Engineering topics

Steinhoff, J.

Publications and source records attributed to Steinhoff, J..

8 records

NASA NTRS1990

The free-wake computation of rotor-body flows

In this paper a method is described for predicting the compressible, free-wake, flow about a lifting rotor-body configuration. The method is an extension of a unique vorticity embedded full-potential method used to calculate free-wake rotor hover performance. An unusual feature of this method is that it obviates the requirement for multiple grids to treat the rotor-body problem. The approach used to treat the body is similar to that used to include the rotor wake in the full potential calculation. The body is modeled as a structured circulation sheet and the strength of this sheet is determined in an iterative manner. Initially the method is tested to compute the flow past simple isolated bodies like cylinders and spheres. After a comparison of these simple computations with exact solutions this procedure is included into the HELIX-I, free-wake rotor code, to compute the flow around a rotor mounted on a large whirl tower. The effects of the tower on rotor wake geometry and load distribution are presented.

Ramachandran, K.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Grid generation for turbomachinery problems

The development of a computer code to generate numerical grids for complex internal flow systems such as the fluid flow inside the space shuttle main engine is outlined. The blending technique for generating a grid for stator-rotor combination at a particular radial section is examined. The computer programs which generate these grids are listed in the Appendices. These codes are capable of generating grids at different cross sections and thus providng three dimensional stator-rotor grids for the turbomachinery of the space shuttle main engine.

Steinhoff, J.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Viscous wing theory development. Volume 1: Analysis, method and results

Viscous transonic flows at large Reynolds numbers over 3-D wings were analyzed using a zonal viscid-inviscid interaction approach. A new numerical AFZ scheme was developed in conjunction with the finite volume formulation for the solution of the inviscid full-potential equation. A special far-field asymptotic boundary condition was developed and a second-order artificial viscosity included for an improved inviscid solution methodology. The integral method was used for the laminar/turbulent boundary layer and 3-D viscous wake calculation. The interaction calculation included the coupling conditions of the source flux due to the wing surface boundary layer, the flux jump due to the viscous wake, and the wake curvature effect. A method was also devised incorporating the 2-D trailing edge strong interaction solution for the normal pressure correction near the trailing edge region. A fully automated computer program was developed to perform the proposed method with one scalar version to be used on an IBM-3081 and two vectorized versions on Cray-1 and Cyber-205 computers.

Chow, R. R.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Mean velocity and turbulence measurements in a 90 deg curved duct with thin inlet boundary layer

The experimental database established by this investigation of the flow in a large rectangular turning duct is of benchmark quality. The experimental Reynolds numbers, Deans numbers and boundary layer characteristics are significantly different from previous benchmark curved-duct experimental parameters. This investigation extends the experimental database to higher Reynolds number and thinner entrance boundary layers. The 5% to 10% thick boundary layers, based on duct half-width, results in a large region of near-potential flow in the duct core surrounded by developing boundary layers with large crossflows. The turbulent entrance boundary layer case at R sub ed = 328,000 provides an incompressible flowfield which approaches real turbine blade cascade characteristics. The results of this investigation provide a challenging benchmark database for computational fluid dynamics code development.

Crawford, R. A.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Gas flow environmental and heat transfer nonrotating 3D program

A complete set of benchmark quality data for the flow and heat transfer within a large rectangular turning duct is being compiled. These data will be used to evaluate and verify three dimensional internal viscous flow models and computational codes. The analytical objective is to select such a computational code and define the capabilities of this code to predict the experimental results. Details of the proper code operation will be defined and improvements to the code modeling capabilities will be formulated.

Geil, T.↗

NASA NTRS1983

The treatment of convected vortices in compressible potential flow

A method is described for incorporating line vortices into the three dimensional compressible potential flow equation. A modified Biot-Savart law is used to compute a vortical velocity field, which is added to the gradient of the potential to form a total velocity. A rapidly converging approximate factorization (AFZ) scheme is then used to compute a potential such that the modified potential flow equation as well as the appropriate boundary conditions, based on total velocity, are satisfied. As part of a coupled iteration procedure, the positions of the line vortices are computed so that they convect with the total flow. The method is used to compute the field due to a single line vortex convecting past a wing. This represents an approximation of the effect of a canard or other lifting surface ahead of the wing, which sheds a tip vortex. It is seen that the flow field is substantially modified by the passage of the vortex. Unlike Euler equation schemes, which are also used to compute these flows, the solutions exhibit no numerical diffusion: The convected vortices retain their initial upstream width. Euler solutions, on the other hand, involve a vorticity which is numerically convected in an Eulerian frame and, unless extensive adaptive grid refinement is used they result in vortices with spread as they convect. Also, the potential flow method requires approximately two orders of magnitude less computing time and much less computer storage than the Euler methods.

Steinhoff, J.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Accelerated finite-volume calculation of transonic potential flows

A fully conservative finite-volume algorithm is used to calculate transonic potential flows past isolated airfoils and through two-dimensional channels. The difference equations are solved by a multigrid technique which uses an alternating direction implicit method as a smoothing algorithm. The finite-volume formulation provides a framework within which to treat flows past complicated geometries, while the multigrid/alternating direction scheme provides rapid convergence of the solution to very small residuals.

Jameson, A.↗

NASA NTRS1978

A modular minicomputer based Navier-Stokes solver

The basic module consists of a minicomputer, low cost peripheral storage device (disk) and a modest number (8-12) of microcomputer modules. A simple arrangement, where the microcomputers are connected to a single time multiplexed bus, only communicating to the host minicomputer, will be efficient. By running the machine in a dedicated mode for long periods of time, it will be possible to obtain a large number of solutions. As such, the device should be useful as a research tool. A scheme is outlined to assemble a number of these computing modules in parallel to decrease computing time. The advantages and disadvantages are discussed of using a number of these systems assembled in a loosely coupled configuration, each independently computing a separate flow, to give a very high throughput.

Steinhoff, J.↗