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At least 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

Effect of lift-to-drag ratio in pilot rating of the HL-20 landing task

A man-in-the-loop simulation study of the handling qualities of the HL-20 lifting-body vehicle was made in a fixed-base simulation cockpit at NASA Langley Research Center. The purpose of the study was to identify and substantiate opportunities for improving the original design of the vehicle from a handling qualities and landing performance perspective. Using preliminary wind-tunnel data, a subsonic aerodynamic model of the HL-20 was developed. This model was adequate to simulate the last 75-90 s of the approach and landing. A simple flight-control system was designed and implemented. Using this aerodynamic model as a baseline, visual approaches and landings were made at several vehicle lift-to-drag ratios. Pilots rated the handling characteristics of each configuration using a conventional numerical pilot-rating scale. Results from the study showed a high degree of correlation between the lift-to-drag ratio and pilot rating. Level 1 pilot ratings were obtained when the L/D ratio was approximately 3.8 or higher.

Jackson, E. B.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Performance of Supersonic Parachutes Behind Slender Bodies

NASA’s ASPIRE (Advanced Supersonic Parachute Inflation Research Experiments) project is investigating the supersonic deployment, inflation and aerodynamics of full-scale disk-gap-band (DGB) parachutes. The first two flight tests were carried out in October 2017 and March 2018, while a third test is planned for the fall of 2018. In these tests, Mars-relevant conditions are achieved by deploying the parachutes at high altitudes over Earth using a sounding rocket test platform. As a result, the parachute is deployed behind a slender body (roughly 1/6-th the diameter of the capsule that will use this parachute for descent at Mars). Because there is limited flight and experimental data for supersonic DGBs behind slender bodies, the development of the parachute aerodynamic models was informed by CFD simulations of both the leading body wake and the parachute canopy. This presentation will describe the development of the pre-flight parachute aerodynamic models and compare pre-flight predictions with the reconstructed performance of the parachute during the flight tests. Specific attention will be paid to the differences in parachute performance behind blunt and slender bodies.

CFD↗
NASA NTRS2000

Flutter Analysis of the X-33

Flutter analysis performed in support of the X33 Advanced Technology Demonstrator is described. Analysis was conducted over a range of flow regimes using several different analysis codes. The finite element and aerodynamic models used in the analysis have undergone several years of development and refinement resulting in a high degree of model detail. The flutter analysis focuses on the area of three critical points within the vehicle's design trajectory at which full sets of external loads have previously been developed. A comparison between several different aerodynamic models is also made for the selected trajectory points.

Fowler, Samuel B.↗
NASA NTRS2001

System Identification and POD Method Applied to Unsteady Aerodynamics

The representation of unsteady aerodynamic flow fields in terms of global aerodynamic modes has proven to be a useful method for reducing the size of the aerodynamic model over those representations that use local variables at discrete grid points in the flow field. Eigenmodes and Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) modes have been used for this purpose with good effect. This suggests that system identification models may also be used to represent the aerodynamic flow field. Implicit in the use of a systems identification technique is the notion that a relative small state space model can be useful in describing a dynamical system. The POD model is first used to show that indeed a reduced order model can be obtained from a much larger numerical aerodynamical model (the vortex lattice method is used for illustrative purposes) and the results from the POD and the system identification methods are then compared. For the example considered, the two methods are shown to give comparable results in terms of accuracy and reduced model size. The advantages and limitations of each approach are briefly discussed. Both appear promising and complementary in their characteristics.

Tang, Deman↗
NASA NTRS1979

Dynamics of volcanic plumes on Io

Ballistic and aerodynamic models are proposed to explain the dynamics of the volcanic plumes on Io. A ballistic model, which assumes that eruptive gas and solid-particle flows become completely and permanently decoupled over a small distance as compared with the maximum particle height, is shown to be unable to account for the observed shape of Plume 3. An aerodynamic model which assumes the entrainment and transportation of solid particles by the gas flow into the central portion of the top of the plume, with ballistic particle trajectories only after passage through the first part of their descent, is then developed. The model accounts for plume shape by the formation of a weak decompression shock near the edge of the plume stalk, which constrains horizontal expansion until a sufficient altitude is reached. Calculated plume dimensions are then compared with observations of Ionian Plumes 1 and 3.

