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This research concentrated on improving beam theories as applicable to composite structures. Confirmation is sought for analytical predictions using a new beam theory based on the assumption that cross-sections of the beam are infinitely rigid in their own plane, but free to warp out-of-plane, of these analytical predictions were sought during the current reporting.
Predictions of internal compartment pressures are necessary in the design of interstage regions, systems tunnels, and protuberance covers of launch vehicles to assess potential burst and crush loading of the structure. History has proven that unexpected differential pressure loads can lead to catastrophic failure. Pressures measured in the Upper Stage Simulator (USS) compartment of Ares I-X during flight were compared to post-flight analytical predictions using the CHCHVENT chamber-to-chamber venting analysis computer program. The measured pressures were enveloped by the analytical predictions for most of the first minute of flight but were outside of the predictions thereafter. This paper summarizes the venting system for the USS, discusses the probable reasons for the discrepancies between the measured and predicted pressures, and provides recommendations for future flight vehicles.
The Icing Technology Branch at NASA Lewis has been involved in an effort to validate two thermal ice protection codes developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center. LEWICE/Thermal (electrothermal deicing & anti-icing), and ANTICE (hot-gas & electrothermal anti-icing). The Thermal Code Validation effort was designated as a priority during a 1994 'peer review' of the NASA Lewis Icing program, and was implemented as a cooperative effort with industry. During April 1996, the first of a series of experimental validation tests was conducted in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel(IRT). The purpose of the April 96 test was to validate the electrothermal predictive capabilities of both LEWICE/Thermal, and ANTICE. A heavily instrumented test article was designed and fabricated for this test, with the capability of simulating electrothermal de-icing and anti-icing modes of operation. Thermal measurements were then obtained over a range of test conditions, for comparison with analytical predictions. This paper will present an overview of the test, including a detailed description of: (1) the validation process; (2) test article design; (3) test matrix development; and (4) test procedures. Selected experimental results will be presented for de-icing and anti-icing modes of operation. Finally, the status of the validation effort at this point will be summarized. Detailed comparisons between analytical predictions and experimental results are contained in the following two papers: 'Validation of NASA Thermal Ice Protection Computer Codes: Part 2- The Validation of LEWICE/Thermal' and 'Validation of NASA Thermal Ice Protection Computer Codes: Part 3-The Validation of ANTICE'
High speed subsonic transports powered by advanced propellers provide significant fuel savings compared to turbofan powered transports. Unfortunately, however, propfans must operate in aircraft-induced nonuniform flow fields which can lead to high blade cyclic stresses, vibration and noise. To optimize the design and installation of these advanced propellers, therefore, detailed knowledge of the complex flow field is required. As part of the NASA Propfan Test Assessment (PTA) program, a 1/9 scale semispan model of the Gulfstream II propfan test-bed aircraft was tested in the NASA-Lewis 8 x 6 supersonic wind tunnel to obtain propeller flow field data. Detailed radial and azimuthal surveys were made to obtain the total pressure in the flow and the three components of velocity. Data was acquired for Mach numbers ranging from 0.6 to 0.85. Analytical predictions were also made using a subsonic panel method, QUADPAN. Comparison of wind-tunnel measurements and analytical predictions show good agreement throughout the Mach range.
Advanced high speed propellers offer large performance improvements for aircraft that cruise in the Mach 0.7 to 0.8 speed regime. At these speeds, studies indicate that there is a 15 to near 40 percent block fuel savings and associated operating cost benefits for advanced turboprops compared to equivalent technology turbofan powered aircraft. Recent wind tunnel results for five eight to ten blade advanced models are compared with analytical predictions. Test results show that blade sweep was important in achieving net efficiencies near 80 percent at Mach 0.8 and reducing nearfield cruise noise about 6 dB. Lifting line and lifting surface aerodynamic analysis codes are under development and some results are compared with propeller force and probe data. Also, analytical predictions are compared with some initial laser velocimeter measurements of the flow field velocities of an eight bladed 45 swept propeller. Experimental aeroelastic results indicate that cascade effects and blade sweep strongly affect propeller aeroelastic characteristics. Comparisons of propeller nearfield noise data with linear acoustic theory indicate that the theory adequately predicts nearfield noise for subsonic tip speeds, but overpredicts the noise for supersonic tip speeds.
