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At least 73 records · Page 4

Numerical Study of Rarefied Hypersonic Flow Interacting with a Continuum Jet

An uncoupled Computational Fluid Dynamics-Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (CFD-DSMC) technique is developed and applied to provide solutions for continuum jets interacting with rarefied external flows. The technique is based on a correlation of the appropriate Bird breakdown parameter for a transitional-rarefied condition that defines a surface within which the continuum solution is unaffected by the external flow-jet interaction. The method is applied to two problems to assess and demonstrate its validity; one of a jet interaction in the transitional-rarefied flow regime and the other in the moderately rarefied regime. Results show that the appropriate Bird breakdown surface for uncoupling the continuum and non-continuum solutions is a function of a non-dimensional parameter relating the momentum flux and collisionality between the two interacting flows. The correlation is exploited for the simulation of a jet interaction modeled for an experimental condition in the transitional-rarefied flow regime and the validity of the correlation is demonstrated. The uncoupled technique is also applied to an aerobraking flight condition for the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with attitude control system jet interaction. Aerodynamic yawing moment coefficients for cases without and with jet interaction at various angles-of-attack were predicted, and results from the present method compare well with values published previously. The flow field and surface properties are analyzed in some detail to describe the mechanism by which the jet interaction affects the aerodynamics.

Glass, Christopher E.↗

Techniques for monitoring and controlling yaw attitude of a GPS satellite

Techniques for monitoring and controlling yawing of a GPS satellite in an orbit that has an eclipsing portion out of the sunlight based on the orbital conditions of the GPS satellite. In one embodiment, a constant yaw bias is generated in the attitude control system of the GPS satellite to control the yawing of the GPS satellite when it is in the shadow of the earth.

Lichten, Stephen M.↗

Heterodyne Interferometer Angle Metrology

A compact, high-resolution angle measurement instrument has been developed that is based on a heterodyne interferometer. The common-path heterodyne interferometer metrology is used to measure displacements of a reflective target surface. In the interferometer setup, an optical mask is used to sample the measurement laser beam reflecting back from a target surface. Angular rotations, around two orthogonal axes in a plane perpendicular to the measurement- beam propagation direction, are determined simultaneously from the relative displacement measurement of the target surface. The device is used in a tracking telescope system where pitch and yaw measurements of a flat mirror were simultaneously performed with a sensitivity of 0.1 nrad, per second, and a measuring range of 0.15 mrad at a working distance of an order of a meter. The nonlinearity of the device is also measured less than one percent over the measurement range.

Hahn, Inseob↗

F/A-18 forebody vortex control. Volume 1: Static tests

A wind tunnel test was conducted on a six percent model of the F/A-18 at the NASA Ames 7 X 10-Foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel. The primary objective of the test was to evaluate several forebody vortex control configurations at high angles of attack in order to determine the most effective method of obtaining well behaved yawing moments, in preparation for the rotary balance test. Both mechanical and pneumatic systems were tested. Single and dual rotating nose tip strakes and a vertical nose strake were tested at different sizes and deflections. A series of jet blowing configurations were located at various fuselage stations, azimuth angles, and pointing angles ranging from straight aft to 60 deg canted inboard. Slot blowing was investigated for several slot lengths and fuselage stations. The effect of blowing rate was tested for both of these pneumatic systems. The most effective configurations were then further tested with a variation of both sideslip angle and Reynolds number over a range of angles of attack from 0 to 60 deg. It was found that a very robust system can be developed that provides yawing moments at angles of attack up to 60 deg that significantly exceeds that available from 30 deg of rudder deflection (F/A-18 maximum) at 0 deg angle of attack.

