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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.

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At least 181 records · Page 10

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NASA NTRS1996

Closed-Loop System Identification Experience for Flight Control Law and Flying Qualities Evaluation of a High Performance Fighter Aircraft

This paper highlights some of the results and issues associated with estimating models to evaluate control law design methods and design criteria for advanced high performance aircraft. Experimental fighter aircraft such as the NASA-High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV) have the capability to maneuver at very high angles of attack where nonlinear aerodynamics often predominate. HARV is an experimental F/A-18, configured with thrust vectoring and conformal actuated nose strakes. Identifying closed-loop models for this type of aircraft can be made difficult by nonlinearities and high order characteristics of the system. In this paper, only lateral-directional axes are considered since the lateral-directional control law was specifically designed to produce classical airplane responses normally expected with low-order, rigid-body systems. Evaluation of the control design methodology was made using low-order equivalent systems determined from flight and simulation. This allowed comparison of the closed-loop rigid-body dynamics achieved in flight with that designed in simulation. In flight, the On Board Excitation System was used to apply optimal inputs to lateral stick and pedals at five angles at attack : 5, 20, 30, 45, and 60 degrees. Data analysis and closed-loop model identification were done using frequency domain maximum likelihood. The structure of identified models was a linear state-space model reflecting classical 4th-order airplane dynamics. Input time delays associated with the high-order controller and aircraft system were accounted for in data preprocessing. A comparison of flight estimated models with small perturbation linear design models highlighted nonlinearities in the system and indicated that the closed-loop rigid-body dynamics were sensitive to input amplitudes at 20 and 30 degrees angle of attack.

Murphy, Patrick C.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Closed-Loop System Identification Experience for Flight Control Law and Flying Qualities Evaluation of a High Performance Fighter Aircraft

This paper highlights some of the results and issues associated with estimating models to evaluate control law design methods and design criteria for advanced high performance aircraft. Experimental fighter aircraft such as the NASA High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV) have the capability to maneuver at very high angles of attack where nonlinear aerodynamics often predominate. HARV is an experimental F/A-18, configured with thrust vectoring and conformal actuated nose strakes. Identifying closed-loop models for this type of aircraft can be made difficult by nonlinearities and high-order characteristics of the system. In this paper only lateral-directional axes are considered since the lateral-directional control law was specifically designed to produce classical airplane responses normally expected with low-order, rigid-body systems. Evaluation of the control design methodology was made using low-order equivalent systems determined from flight and simulation. This allowed comparison of the closed-loop rigid-body dynamics achieved in flight with that designed in simulation. In flight, the On Board Excitation System was used to apply optimal inputs to lateral stick and pedals at five angles of attack: 5, 20, 30, 45, and 60 degrees. Data analysis and closed-loop model identification were done using frequency domain maximum likelihood. The structure of the identified models was a linear state-space model reflecting classical 4th-order airplane dynamics. Input time delays associated with the high-order controller and aircraft system were accounted for in data preprocessing. A comparison of flight estimated models with small perturbation linear design models highlighted nonlinearities in the system and indicated that the estimated closed-loop rigid-body dynamics were sensitive to input amplitudes at 20 and 30 degrees angle of attack.

Murphy, Patrick C.↗

NASA NTRS2017

Optimal Control Allocation with Load Sensor Feedback for Active Load Suppression, Experiment Development

The problem of control command and maneuver induced structural loads is an important aspect of any control system design. The aircraft structure and the control architecture must be designed to achieve desired piloted control responses while limiting the imparted structural loads. The classical approach is to utilize high structural margins, restrict control surface commands to a limited set of analyzed combinations, and train pilots to follow procedural maneuvering limitations. With recent advances in structural sensing and the continued desire to improve safety and vehicle fuel efficiency, it is both possible and desirable to develop control architectures that enable lighter vehicle weights while maintaining and improving protection against structural damage. An optimal control technique has been explored and shown to achieve desirable vehicle control performance while limiting sensed structural loads. The subject of this paper is the design of the optimal control architecture, and provides the reader with some techniques for tailoring the architecture, along with detailed simulation results.

controls↗

NASA NTRS2017

Optimal Control Allocation with Load Sensor Feedback for Active Load Suppression, Flight-Test Performance

