Engineering topics

Mengle, Vinod G.

Publications and source records attributed to Mengle, Vinod G..

12 records

NASA NTRS2013

Jet Engine Nozzle Exit Configurations and Associated Systems and Methods

Nozzle exit configurations and associated systems and methods are disclosed. An aircraft system in accordance with one embodiment includes a jet engine exhaust nozzle having an internal flow surface and an exit aperture, with the exit aperture having a perimeter that includes multiple projections extending in an aft direction. Aft portions of individual neighboring projections are spaced apart from each other by a gap, and a geometric feature of the multiple can change in a monotonic manner along at least a portion of the perimeter.

Mengle, Vinod G.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Jet engine nozzle exit configurations, including projections oriented relative to pylons, and associated systems and methods

Mengle, Vinod G.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Jet engine nozzle exit configurations and associated systems and methods

Mengle, Vinod G.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Flaperon Modification Effect on Jet-Flap Interaction Noise Reduction for Chevron Nozzles

Jet-flap interaction (JFI) noise can become an important component of far field noise when a flap is immersed in the engine propulsive stream or is in its entrained region, as in approach conditions for under-the-wing engine configurations. We experimentally study the effect of modifying the flaperon, which is a high speed aileron between the inboard and outboard flaps, at both approach and take-off conditions using scaled models in a free jet. The flaperon modifications were of two types: sawtooth trailing edge and mini vortex generators (vg s). Parametric variations of these two concepts were tested with a round coaxial nozzle and an advanced chevron nozzle, with azimuthally varying fan chevrons, using both far field microphone arrays and phased microphone arrays for source diagnostics purposes. In general, the phased array results corroborated the far field results in the upstream quadrant pointing to JFI near the flaperon trailing edge as the origin of the far field noise changes. Specific sawtooth trailing edges in conjunction with the round nozzle gave marginal reduction in JFI noise at approach, and parallel co-rotating mini-vg s were somewhat more beneficial over a wider range of angles, but both concepts were noisier at take-off conditions. These two concepts had generally an adverse JFI effect when used in conjunction with the advanced chevron nozzle at both approach and take-off conditions.

Thomas, Russell H.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Computational Analysis of a Chevron Nozzle Uniquely Tailored for Propulsion Airframe Aeroacoustics

A computational flow field and predicted jet noise source analysis is presented for asymmetrical fan chevrons on a modern separate flow nozzle at take off conditions. The propulsion airframe aeroacoustic asymmetric fan nozzle is designed with an azimuthally varying chevron pattern with longer chevrons close to the pylon. A baseline round nozzle without chevrons and a reference nozzle with azimuthally uniform chevrons are also studied. The intent of the asymmetric fan chevron nozzle was to improve the noise reduction potential by creating a favorable propulsion airframe aeroacoustic interaction effect between the pylon and chevron nozzle. This favorable interaction and improved noise reduction was observed in model scale tests and flight test data and has been reported in other studies. The goal of this study was to identify the fundamental flow and noise source mechanisms. The flow simulation uses the asymptotically steady, compressible Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations on a structured grid. Flow computations are performed using the parallel, multi-block, structured grid code PAB3D. Local noise sources were mapped and integrated computationally using the Jet3D code based upon the Lighthill Acoustic Analogy with anisotropic Reynolds stress modeling. In this study, trends of noise reduction were correctly predicted. Jet3D was also utilized to produce noise source maps that were then correlated to local flow features. The flow studies show that asymmetry of the longer fan chevrons near the pylon work to reduce the strength of the secondary flow induced by the pylon itself, such that the asymmetric merging of the fan and core shear layers is significantly delayed. The effect is to reduce the peak turbulence kinetic energy and shift it downstream, reducing overall noise production. This combined flow and noise prediction approach has yielded considerable understanding of the physics of a fan chevron nozzle designed to include propulsion airframe aeroacoustic interaction effects.

Massey, Steven J.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Reducing Propulsion Airframe Aeroacoustic Interactions With Uniquely Tailored Chevrons: 3. Jet-Flap Interaction

