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At least 217 records · Page 12

Investigation of the Stability and Control Characteristics of a 1/10-Scale Model of the Chance Vought XF7U-1 Airplane in the Langley Free-Flight Tunnel, TED No. NACA DE306

At the request of the Bureau of Aeronautics, Navy Department, a stability and control investigation of a 1/10-scale model of the Chance Vought XF7U-1 airplane has been conducted in the Langley free-flight tunnel. Results of force end flight tests to determine the power-off stability and control characteristics of the model with slats retracted and extended are presented herein. The longitudinal and lateral stability characteristics were satisfactory for both the slats retracted and extended conditions over the lift range up to the stall. With the slats retracted, the stall was fairly gentle but the model rolled off out of control. With the slats extended, control could be maintained at the stall so that the wings could be kept level even as the model dropped.

Draper, John W.↗

Notes on the stability and control of tailless airplanes

Problems involved in the stability and control of tailless airplanes are discussed. Such factors as the location of the aerodynamic center and its effect on the longitudinal stability, longitudinal trim with high lift devices, the effects of various changes in the shape of the wing on lateral stability, and the effects of nacelles are covered. It appears that sufficient stability and controllability can be secured without sweepback. With sweepback, a flap over the center section of the wing may be used to serve the dual purpose of elevator control and high lift device. Sweepback introduces undesirable stalling characteristics, however, and may require auxiliary devices to prevent stalling of the tips.

Jones, R. T.↗

Wind-Tunnel Tests of a 1/8-Scale Powered Model of the XTB3F-1 Airplane, TED No. NACA 2382

A 1/8 scale model of the Grumman XTB3F-1 airplane was tested in the Langley 7- by 10-foot tunnel to determine the stability and control characteristics and to provide data for estimating the airplane handling qualities. The report includes longitudinal and lateral stability and control characteristics of the complete model, the characteristics of the isolated horizontal tail, the effects of various flow conditions through the jet duct, tests with external stores attached to the underside of the wing, ana tests simulating landing and take-off conditions with a ground board. The handling characteristics of the airplane have not been computed but some conclusions were indicated by the data. An improvement in the longitudinal stability was obtained by tilting the thrust line down. It is shown that if the wing flap is spring loaded so that the flap deflection varies with airspeed, the airplanes will be less stable than with the flap retracted or fully deflected. An increase in size of the vertical tail and of the dorsal fin gave more desirable yawing-moment characteristics than the original vertical tail and dorsal fin. Preventing air flow through the jet duct system or simulating jet operation with unheated air produced only small changes in the model characteristics. The external stores on the underside of the wing had only small effects on the model characteristics. After completion of the investigation, the model was returned to the contractor for modifications indicated by the test results.

McKee, John W.↗

Notes on the Stability and Control of Tailless Airplanes

Problems involved in the stability and control of tailless airplanes are discussed. Such factors as the location of the aerodynamic center and its effect on the longitudinal stability, longitudinal trim with high-lift devices, the effects of various changes in the shape of the wing on lateral stability, and the effects of nacelles are covered. It appears that sufficient stability and controllability can be secured without sweepback. With sweepback, a flap over the center section of the wing may be used to serve the dual purpose of elevator control and high-lift device. Sweepback introduces undesirable stalling characteristics, however, and may require auxiliary devices to prevent stalling of the tips.

Jones, Robert↗

Experimental and Numerical Optimization of a High-Lift System to Improve Low-Speed Performance, Stability, and Control of an Arrow-Wing Supersonic Transport

