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At least 307 records · Page 17

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NASA NTRS1991

Numerical simulation of swept-wing flows

Efforts of the last six months to computationally model the transition process characteristics of flow over swept wings are described. Specifically, the crossflow instability and crossflow/Tollmien-Schlichting wave interactions are analyzed through the numerical solution of the full 3D Navier-Stokes equations including unsteadiness, curvature, and sweep. This approach is chosen because of the complexity of the problem and because it appears that linear stability theory is insufficient to explain the discrepancies between different experiments and between theory and experiment. The leading edge region of a swept wing is considered in a 3D spatial simulation with random disturbances as the initial conditions.

Reed, Helen L.↗

NASA NTRS2001

The Onset of Oscillations in Non-Premixed Combustion

In a microgravity environment, molecular diffusion is the primary mechanism by which fuel and oxidizer that are initially separated are brought together to the reaction zone. Combustion systems in microgravity are therefore primed to diffusive-thermal instabilities. One such instability appears in the form of spontaneous oscillations. Oscillations were observed in condensed-phase fuels and gas-jet diffusion flames, and in microgravity jet-flames, candle flames and spherical flames surrounding large fiber-supported fuel droplets. The nature of oscillations is quite different in each of these cases: the droplet flame exhibits radial oscillations, the edge of the candle flame is seen to move back and forth along the hemispherical flame surface and the jet-flame oscillations are primarily up and down along the axis. Despite these differences, associated mainly with the mode of oscillation, one may identify some common factors: in all cases the flame exhibits low-frequency oscillations, oscillations are only observed in special mixtures and their onset occur only at near-extinction conditions.

Matalon, Moshe↗

NASA NTRS1973

Ion streaming instabilities with application to collisionless shock wave structure

The electromagnetic dispersion relation for two counterstreaming ion beams of arbitrary relative strength flowing parallel to a dc magnetic field is derived. The beams flow through a stationary electron background and the dispersion relation in the fluid approximation is unaffected by the electron thermal pressure. Magnetic effects on the ion beams are included, but the electrons are treated as a magnetized fluid. The dispersion relation is solved with a zero net current condition applied and the regions of instability in the k-U space (U is the relative velocity between the two ion beams) are presented. These results are extensions of Kovner's analysis for weak beams. The parameters are then chosen to be applicable for parallel shocks. It is found that unstable waves with zero group velocity in the shock frame can exist near the leading edge of the shock for upstream Alfven Mach numbers greater than 5.5.

Golden, K. I.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Ring current impoundment of the Io plasma torus

A newly discovered feature in the Io plasma formation that may be described as a ramp separating a high-density plasma ledge on its Jupiterward side from the lower-density radially distended Io plasma disc on its anti-Jupiterward side is observed to coincide with a marked inward decrease in the ring current population. The spatial congruency of the counter-directed maximal gradients in both plasma bodies reveals a profound coupling between them. The existence of the ramp requires a local order-of-magnitude reduction in the diffusion coefficient that governs radial mass transport. It is demonstrated that the diminished diffusive efficiency there is caused by strong pressure gradient inhibition of the interchange instability that underlies mass transport. The Io plasma torus, which is defined as the region of strong ultraviolet emissions, is identified as the plasma ledge. The plasma density in the ledge is high and, incidentally therefore, able to emit strongly because it is impounded against rapid, centrifugal expulsion by the inwardly directed pressure of the ring current at its inner edge.

Siscoe, G. L.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Stability of three-dimensional boundary layers

The computational modeling of the transition process characteristic of flows over swept wings is discussed. Specifically, the crossflow instability and crossflow/Tollmien-Schlichting wave interactions are analyzed through the numerical solution of the full three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations including unsteadiness, curvature, and sweep. This approach is chosen because of the complexity of the problem and because it appears that regular stability theory is insufficient to explain the discrepancies between experiments and between theory and experiment. The leading edge region of a swept wing will be considered in a three-dimensional spatial simulation with random disturbances as the initial conditions.

