Xiao-Bing Ma , Rui Guo , Hua Su , Chun-Lin Gong , Jian-Jun Gou
{"title":"A structural damage identification model with finite thermomechanical sensors of the re-entry module","authors":"Xiao-Bing Ma , Rui Guo , Hua Su , Chun-Lin Gong , Jian-Jun Gou","doi":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110150","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110150","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The re-entry module encounters extremely harsh aerodynamic pressure and heating conditions, and the high-precision identification of the structural damage state is crucial to the flight and reuse performance evaluation. The current techniques are mainly based on complex numerical simulations or indirect sensor measurements of finite nodes in time or space dimensions, respectively. This work developed a damage identification model that included numerical simulations, sensor measurements, and additional machine learnings to obtain the structural damage state of the module. First, the primary damage database was established by thermomechanical numerical simulations and a structural damage model, which was proposed based on the strain-equivalent-based stiffness reduction method with certain structural partition rules. Second, a database expansion method with higher accuracy based on the Kriging agent model was proposed, the damage database was expanded by 10 times with 7 % error. Third, the damage identification model was developed with inputs of the finite nodal temperature and stress and output of structural damage value based on the back propagation neural network, and a structural damage grade evaluation equation was finally formulated. The result shows that the model overfitting is fully suppressed and the identification error is reduced by 60 % compared with the original data without expansion, and great identification accuracy of 92.6 % with error threshold of 0.03 and good anti-interference ability of 1 % sensor noise are exhibited for the model. The model holds higher recognition efficiency and accuracy of structural residual capacity and indicates potentials for real-time safety assessment of re-entry module.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50955,"journal":{"name":"Aerospace Science and Technology","volume":"161 ","pages":"Article 110150"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143685409","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ran Sun , Choon Ki Ahn , Deyun Liu , Wei Wang , Chengxi Zhang
{"title":"Near-asteroid spacecraft formation control with prescribed-performance: A dynamic event-triggered reinforcement learning control approach","authors":"Ran Sun , Choon Ki Ahn , Deyun Liu , Wei Wang , Chengxi Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110138","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110138","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper presents an event-triggered approximate optimal tracking control method for near-asteroid spacecraft formation flying systems. Compared with the traditional open-loop optimal control, the proposed solution optimizes the trade-off between tracking performance and online energy consumption by combining prescribed performance control and reinforcement learning. Specifically, a state transformation approach is employed to convert the relative error systems into a form with adjustable performance metrics. Then, a policy iteration algorithm is developed to derive the optimal control policy for the transformed system, which leverages historical data to relax the persistence of excitation conditions. Furthermore, a new Lipschitz-assumption-free dynamic event-triggered mechanism is incorporated to activate the approximate optimal controller only under specific conditions, further reducing the control update frequency. Finally, simulation results show that the update numbers can be lower by 40% compared to the static event-triggered scheme.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50955,"journal":{"name":"Aerospace Science and Technology","volume":"161 ","pages":"Article 110138"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143643555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A theory of functional connections-based method for orbital pursuit-evasion games with analytic satisfaction of rendezvous constraints","authors":"Chengming Zhang, Yanwei Zhu, Leping Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110142","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110142","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study proposed an efficient approach to address the boundary constraints in the context of rendezvous with the noncooperative target within the vicinity of elliptical orbits. The problem was transformed into a two-point boundary value problem (TPBVP) constituted by series of boundary constraints and differential equation constraints by deriving the necessary conditions for the saddle-point strategy. The switching functions embedded with the boundary constraints equations were derived through the Theory of Functional Connections (TFC) to deal with the boundary constraints. Subsequently, the nested function structure with two levels was applied to be the free functions, which was involved in the constrainted expressions together with switching functions to treate the differential equation constraints. Simulation outcomes confirmed the superior computational efficiency of this method when compared to previous studies. Furthermore, a comprehensive analysis was undertaken to explore the impact of orbital eccentricity and true anomaly on the game's results, offering critical insights for enhancing spacecraft safety during on-orbit operations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50955,"journal":{"name":"Aerospace Science and Technology","volume":"161 ","pages":"Article 110142"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143643557","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Haoyang Huang , Yitong Fan , Zhiqiang Ke , Ding Tang , Weiming Wang , Dayong Li
