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At least 523 records · Page 29

Dynamic Stability Instrumentation System (DSIS): User Manual - Volume 3

The paper is an operating manual for the Dynamic Stability Instrumentation System in specific NASA Langley wind tunnels. The instrumentation system performs either a synchronous demodulation or a Fast Fourier Transform on dynamic balance strain gage signals, and ultimately computes aerodynamic coefficients. The dynamic balance converts sting motor rotation into pitch or yaw plane or roll axis oscillation, with timing information provided by a shaft encoder. Additional instruments control model attitude and balance temperature and monitor sting vibrations. Other instruments perform self-calibration and diagnostics. Procedures for conducting calibrations and wind-off and wind-on tests are listed.

Daniels, Taumi S.↗

Static Stability and Control Characteristics of a 0.5-Scale Model of the Hughes GAR-11 Missile at Mach Numbers from 1.60 to 2.30

Normal forces, axial forces, pitching moments, and rolling moments on the model and hinge moments on each of the four control surfaces were measured. Control surfaces were deflected from -35 deg to 15 deg in various combinations to produce pitching, yawing, and rolling moments on the model over a range of angles of attack from -5 deg to 25 deg at roll angles from -135 deg to 45 deg.

Wong, Norman D.↗

Rotational and Translational Velocity and Acceleration Thresholds for the Onset of Cybersickness in Virtual Reality

This paper determined rotational and translational velocity and acceleration thresholds for the onset of cybersickness. Cybersickness causes discomfort and discourages the widespread use of virtual reality systems for both recreational and professional use. Visual motion or optic flow is known to be one of the main causes of cybersickness due to the sensory conflict it creates with the vestibular system. The aim of this experiment is to detect rotational and translational velocity and acceleration thresholds that cause the onset of cybersickness. Participants were exposed to a moving particle field in virtual reality for a few seconds per run. The field moved in different directions (longitudinal, lateral, roll, and yaw), with different velocity profiles (steady and accelerating), and different densities. Using a staircase procedure, that controlled the speed or acceleration of the field, we detected the threshold at which participant started to feel temporary symptoms of cybersickness. The optic flow was quantified for each motion type and by modifying the number of features, the same amount of optic flow was present in each scene. Having the same optic flow in each scene allows a direct comparison of the thresholds. The results show that the velocity and acceleration thresholds for rotational optic flow were significantly lower than for translational optic flow. The thresholds suggestively decreased with the decreasing particle density of the scene. Finally, it was found that all the rotational and translational thresholds strongly correlate with each other. While the mean values of the thresholds could be used as guidelines to develop virtual reality applications, the high variability between individuals implies that the individual tuning of motion controls would be more effective to reduce cybersickness while minimizing the impact on the experience of immersion.

Terenzi, Lorenzo↗

The design of a model-following control system for helicopters

The design of an explicit model-following control system is described and the results of a ground-based simulation experiment investigating the performance and limitations of this control system for a hingeless-rotor and a teetering-rotor helicopter are reported. The explicit model was a linear, decoupled model such that the pilot commanded pitch attitude with the longitudinal cyclic, roll attitude with the lateral cyclic, yaw rate with the pedals, and earth-fixed vertical velocity with the collective. A new model-following performance criterion was developed to optimize the control-law design and to evaluate the model-following performance. The results of the simulation indicate that the performance of the model-following control system is dependent on the dynamics of the explicit model and on the limitations of the actuating system. Increases in the bandwidth of the explicit model placed higher demands on the control system and resulted in degraded model-following performance. Significant improvements in model-following performance were achieved when a control-law switching feature, which was designed to account for position- or rate-limited actuators, was included in the control system. The excellent overall model-following performance obtained for these two radically different helicopters indicates the flexibility and versatility of this control technique.