Reed, Helen L.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Flow Visualization Study of a 1/48-Scale AFTI/F111 Model to Investigate Horizontal Tail Flow Disturbances

During flight testing of the AFTI/F111 aircraft, horizontal tail buffet was observed. Flutter analysis ruled out any aeroelastic instability, so a water-tunnel flow visualization study was conducted to investigate possible flow disturbances on the horizontal tail which might cause buffet. For this study, a 1/48-scale model was used. Four different wing cambers and one horizontal tail setting were tested between 0 and 20 deg angle of attack. These wing cambers corresponded to the following leading training edge deflections: 0/2, 10/10, 10/2, and 0/10. Flow visualization results in the form of still photographs are presented for each of the four wing cambers between 8 and 12 deg angle of attack. In general, the horizontal tail experiences flow disturbances which become more pronounced with angle of attack or wing trailing-edge deflection.

Bjarke, Lisa J.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Navier-Stokes simulation of the crossflow instability in swept-wing flows

The computational modeling of the transition process characteristic of flows over swept wings are described. Specifically, the crossflow instability and crossflow/T-S wave interactions are analyzed through the numerical solution of the full three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations including unsteadiness, curvature, and sweep. This approach is chosen because of the complexity of the problem and because it appears that linear stability theory is insufficient to explain the discrepancies between different experiments and between theory and experiments. The leading edge region of a swept wing is considered in a three-dimensional spatial simulation with random disturbances as the initial conditions. The work has been closely coordinated with the experimental program of Professor William Saric, examining the same problem. Comparisons with NASA flight test data and the experiments at Arizona State University were a necessary and an important integral part of this work.

Reed, Helen L.↗

NASA NTRS1991

A scale-invariant cellular-automata model for distributed seismicity

In the standard cellular-automata model for a fault an element of stress is randomly added to a grid of boxes until a box has four elements, these are then redistributed to the adjacent boxes on the grid. The redistribution can result in one or more of these boxes having four or more elements in which case further redistributions are required. On the average added elements are lost from the edges of the grid. The model is modified so that the boxes have a scale-invariant distribution of sizes. The objective is to model a scale-invariant distribution of fault sizes. When a redistribution from a box occurs it is equivalent to a characteristic earthquake on the fault. A redistribution from a small box (a foreshock) can trigger an instability in a large box (the main shock). A redistribution from a large box always triggers many instabilities in the smaller boxes (aftershocks). The frequency-size statistics for both main shocks and aftershocks satisfy the Gutenberg-Richter relation with b = 0.835 for main shocks and b = 0.635 for aftershocks. Model foreshocks occur 28 percent of the time.

Barriere, Benoit↗

NASA NTRS1992

Analytic and numerical models of wave-CISK with conditional heating

Wave-CISK with conditional heating is investigated in the equatorial zonal-height plane by analytic and numerical techniques. For two- and three-level models, previous results are extended to give additional evidence that the most unstable mode has a single wet region of infinitesimal width. A three-level model has qualitatively similar behavior as the two-level model except that propagating solutions are possible due to coalescence of internal vertical modes. Phase speeds with conditional heating are found to be slightly greater than those for unconditional heating. The structure has one circulation cell in the vertical and is asymmetric in longitude with stronger motion on the leading edge. Growth rate is inversely proportional to the width of the single wet region. That width can be limited by second-order diffusion. A general integral relationship between growth rate, viscosity, phase speed, and heating is derived. The main conclusion is that the linear wave-CISK catastrophe is modified by conditional heating but not eliminated. The preferred mode of instability has one wet region, but it occurs on the smallest possible scale. It is likely that numerical models that use conditional heating are sensitive to resolution, especially for the commonly used spectral truncations, unless there is sufficiently strong damping at the smallest scales.

