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At least 181 records · Page 10

Acoustic Improvements to the 9- by 15-Foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel

A major refurbishment of the 9- by 15-Foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel at NASA Glenn Research Center was undertaken between 2016 and 2019 to improve the acoustic measurement capability of the facility. The principal objective was to lower the background noise in the test section so quiet aircraft propulsors could be tested with good signal-to-noise ratio. The secondary objective was to improve the anechoic quality of the facility so that the measurement uncertainty would be reduced and the data collected would be more accurate. The results of the project were a vastly improved anechoic wind tunnel, with one-third octave sound levels reduced by 8 to 18 dB in the frequency range of interest. The anechoic quality of the test section was improved substantially, reducing the effect of unwanted echoes contaminating the noise measurements, with the error in an impulse response measurement reduced from 0.8 dB to 0.2 dB. This report describes the main acoustic findings and is intended to provide guidance for other facilities requiring a low noise environment

Wind tunnel↗

Limits on Deceleration and Asymmetry of Solar Wind Speed

It has been suggested by Richardson et al. [1995] that the solar wind shows signs of deceleration due to mass-loading by interstellar pickup ions. They based their conclusion on observations from the Voyager 2 and IMP 8 spacecraft. Observations from the Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO), Voyager 2, and Pioneer 10 spacecraft are compared to look for this deceleration. While these comparisons suggests the possibility of deceleration at Voyager 2, the magnitude of this deceleration appears to be significantly less than the deceleration reported by Richardson et al. [1995]. Some of this difference could be explained by a north-south asymmetry in solar wind speed. The implications of these results are discussed, along with possibilities for further investigations.

Gazis, P. R.↗

Acoustical evaluation of the NASA Lewis 9 by 15 foot low speed wind tunnel

The test section of the NASA Lewis 9- by 15-Foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel was acoustically treated to allow the measurement of acoustic sources located within the tunnel test section under simulated free field conditions. The treatment was designed for high sound absorption at frequencies above 250 Hz and to withstand tunnel airflow velocities up to 0.2 Mach. Evaluation tests with no tunnel airflow were conducted in the test section to assess the performance of the installed treatment. This performance would not be significantly affected by low speed airflow. Time delay spectrometry tests showed that interference ripples in the incident signal resulting from reflections occurring within the test section average from 1.7 dB to 3.2 dB wide over a 500 to 5150 Hz frequency range. Late reflections, from upstream and downstream of the test section, were found to be insignificant at the microphone measuring points. For acoustic sources with low directivity characteristics, decay with distance measurements in the test section showed that incident free field behavior can be measured on average with an accuracy of +/- 1.5 dB or better at source frequencies from 400 Hz to 10 kHz. The free field variations are typically much smaller with an omnidirectional source.

Dahl, Milo D.↗

Magnitude and frequency of wind speed shears and associated downdrafts

Data are presented indicating the frequency of occurrence of wind shear and downdrafts together with information on the simultaneous occurrence of these two phenomena. High resolution wind profile measurements recorded at a 150 meter ground winds tower facility were used for the analysis. From instantaneous measurements during horizontal wind speeds of gale-force and below intensity, vertical motion at the 10, 60, and 150 m levels was approximately 60 percent downward and 40 percent upward. At the 18 level the percentages were reversed. Updraft maxima were an order of magnitude or two greater than downdrafts at all levels. Frequency of vertical motion or = 9.7 kts for a year at four levels was 338 occurrences upward and 274 downward. Approximately 90 percent of these updrafts occurred at the 18 m level almost equally during summer and winter, and 65 percent of the downdrafts were at the 150 m level during summer.

Alexander, M. B.↗

NASA Lewis 9- by 15-foot low-speed wind tunnel user manual

This manual describes the 9- by 15-Foot Low-Speed Wind Tunnel at the Lewis Research Center and provides information for users who wish to conduct experiments in this atmospheric facility. Tunnel variables such as pressures, temperatures, available tests section area, and Mach number ranges (0.05 to 0.20) are discussed. In addition, general support systems such as air systems, hydraulic system, hydrogen system, laser system, flow visualization system, and model support systems are described. Instrumentation and data processing and acquisition systems are also discussed.

