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At least 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1980

Subsonic stability and control flight test results of the Space Shuttle /tail cone off/

The subsonic stability and control testing of the Space Shuttle Orbiter in its two test flights in the tailcone-off configuration is discussed, and test results are presented. Flight test maneuvers were designed to maximize the quality and quantity of stability and control data in the minimal time allotted using the Space Shuttle Functional Simulator and the Modified Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MMLE) programs, and coefficients were determined from standard sensor data sets using the MMLE, despite problems encountered in timing due to the different measurement systems used. Results are included for lateral directional and longitudinal maneuvers as well as the Space Shuttle aerodynamic data base obtained using the results of wind tunnel tests. The flight test data are found to permit greater confidence in the data base since the differences found are well within control system capability. It is suggested that the areas of major differences, including lateral directional data with open speedbrake, roll due to rudder and normal force due to elevon, be investigated in any further subsonic flight testing. Improvements in sensor data and data handling techniques for future orbital test flights are indicated.

Cooke, D. R.↗
NASA NTRS1954

Wind-Tunnel Investigation at Subsonic and Supersonic Speeds of a Fighter Model Employing a Low-Aspect-Ratio Unswept Wing and a Horizontal Tail Mounted Well Above the Wing Plane - Longitudinal Stability and Control

Experimental results showing the static longitudinal-stability and control characteristics of a model of a fighter airplane employing a low-aspect-ratio unswept wing and an all-movable horizontal tail are presented. The investigation was made over a Mach number range from 0.60 to 0.90 and from 1.35 to 1.90 at a constant Reynolds number of 2.40 million, based on the wing mean aerodynamic chord. Because of the location of the horizontal tail at the tip of the vertical tail, interference was noted between the vertical tail and the horizontal tail and between the wing and the horizontal tail. This interference produced a positive pitching-moment coefficient at zero lift throughout the Mach number range of the tests, reduced the change in stability with increasing lift coefficient of the wing at moderate lift coefficients in the subsonic speed range, and reduced the stability at low lift coefficients at high supersonic speeds. The lift and pitching-moment effectiveness of the all movable tail was unaffected by the interference effects and was constant throughout the lift-coefficient range of the tests at each Mach number except 1.90.

Smith, Williard G.↗
NASA NTRS1945

Wind-tunnel Tests of the 0.15-scale Powered Model of the Fleetwings XBTK-1 Airplane : Longitudinal Stability and Control

An investigation was made of the static longitudinal stability, and control and stall characteristics of XBTK-1 dive bomber. Results indicate that the longitudinal stability will probably be satisfactory for all contemplated flight conditions at the rear-most CG location with elevator both fixed and free. Power effects were small. Sufficient elevator control will be available to trim in any flight condition above the ground. Increasing the slotted flap deflection above 30 degrees only slightly increased the max. lift coefficient.

Boykin, Rebecca I.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Current Methods for Modeling and Simulating Icing Effects on Aircraft Performance, Stability and Control

Icing alters the shape and surface characteristics of aircraft components, which results in altered aerodynamic forces and moments caused by air flow over those iced components. The typical effects of icing are increased drag, reduced stall angle of attack, and reduced maximum lift. In addition to the performance changes, icing can also affect control surface effectiveness, hinge moments, and damping. These effects result in altered aircraft stability and control and flying qualities. Over the past 80 years, methods have been developed to understand how icing affects performance, stability and control. Emphasis has been on wind tunnel testing of two-dimensional subscale airfoils with various ice shapes to understand their effect on the flow field and ultimately the aerodynamics. This research has led to wind tunnel testing of subscale complete aircraft models to identify the integrated effects of icing on the aircraft system in terms of performance, stability, and control. Data sets of this nature enable pilot in the loop simulations to be performed for pilot training, or engineering evaluation of system failure impacts or control system design.

