SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “TIME FUNCTION”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

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

At least 649 records · Page 36

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS2007

PREDICTS

PREDICTS is a computer program that predicts the frequencies, as functions of time, of signals to be received by a radio science receiver in this case, a special-purpose digital receiver dedicated to analysis of signals received by an antenna in NASA s Deep Space Network (DSN). Unlike other software used in the DSN, PREDICTS does not use interpolation early in the calculations; as a consequence, PREDICTS is more precise and more stable. The precision afforded by the other DSN software is sufficient for telemetry; the greater precision afforded by PREDICTS is needed for radio-science experiments. In addition to frequencies as a function of time, PREDICTS yields the rates of change and interpolation coefficients for the frequencies and the beginning and ending times of reception, transmission, and occultation. PREDICTS is applicable to S-, X-, and Ka-band signals and can accommodate the following link configurations: (1) one-way (spacecraft to ground), (2) two-way (from a ground station to a spacecraft to the same ground station), and (3) three-way (from a ground transmitting station to a spacecraft to a different ground receiving station).

Zhou, Hanying↗

DOE OSTI2021

Coding the Computing Continuum: Fluid Function Execution in Heterogeneous Computing Environments

Advances in network technologies have greatly decreased barriers to accessing physically distributed computers. This newfound accessibility coincides with increasing hardware specialization, creating exciting new opportunities to dispatch workloads to the best resource for a specific purpose, rather than those that are closest or most easily accessible. We present Delta, a service designed to intelligently schedule function-based workloads across a distributed set of heterogeneous computing resources. Delta implements an extensible architecture in which different predictors and scheduling algorithms can be integrated to provide dynamically evolving estimates of function execution times on different resources-estimates that can be used to determine the most appropriate location for execution. We describe predictors for function runtime, data transfer time, and cold-start resource provisioning and configuration delay; dynamic learning methods that update predictor models over time; and scheduling strategies that take into account both function and endpoint information. We show that these methods can halve workload makespan when compared with a strategy that selects the fastest resource, and decrease makespan by a factor of five when compared to a round robin strategy, when deployed on a heterogeneous testbed with resources ranging from a Raspberry Pi to a GPU node in an academic cloud.

Computing continuum↗

DOE OSTI2021

Temperature dependence of viscoelastic Poisson’s ratio of cement mortar

Abstract Concrete creep research has focused primarily on uniaxial response. However, biaxially prestressed concrete structures are common, resulting in a multiaxial stress state that can complicate the behavior of a viscoelastic material like concrete. Significant creep strains may be induced in directions transverse to each principle stress due to Poisson’s effect. Past research is unclear regarding the viscoelastic or viscoplastic properties of concrete outside of uniaxial response. It has been reported in separate studies that concrete viscoelastic/viscoplastic Poisson’s ratio (VPR) is an increasing, decreasing and constant function with time, with all reported measurements performed at room temperature. In this paper, the 3D basic creep response of mature cement mortar is examined using a confined compression experiment that allows direct determination of the full stress and infinitesimal strain tensors in a single test, which enables the determination of VPR under a multiaxial stress state. For this purpose, a unique, miniature version of the standardized concrete creep frame is designed that is amenable to placing in climate chambers and temperature ovens. The experimental results indicate that the VPR of sealed, mature cement mortar is nearly constant and equal to the elastic at room temperature, while the VPR gradually increases with time when measured at 60 °C.

Construction & Building Technology↗

NASA NTRS2001

Soot Optical Property Study

Recent past studies of soot reaction processes in laminar premixed and nonpremixed flames generally have used the intrusive technique of thermophoretic sampling and analysis by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to observe soot structure and obtain important fundamental information about soot particle properties, such as soot primary particle diameters, the rate of change of soot primary particle diameter as a function of time (or rate of soot surface growth or oxidation), the amount of soot particle reactive surface area per unit volume, the number of primary soot particles per unit volume, and the rate of formation of primary soot particles (or the rate of soot primary particle nucleation). Given the soot volume per unit volume of the flame (or the soot volume fraction), all these properties are readily found from a measurement of the soot primary particle diameter (which usually is nearly a constant for each location within a laminar flame). This approach is not possible within freely propagating flames, however, because soot properties at given positions in such flames vary relatively rapidly as a function of time in the soot formation and oxidation regions compared to the relatively lengthy sampling times needed to accumulate adequate soot samples and to minimize effects of soot collected on the sampling grid as it moves to and from the sampling position through other portions of the flame. Thus, nonintrusive optical methods must be used to find the soot primary particle diameters needed to define the soot surface reaction properties mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, approximate nonintrusive methods used during early studies of soot reaction properties in flames, found from laser scattering and absorption measurements analyzed assuming either Rayleigh scattering or Mie scattering from polydisperse effective soot particles having the same mass of soot as individual soot aggregates, have not been found to be an effective way to estimate the soot surface reaction area per unit volume. Thus, alternative nonintrusive optical methods of finding these properties must be sought, which was the objective of this phase of the investigation. The alternative method used here involves use of the Rayleigh-Debye-Gans-Polydisperse-Fractal-Aggregate (RDG-PFA) scattering approximation for soot aggregates in flames. Thus, the development of this method will be discussed next before describing its evaluation as a means of nonintrusively measuring soot primary particle diameters in soot-containing flames.