Kramer, Brian R.↗

MOD-0A 200 kW wind turbine generator design and analysis report

The design, analysis, and initial performance of the MOD-OA 200 kW wind turbine generator at Clayton, NM is documented. The MOD-OA was designed and built to obtain operation and performance data and experience in utility environments. The project requirements, approach, system description, design requirements, design, analysis, system tests, installation, safety considerations, failure modes and effects analysis, data acquisition, and initial performance for the wind turbine are discussed. The design and analysis of the rotor, drive train, nacelle equipment, yaw drive mechanism and brake, tower, foundation, electricl system, and control systems are presented. The rotor includes the blades, hub, and pitch change mechanism. The drive train includes the low speed shaft, speed increaser, high speed shaft, and rotor brake. The electrical system includes the generator, switchgear, transformer, and utility connection. The control systems are the blade pitch, yaw, and generator control, and the safety system. Manual, automatic, and remote control are discussed. Systems analyses on dynamic loads and fatigue are presented.

Anderson, T. S.↗

Overview of the SLS Core Stage Thrust Vector Control System Design

The Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage (CS) Thrust Vector Control (TVC) consists of four independent hydraulic systems. The SLS CS TVC system is comprised of 8 mechanical feedback Shuttle heritage Type III TVC actuators and four RS-25 engines, each attached to a Shuttle heritage gimbal block/bearing. Each hydraulic system nominally provides hydraulic power to one RS-25 engine and two actuators. Additionally, each system provides redundant control capability to one actuator on each of its neighboring systems. The RS-25 uses hydraulic power to control propellant valves, and the TVC actuators are used to move the engine in the pitch and yaw gimbal planes. The TVC system design leverages hardware from the Space Shuttle program as well as new hardware designed specifically for the Core Stage. The Space Shuttle heritage hardware directly reused on SLS includes the Orbiter TVC hydraulic servo-actuators (with two slight design modifications), the Orbiter hydraulic circulation pumps, the Orbiter gimbal block/bearing, and the Solid Rocket Booster hydraulic pumps. The Solid Rocket Booster APU turbines are powered by hot gas produced by a catalyzed hydrazine decomposition. The SLS Core Auxiliary Power Unit (CAPU) is derived from the Space Shuttle Orbiter Auxiliary Power Unit (APU); on the SLS Core Stage, the CAPU turbine is spun using cold gas tapped-off from the RS-25 to CS liquid hydrogen autogenous pressurization line. The remaining hardware in the TVC system (hydraulic Filter Manifold (FM), hydraulic Supply Accumulator (SA), hydraulic Return Accumulator (RA), Hydraulic Reservoir, Exhaust Gas Heat Exchanger (EGHE)) as well as the avionics providing control and telemetry (TVC Actuator Controller (TAC) and CAPU Controller (CAPUC) are new components developed for SLS. This paper is the first installment in a seven-paper series surveying the design, engineering, test validation, and flight performance of the Core Stage Thrust Vector Control system. In this paper, the overall design architecture of the CS TVC is presented, with a focus on the interfaces between the TVC actuators, the engines, their hydraulic power systems, and the avionics that provide commands from the SLS Vehicle Management (VM) software to effect stable and robust flight control for the integrated SLS launch vehicle.

