Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “simple”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 919 records · Page 51
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1991

Simple control-theoretic models of human steering activity in visually guided vehicle control

A simple control theoretic model of human steering or control activity in the lateral-directional control of vehicles such as automobiles and rotorcraft is discussed. The term 'control theoretic' is used to emphasize the fact that the model is derived from a consideration of well-known control system design principles as opposed to psychological theories regarding egomotion, etc. The model is employed to emphasize the 'closed-loop' nature of tasks involving the visually guided control of vehicles upon, or in close proximity to, the earth and to hypothesize how changes in vehicle dynamics can significantly alter the nature of the visual cues which a human might use in such tasks.

Hess, Ronald A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A simple method for simulating gasdynamic systems

A simple method for performing digital simulation of gasdynamic systems is presented. The approach is somewhat intuitive, and requires some knowledge of the physics of the problem as well as an understanding of the finite difference theory. The method is explicitly shown in appendix A which is taken from the book by P.J. Roache, 'Computational Fluid Dynamics,' Hermosa Publishers, 1982. The resulting method is relatively fast while it sacrifices some accuracy.

Hartley, Tom T.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A simple example of modeling hybrid systems using bialgebras: Preliminary version

The authors describe how to construct a hybrid control system using a specific set of data and conditions specified within the paper. Furthermore, they give examples of how to create continuous systems, discrete systems, and simple hybrid systems. Finally, they touch upon Heisenberg and state space representation.

Grossman, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A simple test for thermomechanical evaluation of ceramic fibers

A simple bend stress relaxation (BSR) test was developed to measure the creep related properties of ceramic fibers and whiskers. The test was applied to a variety of commercial and developmental Si based fibers to demonstrate capabilities and to evaluate the relative creep resistance of the fibers at 1200 to 1400 C. The implications of these results and the advantages of the BSR test over typical tensile creep tests are discussed.

Morscher, Gregory N.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A simple lightning parameterization for calculating global lightning distributions

A simple parameterization has been developed to simulate global lightning distributions. Convective cloud top height is used as the variable in the parameterization, with different formulations for continental and marine thunderstorms. The parameterization has been validated using two lightning data sets: one global and one regional. In both cases the simulated lightning distributions and frequencies are in very good agreement with the observed lightning data. This parameterization could be used for global studies of lightning climatology; the earth's electric circuit; in general circulation models for modeling global lightning activity, atmospheric NO(x) concentrations, and perhaps forest fire distributions for both the present and future climate; and, possibly, even as a short-term forecasting aid.

Price, Colin↗
NASA NTRS1991

Kinetic theory model for the flow of a simple gas from a three-dimensional axisymmetric nozzle

A system of nonlinear integral equations equivalent to the Krook kinetic equations for the steady state is the mathematical basis used to develop a computer code to model the flowfields for low-thrust three-dimensional axisymmetric nozzles. The method of characteristics is used to solve numerically by an iteration process the approximated Boltzmann equation for the number density, temperature, and velocity profiles of a simple gas as it expands into a vacuum. Results predict backscatter and show the effect of the nozzle wall boundary layer on the external flowfields.

Riley, B. R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A simple correction for the Born approximation for electron impact excitation of hydrogenic ions

An analytic procedure is developed for obtaining the electron impact excitation cross sections for hydrogenic ions. A simple modification of the Born approximation, in order to include Coulomb focusing of the continuum wave functions, produces the correct energy dependence of the cross section near excitation threshold. This procedure is used to compute the 1s yields 2s and 1s yields 2p excitation cross sections for hydrogenic ions (Z approaches infinity), and compare these modified-Born cross sections with numerical Colomb-Born calculations. The modified-Born cross sections agree well with the Coulomb-Born cross sections and thus provide a reliable generalized analytic expression for electron impact excitation of hydrogenic ions. By treating effective charges, the results in this work can be extended to nonhydrogenic target systems.

Jung, Young-Dae↗
NASA NTRS1992

A simple node and conductor data generator for SINDA

This paper presents a simple, automated method to generate NODE and CONDUCTOR DATA for thermal match modes. The method uses personal computer spreadsheets to create SINDA inputs. It was developed in order to make SINDA modeling less time consuming and serves as an alternative to graphical methods. Anyone having some experience using a personal computer can easily implement this process. The user develops spreadsheets to automatically calculate capacitances and conductances based on material properties and dimensional data. The necessary node and conductor information is then taken from the spreadsheets and automatically arranged into the proper format, ready for insertion directly into the SINDA model. This technique provides a number of benefits to the SINDA user such as a reduction in the number of hand calculations, and an ability to very quickly generate a parametric set of NODE and CONDUCTOR DATA blocks. It also provides advantages over graphical thermal modeling systems by retaining the analyst's complete visibility into the thermal network, and by permitting user comments anywhere within the DATA blocks.

Gottula, Ronald R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A simple analytical function for bidirectional reflectance

A simple bidirectional reflectance model based on physical scattering laws is developed to calculate the bidirectional reflectance of a wide variety of surfaces. Chandrasekhar's radiative transfer solution, obtained for the anisotropically scattering semi-infinite medium, is used to compute the multiple-scattered radiances. However, since the radiative transfer solution does not take architectural effects into consideration, we adopt Hapke's (1986) approach and add an empirical term to explain the hot-spot phenomenon and use Cox and Munk's (1954) formulation to take into account the specular reflection. The physical parameters of the model are retrieved from bidirectional reflectance measurements. For each surface, only one set of model parameters is needed for application to all illumination and viewing geometries. The validity of the model is established by comparing the computed and measured reflectances for sets of viewing and illumination angles that were not included in the inversion algorithm. Good agreement is shown between the model-computed and the observed reflectances for dense prairie vegetation canopies, a sparse desert scrub community, a plowed agricultural field, and an alkali flat.

