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At least 217 records · Page 12

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NASA NTRS1983

A closed-loop principal component analysis of a tetrahedral truss

A tetrahedral truss, representative of a fairly broad class of large space structures, is considered. A method, measuring the dynamical importance of each elastic mode when the structure is under feedback control, is presented. The main conclusion is that the closed-loop importance of each vibration mode depends on the robustness requirements. Also, there appears to be a conflict between precise control of a given node of the structure and stability margin, these two requirements leading to contradictory classifications of the modes by order of importance.

Jonckheere, E. A.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Control technology as applied to Space Telescope

The pointing control system (PCS) of the Space Telescope is addressed. The sensors employed in the primary PCS mode are the rate gyro assembly and the fine guidance sensors, while four reaction wheel assemblies provide control torques. Stability considerations based on structural modes are discussed, noting the stability margin criteria used in the design. Acquisition methodology is considered with regard to the PCS component hardware simulators and vehicle dynamics simulation.

Dougherty, H.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Measured inplane stability characteristics in hover for an advanced bearingless rotor

A study was made of the inplane stability characteristics of a model of an advanced bearingless main rotor. The four-bladed rotor system was tested for aeroelastic stability in hover for both isolated and body-free conditions. Variations in several hub design parameters were tested, including blade coning and sweep angles, blade inplane structural damping, pitch-link location (delta-free effect), and fuselage structural damping. An analysis of the experimental results shows that parametric stability trends observed from isolated-rotor studies may yield incorrect conclusions regarding coupled rotor-body characteristics. For body-free conditions, the baseline rotor configuration resulted in the best stability margins at 1-g thrust as well as at the nominal design rotor speed. Blade built-in coning had little effect on the body-free damping levels at the inplane/body resonance points. Introducing blade sweep destabilized the rotor at the inplane/body pitch resonance.

Weller, W. H.↗

NASA NTRS1984

The drive for Aircraft Energy Efficiency

NASA's Aircraft Energy Efficiency (ACEE) program, which began in 1976, has mounted a development effort in four major transport aircraft technology fields: laminar flow systems, advanced aerodynamics, flight controls, and composite structures. ACEE has explored two basic methods for achieving drag-reducing boundary layer laminarization: the use of suction through the wing structure (via slots or perforations) to remove boundary layer turbulence, and the encouragement of natural laminar flow maintenance through refined design practices. Wind tunnel tests have been conducted for wide bodied aircraft equipped with high aspect ratio supercritical wings and winglets. Maneuver load control and pitch-active stability augmentation control systems reduce fuel consumption by reducing the drag associated with high aircraft stability margins. Composite structures yield lighter airframes that in turn call for smaller wing and empennage areas, reducing induced drag for a given payload. In combination, all four areas of development are expected to yield a fuel consumption reduction of 40 percent.

James, R. L., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1982

The numerical design of a spherical baroclinic experiment for Spacelab flights

The near-zero G environment of Spacelab is the basis of a true spherical experimental model of synoptic scale baroclinic atmospheric processes, using a radial dielectric body force analogous to gravity over a volume of liquid within two concentric spheres. The baroclinic motions are generated by corotating the spheres and imposing thermal boundary conditions, such that the liquid is subjected to a stable radial gradient and a latitudinal gradient. Owing to mathematical difficulties associated with the spherical geometry, quantitative design criteria can be acquired only by means of numerical models. The procedure adopted required the development of two computer codes based on the Navier-Stokes equations. The codes, of which the first calculates axisymmetric steady flow solutions and the second determines the growth or decay rates of linear wave perturbations with different wave numbers, are combined to generate marginal stability curves.

Fowlis, W. W.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Does Mckuer's Law Hold for Heart Rate Control via Biofeedback Display?

Some persons can control their pulse rate with the aid of a biofeedback display. If the biofeedback display is modified to show the error between a command pulse-rate and the measured rate, a compensatory (error correcting) heart rate tracking control loop can be created. The dynamic response characteristics of this control loop when subjected to step and quasi-random disturbances were measured. The control loop includes a beat-to-beat cardiotachmeter differenced with a forcing function from a quasi-random input generator; the resulting error pulse-rate is displayed as feedback. The subject acts to null the displayed pulse-rate error, thereby closing a compensatory control loop. McRuer's Law should hold for this case. A few subjects already skilled in voluntary pulse-rate control were tested for heart-rate control response. Control-law properties are derived, such as: crossover frequency, stability margins, and closed-loop bandwidth. These are evaluated for a range of forcing functions and for step as well as random disturbances.

