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At least 181 records · Page 10

Compressible 2D Flow Field Interaction of Two Contra-Rotating Blades

The blades of coaxial, contra-rotating rotor systems cross each other in close proximity and at high relative speeds. This crossing event is a potential source of noise and severe blade loads. Effects of compressibility can aggravate the interaction and significantly alter the pressure field signature and phase relationships. A 2-D analysis of this phenomenon is performed by simulating two airfoils passing each other at specified speeds and vertical separation distances. Several test cases spanning a relevant range of Reynolds numbers, angles of attack, and relative Mach number are considered. The Mach number is varied to simulate the radial variation of velocity from the root to tip of a rotor blade to capture the pressure signature, lift, and drag of the airfoils. The velocity and pressure distributions on the airfoils, and in the space between the airfoils are computed before, at, and after airfoil crossing. The variations of lift and drag coefficients through the interaction are captured. The upper airfoil experiences an increase in lift followed by a very sharp drop in lift during the interaction. When relative Mach numbers are transonic, the region of interaction is greatly extended, with shock interactions occurring. The results show the complex nature of the aerodynamic and fluid dynamic impulses generated by blade-blade interactions, with implications to aeroelastic loads and aeroacoustic sources.

Barbely, Natasha L.↗

Active Control of Flow Separation on a High-Lift System with Slotted Flap at High Reynolds Number

The NASA Energy Efficient Transport (EET) airfoil was tested at NASA Langley's Low- Turbulence Pressure Tunnel (LTPT) to assess the effectiveness of distributed Active Flow Control (AFC) concepts on a high-lift system at flight scale Reynolds numbers for a medium-sized transport. The test results indicate presence of strong Reynolds number effects on the high-lift system with the AFC operational, implying the importance of flight-scale testing for implementation of such systems during design of future flight vehicles with AFC. This paper describes the wind tunnel test results obtained at the LTPT for the EET high-lift system for various AFC concepts examined on this airfoil.

Khodadoust, Abdollah↗

Simultaneous calculation of aircraft design loads and structural member sizes

A design process which accounts for the interaction between aerodynamic loads and changes in member sizes during sizing of aircraft structures is described. A simultaneous iteration procedure is used wherein both design loads and member sizes are updated during each cycle yielding converged, compatible loads and member sizes. A description is also given of a system of programs which incorporates this process using lifting surface theory to calculate aerodynamic pressure distributions, using a finite-element method for structural analysis, and using a fully stressed design technique to size structural members. This system is tailored to perform the entire process with computational efficiency in a single computer run so that it can be used effectively during preliminary design. Selected results, considering maneuver, taxi, and fatigue design conditions, are presented to illustrate convergence characteristics of this iterative procedure.

Giles, G. L.↗

An Improved Version of the NASA-Lockheed Multielement Airfoil Analysis Computer Program

An improved version of the NASA-Lockheed computer program for the analysis of multielement airfoils is described. The predictions of the program are evaluated by comparison with recent experimental high lift data including lift, pitching moment, profile drag, and detailed distributions of surface pressures and boundary layer parameters. The results of the evaluation show that the contract objectives of improving program reliability and accuracy have been met.

Brune, G. W.↗

Comparison of concurrent strain gage- and pressure transducer-measured flight loads on a lifting reentry vehicle and correlation with wind tunnel predictions

Concurrent strain gage and pressure transducer measured flight loads on a lifting reentry vehicle are compared and correlated with wind tunnel-predicted loads. Subsonic, transonic, and supersonic aerodynamic loads are presented for the left fin and control surfaces of the X-24B lifting reentry vehicle. Typical left fin pressure distributions are shown. The effects of variations in angle of attack, angle of sideslip, and Mach number on the left fin loads and rudder hinge moments are presented in coefficient form. Also presented are the effects of variations in angle of attack and Mach number on the upper flap, lower flap, and aileron hinge-moment coefficients. The effects of variations in lower flap hinge moments due to changes in lower flap deflection and Mach number are presented in terms of coefficient slopes.

Tang, M. H.↗

Scale effects on supercritical airfoils

A survey of research relative to scale effects on supercritical airfoils has been conducted. The results of this survey indicated that Reynolds number scale effects have a significant impact on airfoil design and performance. Further, this impact is greater for supercritical airfoils than for conventional airfoils. It was found that low Reynolds number drag data could be extrapolated to high Reynolds number conditions provided the flow was attached and the pressure distribution shape did not change appreciably. Airfoil lift and pitching-moment data obtained at low Reynolds numbers cannot be extrapolated to full-scale values. Viscous theoretical transonic analysis methods currently under development will significantly improve the ability of the designer to account for scale effects. Boundary-layer manipulation in low Reynolds number facilities using natural transition or aft located transition strips to simulate high Reynolds number conditions was shown to be an uncertain test procedure and reliance should be made on high Reynolds number facilities if available.

