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NASA NTRS1990

Transition flight control room automation

The Workstation Prototype Laboratory is currently working on a number of projects which can have a direct impact on ground operations automation. These projects include: (1) The fuel cell monitoring system (FCMS), which will monitor and detect problems with the fuel cells on the shuttle. FCMS will use a combination of rules (forward/backward) and multithreaded procedures, which run concurrently with the rules, to implement the malfunction algorithms of the EGIL flight controllers. The combination of rule-based reasoning and procedural reasoning allows us to more easily map the malfunction algorithms into a real-time system implementation. (2) A graphical computation language (AGCOMPL) is an experimental prototype to determine the benefits and drawbacks of using a graphical language to design computations (algorithms) to work on shuttle or space station telemetry and trajectory data. (3) The design of a system will allow a model of an electrical system, including telemetry sensors, to be configured on the screen graphically using previously defined electrical icons. This electrical model would then be used to generate rules and procedures for detecting malfunctions in the electrical components of the model. (4) A generic message management (GMM) system is being designed for real-time applications as a message management system which sends advisory messages to a user. The primary purpose of GMM is to reduce the risk of overloading a user with information when multiple failures occur and to assist the developer in the devising an explanation facility. The emphasis of our work is to develop practical tools and techniques, including identification of appropriate software tools to support research, application, and tool building activities, while determining the feasibility of a given approach.

Welborn, Curtis Ray↗

NASA NTRS1990

Transition Flight Control Room Automation

The Workstation Prototype Laboratory is currently working on a number of projects which we feel can have a direct impact on ground operations automation. These projects include: The Fuel Cell Monitoring System (FCMS), which will monitor and detect problems with the fuel cells on the Shuttle. FCMS will use a combination of rules (forward/backward) and multi-threaded procedures which run concurrently with the rules, to implement the malfunction algorithms of the EGIL flight controllers. The combination of rule based reasoning and procedural reasoning allows us to more easily map the malfunction algorithms into a real-time system implementation. A graphical computation language (AGCOMPL). AGCOMPL is an experimental prototype to determine the benefits and drawbacks of using a graphical language to design computations (algorithms) to work on Shuttle or Space Station telemetry and trajectory data. The design of a system which will allow a model of an electrical system, including telemetry sensors, to be configured on the screen graphically using previously defined electrical icons. This electrical model would then be used to generate rules and procedures for detecting malfunctions in the electrical components of the model. A generic message management (GMM) system. GMM is being designed as a message management system for real-time applications which send advisory messages to a user. The primary purpose of GMM is to reduce the risk of overloading a user with information when multiple failures occurs and in assisting the developer in devising an explanation facility. The emphasis of our work is to develop practical tools and techniques, while determining the feasibility of a given approach, including identification of appropriate software tools to support research, application and tool building activities.

Welborn, Curtis Ray↗

NASA NTRS1987

F-14 VSTFE and results of the cleanup flight test program

Flight transition data applicable to swept wings at high subsonic speeds are needed to make valid assessments of the potential for natural laminar flow or laminar flow control for transports of various sizes at various cruise speeds. NASA initiated the variable sweep transition flight experiment (VSTFE) to help establish a boundary layer transition data base for use in laminar flow wing design. The carrier vehicle for this experiment is an F-14, which has variable sweep capability. The variable sweep outer panels of the F-14 were modified with natural laminar flow gloves to provide not only smooth surfaces but also airfoils that can produce a wide range of pressure distributions for which transition location can be determined. The VSTFE program is briefly described and some preliminary glove I flight results are presented.

Meyer, Robert R.↗

NASA NTRS1992

In-flight detection of flow separation, stagnation, and transition

Flight tests were conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of simultaneous determination of: (1) boundary-layer instability and transition characteristics; (2) flow separation region; and (3) the location of the leading-edge stagnation point. Surface mounted, multi-element, micro-thin, hot-film sensors were used in conjunction with a bank of constant-temperature anemometers and a PC-based 8-channel simultaneous data acquisition system. Conventional techniques were used to determine the boundary-layer instability and transition characteristics while the flow separation and the stagnation points were determined through the presence of phase reversal signatures.

