Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “housing”

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 19 records

NASA Technology Utilization House technical support package Summary of results and house description

The Technology Utilization House (Tech House) was designed and constructed to demonstrate to the building industry and the public the benefits of aerospace technology and other new technology that are presently available or will be in very near future. Use of solar energy, conservation of energy and of water, safety, and security were incorporated in the design of the house. The terms to be incorporated into the house and to assist in the design of the house were evaluated. An architectural engineering team was employed to investigate energy conservation ideas, determine cost effectiveness of new materials and systems, and prepare specifications and drawings for the house. The Tech House was constructed during the spring of 1976. All the systems were monitored to insure proper operation, and data were collected during a one year occupancy. Results obtained during the family live-in period, comments on the acceptance of the various energy-saving systems by the family, and suggestions for improvement of the systems are presented.

Source record↗

Housing authority of Baltimore City-Public Housing Energy Workshop

The NASA/Baltimore Applications Project operating at the Goddard Space Flight Center was called upon by the Housing Authority of Baltimore City to consider the problems of providing low cost public housing because of increased energy costs and suggest methods for correction and alleviation. The first step chosen was to elicit as many different options for solution as possible through means of a Public Housing Energy Workshop held in Easton, Md. in September 1980. A final role for the Workshop was a listing and qualifying of each alternative as to its suitability and cost. Specific areas were examined by three panels: (1) Systems, (2) Conservation and Motivation, and (3) Fuels. Each panel was made up of persons from differing but appropriate backgrounds; membership was not restricted to housing people alone. A summary of their deliberations is given - it will be used as a stepping stone to further selection and implementation of alternatives.

Golden, T. S.↗

Modal analysis of gear housing and mounts

Dynamic finite element analysis of a real gear housing is presented. The analysis was conducted for the housing without the rotating components (gears, shafts, and bearings). Both rigid and flexible mounting conditions for the gear housing are considered in this analysis. The flexible support simulates the realistic mounting condition on a rotorcraft, and the rigid one is analyzed for comparison purposes. The effect of gear housing stiffeners is also evaluated. The results indicate that the first six natural modes of the flexibly mounted gear housing in the 0 to 200 Hz range correspond to the translational and rotational rigid body vibration modes of the housing. Above this range, the housing plate elastic modes begin to occur. In the case of the rigid mount, only the housing plate elastic modes are observed which are verified by modal analysis experiments. Parametric studies show that the housing plate stiffeners and rigid mounts tend to increase most of the natural frequencies, the lower ones being affected the most.

Lim, Teik C.↗

Modal analysis of gear housing and mounts

Dynamic finite element analysis of a real gear housing is presented. The analysis was conducted for the housing without the rotating components (gears, shafts, and bearings). Both rigid and flexible mounting conditions for the gear housing are considered in this analysis. The flexible support simulates the realistic mounting condition on a rotorcraft, and the rigid one is analyzed for comparison purposes. The effect of gear housing stiffeners is also evaluated. The results indicate that the first six natural modes of the flexibly mounted gear housing in the 0 to 200 Hz range correspond to the translational and rotational rigid body vibration modes of the housing. Above this range, the housing plate elastic modes begin to occur. In the case of the rigid mount, only the housing plate elastic modes are observed which are verified by modal analysis experiments. Parametric studies show that the housing plate stiffeners and rigid mounts tend to increase most of the natural frequencies, the lower ones being affected the most.

