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At least 199 records · Page 11

Single-stage experimental evaluation of tandem-airfoil rotor and stator blading for compressors, part 8

An experimental investigation was conducted with an 0.8 hub/tip ratio, single-stage, axial flow compressor to determine the potential of tandem-airfoil blading for improving the efficiency and stable operating range of compressor stages. The investigation included testing of a baseline stage with single-airfoil blading and two tandem-blade stages. The overall performance of the baseline stage and the tandem-blade stage with a 20-80% loading split was considerably below the design prediction. The other tandem-blade stage, which had a rotor with a 50-50% loading split, came within 4.5% of the design pressure rise (delta P(bar)/P(bar) sub 1) and matched the design stage efficiency. The baseline stage with single-airfoil blading, which was designed to account for the actual rotor inlet velocity profile and the effects of axial velocity ratio and secondary flow, achieved the design predicted performance. The corresponding tandem-blade stage (50-50% loading split in both blade rows) slightly exceeded the design pressure rise but was 1.5 percentage points low in efficiency. The tandem rotors tested during both phases demonstrated higher pressure rise and efficiency than the corresponding single-airfoil rotor, with identical inlet and exit airfoil angles.

Brent, J. A.↗

Investigation of the Kline-Fogleman airfoil section for rotor blade applications

Wind tunnel tests of a wedgeshaped airfoil with sharp leading edge and a spanwise step were conducted. The airfoil was tested with variations of the following parameters: (1) Reynolds number, (2) step location, (3) step shape, (4) apex angle, and (5) with the step on either the upper or lower surface. The results are compared with a flat plate and with wedge airfoils without a step having the same aspect ratio. Water table tests were conducted for flow visualization and it was determined that the flow separates from the upper surface at low angles of attack. The wind tunnel tests show that the lift/drag ratio of the airfoil is lower than for a flat plate and the pressure data show that the airfoil derives its lift in the same manner as a flat plate.

Lumsdaine, E.↗

An analytical evaluation of airfoil sections for helicopter rotor applications

An analytical technique was used to evaluate airfoils for helicopter rotor application. This technique permits assessment of the influences of airfoil geometric variations on drag divergence Mach number at lift coefficients from near zero to near maximum lift. Analytical results presented in this paper indicate the compromises in drag divergence Mach number which result from changes in (1) thickness ratio, (2) location of maximum thickness, (3) leading-edge radius, (4) camber addition, and (5) location of maximum camber of NACA four- and five-digit-series airfoils and some 6-series airfoils of potential interest for helicopters. Examples of airfoil sections which combine several of the geometric changes favorable to both advancing and retreating section performance have been presented.

Bingham, G. J.↗

An investigation on the effect of second-order additional thickness distributions to the upper surface of an NACA 64 sub 1-212 airfoil

An investigation was conducted on a CDC 7600 digital computer to determine the effects of additional thickness distributions to the upper surface of an NACA 64 sub 1 - 212 airfoil. Additional thickness distributions employed were in the form of two second-order polynomial arcs which have a specified thickness at a given chordwise location. The forward arc disappears at the airfoil leading edge, the aft arc disappears at the airfoil trailing edge. At the juncture of the two arcs, x = x, continuity of slope is maintained. The effect of varying the maximum additional thickness and its chordwise location on airfoil lift coefficient, pitching moment, and pressure distribution was investigated. Results were obtained at a Mach number of 0.2 with an angle-of-attack of 6 degrees on the basic NACA 64 sub 1 - 212 airfoil, and all calculations employ the full potential flow equations for two dimensional flow. The relaxation method of Jameson was employed for solution of the potential flow equations.

Hague, D. S.↗

An investigation on the effect of second-order additional thickness distributions to the upper surface of an NACA 64-206 airfoil

An investigation was conducted on a CDC 7600 digital computer to determine the effects of additional thickness distributions to the upper surface of an NACA 64-206 airfoil. Additional thickness distributions employed were in the form of two second-order polynomial arcs which have a specified thickness at a given chordwise location. The forward arc disappears at the airfoil leading edge, the aft arc disappears at the airfoil trailing edge. At the juncture of the two arcs, x = x, continuity of slope is maintained. The effect of varying the maximum additional thickness and its chordwise location on airfoil lift coefficient, pitching moment, and pressure distribution was investigated. Results were obtained at a Mach number of 0.2 with an angle-of-attack of 6 degrees on the basic NACA 64-206 airfoil, and all calculations employ the full potential flow equations for two dimensional flow. The relaxation method of Jameson was employed for solution of the potential flow equations.

