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During 1983 to 1986 emphasis in the study of mantle convection shifted away from fluid mechanical analysis of simple systems with uniform material properties and simple geometries, toward analysis of the effects of more complicated, presumably more realistic models. The important processes related to mantle convection are considered. The developments in seismology are discussed.
A current research effort is underway at the NASA Langley Research Center to achieve a detailed understanding of important phenomena present when a supersonic flow undergoes a chemical reaction. A computer program has been developed to study the details of such flows. The program has been constructed to consider the multicomponent diffusion and convection of important species, the finite-rate reaction of these species, and the resulting interaction between the fluid mechanics and chemistry. Code results from the analysis of a spatially developing and reacting mixing layer are presented, and conclusions are drawn regarding the structure of the evolving layer and its associated flame.
Hotspots are associated with long wavelength geoid highs, an association that is even stronger when the geoid highs associated with subduction zones are removed. These associations are quantified by expanding the hotspot distribution in spherical harmonics and calculating correlation coefficients as a function of harmonic degree. The hotspot distribution spectrum is essentially white, with peaks at degrees 2 and 6. It is correlated positively with the slab residual geoid for degrees 2 to 6, with low seismic velocity in the lower mantle at degree 2, and with low seismic velocity in the upper mantle at degree 6. A variety of fluid mechanical models were tested for hotspots, including lithospheric delamination and hot plumes, by calculating their predicted dynamic geoid responses and comparing them to the observations. These models include the effects of temperature dependent rheology. The preferred hotspot model, based on observations of the geoid and seismic tomography, has plumes preferentially occurring in regions of large scale background temperature highs in a mantle with substantial viscosity increase with depth, although other models are possible.
This paper introduces a computer based image processing technique to the field of nonintrusive velocity measurements in fluid mechanics. The method is presented with two alternatives: the first is involving intense interaction between the operator and the computer system; the second is a first generation artificial intelligence based system, where a set of initially imputed rules replaces the operator. The methods are applied to flow in narrow gaps.
An experimental investigation of transonic flow past a plane-nosed circular cylinder with a plane-nosed circular probe extended coaxially ahead is reported. The possibilities of significant transonic drag reduction and the fluid mechanic phenomena which occur are examined. The probe length and diameter and the approaching flow Mach number are the independent variables. The relations which exist among the probe/cylinder geometry, Mach number, and flow field as revealed by measurements of the drag forces acting on the body are explored.
The payload ground processing of experiments which flew on the Shuttle is examined, including studies of atmosphere and earth observation, life science, advance technology, materials science, plasma physics, astrophysics and solar physics, astronomy, navigation and communication, and fluid mechanics. The process of designing and development payloads, the integration of instruments, carrier interface verification, and late servicing at the launch pad are discussed. The problems of cost, red tape, contamination, safety, and propriety protection are considered.
The NASA Geodynamics program has as two of its missions precise determination of spatial variations in earth's geopotential (or geoid) and highly accurate monitoring of polar motion, including changes in the length of day (LOD). For the past several years, data sets provided by NASA, along with data and models from other areas of geophysic were used to place fundamental contraints on the large scale dynamics of earth and her sister planet Venus. The main approach was using fluid mechanical models of mantle flow to predict the long-wavelength variations in the geoid.
Research has been undertaken to achieve an improved understanding of physical phenomena present when a supersonic flow undergoes chemical reaction. A detailed understanding of supersonic reacting flows is necessary to successfully develop advanced propulsion systems now planned for use late in this century and beyond. In order to explore such flows, a study was begun to create appropriate physical models for describing supersonic combustion, and to develop accurate and efficient numerical techniques for solving the governing equations that result from these models. From this work, two computer programs were written to study reacting flows. Both programs were constructed to consider the multicomponent diffusion and convection of important chemical species, the finite rate reaction of these species, and the resulting interaction of the fluid mechanics and the chemistry. The first program employed a finite difference scheme for integrating the governing equations, whereas the second used a hybrid Chebyshev pseudospectral technique for improved accuracy.
Arc-driven rail accelerator research is analyzed by considering wall ablation and viscous drag in the plasma. Plasma characteristics are evaluated through a simple fluid-mechanical analysis considering only wall ablation. By equating the energy dissipated in the plasma with the radiation heat loss, the average properties of the plasma are determined as a function of time and rate of ablation. Locations of two simultaneously accelerating arcs were determined by optical and magnetic probes and fron streak camera photographs. All three measurements provide consistent results.
An annual report of the research activities of the Materials Processing Center of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is given. Research on dielectrophoresis in the microgravity environment, phase separation kinetics in immiscible liquids, transport properties of droplet clusters in gravity-free fields, probes and monitors for the study of solidification of molten semiconductors, fluid mechanics and mass transfer in melt crystal growth, and heat flow control and segregation in directional solidification are discussed.
The development of the transonic multistage compressor is reviewed. Changing trends in design and performance parameters are noted. These changes are related to advances in compressor aerodynamics, computational fluid mechanics and other enabling technologies. The parameters normally given to the designer and those that need to be established during the design process are identified. Criteria and procedures used in the selection of these parameters are presented. The selection of tip speed, aerodynamic loading, flowpath geometry, incidence and deviation angles, blade/vane geometry, blade/vane solidity, stage reaction, aerodynamic blockage, inlet flow per unit annulus area, stage/overall velocity ratio, and aerodynamic losses are considered. Trends in these parameters both spanwise and axially through the machine are highlighted. The effects of flow mixing and methods for accounting for the mixing in the design process are discussed.
