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At least 631 records · Page 35
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2013

Effects of Varying Gravity Levels on fNIRS Headgear Performance and Signal Recovery

This paper reviews the effects of varying gravitational levels on functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) headgear. The fNIRS systems quantify neural activations in the cortex by measuring hemoglobin concentration changes via optical intensity. Such activation measurement allows for the detection of cognitive state, which can be important for emotional stability, human performance and vigilance optimization, and the detection of hazardous operator state. The technique depends on coupling between the fNIRS probe and users skin. Such coupling may be highly susceptible to motion if probe-containing headgear designs are not adequately tested. The lack of reliable and self-applicable headgear robust to the influence of motion artifact currently inhibits its operational use in aerospace environments. Both NASAs Aviation Safety and Human Research Programs are interested in this technology as a method of monitoring cognitive state of pilots and crew.

fNIRS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A 3-D Nodal-Averaged Gradient Approach for Unstructured-Grid Cell-Centered Finite-Volume Methods for Application to Turbulent Hypersonic Flow

A 2-D nodal weighted least-squares gradient method and a related face-averaged nodal gradient approach that were developed for use with triangular grids are extended to 3-D for use with tetrahedral grids. In addition, a method, developed in 2-D, to stabilize the iterative convergence of these methods on quadrilateral cells is described and extended to 3-D and remedies are investigated to determine the nodal gradient averaging approach most suitable for use with grids made up of hexahedral, prismatic, pyramidal and tetrahedral cells. Moreover, due to an interest in hypersonic flow, a robust multidimensional gradient limiter procedure that is consistent with the stencil used to construct the nodal gradients is described. Finally, we demonstrate that the resulting 3-D methods are sufficiently robust for use in scramjet computations through the solution of three canonical turbulent hypersonic flow problems as well as a physically realistic 3-D scramjet inlet geometry.

Jeffery A White↗
NASA NTRS1982

Control optimization, stabilization and computer algorithms for aircraft applications

The analysis and design of complex multivariable reliable control systems are considered. High performance and fault tolerant aircraft systems are the objectives. A preliminary feasibility study of the design of a lateral control system for a VTOL aircraft that is to land on a DD963 class destroyer under high sea state conditions is provided. Progress in the following areas is summarized: (1) VTOL control system design studies; (2) robust multivariable control system synthesis; (3) adaptive control systems; (4) failure detection algorithms; and (5) fault tolerant optimal control theory.

Athans, M.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Robust Low Cost Liquid Rocket Combustion Chamber by Advanced Vacuum Plasma Process

Next-generation, regeneratively cooled rocket engines will require materials that can withstand high temperatures while retaining high thermal conductivity. Fabrication techniques must be cost efficient so that engine components can be manufactured within the constraints of shrinking budgets. Three technologies have been combined to produce an advanced liquid rocket engine combustion chamber at NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) using relatively low-cost, vacuum-plasma-spray (VPS) techniques. Copper alloy NARloy-Z was replaced with a new high performance Cu-8Cr-4Nb alloy developed by NASA-Glenn Research Center (GRC), which possesses excellent high-temperature strength, creep resistance, and low cycle fatigue behavior combined with exceptional thermal stability. Functional gradient technology, developed building composite cartridges for space furnaces was incorporated to add oxidation resistant and thermal barrier coatings as an integral part of the hot wall of the liner during the VPS process. NiCrAlY, utilized to produce durable protective coating for the space shuttle high pressure fuel turbopump (BPFTP) turbine blades, was used as the functional gradient material coating (FGM). The FGM not only serves as a protection from oxidation or blanching, the main cause of engine failure, but also serves as a thermal barrier because of its lower thermal conductivity, reducing the temperature of the combustion liner 200 F, from 1000 F to 800 F producing longer life. The objective of this program was to develop and demonstrate the technology to fabricate high-performance, robust, inexpensive combustion chambers for advanced propulsion systems (such as Lockheed-Martin's VentureStar and NASA's Reusable Launch Vehicle, RLV) using the low-cost VPS process. VPS formed combustion chamber test articles have been formed with the FGM hot wall built in and hot fire tested, demonstrating for the first time a coating that will remain intact through the hot firing test, and with no apparent wear. Material physical properties and the hot firing tests are reviewed.

