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At least 1,315 records · Page 73

On visual-vestibular interaction

Experimental evidence is presented regarding visual vestibular interaction, and the results of three studies on the subject are briefly noted. An attempt to put together some of these observations with elementary notions of a visual vestibular interaction program is shown in the form of a flow chart representation of a possible model. This is a nonlinear model in which visual and vestibular influences are linearly weighted when they are in relative agreement but switch to the more believable one when they are in disagreement. A solution to the human space orientation problem is depicted by a schema for optimal subjective orientation based on several sensory modalities.

Young, L. R.↗

Experiment definition phase shuttle laboratory LDRL-10.6 experiment

The acquisition and tracking links of shuttle to molniya satellite and shuttle to ground are established. Link parameters and tolerance are analyzed. A 10-micromillimeter optomechanical subsystem brassboard model was designed and measured for optical properties and weight optimization. The design incorporates an afocal rotating Gregorian telescope in a two-gimbal berylium structure with beam steering control mechanisms. Parameters for both the optomechanical subsystem and spaceborne terminals are included.

Source record↗

Preliminary noise tradeoff study of a Mach 2.7 cruise aircraft

NASA computer codes in the areas of preliminary sizing and enroute performance, takeoff and landing performance, aircraft noise prediction, and economics were used in a preliminary noise tradeoff study for a Mach 2.7 design supersonic cruise concept. Aerodynamic configuration data were based on wind-tunnel model tests and related analyses. Aircraft structural characteristics and weight were based on advanced structural design methodologies, assuming conventional titanium technology. The most advanced noise prediction techniques available were used, and aircraft operating costs were estimated using accepted industry methods. The 4-engines cycles included in the study were based on assumed 1985 technology levels. Propulsion data was provided by aircraft manufacturers. Additional empirical data is needed to define both noise reduction features and other operating characteristics of all engine cycles under study. Data on VCE design parameters, coannular nozzle inverted flow noise reduction and advanced mechanical suppressors are urgently needed to reduce the present uncertainties in studies of this type.

Mascitti, V. R.↗

Computerized systems analysis and optimization of aircraft engine performance, weight, and life cycle costs

The paper describes the computational techniques employed in determining the optimal propulsion systems for future aircraft applications and to identify system tradeoffs and technology requirements. The computer programs used to perform calculations for all the factors that enter into the selection process of determining the optimum combinations of airplanes and engines are examined. Attention is given to the description of the computer codes including NNEP, WATE, LIFCYC, INSTAL, and POD DRG. A process is illustrated by which turbine engines can be evaluated as to fuel consumption, engine weight, cost and installation effects. Examples are shown as to the benefits of variable geometry and of the tradeoff between fuel burned and engine weights. Future plans for further improvements in the analytical modeling of engine systems are also described.

Fishbach, L. H.↗

Software for the grouped optimal aggregation technique

The grouped optimal aggregation technique produces minimum variance, unbiased estimates of acreage and production for countries, zones (states), or any designated collection of acreage strata. It uses yield predictions, historical acreage information, and direct acreage estimate from satellite data. The acreage strata are grouped in such a way that the ratio model over historical acreage provides a smaller variance than if the model were applied to each individual stratum. An optimal weighting matrix based on historical acreages, provides the link between incomplete direct acreage estimates and the total, current acreage estimate.

Brown, P. M.↗

Design of sidewall treatment of cabin noise control of a twin engine turboprop aircraft

An analytical procedure was used to predict the noise transmission into the cabin of a twin engine general aviation aircraft. This model was then used to optimize the interior A weighted noise levels to an average value of about 85 dBA. The surface pressure noise spectral levels were selected utilizing experimental flight data and empirical predictions. The add on treatments considered in this optimization study include aluminum honeycomb panels, constrained layer damping tape, porous acoustic blankets, acoustic foams, septum barriers and limp trim panels which are isolated from the vibration of the main sidewall structure. To reduce the average noise level in the cabin from about 102 kBA (baseline) to 85 dBA (optimized), the added weight of the noise control treatment is about 2% of the total gross takeoff weight of the aircraft.