Lim, Teik C.↗

Tech House

The members of the Swain family- Dr. Charles "Bill" Swain, wife Elaine, daughter Carol, 17, son "Chuck", 12, and dog Susie have an interesting assignment. They are active participants in an important NASA research program involving the application of space-age technology to home construction. b' Transplanted Floridians, the Swains now reside in NASA's Tech House, lo~atedat Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Their job is to use and help evaluate the variety of advanced technology systems in Tech House. A contemporary three-bedroom home, Tech House incorporates NASA technology, the latest commercial building techniques and other innovations, all designed to reduce energy and water consumption and to provide new levels of comfort, convenience, security and fire safety. Tech House equipment performed well in initial tests, but a house is not a home until it has people. That's where the Swains come in. NASA wants to see how the various systems work under actual living conditions, to confirm the effectiveness of the innovations or to determine necessary modifications for improvement. The Swains are occupying the house for a year, during which NASA engineers are computer monitoring the equipment and assembling a record of day-to-day performance. . Tech House is a laboratory rather than a mass production prototype, but its many benefits may influence home design and construction. In a period of sharply rising utility costs, widespread adoption of Tech House features could provide large-scale savings to homeowners and potentially enormous national benefit in resources conservation. Most innovations are aerospace spinoffs: Some of the equipment is now commercially available; other systems are expected to be in production within a few years. Around 1980, a Tech House-type of home could be built for $45-50,000 (1 976 dollars). It is estimated that the homeowner would save well over $20,000 (again 1976 dollars) in utility costs over the average mortgage span of 20 years.

Source record↗

Vibroacoustic Response of Residential Housing due to Sonic Boom Exposure: A Summary of two Field Tests

Two experiments have been performed to measure the vibroacoustic response of houses exposed to sonic booms. In 2006, an old home in the base housing area of Edwards Air Force Base, built around 1960 and demolished in 2007, was instrumented with 288 transducers. During a 2007 follow-on test, a newer home in the base housing area, built in 1997, was instrumented with 112 transducers. For each experiment, accelerometers were placed on walls, windows and ceilings in bedrooms of the house to measure the vibration response of the structure. Microphones were placed outside and inside the house to measure the excitation field and resulting interior sound field. The vibroacoustic response of each house was measured for sonic boom amplitudes spanning from 2.4 to 96 Pa (0.05 to 2 lbf/sq ft). The boom amplitudes were systematically varied using a unique dive maneuver of an F/A-18 airplane. In total, the database for both houses contains vibroacoustic response data for 154 sonic booms. In addition, several tests were performed with mechanical shaker excitation of the structure to characterize the forced response of the houses. The purpose of this paper is to summarize all the data from these experiments that are available to the research community, and to compare and contrast the vibroacoustic behavior of these two dissimilar houses.

Klos, Jacob↗

Housing flexibility effects on rotor stability

Preliminary rotordynamic evaluations are performed with a housing stiffness assumption that is typically determined only after the hardware is built. In addressing rotor stability, a rigid housing assumption was shown to predict an instability at a lower spin speed than a comparable flexible housing analysis. This rigid housing assumption therefore provides a conservative estimate of the stability threshold speed. A flexible housing appears to act as an energy absorber and dissipated some of the destabilizing force. The fact that a flexible housing is usually asymmetric and considerably heavier than the rotor was related to this apparent increase in rotor stability. Rigid housing analysis is proposed as a valuable screening criteria and may save time and money in construction of elaborate housing finite element models for linear stability analyses.

Davis, L. B.↗

Deformation analysis of rotary combustion engine housings

This analysis of the deformation of rotary combustion engine housings targeted the following objectives: (1) the development and verification of a finite element model of the trochoid housing, (2) the prediction of the stress and deformation fields present within the trochoid housing during operating conditions, and (3) the development of a specialized preprocessor which would shorten the time necessary for mesh generation of a trochoid housing's FEM model from roughly one month to approximately two man hours. Executable finite element models were developed for both the Mazda and the Outboard Marine Corporation trochoid housings. It was also demonstrated that a preprocessor which would hasten the generation of finite element models of a rotary engine was possible to develop. The above objectives are treated in detail in the attached appendices. The first deals with finite element modeling of a Wankel engine center housing, and the second with the development of a preprocessor that generates finite element models of rotary combustion engine center housings. A computer program, designed to generate finite element models of user defined rotary combustion engine center housing geometries, is also included.

