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Results for “AERODYNAMIC CONTROL SURFACES”

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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1973

Design, develop and test high temperature dynamic seals for the space shuttle's aerodynamic control surfaces

A description is given of the design, development and testing of high temperature dynamic seals for the gaps between the structure and aerodynamic control surfaces on the space shuttle. These aerodynamic seals are required to prevent high temperature airflow from damaging thermally unprotected structures and components during entry. Two seal concepts evolved a curtain seal for the spanwise elevon cove gap, and a labyrinth seal for the area above the elevon, at the gap between the end of the elevon and the fuselage. On the basis of development testing, both seal concepts were shown to be feasible for controlling internal temperatures to 350 F or less when exposed to a typical space shuttle entry environment. The curtain seal concept demonstrated excellent test results and merits strong consideration for application on the space shuttle orbiter. The labyrinth seal concept, although demonstrating significant temperature reduction characteristics, may or may not be required on the Orbiter, depending on the actual design configuration and flight environment.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2019

Control and Simulation of a Deployable Entry Vehicle with Aerodynamic Control Surfaces

In this paper, we investigate the static stability of a deployable entry vehicle called the Lifting Nano-ADEPT and design a control system to follow bank angle, angle-of-attack, and sideslip guidance commands. The control design, based on linear quadratic regulator optimal techniques, utilizes aerodynamic control surfaces to track angle-of-attack, sideslip angle, and bank angle commands. We demonstrate, using a nonlinear simulation environment, that the controller is able to accurately track step commands that may come from a guidance algorithm.

Margolis, Benjamin W. L.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Variable Camber Continuous Aerodynamic Control Surfaces and Methods for Active Wing Shaping Control

An aerodynamic control apparatus for an air vehicle improves various aerodynamic performance metrics by employing multiple spanwise flap segments that jointly form a continuous or a piecewise continuous trailing edge to minimize drag induced by lift or vortices. At least one of the multiple spanwise flap segments includes a variable camber flap subsystem having multiple chordwise flap segments that may be independently actuated. Some embodiments also employ a continuous leading edge slat system that includes multiple spanwise slat segments, each of which has one or more chordwise slat segment. A method and an apparatus for implementing active control of a wing shape are also described and include the determination of desired lift distribution to determine the improved aerodynamic deflection of the wings. Flap deflections are determined and control signals are generated to actively control the wing shape to approximate the desired deflection.

Nguyen, Nhan T.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Study of aerodynamic surface control of space shuttle boost and reentry, volume 1

The optimization technique is described which was used in the study for applying modern optimal control technology to the design of shuttle booster engine reaction control systems and aerodynamic control systems. Complete formulations are presented for both the ascent and reentry portions of the study. These formulations include derivations of the 6D perturbation equations of motion and the process followed in the control and blending law selections. A total hybrid software concept applied to the study is described in detail. Conclusions and recommendations based on the results of the study are included.

Chang, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS1978

The effect of normal atmospheric variability on Space Shuttle Orbiter entry performance

The Space Shuttle Orbiter is controlled during entry by a combination of aerodynamic surfaces composed of elevons, a body flap, and a rudder that flares as a speedbrake, and a reaction control system that uses 16 small rocket thrusters. To determine the effects of realistic atmospheric density variations on reentry, a series of Monte Carlo trajectories were generated for each season. The performance parameters analyzed include maximum hinge moments experienced by the aerodynamic control surfaces, the maximum deflections experienced by the aerodynamic control surfaces, a range of angle-of-sideslip values, maximum dynamic pressure, maximum stagnation point heat rate, and state conditions at touchdown. The results of the investigation indicate that the Orbiter guidance and control systems could tolerate atmospheric variability without failures in the control system hardware.

