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At least 415 records · Page 23

The 40 X 80 X 120 Wind Tunnel Project

The scope of this project includes increasing the speed of the 40 x 80 x 120 foot closed circuit wind tunnel to 300 knots to expand rotorcraft research capability, and to add an 80 x 120 foot open circuit wind tunnel with 100 knot maximum speed to expand vertical supersonic takeoff and landing research and capability. Topics discussed in viewgraph format are: wind tunnel characteristics, a cost analysis, and design of wind tunnel models.

Falarski, Michael D.↗

Propulsion system performance resulting from an integrated flight/propulsion control design

Propulsion-system-specific results are presented from the application of the integrated methodology for propulsion and airframe control (IMPAC) design approach to integrated flight/propulsion control design for a 'short takeoff and vertical landing' (STOVL) aircraft in transition flight. The IMPAC method is briefly discussed and the propulsion system specifications for the integrated control design are examined. The structure of a linear engine controller that results from partitioning a linear centralized controller is discussed. The details of a nonlinear propulsion control system are presented, including a scheme to protect the engine operational limits: the fan surge margin and the acceleration/deceleration schedule that limits the fuel flow. Also, a simple but effective multivariable integrator windup protection scheme is examined. Nonlinear closed-loop simulation results are presented for two typical pilot commands for transition flight: acceleration while maintaining flightpath angle and a change in flightpath angle while maintaining airspeed. The simulation nonlinearities include the airframe/engine coupling, the actuator and sensor dynamics and limits, the protection scheme for the engine operational limits, and the integrator windup protection. Satisfactory performance of the total airframe plus engine system for transition flight, as defined by the specifications, was maintained during the limit operation of the closed-loop engine subsystem.

Mattern, Duane↗

Experimental performance of a ventral nozzle with pitch and yaw vectoring capability for SSTOVL aircraft

Aircraft with supersonic, short takeoff, and vertical landing capability were proposed to replace some of the current high-performance aircraft. Several of these configurations use a ventral nozzle in the lower fuselage, aft of the center of gravity, for lift or pitch control. Internal vanes canted at 20 deg were added to a swivel-type ventral nozzle and tested at tailpipe-to-ambient pressure ratios up to 5.0 on the Powered Lift Facility at NASA LeRC. The addition of sets of four and seven vanes decreased the discharge coefficient by at least 6 percent and did not affect the thrust coefficient. Side force produced by the nozzle with vanes was 14 percent or more of the vertical force. In addition, this side force caused only a small loss in vertical force in comparison to the nozzle without vanes. The net thrust force was 8 deg from the vertical for four vanes and 10.5 deg for seven.

Esker, Barbara S.↗

Criteria for design of integrated flight/propulsion control systems for STOVL fighter aircraft

As part of NASA's program to develop technology for short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) fighter aircraft, control system designs have been developed for a conceptual STOVL aircraft. This aircraft is representative of the class of mixed-flow remote-lift concepts that was identified as the preferred design approach by the U.S./U.K. STOVL Joint Assessment and Ranking Team. The control system designs have been evaluated throughout the powered-lift flight envelope on the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) at Ames Research Center. Items assessed in the control system evaluation were: maximum control power used in transition and vertical flight, control system dynamic response associated with thrust transfer for attitude control, thrust margin in the presence of ground effect and hot-gas ingestion, and dynamic thrust response for the engine core. Effects of wind, turbulence, and ship airwake disturbances are incorporated in the evaluation. Results provide the basis for a reassessment of existing flying-qualities design criteria applied to STOVL aircraft.

Franklin, James A.↗

Design criteria for integrated flight/propulsion control systems for STOVL fighter aircraft

As part of NASA's program to develop technology for short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) fighter aircraft, control system designs have been developed for a conceptual STOVL aircraft. This aircraft is representative of the class of mixed-flow remote-lift concepts that was identified as the preferred design approach by the US/UK STOVL Joint Assessment and Ranking Team. The control system designs have been evaluated throughout the powered-lift flight envelope on Ames Research Center's Vertical Motion Simulator. Items assessed in the control system evaluation were: maximum control power used in transition and vertical flight, control system dynamic response associated with thrust transfer for attitude control, thrust margin in the presence of ground effect and hot gas ingestion, and dynamic thrust response for the engine core. Effects of wind, turbulence, and ship airwake disturbances are incorporated in the evaluation. Results provide the basis for a reassessment of existing flying qualities design criteria applied to STOVL aircraft.

