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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.

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At least 1,009 records · Page 56
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1982

A heuristic mathematical model for the dynamics of sensory conflict and motion sickness

The etiology of motion sickness is now usually explained in terms of a qualitatively formulated sensory conflict hypothesis. By consideration of the information processing task faced by the central nervous system in estimating body spatial orientation and in controlling active body movement using an internal model referenced control strategy, a mathematical model for sensory conflict generation is developed. The model postulates a major dynamic functional role for sensory conflict signals in movement control, as well as in sensory motor adaptation. It accounts for the role of active movement in creating motion sickness symptoms in some experimental circumstances, and in alleviating them in others. The relationship between motion sickness produced by sensory rearrangement and that resulting from external motion disturbances is explicitly defined. A nonlinear conflict averaging model describes dynamic aspects of experimentally observed subjective discomfort sensation, and suggests resulting behavior.

Oman, C. M.↗
NASA NTRS1987

The vestibulo-ocular reflex and its possible roles in space motion sickness

Prolonged exposure to an inappropriate vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) will usually lead to motion sickness, and it has been predicted on theoretical grounds that VOR gain may be decreased in weightlessness. While experiments during parabolic flight in aircraft tend to confirm this prediction, experiments during orbital spaceflight have led to apparently contradictory results. It is suggested that VOR gain is reduced initially, but that rapid compensatory mechanisms restore it to normal within minutes of reaching weightlessness. However, even though this process may lead to the rapid return of functionally normal gaze stability, it may not protect against the development of motion sickness.

Watt, Douglas G. D.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Synergistic Evolution of Segmental Motion and Cooperative Relaxation within the Amorphous Phase of Organic Mixed Ionic-Electronic Conductors

Organic mixed ionic-electronic conductors (OMIECs) facilitate a variety of electrochemical processes and feature a heterogeneous microstructure composed of both crystalline and amorphous phases. However, structural evolution in amorphous regions during electrochemical doping remains poorly understood, limiting our understanding of mixed conduction mechanisms. Here, in this work, we develop operando chip calorimetry to probe amorphous phase evolution in poly­(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly­(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) under swelling and electrochemical (de)­doping. Our results reveal that amorphous regions providing ionic transport pathways and those within electronic transport channels undergo heterogeneous, yet synergistic, evolution during electrochemical modulation. The cooperative interplay between segmental motion and relaxation maintains ionic conductivity and intergrain electronic transport upon electrowetting and doping, while facilitating efficient ion hopping and adaptable chain conformations during dedoping. Such synergies are more pronounced in loose structures featuring a fibrillar morphology, which exhibit lower glass transition temperatures (T g ) and higher fragility (m). High-throughput robotic screening further establishes a strong correlation between elevated m/T g ratios and enhanced mixed conduction. These findings elucidate the role of the amorphous phase in the synthesis of OMIECs and underscore the potential of operando chip calorimetry in uncovering structure–property relationships in electroactive polymers.

amorphous phase↗
DOE OSTI2022

Mild-to-wild plastic transition is governed by athermal screw dislocation slip in bcc Nb

Plastic deformation in crystals is mediated by the motion of line defects known as dislocations. For decades, dislocation activity has been treated as a homogeneous, smooth continuous process. However, it is now recognized that plasticity can be determined by long-range correlated and intermittent collective dislocation processes, known as avalanches. Here we demonstrate in body-centered cubic Nb how the long-range and scale-free dynamics at room temperature are progressively quenched out with decreasing temperature, eventually revealing intermittency with a characteristic length scale that approaches the Burgers vector itself. Plasticity is shown to be bimodal across the studied temperature regime, with conventional thermally-activated smooth plastic flow (‘mild’) coexisting with sporadic bursts (‘wild’) controlled by athermal screw dislocation activity, thereby violating the classical notion of temperature-dependent screw dislocation motion at low temperatures. An abrupt increase of the athermal avalanche component is identified at the critical temperature of the material. Our results indicate that plasticity at any scale can be understood in terms of the coexistence of these mild and wild modes of deformation, which could help design better alloys by suppressing one of the two modes in desired temperature windows.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2012