Propulsion airframe aeroacoustic (PAA) interactions, resulting from the integration of engine and airframe, lead to azimuthal asymmetries in the flow/acoustic field, e.g., due to the interaction between the exhaust jet flow and the pylon, the wing and its high-lift devices, such as, flaps and flaperons. In the first two parts of this series we have presented experimental results which show that isolated and installed nozzles with azimuthally varying chevrons (AVCs) can reduce noise more than conventional chevrons when integrated with a pylon and a wing with flaps at take-off conditions. In this paper, we present model-scale experimental results for the reduction of jet-flap interaction noise source due to these AVCs and document the PAA installation effects (difference in noise between installed and isolated nozzle configurations) at both approach and take-off conditions. It is found that the installation effects of both types of chevron nozzles, AVCs and conventional, are reversed at approach and take-off, in that there is more installed noise reduction at approach and less at take-off compared to that of the isolated nozzles. Moreover, certain AVCs give larger total installed noise benefits at both conditions compared to conventional chevrons. Phased microphone array results show that at approach conditions (large flap deflection, low jet speed and low ambient Mach number), chevrons gain more noise benefit from reducing jetflap interaction noise than they do from quieting the jet plume noise source which is already weak at these low jet speeds. In contrast, at take-off (small flap deflection, high jet speed and high ambient Mach number) chevrons reduce the dominant jet plume noise better than the reduction they create in jet-flap interaction noise source. In addition, fan AVCs with enhanced mixing near the pylon are found to reduce jet-flap interaction noise better than conventional chevrons at take-off.

Thomas, Russ H.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Reducing Propulsion Airframe Aeroacoustic Interactions with Uniquely Tailored Chevrons: Isolated Nozzles - 1.

The flow/acoustic environment surrounding an engine nozzle installed on an airplane, say, under the wing, is asymmetric due to the pylon, the wing and the interaction of the exhaust jet with flaps on the wing. However, the conventional chevrons, which are azimuthally uniform serrations on the nozzle lip, do not exploit the asymmetry due to these propulsion airframe aeroacoustic interactions to reduce jet noise. In this pioneering study we use this non-axisymmetry to our advantage and examine if the total jet-related noise radiated to the ground can be reduced by using different types of azimuthally varying chevrons (AVC) which vary the mixing around the nozzle periphery. Several scale models of the isolated nozzle, representative of high bypass ratio engine nozzles, were made with a pylon and azimuthally varying chevrons on both fan and core nozzles to enhance mixing at the top (near the pylon) with less mixing at the bottom (away from the pylon) or vice versa. Various combinations of fan and core AVC nozzles were systematically tested at typical take-off conditions inside a free jet wind-tunnel and, here, in Part 1 we analyze the acoustics results for the isolated nozzle with a pylon, with installation effects reported in Parts 2 and 3. Several interesting results are discovered: amongst the fan AVCs the top-enhanced mixing T-fan chevron nozzle is quieter in combination with any core AVC nozzle when compared to conventional chevrons; however, the bottom-mixing B-fan chevrons, as well as the core AVC nozzles, by themselves, are noisier. Further, the low-frequency source strengths in the jet plume, obtained via phased microphone arrays, also corroborate the far field sound, and for the T-fan chevrons such sources move further downstream than those for baseline or conventional chevron nozzles.

Mengle, Vinod G.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Reducing Propulsion Airframe Aeroacoustic Interactions with Uniquely Tailored Chevrons: Installed Nozzles - 2

Propulsion airframe aeroacoustic (PAA) interactions arise due to the manner in which an engine is installed on the airframe and lead to an asymmetry in the flow/acoustic environment, for example, for under-the-wing installations due to the pylon, the wing and the high-lift devices. In this work we study how we can affect these PAA interactions to reduce the overall jet-related installed noise by tailoring the chevron shapes on fan and core nozzles in a unique fashion to take advantage of this asymmetry. In part 1 of this trio of papers we introduced the concept of azimuthally varying chevrons (AVC) and showed how some types of AVCs can be more beneficial than the conventional chevrons when tested on "isolated" scaled nozzles inclusive of the pylon effect. In this paper, we continue to study the effect of installing these AVC nozzles under a typical scaled modern wing with high-lift devices placed in a free jet. The noise benefits of these installed nozzles, as well as their installation effects are systematically studied for several fan/core AVC combinations at typical take-off conditions with high bypass ratio. We show, for example, that the top-enhanced mixing T-fan AVC nozzle (with enhanced mixing near the pylon and less mixing away from it) when combined with conventional chevrons on the core nozzle is quieter than conventional chevrons on both nozzles, and hardly produces any high-frequency lift, just as in the isolated case; however, its installed nozzle benefit is less than its isolated nozzle benefit. This suppression of take-off noise benefit under installed conditions, compared to its isolated nozzle benefit, is seen for all other chevron nozzles. We show how these relative noise benefits are related to the relative installation effects of AVCs and baseline nozzles.

