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At least 1,441 records · Page 80

Aerodynamic stability analysis of NASA J85-13/planar pressure pulse generator installation

A digital computer simulation model for the J85-13/Planar Pressure Pulse Generator (P3 G) test installation was developed by modifying an existing General Electric compression system model. This modification included the incorporation of a novel method for describing the unsteady blade lift force. This approach significantly enhanced the capability of the model to handle unsteady flows. In addition, the frequency response characteristics of the J85-13/P3G test installation were analyzed in support of selecting instrumentation locations to avoid standing wave nodes within the test apparatus and thus, low signal levels. The feasibility of employing explicit analytical expression for surge prediction was also studied.

Chung, K.↗

Characterization of microstrip discontinuities in the time and frequency domains

A number of impedance transitions and interconnections to a microstrip were designed and investigated. The double-step discontinuity on a microstrip was studied in detail, and a procedure was developed to design these structures. Their response was determined by making measurements in both the frequency and time domains in a consistent and repeatable manner. The time-domain presentation of the data was the most useful feature of the measuring system. All undesirable signal components were filtered out through the use of gating functions. Theoretically computed results were verified experimentally.

Feldman, U.↗

Distributed parameter modeling of the structural dynamics of the Solar Array Flight Experiment

A distributed-parameter model of the structural dynamics of the space-shuttle-deployed Solar Array Flight Experiment is developed and used to produce estimates of the modal frequencies and mode shapes. A lumped parameter version of the distributed model is used to estimate model characteristics by analyzing the measured responses of 32 targets. To make the modeling more tenable, a distributed parameter system is used to reduce the number of unknown parameters, a modified Newton-Raphson technique is used for rapid convergence, and a parallel processing supercomputer is used for more efficient computation. The performances of computers with a high-speed serial processor and with a high-speed parallel processor are compared. The best results are obtained with the modeling approach in which maximum likelihood estimation is applied to distributed parameter models.

Taylor, L. W., Jr.↗

Power density measurements in the near field of the DSS 13 26-meter antenna

Power density measurements were made at Deep Space Station (DSS) 13 in the near field of the 26-m antenna to determine if radio frequency (rf) fields generated by the 20-kW transmitters could be responsible for the failure of three solid state rf amplifiers. These amplifiers are used in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Radio Spectrum Surveillance System, which is currently located at the site. Measurements were made independently for one transmitter at 7150 MHz, and both transmitters together. Measurement results are tabulated and compared with predicted power densities under the measurement conditions. The results agree with the predictions within a factor of two. The predictions appear to give worst case values. Measurements indicated that amplifier failures are not attributable to the transmitter.

Jackson, E. B.↗

Middeck zero-gravity dynamics experiment - Comparison of ground and flight test data

An analytic and experimental study of the changes in the modal parameters of space structural test articles from one- to zero-gravity is presented. Deployable, erectable, and rotary modules was assembled to form three one- and two-dimensional structures, in which variations in bracing wire and rotary joint preload could be introduced. The structures were modeled as if hanging from a suspension system in one gravity, and unconstrained, as if free floating in zero-gravity. The analysis is compared with ground experimental measurements, made on a spring/wire suspension system with a nominal plunge frequency of one Hertz, and with measurements made on the Shuttle middeck. The degree of change in linear modal parameters as well as the change in nonlinear nature of the response is examined. Trends in modal parameters are presented as a function of force amplitude, joint preload, and ambient gravity level.

Crawley, Edward F.↗

Modal parameters of space structures in 1 G and 0 G

Analytic and experimental results are presented from a study of the changes in the modal parameters of space structural test articles from one- to zero-gravity. Deployable, erectable, and rotary modules was assembled to form three one- and two-dimensional structures, in which variations in bracing wire and rotary joint preload could be introduced. The structures were modeled as if hanging from a suspension system in one gravity, and unconstrained, as if free floating in zero-gravity. The analysis is compared with ground experimental measurements, which were made on a spring-wire suspension system with a nominal plunge frequency of one Hertz, and with measurements made on the Shuttle middeck. The degree of change in linear modal parameters as well as the change in nonlinear nature of the response is examined. Trends in modal parameters are presented as a function of force amplitude, joint preload, reassembly, shipset, suspension, and ambient gravity level.

