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At least 793 records · Page 44

Integrated structure/control law design by multilevel optimization

A new approach to integrated structure/control law design based on multilevel optimization is presented. This new approach is applicable to aircraft and spacecraft and allows for the independent design of the structure and control law. Integration of the designs is achieved through use of an upper level coordination problem formulation within the multilevel optimization framework. The method requires the use of structure and control law design sensitivity information. A general multilevel structure/control law design problem formulation is given, and the use of Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) control law design and design sensitivity methods within the formulation is illustrated. Results of three simple integrated structure/control law design examples are presented. These results show the capability of structure and control law design tradeoffs to improve controlled system performance within the multilevel approach.

Gilbert, Michael G.↗

Intelligent multi-sensor integrations

Growth in the intelligence of space systems requires the use and integration of data from multiple sensors. Generic tools are being developed for extracting and integrating information obtained from multiple sources. The full spectrum is addressed for issues ranging from data acquisition, to characterization of sensor data, to adaptive systems for utilizing the data. In particular, there are three major aspects to the project, multisensor processing, an adaptive approach to object recognition, and distributed sensor system integration.

Volz, Richard A.↗

Transient performance evaluation of an integrated heat pipe-thermal storage system

Transient performance tests of an integrated heat pipe-thermal storage system have been conducted. This system was developed as a part of an Organic Rankine Cycle-Solar Dynamic Power System receiver for future power systems. The integrated system consists of potassium heat pipe elements that incorporate thermal energy storage canisters within the vapor space and an organic fluid (toluene) heater tube used as the condenser region of the heat pipe. The transient performance tests determined the operating characteristics and power input limits of the integrated heat pipe-thermal storage unit under conditions corresponding to re-acquisition of the sun during emergence from eclipse conditions and to the initial start-up of the solar dynamic power system. The tests demonstrated that the heat pipe-thermal storage element is not limited under conditions corresponding to emergence from eclipse during normal orbital operations and the heat pipe will successfully start-up from the frozen condition with full input power at the onset. Details of the test procedures and results of the tests are presented in this paper.

Keddy, E.↗

Space Station design integration

This paper discusses the top Program level design integration process which involves the integration of a US Space Station manned base that consists of both US and international Elements. It explains the form and function of the Program Requirements Review (PRR), which certifies that the program is ready for preliminary design, the Program Design Review (PDR), which certifies the program is ready to start the detail design, and the Critical Design Review (CDR), which certifies that the program is completing a design that meets the Program objectives. The paper also discusses experience, status to date, and plans for continued system integration through manufacturing, testing and final verification of the Space Station system performance.

Carlisle, Richard F.↗

Velocity-pressure integrated versus penalty finite element methods for high Reynolds number flows

Velocity-pressure integrated and consistent penalty finite element computations of high Reynolds number laminar flows are presented. In both methods the pressure has been interpolated using linear shape functions for a triangular element which is contained inside the biquadratic flow element. It has been shown previously that the pressure interpolation method, when used in conjunction with the velocity-pressure integrated method, yields accurate computational results for high-Reynolds-number flows. It is shown in this paper that use of the same pressure interpolation method in the consistent penalty finite element method yields computational results which are comparable to those of the velocity-pressure integrated method for both the velocity and the pressure fields. Accuracy of the two finite element methods has been demonstrated by comparing the computational results with available experimental data and/or fine grid finite difference computational results. Advantages and disadvantages of the two finite element methods are discussed on the basis of accuracy and convergence nature. Example problems considered include a lid-driven cavity flow of Reynolds number 10000, a laminar backward-facing step flow and a laminar flow through a nest of cylinders.

Kim, S.-W.↗

Analytically reduced form of multicenter integrals from Gaussian transforms

The four-dimensional Fourier-Feynman transformations previously used in analytically reducing the general class of integrals containing multicenter products of 1s hydrogenic orbitals, Coulomb or Yukawa potentials, and plane waves, are replaced by the one-dimensional Gaussian transformation. This reduces the previously required double-diagonalization of the quadratic form of the multicenter integrals to only one diagonalization, yielding a simpler reduced form of the integral. The present work also extends the result to include all s states and pairs of states with l not equal to zero summed over the m quantum number.

Straton, Jack C.↗

Semi-Lagrangian integration of a gridpoint shallow water model on the sphere

A stable, semi-Lagrangian, semi-implicit, two-time-level, gridpoint integration scheme for the shallow water equations on the sphere is presented. A rotated spherical coordinate system is used to integrate the equations of motion at each gridpoint poleward of a certain latitude, thus overcoming problems associated with the polar singularity. The results of medium term integrations of large scale test patterns using a long time step are presented.