Merz, A. W.↗

An analytical and experimental evaluation of airfoil sections for helicopter rotor application

The influence of the more independent airfoil parameters such as thickness, thickness distribution, leading-edge radius, camber, and camber distribution on lift-Mach number characteristics is investigated at lift coefficients up to near-maximum lift. The analysis is based on the drag divergence Mach number (Md) prediction techniques, where Md is the free-stream Mach number at which the rate of increase of drag coefficient with Mach number equals 0.1. The analytical results obtained indicate the compromises in Md which result from changes in thickness ratio, location of maximum thickness, leading edge radius, camber addition, and location of maximum camber for four- and five-digit airfoils and some six-series airfoils of potential interest for helicopters. An example of airfoil sections which combines several of the favorable geometric changes is evaluated analytically and experimentally. A comparison of results shows that the relative effect of the geometric changes on the lift coefficient-Md relation is realistic, and that the methods of analysis employed can be effectively used during preliminary vehicle design and airfoil selection.

Bingham, G. J.↗

Transonic flow past an airfoil with condensation

In connection with investigations conducted to determine the influence of water vapor on experiments in wind tunnels, the question arose as to what changes due to vapor condensation might be expected in airfoil measurements. Density measurements on circular-arc airfoils aided by an interferometer in choked tunnels with parallel walls show that increasing humidity produces increasing changes in the flow field. The flow becomes nonstationary at high humidity. At the airfoil, however, the influence of the condensation is only felt, inasmuch as the shock bounding the local supersonic region moves upstream with increasing humidity while its intensity decreases. The density distribution upstream of the shock remains unchanged. Even if the flow becomes nonstationary in the vicinity of the airfoil, no changes occur at the airfoil.

Schmidt, B.↗

Dynamic stall of an oscillating airfoil

Unsteady separated boundary layers and wakes were studied by investigating flow past an oscillating airfoil which in part models the retreating blade stall on the helicopters. The Navier-Stokes equations in terms of the vorticity and stream function for laminar flow were solved to determine the flow field around a modified NACA 0012 airfoil. After a fully developed flow was determined at zero incidence, the airfoil was oscillated in pitch through an angle of attack range from 0 deg to 20 deg. The computed streamlines during this pitch-up motion are in qualitative agreement with the trajectories of air bubbles observed in water tunnel experiments conducted with a NACA 0012 airfoil under the same conditions. During the pitch-down motion of the airfoil, the computed flow patterns cannot be compared with the experiments because the trajectories of air bubbles intersect.

Mehta, U. B.↗

A study of test section configuration for shock tube testing of transonic airfoils

Two methods are investigated for alleviating wall interference effects in a shock tube test section intended for testing two-dimensional transonic airfoils. The first method involves contouring the test section walls to match approximate streamlines in the flow. Contours are matched to each airfoil tested to produce results close to those obtained in a conventional wind tunnel. Data from a previous study and the present study for two different airfoils demonstrate that useful results are obtained in a shock tube using a test section with contoured walls. The second method involves use of a fixed-geometry slotted-wall test section to provide automatic flow compensation for various airfoils. The slotted-wall test section developed exhibited the desired performance characteristics in the approximate Mach number range 0.82 to 0.89, as evidenced by good agreement obtained between shock tube and wind tunnel results for several airfoil flows.

Cook, W. J.↗

The shock tube as a device for testing transonic airfoils at high Reynolds numbers

A performance analysis of gas-driven shock tubes shows that transonic airfoil flows with chord Reynolds numbers in the range of 100 million can be generated behind the primary shock in a large shock tube. A study of flow over simple airfoils has been carried out at low and intermediate Reynolds numbers to assess the testing technique. Results obtained from schlieren photos and airfoil pressure measurements show that steady transonic flows similar to those observed for the airfoils in wind tunnels can be generated within the available testing time in a shock tube with either properly-contoured test section walls or a properly-designed slotted-wall test section. The study indicates that the shock tube is a useful facility for studying two-dimensional high Reynolds number transonic airfoil flows.

Cook, W. J.↗

Advanced technology airfoil research, volume 1, part 2

This compilation contains papers presented at the NASA Conference on Advanced Technology Airfoil Research held at Langley Research Center on March 7-9, 1978, which have unlimited distribution. This conference provided a comprehensive review of all NASA airfoil research, conducted in-house and under grant and contract. A broad spectrum of airfoil research outside of NASA was also reviewed. The major thrust of the technical sessions were in three areas: development of computational aerodynamic codes for airfoil analysis and design, development of experimental facilities and test techniques, and all types of airfoil applications.

Source record↗

The influence of sweep on the aerodynamic loading of an oscillating NACA 0012 airfoil. Volume 1: Technical report

Aerodynamic experiments were performed on an oscillating NACA 0012 airfoil utilizing a tunnel-spanning wing in both unswept and 30 degree swept configurations. The airfoil was tested in steady state and in oscillatory pitch about the quarter chord. The unsteady aerodynamic loading was measured using pressure transducers along the chord. Numerical integrations of the unsteady pressure transducer responses were used to compute the normal force, chord force, and moment components of the induced loading. The effects of sweep on the induced aerodynamic load response was examined. For the range of parameters tested, it was found that sweeping the airfoil tends to delay the onset of dynamic stall. Sweeping was also found to reduce the magnitude of the unsteady load variation about the mean response. It was determined that at mean incidence angles greater than 9 degrees, sweep tends to reduce the stability margin of the NACA 0012 airfoil; however, for all cases tested, the airfoil was found to be stable in pure pitch. Turbulent eddies were found to convect downstream above the upper surface and generate forward-moving acoustic waves at the trailing edge which move upstream along the lower surface.