Franklin, James A.↗

A direct application of the non-linear inverse transformation flight control system design on a STOVL aircraft

The nonlinear inverse transformation flight control system design method is applied to the Lockheed Ft. Worth Company's E-7D short takeoff and vertical land (STOVL) supersonic fighter/attack aircraft design with a modified General Electric F110 engine which has augmented propulsive lift capability. The system is fully augmented to provide flight path control and velocity control, and rate command attitude hold for angular axes during the transition and hover operations. In cruise mode, the flight control system is configured to provide direct thrust command, rate command attitude hold for pitch and roll axes, and sideslip command with turn coordination. A control selector based on the nonlinear inverse transformation method is designed specifically to be compatible with the propulsion system's physical configuration which has a two dimensional convergent-divergent aft nozzle, a vectorable ventral nozzle, and a thrust augmented ejector. The nonlinear inverse transformation is used to determine the propulsive forces and nozzle deflections, which in combination with the aerodynamic forces and moments (including propulsive induced contributions), and gravitational force, are required to achieve the longitudinal and vertical acceleration commands. The longitudinal control axes are fully decoupled within the propulsion system's performance envelope. A piloted motion-base flight simulation was conducted on the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) at NASA Ames Research Center to examine the handling qualities of this design. Based on results of the simulation, refinements to the control system have been made and will also be covered in the report.

Chung, W. W.↗

Aerodynamics model for a generic ASTOVL lift-fan aircraft

This report describes the aerodynamics model used in a simulation model of an advanced short takeoff and vertical landing (ASTOVL) lift-fan fighter aircraft. The simulation model was developed for use in piloted evaluations of transition and hover flight regimes, so that only low speed (M approximately 0.2) aerodynamics are included in the mathematical model. The aerodynamic model includes the power-off aerodynamic forces and moments and the propulsion system induced aerodynamic effects, including ground effects. The power-off aerodynamics data were generated using the U.S. Air Force Stability and Control Digital DATCOM program and a NASA Ames in-house graphics program called VORVIEW which allows the user to easily analyze arbitrary conceptual aircraft configurations using the VORLAX program. The jet-induced data were generated using the prediction methods of R. E. Kuhn et al., as referenced in this report.

Birckelbaw, Lourdes G.↗

Experimental performance of a ventral nozzle with pitch and yaw vectoring capability for SSTOVL aircraft

Aircraft with supersonic, short takeoff and vertical landing capability have been proposed to replace some of the current high-performance aircraft. Several of these configurations use a ventral nozzle in the lower fuselage, aft of the center of gravity, for lift or pitch control. Internal vanes canted at 20 deg were added to a swivel-type ventral nozzle and tested at tailpipe to ambient pressure ratios up to 5.0 on the Powered Lift Facility at NASA Lewis Research Center. The addition of sets of four or seven vanes decreased the discharge coefficient of the nozzle by at least 6 percent and did not effect the thrust coefficient. Side force produced by the nozzle with vanes was 14 percent or more of the vertical force. In addition, this side force caused only a smalll loss in vertical force in comparison to the nozzle without vanes. The net thrust force was 8 deg from the vertical for four vanes and 10.5 deg for seven.

Esker, Barbara S.↗

Rayleigh Scattering Measurements in NASA Lewis Wind Tunnels

Two applications of Rayleigh scattering for measuring flow parameters in wind tunnels are described. The first is the measurement of one velocity component and static temperature in the vicinity of a 12 % scale advanced short takeoff and vertical landing (ASTOVL) aircraft model in the Lewis 9 ft by 15 ft low speed wing tunnel. The model was equipped with high temperature and high pressure air supplies to simulate lift nozzles and suction systems to simulate engine inlets. The second application is a feasibility study to measure flow properties in a 4 inch by 10 inch supersonic wind tunnel This technique uses an injection seeded, frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser tuned to an absorption band of iodine.

Seasholtz, Richard↗

Development of a Telescoping Vaned Exhaust Nozzle for the ASTOVL LiftFan(Trademark) Application

A discussion on the development of a Telescoping, Vaned, Exhaust Nozzle (TEVEN) is presented. This nozzle was challenged to meet the thrust vectoring requirements of an Advanced Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (ASTOVL) aircraft. The nozzle underwent a development process from concepts to detail design using computational flow analyses and from subscale performance verification tests to full-scale hardware design. The LiftFan(Trademark) nozzle is capable of providing a pitch vector range of about 80 degrees from up to 20 degrees forward to 60 degrees aft. In addition, a set of post exit yaw doors provide +/- 10 degrees yaw while maintaining a relatively high performance at all operating conditions. Further, the nozzle is axially compact, to be stowable in very short length (LJD less than 0.3), while efficiently converging the upstream nozzle flow from an annular cross section to a "D" shape at the nozzle exit. The discussion includes a review of various nozzle concepts, viscous flow analyses, and results from 1/3 scale nozzle model tests conducted at NASA LeRC Powered Lift Facility (PLF) in 1994.

Sokhey, Jack S.↗

Vertical Lift - Not Just For Terrestrial Flight

Autonomous vertical lift vehicles hold considerable potential for supporting planetary science and exploration missions. This paper discusses several technical aspects of vertical lift planetary aerial vehicles in general, and specifically addresses technical challenges and work to date examining notional vertical lift vehicles for Mars, Titan, and Venus exploration.

