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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 1,243 records · Page 69
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1972

Operational characteristics of a translation screen grid beam deflection system for a 5-cm Kaufman thruster

Measurements of beam deflection angle with respect to spring positioning power and accelerator impingement current as a function of deflection angle were made on a 5-cm diameter system. Response time measurements on the translational grid beam deflection system showed that the time for the maximum deflection angle analyzed (+16.4 deg to -16.4 deg) could be reduced by a factor of nine by increasing the heating power applied to the positioning spring from 4 to 16 watts. At 14 watts the response time for maximum deflection was about 1 minute.

Lathem, W. C.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Wind tunnel balance system for determination of wind-induced vibrations of a rigid shuttle model in the launch configuration

A wind tunnel balance system was designed to determine the wind-induced vibrations of a space shuttle model. The balance utilizes a flexible sting mounting in conjunction with a geometrically scaled rigid model. Bending and torsional displacements are determined through strain-gauge-instrumented spring bar mechanisms. The natural frequency of the string-model system can be varied continuously throughout the expected scaled frequency range of the shuttle vehicle while a test is in progress by the use of moveable riders on the spring bar mechanism. Through the use of a frequency analyzer, the output can be used to determine troublesome vibrational frequencies. A dimensional analysis of the wind-induced vibration problem is also presented which suggests a test procedure. In addition a computer program for analytical studies of the forced vibration problem is presented.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1972

An experimental-theoretical study of free vibrations of plates on elastic point supports

A theoretical and experimental study is made to investigate the effect on plate vibrations of varying the stiffness of corner elastic point supports. A theoretical model is developed using a Rayleigh-Ritz analysis which approximates the plate mode shapes as products of free-free beam modes. The elastic point supports are modelled both as massless translational springs, and springs with tip masses. The tip masses are included to better represent the experimental supports. An experiment is constructed using the bending stiffness of horizontal beams to support a square plate at its four corners. The stiffness of these supports can be varied over such a range that the plate fundamental frequency is lowered to 40% of the rigid support frequency. The variation with support stiffness of the frequencies of the first eight plate modes is measured, and compared with the theoretical results. The plate mode shapes for rigid supports are analyzed using holographic interferometry. There is excellent agreement between the theoretical and experimental results, except for high plate modes where the theoretical model is demonstrated to be inadequate.

Leuner, T. R.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Analysis of ERTS-1 imagery of Wyoming and its application to evaluation of Wyoming's natural resources

The author has identified the following significant results. Structurally linear elements in the vicinity of the Rock Springs Uplift, Sweetwater County, Wyoming are reported for the first time. One element trends N 40 deg W near Farson, Wyoming and the other N 65 deg E from Rock Springs. These elements confirm the block-like or mosaic pattern of major structural elements in Wyoming.

Blackstone, D. L., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Upper atmosphere wind and temperature structure at sonmiani derived from the rocket grenade experiments conducted during 1965 - 1967

The grenade-TMA firing conducted in 1965-1967 bring out the following important features regarding the stratospheric circulation in the subtropics: (1) The temperature pattern during the month of March/April at Sonmiani is characterized by higher temperature than the corresponding CIRA 1965 value. (2) Double maxima in temperature has often been observed during spring. (3) In March the zonal wind is predominantly westerly reaching a maximum value of about 45 m/s at 55 km. (4) The meridional component exhibits oscillatory character between 45 and 60 kms. (5) The change from winter westerlies to summer easterlies first occurred around 50 km during April and gradually affected higher levels as the month progressed. (6) The height of the principal maxima at Sonmiani is located at 105 + or - 5 km. In autumn the wind at the principal maxima is below 100 m/s and is directed to NW, in spring it is of the order of 118 m/s but directed to E or NE.

Rahmatullah, M.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Fore and aft elastic response characteristics of size 34x9.9, type 7, 14 ply-rated aircraft tires of bias ply, bias belted, and radial belted design

An investigation was conducted to determine the fore-and-aft elastic response characteristics of aircraft tires of bias ply, bias-belted, and radial-belted design. The investigation consisted of: (1)static and rolling tests, (2)a statistical analysis which related the measured tire elastic characteristics to variations in the vertical load, inflation pressure, braking force and/or tire vertical deflection, and (3) a semi-empirical analysis which related the tire elastic behavior to measured wheel slippage during a steady-state braking. The results of this investigation indicate that the bias-belted tire has the largest spring constant value for most loading conditions and the radial-belted tire has the smallest spring constant value.

