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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 505 records · Page 28

Correlation of asperity contact-time fraction with elastohydrodynamic film thickness in a 20-millimeter-bore ball bearing

Elastohydrodynamic film thicknesses and asperity contact-time fractions were measured for a 20 mm bore ball bearing by using the capacitance and conductance techniques. The bearing was thrust loaded to 90, 445, and 778 N. The corresponding maximum stresses on the inner race were 1.28, 2.09, and 2.45 GPa. The test speed ranged from 400 to 15,000 rpm. The test bearing was mist lubricated with a MIL-L-23699A turbine oil. The temperature was 27 C. The experimental results were correlated to give the percent film (no-contact-time fraction) as a function of measured film thickness. Measurements were made for three test series that represented the test bearing in various conditions of run-in. The measurements show that the percent film changes with bearing run-in time. The experimental results agreed well with theoretical predictions based on surface trace analysis for a new bearing. For the run-in state, they agreed with previously reported experimental results. The results show that asperity contact existed at a film thickness-roughness ratio lambda of 6.0 or less for a new bearing. After run-in, no asperity contact occurred at a lambda of 3.5 or greater.

Coy, J. J.↗

Full scale visualization of the wing tip vortices generated by a typical agricultural aircraft

The trajectories of the wing tip vortices of a typical agricultural aircraft were experimentally determined by flight test. A flow visualization method, similar to the vapor screen method used in wind tunnels, was used to obtain trajectory data for a range of flight speeds, airplane configurations, and wing loadings. Detailed measurements of the spanwise surface pressure distribution were made for all test points. Further, a powered 1/8 scale model of the aircraft was designed, built, and used to obtain tip vortex trajectory data under conditions similar to that of the full scale test. The effects of light wind on the vortices were demonstrated, and the interaction of the flap vortex and the tip vortex was clearly shown in photographs and plotted trajectory data.

Cross, E. J., Jr.↗

Full scale visualization of the wing tip vortices generated by a typical agricultural aircraft

The trajectories of the wing tip vortices of a typical agricultural aircraft were experimentally determined by flight test. A flow visualization method, similar to the vapor screen method used in wind tunnels, was used to obtain trajectory data for a range of flight speeds, airplane configurations, and wing loadings. Detailed measurements of the spanwise surface pressure distribution were made for all test points. Further, a powered 1/8 scale model of the aircraft was designed, built, and used to obtain tip vortex trajectory data under conditions similar to that of the full-scale test. The effects of light wind on the vortices were demonstrated, and the interaction of the flap vortex and the tip vortex was clearly shown in photographs and plotted trajectory data.

Cross, E. J., Jr.↗

Helicopter impulsive noise: Theoretical and experimental status

The theoretical and experimental status of helicopter impulsive noise is reviewed. The two major source mechanisms of helicopter impulsive noise are addressed: high-speed impulsive noise and blade-vortex interaction impulsive noise. A thorough physical explanation of both generating mechanism is presented together with model and full-scale measurements of the phenomena. Current theoretical prediction methods are compared with experimental findings of isolated rotor tests. The noise generating mechanism of high speed impulsive noise are fairly well understood - theory and experiment compare nicely over Mach number ranges typical of today's helicopters. For the case of blade-vortex interaction noise, understanding of noise generating mechanisms and theoretical comparison with experiment are less satisfactory. Several methods for improving theory-experiment are suggested.

Schmitz, F. H.↗

Summary of NASA/DOE Aileron-Control Development Program for Wind Turbines

The development of aileron-control for wind turbines is discussed. Selected wind tunnel test results and full-scale rotor test results are presented for various types of ailerons. Finally, the current status of aileron-control development is discussed. Aileron-control was considered as a method of rotor control for use on wind turbines based on its potential to reduce rotor weight and cost. Following an initial feasibility study, a 20 percent chord aileron-control rotor was fabricated and tested on the NASA/DOE Mod-0 experimental wind turbine. Results from these tests indicated that the 20 percent chord ailerons regulated power and provided overspeed protection, but only over a very limited windspeed range. The next aileron-control rotor to be tested on the Mod-0 had 38 percent chord ailerons and test results showed these ailerons provided overspeed protection and power regulation over the Mod-0's entire operational windspeed range.

Miller, D. R.↗

Helicopter impulsive noise - Theoretical and experimental status

The theoretical and experimental status of helicopter impulsive noise is reviewed. The two major source mechanisms of helicopter impulsive noise are addressed: high-speed impulsive noise and blade-vortex interaction impulsive noise. A thorough physical explanation of both generating mechanisms is presented together with model and full-scale measurements of the phenomena. Current theoretical prediction methods are compared with experimental findings of isolated rotor tests. The noise generating mechanisms of high speed impulsive noise are fairly well understood - theory and experiment compare nicely over Mach number ranges typical of today's helicopters. For the case of blade-vortex interaction noise, understanding of noise generating mechanisms and theoretical comparison with experiment are less satisfactory. Several methods for improving theory/experiment are suggested.

