On coupled systems
Coupled systems stability and oscillatory behavior analysis using Liapunov theory
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Coupled systems stability and oscillatory behavior analysis using Liapunov theory
Thermal imbalance effect on stellar pulsational stability using linear quasi-adiabatic pulsation theory
VTOL aircraft stability augmentation system design based on control theory state variable methods, using minimum power levels
The problem of the stability of a three-dimensional crack is analyzed within a lattice-statics approximation. The consequence of introducing a jog into the crack face as well as the effects of various nonlinear-force laws are studied. The phenomenon of lattice trapping (upper and lower bounds on the applied stress for an equilibrium crack of given length) is again obtained. It is possible to obtain some physical insight into which aspects of the force law are critical for crack stability. In particular, the inadequacy of a thermodynamic approach - which relates the critical stress to a surface energy corresponding to the area under the cohesive-force-vs-displacement curve - is demonstrated. Surface energy is a global property of the cohesive-force law. Crack stability is sensitive to much more refined aspects of the cohesive-force law. Crack healing is sensitive to the long-range portion of the cohesive force. Crack expansion is sensitive to the position of the maximum in the cohesive-force relation.
A control system design approach for optimal stability augmentation, systems, using limited state feedback theory with the specific inclusion of the human pilot in the loop is presented. The methodology is especially suitable for application to flight vehicles exhibiting nonconventional dynamic characteristics and for which quantitative handling qualities specifications are not available. The design is based on a correlation between pilot ratings and objective function of the optimal control model of the human pilot. Simultaneous optimization for augmentation and pilot gains are required.
The classical theory of flight dynamics for airplane longitudinal stability and control analysis was extended to the case of a hypervelocity reentry vehicle. This includes the elements inherent in supersonic and hypersonic flight such as the influence of the Mach number on aerodynamic characteristics, and the effect of the reaction control system and aerodynamic controls on the trim condition through a wide range of speed. Phugoid motion and angle of attack oscillation for typical cases of cruising flight, ballistic entry, and glide entry are investigated. In each case, closed form solutions for the variations in altitude, flight path angle, speed and angle of attack are obtained. The solutions explicitly display the influence of different regions design parameters and trajectory variables on the stability of the motion.
The relationships between elevon deflection and static margin using elements from static and dynamic stability and control and from classical control theory are emphasized. Expressions are derived and presented for calculating elevon deflections required to trim the vehicle in lg straight-and-level flight and to perform specified longitudinal and lateral maneuvers. Applications of this methodology are made at several flight conditions for the ARW-2 wing. On the basis of these applications, it appears possible to trim and maneuver the vehicle with the existing elevons at -15% static margin.
The use of modern control theory to develop a high-authority stability and control system for the next generation transport aircraft is described with examples taken from work performed on an advanced pitch active control system (PACS). The PACS was configured to have short-period and phugoid modes frequency and damping characteristics within the shaded S-plane areas, column force gradients with set bounds and with constant slope, and a blended normal-acceleration/pitch rate time history response to a step command. Details of the control law, feedback loop, and modal control syntheses are explored, as are compensation for the feedback gain, the deletion of the velocity signal, and the feed-forward compensation. Scheduling of the primary and secondary gains are discussed, together with control law mechanization, flying qualities analyses, and application on the L-1011 aircraft.
A brief manual control test and a decision strategy were developed, laboratory tested, and field validated which provide a means for detecting human operator impairment from alcohol or other drugs. The test requires the operator to stabilize progressively unstable controlled element dynamics. Control theory and experimental data verify that the human operator's control ability on this task is constrained by basic cybernetic characteristics, and that task performance is reliably affected by impairment effects on these characteristics. Assessment of human operator control ability is determined by a statistically based decision strategy. The operator is allowed several chances to exceed a preset pass criterion. Procedures are described for setting the pass criterion based on individual ability and a desired unimpaired failure rate. These procedures were field tested with apparatus installed in automobiles that were designed to discourage drunk drivers from operating their vehicles. This test program demonstrated that the control task and detection strategy could be applied in a practical setting to screen human operators for impairment in their basic cybernetic skills.
An active control law is synthesized to raise the flutter dynamic pressure boundary of an active flexible wing wind tunnel model. The multi-input/multi-output controller has a two-degree-of-freedom structure consisting of: (1) an output dynamic compensator selected to assign system invariant zeros to shape the multivariable root loci, and (2) an output gain feedback controller, based on eigensystem assignment theory, using the compensator augmented system to stabilize the flutter mode and optimize a specified performance index. Evaluation of a digital implementation of a constant gain controller in a general batch simulation of the system reveals that the feedback system is stable over a dynamic pressure range of 50-400 psf, indicating robustness of design to dynamic pressure variations.
The objective is to develop active model-independent controllers for slewing and vibration control of nonlinear multibody flexible systems, including flexible robots. The topics are presented in viewgraph form and include: passive stabilization; work-energy rate principle; Liapunov theory; displacement feedback; dynamic controller; displacement and acceleration feedback; velocity feedback; displacement feedback; physical interaction; a 6-DOF robot; and simulation results.
A generic mathematical model that is capable of accurately modeling the multiple load path bearingless rotor blade is developed. A comprehensive, finite element based solution for the natural vibration of the rotor blade is developed. An iterative scheme based on harmonic balance is used to evaluate the nonlinear response of the rotor to control inputs and a Newton-Raphson procedure is employed to evaluate the trim of rotorcraft. Linearized perturbation model of the nonlinear system are presented. The model is validated by comparing with existing whirl tower, wind tunnel and flight test results of BMR/BO-105 helicopter. Frequencies of two bearingless rotor blades compare well with results from experiments. Nonlinear response and trim results are presented for the bearingless BMR/BO-105 rotor. Aeroelastic stability in forward flight, evaluated using floquet theory agrees with test data in general.
