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At least 1,063 records · Page 59

Experimental Evaluation of Inlet Distortion on an Ejector Powered Hybrid Wing Body at Take-off and Landing Conditions

As part of the NASA Environmentally Responsible Aircraft project, an ultra high bypass ratio engine integration on a hybrid wing body demonstration was planned. The goal was to include engine and airframe integration concepts that reduced fuel consumption by at least 50% while still reducing noise 42 db cumulative on the ground. Since the engines would be mounted on the upper surface of the aft body of the aircraft, the inlets may be susceptible to vortex ingestion from the wing leading edge at high angles of attack and sideslip, and separated wing/body flow. Consequently, experimental and computational studies were conducted to collect flow surveys useful for characterizing engine operability. The wind tunnel tests were conducted at two NASA facilities, the 14- by 22-foot at NASA Langley and the 40- by 80-foot at NASA Ames Research Center. The test results included in this paper show that the distortion and pressure recovery levels were acceptable for engine operability. The CFD studies conducted to compare to experimental data showed excellent agreement for the angle of attacks examined, although failed to match the low speed experimental data at high sideslip angles.

Carter, Melissa B.↗

Test Cases for a Clipped Delta Wing with Pitching and Trailing-Edge Control Surface Oscillations

Steady and unsteady measured pressures for a Clipped Delta Wing (CDW) undergoing pitching oscillations and trailing-edge control surface oscillations have been presented . From the several hundred compiled data points, 22 static cases, 12 pitching-oscillation cases, and 12 control-surface-oscillation cases have been proposed for Computational Test Cases to illustrate the trends with Mach number, reduced frequency, and angle of attack. The planform for this wing was derived by simplifying the planform of a proposed design for a supersonic transport which is described as the Boeing 2707-300. The strake was deleted, the resulting planform was approximated by a trapezoid with an unswept trailing edge, and the twist and camber were removed. In order to facilitate pressure instrumentation, the thickness was increased to 6 percent from the typical 2.5 to 3 percent for the supersonic transport. The airfoil is thus a symmetrical circular arc section with t/c = 0.06. A wing of similar planform but with a thinner airfoil of t/c = 0.03 was used in the flutter investigations, and the buffet and stall flutter investigation . Flutter results are also reported both for the 3 per cent thick simplified wing and for a more complex SST model. One of the consequences of the increased thickness of the clipped delta wing is that transonic effects are enhanced for Mach numbers near one. They are significantly stronger than would be the case for the thinner wing. Also, with the combination of high leading edge sweep of 50.5, and the sharp leading edge, a leading edge vortex forms on the wing at relatively low angles of attack, on the order of three degrees. The Appendix discusses some of the vortex flow effects. In addition, a shock develops over the aft portion of the wing at transonic speeds such that at some angles of attack, there is both a leading edge vortex and a shock wave on the wing. Such cases are a computational challenge. Some previous applications of this data set have been for the evaluation of an aerodynamic panel method and for evaluation of a Navier-Stokes capability. Linear theory and panel method results are also presented, which demonstrated the need for inclusion of transonic effects. Flutter calculations for the related wing with t/c=O.O3 are given. In this report several Test Cases are selected to illustrate trends for a variety of different conditions with emphasis on transonic flow effects. An overview of the model and tests are given, and the standard formulary for these data is listed. For each type of data, a sample table and a sample plot of the measured pressures are presented. A complete tabulation and plotting of the Test Cases is given. Only the static pressures and the 1st harmonic real and imaginary parts of the pressures are available. All of the data for the test are included in a microfiche document in the original report and are available in electronic file form. The Test Cases are also available as separate electronic files.

Bennett, Robert M.↗

Building a Computational and Experimental Rapid Response Pipeline to Counter the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak and Emerging Biothreats