Thrust Vector Control↗

Overview of the SLS Core Stage Thrust Vector Control System Design

The Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage (CS) Thrust Vector Control (TVC) consists of four independent hydraulic systems. The SLS CS TVC system is comprised of 8 mechanical feedback Shuttle heritage Type III TVC actuators and four RS-25 engines, each attached to a Shuttle heritage gimbal block/bearing. Each hydraulic system nominally provides hydraulic power to one RS-25 engine and two actuators. Additionally, each system provides redundant control capability to one actuator on each of its neighboring systems. The RS-25 uses hydraulic power to control propellant valves, and the TVC actuators are used to move the engine in the pitch and yaw gimbal planes. The TVC system design leverages hardware from the Space Shuttle program as well as new hardware designed specifically for the Core Stage. The Space Shuttle heritage hardware directly reused on SLS includes the Orbiter TVC hydraulic servo-actuators (with two slight design modifications), the Orbiter hydraulic circulation pumps, the Orbiter gimbal block/bearing, and the Solid Rocket Booster hydraulic pumps. The Solid Rocket Booster APU turbines are powered by hot gas produced by a catalyzed hydrazine decomposition. The SLS Core Auxiliary Power Unit (CAPU) is derived from the Space Shuttle Orbiter Auxiliary Power Unit (APU); on the SLS Core Stage, the CAPU turbine is spun using cold gas tapped-off from the RS-25 to CS liquid hydrogen autogenous pressurization line. The remaining hardware in the TVC system (hydraulic Filter Manifold (FM), hydraulic Supply Accumulator (SA), hydraulic Return Accumulator (RA), Hydraulic Reservoir, Exhaust Gas Heat Exchanger (EGHE)) as well as the avionics providing control and telemetry (TVC Actuator Controller (TAC) and CAPU Controller (CAPUC) are new components developed for SLS. This paper is the first installment in a seven-paper series surveying the design, engineering, test validation, and flight performance of the Core Stage Thrust Vector Control system. In this paper, the overall design architecture of the CS TVC is presented, with a focus on the interfaces between the TVC actuators, the engines, their hydraulic power systems, and the avionics that provide commands from the SLS Vehicle Management (VM) software to effect stable and robust flight control for the integrated SLS launch vehicle.

Thrust Vector Control↗

The MOD-OA 200 kilowatt wind turbine generator design and analysis report

The project requirements, approach, system description, design requirements, design, analysis, system tests, installation safety considerations, failure modes and effects analysis, data acquisition, and initial performance for the MOD-OA 200 kw wind turbine generator are discussed. The components, the rotor, driven train, nacelle equipment, yaw drive mechanism and brake, tower, foundation, electrical system, and control systems are presented. The rotor includes the blades, hub and pitch change mechanism. The drive train includes the low speed shaft, speed increaser, high speed shaft, and rotor brake. The electrical system includes the generator, switchgear, transformer, and utility connection. The control systems are the blade pitch, yaw, and generator control, and the safety system. Manual, automatic, and remote control and Dynamic loads and fatigue are analyzed.

Andersen, T. S.↗

Design development of the Apollo command and service module thrust vector attitude control systems

Development of the Apollo thrust vector control digital autopilot (TVC DAP) was summarized. This is the control system that provided pitch and yaw attitude control during velocity change maneuvers using the main rocket engine on the Apollo service module. A list of ten primary functional requirements for this control system are presented, each being subordinate to a more general requirement appearing earlier on the list. Development process functions were then identified and the essential information flow paths were explored. This provided some visibility into the particular NASA/contractor interface, as well as relationships between the many individual activities.

William H. Peters↗

Coupled modeling of wake steering and platform offsets for floating wind arrays

Wake effects are a key challenge in the design and analysis of wind farms. For floating wind farms, the platforms offset under the aerodynamic loading of the turbine and are constrained by mooring systems that can vary significantly in allowable offsets. When considering wake steering, the crosswind offset of the turbine can counteract the lateral deflection of the wake. This work presents a tool to efficiently model the coupled impacts of wake steering and platform offsets for floating wind farms. The tool relies on the frequency-domain wind farm model RAFT and the steady-state wake model FLORIS. A verification with FAST.Farm is presented, then the tool is applied to a simple two-turbine case study. A range of mooring systems with increasing platform offsets and varied yaw misalignment angles are considered while comparing the impact on turbine power. Additional sensitivities to turbine spacing and mooring system orientation are explored. The results show that there is a least-optimal watch circle width for downwind turbine power production that varies with yaw misalignment angle and turbine spacing. Additionally, the turbine offsets under yaw-misaligned conditions vary significantly depending on mooring system orientation relative to the rotor plane, which in turn impacts the optimal misalignment angle. These results highlight the importance of including floating platform offsets and mooring systems in the evaluation of wake steering strategies for floating wind arrays.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Summary of stability and control characteristics of the XB-70 airplane

