Engineering topics

Walker, B.

Publications and source records attributed to Walker, B..

17 records

NASA NTRS2002

Advanced Nacelle Acoustic Lining Concepts Development

The work reported in this document consisted of six distinct liner technology development subtasks: 1) Analysis of Model Scale ADP Fan Duct Lining Data (Boeing): An evaluation of an AST Milestone experiment to demonstrate 1995 liner technology superiority relative to that of 1992 was performed on 1:5.9 scale model fan rig (Advanced Ducted Propeller) test data acquired in the NASA Glenn 9 x 15 foot wind tunnel. The goal of 50% improvement was deemed satisfied. 2) Bias Flow Liner Investigation (Boeing, VCES): The ability to control liner impedance by low velocity bias flow through liner was demonstrated. An impedance prediction model to include bias flow was developed. 3) Grazing Flow Impedance Testing (Boeing): Grazing flow impedance tests were conducted for comparison with results achieved at four different laboratories. 4) Micro-Perforate Acoustic Liner Technology (BFG, HAE, NG): Proof of concept testing of a "linear liner." 5) Extended Reaction Liners (Boeing, NG): Bandwidth improvements for non-locally reacting liner were investigated with porous honeycomb core test liners. 6) Development of a Hybrid Active/Passive Lining Concept (HAE): Synergism between active and passive attenuation of noise radiated by a model inlet was demonstrated.

Bielak, G.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Development and Demonstration of Active Noise Control Concepts

This report details design methods for and feasibility of an Active Noise Control (ANC) system using flush-wall-mounted sensors and actuators to reduce turbofan engine rotor-stator interaction noise. ANC concepts capable of suppressing discrete-tone spinning modes containing several cut-on radial mode were identified, developed analytically, and evaluated. Separate ANC systems that suppressed at least three radial modes in a cylindrical inlet duct and three radial modes in an exhaust annulus were developed. These designs resulted in inlet duct and exhaust duct tests that were performed at NASA on the 4-ft ANC Fan in the NASA Glenn AAPL facility. Effective suppression of 2-BPF spinning mode m = 2 tone noise was achieved over a range of fan speeds 1800 to 2450 rpm, where up to 4 radials were present. In the inlet duct, up to 12 dB reduction was obtained for 3 radial modes, and up to 4 dB was obtained with 4 radial modes. In the exhaust duct, up to 15 dB PWL reduction was obtained with either two or three radial modes present. Thus, the ability to suppress multiple radial modes for tones in both the inlet and exhaust ducts has been successfully demonstrated. Implications of ANC system design requirements on installation and system integration issues for ANC systems capable of suppressing higher order radial mode content when applied to a 767 using twin CF6 engines were evaluated analytically. The analytical results indicated an ANC system must be part of an integrated design to be effective.

Kraft, R.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Design, testing and evaluation of latching end effector

The Latching End Effector (LEE) forms part of the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) for which Spar Aerospace Ltd, Space Systems Division is the prime contractor. The design, testing and performance evaluation of the Latching End Effector mechanisms is the subject of this paper focusing on: (1) ambient, thermal and vibration testing; (2) snare/rigidize performance testing and interaction during payload acquisition; and (3) latch/umbilical test results and performance.

Walker, B.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Evaluation of tunnel sidewall boundary-layer-control systems for high-lift airfoil testing

An experimental study was conducted in the NASA Langley Low-Turbulence Pressure Tunnel to evaluate a suction sidewall boundary-layer-control (BLC) technique used in testing 2D high-lift airfoils. Sidewall BLC is required to maintain spanwise two-dimensionality of the flow over the airfoil at large angles of attack. A supercritical-type high-lift air-foil, equipped with a double-slotted flap and a leading-edge slat, was used for the study which was conducted at a Mach number of 0.2 and Reynolds numbers based on chord of 9 and 16 million. The sidewall BLC technique, which features distributed suction through porous endplates connected to a venting system, was able to control sidewall boundary-layer separation and maintain two-dimensional flow over the high-lift configuration for both Reynolds numbers tested. Discussions on porous endplate optimization and effects of suction on section lift are presented. Results obtained with the suction system were also compared with previous data obtained with a tangential blowing BLC system for the same high-lift configuration.