Vaicaitis, R.↗

Reduced complexity structural modeling for automated airframe synthesis

A procedure is developed for the optimum sizing of wing structures based on representing the built-up finite element assembly of the structure by equivalent beam models. The reduced-order beam models are computationally less demanding in an optimum design environment which dictates repetitive analysis of several trial designs. The design procedure is implemented in a computer program requiring geometry and loading information to create the wing finite element model and its equivalent beam model, and providing a rapid estimate of the optimum weight obtained from a fully stressed design approach applied to the beam. The synthesis procedure is demonstrated for representative conventional-cantilever and joined wing configurations.

Hajela, Prabhat↗

Cost estimating methods for advanced space systems

Parametric cost estimating methods for space systems in the conceptual design phase are developed. The approach is to identify variables that drive cost such as weight, quantity, development culture, design inheritance, and time. The relationship between weight and cost is examined in detail. A theoretical model of cost is developed and tested statistically against a historical data base of major research and development programs. It is concluded that the technique presented is sound, but that it must be refined in order to produce acceptable cost estimates.

Cyr, Kelley↗

State estimation for spacecraft power systems

A state estimator appropriate for spacecraft power systems is presented. Phasor voltage and current measurements are used to determine the system state. A weighted least squares algorithm with a multireference transmission cable model is used. Bad data are identified and resolved. Once the bad data have been identified, they are removed from the measurement set and the system state can be estimated from the remaining data. An observability analysis is performed on the remaining measurements to determine if the system state can be found from the reduced measurement set. An example of the algorithm for a sample spacecraft power system is presented.

Williamson, Susan H.↗

The Drag of Airplane Wheels, Wheel Fairings, and Landing Gears - I

This report presents the results of tests made in the 7-by 10-foot wind tunnel and in the 20-foot tunnel of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics to determine the drag of a number of airplane wheels, wheel fairings, and landing gears designed or selected for an airplane of 3,000 pounds gross weight. All tests were made on full-size models; those in the 7-by 10-foot tunnel were made at air speeds up to 80 miles per hour and those in the 20-foot tunnel were made at air speeds up to 100 miles per hour. Although most of the landing-gear tests were made in conjunction with a fuselage and at 0 degree pitch angle, some of the tests were made in conjunction with fuselage plus wings and a radial air-cooled engine and at pitch angles from -5 degrees to 6 degrees to obtain an indication of the general effect of these various items on landing-gear drag. All tests were made in the absence of propeller slipstream.

Herrnstein, William H↗

Blended-Wing-Body Structural Technology Study

In most studies of stability of plates, the axial stress has been taken as uniform compression throughout flat rectangular plates. Buckling of isotropic plates under a compressive stress that varies linearly from one loaded edge to the other has been studied by Libove et al. Cases of practical interest exist, however, in which the axial stress is not uniform but varies from tension at both loaded edges to compression in the middle. An example is the stability of the crown of the hat stiffened panel, a candidate configuration of the upper and lower skin of the Blended Wing Body (BWB) Aircraft. The BWB Aircraft is an advanced long-range ultra-high-capacity airliner with the principal feature being the pressurized wide double-deck body which is blended into the wing. In the present research, analytical methods are used to investigate the local stability of the crown in order to minimize its weight while optimizing its buckling strength. The crown is modeled as a rectangular laminated composite plate subjected to a second degree parabolic variation of axial stresses in the longitudinal direction. A varying tension-compression- tension axial stresses are induced in the crown of the stiffeners due to bending. The change in axial stresses is equilibrated by nonuniform shear stresses along the plate edges and transverse normal stresses.