The stability and control characteristics of the XB-70 airplane were evaluated for Mach numbers up to 3.0 and altitudes up to 21,300 meters (70,000 feet). The airplane's inherent longitudinal characteristics proved to be generally satisfactory. In the lateral-directional modes, the airplane was characterized by light wheel forces, low static directional stability beyond approximately 2 deg of sideslip, adverse yaw response to aileron inputs throughout the entire Mach number range, and negative effective dihedral with wingtips full down. At subsonic Mach numbers, with the flight augmentation control system off, the light wheel forces and adverse yaw response to aileron inputs caused the pilots to minimize use of the ailerons. At supersonic Mach numbers, with the augmentation system off, the adverse yaw due to aileron and the negative effective dihedral were conducive to pilot-induced oscillations.

Wolowicz, C. H.↗

An Analytical Treatment of Aircraft Propeller Precession Instability

An analytical investigation is made of a precession-type instability which can occur in a flexibly supported aircraft-engine-propeller combination. By means of an idealized mathematical model which is comprised of a rigid power-plant system flexibly mounted in pitch and yaw to a fixed backup structure, the conditions required for neutral stability are determined. The paper also examines the sensitivity of the stability boundaries to changes in such parameters as stiffness, damping, and asymmetries in the engine mount, propeller speed, airspeed, Mach number, propeller thrust, and location of pitch and yaw axes. Stability is found to depend strongly on the damping and stiffness in the system. With the use of nondimensional charts, theoretical stability boundaries are compared with experimental results obtained in wind-tunnel tests of an aeroelastic airplane model. In general, the theoretical results, which do not account for wing response, show the same trends as observed experimentally; however, for a given set of conditions calculated airspeeds for neutral stability are consistently lower than the measured values. Evidently, this result is due to the fact that wing response tends to add damping to the system.

Reed, Wilmer H., III↗

A compact roller-gear pitch-yaw joint module: Design and control issues

Robotic systems have been proposed as a means of accomplishing assembly and maintenance tasks in space. The desirable characteristics of these systems include compact size, low mass, high load capacity, and programmable compliance to improve assembly performance. In addition, the mechanical system must transmit power in such a way as to allow high performance control of the system. Efficiency, linearity, low backlash, low torque ripple, and low friction are all desirable characteristics. This work presents a pitch-yaw joint module designed and built to address these issues. Its effectiveness as a two degree-of-freedom manipulator using natural admittance control, a method of force control, is demonstrated.

Dohring, Mark E.↗

Simulation model of the F/A-18 high angle-of-attack research vehicle utilized for the design of advanced control laws

The 'f18harv' six degree-of-freedom nonlinear batch simulation used to support research in advanced control laws and flight dynamics issues as part of NASA's High Alpha Technology Program is described in this report. This simulation models an F/A-18 airplane modified to incorporate a multi-axis thrust-vectoring system for augmented pitch and yaw control power and actuated forebody strakes for enhanced aerodynamic yaw control power. The modified configuration is known as the High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV). The 'f18harv' simulation was an outgrowth of the 'f18bas' simulation which modeled the basic F/A-18 with a preliminary version of a thrust-vectoring system designed for the HARV. The preliminary version consisted of two thrust-vectoring vanes per engine nozzle compared with the three vanes per engine actually employed on the F/A-18 HARV. The modeled flight envelope is extensive in that the aerodynamic database covers an angle-of-attack range of -10 degrees to +90 degrees, sideslip range of -20 degrees to +20 degrees, a Mach Number range between 0.0 and 2.0, and an altitude range between 0 and 60,000 feet.