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the promise of monoclonal antibody-based prophylactic and therapeutic drugs, especially where protective candidates can be rapidly identified or developed for emerging biothreats and escape variants. Current cutting-edge technologies for this purpose still rely on pathogen-exposed convalescent volunteers and a large screening effort to find a proverbial needle in a haystack. Computational design of protective antibodies based on pre-existing templates skips those requirements and allows for greater control over the breadth and target epitope, while also co-optimizing for potency and developability or other biophysical characteristics. We approached this problem by building and expanding an in vitro experimental rapid antibody production and characterization pipeline to support development of an autonomous, closed loop, active learning software system based on structural simulation and ground truth experimental data to design and evaluate antibody antigen interactions. Starting from early in the pandemic, we targeted SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, by re-purposing neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-1 that had been identified in the wake of that outbreak in the early 2000’s. We successfully re-targeted three different anti-SARS-CoV-1 antibodies to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in vitro, where the antibodies were generated externally and tested through conventional binding and neutralization assays internally or with collaborators. As antibodies were identified from the blood of humans infected with SARS-CoV-2, we shifted to collaborate with academic partners to develop improved versions of their human-derived antibodies. This work reached its most important stage in rapid response to the emergence of the Omicron variant of concern (VOC) in late 2021. In a matter of weeks, enabled by on demand innovation to our screening pipeline, we computationally designed and experimentally characterized derivative antibodies of COV2-2130, one of two antibodies from Vanderbilt that form the basis of the AstraZeneca Evusheld prophylactic drug product. This drug product suffers a serious loss of efficacy against Omicron BA.1 and BA.1.1, the first Omicron strains. Due to tight integration of computational design and experimental evaluation, we were able to identify a pair of designs with potent neutralization of the main targets Omicron BA.1 and BA.1.1; but also the earlier Delta variant, and subsequent Omicron strains including BA.2, BA.4, BA.5, and BA.2.75, demonstrating that our multi-target design process can, by its nature, produce robust antibody designs that strictly improve over the parental antibody. These results, recognized by a 2022 Director’s Science and Technology award, have enabled the follow-on GUIDE program, to commence in FY23. While earlier design campaigns were substantially outsourced, we have engineered better and faster processes internally to better compliment, calibrate, and speed computational designs. As part of the follow-on GUIDE program, we will stand up a rapid and high-throughput antibody production and characterization facility staffed with the expertise and capabilities to foster our current collaboration across PLS and ENG as well as other partnerships toward computational design of biologics.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Modifications to the streamtube curvature program. Volume 1: Program modifications and user's manual

The improvements which have been incorporated in the Streamtube Curvature Program to enhance both its computational and diagnostic capabilities are described. Detailed descriptions are given of the revisions incorporated to more reliably handle the jet stream-external flow interaction at trailing edges. Also presented are the augmented boundary layer procedures and a variety of other program changes relating to program diagnostics and extended solution capabilities. An updated User's Manual, that includes information on the computer program operation, usage, and logical structure, is presented. User documentation includes an outline of the general logical flow of the program and detailed instructions for program usage and operation. From the standpoint of the programmer, the overlay structure is described. The input data, output formats, and diagnostic printouts are covered in detail and illustrated with three typical test cases.

Ferguson, D. R.↗

High-throughput and data-driven search for stable optoelectronic AMSe 3 materials

The rapid advancement in emerging optoelectronic technologies demands highly efficient, affordable, and ecofriendly materials. In this context, ternary chalcogenides, especially ternary selenides, show early promise as a material class due to their stability and remarkable electronic, optical, and transport properties. In this work, we integrate first-principles-based high-throughput computations with machine learning (ML) techniques to predict the thermodynamic stability and optoelectronic properties of 920 valency-satisfied selenide compounds. Through investigating polymorphism, our study reveals the edge-sharing orthorhombic Pnma phase (NH 4 CdCl 3 -type) as the most stable structure for most ternary selenides. High-fidelity supervised ML models are trained and tested to accelerate stability and band gap predictions. These data-driven models pin down the most influential features that dominantly control key material characteristics. The multistep high-throughput computations identify the ternary selenides with optimal direct band gaps, light carrier masses, and strong optical absorption edges. The extensive materials screening considering phase stability, toxicity, and defect tolerance, finally identifies the seven most suitable candidates for photovoltaic applications. Two of these final compounds, SrZrSe 3 and SrHfSe 3 , have already been synthesized in a single-phase form, with the latter showing an optically suitable band gap, aligning well with our findings. The non-adiabatic molecular dynamics reveal sufficiently long photoexcited charge carrier lifetimes (on the order of nanoseconds) in some of these selected selenide materials, indicating their exciting characteristics. Overall, our study suggests a robust in silico framework that can be extended to screen large datasets of various material classes for identifying promising photoactive candidates.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Evaluating the Effect of Vane Trailing Edge Flow on Turbine Rim Sealing

