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At least 541 records · Page 30

Nonlinear decoupled control synthesis for maneuvering aircraft

A control law for decoupling roll rate, angle of attack and sideslip in rapid, nonlinear airplane maneuvers is derived. For simplicity, only moments caused by ailerons, rudder and elevator are considered, and control forces are neglected. Simulated responses of the closed loop system, including the control forces, show that the neglected forces have no significant effects and that large, simultaneous lateral and longitudinal maneuvers can be precisely performed. The violent divergences which occur in open-loop maneuvers of this type are eliminated by the decoupling. The control law showed little sensitivity to 20 percent perturbation in three important stability derivatives.

Singh, S. N.↗

Comparison of Rotor Structural Loads Calculated using Comprehensive Analysis

Blade flap and chord bending and torsion moments are investigated for six rotors operating at transition and high speed: H-34 in flight and wind tunnel, SA 330 (research Puma), SA 349/2, UH-60A full-scale, and BO- 105 model (HART-I). The measured data from flight and wind tunnel tests are compared with calculations obtained using the comprehensive analysis CAMRAD II. The calculations were made using two free wake models: rolled-up and multiple-trailer with consolidation models. At transition speed, there is fair to good agreement for the flap and chord bending moments between the test data and analysis for the H-34, research Puma, and SA 349/2. Torsion moment correlation, in general, is fair to good for all the rotors investigated. Better flap bending and torsion moment correlation is obtained for the UH-60A and BO-105 rotors by using the multiple-trailer with consolidation wake model. In the high speed condition, the analysis shows generally better correlation in magnitude than in phase for the flap bending and torsion moments. However, a significant underprediction of chord bending moment is observed for the research Puma and UH-60A. The poor chord bending moment correlation appears to be caused by the airloads model, not the structural dynamics.

Johnson, Wayne↗

Orbiting chains and rings

Two very different, highly flexible, space structures proposed during the last decade which involve analytical solution of certain partial differential equations are discussed. The first structure is an array, or hanging chain of aluminum beads which would serve as a convenient communicator if, under the influence of the Earth's gravity gradient, it assumes a local vertical orientation as it circles the Earth. Two passive schemes have been proposed for damping the rigid modes: twist the wire at the ends to provide non-zero moment of inertia about the vertical, thereby inducing relative motion of the two tips during rigid pitch or roll, and thus exercising a damper; and introduce weak lossy springs between the end sections and the main section; thereby providing linear coupling between the springs and all the in-plane (pitch) modes. The second structure is a complete ring of satellites cabled together at synchronous altitude. By a slight increase in altitude, the cable is in tension. This configuration is, however, unstable, and an active feedback control scheme is required to stabilize it. A possible scheme involves local cable length adjustment based on measurement of local altitude and shape variations and their rates.

Breakwell, J. V.↗

Wind-tunnel research comparing lateral control devices, particularly at high angles of attack II : slotted ailerons and frise ailerons

Three model wings, two with typical slotted ailerons and one with typical frise ailerons, have been tested as part of a general investigation on lateral control devices with particular reference to their effectiveness at high angles of attack, in the 7 by 10 foot wind tunnel of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Force tests, free-autorotation tests, and forced-rotation tests were made which show the effect of the various ailerons on the general performance of the wing, on the lateral controllability, and on the lateral stability, in general, rolling control at 20 degree angle of attack to plain ailerons of the same size. The adverse yawing moments obtained with the slotted and frise ailerons were, in most cases, slightly smaller than those obtained with plain ailerons of the same size and deflection. However, this improvement was small as compared to the improvement obtainable by the use of suitable differential movements with any of the ailerons, including the plain.

Weick, Fred E↗

Autonomous Reconfigurable Control Allocation (ARCA) for Reusable Launch Vehicles

The role of control allocation (CA) in modern aerospace vehicles is to compute a command vector delta(sub c) is a member of IR(sup n(sub a)) that corresponding to commanded or desired body-frame torques (moments) tou(sub c) = [L M N](sup T) to the vehicle, compensating for and/or responding to inaccuracies in off-line nominal control allocation calculations, actuator failures and/or degradations (reduced effectiveness), or actuator limitations (rate/position saturation). The command vector delta(sub c) may govern the behavior of, e.g., acrosurfaces, reaction thrusters, engine gimbals and/or thrust vectoring. Typically, the individual moments generated in response to each of the n(sub a) commands does not lie strictly in the roll, pitch, or yaw axes, and so a common practice is to group or gang actuators so that a one-to-one mapping from torque commands tau(sub c) actuator commands delta(sub c) may be achieved in an off-line computed CA function.

