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At least 1,099 records · Page 61

Numerical solution for low-velocity penetration of rigid body into still fluid

A modified marker-and-cell computational method is developed which can be used to study problems related to impact and penetration of a rigid body into a viscous medium. The method has been applied to solving (in two dimensions) the problem of low-velocity penetration of a rigid block into still water. The solution gives the complete pressure and velocity of the flow field so that the force and displacement time histories of the rigid body during the impact and entry phase are evaluated from the boundary stresses imposed by the fluid on the rigid body. Some limited experimental comparisons are also given to demonstrate the feasibility of the computational method.

Cheng, R. Y.-K.↗

Transonic flow about lifting wing-body combinations

Calculations for transonic flow about wing-body combinations at angles of attack of the order of the body thickness-to-length ratio are presented. These calculations show that lift can alter the flow drastically at near-sonic speeds in this angle-of-attack range so that the area rule must be modified. This effect of lift is explained from simple physical considerations. The computational procedure is based on slender-wing theory and a two-variable method of relaxation solution. A small perturbation analysis is used to show that this simple procedure is adequate for these transonic wing-body flow fields.

Barnwell, R. W.↗

Laboratory simulation of the structure of disturbed zones around bodies in space

Description of laboratory studies of certain aspects of the spacecraft/space plasma interaction regarding, in particular, the near and intermediate wake regions. The plasma wind tunnel facilities and the diagnostic techniques employed in these tests are described. Results are obtained which concern the variation of the normalized ion flux with normalized distance along the wake axis downstream from a conducting spherical body, the variation of the normalized width of the disturbed region with normalized distance downstream from the body center, and the location of the point of maximum ion current enhancement as a function of body potential.

Stone, N. H.↗

Effect of bed rest and exercise on body balance

A battery of 11 body balance tests was administered to 7 men before and after 14 days of bedrest. Seven men who had not undergone bed rest served as controls. During bed rest, each subject underwent daily either isotonic, isometric, or no leg exercise. The results showed that, for the bed-rested no exercise, isotonic exercise, and isometric exercise groups, 2 weeks of bed rest produces significant body balance decrements on 3, 4, and 5 of the 11 tests, respectively. Daily leg exercise did not prevent the debilitating effects of bed rest on body balance. After bed rest, balance skill was relearned rapidly so that in most tests, performance had reached prebed-rest levels by the third recovery day. These data suggest that balance impairment is not due to loss of muscular strength in the legs but, perhaps, to a bed-rest-related change in the neurally coded information to postural control centers.

Haines, R. F.↗

Influence of ablation impurities on blunt body re-entry ionization

Electron density profiles which include the effect of an ablated sodium impurity were computed for the boundary layer on a blunt-nosed body re-entering the atmosphere at 7.62 km/sec. Profiles are computed from the nose to a distance of four diameters along the RAM C-payload. A finite-difference, laminar, nonequilibrium chemistry boundary-layer program was used. Comparison of theory with S-band diagnostic antenna results, electron concentration deduced from X- and C-band attenuation data, and Langmuir probe data at several different aft body locations show that agreement is good at high altitude. At the lower altitudes there is disagreement between theory and S-band antenna data where the apparent discrepancy is attributed to the three-body recombination rate constant used for deionization of sodium coupled with the effect of angle of attack.

Schexnayder, C. J., Jr.↗

Design, fabrication and acceptance testing of a zero gravity whole body shower

Recent research and development programs have established the ability of the zero gravity whole body shower to maintain a comfortable environment in which the crewman can safely cleanse and dry the body. The purpose of this program was to further advance the technology of whole body bathing and to demonstrate technological readiness including in-flight maintenance by component replacement for flight applications. Three task efforts of this program are discussed. Conceptual designs and system tradeoffs were accomplished in task 1. Task 2 involved the formulation of preliminary and final designs for the shower, while task 3 included the fabrication and test of the shower assembly. Particular attention is paid to the evaluation and correction of test anomalies during the final phase of the program.

Schumacher, E. A.↗

Self-sterilization of bodies during outer planet entry

A body encountering the atmosphere of an outer planet is subjected to heat loads which could result in high temperature conditions that render terrestrial organisms on or within the body nonviable. To determine whether an irregularly shaped entering body, consisting of several different materials, would be sterilized during inadvertent entry at high velocity, the thermal response of a typical outer planet spacecraft instrument was studied. The results indicate that the Teflon insulated cable and electronic circuit boards may not experience sterilizing temperatures during a Jupiter, Saturn, or Titan entry. Another conclusion of the study is that small plastic particles entering Saturn from outer space have wider survival corridors than do those at Jupiter.

