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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 1,099 records · Page 61
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1991

Development of advanced modal methods for calculating transient thermal and structural response

Higher-order modal methods for predicting thermal and structural response are evaluated. More accurate methods or ones which can significantly reduce the size of complex, transient thermal and structural problems are desirable for analysis and are required for synthesis of real structures subjected to thermal and mechanical loading. A unified method is presented for deriving successively higher-order modal solutions related to previously-developed, lower-order methods such as the mode displacement and mode-acceleration methods. A new method, called the force-derivative method, is used to obtain higher-order modal solutions for both uncoupled (proportionally-damped) structural problems as well as thermal problems and coupled (non-proportionally damped) structural problems. The new method is called the force-derivative method because, analogous to the mode-acceleration method, it produces a term that depends on the forcing function and additional terms that depend on the time derivatives of the forcing function.

Camarda, Charles J.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Relative reactivity of ribosyl 2'-OH vs. 3'-OH in concentrated aqueous solutions of phosphoimidazolide activated nucleotides

Phosphoimidazolide activated ribomononucleotides (*pN, see structure) are useful substrates for the non-enzymatic synthesis of oligonucleotides. In the presence of metal ions, aqueous solutions of *pN yield primarily the two internucleotide-linked (pN2' pN and pN3' pN) and the pyrophosphate-linked (N5' ppN) dimers. Small amounts of cyclic dimers and higher oligomers are also produced. In this study the relative reactivity of 2'-OH vs. 3'-OH was determined from the ratio of the yields of pN2' pN vs. pN3' pN. Experiments were performed at 23 degrees C in the range 7.2 < or = pH < or = 8.4 with substrates that differ in nucleobase (guanosine (G), cytidine (C), uridine (U), and adenosine (A)) and leaving group (imidazole (Im), 2-methylimidazole (2-MeIm) and 2,4-dimethylimidazole (2,4-diMeIm)). Two metal ions (Mg2+ or Mn2+) were employed as catalysts. The conditions used here, i.e. a substrate concentration in the range 0.1 M to 1.0 M and metal ion concentration in the range 0.05 M to 0.2 M, favor base-stacking interactions. The ratio pN2' pN: pN3' pN = 2'-5': 3'-5' was found independent of nucleobase and typically varied between 2 to 3 indicating that the 2'-OH is about 2 to 3 times more reactive than the 3'-OH. *pN with Im, compared to 2-MeIm and 2,4-diMeIm leaving group, produce lower yields of internucleotide linked dimers, and a higher pN2' pN: pN3' pN ratio. Trends in the data, observed with all three leaving groups, suggest an increase in pN2' pN: pN3' pN ratio with decreasing substrate concentration (up to 5.47 with 0.051 M ImpG). The observations are in accord with earlier studies reporting a relative reactivity 2'-5': 3'-5' = 6 to 9 obtained with Im as the leaving group, in dilute nucleotide solutions and under conditions that disfavor stacking. It is speculated that the concentration induced change in the relative reactivity is the result of self-association via base-stacking that enhances selectively the proximity of the 3'-OH of one molecule to the reactive P-N bond of an other molecule. The implication of these conclusions for oligomerization/ligation reactions is discussed.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗
DOE OSTI2026

Signatures of Thermoreversible Associations in X-ray and Neutron Scattering from Dilute Polyzwitterion Solutions