Mengle, Vinod G.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Flight Test Results for Uniquely Tailored Propulsion-Airframe Aeroacoustic Chevrons: Shockcell Noise

Azimuthally varying chevrons (AVC) which have been uniquely tailored to account for the asymmetric propulsion-airframe aeroacoustic interactions have recently shown significant reductions in jet-related community noise at low-speed take-off conditions in scale model tests of coaxial nozzles with high bypass ratio. There were indications that such AVCs may also provide shockcell noise reductions at high cruise speeds. This paper describes the flight test results when one such AVC concept, namely, the T-fan chevrons with enhanced mixing near the pylon, was tested at full-scale on a modern large twin-jet aircraft (777-300ER) with focus on shockcell noise at mid-cruise conditions. Shockcell noise is part of the interior cabin noise at cruise conditions and its reduction is useful from the viewpoint of passenger comfort. Noise reduction at the source, in the exhaust jet, especially, at low frequencies, is beneficial from the perspective of reduced fuselage sidewall acoustic lining. Results are shown in terms of unsteady pressure spectra both on the exterior surface of the fuselage at several axial stations and also microphone arrays placed inside the fuselage aft of the engine. The benefits of T-fan chevrons, with and without conventional chevrons on the core nozzle, are shown for several engine operating conditions at cruise involving supersonic fan stream and subsonic or supersonic core stream. The T-fan AVC alone provides up to 5 dB low-frequency noise reduction on the fuselage exterior skin and up to 2 dB reduction inside the cabin. Addition of core chevrons appears to increase the higher frequency noise. This flight test result with the previous model test observation that the T-fan AVCs have hardly any cruise thrust coefficient loss (< 0.05%) make them viable candidates for reducing interior cabin noise in high bypass ratio engines.

Mengle, Vinod G.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Lobed Mixer Design for Noise Suppression Acoustic and Aerodynamic Test Data Analysis

A comprehensive database for the acoustic and aerodynamic characteristics of several model-scale lobe mixers of bypass ratio 5 to 6 has been created for mixed jet speeds up to 1080 ft/s at typical take-off (TO) conditions of small-to-medium turbofan engines. The flight effect was simulated for Mach numbers up to 0.3. The static thrust performance and plume data were also obtained at typical TO and cruise conditions. The tests were done at NASA Lewis anechoic dome and ASK's FluiDyne Laboratories. The effect of several lobe mixer and nozzle parameters, such as, lobe scalloping, lobe count, lobe penetration and nozzle length was examined in terms of flyover noise at constant altitude. Sound in the nozzle reference frame was analyzed to understand the source characteristics. Several new concepts, mechanisms and methods are reported for such lobed mixers, such as, "boomerang" scallops, "tongue" mixer, detection of "excess" internal noise sources, and extrapolation of flyover noise data from one flight speed to different flight speeds. Noise reduction of as much as 3 EPNdB was found with a deeply scalloped mixer compared to annular nozzle at net thrust levels of 9500 lb for a 29 in. diameter nozzle after optimizing the nozzle length.

Mengle, Vinod G.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Lobed Mixer Design for Noise Suppression: Plume, Aerodynamic and Acoustic Data

A comprehensive database for the acoustic and aerodynamic characteristics of several model-scale lobe mixers of bypass ratio 5 to 6 has been created for mixed jet speeds up to 1080 ft per s at typical take-off (TO) conditions of small-to-medium turbofan engines. The flight effect was simulated for Mach numbers up to 0.3. The static thrust performance and plume data were also obtained at typical TO and cruise conditions. The tests were done at NASA Lewis anechoic dome and ASE's FluiDyne Laboratories. The effect of several lobe mixer and nozzle parameters, such as, lobe scalloping, lobe count, lobe penetration and nozzle length was examined in terms of flyover noise at constant altitude and also noise in the reference frame of the nozzle. This volume is divided into three parts: in the first two parts, we collate the plume survey data in graphical form (line, contour and surface plots) and analyze it; in part 3, we tabulate the aerodynamic data for the acoustics tests and the acoustic data in one-third octave band levels.

Mengle, Vinod G.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Noise Reduction with Lobed Mixers: Nozzle-Length and Free-Jet Speed Effects

Acoustic test results are presented for 1/4th-scaled nozzles with internal lobed mixers used for reduction of subsonic jet noise of turbofan engines with bypass ratio above 5 and jet speeds up to 830 ft/s. One coaxial and three forced lobe mixers were tested with variations in lobe penetration, cut-outs in lobe-sidewall, lobe number and nozzle-length. Measured exit flow profiles and thrusts are used to assist the inferences from acoustic data. It is observed that lobed mixers reduce the low-frequency noise due to more uniformly mixed exit flow; but they may also increase the high-frequency noise at peak perceived noise (PNL) angle and angles upstream of it due to enhanced mixing inside the nozzle. Cut-outs and low lobe penetration reduce the annoying portion of the spectrum but lead to less uniform exit flow. Due to the dominance of internal duct noise in unscalloped, high-penetration mixers their noise is not reduced as much with increase in free-jet speed as that of coaxial or cut-out lobed mixers. The latter two mixers also show no change in PNL over the wide range of nozzle-lengths tested because most of their noise sources are outside the nozzle; whereas, the former show an increase in noise with decrease in nozzle-length.

Mengle, Vinod G.↗