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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 541 records · Page 30
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

Supersonic quiet-tunnel development for laminar-turbulent transition research

This grant supported research into quiet-flow supersonic wind-tunnels, between February 1994 and February 1995. Quiet-flow nozzles operate with laminar nozzle-wall boundary layers, in order to provide low-disturbance flow for studies of laminar-turbulent transition under conditions comparable to flight. Major accomplishments include: (1) development of the Purdue Quiet-Flow Ludwieg Tube, (2) computational evaluation of the square nozzle concept for quiet-flow nozzles, and (3) measurement of the presence of early transition on the flat sidewalls of the NASA LaRC Mach 3.5 supersonic low-disturbance tunnel. Since items (1) and (2) are described in the final report for companion grant NAG1-1133, only item (3) is described here. A thesis addressing the development of square nozzles for high-speed, low-disturbance wind tunnels is included as an appendix.

Schneider, Steven P.↗
NASA NTRS2011

HIFIRE Flight 2 Overview and Status Update 2011

A collaborative international effort, the Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation (HIFiRE) Program aims to study basic hypersonic phenomena through flight experimentation. HIFiRE Flight 2 teams the United States Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), NASA, and the Australian Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO). Flight 2 will develop an alternative test technique for acquiring high enthalpy scramjet flight test data, allowing exploration of accelerating hydrocarbon-fueled scramjet performance and dual-to-scram mode transition up to and beyond Mach 8 flight. The generic scramjet flowpath is research quality and the test fuel is a simple surrogate for an endothermically cracked liquid hydrocarbon fuel. HIFiRE Flight 2 will be a first of its kind in contribution to scramjets. The HIFiRE program builds upon the HyShot and HYCAUSE programs and aims to leverage the low-cost flight test technique developed in those programs. It will explore suppressed trajectories of a sounding rocket propelled test article and their utility in studying ramjet-scramjet mode transition and flame extinction limits research. This paper describes the overall scramjet flight test experiment mission goals and objectives, flight test approach and strategy, ground test and analysis summary, development status and project schedule. A successful launch and operation will present to the scramjet community valuable flight test data in addition to a new tool, and vehicle, with which to explore high enthalpy scramjet technologies.

Jackson, Kevin R.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Phase 2 and 3 wind tunnel tests of the J-97 powered, external augmentor V/STOL model

Static and forward speed tests were made in a 40 multiplied by 80 foot wind tunnel of a large-scale, ejector-powered V/STOL aircraft model. Modifications were made to the model following earlier tests primarily to improve longitudinal acceleration capability during transition from hovering to wingborne flight. A rearward deflection of the fuselage augmentor thrust vector was shown to be beneficial in this regard. Other augmentor modifications were tested, notably the removal of both endplates, which improved acceleration performance at the higher transition speeds. The model tests again demonstrated minimal interference of the fuselage augmentor on aerodynamic lift. A flapped canard surface also showed negligible influence on the performance of the wing and of the fuselage augmentor.

Garland, D. B.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Finite-Element Analysis of a Mach-8 Flight Test Article Using Nonlinear Contact Elements

A flight test article, called a glove, is required for a Mach-8 boundary-layer experiment to be conducted on a flight mission of the air-launched Pegasus(reg) space booster. The glove is required to provide a smooth, three-dimensional, structurally stable, aerodynamic surface and includes instrumentation to determine when and where boundary-layer transition occurs during the hypersonic flight trajectory. A restraint mechanism has been invented to attach the glove to the wing of the space booster. The restraint mechanism securely attaches the glove to the wing in directions normal to the wing/glove interface surface, but allows the glove to thermally expand and contract to alleviate stresses in directions parallel to the interface surface. A finite-element analysis has been performed using nonlinear contact elements to model the complex behavior of the sliding restraint mechanism. This paper provides an overview of the glove design and presents details of the analysis that were essential to demonstrate the flight worthiness of the wing-glove test article. Results show that all glove components are well within the allowable stress and deformation requirements to satisfy the objectives of the flight research experiment.

