Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “finite volume method”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 721 records · Page 40

Numerical Investigation of Slag Behavior for RSRM

It is known that the flow field of the redesigned solid rocket motor (RSRM) is very complicated due to the complex characteristics of turbulent multi-phase flow, chemical reaction, particle combustion, evaporation, breakup and agglomeration etc. It requires multi-phase calculations, chemical reaction simulation, and particle combustion, evaporation, and breakup models to obtain a better understanding of thermophysics for the RSRM design using numerical methods. Also, the slag buildup due to the molten particles is another factor affecting the performance of the RSRM. To achieve this goal, the volume of fluid (VOF) method is used to capture the free surface motion so as to simulate the accumulation of the molten particles (slag) of the RSRM. A finite rate chemistry model is used to simulate the chemical reaction effects. For multi-phase calculations, the Hermsen combustion model is used for the aluminum particle combustion analysis and the Taylor Analogy Breakup (TAB) model is used for the particle breakup analysis. An interphase mas-exchange model introduced by Spalding is used for the evaporation calculation. The particle trajectories are calculated using a one-step implicit method for several groups of particle sizes by which the drag forces and heat fluxes are then coupled with the gas phase equations. The preliminary results predicted a reasonable physical simulation of the particle effects using a simple two dimensional solid rocket motor configuration. It shows that the AL/AL2O3 particle sizes are reduced due to the combustion, evaporation, and breakup. The flow field is disturbed by the particles. Mach number distributions in the nozzle are deformed due to the effect of particle concentrations away from the center line.

Liaw, P.↗

Effect of Apex Flap Deflection on Vertical Tail Buffeting

A computational study of the effect of vortex breakdown location on vertical tail buffeting is conducted. The position of the breakdown is modified by employing an apex flap deflected by an experimentally determined optimal angle. The delayed breakdown flow and buffeting response is then compared to the nominal undeflected case. This multidisciplinary problem is solved sequentially for the fluid flow, the elastic tail deformations and the grid displacements. The fluid flow is simulated by time accurately solving the unsteady, compressible, Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations using an implicit, upwind, flux-difference splitting finite volume scheme. The elastic vibrations of the tails are modeled by uncoupled bending and torsion beam equations. These equations are solved accurately in time using the Galerkin method and a five-stage Runge-Kutta-Verner scheme. The grid for the fluid dynamics calculations is continuously deformed using interpolation functions to disperse the displacements smoothly throughout the computational domain. An angle-of-attack of 35 deg.is chosen such that the wing primary-vortex cores experience vortex breakdown and the resulting turbulent wake flow impinges on tile vertical tails. The dimensions and material properties of the vertical tails are chosen such that the deflections are large enough to insure interaction with the flow, and the natural frequencies are high enough to facilitate a practical computational solution. Results are presented for a baseline uncontrolled buffeting case and a delayed breakdown case in which the apex flap has been deflected 15 deg. The flap was found to be very effective in delaying the breakdown, increasing the location from 50%c to 94%c, which resulted in a 6% increase in lift coefficient and pitching moment. However, the integrated buffet loads and tip responses were roughly equivalent for the two cases.

Massey, Steven J.↗

Recent Developments in DAO's Finite-Volume Data Assimilation System

The Physical-space/Finite-volume Data Assimilation System (fvDAS) is the next generation global atmospheric data assimilation system in development at the Data Assimilation Office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. It is based on a new finite-volume general circulation model jointly developed by NASA and NCAR and on the Physical-Space Statistical Analysis System (PSAS) developed at the DAO. The data assimilation method implemented in CODAS incorporates a simplified version of the model bias estimation and correction algorithm, as described by Dee and da Silva (1998). In this talk we will briefly describe the general system formulation, and focus on the impact of 3 data types recently introduced, namely: 1) cloud tracks winds from the Multi-angle Imaging Spectrometer by the US Air Force, and 3) temperature and moisture information derived from GPS refractivity occultation measurements. The impact of these data types on observation-minus-6hr forecast (O-F) statistics, as well as 5-day forecast skills will be discussed. In addition we will assess the impact of cloud assimilation on top of the atmosphere radiation fields estimated from CERES measurements.

daSilva, Arlindo↗

Implicit multigrid algorithms for the three-dimensional flux split Euler equations

The full approximation scheme multigrid method is applied to several implicit flux-split algorithms for solving the three-dimensional Euler equations in a body fitted coordinate system. Each uses a variation of approximate factorization and is implemented in a finite volume formulation. The algorithms are all vectorizable with little or no scalar computations required. The flux vectors are split into upwind components using both the splittings of Steger-Warming and Van Leer. Results comparing pressure distributions with experimental data using both splitting types are shown. The stability and smoothing rate of each of the schemes are examined using a Fourier analysis of the complete system of equations. Results are presented for three-dimensional subsonic, transonic, and supersonic flows which demonstrate substantially improved convergence rates with the multigrid algorithm. The influence of using both a V-cycle and a W-cycle on the convergence is examined. Using the multigrid method on both subsonic and transonic wing calculations, the final lift coefficient is obtained to within 0.1 percent of its final value in a few as 15 cycles for a mesh with over 210,000 points. A spectral radius of 0.89 is achieved for both subsonic and transonic flow over the ONERA M6 wing while a spectral radius of 0.83 is obtained for supersonic flow over an analytically defined forebody. Results compared with experiment for all cases show good agreement.

