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NASA NTRS2000

Results From F-18B Stability and Control Parameter Estimation Flight Tests at High Dynamic Pressures

A maximum-likelihood output-error parameter estimation technique has been used to obtain stability and control derivatives for the NASA F-18B Systems Research Aircraft. This work has been performed to support flight testing of the active aeroelastic wing (AAW) F-18A project. The goal of this research is to obtain baseline F-18 stability and control derivatives that will form the foundation of the aerodynamic model for the AAW aircraft configuration. Flight data have been obtained at Mach numbers between 0.85 and 1.30 and at dynamic pressures ranging between 600 and 1500 lbf/sq ft. At each test condition, longitudinal and lateral-directional doublets have been performed using an automated onboard excitation system. The doublet maneuver consists of a series of single-surface inputs so that individual control-surface motions cannot be correlated with other control-surface motions. Flight test results have shown that several stability and control derivatives are significantly different than prescribed by the F-18B aerodynamic model. This report defines the parameter estimation technique used, presents stability and control derivative results, compares the results with predictions based on the current F-18B aerodynamic model, and shows improvements to the nonlinear simulation using updated derivatives from this research.

Moes, Timothy R.↗

NASA NTRS2001

A Wind-Tunnel Parametric Investigation of Tiltrotor Whirl-Flutter Stability Boundaries

A wind-tunnel investigation of tiltrotor whirl-flutter stability boundaries has been conducted on a 1/5-size semispan tiltrotor model known as the Wing and Rotor Aeroelastic Test System (WRATS) in the NASA-Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel as part of a joint NASA/Army/Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc. (BHTI) research program. The model was first developed by BHTI as part of the JVX (V-22) research and development program in the 1980's and was recently modified to incorporate a hydraulically-actuated swashplate control system for use in active controls research. The modifications have changed the model's pylon mass properties sufficiently to warrant testing to re-establish its baseline stability boundaries. A parametric investigation of the effect of rotor design variables on stability was also conducted. The model was tested in both the on-downstop and off-downstop configurations, at cruise flight and hover rotor rotational speeds, and in both air and heavy gas (R-134a) test mediums. Heavy gas testing was conducted to quantify Mach number compressibility effects on tiltrotor stability. Experimental baseline stability boundaries in air are presented with comparisons to results from parametric variations of rotor pitch-flap coupling and control system stiffness. Increasing the rotor pitch-flap coupling (delta(sub 3) more negative) was found to have a destabilizing effect on stability, while a reduction in control system stiffness was found to have little effect on whirl-flutter stability. Results indicate that testing in R-134a, and thus matching full-scale tip Mach number, has a destabilizing effect, which demonstrates that whirl-flutter stability boundaries in air are unconservative.

Piatak, David J.↗

NASA NTRS1981

The unsteady suction analogy and applications

A method of the unsteady suction analogy is developed using the unsteady quasi-vortex-lattice method which accurately predicts unsteady leading-edge and side-edge suction forces, and applies to any reduced frequencies. The importance of vortex lag is demonstrated, and damping derivatives, including roll and pitch damping derivatives with reduced frequencies and angles of attack are accurately predicted. Agreement of predicted pitch stiffness derivatives, however, is found to depend on the Reynolds number, possible aeroelastic effect, and the degree of edge-separated vortex flow on the model. Applications to the prediction of longitudinal dynamic stability derivatives for slender wings at high angles of attack are also presented.

Lan, C. E.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Digital-flutter-suppression-system investigations for the active flexible wing wind-tunnel model

Active flutter suppression control laws were designed, implemented, and tested on an aeroelastically-scaled wind-tunnel model in the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel. One of the control laws was successful in stabilizing the model while the dynamic pressure was increased to 24 percent greater than the measured open-loop flutter boundary. Other accomplishments included the design, implementation, and successful operation of a one-of-a-kind digital controller, the design and use of two simulation methods to support the project, and the development and successful use of a methodology for online controller performance evaluation.

Perry, Boyd, III↗

NASA NTRS1990

Design, implementation, simulation, and testing of digital flutter suppression systems for the active flexible wing wind-tunnel model

Active flutter suppression control laws were designed, implemented, and tested on an aeroelastically-scaled wind-tunnel model in the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel. One of the control laws was successful in stabilizing the model while the dynamic pressure was increased to 24 percent greater than the measured open-loop flutter boundary. Other accomplishments included the design, implementation, and successful operation of a one-of-a-kind digital controller, the design and use of two simulation methods to support the projet, and the development and successful use of a methodology for online controller performance evaluation.

