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At least 379 records · Page 21

A computational study of thrust augmenting ejectors based on a viscous-inviscid approach

A viscous-inviscid interaction technique is advocated as both an efficient and accurate means of predicting the performance of two-dimensional thrust augmenting ejectors. The flow field is subdivided into a viscous region that contains the turbulent jet and an inviscid region that contains the ambient fluid drawn into the device. The inviscid region is computed with a higher-order panel method, while an integral method is used for the description of the viscous part. The strong viscous-inviscid interaction present within the ejector is simulated in an iterative process where the two regions influence each other en route to a converged solution. The model is applied to a variety of parametric and optimization studies involving ejectors having either one or two primary jets. The effects of nozzle placement, inlet and diffuser shape, free stream speed, and ejector length are investigated. The inlet shape for single jet ejectors is optimized for various free stream speeds and Reynolds numbers. Optimal nozzle tilt and location are identified for various dual-ejector configurations.

Lund, Thomas S.↗

Flight evaluation of augmented controls for approach and landing of powered-lift aircraft

Flight experiments were conducted with Ames Research Center's Quiet Short-Haul Research Aircraft to evaluate the influence of highly augmented control modes on the ability of pilots to execute precision instrument flight operations in the terminal area, particularly approaches to and landings on a short runway. The aircraft is a powered-lift, short-takeoff and landing configuration that is equipped with a modern digital fly-by-wire flight control system, a head-up display, and a solar head-down display that make it possible to investigate control concepts and display format and content for full envelope, powered-lift operations. Considerable attention has been devoted in this flight program to assessing flightpath and airspeed command and stabilization modes developed using nonlinear, inverse model-following methods. The primary benefit of this control concept was realized when the pilot was required to execute a complex transition and approach under instrument conditions and in the presence of a wide range of wind and turbulence conditions.

Franklin, J. A.↗

Control augmented structural synthesis with transient response constraints

An integrated approach to the optimum design of control augmented structural systems is presented in which structural variables and control variables are changed simultaneously during the design process. Constraints are imposed on peak transient dynamic displacements and accelerations, static displacements, natural frequencies, and control system effort. Side constraints imposed on structural member sizes and control system thresholds and actuator output forces insure the generation of physically meaningful designs. Example problems are presented which bring out the benefits of simultaneous treatment of both the structural design variables and the control design variables.

Manning, R. A.↗

A mixing augmentation technique for hypervelocity scramjets

The paper discusses mixing problems in hypervelocity scramjet combustors. Techniques for providing turbulence and/or mixing enhancement are described. One such technique, the oscillating shock interaction, is studied numerically and options for producing oscillatory shock waves for mixing augmentation in scramjet combustors are discussed.

Kumar, A.↗

Control Augmented Structural Synthesis

A methodology for control augmented structural synthesis is proposed for a class of structures which can be modeled as an assemblage of frame and/or truss elements. It is assumed that both the plant (structure) and the active control system dynamics can be adequately represented with a linear model. The structural sizing variables, active control system feedback gains and nonstructural lumped masses are treated simultaneously as independent design variables. Design constraints are imposed on static and dynamic displacements, static stresses, actuator forces and natural frequencies to ensure acceptable system behavior. Multiple static and dynamic loading conditions are considered. Side constraints imposed on the design variables protect against the generation of unrealizable designs. While the proposed approach is fundamentally more general, here the methodology is developed and demonstrated for the case where: (1) the dynamic loading is harmonic and thus the steady state response is of primary interest; (2) direct output feedback is used for the control system model; and (3) the actuators and sensors are collocated.

