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Abbott, Ira H

Publications and source records attributed to Abbott, Ira H.

16 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1949

The Design of Low-Turbulence Wind Tunnels

Within the past 10 years there have been placed in operation in the United States four low-turbulence wind tunnels of moderate cross-sectional area and speed, one at the National Bureau of Standards, two at the NACA Langley Laboratory, and one at the NACA Ames Laboratory. This paper reviews briefly the state of knowledge and those features which make possible the attainment of low turbulence in wind tunnels. Specific applications to two wind tunnels are described.

Dryden, Hugh L↗
NASA NTRS1945

Summary of Airfoil Data

The historical development of NACA airfoils is briefly reviewed. New data are presented that permit the rapid calculation of the approximate pressure distributions for the older NACA four-digit and five-digit airfoils by the same methods used for the NACA 6-series airfoils. The general methods used to derive the basic thickness forms for NACA 6 and 7-series airfoils together with their corresponding pressure distributions are presented. Detail data necessary for the application of the airfoils to wing design are presented in supplementary figures placed at the end of the paper. The report includes an analysis of the lift, drag, pitching-moment, and critical-speed characteristics of the airfoils, together with a discussion of the effects of surface conditions. Available data on high-lift devices are presented. Problems associated with lateral-control devices, leading-edge air intakes, and interference are briefly discussed, together with aerodynamic problems of application. (author)

Abbott, Ira H↗
NASA NTRS1942

Pressure-Distribution Measurements of a Model of a Davis Wing Section with Fowler Flap Submitted by Consolidated Aircraft Corporation

Wing pressure distribution diagrams for several angles of attack and flap deflections of 0 degrees, 20 degrees, and 40 degrees are presented. The normal force coefficients agree with lift coefficients obtained in previous test of the same model, except for the maximum lifts with flap deflection. Pressure distribution measurements were made at Reynolds Number of about 6,000,000.

PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION - AIRFOILS - DAVIS↗
NASA NTRS1939

Tests in the variable-density wind tunnel of the NACA 23012 airfoil with plain and split flaps

Section characteristics for use in wing design are presented for the NACA 23012 airfoil with plain and split flaps of 20 percent wing chord at a value of the effective Reynolds number of about 8,000,000. The flap deflections covered a range from 60 degrees upward to 75 degrees downward for the plain flap and from neutral to 90 degrees downward for the split flap. The split flap was aerodynamically superior to the plain flap in producing high maximum lift coefficients and in having lower profile-drag coefficients at high lift coefficients.

Abbott, Ira H↗
NASA NTRS1939

Airfoil section data obtained in the NACA variable-density tunnel as affected by support interference and other corrections

The results of an investigation of the effect of support interference on airfoil drag data obtained in the variable-density tunnel are presented. As a result of the support interference, previously published airfoil data from the variable-density tunnel have shown too large drag coefficients and too large a rate of increase of drag coefficients and too large a rate increase of drag coefficients with airfoil thickness. The practical effect of the corrections on the choice of the optimum section is briefly considered and corrected data for a selected list of airfoils are presented as a convenience to the designer. Methods of correcting published data for other airfoils are presented.

Jacobs, Eastman N↗
NASA NTRS1938

Flow Observations with Tufts and Lampblack of the Stalling of Four Typical Airfoil Sections in the NACA Variable-density Tunnel

A preliminary investigation of the stalling processes of four typical airfoil sections was made over the critical range of the Reynolds Number. Motion pictures were taken of the movements of small silk tufts on the airfoil surface as the angle of attack increased through a range of angles including the stall. The boundary-layer flow also at certain angles of attack was indicated by the patterns formed by a suspension of lampblack in oil brushed onto the airfoil surface. These observations were analyzed together with corresponding force-test measurements to derive a picture of the stalling processes of airfoils.

Abbott, Ira H↗
NASA NTRS1937

Fuselage-drag tests in the variable-density wind tunnel: streamline bodies of revolution, fineness ratio of 5

Results are presented of the drag tests of six bodies of revolution with systematically varying shapes and with a fineness ratio of 5. The forms were derived from source-sink distributions, and formulas are presented for the calculation of the pressure distribution of the forms. The tests were made in the N.A.C.A. variable-density tunnel over a range of values of Reynolds number from about 1,500,000 to 25,000,000. The results show that the bodies with the sharper noses and tails have the lowest drag coefficients, even when the drag coefficients are based on the two-thirds power of the volume. The data shows the most important single characteristic of the body form to be the tail angle, which must be fine to obtain low drag.

Abbott, Ira H↗
NASA NTRS1937

Aerodynamic Characteristics of NACA 23012 and 23021 Airfoils with 20-Percent-chord External-Airfoil Flaps of NACA 23012 Section

Report presents the results of an investigation of the general aerodynamic characteristics of the NACA 23012 and 23021 airfoils, each equipped with a 0.20c external flap of NACA 23012 section. The tests were made in the NACA 7 by 10-foot and variable-density wind tunnels and covered a range of Reynolds numbers that included values corresponding to those for landing conditions of a wide range of airplanes. Besides a determination of the variation of lift and drag characteristics with position of the flap relative to the main airfoil, complete aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoil-flap combination with a flap hinge axis selected to give small hinge moments were measured in the two tunnels. Some measurements of air loads on the flap itself in the presence of the wing were made in the 7 by 10-foot wind tunnel.

Platt, Robert C↗
NASA NTRS1934

The Drag of Two Streamline Bodies as Affected by Protuberances and Appendages

This report presents the results of wind tunnel tests of two airship models conducted to determine the drag coefficients at zero pitch, and the effect of fins and cars and of flat and streamlined protuberances located at various positions along the hull. During the investigation the stern of one model was rounded off to produce a blunter shape. The extreme range of the Reynolds number based on the over-all length of the models was from 1,300,000 to 33,000,000. At large values of the Reynolds number the streamlined protuberance affected the drag very little, and the additional drag caused by the flat protuberance was less than the calculated drag by the protuberance alone. The fins and cars together increased the bare-hull drag about 20 per cent.

Abbott, Ira H↗
NASA NTRS1933

The NACA variable-density wind tunnel

This report describes the redesigned variable-density wind tunnel of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics; it supersedes a previous report that described the original tunnel. The operation of the balance and the method of testing are explained and the method of correcting and presenting airfoil data is described. A summary of the formulas for predicting the characteristics of finite wings from the airfoil section data as they are usually presented is also given.

Jacobs, Eastman N↗
NASA NTRS1932

Airship Model Tests in the Variable Density Wind Tunnel

This report presents the results of wind tunnel tests conducted to determine the aerodynamic characteristics of airship models. Eight Goodyear-Zeppelin airship models were tested in the original closed-throat tunnel. After the tunnel was rebuilt with an open throat a new model was tested, and one of the Goodyear-Zeppelin models was retested. The results indicate that much may be done to determine the drag of airships from evaluations of the pressure and skin-frictional drags on models tested at large Reynolds number.

Abbott, Ira H↗
NASA NTRS1930

Experiments with a Model Water Tunnel

This report describes a model water tunnel built in 1928 by the NACA to investigate the possibility of using water tunnels for aerodynamic investigations at large scales. The model tunnel is similar to an open-throat wind tunnel, but uses water for the working fluid.

Jacobs, Eastman N↗