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At least 73 records · Page 4

Effects of composition on acceleration induced burning-rate augmentation.

The objective of this work was to better define the effects of propellant composition variables on the acceleration induced burning-rate augmentation of solid propellants. The rate augmentation of an aluminized propellant at a given acceleration level was found to be a nonlinear inverse function of the reference or static burning rate and not controlled by binder or catalyst type at a given reference rate. A nonaluminized and a low rate double-base propellant exhibited strong transient rate augmentation due to surface pitting resulting from the retention of hot particles on the propellant surface.

Northam, G. B.

The augment precompiler as a tool for the development of special purpose arithmetic packages

A FORTRAN precompiler, AUGMENT, is used to develop packages for nonstandard arithmetics. It renders the source code more lucid, reduces the number of lines of code in a nonstandard arithmetic package, facilitates modification, and decreases the problems of transporting such a package to another host system. AUGMENT is briefly described and its use in the construction of the interval package is discussed. Other applications of AUGMENT are also included.

Crary, F. D.

Analytical design of a high performance stability and control augmentation system for a hingeless rotor helicopter

A stability and control augmentation system (SCAS) was designed based on a set of comprehensive performance criteria. Linear optimal control theory was applied to determine appropriate feedback gains for the stability augmentation system (SAS). The helicopter was represented by six-degree-of-freedom rigid body equations of motion and constant factors were used as weightings for state and control variables. The ratio of these factors was employed as a parameter for SAS analysis and values of the feedback gains were selected on this basis to satisfy three of the performance criteria for full and partial state feedback systems. A least squares design method was then applied to determine control augmentation system (CAS) cross feed gains to satisfy the remaining seven performance criteria. The SCAS gains were then evaluated by nine degree-of-freedom equations which include flapping motion and conclusions drawn concerning the necessity of including the pitch/regressing and roll/regressing modes in SCAS analyses.

Miyajima, K.

A piloted simulator investigation of augmentation systems to improve helicopter nap-of-the-earth handling qualities

A piloted simulation study assessed various levels of stability and control augmentation designed to improve the handling qualities of several helicopters in nap-of-the-earth (NOE) flight. Five basic single rotor helicopters - one teetering, two articulated, and two hingeless - which were found to have a variety of major deficiencies in a previous fixed-based simulator study were selected as baseline configurations. The stability and control augmentation systems (SCAS) include simple control augmentation systems (CAS) to decouple pitch and yaw responses due to collective input and to quicken the pitch and roll control responses; SCAS of rate command type designed to optimize the sensitivity and damping and to decouple the pitch-roll due to aircraft angular rate; and attitude command type SCAS. Pilot ratings and commentary are presented as well as performance data related to the task. SCAS control usage and their gain levels associated with specific rotor type are also discussed.

Chen, R. T. N.

Augmenting ejector endwall effects

Rectangular inlet ejectors which had multiple hypermixing nozzles for their primary jets were investigated for the effects of endwall blowing on thrust augmentation performance. The ejector configurations tested had both straight wall and active boundary layer control type diffusers. Endwall flows were energized and controlled by simple blowing jets suitably located in the ejector. Both the endwall and boundary layer control diffuser blowing rates were varied to determine optimum performance. High area ratio diffusers with insufficient endwall blowing showed endwall separation and rapid degradation of thrust performance. Optimized values of diffuser boundary layer control and endwall nozzle blowing rates in an ejector augmenter were shown to achieve high levels of augmentation performance for maximum compactness.

Porter, J. L.

Low order equivalent models of highly augmented aircraft determined from flight data using maximum likelihood estimation

This paper presents the results of a study of the feasibility of using low order equivalent mathematical models of a highly augmented aircraft, the F-8 digital fly-by-wire (DFBW), for flying qualities research. Increasingly complex models were formulated and evaluated using flight data and maximum likelihood estimation techniques. The aircraft actuator was modeled alone first. Next the equivalent derivatives were used to model the longitudinal unaugmented F-8 DFBW aircraft dynamics. The most complex model incorporated a pure time shift of the pilot input, a first order lag, and the basic longitudinal airframe model. This same model was then implemented for the F-8 DFBW aircraft in a highly augmented mode. Excellent matching of the dynamics resulted for this model, indicating that low order equivalent models which are good representations of the highly augmented F-8 DFBW aircraft can be formulated with these methods.

Shafer, M. F.