Blackwell, J. A., Jr.↗

The performance evaluation of a jet flap on an advanced supersonic harrier

The performance concept of a supersonic vertical and short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) fighter, model 279-3, modified to utilize a jet flap was evaluated. Replacing the rear nozzles of the 279-3 with the jet flap favorably alters the pressure distribution over the airfoil and dramatically increases lift. The result is a significant decrease in takeoff distance, an increase in payload, and an improvement in combat performance. To investigate the benefit in increased payload, the 279-3 and the jet flapped 279-3JF were modeled on the NASA Aircraft Synthesis (ACSYNT) computer code and flown on a 250 feet takeoff distance interdiction mission. The increase in payload weight that the 279-3JF could carry was converted into fuel in one case, and in another, converted to bomb load. When the fuel was increased, the 279-3JF penetrated into enemy territory almost four times the distance of 279-3, and therefore increased mission capability. When the bomb load was increased, the 279-3JF carried 14 bombs the same distance the 279-3 carried four. The increase in mission performance and improvements in turning rates was realized with only a small penalty in increased empty weight.

Lipera, L. D.↗

The aerodynamics of rotor blades with ice shapes accreted in hover and in level flight

Through a series of flights in artificial clouds, ice accretions on the main rotor of a UH-1H helicopter were documented in detail upon landing by silicone-rubber molds for both hover and level flights. Full scale reproductions of typical accretions in hover were fabricated by means of epoxy castings and used for a wind-tunnel test program. Surface static pressure distributions were recorded and used to evaluate lift and pitching moment increments while drag was determined by wake surveys. For comparison, accreted ice shapes are presented for two level flight cases as well as preliminary analytical predictions.

Lee, J. D.↗

Pressure field due to drag reducing outer layer devices in turbulent boundary layers

The wall static pressure in the vicinity of drag reducing outer layer devices in flat wall turbulent boundary layers has been measured and compared with an inviscid theory. Symmetric and cambered airfoil devices have been examined at small angles of attack and very low chord Reynolds numbers. Airfoil devices impose a sequence of strong favorable and adverse pressure gradients on the boundary layer whose drag is to be reduced. At very small angles of attack (+ or - 2 deg), this pressure field extends up to about three chord lengths downstream of the trailing edge of an airfoil device. Also examined are the pressures on the upper and lower surfaces of a symmetric airfoil device in the freestream and near the wall. The freestream pressure distribution around an airfoil section is altered by the wall proximity. The relevance of lift enhancement caused by wall proximity to drag reduction has been discussed. The pressure distributions on the flat wall beneath the symmetric airfoil devices are predicted well by the inviscid theory. However, the remaining pressure distributions are predicted only qualitatively, presumably because of strong viscous effects.

Bandyopadhyay, P. R.↗

Low Noise Cruise Efficient Short Take-Off and Landing Transport Vehicle Study

The saturation of the airspace around current airports combined with increasingly stringent community noise limits represents a serious impediment to growth in world aviation travel. Breakthrough concepts that both increase throughput and reduce noise impacts are required to enable growth in aviation markets. Concepts with a 25 year horizon must facilitate a 4x increase in air travel while simultaneously meeting community noise constraints. Attacking these horizon issues holistically is the concept study of a Cruise Efficient Short Take-Off and Landing (CESTOL) high subsonic transport under the NASA's Revolutionary Systems Concepts for Aeronautics (RSCA) project. The concept is a high-lift capable airframe with a partially embedded distributed propulsion system that takes a synergistic approach in propulsion-airframe-integration (PAI) by fully integrating the airframe and propulsion systems to achieve the benefits of both low-noise short take-off and landing (STOL) operations and efficient high speed cruise. This paper presents a summary of the recent study of a distributed propulsion/airframe configuration that provides low-noise STOL operation to enable 24-hour use of the untapped regional and city center airports to increase the capacity of the overall airspace while still maintaining efficient high subsonic cruise flight capability.

Kim, Hyun D.↗

Aerodynamic Performance and Acoustic Measurements of a High-Lift Propeller in an Isolated Configuration

A series of aerodynamic performance and acoustic measurements has been made on a high-lift propeller intended for utilization on a distributed electric propulsion (DEP) aircraft. Tests were performed in the NASA Langley Low Speed Aeroacoustic Wind Tunnel (LSAWT), which has recently undergone a capability enhancement for the testing of small propellers/rotors and small unmanned aircraft system (UAS) platforms. The objectives of this testing campaign are two-fold: first to demonstrate the facility capabilities for performing small propeller aeroacoustic testing, and second to compare experimental measurements with computational fluid dynamic (CFD) predictions and CFD-based acoustic predictions of the tested propeller configurations for tool development and validation purposes.

