SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Edge Computing”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

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

At least 1,639 records · Page 91

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1993

Contribution of High-Order Rainbows to the Scattering of a Gaussian Laser Beam by a Spherical Particle

I review the theory of the scattering of a Gaussian laser beam by a dielectric spherical particle and give the details for constructing a computer program to implement the theory. Computational results indicate that if the width of the laser beam is much less than the diameter of the particle and if the axis of the beam is incident near the edge of the particle, the fifth-, sixth-, and ninth-order rainbows should be evident in the far-field scattered intensity. I performed an experiment that yielded tentative evidence for the presence of the sixth- order rainbow.

Lock, James A.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Analytic Corrections to CFD Heating Predictions Accounting for Changes in Surface Catalysis

A new approach for combining the insight afforded by integral boundary-layer analysis with comprehensive (but time intensive) computational fluid dynamic (CFD) flowfield solutions of the thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations is described. The approach extracts CFD derived quantities at the wall and at the boundary layer edge for inclusion in a post-processing boundary-layer analysis. It allows a designer at a work-station to address two questions, given a single CFD solution. (1) How much does the heating change for a thermal protection system (TPS) with different catalytic properties than was used in the original CFD solution? (2) How does the heating change at the interface of two different TPS materials with an abrupt change in catalytic efficiency? The answer to the second question is particularly important, because abrupt changes from low to high catalytic efficiency can lead to localized increase in heating which exceeds the usually conservative estimate provided by a fully catalytic wall assumption. Capabilities of this approach for application to Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) design are demonstrated. If the definition of surface catalysis is uncertain early in the design process, results show that fully catalytic wall boundary conditions provide the best baseline for CFD design points.

Gnoffo, Peter A.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Image enhancement by non-linear extrapolation in frequency space

An input image is enhanced to include spatial frequency components having frequencies higher than those in an input image. To this end, an edge map is generated from the input image using a high band pass filtering technique. An enhancing map is subsequently generated from the edge map, with the enhanced map having spatial frequencies exceeding an initial maximum spatial frequency of the input image. The enhanced map is generated by applying a non-linear operator to the edge map in a manner which preserves the phase transitions of the edges of the input image. The enhanced map is added to the input image to achieve a resulting image having spatial frequencies greater than those in the input image. Simplicity of computations and ease of implementation allow for image sharpening after enlargement and for real-time applications such as videophones, advanced definition television, zooming, and restoration of old motion pictures.

Anderson, Charles H.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Graph Theory Roots of Spatial Operators for Kinematics and Dynamics

Spatial operators have been used to analyze the dynamics of robotic multibody systems and to develop novel computational dynamics algorithms. Mass matrix factorization, inversion, diagonalization, and linearization are among several new insights obtained using such operators. While initially developed for serial rigid body manipulators, the spatial operators and the related mathematical analysis have been shown to extend very broadly including to tree and closed topology systems, to systems with flexible joints, links, etc. This work uses concepts from graph theory to explore the mathematical foundations of spatial operators. The goal is to study and characterize the properties of the spatial operators at an abstract level so that they can be applied to a broader range of dynamics problems. The rich mathematical properties of the kinematics and dynamics of robotic multibody systems has been an area of strong research interest for several decades. These properties are important to understand the inherent physical behavior of systems, for stability and control analysis, for the development of computational algorithms, and for model development of faithful models. Recurring patterns in spatial operators leads one to ask the more abstract question about the properties and characteristics of spatial operators that make them so broadly applicable. The idea is to step back from the specific application systems, and understand more deeply the generic requirements and properties of spatial operators, so that the insights and techniques are readily available across different kinematics and dynamics problems. In this work, techniques from graph theory were used to explore the abstract basis for the spatial operators. The close relationship between the mathematical properties of adjacency matrices for graphs and those of spatial operators and their kernels were established. The connections hold across very basic requirements on the system topology, the nature of the component bodies, the indexing schemes, etc. The relationship of the underlying structure is intimately connected with efficient, recursive computational algorithms. The results provide the foundational groundwork for a much broader look at the key problems in kinematics and dynamics. The properties of general graphs and trees of nodes and edge were examined, as well as the properties of adjacency matrices that are used to describe graph connectivity. The nilpotency property of such matrices for directed trees was reviewed, and the adjacency matrices were generalized to the notion of block weighted adjacency matrices that support block matrix elements. This leads us to the development of the notion of Spatial Kernel Operator SKO kernels. These kernels provide the basis for the development of SKO resolvent operators.

