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A summary of the application of active controls technology in the ATT system studies

The application of active controls technology to subsonic, long-range transport aircraft was investigated in three Advanced Transport Technology system studies. Relaxed stability requirements, maneuver and gust load alleviation, and active flutter suppression were the concepts considered. A different configuration was investigated for each of the three airframe manufacturers, and each had a somewhat different approach to the application of active controls technology. Consequently, the results varied in magnitude between the contractors, but several trends were noted. Relaxed stability requirements resulted in the largest benefits - reduced weight, increased return on investment, and decreased direct operating costs. Maneuver load alleviation, gust load alleviation, and flutter suppression resulted in much smaller benefits. Prior to application of active controls technology, a research and development program directed toward fulfilling data base requirements, establishing effective design techniques and criteria, improving systems maintainability and reliability, and demonstrating technology readiness must be completed.

Hood, R. V.↗

Aeroservoelastic Control Law Development for the Integrated Adaptive Wing Technology Maturation Wind-Tunnel Test

The NASA Advanced Air Transport Technology (AATT) Project seeks to “explore and develop technologies and concepts for improved energy efficiency and environmental compatibility for fixed wing subsonic transports” [1]. The IAWTM project is a subproject within AATT and is a joint Boeing/NASA effort to, in part, demonstrate the active control systems necessary to employ high-aspect ratio wings for improved aerodynamic efficiency. The aircraft configuration under study for the IAWTM project is a generic jet transport based on the NASA Common Research Model (CRM) whose wing aspect ratio has been increased to 13.5 (as opposed to nominal CRM aspect ratio of 9) and whose development is given in Ref. [2]. A semi-span model of the high-aspect-ratio CRM with 10 trailing edge control surfaces is currently being fabricated and will be delivered to the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT). There, several tests will be conducted to demonstrate maneuver load alleviation (MLA), gust load alleviation (GLA), active flutter suppression (AFS), and drag reduction, all at transonic conditions. A layout of the wind tunnel model is shown in Fig. 1. The wind-tunnel model is a spar/pod wing design with a relatively rigid fuselage attached to a mounting structure (seen in Fig. 1), which in turn is attached to a load balance behind the tunnel wall. Shims exist that can be attached to force the load to go through the fuselage rather than through the balance so as not to damage the balance in the event of flutter. The spar/pod design is similar to that used in the Boeing truss-braced wing aeroelastic model tested in the TDT in 2013 [3]. There is a central spar running the span of the wing to which the pods are attached that form the aerodynamic shape of the wing. The pods are constructed of ribs for attachment to the spar and skins to create the outer mold line. There are ten active control surfaces that will be used for the test objectives discussed above. Three of these (two outboard ailerons and one inboard aileron) are high-speed electrohydraulic actuators, and the remaining seven are low-speed mini-plane flaps, which have slower servo motors that will be used primarily for drag and maneuver load reductions. Control laws must be developed for each test (MLA, GLA, AFS, and drag reduction) and must be able to work in tandem when two or more control strategies are being tested simultaneously (e.g., when control laws to mitigate maneuver loads and gust loads operate simultaneously). The development of these control laws requires accurate mathematical representations of the aerodynamics, structural dynamics, and control surface dynamics of the system. Taken together, this mathematical representation—which is often in state-space form— is the ASE model. Three low-order ASE models of differing fidelities were developed for the IAWTM test and will be presented here. The differences in fidelity appeared in the aerodynamic modeling—one model assumed purely linear aerodynamics, while the other two models used different techniques to linearize the aerodynamics about a nonlinear mean. Furthermore, simple observer-based full-state feedback controllers for each test (MLA, GLA, AFS, and drag reduction) were designed from these low-order ASE models and implemented in a higher-order, nonlinear computational ASE simulation to assess the effectiveness of each controller. Observers were designed from each of the three lower-order ASE models, and each (linear) observer was then used as an estimate of the nonlinear dynamics of the system. Using the estimated states and the full-state feedback controller, control surface commands were fed back to the higher-order, nonlinear ASE system. The insight gained during this development will be applied to control law development for the physical IAWTM wind-tunnel test.

