1,721 research outputs found
Commentary on Space Propulsion Activities
Space propulsion systems required to launch large payloads - General commentar
Modular space station phase B extension period executive summary
A narrative summary is presented of technical, programmatic, and planning information developed during the space station definition study extension period. The modular space station is emphasized, but tasks pertaining to shuttle sorties missions and information management advanced development are included. A series of program options considering technical, schedule, and programmatic alternatives to the baseline program are defined and evaluated
Structural optimization of framed structures using generalized optimality criteria
The application of a generalized optimality criteria to framed structures is presented. The optimality conditions, Lagrangian multipliers, resizing algorithm, and scaling procedures are all represented as a function of the objective and constraint functions along with their respective gradients. The optimization of two plane frames under multiple loading conditions subject to stress, displacement, generalized stiffness, and side constraints is presented. These results are compared to those found by optimizing the frames using a nonlinear mathematical programming technique
Simultaneous structural and control optimization via linear quadratic regulator eigenstructure assignment
A method for simultaneous structural and control design of large flexible space structures (LFSS) to reduce vibration generated by disturbances is presented. Desired natural frequencies and damping ratios for the closed loop system are achieved by using a combination of linear quadratic regulator (LQR) synthesis and numerical optimization techniques. The state and control weighing matrices (Q and R) are expressed in terms of structural parameters such as mass and stiffness. The design parameters are selected by numerical optimization so as to minimize the weight of the structure and to achieve the desired closed-loop eigenvalues. An illustrative example of the design of a two bar truss is presented
Ariel - Volume 3 Number 2
Editors
Richard J. Bonanno
Robin A. Edwards
Associate Editors
Steven Ager
Stephen Flynn
Tom Williams
Lay-out Editor
Eugenia Miller
Contributing Editors
Paul Bialas
Milton Packer
Robert Breckenridge
Lynne Porter
Mark Pearlman
Terry Burt
Mike Leo
Editors Emeritus
Delvyn C. Case, Jr.
Paul M. Fernhof
Suppression of biodynamic interference in head-tracked teleoperation
The utility of helmet-tracked sights to provide pointing commands for teleoperation of cameras, lasers, or antennas in aircraft is degraded by the presence of uncommanded, involuntary heat motion, referred to as biodynamic interference. This interference limits the achievable precision required in pointing tasks. The noise contributions due to biodynamic interference consists of an additive component which is correlated with aircraft vibration and an uncorrelated, nonadditive component, referred to as remnant. An experimental simulation study is described which investigated the improvements achievable in pointing and tracking precision using dynamic display shifting in the helmet-mounted display. The experiment was conducted in a six degree of freedom motion base simulator with an emulated helmet-mounted display. Highly experienced pilot subjects performed precision head-pointing tasks while manually flying a visual flight-path tracking task. Four schemes using adaptive and low-pass filtering of the head motion were evaluated to determine their effects on task performance and pilot workload in the presence of whole-body vibration characteristic of helicopter flight. The results indicate that, for tracking tasks involving continuously moving targets, improvements of up to 70 percent can be achieved in percent on-target dwelling time and of up to 35 percent in rms tracking error, with the adaptive plus low-pass filter configuration. The results with the same filter configuration for the task of capturing randomly-positioned, stationary targets show an increase of up to 340 percent in the number of targets captured and an improvement of up to 24 percent in the average capture time. The adaptive plus low-pass filter combination was considered to exhibit the best overall display dynamics by each of the subjects
Scattering in Multilayered Structures: Diffraction from a Nanohole
The spectral expansion of the Green's tensor for a planar multilayered
structure allows us to semi analytically obtain the angular spectrum
representation of the field scattered by an arbitrary dielectric perturbation
present in the structure. In this paper we present a method to find the
expansion coefficients of the scattered field, given that the electric field
inside the perturbation is available. The method uses a complete set of
orthogonal vector wave functions to solve the structure's vector wave equation.
In the two semi-infinite bottom and top media, those vector wave functions
coincide with the plane-wave basis vectors, including both propagating and
evanescent components. The technique is used to obtain the complete angular
spectrum of the field scattered by a nanohole in a metallic film under Gaussian
illumination. We also show how the obtained formalism can easily be extended to
spherically and cylindrically multilayered media. In those cases, the expansion
coefficients would multiply the spherical and cylindrical vector wave
functions.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
Eigenvalue routines in NASTRAN: A comparison with the Block Lanczos method
The NASA STRuctural ANalysis (NASTRAN) program is one of the most extensively used engineering applications software in the world. It contains a wealth of matrix operations and numerical solution techniques, and they were used to construct efficient eigenvalue routines. The purpose of this paper is to examine the current eigenvalue routines in NASTRAN and to make efficiency comparisons with a more recent implementation of the Block Lanczos algorithm by Boeing Computer Services (BCS). This eigenvalue routine is now available in the BCS mathematics library as well as in several commercial versions of NASTRAN. In addition, CRAY maintains a modified version of this routine on their network. Several example problems, with a varying number of degrees of freedom, were selected primarily for efficiency bench-marking. Accuracy is not an issue, because they all gave comparable results. The Block Lanczos algorithm was found to be extremely efficient, in particular, for very large size problems
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