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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 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1972

Compressible boundary layer with normal pressure gradients: Quasi-similarity equations - Their properties at the wall and at sharp and blunt leading edges.

The failure of most viscous-inviscid interaction methods at strong interactions is attributed to the presence of a normal pressure gradient. A new theory is proposed for supersonic laminar boundary layers that can generate normal pressure gradients. The Navier-Stokes equations are reexamined by an order of magnitude analysis and all first and second order terms are retained. The approximation is found to be dependent not only on the boundary layer thickness but also on the ratio of the dimensionless viscosity and density. The equations are transformed into two quasi-similar, nonlinear, third order, ordinary integro-differential equations for the velocity and pressure as functions of a single transverse variable. The properties of the equations at the boundaries are discussed.

Seginer, A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Viscous drag reduction in boundary layers

The present volume discusses the development status of stability theory for laminar flow control design, applied aspects of laminar-flow technology, transition delays using compliant walls, the application of CFD to skin friction drag-reduction, active-wave control of boundary-layer transitions, and such passive turbulent-drag reduction methods as outer-layer manipulators and complex-curvature concepts. Also treated are such active turbulent drag-reduction technique applications as those pertinent to MHD flow drag reduction, as well as drag reduction in liquid boundary layers by gas injection, drag reduction by means of polymers and surfactants, drag reduction by particle addition, viscous drag reduction via surface mass injection, and interactive wall-turbulence control.

Bushnell, Dennis M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Nonlinear breakdowns in boundary layer transition

Theoretical studies of boundary-layer transition are described, based on high Reynolds numbers and with attention drawn to nonlinear interactions, breakdowns and scales. The article notes in particular truly nonlinear theories for which the mean-flow profile is completely altered from its original state. Two- and three-dimensional flow theory and conjectures on turbulent boundary-layer structures are included. Specific recent findings noted, and in qualitative agreement with experiments, are: nonlinear finite-time break-ups in unsteady interactive boundary layers; strong vortex/wave interactions; and prediction of turbulent boundary-layer displacement- and stress sublayer-thicknesses.

Smith, Frank T.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Sound Transmission through Cylindrical Shell Structures Excited by Boundary Layer Pressure Fluctuations

This paper examines sound transmission into two concentric cylindrical sandwich shells subject to turbulent flow on the exterior surface of the outer shell. The interior of the shells is filled with fluid medium and there is an airgap between the shells in the annular space. The description of the pressure field is based on the cross-spectral density formulation of Corcos, Maestrello, and Efimtsov models of the turbulent boundary layer. The classical thin shell theory and the first-order shear deformation theory are applied for the inner and outer shells, respectively. Modal expansion and the Galerkin approach are used to obtain closed-form solutions for the shell displacements and the radiation and transmission pressures in the cavities including both the annular space and the interior. The average spectral density of the structural responses and the transmitted interior pressures are expressed explicitly in terms of the summation of the cross-spectral density of generalized force induced by the boundary layer turbulence. The effects of acoustic and hydrodynamic coincidences on the spectral density are observed. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the method for both subsonic and supersonic flows.

Tang, Yvette Y.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Interactions in boundary-layer transition

Certain theoretical studies of boundary-layer transition are described, based on high Reynolds numbers and with attention drawn to the various nonlinear interactions and scales present. The article concentrates in particular on theories for which the mean-flow profile is completely altered from its original state. Two- and three-dimensional flow theory and conjectures on turbulent-boundary-layer structures are included. Specific recent findings noted, and in qualitative agreement with experiments, are: nonlinear finite-time break-ups in unsteady interactive boundary layers; strong vortex/wave interactions; and prediction of turbulent boundary-layer displacement- and stress sublayer-thicknesses.

Smith, Frank T.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Discrimination of coherent features in turbulent boundary layers by the entropy method

Entropy in information theory is defined as the expected or mean value of the measure of the amount of self-information contained in the ith point of a distribution series x sub i, based on its probability of occurrence p(x sub i). If p(x sub i) is the probability of the ith state of the system in probability space, then the entropy, E(X) = - sigma p(x sub i) logp (x sub i), is a measure of the disorder in the system. Based on this concept, a method was devised which sought to minimize the entropy in a time series in order to construct the signature of the most coherent motions. The constrained minimization was performed using a Lagrange multiplier approach which resulted in the solution of a simultaneous set of non-linear coupled equations to obtain the coherent time series. The application of the method to space-time data taken by a rake of sensors in the near-wall region of a turbulent boundary layer was presented. The results yielded coherent velocity motions made up of locally decelerated or accelerated fluid having a streamwise scale of approximately 100 nu/u(tau), which is in qualitative agreement with the results from other less objective discrimination methods.

