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At least 127 records · Page 7

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NASA NTRS1974

The value of improved (ERS) information based on domestic distribution effects of U.S. agriculture crops

The value of improving information for forecasting future crop harvests was investigated. Emphasis was placed upon establishing practical evaluation procedures firmly based in economic theory. The analysis was applied to the case of U.S. domestic wheat consumption. Estimates for a cost of storage function and a demand function for wheat were calculated. A model of market determinations of wheat inventories was developed for inventory adjustment. The carry-over horizon is computed by the solution of a nonlinear programming problem, and related variables such as spot and future price at each stage are determined. The model is adaptable to other markets. Results are shown to depend critically on the accuracy of current and proposed measurement techniques. The quantitative results are presented parametrically, in terms of various possible values of current and future accuracies.

Bradford, D. F.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Computational aspects of maximum likelihood estimation and reduction in sensitivity function calculations

This paper discusses numerical aspects of computing maximum likelihood estimates for linear dynamical systems in state-vector form. Different gradient-based nonlinear programming methods are discussed in a unified framework and their applicability to maximum likelihood estimation is examined. The problems due to singular Hessian or singular information matrix that are common in practice are discussed in detail and methods for their solution are proposed. New results on the calculation of state sensitivity functions via reduced order models are given. Several methods for speeding convergence and reducing computation time are also discussed.

Gupta, N. K.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Computerized optimization of elastic booster autopilots. Volume 1: Technical manual

The philosophy and the mathematical basis of the nonlinear programming algorithm underlying the development of the COEBRA program were given. A User's Manual was given in a separate document. The purpose of this work was to convert the COEBRA program from the CDC 6400/6500 digital computer system to the UNIVAC 1108 at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center and to provide an instruction manual on the use of the program.

Kelley, T.↗

NASA NTRS1976

An automated procedure for preliminary design of primary structure for transport Aircraft

A multistation structural synthesis procedure, designed to perform structural sizing and detail design of boxbeam structure, is presented. The design procedure combines the use of an iterative sizing technique for distributing material to structural elements with a nonlinear programming technique to finding efficient structural element designs of a given weight. Constraints based on fatigue and fracture criteria and static strength criteria under multiple loading conditions are considered, as well as constraints on the upper and lower bounds of the actual design variables. Emphasis is placed on the overall design procedure and the technique used to include the fatigue and fracture criteria.

Kruse, G. S.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Formulation of a methodology for power circuit design optimization

A methodology for optimizing power-processor designs is described which achieves optimization with respect to some power-processor characteristic deemed particularly desirable by the designer, such as weight or efficiency. Optimization theory based on Lagrange multipliers is reviewed together with nonlinear programming techniques employing penalty functions. The methodology, the task of which is to minimize an objective function subject to design constraints, is demonstrated with the aid of four examples: optimum-weight core selection for an inductor with a predetermined winding size, optimum-weight inductor design with a given loss constraint, optimum-loss inductor design with a given weight constraint, and a comparison of optimum-weight single- and two-stage input-filter designs with identical loss and other requirement constraints. Closed-form solutions for the first three examples are obtained by applying the Lagrange-multiplier method, but solutions for the last example are found numerically through the use of the sequential unconstrained minimization technique.

Yu, Y.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Optimum acoustic design of free-running low speed propellers

A theoretical analysis is conducted concerning the effect of blade loading on the noise output of a free-running propeller in axial motion. The minimization of the mean square sound pressure at a point in space is considered, taking into account constraints on propeller thrust and torque. Attention is given to aerodynamic equations, acoustic equations, the expansion of the aerodynamic variables, and the nonlinear programming formulation.

