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At least 631 records · Page 35
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

An enhancement to the NA4 gear vibration diagnostic parameter

A new vibration diagnostic parameter for health monitoring of gears, NA4*, is proposed and tested. A recently developed gear vibration diagnostic parameter NA4 outperformed other fault detection methods at indicating the start and initial progression of damage. However, in some cases, as the damage progressed, the sensitivity of the NA4 and FM4 parameters tended to decrease and no longer indicated damage. A new parameter, NA4* was developed by enhancing NA4 to improve the trending of the parameter. This allows for the indication of damage both at initiation and also as the damage progresses. The NA4* parameter was verified and compared to the NA4 and FM4 parameters using experimental data from single mesh spur and spiral bevel gear fatigue rigs. The primary failure mode for the test cases was naturally occurring tooth surface pitting. The NA4* parameter is shown to be a more robust indicator of damage.

Decker, Harry J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Flight investigation of the use of a nose gear jump strut to reduce takeoff ground roll distance of STOL aircraft

A series of flight tests was conducted to evaluate the reduction of takeoff ground roll distance obtainable from a rapid extension of the nose gear strut. The NASA Quiet Short-haul Research Aircraft (QSRA) used for this investigation is a transport-size short takeoff and landing (STOL) research vehicle with a slightly swept wing that employs the upper surface blowing (USB) concept to attain the high lift levels required for its low speed, short-field performance. Minor modifications to the conventional nose gear assembly and the addition of a high pressure pneumatic system and a control system provided the extendible nose gear, or 'jump strut,' capability. The limited flight test program explored the effects of thrust-to-weight ratio, storage tank initial pressure, and control valve open time duration on the ground roll distance. The data show that the predicted reduction of takeoff ground roll on the order of 10 percent was achieved with the use of the jump strut. Takeoff performance with the jump strut was also found to be essentially independent of the pneumatic supply pressure and was only slightly affected by control valve open time within the range of the parameters examined.

Eppel, Joseph C.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Aircraft nose gear shimmy studies

An overview of previous studies involving aircraft nose gear shimmy behavior is given together with some test results identifying the influence of different factors inducing shimmy. A NASA Langley test program conducted at the Landing Loads Track (LLT) facility to evaluate shimmy characteristics of an actual Space Shuttle nose gear is described together with some of the test results. Based on results from these various evaluations, recommendations are made concerning nose gear design features, such as corotating wheels, to minimize the occurence of shimmy.

Yager, Thomas J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

An electrorheologically controlled semi-active landing gear

This study is to explore the application of electrorheology (ER) to the real-time control of damping forces that are transmitted through the nose landing gear for an F-106B aircraft. The main part of the landing gear is a strut that consists of a pneumatic spring and an ER controlled damper that is situatted on the strut centerline and applies a force directly opposing the vertical displacement of the nose wheel. The damping element rotates in response to strut displacement, employing a co-axial arrangement of stator and rotor plates connected to the opposing electrodes in the control circuit. The vertical displacement is conveted into rotation of the damper through a screw-nut mechanism. The ER fluid between the electrodes is thus engaged in shear along circumferential lines of action. This design results in a fast time response and a high ratio of strut forces achieved under Er-vs. zero-field control. Compact size and simplicity in fabrication are also attained. The analysis shows that when using an ER fluid of a yield stress of 7kPa, the energy absorption efficiency of the landing gear can reach almost 100% at various sink rates.

Lou, Zheng↗
NASA NTRS1995

Evaluation Of Vibration-Monitoring Gear-Diagnostic System

Report describes experimental evaluation of commercial electronic system designed to monitor vibration signal from accelerometer on gear-box to detect vibrations indicative of damage to gears. System includes signal-conditioning subsystem and personal computer in which analog-to-digital converter installed. Results show system fairly effective in detecting surface fatigue pits on spur-gear teeth.

Townsend, Dennis P.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Computer numerical control grinding of spiral bevel gears

The development of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) spiral bevel gear grinding has paved the way for major improvement in the production of precision spiral bevel gears. The object of the program was to decrease the setup, maintenance of setup, and pattern development time by 50 percent of the time required on conventional spiral bevel gear grinders. Details of the process are explained.

Scott, H. Wayne↗
NASA NTRS1996

Computational Methods for Frictional Contact With Applications to the Space Shuttle Orbiter Nose-Gear Tire

A computational procedure is presented for the solution of frictional contact problems for aircraft tires. A Space Shuttle nose-gear tire is modeled using a two-dimensional laminated anisotropic shell theory which includes the effects of variations in material and geometric parameters, transverse-shear deformation, and geometric nonlinearities. Contact conditions are incorporated into the formulation by using a perturbed Lagrangian approach with the fundamental unknowns consisting of the stress resultants, the generalized displacements, and the Lagrange multipliers associated with both contact and friction conditions. The contact-friction algorithm is based on a modified Coulomb friction law. A modified two-field, mixed-variational principle is used to obtain elemental arrays. This modification consists of augmenting the functional of that principle by two terms: the Lagrange multiplier vector associated with normal and tangential node contact-load intensities and a regularization term that is quadratic in the Lagrange multiplier vector. These capabilities and computational features are incorporated into an in-house computer code. Experimental measurements were taken to define the response of the Space Shuttle nose-gear tire to inflation-pressure loads and to inflation-pressure loads combined with normal static loads against a rigid flat plate. These experimental results describe the meridional growth of the tire cross section caused by inflation loading, the static load-deflection characteristics of the tire, the geometry of the tire footprint under static loading conditions, and the normal and tangential load-intensity distributions in the tire footprint for the various static vertical loading conditions. Numerical results were obtained for the Space Shuttle nose-gear tire subjected to inflation pressure loads and combined inflation pressure and contact loads against a rigid flat plate. The experimental measurements and the numerical results are compared.