Aung, K. T.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Post-irradiation Heating Tests of As-Irradiated AGR-3/4 TRISO Fuel Compacts

Four post-irradiation heating tests of fuel compacts from the U.S. Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR)-3/4 irradiation experiment were completed. In addition to tristructural isotropic (TRISO)-coated driver fuel, each compact contained designed-to-fail (DTF) particles with fuel kernels coated only in pyrocarbon so as to simulate exposed kernels. Tests at 1600/1700°C, 1400°C, and 1200°C were performed to measure fission product release as a function of time and temperature. Silver release was highest in the 1200°C test, supporting the observation that silver release rates are highest in the 1100–1300°C range. Compared to tests of AGR-1 compacts with no exposed kernels, the Cs-134 and Kr-85 releases were noticeably higher in AGR-3/4. The exposed kernels’ contributions to Eu and Sr release are inconclusive, due to the difficulty in distinguishing among the combined effects of higher irradiation temperatures in these particular AGR-3/4 compacts, the presence of the DTF particles, and the Fuel Accident Condition Simulator (FACS) test temperatures. These data can be used to make inferences about fission product retention in exposed kernels as a function of time and temperature.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Novel application of neutrinos to evaluate U.S. nuclear weapons performance

There is a growing realization that neutrinos can be used as a diagnostic tool to better understand the inner workings of a nuclear weapon. Robust estimates demonstrate that an Inverse Beta Decay (IBD) neutrino scintillation detector built at the Nevada Test Site with a 1000-ton active target mass at a standoff distance of 500 m would detect thousands of antineutrino events per nuclear test. This would provide less than 4% statistical error on the measured antineutrino rate and 5% error on antineutrino energy. Extrapolating this to an error on the test device explosive yield requires knowledge from evaluated nuclear databases, non-equilibrium fission rates, and assumptions on internal neutron fluxes. Initial calculations demonstrate that the total number of neutrinos emitted per fission in the first 10 3 s after a short pulse of 239 Pu fission is about a factor of two less than that from Pu fissioning under steady state conditions. Furthermore, there are significant energy spectral differences as a function of time after the pulse that must be considered. These and other model dependencies will be discussed in the paper. In the absence of nuclear weapons testing, many of the technical and theoretical challenges of a full nuclear test could be mitigated with a low cost smaller scale 20 ton fiducial mass IBD demonstration detector placed near a pulsed reactor. Potential reactors include the Texas A&M University TRIGA 1 GW–10 ms pulsed facility or the Sandia Annular Core Research Reactor. The short duty cycle and repeatability of pulses would provide critical real environment testing and measurements, which would be valuable for planning a possible real test shot in the future. Furthermore, the antineutrino rate as a function of time data would provide unique constraints on fission databases and model assumptions. Finally, there are impactful science drivers such as sensitive searches for ∼1 eV 2 sterile neutrinos and ∼MeV scale axions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

NASA NTRS2018

A Low Cost Thermal Control Method for Testing in a Mars Environment

Due to the unique thermal vacuum testing requirements for a Mars Rover instrument, NASA Goddard developed a low cost, high fidelity thermal control system utilizing Thermal Electric Coolers (TECs) combined with a heat rejection fluid loop to actively control 8 independent payload thermal boundary zones in a simulated Mars pressure vacuum chamber with a Carbon Dioxide atmosphere. These zones could control instrument components to a specific temperature as a function of time to simulate exact temporal flight boundary predictions.The Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) instrument is a dual source (pyrolysis gas chromatograph and laser desorption) mass spectrometer (MS) based package that detects and characterizes organic molecules, as part of ESA's 2020 ExoMars Rover mission to seek the signs of life on Mars.Due to the unique thermal vacuum testing requirements for a Mars Rover instrument, NASA Goddard developed a low cost, high fidelity thermal control system utilizing Thermal Electric Coolers (TECs) combined with a heat rejection fluid loop to actively control 8 independent payload thermal boundary zones in a simulated Mars pressure vacuum chamber with a Carbon Dioxide atmosphere. These zones could control instrument components to a specific temperature as a function of time to simulate exact temporal flight boundary predictions.The Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) instrument is a dual source (pyrolysis gas chromatograph and laser desorption) mass spectrometer (MS) based package that detects and characterizes organic molecules, as part of ESA's 2020 ExoMars Rover mission to seek the signs of life on Mars.

