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At least 163 records · Page 9

Structural analysis of ultra-high speed aircraft structural components

The buckling characteristics of a hypersonic beaded skin panel were investigated under pure compression with boundary conditions similar to those found in a wing mounted condition. The primary phases of analysis reported include: (1) experimental testing of the panel to failure; (2) finite element structural analysis of the beaded panel with the computer program NASTRAN; and (3) summary of the semiclassical buckling equations for the beaded panel under purely compressive loads. A comparison of each of the analysis methods is also included.

Lenzen, K. H.↗

The Connection Between Local Icosahedral Order in Metallic Liquids and the Nucleation of Ordered Phases

Over fifty years ago, David Turnbull showed that the temperature of many metallic liquids could be decreased far below their equilibrium melting temperature before crystallization occurred. To explain those surprising results, Charles Frank hypothesized that the local structures of undercooled metallic liquids are different from those of crystal phases, containing a significant degree of icosahedral order that is incompatible with extended periodicity. Such structural differences must create a barrier to the formation crystal phases, explaining the observed undercooling behavior. If true, the nucleation from the liquid of phases with extended icosahedral order should be easier. Icosahedral order is often favored in small clusters, as observed recently in liquid-like clusters of pure Pb on the (111) surface of Si, for example. However, it has never been shown that an increasing preference for icosahedral phase formation can be directly linked with the development of icosahedral order in the undercooled liquid. Owing to the combination of very recent advances in levitation techniques and the availability of synchrotron x-ray and high flux neutron facilities, this is shown here.

Curreri, Peter A.↗

Surface Deformation and Coherence Measurements of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, from SIR-C Radar Interferometry

The shuttle imaging radar C/X synthetic aperture radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) radar on board the space shuttle Endeavor imaged Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, in April and October 1994 for the purpose of measuring active surface deformation by the methods of repeat-pass differential radar interferometry. Observations at 24 cm (L band) and 5.6 cm (C band) wavelengths were reduced to interferograms showing apparent surface deformation over the 6-month interval and over a succession of 1-day intervals in October. A statistically significant local phase signature in the 6-month interferogram is coincident with the Pu'u O'o lava vent. Interpreted as deformation, the signal implies centimeter-scale deflation in an area several kilometers wide surrounding the vent. Peak deflation is roughly 14 cm if the deformation is purely vertical, centered southward of the Pu'u O'o caldera. Delays in the radar signal phase induced by atmospheric refractivity anomalies introduce spurious apparent deformation signatures, at the level of 12 cm peak-to-peak in the radar line-of-sight direction. Though the phase observations are suggestive of the wide-area deformation measured by Global Positioning System (GPS) methods, the atmospheric effects are large enough to limit the interpretation of the result. It is difficult to characterize centimeter-scale deformations spatially distributed over tens of kilometers using differential interferometry without supporting simultaneous, spatially distributed measurements of reactivity along the radar line of sight. Studies of the interferometric correlation of images acquired at different times show that L band is far superior to C band in the vegetated areas, even when the observations are separated by only 1 day. These results imply longer wavelength instruments are more appropriate for studying surfaces by repeat-pass observations.

Rosen, P. A.↗

The Connection Between Local Icosahedral Order in Metallic Liquids and the Nucleation of Ordered Phases

Over fifty years ago, David Turnbull showed that the temperature of many metallic liquids could be decreased far below their equilibrium melting temperature before crystallization occurred. To explain those surprising results, Charles Frank hypothesized that the local structures of undercooled metallic liquids are different from those of crystal phases, containing a significant degree of icosahedral order that is incompatible with extended periodicity. Such structural differences must create a barrier to the formation crystal phases, explaining the observed undercooling behavior. If true, the nucleation from the liquid of phases with extended icosahedral order should be easier. Icosahedral order is often favored in small clusters, as observed recently in liquid-like clusters of pure Pb on the (111) surface of Si(3), for example. However, it has never been shown that an increasing preference for icosahedral phase formation can be directly linked with the development of icosahedral order in the undercooled liquid. Owing to the combination of very recent advances in levitation techniques and the availability of synchrotron X-ray and high flux neutron facilities.

