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At least 757 records · Page 42
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2018

Use of Simple Continuum Solutions in Finite Element Alternating Method for Fracture Problems

The performance of the finite element alternating (FEAM) method for two-dimensional crack problems is studied with respect to a polynomial pressure distribution fitted to the crack face stresses. The FEAM alternates between the analytical solution of crack in an infinite plate subjected to arbitrary polynomial distribution and a finite element solution of an uncracked body to satisfy the required boundary conditions in the crack problem. In this paper, the FEAM is applied to embedded crack and edge crack problems. For embedded crack problems, all of the constant, linear, and quadratic ( N=0,1, or 2, respectively) pressure distributions yield very accurate results with this algorithm with 4 to 5 iterations. The edge crack problems, on the other hand, require much higher order polynomials distributions (N=5 to 6) to yield accurate solutions. For slant edge crack problems, the mode-I stress-intensity factors have better accuracy than the mode-II stress-intensity factors for the same convergence tolerance.

Krishnamurthy, T.↗
NASA NTRS2017

A Model-Based, Bayesian Solution for Characterization of Complex Damage Scenarios in Aerospace Composite Structures

Ultrasonic damage detection and characterization is commonly used in nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of aerospace composite components. In recent years there has been an increased development of guided wave based methods. In real materials and structures, these dispersive waves result in complicated behavior in the presence of complex damage scenarios. Model-based characterization methods utilize accurate three dimensional finite element models (FEMs) of guided wave interaction with realistic damage scenarios to aid in defect identification and classification. This work describes an inverse solution for realistic composite damage characterization by comparing the wavenumber-frequency spectra of experimental and simulated ultrasonic inspections. The composite laminate material properties are first verified through a Bayesian solution (Markov chain Monte Carlo), enabling uncertainty quantification surrounding the characterization. A study is undertaken to assess the efficacy of the proposed damage model and comparative metrics between the experimental and simulated output. The FEM is then parameterized with a damage model capable of describing the typical complex damage created by impact events in composites. The damage is characterized through a transdimensional Markov chain Monte Carlo solution, enabling a flexible damage model capable of adapting to the complex damage geometry investigated here. The posterior probability distributions of the individual delamination petals as well as the overall envelope of the damage site are determined.

H. Reed↗
NASA NTRS2019

Optimizing a Coupled Solution for the Orion MPCV Using DPLR and NEQAIR

The goal of this project is to study the convective and radiative heat flux predictions using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) on a smooth body representation of the NASA Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV). The Orion MPCV is designed for long duration missions in space and will play a crucial role in transporting astronauts in the upcoming Artemis missions. With Orion's aim for cost-effective reusability comes a need to study its Thermal Protection System (TPS), which allows for safe entry into the atmospheres of the Earth, Moon, and Mars. In order to study the effects of the TPS on test flights and better understand the aerothermal environment, CFD is a necessary tool used to create simulations of entry vehicles and calculate the heat load and heat flux. However, solutions are often performed using an uncoupled approach between the flow and the radiation solver. This leads to an overestimation of the overall heating effects because they do not consider radiative cooling. Furthermore, the effects of radiation on the aft-body is an area of research with significant uncertainty. Through the use of codes developed at NASA Ames, DPLR and NEQAIR, a coupled solution can be attained for the Orion capsule which will more accurately solve for the effects of radiation in both the fore and aft-body regions. This yields more accurate design margins for the TPS, which produces a better estimate of the thickness required. By developing an accurate coupled solution of the TPS on the Orion MPCV, planners will have greater flexibility in carrying out future missions to the Moon and beyond.

Design↗
NASA NTRS2019

Sketch-To-Solution: An Exploration of Viscous CFD with Automatic Grids

Numerical simulation of the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations has become a critical tool for the design of aerospace vehicles. However, the issues that affect the grid convergence of three dimensional RANS solutions are not completely understood, as documented in the AIAA Drag Prediction Workshop series. Grid adaption methods have the potential for increasing the automation and discretization error control of RANS solutions to impact the aerospace design and certification process. The realization of the CFD Vision 2030 Study includes automated management of errors and uncertainties of physics-based, predictive modeling that can set the stage for ensuring a vehicle is in compliance with a regulation or specification by using analysis without demonstration in flight test (i.e., certification or qualification by analysis). For example, the Cart3D inviscid analysis package has automated Cartesian cut-cell gridding with output-based error control. Fueled by recent advances in the fields of anisotropic grid adaptation, error estimation, and geometry modeling, a similar work flow is explored for viscous CFD simulations; where a CFD application engineer provides geometry, boundary conditions, and flow parameters, and the sketch-to-solution process yields a CFD simulation through automatic, error-based, grid adaptation.