Ormsbee, A. I.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Static and dynamic stability analysis of the space shuttle vehicle-orbiter

The longitudinal static and dynamic stability of a Space Shuttle Vehicle-Orbiter (SSV Orbiter) model is analyzed using the FLEXSTAB computer program. Nonlinear effects are accounted for by application of a correction technique in the FLEXSTAB system; the technique incorporates experimental force and pressure data into the linear aerodynamic theory. A flexible Orbiter model is treated in the static stability analysis for the flight conditions of Mach number 0.9 for rectilinear flight (1 g) and for a pull-up maneuver (2.5 g) at an altitude of 15.24 km. Static stability parameters and structural deformations of the Orbiter are calculated at trim conditions for the dynamic stability analysis, and the characteristics of damping in pitch are investigated for a Mach number range of 0.3 to 1.2. The calculated results for both the static and dynamic stabilities are compared with the available experimental data.

Chyu, W. J.↗

NASA NTRS1979

A method for obtaining practical flutter-suppression control laws using results of optimal control theory

The results of optimal control theory are used to synthesize a feedback filter. The feedback filter is used to force the output of the filtered frequency response to match that of a desired optimal frequency response over a finite frequency range. This matching is accomplished by employing a nonlinear programing algorithm to search for the coefficients of the feedback filter that minimize the error between the optimal frequency response and the filtered frequency response. The method is applied to the synthesis of an active flutter-suppression control law for an aeroelastic wind-tunnel model. It is shown that the resulting control law suppresses flutter over a wide range of subsonic Mach numbers. This is a promising method for synthesizing practical control laws using the results of optimal control theory.

Newson, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Power converter design optimization

Utilizing the demonstrated capability of nonlinear programming algorithms, a practical design optimization approach for power converters is established to conceive a design to meet all power-circuit performance requirements and concurrently optimize a defined quantity such as weight or losses. In addition, to facilitate a cost-effective design, the computer-aided approach provides a means to readily assess (1) the weight-efficiency tradeoff, (2) impacts of converter requirements and component characteristics on a given design, and (3) optimum power system configurations.

Yu, Y.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Optimal nodal point distribution for improved accuracy in computational fluid dynamics

In applying finite-difference techniques to flow field problems, the accuracy attained for a fixed number of node points can be improved using unequally-spaced node points. The distribution of these node points is chosen here by minimizing a measure of local truncation error with respect to the parameters which define a transformation between the computational space of equally-spaced node points and the physical space of unequally-spaced node points. The problem then becomes a nonlinear programming problem. Numerical results are presented for two one-dimensional test problems: the Blasius boundary layer problem and the inviscid Burgers' equation.

Pierson, B. L.↗

NASA NTRS1980

A direct method for synthesizing low-order optimal feedback control laws with application to flutter suppression

A direct method of synthesizing a low-order optimal feedback control law for a high order system is presented. A nonlinear programming algorithm is employed to search for the control law design variables that minimize a performance index defined by a weighted sum of mean square steady state responses and control inputs. The controller is shown to be equivalent to a partial state estimator. The method is applied to the problem of active flutter suppression. Numerical results are presented for a 20th order system representing an aeroelastic wind-tunnel wing model. Low-order controllers (fourth and sixth order) are compared with a full order (20th order) optimal controller and found to provide near optimal performance with adequate stability margins.

Mukhopadhyay, V.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Application of constrained optimization to active control of aeroelastic response

Active control of aeroelastic response is a complex in which the designer usually tries to satisfy many criteria which are often conflicting. To further complicate the design problem, the state space equations describing this type of control problem are usually of high order, involving a large number of states to represent the flexible structure and unsteady aerodynamics. Control laws based on the standard Linear-Quadratic-Gaussian (LQG) method are of the same high order as the aeroelastic plant. To overcome this disadvantage of the LQG mode, an approach developed for designing low order optimal control laws which uses a nonlinear programming algorithm to search for the values of the control law variables that minimize a composite performance index, was extended to the constrained optimization problem. The method involves searching for the values of the control law variables that minimize a basic performance index while satisfying several inequality constraints that describe the design criteria. The method is applied to gust load alleviation of a drone aircraft.

