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NASA NTRS1983

System for monitoring physical characteristics of fluids

An apparatus and method are described for measuring physical characteristics of fluid, by placing a drop of the fluid in a batch of a second fluid and passing acoustic waves through the bath. The applied frequency of the acoustic waves is varied, to determine the precise value of a frequency at which the drop undergoes resonant oscillations. The resonant frequency indicates the interfacial tension of the drop in the bath, and the interfacial tension can indicate physical properties of the fluid in the drop.

Trinh, E. H.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Materials characterization using acoustic nonlinearity parameters and harmonic generation - Engineering materials

The paper reviews nonlinear bulk compressional wave acoustic measurement systems and the applications of measurements from such systems to engineering materials. Preliminary measurements indicate that it is possible to determine percent second phase precipitates in aluminum alloys, while other measurements show promise in the determination of properties related to the fatigue states of metals. It is also shown that harmonic generation can be used for the study of crack opening loads in compact tension specimens, which in turn gives useful information about the fatigue properties of various engineering materials.

Yost, William T.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Comparative In Situ Measurements of Plasma Instabilities in the Equatorial and Auroral Electrojets

This presentation provides a comparison of in situ measurements of plasma instabilities gathered by rocket-borne probes in the equatorial and auroral electrojets. Specifically, using detailed measurements of the DC electric fields, current density, and plasma number density within the unstable daytime equatorial electrojet from Brazil (Guara Campaign) and in the auroral electrojet from Sweden (ERRIS Campaign), we present comparative observations and general conclusions regarding the observed physical properties of Farley-Buneman two-stream waves and large scale, gradient drift waves. The two stream observations reveal coherent-like waves propagating near the E x B direction but at reduced speeds (nearer to the presumed acoustic velocity) with wavelengths of approximately 5-10m in both the equatorial and auroral electrojet, as measured using the spaced-receiver technique. The auroral electrojet data generally shows extensions to shorter wavelengths, in concert with the fact that these waves are driven harder. With respect to gradient-drift driven waves, observations of this instability are much more pronounced in the equatorial electrojet, given the more favorable geometry for growth provided by the vertical gradient and horizontal magnetic field lines. We present new analysis of Guara rocket observations of electric field and plasma density data that reveal considerable structuring in the middle and lower portion of the electrojet (90-105 km) where the ambient plasma density gradient is unstable. Although the electric field amplitudes are largest (approximately 10-15 mV/m) in the zonal direction, considerable structure (approximately 5-10 mV/m) is also observed in the vertical electric field component as well, implying that the dominant large scale waves involve significant vertical interaction and coupling within the narrow altitude range where they are observed. Furthermore, a detailed examination of the phase of the waveforms show that on some, but not all occasions, locally enhanced eastward fields are associated with locally enhanced upwards (polarization) electric fields. The measurements are discussed in terms of theories involving the non-linear evolution and structuring of plasma waves.

Pfaff, Robert F.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Edgewise Compression Testing of STIPS-0 (Structurally Integrated Thermal Protection System)

The Structurally Integrated Thermal Protection System (SITPS) task was initiated by the NASA Hypersonics Project under the Fundamental Aeronautics Program to develop a structural load-carrying thermal protection system for use in aerospace applications. The initial NASA concept for SITPS consists of high-temperature composite facesheets (outer and inner mold lines) with a light-weight insulated structural core. An edgewise compression test was performed on the SITPS-0 test article at room temperature using conventional instrumentation and methods in order to obtain panel-level mechanical properties and behavior of the panel. Three compression loadings (10, 20 and 37 kips) were applied to the SITPS-0 panel. The panel behavior was monitored using standard techniques and non-destructive evaluation methods such as photogrammetry and acoustic emission. The elastic modulus of the SITPS-0 panel was determined to be 1.146x106 psi with a proportional limit at 1039 psi. Barrel-shaped bending of the panel and partial delamination of the IML occurred under the final loading.

