“定制”与“广义”概念下的指尖密封结构优化

 为了获得高性能的指尖密封结构型式，根据指尖密封的结构组成特点，提出了“定制”型线和“广义”型线概念下的指尖密封结构优化策略，以及反映指尖密封基本组成特征和具有“单元叠加”功能的最小优化单元。通过采用统一优化法和分步优化法对两类指尖密封结构的多目标优化问题进行了优化分析，研究结果表明，“定制”型线指尖密封结构优化和 “广义”型线指尖密封结构优化的策略和方法，可以达到同步降低指尖密封迟滞率和综合刚度的多目标优化目标，是获得具有良好综合性能的指尖密封结构的有效途径。从工程意义上讲，“广义”型线指尖密封结构优化技术更具选择指尖密封性能优化取向和程度的优势。     

The case for like-sensor predetection fusion

There has been a great deal of theoretical study into decentralized detection networks composed of similar (often identical), independent sensors, and this has produced a number of satisfying theoretical results. At this point it is perhaps worth asking whether or not there is a great deal of point to such study-certainly two sensors can provide twice the illumination of one, but what does this really translate to in terms of performance? We take as our metric the ground area covered with a specified Neyman-Pearson detection performance. To be fair, the comparison will be of a multisensor network to a single-sensor system where both have the same aggregate transmitter power. The situations examined are by no means exhaustive but are, we believe, representative. Is there a case? The answer, as might be expected, is “sometimes.” When the statistical situation is well behaved there is very little benefit to a fused system; however, when the environment is hostile the gains can be significant. We see, depending on the situation, gains from colocation, gains from separation, optimal gains from operation at a “fusion range,” and sometimes no gains at all     

On measurement of operational security

Ideally, a measure of the security of a system should capture quantitatively the intuitive notion of “the ability of the system to resist attack.” That is, it should be operational, reflecting the degree to which the system can be expected to remain free of security breaches under particular conditions of operation (including attack). Instead, current security levels at best merely reflect the extensiveness of safeguards introduced during the design and development of a system. Whilst we might expect a system developed to a higher level than another to exhibit “more secure behavior” in operation, this cannot be guaranteed; more particularly, we cannot infer what the actual security behavior will be from knowledge of such a level. In the paper we discuss similarities between reliability and security with the intention of working toward measures of “operational security” similar to those that we have for reliability of systems. Very informally, these measures could involve expressions such as the rate of occurrence of security breaches, or the probability that a specified “mission” can be accomplished without a security breach. This new approach is based on the analogy between system failure and security breach, but it raises several issues which invite empirical investigation. We briefly describe a pilot experiment that we have conducted to judge the feasibility of collecting data to examine these issues     

A sky high education

Getting an engineering education doesn't have to be restricted to a desk or terra firma. University students, and even some high school students, can participate in the NASA Reduced Gravity Student Program conducting experiments in zero gravity aboard the infamous “Vomit Comet.” This airplane was an unseen player in the Apollo 13 movie that provided weightlessness for star Tom Hanks in this outstanding film     

复杂目标高频区 RCS 的实时计算

提出一种在安装图形加速卡的高性能微机上实时计算复杂目标高频区雷达散射截面（RCS）的方法。该方法利用了“图形电磁计算（GRECO）”的新技术。目标用G2Catmul-om（C-R）几何样条模拟,由图形加速卡硬件完成遮挡、消隐运算,运用Phong光照模型着色渲染目标可见表面,应用物理光学（PO）、等效电流法（MEC）、物理绕射理论（PTD）及阻抗边界条件（IBC）等方法计算目标高频区雷达散射截面（RCS）.     

