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At least 1,225 records · Page 68

Passive Magnetic Bearing With Ferrofluid Stabilization

A new class of magnetic bearings is shown to exist analytically and is demonstrated experimentally. The class of magnetic bearings utilize a ferrofluid/solid magnet interaction to stabilize the axial degree of freedom of a permanent magnet radial bearing. Twenty six permanent magnet bearing designs and twenty two ferrofluid stabilizer designs are evaluated. Two types of radial bearing designs are tested to determine their force and stiffness utilizing two methods. The first method is based on the use of frequency measurements to determine stiffness by utilizing an analytical model. The second method consisted of loading the system and measuring displacement in order to measure stiffness. Two ferrofluid stabilizers are tested and force displacement curves are measured. Two experimental test fixtures are designed and constructed in order to conduct the stiffness testing. Polynomial models of the data are generated and used to design the bearing prototype. The prototype was constructed and tested and shown to be stable. Further testing shows the possibility of using this technology for vibration isolation. The project successfully demonstrated the viability of the passive magnetic bearing with ferrofluid stabilization both experimentally and analytically.

Jansen, Ralph↗

Piezoelectric Bolt Breakers and Bolt Fatigue Testers

A proposed family of devices for inducing fatigue in bolts in order to break the bolts would incorporate piezoelectric actuators into resonant fixtures as in ultrasonic/ sonic drills/corers and similar devices described in numerous prior NASA Tech Briefs articles. These devices were originally intended primarily for use as safer, more-reliable, more-versatile alternatives to explosive bolts heretofore used to fasten spacecraft structures that must subsequently be separated from each other quickly on command during flight. On Earth, these devices could be used for accelerated fatigue testing of bolts. Fatigue theory suggests that a bolt subjected to both a constant-amplitude dynamic (that is, oscillatory) stress and a static tensile stress below the ultimate strength of the bolt material will fail faster than will a bolt subjected to only the dynamic stress. This suggestion would be applied in a device of the proposed type. The device would be designed so that the device and the bolt to be fatigue-tested or broken would be integral parts of an assembly (see figure). The static tension in the tightened bolt would apply not only the clamping force to hold the joined structures (if any) together but also the compression necessary for proper operation of the piezoelectric actuators as parts of a resonant structural assembly. The constant-amplitude dynamic stress would be applied to the bolt by driving the piezoelectric actuators with a sinusoidal voltage at the resonance frequency of longitudinal vibration of the assembly. The amplitude of the excitation would be made large enough so that the vibration would induce fatigue in the bolt within an acceptably short time. In the spacecraft applications or in similar terrestrial structural-separation applications, devices of the proposed type would offer several advantages over explosive bolts: Unlike explosive bolts, the proposed devices would be reusable, could be tested before final use, and would not be subject to catastrophic misfire. In fatigue-testing applications, devices of the proposed type would offer advantages of compactness and low cost, relative to conventional fatigue- testing apparatuses. In both structural- separation and fatigue-testing applications, bolts to be broken or tested could be instrumented with additional ultrasonic transducers for monitoring of pertinent physical properties and of fatigue failure processes.

Sherrit, Stewart↗

Structural, Optical, Dielectric, and Magnetic Characteristics of Nd Ions Substituted BaFe{sub 11}(Sn{sub 0.5}Mg{sub 0.5}){sub x}O{sub 19} M-Type Hexaferrite via Co-precipitation

Nanoparticles (NPs) of barium hexaferrite were synthesized by a chemical co-precipitation technique in an aqueous solution with a nominal composition of BaFe{sub 11}(Sn{sub 0.5}Mg{sub 0.5}){sub 1−x}Nd{sub x}O{sub 19} (x = 0, 0.5, 1). XRD and FTIR analyses were performed to study the crystal structure of the magnetic powders (MPs) in order to obtain details on the hexaferrite structure. Grain morphology and elemental composition were assessed by SEM and EDS, respectively, and nano-sized hexagonal platelet-like structures in all MPs were demonstrated. All of the structural parameters such as “a”, “c”, V{sub (cell)} and D{sub x} have been altered with successful incorporation of Nd into hexagonal lattices, thereby the band gap E{sub g} first increased x ≤ 0.5 then decreased up to x = 1 (i.e., drawn via a Tauc plot) from 1.53–1.82 eV. The measurements of dielectric properties depict relaxation behavior at higher frequencies. The dielectric measurements increase with increased hexaferrite. Furthermore, the magnetic properties of all MPs were examined by VSM at room temperature (RT). The saturation magnetization (M{sub s}), remnant magnetization (M{sub r}), and coercivity (H{sub c}) were linearly decreased by the SnMg content, whereas an increasing trend appeared with the additional Nd content. However, the squareness ratio increased with an increase in the content (x). These outcomes make this substitution an excellent candidate for multiple applications such as optical, electrical-based devices, circulators, and recording materials. .