Mangalam, S. M.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Effects of Wing Sweep on In-flight Boundary-layer Transition for a Laminar Flow Wing at Mach Numbers from 0.60 to 0.79

The variable sweep transition flight experiment (VSTFE) was conducted on an F-14A variable sweep wing fighter to examine the effect of wing sweep on natural boundary layer transition. Nearly full span upper surface gloves, extending to 60 percent chord, were attached to the F-14 aircraft's wings. The results are presented of the glove 2 flight tests. Glove 2 had an airfoil shape designed for natural laminar flow at a wing sweep of 20 deg. Sample pressure distributions and transition locations are presented with the complete results tabulated in a database. Data were obtained at wing sweeps of 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 deg, at Mach numbers ranging from 0.60 to 0.79, and at altitudes ranging from 10,000 to 35,000 ft. Results show that a substantial amount of laminar flow was maintained at all the wing sweeps evaluated. The maximum transition Reynolds number obtained was 18.6 x 10(exp 6) at 15 deg of wing sweep, Mach 0.75, and at an altitude of 10,000 ft.

Anderson, Bianca Trujillo↗

NASA NTRS1990

Boundary-layer stability analysis of flight-measured transition data

Correlation of in-flight boundary-layer transition experiments with linear boundary-layer stability theory contributes both to the validation of the numerical methods as well as the analysis of the measured transition process. Transition results obtained in a recent flight experiment, in which the extent of laminar flow and the transition process on the wing of a business-jet fitted with an instrumented glove section were determined, are analyzed. The experiment was conducted at freestream Mach numbers from 0.55 to 0.82, chord Reynolds numbers from 10 to 20 x 10 to the 6th, and leading-edge sweep angles 17 deg to 20 deg. The growth of both Tollmien-Schlichting and crossflow instabilities are predicted using the e exp n method for several flight conditions and the calculated n-factors at transition onset are correlated. Comparison of the measured dominant boundary-layer disturbance frequencies and the predicted unstable frequencies shows fair agreement for several of the flight conditions studied.

Obara, Clifford J.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Free-flight model investigation of a vertical-attitude VTOL fighter with twin vertical tails

Free-flight tests were conducted in the Langley full-scale tunnel to determine the stability and control characteristics of a vertical-attitude VTOL fighter having twin vertical tails and a pivoted fuselage forebody (nose-cockpit) arrangement. The flight tests included hovering flights and transition flights from hover to conventional forward flight. Static force tests were also made to aid in the analysis of the flight tests. The model exhibited satisfactory stability and control characteristics, and the transition from hovering flight to conventional forward flight was relatively smooth and straightforward.

Grafton, S. B.↗

NASA NTRS1994

TOGA/COARE AMMR 1992 data processing

The complete set of Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere (TOGA)/Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment (COARE) flight data for the 91.65 GHz Airborne Meteorological Radiometer (AMMR92) contains data from nineteen flights: two test flights, four transit flights, and thirteen experimental flights. The data flight occurred between December 16, 1992 and February 28, 1993. Data collection from the AMMR92 during the first ten flights of TOGA/COARE was performed using the executable code TSK30041. These are IBM PC/XT programs used by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). During one flight, inconsistencies were found during the operation of the AMMR92 using the GSFC data acquisition system. Consequently, the Georgia Tech (GT) data acquisition system was used during all successive TOGA/COARE flights. These inconsistencies were found during the data processing to affect the recorded data as well. Errors are caused by an insufficient pre- and post-calibration setting period for the splash-plate mechanism. The splash-plate operates asynchronusly with the data acquisition system (there is no position feedback to the GSFC or GT data system). This condition caused both the calibration and the post-calibration scene measurement to be corrupted on a randomly occurring basis when the GSFC system was used. This problem did not occur with the GT data acquisition system due to sufficient allowance for splash-plate settling. After TOGA/COARE it was determined that calibration of the instrument was a function of the scene brightness temperature. Therefore, the orientation error in the main antenna beam of the AMMR92 is hypothesized to be caused by misalignment of the internal 'splash-plate' responsible for directing the antenna beam toward the scene or toward the calibration loads. Misalignment of the splash-plate is responsible for 'scene feedthrough' during calibration. Laboratory investigation at Georgia Tech found that each polarization is affected differently by the splash-plate alignment error. This is likely to cause significant and unique errors in the absolute calibration of each channel.

Kunkee, D. B.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Transition Aero-Propulsive Analysis of a Tilt-Wing eVTOL Aircraft Using a Surface-Vorticity Solver

This work uses FlightStream, a surface-vorticity solver, to perform an aero-propulsive analysis on the NASA LA-8 aircraft through the transition flight regime. Aerodynamic force and moment coefficient predictions for forward and transition flight of the airframe without propulsors are compared with wind tunnel data. Powered transition cases are simulated using Conway actuator disks to model the propellers and results are compared with response surface equations derived from wind tunnel data. The approach described in the paper provides mid-fidelity solutions at a reduced computational cost compared to volumetric CFD, which allows for rapid transition flight analyses and optimization in the early design stages. The best prediction results were observed in forward flight and high-speed transition. Mid-transition results were not as close in magnitude but the trends exhibited reasonable agreement with experimental data.