Powell, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Test Cases for the Benchmark Active Controls: Spoiler and Control Surface Oscillations and Flutter

As a portion of the Benchmark Models Program at NASA Langley, a simple generic model was developed for active controls research and was called BACT for Benchmark Active Controls Technology model. This model was based on the previously-tested Benchmark Models rectangular wing with the NACA 0012 airfoil section that was mounted on the Pitch and Plunge Apparatus (PAPA) for flutter testing. The BACT model had an upper surface spoiler, a lower surface spoiler, and a trailing edge control surface for use in flutter suppression and dynamic response excitation. Previous experience with flutter suppression indicated a need for measured control surface aerodynamics for accurate control law design. Three different types of flutter instability boundaries had also been determined for the NACA 0012/PAPA model, a classical flutter boundary, a transonic stall flutter boundary at angle of attack, and a plunge instability near M = 0.9. Therefore an extensive set of steady and control surface oscillation data was generated spanning the range of the three types of instabilities. This information was subsequently used to design control laws to suppress each flutter instability. There have been three tests of the BACT model. The objective of the first test, TDT Test 485, was to generate a data set of steady and unsteady control surface effectiveness data, and to determine the open loop dynamic characteristics of the control systems including the actuators. Unsteady pressures, loads, and transfer functions were measured. The other two tests, TDT Test 502 and TDT Test 5 18, were primarily oriented towards active controls research, but some data supplementary to the first test were obtained. Dynamic response of the flexible system to control surface excitation and open loop flutter characteristics were determined during Test 502. Loads were not measured during the last two tests. During these tests, a database of over 3000 data sets was obtained. A reasonably extensive subset of the data sets from the first two tests have been chosen for Test Cases for computational comparisons concentrating on static conditions and cases with harmonically oscillating control surfaces. Several flutter Test Cases from both tests have also been included. Some aerodynamic comparisons with the BACT data have been made using computational fluid dynamics codes at the Navier-Stokes level (and in the accompanying chapter SC). Some mechanical and active control studies have been presented. In this report several Test Cases are selected to illustrate trends for a variety of different conditions with emphasis on transonic flow effects. Cases for static angles of attack, static trailing-edge and upper-surface spoiler deflections are included for a range of conditions near those for the oscillation cases. Cases for trailing-edge control and upper-surface spoiler oscillations for a range of Mach numbers, angle of attack, and static control deflections are included. Cases for all three types of flutter instability are selected. In addition some cases are included for dynamic response measurements during forced oscillations of the controls on the flexible mount. An overview of the model and tests is given, and the standard formulary for these data is listed. Some sample data and sample results of calculations are presented. Only the static pressures and the first harmonic real and imaginary parts of the pressures are included in the data for the Test Cases, but digitized time histories have been archived. The data for the Test Cases are also available as separate electronic files.

Bennett, Robert M.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Pterodactyl: Guidance and Control of a Symmetric Deployable Entry Vehicle using an Aerodynamic Control System

The NASA-funded Pterodactyl project seeks to advance the state-of-the-art for varying entry vehicle types by developing unconventional guidance and control technologies for Deployable Entry Vehicles (DEVs) that can be applied to different entry vehicle configurations. Prior work by the authors [1–5] involved developing both traditional and novel integrated guidance and control solutions for a Pterodactyl Baseline Vehicle (PBV), a variant of an asymmetric DEV called the Lifting Nano ADEPT (LNA) [6]. In the prior studies, two different guidance schemes were designed and implemented for the PBV: (i) traditional bank angle guidance developed using the Fully Numerical Predictor-Corrector Entry Guidance (FNPEG) and (ii) novel angle of attack and sideslip (α - β) guidance developed using FNPEG with Uncoupled Range Control [4]. Using Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) optimal control methods with state-feedback integral control designs, these guidance trajectories were designed to be tracked using (i) a conventional propulsive entry vehicle control hardware architecture - reaction control systems (RCS) and (ii) novel non-propulsive entry vehicle control systems - aerodynamic flap control system (FCS) and moving mass control system (MMCS) [1]. The novel FCS and MMCS architectures were designed to track α - β guidance commands while the RCS was designed to track bank angle commands. It was discovered that the asymmetric DEV, the PBV, experienced a non-zero induced roll moment due to sideslip that the FCS and MMCS architectures had limited capability to trim out. These two architectures were designed to provide independent angle of attack and sideslip commands with limited consideration for roll moment generation to trim. As a result, for the PBV, the FCS and MMCS configurations as designed, were limited in providing the control authority needed to track an α - β guidance trajectory [1]. These results form the motivation for the work presented in this paper - utilizing an aerodynamic control system to track α - β guidance commands for a symmetric DEV with the expectation that a symmetric entry vehicle will have zero or significantly reduced roll moment due to sideslip that the FCS can handle when tracking an α - β guidance trajectory. To demonstrate the feasibility of a novel guidance and control architecture on a DEV, we utilize a symmetric DEV, the PBV-II, for (i) the novel α - β guidance development using FNPEG with Uncoupled Range Control and (ii) LQR control design using eight aerodynamic control surfaces. This paper demonstrates that the novel uncoupled α - β guidance tracking can be achieved using aerodynamic control surfaces on a symmetric deployable entry vehicle configuration.