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Infrared spectra of molecules and materials of astrophysical interest

The vibrational spectra from 4000 to 33 cm-1 of several modecules which may be present in the atmosphere of the Jovian planets are studied to provide vibrational frequencies which can be used to: (1) determine the composition of the cloud covers of several of the planets; (2) provide structural information under favorable circumstances; (3) provide necessary data from which accurate thermodynamic data can be calculated; and (4) furnish information as to the nature of the potential energy function of the molecules and forces acting within them. Some of the molecules are produced photochemically from methane, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide which are thought to be constituents of the planets with reducing atmospheres. Some of the compounds polymerize under ultraviolet radiation and drop out of the atmospheres. However, planets with a hot base, like that of Jupiter, may rebuild molecules destroyed photochemically.

Durig, J. R.↗

Infrared spectra of molecules and materials of astrophysical interest

The vibrational spectra from 4,000 to 33/cm of several molecules which may be present in the atmosphere of the Jovian planets or exist in outer space were studied. These studies have been made to provide vibrational frequencies which can be used to: (1) determine the composition of the cloud covers of several of the planets, (2) provide structural information under favorable circumstances, (3) provide necessary data from which accurate thermodynamic data can be calculated, and (4) furnish information as to the nature of the potential energy function of the molecules and forces acting within them. Some of the molecules studied can be produced photochemically from methane, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide which are thought to be constituents of the planets with reducing atmospheres. Some of the compounds will polymerize under ultraviolet radiation and drop out of the atmospheres. However, planets with a hot base, like that of Jupiter, may rebuild molecules destroyed photochemically. These criteria were used in selecting the compounds under study.

Durig, J. R.↗

The role of rotor impedance in the vibration analysis of rotorcraft, part 4

A method for a strongly idealized case of vertical excitation and for rolling and pitching moment excitation of a four bladed hingeless rotor on an up-focussing flexible mount is developed. The aeroelastic rotor impedances are computed directly with a finite blade element method that includes aerodynamics. The rotor impedance matrix for three or more blades is determined from the root moment impedance for a single blade by a simple multiblade transformation rule. Force and moment amplitudes transferred from the rotor to support are found to be critically dependent on the support dynamics.

Hohenemser, K. H.↗

Mean velocity and decay characteristics of the guidevane and stator blade wake of an axial flow compressor

Pure tone noise, blade row vibrations, and aerodynamic losses are phenomena which are influenced by stator and IGV (inlet guide vane) blade wake production, decay, and interaction in an axial-flow compressor. The objective of this investigation is to develop a better understanding of the nature of stator and IGV blade wakes that are influenced by the presence of centrifugal forces due to flow curvature. A single sensor hot wire probe was employed to determine the three mean velocity components of stator and IGV wakes of a single stage compressor. These wake profiles indicated a varying decay rate of the tangential and axial wake velocity components and a wake profile similarity. An analysis, which predicts this trend, has been developed. The radial velocities are found to be appreciable in both IGV and the stator wakes.

Lakshminarayana, B.↗

Nonlinear rotordynamics analysis

Three analytic consequences of the nonlinear Jeffcott equations are examined. The primary application of these analyses is directed toward understanding the excessive vibrations recorded in the Liquid Oxygen (LOX) pump of the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) during hot firing ground testing. The first task is to provide bounds on the coefficients of the equations which delimit the two cases of numerical solution as a circle or an annulus. The second task examines the mathematical generalization to multiple forcing functions, which includes the special problems of mass imbalance, side force, rubbing, and combination of these forces. Finally, stability and boundedness of the steady-state solutions is discussed and related to the corresponding linear problem.

Day, W. B.↗

Spacecraft Dynamics and Control Program at AFRPL

A number of future DOD and NASA spacecraft such as the space based radar will be not only an order of magnitude larger in dimension than the current spacecraft, but will exhibit extreme structural flexibility with very low structural vibration frequencies. Another class of spacecraft (such as the space defense platforms) will combine large physical size with extremely precise pointing requirement. Such problems require a total departure from the traditional methods of modeling and control system design of spacecraft where structural flexibility is treated as a secondary effect. With these problems in mind, the Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory (AFRPL) initiated research to develop dynamics and control technology so as to enable the future large space structures (LSS). AFRPL's effort in this area can be subdivided into the following three overlapping areas: (1) ground experiments, (2) spacecraft modeling and control, and (3) sensors and actuators. Both the in-house and contractual efforts of the AFRPL in LSS are summarized.

