Abstract
This paper describes an improved modeling and simulation analysis of a variable-length reel take-up system for hose retrieval/deployment during aerial refueling. Based on a previously developed finite segment model, full reel acceleration is applied to the first rigid link connected to the towing point. The variation in the length of the hose and its rate of change are distributed evenly across all of the hose segments through a re-discretization technique, and the dynamics of the hose’s motion are regarded as a series of quasi-static processes. First, numerical simulations of the steady-state trailing hose are compared with previous results and flight data. The non-linear dynamics of a variable-length hose–drogue system during aerial refueling are then analyzed under various retrieval/deployment conditions. The results indicate that the finite segment model is prone to inducing chain-link oscillations in the hose dynamics, which are not appropriate for such a flexible body. In two application cases, the non-physical oscillations were well filtered using the proposed method, achieving a simultaneous combination of accuracy, stability, and robustness. Several advantages of the simulated hose dynamics provide a theoretical basis and platform for subsequent research into control strategies for suppressing the hose whipping phenomenon during hook-up.
Highlights
The hose whipping phenomenon (HWP) is one of the main causes of failure of inflight refueling after a successful hook-up.1 It has been reported that the mission failure rate of the US Marine Corps KC-130 series tanker is 2.5%.2 The main mode of failure is a reel malfunction or a sudden change of the relative position between the tanker and the receiver during hook-up, which causes slack in the hose.3 Subsequently, sine-wave oscillations form and propagate rapidly downstream alone the hose
This paper focuses on the improved dynamic modeling of variable-length hose–drogue and verifies its application in the reeling in/out process
Steady-state trailing hose simulations were performed to demonstrate its consistency with previous results
Summary
The hose whipping phenomenon (HWP) is one of the main causes of failure of inflight refueling after a successful hook-up. It has been reported that the mission failure rate of the US Marine Corps KC-130 series tanker is 2.5%.2 The main mode of failure is a reel malfunction or a sudden change of the relative position between the tanker and the receiver during hook-up, which causes slack in the hose. Subsequently, sine-wave oscillations form and propagate rapidly downstream alone the hose. In 1976, Winget and Huston proposed a finite segment multibody dynamics method, in which the flexible body is discretized into lumped mass ball joints connected with massless rigid links. This method has achieved great success and has been applied in fields such as the towing of underwater cables and hose–drogue aerial refueling (HDAR).. This treatment results in distortion of the dynamic response of the hose Another approach is to simulate the retrieval/deployment by combining/splitting the rigid links. The existing variable-length methods cannot simulate the retrieval/deployment of a flexible body, which is an essential obstacle to the further study of suppressing HWP in HDAR systems.. The proposed variable-length method is evaluated against previous techniques through two retrieval/deployment applications
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