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At least 235 records · Page 13

Nonlinear lift control at high speed and high angle of attack using vortex flow technology

Nonlinear lift control at subsonic, transonic and low supersonic speeds owes its origin to the separated but organized vortical flows interacting with the wing upper surface. Since most of this flow originates near the wing or control-surface leading edge, a variety of devices has been studied experimentally which interact with and/or control this flow in order to gain a beneficial effect. The benefits (effects) originally studied were associated only with lift enhancement. Whereas, now the studied benefits encompass performance increase, attention to changes in trimmed conditions and longitudinal stability, improvements in lateral stability, and the attendant variation with changing Mach number. For those devices that can be theoretically modeled, state-of-the-art computer codes have been used for device design and/or analysis. Comparisons at design and off-design conditions are presented for validation purposes.

Lamar, John E.↗

Effect of trailing-edge flap deflection on the lateral and longitudinal-stability characteristics of a supersonic transport model having a highly-swept arrow wing

A low-speed investigation has been made on a highly-swept wing model having a thickened leading edge to determine the effect of inboard trailing-edge flaps on the characteristics of the model in pitch and sideslip. The tests were made at a Mach number of 0.227 which corresponds to a Reynolds number of about 5.53 million based on the reference chord. The results showed that deflection of the trailing-edge flaps decreased the roll due to sideslip by about 20 percent at a landing lift coefficient of 0.5. The directional-stability parameter, was increased by deflection of the flaps and the range of lift coefficients over which it was positive was also increased. The longitudinal stability characteristics of the model without leading-edge devices were improved by increased flap deflection, that is, the pitch-up tendency was delayed to higher lift coefficients. The lift coefficient increment resulting from the 15 deg flap deflection compared favorably with that predicted.

Lockwood, V. E.↗

Comparison of flight data and analysis for hingeless rotor regressive inplane mode stability

Analytical and experimental data obtained during the development of the AH-56A covering stability of the regressive inplane mode, including coupling with other modes such as body and rotor plunge are reported. Data were obtained on two distinctly different control systems; both gyro controlled, but one with feathering moment feedback and the other with direct flapping feedback. A review was made of analytical procedures employed in investigating the stability of this mode and a comparison was made of the analytical and experimental data. The effect of certain parameters including blade droop, sweep, delta 3, alpha 1, vehicle roll inertia, inplane frequency, and rpm and forward speed on the mode were also reviewed. It was shown that the stability of this mode is treatable by analysis and that adequate stability is achievable without recourse to auxiliary inplane damping devices.

Anderson, W. D.↗

Serial-to-parallel color-TV converter

Solid analog-to-digital converter eliminates flicker and problems with time base stability and gain variation in sequential color TV cameras. Device includes 3-bit delta modulator; two-field memory; timing, switching, and sync network; and three 3-bit delta demodulators

Doak, T. W.↗

Experimental study of delta wing leading-edge devices for drag reduction at high lift

The drag reduction devices selected for evaluation were the fence, slot, pylon-type vortex generator, and sharp leading-edge extension. These devices were tested on a 60 degree flatplate delta (with blunt leading edges) in the Langley Research Center 7- by 10-foot high-speed tunnel at low speed and to angles of attack of 28 degrees. Balance and static pressure measurements were taken. The results indicate that all the devices had significant drag reduction capability and improved longitudinal stability while a slight loss of lift and increased cruise drag occurred.

Johnson, T. D., Jr.↗

Subsonic aerodynamic characteristics of a circular body earth-to-orbit transport

To reduce the weight and improve the performance of future earth-to-orbit transports, the use of circular cross sections in the fuselage bodies of these vehicles is being considered at the Langley Research Center. Structurally, circular cross sections are stronger and lighter than other shapes. A study has been made applying the circular body concept to a vertical-takeoff, delta-winged, single-stage-to-orbit transport. A 52 in., 0.022-scale model of the circular body vehicle was tested at a Mach number of 0.3 in the 7 x 10 ft High Speed Wind Tunnel at the Langley Research Center to obtain aerodynamic forces and moments. Oil-flow photographs were taken at several angles of attack to aid in the aerodynamic analysis. Model control surfaces included elevons and ailerons for the evaluation of pitch and roll characteristics and either wing-tip fins, a nose mounted dorsal fin, or a conventional vertical tail for the evaluation of yaw characteristics. Other deflecting surfaces included speedbrakes and body flaps. Basic data on longitudinal flight characteristics are shown, including lift, drag, and pitching moments. Comparisons of the directional stability and control effectiveness of the three directional control devices are also shown.

