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At least 793 records · Page 44
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1991

Multiple methods integration for structural mechanics analysis and design

A new research area of multiple methods integration is proposed for joining diverse methods of structural mechanics analysis which interact with one another. Three categories of multiple methods are defined: those in which a physical interface are well defined; those in which a physical interface is not well-defined, but selected; and those in which the interface is a mathematical transformation. Two fundamental integration procedures are presented that can be extended to integrate various methods (e.g., finite elements, Rayleigh Ritz, Galerkin, and integral methods) with one another. Since the finite element method will likely be the major method to be integrated, its enhanced robustness under element distortion is also examined and a new robust shell element is demonstrated.

Housner, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Prediction and measurement of the proportionality constant in statistical energy analysis of structures.

The fundamental equation of statistical energy analysis (SEA) states that the average power flow between two coupled vibrating systems is proportional to the difference in their average modal energies. Under certain circumstances it is possible to estimate the proportionality constant by modifying system boundary conditions on the separated systems and calculating or measuring changes in the systems. Newland's estimate, based upon blocking part of the system, is reexamined, and limitations are discussed. Three alternative methods which circumvent blocking are presented. These were applied to predict power flow in experiments on coupled beams and on coupled plates wherein power flow through the coupling was measured directly as a product of force times velocity. The measurements support the fundamental SEA relation, including the null power point where the average modal energies are equal.

Lotz, R.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The finite element machine - An assessment of the impact of parallel computing on future finite element computations

The requirements of complex aerospace vehicles combined with the age of structural analysis systems enhance the need to advance technology toward a new generation of structural analysis capability. Recent and impeding advances in parallel and supercomputers provide the opportunity to significantly improve these structural analysis capabilities for large order finite element problems. Long-term research in parallel computing, associated with the NASA Finite Element Machine project, is discussed. The results show the potential of parallel computers to provide substantial increases in computation speed over sequential computers. Results are given for sample problems in the areas of eigenvalue analysis and transient response.

Fulton, R. E.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Rational design, synthesis, and evaluation of uncharged, “smart” bis-oxime antidotes of organophosphate-inhibited human acetylcholinesterase

Organophosphate (OP) intoxications from nerve agent and OP pesticide exposures are managed with pyridinium aldoxime–based therapies whose success rates are currently limited. The pyridinium cation hampers uptake of OPs into the central nervous system (CNS). Furthermore, it frequently binds to aromatic residues of OP-inhibited acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in orientations that are nonproductive for AChE reactivation, and the structural diversity of OPs impedes efficient reactivation. Improvements of OP antidotes need to include much better access of AChE reactivators to the CNS and optimized orientation of the antidotes' nucleophile within the AChE active-center gorge. On the basis of X-ray structures of a CNS-penetrating reactivator, monoxime RS194B, reversibly bound to native and venomous agent X (VX)–inhibited human AChE, here we created seven uncharged acetamido bis-oximes as candidate antidotes. Both oxime groups in these bis-oximes were attached to the same central, saturated heterocyclic core. Diverse protonation of the heterocyclic amines and oxime groups of the bis-oximes resulted in equilibration among up to 16 distinct ionization forms, including uncharged forms capable of diffusing into the CNS and multiple zwitterionic forms optimal for reactivation reactions. Conformationally diverse zwitterions that could act as structural antidote variants significantly improved in vitro reactivation of diverse OP-human AChE conjugates. Oxime group reorientation of one of the bis-oximes, forcing it to point into the active center for reactivation, was confirmed by X-ray structural analysis. Finally, our findings provide detailed structure-activity properties of several CNS-directed, uncharged aliphatic bis-oximes holding promise for use as protonation-dependent, conformationally adaptive, “smart” accelerated antidotes against OP toxicity.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1980

Proposed method for determining the thickness of glass in solar collector panels

An analytical method was developed for determining the minimum thickness for simply supported, rectangular glass plates subjected to uniform normal pressure environmental loads such as wind, earthquake, snow, and deadweight. The method consists of comparing an analytical prediction of the stress in the glass panel to a glass breakage stress determined from fracture mechanics considerations. Based on extensive analysis using the nonlinear finite element structural analysis program ARGUS, design curves for the structural analysis of simply supported rectangular plates were developed. These curves yield the center deflection, center stress and corner stress as a function of a dimensionless parameter describing the load intensity. A method of estimating the glass breakage stress as a function of a specified failure rate, degree of glass temper, design life, load duration time, and panel size is also presented.

Moore, D. M.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A general method for dynamic analysis of structures overview

The presented research deals with the development of a dynamic analysis method for structural systems. The modeling approach is essentially a finite element method in the sense that the structure is divided into n elements. An element is defined as any structural unit whose degree of freedom (dofs) can be categorized as either interface or non-interface dofs. An element could be a fundamental unit such as a rod, a beam, a plate etc., or it could be an entire structural component. Furthermore, the parameters for the element could be distributed or lumped. The choice of elements is totally arbitrary and is a matter of user convenience. In particular, issues of accuracy and convergence do not enter on the level of example that bookkeeping is reduced to a minimum. Each element is modeled using a set of interface constraint modes (ICM) combined with a set of interface restrained normal models (IRNM). The next step is the solution of the system eigenvalue problem. The procedure calls for the sequential solution of a number of small eigenvalue problems based on a truncation principle for IRNM. In addition, the form of these eigenvalue problems is very simple such that an escalator type of eigenvalue problem solver can be used which is extremely cost-effective and fast.

