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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 163 records · Page 9

The International Space Station Solar Alpha Rotary Joint Anomaly Investigation

The Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) is a single-axis pointing mechanism used to orient the solar power generating arrays relative to the sun for the International Space Station (ISS). Approximately 83 days after its on-orbit installation, one of the two SARJ mechanisms aboard the ISS began to exhibit high drive motor current draw. Increased structural vibrations near the joint were also observed. Subsequent inspections via Extravehicular Activity (EVA) discovered that the nitrided case-hardened steel bearing race on the outboard side of the joint had extensive damage to one of its three rolling surfaces. A farreaching investigation of the anomaly was undertaken. The investigation included metallurgical inspections, coupon tests, traction kinematics tests, detailed bearing measurements, and thermal and structural analyses. The results of the investigation showed that the anomaly had most probably been caused by high bearing edge stresses that resulted from inadequate lubrication of the rolling contact. The profile of the roller bearings and the metallurgical properties of the race ring were also found to be significant contributing factors. To mitigate the impact of the damage, astronauts cleaned and lubricated the race ring surface with grease. This corrective action led to significantly improved performance of the mechanism both in terms of drive motor current and induced structural vibration.

Harik, Elliot P.↗

The International Space Station Solar Alpha Rotary Joint Anomaly Investigation

The Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) is a single-axis pointing mechanism used to orient the solar power generating arrays relative to the sun for the International Space Station (ISS). Approximately 83 days after its on-orbit installation, one of the two SARJ mechanisms aboard the ISS began to exhibit high drive motor current draw. Increased structural vibrations near the joint were also observed. Subsequent inspections via Extravehicular Activity (EVA) discovered that the nitrided case hardened steel bearing race on the outboard side of the joint had extensive damage to one of its three rolling surfaces. A far-reaching investigation of the anomaly was undertaken. The investigation included metallurgical inspections, coupon tests, traction kinematics tests, detailed bearing measurements, and thermal and structural analyses. The results of the investigation showed that anomaly had most probably been caused by high bearing edge stresses that resulted from inadequate lubrication of the rolling contact. The profile of the roller bearings and the metallurgical properties of the race ring were also found to be significant contributing factors. To mitigate the impact of the damage astronauts cleaned and lubricated the race ring surface with grease. This corrective action led to significantly improved performance of the mechanism both in terms of drive motor current and induced structural vibration.

Harik, Elliot P.↗

Command profile for Galileo scan platform control

A recursive command profile is developed for the control of a two-degree-of-freedom scan platform mounted on a flexible structure. Perfect sensors and actuators are assumed for development and testing, and structural vibrations are minimized by actuator torque commands following a smooth torque-time profile. The integral of the smooth torque profile, the rate profile, is recursively generated by a piecewise constant second derivation, and the torque applied by the closk actuator is divided into three components. Results show that the smooth platform motion in response to the command profiles is what the Galileo control systems needs to avoid stator structural vibrations. Position, rate and acceleration profiles are also presented, and the resulting motion of the scan platform in response to command profiles is illustrated.

Man, G. K.↗

Aircraft Interior Noise Control Using Distributed Piezoelectric Actuators

Developing a control system that can reduce the noise and structural vibration at the same time is an important task. This talk presents one possible technical approach for accomplishing this task. The target application of the research is for aircraft interior noise control. The emphasis of the present approach is not on control strategies, but rather on the design of actuators for the control system. In the talk, a theory of distributed piezoelectric actuators is introduced. A uniform cylindrical shell is taken as a simplified model of fuselage structures to illustrate the effectiveness of the design theory. The actuators developed are such that they can reduce the tonal structural vibration and interior noise in a wide range of frequencies. Extensive computer simulations have been done to study various aspects of the design theory. Experiments have also been conducted and the test results strongly support the theoretical development.

Sun, Jian Q.↗

Vibration suppression using smart structures

The control of structures for vibration suppression is discussed in the context of using smart materials and structures. Here the use of smart structures refers to using embedded piezoelectric devices as both control actuators and sensors. Using embedded sensors and actuators allows great improvements in performance over traditional structures (both passive and active) for vibration suppression. The application of smart structures to three experimental flexible structures is presented. The first is a flexible beam, the second is a flexible beam undergoing slewing motion, the third is a ribbed antenna. A simple model of a piezoelectric actuator/sensor is presented. The equations of motion for each structure is presented. The control issues considered as those associated with multi-input, multi-output control, PID control and LQR control implementation. A modern control analysis illustrates the usefulness of smart structures for vibration suppression.