In aqueous solutions of polyzwitterions (PZs), an interplay between dipole–dipole interactions and hydration of zwitterionic groups can lead to thermoreversible associations, which have been difficult to detect in experiments. Here, in this study, we investigated dilute aqueous solutions of poly(1-(3-sulphonatopropyl)-2-vinylpyridinium) (P2VPPS) using small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS and SANS) to probe the structure and neutron spin-echo (NSE) spectroscopy to probe dynamics. The SAXS and SANS data show that the correlation length increases with an increase in the concentration of P2VPPS for three different molecular weights. The addition of 0.1 M NaCl to one of the solutions led to almost no dependence of the correlation length on the concentration. Such a concentration dependence of the correlation length suggests the formation of clusters driven by thermoreversible associations in the solutions. The NSE measurements show that the solutions with a larger correlation length display slower relaxation, reflecting the reduced mobility of larger clusters. These results should be considered as signatures of thermoreversible associations in the solutions of P2VPPS. To establish a quantitative link between local structure (clusters) and dynamics in dilute solutions of P2VPPS, we combined a thermoreversible gelation theory for the structure of PZ solutions (Li, S.-F.; Muthukumar, M. Theory of Thermoreversible Gelation and Anomalous Concentration Fluctuations in Polyzwitterion Solutions. J. Chem. Phys. 2024, 161, 024903) with a model for the dynamics of the clusters (generalized Zimm model), developed in this work. Using such a theoretical framework, we have predicted the distribution of clusters in the solutions probed with SANS and SAXS. With the distributions, the generalized Zimm model has been used to extract the diffusion constant of the clusters and their characteristic size from the NSE data, where the latter agrees with the values estimated from the SAXS/SANS data. These findings confirm the presence of thermoreversible associations and establish a quantitative link between local structure (clusters) and dynamics in dilute solutions of P2VPPS. Furthermore, with growing interest in technological applications, this work can provide useful insights into the structural and dynamical properties of other PZ solutions.

field theory↗
NASA NTRS1976

A simple solution of sound transmission through an elastic wall to a rectangular enclosure, including wall damping and air viscosity effects

A simple solution to the problem of the acoustical coupling between a rectangular structure, its air content, and an external noise source is presented. This solution is a mathematical expression for the normalized acoustic pressure inside the structure. Numerical results for the sound-pressure response for a specified set of parameters are also presented.

Nahavandi, A. N.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Apollo experience report: Spacecraft structural windows

The window structural design and verification experience is presented for the Apollo command and lunar modules. This report presents window design philosophy, design criteria, hardware description, and qualification and acceptance test programs and discusses the problems encountered and solutions developed in these areas. The structural characteristics of glass are not generally well understood by designers. The optics and instrument glass covers were not considered to be structural components and thus were not normally subjected to the design, qualification, and acceptance standards necessary to preclude failures. These two factors contributed significantly to window problems on both Apollo spacecraft.

Pigg, O. E.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Eigensensitivity analysis for space structures with applications in design optimization

An approximate structural eigenvalue/vector analysis technique which uses eigensensitivities in a truncated Taylor series expression is presented. It is shown that this technique can provide the computational efficiency urgently needed for large scale control-structure optimization problems. In addition, a unified formulation and solution approach for calculating eigenvalue and eigenvector derivatives of the real symmetric structural eigenvalue problem is presented.

Kenny, Sean P.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Evolution of intermetallic phases in an Al–Si–Ti alloy during solution treatment

A cast Al–Si–Ti alloy was solution treated at 540 °C for different periods between 0 and 72 h to understand the evolution of intermetallic phases. Only an (Al,Si) 3 Ti intermetallic phase with a low Si content was found in the as-cast alloy. The (Al,Si) 3 Ti particles were converted partly into a lamellar structure, a eutectoid phase, consisting of a Si-rich phase and an Al phase during solution treatment. The amount of the lamellar structure increased with the solution treatment time, but the composition of either constitute was kept almost unchanged regardless of the solution treatment times. The lamellar Si-rich phase is (Al,Si) 2 Ti (τ 2 ) with a TiSi 2 (C49-type) structure based on thermodynamic calculations and high-resolution TEM analyses. FCC Al phase is the product residing between the τ 2 lamellae after the completion of transformation from (Al,Si) 3 Ti to τ 2 phase. A near-rational orientation relationship (OR) between the Al and τ 2 phases is determined as Al [110]//τ 2 [100], Al ()//τ 2 [060]. The phase transformation from (Al,Si) 3 Ti to τ 2 being a result of the diffusion of Ti and Si within the original (Al,Si) 3 Ti particulates as well as the Si diffusion from the Al matrix during solution treatment is proposed. The formation of the lamellar structure in the microstructure is attributed mainly to the limited diffusivity of Ti element.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Flow Boiling in Additive Manufactured Foam Structures With Vapor Pathways

