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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 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1975

Factors affecting handling qualities of a lift-fan aircraft during steep terminal area approaches

The XV-5B lift-fan aircraft was used to explore the factors affecting handling qualities in the terminal area. A 10 deg ILS approach task was selected to explore these problems. Interception of the glide slope at 457.2 m, glide slope tracking, deceleration along the glide slope to a spot hover were considered. Variations in airplane deck angle, deceleration schedule, and powered-lift management were studied. The overall descent performance envelope was identified on the basis of fan stall, maximum comfortable descent rate, and controllability restrictions. The collective-lift stick provided precise glide slope tracking capability. The pilot preferred a deck-parallel attitude for which he used powered lift to control glide slope and pitch attitude to keep the angle of attack near zero. Workload was reduced when the deceleration schedule was delayed until the aircraft was well established on the glide slope, since thrust vector changes induced flight path disturbances.

Gerdes, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Configuration development study of the X-24C hypersonic research airplane, phase 2

The X-24C Hypersonic Research Vehicle, configured with a heat-sink structure, a launch mass limit of 31.75 Mg and powered by an LR-105 Rocket Engine plus 12 LR-101 Sustainer Engines, was found to be the more cost effective of the candidate configurations. In addition, the configuration provides the maximum off design growth potential capability and subsequently, was selected as the candidate configuration to be subjected to the design refinement study in the remaining segment of the study. Selection of this configuration was based on the analytical study conducted on the performance growth capabilities of the candidate configurations selected from the Phase 1 Study.

Combs, H. G.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Quiet short-haul research aircraft familiarization document, revision 1

The design features and general characteristics of the Quiet Short Haul Research Aircraft are described. Aerodynamic characteristics and performance are discussed based on predictions and early flight test data. Principle airplane systems, including the airborne data acquisition system, are also described. The aircraft was designed and built to fulfill the need for a national research facility to explore the use of upper surface blowing, propulsive lift technology in providing short takeoff and landing capability, and perform advanced experiments in various technical disciplines such as aerodynamics, propulsion, stability and control, handling qualities, avionics and flight control systems, trailing vortex phenomena, acoustics, structure and loads, operating systems, human factors, and airworthiness/certification criteria. An unusually austere approach using experimental shop practices resulted in a low cost and high research capability.

Eppel, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Environmental exposure effects on composite materials for commercial aircraft

The data base for composite materials' properties as they are affected by the environments encountered in operating conditions, both in flight and at ground terminals is expanded. Absorbed moisture degrades the mechanical properties of graphite/epoxy laminates at elevated temperatures. Since airplane components are frequently exposed to atmospheric moisture, rain, and accumulated water, quantitative data are required to evaluate the amount of fluids absorbed under various environmental conditions and the subsequent effects on material properties. In addition, accelerated laboratory test techniques are developed are reliably capable of predicting long term behavior. An accelerated environmental exposure testing procedure is developed, and experimental results are correlated and compared with analytical results to establish the level of confidence for predicting composite material properties.

Gibbons, M. N.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Rocket-Powered Parachutes Rescue Entire Planes

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts with Langley Research Center helped BRS Aerospace, of Saint Paul, Minnesota, to develop technology that has saved 246 lives to date. The company s whole aircraft parachute systems deploy in less than 1 second thanks to solid rocket motors and are capable of arresting the descent of a small aircraft, lowering it safely to the ground. BRS has sold more than 30,000 systems worldwide, and the technology is now standard equipment on many of the world s top-selling aircraft. Parachutes for larger airplanes are in the works.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2004