The techniques of modern optimal control theory were applied to the design of a control system for a supersonic inlet. The inlet control problem was approached as a linear stochastic optimal control problem using as the performance index the expected frequency of unstarts. The details of the formulation of the stochastic inlet control problem are presented. The computational procedures required to obtain optimal controller designs are discussed, and the analytically predicted performance of controllers designed for several different inlet conditions is tabulated. The experimental implementation of the optimal control laws is described, and the experimental results obtained in a supersonic wind tunnel are presented. The control laws were implemented with analog and digital computers. Comparisons are made between the experimental and analytically predicted performance results. Comparisons are also made between the results obtained with continuous analog computer controllers and discrete digital computer versions.
Advanced high-speed propellers offer large performance improvements for aircraft that cruise in the Mach 0.7 to 0.8 speed regime. At these speeds, studies indicate that there is a 15 to near 40 percent block fuel savings and associated operating cost benefits for advanced turboprops compared to equivalent technology turbofan powered aircraft. Recent wind tunnel results for five eight to ten blade advanced models are compared with analytical predictions. Test results show that blade sweep was important in achieving net efficiencies near 80 percent at Mach 0.8 and reducing nearfield cruise noise by about 6 dB. Lifting line and lifting surface aerodynamic analysis codes are under development and some results are compared with propeller force and probe data. Also, analytical predictions are compared with some initial laser velocimeter measurements of the flow field velocities of an eightbladed 45 swept propeller. Experimental aeroelastic results indicate that cascade effects and blade sweep strongly affect propeller aeroelastic characteristics. Comparisons of propeller near-field noise data with linear acoustic theory indicate that the theory adequately predicts near-field noise for subsonic tip speeds but overpredicts the noise for supersonic tip speeds.
A Hertzian analysis of the effect of sliding friction on contact stresses in alumina is used to predict the critical load for crack generation. The results for uncoated alumina and alumina coated with ion plated silver are compared. Friction coefficient inputs to the analysis are determined experimentally with a scratch test instrument employing an 0.2 mm radius diamond stylus. A series of scratches were made at constant load increments on coated and uncoated flat alumina surfaces. Critical loads for cracking are detected by microscopic examination of cross sections of scratches made at various loads and friction coefficients. Acoustic emission (AE) and friction trends were also evaluated as experimental techniques for determining critical loads for cracking. Analytical predictions correlate well with micrographic evidence and with the lowest load at which AE is detected in multiple scratch tests. Friction/load trends are not good indicators of early crack formation. Lubrication with silver films reduced friction and thereby increased the critical load for crack initiation in agreement with analytical predictions.
A Hertzian analysis of the effect of sliding friction on contact stresses in alumina is used to predict the critical load for crack generation. The results for uncoated alumina and alumina coated with ion plated silver are compared. Friction coefficient inputs to the analysis are determined experimentally with a scratch test instrument employing an 0.2 mm radius diamond stylus. A series of scratches were made at constant load increments on coated and uncoated flat alumina surfaces. Critical loads for cracking are detected by microscopic examination of cross sections of scratches made at various loads and friction coefficients. Acoustic emission (AE) and friction trends were also evaluated as experimental techniques for determining critical loads for cracking. Analytical predictions correlate well with micrographic evidence and with the lowest load at which AE is detected in multiple scratch tests. Friction/load trends are not good indicators of early crack formation. Lubrication with silver films reduced friction and thereby increased the critical load for crack initiation in agreement with analytical predictions.
