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At least 1,189 records · Page 66

Analysis of aerothermal loads on spherical dome protuberances

Hypersonic flow over spherical dome protuberances was investigated to determine increased pressure and heating loads to the surface. The configuration was mathematically modeled in a time-dependant three-dimensional analysis of the conservation of mass, momentum (Navier-Stokes), and energy equations. A boundary mapping techique was used to obtain a rectangular parallelepiped computational domain, and a MacCormack explicit time-split predictor-corrector finite difference algorithm was used to obtain solutions. Results show local pressures and heating rates for domes one-half, one, and two boundary layer thicknesses high were increased by factors on the order of 1.4, 2, and 6, respectively. However, because lee-side pressure and thermal loads were reduced the two lower height domes did not experience any net increase in total loads. The total loads on the higher dome were increased by twenty-five percent. Flow over the lower dome was everywhere attached while flow over the intermediate dome had small windward and leeside separations. The higher dome had an unsteady windward separation region and a large leeside separation region. Trailing vortices form on all domes with intensity increasing with dome height. Discussions of applying the results to a thermally bowed thermal protection system are presented.

Olsen, G. C.↗

Supersonic loads due to shuttle-orbiter/external-tank attachment structures

A large variety of tests were conducted during development of the Space Shuttle to determine the strength, fatigue, and thermal characteristics of the thermal-protection system of the orbiter. The research and analysis carried out to accurately define and simulate the flow characteristics immediately ahead of the external tank attachment structures are described. The highest known acoustic pressure loads occur in these regions and tests to insure the ability of the titles to withstand these acoustic loads, plus those due to pressure gradient, were thought necessary. First flight-critical wind tunnel tests were therefore conducted in the Langley 8-Foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel (8-Ft. TPT), which simulated the time histories of Shuttle ascent loads on tile arrays bonded to structures which accurately duplicated those of the Shuttle. The time-varying free stream conditions were provided by controlling the deflection angle history of diffuser spoiler flaps in an automated way. Time histories of the critical load parameters imposed on the tile arrays in the tunnel are compared with those expected in flight.

Edwards, C. L. W.↗

Vibration response of geometrically nonlinear elastic beams to pulse and impact loading

The governing equations for the geometrically nonlinear deformation of elastic beams subjected to dynamic bending loads are developed and solved for various initial conditions. Of primary interest is the response to pulse loading and simulated impact. Both transient and several cycle solutions are generated for the free vibration response to pulse loading. The results obtained are compared to a first mode analysis approximation. A model is developed to simulate impact loading by the distribution of additional mass to the elastic system and subjecting it to a velocity pulse. The governing equations are solved using second order finite differences in space and time. The solutions obtained are in reasonable agreement with experimental results.

Liebowitz, H.↗

Flow processes in overexpanded chemical rocket nozzles. Part 2: Side loads due to asymmetric separation

Methods for measuring the lateral forces, occurring as a result of asymmetric nozzle flow separation, are discussed. The effect of some parameters on the side load is explained. A new method was developed for calculation of the side load. The values calculated are compared with side load data of the J-2 engine. Results are used for predicting side loads of the space shuttle main engine.

Schmucker, R. H.↗

Residual strength of five boron/aluminum laminates with crack-like notches after fatigue loading

Boron/aluminum specimens were made with crack-like slits in the center and with various proportions of 0 and + or - 45 deg plies. They were fatigue loaded and then fractured to determine their residual strengths. The fatigue loads were generally in the range of 60 to 80 percent of the static tensile strength of the specimen as determined from a previous study, and the stress ratio was .05. For virtually all of the specimens the fatigue loading was continued for 100,000 cycles. The specimens were radiographed after the fatigue loading to determine the nature of the fatigue damage. A few specimens were sectioned and examined in a scanning electron microscope after being radiographed in order to verify the interpretation of the radiographs and also to get a better insight into the nature of the fatigue damage. The results indicate that the fatiguing does not significantly affect the strength of the specimens tested. The results of the radiography and of the scanning electron microscopy indicate that the 45 deg plies suffer extensive damage in the form of split and broken fibers and matrix cracking in the vicinity of the ends of the split. By contrast, the only significant damage to the 0 deg plies was a single 0 deg matric crack growing from the ends of the slit and between the 0 deg fibers.

Simonds, R. A.↗

Load sequence effects on graphite/epoxy /+, -35/2s laminates

Load sequence effects on composite material fatigue behavior are due to the difference in residual strength when fatigue occurs, or the 'boundary effect', and the 'material money effect' due to previous loads. The present model, which allows the isolation of the effects of memory from those of boundary, has been investigated through a test program for the case of /+, -35/2s graphite/epoxy laminates under high-low and low-high load sequences which generated statistical residual strength data. As predicted by the model, the memory effect is present and a good correlation is obtained between test results and the theoretical predictions for both median residual strength and the expected percentage of fatigue failures under dual loading. It is noted, however, that the statistical dispersion of the residual strength test results is much smaller than that of the static ultimate strength.