Kleb, William L.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Sketch-to-Solution: A Case Study in RCS Aerodynamic Interaction

Thanks to recent advances in the fields of anisotropic grid adaptation, error estimation, and geometry modeling, a sketch-to-solution work flow is now possible for viscous computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations. With this workflow, a CFD application engineer provides geometry, boundary conditions, and flow parameters; and the sketch-to-solution process yields a CFD simulation through automatic, error-based, grid adaptation. To explore the benefits of this nascent capability, a conventional manual grid generation work flow is compared to this new automatic grid generation work flow for a given engineering question: What are the aerodynamic interactions caused by the reaction control system (RCS) on an entry vehicle? This case study indicates that while the automatic grid generation sketch-to- solution process is not yet mature, it is preferred over a manual grid generation work flow because it greatly reduces manual labor, eliminates many opportunities for human error, and provides grid sensitivity information.

Bill Kleb↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Machine-learning Solution for Automatic Spacesuit Motion Recognition and Measurement from Conventional Video

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) spacesuits exhibit unique movement patterns due to their design characteristics. Mobility assessments using traditional motion capture systems are cost prohibitive and not feasible for some training conditions (e.g., simulated lunar outdoor terrain). This paper aims to present the ongoing development of machine learning solutions to quantify suit motions from conventional videos without special sensors or hardware. Preliminary work into this field was promising but given the fast growth in deep/machine learning technologies, external expertise was sought from open-source communities. Partnerships were formed with the NASA JSC Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoCEI) and an execution crowdsourcing platform partner to solicit machine learning framework developments from external contenders. NASA provided contenders with images and video clips of spacesuits with simultaneously measured motion capture data during EVA simulation tasks. The contenders used this data to train and develop generalized algorithms to predict motions. At the end of the crowdsourcing event, the top five solutions were selected from 250 submissions. Each submission was tested and scored using video clips not previously disclosed to the contenders. The weighted scoring metrics measured how well the algorithm detected the suit shape, the 2D suit joint detection accuracy, and 3D joint detection accuracy. The winning solution was able to achieve roughly 85% prediction accuracy. Overall, the algorithms could efficiently detect various types of spacesuits and motions across different EVA environments such as the NASA Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS). After continued improvements and validation, the fully developed system will enable EVA stakeholders to quantify suit kinematic patterns, which can help optimize suit, hardware, and task designs.

Linh Vu↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

USM3D-ME Revised SA-neg Implementation and Assessment for Seventh Drag Prediction Workshop Solutions

Simulations performed by an unstructured-grid, cell-centered, finite-volume, mixed-element flow solver USM3D-MEwere presented at the Seventh Drag Prediction Workshop (DPW-7). Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) solutions for the NASA high-speed common research model wing-body configuration were computed using a new implementation of the negative variant of the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model (SA-neg) with hierarchical adaptive nonlinear iteration method (HANIM).ThisUSM3D-ME enhancement improved efficiency and robustness of RANS solutions resulting in fast iterative convergence to machine zero residuals on mixed-element unstructured grids provided by the DPW-7 organizing committee. This paper presents theoretical foundations for the new implementation of the SA-neg model and analyzesUSM3D-ME solutions for flow conditions corresponding to the required DPW-7 cases.

Boris Diskin↗
NASA NTRS2021

Periodic Orbits As Viable Landing Solutions with an Abort Option at Europa

Moons of the outer planets offer some of the greatest potential scientific treasures in the solar system, yet they are exceedingly hard to reach. A previous work found many low-energy landing trajectories to various moons in the solar system by studying the unstable manifolds of Lyapunov, vertical, and halo periodic orbits. A potential shortcoming of this approach is the lack of abort options for a landing mission. If anything goes wrong prior to landing, there may not be an solution if the spacecraft has already departed the periodic orbit. Similarly, a solution which could return to its initially planned landing site could also perform observation flybys prior to landing to ensure the safety of the site. In the current work, we discuss a new strategy for finding periodic orbits that tangentially intersect the surface of Europa and are themselves either stable or nearly-stable. These qualities may allow certain periodic orbits to act as their own abort solutions or to closely observe their landing sites prior to landing. 18 such periodic orbits that have been identified so far are presented here.

