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At least 1,477 records · Page 82
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1981

On variable hydrostatic transmission for road vehicles, powered by supply of fluid at constant pressure

Various hydrostatic power transmission systems for automotive applications with power supply at constant pressure and unrestricted flow and with a Volvo Flygmotor variable displacement motor as the principal unit were investigated. Two most promising concepts were analyzed in detail and their main components optimized for minimum power loss at the EPA Urban Driving Cycle. The best fuel consumption is less than 10 lit. per 100 kM for a 1542 kG vehicle with a hydrostatic motor and a two speed gear box in series (braking power not recovered). Realistic system pressure affects the fuel consumption just slightly, but the package volume/weight drastically. Back pressure increases losses significantly. Special attention was paid to description of the behavior and modeling of the losses of variable displacement hydrostatic machines.

Magi, M.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Observations of cataclysmic variables with IUE

Observations are reported of the cataclysmic variables AN UMa, 2AO311-227, VV Pup, DQ Her, and GK Per. Continuum emission was detected in the short wavelength region in DQ Her. This object exhibits a quasi-blackbody spectrum at short wavelengths, such blackbody components are a common property of the variables AM Her, SS Cyg, and U Gem, suggesting an underlying similarity in the activity of these diverse systems. Flat continuum components at longer wavelengths in general are not compatible with standard disk models. The emission line ratios in AE Aqr are anomalous in that C IV is absent to a very low level relative to N V.

Hartmann, L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Minimum fuel control of a vehicle with a continuously variable transmission

The design and evaluation of a control system for a sedan with a heat engine and a continuously variable transmission, is considered in a effort to minimize fuel consumption and achieve satisfactory dynamic response of vehicle variables as the vehicle is driven over a standard driving cycle. Even though the vehicle system was highly nonlinear, attention was restricted to linear control algorithms which could be easily understood and implemented demonstrated by simulation. Simulation results also revealed that the vehicle could exhibit unexpected dynamic behavior which must be taken into account in any control system design.

Burghart, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1980

A review of observational evidence for short and long term ultraviolet flux variability of the Sun

Observation of the Sun in the 160 to 400 nm wavelength region reveals no significant broadband variation with solar flares, variability associated with the rotation of active regions, and a possible long term change which may be related to the 11 year sunspot cycle or longer. A continuing ultraviolet solar flux variability below 200 nm was observed from 1969 through the present from satellites, which is modulated at solar rotation rates. Recent observations from Nimbus-7 show the solar flux is varying by significant amounts also in the regions from 200 nm up to the Calcium 2 H-line at 396.8 nm. Typically the flux may vary over a solar rotation from about 10 percent at 160 nm to slightly less than 1 percent at the Ca2 K-line. Results of an evaluation of observations from rockets, satellites, and the ground measurements are discussed.

Heath, D. F.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Observations from earth orbit and variability of the polar aurora on Jupiter

Spatially resolved spectra of Jupiter taken with the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite show enhanced emissions from the polar regions at H L-alpha (1216 A) and in the Lyman and Werner bands of H2 (1175-1650 A). Two types of variability in emission brightness have been observed in these aurorae: an increase in the observed emission as the auroral oval rotates with Jupiter's magnetic pole to face toward the earth and a general variation in brightness of more than an order of magnitude under nearly identical observing conditions. In addition, the spectral character of these aurorae (determined by the ratio of H L-alpha to H2 brightnesses) appears variable, indicating that the depth of penetration of the auroral particles is not constant.

Clarke, J. T.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Baroclinic instability with variable static stability - A design study for a spherical atmospheric model experiment

The effect of a radially-variable, dielectric body force, analogous to gravity on baroclinic instability for the design of a spherical, synoptic-scale, atmospheric model experiment in a Spacelab flight is investigated. Exact solutions are examined for quasi-geostrophic baroclinic instability in which the rotational Froude number is a linear function of the height. Flow in a rotating rectilinear channel with a vertically variable body force without horizontal shear of the basic state is also discussed.

Giere, A. C.↗
NASA NTRS1981

A general mapping procedure for variable area duct acoustics

A general mapping procedure is described and applied to the study of noise propagation in variable area ducts. The mapping provides a boundary fitted co-ordinate system which is ideal for the finite difference solution of acoustic fields with irregular boundaries, without the burden of large matrices required by finite element methods. The procedure is first described in general and then applied to a particular two-dimensional geometry under current experimental investigation. This method should be ideally suited to the study of high frequency noise propagation in variable area ducts and in cases where the far field is included in the calculation procedure. Moreover, the current approach can be directly extended to three-dimensions, resulting in numerical calculation over a rectangular parallelepiped in the transformed plane.

White, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Observations of solar irradiance variability

High-precision measurements of total solar irradiance, made by the active cavity radiometer irradiance monitor on the Solar Maximum Mission satellite, show the irradiance to have been variable throughout the first 153 days of observations. The corrected data resolve orbit-to-orbit variations with uncertainties as small as 0.01%. Irradiance fluctuations are typical of a band-limited noise spectrum with high-frequency cutoff near 0.15/day; their amplitudes about the mean value of 1368.31 watts per square meter approach plus or minus 0.05%. Two large decreases in irradiance of up to 0.2% lasting about one week are highly correlated with the development of sunspot groups. The magnitude and time scale of the irradiance variability suggest that considerable energy storage occurs within the convection zone in solar active regions.

