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At least 253 records · Page 14

Finite element formulation of transonic flow problems

Reference is made to the study by Akay and Ecer (1982), which treated the solution of full Euler equations for transonic, rotational, inviscid flows. Attention is given here to some of the important features of a general finite element formulation for transonic flows. Both rotational and irrotational cases are treated. Transonic flow through a parallel channel with a 4.2 percent thick circular bump is analyzed for an upstream Mach number of 0.85. A figure is included showing the computational grid of 44 x 8 elements. In this case, the distance between the walls of the channel is 2.073 times the chord length of the bump. The pressure distributions over the bump for rotational assumptions are presented.

Akay, H. U.↗

Application of transonic codes to aeroelastic modeling of airfoils including active controls

A study is performed using aeroelastic modeling to investigate the stability behavior of airfoils in small-disturbance transonic flow. Two conventional airfoils, NACA 64.A006 and NACA 64A010, and a supercritical airfoil, MBB A-3, are considered. Three sets of unsteady aerodynamic data are computed using three different transonic codes (LTRAN2-NLR, LTRAN2-HI, and USTS) for comparison purposes. Stability results obtained using a constant matrix, state-space, aeroelastic model are presented in a root-locus format. Use of the state-space model is demonstrated through application to flutter suppression using active controls. Aeroelastic effects due to simple, constant gain, partial feedback, control laws that utilize displacement, velocity, and acceleration sensing are studied using a variety of control gains. Calculations are also performed using linear subsonic aerodynamic theory to reveal the differences between including and not including transonic effects in the aeroelastic model. Aeroelastic stability behavior of these airfoils is physically interpreted and discussed in detail.

Batina, J. T.↗

Investigations of flow field perturbations induced on slotted transonic-tunnel walls

The free-stream interference caused by the flow through the slotted walls of the test sections of transonic wind tunnels has continuously a problem in transonic tunnel testing. The adaptive-wall transonic tunnel is designed to actively control the near-wall boundary conditions by sucking or blowing through the wall. In order to make the adaptive-wall concept work, parameters for computational boundary conditions must be known. These parameters must be measured with sufficient accuracy to allow numerical convergence of the flow field computations and must be measured in an inviscid region away from the model that is placed inside the wind tunnel. The near-wall flow field was mapped in detail using a five-port cone probe that was traversed in a plane transverse to the free-stream flow. The initial experiments were made using a single slot and recent measurements used multiple slots, all with the tunnel empty. The projection of the flow field velocity vectors on the transverse plane revealed the presence of a vortex-like flow with vorticity in the free stream. The current research involves the measurement of the flow field above a multislotted system with segmented plenums behind it, in which the flow is controlled through several plenums simultaneously. This system would be used to control a three-dimensional flow field.

Wu, J. M.↗

Performance of two transonic airfoil wind tunnels utilizing limited ventilation

A limited-zone ventilated wall panel was developed for a closed-wall icing tunnel which permitted correct simulation of transonic flow over model rotor airfoil sections with and without ice accretions. Candidate porous panels were tested in the Ohio State University 6- x 12-inch transonic airfoil tunnel and result in essentially interference-free flow, as evidenced by pressure distributions over a NACA 0012 airfoil for Mach numbers up to 0.75. Application to the NRC 12- x 12-inch icing tunnel showed a similar result, which allowed proper transonic flow simulation in that tunnel over its full speed range.

Lee, J. D.↗

Effects of airfoil shape, thickness, camber, and angle of attack on calculated transonic unsteady airloads

The effects of airfoil shape, thickness, camber, and mean angle of attack on transonic unsteady airloads were investigated as calculated by the transonic small-disturbance computer code XTRAN2L. Shape effects were investigated by examining the pressure distributions, shock locations, and unsteady airloads for three 10 percent thick airfoils. NACA 0010, NACA 64A010, and parabolic arc. Thickness effects were determined by studying a single airfoil shape with three different thicknesses: NACA 0008, NACA 0010, and NACA 0012. Angle of attack and camber effects were studied by including mean angle of attack or by adding a simple parabolic camber distribution to the originally symmetric airfoils. Comparisons of unsteady airloads for different airfoil configurations show similar results caused by variations in airfoil shape, thickness, camber, or mean angle of attack. Computer costs can be reduced by limiting the number of transonic unsteady aerodynamic calculations for small changes in airfoil geometry or angle of attack.