Mcdonald, A.↗

Integrated controls pay-off

It is shown that the integration of the propulsion and flight control systems for high performance aircraft can help reduce pilot workload while simultaneously increasing overall aircraft performance. Results of the Highly Integrated Digital Electronic Control (HiDEC) flight research program are presented to demonstrate the emerging payoffs of controls integration. Ways in which the performance of fighter aircraft can be improved through the use of propulsion for primary aircraft control are discussed. Research being conducted by NASA with the F-18 High Angle-of Attack Research Vehicle is described.

Putnam, Terrill W.↗

A supersonic through-flow fan engine airframe integration study

A study is undertaken to investigate the engine airframe integration effects for supersonic through-flow fan engines installed on a Mach 3.20 supersonic cruise vehicle. Six different supersonic through-flow fan engine installations covering the effects of engine size, nacelle contour, nacelle placement, and approximate bypass plume effects are presented. The different supersonic through-flow fan installations are compared with a conventional turbine bypass engine configuration on the same basic airframe. The supersonic through-flow fan engine integrations are shown to be comparable to the turbine bypass engine configuration on the basis of installed nacelle wave drag. The supersonic through-flow fan engine airframe integrated vehicles have superior aerodynamic performance on the basis of maximum lift-to-drag ratio than the turbine bypass engine installation over the entire operating Mach number range from 1.10 to 3.20. When approximate bypass plume modeling is included, the supersonic through-flow fan engine configuration shows even larger improvements over the turbine bypass engine configuration.

Barnhart, Paul J.↗

Integrated structure/control law design by multilevel optimization

A new approach to integrated structure/control law design based on multilevel optimization is presented. This new approach is applicable to aircraft and spacecraft and allows for the independent design of the structure and control law. Integration of the designs is achieved through use of an upper level coordination problem formulation within the multilevel optimization framework. The method requires the use of structure and control law design sensitivity information. A general multilevel structure/control law design problem formulation is given, and the use of Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) control law design and design sensitivity methods within the formulation is illustrated. Results of three simple integrated structure/control law design examples are presented. These results show the capability of structure and control law design tradeoffs to improve controlled system performance within the multilevel approach.

Gilbert, Michael G.↗

Integrated Grating Spectrometer

Proposed integrated grating spectrometer made in waveguide layer on silicon wafer. Occupies area of about 2 centimeters to 2nd power on wafer 0.4 mm thick. Operates in visible spectrum (wavelengths of 400 to 700 nm) and blazed to diffract in first order. Array of integrated grating spectrometers performs spectral analysis of picture elements along line. Optical fiber couples light from each picture element into separate integrated spectrometer. Technique enables continous independent variation, along grating, of pitch, curvature, and blaze angle. Grating designed to have large numerical aperture, zero aberration at two selected wavelengths, and very low aberration at intermediate wavelengths.

Lang, Robert J.↗

A supersonic through-flow fan engine airframe integration study

Engine airframe integration effects are investigated for supersonic through-flow fan engines installed on a Mach 3.20 supersonic cruise vehicle. Six different supersonic through-flow fan engine installations covering the effects of engine size, nacelle contour, nacelle placement, and approximate bypass plume effects are presented. The different supersonic through-flow fan installations are compared with a conventional turbine bypass engine configuration on the same basic airframe. The supersonic through-flow fan engine integrations are shown to be comparable to the turbine bypass engine configuration on the basis of installed nacelle wave drag. The supersonic through-flow fan engine airframe integrated vehicles have superior aerodynamic performance on the basis of maximum lift-to-drag ratio than the turbine bypass engine installation over the entire operating Mach number range from 1.10 to 3.20. When approximate bypass plume modeling is included, the supersonic through-flow fan engine configuration shows even larger improvements over the turbine bypass engine configuration.

Barnhart, Paul J.↗

Optimal integral controller with sensor failure accommodation

An Optimal Integral Controller that readily accommodates Sensor Failure - without resorting to (Kalman) filter or observer generation - has been designed. The system is based on Navy-sponsored research for the control of high performance aircraft. In conjunction with a NASA developed Numerical Optimization Code, the Integral Feedback Controller will provide optimal system response even in the case of incomplete state feedback. Hence, the need for costly replication of plant sensors is avoided since failure accommodation is effected by system software reconfiguration. The control design has been applied to a particularly ill-behaved, third-order system. Dominant-root design in the classical sense produced an almost 100 percent overshoot for the third-order system response. An application of the newly-developed Optimal Integral Controller - assuming all state information available - produces a response with no overshoot. A further application of the controller design - assuming a one-third sensor failure scenario - produced a slight overshoot response that still preserved the steady state time-point of the full-state feedback response. The control design should have wide application in space systems.

