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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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The development of composite materials for aircraft applications is addressed with specific consideration of physical properties, structural concepts and analysis, manufacturing, reliability, and life prediction. The design and flight testing of composite ultralight gliders is documented. Advances in computer aided design and methods for nondestructive testing are also discussed.
The current status of the transmitter automation development is reported. The work described is applicable to all transmitters in the Deep Space Network. New interface and software designs are described which improve reliability and reduce the time required for subsystem turn on and klystron saturation.
A survey of propulsion control requirements forming part of an advanced V/STOL control requirements study has to date determined, among other findings: (1) that the dependence of V/STOL flying qualities on propulsive lift makes it necessary to identify propulsion control requirements early in a development program; (2) that V/STOL controls of the future should relieve the pilot of control functions and elevate him to the position of a flight operations manager, with substantial gains in capability and/or safety; and (3) that research is required to define the V/STOL control system reliability requirements and specific component reliability allocations. An interactive, integrated design process for the realization of these objectives is also described.
The reliability analysis of a thermal protection system (TPS) incorporating low density, fibrous ceramic materials must take into account the time-dependency and variability of the system's strength. Fracture mechanics concepts can be used to estimate the allowable strength and expected lifetime, as well as to define a proof test scheme for assuring mission success of TPS. The aim of this study was to evaluate the proof testing scheme used on the TPS of the Space Shuttle with these fracture mechanics concepts. The analysis confirmed that proof testing was necessary for the undensified system and that proof testing should lead to adequate reliability with respect to the design stresses. For the undensified system, fracture mechanics predictions were confirmed by measuring the strength of samples that survived proof testing. It was also found that the time-dependent nature of the system's strength was controlled mainly by the ceramic and that this time-strength dependency is similar to that observed for bulk glasses that have compositions similar to the glass fibers present in the ceramic tiles.
The problem of designing analytical failure-detection systems (FDS) for sensors and actuators, using observers, is addressed. The use of observers in FDS is related to the examination of the n-dimensional observer error vector which carries the necessary information on possible failures. The problem is that in practical systems, in which only some of the components of the state vector are measured, one has access only to the m-dimensional observer-output error vector, with m or = to n. In order to cope with these cases, a secondary observer is synthesized to reconstruct the entire observer-error vector from the observer output error vector. This approach leads toward the design of highly sensitive and reliable FDS, with the possibility of obtaining a unique fingerprint for every possible failure. In order to keep the observer's (or Kalman filter) false-alarm rate under a certain specified value, it is necessary to have an acceptable matching between the observer (or Kalman filter) models and the system parameters. A previously developed adaptive observer algorithm is used to maintain the desired system-observer model matching, despite initial mismatching or system parameter variations. Conditions for convergence for the adaptive process are obtained, leading to a simple adaptive law (algorithm) with the possibility of an a priori choice of fixed adaptive gains. Simulation results show good tracking performance with small observer output errors, while accurate and fast parameter identification, in both deterministic and stochastic cases, is obtained.
SIFT (Software Implemented Fault Tolerance) is an experimental, fault-tolerant computer system designed to meet the extreme reliability requirements for safety-critical functions in advanced aircraft. Errors are masked by performing a majority voting operation over the results of identical computations, and faulty processors are removed from service by reassigning computations to the nonfaulty processors. This scheme has been implemented in a special architecture using a set of standard Bendix BDX930 processors, augmented by a special asynchronous-broadcast communication interface that provides direct, processor to processor communication among all processors. Fault isolation is accomplished in hardware; all other fault-tolerance functions, together with scheduling and synchronization are implemented exclusively by executive system software. The system reliability is predicted by a Markov model. Mathematical consistency of the system software with respect to the reliability model has been partially verified, using recently developed tools for machine-aided proof of program correctness.
The 1985 ACT airplane is the Final Active Controls Technology (ACT) Airplane with the addition of three-axis fly by wire. Thus it retains all the efficiency features of the full ACT system plus the weight and cost savings accruing from deletion of the mechanical control system. The control system implements the full IAAC spectrum of active controls except flutter-mode control, judged essentially nonbeneficial, and incorporates new control surfaces called flaperons to make the most of wing-load alleviation. This redundant electronic system is conservatively designed to preserve the extreme reliability required of crucial short-period pitch augmentation, which provides more than half of the fuel savings.
A review of current helicopters was conducted to determine the technology in the drive-train systems. The design features are highlighted including reliability characteristics in transmission systems for the OH-58, UH-1, CH-47, and UH-60 helicopters. In addition, trade-offs involving cost, reliability and life are discussed.
Recent moisture resistance tests of various multilayer top brazed ceramic flat packs and leaded and unleaded chip carriers has revealed a serious design defect. These packages, which utilize a tungsten interconnect system, in the presence of high humidity, suffer a galvanic corrosion which anodically consumes the tungsten. This process can continue until the package suffers an open circuit. The test results indicate that the lead plating system does not adequately seal off the interface area where the tungsten stripe egresses from the inside of the package. Leaded and leadless chip carrier packages were also subjected to the moisture resistance test. The familiar red and green corrosion products were visible after the test was completed. Careful sectioning of the chip carriers has revealed that the tungsten interconnect stripe instead of exiting under the castellations, exits at the top of the castellation and is thus vulnerable to the attack of moisture. These basic design faults severely impact the reliability of these packages.
