National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Subsonic Fixed Wing Project

Overview of Technical Challenges for Energy Efficient,
Environmentally Compatible Subsonic Transport Aircraft
Dr. Rubén Del Rosario, Project Manager
Mr. Gregory Follen, Deputy Project Manager
Dr. Rich Wahls, Project Scientist
Dr. Nateri Madavan, Deputy Project Scientist

AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting

Nashville, TN
January 9-12, 2012

Fundamental
www.nasa.gov
Aeronautics Program
Subsonic Fixed Wing Project
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 Outline

• Project Context within NASA Aeronautics

• Project Mission and Objectives

• Goals/Metrics

• Goal-Driven Advanced Concept Studies

• Subsystem Concepts and Enabling Technologies

• Concluding Remarks

Subsonic Fixed Wing Project

Fundamental Aeronautics Program 2
 NASA Aeronautics Programs
and where the Green Aviation emphasis is

Integrated
Systems Airspace Systems Program
Fundamental Research Program Directly address the fundamental ATM
research needs for NextGen by
Aeronautics Program Conduct research at an integrated
developing revolutionary concepts,
Conduct fundamental research that system-level on promising concepts and
capabilities, and technologies that
will produce innovative concepts, technologies and explore/assess/demonstrate
will enable significant increases
tools, and technologies to enable the benefits in a relevant environment
in the capacity, efficiency and
revolutionary changes for vehicles flexibility of the NAS.
that fly in all speed regimes.

Aviation Safety Program

Conduct cutting-edge research that will produce
innovative concepts, tools, and technologies to improve
the intrinsic safety attributes of current and future aircraft.

Aeronautics Test Program

Preserve and promote the testing capabilities of
one of the United States’ largest, most versatile
and comprehensive set of flight and ground-based
research facilities. 3
 The NASA Subsonic Fixed Wing Project
Explore and Develop Tools, Technologies, and Concepts for
Improved Energy Efficiency and Environmental Compatibility for
Sustained Growth of Commercial Aviation
Objectives
 Prediction and analysis tools for reduced uncertainty
 Concepts and technologies for dramatic improvements in noise, emissions
and performance
Relevance
 Address daunting energy and environmental challenges for aviation
 Enable growth in mobility/aviation/transportation
 Subsonic air transportation vital to our economy and quality of life
Evolution of Subsonic Transports
Transports

DC-3 B-707 B-787

1903 1930s 1950s 2000s

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 SFW Strategic Framework/Linkage

Strategic Thrusts Strategic Goals System Level Metrics

1. Energy 1.1 Reduce the energy intensity • Fuel Burn

Efficiency of air transportation • Energy Efficiency

2.1 Reduce the impact of aircraft • LTO NOX Emissions

on air quality around airports • Other LTO Emissions
2. Environmental 2.2 Contain objectionable aircraft • Aircraft Certification
Compatibility noise within airport boundaries Noise
2.3 Reduce the impact of aircraft • Cruise NOX Emissions
operations on global climate • Life-cycle CO2e per
Unit of Energy Used

Subsonic Fixed Wing Project

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 NASA Subsonic Transport System Level Metrics
…. technology for dramatically improving noise, emissions, & performance

FAA/CLEEN NASA/ERA NASA/SFW

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 SFW Strategic Thrusts & Technical Challenges
Energy Efficiency Thrust (with emphasis on N+3)
Develop economically practical approaches to improve aircraft efficiency
Energy & Environment
Environmental Compatibility Thrust (with emphasis on N+3)
Develop economically practical approaches to minimize environmental impact
Cross-Cutting Challenge (pervasive across generations)

TC1 - Reduce aircraft drag with minimal impact on weight (aerodynamic Economically
Viable
Maintain
Safety
efficiency) Drag
TC2 - Reduce aircraft operating empty weight with minimal impact on Reduce
OWE
drag (structural efficiency) Reduce
Weight TSEC Reduce
TC3 - Reduce thrust-specific energy consumption while minimizing Drag
cross-disciplinary impacts (propulsion efficiency) TSEC Reduce
Reduce
TC4 - Reduce harmful emissions attributable to aircraft energy
Noise
Emissions
consumption Clean
TC5 - Reduce perceived community noise attributable to aircraft with Enable Advanced Operations
minimal impact on weight and performance Noise
Revolutionary Tools and Methods
TC6 - Revolutionary tools and methods enabling practical design,
analysis, optimization, & validation of technology solutions for vehicle
system energy efficiency & environmental compatibility Tools
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 Goal-Driven Advanced Vehicle Concept Studies (N+3)
purpose/approach

