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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1999

Airbreathing Hypersonic Technology Vision Vehicles and Development Dreams

Significant advancements in hypersonic airbreathing vehicle technology have been made in the country's research centers and industry over the past 40 years. Some of that technology is being validated with the X-43 flight tests. This paper presents an overview of hypersonic airbreathing technology status within the US, and a hypersonic technology development plan. This plan builds on the nation's large investment in hypersonics. This affordable, incremental plan focuses technology development on hypersonic systems, which could be operating by the 2020's.

McClinton, C. R.↗
NASA NTRS2006

New Air-Launched Small Missile (ALSM) Flight Testbed for Hypersonic Systems

A new testbed for hypersonic flight research is proposed. Known as the Phoenix air-launched small missile (ALSM) flight testbed, it was conceived to help address the lack of quick-turnaround and cost-effective hypersonic flight research capabilities. The Phoenix ALSM testbed results from utilization of two unique and very capable flight assets: the United States Navy Phoenix AIM-54 long-range, guided air-to-air missile and the NASA Dryden F-15B testbed airplane. The U.S. Navy retirement of the Phoenix AIM-54 missiles from fleet operation has presented an excellent opportunity for converting this valuable flight asset into a new flight testbed. This cost-effective new platform will fill an existing gap in the test and evaluation of current and future hypersonic systems for flight Mach numbers ranging from 3 to 5. Preliminary studies indicate that the Phoenix missile is a highly capable platform. When launched from a high-performance airplane, the guided Phoenix missile can boost research payloads to low hypersonic Mach numbers, enabling flight research in the supersonic-to-hypersonic transitional flight envelope. Experience gained from developing and operating the Phoenix ALSM testbed will be valuable for the development and operation of future higher-performance ALSM flight testbeds as well as responsive microsatellite small-payload air-launched space boosters.

Bui, Trong T.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Critical Technologies for Hypersonic Vehicle Development

The objective of the present RTO/VKI Lecture Series is to focus attention on the technologies that play a critical role in hypersonic vehicle development. Owing to the demanding flight environment, successful development of hypersonic vehicles will require progress in understanding and surmounting specific technical problems in ground test, numerical simulation and flight test. Following the introductory remarks stating the objectives of the Lecture Series, a historical perspective on hypersonic vehicle development was given to establish the context and to highlight the emerging role of numerical simulation in vehicle design. A thorough review of ongoing vehicle development and flight-test programs completed the introductory portion. To provide sufficient background information, lectures were presented on compressible flows of perfect and imperfect gases, with special attention given to shock-wave boundary-layer interactions, laminar to turbulent transition, and high temperature gas properties. Advancements in computational modeling capabilities for hypersonic vehicle design were addressed, and the ongoing need for validation data, as well as a consistent validation methodology, where highlighted. Specific critical technology areas, including trajectory aerothermal environment definition, system trade studies, propulsion systems, aerodynamic control laws, flight instrumentation, thermal protection systems and flight experiments were all addressed in separate lectures given by international experts. Finally, the potential of plasma devices to ameliorate or avoid critical aerothermal phenomena was presented, providing a good example of the type of creative effort required for achieving progress. In all of the presentations the needs of future hypersonic flight vehicle development programs were addressed.

Research and Technology Organisation (RTO)↗
NASA NTRS2008

Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) and Hot Structures for Hypersonic Vehicles

Thermal protection systems (TPS) and hot structures are required for a range of hypersonic vehicles ranging from ballistic reentry to hypersonic cruise vehicles, both within Earth's atmosphere and non-Earth atmospheres. The focus of this paper is on air breathing hypersonic vehicles in the Earth's atmosphere. This includes single-stage to orbit (SSTO), two-stage to orbit (TSTO) accelerators, access to space vehicles, and hypersonic cruise vehicles. This paper will start out with a brief discussion of aerodynamic heating and thermal management techniques to address the high heating, followed by an overview of TPS for rocket-launched and air-breathing vehicles. The argument is presented that as we move from rocket-based vehicles to air-breathing vehicles, we need to move away from the insulated airplane approach used on the Space Shuttle Orbiter to a wide range of TPS and hot structure approaches. The primary portion of the paper will discuss issues and design options for CMC TPS and hot structure components, including leading edges, acreage TPS, and control surfaces. The current state-of-the-art will be briefly discussed for some of the components. The two primary technical challenges impacting the use of CMC TPS and hot structures for hypersonic vehicles are environmental durability and fabrication, and will be discussed briefly.