A general design methodology to integrate active control with passive damping was demonstrated on the NASA LaRC CSI Evolutionary Model (CEM), a ground testbed for future large, flexible spacecraft. Vibration suppression controllers designed for Line-of Sight (LOS) minimization were successfully implemented on the CEM. A frequency-shaped H2 methodology was developed, allowing the designer to specify the roll-off of the MIMO compensator. A closed loop bandwidth of 4 Hz, including the six rigid body modes and the first three dominant elastic modes of the CEM was achieved. Good agreement was demonstrated between experimental data and analytical predictions for the closed loop frequency response and random tests. Using the Modal Strain Energy (MSE) method, a passive damping treatment consisting of 60 viscoelastically damped struts was designed, fabricated and implemented on the CEM. Damping levels for the targeted modes were more than an order of magnitude larger than for the undamped structure. Using measured loss and stiffness data for the individual damped struts, analytical predictions of the damping levels were very close to the experimental values in the (1-10) Hz frequency range where the open loop model matched the experimental data. An integrated active/passive controller was successfully implemented on the CEM and was evaluated against an active-only controller. A two-fold increase in the effective control bandwidth and further reductions of 30 percent to 50 percent in the LOS RMS outputs were achieved compared to an active-only controller. Superior performance was also obtained compared to a High-Authority/Low-Authority (HAC/LAC) controller.
Comparisons are presented analytically predicted and experimental turbulence responses of a wind tunnel model of a DC-10 derivative wing equipped with an active control system. The active control system was designed for the purpose of flutter suppression, but it had additional benefit of alleviating gust loads (wing bending moment) by about 25%. Comparisions of various wing responses are presented for variations in active control system parameters and tunnel speed. The analytical turbulence responses were obtained using DYLOFLEX, a computer program for dynamic loads analyses of flexible airplanes with active controls. In general, the analytical predictions agreed reasonably well with the experimental data.
A generic supersonic arrow-wing configuration has been extensively studied to develop a consistent experimental data base to aid in verifying analytical prediction methods. One of the wing configurations studied was a twisted and cambered wing with wing-mounted vertical fins and trailing-edge flaps. The pressure data obtained on that configuration was limited in the wing-fin juncture region, and no pressures were obtained on the fin itself. However, detailed data in the juncture region and on the fin are essential to check out the analytical prediction methods. Therefore, the model was modified to provide details of the juncture pressure field as well as pressures on the fin. The results of this experimental investigation showed that the addition of a fin helped improve the wing pressure distribution outboard of the fin. Deflection of the trailing-edge flap did not adversely affect this trend. The pressure distributions on the vertical fin were generally affected more by change in angle of attack than by flap deflection. The spanwise pressure distribution on the fin itself indicated a load reversal with angle of attack.
This paper presents comparisons of analytically-predicted and experimental turbulence responses of a wind-tunnel model of a DC-10 derivative wing equipped with an active control system. The active control system was designed for the purpose of flutter suppression, but it had the additional benefit of alleviating gust loads (wing bending moment) by about 25 percent. Comparisons of various wing responses are presented for variations in active-control-system parameters and tunnel speed. The analytical turbulence responses were obtained using DYLOFLEX, a computer program for dynamic loads analyses of flexible airplanes with active controls. In general, the analytical predictions agreed reasonably well with the experimental data.
NASA has developed a comprehensive analytical methodology for predicting the onset of widespread fatigue damage in fuselage structure. The determination of the number of flights and operational hours of aircraft service life that are related to the onset of widespread fatigue damage includes analyses for crack initiation, fatigue crack growth, and residual strength. Therefore, the computational capability required to predict analytically the onset of widespread fatigue damage must be able to represent a wide range of crack sizes from the material (microscale) level to the global structural-scale level. NASA studies indicate that the fatigue crack behavior in aircraft structure can be represented conveniently by the following three analysis scales: small three-dimensional cracks at the microscale level, through-the-thickness two-dimensional cracks at the local structural level, and long cracks at the global structural level. The computational requirements for each of these three analysis scales are described in this paper.