• Leverage external and in-house expertise

• Stimulate thinking to determine potential aircraft solutions to
address significant performance, environmental, and operations
issues of the future
• Identify advanced airframe and propulsion concepts and
corresponding enabling technologies for commercial aircraft
anticipated for 2030-35 EIS (market conditions permitting)
• Identify key driving technologies (traded at the system level)
• Prime the pipeline for future, revolutionary aircraft technology
developments
• Use to inform and define SFW research portfolio and
investments

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 Goal-Driven Advanced Vehicle Concept Studies (N+3)
summary
Boeing, GE, Advanced concept studies for commercial
GA Tech subsonic transport aircraft for 2030-35 EIS
154Pax
3500nm Trends:
M.70
• Tailored/Multifunctional Structures
NG, RR, Tufts, • High AR/Active Structural Control
Sensis, Spirit
120Pax • Highly Integrated Propulsion Systems
1600nm
M.75
• Ultra-high BPR (20+ w/ small cores)
GE, Cessna, • Alternative fuels and emerging hybrid
GA Tech electric concepts
20Pax
800nm
M.55
• Noise reduction by component,
configuration, and operations
MIT, Aurora,
P&W, Aerodyne NASA,
354Pax VA Tech, GT
7600nm 305Pax
M.83 7730nm
M.85
180Pax
3000nm NASA
Copyright, The McGraw-Hill Companies.
M.74
300Pax
Used with permission. 7500nm
M.84
Advances on multiple fronts are required to meet national goals --
Subsonic Fixed Wing Project
many broadly applicable features, some uniquely enabling.
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 N+3 Subsystem Concepts and Enabling Technologies
many broadly applicable, some uniquely enabling
• N+3 Subsystem Concepts to guide Fundamental Research
– Informed by technology trends identified from advance vehicle concepts
– Technology collectors provide vision and focus for fundamental research
needed today to enable far-term outcomes/products
– Far-term outcomes/products will change with time
– Fundamental Research portfolio robust to many possible futures
– Outcomes/products along the way may have near/mid-term impact

Fundamental
Research
Today Technology
Development
to enable
Design Trades
2010

2015
(5 yrs)

2020
(10 yrs)

2030
(20 yrs)
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 SFW N+3 Subsystem Concepts
broadly applicable . . . .

N+3 Opportunities from Goal-Driven Advanced Concepts

1. Tailored Fuselage
2. High AR Elastic Wing
3. Quiet, Simplified High-Lift
4. High Efficiency Small Gas Generator
5. Hybrid Electric Propulsion
6. Propulsion Airframe Integration
Near Term/Cross-cutting
7. Alternative Fuels
8. Tool Box (MDAO, Systems Modeling, Physics-Based)

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 Tailored Fuselage
opportunity to reduce large structural weight, large wetted area
Objective Drag Weight TSEC Clean Noise large structure
large area
Explore and develop technologies to enable direct
conventional and unconventional
structural weight and skin friction reduction
Approach/Challenges
Tailored Load Path Concepts & Design
– Curvilinear metallic stiffeners
– Tow-steered carbon fibers
Designer Materials
– Functionally graded metallics metallic & composites
– CNT hybrid composites tailored load path design/build
tailored materials
Turbulent Skin Friction Drag Reduction
– Direct skin friction drag reduction
– Fuselage wetted area reduction via flow control
Benefit/Pay-off
– 25% fuselage structural weight reduction
– 10% fuselage turbulent boundary-layer drag reduction

Subsonic Fixed Wing Project

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 High Aspect Ratio Elastic Wing
changing the drag/weight trade space
Objective Drag Weight TSEC Clean Noise
Explore and develop technologies to enable lightweight
braced
high aspect ratio wings
Approach/Challenges
Tailored Load Path Concepts & Design
cantilever