Wendy A Okolo↗
NASA NTRS1992

Vibration reduction in helicopter rotors using an active control surface located on the blade

A feasibility study of vibration reduction in a four-bladed helicopter rotor using individual blade control (IBC), which is implemented by an individually controlled aerodynamic surface located on each blade, is presented. For this exploratory study, a simple offset-hinged spring restrained model of the blade is used with fully coupled flap-lag-torsional dynamics for each blade. Deterministic controllers based on local and global system models are implemented to reduce 4/rev hub loads using both an actively controlled aerodynamic surface on each blade as well as conventional IBC, where the complete blade undergoes cyclic pitch change. The effectiveness of the two approaches for simultaneous reduction of the 4/rev hub shears and hub moments is compared. Conventional IBC requires considerably more power to achieve approximately the same level of vibration reduction as that obtained by implementing IBC using an active control surface located on the outboard segment of the blade. The effect of blade torsional flexibility on the vibration reduction effectiveness of the actively controlled surface was also considered and it was found that this parameter has a very substantial influence.

Millott, T. A.↗
NASA NTRS2006

A Feasibility Study on the Control of a Generic Air Vehicle Using Control Moment Gyros

This paper examines feasibility and performance issues in using Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs) to control the attitude of a fixed-wing aircraft. The paper describes a control system structure that permits allocating control authority and bandwidth between a CMG system and conventional aerodynamic control surfaces to stabilize a vehicle with neutral aerodynamic stability. A simulation study explores the interplay between aerodynamic and CMG effects, and indicates desirable physical characteristics for a CMG system to be used for aircraft attitude control.

Lim, Kyong B.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Transpiration Control Of Aerodynamics Via Porous Surfaces

Quasi-active porous surface used to control pressure loading on aerodynamic surface of aircraft or other vehicle, according to proposal. In transpiration control, one makes small additions of pressure and/or mass to cavity beneath surface of porous skin on aerodynamic surface, thereby affecting rate of transpiration through porous surface. Porous skin located on forebody or any other suitable aerodynamic surface, with cavity just below surface. Device based on concept extremely lightweight, mechanically simple, occupies little volume in vehicle, and extremely adaptable.

Banks, Daniel W.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Generic hypersonic vehicle performance model

An integrated computational model of a generic hypersonic vehicle was developed for the purpose of determining the vehicle's performance characteristics, which include the lift, drag, thrust, and moment acting on the vehicle at specified altitude, flight condition, and vehicular configuration. The lift, drag, thrust, and moment are developed for the body fixed coordinate system. These forces and moments arise from both aerodynamic and propulsive sources. SCRAMjet engine performance characteristics, such as fuel flow rate, can also be determined. The vehicle is assumed to be a lifting body with a single aerodynamic control surface. The body shape and control surface location are arbitrary and must be defined. The aerodynamics are calculated using either 2-dimensional Newtonian or modified Newtonian theory and approximate high-Mach-number Prandtl-Meyer expansion theory. Skin-friction drag was also accounted for. The skin-friction drag coefficient is a function of the freestream Mach number. The data for the skin-friction drag coefficient values were taken from NASA Technical Memorandum 102610. The modeling of the vehicle's SCRAMjet engine is based on quasi 1-dimensional gas dynamics for the engine diffuser, nozzle, and the combustor with heat addition. The engine has three variable inputs for control: the engine inlet diffuser area ratio, the total temperature rise through the combustor due to combustion of the fuel, and the engine internal expansion nozzle area ratio. The pressure distribution over the vehicle's lower aft body surface, which acts as an external nozzle, is calculated using a combination of quasi 1-dimensional gas dynamic theory and Newtonian or modified Newtonian theory. The exhaust plume shape is determined by matching the pressure inside the plume, calculated from the gas dynamic equations, with the freestream pressure, calculated from Newtonian or Modified Newtonian theory. In this manner, the pressure distribution along the vehicle after body expansion surface is then determined. The aerodynamic modeling, the engine modeling, and the exhaust plume analysis are described in more detail. A description of the computer code used to perform the above calculations is given and an input/output example is then given. The computer code is available on a Macintosh floppy disk.