Ashraf Badir↗

A Capability to Generate Physics-based Mass Estimating Relationships for Conceptual Space Vehicle Design

This paper is written in support of the on-going research into conceptual space vehicle design conducted at the Space Systems Design Laboratory (SSDL) at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Research at the SSDL follows a sequence of a number of the traditional aerospace disciplines. The sequence of disciplines and interrelationship among them is shown in the Design Structure Matrix (DSM). The discipline of Weights and Sizing occupies a central location in the design of a new space vehicle. Weights and Sizing interact, either in a feed forward or feed back manner, with every other discipline in the DSM. Because of this principle location, accuracy in Weights and Sizing is integral to producing an accurate model of a space vehicle concept. Instead of using conceptual level techniques, a simplified Finite Element Analysis (FEA) technique is described as applied to the problem of the Liquid Oxygen (LOX) tank bending loads applied to the forward Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) tank of the Georgia Tech Air Breathing Launch Vehicle (ABLV).

Olds, John R.↗

An Assessment of Global Organic Carbon Flux Along Continental Margins

This project was designed to use real-time and historical SeaWiFS and AVHRR data, and real-time MODIS data in order to estimate the global vertical carbon flux along continental margins. This required construction of an empirical model relating surface ocean color and physical variables like temperature and wind to vertical settling flux at sites co-located with sediment trap observations (Santa Barbara Basin, Cariaco Basin, Gulf of California, Hawaii, and Bermuda, etc), and application of the model to imagery in order to obtain spatially-weighted estimates.

Thunell, Robert↗

Model Investigation of Technique for Full Scale Landing Impact Tests at Simulated Lunar Gravity

An investigation of a 1/6-scale dynamic model has been made to develop and evaluate a technique for conducting full-scale landing-impact tests at simulated lunar gravity. Landings were made at touchdown pitch attitudes of -15 degrees, 0 degrees, and 15 degrees. All landings were made with two gear pads forward and at a roll attitude of 0 degrees. Both roll and yaw attitudes were constrained. Vertical landing speed was varied from 5 to 15 feet per second (1.5 to 4.6 m/s) and horizontal speed was varied from 0 to 10 feet per second (0 to 3.0 m/s). Most of the landings were made at a vertical and horizontal speed of 10 feet per second or 3.0 m/s (45 degree flight-path angle) while pitch attitude and surface characteristics, friction and topography, were varied. These parameters were investigated with the free-body earth-gravity and the simulated lunar-gravity test techniques. The landings were made at a model mass corresponding to a full-scale lunar weight (force due to gravity) of 1,440 pounds (6.41 kN) or an earth weight of 8,640 pounds (38.4 kN).

TESTS↗

Development of the Dual Aerodynamic Nozzle Model for the NTF Semi-Span Model Support System

The recent addition of a dual flow air delivery system to the NASA Langley National Transonic Facility was experimentally validated with a Dual Aerodynamic Nozzle semi-span model. This model utilized two Stratford calibration nozzles to characterize the weight flow system of the air delivery system. The weight flow boundaries for the air delivery system were identified at mildly cryogenic conditions to be 0.1 to 23 lbm/sec for the high flow leg and 0.1 to 9 lbm/sec for the low flow leg. Results from this test verified system performance and identified problems with the weight-flow metering system that required the vortex flow meters to be replaced at the end of the test.