Zawodny, Nikolas S.↗

Wall-Modeled Large-Eddy Simulations for High-Lift Configurations using FUN3D

Wall-modeled large-eddy simulation (WMLES) capability has recently been implemented into FUN3D, an unstructured, node-centered, finite-volume solver developed at the NASA Langley Research Center. In this paper, WMLES is assessed for two configurations that are representative for high-lift applications. The first configuration is a nominal two-dimensional multielement airfoil that has been extensively studied in the literature. WMLES solutions are computed for four angles of attack and compared with previously reported solutions. Good agreement of integrated forces, surface pressures, and boundary-layer velocity profiles is shown with available experimental data especially at lower angles of attack. WMLES solutions are also computed for the NASA High-Lift Common Research Model over a large range of angles of attack. Forces, pitching moments, and pressure distributions are favorably compared with the experimental data up to the maximum lift, including the angle of attack where the maximum lift is obtained experimentally. Eddy visualization techniques of q-criterion and density-gradient magnitude illustrate the resolved content.

High-Lift flows↗

Analysis of a High-Lift Multi-Element Airfoil using a Navier-Stokes Code

A thin-layer Navier-Stokes code, CFL3D, was utilized to compute the flow over a high-lift multi-element airfoil. This study was conducted to improve the prediction of high-lift flowfields using various turbulence models and improved glidding techniques. An overset Chimera grid system is used to model the three element airfoil geometry. The effects of wind tunnel wall modeling, changes to the grid density and distribution, and embedded grids are discussed. Computed pressure and lift coefficients using Spalart-Allmaras, Baldwin-Barth, and Menter's kappa-omega - Shear Stress Transport (SST) turbulence models are compared with experimental data. The ability of CFL3D to predict the effects on lift coefficient due to changes in Reynolds number changes is also discussed.

Whitlock, Mark E.↗

Experimental Study of Lift-Enhancing Tabs on a Two-Element Airfoil

The results of a wind-tunnel test are presented for a two-dimensional NASA 63(sub 2)-215 Mod B airfoil with a 30% chord single-slotted flap. The use of lift-enhancing tabs (similar to Gurney flaps) on the lower surface near the trailing edge of both elements was investigated on four nap configurations. A combination of vortex generators on the flap and lift-enhancing tabs was also investigated. Measurements of surface-pressure distributions and wake profiles were used to determine the aerodynamic performance of each configuration. By reducing flow separation on the flap, a lift-enhancing tab at the main-element trailing edge increased the maximum lift by 10.3% for the 42-deg flap case. The tab had a lesser effect at a moderate flap deflection (32 deg) and adversely affected the performance at the smallest flap deflection (22 deg). A tab located near the flap trailing edge produced an additional lift increment for all flap deflections. The application of vortex generators to the flap eliminated lift-curve hysteresis and reduced flow separation on two configurations with large flap deflections (greater than 40 deg). A maximum-lift coefficient of 3.32 (17% above the optimum baseline) was achieved with the combination of lift-enhancing tabs on both elements and vortex generators on the flap.

Storms, Bruce L.↗

Large-Scale Simulation of a Distributed Sensing Network Supporting Regional Urban Air Mobility Operations

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is set to transform transportation in densely populated regions like the San Francisco Bay Area. This paper introduces an innovative simulation approach to explore large-scale UAM scenarios, emphasizing the use of distributed sensing to enhance operational efficiency and safety. The Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) model is employed as the framework for simulating complex interactions among multiple vehicles within urban landscapes. Strategically deployed ground sensor nodes enable distributed sensing, enhancing situational awareness and operational effectiveness. By integrating empirical data and geographical realism, the simulations provide a systematic analysis of the feasibility, efficiency, and safety considerations associated with UAM deployment in urban environments. Factors such as air traffic density and infrastructural requirements are thoroughly examined, offering actionable insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders. This paper aims to refine the structure and scenarios for large-scale simulations based on distributed sensing, thereby contributing to the advancement of UAM operations.

UAM↗

Large-Scale Simulation of a Distributed Sensing Network Supporting Regional Urban Air Mobility Operations

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is set to transform transportation in densely populated regions like the San Francisco Bay Area. This paper introduces an innovative simulation approach to explore large-scale UAM scenarios, emphasizing the use of distributed sensing to enhance operational efficiency and safety. The Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) model is employed as the framework for simulating complex interactions among multiple vehicles within urban landscapes. Strategically deployed ground sensor nodes enable distributed sensing, enhancing situational awareness and operational effectiveness. By integrating empirical data and geographical realism, the simulations provide a systematic analysis of the feasibility, efficiency, and safety considerations associated with UAM deployment in urban environments. Factors such as air traffic density and infrastructural requirements are thoroughly examined, offering actionable insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders. This paper aims to refine the structure and scenarios for large-scale simulations based on distributed sensing, thereby contributing to the advancement of UAM operations.

Aircraft Mobility↗