Glass, David E.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) and Hot Structures for Hypersonic Vehicles

Thermal protection systems (TPS) and hot structures are required for a range of hypersonic vehicles ranging from ballistic reentry to hypersonic cruise vehicles, both within Earth’s atmosphere and non-Earth atmospheres. The focus of this presentation is on air breathing hypersonic vehicles in the Earth's atmosphere. This includes single-stage to orbit (SSTO), two-stage to orbit (TSTO) accelerators, access to space vehicles, and hypersonic cruise vehicles. The presentation will start with a brief discussion of aerodynamic heating and thermal management techniques to address the high heating, followed by an overview of TPS for rocket-launched and air-breathing vehicles. The argument is presented that as we move from rocket-based vehicles to air-breathing vehicles, we need to move away from the “insulated airplane” approach used on the Space Shuttle Orbiter to a wide range of TPS and hot structure approaches. The primary portion of the presentation will discuss issues and design options for CMC TPS and hot structure components, including leading edges, acreage TPS, and control surfaces. The current state-of-the-art will be briefly discussed for some of the components. The two primary technical challenges impacting the use of CMC TPS and hot structures for hypersonic vehicles are environmental durability and fabrication, and will be discussed briefly.

Thermal Protection Systems↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) and Hot Structures for Hypersonic Vehicles

Thermal protection systems (TPS) and hot structures are required for a range of hypersonic vehicles ranging from ballistic reentry to hypersonic cruise vehicles, both within Earth’s atmosphere and non-Earth atmospheres. The focus of this presentation is on air breathing hypersonic vehicles in the Earth's atmosphere. This includes single-stage to orbit (SSTO), two-stage to orbit (TSTO) accelerators, access to space vehicles, and hypersonic cruise vehicles. The presentation will start with a brief discussion of aerodynamic heating and thermal management techniques to address the high heating, followed by an overview of TPS for rocket-launched and air-breathing vehicles. The argument is presented that as we move from rocket-based vehicles to air-breathing vehicles, we need to move away from the “insulated airplane” approach used on the Space Shuttle Orbiter to a wide range of TPS and hot structure approaches. The primary portion of the presentation will discuss issues and design options for CMC TPS and hot structure components, including leading edges, acreage TPS, and control surfaces. The current state-of-the-art will be briefly discussed for some of the components. The two primary technical challenges impacting the use of CMC TPS and hot structures for hypersonic vehicles are environmental durability and fabrication, and will be discussed briefly.

David E Glass↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) and Hot Structures for Hypersonic Vehicles

Thermal protection systems (TPS) and hot structures are required for a range of hypersonic vehicles ranging from ballistic reentry to hypersonic cruise vehicles, both within Earth’s atmosphere and non-Earth atmospheres. The focus of this presentation is on air breathing hypersonic vehicles in the Earth's atmosphere. This includes single-stage to orbit (SSTO), two-stage to orbit (TSTO) accelerators, access to space vehicles, and hypersonic cruise vehicles. The presentation will start with a brief discussion of aerodynamic heating and thermal management techniques to address the high heating, followed by an overview of TPS for rocket-launched and air-breathing vehicles. The argument is presented that as we move from rocket-based vehicles to air-breathing vehicles, we need to move away from the “insulated airplane” approach used on the Space Shuttle Orbiter to a wide range of TPS and hot structure approaches. The primary portion of the presentation will discuss issues and design options for CMC TPS and hot structure components, including leading edges, acreage TPS, and control surfaces. The current state-of-the-art will be briefly discussed for some of the components. The two primary technical challenges impacting the use of CMC TPS and hot structures for hypersonic vehicles are environmental durability and fabrication, and will be discussed briefly.

