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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 217 records · Page 12

Transient rotor dynamic rub phenomena - Theory and test

This paper develops an implicit integration scheme for transient rotor dynamic rub prediction and includes a correlation study with actual test results. A Nordsieck-like numerical integration scheme is applied directly to the second-order equations of motion. The assumption that forces and torques on the rotor are functions of the position and velocity at the point of application and its nearest neighbor is made in order to make the computational time proportional to the number of elements in the rotor dynamics model rather than the cube of the number. The test rig consists of a turbine driven, flexible shaft supported by squeeze film dampers. The blade loss event occurs due to collision of a balance bolt on one of the disks with a high speed plunger. The rotor is seen to spiral outward and contact against a stationary assemblage of seal shoes.

Kascak, A. F.↗

Advanced Turbine Technology Applications Project (ATTAP)

The Advanced Turbine Technologies Application Project (ATTAP) is in the fifth year of a multiyear development program to bring the automotive gas turbine engine to a state at which industry can make commercialization decisions. Activities during the past year included reference powertrain design updates, test-bed engine design and development, ceramic component design, materials and component characterization, ceramic component process development and fabrication, ceramic component rig testing, and test-bed engine fabrication and testing. Engine design and development included mechanical design, combustion system development, alternate aerodynamic flow testing, and controls development. Design activities included development of the ceramic gasifier turbine static structure, the ceramic gasifier rotor, and the ceramic power turbine rotor. Material characterization efforts included the testing and evaluation of five candidate high temperature ceramic materials. Ceramic component process development and fabrication, with the objective of approaching automotive volumes and costs, continued for the gasifier turbine rotor, gasifier turbine scroll, extruded regenerator disks, and thermal insulation. Engine and rig fabrication, testing, and development supported improvements in ceramic component technology. Total test time in 1992 amounted to 599 hours, of which 147 hours were engine testing and 452 were hot rig testing.

Source record↗

Using RotCFD to Predict Isolated XV-15 Rotor Performance

Experimental techniques to measure rotorcraft aerodynamic performance are widely used. However, the need exists to understand the limitations of ground based testing by augmenting the analysis of experimental test results with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling. The immediate objective of the present research is to develop an XV-15 Tilt Rotor Research Aircraft rotor model for investigation of wind tunnel wall interference. The predicted performance of the XV-15 during various flight modes is compared to theoretical and experimental data. This research is performed to support wind tunnel tests scheduled for 2016. A mid-fidelity RANS solver, RotCFD, is used with an unsteady, incompressible flow model and a realizable k- turbulence model. The rotor is modeled using an actuator disk model or blade element model with a momentum source approach. In RotCFD the setup, grid generation and running of cases is faster than many CFD codes which makes it a useful engineering tool. Performance predictions need not be as accurate as high-fidelity CFD codes, as long as wall effects can be properly simulated. Being able to accurately predict unsteady rotorcraft performance on desktop-class computers provides a quicker analysis of highly complex flows during the initial design phase.

CFD↗

A Conservative, Scalable, Space-Time Blade Element Rotor Model for Multi-Rotor Vehicles

The development of a parallel blade-element rotor model and its implementation into an adaptive Cartesian method is described. The unsteady version of the rotor model applies a body force to all cells contained in the swept space-time volume at each timestep and special care is taken to maintain axisymmetry on the Cartesian grid. Mesh convergence of rotor thrust and torque is obtained with around 10000 cells in the disk for the steady model. Parallelization is accomplished using OpenMP and the rotor force computation is distributed across all available nodes. Simulations of an isolated XV-15 rotor in hover show good correlation with experimental data and predictions of multi-rotor thrust variation closely match previous high fidelity simulations. The final paper will also include results from the unsteady rotor model and parallel scaling tests.

Conservative↗

Health Monitoring of a Rotating Disk Using a Combined Analytical-Experimental Approach

Rotating disks undergo rigorous mechanical loading conditions that make them subject to a variety of failure mechanisms leading to structural deformities and cracking. During operation, periodic loading fluctuations and other related factors cause fractures and hidden internal cracks that can only be detected via noninvasive types of health monitoring and/or nondestructive evaluation. These evaluations go further to inspect material discontinuities and other irregularities that have grown to become critical defects that can lead to failure. Hence, the objectives of this work is to conduct a collective analytical and experimental study to present a well-rounded structural assessment of a rotating disk by means of a health monitoring approach and to appraise the capabilities of an in-house rotor spin system. The analyses utilized the finite element method to analyze the disk with and without an induced crack at different loading levels, such as rotational speeds starting at 3000 up to 10 000 rpm. A parallel experiment was conducted to spin the disk at the desired speeds in an attempt to correlate the experimental findings with the analytical results. The testing involved conducting spin experiments which, covered the rotor in both damaged and undamaged (i.e., notched and unnotched) states. Damaged disks had artificially induced through-thickness flaws represented in the web region ranging from 2.54 to 5.08 cm (1 to 2 in.) in length. This study aims to identify defects that are greater than 1.27 cm (0.5 in.), applying available means of structural health monitoring and nondestructive evaluation, and documenting failure mechanisms experienced by the rotor system under typical turbine engine operating conditions.