Courter, B. J.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Self-Tuning Adaptive-Controller Using Online Frequency Identification

A real time adaptive controller was designed and tested successfully on a fourth order laboratory dynamic system which features very low structural damping and a noncolocated actuator sensor pair. The controller, implemented in a digital minicomputer, consists of a state estimator, a set of state feedback gains, and a frequency locked loop (FLL) for real time parameter identification. The FLL can detect the closed loop natural frequency of the system being controlled, calculate the mismatch between a plant parameter and its counterpart in the state estimator, and correct the estimator parameter in real time. The adaptation algorithm can correct the controller error and stabilize the system for more than 50% variation in the plant natural frequency, compared with a 10% stability margin in frequency variation for a fixed gain controller having the same performance at the nominal plant condition. After it has locked to the correct plant frequency, the adaptive controller works as well as the fixed gain controller does when there is no parameter mismatch. The very rapid convergence of this adaptive system is demonstrated experimentally, and can also be proven with simple root locus methods.

Chiang, W. W.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Impurity effects in dendritic solidification

A quantitative calculation of growth rates and tip radii is presented for dendrites growing in undercooled dilute solutions. Included in the calculations are the capillary corrections to the steady-state Ivantsov needle-crystal solutions. The results show good agreement with available experimental data and support the validity of the marginal-stability theory of dendritic growth.

Karma, A.↗

NASA NTRS1984

A fast time domain digital simulation technique for power converters - Application to a buck converter with feedforward compensation

Small signal analysis was performed earlier to demonstrate the marked improvement of dynamic properties and stability margins of a switching regulator employing a novel feedforward input filter compensation scheme. A large signal nonlinear recurrent time domain model is presented for the converter to analyse the transient response due to a step input change with and without the presence of the proposed feedforward loop. The results are verified with experimental data.

Kelkar, S. S.↗

NASA NTRS1985

The experimental results of a self tuning adaptive controller using online frequency identification

A fourth-order laboratory dynamic system featuring very low structural damping and a noncolocated actuator-sensor pair has been used to test a novel real-time adaptive controller, implemented in a minicomputer, which consists of a state estimator, a set of state feedback gains, and a frequency-locked loop for real-time parameter identification. The adaptation algorithm employed can correct controller error and stabilize the system for more than 50 percent variation in the plant's natural frequency, compared with a 10 percent stability margin in frequency variation for a fixed gain controller having the same performance as the nominal plant condition. The very rapid convergence achievable by this adaptive system is demonstrated experimentally, and proven with simple, root-locus methods.

Chiang, W.-W.↗

NASA NTRS1985

An experimental and analytical investigation of isolated rotor flap-lag stability in forward flight

For flap-lag stability of isolated rotors, experimental and analytical investigations are conducted in hover and forward flight on the adequacy of a linear quasisteady aerodynamics theory with dynamic inflow. Forward flight effects on lag regressing mode are emphasized. A soft inplane hingeless rotor with three blades is tested at advance ratios as high as 0.55 and at shaft angles as high as 20 degrees. In combination with lag natural frequencies, collective pitch settings and flap-lag coupling parameters, the data base comprises nearly 1200 test points (damping and frequency) in forward flight and 200 test points in hover. By computerized symbolic manipulations, an analytic model is developed in substall to predict stability margins with mode identification. It also predicts substall and stall regions to help explain the correlation between theory and data.

Gaonkar, G. H.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Current-driven plasma instabilities and auroral-type particle acceleration at Venus

Above the ionosphere of Venus, several instruments on the Pioneer Orbiter detect correlated wave, field and particle phenomena suggestive of current-driven anomalous resistivity and auroral-type particle acceleration. In localized regions the plasma wave instrument measures intense mid-frequency turbulence levels together with strong field-aligned currents. Here the local parameters indicate that there is marginal stability for ion acoustic waves, and the electron temperature probe finds evidence that energetic primaries are present. This suggests an auroral-type energy deposition into the upper atmosphere of Venus. These results appear to be consistent with the direct measurements of auroral emissions from the Pioneer-Venus ultraviolet imaging spectrometer.

Scarf, F. L.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Toward comparing experiment and theory for corroborative research on hingeless rotor stability in forward flight (an experimental and analytical investigation of isolated rotor-flap-lag stability in forward flight)

For flap-lag stability of isolated rotors, experimental and analytical investigations are conducted in hover and forward flight on the adequacy of a linear quasisteady aerodynamics theory with dynamic inflow. Forward flight effects on lag regressing mode are emphasized. Accordingly, a soft inplane hingeless rotor with three blades is tested at advance ratios as high as 0.55 and at shaft angles as high as 20 degrees. The 1.62 m model rotor is untrimmed with an essentially unrestricted tilt of the tip path plane. In combination with lag natural frequencies, collective pitch settings and flap-lag coupling parameters, the data base comprises nearly 1200 test points (damping and frequency) in forward flight and 200 test points in hover. By computerized symbolic manipulation, a linear analytical model is developed in substall to predict stability margins with mode identificaton. To help explain the correlation between theory and data it also predicts substall and stall regions of the rotor disk from equilibrium values. The correlation shows both the strengthts and weaknesses of the theory in substall.

