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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.

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At least 703 records · Page 39

A global analytical representation of the magnetic field produced by the region 2 Birkeland currents and the partial ring current

A quantitative model is developed of the magnetic field produced by the electric current system of region 2 Birkeland currents, closed via the partial ring current. The distribution of j-perpendicular is computed from a given axially asymmetric spatial distribution of hot isotropic magnetospheric plasma over an infinitely thin L shell in an axisymmetric purely dipolar geomagnetic field, while the field-aligned current density is found from the continuity of the net electric current. The magnetic field distribution is derived by a Biot-Savart integral over the electric current system. An assumed cosine dependence of the plasma pressure on local time makes it possible to reduce the problem of analytical representation of the B field to two dimensions. The obtained numerical fits for the partial ring current/region 2 Birkeland current magnetic field are relatively simple, continuous, and valid throughout the whole extraterrestrial space from ionospheric heights up to tens of earth radii.

Tsyganenko, N. A.↗

Experiments in structural dynamics and control using a grid

Future spacecraft are being conceived that are highly flexible and of extreme size. The two features of flexibility and size pose new problems in control system design. Since large scale structures are not testable in ground based facilities, the decision on component placement must be made prior to full-scale tests on the spacecraft. Control law research is directed at solving problems of inadequate modelling knowledge prior to operation required to achieve peak performance. Another crucial problem addressed is accommodating failures in systems with smart components that are physically distributed on highly flexible structures. Parameter adaptive control is a method of promise that provides on-orbit tuning of the control system to improve performance by upgrading the mathematical model of the spacecraft during operation. Two specific questions are answered in this work. They are: What limits does on-line parameter identification with realistic sensors and actuators place on the ultimate achievable performance of a system in the highly flexible environment? Also, how well must the mathematical model used in on-board analytic redundancy be known and what are the reasonable expectations for advanced redundancy management schemes in the highly flexible and distributed component environment?

Montgomery, R. C.↗

Importance of aggregation and small ice crystals in cirrus clouds, based on observations and an ice particle growth model

The 1 November 1986 FIRE I case study was used to test an ice particle growth model which predicts bimodal size spectra in cirrus clouds. The model was developed from an analytically based model which predicts the height evolution of monomodal ice particle size spectra from the measured ice water content (IWC). Size spectra from the monomodal model are represented by a gamma distribution, N(D) = N(sub o)D(exp nu)exp(-lambda D), where D = ice particle maximum dimension. The slope parameter, lambda, and the parameter N(sub o) are predicted from the IWC through the growth processes of vapor diffusion and aggregation. The model formulation is analytical, computationally efficient, and well suited for incorporation into larger models. The monomodal model has been validated against two other cirrus cloud case studies. From the monomodal size spectra, the size distributions which determine concentrations of ice particles less than about 150 mu m are predicted.

Mitchell, David L.↗

Statistical Distribution of Gear Surface Fatigue Lives at High Reliability

The reliability of gears is important for a wide variety of applications, and the gearing community has a desire for better prediction of fatigue life at very high reliability. To improve predictions, a set of 950 NASA-conducted gear surface fatigue test results were gathered, pooled together using the general standardized Weibull variate, and then fit to a Weibull three-parameter distribution. An iterative fitting method was developed and then applied to the gear fatigue data to determine the values of the distribution parameters. Additional analyses were done using bearing and gear data that demonstrate a trend of increasing minimum life coefficient as correlated to the timeframe of the fatigue testing, and material cleanliness is proposed as a primary explanation for such correlation. It is noted that this observed trend supports published findings from analytical modeling and experimental studies that improvements to material cleanliness improves minimum fatigue life. Further use and study of the three-parameter Weibull distribution is recommended as a tool to quantify fatigue life most accurately in the high reliability regime.

gear↗

Mathematical model for two-dimensional multi-component airfoils in viscous flow.

A computerized analytical model of a multi-component airfoil in viscous, subsonic flow has been developed. The model, representing attached flow, defines viscous pressure distributions, lift, moments, and local boundary-layer properties on each element of an arbitrarily arranged slotted airfoil. The final viscous solution is obtained by an iterative technique for successively combining an inviscid solution with boundary-layer displacement thicknesses. Ordinary boundary-layers include laminar, transition, and turbulent types. A significant feature of the program is an analytical model representing the merging of the upper surface boundary layer with the slot efflux. Typical correlations with experiment are provided and program applications are discussed.

Stevens, W. A.↗

Analytic redundancy management for systems with appreciable structural dynamics

This paper deals with analytic redundancy management of systems that have appreciable structural dynamics and require active control. The class of systems considered is large, lightweight spacecraft that have large numbers of distributed sensors and actuators. Both preliminary design and on-line operations are studied. For the preliminary design we deal with the placement of the sensor and actuator components on a highly flexible spacecraft. For on-line operation an analytic redundancy management system based on examination of the residuals of a Kalman filter is considered. A large, flexible grid made of overlapping aluminum bars is used to experimentally evaluate this analytic redundancy management system. Results of the experimental evaluation are included in the paper.