Paschal, K.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Effect of flow on the acoustic performance of extended reaction lined ducts

A model is developed for the effects of uniform and boundary-layer mean flow on the attenuation and propagation of harmonically excited sound waves in an extended reaction lined cylindrical duct. A duct geometry consisting of an annular outer region of bulk material surrounding an inner cylinder of air is utilized. A numerical solution is obtained for the coupled wave equations governing the motion of the sound in both the inner and annular regions. It is found that the numerically predicted attenuation and propagations constants are in excellent agreement with measured values using Kevlar as the liner material for plane-wave mode (O,O) excitation over a wide range of mean flows and sound frequency. The boundary-layer effects are determined to be unimportant, at least for plane-wave sound. In addition, numerical studies indicate small differences between the use of either the radial velocity or the radial displacement boundary conditions.

Hersh, A. S.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Analytical and experimental investigation of the propagation and attenuation of sound in extended reaction lined ducts

Results are presented of an analytical and experimental study of the attenuation and propagation of harmonically excited sound waves in an extended reaction lined cylindrical duct. The duct geometry considered consisted of an annular outer region of bulk material surrounding an inner cylinder of air. The coupled wave equations governing the motion of the sound in both the inner and annular regions were solved numerically. The numerically predicted attenuation and propagation constants were in excellent agreement with measured values using Kevlar as the liner material for plane-wave mode (0,0) excitation over the frequency from 100 to 7,000 Hz. Although the numerical model was verified using Kevlar, it can be used with any fibrous constructed bulk liner. The results of this study demonstrate that a good start has been made on the numerical modelling of the acoustic performance of extended reaction liners.

Hersh, A. S.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Acoustic behavior of fibrous bulk materials

A semiempirical model of the acoustic behavior of fibrously constructed bulk materials of Hersh and Walker (1979) is generalized to take into account the filtration or removal of particles by fibrous mats and heat conduction between the material fibers and the surrounding fluid. Equations governing the propagation and attenuation of sound waves in a fibrous material are derived on the basis of a solution of the Navier Stokes equation for momentum conservation and a one-dimensional model of heat transfer between the sound field and the fibers. A comparison of the two propagation constants and material impedance specified by the model and experimental measurements for Kevlar 29 indicates the accuracy of the model over a wide range of sound frequencies, material porosities and specimen thickness. It is also found that heat transfer effects are relatively unimportant, while the attenuation constants and material characteristic impedance are a function of fiber orientation relative to sound field propagation direction.

Hersh, A. S.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Effect of grazing flow on the acoustic impedance of Helmholtz resonators consisting of single and clustered orifices

A semiempirical fluid mechanical model is derived for the acoustic behavior of thin-walled single orifice Helmholtz resonators in a grazing flow environment. The incident and cavity sound fields are connected in terms of an orifice discharge coefficient whose values are determined experimentally using the two-microphone method. Measurements show that at high grazing flow speeds, acoustical resistance is almost linearly proportional to the grazing flow speed and almost independent of incident sound pressure. The corresponding values of reactance are much smaller and tend towards zero. For thicker-walled orifice plates, resistance and reactance were observed to be less sensitive to grazing flow as the ratio of plate thickness to orifice diameter increased. Loud tones were observed to radiate from a single orifice Helmholtz resonator due to interaction between the grazing flow shear layer and the resonator cavity. Measurements showed that the tones radiated at a Strouhal number equal to 0.26. The effects of grazing flow on the impedance of Helmholtz resonators consisting of clusters of orifices was also studied. In general, both resistance and reaction were found to be virtually independent of orifice relative spacing and number. These findings are valid with and without grazing flow.

Hersch, A. S.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Acoustic behavior of a fibrous bulk material

A semiempirical model is presented describing the acoustic behavior of Kevlar 29, a bulk absorbing material. The model is based on an approximate solution to the one-dimensional equations representing conservation of fluctuating mass, momentum and energy. By treating the material as a momentum sink, theoretical expressions of the material complex propagation constants and characteristic impedance were derived in terms of a single constant. Evaluating the constant at a single frequency for a particular specimen, excellent agreement between prediction and measurement was achieved for a large range of sound frequencies and material porosities and thicknesses. Results show that Kevlar 29 absorbs sound efficiently even at low frequencies. This is explained in terms of a frequency dependent material phase speed.

Hersh, A. S.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Effect of grazing flow on the acoustic impedance of Helmholtz resonators consisting of single and clustered orifices

A semiempirical fluid mechanical model is presented which predicts impedance of a Helmholtz resonator consisting of a single cavity-backed orifice as a function of grazing flow speed, boundary-layer thickness, incident sound amplitude and frequency, and resonator geometry. The incident and cavity sound fields are connected in terms of an orifice discharge coefficient. The effect of multiple orifices was studied experimentally. Interaction between orifices is important only for orifices aligned parallel to the grazing flow. Resistance was virtually independent of both orifice relative spacing and number. Reactance was found to be quite dependent upon orifice spacing but insensitive to the number of orifices.