The problem of control command and maneuver induced structural loads is an important aspect of any control system design. The aircraft structure and the control architecture must be designed to achieve desired piloted control responses while limiting the imparted structural loads. The classical approach is to utilize high structural margins, restrict control surface commands to a limited set of analyzed combinations, and train pilots to follow procedural maneuvering limitations. With recent advances in structural sensing and the continued desire to improve safety and vehicle fuel efficiency, it is both possible and desirable to develop control architectures that enable lighter vehicle weights while maintaining and improving protection against structural damage. An optimal control technique has been explored and shown to achieve desirable vehicle control performance while limiting sensed structural loads to specified values. This technique has been implemented and flown on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Full-scale Advanced Systems Testbed aircraft. The flight tests illustrate that the approach achieves the desired performance and show promising potential benefits. The flights also uncovered some important issues that will need to be addressed for production application.

cFOSS↗

NASA NTRS1983

Solution algorithms for non-linear singularly perturbed optimal control problems

The applicability and usefulness of several classical and other methods for solving the two-point boundary-value problem which arises in non-linear singularly perturbed optimal control are assessed. Specific algorithms of the Picard, Newton and averaging types are formally developed for this class of problem. The computational requirements associated with each algorithm are analysed and compared with the computational requirement of the method of matched asymptotic expansions. Approximate solutions to a linear and a non-linear problem are obtained by each method and compared.

Ardema, M. D.↗

NASA NTRS1987

A new state space model for the NASA/JPL 70-meter antenna servo controls

A control axis referenced model of the NASA/JPL 70-m antenna structure is combined with the dynamic equations of servo components to produce a comprehansive state variable (matrix) model of the coupled system. An interactive Fortran program for generating the linear system model and computing its salient parameters is described. Results are produced in a state variable, block diagram, and in factored transfer function forms to facilitate design and analysis by classical as well as modern control methods.

Hill, R. E.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Verifying Stability of Dynamic Soft-Computing Systems

Soft computing is a general term for algorithms that learn from human knowledge and mimic human skills. Example of such algorithms are fuzzy inference systems and neural networks. Many applications, especially in control engineering, have demonstrated their appropriateness in building intelligent systems that are flexible and robust. Although recent research have shown that certain class of neuro-fuzzy controllers can be proven bounded and stable, they are implementation dependent and difficult to apply to the design and validation process. Many practitioners adopt the trial and error approach for system validation or resort to exhaustive testing using prototypes. In this paper, we describe our on-going research towards establishing necessary theoretic foundation as well as building practical tools for the verification and validation of soft-computing systems. A unified model for general neuro-fuzzy system is adopted. Classic non-linear system control theory and recent results of its applications to neuro-fuzzy systems are incorporated and applied to the unified model. It is hoped that general tools can be developed to help the designer to visualize and manipulate the regions of stability and boundedness, much the same way Bode plots and Root locus plots have helped conventional control design and validation.

Wen, Wu↗

NASA NTRS2019

How Does Water Delivery System Design Impact the Microbial Load of Salad Crops?

In a microgravity setting, such as the environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS), an ideal plant water delivery system is one that can grow edible crops with minimal resource consumption and minimal risk to crew members. There are also concerns associated with the ability to control fluid escape and biofilm formation resulting in potential dangers to systems, crops, or crewmembers. To identify an appropriate system, candidate systems were assembled and operated under simulated ISS environmental conditions (T,CO2,and RH) with red romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa cultivar 'Outredgeous') as a model crop. Fluid reservoirs and randomly selected planting sites were sampled every seven days until maturity at which point edible plant biomass and root samples were also taken. Heterotrophic bacteria and fungi growth patterns throughout each planting cycle were determined by plate counts on appropriate agar media. The candidate systems were compared to a classic hydroponics system as a control and harvested crops were compared to controls as well as Veggie-grown and market produce. Plants harvested from candidate systems yielded lower average heterotrophic bacteria and fungi per gram of plant mass levels when compared to market and Veggie samples as well as those from the control system. Additional studies to evaluate the system sanitation regimen as well as testing additional crops should be considered to aid in the selection of an ideal system.