Holmes, Richard↗
NASA NTRS1982

Some critical questions about deterministic and stochastic adaptive control algorithms

The purpose of this informal paper is to discuss certain robustness issues associated with existing adaptive control algorithms. A modeling framework for incorporating high-frequency unknown dynamics in the adaptive control framework is suggested. Possible fundamental limitations of existing adaptive control framework is suggested. Possible fundamental limitations of existing adaptive control algorithms are also discussed, with emphasis upon their closed-loop stability properties in the presence of unmodeled high-frequency dynamics.

Athans, M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

An unmanned probe to Pluto

Now that Voyager II has completed its grand tour of the solar system, all the planets in the solar system, with the exception of Pluto, have been studied. Even now, missions to return to Mercury, Venus, Mars Jupiter, and Saturn are currently flying or are planned. However, a mission to explore Pluto is not, at the present time, being considered seriously. The design problem presented to the students was very general, i.e., design an unmanned mission to Pluto with a launch window constraint of the years 2000 to 2010. All other characteristics of the mission, such as mission type (flyby, orbiter, lander, penetrator), scientific objectives and payload, and the propulsion system were to be determined by the design teams. The design studies exposed several general problems to be solved. Due to the extreme distance to Pluto (and a corresponding travel time in the range of 10 to 25 years), the spacecraft had to be lighter and more robust than current spacecraft designs. In addition, advanced propulsion concepts had to be considered. These included the new generation of launch vehicles and upper stages and nuclear electric propulsion. The probe design offered an abundance of synthesis and analysis problems. These included sizing trade studies, selection of subsystem components, analysis of spacecraft dynamics, stability and control, structural design and material selection, trajectory design, and selection of scientific equipment. Since the characteristics of the mission, excluding the launch window, were to be determined by the design teams, the solutions varied widely.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1992

Hypersonic vehicle control law development using H infinity and mu-synthesis

Applicability and effectiveness of robust control techniques to a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) airbreathing hypersonic vehicle on an ascent accelerating path and their effectiveness are explored in this paper. An SSTO control system design problem, requiring high accuracy tracking of velocity and altitude commands while limiting angle of attack oscillations, minimizing control power usage and stabilizing the vehicle all in the presence of atmospheric turbulence and uncertainty in the system, was formulated to compare results of the control designs using H infinity and mu-synthesis procedures. The math model, an integrated flight/propulsion dynamic model of a conical accelerator class vehicle, was linearized as the vehicle accelerated through Mach 8. Controller analysis was conducted using the singular value technique and the mu-analysis approach. Analysis results were obtained in both the frequency and the time domains. The results clearly demonstrate the inherent advantages of the structured singular value framework for this class of problems. Since payload performance margins are so critical for the SSTO mission, it is crucial that adequate stability margins be provided without sacrificing any payload mass.

Gregory, Irene M.↗
NASA NTRS2000

An Energy Decaying Scheme for Nonlinear Dynamics of Shells

A novel integration scheme for nonlinear dynamics of geometrically exact shells is developed based on the inextensible director assumption. The new algorithm is designed so as to imply the strict decay of the system total mechanical energy at each time step, and consequently unconditional stability is achieved in the nonlinear regime. Furthermore, the scheme features tunable high frequency numerical damping and it is therefore stiffly accurate. The method is tested for a finite element spatial formulation of shells based on mixed interpolations of strain tensorial components and on a two-parameter representation of director rotations. The robustness of the, scheme is illustrated with the help of numerical examples.

