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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 361 records · Page 20
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NASA NTRS1977

An investigation of the stability of the Bondi-Hoyle model of accretion flow

The Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton (1944) accretion model is considered which involves accretion onto a massive body moving at a high Mach number with respect to the ambient medium and the production of a high-density accretion column along the axis where particle orbits intersect. The stability of steady-state solutions with respect to short-wavelength perturbations is analyzed using the WKB approximation, and the accretion column is shown to be unstable toward such perturbations. It is noted that this instability is not affected by the position of the stagnation point in the steady-state solution.

Cowie, L. L.↗
NASA NTRS1977

The SRB heat shield: Aeroelastic stability during reentry

Wind tunnel tests of a 3% scale model of the aft portion of the SRB equipped with partially scaled heat shields were conducted for the purpose of measuring fluctuating pressure levels in the aft skirt region. During these tests, the heat shields were observed to oscillate violently, the oscillations in some instances causing the heat shields to fail. High speed films taken during the tests reveal a regular pattern of waves in the fabric starting near the flow stagnation point and progressing around both sides of the annulus. The amplitude of the waves was too great, and their pattern too regular, for them to be attributed to the fluctuating pressure levels measured during the tests. The cause of the oscillations observed in the model heat shields, and whether or not similar oscillations will occur in the full scale SRB heat shield during reentry were investigated. Suggestions for modifying the heat shield so as to avoid the oscillations are provided, and recommendations are made for a program of vibration and wind tunnel tests of reduced-scale aeroelastic models of the heat shield.

Ventres, C. S.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Numerical solution of the compressible Navier-Stokes equations using density gradients as additional dependent variables

Numerical solution of two dimensional, time dependent, compressible viscous Navier-Stokes equations about arbitrary bodies was treated using density gradients as additional dependent variables. Thus, six dependent variables were computed with the SOR iteration method. Besides formulation for pressure gradient terms, a formulation for computing the body density was presented. To approximate the governing equations, an implicit finite difference method was employed. In computing the solution for the flow about a circular cylinder, a problem arose near the wall at both stagnation points. Thus, computations with various conditions were tried to examine the problem. Also, computations with and without formulations are compared. The flow variables were computed on 37 by 40 field first, then on an 81 by 40 field.

Kwon, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Application of the Bernoulli enthalpy concept to the study of vortex noise and jet impingement noise

A complete theory of aeroacoustics of homentropic fluid media is developed and compared with previous theories. The theory is applied to study the interaction of sound with vortex flows, for the DC-9 in a standard take-off configuration. The maximum engine-wake interference noise is estimated to be 3 or 4 db in the ground plane. It is shown that the noise produced by a corotating vortex pair departs significantly from the compact M scaling law for eddy Mach numbers (M) greater than 0.1. An estimate of jet impingement noise is given that is in qualitative agreement with experimental results. The increased noise results primarily from the nonuniform acceleration of turbulent eddies through the stagnation point flow. It is shown that the corotating vortex pair can be excited or de-excited by an externally applied sound field. The model is used to qualitatively explain experimental results on excited jets.

Yates, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Applicability of empirical data currently used in predicting solid propellant exhaust plumes

Theoretical and experimental approaches to exhaust plume analysis are compared. A two-phase model is extended to include treatment of reacting gas chemistry, and thermodynamical modeling of the gaseous phase of the flow field is considered. The applicability of empirical data currently available to define particle drag coefficients, heat transfer coefficients, mean particle size, and particle size distributions is investigated. Experimental and analytical comparisons are presented for subscale solid rocket motors operating at three altitudes with attention to pitot total pressure and stagnation point heating rate measurements. The mathematical treatment input requirements are explained. The two-phase flow field solution adequately predicts gasdynamic properties in the inviscid portion of two-phase exhaust plumes. It is found that prediction of exhaust plume gas pressures requires an adequate model of flow field dynamics.

Tevepaugh, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Structure of the conical flowfield about external axial corners

A theoretical and experimental investigation of the flowfield about symmetrical and asymmetrical external axial corners formed by the juncture of swept compressive wedges is presented. A study is made of the nature of inviscid cross flow stagnation points and their dependence on certain flow parameters is derived. The importance of imposing the physically relevant boundary condition for numerical simulations is discussed. For the asymmetrical wedge configuration, the proper boundary condition along the axial corner is shown to be a conical analog of Prandtl-Meyer flow. Further insight into the flow structure is revealed by the experimental results.