Soeder, Ronald H.↗

Background noise levels measured in the NASA Lewis 9- by 15-foot low-speed wind tunnel

The acoustic capability of the NASA Lewis 9 by 15 Foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel has been significantly improved by reducing the background noise levels measured by in-flow microphones. This was accomplished by incorporating streamlined microphone holders having a profile developed by researchers at the NASA Ames Research Center. These new holders were fabricated for fixed mounting on the tunnel wall and for an axially traversing microphone probe which was mounted to the tunnel floor. Measured in-flow noise levels in the tunnel test section were reduced by about 10 dB with the new microphone holders compared with those measured with the older, less refined microphone holders. Wake interference patterns between fixed wall microphones were measured and resulted in preferred placement patterns for these microphones to minimize these effects. Acoustic data from a model turbofan operating in the tunnel test section showed that results for the fixed and translating microphones were equivalent for common azimuthal angles, suggesting that the translating microphone probe, with its significantly greater angular resolution, is preferred for sideline noise measurements. Fixed microphones can provide a local check on the traversing microphone data quality, and record acoustic performance at other azimuthal angles.

Woodward, Richard P.↗

9- by 15-Foot Low-Speed Wind Tunnel Acoustic Upgrade Part 1: Supporting Studies

The 9- by 15-Foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel at NASA Glenn Research Center was refurbished in a major construction project starting in June 2017 and ending in March 2019, with some interruptions. Studies supporting this effort started years earlier and continued through the end of construction. The focus of the refurbishment project was to reduce the background noise in the test section during operation. The major focus of the supporting studies was the wind tunnel flow surface. These studies included roughness noise testing of samples, impedance measurements, computational simulations and analysis. NASA Langley and Ames Research Centers both contributed, as did Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. This report describes the major efforts and findings of the supporting studies.

Wind Tunnel↗

Solar Wind Speed Structure in the Inner Corona at 3-12R(sub)O

Estimates of solar wind speed obtained by Armstrong et al. [1986] based on 1983 VLA multiple-station intensity scintillation measurements inside 12 R(sub)O have been compared with white light coronagraph measurements.

solar wind corona radio astronomy↗

Cruise Drag Results from High Speed Wind Tunnel Tests of NASA Refan JT8D Engine Nacelles on the Boeing 727-200

High speed wind tunnel test results are presented showing the cruise drag effect of installing JT8D-109 Refan engines on a Boeing 727-200. Incremental drags of a refan center inlet and side nacelles are presented for several configuration variations. Static pressure distributions were obtained on the side nacelle strut and on the fuselage (above and below the strut). Oil flow photographs of selected configurations are also presented. In general the drag level of the refan installation is slightly better than predicted prior to the test and the drag rise is favorable.

Easterbrook, W. G.↗

Twenty-seven-day recurrences in the solar-wind speed - Mariner 2.

Results of an autocorrelation analysis of the Mariner 2 data concerning solar-wind speed obtained in late 1962. A statistically significant correlation associated with the solar rotation has been found near a lag of 27 days; however, the amplitude of the correlation is only about 0.4, in essential agreement with measurements of Vela 2 and 3 during the period from July 1964 to July 1967. The relatively modest correlation is interpreted to mean that a number of speed structures observed by Mariner 2 did not endure for more than one solar rotation; those structures that did endure evolved significantly in shape, amplitude, and solar longitude from one solar rotation to the next. The analysis also shows that typical solar-wind structures occupied about 30 to 45 deg in solar longitude near 1 AU.

Gosling, J. T.↗

IPS observations of the solar wind speed out of the ecliptic

Interplanetary scintillation observations from 1971-1975 show that the average solar wind speed increases away from the solar equator, with a mean gradient of 2.1 km/s per degree. These results are compared with spacecraft observations over the + or - 7 deg attainable in the ecliptic and with those deduced from comet tails. The role of temporal variations, especially those caused by latitude dependent solar wind streams, is emphasized, and this points to the need for extensive ecliptic and ground-based observations during an out-of-the-ecliptic spacecraft mission.

Coles, W. A.↗

The power spectrum of the solar wind speed for periods greater than 10 days

The use of the more than 11 years of solar wind speed data obtained by Vela 2-6 and Imp 6-8 to study the power spectrum of speed variations in the range near the solar rotational frequency is discussed. The broad bands of power near periods of 27 days (corresponding to the rotational period of the sun), 13.5 days, and higher harmonics are characterized, and it is suggested that the described individual peaks in both the solar wind and the geomagnetic spectra are probably not due to differential rotation. The alternate explanation is that the multipeak nature of the power spectra are explained by a wave packet concept in which recurring highspeed streams are described as a series of pulses (separated by a constant period) that last for a varying number of solar rotations.

Fenimore, E. E.↗