Richards, W. Lance↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Design of a Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow Flight Test Article

This abstract includes preliminary information on the computational design and analysis of a flight test article. The flight test aims to experimentally validate the new Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) design method in a flight environment. The CATNLF design method uses geometry shaping to produce specific pressure distributions that enable laminar flow on vehicle components with high sweep and high Reynolds numbers by attenuating the crossflow growth that typically leads to premature transition on such components. The flight test article design is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2019, with model fabrication beginning in early 2020.Design results presented in this abstract are representative of the final test article. The final paper will be updated to include the finalized test article geometry and analysis.

Michelle N. Lynde↗
NASA NTRS2009

Orbiter Entry Aerodynamics Flight Testing: STS-119 and STS-125

NASA has performed entry flight testing related to boundary layer transition and turbulent heating environments during 2009. Two projects are involved in implementing the activities and acquiring flight data: 1) Orbiter BLT Flight Experiment during STS-119; and 2) Hypersonic Thermodynamic Infrared Measurements (HYTHIRM) during STS-119 and STS-125. Orbiter BLT FE has implemented tile surface thermocouples in order to provide in-situ data downstream of a fixed geometry tile protuberance. HYTHIRM has developed a framework of mission planning and aircraft based telescopic infrared measurements to provide quantitative surface temperature distributions.

Campbell, Charles H.↗
NASA NTRS1997

A Dual-Line Detection Rayleigh Scattering Diagnostic Technique for the Combustion of Hydrocarbon Fuels and Filtered UV Rayleigh Scattering for Gas Velocity Measurements

Non-intrusive techniques for the dynamic measurement of gas flow properties such as density, temperature and velocity, are needed in the research leading to the development of new generation high-speed aircraft. Accurate velocity, temperature and density data obtained in ground testing and in-flight measurements can help understand the flow physics leading to transition and turbulence in supersonic, high-altitude flight. Such non-intrusive measurement techniques can also be used to study combustion processes of hydrocarbon fuels in aircraft engines. Reliable, time and space resolved temperature measurements in various combustor configurations can lead to a better understanding of high temperature chemical reaction dynamics thus leading to improved modeling and better prediction of such flows. In view of this, a research program was initiated at Polytechnic University's Aerodynamics Laboratory with support from NASA Lewis Research Center through grants NAG3-1301 and NAG3-1690. The overall objective of this program has been to develop laser-based, non-contact, space- and time-resolved temperature and velocity measurement techniques. In the initial phase of the program a ND:YAG laser-based dual-line Rayleigh scattering technique was developed and tested for the accurate measurement of gas temperature in the presence of background laser glare. Effort was next directed towards the development of a filtered, spectrally-resolved Rayleigh/Mie scattering technique with the objective of developing an interferometric method for time-frozen velocity measurements in high-speed flows utilizing the uv line of an ND:YAG laser and an appropriate molecular absorption filter. This effort included both a search for an appropriate filter material for the 266 nm laser line and the development and testing of several image processing techniques for the fast processing of Fabry-Perot images for velocity and temperature information. Finally, work was also carried out for the development of a new laser-based strain-rate and vorticity technique for the time-resolved measurement of vorticity and strain-rates in turbulent flows.

Otugen, M. Volkan↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Implementation of a Compact Self-Aligned Focusing Schlieren System for Measurements with the SBLT-II Flight Test Article

Previous flight testing of a supersonic natural laminar flow airfoil on the NASA F-15Baircraft showed evidence of multiple impinging shocks (shock train) of unknown origin, which generated sufficient crossflow on the airfoil to affect the primary measurement goal of transition location. A compact self-aligned focusing schlieren (SAFS) system is being developed to visualize this shock train on the forward surface of the Supersonic Boundary Layer Transition - PhaseII (SBLT-II) flight test article. Details of the design of the SAFS flight system, the constraints imposed by the imaging pod that will be mounted to the F-15B aircraft, preliminary laboratory results obtained with the system, and challenges associated with integrating the imaging system into the aircraft are presented. The resulting schlieren images obtained from this flight test will allow for a three-dimensional reconstruction of the unknown shock structure, validating the use of SAFS for flight testing.

