Engineering topics
Silverstein, Abe
Publications and source records attributed to Silverstein, Abe.
Liquid hydrogen as a jet fuel for high-altitude aircraft
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High-altitude cooling I : resume of the cooling problem
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Tests of Propeller-speed Cooling Blowers
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Drag and Propulsive Characteristics of Air-Cooled Engine-Nacelle Installations for Large Airplane
An investigation was conducted in the NACA full-scale wind tunnel to determine the drag and the propulsive efficiency of nacelle-propeller arrangements for a large range of nacelle sizes. In contrast with usual tests with a single nacelle, these tests were conducted with nacelle-propeller installations on a large model of a four-engine airplane. Data are presented on the first part of the investigation, covering seven nacelle arrangements with nacelle diameters from 0.53 to 1.5 times the wing thickness. These ratios are similar to those occurring on airplanes weighing from about 20 to 100 tons. The results show the drag, the propulsive efficiency, and the over-all efficiency of the various nacelle arrangements as functions of the nacelle size, the propeller position, and the airplane lift coefficient. The effect of the nacelles on the aerodynamic characteristics of the model is shown for both propeller-removed and propeller-operating conditions.
Development of Cowling for Long-nose Air-cooled Engine in the NACA Full-scale Wind Tunnel
An investigation of cowlings for long-nose radial engines was made on the Curtiss XP-42 fighter in the NACA full-scale wind tunnel. The unsatisfactory aerodynamic characteristics of all the cowlings with scoop inlets tested led to the development of the annular high-velocity inlet cowlings. Tests showed that ratio of cooling-air velocity at cowling inlet to stream velocity should not be less than 0.5 for this type of cowling and that critical compressibility speed can be extended to more than 500 mph at 20,000 ft altitude.
Drag Analysis of Single-Engine Military Airplanes Tested in the NACA Full-Scale Wind Tunnel
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Aerodynamic characteristics of horizontal tail surfaces
Collected data are presented on the aerodynamic characteristics of 17 horizontal tail surfaces including several with balanced elevators and two with end plates. Curves are given for coefficients of normal force, drag, and elevator hinge moment. A limited analysis of the results has been made. The normal-force coefficients are in better agreement with the lifting-surface theory of Prandtl and Blenk for airfoils of low aspect ratio than with the usual lifting-line theory. Only partial agreement exists between the elevator hinge-moment coefficients and those predicted by Glauert's thin-airfoil theory.
Drag and Propulsive Characteristics of Air-Cooled Engine-Nacelle Installations for Large Airplanes, Special Report
An investigation is in progress in the NACA full-scale wind tunnel to determine the drag and propulsive efficiency of nacelle sizes. In contrast with the usual tests with a single nacelle, these tests were conducted with nacelle-propeller installations on a large model of a 4-engine airplane. Data are presented on the first part of the investigation, covering seven nacelle arrangements with nacelle diameters from 0.53 to 1.5 times the wing thickness. These ratios are similar to those occurring on airplane weighing from about 20 to 100 tons. The results show that the drag, the propulsive efficiency, and the overall efficiency of the various nacelle arrangements as functions of the nacelle size, the propeller position, and the airplane lift coefficient. The effect of the nacelles on the aerodynamic characteristics of the model are shown for both propeller-removed and propeller-operating conditions.
Aerodynamic Characteristics of a 4-engine Monoplane Showing Comparison of Air-cooled and Liquid-cooled Engine Installations
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Experiments on the Recovery of Waste Heat in Cooling Ducts, Special Report
Tests have been conducted in the N.A.C.A. full-scale wind tunnel to investigate the partial recovery of the heat energy which is apparently wasted in the cooling of aircraft engines. The results indicate that if the radiator is located in an expanded duct, a part of the energy lost in cooling is recovered; however, the energy recovery is not of practical importance up to airplane speeds of 400 miles per hour. Throttling of the duct flow occurs with heated radiators and must be considered in designing the duct outlets from data obtained with cold radiators in the ducts.