Das, A.↗

Predicted and measured strain responses of isotropic panels to base excitation

The accuracy of classical linear theory for predicting acceleration and strain for cantilevered and Clamped-Free-Clamped-Free (C-F-C-F) panels excited through the base is studied. Aluminum, steel and titanium plates of various dimensions and thicknessess were vibration tested, using a broadband random signal applied through a shaker mounting fixture. The strains were measured at 9 locations on the cantilevered panels and at 5 locations on the C-F-C-F panels. Predictions were based on the Ritz method. The measured accelerations of the base were input to the analysis for the forcing function. Comparisons between predicted and measured strain acceleration spectra were within an average error of 20 percent for both the cantilevered and C-F-C-F panels.

Lyle, Karen H.↗

Nondestructive Structural Damage Detection in Flexible Space Structures Using Vibration Characterization

Spacecraft are susceptible to structural damage over their operating life from impact, environmental loads, and fatigue. Structural damage that is not detected and not corrected may potentially cause more damage and eventually catastrophic structural failure. NASA's current fleet of reusable spacecraft, namely the Space Shuttle, has been flown on several missions. In addition, configurations of future NASA space structures, e.g. Space Station Freedom, are larger and more complex than current structures, making them more susceptible to damage as well as being more difficult to inspect. Consequently, a reliable structural damage detection capability is essential to maintain the flight safety of these structures. Visual inspections alone can not locate impending material failure (fatigue cracks, yielding); it can only observe post-failure situations. An alternative approach is to develop an inspection and monitoring system based on vibration characterization that assesses the integrity of structural and mechanical components. A methodology for detecting structural damage is presented. This methodology is based on utilizing modal test data in conjunction with a correlated analytical model of the structure to: (1) identify the structural dynamic characteristics (resonant frequencies and mode shapes) from measurements of ambient motions and/or force excitation; (2) calculate modal residual force vectors to identify the location of structural damage; and (3) conduct a weighted sensitivity analysis in order to assess the extent of mass and stiffness variations, where structural damage is characterized by stiffness reductions. The approach is unique from other existing approaches in that varying system mass and stiffness, mass center locations, the perturbation of both the natural frequencies and mode shapes, and statistical confidence factors for structural parameters and experimental instrumentation are all accounted for directly.

Ricles, James M.↗

Gust Alleviation Using Direct Gust Measurement

The increasing competition in the market of civil aircraft leads to operating efficiency and passenger comfort being very important sales arguments. Continuous developments in jet propulsion technology helped to reduce energy consumption, as well as noise and vibrations due to the engines. The main problem with respect to ride comfort is, however, the transmittance of accelerations and jerkiness imposed by atmospheric turbulence from the wings to the fuselage. This 'gust' is also a design constraint: Light airplane structures help to save, energy, but are more critical to resist the loads imposed by turbulence. For both reasons, efficient gust alleviation is necessary to improve the performance of modern aircraft. Gust can be seen as a change in the angle of attack or as an additional varying vertical component of the headwind. The effect of gust can be very strong, since the same aerodynamic forces that keep the airplane flying are involved. Event though the frequency range of those changes is quite low, it is impossible for the pilot to alleviate gust manually. Besides, most of the time during the flight, the, autopilot maintains course and the attitude of flight. Certainly, most autopilots should be capable of damping the roughest parts of turbulence, but they are unable to provide satisfactory results in that field. A promising extension should be the application of subsidiary, control, where the inner (faster) control loop alleviates turbulence and the outer (slower) loop controls the attitude of flight. Besides the mentioned ride comfort, another reason for gust alleviation with respect to the fuselage is the sensibility of electrical devices to vibration and high values of acceleration. Many modern airplane designs--especially inherently instable military aircraft--are highly dependent on avionics. The lifetime and the reliability of these systems is thus essential.

Hoppe, Sven Marco↗

Mechanically Induced g-Jitter from Space Station Rotary Joints

The mission of the International Space Station is to provide a working laboratory in orbit for research in engineering, life sciences, and microgravity. Among the microgravity disciplines that are preparing to utilize this international resource are materials processing, combustion, fluid dynamics, biotechnology, and fundamental physics. The Station promises to enable significant advances in each of these areas by making available a research facility in which gravitational and other accelerations, and their corresponding buoyancy and diffusion effects on various physical processes, are orders of magnitude lower than they are on Earth. In order to fulfill this promise, it is not enough for the Space Station to simply replicate a typical terrestrial scientific laboratory in orbit. Although an orbiting laboratory is free of most of the effects of gravitational acceleration by virtue of its free fall condition, it also produces structural vibration or jitter that can interfere with the processes under study. To ensure the quality of the acceleration environment and enable a successful mission, the Space Station Program has limited potential disturbances in two ways: first, by isolating the most sensitive payloads from the vehicle structure, and second, by quieting major disturbances at their sources. The first area, payload isolation, is implemented inside the pressurized modules at the rack level. Sub-rack level isolators have also been developed. This paper addresses the second area, disturbance source limits, for one of the major sources of mechanical noise on the Space Station: the Solar Alpha Rotary Joints. Due to the potential for large disturbances to the microgravity environment, an initial analytical prediction of rotary joint vibration output was made. Key components were identified and tested to validate the analytical predictions. Based on the component test results, the final vibration output of the joints was verified by a test on each fully assembled flight unit. This paper describes the Space Station microgravity requirements, the rotary joint hardware, and the disturbance producing aspects of joint operation. The test setup, instrumentation, test conditions, and results for the component level and system level measurements are described. An overall forcing function that describes the maximum torque imparted to the Station is created based on the test results, and these disturbances are shown to meet the applicable Space Station microgravity requirements.

