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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 487 records · Page 27
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2015

Ultrasonic Stir Welding

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) developed Ultrasonic Stir Welding (USW) to join large pieces of very high-strength metals such as titanium and Inconel. USW, a solid-state weld process, improves current thermal stir welding processes by adding high-power ultrasonic (HPU) energy at 20 kHz frequency. The addition of ultrasonic energy significantly reduces axial, frictional, and shear forces; increases travel rates; and reduces wear on the stir rod, which results in extended stir rod life. The USW process decouples the heating, stirring, and forging elements found in the friction stir welding process allowing for independent control of each process element and, ultimately, greater process control and repeatability. Because of the independent control of USW process elements, closed-loop temperature control can be integrated into the system so that a constant weld nugget temperature can be maintained during welding.

Nabors, Sammy↗
NASA NTRS2015

Proportional and Integral Thermal Control System for Large Scale Heating Tests

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Armstrong Flight Research Center (Edwards, California) Flight Loads Laboratory is a unique national laboratory that supports thermal, mechanical, thermal/mechanical, and structural dynamics research and testing. A Proportional Integral thermal control system was designed and implemented to support thermal tests. A thermal control algorithm supporting a quartz lamp heater was developed based on the Proportional Integral control concept and a linearized heating process. The thermal control equations were derived and expressed in terms of power levels, integral gain, proportional gain, and differences between thermal setpoints and skin temperatures. Besides the derived equations, user's predefined thermal test information generated in the form of thermal maps was used to implement the thermal control system capabilities. Graphite heater closed-loop thermal control and graphite heater open-loop power level were added later to fulfill the demand for higher temperature tests. Verification and validation tests were performed to ensure that the thermal control system requirements were achieved. This thermal control system has successfully supported many milestone thermal and thermal/mechanical tests for almost a decade with temperatures ranging from 50 F to 3000 F and temperature rise rates from -10 F/s to 70 F/s for a variety of test articles having unique thermal profiles and test setups.

Thermal Control System↗
NASA NTRS1984

Interactive aircraft flight control and aeroelastic stabilization

An analytical model has been used to study the problem of integrated control system/structural dynamic design. This model utilizes the traditional typical section lifting surface with a control surface attached in 2-D unsteady incompressible flow. The studies have as their purpose the examination of the use of the location of the elastic axis of the airfoil as a design variable in the search for an actively controlled configuration that has a specified flutter margin. Items of interest include the determination of flutter speed and divergence speed as functions of a nondimensional parameter, a sub c, that measures the location (in semi-chords) of the elastic axis with respect to the airfoil midchord. All other parameters are fixed. The behavior of velocity root locus curves with changes in a sub c is illustrated. Also shown is an example of the use of sensitivity derivatives to reposition poles of the open loop system. The behavior of the actively controlled or closed loop system is also discussed. A set of examples are presented to indicate how the shear center parameter, a sub c, affects the design of the controlled system.

Weisshaar, T. A.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Machine Learning-Based Process Control for Injection Molding of Recycled Polypropylene

The increased interest in artificial intelligence in manufacturing has driven the adoption of machine learning to optimize processes and improve efficiency. A key challenge in injection molding is the variability of recycled materials, which affects part quality and processing stability. This study presents a novel closed-loop process control approach for injection molding, leveraging machine learning to adaptively predict processing inputs and quality outcomes. The methodology was tested on five blends of recycled polypropylene (rPP), using artificial neural networks (ANNs), linear regression, and polynomial regression to model the relationships between material properties and process parameters. The dataset was split 80/20 into training and testing sets. The ANN model was implemented using TensorFlow and Keras, with six hidden layers of 32 neurons per layer, ReLU activation, and an Adam optimizer. Empirical tuning and early stopping were used to optimize performance and prevent overfitting. Predictions were evaluated based on mean absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (MSE), and percentage error. The results showed that yield stress, ultimate elongation, and part weight were accurately predicted within a 5% error for linear and polynomial regression models and within a 10% error for the ANN. However, modulus predictions were less reliable, with errors of ~11% for ANN and linear regression and ~40% for polynomial regression, reflecting the inherent variability of this property in rPP blends. Predictions of processing inputs had errors ranging from 3% to 25%, depending on the model and response variable. No single modeling approach was consistently superior across all responses, highlighting the complexity of the relationship between material properties, process parameters, and quality metrics. Overall, the work demonstrates that closed-loop process control, powered by machine learning, can effectively predict key quality parameters in injection molding of recycled materials. The proposed approach can improve process stability and material utilization, facilitating increased adoption of sustainable materials.

