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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1948

Ditching Tests of a 1/20-Scale Model of the Northrop B-35 Airplane

Tests of a 1/20-scale dynamically similar model of the Northrop B-35 airplane were made to study its ditching characteristics. The model was ditched in calm water at the Langley tank no. 2 monorail. Various landing attitudes, speeds,and conditions of damage were simulated during the investigation. The ditching characteristics were determined by visual observation and from motion-picture records and time-history acceleration records. Both longitudinal and lateral accelerations were measured. Results are given in tabular form and time-history acceleration curves and sequence photographs are presented. Conclusions based on the model investigation are as follows: 1. The best ditching of the B-35 airplane probably can be made by contacting the water in a near normal landing attitude of about 9 deg with the landing flaps full down so as to have a low horizontal speed. 2. The airplane usually will turn or yaw but the motion will not be violent. The maximum lateral acceleration will be about 2g. 3. If the airplane does not turn or yaw immediately after landing, it probably will trim up and then make a smooth run or porpoise slightly. The maximum longitudinal decelerations that will be encountered are about 6g or 7g. 4. Although the decelerations are not indicated to be especially large, the construction of the airplane is such that extensive damage is to be expected, and it probably will be difficult to find ditching stations where crew members can adequately brace themselves and be reasonably sure of avoiding a large inrush of water.

Fisher, Lloyd J.↗
NASA NTRS1948

Spin Tests of 1/20-Scale Models of the Chance Vought Revised XF6U-1 and F6U-1 Airplanes, TED No. NACA 2390

An investigation has been conducted in the Langley 20-foot free-spinning tunnel on the 1/20-scale model of the Chance Vought XF6U-1 airplane altered to represent the XF6U-1 airplane as it will be spin-tested in flight, and also altered to represent the F6U-1 airplane as it will be produced for service use. Spin tests were made to determine the effects of control settings and movements at the normal loading. The results show that the spins obtained on the revised XF6U-1 airplane will be oscillatory in roll and yaw and that recoveries by rudder reversal will be rapid. Model test results indicate that the F6U-1 airplane will probably not spin. Inasmuch as the results of this investigation show that the new designs are as good as or better than the original XF6U-1 design in regard to spin recovery, it is felt that the conclusions and recommendations reached for the original design can be applied to the new designs for all loading conditions.

Klinar, Walter J.↗
NASA NTRS1953

Investigation of the Spinning and Tumbling Characteristics of a 1/25-Scale Model of the Lockheed XFV-1 Airplane in the Langley 20-Foot Free-Spinning Tunnel

An investigation has been conducted in the Langley 20-foot free-spinning tunnel on a l/23-scale model of the Lockheed XFV-1 airplane to determine the effects of control setting and movement upon the erect-spin and recovery characteristics for a range of airplane loading conditions. A windmilling propeller was simulated on the model for some of the tests. The investigation included determination of the size of tail parachute required for emergency recovery from demonstration spins. The tumbling tendencies of the model were also investigated. The results indicated that any erect or inverted spin obtained on the airplane will be satisfactorily terminated if recovery is attempted by full rudder reversal accompanied by simultaneous lateral and longitudinal movement of the stick to neutral, The model test results showed that an 11.5-foot flat-type tail parachute (drag coefficient approximately 0.73) with a 27.5-foot towline will be effective as an emergency spin-recovery device during demonstration spins of the airplane. The model results also indicate that the airplane will not tumble for any.loading condition indicated possible.

Lee, Henry A.↗
NASA NTRS1954

Supplementary Investigation in the Free-Spinning Tunnel of a 1/24-Scale Model of the Grumman F9F-6 Airplane Incorporating only Flaperons for Lateral Control, TED No. NACA DE 364

A supplementary investigation was conducted in the Langley 20-foot free-spinning tunnel on a 1/24-scale model of the Grumman F9F-6 airplane. The primary purpose of the investigation was to reevaluate the spin-recovery characteristics of the airplane in view of the fact that the ailerons had been eliminated from the flaperon-aileron lateral control system of the airplane. A spin-tunnel investigation on a model of the earlier version of the F9F-6 airplane had indicated that use of ailerons with the spin (stick right in a right spin) was essential to insure recovery. The results indicate that with.ailerons eliminated, it may be difficult to obtain an erect developed spin but if a fully developed spin is obtained on the airplane, recovery therefrom may be difficult or impossible. Flaperon deflection should have little effect on spins or recoveries.

