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At least 73 records · Page 4

Hybrid theory and calculation of e-N2 scattering

A theory of electron-molecule scattering is developed which is a synthesis of close-coupling and adiabatic-nuclei theories. Specifically, the theory is close-coupling with respect to vibrational degrees of freedom and adiabatic-nuclei with respect to rotation. It can be applied to any number of partial waves required; the remaining ones can be calculated purely in one or the other approximation. A theoretical criterion based on fixed-nuclei calculations is given which indicates those partial waves and energy domains requiring the various approximations. The theory allows all cross sections (pure rotational, vibrational, simultaneous vibration-rotation, differential, and total) to be calculated, and explicit formulas for all these cross sections are given. The theory is applied to low-energy e-N2 scattering. The fixed-nuclei results are such that the criterion shows clearly that vibrational close coupling is necessary, but only for the Pi sub g partial wave. It is found that the close-coupling calculation for this wave gives rise to the substructure as well as the gross structure of the 2.4-eV resonance and that vibrational excitation cross sections are about twice as large as previously inferred.

Chandra, N.↗

A finite element solution algorithm for the Navier-Stokes equations

A finite element solution algorithm is established for the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations governing the steady-state kinematics and thermodynamics of a variable viscosity, compressible multiple-species fluid. For an incompressible fluid, the motion may be transient as well. The primitive dependent variables are replaced by a vorticity-streamfunction description valid in domains spanned by rectangular, cylindrical and spherical coordinate systems. Use of derived variables provides a uniformly elliptic partial differential equation description for the Navier-Stokes system, and for which the finite element algorithm is established. Explicit non-linearity is accepted by the theory, since no psuedo-variational principles are employed, and there is no requirement for either computational mesh or solution domain closure regularity. Boundary condition constraints on the normal flux and tangential distribution of all computational variables, as well as velocity, are routinely piecewise enforceable on domain closure segments arbitrarily oriented with respect to a global reference frame.

Baker, A. J.↗

The weight distribution and randomness of linear codes

Finding the weight distributions of block codes is a problem of theoretical and practical interest. Yet the weight distributions of most block codes are still unknown except for a few classes of block codes. Here, by using the inclusion and exclusion principle, an explicit formula is derived which enumerates the complete weight distribution of an (n,k,d) linear code using a partially known weight distribution. This expression is analogous to the Pless power-moment identities - a system of equations relating the weight distribution of a linear code to the weight distribution of its dual code. Also, an approximate formula for the weight distribution of most linear (n,k,d) codes is derived. It is shown that for a given linear (n,k,d) code over GF(q), the ratio of the number of codewords of weight u to the number of words of weight u approaches the constant Q = q(-)(n-k) as u becomes large. A relationship between the randomness of a linear block code and the minimum distance of its dual code is given, and it is shown that most linear block codes with rigid algebraic and combinatorial structure also display certain random properties which make them similar to random codes with no structure at all.

Cheung, K.-M.↗

Generation of linear dynamic models from a digital nonlinear simulation

The results and methodology used to derive linear models from a nonlinear simulation are presented. It is shown that averaged positive and negative perturbations in the state variables can reduce numerical errors in finite difference, partial derivative approximations and, in the control inputs, can better approximate the system response in both directions about the operating point. Both explicit and implicit formulations are addressed. Linear models are derived for the F 100 engine, and comparisons of transients are made with the nonlinear simulation. The problem of startup transients in the nonlinear simulation in making these comparisons is addressed. Also, reduction of the linear models is investigated using the modal and normal techniques. Reduced-order models of the F 100 are derived and compared with the full-state models.

Daniele, C. J.↗

Adaptive grid methods for partial differential equations

A number of techniques for constructing adaptive mesh generators for use in solving partial differential equations are reviewed in this paper. Techniques reviewed include methods based on steady grid generation schemes and those which are explicitly designed to determine grid speeds in a time-dependent or space-marching problem. Results for candidate methods are included and suggestions for areas of future research are suggested.

