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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 1,423 records · Page 79
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1988

Effects of surface pressures and streamline metrics on the calculation of laminar heating rates

The effect of streamline geometry and pressure distributions on surface heating rates is examined for slender, spherically blunted cones. The modifications to the approximate aeroheating code include a curve fit of pressures computed by an Euler solution over a range of Mach numbers and cone angles. The streamline geometry is then found using the surface pressures and inviscid surface properties. Previously, streamlines were determined using the inviscid properties at the edge of the boundary layer when accounting for the effects of entropy-layer swallowing. Streamline calculations are now based on inviscid surface conditions rather than boundary-layer edge properties. However, the heating rates are calculated using inviscid properties at the edge of the boundary layer. Resulting heating rates compare favorably with solutions from the viscous-shock-layer equations.

Riley, Christopher J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Evaluation of a doubly-swept blade tip for rotorcraft noise reduction

A computational study was performed for a doubly-swept rotor blade tip to determine its benefit for high-speed impulsive (HSI) and blade-vortex interaction (BVI) noise. This design consists of aft and forward sweep. For the HSI-noise computations, unsteady Euler calculations were performed for several variations to a rotor blade geometry. A doubly-swept planform was predicted to increase the delocalizing Mach number to 0.94 (representative of a 200+ kt helicopter). For the BVI-noise problem, it had been hypothesized that the doubly-swept blade tip, by producing a leading-edge vortex, would reduce the tip-vortex effect on BVI noise. A procedure was used in which the tip vortex velocity profile computed by a Navier-Stokes solver was used to compute the inflow associated with BVI. This inflow was used by a Euler solver to compute the unsteady pressures for an acoustic analysis. The results of this study were inconclusive due to the difficulty in accurately predicting the viscous tip vortex downstream of the blade. Also, for the condition studied, no leading-edge vortex formed at the tip.

Wake, Brian E.↗
NASA NTRS1960

Static Longitudinal Stability and Control Characteristics At A Mach Number of 1.99 of a Lenticular-Shaped Reentry Vehicle

An investigation has been made in the Langley 4- by 4-foot supersonic pressure tunnel at a Mach number of 1.99 to determine the longitudinal stability and control characteristics of a reentry model consisting of a lenticular-shaped body with two fin configurations (horizontal fins with end plates). Effects of deflecting the larger size fins as pitch-control surfaces were also investigated. The results indicate that the body alone was unstable from an angle of attack of 0 deg to about 55 deg where it became stable and remained so to 90 deg. The addition of fins provided positive longitudinal stability throughout the angle-of-attack range and increased the lift-drag ratio of the configuration. Reducing the horizontal-fin area at the inboard trailing edge of the fin had only a small effect on the aerodynamic characteristics of the vehicle for the condition of no fin deflection. Deflecting the fins, appeared to be an effective means of pitch control and had only a small effect on lift-drag ratio.

Jackson, Charles M., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2009

100-GHz Phase Switch/Mixer Containing a Slot-Line Transition

A circuit that can function as a phase switch, frequency mixer, or frequency multiplier operates over a broad frequency range in the vicinity of 100 GHz. Among the most notable features of this circuit is a grounded uniplanar transition (in effect, a balun) between a slot line and one of two coplanar waveguides (CPWs). The design of this circuit is well suited to integration of the circuit into a microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) package. One CPW is located at the input end and one at the output end of the top side of a substrate on which the circuit is fabricated (see Figure 1). The input CPW feeds the input signal to antiparallel flip-chip Schottky diodes connected to the edges of the slot line. Phase switching is effected by the combination of (1) the abrupt transition from the input CPW to the slot line and (2) CPW ground tuning effected by switching of the bias on the diodes. Grounding of the slot metal to the bottom metal gives rise to a frequency cutoff in the slot. This cutoff is valuable for separating different frequency components when the circuit is used as a mixer or multiplier. Proceeding along the slot line toward the output end, one encounters the aforementioned transition, which couples the slot line to the output CPW. Impedance tuning of the transition is accomplished by use of a high-impedance section immediately before the transition.

Gaier, Todd↗
DOE OSTI2021

Pedestal magnetic turbulence measurements in ELMy H-mode DIII-D plasmas by Faraday-effect polarimetry

Internal magnetic fluctuation measurements are utilized to identify turbulence associated with micro-tearing modes (MTM) in the DIII-D Edge-Localized-Mode (ELM)-y H-mode pedestal. Using a Faraday-effect polarimeter, magnetic turbulence (150–500 kHz) is directly observed with a typical line-averaged fluctuation amplitude of ~0.8 G at peak frequency (250 kHz) and ~15 G integrated over the spectrum from 150 to 500 kHz. Frequency, poloidal wavenumber, and propagation direction of the magnetic turbulence all serve to identify as MTM. Magnetic turbulence amplitude non-monotonically correlates with collision frequency, peaks off mid-plane, and correlates with electron temperature gradient evolution between ELMs, consistent with MTM features identified from theory and gyro-kinetic simulation. The magnetic turbulence growth correlates with confinement degradation in ELMy H-mode plasmas during a slow density ramp. In conclusion, these internal measurements provide unique constraints toward developing physics understanding and validating models of the H-mode pedestal for future devices.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1992

