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NASA NTRS1984

On the effect of using the Shapiro filter to smooth winds on a sphere

Spatial differencing schemes which are not enstrophy conserving nor implicitly damping require global filtering of short waves to eliminate the build-up of energy in the shortest wavelengths due to aliasing. Takacs and Balgovind (1983) have shown that filtering on a sphere with a latitude dependent damping function will cause spurious vorticity and divergence source terms to occur if care is not taken to ensure the irrotationality of the gradients of the stream function and velocity potential. Using a shallow water model with fourth-order energy-conserving spatial differencing, it is found that using a 16th-order Shapiro (1979) filter on the winds and heights to control nonlinear instability also creates spurious source terms when the winds are filtered in the meridional direction.

Takacs, L. L.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Experimental Studies of the Interaction Between a Parallel Shear Flow and a Directionally-Solidifying Front

It has long been recognized that flow in the melt can have a profound influence on the dynamics of a solidifying interface and hence the quality of the solid material. In particular, flow affects the heat and mass transfer, and causes spatial and temporal variations in the flow and melt composition. This results in a crystal with nonuniform physical properties. Flow can be generated by buoyancy, expansion or contraction upon phase change, and thermo-soluto capillary effects. In general, these flows can not be avoided and can have an adverse effect on the stability of the crystal structures. This motivates crystal growth experiments in a microgravity environment, where buoyancy-driven convection is significantly suppressed. However, transient accelerations (g-jitter) caused by the acceleration of the spacecraft can affect the melt, while convection generated from the effects other than buoyancy remain important. Rather than bemoan the presence of convection as a source of interfacial instability, Hurle in the 1960s suggested that flow in the melt, either forced or natural convection, might be used to stabilize the interface. Delves considered the imposition of both a parabolic velocity profile and a Blasius boundary layer flow over the interface. He concluded that fast stirring could stabilize the interface to perturbations whose wave vector is in the direction of the fluid velocity. Forth and Wheeler considered the effect of the asymptotic suction boundary layer profile. They showed that the effect of the shear flow was to generate travelling waves parallel to the flow with a speed proportional to the Reynolds number. There have been few quantitative, experimental works reporting on the coupling effect of fluid flow and morphological instabilities. Huang studied plane Couette flow over cells and dendrites. It was found that this flow could greatly enhance the planar stability and even induce the cell-planar transition. A rotating impeller was buried inside the sample cell, driven by an outside rotating magnet, in order to generate the flow. However, it appears that this was not a well-controlled flow and may also have been unsteady. In the present experimental study, we want to study how a forced parallel shear flow in a Hele-Shaw cell interacts with the directionally solidifying crystal interface. The comparison of experimental data show that the parallel shear flow in a Hele-Shaw cell has a strong stabilizing effect on the planar interface by damping the existing initial perturbations. The flow also shows a stabilizing effect on the cellular interface by slightly reducing the exponential growth rate of cells. The left-right symmetry of cells is broken by the flow with cells tilting toward the incoming flow direction. The tilting angle increases with the velocity ratio. The experimental results are explained through the parallel flow effect on lateral solute transport. The phenomenon of cells tilting against the flow is consistent with the numerical result of Dantzig and Chao.

Zhang, Meng↗

NASA NTRS2009

Circuit for Driving Piezoelectric Transducers

The figure schematically depicts an oscillator circuit for driving a piezoelectric transducer to excite vibrations in a mechanical structure. The circuit was designed and built to satisfy application-specific requirements to drive a selected one of 16 such transducers at a regulated amplitude and frequency chosen to optimize the amount of work performed by the transducer and to compensate for both (1) temporal variations of the resonance frequency and damping time of each transducer and (2) initially unknown differences among the resonance frequencies and damping times of different transducers. In other words, the circuit is designed to adjust itself to optimize the performance of whichever transducer is selected at any given time. The basic design concept may be adaptable to other applications that involve the use of piezoelectric transducers in ultrasonic cleaners and other apparatuses in which high-frequency mechanical drives are utilized. This circuit includes three resistor-capacitor networks that, together with the selected piezoelectric transducer, constitute a band-pass filter having a peak response at a frequency of about 2 kHz, which is approximately the resonance frequency of the piezoelectric transducers. Gain for generating oscillations is provided by a power hybrid operational amplifier (U1). A junction field-effect transistor (Q1) in combination with a resistor (R4) is used as a voltage-variable resistor to control the magnitude of the oscillation. The voltage-variable resistor is part of a feedback control loop: Part of the output of the oscillator is rectified and filtered for use as a slow negative feedback to the gate of Q1 to keep the output amplitude constant. The response of this control loop is much slower than 2 kHz and, therefore, does not introduce significant distortion of the oscillator output, which is a fairly clean sine wave. The positive AC feedback needed to sustain oscillations is derived from sampling the current through the piezoelectric transducer. This positive AC feedback, in combination with the slow feedback to the voltage-variable resistors, causes the overall loop gain to be just large enough to keep the oscillator running. The positive feedback loop includes two 16-channel multiplexers, which are not shown in the figure. One multiplexer is used to select the desired piezoelectric transducer. The other multiplexer, which is provided for use in the event that there are significant differences among the damping times of the 16 piezoelectric transducers, facilitates changing the value of one of the resistors in the positive-feedback loop to accommodate the damping time of the selected transducer.