Cook, A. F.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Benefits to the Simulation Training Community of a New ANSI Standard for the Exchange of Aero Simulation Models

The American Institute of Aeronautics Astronautics (AIAA) Modeling and Simulation Technical Committee is in final preparation of a new standard for the exchange of flight dynamics models. The standard will become an ANSI standard and is under consideration for submission to ISO for acceptance by the international community. The standard has some a spects that should provide benefits to the simulation training community. Use of the new standard by the training simulation community will reduce development, maintenance and technical refresh investment on each device. Furthermore, it will significantly lower the cost of performing model updates to improve fidelity or expand the envelope of the training device. Higher flight fidelity should result in better transfer of training, a direct benefit to the pilots under instruction. Costs of adopting the standard are minimal and should be paid back within the cost of the first use for that training device. The standard achie ves these advantages by making it easier to update the aerodynamic model. It provides a standard format for the model in a custom eXtensible Markup Language (XML) grammar, the Dynamic Aerospace Vehicle Exchange Markup Language (DAVE-ML). It employs an existing XML grammar, MathML, to describe the aerodynamic model in an input data file, eliminating the requirement for actual software compilation. The major components of the aero model become simply an input data file, and updates are simply new XML input files. It includes naming and axis system conventions to further simplify the exchange of information.

Hildreth, Bruce L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Modeling transonic aerodynamic response using nonlinear systems theory for use with modern control theory

The presentation begins with a brief description of the motivation and approach that has been taken for this research. This will be followed by a description of the Volterra Theory of Nonlinear Systems and the CAP-TSD code which is an aeroelastic, transonic CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) code. The application of the Volterra theory to a CFD model and, more specifically, to a CAP-TSD model of a rectangular wing with a NACA 0012 airfoil section will be presented.

Silva, Walter A.↗
NASA NTRS1980

A comprehensive analytical model of rotorcraft aerodynamics and dynamics. Part 3: Program manual

The computer program for a comprehensive analytical model of rotorcraft aerodynamics and dynamics is described. This analysis is designed to calculate rotor performance, loads, and noise; the helicopter vibration and gust response; the flight dynamics and handling qualities; and the system aeroelastic stability. The analysis is a combination of structural, inertial, and aerodynamic models that is applicable to a wide range of problems and a wide class of vehicles. The analysis is intended for use in the design, testing, and evaluation of rotors and rotorcraft and to be a basis for further development of rotary wing theories.

Johnson, W.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Aeroelastic formulations for turbomachines and propellers

The task of the aeroelastic analysis is to combine the formulations of the structural dynamic and unsteady aerodynamic models in a consistent manner, to solve the resulting aeroelastic model to determine the dynamic behavior (e.g., stability, forced vibration), and to interpret those results for both qualitative trends, and quantitative detail. A review of the various formulations of the aeroelastic problem and a comparison of their relative advantages will be the subject of this paper. Specifically, the topics to be addressed are: the formulation of the aeroelastic problem, including a summary of the relations necessary to transform various diverse structural and aerodynamic models to a consistent notation for oscillatory motion; an approximate transformation for arbitrary temporal behavior; and a brief review of the applicable solution techniques.

Crawley, E. F.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Autonomous Guidance Algorithms for NASA Learn-to-Fly Technology Development

Learn-to-Fly (L2F) is an advanced technology development effort under the NASA Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program (TACP) that is aimed at assessing the feasibility of self-learning flight vehicles. Specifically, research has been conducted to demonstrate the potential to merge two enabling technologies; real-time aerodynamic modeling and adaptive controls, to substantially reduce the typical ground and flight testing requirements for air vehicle design. The approach to this effort involved development of unique airframes and on-board algorithms to demonstrate key L2F technologies on a fully autonomous flight test vehicle. This research, that included an aggressive flight test program, was intended to rapidly advance these technologies and demonstrate capabilities of the L2F approach. Key components of the L2F architecture include real-time aerodynamic modeling, adaptive controls and control allocation, and guidance. This paper provides an overview of the guidance algorithm which primarily served as an executive function to coordinate control commands for range navigation and the desired test conditions, provide autonomous envelope limiting/expansion and enable automatic landing to touchdown with no intervention from a human operator. A discussion of the L2F concept-of-operations and unique flight testing considerations, which influenced the guidance functional requirements, is included and results of recent flight testing are presented.

