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At least 757 records · Page 42

Advances and trends in plate buckling research

Advances and current trends in plate bucklin research are summarized. The field is divided into three parts: (1) classical buckling studies, including plates of rectangular, circular and other shapes; (2) classical complicating effects, including elastic foundation, anisotropic material, variable thickness, shear deformation and nonhomogeneous material; and (3) nonclassical considerations, including postbuckling, imperfections, parametric excitation, follower forces, magnetoelastic buckling and inelastic buckling.

Leissa, A.↗

Atmospheric methane /CH4/ - Trends and seasonal cycles

On the basis of 22 months of almost continuous automated, GC/FID measurements of atmospheric CH4 and Cape Meares (45 deg N), it is shown that the concentration of CH4 is increasing at about 2% per yr (+ or - 0.5%/yr). The data also revealed stable seasonal cycles with peak concentrations in October and minimum concentrations in July. The magnitude of the seasonal variations during these months is about + or - 20 ppby from the average (+ or - 1.2%). If the current trend continues, the increased CH4 concentration may result in a 0.2 K to 0.4 K average increase in earth's surface temperature over the next 40 years or so (based on calculations of Wang et al. (1976)). The coupling of CH4 to tropospheric and stratospheric chemical processes is discussed.

Rasmussen, R. A.↗

Aviation turbine fuel properties and their trends

This paper is an examination of published Jet A inspection data covering selected property distributions, averages, and trends for the period from 1969 to 1979. Yearly median values of aromatics, mercaptan sulfur content, 10-percent distillation temperature, smoke point, and freezing point are changing with time, approaching their specification limit values, particularly in the last three years. A near-specification property is defined as one within a stated tolerance band around the specification limit. On this basis, most fuel samples have one to three near-specification properties, the most common being aromatics, smoke point, and freezing point.

Friedman, R.↗

Global sea level trend in the past century

Data derived from tide-gauge stations throughout the world indicate that the mean sea level rose by about 12 centimeters in the past century. The sea level change has a high correlation with the trend of global surface air temperature. A large part of the sea level rise can be accounted for in terms of the thermal expansion of the upper layers of the ocean. The results also represent weak indirect evidence for a net melting of the continental ice sheets.

Gornitz, V.↗

Evaluation of the CEAS trend and monthly weather data models for soybean yields in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana

The CEAS models evaluated use historic trend and meteorological and agroclimatic variables to forecast soybean yields in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. Indicators of yield reliability and current measures of modeled yield reliability were obtained from bootstrap tests on the end of season models. Indicators of yield reliability show that the state models are consistently better than the crop reporting district (CRD) models. One CRD model is especially poor. At the state level, the bias of each model is less than one half quintal/hectare. The standard deviation is between one and two quintals/hectare. The models are adequate in terms of coverage and are to a certain extent consistent with scientific knowledge. Timely yield estimates can be made during the growing season using truncated models. The models are easy to understand and use and are not costly to operate. Other than the specification of values used to determine evapotranspiration, the models are objective. Because the method of variable selection used in the model development is adequately documented, no evaluation can be made of the objectivity and cost of redevelopment of the model.

French, V.↗

Evaluation of Thompson-type trend and monthly weather data models for corn yields in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana

An evaluation was made of Thompson-Type models which use trend terms (as a surrogate for technology), meteorological variables based on monthly average temperature, and total precipitation to forecast and estimate corn yields in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. Pooled and unpooled Thompson-type models were compared. Neither was found to be consistently superior to the other. Yield reliability indicators show that the models are of limited use for large area yield estimation. The models are objective and consistent with scientific knowledge. Timely yield forecasts and estimates can be made during the growing season by using normals or long range weather forecasts. The models are not costly to operate and are easy to use and understand. The model standard errors of prediction do not provide a useful current measure of modeled yield reliability.

French, V.↗

Trends in software reliability for digital flight control

Software error data of major recent Digital Flight Control Systems Development Programs. The report summarizes the data, compare these data with similar data from previous surveys and identifies trends and disciplines to improve software reliability.