Ahmad, Suraiya P.↗
NASA NTRS1993

On the magnetic and velocity field geometry of simple sunspots

It is presently shown that a simple sunspot model with azimuthal variations in inclination, but lacking azimuthal field-strength variations, is free from azimuthal Lorentz forces. The meridional currents arising from the inclination variations are parallel to the field lines, suggesting that a cylindrically symmetric magnetostatic sunspot model can be perturbed into one with azimuthal variations in inclination with adjustment of the meridional force balance.

Title, Alan M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Mountain-wave drag in the stratosphere and mesosphere inferred from observed winds and a simple mountain-wave parameterization scheme

A daily analysis of mountain-wave propagation through observed, global wind, and temperature fields in January and August is presented. Winds and temperatures are obtained from the daily 18-level NMC Climate Analysis Center. Mountain-wave properties are deduced from a simple, gravity wave parameterization scheme in which the effects of topographic anisotropy (ridge orientation) are explicitly included. Planetary waves in the northern winter stratosphere are found to play an important role in modulating the magnitude and distribution of inferred mountain-wave drag in the middle atmosphere. The Aleutian anticyclone is found to effectively block mountain waves generated over western North America from reaching the mesosphere by inducing local mountain-wave-critical levels in the stratosphere. Stratospheric sudden warmings have a similar effect at all longitudes so that during months with sudden warmings the average inferred drag in the mesosphere is reduced by a factor of 4 to 5 from its normal value. Partly as a consequence of larger planetary-wave filtering in the Northern Hemisphere, inferred mountain-wave drag in the southern winter mesosphere is found to be comparable to that in the northern winter mesosphere. Almost all of the mountain wave drag exerted on the southern middle atmosphere is found to originate over the southern Andes and Antarctic Peninsula.

Bacmeister, Julio T.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Simple in-line method to measure the dispersion of an optical system

We describe a simple in-line method to measure the dispersion of an optical system. The light beam passing through the optical system interferes with a reference beam in a spectrometer, and the resulting spectrum yields the quadratic and cubic dispersion terms of the system. We demonstrate this technique on an optical system made of grating pairs.

Yao, X. S.↗
NASA NTRS1993

A simple model of Birkeland currents

The paper develops a simple representation of the global circuit of Birkeland currents on the basis of a representation of the current density (j) in terms of Euler potentials (alpha, chi). The underlying magnetic field, which shares the potential alpha with j, is assumed to be dipolar, making the model applicable chiefly to region 2 Birkeland currents. A form of j is chosen that gives a current sheet with peak outflow at dawn and peak inflow at dusk (or vice versa), connected across a flat polar cap sheet. The superposition of harmonics of the same type, centered at different 'foci', are found to provide a flexible and powerful representation of harmonic functions, accurate within less than 1 percent. An interpolation formula by which current sheets of finite width could be consistently represented is developed.

Stern, David P.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Computation of thermochemical nonequilibrium flows around a simple and a double ellipse

The nonequilibrium viscous reactive flows over a simple and a double ellipse at a 30 degree angle of attack were computed. The geometry and the free stream conditions are given by INRIA/GAMNI/SMAI workshop test cases 6.2-2 and 6.2-4. The governing Navier-Stokes equations coupled with thermochemical nonequilibrium processes are solved numerically using a fully coupled, implicit, finite volume technique with a dynamically adaptive grid. The nonequilibrium gas model and the numerical method used in the calculations are briefly described.

Gokcen, Tahir↗
NASA NTRS1993

Bifurcation analysis of a simple analytic model of self-propagating star formation

We investigate the structure and stability of rotationally symmetric nonhomogeneous time-independent solutions derived from a simple analytic model of self-propagating star formation. For this purpose we employ two methodologies: We use bifurcation theoretical methods to prove the existence of nonhomogeneous axisymmetric stationary solutions of an appropriate nonlinear evolution equation for the stellar density. We show that the nonhomogeneous solution branch bifurcates from the homogeneous one at a critical parameter value of the star formation rate. Further, the analytical theory allows us to show that the new solution set is stable in the weakly nonlinear regime near the bifurcation point. To follow the solution branch further, we use numerical methods. The numerical calculation shows the structure and stability of these solutions. We conclude that no periodic time-dependent solutions of this special model exist, and no further bifurcations can be found. The same results have been found in simulations of stochastic self-propagating star formation based on similar models. Therefore, our findings provide a natural explanation, why long-lived large-scale structure have not been found in those simulations.

Neukirch, Thomas↗
NASA NTRS1992

Circular and linear polarization inverse SAR imaging of simple deterministic targets and statistically known randomly rough surfaces using constant and varying illumination

In order to study mechanisms of scattering and their relative contributions to synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and inverse SAR images, a special measurement facility has been constructed. It can be used to generate images in which the target is illuminated from a constant direction as the receiver is rotated in azimuth, and the target is illuminated from various directions as the receiver is rotated in azimuth. The imaging system performance is discussed, and images obtained using both approaches are compared, for a variety of simple targets and statistically known randomly rough surfaces.

Bredow, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1993

A simple fuzzy logic real-time camera tracking system

A fuzzy logic control of camera pan and tilt has been implemented to provide real-time camera tracking of a moving object. The user clicks a mouse button to identify the object that is to be tracked. A rapid centroid estimation algorithm is used to estimate the location of the moving object, and based on simple fuzzy membership functions, fuzzy x and y values are input into a six-rule fuzzy logic rule base. The output of this system is de-fuzzified to provide pan and tilt velocities required to keep the image of the object approximately centered in the camera field of view.

Magee, Kevin N.↗