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The work presented in this paper is part of a long-term research program to explore methods for improving bleed air system performance. Another objective of this research is to provide detailed experimental data for the development and validation of simulation tools used in the design and analysis of bleed air systems. A business jet wing was equipped with an inner-liner hot air ice protection system and was extensively instrumented for documenting system thermal performance. The wing was tested at the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) for representative in-flight icing conditions. Data obtained include bleed air supply and exhaust flow properties, wing leading edge skin temperatures, temperatures and pressures in the interior passages of the bleed air system, flow properties inside the piccolo tube, photos of run back ice shapes and ice shape traces. Selected experimental results for a warm hold icing condition are presented in this paper.

A methodology for developing spray rigs for icing cloud simulation is presented. This methodology includes Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis and icing tunnel experiments and was applied to design a spray rig system for a small airborne icing tanker. An in-house spray system was developed and tested in a laboratory to assess two commercially available nozzles - a single-jet type and a multi-jet type - which were capable of producing both FAR Part 25 Appendix C and SLD icing clouds. Spray rig characteristics evaluated during the laboratory tests included air and water flow rates as well as droplet size and distributions. The effects of airspeed and nozzle spacing on spray plume size and uniformity were investigated in a small icing tunnel facility with a two-nozzle spray rig. The experimental data were compared with three-dimensional numerical simulation results obtained with the FLUENT software.

An experimental study was performed to investigate large droplet dynamics in the vicinity of an airfoil. The investigation was conducted using the NASA Glenn Droplet Imaging Flow Tunnel (DrIFT). Mono-dispersed large droplets were released at the tunnel inlet and accelerated toward an airfoil that was mounted in the test section. The dynamic behavior of a droplet's encounter with the airfoil, which may involve droplet distortion, break-up, impingement and splashing, was recorded using a high-speed imaging system. The effects of the droplet size, tunnel velocity and airfoil configuration on the droplet dynamics were investigated in a parametric study. The droplet sizes used in the experimental study were 96 and 375 μm whereas tunnel velocities were varied from 80 to 130 mph. Three different airfoil geometries were used in the experimental study; a ‘clean’ and ‘iced’ airfoil, and a ‘clean’ three-element high-lift airfoil. The incidence angle of these airfoils was set to zero degrees.

Ice particles shed from aircraft surfaces are a safety concern because they can damage aft-mounted engines and other aircraft components. Ice shedding is a random and complex phenomenon. The randomness of the ice fragment geometry, size, orientation and shed location in addition to potential particle breakup during flight poses considerable simulation challenges. Current ice shedding analysis tools have limited capabilities due to the lack of experimental aerodynamic coefficients for the forces and moments acting on the ice fragment. A methodology for simulating the shedding of large ice particles from aircraft surfaces was developed at Wichita State University. This methodology combines experimental aerodynamic characteristics of ice fragments, computational fluid dynamics, trajectory analysis and the Monte Carlo method to provide probability maps of shed particle footprints at desired locations.

An algorithm is developed and validated for automatic avoidance of restricted airspaces. This method is devised specifically for implementation with an advanced flight control system designed for general aviation application. The algorithm presented here implements two inputs to the aircraft; the bank angle, and the airspeed, while the control system always ensures coordinated maneuvers. Unlike collision avoidance systems, the current method is not designed to serve in an advisory role, but to assume complete control of the aircraft if necessary. It is demonstrated that in order to implement this technique, the aircraft must be assigned an immediate domain whose size would have to depend on the aircraft performance and flight conditions. The strategy is designed such that as the domain surrounding the aircraft approaches that of the restricted airspace, aircraft control would switch gradually away from the pilot and to the controller, which would initiate an evasive maneuver.

The necessity of avoiding the destructive and non-repeatable FSST (Full Scale Sled Test) makes it desirable to devise a cheaper and more repeatable method which can supplant this test procedure. This need developed the HCTD (HIC Component Testing Device) which is capable of providing conservative HIC results with higher repeatability. The computational model of the HCTD is validated against one of the tests conducted at CAMI with polyethylene foam. This validated model is used to conduct a series of tests with input parameters similar to the sled test to develop the correlation between the sled test and HCTD. This study hence concludes that a validated computational model of HCTD can be successfully utilized to address the HIC compliance issues for a foam padded surface.