Kelton, K. F.↗

The Connection Between Local Icosahedral Order in Metallic Liquids and the Nucleation Behavior of Ordered Phases

Over fifty years ago, David Turnbull showed that the temperature of many metallic liquids could be decreased far below their equilibrium melting temperature before crystallization occurred. To explain those surprising results, Charles Frank hypothesized that the local structures of undercooled metallic liquids are different from those of crystal phases, containing a significant degree of icosahedral order that is incompatible with extended periodicity. Such structural differences must create a barrier to the formation crystal phases, explaining the observed undercooling behavior. If true, the nucleation from the liquid of phases with extended icosahedral order should be easier. Icosahedral order is often favored in small clusters, as observed recently in liquid-like clusters of pure Pb on the (111) surface of Si[3], for example. However, it has never been shown that an increasing preference for icosahedral phase formation can be directly linked with the development of icosahedral order in the undercooled liquid. Owing to the combination of very recent advances in levitation techniques and the availability of synchrotron x-ray and high flux neutron facilities, this is shown here.

Kelton, K. F.↗

Occurrence of diopside and Cr-Zr-armalcolite on the moon.

Petrographic and electron-microprobe examination of the sample of 1 to 2 mm fines, Apollo 14166,6, has revealed a fragment with the unique lunar mineralogy of plagioclase, olivine, diopside, a Ti-Fe-Zr phase, and a trace of ilminite. The second occurrence of diopside is reported together with the third occurrence of a recently identified Ti-Fe-Zr phase. Microprobe analyses of the principal phases of the fragment studied are presented in a table. The relatively pure diopside analyses reported represent the most Mg-rich calcic pyroxene found in lunar material.

Steele, I. M.↗

Spinning mode acoustic radiation from the flight inlet

A mathematical model was developed for spinning mode acoustic radiation from a thick wall duct without flow. This model is based on a series of experiments (with and without flow). A nearly pure azimuthal spinning mode was isolated and then reflection coefficients and far field pressure (amplitude and phase) were measured. In our model the governing boundary value problem for the Helmholtz equation is first converted into an integral equation for the unknown acoustic pressure over a disk, S1, near the mouth of the duct and over the exterior surface, S2, of the duct. Assuming a pure azimuthal mode excitation, the azimuthal dependence is integrated out which yields an integral equation over the generator C1 of S1 and the generator C2 of S2. The sound pressure on C1 was approximated by a truncated modal expansion of the interior acoustic pressure. Piecewise linear spline approximation on C2 was used.

Moss, W. F.↗

Computing Properties Of Pure And Mixed Fluids

GASPLUS created as two-part code: first designed for use with pure fluids and second designed for use with mixtures of fluids and phases. Offers routines for mathematical modeling of conditions of fluids in pumps, turbines, compressors and other machines. Other routines for calculating performance of para/ortho-hydrogen reactor and heat of para/normal-hydrogen reaction as well as unique convergence routine demonstrates engineering flavor of GASPLUS. Written in FORTRAN 77.

Fowler, J. R.↗

Coherence between QPOs in X-Ray Pulsars

Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) observations of Cen X-3 and 4U 1626 have shown that when a low frequency (upsilon(sub qpo) approx. 50 mHz) Quazi-Periodic Oscillation (QPO) is presented in the power spectrum of these sources, smaller QPOs also appear in the upper and lower sidebands of the spin frequency upsilon(sub s), and in the sidebands of the spin frequency harmonics. This is expected if the QPO is a modulation in the accretion rate.However, the QPO in the lower sideband of the spin frequency (upsilon = upsilon(sub s) - upsilon(sub qpo)) is stronger than the QPO in the upper sideband (upsilon = upsilon(sub s) + upsilon(sub qpo)), which is not consistent with pure acretion rate modulation. I will present a method for measuring the phase coherent between the main QPO and any of the sideband QPOs, and apply this to RXTE observations. Preliminary results for Cen X-3 show that the QPO in the lower sideband of the spin frequency is highly coherent with the main QPO, while the QPO in the upper sideband is not. Implications for possible QPO mechanisms will be discussed.