Salas, M. D.↗
NASA NTRS1978

The structure of vortex breakdown

The term 'vortex breakdown', as used in the reported investigation, refers to a disturbance characterized by the formation of an internal stagnation point on the vortex axis, followed by reversed flow in a region of limited axial extent. Two forms of vortex breakdown, which predominate, are shown in photographs. One form is called 'near-axisymmetric' (sometimes 'axisymmetric'), and the other is called 'spiral'. A survey is presented of work published since the 1972 review by Hall. Most experimental data taken since Hall's review have been in tubes, and the survey deals primarily with such cases. It is found that the assumption of axial-symmetry has produced useful results. The classification of flows as supercritical or subcritical, a step that assumes symmetry, has proved universally useful. Experiments show that vortex breakdown is always preceded by an upstream supercritical flow and followed by a subcritical wake. However, a comparison between experiments and attempts at prediction is less than encouraging. For a satisfactory understanding of the structure of vortex breakdown it is apparently necessary to take into account also aspects of asymmetry.

Leibovich, S.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Computation of the viscous supersonic flow over symmetrical and asymmetrical external axial corners

The primary objective of the reported investigation is the computational verification of the experimental results obtained by Salas and Daywitt (1978). Two existing computer codes were used to compute the supersonic flow field surrounding the external axial corner. For the inviscid and turbulent flow results, the unsteady, three-dimensional implicit code of Pulliam and Steger (1978) was used. For the laminar flow results, the unsteady two-dimensional explicit procedure of Vigneron et al. (1977) was employed. Inviscid solutions for a symmetric configuration with a rounded corner resulted in either single or triple surface crossflow stagnation point flows, depending on the corner radius. Numerical results obtained for the same symmetric configuration tested experimentally show the crossflow in the vicinity of the corner to be away from the corner and thus in agreement with the experimental oil flow results.

Kutler, P.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Impact conditions required for formation of melt by jetting in silicates

It is demonstrated that the process of jetting which occurs when particles collide at oblique angles may produce melt at much lower velocities than are required for melt production in head-on collisions. The minimum velocities of impact required for jetting in aluminum, bronzitite, dunite, and quartz are calculated by the method of shock polars. The analysis, which depends on stated assumptions about attained pressures and the occurrence of jetting, uses shock-velocity particle-velocity equations of state with three shock regimes. The treatment indicates that jetting should arise in bronzitite, dunite, and quartz at relative velocities as low as 1-2 km/sec. At such velocities material which passes near the stagnation point in the jet-forming region is subjected to sufficiently high pressures so that it is probably melted.

Kieffer, S. W.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Measurements in a large angle oblique jet impingement flow

The flow field associated with the oblique impingement of an axisymmetric jet was investigated in the externally blown flap configuration for the STOL aircraft. The passive and active spreading characteristics of the shallow angle (a greater than or = approximately to 15 degrees) oblique impingement flow, the role of the initially azimuthal vorticity field, and the stagnation point region were studied, and compared to the large ( a = 45 degres) oblique jet impingement flow. A description of the characteristics of the large angle impingement flow is presented: A flow field near the plate as showing two distinct patterns, one near the location of the maximum surface pressure, and another about the geometric intersection of the jet axis with the plate; and turbulence in the region above the plate which is greater than the one accounted for by the convection of turbulence energy by the mean motion.

Foss, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1979

An examination of a group-velocity criterion for the breakdown of an idealized vortex flow

The phenomenon of vortex breakdown is believed to be associated with a finite amplitude wave that has become trapped at the critical or breakdown location. The conditions at which the propagating waves become trapped at a certain axial location were examined by use of a group-velocity criterion implied by Landahl's general theory of wave trapping. An ideal vortex having constant vorticity and uniform axial velocity at the inlet of a slowly diverging duct was studied. The linear wave propagation analysis is applied to the base flow at several axial stations for several values of the ratio of swirl velocity to axial velocity at the inlet of the divergent duct, assuming a locally parallel flow. The dipsersion relations and hence the group velocities of both the symmetric (n = 0) and asymmetric modes (n = + or - 1) were investigated. The existence of a critical state in the flow (at which the group velocity vanishes), and its relationship to the stagnation point on the axis of the duct and to the occurrence of an irregular singularity in the equations governing wave propagation in the flow field are discussed.

Tsai, C. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Shock tube spectroscopy of C3 + C2H mixture in the 140 to 700 nm range

Absorption spectroscopy has been performed in the reflected-shock region of a shock tube. Acetylene was shock-heated to produce a mixture, at around 4000 K, rich in C3 and C2H to simulate the ablation layer over the Jovian entry probe, and the spectral range from 140 to 700 nm was surveyed with an evacuable spectrograph. The observed spectra were dominated by those of C2 and C3 and an unknown band at wavelengths below 300 nm. The cross sections of the C3 Swings band in the 300 to 450 nm range agreed with previous measurements within a factor of 1.5. No absorption was observed in the wavelength range from 550 to 700 nm. The unknown broadband absorption with a peak cross section of 4 times 10 to the minus 17/sq cm at around 170 nm was attributed tentatively to the C2H radical. A preliminary calculation showed that the newly found absorption band would reduce the radiative heat flux to the stagnation point wall by about 12.5% in a typical flight condition.