Designer Materials

Active Structural Control

– Structural adaptation to reduce loads, suppress flutter,
and maintain optimal aerodynamics active controls
load alleviation
Aerodynamic Shaping
– Low interference external bracing
tailored
– Passive/Active concept to reduce wave drag multifunctional
Elastic Aircraft Flight Control
passive/active
– Control concepts, aeroservoelastic optimization advanced aerodynamics
Benefit/Pay-off
– 25% wing structural weight reduction
– AR
Subsonic increase
Fixed of 30-40% for cantilever wings, 2X+ for braced
Wing Project
Fundamental Aeronautics Program 13
 Quiet, Simplified High-Lift
quiet systems with improved performance
Objective Drag Weight TSEC Clean Noise
Explore and develop technologies to enable high
high-lift
performance, low noise high-lift systems system concepts
Approach/Challenges
High-lift System Noise
– Slat cove/gap fillers
– Flap edge treatments
Landing Gear Noise
– Unsteady flow physics
– Noise reduction concept development
noise source physics
Active Flow Control noise reduction concepts
– Mechanically simple high-lift systems
– Acoustic evaluation and alleviation
Benefit/Pay-off active flow control
– 8-10 dB airframe noise reduction performance & acoustics
– Reduced part count, reduced weight/drag

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 High Efficiency Small Gas Generator
versatile core applicable to variety of propulsion systems/installations
Objective Drag Weight TSEC Clean Noise
Explore and develop technologies to enable advanced,
small, gas-turbine generators with high thermal efficiency
Approach/Challenges ducted fan open fan hybrid system
Hot Section Materials
– 1500F HPC, 2700/3000F HPT blade/vane
Tip/Endwall Aerodynamics
– Minimizing losses due to short blades/vanes
Fuel-Flexible Combustion
materials, aerodynamics,
– Fuel/Air Mixing/Stability Controls acoustics, and control
Decentralized Control
– FADEC to networked to wireless
Core Noise
– Understand and mitigate source noise (e.g., liners)
Benefit/Pay-off
– BPR 20+ growth by minimizing core size multi-point
lean direct injection
– Low emission, fuel-flexible combustors with NOx reduction of
80% below CAEP6
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 Hybrid Electric Propulsion
changing the paradigm
Objective Drag Weight TSEC Clean Noise
Explore and develop technologies to enable hybrid gas-
turbine/electric propulsion architectures superconducting
turbogenerators
Approach/Challenges
Transmission and Winding Materials superconducting motor-drive fans

– Room Temperature single power source to multiple, decoupled fans

– Superconducting
stable, wide area power transmission
Gas-Turbine/Electric Hybrids
– Dual power source to single propulsor (coupled) dual power to single fan
– Single power source to multiple propulsor (decoupled)
Aircraft Power Distribution
– Stable wide-area electrical power distribution
Benefit/Pay-off
– Low noise and zero emission (onboard) electric drives
– Renewable energy sources for aviation use Adv Motor & Gearbox

– Electric transmission to enable decoupled distributed

propulsion for higher effective BPR and improved TSEC

adv conventional to hybrid to (eventually) all electric

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 Propulsion Airframe Integration
increasingly synergistic integration
Objective Drag Weight TSEC Clean Noise
Explore and develop technologies to enable highly
coupled, synergistic aero-propulsive-control
Approach/Challenges
boundary-layer ingesting concepts
Aerodynamic Configuration thrust vectoring
– Novel configurations and installations (e.g. BLI, DP)
Adaptive, Lightweight Fan Blade
– SMA to twist blade (10 deg at tip)
– Nano-toughened composite blade
distortion tolerance
Distortion-Tolerant Fan
– Robust to unsteady and non-uniform inflow
Acoustic Liners
– Low drag, multi-degree-of-freedom
Propulsion Airframe Aeroacoustics
jet/surface interaction acoustics
– Inlet distortion, jet-flap/surface interaction
Benefit/Pay-off
– Improved multidisciplinary performance and noise adaptive fan blades
characteristics; benefits tradable for specific missions
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 Alternative Fuels
characterization of alternative fuels in the near and mid term