Finger, Mark H.↗

Creep Resistance of ZrO2 Ceramic Improved by the Addition of a Small Amount of Er2O3

Zirconia (ZrO2) has great technological importance in structural, electrical, and chemical applications. It is the crucial component for state-of-the art thermal barrier coatings and an enabling component as a solid electrolyte for solid-oxide fuel cell systems. Pure ZrO2 is of limited use for industrial applications because of the phase transformations that occur. Upon the addition of stabilizers, cubic (c-ZrO2) and tetragonal (t-ZrO2) forms can be preserved. It is the stabilized and partially stabilized forms of zirconia that function as thermal barrier coatings, solid electrolytes, and oxygen sensors and that have numerous applications in the electrochemical industry. The cubic form of ZrO2 is typically stabilized through Y2O3 additions. However, Y2O3-stabilized zirconia is susceptible to deformation at high temperatures (greater than 900 C) because of the large number of slip systems and the high oxygen diffusion rates, which result in high creep rates at high temperatures. Successful use of ZrO2 at high temperatures requires that new dopant additives be found that will retain or enhance the desirable properties of cubic ZrO2 and yet produce a material with lower creep rates. At the NASA Glenn Research Center, erbium oxide (Er2O3) was identified as a promising dopant for improving the creep resistance of. ZrO2. The selection of Er2O3 was based on the strong interactions of point defects and dislocations. Single crystals of 5 mol% Er2O3- doped ZrO2 rods (4 mm in diameter) and monofilaments (200 to 300 mm in diameter and 30 cm long) were grown using the laser-heated float zone technique, and their creep behavior was measured as a function of temperature. The addition of 5 mol% Er2O3 to single-crystal ZrO2 improved its creep resistance at high temperatures by 2 to 3 orders of magnitude over state-of-the-art Y2O3-doped crystals. Detailed microstructural characterization of ZrO2-Er2O3 single crystals has identified new mechanisms for improving the creep resistance of this class of materials. Adding Er2O3 to ZrO2 results in microstructure of stable and metastable tetragonal precipitates that with thermal treatment evolve to a tweed structure of nanosize tetragonal lamellae. The superior high-temperature creep resistance of Er2O3-doped ZrO2 is attributed to nanoscale precipitation hardening. Doping with Er2O3 will significantly increase the upper-use temperature limit of ZrO2. Potential applications include using Er2O3-doped ZrO2 as a high-temperature fiber for structural applications and adding Er2O3 to reduce the sintering rates of ZrO2 thermal barrier coatings. This work was conducted at Dpto. de F sica de la Materia Condensada, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain, and at NASA Glenn.

Martinez-Fernandez, Julian↗

Numerical Simulation of Rocket Exhaust Interaction with Lunar Soil

This technology development originated from the need to assess the debris threat resulting from soil material erosion induced by landing spacecraft rocket plume impingement on extraterrestrial planetary surfaces. The impact of soil debris was observed to be highly detrimental during NASA s Apollo lunar missions and will pose a threat for any future landings on the Moon, Mars, and other exploration targets. The innovation developed under this program provides a simulation tool that combines modeling of the diverse disciplines of rocket plume impingement gas dynamics, granular soil material liberation, and soil debris particle kinetics into one unified simulation system. The Unified Flow Solver (UFS) developed by CFDRC enabled the efficient, seamless simulation of mixed continuum and rarefied rocket plume flow utilizing a novel direct numerical simulation technique of the Boltzmann gas dynamics equation. The characteristics of the soil granular material response and modeling of the erosion and liberation processes were enabled through novel first principle-based granular mechanics models developed by the University of Florida specifically for the highly irregularly shaped and cohesive lunar regolith material. These tools were integrated into a unique simulation system that accounts for all relevant physics aspects: (1) Modeling of spacecraft rocket plume impingement flow under lunar vacuum environment resulting in a mixed continuum and rarefied flow; (2) Modeling of lunar soil characteristics to capture soil-specific effects of particle size and shape composition, soil layer cohesion and granular flow physics; and (3) Accurate tracking of soil-borne debris particles beginning with aerodynamically driven motion inside the plume to purely ballistic motion in lunar far field conditions. In the earlier project phase of this innovation, the capabilities of the UFS for mixed continuum and rarefied flow situations were validated and demonstrated for lunar lander rocket plume flow impingement under lunar vacuum conditions. Applications and improvements to the granular flow simulation tools contributed by the University of Florida were tested against Earth environment experimental results. Requirements for developing, validating, and demonstrating this solution environment were clearly identified, and an effective second phase execution plan was devised. In this phase, the physics models were refined and fully integrated into a production-oriented simulation tool set. Three-dimensional simulations of Apollo Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) and Altair landers (including full-scale lander geometry) established the practical applicability of the UFS simulation approach and its advanced performance level for large-scale realistic problems.