Brewer, Amy R.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Coaxial Rotor Flow Phenomena in Forward Flight

Coaxial rotors are nding use in advanced rotorcraft concepts. Combined with lift offset rotor technology, they offer a solution to the problems of dynamic stall and re-verse ow that often limit single rotor edgewise forward ight speeds. Lower tip speed means reduced high-speed impulsive noise. The need for an anti-torque tail rotor is eliminated, a major boon during operation in conned areas. However, the operation of two counter-rotating ro-tors in close proximity generates many possibilities for aerodynamic interactions between rotor blades, blades and vortices, and between vortices. The parameter de-sign space is very large, and requires efcient computations as well as basic experiments to explore important physics to determine performance, loads, and acoustics. Computations are done on the classic HarringtonDingeldein rotor test case from the 1950s using the ROTUNS Navier Stokes code. Two regimes are explored: very low advance ratio as a perturbation from hover, and high advance ratio. Flow eld properties from RotUNS are used with 2-D OVERFLOW computations to capture blade crossing effects including those of higher subsonic Mach numbers. Bladeblade and bladevortex intersection events are captured using a MatLab-based predictor.

Flow Phenomena↗

NASA NTRS2001

High Order Difference Method for Low Mach Number Aeroacoustics

A high order finite difference method with improved accuracy and stability properties for computational aeroacoustics (CAA) at low Mach numbers is proposed. The Euler equations are split into a conservative and a symmetric non- conservative portion to allow the derivation of a generalized energy estimate. Since the symmetrization is based on entropy variables, that splitting of the flux derivatives is referred to as entropy splitting. Its discretization by high order central differences was found to need less numerical dissipation than conventional conservative schemes. Owing to the large disparity of acoustic and stagnation quantities in low Mach number aeroacoustics, the split Euler equations are formulated in perturbation form. The unknowns are the small changes of the conservative variables with respect to their large stagnation values. All nonlinearities and the conservation form of the conservative portion of the split flux derivatives can be retained, while cancellation errors are avoided with its discretization opposed to the conventional conservative form. The finite difference method is third-order accurate at the boundary and the conventional central sixth-order accurate stencil in the interior. The difference operator satisfies the summation by parts property analogous to the integration by parts in the continuous energy estimate. Thus, strict stability of the difference method follows automatically. Spurious high frequency oscillations are suppressed by a characteristic-based filter similar to but without limiter. The time derivative is approximated by a 4-stage low-storage second-order explicit Runge-Kutta method. The method has been applied to simulate vortex sound at low Mach numbers. We consider the Kirchhoff vortex, which is an elliptical patch of constant vorticity rotating with constant angular frequency in irrotational flow. The acoustic pressure generated by the Kirchhoff vortex is governed by the 2D Helmholtz equation, which can be solved analytically using separation of variables.

Mueller, B.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Effect of Rotor Blade Elasticity on UAM Quadrotor Acoustics

The 6-passenger quadrotor concept vehicle designed under the NASA Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) Project is considered for acoustic analysis. The tip speed is 550 ft/sec, with three blades per rotor (550/3). Originally, the blades were rigid, uniform spanwise, and with flap and pitch degrees of freedom. The blade model has since been updated: a lag hinge was added, and nonuniformities and elastic properties were introduced. Four blade models are considered: 1) original model, rigid uniform flap-pitch; 2) rigid uniform flap-lag-pitch; 3) rigid nonuniform flap-lag-pitch; and 4) elastic nonuniform flap-lag-torsion. Predictions are made for three flight conditions (approach, flyover, and takeoff) using the four blade models. The RVLT Toolchain is exercised using CAMRAD II and pyaaron/AARON/ANOPP2. Quadrotor trim and performance, 0.75R vertical blade loading for all four rotors, and noise sources are analyzed. Also, the contributions of the front and rear rotor pairs to noise are studied. In approach and flyover, a 2 dBA loading noise difference (delta) is predicted between blade models 1 and 4 (delta for takeoff is smaller, 1 dBA). Most of this noise delta is due to the lag hinge and nonuniformities, which is consistent with the results of a 2022 study that had considered only the approach condition; the current results extend this conclusion to flyover and takeoff also. The insensitivity of quadrotor noise to blade elasticity is currently attributed to the high blade torsional stiffness (frequency 6.41 per rev) and the small blade radius (9 ft) of the 550/3 design. Suggestions for potential follow-on work are given.

