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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 577 records · Page 32

Euler solver for three-dimensional supersonic flows with subsonic pockets

A new finite-difference scheme has been developed to solve efficiently the unsteady Euler equations for three-dimensional inviscid supersonic flows with subsonic pockets. The technique utilizes planar Gauss-Seidel relaxation in the marching direction and approximate factorization n the crossflow plane. An 'infinitely large' time step is used in parts of the flowfield where the component of velocity in the marching direction is supersonic - here the Gauss-Seidel sweeps are restricted to the forward direction only, and the procedure reduces to simple space-marching; a finite time step is used in parts of the flowfield where the marching component of velocity is subsonic - here, backward and forward Gauss-Seidel sweeps are employed to allow for upstream and downstream propagation of signals, and a time-asymptotic steady state is obtained. The discretization formulas are based on finite-volume implementation of high accuracy (up to third-order) total variation diminishing formulations. Numerical solutions are obtained for an analytically defined forebody, a realistic fighter configuration, and the Space Shuttle. The results are in very good agreement with available experimental data and numerical solutions of the full-potential equation.

Chakravarthy, Sukumar R.↗

High angle of attack hypersonic aerodynamics

A new aerodynamics force model is presented which is based on modified Newtonian theory and empirical correlations. The algebraic model was developed for complete vehicles from take off to orbital speeds and for large angles of attack. Predictions are compared to results for a wind tunnel model at a Mach number of 20, and the full scale Shuttle Orbiter for Mach numbers from 0.25 to 20 for angles of attack from 0 to 50 deg. The maximum shuttle orbiter lift/drag at Mach 10 and 20 is 1.85 at 20-deg angle-of-attack. Aerodynamic force predictions are made for a transatmospheric vehicle, which is a derivative of the Shuttle Orbiter, for Mach numbers from 4 to 27 at angles of attack from 5 to 40 deg. Predicted aerodynamic force data indicate that lift/drag ratios of 5.2 at Mach number 10 and 3.6 at Mach number 26 are obtainable. Changes in force coefficients with changes in: nose angle, sweep angle, and (volume exp 2/3)/planform area are quantified for Mach numbers of 10 and 26. Lift/drag ratios increase with decreasing nose angle and (volume exp 2/3)/planform area and increasing wing sweep angle. Lift/drag ratios are independent of these variables for angles of attack in excess of 20 deg at Mach 10 and 30 deg at Mach 26.

Harloff, Gary J.↗

Analysis and test evaluation of the dynamic stability of three advanced turboprop models at zero forward speed

Results of static stability wind tunnel tests of three 62.2 cm (24.5 in) diameter models of the Prop-Fan are presented. Measurements of blade stresses were made with the Prop-Fans mounted on an isolated nacelle in an open 5.5 m (18 ft) wind tunnel test section with no tunnel flow. The tests were conducted in the United Technology Research Center Large Subsonic Wind Tunnel. Stall flutter was determined by regions of high stress, which were compared with predictions of boundaries of zero total viscous damping. The structural analysis used beam methods for the model with straight blades and finite element methods for the models with swept blades. Increasing blade sweep tends to suppress stall flutter. Comparisons with similar test data acquired at NASA/Lewis are good. Correlations between measured and predicted critical speeds for all the models are good. The trend of increased stability with increased blade sweep is well predicted. Calculated flutter boundaries generaly coincide with tested boundaries. Stall flutter is predicted to occur in the third (torsion) mode. The straight blade test shows third mode response, while the swept blades respond in other modes.

Smith, Arthur F.↗

Laminar flow integration: Flight tests status and plans

Under the Aircraft Energy Efficiency - Laminar Flow Control Program, there are currently three flight test programs under way to address critical issues concerning laminar flow technology application to commercial transports. The Leading-Edge Flight Test (LEFT) with a JetStar aircraft is a cooperative effort with the Ames/Dryden Flight Research Facility to provide operational experience with candidate leading-edge systems representative of those that might be used on a future transport. In the Variable Sweep Transition Flight Experiment (VSTFE), also a cooperative effort between Langley and Ames/Dryden, basic transition data on an F-14 wing with variable sweep will be obtained to provide a data base for laminar flow wing design. Finally, under contract to the Boeing Company, the acoustic environment on the wing of a 757 aircraft will be measured and the influence of engine noise on laminar flow determined with a natural laminar flow glove on the wing. The status and plans for these programs are reported.

Wagner, R. D.↗

Boundary-layer stability and airfoil design

Several different natural laminar flow (NLF) airfoils have been analyzed for stability of the laminar boundary layer using linear stability codes. The NLF airfoils analyzed come from three different design conditions: incompressible; compressible with no sweep; and compressible with sweep. Some of the design problems are discussed, concentrating on those problems associated with keeping the boundary layer laminar. Also, there is a discussion on how a linear stability analysis was effectively used to improve the design for some of the airfoils.