Randall, David P.↗

NASA NTRS1975

An automatic data system for vibration modal tuning and evaluation

A digitally based automatic modal tuning and analysis system developed to provide an operational capability beginning at 0.1 hertz is described. The elements of the system, which provides unique control features, maximum operator visibility, and rapid data reduction and documentation, are briefly described; and the operational flow is discussed to illustrate the full range of capabilities and the flexibility of application. The successful application of the system to a modal survey of the Skylab payload is described. Information about the Skylab test article, coincident-quadrature analysis of modal response data, orthogonality, and damping calculations is included in the appendixes. Recommendations for future application of the system are also made.

Salyer, R. A.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Flap-lag stability data for a small-scale isolated hingeless rotor in forward flight

An isolated, hingeless rotor with discrete flap and lead-lag flexures and relatively rigid blades was tested in the Aeroflightdynamics Directorate's 7- by 10-Foot Wind Tunnel. The lead-lag stability of a structurally simple rotor configuration in forward flight was determined. The model tested had no cyclic pitch control, and was therefore operated untrimmed at several collective pitch angles, at shaft angles from 0 deg to -20 deg, and at advance ratios as high as 0.55. Two inplane natural frequencies, 0.61/rev and 0.72/rev, were tested for configuration both with and without structural flap lag coupling. Concomitant hover testing of the model was also conducted. Representative plots of the frequency and damping data are presented to show general trends, and complete tabular data and model properties information are included for use in detailed correlation exercises. The most prominent feature of the forward flight data is an abrupt increase in damping with advance ratio at certain high-speed, high shaft-angle conditions, with high flapping loads. The hover data are consistent with previous experimental and theoretical results for hingeless rotors without kinematic couplings. Overall, the data quality is very good and the data are expected to be useful in the development and validation of rotor aeroelastic stability analyses.

Mcnulty, Michael J.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Passive Vibration Control of Airborne Equipment using a Circular Steel Ring

Vibration isolation is needed to protect avionics equipment from adverse aircraft vibration environments. Passive isolation is the simplest means to achieve this goal. The system used here consists of a circular steel ring with a lump mass on top and exposed to base excitation. Sinusoidal and filtered zero-mean Gaussian white noise are used to excite the structure and the acceleration response spectra at the top of the ring are computed. An experiment is performed to identify the natural frequencies and modal damping of the circular ring. Comparison is made between the analytical and experimental results and good agreement is observed. The ring response is also evaluated with a concentrated mass attached to the top of the ring. The effectiveness of the ring in isolating the equipment from base excitation is studied. The acceleration response spectra of a single degree of freedom system attached to the top of the ring are evaluated and the results are compared with those exposed directly to the base excitation. It is shown that a properly designed ring could effectively protect the avionics from possible damaging excitation levels.

Ellison, Joseph↗

NASA NTRS1972

Longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of light, twin-engine, propeller-driven airplanes

Representative state-of-the-art analytical procedures and design data for predicting the longitudinal static and dynamic stability and control characteristics of light, propeller-driven airplanes are presented. Procedures for predicting drag characteristics are also included. The procedures are applied to a twin-engine, propeller-driven airplane in the clean configuration from zero lift to stall conditions. The calculated characteristics are compared with wind-tunnel and flight data. Included in the comparisons are level-flight trim characteristics, period and damping of the short-period oscillatory mode, and windup-turn characteristics. All calculations are documented.

