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At least 847 records · Page 47

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NASA NTRS2009

Efficient Method for Optimizing Placement of Sensors

A computationally efficient method has been developed to enable optimization of the placement of sensors for the purpose of diagnosis of a complex engineering system (e.g., an aircraft or spacecraft). The method can be used both in (1) designing a sensor system in which the number and positions of sensors are initially not known and must be determined and (2) adding sensors to a pre-existing system to increase the diagnostic capability. The optimal-sensor-placement problem can be summarized as involving the following concepts, issues, and subproblems: a) Degree of Diagnosability - This is a concept for characterizing the set of faults that can be discriminated by use of a given set of sensors. b) Minimal Sensor Set - The idea is one of finding a minimal set of sensors that guarantees a specific degree of diagnosability. c) Minimal-Cost Sensors - In a case in which different sensors are assigned with different costs, it is desired to choose the least costly set of sensors that affords a specific degree of diagnosability.

Fijany, Amir↗

NASA NTRS2009

Determining Locations by Use of Networks of Passive Beacons

Networks of passive radio beacons spanning moderate-sized terrain areas have been proposed to aid navigation of small robotic aircraft that would be used to explore Saturn s moon Titan. Such networks could also be used on Earth to aid navigation of robotic aircraft, land vehicles, or vessels engaged in exploration or reconnaissance in situations or locations (e.g., underwater locations) in which Global Positioning System (GPS) signals are unreliable or unavailable. Prior to use, it would be necessary to pre-position the beacons at known locations that would be determined by use of one or more precise independent global navigation system(s). Thereafter, while navigating over the area spanned by a given network of passive beacons, an exploratory robot would use the beacons to determine its position precisely relative to the known beacon positions (see figure). If it were necessary for the robot to explore multiple, separated terrain areas spanned by different networks of beacons, the robot could use a long-haul, relatively coarse global navigation system for the lower-precision position determination needed during transit between such areas. The proposed method of precise determination of position of an exploratory robot relative to the positions of passive radio beacons is based partly on the principles of radar and partly on the principles of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags. The robot would transmit radar-like signals that would be modified and reflected by the passive beacons. The distance to each beacon would be determined from the roundtrip propagation time and/or round-trip phase shift of the signal returning from that beacon. Signals returned from different beacons could be distinguished by means of their RFID characteristics. Alternatively or in addition, the antenna of each beacon could be designed to radiate in a unique pattern that could be identified by the navigation system. Also, alternatively or in addition, sets of identical beacons could be deployed in unique configurations such that the navigation system could identify their unique combinations of radio-frequency reflections as an alternative to leveraging the uniqueness of the RFID tags. The degree of dimensional accuracy would depend not only on the locations of the beacons but also on the number of beacon signals received, the number of samples of each signal, the motion of the robot, and the time intervals between samples. At one extreme, a single sample of the return signal from a single beacon could be used to determine the distance from that beacon and hence to determine that the robot is located somewhere on a sphere, the radius of which equals that distance and the center of which lies at the beacon. In a less extreme example, the three-dimensional position of the robot could be determined with fair precision from a single sample of the signal from each of three beacons. In intermediate cases, position estimates could be refined and/or position ambiguities could be resolved by use of supplementary readings of an altimeter and other instruments aboard the robot.

Okino, Clayton↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

High Resolution Terrain Sensing Lidar for Precision Navigation and Safe Landing of Space and Aerial Vehicles

A 3-D imaging flash lidar sensor employing a resolution enhancement algorithm is being developed at NASA Langley Research Center for providing Terrain Relative Navigation and Hazard Avoidance capabilities onboard spacecraft landing on the Moon, Mars, and other planetary bodies. This lidar sensor, we refer to as Terrain Sensing Lidar (TSL), is a solution for future missions that require landing at pre-designated sites near high value resources or at areas of high scientific value, while avoiding hazardous terrain features, such as escarpments, craters, slopes, and rocks, or pre-deployed assets. TSL can also benefit terrestrial applications such as autonomous aerial vehicles without reliance on signals from Global Positioning System (GPS). The feasibility of the TSL concept has been shown through a series of drone, fixed-wing aircraft, and helicopter flight tests. A prototype version of the TSL has been recently assembled for conducting another set of flight tests to demonstrate its readiness for upcoming landing missions. This paper describes the TSL, provides its performance parameters, and explains its operational concepts for landing missions.

