JPL standard for spacecraft system dynamic and static testing
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Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Scharton, T. D..
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In mid 2003, NASA will launch identical spacecraft to deliver two large rovers to the Martian surface. As with the successful Mars Pathfinder (MPF) mission, the MER spacecraft will use an airbag landing system to safely deliver its payload.
Spacecraft are subjected to a variety of dynamics environments, which may include: quasi-static, vibration and acoustic loads at launch: pyrotechnic shocks generated by separation mechanisms; on orbit jitter; and sometimes, planetary landing loads. There is a trend in the aerospace industry to rely more on structural analyses and less on testing to simulate these environments, because dynamics testing of spacecraft is time consuming, risky and expensive.
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The practice of limiting the shaker force in vibration tests was instigated at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in 1990 after the mechanical failure of an aerospace component during a vibration test.
The advent of triaxial, piezoelectric force gages and the associated signal processing is a precursor to several dynamics testing innovations. This new technology is applicable to spacecraft programs that JPL manages. An application of force measurement is force limiting (when testing spacecraft in random vibration tests). Base-drive and acoustic modal testing is a potential application.
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Steel- or aluminum-skinned baffles absorb sound from air flowing over them. Because there is no bulk filler, muffler does not collect contaminants. If dirt accumulates on skin, it can be washed away without damaging muffler.
Techniques for measuring the impedance of the muffler configurations and of porous plates with grazing flow were investigated and changes in the configuration parameters to enhance acoustic performance are explored. The feasibility of a pulse reflection technique for measuring the impedance of built-up structures in situ was demonstrated. A second technique involving the use of an open-end impedance tube with grazing flow was used to obtain detailed design data for the perforated plate configuration. Acoustic benefits associated with configuration changes such as curving the baffles, spacing and staggering baffle partitions, and techniques for alleviating baffle self-generated noise are described.
Measurements have been made of coherence and phase spectra for the acoustic field in a subsonic wind tunnel. The data are interpreted in terms of simple analytical models for propagating and diffuse noise fields, including the presence of uncorrelated noise signals. It is found that low frequency noise propagates upstream and downstream from the fan, with the noise in the test section arriving in the upstream direction. High frequency sound is generated in the test section and propagates upstream and downstream. In the low frequency range, the ratio of diffuse to propagating energy is about eight for all locations in the test section, diffuser, and settling chamber; the value of the ratio increases with frequency.
An experimental investigation, conducted on a model-scale augmentor wing to identify the sources of far-field noise, is examined. The measurement procedure followed in the investigation involved the cross-correlation of far field sound pressures with fluctuating pressures on the surface of the augmentor flap and shroud. In addition pressures on the surfaces of the augmentor were cross-correlated. The results are interpreted as showing that the surface pressure fluctuations are mainly aerodynamic in character and are convected in the downstream direction with a velocity which is dependent on the jet exhaust velocity. However the far field sound levels in the mid and high frequency ranges are dominated by jet noise. There is an indication that in the low frequency range trailing edge noise, associated with interaction of the jet flow and the flap trailing edge, plays a significant role in the radiated sound field.
Measurements were made in the no. 1 7'x10' wind tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center, with the objectives of defining the acoustic characteristics and recommending minimum cost treatments so that the tunnel can be converted into an acoustic research facility. The results indicate that the noise levels in the test section are due to (a) noise generation in the test section, associated with the presence of solid bodies such as the pitot tube, and (b) propagation of acoustic energy from the fan. A criterion for noise levels in the test section is recommended, based on low-noise microphone support systems. Noise control methods required to meet the criterion include removal of hardware items for the test section and diffuser, improved design of microphone supports, and installation of acoustic treatment in the settling chamber and diffuser.