An investigation was performed to evaluate leading-and trailing-edge flap deflections for optimal aerodynamic performance of a High-Speed Civil Transport concept during takeoff and approach-to-landing conditions. The configuration used for this study was designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company during the 1970's. A 0.1-scale model of this configuration was tested in the Langley 30- by 60-Foot Tunnel with both the original leading-edge flap system and a new leading-edge flap system, which was designed with modem computational flow analysis and optimization tools. Leading-and trailing-edge flap deflections were generated for the original and modified leading-edge flap systems with the computational flow analysis and optimization tools. Although wind tunnel data indicated improvements in aerodynamic performance for the analytically derived flap deflections for both leading-edge flap systems, perturbations of the analytically derived leading-edge flap deflections yielded significant additional improvements in aerodynamic performance. In addition to the aerodynamic performance optimization testing, stability and control data were also obtained. An evaluation of the crosswind landing capability of the aircraft configuration revealed that insufficient lateral control existed as a result of high levels of lateral stability. Deflection of the leading-and trailing-edge flaps improved the crosswind landing capability of the vehicle considerably; however, additional improvements are required.

Hahne, David E.↗

Stability and control characteristics: Including aileron hinge moments of a model of a supercritical-wing research airplane

Tests were made in the Langley 16-foot transonic tunnel to determine the longitudinal and lateral stability and control characteristics and aileron hinge moments of a 0.087 scale model of a supercritical-wing research aircraft. Mach number was varied from 0.90 to 1.30 at a Reynolds number of approximately 2.4 million; angle of attack was varied from -8 degrees to 14 degrees; and angle of sideslip was set at about -5.5 degrees, 0 degrees, and 5.5 degrees. Aileron hinge moments were obtained at deflection angles of -15 degrees to 15 degrees. Aileron, horizontal-tail, and rudder effectiveness parameters were determined.

Re, R. J.↗

Experimental and theoretical study of three interacting, closely-spaced, sharp-edged 60 deg delta wings at low speeds

Wind tunnel tests were conducted to determine the subsonic longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of lifting configuration consisting of a 60 deg delta main wing with two smaller 60 deg delta wings (called sub-wings) attached underneath. The test was designed to determine the effects on lift, drag, and pitching moment due to various placement of the subwings in relation to the main wing. Test results indicate the increasing vertical separation between the main wing and the sub-wings produced the most significant results; a 23.1% increase in maximum lift coefficient, a reduction in drag coefficient at high lift coefficients, and an increase in longitudinal stability. Lateral separation of the sub-wings produced no significant changes. Placement of the sub-wings rearward increases the initial lift curve slope and maximum lift coefficient and also increase the longitudinal stability. Results of a computer study using a vortex lattice code supported the experimental conclusions.

Faery, H. F., Jr.↗

Preliminary Results of the 1.5% TCA (Modular) Controls Model in the NASA Langley UPWT

To summarize the significant highlights in this report: (1) Data quality, determined by multiple repeat runs performed on the TCA baseline configuration, and long-term repeatability, determined by comparing baseline Reference H data from this test to a previous test, have been shown to be good. (2) The longitudinal stability of the TCA is more non-linear than for the Reference H, and while it is similar at normal lift values, the TCA has considerably more pitch-up at higher lift. (3) Longitudinal control effectiveness of the TCA is similar to the Reference H and the ratio of elevator effectiveness to horizontal tail effectiveness is approximately 0.3. 4) The directional stability of the TCA is improved relative to Reference H at higher angles-of attack. The chine is effective for improving directional stability. (5) The directional control effectiveness 'of the TCA rudder is the same as that of the Reference H rudder at low angles-of-attack, after taking factors, such as number of rudder panels deflected and vertical tail volume into account. However, rudder effectiveness was shown to be reduced at higher angles-of-attack. (6) The lateral stability was shown to be reduced relative to the Reference H, which may be beneficial at low speeds for alleviating lateral control saturation. (7) Lateral control effectiveness for the TCA was shown to be similar to the Reference H for negative trailing-edge flap deflections and was reduced by approximately 25% for positive trailing-edge flap deflections.