Tanner, John A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Computational methods for frictional contact with applications to the Space Shuttle orbiter nose-gear tire: Comparisons of experimental measurements and analytical predictions

A computational procedure is presented for the solution of frictional contact problems for aircraft tires. A Space Shuttle nose-gear tire is modeled using a two-dimensional laminated anisotropic shell theory which includes the effects of variations in material and geometric parameters, transverse-shear deformation, and geometric nonlinearities. Contact conditions are incorporated into the formulation by using a perturbed Lagrangian approach with the fundamental unknowns consisting of the stress resultants, the generalized displacements, and the Lagrange multipliers associated with both contact and friction conditions. The contact-friction algorithm is based on a modified Coulomb friction law. A modified two-field, mixed-variational principle is used to obtain elemental arrays. This modification consists of augmenting the functional of that principle by two terms: the Lagrange multiplier vector associated with normal and tangential node contact-load intensities and a regularization term that is quadratic in the Lagrange multiplier vector. These capabilities and computational features are incorporated into an in-house computer code. Experimental measurements were taken to define the response of the Space Shuttle nose-gear tire to inflation-pressure loads and to inflation-pressure loads combined with normal static loads against a rigid flat plate. These experimental results describe the meridional growth of the tire cross section caused by inflation loading, the static load-deflection characteristics of the tire, the geometry of the tire footprint under static loading conditions, and the normal and tangential load-intensity distributions in the tire footprint for the various static vertical-loading conditions. Numerical results were obtained for the Space Shuttle nose-gear tire subjected to inflation pressure loads and combined inflation pressure and contact loads against a rigid flat plate. The experimental measurements and the numerical results are compared.

Tanner, John A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Local Synthesis and Tooth Contact Analysis of Face-Milled, Uniform Tooth Height Spiral Bevel Gears

Face-milled spiral bevel gears with uniform tooth height are considered. An approach is proposed for the design of low-noise and localized bearing contact of such gears. The approach is based on the mismatch of contacting surfaces and permits two types of bearing contact either directed longitudinally or across the surface to be obtained. Conditions to avoid undercutting were determined. A Tooth Contact Analysis (TCA) was developed. This analysis was used to determine the influence of misalignment on meshing and contact of the spiral bevel gears. A numerical example that illustrates the theory developed is provided.

Litvin, F. L.↗
NASA NTRS1999

NASA Orbiter Extended Nose Landing Gear

This paper discusses the design, development, test, and evaluation of a prototype Extended Nose Landing Gear (ENLG) for NASA's Space Shuttle orbiters. The ENLG is a proposed orbiter modification developed in-house at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) by a joint government/industry team. It increases the orbiter's nose landing gear (NLG) length, thereby changing the vehicle's angle of attack during rollout, which lowers the aerodynamic forces on the vehicle. This, in combination with a dynamic elevon change, will lower the loads on the orbiter's main landing gear (MLG). The extension is accomplished by adding a telescoping section to the current NLG strut that will be pneumatically extended during NLG deployment.

Steven R King↗
NASA NTRS2000

Simulation of X-38 Landing Scenarios With Landing Gear Failures

Abnormal landing scenarios of the X-38 prototype Crew Rescue Vehicle (CRV) were modeled for three different cases involving non-deployment of landing gear with an explicit dynamic nonlinear finite element code, MSC/DYTRAN. The goal of this research was to develop models to predict the probability of crew injuries. The initial velocity conditions for the X-38 with chute deployed were 10 ft/s vertical and 57 ft/s longitudinal velocity. An MSC/NASTRAN structural model was supplied by JSC and was converted to a dynamic MSC/DYTRAN model. The MSC/NASTRAN model did not include seats or floor structure; thus, the acceleration of a lumped-mass attached to the bulkhead near each assumed occupant location was used to determine injury risk for each occupant. The worst case for injury was nondeployment of all gears. The mildest case was nondeployment of one main gear. Although a probability for minor injury was predicted for all cases, it is expected that the addition of energy-absorbing floor structure and seats would greatly diminish the probability of injury.