Anderson, D. A.↗

Bleed-boundary conditions for numerically simulated mixed-compression supersonic inlet flow

A numerical study was performed to investigate boundary conditions for bleed openings that are needed in the numerical simulation of critical flow through turbojet inlets with bleed. Nine different boundary conditions (BCs) were devised and examined. Of the BCs examined, three were able to stabilize the terminal shock near the inlet's throat. This numerical study was based on the ensemble-averaged, unsteady, three-dimensional, compressible Navier-Stokes equations closed by the Baldwin-Lomax algebraic turbulence model. Solutions to the Navier-Stokes equations were obtained by using a hybrid implicit-explicit method (Beam and Warming/MacCormack). The multiblock grid system used in the solution procedure was generated by solving a set of elliptic partial differential equations. Solutions obtained were compared with available experimental data.

Chyu, W. J.↗

Second-order explicit finite-difference methods for transient-flow analysis

Three second-order accurate numerical methods - MacCormack's method, Lambda scheme and Gabutti scheme - are introduced to solve the quasi-linear, hyperbolic partial differential equations describing transient flows in closed conduits. The details of these methods and the treatment of boundary conditions are presented and the results computed by using these methods for a typical piping system are compared. It is shown that for the same accuracy, second-order methods require considerably lesser number of computational nodes and computer time as compared to those required by the first-order methods.

Chaudhry, M. H.↗

Sloshing dynamics modulated angular momentum fluctuations actuated by gravity gradient acceleration associated with spacecraft slew motion

The mathematical formulation of orbital spacecraft sloshing dynamics for a partially filled cryogenic superfluid liquid helium II in a dewar container actuated by the gravity gradient acceleration associated with slew motion is studied. The Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility-Spectroscopy (AXAF-S) spacecraft is chosen as a practical example in this study. Explicit mathematical expressions which manage orbital galaxy gradient acceleration with slew motion which is acting on the spacecraft fluid systems are derived. The numerical computation of sloshing dynamics is based on the non-inertia frame spacecraft bound coordinates and the solution of time-dependent, three-dimensional formulations of partial differential equations subject to initial and boundary conditions. This study discloses the capillary effect of sloshing dynamics governed liquid-vapor interface fluctuations, angular momentum and moment fluctuations of fluid system, and also buble mass center fluctuations driven by the gravity gradient acceleration associated with slew motion which affects the stability of the orbital spacecraft fluid system in a microgravity environment.

Hung, R. J.↗

Inclusion of exact exchange in the noniterative partial-differential-equation method of electron-molecule scattering - Application to e-N2

The noniterative partial-differential-equation (PDE) approach to electron-molecule scattering of Onda and Temkin (1983) is modified to account for the effects of exchange explicitly. The exchange equation is reduced to a set of inhomogeneous equations containing no integral terms and solved noniteratively in a difference form; a method for propagating the solution to large values of r is described; the changes in the polarization potential of the original PDE method required by the inclusion of exact static exchange are indicated; and the results of computations for e-N2 scattering in the fixed-nuclei approximation are presented in tables and graphs and compared with previous calculations and experimental data. Better agreement is obtained using the modified PDE method.

Weatherford, C. A.↗

A 3D Model to Predict Explicit Morphologies and Volume Fraction of Lack-of-Fusion Pores Generated in Selective Laser Melting Processes