Newsom, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1981

A method for obtaining reduced-order control laws for high-order systems using optimization techniques

A method of synthesizing reduced-order optimal feedback control laws for a high-order system is developed. A nonlinear programming algorithm is employed to search for the control law design variables that minimize a performance index defined by a weighted sum of mean-square steady-state responses and control inputs. An analogy with the linear quadractic Gaussian solution is utilized to select a set of design variables and their initial values. To improve the stability margins of the system, an input-noise adjustment procedure is used in the design algorithm. The method is applied to the synthesis of an active flutter-suppression control law for a wind tunnel model of an aeroelastic wing. The reduced-order controller is compared with the corresponding full-order controller and found to provide nearly optimal performance. The performance of the present method appeared to be superior to that of two other control law order-reduction methods. It is concluded that by using the present algorithm, nearly optimal low-order control laws with good stability margins can be synthesized.

Mukhopadhyay, V.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Automated optimum design of wing structures. Deterministic and probabilistic approaches

The automated optimum design of airplane wing structures subjected to multiple behavior constraints is described. The structural mass of the wing is considered the objective function. The maximum stress, wing tip deflection, root angle of attack, and flutter velocity during the pull up maneuver (static load), the natural frequencies of the wing structure, and the stresses induced in the wing structure due to landing and gust loads are suitably constrained. Both deterministic and probabilistic approaches are used for finding the stresses induced in the airplane wing structure due to landing and gust loads. A wing design is represented by a uniform beam with a cross section in the form of a hollow symmetric double wedge. The airfoil thickness and chord length are the design variables, and a graphical procedure is used to find the optimum solutions. A supersonic wing design is represented by finite elements. The thicknesses of the skin and the web and the cross sectional areas of the flanges are the design variables, and nonlinear programming techniques are used to find the optimum solution.

Rao, S. S.↗

NASA NTRS1981

A new approach to the minimum weight/loss design of switching power converters

A new technique using the mathematical nonlinear programming ALAG is proposed to facilitate design optimizations of switching power converters. This computer-aided approach provides a minimum weight (or loss) design down to the details of component level and concurrently satisfies all related power-circuit performance requirements. It also provides such design insights as tradeoffs between power loss and system weight as the switching frequency is increased.

Lee, F. C.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Hybrid optimization of truss structures with strength and buckling constraints

An efficient scheme utilizing standard nonlinear programming methodology is presented for the optimal design of elastic, redundant structures with strength and buckling constraints. Numerical examples are given which demonstrate how this method, involving a constraint redefinition, can successfully overcome certain problems typical to such structures. The scheme is applied to the design of a cantilever truss with strength and buckling constraints, in which optimal nonuniform cross section columns are used for all elements critical in buckling. It is found that permitting node movement and adding redundancies can lower the weight of the structure for the prescribed design constraints. In addition, the node excursions in this configuration are shown to be relatively small.

Hajela, P.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Computer simulations of optimum boost and buck-boost converters

The development of mathematicl models suitable for minimum weight boost and buck-boost converter designs are presented. The facility of an augumented Lagrangian (ALAG) multiplier-based nonlinear programming technique is demonstrated for minimum weight design optimizations of boost and buck-boost power converters. ALAG-based computer simulation results for those two minimum weight designs are discussed. Certain important features of ALAG are presented in the framework of a comprehensive design example for boost and buck-boost power converter design optimization. The study provides refreshing design insight of power converters and presents such information as weight annd loss profiles of various semiconductor components and magnetics as a function of the switching frequency.

Rahman, S.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Resolution enhancement of multichannel microwave imagery from the Nimbus-7 SMMR for maritime rainfall analysis

A restoration of the 37, 21, 18, 10.7, and 6.6 GHz satellite imagery from the scanning multichannel microwave radiometer (SMMR) aboard Nimbus-7 to 22.2 km resolution is attempted using a deconvolution method based upon nonlinear programming. The images are deconvolved with and without the aid of prescribed constraints, which force the processed image to abide by partial a priori knowledge of the high-resolution result. The restored microwave imagery may be utilized to examined the distribution of precipitating liquid water in marine rain systems.

Olson, W. S.↗