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At least 577 records · Page 32

Numerical simulation of two-dimensional heat transfer in composite bodies with application to de-icing of aircraft components

Transient, numerical simulations of the de-icing of composite aircraft components by electrothermal heating were performed for a two dimensional rectangular geometry. The implicit Crank-Nicolson formulation was used to insure stability of the finite-difference heat conduction equations and the phase change in the ice layer was simulated using the Enthalpy method. The Gauss-Seidel point iterative method was used to solve the system of difference equations. Numerical solutions illustrating de-icer performance for various composite aircraft structures and environmental conditions are presented. Comparisons are made with previous studies. The simulation can also be used to solve a variety of other heat conduction problems involving composite bodies.

Chao, D. F. K.↗

Experiences with the design and implementation of flutter suppression systems

Research efforts aim at flutter suppression are discussed. The application of active controls technology to reduce the aeroelastic response of aircraft structures is discussed. Feedback control, control law design processes and synthesis, wind tunnel studies, and delta-wing wind tunnel models are discussed.

Newsom, J. R.↗

NASA's role in aeronautical research

Past and current research in the aeronautical field conducted by NASA is reviewed. The first national center for aeronautical research, the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, was established in 1917 by the then formed National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). Two other research centers established later by NACA (Lewis and Ames) were staffed with research cadres from Langley. These three research centers formed the nucleus of NASA when it was established in 1958. Studies conducted today by NASA's research centers include: a concept for commuter-style aircraft, turbofan engines for military supersonic fighter aircraft, strength and durability of man-made fiber materials, and maneuverability problems in high speed aircraft. In addition, at Ames, research is being conducted on short-haul aviation, and short and vertical takeoff while at Lewis studies concentrate on propulsion system and engines. At Langley the emphasis is on basic research, stressing aircraft structure improvements, stall avoidance and noise abatement. Finally, the importance of NASA's educational program is discussed.

Parker, M.↗

Integrated cockpit design for the Army helicopter improvement program

The main Army Helicopter Improvement Program (AHIP) mission is to navigate precisely, locate targets accurately, communicate their position to other battlefield elements, and to designate them for laser guided weapons. The onboard navigation and mast-mounted sight (MMS) avionics enable accurate tracking of current aircraft position and subsequent target location. The AHIP crewstation development was based on extensive mission/task analysis, function allocation, total system design, and test and verification. The avionics requirements to meet the mission was limited by the existing aircraft structural and performance characteristics and resultant space, weight, and power restrictions. These limitations and night operations requirement led to the use of night vision goggles. The combination of these requirements and limitations dictated an integrated control/display approach using multifunction displays and controls.

Drennen, T.↗

Remote control of an impact demonstration vehicle

Uplink and downlink telemetry systems were installed in a Boeing 720 aircraft that was remotely flown from Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base and impacted into a designated crash site on the lake bed. The controlled impact demonstration (CID) program was a joint venture by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to test passenger survivability using antimisting kerosene (AMK) to inhibit postcrash fires, improve passenger seats and restraints, and improve fire-retardent materials. The uplink telemetry system was used to remotely control the aircraft and activate onboard systems from takeoff until after impact. Aircraft systems for remote control, aircraft structural response, passenger seat and restraint systems, and anthropomorphic dummy responses were recorded and displayed by the downlink stems. The instrumentation uplink and downlink systems are described.

Harney, P. F.↗

Blending Gyro Signals To Improve Control Stability

Interference by structural vibrations reduced by adding signals from spatially separated gyros. Technique involves blending signals from rate gyroscopes located at different parts of structure to obtain composite signal that more nearly represents rotation of entire structure. Aircraft vibrations perpendicular to pitch axis contribute to rotations sensed by pitch-rate gyros. Proper blending of signals from gyros suppress contribution of dominant vibrational mode. Most likely applications of concept are flight-control systems for aircraft.

J. F. L. Lee↗

References and conference proceedings towards the understanding of fracture mechanics

A list of books, reports, periodicals, and conference proceedings, as well as individual papers, centered on specific aspects of fracture phenomenon has been compiled by the ASTM Committee E-24 on Fracture Testing. A list of basic references includes the articles on the development of fracture toughness, evaluation of stress intensity factors, fatigue crack growth, fracture testing, fracture of brittle materials, and fractography. Special attention is given to the references on application of fracture mechanics to new designs and on reevaluation of failed designs, many of them concerned with naval and aircraft structures.

