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At least 793 records · Page 44

Intramuscular pressure and electromyography as indexes of force during isokinetic exercise

A direct method for measuring force production of specific muscles during dynamic exercise is presently unavailable. Previous studies indicate that both intramuscular pressure (IMP) and electromyography (EMG) correlate linearly with muscle contraction force during isometric exercise. The objective of this study was to compare IMP and EMG as linear assessors of muscle contraction force during dynamic exercise. IMP and surface EMG activity were recorded during concentric and eccentric isokinetic plantarflexion and dorsiflexion of the ankle joint from the tibialis anterior (TA) and soleus (SOL) muscles of nine male volunteers. Ankle torque was measured using a dynamometer, and IMP was measured via catheterization. IMP exhibited better linear correlation than EMG with ankle joint torque during concentric contractions of the SOL and the TA, as well as during eccentric contractions. IMP provides a better index of muscle contraction force than EMG during concentric and eccentric exercise through the entire range of torque. IMP reflects intrinsic mechanical properties of individual muscles, such as length-tension relationships, which EMG is unable to assess.

Aratow, M.↗

Blade row interaction effects on flutter and forced response

In the flutter or forced response analysis of a turbomachine blade row, the blade row in question is commonly treated as if it is isolated from the neighboring blade rows. Disturbances created by vibrating blades are then free to propagate away from this blade row without being disturbed. In reality, neighboring blade rows will reflect some portion of this wave energy back toward the vibrating blades, causing additional unsteady forces on them. It is of fundamental importance to determine whether or not these reflected waves can have a significant effect on the aeroelastic stability or forced response of a blade row. Therefore, a procedure to calculate intra-blade-row unsteady aerodynamic interactions has been developed which relies upon results available from isolated blade row unsteady aerodynamic analyses. In addition, an unsteady aerodynamic influence coefficient technique is used to obtain a model for the vibratory response in which the neighboring blade rows are also flexible. The flutter analysis shows that interaction effects can be destabilizing, and the forced response analysis shows that interaction effects can result in a significant increase in the resonant response of a blade row.

Buffum, Daniel H.↗

Ground-Handling Forces on a 1/40-scale Model of the U. S. Airship "Akron."

This report presents the results of full-scale wind tunnel tests conducted to determine the ground-handling forces on a 1/40-scale model of the U. S. Airship "Akron." Ground-handling conditions were simulated by establishing a velocity gradient above a special ground board in the tunnel comparable with that encountered over a landing field. The tests were conducted at Reynolds numbers ranging from 5,000,000 to 19,000,000 at each of six angles of yaw between 0 degree and 180 degrees and at four heights of the model above the ground board. The ground-handling forces vary greatly with the angle of yaw and reach large values at appreciable angles of yaw. Small changes in height, pitch, or roll did not critically affect the forces on the model. In the range of Reynolds numbers tested, no significant variation of the forces with the scale was disclosed.

Silverstein, Abe↗

An analysis of laminar free-convection flow and heat transfer about a flat plate paralled to the direction of the generating body force

The free-convection flow and heat transfer (generated by a body force) about a flat plate parallel to the direction of the body force are formally analyzed and the type of flow is found to be dependent on the Grashof number alone. For large Grashof numbers (which are of interest in aeronautics), the flow is of the boundary-layer type and the problem is reduced in a formal manner, which is analogous to Prandtl's forced-flow boundary-layer theory, to the simultaneous solution of two ordinary differential equations subject to the proper boundary conditions. Velocity and temperature distributions for Prandtl numbers of 0.01, 0.72, 0.733, 1, 1, 10, 100, and 1000 are computed, and it is shown that velocities and Nusselt numbers of the order of magnitude of those encountered in forced-convection flows may be obtained in free-convection flows. The theoretical and experimental velocity and temperature distributions are in good agreement. A flow and a heat-transfer parameter, from which the important physical quantities such as shear stress and heat-transfer rate can be computed, are derived as functions of Prandtl number alone.

Ostrach, Simon↗

Determination of the Maximum Control Forces and Attainable Quickness in the Operation of Airplane Controls

This report is intended to furnish bases for load assumptions in the designing of airplane controls. The maximum control forces and quickness of operation are determined. The maximum forces for a strong pilot with normal arrangement of the controls is taken as 1.25 times the mean value obtained from tests with twelve persons. Tests with a number of persons were expected to show the maximum forces that a man of average strength can exert on the control stick in operating the elevator and ailerons and also on the rudder bar. The effect of fatigue, of duration and of the nature (static or dynamic) of the force, as also the condition of the test subject (with or without belt) were also considered.