Prakash, S. G.↗
NASA NTRS1978

The effect of normal atmospheric variability on Space Shuttle Orbiter entry performance

The Space Shuttle Orbiter is controlled during entry by a combination of aerodynamic surfaces composed of elevons, a body flap, and a rudder that flares as a speedbrake, and a reaction control system that uses 16 small rocket thrusters. To determine the effects of realistic atmospheric density variations on reentry, a series of Monte Carlo trajectories were generated for each season. The performance parameters analyzed include maximum hinge moments experienced by the aerodynamic control surfaces, the maximum deflections experienced by the aerodynamic control surfaces, a range of angle-of-sideslip values, maximum dynamic pressure, maximum stagnation point heat rate, and state conditions at touchdown. The results of the investigation indicate that the Orbiter guidance and control systems could tolerate atmospheric variability without failures in the control system hardware.

Powell, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Nonequilibrium viscous flow over Jovian entry probes at high altitudes

The viscous chemical nonequilibrium flow around a Jovian entry body is investigated at high altitudes using two different methods. First method is only for the stagnation region and integrates the full Navier-Stokes equations from the body surface to the freestream. The second method uses viscous shock layer equations between the body surface and the shock. Due to low Reynolds numbers, both methods use surface slip boundary conditions and the second method also uses shock slip boundary conditions. The results of the two methods are compared at the stagnation point. It is found that the entire shock layer is under chemical nonequilibrium at higher altitudes and that the slip boundary conditions are important at these altitudes.

Kumar, A.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Line-by-line transport calculations for Jupiter entry probes

Line-by-line calculations of the radiative transport for a condition near peak heating for entry of the Galileo probe into the Jovian atmosphere are described. The discussion includes a thorough specification of the atomic and molecular input data used in the calculations that could be useful to others working in the field. The results show that the use of spectrally averaged cross sections for diatomic absorbers such as CO and C2 in the boundary layer can lead to an underestimation (by as much as 29%) of the spectral flux at the stagnation point. On the other hand, for the turbulent region near the cone frustum on the probe, the flow tends to be optically thin, and the spectrally averaged results commonly used in coupled radiative transport-flow field calculations are in good agreement with the present line-by-line results. It is recommended that these results be taken into account in sizing the final thickness of the Galileo's heat shield.

Arnold, J. O.↗
NASA NTRS1979

A careful numerical study of flowfields about external conical corners. I - Symmetric configurations

A numerical study of the flowfield about symmetrical external axial corners formed by the juncture of swept compressive wedges is presented. The geometrical configuration under investigation allows a unified treatment of external corners typical of delta wings and of rectangular inlets. Comparisons are made with other numerical results. For the delta wing configuration, the occurrence of an anomalous shock behavior predicted by Gonor is discussed. A parametric study shows the singular behavior of the pressure at the corner as a function of the external corner angle, and a second parametric study shows the effect of finite corner radius on the location of the crossflow stagnation point. Previous theoretical predictions of certain flow features typical of corner flows agree well with present numerical results.

Salas, M. D.↗
NASA NTRS1979

The magnetosphere of Mercury

According to Mariner 10 data on Mercury's magnetosphere, the bow shock and magnetosheath signatures in the magnetic field are entirely consistent with the geometry expected for interaction between a planet-centered magnetic dipole and the solar wind. The geometrically determined distance to the magnetopause stagnation point of solar wind flow was 1.45 plus or minus 0.15 Mercury radii. Comparative scaling of the magnetosphere of Mercury to earth shows that Mercury itself occupies a much larger fraction of the magnetosphere than does the earth. While there is no evidence for the permanent existence of a trapped charged particle radiation belt, intense transient bursts of energetic electrons indicate that a local acceleration process must be active. It is reasonable to assume that this process occurs in the magnetic tail. The interior plasma features compare well with those in the earth's magnetosphere. Characteristic time scales for transient phenomena at Mercury should be reduced by a factor of about 20 in comparison with those on earth - i.e., a few minutes for substorms vs an hour at earth. The origin of the magnetic field is unclear.

Ness, N. F.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Shape change of Galileo probe models in free-flight tests

Scale models of the Galileo Probe made of polycarbonate, AXF5Q graphite, carbon-carbon composite, and carbon-phenolic were flown in a free flight range in an ambient gas of air, krypton, or xenon. Mach numbers varied between 14 and 24, Reynolds numbers between 300,000 and 1,000,000, stagnation pressures between 31 and 200 atm, and stagnation point heat transfer rates between 10 and 1,000 kW/sq cm. Shadowgraphs indicate gouging ablation of the aft portion of the frustum; the gouging was moderate in air and severe in the noble gases. The graphite models break in the same region. An explanation of the phenomena is offered in terms of the strong compression and shear caused by the reattachment of a turbulent separated flow. Conditions are calculated for similar tests appropriate for Von Karman Facility of the Arnold Engineering Development Center in which a larger model can be flown in argon.

Park, C.↗