Martin, W. Lo↗
NASA NTRS2024

Revisiting Optimal Guidance Solution for Vertical Landing and Take-Off

The vertical landing and take-off are crucial phases of a rocket-powered spacecraft's powered descent and ascent trajectories, during which its motion is confined to a single (vertical) axis. It is well-known that the minimum-propellant guidance solutions for vertical landing and take-off in a vacuum, consist of only one coast and one full-thrust arc and no singular arc exists in these problems. However, an exact solution for the vertical descent problem is not found in the literature. In the present work, exact guidance solutions for the optimal vertical landing and take-off are presented that are valid for arbitrary boundary conditions. The time-based and switching function-based guidance law implementations are discussed and their performance is compared using lunar descent and ascent simulations.

powered descent↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Lunar Browser Utilization of Machine Learning for Trajectory Solution Production

This paper describes the application of machine learning tools to produce Earth-Moon spacecraft trajectories with applications to NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) and Artemis Human Landing System (HLS) programs. Existing trajectory solutions are used to train and test machine learning models to predict essential details of a trajectory sequence from Earth-launch to Low-Lunar Orbit, populating a database of solutions with future launch dates. The machine learning model will implement hyperparameter optimization for further re-training to improve model performance. Accurate predictive models decrease the time required to produce solutions and are readily implemented in the Lunar Browser tool.

Trajectory Design↗
NASA NTRS2002

Entrainment in solution of an oscillating NADH oxidase activity from the bovine milk fat globule membrane with a temperature-compensated period length suggestive of an ultradian time-keeping (clock) function

Entrainment in solution of an oscillating activity with a temperature compensated period of 24 min is described for a NADH oxidase (NOX) activity of the bovine milk fat globule membrane, a derivative of the mammary epithelial cell plasma membrane. The period of 24 min remained unchanged at 17 degrees C, 27 degrees C and 37 degrees C whereas the amplitude approximately doubled with each 10 degree C rise in temperature (Q(10)congruent with 2). The periodicity was observed with both intact milk fat globule membranes and with detergent-solubilized membranes, demonstrating that the oscillations did not require an association with membranes. The periodicity was not the result of instrument variation or of chemical interactions among reactants in solution. Preparations with different periodicities entrained (autosynchronized) when mixed. Upon mixing, the preparations exhibited two oscillatory patterns but eventually a single pattern representing the mean of the farthest separated maxima of the two preparations analyzed separately emerged. The cell surface NOX protein is the first reported example of an entrainable biochemical entity with a temperature-compensated periodicity potentially capable of functioning as an ultradian or circadian clock driver.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS1988

Growth inhibition, turgor maintenance, and changes in yield threshold after cessation of solute import in pea epicotyls

The dependence of stem elongation on solute import was investigated in etiolated pea seedlings (Pisum sativum L. var Alaska) by excising the cotyledons. Stem elongation was inhibited by 60% within 5 hours of excision. Dry weight accumulation into the growing region stopped and osmotic pressure of the cell sap declined by 0.14 megapascal over 5 hours. Attempts to assay phloem transport via ethylenediaminetetraacetate-enhanced exudation from cut stems revealed no effect of cotyledon excision, indicating that the technique measured artifactual leakage from cells. Despite the drop in cell osmotic pressure, turgor pressure (measured directly via a pressure probe) did not decline. Turgor maintenance is postulated to occur via uptake of solutes from the free space, thereby maintaining the osmotic pressure difference across the cell membrane. Cell wall properties were measured by the pressure-block stress relaxation technique. Results indicate that growth inhibition after cotyledon excision was mediated primarily via an increase in the wall yield threshold.

NASA Discipline Number 40-30↗
NASA NTRS1999

Relative reactivity of ribosyl 2'-OH vs. 3'-OH in concentrated aqueous solutions of phosphoimidazolide activated nucleotides