Free-edge stress analysis of glass-epoxy laminates with matrix cracks

The effect of matrix cracks on the composite delamination and interlaminar stresses is investigated in (+15/90n/-15)s glass-epoxy laminates (with values of n equal to 0, 1, 2, or 3) subjected to monotonically increasing tension loads. Three-dimensional (3D) and quasi-3D (Q3D) finite-element analyses are used to model the free-edge stress states in the laminates with and without a matrix crack, respectively. The Q3D results show that in-plane transverse tensile stresses exist in the +15 deg plies near the free edges of all of the laminates used and that only the interlaminar shear stress is high at the +15/theta interface. The results of 3D analysis indicate that large tensile interlaminar normal as well as shear stresses develop at the intersection of the matrix crack and the free edge. This suggests that the interlaminar normal stress plays a significant role in the failure of these laminates.

Fish, John C.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Carbon Fiber Prepreg Recycling- Automated Perform Manufacturing Equipment (Final Technical Report)

Discontinuous fiber composites have a compelling business case as related to light metals such as aluminum and magnesium machined or die cast components. DFC’s have been in commercial production using carbon fiber/epoxy prepreg for both commercial aircraft and for military applications for a number of years and their usage is expanding into automotive and consumer goods components. Reasons for this include significantly lower cost as compared to continuous fiber composites easier design and understanding of the material by metal traditionalists, higher degree of part complexity with relatively simple and low cost molds when compared to high-pressure die casting, and potential for near zero waste. IACMI’s 10-year goals of reduction in carbon fiber reinforced plastics manufacturing cost by 25%, reduction in their embodied energy by 50%, and recyclability of 95% can all be advanced through robust recycling. With recycling We have shown that a 15% contribution in manufacturing cost reduction is feasible, that a significant reduction in embodied energy (over 90% for the recycled fraction) is achievable, and that when combined with primary pyrolysis recycling, the 95% target can be met. Large-scale application of advanced composites began with the aerospace industry, and CRTC’s location in Washington State provided access to a waste stream of nearly 900 tonnes/year that was going to landfill. As the aerospace industry has automated parts production, their material forms have become significantly easier to recycle, and some evidence of this exists for the future automotive and wind turbine components as well. CRTC decided to focus on re-purposing the carbon fiber/epoxy aerospace scrap streams through materials reformatting and reuse, and not on primary recycling (pyrolysis mainly) as this technology is commercially available. The main reasons for this were that it offers a route to effective use of the most widely available and consistent feedstock called edge-trim, as well as allows creation of complex and low-cost parts using rapid and cost-effective compression molding technologies. The reasons also include leading the way for potential automotive pre-preg recycling as the combination of roughly 85% virgin pre-preg and 15% recycled pre-preg directly supports IACMI’s goals and enables significant part cost reduction and a path to zero-waste composite manufacturing at the OEMs or Tier 1’s. The purpose of the project was to develop equipment and technology to transform continuous fiber pre-preg in roll forms into smaller chip-format DFC feedstock, and to determine impacts on moldability and performance based on lessons learned along the path. The availability of scrap from pre-preg manufacturers was a significant value to the program even though the aerospace pre-preg is designed to be autoclave molded thus has handling, tackiness, and processing factors that are not ideal for DFCs. The scope of the project was to develop a Phase 1 system that could identify and resolve some of the major hurdles, determine where to focus effort on building a commercial-scale Phase 2 system, and develop technology for handling a wide variety of incoming scrap materials to produce the most usable product. A chopping system was developed and reduced to practice via an experimental approach that enabled all forms of scrap coming from the pre-preg manufacturers and some forms of the scrap coming from OEM production lines to be very effectively re-purposed. The systems that were developed were not considered to be production robust but rather identified and resolved some of the major technical hurdles, and demonstrated the path towards effective full-scale commercialization.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1991

Damage development under compression-compression fatigue loading in a stitched uniwoven graphite/epoxy composite material

Damage initiation and growth under compression-compression fatigue loading were investigated for a stitched uniweave material system with an underlying AS4/3501-6 quasi-isotropic layup. Performance of unnotched specimens having stitch rows at either 0 degree or 90 degrees to the loading direction was compared. Special attention was given to the effects of stitching related manufacturing defects. Damage evaluation techniques included edge replication, stiffness monitoring, x-ray radiography, residual compressive strength, and laminate sectioning. It was found that the manufacturing defect of inclined stitches had the greatest adverse effect on material performance. Zero degree and 90 degree specimen performances were generally the same. While the stitches were the source of damage initiation, they also slowed damage propagation both along the length and across the width and affected through-the-thickness damage growth. A pinched layer zone formed by the stitches particularly affected damage initiation and growth. The compressive failure mode was transverse shear for all specimens, both in static compression and fatigue cycling effects.