Joshua M. Weisberger↗
NASA NTRS1994

Development of quiet-flow supersonic wind tunnels for laminar-turbulent transition research

This grant supported research into quiet-flow supersonic wind-tunnels, between May 1990 and December 1994. Quiet-flow nozzles operate with laminar nozzle-wall boundary layers, in order to provide low-disturbance flow for studies of laminar-turbulent transition under conditions comparable to flight. Major accomplishments include: (1) the design, fabrication, and performance-evaluation of a new kind of quiet tunnel, a quiet-flow Ludweig tube; (2) the integration of preexisting codes for nozzle design, 2D boundary-layer computation, and transition-estimation into a single user-friendly package for quiet-nozzle design; and (3) the design and preliminary evaluation of supersonic nozzles with square cross-section, as an alternative to conventional quiet-flow nozzles. After a brief summary of (1), a description of (2) is presented. Published work describing (3) is then summarized. The report concludes with a description of recent results for the Tollmien-Schlichting and Gortler instability in one of the square nozzles previously analyzed.

Schneider, Steven P.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Rotational Dynamics and Transition Mechanisms of Surface-Adsorbed Proteins

Assembly of biomolecules at solid-water interfaces requires molecules to traverse complex orientation-dependent energy landscapes through processes that are poorly understood, largely due to the dearth of in-situ single molecule measurements and statistical analyses of the rotational dynamics that define directional selection. Emerging capabilities in high-speed atomic force microscopy and machine learning have allowed us to directly determine the orientational energy landscape and observe and quantify the rotational dynamics for protein nanorods on the surface of muscovite mica under a variety of conditions. Comparisons with kinetic Monte Carlo simulations show that the transition rates between adjacent orientation-specific energetic minima can largely be understood through traditional models of in-plane Brownian rotation across a biased energy landscape, with resulting transition rates that are exponential in the energy-barriers between states. However, transitions between more distant angular states are decoupled from barrier height, with jump-size distributions showing a power-law decay that is characteristic of a non-classical Levy-flight random walk, indicating that large jumps are enabled by alternative modes of motion via activated states. The findings provide new insights into the dynamics of biomolecules at solid-liquid interfaces that lead to self-assembly, epitaxial matching and other orientationally anisotropic outcomes and define a general procedure for exploring such dynamics with implications for hybrid biomolecular-inorganic materials design.

Orientational energy landscapes, Rotational dynami↗
NASA NTRS2018

Characterization of Freestream Disturbances in Conventional Hypersonic Wind Tunnels

While low disturbance ("quiet") hypersonic wind tunnels are believed to provide more reliable extrapolation of boundary layer transition behavior from ground to flight, the presently available quiet facilities are limited to Mach 6, moderate Reynolds numbers, low freestream enthalpy, and subscale models. As a result, only conventional ("noisy") wind tunnels can reproduce both Reynolds numbers and enthalpies of hypersonic flight configurations, and must therefore be used for flight vehicle test and evaluation involving high Mach number, high enthalpy, and larger models. This article outlines the recent progress and achievements in the characterization of tunnel noise that have resulted from the coordinated effort within the AVT-240 specialists group on hypersonic boundary layer transition prediction. New Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) datasets elucidate the physics of noise generation inside the turbulent nozzle wall boundary layer, characterize the spatiotemporal structure of the freestream noise, and account for the propagation and transfer of the freestream disturbances to a pitot-mounted sensor. The new experimental measurements cover a range of conventional wind tunnels with different sizes and Mach numbers from 6 to 14 and extend the database of freestream fluctuations within the spectral range of boundary layer instability waves over commonly tested models. Prospects for applying the computational and measurement datasets for developing mechanism-based transition prediction models are discussed.

