Newtonian theory was applied, in this analysis, to the elliptic cone segment at angles of attack and sideslip. Closed form expressions for the aerodynamic coefficients and static stability derivatives were obtained. Expressions for the full and half conic bodies were given and approximate expressions were given for the half cone case. The circular cone results were obtained as a special case of the general results. Comparisons of the theoretical calculations with experimental results at hypersonic speeds were made of the aerodynamic coefficients and static derivatives for several conic segments. Generally, good agreement was observed for specified ranges of fineness ratios and angles of attack. / Master of Science

Delaying stall is always an attractive option in the aerospace industry. The major benefit of delaying stall is increased lift during takeoff and landings as well as during high angle of attack situations. Devices, such as fluidic oscillators, can be integrated into wing flaps to help delay the occurrence of stall by adding energized air to the airflow on the upper surface of the wing flap. The energized air from the oscillator allows the airflow to remain attached to the upper surface of the wing flap. The fluidic oscillator being integrated in this thesis is an active flow control device (AFC). One common method for integrating any device into a wing flap is to remove a section of the flap and mechanically secure the device. A current trend in the aerospace industry is the increased use of fiber-reinforced composites to replace traditional metal components on aircraft. The traditional methods of device integration cause additional complications when applied to composite components as compared to metal components. This thesis proposes an alternative method for integration of the AFC devices, which occurs before the fabrication of wing flaps is completed and they are attached to the aircraft wing. Seven design concepts are created to reduce the complications from using current methods of integration on composite wing flaps. The concepts are based on four design requirements: aerodynamics, manufacturing, maintenance, and structure. Four of the design concepts created are external designs, which place the AFC on the exterior surface of the wing flap in two types of grooved channels. The other three designs place the AFC inside the wing flap skin and are categorized as internal designs. In order for the air exiting the AFC to reach the upper surface of the wing flap, slots are created in the wing flap skin for the internal designs. Within each of the seven design concepts two design variants are created based on foam or ribbed core types. Prototypes were created for all of the external design AFC devices and the side inserted AFC and retaining pieces. Wing flap prototypes were created for the rounded groove straight AFC design, the semi-circular groove with straight AFC, and the side inserted AFC designs. The wing flaps were created using the VARTM process with a vertical layup for the external designs. The rounded groove and semi-circular groove prototypes each went through three generations of prototypes until an acceptable wing flap was created. The side inserted design utilized the lessons learned through each generation of the external design prototypes eliminating the need for multiple generations. The lessons learned through the prototyping process helped refine the designs and determine the ease of manufacturing to be used in the design evaluation. The evaluation of the designs is based on the four design requirements stated above. The assessment of the designs uses two levels of evaluation matrices to determine the most fitting design concept. As a result of the evaluation, all four of the external designs and one of the internal designs are eliminated. The two remaining internal designs' foam core and ribbed variants are compared to establish the final design selection. The vertically inserted AFC foam core design is the most fitting design concept for the integration of an AFC device into a composite wing flap.

Helicopters in forward flight experience complex aerodynamic phenomena to various degrees. In low speed level flight, the vortex wake remains close to the rotor disk and interacts with the rotor blades to give rise to blade vortex interaction phenomena. In high speed flight, compressibility effects dominate leading to the formation of shocks. If the required thrust is high, the combination of high collective pitch and cyclic pitch variations give rise to three-dimensional dynamic stall phenomena. Maneuvers further exacerbate the unsteady airloads and affect rotor and hub design. The strength and durability of the rotor blades and hub components is dependent on accurate estimates of peak-to-peak structural loads. Accurate knowledge of control loads is important for sizing the expensive swash-plate components and assuring long fatigue life. Over the last two decades, computational tools have been developed for modeling rotorcraft aeromechanics. In spite of this progress, loads prediction in unsteady maneuvers which is critical for peak design loads continues to be a challenging task. The primary goal of this research effort is to investigate important physical phenomena that cause severe loads on the rotor in steady flight and in extreme maneuvers. The present work utilizes a hybrid Navier-Stokes/free-wake CFD methodology coupled to a finite element based multi-body dynamics analysis to systematically study steady level and maneuvering flight conditions. Computational results are presented for the UH-60A rotor for a parametric sweep of speed and thrust conditions and correlated with test data at the NFAC Wind Tunnel. Good agreement with test data has been achieved using the current methodology for trim settings and integrated hub loads, torque, and power. Two severe diving turn maneuvers for the UH-60A recorded in the NASA/Army Airloads Flight Tests Database have also been investigated. These maneuvers are characterized by high load factors and high speed flight. The helicopter experiences significant vibration during these maneuvers. Mean and peak-to-peak structural loads and extensive stall phenomena including an advancing side stall phenomena have been captured by the present analyses.

