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At least 73 records · Page 4

A method for calculating strut and splitter plate noise in exit ducts: Theory and verification

Portions of a four-year analytical and experimental investigation relative to noise radiation from engine internal components in turbulent flow are summarized. Spectra measured for such airfoils over a range of chord, thickness ratio, flow velocity, and turbulence level were compared with predictions made by an available rigorous thin-airfoil analytical method. This analysis included the effects of flow compressibility and source noncompactness. Generally good agreement was obtained. This noise calculation method for isolated airfoils in turbulent flow was combined with a method for calculating transmission of sound through a subsonic exit duct and with an empirical far-field directivity shape. These three elements were checked separately and were individually shown to give close agreement with data. This combination provides a method for predicting engine internally generated aft-radiated noise from radial struts and stators, and annular splitter rings. Calculated sound power spectra, directivity, and acoustic pressure spectra were compared with the best available data. These data were for noise caused by a fan exit duct annular splitter ring, larger-chord stator blades, and turbine exit struts.

Fink, M. R.↗

Aircraft noise sources - A review.

Attempt to identify the main sources of noise in various types of power plants, and to indicate trends in design and operations that are beneficial in noise control. Information is presented for such noise sources as jet exhausts, fans, high-lift devices, and unducted rotors. It is shown that lower noise levels are generally associated with lower airfoil velocities and lower pressure ratios.

Hubbard, H. H.↗

Pressure distribution on a 1- by 3-meter semispan wing at sweep angles from 0 deg to 40 deg in subsonic flow

A 1- by 3-meter semispan wing of taper ratio 1.0 with NACA 0012 airfoil section contours was tested in the Langley V/STOL tunnel to measure the pressure distribution at five sweep angles, 0 deg, 10 deg, 20 deg, 30 deg, and 40 deg, through an angle-of-attack range from -6 deg to 20 deg. The pressure data are presented as plots of pressure coefficients at each static-pressure tap location on the wing. Flow visualization wing-tuft photographs are also presented for a wing of 40 deg sweep. A comparison between theory and experiment using two inviscid theories and a viscous theory shows good agreement for pressure distributions, normal forces, and pitching moments for the wing at 0 deg sweep.

Yip, L. P.↗

The elaboration of a new family of helicopter blade profiles

An airfoil family of helicopter rotor blades was designed. Three airfoils with thickness to chord ratios of 12, 9, and 7% were designed. Their improved performance in two dimensional rotor mockup wind tunnel tests led to testing of the tapered blades on four bladed rotors in a wind tunnel and flight tests on the Dauphin series of helicopters, confirming the expected gains.

Thibert, J. J.↗

Characteristics of propeller sections tested in the variable density wind tunnel

Tests were carried out in the variable density wind tunnel of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics on six airfoil sections used by the Bureau of Aeronautics as propeller sections. The sections were tested at pressures of 1 and 20 atmospheres corresponding to Reynolds numbers of about 170,000 and 3,500,000. The results obtained, besides providing data for the design of propellers, should be of special interest because of the opportunity afforded for the study of scale effect on a family of airfoil sections having different thickness ratios. (author)

Jacobs, Eastman N↗

Free-Flight Investigation of a Rocket-Propelled Model to Determine the Aerodynamic Heating on a Thin, Unswept, Untapered, Multispar, Aluminum-Alloy Wing at Mach Numbers up to 2.22

A free-flight investigation has been made to determine some effects of aerodynamic heating on the structural behavior of a wing at supersonic speeds. The test wing was a thin, unswept, untapered, multispar, aluminum-alloy wing having a 20-inch chord, a 20-inch exposed semispan, and a circular-arc airfoil section with a thickness ratio of 5 percent. The wing was tested on a model propelled by a two-stage rocket-propulsion system to a Mach number of 2.22 and a corresponding Reynolds number per foot of 13.2 x 10(6) Reasonably good agreement was obtained between Stanton numbers obtained from measured temperature-time data and values obtained by the theory of Van Driest for flat plates having turbulent boundary layers. Temperature measurements made in the skin of the wing and in the internal structures agreed well with calculated values. The wing was instrumented to detect any apparent fluttering motion in the wing, but no evidence of flutter was observed throughout the flight.