Now we can explore the Universe

It is suggested that the old scientific myth: “Nothing can go faster than light!” should be changed to: “Nothing electromagnetic can go faster than light!” Now that it is known that infinite velocity of propagation (VOP) is possible, there is another communications media whose VOP may be infinite. An experiment is under construction to compare electric field and electromagnetic transmission VOP. Since magnetic fields in electric field transmission will be parallel to the direction of transmission rather than at right angles, there is reason to expect that electric field transmissions will have infinite VOP     

Open system concepts for modular avionics

Advanced communications, guidance and navigation systems play key roles in determining superiority of one combat aircraft over another. The use of advanced technology is essential to meeting the mission requirements of present as well as future aircraft. Modular avionics are being used in next generation aircraft, such as the Air Force F-22 fighter and the Army Comanche helicopter, as the means of achieving higher levels of performance, including reduced volume and improved adaptability, maintainability, and expandability. New system acquisitions such as Joint Strike Fighter will attempt to achieve these same performance levels but at dramatically reduced life cycle cost. Retrofit applications will also take on increasing roles in meeting this affordability need as the Department of Defense (DoD) struggles to maintain readiness in the face of the shrinking defense budget. The government is encouraging the use of open standards practices as a means of addressing the affordability issue. The Open Systems Joint Task Force (OS-JTF), formed in September 1994, is chartered to “sponsor and accelerate the adoption of open systems in weapons systems and subsystem electronics to reduce life-cycle costs and facilitate effective weapon system intra- and interoperability”. The purpose of this paper is to relate the concept of open systems to modular avionics. It discusses the key attributes of an open systems approach and identifies key technologies necessary for its success     

Morphing wing flaps for large civil aircraft: Evolution of a smart technology across the Clean Sky program

Morphing wing structures are widely considered among the most promising technologies for the improvement of aerodynamic performances in large civil aircraft. The controlled adaptation of the wing shape to external operative conditions naturally enables the maximization of aircraft aerodynamic efficiency, with positive fallouts on the amount of fuel burned and pollutant emissions. The benefits brought by morphing wings at aircraft level are accompanied by the criticalities of the enabling technologies, mainly involving weight penalties, overconsumption of electrical power, and safety issues. The attempt to solve such criticalities passes through the development of novel design approaches, ensuring the consolidation of reliable structural solutions that are adequately mature for certification and in-flight operations. In this work, the development phases of a multimodal camber morphing wing flap, tailored for large civil aircraft applications, are outlined with specific reference to the activities addressed by the author in the framework of the Clean Sky program.The flap is morphed according to target shapes depending on aircraft flight conditions and defined to enhance high-lift performances during takeoff and landing, as well as wing aerodynamic efficiency during cruise. An innovative system based on finger-like robotic ribs driven by electromechanical actuators is proposed as morphing-enabling technology; the maturation process of the device is then traced from the proof of concept to the consolidation of a true-scale demonstrator for pre-flight ground validation tests. A step-by-step approach involving the design and testing of intermediate demonstrators is then carried out to show the compliance of the adaptive system with industrial standards and safety requirements. The technical issues encountered during the development of each intermediate demonstrator are critically analyzed, and justifications are provided for all the adopted engineering solutions. Finally, the layout of the true-scale demonstrator is presented, with emphasis on the architectural strengths, enabling the forthcoming validation in real operative conditions.     

Millimeter wave safety warning system for in-vehicle signing

Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) has developed a millimeter wave safety warning system for in-vehicle signing for use in the nation's Intelligent Transportation System (ITS, formerly IVHS). The Safety Warning System TU (SWS) utilizes a homodyne radar that operates at 24.1 GHz as both a radar and a system to transmit highway safety messages. The warning message is received by a police radar detector or stand-alone safety warning receiver without radar detector capability. When the message is received, it is displayed to the driver via an alphanumeric light emitting diode (LED) display. The message can also be announced by a voice synthesizer internal to the receiver or by a flashing LED labeled “SWS.” The system is designed to inform the driver that he or she is being overtaken by a police car or emergency vehicle in motion. When the police car or emergency vehicle stops, the radar transmitter senses that the platform is no longer moving and the system automatically changes its message to warn approaching drivers of a stationary hazard ahead. A second safety warning transmitter deployment concept is to mount the unit near the highway at a fixed location. The fixed location SWS is designed to be programmable and transmit any one of 64 fixed text messages     