Lust, Robert V.↗

Sensitivity of control-augmented structure obtained by a system decomposition method

The verification of a method for computing sensitivity derivatives of a coupled system is presented. The method deals with a system whose analysis can be partitioned into subsets that correspond to disciplines and/or physical subsystems that exchange input-output data with each other. The method uses the partial sensitivity derivatives of the output with respect to input obtained for each subset separately to assemble a set of linear, simultaneous, algebraic equations that are solved for the derivatives of the coupled system response. This sensitivity analysis is verified using an example of a cantilever beam augmented with an active control system to limit the beam's dynamic displacements under an excitation force. The verification shows good agreement of the method with reference data obtained by a finite difference technique involving entire system analysis. The usefulness of a system sensitivity method in optimization applications by employing a piecewise-linear approach to the same numerical example is demonstrated. The method's principal merits are its intrinsically superior accuracy in comparison with the finite difference technique, and its compatibility with the traditional division of work in complex engineering tasks among specialty groups.

Sobieszczanskisobieski, Jaroslaw↗

Control-augmented structural synthesis

A control-augmented structural synthesis methodology is presented in which the structural member sizes and active control system feedback gains are treated simultaneously as independent design variables. Multiple static and harmonic dynamic loading conditions are considered. Constraints are imposed on static displacements, natural frequencies, and the magnitudes of the steady-state dynamic displacements and actuator forces to ensure acceptable system behavior. Side constraints imposed on the design variables protect against the generation of unrealizable designs. Example problems are presented that demonstrate the method and underscore the importance of integrating the structural and active control system design process.

Lust, R. V.↗

A control-volume method for analysis of unsteady thrust augmenting ejector flows

A method for predicting transient thrust augmenting ejector characteristics is presented. The analysis blends classic self-similar turbulent jet descriptions with a control volume mixing region discretization to solicit transient effects in a new way. Division of the ejector into an inlet, diffuser, and mixing region corresponds with the assumption of viscous-dominated phenomenon in the latter. Inlet and diffuser analyses are simplified by a quasi-steady analysis, justified by the assumptions that pressure is the forcing function in those regions. Details of the theoretical foundation, the solution algorithm, and sample calculations are given.

Drummond, Colin K.↗

Detailed design of a Ride Quality Augmentation System for commuter aircraft

The design of a Ride Quality Augmentation System (RQAS) for commuter aircraft is documented. The RQAS is designed for a Cessna 402B, an 8 passenger prop twin representative to this class of aircraft. The purpose of the RQAS is the reduction of vertical and lateral accelerations of the aircraft due to atmospheric turbulence by the application of active control. The detailed design of the hardware (the aircraft modifications, the Ride Quality Instrumentation System (RQIS), and the required computer software) is examined. The aircraft modifications, consisting of the dedicated control surfaces and the hydraulic actuation system, were designed at Cessna Aircraft by Kansas University-Flight Research Laboratory. The instrumentation system, which consist of the sensor package, the flight computer, a Data Acquisition System, and the pilot and test engineer control panels, was designed by NASA-Langley. The overall system design and the design of the software, both for flight control algorithms and ground system checkout are detailed. The system performance is predicted from linear simulation results and from power spectral densities of the aircraft response to a Dryden gust. The results indicate that both accelerations are possible.

Suikat, Reiner↗

Optical experiments on thermophoretically augmented submicron particle deposition from 'dusty' high temperature gas flows

A real-time laser reflectivity method and Pt ribbon targets are used to obtain experimental data on the initial deposition rate of MgO(s) particles of approximately 700 nm diameter from otherwise clean combustion products as a function of target temperature (about 950-1450 K) and mainstream gas temperature (about 1500-1600 K). These preliminary data are used to demonstrate the dominant role of thermophoresis (particle drift down a temperature gradient) and to assess the utility of recently developed theoretical methods for predicting and correlating the temperature dependence of thermophoretically augmented convective-diffusion 'dust' deposition rates from flowing hot gases.

Rosner, Daniel E.↗

Stereo 3-D and non-stereo presentations of a computer-generated pictorial primary flight display with pathway augmentation

Stereo 3-D was researched as a means to present cockpit displays which enhance a pilot's situational awareness while maintaining a desirable level of mental workload. The initial study at the NASA Langley Research Center used two different pathways-in-the-sky to augment a computer-generated pictorial primary flight display. One pathway resembled the outline of signposts, while the other pathway resembled a monorail. That display was configured for a curved approach to a landing such as could be used in a Microwave Landing System (MLS) approach. It could also be used for military transports which would have to fly a precision curved pathway. Each trial was initialized with the pilot on the desired flight path. After 2 seconds, he suddenly was shifted to one of eight flight path offsets. The pilot was then required to make the initial pitch and/or roll input to correct back to the nominal flight path. As soon as the input was made, the trial was over. No input was required for control trials with no flight path offset. Pilots responded statistically significantly faster when the display was presented in the stereo version than when it was presented in the nonstereo version.

