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At least 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1985

Theoretical modeling of the vapor cavitation in dynamically loaded journal bearings

A theoretical investigation is made of the evolution of a vapor-bubble for a submerged journal bearing under dynamically loaded conditions using the Elrod algorithm. This method conserves mass throughout the computational domain. A comparison study is performed to determine some of the consequences of applying a nonconservative theory (pseudo-Gumbel BC) to a dynamic problem. A complete dynamic cycle of a journal whirling in a circular path is chosen for the basis of comparison. Significant differences are observed in the load components near the end of the cycle. Further, good agreement with experiment is found for stationary and nonstationary cavitation.

Brewe, D. E.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Theoretical modeling of GHRS observations of the Of/WN-type star R136a5

We present a theoretical analysis of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) spectrum of R136a5, an O3fWN star in the R136a cluster in 30 Doradus. Using non-LTE extended and expanding model atmospheres, we find a surprisingly high mass-loss rate dot-M = 1.8 +/- 0.5 x 10(exp -5) solar mass/yr and an effective temperature T(sub eff) = 42.5 +/- 2.5 kK. With the observed visual magnitude, this implies a radius R(sub *) = 17 +/- 2 solar radius and a solar luminosity L = 8.5 +/- 1 x 10(exp 5) solar luminosity. We discuss possible sources of the uncertainties in the derived stellar parameters and conclude that the effective temperature may be underestimated; however, if so, the value of the mass-loss rate would not be affected.

Koter, Alex DE↗
NASA NTRS1991

Development of theoretical models of integrated millimeter wave antennas

Extensive radiation patterns for Linear Tapered Slot Antenna (LTSA) Single Elements are presented. The directivity of LTSA elements is predicted correctly by taking the cross polarized pattern into account. A moment method program predicts radiation patterns for air LTSAs with excellent agreement with experimental data. A moment method program was also developed for the task LTSA Array Modeling. Computations performed with this program are in excellent agreement with published results for dipole and monopole arrays, and with waveguide simulator experiments, for more complicated structures. Empirical modeling of LTSA arrays demonstrated that the maximum theoretical element gain can be obtained. Formulations were also developed for calculating the aperture efficiency of LTSA arrays used in reflector systems. It was shown that LTSA arrays used in multibeam systems have a considerable advantage in terms of higher packing density, compared with waveguide feeds. Conversion loss of 10 dB was demonstrated at 35 GHz.

Yngvesson, K. Sigfrid↗
NASA NTRS1994

Theoretical models of polar-cap convection under the influence of a northward interplanetary magnetic field

The unexpected patterns of high-latitude auroral luminosity and ionospheric convection that are observed when the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) has a northward orientation have inspired a variety of theoretical interpretations. The existing models, all referring to steady-state conditions, can be classified according to the topology of the polar magnetic field lines and of the polar-cap convection streamlines. The classes of model include: (1) a closed magnetosphere model, (2) a conventional open model with a distorted, but topologically unchanged, polar-cap boundary, (3) a conventional open model with distorted, but topologically unchanged, polar-cap convection cells, (4) a modified open model with 'lobe convection cells' contained wholly on open magnetic-field lines, and (5) a modified open model with a bifurcated polar cap. The third and fourth types require significant regions of sunward flow on open polar-cap field lines, a concept that presents serious theoretical difficulties. The other three types appear equally viable from a theoretical point of view, and the comparison against observations is an ongoing enterprise. Outstanding theoretical questions include (a) how do observed structures in the polar ionosphere map along magnetic field lines into the magnetosphere?, (b) what is the mechanism that drives the observed sunward convection at highest latitudes on the day side?, and (c) what role does time dependence play in the observed phenomena?

Hill, T. W.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Laboratory and theoretical models of planetary-scale instabilities and waves

Meteorologists and planetary astronomers interested in large-scale planetary and solar circulations recognize the importance of rotation and stratification in determining the character of these flows. In the past it has been impossible to accurately model the effects of sphericity on these motions in the laboratory because of the invariant relationship between the uni-directional terrestrial gravity and the rotation axis of an experiment. Researchers studied motions of rotating convecting liquids in spherical shells using electrohydrodynamic polarization forces to generate radial gravity, and hence centrally directed buoyancy forces, in the laboratory. The Geophysical Fluid Flow Cell (GFFC) experiments performed on Spacelab 3 in 1985 were analyzed. Recent efforts at interpretation led to numerical models of rotating convection with an aim to understand the possible generation of zonal banding on Jupiter and the fate of banana cells in rapidly rotating convection as the heating is made strongly supercritical. In addition, efforts to pose baroclinic wave experiments for future space missions using a modified version of the 1985 instrument led to theoretical and numerical models of baroclinic instability. Rather surprising properties were discovered, which may be useful in generating rational (rather than artificially truncated) models for nonlinear baroclinic instability and baroclinic chaos.