Thermal Protection Systems, hot structure↗
NASA NTRS2019

Nonlinear Görtler Vortices and Their Secondary Instability in a Hypersonic Boundary Layer

Nonlinear development of the Görtler instability over a concave surface gives rise to a highly distorted inflectional flow field in the boundary layer that leads to both wall-normal and spanwise gradients in the flow. Such nonlinear structures are susceptible to strong, high-frequency secondary instabilities that may lead to the onset of laminar-turbulent transition. The present numerical study uses direct numerical simulations and linear secondary instability theory to investigate finite amplitude Görtler vortices and their secondary instability characteristics, respectively, in the hypersonic flow over an axisymmetric cone with a concave aft body. To complement previous studies in the literature wherein the Görtler instability was usually studied for a flat plate and initiated at some upstream location by imposing an eigenfunction as the inflow condition or by blowing and suction at the wall, the present investigation is focused on fully realizable Görtler instability that is excited by an azimuthally periodic array of surface protuberances. Furthermore, while the previous work had mostly focused on the secondary instability of Görtler vortices with cross-plane velocity contours that resembled bell-shaped structures, the present results confirm that fully developed mushroom structures also exist in the hypersonic regime when the Görtler vortex amplitude is sufficiently large. Computations further reveal that the dominant modes of secondary instability in these mushroom-shaped structures correspond to an antisymmetic (i.e., sinuous) “stem” mode that concentrates within the strong, nearly wall-normal internal shear layers surrounding the stem regions underneath the caps of the mushroom structures. Additionally, there exist a multitude of other significantly unstable secondary instability modes of both symmetric and antisymmetric types. Analogous to the secondary instability of crossflow vortices in hypersonic flows, secondary instability modes of both symmetric and antisymmetric types. Analogous to the secondary instability of crossflow vortices in hypersonic flows, secondary instability modes originating from the Mack mode instability play an important role during the nonlinear breakdown process.

Laminar turbulent transition↗
NASA NTRS1972

Experimental investigation of hypersonic buzz on a high cross-range shuttle configuration

A wind tunnel investigation has been conducted to determine the nature of an unsteady hypersonic flow phenomenon, often referred to as hypersonic buzz, on a 1:100 scale model representative of a high cross-range shuttle configuration. The tests, conducted in helium at a nominal Mach number of 17.5, were specifically directed at obtaining a better understanding of the character of the hypersonic flow field in the vicinity of a deflected control surface. Power spectral densities and root mean squared values of surface pressure fluctuations are presented along with observations made from high speed motion pictures, schlieren and oil flow photographs. Flap deflections of 0, 20, 30, 35, 40 and 60 deg were tested at various angles of attack from 0 deg to 37 deg. It is quite clear from these tests that, under certain conditions, extremely unstable hypersonic flow patterns are formed.

Goldman, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Internal convective cooling systems for hypersonic aircraft

Parametric studies were conducted to investigate the relative merits of construction materials, coolants, and cooled panel concepts for internal convective cooling systems applied to airframe structures of hydrogen-fueled hypersonic aircraft. These parametric studies were then used as a means of comparing various cooled structural arrangements for a hypersonic transport and a hypersonic research airplane. The cooled airplane studies emphasized weight aspects as related to the choice of materials, structural arrangements, structural temperatures, and matching of the cooling system heat load to the available hydrogen fuel-flow heat sink. Consideration was given to reliability and to fatigue and fracture aspects, as well. Even when auxiliary thermal protection system items such as heat shielding, insulation, and excess hydrogen for cooling are considered the more attractive actively cooled airframe concepts indicated potential payload increases of from 40 percent to over 100 percent for the hypersonic transport as compared to the results of previous studies of the same vehicle configuration with an uncooled airframe.