Jain, Abhinandan↗

NASA NTRS2014

Aerodynamic Effects of Turbulence Intensity on a Variable-Speed Power-Turbine Blade with Large Incidence and Reynolds Number Variations

The effects of inlet turbulence intensity on the aerodynamic performance of a variable speed power turbine blade are examined over large incidence and Reynolds number ranges. Both high and low turbulence studies were conducted in the NASA Glenn Research Center Transonic Turbine Blade Cascade Facility. The purpose of the low inlet turbulence study was to examine the transitional flow effects that are anticipated at cruise Reynolds numbers. The high turbulence study extends this to LPT-relevant turbulence levels while perhaps sacrificing transitional flow effects. Downstream total pressure and exit angle data were acquired for ten incidence angles ranging from +15.8 to 51.0. For each incidence angle, data were obtained at five flow conditions with the exit Reynolds number ranging from 2.12105 to 2.12106 and at a design exit Mach number of 0.72. In order to achieve the lowest Reynolds number, the exit Mach number was reduced to 0.35 due to facility constraints. The inlet turbulence intensity, Tu, was measured using a single-wire hotwire located 0.415 axial-chord upstream of the blade row. The inlet turbulence levels ranged from 0.25 - 0.4 for the low Tu tests and 8- 15 for the high Tu study. Tu measurements were also made farther upstream so that turbulence decay rates could be calculated as needed for computational inlet boundary conditions. Downstream flow field measurements were obtained using a pneumatic five-hole pitchyaw probe located in a survey plane 7 axial chord aft of the blade trailing edge and covering three blade passages. Blade and endwall static pressures were acquired for each flow condition as well. The blade loading data show that the suction surface separation that was evident at many of the low Tu conditions has been eliminated. At the extreme positive and negative incidence angles, the data show substantial differences in the exit flow field. These differences are attributable to both the higher inlet Tu directly and to the thinner inlet endwall boundary layer that the turbulence grid imposes.

Turbines↗

NASA NTRS2019

Simulation-Based Assessment of a Full-Scale Installed Quiet Landing Gear

Full-scale simulations of a Gulfstream G-III aircraft, performed in support of the NASA Acoustic Research Measurements flights, are presented to complement results discussed in earlier studies. The flow solver employed in those studies, Dassault Systèmes’ lattice Boltzmann PowerFLOW®, was also used during this investigation to conduct time-dependent simulations of the entire aircraft in landing configuration with a fully dressed landing gear. The high-fidelity simulations, performed at a Mach number of 0.23 and a Reynolds number of 10.5 × 106 based on mean aerodynamic chord, captured all relevant airframe noise sources. The computations were used to assess the aeroacoustic performance of the main landing gear, with and without noise reduction fairings installed, of a G-III aircraft equipped with Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge technology and conventional Fowler flaps. To facilitate comparison of predicted noise signatures with effective perceived noise levels obtained from flight test measurements, the “as-flown” nose landing gear geometry, missing in our earlier studies, was added to the simulated G-III aircraft configurations. The high fidelity, synthetic data were post-processed using a Ffowcs-Williams and Hawkings integral approach to estimate farfield acoustic behavior, with pressures on the model solid surface or pressure and velocity components on a permeable surface enveloping the acoustic near field used as input.

