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At least 451 records · Page 25

Dynamic stability of a rotor blade using finite element analysis

The aeroelastic stability of flap bending, lead-lag bending, and torsion of a helicopter rotor blade in hover is examined using a finite element formulation based on the principle of virtual work. Quasi-steady two-dimensional airfoil theory is used to obtain the aerodynamic loads. The rotor blade is discretized into beam elements, each with ten modal degrees of freedom. The resulting nonlinear equations of motion are solved for steady-state blade deflections through an iterative procedure. The flutter solution is calculated assuming blade motion to be a small perturbation about the steady solution. The normal mode method based on the coupled rotating natural modes about the steady deflections is used to reduce the number of equations in the flutter eigenanalysis. Results are presented for hingeless and articulated rotor blade configurations.

Sivaneri, N. T.↗

The effects of lateral aerodynamic uncertainties on the handling qualities of the space shuttle orbiter at Mach numbers of 1.5 and .6

The effects of aerodynamic uncertainties on the handling qualities of the space shuttle orbiter were investigated with the use of six-degree-of-freedom, nonlinear equations of motion on the hybrid computer system. Flight condition characteristics for Mach numbers of 1.5 and .6 for the nominal and off nominal angle of attack conditions were selected for this investigation. Results revealed that at the low Mach number condition (.6), only a few problems existed for the angle of attack range considered and the many combinations of large aerodynamic variations considered. Moreover, none of these problems were considered to be related to poor handling qualities. For the angle of attack conditions considered at the high Mach number (1.5) problems existed with reduction of roll rate which can result in roll reversal conditions. In many cases, sideslip became proverse and increased rudder deflections and yaw jets were required.

Brown, L. W.↗

Aeroelastic Stability of Rotor Blades Using Finite Element Analysis

The flutter stability of flap bending, lead-lag bending, and torsion of helicopter rotor blades in hover is investigated using a finite element formulation based on Hamilton's principle. The blade is divided into a number of finite elements. Quasi-steady strip theory is used to evaluate the aerodynamic loads. The nonlinear equations of motion are solved for steady-state blade deflections through an iterative procedure. The equations of motion are linearized assuming blade motion to be a small perturbation about the steady deflected shape. The normal mode method based on the coupled rotating natural modes is used to reduce the number of equations in the flutter analysis. First the formulation is applied to single-load-path blades (articulated and hingeless blades). Numerical results show very good agreement with existing results obtained using the modal approach. The second part of the application concerns multiple-load-path blades, i.e. bearingless blades. Numerical results are presented for several analytical models of the bearingless blade. Results are also obtained using an equivalent beam approach wherein a bearingless blade is modelled as a single beam with equivalent properties. Results show the equivalent beam model.

Chopra, I.↗

Helicopter vibration suppression using simple pendulum absorbers on the rotor blade

A design procedure is presented for the installation of simple pendulums on the blades of a helicopter rotor to suppress the root reactions. The procedure consists of a frequency response analysis for a hingeless rotor blade excited by a harmonic variation of spanwise airload distributions during forward flight, as well as a concentrated load at the tip. The structural modeling of the blade provides for elastic degrees of freedom in flap and lead-lag bending plus torsion. Simple flap and lead-lag pendulums are considered individually. Using a rational order scheme, the general nonlinear equations of motion are linearized. A quasi-steady aerodynamic representation is used in the formation of the airloads. The solution of the system equations derives from their representation as a transfer matrix. The results include the effect of pendulum tuning on the minimization of the hub reactions.

Hamouda, M.-N. H.↗

Nonlinear evolution of the ion-ion beam instability

The criterion for the existence of vortex-like ion phase-space configurations, as obtained by a standard pseudopotential method, is found to coincide with the criterion for the linear instability for two (cold) counterstreaming ion beams. A nonlinear equation is derived, which demonstrates that this instability actually evolves into such phase-space configurations. A small, but nonzero, ion temperature turns out to be essential for the saturation into stationary structures

Pecseli, H. L.↗

Nonlinear longitudinal resonance interaction of energetic charged particles and VLF waves in the magnetosphere

The longitudinal resonance of waves and energetic electrons in the Earth's magnetosphere, and the possible role this resonance may play in generating various magnetospheric phenomena are studied. The derivation of time-averaged nonlinear equations of motion for energetic particles longitudinally resonant with a whistler mode wave propagating with nonzero wave normal is considered. It is shown that the wave magnetic forces can be neglected at lower particle pitch angles, while they become equal to or larger than the wave electric forces for alpha 20 deg. The time-averaged equations of motion were used in test particle simulation which were done for a wide range of wave amplitudes, wave normals, particle pitch angles, particle parallel velocities, and in an inhomogeneous medium such as the magnetosphere. It was found that there are two classes of particles, trapped and untrapped, and that the scattering and energy exchange for those two groups exhibit significantly different behavior.