NASA Tech Briefs, March 2004

Topics covered include: 1) Advanced Signal Conditioners for Data-Acquisition Systems; 2) Downlink Data Multiplexer; 3) Viewing ISS Data in Real Time via the Internet; 4) Autonomous Environment-Monitoring Networks; 5) Readout of DSN Monitor Data; 6) Parallel-Processing Equalizers for Multi-Gbps Communications; 7) AIN-Based Packaging for SiC High-Temperature Electronics; 8) Software for Optimizing Quality Assurance of Other Software; 9) The TechSat 21 Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment; 10) Software for Analyzing Laminar-to-Turbulent Flow Transitions; 11) Elastomer Filled With Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes; 12) Modifying Ship Air-Wake Vortices for Aircraft Operations; 13) Strain-Gauge Measurement of Weight of Fluid in a Tank; 14) Advanced Docking System With Magnetic Initial Capture; 15) Blade-Pitch Control for Quieting Tilt-Rotor Aircraft; 16) Solar Array Panels With Dust-Removal Capability; 17) Aligning Arrays of Lenses and Single-Mode Optical Fibers; 18) Automatic Control of Arc Process for Making Carbon Nanotubes; 19) Curved-Focal-Plane Arrays Using Deformed-Membrane Photodetectors; 20) Role of Meteorology in Flights of a Solar-Powered Airplane; 21) Model of Mixing Layer With Multicomponent Evaporating Drops; 22) Solution-Assisted Optical Contacting; 23) Improved Discrete Approximation of Laplacian of Gaussian; 24) Utilizing Expert Knowledge in Estimating Future STS Costs; 25) Study of Rapid-Regression Liquefying Hybrid Rocket Fuels; and 26) More About the Phase-Synchronized Enhancement Method.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2020

Application of Extended Messinger Models to Complex Geometries

Since, ice accretion can significantly degrade the performance and the stability of an airborne vehicle, it is imperative to be able to model it accurately. While ice accretion studies have been performed on airplane wings and helicopter blades in abundance, there are few that attempt to model the process on more complex geometries such as fuselages. This paper proposes a methodology that extends an existing in-house Extended Messinger solver to complex geometries by introducing the capability to work with unstructured grids and carry out spatial surface streamwise marching. For the work presented here commercial solvers such as STAR-CCM+ and ANSYS Fluent are used for the flow field and droplet dispersed phase computations. The ice accretion is carried out using an in-house icing solver called GT-ICE. The predictions by GT-ICE are compared to available experimental data, or to predictions by other solvers such as LEWICE and STAR-CCM+. Three different cases with varying levels of complexity are presented. The first case considered is a commercial transport airfoil, followed by a three-dimensional MS(1)-317 swept wing. Finally, ice accretion calculations performed on a Robin fuselage have been discussed. Good agreement with experimental data, where applicable, is observed. Differences between the ice accretion predictions by different solvers have been discussed.

Gupta, Avani↗
NASA NTRS1983

Multi-Fuel Rotary Engine for General Aviation Aircraft

Design studies, conducted for NASA, of Advanced Multi-fuel General Aviation and Commuter Aircraft Rotary Stratified Charge Engines are summarized. Conceptual design studies of an advanced engine sized to provide 186/250 shaft KW/HP under cruise conditions at 7620/25,000 m/ft. altitude were performed. Relevant engine development background covering both prior and recent engine test results of the direct injected unthrottled rotary engine technology, including the capability to interchangeably operate on gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, or aviation jet fuel, are presented and related to growth predictions. Aircraft studies, using these resultant growth engines, define anticipated system effects of the performance and power density improvements for both single engine and twin engine airplanes. The calculated results indicate superior system performance and 30 to 35% fuel economy improvement for the Rotary-engine airplanes as compared to equivalent airframe concept designs with current baseline engines. The research and technology activities required to attain the projected engine performance levels are also discussed.

Jones, C.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Processing and analysis of radiometer measurements for airborne reconnaissance

This paper describes selected results of airborne, radiometric imaging measurements at 90 GHz and 140 GHz relevant for the application in reconnaissance. Using a temperature resolution below 0.5 K and an angular resolution of about 1-degree high-quality images show the capability of discriminating between many brightness temperature classes within our natural environment and man-made objects. Measurement examples are given for cloud and fog penetration at 90 GHz, for the detection of vehicles on roads, and for the detection and classification of airports and airplanes. The application of different contour enhancement methods (Marr-Hildreth and Canny) shows the possibility of extracting lines and shapes precisely in order to improve automatic target recognition. The registration of the passive images with corresponding X-band synthetic aperture images from the same area is carried out and the high degree of correlation is discussed.