Tanner, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Utilizing ERTS-1 imagery for tectonic analysis through study of the Bighorn Mountains region

The author has identified the following significant results. Comparisons of imagery of three seasons, late summer-fall, winter, and spring indicate that for this region fall imagery is the best for overall geologic analysis. Winter scenes with light to moderate snow cover provide excellent topographic detail owing to snow enhancement, lower sun angle, and clarity of the atmosphere. Spring imagery has considerable reduction of tonal contrast owing to the low reflecting heavy green grass cover which subdues lithologic effects; heavy snow cover in the uplands masks topography. Mapping of geologic formations is impractical in most cases. Separation into tonal units can provide some general clues on structure. A given tonal unit can include parts of several geologic formations and different stratigraphic units can have the same tonal signature. Drainage patterns and anomalies provide the most consistent clues for detecting folds, monoclines, and homoclines. Vegetation only locally reflects lithology and structure. False color infrared 9 x 9 transparencies are the most valuable single imagery. Where these can be supplemented by U-2 color infrared for more detailed work, a tremendous amount of information is available. Adequately field checking such a large area just in one scene is the major logistic problem even in a fairly well known region.

Hoppin, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Simulation of an experiment pointing system for the space shuttle

The pointing and control of experiments during sortie missions are examined from the standpoint of accuracy and performance. The effect of gimbal characteristics, pallet stiffness, and variation in the servo control loop are described. Simulation results are shown for a number of pointing options under the disturbing influences of man motion, thruster firings, and experiment operations. One option of particular interest is the suspended pallet which offers the possibility of high accuracy pointing of very large payloads without using conventional gimbals. The pallet is suspended within the payload bay by nonrigid attachments such as springs, thereby isolating experiments from most shuttle disturbances. Control moment gyros apply torques directly to the pallet to maintain pointing accuracy within the arc second range. Spring torques constrain shuttle attitude so thruster operation is not required. The suspended pallet approach will meet the base stability requirements of any sortie experiment and offers the possibility of a standardized low weight, low cost alternative to gimbaled mounts.

Nicaise, P. D.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Three models of the vibrating ulna.

Evaluation of the ability of three models of the ulna to predict ulnar resonant frequency. The ulna is considered to be a uniform cylindrical tube made of homogeneous isotropic material. In model I the tube is attached at each end to rigid supports by hinges, in model II the tube is attached to rigid supports by springs rather than hinges, while model III is the same as model II except for the addition of a spring-mass system simulating an accelerometer strapped to the wrist. It is found that all three models exhibit comparable effectiveness in predicting the allowed cyclic vibration frequency, although model I is marginally better than models II or III in predicting this parameter. All three models also yield relatively realistic values for Young's modulus. In terms of results, therefore, there is no clear choice between the models. However, owing to greater costs incurred with models II and III, it is concluded that model I is the most useful, even though it is the least 'realistic' of the three models evaluated.-

Jurist, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1973

A general conclusion regarding the large amplitude flexural vibration of beams and plates.

Use is made of the two coupled partial differential equations that govern the large amplitude flexural vibration of flat plates. On the basis of an assumed vibration mode taken to be separable in the space coordinates and time, the modal equation is obtained. In the case of a one-term solution, it is shown that the modal equation is the same as the dynamic equation of a mass-spring combination where the restoring force of the nonlinear spring is a cubic and an odd function of the displacement. Since the modal equation is a nonlinear, ordinary differential equation with positive coefficients, it is shown that the nonlinearity associated with the large amplitude flexural vibration of beams and plates is of the hardening type, that is, the frequency increases with amplitude.

Pandalai, K. A. V.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Design of a powered elevator control system

The design, fabrication and flight testing of a powered elevator system for the Augmentor Wing Jet STOL Research Aircraft (AWJSRA or Mod C-8A) are discussed. The system replaces a manual spring tab elevator control system that was unsatisfactory in the STOL flight regime. Pitch control in the AWJSRA is by means of a single elevator control surface. The elevator is used for both maneuver and trim control as the stabilizer is fixed. A fully powered, irreversible flight control system powered by dual hydraulic sources was designed. The existing control columns and single mechanical cable system of the AWJSRA have been retained as has been the basic elevator surface, except that the elevator spring tab is modified into a geared balance tab. The control surface is directly actuated by a dual tandem moving body actuator. Control signals are transmitted from the elevator aft quadrant to the actuator by a linkage system that includes a limited authority series servo actuator.

Glende, W. L. B.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Testing techniques for determining static mechanical properties of Pneumatic tires

Fore-aft, lateral, and vertical spring rates of model and full-scale pneumatic tires were evaluated by testing techniques generally employed by industry and various testing groups. The purpose of this experimental program was to investigate what effects the different testing techniques have on the measured values of these important static tire mechanical properties. The testing techniques included both incremental and continuous loadings applied at various rates over half, full, and repeated cycles. Of the three properties evaluated, the fore-aft stiffness was demonstrated to be the most affected by the different testing techniques used to obtain it. Appreciable differences in the fore-aft spring rates occurred using both the increment- and continuous-loading techniques; however, the most significant effect was attributed to variations in the size of the fore-aft force loop. The dependence of lateral stiffness values on testing techniques followed the same trends as that for fore-aft stiffness, except to a lesser degree. Vertical stiffness values were found to be nearly independent of testing procedures if the nonlinear portion of the vertical force-deflection curves is avoided.