Vandermey, Nancy E.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Incidence angle effects on convected gust airfoil noise

An analysis is developed which predicts the influence of airfoil mean loading on noise generation due to convected gusts. The theory is based on a linearization of the exact inviscid equations about a nonuniform compressible mean flow and the solution is developed using singular perturbation techniques. The case of a flat plate airfoil, at incidence angle alpha, interacting with three-dimensional disturbances is analyzed. It is found that in the vicinity of the airfoil leading and trailing edges, local regions are present which scale on the disturbance wavelength, with the noise generation concentrated in these regions. Away from the airfoil edges, the mean flow variation is found to be slow compared to the disturbance wavelength and no significant noise generation occurs. The mean flow variation near the leading edge generates additional noise by distorting the convected gust. The cumulative effect of the airfoil mean loading in the trailing edge region produces a 0(1) phase shift between the disturbances on the upper and lower surfaces of the airfoil. A corresponding 0(1) decrease, compared to the alpha = 0 case, is found in the noise generated at the trailing edge.

Kerschen, E. J.↗
DOE OSTI2025

The Effects of Compounded Model Size Reductions on Adversarial Robustness

Recent advances in Edge AI and Tiny Machine Learning (TinyML) have enabled the deployment of machine learning models on resource-constrained environments. However, deploying these models on edge devices, such as micro-controllers, requires significant model footprint reduction through a variety of techniques such as quantization, pruning, and clustering. While these optimization methods offer considerable advantages, they potentially introduce AI-related security vulnerabilities, particularly concerning model robustness with respect to adversarial AI attacks. Prior research has extensively examined the impact of quantization on adversarial robustness; however, the effects of alternative reduction techniques and their combinations remain understudied. This paper investigates the impact of model size reduction techniques on adversarial robustness, when applied individually and combined. We utilized Fast Gradient Sign Method (FGSM) and Projected Gradient Descent (PGD) attacks to generate adversarial perturbations for both training and testing data, and then evaluated the models' accuracy under adversarial training conditions. Our findings revealed that reduction techniques generally diminished robustness; although, combining techniques was not found to make robustness any worse than when applied individually. Moreover, specific techniques can potentially enhance resistance to small size perturbations. This research provides insights into the trade-offs between model size reduction and security, establishing a foundation for future investigations into improving adversarial training techniques and methodologies for maintaining robustness while preserving memory footprint benefits.

Austria, Phillipe [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000236223973)↗
NASA NTRS1958

Area-Suction Boundary-Layer Control as Applied to the Trailing-Edge Flaps of a 35 Degree Swept-Wing Airplane

A wind-tunnel investigation was made to determine the effects on the aerodynamic characteristics of a 35 degree swept-wing airplane of applying area-suction boundary-layer control to the trailing-edge flaps. Flight tests of a similar airplane were then conducted to determine the effect of boundary-layer control in the handling qualities and operation of the airplane, particularly during landing. The wind-tunnel and flight tests indicated that area suction applied to the trailing-edge flaps produced significant increases in flap lift increment. Although the flap boundary-layer control reduced the stall speed only slightly, a reduction in minimum comfortable approach speed of about 12 knots was obtained.

Cook, Woodrow L↗
DOE OSTI2024

LLNL-LDRD-Final report

The main focus of this study is the X-ray spectroscopy and complementary modeling characterization of the range of perovskite materials. Specific areas covered in this study include: • Quantitative characterization of individual (both CB and VB) band edge movement as a function of Sn concentration; • The effects of creating an interface with the charge transport layer and back contact on both the interfacial bonding and unoccupied band structure – i.e., how does the interfacial eDOS evolve when the interface is assembled; • How does this interface change (local bonding, CB edge) evolve with degradation – this includes depth profiling; • Additional insights from the spectroscopy – e.g., the pathway of degradation (Sn(II) oxide formation to a significant depth before Sn(IV) oxide formation, etc.), do different charge transport layers have distinct properties in slowing degradation, etc.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

ParaStell: parametric modeling and neutronics support for stellarator fusion power plants

