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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

Computational System For Rapid CFD Analysis In Engineering

Computational system comprising modular hardware and software sub-systems developed to accelerate and facilitate use of techniques of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in engineering environment. Addresses integration of all aspects of CFD analysis process, including definition of hardware surfaces, generation of computational grids, CFD flow solution, and postprocessing. Incorporates interfaces for integration of all hardware and software tools needed to perform complete CFD analysis. Includes tools for efficient definition of flow geometry, generation of computational grids, computation of flows on grids, and postprocessing of flow data. System accepts geometric input from any of three basic sources: computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided engineering (CAE), or definition by user.

Barson, Steven L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Computer aided design and analysis of gear tooth geometry

A simulation method for gear hobbing and shaping of straight and spiral bevel gears is presented. The method is based upon an enveloping theory for gear tooth profile generation. The procedure is applicable in the computer aided design of standard and nonstandard tooth forms. An inverse procedure for finding a conjugate gear tooth profile is presented for arbitrary cutter geometry. The kinematic relations for the tooth surfaces of straight and spiral bevel gears are proposed. The tooth surface equations for these gears are formulated in a manner suitable for their automated numerical development and solution.

Chang, S. H.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Unit cell geometry of 3-D braided structures

The traditional approach used in modeling of composites reinforced by three-dimensional (3-D) braids is to assume a simple unit cell geometry of a 3-D braided structure with known fiber volume fraction and orientation. In this article, we first examine 3-D braiding methods in the light of braid structures, followed by the development of geometric models for 3-D braids using a unit cell approach. The unit cell geometry of 3-D braids is identified and the relationship of structural parameters such as yarn orientation angle and fiber volume fraction with the key processing parameters established. The limiting geometry has been computed by establishing the point at which yarns jam against each other. Using this factor makes it possible to identify the complete range of allowable geometric arrangements for 3-D braided preforms. This identified unit cell geometry can be translated to mechanical models which relate the geometrical properties of fabric preforms to the mechanical responses of composite systems.

Du, Guang-Wu↗
NASA NTRS1992

Investigation of advancing front method for generating unstructured grid

The advancing front technique is used to generate an unstructured grid about simple aerodynamic geometries. Unstructured grids are generated using VGRID2D and VGRID3D software. Specific problems considered are a NACA 0012 airfoil, a bi-plane consisting of two NACA 0012 airfoil, a four element airfoil in its landing configuration, and an ONERA M6 wing. Inviscid time dependent solutions are computed on these geometries using USM3D and the results are compared with standard test results obtained by other investigators. A grid convergence study is conducted for the NACA 0012 airfoil and compared with a structured grid. A structured grid is generated using GRIDGEN software and inviscid solutions computed using CFL3D flow solver. The results obtained by unstructured grid for NACA 0012 airfoil showed an asymmetric distribution of flow quantities, and a fine distribution of grid was required to remove this asymmetry. On the other hand, the structured grid predicted a very symmetric distribution, but when the total number of points were compared to obtain the same results it was seen that structured grid required more grid points.

Thomas, A. M.↗
NASA NTRS1969

Geometry and design point performance of axial flow turbines

Computer program determines the alternative geometries and associated design point performance of axial-flow turbines capable of satisfying specified design requirements. The program solves the flow field within the turbine without making the simplifying assumptions that result in restrictive designs.

Carter, A. F.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Edge geometry of turbomachine blades

Computer program calculates leading- and trailing-edge circle radii, tangency angles on leading- and trailing-edge circles, and stagger angle of turbomachinery blade sections, using only spline points defining blade surfaces.

Schumann, L. F.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A computer code for multiphase all-speed transient flows in complex geometries. MAST version 1.0

The operation of the MAST code, which computes transient solutions to the multiphase flow equations applicable to all-speed flows, is described. Two-phase flows are formulated based on the Eulerian-Lagrange scheme in which the continuous phase is described by the Navier-Stokes equation (or Reynolds equations for turbulent flows). Dispersed phase is formulated by a Lagrangian tracking scheme. The numerical solution algorithms utilized for fluid flows is a newly developed pressure-implicit algorithm based on the operator-splitting technique in generalized nonorthogonal coordinates. This operator split allows separate operation on each of the variable fields to handle pressure-velocity coupling. The obtained pressure correction equation has the hyperbolic nature and is effective for Mach numbers ranging from the incompressible limit to supersonic flow regimes. The present code adopts a nonstaggered grid arrangement; thus, the velocity components and other dependent variables are collocated at the same grid. A sequence of benchmark-quality problems, including incompressible, subsonic, transonic, supersonic, gas-droplet two-phase flows, as well as spray-combustion problems, were performed to demonstrate the robustness and accuracy of the present code.