Foster, John V.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Demonstration of an Aerocapture GN and C System Through Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulations

Aerocapture is an orbit insertion maneuver in which a spacecraft flies through a planetary atmosphere one time using drag force to decelerate and effect a hyperbolic to elliptical orbit change. Aerocapture employs a feedback Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) system to deliver the spacecraft into a precise postatmospheric orbit despite the uncertainties inherent in planetary atmosphere knowledge, entry targeting and aerodynamic predictions. Only small amounts of propellant are required for attitude control and orbit adjustments, thereby providing mass savings of hundreds to thousands of kilograms over conventional all-propulsive techniques. The Analytic Predictor Corrector (APC) guidance algorithm has been developed to steer the vehicle through the aerocapture maneuver using bank angle control. Through funding provided by NASA's In-Space Propulsion Technology Program, the operation of an aerocapture GN&C system has been demonstrated in high-fidelity simulations that include real-time hardware in the loop, thus increasing the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of aerocapture GN&C. First, a non-real-time (NRT), 6-DOF trajectory simulation was developed for the aerocapture trajectory. The simulation included vehicle dynamics, gravity model, atmosphere model, aerodynamics model, inertial measurement unit (IMU) model, attitude control thruster torque models, and GN&C algorithms (including the APC aerocapture guidance). The simulation used the vehicle and mission parameters from the ST-9 mission. A 2000 case Monte Carlo simulation was performed and results show an aerocapture success rate of greater than 99.7%, greater than 95% of total delta-V required for orbit insertion is provided by aerodynamic drag, and post-aerocapture orbit plane wedge angle error is less than 0.5 deg (3-sigma). Then a real-time (RT), 6-DOF simulation for the aerocapture trajectory was developed which demonstrated the guidance software executing on a flight-like computer, interfacing with a simulated IMU and simulated thrusters, with vehicle dynamics provided by an external simulator. Five cases from the NRT simulations were run in the RT simulation environment. The results compare well to those of the NRT simulation thus verifying the RT simulation configuration. The results of the above described simulations show the aerocapture maneuver using the APC algorithm can be accomplished reliably and the algorithm is now at TRL-6. Flight validation is the next step for aerocapture technology development.

Masciarelli, James↗
NASA NTRS2012

Flight Dynamics Modeling and Simulation of a Damaged Transport Aircraft

A study was undertaken at NASA Langley Research Center to establish, demonstrate, and apply methodology for modeling and implementing the aerodynamic effects of MANPADS damage to a transport aircraft into real-time flight simulation, and to demonstrate a preliminary capability of using such a simulation to conduct an assessment of aircraft survivability. Key findings from this study include: superpositioning of incremental aerodynamic characteristics to the baseline simulation aerodynamic model proved to be a simple and effective way of modeling damage effects; the primary effect of wing damage rolling moment asymmetry may limit minimum airspeed for adequate controllability, but this can be mitigated by the use of sideslip; combined effects of aerodynamics, control degradation, and thrust loss can result in significantly degraded controllability for a safe landing; and high landing speeds may be required to maintain adequate control if large excursions from the nominal approach path are allowed, but high-gain pilot control during landing can mitigate this risk.