Corke, T. C.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Acoustic receptivity of compressible boundary layers: Receptivity by way of surface-temperature variations

The Goldstein-Ruban theory has been extended within the framework of Zavol'skii et al. to study the acoustic receptivity of compressible boundary layers. We consider the receptivity produced in a region of localized, small-amplitude variation in the surface temperature and compare it with the receptivity that is induced through a similar mechanism by a variation in the suction velocity at the surface. It is found that the orientation of the acoustic wave can have a significant impact on the receptivity process, with the maximum receptivity at a given sound-pressure level being produced by upstream oriented acoustic waves. At sufficiently low Mach numbers, the variation of receptivity with the acoustic-wave orientation can be predicted analytically and is the same for both surface suction and surface heating. However, as a result of the acoustic refraction across the mean boundary layer, the above dependence can become rather complex and, also, dependent on the type of surface nonuniformity. The results also suggest that the receptivity caused by temperature nonuniformities may turn out to be more significant than that produced by the mean-flow perturbations associated with strip suction.

Choudhari, Meelan↗
NASA NTRS1991

Laser transit anemometer and Pitot probe comparative measurements in a sharp cone boundary layer at Mach 4

Laser transit anemometer (LTA) measurements of a 7 degree sharp cone boundary layer were conducted in the Air Force/AEDC Supersonic Tunnel A Mach 4 flow field. These measurements are compared with Pitot probe measurements and tricone theory provided by AEDC staff. Measurements were made both in laminar and turbulent boundary layers of the model. Comparison of LTA measurements with theory showed agreement to better than 1 percent for the laminar boundary layer cases. This level of agreement was obtained after small position corrections, 0.01 to 0.6 mm, were applied to the experimental data sets. Pitot probe data when compared with theory also showed small positioning errors. The Pitot data value was also limited due to probe interference with the flow near the model. The LTA turbulent boundary layer data indicated a power law dependence of 6.3 to 6.9. The LTA data was analyzed in the time (Tau) domain in which it was obtained and in the velocity domain. No significant differences were noted between Tau and velocity domain results except in one turbulent boundary layer case.

Hunter, W. W., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1999

On the Stability of Three-Dimensional Boundary Layers: Secondary Instability - Pt. 2

The secondary instability of three-dimensional incompressible boundary layers is studied using Floquet theory. Starting from the equilibrium solutions that we obtained from the PSE computations documented in Part 1, we investigate the region where a purely stationary crossflow disturbance saturates for its secondary instability characteristics utilizing developed global and local eigenvalue solvers that are based on the Implicitly Restarted Arnoldi Method, and a Newton-Raphson technique, respectively. The main focuses of this study are on the existence of multiple roots in the eigenvalue spectrum that could explain experimental observations of time-dependent occurrences of an explosive growth of traveling disturbances, on the routes by which high-frequency disturbances enter the boundary layer, as well as on gaining more information about threshold amplitudes for the growth of secondary disturbances.

Janke, Erik↗
NASA NTRS1975

Design and performance of the University of Michigan 6.6-inch hypersonic wind tunnel

The tunnel described has several design features intended to maintain laminar flow in the boundary layer of its nozzle. Measurements show that transition to turbulence in the nozzle wall boundary layer begins at the throat and is sensitive to surface roughness, heat transfer rate, and longitudinal radius of curvature. The observed dependence of transition on heat transfer rate is the reverse of that predicted by stability theory for infinitesimal disturbances. Tests include boundary layer surveys of a contoured nozzle and a conical nozzle with four interchangeable throats.

Amick, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Boundary-layer effects in composite laminates. I - Free-edge stress singularities. II - Free-edge stress solutions and basic characteristics

The fundamental nature of the boundary-layer effect in fiber-reinforced composite laminates is formulated in terms of the theory of anisotropic elasticity. The basic structure of the boundary-layer field solution is obtained by using Lekhnitskii's stress potentials (1963). The boundary-layer stress field is found to be singular at composite laminate edges, and the exact order or strength of the boundary layer stress singularity is determined using an eigenfunction expansion method. A complete solution to the boundary-layer problem is then derived, and the convergence and accuracy of the solution are analyzed, comparing results with existing approximate numerical solutions. The solution method is demonstrated for a symmetric graphite-epoxy composite.

Wang, S. S.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Boundary-layer electron profiles for entry of a blunts slender body at high altitude

New calculations of boundary-layer electron concentration profiles for entry of a blunt-nosed slender body into the earth's atmosphere are compared with previous calculations in which ambipolar diffusion was neglected. The old and new results agree in those flight regimes where ambipolar diffusion is unimportant, but large differences are noted in both peak electron concentration and profile shape at the higher altitudes, where diffusion effects are greatest. The new results are also compared with flight-measured profiles and with calculated profiles for a viscous-shock-layer theory which was recently reported in the literature. The boundary-layer results and the data agree in most respects. Differences which occur between predicted results and the data in the outer parts of the profile are discussed in terms of the effects of aerodynamic heating of the probes.