Hodel, A. S.↗

Measurement of the inertial properties of the Helios F-1 spacecraft

A gravity pendulum method of measuring lateral moments of inertia of large structures with an error of less than 1% is outlined. The method is based on the fact that in a physical pendulum with a knife-edge support the distance from the axis of rotation to the system center of gravity determines the minimal period of oscillation and is equal to the system centroidal radius of gyration. The method is applied to results of a test procedure in which the Helios F-1 spacecraft was placed in a roll fixture with crossed flexure pivots as elastic constraints and system oscillation measurements were made with each of a set of added moment-of-inertia increments. Equations of motion are derived with allowance for the effect of the finite pivot radius and an error analysis is carried out to find the criterion for maximum accuracy in determining the square of the centroidal radius of gyration. The test procedure allows all measurements to be made with the specimen in upright position.

Gayman, W. H.↗

Analysis of a suspension system for a wheel rolling on a flat track

A flexure strut wheel suspension system is described which keeps a wheel flat against the track and maintains a small interface moment. Equations are presented for the evaluation of this moment. A comparison of the flexure strut system is made with a rigid link design containing pivot bearings.

Mcginness, H.↗

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.↗

Oblique wing ready for research aircraft

Performance features and possible design configurations for oblique wings which would lower the supersonic drag characteristics of fighter aircraft are described. The oblique shape reduces wave drag in proportion to the wing length, and can achieve reductions by factors of 4-16. Variable sweep would be accompanied by fuel pumping to maintain an acceptable center of gravity and tail loading. The lift forces remain balanced and thus remove fuselage loads considerations. Extra tail loading to handle longitudinal moments of center-of-lift shifts with variable sweep aircraft are also eliminated. However, oblique wings couple the roll, pitch and yaw axes and require digital controls to provide balancing forces. NASA has initiated a four phase design, construction and flight test program to examine the flight envelope of oblique wings on the F-8 aircraft.

Gregory, T.↗

Computer program for analysis of high speed, single row, angular contact, spherical roller bearing, SASHBEAN. Volume 2: Mathematical formulation and analysis

Spherical roller bearings have typically been used in applications with speeds limited to about 5000 rpm and loads limited for operation at less than about 0.25 million DN. However, spherical roller bearings are now being designed for high load and high speed applications including aerospace applications. A computer program, SASHBEAN, was developed to provide an analytical tool to design, analyze, and predict the performance of high speed, single row, angular contact (including zero contact angle), spherical roller bearings. The material presented is the mathematical formulation and analytical methods used to develop computer program SASHBEAN. For a given set of operating conditions, the program calculates the bearings ring deflections (axial and radial), roller deflections, contact areas stresses, depth and magnitude of maximum shear stresses, axial thrust, rolling element and cage rotational speeds, lubrication parameters, fatigue lives, and rates of heat generation. Centrifugal forces and gyroscopic moments are fully considered. The program is also capable of performing steady-state and time-transient thermal analyses of the bearing system.

Aggarwal, Arun K.↗

Low-speed wind tunnel investigation of the stability and control characteristics of a series of flying wings with sweep angles of 60 deg

A wind tunnel investigation was conducted in the Langley 12-Foot Low-Speed Wind Tunnel to study the low-speed stability and control characteristics of a series of four flying wings over an extended range of angle of attack (-8 deg to 48 deg). Because of the current emphasis on reducing the radar cross section of new military aircraft, the planform of each wing was composed of lines swept at a relatively high angle of 60 deg, and all the trailing-edge lines were aligned with one of the two leading edges. Three arrow planforms with different aspect ratios and one diamond planform were tested. The models incorporated leading-edge flaps for improved pitching-moment characteristics and lateral stability and had three sets of trailing-edge flaps that were deflected differentially for roll control, symmetrically for pitch control, and in a split fashion for yaw control. Top bodies of three widths and twin vertical tails of various sizes and locations were also tested on each model. A large aerodynamic database was compiled that could be used to evaluate some of the trade-offs involved in the design of a configuration with a reduced radar cross section and good flight dynamic characteristics.

Moul, Thomas M.↗

An E-plane analysis of aperture-matched horn antennas using the moment method and the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction

The moment method and the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction are utilized to obtain two separate solutions for the E-plane field pattern of an aperture-matched horn antenna. This particular horn antenna consists of a standard pyramidal horn with the following modifications: a rolled edge section attached to the aperture edges and a curved throat section. The resulting geometry provides significantly better performance in terms of the pattern, impedance, and frequency characteristics than normally obtainable. The moment method is used to calculate the E-plane pattern and BSWR of the antenna. However, at higher frequencies, large amounts of computation time are required. The uniform geometrical theory of diffraction provides a quick and efficient high frequency solution for the E-plane field pattern. In fact, the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction may be used to initially design the antenna; then, the moment method may be applied to fine tune the design. This procedure has been successfully applied to a compact range feed design.

Heedy, D. J.↗

An aperture-matched compact range feed horn design

The moment method and the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction are used to obtain two separate solutions for the E-plane far field pattern of an aperture-matched horn antenna. This particular horn antenna consists of a standard pyramidal horn with the following modifications: a rolled edge section attached to the aperture edges and a curved throat section. The resulting geometry provides significantly better performance in terms of the pattern, impedance, and frequency characteristics than normally obtainable. The moment method is used to calculate the E-plane pattern and voltage standing-wave ratio (VSWR) of the antenna. However, at higher frequencies, the moment method requires large amounts of computation time. On the other hand, the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction provides a quick and efficient high frequency solution for the E-plane field pattern. This procedure has been successfully applied to design a compact range feed horn.

