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At least 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2002

Direct Fault Tolerant RLV Altitude Control: A Singular Perturbation Approach

In this paper, we present a direct fault tolerant control (DFTC) technique, where by "direct" we mean that no explicit fault identification is used. The technique will be presented for the attitude controller (autopilot) for a reusable launch vehicle (RLV), although in principle it can be applied to many other applications. Any partial or complete failure of control actuators and effectors will be inferred from saturation of one or more commanded control signals generated by the controller. The saturation causes a reduction in the effective gain, or bandwidth of the feedback loop, which can be modeled as an increase in singular perturbation in the loop. In order to maintain stability, the bandwidth of the nominal (reduced-order) system will be reduced proportionally according to the singular perturbation theory. The presented DFTC technique automatically handles momentary saturations and integrator windup caused by excessive disturbances, guidance command or dispersions under normal vehicle conditions. For multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) systems with redundant control effectors, such as the RLV attitude control system, an algorithm is presented for determining the direction of bandwidth cutback using the method of minimum-time optimal control with constrained control in order to maintain the best performance that is possible with the reduced control authority. Other bandwidth cutback logic, such as one that preserves the commanded direction of the bandwidth or favors a preferred direction when the commanded direction cannot be achieved, is also discussed. In this extended abstract, a simplistic example is proved to demonstrate the idea. In the final paper, test results on the high fidelity 6-DOF X-33 model with severe dispersions will be presented.

Zhu, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Application of the method of integral relations to boundary layer flows over blunt bodies

Calculations of boundary layer flows past blunt bodies at angles of incidence are presented. Using the method of integral relations together with the method of lines, the full three-dimensional boundary layer equations are reduced to a system of first-order ordinary differential equations. The streamwise shear stress function and the cross-flow velocity component are represented as suitable functions of the streamwise velocity component. The role of the zone of dependence is automatically satisfied by the choice of differencing in the method of lines. Solutions correct to the second order are obtained in the positive shear region for flow over an ellipsoid at 30-deg incidence. The results are compared with corresponding finite difference solutions.

Modarress, D.↗
NASA NTRS2022

NASA Engineering and Safety Center Technical Bulletin No. 22-04: Uncertainty Quantification of Reduced Order Structural Dynamic Models

Uncertainty quantification (UQ) provides statistical bounds on prediction accuracy based on finite element model (FEM) uncertainty. An alternate method for UQ, called the Hybrid Parametric Variation (HPV) combines a parametric variation of the Hurty/Craig-Bampton (HCB) fixed-interface (FI) modal frequencies with a nonparametric variation (NPV) method. This provides a UQ method that can be traced to test data, which can be updated as additional data and improved correlated models become available.

Uncertainty Quantification↗
NASA NTRS1985

Errors in reduction methods

A mathematical basis is given for comparing the relative merits of various techniques used to reduce the order of large linear and nonlinear dynamics problems during their numerical integration. In such techniques as Guyan-Irons, path derivatives, selected eigenvectors, Ritz vectors, etc., the nth order initial value problem of /y(dot) = f(y) for t greater than 0, y(0) given/ is typically reduced to the mth order (m is much less than n) problem of /z(dot) = g(z) for t greater than 0, z(0) given/ by the transformation y = Pz where P changes from technique to technique. This paper gives an explicit approximate expression for the reduction error e-i in terms of P and the Jacobian of f. It is shown that: (a) reduction techniques are more accurate when the time rate of change of the response y is relatively small; (b) the change in response between two successive stations contributes to the errors at future stations after the change in response is transformed by a filtering matrix H, defined in terms of P; (c) the error committed at a station propagates to future stations by a mixing and scaling matrix G, defined in terms of P, Jacobian and of f, and time increment h. The paper discusses the conditions under which the reduction errors may be minimized and gives guidelines for selecting the reduction basis vector, i.e., the columns of P.

Utku, S.↗
NASA NTRS1987

An error bound for a discrete reduced order model of a linear multivariable system

The design of feasible controllers for high dimension multivariable systems can be greatly aided by a method of model reduction. In order for the design based on the order reduction to include a guarantee of stability, it is sufficient to have a bound on the model error. Previous work has provided such a bound for continuous-time systems for algorithms based on balancing. In this note an L-infinity bound is derived for model error for a method of order reduction of discrete linear multivariable systems based on balancing.