Chen, C. P.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Solution adaptive Cartesian grid methods for aerodynamic flows with complex geometries

Cartesian methods for computational fluid dynamics are considered to offer an accurate and robust approach for the simulation of aerodynamic flows around geometrically complex bodies. A part of the ongoing research in this domain is reviewed with the aim of providing insight into the fundamental challenges faced by the practitioners of this approach, and a guide to further research. The integration schemes used in Cartesian solvers are similar to those used in other approaches. The emphasis is on the geometric algorithms, surface modeling and boundary conditions required to design a successful Cartesian mesh scheme.

Aftosmis, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Viscous flow computations for elliptical two-duct version of the SSME hot gas manifold

The objective of the effort was to numerically simulate viscous subsonic flow in a proposed elliptical two-duct version of the fuel side Hot Gas Manifold (HGM) for the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). The numerical results were to complement both water flow and air flow experiments in the two-duct geometry performed at NASA-MSFC and Rocketdyne. The three-dimensional character of the HGM consists of two essentially different geometries. The first part of the construction is a concentric shell duct structure which channels the gases from a turbine exit into the second part comprised of two cylindrically shaped transfer ducts. The initial concentric shell portion can be further subdivided into a turnaround section and a bowl section. The turnaround duct (TAD) changes the direction of the mean flow by 180 degress from a smaller radius to a larger radius duct which discharges into the bowl. The cylindrical transfer ducts are attached to the bowl on one side thus providing a plane of symmetry midway between the two. Centerline flow distance from the TAD inlet to the transfer duct exit is approximately two feet. Details of the approach used to numerically simulate laminar or turbulent flow in the HGM geometry are presented. Computational results are presented and discussed.

Roger, R. P.↗
NASA NTRS2024

A Summary of the 2023 Joint High-Speed Boundary Layer Transition Workshop

A joint workshop between the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Office of Naval Research, and the NASA Hypersonic Technology Project was held in June 2023 on the topic of high-speed boundary-layer transition. The purpose of this workshop was to gather subject matter experts in the areas of supersonic and hypersonic boundary-layer transition in the areas of geometries of interest, computational methods, facilities and diagnostics, flight experiments, flow control, and new approaches and to discuss the current state of the art in the field. As gaps and accomplishments were identified, roadmaps were also created to guide future investments in these areas. The top recommendations are (1) to define relevant common geometries of interest that can be worked by multiple research groups; (2) improve modeling of high-enthalpy flows involving chemistry and ablation, studies of receptivity of freestream disturbances and atmospheric particulates into the boundary layer, surface feature characterization and modeling of changes to geometry; (3) design and determine viable flow control methods; and (4) move towards incorporating boundary layer transition prediction into a standard practice for design of high-speed vehicles. To execute this last recommendation successfully, investments beyond fundamental (basic and early applied) research are needed.

boundary layer transition↗
NASA NTRS2001

Apparatus and process for freeform fabrication of composite reinforcement preforms

A solid freeform fabrication process and apparatus for making a three-dimensional reinforcement shape. The process comprises the steps of (1) operating a multiple-channel material deposition device for dispensing a liquid adhesive composition and selected reinforcement materials at predetermined proportions onto a work surface; (2) during the material deposition process, moving the deposition device and the work surface relative to each other in an X-Y plane defined by first and second directions and in a Z direction orthogonal to the X-Y plane so that the materials are deposited to form a first layer of the shape; (3) repeating these steps to deposit multiple layers for forming a three-dimensional preform shape; and (4) periodically hardening the adhesive to rigidize individual layers of the preform. These steps are preferably executed under the control of a computer system by taking additional steps of (5) creating a geometry of the shape on the computer with the geometry including a plurality of segments defining the preform shape and each segment being preferably coded with a reinforcement composition defining a specific proportion of different reinforcement materials; (6) generating programmed signals corresponding to each of the segments in a predetermined sequence; and (7) moving the deposition device and the work surface relative to each other in response to these programmed signals. Preferably, the system is also operated to generate a support structure for any un-supported feature of the 3-D preform shape.

