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At least 271 records · Page 15

On the generation of mean flows by the interaction of Goertler vortices and Tollmien-Schlichting waves in curved channel flows

There are many fluid flows where the onset of transition can be caused by different instability mechanisms which compete in the nonlinear regime. The interaction of a centrifugal instability mechanism with the viscous mechanism which causes Tollmein-Schlichting waves is discussed. The interaction between these modes can be strong enough to drive the mean state; the interaction is investigated in the context of curved channel flows so as to avoid difficulties associated with boundary layer growth. Essentially it was found that the mean state adjusts itself so that any modes present are neutrally stable even at finite amplitude. In the first instance, the mean state driven by a vortex of short wavelength in the absence of Tollmein-Schlichting waves is considered. It is shown that for a given channel curvature and vortex wavelength, there is an upper limit to the mass flow rate which the channel can support as the pressure gradient is increased. When the Tollmein-Schlichting waves are present, then the nonlinear differential equation to determine the mean state is modified.

Bassom, Andrew P.↗

Measurements of the unsteady flow field within the stator row of a transonic axial-flow fan. I - Measurement and analysis technique

This two-part paper presents laser anemometer measurements of the unsteady velocity field within the stator row of a transonic axial-flow fan. The objective is to provide additional insight into unsteady blade-row interactions within highspeed compressors which affect stage efficiency, energy transfer, and other design considerations. Part 1 describes the measurement and analysis techniques used for resolving the unsteady flow field features. The ensemble-average and variance of the measured velocities are used to identify the rotor wake generated and unresolved unsteadiness, respectively. (Rotor wake generated unsteadiness refers to the unsteadiness generated by the rotor wake velocity deficit and the term unresolved unsteadiness refers to all remaining contributions to unsteadiness such as vortex shedding, turbulence, mass flow fluctutions, etc.). A procedure for calculating auto and cross correlations of the rotor wake generated and unresolved unsteady velocity fluctuations is described. These unsteady-velocity correlations have significance since they also result from a decomposition of the Navier-Stokes equations. This decomposition of the Navier-Stokes equations resulting in the velocity correlations used to describe the unsteady velocity field will also be outlined in this paper.

Suder, K. L.↗

Noise produced by turbulent flow into a rotor: Theory manual for atmospheric turbulence prediction and mean flow and turbulence contraction prediction

Prediction of helicopter main rotor noise due to ingestion of atmospheric turbulence was analyzed. The analysis combines several different models that describe the fluid mechanics of the turbulence and the ingestion process. Two models, atmospheric turbulence, and mean flow and turbulence contraction were covered. The third model, covered in a separate report, describes the rotor acoustic mode. The method incorporates the atmospheric turbulence model and a rapid distortion turbulence contraction description to determine the statistics of the anisotropic turbulence at the rotor plane. The analytical basis for a module was provided which was incorporated in NASA's ROTONET helicopter noise prediction program. The mean flow and turbulence statistics associated with the atmospheric boundary layer were modeled including effects of atmospheric stability length, wind speed, and altitude. The turbulence distortion process is modeled as a deformation of vortex filaments (which represent the turbulence field) by a mean flow field due to the rotor inflow.

Simonich, J. C.↗

Correlations of velocity and temperature fluctuations in the stagnation-point flow of circular cylinder in turbulent flow

The present analyses of boundary layer flow and turbulence transport attempt to characterize the influence of freestream turbulence on the surface heat-transfer rate and stagnation point region skin friction of a circular cross-section cylinder in turbulent flow. The Reynolds stress-transport equations and k-epsilon two-equation turbulence modeling are used, yielding time-averaged turbulence double-correlations, mean-flow properties, surface heat-transfer rate, and skin-friction with freestream isotropic turbulence. A comparison of analytical results with experimental data indicates that large Reynolds normal stresses are induced at the boundary layer edge by the kinetic energy of the turbulence.

Wang, C. R.↗

Three-dimensional computations of cross-flow injection and combustion in a supersonic flow

A low-storage version of the SPARK3D code which is based on the temporally second-order accurate MacCormack (1969) explicit scheme is used to solve the governing equations for three-dimensional chemically reacting flows with finite-rate chemistry. The code includes a fourth-order compact spatial scheme capable of providing higher order spatial accuracy, and it is used to study two-dimensional linear advection, two-dimensional Euler flow, and three-dimensional viscous flow. Also considered are the injection, mixing, and combustion of hydrogen in a supersonic cross stream.

Carpenter, M. H.↗

A new look at wind tunnel flow quality for transonic flows

The implementation of several transonic hot wire anemometry techniques for obtaining fluctuating data related to wind tunnel flow quality has been evaluated. An overview of the theoretical considerations, calibration techniques, and related assumptions are discussed for the data presented from the LaRC 8' Transonic Pressure Tunnel. The impact of incorrect assumptions related to hot wire sensitivities are highlighted. Velocity, density, total temperature, and mass flow results from three-element, two-element, and single-element probes are presented in rms and spectral formats. Based on these comparisons, great caution should be used when relying on flow quality information obtained utilizing hot wire techniques other than the three-element technique.