Schmitz, F. H.↗

Helicopter impulsive noise - Theoretical and experimental status

The theoretical and experimental status of helicopter impulsive noise is reviewed. The two major source mechanisms of helicopter impulsive noise are addressed: high-speed impulsive noise and blade-vortex interaction impulsive noise. A thorough physical explanation of both generating mechanism is presented together with model and full-scale measurements of the phenomena. Current theoretical prediction methods are compared with experimental findings of isolated rotor tests. The noise generating mechanism of high speed impulsive noise are fairly well understood - theory and experiment compare nicely over Mach number ranges typical of today's helicopters. For the case of blade-vortex interaction noise, understanding of noise generating mechanisms and theoretical comparison with experiment are less satisfactory. Several methods for improving theory-experiment are suggested.

Schmitz, F. H.↗

Size and shape of solid fuel diffusion flames in very slow speed flows

The influence of very low speed forced flows on the size and shape of a diffusion flame adjacent to a solid fuel slab is studied experimentally and theoretically. Velocities in the range of 1.5 to 6.3 cm/s and O2 mole fractions (in the O2/N2 atmosphere) in the range of 0.15 to 0.19 were tested. The flames moved farther from the fuel surface as the flow velocity was reduced and closer to the sample as the O2 concentration was lowered. A corresponding theoretical model was solved using a two-dimensional Navier-Stokes system with a one-step finite-rate chemical reaction and surface radiative loss.

Chen, Chiun-Hsun↗

Computational and experimental investigation of subsonic internal reversing flows

The flow inside a model exhaust configuration was studied using both experimental and computational techniques. The hardware was tested at the NASA Lewis Research Center's Powered Lift Facility at tailpipe total pressure to ambient static pressure ratios ranging from 1.0 to 5.0. The flow simulations were obtained using the two 3-D Navier-Stokes CFD codes run on the Lewis Cray Y-MP computer. Both codes produced oscillatory solutions due to the inflow boundary condition reflecting acoustic waves. The CFD solutions correctly predicted the flow separation along the inside elbow of the takeoff and also along the walls of the ventral duct. Mass flow rates were overpredicted due to underprediction of the turbulent energy dissipation and subsequent total pressure loss.

Rhodes, James A.↗

Hot streaks and phantom cooling in a turbine rotor passage. I - Separate effects

Experimental documentation and analytical correlations demonstrating the effects of hot streak accumulation and phantom cooling on turbine rotor airfoil surface temperature. Test results are shown for a range of controlling variables to identify where streak accumulation and phantom cooling are most likely to be strongest. These variables include streak injection location, streak-to-free stream density ratio and coolant-to-free stream density and velocity ratios.

Roback, Richard J.↗

The aerodynamic characteristics of a supersonic aircraft configuration with a 40 degree sweptback wing through a Mach number range from 0 to 2.4 obtained from various sources

A summary and analysis have been made of the results of various investigations to determine the aerodynamic characteristics of a supersonic aircraft configuration. The configuration has a wing with 40 degree sweepback at the quarter-chord line, aspect ratio 4, taper ratio 0.5, and 10-percent-thick circular-arc sections normal to the quarter-chord line. Experimental data were available for a Mach number range from 0.16 to 2.32. Results obtained from wing-flow, rocket-model, transonic-bump, and tunnel tests are presented and, where possible, are supplemented by empirical and theoretical calculations.

Spearman, M Leroy↗

Inland and Near-Shore Water Profiles Derived from the High-Altitude Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL)

The Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) on the Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat-2) mission is a six beam, low energy, high repetition rate, 532-nanometer laser transmitter with photon counting detectors. Although designed primarily for detecting height changes in ice caps, sea ice, and vegetation, the polar-orbiting satellite will observe global surface water during its designed three-year life span, including inland waterbodies, coasts, and open oceans. In preparation for the mission, an ICESat-2 prototype, the Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL), was built and flown on high-altitude aircraft experiments over a range of inland and near-shore targets. The purpose was to test the ATLAS concept and to provide a database for developing an algorithm that detects along track surface water height and light penetration under a range of atmospheric and water conditions. The current analysis examines the data sets of three MABEL transects observed from 20 kilometers above ground of coastal and inland waters conducted in 2012 and 2013. Transects ranged from about 2 to 12 kilometers in length and included the middle Chesapeake Bay, the near-shore Atlantic coast at Virginia Beach, and Lake Mead. Results indicate MABEL's high capability for retrieving surface water height statistics with a mean height precision ofapproximately 5-7 centimeters per 100-meter segment length. Profiles of attenuated subsurface backscatter, characterized using a Signal to Background Ratio written in Log10 base, or LSBR (sub 0), were observed over a range of 1.3 to 9.3 meters, depending on water clarity and atmospheric background. Results indicate that observable penetration depth, although primarily dependent on water properties, was greatest when the solar background rate was low. Near-shore bottom reflectance was detected only at the Lake Mead site down to a maximum of 10 meters under a clear night sky and low turbidity of approximately 1.6 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU). The overall results suggest that the feasibility of retrieving operational surface water height statistics from space-based photon counting systems such as ATLAS is very high for resolutions down to about 100 meters, even in partly cloudy conditions. The capability to observe subsurface backscatterprofiles is achievable but requires much longer transects of several hundreds of meters.