Tkalcevic, S.↗

Prediction of Battery Life and Behavior from Analysis of Voltage Data

A method for simulating charge and discharge characteristics of secondary batteries is discussed. The analysis utilizes a nonlinear regression technique where empirical data is computer fitted with a five coefficient nonlinear equation. The equations for charge and discharge voltage are identical except for a change of sign before the second and third terms.

Mcdermott, P. P.↗

Stability of a dual-spin spacecraft with spherical dampers

The present investigation is concerned with the stability characteristics of a specific dual-spin satellite configuration marked by a high degree of symmetry. The configuration includes a platform and a rotor. Both components contain arbitrarily located internal spherical dampers. The symmetry of the system configuration makes it possible to illustrate clearly the relationship between Routhian analysis, energy sink analysis, and digital simulation of the full nonlinear equations. Although the dual-spin spacecraft configuration contains energy dissipating devices on both platform and rotor, it is still possible to employ the rigorous, but relatively simple, Routh stability method. This method, unlike Floquet theory, has the potential of producing closed-form stability criteria. The energy sink method is capable of providing a closed-form stability criterion. Numerical simulation is a necessary requirement in the latter stages of design when the realistic perturbation environment must be considered.

Laskin, R. A.↗

Aeromechanical stability analysis of a multirotor vehicle model representing a hybrid heavy lift airship (HHLA)

Hybrid Heavy Lift Airship (HHLA) is a proposed candidate vehicle aimed at providing heavy lift capability at low cost. This vehicle consists of a buoyant envelope attached to a supporting structure to which four rotor systems, taken from existing helicopters are attached. Nonlinear equations of motion capable of modelling the dynamics of this coupled multi-rotor/support frame/vehicle system have been developed. Using these equations of motion the aeroelastic and aeromechanical stability analysis is performed aimed at identifying potential instabilities which could occur for this type of vehicle. The coupling between various blade, supporting structure and rigid body modes is identified. Furthermore, the effects of changes in buoyancy ratio (Buoyant lift/total weight) on the dynamic characteristics of the vehicle are studied. The dynamic effects found are of considerable importance for the design of such vehicles. The analytical model developed is also useful for studying the aeromechanical stability of single rotor and tandem rotor coupled rotor/fuselage systems.

Venkatesan, C.↗

Parametric study of turbine blade platform friction damping using the lumped parameter analysis

The hardware configuration used in the present study of turbine blade planform friction damping, by means of the lumped parameter analysis, is the first turbine stage of the Space Shuttle Main Engine's High Pressure Fuel Turbopump. The analysis procedure solves the nonlinear equations of motion for a turbine blade that is acted on by a platform friction damper, using an iterative matrix method. Attention is given to the effects on blade deflection response of variations in friction coefficient, the normal force on the friction surface interface, blade hysteretic damping, the blade-to-blade phase angle of the harmonic forcing function, and the amplitude of the forcing function.

Dominic, R. J.↗

Tidal disruption and the origin of the Moon

The dynamic problem of the tidal disruption of a rocky planetismal was solved by a direct integration of the fully three-dimensional, nonlinear equations of motion. The hypothesis that any object that passes within the Roche limit is disrupted was disproven. A time dependent solution was performed numerically, treating the planetismal as a fluid with a Murnaghan equation of state in the solid regions and zero pressure otherwise. Calculations show that a rocky body which passes by the Earth on a parabolic orbit with a perigee within the Roche limit is not tidally disrupted. Objects on hyperbolic orbits would experience even less tidal disruption. The results herein do not apply to bodies with very low viscosity. It is shown, however, that tidal disruption can be ruled out as a mechanism for reducing planetismal masses. Mechanisms for forming the Moon which rely upon tidal disruption are unlikely to be correct.

Mizuno, H.↗

Three-dimensional baroclinic instability of a Hadley cell for small Richardson number

A three-dimensional, linear stability analysis of a baroclinic flow for Richardson number, Ri, of order unity is presented. The model considered is a thin horizontal, rotating fluid layer which is subjected to horizontal and vertical temperature gradients. The basic state is a Hadley cell which is a solution of the complete set of governing, nonlinear equations and contains both Ekman and thermal boundary layers adjacent to the rigid boundaries; it is given in a closed form. The stability analysis is also based on the complete set of equations; and perturbation possessing zonal, meridional, and vertical structures were considered. Numerical methods were developed for the stability problem which results in a stiff, eighth-order, ordinary differential eigenvalue problem. The previous work on three-dimensional baroclinic instability for small Ri was extended to a more realistic model involving the Prandtl number, sigma, and the Ekman number, E, and to finite growth rates and a wider range of the zonal wavenumber.