Hilbert, K. B.↗

Space shuttle: Static aerodynamic characteristics and control effectiveness of the GAC H-33 orbiter at Mach numbers from 0.6 to 4.96

A .003366 scale model of the Grumman H-33 orbiter was tested in the MSFC 14 inch Trisonic Wind Tunnel. Six-component aerodynamic force and moment data was recorded over a Mach number range of 0.6 to 4.96. Both pitch runs and yaw runs at various constant angles of attack were completed. The basic model configuration was investigated. The effects of a component build-up and of various control deflections were obtained. The elevons were deflected symmetrically and asymmetrically to determine elevator and aileron effectiveness. The rudder was tested both flared and unflared and the effects of deflections were determined in the flared case. The model was tested in pitch in two intervals. The first interval was from 0 to 20 deg. Then an adaptor was set to give the sting an offset angle and 20 to 40 deg angle of attack was obtained. Characteristics in sideslip were determined by varying sideslip angle from -4 deg to 10 deg with angle of attack set at 0 deg, 10 deg, 15 deg, and 30 deg.

Krepski, R.↗

Multiaxis aircraft control power from thrust vectoring at high angles of attack

Extensive research programs conducted at the Langley Research Center have shown that thrust vectoring can be provided by multifunction (nonaxisymmetric) nozzles. Most of this research has been conducted on pitch vectoring at both static and forward flight conditions. Recent efforts have been aimed at evaluating yaw vectoring concepts at static (wind off) conditions. This paper summarizes results for three different twin-engine fighter configurations tested over a Mach number range of 0.15 to 2.47 at angles of attack up to 35 deg. The objective of these investigations was to determine the multiaxis control power characteristics provided by thrust vectoring. All three configurations employed two-dimensional convergent-divergent nozzles which provided pitch vectoring by differential deflection of the upper and lower nozzle divergent flaps. Three different means of yaw vectoring were tested: (1) a translating nozzle sidewall; (2) yaw flaps located in the nozzle sidewalls; and (3) canted nozzles. These investigations were conducted in the Langley 16-Foot Transonic Tunnel and the Lewis 10x10-Foot Supersonic Tunnel. Longitudinal and direction control power from thrust vectoring was greater than that provided by aerodynamic control effectors at low speed or at high angles of attack.

Capone, F. J.↗

Multiaxis aircraft control power from thrust vectoring at high angles of attack

Extensive research programs conducted at the Langley Research Center have shown that thrust vectoring can be provided by multifunction (nonaxisymmetric) nozzles. Most of this research has been conducted on pitch vectoring at both static and forward flight conditions. Recent efforts have been aimed at evaluating yaw vectoring concepts at static (wind off) conditions. This paper summarizes results for three different twin-engine fighter configurations tested over a Mach number range of 0.15 to 2.47 at angles of attack up to 35 deg. The objective of these investigations was to determine the multiaxis control power characteristics provided by thrust vectoring. All three configurations employed two-dimensional convergent-divergent nozzles which provided pitch vectoring by differential deflection of the upper and lower nozzle divergent flaps. Three different means of yaw vectoring were tested: (1) a translating nozzle sidewall; (2) yaw flaps located in the nozzle sidewalls; and (3) canted nozzles. These investigations were conducted in the Langley 16-Foot Transonic Tunnel and the Lewis 10 x 10-Foot Supersonic Tunnel. Longitudinal and direction control power from thrust vectoring was greater than that provided by aerodynamic control effectors at low speed or at high angles of attack.

Capone, Francis J.↗

Rapid slewing of the orbiting Spacecraft Control Laboratory Experiment (SCOLE) using LQR techniques

The rotational equations of motion, describing the dynamics of the (rigidized) proposed orbiting Spacecraft Control Laboratory Experiment (SCOLE) during the station keeping phase, are derived using the Eulerian formulation. When the attitude angles (roll, pitch, and yaw) are assumed small, a stability analysis is conducted for the system. It is seen that the pitch equation decouples from the roll and yaw equations when the interface between the mast on the reflector is not offset or the offset is only along the Shuttle roll axis. When a second offset is introduced along the pitch axis of the system and when the gravity-gradient torques are present in the dynamics, the system assumes a new equilibrium position. The linear regulator theory is used to derive a control law for the linear model of the rigidized SCOLE. This law is applied to the nonlinear model of the same configuration of the system and preliminary single axis slewing maneuvers (20 deg amplitude) are simulated.

