Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Blend Can Loading System”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

21 records · Page 2

Structural modeling for multicell composite rotor blades

Composite material systems are currently good candidates for aerospace structures, primarily for the design flexibility they offer, i.e., it is possible to tailor the material and manufacturing approach to the application. A working definition of elastic or structural tailoring is the use of structural concept, fiber orientation, ply stacking sequence, and a blend of materials to achieve specific performance goals. In the design process, choices of materials and dimensions are made which produce specific response characteristics, and which permit the selected goals to be achieved. Common choices for tailoring goals are preventing instabilities or vibration resonances or enhancing damage tolerance. An essential, enabling factor in the design of tailored composite structures is structural modeling that accurately, but simply, characterizes response. The objective of this paper is to present a new multicell beam model for composite rotor blades and to validate predictions based on the new model by comparison with a finite element simulation in three benchmark static load cases.

Rehfield, Lawrence W.↗

Space Launch System Ascent Flight Control Design

A robust and flexible autopilot architecture for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) family of launch vehicles is presented. As the SLS configurations represent a potentially significant increase in complexity and performance capability of the integrated flight vehicle, it was recognized early in the program that a new, generalized autopilot design should be formulated to fulfill the needs of this new space launch architecture. The present design concept is intended to leverage existing NASA and industry launch vehicle design experience and maintain the extensibility and modularity necessary to accommodate multiple vehicle configurations while relying on proven and flight-tested control design principles for large boost vehicles. The SLS flight control architecture combines a digital three-axis autopilot with traditional bending filters to support robust active or passive stabilization of the vehicle's bending and sloshing dynamics using optimally blended measurements from multiple rate gyros on the vehicle structure. The algorithm also relies on a pseudo-optimal control allocation scheme to maximize the performance capability of multiple vectored engines while accommodating throttling and engine failure contingencies in real time with negligible impact to stability characteristics. The architecture supports active in-flight load relief through the use of a nonlinear observer driven by acceleration measurements, and envelope expansion and robustness enhancement is obtained through the use of a multiplicative forward gain modulation law based upon a simple model reference adaptive control scheme.

VanZwieten, Tannen S.↗

Evolution of the revolutionary blended-wing-body

The Blended-Wing-Body (BWB) airplane concept represents a potential revolution in subsonic transport efficiency for Very Large Airplanes (VLA's). NASA is sponsoring an advanced concept study to demonstrate feasibility and begin development of this new class of airplane. In this study, 800 passenger BWB and conventional configuration airplanes have been compared for a 7000 nautical mile design range, where both airplanes are based on technology keyed to 2015 entry into service. The BWB has been found to be superior to the conventional configuration in the following areas: Fuel Burn--31% lower, Takeoff Weight -- 1 3% lower, Operating Empty Weight -- 10% lower, Total Thrust -- 16% lower, and Lift/Drag --35% higher. The BWB advantage results from a double deck cabin that extends spanwise providing structural and aerodynamic overlap with the wing. This reduces the total wetted area of the airplane and allows a high aspect ratio to be achieved, since the deep and stiff centerbody provides efficient structural wingspan. Further synergy is realized through buried engines that ingest the wing's boundary layer, and thus reduce effective ram drag. Relaxed static stability allows optimal span loading, and an outboard leading-edge slat is the only high-lift system required.

Liebeck, Robert H.↗