Abstract Modern gas turbine development continues to move toward increased overall efficiency, driven in part by higher firing temperatures that point to a need for more cooling air to prevent catastrophic component failure. However, using additional cooling flow bled from the upstream compressor causes a corresponding detriment to overall efficiency. A primary candidate for cooling flow optimization is purge flow, which contributes to sealing the stator–rotor cavity and prevents ingestion of hot main gas path (MGP) flow into the wheelspace. Previous research has identified that the external main gas path flow physics play a significant role in driving rim seal ingestion. However, the potential impact of other cooling flow features on ingestion behavior, such as vane trailing edge (VTE) flow, is absent in the open literature. This paper presents experimental measurements of rim cavity cooling effectiveness collected from a one-stage turbine operating at engine-representative Reynolds and Mach numbers. Carbon dioxide (CO2) was used as a tracer gas in both the purge flow and vane trailing edge flow to investigate flow migration into and out of the wheelspace. Results show that the vane trailing edge flow does in fact migrate into the rim seal and that there is a superposition relationship between individual cooling flow contributions. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) were used to confirm VTE flow ingestion into the rim seal cavity. Radial and circumferential traverse surveys were performed to quantify cooling flow radial migration through the main gas path with and without vane trailing edge flow. The surveys confirmed that vane trailing edge flow is entrained into the wheelspace as purge flow is reduced. Local CO2 measurements also confirmed the presence of VTE flow deep in the wheelspace cavity.

Engineering↗

An experimental study of pressures on 60 deg Delta wings with leading edge vortex flaps

An experimental study was conducted in the Virginia Tech Stability Wind Tunnel to determine surface pressures over a 60 deg sweep delta wing with three vortex flap designs. Extensive pressure data was collected to provide a base data set for comparison with computational design codes and to allow a better understanding of the flow over vortex flaps. The results indicated that vortex flaps can be designed which will contain the leading edge vortex with no spillage onto the wing upper surface. However, the tests also showed that flaps designed without accounting for flap thickness will not be optimum and the result can be oversized flaps, early flap vortex reattachment and a second separation and vortex at the wing/flap hinge line.

Marchman, J. F., III↗

Transforming Energy Through Computational Excellence: Advanced Scientific Visualization Reveals Energy Insights

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's world-class researchers and analysts, along with the Insight Center (our state-of-the-art scientific visualization facility) make data immersion a reality, allowing users to step into and explore their data. With the rise of large, diverse, and distributed data sets, scientific visualization is now critical to the process of scientific discovery and to managing and analyzing data and extracting insights. NREL provides visualization capabilities and facilities that are supported by state-of-the-art equipment, leading-edge techniques, and expert staff.

data science↗

Bigpicc: a graph-based approach to identifying carcinogenic gene combinations from mutation data

Abstract Genome data from cancer patients represents relationships between the presence of a gene mutation and cancer occurrence in a patient. Different types of cancer in human are thought to be caused by combinations of two to nine gene mutations. Identifying these combinations through traditional exhaustive search requires the amount of computation that scales exponentially with the combination size and in most cases is intractable even for cutting-edge supercomputers. We propose a parameter-free heuristic approach that leverages the intrinsic topology of gene-patient mutations to identify carcinogenic combinations. The biological relevance of the identified combinations is measured by using them to predict the presence of tumor in previously unseen samples. The resulting classifiers for 16 cancer types perform on par with exhaustive search results, and score the average of 80.1% sensitivity and 91.6% specificity for the best choice of hit range per cancer type. Our approach is able to find higher-hit carcinogenic combinations targeting which would take years of computations using exhaustive search.

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology↗

Contraction ratio effects in a generic sidewall compression scramjet inlet - A computational and experimental investigation

Computed and experimental data on a generic three-dimensional sidewall compression scramjet inlet with a leading edge sweep of 45 degrees at Mach 20 are presented. A three-dimensional Navier-Stokes code was adapted to perform preliminary parametric studies leading to the present configuration. Following the design phase, the code was then employed as an analysis tool to provide a better understanding of the flow field and the experimental static and pitot pressure data. The model possessed 240 static pressure orifices distributed on the forebody plane, sidewalls, and cowl and was tested in the 31 Inch Mach 10 facility at the NASA Langley Research Center. Pitot rakes were employed to map the entrance and exit planes. The contraction ratio was observed to have a dominant effect on the inlet shock structure and performance; these effects are the emphasis of the present report. In addition to pressure measurements, oil flows were used for further visualization and comparison with computation.