Dodge, R. N.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Users manual: Dynamics of two bodies connected by an elastic tether, six degrees of freedom forebody and five degrees of freedom decelerator

The equations of motion and a computer program for the dynamics of a six degree of freedom body joined to a five degree of freedom body by a quasilinear elastic tether are presented. The forebody is assumed to be a completely general rigid body with six degrees of freedom; the decelerator is also assumed to be rigid, but with only five degrees of freedom (symmetric about its longitudinal axis). The tether is represented by a spring and dashpot in parallel, where the spring constant is a function of tether elongation. Lagrange's equation is used to derive the equations of motion with the Lagrange multiplier technique used to express the constraint provided by the tether. A computer program is included which provides a time history of the dynamics of both bodies and the tension in the tether.

Doyle, G. R., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Sediment concentration mapping in tidal estuaries

An analytical procedure has been developed that considers the ERTS-1 multispectral scanner as a reflectance spectrophotometer. ADP techniques requiring only very limited computer capability are utilized to search the data defining the spectral reflectance characteristics of a scene on a pixel-by-pixel basis, identify each pixel whose spectral reflectance matches a reference spectrum, and generate maps that identify pixel locations where spectrum matches occur and identify the spectrum that was matched. If the reference spectra are known to represent a specific condition on the ground, a map of the distribution of that condition can be output as a dimensionally accurate overlay to maps of any selected scale. Two applications are described: (1) mapping the distribution of water masses exhibiting specific suspended sediment concentrations; and (2) determining the location and delineation of surface water bodies in the southeastern U. S. The techniques described are being successfully used to map the land area inundated by the 1973 spring flood in the Lower Mississippi River Valley, map sediment distributions in Lake Pontchartrain (in Louisiana) as a result of opening the Bonnet Carre Floodway during the spring flood, and inventory lakes and reservoirs.

Williamson, A. N.↗
NASA NTRS1974

An experimental-theoretical study of free vibrations of plates on elastic point supports

A theoretical and experimental study is made to investigate the effect on plate vibrations of varying the stiffness of corner elastic point supports. An experiment is conducted in which the bending stiffness of horizontal beams is used to support a square plate at its four corners. The stiffness of these supports can be varied over such a range that the plate fundamental frequency is lowered to 40% of the rigid support frequency. The variation with support stiffness of the frequencies of the first eight plate modes is measured and is compared with results from a theoretical model in which a Rayleigh-Ritz analysis is used which approximates the plate mode shapes as products of free-free beam modes. The elastic point supports are modeled both as massless translational springs and springs with tip masses, which are included to better represent the experimental supports.

Leuner, T. R.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Quick-change absorption column

Column has end caps held in place by springs; prefilled packs of absorbent can be exchanged quickly. Both ends of metal or plastic body tube of size which can hold adequate amount of absorbent are machined to provide seat for perforated plate and groove for its spring retainer ring.

Mcewen, G. N., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Experimental determination of airplane mass and inertial characteristics

Current practices are evaluated for experimentally determining airplane center of gravity, moments of inertia, and products of inertia. The techniques discussed are applicable to bodies other than airplanes. In pitching- and rolling-moment-of-inertia investigations with the airplane mounted on and pivoted about knife edges, the nonlinear spring moments that occur at large amplitudes of oscillation can be eliminated by using the proper spring configuration. The single-point suspension double-pendulum technique for obtaining yawing moments of inertia, products of inertia, and the inclination of the principal axis provides accurate results from yaw-mode oscillation data, provided that the sway-mode effects are minimized by proper suspension rig design. Rocking-mode effects in the data can be isolated.

Wolowicz, C. H.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Identification and interpretation of tectonic features from Skylab imagery

The author has identified the following significant results. S190-B imagery confirmed previous conclusions from S190-A that the Garlock fault does not extend eastward beyond its known termination near the southern end of Death Valley. In the Avawatz Mountains, California, two faults related to the Garlock fault zone (Mule Spring fault and Leach Spring fault) show evidence of recent activity. There is evidence that faulting related to Death Valley fault zone extends southeastward across the Old Dad Mountains. There, the Old Dad fault shows evidence of recent activity. A significant fault lineament has been identified from McCullough Range, California southeastward to Eagle Tail Mountains in southwestern Arizona. The lineament appears to control tertiary and possible cretaceous intrusives. Considerable right lateral shear is suspected to have taken place along parts of this lineament.

Abdel-Gawad, M.↗