Crum, Francis X.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Combustion of solid fuel slabs with gaseous oxygen in a hybrid motor analog

Using a high-pressure, two-dimensional hybrid motor, an experimental investigation was conducted on fundamental processes involved in hybrid rocket combustion. HTPB (Hydroxyl-terminated- Polybutadiene) fuel cross linked with diisocyanate was burned with GOX under various operating conditions. Large amplitude pressure oscillations were encountered in earlier test runs. After identifying the source of instability and decoupling the GOX feed line system and combustion chamber, the pressure oscillations were drastically reduced from +/- 20% of the localized mean pressure to an acceptable range of +/- 1.5%. Embedded fine-wire thermocouples indicated that the surface temperature of the burning fuel was around 1000 K depending upon axial locations and operating conditions. Also, except near the leading-edge region, the subsurface thermal wave profiles in the upstream locations arc thicker than those in the downstream locations since the solid-fuel regression rate, in general, increases with distance along the fuel slab. The recovered solid fuel slabs in the laminar portion of the boundary layer exhibited smooth surfaces, indicating the existence of a liquid melt layer on the burning fuel surface in the upstream region. After the transition section, which displayed distinct transverse striations, the surface roughness pattern became quite random and very pronounced in the downstream turbulent boundary-layer region. Both real time X-ray radiography and ultrasonic pulse-echo techniques were used to determine the instantaneous web thicknesses and instantaneous solid-fuel regression rates over certain portions of the fuel slabs. Globally averaged and axially dependent but time-averaged regression rates were also obtained and presented. Several tests were conducted using, simultaneously, one translucent fuel slab and one fuel slab processed with carbon black powder. The addition of carbon black did not affect the measured regression rates or surface temperatures in comparison to the translucent fuel slabs.

Chiaverini, Martin J.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Fuel decomposition and boundary-layer combustion processes of hybrid rocket motors

Using a high-pressure, two-dimensional hybrid motor, an experimental investigation was conducted on fundamental processes involved in hybrid rocket combustion. HTPB (Hydroxyl-terminated Polybutadiene) fuel cross-linked with diisocyanate was burned with GOX under various operating conditions. Large-amplitude pressure oscillations were encountered in earlier test runs. After identifying the source of instability and decoupling the GOX feed-line system and combustion chamber, the pressure oscillations were drastically reduced from +/-20% of the localized mean pressure to an acceptable range of +/-1.5% Embedded fine-wire thermocouples indicated that the surface temperature of the burning fuel was around 1000 K depending upon axial locations and operating conditions. Also, except near the leading-edge region, the subsurface thermal wave profiles in the upstream locations are thicker than those in the downstream locations since the solid-fuel regression rate, in general, increases with distance along the fuel slab. The recovered solid fuel slabs in the laminar portion of the boundary layer exhibited smooth surfaces, indicating the existence of a liquid melt layer on the burning fuel surface in the upstream region. After the transition section, which displayed distinct transverse striations, the surface roughness pattern became quite random and very pronounced in the downstream turbulent boundary-layer region. Both real-time X-ray radiography and ultrasonic pulse-echo techniques were used to determine the instantaneous web thickness burned and instantaneous solid-fuel regression rates over certain portions of the fuel slabs. Globally averaged and axially dependent but time-averaged regression rates were also obtained and presented.

Chiaverini, Martin J.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Spatial Distribution of Volcanic Hotspots and Paterae on Io: Implications for Tidal Heating Models and Magmatic Pathways