Boucher, Robert L.↗

Calculation of Dynamic Loads Due to Random Vibration Environments in Rocket Engine Systems

An important part of rocket engine design is the calculation of random dynamic loads resulting from internal engine "self-induced" sources. These loads are random in nature and can greatly influence the weight of many engine components. Several methodologies for calculating random loads are discussed and then compared to test results using a dynamic testbed consisting of a 60K thrust engine. The engine was tested in a free-free condition with known random force inputs from shakers attached to three locations near the main noise sources on the engine. Accelerations and strains were measured at several critical locations on the engines and then compared to the analytical results using two different random response methodologies.

Christensen, Eric R.↗

Deformation and Collectivity in Doubly Magic 208 Pb

Lead-208 is the heaviest known doubly magic nucleus and its structure is therefore of special interest. Despite this magicity, which acts to provide a strong restorative force toward sphericity, it is known to exhibit both strong octupole correlations and some of the strongest quadrupole collectivity observed in doubly magic systems. In this Letter, we employ state-of-the-art experimental equipment to conclusively demonstrate, through four Coulomb-excitation measurements, the presence of a large, negative, spectroscopic quadrupole moment for both the vibrational octupole 3$^{−}_{1}$ and quadrupole 2$^{+}_{1}$ state, indicative of a preference for prolate deformation of the states. The observed quadrupole moment is discussed in the context of the expected splitting of the 3 − ⊗3 − two-phonon states, due to the coupling of the quadrupole and octupole motion. These results are compared with theoretical values from three different methods, which are unable to reproduce both the sign and magnitude of this deformation. Thus, in spite of its well-studied nature, 208 Pb remains a puzzle for our understanding of nuclear structure.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Suppression of flutter

An active aerodynamic control system to control flutter over a large range of oscillatory frequencies is described. The system is not affected by mass, stiffness, elastic axis, or center of gravity location of the system, mode of vibration, or Mach number. The system consists of one or more pairs of leading edge and trailing edge hinged or deformable control surfaces, each pair operated in concert by a stability augmentation system. Torsion and bending motions are sensed and converted by the stability augmentation system into leading and trailing edge control surface deflections which produce lift forces and pitching moments to suppress flutter.

Nissim, E.↗

Time simulation of flutter with large stiffness changes

Time simulation of flutter, involving large local structural changes, is formulated with a state-space model that is based on a relatively small number of generalized coordinates. Free-free vibration modes are first calculated for a nominal finite-element model with relatively large fictitious masses located at the area of structural changes. A low-frequency subset of these modes is then transformed into a set of structural modal coordinates with which the entire simulation is performed. These generalized coordinates and the associated oscillatory aerodynamic force coefficient matrices are used to construct an efficient time-domain, state-space model for a basic aeroelastic case. The time simulation can then be performed by simply changing the mass, stiffness, and damping coupling terms when structural changes occur. It is shown that the size of the aeroelastic model required for time simulation with large structural changes at a few apriori known locations is similar to that required for direct analysis of a single structural case. The method is applied to the simulation of an aeroelastic wind-tunnel model. The diverging oscillations are followed by the activation of a tip-ballast decoupling mechanism that stabilizes the system but may cause significant transient overshoots.

Karpel, Mordechay↗

Time simulation of flutter with large stiffness changes

Time simulation of flutter, involving large local structural changes, is formulated with a state-space model that is based on a relatively small number of generalized coordinates. Free-free vibration modes are first calculated for a nominal finite-element model with relatively large fictitious masses located at the area of structural changes. A low-frequency subset of these modes is then transformed into a set of structural modal coordinates with which the entire simulation is performed. These generalized coordinates and the associated oscillatory aerodynamic force coefficient matrices are used to construct an efficient time-domain, state-space model for basic aeroelastic case. The time simulation can then be performed by simply changing the mass, stiffness and damping coupling terms when structural changes occur. It is shown that the size of the aeroelastic model required for time simulation with large structural changes at a few a priori known locations is similar to that required for direct analysis of a single structural case. The method is applied to the simulation of an aeroelastic wind-tunnel model. The diverging oscillations are followed by the activation of a tip-ballast decoupling mechanism that stabilizes the system but may cause significant transient overshoots.

Karpel, M.↗