Design considerations for joints in deployable space truss structures

All of the structures considered for the Control of Flexible Structures (COFS) flight experiments are deployable truss structures and their response will be dominated by the structural response of the joints. To prepare for these experiments some fundamental research work is being conducted in the Structures and Dynamics Division at LaRC which will provide insight into structurally efficient and predictable deployable truss joints. This work involves generic studies of the static and dynamic response of joints as well as the development of analytical models which can be used to predict the response of a large multijointed truss. In addition to the generic joint studies, the research effort encompasses the design and fabrication of a 20-meter long deployable truss beam for laboratory evaluation of its structural characteristics and correlation with developed prediction methods. The experimental results have indicated the importance of attention to detail in the design and fabrication of joints for deployable truss structures. The dimensional relations and material considerations for efficient pin-clevis joints have been outlined. Results of tests on the near-center latch are discussed

Piecewise algebraic surface computation and fairing from a discrete model

This paper describes a constrained fairing method for implicit surfaces defined on a voxelization. This method is suitable for computing a closed smooth surface that approximates an initial set of face connected voxels.Preprin

Exploratory studies of the cruise performance of upper surface blown configurations. Experimental program: Test facilities, model design instrumentation, and lowspeed, high-lift tests

The model hardware, test facilities and instrumentation utilized in an experimental study of upper surface blown configurations at cruise is described. The high speed (subsonic) experimental work, studying the aerodynamic effects of wing nacelle geometric variations, was conducted around semispan model configurations composed of diversified, interchangeable components. Power simulation was provided by high pressure air ducted through closed forebody nacelles. Nozzle geometry was varied across size, exit aspect ratio, exit position and boattail angle. Three dimensional force and two dimensional pressure measurements were obtained at cruise Mach numbers from 0.5 to 0.8 and at nozzle pressure ratios up to about 3.0. The experimental investigation was supported by an analytical synthesis of the system using a vortex lattice representation with first order power effects. Results are also presented from a compatibility study in which a short haul transport is designed on the basis of the aerodynamic findings in the experimental study as well as acoustical data obtained in a concurrent program. High lift test data are used to substantiate the projected performance of the selected transport design

Thermal-structural combined loads design criteria study

A study was conducted to determine methodology for combining thermal structural loads and assessing the effects of the combined loads on the design of a thermal protection system and a hot structure of a high cross range delta wing space shuttle orbiter vehicle. The study presents guidelines for establishing a basis for predicting thermal and pressure environments and for determining limit and ultimate design loads on the vehicle during reentry. Limit trajectories were determined by using dispersions on a representative nominal mission and system parameters expected during the life of the vehicle. Nine chosen locations on the vehicle surface having TPS or hot structures were examined, and weight sensitivity analyses were performed for each location

Advantages of Software Integration from Initial Design through to Production Design

The purposes of this paper are, firstly, to show that Design For Production (DFP) is an important philosophy which cannot be ignored at any stage of design, and secondly, to show that an integrated Design For Production capability is now possible with present-day technology

Application of advanced technologies to small, short-haul transport aircraft (STAT)

The benefits of selected advanced technologies for 19 and 30 passenger, short-haul aircraft were identified. Advanced technologies were investigated in four areas: aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, and ride quality. Configuration sensitivity studies were conducted to show design tradeoffs associated with passenger capacity, cabin comfort level, and design field length

Parametric design and holistic optimisation of post-panamax containerships

The fluctuation of fuel price levels, along with the continuous endeavour of the shipping industry for economic growth and profits has led the shipbuilding industry to explore new designs for various types of merchant ships. Moreover, the introduction of new regulations by the IMO has added further constraints to the ship design process. In this respect, proper use of modern CAD/CAE systems extends the design space, while generating competitive designs in short lead time. This study deals with the parametric design and holistic optimisation of a post-panamax containership. The methodology includes a complete parametric model of a containership’s external and internal geometry, as well as the development and coding of all tools required for the determination of both the design constraints and the efficiency indicators, which are used for evaluating the parametrically generated designs. The second-generation intact stability criteria are taken into consideration in the optimisation process. The set-up multi-objective optimisation problem is solved by use of the genetic algorithms and clear Pareto fronts are generated

Exploratory studies of the cruise performance of upper surface blown configuration: Experimental program, high-speed force tests

The work to develop a wing-nacelle arrangement to accommodate a wide range of upper surface blown configuration is reported. Pertinent model and installation details are described. Data of the effects of a wide range of nozzle geometric variations are presented. Nozzle aspect ratio, boattail angle, and chordwise position are among the parameters investigated. Straight and swept wing configurations were tested across a range of nozzle pressure ratios, lift coefficients, and Mach numbers

Discrete Gaussian Curvature Flow for Piecewise Constant Gaussian Curvature Surface

A method is presented for generating a discrete piecewise constant Gaussian curvature (CGC) surface. An energy functional is first formulated so that its stationary point is the linear Weingarten (LW) surface, which has a property such that the weighted sum of mean and Gaussian curvatures is constant. The CGC surface is obtained using the gradient derived from the first variation of a special type of the energy functional of the LW surface and updating the surface shape based on the Gaussian curvature flow. A filtering method is incorporated to prevent oscillation and divergence due to unstable property of the discretized Gaussian curvature flow. Two techniques are proposed to generate a discrete piecewise CGC surface with preassigned internal boundaries. The step length of Gaussian curvature flow is adjusted by introducing a line search algorithm to minimize the energy functional. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through numerical examples of generating various shapes of CGC surfaces

Rational Generalized Offsets of Rational Surfaces

The rational surfaces and their offsets are commonly used in modeling and manufacturing. The purpose of this paper is to present relationships between rational surfaces and orientation-preserving similarities of the Euclidean 3-space. A notion of a similarity surface offset is introduced and applied to different constructions of rational generalized offsets of a rational surface. It is shown that every rational surface possesses a rational generalized offset. Rational generalized focal surfaces are also studied