Hoffman, A. R.↗

Second-order small disturbance theory for hypersonic flow over power-law bodies

A mathematical method for determining the flow field about power-law bodies in hypersonic flow conditions is developed. The second-order solutions, which reflect the effects of the second-order terms in the equations, are obtained by applying the method of small perturbations in terms of body slenderness parameter to the zeroth-order solutions. The method is applied by writing each flow variable as the sum of a zeroth-order and a perturbation function, each multiplied by the axial variable raised to a power. The similarity solutions are developed for infinite Mach number. All results obtained are for no flow through the body surface (as a boundary condition), but the derivation indicates that small amounts of blowing or suction through the wall can be accommodated.

Townsend, J. C.↗

Total body calcium analysis

A technique to quantitate total body calcium in humans is developed. Total body neutron irradiation is utilized to produce argon 37. The radio argon, which diffuses into the blood stream and is excreted through the lungs, is recovered from the exhaled breath and counted inside a proportional detector. Emphasis is placed on: (1) measurement of the rate of excretion of radio argon following total body neutron irradiation; (2) the development of the radio argon collection, purification, and counting systems; and (3) development of a patient irradiation facility using a 14 MeV neutron generator. Results and applications are discussed in detail.

Lewellen, T. K.↗

Effect of symmetrical vortex shedding on the longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of wing-body-tail combinations

An engineering prediction method for determining the longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of wing-body-tail combinations is developed. The method includes the effects of nonlinear aerodynamics of components and the interference between components. Nonlinearities associated with symmetrical vortex shedding from the nose of the body are considered as well as the nonlinearities associated with the separation vortices from the leading edges and side edges of the lifting surfaces. The wing and tail characteristics are calculated using lifting surface theories which include effects of incidence, camber, twist, and induced velocities from external sources of disturbance such as bodies and vortices. The lifting surface theories calculate the distribution of leading edge and side edge suction which is converted to vortex lift using the Polhamus suction analogy. Correlation curves are developed to determine the fraction of the theoretical suction force which is converted into vortex lift. The prediction method is compared with experimental data on a variety of aircraft configurations to assess the accuracy and limitations of the method.

Mendenhall, M. R.↗

Experimental aerodynamic characteristics for a cylindrical body of revolution with side strakes and various noses at angles of attack from 0 degrees to 58 degrees and Mach numbers from 0.6 to 2.0

For a body of revolution with afterbody side strakes, an experimental investigation was conducted in the Ames 6- by 6-Foot Wind Tunnel to determine the effects on the aerodynamic characteristics of forebody geometry, nose strakes, body side strakes, Reynolds number, Mach number, and angle of attack. Aerodynamic force and moment characteristics were measured for the straked cylindrical afterbody (cylinder fineness ratio of 7) with tangent ogive noses of fineness ratio 2.5 to 5.0. In addition, the straked cylinder afterbody was tested with an ogive nose having a rounded tip and an ogive nose with two different nose strake arrangements. The data demonstrate that the aerodynamic characteristics for a body of revolution with side strakes can be significantly affected by changes in nose fineness ratio, nose bluntness, Reynolds number, Mach number, and, of course, angle of attack. Removing the strakes from the cylindrical aftersection greatly decreased the lift, but this removal hardly changed the maximum magnitudes of the undesirable side forces that developed at angles of attack greater than about 25 deg for subsonic Mach numbers.

Jorgensen, L. H.↗

Physiological mechanisms of the effect of weightlessness on the body

Experimental data show that physiological reactions observed under weightlessness conditions are caused by: (1) The direct effect of weightlessness, as a consequence of decrease (""disappearance'') of the weight of body tissues and organs; and (2) the mediated effect of weightlessness, as a result of changes in the functional state of the central nervous system and the cooperative work of the analyzers. The human body adopts to weightless conditions under the prolonged effects of it. In this case, four periods can be distinguished: The first period, a transitional process lasting from 1 to 24 hours; second period, initial adaptation to conditions of weightlessness and readjustment of all functional systems of the body; the third period, adaptation to the unusual mechanical conditions of the external environment, lasting from 3 to 8 days and more; and the fourth period, the stage of possible imbalance of the functions and the systems of some astronauts, as a result of the prolonged effect of weightlessness.