Bicos, Andrew S.↗

Seat Design for Crash Worthiness

A study of many crash deceleration records suggested a simplified model of a crash deceleration pulse, which incorporates the essential properties of the pulse. The model pulse is considered to be composed of a base pulse on which are superimposed one or more secondary pulses of shorter duration. The results of a mathematical analysis of the seat-passenger deceleration in response to the airplane deceleration pulse are provided. On the basis of this information, presented as working charts, the maximum deceleration loads experienced by the seat and passenger in response to the airplane deceleration pulse can be computed. This maximum seat-passenger deceleration is found to depend on the natural frequency of the seat containing the passenger, considered as a mass-spring system. A method is presented that shows how to arrive at a combination of seat strength, natural frequency, and ability to absorb energy in deformation beyond the elastic limit that will allow the seat to serve without failure during an airplane deceleration pulse taken as the design requirement.

Pinkel, I Irving↗

Identification of Low Order Equivalent System Models From Flight Test Data

Identification of low order equivalent system dynamic models from flight test data was studied. Inputs were pilot control deflections, and outputs were aircraft responses, so the models characterized the total aircraft response including bare airframe and flight control system. Theoretical investigations were conducted and related to results found in the literature. Low order equivalent system modeling techniques using output error and equation error parameter estimation in the frequency domain were developed and validated on simulation data. It was found that some common difficulties encountered in identifying closed loop low order equivalent system models from flight test data could be overcome using the developed techniques. Implications for data requirements and experiment design were discussed. The developed methods were demonstrated using realistic simulation cases, then applied to closed loop flight test data from the NASA F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle.

Morelli, Eugene A.↗

Interaction Metrics for Feedback Control of Sound Radiation from Stiffened Panels

Interaction metrics developed for the process control industry are used to evaluate decentralized control of sound radiation from bays on an aircraft fuselage. The metrics are applied to experimentally measured frequency response data from a model of an aircraft fuselage. The purpose is to understand how coupling between multiple bays of the fuselage can destabilize or limit the performance of a decentralized active noise control system. The metrics quantitatively verify observations from a previous experiment, in which decentralized controllers performed worse than centralized controllers. The metrics do not appear to be useful for explaining control spillover which was observed in a previous experiment.

Cabell, Randolph H.↗

Aircraft Fault Detection Using Real-Time Frequency Response Estimation

A real-time method for estimating time-varying aircraft frequency responses from input and output measurements was demonstrated. The Bat-4 subscale airplane was used with NASA Langley Research Center's AirSTAR unmanned aerial flight test facility to conduct flight tests and collect data for dynamic modeling. Orthogonal phase-optimized multisine inputs, summed with pilot stick and pedal inputs, were used to excite the responses. The aircraft was tested in its normal configuration and with emulated failures, which included a stuck left ruddervator and an increased command path latency. No prior knowledge of a dynamic model was used or available for the estimation. The longitudinal short period dynamics were investigated in this work. Time-varying frequency responses and stability margins were tracked well using a 20 second sliding window of data, as compared to a post-flight analysis using output error parameter estimation and a low-order equivalent system model. This method could be used in a real-time fault detection system, or for other applications of dynamic modeling such as real-time verification of stability margins during envelope expansion tests.

Grauer, Jared A.↗

The Adaptive Optics and Transmit System for NASA's Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Project

The Laser Communication Relay Demonstration is NASA’s multi-year demonstration of laser communication to a geosynchronous satellite. We are currently assembling the optical system for the first of the two baseline ground stations. The optical system consists of an adaptive optics system, the transmit system and a camera for target acquisition. The adaptive optics system is responsible for compensating the downlink beam for atmospheric turbulence and coupling it into the modem’s single mode fiber. The adaptive optics system is a woofer/tweeter design, with one deformable mirror correcting for low spatial frequencies with large amplitude and a second deformable mirror correcting for high spatial frequencies with small amplitude. The system uses a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. The transmit system relays four beacon beams and one communication laser to the telescope for propagation to the space terminal. Both the uplink and downlink beams are centered at 1.55 microns. We present an overview of the design of the system as well as performance predictions including time series of coupling efficiency and expected uplink beam quality.

