Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “performance”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,243 records · Page 69
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Development of task network models of human performance in microgravity

This paper discusses the utility of task-network modeling for quantifying human performance variability in microgravity. The data are gathered for: (1) improving current methodologies for assessing human performance and workload in the operational space environment; (2) developing tools for assessing alternative system designs; and (3) developing an integrated set of methodologies for the evaluation of performance degradation during extended duration spaceflight. The evaluation entailed an analysis of the Remote Manipulator System payload-grapple task performed on many shuttle missions. Task-network modeling can be used as a tool for assessing and enhancing human performance in man-machine systems, particularly for modeling long-duration manned spaceflight. Task-network modeling can be directed toward improving system efficiency by increasing the understanding of basic capabilities of the human component in the system and the factors that influence these capabilities.

Diaz, Manuel F.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Program For Workload And Performance Experiments

Multi-Attribute Task (MAT) battery of computer programs gives researcher capability of performing experiments in multitask workloads and performances. Provides benchmark set of tasks for use in wide range of laboratory studies of operator performance and workload. Incorporates tasks analogous to activities aircraft crewmembers perform in flight, while providing high degree of experiment control, performance data on each subtask, and freedom to use nonpilot test subjects. Designed to use serially linked second computer to generate voice messages for communication task. Also used independently of voice computer if no computer-synthesized voice messages desired or if some other method of presenting auditory messages devised. Written in QuickBasic and Assembly language for IBM PC(R) series.

Comstock, J. Raymond, Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A real-time diagnostic and performance monitor for UNIX

There are now over one million UNIX sites and the pace at which new installations are added is steadily increasing. Along with this increase, comes a need to develop simple efficient, effective and adaptable ways of simultaneously collecting real-time diagnostic and performance data. This need exists because distributed systems can give rise to complex failure situations that are often un-identifiable with single-machine diagnostic software. The simultaneous collection of error and performance data is also important for research in failure prediction and error/performance studies. This paper introduces a portable method to concurrently collect real-time diagnostic and performance data on a distributed UNIX system. The combined diagnostic/performance data collection is implemented on a distributed multi-computer system using SUN4's as servers. The approach uses existing UNIX system facilities to gather system dependability information such as error and crash reports. In addition, performance data such as CPU utilization, disk usage, I/O transfer rate and network contention is also collected. In the future, the collected data will be used to identify dependability bottlenecks and to analyze the impact of failures on system performance.

Dong, Hongchao↗
NASA NTRS1992

Performance experiments with alternative advanced teleoperator control modes for a simulated solar maximum satellite repair

Experiments are described which were conducted at the JPL Advanced Teleoperator Lab to demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness of various teleoperator control modes in the performance of a simulated Solar Max Satellite Repair (SMSR) task. THe SMSR was selected as a test because it is very rich in performance capability requirements and it actually has been performed by two EVA astronauts in the Space Shuttle Bay in 1984. The main subtasks are: thermal blanket removal; installation of a hinge attachment for electrical panel opening; opening of electrical panel; removal of electrical connectors; relining of cable bundles; replacement of electrical panel; securing parts and cables; re-mate electrical connectors; closing of electrical panel; and reinstating thermal blanket. The current performance experiments are limited to thermal blanket cutting, electrical panel unbolting and handling electrical bundles and connectors. In one formal experiment even different control modes were applied to the unbolting and reinsertion of electrical panel screws subtasks. The seven control modes are alternative combinations of manual position and rate control with force feedback and remote compliance referenced to force-torque sensor information. Force-torque sensor and end effector position data and task completion times were recorded for analysis and quantification of operator performance.

Das, H.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Performance and state-space analyses of systems using Petri nets

The goal of any modeling methodology is to develop a mathematical description of a system that is accurate in its representation and also permits analysis of structural and/or performance properties. Inherently, trade-offs exist between the level detail in the model and the ease with which analysis can be performed. Petri nets (PN's), a highly graphical modeling methodology for Discrete Event Dynamic Systems, permit representation of shared resources, finite capacities, conflict, synchronization, concurrency, and timing between state changes. By restricting the state transition time delays to the family of exponential density functions, Markov chain analysis of performance problems is possible. One major drawback of PN's is the tendency for the state-space to grow rapidly (exponential complexity) compared to increases in the PN constructs. It is the state space, or the Markov chain obtained from it, that is needed in the solution of many problems. The theory of state-space size estimation for PN's is introduced. The problem of state-space size estimation is defined, its complexities are examined, and estimation algorithms are developed. Both top-down and bottom-up approaches are pursued, and the advantages and disadvantages of each are described. Additionally, the author's research in non-exponential transition modeling for PN's is discussed. An algorithm for approximating non-exponential transitions is developed. Since only basic PN constructs are used in the approximation, theory already developed for PN's remains applicable. Comparison to results from entropy theory show the transition performance is close to the theoretic optimum. Inclusion of non-exponential transition approximations improves performance results at the expense of increased state-space size. The state-space size estimation theory provides insight and algorithms for evaluating this trade-off.