Hecht, H.↗

Trends of Reynolds number effects on two-dimensional airfoil characteristics for helicopter rotor analyses

The primary effects of Reynolds number on two dimensional airfoil characteristics are discussed. Results from an extensive literature search reveal the manner in which the minimum drag and maximum lift are affected by the Reynolds number. C sub d sub min and C sub l sub max are plotted versus Reynolds number for airfoils of various thickness and camber. From the trends observed in the airfoil data, universal scaling laws and easily implemented methods are developed to account for Reynolds number effects in helicopter rotor analyses.

Yamauchi, G. K.↗

Weight trends for a fully reusable advanced single-stage shuttle

The rate at which subsystem weights grow with vehicle gross weight is assessed and is shown to be critical to the efficiency of large Earth to orbit transports. The overall trend, however, is a reduction in the inerts as a percentage of gross weight as the vehicle size is increased. For this reason, the larger the vehicle, the greater the payload weight delivered per pound of vehicle manufactured. Other critical issues addressed include the effects of wing loading and wing size on wing weight, the effect of entry planform loading on thermal protection system weight, the impact of power demand on cooling system and prime power weight, and tank fineness ratio on insulation weight. The effects of body shape and various internal packaging arrangements on weight and balance are also discussed. The greatest impact on overall vehicle weight is body shape and internal packaging, and could account for weight savings of up to 30 percent in body structure. Other subsystems are important, but the savings are much smaller in relation to overall vehicle weight--individually less than one percent.

Macconochie, I. O.↗

Weight trends for a fully reusable advanced single-stage Shuttle

The rate at which subsystem weights grow with vehicle gross weight is assessed and is shown to be critical to the efficiency of large earth-to-orbit transports. Some subsystems grow as the square of vehicle size, others grow as the cube of vehicle size, and still others remain nearly constant irrespective of vehicle size. The overall trend, however, is a reduction in the inerts as a percentage of gross as the vehicle size is increased. For this reason, the larger the vehicle, the greater the payload weight delivered per pound of vehicle manufactured. Other critical issues addressed include the effects of wing loading and wing size on wing weight, the effect of entry planform loading on thermal protection system weight, the impact of power demand on cooling system and prime power weight, and tank fineness ratio on insulation weight. The effects of body shape and various internal packaging arrangements on weight and balance are also discussed. Of greatest impact on overall vehicle weight is body shape and internal packaging and could account for weight savings of up to 30 percent in body structure. Other subsystems are important but the savings are much smaller in relation to overall vehicle weight - individually less than one percent.

Macconochie, I. O.↗

Trends in shuttle entry heating from the correction of flight test maneuvers

A new technique was developed to systematically expand the aerothermodynamic envelope of the Space Shuttle Protection System (TPS). The technique required transient flight test maneuvers which were performed on the second, fourth, and fifth Shuttle reentries. Kalman filtering and parameter estimation were used for the reduction of embedded thermocouple data to obtain best estimates of aerothermal parameters. Difficulties in reducing the data were overcome or minimized. Thermal parameters were estimated to minimize uncertainties, and heating rate parameters were estimated to correlate with angle of attack, sideslip, deflection angle, and Reynolds number changes. Heating trends from the maneuvers allow for rapid and safe envelope expansion needed for future missions, except for some local areas.

Hodge, J. K.↗

Trends of jet fuel demand and properties

Petroleum industry forecasts predict an increasing demand for jet fuels, a decrease in the gasoline-to-distillate (heavier fuel) demand ratio, and a greater influx of poorer quality petroleum in the next two to three decades. These projections are important for refinery product analyses. The forecasts have not been accurate, however, in predicting the recent, short term fluctuations in jet fuel and competing product demand. Changes in petroleum quality can be assessed, in part, by a review of jet fuel property inspections. Surveys covering the last 10 years show that average jet fuel freezing points, aromatic contents, and smoke points have trends toward their specification limits.

