Search

Theoretical computer models and correlations which describe phenomena important in the design of transient heat transfer systems are verified and extended. Attention is given to heat transfer to a fluid near the thermodynamic critical point, i.e., a highly compressible fluid. The validity of the computer model is tested by conducting heat-transfer experiments in a low gravity environment where gravity-driven motion is essentially eliminated. It is noted that the NASA KC135 aircraft provides a useful low-g platform for experimental work and provides valuable experience and background for experiments ultimately designed to fly on the Space Shuttle.

A viewing chamber which permits observation of a sample retained therein includes a pair of double window assemblies mounted in opposed openings in the walls thereof so that a light beam can directly enter and exit from the chamber. A flexible mounting arrangement for the outer windows of the window assemblies enables the windows to be brought into proper alignment. An electrical heating arrangement prevents fogging of the outer windows whereas desiccated air in the volume between the outer and inner windows prevents fogging of the latter.

Spacelab 3 provided the platform for the first extensive application of holography in space. Holograms of excellent quality were recorded during the flight, providing information on the solution growth of triglycine sulfate crystals under microgravity conditions. The suppression of convection and the development of a symmetric concentration-depletion region around each crystal were clearly shown. Crystal growth was governed by diffusion mass transport across the depletion region. The successful performance of the holographic unit has prompted NASA to schedule a slightly modified version for reflight on IML-1; opportunities now exist for other investigators to use this facility.

A compact color schlieren system designed for field measurement of materials processing parameters has been built and tested in a microgravity environment. Improvements in the color filter design and a compact optical arrangement allowed the system described here to retain the traditional advantages of schlieren, such as simplicity, sensitivity, and ease of data interpretation. Testing was accomplished by successfully flying the instrument on a series of parabolic trajectories on the NASA KC-135 microgravity simulation aircraft. A variety of samples of interest in materials processing were examined. Although the present system was designed for aircraft use, the technique is well suited to space flight experimentation. A major goal of this effort was to accommodate the main optical system within a volume approximately equal to that of a Space Shuttle middeck locker. Future plans include the development of an automated space-qualified facility for use on the Shuttle and Space Station.

Crystal observed as it grows from melt with aid of laser schlieren imaging. Observation method allows entire perimeter of growing crystal to be inspected. Isolated crystal facets examined, convection flows and temperature and concentration gradients revealed. Method does not require contact with, or proximity to, crystal.

This research analyzes four areas: (1) Improved Techniques for Optical Measurement; (2) KC-135 Low Gravity Simulation Flight Preparation; (3) In-Line Holographic Microscopy; and (4) Holographic Optical Schlieren System (HOSS). The first task provides for laboratory breadboarding of advanced optical measurement techniques which appear promising for use in Material Processing System (MPS) flight experiments. A laboratory schlieren system has been constructed which simulates a similar optical system on the Fluids Experiment System (FES) which is to be flown on Spacelab 3. The second task allows improved optical systems and breadboards to be built for experiments and hardware tests on the KC-135 aircraft. A new, more stable Mach-Zehnder interferometer has been developed and components have been ordered. The third task is concerned with improvements on the optical system being used to study immiscible fluids. Experiments studying the dynamics of nucleation and the separation of immiscible fluids have been conducted. The four task involves building breadboard reconstruction systems for holograms taken in the HOSS. The HOSS is an early prototype of the Fluids Experiments System (FES) which is scheduled to fly on Spacelab 3.

This paper updates a previous paper in this journal on shadowgraph and schlieren studies of gravity related fluid flow during solidification. The research has now been extended to include interferometric data by the use of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer on a NASA KC-135 aircraft flying a parabolic trajectory. It has thus been possible to obtain quantitative temperature and concentration profiles in an ammonium chloride metal-model material being solidified in microgravity. The results indicate that the growth interface is more stable under low-gravity conditions than in a terrestrial environment.