Krantz, Joshua↗
NASA NTRS1986

Performance characteristics of an adaptive controller based on least-mean-square filters

A closed loop, adaptive control scheme that uses a least mean square filter as the controller model is presented, along with simulation results that demonstrate the excellent robustness of this scheme. It is shown that the scheme adapts very well to unknown plants, even those that are marginally stable, responds appropriately to changes in plant parameters, and is not unduly affected by additive noise. A heuristic argument for the conditions necessary for convergence is presented. Potential applications and extensions of the scheme are also discussed.

Mehta, Rajiv S.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Obvious and non-obvious aspects of digital Self-Excited-Loops for SRF cavity control

In 1978, Delayen showed how Self-Excited Loops (SEL) can be used to great advantage for controlling narrow-band SRF cavities. Its key capability is establishing closed-loop amplitude control early in the setup process, stabilizing Lorentz forces to allow cavity tuning and phase loop setup in a stable environment. As people around the world implement this basic idea with modern FPGA DSP technology, multiple variations and operational scenarios creep in that have both obvious and non-obvious ramifications for latency, feedback stability, and resiliency. This paper will review the key properties of a Delayen-style SEL when set up for open-loop, amplitude stabilized, and phase-stabilized modes. Then the original analog circuit will be compared and contrasted with the known variations of digital CORDIC-based implementations.

Doolittle, Larry [LBL, Berkeley]↗
NASA NTRS1989

Real-time closed-loop simulation and upset evaluation of control systems in harsh electromagnetic environments

Digital control systems for applications such as aircraft avionics and multibody systems must maintain adequate control integrity in adverse as well as nominal operating conditions. For example, control systems for advanced aircraft, and especially those with relaxed static stability, will be critical to flight and will, therefore, have very high reliability specifications which must be met regardless of operating conditions. In addition, multibody systems such as robotic manipulators performing critical functions must have control systems capable of robust performance in any operating environment in order to complete the assigned task reliably. Severe operating conditions for electronic control systems can result from electromagnetic disturbances caused by lightning, high energy radio frequency (HERF) transmitters, and nuclear electromagnetic pulses (NEMP). For this reason, techniques must be developed to evaluate the integrity of the control system in adverse operating environments. The most difficult and illusive perturbations to computer-based control systems that can be caused by an electromagnetic environment (EME) are functional error modes that involve no component damage. These error modes are collectively known as upset, can occur simultaneously in all of the channels of a redundant control system, and are software dependent. Upset studies performed to date have not addressed the assessment of fault tolerant systems and do not involve the evaluation of a control system operating in a closed-loop with the plant. A methodology for performing a real-time simulation of the closed-loop dynamics of a fault tolerant control system with a simulated plant operating in an electromagnetically harsh environment is presented. In particular, considerations for performing upset tests on the controller are discussed. Some of these considerations are the generation and coupling of analog signals representative of electromagnetic disturbances to a control system under test, analog data acquisition, and digital data acquisition from fault tolerant systems. In addition, a case study of an upset test methodology for a fault tolerant electromagnetic aircraft engine control system is presented.

Belcastro, Celeste M.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Alleviation of whirl-flutter on a joined-wing tilt-rotor aircraft configuration using active controls

The feasibility of using active controls to delay the onset of whirl-flutter on a joined-wing tilt rotor aircraft was investigated. The CAMRAD/JA code was used to obtain a set of linear differential equations which describe the motion of the joined-wing tilt-rotor aircraft. The hub motions due to wing/body motion is a standard input to CAMRAD/JA and were obtained from a structural dynamics model of a representative joined-wing tilt-rotor aircraft. The CAMRAD/JA output, consisting of the open-loop system matrices, and the airframe free vibration motion were input to a separate program which performed the closed-loop, active control calculations. An eigenvalue analysis was performed to determine the flutter stability of both open- and closed-loop systems. Sensor models, based upon the feedback of pure state variables and based upon hub-mounted sensors, providing physically measurable accelerations, were evaluated. It was shown that the onset of tilt-rotor whirl-flutter could be delayed from 240 to above 270 knots by feeding back vertical and span-wise accelerations, measured at the rotor hub, to the longitudinal cyclic pitch. Time response calculations at a 270-knot cruise condition showed an active cyclic pitch control level of 0.009 deg, which equates to a very acceptable 9 pound active-control force applied at the rotor hub.

