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At least 37 records · Page 2

Nonlinear Equations of Motion for Cantilever Rotor Blades in Hover with Pitch Link Flexibility, Twist, Precone, Droop, Sweep, Torque Offset, and Blade Root Offset

Nonlinear equations of motion for a cantilever rotor blade are derived for the hovering flight condition. The blade is assumed to have twist, precone, droop, sweep, torque offset and blade root offset, and the elastic axis and the axes of center of mass, tension, and aerodynamic center coincident at the quarter chord. The blade is cantilevered in bending, but has a torsional root spring to simulate pitch link flexibility. Aerodynamic forces acting on the blade are derived from strip theory based on quasi-steady two-dimensional airfoil theory. The equations are hybrid, consisting of one integro-differential equation for root torsion and three integro-partial differential equations for flatwise and chordwise bending and elastic torsion. The equations are specialized for a uniform blade and reduced to nonlinear ordinary differential equations by Galerkin's method. They are linearized for small perturbation motions about the equilibrium operating condition. Modal analysis leads to formulation of a standard eigenvalue problem where the elements of the stability matrix depend on the solution of the equilibrium equations. Two different forms of the root torsion equation are derived that yield virtually identical numerical results. This provides a reasonable check for the accuracy of the equations.

Hodges, D. H.

Inverter Intensive Hybrid Power Plant Modeling with Small-Signal Stability Augmentation through Flexible Operation Mode Transition

Hybrid power plants (HPPs) prompt the penetration of inverter-based renewable energy sources (RES) in transmission systems; however, given their low-inertia nature, HPPs are dominated by power electronic inverters, so there are inevitable challenges in system stability when increasing numbers of HPPs are integrated into the modern power grids. To boost the penetration level of HPPs without jeopardizing system stability, it is desirable to equip them with operational characteristics (i.e., grid-forming capabilities) that are comparable to those of conventional power plants dominated by synchronous generators (SGs). In this paper, a holistic model of inverter intensive HPP is derived and a bi-level hierarchical control is developed to allow HPPs to flexibly switch among the designed operation modes (i.e., P-Q, P-V, and isochronous modes). Compared to SGs, which have limited controllability, the operation mode of each HPP could vary as requested. Such flexible mode transitions could be integrated into the secondary plant-level control and be leveraged as an additional control degree to further augment system stability. Further, the system small-signal stability margin is quantified with varying HPP operation modes. More importantly, modal analysis is thereby conducted to quantify the impacts of mode transition on the system oscillatory modes. The effectiveness of the proposed HPP bi-level hierarchical control is verified using extensive case studies based on the simplified real-world island power grid, and the results validate that the system small-signal stability margin can be enhanced with the additional degree of control flexibility enabled by HPP operation mode transition. The real-time hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) results are also provided to verify the proposed method.

grid-forming control

Analysis of structural response data using discrete modal filters

The application of reciprocal modal vectors to the analysis of structural response data is described. Reciprocal modal vectors are constructed using an existing experimental modal model and an existing frequency response matrix of a structure, and can be assembled into a matrix that effectively transforms the data from the physical space to a modal space within a particular frequency range. In other words, the weighting matrix necessary for modal vector orthogonality (typically the mass matrix) is contained within the reciprocal model matrix. The underlying goal of this work is mostly directed toward observing the modal state responses in the presence of unknown, possibly closed loop forcing functions, thus having an impact on both operating data analysis techniques and independent modal space control techniques. This study investigates the behavior of reciprocol modal vectors as modal filters with respect to certain calculation parameters and their performance with perturbed system frequency response data.

Freudinger, Lawrence C.

Characteristics of future air cargo demand and impact on aircraft development - A report on the Cargo/Logistic Airlift Systems Study /CLASS/ project

The considered study has been conducted to evaluate the future potential for an advanced air cargo transport. A current operations analysis is discussed, taking into account the traffic structure, modal cost comparisons, terminal operations, containerization, and institutional factors. Attention is also given to case studies, a demand forecast, and an advanced air cargo systems analysis. The effects of potential improvements on reducing costs are shown. Improvement to the current infrastructure can occur from 1978 to 1985 with off-the-shelf technology, which when combined with higher load factors for aircraft and containers, can provide up to a 16 percent reduction in total operating costs and a 15 percent rate reduction. The results of the analysis indicate that the proposed changes in the infrastructure and improved cargo loading efficiencies are as important to improving the airlines' financial posture as is the anticipated large dedicated cargo aircraft.

Whitehead, A. H., Jr.