Yang, J. N.↗

Performance of two load-limiting subfloor concepts in full-scale general aviation airplane crash tests

Three six-place, low wing, twin-engine general aviation airplane test specimens were crash tested at the langley Impact Dynamics research Facility under controlled free-flight conditions. One structurally unmodified airplane was the baseline airplane specimen for the test series. The other airplanes were structurally modified to incorporate load-limiting (energy-absorbing) subfloor concepts into the structure for full scale crash test evaluation and comparison to the unmodified airplane test results. Typically, the lowest floor accelerations and anthropomorphic dummy occupant responses, and the least seat crushing of standard and load-limiting seats, occurred in the modified load-limiting subfloor airplanes wherein the greatest structural crushing of the subfloor took place. The better performing of the two load-limiting subfloor concepts reduced the peak airplane floor accelerations at the pilot and four seat/occupant locations to -25 to -30 g's as compared to approximately -50 to -55 g's acceleration magnitude for the unmodified airplane structure.

Carden, H. D.↗

Smoothly Adjustable dc Load

Load circuit for testing dc power supplies adjusted without momentary interruptions typical of rheostat loads. Load current passes through power transistor and fixed resistor instead of wire-wound rheostat. In new circuit potentiometer used to adjust bias of power transistor and thereby adjust load. Components are standard, commercially available parts, mounted on transistor heat sink, forming compact package.

Patocka, C. G.↗

Full-scale crash-test evaluation of two load-limiting subfloors for general aviation airframes

Three six place, low wing, twin engine general aviation airplane test specimens were crash tested at the Langley Impact Dynamics Research Facility under controlled free flight conditions. One structurally unmodified airplane was the base line specimen for the test series. The other two airplanes were structurally modified to incorporate load limiting (energy absorbing) subfloor concepts into the structure for full scale crash test evaluation and for comparison with the unmodified airplane test results. Typically, the lowest floor accelerations, the lowest anthropomorphic dummy responses, and the least seat crushing of standard and load limiting seats occurred in the airplanes modified with load limiting subfloors, wherein the greatest structural crushing of the subfloor took place. The better performing of the two load limiting subfloor concepts reduced the peak airplane floor accelerations to -25g to -30g as compared with approximately -40g to -55g for the unmodified airplane structure.

Carden, H. D.↗

Downwash in the plane of symmetry of an elliptically loaded wing

A closed-form solution for the downwash in the plane of symmetry of an elliptically loaded line is given. This theoretical result is derived from Prandtl's lifting-line theory and assumes that: (1) a three-dimensional wing can be replaced by a straight lifting line, (2) this line is elliptically loaded, and (3) the trailing wake is a flat-sheet which does not roll up. The first assumption is reasonable for distances greater than about 1 chord from the wing aerodynamic center. The second assumption is satisfied by any combination of wing twist, spanwise camber variation, or planform that approximates elliptic loading. The third assumption is justified only for high-aspect-ratio wings at low lift coefficients and downstream distances less than about 1 span from the aerodynamic center. It is shown, however, that assuming the wake to be fully rolled up gives downwash values reasonably close to those of the flat-sheet solution derived in this paper. The wing can therefore be modeled as a single horseshoe vortex with the same lift and total circulation as the equivalent ellipticity loaded line, and the predicted downwash will be a close approximation independent of aspect ratio and lift coefficient. The flat-sheet equation and the fully rolled up wake equation are both one-line formulas that predict the upwash field in front of the wing, as well as the downwash field behind it. These formulas are useful for preliminary estimates of the complex aerodynamic interaction between two wings (i.e., canard, tandem wing, and conventional aircraft) including the effects of gap and stagger.

Phillips, J. D.↗

Analysis of the surface load and radiated sound of a vibrating airfoil with application to the experiment of Brooks

A method is developed for calculating the surface load and radiated sound from a vibrating surface in a compressible viscous fluid. The method is applied to a thin two-dimensional elliptic cross-section. For large values of the viscous diffusion parameter, the surface load tends to an elliptic distribution in agreement with the results of inviscid theory when edge pressure continuity is enforced. For thin surfaces, the surface load is insensitive to variations in the thickness ratio. A three-dimensional spectral technique is developed to calculate the inviscid surface load and radiated sound from a thin vibrating airfoil. The inviscid theory predicts the correct form of the far field sound pressure and its phase. The actual levels are somewhat sensitive to the choice of theoretical spanwise surface pressure mode but are in better agreement with the experiment than the surface pressure. The comparison of theoretical and experimental surface pressure indicates that the viscous theory, used to validate the inviscid theory, is either inadequate or there is a source of experimental error.

Yates, J. E.↗

A system-level mathematical model for evaluation of power train performance of load-leveled electric-vehicles

The power train performance of load leveled electric vehicles can be compared with that of nonload leveled systems by use of a simple mathematical model. This method of measurement involves a number of parameters including the degree of load leveling and regeneration, the flywheel mechanical to electrical energy fraction, and efficiencies of the motor, generator, flywheel, and transmission. Basic efficiency terms are defined and representative comparisons of a variety of systems are presented. Results of the study indicate that mechanical transfer of energy into and out of the flywheel is more advantageous than electrical transfer. An optimum degree of load leveling may be achieved in terms of the driving cycle, battery characteristics, mode of mechanization, and the efficiency of the components. For state of the art mechanically coupled flyheel systems, load leveling losses can be held to a reasonable 10%; electrically coupled systems can have losses that are up to six times larger. Propulsion system efficiencies for mechanically coupled flywheel systems are predicted to be approximately the 60% achieved on conventional nonload leveled systems.