The performance of an additively manufactured (AM) component is dependent on the distribution of process-induced defects in addition to the complex microstructure of the material, surface roughness of the component and the process-induced residual stresses. For instance, it has been well demonstrated that lack-of-fusion (LoF) pores produced in the selective laser melting (SLM) AM process can significantly limit the fatigue performance of the material. Although two-dimensional (2D) models exist to predict the 2D profiles of LoF pores, the 2D pore profiles cannot be directly inserted into a three-dimensional (3D) microstructure domain that is output from several prevailing process simulation packages. A few commercial packages that simulate the SLM process can predict LoF pores in a 3D domain, but the morphologies of LoF pores are voxelated and hence do not capture sharp corners of the pores, thereby obviating their use in fatigue crack initiation studies. In order to address the aforementioned gaps, a high-fidelity model that predicts not only the volume fraction, but also the explicit 3D morphologies and spatial distributions of LoF pores has been developed using a computer aided design-based environment. The model has been partially validated for Ti-6Al-4V alloy by comparing the predictions of the volume fraction of LoF pores predicted by the model with experimental data obtained from the literature. Absolute error in predicted volume fraction of LoF pores varied between 5.16% and 1.87% for energy density values between 13 J/mm3 and 45 J/mm3 where a significant amount (over 3% volume fraction) of LoF porosity was measured. The absolute error was within 1.87% for energy density values greater than 45 J/mm3.

Saikumar R. Yeratapally↗

Modified Chebyshev pseudospectral method with O(N exp -1) time step restriction

The extreme eigenvalues of the Chebyshev pseudospectral differentiation operator are O(N exp 2) where N is the number of grid points. As a result of this, the allowable time step in an explicit time marching algorithm is O(N exp -2) which, in many cases, is much below the time step dictated by the physics of the partial differential equation. A new set of interpolating points is introduced such that the eigenvalues of the differentiation operator are O(N) and the allowable time step is O(N exp -1). The properties of the new algorithm are similar to those of the Fourier method. The new algorithm also provides a highly accurate solution for non-periodic boundary value problems.

Kosloff, Dan↗

A modified Chebyshev pseudospectral method with an O(N exp -1) time step restriction

The extreme eigenvalues of the Chebyshev pseudospectral differentiation operator are O(N exp 2) where N is the number of grid points. As a result of this, the allowable time step in an explicit time marching algorithm is O(N exp -2) which, in many cases, is much below the time step dictated by the physics of the partial differential equation. A new set of interpolating points is introduced such that the eigenvalues of the differentiation operator are O(N) and the allowable time step is O(N exp -1). The properties of the new algorithm are similar to those of the Fourier method. The new algorithm also provides a highly accurate solution for non-periodic boundary value problems.

Kosloff, Dan↗

The nonlinear modified equation approach to analyzing finite difference schemes

The nonlinear modified equation approach is taken in this paper to analyze the generalized Lax-Wendroff explicit scheme approximation to the unsteady one- and two-dimensional equations of gas dynamics. Three important applications of the method are demonstrated. The nonlinear modified equation analysis is used to (1) generate higher order accurate schemes, (2) obtain more accurate estimates of the discretization error for nonlinear systems of partial differential equations, and (3) generate an adaptive mesh procedure for the unsteady gas dynamic equations. Results are obtained for all three areas. For the adaptive mesh procedure, mesh point requirements for equal resolution of discontinuities were reduced by a factor of five for a 1-D shock tube problem solved by the explicit MacCormack scheme.

Klopfer, G. H.↗

An analytical study of reduced-gravity liquid reorientation using a simplified marker and cell technique

A computer program called HOPI was developed to predict reorientation flow dynamics, wherein liquids move from one end of a closed, partially filled, rigid container to the other end under the influence of container acceleration. The program uses the simplified marker and cell numerical technique and, using explicit finite-differencing, solves the Navier-Stokes equations for an incompressible viscous fluid. The effects of turbulence are also simulated in the program. HOPI can consider curved as well as straight walled boundaries. Both free-surface and confined flows can be calculated. The program was used to simulate five liquid reorientation cases. Three of these cases simulated actual NASA LeRC drop tower test conditions while two cases simulated full-scale Centaur tank conditions. It was concluded that while HOPI can be used to analytically determine the fluid motion in a typical settling problem, there is a current need to optimize HOPI. This includes both reducing the computer usage time and also reducing the core storage required for a given size problem.