A dual laser optical system and method is disclosed for visualization of phenomena in transport substances which induce refractive index gradients such as fluid flow and pressure and temperature gradients in fluids and gases. Two images representing mutually perpendicular components of refractive index gradients may be viewed simultaneously on screen. Two lasers having wave lengths in the visible range but separated by about 1000 angstroms are utilized to provide beams which are collimated into a beam containing components of the different wave lengths. The collimated beam is passed through a test volume of the transparent substance. The collimated beam is then separated into components of the different wave lengths and focused onto a pair of knife edges arranged mutually perpendicular to produce and project images onto the screen.

Optical interferometric, shadowgraph, and streak photographic methods are used to obtain temperature profiles, concentration gradients, and fluid velocities in NH4Cl-H2O metal-model solution during unidirectional solidification in microgravity. This study elucidates earlier low gravity suborbital rocket experiments and lays the groundwork for space shuttle experiments. The design and operation of the optical units are presented, and results are detailed to ground based experiments. The low gravity experiments were conducted using a KC-135 aircraft flying a parabolic trajectory.

An optical manifold is described which transforms a collimated beam, such as a laser beam, into a plurality of parallel beams having uniform intensity or having a desired intensity ratio. The manifold comprises an optical substrate coated on its rear surface with a fully reflective layer and on its front surface with a partially reflecting layer having a reflectivity gradient. An input collimated beam entering the rear surface and impinging on the front surface is reflected, multiply between the front and rear surfaces producing a plurality of parallel beams that emerge from the front surface. The intensities of the emerging beams have a relationship that depends on the reflectivity of the front surface at the points where the beams emerge. By properly selecting the reflectivity gradient, the emerging beams have uniform intensity or a desired intensity ratio.

Proposed schlieren system uses two lasers and two knife edges to simultaneously view perpendicular refractive-index gradients in a test volume. It is improvement over conventional schlieren systems, which monitor gradient along only one axis. Although originally developed to monitor materials-processing experiments in space, it should find application wherever there is need to study two-dimensional temperature, pressure, concentration or other gradients related to index of refraction.

New beam splitter is a block of optically clear material with two parallel polish faces. Some of area of one surface is coated with totally reflecting layer, which may be metal or dielectric. On opposite surface, a metal coating of stepped thickness offers a different reflectivity at each step. Width and spacing of reflecting zones are chosen to accommodate angle of spacing of incidence of input beam and desired spacing of ouput beams.

The groundwork for the use of advanced optical measurement techniques in Space Shuttle materials processing in space (MPS) experiments is being laid in tests, conducted aboard a NASA KC-135 aircraft flying a parabolic trajectory, involving a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and a sideband holographic unit. The two experiments described are (1) the observation of flow during solidification, in which fluid concentration and temperature profiles were measured during unidirectional solidification of a saturated NH4Cl-H2O solution, and (2) the observation of electrodeposition flow, in which interferometry is used to provide quantitative data required in the understanding of electrochemical process transport properties. The free-floating holographic unit was operated in the microgravity environment to both test the practicality of optical systems in such conditions and test the shock and vibration characteristics of the package.

In connection with several experiments proposed for flight on the Space Shuttle, which involve the use of gas lasers, the behavior of a He-Ne laser in a low-gravity environment has been studied theoretically and experimentally in a series of flight tests using a low-gravity-simulation aircraft. No fluctuation in laser output above the noise level of the meter (1 part in 1000 for 1 hr) was observed during the low-gravity portion of the flight tests. The laser output gradually increased by 1.4% during a 1.5-hr test; at no time were rapid variations observed in the laser output. A maximum laser instability of 1 part in 100 was observed during forty low-gravity parabolic maneuvers. The beam remained Gaussian throughout the tests and no lobe patterns were observed.