Purohit, G. P.↗

Composite Loads Spectra for Select Space Propulsion Structural Components

Rocket engine technology continues to demand higher performance with lighter weight components that have man-rated reliability requirements. These requirements have yielded higher operating pressures, temperatures, and transient effects as well as markedly increased mechanical vibration and flow-related loads. The difficulty in installation, cost, and potential for destroying an engine severely limited the required instrumentation and measurements to adequately define loads of key components such as turbine blades. Also, accurate analytical methodologies for defining internal flow-related loads are just emerging for problems typically found in rocket engines. The difficulty of obtained measured data and verified analysis methodologies has led to the probabilistic load definition approach.

Newell, J. F.↗

Dynamic loads analyses of flexible airplanes - New and existing techniques

This paper reviews existing techniques for calculating dynamic loads for flexible airplanes and presents a new technique. The new technique involves the summation-of-forces method of writing dynamic loads equations. Until now this form of the dynamic loads equations has been formulated in the frequency domain. The new technique uses s-plane approximation methods (previously applied only to the equations of motion) to transform the dynamic loads equations from a second-order frequency-domain formulation with frequency-dependent coefficients into a linear-time-invariant state-space formulation. Several numerical examples demonstrate the usefulfness of the new technique and the high quality of the results. In addition, a convergence investigation establishes that the summation-of-forces method converges more quickly (that is, with fewer modes) than does the mode displacement method.

Pototzky, A. S.↗

Gear mesh stiffness and load sharing in planetary gearing

An interactive computerized analysis was developed for determining load sharing among planetary gears. The load sharing is established as a function of transmitted torque, degree of sun gear fixity, component flexibility, gear tooth quality, and phasing of individual planet gears. A nonlinear variable gear tooth mesh stiffness model was used to simulate the sun/plant and planet/ring gear meshes. The determined load sharing and gear mesh stiffness parameters then can be used for the subsequent assessment of dynamic load factors.

Kasuba, R.↗

Mars - Thickness of the lithosphere from the tectonic response to volcanic loads

The response to loading of the elastic lithosphere of Mars by seven large volcanic features is estimated based on the hypothesis of a flexural origin for a definable set of load-concentric graben. From the locations of such graben, or from their absence, the lithospheric thickness and flexural rigidity are inferred. For the Tharsis montes, Alba Patera, and Elysium Mons, elastic lithospheric thicknesses at the time of loading range from 20 to 50 km, assuming a Young's modulus of a trillion dyn/sq cm. The thickness exceeded 120 km beneath Olympus Mons and Isidis Planitia. The corresponding ranges in flexural rigidity are approximately 10 to the 30th to 31st dyn cm and greater than 10 to the 32nd dyn cm, respectively. These results indicate a local thinning of the lithosphere beneath portions of the central regions of the Tharsis and Elysium volcanic provinces at the time of loading-induced fracturing.

Comer, R. P.↗

Tissue fluid shift, forelimb loading, and tail tension in tail-suspended rats

The tail suspension model (head-down tilt) simulates hypogravity in terms of musculoskeletal loss in the rat. However, little is known of tissue fluid shifts and body weight distribution in this model. Tissue fluid pressures were measured by wick catheters in 12 Munich-Wistar rats before, during, and after 48 hrs of tail suspension (about 30 deg head-down tilt). Subcutaneous tissue fluid pressure in the neck increased from -2.2 + or - 0.4 (normal horizontal position) to +4.0 + or - 1.5 cm H2O during tail suspension, indicating a cephalic fluid shift and significant edema during head-down tilt. In a separate study, six rats were suspended at 30-70 deg, and forelimb load and tail tension were measured by a balance and force transducer, respectively. Approximately 50 percent of body weight (BW) was loaded on forelimbs at a head-down tilt angle of 30 deg and forelimb load declined linearly to 10 percent BW at 70 deg. Furthermore, tail tension increased from 50 percent BW at 30 deg to 85 percent BW at 70 deg. These results indicate that less than normal loads are applied to forelimbs of rats suspended at angles of less than 30 deg and that the tail bears an increasing proportion of the rat's body weight at head-down tilt angles of less than 30 deg.

Hargens, A. R.↗

Transfer Mechanisms for Heavy Loads

Soft hydraulic system gently maneuvers loads. Upper and lower load-transfer mechanisms attach through mounting holes in vertical beam adjustable or gross positioning. Fine positioning of load accomplished by hydraulic cylinders that move trunnion support and trunnion clamp through short distances. Useful in transferring large loads in railroads, agriculture, shipping, manufacturing, and even precision assembly of large items.

Cassisi, V.↗