Watson, James Francis, III↗
NASA NTRS1993

Transient performance of fan engine with water ingestion

In a continuing investigation on developing and applying codes for prediction of performance of a turbine jet engine and its components with water ingestion during flight operation, including power settings, and flight altitudes and speed changes, an attempt was made to establish the effects of water ingestion through simulation of a generic high bypass ratio engine with a generic control. In view of the large effects arising in the air compression system and the prediffuser-combustor unit during water ingestion, attention was focused on those effects and the resulting changes in engine performance. Under all conditions of operation, whether ingestion is steady or not, it became evident that water ingestion causes a fan-compressor unit to operate in a time-dependent fashion with periodic features, particularly with respect to the state of water in the span and the film in the casing clearance space, at the exit of the machine. On the other hand, the aerodynamic performance of the unit may be considered as quasi-steady once the distribution of water has attained an equilibrium state with respect to its distribution and motion. For purposes of engine simulation, the performance maps for the generic fan-compressor unit were generated based on the attainment of a quasi-steady state (meaning steady except for long-period variations in performance) during ingestion and operation over a wide enough range of rotational speeds.

Murthy, S. N. B.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Performance characteristics of LOX-H2, tangential-entry, swirl-coaxial, rocket injectors

Development of a high performing swirl-coaxial injector requires an understanding of fundamental performance characteristics. This paper addresses the findings of studies on cold flow atomic characterizations which provided information on the influence of fluid properties and element operating conditions on the produced droplet sprays. These findings are applied to actual rocket conditions. The performance characteristics of swirl-coaxial injection elements under multi-element hot-fire conditions were obtained by analysis of combustion performance data from three separate test series. The injection elements are described and test results are analyzed using multi-variable linear regression. A direct comparison of test results indicated that reduced fuel injection velocity improved injection element performance through improved propellant mixing.

Howell, Doug↗
NASA NTRS1992

Timing considerations of Helmet Mounted Display performance

The Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) system developed in our lab should be a useful teleoperator systems display if it increases operator performance of the desired task; it can, however, introduce degradation in performance due to display update rate constraints and communication delays. Display update rates are slowed by communication bandwidth and/or computational power limitations. We used simulated 3D tracking and pick-and-place tasks to characterize performance levels for a range of update rates. Initial experiments with 3D tracking indicate that performance levels plateau at an update rate between 10 and 20 Hz. We have found that using the HMD with delay decreases performance as delay increases.

Tharp, Gregory↗
NASA NTRS1992

Development of a test protocol for evaluating EVA glove performance

Testing gloved hand performance involves work from several disciplines. Evaluations performed in the course of reenabling a disabled hand, designing a robotic end effector or master controller, or hard-suit design have all yielded relevant information, and, in most cases, produced performance test methods. Most times, these test methods have been primarily oriented toward their parent discipline. For space operations, a comparative test which would provide a way to quantify pressure glove and end effector performance would be useful in dividing tasks between humans and robots. Such a test would have to rely heavily on sensored measurement, as opposed to questionnaires, to produce relevant data. However, at some point human preference would have to be taken into account. This paper presents a methodology for evaluating gloved hand performance which attempts to respond to these issues. Glove testing of a prototype glove design using this method is described.