Montgomery, Raymond C.↗

Damage prediction in cross-plied curved composite laminates

Analytical and experimental work is detailed which is required to predict delamination onset and growth in a curved cross plied composite laminate subjected to static and fatigue loads. The composite used was AS4/3501/6, graphite/epoxy. Analytically, a closed form stress analysis and 2-D and 3-D finite element analyses were conducted to determine the stress distribution in an undamaged curved laminate. The finite element analysis was also used to determine values of strain energy release rate at a delamination emanating from a matrix crack in a 90 deg ply. Experimentally, transverse tensile strength and fatigue life were determined from flat 90 deg coupons. The interlaminar tensile strength and fatigue life were determined from double cantilevered beam specimens. Cross plied curved laminates were tested statically and in fatigue to give a comparison to the analytical predictions. A comparison of the fracture mechanics life prediction technique and the strength based prediction technique is given.

Martin, Roderick H.↗

Influence of transverse-shear and large-deformation effects on the low-speed impact response of laminated composite plates

An analytical procedure is presented for determining the transient response of simply supported, rectangular laminated composite plates subjected to impact loads from airgun-propelled or dropped-weight impactors. A first-order shear-deformation theory is included in the analysis to represent properly any local short-wave-length transient bending response. The impact force is modeled as a locally distributed load with a cosine-cosine distribution. A double Fourier series expansion and the Timoshenko small-increment method are used to determine the contact force, out-of-plane deflections, and in-plane strains and stresses at any plate location due to an impact force at any plate location. The results of experimental and analytical studies are compared for quasi-isotropic laminates. The results indicate that using the appropriate local force distribution for the locally loaded area and including transverse-shear-deformation effects in the laminated plate response analysis are important. The applicability of the present analytical procedure based on small deformation theory is investigated by comparing analytical and experimental results for combinations of quasi-isotropic laminate thicknesses and impact energy levels. The results of this study indicate that large-deformation effects influence the response of both 24- and 32-ply laminated plates, and that a geometrically nonlinear analysis is required for predicting the response accurately.

Ambur, Damodar R.↗

Application of local linearization and the transonic equivalence rule to the flow about slender analytic bodies at Mach numbers near 1.0

The local linearization method for axisymmetric flow is combined with the transonic equivalence rule to calculate pressure distribution on slender bodies at free-stream Mach numbers from .8 to 1.2. This is an approximate solution to the transonic flow problem which yields results applicable during the preliminary design stages of a configuration development. The method can be used to determine the aerodynamic loads on parabolic arc bodies having either circular or elliptical cross sections. It is particularly useful in predicting pressure distributions and normal force distributions along the body at small angles of attack. The equations discussed may be extended to include wing-body combinations.

Tyson, R. W.↗

Analytical study of the optimum geometric configuration of a space shuttle materials laboratory

A steady state, collisionless flow analysis was made of the density distribution within a hemisphere-disc system due to independent, uniformly distributed internal gas sources. The model was used to estimate the density within a molecular shield, deployed from the shuttle orbiter, which contained internal experiments having a prescribed gas source. Contour plots of the density distribution within the system were presented for disc-to-hemisphere radius ratios of .1, .3, .5, .7, and for disc-to-hemisphere surface emission flux density ratios of .01, 1, 100. The hemisphere-disc system was compared to the empty hemisphere, and it was found that if the disc emission flux density was the same as the hemisphere and the disc radius was not greater than 1/3 of the hemisphere radius, the increase in density at the center of the hemisphere-disc system was less than 50%.

Clay, F. P., Jr.↗

Analytical modeling of operating characteristics of premixing-prevaporizing fuel-air mixing passages. Volume 1: Analysis and results

A model for predicting the distribution of liquid fuel droplets and fuel vapor in premixing-prevaporizing fuel-air mixing passages of the direct injection type is reported. This model consists of three computer programs; a calculation of the two dimensional or axisymmetric air flow field neglecting the effects of fuel; a calculation of the three dimensional fuel droplet trajectories and evaporation rates in a known, moving air flow; a calculation of fuel vapor diffusing into a moving three dimensional air flow with source terms dependent on the droplet evaporation rates. The fuel droplets are treated as individual particle classes each satisfying Newton's law, a heat transfer, and a mass transfer equation. This fuel droplet model treats multicomponent fuels and incorporates the physics required for the treatment of elastic droplet collisions, droplet shattering, droplet coalescence and droplet wall interactions. The vapor diffusion calculation treats three dimensional, gas phase, turbulent diffusion processes. The analysis includes a model for the autoignition of the fuel air mixture based upon the rate of formation of an important intermediate chemical species during the preignition period.