Duda, Benjamin↗

NASA NTRS2018

Computational Investigation of Nominally-Orthogonal Pneumatic Active Flow Control for High-Lift Systems

We explore the feasibility of using nominally-orthogonal jets as active aerodynamic load control for multi-element high-lift systems, and whether the nominally-orthogonal jets can offer a variety of performance improvements. These nominally-orthogonal jets inject momentum normal to the airfoil surface near the flap trailing edge, where they create a vortex that entrains flow from the opposing side and change the airfoil circulation. Lift-enhancement opportunities of trailing edge nominally-orthogonal jets have previously been studied by Malavard et al. and Blaylock et al. on single-element airfoils; however, their effect on drag was not thoroughly investigated. In this study, we investigate two- dimensional nominally-orthogonal jet effects on both lift and drag on a two-element airfoil, NLR7301. We utilize Chimera Grid Tools to generate structured curvilinear overset grids, and the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes solver OVERFLOW-2 to solve for the flow field around the airfoil. We perform various computational sensitivity studies on the baseline airfoil without a jet to validate computational results against benchmark experimental data. Using a Chimera overset grid topology, we demonstrate a similar lift-enhancement effect between a nominally-orthogonal jet and a nominally-orthogonal physical tab employed at the same location on the studied airfoil. After we introduce the nominally-orthogonal jet concept, we investigate nominally-orthogonal jets with various momentum coefficient settings, C(sub µ) = 0.00 − 0.04 and present a lift-enhancement relationship ∆C(sub l) ≃ 3.59 (C(sub µ)) for this airfoil. We discuss that utilizing a nominally-orthogonal jet with C(sub µ) = 0.01 can shift the linear region of the lift curve by a ∆C(sub l) = 0.36 for the pressure side jet and by a ∆C(sub l) = −0.27 for the suction side jet. Employing a nominally-orthogonal jet is also shown effective in altering the drag. To study the impact, we carry out a drag decomposition study in the form of drag polars. We show for a given C(sub l) = 2.50, a nominally-orthogonal jet with C(sub µ) = 0.01 on the pressure and suction side of the airfoil results in 113 drag count decrements and 41 drag count increments, respectively, compared to the baseline airfoil with no jet. These results show that large and controllable changes in aerodynamic performance can be achieved by relatively small active flow control inputs using the nominally-orthogonal jets presented in this study.

Nominally-Orthogonal↗

DOE OSTI2023

Manifold projection image segmentation for nano-XANES imaging

As spectral imaging techniques are becoming more prominent in science, advanced image segmentation algorithms are required to identify appropriate domains in these images. We present a version of image segmentation called manifold projection image segmentation (MPIS) that is generally applicable to a broad range of systems without the need for training because MPIS uses unsupervised machine learning with a few physically motivated hyperparameters. We apply MPIS to nanoscale x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) imaging, where XANES spectra are collected with nanometer spatial resolution. We show the superiority of manifold projection over linear transformations, such as the commonly used principal component analysis (PCA). Moreover, MPIS maintains accuracy while reducing computation time and sensitivity to noise compared to the standard nano-XANES imaging analysis procedure. Finally, we demonstrate how multimodal information, such as x-ray fluorescence data and spatial location of pixels, can be incorporated into the MPIS framework. We propose that MPIS is adaptable for any spectral imaging technique, including scanning transmission x-ray microscopy, where the length scale of domains is larger than the resolution of the experiment.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1976

A complete model of turbulence

A set of constitutive equations suitable for a priori computation of turbulent shear flows has been developed. Since no properties of a given turbulent flow need be known in advance in order to obtain a solution, the equations comprise a complete model of turbulence. Perturbation analysis shows that the model predicts a composite five-layer structure for an incompressible turbulent boundary layer, viz, a defect layer, a law-of-the-wall layer, a viscous sublayer, a near-surface roughness layer, and a viscous superlayer at the boundary-layer edge. Analysis of the defect layer demonstrates the key improvement of the model over its predecessor, the Saffman-Wilcox two-equation model of turbulence. Examination of model-predicted sublayer structure yields model-parameter boundary conditions appropriate for surfaces with roughness and mass injection. Results of numerical computations of compressible and incompressible equilibrium boundary layers show that, for such flows, the model is as accurate as mixing-length theory. Applications to transitional boundary layers and to nonequilibrium relaxation of a boundary layer passing from a rough to a smooth surface indicate that the model's applicability extends far beyond that of mixing-length theory's.