Willson, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Spatial variability of surface temperature as related to cropping practice with implications for irrigation management

Crop stress measured using thermal infrared emission is evaluated with the stress-degree-day (SDD) concept. Throughout the season, the accumulation of SDD during the reproductive stage of growth is inversely related to yield. This relationship is shown for durum wheat, hard red winter wheat, barley, grain sorghum and soybeans. It is noted that SDD can be used to schedule irrigations for maximizing yields and for applying remotely sensed data to management of water resources. An airborne flight with a thermal-IR scanner was used to examine the variability in temperature that may exist from one field to another and to determine realistic within-field temperature variations. It was found that the airborne and the ground-based data agreed very well and that there was less variability in the fields that were completely covered with crops than those of bare soil.

Hatfield, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Stepanyan's star - A new eclipsing cataclysmic variable

High-speed photometry of the nova-like variable Stepanyan's star shows a 3-hr 48-min orbital period marked by a 2.2-mag eclipse which spans orbital phases 0.91-0.09. The uneclipsed light is variable by typically 0.15 mag on time scales of minutes to seconds and shows no obvious modulation with orbital phase. Intermediate-band colors show an enhancement in Balmer continuum emission and in red light during the eclipse.

Horne, K.↗
NASA NTRS1981

The detection of X-ray variability in O stars

Seven O stars known to have strong, and sometimes variable, stellar winds have been observed repeatedly with the Imaging Proportional Counter on the Einstein Observatory, in a program designed to determine whether the X-ray fluxes from these stars are variable. In three cases, definite changes were seen, either on a time scale of a year (Iota Ori and Delta Ori) or five days (15 Mon). In two of these cases, the X-ray spectrum was harder when the overall flux was higher, indicating that some of the fluctuations may take place in a hot (approximately 10 to the 7th K) emitting region at the bottom of the winds.

Snow, T. P., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1981

X-ray observations of selected cataclysmic variable stars using the Einstein Observatory

X-ray observations of 12 cataclysmic variable stars using the Einstein Observatory are reported. Nine of these stars, representing all subclasses of cataclysmic variables, were detected. Their fluxes range from 2 x 10 to the -13th to 1 x 10 to the -11th ergs/sq cm-s in the energy interval 0.16-4.5 keV. The spectra of all the sources detected are relatively hard (kT not less than 5 keV). There is no evidence for an ultrasoft emission component (kT of about 50 eV) such as has been observed from the dwarf novae SS Cyg and U Gem during optical outburst. The X-ray and optical fluxes of the objects observed can be understood in terms of differences in mass accretion rate if the accreting stars in these close binary systems possess a weak magnetic field.

Cordova, F. A.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Rapid variability of 10-140 keV X-rays from Cygnus X-1

On five occasions in 1977 and 1978, Cygnus X-1 was observed using the low-energy detectors of the UCSD/MIT Hard X-ray and Low-Energy Gamma Ray experiment on the HEAO 1 satellite. Rapid (times between 0.08 and 1000 sec) variability was found in the 10-140 keV band. The power spectrum was white for frequencies between 0.001 and 0.05 Hz and was proportional to the inverse of the frequency for frequencies between 0.05 and 3 Hz, indicating correlations on all time scales less than approximately 20 s. The shape of the energy spectrum was correlated with intensity; it was harder at higher intensity. If the emission is produced by Comptonization of a soft photon flux in a hot cloud, the heating of the cloud cannot be constant; it must vary on time scales up to approximately 20 s. A variable accretion rate could cause the observed effects.

Nolan, P. L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Sound propagation through a variable area duct - Experiment and theory

A comparison of experiment and theory has been made for the propagation of sound through a variable area axisymmetric duct with zero mean flow. Measurement of the acoustic pressure field on both sides of the constricted test section was resolved on a modal basis for various spinning mode sources. Transmitted and reflected modal amplitudes and phase angles were compared with finite element computations. Good agreement between experiment and computation was obtained over a wide range of frequencies and modal transmission variations. The study suggests that modal transmission through a variable area duct is governed by the throat modal cut-off ratio.

Silcox, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Total ozone trend significance from space time variability of daily Dobson data

Estimates of standard errors of total ozone time and area means, as derived from ozone's natural temporal and spatial variability and autocorrelation in middle latitudes determined from daily Dobson data are presented. Assessing the significance of apparent total ozone trends is equivalent to assessing the standard error of the means. Standard errors of time averages depend on the temporal variability and correlation of the averaged parameter. Trend detectability is discussed, both for the present network and for satellite measurements.

Wilcox, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Effect of a part span variable inlet guide vane on TF34 fan performance

Experimental aerodynamic and performance data were obtained from a TF34 engine. Part span variable inlet guide vanes mounted in front of the fan on the TF34 engine were tested to demonstrate the feasibility of modulating air flow and thrust for vertical takeoff aircraft systems. The fan was mapped to stall for a range of speeds and variable inlet guide were settings. Modulated fan tip performance and unmodulated hub performance were evaluated with a without an extended fan bypass splitter. The effect of a crosswind distortion screen on performance was also evaluated.

Alvarez, J.↗
NASA NTRS1981

A broadband RF continuously variable time delay device

A method for implementation of continuously variable time delay of broadband RF signals is described. The method uses Bragg Cell and optical heterodyne technology. The signal to be delayed is applied to the Bragg Cell acoustic transducer, and the delay time is the acoustic transit time from this transducer to the incident light beam. By translating the light beam, the delay is varied. Expressions describing the Bragg Cell diffraction, lens Fourier transformation, and the optical heterodyne processes are developed. Specifications for the variable delay including bandwidth, range of delay, and insertion loss are provided. Applications include radar signal processing, spread spectrum intercept, radar ECM, and adaptive array antenna processing.

Freyre, F. W.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Solar variability indications from Nimbus 7 satellite data

The cavity pyrheliometer sensor of the Nimbus 7 Earth Radiation Experiment indicated low-level variability of the total solar irradiance. The variability appears to be inversely correlated with common solar activity indicators in an event sense. the limitations of the measuring system and available data sets are described.

Hickey, J. R.↗