Objective Drag Weight TSEC Clean Noise

Fundamental characterization of alternative fuel
properties and emissions to reduce impact of aviation
on the environment
Approach/Challenges
Fuel Property Characterization
– Thermal stability, chemical kinetics, ignition energy
Emission & Performance Characterization
– Laboratory tests
– Ground tests of full-scale engines
– Flight tests
Benefit/Pay-off
– Broad use and understanding of alternative aviation fuels
– Low emission, fuel-flexible combustors with NOx reduction
of 80% below CAEP6
– Reduce aircraft engine particulate matters and gas phase
emissions

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 Tool Box
cross-cutting foundation
Objective Drag Weight TSEC Clean Noise
Explore and develop tools for the practical design,
analysis, optimization, and validation of technology
open Source MDAO
solutions for components and vehicle systems engineering framework
Approach/Challenges
MDAO
– OpenMDAO framework
Systems Analysis/Conceptual Design
– Higher Order Design Environment (HOrDE), ANOPP2 Vehicle Sketch Pad
– Specific System Models (e.g., open rotor) geometry

Physics-based
– Turbulence Modeling/Advanced CFD
– Fast Scattering Acoustics
– Composite Uncertainty (crack onset/progression) high-fidelity tools/models and
validation experiments
– Many others . . .
Benefit/Pay-off
– High confidence, cost-effective variable-fidelity tools
available for analysis and design from subcomponents to full
vehicle systems
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 Diversified Portfolio Addressing N+3 Goals
broadly applicable subsystems and enabling technologies
N+3
Vehicle
Concepts

N+3
Tailored High AR Quiet, Simplified High Eff. Small Hybrid Electric Propulsion Alternative
Subsystem Fuselage Elastic Wing High-Lift Gas Generator Propulsion Airframe Fuels
Concepts Integration

Subsonic Fixed Wing Project

Fundamental Aeronautics Program 20
 Diversified Portfolio Addressing N+3 Goals
broadly applicable subsystems and enabling technologies
N+3
Vehicle
Concepts

N+3
Tailored High AR Quiet, Simplified High Eff. Small Hybrid Electric Propulsion Alternative
Subsystem Fuselage Elastic Wing High-Lift Gas Generator Propulsion Airframe Fuels
Concepts Integration

Gas-
Turbulent CF Hot Section Aerodynamic Fuel
Aerodynamic Active Flow Turbine/Electric
Drag Materials Configuration Properties
Shaping Control Hybrids
Reduction
Technical Tip/Endwall Transmission
Tailored Load High-Lift Aerodynamics Adaptive, Lt Wt Emission &
Elastic Aircraft and Winding
Areas Path Structure System Noise Fan Structure Performance
Flight Control Materials
Decentralized
Designer Landing Gear Control Distortion
Materials Noise Aircraft Power
Tailored Load
Drag Path Structure
Distribution Tolerant Fan
Fuel-Flexible
Combustion
Weight Designer Acoustic Liners
Materials
Propulsion
TSEC Active Structural
Core Noise
Airframe
Control Aeroacoustics
Clean
Noise Tool Box – MDAO, System Modeling, Physics-Based Tools
Structure/
Tools Aeroelastic/ Aerodynamics Acoustics Combustion Propulsion MDAO Systems Analysis/
Conceptual Design
Materials
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 Concluding Remarks

• Strong NASA Aeronautics programs for addressing challenges

of aviation
• Goals driven by National Plan for Aeronautics R&D
• SFW metrics informed by systems analyses
• Broad technical challenges to define fundamental research
needed to meet the strategic thrusts of Energy Efficiency and
Environmental Compatibility
• Goal-driven advanced concepts to inform SFW research
portfolio and investments
• Broadly applicable N+3 subsystem concepts provide far-term
focus to guide near-term research needs
• Robust fundamental research portfolio to enable design trades
with many possible futures
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 Upcoming Session Presentations
N+3
Vehicle
Concepts

N+3
Tailored High AR Quiet, Simplified High Eff. Small Hybrid Electric Propulsion Alternative
Subsystem Fuselage Elastic Wing High-Lift Gas Generator Propulsion Airframe Fuels
Concepts Integration

Haller Systems Analysis and MDAO

Rogers Drag Drag Drag Drag

Taminger Weight Weight Weight
Hathaway TSEC TSEC TSEC
Bulzan Clean Clean
Lockard Noise Noise Noise

Tools
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