Diarra, Cheick M.↗

Teetered, tip-controlled rotor: Preliminary test results from Mod-0 100-kW experimental wind turbine

Results of tests conducted using the MOD-0 100 kW experimental wind turbine are evaluated. The teetered rotor significantly decreased loads on the yaw drive mechanism and reduced blade cyclic flapwise bending moments by 25 percent at the 20 percent span location when compared to the rigid hub rotor. The teetered hub performed well, but impacted the teeter stops on occasion as wind speed and/or direction varied rapidly. The tip-controlled rotor performed satisfactorily with some expected loss of control when compared to the full span pitchable blade. The performance results indicate that a review of techniques used to calculate rotor power is in order.

Glasgow, J. C.↗

Control design of a UH-60 rotorcraft via CLTR and direct optimization

High-performance rotorcraft controller design is characterized by the need to compensate for both the longitudinal and lateral dynamics simultaneously. Rather than leaving these modes largely decoupled, one often needs for performance consideration to incorporate direct mode decoupling as a part of the controller design, especially when the system model includes high-frequency dynamics from the rotor and lag states. In addition to the usual design considerations of stability augmentation, a high-performance rotorcraft such as the UH-60 would also require a good command bandwidth and decoupling in the heave, yaw, pitch and roll command responses. In this paper, the method of closed-loop transfer recovery (CLTR) and direct optimization are applied to the control design of a UH-60 rotorcraft.

Vansteenwyk, Brett↗

The calculation of lateral stability with free controls

The discussion of the structural methods for obtaining lateral stability discloses the remarkable influence of the constant fuselage and wing proportions to the yawing moments. For the effectiveness of modifications in vertical tail surfaces and tail length, these quotas - little observed heretofore, in this connection - are decisive. This also applies to the amount of dihedral of the wing with regard to the roll stability of the complete wing already existing without angle of the dihedral.

Mathias, Gotthold↗

The accuracy of dynamic attitude propagation

Propagating attitude by integrating Euler's equation for rigid body motion has long been suggested for the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) but until now has not been implemented. Because of limited Sun visibility, propagation is necessary for yaw determination. With the deterioration of the gyros, dynamic propagation has become more attractive. Angular rates are derived from integrating Euler's equation with a stepsize of 1 second, using torques computed from telemetered control system data. The environmental torque model was quite basic. It included gravity gradient and unshadowed aerodynamic torques. Knowledge of control torques is critical to the accuracy of dynamic modeling. Due to their coarseness and sparsity, control actuator telemetry were smoothed before integration. The dynamic model was incorporated into existing ERBS attitude determination software. Modeled rates were then used for attitude propagation in the standard ERBS fine-attitude algorithm. In spite of the simplicity of the approach, the dynamically propagated attitude matched the attitude propagated with good gyros well for roll and yaw but diverged up to 3 degrees for pitch because of the very low resolution in pitch momentum wheel telemetry. When control anomalies significantly perturb the nominal attitude, the effect of telemetry granularity is reduced and the dynamically propagated attitudes are accurate on all three axes.

Harvie, E.↗

Behavior of aircraft antiskid braking systems on dry and wet runway surfaces - A velocity-rate-controlled, pressure-bias-modulated system

During maximum braking the average ratio of drag-force friction coefficient developed by the antiskid system to maximum drag-force friction coefficient available at the tire/runway interface was higher on dry surfaces than on wet surfaces. The gross stopping power generated by the brake system on the dry surface was more than twice that obtained on the wet surfaces. With maximum braking applied, the average ratio of side-force friction coefficient developed by the tire under antiskid control to maximum side-force friction available at the tire/runway interface of a free-rolling yawed tire was shown to decrease with increasing yaw angle. Braking reduced the side-force friction coefficient on a dry surface by 75 percent as the wheel slip ratio was increased to 0.3; on a flooded surface the coefficient dropped to near zero for the same slip ratio. Locked wheel skids were observed when the tire encountered a runway surface transition from dry to flooded, due in part to the response time required for the system to sense abrupt changes in the runway friction; however, the antiskid system quickly responded by reducing brake pressure and cycling normally during the remainder of the run on the flooded surface.