Jones, Gregory S.↗

Flow-induced morphological instabilities due to temporally-modulated stagnation-point flow

The influence of periodically-modulated planar stagnation-point flow on the morphological stability of a directionally-solidifying interface is presently considered with a view to the effect of unsteady nonparallel flows on single-crystal growth. The modeling of the system assumes that the viscous boundary layer thickness is much greater than that of the solute boundary layer, and that the modulation frequency is much smaller than the strength of plane stagnation-point flow. The solidifying interface is either stabilized or destabilized depending on the ratio of the period of modulation to the solute-diffusion time.

Merchant, G. J.↗

SSME LOX post flow analysis/fluid structure interaction. Volume 1: Flow analysis

The realization of measures to improve the performance of the Space Shuttle is, to a large extent, dependent on an improved understanding of the fluid flow phenomena occurring in the main engine. The overall arrangement of the primary components of the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) are presented. The impingement of the hot gases from the transfer ducts onto the LOX posts causes them to be subjected to severe thermal and gas dynamic loads, which in the past have resulted in the occasional breakage of some elements of the outer row of posts during test firings of the engine, particularly at higher power levels. Large velocities in the gap between the LOX posts may also be a contributing factor in causing dynamic stability problems. The deforming structural response of the posts to the pressure loading may likely affect the gas flowfield by producing a moving flowfield boundary, thereby creating a dynamically coupled unsteady fluid-structure system. The objective was to investigate the three-dimensional, turbulent flow around a simplified SSME LOX post array using an existing Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes flow solver and a suitable turbulence model to parameterize the turbulent shear stresses. Numerical computations were performed to analyze the effect on the flowfield of varying the spacing between the LOX posts, which were modeled as rigid, three-dimensional circular cylinders. The methodology used in the computations is described. Results are presented.

Burke, Roger W.↗

Flow downstream of the heliospheric terminal shock. I - Irrotational flow

Recent reports of remote detection of the heliospheric terminal shock place it near 50 AU. These conflict with standard models which, when combined with current data on the local interstellar medium, place the shock beyod 100 AU. Resolution of this discrepancy has led to hypotheses that invoke cosmic ray pressure, momentum exchange with interstellar neutrals, and magnetic field effects between the shock and the contact discontinuity dividing the solar wind from interstellar plasma. These hypotheses depend not only on properties of the interstellar medium, but also on the downstream three-dimensional flow between the shock and the contact discontinuity, in the region called the 'heliosheath'. The downstream flow field in the absence of magnetic fields is examined here under the assumptions that the flow everywhere outside the shock can be approximated as irrotational and incompressible. It is found, in particular, that the distance between the terminal shock and the contact discontinuity is less than the heliocentric distance to the terminal shock, effectively eliminating magnetic field effects in the heliosheath as being dynamically important.

Suess, Steven T.↗

Hysteresis and the transition between axisymmetric flow and wave flow in the baroclinic annulus

A numerical model is employed to establish the transitions between axisymmetric flow and wave flow in the rotating, differentially heated annulus experiments of Fein for both rigid lid and free surface cases. It is shown that, for most of the transitions, the method of computing a steady axisymmetric flow and then testing its linear stability to wave disturbance results in good agreement with the experiments. Implications for the investigation of the dynamics of the earth's atmosphere are considered.

Miller, Timothy L.↗

The flow of a thin liquid film on a stationary and rotating disk. I - Experimental analysis and flow visualization

The mean thickness of a thin liquid film of deionized water with a free surface on a stationary and rotating horizontal disk has been measured with a nonobtrusive capacitance technique. The measurements were taken when the rotational speed was 0-300 RPM and the flow rate was 7.0-15.0 LPM. A flow visualization study of the thin film was also performed to determine the characteristics of the waves on the free surface. When the disk was stationary, a circular hydraulic jump was present on the disk. Surface waves were found in the supercritical and subcritical regions at all flow rates studied. When the rotational speed of the disk is low, a standing wave at the edge of the disk was present. As the rotational speed increased, the surface waves changed from the wavy-laminar region to a region in which the waves ran nearly radially across the disk on top of a thin substrate of fluid.

Thomas, S.↗

Computational and experimental aftbody flow fields for hypersonic, airbreathing configurations with scramjet exhaust flow simulation

Computational results are presented for three issues pertinent to hypersonic, airbreathing vehicles employing scramjet exhaust flow simulation. The first issue consists of a comparison of schlieren photographs obtained on the aftbody of a cruise missile configuration under powered conditions with two-dimensional computational solutions. The second issue presents the powered aftbody effects of modeling the inlet with a fairing to divert the external flow as compared to an operating flow-through inlet on a generic hypersonic vehicle. Finally, a comparison of solutions examining the potential of testing powered configurations in a wind-off, instead of a wind-on, environment, indicate that, depending on the extent of the three-dimensional plume, it may be possible to test aftbody powered hypersonic, airbreathing configurations in a wind-off environment.