Curry, Aaron B.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Longitudinal control effectiveness and entry dynamics of a single-stage-to-orbit vehicle

The classical theory of flight dynamics for airplane longitudinal stability and control analysis was extended to the case of a hypervelocity reentry vehicle. This includes the elements inherent in supersonic and hypersonic flight such as the influence of the Mach number on aerodynamic characteristics, and the effect of the reaction control system and aerodynamic controls on the trim condition through a wide range of speed. Phugoid motion and angle of attack oscillation for typical cases of cruising flight, ballistic entry, and glide entry are investigated. In each case, closed form solutions for the variations in altitude, flight path angle, speed and angle of attack are obtained. The solutions explicitly display the influence of different regions design parameters and trajectory variables on the stability of the motion.

Vinh, N. X.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Structural Pain Compensating Flight Control

The problem of control command and maneuver induced structural loads is an important aspect of any control system design. Designers must design the aircraft structure and the control architecture to achieve desired piloted control responses while limiting the imparted structural loads. The classical approach is to build the structure with high margins, restrict control surface commands to known good combinations, and train pilots to follow procedural maneuvering limitations. With recent advances in structural sensing and the continued desire to improve safety and vehicle fuel efficiency, it is both possible and desirable to develop control architectures that enable lighter vehicle weights while maintaining and improving protection against structural damage.

advanced autonomy↗

NASA NTRS1989

The insertion of human dynamics models in the flight control loops of V/STOL research aircraft. Appendix 2: The optimal control model of a pilot in V/STOL aircraft control loops

An overview is presented of research work focussed on the design and insertion of classical models of human pilot dynamics within the flight control loops of V/STOL aircraft. The pilots were designed and configured for use in integrated control system research and design. The models of human behavior that were considered are: McRuer-Krendel (a single variable transfer function model); and Optimal Control Model (a multi-variable approach based on optimal control and stochastic estimation theory). These models attempt to predict human control response characteristics when confronted with compensatory tracking and state regulation tasks. An overview, mathematical description, and discussion of predictive limitations of the pilot models is presented. Design strategies and closed loop insertion configurations are introduced and considered for various flight control scenarios. Models of aircraft dynamics (both transfer function and state space based) are developed and discussed for their use in pilot design and application. Pilot design and insertion are illustrated for various flight control objectives. Results of pilot insertion within the control loops of two V/STOL research aricraft (Sikorski Black Hawk UH-60A, McDonnell Douglas Harrier II AV-8B) are presented and compared against actual pilot flight data. Conclusions are reached on the ability of the pilot models to adequately predict human behavior when confronted with similar control objectives.

Zipf, Mark E.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Application of advanced signal processing techniques to the rectification and registration of spaceborne imagery

The development of an ERTS/MSS image processing system responsive to the needs of the user community is discussed. An overview of the TRW ERTS/MSS processor is presented, followed by a more detailed discussion of image processing functions satisfied by the system. The particular functions chosen for discussion are evolved from advanced signal processing techniques rooted in the areas of communication and control. These examples show how classical aerospace technology can be transferred to solve the more contemporary problems confronting the users of spaceborne imagery.

Caron, R. H.↗

NASA NTRS1983

An iterative approach to region growing using associative memories

Region growing, often given as a classical example of the recursive control structures used in image processing which are often awkward to implement in hardware where the intent is the segmentation of an image at raster scan rates, is addressed in light of the postulate that any computation which can be performed recursively can be performed easily and efficiently by iteration coupled with association. Attention is given to an algorithm and hardware structure able to perform region labeling iteratively at scan rates. Every pixel is individually labeled with an identifier which signifies the region to which it belongs. Difficulties otherwise requiring recursion are handled by maintaining an equivalence table in hardware transparent to the computer, which reads the labeled pixels. A simulation of the associative memory has demonstrated its effectiveness.

Snyder, W. E.↗

NASA NTRS1984

TF34 convertible engine control system design

The characteristics of the TF34 convertible engine, capable of producing shaft power, thrust, or a combination of both, is investigated with respect to the control system design, development, bench testing, and the anticipated transient response during engine testing at NASA. The modifications to the prototype standard TF34-GE-400 turbofan, made primarily in the fan section, consist of the variable inlet guide vanes and variable exit guide vanes. The control system was designed using classical frequency domain techniques and was based on the anticipated convertible/VTOL airframe requirements. The engine has been run in the fan mode and in the shaft mode, exhibiting a response of 0.14 second to a 5-percent thrust change.