Rotor Blade↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Sources of Uncertainty in Ultrasonic Phase-Based Assessment of Interfacial Stiffness in Adhesive Joints

Quantitative nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of adhesive joint strength is critical for certifying fastener-free bonded aerospace structures. Unfortunately, available adhesive NDE approaches are only suitable for detecting gross defects and delamination and cannot reliably detect variations in strength in intact bonds. Intact (i.e., nominally defect free) bonds are challenging to inspect because they, by definition, contain no macroscopic defects that would produce a strong NDE signature. Even in the absence of obvious defects, however, bond strength can vary substantially due to factors such as contamination, variations in the adhesive cure processes, and environmental exposure. For ultrasonic bond inspections, the effect of interactions from an imperfect adhesive interface are subtle and may include changes in the frequency content or phase of the ultrasonic signal. The bond condition can be deduced from these subtle changes in the acoustic response using an accompanying physics-based model of adhesive joint interaction. For example, researchers have used the spring network adhesion model of Baik and Thompson [1] to determine the interfacial stiffness of the joint from its ultrasonic response (e.g., [2]). This interfacial stiffness metric describes the bonds resistance to separation between the adhesive and adherent and has shown a strong correlation with joint strength. In this study, interfacial stiffness is assessed using the ultrasonic phase change associated with bond interaction in varying bond conditions. The phase change is measured precisely using a phase-locked-loop instrument over a swept range of frequencies. The phase transition at resonance, where the bond thickness is half the acoustic wavelength, produces a unique signature with which to fit a physics-based model. Interfacial stiffness is determined by minimizing the difference between the theoretical and experimental phase response. Experimental results are presented for glass specimens bonded with aerospace adhesives and a sensitivity analysis is performed to examine the effects of parameters that may be uncertain in the industrial inspection environment – namely bond thickness, adhesive and adherent properties, and porosity. The results are a first step toward an uncertainty quantified version of the measurement technique, show correlation between interfacial stiffness and bond strength, and are another key step toward maturing this approach for use in complex materials and joint geometries. [1] Baik, J.M. and Thompson, R.B., 1984. “Ultrasonic scattering from imperfect interfaces: a quasi-static model”. Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation, 4. [2] Haldren, H.A., Perey, D.F., Yost, W.T., Cramer, K.E., and Gupta, M.C., 2019. “Swept-frequency ultrasonic phase evaluation of adhesive bonding in tri-layer structures”. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 145.

Matt Webster↗

DOE OSTI2024

High-temperature structure, elasticity, and thermal expansion of ε-ZrH 1.8

Zirconium hydride is a promising candidate material for nuclear microreactor applications as a solid-state moderator component, owing to its favorable neutronics properties and good thermal stability over other metal hydrides. Here, in the present work, the crystal structure, thermal expansion, and elastic properties of the hydrogen-rich ε phase hydride were measured at elevated temperatures in the range 300–900 K. Samples were prepared by direct hydriding Zircaloy-4 metal – a nuclear-grade zirconium alloy. Room-temperature lattice parameters agree well with those reported from literature for unalloyed zirconium hydride and fall within an observed quadratic H-content dependence. The coefficients of thermal expansion, determined from lattice expansion and dilatometry, agree well within our work but were about 30 % lower than those reported by others for unalloyed hydrides. Density functional theory-based molecular dynamics simulations were used to compare with thermal expansion and elasticity measurements. Results showed lattice parameter temperature dependence and slope of thermal expansion align with those from measurements. Based on diffraction scans at select temperatures, ε phase remained stable in air up to at least 770 K. Likewise, dilatometry showed smooth thermal expansion up to the thermal decomposition temperature around 950 K. The precise decomposition temperature was not determined via diffraction due to sparse scanning. The complete elastic property measurements were gathered for ε-phase Ziracloy-4 hydride for the first time. Young's modulus was lower compared to the metal and δ hydride phases. High-temperature elasticity measurements were limited to <350 K due to acoustic dissipation effects.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2023