Investigations carried out for revisiting homogeneous turbulent flows in the presence of mean shear, rotation, or external compression are summarized. The simplest and most concise RDT (Rapid Distortion Theory) formulation, which includes a comprehensive linear stability analysis, is used for this purpose. Such a linear approach could be extended by a generalized EDQNM (Eddy Damped Quasi-Normal Markovian) to two point closure in order to model non-linear interactions, especially when pure Coriolis effects are present. The results are discussed in connection with databases obtained by DNS (Direct Numerical Simulations), including previous Center for Turbulence Research (CTR) results and new calculations in progress. The main goal is to contribute to and significantly improve on the rational one-point closure models in progress at the CTR and at Ecole Centrale de Lyon (ECL).
Available theories and test data on buckling of curved plates and shells are reviewed. For torsion and external-pressure loadings, the test data are correlated in terms of linear buckling theories for both the elastic and inelastic ranges. The cases which exhibit a marked disagreement between linear theory and test data include those of curved plates and cylinders under axial compression, cylinders under bending, and spherical plates under external pressure. These cases have been analyzed by a unified semiempirical approach for both the elastic and inelastic ranges which is satisfactory for analysis and design purposes. The effects of internal pressure on buckling of elements under uniaxial loads are discussed and data on various combined loadings are presented in interaction form. (author)
Available theories on failure of flat plates are reviewed, and test data on the postbuckling behavior, effective width, and failure of flat curved plates are correlated. Test data on the crippling strength of various formed and extruded shapes are reviewed, from which a generalized method of crippling analysis is formulated. This analysis is then applied to a variety of sections and materials in common use.
This report presents the results of an investigation conducted in the Langley free-flight tunnel to determine the effects of large artificial variations of several rotary lateral-stability derivatives on the dynamic lateral stability and control characteristics of a 45 degree sweptback-wing airplane model. Calculations of the period and damping of the lateral motions and of the response to roll and yaw disturbances were made for correlation with the experimental results. The calculated results were in qualitative agreement with the experimental results in predicting the general trends in flight characteristics produced by large changes in the stability derivatives, but in some cases the theory with the assumption of zero lag was not in good quantitative agreement with the experimental results.
The Final Technical Report on linear and non-linear studies of Alfven waves in space is presented. Areas of research included relaxation of magnetotail plasmas with field-aligned currents; the equilibrium dayside magnetosphere; macroscale particle simulation of kinetic Alfven wave physics; ballooning stability of plasmas with sheared equilibrium flows; theory of the drift-mirror instability; collisionless tearing instability in magnetotail plasmas; and nonadiabatic behavior of the magnetic moment of a charged particle in a dipole magnetic field and the development of stochastic webs.
Turbulent premixed flame propagation is essential in many practical devices. In the past, fundamental and modeling studies of propagating flames have generally focused on turbulent flame propagation in mixtures of homogeneous composition, i.e. a mixture where the fuel-oxidizer mass ratio, or equivalence ratio, is uniform. This situation corresponds to the ideal case of perfect premixing between fuel and oxidizer. In practical situations, however, deviations from this ideal case occur frequently. In stratified reciprocating engines, fuel injection and large-scale flow motions are fine-tuned to create a mean gradient of equivalence ratio in the combustion chamber which provides additional control on combustion performance. In aircraft engines, combustion occurs with fuel and secondary air injected at various locations resulting in a nonuniform equivalence ratio. In both examples, mean values of the equivalence ratio can exhibit strong spatial and temporal variations. These variations in mixture composition are particularly significant in engines that use direct fuel injection into the combustion chamber. In this case, the liquid fuel does not always completely vaporize and mix before combustion occurs, resulting in persistent rich and lean pockets into which the turbulent flame propagates. From a practical point of view, there are several basic and important issues regarding partially premixed combustion that need to be resolved. Two such issues are how reactant composition inhomogeneities affect the laminar and turbulent flame speeds, and how the burnt gas temperature varies as a function of these inhomogeneities. Knowledge of the flame speed is critical in optimizing combustion performance, and the minimization of pollutant emissions relies heavily on the temperature in the burnt gases. Another application of partially premixed combustion is found in the field of active control of turbulent combustion. One possible technique of active control consists of pulsating the fuel flow rate and thereby modulating the equivalence ratio (Bloxsidge et al. 1987). Models of partially premixed combustion would be extremely useful in addressing all these questions related to practical systems. Unfortunately, the lack of a fundamental understanding regarding partially premixed combustion has resulted in an absence of models which accurately capture the complex nature of these flames. Previous work on partially premixed combustion has focused primarily on laminar triple flames. Triple flames correspond to an extreme case where fuel and oxidizer are initially totally separated (Veynante et al. 1994 and Ruetsch et al. 1995). These flames have a nontrivial propagation speed and are believed to be a key element in the stabilization process of jet diffusion flames. Different theories have also been proposed in the literature to describe a turbulent flame propagating in a mixture with variable equivalence ratio (Muller et al. 1994), but few validations are available. The objective of the present study is to provide basic information on the effects of partial premixing in turbulent combustion. In the following, we use direct numerical simulations to study laminar and turbulent flame propagation with variable equivalence ratio.