Active Control of Booster Elasticity
Report Number: AFFDL TR 64-189
Author(s): Swaim, Robert L.
Corporate Author(s): Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory
Laboratory: Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory
Date of Publication: 1965-04
Pages: 84
Contract: Laboratory Research - No Contract
DoD Project: 8219
DoD Task: 821901
Identifier: AD0617314
Abstract:
An investigation was made of the problem of providing an automatic control system for a large booster subject to severe mode interaction. This interaction is defined as a strong aerodynamic coupling between the rigid-body motion and one or more elastic modes of the vehicle and can appear as a flutter phenomenon between rigid and elastic degrees of freedom as opposed to 'classical' flutter between two or more elastic degrees of freedom. For the booster considered, the interaction resulted in a rigid-body mode static divergence for an aerodynamically, statically stable, rigid configuration in the uncontrolled or forward-loop-only system. It was shown that preliminary control system design must include the significant elastic modes when mode interaction is present. A rigid-body-only synthesis will not yield 'ball-park' values for the control element gains. The investigation revealed that the active control philosophy of using auxiliary control inputs to increase the frequencies of the elastic modes sufficient to reduce the mode of interaction in the forward-loop is a false notion. It is the free-free bending modes which interact with the rigid-body motion, and input forces cannot alter their mode shapes and frequencies. They can be altered only by mass and structural stiffness changes to the basic vehicle. The input forces result in changes to elastic mode coupled frequencies and damping ratios which do not affect the mode interaction phenomenon as defined in this report.
Provenance: Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control
Author(s): Swaim, Robert L.
Corporate Author(s): Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory
Laboratory: Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory
Date of Publication: 1965-04
Pages: 84
Contract: Laboratory Research - No Contract
DoD Project: 8219
DoD Task: 821901
Identifier: AD0617314
Abstract:
An investigation was made of the problem of providing an automatic control system for a large booster subject to severe mode interaction. This interaction is defined as a strong aerodynamic coupling between the rigid-body motion and one or more elastic modes of the vehicle and can appear as a flutter phenomenon between rigid and elastic degrees of freedom as opposed to 'classical' flutter between two or more elastic degrees of freedom. For the booster considered, the interaction resulted in a rigid-body mode static divergence for an aerodynamically, statically stable, rigid configuration in the uncontrolled or forward-loop-only system. It was shown that preliminary control system design must include the significant elastic modes when mode interaction is present. A rigid-body-only synthesis will not yield 'ball-park' values for the control element gains. The investigation revealed that the active control philosophy of using auxiliary control inputs to increase the frequencies of the elastic modes sufficient to reduce the mode of interaction in the forward-loop is a false notion. It is the free-free bending modes which interact with the rigid-body motion, and input forces cannot alter their mode shapes and frequencies. They can be altered only by mass and structural stiffness changes to the basic vehicle. The input forces result in changes to elastic mode coupled frequencies and damping ratios which do not affect the mode interaction phenomenon as defined in this report.
Provenance: Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control