Io, the innermost of Jupiter's Galilean satellites, is the most volcanically active body in the Solar. System. Io's global mean heat flow is approximately 2 W/square m, which is approximately 20 times larger than on Earth. High surface temperatures concentrate within "hotspots" and, to date, 172 Ionian hotspots have been identified by spacecraft and Earth-based telescopes. The Laplace resonance between Io, Europa, and Ganymede maintains these satellites in noncircular orbits and causes displacement of their tidal bulges as the overhead position of Jupiter changes for each moon. Gravitational interactions between Jupiter and Io dominate the orbital evolution of the Laplacian system and generate enormous heat within to as tidal energy is dissipated. If this energy were transferred out of Io at the same rate as it is generated, then the associated surface heat flux would be 2.24 +/- 0.45 W/square m. This estimate is in good agreement with observed global heat flow, but to better constrain tidal dissipation mechanisms and infer how thermal energy is transferred to Io's surface, it is critical to closely examine the spatial distribution of volcanic features. End-member tidal dissipation models either consider that heating occurs completely in the mantle, or completely in the asthenosphere. Mixed models typically favor one-third mantle and two-thirds asthenosphere heating. Recent models also consider the effects of mantle-asthenosphere boundary permeability and asthenospheric instabilities. Deep-mantle heating models predict maximum surface heat flux near the poles, whereas asthenosphere heating models predict maxima near the equator-particularly in the Sub-Jovian and Anti-Jovian hemispheres, with smaller maxima occurring at orbit tangent longitudes. Previous studies have examined the global distribution of Ionian hotspots and patera (i.e., irregular or complex craters with scalloped edges that are generally interpreted to be volcanic calderas), but in this study, we combine a new geospatial analysis technique with an improved hotspot and paterae database .

Hamilton, C. W.↗

NASA NTRS1947

Observations on an Aileron-Flutter Instability Encountered on a 45 Degree Swept-Back Wing in Transonic and Supersonic Flight

In the course of a flight test of a supersonic research pilotless aircraft (the NACA RM-1), large-amplitude aileron oscillations, probably aileron compressibility flutter, were encountered in the transonic and supersonic speed ranges. The wing was oscillating at the same frequency as the aileron. The aircraft was equipped with 45 degree swept-back wings of symmetrical NASA 65-010 airfoil section. Completely mass-balanced ailerons with 20 degree beveled trailing edges were installed on the wings. The ailerons were free floating with no mechanical restraining force other than the friction of the aileron hinges and servomechanism bearings throughout the high-speed interval of flight.

Pitkin, Marvin↗

NASA NTRS1987

Effect of a localized minimum in equatorial field strength on resistive tearing instability in the geomagnetotail

A two-dimensional, resistive-MHD computer code is used to investigate the spontaneous reconnection of magnetotaillike configurations. The initial conditions adopted in the simulations are of two types: (1) in which the equatorial normal magnetic field component B(ze) declines monotonically down the tail, and (2) in which B(ze) exhibits a deep minimum in the near-earth plasma sheet. To represent the case where the earthward convection stops before the X line forms, zero-flow boundary conditions are imposed at the edges of the computational box. The initial configurations are in equilibrium and table within ideal MHD. The dynamic evolution of the system starts after the resistivity is turned on. The main results of these simulations basically support the neutral-line model of substorms and confirm Birn's (1980) computer studies. Spontaneous formation of an X-type neutral point and a single O-type plasmoid with strong tailward flow on the tailward side of the X point is found. The time interval from the turning on of the resistivity to the formation of a plasmoid is much shorter in the case where there is an initial deep minimum. A simple analytic calculation is also carried out to demonstrate why the configuration with a deep minimum is more susceptible to the development of the neutral point.

Hau, L.-N.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Turbulent boundary layer separation over a rearward facing ramp and its control through mechanical excitation