Hart, John E.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Laboratory and theoretical models of planetary-scale instabilities and waves

Meteorologists and planetary astronomers interested in large-scale planetary and solar circulations recognize the importance of rotation and stratification in determining the character of these flows. The two outstanding problems of interest are: (1) the origins and nature of chaos in baroclinically unstable flows; and (2) the physical mechanisms responsible for high speed zonal winds and banding on the giant planets. The methods used to study these problems, and the insights gained, are useful in more general atmospheric and climate dynamic settings. Because the planetary curvature or beta-effect is crucial in the large scale nonlinear dynamics, the motions of rotating convecting liquids in spherical shells were studied using electrohydrodynamic polarization forces to generate radial gravity and centrally directed buoyancy forces in the laboratory. The Geophysical Fluid Flow Cell (GFFC) experiments performed on Spacelab 3 in 1985 were analyzed. The interpretation and extension of these results have led to the construction of efficient numerical models of rotating convection with an aim to understand the possible generation of zonal banding on Jupiter and the fate of banana cells in rapidly rotating convection as the heating is made strongly supercritical. Efforts to pose baroclinic wave experiments for future space missions using a modified version of the 1985 instrument have led us to develop theoretical and numerical models of baroclinic instability. Some surprising properties of both these models were discovered.

Hart, John E.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A guide to the use of theoretical models of the solar nebula for the interpretation of the meteoritic record

Attempts to derive a theoretical framework for the interpretation of the meteoritic record have been frustrated by our incomplete understanding of the fundamental processes that controlled the evolution of the primitive solar nebula. Nevertheless, it is possible to develop qualitative models of the nebula that illuminate its dynamic character, as well as the roles of some key parameters. These models draw on the growing body of observational data on the properties of disks around young, solar-type stars, and are constructed by applying the results of known solutions of protostellar collapse problems; making simple assumptions about the radial variations of nebular variables; and imposing the integral constraints demanded by conservation of mass, angular momentum, and energy. The models so constructed are heuristic, rather than predictive; they are intended to help us think about the nebula in realistic ways, but they cannot provide a definitive description of conditions in the nebula.

Cassen, Pat↗
NASA NTRS1980

A theoretical model of phase changes of a klystron due to variation of operating parameters

A mathematical model for phase changes of the VA-876 CW klystron amplifier output is presented and variations of several operating parameters are considered. The theoretical approach to the problem is based upon a gridded gap modeling with inclusion of a second order correction term so that actual gap geometry is reflected in the formulation. Physical measurements are contrasted to theoretical calculations.

Kupiszewski, A.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Theoretical Modeling of Electrochemical Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer

Proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) plays an essential role in a wide range of electrocatalytic processes. Here, a vast array of theoretical and computational methods have been developed to study electrochemical PCET. These methods can be used to calculate redox potentials and pKa values for molecular electrocatalysts, proton-coupled redox potentials and bond dissociation free energies for PCET at metal and semiconductor interfaces, and reorganization energies associated with electrochemical PCET. Periodic density functional theory can also be used to compute PCET activation energies and perform molecular dynamics simulations of electrochemical interfaces. Various approaches for maintaining a constant electrode potential in electronic structure calculations and modeling complex interactions in the electric double layer (EDL) have been developed. Theoretical formulations for both homogeneous and heterogeneous electrochemical PCET spanning the adiabatic, nonadiabatic, and solvent-controlled regimes have been developed and provide analytical expressions for the rate constants and current densities as functions of applied potential. The quantum mechanical treatment of the proton and inclusion of excited vibronic states have been shown to be critical for describing experimental data, such as Tafel slopes and potential dependent kinetic isotope effects. The calculated rate constants can be used as input to microkinetic models and voltammogram simulations to elucidate complex electrocatalytic processes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1991

Explicit robust schemes for implementation of a class of principal value-based constitutive models: Theoretical development

The issue of developing effective and robust schemes to implement a class of the Ogden-type hyperelastic constitutive models is addressed. To this end, explicit forms for the corresponding material tangent stiffness tensors are developed, and these are valid for the entire deformation range; i.e., with both distinct as well as repeated principal-stretch values. Throughout the analysis the various implications of the underlying property of separability of the strain-energy functions are exploited, thus leading to compact final forms of the tensor expressions. In particular, this facilitated the treatment of complex cases of uncoupled volumetric/deviatoric formulations for incompressible materials. The forms derived are also amenable for use with symbolic-manipulation packages for systematic code generation.

Saleeb, A. F.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Theoretical modeling of low-latitude Mg

The appearance of metal ions at altitudes near 100 km has long been known. The interest in metal ions arises from the contributions they can make towards understanding atmospheric dynamics. A description is presented of the results of a theoretical investigation of Mg(+) using an ionospheric model which incorporates realistic geomagnetic and electric fields. In particular, longitudinal effects can be included. The data base for comparison is the altitude profiles and latitude-local time cross sections of Mg(+) densities at fixed altitudes from the Visual Airglow Experiment on Atmospheric Explorer 'E' (AE-E), which was in equatorial orbit. Mg(+) number densities were found as functions of dip latitude, altitude, and local time in three longitudinal regions.

Fesen, C. G.↗
NASA NTRS1972

A control theoretic model for piloted approach to landing.

