestions for optimizing high-rate detectors which we have verified experimentally.

Fonte, Paulo↗
NASA NTRS1998

Upper Limits of Predictability in Long-Range Climate/Hydrologic Forecasts

The accurate forecasting of el nino or la nina conditions in the tropical Pacific can potentially lead to valuable predictions of hydrological anomalies over land at seasonal to interannual timescales. Even with highly accurate earth system models, though, our ability to generate these continental forecasts will always be limited by the chaotic nature of the atmospheric circulation. The nature of this fundamental limitation is explored through the use of 16-member ensembles of multi-decade GCM simulations. In each simulation of the first ensemble, sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are given the same realistic interannual variations over a 45-year period, and land surface state is allowed to evolve with that of the atmosphere. Analysis of the results shows that the SSTs control the temporal organization of continental precipitation anomalies to a significant extent in the tropics and to a much smaller extent in midlatitudes. In each simulation of the second ensemble, we prescribe SSTs as before, but we also prescribe interannual variations in the low frequency component of evaporation efficiency over land. Thus, in the second ensemble, we effectively make the extreme assumption that surface boundary conditions across the globe are perfectly predictable, and we quantify the consistency with which the atmosphere (particularly precipitation) responds to these boundary conditions. The resulting "absolute upper limit" on the predictability of precipitation is found to be quite high in the tropics yet only moderate in many midlatitude regions.

Koster, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Current Limitations on VLBI Accuracy

The contribution of VLBI to geophysics and geodesy arises from its ability to measure distances between stations in a network and to determine the orientation of stations in the network as well as the orientation of the network with respect to the external reference frame of extragalactic radio objects. Integrating nearly two decades of observations provides useful information about station positions and velocities and the orientation of the Earth, but the complications of the real world and the limitations of observing, modeling and analysis prevent recovery of all effects. Of the factors that limit the accuracy of seemingly straightforward geodetic parameters, the neutral propagation medium has been subject to the greatest scrutiny, but the treatment of the mapping function, the wet component and spatial/temporal inhomogeneities is still improving. These affect both the terrestrial scale and consistency over time. The modeling of non-secular site motions (tides and loading) has increased in sophistication, but there are some differences between the models and the observations. VLBI antennas are massive objects, so their behavior is quite unlike GPS monuments, but antenna deformations add some (generally) unmodeled signal. Radio sources used in geodetic VLBI observations are selected for strength and (relative) absence of structure, but apparent changes in position can leak into geodetic parameters. A linear rate of change of baseline or site parameters is the simplest model and its error improves with time span. However, in most cases the VLBI data distribution is insufficient to look for real non-linear behavior that might affect the average rate. A few sites have multiple VLBI antennas, and some show small differences in rate. VLBI intrinsically measures relative positions and velocities, but individual site positions and velocities are generally more useful. The creation of the VLBI terrestrial reference frame, which transforms relative information into individual results, is an empirical process that has intrinsic errors. While UT1 is uniquely measured by VLBI, the geographical distribution and availability of VLBI stations, especially in the southern hemisphere, and the consistency of the VLBI terrestrial reference frame may limit the accuracy of Earth orientation measurements. The effects of particular error sources on geodetic and geophysical parameters derived from VLBI data will be illustrated.