MOMA↗

DOE OSTI2023

A study of explosive-induced fracture in polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)

The fracture response of geologic materials is of interest for applications, including geothermal energy harnessing and containment of underground explosions. To better understand the explosively induced fracture response of geomaterials, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) was used as a transparent rock surrogate to allow imaging of internal shock propagation and fracture growth processes. Experiments were conducted using high-speed shadowgraphy and photon Doppler velocimetry (PDV), which were compared to numerical simulations. Experiments measured fractures produced in 304.8mm × 304.8mm × 304.8mm PMMA cubes with two simultaneously initiated detonators. The cubes were subjected to varying amounts and directions of externally applied uniaxial stresses, including no stress, 2 MPa stress, and 20 MPa stress. The fracture radius as a function of time was extracted from the high-speed videos. Post-test images of the PMMA cubes aided in the determination of three-dimensional effects not directly imaged by the cameras. The surface velocity history and the shock response captured in PDV and the high-speed videos were compared to the simulated explosive-induced shock response. The simulation results indicate that the shock drives the fracture for the first 20 μs corresponding to a fracture radius of approximately 15 mm in the experiments. The gas-driven fracture extent was estimated analytically using an equilibrium stress distribution calculated after the shock wave propagation through the sample. Reduction in the gas pressure due to the leakage of the explosive products through the crack as a function of time was accounted for. In conclusion, the estimated fracture lengths were in agreement with the experimentally observed fracture lengths.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

NASA NTRS1987

Collision detection for spacecraft proximity operations

Collision Detection for Spacecraft Proximity Operations This thesis describes the development of a new collision detection algorithm to be used when two spacecraft are operating in the same vicinity. The two spacecraft are modelled as unions of convex polyhedra, where the polyhedron resulting from the union may be either convex or nonconvex. The relative motion of the two spacecraft is assumed to be such that one vehicle is moving with constant linear and angular velocity with respect to the other. The algorithm determines if a collision is possible and, if so, predicts the time when the collision will take place. The theoretical basis for the new collision detection algorithm is the C-function formulation of the configuration space approach recently introduced by researchers in robotics. Three different types of C-functions are defined that model the contacts between the vertices, edges, and faces of the polyhedra representing the two spacecraft. These C-functions are used to formulate three "collision" conditions. The first of these conditions limits the points representing potential collisions to the zeros of the C-functions. The new algorithm is fundamentally a search for the smallest zero of any C-function that satisfies the second and third collision conditions. The C-functions are shown to be transcendental functions of time for the assumed trajectory of the moving spacecraft. The zeros of these functions cannot be expressed in dosed form. Therefore, numerical search procedures are developed to find aLl of the zeros of a C-function in specified bounded intervals of time. These bounded intervals of time are found by examining the second and third collision conditions. The capabilities of the new algorithm are demonstrated for several example cases. These include examples of collisions determined by zeros of each of the three different types of C-functions. In addition to predicting the time of first contact of the polyhedra, the algorithm identifies the features of the two polyhedra that are touching at this time. The new collision detection algorithm is the first such algorithm that is capable of solving the collision detection problem exactly for the case where the moving object has constant linear and angular velocities. This is a significant improvement on previous collision detection algorithms described in the literature. In particular, the ability to handle constant angular velocity represents a more realistic type of rotational motion than those which have been used in other algorithms.