Josiah M Waite↗

Drones for aerodynamic and structural testing /DAST/ - A status report

A program for providing research data on aerodynamic loads and active control systems on wings with supercritical airfoils in the transonic speed range is described. Analytical development, wind tunnel tests, and flight tests are included. A Firebee II target drone vehicle has been modified for use as a flight test facility. The program currently includes flight experiments on two aeroelastic research wings. The primary purpose of the first flight experiment is to demonstrate an active control system for flutter suppression on a transport-type wing. Design and fabrication of the wing are complete and after installing research instrumentation and the flutter suppression system, flight testing is expected to begin in early 1979. The experiment on the second research wing - a fuel-conservative transport type - is to demonstrate multiple active control systems including flutter suppression, maneuver load alleviation, gust load alleviation, and reduce static stability. Of special importance for this second experiment is the development and validation of integrated design methods which include the benefits of active controls in the structural design.

Murrow, H. N.↗

Energy efficient transport technology: Program summary and bibliography

The Energy Efficient Transport (EET) Program began in 1976 as an element of the NASA Aircraft Energy Efficiency (ACEE) Program. The EET Program and the results of various applications of advanced aerodynamics and active controls technology (ACT) as applicable to future subsonic transport aircraft are discussed. Advanced aerodynamics research areas included high aspect ratio supercritical wings, winglets, advanced high lift devices, natural laminar flow airfoils, hybrid laminar flow control, nacelle aerodynamic and inertial loads, propulsion/airframe integration (e.g., long duct nacelles) and wing and empennage surface coatings. In depth analytical/trade studies, numerous wind tunnel tests, and several flight tests were conducted. Improved computational methodology was also developed. The active control functions considered were maneuver load control, gust load alleviation, flutter mode control, angle of attack limiting, and pitch augmented stability. Current and advanced active control laws were synthesized and alternative control system architectures were developed and analyzed. Integrated application and fly by wire implementation of the active control functions were design requirements in one major subprogram. Additional EET research included interdisciplinary technology applications, integrated energy management, handling qualities investigations, reliability calculations, and economic evaluations related to fuel savings and cost of ownership of the selected improvements.

Middleton, D. B.↗

Distributed Sensing of a Cantilever Beam and Plate Using a Fiber Optic Sensing System

As the capabilities of Fiber Optic Sensing Systems continue to improve, their application to real-time distributed sensing for structural analysis and control of flexible systems is increasingly feasible. This paper will report experimental results on the use of a Fiber Optic Sensing System for static and dynamic shape estimation of a cantilever beam and plate. Demonstrating the use of this sensor technology in benchtop experiments is the first step in effectively incorporating fiber optic sensors in the Integrated Adaptive Wing Technology Maturation aeroelastic half-span wind tunnel model for real-time shape sensing and feedback for drag optimization, maneuver load alleviation, gust load alleviation, and flutter suppression control laws. The effectiveness of the sensing system will be analyzed and the application of these results to aeroelasticity experimentation will be discussed.

Heaney, Patrick S.↗

Overview of the Integrated Adaptive Wing Technology Maturation Wind-Tunnel Test Objectives

The Integrated Adaptive Wing Technology Maturation wind-tunnel test is the culmination of a cooperative effort between NASA and Boeing to develop control techniques that can improve the performance and safety of higher aspect ratio flexible transport aircraft. The wind-tunnel test article, to be tested at the NASA Langley Research Center Transonic Dynamics Tunnel, is a semispan model of a modern transport configuration based on the NASA Common Research Model with an aspect ratio 13.5 wing. Multiobjective control laws have been developed targeting drag optimization, maneuver load alleviation, gust load alleviation, and active flutter suppression. In this paper, the integrated model design, active control system, and sensor suite will be presented, and pretest modeling and characterization activities will be described. A summary of the planned wind-tunnel test entries will provide an overview of the experimental approach and expected outcomes.

wind-tunnel↗

Overview of the Integrated Adaptive Wing Technology Maturation Wind-Tunnel Test Objectives

The Integrated Adaptive Wing Technology Maturation wind-tunnel test is the culmination of a cooperative effort between NASA and Boeing to develop control techniques that can improve the performance and safety of higher aspect ratio flexible transport aircraft. The wind-tunnel test article, to be tested at the NASA Langley Research Center Transonic Dynamics Tunnel, is a semispan model of a modern transport configuration with an aspect ratio 13.5 wing based on the NASA Common Research Model. Multiobjective control laws have been developed targeting drag optimization, maneuver load alleviation, gust load alleviation, and modal suppression. In this paper, the integrated model design, active control system, and sensor suite will be presented, and pretest modeling and characterization activities will be described. A summary of the planned wind-tunnel test entries will provide an overview of the experimental approach and expected outcomes.