Antar, B. N.↗

Nonlinear theory for laminated and thick plates and shells including the effects of transverse shearing

Nonlinear strain displacement relations for three-dimensional elasticity are determined in orthogonal curvilinear coordinates. To develop a two-dimensional theory, the displacements are expressed by trigonometric series representation through-the-thickness. The nonlinear strain-displacement relations are expanded into series which contain all first and second degree terms. In the series for the displacements only the first few terms are retained. Insertion of the expansions into the three-dimensional virtual work expression leads to nonlinear equations of equilibrium for laminated and thick plates and shells that include the effects of transverse shearing. Equations of equilibrium and buckling equations are derived for flat plates and cylindrical shells. The shell equations reduce to conventional transverse shearing shell equations when the effects of the trigonometric terms are omitted and to classical shell equations when the trigonometric terms are omitted and the shell is assumed to be thin.

Stein, M.↗

Geomagnetic main field modeling using magnetohydrodynamic constraints

The influence of physical constraints are investigated which may be approximately satisfied by the Earth's liquid core on models of the geomagnetic main field and its secular variation. A previous report describes the methodology used to incorporate nonlinear equations of constraint into the main field model. The application of that methodology to the GSFC 12/83 field model to test the frozen-flux hypothesis and the usefulness of incorporating magnetohydrodynamic constraints for obtaining improved geomagnetic field models is described.

Estes, R. H.↗

Optimal aeroassisted transfer between coplanar elliptical orbits

An attempt is made to solve the problem of orbital transfer between coplanar elliptical orbits. Pure propulsive transfer is analyzed with the restriction of two impulses for the transfer. The optimal switching conditions are reviewed, and it is shown that the solution is obtained by solving a set of three nonlinear equations for three unknowns. A semianalytical solution is obtained to the problem of planar rotation of an orbit for the pure propulsive maneuver, and it is shown that, for high eccentricity and rotation angle, aeroassisted transfer is a fuel-saving maneuver. It is demonstrated that complete circularization of the intermediate orbit is not necessary in the optimal aeroassisted transfer. An analytical proof is presented, giving an explicit condition for noncircularization. A complete numerical solution is presented for a case of optimal aeroassisted transfer from a low-energy orbit to a high-energy orbit.

Vinh, N. X.↗

Aeromechanical stability analysis of a multirotor vehicle with application to hybrid heavy lift helicopter dynamics

The Hybrid Heavy Lift Helicopter (HHLH) is a potential candidate vehicle aimed at providing heavy lift capability at low cost. This vehicle consists of a buoyant envelope attached to a supporting structure. Four rotor systems are also attached to the supporting structure. Nonlinear equations of motion capable of modeling the dynamics of this multi-rotor/support frame/vehicle system have been developed and used to study the fundamental aeromechanical stability characteristics of this class of vehicles. The mechanism of coupling between the blades, supporting structure and rigid body modes is identified and the effect of buoyancy ratio (buoyant lift/total weight) on the vehicle dynamics is studied. It is shown that dynamics effects have a major role in the design of such vehicles. The analytical model developed is also useful for studying the aeromechanical stability of single rotor and tandem rotor coupled rotor/fuselage systems.

Venkatesan, C.↗

Linear dynamic coupling in geared rotor systems

The effects of high frequency oscillations caused by the gear mesh, on components of a geared system that can be modeled as rigid discs are analyzed using linear dynamic coupling terms. The coupled, nonlinear equations of motion for a disc attached to a rotating shaft are presented. The results of a trial problem analysis show that the inclusion of the linear dynamic coupling terms can produce significant changes in the predicted response of geared rotor systems, and that the produced sideband responses are greater than the unbalanced response. The method is useful in designing gear drives for heavy-lift helicopters, industrial speed reducers, naval propulsion systems, and heavy off-road equipment.

David, J. W.↗

On the flight dynamics of aeroelastic vehicles

The nonlinear equations of motion for an elasic airplane are developed from first principles. Lagrange's Equation and the Principle of Virtual Work are used to generate the equations of motion and strip theory is then employed to obtain closed form integral expressions for the generalized forces. The inertial coupling is minimized by appropriate choice of the body reference axes and by making use of free vibration modes of the body. In addition, particular attention is paid to the simplifying assumptions used during the development of the equations of motion. A unique aspect of this modeling process is that since the generalized aerodynamic forces are determined from closed form, analytic expressions, this method can be used to gain insight into the effects of parameter variations not easily obtained from numerical models. A numerical example is also presented in which the modeling method is applied to a representative elastic aircraft. The model is used to address the effects of aerodynamic coupling which occurs between the rigid body degrees of freedom and the elastic degrees of freedom. Finally, model simplification is addressed and two methods are evaluated. The resulting frequency responses are compared.

Schmidt, D. K.↗