Two experimental programs related to augmentation of heat transfer by complex flow characteristics are reviewed. The first program deals with very high turbulence (up to 63 percent) which was shown to result in Stanton numbers as much as five times the expected values. Results from a number of trials show that fixing the free stream velocity, x-Reynolds number, turbulence intensity and integral length scale does not fix the Stanton number. Two such cases were found in which the Stanton number of one was 40 percent larger than the other. Mean velocity and mean temperature profiles are presented, as well as profiles of turbulence intensity within the boundary layer. The second program deals with vortices originating at bluff bodies and traveling downstream embedded in the wall boundary layer. Velocity vector maps from the boundary layers and distributions of Stanton number on the wall are presented for three types of bodies: square, cylindrical and teardrop. The heat transfer and velocity maps do not show evidence of the expected horseshoe vortices but, instead, show a strong common flow up vortex pair. The fluid mechanic mechanism responsible for this secondary flow field has not yet been identified.
The paper presents a numerical method for the solution of the conservation equations governing steady, reacting, turbulent viscous flow in two-dimensional geometries, in both Cartesian and axisymmetric coordinates. These equations are written in Favre-averaged form and closed with a first order model. A two-equation K-epsilon model, where low Reynolds number and compressibility effects are included, and a modified eddy-break up model are used to simulate fluid mechanics turbulence, chemistry and turbulence-combustion interaction. The solution is obtained by using a pseudo-unsteady method with improved perturbation propagation properties. The equations are discretized in space by using a finite volume formulation. An explicit multi-stage dissipative Runge-Kutta algorithm is then used to advance the flow equations in the pseudo-time. The method is applied to the computation of both diffusion and premixed turbulent reacting flows. The computed temperature distributions compare favorably with experimental data.
The development of commercial and military aircraft depends, to a large extent, on engine manufacturers being able to achieve significant increases in propulsion capability through improved component aerodynamics, materials, and structures. The recent history of propulsion has been marked by efforts to develop computational techniques that can speed up the propulsion design process and produce superior designs. The availability of powerful supercomputers, such as the NASA Numerical Aerodynamic Simulator, and the potential for even higher performance offered by parallel computer architectures, have opened the door to the use of multi-dimensional simulations to study complex physical phenomena in propulsion systems that have previously defied analysis or experimental observation. An overview of several NASA Lewis research efforts is provided that are contributing toward the long-range goal of a numerical test-cell for the integrated, multidisciplinary design, analysis, and optimization of propulsion systems. Specific examples in Internal Computational Fluid Mechanics, Computational Structural Mechanics, Computational Materials Science, and High Performance Computing are cited and described in terms of current capabilities, technical challenges, and future research directions.
NASA Lewis' research and technology efforts applicable to turbomachinery for high-speed flight are discussed. The potential benefits and cycle requirements for advanced variable cycle engines and the supersonic throughflow fan engine for a high-speed civil transport application are presented. The supersonic throughflow fan technology program is discussed. Technology efforts in the basic discipline areas addressing the severe operating conditions associated with high-speed flight turbomachinery are reviewed. Included are examples of work in internal fluid mechanics, high-temperature materials, structural analysis, instrumentation and controls.
Two sensor development programs being conducted at the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory, NASA Ames Research Center are described, one in progress and the other being initiated. The ongoing program involves digital image velocimetry for velocity field measurements of time-dependent flows. The new program involves advanced acoustic sensors for wind tunnel applications.
A detailed account of the design, assembly and calibration of a wind tunnel specifically designed for free-shear layer research is contained. The construction of this new facility was motivated by a strong interest in the study of plane mixing layers with varying initial and operating conditions. The Mixing Layer Wind tunnel is located in the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center. The tunnel consists of two separate legs which are driven independently by centrifugal blowers connected to variable speed motors. The blower/motor combinations are sized such that one is smaller than the other, giving maximum flow speeds of about 20 and 40 m/s, respectively. The blower speeds can either be set manually or via the Microvax II computer. The two streams are allowed to merge in the test section at the sharp trailing edge of a slowly tapering splitter plate. The test section is 36 cm in the cross-stream direction, 91 cm in the spanwise direction and 366 cm in length. One test section side-wall is slotted for probe access and adjustable so that the streamwise pressure gradient may be controlled. The wind tunnel is also equipped with a computer controlled, three-dimensional traversing system which is used to investigate the flow fields with pressure and hot-wire instrumentation. The wind tunnel calibration results show that the mean flow in the test section is uniform to within plus or minus 0.25 pct and the flow angularity is less than 0.25 deg. The total streamwise free-stream turbulence intensity level is approximately 0.15 pct. Currently the wind tunnel is being used in experiments designed to study the three-dimensional structure of plane mixing layers and wakes.
Prediction of helicopter main rotor noise due to ingestion of atmospheric turbulence was analyzed. The analysis combines several different models that describe the fluid mechanics of the turbulence and the ingestion process. Two models, atmospheric turbulence, and mean flow and turbulence contraction were covered. The third model, covered in a separate report, describes the rotor acoustic mode. The method incorporates the atmospheric turbulence model and a rapid distortion turbulence contraction description to determine the statistics of the anisotropic turbulence at the rotor plane. The analytical basis for a module was provided which was incorporated in NASA's ROTONET helicopter noise prediction program. The mean flow and turbulence statistics associated with the atmospheric boundary layer were modeled including effects of atmospheric stability length, wind speed, and altitude. The turbulence distortion process is modeled as a deformation of vortex filaments (which represent the turbulence field) by a mean flow field due to the rotor inflow.