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NASA NTRS1983

Wind tunnel investigations of glider fuselages with different waistings and wing arrangements

The parameters fuselage pinch glider wing arrangement and fuselage leading edge radius of nine glider configurations were investigated in wind tunnel tests. Laminar separation bubbles were found on strongly recessed fuselages. These separations in the juncture between fuselage and wing are essential in the prevention of harmful aerodynamic drag. Drag reduction was measured with increasing pinch and the wing arrangement in the rear. These results are only valid for laminar flow on the fuselage leading edge.

Radespiel, R.↗

DOE OSTI2022

A vorticity-based criterion to characterise leading edge dynamic stall onset

We propose a more conservative, physically-intuitive criterion, namely, the boundary enstrophy flux ( BEF), to characterise leading-edge-type dynamic stall onset in incompressible flows. Our results are based on wall-resolved large-eddy simulations of pitching aerofoils, with fine spatial and temporal resolution around stall onset. We observe that |BEF| reaches a maximum within the stall onset regime identified. By decomposing the contribution to BEF from the flow field, we find that the dominant contribution arises from the laminar leading edge region, due to the combined effect of large clockwise vorticity and favourable pressure gradient. A relatively small contribution originates from the transitional/turbulent laminar separation bubble (LSB) region, due to LSB-induced counter-clockwise vorticity and adverse pressure gradient. This results in BEF being nearly independent of the integration length as long as the region very close to the leading edge is included. This characteristic of BEF yields a major advantage in that the effect of partial or complete inclusion of the noisy LSB region can be filtered out, without changing the BEF peak location in time significantly. Next, we analytically relate BEF to the net wall shear and show that its critical value (=max(|BEF|) ) corresponds to the instant of maximum net shear prevailing at the wall. Finally, we have also compared BEF with the leading edge suction parameter ( LESP) and find that the former reaches its maximum value between 0.3° and 0.8° of rotation earlier.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

NASA NTRS1975

Dynamic stall experiments on oscillating airfoils

Dynamic stall and unsteady boundary layer separation have been studied in incompressible flow at moderately large Reynolds numbers. By varying the leading-edge geometry of an NACA 0012 airfoil, three different types of stall were produced. For most of the configurations studied, including the basic NACA 0012 profile, dynamic stall was found not to originate with the bursting of a leading-edge laminar separation bubble, as is commonly believed. Instead, the vortex shedding phenomenon, which is the predominant feature of dynamic stall, appears to be fed its vorticity by the breakdown of the turbulent boundary layer.

Mccroskey, W. J.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Force and pressure measurements on an airfoil oscillating through stall, part 2

Details of force, moment, and pressure distributions on a two dimensional, four foot chord, NACA 0012 airfoil, oscillating in pitch through stall, in a 7 ft. x 10 ft. low speed wind tunnel, are presented. Tests were run with the airfoil in a closed test section and also in a test section having four longitudinal slots in each sidewall set to provide minimum tunnel interference on the wing in steady flow. In unsteady flow, differences between the results for the closed and 2% open case are small. The dynamic stall process is not triggered by the bursting of a laminar separation bubble but rather by the separation of the turbulent boundary layer downstream of the bubble.

Parker, A. G.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Force and pressure measurements on an airfoil oscillating through stall

Details of force, moment, and pressure distributions on a two-dimensional, 4-ft chord, NACA 0012 airfoil, oscillating in pitch through stall, in a 7 ft x 10 ft low-speed wind tunnel are presented. Tests were run with the airfoil in a closed test section and also in a test section having four longitudinal slots in each sidewall set to provide minimum tunnel interference on the wing in steady flow. In steady flow, differences between the results for the closed and 2% open case are small. The dynamic stall process is not triggered by the bursting of a laminar separation bubble but rather by the separation of the turbulent boundary layer downstream of the bubble.

Parker, A. G.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Dynamic stall experiments on the NACA 0012 airfoil

The flow over a NACA 0012 airfoil undergoing large oscillations in pitch was experimentally studied at a Reynolds number of and over a range of frequencies and amplitudes. Hot-wire probes and surface-pressure transducers were used to clarify the role of the laminar separation bubble, to delineate the growth and shedding of the stall vortex, and to quantify the resultant aerodynamic loads. In addition to the pressure distributions and normal force and pitching moment data that have often been obtained in previous investigations, estimates of the unsteady drag force during dynamic stall have been derived from the surface pressure measurements. Special characteristics of the pressure response, which are symptomatic of the occurrence and relative severity of moment stall, have also been examined.

