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At least 847 records · Page 47
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1972

Probability distribution of vertical longitudinal shear fluctuations.

This paper discusses some recent measurements of third and fourth moments of vertical differences (shears) of longitudinal velocity fluctuations obtained in unstable air at the NASA 150 m meteorological tower site at Cape Kennedy, Fla. Each set of measurements consisted of longitudinal velocity fluctuation time histories obtained at the 18, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 m levels, so that 15 wind-shear time histories were obtained from each set of measurements. It appears that the distribution function of the longitudinal wind fluctuations at two levels is not bivariate Gaussian. The implications of the results relative to the design and operation of aerospace vehicles are discussed.-

Fichtl, G. H.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Monte Carlo Simulation of Nonlinear Radiation Induced Plasmas

A Monte Carlo simulation model for radiation induced plasmas with nonlinear properties due to recombination was, employing a piecewise linearized predict-correct iterative technique. Several important variance reduction techniques were developed and incorporated into the model, including an antithetic variates technique. This approach is especially efficient for plasma systems with inhomogeneous media, multidimensions, and irregular boundaries. The Monte Carlo code developed has been applied to the determination of the electron energy distribution function and related parameters for a noble gas plasma created by alpha-particle irradiation. The characteristics of the radiation induced plasma involved are given.

Wang, B. S.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Very High-Frequency (VHF) ionospheric scintillation fading measurements at Lima, Peru

During the spring equinox of 1970, scintillating signals at VHF (136.4 MHz) were observed at Lima, Peru. The transmission originated from ATS 3 and was observed through a pair of antennas spaced 1200 feet apart on an east-west baseline. The empirical data were digitized, reduced, and analyzed. The results include amplitude probability density and distribution functions, time autocorrelation functions, cross correlation functions for the spaced antennas, and appropriate spectral density functions. Results show estimates of the statistics of the ground diffraction pattern to gain insight into gross ionospheric irregularity size, and irregularity velocity in the antenna planes.

Blank, H. A.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Kinetic theory analysis of rarefied gas flow through finite length slots

An analytic study is made of the flow a rarefied monatomic gas through a two dimensional slot. The parameters of the problem are the ratios of downstream to upstream pressures, the Knudsen number at the high pressure end (based on slot half width) and the length to slot half width ratio. A moment method of solution is used by assuming a discontinuous distribution function consisting of four Maxwellians split equally in angular space. Numerical solutions are obtained for the resulting equations. The characteristics of the transition regime are portrayed. The solutions in the free molecule limit are systematically lower than the results obtained in that limit by more accurate numerical methods.

Raghuraman, P.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Cosmic rays in a random magnetic field: Breakdown of the quasilinear derivation of the kinetic equation

The problem of deriving a kinetic equation for the cosmic ray distribution function in a random magnetic field is considered. A model is adopted which is mathematically simple but which contains the essential physics. The perturbation expansion upon which the quasi-linear treatment is based is investigated. The existence of resonant particles causes the breakdown of the adiabatic approximation frequently used in this theory. Resonant particles cause a general secular growth of higher order terms in the expansion which invalidates the entire perturbative approach.

Kaiser, T. B.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Approximation method for the kinetic Boltzmann equation

The further development of a method for approximating the Boltzmann equation is considered and a case of pseudo-Maxwellian molecules is treated in detail. A method of approximating the collision frequency is discussed along with a method for approximating the moments of the Boltzmann collision integral. Since the return collisions integral and the collision frequency are expressed through the distribution function moments, use of the proposed methods make it possible to reduce the Boltzmann equation to a series of approximating equations.

Shakhov, Y. M.↗
NASA NTRS1973

The new variable BD plus 60 deg 2633

The star BD + 60 deg 2633 is reported to be variable. Observations and light distribution function as well as the analytical approximation of this function are given.

Lukatskaya, F. I.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Evacuation areas for transportation accidents involving propellant tank pressure bursts

Evacuation areas are defined for those transportation accidents where volatile chemical propellant tanks are exposed to fire in the wreckage and eventually explode with consequent risks from fragments in surrounding populated areas. An evacuation area with a minimum radius of 600 m (2000 ft) is recommended to limit the statistical probability of fatality to one in 100 such accidents. The result was made possible by the derivation of a distribution function of distances reached by fragments from bursting chemical car tanks. Data concerning fragments was obtained from reports or tank car pressure bursts between 1958 and 1971.

Siewert, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Experimental investigation of resonance self-shielding and the Doppler effect in uranium and tantalum

A series of average transmission and average self-indication ratio measurements were performed in order to investigate the temperature dependence of the resonance self-shielding effect in the unresolved resonance region of depleted uranium and tantalum. The measurements were carried out at 77 K, 295 K and approximately 1000 K with sample thicknesses varying from approximately 0.1 to 1.0 mean free path. The average resonance parameters as well as the temperature dependence were determined by using an analytical model which directly integrates over the resonance parameter distribution functions.

Byoun, T. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Instability of ring current protons beyond the plasmapause during injection events.

The stability of ring current protons with an injection spectrum modeled by a loss cone distribution function is examined for typical ring current parameters. It is found that a quasi-electrostatic ion loss cone mode can be excited with frequencies just below and growth rates of the order of 0.01 times the ion plasma frequency. The instability is strongest in the moderate beta about equal to 1, low-density region just outside the plasmapause; for the beta much greater than 1 auroral regions and the high-density plasmasphere the mode is nearly stable. For the same ring current parameters the electromagnetic ion cyclotron wave is almost nonconvectively unstable, with growth rates of the order of 0.1 times the ion cyclotron frequency. The combination of the two unstable modes results in a large quasi-linear diffusion coefficient throughout most of the proton velocity space. Unless it is maintained by rapid inward convection, the ring current injection anisotropy will be reduced by diffusion toward the loss cone on time scales short in comparison to the minimum precipitation lifetime.