Gaonkar, G.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Fault tolerant control laws

A systematic procedure for the synthesis of fault tolerant control laws to actuator failure has been presented. Two design methods were used to synthesize fault tolerant controllers: the conventional LQ design method and a direct feedback controller design method SANDY. The latter method is used primarily to streamline the full-state Q feedback design into a practical implementable output feedback controller structure. To achieve robustness to control actuator failure, the redundant surfaces are properly balanced according to their control effectiveness. A simple gain schedule based on the landing gear up/down logic involving only three gains was developed to handle three design flight conditions: Mach .25 and Mach .60 at 5000 ft and Mach .90 at 20,000 ft. The fault tolerant control law developed in this study provides good stability augmentation and performance for the relaxed static stability aircraft. The augmented aircraft responses are found to be invariant to the presence of a failure. Furthermore, single-loop stability margins of +6 dB in gain and +30 deg in phase were achieved along with -40 dB/decade rolloff at high frequency.

Ly, U. L.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Resistive ballooning modes in line-tied coronal arcades

The equations describing the linear evolution of resistive ballooning modes are obtained by using a modified WKB expansion in the short perpendicular wavelength, while variations of the perturbations along the field are described by a slowly varying amplitude, on which the tying boundary conditions are imposed. In general, given an equilibrium, there are certain ranges of magnetic surfaces for which the system predicts instability even without dissipation. The main conclusion is that within the resistive MHD approximation cylindrically symmetric arcades with pressure falling with radius are unstable to resistive localized modes; the growth rates, close to ideal marginal stability, are large, so that it would appear that energy could be released during 10 to 100 Alfven times. The wavelength of the modes is expected to be limited by the ion gyroradius, when stabilizing drift effects must be taken into account. The nonlinear evolution of resistive ballooning modes should be studied to assess their overall relevance to the violent and rapidly evolving phenomena observed on the sun.

Velli, Marco↗

NASA NTRS1987

Calculations of inlet distortion induced compressor flowfield instability

Calculations are presented predicting the onset of flow instability for a multistage low speed axial compressor operating in circumferentially distorted inlet flow. The most important feature of the model used is that it attempts to properly account for the fluid dynamic interaction between the spoiled and unspoiled sectors of the compressor. The calculations show that there is an approximate stability criterion, the annulus averaged slope of the compressor pressure rise characteristic equal to zero, that is valid whenever the dynamics of the compressor distorted flowfield can be considered independent of the compressor environment. This approximate criterion is used to investigate the relationship between the present model and the parallel compressor model. Further calculations are performed to investigate cases of interest when the dynamics of the flowfield are coupled to the environment. Resonant cases and cases when the distortion is unsteady are studied. In particular, it is shown that rotating distortions which propagate in the rotor direction can have a greater effect on stability margin than stationary or counter-rotational ones. Finally, it is shown that the general predictions of the model are insensitive to the details of the unsteady bladerow dynamics.

Hynes, T. P.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Toward comparing experiment and theory for corroborative research on hingeless rotor stability in forward flight

For flap lag stability of isolated rotors, experimental and analytical investigations were conducted in hover and forward flight on the adequacy of a linear quasisteady aerodynamics theory with dynamic flow. Forward flight effects on lag regressing mode were emphasized. A soft inplane hingeless rotor with three blades was tested at advance ratios as high as 0.55 and at shaft angles as high as 20 deg. The 1.62 m model rotor was untrimmed with an essentially unrestricted tilt of the tip path plane. In combination with lag natural frequencies, collective pitch settings and flap lag coupling parameters, the data base comprises nearly 1200 test points (damping and frequency) in forward flight and 200 test points in hover. By computerized symbolic manipulation, a linear model was developed in substall to predict stability margins with mode identification. To help explain the correlation between theory and data it also predicted substall and stall regions of the rotor disk from equilibrium values. The correlation showed both the strengths and weaknesses of the theory in substall ((angle of attack) equal to or less than 12 deg).

Gaonkar, G.↗

NASA NTRS1986

A perspective on superaugmented flight control - Advantages and problems

Superaugmented aircraft are an important subclass of actively controlled, highly augmented aircraft. The aircraft without augmentation is unstable; the control system not only redresses the stability and control imbalance, but also provides effective vehicle dynamics that differ in kind from those associated with conventional aircraft. In this paper, the longitudinal properties of highly unstable aircraft and typical superaugmented control systems used to remedy their dynamic deficiencies are explored generically. The topics considered include: (1) Basic flight control system architectures suitable to reduce or completely alleviate the unstable aircraft characteristics. (2) The primary dynamic characteristics and regulatory properties of typical superaugmented aircraft control systems, including governing factors in the linear system, dominant mode characteristics, and fundamental stability margin properties. The total available gain range factor is presented as a basic measure that relates degree of instability, control system limitations, and key control system adjustments. (3) Some flying qualities features for superaugmented aircraft with rate command/attitude hold, extended bandwidth, and attitude command configurations.

Mcruer, D.↗