Laser Communication↗

Transitions, Dynamics, and Driven States in Quantum Magnets (Final Report Revised)

Transitions into unusual electronic, optical, and magnetic states at the absolute zero of temperature display special properties that teach us about fundamental quantum mechanics and also underlie important technologies. These so-called quantum phase transitions intertwine the static and dynamical responses of the materials changing state. They are extremely sensitive to the effects of disorder and etch in high relief the role of quantum fluctuations. There are ample questions remaining about the character of such transitions and the nature of the competing quantum states. There are also opportunities to drive quantum materials out of equilibrium, with the possibility of new types of correlated and coherent order, and new ways to access the dynamical evolution of ground and excited states. We have investigated how the order develops in time and space, and the nature of the final configurations. We are able to compare and contrast classical and quantum excitations in our experimental system of choice, and thereby can trace the relative speed by which the system settles into its lowest-energy ground state. This comparison of quantum and classical annealing protocols lies at the heart of strategies for harnessing the power of quantum computers dedicated to optimization problems. A combination of magnetic susceptibility measurements at finite frequency where the magnetic spins are queried by an external ac field, dc magnetometry measurements that characterize the macroscopic strength of magnetic order and its resistance to change, noise measurements that reveal the microscopic fluctuations of the spins as they prepare to change state, and microwave spectroscopy to look at the response of both the electronic and nuclear degrees of freedom, have been performed as functions of temperature, magnetic field, frequency, excitation amplitude, magnetic spin concentration, and disorder. This combination of probes addresses issues of stability over time, overlap between spin states, the ability of the spins to respond independently or coherently, and the promise of control on the nanometer length scale. The research reported here provides insights into fundamental quantum physics. It also addresses the question of how best to use complex systems, such as magnetic solids, to stably process quantum information.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Structure, viscoelasticity, and interfacial dynamics of a model polymeric bicontinuous microemulsion

Here, we have systematically studied the equilibrium structure and dynamics of a polymeric bicontinuous microemulsion (BμE) composed of poly(cyclohexylethylene) (PCHE), poly(ethylene) (PE), and a volumetrically symmetric PCHE–PE diblock copolymer, using dynamic mechanical spectroscopy, small angle X-ray and neutron scattering, and transmission electron microscopy. The BμE was investigated over an 80 °C temperature range, revealing a structural evolution and a rheological response not previously recognized in such systems. As the temperature is reduced below the point associated with the lamellar-disorder transition at compositions adjacent to the microemulsion channel, the interfacial area per chain of the BμE approaches that of the neat (undiluted) lamellar diblock copolymer. With increasing temperature, the diblock-rich interface swells through homopolymer infiltration. Time–temperature-superposed linear dynamic data obtained as a function of frequency show that the viscoelastic response of the BμE is strikingly similar to that of the fluctuating pure diblock copolymer in the disordered state, which we associate with membrane undulations and the breaking and reforming of interfaces. This work provides new insights into the structure and dynamics that characterize thermodynamically stable BμEs in the limits of relatively weak and strong segregation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A broadband interferometer.

Power response of two-element interference frequency correlation interferometer to point source of broadband random noise

RANDOM SIGNAL↗

G-mode magnetic force microscopy: Separating magnetic and electrostatic interactions using big data analytics