Al-Saggaf, Ubaid M.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Ultrasonic Gear Steel Fatigue at NASA

Gear tooth bending fatigue life is one of the main drivers of rotorcraft gear box weight and maintenance cost. Depending on rotorcraft gearbox speed, 10,000 flight hours can easily mean reaching gear tooth bending fatigue cycles in the 10^10 cycle regime. Traditionally gear fatigue life in the 10^10 cycle regime is estimated based on empirical correction factors applied to the traditional fatigue limit of 10^7 cycles. In order to improve on this method of life prediction, enable better gear box design, and reduce gear box maintenance cost, NASA has started an ultrasonic gear steel fatigue program to quantify the 10^10 life of gear steels. Ultrasonic fatigue testing makes use of piezo electric actuators and resonance to generate stress-strain cycles at 20 kHz. The ability to test gear steals at 20 kHz reduces test time for 10^10 cycles from roughly 16 years with traditional 20 Hz testing to 6 days. In this presentation, the establishment of NASA's ultrasonic test capability, results to date, and future testing plans will be discussed.

Tallerico, Thomas F.↗
NASA NTRS2005

A Reduced-frequency Approach for Calculating Dynamic Derivatives

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is increasingly being used to both augment and create an aerodynamic performance database for aircraft configurations. This aerodynamic database contains the response of the aircraft to varying flight conditions and control surface deflections. The current work presents a novel method for calculating dynamic stability derivatives which reduces the computational cost over traditional unsteady CFD approaches by an order of magnitude, while still being applicable to arbitrarily complex geometries over a wide range of flow regimes. The primary thesis of this work is that the response to a forced motion can often be represented with a small, predictable number of frequency components without loss of accuracy. By resolving only those frequencies of interest, the computational effort is significantly reduced so that the routine calculation of dynamic derivatives becomes practical. The current implementation uses this same non-linear, frequency-domain approach and extends the application to the 3-D Euler equations. The current work uses a Cartesian, embedded-boundary method to automate the generation of dynamic stability derivatives.

Murman, Scott M.↗
NASA NTRS1981

PAN AIR - A higher order panel method for predicting subsonic or supersonic linear potential flows about arbitrary configurations

PAN AIR is a computer program for predicting subsonic or supersonic linear potential flow about arbitrary configurations. It uses linear source and quadratic doublet strength distributions. These higher-order distributions have been implemented in a manner that greatly reduces the numerical stability problems that have plagued earlier attempts to make surface paneling methods work successfully for supersonic flow. PAN AIR's problem-solving capability, numerical approach, modeling features, and program architecture are described. Numerical results are presented for a variety of geometries at supersonic Mach numbers.

Carmichael, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Sensitivity Analysis for Coupled Aero-structural Systems

A novel method has been developed for calculating gradients of aerodynamic force and moment coefficients for an aeroelastic aircraft model. This method uses the Global Sensitivity Equations (GSE) to account for the aero-structural coupling, and a reduced-order modal analysis approach to condense the coupling bandwidth between the aerodynamic and structural models. Parallel computing is applied to reduce the computational expense of the numerous high fidelity aerodynamic analyses needed for the coupled aero-structural system. Good agreement is obtained between aerodynamic force and moment gradients computed with the GSE/modal analysis approach and the same quantities computed using brute-force, computationally expensive, finite difference approximations. A comparison between the computational expense of the GSE/modal analysis method and a pure finite difference approach is presented. These results show that the GSE/modal analysis approach is the more computationally efficient technique if sensitivity analysis is to be performed for two or more aircraft design parameters.

Giunta, Anthony A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Elliptic Volume Grid Generation for Viscous CFD Parametric Design Studies

This paper presents a robust method for the generation of zonal volume grids of design parametrics for aerodynamic configurations. The process utilizes simple algebraic techniques with parametric splines coupled with elliptic volume grid generation to generate isolated zonal grids for changes in body configuration needed to perform parametric design studies. Speed of the algorithm is maximized through the algebraic methods and reduced number of grid points to be regenerated for each design parametric without sacrificing grid quality and continuity within the volume domain. The method is directly applicable to grid reusability, because it modifies existing ow adapted volume grids and enables the user to restart the CFD solution process with an established flow field. Use of this zonal approach reduces computer usage time to create new volume grids for design parametric studies by an order of magnitude, as compared to current methods which require the regeneration of an entire volume grid. A sample configuration of a proposed Single Stage-to-Orbit Vehicle is used to illustrate an application of this method.