Engels, Remi C.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Improvement of mixed time implicit-explicit algorithms for thermal analysis of structures

Computer implementation aspects and numerical evaluation of the recently introduced mixed time implicit-explicit algorithms in thermal analysis of structures are presented. A computationally useful method of estimating the critical time step for a linear quadrilateral element is given herein for the methods introduced by Liu and co-workers. Numerical tests confirm the stability criterion and accuracy characteristics of the methods. The superiority of these mixed time methods to the fully implicit method or the fully explicit method is also demonstrated.

Liu, W. K.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Self-shadowing of orbiting trusses

The approach used to assess shadowing reductions on the heating of orbiting trusses involves determining the heating rates with slender member shadowing effects included and then obtaining the thermal response of the shadowed member. Steps taken to identify shadowers, find locations where shadowing occurs and calculate shadow intensity are listed. The finite element thermal structural analysis of cable stiffened space structure is delineated and the exact solution of the caternary problem is given. Typical cable surface heating rates are plotted. The structural analysis includes large deformation (nonlinear), thermal effect, and the pretension effect. Displacements and stresses are computed at different orbital positions for an orbit.

Mahaney, J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Compression strength of composite primary structural components

The geometrically nonlinear response and failure of thin-walled structural components made from advanced composite materials is discussed. The materials involved are structural components in flight vehicle structures that are laminated from graphite-epoxy unidirectional tape. The investigation involves the buckling, postbuckling, and failure of structures subject to axial compression. The structural analysis was performed using the Structural Analysis of General Shells (STAGS) computer code. Experimental and theoretical methods are used to study the fundamental mechanisms limiting the load-carrying capacity of these components.

Johnson, Eric R.↗
NASA NTRS1998

A Study of Failure in Small Pressurized Cylindrical Shells Containing a Crack

The deformation in the vicinity of axial cracks in thin pressurized cylinders is examined using small experimental The deformation in the vicinity of axial cracks in thin pressurized cylinders is examined using small experimental models. The loading applied was either symmetric or unsymmetric about the crack plane, the latter being caused by structural constraints such as stringers. The objective was two fold - one, to provide the experimental results which will allow computer modeling techniques to be evaluated for deformations that are significantly different from that experienced by flat plates, and the other to examine the deformations and conditions associated with the onset of crack kinking which often precedes crack curving. The stresses which control crack growth in a cylindrical geometry depend on conditions introduced by the axial bulging, which is an integral part of this type of failure. For the symmetric geometry, both the hoop and radial strain just ahead off the crack, r = a, were measured and these results compared with those obtained from a variety of structural analysis codes, in particular STAGS [1], ABAQUS and ANSYS. In addition to these measurements, the pressures at the onset of stable and unstable crack growth were obtained and the corresponding crack deformations measured as the pressures were increased to failure. For the unsymmetric cases, measurements were taken of the crack kinking angle, and the displacements in the vicinity of the crack. In general, the strains ahead of the crack showed good agreement between the three computer codes and between the codes and the experiments. In the case of crack behavior, it was determined that modeling stable tearing with a crack-tip opening displacement fracture criterion could be successfully combined with the finite-element analysis techniques as used in structural analysis codes. The analytic results obtained in this study were very compatible with the experimental observations of crack growth. Measured crack kinking angles also showed good agreement with theories based on the maximum principle stress criterion.

Barwell, Craig A.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Computerized Engineering

In 1966, MacNeal-Schwendler Corporation (MSC) was awarded a contract by NASA to develop a general purpose structural analysis program dubbed NASTRAN (NASA structural analysis). The first operational version was delivered in 1969. In 1982, MSC procured the rights to market their subsequent version of NASTRAN to industry as a problem solver for applications ranging from acoustics to heat transfer. Known today as MSC/NASTRAN, the program has thousands of users worldwide. NASTRAN is also distributed through COSMIC.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1988

Spatial and temporal variability of VAS radiance measurements by structure and correlation analysis

The statistical structure function analysis presently applied to VISSR Atmospheric Sounder (VAS) measurements has been extended to include time, and yields structure plots in either two spatial dimensions or one spatial dimension and time that indicate three-dimensional measurement variability. The analyses that include time as a coordinate also yield an indication of the mean speed and direction of the analyzed data. Results for three-hourly VAS data indicate that sampling at a high, approximately 1-hour, frequency is required in order to correctly monitor VAS measurements' temporal variability in a way equivalent to high spatial resolution.