Precision Navigation↗

NASA NTRS2005

Oceanic Situational Awareness Over the Western Atlantic Track Routing System

Air traffic control (ATC) mandated, aircraft separations over the oceans impose a limitation on traffic capacity for a given corridor, given the projected traffic growth over the Western Atlantic Track Routing System (WATRS). The separations result from a lack of acceptable situational awareness over oceans where radar position updates are not available. This study considers the use of Automatic Dependent Surveillance (ADS) data transmitted over a commercial satellite communications system as an approach to provide ATC with the needed situational awareness and thusly allow for reduced aircraft separations. This study uses Federal Aviation Administration data from a single day for the WATRS corridor to analyze traffic loading to be used as a benchmark against which to compare several approaches for coordinating data transmissions from the aircraft to the satellites.

Welch, Bryan↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Experimental Study of Aero-Propulsive Interactions for Electric Ducted Fan Arrays in Multiple Positions on a Wing

The Adaptable Distributed Electric Propulsion Testbed (ADEPT) Wing was tested in the NASA Langley 12-Foot Low-Speed Tunnel for the SUbsonic Single Aft eNgine (SUSAN) Electrofan 25% scale flight research vehicle, which aims to reduce emissions for commercial transport aircraft with electric propulsion technologies. The purpose of the test was to study the aero-propulsive effects across angle of attack and fan speed variations for several propulsor placements and array sizes, and to investigate how DEP can be leveraged for augmented lift and vehicle control. Six electric ducted fan (EDF) array placements were tested by positioning the fans along the leading and trailing edges on the top and bottom surfaces, as well as centered on the chord line in front of and behind the wing. Each fan placement configuration was tested with an array of one, three, and five EDFs to characterize an aero-propulsive extrapolation effect, and the bare wing was tested separately to provide baseline aerodynamic measurements. The results compare the longitudinal forces and moments for each configuration by analyzing the combined aero-propulsive interaction effects, and offer valuable insight into considerations for fan placement along a wing to enable the benefits of DEP integration.

Rose Weinstein↗

NASA NTRS1974

Effect of canard position and wing leading-edge flap deflection on wing buffet at transonic speeds

A generalized wind-tunnel model, with canard and wing planform typical of highly maneuverable aircraft, was tested. The addition of a canard above the wing chord plane, for the configuration with leading-edge flaps undeflected, produced substantially higher total configuration lift coefficients before buffet onset than the configuration with the canard off and leading-edge flaps undeflected. The wing buffet intensity was substantially lower for the canard-wing configuration than the wing-alone configuration. The low-canard configuration generally displayed the poorest buffet characteristics. Deflecting the wing leading-edge flaps substantially improved the wing buffet characteristics for canard-off configurations. The addition of the high canard did not appear to substantially improve the wing buffet characteristics of the wing with leading-edge flaps deflected.

Gloss, B. B.↗

NASA NTRS2021

Go-Around Criteria Refinement for Transport Category Aircraft

Presently, airline pilots are trained to go around if, when lower than 500 ft above the ground, they are outside of a handful of parameters such as airspeed, position, and rate of descent. At times, pilots do not comply with these criteria, perhaps owing to their conservative nature or complexity. This paper examines potential refinements to the continue-to-land decision from the combined results of three flight simulator experiments. Potential refinements include simplifying the number of parameters and lowering the altitude at which pilots make the decision. First, refinements were developed by evaluating pilots’ touchdown performance and qualitative data in a variety of starting and environmental conditions. Second, 30 of those pilots evaluated the refinements under several induced instabilities during the approach. The results showed little difference in touchdown performance when lowering the decision altitude from 500 to 300 ft; however, significant differences arose when the decision altitude was lowered further to 100 ft. The proposed new criteria include assessments of deviations in airspeed and position, no rate-of-descent audio warning, and having an appropriate engine setting at 1000, 500, and 300 ft height above threshold. Additionally, a recommendation is made that if the proposed criteria are not met at the 1000 or 500 ft height above threshold the pilots may make corrections and continue the approach; however, if the criteria are not met at 300 ft, then a go-around should be performed.

stabilized approach criteria↗

NASA NTRS1982

Flight-test verification of a pictorial display for general aviation instrument approach

Results of flight tests of the pictorial "follow me" box display results of the simulator study. The most important item of agreement was the frequency of the vertical and lateral models of motion of the pilot-aircraft-display system, which was 0.4 rad/sec in each study. Successful short, curved, descending approaches, such as are often suggested for use with microwave landing systems, can be executed with the "follow me" box display. Variations of the value of distance from the aircraft to the box were also examined using values of 736 m, 368 m, and 184 m. The results show that successful approaches can be made with all of these values. A sharper final turn and greater precision of position control are obtained with the shorter distance. Deletion of distance measuring equipment from the system was also studies. It was shown that successful approaches can be made with no distance measures included in the system, but the values of distance from the aircraft to the box that can be used are restricted.

