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At least 145 records · Page 8

The propagation and attenuation of complex acoustic waves in treated circular and annular ducts

The propagation of plane waves and higher order acoustic modes in a circular multisectioned duct was studied. A unique source array consisting of two concentric rings of sources, providing phase and amplitude control in the radial, as well as circumferential direction, was developed to generate plane waves and both spinning and nonspinning higher order modes. Measurements of attenuation and radial mode shapes were taken with finite length liners between the hard wall sections of an anechoically terminated duct. Materials tested as liners included a glass fiber material and both sintered fiber metals and perforated sheet metals with a honeycomb backing. The fundamental acoustic properties of these materials were studied with emphasis on the attenuation of sound by the liners and the determination of local versus extended reaction behavior for the boundary condition. The experimental results were compared with a mathematical model for the multisectioned duct.

Reethof, G.↗

CTRANS: A Monte Carlo program for radiative transfer in plane parallel atmospheres with imbedded finite clouds: Development, testing and user's guide

The program called CTRANS is described which was designed to perform radiative transfer computations in an atmosphere with horizontal inhomogeneities (clouds). Since the atmosphere-ground system was to be richly detailed, the Monte Carlo method was employed. This means that results are obtained through direct modeling of the physical process of radiative transport. The effects of atmopheric or ground albedo pattern detail are essentially built up from their impact upon the transport of individual photons. The CTRANS program actually tracks the photons backwards through the atmosphere, initiating them at a receiver and following them backwards along their path to the Sun. The pattern of incident photons generated through backwards tracking automatically reflects the importance to the receiver of each region of the sky. Further, through backwards tracking, the impact of the finite field of view of the receiver and variations in its response over the field of view can be directly simulated.

Source record↗

Development of spot-like turbulence in plane channel flow

A numerical simulation of the final stages of transition in plane channel flow is presented. Investigation of various flow field quantities provides some new insight into the breakdown stage and the formation of spot-like packets of turbulence.

Biringen, S.↗

Slush Hydrogen (SLH2) technology development for application to the National Aerospace Plane (NASP)

The National Aerospace Plane (NASP) program is giving us the opportunity to reach new unique answers in a number of engineering categories. The answers are considered enhancing technology or enabling technology. Airframe materials and densified propellants are examples of enabling technology. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Lewis Research Center has the task of providing the technology data which will be used as the basis to decide if slush hydrogen (SLH2) will be the fuel of choice for the NASP. The objectives of this NASA Lewis program are: (1) to provide, where possible, verified numerical models of fluid production, storage, transfer, and feed systems, and (2) to provide verified design criteria for other engineered aspects of SLH2 systems germane to a NASP. This program is a multiyear multimillion dollar effort. The present pursuit of the above listed objectives is multidimensional, covers a range of problem areas, works these to different levels of depth, and takes advantage of the resources available in private industry, academia, and the U.S. Government. The NASA Lewis overall program plan is summarized. The initial implementation of the plan will be unfolded and the present level of efforts in each of the resource areas will be discussed. Results already in hand will be pointed out. A description of additionally planned near-term experimental and analytical work is described.

Dewitt, Richard L.↗

Slush hydrogen (SLH2) technology development for application to the National Aerospace Plane (NASP)

The National Aerospae Plane (NASP) program is giving us the opportunity to reach new unique answers in a number of engineering categories. The answers are considered enhancing technology or enabling technology. Airframe materials and densified propellants are examples of enabling technology. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Lewis Research Center has the task of providing the technology data which will be used as the basis to decide if slush hydrogen (SLH2) will be the fuel of choice for the NASP. The objectives of this NASA Lewis program are: (1) to provide, where possible, verified numerical models of fluid production, storage, transfer, and feed systems, and (2) to provide verified design criteria for other engineered aspects of SLH2 systems germane to an NASP. This program is a multiyear multimillion dollar effort. The present pursuit of the above listed objectives is multidimensional, covers a range of problem areas, works these to different levels of depth, and takes advantage of the resources available in private industry, academia, and the U.S. Government. The NASA Lewis overall program plan is summarized. The initial implementation of the plan will be unfolded and the present level of efforts in each of the resource areas will be discussed. Results already in hand will be pointed out. A description of additionally planned near-term experimental and analytical work is described.