Shadowgraph and schlieren techniques were used to observe gravity-related flow arising during solidification. The purpose of these studies was to elucidate the results of previous low gravity solidification experiments. Shadowgraph and schlieren techniques were selected as most suitable for operation in the anticipated experimental environment. A laser shadowgraph/schlieren system was built and flown on KC-135 low gravity simulation flights. A solution of ammonium chloride and water was cooled during the experiment, causing solidification. Growth plumes in the solution were observed and photographed using shadowgraph and schlieren techniques. Results are presented and related to previous work.

A laser beam manifold and particle photography system has been developed for use in fluid velocity measurements. The laser manifold is a device which transforms a single laser beam into several uniform parallel beams. By orienting two manifolds mutually perpendicular, an optical grid can be formed which acts as a reference for fluid velocity measurements. This optical grid is for all practical purposes totally nonperturbing to the flow. Tracer particles moving in the plane of the grid are then photographed to yield fluid velocities that can be measured relative to the optical grid. System construction and theory are presented.

Holographic recording materials in current use are examined along with a few of their applications. Some experimental media are also studied. No effort is made to rank the commercial materials, since satisfactory results can be obtained with any of them. The discussion covers silver halide plates and films, photoresists, thermoplastics, photopolymers, dichromated gelatin, photochromic materials, electrooptical crystals, styryl free radical film, and TEP film. A convenient summation of some material properties is presented in tabular form.

Shadowgraph and schlieren techniques have been used on board the NASA KC-135 low-gravity simulation aircraft to measure gravity-related fluid flow occurring in various experimental configurations. These configurations included cooled and solidified ammonium chloride and water, electrodeposited cobalt in CoSO4 solution, and immiscible and crystal melt solutions. Hardware tests have also been performed for such critical optical system components as lasers and spatial filters to determine their performance and operation under low-gravity conditions. These test results will be used in the design of the various future Shuttle experiments which will utilize advanced optical measurement techniques. The design and configuration of the optical systems used to make these measurements and tests are presented, and the performance and operation of these systems and their components under low-gravity conditions are discussed. Some preliminary results are included.

The laser beam manifold, a device for transforming a single, narrow, collimated beam of light into several beams of desired intensity ratios is described. The device consists of a single optical substrate with a metallic coating on both optical surfaces. By changing the entry point, the number of outgoing beams can be varied.

A coherent optical correlation technique is used to measure surface displacements. In the event that the surface roughness of the test object is invariant during the object's translation, the correlation intensity peak remains constant. A simple relationship between the displacement of the surface and the displacement of the peak correlation signal is found and experimentally verified.

The potential of laser Doppler velocimetry as a technique for use in mapping flows in the several fluid systems under development for doing research on low-gravity processes, is investigated. Laser Doppler velocimetry techniques, equipment, and applications are summarized.

Laser system measures changes in position or roughness of surface without physical contact. Using optical correlation technique, displacement of surface is measured by reflection of laser beam and holographic correlation filtering system. System also determines changes in roughness or shape of surface.

Venus atmosphere in several models noting Greenhouse Model B, ionospheric model, etc

Surface temperature calculations for Venus based on two Greenhouse atmospheric model comparisons

The field of integrated optics is surveyed. Light coupling into films, modulation of light propagating in films, and current integrated optics developments and devices are discussed. It is concluded that integrated optics technology is expected to revolutionize the electronics industry as completely as did microcircuit technology. An extensive bibliography for the field of integrated optics is included.

A transmission electron microscopy study involving direct and replicating techniques is directed to a definition of the microstructure of radio frequency-sputtered, thin lead-dielectric cermet films. Once defined, this microstructure is used to obtain theoretical film refractive indices. The Maxwell Garnett theory provides a basis for the theoretical results. Measurements of film transmission and reflectivity are used to obtain rough experimental values for film refractive indices by the Tekucheva method. More exact values are obtained via ellipsometry. The rough Tekucheva values are used to determine the range over which computer calculations interpreting the ellipsometric results must be made. This technique yields accurate values for the film refractive indices.