Armstrong Flight Research Center Research Technology and Engineering 2017

I am delighted to present this report of accomplishments at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center. Our dedicated innovators possess a wealth of performance, safety, and technical capabilities spanning a wide variety of research areas involving aircraft, electronic sensors, instrumentation, environmental and earth science, celestial observations, and much more. They not only perform tasks necessary to safely and successfully accomplish Armstrong's flight research and test missions but also support NASA missions across the entire Agency. Armstrong's project teams have successfully accomplished many of the nation's most complex flight research projects by crafting creative solutions that advance emerging technologies from concept development and experimental formulation to final testing. We are developing and refining technologies for ultra-efficient aircraft, electric propulsion vehicles, a low boom flight demonstrator, air launch systems, and experimental x-planes, to name a few. Additionally, with our unique location and airborne research laboratories, we are testing and validating new research concepts. Summaries of each project highlighting key results and benefits of the effort are provided in the following pages. Technology areas for the projects include electric propulsion, vehicle efficiency, supersonics, space and hypersonics, autonomous systems, flight and ground experimental test technologies, and much more. Additional technical information is available in the appendix, as well as contact information for the Principal Investigator of each project. I am proud of the work we do here at Armstrong and am pleased to share these details with you. We welcome opportunities for partnership and collaboration, so please contact us to learn more about these cutting-edge innovations and how they might align with your needs

Armstrong Research, Technology, and Engineering Accomplishments 2014

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Aeronautical Engineering: A special bibliography with indexes, supplement 69

This bibliography lists 305 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in March 1976

Armstrong Flight Research Center Research Technology and Engineering Report 2015

I am honored to endorse the 2015 Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Centers Research, Technology, and Engineering Report. The talented researchers, engineers, and scientists at Armstrong are continuing a long, rich legacy of creating innovative approaches to solving some of the difficult problems and challenges facing NASA and the aerospace community.Projects at NASA Armstrong advance technologies that will improve aerodynamic efficiency, increase fuel economy, reduce emissions and aircraft noise, and enable the integration of unmanned aircraft into the national airspace. The work represented in this report highlights the Centers agility to develop technologies supporting each of NASAs core missions and, more importantly, technologies that are preparing us for the future of aviation and space exploration.We are excited about our role in NASAs mission to develop transformative aviation capabilities and open new markets for industry. One of our key strengths is the ability to rapidly move emerging techniques and technologies into flight evaluation so that we can quickly identify their strengths, shortcomings, and potential applications.This report presents a brief summary of the technology work of the Center. It also contains contact information for the associated technologists responsible for the work. Dont hesitate to contact them for more information or for collaboration ideas

A review of modelling and analysis of morphing wings

Morphing wings have a large potential to improve the overall aircraft performances, in a way like natural flyers do. By adapting or optimising dynamically the shape to various flight conditions, there are yet many unexplored opportunities beyond current proof-of-concept demonstrations. This review discusses the most prominent examples of morphing concepts with applications to two and three-dimensional wing models. Methods and tools commonly deployed for the design and analysis of these concepts are discussed, ranging from structural to aerodynamic analyses, and from control to optimisation aspects. Throughout the review process, it became apparent that the adoption of morphing concepts for routine use on aerial vehicles is still scarce, and some reasons holding back their integration for industrial use are given. Finally, promising concepts for future use are identified

Integration of UAS in the civil airworthiness regulatory system: present and future

The last years are witnessing a number of initiatives worldwide devoted to assess the safety levels of the unmanned aircraft. These initiatives are very heterogeneous; some of them are centred in airworthiness aspects while others focus on operations. From the point of view of a potential UAS manufacturer the actual situation is plenty of uncertainties in relation to the regulations to be applied for certifying the design, manufacturing and maintenance, and from the point of view of the potential operator the situation is analogous with respect to operational procedures. In the present work the emphasis is on the manufacturer’s situation. The objective of this work is to clarify the present civil airworthiness regulatory scene by summarizing all the regulatory efforts up to date and preparing a comparative analysis of them. In this comparison, the manned regulations are included too. The most representative state-of-the-art UAS are analyzed from the point of view of the existing and the future regulatory framework. The main aspects to be considered are related to the airworthiness certification (performances, structural design, etc) for which a quantitative comparison is established in order to clarify how the new regulatory framework, mainly based on the conventional aircraft certification codes, will affect future UAS, compared to the existing regulation

Recent Efforts Enabling Martian Rotorcraft Missions

The Mars Helicopter (MH), launching as a part of the Mars 2020 mission, will begin a new era of planetary exploration. Mars research has historically been conducted through landers, rovers, and satellites. As both government and private industries prepare for human exploration of the Martian surface within two decades, more in depth knowledge of what awaits on the surface is critical. Planetary aerial vehicles increase the range of terrain that can be examined, compared to traditional landers and rovers and have more near surface capability than orbiters. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and NASA Ames are currently exploring possibilities for a Mars Science Helicopter (MSH), a second-generation Mars rotorcraft with the capability of conducting science investigations independently of a lander or rover (although this type of vehicle could also be used assist rovers or landers in future missions). Preliminary designs of coaxial-helicopter and hexacopter configurations have targeted the minimum capability of lifting a payload in the range of two to three kilograms with an overall vehicle mass of approximately twenty kilograms. These MSH designs sizes are constrained by the aeroshell dimensions(currently focused on employing legacy Pathfinder or MSL aeroshells), rather than vehicle structural or aeroperformance limitations. Feasibility of the MSH configurations has been investigated considering packaging/deployment, rotor aerodynamics, and structural analysis studies. Initial findings suggest not only the overall feasibility of MSH configurations but also indicate that improvements up to 11.1 times increase in range or 1.3 times increase in hover time might be achievable, even with an additional science payload, compared to the current design of the MH