Strickland, Mark E.↗

Free-molecule-flow force and moment coefficients of the aeroassist flight experiment vehicle

Calculated results for the aerodynamic coefficients over the range of + or - 90 deg in both pitch and yaw attitude angles for the Aeroassist Flight Experiment (AFE) vehicle in free molecule flow are presented. The AFE body is described by a large number of small flat plate surface elements whose orientations are established in a wind axes coordinate system through the pitch and yaw attitude angles. Lift force, drag force, and three components of aerodynamic moment about a specified point are computed for each element. The elemental forces and moments are integrated over the entire body, and total force and moment coefficients are computed. The coefficients are calculated for the two limiting gas-surface molecular collision conditions, namely, specular and diffuse, which assume zero and full thermal accommodation of the incoming gas molecules with the surface, respectively. The individual contribution of the shear stress and pressure terms are calculated and also presented.

Blanchard, Robert C.↗

Yaw sensory rearrangement alters pitch vestibulo-ocular reflex responses

Ten male subjects underwent two types of adaptation paradigm designed either to enhance or to attenuate the gain of the canal-ocular reflex (COR), before undergoing otolith-ocular reflex (OOR) testing with constant velocity, earth horizontal axis and pitch rotation. The adaptation paradigm paired a 0.2 Hz sinusoidal rotation about an earth vertical axis with a 0.2 Hz optokinetic stimulus that was deliberately mismatched in peak velocity or phase and was designed to produce short-term changes in the COR. Preadaptation and postadaptation OOR tests occurred at a constant velocity of 60 degrees/sec in the dark and produced a modulation component of the slow phase velocity with a frequency of 0.16 Hz due to otolithic stimulation by the sinusoidally changing gravity vector. Of the seven subjects who showed enhancement of the COR gain, six also showed enhancement of the OOR modulation component. Of the seven subjects who showed attenuation of the COR gain, five also showed attenuation of the OOR modulation component. The probability that these two cross-axis adaptation effects would occur by chance is less than 0.02. This suggests that visual-vestibular conditioning of the yaw axis COR also induced changes in the pitch axis OOR. We thus postulate that the central nervous system pathways that process horizontal canal yaw stimuli have elements in common with those processing otolithic stimuli about the pitch axis.

NASA Discipline Neuroscience↗

Analysis of propulsion system dynamics in the validation of a high-order state space model of the UH-60

Frequency responses generated from a high-order linear model of the UH-60 Black Hawk have shown that the propulsion system influences significantly the vertical and yaw dynamics of the aircraft at frequencies important to high-bandwidth control law designs. The inclusion of the propulsion system comprises the latest step in the development of a high-order linear model of the UH-60 that models additionally the dynamics of the fuselage, rotor, and inflow. A complete validation study of the linear model is presented in the frequency domain for both on-axis and off-axis coupled responses in the hoverflight condition, and on-axis responses for forward speeds of 80 and 120 knots.

Kim, Frederick D.↗

HARV ANSER Flight Test Data Retrieval and Processing Procedures

Under the NASA High-Alpha Technology Program the High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV) was used to conduct flight tests of advanced control effectors, advanced control laws, and high-alpha design guidelines for future super-maneuverable fighters. The High-Alpha Research Vehicle is a pre-production F/A-18 airplane modified with a multi-axis thrust-vectoring system for augmented pitch and yaw control power and Actuated Nose Strakes for Enhanced Rolling (ANSER) to augment body-axis yaw control power. Flight testing at the Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) began in July 1995 and continued until May 1996. Flight data will be utilized to evaluate control law performance and aircraft dynamics, determine aircraft control and stability derivatives using parameter identification techniques, and validate design guidelines. To accomplish these purposes, essential flight data parameters were retrieved from the DFRC data system and stored on the Dynamics and Control Branch (DCB) computer complex at Langley. This report describes the multi-step task used to retrieve and process this data and documents the results of these tasks. Documentation includes software listings, flight information, maneuver information, time intervals for which data were retrieved, lists of data parameters and definitions, and example data plots.

Yeager, Jessie C.↗