Toor, P. M.↗

Aluminum Alloys for High Temperatures

New Al/Li alloys processed by rapid solidification show greatly improved strength-to-density ratios. Alloys suitable substitutes for heavier titanium alloys and weaker aluminum alloys in high-performance aircraft, bombers, and transports. Also suitable for use in high-performance-aircraft structures heated by engines and normally constructed from titanium alloys.

Meschter, Peter J.↗

Flutter optimization in fighter aircraft design

The efficient design of aircraft structure involves a series of compromises among various engineering disciplines. These compromises are necessary to ensure the best overall design. To effectively reconcile the various technical constraints requires a number of design iterations, with the accompanying long elapsed time. Automated procedures can reduce the elapsed time, improve productivity and hold the promise of optimum designs which may be missed by batch processing. Several examples are given of optimization applications including aeroelastic constraints. Particular attention is given to the success or failure of each example and the lessons learned. The specific applications are shown. The final two applications were made recently.

Triplett, W. E.↗

Sizing-stiffened composite panels loaded in the postbuckling range

Stiffened panels are widely used in aircraft structures such as wing covers, fuselages, control surfaces, spar webs, bulkheads, and floors. The detailed sizing of minimum-weight stiffened panels involves many considerations. Use of composite materials introduces additional complexities. Many potential modes of failure exist. Analyses for these modes are often not trivial, especially for those involving large out-of-plane displacements. Accurate analyses of all potential failure modes are essential. Numerous practical constraints arise from manufacturing/cost considerations and from damage tolerance, durability, and stiffness requirements. The number of design variables can be large when lamina thicknesses and stacking sequence are being optimized. A significant burden is placed on the sizing code due to the complex analyses, practical constraints, and number of design variables. On the other hand, sizing weight-efficient panels without the aid of an automated procedure is almost out of the question. The sizing code postbuckled Open-Stiffener Optimum Panels (POSTOP) has been developed to aid in the design of minimum-weight panels subject to the considerations mentioned above. Developed for postbuckled composite panels, POSTOP may be used for buckling resistant panels and metallic panels as well. The COPES/CONMIN optimizer is used in POSTOP although other options such as those in the ADS system could be substituted with relative ease. The basic elements of POSTOP are shown. Some of these elements and usage of the program are described.

Biggers, S. B.↗

The 1-((diorganooxy phosphonyl) methyl)-2,4- and -2,6-diamino benzenes and their derivatives

The 1-((diorganooxy phosphonyl) methyl)-2,4- and -2,6-dinitro- and diamino benzenes are prepared by nitrating an (organo phosphenyl) methyl benzene to produce the dinitro compounds which are then reduced to the diamino compounds. The organo groups (alkyl, haloalkyl, aryl) on the phosphorus may be removed to give the free acids (HO)2P(=0)-. The diamino compounds may be polymerized with dianhydrides or diacyl halides to produce fire and flame resistant polymers which are useful in the manufacture of aircraft structures.

Mikroyannidis, John A.↗

Thermo-viscoelastic analysis of composite materials, volume 1

Advanced composite materials, especially graphite/epoxy, are being applied to aircraft structures in order to improve performance and save weight. An important consideration in composite design is the residual strength of a structure containing holes, delaminations, or interlaminar damage when subjected to compressive loads. Recent studies have revealed the importance of viscoelastic effects in polymer-based composites. The viscoelastic effect is particularly significant at elevated temperature/moisture conditions since the matrix material is strongly affected by the environment. The solution of viscoelastic problems in composites was limited to special cases which can be solved by classical lamination theory. A finite element procedure is presented for calculating time-dependent stresses and strains in composite structures with general configurations and complicated boundary conditions. Using this procedure the in-plane and interlaminar stress distributions and histories in notched and unnotched composites were obtained for mechanical and thermal loads. Both two-dimensional and three-dimensional viscoelastic problems are analyzed. The effects of layup orientation and load spectrum on creep response and stress relaxation were also studied.

Lin, K. Y.↗

Response of stiffened panels for applications to acoustic fatigue

The surface protection systems of aerospace and aircraft structures are often constructed from discretely stiffened panels. This paper presents an analytical study on dynamic stress response of these structures to random surface flow and acoustic loads. To account for aerodynamic heating of high speed flow, thermal effects are included in the structural model. A generalized transfer matrix procedure is developed to obtain the required dynamic response solutions. Numerical results include spectral densities of stress, response root mean square values and fatigue damage for a variety of loading and thermal conditions.

