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At least 199 records · Page 11

Updating the Finite Element Model of the Aerostructures Test Wing using Ground Vibration Test Data

Improved and/or accelerated decision making is a crucial step during flutter certification processes. Unfortunately, most finite element structural dynamics models have uncertainties associated with model validity. Tuning the finite element model using measured data to minimize the model uncertainties is a challenging task in the area of structural dynamics. The model tuning process requires not only satisfactory correlations between analytical and experimental results, but also the retention of the mass and stiffness properties of the structures. Minimizing the difference between analytical and experimental results is a type of optimization problem. By utilizing the multidisciplinary design, analysis, and optimization (MDAO) tool in order to optimize the objective function and constraints; the mass properties, the natural frequencies, and the mode shapes can be matched to the target data to retain the mass matrix orthogonality. This approach has been applied to minimize the model uncertainties for the structural dynamics model of the Aerostructures Test Wing (ATW), which was designed and tested at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) (Edwards, California). This study has shown that natural frequencies and corresponding mode shapes from the updated finite element model have excellent agreement with corresponding measured data.

Lung, Shun-fat↗

Eigenmodes of Ducted Flows With Radially-Dependent Axial and Swirl Velocity Components

This report characterizes the sets of small disturbances possible in cylindrical and annular ducts with mean flow whose axial and tangential components vary arbitrarily with radius. The linearized equations of motion are presented and discussed, and then exponential forms for the axial, circumferential, and time dependencies of any unsteady disturbances are assumed. The resultant equations form a generalized eigenvalue problem, the solution of which yields the axial wavenumbers and radial mode shapes of the unsteady disturbances. Two numerical discretizations are applied to the system of equations: (1) a spectral collocation technique based on Chebyshev polynomial expansions on the Gauss-Lobatto points, and (2) second and fourth order finite differences on uniform grids. The discretized equations are solved using a standard eigensystem package employing the QR algorithm. The eigenvalues fall into two primary categories: a discrete set (analogous to the acoustic modes found in uniform mean flows) and a continuous band (analogous to convected disturbances in uniform mean flows) where the phase velocities of the disturbances correspond to the local mean flow velocities. Sample mode shapes and eigensystem distributions are presented for both sheared axial and swirling flows. The physics of swirling flows is examined with reference to hydrodynamic stability and completeness of the eigensystem expansions. The effect of assuming exponential dependence in the axial direction is discussed.

Kousen, Kenneth A.↗

Quantification of Dynamic Model Validation Metrics Using Uncertainty Propagation from Requirements

The Space Launch System, NASA's new large launch vehicle for long range space exploration, is presently in the final design and construction phases, with the first launch scheduled for 2019. A dynamic model of the system has been created and is critical for calculation of interface loads and natural frequencies and mode shapes for guidance, navigation, and control (GNC). Because of the program and schedule constraints, a single modal test of the SLS will be performed while bolted down to the Mobile Launch Pad just before the first launch. A Monte Carlo and optimization scheme will be performed to create thousands of possible models based on given dispersions in model properties and to determine which model best fits the natural frequencies and mode shapes from modal test. However, the question still remains as to whether this model is acceptable for the loads and GNC requirements. An uncertainty propagation and quantification (UP and UQ) technique to develop a quantitative set of validation metrics that is based on the flight requirements has therefore been developed and is discussed in this paper. There has been considerable research on UQ and UP and validation in the literature, but very little on propagating the uncertainties from requirements, so most validation metrics are "rules-of-thumb;" this research seeks to come up with more reason-based metrics. One of the main assumptions used to achieve this task is that the uncertainty in the modeling of the fixed boundary condition is accurate, so therefore that same uncertainty can be used in propagating the fixed-test configuration to the free-free actual configuration. The second main technique applied here is the usage of the limit-state formulation to quantify the final probabilistic parameters and to compare them with the requirements. These techniques are explored with a simple lumped spring-mass system and a simplified SLS model. When completed, it is anticipated that this requirements-based validation metric will provide a quantified confidence and probability of success for the final SLS dynamics model, which will be critical for a successful launch program, and can be applied in the many other industries where an accurate dynamic model is required.