Coroniti, F. V.↗
NASA NTRS1972

High-frequency modulation of ion-acoustic waves.

A large amplitude, high-frequency electromagnetic oscillation is impressed on a nonrelativistic, collisionless plasma from an external source. The frequency is chosen to be far from the plasma frequency (in fact, lower). The resulting electron velocity distribution function strongly modifies the propagation of ion-acoustic waves parallel to the oscillating electric field. The complex frequency is calculated numerically.

Albright, N. W.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Elastic properties of Apollo 14 and 15 rocks.

Ultrasonic P- and S-wave velocities of lunar samples 14310,72 and 15418,43 and P-wave velocities of sample 15015,18 were measured at room temperature to 5 kb confining pressure. The velocities of both igneous and breccia samples increased sharply over this pressure range. At low confining pressures, the shape of velocity-pressure curves of rocks is determined by the distribution function of crack aspect ratios. We suggest that analogue studies on terrestrial rocks having a wide assortment of crack parameters may be used to infer the nature of cracks in lunar rocks.

Todd, T.↗
NASA NTRS1973

High-frequency electrostatic waves in the magnetosphere.

High-frequency electrostatic microinstabilities in magnetospheric plasmas are considered in detail. Rather special plasma parameters are found to be required to match the theoretical wave spectrum with satellite observations in the magnetosphere. In particular, it is necessary to have a cold and a warm species of electrons such that (1) the warm component has an anomalous velocity distribution function that is nonmonotonic in the perpendicular component of velocity and is the source of free energy driving the instabilities, (2) the density ratio of the cold component to the hot component is greater than about 0.01, and (3) the temperature ratio of the two components for cases of high particle density is no less than 0.1. These requirements and the corresponding instability criteria are satisfied only in the trapping region; this is also the region in which the waves are most frequently observed. The range of unstable wavelengths and an estimate of the diffusion coefficient are also obtained. The wave are found to induce strong diffusion in velocity space for low-energy electrons during periods of moderate wave amplitude.

Young, T. S. T.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Energy partitioning of gaseous ions in an electric field.

The partitioning of ion energy among thermal energy, drift energy, and random-field energy is studied by solution of the Boltzmann equation. An expansion in powers of the square of the electric field strength is obtained by Kihara's method. Numerical calculations for several ion-neutral force laws show that Wannier's constant mean-free-time model gives a reasonable first approximation. The formal extension to multicomponent mixtures is also given. The matrix elements obtained are tabulated, and can be used to study the field dependence of other moments of the ion-distribution function.

Hahn, H.-S.↗
NASA NTRS1973

The dynamic behavior and compliance of a stream of cavitating bubbles.

Study of the dynamic response of streams of cavitating bubbles to imposed pressure fluctuations to determine the role played by turbopump cavitation in the POGO instability of liquid rockets. Both quasi-static and more general linearized dynamic analyses are made of the perturbations to a cavitating flow through a region of reduced pressure in which the bubbles first grow and then collapse. The results, when coupled with typical bubble number density distribution functions, yield compliances which compare favorably with the existing measurements. Since the fluids involved are frequently cryogenic, a careful examination was made of the thermal effects both on the mean flow and on the perturbations. As a result, the discrepancy between theory and experiment for particular engines could be qualitatively ascribed to reductions in the compliance caused either by these thermal effects or by relatively high reduced frequencies.

Brennen, C.↗
NASA NTRS1973

An experimental-analytical method to study steady spray combustion.

Description of a method for determining the local parameters of the gas mixture resulting from the combustion of sprayed fuel in a gaseous oxidizer. The method is based on the measurement of local static pressures in the gas mixture and does not require the knowledge of the droplet distribution function, drag, and vaporization characteristics. A set of equations with substituted local pressure values is used for calculations. Application of the method is demonstrated on a liquid oxygen-ethanol rocket fuel.

Bracco, F. V.↗
NASA NTRS1973

High-speed leading edge problem.

The sharp leading edge problem has been studied for both monatomic and diatomic gases using the Boltzmann equation with the Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook type models as the governing equation and the discrete ordinate method with a closed-boundary value approach as a tool. Plate length relative to the freestream mean free path is taken to be 52. The gas-surface interaction law is assumed to be diffuse reflection. The local distribution functions of molecular velocities and internal energies (for the diatomic gas) for the entire flowfield have been calculated for a freestream Mach number of 6.1. Comparisons are made between the calculated results and experimental data.

Huang, A. B.↗
NASA NTRS1973

A study of galaxy groups and clusters - The case for a clumpy intergalactic medium.

A nonuniform model for a dense intergalactic medium is constructed under the assumption that all groups and clusters of galaxies are gravitationally bound by ionized gas. Catalogs by de Vaucouleurs and Abell are utilized to provide an almost complete sample of the spatial distribution of groups and clusters over a wide range of richness, and a distribution function is derived for galaxy groups and clusters as a function of velocity dispersion. A simple scaling law is applied to predict velocity dispersions for the very rich Abell clusters. Thermal bremsstrahlung emission from the intracluster gas accounts for the observed emission over 2 to 10 keV from several rich clusters, and also contributes up to 20% of the diffuse X-ray background over a considerable fraction of the observed range. The amount of X-ray emitting gas is restricted to a small fraction of the virial mass, with the remainder of the binding mass present as cooler ionized clouds. Available soft X-ray and ultraviolet diffuse background observations are used to define a narrow range of permissible temperatures and densities for these clouds.

Silk, J.↗