This dissertation describes three aspects of the comprehensive rotorcraft analysis. First, a physics-based methodology for the modeling of hydraulic devices within multibody-based comprehensive models of rotorcraft systems is developed. This newly proposed approach can predict the fully nonlinear behavior of hydraulic devices, and pressure levels in the hydraulic chambers are coupled with the dynamic response of the system. The proposed model evaluates relevant hydraulic quantities such as chamber pressures, orifice flow rates, and pressure relief valve displacements. This model could be used to design lead-lag dampers with desirable force and damping characteristics. The second part of this research is in the area of computational aeroelasticity, in which an interface between computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational structural dynamics (CSD) is established. This interface enables data exchange between CFD and CSD with the goal of achieving accurate airloads predictions. In this work, a loose coupling approach based on the delta-airload method is developed in a finite-element method based multibody dynamics formulation, DYMORE. A loose coupling analysis between a CFD code, OVERFLOW-2, and a CSD program, DYMORE, is performed to validate this aerodynamic interface. The ability to accurately capture the wake structure around a helicopter rotor is crucial for rotorcraft performance analysis. In the third part of this thesis, a new representation of the wake vortex structure based on Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline (NURBS) curves and surfaces is proposed to develop an efficient model for prescribed and free wakes. The proposed formulation has the potential to reduce the computational cost associated with the use of the Helmholtz¡¯s law and the Biot-Savart law when calculating the induced flow field around the rotor. An efficient free wake analysis will considerably decrease the computational cost of comprehensive rotorcraft analysis, making the approach more attractive to routine use in industrial settings.

The unsteady interaction between trailing edge aerodynamic flow control and airfoil motion in pitch and plunge is investigated in wind tunnel experiments using a two degree-of-freedom traverse which enables application of time-dependent external torque and forces by servo motors. The global aerodynamic forces and moments are regulated by controlling vorticity generation and accumulation near the trailing edge of the airfoil using hybrid synthetic jet actuators. The dynamic coupling between the actuation and the time-dependent flow field is characterized using simultaneous force and particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements that are taken phase-locked to the commanded actuation waveform. The effect of the unsteady motion on the model-embedded flow control is assessed in both trajectory tracking and disturbance rejection maneuvers. The time-varying aerodynamic lift and pitching moment are estimated from a PIV wake survey using a reduced order model based on classical unsteady aerodynamic theory. These measurements suggest that the entire flow over the airfoil readjusts within 2-3 convective time scales, which is about two orders of magnitude shorter than the characteristic time associated with the controlled maneuver of the wind tunnel model. This illustrates that flow-control actuation can be typically effected on time scales that are commensurate with the flow's convective time scale, and that the maneuver response is primarily limited by the inertia of the platform.

Asymmetric bending is explored as a means of inducing bend-twist coupling in an isotropic, fixed-wing airfoil. An analytical model describing the bend-twist coupling behavior of a constant-section airfoil undergoing steady wind loading is derived from Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, and evaluated over a range of structural and material stiffness. Finite element analysis is carried out in the ANSYS Parametric Design Language environment for an asymmetric, two-dimensional beam. Three-dimensional finite element analysis is carried out for two candidate blade models created in Pro/Engineer based on the NACA 64618 airfoil. Deformation results for the two- and three-dimensional finite element models are compared with analytical solutions. Results of this investigation highlight the dependency between the cross-sectional properties of a spar support and its tendency to exhibit twist-coupling under transverse loading.