SRMS Assisted Docking and Undocking for the Orbiter Repair Maneuver

As part of the Orbiter Repair Maneuver (ORM) planned for Return to Flight (RTF) operations, the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS) must undock the Orbiter, maneuver it through a complex trajectory at extremely low rates, present it to an EVA crewman at the end of the Space Station Remote Manipulator System to perform the Thermal Protection System (TPS) repair, and then retrace back through the trajectory to dock the Orbiter with the Orbiter Docking System (ODS). The initial and final segments of this operation involve the interaction between the SRMS, ISS, Orbiter and ODS. Previously, a technique entitled "SRMS assisted docking" for installation of a payload to the ODS had been developed and was utilized for the Russian provided Docking Module on STS-74 during Shuttle-Mir missions and both the Node 1 and FGB elements on STS-88/Flight 2A. This procedure consisted of the SRMS grappling the respective payload, maneuvering it to a pre-install position inches above the ODS Androgynous Peripheral Attachment System (APAS) ring, commanding the SRMS into Test mode (which allows brakes-off motion of the joints), and then down-firing Primary Reaction Control System (PRCS) jets in order to effect a capture of the APAS latches. Once a successful capture had been achieved, then the AP AS was operated through its nominal retraction sequence to complete the mating sequence. While this technique can once again be used for the tail end docking portion of the ORM, the initial undocking of the orbiter and ISS vehicles with the assistance of the SRMS has yet to be attempted on orbit. The objective here is to determine the most efficient means to separate or extract the vehicles. Two techniques were analyzed in support of RTF: (1) the 'nominal' demating from the mated interface, and (2) the SRMS performing the operation (either in an active or passive fashion). In the first operation, the demating process would replicate standard undocking operations, with the exception that the SRMS is allowed to arrest the resulting motion. The second operation would be to extend the APAS ring to a ready to dock position, open the capture latches, and then detach the vehicles using the SRMS either actively or passively. In the active case, the APAS ring is extended and latched, and the SRMS is commanded to pull the two interfaces apart (assuming that the effective pull force of the SRMS can overcome the spec values of the combined latch resistance). In the passive case, the SRMS brakes are engaged and the AP AS mechanism is commanded to retract, pulling the two interfaces apart. Since the emphasis of both STS-74 and STS-88 had solely been on the installation operation, as opposed to the separation operation, two new models required development and incorporation within simulation tools designed to analyze those scenarios. These enhancements included: (1) a detailed demating dynamics model to characterize the pusher spring characteristics during undocking, and (2) contact and mechanical system modeling of the back side of the latches to represent unlatching dynamics. This paper first provides an overview of the Monte-Carlo screening analysis for the installation (both nominal and contingency), including the variation of separation distance, misalignment conditions, SRMS joint/brake parameter characteristics, and PRCS jet combinations and corresponding thrust durations. The resulting 'optimum' solution is presented based on trade studies between predicted capture success and integrated system loads. This paper then discusses the upgrades to the APAS math model associated with the new SRMS assisted undocking technique and reviews simulation results for various options investigated for either the active and passive separation of the ISS from the Orbiter.

Space Station Remote Manipulator System↗
DOE OSTI2023

Arctic Mixed-Phase Cloud Base Ice Precipitation Properties During the M-PACE Field Campaign

Cloud-climate feedbacks are still the greatest source of uncertainty in current climate projections. Arctic clouds, which are predominantly stratiform and supercooled, often long-lived, and nearly-continuously precipitate ice particles, contribute roughly 10% of the uncertainty attributed to the global cloud feedback. This Arctic cloud uncertainty is driven by incomplete observational and theoretical knowledge required to estimate and explain the state and active processes occurring in those clouds. A focus on ice precipitation properties at Arctic cloud base rather than the surface deconfounds the product of cloud condensate sink processes from the influence of the atmospheric thermodynamic state below cloud base, rendering cloud-base properties a more appealing target for inference and evaluation of model simulations. This dataset provides a set of 25 samples from the M-PACE field campaign, all of which were retrieved using the synthesis of ARM radar and lidar measurements. The retrieved ice precipitation variables in this dataset include, among others, the ice number concentration, water content, PSD parameters, precipitation rate, mass-weighted fall velocity, vertical air motion, and effective radius, all of which are highly valuable for model evaluation and a general understanding of polar cloud sink processes. Each variable sample includes its mean value and associated uncertainty. Additional variables based on ARM measurements (liquid layer statistics, etc.) are included in this dataset as well. The retrieval algorithm and analysis of this dataset are described in Silber (JGR, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JD038202).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Low-temperature paddlewheel effect in glassy solid electrolytes