Vanaken, Johannes M.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Application of the MNA design method to a nonlinear turbofan engine

Using nonlinear digital simulation as a representative model of the dynamic operation of the QCSEE turbofan engine, a feedback control system is designed by variable frequency design techniques. Transfer functions are generated for each of five power level settings covering the range of operation from approach power to full throttle (62.5% to 100% full power). These transfer functions are then used by an interactive control system design synthesis program to provide a closed loop feedback control using the multivariable Nyquist array and extensions to multivariable Bode diagrams and Nichols charts.

Leininger, G. G.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Considerations of open-loop, closed-loop, and adaptive multicyclic control systems

Four different types of self-tuning regulators were studied for multicyclic control of helicopter vibration. A numerical simulation of the helicopter is made, using a multivariable frequency-domain model, in terms of transfer function with six input control harmonics and six output harmonics. The model characteristics vary with flight speed. An off-line identification of model characteristics is made, using the least-squared-error method and using a succession of input and output measurements. The on-line identification of model characteristics is made using the Kalman filter solution. The optimal controls are calculated from the minimization of quadratic performance function based on response and multicyclic inputs. The performance of various regulators or controllers is judged from the stability, transient response, convergence time, and amplitude of the steady state.

Chopra, I.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Effect of accuracy of wind power prediction on power system operator

This research project proposed a modified unit commitment that schedules connection and disconnection of generating units in response to load. A modified generation control is also proposed that controls steam units under automatic generation control, fast responding diesels, gas turbines and hydro units under a feedforward control, and wind turbine array output under a closed loop array control. This modified generation control and unit commitment require prediction of trend wind power variation one hour ahead and the prediction of error in this trend wind power prediction one half hour ahead. An improved meter for predicting trend wind speed variation is developed. Methods for accurately simulating the wind array power from a limited number of wind speed prediction records was developed. Finally, two methods for predicting the error in the trend wind power prediction were developed. This research provides a foundation for testing and evaluating the modified unit commitment and generation control that was developed to maintain operating reliability at a greatly reduced overall production cost for utilities with wind generation capacity.

Schlueter, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Closed-Loop Motor-Speed Control

Electronic motor-speed control circuit designed to operate in electrically noisy environment. Includes optoelectronic pick-up device, placed inside motor housing to provide speed feedback signal. Automatically maintains speed motor at commanded value. Measures speed of motor in terms of frequency of pulses of infrared light chopped by fan blades of motor. Difference between measured and commanded speeds serves as control signal for external amplifier driving motor. Major advantage of circuit is low cost.

Smith, Matthew A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Dynamic characteristics of a Space Station Freedom Mars evolution reference configuration

One concept for a manned mission to Mars uses as a transportation mode an evolutionary version of Space Station Freedom (SSF), termed the Mars Evolution Reference Configuration (MERC). The MERC is configured by adding to SSF dual keels, an upper and lower boom, additional laboratory and habitation modules, increased power, and an assembly platform. A finite-element model of the MERC was formulated to investigate the expected low frequency modes, and its variations with the addition of large payload. A basic reboost procedure using near-continuous firing of reaction control system jets is described with the closed-loop attitude control system. The elastic dynamic behavior at critical points during a reboost of the MERC, both with and without the Mars piloted vehicle installed, is examined.

Ayers, J. Kirk↗
NASA NTRS1991

Closed-Loop Chopping-Mirror Controller

Motion of chopping mirror controlled very precisely by feedback circuit originally developed for mirrors in orbiting infrared telescopes. Mirror position and velocity electronically sensed and commanded. New controller enables selection of different chopping frequencies, angular amplitudes, dwell times, and dwell positions. Also reduces noise and vibration by eliminating mechanical stops and reduces energy consumption in actuator.

Lorell, Kenneth R.↗