Abstract The unique properties of metal foams make them potential candidates for a range of applications, including microsystem thermal management. Using additive manufacturing to create foam-type structures can improve upon prior thermal solutions by eliminating thermal interface materials and allowing for customization/local control of parameters. In the present investigation, flow boiling in additive-manufactured metal foams is investigated both experimentally and numerically. Two test samples, one with uniform structure and the other with pathways for vapor removal, are compared both experimentally and numerically. A conjugate computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer (CFD-HT) model utilizing a three-dimensional volume of fluid (VOF) model with accompanying evaporation/condensation model provided in-depth visualization of the boiling flow phenomena. The experiments generated the thermohydraulic performance over a range of heat fluxes, demonstrating that the sample incorporating dedicated vapor pathways performed better in both pressure and heat transfer performance metrics compared to the uniform foam. Additionally, negative system-level effects (i.e., hydraulic oscillations) were shown to be abated using the vapor removal structures. The numerical model yielded further insight into the factors contributing to the improved performance. Results indicated the pathways functioned as vapor removal channels, allowing the generated vapor to vent from the foam structure into the lanes. Further computational investigations demonstrated changes in flow regimes, where the addition of vapor channels caused the flow to change from churn to annular. Bubble behavior unique to the vapor pathway structure was studied, showing stagnant regions that eject vapor into the channel.

Engineering↗
NASA NTRS1999

A Generalized Wall Function

The asymptotic solutions, described by Tennekes and Lumley (1972), for surface flows in a channel, pipe or boundary layer at large Reynolds numbers are revisited. These solutions can be extended to more complex flows such as the flows with various pressure gradients, zero wall stress and rough surfaces, etc. In computational fluid dynamics (CFD), these solutions can be used as the boundary conditions to bridge the near-wall region of turbulent flows so that there is no need to have the fine grids near the wall unless the near-wall flow structures are required to resolve. These solutions are referred to as the wall functions. Furthermore, a generalized and unified law of the wall which is valid for whole surface layer (including viscous sublayer, buffer layer and inertial sublayer) is analytically constructed. The generalized law of the wall shows that the effect of both adverse and favorable pressure gradients on the surface flow is very significant. Such as unified wall function will be useful not only in deriving analytic expressions for surface flow properties but also bringing a great convenience for CFD methods to place accurate boundary conditions at any location away from the wall. The extended wall functions introduced in this paper can be used for complex flows with acceleration, deceleration, separation, recirculation and rough surfaces.

Shih, Tsan-Hsing↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Understanding Dynamic Challenges of In-Space Modular Assembly and Reconfiguration of Flexible Structures from Early Efforts

A review of 1980s to early 2010s research supporting and documenting successful missions for on-orbit assembly of large space structures was conducted to bring together flexible space structure dynamics challenges and progress toward solutions. Research in this period focused on issues ranging from ground validation via unique test beds to in-space modal characterization and model adjustment. The phased assembly of the International Space Station (ISS), along with its evolving structural loads and dynamics, provides the central example, with ground and on-orbit tests of other systems providing contributing and contrasting examples of potential value for researchers facing today’s challenges.