Hertel, Heinrich↗

Design and control of a macro-micro robot for precise force applications

Creating a robot which can delicately interact with its environment has been the goal of much research. Primarily two difficulties have made this goal hard to attain. The execution of control strategies which enable precise force manipulations are difficult to implement in real time because such algorithms have been too computationally complex for available controllers. Also, a robot mechanism which can quickly and precisely execute a force command is difficult to design. Actuation joints must be sufficiently stiff, frictionless, and lightweight so that desired torques can be accurately applied. This paper describes a robotic system which is capable of delicate manipulations. A modular high-performance multiprocessor control system was designed to provide sufficient compute power for executing advanced control methods. An 8 degree of freedom macro-micro mechanism was constructed to enable accurate tip forces. Control algorithms based on the impedance control method were derived, coded, and load balanced for maximum execution speed on the multiprocessor system. Delicate force tasks such as polishing, finishing, cleaning, and deburring, are the target applications of the robot.

Wang, Yulun↗

Blade row interaction effects on flutter and forced response

In the flutter or forced response analysis of a turbomachine blade row, the blade row in question is commonly treated as if it is isolated from the neigboring blade rows. Disturbances created by vibrating blades are then free to propagate away from this blade row without being disturbed. In reality, neighboring blade rows will reflect some portion of this wave energy back toward the vibrating blades, causing additional unsteady forces on them. It is of fundamental importance to determine whether or not these reflected waves can have a significant effect on the aeroelastic stability or forced response of a blade row. Therefore, a procedure to calculate intra-blade-row unsteady aerodynamic interactions was developed which relies upon results available from isolated blade row unsteady aerodynamic analyses. In addition, an unsteady aerodynamic influence coefficient technique is used to obtain a model for the vibratory response in which the neighboring blade rows are also flexible. The flutter analysis shows that interaction effects can be destabilizing, and the forced response analysis shows that interaction effects can result in a significant increase in the resonant response of a blade row.

Buffum, Daniel H.↗

Reciprocity-based experimental determination of dynamic forces and moments: A feasibility study

BBN Systems and Technologies has been tasked by the Georgia Tech Research Center to carry Task Assignment No. 7 for the NASA Langley Research Center to explore the feasibility of 'In-Situ Experimental Evaluation of the Source Strength of Complex Vibration Sources Utilizing Reciprocity.' The task was carried out under NASA Contract No. NAS1-19061. In flight it is not feasible to connect the vibration sources to their mounting points on the fuselage through force gauges to measure dynamic forces and moments directly. However, it is possible to measure the interior sound field or vibration response caused by these structureborne sound sources at many locations and invoke principle of reciprocity to predict the dynamic forces and moments. The work carried out in the framework of Task 7 was directed to explore the feasibility of reciprocity-based measurements of vibration forces and moments.

Ver, Istvan L.↗

GCM simulations of volcanic aerosol forcing. I - Climate changes induced by steady-state perturbations

The response of the climate system to a temporally and spatially constant amount of volcanic particles is simulated using a general circulation model (GCM). The optical depth of the aerosols is chosen so as to produce approximately the same amount of forcing as results from doubling the present CO2 content of the atmosphere and from the boundary conditions associated with the peak of the last ice age. The climate changes produced by long-term volcanic aerosol forcing are obtained by differencing this simulation and one made for the present climate with no volcanic aerosol forcing. The simulations indicate that a significant cooling of the troposphere and surface can occur at times of closely spaced multiple sulfur-rich volcanic explosions that span time scales of decades to centuries. The steady-state climate response to volcanic forcing includes a large expansion of sea ice, especially in the Southern Hemisphere; a resultant large increase in surface and planetary albedo at high latitudes; and sizable changes in the annually and zonally averaged air temperature.

Pollack, James B.↗

Forced response of mistuned bladed disks

Small mistuning can cause large, catastrophic changes in blade vibrational response whereby the amplitudes of vibration of some blades may increase by several hundred percent. This can produce 'rogue' blades and HCF failure. The free and forced responses may be highly sensitive to mistuning, and the tuned system predictions may be qualitatively in error and grossly underestimate blade forced response and overestimate fatigue life. Manufacturing tolerances, material non-uniformities, nonidentical root fixtures, and in-service degradation result in blade-to-blade differences that destroy cyclic symmetry in bladed discs. Therefore, a credible forced response prediction system for turbomachinery vibration must take mistuning into account. This report addresses these problems, states several objectives, and introduces NASA research program thrusts concerning this problem. This report was given during the NASA LeRC Workshop on Forced Response in Turbomachinery in August of 1993.

