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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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Optimal control of systems governed by functional differential equations of retarded and neutral type is considered. Problems with function space initial and terminal manifolds are investigated. Existence of optimal controls, regularity, and bang-bang properties are discussed. Necessary and sufficient conditions are derived, and several solved examples which illustrate the theory are presented.
Thermal contact conductance test data at high vacuum were obtained from two Armco iron specimens having smooth, large radii of curvature, convex, one-half wave length surfaces. The data are compared with calculations based on two macroscopic elastic deformation theories and an empirical expression. Major disagreement with the theories and fair agreement with the empirical expression resulted. Plastic deformation of all the contacting surfaces was verified from surface analyzer statistics. These results indicate that the theoretical assumption of macroscopic elastic deformation is inadequate for accurate prediction of heat transfer with light loads for Armco iron specimens similar to those used in this investigation.
Thermal contact conductance test data at high vacuum were obtained from two Armco iron specimens having smooth, large radii of curvature, convex, one-half wave length surfaces. The data are compared with calculations based on two macroscopic elastic deformation theories and an empirical expression. Major disagreement with the theories and fair agreement with the empirical expression resulted. Plastic deformation of all the contacting surfaces was verified from surface analyzer statistics. These results indicate that the theoretical assumption of macroscopic elastic deformation is inadequate for accurate prediction of heat transfer with light loads for Armco iron specimens similar to those used in this investigation.
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A study is made of the mathematical solution of the differential equation of motion of a test particle in the equatorial plane of the Kerr gravitational field, using S (Schwarzschild-like) coordinates. A qualitative solution of this equation leads to the conclusion that there can only be 25 different types of orbits. For each value of a, the results are presented in a master diagram for which h and e are the parameters. A master diagram divides the h, e parameter space into regions such that at each point within one of these regions the types of admissible orbits are qualitatively the same. A pictorial representation of the physical orbits in the r, phi plane is also given.
A model of a short takeoff and landing (STOL) fan stage was testedin a single-stage compressor research facility. Surveys of the airflow conditions ahead of the rotor, between the rotor and stator, and behind the stator were made over the stable operating range of the stage. At the design speed of 213.3 meters per second and a weight flow of 31.2 kilograms per second, the stage pressure ratio of 1.15 was less than the design value of 1.2. The stage was tested with the rotor blades reset for more flow. Design pressure ratio was achieved and surpassed with the minus 5 deg and minus 7 deg resets, respectively. The stage efficiency was 0.88 for the minus 5 deg reset and 0.85 for the minus 7 deg reset.
There are no author-identified significant results in this report.
A low power, small size electromagnetic flowmeter system is described which produces a zero output signal for zero flow. The system comprises an air core type electromagnetic flow transducer, a field current supply circuit for the transducer coils and a pre-amplifier and demodulation circuit connected to the output of the transducer. To prevent spurious signals at zero flow, separate, isolated power supplies are provided for the two circuits. The demodulator includes a pair of synchronous rectifiers which are controlled by signals from the field current supply circuit. Pulse transformer connected in front of the synchronous rectifiers provide isolation between the two circuits.
Optimal control of systems governed by functional differential equations of retarded and neutral type is considered. Problems with function space initial and terminal manifolds are investigated. Existence of optimal controls, regularity, and bang-bang properties are discussed. Necessary and sufficient conditions are derived and several solved examples which illustrate the theory are presented.
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Undesirable steady offsets result when a stationary, linear regulator using state feedback is subjected to constant disturbances and/or non-zero setspoints. To eliminate these offsets, the disturbances and non-zero setpoints can be fed forward to the control. Only when the number of outputs is less than or equal to the number of control inputs can the outputs be maintained at arbitrary non-zero setpoints. The state and the disturbance may be estimated using a constant gain Kalman filter or by modeling the constant disturbances as exponentially correlated processes with long correlation times.
Two techniques are discussed that have been most often referred to as structured programming. One is that of programming with high level control structures (such as the if and while) replacing the branch instruction (goto-less programming); the other is the process of developing a program by progressively refining descriptions of components in terms of more primitive components (called stepwise refinement or top-down programming). In addition to discussing what these techniques are, it is shown why their use is advised and how both can be implemented in OS assembly language by the use of a special macro instruction package.
The dark mantle along the southeastern margin of the Serenitatis basin is discussed in terms of its relation to the surrounding areas. The characteristics, and the relationship to younger formations are analyzed.
Apollo 17 landed on the flat floor of a deep, narrow valley embayed in the mountainous highlands that comprise the southeastern rim of Mare Serenitatis. Serenitatis is one of the youngest multiringed basins on the lunar nearside and is underlain by a mascon. The valley of Taurus-Littrow, which is radial to the basin, is generally interpreted as a graben formed as a result of structural adjustments of the lunar crust in response to the Serenitatis event.
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Dynamic synthesis of the coupling parameters permits the building of coaxially aligned connected machines with very small disturbing forces. Considered is the case of two machines connected by a flexible coupling; one machine is installed on shock absorbers with four degrees of freedom. A movement leveling synthesis considers the coaxial nonalignment parameters for the shaft arrangement and determines the optimum coupling rigidity at which the vibration amplitude is at a minimum.
A number of base metal finds have recently focussed attention on the North Western Cape Province of South Africa as an area of great potential mineral wealth. From the point of view of competitive mineral exploration it was essential that an insight into the regional geological controls of the base metal mineralization of the area be obtained as rapidly as possible. Conventional methods of producing a suitable regional geological map were considered to be too time-consuming and ERTS-1 imagery was consequently examined. This imagery has made a significant contribution in the compilation of a suitable map on which to base further mineral exploration programmes. The time involved in the compilation of maps of this nature was found to be only a fraction of the time necessary for the production of similar maps using other methods. ERTS imagery is therefore considered to be valuable in producing accurate regional maps in areas where little or no geological data are available, or in areas of poor access. Furthermore, these images have great potential for rapidly defining the regional extent of metallogenic provinces.