{"title":"Designing a variable camber wing trailing edge with initially curved beams","authors":"Haoyang Huang , Yitong Fan , Zhiqiang Ke , Ding Tang , Weiming Wang , Dayong Li","doi":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110151","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110151","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In recent years, variable camber wings (VCWs) have gained significant attention worldwide because of their advantages in improving fuel efficiency, reducing turbulence, and providing an adjustable lift-to-drag ratio for future aircraft. Although many attempts have been made to design the structure of VCWs, the design of VCWs with large deformations and high loading capacities remains lacking. This study proposes a novel method for designing VCWs by applying initially curved beams (ICBs). Through a compliance analysis of ICBs versus straight beams, it is evident that ICBs provide a more comprehensive compliance range than straight beams. Utilizing the compliance properties of ICBs, a VCW trailing edge (TE) structure was proposed and parameterized. To minimize deformation errors and post-deformation stress, finite element models were established, and a genetic algorithm was employed to optimize the cross-sectional geometry and dimensions. An optimized cross-sectional TE prototype was fabricated. Subsequently, experiments on the variable camber, digital image correlation (DIC), and load bearing were conducted to validate the function of the variable camber, measure the stress level, and assess the load-bearing capacity. The experimental results were consistent with those of the simulations. The 5 cm-wide TE prototype achieved the variable camber range of ±25° with a maximum stress of 243 MPa along with notable deformation accuracy. It has a static load capacity of 10 kg. These results confirmed the feasibility of designing VCWs capable of large deformations and high loading capacities, utilizing ICBs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50955,"journal":{"name":"Aerospace Science and Technology","volume":"161 ","pages":"Article 110151"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143685407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chunfeng Ding , Jianjun Wang , Xiaoying Chen , Zebiao Feng , Yan Ma
{"title":"Robust parameter design for rocket boosters using deep Gaussian process","authors":"Chunfeng Ding , Jianjun Wang , Xiaoying Chen , Zebiao Feng , Yan Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110143","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110143","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In aerospace engineering optimization, multiple correlated non-stationary responses (NSRs) are often produced. Ignoring the non-stationary characteristic of data may impact the prediction accuracy of response surface models and the reliability of optimization solutions. Traditional stationary Gaussian process model struggles to handle non-stationary data with limited samples. Recently, deep Gaussian process (DGP) has gained popularity in non-stationary models due to its ability to handle rapidly changing data. However, efficiently inferring the posterior distribution of DGP remains a significant challenge. This paper uses DGP surrogate model based on Bayesian inference to simulate non-stationary response surfaces and proposes the Chain Rule Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (CRHMC) algorithm to efficiently and accurately sample the posterior distribution. Additionally, a new multivariate quality loss function (MQLF) is introduced to optimize multiple correlated non-stationary responses and ensure the robustness of optimal design parameters. Numerical examples and a real rocket booster engineering case demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method in fast computation and robust optimization against other competing methods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50955,"journal":{"name":"Aerospace Science and Technology","volume":"161 ","pages":"Article 110143"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143685408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A mesh reflector design method with triangle-quadrangle mixture based on electromagnetic performance","authors":"Xiang Xu, Tuanjie Li","doi":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110149","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110149","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The faceted surface is used in mesh reflectors to reflect electromagnetic (EM) signals. A mesh reflector design method is developed with a triangle-quadrangle mixture based on electromagnetic performance. Incorporating the principles of structural topology optimization for integer optimization of nodes and utilizing Delaunay triangulation for facet partitioning, quadrilateral facets criteria for mixed mesh topography, along with Lloyd's algorithm optimization for uniform design, we propose a mesh reflector design method distinct from traditional empirical formulas. An optimization model is established and used for comparative analysis. The results indicate that the proposed method significantly reduces the number of facets and cables while ensuring EM performance. It achieves a hybrid design of triangular and quadrangle topologies and expands the solution space for mesh surface design. The feasibility and effectiveness of this method are validated.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50955,"journal":{"name":"Aerospace Science and Technology","volume":"161 ","pages":"Article 110149"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143685406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shuhua Zeng , Junyuan Yang , Wenwen Zhao , Jiaqi An , Wanshu Li , Weifang Chen
{"title":"Thermal non-equilibrium nonlinear coupled constitutive relations for hypersonic rarefied diatomic gas flows","authors":"Shuhua Zeng , Junyuan Yang , Wenwen Zhao , Jiaqi An , Wanshu Li , Weifang Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110147","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110147","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The generalized hydrodynamic theory and its derived nonlinear coupled constitutive relations (NCCR) model have proven effective in simulating a range of typical hypersonic rarefied non-equilibrium flows, particularly in regimes where traditional Navier-Stokes (NS) equations are inadequate. However, the treatment of bulk viscosity has been limited, serving primarily as an approximation for rotational non-equilibrium effects, and lacking an explicit framework for energy exchange between different modes within the NCCR model. To address this limitation, this study introduces a thermal non-equilibrium NCCR model that operates without bulk viscosity, incorporating the Landau-Teller-Jeans relaxation model to facilitate explicit energy exchange between translational and rotational modes. The model's accuracy has been rigorously validated through a series of classical numerical cases, including analyzing nitrogen shock structures, supersonic flow over a flat plate, and hypersonic flows past blunt and flat-headed cylinders. The results demonstrate a significant improvement in alignment with experimental data and direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) solutions compared to those derived from the NS equations and the original NCCR model lacking bulk viscosity. Furthermore, the proposed model enhances the predictive capability over the original NCCR framework and elucidates the mechanisms of non-equilibrium energy exchange between modes. These findings underscore the potential of the thermal non-equilibrium NCCR model as a robust and accurate tool for the simulation of hypersonic rarefied diatomic gas flows.