Bottasso, Carlo L.↗
NASA NTRS2023

Evaluation of Voronoi Meshes for Large Eddy Simulations of High Lift Aerodynamics

Numerical sensitivity to 3 different Voronoi seeding methods is investigated for Large Eddy Simulations (LES). A second order accurate, non-dissipative finite volume discretization is used to systematically investigate the effects of different polyhedral Voronoi mesh types using a sequence of three canonical problems with increasing complexity. First, inviscid isentropic vortex propagation is studied to demonstrate the substantial reduction of errors for rhombic dodecahedron and truncated octahedral cell types over Cartesian hexagonal cells of identical spacing. Furthermore, the reduction of errors induced at cell-size transitions (grid-coarsening interfaces) due to Lloyd smoothing iterations is quantified. It is shown that by utilizing an appropriate viscous flux discretization, a constant coefficient subgrid scale model is sufficient for non-linear stability at the 2:1 cell-size transitions on polyhedral grids, although some further error reduction does occur when smoothing is utilized. Next, forced homogeneous isotropic turbulence at an asymptotically large Reynolds number is studied to demonstrate the non-dissipative character of the inviscid flux discretization, and the non-linear robustness and accuracy offered by the viscous flux discretization using a subgrid scale model for all three Voronoi grid types. Finally,Wall-Modeled Large Eddy Simulations (WMLES) are performed to study the high-lift aerodynamics on the McDonnell Douglas 30P30N multi-element airfoil at two distinct grid levels and for two distinct Voronoi cell types. The formulation is shown to predict the aerodynamic loading with high accuracy at all angles of attack when sufficient resolution is reached, and the hexagonal prism grid topology, while computationally more expensive, has higher effective resolution compared to the Cartesian grid topology with the same spacing.

TTT↗
NASA NTRS2023

Evaluation of Voronoi Meshes for Large Eddy Simulations of High Lift Aerodynamics

Numerical sensitivity to 3 different Voronoi seeding methods is investigated for Large Eddy Simulations (LES). A second order accurate, non-dissipative finite volume discretization is used to systematically investigate the effects of different polyhedral Voronoi mesh types using a sequence of three canonical problems with increasing complexity. First, inviscid isentropic vortex propagation is studied to demonstrate the substantial reduction of errors for rhombic dodecahedron and truncated octahedral cell types over Cartesian hexagonal cells of identical spacing. Furthermore, the reduction of errors induced at cell-size transitions (grid-coarsening interfaces) due to Lloyd smoothing iterations is quantified. It is shown that by utilizing an appropriate viscous flux discretization, a constant coefficient subgrid scale model is sufficient for non-linear stability at the 2:1 cell-size transitions on polyhedral grids, although some further error reduction does occur when smoothing is utilized. Next, forced homogeneous isotropic turbulence at an asymptotically large Reynolds number is studied to demonstrate the non-dissipative character of the inviscid flux discretization, and the non-linear robustness and accuracy offered by the viscous flux discretization using a subgrid scale model for all three Voronoi grid types. Finally, Wall-Modeled Large Eddy Simulations (WMLES) are performed to study the high-lift aerodynamics on the McDonnell Douglas 30P30N multi-element airfoil at two distinct grid levels and for two distinct Voronoi cell types. The formulation is shown to predict the aerodynamic loading with high accuracy at all angles of attack when sufficient resolution is reached, and the hexagonal prism grid topology, while computationally more expensive, has higher effective resolution compared to the Cartesian grid topology with the same spacing.

TTT↗
NASA NTRS2010

Fiber-Coupled Planar Light-Wave Circuit for Seed Laser Control in High Spectral Resolution Lidar Systems