Wilcox, D. C.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Nondestructive geochemical characterization of fossil hominin taphonomy and burial history

To date, only three Homo habilis specimens have been discovered that have associated craniodental and postcranial elements, providing a limited fossil record of the ontogeny and morphology of early members of the genus Homo. Recently, a nearly complete dentition, likely attributable to H. habilis, was discovered and excavated from early Pleistocene-age fluvial-lacustrine sediments of the upper Burgi Member of the Koobi Fora Formation at site F25787 in Area 13, near Ileret, Kenya. On the surface less than 15 m away, at site F25966, postcranial elements were found, which, if from the same individual as the nearby dentition, would represent the fourth associated craniodental and postcranial assemblage of this species. We developed a geochemical taphonomic history of these ca. 2 Ma hominin fossils using nondestructive X-ray based microanalytical tools (synchrotron and benchtop X-ray fluorescence chemical imaging and micro- and nano-computed tomography volumetric reconstruction), bulk analyses of sediments and paleosols at the excavation sites, and sedimentologic and stratigraphic observations. We integrate the chemical and physical taphonomic histories to test whether teeth (excavated in situ) and postcranial bones (eroded onto the outcrop surface) derive from a single individual. Minor differences in taphonomic history are attributable to the different biomineral properties of the dental and osseous components and to differences in physical damage during early post-mortem scavenging, dispersal, and burial in adjacent depositional settings. Microscale geochemical mapping enabled the temporal ordination of chemical and physical events in the specimens’ chemical taphonomic histories. Specifically, authigenic Fe- and K-bearing clays and Y, U, and Sr uptake occurred in post-burial fractures in bones and were also incorporated pervasively throughout dentin in teeth. Barite mineralization occurred along the latest fractures in both materials, and as a coating on tooth roots. The stratigraphic, taphonomic, and geochemical evidence supports the interpretation that the hominin fossils represent a single individual. Finally, successful application of these nondestructive sample characterization methods demonstrates capabilities for thorough interrogation of the taphonomic histories of other potential hominin fossil associations, enabling more robust and accurate palaeontologic constraints using those relationships.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS2002

Boundary Layer Transition Correlations and Aeroheating Predictions for Mars Smart Lander

Laminar and turbulent perfect-gas air, Navier-Stokes computations have been performed for a proposed Mars Smart Lander entry vehicle at Mach 6 over a free stream Reynolds number range of 6.9 x 10(exp 6)/m to 2.4 x 10(exp 7)/m (2.1 x 10(exp 6)/ft to 7.3 x 10(exp 6)/ft) for angles-of-attack of 0-deg, 11-deg, 16-deg, and 20-deg, and comparisons were made to wind tunnel heating data obtained a t the same conditions. Boundary layer edge properties were extracted from the solutions and used to correlate experimental data on the effects of heat-shield penetrations (bolt-holes where the entry vehicle would be attached to the propulsion module during transit to Mars) on boundary-layer transition. A non-equilibrium Martian-atmosphere computation was performed for the peak heating point on the entry trajectory in order to determine if the penetrations would produce boundary-layer transition by using this correlation.