Alberts, T.↗

Developing integrated parametric planning models for budgeting and managing complex projects

The applicability of integrated parametric models for the budgeting and management of complex projects is investigated. Methods for building a very flexible, interactive prototype for a project planning system, and software resources available for this purpose, are discussed and evaluated. The prototype is required to be sensitive to changing objectives, changing target dates, changing costs relationships, and changing budget constraints. To achieve the integration of costs and project and task durations, parametric cost functions are defined by a process of trapezoidal segmentation, where the total cost for the project is the sum of the various project cost segments, and each project cost segment is the integral of a linearly segmented cost loading function over a specific interval. The cost can thus be expressed algebraically. The prototype was designed using Lotus-123 as the primary software tool. This prototype implements a methodology for interactive project scheduling that provides a model of a system that meets most of the goals for the first phase of the study and some of the goals for the second phase.

Etnyre, Vance A.↗

Treatment of geodetic leveling in the integrated geodesy approach

Integrated geodesy is a method in which a wide variety of surveying measurements are modeled in terms of geometric positions and the earth's geopotential. Using heterogeneous data, both geometric and gravimetric quantities are simultaneously estimated by a least-squares procedure. Heretofore, geodetic leveling differences were reduced into pseudo-observables using assumed values of gravity prior to their inclusion into integrated geodesy least-squares adjustments. The errors in estimates of geometric and gravimetric quantities obtained from integrated geodesy adjustments of geodetic leveling difference, potential differences and Helmert height differences are compared.

Milbert, Dennis G.↗

Sole means navigation and integrity through hybrid Loran-C and NAVSTAR GPS

A sole means navigation system does not only call for integrity, but also for coverage, reliability, availability and accuracy. Even though ground monitored GPS will provide integrity, availability is still not sufficient. One satellite outage can affect a large service area for several hours per day. The same holds for differential GPS; a total satellite outage cannot be corrected for. To obtain sufficient coverage, extra measurements are needed, either in the form of extra GPS satellites (expensive) or through redundant measurements from other systems. LORAN-C is available and will, hybridized with GPS, result in a system that has the potential to satisfy the requirements for a sole means navigation system for use in the continental United States. Assumptions are made about the qualification sole means, mainly based on current sole means systems such as VOR/DME. In order to allow for system design that will satisfy sole means requirements, it is recommended that a definition of a sole means navigation system be established. This definition must include requirements for availability, reliability, and integrity currently not specified. In addition to the definition of a sole means navigation system, certification requirements must be established for hybrid navigation systems. This will allow for design and production of a new generation of airborne navigation systems that will reduce overall system costs and simplify training procedures.

Vangraas, Frank↗

Common source cascode amplifiers for integrating IR-FPA applications

Space based astronomical infrared measurements present stringent performance requirements on the infrared detector arrays and their associated readout circuitry. To evaluate the usefulness of commercial CMOS technology for astronomical readout applications a theoretical and experimental evaluation was performed on source follower and common-source cascode integrating amplifiers. Theoretical analysis indicates that for conditions where the input amplifier integration capacitance is limited by the detectors capacitance the input referred rms noise electrons of each amplifier should be equivalent. For conditions of input gate limited capacitance the source follower should provide lower noise. Measurements of test circuits containing both source follower and common source cascode circuits showed substantially lower input referred noise for the common-source cascode input circuits. Noise measurements yielded 4.8 input referred rms noise electrons for an 8.5 minute integration. The signal and noise gain of the common-source cascode amplifier appears to offer substantial advantages in acheiving predicted noise levels.

Woolaway, James T.↗

Graphical explanation in an expert system for Space Station Freedom rack integration

The rationale and methodology used to incorporate graphics into explanations provided by an expert system for Space Station Freedom rack integration is examined. The rack integration task is typical of a class of constraint satisfaction problems for large programs where expertise from several areas is required. Graphically oriented approaches are used to explain the conclusions made by the system, the knowledge base content, and even at more abstract levels the control strategies employed by the system. The implemented architecture combines hypermedia and inference engine capabilities. The advantages of this architecture include: closer integration of user interface, explanation system, and knowledge base; the ability to embed links to deeper knowledge underlying the compiled knowledge used in the knowledge base; and allowing for more direct control of explanation depth and duration by the user. The graphical techniques employed range from simple statis presentation of schematics to dynamic creation of a series of pictures presented motion picture style. User models control the type, amount, and order of information presented.

Craig, F. G.↗