Duan, Lian↗
NASA NTRS2010

Experimental Space Shuttle Orbiter Studies to Acquire Data for Code and Flight Heating Model Validation

In an experimental study to obtain detailed heating data over the Space Shuttle Orbiter, CUBRC has completed an extensive matrix of experiments using three distinct models and two unique hypervelocity wind tunnel facilities. This detailed data will be employed to assess heating augmentation due to boundary layer transition on the Orbiter wing leading edge and wind side acreage with comparisons to computational methods and flight data obtained during the Orbiter Entry Boundary Layer Flight Experiment and HYTHIRM during STS-119 reentry. These comparisons will facilitate critical updates to be made to the engineering tools employed to make assessments about natural and tripped boundary layer transition during Orbiter reentry. To achieve the goals of this study data was obtained over a range of Mach numbers from 10 to 18, with flight scaled Reynolds numbers and model attitudes representing key points on the Orbiter reentry trajectory. The first of these studies were performed as an integral part of Return to Flight activities following the accident that occurred during the reentry of the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107) in February of 2003. This accident was caused by debris, which originated from the foam covering the external tank bipod fitting ramps, striking and damaging critical wing leading edge heating tiles that reside in the Orbiter bow shock/wing interaction region. During investigation of the accident aeroheating team members discovered that only a limited amount of experimental wing leading edge data existed in this critical peak heating area and a need arose to acquire a detailed dataset of heating in this region. This new dataset was acquired in three phases consisting of a risk mitigation phase employing a 1.8% scale Orbiter model with special temperature sensitive paint covering the wing leading edge, a 0.9% scale Orbiter model with high resolution thin-film instrumentation in the span direction, and the primary 1.8% scale Orbiter model with detailed thin-film resolution in both the span and chord direction in the area of peak heating. Additional objectives of this first study included: obtaining natural or tripped turbulent wing leading edge heating levels, assessing the effectiveness of protuberances and cavities placed at specified locations on the orbiter over a range of Mach numbers and Reynolds numbers to evaluate and compare to existing engineering and computational tools, obtaining cavity floor heating to aid in the verification of cavity heating correlations, acquiring control surface deflection heating data on both the main body flap and elevons, and obtain high speed schlieren videos of the interaction of the orbiter nose bow shock with the wing leading edge. To support these objectives, the stainless steel 1.8% scale orbiter model in addition to the sensors on the wing leading edge was instrumented down the windward centerline, over the wing acreage on the port side, and painted with temperature sensitive paint on the starboard side wing acreage. In all, the stainless steel 1.8% scale Orbiter model was instrumented with over three-hundred highly sensitive thin-film heating sensors, two-hundred of which were located in the wing leading edge shock interaction region. Further experimental studies will also be performed following the successful acquisition of flight data during the Orbiter Entry Boundary Layer Flight Experiment and HYTHIRM on STS-119 at specific data points simulating flight conditions and geometries. Additional instrumentation and a protuberance matching the layout present during the STS-119 boundary layer transition flight experiment were added with testing performed at Mach number and Reynolds number conditions simulating conditions experienced in flight. In addition to the experimental studies, CUBRC also performed a large amount of CFD analysis to confirm and validate not only the tunnel freestream conditions, but also 3D flows over the orbiter acreage, wing leading edge, and controlurfaces to assess data quality, shock interaction locations, and control surface separation regions. This analysis is a standard part of any experimental program at CUBRC, and this information was of key importance for post-test data quality analysis and understanding particular phenomena seen in the data. All work during this effort was sponsored and paid for by the NASA Space Shuttle Program Office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Wadhams, T. P.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Cockpit Displays for Enhancing Terminal-Area Situational Awareness and Runway Safety

HUD and PFD displays have been developed to enhance situational awareness and improve runway safety. These displays were designed to seamlessly transition through all phases of flight providing guidance and information to the pilot. This report describes the background of the Langley Research Center (LaRC) HUD and PFD work, the steps required to integrate the displays with those of other LaRC programs, the display characteristics of the several operational modes and the transitional logic governing the transition between displays.