Structure lightweight, readily deployed, and has reliable joints. New truss concept, designated as "pac truss," developed. Features easy deployment without need for complex mechanisms. Structures of this type deployed in free flight by controlled release of stored energy in torsional springs at selected hinges located throughout structure. Double-folding technique used in beam model applicable to flat planar trusses, allowing structures of large expanse to fold into compact packages and be deployed for space-platform applications.
To establish a long-term research facility for experimental investigations of design diversity as a means of achieving fault-tolerant systems, a distributed testbed for multiple-version software was designed. It is part of a local network, which utilizes the Locus distributed operating system to operate a set of 20 VAX 11/750 computers. It is used in experiments to measure the efficacy of design diversity and to investigate reliability increases under large-scale, controlled experimental conditions.
Fiber optics combined with IDE's provide consistent data communication between fault-tolerant computers. Data-transmission-checking system designed to provide consistent and reliable data communications for fault-tolerant and highly reliable computers. New technique performs variant of algorithm for fault-tolerant computers and uses fiber optics and independent decision elements (IDE's) to require fewer processors and fewer transmissions of messages. Enables fault-tolerant computers operating at different levels of redundancy to communicate with each other over triply redundant bus. Level of redundancy limited only by maximum number of wavelengths active on bus.
Candidate main engine configurations which enhance vehicle performance, operation and cost are identified. These candidate configurations are evaluated and the configurations which provide significant advantages over existing systems are selected for consideration for the next generation of launch vehicles. The unbiased selection of the Space Transportation Main Engine (STME) configuration requires that the candidate engines be evaluated against a predetermined set of criteria which must be properly weighted to emphasize critical requirements defined prior to the actual evaluation. During a prior study of the STME a Gas Generator Cycle engine was selected for conceptual design, with emphasis on reusability, reliability and low cost while achieving good performance. In this study emphasis is on expendable application of the STME while maintaining low cost and high reliability.
An attempt is made to show that redundancies in some aerospace mechanisms do not generally improve the odds for success. Some of these redundancies may even be the very cause for failure of the system. To illustrate this fallacy, two designs based on the Control of Flexible Structures I (COFS I) Mast deployer and retractor assembly (DRA) are presented together with novel designs to circumvent such design inadequacies, while improving system reliability.
A two-level design optimization metholology is described. A progress report of its application to Printed Wiring Board (PWB) assembly examples is given. The design of PWB assemblies is a complex task which is generally conducted as a sequential process. Individual PWBs are usually designed first, followed by the composition of the PWBs into an assembly. As a result, optimizing design considerations such as assembly reliability cannot be accomplished. This study showed that a two-level decomposition method can be employed to optimize for reliability at both the PWB- and the assembly-level in a coupled manner. The two-level decomposition method also resolved the mixed-integer nonlinear programming nature of the problem rather easily.
The objective of this work was to study the reasons for the failure of pyrotechnic initiators at very low temperatures (10 to 100 K). A two-dimensional model of the NASA standard initiator was constructed to model heat transfer from the electrically heated stainless steel bridgewire to the zirconium potassium perchlorate explosive charge and the alumina charge cup. Temperature dependent properties were used in the model to simulate initiator performance over a wide range of initial temperatures (10 to 500 K). A search of the thermophysical property data base showed that pure alumina has a very high thermal conductivity at low temperatures. It had been assumed to act as a thermal insulator in all previous analyses. Rapid heat transfer from the bridgewire to the alumina at low initial temperatures was shown to cause failure of the initiators if the wire did not also make good contact with the zirconium potassium perchlorate charge. The mode is able to reproduce the results of the tests that had been conducted to investigate the cause for failure. It also provides an explanation for previously puzzling results and suggests simple design changes that will increase reliability at very low initial temperatures.
SCRAM computer program determines, according to one-dimensional mathematical model, cycle performance for airframe-integrated subsonic or supersonic combustion Ramjets. Reliable, efficient, and speedy ramjet designer's software tool usable on all standard computers down to those compatible with IBM PC-AT's. Scramjet cycle analysis code simulates, from nose to tail, hydrogen-fueled, airframe-integrated scramjet in real gas flow with equilibrium thermodynamic properties. Enables rapid scramjet performance estimates. Written in FORTRAN 77.
The primary purpose of this evaluation was to determine if the Raytek IR pyrometer that was installed in the 600 gallon propellant mixers could be used to provide a continuous, accurate, reliable measurement of the propellant temperature during mixing. The Raytek infrared sensor is not recommended to be used for controlling propellant temperature nor for inspection buy-off. The first part of the evaluation was to determine the accuracy of the sensor in measuring the propellant temperature. The second part was to determine the reliability of the air purge design in preventing contamination of the IR window.