Friedman, R.↗

The evolutionary trend in airborne and satellite radar altimeters

The manner in which airborne and satellite radar altimeters developed and where the trend is leading was investigated. The airborne altimeters have progressed from a broad beamed, narrow pulsed, nadir looking instrument, to a pulse compressed system that is computer controlled, to a scanning pencil beamed system which produce a topographic map of the surface beneath the aircraft in real time. It is suggested that the airborne systems lie in the use of multiple frequencies. The satellite altimeters evolve towards multifrequency systems with narrower effective pulses and higher pulse compression ratios to reduce peak transmitted power while improving resolution. Applications indicate wide swath systems using interferometric techniques or beam limited systems using 100 m diameter antennas.

Fedor, L. S.↗

Trends in computational capabilities for fluid dynamics

Milestones in the development of computational aerodynamics are reviewed together with past, present, and future computer performance (speed and memory) trends. Factors influencing computer performance requirements for both steady and unsteady flow simulations are identified. Estimates of computer speed and memory that are required to calculate both inviscid and viscous, steady and unsteady flows about airfoils, wings, and simple wing body configurations are presented and compared to computer performance which is either currently available, or is expected to be available before the end of this decade. Finally, estimates of the amounts of computer time that are required to determine flutter boundaries of airfoils and wings at transonic Mach numbers are presented and discussed.

Peterson, V. L.↗

Carbon monoxide in the earth's atmosphere - Increasing trend

The results of an analysis of more than 60,000 atmospheric measurements of carbon monoxide taken over 3-1/2 years at Cape Meares, Oregon (45 deg N, 125 deg W), indicate that the background concentration of this gas is increasing. The rate of increase, although uncertain, is about 6 percent per year on average. Human activities are the likely cause of a substantial portion of this observed increase; however, because of the short atmospheric lifetime of carbon monoxide and the relatively few years of observations, fluctuations of sources and sinks related to the natural variability of climate may have affected the observed trend. Increased carbon monoxide may deplete tropospheric hydroxyl radicals, slowing down the removal of dozens of man-made and anthropogenic trace gases and thus indirectly affecting the earth's climate and possibly the stratospheric ozone layer.

Khalil, M. A. K.↗

Theoretical study of miscibility and glass-forming trends in mixtures of polystyrene spheres

A theoretical study of glass-forming trends and miscibility in mixtures of polystyrene spheres (polyballs) of different diameters, suspended in an aqueous solution, is presented. The polyballs are assumed to be charged and to interact via a Debye-Hueckel screened Coulomb potential. The Helmholtz free energy is calculated from a variational principle based on the Gibbs-Bogoliubov inequality, in which a mixture of hard spheres of different diameters is chosen as the reference system. It is found that when the charges of the two types of polyballs are sufficiently different, the variationally determined ratio of hard-sphere diameters differs substantially, leading to packing difficulties characteristic of glass formation. The experimentally observed range of glass formation corresponds to a ratio of hard-sphere diameters of 0.8 or less. Calculations of the free energy as a function of concentration indicate that the liquid polyball mixture is stable against the phase separation, even for widely different polyball charges.

Shih, W.-H.↗

Compositional trends and cooling rates of group IVB iron meteorites

It is found, on the basis of new neutron activation data for group IVB, that log-element - log-Ni trends are best understood in terms of core formation and fractional crytstallizaion. The limited compositional range found in gorup IVB is thought to reflect the fact that, owing to the low concentrations of S, P, and C and the high concentration of Ni, the k sub x (the solid/liquid partition ratio) values are closer to unity than are those in other magmatic groups. Mean volatile abundances in group IVB are significantly lower than those found in any group of chondritic meteorites, indicating that these low abundances are not entirely the result of nebular processes and that planetary outgassing was also involved.

Rasmussen, K. L.↗

Trends in Concentrator, Receiver, and Storage Development for Terrestrial Applications

The experience gained and the technical trends of the DOE-sponsored terrestrial solar thermal power systems project are summarized with respect to concentrator and receiver/storage development. Relevance of this experience to space power applications, and the perceived critical barriers of this technology, are discussed. It is concluded that, despite different objectives, the terrestrial program provides a strong basis of expertise valuable to space power applications development.

Roschke, E. J.↗