Nataupsky, Mark↗

Control-Volume Analysis Of Thrust-Augmenting Ejectors

New method of analysis of transient flow in thrust-augmenting ejector based on control-volume formulation of governing equations. Considered as potential elements of propulsion subsystems of short-takeoff/vertical-landing airplanes.

Drummond, Colin K.↗

Structural stability augmentation system design using BODEDIRECT: A quick and accurate approach

A methodology is presented for a modal suppression control law design using flight test data instead of mathematical models to obtain the required gain and phase information about the flexible airplane. This approach is referred to as BODEDIRECT. The purpose of the BODEDIRECT program is to provide a method of analyzing the modal phase relationships measured directly from the airplane. These measurements can be achieved with a frequency sweep at the control surface input while measuring the outputs of interest. The measured Bode-models can be used directly for analysis in the frequency domain, and for control law design. Besides providing a more accurate representation for the system inputs and outputs of interest, this method is quick and relatively inexpensive. To date, the BODEDIRECT program has been tested and verified for computational integrity. Its capabilities include calculation of series, parallel and loop closure connections between Bode-model representations. System PSD, together with gain and phase margins of stability may be calculated for successive loop closures of multi-input/multi-output systems. Current plans include extensive flight testing to obtain a Bode-model representation of a commercial aircraft for design of a structural stability augmentation system.

Goslin, T. J.↗

Rain-fade simulation and power augmentation for satellite communication systems

The design and implementation of an automated rain-fade simulation and power augmentation system is presented. The system experimentally simulates and measures the effects of radiofrequency power fade on a 20 GHz communication link using a multimode travelling wave tube amplifier for loss compensation. Precision, computer-controlled attenuators are used in the fade simulation. Test plans for analog and digital testing are discussed.

Shalkhauser, Kurt A.↗

The augmented Lagrangian method for parameter estimation in elliptic systems

In this paper a new technique for the estimation of parameters in elliptic partial differential equations is developed. It is a hybrid method combining the output-least-squares and the equation error method. The new method is realized by an augmented Lagrangian formulation, and convergence as well as rate of convergence proofs are provided. Technically the critical step is the verification of a coercivity estimate of an appropriately defined Lagrangian functional. To obtain this coercivity estimate a seminorm regularization technique is used.

Ito, Kazufumi↗

Bridge feedback for active damping augmentation

A method is described for broadband damping augmentation of a structural system in which the active members (with feedback control) were developed such that their mechanical input impedance can be electrically adjusted to maximize the energy dissipation rate in the structural system. The active member consists of sensors, an actuator, and a control scheme. A mechanical/electrical analogy is described to model the passive structures and the active members in terms of their impedance representation. As a result, the problem of maximizing dissipative power is analogous to the problem of impedance matching in the electrical network. Closed-loop performance was demonstrated for single- and multiple-active-member controlled truss structure.

Chen, G.-S.↗

Optimal placement of actuators and sensors in control augmented structural optimization

A control-augmented structural synthesis methodology is presented in which actuator and sensor placement is treated in terms of (0,1) variables. Structural member sizes and control variables are treated simultaneously as design variables. A multiobjective utopian approach is used to obtain a compromise solution for inherently conflicting objective functions such as strucutal mass control effort and number of actuators. Constraints are imposed on transient displacements, natural frequencies, actuator forces and dynamic stability as well as controllability and observability of the system. The combinatorial aspects of the mixed - (0,1) continuous variable design optimization problem are made tractable by combining approximation concepts with branch and bound techniques. Some numerical results for example problems are presented to illustrate the efficacy of the design procedure set forth.

Sepulveda, A. E.↗