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At least 793 records · Page 44

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DOE OSTI2026

Laboratory Tests of Laser Control of Electron Beams for Future Colliders

Laser-driven Compton backscattering (CBS) has been proposed as method for controlling the intensity of colliding bunches in the FCC-ee so as to avoid the flip-flop instability caused by intensity asymmetry in colliding bunches. Laser-based collimation has also been proposed as an indestructible collimator for high-intensity electron beams. We have initiated a laboratory-based test program of these concepts with the E344 experiment at FACET-II. In this paper, we describe simulations of laser-beam interactions at FACET-II and the relevant scaling for FCC-ee. We also describe the experimental setup and diagnostics that will be used to make the measurements at FACET-II.

Accelerator Physics (physics.acc-ph)↗

NASA NTRS1988

Making Smaller Microshells From Refractory Metals

Tendency toward gas porosity exploited. Falling through drop tube, fine drops of molten metal lose heat to surroundings, forming hard shells around precipitated gas. Second heating/cooling cycle in drop tube of lower pressure lets gas expand. Process produces smaller shells in greater variety of materials than possible with such current processes as based on hollow-jet instability, dry-chemical blowing or fluid-droplet drying. Shell aspect ratio (ratio of radius to wall thickness) controllable. New process makes shells having diameters smaller than 100 micrometer. There are several candidate shell materials including refractory metals.

Lee, Mark C.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Updated Fatigue-Crack-Growth And Fracture-Mechanics Software

NASA/FLAGRO 2.0 developed as analytical aid in predicting growth and stability of preexisting flaws and cracks in structural components of aerospace systems. Used for fracture-control analysis of space hardware. Organized into three modules to maximize efficiency in operation. Useful in: (1) crack-instability/crack-growth analysis, (2) processing raw crack-growth data from laboratory tests, and (3) boundary-element analysis to determine stresses and stress-intensity factors. Written in FORTRAN 77 and ANSI C.

Forman, Royce G.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Motor power factor controller with a reduced voltage starter

A power factor type motor controller in which the conventional power factor constant voltage command signal is replaced during a starting interval with a graduated control voltage. The present invention adds to the three-phase system of pending application Ser. No. 199,765, filed Oct. 23, 1980, means for modifying the operation of the system for a motor start-up interval of 5 to 30 seconds. The modification is that of providing via ramp generator 174 an initial ramp-like signal which replaces a constant power factor signal supplied by potentiometer 70. The ramp-like signal is applied to terminal 40 where it is summed with an operating power factor signal from phase detectors 32, 34, and 36 to thereby obtain a control signal for ultimately controlling SCR devices 12, 14, and 16 to effect a gradual turn-on of motor 10. The significant difference of the present invention over prior art is that the SCR devices are turned on at an advancing rate with time responsive to the combination signal described rather than simply a function of a ramp-like signal alone. The added signal, the operating power factor signal, enables the production of a control signal which effectively eliminates a prior problem with many motor starting circuits, which is that of accompanying motor instabilities.

Nola, Frank J.↗

NASA NTRS1955

An Evaluation of the Roll-Rate Stabilization System of the Sidewinder Missile at Mach Numbers from 0.9 to 2.3

A linear stability analysis and flight-test investigation has been performed on a rolleron-type roll-rate stabilization system for a canard-type missile configuration through a Mach number range from 0.9 to 2.3. This type damper provides roll damping by the action of gyro-actuated uncoupled wing-tip ailerons. A dynamic roll instability predicted by the analysis was confirmed by flight testing and was subsequently eliminated by the introduction of control-surface damping about the rolleron hinge line. The control-surface damping was provided by an orifice-type damper contained within the control surface. Steady-state rolling velocities were at all times less than 1 radian per second between the Mach numbers of 0.9 to 2.3 on the configurations tested. No adverse longitudinal effects were experienced in flight because of the tendency of the free-floating rollerons to couple into the pitching motion at the low angles of attack and disturbance levels investigated herein after the introduction of control-surface damping.