The three-dimensional variation inherent to stellarator geometries and fusion sources motivates three-dimensional modeling to obtain accurate results from computational modeling in support of design and analysis of first wall, blanket, and shield (FWBS) systems. Manually constructing stellarator fusion power plant geometries in computer-aided design (CAD) and defining the corresponding fusion source can be cumbersome and challenging. The open-source parametric modeling toolset ParaStell has been developed to automate construction of such geometries in low-fidelity. Low-fidelity modeling is useful during the conceptual phase of engineering design as a means of rapidly exploring the design space of a given device. The modeling capability of ParaStell includes in-vessel components and magnets, for any given stellarator configuration, using a parametric definition and plasma equilibrium data. Furthermore, the toolset automates the generation of detailed, tetrahedral neutron source definitions and DAGMC geometries for use in neutronics modeling. ParaStell assists rapid design iteration, parametric study, and design optimization of stellarator fusion cores. As a demonstration of the design iteration capability, the effect of the three-dimensional parameter space on tritium breeding and magnet shielding is investigated, using the WISTELL-D configuration as a design basis. Blanket and shield thicknesses are varied in three dimensions, using the space available between the plasma edge and magnet coils as a constraint. The corresponding effects on tritium breeding ratio and magnet heating are tallied using the open-source Monte Carlo particle transport code OpenMC. The inclusion of additional and higher-fidelity modeling capabilities is planned for ParaStell’s future, as well as its implementation in machine-driven optimization.

Moreno, Connor↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dislocation nano-hydrides in nickel: Nucleation, evolution and effects on dislocation behaviors

Nano-hydrides have been predicted to precipitate at the core of edge dislocations in the Ni-H system, a mechanism that may promote hydrogen embrittlement. However, nano-hydride nucleation, growth, and effects on dislocation behavior have seldom been explored. This work combines molecular dynamics grand canonical Monte Carlo (MD-GCMC) simulations and continuum modeling to uncover a wide range of phenomena linked to dislocation nano-hydrides. Simulations reveal that nano-hydrides can be stabilized at dislocation cores with all character angles, including screw segments, due to the hydrostatic stresses around the cores of the Shockley partials. Nano-hydride nucleation takes place in these regions, and growth is dictated by the character angle θ of the perfect dislocation. The equilibrium stacking fault width d eq varies dynamically to increase the local hydrostatic stress field and facilitate the formation of the nano-hydride, forming a constriction-like feature and leading to three distinct behaviors: d eq decreases for θ > 30°, d eq remains unchanged for θ = 30°, and d eq increases for θ < 30°. Remote hydrostatic and Escaig stresses are also shown to influence the nucleation stage, implying stress concentrations such as those ahead of crack tips may facilitate nano-hydride precipitation. Moreover, we identify a new hydrogen-induced 60° dislocation reaction that emits a Shockley partial on a conjugate plane, with potential implications for twin nucleation. Testable predictions from this study are then used to reinterpret previous results from the literature. In conclusion, these findings provide a comprehensive framework to assess nano-hydride formation and evolution at dislocations in nickel and other face-centered cubic metals, with important implications to hydrogen embrittlement.

Dislocations↗
NASA NTRS1995

Aerothermal/FEM Analysis of Hypersonic Sharp Leading Edges

Advanced hypersonic vehicles, like wave riders, will have sharp leading edges to minimize drag. These designs require accurate finite element modeling (FEM) of the thermal-structural behavior of a diboride ceramic matrix composite sharp leading edge. By coupling the FEM solver to an engineering model of the aerothermodynamic heating environment the impact of non catalytic surfaces, rarefied flow effects, and multidimensional conduction on the performance envelopes of sharp leading edges can be examined.

Kolodziej, Paul↗
NASA NTRS1979

Free jet phenomena in a 90 degree-sharp edge inlet geometry

Under certain conditions, inlets with a sharp edge or geometric corner were shown to exhibit sufficiently strong separation effects to permit the working fluid to flow through the duct as if it were a free jet. Mass limiting flow data and associated pressure profiles for tubes of 53, 64, 73, and 105 length/diameter with a 90 deg sharp edge or orifice type inlet were taken and compared to Borda type inlet data to determine bounds of the free jet phenomena. For smooth tubes the limits appear to be one dimensional and dependent only on inlet stagnation conditions. Similar free jet effects were found for fluid hydrogen indicating that fluid jetting may common to all fluids flowing through 90 deg sharp edge inlet geometries.

Hendricks, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Noise reduction tests of large-scale-model externally blown flap using trailing-edge blowing and partial flap slot covering

Noise data were obtained with a large-scale cold-flow model of a two-flap, under-the-wing, externally blown flap proposed for use on future STOL aircraft. The noise suppression effectiveness of locating a slot conical nozzle at the trailing edge of the second flap and of applying partial covers to the slots between the wing and flaps was evaluated. Overall-sound-pressure-level reductions of 5 db occurred below the wing in the flyover plane. Existing models of several noise sources were applied to the test results. The resulting analytical relation compares favorably with the test data. The noise source mechanisms were analyzed and are discussed.

Mckinzie, D. J., Jr.↗