Chavez, Frank R.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Supersonic Aerodynamic Characteristics of Blunt Body Trim Tab Configurations

Trim tabs are aerodynamic control surfaces that can allow an entry vehicle to meet aerodynamic performance requirements while reducing or eliminating the use of ballast mass and providing a capability to modulate the lift-to-drag ratio during entry. Force and moment data were obtained on 38 unique, blunt body trim tab configurations in the NASA Langley Research Center Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel. The data were used to parametrically assess the supersonic aerodynamic performance of trim tabs and to understand the influence of tab area, cant angle, and aspect ratio. Across the range of conditions tested (Mach numbers of 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5; angles of attack from -4deg to +20deg; angles of sideslip from 0deg to +8deg), the effects of varying tab area and tab cant angle were found to be much more significant than effects from varying tab aspect ratio. Aerodynamic characteristics exhibited variation with Mach number and forebody geometry over the range of conditions tested. Overall, the results demonstrate that trim tabs are a viable approach to satisfy aerodynamic performance requirements of blunt body entry vehicles with minimal ballast mass. For a 70deg sphere-cone, a tab with 3% area of the forebody and canted approximately 35deg with no ballast mass was found to give the same trim aerodynamics as a baseline model with ballast mass that was 5% of the total entry mass.

Korzun, Ashley M.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Real-Time Adaptive Least-Squares Drag Minimization for Performance Adaptive Aeroelastic Wing

This paper contains a simulation study of a real-time adaptive least-squares drag minimization algorithm for an aeroelastic model of a flexible wing aircraft. The aircraft model is based on the NASA Generic Transport Model (GTM). The wing structures incorporate a novel aerodynamic control surface known as the Variable Camber Continuous Trailing Edge Flap (VCCTEF). The drag minimization algorithm uses the Newton-Raphson method to find the optimal VCCTEF deflections for minimum drag in the context of an altitude-hold flight control mode at cruise conditions. The aerodynamic coefficient parameters used in this optimization method are identified in real-time using Recursive Least Squares (RLS). The results demonstrate the potential of the VCCTEF to improve aerodynamic efficiency for drag minimization for transport aircraft.

Aeroservoelasticity↗
NASA NTRS2013

Elastically Shaped Wing Optimization and Aircraft Concept for Improved Cruise Efficiency

This paper presents the findings of a study conducted tn 2010 by the NASA Innovation Fund Award project entitled "Elastically Shaped Future Air Vehicle Concept". The study presents three themes in support of meeting national and global aviation challenges of reducing fuel burn for present and future aviation systems. The first theme addresses the drag reduction goal through innovative vehicle configurations via non-planar wing optimization. Two wing candidate concepts have been identified from the wing optimization: a drooped wing shape and an inflected wing shape. The drooped wing shape is a truly biologically inspired wing concept that mimics a seagull wing and could achieve about 5% to 6% drag reduction, which is aerodynamically significant. From a practical perspective, this concept would require new radical changes to the current aircraft development capabilities for new vehicles with futuristic-looking wings such as this concept. The inflected wing concepts could achieve between 3% to 4% drag reduction. While the drag reduction benefit may be less, the inflected-wing concept could have a near-term impact since this concept could be developed within the current aircraft development capabilities. The second theme addresses the drag reduction goal through a new concept of elastic wing shaping control. By aeroelastically tailoring the wing shape with active control to maintain optimal aerodynamics, a significant drag reduction benefit could be realized. A significant reduction in fuel burn for long-range cruise from elastic wing shaping control could be realized. To realize the potential of the elastic wing shaping control concept, the third theme emerges that addresses the drag reduction goal through a new aerodynamic control effector called a variable camber continuous trailing edge flap. Conventional aerodynamic control surfaces are discrete independent surfaces that cause geometric discontinuities at the trailing edge region. These discontinuities promote vorticities which result in drag rises as well as noise sources. The variable camber trailing edge flap concept could provide a substantial drag reduction benefit over a conventional discrete flap system. Aerodynamic simulations show a drag reduction of over 50% could be achieved with the flap concept over a conventional discrete flap system.

Nguyen, Nhan↗