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At least 1,243 records · Page 69

Feasibility of Kevlar 49/PMR-15 polyimide for high temperature applications

Kevlar 49 aramid organic fiber reinforced PMR-15 polyimide laminates were characterized to determine the applicability of the material to high temperature aerospace structures. Kevlar 49/3501-6 epoxy laminates were fabricated and characterized for comparison with the Kevlar 49/PMR-15 polyimide material. Flexural strengths and moduli and interlaminar shear strengths were determined from 75 to 600 F for the PMR-15 and from 75 to 450 F for the Kevlar 49/3501-6 epoxy material. The study also included the effects of hydrothermal and long-term elevated temperature exposures on the flexural strengths and moduli and the interlaminar shear strengths.

Hanson, M. P.↗

Top-mounted inlet system feasibility for transonic-subsonic fighter aircraft applications

To inlet flow field and engine inlet performance data for an advanced fighter aircraft configuration were obtained over the Mach 0.6 to 2.0 range. The studies not only provided extensive data for the baseline arrangement, but also evaluated the effects of key aircraft configuration variables (inlet location, canopy-dorsal integration, wing leading-edge extension planform area, and variable incidence canards) on top inlet performance. In order to set these data in the context of practical aircraft systems top inlet performance is compared with that of more conventional inlet/airframe integrations. The results of these evaluations show that, for the top inlet configuration tested, relatively good inlet performance and compatibility characteristics are maintained during subsonic and transonic maneuver. However, at supersonic speeds, flow expansion over the forebody and wings causes an increase in local inlet Mach number subsequently reduces inlet performance levels. These characteristics infer that although top inlets many not pose a viable design option for aircraft requiring a high degree of supersonic maneuverability, they have distinct promise for vehicles with subsonic and transonic maneuver capabilities.

Williams, T. L.↗

Feasibility study of a procedure to detect and warn of low level wind shear

A Doppler radar system which provides an aircraft with advanced warning of longitudinal wind shear is described. This system uses a Doppler radar beamed along the glide slope linked with an on line microprocessor containing a two dimensional, three degree of freedom model of the motion of an aircraft including pilot/autopilot control. The Doppler measured longitudinal glide slope winds are entered into the aircraft motion model, and a simulated controlled aircraft trajectory is calculated. Several flight path deterioration parameters are calculated from the computed aircraft trajectory information. The aircraft trajectory program, pilot control models, and the flight path deterioration parameters are discussed. The performance of the computer model and a test pilot in a flight simulator through longitudinal and vertical wind fields characteristic of a thunderstorm wind field are compared.

Turkel, B. S.↗

Feasibility study of deformation modes of deforming composite materials using visioplasticity method

The impact resistance and the effect of impact on fiber reinforced composite materials was investigated. The visioplastic method for studying deformation modes and transient impact distribution is described and the basic equations used in the visioplastic method are presented. The subroutine for digitizing the input data and a computer program (STRESS) for calculating the strains and stresses of deforming projectiles are presented.

Dwivedi, S. N.↗

Research on design feasibility of high-power light-weight dc-to-dc converters for space power applications

Utilizing knowledge gained from past experience with experimental current-or-voltage step-up dc-to-dc converter power stages operating at output powers up to and in excess of 2 kW, a new experimental current-or-voltage step-up power stage using paralleled bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) as the controlled power switch, was constructed during the current reporting period. The major motivation behind the construction of this new experimental power stage was to improve the circuit layout so as to reduce the effects of stray circuit parasitic inductances resulting from excess circuit lead lengths and circuit loops, and to take advantage of the layout improvements which could be made when some recently-available power components, particularly power diodes and polypropylene filter capacitors, were incorporated into the design.

Wilson, T. G.↗

Study of the global positioning system for maritime concepts/applications: Study of the feasibility of replacing maritime shipborne navigation systems with NAVSTAR

A geostationary reference satellite (REFSAT) that broadcasts every four seconds updated GPS satellite coordinates was developed. This procedure reduces the complexity of the GPS receiver. The economic and performance payoffs associated with replacing maritime stripborne navigation systems with NAVSTAR was quantified and the use of NAVSTAR for measurements of ocean currents in the broad ocean areas of the world was evaluated.

Winn, C. B.↗

A study pertaining to a very low temperature hydrogen maser feasibility

Very low temperature atomic hydrogen masers were developed. The advantages over room temperature hydrogen masers include higher radiated power due to the higher beam intensities possible using low temperature techniques and the much smaller electron spin flip cross section at low temperatures, lower cavity and amplifier noise temperatures, increased stability against mechanical creep at low temperatures, and opportunities to extend H atom collision studies to low temperatures, where quantum effects and details of the interatomic potentials are much more important.

Crampton, S. B.↗

Preliminary feasibility assessment for Earth-to-space electromagnetic (Railgun) launchers

An Earth to space electromagnetic (railgun) launcher (ESRL) for launching material into space was studied. Potential ESRL applications were identified and initially assessed to formulate preliminary system requirements. The potential applications included nuclear waste disposal in space, Earth orbital applications, deep space probe launchers, atmospheric research, and boost of chemical rockets. The ESRL system concept consisted of two separate railgun launcher tubes (one at 20 deg from the horizontal for Earth orbital missions, the other vertical for solar system escape disposal missions) powered by a common power plant. Each 2040 m launcher tube is surrounded by 10,200 homopolar generator/inductor units to transmit the power to the walls. Projectile masses are 6500 kg for Earth orbital missions and 2055 kg for nuclear waste disposal missions. For the Earth orbital missions, the projectile requires a propulsion system, leaving an estimated payload mass of 650 kg. For the nuclear waste disposal in space mission, the high level waste mass was estimated at 250 kg. This preliminary assessment included technical, environmental, and economic analyses.