Shah, Gautam H.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Tilt Rotor Aircraft Aeroacoustics

A fleet of civil tilt rotor transports offers a means of reducing airport congestion and point-to-point travel time. The speed, range, and fuel economy of these aircraft, along with their efficient use of vertiport area, make them good candidates for short-to-medium range civil transport. However, to be successfully integrated into the civilian community, the tilt rotor must be perceived as a quiet, safe, and economical mode of transportation that does not harm the environment. In particular, noise impact has been identified as a possible barrier to the civil tilt rotor. Along with rotor conversion-mode flight, and blade-vortex interaction noise during descent, hover mode is a noise problem for tilt rotor operations. In the present research, tilt rotor hover aeroacoustics have been studied analytically, experimentally, and computationally. Various papers on the subject were published as noted in the list of publications. More recently, experimental measurements were made on a 1/12.5 scale model of the XV-15 in hover and analyses of this data and extrapolations to full scale were also carried out. A dimensional analysis showed that the model was a good aeroacoustic approximation to the full-scale aircraft, and scale factors were derived to extrapolate the model measurements to the full-scale XV-15. The experimental measurements included helium bubble flow visualization, silk tuft flow visualization, 2-component hot wire anemometry, 7-hole pressure probe measurements, vorticity measurements, and outdoor far field acoustic measurements. The hot wire measurements were used to estimate the turbulence statistics of the flow field into the rotors, such as length scales, velocity scales, dissipation, and turbulence intermittency. Several different configurations of the model were tested: (1) standard configurations (single isolated rotor, two rotors without the aircraft, standard tilt rotor configuration); (2) flow control devices (the 'plate', the 'diagonal fences'); (3) basic configuration changes (increasing the rotor/rotor spacing, reducing the rotor plane/wing clearance. operating the rotors out of phase). Also, an approximation to Sikorsky's Variable Diameter Tilt Rotor (VDTR) configuration was tested, and some flow measurements were made on a semi-span configuration of the model. Acoustic predictions were made using LOWSON.M, a Mathematica code Mean aerodynamic models were developed based on hover performance predictions from HOVER.FOR. This hover prediction code used blade element theory for the aerodynamics, and Prandtl's Vortex theory to model the wake, along with empirical formulas for the effects of Reynolds number, Mach number, and stall. Aerodynamic models were developed from 7-hole pressure probe measurements of the mean velocity into the model rotors.

George, Albert R.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Method of performing computational aeroelastic analyses

Computational aeroelastic analyses typically use a mathematical model for the structural modes of a flexible structure and a nonlinear aerodynamic model that can generate a plurality of unsteady aerodynamic responses based on the structural modes for conditions defining an aerodynamic condition of the flexible structure. In the present invention, a linear state-space model is generated using a single execution of the nonlinear aerodynamic model for all of the structural modes where a family of orthogonal functions is used as the inputs. Then, static and dynamic aeroelastic solutions are generated using computational interaction between the mathematical model and the linear state-space model for a plurality of periodic points in time.

Silva, Walter A.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Semianalytic modeling of aerodynamic shapes

Equations for the semianalytic representation of a class of surfaces that vary smoothly in cross-sectional shape are presented. Some methods of fitting together and superimposing such surfaces are described. A brief discussion is also included of the application of the theory in various contexts such as computerized lofting of aerodynamic surfaces and grid generation.

Barger, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A computational procedure for automated flutter analysis

A direct solution procedure for computing the flutter Mach number and the flutter frequency is applied to the aeroelastic analysis of propfans using a finite element structural model and an unsteady aerodynamic model based on a three-dimensional subsonic compressible lifting surface theory. An approximation to the Jacobian matrix that improves the efficiency of the iterative process is presented. The Jacobian matrix is indirectly approximated from approximate derivatives of the flutter matrix. Examples are used to illustrate the convergence properties. The direct solution procedure facilitates the automated flutter analysis in addition to contributing to the efficient use of computer time as well as the analyst's time.

Murthy, Durbha V.↗
NASA NTRS1989

A computational procedure for automated flutter analysis

A direct solution procedure for computing the flutter Mach number and the flutter frequency is applied to the aeroelastic analysis of propfans using a finite element structural model and an unsteady aerodynamic model based on a three-dimensional subsonic compressible lifting surface theory. An approximation to the Jacobian matrix that improves the efficiency of the iterative process is presented. The Jacobian matrix is indirectly approximated from approximate derivatives of the flutter matrix, which are updated only in the direction of the last move. Examples are used to illustrate the convergence properties. The direct solution procedure facilitates the automated flutter analysis in addition to contributing to the efficient use of computer time as well as the analyst's time.

Murthy, Durbha V.↗