Garcia, Ephrahim↗

Blended Buffet-Load-Alleviation System for Fighter Airplane

The capability of modern fighter airplanes to sustain flight at high angles of attack and/or moderate angles of sideslip often results in immersion of part of such an airplane in unsteady, separated, vortical flow emanating from its forebody or wings. The flows from these surfaces become turbulent and separated during flight under these conditions. These flows contain significant levels of energy over a frequency band coincident with that of low-order structural vibration modes of wings, fins, and control surfaces. The unsteady pressures applied to these lifting surfaces as a result of the turbulent flows are commonly denoted buffet loads, and the resulting vibrations of the affected structures are known as buffeting. Prolonged exposure to buffet loads has resulted in fatigue of structures on several airplanes. Damage to airplanes caused by buffeting has led to redesigns of airplane structures and increased support costs for the United States Air Force and Navy as well as the armed forces of other countries. Time spent inspecting, repairing, and replacing structures adversely affects availability of aircraft for missions. A blend of rudder-control and piezoelectric- actuator engineering concepts was selected as a basis for the design of a vertical-tail buffet-load-alleviation system for the F/A-18 airplane. In this system, the rudder actuator is used to control the response of the first tail vibrational mode (bending at a frequency near 15 Hz), while directional patch piezoelectric actuators are used to control the second tail vibrational mode (tip torsion at a frequency near 45 Hz). This blend of two types of actuator utilizes the most effective features of each. An analytical model of the aeroservoelastic behavior of the airplane equipped with this system was validated by good agreement with measured results from a full-scale ground test, flight-test measurement of buffet response, and an in-flight commanded rudder frequency sweep. The overall performance of the system was found to be characterized by reductions, ranging from 70 to 30 percent, in vertical-tail buffeting under buffet loads ranging from moderate to severe. These reductions were accomplished with a maximum commanded rudder angle of +/-2deg at 15 Hz and about 10 lb (.4.5 kg) of piezoelectric actuators attached to the vertical tail skin and operating at a peak power level of 2 kW. By meeting the design objective, this system would extend the vertical-tail fatigue life beyond two aircraft lifetimes. This system is also adaptable to other aircraft surfaces and other aircraft

Moses, Robert W.↗

Robustness In Suppressing Vibrations With Adaptive Control

Report describes theoretical and experimental study of robustness of adaptive model-reference control scheme designed to suppress vibrations in large, flexible structure. Model can be mathematical model or collection of models approximating dynamics of structure, vibration sensors, and vibration-suppressing actuators.

Ih, Che-Hang C.↗

Advanced actuators for the control of large space structures

The objective of this research was to develop advanced six-degree-of-freedom actuators employing magnetic suspensions suitable for the control of structural vibrations in large space structures. The advanced actuators consist of a magnetically suspended mass that has three-degrees-of-freedom in both translation and rotation. The most promising of these actuators featured a rotating suspended mass providing structural control torques in a manner similar to a control moment gyro (CMG). These actuators employ large-angle-magnetic suspensions that allow gimballing of the suspended mass without mechanical gimbals. Design definitions and sizing algorithms for these CMG type as well as angular reaction mass actuators based on multi-degree-of-freedom magnetic suspensions were developed. The performance of these actuators was analytically compared with conventional reaction mass actuators for a simple space structure model.

Downer, James↗

Two-mode elliptical-core weighted fiber sensors for vibration analysis

Two-mode, elliptical-core optical fibers are demonstrated in weighted, distributed and selective vibration-mode-filtering applications. We show how appropriate placement of optical fibers on a vibrating structure can lead to vibration mode filtering. Selective vibration-mode suppression on the order of 10 dB has been obtained using tapered two-mode, circular-core fibers with tapering functions that match the second derivatives of the modes of vibration to be enhanced. We also demonstrate the use of chirped, two-mode gratings in fibers as spatial modal sensors that are equivalents of shaped piezoelectric sensors.

Vengsarkar, Ashish M.↗

Active damping of spacecraft structural appendage vibrations

An active vibration damper system, for bending in two orthogonal directions and torsion, in each of three mutually perpendicular axes is located at the extremities of the flexible appendages of a space platform. The system components for each axis includes: an accelerometer, filtering and signal processing apparatus, and a DC motor-inertia wheel torquer. The motor torquer, when driven by a voltage proportional to the relative vibration tip velocity, produces a reaction torque for opposing and therefore damping a specific modal velocity of vibration. The relative tip velocity is obtained by integrating the difference between the signal output from the accelerometer located at the end of the appendage with the output of a usually carried accelerometer located on a relatively rigid body portion of the space platform. A selector switch, with sequential stepping logic or highest modal vibration energy logic, steps to another modal tip velocity channel and receives a signal voltage to damp another vibration mode. In this manner, several vibration modes can be damped with a single sensor/actuator pair. When a three axis damper is located on each of the major appendages of the platform, then all of the system vibration modes can be effectively damped.

Fedor, Joseph V.↗