Study of Dynamic Loads of Aircraft Bevel Gear Systems

This paper studies the dynamic loads of bevel gears with circular and straight teeth with the overlap factors less than two (ε_α < 2) and more than two (ε_α > 2). The advantages of the gears with straight teeth with ε_α > 2 are shown.     

Laboratory calibration measurements of a piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate cosmic dust detector at low velocities

A cosmic dust monitor for use onboard a spacecraft is currently being developed using a piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate element (PZT). Its characteristics of the PZT sensor is studied by ground-based laboratory impact experiments using hypervelocity particles supplied by a Van de Graaff accelerator. The output signals obtained from the sensor just after the impact appeared to have a waveform that was explicitly related to the particle’s impact velocity. For velocities less than ∼6 km/s, the signal showed an oscillation pattern and the amplitude was proportional to the momentum of the impacting particle. For higher velocities, the signal gradually changed to a single waveform. The rise time of this single waveform was proportional to the particle’s velocity for velocities above ∼6 km/s. The present paper reports on results for the low velocity case and especially discusses the effect of an outer coating of the sensor with a paint, which is used to reduce heating by solar radiation.     

Multiple model adaptive estimation with filter spawning

Multiple model adaptive estimation (MMAE) with filter spawning is used to detect and estimate partial actuator failures on the VISTA F-16. The truth model is a full six-degree-of-freedom simulation provided by Calspan and General Dynamics. The design models are chosen as 13-state linearized models, including first order actuator models. Actuator failures are incorporated into the truth model and design model assuming a "failure to free stream." Filter spawning is used to include additional filters with partial actuator failure hypotheses into the MMAE bank. The spawned filters are based on varying degrees of partial failures (in terms of effectiveness) associated with the complete-actuaton-failure hypothesis with the highest conditional probability of correctness at the current time. Thus, a blended estimate of the failure effectiveness is found using the filters' estimates based upon a no-failure hypothesis, a complete actuator failure hypothesis, and the spawned filters' partial-failure hypotheses. This yields substantial precision in effectiveness estimation, compared with what is possible without spawning additional filters, making partial failure adaptation a viable methodology.     

The Information Content of Synthetic Aperture Radar Images of Terrain

A statistical model is developed that portrays an imaging radar as a noisy communication channel with multiplicative noise, and the model is used to evaluate the average amount of information that can be extracted about a target from its radar image. The average information content is also used to define a measure of radiometric resolution for radar images. It is shown that the information content and the resolution capabilities of an imaging radar reach a limit beyond which an increase in scene dynamic range does not improve the information content or the resolution. This limitation results from the multiplicative nature of the noise introduced in the imaging process.     

Reorganization of the solar corona following a C4.7 flare

Yohkoh X-ray images, multifrequency two-dimentional observations of the Nancay Radioheliograph, Kitt Peak and Mees magnetograms provide a unique set of data with which to study a C4.7 long-duration flare that was observed close to the equator (S07, W11) on 25 Oct. 1994 at 09:49 UT. Linear force-free field extrapolations indicate a very high degree of non-potentiality in the active region. The X-ray flare started with the expansion of spectacular twisted loops. Fifteen minutes after the flare onset sporadic radio (type III) bursts were observed spreading over an area of almost 1/3 of the solar disc and two remote X-ray brightenings appeared over quiet regions of opposite magnetic polarity located in on opposite hemispheres of the Sun. In the close vicinity of these remote brightenings two coronal holes formed. The timing and location of these events combined with the overall magnetic configuration provide evidence for a large-scale magnetic reconnection occurring between the expanding twisted loops and the overlying huge loops which inter-connect quiet solar regions.     

Mortality and morphological anomalies related to the passage of cosmic heavy ions through the smallest flowering aquatic plant Wolffia arrhiza

Radiobiological effects of single cosmic heavy ions on individual, actively metabolizing test organisms, plants of Wolffia arrhiza, have been explored in an experiment flown aboard the Russian Biosatellite 10. Mortality induced during space flight, population dynamics during subsequent cultivation, and morphological anomalies occurring in the plants of these cultures were investigated. Correlation of these effects with the passage of a heavy ion was achieved by inserting monolayers of plants in a stack of surrounding plastic nuclear track detectors (BIO-STACK). Enhanced initial mortality and delayed decline of induced anomalies have been significantly associated with the passage of single heavy ions, in particular if ions penetrated the budding region of the plants. The prolonged persistence of anomalies in filial generations as an indication of delayed genetic damage has been detected for the first time as the consequence of the hit by a single heavy ion. Regarding radiation protection of space crew during prolonged missions, especially outside the magnetosphere, this appears to be a significant finding.     

Geometrical simulation of regular and irregular folded structures

Some general problems on simulation of folded cores are considered. The application potential of the present-day parametrical CAD systems for designing constructions based on the regular and irregular structures is shown.