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50955,"journal":{"name":"Aerospace Science and Technology","volume":"161 ","pages":"Article 110147"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143685455","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Assessing turbulence model budgets in supersonic rectangular jets using large Eddy simulations","authors":"Kalyani R. Bhide , Daniel R. Cuppoletti","doi":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110141","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110141","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This work aims to identify the sources of inaccuracies in Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and discuss the areas of improvements to enhance the predictions rectangular supersonic jets using LES, particularly for potential core lengths, jet mixing, and turbulence anisotropy. Budgets are analyzed for Turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) and Reynolds stress in various RANS models for a non-axisymmetric supersonic jet using well-validated Large Eddy Simulations (LES) as reference database. Examined RANS closures include Boussinesq (BSQ) <span><math><mrow><mi>k</mi><mo>−</mo><mi>ω</mi></mrow></math></span> Shear Stress Transport (SST), quadratic <span><math><mrow><mi>k</mi><mo>−</mo><mi>ω</mi></mrow></math></span> SST (QCR), and Reynolds stress model (RSM). A term-to-term comparison of Turbulent Kinetic Energy (TKE) and Reynolds stress budgets between RANS and LES is presented. In two-equation RANS, production in the shear layer is balanced by dissipation, with minimal diffusion. Thus, the diffusion along the jet centerline in RANS is delayed, resulting in slower mixing and longer potential cores. Although QCR accounts for the Reynolds stress anisotropy, it does not bring significant improvement to the TKE budget, suggesting that TKE transport remains minimally affected by the constitutive relation. RSM reproduces Reynolds stress budget trends, for production and pressure strain acting as source and sink respectively. However, the reduction in pressure strain correlation with increasing convective Mach number, is not predicted well. Primary areas for RANS improvement are identified, emphasizing the need to move beyond linear RANS, towards directly capturing the stress-strain relationship.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50955,"journal":{"name":"Aerospace Science and Technology","volume":"161 ","pages":"Article 110141"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143685456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A proposed methodology for diverterless supersonic inlet aerodynamic integration with a generic forebody","authors":"John J. Vaca-Rios, Hernán D. Cerón-Muñoz","doi":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110135","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110135","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Diverterless Supersonic Inlet (DSI) is implemented for both supersonic flow compression and boundary layer diversion using a three-dimensional surface known as a bump, along with an appropriately designed cowl lip. In the present work, the bump surface was designed using the Stream Tracing Technique and integrated into a generic forebody. First, simulations with a bump on a flat plate were conducted to determine the design Mach number for the specific bump. The cowl lip was modeled using the bump's shock wave angle at its design Mach number. At this stage, the bump was integrated into a generic forebody.</div><div>All numerical solutions of the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations were performed using ANSYS Fluent. The inlet's performance parameters, including total pressure recovery, flow distortion, and mass flow, were evaluated. Both subcritical and critical operating conditions were simulated. The critical operating condition was achieved after some adjustments to the back pressure. Performance investigation involving the angle of attack was conducted under the critical operating condition. For all angles of attack examined here, the pressure distributions along the bump centerline exhibited relatively consistent behavior. However, changes were more pronounced for positive angles of attack than for negative ones. The results showed that the bump surface can maintain operational shock structures even at high supersonic angles of attack.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50955,"journal":{"name":"Aerospace Science and Technology","volume":"161 ","pages":"Article 110135"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143636793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zixu Wang, Pan Li, Zhenhua Zhu, Renliang Chen, Junbiao Shen
{"title":"Control allocation design for equal control sensitivity of tiltrotor aircraft","authors":"Zixu Wang, Pan Li, Zhenhua Zhu, Renliang Chen, Junbiao Shen","doi":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110134","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ast.2025.110134","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Control redundancy is a considerable challenge in tiltrotor aircraft, making an effective control allocation scheme critical for ensuring safe and smooth transitional flights. This study focuses on medium-to-large tiltrotor aircraft with fly-by-wire flight control systems and introduces an equal control sensitivity (ECS) allocation method based on ganging control (GC). This method aims to quantify and standardize the control allocation design process and accommodate various complex optimization objectives, including minimizing the control surface deflection angle, yaw-to-roll control coupling, and transient control loads on the nacelle tilt axis and rotor hub. The results show that the ECS allocation method specifically mitigates control coupling effects and transient peak responses in the nacelle tilt-axis and rotor hub moments while maintaining equal control sensitivity within the conversion corridor. In addition, the ECS allocation method has a significant advantage in reducing the variation range and dispersion of gain scheduling in feedback loops as it enables a smooth transition from helicopter mode to airplane mode using fixed control gains, while demonstrating good disturbance rejection capabilities. The ECS allocation method simplifies the workload of the feedback loop control gain design.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50955,"journal":{"name":"Aerospace Science and Technology","volume":"161 ","pages":"Article 110134"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143685459","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}