Mixture Model for Refrigerant Pairs R-32/1234yf, R-32/1234ze(E), R-1234ze(E)/227ea, R-1234yf/152a, and R-125/1234yf

In this work, thermodynamic models based on the corresponding states framework with departure terms are developed for the refrigerant pairs R-32/1234yf, R-32/1234ze(E), R-1234ze(E)/227ea, R-1234yf/152a, and R-125/1234yf. These models are based on new measurements of density, speed of sound, and phase equilibria, combined with the data available in the literature. The model for R-32/1234yf is most comprehensive in its data coverage, with speed of sound deviations within 1%, density deviations within 0.1%, and bubble- and dew-point pressure deviations within 1%. In conclusion, the other mixtures have generally more limited data availability but a similar goodness of fit.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

NASA NTRS1973

Microwave properties of n-type InSb in a magnetic field between 4 and 300 K.

A two-band conduction model is used to determine the properties of shallow-type impurity semiconductors in the presence of microwave and dc magnetic fields as a function of temperature. Measurements using cavity perturbation techniques are employed to determine the properties of n-type InSb and theoretical and experimental results between 4 and 300 K are compared. The hot-electron effect was found to be insignificant between 77 and 300 K, and the scattering mechanisms are dominated by acoustic and polar modes over the same temperature range.-

Eldumiati, I. I.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Study on processing immiscible materials in zero gravity

An experimental investigation was conducted to evaluate mixing immiscible metal combinations under several process conditions. Under one-gravity, these included thermal processing, thermal plus electromagnetic mixing, and thermal plus acoustic mixing. The same process methods were applied during free fall on the MSFC drop tower facility. The design is included of drop tower apparatus to provide the electromagnetic and acoustic mixing equipment, and a thermal model was prepared to design the specimen and cooling procedure. Materials systems studied were Ca-La, Cd-Ga and Al-Bi; evaluation of the processed samples included the morphology and electronic property measurements. The morphology was developed using optical and scanning electron microscopy and microprobe analyses. Electronic property characterization of the superconducting transition temperatures were made using an impedance change-tuned coil method.

Reger, J. L.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Hygrothermal effects on mechanical behavior of graphite/epoxy laminates beyond initial failure

An investigation was conducted to determine the critical load levels and associated cracking beyond which a multidirectional laminate can be considered as structurally failed. Graphite/epoxy laminates were loaded to different strain levels up to ultimate failure. Transverse matrix cracking was monitored by acoustic and optical methods. Residual stiffness and strength that were parallel and perpendicular to the cracks were determined and related to the environmental/loading history. Results indicate that cracking density in the transverse layers has no major effect on laminate residual properties as long as the angle ply layers retain their structural integrity. Exposure to hot water revealed that cracking had only a small effect on absorption and reduced swelling when these specimens were compared with uncracked specimens. Cracked, moist specimens showed a moderate reduction in strength when compared with their uncracked counterparts. Within the range of environmental/loading conditions of the present study, it is concluded that the transverse cracking process is not crucial in its effect on the structural performance of multidirectional composite laminates.

Ishai, O.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Containerless Processing of Glass Forming Melts in Space

The major objectives of this work are: (1) obtain quantitative evidence for the suppression of heterogeneous nucleation/crystallization in containerless melts in micro-g; (2) study melt homogenization in the absence of gravity driven convection; (3) develop the procedures for preparing precursor samples suitable for flight experiments; (4) perform comparative property analysis of glasses melted on Earth and in micro-g; (5) determine the feasibility of preparing glass shells in micro-g for use as laser fusion targets; and (6) assess the operational performance of the single axis acoustic levitator/furnace apparatus for processing multicomponent, glass forming melts in micro-g. Ways of obtaining these goals are discussed.