Using manned vehicle systems analysis, a model for manual approach to landing is developed. This model is developed and applied in the specific context of a problem of analytical evaluation of a pictorial display for longitudinal control of glide path errors. This makes it possible to discuss the model in concrete terms, and the availability of experimental data provides opportunities for checking the theoretical results obtained.

Kleinman, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Correspondence between theoretical models and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry measurements of femoral cross-sectional growth during adolescence

We have developed an analytical model of long bone cross-sectional ontogeny in which appositional growth of the diaphysis is primarily driven by mechanical stimuli associated with increasing body mass during growth and development. In this study, our goal was to compare theoretical predictions of femoral diaphyseal structure from this model with measurements of femoral bone mineral and geometry by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Measurements of mid-diaphyseal femoral geometry and structure were made previously in 101 Caucasian adolescents and young adults 9-26 years of age. The data on measured bone mineral content and calculated section modulus were compared with the results of our analytical model of cross-sectional development of the human femur over the same age range. Both bone mineral content and section modulus showed good correspondence with experimental measurements when the relationships with age and body mass were examined. Strong linear relationships were evident for both parameters when examined as a function of body mass.

NASA Discipline Musculoskeletal↗
DOE OSTI2022

Perturbative theoretical model of electronic transient circular dichroism spectroscopy of molecular aggregates

A chiral analog of transient absorption spectroscopy, transient circular dichroism (TCD) spectroscopy is an emerging time-resolved method. Both spectroscopic methods can probe the electronic transitions of a sample, and TCD is additionally sensitive to the dynamic aspects of chirality, such as those induced by molecular excitons. Here, we develop a theoretical description of TCD for electronic multi-level models in which the pump pulse is linearly polarized and probe pulse is alternately left- and right-circularly polarized. We derive effective response functions analogous to those often used to describe other four-wave mixing methods and then simulate and analyze TCD spectra for three representative multi-level electronic model systems. We elaborate on the presence and detection of the spectral signatures of electronic coherences.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Sheaf Theoretic Models for Routing in Delay Tolerant Networks

One key to communications scalability is routing; as such the goal of this paper is to build upon successful efforts towards general routing for space-based networks. With the ever-increasing accessibility of space, the number of assets is increasing, which becomes a critical communications burden in terms of scheduling, spectrum allocation, and resource allocation. In order to mitigate these concerns, a true networking approach is necessary; a standard approach for space systems is Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN). For DTN to be a meaningful answer to the Solar System Internet (SSI) question, DTN must offer meaningful routing solutions that span the heterogeneous collection of links and nodes. This, in turn, depends on the general structure of these disconnected networks -- a structure that remains largely unknown. In ground communications networks, routing decisions are made based on several pathfinding algorithms working in tandem. In previous work, we modeled Dijkstra's pathfinding algorithm using sheaves and provided a more general framework for determining paths using sheaves over graphs. Continuing our sheaf-theoretic approach, we introduce here an expansion of our pathfinding sheaf to handle more general information, and we expand on additional pathfinding algorithms that can be represented using sheaves. Moreover, we demonstrate means of combining multiple algorithms into a single sheaf structure so that changes of scale can be presented in the language of sheaves. In addition, space communications networks rely upon radio transmitter antennas which can establish broadcast and multicast communications options, rather than the primarily unicast options available to wired networks. Last year, we also introduced a multicast routing sheaf for presenting broadcast, unicast, and multicast communications over a graph. Extending that work, we also introduce queuing sheaves so that we can blend these communications options together to simulate a variety of routing options across space networks. In addition, we include examples to illustrate the applicability of this abstract theory to routing in disconnected networks.

Robert Short↗
NASA NTRS2009

Theoretical Models of Astrochemical Processes

Interstellar chemistry provides a natural laboratory for studying exotic species and processes at densities, temperatures, and reaction rates. that are difficult or impractical to address in the laboratory. Thus, many chemical reactions considered too sloe by the standards of terrestrial chemistry, can be 'observed and modeled. Curious proposals concerning the nature and chemistry of complex interstellar organic molecules will be described. Catalytic reactions on "rain surfaces can, in principle, lead to a lame variety of species and this has motivated many laboratory and theoretical studies. Gas phase processes may also build lame species in molecular clouds. Future laboratory data and computational tools needed to construct accurate chemical models of various astronomical sources to be observed by Herschel and ALMA will be outlined.

Charnley, Steven↗
NASA NTRS2012

Theoretical Models of Astrochemical Processes

Interstellar chemistry provides a natural laboratory for studying exotic species and processes at densities, temperatures, and reaction rates, that are difficult or impractical to address in the laboratory. Thus, many chemical reactions considered too slow by the standards of terrestrial chemistry, can be 'observed' and modeled. Various proposals concerning the nature and chemistry of complex interstellar organic molecules will be described. Catalytic reactions on grain surfaces can, in principle, lead to a large variety of species and this has motivated many laboratory and theoretical studies. Gas phase processes may also build large species in molecular clouds. Future laboratory data and computational tools needed to construct accurate chemical models of various astronomical sources to be observed by Herschel and ALMA will be outlined

Charnley, Steven B.↗