Liever, Peter↗

Products of the reaction of chlorine atoms and ozone

Preliminary matrix-isolation infrared spectroscopic studies of the gas-phase reaction of chlorine atoms and ozone are reported. It was shown that the major product of the reaction is the symmetric OClO radical, while very little of the asymmetric ClOO radical is produced. It was also shown that the presence of O2 enhances the OClO production and the ClOO is the primary product in the reaction of Cl atoms and pure O2. The radical ClO was observed for the first time in a gas-phase reaction of Cl and O3. A mechanism for these observations is proposed.

Hall, J. H., Jr.↗

Thermal Control and Enhancement of Heat Transport Capacity of Two-Phase Loops With Electrohydrodynamic Conduction Pumping

There are three kinds of electrohydrodynamics (EHD) pumping based on Coulomb force: induction pumping, ion-drag pumping, and pure conduction pumping. EHD induction pumping relies on the generation of induced charges. This charge induction in the presence of an electric field takes place due to a non-uniformity in the electrical conductivity of the fluid which can be caused by a non-uniform temperature distribution and/or an inhomogeneity of the fluid (e.g. a two-phase fluid). Therefore, induction pumping cannot be utilized in an isothermal homogeneous liquid. In order to generate Coulomb force, a space charge must be generated. There are two main mechanisms for generating a space charge in an isothermal liquid. The first one is associated with the ion injection at a metal/liquid interface and the related pumping is referred to as ion-drag pumping. Ion-drag pumping is not desirable because it can deteriorate the electrical properties of the working fluid. The second space charge generation mechanism is associated with the heterocharge layers of finite thickness in the vicinity of the electrodes. Heterocharge layers result from dissociation of the neutral electrolytic species and recombination of the generated ions. This type of pumping is referred to as pure conduction pumping. This project investigates the EHD pumping through pure conduction phenomenon. Very limited work has been conducted in this field and the majority of the published papers in this area have mistakenly assumed that the electrostriction force was responsible for the net flow generated in an isothermal liquid. The main motivation behind this study is to investigate an EHD conduction pump for a two-phase loop to be operated in the microgravity environment. The pump is installed in the liquid return passage (isothermal liquid) from the condenser section to the evaporator section. Unique high voltage and ground electrodes have been designed that generate sufficient pressure heads with very low electric power requirements making the EHD conduction pumping attractive to applications such as two-phase systems (e.g. capillary pumped loops and heat pipes). Currently, the EHD conduction pump performance is being tested on a two-phase loop under various operating conditions in the laboratory environment. The simple non-mechanical and lightweight design of the EHD pump combined with the rapid control of performance by varying the applied electric field, low power consumption, and reliability offer significant advantages over other pumping mechanisms; particularly in reduced gravity applications.

Seyed-Yagoobi, J.↗

A Tool for Low Noise Procedures Design and Community Noise Impact Assessment: The Rotorcraft Noise Model (RNM)

To improve aircraft noise impact modeling capabilities and to provide a tool to aid in the development of low noise terminal area operations for rotorcraft and tiltrotors, the Rotorcraft Noise Model (RNM) was developed by the NASA Langley Research Center and Wyle Laboratories. RNM is a simulation program that predicts how sound will propagate through the atmosphere and accumulate at receiver locations located on flat ground or varying terrain, for single and multiple vehicle flight operations. At the core of RNM are the vehicle noise sources, input as sound hemispheres. As the vehicle "flies" along its prescribed flight trajectory, the source sound propagation is simulated and accumulated at the receiver locations (single points of interest or multiple grid points) in a systematic time-based manner. These sound signals at the receiver locations may then be analyzed to obtain single event footprints, integrated noise contours, time histories, or numerous other features. RNM may also be used to generate spectral time history data over a ground mesh for the creation of single event sound animation videos. Acoustic properties of the noise source(s) are defined in terms of sound hemispheres that may be obtained from theoretical predictions, wind tunnel experimental results, flight test measurements, or a combination of the three. The sound hemispheres may contain broadband data (source levels as a function of one-third octave band) and pure-tone data (in the form of specific frequency sound pressure levels and phase). A PC executable version of RNM is publicly available and has been adopted by a number of organizations for Environmental Impact Assessment studies of rotorcraft noise. This paper provides a review of the required input data, the theoretical framework of RNM's propagation model and the output results. Code validation results are provided from a NATO helicopter noise flight test as well as a tiltrotor flight test program that used the RNM as a tool to aid in the development of low noise approach profiles.