Vilmann, Carl↗

Measured Rattle Threshold of Residential House Windows

Window rattle is a common indoor noise effect in houses exposed to low frequency noise from such sources as railroads, blast noise and sonic boom. Human perception of rattle can be negative that is a motivating factor of the current research effort to study sonic boom induced window rattle. A rattle study has been conducted on residential houses containing windows of different construction at a variety of geographic locations within the United States. Windows in these houses were excited by a portable, high-powered loudspeaker and enclosure specifically designed to be mounted on the house exterior to cover an entire window. Window vibration was measured with accelerometers placed on different window components. Reference microphones were also placed inside the house and inside of the loudspeaker box. Swept sine excitation was used to identify the vibration threshold at which the response of the structure becomes non-linear and begins to rattle. Initial results from this study are presented and discussed. Future efforts will continue to explore the rattle occurrence in windows of residential houses exposed to sonic booms.

Sizov, Natalia↗

Inlet Housing for a Partial-Admission Turbine

An inlet housing for a partial-admission turbine has been designed to cause the inlet airflow to make a smooth transition from an open circular inlet to an inlet slot. The smooth flow is required for purposes of measuring inlet flow characteristics and maximizing the efficiency of the turbine. A partial-admission turbine is a turbine in which the inlet slot occupies less than a complete circle around the rotor axis. In this case, the inlet slot occupies a 90 arc. The present special inlet-housing design is needed because the "bull nose" shape of a conventional turbine inlet housing fails to provide the required smooth transition in a partial-admission configuration and thereby gives rise to a loss of turbine efficiency and inaccuracies in inlet flow measurements. Upon entering the inlet housing through the circular opening, the flow encounters a "tongue"-shaped passageway, which serves as a ramp that diverts the flow to the first of two straight passages. This first passageway occupies a 90 arc and has a length equal to two passage heights. Instrumentation rakes for measuring the characteristics of the inlet flow are installed in this passageway. Just past the first straight passageway is the second one, which is narrower and leads to the 90 turbine inlet slot. This passageway is used to smooth the flow immediately prior to its passage through the turbine inlet slot. The length of this second passageway equals the length of the chord of a turbine vane. The inlet housing incorporates small ports for measuring static pressures at various locations of the flow, and incorporates bosses for the installation of the instrumentation rakes. The inlet housing also includes a flange at its inlet end for attachment to a circular inlet duct and a flange at its outlet end for attachment to the outer casing of the turbine.

Moye, Ralph↗

NASA Tech House: An early evaluation

An architect-engineering firm, as well as university participants, performed system studies, evaluated construction methods, performed cost effectiveness studies, and prepared construction drawings which incorporated the selected technology features into a final design. A Technology Utilization House (Tech House) based on this design was constructed at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The Tech House is instrumented so that the performance of the design features and energy systems can be evaluated during a planned family live-in period. As such, the house is both a demonstration unit and a research laboratory. The Tech House is to demonstrate the kind of single-family residence that will probably be available within the next five years.

Source record↗

Boltless Seal for Electronic Housings

Spring clips seal housings for electronic circuitry, preventing electromagnetic interference from entering or leaving housings. Clips also keep dust out of housing. Since no bolts are used, housing can be opened quickly; unlike bolts, clips can be used on thin-walled housing. Seal was developed for an X-band array amplifier.

Dawe, R. H.↗

From 3D Printing Lunar and Mars Habitats to Affordable Sustainable Housing on Earth

In 2015, the NASA Centennial Challenges program launched the 3D-Printed Habitat (3DPH) competition to develop housing solutions for extended-duration missions on planetary surfaces using advanced additive construction technology. The challenge was executed in three phases with increasing complexities and requirements. The main goal of the competition was to use of planetary indigenous materials and mission recyclables as feedstock for large-scale, autonomous 3D printers to construct a habitat on the Moon or Mars. Phase 1 challenged teams to develop state-of-the-art architecture concepts that took advantage of unique capabilities offered by 3D-printing. In Phase 2, teams autonomously 3D-printed structural components using terrestrial/space-based materials and recyclables. Phase 3 tasked competitors to fabricate sub-scale habitats using indigenous materials with or without mission-generated recyclables and ended in a head-to-head competition. The developments from this challenge are applicable both to the fulfillment of NASA’s Moon to Mars mission and to the creation of affordable and sustainable housing solutions on Earth. This paper will summarize the results of the four-year challenge and provide an overview of team achievements as a result of the competition. Results from the competition include humanitarian and business opportunities created/negotiated and the development of 3D-printed housing solutions for people such those in need of shelter in Austin, Texas and 3D-printing houses at the United Nations habitat headquarters in Nairobi, Keyna. The Phase 3: Level 5 winner, AI. SpaceFactory, is currently 3D-printing an ecofriendly house in New York called Terra, a full-size habitat design for Mars and available on Earth.

