Flight control systems properties and problems, volume 1

This volume contains a delineation of fundamental and mechanization-specific flight control characteristics and problems gleaned from many sources and spanning a period of over two decades. It is organized to present and discuss first some fundamental, generic problems of closed-loop flight control systems involving numerator characteristics (quadratic dipoles, non-minimum phase roots, and intentionally introduced zeros). Next the principal elements of the largely mechanical primary flight control system are reviewed with particular emphasis on the influence of nonlinearities. The characteristics and problems of augmentation (damping, stability, and feel) system mechanizations are then dealt with. The particular idiosyncracies of automatic control actuation and command augmentation schemes are stressed, because they constitute the major interfaces with the primary flight control system and an often highly variable vehicle response

Flight control systems properties and problems. Volume 2: Block diagram compendium

A compendium of stability augmentation system and autopilot block diagrams is presented. Descriptive materials for 48 different types of aircraft systems are provided. A broad representation of the many mechanical approaches which have been used for aircraft control is developed

Stability and control of maneuvering high-performance aircraft

The stability and control of a high-performance aircraft was analyzed, and a design methodology for a departure prevention stability augmentation system (DPSAS) was developed. A general linear aircraft model was derived which includes maneuvering flight effects and trim calculation procedures for investigating highly dynamic trajectories. The stability and control analysis systematically explored the effects of flight condition and angular motion, as well as the stability of typical air combat trajectories. The effects of configuration variation also were examined

Advanced piloted aircraft flight control system design methodology. Volume 1: Knowledge base

The development of a comprehensive and electric methodology for conceptual and preliminary design of flight control systems is presented and illustrated. The methodology is focused on the design stages starting with the layout of system requirements and ending when some viable competing system architectures (feedback control structures) are defined. The approach is centered on the human pilot and the aircraft as both the sources of, and the keys to the solution of, many flight control problems. The methodology relies heavily on computational procedures which are highly interactive with the design engineer. To maximize effectiveness, these techniques, as selected and modified to be used together in the methodology, form a cadre of computational tools specifically tailored for integrated flight control system preliminary design purposes. While theory and associated computational means are an important aspect of the design methodology, the lore, knowledge and experience elements, which guide and govern applications are critical features. This material is presented as summary tables, outlines, recipes, empirical data, lists, etc., which encapsulate a great deal of expert knowledge. Much of this is presented in topical knowledge summaries which are attached as Supplements. The composite of the supplements and the main body elements constitutes a first cut at a a Mark 1 Knowledge Base for manned-aircraft flight control

Design, implementation and flight testing of PIF autopilots for general aviation aircraft

The designs of Proportional-Integrated-Filter (PIF) auto-pilots for a General Aviation (NAVION) aircraft are presented. The PIF autopilot uses the sampled-data regulator and command generator tracking to determine roll select, pitch select, heading select, altitude select and localizer/glideslope capture and hold autopilot modes. The PIF control law uses typical General Aviation sensors for state feedback, command error integration for command tracking, digital complementary filtering and analog prefiltering for sensor noise suppression, a control filter for computation delay accommodation and the incremental form to eliminate trim values in implementation. Theoretical developments described in detail, were needed to combine the sampled-data regulator with command generator tracking for use as a digital flight control system. The digital PIF autopilots are evaluated using closed-loop eigenvalues and linear simulations. The implementation of the PIF autopilots in a digital flight computer using a high order language (FORTRAN) is briefly described. The successful flight test results for each PIF autopilot mode is presented

On-Line Loss of Control Detection Using Wavelets

Wavelet transforms are used for on-line detection of aircraft loss of control. Wavelet transforms are compared with Fourier transform methods and shown to more rapidly detect changes in the vehicle dynamics. This faster response is due to a time window that decreases in length as the frequency increases. New wavelets are defined that further decrease the detection time by skewing the shape of the envelope. The wavelets are used for power spectrum and transfer function estimation. Smoothing is used to tradeoff the variance of the estimate with detection time. Wavelets are also used as front-end to the eigensystem reconstruction algorithm. Stability metrics are estimated from the frequency response and models, and it is these metrics that are used for loss of control detection. A Matlab toolbox was developed for post-processing simulation and flight data using the wavelet analysis methods. A subset of these methods was implemented in real time and named the Loss of Control Analysis Tool Set or LOCATS. A manual control experiment was conducted using a hardware-in-the-loop simulator for a large transport aircraft, in which the real time performance of LOCATS was demonstrated. The next step is to use these wavelet analysis tools for flight test support

Practical optimal flight control system design for helicopter aircraft. Volume 1: Technical Report

A method by which modern and classical theory techniques may be integrated in a synergistic fashion and used in the design of practical flight control systems is presented. A general procedure is developed, and several illustrative examples are included. Emphasis is placed not only on the synthesis of the design, but on the assessment of the results as well

Research in structural and solid mechanics, 1982

Advances in structural and solid mechanics, including solution procedures and the physical investigation of structural responses are discussed

Six Decades of Flight Research: An Annotated Bibliography of Technical Publications of NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, 1946-2006

Titles, authors, report numbers, and abstracts are given for nearly 2900 unclassified and unrestricted technical reports and papers published from September 1946 to December 2006 by the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and its predecessor organizations. These technical reports and papers describe and give the results of 60 years of flight research performed by the NACA and NASA, from the X-1 and other early X-airplanes, to the X-15, Space Shuttle, X-29 Forward Swept Wing, X-31, and X-43 aircraft. Some of the other research airplanes tested were the D-558, phase 1 and 2; M-2, HL-10 and X-24 lifting bodies; Digital Fly-By-Wire and Supercritical Wing F-8; XB-70; YF-12; AFTI F-111 TACT and MAW; F-15 HiDEC; F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle, F-18 Systems Research Aircraft and the NASA Landing Systems Research aircraft. The citations of reports and papers are listed in chronological order, with author and aircraft indices. In addition, in the appendices, citations of 270 contractor reports, more than 200 UCLA Flight System Research Center reports, nearly 200 Tech Briefs, 30 Dryden Historical Publications, and over 30 videotapes are included