Glasses are promising electrolytes for use in solid-state batteries. Nevertheless, due to their amorphous structure, the mechanisms that underlie their ionic conductivity remain poorly understood. Here, ab initio molecular dynamics is used to characterize migration processes in the prototype glass, 75Li2S–25P2S5. Lithium migration occurs via a mechanism that combines concerted motion of lithium ions with large, quasi-permanent reorientations of PS4 3- anions. This latter effect, known as the ‘paddlewheel’ mechanism, is typically observed in high temperature crystalline polymorphs. In contrast to the behavior of crystalline materials, in the glass paddlewheel dynamics contribute to Lithium-ion mobility at room temperature. Paddlewheel contributions are confirmed by characterizing spatial, temporal, vibrational, and energetic correlations with Lithium motion. Furthermore, the dynamics in the glass differ from those in the stable crystalline analogue, γ-Li3PS4, where anion reorientations are negligible and ion mobility is reduced. These data imply that glasses containing complex anions, and in which covalent network formation is minimized, may exhibit paddlewheel dynamics at low temperature. Consequently, these systems may be fertile ground in the search for new solid electrolytes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations to Support Efficiency Improvements in Aluminum Smelting Process

Smelting is broadly described as the extraction of a metal from its ore. In the United States, aluminum is commonly produced by smelting alumina in bauxite using the Hall-Héroult process. Optimization of equipment and processes in conventional smelting is crucial to enhancing process efficiency and productivity, is necessary for improving the techno-economic feasibility, which directly manifests as the growth of the American economy. To achieve optima, insightful data on the multiphysics phenomena that are inherent to the process must be obtained through physical investigation or high-fidelity numerical simulations. The resolution of relevant scales in time and space for smelting operations requires intensive, high-performance computing (HPC) simulations. Hostile operating conditions limit physical data acquisition to specific techniques; therefore, these data do not describe the multiscale interaction of simultaneous effects. Fortunately, in recent decades, significant advancements in computing hardware and computational methods have made the numerical resolution of such a complex process possible. In this study, a high-fidelity simulation of aluminum smelting was performed using an open-source tool, OpenFOAM, which analyzed many parameters characteristic to underlying phenomena. A multiphysics model based on the Eulerian-Eulerian multifluid approach was adopted. This model can resolve critical issues in the electrolytic smelting of aluminum, such as bubbling of carbon dioxide from the anode(s), magnetohydrodynamics from electromagnetic effects, ionic dissolution of the alumina in the electrolyte, and the evolution of thermal profiles. This study provides valuable connectivity for characteristic data that can direct the future designs of efficient smelters. A basic framework to model and simulate the smelting process using OpenFOAM is presented for user modification in keeping with process development. Of relevance to the flow field, a detailed investigation of vortices produced by bubble motion and electromagnetics is discussed, along with their impact on the evolution of thermal profiles. The predictions show small-scale vortices in the clearance between the anode and cathode caused by magnetic forces. Predictions also indicate relatively large-scale vortices in the inter-anode space resulting from carbon dioxide rising through the electrolytic flow field. The formation of vortices at the edges of anodes was shown to direct alumina charged by the feeder to the bottom of the anodes, thus preventing the entrapment of gas bubbles in the periphery of the bottom of the anode. Symmetry was observed in the location of cold spots in the electrolytic mixture in the vicinity of the feeder. Cold spots were also observed in the clearance between the anode and cathode due to the flow’s transmission of unconverted alumina to this region.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1971

Nonlinear, nonlaminar-3D computation of electron motion through the output cavity of a klystron

The equations of motion used in the computation are discussed along with the space charge fields and the integration process. The following assumptions were used as a basis for the computation: (1) The beam is divided into N axisymmetric discs of equal charge and each disc into R rings of equal charge. (2) The velocity of each disc, its phase with respect to the gap voltage, and its radius at a specified position in the drift tunnel prior to the interaction gap is known from available large signal one dimensional programs. (3) The fringing rf fields are computed from exact analytical expressions derived from the wave equation assuming a known field shape between the tunnel tips at a radius a. (4) The beam is focused by an axisymmetric magnetic field. Both components of B, that is B sub z and B sub r, are taken into account. (5) Since this integration does not start at the cathode but rather further down the stream prior to entering the output cavity it is assumed that each electron moved along a laminar path from the cathode to the start of integration.

Albers, L. U.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Convection phenomena at reduced gravity of importance for materials processing

The basic aspects of convection processes are delineated. It is shown that even in weak gravitational fields buoyancy can induce fluid motions. Furthermore, at reduced gravity other nongravity forces such as surface or interfacial tensions, g-jitter, therma-volume expansions, density differences due to phase changes, and magnetic and electric fields can induce fluid motions. The various types of flow possible with these various driving forces are described and criteria for determining the extent and nature of the resulting flows and heat transfer are presented. The various physical mechanisms that can occur separately and in combination are indicated and the present state of knowledge of each of the phenomena is outlined.