Brown, Andrew M.↗

Inspection of Space Station Cold Plate Using Visual and Automated Holographic Techniques

Real-time holography has been used to confirm the presence of non-uniformity in the construction of an International Space Station cold plate. Ultrasonic C-scans have previously shown suspected areas of cooling fin disbonds. But both neural-net processed and visual holography did not evidence any progressive permanent changes resulting from 3000 pressurization and relaxation cycles of a Dash 8 cold plate. Neural-net and visual inspections were performed of characteristic patterns generated from electronic time-average holograms of the vibrating cold plate. Normal modes of vibration were excited at very low amplitudes for this purpose, The neural nets were trained to flag very small changes in the mode shapes as encoded in the characteristic patterns. Both the whole cold plate and a zoomed region were inspected. The inspections were conducted before, after, and during pressurization and relaxation cycles of the cold plate. A water-filled cold plate was pressurized to 120 psig (827 kPa) and relaxed for each cycle. Each cycle required 5 seconds. Both the artificial neural networks and the inspectors were unable to detect changes in the mode shapes of the relaxed cold plate. The cold plate was also inspected visually using real-time holography and double-exposure holography. Regions of non-uniformity correlating with the C-scans were apparent, but the interference patterns did not change after 3000 pressurization and relaxation cycles. These tests constituted the first practical application of a neural-net inspection technique developed originally with support from the Director's Discretionary Fund at the Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field.

Decker, Arthur J.↗

Nondestructive Structural Damage Detection in Flexible Space Structures Using Vibration Characterization

Spacecraft are susceptible to structural damage over their operating life from impact, environmental loads, and fatigue. Structural damage that is not detected and not corrected may potentially cause more damage and eventually catastrophic structural failure. NASA's current fleet of reusable spacecraft, namely the Space Shuttle, has been flown on several missions. In addition, configurations of future NASA space structures, e.g. Space Station Freedom, are larger and more complex than current structures, making them more susceptible to damage as well as being more difficult to inspect. Consequently, a reliable structural damage detection capability is essential to maintain the flight safety of these structures. Visual inspections alone can not locate impending material failure (fatigue cracks, yielding); it can only observe post-failure situations. An alternative approach is to develop an inspection and monitoring system based on vibration characterization that assesses the integrity of structural and mechanical components. A methodology for detecting structural damage is presented. This methodology is based on utilizing modal test data in conjunction with a correlated analytical model of the structure to: (1) identify the structural dynamic characteristics (resonant frequencies and mode shapes) from measurements of ambient motions and/or force excitation; (2) calculate modal residual force vectors to identify the location of structural damage; and (3) conduct a weighted sensitivity analysis in order to assess the extent of mass and stiffness variations, where structural damage is characterized by stiffness reductions. The approach is unique from other existing approaches in that varying system mass and stiffness, mass center locations, the perturbation of both the natural frequencies and mode shapes, and statistical confidence factors for structural parameters and experimental instrumentation are all accounted for directly.

Ricles, James M.↗

Analysis of the dynamics of thin primary mirrors for large astronomical telescopes

The NASTRAN structural analysis program was used to investigate the dynamic properties of thin primary mirrors suitable for use in large orbiting astronomical telescopes. An analysis is included of the mode shapes and modal frequencies for several thin, homogeneous, isotropic mirrors. Typical cases include two different mirror diameters, two different diameter-to-thickness ratios, and both a mirror without and a mirror with a central hole that is 22 percent of the mirror diameter. The finite-element structural model is evaluated by comparing the NASTRAN generated results with theoretical values for a simply supported, flat, circular mirror. The same model is then used for evaluating the spherical mirrors. The mode shapes and frequencies of a 0.762-meter-diameter mirror with a 60-to-1 diameter-to-thickness ratio and a three-point rigid kinematic (not overconstrained) mount are calculated and plotted for comparison with results obtained previously from the SAMIS structural analysis program for this same mirror. A static analysis is also shown for comparison with experimentally obtained influence coefficients.