Viken, Jeffrey K.↗

Computational design of low aspect ratio wing-winglet configurations for transonic wind-tunnel tests

A computational design has been performed for three different low aspect ratio wing planforms fitted with nonplanar winglets; one of the three planforms has been selected to be constructed as a wind tunnel model for testing in the NASA LaRC 7 x 10 High Speed Wind Tunnel. A design point of M = 0.8, CL approx = 0.3 was selected, for wings of aspect ratio equal to 2.2, and leading edge sweep angles of 45 and 50 deg. Winglet length is 15 percent of the wing semispan, with a cant angle of 15 deg, and a leading edge sweep of 50 deg. Winglet total area equals 2.25 percent of the wing reference area. This report summarizes the design process and the predicted transonic performance for each configuration.

Kuhlman, John M.↗

Performance of a three-dimensional Navier-Stokes code on CYBER 205 for high-speed juncture flows

A vectorized 3D Navier-Stokes code has been implemented on CYBER 205 for solving the supersonic laminar flow over a swept fin/flat plate junction. The code extends MacCormack's predictor-corrector finite volume scheme to a generalized coordinate system in a locally one dimensional time split fashion. A systematic parametric study is conducted to examine the effect of fin sweep on the computed flow field. Calculated results for the pressure distribution on the flat plate and fin leading edge are compared with the experimental measurements of a right angle blunt fin/flat plate junction. The decrease in the extent of the separated flow region and peak pressure on the fin leading edge, and weakening of the two reversed supersonic zones with increase in fin sweep have been clearly observed in the numerical simulation.

Lakshmanan, B.↗

Laminar flow control is maturing

Recent research demonstrates that laminar flow (LF) can be reliable in flight and that the support system need not be complex. Shaping produces favorable pressure gradients for maintaining natural laminar flow (NLF), and laminar flow control (LFC) techniques such as full chord suction promise a fuel-saving payoff of up to 30 percent on long-range missions. For large aircraft, current research is concentrated on hybrid LFC concepts which combine suction and pressure-gradient control. At NASA Ames, an F-14 with variable wing sweep has been flight tested with smooth surface gloves on the wings; preliminary results indicate high transition Reynolds numbers to sweep angles as large as 25 deg. In addition, a 757 was flight tested with an NLF glove on the right wing just outboard of the engine pylon; and the LF was found to be suprisingly robust.

Wagner, Richard D.↗

Aeroelastic modeling of swept tip rotor blades using finite elements

A special finite element for the modeling of a swept tip rotor blade is derived. The swept tip blade undergoes moderate deflections in flap, lag and torsion. The nonlinear, partial differential equations of motion are discretized using a Galerkin finite element method. Tip sweep introduces flap-torsion and lag-axial couplings, and may lead to aeroelastic instabilities associated with frequency coalescence. When frequency coalescence does not occur, sweep is usually stabilizing. A comparison of the approximate model of a swept tip blade, using a blade with straight elastic axis and offsets of aerodynamic centers of gravity, with the exact swept tip model developed in this paper indicates that the approximate model can produce inaccurate results for the case of hingeless rotor blades.

Celi, R.↗

Application of structural tailoring to spar/shell turboprops

The problem of designing a swept advanced turboprop (ATP) blade for minimum noise output is discussed. Optimal sweep distributions are found using the computer code STAT (Structural Tailoring of Advanced Turboprops). The initial designs are unswept. The blade designs have minimum noise output while satisfying other blade design requirements. The STAT program and the modifications required during this work are described. Parameter studies of the effect of sweep on noise output are also presented.

Rubinstein, Robert↗

Viscous induced drag

A fundamentally new approach to the aircraft minimum induced drag problem is presented. The method, a 'viscous lifting line', is based on the minimum entropy production principle and does not require the planar wake assumption. An approximate, closed form solution is obtained and compared with several classical results. In addition, the problem of optimizing in-plane wing sweep with constant wing root bending moment is considered. Like the classical lifting line theory, this theory predicts that induced drag is proportional to the square of the lift coefficient and inversely proportional to the wing aspect ratio. Unlike the classical theory, it predicts that in-plane wing sweep may significantly reduce induced drag, that induced drag is Reynolds number dependent, and that the optimum spanwise circulation distribution is non-elliptic.

Greene, George C.↗

NASA advanced propeller research

Acoustic and aerodynamic research at NASA Lewis Research Center on advanced propellers is reviewed including analytical and experimental results on both single and counterrotation. Computational tools used to calculate the detailed flow and acoustic fields are described along with wind tunnel tests to obtain data for code verification. Results from two kinds of experiments are reviewed: (1) performance and near field noise at cruise conditions as measured in the NASA Lewis 8- by 6-foot Wind Tunnel; and (2) far field noise and performance for takeoff/approach conditions as measured in the NASA Lewis 9- by 15-foot Anechoic Wind Tunnel. Detailed measurements of steady blade surface pressures are described along with vortex flow phenomena at off-design conditions. Near field noise at cruise is shown to level out or decrease as tip relative Mach number is increased beyond 1.15. Counterrotation interaction noise is shown to be a dominant source at takeoff but a secondary source at cruise. Effects of unequal rotor diameters and rotor-to-rotor spacing on interaction noise are also illustrated. Comparisons of wind tunnel acoustic measurements to flight results are made. Finally, some future directions in advanced propeller research such as swirl recovery vanes, higher sweep, forward sweep, and ducted propellers are discussed.

