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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Corrugated Rollable Tubular Booms

A promising candidate for a new class of deployable composite boom is the COrrugated ROllable TUbular Boom (COROTUB), which is to be employed on future large space structures by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This is due to its two corrugated thin-shells forming a closed-section,which yields high bending and torsion stiffness, allowing for high dimensional stability. The corrugation geometry that dictates the boom cross-section shape is completely defined by closed-form analytical equations given a set of key input parameters available to the designer. Parametric studies changing two geometric variables are used to evaluate which parameters most influence the cross-section’s area moment of inertia and torsional constant. The number of corrugations, flattened height of the boom, and concave and convex corrugation radii are varied to study the complete boom design space. Deeper corrugations increase the local buckling loads (crimpling) of the thin-shell boom but reduce the area moment of inertia and therefore the global Euler buckling load of the compressive member,and thus a fine balance is sought. Finite element analyses of pure bending and compression load cases for 1.22 m boom specimens were carried out to study this design trade-off in detail. Based on previous work, several thin-ply composite laminates have been selected for the different shells that form the cross-section. Feasible boom designs with a maximized stiffness and load-carrying capacity will be manufactured to study their rollability and for experimental characterization. Structural characterization tests and additional numerical analyses will provide guidelines towards future corrugated boom designs and adequate boundary conditions to maximize the boom bending strength.

Deployable Booms↗

NASA NTRS1973

Transonic laminar boundary layers with surface curvature.

The effect of surface curvature (both longitudinal and transverse) and the associated pressure gradient across the flow is investigated analytically for a laminar boundary layer subjected to pressure gradients along the flow. Property variation which results from heat transfer and compressibility is taken into account. Numerical solutions of the boundary layer equations are obtained for locally similar sonic flow through the throat of a nozzle for a range of flow conditions and for various shaped nozzle surfaces with different amounts of wall cooling. A few solutions were also obtained for the analogous flow around the shoulder of a flat-faced body in a supersonic flow. The effect of various parameters that arise in the equations upon application of the Levy-Mangler transformation are investigated and discussed with respect to their influence on the velocity and total enthalpy profiles and the corresponding profile slopes at the surface to which the shear stress and heat transfer are related. An important finding is that at throat Reynolds numbers less than 100,000 the heat transfer parameter at a nozzle throat decreases as the throat radius of curvature decreases.

Back, L. H.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Integrated control system concept for high-speed aircraft

The synthesis and evaluation of flight control system architectures for future aircraft are discussed in terms of design features and the requirements for fighter aircraft. Advanced fighter configurations may feature canards, flaperons, two-dimensional vectoring nozzles, a mixing compression inlet, and an advanced turbojet engine. Survey and evaluation technology will also progress to include distributed microprocessors, VLSI and VHSIC microcircuitry, optical circuits, analytic redundancy, etc. Bottom-p and top-down architectures have been investigated to fulfill the reliability, maintainability, cost, and performance goals. A centralized architecture has been devised with line-removable units to facilitate maintainability and reduce weight. Descriptions are provided of the performance parameters and applications of optical elements, photoelastic pressure sensors, rare earth sensors, computing elements, and information transfer system.

Carlin, C. M.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Skin-stiffener interface stresses in composite stiffened panels

A model and solution method for determining the normal and shear stresses in the interface between the skin and the stiffener attached flange were developed. An efficient, analytical solution procedure was developed and incorporated in a sizing code for stiffened panels. The analysis procedure described provides a means to study the effects of material and geometric design parameters on the interface stresses. These stresses include the normal stress, and the shear stresses in both the longitudinal and the transverse directions. The tendency toward skin/stiffener separation may therefore be minimized by choosing appropriate values for the design variables. The most important design variables include the relative bending stiffnesses of the skin and stiffener attached flange, the bending stiffness of the stiffener web, and the flange width. The longitudinal compressive loads in the flange and skin have significant effects on the interface stresses.