Conner, David A.↗

The Isotopic Composition of Molecular Water Formed by Hydrogen Reduction of Iron Oxides: A Proxy for Endogenous Water Formed From Solar Wind Implantation

Many workers have successfully utilized a variety of lunar materials to infer the sources and processing history of volatiles on the Moon. In situ techniques via NanoSIMS have enabled a plethora of hydrogen isotope measurements of isolated grains in regolith and apatite within igneous rocks, revealing an extraordinarily large range of δD values from ~ -900 to +1000‰. The lowest of these δD values are related to the incorporation of solar wind hydrogen, which is pure 1 H. Exposure to solar wind results in structural damage to crystalline phases, forming ubiquitous tens-to-hundreds of nanometer thick amorphous rims on mature regolith grains. Solar wind implantation of H + is also is also thought to result in the formation of nanophase Fe 0 (npFe), a quantitative metric of surface exposure time (e.g., Is/FeO). The formation of npFe can be generally described via the reaction: Fe 2+ O + H 2 = Fe 0 + H 2 O, resulting in the formation of endogenous molecular water reservoirs.

lunar water↗

Phase transformations in 40-60-GPa shocked gneisses from the Haughton Crater (Canada): An Analytical Transmission Electron Microscopy (ATEM) study

In order to better understand phase transformations, chemical migration, and isotopic disequilibrium in highly shocked rocks, we have performed a microprobe and an ATEM study on gneisses shocked up to 60 GPa from the Haughton Crater. This study reveals the following chemical and structural characteristics: (1) SiO2 dominant areas are formed by a mixture of pure SiO2 polycrystalline quartz identified by electron diffraction pattern and chemical analysis and a silica-rich amorphous phase containing minor amounts of aluminium, potassium, and iron; (2) Areas with biotitelike composition are formed by less than 200-nm grains of iron-rich spinels embedded in a silica-rich amorphous phase that is very similar to the one described above; (3) Layers with feldsparlike composition are constituted by 100-200-nm-sized alumina-rich grains (the indexation of the crystalline structure is under progress) and the silica-rich amorphous phase; (4) Zones characterized by the unusual Al/Si ratio close to 1 are formed by spinel grains (200-nm-sized) embedded in the same silica-rich amorphous phase; and (5) The fracturated sillimanites contain domains with a lamellar structure, defined by the intercalation of 100-nm-wide lamellae of mullite crystals and of a silica-rich amorphous phase. These mullite crystals preserved the crystallographical orientation of the preshock sillimanite. All compositional domains, identified at the microprobe scale, can thus be explained by a mixture in different proportion between the following phases: (1) a silica-rich amorphous phase, with minor Al and K; (2) quartz crystals; (3) spinel crystals and alumina-rich crystals; (4) sillimanite; and (5) mullite. Such mixtures of amorphous phases and crystals in different proportions explain disturbed isotope systems in these rocks and chemical heterogeneities observed on the microprobe.

Martinez, I.↗

Response of two-phase droplets to intense electromagnetic radiation

The response of two-phase droplets to intense radiant heating is studied to determine the incident power that is required for causing explosive boiling in the liquid phase. The droplets studied consist of strongly absorbing coal particles dispersed in a weakly absorbing water medium. Experiments are performed by confining droplets (radii of 37, 55, and 80 microns) electrodynamically and irradiating them from two sides with pulsed laser beams. Emphasis is placed on the transition region from accelerated droplet vaporization to droplet superheating and explosive boiling. The time scale observed for explosive boiling is more than 2 orders of magnitude longer than published values for pure liquids. The delayed response is the result of energy transfer limitations between the absorbing solid phase and the surrounding liquid.

Spann, James F.↗