A vane oscillating about a fixed point at the inlet to a two-dimensional 20 degree rearward facing ramp has proven effective in delaying the separation of a turbulent boundary layer. Measurements of the ramp surface static pressure coefficient obtained under the condition of vane oscillation and constant inlet velocity revealed that two different effects occurred with surface distance along the ramp. In the vicinity of the oscillating vane, the pressure coefficients varied as a negative function of the vane's trailing edge rms velocity; the independent variable on which the rms velocity depends are the vane's oscillation frequency and its displacement amplitude. From a point downstream of the vane to the exit of the ramp; however, the pressure coefficient varied as a more complex function of the two independent variables. That is, it was found to vary as a function of the vane's oscillation frequency throughout the entire range of frequencies covered during the test, but over only a limited range of the trailing edge displacement amplitudes covered. More specifically, the value of the pressure coefficient was independent of increases in the vane's displacement amplitude above approximately 35 inner wall units of the boundary layer. Below this specific amplitude it varied as a function of the vane's trailing edge rms velocity. This height is close to the upper limit of the buffer layer. A parametric study was made to determine the variation of the maximum static pressure recovery as a function of the vane's oscillation frequency, for several ramp inlet velocities and a constant displacement amplitude of the vane's trailing edge. The results indicate that the phenomenon producing the optimum delay of separation may be Strouhal number dependent. Corona anemometer measurements obtained in the inner wall regions of the boundary layer for the excited case reveal a large range of unsteadiness in the local velocities. These measurements imply the existence of inflections in the profiles, which provide a mechanism for resulting inviscid flow instabilities to produce turbulence in the near wall region, thereby delaying separation of the boundary layer.

Mckinzie, Daniel J., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1961

Some Effects of Leading-Edge Sweep on Boundary-Layer Transition at Supersonic Speeds

The effects of crossflow and shock strength on transition of the laminar boundary layer behind a swept leading edge have been investigated analytically and with the aid of available experimental data. An approximate method of determining the crossflow Reynolds number on a leading edge of circular cross section at supersonic speeds is presented. The applicability of the critical crossflow criterion described by Owen and Randall for transition on swept wings in subsonic flow was examined for the case of supersonic flow over swept circular cylinders. A wide range of applicability of the subsonic critical values is indicated. The corresponding magnitude of crossflow velocity necessary to cause instability on the surface of a swept wing at supersonic speeds was also calculated and found to be small. The effects of shock strength on transition caused by Tollmien-Schlichting type of instability are discussed briefly. Changes in local Reynolds number, due to shock strength, were found analytically to have considerably more effect on transition caused by Tollmien-Schlichting instability than on transition caused by crossflow instability. Changes in the mechanism controlling transition from Tollmien-Schlichting instability to crossflow instability were found to be possible as a wing is swept back and to result in large reductions in the length of laminar flow.

Chapman, Gray T.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Transition control of instability waves over a flexible surface in the presence of an acoustic field

Experimental results are presented which demonstrate the coupling of a laminar boundary layer flow with a typical flexible aircraft panel. It is shown that the boundary layer induces plate oscillations which, in turn, perturb the flow at the same frequencies. This feedback mechanism is an inherent property of laminar boundary layer flow passing over a flexible plate. As a result, the flexibility of the plate becomes a source of early transition. The laminar boundary layer at the leading edge of the plate reacts to small, upstream, unsteady disturbances due to a streamwise pressure gradient. The experiments demonstrate that a nominal sound pressure incident at the leading edge triggers early transition. It is shown that transition can be delayed by activating a heat source at the leading edge of the plate which results in downstream cooling.

Maestrello, L.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Mode-medium instability and its correction with a Gaussian reflectivity mirror

A high power CO2 laser beam is known to deteriorate after a few microseconds due to a mode-medium instability (MMI) which results from an intensity dependent heating rate related to the vibrational-to-translational decay of the upper and lower CO2 lasing levels. An iterative numerical technique is developed to model the time evolution of the beam as it is affected by the MMI. The technique is used to study the MMI in an unstable CO2 resonator with a hard-edge output mirror for different parameters like the Fresnel number and the gas density. The results show that the mode of the hard edge unstable resonator deteriorates because of the diffraction ripples in the mode. A Gaussian-reflectivity mirror was used to correct the MMI. This mirror produces a smoother intensity profile which significantly reduces the effects of the MMI. Quantitative results on peak density variation and beam quality are presented.

Webster, K. L.↗