Pierre, Christophe↗

Forced free-shear layer measurements

Detailed three-dimensional three-component phase averaged measurements of the spanwise and streamwise vorticity formation and evolution in acoustically forced plane free-shear flows have been obtained. For the first time, phase-averaged measurements of all three velocity components have been obtained in both a mixing layer and a wake on three-dimensional grids, yielding the spanwise and streamwise vorticity distributions without invoking Taylor's hypothesis. Initially, two-frequency forcing was used to phase-lock the roll-up and first pairing of the spanwise vortical structures in a plane mixing layer. The objective of this study was to measure the near-field vortical structure morphology in a mixing layer with 'natural' laminar initial boundary layers. For the second experiment the second and third subharmonics of the fundamental roll-up frequency were added to the previous two-frequency forcing in order to phase-lock the roll-up and first three pairings of the spanwise rollers in the mixing layer. The objective of this study was to determine the details of spanwise scale changes observed in previous time-averaged measurements and flow visualization of unforced mixing layers. For the final experiment, single-frequency forcing was used to phase-lock the Karman vortex street in a plane wake developing from nominally two-dimensional laminar initial boundary layers. The objective of this study was to compare measurements of the three-dimensional structure in a wake developing from 'natural' initial boundary layers to existing models of wake vortical structure.

Leboeuf, Richard L.↗

The use of impact force as a scale parameter for the impact response of composite laminates

The building block approach is currently used to design composite structures. With this approach, the data from coupon tests are scaled up to determine the design of a structure. Current standard impact tests and methods of relating test data to other structures are not generally understood and are often used improperly. A methodology is outlined for using impact force as a scale parameter for delamination damage for impacts of simple plates. Dynamic analyses were used to define ranges of plate parameters and impact parameters where quasi-static analyses are valid. These ranges include most low-velocity impacts where the mass of the impacter is large, and the size of the specimen is small. For large-mass impacts of moderately thick (0.35-0.70 cm) laminates, the maximum extent of delamination damage increased with increasing impact force and decreasing specimen thickness. For large-mass impact tests at a given kinetic energy, impact force and hence delamination size depends on specimen size, specimen thickness, boundary conditions, and indenter size and shape. If damage is reported in terms of impact force instead of kinetic energy, large-mass test results can be applied directly to other plates of the same thickness.

Jackson, Wade C.↗

Quantifying and minimizing uncertainty of climate forcing by anthropogenic aerosols

In this article, a research strategy for improving the estimates of the clear sky forcing is defined. The strategy encompasses five major, and necessarily coordinated, activities: surface-based observations of aerosol chemical and physical properties and their influence on the radiation field; aircraft-based observations of the same properties; process studies to refine model treatments; satellite observations of aerosol abundance and size distribution; and modeling studies to demonstrate consistency between the observations, to provide guidance for determination of the most important parameters, and to allow extension of the limited set of observations to the global scale. Such a strategy, if aggressively implemented, should allow these effects to be incorporated into climate models in the next several years. A similar strategy for defining the magnitude of the cloudy sky forcing should also be possible, but the less firm understanding of this forcing suggests that research of a more exploratory nature be carried out before undertaking a research strategy of the magnitude recommended for the clear sky forcing.

Penner, J. E.↗

Intraseasonal variability in a barotropic model with seasonal forcing

It has recently been suggested that oscillatory topographic instability could contribute to low-frequency variability over the Northern Hemisphere midlatitudes. A barotropic potential vorticity model, with a hierarchy of forcing and topography configurations on the sphere, is used to investigate the nature of low-frequency oscillations induced by such instabilities. Steady-state solutions of the model include multiple unstable equilibria that sustain oscillatory instabilities with periods of 10 - 15 days, and 150 - 180 days, for a realistic forcing pattern, Time-dependent solutions exhibit chaotic behavior with episodic oscillations, featuring both the intraseasonal (35 - 50 day) and biweekly (10 - 15 day) modes. The former is dominated by standing spatial patterns, the latter by traveling wave patterns. The phases of the intraseasonal oscillation are robust for all cases, exhibiting a clear oscillatory exchange of atmospheric angular momentum with the solid earth via mountain troque. It is demonstrated, through linear stability analysis on the sphere, that the intraseasonal oscillations are induced by topographic instabilities. The role of the seasonal cycle is studied by prescribing an annual cycle in the forcing. In this case, the winter forcing is more favorable than the summer for the occurrence of episodic intraseasonal oscillations. Recent observations are consistent with this model result.