Mcalister, K. W.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Laser velocimeter survey about a NACA 0012 wing at low angles of attack

An investigation was conducted in the Langley V/STOL tunnel with a laser velocimeter to obtain measurements of airflow velocities about a wing at low angles of attack. The applicability of the laser velocimeter technique for this purpose in the V/STOL tunnel was demonstrated in this investigation with measurement precision bias calculated at -1.33 percent to 0.91 percent and a random uncertainty calculated at + or - 0.47 percent. Free stream measurements were obtained with this device and compared with velocity calculations from pitot static probe data taken near the laser velocimeter measurement location. The two measurements were in agreement to within 1 percent. Velocity measurement results about the centerline at 0.6 degrees angle of attack were typically those expected. At 4.75 degrees, the velocity measurements indicated that a short laminar separation bubble existed near the leading edge with an oscillating shear layer.

Hoad, D. R.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Low speed airfoil design and analysis

A low speed airfoil design and analysis program was developed which contains several unique features. In the design mode, the velocity distribution is not specified for one but many different angles of attack. Several iteration options are included which allow the trailing edge angle to be specified while other parameters are iterated. For airfoil analysis, a panel method is available which uses third-order panels having parabolic vorticity distributions. The flow condition is satisfied at the end points of the panels. Both sharp and blunt trailing edges can be analyzed. The integral boundary layer method with its laminar separation bubble analog, empirical transition criterion, and precise turbulent boundary layer equations compares very favorably with other methods, both integral and finite difference. Comparisons with experiment for several airfoils over a very wide Reynolds number range are discussed. Applications to high lift airfoil design are also demonstrated.

Eppler, R.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Some new airfoils

A computer approach to the design and analysis of airfoils and some common problems concerning laminar separation bubbles at different lift coefficients are briefly discussed. Examples of application to ultralight airplanes, canards, and sailplanes with flaps are given.

Eppler, R.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Multi-element airfoil viscous-inviscid interactions

Subsonic viscous-inviscid interactions for multi-element airfoils are predicted by iterating between inviscid and viscous solutions until the performance coefficients converge. Inviscid flow is modelled by using distributed source-vortex singularities on configuration surface panels. Viscous effects are calculated by an existing laminar separation bubble model and a NASA-Lockheed boundary layer-wake method. Numerical formulations and example calculations are presented.

Gross, L. W.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Visualization of the laminar-turbulent transition in the flow over an airfoil using the smoke-wire technique

A flow visualization technique, referred to as the smoke-wire, was used for visualization of the transition of the free shear layer associated with the laminar separation bubble of a NACA 66 sub 3-018 airfoil section at low Reynolds number (50,000-130,000). The smoke-wire technique allows the introduction of fine smoke streaklines into the flow field through the electrical resistive heating of a very fine wire which has been coated with oil and which is located upstream from the leading edge of the airfoil section. Streakline data were collected using both high speed still and motion picture photography.

Batill, S. M.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Low Reynolds number airfoil survey, volume 1

The differences in flow behavior two dimensional airfoils in the critical chordlength Reynolds number compared with lower and higher Reynolds number are discussed. The large laminar separation bubble is discussed in view of its important influence on critical Reynolds number airfoil behavior. The shortcomings of application of theoretical boundary layer computations which are successful at higher Reynolds numbers to the critical regime are discussed. The large variation in experimental aerodynamic characteristic measurement due to small changes in ambient turbulence, vibration, and sound level is illustrated. The difficulties in obtaining accurate detailed measurements in free flight and dramatic performance improvements at critical Reynolds number, achieved with various types of boundary layer tripping devices are discussed.

Carmichael, B. H.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Redesign and cascade tests of a supercritical controlled diffusion stator blade-section

A supercritical stator blade section, previously tested in cascade, and characterized by a flat-roof-top suction surface Mach number distribution, has been redesigned and retested. At near design conditions, the losses and air turning were improved over the original blade by 50 percent and 7 percent respectively. The key element in the improved performance was a small blade reshaping. This produced a continuous flow acceleration over the first one-third chord of the suction surface which successfully prevented a premature laminar separation bubble. Several recently available inviscid analysis and one fully viscous (Navier-Stokes) analysis code were used in the redesign process. The validity of these codes was enhanced by the test results.

Schmidt, J. F.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Application of thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations near maximum lift

The flowfield about a NACA 0012 airfoil at a Mach number of 0.3 and Reynolds number of 1 million is computed through an angle of attack range, up to 18 deg, corresponding to conditions up to and beyond the maximum lift coefficient. Results obtained using the compressible thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations are presented as well as results from the compressible Euler equations with and without a viscous coupling procedure. The applicability of each code is assessed and many thin-layer Navier-Stokes benchmark solutions are obtained which can be used for comparison with other codes intended for use at high angles of attack. Reasonable agreement of the Navier-Stokes code with experiment and the viscous-inviscid interaction code is obtained at moderate angles of attack. An unsteady solution is obtained with the thin-layer Navier-Stokes code at the highest angle of attack considered. The maximum lift coefficient is overpredicted, however, in comparison to experimental data, which is attributed to the presence of a laminar separation bubble near the leading edge not modeled in the computations. Two comparisons with experimental data are also presented at a higher Mach number.