Alter, Stephen J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Application of Machine Learning Techniques in Calibration and Data Reduction of Multi-Hole Probes

This work presents procedures to implement machine learning methods in the existing algorithms for multi-hole probe calibrations and data reduction. It is shown here, that utilizing artificial neural networks (ANNs) can reduce the amount of calibration data that needs to be acquired in order to obtain a specific calibration uncertainty, by more than 50% while simultaneously reducing data reduction times significantly. ANNs were used instead of the surface fitting methods, where first, the directional calibration coefficients related to the flow angles are calculated based on the pressure measurements, and then the flow angles are used as a set of the input parameters for the following ANNs to define Mach number and static and total pressure iteratively. In a second approach, novel calibration coefficients were used to directly relate the pressure measurements from five-hole probe to the quantities of interest thus, eliminating the need for iterative algorithms used in the conventional surface fitting methods. The advantageous features of this method are an average increase of less than 1% in the calibration uncertainty for flow angles and significant reduction of the data reduction times (few seconds). In addition, we confirmed the methodology to avoid over-fitting and under-fitting.

Machine Learning↗
NASA NTRS1997

Hypersonic Flow Computations on Unstructured Meshes

A method for computing inviscid hypersonic flow over complex configurations using unstructured meshes is presented. The unstructured grid solver uses an edge{based finite{volume formulation. Fluxes are computed using a flux vector splitting scheme that is capable of representing constant enthalpy solutions. Second{order accuracy in smooth flow regions is obtained by linearly reconstructing the solution, and stability near discontinuities is maintained by locally forcing the scheme to reduce to first-order accuracy. The implementation of the algorithm to parallel computers is described. Computations using the proposed method are presented for a sphere-cone configuration at Mach numbers of 5.25 and 10.6, and a complex hypersonic re-entry vehicle at Mach numbers of 4.5 and 9.8. Results are compared to experimental data and computations made with established structured grid methods. The use of the solver as a screening tool for rapid aerodynamic assessment of proposed vehicles is described.

Bibb, K. L.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Fiber pushout test: A three-dimensional finite element computational simulation

A fiber pushthrough process was computationally simulated using three-dimensional finite element method. The interface material is replaced by an anisotropic material with greatly reduced shear modulus in order to simulate the fiber pushthrough process using a linear analysis. Such a procedure is easily implemented and is computationally very effective. It can be used to predict fiber pushthrough load for a composite system at any temperature. The average interface shear strength obtained from pushthrough load can easily be separated into its two components: one that comes from frictional stresses and the other that comes from chemical adhesion between fiber and the matrix and mechanical interlocking that develops due to shrinkage of the composite because of phase change during the processing. Step-by-step procedures are described to perform the computational simulation, to establish bounds on interfacial bond strength and to interpret interfacial bond quality.

Mital, Subodh K.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Fiber pushout test - A three-dimensional finite element computational simulation

A fiber pushthrough process was computationally simulated using three-dimensional finite element method. The interface material is replaced by an anisotropic material with greatly reduced shear modulus in order to simulate the fiber pushthrough process using a linear analysis. Such a procedure is easily implemented and is computational very effective. It can be used to predict fiber pushthrough load for a composite system at any temperature. The average interface shear strength obtained from pushthrough load can easily be separated into its two components: one that comes from frictioal stresses and the other that comes from chemical adhesion between fiber and the matrix and mechanical interlocking that develops due to shrinkage of the composite because of phase change during the processing. Step-by-step procedures are described to perform the computational simulation, to establish bounds on interfacial bond strength and to interpret interfacial bond quality.