A piloted simulator investigation of static stability and stability/control augmentation effects on helicopter handling qualities for instrument approach

A ground simulator experiment was conducted on the Flight Simulator for Advanced Aircraft at Ames Research Center to investigate the influence of several static stability and stability/control augmentation design parameters on helicopter flying qualities during terminal area operations in instrument conditions. Effects of light turbulence were included. Two levels of static stability in each rotational axis (pitch, roll, yaw) were examined for a hingeless rotor configuration. The variations in pitch and roll were: (1) stable and (2) neutral static stability; in yaw there were two stable levels. Four types of stability/control augmentation were also examined for the lower level of static stability in each axis. This latter investigation covered three helicopter rotor types: hingeless, articulated, and teetering. Four pilots performed a total of 105 evaluations of these parameters for a representative VOR instrument approach task. Pilot rating results indicate the acceptability of neutral static stability longitudinally and laterally and the need for pitch-roll attitude augmentation to achieve a satisfactory system.

Lebacqz, J. V.

Development of a low risk augmentation system for an energy efficient transport having relaxed static stability

An augmentation system for a 230 passenger, twin engine aircraft designed with a relaxation of conventional longitudinal static stability was developed. The design criteria are established and candidate augmentation system control laws and hardware architectures are formulated and evaluated with respect to reliability, flying qualities, and flight path tracking performance. The selected systems are shown to satisfy the interpreted regulatory safety and reliability requirements while maintaining the present DC 10 (study baseline) level of maintainability and reliability for the total flight control system. The impact of certification of the relaxed static stability augmentation concept is also estimated with regard to affected federal regulations, system validation plan, and typical development/installation costs.

Sizlo, T. R.

Planning for performance augmentation for the Space Shuttle

The necessity of performance augmentation for the Space Shuttle to assure its capability of delivering a 32,000 pound payload to a 150 nautical mile circular orbit at an inclination of 98 deg and to then retrieve a 25,000 pound spacecraft from that orbit is discussed. The performance augmented Space Shuttle must meet all design mission requirements and will offer potential payload growth to accommodate new payloads and new concepts. The performance augmentation program includes the uprating of the Space Shuttle main engines to the range of 115% of rated power level for nominal operations, the development of solid rocket motor filament-wound case segments, and the use of a liquid boost module.

Goldsby, W. D.

Vortex lift augmentation by suction on a 60 deg swept Gothic wing

An experimental investigation was conducted in the Langley high-speed 7- by 10-foot wind tunnel to determine the aerodynamic performance of suction applied near the wing tips above the trailing edge of a 60 deg swept Gothic wing. Moveable suction inlets were symmetrically mounted in the proximity of the trailing edge, and the amount of suction was varied to maximize wing lift. Tests were conducted at Mach 0.15, 0.30, and 0.45, and the angle of attack was varied from -4 to 50 deg. The suction augmentation increases the lift coefficient over the entire range of angle of attack. The lift improvement exceeds the unaugmented wing lift by over 20%. Moreover, the augmented lift exceeds the lift predicted by vortex lattice theory to 30 deg angle of attack. Suction augmentation is postulated to strengthen the vortex system by increasing its velocity and making it more concentrated. This causes the vortex breakdown to be delayed to a higher angle of attack

Taylor, A. H.

A preliminary look at control augmented dynamic response of structures

The augmentation of structural characteristics, mass, damping, and stiffness through the use of control theory in lieu of structural redesign or augmentation was reported. The standard single-degree-of-freedom system was followed by a treatment of the same system using control augmentation. The system was extended to elastic structures using single and multisensor approaches and concludes with a brief discussion of potential application to large orbiting space structures.

Ryan, R. S.

A preliminary look at control augmented dynamic response of structures

This report deals with the augmentation of structural characteristics, mass, damping, and stiffness through the use of control theory in lieu of structural redesign or augmentation. Treated first is the standard single-degree-of-freedom system followed by a treatment of the same system using control augmentation. The system is extended to elastic structure using single and multisensor approaches and concludes with a brief discussion of potential application to large orbiting space structures.

Jewell, R. E.

A parametric study of thermally augmented O2/H2 rocket enines

An analysis is presented of the performance of a conceptual propulsion system in which liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen are first vaporized and heated by thermal power from a spacecraft nuclear electric power supply prior to combustion in a rocket engine. Calculations of the specific impulse (I-sp) are presented for a series of O2/H2 oxidizer-to-fuel mixture ratios and reactant pre-heat temperatures (T-aug). It is found that the ratio of the augmentation power to the total engine jet power (P-aug/P-tot) determines the engine thrust for a given P-aug, T-aug, and I-sp. In addition, the performance of an unaugmented O2/H2 and a heated-hydrogen rocket engine were also calculated for the same conditions. Results show that an augmented O2/H2 engine has three to eight times the thrust of a heated H2 engine for a given P-aug. It is concluded that it should be possible to design a high/low thrust propulsion system using a common propellant, with the option of using thermal power from the nuclear electric power supply to augment the low-thrust propulsion system during cruise periods when the reactor's full electric power is not needed.

Frisbee, R. H.