Wolowicz, C. H.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Tension waves in tethered satellite cables

A one-degree-of-freedom simulation of the Tethered Satellite System (TSS) was programmed using a distributed system model of the tether based on the one-dimensional wave equation. This model represents the time varying tension profile along the tether as the sum of two traveling waves of tension moving in opposite directions. A control loop was devised which combines a deployment rate command with the measured tension at the deployer to produce a smooth, stable rate of deployment of the subsatellite. Simulation results show a buildup of periodic bursts of high frequency oscillation in tension. This report covers the mathematical modelling and simulation results and explains the reason for the observed oscillations. The design of a possible vibration damping device is discussed.

Lallman, F. J.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Active control of flexural vibrations in beams

An analytical model of the feedback control system which estimates the voltage generated by the piezoelectric sensor as a function of the dynamic stress at the sensor location and the force exerted by the driver piezoelectric as a function of signal gain is developed. The analytical results are compared to measured results for a cantilever beam excited to vibrate in its first natural mode. The estimated increase in the first mode damping factor is in good agreement with the measured results.

Gerhold, Carl H.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Integrated control-structure design of the JPL phase B testbed

Structure and damper optimization problems driven by control objective metrics are developed for the optimal design of a testbed structure emulating a spaceborne interferometer. The structure optimization problem uses a multiobjective criterion to generate a family of optimized design that allows trades to be made between the competing objectives of minimizing structural mass and maximizing disturbance attenuation. The damper optimization problems focus on the placement and tuning of viscous elements to maximally damp selected modes of the testbed structure. The optimization techniques are verified on a large model of the testbed.

Milman, M.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Deployable and retractable telescoping tubular structure development

A new deployable and retractable telescoping boom capable of high deployed stiffness and strength is described. Deployment and retraction functions are controlled by simple, reliable, and fail-safe latches between the tubular segments. The latch and a BI-STEM (Storable Tubular Extendible Member) actuator work together to eliminate the need for the segments to overlap when deployed. This yields an unusually lightweight boom and compact launch configuration. An aluminum space-flight prototype with three joints displays zero structural deadband, low hysteresis, and high damping. The development approach and difficulties are discussed. Test results provide a joint model for sizing flight booms of any diameter and length.

Thomson, M. W.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Six degree of freedom FORTRAN program, ASTP docking dynamics, users guide

The digital program ASTP Docking Dynamics as outlined is intended to aid the engineer using the program to determine the docking system loads and attendant vehicular motion resulting from docking two vehicles that have an androgynous, six-hydraulic-attenuator, guide ring, docking interface similar to that designed for the Apollo/Soyuz Test Project (ASTP). This program is set up to analyze two different vehicle combinations: the Apollo CSM docking to Soyuz and the shuttle orbiter docking to another orbiter. The subroutine modifies the vehicle control systems to describe one or the other vehicle combinations; the rest of the vehicle characteristics are changed by input data. To date, the program has been used to predict and correlate ASTP docking loads and performance with docking test program results from dynamic testing. The program modified for use on IBM 360 computers. Parts of the original docking system equations in the areas of hydraulic damping and capture latches are modified to better describe the detail design of the ASTP docking system.

Mount, G. O., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Optimization of continuous one-dimensional structures under steady harmonic excitation

The paper examines some questions relating to the optimal design of continuous one-dimensional structures driven by harmonically oscillating loads. Optimal-control methods are applied to a cantilever bar driven sinusoidally by an axial force at its tip to illustrate the minimum-weight design of one-dimensional structures under dynamic excitation. Realistic constraints are imposed during the optimizations, including a maximum allowable stress amplitude at any point along the bar and a minimum cross-sectional area. It is shown that in the absence of damping, the design space may contain many disjoint feasible regions, and multiple optima can exist. Detailed solutions are obtained for continuous bars with an excitation frequency less than, and then greater than, the fundamental free-vibration frequency. It is found that above a certain excitation frequency, two or more arcs with different constraints characterize the optimal designs. It is concluded that when more than two different constrained arcs characterize the optimal solution, the continuum approach may be impractical, and finite-element approximations may offer the only alternative.

Johnson, E. H.↗

NASA NTRS1983

The application of parameter estimation to flight measurements to obtain lateral-directional stability derivatives of an augmented jet-flap STOL airplane

Flight experiments with an augmented jet flap STOL aircraft provided data from which the lateral directional stability and control derivatives were calculated by applying a linear regression parameter estimation procedure. The tests, which were conducted with the jet flaps set at a 65 deg deflection, covered a large range of angles of attack and engine power settings. The effect of changing the angle of the jet thrust vector was also investigated. Test results are compared with stability derivatives that had been predicted. The roll damping derived from the tests was significantly larger than had been predicted, whereas the other derivatives were generally in agreement with the predictions. Results obtained using a maximum likelihood estimation procedure are compared with those from the linear regression solutions.