Comparative Modal Analysis of Sieve Hardware Designs

The CMTB Thwacker hardware operates as a testbed analogue for the Flight Thwacker and Sieve components of CHIMRA, a device on the Curiosity Rover. The sieve separates particles with a diameter smaller than 150 microns for delivery to onboard science instruments. The sieving behavior of the testbed hardware should be similar to the Flight hardware for the results to be meaningful. The elastodynamic behavior of both sieves was studied analytically using the Rayleigh Ritz method in conjunction with classical plate theory. Finite element models were used to determine the mode shapes of both designs, and comparisons between the natural frequencies and mode shapes were made. The analysis predicts that the performance of the CMTB Thwacker will closely resemble the performance of the Flight Thwacker within the expected steady state operating regime. Excitations of the testbed hardware that will mimic the flight hardware were recommended, as were those that will improve the efficiency of the sieving process.

flight hardware

An automatic data system for vibration modal tuning and evaluation

A digitally based automatic modal tuning and analysis system developed to provide an operational capability beginning at 0.1 hertz is described. The elements of the system, which provides unique control features, maximum operator visibility, and rapid data reduction and documentation, are briefly described; and the operational flow is discussed to illustrate the full range of capabilities and the flexibility of application. The successful application of the system to a modal survey of the Skylab payload is described. Information about the Skylab test article, coincident-quadrature analysis of modal response data, orthogonality, and damping calculations is included in the appendixes. Recommendations for future application of the system are also made.

Salyer, R. A.

Modal Analysis and Model Correlation of the Mir Space Station

This paper will discuss on-orbit dynamic tests, modal analysis, and model refinement studies performed as part of the Mir Structural Dynamics Experiment (MiSDE). Mir is the Russian permanently manned Space Station whose construction first started in 1986. The MiSDE was sponsored by the NASA International Space Station (ISS) Phase 1 Office and was part of the Shuttle-Mir Risk Mitigation Experiment (RME). One of the main objectives for MiSDE is to demonstrate the feasibility of performing on-orbit modal testing on large space structures to extract modal parameters that will be used to correlate mathematical models. The experiment was performed over a one-year span on the Mir-alone and Mir with a Shuttle docked. A total of 45 test sessions were performed including: Shuttle and Mir thruster firings, Shuttle-Mir and Progress-Mir dockings, crew exercise and pushoffs, and ambient noise during night-to-day and day-to-night orbital transitions. Test data were recorded with a variety of existing and new instrumentation systems that included: the MiSDE Mir Auxiliary Sensor Unit (MASU), the Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS), the Russian Mir Structural Dynamic Measurement System (SDMS), the Mir and Shuttle Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), and the Shuttle payload bay video cameras. Modal analysis was performed on the collected test data to extract modal parameters, i.e. frequencies, damping factors, and mode shapes. A special time-domain modal identification procedure was used on free-decay structural responses. The results from this study show that modal testing and analysis of large space structures is feasible within operational constraints. Model refinements were performed on both the Mir alone and the Shuttle-Mir mated configurations. The design sensitivity approach was used for refinement, which adjusts structural properties in order to match analytical and test modal parameters. To verify the refinement results, the analytical responses calculated using original and refined math models were compared with the measured responses. The results from this study show that the refined models predict more accurately the dynamics of the actual structure. The MiSDE test and analysis results provided the information and experience on test design, flight testing, and data analysis for the ISS and other future spacecraft, which are critical to the verification of analytical models and structural loads.

Kim, Hyoung M.

Ares I-X Flight Test Vehicle:Stack 1 Modal Test

Ares I-X was the first flight test vehicle used in the development of NASA s Ares I crew launch vehicle. The Ares I-X used a 4-segment reusable solid rocket booster from the Space Shuttle heritage with mass simulators for the 5th segment, upper stage, crew module and launch abort system. Three modal tests were defined to verify the dynamic finite element model of the Ares I-X flight test vehicle. Test configurations included two partial stacks and the full Ares I-X flight test vehicle on the Mobile Launcher Platform. This report focuses on the second modal test that was performed on the middle section of the vehicle referred to as Stack 1, which consisted of the subassembly from the 5th segment simulator through the interstage. This report describes the test requirements, constraints, pre-test analysis, test operations and data analysis for the Ares I-X Stack 1 modal test.

Buehrle, Ralph D.