Design charts for predicting downwash angles and wake characteristics behind plain and flapped wings
Equations and design charts are given for predicting the downwash angles and the wake characteristics for power-off conditions behind plain and flapped wings of the types used in modern design practice. The downwash charts cover the cases of elliptical wings and wings of taper ratios 1, 2, 3, and 5, with aspect ratios of 6, 9, and 12, having flaps covering 0, 40, 70, and 100 percent of the span. Curves of the span load distributions for all these cases are included. Data on the lift and the drag of flapped airfoil sections and curves for finding the contribution of the flap to the total wing lift for different types of flap and for the entire range of flap spans are also included. The wake width and the distribution of dynamic pressure across the wake are given in terms of the profile-drag coefficient and the distance behind the wing. A method of estimating the wake position is also given. The equations and charts are based on theory that has been shown in a previous report to be in agreement with experiment.
Downwash and Wake Behind Plain and Flapped Airfoils
Extensive experimental measurements have been made of the downwash angles and the wake characteristics behind airfoils with and without flaps and the data have been analyzed and correlated with the theory. A detailed study was made of the errors involved in applying lifting-line theory, such as the effects of a finite wing chord, the rolling-up of the trailing vortex sheet, and the wake. The downwash angles, as computed from the theoretical span load distribution by means of the Biot-Savart equation, were found to be in satisfactory agreement with the experimental results. The rolling-up of the trailing vortex sheet may be neglected, but the vertical displacement of the vortex sheet requires consideration. By the use of a theoretical treatment indicated by Prandtl, it has been possible to generalize the available experimental results so the predictions can be made of the important wake parameters in terms of the distance behind the airfoil trailing edge and the profile-drag coefficient. The method of application of the theory to design and the satisfactory agreement between predicted and experimental results when applied to an airplane are demonstrated.
Experimental Verification of the Theory of Oscillating Airfoils
Measurements have been made of the lift on an airfoil in pitching oscillation with a continuous-recording, instantaneous-force balance. The experimental values for the phase difference between the angle of attack and the lift are shown to be in close agreement with theory.
Preliminary Full-Scale Wind-Tunnel Investigation of Wing Ducts for Radiators, Special Report
Wing ducts for liquid-cooled engine radiators have been investigated in the N.A.C.A. full-scale wind tunnel on a large model airplane. Th e tests were made to determine the relative merits of several types of duct and radiator installations for an airplane of a particular des ign. In the test program the principal duct dimensions were system atically varied, and the results are therefore somewhat applicable to the general problems of wing duct design, although they should be co nsidered as preliminary and only indicative of the inherent possibil ities.
Comparative Flight and Full-Scale Wind-Tunnel Measurements of the Maximum Lift of an Airplane
Determinations of the power-off maximum lift of a Fairchild 22 airplane were made in the NACA full-scale wind tunnel and in flight. The results from the two types of test were in satisfactory agreement. It was found that, when the airplane was rotated positively in pitch through the angle of stall at rates of the order of 0.1 degree per second, the maximum lift coefficient was considerably higher than that obtained in the standard tests, in which the forces are measured with the angles of attack fixed. Scale effect on the maximum lift coefficient was also investigated.
Determination of Boundary-Layer Transition on Three Symmetrical Airfoils in the NACA Full-Scale Wind Tunnel
For the purpose of studying the transition from laminar to turbulent flow, boundary-layer measurements were made in the NACA full-scale wind tunnel on three symmetrical airfoils of NACA 0009, 0012, and 0018 sections. The effects of variations in lift coefficient, Reynolds number, and airfoil thickness on transition were investigated. Air speed in the boundary layer was measured by total-head tubes and by hot wires; a comparison of transition as indicated by the two techniques was obtained. The results indicate no unique value of Reynolds number for the transition, whether the Reynolds number is based upon the distance along the chord or upon the thickness of the boundary layer at the transition point. In general, the transition is not abrupt and occurs in a region that varies in length as a function of the test conditions.
Full Scale Span Load Distribution on a Tapered Wing with Split Flaps of Various Spans
Pressure-distribution tests were conducted in the full-scale wind tunnel on a 2:1 tapered U.S.A. 45 airfoil equipped with 20 percent chord split trailing-edge flaps of various spans. A special installation was employed in the tests utilizing a half-span airfoil mounted vertically above a reflection plane. The airfoil has a constant chord center section and rounded tips and is tapered in thickness from 18 percent c at the root to 9 percent c at the tip. The aerodynamic characteristics, given by the usual dimension less coefficients, are presented graphically as functions of flap span and angle of attack as well as by semispan load diagrams. The results indicate, in general, that only a relatively small increase in the normal-force coefficient is to be expected by extending the flap span of an airfoil-flap combination, similar to the one tested, beyond 70 percent of the wing span.