Kubiatko, Paul↗

Flight Measurements of Lateral and Directional Stability and Control Characteristics of the Grumman F8F-1 Airplane

This paper presents the results of flight tests to determine the lateral and directional stability and control characteristics of the Grumman F8F-1 airplane with three vertical-tail configurations. The data presented herein have no bearing on the performance characteristics of the airplane, which were not measured but which were considered to be exceptionally good. The conclusions reached regarding the lateral and directional stability and control characteristics may be summarized as follows: 1. It was found that the directional stability was poor with the production vertical tail. Addition of a 12-inch extension to the vertical fin and rudder produced a desirable improvement in directional stability and control characteristics. However, further enlargement of the vertical tail would be required to make the directional stability satisfactory in all respects. 2. There was a tendency for the rudder control force to overbalance at large angles of right sideslip with the modified vertical tails. There was no such tendency with the production tail configuration which included a dorsal fin. It was concluded that the dorsal fin should have been retained on the modified vertical tails. 3. The aileron control characteristics were better than those of many comparable airplanes which have been tested. However, the ailerons did not satisfy the Navy requirements for satisfactory flying qualities with regard to either control forces or rolling effectiveness. 4. The power of the rudder trimming tab proved to be inadequate and the tab should be enlarged and/or be provided with an increased deflection range.

Crane, H. L.↗

Maximum likelihood identification of aircraft stability and control derivatives

Application of a generalized identification method to flight test data analysis. The method is based on the maximum likelihood (ML) criterion and includes output error and equation error methods as special cases. Both the linear and nonlinear models with and without process noise are considered. The flight test data from lateral maneuvers of HL-10 and M2/F3 lifting bodies are processed to determine the lateral stability and control derivatives, instrumentation accuracies, and biases. A comparison is made between the results of the output error method and the ML method for M2/F3 data containing gusts. It is shown that better fits to time histories are obtained by using the ML method. The nonlinear model considered corresponds to the longitudinal equations of the X-22 VTOL aircraft. The data are obtained from a computer simulation and contain both process and measurement noise. The applicability of the ML method to nonlinear models with both process and measurement noise is demonstrated.

Mehra, R. K.↗

A generalized method for the identification of aircraft stability and control derivatives from flight test data.

This paper discusses the application of a generalized identification method for flight test data analysis. The method is based on the maximum likelihood (ML) criterion and includes output error and equation error methods as special cases. Both the linear and nonlinear models with and without process noise are considered. The flight test data from lateral maneuvers of HL-10 and M2/F3 lifting bodies are processed to determine the lateral stability and control derivatives, instrumentation accuracies and biases. A comparison is made between the results of the output error method and the generalized ML method for M2/F3 data containing gusts. It is shown that better fits to time histories are obtained by using the generalized ML method.

Mehra, R. K.↗

Pressure Distribution Tests on a Series of Clark Y Biplane Cellules with Special Reference to Stability

The pressure distribution data discussed in this report represents the results of part of an investigation conducted on the factors affecting the aerodynamic safety of airplanes. The present tests were made on semispan, circular-tipped Clark Y airfoil models mounted in the conventional manner on a separation plane. Pressure readings were made simultaneously at all test orifices at each of 20 angles of attack between -8 degrees and +90 degrees. The results of the tests on each wing arrangement are compared on the bases of maximum normal force coefficient, lateral stability at a low rate of roll, and relative longitudinal stability. Tabular data are also presented giving the center of pressure location of each wing.

Noyes, Richard W↗

Force-Test Investigation of the Stability and Control Characteristics of a 1/4-Scale Model of a Tilt-Wing Vertical-Take-Off-and-Landing Aircraft

A wind-tunnel investigation has been made to determine the aerodynamic characteristics of a 1/4-scale model of a tilt-wing vertical-take-off-and-landing aircraft. The model had two 3-blade single-rotation propellers with hinged (flapping) blades mounted on the wing, which could be tilted from an incidence of 4 deg for forward flight to 86 deg for hovering flight. The investigation included measurements of both the longitudinal and lateral stability and control characteristics in both the normal forward flight and the transition ranges. Tests in the forward-flight condition were made for several values of thrust coefficient, and tests in the transition condition were made at several values of wing incidence with the power varied to cover a range of flight conditions from forward-acceleration (or climb) conditions to deceleration (or descent) conditions The control effectiveness of the all-movable horizontal tail, the ailerons and the differential propeller pitch control was also determined. The data are presented without analysis.

