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Results for “SURFACE ROUGHNESS EFFECT”

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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1985

Analysis of a two row hydrostatic journal bearing with variable properties, inertia effects and surface roughness

A computer algorithm for simulation of hydrostatic journal bearing pressure-flow behavior has been generated. The effects taken into account are inertia, cavitation, variable properties (isothermal bearing) and roughness. The program has been specifically tailored for simulation of the hybrid bearing of the cryogenic turbopumps of the main shuttle engine. Due to the high pressure (515 psia) of the supply line no cavitation has been found. The influence of the roughness effects have been found to become important only when the surface-roughness order of magnitude is comparable with that of the bearing clearance itself. Pocket edge inertia and variable properties have been found to have quite an important influence upon the pocket pressure, field pressure distribution and lubricant mass flow.

Braun, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1959

Effect of Surface Roughness on Characteristics of Spherical Shock Waves

Measurements of peak overpressure and Mach stem height were made at four burst heights. Data were obtained with instrumentation capable of directly observing the variation of shock wave movement with time. Good similarity of free air shock peak overpressure with larger scale data was found to exist. The net effect of surface roughness on shock peak overpressures slightly. Surface roughness delayed the Mach stem formation at the greatest charge height and lowered the growth at all burst heights. A similarity parameter was found which approximately correlates the triple point path at different burst heights.

Huber, Paul W.↗
NASA NTRS2011

The Effects of Surface Roughness on the NEAR XRS Elemental Results: Monte-Carlo Modeling

The objective of the NEAR-Shoemaker X-ray Gamma-Ray Spec1roscopy ("XGRS") investigation was to determine the elemental composition of the near-Earth asteroid 433 Eros. The X-ray Spectrometer (XRS) system measured the characteristic fluorescence of six major elements (Mg, Al, Si, S, Ca, Fe) in the 1-10 keV energy range excited by the interaction of solar X-rays with the upper 100 microns of the surface of 433 Eros. Various investigators, using both laboratory experiments and computer simulations have established that X-ray fluorescent line ratios can be influenced by small-scale surface roughness at high incidence or emission angles. The effect on the line ratio is specific to the geometry, excitation spectrum, and composition involved, In general, however, the effect is only substantial for ratios of lines with a significant energy difference between them: Fe/Si and Ca/Si are much more likely to be affected than AI/Si or Mg/Si. We apply a Monte-Carlo code to the specific geometry and spectrum of a major NEAR XRS solar flare observation, using an H chondrite composition as the substrate. The seventeen most abundant elements were included in the composition model, from oxygen to titanium.

Lin, Lucy F.↗
NASA NTRS1933

The Aerodynamic Characteristics of Airfoils as Affected by Surface Roughness

The effect on airfoil characteristics of surface roughness of varying degrees and types at different locations on an airfoil was investigated at high values of the Reynolds number in a variable density wind tunnel. Tests were made on a number of National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) 0012 airfoil models on which the nature of the surface was varied from a rough to a very smooth finish. The effect on the airfoil characteristics of varying the location of a rough area in the region of the leading edge was also investigated. Airfoils with surfaces simulating lap joints were also tested. Measurable adverse effects were found to be caused by small irregularities in airfoil surfaces which might ordinarily be overlooked. The flow is sensitive to small irregularities of approximately 0.0002c in depth near the leading edge. The tests made on the surfaces simulating lap joints indicated that such surfaces cause small adverse effects. Additional data from earlier tests of another symmetrical airfoil are also included to indicate the variation of the maximum lift coefficient with the Reynolds number for an airfoil with a polished surface and with a very rough one.

HOCKER RAY W↗
NASA NTRS1982

Microwave emissions from soils with rough surfaces

The effect of surface roughness on the thermal microwave emission of soils has been studied with the Kirchoff approach. A model is presented that includes both the coherent and incoherent reflectivities of the rough surface. It is demonstrated that both the coherent and incoherent terms must be included in order for theoretical computations to provide good agreement with the experimental data, especially for wet soil, where surface roughness causes a dramatic increase in brightness temperature. In addition, the model including both the coherent and incoherent terms allows one to use the physically measured surface height deviations of the rough surface in the model. Previous models have required that an effective height, not equal to the actual surface height measurements, be used in order for theoretical computations to match measurements.

Tsang, L.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Study of the ablative effects on tektite

The tumbling and surface roughness effects on the trajectory of entry tektite were studied in both free molecular and continuum flows. It is shown that, while surface roughness has negligible effect on trajectory, the tumbling may play an important role in tektite trajectory and the consequent ablation, provided the body shape is different from a sphere. A shape factor B was proposed to measure the shape irregularity and is found to be a good parameter for correlations between body shape and tumbling effects.

Chen, K. K.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Study of the ablative effects on tektite

The tumbling and surface roughness effects on the trajectory of entry tektite are studied in both free molecular and continuum flows. It was concluded that, while surface roughness has negligible effect on trajectory, the tumbling may play an important role in tektite trajectory and the consequent ablation, provided the body shape is different from a sphere. A shape factor was a good parameter for correlations between body shape and tumbling effects.

Chen, K. K.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Silica RSI for Application to the Shuttle Orbiter

Silica reusable surface insulation is analyzed for its cold soak properties, bond properties at low temperature, gap and step heating effects, and aerodynamic surface roughness effects to determine space shuttle weight and cost sensitivity to structure subsystem weights. Computerized simulation studies show that total program cost savings of silica (vs. mullite) exceed thermal protection system design and development costs and that an early introduction of silica increases total program cost savings.