Hyer, Paul V.↗
NASA NTRS1961

Operational Technique for Transition of Several Types of V/Stol Aircraft

Flight test experience has been obtained with five test bed aircraft which employed widely differing principles of V/STOL operation. speeds these aircraft were supported by wing lift and in the hovering condition they were supported by engine-produced thrust. used to transfer the lift from the wing to the engine are examined. primary items considered in the transition region are longitudinal trim changes, stability , stalled flow during descending transitions, and the flexibility of the transition procedure of each type of aircraft.

Drinkwater, Fred J., III↗
NASA NTRS2010

Roles of Engineering Correlations in Hypersonic Entry Boundary Layer Transition Prediction

Efforts to design and operate hypersonic entry vehicles are constrained by many considerations that involve all aspects of an entry vehicle system. One of the more significant physical phenomenon that affect entry trajectory and thermal protection system design is the occurrence of boundary layer transition from a laminar to turbulent state. During the Space Shuttle Return To Flight activity following the loss of Columbia and her crew of seven, NASA's entry aerothermodynamics community implemented an engineering correlation based framework for the prediction of boundary layer transition on the Orbiter. The methodology for this implementation relies upon the framework of correlation techniques that have been in use for several decades. What makes the Orbiter boundary layer transition correlation implementation unique is that a statistically significant data set was acquired in multiple ground test facilities, flight data exists to assist in establishing a better correlation and the framework was founded upon state of the art chemical nonequilibrium Navier Stokes flow field simulations. The basic tenets that guided the formulation and implementation of the Orbiter Return To Flight boundary layer transition prediction capability will be reviewed as a recommended format for future empirical correlation efforts. The validity of this approach has since been demonstrated by very favorable comparison of recent entry flight testing performed with the Orbiter Discovery, which will be graphically summarized. These flight data can provide a means to validate discrete protuberance engineering correlation approaches as well as high fidelity prediction methods to higher confidence. The results of these Orbiter engineering and flight test activities only serve to reinforce the essential role that engineering correlations currently exercise in the design and operation of entry vehicles. The framework of information-related to the Orbiter empirical boundary layer transition prediction capability will be utilized to establish a fresh perspective on this role, to illustrate how quantitative statistical evaluations of empirical correlations can and should be used to assess accuracy and to discuss what the authors' perceive as a recent heightened interest in the application of high fidelity numerical modeling of boundary layer transition. Concrete results will also be developed related to empirical boundary layer transition onset correlations. This will include assessment of the discrete protuberance boundary layer transition onset data assembled for the Orbiter configuration during post-Columbia Return To Flight. Assessment of these data will conclude that momentum thickness Reynolds number based correlations have superior coefficients and uncertainty in comparison to roughness height based Reynolds numbers, aka Re(sub k) or Re(sub kk). In addition, linear regression results from roughness height Reynolds number based correlations will be evaluated, leading to a hypothesis that non-continuum effects play a role in the processes associated with incipient boundary layer transition on discrete protuberances.

Campbell, Charles H.↗
NASA NTRS1983

AV-8B system identification results from full scale development flight test program

The results presented in this paper demonstrate a methodology for identification of a non-linear model of the AV-88 V/STOL aircraft from flight test data. Conventional aerodynamics, thrust-induced aerodynamic effects and propulsion model correction factors are identified for hover, transitional and low-speed wingborne flight conditions. A special model formulation is adopted which is continuous at zero airspeed. The identified model is validated by prediction of flight test measurements, and by comparison with wind-tunnel results.

Anderson, L. C.↗