In this work, we develop a full information capture approach for Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM), referred to as generalized mode (G-Mode) MFM. G-Mode MFM acquires and stores the full data stream from the photodetector, captured at sampling rates approaching the intrinsic photodiode limit. The data can be subsequently compressed, denoised, and analyzed, without information loss. Here, G-Mode MFM is implemented and compared to the traditional heterodyne-based MFM on model systems, including domain structures in ferromagnetic Yttrium Iron Garnet and the electronically and magnetically inhomogeneous high entropy alloy, CoFeMnNiSn. We investigate the use of information theory to mine the G-Mode MFM data and demonstrate its usefulness for extracting information which may be hidden in traditional MFM modes, including signatures of nonlinearities and mode-coupling phenomena. Finally, we demonstrate detection and separation of magnetic and electrostatic tip-sample interactions from a single G-Mode image, by analyzing the entire frequency response of the cantilever. G-Mode MFM is immediately implementable on any atomic force microscopy platform and as such is expected to be a useful technique for probing spatiotemporal cantilever dynamics and mapping material properties, as well as their mutual interactions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Flicker: A review of temporal light modulation stimulus, responses, and measures

Flicker has been an important lighting system consideration for over a century. More precise terms are temporal light modulation (TLM) as the stimulus, and responses to TLM as the unwanted visual, cognitive, or physiological consequences. As lighting technology evolved, different forms of TLM emerged, and so did responses to them. Today, some LED systems – encompassing the LED, driver, and control – can result in TLM causing severe unwanted effects, while other LED systems produce no unwanted effects at all. LED systems can deliver a much wider range of luminous waveforms than conventional lighting systems, some exhibiting very high modulation depths. More than any light source before, they can elicit perceptions of the phantom array. Direct flicker effects at modulation frequencies less than about 80 Hz and the stroboscopic effect at frequencies greater than 80 Hz are fairly well understood, but the phantom array effect needs more exploration and characterisation. This review focuses on the technology and research history that led to current metrics for quantifying TLM and human responses to TLM. Notably, visually impaired individuals may exhibit alterations in their response to TLM, but such a discussion is beyond the intent of this review. Thus, the focus is on individuals with normal visual function.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

The three-dimensional structure of swirl-switching in bent pipe flow

Swirl-switching is a low-frequency oscillatory phenomenon which affects the Dean vortices in bent pipes and may cause fatigue in piping systems. Despite thirty years worth of research, the mechanism that causes these oscillations and the frequencies that characterise them remain unclear. In this paper, we show that a three-dimensional wave-like structure is responsible for the low-frequency switching of the dominant Dean vortex. The present study, performed via direct numerical simulation, focuses on the turbulent flow through a $90^{\circ }$ pipe bend preceded and followed by straight pipe segments. A pipe with curvature 0.3 (defined as ratio between pipe radius and bend radius) is studied for a bulk Reynolds number $Re=11\,700$ , corresponding to a friction Reynolds number $Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}\approx 360$ . Synthetic turbulence is generated at the inflow section and used instead of the classical recycling method in order to avoid the interference between recycling and swirl-switching frequencies. The flow field is analysed by three-dimensional proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) which for the first time allows the identification of the source of swirl-switching: a wave-like structure that originates in the pipe bend. Contrary to some previous studies, the flow in the upstream pipe does not show any direct influence on the swirl-switching modes. Finally, our analysis further shows that a three-dimensional characterisation of the modes is crucial to understand the mechanism, and that reconstructions based on two-dimensional POD modes are incomplete.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Synthetically non-Hermitian nonlinear wave-like behavior in a topological mechanical metamaterial

Topological mechanical metamaterials have enabled new ways to control stress and deformation propagation. Exemplified by Maxwell lattices, they have been studied extensively using a linearized formalism. Herein, we study a two-dimensional topological Maxwell lattice by exploring its large deformation quasi-static response using geometric numerical simulations and experiments. We observe spatial nonlinear wave-like phenomena such as harmonic generation, localized domain switching, amplification-enhanced frequency conversion, and solitary waves. We further map our linearized, homogenized system to a non-Hermitian, nonreciprocal, one-dimensional wave equation, revealing an equivalence between the deformation fields of two-dimensional topological Maxwell lattices and nonlinear dynamical phenomena in one-dimensional active systems. Our study opens a regime for topological mechanical metamaterials and expands their application potential in areas including adaptive and smart materials and mechanical logic, wherein concepts from nonlinear dynamics may be used to create intricate, tailored spatial deformation and stress fields greatly transcending conventional elasticity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