Forsberg, K. J.↗
NASA NTRS1981

An experimental investigation of silicon wafer surface roughness and its effect on the pull-strength of plated metals

Plated silicon wafers with surface roughness ranging from 0.4 to 130 microinches, subjected to tensile pull-strength tests, were analyzed. Results show that the measured pull-strength of plated metals decrease with increasing silicon surface roughness, effecting a weakening of the cohesive strength of the wafer, possibly caused by microcracks or 'etch pits' in the silicon surface. The mean value of pull-strength for all wafers plated with the Ni-Cu-Cu sequence exceeded the required 450 g/0.02 sq cm, and at Ra = 0.4 microinches, the mean pull-strength for the Ni-Cu-Cu and Ni-Cu wafers were 2290 and 850 g/0.02 sq cm, respectively. The development of standardized methods for measuring contact pull-strength is suggested. These results may have some bearing on solar cell arrays problems.

Spiers, G. D.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Subsurface Sounding of Mars: The Effects of Surface Roughness

The Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) will conduct a global survey of Mars from the Mars Express Orbiter starting in 2004. The primary objective of the subsurface observations is to detect material interfaces in the upper several kilometers of the crust of Mars, with a particular emphasis on mapping the 3D distribution of water and ice in that portion of the crust. In order to detect subsurface interfaces, the returned echo from the subsurface must be distinguished from noise and clutter, which can arise from a variety of sources. One source of clutter is surface topography that generates backscattered energy at the same time delay as the subsurface region of interest. Surface topography can affect the detectability of subsurface features in several other ways. Surface roughness at scales comparable or somewhat smaller than the radar wavelength reduces the coherency of the wave as it passes the upper interface. Also, surface slope (tilt) at scales of the radar footprint and larger (> 5 km) affects the apparent Doppler signature of the echoes, and effectively disperses the wave transmitted into the subsurface, making processing and interpretation difficult. In this paper, we report on the roughness characteristics of Mars at these various scales as measured by the Mars Global Surveyor Laser Altimeter (MOLA), and consider the implications for achieving the subsurface sounding goals of MARSIS. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Plaut, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS2009

On the Effects of Surface Roughness on Boundary Layer Transition

Surface roughness can influence laminar-turbulent transition in many different ways. This paper outlines selected analyses performed at the NASA Langley Research Center, ranging in speed from subsonic to hypersonic Mach numbers and highlighting the beneficial as well as adverse roles of the surface roughness in technological applications. The first theme pertains to boundary-layer tripping on the forebody of a hypersonic airbreathing configuration via a spanwise periodic array of trip elements, with the goal of understanding the physical mechanisms underlying roughness-induced transition in a high-speed boundary layer. The effect of an isolated, finite amplitude roughness element on a supersonic boundary layer is considered next. The other set of flow configurations examined herein corresponds to roughness based laminar flow control in subsonic and supersonic swept wing boundary layers. A common theme to all of the above configurations is the need to apply higher fidelity, physics based techniques to develop reliable predictions of roughness effects on laminar-turbulent transition.

Choudhari, Meelan M.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Surface scattering effects at different spectral regions

The development of theoretical models of rough surface scattering in different frequency regions is reviewed. The applications of the models to four different types of rough surface scattering are presented. The four categories of surface roughness effects are: (1) where the angular distribution of first-order average incoherent scattered power is proportional to the roughness spectrum of the surface; (2) where the horizontal roughness scale is less than the incident wavelength; (3) where both the horizontal and vertical roughness scales are large compared to the incident wavelength; and (4) scattering in the specular direction is dominated by large-scale roughness, and scattering in the opposite direction is dominated by small-scale roughness. Acoustic, optical and microwave scattering measurements from rough surfaces are presented which illustrate the four types of scattering behavior.

Fung, A. K.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Effects of surface roughness on the aerodynamic characteristics of the modified 089 B shuttle orbiter at Mach 6 (LA15)

A one hundredth scale model of the modified 089B shuttle orbiter was tested in the Langley 20-Inch Mach 6 tunnel. Force and moment, surface pressure and oilflow data were obtained on one model, and phase-change coating data were obtained on another. The pressure tests were conducted first; the tubes were clipped near the base of the model and then the force and moment and oil flow tests conducted. Angles of attack for the tests were from 20 deg to 35 deg and are commensurate with the range of flight values from entry down to Mach 5. The design flight Reynolds number at Mach 6, based on model length, was 15 million, which could not be obtained in the tunnel; therefore, the tests were conducted at the highest and lowest values for this model in the tunnel, 9.4 million and 4.0 million, respectively, to indicate Reynolds number effects. Two control deflection combinations, representative of the bank and pitch control limits of the design flight trajectory, were used.

Ashby, G. C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Effect of surface roughness on elastohydrodynamic line contact

A numerical solution of an elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) contact between two long rough surface cylinders is obtained. A simultaneous solution of an elasticity equation and the Reynolds equation for two partially lubricated rough surfaces is used to obtain a theoretical solution of pressure distribution, elastohydrodynamic load and film thicknesses for given speeds. A theoretical solution is also found for lubricants with pressure dependent viscosity, material properties of cylinders, and surface roughness parameters. Elastic deformation is found from hydrodynamic and contact pressure using plane strain analysis, and results indicate that for a constant central film thickness, increasing the surface roughness decreases the EHL load and there is little variation in minimum film thicknesses as the surface roughness is increased.

Majumdar, B. C.↗