Dewitt, Richard L.↗

A Path to High Efficiency Optical Coupling for HIRMES

The high-resolution mid-infrared spectrometer (HIRMES) under development for SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) is an instrument operating in the 25-122 μm spectral range with a spectral resolution R= Δ ʎ /ʎ ~100,000 and has two absorber-coupled transition edge sensor (TES) bolometric detector focal planes. We have developed novel NbTiN low stress absorber coatings which have the required optical impedance across the HIRMES operating band. The low intrinsic stress of these coatings allow for a peak-to-valley corrugation amplitude < 5 μm of the 450 nm thick, 1.4 mm x 1.7 mm detector pixels. Furthermore, these coatings have a superconducting transition temperature ~ 10 K, which allows them to simultaneously serve as an absorber in the desired signal band and a rejection filter at long wavelengths. This attribute makes them especially attractive for ultrasensitive absorber-coupled bolometric detector applications, because it helps in controlling the optical loading from out-of band radiation. We also discuss a novel method for integrating a wedged reflective absorber-termination to the detector array.

bolometers↗

Development and Testing of a Superconducting Ground Plane on Transition Edge Sensors

Much of the normal matter in the universe is thought to exist as diffuse hot gas near 1.0 × 10 6 K, which can be detected through its 0.1–0.5 keV line emission. Distinguishing among multiple temperature regions and emission mechanisms along a line of sight requires resolving individual spectral lines in this particularly crowded spectral range. This requires 1–2 eV spectral resolution, which is currently only possible using grating spectrometers, which are suitable only for point sources, but not for the diffuse sources we wish to observe. We aim to measure individual spectral lines in this energy band using transition edge sensors (TES) that have the required 1–2 eV non-dispersive spectral resolution on a sounding rocket. While TESs offer sufficient energy resolution, they are very sensitive to ambient magnetic fields, e.g. from earth’s field and stray fields from the adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) that is used to cool TESs to their ∼70 mK transition temperature. Strict space and weight limitations on the sounding rocket payload will limit the use of conventional high permeability magnetic shielding. Further design challenges arise in designing shielding with at least a 45∘ field of view, which is required to maintain a large enough throughput to obtain a useful spectrum on a brief (∼300 s) sounding rocket flight. Here we explore adding a superconducting ground plane (SGP) to the backside of the TES to reduce its field sensitivity and minimize attenuation requirements for the external shielding, which is based on prior work from (de Wit et al. 2022). We tested the feasibility of SGPs with novel materials, geometries, and on larger TESs with different biasing conditions.

Astrophysics↗

Orbital Space Plane Cost Credibility

NASA's largest new start development program is the Orbital Space Plane (OSP) Program. The program is currently in the formulation stage. One of the critical issues to be resolved, prior to initiating full-scale development, is establishing cost credibility of NASA s budget estimates for development, production, and operations of the OSP. This paper will discuss the processes, tools, and methodologies that NASA, along with its industry partners, are implementing to assure cost credibility for the OSP program. Results of benchmarking of current tools and the development of new cost estimating capabilities and approaches will be discussed.

Creech, Steve↗

Development of the Microcalorimeter Detector for Athena/X-IFU

The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) will be a microcalorimeter instrument on ESA’s Athena X-ray observatory, set to launch around 2037. Athena recently underwent a reformulation exercise resulting in a simplified X-IFU architecture, with a new baseline configuration featuring fewer pixels and readout channels. Newly developed transition edge sensor pixels that are slower and have reduced magnetic field sensitivity have helped enable the new instrument design whilst maintaining flagship quality science. In this paper, we report on the status and plan for continued development of the X-IFU microcalorimeter array. We describe details of the current pixel architecture and performance specifications. We will present the design of the first full scale microcalorimeter arrays that have the necessary flight like electrical and mechanical interfaces for X-IFU. These arrays will undergo testing in a focal-plane assembly (FPA) Development Model (DM) in Europe later in 2024 and serve as a precursor to the X-IFU Engineering Model detector.