Ralvasky, Thomas P.↗
NASA NTRS1923

Practical stability and controllability of airplanes

The effect of the characteristics of an airplane on balance, stability, and controllability, based on free flight tests, is discussed particularly in respect to the longitudinal motion. It is shown that the amount of longitudinal stability can be varied by changing the position of the center of gravity or by varying the aspect ratio of the tail plane, and that the stability for any particular air speed can be varied by changing the camber of the tail plane. It is found that complete longitudinal stability may be obtained even when the tail plane is at all times a lifting surface. Empirical values are given for the characteristics of a new airplane for producing any desired amount of stability and control, or to correct the faults of an airplane already constructed. (author)

Norton, F H↗
NASA NTRS1945

Flight Measurements of Lateral and Directional Stability and Control Characteristics of the Grumman F8F-1 Airplane

This paper presents the results of flight tests to determine the lateral and directional stability and control characteristics of the Grumman F8F-1 airplane with three vertical-tail configurations. The data presented herein have no bearing on the performance characteristics of the airplane, which were not measured but which were considered to be exceptionally good. The conclusions reached regarding the lateral and directional stability and control characteristics may be summarized as follows: 1. It was found that the directional stability was poor with the production vertical tail. Addition of a 12-inch extension to the vertical fin and rudder produced a desirable improvement in directional stability and control characteristics. However, further enlargement of the vertical tail would be required to make the directional stability satisfactory in all respects. 2. There was a tendency for the rudder control force to overbalance at large angles of right sideslip with the modified vertical tails. There was no such tendency with the production tail configuration which included a dorsal fin. It was concluded that the dorsal fin should have been retained on the modified vertical tails. 3. The aileron control characteristics were better than those of many comparable airplanes which have been tested. However, the ailerons did not satisfy the Navy requirements for satisfactory flying qualities with regard to either control forces or rolling effectiveness. 4. The power of the rudder trimming tab proved to be inadequate and the tab should be enlarged and/or be provided with an increased deflection range.

Crane, H. L.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA Langley FUN3D Analyses in Support of the 1st AIAA Stability and Control Prediction Workshop

This work summarizes the results of FUN3D analyses conducted for the 1st AIAA Stability and Control Workshop on behalf of participants from the NASA Langley Research Center. The workshop was created to establish best practices for the prediction of stability and control derivatives using computational fluid dynamics and assess the limitations of these methods when those best practices are applied. The inaugural workshop considered the ONERA version of the NASA/Boeing Common Research Model, which includes the wing, body, horizontal tail, and a vertical tail designed by ONERA. Wind tunnel data at small sideslip angles remain unpublished and served as ‘blind’ data for computational comparisons. The present research generated workshop test case data using the NASA FUN3D code, which is a parallelized, unstructured, node-based, finite-volume discretization, Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes flow solver. Steady- state numerical simulations were conducted for workshop test cases investigating the following: grid convergence, Mach number effect on static stability, wind tunnel sting increments, static stability-derivative calculations, and a sideslip angle sweep. Results were generated for two series of unstructured, mixed-element grids, one set provided by the workshop and another set created using the HeldenMesh grid generation software. The results provided include total- and component-level breakdowns of the force and moment coefficients, in addition to sectional pressure distributions for the wing and tail components for comparisons to wind tunnel data.

CFD↗
NASA NTRS2006

Dynamics and Adaptive Control for Stability Recovery of Damaged Aircraft

This paper presents a recent study of a damaged generic transport model as part of a NASA research project to investigate adaptive control methods for stability recovery of damaged aircraft operating in off-nominal flight conditions under damage and or failures. Aerodynamic modeling of damage effects is performed using an aerodynamic code to assess changes in the stability and control derivatives of a generic transport aircraft. Certain types of damage such as damage to one of the wings or horizontal stabilizers can cause the aircraft to become asymmetric, thus resulting in a coupling between the longitudinal and lateral motions. Flight dynamics for a general asymmetric aircraft is derived to account for changes in the center of gravity that can compromise the stability of the damaged aircraft. An iterative trim analysis for the translational motion is developed to refine the trim procedure by accounting for the effects of the control surface deflection. A hybrid direct-indirect neural network, adaptive flight control is proposed as an adaptive law for stabilizing the rotational motion of the damaged aircraft. The indirect adaptation is designed to estimate the plant dynamics of the damaged aircraft in conjunction with the direct adaptation that computes the control augmentation. Two approaches are presented 1) an adaptive law derived from the Lyapunov stability theory to ensure that the signals are bounded, and 2) a recursive least-square method for parameter identification. A hardware-in-the-loop simulation is conducted and demonstrates the effectiveness of the direct neural network adaptive flight control in the stability recovery of the damaged aircraft. A preliminary simulation of the hybrid adaptive flight control has been performed and initial data have shown the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid approach. Future work will include further investigations and high-fidelity simulations of the proposed hybrid adaptive Bight control approach.

Nguyen, Nhan↗