Day, D. D.↗

NASA NTRS1991

A model for the high-temperature transport properties of heavily doped n-type silicon-germanium alloys

A model is presented for the high-temperature transport properties of large-grain-size, heavily doped n-type silicon-germanium alloys. Electron and phonon transport coefficients are calculated using standard Boltzmann equation expressions in the relaxation time approximation. Good agreement with experiment is found by considering acoustic phonon and ionized impurity scattering for electrons, and phonon-phonon, point defect, and electron-phonon scattering for phonons. The parameters describing electron transport in heavily doped and lightly doped materials are significantly different and suggest that most carriers in heavily doped materials are in a band formed largely from impurity states. The maximum dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit for single-crystal, n-type Si(0.8)Ge(0.2) at 1300 K is estimated at ZT about 1.13 with an optimum carrier concentration of n about 2.9 x 10 to the 20th/cu cm.

Vining, Cronin B.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Acousto-ultrasonics - Retrospective exhortation with bibliography

Major research on the acousto-ultrasonic (AU) technique (also known as the stress-wave-factor technique) encompassing aspects of acoustic emission and ultrasonic materials characterization methodology is reviewed. AU deals primarily with such factors as the assessment of the integrated effects of diffuse defect states, thermomechanical degradation, and population of subcritical flaws that influence AU measurements correlating with mechanical property variations. AU is used to evaluate fiber-reinforced composites, adhesive bonds, lumber, paper and wood products, cable and rope, and human bone. The AU technique has been demonstrated to be sensitive to interlaminar and adhesive bond strength variations and has been shown to be useful in assessing microporosity and microcracking produced by fatigue cycling. An extensive bibliography ranging from 1985 to 1991 is presented.

Vary, Alex↗

NASA NTRS2001

Evaluation of Turbulence-Model Performance in Jet Flows

The importance of reducing jet noise in both commercial and military aircraft applications has made jet acoustics a significant area of research. A technique for jet noise prediction commonly employed in practice is the MGB approach, based on the Lighthill acoustic analogy. This technique requires as aerodynamic input mean flow quantities and turbulence quantities like the kinetic energy and the dissipation. The purpose of the present paper is to assess existing capabilities for predicting these aerodynamic inputs. Two modern Navier-Stokes flow solvers, coupled with several modern turbulence models, are evaluated by comparison with experiment for their ability to predict mean flow properties in a supersonic jet plume. Potential weaknesses are identified for further investigation. Another comparison with similar intent is discussed by Barber et al. The ultimate goal of this research is to develop a reliable flow solver applicable to the low-noise, propulsion-efficient, nozzle exhaust systems being developed in NASA focused programs. These programs address a broad range of complex nozzle geometries operating in high temperature, compressible, flows. Seiner et al. previously discussed the jet configuration examined here. This convergent-divergent nozzle with an exit diameter of 3.6 inches was designed for an exhaust Mach number of 2.0 and a total temperature of 1680 F. The acoustic and aerodynamic data reported by Seiner et al. covered a range of jet total temperatures from 104 F to 2200 F at the fully-expanded nozzle pressure ratio. The aerodynamic data included centerline mean velocity and total temperature profiles. Computations were performed independently with two computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes, ISAAC and PAB3D. Turbulence models employed include the k-epsilon model, the Gatski-Speziale algebraic-stress model and the Girimaji model, with and without the Sarkar compressibility correction. Centerline values of mean velocity and mean temperature are compared with experimental data.

Woodruff, S. L.↗

NASA NTRS1984

An experimental study of the properties of surface pressure fluctuations in strong adverse pressure gradient turbulent boundary layers

Experimental data were obtained on blade self-noise generation by strong adverse-pressure-gradient attached boundary layers and by separated turbulent boundary layers that accompany stall. Two microphones were calibrated, placed in plastic housing, and installed in a wind tunnel where observations of acoustic and turbulent signals permitted decomposition of the surface pressure fluctuation signals into the propagated acoustic part and the turbulent-flow generated portion. To determine the convective wave speed of the turbulent contributions, the microphones were spaced a small distance apart in the streamwise direction and correlations were obtained. The turbulent surface pressure spectra upstream of detachment and downstream of the beginning of separation are discussed as well as measurements of turbulent velocity spectra and wavespeeds.

Simpson, R. L.↗