Wang, J. T. S.↗

NASA NTRS2000

MHD Energy Bypass Scramjet Performance with Real Gas Effects

The theoretical performance of a scramjet propulsion system incorporating an magneto-hydro-dynamic (MHD) energy bypass scheme is calculated. The one-dimensional analysis developed earlier, in which the theoretical performance is calculated neglecting skin friction and using a sudden-freezing approximation for the nozzle flow, is modified to incorporate the method of Van Driest for turbulent skin friction and a finite-rate chemistry calculation in the nozzle. Unlike in the earlier design, in which four ramp compressions occurred in the pitch plane, in the present design the first two ramp compressions occur in the pitch plane and the next two compressions occur in the yaw plane. The results for the simplified design of a spaceliner show that (1) the present design produces higher specific impulses than the earlier design, (2) skin friction substantially reduces thrust and specific impulse, and (3) the specific impulse of the MHD-bypass system is still better than the non-MHD system and typical rocket over a narrow region of flight speeds and design parameters. Results suggest that the energy management with MHD principles offers the possibility of improving the performance of the scramjet. The technical issues needing further studies are identified.

Park, Chul↗

NASA NTRS2013

Effects of Gravity on Supercritical Water Oxidation (SCWO) Processes

The effects of gravity on the fluid mechanics of supercritical water jets are being studied at NASA to develop a better understanding of flow behaviors for purposes of advancing supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) technologies for applications in reduced gravity environments. These studies provide guidance for the development of future SCWO experiments in new experimental platforms that will extend the current operational range of the DECLIC (Device for the Study of Critical Liquids and Crystallization) Facility on board the International Space Station (ISS). The hydrodynamics of supercritical fluid jets is one of the basic unit processes of a SCWO reactor. These hydrodynamics are often complicated by significant changes in the thermo-physical properties that govern flow behavior (e.g., viscosity, thermal conductivity, specific heat, compressibility, etc), particularly when fluids transition from sub-critical to supercritical conditions. Experiments were conducted in a 150 ml reactor cell under constant pressure with water injections at various flow rates. Flow configurations included supercritical jets injected into either sub-critical or supercritical water. Profound gravitational influences were observed, particularly in the transition to turbulence, for the flow conditions under study. These results will be presented and the parameters of the flow that control jet behavior will be examined and discussed.

aqueous solutions↗

NASA NTRS2019

On-Orbit Xenon Refueling Loading Times and Transient Analysis

The Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) of the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway will demonstrate the first on-orbit refueling of xenon propellant for a solar electric propulsion system. An analysis was performed in Microsoft Excel to determine what factors influence the overall refueling time of a single 2,000-kilogram capacity xenon propellant tank, as well as provide estimates for overall refueling duration. Due to the high heat of compression of xenon, the propellant tank could exceed its maximum allowable temperature during refueling if the xenon flow rate and temperature are unregulated. In order to prevent overheating, a logic based "bang-bang" operation was used for refueling, shutting off the mass feed when the tank reached a maximum temperature. Heat is removed from the tank via radiation to the surrounding spacecraft bus. The analysis shows that optimizing key parameters such as mass flow rate into the tank, residual propellant in the tank during the onset of refueling, and tank diameter significantly reduces the overall refueling duration. Optimization is not straightforward, however, as the loading time does not trend monotonically with the parameters. Overall, the most significant impact on loading duration comes from altering the residual propellant in the tank. Increasing the mass of residual propellant from 2 percent to 20 percent reduces the overall refueling duration by 56 percent. Future work based on this analysis includes creation of a SINDA/FLUINT model and building a ground-based xenon refueling system emulator.

Xenon↗

NASA NTRS1985

A theory of post-stall transients in multistage axial compression systems

A theory is presented for post stall transients in multistage axial compressors. The theory leads to a set of coupled first-order ordinary differential equations capable of describing the growth and possible decay of a rotating-stall cell during a compressor mass-flow transient. These changing flow features are shown to have a significant effect on the instantaneous compressor pumping characteristic during unsteady operation, and henace on the overall system behavior. It is also found from the theory that the ultimate mode of system response, stable rotating stall or surge, depends not only on the B parameter but also on other parameters, such as the compressor length-to-diameter ratio. Small values of this latter quantity tend to favor the occurrence of surge, as do large values of B. A limited parametric study is carried out to show the impact of the different system features on transient behavior. Based on analytical and numerical results, several specific topics are suggested for future research on post-stall transients.