Ma, Chopo↗
NASA NTRS1999

Investigation of Near Shannon Limit Coding Schemes

Turbo codes can deliver performance that is very close to the Shannon limit. This report investigates algorithms for convolutional turbo codes and block turbo codes. Both coding schemes can achieve performance near Shannon limit. The performance of the schemes is obtained using computer simulations. There are three sections in this report. First section is the introduction. The fundamental knowledge about coding, block coding and convolutional coding is discussed. In the second section, the basic concepts of convolutional turbo codes are introduced and the performance of turbo codes, especially high rate turbo codes, is provided from the simulation results. After introducing all the parameters that help turbo codes achieve such a good performance, it is concluded that output weight distribution should be the main consideration in designing turbo codes. Based on the output weight distribution, the performance bounds for turbo codes are given. Then, the relationships between the output weight distribution and the factors like generator polynomial, interleaver and puncturing pattern are examined. The criterion for the best selection of system components is provided. The puncturing pattern algorithm is discussed in detail. Different puncturing patterns are compared for each high rate. For most of the high rate codes, the puncturing pattern does not show any significant effect on the code performance if pseudo - random interleaver is used in the system. For some special rate codes with poor performance, an alternative puncturing algorithm is designed which restores their performance close to the Shannon limit. Finally, in section three, for iterative decoding of block codes, the method of building trellis for block codes, the structure of the iterative decoding system and the calculation of extrinsic values are discussed.

Kwatra, S. C.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Force Limited Vibration Test of HESSI Imager

The High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI) is a solar x-ray and gamma-ray observatory scheduled for launch in November 2000. Vibration testing of the HESSI imager flight unit was performed in August 1999. The HESSI imager consists of a composite metering tube, two aluminum trays mounted to the tube on titanium flexure mounts, and nine modulation grids mounted on each tray. The vibration tests were acceleration controlled and force limited, in order to prevent overtesting. The force limited strategy reduced the shaker force and notched the acceleration at resonances. The test set-up, test levels, and results are presented. The development of the force limits is also discussed. The imager successfully survived the vibration testing.

Amato, Deborah↗
NASA NTRS2000

Follow on Validation of Force-Limited Vibration Testing

A second sounding rocket experiment was performed in the summer of 1998 in a continuing effort to validate the force limits techniques used in random vibration tests. The accuracy of the force limiting prediction techniques has not clearly been sufficiently confirmed with in-flight data as of this time. The flight was on board one of the BlackBrant series of sounding rockets. This vehicle is the one most commonly used for suborbital scientific payloads by NASA. An aluminum double deck structure simulating a dynamic source and load was flown. The hardware was instrumented with accelerometers and force sensors that measured input acceleration, forces and acceleration responses on the load. Force limiting analysis methods are compared with the flight measurements in order to evaluate analysis predictions methods and test procedures. This sounding rocket flight is the second in a series of flights that will be performed.

Kaufman, Daniel S.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Glovebox Integrated Microgravity Isolation Technology (g-LIMIT): A Linearized State-Space Model

Vibration acceleration levels on large space platforms exceed the requirements of many space experiments. The Glovebox Integrated Microgravity Isolation Technology (g-LIMIT) is being built by the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center to attenuate these disturbances to acceptable levels. G-LIMIT uses Lorentz (voice-coil) magnetic actuators to levitate and isolate payloads at the individual experiment/sub-experiment (versus rack) level. Payload acceleration, relative position, and relative orientation measurements are fed to a state-space controller. The controller, in turn, determines the actuator Currents needed for effective experiment isolation. This paper presents the development of an algebraic, state-space model of g-LIMIT, in a form suitable for optimal controller design. The equations are first derived using Newton's Second Law directly, then simplified to a linear form for the purpose of controller design.

Hampton, R. David↗
NASA NTRS2000

G-LIMIT

Dynamic modeling and controller design efforts were conducted at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) on the Glovebox Integrated Microgravity Isolation Technology (g-LIMIT), under NAG8-1598; the funded period of performance was 8/26/98 through 12/31/00. The title of the grant was 'Support of g-LIMIT for Isolation of Space Science Experiments: Dynamic Modeling and Optimal Controller Synthesis.' Design codes were developed for implementation of a steady-state H infinity controller design method using the frequency weighted plant for the MDOF g-LIMIT design case.