Anderson, W. K.↗

Observation and Modeling of Dynamic Fracture Behaviors of Battery Cell Under Impact Loading Using Enhanced Representative Volume Element Concept

The burgeoning electric automobile industry has increased interest in battery safety. Battery cells experience significant mechanical stress during operation, including the impact of accidents and vibrations from driving. The potential for thermal runaway reactions in battery cells raises safety concerns. Although numerous researchers have defined the dynamic behavior of battery cells and proposed numerical models to describe it, few studies have focused on the high-strain rate mechanical impact phase correlated with the onset of fracture. In this study, we describe the dynamic behavior of pouch battery cells and propose a modeling method to study their mechanical failure under impact situations. Impact tests are conducted at various velocities and heights. To overcome numerical issues commonly encountered under rapid deformation scenarios, a new finite element model is developed based on the representative volume element model. The proposed approach efficiently simulates continuous crack propagation and brittleness behavior during impact by permitting the individual behavior of the cell components. Therefore, engineers can reliably design safer electric vehicle battery cells by measuring the properties of the cell components.

ENERGY STORAGE↗

An integrated methodology for optimizing structural composite damping

A method is presented for tailoring plate and shell composite structures for optimal forced damped dynamic response. The damping of specific vibration modes is optimized with respect to dynamic performance criteria including placement of natural frequencies and minimization of resonance amplitudes. The structural composite damping is synthesized from the properties of the constituent materials, laminate parameters, and structural geometry based on a specialty finite element. Application studies include the optimization of laminated composite beams and composite shells with fiber volume ratios and ply angles as design variables. The results illustrate the significance of damping tailoring to the dynamic performance of composite structures, and the effectiveness of the method in optimizing the structural dynamic response.

Saravanos, D. A.↗

An integrated methodology for optimizing the passive damping of composite structures

A method is presented for tailoring plate and shell composite structures for optimal forced damped dynamic response. The damping of specific vibration modes is optimized with respect to dynamic performance criteria including placement of natural frequencies and minimization of resonance amplitudes. The structural composite damping is synthesized from the properties of the constituent materials, laminate parameters, and structural geometry based on a specialty finite element. Application studies include the optimization of laminated composite beams and composite shells with fiber volume ratios and ply angles as design variables. The results illustrate the significance of damping tailoring to the dynamic performance of composite structures, and the effectiveness of the method in optimizing the structural dynamic response.

Saravanos, D. A.↗

Two- and three-meson scattering amplitudes with physical quark masses from lattice QCD

We study systems of two and three mesons composed of pions and kaons at maximal isospin using four CLS ensembles with 𝑎 ≈ 0.063 fm, including one with approximately physical quark masses. Using the stochastic Laplacian-Heaviside method, we determine the energy spectrum of these systems including many levels in different momentum frames and irreducible representations. Using the relativistic two- and three-body finite-volume formalism, we constrain the two- and three-meson K matrices, including not only the leading 𝑠 wave, but also 𝑝 and 𝑑 waves. By solving the three-body integral equations, we determine, for the first time, the physical-point scattering amplitudes for 3⁢𝜋 + , 3⁢𝐾 + , 𝜋 + ⁢𝜋 + ⁢𝐾 + , and 𝐾 + ⁢𝐾 + ⁢𝜋 + systems. These are determined for total angular momentum 𝐽 𝑃 = 0 − , 1 + , and 2 − . We also obtain accurate results for 2⁢𝜋 + , 𝜋 + ⁢𝐾 + , and 2⁢𝐾 + phase shifts. We compare our results to chiral perturbation theory and to phenomenological fits.