Robin M Vaughan↗

DOE OSTI2016

Decoherence of odd compass states in the phase-sensitive amplifying/dissipating environment

We study the evolution of odd compass states (specific superpositions of four coherent states), governed by the standard master equation with phase-sensitive amplifying/attenuating terms, in the presence of a Hamiltonian describing a parametric degenerate linear amplifier. Explicit expressions for the time-dependent Wigner function are obtained. The time of disappearance of the so called “sub-Planck structures” is calculated using the negative value of the Wigner function at the origin of phase space. It is shown that this value rapidly decreases during a short “conventional interference degradation time” (CIDT), which is inversely proportional to the size of quantum superposition, provided the anti-Hermitian terms in the master equation are of the same order (or stronger) as the Hermitian ones (governing the parametric amplification). The CIDT is compared with the final positivization time (FPT), when the Wigner function becomes positive. It appears that the FPT does not depend on the size of superpositions, moreover, it can be much bigger in the amplifying media than in the attenuating ones. Paradoxically, strengthening the Hamiltonian part results in decreasing the CIDT, so that the CIDT almost does not depend on the size of superpositions in the asymptotical case of very weak reservoir coupling. We also analyze the evolution of the Mandel factor, showing that for some sets of parameters this factor remains significantly negative, even when the Wigner function becomes positive.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2015

Synchrotron-based double imaging photoelectron/photoion coincidence spectroscopy of radicals produced in a flow tube: OH and OD

We present a microwave discharge flow tube coupled with a double imaging electron/ion coincidence device and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) synchrotron radiation. The system has been applied to the study of the photoelectron spectroscopy of the well-known radicals OH and OD. The coincidence imaging scheme provides a high selectivity and yields the spectra of the pure radicals, removing the ever-present contributions from excess reactants, background, or secondary products, and therefore obviating the need for a prior knowledge of all possible byproducts. The photoelectron spectra encompassing the X{sup 3}Σ{sup −} ground state of the OH{sup +} and OD{sup +} cations have been extracted and the vibrational constants compared satisfactorily to existing literature values. Future advantages of this approach include measurement of high resolution VUV spectroscopy of radicals, their absolute photoionization cross section, and species/isomer identification in chemical reactions as a function of time.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

NASA NTRS2014

Badhwar-O'Neill 2011 Galactic Cosmic Ray Model Update and Future Improvements

The Badhwar-O'Neill Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) Model based on actual GCR measurements is used by deep space mission planners for the certification of microelectronic systems and the analysis of radiation health risks to astronauts in space missions. The BO GCR Model provides GCR flux in deep space (outside the earth's magnetosphere) for any given time from 1645 to present. The energy spectrum from 50 MeV/n - 20 GeV/n is provided for ions from hydrogen to uranium. This work describes the most recent version of the BO GCR model (BO'11). BO'11 determined the GCR flux at a given time applying an emperical time delay function to past sunspot activity. We describe the GCR measurement data used in the BO'11 update - modern data from BESS, PAMELA, CAPRICE, and ACE emphasized more than the older balloon data used for the previous BO model (BO'10). We look at the GCR flux for the last 24 solar minima and show how much greater the flux was for the cycle 24 minimum in 2010. The BO'11 Model uses the traditional, steady-state Fokker-Planck differential equation to account for particle transport in the heliosphere due to diffusion, convection, and adiabatic deceleration. It assumes a radially symmetrical diffusion coefficient derived from magnetic disturbances caused by sunspots carried outward by a constant solar wind. A more complex differential equation is now being tested to account for particle transport in the heliosphere in the next generation BO model. This new model is time-dependent (no longer a steady state model). In the new model, the dynamics and anti-symmetrical features of the actual heliosphere are accounted for so emperical time delay functions will no longer be required. The new model will be capable of simulating the more subtle features of modulation - such as the Sun's polarity and modulation dependence on gradient and curvature drift. This improvement is expected to significantly improve the fidelity of the BO GCR model. Preliminary results of its performance will be presented.

O'Neill, Pat M.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Badhwar-O'Neill 2011 Galactic Cosmic Ray Model Update and Future Improvements

The Badhwar-O'Neill Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) Model based on actual GR measurements is used by deep space mission planners for the certification of micro-electronic systems and the analysis of radiation health risks to astronauts in space missions. The BO GCR Model provides GCR flux in deep space (outside the earth's magnetosphere) for any given time from 1645 to present. The energy spectrum from 50 MeV/n-20 GeV/n is provided for ions from hydrogen to uranium. This work describes the most recent version of the BO GCR model (BO'11). BO'11 determines the GCR flux at a given time applying an empirical time delay function to past sunspot activity. We describe the GCR measurement data used in the BO'11 update - modern data from BESS, PAMELA, CAPRICE, and ACE emphasized for than the older balloon data used for the previous BO model (BO'10). We look at the GCR flux for the last 24 solar minima and show how much greater the flux was for the cycle 24 minimum in 2010. The BO'11 Model uses the traditional, steady-state Fokker-Planck differential equation to account for particle transport in the heliosphere due to diffusion, convection, and adiabatic deceleration. It assumes a radially symmetrical diffusion coefficient derived from magnetic disturbances caused by sunspots carried onward by a constant solar wind. A more complex differential equation is now being tested to account for particle transport in the heliosphere in the next generation BO model. This new model is time-dependent (no longer a steady state model). In the new model, the dynamics and anti-symmetrical features of the actual heliosphere are accounted for so empirical time delay functions will no longer be required. The new model will be capable of simulating the more subtle features of modulation - such as the Sun's polarity and modulation dependence on the gradient and curvature drift. This improvement is expected to significantly improve the fidelity of the BO GCR model. Preliminary results of its performance will be presented.