Strong, Christopher M.↗

Tropical cirrus cloud radiative forcing: Sensitivity studies

We have performed one dimensional radiative transfer calculations to evaluate the impact of cirrus clouds on the tropical radiation budget. We investigate the sensitivity of solar and infrared fluxes to cloud optical depth, particle size distributions, and cloud height. If the observed solar cloud forcing in excess of 100 W/sq m is to be attributed to cirrus anvils alone, then the optical depth of these anvils must be at least 5 (assuming 50% cloud cover and an ice crystal effective radius of 15 microns). The net radiative forcing of cirrus near the tropical tropopause is positive (heating) for cloud optical depths less than about 16 and negative (cooling) for larger optical depths. If cirrus clouds alone are responsible for the equal and opposite shortwave and longwave cloud forcing in excess of 100 W/sq m observed by Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE), then the cirrus must typically take the form of deep, optically thick clouds with relatively small particles (radii of 10-20 microns) and cloud-tops well below the tropopause. The maintenance of this balance on monthly time scales can be attributed to a variety of correlations: The cloud cover of optically thick cirrus or thin cirrus overlying low-level stratus clouds could vary; or cirrus anvil height cloud increase along with a decrease in the ice crystal effective radius and an increase in optical depth. It would be of great interest to determine observationally which of these correlations is responsible for the observed lack of variation in cloud forcing.

Jensen, E. J.↗

Training augmentation device for the Air Force satellite Control Network

From the 1960's and into the early 1980's satellite operations and control were conducted by Air Force Systems Command (AFSC), now Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), out of the Satellite Control Facility at Onizuka AFB, CA. AFSC was responsible for acquiring satellite command and control systems and conducting routine satellite operations. The daily operations, consisting of satellite health and status contacts and station keeping activities, were performed for AFSC by a Mission Control Team (MCT) staffed by civilian contractors who were responsible for providing their own technically 'qualified' personnel as satellite operators. An MCT consists of five positions: mission planner, ground controller, planner analyst, orbit analyst, and ranger controller. Most of the training consisted of On-the-Job-Training (OJT) with junior personnel apprenticed to senior personnel until they could demonstrate job proficiency. With most of the satellite operators having 15 to 25 years of experience, there was minimal risk to the mission. In the mid 1980's Air Force Space Command (AFSPACOM) assumed operational responsibility for a newly established control node at Falcon AFB (FAFB) in CO. The satellites and ground system program offices (SPO's) are organized under AFSC's Space and Missiles Systems Center (SMC) to function as a systems engineering and acquisition agency for AFSPACECOM. The collection of the satellite control nodes, ground tracking stations, computer processing equipment, and connecting communications links is referred to as the Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN).

Shoates, Keith B.↗

Development of Finite Elements for Two-Dimensional Structural Analysis Using the Integrated Force Method

The Integrated Force Method has been developed in recent years for the analysis of structural mechanics problems. This method treats all independent internal forces as unknown variables that can be calculated by simultaneously imposing equations of equilibrium and compatibility conditions. In this paper a finite element library for analyzing two-dimensional problems by the Integrated Force Method is presented. Triangular- and quadrilateral-shaped elements capable of modeling arbitrary domain configurations are presented. The element equilibrium and flexibility matrices are derived by discretizing the expressions for potential and complementary energies, respectively. The displacement and stress fields within the finite elements are independently approximated. The displacement field is interpolated as it is in the standard displacement method, and the stress field is approximated by using complete polynomials of the correct order. A procedure that uses the definitions of stress components in terms of an Airy stress function is developed to derive the stress interpolation polynomials. Such derived stress fields identically satisfy the equations of equilibrium. Moreover, the resulting element matrices are insensitive to the orientation of local coordinate systems. A method is devised to calculate the number of rigid body modes, and the present elements are shown to be free of spurious zero-energy modes. A number of example problems are solved by using the present library, and the results are compared with corresponding analytical solutions and with results from the standard displacement finite element method. The Integrated Force Method not only gives results that agree well with analytical and displacement method results but also outperforms the displacement method in stress calculations.

Kaljevic, Igor↗

First Estimates of the Radiative Forcing of Aerosols Generated from Biomass Burning Using Satellite Data

Collocated measurements from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) scanner are used to examine the radiative forcing of atmospheric aerosols generated from biomass burning for 13 images in South America. Using the AVHRR, Local Area Coverage (LAC) data, a new technique based on a combination of spectral and textural measures is developed for detecting these aerosols. Then, the instantaneous shortwave, longwave, and net radiative forcing values are computed from the ERBE instantaneous scanner data. Results for the selected samples from 13 images show that the mean instantaneous net radiative forcing for areas with heavy aerosol loading is about -36 W/sq m and that for the optically thin aerosols are about -16 W/sq m. These results, although preliminary, provide the first estimates of radiative forcing of atmospheric aerosols from biomass burning using satellite data.

Christopher, Sundar A.↗