Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Laboratory experiments”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,459 records · Page 81

Laboratory plasma wave experiments

Plasma wave theory and experiments, emphasizing stable Maxwellian plasmas and transverse and longitudinal wave modes in zero and nonzero magnetic fields

Crawford, F. W.↗

Laboratory plasma interactions experiments: Results and implications to future space systems

The experimental results discussed show the significance of the effects caused by spacecraft plasma interactions, in particular the generation of Electromagnetic Interference. As the experimental results show, the magnitude of the adverse effects induced by Plasma Interactions (PI) will be more significant for spacecraft of the next century. Therefore, research is needed to control possible adverse effects. Several techniques to control the selected PI effects are discussed. Tests, in the form of flight experiments, are needed to validate these proposed ideas.

Leung, Philip↗

Iterative solution of the multistream electron transport equation. I - Comparison with laboratory beam injection experiments

The Neumann iteration method presently used for solving the electron transport equation in which energy, attitude, and pitch angle are independent variables is fast, and can compute numerical point-response-function solutions of the electron transport equation. Because both the inelastic cross sections and angular elastic cross sections of the model are empirically based, the solutions obtained represent a test of compatibility between various sets of cross sections and energy deposition measurements. The use of a numerical quadrature based on analytic phase function forms yields accurate phase function integrals at low computational cost.

Porter, H. S.↗

Systems integration test laboratory - Application and experiences

The experiences gained from the development of the X-29 aircraft's digital flight control system is discussed. The master test plan, validation testing, verification testing, and flight hardware testing of the system are briefly reviewed, and the test facilities are described. Simulator verification and results are summarized.

Rimer, Melvyn↗

Determining orbital particle parameters of impacts into germanium using morphology analysis and calibration data from hypervelocity impact experiments in the laboratory

This paper describes the work that is done at the Lehrstuhl fur Raumfahrttechnik (lrt) at the Technische Universitat Munchen to examine particle impacts into germanium surfaces which were flown on board the LDEF satellite. Besides the description of the processing of the samples, a brief overview of the particle launchers at our institute is given together with descriptions of impact morphology of high- and hypervelocity particles into germanium. Since germanium is a brittle, almost glass-like material, the impact morphology may also be interesting for anyone dealing with materials such as optics and solar cells. The main focus of our investigations is to learn about the impacting particle's properties, for example mass, velocity and direction. This is done by examining the morphology, various geometry parameters, crater obliqueness and crater volume.

Paul, Klaus G.↗

Sublimation of Laboratory Ices Millimeter/Submillimeter Experiment (SubLIME): Structure-Specific Identifications of Products from UV-photolyzed Methanol Ice

Submillimeter/far-IR spectroscopy was used to detect and quantify organic molecules sublimated after the ultraviolet photolysis (at 12 K) and warm-up (up to 300 K) of a methanol (CH3OH) ice sample. Eleven sublimated photoproducts were uniquely identified: carbon monoxide (CO), formaldehyde (H2CO), ketene (C2H2O), acetaldehyde (CH3CHO), ethylene oxide (CH2OCH2), vinyl alcohol (CH2CHOH), ethanol (CH3CH2OH), dimethyl ether (CH3OCH3), methyl formate (HCOOCH3), glycolaldehyde (HOCH2CHO), and acetone ((CH3)2CO). Two additional products were detected in the photolyzed ice by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy: carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). The rotational temperatures and gas densities were calculated for the organics containing two or more C atoms via a rotation diagram analysis, and the gas-phase submillimeter/far-IR technique was used in tandem with mass spectrometry and FTIR spectroscopy of the ice during photolysis. The abundance ratios of the sublimated species (normalized to methanol) were compared to those observed in hot cores (Orion-KL, Sagittarius B2(N), and IRAS 16293-2422(B)) and in comets C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) and 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

K M Yocum↗

Sublimation of Laboratory Ices Millimeter/Submillimeter Experiment (SubLIME): Structure-Specific Identifications of Products from UV-photolyzed Methanol Ice