Anthony, F. M.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Experimental and finite element investigation of the buckling characteristics of a beaded skin panel for a hypersonic aircraft

As part of NASA's continuing research into hypersonics and 85 square foot hypersonic wing test section of a proposed hypersonic research airplane was laboratory tested. The project reported on in this paper has carried the hypersonic wing test structure project one step further by testing a single beaded panel to failure. The primary interest was focused upon the buckling characteristics of the panel under pure compression with boundary conditions similar to those found in a wing mounted condition. Three primary phases of analysis are included in the report. These phases include: experimental testing of the beaded panel to failure; finite element structural analysis of the beaded panel with the computer program NASTRAN; a summary of the semiclassical buckling equations for the beaded panel under purely compressive loads. Comparisons between each of the analysis methods are also included.

Siegel, W. H.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Experimental aerothermodynamic research of hypersonic aircraft

The 2-D and 3-D advance computer codes being developed for use in the design of such hypersonic aircraft as the National Aero-Space Plane require comparison of the computational results with a broad spectrum of experimental data to fully assess the validity of the codes. This is particularly true for complex flow fields with control surfaces present and for flows with separation, such as leeside flow. Therefore, the objective is to provide a hypersonic experimental data base required for validation of advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) computer codes and for development of more thorough understanding of the flow physics necessary for these codes. This is being done by implementing a comprehensive test program for a generic all-body hypersonic aircraft model in the NASA/Ames 3.5 foot Hypersonic Wind Tunnel over a broad range of test conditions to obtain pertinent surface and flowfield data. Results from the flow visualization portion of the investigation are presented.

Cleary, Joseph W.↗
NASA NTRS1988

High-resolution shock-capturing schemes for inviscid and viscous hypersonic flows

A class of implicit Total Variation Diminishing (TVD) type algorithms suitable for transonic and supersonic multidimensional Euler and Navier-Stokes equations was extended to hypersonic computations. The improved conservative shock-capturing schemes are spatially second- and third-order, and are fully implicit. They can be first- or second-order accurate in time and are suitable for either steady or unsteady calculations. Enhancement of stability and convergence rate for hypersonic flows is discussed. With the proper choice of the temporal discretization and suitable implicit linearization, these schemes are fairly efficient and accurate for very complex two-dimensional hypersonic inviscid and viscous shock interactions. This study is complimented by a variety of steady and unsteady viscous and inviscid hypersonic blunt-body flow computations. Due to the inherent stiffness of viscous flow problems, numerical experiments indicated that the convergence rate is in general slower for viscous flows than for inviscid steady flows.

Yee, H. C.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Hypersonic turbulent wall boundary layer computations

The Baldwin-Lomax algebraic turbulence model was modified for hypersonic flow conditions. Two coefficients in the outer layer eddy viscosity model were determined as functions of Mach number and temperature ratio. By matching the solutions from the Baldwin-Lomax model to those from the Cebeci-Smith model for a flat plate at hypersonic speed, the new values of the coefficient were obtained. The results show that the values of C sub cp and C sub kleb are functions of both Mach number and wall temperature ratio. The C sub cp and C sub kleb variations with Mach number and wall temperature were used for the calculations of both a 4 deg wedge flow at Mach 18 and an axisymmetric Mach 20 nozzle flow. The Navier-Stokes equations with thin layer approximation were solved for the above hypersonic flow conditions and the results were compared with existing experimental data. The agreement between the numerical solutions and the existing experimental data were good. The modified Baldwin-Lomax model thus is useful in the computations of hypersonic flows.