Stephens, Emily W.↗

Experimental investigation of three helicopter rotor airfoils designed analytically

Three helicopter rotor airfoils designed analytically were investigated in a wind tunnel at Mach numbers from about 0.30 to 0.90 and Reynolds from about 0.8 to 2.3 x 10 to the 6th power. The airfoils had thickness-to-chord ratios of 0.08, 0.10, and 0.12 with maximum thickness at 40 percent chord. The camber distribution of each section was the same with maximum camber at 35 percent chord. The 10-percent-thick airfoil was also investigated at Reynolds numbers from 4.8 to 9.4 x 10 to the 6th power. The drag divergence Mach number of the 10-percent-thick airfoil is about 0.83 at a normal-force coefficient of 0 and about 0.72 at a normal-force coefficient of 0.6 at Reynolds numbers near 9 x 10 to the 6th power. The maximum normal-force coefficient is slightly less than that of the NACA 0012 airfoil tested in the same facility. The results indicate that a qualitative evaluation of the drag divergence can be made at normal-force coefficients up to the onset of boundary-layer separation by analytically predicting the onset of sonic flow at the airfoil crest. The qualitative results are conservative with respect to experimental values with the experimental drag divergence Mach number up to 0.05 higher than that indicated by analysis.

Bingham, G. J.↗

Effects of Hot Streak Shape on Rotor Heating in a High-Subsonic Single-Stage Turbine

Experimental data have shown that combustor temperature non-uniformities can lead to the excessive heating of first-stage rotor blades in turbines. This heating of the rotor blades can lead to thermal fatigue and degrade turbine performance. The results of recent studies have shown that variations in the circumferential location (clocking) of the hot streak relative to the first-stage vane airfoils can be used to minimize the adverse effects of the hot streak. The effects of the hot streak/airfoil count ratio on the heating patterns of turbine airfoils have also been evaluated. In the present investigation, three-dimensional unsteady Navier-Stokes simulations have been performed for a single-stage high-pressure turbine operating in high subsonic flow. In addition to a simulation of the baseline turbine, simulations have been performed for circular and elliptical hot streaks of varying sizes in an effort to represent different combustor designs. The predicted results for the baseline simulation show good agreement with the available experimental data. The results of the hot streak simulations indicate: that a) elliptical hot streaks mix more rapidly than circular hot streaks, b) for small hot streak surface area the average rotor temperature is not a strong function of hot streak temperature ratio or shape, and c) hot streaks with larger surface area interact with the secondary flows at the rotor hub endwall, generating an additional high temperature region.

Dorney, Daniel J.↗

Design of a Preliminary Family of Airfoils for High Reynolds Number Wind Turbine Applications

For the past 30 years, offshore wind turbines exhibited a continual pattern of growth that is expected to continue as the industry pushes for higher efficiency. Current designs for the next generation of wind turbines are so large that the chordwise Reynolds number of the blades is well beyond the design range of existing open-source airfoil families. This paper presents a preliminary family of new airfoils designed specifically for the needs of these next-generation offshore turbines, ranging from 21% thick to 30% thick with operating Reynolds numbers between 12 million and 18 million. These airfoils are intended to be alternative to the FFA airfoils that are commonly used on reference turbines such as the IEA 15MW and 22MW designs. In this work, airfoil performance metrics and design targets are developed, the design process is outlined, an optimization scheme is presented, and finally the airfoils and their simulated performance are compared to existing baselines. Lift to drag ratios in a clean condition were improved by up to 49.3% from the baseline FFA airfoil, and rough condition lift to drag ratio was improved by up to 9.3%. It is estimated that the cumulative improvements provided by this airfoil family would result in an approximately 1% increase of Annual Expected Power (AEP) for the 22 MW turbine compared to the current baseline.