Newsom, William A., Jr.↗

Partitioning of flight data for aerodynamic modeling of aircraft at high angles of attack

It is sometimes necessary to determine aerodynamic model structure and estimate associated stability and control derivatives for airplanes from flight data that cover a large range of angle of attack or sideslip. One method of dealing with that problem is through data partitioning. The main purpose of this paper is to provide an explanation of a data partitioning procedure and its application and to discuss both the power and limitations of that procedure for the analysis of large maneuvers of aircraft. The partitioning methodology is shown to provide estimates for coefficients of those regressors that are well excited in the aircraft motion. In particular, primary lateral stability and damping derivatives are identified throughout the maneuver ranges.

Batterson, James G.↗

X-31 aerodynamic characteristics determined from flight data

The lateral aerodynamic characteristics of the X-31 were determined at angles of attack ranging from 20 to 45 deg. Estimates of the lateral stability and control parameters were obtained by applying two parameter estimation techniques, linear regression, and the extended Kalman filter to flight test data. An attempt to apply maximum likelihood to extract parameters from the flight data was also made but failed for the reasons presented. An overview of the System Identification process is given. The overview includes a listing of the more important properties of all three estimation techniques that were applied to the data. A comparison is given of results obtained from flight test data and wind tunnel data for four important lateral parameters. Finally, future research to be conducted in this area is discussed.

Kokolios, Alex↗

Low-speed wind-tunnel investigation of the stability and control characteristics of a series of flying wings with sweep angles of 50 deg

A wind-tunnel investigation was conducted in the Langley 12-Foot Low-Speed Tunnel to study the low-speed stability and control characteristics of a series of four flying wings over an extended range of angle of attack (-8 deg to 48 deg). Because of the current emphasis on reducing the radar cross section (RCS) of new military aircraft, the planform of each wing was composed of lines swept at a relatively high angle of 50 deg, and all the trailing-edge lines were aligned with one of the two leading edges. Three arrow planforms with different aspect ratios and one diamond planform were tested. The models incorporated leading-edge flaps for improved longitudinal characteristics and lateral stability and had trailing-edge flaps in three segments that were deflected differentially for roll control, symmetrically for pitch control, and in a split fashion for yaw control. Three top body widths and two sizes of twin vertical tails were also tested on each model. A large aerodynamic database was compiled that could be used to evaluate some of the trade-offs involved in the design of a configuration with a reduced RCS and good flight dynamic characteristics.

Fears, Scott P.↗

Low-speed wind tunnel investigation of the stability and control characteristics of a series of flying wings with sweep angles of 60 deg

A wind tunnel investigation was conducted in the Langley 12-Foot Low-Speed Wind Tunnel to study the low-speed stability and control characteristics of a series of four flying wings over an extended range of angle of attack (-8 deg to 48 deg). Because of the current emphasis on reducing the radar cross section of new military aircraft, the planform of each wing was composed of lines swept at a relatively high angle of 60 deg, and all the trailing-edge lines were aligned with one of the two leading edges. Three arrow planforms with different aspect ratios and one diamond planform were tested. The models incorporated leading-edge flaps for improved pitching-moment characteristics and lateral stability and had three sets of trailing-edge flaps that were deflected differentially for roll control, symmetrically for pitch control, and in a split fashion for yaw control. Top bodies of three widths and twin vertical tails of various sizes and locations were also tested on each model. A large aerodynamic database was compiled that could be used to evaluate some of the trade-offs involved in the design of a configuration with a reduced radar cross section and good flight dynamic characteristics.

Moul, Thomas M.↗