Kim, S. C.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Hypersonic turbulent wall boundary layer computations

The Baldwin-Lomax (1978) algebraic turbulence model was modified for hypersonic flow conditions. Two coefficients in the outer-layer eddy-viscosity model were determined as functions of Mach number and temperature ratio. By matching the solutions from the Baldwin-Lomax model to those from the Cebeci-Smith (1974) model for a flat plate at hypersonic speed, the new values of the coefficients were obtained. The results show that the values of C(cp) and C(kleb) are functions of both Mach number and wall temperature ratio. The C(cp) and C(kleb) variations with Mach number and wall temperature were used for the calculations of both a 4-deg wedge flow at Mach 18 and an axisymmetric Mach 20 nozzle flow. The Navier-Stokes equations with thin-layer approximation were solved for the above hypersonic flow conditions and the results were compared with existing experimental data. The agreement between the numerical solutions and the existing experimental data were good. The modified Baldwin-Lomax model thus is useful in the computations of hypersonic flows.

Kim, S. C.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Hypersonic drone design: A multidisciplinary experience

Efforts were focused on design problems of an unmanned hypersonic vehicle. It is felt that a scaled hypersonic drone is necessary to bridge the gap between present theory on hypersonics and the future reality of the National Aerospace Plane (NASP) for two reasons: to fulfill a need for experimental data in the hypersonic regime, and to provide a testbed for the scramjet engine which is to be the primary mode of propulsion for the NASP. Three areas of great concern to NASP design were examined: propulsion, thermal management, and flight systems. Problem solving in these areas was directed towards design of the drone with the idea that the same design techniques could be applied to the NASP. A seventy degree swept double delta wing configuration, developed in the 70's at NASA Langley, was chosen as the aerodynamic and geometric model for the drone. This vehicle would be air-launched from a B-1 at Mach 0.8 and 48,000 feet, rocket boosted by two internal engines to Mach 10 and 100,000 feet, and allowed to cruise under power of the scramjet engine until burnout. It would then return to base for an unpowered landing. Preliminary energy calculations based upon the flight requirements give the drone a gross launch weight of 134,000 lb. and an overall length of 85 feet.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1989

Transition to turbulence in laminar hypersonic flow

Progress in a recently started project aimed at the prediction of transition to turbulence in hypersonic flow is briefly discussed. The prediction of transition to turbulence is a very important issue in the design of space vessels. Two space vehicles currently under investigation, namely the aeroassisted transfer vehicle (AOTV) and the trans-atmospheric vehicle (TAV), suffer from strong aerodynamic heating. This heating is strongly influenced by the boundary layer structure. These aerospace vehicles fly in the upper atmospheric layer at a Mach number between 10 and 30 at very low atmospheric pressures. At very high altitudes the flow is laminar, but when the space vessel returns to a lower orbit, the flow becomes turbulent and the heating is dramatically increased. The prediction of this transition process is commonly done by means of experiments. The experimental facilities available nowadays cannot model the hypersonic flow field accurately enough by limitations in Mach and Reynolds number. These facilities also have a large free stream disturbance level which makes it very difficult to investigate transition accurately. An alternative approach is to study transition by theoretical means. Up to now numerical studies of hypersonic flow only discussed steady laminar or turbulent flow. This theoretical approach is extended to the study of transition in hypersonic flow by means of direct numerical simulations and additional theoretical investigations to explain the mechanisms leading to transition. A brief outline of how this research is to be performed is given.

Vandervegt, Jaap↗
NASA NTRS1989

Toward a CFD nose-to-tail capability - Hypersonic unsteady Navier-Stokes code validation

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) research for hypersonic flows presents new problems in code validation because of the added complexity of the physical models. This paper surveys code validation procedures applicable to hypersonic flow models that include real gas effects. The current status of hypersonic CFD flow analysis is assessed with the Compressible Navier-Stokes (CNS) code as a case study. The methods of code validation discussed to beyond comparison with experimental data to include comparisons with other codes and formulations, component analyses, and estimation of numerical errors. Current results indicate that predicting hypersonic flows of perfect gases and equilibrium air are well in hand. Pressure, shock location, and integrated quantities are relatively easy to predict accurately, while surface quantities such as heat transfer are more sensitive to the solution procedure. Modeling transition to turbulence needs refinement, though preliminary results are promising.

Edwards, Thomas A.↗