inland↗

Experimental Results and Interfacial Lift-off Model Predictions of Critical Heat Flux for Flow Boiling with Subcooled Inlet Conditions – In Preparation for Experiments Onboard the International Space Station

This study investigates critical heat flux (CHF) for subcooled flow boiling of n-Perfluorohexane based on results of pre-launch Earth-gravity Mission Sequence Tests (MSTs) of the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE), which was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in August 2021. CHF measurements were made in a rectangular channel having a 2.5 mm by 5 mm cross-section and a 114.6-mm long heated segment. Both single-sided and double-sided heating were tested in vertical upflow in Earth gravity for a variety of inlet conditions. The inlet subcooling was varied in the range of 0.4 – 32.0°C and encompassed both near-saturated and highly subcooled conditions. Experimental trends and high-speed video records were investigated to better understand the mechanism of CHF. Overall trends show CHF increases as flow rate and/or inlet subcooling are increased. Flow features from the events around CHF justify the applicability of the Interfacial Lift-off Model and the determination of limiting criteria for its application. The present experimental data are combined with prior databases for various flow orientations with respect to Earth gravity and microgravity data collected on parabolic flights. Predictions are made using the Interfacial Lift-off Model for this consolidated subcooled-inlet FBCE-CHF database. A heat utility ratio was included in the model to capture the effects of subcooling and corresponding thermodynamic non-equilibrium. An overall mean absolute error of 19.04% indicates good predictive capability of the model for both heating configurations, different gravity environments, and a wide range of inlet subcooling.

flow boiling↗

Experimental investigation of the effect of aspect ratio and Mach number on the flutter of cantilever wings

The results of some wind-tunnel experiments to investigate the effects of aspect ratio and Mach number on the flutter of uniform, unswept, cantilever wings are reported. Models having aspect ratios ranging from 2 to 13 were tested at Mach numbers up to 0.92. No general attempt is made to correlate the data with three-dimensional-flow theory, but an examination of the data is made on the basis of reference theoretical values obtained from the two-dimensional incompressible-flow theory. On this basis a reduction in aspect ratio, in general, increased the ratio of the experimental flutter speed to the calculated flutter speed. The analysis also indicated that for a given aspect ratio, this ratio decreased slightly as the Mach number is increased.

Widmayer, E , Jr↗

Experimental measurements of hydrodynamic stiffness matrices for a centrifugal pump impeller

The objective of the Rotor Force Test Facility at the California Institute of Technology is to artificially orbit the center of rotation of an impeller enclosed within a volute over a range of frequencies from zero to synchronous and to measure the resulting forces on the impeller. Preliminary data from the first stage experiments in which the shaft is orbited at low frequency is reported. Steady volute forces along with stiffness matrices due to the change in position of the rotor center are measured. Static pressure taps around the volute are used to obtain volute pressure distributions for various fixed positions of the impeller center and for various flow rates. Static pressure forces are calculated from these pressure distributions allowing a more complete analysis of the components of the impeller forces. Comparison is made with various existing theoretical and experimental results.

Chamieh, D. S.↗

An Overview of the Semi-Span Super-Sonic Transport (S4T) Wind-Tunnel Model Program

A summary of computational and experimental aeroelastic (AE) and aeroservoelastic (ASE) results for the Semi-Span Super-Sonic Transport (S4T) wind-tunnel model is presented. A broad range of analyses and multiple AE and ASE wind-tunnel tests of the S4T wind-tunnel model have been performed in support of the ASE element in the Supersonics Program, part of the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program. This paper is intended to be an overview of multiple papers that comprise a special S4T technical session. Along those lines, a brief description of the design and hardware of the S4T wind-tunnel model will be presented. Computational results presented include linear and nonlinear aeroelastic analyses, and rapid aeroelastic analyses using CFD-based reduced-order models (ROMs). A brief survey of some of the experimental results from two open-loop and two closed-loop wind-tunnel tests performed at the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) will be presented as well.

Silva, Walter A.↗

Experimental investigation of megawatt dc arc heating of nitrogen

Four types of arc heaters, each with the capability of providing arc power levels in excess of 1 megawatt in nitrogen, were tested over a range of power levels and nitrogen flow rates to determine their value as heaters for hypersonic tunnels. The data derived should be useful in the design of high energy heaters for various industrial processes.

Boldman, D. R.↗

Preliminary QCSEE program - Test results

Preliminary results are reported for the Quiet Clean Short-haul Experimental Engine (QCSEE) program initiated by NASA in 1974 to develop propulsion system technology suitable for powered-lift short-range commercial aircraft. The QCSEE technology also has applications to the proposed U.S. Navy V/STOL aircraft. Emphasis in the QCSEE program is placed on developing engines with low noise characteristics; in addition, the power plants are required to conform to EPA 1979 pollutant emissions standards. Thrust performance, fan design, and thrust/weight ratio are discussed for both the over-the-wing and under-the-wing engine configurations under study.

Ciepluch, C. C.↗