airfoils↗

A new, improved method for separating turbulent boundary layer for aerodynamic performance prediction of trailing edge stall airfoils

A method based on integral techniques is presented to determine the turbulent separation location and separation pressure for trailing edge stall airfoils exhibiting extensive separated flow regions during prestall and poststall conditions. The method and experimental laser velocimetry data in the turbulence amplification region are used to establish a relationship between fluctuating velocity components and mean velocity in the boundary layer. The method is demonstrated for symmetrical, cambered, conventional and supercritical airfoils in the 5-to-21-percent thickness ratio range, and over a Reynolds number range of 2 to 22 million. Good agreement with experimental data is found, and the method is used in conjunction with the NASA Multi-Component Airfoil Computer Program to predict maximum L/D ratios and maximum section/lift coefficients.

Goradia, S.↗

Calculation of real-gas effects on airfoil aerodynamic characteristics

The effects of high temperature thermochemical phenomena on the aerodynamic characteristics at hypersonic speeds are calculated for two-dimensional airfoils in air. The calculations are performed on an airfoil similar to that used for the Space Shuttle Orbiter, and ellipses of thickness ratios varying between 5 and 15 percent. For the airfoil, one flight condition is considered. For the ellipses, the calculations are carried out over a range of chord lengths, flight velocities, flight altitudes, and angles of attack. It is shown that the lift and drag coefficients are consistently reduced by the thermochemical phenomena, and that the behavior can be represented by a specific heat ratio value less than 1.4. The center of pressure shifts forward due to the thermochemical phenomena, but its extent is sensitively affected by the geometry and angle of attack and cannot be represented by a fixed specific heat ratio. The calculated results are in qualitative agreement with the data obtained during the entry flights of the Space Shuttle vehicle.

Park, Chul↗

An MDOE Assessment of Nozzle Vanes for High Bypass Ratio Jet Noise Reduction

The effect of airfoil-shaped vanes placed in the fan stream of a BPR 8 coannular nozzle model system on the resulting jet noise was investigated. The experiments used a Modern Design of Experiments approach to investigate the impact of a range of vane parameters on the noise reduction achieved at representative takeoff conditions. The experimental results showed that the installation of the vanes decreased low frequency noise radiation in the downstream peak-noise direction and increased high frequency noise in the upstream direction. Results also showed that improper selection of the vane configuration resulted in increased low frequency noise radiation in the upstream direction. Large angles of attack are shown to reduce noise near the peak jet noise angle and increase noise in the upstream direction. The MDOE analysis yields an optimum design that minimizes perceived noise levels. Limited data taken with a BPR 5 nozzle system showed that the vanes result in better effective perceived noise reduction for lower bypass ratio nozzles than for the BPR 8 model.

Henderson, Brenda↗

High Reynolds Number Configuration Development of a High-Lift Airfoil

An experimental program has been conducted to assess performance of a transport multielement airfoil at flight Reynolds numbers. The studies were performed at chord Reynolds numbers as high as 16 million in the NASA Langley Low Turbulence Pressure Tunnel. Sidewall boundary-layer control to enforce flow two dimensionality was provided via an endplate suction system. The basic airfoil was an 11.55 percent thick supercritical airfoil representative of the stall critical station of a new-generation transport aircraft wing. The multielement airfoil was configured as a three-element airfoil with slat and flap chord ratios of 14.48 percent and 30 percent respectively. Testing focused on the development of landing configurations with high maximum lift capability and the assessment of Reynolds and Mach number effects. Also assessed were high-lift performance effects due to devices such as drooped spoilers and trailing-edge wedges. The present experimental studies revealed significant effects on high-lift airfoil performance due to Reynolds and Mach number variations and favorable lift increments at approach angles of attack due to the use of drooped spoilers or trailing-edge wedges. However, no substantial improvements in maximum lift capability were identified. A recently developed high performance single-segment flap was also tested and results indicated considerable improvements in lift and drag performance over existing airfoils. Additionally, it was found that this new flap shape at its optimum rigging was less sensitive to Reynolds number variations than previous designs.