Lepsch, R. A., Jr.↗

Development of the NACA slot-lip aileron

An investigation of the undesirable delayed action, or lag, of the spoiler-type lateral control device led to the development of the NACA slot-lip aileron. The tests were made in the 7- by 10-foot wind tunnel with a 4- by 8-foot wing hinged at the tunnel jet boundary and taken of the motion of the control device under test and of the resulting wing motion. First, the lag, as affected by the fore-and-aft location of retractable ailerons or spoilers was determined. The lag was found to increase regularly as the spoiler was moved from the rear of the wing toward the front. Then a combination of spoilers and fixed slot was developed that, with the spoiler retracting into the forward part of the slot, reduced the time lag to a negligible value. In addition, an arrangement was developed using a hinged aileron-type flap as the upper portion, or lip, of a slot through the wing. This arrangement appears to be usable as a form of lateral control device that shows promise of giving improved control and stability at the high angles of attack through stall, with negligible lag, low control forces, and relatively simple construction.

Weick, Fred E↗

Possible applications of atomic frequency standards with an internal high resolution digital synthesizer

The applications of Atomic Frequency Standards with an internal synthesizer (thereafter referred as 'Synthesized Frequency Standards or Oscillators') with a special emphasis on the Rb oscillator are reviewed. A fractional frequency synthesizer, developed by SEPA, was incorporated in the Frequency Locked Loop of a TFL Rubidium Frequency Standard. This combination allows a frequency settability in steps of 1.5 x 10(exp -12) (optional 1 x 10(exp -13) over a range of 6 x 10(exp -9) without having to resort to change the C-field to tune the output frequency of the device. This capability, coupled to the excellent short term stability of the Rb frequency standard, opens new possibilities for time and frequency users in the various fields (time metrology, navigation, communication, etc.) in which stable frequency standards find their application.

Detoma, E.↗

Fabrication and Atomic Force Microscopy Characterization of Molecular Composites of Fullerenes in Aerogel Matrix for Optical Limiting

An optical limiter is a device which exhibits a decrease in the transmittance in a material with an increase in intensity of light. Sol-gel techniques offer many advantages in the fabrication of materials. These materials possess many desirable properties for nonlinear optical (NLO) device applications which include transparency, high thermal and chemical stabilities, very low refractive index and dielectric constants. C60 shows a higher excited state absorption cross section than the ground state absorption cross section over the complete visible spectrum, and the spectrum of the excited state absorption of C60 has the same general shape as the ground state absorption. This fact suggests that fullerenes are ideal optical limiting materials. Aerogels are fabricated by sol-gel processing. One of the key issues is the dispersion of fullerenes into small and uniform pores of silica aerogel host matrices. The aerogel network was characterized by Raman spectroscopy. Atomic force microscopy is a technique with many advantages to characterize the aerogel materials. The morphology of the cleaved surface for a C60/aerogel sample shows that there are long paralleled shaped stripes with 20-30 nm in width and about 500 nm in length on the cleaved surface. The cleaved surface also was etched by 5% HF solution for one minutes, and it became smoother after HF etching. The main feature in on the surface is the spherical particles with the size of few nanometers, and no aggregated fullerenes appear. The fullerenes are well dispersed in the aerogel matrices.

Lu, W. J .↗

Benefits, Consequences, and Uncertainties of Conventional (Exercise) Countermeasure Approaches