Hersh, A. S.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Effects of grazing flow on the steady-state flow resistance and acoustic impedance of thin porous-faced liners

The effects of grazing flow on the steady state flow resistance and acoustic impedance of seven Feltmetal and three Rigimesh thin porous faced liners were studied. The steady-state flow resistance of the ten specimens was measured using standard fluid mechanical experimental techniques. The acoustic impedance was measured using the two microphone method. The principal findings of the study are that the effects of grazing flow were measured and found to be small; small differences were measured between steady-state and acoustic resistance, and a semi-empirical model was derived that correlated the steady-state resistance data of the seven Feltmetal liners and the face sheet reactance of both the Feltmetal and Rigimesh liners.

Hersh, A. S.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Effects of grazing flow on the steady-state flow resistance and acoustic impedance of thin porous-faced liners

The results of an investigation of the effects of grazing flow on the steady-state flow resistance and acoustic impedance of seven Feltmetal and three Rigimesh thin porous-faced liners are presented. The acoustic impedance was measured using the two-microphone method. The principal findings of the study are (1) the effects of grazing flow were measured and found to be negligible, (2) negligible differences were measured between steady-state and acoustic resistance, (3) a semi-empirical model was derived that correlated both the steady-state resistance data and the acoustic impedance data of the seven Feltmetal liners. These findings suggest that nongrazing flow steady-state flow resistance tests could provide considerable insight into the acoustic behavior of porous liners in a grazing flow environment.

Hersh, A. D.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Effect of grazing flow on the acoustic impedance of interacting cavity-backed orifices

The two-microphone method was used to investigate the impedance of interacting cavity-backed orifices in the presence of a grazing flow; the investigation has relevance for the control of turbomachinery noise generated within jet engines. The number (varied from one to 16), the diameter, and the spacing of the orifices were the chief parameters studied in the experimental program. It was found that interactions between adjacent orifices, while increasing reactance, do not significantly alter resistance. In addition, the grazing flow appears to reduce the rate of increase of the reactance.

Hersh, A. S.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Fluid mechanical model of the Helmholtz resonator

A semi-empirical fluid mechanical model of the acoustic behavior of Helmholtz resonators is presented which predicts impedance as a function of the amplitude and frequency of the incident sound pressure field and resonator geometry. The model assumes that the particle velocity approaches the orifice in a spherical manner. The incident and cavity sound fields are connected by solving the governing oscillating mass and momentum conservation equations. The model is in agreement with the Rayleigh slug-mass model at low values of incident sound pressure level. At high values, resistance is predicted to be independent of frequency, proportional to the square root of the amplitude of the incident sound pressure field, and virtually independent of resonator geometry. Reactance is predicted to depend in a very complicated way upon resonator geometry, incident sound pressure level, and frequency. Nondimensional parameters are defined that divide resonator impedance into three categories corresponding to low, moderately low, and intense incident sound pressure amplitudes. The two-microphone method was used to measure the impedance of a variety of resonators. The data were used to refine and verify the model.

Hersh, A. S.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Advanced Earth Observation System Instrumentation Study (aeosis)

Various types of measurements were studied for estimating the orbit and/or attitude of an Earth Observation Satellite. An investigation was made into the use of known ground targets in the earth sensor imagery, in combination with onboard star sightings and/or range and range rate measurements by ground tracking stations or tracking satellites (TDRSS), to estimate satellite attitude, orbital ephemeris, and gyro bias drift. Generalized measurement equations were derived for star measurements with a particular type of star tracker, and for landmark measurements with a multispectral scanner being proposed for an advanced Earth Observation Satellite. The use of infra-red horizon measurements to estimate the attitude and gyro bias drift of a geosynchronous satellite was explored.

White, R.↗

NASA NTRS1966

Wind tunnels

Hypersonic wind tunnel stagnation conditions, wedge flow measurements, transonic entry capsule configuration, and internal pressure in conical pintle nozzle

WEDGE FLOW↗

NASA NTRS1965

Wind tunnels

Supersonic wind tunnel test data, angle of attack envelope computations, and accelerometer package for reconstructing density profile of unknown atmosphere

ACCELEROMETER↗