Hinman, Elaine M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Interpretation of waverider performance data using computational fluid dynamics

A computational study was conducted to better understand experimental results obtained from wind tunnel tests of a Mach 4 waverider model and a comparative reference configuration. The experimental results showed that the performance of the reference configuration was slightly better than that of the waverider model. These results contradict waverider design theory, which suggests that a waverider optimized for maximum lift-to-drag should provide better performance than any other non-waverider configuration at a given design point, especially at hypersonic speeds. The computational results showed that the predicted surface pressure values and the integrated lift and drag coefficients from the pressure distributions were much lower for the reference model than for the flat-top model, due to the reference model bottom surface having a slight expansion. The lift-to-drag ratios for the flat-top model were higher due to a relatively low drag for the same amount of lift. These results indicate that the performance advantage of the reference model was due to the shape of the bottom surface and not due to the flat top surface. The results also showed that the reference model exhibited the same shock attachment characteristics as the waverider because the planform shapes were identical. CFD predictions show that the planform shape gives the waverider an advantage in performance over conventional hypersonic vehicles and that altering the bottom surface of a waverider does not cause significant performance degradation.

Cockrell, Charles E., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Telerobot control mode performance assessment

With the maturation of various developing robot control schemes, it is becoming extremely important that the technical community evaluate the performance of these various control technologies against an established baseline to determine which technology provides the most reliable robust, and safe on-orbit robot control. The Supervisory Telerobotics Laboratory (STELER) at JPL has developed a unique robot control capability which has been evaluated by the NASA technical community and found useful for augmenting both the operator interface and control of intended robotic systems on-board the Space Station. As part of the technology development and prototyping effort, the STELER team has been evaluating the performance of different control modes; namely, teleoperation under position, or rate, control, teleoperation with force reflection and shared control. Nine trained subjects were employed in the performance evaluation involving several high fidelity servicing tasks. Four types of operator performance data were collected; task completion time, average force, peak force, and number of operator successes and errors. This paper summarizes the results of this performance evaluation.

Zimmerman, Wayne↗
NASA NTRS1945

Method of Matching Performance of Compressor Systems with that of Aircraft Power Sections

A method is developed of easily determining the performance of a compressor system relative to that of the power section for a given altitude. Because compressors, reciprocating engines, and turbines are essentially flow devices, the performance of each of these power-plant components is presented in terms of similar dimensionless ratios. The pressure and temperature changes resulting from restrictions of the charge-air flow and from heat transfer in the ducts connecting the components of the power plant are also expressed by the same dimensionless ratios and the losses are included in the performance of the compressor. The performance of a mechanically driven, single-stage compressor in relation to the performance of a conventional air-cooled engine operating at sea-level conditions is presented as an example of the application of the method.

Bullock, Robert O.↗
NASA NTRS1949

Analysis of Performance of Jet Engine from Characteristics of Components II : Interaction of Components as Determined from Engine Operation

In order to understand the operation and the interaction of jet-engine components during engine operation and to determine how component characteristics may be used to compute engine performance, a method to analyze and to estimate performance of such engines was devised and applied to the study of the characteristics of a research turbojet engine built for this investigation. An attempt was made to correlate turbine performance obtained from engine experiments with that obtained by the simpler procedure of separately calibrating the turbine with cold air as a driving fluid in order to investigate the applicability of component calibration. The system of analysis was also applied to prediction of the engine and component performance with assumed modifications of the burner and bearing characteristics, to prediction of component and engine operation during engine acceleration, and to estimates of the performance of the engine and the components when the exhaust gas was used to drive a power turbine.

Goldstein, Arthur W↗
NASA NTRS1948

Altitude-wind-tunnel investigation of performance and windmilling drag characteristics of Westinghouse X24C-4B axial-flow turbojet engine

An investigation has been conducted in the NACA Cleveland altitude wind tunnel to evaluate the performance and windmilling drag characteristics of an original and a modified turbojet engine of the same type. Data have been obtained at simulated altitudes from 5000 to 45,000 feet, simulated flight Mach numbers from 0.09 to 1.08, and engine speeds from 4000 to 12,500 rpm. Engine performance data are presented for both engines to show the effects of altitude at a flight Mach number of 0.25 and of flight Mach number at an altitude of 25,000 feet. Performance of the original and modified engines is compared for a range of simulated flight conditions. The performance data are generalized to show the applicability of methods used to estimate performance at any altitude from data obtained at a given altitude. Engine-windmilling-speed and windmilling-drag data are presented for a range of simulated flight conditions.