Holland, Scott D.↗

Using the Stix finite element RF code to investigate operation optimization of the ICRF antenna on Alcator C-Mod

Abstract As the Ion Cyclotron Radio Frequency range (ICRF) heating becomes more favorable in fusion devices, the urgency of predicting and mitigating impurity generation that arises from it becomes more pressing. In the ICRF regime, rectified Radio Frequency (RF) sheaths are known to form at antenna and material edges that influence negative effects like sputtering and a decrease in heating efficiency. Methods to mitigate the formation of these RF sheaths through RF image currents cancellation have been experimentally studied. A power-phasing scan done on Alcator C-Mod in which the amount of power on the two inner straps ( P in ) versus the total 4 straps ( P tot ) was varied showed a minimization of enhanced potentials between P in / P tot ∼ 0.7–0.9 while impurities were minimized for P in / P tot ∼ 0.5–0.8. New capabilities in the realm of representing the RF sheath numerically now allow for these experiments to be simulated. Given the size of the sheath relative to the scale of the device, it can be approximated as a Boundary Condition (BC). A new parallelized cold-plasma wave equation solver called Stix implements a non-linear sheath impedance model BC formulated by Myra et al (2015 Phys. Plasmas 22 062507) through the method of finite elements using the MFEM library [ http://mfem.org ]. It is seen that Stix shows qualitative agreement with the measured C-Mod enhanced potentials.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Expanding the Natural Laminar Flow Boundary for Supersonic Transports

A computational design and analysis methodology is being developed to design a vehicle that can support significant regions of natural laminar flow (NLF) at supersonic flight conditions. The methodology is built in the CDISC design module to be used in this paper with the flow solvers Cart3D and USM3D, and the transition prediction modules BLSTA3D and LASTRAC. The NLF design technique prescribes a target pressure distribution for an existing geometry based on relationships between modal instability wave growth and pressure gradients. The modal instability wave growths (both on- and off-axes crossflow and Tollmien-Schlichting) are balanced to produce a pressure distribution that will have a theoretical maximum NLF region for a given streamwise wing station. An example application is presented showing the methodology on a generic supersonic transport wingbody configuration. The configuration has been successfully redesigned to support significant regions of NLF (approximately 40% of the wing upper surface by surface area). Computational analysis predicts NLF with transition Reynolds numbers (ReT) as high as 36 million with 72 degrees of leading-edge sweep (ΛLE), significantly expanding the current boundary of ReT - ΛLE combinations for NLF. This NLF geometry provides a total drag savings of 4.3 counts compared to the baseline wing-body configuration (approximately 5% of total drag). Off-design evaluations at near-cruise and low-speed, high-lift conditions are discussed, as well as attachment line contamination/transition concerns. This computational NLF design effort is a part of an ongoing cooperative agreement between NASA and JAXA researchers.

Lynde, Michelle N.↗

Natural and orbital debris particles on LDEF's trailing and forward-facing surfaces

Approximately 1000 impact craters on the Chemistry of Meteoroid Experiment (CME) have been analyzed by means of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDXA) to determine the compositional make-up of projectile residues. This report completes our systematic survey of gold and aluminum surfaces exposed at the trailing-edge (A03) and forward-facing (A11) LDEF sites, respectively. The major categories for the projectile residues were (1) natural, with diverse subgroups such as chondritic, monomineralic silicates, and sulfides, and (2) man made, that were classified into aluminum (metallic or oxide) and miscellaneous materials (such as stainless steel, paint flakes, etc). On CME gold collectors on LDEF's trailing edge approximately 11 percent of all craters greater than 100 micron in diameter were due to man-made debris, the majority (8.6 percent) caused by pure aluminum, approximately 31.4 percent were due to cosmic dust, while the remaining 58 percent were indeterminate via the analytical techniques utilized in this study. The aluminum surfaces located at the A11 forward-facing site did not permit analysis of aluminum impactors, but approximately 9.4 percent of all craters were demonstratably caused by miscellaneous debris materials and approximately 39.2 percent were the result of natural particles, leaving approximately 50 percent which were indeterminate. Model considerations and calculations are presented that focus on the crater-production rates for features greater than 100 micron in diameter, and on assigning the intermediate crater population to man-made or natural particles. An enhancement factor of 6 in the crater-production rate of natural impactors for the 'forward-facing' versus the 'trailing-edge' CME collectors was found to best explain all observations (i.e., total crater number(s), as well as their computational characteristics). Enhancement factors of 10 and 4 are either too high or too low. It is also suggested that approximately 45 percent of all craters greater than 100 micron in diameter are caused by man-made impactors on the A11 surfaces. This makes the production rate for craters greater than 100 micron in diameter, resulting from orbital debris, a factor of 40 higher on the forward-facing sides as opposed to the trailing-edge direction.