Suess, Helmut↗
NASA NTRS1948

Free-Spinning-Tunnel Tests of a 1/24-Scale Model of the Grumman XF9F-2 Airplane with Wing-Tip Tanks Installed

An investigation of the spin and recovery characteristics of a 1/24-scale model of the Grumman XF9F-2 airplane with wing-tip tanks installed has been conducted-in the Langley 20-foot free-spinning tunnel. The effects of control settings and movements on the erect spin and recovery characteristics of the model for a range of possible loadings of the tip tanks were determined. Spin and recovery characteristics without tanks were determined in a previous investigation. The model results indicated that the airplane spins will generally be oscillatory and that recoveries will be satisfactory for all loadings by normal recovery technique (full rudder reversal followed approximately one-half turn later by moving the elevator down). The rudder force necessary for recovery should be within the physical capability of the pilot but the elevator force may be excessive so that some type of balance or booster might be necessary, or it might be necessary to jettison the wing-tip tanks.

Berman, Theodore↗
NASA NTRS2006

Turbulence and mountain wave conditions observed with an airborne 2-micron lidar

Joint efforts by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense, and industry partners are enhancing the capability of airborne wind and turbulence detection. The Airborne Coherent Lidar for Advanced In-Flight Measurements (ACLAIM) was flown on three series of flights to assess its capability over a range of altitudes, air mass conditions, and gust phenomena. This paper describes the observation of mountain waves and turbulence induced by mountain waves over the Tehachapi and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges (California, USA) by lidar onboard the NASA Airborne Science DC-8 airplane. The examples in this paper compare lidar-predicted mountain waves and wave-induced turbulence to subsequent aircraft-measured true airspeed. Airplane acceleration data is presented describing the effects of the wave-induced turbulence on the DC-8 airplane. Highlights of the lidar-predicted airspeed from the two flights show increases of 12 meters per second (m/s) at the mountain wave interface and peak-to-peak airspeed changes of 10 m/s and 15 m/s in a span of 12 seconds in moderate turbulence.

Teets, Edward H., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1949

Free-Spinning-Tunnel Investigation of a 1/20-Scale Model of the McDonnell XF2H-1 Airplane

A spin-recovery investigation has been conducted in the Langley 20-foot free-spinning tunnel on a 20-scale model modified to represent the McDonnell XF2H-1 airplane. The project included tests both with tip tanks installed and with the tanks removed. The results indicated that the recovery characteristics of the airplane would be satisfactory for all loadings by normal recovery technique (full reversal of the rudder, followed 1/2 turn later by movement of the elevator down). The rudder pedal and the elevator stick forces likely to be encountered in a spin should be within the capabilities of the pilot.

Berman, Theodore↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Noise Reduction Trajectory Analysis of a Supersonic Business Jet using Novel Optimization Tools

Proposals to reduce airport noise during takeoff and landing for supersonic aircraft using methods such as variable noise reduction systems add complexity to conceptual flight models. To better optimize these takeoff and landing profiles for noise certification, new modeling methods are explored in this paper with the end goal of more effectively determining the sensitivities of airframe, propulsion, and mission design variables on overall airport noise. Takeoff and landing trajectories are modeled for a notional supersonic business jet concept developed by NASA for use in environmental impact studies conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organization. Optimization tools capable of gradient-based optimal control and collocation solving methods are examined with the aim of achieving faster solutions in a more comprehensive design space. The benefits and limitations of these new methods are compared with existing methods used in previous studies of the airplane concept. It is found that the new modeling methods match closely when compared with existing tools for a standard takeoff and landing case, with a cumulative effective perceived noise difference of 0.1 EPNdB. Comparisons between takeoff trajectories with a variable noise reduction system match within 0.8 EPNdB and 1.3 EPNdB, due to highlighted differences in the modeling approaches.

supersonic↗
NASA NTRS1979

Quiet short-haul research aircraft familiarization document

The design features and general characteristics of the NASA Quiet Short-Haul Research Aircraft are described. Aerodynamic characteristics and performance are discussed based on predictions and early flight-test data. Principle airplane systems, including the airborne data-acquisition system, are also described. The aircraft was designed and built to fulfill the need for a national research facility to explore the use of upper surface-blowing propulsive-lift technology in providing short takeoff and landing capability, and perform advanced experiments in various technical disciplines such as aerodynamics, propulsion, stability and control, handling qualities, avionics and flight-control systems, trailing-vortex phenomena, acoustics, structure and loads, operating systems, human factors, and airworthiness/certification criteria. An unusually austere approach using experimental shop practices resulted in a low cost and high research capability.

