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At least 595 records · Page 33
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1982

Gust response of commercial jet aircraft including effects of autopilot operation

A simplified theory of aircraft vertical acceleration gust response based on a model including pitch, vertical displacement and control motions due to autopilot operation is presented. High-order autopilot transfer functions are utilized for improved accuracy in the determination of the overall response characteristics. Four representative commercial jet aircraft were studied over a wide range of operating conditions and comparisons of individual responses are given. It is shown that autopilot operation relative to the controls fixed case causes response attenuation of from 10 percent to approximately 25 percent depending on flight condition and increases in crossing number up to 30 percent, with variations between aircraft of from 5 percent to 10 percent, in general, reflecting the differences in autopilot design. A detailed computer program description and listing of the calculation procedure suitable for the general application of the theory to any airplane autopilot combination is also included.

Goldberg, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Body-surface pressure data on two monoplane-wing missile configurations with elliptical cross sections at Mach 2.50

Tabulated body surface pressure data for two monoplane-wing missile configurations are presented and analyzed. Body pressure data are presented for body-alone, body-tail, and body-wing-tail combinations. For the lost combination, data are presented for tail-fin deflection angles of 0 deg and 30 deg to simulate pitch, yaw, and roll control for both configurations. The data cover angles of attack from -5 deg to 25 deg and angles of roll from 0 deg to 90 deg at a Mach number of 2.50 and a Reynolds number of 6.56 x 1,000,000 per meter. Very consistent, systematic trends with angle of attack and angle of roll were observed in the data, and very good symmetry was found at a roll angle of 0 deg. Body pressures depended strongly on the local body cross-section shape, with very little dependence on the upstream shape. Undeflected fins had only a small influence on the pressures on the aft end of the body; however, tail-fin deflections caused large changes in the pressures.

Allen, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Space shuttle rudder/speedbrake actuation subsystem

The Rudder/Speedbrake (R/SB) Actuation Subsystem for use on the NASA Space Shuttle Orbiter is an electro-hydro-mechanical system which provides the control and positionary capability of the orbiter aero-dynamic primary flight control surface. The system is located in the vehicle's vertical stabilizer. The geared rotary actuators provide a power hinge feature of the split panel rudder. Actuation of both panels in the same direction provides conventional rudder control; actuating the panels differentially provides a speedbrake function intended to control both speed and pitch. The commands may be superimposed on one another. The system consists of one power drive unit which responds to quadredundant avionic signals to generate a rotary output, four geared rotary actuators, which develop rotary position and torque as outputs, and ten torque transmitting drive-shifts.

Naber, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Precipitation of radiation belt electrons by man-made waves A comparison between theory and measurement

The temporal and spectral shape and the absolute flux level of particle pulses precipitated by a VLF transmitter are examined from a theoretical point of view. A test-particle model of the gyroresonant wave-particle interaction is applied to the parameters of the observed cases for calculating the precipitation characteristics. The temporal shapes of the precipitation pulses are found to be controlled (1) by the pitch angle dependence of the particle distribution near the edge of the loss cone and (2) by the multiple interaction of the particles with the waves due to significant atmospheric backscatter.

Inan, U. S.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Analysis of the free-tip rotor wind-tunnel test results

The results from a wind tunnel test of a small scale free-tip rotor are analyzed. The free-tip rotor has blade tips that are free to weathervane into the tip's relative wind, thus producing a more uniform lift around the azimuth. The free-tip assembly, which includes the controller, functioned flawlessly throughout the test. In a test of the free-tip's response after passing through a vertical air jet, the tip pitched freely and in a controlled manner. Analysis of the tip's response characteristics showed the free-tip system's damped natural frequency to be 5.2 per rev. Tip pitch angle responses to the local airstream are presented for an advance-ratio range of 0.1 to 0.397 and for a solidity weighted rotor lift coefficient range of 0.038 to 0.092. Harmonic analysis of the responses showed a dominance by the first harmonic. As a result of the tip being free, forward flight power requirements were reduced by 8% or more. More power reduction was recorded for high thrust conditions. In addition to the power reduction, flatwise blade bending moments were reduced by as much as 30% at the inboard blade stations.

Stroub, Robert H.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Approximate reasoning-based learning and control for proximity operations and docking in space

A recently proposed hybrid-neutral-network and fuzzy-logic-control architecture is applied to a fuzzy logic controller developed for attitude control of the Space Shuttle. A model using reinforcement learning and learning from past experience for fine-tuning its knowledge base is proposed. Two main components of this approximate reasoning-based intelligent control (ARIC) model - an action-state evaluation network and action selection network are described as well as the Space Shuttle attitude controller. An ARIC model for the controller is presented, and it is noted that the input layer in each network includes three nodes representing the angle error, angle error rate, and bias node. Preliminary results indicate that the controller can hold the pitch rate within its desired deadband and starts to use the jets at about 500 sec in the run.

