Engineering topics

Cunningham, Kevin

Publications and source records attributed to Cunningham, Kevin.

22 records · Page 2

NASA NTRS2008

Practical Application of a Subscale Transport Aircraft for Flight Research in Control Upset and Failure Conditions

Over the past decade, the goal of reducing the fatal accident rate of large transport aircraft has resulted in research aimed at the problem of aircraft loss-of-control. Starting in 1999, the NASA Aviation Safety Program initiated research that included vehicle dynamics modeling, system health monitoring, and reconfigurable control systems focused on flight regimes beyond the normal flight envelope. In recent years, there has been an increased emphasis on adaptive control technologies for recovery from control upsets or failures including damage scenarios. As part of these efforts, NASA has developed the Airborne Subscale Transport Aircraft Research (AirSTAR) flight facility to allow flight research and validation, and system testing for flight regimes that are considered too risky for full-scale manned transport airplane testing. The AirSTAR facility utilizes dynamically-scaled vehicles that enable the application of subscale flight test results to full scale vehicles. This paper describes the modeling and simulation approach used for AirSTAR vehicles that supports the goals of efficient, low-cost and safe flight research in abnormal flight conditions. Modeling of aerodynamics, controls, and propulsion will be discussed as well as the application of simulation to flight control system development, test planning, risk mitigation, and flight research.

Cunningham, Kevin↗

NASA NTRS2005

Dynamics Modeling and Simulation of Large Transport Airplanes in Upset Conditions

As part of NASA's Aviation Safety and Security Program, research has been in progress to develop aerodynamic modeling methods for simulations that accurately predict the flight dynamics characteristics of large transport airplanes in upset conditions. The motivation for this research stems from the recognition that simulation is a vital tool for addressing loss-of-control accidents, including applications to pilot training, accident reconstruction, and advanced control system analysis. The ultimate goal of this effort is to contribute to the reduction of the fatal accident rate due to loss-of-control. Research activities have involved accident analyses, wind tunnel testing, and piloted simulation. Results have shown that significant improvements in simulation fidelity for upset conditions, compared to current training simulations, can be achieved using state-of-the-art wind tunnel testing and aerodynamic modeling methods. This paper provides a summary of research completed to date and includes discussion on key technical results, lessons learned, and future research needs.

Foster, John V.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Simulation Study of Flap Effects on a Commercial Transport Airplane in Upset Conditions

As part of NASA's Aviation Safety and Security Program, a simulation study of a twinjet transport airplane crew training simulation was conducted to address fidelity for upset or loss of control conditions and to study the effect of flap configuration in those regimes. Piloted and desktop simulations were used to compare the baseline crew training simulation model with an enhanced aerodynamic model that was developed for high-angle-of-attack conditions. These studies were conducted with various flap configurations and addressed the approach-to-stall, stall, and post-stall flight regimes. The enhanced simulation model showed that flap configuration had a significant effect on the character of departures that occurred during post-stall flight. Preliminary comparisons with flight test data indicate that the enhanced model is a significant improvement over the baseline. Some of the unrepresentative characteristics that are predicted by the baseline crew training simulation for flight in the post-stall regime have been identified. This paper presents preliminary results of this simulation study and discusses key issues regarding predicted flight dynamics characteristics during extreme upset and loss-of-control flight conditions with different flap configurations.

Cunningham, Kevin↗

NASA NTRS2003

Free-To-Roll Analysis of Abrupt Wing Stall on Military Aircraft at Transonic Speeds

Transonic free-to-roll and static wind tunnel tests for four military aircraft - the AV-8B, the F/A-18C, the preproduction F/A-18E, and the F-16C - have been analyzed. These tests were conducted in the NASA Langley 16-Foot Transonic Tunnel as a part of the NASA/Navy/Air Force Abrupt Wing Stall Program. The objectives were to evaluate the utility of the free-to-roll test technique as a tool for predicting areas of significant uncommanded lateral motions and for gaining insight into the wing-drop and wing-rock behavior of military aircraft at transonic conditions. The analysis indicated that the free-to-roll results had good agreement with flight data on all four models. A wide range of motions - limit cycle wing rock, occasional and frequent damped wing drop/rock and wing rock divergence - were observed. The analysis shows the effects that the static and dynamic lateral stability can have on the wing drop/rock behavior. In addition, a free-to-roll figure of merit was developed to assist in the interpretation of results and assessment of the severity of the motions.

Owens, D. Bruce↗