Ostrach, S.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Dry air entrainment into convective clouds

A systematic approach to the study of atmospheric turbulent motion is discussed in terms of weather modification. The background of cloud physics, and the mixing process are described. A zero-g study is proposed to enable the basic experimental data to be collected so that theory may be developed to generalize results for practical applications.

Telford, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Algorithm for the stabilization of motion a bounding vehicle in the flight phase

The unsupported phase of motion of a multileg bounding vehicle is examined. An algorithm for stabilization of the angular motion of the vehicle housing by change of the motion of the legs during flight is constructed. The results of mathematical modelling of the stabilization process by computer are presented.

Lapshin, V. V.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Fundamental studies in geodynamics

Progress in modeling instantaneous plate kinematics is reviewed, with emphasis on recently developed models of present day plate motions derived by the systematic inversion of globally distributed data sets. Rivera plate motions, the Caribbean South American boundary, Indian plate deformation, Pacific-North America, seismicity and subduction processes, and the study of slow earthquakes and free oscillations are discussed.

Anderson, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

The NASA digital VGH program, early results

Data from airline digital flight data recorders provides relevant statistical data for estimating fatigue life consumption of the current airliner fleet and for design criteria updating for future designs. The data indicates real operating effects due to the autopilot, i.e., gust response frequency peak increase by 2 or 3 times, and the existence of the low frequency low amplitude limit cycle motion in altitude hold. The extension of more data types for ground operations is considered. Onboard processing of simple data types is also considered.

Crabill, N. L.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Nanoflares and the solar X-ray corona

Observations of the sun with high time and spatial resolution in UV and X-rays show that the emission from small isolated magnetic bipoles is intermittent and impulsive, while the steadier emission from larger bipoles appears as the sum of many individual impulses. We refer to the basic unit of impulsive energy release as a nanoflare. The observations suggest, then, that the active X-ray corona of the sun is to be understood as a swarm of nanoflares. This interpretation suggests that the X-ray corona is created by the dissipation at the many tangential discontinuities arising spontaneously in the bipolar fields of the active regions of the sun as a consequence of random continuous motion of the footpoints of the field in the photospheric convection. The quantitative characteristics of the process are inferred from the observed coronal heat input.

Parker, E. N.↗
NASA NTRS1988

On the expansion of ionospheric plasma into the near-wake of the Space Shuttle Orbiter

During the Spacelab 2 mission, while the Plasma Diagnostics Package was attached to the Remote Manipulator System, differential ion vector measurements were obtained in the near wake at a distance of 4-5 Shuttle radii. The Orbiter's wake was found to fill in at a much faster rate than can be explained by simple thermal motion. The measurements strongly suggest that filling of the Orbiter's wake is produced by the process of 'collisionless plasma expansion into a vacuum' and that, for oblique angles of the magnetic field and velocity vectors, the near wake plasma depletion a few radii downstream is not sensitive to the body scale size.

Stone, N. H.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Development and testing of a unique carousel wind tunnel to experimentally determine the effect of gravity and the interparticle force on the physics of wind-blown particles

In the study of planetary aeolian processes the effect of gravity is not readily modeled. Gravity appears in the equations of particle motion along with the interparticle forces but the two are not separable. A wind tunnel that perimits multiphase flow experiments with wind blown particles at variable gravity was built and experiments were conducted at reduced gravity. The equations of particle motion initiation (saltation threshold) with variable gravity were experimentally verified and the interparticle force was separated. A uniquely design Carousel Wind Tunnel (CWT) allows for the long flow distance in a small sized tunnel since the test section if a continuous loop and develops the required turbulent boundary layer. A prototype model of the tunnel where only the inner drum rotates was built and tested in the KC-135 Weightless Wonder 4 zero-g aircraft. Future work includes further experiments with walnut shell in the KC-135 which sharply graded particles of widely varying median sizes including very small particles to see how interparticle force varies with particle size, and also experiments with other aeolian material.

Leach, R. N.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Gravity waves and turbulence in the middle atmosphere program (GRATMAP): An overview of gravity wave studies during MAP/MAC

Considerable progress was made in understanding gravity waves and their effects in the middle atmosphere during the MAP and MAC periods. During this time, gravity waves were recognized to play a central role in controlling the large scale circulation and the thermal and constituent structure of this region through wave transports of energy and momentum, a significant induced meridional circulation, and through the action of wave induced turbulence. Both theoretical and observational studies also have contributed to the understanding of the gravity wave spectrum, its temporal and spatial variability, and the processes responsible for wave saturation. As a result, the propagation, interactions, and detailed effects of such motions in the middle atmosphere are beginning to be understood. An overview is provided.

Fritts, D. C.↗