Precise laser remote sensing of aerosol extinction and backscatter in the atmosphere requires a high-power, pulsed, frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser that is wavelength- stabilized to a narrow absorption line such as found in iodine vapor. One method for precise wavelength control is to injection seed the Nd:YAG laser with a low-power CW laser that is stabilized by frequency converting a fraction of the beam to 532 nm, and to actively frequency-lock it to an iodine vapor absorption line. While the feasibility of this approach has been demonstrated using bulk optics in NASA Langley s Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) program, an ideal, lower cost solution is to develop an all-waveguide, frequency-locked seed laser in a compact, robust package that will withstand the temperature, shock, and vibration levels associated with airborne and space-based remote sensing platforms. A key technology leading to this miniaturization is the integration of an efficient waveguide frequency doubling element, and a low-voltage phase modulation element into a single, monolithic, planar light-wave circuit (PLC). The PLC concept advances NASA's future lidar systems due to its compact, efficient and reliable design, thus enabling use on small aircraft and satellites. The immediate application for this technology is targeted for NASA Langley's HSRL system for aerosol and cloud characterization. This Phase I effort proposes the development of a potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) waveguide phase modulator for future integration into a PLC. For this innovation, the proposed device is the integration of a waveguide-based frequency doubler and phase modulator in a single, fiber pigtail device that will be capable of efficient second harmonic generation of 1,064-nm light and subsequent phase modulation of the 532 nm light at 250 MHz, providing a properly spectrally formatted beam for HSRL s seed laser locking system. Fabrication of the integrated PLC chip for NASA Langley, planned for the Phase II effort, will require full integration and optimization of the waveguide components (SHG waveguide, splitters, and phase modulator) onto a single, monolithic device. The PLC will greatly reduce the size and weight, improve electrical- to-optical efficiency, and significantly reduce the cost of NASA Langley s current stabilized HSRL seed laser system built around a commercial off-the-shelf seed laser that is free-space coupled to a bulk doubler and bulk phase modulator.

Cook, Anthony↗
NASA NTRS1985

Structural and aeroelastic analysis of the SR-7L propfan

A structural and aeroelastic analysis of a large scale advanced turboprop rotor blade is presented. This 8-blade rotor is designed to operate at Mach 0.8 at an altitude of 35,000 ft. The blades are highly swept and twisted and of spar/shell construction. Due to the complexity of the blade geometry and its high performance, it is subjected to much higher loads and tends to be much less stable than conventional blades. Four specific analyses were conducted: (1) steady deflection; (2) natural frequencies and mode shapes; (3) steady stresses; and (4) aeroelastic stability. State-of-the-art methods were used to analyze the blades including a large deflection, finite element structural analysis, and an aeroelastic analysis including interblade aerodynamic coupling (cascade effects). The study found the blade to be structurally sound and aeroelastically stable. However, it clearly indicated that advanced turboprop blades are much less robust than conventional blades and must be analyzed and fabricated much more carefully in order to assure that they are structurally sound and aeroelastically stable.

Hirschbein, Murray↗
NASA NTRS1992

Hypersonic vehicle control law development using H infinity and mu-synthesis

Applicability and effectivness of robust control techniques to a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) airbreathing hypersonic vehicle on an ascent accelerating path and their effectivness are explored in this paper. An SSTO control system design problem, requiring high accuracy tracking of velocity and altitude commands while limiting an angle of attack oscillations, minimizing control power usage and stabilizing the vehicle all in the presence of atmospheric turbulence and uncertainty in the system, was formulated to compare results of the control designs using H infinity and mu-synthesis procedures. The math model, an integrated flight/propulsion dynamic model of a conical accelerator class vehicle, was linearized as the vehicle accelerated through Mach 8. Controller analysis was conducted using the singular value technique and the mu-analysis approach. Analysis results were obtained in both the frequency and the time domains. The results clearly demonstrate the inherent advantages of the structured singular value framework for this class of problems. Since payload performance margins are so critical for the SSTO mission, it is crucial that adequate stability margins be provided without sacrificing any payload mass.

Gregory, Irene M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The IRAF Fabry-Perot analysis package: Ring fitting

As introduced at ADASSI, a Fabry-Perot analysis package for IRAF is currently under development as a joint effort of ourselves and Frank Valdes of the IRAF group. Although additional portions of the package were also implemented, we report primarily on the development of a robust ring fitting task, useful for fitting the calibration rings obtained in Fabry-Perot observations. The general equation of an ellipse is fit to the shape of the rings, providing information on ring center, ellipticity, and position angle. Such parameters provide valuable information on the wavelength response of the etalon and the geometric stability of the system. Appropriate statistical weighting is applied to the pixels to account for increasing numbers with radius, the Lorentzian cross-section, and uneven illumination. The major problems of incomplete, non-uniform, and multiple rings are addressed with the final task capable of fitting rings regardless of center, cross-section, or completion. The task requires only minimal user intervention, allowing large numbers of rings to be fit in an extremely automated manner.