FOS: Physical sciences↗

NASTRAN hydroelastic modal studies. Volume 1: Introduction, theory, and results

The implementation of a general three-dimensional hydroelastic capability in the NASTRAN computer program is described. A method for analyzing the combined mode shapes of arbitrary fluid and structure finite element models was developed. The fluid was modeled with three-dimensional solid elements with options for tetrahedron, wedge, and hexahedron shapes. The elements were then connected to fluid grid points which defined the pressure in the fluid at the specified location. Matrices were formulated to provide efficient solutions for large-order problems. The structure matrices were processed separately and could be reduced using matrix condensation procedures or through a modal formulation using the normal modes of the empty structure as solution coordinates. The fluid/structure interface and the free surface were defined by the user with special NASTRAN boundary elements. A special purpose mesh generator program was provided to generate the actual NASTRAN data cards for the fluid, the structure, and the boundary elements for typical tank-type models.

Source record↗

Application of advanced grid generation techniques for flow field computations about complex configurations

In the computation of flowfields about complex configurations, it is very difficult to construct a boundary-fitted coordinate system. An alternative approach is to use several grids at once, each of which is generated independently. This procedure is called the multiple grids or zonal grids approach; its applications are investigated. The method conservative providing conservation of fluxes at grid interfaces. The Euler equations are solved numerically on such grids for various configurations. The numerical scheme used is the finite-volume technique with a three-stage Runge-Kutta time integration. The code is vectorized and programmed to run on the CDC VPS-32 computer. Steady state solutions of the Euler equations are presented and discussed. The solutions include: low speed flow over a sphere, high speed flow over a slender body, supersonic flow through a duct, and supersonic internal/external flow interaction for an aircraft configuration at various angles of attack. The results demonstrate that the multiple grids approach along with the conservative interfacing is capable of computing the flows about the complex configurations where the use of a single grid system is not possible.

Kathong, Monchai↗

A solution method for the unsteady incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in generalized coordinate systems

A solution method based on a fractional step approach is developed for obtaining time-dependent solutions of the three-dimensional, incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in generalized coordinate systems. The governing equations are discretized conservatively by finite volumes using a staggered mesh system. The primitive variable formulation uses the volume fluxes across the faces of each computational cell as dependent variables. This procedure, combined with accurate and consistent approximations of geometric parameters, is done to satisfy the discretized mass conservation equation to machine accuracy as well as to gain favorable convergence properties of the Poisson solver. The discretized equations are second-order-accurate in time and space and no smoothing terms are added. An approximate-factorization scheme is implemented in solving the momentum equations. A novel ZEBRA scheme with four-color ordering is devised for the efficient solution of the Poisson equation. Several two and three-dimensional solutions are compared with other numerical and experimental results to validate the present method.

Rosenfeld, Moshe↗

Multi-Scale Computational Modeling of Two-Phased Metal Using GMC Method

A multi-scale computational model for determining plastic behavior in two-phased CMSX-4 Ni-based superalloys is developed on a finite element analysis (FEA) framework employing crystal plasticity constitutive model that can capture the microstructural scale stress field. The generalized method of cells (GMC) micromechanics model is used for homogenizing the local field quantities. At first, GMC as stand-alone is validated by analyzing a repeating unit cell (RUC) as a two-phased sample with 72.9% volume fraction of gamma'-precipitate in the gamma-matrix phase and comparing the results with those predicted by finite element analysis (FEA) models incorporating the same crystal plasticity constitutive model. The global stress-strain behavior and the local field quantity distributions predicted by GMC demonstrated good agreement with FEA. High computational saving, at the expense of some accuracy in the components of local tensor field quantities, was obtained with GMC. Finally, the capability of the developed multi-scale model linking FEA and GMC to solve real life sized structures is demonstrated by analyzing an engine disc component and determining the microstructural scale details of the field quantities.

nickel alloys↗

Blade loss transient dynamics analysis, volume 2. Task 2: Theoretical and analytical development. Task 3: Experimental verification

The component element method was used to develop a transient dynamic analysis computer program which is essentially based on modal synthesis combined with a central, finite difference, numerical integration scheme. The methodology leads to a modular or building-block technique that is amenable to computer programming. To verify the analytical method, turbine engine transient response analysis (TETRA), was applied to two blade-out test vehicles that had been previously instrumented and tested. Comparison of the time dependent test data with those predicted by TETRA led to recommendations for refinement or extension of the analytical method to improve its accuracy and overcome its shortcomings. The development of working equations, their discretization, numerical solution scheme, the modular concept of engine modelling, the program logical structure and some illustrated results are discussed. The blade-loss test vehicles (rig full engine), the type of measured data, and the engine structural model are described.