Mccracken, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Turbulence and Mountain Wave Conditions Observed with an Airborne 2-Micron Lidar

Joint efforts by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense, and industry partners are enhancing the capability of airborne wind and turbulence detection. The Airborne Coherent Lidar for Advanced In-Flight Measurements (ACLAIM) was flown on three series of flights to assess its capability over a range of altitudes, air mass conditions, and gust phenomena. This paper describes the observation of mountain waves and turbulence induced by mountain waves over the Tehachapi and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges in southern California by lidar onboard the NASA Airborne Science DC-8 airplane. The examples in this paper compare lidar-predicted mountain waves and wave-induced turbulence to subsequent aircraft-measured true airspeed. Airplane acceleration data is presented describing the effects of the wave-induced turbulence on the DC-8 airplane. Highlights of the lidar-predicted airspeed from the two flights show increases of 12 m/s at the mountain wave interface and peak-to-peak airspeed changes of 10 m/s and 15 m/s in a span of 12 s in moderate turbulence.

Teets, Edward H., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Predicting Tail Buffet Loads of a Fighter Airplane

Buffet loads on aft aerodynamic surfaces pose a recurring problem on most twin-tailed fighter airplanes: During maneuvers at high angles of attack, vortices emanating from various surfaces on the forward parts of such an airplane (engine inlets, wings, or other fuselage appendages) often burst, immersing the tails in their wakes. Although these vortices increase lift, the frequency contents of the burst vortices become so low as to cause the aft surfaces to vibrate destructively. Now, there exists a new analysis capability for predicting buffet loads during the earliest design phase of a fighter-aircraft program. In effect, buffet pressures are applied to mathematical models in the framework of a finite-element code, complete with aeroelastic properties and working knowledge of the spatiality of the buffet pressures for all flight conditions. The results of analysis performed by use of this capability illustrate those vibratory modes of a tail fin that are most likely to be affected by buffet loads. Hence, the results help in identifying the flight conditions during which to expect problems. Using this capability, an aircraft designer can make adjustments to the airframe and possibly the aerodynamics, leading to a more robust design.

Moses, Robert W.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Radiation Data Portal: Connection of Radiation Measurements on Airplane Flights with Observations of Solar-Terrestrial Environment

The impact of solar radiation dramatically increases at high altitudes in the Earth’s atmosphere and in space. Therefore, continuous monitoring of the radiation environment is critical for the safety of aircraft and spacecraft crews and passengers. Addressing the problem requires a complex approach of integration of different data sources and enhancement of the visualization and search capabilities. The Radiation Portal Database represents an interactive web-based application for convenient search and visualization of in-flight radiation measurements and exploration of various properties related to the radiation environment. The primary element of the Radiation Portal back-end is a MySQL relational database that currently contains the radiation measurements obtained from the Automated Radiation Measurements for Aerospace Safety (ARMAS)device, and soft X-ray and proton fluxes from Geostationary Orbiting Environmental Satellite (GOES). The developed Application Programming Interface (API) and related Python routines allow a user to retrieve the database records directly and efficiently, without interaction with the web interface. As a use case of the Radiation Portal, we examine the properties of the ARMAS flights taken during the enhanced Solar Proton (SP) fluxes and compare them to the flights of similar time and location taken during SP-quiet periods.

SMD↗
NASA NTRS2017

Development of Experimental Icing Simulation Capability for Full-Scale Swept Wings: Hybrid Design Process, Years 1 and 2

This report presents the key results from the first two years of a program to develop experimental icing simulation capabilities for full-scale swept wings. This investigation was undertaken as a part of a larger collaborative research effort on ice accretion and aerodynamics for large-scale swept wings. Ice accretion and the resulting aerodynamic effect on large-scale swept wings presents a significant airplane design and certification challenge to air frame manufacturers, certification authorities, and research organizations alike. While the effect of ice accretion on straight wings has been studied in detail for many years, the available data on swept-wing icing are much more limited, especially for larger scales.

Aircraft icing↗