Ares I-X Flight Test Vehicle: Stack 5 Modal Test

Ares I-X was the first flight test vehicle used in the development of NASA's Ares I crew launch vehicle. The Ares I-X used a 4-segment reusable solid rocket booster from the Space Shuttle heritage with mass simulators for the 5th segment, upper stage, crew module and launch abort system. Three modal tests were defined to verify the dynamic finite element model of the Ares I-X flight test vehicle. Test configurations included two partial stacks and the full Ares I-X flight test vehicle on the Mobile Launcher Platform. This report focuses on the first modal test that was performed on the top section of the vehicle referred to as Stack 5, which consisted of the spacecraft adapter, service module, crew module and launch abort system simulators. This report describes the test requirements, constraints, pre-test analysis, test operations and data analysis for the Ares I-X Stack 5 modal test.

Buehrle, Ralph D.

IMAGES: A digital computer program for interactive modal analysis and gain estimation for eigensystem synthesis

An interactive digital computer program for modal analysis and gain estimation for eigensystem synthesis was written. Both mathematical and operation considerations are described; however, the mathematical presentation is limited to those concepts essential to the operational capability of the program. The program is capable of both modal and spectral synthesis of multi-input control systems. It is user friendly, has scratchpad capability and dynamic memory, and can be used to design either state or output feedback systems.

Jones, R. L.

Test-Analysis Modal Correlation of Rocket Engine Structures in Liquid Hydrogen - Phase II

Many structures in a launch vehicle operate in liquid hydrogen, from the hydrogen fuel tanks through the ducts and valves and into the turbopumps. Calculating the structural dynamic response of these structures is critical for successful qualification, but accurate knowledge of the natural frequencies is based entirely on numerical or analytical predictions since testing in operating conditions is problematic. A comprehensive test/analysis program has therefore been performed at NASA/MSFC to enable accurate prediction of the modal characteristics of the Space Launch System’s (SLS) RS-25 Low Pressure Fuel Turbopump Inducer including the effects of fluid-added mass, mechanical property change at cryogenic temperatures, operation within tight tip clearances, acoustic/structure interaction, and hydroelasticity. The process also has to account for complicated cyclic symmetry mode shapes which can be easily mistuned in test, and geometric, boundary condition, and material modifications between the sub-scale inducer used as a test article and the actual flight component. The first phase of the program, documented previously, focused on testing of a cantilever beam in a number of fluids and temperatures to isolate the effects of fluid-added mass and temperature, while the second phase reported here documents the additional issues associated with the more realistic inducer test article. Preliminary structural dynamic analysis of the flight hardware including variability for the above parameters indicated potential severe resonances, requiring implementation of undesired programmatic constraints, so the improved predictive capability may allow removal of these constraints.

Brown, Andrew M.

Model Validation of an RSRM Transporter Through Full-scale Operational and Modal Testing

The Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) segments, which are part of the current Space Shuttle system and will provide the first stage of the Ares launch vehicle, must be transported from their manufacturing facility in Promontory, Utah, to a railhead in Corinne, Utah. This approximately 25-mile trip on secondary paved roads is accomplished using a special transporter system which lifts and conveys each individual segment. ATK Launch Systems (ATK) has recently obtained a new set of these transporters from Scheuerle, a company in Germany. The transporter is a 96-wheel, dual tractor vehicle that supports the payload via a hydraulic suspension. Since this system is a different design than was previously used, computer modeling with validation via test is required to ensure that the environment to which the segment is exposed is not too severe for this space-critical hardware. Accurate prediction of the loads imparted to the rocket motor is essential in order to prevent damage to the segment. To develop and validate a finite element model capable of such accurate predictions, ATA Engineering, Inc., teamed with ATK to perform a modal survey of the transport system, including a forward RSRM segment. A set of electrodynamic shakers was placed around the transporter at locations capable of exciting the transporter vehicle dynamics. Forces from the shakers with varying phase combinations were applied using sinusoidal sweep excitation. The relative phase of the shaker forcing functions was adjusted to match the shape characteristics of each of several target modes, thereby customizing each sweep run for exciting a particular mode. The resulting frequency response functions (FRF) from this series of sine sweeps allowed identification of all target modes and other higher-order modes, allowing good comparison to the finite element model. Furthermore, the survey-derived modal frequencies were correlated with peak frequencies observed during road-going operating tests. This correlation enabled verification of the most significant modes contributing to real-world loading of the motor segment under transport. After traditional model updating, dynamic simulation of the transportation environment was compared to the measured operating data to provided further validation of the analysis model. KEYWORDS Validation, correlation, modal test, rocket motor, transporter