Heedy, D. J.↗

An experimental study of the motorcycle roll stabilization task

The work of Sharp represents the most complete theoretical analysis of the uncontrolled motorcycle presently available, and serves as a theoretical basis for the study described. Sharp's analysis included roll, yaw, lateral translation, and steering degrees of freedom, and the resulting equations are linear with constant coefficients. Tire aligning moments due to tire sideslip were added to Sharp's equations. Experimental results are presented, and related to the theoretical studies of Sharp and Weir.

Eaton, D. J.↗

Entry Atmospheric Flight Control Authority Impacts on GN and C and Trajectory Performance for Orion Exploration Flight Test 1

One of the key design objectives of NASA's Orion Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1) is to execute a guided entry trajectory demonstrating GN&C capability. The focus of this paper is the ight control authority of the vehicle throughout the atmospheric entry ight to the target landing site and its impacts on GN&C, parachute deployment, and integrated performance. The vehicle's attitude control authority is obtained from thrusting 12 Re- action Control System (RCS) engines, with four engines to control yaw, four engines to control pitch, and four engines to control roll. The static and dynamic stability derivatives of the vehicle are determined to assess the inherent aerodynamic stability. The aerodynamic moments at various locations in the entry trajectory are calculated and compared to the available torque provided by the RCS system. Interaction between the vehicle's RCS engine plumes and the aerodynamic conditions are considered to assess thruster effectiveness. This document presents an assessment of Orion's ight control authority and its effectiveness in controlling the vehicle during critical events in the atmospheric entry trajectory.

McNamara, Luke W.↗

Magnetic suspension and balance system (MSBS) advanced study.I - System design

A magnetic suspension and balance system is designed to support models of aircraft or other objects in wind tunnels by means of magnetic forces. Major design improvements have been achieved, resulting in reductions of the system size, weight, and cost. These improvements are due to: (1) the use of holmium in the model core to increase its magnetic moment, (2) the use of a powerful new permanent magnet material in the model wings, (3) a new arrangement for the roll coils, and (4) the use of a nonmetallic structure to eliminate eddy current losses. The conceptual design of the holmium core superconductive solenoid and of the new permanent magnet wing assembly is described in detail. The discussion includes comparisons of the pole strengths for different model core magnets, the design of a superconducting solenoid and cryostat, and the analysis of model wing magnetic requirements.

Boom, Roger W.↗

On Betz' Method for Rollup of Vortex Sheets

A method introduced by Betz in 1932 relates the vortex sheet shed by one side of a lifting wing to the rolled-up vortex far downstream. The Betz rollup theory came into active use during the 1970's when the hazard posed by vortex wakes of subsonic transport aircraft became of concern at airports. Even though the method involves several simplifying assumptions, it provides insight into the rollup process and has proven to be a useful and reliable tool for the analysis and diagnosis of lift-generated wakes. As part of an ongoing effort to develop improved guidelines for the rollup process of complex vortex wakes, the research described is directed at the study of the two vortex invariants not used in the Betz formulation, and to find out if they can be used to determine the sequence of rollup or the center of vortices where rollup begins. It is found that the two unused vortex invariants are both conserved during rollup, but that they do not yield any information or guidance on rollup sequence or on the location of vortex centers. It is also found that the invariant for energy can be used to determine the rolled-up structure of vortices but the structure differs negligibly from that predicted by use of the invariant for the second moment of circulation.

Rossow, Vernon J.↗

Alleviation of side force on tangent-ogive forebodies using passive porosity

An experimental investigation to determine the effectiveness of porosity for alleviating side forces on forebodies was conducted in the NASA Langley Research Center 7 x 10 ft High-Speed Wind Tunnel. The study consisted of a comparison of experimental force, moment, and surface pressure results obtained on a fineness ratio 5.0 tangent-ogive porous forebody with 0.020 in. hole diameter and 22 percent porosity with results obtained on a solid forebody. The forebodies were tested with cylindrical afterbodies. The solid forebody was tested with transition grit to simulate fully turbulent conditions and without transition grit to simulate free transition conditions. The extent of porosity on the forebody was varied to determine the extent of porosity needed to alleviate side forces. Static longitudinal and lateral-directional stability and surface pressure data were obtained at Mach numbers of 0.2, 0.5, and 0.8. The angle of attack range was from 5 to 45 deg and roll angles from -90 to 180 deg. The solid forebody exhibited large asymmetries at moderate to high angles of attack causing large side forces and yawing moments. The porous forebody exhibited no significant side forces or yawing moments at any angle of attack tested.

Bauer, Steven X. S.↗