Hollis, Brian R.↗

NASA NTRS2001

An Assessment of the Ozone Loss During the 1999-2000 SOLVE Arctic Campaign

Ozone observations from ozonesondes, the lidars aboard the DC-8, in situ ozone measurements from the ER-2, and satellite ozone measurements from Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement III (POAM) were used to assess ozone loss during the Sage III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE) 1999-2000 Arctic campaign. Two methods of analysis were used. In the first method a simple regression analysis is performed on the ozonesonde and POAM measurements within the vortex. In the second method, the ozone measurements from all available ozone data were injected into a free running diabatic trajectory model and carried forward in time from December 1 to March 15. Vortex ozone loss was then estimated by comparing the ozone values of those parcels initiated early in the campaign with those parcels injected later in the campaign. Despite the variety of observational techniques used during SOLVE, the measurements provide a fairly consistent picture. Over the whole vortex, the largest ozone loss occurs between 550 and 400 K potential temperatures (approximately 23-16 km) with over 1.5 ppmv lost by March 15, the end of the SOLVE mission period. An ozone loss rate of 0.04-0.05 ppmv/day was computed for March 15. Ozonesondes launched after March 15 suggest that an additional 0.5 ppmv or more ozone was lost between March 15 and April 1. The small disagreement between ozonesonde and POAM analysis of January ozone loss is found to be due to biases in vortex sampling. POAM makes most of its solar occultation measurements at the vortex edge during January 2000 which bias samples toward air parcels that have been exposed to sunlight and likely do experience ozone loss. Ozonesonde measurements and the trajectory technique use observations that are more distributed within the interior of the vortex. Thus the regression analysis of the POAM measurements tends to overestimate mid-winter vortex ozone loss. Finally, our loss calculations are broadly consistent with other loss computations using ER-2 tracer data and MLS satellite data, but we find no evidence for the 1992 high mid-January loss reported using the Match technique.

Schoeberl, Mark R.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Preliminary identification of buffet problems in high speed civil transport

In the present study, some effort is made to identify whether empennage buffet is a relevant factor in the design and operation of the High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT). Based on some results of the only operational supersonic transport, Concorde and the innumerable studies that exist on the tail buffet of high performance airplanes, CFD analyses on the HSCT as well as low speed wind tunnel tests on models, it appears as though buffet will be a factor that needs attention in the proper design of empennage structure. Utilizing the existing empirical relation between the reduced frequency of the leading edge vortices and the geometric parameters, it is estimated that the characteristic frequencies of the vortices from the wing cranks are in the range of certain fundamental frequencies of the wing-fuselage-empennage structure. Buffet is believed to be critical during take-off, climb, descent and landing. Computational and experimental data available in open literature indicate coherent vortex flow structure in the empennage region at supersonic cruise speeds. This raises further concern on the fatigue life of the empennage structure. Three second generation supersonic transport designs taken from open literature are briefly compared with the 'empennage buffet' in mind. Future research efforts relating to buffet studies on the HSCT are summarized. A bibliography pertaining to the present research, including relevant studies on the first generation supersonic transport is presented. The effect of rounded wing leading edges on the present frequency estimates needs further study. The effect of engine exhaust on the flow field in the empennage region also needs further study.

Ravindra, Krishnaswamy↗

DOE OSTI2021

Discrete Green’s functions and spectral graph theory for computationally efficient thermal modeling

Here, this work concerns solutions of the heat equation with the spectral graph method, for which the temperature is defined at discrete points in the domain and the spatial relationship among the points is described by a graph. The heat equation on the graph is solved using matrix techniques involving the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of the Laplacian matrix. The spectral graph approach precludes the computationally intensive meshing and numerous time-integration steps of the finite element method. In the present work, the spectral graph method is extended to include heat loss at the boundaries with a generalized boundary condition, and physics-based edge weights are introduced which simplify the calibration process. From this approach a discrete Green’s function is defined which allows for solutions under a variety of heating conditions including: space-varying initial conditions; time-and-space varying internal heating; and, time-and-space-varying heating at boundaries of type 1 (Dirichlet), type 2 (Neumann) and type 3 (Robin). Results are provided for benchmark heat transfer problems in one spatial dimension and in three spatial dimensions, and verification is provided by comparison with exact analytical solutions and finite difference solutions. The spectral graph method converges within 0.4% error of the analytical solution. The practical utility of the approach is demonstrated by thermal simulation of a multilayer additive manufacturing process. The spectral graph results are compared to experimentally-obtained temperature data for two metal parts, with error less than 5% of the experimental measurements, with computation time less than one minute on a desktop computer.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1976