This presentation will review the pros, cons, and uncertainties of using exercise countermeasures in hypothetical long duration exploration missions. The use of artificial gravity and exercise will be briefly discussed. One benefit to continued use of exercise is related to our extensive experience with spaceflight exercise hardware and programming. Exercise has been a part of each space mission dating back to the 1960's when simple isometric and bungee exercises were performed in the Gemini capsule. Over the next 50 years, exercise hardware improved cumulating in today's ISS suite of exercise equipment: Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization System (CEVIS), Treadmill (T2) and Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED). Today's exercise equipment is the most robust ever to be flown in space and allows the variety and intensity of exercise that might reasonably be expected to maintain muscle mass and function, bone density and cardiovascular fitness. A second benefit is related to the large body of research literature on exercise training. There is a considerable body of supporting research literature including >40,000 peer reviewed research articles on exercise training in humans. A third benefit of exercise is its effectiveness. With the addition of T2 and ARED to our ISS exercise suite, crew member outcomes on standard medical tests have improved. Additionally exercise has other positive side effects such as stress relief, possible improvement of immune function, improved sleep, etc. Exercise is not without its consequences. The major cons to performance of in‐flight exercise are the time and equipment required. Currently crew are scheduled 2.5 hrs/day for exercise and there is considerable cost to develop, fly and maintain exercise hardware. While no major injuries have been reported on ISS, there is always some risk of injury with any form of exercise There are several uncertainties going forward; these relate mostly to the development of small compact robust effective exercise devices for the next generation of space vehicles. It is becoming increasingly apparent that high intensity exercise is required for maintenance of fitness and functional capability and so future hardware will need to be developed, tested and implemented that allow for a wide variety of exercise, at high intensity while likely involving low mass, volume and power. There are many unanswered issues related to the minimum number and type of exercise devices required for exploration, optimizing exercise prescriptions for these devices, whether a treadmill is absolutely required, and even whether any single countermeasure can adequately protect muscle, bone, cardiovascular and sensorimotor function.

Ploutz-Snyder, Lori↗

Delta-Doped CCDs for Enhanced UV Performance

Thin, backside-illuminated CCds are modified by growing a delta-doped silicon layer on the back surface using molecular beam epitaxy. Delta-doped CCDs exhibit stable and uniform 100 percent internal quantum efficiency. The process consists of growth of an epitaxial silicon layer on a fully-processed commercial CCd die in which 30 percent of a monolayer of boron atoms are incorporated into the lattice nominally in a single atomic layer. Long term stability was tested and showed no degradation of the device quantum efficiency over sixteen months.

silicon↗

Characterization of Low Noise, Precision Voltage Reference REF5025-HT Under Extreme Temperatures

The performance of Texas Instruments precision voltage reference REF5025-HT was assessed under extreme temperatures. This low noise, 2.5 V output chip is suitable for use in high temperature down-hole drilling applications, but no data existed on its performance at cryogenic temperatures. The device was characterized in terms of output voltage and supply current at different input voltage levels as a function of temperature between +210 C and -190 C. Line and load regulation characteristics were also established at six load levels and at different temperatures. Restart capability at extreme temperatures and the effects of thermal cycling, covering the test temperature range, on its operation and stability were also investigated. Under no load condition, the voltage reference chip exhibited good stability in its output over the temperature range of -50 C to +200 C. Outside that temperature range, output voltage did change as temperature was changed. For example, at the extreme temperatures of +210 C and - 190 C, the output level dropped to 2.43 V and 2.32 V, respectively as compared to the nominal value of 2.5 V. At cryogenic test temperatures of -100 C and -150 C the output voltage dropped by about 20%. The quiescent supply current of the voltage reference varied slightly with temperature but remained close to its specified value. In terms of line regulation, the device exhibited excellent stability between -50 C and +150 C over the entire input voltage range and load levels. At the other test temperatures, however, while line regulation became poor at cryogenic temperatures of -100 C and below, it suffered slight degradation at the extreme high temperature but only at the high load level of 10 mA. The voltage reference also exhibited very good load regulation with temperature down to -100 C, but its output dropped sharply at +210 C only at the heavy load of 10 mA. The semiconductor chip was able restart at the extreme temperatures of -190 C and +210 C, and the limited thermal cycling did not influence its characteristics and had no impact on its packaging as no structural or physical damage was observed.