Yang, Junsheng↗
NASA NTRS2002

Advancements in Binder Systems for Solid Freeform Fabrication

Paper will present recent developments in advanced material binder systems for solid freeform fabrication (SFF) technologies. The advantage of SFF is the capability to custom fabricate complex geometries directly from computer aided design data in layer- by-layer fashion, eliminated the need for traditional fixturing and tooling. Binders allow for the low temperature processing of 'green' structural materials, either metal, ceramic or composite, in traditional rapid prototyping machines. The greatest obstacle comes when green parts must then go through a sintering or burnout process to remove the binders and fully densify the parent material, without damaging or distorting the original part geometry. Critical issues and up-to-date assessments will be delivered on various material systems.

Cooper, Ken↗
NASA NTRS2000

A Domain-Decomposed Multilevel Method for Adaptively Refined Cartesian Grids with Embedded Boundaries

Preliminary verification and validation of an efficient Euler solver for adaptively refined Cartesian meshes with embedded boundaries is presented. The parallel, multilevel method makes use of a new on-the-fly parallel domain decomposition strategy based upon the use of space-filling curves, and automatically generates a sequence of coarse meshes for processing by the multigrid smoother. The coarse mesh generation algorithm produces grids which completely cover the computational domain at every level in the mesh hierarchy. A series of examples on realistically complex three-dimensional configurations demonstrate that this new coarsening algorithm reliably achieves mesh coarsening ratios in excess of 7 on adaptively refined meshes. Numerical investigations of the scheme's local truncation error demonstrate an achieved order of accuracy between 1.82 and 1.88. Convergence results for the multigrid scheme are presented for both subsonic and transonic test cases and demonstrate W-cycle multigrid convergence rates between 0.84 and 0.94. Preliminary parallel scalability tests on both simple wing and complex complete aircraft geometries shows a computational speedup of 52 on 64 processors using the run-time mesh partitioner.

Aftosmis, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

A computational study of wingtip vortex flowfield

The near-field behavior of a wingtip vortex flow is studied computationally using an incompressible flow solver for the Navier-Stokes equations based on the artificial compressibility method. Inaccuracies in current computational studies are addressed, especially, the role of numerical errors and transition/turbulence modeling. A subset problem is devised in order to make the study of vortex preservation more tractable. As part of the numerical checks, the flow is first run laminar while performing a systematic grid refinement study for the subset problem. Further studies on the numerical errors are conducted with the measured Reynolds stresses introduced into the momentum equations as source terms. As a preliminary study of turbulent flows, the one-equation Baldwin-Barth turbulence model is implemented as well as the approximation of the production term. The full-geometry case is computed using 1.1 million grid points. The results are compared with experiment.

Dacles-Mariani, Jennifer↗
NASA NTRS2002

Multi-Zone Liquid Thrust Chamber Performance Code with Domain Decomposition for Parallel Processing

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has considerably evolved in the last decade. There are many computer programs that can perform computations on viscous internal or external flows with chemical reactions. CFD has become a commonly used tool in the design and analysis of gas turbines, ramjet combustors, turbo-machinery, inlet ducts, rocket engines, jet interaction, missile, and ramjet nozzles. One of the problems of interest to NASA has always been the performance prediction for rocket and air-breathing engines. Due to the complexity of flow in these engines it is necessary to resolve the flowfield into a fine mesh to capture quantities like turbulence and heat transfer. However, calculation on a high-resolution grid is associated with a prohibitively increasing computational time that can downgrade the value of the CFD for practical engineering calculations. The Liquid Thrust Chamber Performance (LTCP) code was developed for NASA/MSFC (Marshall Space Flight Center) to perform liquid rocket engine performance calculations. This code is a 2D/axisymmetric full Navier-Stokes (NS) solver with fully coupled finite rate chemistry and Eulerian treatment of liquid fuel and/or oxidizer droplets. One of the advantages of this code has been the resemblance of its input file to the JANNAF (Joint Army Navy NASA Air Force Interagency Propulsion Committee) standard TDK code, and its automatic grid generation for JANNAF defined combustion chamber wall geometry. These options minimize the learning effort for TDK users, and make the code a good candidate for performing engineering calculations. Although the LTCP code was developed for liquid rocket engines, it is a general-purpose code and has been used for solving many engineering problems. However, the single zone formulation of the LTCP has limited the code to be applicable to problems with complex geometry. Furthermore, the computational time becomes prohibitively large for high-resolution problems with chemistry, two-equation turbulence model, and two-phase flow. To overcome these limitations, the LTCP code is rewritten to include the multi-zone capability with domain decomposition that makes it suitable for parallel processing, i.e., enabling the code to run every zone or sub-domain on a separate processor. This can reduce the run time by a factor of 6 to 8, depending on the problem.