Betts, W. S., Jr.↗

Reentry guidance for Space Shuttle

An explicit guidance scheme is outlined which provides the appropriate energy management in order for the shuttle orbiter to reach any location within the required footprint. Considering the orbiter as entering the earth's atmosphere, expressions for the downrange, crossrange, and the time of the termination of the entry phase as functions of the control variables are developed. Performing an order-of-magnitude analysis of the terms in these expressions, only dominant terms are retained. Analytical expressions for the elements of the sensitivity matrix which represents the partial derivatives of the desired range with respect to control variables are formulated. Using the Gauss-Jordan inversion technique, the required change in guidance commands as a function of the deviations in the downrange and crossrange are explicitly computed.

Causey, W.↗

Hippocampal place-cell firing during movement in three-dimensional space

"Place" cells of the rat hippocampus are coupled to "head direction" cells of the thalamus and limbic cortex. Head direction cells are sensitive to head direction in the horizontal plane only, which leads to the question of whether place cells similarly encode locations in the horizontal plane only, ignoring the z axis, or whether they encode locations in three dimensions. This question was addressed by recording from ensembles of CA1 pyramidal cells while rats traversed a rectangular track that could be tilted and rotated to different three-dimensional orientations. Cells were analyzed to determine whether their firing was bound to the external, three-dimensional cues of the environment, to the two-dimensional rectangular surface, or to some combination of these cues. Tilting the track 45 degrees generally provoked a partial remapping of the rectangular surface in that some cells maintained their place fields, whereas other cells either gained new place fields, lost existing fields, or changed their firing locations arbitrarily. When the tilted track was rotated relative to the distal landmarks, most place fields remapped, but a number of cells maintained the same place field relative to the x-y coordinate frame of the laboratory, ignoring the z axis. No more cells were bound to the local reference frame of the recording apparatus than would be predicted by chance. The partial remapping demonstrated that the place cell system was sensitive to the three-dimensional manipulations of the recording apparatus. Nonetheless the results were not consistent with an explicit three-dimensional tuning of individual hippocampal neurons nor were they consistent with a model in which different sets of cells are tightly coupled to different sets of environmental cues. The results are most consistent with the statement that hippocampal neurons can change their "tuning functions" in arbitrary ways when features of the sensory input or behavioral context are altered. Understanding the rules that govern the remapping phenomenon holds promise for deciphering the neural circuitry underlying hippocampal function.

Non-NASA Center↗

Intermediate energy proton-deuteron elastic scattering

A fully symmetrized multiple scattering series is considered for the description of proton-deuteron elastic scattering. An off-shell continuation of the experimentally known twobody amplitudes that retains the exchange symmeteries required for the calculation is presented. The one boson exchange terms of the two body amplitudes are evaluated exactly in this off-shell prescription. The first two terms of the multiple scattering series are calculated explicitly whereas multiple scattering effects are obtained as minimum variance estimates from the 146-MeV data of Postma and Wilson. The multiple scattering corrections indeed consist of low order partial waves as suggested by Sloan based on model studies with separable interactions. The Hamada-Johnston wave function is shown consistent with the data for internucleon distances greater than about 0.84 fm.

Wilson, J. W.↗

Hybrid theory and calculation of e-N2 scattering

A theory of electron-molecule scattering was developed which was a synthesis of close coupling and adiabatic-nuclei theories. The theory is shown to be a close coupling theory with respect to vibrational degrees of freedom but is a adiabatic-nuclei theory with respect to rotation. It can be applied to any number of partial waves required, and the remaining ones can be calculated purely in one or the other approximation. A theoretical criterion based on fixed-nuclei calculations and not on experiment can be given as to which partial waves and energy domains require the various approximations. The theory allows all cross sections (i.e., pure rotational, vibrational, simultaneous vibration-rotation, differential and total) to be calculated. Explicit formulae for all the cross sections are presented.

Chandra, N.↗