Nason, Martin L.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Acoustic Characterization of Compact Jet Engine Simulator Units

Two dual-stream, heated jet, Compact Jet Engine Simulator (CJES) units are designed for wind tunnel acoustic experiments involving a Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) vehicle. The newly fabricated CJES units are characterized with a series of acoustic and flowfield investigations to ensure successful operation with minimal rig noise. To limit simulator size, consistent with a 5.8% HWB model, the CJES units adapt Ultra Compact Combustor (UCC) technology developed at the Air Force Research Laboratory. Stable and controllable operation of the combustor is demonstrated using passive swirl air injection and backpressuring of the combustion chamber. Combustion instability tones are eliminated using nonuniform flow conditioners in conjunction with upstream screens. Through proper flow conditioning, rig noise is reduced by more than 20 dB over a broad spectral range, but it is not completely eliminated at high frequencies. The low-noise chevron nozzle concept designed for the HWB test shows expected acoustic benefits when installed on the CJES unit, and consistency between CJES units is shown to be within 0.5 dB OASPL.

Doty, Michael J.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

3D Phase-Field Simulations of Pattern Formation During Freeze Casting

We present the results of a combined experimental and phase-field modeling study of pattern formation during freeze casting. Those studies use unidirectional freezing of simple binary liquid mixtures of water and sugars (sucrose and trehalose) in a temperature gradient, which suffice to produce hierarchical templated structures similar to those observed in more complex multi-component freeze-cast systems including lamellae, undulated ridges, and more exotic “jellyfish-like” substructures. Multiscale 3D phase-field simulations reproduce remarkably well those structures quantitatively and identify key properties of the ice-water interface that control their formation. They further reveal that lamellae form as a result of a novel symmetry-breaking secondary instability of partially faceted cellular structures and pinpoint additional secondary instability mechanisms giving rise to smaller-scale substructures.

Kaihua Ji↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

3D Phase-Field Simulations of Pattern Formation During Freeze Casting

Kaihua Ji↗

NASA NTRS1992

Plans for in-flight measurement of hypersonic crossflow transition on the Pegasus launch vehicle

A flight measurements program is underway to obtain flight data for validating stability theory-based transition estimation techniques for crossflow-induced boundary-layer transition at Mach 6-8. A smooth wing glove, designed to enhance crossflow transition and suppress Tollmien-Schlichting (T-S) instabilities, will be mounted on the delta wing of the first stage of the Pegasus booster. The instrumentation package will include 'intelligent' software capable of yielding space and time-correlations obtained through extensive use of fast Fourier transforms (FFTs), 'windowing' and multistage compression as well as a variety of techniques for quality assurance. The flight experiment covers a Mach number range (6 to 8) where low background disturbance data cannot currently be obtained in ground facilities. These flight results will support transition estimation code development for application to supersonic laminar flow control (LFC) and National Aero-Space Plane (NASP) class vehicles in areas where crossflow, rather than T-S waves, is the dominant instability mode.

Bertelrud, Arild↗

NASA NTRS1991

Antenna pattern control using impedence surfaces

During this research period, September 16, 1990 to March 15, 1991, a design method for selecting a low-loss impedance material coating for a horn antenna pattern control has been developed. This method and the stepped waveguide technique can be employed to accurately compute the electromagnetic wave phenomenon inside the transition region of the horn antenna, with or without the impedance surfaces, from the feed to the radiating aperture. For moment method solutions of the electric and magnetic current distributions on the radiating aperture and the outer surface of the horn antenna, triangular surface-patch modes are introduced to replace the sinusoidal surface-patch modes as expansion and testing functions to provide a more physical expansion of the current distributions. In the synthesis problem, a numerical optimization process is formulated to minimize the error function between the desired waveguide modes and the modes provided by the horn transition with impedance surfaces. Since the modes generated by the horn transition with impedance surface are computed by analytical techniques, the computational error involved in the synthesis of the antenna pattern is minimum. Therefore, the instability problem can be avoided. A preliminary implementation of the techniques has demonstrated that the developed theory of the horn antenna pattern control using the impedance surfaces is realizable.