O'Neill, Pat M.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Dynamic remapping of parallel computations with varying resource demands

A large class of computational problems is characterized by frequent synchronization, and computational requirements which change as a function of time. When such a problem must be solved on a message passing multiprocessor machine, the combination of these characteristics lead to system performance which decreases in time. Performance can be improved with periodic redistribution of computational load; however, redistribution can exact a sometimes large delay cost. We study the issue of deciding when to invoke a global load remapping mechanism. Such a decision policy must effectively weigh the costs of remapping against the performance benefits. We treat this problem by constructing two analytic models which exhibit stochastically decreasing performance. One model is quite tractable; we are able to describe the optimal remapping algorithm, and the optimal decision policy governing when to invoke that algorithm. However, computational complexity prohibits the use of the optimal remapping decision policy. We then study the performance of a general remapping policy on both analytic models. This policy attempts to minimize a statistic W(n) which measures the system degradation (including the cost of remapping) per computation step over a period of n steps. We show that as a function of time, the expected value of W(n) has at most one minimum, and that when this minimum exists it defines the optimal fixed-interval remapping policy. Our decision policy appeals to this result by remapping when it estimates that W(n) is minimized. Our performance data suggests that this policy effectively finds the natural frequency of remapping. We also use the analytic models to express the relationship between performance and remapping cost, number of processors, and the computation's stochastic activity.

Nicol, D. M.↗

DOE OSTI2022

The Epidermal Microbiome Within an Aggregation of Leopard Sharks ( Triakis semifasciata ) Has Taxonomic Flexibility with Gene Functional Stability Across Three Time-points

The epidermis of Chondrichthyan fishes consists of dermal denticles with production of minimal but protein-rich mucus that collectively, influence the attachment and biofilm development of microbes, facilitating a unique epidermal microbiome. Here, we use metagenomics to provide the taxonomic and functional characterization of the epidermal microbiome of the Triakis semifasciata (leopard shark) at three time-points collected across 4 years to identify links between microbial groups and host metabolism. Our aims include (1) describing the variation of microbiome taxa over time and identifying recurrent microbiome members (present across all time-points); (2) investigating the relationship between the recurrent and flexible taxa (those which are not found consistently across time-points); (3) describing the functional compositions of the microbiome which may suggest links with the host metabolism; and (4) identifying whether metabolic processes are shared across microbial genera or are unique to specific taxa. Microbial members of the microbiome showed high similarity between all individuals (Bray–Curtis similarity index = 82.7, where 0 = no overlap, 100 = total overlap) with the relative abundance of those members varying across sampling time-points, suggesting flexibility of taxa in the microbiome. One hundred and eighty-eight genera were identified as recurrent, including Pseudomonas, Erythrobacter, Alcanivorax, Marinobacter, and Sphingopxis being consistently abundant across time-points, while Limnobacter and Xyella exhibited switching patterns with high relative abundance in 2013, Sphingobium and Sphingomona in 2015, and Altermonas, Leeuwenhoekiella, Gramella, and Maribacter in 2017. Of the 188 genera identified as recurrent, the top 19 relatively abundant genera formed three recurrent groups. The microbiome also displayed high functional similarity between individuals (Bray–Curtis similarity index = 97.6) with gene function composition remaining consistent across all time-points. These results show that while the presence of microbial genera exhibits consistency across time-points, their abundances do fluctuate. Microbial functions however remain stable across time-points; thus, we suggest the leopard shark microbiomes exhibit functional redundancy. We show coexistence of microbes hosted in elasmobranch microbiomes that encode genes involved in utilizing nitrogen, but not fixing nitrogen, degrading urea, and resistant to heavy metal.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1996

Estimation of Snow Parameters Based on Passive Microwave Remote Sensing and Meteorological Information