Hampton, R. David↗
NASA NTRS2001

Optimal Control Design Using an H2 Method for the Glovebox Integrated Microgravity Isolation Technology (g-LIMIT)

The acceleration environment on the International Space Station (ISS) will likely exceed the requirements of many micro-gravity experiments. The Glovebox Integrated Microgravity Isolation Technology (g-LIMIT) is being built by the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center to attenuate the nominal acceleration environment and provide some isolation for micro-gravity science experiments. G-LIMIT uses Lorentz (voice-coil) magnetic actuators to isolate a platform for mounting science payloads from the nominal acceleration environment. The system utilizes payload acceleration, relative position, and relative orientation measurements in a feedback controller to accomplish the vibration isolation task. The controller provides current command to six magnetic actuators, producing the required experiment isolation from the ISS acceleration environment. This paper presents the development of a candidate control law to meet the acceleration attenuation requirements for the g-LIMIT experiment platform. The controller design is developed using linear optimal control techniques for both frequency-weighted H(sub 2) and H(sub infinity) norms. Comparison of the performance and robustness to plant uncertainty for these two optimal control design approaches are included in the discussion.

Calhoun, Phillip C.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Quantitative Studies on the Propagation and Extinction of Near-Limit Premixed Flames under Normal- and Micro-gravity

Strained laminar flames have been systematically studied, as the understanding of their structure and dynamic behavior is of relevance to turbulent combustion.. Most of these studies have been conducted in opposed-jet, stagnation-type flow configurations. Studies at high strain rates are important in quantifying and understanding the response of vigorously burning flames and determine extinction states. Studies of weakly strained flames can be of particular interest for all stoichiometries. For example, the laminar flame speeds, S(sup o)(sub u), can be accurately determined by using the counterflow technique only if measurements are obtained at very low strain rates. Furthermore, near-limit flames are stabilized by weak strain rates. Previous studies have shown that near-limit flames are particularly sensitive to chain mechanisms, thermal radiation, and unsteadiness. The stabilization and study of weakly strained flames is complicated by the presence of buoyancy that can render the flames unstable to the point of extinction. Thus, the use of microgravity (mu-g) becomes essential in order to provide meaningful insight into this important combustion regime. In our past studies the laminar flame speeds and extinction strain rates were directly measured at ultra-low strain rates. The laminar flame speeds were measured by having a positively strained planar flame undergoing a transition to a negatively strained Bunsen flame and by measuring the propagation speed during that transition. The extinction strain rates of near-limit flames were measured in mu-g. Results obtained for CH4/air and C3H8/air mixtures are in agreement with those obtained by Maruta et al.

Egolfopoulos, F. N.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Equations of Motion for the g-LIMIT Microgravity Vibration Isolation System

A desirable microgravity environment for experimental science payloads may require an active vibration isolation control system. A vibration isolation system named g-LIMIT (GLovebox Integrated Microgravity Isolation Technology) is being developed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center to support microgravity science experiments using the microgravity science glovebox. In this technical memorandum, the full six-degree-of-freedom nonlinear equations of motion for g-LIMIT are derived. Although the motivation for this model development is control design and analysis of g-LIMIT, the equations are derived for a general configuration and may be used for other isolation systems as well.

Kim, Y. K.↗
NASA NTRS1997

The Influence of Power Limitations on Closed Environment Life Support System Applications

The future of manned space exploration will be determined through a process which balances the innate need of humanity to explore its surroundings and the costs associated with accomplishing these goals. For NASA, this balance is derived from economics and budgetary constraints that hold it accountable for the expenditure of public funds. These budgetary realities demand a reduction in cost and expenditures of exploration and research activities. For missions venturing out to the edge of habitability, the development of cost effective life support approaches will have a significant influence on mission viability. Over the past several years, a variety of mission scenarios for potential Lunar and Mars missions have been developed. The most promising of these scenarios attempt to provide basic mission requirements at a minimum cost. As a result, these scenarios are extremely power limited. For Closed Environment Life Support System (CELSS) applications, these realities impose both limitations and direction to future research. This paper presents a summary of these mission scenarios and an evaluation of the impact which these power limitations will have on CELSS system design.

Flynn, Michael↗