Gilmore, D. R., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Experimental validation of docking and capture using space robotics testbeds

This presentation describes the application of robotic and computer vision systems to validate docking and capture operations for space cargo transfer vehicles. Three applications are discussed: (1) air bearing systems in two dimensions that yield high quality free-flying, flexible, and contact dynamics; (2) validation of docking mechanisms with misalignment and target dynamics; and (3) computer vision technology for target location and real-time tracking. All the testbeds are supported by a network of engineering workstations for dynamic and controls analyses. Dynamic simulation of multibody rigid and elastic systems are performed with the TREETOPS code. MATRIXx/System-Build and PRO-MATLAB/Simulab are the tools for control design and analysis using classical and modern techniques such as H-infinity and LQG/LTR. SANDY is a general design tool to optimize numerically a multivariable robust compensator with a user-defined structure. Mathematica and Macsyma are used to derive symbolically dynamic and kinematic equations.

Spofford, John↗

NASA NTRS1995

Analysis of discretization errors in LES

All numerical simulations of turbulence (DNS or LES) involve some discretization errors. The integrity of such simulations therefore depend on our ability to quantify and control such errors. In the classical literature on analysis of errors in partial differential equations, one typically studies simple linear equations (such as the wave equation or Laplace's equation). The qualitative insight gained from studying such simple situations is then used to design numerical methods for more complex problems such as the Navier-Stokes equations. Though such an approach may seem reasonable as a first approximation, it should be recognized that strongly nonlinear problems, such as turbulence, have a feature that is absent in linear problems. This feature is the simultaneous presence of a continuum of space and time scales. Thus, in an analysis of errors in the one dimensional wave equation, one may, without loss of generality, rescale the equations so that the dependent variable is always of order unity. This is not possible in the turbulence problem since the amplitudes of the Fourier modes of the velocity field have a continuous distribution. The objective of the present research is to provide some quantitative measures of numerical errors in such situations. Though the focus of this work is LES, the methods introduced here can be just as easily applied to DNS. Errors due to discretization of the time-variable are neglected for the purpose of this analysis.

Ghosal, Sandip↗

NASA NTRS2004

Stability and Control Challenges for COMSAC: A NASA Langley Perspective

This presentation is designed as a limited-scope "tutorial" and is aimed primarily at the CFDer who has not been exposed to stability and control problems. Examples of some classic S&C problems are used for illustration. S&C is a fundamental technology for enabling flight, but significant problems with the prediction of S&C characteristics persists, especially where separated flow is involved. Even after 100 years of flight, experimental methods still have significant limitations. Experimental and computational tools can and must be complementary. NASA Flight Prediction Workshop (Williamsburg, Virginia, November 2002) brought together experts from government, industry, and academia to discuss problems associated with state-of-the-art flight prediction. Among the concerns highlighted were deficiencies in S&C prediction lack of calibrated CFD tools for aerodynamic prediction in general.

Fremaux, Charles Michael↗

NASA NTRS2008

Design Analysis of Corridors-in-the-Sky

Corridors-in-the-sky or tubes is one of new concepts in dynamic airspace configuration. It accommodates high density traffic, which has similar trajectories. Less air traffic controllers workload is expected than classic airspaces, thus, corridors-in-the-sky may increase national airspace capacity and reduce flight delays. To design corridors-in-the-sky, besides identifying their locations, their utilization, altitudes, and impacts on remaining system need to be analyzed. This paper chooses one tube candidate and presents analyses of spatial and temporal utilization of the tube, the impact on the remaining traffic, and the potential benefit caused by off-loading the traffic from underlying sectors. Fundamental issues regarding to the benefits have been also clarified. Methods developed to assist the analysis are described. Analysis results suggest dynamic tubes in terms of varied utilizations during different time periods. And it is found that combined lane options would be a good choice to lower the impact on non-tube users. Finally, it shows significant reduction of peak aircraft count in underlying sectors with only one tube enabled.

Xue, Min↗