Berenji, Hamid R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A combined Earth scanner and momentum wheel for attitude determination and control of small spacecraft

In order to satisfy the stringent cost and power requirements of small satellites, an advanced SCANWHEEL was designed, built, and qualified by ITHACO, Inc. The T-SCANWHEEL is a modular momentum/reaction wheel with an integral conical Earth scanner. The momentum wheel provides momentum bias and control torques about the pitch axis of a spacecraft. An angled scan mirror coupled to the rotating shaft of the momentum wheel provides a conical scan of the field-of-view of an infrared sensor to provide pitch-and-roll attitude information. By using the same motor and bearings for the momentum wheel and Earth scanner, the overall power consumption is reduced and the system reliability is enhanced. The evolution of the T-SCANWHEEL is presented, including design ground rules, tradeoff analyses, and performance results.

Bialke, Bill↗
NASA NTRS1990

Rotor blade-vortex interaction noise reduction and vibration using higher harmonic control

The use of higher harmonic control (HHC) of blade pitch to reduce blade-vortex interaction (BVI) noise is examined by means of a rotor acoustic test. A dynamically scaled, four-bladed, articulated rotor model was tested in a heavy gas (Freon-12) medium. Acoustic and vibration measurements were made for a large range of matched flight conditions where prescribed (open loop) HHC pitch schedules were superimposed on the normal (baseline) collective and cyclic trim pitch. A novel sound power measurement technique was developed to take advantage of the reverberance in the hard walled tunnel. Quantitative sound power results are presented for a 4/rev (4P) collective pitch HHC. By comparing the results using 4P HHC to corresponding baseline (no HHC) conditions, significant midfrequency noise reductions of 5-6 dB are found for low-speed descent conditions where BVI is most intense. For other flight conditions, noise is found to increase with the use of HHC. LF loading noise, as well as fixed and rotating frame vibration levels, show increased levels.

Brooks, Thomas F.↗
NASA NTRS1922

The Use of Multiplied Pressures for Automatic Altitude Adjustments

The efficient performance of an airplane requires that certain adjustments be made as the density of the air through which the airplane passes changes. The safety of the over-dimensioned aircraft engine depends upon careful manipulation of spark advance and throttle opening and a proper control of a variable pitch propeller, if the maximum performance of the supercharged engine is to be obtained. It is evident that there is a real need for satisfactory devices to make such adjustments automatically. Discussed here is a method of automatic compensation which deserves consideration in the design of such devices. Existing schemes for automatic compensation all depend upon some contrivance which functions primarily because of changes in atmospheric pressure. In these devices a leak in the supposedly tight chamber means utter failure. The elimination of this source of danger is one of the aims of the method of altitude compensation described here. The change suggested is to make the source of operation the difference between atmospheric pressure and some multiple of atmospheric pressure instead of the difference between the atmospheric pressure and that of the gas confined in a tight chamber. The design of a device based on this method of altitude compensation is given.

Sparrow, Stanwood S↗
NASA NTRS1940

Longitudinal stability and control with special reference to slipstream effects

Report presents the results of a study of data obtained in the NACA full-scale wind tunnel concerning the effects of interference and of propeller operation on longitudinal stability and control. The data include pitching moments for various power conditions for airplanes with tails removed and with tails set at various stabilizer and elevator angles. A number of surveys of the dynamic pressure and the flow direction in the region of the horizontal tail surface are also included. Results are given for eight airplanes, including a model of a four-engine airplane tested both as a tractor and as a pushed and a model of two-engine pusher. The effects are shown of propeller operation on the downwash angles and the dynamic pressures at the tail and on the pitching-moment contribution of the propeller and the wing.

Katzoff, S↗
NASA NTRS2002

Recent Flight Results of the TRMM Kalman Filter

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) spacecraft is a nadir pointing spacecraft that nominally controls the roll and pitch attitude based on the Earth Sensor Assembly (ESA) output. TRMM's nominal orbit altitude was 350 km, until raised to 402 km to prolong mission life. During the boost, the ESA experienced a decreasing signal to noise ratio, until sun interference at 393 km altitude made the ESA data unreliable for attitude determination. At that point, the backup attitude determination algorithm, an extended Kalman filter, was enabled. After the boost finished, TRMM reacquired its nadir-pointing attitude, and continued its mission. This paper will briefly discuss the boost and the decision to turn on the backup attitude determination algorithm. A description of the extended Kalman filter algorithm will be given. In addition, flight results from analyzing attitude data and the results of software changes made onboard TRMM will be discussed. Some lessons learned are presented.

Andrews, Stephen F.↗
NASA NTRS1973

The effects of an autopilot on airplane responses to turbulence with emphasis on tail loads

An analytical study has been made to assess the loads developed on the horizontal tail of an autopilot-controlled rigid airplane flying in one-dimensional atmospheric turbulence. The root-mean-square values of rigid-airframe responses and tail-load responses were calculated at five flight conditions, and the behavior of these responses was observed in two autopilot modes: pitch-attitude-hold mode and altitude-control mode. It was found that pitch attitude and altitude can be controlled by the simple autopilot with acceptable or no increases in tail loads.

