Energy-optimal reconfiguration of satellite formation flying in the presence of uncertainties

In this study, a two-step control methodology is developed for energy-optimal reconfiguration of satellites in formation in the presence of uncertainties or external disturbances. First, based on a linear deterministic system model, an optimal control law is analytically determined such that a satellite maneuvers from an initial state to a final state relative to another satellite. The structure of this optimal solution is predetermined and simply given by a linear combination of the fundamental matrix solutions associated with the original equations of relative motion. Only the coefficients are to be determined to satisfy given initial and final conditions. In the second step, an uncertain nonlinear formation system is considered and a robust adaptive controller is designed to compensate for the effects of uncertainties or disturbances that the formation system may encounter. Although the control strategy is inspired by sliding mode control, it produces smooth control signals, thereby avoiding chattering. Also, an adaptation law is added such that the uncertainty or disturbance effects are effectively and quickly eliminated without a priori information about them. The combination of these two controllers guarantees that the satellite accurately tracks the optimal path in the unknown environment. Numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed two-step control methodology, in which a satellite formation is optimally reconfigured under unknown environmental disturbances.     

Solar sail deployment dynamics

The deployment dynamics of a solar sail consisting of four flexible booms and four membrane quadrants are studied. First, previous work on modelling only one membrane quadrant attached to two axially moving beams using time-varying quasi-modal expansion is extended to be applicable to the complete four-quadrant system. This is achieved via “lifting” the quadrant-level matrices into system-level forms by mapping the former’s constituent blocks to the correct partitions in the latter. After the quadrant-to-system conversion of the matrices, the equations of motion from the authors’ previous work readily apply to the complete system. Modal analysis is performed on a constant-length sail to validate the model’s basic foundations against the results obtained by finite element methods in the past literature. Deployment simulation results are presented, numerical parameter studies that show possibility of instability are performed using the system’s eigenvalues, and the stability results are discussed.     

Measuring atmospheric density using GPS–LEO tracking data

We present a method to estimate the total neutral atmospheric density from precise orbit determination of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. We derive the total atmospheric density by determining the drag force acting on the LEOs through centimeter-level reduced-dynamic precise orbit determination (POD) using onboard Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking data. The precision of the estimated drag accelerations is assessed using various metrics, including differences between estimated along-track accelerations from consecutive 30-h POD solutions which overlap by 6 h, comparison of the resulting accelerations with accelerometer measurements, and comparison against an existing atmospheric density model, DTM-2000. We apply the method to GPS tracking data from CHAMP, GRACE, SAC-C, Jason-2, TerraSAR-X and COSMIC satellites, spanning 12 years (2001–2012) and covering orbital heights from 400 km to 1300 km. Errors in the estimates, including those introduced by deficiencies in other modeled forces (such as solar radiation pressure and Earth radiation pressure), are evaluated and the signal and noise levels for each satellite are analyzed. The estimated density data from CHAMP, GRACE, SAC-C and TerraSAR-X are identified as having high signal and low noise levels. These data all have high correlations with anominal atmospheric density model and show common features in relative residuals with respect to the nominal model in related parameter space. On the contrary, the estimated density data from COSMIC and Jason-2 show errors larger than the actual signal at corresponding altitudes thus having little practical value for this study. The results demonstrate that this method is applicable to data from a variety of missions and can provide useful total neutral density measurements for atmospheric study up to altitude as high as 715 km, with precision and resolution between those derived from traditional special orbital perturbation analysis and those obtained from onboard accelerometers.     

Debris flux comparisons from the Goldstone Radar,Haystack Radar,and Hax Radar prior,during, and after the last solar maximum