St.hilaire, A. O.↗

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 aerodynamic design of an advanced rotor airfoil

An advanced rotor airfoil, designed utilizing supercritical airfoil technology and advanced design and analysis methodology is described. The airfoil was designed subject to stringent aerodynamic design criteria for improving the performance over the entire rotor operating regime. The design criteria are discussed. The design was accomplished using a physical plane, viscous, transonic inverse design procedure, and a constrained function minimization technique for optimizing the airfoil leading edge shape. The aerodynamic performance objectives of the airfoil are discussed.

Blackwell, J. A., Jr.↗

Experimental studies of scale effects on oscillating airfoils at transonic speeds

Experimental data are presented on the effect of Reynolds number on unsteady pressures induced by the pitching motion of an oscillating airfoil. Scale effects are discussed with reference to a conventional airfoil (NACA 64A010) and a supercritical airfoil (NLR 7301) at mean-flow conditions that support both weak and strong shock waves. During the experiment the Reynolds number was varied from 3,000,000 to 12,000,000 at a Mach number and incidence necessary to induce the required flow. Both fundamental frequency and complete time history data are presented over the range of reduced frequencies that is important in aeroelastic applications. The experimental data show that viscous effects are important in the case of the supercritical airfoil at all flow conditions and in the case of the conventional airfoil under strong shock-wave conditions. Some frequency-dependent viscous effects were also observed.

Davis, S. S.↗

Effect of Ice and Frost Formations on Drag of NACA 65(sub 1) -212 Airfoil for Various Modes of Thermal Ice Protection

The effects of primary and. runback icing and frost formations on the drag of an 8-foot-chord NACA 651-212 airfoil section were investigated over a range of angles of attack from 20 to 80 and airspeeds up to 260 miles per hour for icing conditions with liquid-water contents ranging from 0.25 to 1.4 grams per cubic meter and datum air temperatures of -30 to 30 F. The results showed that glaze-ice formations, either primary or runback, on the upper surface near the leading edge of the airfoil caused large and rapid increases in drag, especially at datum air temperatures approaching 32 F and in the presence of high rates of water catch. Ice formations at lower temperatures (rime ice) did not appreciably increase the drag coefficient over the initial (standard roughness) drag coefficient. Cyclic de-icing of the primary Ice formations on the airfoil leading-edge section permitted the drag coefficient to return almost to the bare airfoil drag value. Runback icing on the lower surface did not present a serious drag problem except when heavy spanwise ridges of runback ice occurred aft of the heatable area. Frost formations caused rapid and large increases in drag with incipient stalling of the airfoil.

Gray, V. H.↗

An Empirical Method Permitting Rapid Determination of the Area, Rate and Distribution of Water-Drop Impingement on an Airfoil of Arbitrary Section at Subsonic Speeds

An empirical method for the determination of the area, rate, and distribution of water-drop impingement on airfoils of arbitrary section is presented. The procedure represents an initial step toward the development of a method which is generally applicable in the design of thermal ice-prevention equipment for airplane wing and tail surfaces. Results given by the proposed empirical method are expected to be sufficiently accurate for the purpose of heated-wing design, and can be obtained from a few numerical computations once the velocity distribution over the airfoil has been determined. The empirical method presented for incompressible flow is based on results of extensive water-drop. trajectory computations for five airfoil cases which consisted of 15-percent-thick airfoils encompassing a moderate lift-coefficient range. The differential equations pertaining to the paths of the drops were solved by a differential analyzer. The method developed for incompressible flow is extended to the calculation of area and rate of impingement on straight wings in subsonic compressible flow to indicate the probable effects of compressibility for airfoils at low subsonic Mach numbers.

Bergrun, N. R.↗

Impingement of Cloud Droplets on 36.5-Percent-Thick Joukowski Airfoil at Zero Angle of Attack and Discussion of Use as Cloud Measuring Instrument in Dye-Tracer Technique

The trajectories of droplets i n the air flowing past a 36.5-percent-thick Joukowski airfoil at zero angle of attack were determined. The amount of water i n droplet form impinging on the airfoil, the area of droplet impingement, and the rate of droplet impingement per unit area on the airfoil surface were calculated from the trajectories and cover a large range of flight and atmospheric conditions. With the detailed impingement information available, the 36.5-percent-thick Joukowski airfoil can serve the dual purpose of use as the principal element in instruments for making measurements in clouds and of a basic shape for estimating impingement on a thick streamlined body. Methods and examples are presented for illustrating some limitations when the airfoil is used as the principal element in the dye-tracer technique.

Brun, R. J.↗