wind-tunnel↗

Potential benefits to short-haul transports through use of active controls

The potential applications of active controls are examined for improving the characteristics of transport type aircraft used in short-haul service ( 1,000-kilometer range capability). The types of aircraft to meet future needs (quiet operation, congestion alleviation, fuel conservation, operating economy, and traveler acceptance) are identified as helicopters for shorter stage lengths and fixed wing aircraft of reduced field-length capability for longer stage lengths. Likely uses for active controls for these aircraft are examined regarding payoffs which can be expected and problems and constraints which must be dealt with. Uses showing significant benefits include augmented stability and control, gust-load alleviation, and ride smoothing. Gust-load alleviation is particularly effective for low-wing-loading aircraft employing conventional lift. Ride-smoothing systems are indicated to be the furthest advanced and ready for production commitment for those applications where they can be shown to have payoff.

Conner, D. W.↗

Load and dynamic assessment of B-52B-008 carrier aircraft for finned configuration 1 space shuttle solid rocket booster decelerator subsystem drop test vehicle. Volume 2: Airplane flutter and load analysis results

The airplane flutter and maneuver-gust load analysis results obtained during B-52B drop test vehicle configuration (with fins) evaluation are presented. These data are presented as supplementary data to that given in Volume 1 of this document. A brief mathematical description of airspeed notation and gust load factor criteria are provided as a help to the user. References are defined which provide mathematical description of the airplane flutter and load analysis techniques. Air-speed-load factor diagrams are provided for the airplane weight configurations reanalyzed for finned drop test vehicle configuration.

Quade, D. A.↗

Gradient-Based Aeroservoelastic Optimization with Static Output Feedback

Static output feedback considers an optimal low-order feedback matrix which directly connects the sensors to the control inputs. This work demonstrates the numerical techniques needed to compute the analytical gradient of the optimal feedback matrix with respect to design variables, which may then be used for gradient-based optimization. The derivatives are demonstrated for aeroservoelastic optimization under a series of closed- loop gust load alleviation constraints, considering a continuous stochastic gust load applied to a transport vehicle configuration, among other design constraints such as utter and maneuver loads. The optimal trade-o s between passive load alleviation and active load alleviation for static output feedback are compared with those from full-state feedback, which may be considered an upper-bound for effective sensor-based control.

Stanford, Bret K.↗

Multi-Objective Flight Control for Ride Quality Improvement for Flexible Aircraft

This paper describes a multi-objective flight control system design for ride quality improvement for flexible aircraft using multi-functional distributed flight control surfaces. A multi-objective optimal control design is developed to provide an acceleration suppression capability in conjunction with a gust load alleviation in order to provide ride quality improvement. A gust estimation is developed to estimate the gust load using a recursive least-squares algorithm. A ride quality assessment study is conducted using a flexible wing generic transport model. Six different flight control designs are implemented. The study shows that ride quality can be significantly improved with the acceleration suppression control.

Nguyen, Nhan↗

Multi-Objective Optimal Control of High Aspect Ratio Wing Wind Tunnel Model

This paper presents the design of a multi-objective optimal controller for the 13.5 aspect ratio Common Research Model (CRM) wind tunnel model. A Pareto front analysis is performed to provide the optimal tradeoff between the competing objectives - gust load alleviation, maneuver load alleviation, and drag minimization - so that the weighting matrices for the control law are selected optimally. Also presented are two formulations of the controller: a state feedback with Kalman filter design, and an output feedback form where sensors are used directly for feedback control. The controller demonstrates a reduced peak-to-peak strain of 45.78% while also reducing drag and mean bending moment. An output feedback formulation for gust load alleviation is formulated and produces a 53% reduction in the strain response due to a gust input.

Gust Load Alleviation↗

Optimization and simulation of flight control laws under parameter uncertainty and external disturbances

Several tasks pertinent to flight control in parameter uncertainty and wind-gust loading were successfully completed. Identification algorithms for extracting stability and control derivatives from flight data taking gust loading into account were developed. They were verified by simulation and evaluated throughly on actual flight data taken on a Lockheed Jet Star flying in turbulence. In particular the need for automatically generated dither-like inputs was studied. Criteria for performance evaluation using stochastic models were developed for gust alleviation as well as handling quantities. Algorithms for assessing degradation in performance due to parameter uncertainty were developed and evaluated using flight test data.

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