An investigation of extremely flexible lifting rotors
Planform design method, general characteristics, and aeroelastic stability of flexible lifting rotors
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Planform design method, general characteristics, and aeroelastic stability of flexible lifting rotors
Two closely related methods to obtain estimates of the hourly peak wind at Cape Kennedy were compared by statistical tests. The methods evaluated the Monin-Obukhov stability length and the standard deviation of the hourly observed wind speed, so as to augment the latter quantity by F standard deviations. F is an optimized factor. A third method utilizing an optimized gust factor was also applied to the hourly wind. The latter procedure estimated 2952 peak winds with an rms error of 2.81 knots, an accuracy which was not surpassed by the other methods. Peak ground wind speed data were developed for use in space shuttle design operation analyses.
The standard hydromechanical control modes for TF30-P-3 engine were implemented on a digital process control computer. Programming methods are described, and a method is presented to solve stability problems associated with fast response dynamic loops contained within the exhaust nozzle control. A modification of the exhaust nozzle control to provide for either velocity or position servoactuation systems is discussed. Transient response of the digital control was evaluated by tests on a real time hybrid simulation of the TF30-P-3 engine. It is shown that the deadtime produced by the calculation time delay between sampling and final output is more significant to transient response than the effects associated with sampling rate alone. For the main fuel control, extended update and calculation times resulted in a lengthened transient response to throttle bursts from idle to intermediate with an increase in high pressure compressor stall margin. Extremely long update intervals of 250 msec could be achieved without instability. Update extension for the exhaust nozzle control resulted in a delayed response of the afterburner light-off detector and exhaust nozzle overshoot with resulting fan oversuppression. Long update times of 150 msec caused failure of the control due to a false indication by the blowout detector.
Superalloy for advanced temperature use is suited to cost-saving powder-metallurgy manufacturing methods and has improved phase stability during longtime heating. Wide variety of applications exists where stainless steels are used for oxidation and/or corrosion resistance.
The testing of Darrieus wind turbines has indicated that under certain conditions, serious vibrations of the blades can occur, involving flatwise bending, torsion, and chordwise bending. A theoretical method of predicting the aeroelastic stability of the coupled bending and torsional motion of such blades with a view to determining the cause of these vibrations, and a means of suppressing them was developed.
It is noted that the stability properties of available galactic models are not consistent with presumptions based on observation and that axisymmetric disk systems with velocity dispersions like those of the Galaxy display major changes in form on a dynamical time scale. A report is given on a series of numerical experiments carried out as part of a systematic search for purely self-consistent disk galaxy models that might undergo little change over the time of several galactic rotations. The stability problem is reviewed, the method and calculations used are described, and initial conditions are outlined. The problem of estimating growth rates is discussed, and growth rates are evaluated for various disturbances. Experimental results are presented concerning growths of axisymmetric disturbances in 'cold' systems as well as disturbances with m = 1, 2, and 3. It is found that m = 2 disturbances are the most virulent and should dominate when all m values are allowed, but that the most rapidly growing disturbances are inhibited when several m values are allowed.
The relationship between the Slater-Condon theory and the conditions within the atom as revealed by experimental data was investigated. The first spectrum of Si, Rb, Cl, Br, I, Ne, Ar, and Xe-136 and the second spectrum of As, Cu, and P were determined. Methods for assessing the phase stability of fringe counting interferometers and the design of an autoranging scanning system for digitizing the output of an infrared spectrometer and recording it on magnetic tape are described.
A transfer function design theory for multivariable control synthesis is highlighted. The use of unique transfer function matrices and two simple, basic relationships - a synthesis equation and a design equation - are presented and illustrated. This multivariable transfer function approach provides the designer with a capability to specify directly desired dynamic relationships between command variables and controlled or response variables. At the same time, insight and influence over response, simplifications, and internal stability is afforded by the method. A general, comprehensive multivariable synthesis capability is indicated including nonminmum phase and unstable plants. Gas turbine engine examples are used to illustrate the ideas and method.
A numerical solution to the Navier-Stokes equations was obtained for blunt axisymmetric entry bodies of arbitrary shape in supersonic flow. These equations are solved on a finite difference mesh obtained from a simple numerical technique which generates orthogonal coordinates between arbitrary boundaries. The governing equations are solved in time dependent form using Stetter's improved stability three step predictor corrector method. For the present application, the metric coefficients were obtained numerically using fourth order accurate, finite difference relations and proved to be totally reliable for the highly stretched mesh used to resolve the thin viscous boundary layer. Solutions are obtained for a range of blunt body nose shapes including concavities.