Balanis, Constantine A.↗

NASA NTRS1949

Preliminary Results of a Free-Flight Investigation of the Static Stability and Aileron Control Characteristics of 1/6 Scale Models of the Bell MX-776

An investigation of the static longitudinal stability, static directional stability, and aileron control characteristics at transonic and supersonic speeds is being made of 1/6 scale rocket-propelled model of the Bell MX-776. A stability investigation has been made of two symmetrical models with controls undeflected and centers of gravity one-half and one-body diameter, respectively, ahead of the equivalent design center-of-gravity location of the full-scale version. Both models developed large normal-force coefficients in both the subsonic and supersonic ranges which indicated longitudinal instability at low angles of attack. The side-force coefficients were small for both models and indicated that the models were directionally stable. A possible tendency toward dynamic directional instability in the transonic region was indicated by short-period oscillations of the side forces. The results showed a partial-span inboard aileron to be ineffective or to cause negative control in the the transonic region when deflected approximately 5 deg but not when deflected 10 deg. An investigation of drag showed it to increase with a rearward movement of the center of gravity. This indicates an increase in the trim angle of attack as could be caused by a decrease in static stability.

Michal, David H.↗

DOE OSTI2023

Discovery of False Data Injection Attacks on Power Grid Frequency Controllers with Reinforcement Learning [Poster]

While inverter-based DER (distributed energy resources) are instrumental to integrating renewable energy into the power grid, they reduce the grid's mechanical inertia, thereby increasing the risk of frequency instabilities. To compensate for frequency instability risks, the grid must also undergo a transformation to include digital technologies that allow for two-way communication between the utility and customers. The current and future state of the power grid allows for building a cleaner energy landscape. However, the grid may also become vulnerable to novel cyber threats. To preemptively protect the power grid against elaborate cyber-attacks, we propose to discover potential threats via reinforcement learning. In this work, the focus is on studying false data injection attacks that target the control logic of frequency controllers. We show that a reinforcement learning agent can successfully discover how to best inject false data into linear droop controllers.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

NASA NTRS2005

Control Software for a High-Performance Telerobot

A computer program for controlling a high-performance, force-reflecting telerobot has been developed. The goal in designing a telerobot-control system is to make the velocity of the slave match the master velocity, and the environmental force on the master match the force on the slave. Instability can arise from even small delays in propagation of signals between master and slave units. The present software, based on an impedance-shaping algorithm, ensures stability even in the presence of long delays. It implements a real-time algorithm that processes position and force measurements from the master and slave and represents the master/slave communication link as a transmission line. The algorithm also uses the history of the control force and the slave motion to estimate the impedance of the environment. The estimate of the impedance of the environment is used to shape the controlled slave impedance to match the transmission-line impedance. The estimate of the environmental impedance is used to match the master and transmission-line impedances and to estimate the slave/environment force in order to present that force immediately to the operator via the master unit.

Kline-Schoder, Robert J.↗

NASA NTRS1960

Performance, Stability, and Control Investigation at Mach Numbers from 0.60 to 1.05 of a Model of the "Swallow" with Outer Wing Panels Swept 75 degree with and without Power Simulations

An investigation of the performance, stability, and control characteristics of a variable-sweep arrow-wing model with the outer wing panels swept 75 deg. has been conducted in the Langley 16-foot transonic tunnel. Four outboard engines located above and below the wing provided propulsive thrust, and, by deflecting in the pitch direction and rotating in the lateral plane, also produced control forces. The engine nacelles incorporated swept lateral and vertical fins for aerodynamic stability and control. Jet-off data were obtained with flow-through nacelles, simulating inlet flow; jet thrust and hot-jet interference effects were obtained with faired-nose nacelles housing hydrogen peroxide gas generators. Six-component force and moment data were obtained at Mach numbers from 0.60 to 1.05 through a range of angles of attack and angles of side-slip. Control characteristics were obtained by deflecting the nacelle-fin combinations as elevators, rudders, and ailerons at several fixed angles for each control. The results indicate that the basic wing-body configuration becomes neutrally stable or unstable at a lift coefficient of 0.15; addition of nacelles with fins delayed instability to a lift coefficient of 0.30. Addition of nacelles to the wing-body configuration increased minimum drag from 0.0058 to 0.0100 at a Mach number of 0.60 and from 0.0080 to 0.0190 at a Mach number of 1.05 with corresponding reductions in maximum lift-drag ratio of 12 percent and 33 percent, respectively. The nacelle-fin combinations were ineffective as longitudinal controls but were adequate as directional and lateral controls. The model with nacelles and fins was directionally and laterally stable; the stability generally increased with increasing lift. Jet interference effects on stability and control characteristics were small but the adverse effects on drag were greater than would be expected for isolated nacelles.