Stephenson, J. D.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Conical Euler analysis and active roll suppression for unsteady vortical flows about rolling delta wings

A conical Euler code was developed to study unsteady vortex-dominated flows about rolling, highly swept delta wings undergoing either forced motions or free-to-roll motions that include active roll suppression. The flow solver of the code involves a multistage, Runge-Kutta time-stepping scheme that uses a cell-centered, finite-volume, spatial discretization of the Euler equations on an unstructured grid of triangles. The code allows for the additional analysis of the free to-roll case by simultaneously integrating in time the rigid-body equation of motion with the governing flow equations. Results are presented for a delta wing with a 75 deg swept, sharp leading edge at a free-stream Mach number of 1.2 and at 10 deg, 20 deg, and 30 deg angle of attack alpha. At the lower angles of attack (10 and 20 deg), forced-harmonic analyses indicate that the rolling-moment coefficients provide a positive damping, which is verified by free-to-roll calculations. In contrast, at the higher angle of attack (30 deg), a forced-harmonic analysis indicates that the rolling-moment coefficient provides negative damping at the small roll amplitudes. A free-to-roll calculation for this case produces an initially divergent response, but as the amplitude of motion grows with time, the response transitions to a wing-rock type of limit cycle oscillation, which is characteristic of highly swept delta wings. This limit cycle oscillation may be actively suppressed through the use of a rate-feedback control law and antisymmetrically deflected leading-edge flaps. Descriptions of the conical Euler flow solver and the free-to roll analysis are included in this report. Results are presented that demonstrate how the systematic analysis of the forced response of the delta wing can be used to predict the stable, neutrally stable, and unstable free response of the delta wing. These results also give insight into the flow physics associated with unsteady vortical flows about delta wings undergoing forced motions and free-to-roll motions, including the active suppression of the wing-rock type phenomenon. The conical Euler methodology developed is directly extend able to three-dimensional calculations.

Lee-Rausch, Elizabeth M.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Comparisons of Predictions of the XB-70-1 Longitudinal Stability and Control Derivatives with Flight Results for Six Flight Conditions

Preliminary correlations of flight-determined and predicted stability and control characteristics of the XB-70-1 reported in NASA TN D-4578 were subject to uncertainties in several areas which necessitated a review of prediction techniques particularly for the longitudinal characteristics. Reevaluation and updating of the original predictions, including aeroelastic corrections, for six specific flight-test conditions resulted in improved correlations of static pitch stability with flight data. The original predictions for the pitch-damping derivative, on the other hand, showed better correlation with flight data than the updated predictions. It appears that additional study is required in the application of aeroelastic corrections to rigid model wind-tunnel data and the theoretical determination of dynamic derivatives for this class of aircraft.

Wolowicz, C. H.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Internal friction in rocks and its relationship to volatiles on the moon

The physical properties of lunar rocks were measured using the vibrating bar technique in order to provide data for interpretation of geophysical results such as those from seismic measurements. The effect of volatiles on the mechanical Q in lunar rocks was studied in addition to the effect of exposing a sample to controlled amounts of those gases most likely to be present in the lunar environment or likely to have been outgassed from the lunar interior. The moderate temperatures to which the sample was exposed during the thermal treatment and the small drop in resonant frequency during the course of the outgassing suggests that there was little change in microfracture density. The frequency, composition and texture dependence of the damping were investigated, to study the loss mechanism.

Tittmann, B. R.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Single-Mode Projection Filters for Modal Parameter Identification for Flexible Structures

Single-mode projection filters are developed for eigensystem parameter identification from both analytical results and test data. Explicit formulations of these projection filters are derived using the orthogonal matrices of the controllability and observability matrices in the general sense. A global minimum optimization algorithm is applied to update the filter parameters by using the interval analysis method. The updated modal parameters represent the characteristics of the test data. For illustration of this new approach, a numerical simulation for the MAST beam structure is shown by using a one-dimensional global optimization algorithm to identify modal frequencies and damping. Another numerical simulation of a ten-mode structure is also presented by using a two-dimensional global optimization algorithm to illustrate the feasibility of the new method. The projection filters are practical for parallel processing implementation.

Huang, Jen-Kuang↗