Moore, F. K.↗

NASA NTRS1976

A turbulence model for nonequilibrium adverse pressure gradient flows

This paper presents a method for calculating compressible adverse pressure gradient boundary layers by using an algebraic eddy viscosity turbulence model that has been modified for variable pressure gradient and turbulence memory effects. The pressure gradient corrections are based on previous incompressible data correlations. Several methods for including the effects of turbulence memory are evaluated. A new lag model, which gives good agreement with available experimental data, is developed. Finally, a correlation is developed for the lag length parameter employed in the model as a function of the known experimental flow variables.

Horstman, C. C.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Calculations of the unsteady, three-dimensional flow field inside a motored Wankel engine

A computer program (referred to as UF-LRC-3D) was developed for studying the unsteady, three-dimensional flow field inside the combustion chambers of motored Wankel engines as a function of engine design and operating parameters. This paper presents the details of the governing equations and the numerical method used by UF-LRC-3D. Also presented are numerical solutions generated by UF-LRC-3D showing the velocity field inside a motored Wankel engine, the mixing of nonhomogeneous fuel-air mixtures that enter through the intake port, and the mixing that takes place when a gaseous fuel is injected into the combustion chamber during compression.

Steinthorsson, Erlendur↗

NASA NTRS1995

Buckling behavior of long anisotropic plates subjected to combined loads

A parametric study is presented of the buckling behavior of infinitely long symmetrically laminated anisotropic plates subjected to combined loads. The study focuses on the interaction of a subcritical (stable) secondary loading state of constant magnitude and a primary destabilizing load that is increased in magnitude until buckling occurs. The loads, considered in this report are uniform axial compression, pure in-plane bending, transverse tension and compression, and shear. Results are presented that were obtained by using a special purpose nondimensional analysis that is well suited for parametric studies of clamped and simply supported plates. In particular, results are presented for a +/- 45(sub S) graphite-epoxy laminate that is highly anisotropic and representative of a laminate used for spacecraft applications. In addition, generic buckling-design charts are presented for a wide range of nondimensional parameters that are applicable to a broad class of laminate constructions. These results show the general behavioral trends of specially orthotropic plates and the effects of flexural anisotropy on plates subjected to various combined loading conditions. An important finding of the present study is that the effects of flexural anisotropy on the buckling resistance of a plate can be significantly more important for plates subjected to combined loads than for plates subjected to single-component loads.

Nemeth, Michael P.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Rapid Prototyping of an Aircraft Model in an Object-Oriented Simulation

A team was created to participate in the Mars Scout Opportunity. Trade studies determined that an aircraft provided the best opportunity to complete the science objectives of the team. A high fidelity six degree of freedom flight simulation was required to provide credible evidence that the aircraft design fulfilled mission objectives and to support the aircraft design process by providing performance evaluations. The team created the simulation using the Langley Standard Real-Time Simulation in C++ (LaSRS++) application framework. A rapid prototyping approach was necessary because the team had only three months to both develop the aircraft simulation model and evaluate aircraft performance as the design and mission parameters matured. The design of LaSRS++ enabled rapid-prototyping in several ways. First, the framework allowed component models to be designed, implemented, unit-tested, and integrated quickly. Next, the framework provides a highly reusable infrastructure that allowed developers to maximize code reuse while concentrating on aircraft and mission specific features. Finally, the framework reduces risk by providing reusable components that allow developers to build a quality product with a compressed testing cycle that relies heavily on unit testing of new components.

Kenney, P. Sean↗

NASA NTRS1993

Investigation of lunar base thermal control system options

Long duration human exploration missions to the Moon will require active thermal control systems which have not previously been used in space. The two technologies which are most promising for long term lunar base thermal control are heat pumps and radiator shades. Recent trade-off studies at the Johnson Space Center have focused development efforts on the most promising heat pump and radiator shade technologies. Since these technologies are in the early stages of development and many parameters used in the study are not well defined, a parametric study was done to test the sensitivity to each assumption. The primary comparison factor in these studies was the total mass system, with power requirements included in the form of a mass penalty for power. Heat pump technologies considered were thermally driven heat pumps such as metal hydride, complex compound, absorption and zeolite. Also considered were electrically driven Stirling and vapor compression heat pumps. Radiator shade concepts considered included step shaped, V-shaped and parabolic (or catenary) shades and ground covers. A further trade study compared the masses of heat pump and radiator shade systems.