Vaicaitis, R.↗

NAECON 87; Proceedings of the IEEE National Aerospace and Electronics Conference, Dayton, OH, May 18-22, 1987. Volumes 1, 2, 3, & 4

The present conference discusses topics in VLSI components and their packaging, signal processing, uses of cartographic data, data transmission, advanced avionics architectures, fiber-optics, information control and display, image processing, airborne radar and fire control, navigation, air data, Kalman filtering, power generation and control, spacecraft power structures, aircraft flying qualities, flight management, fault-tolerant computer architectures, actuation technologies, self-repairing flight control system technology, multivariable control, stability and control methods, and AFTI/F-16 flight test reports. Also discussed are the ADA/JOVIAL language and its applications, software acquisition and testing, advanced software concepts, software management, computer graphics and visual systems softwear, ADA in embedded avionics, 16- and 32-bit architectures, voice interaction applications, human/machine systems analysis, human factors and AI, mental workloads and displays, pilot acceleration protection research, communications system technology, space communications, reliability and maintainability, managerial techniques, engineering management, EM compatibility and nuclear hardening, expert systems, AI language/knowledge representation, expert system implementation, machine vision/optical processing, and advanced AI concepts and architectures.

Avionics↗

Efficient load measurements using singular value decomposition

Various basic research was performed on efficient load measurement estimation techniques for aircraft structure analysis. An overview is presented of the load measurement problem. Two basic equivalent approaches to load measurement evaluations were considered. Under approach 1, the load values are modeled as depending linearly on the measured values. Under approach 2, the measured values depend linearly on the load values. By using the modern Singular Value Decomposition method, it was shown that under all conditions of the number of loads and number of gages, approach 1 is equivalent to approach 2. By using the conventional normal equation (linear regression) approach, approach 1 is only valid when the number of loads is equal to or greater than the number of gages, while approach 2 is the reverse. Furthermore, except for the case of the number of loads equals the number of gages, the load prediction formulas under the two approaches are not equivalent.

Yao, Kung↗

Serial Escape System For Aircraft Crews

Emergency escape system for aircraft and aerospace vehicles ejects up to seven crewmembers, one by one, within 120 s. Intended for emergencies in which disabled craft still in stable flight at no more than 220 kn (113 m/s) equivalent airspeed and sinking no faster than 110 ft/s (33.5 m/s) at altitudes up to 50,000 ft (15.2 km). Ejection rockets load themselves from magazine after each crewmember ejected. Jumpmaster queues other crewmembers and helps them position themselves on egress ramp. Rockets pull crewmembers clear of aircraft structure. Provides orderly, controlled exit and avoids ditching at sea or landing in rough terrain.

Wood, Kenneth E.↗

LARC-I-TPI: A New Thermoplastic Polyimide

"LARC-I-TPI" denotes improved version of LARC-TPI class of thermoplastic polyimides: high-performance polymers developed for manufacture of strong, lightweight aircraft structures. Melt-flow and adhesive properties of new polymers make them attractive for use as matrix resins for composites, molding powders, adhesives, and coating films. Less toxic, improved LARC-I-TPI polymers formulated without 3, 3'-diaminobenzophenone, which is mutagenic and commercially unavailable.

St. Clair, Terry L.↗

Evaluation of analysis techniques for low frequency interior noise and vibration of commercial aircraft

The application of selected analysis techniques to low frequency cabin noise associated with advanced propeller engine installations is evaluated. Three design analysis techniques were chosen for evaluation including finite element analysis, statistical energy analysis (SEA), and a power flow method using element of SEA (computer program Propeller Aircraft Interior Noise). An overview of the three procedures is provided. Data from tests of a 727 airplane (modified to accept a propeller engine) were used to compare with predictions. Comparisons of predicted and measured levels at the end of the first year's effort showed reasonable agreement leading to the conclusion that each technique had value for propeller engine noise predictions on large commercial transports. However, variations in agreement were large enough to remain cautious and to lead to recommendations for further work with each technique. Assessment of the second year's results leads to the conclusion that the selected techniques can accurately predict trends and can be useful to a designer, but that absolute level predictions remain unreliable due to complexity of the aircraft structure and low modal densities.

Landmann, A. E.↗