Klinar, Walter J.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Planetary Airplane Extraction System Development and Subscale Testing

The Aerial Regional-scale Environmental Survey (ARES) project employs an airplane as the science platform from which to collect science data in the previously inaccessible, thin atmosphere of Mars. In order for the airplane to arrive safely in the Martian atmosphere a number of sequences must occur. A critical element in the entry sequence at Mars is an extraction maneuver to separate the airplane quickly (in less than a second) from its protective backshell to reduce the possibility of re-contact, potentially leading to mission failure. This paper describes the development, testing, and lessons learned from building a 1/3 scale model of this airplane extraction system. This design, based on the successful Mars Exploration Rover (MER) extraction mechanism, employs a series of trucks rolling along tracks located on the surface of the central parachute can. Numerous tests using high speed video were conducted at the Langley Research Center (LaRC) to validate this concept. One area of concern was that that although the airplane released cleanly, a pitching moment could be introduced. While targeted for a Mars mission, this concept will enable environmental surveys by aircraft in other planetary bodies with a sensible atmosphere such as Venus or Saturn s moon, Titan.

Teter, John E., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Planetary Airplane Extraction System Development and Subscale Testing

The Aerial Regional-scale Environmental Survey (ARES) project will employ an airplane as the science platform from which to collect science data in the previously inaccessible, thin atmosphere of Mars. In order for the airplane to arrive safely in the Martian atmosphere, a number of sequences must occur. A critical element in the entry sequence at Mars is an extraction maneuver to separate the airplane quickly (in less than a second) from its protective backshell to reduce the possibility of re-contact, potentially leading to mission failure. This paper describes the development, testing, and lessons learned from building a 1/3 scale model of this airplane extraction system. This design, based on the successful Mars Exploration Rover (MER) extraction mechanism, employs a series of trucks rolling along tracks located on the surface of the central parachute can. Numerous tests using high speed video were conducted at the Langley Research Center to validate this concept. One area of concern was that that although the airplane released cleanly, a pitching moment could be introduced. While targeted for a Mars mission, this concept will enable environmental surveys by aircraft in other planetary bodies with a sensible atmosphere such as Venus or Saturn's moon, Titan.

Teter, John E., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Aerodynamic Effects of a 24-Foot, Multisegmented Telescoping Nose Boom on an F-15B Airplane

An experimental multisegmented telescoping nose boom has been installed on an F-15B airplane to be tested in a flight environment. The experimental nose boom is representative of one that could be used to tailor the sonic boom signature of an airplane such as a supersonic business jet. The nose boom consists of multiple sections and could be extended during flight to a length of 24 ft. The preliminary analyses indicated that the addition of the experimental nose boom could adversely affect vehicle flight characteristics and air data systems. Before the boom was added, a series of flights was flown to update the aerodynamic model and characterize the air data systems of the baseline airplane. The baseline results have been used in conjunction with estimates of the nose boom s influence to prepare for a series of research flights conducted with the nose boom installed. Data from these flights indicate that the presence of the experimental boom reduced the static pitch and yaw stability of the airplane. The boom also adversely affected the static-position error of the airplane but did not significantly affect angle-of-attack or angle-of-sideslip measurements. The research flight series has been successfully completed.

Cumming, Stephen B.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Aerodynamic Effects of a 24-foot Multisegmented Telescoping Nose Boom on an F-15B Airplane

An experimental multisegmented telescoping nose boom has been installed on an F-15B airplane to be tested in a flight environment. The experimental nose boom is representative of one that could be used to tailor the sonic boom signature of an airplane such as a supersonic business jet. The nose boom consists of multiple sections and could be extended during flight to a length of 24 ft. The preliminary analyses indicate that the addition of the experimental nose boom could adversely affect vehicle flight characteristics and air data systems. Before the boom was added, a series of flights was conducted to update the aerodynamic model and characterize the air data systems of the baseline airplane. The baseline results have been used in conjunction with estimates of the nose boom's influence to prepare for a series of research flights conducted with the nose boom installed. Data from these flights indicate that the presence of the experimental boom reduced the static pitch and yaw stability of the airplane. The boom also adversely affected the static-position error of the airplane but did not significantly affect angle-of-attack or angle-of-sideslip measurements. The research flight series has been successfully completed.