Stubbs, S. M.↗

Numerical design of the contoured wind-tunnel liner for the NASA swept-wing LFC test

A contoured, nonporous, wind-tunnel liner has been designed in order to simulate a free-flight infinite yawed-wing, transonic-flow condition about a large-chord, supercritical-section, laminar-flow-control (LFC), swept-wing test panel. The numerical procedure developed for this aerodynamic liner design is based upon the simple idea of streamlining and incorporates several existing transonic and boundary-layer analysis codes. A summary of the entire procedure is presented to indicate: what was done and why, the sequence of steps, and the overall data flow. The liner is being installed in the NASA Langley 8-Foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel (TPT). Test results indicating the aerodynamic performance of the liner are not yet available; thus, the liner design results given here are examples of the calculated requirements and the hardware implementation.

Newman, P. A.↗

Summary of Flight-Test Results of the VZ-2 Tilt-Wing Aircraft

Flight-test information gained from a tilt-wing research aircraft tested at the Langley Research Center has shown that design problems exist in such fields as low-speed stability and control, handling qualities, and flow separation during transition. The control power in the near-hovering configuration was considered by the pilots to be inadequate in yaw, marginal in pitch, and excessive in roll. Solutions for some of the design problems are indicated; for example, the addition of a leading-edge droop to the wing in an attempt to delay flow separation resulted in such significantly improved handling qualities in the transition range that an additional descent capability of 1,100 feet per minute was obtained.

Pegg, Robert J.↗

Data from Tests of a 1/5-Scale Model of a Proposed High-Speed Submarine in the Langley Full-Scale Tunnel

Tests of a 1/5 scale model of a proposed 153-foot high-speed submarine have been conducted in the Langley full-scale tunnel at the request of the Bureau of Ships, Department of the Navy. The test program included: (1) force tests to determine the drag, control effectiveness, and static stability characteristics for a number of model configurations, both in pitch and in yaw, (2) pressure measurements to determine the boundary-layer conditions and flow characteristics in the region of the propeller, and (3) an investigation of the effects of propeller operation on the model aerodynamic characteristics. In response to oral requests from the Bureau of Ships representatives t hat the basic data obtained in these tests be made available to them as rapidly as possible, this data report has been prepared to present some of the more pertinent results. All test results given in the present paper are for the propeller-removed condition and were obtained at a Reynolds number of approximately 22,300,000 based on model length.

Cocke, Bennie W.↗

Effect of retractable-spoiler location on rolling- and yawing-moment coefficients

In this report are presented the results of wind-tunnel tests of retractable spoilers on the upper surface of a Clark Y wing, which have been made as part of an investigation of lateral control devices being conducted by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Spoilers with chords up to 15.0 percent of the wing chord were tested in several locations on a plain rectangular wing and in two locations on the same wing equipped with a 20.0 percent chord split flap down 60 degrees. Charts are given for four representative angles of attack from which values of rolling- and yawing-moment coefficients may be obtained for spoilers up to 15.0 percent chord located on the upper surface of a Clark Y wing. The tests showed that at low angles of attack practically the same rolling moments can be obtained with a given spoiler at any location back of 30.0 percent of the wing chord, while at high angles of attack there is a definite advantage in locating the spoiler at least as far forward as 30.0 percent of the chord. The yawing moments accompanying a given rolling moment increase positively as the spoiler location is moved forward from the trailing edge of the wing. It is concluded that the 30.0 percent chord location is probably the optimum provided that instantaneous response of the airplane to a control movement can be obtained.

Shortal, J A↗

A new momentum management controller for the Space Station

A new approach to CMG (control moment gyro) momentum management and attitude control of the Space Station is developed. The control algorithm utilizes both the gravity-gradient and gyroscopic torques to seek torque equilibrium attitude in the presence of secular and cyclic disturbances. Depending upon mission requirements, either pitch attitude or pitch-axis CMG momentum can be held constant; yaw attitude and roll-axis CMG momentum can be held constant, while roll attitude and yaw-axis CMG momentum cannot be held constant. As a result, the overall attitude and CMG momentum oscillations caused by cyclic aero-dynamic disturbances are minimized. A state feedback controller with minimal computer storage requirement for gain scheduling is also developed. The overall closed-loop system is stable for + or - 30 percent inertia matrix variations and has more than + or - 10 dB and 45 deg stability margins in each loop.

Wie, B.↗