Perry, Boyd, III↗

NASA NTRS2024

Tail-Cone Thruster Fan Rotor Flutter Analysis

The aeroelastic stability of a tail cone thruster fan was analyzed for three structural modes and various nodal diameter patterns. Computational fluid dynamics modeling with blade vibrations was used in the analyses performed at design (peak-efficiency) and two near-stall conditions at the design rotational speed. Aerodynamic damping was used to assess flutter since this integrally bladed rotor design will have minimal structural damping. Aerodynamic damping was found to be low at the design condition. For the first mode, aerodynamic damping was seen to decrease towards stall, vanishing for a zero nodal diameter pattern. Further decrease in mass flow led to negative aerodynamic damping (flutter) for the first and second nodal diameters in the near stall condition. The flowfield at this lowest mass flow rate exhibited some additional unsteadiness at higher frequency. The sensitivity of results to time step and amplitudes of vibration was examined and found to be very satisfactory. The largest uncertainty in the results comes from the observed sensitivity of the aerodynamic damping to details of the variation of grid deformations in the blade passage mesh from the blade passage to the boundaries. For the parametric variations analyzed, the calculated aerodynamic damping is lower if the grid deformations near the blade surface are higher. Further work is needed to understand the cause of this sensitivity and find possible solutions to reduce the effects on flutter predictions.

Fan↗

NASA NTRS1982

Dynamic stability of flexible forward swept wing aircraft

This paper describes potential vehicle instability modes for forward swept wing aircraft and other divergence prone aircraft. Examples show that either body-freedom flutter or aircraft aeroelastic divergence may occur depending upon the airplane planform geometry and mass distribution. These vehicle instabilities may occur at speeds very different than the clamped wing aeroelastic divergence speed.

Weisshaar, T. A.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Aeroelastic Response and Protection of Space Shuttle External Tank Cable Trays

Sections of the Space Shuttle External Tank Liquid Oxygen (LO2) and Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) cable trays are shielded from potentially damaging airloads with foam Protuberance Aerodynamic Load (PAL) Ramps. Flight standard design LO2 and LH2 cable tray sections were tested with and without PAL Ramp models in the United States Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Center s (AEDC) 16T transonic wind tunnel to obtain experimental data on the aeroelastic stability and response characteristics of the trays and as part of the larger effort to determine whether the PAL ramps can be safely modified or removed. Computational Fluid Dynamic simulations of the full-stack shuttle launch configuration were used to investigate the flow characeristics around and under the cable trays without the protective PAL ramps and to define maximum crossflow Mach numbers and dynamic pressures experienced during launch. These crossflow conditions were used to establish wind tunnel test conditions which also included conservative margins. For all of the conditions and configurations tested, no aeroelastic instabilities or unacceptable dynamic response levels were encountered and no visible structural damage was experienced by any of the tested cable tray sections. Based upon this aeroelastic characterization test, three potentially acceptable alternatives are available for the LO2 cable tray PAL Ramps: Mini-Ramps, Tray Fences, or No Ramps. All configurations were tested to maximum conditions, except the LH2 trays at -15 deg. crossflow angle. This exception is the only caveat preventing the proposal of acceptable alternative configurations for the LH2 trays as well. Structural assessment of all tray loads and tray response measurements from launches following the Shuttle Return To Flight with the existing PAL Ramps will determine the acceptability of these PAL Ramp alternatives.

Edwards, John W.↗

NASA NTRS1990

On dynamic stability boundaries for binary systems

Dynamic stability boundaries are developed for linear two-degree-of-freedom systems with damping and elastic couplings. Special emphasis is placed on the influence of natural frequency proximity and those instabilities which stem from skew-symmetric stiffness properties. These arise in aeroelasticity and flight dynamics systems. Insight is provided into the destabilizing effects of the 'dreaded modal resonance' which results when the two natural frequencies in the modal natural frequency ratio match or nearly match.