Adams, J. J.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Shapes for rotating airfoils

An airfoil which has particular application to the blade or blades of rotor aircraft and aircraft propellers is presented. The airfoil thickness distribution, camber and leading edge radius are shaped to locate the airfoil crest at a more aft position along the chord, and to increase the freestream Mach number at which sonic flow is attained at the airfoil crest. The reduced slope of the airfoil causes a reduction in velocity at the airfoil crest at lift coefficients from zero to the maximum lift coefficient. The leading edge radius is adjusted so that the maximum local Mach number at 1.25 percent chord and at the designed maximum lift coefficient is limited to about 0.48 when the Mach number normal to the leading edge is approximately 0.20. The lower surface leading edge radius is shaped so that the maximum local Mach number at the leading edge is limited to about 0.29 when the Mach number normal to the leading edge is approximately 0.20. The drag divergence Mach number associated with the airfoil is moved to a higher Mach number over a range of lift coefficients resulting in superior aircraft performance.

Bingham, G. J.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Straight Ahead in Microgravity

This joint ESA-NASA study will address adaptive changes in spatial orientation related to the subjective straight ahead, and the use of a vibrotactile sensory aid to reduce perceptual errors. The study will be conducted before and after long-duration expeditions to the International Space Station (ISS) to examine how spatial processing of target location is altered following exposure to microgravity. This project specifically addresses the sensorimotor research gap "What are the changes in sensorimotor function over the course of a mission?" Six ISS crewmembers will be requested to participate in three preflight sessions (between 120 and 60 days prior to launch) and then three postflight sessions on R+0/1 day, R+4 +/-2 days, and R+8 +/-2 days. The three specific aims include: (a) fixation of actual and imagined target locations at different distances; (b) directed eye and arm movements along different spatial reference frames; and (c) the vestibulo-ocular reflex during translation motion with fixation targets at different distances. These measures will be compared between upright and tilted conditions. Measures will then be compared with and without a vibrotactile sensory aid that indicates how far one has tilted relative to the straight-ahead direction. The flight study was been approved by the medical review boards and will be implemented in the upcoming Informed Crew Briefings to solicit flight subject participation. Preliminary data has been recorded on 6 subjects during parabolic flight to examine the spatial coding of eye movements during roll tilt relative to perceived orientations while free-floating during the microgravity phase of parabolic flight or during head tilt in normal gravity. Binocular videographic recordings obtained in darkness allowed us to quantify the mean deviations in gaze trajectories along both horizontal and vertical coordinates relative to the aircraft and head orientations. During some parabolas, a vibrotactile sensory aid provided feedback of body orientation relative to the plane coordinates. RESULTS Both variability and curvature of gaze trajectories increased during roll tilt compared to the upright position. The saccades were less accurate during parabolic flight compared to measurements obtained in normal gravity. Although subjects were instructed to look off in the distance while performing the eye movements, fixation distance varied with vertical gaze direction independent of whether the saccades were made along perceived aircraft or head orientations. The increased errors in gaze trajectories along both perceived orientations during microgravity can be attributed to the otolith's role in spatial coding of eye movements. A change in an individual's egocentric reference might have negative consequences on evaluating the direction of an approaching object or on the accuracy of reaching movements or locomotion. Consequently, investigating how microgravity affects the target location will have theoretical, operational and even clinical implications for future space exploration missions. The use of vibrotactile feedback as a sensorimotor countermeasure is applicable to balance therapy applications for vestibular loss patients and the elderly to mitigate risks due to loss of orientation.