Anderson, W. K.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Redesign and cascade tests of a supercritical controlled diffusion stator blade-section

A supercritical stator blade section, previously tested in cascade, and characterized by a flat-roof-top suction surface Mach number distribution, has been redesigned and retested. At near design conditions, the losses and air turning were improved over the original blade by 50 percent and 7 percent, respectively. The key element in the improved performance was a small blade reshaping. This produced a continuous flow acceleration over the first one-third chord of the suction surface which successfully prevented a premature laminar separation bubble. Several recently available inviscid analysis codes and one fully viscous (Navier-Stokes) analysis code were used in the redesign process. The validity of these codes was enhanced by the test results. Previously announced in STAR as N84-22533

Schmidt, J. F.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Airfoil design for Reynolds numbers between 50,000 and 500,000

The design of airfoils for flows with Re of 50,000-500,000 requires consideration of laminar separation bubbles. A design approach is discussed which specifies the angle of attack at which the potential flow velocity is to be constant at each segment of the airfoil. The velocity gradient is controlled by introducing a pressure recovery function at the trailing edge. Boundary layer stability decreases with rising Re, although an upper Re value can be identified, below which the boundary layer will be stable. Adverse pressure gradients are associated with the shape parameter of the velocity profile, whose rise in value decreases stability. Transition displays similar relationships to the shape parameter. The most frequent feature of separation is the appearance of a separation bubble.

R Eppler↗

NASA NTRS1986

Flow-separation patterns on symmetric forebodies

Flow-visualization studies of ogival, parabolic, and conical forebodies were made in a comprehensive investigation of the various types of flow patterns. Schlieren, vapor-screen, oil-flow, and sublimation flow-visualization tests were conducted over an angle-of-attack range from 0 deg. to 88 deg., over a Reynolds-number range from 0.3X10(6) to 2.0X10(6) (based on base diameter), and over a Mach number range from 0.1 to 2. The principal effects of angle of attack, Reynolds number, and Mach number on the occurrence of vortices, the position of vortex shedding, the principal surface-flow-separation patterns, the magnitude of surface-flow angles, and the extent of laminar and turbulent flow for symmetric, asymmetric, and wake-like flow-separation regimes are presented. It was found that the two-dimensional cylinder analogy was helpful in a qualitative sense in analyzing both the surface-flow patterns and the external flow field. The oil-flow studies showed three types of primary separation patterns at the higher Reynolds numbers owing to the influence of boundary-layer transition. The effect of angle of attack and Reynolds number is to change the axial location of the onset and extent of the primary transitional and turbulent separation regions. Crossflow inflectional-instability vortices were observed on the windward surface at angles of attack from 5 deg. to 55 deg. Their effect is to promote early transition. At low angles of attack, near 10 deg., an unexpected laminar-separation bubble occurs over the forward half of the forebody. At high angles of attack, at which vortex asymmetry occurs, the results support the proposition that the principal cause of vortex asymmetry is the hydrodynamic instability of the inviscid flow field. On the other hand, boundary-layer asymmetries also occur, especially at transitional Reynolds numbers. The position of asymmetric vortex shedding moves forward with increasing angle of attack and with increasing Reynolds number, and moves rearward with increasing Mach number.

Keener, Earl R.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Surface flow visualization of separated flows on the forebody of an F-18 aircraft and wind-tunnel model

A method of in-flight surface flow visualization similar to wind-tunnel-model oil flows is described for cases where photo-chase planes or onboard photography are not practical. This method, used on an F-18 aircraft in flight at high angles of attack, clearly showed surface flow streamlines in the fuselage forebody. Vortex separation and reattachment lines were identified with this method and documented using postflight photography. Surface flow angles measured at the 90 and 270 degrees meridians show excellent agreement with the wind tunnel data for a pointed tangent ogive with an aspect ratio of 3.5. The separation and reattachment line locations were qualitatively similar to the F-18 wind-tunnel-model oil flows but neither the laminar separation bubble nor the boundary-layer transition on the wind tunnel model were evident in the flight surface flows. The separation and reattachment line locations were in fair agreement with the wind tunnel data for the 3.5 ogive. The elliptical forebody shape of the F-18 caused the primary separation lines to move toward the leeward meridian. Little effect of angle of attack on the separation locations was noted for the range reported.

Fisher, David F.↗