CM Scale Flapping Wing Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle At Very Low Reynolds Numbers Regime

This dissertation investigates the CM$-$SCALE Flapping Wing of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (FWUAV) that can accommodate nacelles of the scale of current Unmanned Air vehicle (UAV) designs are complex systems and their utilization is still in its infancy. The improving design of unmanned aerial vehicle from previous teams by improving the wings and outer body of bird. So, to potentially improve wing design, a complaint joint mechanism is proposed in order to make wing flapping and provide lift and thrust needed to fly. Also, change the wing design from flat wing to airplane wing by using two different airfoils, NACA 0012 and s1223. For bird\u27s body change the internal body to ensure to contain all internal components and give more space for flapping wings. Concurrently a redesign of the outer shell by making it smoother and lighter will be commensurate with the updated design. In addition, development of an evaluation methodology for the capability of a flapping wing to replication design loads by using computational fluid dynamic CFD by using fluid structure interaction in 2D and 3D analysis. We will investigate the design and analysis of the flapping wing. Specifically, this includes: 1. Review of cm−Scale Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Model and design (a) Investigate flapping Mechanism. (b) Investigate gear mechanism 2. Analysis of flapping wings for MAV (a) Select Airfoils for flapping wing. (b) Analyze Flapping Wings. (c) Make recommendations for Tail design for MAV. (d) Make recommendations for the improved design of MAV body. 3. Development of Finite Element flapping wing Model. (a) 2D computational analysis for Airfoils. i. NACA0012 Airfoil. ii. s1223 Airfoil. (b) 3D computational analysis with different shape of wings. i. Relationship between critical parameters and performance. ii. Design Optimization. Which is new key to make flapping wing close to the nature or real flapping wing, a new wing design inspired from nature exactly from thrush and scaled to our design. Starting from gear design by choose proper gear system. Then redesign the wings to commensurate with new bird. Computational fluid analysis also will used to replicate the loads needed to fly. This is another important area in which the literature is not offering guidance. Addresses the lack of an overview paper in the literature that outlines the challenges of testing a full$-$scale flapping wing Unmanned aerial vehicle onto laminar flow test and suggests research direction to address these challenges. Although conceptual in nature, this contribution is expected to be significant given that it takes experience in the unmanned vehicle industry to determine what challenges matter and need to be addressed. The growth in testing full-scale unmanned air vehicle using a laminar flow test being recent limits the number of people who can offer the perspective needed to suggest a research roadmap

Technology challenges of stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicles

The ever-changing battlefield environment, as well as the emergence of global command and control architectures currently used by armed forces around the globe, requires the use of robust and adaptive technologies integrated into a reliable platform. Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs) aim to integrate such advanced technologies while also increasing the tactical capabilities of combat aircraft. This paper provides a summary of the technical and operational design challenges specific to UCAVs, focusing on high-performance, and stealth designs. After a brief historical overview, the main technology demonstrator programmes currently under development are presented. The key technologies affecting UCAV design are identified and discussed. Finally, this paper briefly presents the main issues related to airworthiness, navigation, and ethical concerns behind UAV/UCAV operations

Development and testing of a variable-spam morphing wing

The present work focuses on the development and validation of a variable-span morphing wing (VSW) to be fitted to a mini UAV. An electro-mechanical actuation mechanism is developed using a simple rack and pinion system. The wing model is designed with the help of graphical CAD/CAE tools and then a full scale model is built for bench testing the strength, power consumption, deployment time and efficiency. The concepts used on the morphing wing for both fixed and moving wing parts are considered simple and effective. Construction methods and materials were evaluated in order to obtain a system as reliable as possible. Still, in future work the VSW structure can be improved by changing some interface components to achieve a smoother deployment. Also, some work is planned on the design optimization code: implementation of a coupled aero-structural analysis model for simultaneous aerodynamic and structural design optimization problems. Main results: deployment times; efficiency.O presente trabalho apresenta o desenvolvimento e ensaio de uma asa de envergadura variável actuada por um sistema electromecânico simples para aplicação no UAV “Olharapo”. Um mecanismo de accionamento electromecânico é desenvolvido com base num sistema de cremalheira e pinhão. O modelo da asa é projectado com a ajuda de ferramentas gráficas CAD / CAE e, em posteriormente, é construído um modelo em escala para ensaios quanto a resistência, consumo de energia, tempo de extensão/retracção e eficiência. Os conceitos utilizados na asa morphing para ambas as partes, fixas e móveis, da asa são consideradas simples e eficazes. Foram avaliados métodos e materiais de construção no intuito de obter um sistema mais fiável e eficaz. Ainda assim, em trabalhos futuros a estrutura VSW pode ser melhorada alterando alguns componentes de interface para conseguir uma actuação mais suave e eficaz. Além disso, é previsto no código de optimização de envergadura capaz de controlar esta em função da velocidade