Brillhart, Ralph

Simulations of the Unsteady Flow through the Fastrac Supersonic Turbine

Analysis of the unsteady aerodynamic environment in the Fastrac supersonic turbine is presented. Modal analysis of the turbine blades indicated possible resonance in crucial operating ranges of the turbopump. Unsteady computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was conducted to support the aerodynamic and structural dynamic assessments of the turbine. Before beginning the analysis, two major problems with current unsteady analytical capabilities had to be addressed: modeling a straight centerline nozzle with the turbine blades and exit guide vanes (EGVs), and reducing run times significantly while maintaining physical accuracy. Modifications were made to the CFD code used in this study to allow the coupled nozzle/blade/EGV analysis and to incorporate Message Passing Interface (MPI) software. Because unsteadiness is a key issue for the Fastrac turbine [and future rocket engine turbines such as for the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RI.V)], calculations were performed for two nozzle-to-blade axial gaps. Calculations were also performed for the nozzle alone, and the results were imposed as an inlet boundary condition for a blade/EGV calculation for the large gap case. These results are compared to the nozzle/blade/EGV results.

Griffin, Lisa W.

Modal Analysis and Testing of a Cantilever Beam: Results and Guide

This report discusses modal analysis and testing of a cantilever beam including an introduction to modal testing, simulation, analysis, and a comparison of results. An accompanying presentation can be found from the LLNL CASIS website. Modal testing and analysis are essential for characterizing the response of a structure during vibration environments. Determining natural frequencies and mode shapes helps determine whether resonances will be reached during operations and if so, how the structure will respond and how the response can be tuned. The goal of this work is to convey the basics of modal testing and analysis through a simple project. This can be applied later to more complex, applicable structures. This includes a variety of work including data collection, finite element analysis and data processing. For this project a cantilever beam was chosen because it is a simple, well-characterized structure.

42 ENGINEERING

Gain in computational efficiency by vectorization in the dynamic simulation of multi-body systems

An improved technique for the identification and extraction of the exact quantities associated with the degrees of freedom at the element as well as the flexible body level is presented. It is implemented in the dynamic equations of motions based on the recursive formulation of Kane et al. (1987) and presented in a matrix form, integrating the concepts of strain energy, the finite-element approach, modal analysis, and reduction of equations. This technique eliminates the CPU intensive matrix multiplication operations in the code's hot spots for the dynamic simulation of the interconnected rigid and flexible bodies. A study of a simple robot with flexible links is presented by comparing the execution times on a scalar machine and a vector-processor with and without vector options. Performance figures demonstrating the substantial gains achieved by the technique are plotted.

Amirouche, F. M. L.

Vibro-Acoustic Analysis of NASA's Space Shuttle Launch Pad 39A Flame Trench Wall

A vital element to NASA's manned space flight launch operations is the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39's launch pads A and B. Originally designed and constructed In the 1960s for the Saturn V rockets used for the Apollo missions, these pads were modified above grade to support Space Shuttle missions. But below grade, each of the pad's original walls (including a 42 feet deep, 58 feet wide, and 450 feet long tunnel designed to deflect flames and exhaust gases, the flame trench) remained unchanged. On May 31, 2008 during the launch of STS-124, over 3500 of the. 22000 interlocking refractory bricks that lined east wall of the flame trench, protecting the pad structure were liberated from pad 39A. The STS-124 launch anomaly spawned an agency-wide initiative to determine the failure root cause, to assess the impact of debris on vehicle and ground support equipment safety, and to prescribe corrective action. The investigation encompassed radar imaging, infrared video review, debris transport mechanism analysis using computational fluid dynamics, destructive testing, and non-destructive evaluation, including vibroacoustic analysis, in order to validate the corrective action. The primary focus of this paper is on the analytic approach, including static, modal, and vibro-acoustic analysis, required to certify the corrective action, and ensure Integrity and operational reliability for future launches. Due to the absence of instrumentation (including pressure transducers, acoustic pressure sensors, and accelerometers) in the flame trench, defining an accurate acoustic signature of the launch environment during shuttle main engine/solid rocket booster Ignition and vehicle ascent posed a significant challenge. Details of the analysis, including the derivation of launch environments, the finite element approach taken, and analysistest/ launch data correlation are discussed. Data obtained from the recent launch of STS-126 from Pad 39A was instrumental in validating the design analysis philosophies outlined in this paper.

Margasahayam, Ravi N.

A procedure for the frequency analysis of telerobotic tasks data

In the last few years, teleoperated tasks have been the subject of extensive research to determine the best combination of control modalities according to specific criteria. The operator's performance were compared on the basis of task completion time and of force and torque measurements during the tasks. This paper proposes a procedure for the spectral analysis of force and torque signals generated during teleoperation experiments. There are two main reasons for examining teleoperation data in the frequency domain: a spectral analysis of different tasks can validate the assumptions made in the design of the teleoperator, and a task's frequency signature can be a valuable measure of the operator's performance.

Fiorini, Paolo