Stephen J Smith↗

Flight Dynamics Mission Support and Quality Assurance Process

This paper summarizes the method of the Computer Sciences Corporation Flight Dynamics Operation (FDO) quality assurance approach to support the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center Flight Dynamics Support Branch. Historically, a strong need has existed for developing systematic quality assurance using methods that account for the unique nature and environment of satellite Flight Dynamics mission support. Over the past few years FDO has developed and implemented proactive quality assurance processes applied to each of the six phases of the Flight Dynamics mission support life cycle: systems and operations concept, system requirements and specifications, software development support, operations planing and training, launch support, and on-orbit mission operations. Rather than performing quality assurance as a final step after work is completed, quality assurance has been built in as work progresses in the form of process assurance. Process assurance activities occur throughout the Flight Dynamics mission support life cycle. The FDO Product Assurance Office developed process checklists for prephase process reviews, mission team orientations, in-progress reviews, and end-of-phase audits. This paper will outline the evolving history of FDO quality assurance approaches, discuss the tailoring of Computer Science Corporations's process assurance cycle procedures, describe some of the quality assurance approaches that have been or are being developed, and present some of the successful results.

Oh, InHwan↗

Numerical formulation for a higher order plane finite dynamic element

The paper describes the development of an eight-node plane rectangular finite dynamic element and presents detailed descriptions of the associated numerical formulation involving the higher order dynamic correction terms pertaining to the related stiffness and inertia matrices. Numerical test results of free vibration analyses are presented in detail for the newly developed eight-node element and also the corresponding four-node element in order to make a clear comparison of the relative efficiencies of the corresponding finite element and dynamic element procedures. Such results indicate a superior pattern of solution convergence of the presently developed dynamic element.

Gupta, K. K.↗

Minimum energy-loss guidance for aero-assisted orbital plane change

Minimum energy-loss guidance for the aero-assisted plane change of an orbiting vehicle is developed and applied to the plane change of a circular orbit. First, trajectories which minimize the fuel required to change the orbital plane are computed for a realistic vehicle. From these trajectories, it is observed that the fuel weight is minimized if the velocity at exit from the atmosphere is maximized. Next, for the atmospheric turn, approximate optimal controls (angle of attack and bank angle) which maximize the exit velocity are derived. Finally, the minimum-fuel problem is resolved using optimal guidance for the atmospheric part of the trajectory, and the optimization problem reduces to a one-dimensional parameter minimization. Successful plane changes up to 40 deg are demonstrated. Optimal guidance requires up to 14 percent more fuel than the 'true' optimum but only 50 percent of the fuel required by the single-impulse maneuver. Finally, the guidance law developed here is implementable because only algebraic manipulations are required.

Hull, D. G.↗

SU-F-T-259: GPR Tables for the Estimation of Mid-Plane Dose Using EPID

Purpose: To develop a simple method for estimating the mid-plane dose (MPD) of a patient using Electronic Portal imaging Device (EPID). Methods: A Varian TrueBeam with aSi100 EPID was used in this study. The EPID images were acquired for a 30 cm × 30 cm homogeneous slab phantom and a 30 cm diameter 20 cm thick cylindrical phantom in the continuous dosimetry mode. The acquired EPID images in XIM format were imported into in-house MATLAB program for the data analysis. First, the dosimetric characteristics of EPID were studied for dose-response linearity, dose-rate dependence, and field size dependence. Next, the average pixels values of the EPID images were correlated with the MPD measured by an ionisation chamber for various thicknesses of the slab phantom (8 cm – 30 cm) and for various square field sizes (3×3 cm{sup 2} – 25×25 cm{sup 2} at the isocenter). Look-up tables called as GPR tables were then generated for both SSD and SAD setup by taking the ratio of MPD measured by the ionisation chamber and the corresponding EPID pixel values. The accuracy of the GPR tables was evaluated by varying the field size, phantom thickness, and wedge angles with the slab and cylindrical phantoms. Results: The dose response of EPID was linear from 20 MU to 300 MU. The EPID response for different dose rates from 40 MU/min to 600 MU/min was within ±1%. The difference in the doses from the GPR tables and the doses measured by the ionization chambers were within 2% for slab phantoms, and 3% for the cylindrical phantom for various field sizes, phantom thickness, and wedge angles. Conclusion: GPR tables are a ready reckoner for in-vivo dosimetry and it can be used to quickly estimate the MPD value from the EPID images with an accuracy of ±3% for common clinical treatment. project work funded by Union for International cancer control(UICC) under ICRETT fellowship.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Measurements of the streamwise vortical structures in a plane mixing layer