Ostroff, A. J.↗

Instabilities and subharmonic resonances of subsonic heated round jets, volume 2

When a jet is perturbed by a periodic excitation of suitable frequency, a large-scale coherent structure develops and grows in amplitude as it propagates downstream. The structure eventually rolls up into vortices at some downstream location. The wavy flow associated with the roll-up of a coherent structure is approximated by a parallel mean flow and a small, spatially periodic, axisymmetric wave whose phase velocity and mode shape are given by classical (primary) stability theory. The periodic wave acts as a parametric excitation in the differential equations governing the secondary instability of a subharmonic disturbance. The (resonant) conditions for which the periodic flow can strongly destabilize a subharmonic disturbance are derived. When the resonant conditions are met, the periodic wave plays a catalytic role to enhance the growth rate of the subharmonic. The stability characteristics of the subharmonic disturbance, as a function of jet Mach number, jet heating, mode number and the amplitude of the periodic wave, are studied via a secondary instability analysis using two independent but complementary methods: (1) method of multiple scales, and (2) normal mode analysis. It is found that the growth rates of the subharmonic waves with azimuthal numbers beta = 0 and beta = 1 are enhanced strongly, but comparably, when the amplitude of the periodic wave is increased. Furthermore, compressibility at subsonic Mach numbers has a moderate stabilizing influence on the subharmonic instability modes. Heating suppresses moderately the subharmonic growth rate of an axisymmetric mode, and it reduces more significantly the corresponding growth rate for the first spinning mode. Calculations also indicate that while the presence of a finite-amplitude periodic wave enhances the growth rates of subharmonic instability modes, it minimally distorts the mode shapes of the subharmonic waves.

Ng, Lian Lai↗

Comparison of Methods to Predict Lower Bound Buckling Loads of Cylinders Under Axial Compression

Results from a numerical study of the buckling response of two different orthogrid stiffened circular cylindrical shells with initial imperfections and subjected to axial compression are used to compare three different lower bound buckling load prediction techniques. These lower bound prediction techniques assume different imperfection types and include an imperfection based on a mode shape from an eigenvalue analysis, an imperfection caused by a lateral perturbation load, and an imperfection in the shape of a single stress-free dimple. The STAGS finite element code is used for the analyses. Responses of the cylinders for ranges of imperfection amplitudes are considered, and the effect of each imperfection is compared to the response of a geometrically perfect cylinder. Similar behavior was observed for shells that include a lateral perturbation load and a single dimple imperfection, and the results indicate that the predicted lower bounds are much less conservative than the corresponding results for the cylinders with the mode shape imperfection considered herein. In addition, the lateral perturbation technique and the single dimple imperfection produce response characteristics that are physically meaningful and can be validated via testing.

Haynie, Waddy T.↗

Thermoelastic vibration test techniques

The structural integrity of proposed high speed aircraft can be seriously affected by the extremely high surface temperatures and large temperature gradients throughout the vehicle's structure. Variations in the structure's elastic characteristics as a result of thermal effects can be observed by changes in vibration frequency, damping, and mode shape. Analysis codes that predict these changes must be correlated and verified with experimental data. The experimental modal test techniques and procedures used to conduct uniform, nonuniform, and transient thermoelastic vibration tests are presented. Experimental setup and elevated temperature instrumentation considerations are also discussed. Modal data for a 12 by 50 inch aluminum plate heated to a temperature of 475 F are presented. These data show the effect of heat on the plate's modal characteristics. The results indicated that frequency decreased, damping increased, and mode shape remained unchanged as the temperature of the plate was increased.

Kehoe, Michael W.↗

Thermoelastic vibration test techniques

The structural integrity of proposed high speed aircraft can be seriously affected by the extremely high surface temperatures and large temperature gradients throughout the vehicle's structure. Variations in the structure's elastic characteristics as a result of thermal effects can be observed by changes in vibration frequency, damping, and mode shape. Analysis codes that predict these changes must be correlated and verified with experimental data. The experimental modal test techniques and procedures used to conduct uniform, nonuniform, and transient thermoelastic vibration tests are presented. Experimental setup and elevated temperature instrumentation considerations are also discussed. Modal data for a 12 by 50 inch aluminum plate heated to a temperature of 475 F are presented. These data show the effect of heat on the plate's modal characteristics. The results indicated that frequency decreased, damping increased, and mode shape remained unchanged as the temperature of the plate was increased.