Cumming, Stephen B.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Radiated Emissions from a Remote-Controlled Airplane-Measured in a Reverberation Chamber

A full-vehicle, subscale all-electric model airplane was tested for radiated emissions, using a reverberation chamber. The mission of the NASA model airplane is to test in-flight airframe damage diagnosis and battery prognosis algorithms, and provide experimental data for other aviation safety research. Subscale model airplanes are economical experimental tools, but assembling their systems from hobbyist and low-cost components may lead to unforseen electromagnetic compatibility problems. This report provides a guide for accommodating the on-board radio systems, so that all model airplane systems may be operated during radiated emission testing. Radiated emission data are provided for on-board systems being operated separately and together, so that potential interferors can be isolated and mitigated. The report concludes with recommendations for EMI/EMC best practices for subscale model airplanes and airships used for research.

Ely, Jay J.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Prolonging Microgravity on Parabolic Airplane Flights

Three techniques have been proposed to prolong the intervals of time available for microgravity experiments aboard airplanes flown along parabolic trajectories. Typically, a pilot strives to keep an airplane on such a trajectory during a nominal time interval as long as 25 seconds, and an experimental apparatus is released to float freely in the airplane cabin to take advantage of the microgravitational environment of the trajectory for as long as possible. It is usually not possible to maintain effective microgravity during the entire nominal time interval because random aerodynamic forces and fluctuations in pilot control inputs cause the airplane to deviate slightly from a perfect parabolic trajectory, such that the freely floating apparatus bumps into the ceiling, floor, or a wall of the airplane before the completion of the parabola.

Robinson, David W.↗
NASA NTRS1934

Effect of the Surface Condition of a Wing on the Aerodynamic Characteristics of an Airplane

In order to determine the effect of the surface conditions of a wing on the aerodynamic characteristics of an airplane, tests were conducted in the N.A.C.A. full-scale wind tunnel on the Fairchild F-22 airplane first with normal commercial finish of wing surface and later with the same wing polished. Comparison of the characteristics of the airplane with the two surface conditions shows that the polish caused a negligible change in the lift curve, but reduced the minimum drag coefficient by 0.001. This reduction in drag if applied to an airplane with a given speed of 200 miles per hour and a minimum drag coefficient of 0.025 would increase the speed only 2.9 miles per hour, but if the speed remained the same, the power would be reduced 4 percent.

AIRPLANES - FAIRCHILD 22 (Amer ) WIND TUNNEL TEST↗
NASA NTRS2011

AVIATR - Aerial Vehicle for In-situ and Airborne Titan Reconnaissance A Titan Airplane Mission Concept

We describe a mission concept for a stand-alone Titan airplane mission: Aerial Vehicle for In-situ and Airborne Titan Reconnaissance (AVIATR). With independent delivery and direct-to-Earth communications, AVIATR could contribute to Titan science either alone or as part of a sustained Titan Exploration Program. As a focused mission, AVIATR as we have envisioned it would concentrate on the science that an airplane can do best: exploration of Titan's global diversity. We focus on surface geology/hydrology and lower-atmospheric structure and dynamics. With a carefully chosen set of seven instruments-2 near-IR cameras, 1 near-IR spectrometer, a RADAR altimeter, an atmospheric structure suite, a haze sensor, and a raindrop detector-AVIATR could accomplish a significant subset of the scientific objectives of the aerial element of flagship studies. The AVIATR spacecraft stack is composed of a Space Vehicle (SV) for cruise, an Entry Vehicle (EV) for entry and descent, and the Air Vehicle (AV) to fly in Titan's atmosphere. Using an Earth-Jupiter gravity assist trajectory delivers the spacecraft to Titan in 7.5 years, after which the AVIATR AV would operate for a 1-Earth-year nominal mission. We propose a novel 'gravity battery' climb-then-glide strategy to store energy for optimal use during telecommunications sessions. We would optimize our science by using the flexibility of the airplane platform, generating context data and stereo pairs by flying and banking the AV instead of using gimbaled cameras. AVIATR would climb up to 14 km altitude and descend down to 3.5 km altitude once per Earth day, allowing for repeated atmospheric structure and wind measurements all over the globe. An initial Team-X run at JPL priced the AVIATR mission at FY10 $715M based on the rules stipulated in the recent Discovery announcement of opportunity. Hence we find that a standalone Titan airplane mission can achieve important science building on Cassini's discoveries and can likely do so within a New Frontiers budget.

