10,522 research outputs found
Energy efficient transport technology: Program summary and bibliography
The Energy Efficient Transport (EET) Program began in 1976 as an element of the NASA Aircraft Energy Efficiency (ACEE) Program. The EET Program and the results of various applications of advanced aerodynamics and active controls technology (ACT) as applicable to future subsonic transport aircraft are discussed. Advanced aerodynamics research areas included high aspect ratio supercritical wings, winglets, advanced high lift devices, natural laminar flow airfoils, hybrid laminar flow control, nacelle aerodynamic and inertial loads, propulsion/airframe integration (e.g., long duct nacelles) and wing and empennage surface coatings. In depth analytical/trade studies, numerous wind tunnel tests, and several flight tests were conducted. Improved computational methodology was also developed. The active control functions considered were maneuver load control, gust load alleviation, flutter mode control, angle of attack limiting, and pitch augmented stability. Current and advanced active control laws were synthesized and alternative control system architectures were developed and analyzed. Integrated application and fly by wire implementation of the active control functions were design requirements in one major subprogram. Additional EET research included interdisciplinary technology applications, integrated energy management, handling qualities investigations, reliability calculations, and economic evaluations related to fuel savings and cost of ownership of the selected improvements
A system for aerodynamic design and analysis of supersonic aircraft. Part 3: Computer program description
The computer program documentation for the design and analysis of supersonic configurations is presented. Schematics and block diagrams of the major program structure, together with subroutine descriptions for each module are included
Aerodynamic design and analysis system for supersonic aircraft. Part 2: User's manual
An integrated system of computer programs for supersonic configurations is described. An explanation of system usage, the input definitions, and example output are included. For Part 1, see N75-18185; for Part 3, see N75-18186
A computational system for aerodynamic design and analysis of supersonic aircraft. Part 2: User's manual
An integrated system of computer programs was developed for the design and analysis of supersonic configurations. The system uses linearized theory methods for the calculation of surface pressures and supersonic area rule concepts in combination with linearized theory for calculation of aerodynamic force coefficients. Interactive graphics are optional at the user's request. This user's manual contains a description of the system, an explanation of its usage, the input definition, and example output
A computational system for aerodynamic design and analysis of supersonic aircraft. Part 3: Computer program description
For abstract, see Vol. 1
Photometric compliance of tablet screens and retro-illuminated acuity charts as visual acuity measurement devices
Mobile technology is increasingly used to measure visual acuity. Standards for chart-based acuity tests specify photometric requirements for luminance, optotype contrast and luminance uniformity. Manufacturers provide some photometric data but little is known about tablet performance for visual acuity testing. This study photometrically characterised seven tablet computers (iPad, Apple inc.) and three ETDRS (Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study) visual acuity charts with room lights on and off, and compared findings with visual acuity measurement standards. Tablet screen luminance and contrast were measured using nine points across a black and white checkerboard test screen at five arbitrary brightness levels. ETDRS optotypes and adjacent white background luminance and contrast were measured. All seven tablets (room lights off) exceeded the most stringent requirement for mean luminance (≥ 120 cd/m2) providing the nominal brightness setting was above 50%. All exceeded contrast requirement (Weber ≥ 90%) regardless of brightness setting, and five were marginally below the required luminance uniformity threshold (Lmin/Lmax ≥ 80%). Re-assessing three tablets with room lights on made little difference to mean luminance or contrast, and improved luminance uniformity to exceed the threshold. The three EDTRS charts (room lights off) had adequate mean luminance (≥ 120 cd/m2) and Weber contrast (≥ 90%), but all three charts failed to meet the luminance uniformity standard (Lmin/Lmax ≥ 80%). Two charts were operating beyond manufacturer’s recommended lamp replacement schedule. With room lights on, chart mean luminance and Weber contrast increased, but two charts still had inadequate luminance uniformity. Tablet computers showed less inter-device variability, higher contrast, and better luminance uniformity than charts in both lights-on and lights-off environments, providing brightness setting was >50%. Overall, iPad tablets matched or marginally out-performed ETDRS charts in terms of photometric compliance with high contrast acuity standards
The Stability of an Isotropic Cosmological Singularity in Higher-Order Gravity
We study the stability of the isotropic vacuum Friedmann universe in gravity
theories with higher-order curvature terms of the form
added to the Einstein-Hilbert Lagrangian of general relativity on approach to
an initial cosmological singularity. Earlier, we had shown that, when ,
a special isotropic vacuum solution exists which behaves like the
radiation-dominated Friedmann universe and is stable to anisotropic and small
inhomogeneous perturbations of scalar, vector and tensor type. This is
completely different to the situation that holds in general relativity, where
an isotropic initial cosmological singularity is unstable in vacuum and under a
wide range of non-vacuum conditions. We show that when , although a
special isotropic vacuum solution found by Clifton and Barrow always exists, it
is no longer stable when the initial singularity is approached. We find the
particular stability conditions under the influence of tensor, vector, and
scalar perturbations for general for both solution branches. On approach to
the initial singularity, the isotropic vacuum solution with scale factor
is found to be stable to tensor perturbations for and stable to vector perturbations for , but is
unstable as otherwise. The solution with scale factor
is not relevant to the case of an initial singularity for
and is unstable as for all for each type of perturbation.Comment: 25 page
Supersonic aircraft Patent
Design of supersonic aircraft with novel fixed, swept wing planfor
Global stability analysis of birhythmicity in a self-sustained oscillator
We analyze global stability properties of birhythmicity in a self-sustained
system with random excitations. The model is a multi-limit cycles variation of
the van der Pol oscillatorintroduced to analyze enzymatic substrate reactions
in brain waves. We show that the two frequencies are strongly influenced by the
nonlinear coefficients and . With a random excitation, such as
a Gaussian white noise, the attractor's global stability is measured by the
mean escape time from one limit-cycle. An effective activation energy
barrier is obtained by the slope of the linear part of the variation of the
escape time versus the inverse noise-intensity 1/D. We find that the
trapping barriers of the two frequencies can be very different, thus leaving
the system on the same attractor for an overwhelming time. However, we also
find that the system is nearly symmetric in a narrow range of the parameters.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures, to appear on Choas, 201
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