Submillimeter/far-IR spectroscopy was used to detect and quantify organic molecules sublimated after the ultraviolet photolysis (at 12 K) and warm-up (up to 300 K) of a methanol (CH3OH) ice sample. Eleven sublimated photoproducts were uniquely identified: carbon monoxide (CO), formaldehyde (H2CO), ketene (C2H2O), acetaldehyde (CH3CHO), ethylene oxide (CH2OCH2), vinyl alcohol (CH2CHOH), ethanol (CH3CH2OH), dimethyl ether (CH3OCH3), methyl formate (HCOOCH3), glycolaldehyde (HOCH2CHO), and acetone ((CH3)2CO). Two additional products were detected in the photolyzed ice by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy: carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). The rotational temperatures and gas densities were calculated for the organics containing two or more C atoms via a rotation diagram analysis, and the gas-phase submillimeter/far-IR technique was used in tandem with mass spectrometry and FTIR spectroscopy of the ice during photolysis. The abundance ratios of the sublimated species (normalized to methanol) were compared to those observed in hot cores (Orion-KL, Sagittarius B2(N), and IRAS 16293-2422(B)) and in comets C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) and 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

K. M. Yocum↗

Plasma interaction experiment 2 (PIX 2): Laboratory and flight results

The Plasma Interaction Experiments 1 and 2 (PIX 1 and 2) were designed as first steps toward understanding interactions between high-voltage solar arrays and the surrounding plasma. The PIX 2 consisted of an approximately 2000-sq cm array divided into four equal segments. Each of the segments could be biased independently and the current measured separately. In addition to the solar array segments, PIX 2 had a hot-wire-filament electron emitter and a spherical Langmuir probe. The emitter was operated when the array segments were biased positively bove 125 V. Thermal electrons from the emitter aided in balancing the electron currents collected by the array. Laboratory and flight results of PIX 2 are presented. At high positive voltages on the solar array segments, the flight currents were approximately an order of magnitude larger than the ground test currents. This is attributed to the tank walls in the laboratory interfering with the electron currents to the array segments. From previous tests it is known that the tank walls limit the electron currents at high voltages. This was the first verification of the extent of the laboratory tank effect on the plasma coupling current.

Grier, N. T.↗

Physics informed neural network can retrieve rate and state friction parameters from acoustic monitoring of laboratory stick-slip experiments

Various machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) techniques have been recently applied to the forecasting of laboratory earthquakes from friction experiments. The magnitude and timing of shear failures in stick-slip cycles are predicted using features extracted from the recorded ultrasonic or acoustic emission (AE) signals. In addition, the Rate and State Friction (RSF) constitutive laws are extensively used to model the frictional behavior of faults. In this work, we use data from shear experiments coupled with passive acoustic (variance, kurtosis, and AE rate) interleaved with active source ultrasonic monitoring (transmitted wave amplitude) to develop physics-informed neural network (PINN) models incorporating the RSF law and AE rate generation equation with wave amplitude serving as a proxy for friction state variable. This PINN framework allows learning RSF parameters from stick-slip experiments rather than measuring them through a series of velocity step experiments. We observe that when the stick-slip cycles are irregular, the PINN models outperform the data-driven DL models. Transfer learning (TL) PINN models are also developed by pre-training on data collected at one normal stress level followed by forecasting shear failures and retrieving RSF parameters at other stress levels (i.e., with different recurrence intervals) after retraining on a limited amount of new data. Our findings suggest that TL models perform better compared to standalone models. Both standalone and TL PINN-estimated RSF parameters and their ground truth values show excellent agreements thus demonstrating that RSF parameters can be retrieved from laboratory stick-slip experiments using the corresponding acoustic data and that the transmitted wave amplitude provides a good representation of the evolving frictional state during stick-slips.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Data on erosion and hydrogen fuel retention in Beryllium plasma-facing materials

ITER will use beryllium as a plasma-facing material in the main chamber, covering a total surface area of about 620 m 2 . Given the importance of beryllium erosion and co-deposition for tritium retention in ITER, significant efforts have been made to understand the behaviour of beryllium under fusion-relevant conditions with high particle and heat loads. This paper provides a comprehensive report on the state of knowledge of beryllium behaviour under fusion-relevant conditions: the erosion mechanisms and their consequences, beryllium migration in JET, fuel retention and dust generation. The paper reviews basic laboratory studies, advanced computer simulations and experience from laboratory plasma experiments in linear simulators of plasma–wall interactions and in controlled fusion devices using beryllium plasma-facing components. A critical assessment of analytical methods and simulation codes used in beryllium studies is given. The overall objective is to review the existing set of data with a broad literature survey and to identify gaps and research needs to broaden the database for ITER.

Erosion–deposition↗

The NO-NO2 system at laboratory surfaces

Experiments on formation and excitation of NO2 and NO molecules at (and near) laboratory surfaces of varying degrees of characterization are reviewed. On some transition metals NO is desorbed in the B sub 2 pi state, from which it radiates the familiar beta (B yields x) bands. In contrast while an ONO intermediate is inferred from isotope interchange measurements on platinum, neither ground state nor excited NO2 has been found to be desorbed under the relatively limited number of laboratory conditions so far investigated.