A method to incorporate passive microwave remote sensing measurements within a spatially distributed snow hydrology model to provide estimates of the spatial distribution of Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) as a function of time is implemented. The passive microwave remote sensing measurements are at 25 km resolution. However, in mountain regions the spatial variability of SWE over a 25 km footprint is large due to topographic influences. On the other hand, the snow hydrology model has built-in topographic information and the capability to estimate SWE at a 1 km resolution. In our work, the snow hydrology SWE estimates are updated and corrected using SSM/I passive microwave remote sensing measurements. The method is applied to the Upper Rio Grande River Basin in the mountains of Colorado. The change in prediction of SWE from hydrology modeling with and without updating is compared with measurements from two SNOTEL sites in and near the basin. The results indicate that the method incorporating the remote sensing measurements into the hydrology model is able to more closely estimate the temporal evolution of the measured values of SWE as a function of time.

Tsang, Leung↗

NASA NTRS1993

Verification of a two-dimensional infiltration model for the resin transfer molding process

A two-dimensional finite element model for the infiltration of a dry textile preform by an injected resin was verified. The model, which is based on the finite element/control volume technique, determines the total infiltration time and the pressure increase at the mold inlet associated with the RTM process. Important input data for the model are the compaction and permeability behavior of the preform along with the kinetic and rheological behavior of the resin. The compaction behavior for several textile preforms was determined by experimental methods. A power law regression model was used to relate fiber volume fraction to the applied compaction pressure. Results showed a large increase in fiber volume fraction with the initial application of pressure. However, as the maximum fiber volume fraction was approached, the amount of compaction pressure required to decrease the porosity of the preform rapidly increased. Similarly, a power law regression model was used to relate permeability to the fiber volume fraction of the preform. Two methods were used to measure the permeability of the textile preform. The first, known as the steady state method, measures the permeability of a saturated preform under constant flow rate conditions. The second, denoted the advancing front method, determines the permeability of a dry preform to an infiltrating fluid. Water, corn oil, and an epoxy resin, Epon 815, were used to determine the effect of fluid type and viscosity on the steady state permeability behavior of the preform. Permeability values measured with the different fluids showed that fluid viscosity had no influence on the permeability behavior of 162 E-glass and TTI IM7/8HS preforms. Permeabilities measured from steady state and advancing front experiments for the warp direction of 162 E-glass fabric were similar. This behavior was noticed for tests conducted with corn oil and Epon 815. Comparable behavior was observed for the warp direction of the TTI IM7/8HS preform and corn oil. Mold filling and flow visualization experiments were performed to verify the analytical computer model. Frequency dependent electromagnetic sensors were used to monitor the resin flow front as a function of time. For the flow visualization tests, a video camera and high resolution tape recorder were used to record the experimental flow fronts. Comparisons between experimental and model predicted flow fronts agreed well for all tests. For the mold filling tests conducted at constant flow rate injection, the model was able to accurately predict the pressure increase at the mold inlet during the infiltration process. A kinetics model developed to predict the degree of cure as a function of time for the injected resin accurately calculated the increase in the degree of cure during the subsequent cure cycle.

Hammond, Vincent H.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Phase Time and Envelope Time in Time-Distance Analysis and Acoustic Imaging

Time-distance analysis and acoustic imaging are two related techniques to probe the local properties of solar interior. In this study, we discuss the relation of phase time and envelope time between the two techniques. The location of the envelope peak of the cross correlation function in time-distance analysis is identified as the travel time of the wave packet formed by modes with the same w/l. The phase time of the cross correlation function provides information of the phase change accumulated along the wave path, including the phase change at the boundaries of the mode cavity. The acoustic signals constructed with the technique of acoustic imaging contain both phase and intensity information. The phase of constructed signals can be studied by computing the cross correlation function between time series constructed with ingoing and outgoing waves. In this study, we use the data taken with the Taiwan Oscillation Network (TON) instrument and the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) instrument. The analysis is carried out for the quiet Sun. We use the relation of envelope time versus distance measured in time-distance analyses to construct the acoustic signals in acoustic imaging analyses. The phase time of the cross correlation function of constructed ingoing and outgoing time series is twice the difference between the phase time and envelope time in time-distance analyses as predicted. The envelope peak of the cross correlation function between constructed ingoing and outgoing time series is located at zero time as predicted for results of one-bounce at 3 mHz for all four data sets and two-bounce at 3 mHz for two TON data sets. But it is different from zero for other cases. The cause of the deviation of the envelope peak from zero is not known.

Chou, Dean-Yi↗