Modal Space Testing↗
DOE OSTI2026

Multigroup Thermal Radiation Transport with Tensor Trains

We investigate the application of tensor-train (TT) algorithms to multigroup thermal radiation transport (i.e., photon radiation transport). The TT framework enables simulations at discretizations that might otherwise be computationally infeasible on conventional hardware. We show that solutions to certain multigroup problems possess an intrinsic low-rank structure, which the TT representation leverages effectively. This enables us to solve problems where the discretized solution size exceeds a trillion parameters on a single node. The solver is evaluated on a range of test problems with varying levels of complexity, consistently achieving compression factors greater than 100× and speedups exceeding 2×. We also investigate alternative TT topologies by analyzing the low-rank structure of the merged spatio-spectral core to assess the potential for greater compression. This analysis suggests that compression gains could increase by factors as large as 7. Our results indicate that the low-rank structure of the merged spatio-spectral core captures the spatio-spectral complexity of the solution, largely driven by the opacity structure of the medium. Beyond identifying opportunities for improved compression, this analysis highlights the types of errors that may arise in angle-integrated quantities when exploiting this low-rank structure.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Hybrid-Lipid Bilayers Induce n -Alkyl-Chain Order in Reversed-Phase Chromatographic Surfaces, Impacting their Shape Selectivity for Aromatic Hydrocarbon Partitioning

Shape selectivity is important in reversed-phase liquid chromatographic separations, where stationary phases are capable of separating geometric isomers, thereby resolving solutes based on their three-dimensional structure or shape rather than other chemical differences. Numerous chromatographic studies have been carried out using n-alkyl-chain-modified columns to understand how molecular shape affects retention. For polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), it was found that planar compounds were selectively retained over non-planar structures of comparable molecular weight on surfaces with longer n-alkyl chains, higher chain-density, or at lower temperatures, where selectivity likely arises with greater ordering of the n-alkyl chains. A limitation of these studies, however, is the small range of chain ordering that can be achieved and lack of a direct measure of the n-alkyl-chain order of the stationary phases. In this work, we employ a C 18 stationary phase modified with a monolayer of phospholipid as a means of significantly varying the n-alkyl chain order. These hybrid-supported lipid bilayers, which have previously been employed as membrane-like stationary phases for measuring lipophilicity, provide a unique approach to control n-alkyl chain ordering by varying the acyl chain length and degree of unsaturation of the phospholipid modifier. The degree of alkyl-chain order of the resulting modified surfaces is determined from the ratio of trans- versus gauche-conformers, measured in situ within individual porous particles by confocal Raman microscopy. This methodology was also used to assess the affinity of these surfaces for planar versus non-planar PAH molecules. The retention selectivity for the planar versus non-planar compounds, thus determined, was found to vary significantly and systematically with the degree of order of the acyl/alkyl chains in the hybrid-supported lipid bilayers. Furthermore, the investigation also demonstrates the utility of confocal Raman microscopy for interrogating the impact of solute partitioning on stationary-phase structure within porous chromatographic particles.

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

Navier-Stokes solutions about the F/A-18 wing-LEX-fuselage configuration with multi-block structured grids

Three-dimensional thin-layer Navier-Stokes computations are presented for the F/A-18 configuration. The modeled configuration includes an accurate surface representation of the fuselage, leading-edge-extension, as well as the wing with and without leading-edge-flap deflection. A multi-block structured volume grid with various topologies is generated using transfinite interpolation technique. The flowfield domain is divided into twenty blocks, each representing a particular geometrical complexity of the configuration. The results are obtained from an algorithm for solving the compressible Navier-Stokes equations that incorporates an upwind-biased, flux-difference-splitting approach. In addition, a newly developed capability that allows for generalized surface patching among blocks is employed. Turbulent results are presented for flow conditions that correspond to recent NASA F/A-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle flight experiments. Good correlations between the computations and the flight test results are disclosed for both surface flow patterns as well as surface pressure distributions.

Ghaffari, Farhad↗
NASA NTRS1977

Theoretical aspects of tidal and planetary wave propagation at thermospheric heights

A simple semiquantitative model is presented which allows analytic solutions of tidal and planetary wave propagation at thermospheric heights. This model is based on perturbation approximation and mode separation. The effects of viscosity and heat conduction are parameterized by Rayleigh friction and Newtonian cooling. Because of this simplicity, one gains a clear physical insight into basic features of atmospheric wave propagation. In particular, we discuss the meridional structures of pressure and horizontal wind (the solutions of Laplace's equation) and their modification due to dissipative effects at thermospheric heights. Furthermore, we solve the equations governing the height structure of the wave modes and arrive at a very simple asymptotic solution valid in the upper part of the thermosphere. That 'system transfer function' of the thermosphere allows one to estimate immediately the reaction of the thermospheric wave mode parameters such as pressure, temperature, and winds to an external heat source of arbitrary temporal and spatial distribution. Finally, the diffusion effects of the minor constituents due to the global wind circulation are discussed, and some results of numerical calculations are presented.