UAV↗
NASA NTRS1973

Evaluation of an aeroelastic model technique for predicting airplane buffet loads

A wind-tunnel technique which makes use of a dynamically scaled aeroelastic model to predict full-scale airplane buffet loads during buffet boundary penetration is evaluated. A 1/8-scale flutter model of a fighter airplane with remotely controllable variable-sweep wings and trimming surfaces was used for the evaluation. The model was flown on a cable-mount system which permitted high lift forces comparable to those in maneuvering flight. Bending moments and accelerations due to buffet were measured on the flutter model and compared with those measured on the full-scale airplane in an independent flight buffet research study. It is concluded that the technique can provide valuable information on airplane buffet load characteristics not available from any other source except flight test.

Hanson, P. W.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Evaluation of glide paths for landing a VTOL airplane using linear regulator theory.

A method of evaluating certain characteristics of approach paths for VTOL airplanes is presented which is based on the solution of the matrix Riccati equation to obtain an optimal state variable feedback controller. The longitudinal equations of motion of the airplane are linearized about a preselected path and the resulting system of equations is treated as a linear, time-varying regulator. The controller which minimizes a quadratic cost function is applied to the linearized system to determine the airplane's ability to return to the prescribed path given a specified initial error in altitude. The procedure is applied to the XC-142A, tilt-wing, V/STOL airplane, under decelerating approach conditions with a glide path consisting of two segments, the first having a smaller angle of descent than the second.

Reid, G. F.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Study of stability of large maneuvers of airplanes

A predictive method of nonlinear system analysis is used to investigate airplane stability and dynamic response during rolling maneuvers. The maneuver roll-rate is not assumed to be constant, and the airplane motion is represented by a set of coupled nonlinear differential equations. The general rolling maneuver is kinematically specified by its roll-rate variation p(t). A method for relating the airplane dynamic response to p(t) is developed. The method provides analytical expressions for the motion variables in terms of the maneuver descriptor p(t). A parameterized family of rolling maneuvers is considered, for which the method is used to predict specific dynamic response information, such as the dependence of the peak angle-of-attack excursion on the maneuver parameters. The stability and motion of the airplane in response to an arbitrary actuation of aileron input is considered. Analytical expressions relating motion variables to aileron input are obtained. Explicit analytical bounds on the motion variables are derived. A stability criterion which guarantees nondivergence of motion in response to aileron actuation is presented.

Haddad, E. K.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Measurements of sonic booms generated by an airplane flying at Mach 3.5 and 4.8

Sonic booms generated by the X-15 airplane flying at Mach numbers of 3.5 and 4.8 were measured. The experimental results agreed within 12 percent with results obtained from theoretical methods. No unusual phenomena related to overpressure were encountered. Scaled data from the X-15 airplane for Mach 4.8 agreed with data for an SR-71 airplane operating at lower Mach numbers and similar altitudes. The simple technique used to scale the data on the basis of airplane lift was satisfactory for comparing X-15 and SR-71 sonic boom signatures.

Green, K. S.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Spoilers for roll control of light airplanes

The paper presents an overview of the state-of-the-art of roll control spoilers for light airplanes. Reasons for using spoilers on light airplanes are presented. Several classical objections to the use of spoilers of such airplanes are critically examined. It is shown that mechanically driven spoiler systems can be designed. Flight test results of a new mechanically driven spoiler on the Redhawk airplane are discussed. Tunnel data of spoilers on the new general aviation airfoil GA(W)-1 are presented. Finally, a bibliography on spoiler data is included.

Roskam, J.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Simulation studies of STOL airplane operations in metropolitan downtown and airport air traffic control environments

The operating problems and equipment requirements for STOL airplanes in terminal area operations in simulated air traffic control (ATC) environments were studied. These studies consisted of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) arrivals and departures in the New York area to and from a downtown STOL port, STOL runways at John F. Kennedy International Airport, or STOL runways at a hypothetical international airport. The studies were accomplished in real time by using a STOL airplane flight simulator. An experimental powered lift STOL airplane and two in-service airplanes having high aerodynamic lift (i.e., STOL) capability were used in the simulations.

Sawyer, R. H.↗