VERTICAL TAKEOFF AIRCRAFT↗

Assessment of Urban Aerial Taxi with Cryogenic Components under Design Environment for Novel Vertical Lift Vehicles (DELIVER)

Assessing the potential to bring 100 years of aeronautics knowledge to the entrepreneurs desktop to enable a design environment for emerging vertical lift vehicles is one goal for the NASAs Design Environment for Novel Vertical Lift Vehicles (DELIVER). As part of this effort, a system study was performed using a notional, urban aerial taxi system to better understand vehicle requirements along with the tools and methods capability to assess these vehicles and their subsystems using cryogenic cooled components. The baseline was a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, with all-electric propulsion system assuming 15 year technology performance levels and its capability limited to a pilot with one or two people and cargo. Hydrocarbon-fueled hybrid concepts were developed to improve mission capabilities. The hybrid systems resulted in significant improvements in maximum range and number of on demand mobility (ODM) missions that could be completed before refuel or recharge. An important consideration was thermal management, including the choice for air-cooled or cryogenic cooling using liquid natural gas (LNG) fuel. Cryogenic cooling for critical components can have important implications on component performance and size. Thermal loads were also estimated, subsequent effort will be required to verify feasibility for cooling airflow and packaging. LNG cryogenic cooling of selected components further improved vehicle range and reduced thermal loads, but the same concerns for airflow and packaging still need to be addressed. The use of the NASA Design and Analysis of Rotorcraft (NDARC) tool for vehicle sizing and mission analysis appears to be capable of supporting analyses for present and future types of vehicles, missions, propulsion, and energy sources. Further efforts are required to develop verified models for these new types of propulsion and energy sources in the size and use envisioned for these emerging vehicle and mission classes.

systems analysis↗

Assessment of Urban Aerial Taxi with Cryogenic Components Under Design Environment for Novel Vertical Lift Vehicles (DELIVER)

Assessing the potential to bring 100 years of aeronautics knowledge to the entrepreneurs desktop to enable a design environment for emerging vertical lift vehicles is one goal for the NASA's Design Environment for Novel Vertical Lift Vehicles (DELIVER). As part of this effort, a system study was performed using a notional, urban aerial taxi system to better understand vehicle requirements along with the tools and methods capability to assess these vehicles and their subsystems using cryogenic cooled components. The baseline was a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, with all-electric propulsion system assuming 15 year technology performance levels and its capability limited to a pilot with one or two people and cargo. Hydrocarbon-fueled hybrid concepts were developed to improve mission capabilities. The hybrid systems resulted in significant improvements in maximum range and number of on demand mobility (ODM) missions that could be completed before refuel or recharge. An important consideration was thermal management, including the choice for air-cooled or cryogenic cooling using liquid natural gas (LNG) fuel. Cryogenic cooling for critical components can have important implications on component performance and size. Thermal loads were also estimated, subsequent effort will be required to verify feasibility for cooling airflow and packaging. LNG cryogenic cooling of selected components further improved vehicle range and reduced thermal loads, but the same concerns for airflow and packaging still need to be addressed. The use of the NASA Design and Analysis of Rotorcraft (NDARC) tool for vehicle sizing and mission analysis appears to be capable of supporting analyses for present and future types of vehicles, missions, propulsion, and energy sources. Further efforts are required to develop verified models for these new types of propulsion and energy sources in the size and use envisioned for these emerging vehicle and mission classes.

thermal analysis↗

Using Liquid Natural Gas Fuel to Cryogenically Cool and Enhance a Hybrid Electric Aircraft Power System

A previous system study identified significant increases in range and number of urban air mobility (UAM) missions by replacing the all battery power system of a notional UAM vehicle with an advanced diesel hybrid using conventional diesel or liquid natural gas (LNG) fuels (at constant vehicle design gross weight). Some benefits were realized using the LNG's cryogenic properties to reduce some electrical component losses and cooling requirements. Significant questions were raised concerning volume and thermal management considerations for all studied systems. The notional, baseline vehicle was a hybrid helicopter / airplane design capable of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), balancing high cruise efficiency with reasonable hover capability. A subsequent power system assessment using the same notional vehicle and mission was performed that identified increased volume and power requirements for the active cooling required. The cooling airflow could also generate additional drag on the vehicle during operation. For the notional vehicle studied, the additional volume identified by the subsequent study would not affect vehicle mold line and therefore drag. However, the additional drag from cooling airflow and the power to circulate it as needed would impact power system and vehicle mission performance. Vehicle and mission models were updated and rerun. Updated results still indicated significant benefits in range and number of UAM missions, but reduced the benefit by 12-15%. Hold time for the hybrid systems also generally increased a few minutes because of reduced power available for charging from the power for required cooling flows. Vehicle weights, thermal loads, and cooling airflows from the updated analyses were similar to previous results.

systems analysis↗