Dynamic aircraft seat regulations are identified in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 14 CFR Parts § 23.562 [1] and § 25.562 [2] for crashworthy evaluation of a seat in dynamic environment. The regulations specify full-scale dynamic testing on production seats. The dynamic tests are designed to demonstrate the structural integrity of the seat to withstand an emergency landing event and occupant safety. SAE standard AS 8049 [3] supports detailed information on dynamic seat testing procedure and acceptance criteria. Full-scale dynamic testing in support of certification is expensive and repeated testing due to failure drastically increases the expense. Involvement of impact environment, flexibility in interior configuration and complicated nature of seat engineering design makes this problem quite complex, so that classical hand calculations are practically impossible.

The current emphasis on environment protection by reducing noise pollution has led to stricter noise standards for general aviation aircraft. As a result, there is a growing demand for a computational tool to predict the noise during the design process. A computer program, called ProRAPP, has been developed for the prediction of noise generated by propeller/rotor blades. The acoustic pressure is calculated using a form of Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings equation which is suitable for numerical implementation. For noise predictions, the observer can either move with the propeller/rotor hub or it can be fixed to the ground. Experimental data from both wind tunnel and flight tests are used to validate the numerical results.

This paper presents experimental methods for investigating large droplet impingement dynamics and for obtaining small and large water droplet impingement data. Droplet impingement visualization experiments conducted in the Goodrich Icing Wind Tunnel with a 21-in chord NACA 0012 airfoil demonstrated considerable droplet splashing during impingement. The tests were performed for speeds in the range 50 to 175 mph and with cloud median volumetric diameters in the range of 11 to 270 microns. Extensive large droplet impingement tests were conducted at the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (IRT). Impingement data were obtained for a range of airfoil sections including three 36-inch chord airfoils (MS(1)-0317, GLC-305, and NACA 652-415), a 57-inch chord Twin Otter horizontal tail section and 22.5-minute and 45-minute LEWICE glaze ice shapes for the Twin Otter tail section. Small droplet impingement tests were also conducted for selected test models.

Metal cutting is a substantial constituent of airframe manufacturing. During the past several decades, it has evolved significantly. However, most of the changes and improvement were initiated by the machine tool industry and cutting tool industry, thus these new technologies is generally applicable to all industries. Among them, few are developed especially for the airframe manufacture. Therefore, the potential of high efficiency could not be fully explored. In order to deal with severe competition, the aerospace industry needs improvement with a focus on achieving low cost through high efficiency. The direction of research and development in parts machining must comply with lean manufacturing principles and must enhance competitiveness. This article is being forwarded to discuss the trend of new developments in the metal cutting of airframe parts. Primary driving forces of this movement, such as managers, scientists, and engineers, have provided significant influence to this trend.

The work presented here illustrates the wear behavior of CVD diamond coated carbide tools during the machining of carbon fiber-reinforced composites. Cutting experiments were conducted on a CNC milling machine for edge trimming of a 9-mm thick multi-layered carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy laminate in a climb cutting configuration. The effects of feed speed and diamond film thickness on the wear behavior of the coated tools were determined. In addition, characteristics of the worn cutting edge were studied using optical and scanning electron microscopes. It was shown that diamond coated tools generally performed better than the uncoated tools under all conditions. Uniform wear by abrasion of the diamond film, without exposing the substrate, was obtained when cutting at low feed speeds with thicker coatings. At higher feed speeds the wear of the coated tools was characterized by abrasion through the diamond film and exposure and wear of the substrate.

A generalized upper bound model for calculating the chip flow angle in oblique cutting using flat faced tools with single cutting edge and multiple or curved cutting edges has been developed. The chip flow angle and chip velocity are obtained by minimizing the cutting power with respect to both these variables. The chip flow angles predicted by this model show good agreement with experimental values of chip flow angles for various tool geometries and cutting conditions. The model has the potential to be extended to the more complex machining processes such as drilling and milling.

Experimental studies were conducted to investigate the effect of tailplane icing on the aerodynamic characteristics of 15%-scale business jet aircraft. The simulated ice shapes selected for the experimental investigation included 9-min and 22.5-min smooth and rough LEWICE ice shapes and spoiler ice shapes. The height of the spoilers was sized to match the horns of the LEWICE shapes on the suction side of the horizontal tail. Tests were also conducted to investigate aerodynamic performance degradation due to ice roughness which was simulated with sandpaper. Six component force and moment measurements, elevator hinge moments, surface pressures, and boundary layer velocity profiles were obtained for a range of test conditions. Test conditions included AOA sweeps for Reynolds number in the range of 0.7 based on tail mean aerodynamic chord and elevator deflections in the range of -15 to +15 degrees.