Volland, H.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Advanced multimaterial shape optimization methods as applied to advanced manufacturing of wind turbine generators

Abstract Currently, many utility‐scale wind turbine generator original equipment manufacturers are dependent on imported rare earth permanent magnets, which are susceptible to market risks from cost instability. To lower the production costs of these generators and stay competitive in the market, several small wind manufacturers are pursuing continuous improvements to both generator design and manufacturing. However, traditional design and manufacturing methods have yielded marginal improvements in wind power performance. This work presents novel methods to redesign a baseline 15‐kW wind turbine generator with reduced rare‐earth permanent magnets by leveraging cutting‐edge three‐dimensional (3D) printed polymer‐bonded permanent magnets and steel. Symmetric, asymmetric, and multimaterial‐magnet parametrization methods are introduced for shape optimization. We extend the symmetric and asymmetric methods to the back iron in the stator to further investigate the impact and opportunities for performance improvements with lesser active materials. We employ a design‐of‐experiments approach with parametric computer‐aided design for shape generation and evaluate different designs by magneto‐thermal modeling and finite‐element analysis. We use adaptive sampling technique to identify better performing designs with lesser magnet mass, higher efficiency, and lower cogging torque when compared with the baseline generator. Asymmetric pole designs resulted in a magnet mass in the range of 4.77–5.37 kg, which was 27%–35% lighter than the baseline generator, suggesting that a new design freedom exists that can be enabled by advanced manufacturing, such as 3D printing. Shaping the back iron in the stator resulted in material savings in electrical steel of up to 14.62 kg, which was 20% lighter than the baseline stator. We conducted a structural analysis to evaluate an optimized asymmetric rotor design from the point of view of mechanical integrity and air‐gap stiffness. The magnetically optimal shape profile was shown as having a positive impact on the radial stiffness, and an optimal solution was discovered to reduce the structural mass by nearly 30 kg, which was 29% lighter than the baseline.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1982

Natural convection in melt crystal growth - The influence of flow pattern on solute segregation

The results of two lines of research aimed at calculating the structure of the flows driven by buoyancy in small-scale crystal growth systems and at understanding the coupling between these flows, the shape of the solidification interface, and dopant segregation in the crystal are reviewed. First, finite-element methods are combined with computer-aided methods for detecting multiple steady solutions to analyze the structure of the buoyancy-driven axisymmetric flows in a vertical cylinder heated from below. This system exhibits onset of convection, multiple steady flows, and loss of the primary stable flow beyond a critical value of the Rayleigh number. Second, results are presented for calculations of convection, melt/solid interface shape, and dopant segregation within a vertical ampoule with thermal boundary conditions that represent a prototype of the vertical Bridgman growth system.

Brown, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1995

An accuracy assessment of Cartesian-mesh approaches for the Euler equations

A critical assessment of the accuracy of Cartesian-mesh approaches for steady, transonic solutions of the Euler equations of gas dynamics is made. An exact solution of the Euler equations (Ringleb's flow) is used not only to infer the order of the truncation error of the Cartesian-mesh approaches, but also to compare the magnitude of the discrete error directly to that obtained with a structured mesh approach. Uniformly and adaptively refined solutions using a Cartesian-mesh approach are obtained and compared to each other and to uniformly refined structured mesh results. The effect of cell merging is investigated as well as the use of two different K-exact reconstruction procedures. The solution methodology of the schemes is explained and tabulated results are presented to compare the solution accuracies.

Coirier, William J.↗