Likelihood-ratio detection of frequency-hopped signals

The optimum system for intercepting frequency-hopped signals uses a channelized receiver and a likelihood-ratio test (LRT). Previous results on the performance of the optimum system have been based on Gaussian assumptions, which are generally valid for transmissions having large time-bandwidth areas. Results, obtained by Monte Carlo simulation, for relatively small time-bandwidth transmissions are given here. The signal model is a simple one known as “pure frequency hopping.” Comparisons with the LRT show that energy detection loss increases when the time-bandwidth product of the transmission is increased by increasing the number of frequencies, even when the number of pulses is also increased. The loss decreases when only the number of pulses is increased. Over the parameter range observed, binary detection loss tends to increase with the number of pulses and decrease with the number of frequencies. Results are included for a moving-window version of the LRT. A parameter of the LRT is the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The effect of using a design value not equal to the true SNR is shown     

Wireless power transmission: the key to solar power satellites

Maturing of the enabling technologies has provided much of the infrastructure to support the development of a commercial Solar Power Satellite program. Solar Space Industries was formed to accomplish this goal. The basis of their development plan is to build a Ground Test Installation that will duplicate, in small scale on the Earth, all aspects of the power generating and power transmission systems except for the space environment and the range and size of the energy beam. Space operations issues will be separated from the power generation fixation and verified by testing. Doing the developmental testing on the ground instead of in space will result in a low cost program that can be accomplished in a very short time. The concept is to build a Ground Test Installation that couples an existing 100 kW terrestrial solar cell array to a phased-array wireless power transmitter based on a subarray. Power will be transmitted over a 1-¼ mile range to a receiving antenna and then fed into a commercial utility power grid. The objective is to demonstrate the complete function of the Solar Power Satellites, with the primary issue being the validation of practical wireless power transmission. The key features to demonstrate are: beam control, stability, steering, efficiency, reliability, cost, and safety     

Circular array STAP

Traditionally, space-time adaptive processing (STAP) for airborne early warning (AEW) radar has been applied to uniform linear arrays (ULAs). However, when considering the overall radar system, electronically scanned circular arrays have advantages: a better combination of even and continual angular and temporal coverage, and mechanical simplicity because it does not need to rotate. This paper answers the question “How well does STAP perform when applied to a circular array?” This paper shows that for the AEW mission, circular arrays are indeed STAP compatible. However, when conventional STAP algorithms are used there may be a small loss in performance when compared with a ULA. With some care in the choice and implementation of the STAP algorithm, the majority of the degradation is at close ranges, where the target returns are relatively strong. At long ranges performance is barely affected. A STAP algorithm which compensates for the circular array environment and provides better performance than existing algorithms is presented     

Lithium-ion cell performance under environmental extremes

High energy density, lithium secondary cells are very attractive for use in many future military applications. However, a number of technical challenges remain. Specifically, the development and qualification of a system capable of withstanding the harsh environmental conditions encountered during normal and abnormal zones of operation. This paper focuses on the environmental extremes that the Eagle-Picher lithium-ion system has tested to date. Emphasis is placed on low temperature performance, high temperature performance, power capability, and cycle life at these extremes. Other areas including safety and environmental issues have also been investigated     

AMTEC electrochemical heat-to electricity conversion defies secondlaw

Sacred among the mechanical engineers is the “second law of thermodynamics,” which defines the maximum possible efficiency of an engine that converts thermal energy into mechanical power. The second law value is the difference between the engine's heat-source temperature and its heat-sink temperature, divided by the absolute value of the engine's heat-source temperature. For example, an engine setting on 0° C ice and running on steam from 100°C boiling water is not allowed to have more than 26.8% efficiency. Power-generating violators of the second law efficiency-limit range from horses to fuel cells. They do not burn fuel to generate mechanical or electrical power. The latest second law violator is the alkali-metal thermal-to-electric converter. Its efficiency approaches 25 percent. AMTEC cells and their variations were the topics of 12 papers at the 35^th Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference (IECEC) in July 2000     