Mital, Subodh K.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Generation and exploration of aggregation abstractions for scheduling and resource allocation

This paper presents research on the abstraction of computational theories for scheduling and resource allocation. The paper describes both theory and methods for the automated generation of aggregation abstractions and approximations in which detailed resource allocation constraints are replaced by constraints between aggregate demand and capacity. The interaction of aggregation abstraction generation with the more thoroughly investigated abstractions of weakening operator preconditions is briefly discussed. The purpose of generating abstract theories for aggregated demand and resources includes: answering queries about aggregate properties, such as gross feasibility; reducing computational costs by using the solution of aggregate problems to guide the solution of detailed problems; facilitating reformulating theories to approximate problems for which there are efficient problem-solving methods; and reducing computational costs of scheduling by providing more opportunities for variable and value-ordering heuristics to be effective. Experiments are being developed to characterize the properties of aggregations that make them cost effective. Both abstract and concrete theories are represented in a variant of first-order predicate calculus, which is a parameterized multi-sorted logic that facilitates specification of large problems. A particular problem is conceptually represented as a set of ground sentences that is consistent with a quantified theory.

Lowry, Michael R.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Economical Unsteady High-Fidelity Aerodynamics for Structural Optimization with a Flutter Constraint

Structural optimization with a flutter constraint for a vehicle designed to fly in the transonic regime is a particularly difficult task. In this speed range, the flutter boundary is very sensitive to aerodynamic nonlinearities, typically requiring high-fidelity Navier-Stokes simulations. However, the repeated application of unsteady computational fluid dynamics to guide an aeroelastic optimization process is very computationally expensive. This expense has motivated the development of methods that incorporate aspects of the aerodynamic nonlinearity, classical tools of flutter analysis, and more recent methods of optimization. While it is possible to use doublet lattice method aerodynamics, this paper focuses on the use of an unsteady high-fidelity aerodynamic reduced order model combined with successive transformations that allows for an economical way of utilizing high-fidelity aerodynamics in the optimization process. This approach is applied to the common research model wing structural design. As might be expected, the high-fidelity aerodynamics produces a heavier wing than that optimized with doublet lattice aerodynamics. It is found that the optimized lower skin of the wing using high-fidelity aerodynamics differs significantly from that using doublet lattice aerodynamics.

Bartels, Robert E.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

MODIS Reflective Solar Band Calibration Improvements using Pseudo-Invariant Desert Targets

To provide the best science data quality, an accurate characterization of the response versus scan angle (RVS) function is critical for the MODIS reflective solar bands (RSB) on-orbit calibration. In every MODIS operational scan, the Earth’s surface, referred to here as Earth view (EV), the space view (SV) port, and the onboard calibrators are viewed via a two-sided scan mirror. The RVS is defined as the sensor’s relative response as a function the angle of incidence (AOI) to the scan mirror. Many different approaches have been developed to derive the time-dependent RVS and its look-up table (LUT) applied to MODIS Level 1B (L1B) products since calibration Collection 4. For most MODIS RSB, the on-board calibrators can reasonably track the RVS change with time. In practice, their RVS is derived using data from on-board calibrators and the EV mirror side ratio (for mirror side 2). For Terra bands 1-4, 8-10 and Aqua bands 1-4, 8-9, an enhancement has been employed in Collections 6 and 6.1 (C6/C6.1) by using Earth scene response trending from pseudo-invariant desert sites in addition to the onboard calibrators. The current C6/C6/1 RVS algorithm is focused on fitting the EV data at each AOI over time and then deriving the relative change at different AOI. The EV response trending is currently fitted with multiple segments over time. Alternatively, the EV responses can be fit first as a function of AOI before fitting temporally in order to reduce the dependence on the stability of the desert site. These pre-treatment methods on the EV data provide improvement in the derived calibration coefficients. However, evidence of insufficient calibration is still observed in the MODIS L1B reflectance data, especially in the form of differences between the mirror sides. In this paper, we review the current methodologies that utilize the EV response trends from the pseudo-invariant Libyan desert targets to supplement the gain derived from the onboard calibrators. An improvement is then proposed and investigated such that a sliding window average (SWA) is used to pre-process the raw EV data. The SWA parameters are carefully selected using trade-off studies to accurately track the Earth scene response trending in multiple cases to overcome the reflectance differences between two mirror sides. Calibration results show improvements for both Aqua and Terra MODIS RSB L1B data products. This new adjustment has been included in the recently delivered Collection 7 LUT that will be evident in the L1B products expected to be released in late 2021.

MODIS↗