Young, M. I.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Performance Enhancement of the Flexible Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Aircraft Using Variable-Camber Continuous Trailing-Edge Flaps

Aircraft designers are to a growing extent using vehicle flexibility to optimize performance with objectives such as gust load alleviation and drag minimization. More complex aerodynamically optimized configurations may also require dynamic loads and perhaps eventually flutter suppression. This paper considers an aerodynamically optimized truss-braced wing aircraft designed for a Mach 0.745 cruise. The variable camber continuous trailing edge flap concept with a feedback control system is used to enhance aeroelastic stability. A linearized reduced order aerodynamic model is developed from unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes simulations. A static output feedback controller is developed from that model. Closed-loop simulations using the reduced order aerodynamic model show that the controller is effective in stabilizing the vehicle dynamics.

Bartels, Robert E.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Viscous effects on transonic airfoil stability and response

An integral boundary layer model coupled to the inviscid XTRAN2L transonic small disturbance code is used to investigate viscous effects on transonic airfoil stability and response. A pulse transfer function analysis is employed for the computation of unsteady transonic airloads which yields forces for a wide range of reduced frequencies in a single flowfield computation. Nonlinear, time-marching aeroelastic solutions are obtained which exhibit the effects of viscosity on airfoil response behavior and flutter. A state-space aeroelastic model using Pade approximants to describe unsteady airloads is used to study viscosity effects on transonic airfoil stability. The state-space dynamic pressure root loci are in good general agreement with time marching damping and frequency estimates.

Berry, H. M.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Role of shock dynamics in transonic flutter

A computational study of the influence of shock motion on flutter and divergence in transonic flow is presented. The numerical scheme models the entire fluid-structure system as a single continuum dynamics problem, by using a mixed Eulerian-Lagrangian formulation. No assumptions of small displacements are made, but the effect of viscosity is neglected. The results from this study indicate that the shock dynamics gives rise to limit cycles and highly nonlinear aeroelastic phenomena, such as weak divergence and flutter-divergence interactions. Although the shocks typically are destabilizing at the linear flutter boundary, they often have a strongly stabilizing effect for moderate-amplitude motions. The shocks are thus capable of quenching an emerging bending-torsion flutter motion and turning it into limit cycle flutter. The usefulness of classical flutter and divergence boundary diagrams is severely limited in transonic flow, because much of the global dynamic stability information is lost in such a presentation.

Bendiksen, Oddvar O.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Aeroelastic loads and stability investigation of a full-scale hingeless rotor

An analytical investigation was conducted to study the influence of various parameters on predicting the aeroelastic loads and stability of a full-scale hingeless rotor in hover and forward flight. The CAMRAD/JA (Comprehensive Analytical Model of Rotorcraft Aerodynamics and Dynamics, Johnson Aeronautics) analysis code is used to obtain the analytical predictions. Data are presented for rotor blade bending and torsional moments as well as inplane damping data obtained for rotor operation in hover at a constant rotor rotational speed of 425 rpm and thrust coefficients between 0.0 and 0.12. Experimental data are presented from a test in the wind tunnel. Validation of the rotor system structural model with experimental rotor blade loads data shows excellent correlation with analytical results. Using this analysis, the influence of different aerodynamic inflow models, the number of generalized blade and body degrees of freedom, and the control-system stiffness at predicted stability levels are shown. Forward flight predictions of the BO-105 rotor system for 1-G thrust conditions at advance ratios of 0.0 to 0.35 are presented. The influence of different aerodynamic inflow models, dynamic inflow models and shaft angle variations on predicted stability levels are shown as a function of advance ratio.