Gallardo, V. C.↗

Pressure-stabilized fixed-stress iterative solutions of compositional poromechanics

We consider the numerical behavior of the fixed-stress splitting method for coupled poromechanics as undrained regimes are approached. We explain that pressure stability is related to the splitting error of the scheme, not the fact that the discrete saddle point matrix never appears in the fixed-stress approach. This observation reconciles previous results regarding the pressure stability of the splitting method. Using examples of compositional poromechanics with application to geological CO sequestration, we see that solutions obtained using the fixed-stress scheme with a low order finite element-finite volume discretization which is not inherently inf-sup stable can exhibit the same pressure oscillations obtained with the corresponding fully implicit scheme. Moreover, pressure jump stabilization can effectively remove these spurious oscillations in the fixed-stress setting, while also improving the efficiency of the scheme in terms of the number of iterations required at every time step to reach convergence.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Microstructure-Sensitive modeling of surface roughness and notch effects on extreme value fatigue response

Fatigue life knockdown due to surface roughness induces local stress concentrations. Physical fatigue experiments are crucial to qualify materials for use but are limited in their capability to examine the mechanisms underlying the fatigue crack formation driving force due to these stress concentrations. Microstructure-sensitive computational models can aid in this regard and are employed in this work to examine the effects of surface roughness in Al 7075-T6. Digital microstructure models are subjected to crystal plasticity finite element method (CPFEM) simulations to examine the combined effects of microstructure and grain scale asperities on the driving force for fatigue crack formation. Following elastic–plastic shakedown, mesoscale volume-averaged fatigue indicator parameters (FIPs) are computed within fatigue damage process zones of grains. An increase in the intensity of realistic surface roughness profiles corresponds accordingly to larger FIPs but it is difficult to precisely interpret the mechanisms and effects of this intensification. We thus parametrically investigate surface asperities that couple with microstructure and lack of constraint on slip at the free surface to describe microstructure-sensitive surface roughness knockdown effects on fatigue resistance. The depth of a single valley (i.e., notch) due to surface roughness is found to be more detrimental to fatigue resistance than the radius (i.e., notch width, not to be confused with notch acuity). Finally, we also find that different crystallographic textures, grain morphologies, and number of sampled grains have a limited effect on the depth of influence of these notches.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Three-dimensional unsteady Euler equations solutions on dynamic grids

A method is presented for solving the three-dimensional unsteady Euler equations on dynamic grids based on flux vector splitting. The equations are cast in curvilinear coordinates and a finite volume discretization is used for handling arbitrary geometries. The discretized equations are solved using an explicit upwind second-order predictor corrector scheme that is stable for a CFL of 2. Characteristic variable boundary conditions are developed and used for unsteady impermeable surfaces and for the far-field boundary. Dynamic-grid results are presented for an oscillating air-foil and for a store separating from a reflection plate. For the cases considered of stores separating from a reflection plate, the unsteady aerodynamic forces on the store are significantly different from forces obtained by steady-state aerodynamics with the body inclination angle changed to account for plunge velocity.

Belk, D. M.↗

Aerodynamic analysis of a horizontal axis wind turbine by use of helical vortex theory, volume 2: Computer program users manual

A description of a computer program entitled VORTEX that may be used to determine the aerodynamic performance of horizontal axis wind turbines is given. The computer code implements a vortex method from finite span wind theory and determines the induced velocity at the rotor disk by integrating the Biot-Savart law. It is assumed that the trailing helical vortex filaments form a wake of constant diameter (the rigid wake assumption) and travel downstream at the free stream velocity. The program can handle rotors having any number of blades which may be arbitrarily shaped and twisted. Many numerical details associated with the program are presented. A complete listing of the program is provided and all program variables are defined. An example problem illustrating input and output characteristics is solved.

Keith, T. G., Jr.↗

Evaluation of adsorption and mechanical strength of 13X zeolite mixtures with phyllosilicate binders using molecular dynamics simulation and positron annihilation spectroscopy

There is growing interest in developing zeolites with novel internal structures that have optimal adsorptive capacity and high mechanical strength, while offering advantages, such as being light weight. We integrate computational and experimental methods to explore the effect of binder/zeolite types, and weight percentages on the mechanical strength of 13X zeolite and adsorption capacities of N 2 , H 2 O, and CO 2 for additive manufacturing (AM) applications with the goal of maximizing both adsorption and strength. Zeolite 13X mixtures and phyllosilicate binders (either bentonite or kaolin) are combined using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to create structures with various binder/zeolite weight percentages. Further, adsorption capabilities and mechanical strength are assessed using the grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) and ReaxFF modules, respectively. Our modeling shows that an optimized zeolite/binder ratio for N 2 adsorption is around 15 wt% for kaolin and roughly 10 wt% for bentonite. The resulting parameters can be applied to facilitate macro-scale computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element method (FEM) simulations of an AM zeolite structure. We also performed Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy (PALS) measurements on zeolite samples to explore the effect of changes in the internal volume. The results show an inverse relationship between the free volume and the solid loading and adding a binder changes the morphology of the zeolite-binder compound and decreases open-volume area significantly.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