M C Roman↗

Group Housing During Hindlimb Unloading to Simulate Weightlessness

The rodent hindlimb unloading (HU) model was developed in the 1980s to faciliate the study of mechanisms, responses, and treatments for the adverse effects of spaceflight. A number of variations on unloading systems and cage designs have been developed, although most entail individually housing the HU animals. In this study, we performed hindlimb unloading under group housing conditions. Our preliminary results indicate that HU animals that were group housed for 30 days, displayed musculoskeletal decrements associated with disuse, and further, body weights did not differ compared to age-matched controls. In conclusion, group housing of HU mice provides a novel means to simulate weightlessness under conditions that more closely resemble living conditions of Rodent Research Project ISS flight hardware habitats, and minimizes the social stress of isolation, which is consistent with current animal welfare standards (Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals: Eighth Edition, National Research Council).

group housing↗

Cryogenic gyroscope housing

A cryogenic gyroscope housing having gas spin-up means provided in annular discs inserted between housing shells is described. A circumferential recess in the inner edges of the discs at their juncture serves as the gas spin-up channel, and recesses in the discs at their junctures with the shells form suction channels. The discs also have inlet and outlet ports communicating with the spin-up channel and exhaust slots communicating with the suction channels. Mating surfaces of the discs and housing shells are held in position by optical contact at the equational plane of the housing. Suspension electrodes and thin-film readout loops are disposed in shells. A centering band and clamp rings provide for proper alinement and placement of parts in formation of optical contact joints.

Angele, W.↗

Summary results from the NASA Tech House one year live-in

The NASA Tech House was designed and constructed at the Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., to demonstrate and evaluate new technology potentially applicable for conservation of energy and resources and for improvements in safety and security in a single-family residence. All technology items, including solar energy systems and a waste water reuse system, were evaluated under actual living conditions for a one-year period with a family of four living in the house in their normal life style. Results are presented which show overall savings in energy and resources compared to requirements for a defined similar conventional house under the same conditions. Also included are general operational experience and performance data for all the various items and systems of technology incorporated into the house design.

Hamlet, I. L.↗

An evaluation of the NASA Tech House, including live-in test results, volume 1

The NASA Tech House was designed and constructed at the NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, to demonstrate and evaluate new technology potentially applicable for conservation of energy and resources and for improvements in safety and security in a single-family residence. All technology items, including solar-energy systems and a waste-water-reuse system, were evaluated under actual living conditions for a 1 year period with a family of four living in the house in their normal lifestyle. Results are presented which show overall savings in energy and resources compared with requirements for a defined similar conventional house under the same conditions. General operational experience and performance data are also included for all the various items and systems of technology incorporated into the house design.

Abbott, I. H. A.↗

T55-L-712 turbine engine compressor housing refurbishment-plasma spray project

A study was conducted to assess the feasibility of reclaiming T55-L-712 turbine engine compressor housings with an 88 wt percent aluminum to 12 wt percent silicon alloy applied by a plasma spray process. Tensile strength testing was conducted on as-sprayed and thermally cycled test specimens which were plasma sprayed with 0.020 to 0.100 in. coating thicknesses. Satisfactory tensile strength values were observed in the as-sprayed tensile specimens. There was essentially no decrease in tensile strength after thermally cycling the tensile specimens. Furthermore, compressor housings were plasma sprayed and thermally cycled in a 150-hr engine test and a 200-hr actual flight test during which the turbine engine was operated at a variety of loads, speeds and torques. The plasma sprayed coating system showed no evidence of degradation or delamination from the compressor housings. As a result of these tests, a procedure was designed and developed for the application of an aluminum-silicon alloy in order to reclaim T55-L-712 turbine engine compressor housings.

Leissler, George W.↗