Patterson, Richard↗

Mo/Ti Diffusion Bonding for Making Thermoelectric Devices

An all-solid-state diffusion bonding process that exploits the eutectoid reaction between molybdenum and titanium has been developed for use in fabricating thermoelectric devices based on skutterudite compounds. In essence, the process is one of heating a flat piece of pure titanium in contact with a flat piece of pure molybdenum to a temperature of about 700 C while pushing the pieces together with a slight pressure [a few psi (of the order of 10 kPa)]. The process exploits the energy of mixing of these two metals to form a strong bond between them. These two metals were selected partly because the bonds formed between them are free of brittle intermetallic phases and are mechanically and chemically stable at high temperatures. The process is a solution of the problem of bonding hot-side metallic interconnections (denoted hot shoes in thermoelectric jargon) to titanium-terminated skutterudite n and p legs during the course of fabrication of a unicouple, which is the basic unit cell of a thermoelectric device (see figure). The hot-side operating temperature required for a skutterudite thermoelectric device is 700 C. This temperature precludes the use of brazing to attach the hot shoe; because brazing compounds melt at lower temperatures, the hot shoe would become detached during operation. Moreover, the decomposition temperature of one of the skutterudite compounds is 762 C; this places an upper limit on the temperature used in bonding the hot shoe. Molybdenum was selected as the interconnection metal because the eutectoid reaction between it and the titanium at the ends of the p and n legs has characteristics that are well suited for this application. In addition to being suitable for use in the present bonding process, molybdenum has high electrical and thermal conductivity and excellent thermal stability - characteristics that are desired for hot shoes of thermoelectric devices. The process takes advantage of the chemical potential energy of mixing between molybdenum and titanium. These metals have a strong affinity for each other. They are almost completely soluble in each other and remain in the solid state at temperatures above the eutectoid temperature of 695 C. As a result, bonds formed by interdiffusion of molybdenum and titanium are mechanically stable at and well above the original bonding temperature of about 700 C. Inasmuch as the bonds are made at approximately the operating temperature, thermomechanical stresses associated with differences in thermal expansion are minimized.

Sakamoto, Jeffrey↗

Backward assembly planning with DFA analysis

An assembly planning system that operates based on a recursive decomposition of assembly into subassemblies is presented. The planning system analyzes assembly cost in terms of stability, directionality, and manipulability to guide the generation of preferred assembly plans. The planning in this system incorporates the special processes, such as cleaning, testing, labeling, etc., that must occur during the assembly. Additionally, the planning handles nonreversible, as well as reversible, assembly tasks through backward assembly planning. In order to decrease the planning efficiency, the system avoids the analysis of decompositions that do not correspond to feasible assembly tasks. This is achieved by grouping and merging those parts that can not be decomposable at the current stage of backward assembly planning due to the requirement of special processes and the constraint of interconnection feasibility. The invention includes methods of evaluating assembly cost in terms of the number of fixtures (or holding devices) and reorientations required for assembly, through the analysis of stability, directionality, and manipulability. All these factors are used in defining cost and heuristic functions for an AO* search for an optimal plan.

Lee, Sukhan↗

Backward assembly planning with DFA analysis

An assembly planning system that operates based on a recursive decomposition of assembly into subassemblies, and analyzes assembly cost in terms of stability, directionality, and manipulability to guide the generation of preferred assembly plans is presented. The planning in this system incorporates the special processes, such as cleaning, testing, labeling, etc. that must occur during the assembly, and handles nonreversible as well as reversible assembly tasks through backward assembly planning. In order to increase the planning efficiency, the system avoids the analysis of decompositions that do not correspond to feasible assembly tasks. This is achieved by grouping and merging those parts that can not be decomposable at the current stage of backward assembly planning due to the requirement of special processes and the constraint of interconnection feasibility. The invention includes methods of evaluating assembly cost in terms of the number of fixtures (or holding devices) and reorientations required for assembly, through the analysis of stability, directionality, and manipulability. All these factors are used in defining cost and heuristic functions for an AO* search for an optimal plan.

Lee, Sukhan↗

Flight Investigation to Improve the Dynamic Longitudinal Stability and Control-Feel Characteristics of the P-63A-1 Airplane (AAF No. 42-68889) with Closely Balanced Experimental Elevators

Results of flight tests of a control-feel aid presented. This device consisted of a spring and dashpot connected in series between the control stick and airplane structure. The device was tested in combination with an experimental elevator and bobweight which had given unsatisfactory dynamic stability and control-feel characteristics in previous tests. The control-feel aid effected marked improvement in both the control-feel characteristics and the control-feel dynamic longitudinal stability of the airplane.

AIRPLANES - BELL P-63A-1 FLIGHT TESTS (AMER )↗