Abdul-Aziz, Ali↗

Effects of friction dampers on aerodynamically unstable rotor stages

Attention is given to the physical concepts and mathematical techniques useful in the analysis of the stabilizing effect of friction on aerodynamically unstable rotor stages. Results are presented for three-, four-, and five-bladed disks. In the present multidegree-of-freedom model of an aerodynamically unstable rotor stage, a harmonic steady state solution due to the friction dampers may be either a stability limit, a stable cycle limit, or neither. A criterion is established in the form of an energy function which determines whether the solution is a stability limit. In the event that the initial displacement and velocity exeed those associated with the steady state solution corresponding to a stability limit, the reponse becomes unbounded.

Griffin, J. H.↗

Investigation of Vertical Drag and Periodic Airloads Acting on Flat Panels in a Rotor Slipstream

Tests have been conducted on the Langley helicopter test tower to determine the vertical drag and pressure distributions on flat panels mounted below a helicopter rotor. Calculations of the vertical drag by use of a strip-analysis procedure outlined in the paper and the assumption of a fully contracted wake agreed well with the experimental results over the range from 0.2 to 0.64 rotor radius beneath the plane of zero flapping. The pressure increase caused by the passage of the blade over the panel is a maximum at about the 0.8 radius spanwise station. At this station, the pressure decreases from 10 times the disk loading per blade at 0.05 radius beneath the rotor plane of zero flapping to one-half of the disk loading per blade at 0.64 radius beneath the plane of zero flapping.

LOADS - ROTATING WINGS↗

High temperature turbine engine structure

A high temperature ceramic/metallic turbine engine includes a metallic housing which journals a rotor member of the turbine engine. A ceramic disk-like shroud portion of the engine is supported on the metallic housing portion and maintains a close running clearance with the rotor member. A ceramic spacer assembly maintains the close running clearance of the shroud portion and rotor member despite differential thermal movements between the shroud portion and metallic housing portion.

Carruthers, William D.↗

High temperature turbine engine structure

A high temperature ceramic/metallic turbine engine includes a metallic housing which journals a rotor member of the turbine engine. A ceramic disk-like shroud portion of the engine is supported on the metallic housing portion and maintains a close running clearance with the rotor member. A ceramic spacer assembly maintains the close running clearance of the shroud portion and rotor member despite differential thermal movements between the shroud portion and metallic housing portion.

Carruthers, William D.↗

High temperature turbine engine structure

A high temperature ceramic/metallic turbine engine includes a metallic housing which journals a rotor member of the turbine engine. A ceramic disk-like shroud portion of the engine is supported on the metallic housing portion and maintains a close running clearance with the rotor member. A ceramic spacer assembly maintains the close running clearance of the shroud portion and rotor member despite differential thermal movements between the shroud portion and metallic housing portion.

Carruthers, William D.↗

Charts of the Induced Velocities Near a Lifting Rotor

A compilation of charts of the induced velocities near a lifting rotor is presented. The charts cover uniform as well as various non-uniform distributions of disk loading and should be applicable to many aerodynamic interference problems involving rotors.

Jewel, Joseph W., Jr.↗

Analysis of supersonic stall bending flutter in axial-flow compressor by actuator disk theory

An analytical model was developed for predicting the onset of supersonic stall bending flutter in axial-flow compressors. The analysis is based on two-dimensional, compressible, unsteady actuator disk theory. It is applied to a rotor blade row by considering a cascade of airfoils. The effects of shock waves and flow separation are included in the model. Calculations show that the model predicts the onset, in an unshrouded rotor, of a bending flutter mode that exhibits many of the characteristics of supersonic stall bending flutter. The validity of the analysis for predicting this flutter mode is demonstrated.