Batina, J. T.↗

Transonic interactions of unsteady vortical flows

Unsteady interactions of strong concentrated vortices, distributed gusts, and sharp-edged gusts with stationary airfoils were analyzed in two-dimensional transonic flow. A simple and efficient method for introducing such vortical disturbances was implemented in numerical codes that range from inviscid transonic small disturbance to thin-layer Navier Stokes. The numerical results demonstrate the large distortions in the overall flow field and in the surface air loads that are produced by various vortical interactions. The results of the different codes are in excellent qualitative agreement, but, as might expected, the transonic small-disturbance calculations are deficient in the important region near the leading edge.

Mccroskey, W. J.↗

Experience with transonic unsteady aerodynamic calculations

Comparisons of calculated and experimental transonic unsteady pressures and airloads for four of the AGARD Two Dimensional Aeroelastic Configurations and for a rectangular supercritical wing are presented. The two dimensional computer code, XTRAN2L, implementing the transonic small perturbation equation was used to obtain results for: (1) pitching oscillations of the NACA 64A010A; NLR 7301 and NACA 0012 airfoils; (2) flap oscillations for the NACA 64A006 and NRL 7301 airfoils; and (3) transient ramping motions for the NACA 0012 airfoils. Results from the three dimensional code XTRAN3S are compared with data from a rectangular supercritical wing oscillating in pitch. These cases illustrate the conditions under which the transonic inviscid small perturbation equation provides reasonable predictions.

Edwards, J. W.↗

Transonic interactions of unsteady vortical flows

Unsteady interactions of strong concentrated vortices, distributed gusts, and sharp-edged gusts with stationary airfoils were analyzed in two-dimensional transonic flow. A simple and efficient method for introducing such vortical disturbances was implemented in numerical codes that range from inviscid transonic small disturbance to thin-layer Navier-Stokes. The numerical results demonstrate the large distortions in the overall flow field and in the surface air loads that are produced by various vortical interactions. The results of the different codes are in excellent qualitative agreement, but, as might be expected, the transonic small-disturbance calculations are deficient in the important region near the leading edge.

Mccroskey, W. J.↗

An airfoil flutter model suspension system to accommodate large static transonic airloads

A pitch/plunge flutter model suspension system and associated two-dimensional MBB-A3 airfoil models is described. The system is designed for installation in the Langley 6-by-19-inch and 6-by-18-inch transonic blowdown wind tunnels to enable systematic study of the transonic flutter characteristics and static pressure distributions of supercritical airfoils at transonic Mach numbers. A compound spring suspension concept is introduced which simultaneously meets requirements for low plunge-mode stiffness, lightweight suspended model, and large steady lift due to angle of attack without the need for excessive static deflections of the plunge spring. The system features variable pitch and plunge frequencies, changeable airfoil rotation axes, and a self aligning control system to maintain a constant mean position of the model with changing airload.

Reed, W. H., III↗

Unsteady transonic flow calculations for wing-fuselage configurations

Unsteady transonic flow calculations are presented for wing-fuselage configurations. Calculations are performed by extending the XTRAN3S unsteady transonic small-disturbance code to allow the treatment of a fuselage. Details of the XTRAN3S fuselage modeling are discussed in the context of the small-disturbance equation. Transonic calculations are presented for three wing-fuselage configurations with leading edge sweep angles ranging from 0 deg to 46.76 deg. Simple bending and torsion modal oscillations of the wing are calculated. Sectional lift and moment coefficients for the wing-alone and wing-fuselage cases are compared and the effects of fuselage aerodynamic interference on the unsteady wing loading are revealed. Tabulated generalized aerodynamic forces used in flutter analyses, indicate small changes in the real in-phase component and as much as a 30% change in the imaginary component when the fuselage is included in the calculation. These changes result in a 2 to 5% increase in total magnitude and a several degree increase in phase.

Batina, J. T.↗

A computational transonic flutter boundary tracking procedure

An automated flutter boundary tracking procedure for the efficient calculation of transonic flutter boundaries is presented. The procedure uses aeroelastic responses to march along the boundary by taking steps in speed and Mach number, thereby reducing the number of response calculations previously required to determine a transonic flutter boundary. Flutter boundary results are presented for a typical airfoil section oscillating with pitch and plunge degrees of freedom. These transonic flutter boundaries are in good agreement with exact boundaries calculated using the conventional time-marching method. The tracking procedure is extended to include static aeroelastic twist as a simulation of the static deformation of a wing and contains all of the essential features that are required to apply it to practical three-dimensional cases. The procedure is also applied to flutter boundaries as a function of structural parameters.