Peterson, Randall L.↗

NASA NTRS1997

TURBO-AE: An Aeroelastic Code for Propulsion Applications

NASA's Advanced Subsonic Technology (AST) program is developing new technologies to increase the fuel efficiency of commercial aircraft engines, improve the safety of engine operation, and reduce engine emissions and noise. With the development of new designs for ducted fans, compressors, and turbines to achieve these goals, a basic aeroelastic requirement is that there should be no flutter or high resonant blade stresses in the operating regime. To verify the aeroelastic soundness of these designs, we need an accurate prediction and analysis code. Such a two-dimensional viscous propulsion aeroelastic code, named TURBO-AE, is being developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center. The TURBO-AE aeroelastic code is based on a three-dimensional unsteady aerodynamic Euler/Navier-Stokes turbomachinery code TURBO, developed under a grant from NASA Lewis. TURBO-AE can model viscous flow effects that play an important role in certain aeroelastic problems, such as flutter with flow separation (or stall flutter) and flutter in the presence of shock and boundary-layer interaction. The structural dynamics representation of the blade in the TURBO-AE code is based on a normal mode representation. A finite element analysis code, such as NASTRAN, is used to calculate in-vacuum vibration modes and the associated natural frequency. A work-per-cycle approach is used to determine aeroelastic (flutter) stability. With this approach, the motion of the blade is prescribed to be a harmonic vibration in a specified in vacuum normal mode. The aerodynamic forces acting on the vibrating blade and the work done by these forces on the vibrating blade during a cycle of vibration are calculated. If positive work is being done on the blade by the aerodynamic forces, the blade is dynamically unstable, since it will extract energy from the flow, leading to an increase in the amplitude of the blade's oscillation. Initial calculations have been done for a configuration representative of the Energy Efficient Engine fan rotor. The accompanying figure shows the work-per-cycle after each cycle of vibration. It can be seen that the work-per-cycle does not vary much after the fourth cycle. The negative sign of the converged work-per-cycle shows that the fan blade is dynamically stable and will not flutter. TURBO-AE will provide a useful aeroelastic prediction/analysis capability for engine manufacturers. It will reduce design cycle times by allowing new blade designs to be verified for aeroelastic soundness before blades are built and tested. With this prediction capability, it will be possible to build thinner, lighter, and faster rotating blades without encountering aeroelastic problems like stall flutter and high-cycle fatigue due to forced vibrations.

Bakhle, Milind A.↗

NASA NTRS1984

A Research Program in Active Control/aeroelasticity

Research activities concerning active control aeroelasticity are discussed. In aeroservoelastic system design of a flexible aircraft, it is often necessary to obtain specified steady state structural dynamic response and to maintain stability margins at both the plant (aircraft) input and output. The research during the present period is discussed. Steady state structural dynamic response constraints and gradients were formulated. Incorporation of the design software as an update to the PADLOCS synthesis software was examined. The stability margin improvement technique at both the plant input and output using singular value properties and constrained optimization method was validated.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1988

An application of eigenspace methods to symmetric flutter suppression

An eigenspace assignment approach to the design of parameter insensitive control laws for linear multivariable systems is presented. The control design scheme utilizes flexibility in eigenvector assignments to reduce control system sensitivity to changes in system parameters. The methods involve use of the singular value decomposition to provide an exact description of allowable eigenvectors in terms of a minimum number of design parameters. In a design example, the methods are applied to the problem of symmetric flutter suppression in an aeroelastic vehicle. In this example the flutter mode is sensitive to changes in dynamic pressure and eigenspace methods are used to enhance the performance of a stabilizing minimum energy/linear quadratic regulator controller and associated observer. Results indicate that the methods provide feedback control laws that make stability of the nominal closed loop systems insensitive to changes in dynamic pressure.

Fennell, Robert E.↗

NASA NTRS1988

An application of eigenspace methods to symmetric flutter suppression

An eigenspace assignment approach to the design of parameter insensitive control laws for linear multivariable systems is presented. The control design scheme utilizes constrained optimization techniques to exploit the flexibility in eigenvector assignments to reduce control system sensitivity to changes in system parameters while maintaining performance requirements; it thus provides a systematic approach for choosing values for eigensystem design variables. The methods involve use of the singular value decomposition to provide an exact description of allowable eigenvectors in terms of a minimum number of design parameters. In a design example, the methods are applied to the problem of symmetric flutter suppression in an aeroelastic vehicle. In this example the flutter mode is sensitive to changes in dynamic pressure and eigenspace methods are used to enhance the performance of a stabilizing minimum energy/linear quadratic regulator controller and associated observer. Numerical results indicate that the methods provide feedback control laws that make the stability of the nominal closed loop systems less sensitive to changes in dynamic pressure, while maintaining acceptable control power and robustness constraints.

Fennell, Robert E.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Fuzzy Model-based Pitch Stabilization and Wing Vibration Suppression of Flexible Wing Aircraft.

This paper presents a fuzzy nonlinear controller to regulate the longitudinal dynamics of an aircraft and suppress the bending and torsional vibrations of its flexible wings. The fuzzy controller utilizes full-state feedback with input constraint. First, the Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy linear model is developed which approximates the coupled aeroelastic aircraft model. Then, based on the fuzzy linear model, a fuzzy controller is developed to utilize a full-state feedback and stabilize the system while it satisfies the control input constraint. Linear matrix inequality (LMI) techniques are employed to solve the fuzzy control problem. Finally, the performance of the proposed controller is demonstrated on the NASA Generic Transport Model (GTM).

Stability and Control↗