Perry, B., III↗
NASA NTRS1961

Flight Tests of a 1/6-Scale Model of the Hawker P 1127 Jet VTOL Airplane

An experimental investigation has been made to determine the dynamic stability and control characteristics of a 1/6-scale flying model of the Hawker P lIP7 jet vertical-take-off-and-landing (VTOL) airplane in hovering and transition flight. The model was powered by a counter-rotating ducted fan driven by compressed-air jets at the tips of the fan blades. In hovering flight the model was controlled by jet-reaction controls which consisted of yaw and pitch jets at the extremities of the fuselage and a roll jet on each wing tip. In forward flight the model was controlled by conventional ailerons and rudder and an all-movable horizontal tail. In hovering flight the model could be flown smoothly and easily, but the roll control was considered too weak for rapid maneuvering or hovering in gusty air. Transitions from hovering to normal forward flight and back to hovering could be made smoothly and consistently and with only moderate changes in longitudinal trim. The model had a static longitudinal instability or pitch-up tendency throughout the transition range, but the rate of divergence in the pitch-up was moderate and the model could be controlled easily provided the angle of attack was not allowed to become too high. In both the transition and normal forward flight conditions the lateral motions of the model were difficult to control at high angles of attack, apparently because of low directional stability at small angles of sideslip. The longitudinal stability of the model in normal forward flight was generally satisfactory, but there was a decided pitch-up tendency for the flap-down condition at high angles of attack. In the VTOL landing approach condition, with the jets directed straight down or slightly forward, the nose-down pitch trim required was greater than in the transitions from hovering to forward flight, but the longitudinal instability was about the same. Take-offs and landings in still air could be made smoothly although there was a slight unfavorable ground effect on lift and a nose-down change in pitch trim near the ground. Short take-offs and landings could be made smoothly and consistently although the model experienced a decided nose-up change in pitching moment as it climbed out of ground effect.

Smith, Charles C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Magsat attitude dynamics and control: Some observations and explanations

Before its reentry 7 months after launch, Magsat transmitted an abundance of valuable data for mapping the Earth's magnetic field. As an added benefit, a wealth of attitude data for study by spacecraft dynamicists was also collected. Because of its unique configuration, Magsat presented new control problems. With its aerodynamic trim boom, attitude control was given an added dimension. Minimization of attitude drift, which could be mapped in relative detail, became the goal. Momentum control, which was accomplished by pitching the spacecraft in order to balance aerodynamic and gravity gradient torques, was seldom difficult to achieve. Several interesting phenomena observed as part of this activity included occasional momentum wheel instability and a rough correlation between solar flux and the pitch angle required to maintain acceptable momentum. An overview is presented of the attitude behavior of Magsat and some of the control problems encountered. Plausible explanations for some of this behavior are offered. Some of the control philosophy used during the mission is examined and aerodynamic trimming operations are summarized.

Stengle, T. H.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Large-scale Advanced Prop-fan (LAP) hub/blade retention design report

The Large-scale Advanced Prop-fan (LAP) hub assembly forms a semi-rigid link between the blades, which provide the thrust, and the engine shaft, which provides the torque. The hub and tailshaft is a one piece partially forged part which is carburized, heat treated and machined. A single row ball bearing restrains each of the eight blades in the hub, while the tailshaft secures the propeller to the engine shaft with two cone seats that are preloaded against each other by the Prop-fan retaining nut. The hub also forms the support for the pitch change actuator system, the control and the spinner. The retention transmits the loads from the blades to the hub while allowing the changes in blade pitch. The single row ball bearing retention provides ease of maintenance by allowing individual blade replacement without dissassembly of the hub. It has a through hardened inner race which seats against the aluminum blade shank and an outer race which is integral with the barrel. The outer race area is carburized to achieve the hardness necessary to support the ball loads. The balls are kept from contact with each other by a separator. The rotational speed of the propeller keeps the retention submerged in the oil which is contained in the hub by a seal. Stress and strain analysis, material hardness requirements, weight predictions, and stiffness characteristics are discussed.

Soule, Matthew↗
NASA NTRS1961

Aerodynamic Characteristics in Pitch of a Series of Cruciform-Wing Missiles with Canard Controls at a Mach Number of 2.01

An investigation has been conducted in the Langley 4- by 4-foot supersonic pressure tunnel at a Mach number of 2.01 to determine the static longitudinal stability and control characteristics of a series of missile configurations with canard controls at angles of attack up to about 28 deg. The missiles had cruciform wings and canard surfaces of delta plan form with 70 deg.swept leading edges. Five bodies having fineness ratios of 19.1, 17.7, 16.7, 15.7, and 14.8 were investigated. The results of the investigation indicated a large nonlinear variation of pitching moment with angle of attack for the body of largest fineness ratio that was progressively reduced by decreasing the fineness ratio until it was essentially eliminated for a body of fineness ratio 14.8. The increased linearity of the moment curve would make it possible to reduce the margin of stability so that, for a given canard size and deflection, a higher trim angle of attack might be obtained for the shortest missile than for the longest missile. The pitching-moment results indicated that methods of prediction which assumed linear variations with angle of attack for the wing-alone and wing-plus-interference characteristics were adequate for angles of attack up to about 12 deg. At higher angles of attack it was evident that the characteristics of these components were nonlinear and that more refined methods would be required for adequate prediction.

Spearman, M. Leroy↗