Adamczyk, J. J.↗

A Comparison of Computed and Experimental Flowfields of the RAH-66 Helicopter

This paper compares and evaluates numerical and experimental flowfields of the RAH-66 Comanche helicopter. The numerical predictions were obtained by solving the Thin-Layer Navier-Stokes equations. The computations use actuator disks to investigate the main and tail rotor effects upon the fuselage flowfield. The wind tunnel experiment was performed in the 14 x 22 foot facility located at NASA Langley. A suite of flow conditions, rotor thrusts and fuselage-rotor-tail configurations were tested. In addition, the tunnel model and the computational geometry were based upon the same CAD definition. Computations were performed for an isolated fuselage configuration and for a rotor on configuration. Comparisons between the measured and computed surface pressures show areas of correlation and some discrepancies. Local areas of poor computational grid-quality and local areas of geometry differences account for the differences. These calculations demonstrate the use of advanced computational fluid dynamic methodologies towards a flight vehicle currently under development. It serves as an important verification for future computed results.

vanDam, C. P.↗

Rotor/Wing Interactions in Hover

Hover predictions of tiltrotor aircraft are hampered by the lack of accurate and computationally efficient models for rotor/wing interactional aerodynamics. This paper summarizes the development of an approximate, potential flow solution for the rotor-on-rotor and wing-on-rotor interactions. This analysis is based on actuator disk and vortex theory and the method of images. The analysis is applicable for out-of-ground-effect predictions. The analysis is particularly suited for aircraft preliminary design studies. Flow field predictions from this simple analytical model are validated against experimental data from previous studies. The paper concludes with an analytical assessment of the influence of rotor-on-rotor and wing-on-rotor interactions. This assessment examines the effect of rotor-to-wing offset distance, wing sweep, wing span, and flaperon incidence angle on tiltrotor inflow and performance.

Young, Larry A.↗

Fundamental Mistuning Model for Probabilistic Analysis Studied Experimentally

The Fundamental Mistuning Model (FMM) is a reduced-order model for efficiently calculating the forced response of a mistuned bladed disk. FMM ID is a companion program that determines the mistuning in a particular rotor. Together, these methods provide a way to acquire mistuning data in a population of bladed disks and then simulate the forced response of the fleet. This process was tested experimentally at the NASA Glenn Research Center, and the simulated results were compared with laboratory measurements of a "fleet" of test rotors. The method was shown to work quite well. It was found that the accuracy of the results depends on two factors: (1) the quality of the statistical model used to characterize mistuning and (2) how sensitive the system is to errors in the statistical modeling.

Griffin, Jerry H.↗

The Application of Probabilistic Methods to the Mistuning Problem

FMM is a reduced order model for efficiently calculating the forced response of a mistuned bladed disk. FMM ID is a companion program which determines the mistuning in a particular rotor. Together, these methods provide a way to acquire data on the mistuning in a population of bladed disks, and then simulate the forced response of the fleet. This process is tested experimentally, and the simulated results are compared with laboratory measurements of a fleet of test rotors. The method is shown to work quite well. It is found that accuracy of the results depends on two factors: the quality of the statistical model used to characterize mistuning, and how sensitive the system is to errors in the statistical modeling.

Griffin, J. H.↗

Experimental validation of structural optimization methods

The topic of validating structural optimization methods by use of experimental results is addressed. The need for validating the methods as a way of effecting a greater and an accelerated acceptance of formal optimization methods by practicing engineering designers is described. The range of validation strategies is defined which includes comparison of optimization results with more traditional design approaches, establishing the accuracy of analyses used, and finally experimental validation of the optimization results. Examples of the use of experimental results to validate optimization techniques are described. The examples include experimental validation of the following: optimum design of a trussed beam; combined control-structure design of a cable-supported beam simulating an actively controlled space structure; minimum weight design of a beam with frequency constraints; minimization of the vibration response of helicopter rotor blade; minimum weight design of a turbine blade disk; aeroelastic optimization of an aircraft vertical fin; airfoil shape optimization for drag minimization; optimization of the shape of a hole in a plate for stress minimization; optimization to minimize beam dynamic response; and structural optimization of a low vibration helicopter rotor.

Adelman, Howard M.↗

Operating characteristics of a 0.87 kW-hr flywheel energy storage module

Discussion is given of the design and loss characteristics of 0.87 kW-hr (peak) flywheel energy storage module suitable for aerospace and automotive applications. The maraging steel flywheel rotor, a 46-cm- (18-in-) diameter, 58-kg (128-lb) tapered disk, delivers 0.65 kW-hr of usable energy between operating speeds of 10,000 and 20,000 rpm. The rotor is supported by 20- and 25-mm bore diameter, deep-groove ball bearings, lubricated by a self-replenishing wick type lubrication system. To reduce aerodynamic losses, the rotor housing was evacuated to vacuum levels from 40 to 200 millitorr. Dynamic rotor instabilities uncovered during testing necessitated the use of an elastometric-bearing damper to limit shaft excursions. Spindown losses from bearing, seal, and aerodynamic drag at 50 millitorr typically ranged from 64 to 193 W at 10,000 and 20,000 rpm, respectively. Discharge efficiency of the flywheel system exceeded 96 percent at torque levels greater than 21 percent of rated torque.

Loewenthal, S. H.↗