Computer modeling of electromagnetic problems using the geometrical theory of diffraction

Some applications of the geometrical theory of diffraction (GTD), a high frequency ray optical solution to electromagnetic problems, are presented. GTD extends geometric optics, which does not take into account the diffractions occurring at edges, vertices, and various other discontinuities. Diffraction solutions, analysis of basic structures, construction of more complex structures, and coupling using GTD are discussed.

Burnside, W. D.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Application of a full potential method for computation of three-dimensional supersonic flows

A nonlinear aerodynamic analysis technique based on the full potential equation in conservative form has been modified to permit treatment of supersonic flows with embedded subsonic regions (typically near the fuselage-canopy juncture and the wing leading edge). Solution procedures for the equations do not require any specific form of geometry or physical grid system. This results in the capability to analyze easily very complex geometries provided the posed problem lies within the isentropic restrictions of the full potential theory. Characteristic signal propagation theory is used to monitor the type dependent flow and a conservative switching scheme is employed to transition from the supersonic marching algorithm to a subsonic relaxation procedure and vice versa. An implicit approximate factorization scheme is used to solve the finite-difference equations. These modifications now permit analysis of fully three-dimensional flowfields including the interference effects due to lifting surface wakes. Improved grid generation capability allows analysis of complete complex aircraft geometries (fuselage, wing, tail, wing wake, and tail wake). Results are presented showing very good correlations with experimental surface pressure data and aerodynamic force data at both design and off-design operating points. Configurations examined include several waverider concepts, an arrow wing-body with wake, an advanced tactical fighter concept, and a fighter forebody-canard configuration.

Jones, K. M.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Transport of infrared radiation in cuboidal clouds

The transport of infrared radiation in a single cuboidal cloud is modeled using a variable azimuth two-stream approximation. Computations are made at 10 microns for a Deirmendjian (1969) C-1 water cloud where the single scattering albedo is equal to 0.638 and the asymmetry parameter is 0.865. The results indicate that the emittance of the top face of the model cloud is always less than that for a plane parallel cloud of the same optical depth. The hemispheric flux escaping from the cloud top possesses a gradient from the center to the edges which are warmer when the cloud is over warmer ground. Cooling rate calculations in the 8-13.6 micron region demonstrate that there is cooling out of the sides of the cloud at all levels even when there is heating of the core from the ground below. The radiances exiting from model cuboidal clouds are computed by path integration over the source function obtained with the two-stream approximation. Results indicate that the brightness temperature measured from finite clouds will overestimate the cloud-top temperature.

Harshvardhan, MR.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Mechanism for particle fractionalization and universal edge physics in quantum Hall fluids

Abstract Advancing a microscopic framework that rigorously unveils the underlying topological hallmarks of fractional quantum Hall (FQH) fluids is a prerequisite for making progress in the classification of strongly-coupled topological matter. We present a second-quantization framework that reveals an exact fusion mechanism for particle fractionalization in FQH fluids, and uncovers the fundamental structure behind the condensation of non-local operators characterizing topological order in the lowest-Landau-level. We show the first exact analytic computation of the quasielectron Berry connections leading to its fractional charge and exchange statistics, and perform Monte Carlo simulations that numerically confirm the fusion mechanism for quasiparticles. We express the sequence of (bosonic and fermionic) Laughlin second-quantized states, highlighting the lack of local condensation, and present a rigorous constructive subspace bosonization dictionary for the bulk fluid. Finally, we establish universal long-distance behavior of edge excitations by formulating a conjecture based on the DNA, or root state, of the FQH fluid.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