Historically, advances in aerospace engine performance and durability have been linked to improvements in materials. Recent developments in ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) have led to increased interest in CMCs to achieve revolutionary gains in engine performance. The use of CMCs promises many advantages for advanced turbomachinery engine development and may be especially beneficial for aerospace engines. The most beneficial aspects of CMC material may be its ability to maintain its strength to over 2500 F, its internal material damping, and its relatively low density. Ceramic matrix composites reinforced with two-dimensional woven and braided fabric preforms are being considered for NASA s next-generation reusable rocket turbomachinery applications (for example, see the preceding figure). However, the architecture of a textile composite is complex, and therefore, the parameters controlling its strength properties are numerous. This necessitates the development of engineering approaches that combine analytical methods with limited testing to provide effective, validated design analyses for the textile composite structures development.
A finite element model of an ATR42-300 commuter-class aircraft was developed and a crash simulation was executed. Analytical predictions were correlated with data obtained from a 30-feet per second (9.14-meters per second) vertical drop test of the aircraft. The purpose of the test was to evaluate the structural response of the aircraft when subjected to a severe, but survivable, impact. The aircraft was configured with seats, dummies, luggage, and other ballast. The wings were filled with 8,700 lb. (3,946 kilograms) of water to represent the fuel. The finite element model, which consisted of 57,643 nodes and 62,979 elements, was developed from direct measurements of the airframe geometry. The seats, dummies, luggage, simulated engines and fuel, and other ballast were represented using concentrated masses. The model was executed in LS-DYNA, a commercial finite element code for performing explicit transient dynamic simulations. Analytical predictions of structural deformation and selected time-history responses were correlated with experimental data from the drop test to validate the simulation.
Abstract An improved approach consisting of a combination of fiber placement and fused filament fabrication is introduced for the additive manufacture (AM) of structural grade sandwich beams. Here, sandwich beams are additively manufactured using in‐situ deposition and consolidation of continuous fiber unidirectional facings made from a commingled yarn system of e‐glass fiber (~50% vol.) and amorphous PET, and a hexagonal honeycomb core structure made from PETG. Both facings and the sandwich core are manufactured on a single machine, in one sequence (skin‐core‐skin), employing the benefit of matrix compatibility to create autohesion at the interfaces. Flexural and transverse shear rigidity are determined experimentally and compared with analytical predictions and show correlation to within 3%. Flexural strength and core shear strength are also measured. Post‐mortem examinations show that core fracture and core facing debond were the dominant failure mode in flexure. Single cantilever beam tests were performed to evaluate core facing debond toughness. Subsequently, surface preheat using infrared heaters was utilized to increase autohesion between core and facing. The results show debond toughness was increased 4 times using infrared heating. This research effort presents a manufacturing approach that has the potential for the AM of stiff, well bonded, structural grade sandwich beams, in an integrated sequence, employing in‐situ consolidation to the facings, without the need for the use of intermediate adhesives for skin‐to‐core bonding. Highlights An improved additive manufacturing technique for making sandwich panels is developed. Sandwich panel facings have fiber volume fractions of approximately 50%. Surface preheat improves core‐to‐facing debond toughness by a factor of 4. Top and bottom facings are consolidated during manufacture leading to better properties. Experimental results are compared to analytical predictions and show good correlation.
The development of a computer code to simulate and predict the performance of large deployable antenna structures is discussed. The computer code is expected to account for all phases of hardware use, i.e., ground handling, boost, deployment, on orbit station keeping, and transfer from LEO to GEO, if applicable. In addition to accounting for static and dynamic loading of the basic structure, the variation in the precision of the reflector surface and the alignment of the feed support structure as a function orbit are scrutinized in order to accommodate electromagnetic analysis. Specific tasks directed towards the development of the computer code are reported and a number of thermal and structural models are discussed.