Ewart, Michael K.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustic Sources of a Coaxial Rotor

Vehicles with coaxial, contra-rotating rotor systems (CACR) are being considered for a range of applications. Design parameters are identified that effect the fundamental aerodynamics and fluid dynamic features of a CACR in hover, vertical, and edgewise flight. Understanding the fluid dynamic features is a precursor to studying the aeroacoustics of a coaxial rotor. Rotor performance was computed initially using Navier-Stokes solver with prescribed blade section aerodynamic properties, the results validated against generic experimental test cases. Using a A 2D potential flow code and 2D OVERFLOW compressible-flow Navier-Stokes solver, the fluid dynamics of blade interactions was simplified and broken into a 2D blade crossing problem, with crossing locations and velocity fields from the rotor results to understand circulation, thickness, compressibility, shed vorticity, downwash, and viscosity effects. A calculation tool has been developed to identify time and location of blade overlap and BVI time location for CACR. Specific aerodynamic phenomena that occur for each noise source relevant to CACR are presented, along with computational tools to predict these occurrences.

Aeroacoustic↗

NASA NTRS1991

Determination of Rotordynamic Coefficients for Labyrinth Seals and Application to Rotordynamic Design Calculations

In today's rotordynamic calculations, the input parameters for a finite element analysis (FEA) determine very much the reliability of eigenvalue and eigenmode predictions. While modeling of an elastic structure by means of beam elements etc. is relatively straightforward to perform and the input data for journal bearings are usually known exactly enough, the determination of stiffness and damping for labyrinth seals is still the subject of many investigations. Therefore, the rotordynamic influence of labyrinths is often not included in FEA for rotating machinery because of a lack of computer programs to calculate these parameters. This circumstance can give rise to severe vibration problems especially for high performance turbines or compressors, resulting in remarkable economic losses. The forces generated in labyrinths can be described for small motions around the seal center with a linearized force-motion relationship. Several years ago, we started with the development of computer codes for the determination of rotordynamic seal coefficients. Our different approaches to evaluate the dynamic fluid forces generated by turbulent, compressible seal flow are introduced.

Weiser, P.↗

NASA NTRS1956

Charts for estimating the hovering endurance of a helicopter

As a means of comparing the performance capabilities of various helicopter propulsion systems, charts have been presented for estimating the hovering endurance of a helicopter in the form of a hovering-endurance parameter as a function of the ratio of total fuel load to helicopter initial weight for a range of initial thrust coefficients from 0.002 to 0.012 and for values of rotor mean lift coefficient from 0.24 to .072. The charts were presented for a helicopter having rotor blades with ideal twist. However, corrections may be applied to the hovering endurance to account for other combinations of twist and taper. The effects of stall and compressibility have been neglected.

HELICOPTERS↗

NASA NTRS1991

Failure prediction of thin beryllium sheets used in spacecraft structures

The primary objective of this study is to develop a method for prediction of failure of thin beryllium sheets that undergo complex states of stress. Major components of the research include experimental evaluation of strength parameters for cross-rolled beryllium sheet, application of the Tsai-Wu failure criterion to plate bending problems, development of a high order failure criterion, application of the new criterion to a variety of structures, and incorporation of both failure criteria into a finite element code. A Tsai-Wu failure model for SR-200 sheet material is developed from available tensile data, experiments carried out by NASA on two circular plates, and compression and off-axis experiments performed in this study. The failure surface obtained from the resulting criterion forms an ellipsoid. By supplementing experimental data used in the the two-dimensional criterion and modifying previously suggested failure criteria, a multi-dimensional failure surface is proposed for thin beryllium structures. The new criterion for orthotropic material is represented by a failure surface in six-dimensional stress space. In order to determine coefficients of the governing equation, a number of uniaxial, biaxial, and triaxial experiments are required. Details of these experiments and a complementary ultrasonic investigation are described in detail. Finally, validity of the criterion and newly determined mechanical properties is established through experiments on structures composed of SR200 sheet material. These experiments include a plate-plug arrangement under a complex state of stress and a series of plates with an out-of-plane central point load. Both criteria have been incorporated into a general purpose finite element analysis code. Numerical simulation incrementally applied loads to a structural component that is being designed and checks each nodal point in the model for exceedance of a failure criterion. If stresses at all locations do not exceed the failure criterion, the load is increased and the process is repeated. Failure results for the plate-plug and clamped plate tests are accurate to within 2 percent.

Roschke, Paul N.↗