Homayun K. Navaz↗
NASA NTRS1994

Forebody Tangential Slot Blowing on an Aircraft Geometry

The effect of forebody tangential slot blowing on the flowfield about an F/A-18 aircraft is investigated numerically using solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations. Computed solutions are obtained for an aircraft geometry which includes the fuselage, a wing with deflected leading-edge flap, empennage, and a faired-over engine inlet. The computational slot geometry corresponds to that used in full-scale wind-tunnel tests. Solutions are computed using flight test conditions and jet mass flow ratios equivalent to wind-tunnel test conditions. The effect of slot location is analyzed by computing two nontime-accurate solutions with a 16-in. slot located 3 in. and 11 in. aft of the nose of the aircraft. These computations resolve the trends observed in the full-scale wind-tunnel test data. The flow aft of the leading-edge extension vortex burst is unsteady. A time-accurate solution is obtained to investigate the flow characteristics aft of the vortex burst, including the effect of blowing on tail buffet.

Gee, Ken↗
NASA NTRS2001

Design and Calibration of Autonomous Coherent Doppler Lidar for Space Missions

Developed a new algorithm for the simulation of three dimensional homogeneous turbulent velocity fields. For typical atmospheric conditions it is impossible to produce a simulated velocity field that simultaneously satisfy a given spatial correlation and the corresponding spatial spectrum because of spectral aliasing. The new algorithms produce a turbulent velocity field which has accurate spatial correlations which is required for performance predictions from space-based systems. Developed a new algorithm for extracting the spatial statistics of the atmospheric velocity field using coherent Doppler lidar. The performance of the algorithm was compared with past methods and the new algorithm produces useful results for space-based data, which was not possible before. Developed new methods for verification of the errors in ground-based and space-based Doppler lidar wind measurements. These new methods do not require independent in situ data. This is an important issue for the verification of space-based Doppler lidar measurements of the global wind field. The performance of the new algorithm was compared with past results for both space-based and ground-based operation. The new algorithm has the best performance and is the only algorithm that performed satisfactory for spacebased operation. The performance of coherent Doppler lidar for a space missions with various scanning geometries was determined using computer simulation which contained the effects of random instrumental velocity errors, wind shear, wind variability along the range-gate and from shot-to-shot, and random variations in atmospheric aerosol backscatter over the measurement volume. The bias in the velocity estimates was small and the accuracy in the is typically less than 0.5 m/s for high signal conditions. For a large number of shot per velocity estimate, the threshold signal level for acceptable estimates is proportional to the number of shots to the minus one half power. This agrees with previous results determined for ground-based measurements. The use of multi-element optical detectors for autonomous operation of coherent Doppler lidar was shown to be a very promising technique. Optimal detector geometries were determined by computer simulation of performance: for ground-based testing with a fixed calibration target and for space-based operation using the random surface returns. The effects of refractive turbulence on ground-based calibration of coherent Doppler lidar was determined by computer simulations and compared with theoretical predictions. New techniques were required to correctly predict performance for the focused beam geometry commonly used for verification of space-based operation. An improved velocity estimator was evaluated for space-based applications were signal shot measurements are used to produce vector wind measurements. This permits more accurate measurements when the signal level is not known a priori or not available from multiple shot measurements. The average Doppler lidar signal spectrum including the effects of velocity turbulence was derived and calculated. This permits new estimation algorithms for turbulence based on spectral estimates. In situ atmospheric measurements were conducted and analyzed using an instrumented kite-platform. This work helps provide the required in situ data for verification of Doppler lidar velocity statistics.

Frehlich, Rod G.↗