Shopbell, P. L.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Computational Analyses of the LIMX TBCC Inlet High-Speed Flowpath

Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations were performed for the high-speed flowpath and isolator of a dual-flowpath Turbine-Based Combined-Cycle (TBCC) inlet using the Wind-US code. The RANS simulations were performed in preparation for the Large-scale Inlet for Mode Transition (LIMX) model tests in the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) 10- by 10-ft Supersonic Wind Tunnel. The LIMX inlet has a low-speed flowpath that is coupled to a turbine engine and a high-speed flowpath designed to be coupled to a Dual-Mode Scramjet (DMSJ) combustor. These RANS simulations were conducted at a simulated freestream Mach number of 4.0, which is the nominal Mach number for the planned wind tunnel testing with the LIMX model. For the simulation results presented in this paper, the back pressure, cowl angles, and freestream Mach number were each varied to assess the performance and robustness of the high-speed inlet and isolator. Under simulated wind tunnel conditions at maximum inlet mass flow rates, the high-speed flowpath pressure rise was found to be greater than a factor of four. Furthermore, at a simulated freestream Mach number of 4.0, the high-speed flowpath and isolator showed stability for freestream Mach number that drops 0.1 Mach below the design point. The RANS simulations indicate the yet-untested highspeed inlet and isolator flowpath should operate as designed. The RANS simulation results also provided important insight to researchers as they developed test plans for the LIMX experiment in GRC s 10- by 10-ft Supersonic Wind Tunnel.

Dippold, Vance F., III↗
NASA NTRS2009

Pilot Evaluation of Adaptive Control in Motion-Based Flight Simulator

The objective of this work is to assess the strengths, weaknesses, and robustness characteristics of several MRAC (Model-Reference Adaptive Control) based adaptive control technologies garnering interest from the community as a whole. To facilitate this, a control study using piloted and unpiloted simulations to evaluate sensitivities and handling qualities was conducted. The adaptive control technologies under consideration were ALR (Adaptive Loop Recovery), BLS (Bounded Linear Stability), Hybrid Adaptive Control, L1, OCM (Optimal Control Modification), PMRAC (Predictor-based MRAC), and traditional MRAC

Kaneshige, John T.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Robustness studies in adaptive control

It has been shown that several similar Model Reference Adaptive Controllers (MRAC's) are globally stable under certain restrictive assumptions, including the assumption that the order and relative degree of the plant are exactly known, and that no disturbances are present. Under certain 'sufficiently rich' excitation conditions, the origin is globally asymptotically stable for the adaptive controller parameter error. The time-evolution of the parameter error vector represents the key factor to the stability of the adaptive controller. This time-evolution is described by a complicated set of time-varying nonlinear differential equations. The present investigation is concerned with an approximate analysis technique for studying the long term trends of the parameter error vector trajectory for an adaptive controller under periodic excitation.

Krause, J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Radiative instabilities in sheared magnetic field

The structure and growth rate of the radiative instability in a sheared magnetic field B have been calculated analytically using the Braginskii fluid equations. In a shear layer, temperature and density perturbations are linked by the propagation of sound waves parallel to the local magnetic field. As a consequence, density clumping or condensation plays an important role in driving the instability. Parallel thermal conduction localizes the mode to a narrow layer where K(parallel) is small and stabilizes short wavelengths k larger-than(c) where k(c) depends on the local radiation and conduction rates. Thermal coupling to ions also limits the width of the unstable spectrum. It is shown that a broad spectrum of modes is typically unstable in tokamak edge plasmas and it is argued that this instability is sufficiently robust to drive the large-amplitude density fluctuations often measured there.

Drake, J. F.↗