Phosphoimidazolide activated ribomononucleotides (*pN, see structure) are useful substrates for the non-enzymatic synthesis of oligonucleotides. In the presence of metal ions, aqueous solutions of *pN yield primarily the two internucleotide-linked (pN2' pN and pN3' pN) and the pyrophosphate-linked (N5' ppN) dimers. Small amounts of cyclic dimers and higher oligomers are also produced. In this study the relative reactivity of 2'-OH vs. 3'-OH was determined from the ratio of the yields of pN2' pN vs. pN3' pN. Experiments were performed at 23 degrees C in the range 7.2 < or = pH < or = 8.4 with substrates that differ in nucleobase (guanosine (G), cytidine (C), uridine (U), and adenosine (A)) and leaving group (imidazole (Im), 2-methylimidazole (2-MeIm) and 2,4-dimethylimidazole (2,4-diMeIm)). Two metal ions (Mg2+ or Mn2+) were employed as catalysts. The conditions used here, i.e. a substrate concentration in the range 0.1 M to 1.0 M and metal ion concentration in the range 0.05 M to 0.2 M, favor base-stacking interactions. The ratio pN2' pN: pN3' pN = 2'-5': 3'-5' was found independent of nucleobase and typically varied between 2 to 3 indicating that the 2'-OH is about 2 to 3 times more reactive than the 3'-OH. *pN with Im, compared to 2-MeIm and 2,4-diMeIm leaving group, produce lower yields of internucleotide linked dimers, and a higher pN2' pN: pN3' pN ratio. Trends in the data, observed with all three leaving groups, suggest an increase in pN2' pN: pN3' pN ratio with decreasing substrate concentration (up to 5.47 with 0.051 M ImpG). The observations are in accord with earlier studies reporting a relative reactivity 2'-5': 3'-5' = 6 to 9 obtained with Im as the leaving group, in dilute nucleotide solutions and under conditions that disfavor stacking. It is speculated that the concentration induced change in the relative reactivity is the result of self-association via base-stacking that enhances selectively the proximity of the 3'-OH of one molecule to the reactive P-N bond of an other molecule. The implication of these conclusions for oligomerization/ligation reactions is discussed.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗
NASA NTRS1995

Preparation and Some Properties of N-Type IrxCo1-xSB3 Solid Solutions

A number of studies have been recently devoted to the preparation and characterization of binary skutterudite materials to investigate their potential as advanced thermoelectric materials. These studies show that the potential of these binary skutterudite compounds is limited because of their relatively large thermal conductivity. In order to achieve high thermoelectric figure of merits for these materials, efforts should focus on thermal conductivity reduction. Recent results obtained on n-type CoSb3 and IrSb3 compounds have shown that n-type skutterudite materials might have a better potential for thermoelectric applications than p-type materials. The thermoelectric properties of p-type IrxCo1-xSb3 solid solutions have been recently investigated and it was shown that a substantial reduction in thermal conductivity was achieved. We prepared and measured some properties of n-type IrxCo1-xSb3 solid solutions. The samples are characterized by large Seebeck coefficient values and significantly lower thermal conductivity values than those measured on the binary compounds CoSb3 and IrSb3. A maximum ZT value of about 0.4 was obtained at a temperature of about 300(deg)C. Improvements in the figure of merit are possible in this system by optimization of the doping level.

Solid Solutions↗
NASA NTRS1958

Approximate Solutions for the Flow About Flat-Top Wing-Body Configurations at High Supersonic Airspeeds

The flow about slender flat-top wing-body configurations traveling at high supersonic speeds and small angles of attack is investigated analytically. In the case of conical configurations, approximate algebraic solutions to the flow field are obtained. In the case of configurations which are conical at the vertex but curved in the stream direction, these solutions are combined with a slender-body approximation to the generalized shock-expansion method to obtain the flow downstream of the vertex. Surface pressures were obtained experimentally at Mach numbers from 3.0 to 6.0 and angles of attack up to 6 deg for several flat-top wing-body configurations. These configurations consisted of half-bodies of revolution mounted beneath thin highly swept wings. Three different bodies were employed. The two conical bodies consisted of one-half of a fineness-ratio-5 cone and one-half of a fineness-ratio-2-1/2 cone. The body of the third configuration consisted of one-half of a fineness-ratio-5 ogive. For the ogive configuration, the leading edges of the wing were curved and designed to just maintain the theoretically determined bow shock along the leading edge at a Mach number of 5.0 and an angle of attack of 3 deg. The predictions of the conical flow theory of this paper for the surface pressures are found to be in good agreement with experiment at Mach numbers of 5.0 and 6.0 up to angles of attack of approximately 3 deg. Estimated lift, drag, and pitching-moment coefficients, as well as maximum lift-drag ratio, are also in good agreement with existing experimental data at a Mach number of 5.0 for a conical configuration having an arrow plan-form wing. It is also found that the generalized shock-expansion method yields reasonable good agreement with experiment for the surface pressures on the half-ogive configuration at a Mach number of 5.0 and an angle of attack of 3 deg.

Savin, Raymond C.↗