The 3D structure of a plane two-stream mixing layer of velocity ratio 0.6 and originating from laminar initial boundary layers was investigated through direct measurements made in a specially constructed mixing-layer wind tunnel. The main objective of the study was to establish quantitatively the presence and the role of the secondary streamwise vortex structure (of the kind that has been shown in past flow visualization investigations to ride among the primary spanwise vortices) in the development of a plane turbulent mixing layer at relatively high Reynolds numbers. Results indicate that the instability leading to the formation of streamwise vortices is initially amplified just downstream of the first spanwise roll-up. The streamwise vortices, which first appear in clusters containing vorticity of both signs, realign further downstream to form counterrotating pairs. Due to the amalgamation of like-sign vortices, the streamwise vortex spacing increases in a stepwise fashion.

Bell, James H.↗

Turbulent boundary layers over nonstationary plane boundaries

Methods of predicting integral parameters and skin friction coefficients of turbulent boundary layers developing over moving ground planes were evaluated. The three methods evaluated were: relative integral parameter method; relative power law method; and modified law of the wall method.

Roper, A. T.↗

Effects of Weightlessness of Aurelia Ephyra Differentiation and Statolith Synthesis

Aurelia polyps are especially suited for space flight experiments because they are very small (2 to 4 mm), form ephyrae with gravity sensing structures in 6 to 7 days, and can be reared easily and inexpensively in the laboratory. During iodine-induced metamorphosis ephyrae develop in sequential order from the oral to the aboral end of the polyps. Eight sites of gravity receptors (rhopalia) form per ephyra. These structures have sacs of statoliths at their distal end, which are composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate. Only one statolith forms per cell (statocyte) and the cells collect at the distal end of the rhopalia forming statocysts. Rhopalia with statocysts are necessary for the righting reflex of swimming medusae. Using the Aurelia Metamorphosis Test System (Spangenberg, 1984) for the past eight months, the effects of clinostat rotation in the horizontal and verticall planes on the development of ephyrae and the synthesis of their statoliths were investigated.

Dorothy B. Spangenberg↗

Rectenna Technology Program: Ultra light 2.45 GHz rectenna 20 GHz rectenna

The program had two general objectives. The first objective was to develop the two plane rectenna format for space application at 2.45 GHz. The resultant foreplane was a thin-film, etched-circuit format fabricated from a laminate composed of 2 mil Kapton F sandwiched between sheets of 1 oz copper. The thin-film foreplane contains half wave dipoles, filter circuits, rectifying Schottky diode, and dc bussing lead. It weighs 160 grams per square meter. Efficiency and dc power output density were measured at 85% and 1 kw/sq m, respectively. Special testing techniques to measure temperature of circuit and diode without perturbing microwave operation using the fluoroptic thermometer were developed. A second objective was to investigate rectenna technology for use at 20 GHz and higher frequencies. Several fabrication formats including the thin-film scaled from 2.45 GHz, ceramic substrate and silk-screening, and monolithic were investigated, with the conclusion that the monolithic approach was the best. A preliminary design of the monolithic rectenna structure and the integrated Schottky diode were made.

Brown, William C.↗

Hybrid suboptimal control of multi-rate multi-loop sampled-data systems

A hybrid state-space controller is developed for suboptimal digital control of multirate multiloop multivariable continuous-time systems. First, an LQR is designed for a continuous-time subsystem which has a large bandwidth and is connnected in the inner loop of the overall system. The designed LQR would optimally place the eigenvalues of a closed-loop subsystem in the common region of an open sector bounded by sector angles + or - pi/2k for k = 2 or 3 from the negative real axis and the left-hand side of a vertical line on the negative real axis in the s-plane. Then, the developed continuous-time state-feedback gain is converted into an equivalent fast-rate discrete-time state-feedback gain via a digital redesign technique (Tsai et al. 1989, Shieh et al. 1990) reviewed here. A real state reconstructor is redeveloped utilizing the fast-rate input-output data of the system of interest. The design procedure of multiloop multivariable systems using multirate samplers is shown, and a terminal homing missile system example is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Shieh, Leang S.↗