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NASA NTRS1992

Nonequilibrium algebraic turbulence modeling considerations for transonic airfoils and wings

The nonequilibrium algebraic turbulence model of Johnson and King has been applied successfully to both airfoils and wings. However, in wing applications a different expression for the outer 'equilibrium' eddy viscosity has been used because of apparent difficulties in determining the boundary-layer thickness. It is shown in this paper, that this expression does not give eddy viscosity levels for two-dimensional flows that are consistent with Clauser's correlation for equilibrium turbulent boundary layers. And as a consequence, results in inferior predictions when used in airfoil calculations. The objective of this paper is to develop a formulation applicable to wing flows which reduces to the proper form in the two-dimensional case. This necessitates, in part, finding a better way of estimating the boundary-layer thickness from the computed flowfield.

Johnson, D. A.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Three dimensional compressible boundary-layer computations for a finite swept wing

Three-dimensional, compressible turbulent boundary-layer calculations have been performed for the finite supercritical wing of the NASA modified F8 transonic research airplane. Data on the boundary-layer thickness, displacement thickness, skin friction components, and integrated streamwise skin friction are presented for points along the streamwise stations of which the pressure measurements were previously made. Representative velocity profiles are shown, and boundary-layer-thickness contour plots and skin-friction vector plots are presented. Results are given for a Reynolds number of 1.5 million per foot, and for Mach numbers of 0.50 and 0.99.

Nash, J. F.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Criteria for significance of simultaneous presence of both condensible vapors and aerosol particles on mass transfer (deposition) rates

The simultaneous presence of aerosol particles and condensible vapors in a saturated boundary layer which may affect deposition rates to subcooled surfaces because of vapor-particle interactions is discussed. Scavenging of condensible vapors by aerosol particles may lead to increased particle size and decreased vapor mass fraction, which alters both vapor and particle deposition rates. Particles, if sufficiently concentrated, may also coagulate. Criteria are provided to assess the significance of such phenomena when particles are already present in the mainstream and are not created inside the boundary layer via homogeneous nucleation. It is determined that there is direct proportionality with: (1) the mass concentration of both condensible vapors and aerosol particles; and (2) the square of the boundary layer thickness to particle diameter ratio (delta d sub p) square. Inverse proportionality was found for mainstream to surface temperature difference if thermophoresis dominates particle transport. It is concluded that the square of the boundary layer thickness to particle diameter ratio is the most critical factor to consider in deciding when to neglect vapor-particle interactions.

Gokoglu, S. A.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Criteria for significance of simultaneous presence of both condensible vapors and aerosol particles on mass transfer (deposition) rates

Gokoglu, S. A.↗

NASA NTRS1982

A New View on Origin, Role and Manipulation of Large Scales in Turbulent Boundary Layers

The potential of passive 'manipulators' for altering the large scale turbulent structures in boundary layers was investigated. Utilizing smoke wire visualization and multisensor probes, the experiment verified that the outer scales could be suppressed by simple arrangements of parallel plates. As a result of suppressing the outer scales in turbulent layers, a decrease in the streamwise growth of the boundary layer thickness was achieved and was coupled with a 30 percent decrease in the local wall friction coefficient. After accounting for the drag on the manipulator plates, the net drag reduction reached a value of 20 percent within 55 boundary layer thicknesses downstream of the device. No evidence for the reoccurrence of the outer scales was present at this streamwise distance thereby suggesting that further reductions in the net drag are attainable. The frequency of occurrence of the wall events is simultaneously dependent on the two parameters, Re2 delta sub 2 and Re sub x. As a result of being able to independently control the inner and outer boundary layer characteristics with these manipulators, a different view of these layers emerged.

Corke, T. C.↗

NASA NTRS2003

A Comparison of Active and Passive Methods for Control of Hypersonic Boundary Layers on Airbreathing Configurations

Active and passive methods for control of hypersonic boundary layers have been experimentally examined in NASA Langley Research Center wind tunnels on a Hyper-X model. Several configurations for forcing transition using passive discrete roughness elements and active mass addition, or blowing, methods were compared in two hypersonic facilities, the 20-Inch Mach 6 Air and the 31-Inch Mach 10 Air tunnels. Heat transfer distributions, obtained via phosphor thermography, shock system details, and surface streamline patterns were measured on a 0.333-scale model of the Hyper-X forebody. The comparisons between the active and passive methods for boundary layer control were conducted at test conditions that nearly match the nominal Mach 7 flight trajectory of an angle-of-attack of 2-deg and length Reynolds number of 5.6 million. For the passive roughness examination, the primary parametric variation was a range of trip heights within the calculated boundary layer thickness for several trip concepts. The prior passive roughness study resulted in a swept ramp configuration being selected for the Mach 7 flight vehicle that was scaled to be roughly 0.6 of the calculated boundary layer thickness. For the active jet blowing study, the blowing manifold pressure was systematically varied for each configuration, while monitoring the mass flow, to determine the jet penetration height with schlieren and transition movement with the phosphor system for comparison to the passive results. All the blowing concepts tested were adequate for providing transition onset near the trip location with manifold stagnation pressures on the order of 40 times the model static pressure or higher.