Advanced Air Mobility↗

NASA NTRS1972

Analysis of flight test transition and turbulent heating data. Part 1: Boundary layer transition results

The objective of the study was to provide a detailed post flight evaluation of ballistic vehicle flight test boundary layer transition data. A total of fifty-five vehicles were selected for analysis. These vehicles were chosen from a data sampling of roughly two hundred flights and the criteria for vehicle selection is delineated herein. The results of the analysis indicate that frustum transition of re-entry vehicles appears to be nose tip dominated. Frustum related parameters and materials apparently have a second order effect on transition. This implies that local viscous parameters on the frustum should not correlate flight test transition data, and in fact they do not. Specific parameters relative to the nose tip have been identified as the apparent dominant factors that characterize the transition phenomena and a correlation of flight test data is presented.

Martellucci, A.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Shuttle orbiter boundary layer transition at flight and wind tunnel conditions

Hypersonic boundary layer transition data obtained on the windward centerline of the Shuttle orbiter during entry for the first five flights are presented and analyzed. Because the orbiter surface is composed of a large number of thermal protection tiles, the transition data include the effects of distributed roughness arising from tile misalignment and gaps. These data are used as a benchmark for assessing and improving the accuracy of boundary layer transition predictions based on correlations of wind tunnel data taken on both aerodynamically rough and smooth orbiter surfaces. By comparing these two data bases, the relative importance of tunnel free stream noise and surface roughness on orbiter boundary layer transition correlation parameters can be assessed. This assessment indicates that accurate predications of transition times can be made for the orbiter at hypersonic flight conditions by using roughness dominated wind tunnel data. Specifically, times of transition onset and completion is accurately predicted using a correlation based on critical and effective values of a roughness Reynolds number previously derived from wind tunnel data.

Goodrich, W. D.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Design of a wing shape for study of hypersonic crossflow transition in flight

Computational fluid dynamics methods were used in the design of a wing shape for study of hypersonic crossflow transition in flight. The flight experiment is to be performed on the delta wing of the first stage of a Pegasus launch vehicle as a piggy-back experiment to support boundary-layer stability code development and validation. The design goal is to obtain crossflow-induced transition at 20-40 percent of the chord for a flight Mach number of approximately six. The present paper describes the design and analysis process utilized to obtain desired glove shape. A variety of schemes were used in the design, ranging from simple empirical crossflow correlations to three-dimensional Navier-Stokes codes in conjunction with linear stability/N-factor computations. The sensitivity to various parameters, such as trajectory variations, allowable wing thickness, leading-edge radius and surface temperature, is also discussed.

Godil, A.↗

NASA NTRS2017

Reconfigurable Cellular Composite Structures for Lighter than Air Vehicles with Scalable Size and Endurance

Engineered non-stochastic cellular materials show promising characteristics on the laboratory scale,with nearly ideal specific stiffness and strength scaling at ultralight mass density. These propertiessuggest performance benefits in any application with combined stiffness and mass constraints, suchas air vehicles. We investigate here the application of re-configurable cellular composite materialsand structures to lighter than air vehicles. We describe the properties and applicability of these materials,provide an example analysis of governing loading conditions associated with airships, showan example optimization method for navigating the design space, and describe how recent advancesin cellular material manufacturing and reconfiguration enable system performance benefits includingnew concepts of operation. Lastly, we propose lighter than air vehicles that are assembled andmaintained in-flight, eliminating structural compromises associated with transitional flight modesand ground handling.Engineered non-stochastic cellular material properties suggest performance benefits in lighter than air vehicles due tostiffness and mass constraints that are intrinsic to the airship design problem. Recent advances in cellular materialmanufacturing and reconfiguration enable system performance benefits including new concepts of operation, such aslighter than air vehicles that are assembled and maintained in-flight, eliminating structural compromises associatedwith transitional flight modes and ground handling. Existing engineered cellular materials display properties allowinglarge large scale airships design as monocoque cellular solids. Inevitable improvements in cellular material propertiesand manufacturing will improve feasibility even further. Given the suggestion that the two most significant technologygaps exist across all current airship projects are manufacturing and assembly processes and ground handling [7],a strategy that encompasses construction and maintenance in flight could provide critical rephrasing of the systemdesign problem through these new concepts of operation. Refactoring of traditional manufacturing, operation, andservice process constraints could extend to other domains in aerospace systems and manufacturing in general.In future work, the complexity of the design task would benefit from a form of optimization in order to find themost suitable geometry for a chosen application. For example, the Sequential Least SQuares Programming (SLSQP)function from within the SciPy Minimize library is a multiobjective constrained optimization method that has beenapplied to fixed wing aircraft design. [17] In this situation it would allow for several objective functions such as drag,bending stiffness, buoyancy and cost of transport to be incorporated into a composite objective function.