Huebner, Lawrence D.↗

MHD flow past an obstacle - Large-scale flow in the magnetosheath

As a step to the study of the large-scale flow in the magnetosheath, the MHD flow past an obstacle is investigated. A time asymptotic method is used to obtain 3D steady-state solutions. The results indicate the formation of a depletion layer near the obstacle due to the increase of the magnetic field. Along the earth-sun line the plasma density increases first and then decreases from the post bow shock to the magnetopause. The local density maximum in front of the magnetopause may correspond to what was recently observed. When the interplanetary magnetic field direction is tilted from the solar wind flow, the IMF influences the shape of the bow shock as well as the location of the stagnation point at the magnetopause in a way consistent with observation. In addition, the results show the existence of a magnetosheath current in the post parallel-shock region.

Wu, C. C.↗

Numerical simulations of three-dimensional laminar flow over a backward facing step; flow near side walls

This paper reports the results of numerical simulations of steady, laminar flow over a backward-facing step. The governing equations used in the simulations are the full 'compressible' Navier-Stokes equations, solutions to which were computed by using a cell-centered, finite volume discretization. The convection terms of the governing equations were discretized by using the Advection Upwind Splitting Method (AUSM), whereas the diffusion terms were discretized using central differencing formulas. The validity and accuracy of the numerical solutions were verified by comparing the results to existing experimental data for flow at identical Reynolds numbers in the same back step geometry. The paper focuses attention on the details of the flow field near the side wall of the geometry.

Steinthorsson, Erlendur↗

Interaction of fast steady flow with slow transient flow - A new cause of shock pair and interplanetary B(z) event

The occurrence of the nonspiral magnetic field (high helium density) Cold Magnetic Enhancement and counterstreaming suprathermal electron flux in the slow flow around the forward shock indicates that the slow flow is a CME in interplanetary space (ICME). The characteristics of the field and plasma in the fast flow around the reverse shock is typical for a high speed stream. Thus the shock pair here appears to be caused by the interaction of a high speed stream with a slow ICME. The fact that a -B(z) event occurred in such a shock pair suggests that the slow ICME is disconnected from the sun. It is shown that compression alone appears to be adequate to explain the large southward IMF component within the shocked plasma because of the large southward field component present in the ICME ahead of the forward shock. In addition, a new method to infer the shock angle and Mach number from the observed upstream plasma B and the jump ratios of proton density and total magnetic flux density across a shock is described.

Zhao, Xuepu↗

An experimental study of the flow field surrounding a subsonic jet in a cross flow

An experimental investigation of the flow interaction of a 5.08 cm (2.00 in.) diameter round subsonic jet exhausting perpendicularly to a flat plate in a subsonic cross flow was conducted in the NASA Ames 7x1O ft. Wind Tunnel Number One. Flat plate surface pressures were measured at 400 locations in a 30.48 cm (12.0 in.) concentric circular array surrounding the jet exit. Results from these measurements are provided in tabular and graphical form for jet-to-crossflow velocity ratios ranging from 4 to 12, and for jet exit Mach numbers ranging from 0.50 to 0.93. Laser doppler velocimeter (LDV) three component velocity measurements were made in selected regions in the developed jet plume and near the flat plate surface, at a jet Mach number of 0.50 and jet-to-crossflow velocity ratios of 6 and 8. The results of both pressure and LDV measurements are compared with the results of previous experiments. In addition, pictures of the jet plume shape at jet velocity ratios ranging from 4 to 12 were obtained using schleiren photography. The LDV measurements are consistent with previous work, but more extensive measurements will be necessary to provide a detailed picture of the flow field. The surface pressure results compare closely with previous work and provide a useful characterization of jet induced surface pressures. The results demonstrate the primary influence of jet velocity ratio and the secondary influence of jet Mach number in determining such surface pressures.

Dennis, Robert Foster↗

Modeling of Wall-Bounded Complex Flows and Free Shear Flows

Various wall-bounded flows with complex geometries and free shear flows have been studied with a newly developed realizable Reynolds stress algebraic equation model. The model development is based on the invariant theory in continuum mechanics. This theory enables us to formulate a general constitutive relation for the Reynolds stresses. Pope was the first to introduce this kind of constitutive relation to turbulence modeling. In our study, realizability is imposed on the truncated constitutive relation to determine the coefficients so that, unlike the standard k-E eddy viscosity model, the present model will not produce negative normal stresses in any situations of rapid distortion. The calculations based on the present model have shown an encouraging success in modeling complex turbulent flows.

Shih, Tsan-Hsing↗