Kehoe, Michael W.↗

Experimental studies of effects of tilt and structural asymmetry on vibration characteristics of thin-wall circular cylinders partly filled with liquid

The effects of tilt and structural asymmetry on the vibration characteristics of partly liquid-filled thin-wall cylinders were experimentally studied. It was found that tilting the longitudinal axis of a partly filled axisymmetric cylinder from the vertical could markedly reduce its resonant frequencies and change significantly the shape of the circumferential modes. For the minimum frequency modes, vibratory motion occurred only on that side of the cylinder where the liquid was deepest. An empirical equation was derived that gives the equivalent liquid depth of an untilted cylinder having the same minimum resonant frequency as a tilted, partly filled cylinder. Circumferential mode shapes of an untilted asymmetric cylinder were similar to those of the tilted, partly filled axisymmetric cylinder. Vibratory motion in the minimum frequency modes occurred in most instances only on the side of minimum thickness. Correlation between test data and results from a reformulated NASTRAN hydroelastic analysis was excellent.

Herr, R. W.↗

Ground vibration test results of a JetStar airplane using impulsive sine excitation

Structural excitation is important for both ground vibration and flight flutter testing. The structural responses caused by this excitation are analyzed to determine frequency, damping, and mode shape information. Many excitation waveforms have been used throughout the years. The use of impulsive sine (sin omega t)/omega t as an excitation waveform for ground vibration testing and the advantages of using this waveform for flight flutter testing are discussed. The ground vibration test results of a modified JetStar airplane using impulsive sine as an excitation waveform are compared with the test results of the same airplane using multiple-input random excitation. The results indicated that the structure was sufficiently excited using the impulsive sine waveform. Comparisons of input force spectrums, mode shape plots, and frequency and damping values for the two methods of excitation are presented.

Kehoe, Michael W.↗

Ground vibration test results of a JetStar airplane using impulsive sine excitation

Structural excitation is important for both ground vibration and flight flutter testing. The structural responses caused by this excitation are analyzed to determine frequency, damping, and mode shape information. Many excitation waveforms have been used throughout the years. The use of impulsive sine (sin omega t)/omega t as an excitation waveform for ground vibration testing and the advantages of using this waveform for flight flutter testing are discussed. The ground vibration test results of a modified JetStar airplane using impulsive sine as an excitation waveform are compared with the test results of the same airplane using multiple-input random excitation. The results indicated that the structure was sufficiently excited using the impulsive sine waveform. Comparisons of input force spectrums, mode shape plots, and frequency and damping values for the two methods of excitation are presented.

Kehoe, Michael W.↗

A comparison of NASTRAN (Cosmic) and experimental results for the vibration of thick open cylindrical cantilevered shells

The natural frequencies and associated mode shapes for three thick open cantilevered cylindrical shells were determined both numerically and experimentally. The shells ranged in size from moderately to very thick with length to thickness ratios of 16, 8 and 5.6, the independent dimension being the shell thickness. The shell geometry is characterized by a circumferential angle of the 142 degrees and a ratio of length to inner radii arc length near 1.0. The finite element analysis was performed using NASTRAN's (COSMIC) triangular plate bending element CTRIA2, which includes membrane effects. The experimental results were obtained through holographic interferometry which enables one to determine the resonant frequencies as well as mode shapes from photographs of time-averaged holograms.

Mindle, W. L.↗

Response of a Rotating Propeller to Aerodynamic Excitation

The flexural vibration of a rotating propeller blade with clamped shank is analyzed with the object of presenting, in matrix form, equations for the elastic bending moments in forced vibration resulting from aerodynamic forces applied at a fixed multiple of rotational speed. Matrix equations are also derived which define the critical speeds end mode shapes for any excitation order and the relation between critical speed and blade angle. Reference is given to standard works on the numerical solution of matrix equations of the forms derived. The use of a segmented blade as an approximation to a continuous blade provides a simple means for obtaining the matrix solution from the integral equation of equilibrium, so that, in the numerical application of the method presented, the several matrix arrays of the basic physical characteristics of the propeller blade are of simple form, end their simplicity is preserved until, with the solution in sight, numerical manipulations well-known in matrix algebra yield the desired critical speeds and mode shapes frame which the vibration at any operating condition may be synthesized. A close correspondence between the familiar Stodola method and the matrix method is pointed out, indicating that any features of novelty are characteristic not of the analytical procedure but only of the abbreviation, condensation, and efficient organization of the numerical procedure made possible by the use of classical matrix theory.