Fasanella, Edwin L.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Simulation of Aircraft Landing Gears with a Nonlinear Dynamic Finite Element Code

Recent advances in computational speed have made aircraft and spacecraft crash simulations using an explicit, nonlinear, transient-dynamic, finite element analysis code more feasible. This paper describes the development of a simple landing gear model, which accurately simulates the energy absorbed by the gear without adding substantial complexity to the model. For a crash model, the landing gear response is approximated with a spring where the force applied to the fuselage is computed in a user-written subroutine. Helicopter crash simulations using this approach are compared with previously acquired experimental data from a full-scale crash test of a composite helicopter.

Lyle, Karen H.↗
NASA NTRS2000

A Comparison of Vibration and Oil Debris Gear Damage Detection Methods Applied to Pitting Damage

Helicopter Health Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) must provide reliable, real-time performance monitoring of helicopter operating parameters to prevent damage of flight critical components. Helicopter transmission diagnostics are an important part of a helicopter HUMS. In order to improve the reliability of transmission diagnostics, many researchers propose combining two technologies, vibration and oil monitoring, using data fusion and intelligent systems. Some benefits of combining multiple sensors to make decisions include improved detection capabilities and increased probability the event is detected. However, if the sensors are inaccurate, or the features extracted from the sensors are poor predictors of transmission health, integration of these sensors will decrease the accuracy of damage prediction. For this reason, one must verify the individual integrity of vibration and oil analysis methods prior to integrating the two technologies. This research focuses on comparing the capability of two vibration algorithms, FM4 and NA4, and a commercially available on-line oil debris monitor to detect pitting damage on spur gears in the NASA Glenn Research Center Spur Gear Fatigue Test Rig. Results from this research indicate that the rate of change of debris mass measured by the oil debris monitor is comparable to the vibration algorithms in detecting gear pitting damage.

Dempsey, Paula J.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Design, Generation and Tooth Contact Analysis (TCA) of Asymmetric Face Gear Drive With Modified Geometry

A new type of face gear drive for application in transmissions, particularly in helicopters, has been developed. The new geometry differs from the existing geometry by application of asymmetric profiles and double-crowned pinion of the face gear mesh. The paper describes the computerized design, simulation of meshing and contact, and stress analysis by finite element method. Special purpose computer codes have been developed to conduct the analysis. The analysis of this new type of face gear is illustrated with a numerical example.

Litvin, Faydor L.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Experimental Comparison of Face-Milled and Face-Hobbed Spiral Bevel Gears

An experimental comparison of face-milled and face-hobbed spiral bevel gears was accomplished. The two differently manufactured spiral bevel gear types were tested in a closed-loop facility at NASA Glenn Research Center. Strain, vibration, and noise testing were completed at various levels of rotational speed and load. Tests were conducted from static (slow-roll) to 12600 rpm and up to 269 N-m (2380 in.-lb) pinion speed and load conditions. The tests indicated that the maximum stress recorded at the root locations had nearly the same values, however the stress distribution was different from the toe to the heel. Also, the alternating stress measured was higher for the face-milled pinion than that attained for the face-hobbed pinion (larger minimum stress). The noise and vibration results indicated that the levels measured for the face-hobbed components were less than those attained for the face-milled gears tested.

Handschuh, Robert F.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Preliminary Investigation of the Thermal Behavior of High-Speed Helical Gear Trains

A preliminary experimental investigation of the thermal behavior of high-speed helical gears will be presented. A full-scale torque regenerative test stand has been built to test a representative helical gear train as that used in tiltrotor aircraft. Power loss and temperature data from a wide range of operating conditions were measured. Loop power ranged up to 3730 kW (5000 hp). Drive system components representative of flight quality hardware were used in the test program. The results attained in this initial study indicated that windage losses due to the high rotational speeds that were tested were far more important than the losses due to the gear meshing losses.

Handschuh, Robert F.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Unsteady Simulation of a Landing-Gear Flow Field

This paper presents results of an unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes simulation of a landing-gear flow field. The geometry of the four-wheel landing gear assembly consists of several of the fine details including the oleo-strut, two diagonal struts, a door, yokes/pin and a flat-plate simulating the wing surface. The computational results, obtained by using 13.3 million grid points, are presented with an emphasis on the characteristics of the unsteadiness ensuing from different parts of the landing-gear assembly, including vortex shedding patterns and frequencies of dominant oscillations. The results show that the presence of the diagonal struts and the door significantly influence the flow field. Owing to the induced asymmetry, vortices are shed only from one of the rear wheels and not the other. Present computations also capture streamwise vortices originating from the upstream corners of the door.

Li, Fei↗
NASA NTRS2003

Threshold Assessment of Gear Diagnostic Tools on Flight and Test Rig Data

A method for defining thresholds for vibration-based algorithms that provides the minimum number of false alarms while maintaining sensitivity to gear damage was developed. This analysis focused on two vibration based gear damage detection algorithms, FM4 and MSA. This method was developed using vibration data collected during surface fatigue tests performed in a spur gearbox rig. The thresholds were defined based on damage progression during tests with damage. The thresholds false alarm rates were then evaluated on spur gear tests without damage. Next, the same thresholds were applied to flight data from an OH-58 helicopter transmission. Results showed that thresholds defined in test rigs can be used to define thresholds in flight to correctly classify the transmission operation as normal.

Dempsey, Paula J.↗