Damages during extreme wind events highlight the weaknesses of mechanical fasteners at the roof-to-wall connections in residential timber frame buildings. The allowable capacity of the metal fasteners is based on results of unidirectional component testing that do not simulate realistic tri-axial aerodynamic loading effects. The first objective of this research was to simulate hurricane effects and study hurricane-structure interaction at full-scale, facilitating better understanding of the combined impacts of wind, rain, and debris on inter-component connections at spatial and temporal scales. The second objective was to evaluate the performance of a non-intrusive roof-to-wall connection system using fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) materials and compare its load capacity to the capacity of an existing metal fastener under simulated aerodynamic loads. The Wall of Wind (WoW) testing performed using FRP connections on a one-story gable-roof timber structure instrumented with a variety of sensors, was used to create a database on aerodynamic and aero-hydrodynamic loading on roof-to-wall connections tested under several parameters: angles of attack, wind-turbulence content, internal pressure conditions, with and without effects of rain. Based on the aerodynamic loading results obtained from WoW tests, sets of three force components (tri-axial mean loads) were combined into a series of resultant mean forces, which were used to test the FRP and metal connections in the structures laboratory up to failure. A new component testing system and test protocol were developed for testing fasteners under simulated tri-axial loading as opposed to uni-axial loading. The tri-axial and uni-axial test results were compared for hurricane clips. Also, comparison was made between tri-axial load capacity of FRP and metal connections. The research findings demonstrate that the FRP connection is a viable option for use in timber roof-to-wall connection system. Findings also confirm that current testing methods of mechanical fasteners tend to overestimate the actual load capacities of a connector. Additionally, the research also contributes to the development a new testing protocol for fasteners using tri-axial simultaneous loads based on the aerodynamic database obtained from the WoW testing.

<p>The first force and moment measurements were conducted in the BAM6QT. Three 7-degree half-angle sharp cones were tested, one with base radius of 4.5 in. and two with base radius of 3.5 in. made out of different materials. Models were tested at 0 and 2 degrees angle of attack. Models were tested over a range of burst pressures and Reynolds numbers. Models were fitted onto a strain gauge, 6 component, internal, moment balance. Multiple assemblies were tested that mounted the balance in the BAM6QT. High-speed schlieren video was used to monitor flow conditions and track the movement of the tunnel and model. Three entries were performed in the BAM6QT. The improvement in data quality with each new entry is shown and the startup and running loads from entry 3 are analyzed.</p> <p>Startup loads were measured and are of importance in determining the load range needed to operate in the BAM6QT. Large startup loads up to 40X the running load were identified. Tunnel movement was measured and was used to approximate the inertial loading during startup and the run. The inertial loading was not found to be the cause of the large startup loads. Schlieren video was used to qualitatively review the startup flow. It was found the large startup loads in axial force were plausibly from the high-pressure subsonic flow evacuating the nozzle. For normal force and pitching moment, the startup loads peak at a different time than axial force and appear to be from a shock-shock interaction nearby the model. Trends in startup load with changing model geometry, AoA, and burst pressure were put together to form an empirical estimation for startup loads sharp cones. </p> <p>Running loads were profiled and found to be trending with burst pressure and model geometry similarly to Newtonian flow theory predictions. However, due to the lack of a base pressure measurement, the results are uncorrected for sting effects and differ from Newtonian flow theory by a scalar. A 5.3 Hz oscillation in axial force was identified. The frequency of the oscillation is the same as the frequency of the quasi-steady flow periods caused by the reflection of the expansion fan in the driver tube. Normal force during the running load was found to be measuring positive loads when at 0 degrees angle of attack. Both the axial and normal force phenomena were unexpected and were investigated but both require further research. </p> <p><br></p> <p><br></p> <p><br></p> <p><br></p>

Engineers have long been inspired by nature's flyers. Such animals navigate complex environments gracefully and efficiently by using a variety of evolutionary adaptations for high-performance flight. Biologists have discovered a variety of sensory adaptations that provide flow state feedback and allow flying animals to feel their way through flight. A specialized skeletal wing structure and plethora of robust, adaptable sensory systems together allow nature's flyers to adapt to myriad flight conditions and regimes. In this work, motivated by biology and the successes of bio-inspired, engineered aerial vehicles, linear quadratic control of a flexible, morphing wing design is investigated, helping to pave the way for truly autonomous, mission-adaptive craft. The proposed control algorithm is demonstrated to morph a wing into desired positions. Furthermore, motivated specifically by the sensory adaptations organisms possess, this work transitions to an investigation of aircraft wing load identification using structural response as measured by distributed sensors. A novel, recursive estimation algorithm is utilized to recursively solve the inverse problem of load identification, providing both wing structural and aerodynamic states for use in a feedback control, mission-adaptive framework. The recursive load identification algorithm is demonstrated to provide accurate load estimate in both simulation and experiment. / Graduation date: 2012

This diploma work considers conceptual design of aircraft in accordance in FAR 103 regulation. On the base of statistical dates has been made basic geometrical and aero-dynamical concept of a single occupant aircraft. For conception have been chosen optimal driving force and bases calculations of the load pressure and dimensions are included.