Arnoldi, Walter E.↗

Free vibrations of delaminated beams

Free vibration of laminated composite beams is studied. The effect of interply delaminations on natural frequencies and mode shapes is evaluated both analytically and experimentally. The equation of motion and associated boundary conditions are derived for the free vibration of a composite beam with a delamination of arbitrary size and location. A generalized variational principle is used to formulate the equation of motion, taking into account the interlaminar stress concentration at the crack-tips. This is accomplished by introducing a 'crack function' into the beam's compatibility relations. This function has its maximum value at the crack tip and decays exponentially in the longitudinal direction. The rate of exponential decay is determined by a least-square fit with the experimental results. The effect of coupling between longitudinal vibration and bending vibration is considered in the present study. This coupling effect is found to significantly affect the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the delaminated beam.

Shen, M.-H. H.↗

Flutter Boundary Identification From Simulation Time Histories

While there has been much recent progress in simulating nonlinear aeroelastic systems, and in predicting many of the aeroelastic phenomena of concern in transport aircraft design (i.e. transonic flutter buckets), the utility of a simulation in generating an understanding of the flutter behavior is limited. This is due in part to the high cost of generating these simulations; and the implied limitation on the number of conditions that can be analyzed, but there are also some difficulties introduced by the very nature of a simulation. Flutter engineers have traditionally worked in the frequency domain, and are accustomed to describing the flutter behavior of an airplane in terms of its V-G and V-F (or Q-G and Q-F) plots and flutter mode shapes. While the V-G and V-F plots give information about how the dynamic response of an airplane changes as the airspeed is increased, the simulation only gives information about one isolated condition (Mach, airspeed, altitude, etc.). Therefore, where a traditional flutter analysis can let the engineer determine an airspeed at which an airplane becomes unstable, while a simulation only serves as a binary check: either the airplane is fluttering at this condition, or it is not. In this document, a new technique is described in which system identification is used to easily extract modal frequencies and damping ratios from simulation time histories, and shows how the identified parameters can be used to determine the variation in frequency and dampin,o ratio as the airspeed is changed. This technique not only provides the flutter engineer with added insight into the aeroelastic behavior of the airplane, but it allows calculation of flutter mode shapes, and allows estimation of flutter boundaries while minimizing the number of simulations required.

Baker, Myles↗

Modeling and Characterization of Surface Discharges in Insulating Material for Spacers: Electrode Shape, Discharge Mode, and Revision of the Creepage Concept

In the design of MV AC and DC spacers, the predominant factors are surface and interface conditions. Design is generally carried out on specifications and standards which are based on long-term experience and lab testing. However, the diffusion of power electronics with a trend to increase electric field, switching frequency, and rise time to achieve higher power density calls for an innovative, global approach to optimized insulation system design. A new methodology, based on field simulation, discharge modeling, and partial discharge inception measurements, called the three-leg approach, can form the basis to optimize insulation design for any type of supply voltage waveform. This paper focuses on the influence of the type of electrode on the inception and phenomenology of surface discharges and, as a consequence, on the interpretation of the results used for application of the three-leg approach. It is demonstrated that a typical electrode system used for insulating material testing can generate both gas and surface discharges at the triple point, when the electrodes have a smooth profile that is used to avoid corona or flashover. Hence, testing partial discharge may not provide a straightforward indication of the surface discharge inception and, thus, be partially misleading for insulation design. Another takeover is that such analysis must benefit from PD testing tools endowed with analytics able to provide automatic identification of the type of defect generating PD, i.e., internal, surface, and corona, since design and remedy actions can be taken, and adequate insulating materials developed, only knowing the type of source generating PD. Hence, testing partial discharge may not provide a straightforward indication of surface discharge inception and, thus, be partially misleading for insulation design. In addition to the importance of the three-leg approach to favor reliable and optimized design of insulation systems, there is a clear need to have a PD testing tool endowed with analytics. It should preferably be able to provide automatic identification of the type of defect generating PD, i.e., internal, surface, and corona.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