The continual monitoring of the low Earth orbit (LEO) debris environment using highly sensitive radars is essential for an accurate characterization of these dynamic populations. Debris populations are continually evolving since there are new debris sources, previously unrecognized debris sources, and debris loss mechanisms that are dependent on the dynamic space environment. Such radar data are used to supplement, update, and validate existing orbital debris models. NASA has been utilizing radar observations of the debris environment for over a decade from three complementary radars: the NASA JPL Goldstone radar, the MIT Lincoln Laboratory (MIT/LL) Long Range Imaging Radar (known as the Haystack radar), and the MIT/LL Haystack Auxiliary radar (HAX). All of these systems are highly sensitive radars that operate in a fixed staring mode to statistically sample orbital debris in the LEO environment. Each of these radars is ideally suited to measure debris within a specific size region. The Goldstone radar generally observes objects with sizes from 2 mm to 1 cm. The Haystack radar generally measures from 5 mm to several meters. The HAX radar generally measures from 2 cm to several meters. These overlapping size regions allow a continuous measurement of cumulative debris flux versus diameter from 2 mm to several meters for a given altitude window. This is demonstrated for all three radars by comparing the debris flux versus diameter over 200 km altitude windows for 3 nonconsecutive years from 1998 to 2003. These years correspond to periods before, during, and after the peak of the last solar cycle. Comparing the year to year flux from Haystack for each of these altitude regions indicate statistically significant changes in subsets of the debris populations. Potential causes of these changes are discussed. These analysis results include error bars that represent statistical sampling errors.     

Recent development of casing treatments for aero-engine compressors

Casing treatment is a mature stabilization technique which has been widely applied on aero-engines for modern aircrafts and turbo-chargers for automobiles. After the investigations of half century since the 1960s, this technique has been well developed for various configurations with different effectiveness. From the perspective of stabilization mechanism, this paper roughly categorizes the configurations of casing treatment into two types: traditional ones which work by affecting the flow structure of blade tip region; a novel one named as Stall Precursor-Suppressed (SPS) casing treatment. The effectiveness of both types will be demonstrated for their applications on axial compressors and centrifugal compressors with uniform or distorted inlet. And the stabilization mechanism of casing treatments for regular types and SPS one will also be explained respectively. In addition, this review will summarize the methodologies of casing treatments with the numerical simulations for regular grooved configurations and the eigenvalue approach for SPS casing treatment. Looking forward to the future of compressor stabilization, casing treatment technique will still exist as a general and inexpensive option, and the exploration for its effectiveness and mechanism will be deeper with the development of computational fluid dynamics and advanced measurement techniques.     

小型化精密电机轴向预紧力调整研究

通过对液浮陀螺电机轴向预紧力调整情况及声音异常现象的分析,归纳和完善了电机轴向预紧力调整过程中的经验调法,并对电机轴向预紧力的量化调整进行了摸索和探讨,提出了较为可行的解决措施,从一定程度上保证了电机装调质量,提高了小型化精密电机装调合格率。     

TRIP2.0软件的确认：DPWⅡ复杂组合体的数值模拟

 采用“亚跨超声速计算流体力学软件平台”（TRIP2.0）数值模拟了阻力预测小组（AIAA CFD Drag Prediction Workshop Ⅱ,DPWⅡ）翼/身/架/舱复杂组合体运输机构型,数值模拟采用的多块对接网格、测压和测力的试验结果均来自DPWⅡ,对比计算采用了CFL3D的结果。重点针对DLR-F6翼/身/架/舱复杂组合体构型,详细研究了网格密度和湍流模型对总体气动特性和压力分布的影响,计算结果与相应的试验结果取得了较好的一致。采用SA一方程和SST两方程模型均得到了网格收敛结果;不同的湍流模型对压差阻力影响较小,对摩擦阻力影响较大;不同的网格密度和湍流模型对压力分布有一定的影响。     

喷气燃料热氧化安定性对航空发动机燃油系统沉积物生成的影响研究

利用HiReTS试验机[1]模拟发动机燃油系统,对喷气燃料沉积物的生成进行了研究。试验结果表明:加入自行研制的高热安定性添加剂,可有效提高喷气燃料的热氧化安定性;使用提高热氧化安定性的喷气燃料可以显著减少燃油系统沉积物的生成,从而延长发动机的使用寿命。     

学习活动中的非线性阈值效应

文章研究了学习活动中的一些问题,归纳总结出了非线性阈值效应,建立非线性动力学模型,进行了分岔与稳定性分析,做了仿真模拟并结合经验进行了解释。     

直升机舰面动力学分析模型

建立了舰船甲板上直升机旋翼,机体耦合动力学分析模型,导出了其运动方程。无铰旋翼采用当量铰、刚硬桨叶模型,采用准定常理论计算桨叶气动力并计人旋翼动力人流的影响;假设机体是刚性体并在弹性起落架上作六自由度运动。舰船具有6个运动自由度,并考虑直升机在甲板上的不同位置及舰面流场等因素。