Gallman, J. W.↗

Evaluation of 3 numerical methods for propulsion integration studies on transonic transport configurations

An effort has been undertaken at the NASA Langley Research Center to assess the capabilities of available computational methods for use in propulsion integration design studies of transonic transport aircraft, particularly of pylon/nacelle combinations which exhibit essentially no interference drag. The three computer codes selected represent state-of-the-art computational methods for analyzing complex configurations at subsonic and transonic flight conditions. These are: EULER, a finitie volume solution of the Euler equation; VSAERO, a panel solution of the Laplace equation; and PPW, a finite difference solution of the small disturbance transonic equations. In general, all three codes have certain capabilities that allow them to be of some value in predicting the flows about transport configurations, but all have limitations. Until more accurate methods are available, careful application and interpretation of the results of these codes are needed.

Yaros, S. F.↗

Unsteady interactions of transonic airfoils with gusts and concentrated vortices

Unsteady interactions of strong concentrated vortices, distributed gusts, and sharp-edged gusts with stationary airfoils were analyzed in two-dimensional transonic flow. A simple and efficient method for introducing such vortical disturbances was implemented in numerical codes that range from inviscid, transonic small-disturbance to thin-layer Navier Stokes. The numerical results demonstrate the large distortions in the overall flow field and in the surface air loads that are produced by various vortical interactions. The results of the different codes are in excellent qualitative agreement, but, as might be expected, the transonic small-disturbance calculations are deficient in the important region near the leading edge.

Mccroskey, W. J.↗

Correlation of transonic-cone preston-tube data and skin friction

Preston-tube measurements obtained on the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) Transition Cone have been correlated with theoretical skin friction coefficients in transitional and turbulent flow. This has been done for the NASA Ames 11-Ft Transonic Wind Tunnel (11 TWT) and flight tests. The developed semi-empirical correlations of Preston-tube data have been used to derive a calibration procedure for the 11 TWT flow quality. This procedure has been applied to the corrected laminar data, and an effective freestream unit Reynolds number is defined by requiring a matching of the average Preston-tube pressure in flight and in the tunnel. This study finds that the operating Reynolds number is below the effective value required for a match in laminar Preston-tube data. The distribution of this effective Reynolds number with Mach number correlates well with the freestream noise level in this tunnel. Analyses of transitional and turbulent data, however, did not result in effective Reynolds numbers that can be correlated with background noise. This is a result of the fact that vorticity fluctuations present in transitional and turbulent boundary layers dominate Preston-tube pressure fluctuations and, therefore, mask the tunnel noise eff ects. So, in order to calibrate the effects of noise on transonic wind tunnel tests only laminar data should be used, preferably at flow conditions similar to those in flight tests. To calibrate the effects of transonic wind-tunnel noise on drag measurements, however, the Preston-tube data must be supplemented with direct measurements of skin friction.

Abu-Mostafa, A. S.↗

User's manual for XTRAN2L (version 1.2): A program for solving the general-frequency unsteady transonic small-disturbance equation

The development, use and operation of the XTRAN2L program that solves the two dimensional unsteady transonic small disturbance potential equation are described. The XTRAN2L program is used to calculate steady and unsteady transonic flow fields about airfoils and is capable of performing self contained transonic flutter calculations. Operation of the XTRAN2L code is described, and tables defining all input variables, including default values, are presented. Sample cases that use various program options are shown to illustrate operation of XTRAN2L. Computer listings containing input and selected output are included as an aid to the user.

Seidel, D. A.↗

Transonic separated solutions for an augmentor-wing

The viscous transonic flow about a multielement airfoil (augmentor-wing) is simulated by coupling full-potential and direct/inverse differential boundary-layer algorithms. Solutions have been obtained for a variety of conditions and are in fair agreement with available experimental data. Typical results from this transonic augmentor-wing code (TAUG-V) require approximately three minutes of CRAY-XMP CPU time. Since this viscous transonic code accounts for most of the important flow physics, yet is still economical, it is a practical tool for the design aerodynamicist.

Flores, J.↗

A theoretical basis for extending surface-paneling methods to transonic flow

The surface integral terms in Green's third identity are often used to solve the Prandtl-Glauert (linear potential-flow) equation with panel methods. This can be done, as in the PAN AIR code, for either subsonic or supersonic flow about complete aircraft. The extension to transonic flow is suggested by the volume integral terms of Green's third identity. The mathematical basis for this extension, without the use of body-fitted grids, is presented. Supercritical transonic results computed from a two-dimensional transonic PAN AIR research code demonstrate the method.

Erickson, L. L.↗