Schmeer, James W.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Interlayer Coupling Controlled Ordering and Phases in Polar Vortex Superlattices

The recent discovery of polar topological structures has opened the door for exciting physics and emergent properties. There is, however, little methodology to engineer stability and ordering in these systems, properties of interest for engineering emergent functionalities. Notably, when the surface area is extended to arbitrary thicknesses, the topological polar texture becomes unstable. Here we show that this instability of the phase is due to electrical coupling between successive layers. We demonstrate that this electrical coupling is indicative of an effective screening length in the dielectric, similar to the conductor–ferroelectric interface. Controlling the electrostatics of the superlattice interfaces, the system can be tuned between a pure topological vortex state and a mixed classical-topological phase. This coupling also enables engineering coherency among the vortices, not only tuning the bulk phase diagram but also enabling the emergence of a 3D lattice of polar textures.

3D ordering↗

NASA NTRS1976

Aeroelastic stability and control of an oblique wing - Wind tunnel experiments

Results are presented for wind tunnel tests of an elastic wing model to verify the theoretical predictions for the aeroelastic instability of an oblique wing. The model wing has an elliptic planform of 10 to 1 axis ratio and a symmetrical airfoil section of 7-1/2% thickness/chord ratio. The wing is of wood and as may be seen in the photographs presented, slack wires are used to limit the amplitude of unstable motions. The fuselage is mounted on bearings permitting freedom of roll, but provision is made to clamp the fuselage for some of the tests. It is found that freedom in roll increases the dynamic pressure at which aeroelastic instability first appears. With the model free in roll, the effectiveness of the ailerons in maintaining trim is not noticeably affected by passage through the speed at which the wing would become unstable if clamped.

Jones, R. T.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Extending Newtonian Dynamics to Include Stochastic Processes

A paper presents further results of continuing research reported in several previous NASA Tech Briefs articles, the two most recent being Stochastic Representations of Chaos Using Terminal Attractors (NPO-41519), [Vol. 30, No. 5 (May 2006), page 57] and Physical Principle for Generation of Randomness (NPO-43822) [Vol. 33, No. 5 (May 2009), page 56]. This research focuses upon a mathematical formalism for describing post-instability motions of a dynamical system characterized by exponential divergences of trajectories leading to chaos (including turbulence as a form of chaos). The formalism involves fictitious control forces that couple the equations of motion of the system with a Liouville equation that describes the evolution of the probability density of errors in initial conditions. These stabilizing forces create a powerful terminal attractor in probability space that corresponds to occurrence of a target trajectory with probability one. The effect in configuration space (ordinary three-dimensional space as commonly perceived) is to suppress exponential divergences of neighboring trajectories without affecting the target trajectory. As a result, the post-instability motion is represented by a set of functions describing the evolution of such statistical quantities as expectations and higher moments, and this representation is stable.

Zak, Michail↗

NASA NTRS2004

Injection Induced Mixing in Flows Separating From Smooth Surfaces

An analytic model for predicting the effect of unsteady local surface injection on the flow separating from a streamlined body at angle of attack is proposed. The model uses the premise that separation control results from enhanced mixing along the shear layer that develops between the main stream and the fluid in the underlying recirculation zone. High-Reynolds-number asymptotic methods are used to connect the unsteady surface injection to an instability wave propagating on the separating shear layer and then to the large-scale coherent structures that produce the increased mixing. The results is a tool that can guide the choice of fluid-actuator parameters to maximize flow-control effectiveness and may also facilitate computer-based numerical experiments.

Adamczyk, John J.↗