Jones, Greg S.↗

NASA Tech Briefs, February 2014

Topics include: JWST Integrated Simulation and Test (JIST) Core; Software for Non-Contact Measurement of an Individual's Heart Rate Using a Common Camera; Rapid Infrared Pixel Grating Response Testbed; Temperature Measurement and Stabilization in a Birefringent Whispering Gallery Resonator; JWST IV and V Simulation and Test (JIST) Solid State Recorder (SSR) Simulator; Development of a Precision Thermal Doubler for Deep Space; Improving Friction Stir Welds Using Laser Peening; Methodology of Evaluating Margins of Safety in Critical Brazed Joints; Interactive Inventory Monitoring; Sensor for Spatial Detection of Single-Event Effects in Semiconductor-Based Electronics; Reworked CCGA-624 Interconnect Package Reliability for Extreme Thermal Environments; Current-Controlled Output Driver for Directly Coupled Loads; Bulk Metallic Glasses and Matrix Composites as Spacecraft Shielding; Touch Temperature Coating for Electrical Equipment on Spacecraft; Li-Ion Electrolytes Containing Flame-Retardant Additives; Autonomous Robotic Manipulation (ARM); CARVE Log; Platform Perspective Toolkit; Convex Hull-Based Plume and Anomaly Detection; Pre-Filtration of GOSAT Data Using Only Level 1 Data and an Intelligent Filter to Remove Low Clouds; Affordability Comparison Tool - ACT; "Ascent - Commemorating Shuttle" for iPad; Cassini Mission App; Light-Weight Workflow Engine: A Server for Executing Generic Workflows; Model for System Engineering of the CheMin Instrument; Timeline Central Concepts; Parallel Particle Filter Toolkit; Particle Filter Simulation and Analysis Enabling Non-Traditional Navigation; Quasi-Terminator Orbits for Mapping Small Primitive Bodies; The Subgrid-Scale Scalar Variance Under Supercritical Pressure Conditions; Sliding Gait for ATHLETE Mobility; and Automated Generation of Adaptive Filter Using a Genetic Algorithm and Cyclic Rule Reduction.

Source record↗

Experimental Facility to Measure Power and Forces to Excavate Lunar Regolith Simulants

An Excavation Lab has been built at the NASA Glenn Research Center in support of the NASA In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) program objectives to measure the power and forces needed to excavate granular lunar regolith. The data obtained will be used to validate excavation models used in system studies and for developing light weight, energy efficient digging devices for activities on the moon and mars. The Excavation Lab houses the Advanced Planetary Excavator (APEX), an electrically actuated backhoe arm with a bucket, which is used to dig GRC-3B, a simulant of granular lunar regolith comprised of silica sand and silt. A load cell is mounted between the arm and the bucket to measure digging forces. Dig trajectories files are created and used to control the APEX for repeatability. Comparison of preliminary data recorded for the same trajectory in air and in GRC-3B shows measurable difference in power and load cell measurements. Load cell forces for a linear dig in GRC-3B are presented.

Excavation↗

On the Integration of Loudness Over Time for the Prediction of Single-Event Annoyance

Loudness is the quality of human perception that is most related to acoustic intensity and energy, however there is no agreed-upon way of integrating loudness over time for the prediction of noise-induced annoyance. Most noise metrics used today for aircraft certification and regulation employ the “Equal-Energy Hypothesis” (EEH) and sum the acoustical energy of one or more noise events over time to create a single metric value that represents the entire exposure. Using the EEH creates a natural tradeoff between the peak energy and the duration of a single noise event, the “hypothesis” being that this tradeoff optimally predicts annoyance in a wide variety of situations. This work proposes a strategy for integrating a loudness-like time series which is flexible in two ways: First, it includes a parameter b ∈ [0,1]. When b = 0, the metric will return the peak of the time series. At b = .5, the metric will behave in accordance with the EEH. At b = 1, the metric will penalize the duration of the sound more than the EEH would. Second, transformations are given so that the strategy can be computed from, or generate quantities in units analogous to, decibels (or phon), physical units (acoustic pressure/power), or perceptually-scaled units (sone). This approach is demonstrated on a dataset of annoyance responses to single events of UAV and road vehicle noise that is fit with an augmented linear regression. Analyses based on this integration of A-weighted level and the output of the “Zwicker” loudness model yield similar results: that subjects may have been slightly more sensitive to the durations of the events than the EEH would suppose, but that the EEH cannot be disproven using these data. The time-integrated metrics outperform both time-averaged and centile-based metrics.

Psychoacoustics↗