While most industries have already adopted the use of IP networks to exploit the many advantages of network connectivity, the aircraft industry still has not significantly deployed networked devices in the aircraft. Security and reliability are two main concerns that have slowed the transition to this technology. The ability for Air Traffic Control to send digital communications to aircraft could significantly improve the aircraft safety by improving the speed and efficiency of communications. In addition, if devices could offload flight data to servers on the ground for analysis, the accuracy and efficiency of maintenance and other decisions impacting the aircraft could significantly improve. The purpose of this research is to propose an IP-based LAN architecture for the aircraft which provides a scalable solution without jeopardizing flight safety.

This study presents the prediction of the dimensional variation of holes due to sheet metal bending using the hydroforming technique. Sheet metal with pre-drilled holes was evaluated for a bending operation using a hydroforming technique. Sheet metal with a variety of thicknesses, bending radii, and bending angles was evaluated. Variation in the dimensional tolerance due to the bending was attained using the minimum radial separation method. A dataset of dimensional variation in the holes was developed and used for development of the artificial neural network, which was able to predict the dimensional variation of the hole if an unknown pattern of inputs was provided.

This paper presents a method by which artificial neural networks can be trained and used to identify a possible spin entry, differentiate between an incipient spin and a stabilized spin, and predict required recovery controls. These were then implemented into a simulation and tested using data from actual flight tests conducted by NASA Langley Research Center, to verify that artificial neural networks can successfully be used for this application. The spin avoidance and recovery system functioned properly. In addition, a weighting system was developed to predict possible spin characteristics of aircraft, depending on the relative magnitude of the three principal moments of inertia.

An experimental investigation was conducted to identify the aerodynamic effects of oversized low-pressure (Tundra) tires and tall landing gear on a Piper Super Cub airplane. Water tunnel and wind tunnel tests were performed using, respectively, a 1/20 scale model and full-scale landing gear and tire components. Force and moment data suggest that larger tires and taller gear most affect the drag and side force. Small trim changes are apparent, but the basic static stability behavior appears unchanged.

Multiple site damage (MSD) on aging aircraft accumulates from fatigue loading over a period of time. For ductile materials such as 2024-T3 aluminum, MSD may lower the strength below that which is predicted by conventional fracture mechanics. An analytical model referred to as the linkup (or plastic zone touch) model has previously been used to describe this phenomenon. However, the linkup model has been shown to produce inaccurate results for many configurations. This paper describes several modifications of the linkup model developed from empirical analyses. These modified linkup models have been shown to produce accurate results over a wide range of configurations for both unstiffened and stiffened flat 2024-T3 panels with MSD at open holes. These modified models are easy to use and give quick and accurate results over a large range of parameters.

Composites are finding more and more applications in the aircraft industry. Drilling good quality holes is a major challenge for the manufacturing industry. The major factors which have an effect on hole quality are cutting parameters like speed and feedrate, machine rigidity, tool material, workpiece material, and tool geometry. The hole quality was studied by measuring the hole diameter and visually observing other parameters like shape and fiber breakout. Force analysis indicates that thrust increases with an increase in feedrate. Speed does not seem to have a very significant effect on thrust. The tool geometry plays a very important role in fiber pullout.

In this research helical Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) with various weight percentages as an additional reinforcement were used. The objective was to investigate the effectiveness of helical geometries of the CNTs to form interlocking mechanisms with the resin and the traditional microfiber reinforcements to improve the overall performance of the composite structures and assemblies. In this study, ASTM D2344/2344M-16 is used to study the short beam strength of the laminated nanocomposites and evaluate the benefit of the mechanically interlocked helical CNTs reinforcement. Overall, three sets of composite laminates (i.e., with neat epoxy, and with two different wt% of Helical CNTs reinforced epoxy) were fabricated per ASTM standard D2344/2344M-16. Adequate test specimens were prepared and then they were tested per ASTM standard. The test results were analyzed and evaluated to determine the effects of helical CNTs on short beam strength of the laminated nanocomposites.