Copplestone, Grace↗

NASA NTRS1992

Piloted evaluation of an integrated propulsion and flight control simulator

A piloted evaluation of the integrated flight and propulsion control simulator for advanced integrated propulsion and airframe control design is described. The evaluation will cover control effector gains and deadbands, control effectiveness and control authority, and heads up display functionality. For this evaluation the flight simulator is configured for transition flight using an advanced Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing fighter aircraft model, a simplified high-bypass turbofan engine model, fighter cockpit displays, and pilot effectors. The piloted tasks used for rating displays and control effector gains are described. Pilot comments and simulation results confirm that the display symbology and control gains are very adequate for the transition flight task. Additionally, it is demonstrated that this small-scale, fixed base flight simulator facility can adequately perform a real time, piloted control evaluation.

Bright, Michelle M.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Piloted evaluation of an integrated propulsion and flight control simulator

This paper describes a piloted evaluation of the integrated flight and propulsion control simulator at NASA Lewis Research Center. The purpose of this evaluation is to demonstrate the suitability and effectiveness of this fixed based simulator for advanced integrated propulsion and airframe control design. The evaluation will cover control effector gains and deadbands, control effectiveness and control authority, and heads up display functionality. For this evaluation the flight simulator is configured for transition flight using an advanced Short Take-Off and vertical Landing fighter aircraft model, a simplified high-bypass turbofan engine model, fighter cockpit, displays, and pilot effectors. The paper describes the piloted tasks used for rating displays and control effector gains. Pilot comments and simulation results confirm that the display symbology and control gains are very adequate for the transition flight task. Additionally, it is demonstrated that this small-scale, fixed base flight simulator facility can adequately perform a real time, piloted control evaluation.

Bright, Michelle M.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Stirling Convertor for the Stirling Radioisotope Generator Tested as a Prelude to Transition to Flight

The Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG) is currently being developed by Lockheed Martin Astronautics (Valley Forge, PA) under contract to the Department of Energy (Germantown, MD). In support of this project, the NASA Glenn Research Center has established a near-term technology effort to provide some of the critical data to ensure a successful transition to flight for what will be the first dynamic power system to be used in space. The generator will be a high-efficiency electric power source for potential use on NASA space science missions. The generator will be able to operate in the vacuum of deep space or in an atmosphere such as on the surface of Mars. High system efficiency is obtained through the use of free-piston Stirling power-conversion technology. The power output of the generator will be greater than 100 W at the beginning of life, with the slow decline in power being largely due to decay of the plutonium heat source. Previously, Glenn's supporting technology efforts focused only on the most critical technical issues.

Schreiber, Jeffrey G.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Supporting Technology at GRC to Mitigate Risk as Stirling Power Conversion Transitions to Flight

Stirling power conversion technology has been reaching more advanced levels of maturity during its development for space power applications. The current effort is in support of the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG), which is being developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company (LMSSC), Sunpower Inc., and the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). This generator would use two high-efficiency Advanced Stirling Convertors (ASCs) to convert thermal energy from a radioisotope heat source into electricity. Of paramount importance is the reliability of the power system and as a part of this, the Stirling power convertors. GRC has established a supporting technology effort with tasks in the areas of reliability, convertor testing, high-temperature materials, structures, advanced analysis, organics, and permanent magnets. The project utilizes the matrix system at GRC to make use of resident experts in each of the aforementioned fields. Each task is intended to reduce risk and enhance reliability of the convertor as this technology transitions toward flight status. This paper will provide an overview of each task, outline the recent efforts and accomplishments, and show how they mitigate risk and impact the reliability of the ASC s and ultimately, the ASRG.

Schreiber, Jeffrey G.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Supporting Technology at GRC to Mitigate Risk as Stirling Power Conversion Transitions to Flight

Schreiber, Jeffrey G.↗