Anderson, O. L.↗

An approximate semi-analytical method for prediction of interlaminar shear stresses in an arbitrarily laminated thick plate

An approximate semianalytical method for determination of interlaminar shear stress distribution through the thickness of an arbitrarily laminated thick plate has been presented. The method is based on the assumptions of transverse inextensibility and layerwise constant shear angle theory (LCST) and utilizes an assumed quadratic displacement potential energy based finite element method (FEM). Centroid of the triangular surface has been proved from a rigorous mathematical point of view (Aubin-Nitsche theory), to be the point of exceptional accuracy for the interlaminar shear stresses. Numerical results indicate close agreement with the available three-dimensional elasticity theory solutions. A comparison between the present theory and that due to an assumed stress hybrid FEM suggest that the (normal) traction-free-edge condition is not satisfied in the latter approach. Furthermore, the present paper is the first to present the results for interlaminar shear stresses in a two-layer thick square plate of balanced unsymmetric angle-ply construction. A comparison with the recently proposed Equilibrium Method (EM) indicates the superiority of the present method, because the latter assures faster convergence as well as simultaneous vanishing of the transverse shear stresses on both of the exposed surfaces of the laminate. Superiority of the present method over the EM, in the case of a symmetric laminate, is limited to faster convergence alone. It has also been demonstrated that the combination of the present method and the reduced (quadratic order) numerical integration scheme yields convergence of the interlaminar shear stresses almost as rapidly as that of the nodal displacements, in the case of a thin plate.

Chaudhuri, Reaz A.↗

An analytical approach to gravitational lensing by an ensemble of axisymmetric lenses

The problem of gravitational lensing by an ensemble of identical axisymmetric lenses randomly distributed on a single lens plane is considered and a formal expression is derived for the joint probability density of finding shear and convergence at a random point on the plane. The amplification probability for a source can be accurately estimated from the distribution in shear and convergence. This method is applied to two cases: lensing by an ensemble of point masses and by an ensemble of objects with Gaussian surface mass density. There is no convergence for point masses whereas shear is negligible for wide Gaussian lenses.

Lee, Man Hoi↗

Improved finite element methodology for integrated thermal structural analysis

An integrated thermal-structural finite element approach for efficient coupling of thermal and structural analysis is presented. New thermal finite elements which yield exact nodal and element temperatures for one dimensional linear steady state heat transfer problems are developed. A nodeless variable formulation is used to establish improved thermal finite elements for one dimensional nonlinear transient and two dimensional linear transient heat transfer problems. The thermal finite elements provide detailed temperature distributions without using additional element nodes and permit a common discretization with lower order congruent structural finite elements. The accuracy of the integrated approach is evaluated by comparisons with analytical solutions and conventional finite element thermal structural analyses for a number of academic and more realistic problems. Results indicate that the approach provides a significant improvement in the accuracy and efficiency of thermal stress analysis for structures with complex temperature distributions.

Dechaumphai, P.↗

Diffraction of shock wave by moving thin wing.

Flow field pressure distribution due to plane shock wave impinging by thin wing moving in opposite direction, discussing mathematical formulation, analytic solution and applications

Gunzburger, M.↗

Thermal conductance in a bolted joint.

The thermal contact resistance of a bolted joint is composed of two components: large scale constriction which is influenced by the extent of the interfacial pressure distribution and small scale constriction which is influenced by the magnitude of the local pressure. It is analytically shown how the roughness asperities at the contact surfaces of the joint affect these two constrictions but in opposite senses. The sum of the two effects, the total resistance, may increase or decrease with changing resistance and examples are given where an optimum roughness will minimize total joint resistance.

Roca, R. T.↗

Lagrangian methods in the analysis of nonlinear wave interactions in plasma

An averaged-Lagrangian method is developed for obtaining the equations which describe the nonlinear interactions of the wave (oscillatory) and background (nonoscillatory) components which comprise a continuous medium. The method applies to monochromatic waves in any continuous medium that can be described by a Lagrangian density, but is demonstrated in the context of plasma physics. The theory is presented in a more general and unified form by way of a new averaged-Lagrangian formalism which simplifies the perturbation ordering procedure. Earlier theory is extended to deal with a medium distributed in velocity space and to account for the interaction of the background with the waves. The analytic steps are systematized, so as to maximize calculational efficiency. An assessment of the applicability and limitations of the method shows that it has some definite advantages over other approaches in efficiency and versatility.

Galloway, J. J.↗

A steering law for a roof-type configuration for a single-gimbal control moment gyro system

Single-Gimbal Control Moment Gyro (SGCMG) systems have been investigated for attitude control of the Large Space Telescope (LST) and the High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO). However, various proposed steering laws for the SGCMG systems thus far have some defects because of singular states of the system. In this report, a steering law for a roof-type SGCMG system is proposed which is based on a new momentum distribution scheme that makes all the singular states unstable. This momentum distribution scheme is formulated by a treatment of the system as a sampled-data system. From analytical considerations, it is shown that this steering law gives control performance which is satisfactory for practical applications. Results of the preliminary computer simulation entirely support this premise.

Yoshikawa, T.↗