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Several previous annual reports were written and numerous papers published on the topics for this grant. That work is not repeated here in this final report. Only the work completed in the final year of the grant is presented in this final report. This final year effort concentrated on power loss measurements in magnetic bearing rotors. The effect of rotor power losses in magnetic bearings are very important for many applications. In some cases, these losses must be minimized to maximize the length of time the rotating machine can operate on a fixed energy or power supply. Examples include aircraft gas turbine engines, space devices, or energy storage flywheels. In other applications, the heating caused by the magnetic bearing must be removed. Excessive heating can be a significant problem in machines as diverse as large compressors, electric motors, textile spindles, and artificial heart pumps.

This NASA Unmanned Flight Anomaly Report analyzes reported anomalies related to the in-flight performance of mechanisms on Jet Propulsion laboratory (JPL) unmanned space programs.

A reassessment of the Assurance Processes regarding spacecraft is underway at JPL. Missions are more difficult, funding is constrained, and development guidelines are different. It is necessary to separate the nice-to-do tasks from the required tasks. We need to determine what we are doing, how well we are doing it, and what we should be doing. Tools to be used are reports of flight anomolies, reports of preflight test anomolies, evaluations of flight performance, and studies of the management of risk during development and performance stages and within programmatic realms.

A magnetic thrust bearing can be employed to take thrust loads in rotating machinery. The design and construction of a prototype magnetic thrust bearing for a high load per weight application is described. The theory for the bearing is developed. Fixtures were designed and the bearing was tested for load capacity using a universal testing machine. Various shims were employed to have known gap thicknesses. A comparison of the theory and measured results is presented.

Certain experiments contemplated for space platforms must be isolated from the accelerations of the platforms. An optimal active control is developed for microgravity vibration isolation, using constant state feedback gains (identical to those obtained from the Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) approach) along with constant feedforward (preview) gains. The quadratic cost function for this control algorithm effectively weights external accelerations of the platform disturbances by a factor proportional to (1/omega) (exp 4). Low frequency accelerations (less than 50 Hz) are attenuated by greater than two orders of magnitude. The control relies on the absolute position and velocity feedback of the experiment and the absolute position and velocity feedforward of the platform, and generally derives the stability robustness characteristics quaranteed by the LQR approach to optimality. The method as derived is extendable to the case in which only the relative positions and velocities and the absolute accelerations of the experiment and space platform are available.

In order to achieve adequate low-frequency vibration isolation for certain space experiments an active control is needed, due to inherent passive-isolator limitations. Proposed here are five possible state-space models for a one-dimensional vibration isolation system with a quadratic performance index. The five models are subsets of a general set of nonhomogeneous state space equations which includes disturbance terms. An optimal control is determined, using a differential equations approach, for this class of problems. This control is expressed in terms of constant, Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) feedback gains and constant feedforward (preview) gains. The gains can be easily determined numerically. They result in a robust controller and offers substantial improvements over a control that uses standard LQR feedback alone.

Dr. Jesse W. Beams developed the first practical magnetic suspension for high speed rotating devices. The devices included high speed rotating mirrors, ultracentrifuges, and high speed centrifugal field rotors. A brief biography of Dr. Beams is presented, and the following topics are discussed: (1) early axial magnetic suspension for ultracentrifuges; and (2) magnetic suspension for high centrifugal fields.

Certain experiments contemplated for space platforms must be isolated from the accelerations of the platforms. An optimal active control is developed for microgravity vibration isolation, using constant state feedback gains (identical to those obtained from the Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) approach) along with constant feedforward (preview) gains. The quadratic cost function for this control algorithm effectively weights external accelerations of the platform disturbances by a factor proportional to (1/omega)(exp 4). Low frequency accelerations (less than 50 Hz) are attenuated by greater than two orders of magnitude. The control relies on the absolute position and velocity feedback of the experiment and the absolute position and velocity feedforward of the platform, and generally derives the stability robustness characteristics guaranteed by the LQR approach to optimality. The method as derived is extendable to the case in which only the relative positions and velocities and the absolute accelerations of the experiment and space platform are available.

Experimental findings of a three mass rotor with four channels of feedback control are reported. The channels are independently controllable with force being proportional to the velocity and/or instantaneous displacement from equilibrium of the shaft at the noncontacting probe locations (arranged in the vertical and horizontal attitudes near the support bearings). The findings suggest that automatic feedback control of rotors is feasible for limiting certain vibration levels. Control of one end of a rotor does afford some predictable vibration limiting of the rotor at the other end.

Upon heating, many of the middle-aged bituminous coals exhibit a plasticity very similar to polyethylene for a few minutes. Plastic coal can be extruded, pelletized or molded using common plastics technology and equipment. Investigations concerning the plastic state of coals are conducted with the objective to develop techniques which will make useful commercial applications of this property possible. Experiments which show the characteristics of plastic-state coal are discussed, and problems related to a continuous extrusion of coal are considered. Probably the most significant difference between the continuous extrusion of coal and the extrusion of a thermoplastic polymer is that volatiles are continuously being released from the coal. Attention is given to aspects of dragflow, solids feeding, and melt pumping. Application potentials for plastic coal extrusion might be related to coal gasification, direct liquefaction, and coal combustion.

Some of the considerations involved in the use of feedback control as a means of eliminating or alleviating rotordynamic instability are discussed. A simple model of a mass on a flexible shaft is used to illustrate the application of feedback control concepts.

Spectrophotometry of the bright class 1 Seyfert galaxy NGC 4593 is presented. The emission-line characteristics are briefly discussed and compared with those of other Seyfert galaxies. The measured hydrogen Balmer-line ratios are reasonably consistent with expected recombination values, and the emission intensities of Fe II, He I 5876, and forbidden O III 4363 relative to other lines are stronger than average in NGC 4593.

The Michigan-Tololo sample of quasars is discussed using observational data for 48% of this sample. Emission-line quasar characteristics are confirmed for 80% of the objects observed, including at least four new quasars with spectral features indicative of 'supernova-like' outflow. Approximately 73% of the redshifts predicted from the discovery plates are found to be accurate, with a mean error in z of 0.03; a large range of z (from about 0.1 to 3.16) is represented in the sample. The interpretation of the observed redshift distribution for quasars is strongly dependent upon the significance ascribed to wavelength-dependent selection effects. It appears that the behavior of the comoving quasar density above z = 2.0 may be represented by a constant or an exponential increase.

Performance of Mariner Mars 1969 mission by flight and Earth-based elements during launch and space flight phases - Vol. 2