Walter O Valarezo↗

The aerodynamic characteristics of airfoils at negative angles of attack

A number of airfoils, including 14 commonly used airfoils and 10 NACA airfoils, were tested through the negative angle-of-attack range in the NACA variable-density wind tunnel at a Reynolds Number of approximately 3,000,000. The tests were made to supply data to serve as a basis for the structural design of airplanes in the inverted flight condition. In order to make the results immediately available for this purpose they are presented herein in preliminary form, together with results of previous tests of the airfoils at positive angles of attack. An analysis of the results made to find the variation of the ratio of the maximum negative lift coefficient to the maximum positive lift coefficient led to the following conclusions: 1) For airfoils of a given thickness, the ratio -C(sub L max) / +C(sub L max) tends to decrease as the mean camber is increased. 2) For airfoils of a given mean camber, the ratio -C(sub L max) / +C(sub L max) tends to increase as the thickness increases.

Anderson, Raymond F↗

Theoretical and Experimental Data for a Number of NACA 6A-Series Airfoil Sections

The NACA 6A-series airfoil sections were designed to eliminate the trailing-edge cusp which is characteristic of the NACA 6-series sections. Theoretical data are presented for NACA 6A-series basic thickness forms having the position of minimum pressure at 30-, 40-, and 50-percent chord and with thickness ratios varying from 6 percent to 15 percent. Also presented are data for a mean line designed to maintain straight sides on the cambered sections. The experimental results of a two dimensional wind tunnel investigation of the aerodynamic characteristics of five NACA 64A-series airfoil sections and two NACA 63A-series airfoil sections are presented. An analysis of these results, which were obtained at Reynolds numbers of 3 x 10(exp 6), 6 x 10(exp 6), and 9 x 10(exp 6), indicates that the section minimum drag and maximum lift characteristics of comparable NACA 6-series and 6A-series airfoil sections are essentially the same. The quarter-chord pitching-moment coefficients and angles of zero lift of NACA 6A-series airfoil sections are slightly more negative than those of corresponding NACA 6-series airfoil sections. The position of the aerodynamic center and the lift-curve slope of smooth NACA 6-series sections. The addition of standard leading-edge roughness causes the lift-curve slope of the newer sections to decrease with increasing airfoil thickness ratio.

Loftin, Laurence K., Jr.↗

Single-stage experimental evaluation of tandem-airfoil rotor and stator blading for compressors, part 8

An experimental investigation was conducted with an 0.8 hub/tip ratio, single-stage, axial flow compressor to determine the potential of tandem-airfoil blading for improving the efficiency and stable operating range of compressor stages. The investigation included testing of a baseline stage with single-airfoil blading and two tandem-blade stages. The overall performance of the baseline stage and the tandem-blade stage with a 20-80% loading split was considerably below the design prediction. The other tandem-blade stage, which had a rotor with a 50-50% loading split, came within 4.5% of the design pressure rise (delta P(bar)/P(bar) sub 1) and matched the design stage efficiency. The baseline stage with single-airfoil blading, which was designed to account for the actual rotor inlet velocity profile and the effects of axial velocity ratio and secondary flow, achieved the design predicted performance. The corresponding tandem-blade stage (50-50% loading split in both blade rows) slightly exceeded the design pressure rise but was 1.5 percentage points low in efficiency. The tandem rotors tested during both phases demonstrated higher pressure rise and efficiency than the corresponding single-airfoil rotor, with identical inlet and exit airfoil angles.

Brent, J. A.↗