Development and flight evaluation of an augmented stability active controls concept with a small tail

Parasite drag reduction evaluation is composed of wind tunnel tests with a standard L-1011 tail and two reduced area tail configurations. Trim drag reduction is evaluated by rebalancing the airplane for relaxed static stability. This is accomplished by pumping water to tanks in the forward and aft of the airplane to acheive desired center of gravity location. Also, the L-1011 is modified to incorporate term and advanced augmented systems. By using advanced wings and aircraft relaxed static stability significant fuel savings can be realized. An airplane's dynamic stability becomes more sensitive for decreased tail size, relaxed static stability, and advanced wing configurations. Active control pitch augmentation will be used to acheive the required handling qualities. Flight tests will be performed to evaluate the pitch augmentation systems. The effect of elevator downrig on stabilizer/elevator hinge moments will be measured. For control system analysis, the normal acceleration feedback and pitch rate feedback are analyzed.

Source record

The use of active controls to augment rotor/fuselage stability

The use of active blade pitch control to increase helicopter rotor/body damping is studied. Control is introduced through a conventional nonrotating swashplate. State variable feedback of rotor and body states is used. Feedback parameters include cyclic rotor flap and lead-lag states, and body pitch and roll rotations. The use of position, rate, and acceleration feedback is studied for the various state variables. In particular, the influence of the closed loop feedback gain and phase on system stability is investigated. For the rotor/body configuration analyzed, rotor cyclic inplane motion and body roll-rate and roll-acceleration feedback can considerably augment system damping levels and eliminate ground resonance instabilities. Scheduling of the feedback state, phase, and gain with rotor rotation speed can be used to maximize the damping augmentation. This increase in lead-lag damping can be accomplished without altering any of the system modal frequencies. Investigating various rotor design parameters (effective hinge offset, blade precone, blade flap stiffness) indicates that active control for augmenting rotor/body damping will be particularly powerful for hingeless and bearingless rotor hubs.

Straub, F. K.

The use of active controls to augment rotor/fuselage stability

The use of active blade pitch control to increase helicopter rotor/body damping is studied. Control is introduced through a conventional nonrotating swashplate. State variable feedback of rotor and body states is used. Feedback parameters include cyclic rotor flap and lead-lag states, and body pitch and roll rotations. The use of position, rate, and acceleration feedback is studied for the various state variables. In particular, the influence of the closed loop feedback gain and phase on system stability is investigated. For the rotor/body configuration analyzed, rotor cyclic inplane motion and body roll-rate and roll-acceleration feedback can considerably augment system damping levels and eliminate ground resonance instabilities. Scheduling of the feedback state, phase, and gain with rotor rotation speed can be used to maximize the damping augmentation. This increase in lead-lag damping can be accomplished without altering any of the system modal frequencies. Investigating various rotor design parameters (effective hinge offset, blade precone, blade flap stiffness) indicates that active control for augmenting rotor/body damping will be particularly powerful for hingeless and bearingless rotor hubs.

Straub, F. K.

The O sub 2/H sub 2 propulsion module for planetary spacecraft injection energy augmentation

A propulsion module to augment the Centaur G-Prime and the Aerobraked OTV (AOTV) injection energy (C sub 3) was studied. The characteristics and performance of a variety of Earth-storable and cryogenic propulsion systems are presented. A pump-fed, cryogenic O2/H2 propulsion system enables the elimination of a three-year delta V Earth gravity assist (delta VEGA) maneuver for several planetary missions currently under consideration by the NASA. This trip time reduction can significantly reduce mission support costs, reduce spacecraft (S/C) life requirements and potentially increase the probability of mission success. This study also shows that an O2/H2 propulsion module, developed for Centaur C sub 3 augmentation can be used with a space-based AOTV in the return mode, allowing the reuse of the high-value AOTV while still delivering the required high-injection energy for direct planetary missions. The propulsion module performance was estimated for a space shuttle delivery capability to LEO of 65,000 lb sub m and 75,000 lb sub m. The required minimum thrust level to minimize gravity losses was also determined. For several currently planned NASA planetary missions, the Centaur G-Prime injection energy is augmented by a delta VEGA maneuver. For these missions, direct injection by the Centaur cannot provide a shorter trip time than the delta VEGA injection trip time.

Palaszewski, B. A.

Multimodal user input to supervisory control systems - Voice-augmented keyboard

The use of a voice-augmented keyboard input modality is evaluated in a supervisory control application. An implementation of voice recognition technology in supervisory control is proposed: voice is used to request display pages, while the keyboard is used to input system reconfiguration commands. Twenty participants controlled GT-MSOCC, a high-fidelity simulation of the operator interface to a NASA ground control system, via a workstation equipped with either a single keyboard or a voice-augmented keyboard. Experimental results showed that in all cases where significant performance differences occurred, performance with the voice-augmented keyboard modality was inferior to and had greater variance than the keyboard-only modality. These results suggest that current moderately priced voice recognition systems are an inappropriate human-computer interaction technology in supervisory control systems.

Mitchell, Christine M.