Groeneweg, John F.↗

Results of a parametric aeroelastic stability analysis of a generic X-wing aircraft

This paper discusses the trends in longitudinal dynamic aeroelastic stability of a generic x-wing aircraft model with design parameter variations. X-wing rotor blade sweep angle, ratio of blade mass to total vehicle mass, blade structural stiffness cross-coupling and vehicle center-of-gravity location were parameters considered. The typical instability encountered is body-freedom flutter involving a low frequency interaction of the first elastic mode and the aircraft short period mode. Parametric cases with the lowest static margin consistently demonstrated the highest flutter dynamic pressures. As mass ratio was increased, the flutter boundary decreased. The decrease was emphasized as center-of-gravity location was moved forward. As sweep angle varied, it was observed that the resulting increase in forward-swept blade bending amplitude relative to aft blade bending amplitude in the first elastic mode had a stabilizing effect on the flutter boundary. Finally, small amounts of stiffness cross-coupling in the aft blades increased flutter dynamic pressure.

Woods, Jessica A.↗

Molecular outflows in the Monoceros OB1 molecular cloud

Observations of J = 1-0 emission from CO in nine suspected molecular outflows in the Monoceros OB1 molecular cloud are presented. It is found that, if the five sources which are confirmed to be outflows conserve momentum as they evolve, they will sweep up at least 0.6 percent of the mass of the entire cloud before coming into pressure equilibrium with the ambient gas. This number indicates that it should take at most 160 episodes of similar outflow activity in order to sweep up the bulk of the Mon OB1 cloud to highly supersonic speeds.

Margulis, Michael↗

Seven hole probe measurement of leading edge vortex flows

This paper discusses the use of a seven-hole probe on measurements of leading edge vortices of highly sweep delta wing planforms. Intrusive probe data taken with the pressure probe were compared with nonintrusive measurements made with laser Doppler anemometry system. In addition to probe size, the natural position of breakdown and the sweep angle of the wing are also factors in determining sensitivity of the flow to probe interference. At low angles of attach vortex breakdown does not occur in the vicinity of the model and the seven hole probe was found to yield reasonably accurate measurements. When the angle of attack of the model was increased so that vortex breakdown was near the trailing edge, introducing the probe over the wing would cause the breakdown position to move ahead of the probe. However, when breakdown naturally occurred ahead of the mid-chord of the wing the vortices were found to be less sensitive to a probe placed behind the breakdown point. Vortex breakdown on a lower swept wing is found to be more sensitive to interference. Near the breakdown region, seven hole probe measurement is less accurate due to a combination of probe interference and flow reversal.

Payne, F. M.↗

Parametric weight evaluation of joined wings by structural optimization

Joined-wing aircraft employ tandem wings having positive and negative sweep and dihedral, arranged to form diamond shapes in both plan and front views. An optimization method was applied to study the effects of joined-wing geometry parameters on structural weight. The lightest wings were obtained by increasing dihedral and taper ratio, decreasing sweep and span, increasing fraction of airfoil chord occupied by structural box, and locating the joint inboard of the front wing tip.

Miura, Hirokazu↗

Computational design of low aspect ratio wing-winglets for transonic wind-tunnel testing

A computational design has been performed for three different low aspect ratio wing planforms fitted with nonplanar winglets; one of the three planforms has been selected to be constructed as a wind tunnel model for testing in the NASA LaRC 7 x 10 High Speed Wind Tunnel. A design point of M = 0.8, CL approx = 0.3 was selected, for wings of aspect ratio equal to 2.2, and leading edge sweep angles of 45 and 50 deg. Winglet length is 15 percent of the wing semispan, with a cant angle of 15 deg, and a leading edge sweep of 50 deg. Winglet total area equals 2.25 percent of the wing reference area. This report summarizes the design process and the predicted transonic performance for each configuration.

Kuhlman, John M.↗

Results of a parametric aeroelastic stability analysis of a generic X-wing aircraft

This paper discusses the trend in longitudinal dynamic aeroelastic stability of a generic X-Wing aircraft model with design parameter variations. X-Wing rotor blade sweep angle, ratio of blade mass to total vehicle mass, blade structural stiffness cross-coupling and vehicle center-of-gravity location were parameters considered. The typical instability encountered is body-freedom flutter involving a low frequency interaction of the first elastic mode and the aircraft short period mode. Parametric cases with the lowest static margin consistently demonstrated the highest flutter dynamic pressures. As mass ratio was increased, the flutter boundary decreased. The decrease was emphasized as center-of-gravity location was moved forward. As sweep angle varied, it was observed that the resulting increase in forward-swept blade bending amplitude relative to aft blade bending amplitude in the first elastic mode had a stabilizing effect on the flutter boundary. Finally, small amounts of stiffness cross-coupling in the aft blades increased flutter dynamic pressure.

Woods, Jessica A.↗