Neural control of smart electromagnetic structures [patch antennas]

Smart electromagnetic structures (SEMS) are capable of interacting with the surrounding electromagnetic field and responding to it. A system is “smart” when it integrates sensing, processing, and control elements (e.g. antennas, neural networks, diodes) in an autonomous manner. A SEMS capable of tuning frequency autonomously is described. Data are presented showing that the system can extend the useable bandwidth of a microstrip patch antenna in a frequency hop environment to more than twice the static value     

Acousto-optic spectrum analyzer techniques for monitoring CW

The issues associated with processing the outputs of an integrating acoustooptical spectrum analyzer (AOSA) to detect and identify the frequency and power of continuous wave (CW) signals are considered. The performance of the optimum detection strategy is presented, along with the Cramer-Rao bound on the performance of estimators of the frequency, and the performance of a simple peak-based frequency estimator. The performance of the maximum likelihood (ML) estimator of the power level is also presented. The results provide the behavior of the system as a function of the product of the aperture time and photodetector spacing amongst other parameters     

微波系统的圆极化轴比测量精度分析

微波天线和馈源系统的圆极化测量轴比与测试方法、测试附件的传输及反射特性有关，本文讨论了失配微波系统的圆极化轴比测量精度的分析与计算方法，并针对工程中常见的一些情况进行了分析与讨论。     

Flight safety performance of the microwave landing system

The microwave landing system (MLS), which is scheduled to be implemented progressively over the next 10 years, is intended to supply the instrument landing system (ILS) as the international standard landing aid. MLS has been demonstrated to be superior to ILS from both performance and reliability standpoints, yet considerable debate persists on its relative merits. Although tolerance criteria for flight safety are embedded in these comparisons, flight safety has not been a major component of these discussions. The reasons why flight safety has not been an issue are addressed, and observations on the flight safety of MLS are related from a systems point of view. The effect of MLS on airport capacity is identified as a central issue. Observations are derived from a review of available documentation and operational results to date as well as discussions with the participants     

飞机操纵系统舵机与助力器运动碰撞研究

飞机操纵系统中因舵机输出较快,助力器响应较慢而存在相互运动碰撞,影响操纵品质和飞行安全。对发生碰撞的机理进行了深入分析,建立了舵机与助力器运动特性匹配关系和用于碰撞研究的数学模型,通过实例,找到了对碰撞最有影响的参量。     

The All-Electric Fighter Airplane Flight Control Issues, Capabilities, and Projections

The prime issues raised in any all-electric airplane discussion are (1) is the electric power system as reliable and trustworthy as a hydraulic power system; (2) can electromechanical flight control actuators perform satisfactorily, i.e., can the performance match that of hydraulic actuators; (3) can redundant electromechanical actuation systems (EMAS) be designed to equal the flight safety reliability of dual tandem hydraulic actuators; and (4) can satisfactory solutions be found or developed for dissipating the heat generated in actuators and power controllers. The first question should be inconsequential since it is assumed that the all-electric aircraft will be equipped with a fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system (FCS) which is already dependent upon an uninterrupted supply of electrical power. Design studies and hardware already developed show that the answer to question (2) is that EMAS outperform hydraulic actuators, particularly under load. The answer to question (3) is not as clear primarily because the issue has not been addressed in any depth. As posed the answer must be yes, but with the proviso that the weight might be greater than currently predicted. Studies have shown that we can cope with the heat dissipation issue addressed in question (4) in the case of motors and inverter/power controllers. The projections regarding usage of EMAS and the future of the all-electric airplane must be based on the type of vehicle (small subsonic transport, large transport, or military tighter) and the economics involved.