Evans, J. S.↗
NASA NTRS1991

On the nonlinear stability of a high-speed, axisymmetric boundary layer

The stability of a high-speed, axisymmetric boundary layer is investigated using secondary instability theory and direct numerical simulation. Parametric studies based on the temporal secondary instability theory identify subharmonic secondary instability as a likely path to transition on a cylinder at Mach 4.5. The theoretical predictions are validated by direct numerical simulation at temporally-evolving primary and secondary disturbances in an axisymmetric boundary-layer flow. At small amplitudes of the secondary disturbance, predicted growth rates agree to several significant digits with values obtained from the spectrally-accurate solution of the compressible Navier-Stokes equations. Qualitative agreement persists to large amplitudes of the secondary disturbance. Moderate transverse curvature is shown to significantly affect the growth rate of axisymmetric second mode disturbances, the likely candidates of primary instability. The influence of curvature on secondary instability is largely indirect but most probably significant, through modulation of the primary disturbance amplitude. Subharmonic secondary instability is shown to be predominantly inviscid in nature, and to account for spikes in the Reynolds stress components at or near the critical layer.

Pruett, C. David↗
NASA NTRS1991

On the nonlinear stability of a high-speed, axisymmetric boundary layer

The stability of a high-speed, axisymmetric boundary layer is investigated using secondary instability theory and direct numerical simulation. Parametric studies based on the temporal secondary instability theory identify subharmonic secondary instability as a likely path to transition on a cylinder at Mach 4.5. The theoretical predictions are validated by direct numerical simulation at temporally-evolving primary and secondary disturbances in an axisymmetric boundary-layer flow. At small amplitudes of the secondary disturbance, predicted growth rates agree to several significant digits with values obtained from the spectrally-accurate solution of the compressible Navier-Stokes equations. Qualitative agreement persists to large amplitudes of the secondary disturbance. Moderate transverse curvature is shown to significantly affect the growth rate of axisymmetric second mode disturbances, the likely candidates of primary instability. The influence of curvature on secondary instability is largely indirect but most probably significant, through modulation of the primary disturbance amplitude. Subharamonic secondary instability is shown to be predominantly inviscid in nature, and to account for spikes in the Reynolds stress components at or near the critical layer.

Pruett, C. D.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Eigenvalue Sensitivity Computations for Linear Stability Theory

To realize the drag reduction benefit of boundary-layer transition control strategies, it is crucial to integrate transition prediction into the vehicle design through an optimization process. The integration of transition prediction based on linear stability analysis into adjoint d design optimization requires coupling an adjoint enabled computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver with an adjoint enabled linear stability code. In particular, the boundary-layer transition location is often predicted using the N-factor method based on linear stability theory (LST). Thus, sensitivity of the linear-stability eigenvalues constitute an essential building block for optimizing the laminar flow performance. The present paper describes an implementation of LST eigenvalue sensitivity analysis that can be easily coupled with a CFD solver. Specifically, we describe a discrete adjoint formulation for the transition location prediction based on the N-factor method. The verification of this formulation is carried out by comparing the adjoint-based sensitivity of the local growth rate of a given instability mode with respect to the disturbance frequency, and the adjoint-based sensitivity of the transition location with respect to spanwise wavenumber with those sensitivities computed using a finite-difference approximation. Finally, the adjoint LST formulation is applied to flat-plate boundary-layer flows at transonic, supersonic, and hypersonic conditions, to determine the behavior and sensitivities of the transition location with respect to a range of disturbance spanwise wavenumbers.

Boundary Layer Transition↗
NASA NTRS1989

On the Lagrangian description of unsteady boundary layer separation. Part 2: The spinning sphere

A theory to explain the initial stages of unsteady separation was proposed by Van Dommelen and Cowley (1989). This theory is verified for the separation process that occurs at the equatorial plane of a sphere or a spheroid which is impulsively spun around an axis of symmetry. A Lagrangian numerical scheme is developed which gives results in good agreement with Eulerian computations, but which is significantly more accurate. This increased accuracy, and a simpler structure to the solution, also allows verification of the Eulerian structure, including the presence of logarithmic terms. Further, while the Eulerian computations broke down at the first occurrence of separation, it is found that the Lagrangian computation can be continued. It is argued that this separated solution does provide useful insight into the further evolution of the separated flow. A remarkable conclusion is that an unseparated vorticity layer at the wall, a familiar feature in unsteady separation processes, disappears in finite time.

Vandommelen, Leon L.↗