Barrett, J. L.↗

Laboratory studies of photodissociation processes relevant to the formation of cometary radicals

The strength of the C2(d 3 Pi g yields a 3 Pi u) Swan band emission in the spectra of cometary comae identifies this species as a prominent constituent of the coma gas. It was previously suggested that the formation of cometary C2 proceeds via the secondary photolysis of the C2H radical. The detection of C2H in the interstellar medium and the recent analysis of the radial variation in C2(delta V=O) surface brightness of Comet Halley support the postulate that C2 is a third-generation molecule. Measurement of the C2 and C2H translational energy distributions produced from the multiphoton dissociation (MPD) of acetylene at 193 nm are identified . Time-resolved FTIR emission studies of the nascent C2H radical formed in the C2H2 yields C2H + H reaction verify that this species is produced both vibrationally and electronically excited. A survey of the internal energy distributions of the C2 fragments produced from the MPD of acetylene using a high intensity ArF laser is currently in progress in the laboratory. Recent experiments have focused on the measurement of rotational energy distribution for the C2(A 1 Pi u, a 3 Pi u) fragments. The C2(a 3 Pi u) detection capability is currently being improved by performing this experiment in a molecular beam, thus allowing for discrimination between initial emission and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). Although the experiments performed to date provide considerable evidence in support of C2H yields C2 + H reaction, there is an important distinction to be made when comparing the laboratory conditions to those typically found in comets. The C2H radicals generated in the laboratory experiments are formed vibrationally and/or electronically excited. Any rotationally/vibrationally excited C2H present in cometary comae will quickly undergo radiative relaxation in the infrared to their lowest rotational and vibrational state. Experiments are currently under way to confirm the cometary formation of C2 via the VUV dissociation of cold C2H.

Urdahl, R. S.↗

Mid- and far-infrared spectroscopic studies of the influence of temperature, ultraviolet photolysis and ion irradiation on cosmic-type ices

Infrared (IR) studies of laboratory ices can provide information on the evolution of cosmic-type ices as a function of different simulated space environments involving thermal, ultraviolet (UV), or ion processing. Laboratory radiation experiments can lead to the formation of complex organic molecules. However, because of our lack of knowledge about UV photon and ion fluxes, and exposure lifetimes, it is not certain how well our simulations represent space conditions. Appropriate laboratory experiments are also limited by the absence of knowledge about the composition, density, and temperature of ices in different regions of space. Our current understanding of expected doses due to UV photons and cosmic rays is summarized here, along with an inventory of condensed-phase molecules identified on outer solar system surfaces, comets and interstellar grains. Far-IR spectra of thermally cycled H2O are discussed since these results reflect the dramatic difference between the amorphous and crystalline phases of H2O ice, the most dominant condensed-phase molecule in cosmic ices. A comparison of mid-IR spectra of products in proton-irradiated and UV-photolyzed ices shows that few differences are observed for these two forms of processing for the simple binary mixtures studied to date. IR identification of radiation products and experiments to determine production rates of new molecules in ices during processing are discussed. A new technique for measuring intrinsic IR band strengths of several unstable molecules is presented. An example of our laboratory results applied to Europa observations is included.

Spectrophotometry, Infrared/methods↗

Laboratory and in-flight experiments to evaluate 3-D audio display technology

Laboratory and in-flight experiments were conducted to evaluate 3-D audio display technology for cockpit applications. A 3-D audio display generator was developed which digitally encodes naturally occurring direction information onto any audio signal and presents the binaural sound over headphones. The acoustic image is stabilized for head movement by use of an electromagnetic head-tracking device. In the laboratory, a 3-D audio display generator was used to spatially separate competing speech messages to improve the intelligibility of each message. Up to a 25 percent improvement in intelligibility was measured for spatially separated speech at high ambient noise levels (115 dB SPL). During the in-flight experiments, pilots reported that spatial separation of speech communications provided a noticeable improvement in intelligibility. The use of 3-D audio for target acquisition was also investigated. In the laboratory, 3-D audio enabled the acquisition of visual targets in about two seconds average response time at 17 degrees accuracy. During the in-flight experiments, pilots correctly identified ground targets 50, 75, and 100 percent of the time at separation angles of 12, 20, and 35 degrees, respectively. In general, pilot performance in the field with the 3-D audio display generator was as expected, based on data from laboratory experiments.

Ericson, Mark↗