An investigation is conducted regarding the feasibility of approaches for improving the efficiency and stability of existing finite element method (FEM) schemes, taking into account both analytical and numerical studies. Of the four schemes considered for the 'steady' problem, the Hermitian Galerkin formulation appears to be the most efficient and therefore the most suitable scheme for futher full scale implementation. The Hermitian residual least squares (RLS) scheme although comparable in accuracy for the cases considered exhibits a slight tendency to cumulative errors. The performance of both the Lagrangian element schemes considered compares poorly with that of their Hermitian element counterparts. This is particularly true of the Lagrangian RLS scheme. The presence of internal oscillatory components is an inevitable consequence of all Galerkin schemes irrespective of element type.
A transient finite difference wave envelope formulation is presented for sound propagation, without steady flow. Before the finite difference equations are formulated, the governing wave equation is first transformed to a form whose solution tends not to oscillate along the propagation direction. This transformation reduces the required number of grid points by an order of magnitude. Physically, the transformed pressure represents the amplitude of the conventional sound wave. The derivation for the wave envelope transient wave equation and appropriate boundary conditions are presented as well as the difference equations and stability requirements. To illustrate the method, example solutions are presented for sound propagation in a straight hard wall duct and in a two dimensional straight soft wall duct. The numerical results are in good agreement with exact analytical results.
The purpose of the Integrated Sensor System (ISS) Data Enhancement Package (DEP) is to improve the accuracies of the data obtained from the inflight tests performed on aircraft. The DEP is a microprocessor-based, flight-qualified electronics package that assimilates data from a Ring Laser Gyro (RGL) system, a standard NASA air data package, and other inputs. The DEP then processes these inputs in real-time to obtain optimal estimates of the aircraft velocity, attitude, and altitude. These estimates can be passed to the flight crew, downlinked, and/or stored on a mass storage medium. The DEP is now being built for the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. Completion is anticipated in early 1984. A primary use of the ISS/DEP will be for the collection of quality data for the estimation of aircraft aerodynamic coefficients, including stability derivatives, using system identification methods. Initial anticipated applications will be on the AV-8B, F-14, and X-29 test aircraft.
Several unified constitutive models were tested in uniaxial form by specifying input strain histories and comparing output stress histories. The purpose of the tests was to evaluate several time integration methods with regard to accuracy, stability, and computational economy. The sensitivity of the models to slight changes in input constants was also investigated. Results are presented for In100 at 1350 F and Hastelloy-X at 1800 F.
A transient finite difference wave envelope formulation is presented for sound propagation, without steady flow. Before the finite difference equations are formulated, the governing wave equation is first transformed to a form whose solution tends not to oscillate along the propagation direction. This transformation reduces the required number of grid points by an order of magnitude. Physically, the transformed pressure represents the amplitude of the conventional sound wave. The derivation for the wave envelope transient wave equation and appropriate boundary conditions are presented as well as the difference equations and stability requirements. To illustrate the method, example solutions are presented for sound propagation in a straight hard wall duct and in a two dimensional straight soft wall duct. The numerical results are in good agreement with exact analytical results.
A method for predicting the vibrational stability of an aircraft with an analog active aileron flutter suppression system (FSS) is expained. Active aileron refers to the use of an active control system connected to the aileron to damp vibrations. Wing vibrations are sensed by accelerometers and the information is used to deflect the aileron. Aerodynamic force caused by the aileron deflection oppose wing vibrations and effectively add additional damping to the system.
This paper presents an outline of a methodology for the design of nonlinear dynamic compensators for nonlinear multivariable systems with guarantees of closed-loop stability, robustness, and performance. The method is an extension of the Linear-Quadratic-Gaussian with Loop-Transfer-Recovery (LQG/LTR) methodology for linear systems, thus hinging upon the idea of constructing an approximate nonlinear inverse operator for the plant. A major feature of the method is a unification of both the state-space and Input-Output formulations. The major results of the paper are: (1) Properties of the solution of certain optimal control problems; (2) New results on nonlinear estimation, including a new nonlinear observer with certain guaranteed properties; (3) The Loop Operator Recovery (LOR) procedure, and (4) Inclusion of command-following and disturbance rejection with a goal of a closed-loop stable, robust system.
One-leg and multistep discretizations of variable-coefficient linear systems of ODEs having both slow and fast time scales are investigated analytically. The stability properties of these discretizations are obtained independent of ODE stiffness and compared. The results of numerical computations are presented in tables, and it is shown that for large step sizes the stability of one-leg methods is better than that of the corresponding linear multistep methods.
Translocation studies of Lageos laser range data from Quincy and Monument Peak in California observed during 1984-1987 suggest that plate tectonic motion across the San Andreas fault system in the direction of the baseline between the two stations is uniform at a rate of -30(+ or - 3) mm/yr. Changes in the components of the baseline vector were inferred from repeat determinations using the solutions from successive 0.5-year intervals. The changes in the vertical and transverse components of the Quincy-Monument Peak baseline are -0.4(+ or - 5) mm/yr and +14(+ or -5) mm/yr, respectively. The vertical component determinations attest to the height stability of the laser ranging method. Lageos measurements made from Quincy and Monument Peak before 1984 are inaccurate enough to limit their usefulness for plate tectonic studies.