Hillger, Donald W.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Interval prediction in structural dynamic analysis

Methods for assessing the predictive accuracy of structural dynamic models are examined with attention given to the effects of modal mass, stiffness, and damping uncertainties. The methods are based on a nondeterministic analysis called 'interval prediction' in which interval variables are used to describe parameters and responses that are unknown. Statistical databases for generic modeling uncertainties are derived from experimental data and incorporated analytically to evaluate responses. Covariance matrices of modal mass, stiffness, and damping parameters are propagated numerically in models of large space structures by means of three methods. The test data tend to fall within the predicted intervals of uncertainty determined by the statistical databases. The present findings demonstrate the suitability of using data from previously analyzed and tested space structures for assessing the predictive accuracy of an analytical model.

Hasselman, Timothy K.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Simultaneous Aerodynamic Analysis and Design Optimization (SAADO) for a 3-D Flexible Wing

The formulation and implementation of an optimization method called Simultaneous Aerodynamic Analysis and Design Optimization (SAADO) are extended from single discipline analysis (aerodynamics only) to multidisciplinary analysis - in this case, static aero-structural analysis - and applied to a simple 3-D wing problem. The method aims to reduce the computational expense incurred in performing shape optimization using state-of-the-art Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) flow analysis, Finite Element Method (FEM) structural analysis and sensitivity analysis tools. Results for this small problem show that the method reaches the same local optimum as conventional optimization. However, unlike its application to the win,, (single discipline analysis), the method. as I implemented here, may not show significant reduction in the computational cost. Similar reductions were seen in the two-design-variable (DV) problem results but not in the 8-DV results given here.

Gumbert, Clyde R.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Simultaneous Aerodynamic Analysis and Design Optimization (SAADO) for a 3-D Flexible Wing

The formulation and implementation of an optimization method called Simultaneous Aerodynamic Analysis and Design Optimization (SAADO) are extended from single discipline analysis (aerodynamics only) to multidisciplinary analysis - in this case, static aero-structural analysis and applied to a simple 3-D wing problem. The method aims to reduce the computational expense incurred in performing shape optimization using state-of-the-art Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) flow analysis, Finite Element Method (FEM) structural analysis and sensitivity analysis tools. Results for this small problem show that the method reaches the same local optimum as conventional optimization. However, unlike its application to the rigid wing (single discipline analysis), the method, as implemented here, may not show significant reduction in the computational cost. Similar reductions were seen in the two-design-variable (DV) problem results but not in the 8-DV results given here.

Gumbert, Clyde R.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Automatic Incorporation of Flaws into Cad and FEA Models Based On Measured NDE Data

Automatic incorporation of non-destructive evaluation (NDE) data into CAD and finite element (FE) models for structural analysis is essential for accurate residual-life and strength analyses of composite structures. Currently, two significant but independent challenges exist for incorporating NDE data in such analyses: interpretation of the NDE signals to locate and characterize the structural defects and the incorporation of that information into structural analysis tools. The first challenge will be addressed through linear inversion of calculated synthetic responses generated by a simulation engine to evaluate flaw size, location, and other characteristics. The second challenge will be addressed by building on prior and parallel defect modeling efforts to integrate suitable flaw models into the CAD/finite-element representation of a specimen. Ultrasonic NDE information is usually represented using C-Scans of time-of-flight or intensity information. Other modalities such as thermography and computed tomography (CT) could also be used to characterize the structure. This information will first be projected into material coordinates and then aligned with the specimen’s finite element mesh. The NDE data can then be incorporated by inserting flaw geometry into the CAD and FE analysis model and automatic modification of local material properties and boundary conditions. This process will enable the use of structural analysis tools even for practical modalities such as ultrasound and thermography which may not directly give accurate-enough geometric information to fully define the flaw. The full flaw characteristics will be inferred using prior expert and modeling knowledge to categorize flaw signatures. Outputs for this project will include demonstrated methods for creating structural analysis geometric models that incorporate flaw characterization information; these models can then be used directly in popular commercial FEA software. In addition, the primary deliverable for the project will include a software that will be able to automatically incorporate different kinds of flaws into an existing FE models. The models will be generated in standard file formats to enable direct import into the analysis software.

Adarsh Krishnamurthy↗
NASA NTRS1989

Distributed Finite Element Analysis Using a Transputer Network

The principal objective of this research effort was to demonstrate the extraordinarily cost effective acceleration of finite element structural analysis problems using a transputer-based parallel processing network. This objective was accomplished in the form of a commercially viable parallel processing workstation. The workstation is a desktop size, low-maintenance computing unit capable of supercomputer performance yet costs two orders of magnitude less. To achieve the principal research objective, a transputer based structural analysis workstation termed XPFEM was implemented with linear static structural analysis capabilities resembling commercially available NASTRAN. Finite element model files, generated using the on-line preprocessing module or external preprocessing packages, are downloaded to a network of 32 transputers for accelerated solution. The system currently executes at about one third Cray X-MP24 speed but additional acceleration appears likely. For the NASA selected demonstration problem of a Space Shuttle main engine turbine blade model with about 1500 nodes and 4500 independent degrees of freedom, the Cray X-MP24 required 23.9 seconds to obtain a solution while the transputer network, operated from an IBM PC-AT compatible host computer, required 71.7 seconds. Consequently, the $80,000 transputer network demonstrated a cost-performance ratio about 60 times better than the $15,000,000 Cray X-MP24 system.

Watson, James↗