Hoerz, Friedrich↗

Unsteady airloads due to separated flow on airfoils and wings

Experimental and computational studies of airloads due to separated flows over airfoils and wings conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center are surveyed. Results are presented for cases involving local flow separation such as shock-induced separation, for the initiation of leading-edge vortex flows, and for cases involving unsteady airloads due to flows separating over remote aircraft components. Good correlation is obtained between experiment and computation for cases of locally separating flow and steady computations of vortex flow over delta wings and complex forebody geometries are shown. Physical flow modeling issues and computational requirements for the case of vertical tail buffeting are developed.

Edwards, John W.↗

Unsteady airloads due to separated flow on airfoils and wings

Experimental and computational studies of airloads due to separated flows over airfoils and wings conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center are surveyed. Results are presented for cases involving local flow separation such as shock-induced separation, for the initiation of leading-edge vortex flows, and for cases involving unsteady airloads due to flows separating over remote aircraft components. Good correlation is obtained between experiment and computation for cases of locally separating flow and steady computations of vortex flow over delta wings and complex forebody geometries are shown. Physical flow modeling issues and computational requirements for the case of vertical tail buffeting are developed.

Edwards, John W.↗

Influence of two-dimensional hygrothermal gradients on interlaminar stresses near free edges

Interlaminar stresses are determined for mechanical loading, uniform hygrothermal loading, and gradient moisture loading through implementation of a finite-element computer code. Nonuniform two-dimensional hygroscopic gradients are obtained from a finite-difference solution of the diffusion equation. It is shown that hygroscopic-induced stresses can be larger than those resulting from mechanical and thermal loading, and that the distribution of the interlaminar normal stress may be changed significantly in the presence of a two-dimensional moisture gradient in the boundary layer of a composite laminate.

Farley, G. L.↗

Materials constitutive models for nonlinear analysis of thermally cycled structures

Effects of inelastic materials models on computed stress-strain solutions for thermally loaded structures were studied by performing nonlinear (elastoplastic creep) and elastic structural analyses on a prismatic, double edge wedge specimen of IN 100 alloy that was subjected to thermal cycling in fluidized beds. Four incremental plasticity creep models (isotropic, kinematic, combined isotropic kinematic, and combined plus transient creep) were exercised for the problem by using the MARC nonlinear, finite element computer program. Maximum total strain ranges computed from the elastic and nonlinear analyses agreed within 5 percent. Mean cyclic stresses, inelastic strain ranges, and inelastic work were significantly affected by the choice of inelastic constitutive model. The computing time per cycle for the nonlinear analyses was more than five times that required for the elastic analysis.

Kaufman, A.↗

Effect of airfoil (trailing-edge) thickness on the numerical solution of panel methods based on the Dirichlet boundary condition

The practical limit of airfoil thickness ratio for which acceptable engineering results are obtainable with the Dirichlet boundary-condition-based numerical methods is investigated. This is done by studying the effect of thickness on the calculated pressure distribution near the trailing edge and by comparing the aerodynamic coefficients with available exact solutions. The first objective of this study, owing to the wide use of such computational methods, is to demonstrate the numerical symptoms that occur when the body or wing thickness approaches zero and to increase the awareness of potential users of these methods. Additionally, an effort is made to obtain the practical limits of the trailing-edge thickness where such problems will appear in the flow solution, and to propose some possible cures for very thin airfoils or those with cusped trailing edges.

Yon, Steven↗