Wood, S. J.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Structural Requirements for Design and Analysis of 25% Scale Subsonic Single Aft Engine (SUSAN) Research Aircraft

The purpose of this paper is to define a set of structural requirements which can be used for conceptual design studies of the Subsonic Single Aft eNgine (SUSAN) aircraft and the early design phases of a quarter scale flight research aircraft. SUSAN presents an architecture for a subsonic regional jet transport aircraft coupling a single turbofan engine to an electrified aircraft propulsion system (EAP). Presented within this paper are a consolidated set of requirements drawn from NASA, FAA (FAR), and non-government structural standards with a focus on loads. An example application of the breakout load tables and the approach for applying existing standards to those configurations is presented for the SUSAN 25% flight research vehicle. Positioning of the turbofan, electric engines, battery and the requirement for the 25% vehicle to be shippable in a cargo box are atypical structural design requirements. Particular focus is given to the primary aircraft structural elements such as the engine/tail mount, fuselage structure, and wing structure.

structures↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Structural Requirements for Design and Analysis of 25% Scale Subsonic Single Aft Engine (SUSAN) Research Aircraft

Structures↗

NASA NTRS1972

Integrated flight controller for light aircraft

Controller-throttle engages spoiler/dive brake system when throttle setting is below a fixed power setting and gradually increases effect of spoiler/dive brake as throttle is moved toward idle position; since action is automatically reversible, a sudden application of power abruptly terminates aerodynamic effects of spoiler/dive brake system.

Olcott, J. W.↗

NASA NTRS1974

The use of an aircraft test stand for VTOL handling qualities studies

The VTOL flight tests stand for testing control concepts on the X-14B VSS aircraft in hover, is described. This stand permits realistic and safe piloted evaluation and checkout of various control systems and of parameter variations within each system to determine acceptability to the pilot. Pilots can use it as a practical training tool to practice procedures and flying techniques and become familiar with the aircraft characteristics. Some examples of test experience are given. The test stand allows the X14B to maneuver in hover from centered position + or - 9.7 deg in roll and + or - 9.3 deg in pitch, about + or - 6 deg in yaw, and + or - 15 cm in vertical translation. The unique vertical free flight freedom enables study of liftoffs and landings with power conditions duplicated. The response on the stand agrees well with that measured in free hovering flight, and pilot comments confirm this.

Pauli, F. A.↗

NASA NTRS1974

An analysis of the impact of cabin floor angle restrictions on L/D for a typical supersonic transport

High floor angles at cruise have been identified as a significant problem facing airline and public acceptance of a supersonic transport. In order to explore the relationship between cruise performances and floor angle, four related wing-fuselage design and integration studies have been conducted. The studies were: (1) a fuselage camber study in which perturbations in the fuselage camber distribution were examined with a baseline wing, (2) a wing optimization study in which wings were optimized for minimum drag at C sub L's less than the design C sub L. These wings were optimized as wing planform camber surfaces alone and evaluated with a baseline fuselage, (3) a second wing optimization study in which wings were optimized for minimum drag at C sub L's less than the design C sub L but for this study the wings were optimized in the presence of the baseline fuselage, and (4) a third wing optimization study in which wings were optimized for minmum drag subject to C sub M constraints designed to produce more positive C sub MO's, thereby reducing trim drag. The studies indicated that it was not possible to both improve the aircraft cruise L/D and substantially reduce the cruise floor angle. The studies did indicate that the cruise floor angle could be reduced by reducing the fuselage incidence relative to the wing, but the reduction in floor angle was accompanied by a substantial reduction in L/D.

Radkey, R. L.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Design procedure for low-drag subsonic airfoils

Airfoil has least amount of drag under given restrictions of boundary layer transition position, lift coefficient, thickness ratio, and Reynolds number based on airfoil chord. It is suitable for use as wing and propeller aircraft sections operating at subsonic speeds and for hydrofoil sections and blades for fans, compressors, turbines, and windmills.

Peterson, J. B.↗

NASA NTRS1980

A three dimensional vortex wake model for missiles at high angles on attack

A three dimensional model for the steady flow past missile and aircraft nose shaped bodies is presented based on augmenting a potential solution with a wake composed of vortex filaments. The vortex positions are determined by the requirement that they, in some sense, align with the flow. The aerodynamic loads on the body are compared with experimental values and used to evaluate the model. The vortex positions compare well with flow visualization results for slender bodies at high angles of attack. The approximations in the wake near the body cause peaks in the force distributions more severe than in the measured values. For given vortex strengths and body attachment points multiple steady vortex positions were not found.

Sheffield, J. S.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Interaction of fan rotor flow with downstream struts

The detailed unsteady pressure field produced on the rotor blades of an axial-flow fan by interaction with downstream struts was investigated. The experimental arrangement was similar to that found in the fan casings of turbofan aircraft engines. Acoustically significant pressure fluctuations were measured on both thy suction and pressure sides of the rotor blades for several positions of the downstream struts. The level of the observed interaction decreased with increased spacing of the struts behind the rotor. An inviscid flow analysis for the disturbance level is compared with trends of the measured results.

Obrien, W. F., Jr.↗