Rice, E. E.↗

Feasibility evaluation and study of adapting the attitude reference system to the Orbiter camera payload system's large format camera

A design concept that will implement a mapping capability for the Orbital Camera Payload System (OCPS) when ground control points are not available is discussed. Through the use of stellar imagery collected by a pair of cameras whose optical axis are structurally related to the large format camera optical axis, such pointing information is made available.

Source record↗

Ultimate intrinsic coercivity samarian-cobalt magnet. An Earth based feasibility study for Space Shuttle missions

Techniques for the electromagnetic containerless reaction of samarium with cobalt for the formation of samarium-cobalt alloys are summarized. The effort expended to reduce and instrument the oxygen partial pressure in the reaction chamber and coolant gas system are described as well as the experiments in which these improvements were shown to be partially effective. A stainless steel glove box capable of being evacuated to low 10 to the -6th torr pressure and refilled with ultra-pure argon was built and installed. Necessary accessories to perform SmCo5 powder preparation, compaction and subsequent encapsulation of the powder inside a hot isostatic pressing cannister were designed, built, and incorporated into the chamber. All accessories were tested for proper functioning inside the chamber. Using the facility, the first batch of densified SmCo5 powder was fabricated to near total density. Analysis of the densified compacts shows that oxygen contamination during fabrication was near zero.

Das, D.↗

Feasibility of water injection into the turbine coolant to permit gas turbine contingency power for helicopter application

A system which would allow a substantially increased output from a turboshaft engine for brief periods in emergency situations with little or no loss of turbine stress rupture life is proposed and studied analytically. The increased engine output is obtained by overtemperaturing the turbine; however, the temperature of the compressor bleed air used for hot section cooling is lowered by injecting and evaporating water. This decrease in cooling air temperature can offset the effect of increased gas temperature and increased shaft speed and thus keep turbine blade stress rupture life constant. The analysis utilized the NASA-Navy-Engine-Program or NNEP computer code to model the turboshaft engine in both design and off-design modes. This report is concerned with the effect of the proposed method of power augmentation on the engine cycle and turbine components. A simple cycle turboshaft engine with a 16:1 pressure ratio and a 1533 K (2760 R) turbine inlet temperature operating at sea level static conditions was studied to determine the possible power increase and the effect on turbine stress rupture life that could be expected using the proposed emergency cooling scheme. The analysis showed a 54 percent increse in output power can be achieved with no loss in gas generator turbine stress rupture life. A 231 K (415 F) rise in turbine inlet temperature is required for this level of augmentation. The required water flow rate was found to be .0109 kg water per kg of engine air flow.

Vanfossen, G. J.↗

Experimental land observing data system feasibility study

An end-to-end data system to support a Shuttle-based Multispectral Linear Array (MLA) mission in the mid-1980's was defined. The experimental Land Observing System (ELOS) is discussed. A ground system that exploits extensive assets from the LANDSAT-D Program to effectively meet the objectives of the ELOS Mission was defined. The goal of 10 meter pixel precision, the variety of data acquisition capabilities, and the use of Shuttle are key to the mission requirements, Ground mission management functions are met through the use of GSFC's Multi-Satellite Operations Control Center (MSOCC). The MLA Image Generation Facility (MIGF) combines major hardware elements from the Applications Development Data System (ADDS) facility and LANDSAT Assessment System (LAS) with a special purpose MLA interface unit. LANDSAT-D image processing techniques, adapted to MLA characteristics, form the basis for the use of existing software and the definition of new software required.

Buckley, J. L.↗

Feasibility study of an optically coherent telescope array in space

Numerical methods of image construction which can be used to produce very high angular resolution images at optical wavelengths of astronomical objects from an orbiting array of telescopes are discussed and a concept is presented for a phase-coherent optical telescope array which may be deployed by space shuttle in the 1990's. The system would start as a four-element linear array with a 12 m baseline. The initial module is a minimum redundant array with a photon-counting collecting area three times larger than space telescope and a one dimensional resolution of better than 0.01 arc seconds in the visible range. Later additions to the array would build up facility capability. The advantages of a VLBI observatory in space are considered as well as apertures for the telescopes.

Traub, W. A.↗

Study to assess the importance of errors introduced by applying NOAA 6 and NOAA 7 AVHRR data as an estimator of vegetative vigor: Feasibility study of data normalization

The use of NOAA AVHRR data to map and monitor vegetation types and conditions in near real-time can be enhanced by using a portion of each GAC image that is larger than the central 25% now considered. Enlargement of the cloud free image data set can permit development of a series of algorithms for correcting imagery for ground reflectance and for atmospheric scattering anisotropy within certain accuracy limits. Empirical correction algorithms used to normalize digital radiance or VIN data must contain factors for growth stage and for instrument spectral response. While it is not possible to correct for random fluctuations in target radiance, it is possible to estimate the necessary radiance difference between targets in order to provide target discrimination and quantification within predetermined limits of accuracy. A major difficulty lies in the lack of documentation of preprocessing algorithms used on AVHRR digital data.

Duggin, M. J.↗