Kasyan, I. I.↗

Control mechanisms of circadian rhythms in body composition: Implications for manned spaceflight

The mechanisms that underlie the circadian variations in electrolyte content in body fluid compartments were investigated, and the mechanisms that control the oscillations were studied in order to investigate what effects internal desynchronization in such a system would have during manned space flight. The studies were performed using volunteer human subjects and squirrel monkeys. The intercompartmental distribution of potassium was examined when dietary intake, activity, and posture are held constant throughout each 24-hour day. A net flux of potassium was observed out of the body cell mass during the day and a reverse flux from the extracellular fluid into the body cell mass during the night, counterbalanced by changes in urinary potassium excretion. Experiments with monkeys provided evidence for the synchronization of renal potassium excretion by the rhythm of cortisol secretion with the light-dark cycle. Three models of the circadian timing system were formalized.

Ede, M. C. M.↗

Response of local vascular volumes to lower body negative pressure stress

The present study involved an intravenous injection of radioactive iodinated serum albumin, equilibration of this isotope within the vascular space, and the continuous measurement of isotope activity over selected anatomical areas before, during and following multiple human LBNP tests. Both rate and magnitude of vascular pooling were distinctly different within each of five selected lower body anatomical areas. In the upper body, all areas except the abdomen showed depletions from their resting vascular volumes during LBNP. The presence of uniquely different pooling patterns in the lower body, the apparent stability of abdominal vascular volumes, and a possible decrease in cerebral blood volume during LBNP represent the major findings of this study.

Wolthuis, R. A.↗

Computation of nonequilibrium three-dimensional inviscid flow over blunt-nosed bodies flying at supersonic speeds

A computer code based on the method of characteristics is described and applied to the study of two- and three-dimensional chemical nonequilibrium flow over sharp and blunt-nosed bodies. Nonequilibrium flow over a wedge is used to show the approach to equilibrium flow, and to demonstrate the nature of the reaction zone behind the bow shock wave. The structure and development of a blunt-body entropy layer in nonequilibrium flow is examined for a blunt cone at zero incidence. Three-dimensional computations for the space shuttle body at 30 deg angle of attack are presented. A nondimensional scaling parameter, the Damkoehler number, which is the ratio of flow time to chemical reaction time, is calculated and its significance discussed.

Rakich, J. V.↗

Use of numerically generated body-fitted coordinate systems for solution of the Navier-Stokes equations

A procedure for numerical solution of the time-dependent, two-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations that can treat the unsteady laminar flow about bodies of arbitrary shape, such as two-dimensional airfoils, multiple airfoils, and submerged hydrofoils, as naturally as it can deal with the flow about simple bodies. The solution is based on a method of automatic numerical generation of a general curvilinear coordinate system with coordinate lines coincident with all boundaries of a general multiconnected region containing any number of arbitrarily shaped bodies. The curvilinear coordinates are generated as the solution of two elliptical partial differential equations with Dirichlet boundary conditions, one coordinate being specified to be constant on each of the boundaries, and a distribution of the other being specified along the boundaries. The solution compares excellently with the Blasius boundary layer solution for the flow past a semiinfinite flat plate.

Thompson, J. F.↗

Self sterilization of bodies during outer planet entry

As a body encounters the atmosphere of an outer planet, whether accidentally or by plan, it will be subjected to heat loads which could result in high temperature conditions that render terrestrial organisms on or within the body non-viable. To determine whether an irregularly shaped entering body, consisting of several different materials, would be sterilized during inadvertent entry at high velocity, the thermal response of a typical outer planet spacecraft instrument was studied. The results indicate that the Teflon-insulated cable and electronic circuit boards may not experience sterilizing temperatures during a Jupiter, Saturn, or Titan entry. Another conclusion of the study is that small plastic particles entering Saturn from outer space have wider survival corridors than do those at Jupiter.

Hoffman, A. R.↗

Experimental aerodynamic characteristics for slender bodies with thin wings at angles of attack from 0 deg to 58 deg and Mach numbers from 0.6 to 2.0

An experimental investigation was conducted in the Ames 6-by-6-Foot Wind Tunnel to measure the static aerodynamic characteristics for bodies of circular and elliptic cross section with various thin flat-plate wings. Eighteen configuration combinations were tested at Mach numbers of 0.6, 0.9, 1.2, 1.5, and 2.0 at angles of attack from 0 deg to 58 deg. The data demonstrate that taper ratio and aspect ratio had only small effect on the aerodynamic characteristics, especially at the higher angles of attack. Undesirable side forces and yawing moments, which developed at angles of attack greater than about 25 deg, were generally no greater than those for the bodies tested alone. As for the bodies alone, the side forces and yawing moments increased as the nose fineness ratio increased and/or as the subsonic Mach number decreased.

Jorgensen, L. H.↗