Meyer, Carl L↗
NASA NTRS1993

Signal detection theory and methods for evaluating human performance in decision tasks

Signal Detection Theory (SDT) can be used to assess decision making performance in tasks that are not commonly thought of as perceptual. SDT takes into account both the sensitivity and biases in responding when explaining the detection of external events. In the standard SDT tasks, stimuli are selected in order to reveal the sensory capabilities of the observer. SDT can also be used to describe performance when decisions must be made as to the classification of easily and reliably sensed stimuli. Numbers are stimuli that are minimally affected by sensory processing and can belong to meaningful categories that overlap. Multiple studies have shown that the task of categorizing numbers from overlapping normal distributions produces performance predictable by SDT. These findings are particularly interesting in view of the similarity between the task of the categorizing numbers and that of determining the status of a mechanical system based on numerical values that represent sensor readings. Examples of the use of SDT to evaluate performance in decision tasks are reviewed. The methods and assumptions of SDT are shown to be effective in the measurement, evaluation, and prediction of human performance in such tasks.

Obrien, Kevin↗
NASA NTRS1993

Measuring human performance on NASA's microgravity aircraft

Measuring human performance in a microgravity environment will aid in identifying the design requirements, human capabilities, safety, and productivity of future astronauts. The preliminary understanding of the microgravity effects on human performance can be achieved through evaluations conducted onboard NASA's KC-135 aircraft. These evaluations can be performed in relation to hardware performance, human-hardware interface, and hardware integration. Measuring human performance in the KC-135 simulated environment will contribute to the efforts of optimizing the human-machine interfaces for future and existing space vehicles. However, there are limitations, such as limited number of qualified subjects, unexpected hardware problems, and miscellaneous plane movements which must be taken into consideration. Examples for these evaluations, the results, and their implications are discussed in the paper.

Morris, Randy B.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Teaching high-performance skills using above-real-time training

The above real-time training (ARTT) concept is an approach to teaching high-performance skills. ARTT refers to a training paradigm that places the operator in a simulated environment that functions at faster than normal time. It represents a departure from the intuitive, but not often supported, feeling that the best practice is determined by the training environment with the highest fidelity. This approach is hypothesized to provide greater 'transfer value' per simulation trial, by incorporating training techniques and instructional features into the simulator. Two related experiments are discussed. In the first, 25 naive male subjects performed three tank gunnery tasks on a simulator under varying levels of time acceleration (i.e., 1.0x, 1.6x, 2.0x, sequential, and mixed). They were then transferred to a standard (1.0x) condition for testing. Every accelerated condition or combination of conditions produced better training and transfer than the standard condition. Most effective was the presentation of trials at 1.0x, 1.6x, and 2.0x in a random order during training. Overall, the best ARTT group scored about 50 percent higher and trained in 25 percent less time compared to the real-time control group. In the second experiment, 24 mission-capable F-16 pilots performed three tasks on a part-task F-16A flight simulator under varying levels of time compression (i.e., 1.0x, 1.5x, 2.0x, and random). All subjects were then tested in a real-time environment. The emergency procedure (EP) task results showed increased accuracy for the ARTT groups. In testing (transfer), the ARTT groups not only performed the EP more accurately, but dealt with a simultaneous enemy significantly better than a real-time control group. Although the findings on an air combat maneuvering task and stern conversion task were mixed, most measures indicated that the ARTT groups performed better and faster than a real-time control group. Other implications for ARTT are discussed along with future research directions.

Guckenberger, Dutch↗
NASA NTRS1992

A simple modern correctness condition for a space-based high-performance multiprocessor

A number of U.S. national programs, including space-based detection of ballistic missile launches, envisage putting significant computing power into space. Given sufficient progress in low-power VLSI, multichip-module packaging and liquid-cooling technologies, we will see design of high-performance multiprocessors for individual satellites. In very high speed implementations, performance depends critically on tolerating large latencies in interprocessor communication; without latency tolerance, performance is limited by the vastly differing time scales in processor and data-memory modules, including interconnect times. The modern approach to tolerating remote-communication cost in scalable, shared-memory multiprocessors is to use a multithreaded architecture, and alter the semantics of shared memory slightly, at the price of forcing the programmer either to reason about program correctness in a relaxed consistency model or to agree to program in a constrained style. The literature on multiprocessor correctness conditions has become increasingly complex, and sometimes confusing, which may hinder its practical application. We propose a simple modern correctness condition for a high-performance, shared-memory multiprocessor; the correctness condition is based on a simple interface between the multiprocessor architecture and a high-performance, shared-memory multiprocessor; the correctness condition is based on a simple interface between the multiprocessor architecture and the parallel programming system.

Probst, David K.↗