Berry, Scott A.↗

NASA NTRS1959

Space-Time Correlations and Spectra of Wall Pressure in a Turbulent Boundary Layer

Measurements of the statistical properties of the fluctuating wall pressure produced by a subsonic turbulent boundary layer are described. The measurements provide additional information about the structure of the turbulent boundary layer; they are applicable to the problems of boundary-layer induced noise inside an airplane fuselage and to the generation of waves-on water. The spectrum of the wall pressure is presented in dimensionless form. The ratio of the root-mean-square wall pressure to the free-stream dynamic pressure is found to be a constant square root of bar P(sup 2)/q(sub infinity) = 0.006 independent of Mach number and Reynolds number. In addition, space- time correlation measurements in the stream direction show that pressure fluctuations whose scale is greater than or equal to 0.3 times the boundary-layer thickness are convected with the convection speed U(sub c) = 0.82U(sub infinity) where U(infinity) is the free-stream velocity and have lost their identity in a distance approximately equal to 10 boundary-layer thicknesses.

Willmarth, W. W.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Effect of Pressure Gradients on Plate Response and Radiation in a Supersonic Turbulent Boundary Layer

Using the model developed by the author for zero-pressure gradient turbulent boundary layers, results are obtained for adverse and favorable pressure gradients. It is shown that when a flexible plate is located in an adverse pressure gradient area, it vibrates more than if it were in a favorable pressure gradient one. Therefore the noise generated by the plate in an adverse pressure gradient is much greater than that due to the plate in a favorable pressure gradient. The effects of Reynolds number and boundary layer thickness are also analyzed and found to have the same effect in both adverse and favorable pressure gradient cases. Increasing the Reynolds number is found to increase the loading on the plate and therefore acoustic radiation. An increase in boundary layer thickness is found to decrease the level of the high frequencies and therefore the response and radiation at these frequencies. The results are in good qualitative agreement with experimental measurements.

Frendi, Abdelkader↗

NASA NTRS1976

Streakline flow visualization of discrete hole film cooling with holes inclined 30 deg to surface

Film injection from three rows of discrete holes angled 30 deg to the surface in line with mainstream flow and spaced 5 diameters apart in a staggered array was visualized by using helium bubbles as tracer particles. Both the main stream and the film injectant were ambient air. Detailed streaklines showing the turbulent motion of the film mixing with the main stream were obtained by photographing small, neutrally buoyant helium-filled soap bubbles which followed the flow field. The ratio of boundary layer thickness to hole diameter and the Reynolds number were typical of gas turbine film cooling applications. The results showed the behavior of the film and its interaction with the main stream for a range of blowing rates and two initial boundary layer thicknesses.

Colladay, R. S.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Hypersonic Boundary Layer Stability Experiments in a Quiet Wind Tunnel with Bluntness Effects

Hypersonic boundary layer measurements over a flared cone were conducted in a Mach 6 quiet wind tunnel at a freestream unit Reynolds number of 2.82 million/ft. This Reynolds number provided laminar-to-transitional flow over the cone model in a low-disturbance environment. Four interchangeable nose-tips, including a sharp-tip, were tested. Point measurements with a single hot-wire using a novel constant voltage anemometer were used to measure the boundary layer disturbances. Surface temperature and schlieren measurements were also conducted to characterize the transitional state of the boundary layer and to identify instability modes. Results suggest that second mode disturbances were the most unstable and scaled with the boundary layer thickness. The second mode integrated growth rates compared well with linear stability theory in the linear stability regime. The second mode is responsible for transition onset despite the existence of a second mode subharmonic. The subharmonic disturbance wavelength also scales with the boundary layer thickness. Furthermore, the existence of higher harmonics of the fundamental suggests that nonlinear disturbances are not associated with 'high' free stream disturbance levels. Nose-tip radii greater than 2.7% of the base radius completely stabilized the second mode.

Lachowicz, Jason T.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Hypersonic Boundary Layer Stability over a Flared Cone in a Quiet Tunnel

Hypersonic boundary layer measurements were conducted over a flared cone in a quiet wind tunnel. The flared cone was tested at a freestream unit Reynolds number of 2.82x106/ft in a Mach 6 flow. This Reynolds number provided laminar-to-transitional flow over the model in a low-disturbance environment. Point measurements with a single hot wire using a novel constant voltage anemometry system were used to measure the boundary layer disturbances. Surface temperature and schlieren measurements were also conducted to characterize the laminar-to-transitional state of the boundary layer and to identify instability modes. Results suggest that the second mode disturbances were the most unstable and scaled with the boundary layer thickness. The integrated growth rates of the second mode compared well with linear stability theory in the linear stability regime. The second mode is responsible for transition onset despite the existence of a second mode sub-harmonic. The sub-harmonic wavelength also scales with the boundary layer thickness. Furthermore, the existence of higher harmonics of the fundamental suggests that non-linear disturbances are not associated with high free stream disturbance levels.

Lachowicz, Jason T.↗

NASA NTRS1957

Preliminary Wind-Tunnel Investigation of the Performance of Republic F-105 Wing-Root Inlet Configurations at Various Angles of Attack and a Mach Number of 2.01

A 1/13-scale model of the forebody of the Republic F-105 with twin-duct wing-root inlets was tested in the Langley 4- by 4-foot supersonic pressure tunnel through a range of angle of attack from -4 deg to 15 deg at a Mach number of 2.01 and a Reynolds number of approximately 3.4 x 10(exp 6) per foot. The tests were made with four configurations which incorporated varying amounts of sweep and stagger of the inlet leading edges, modifications to the areas of the boundary-layer diverter floor plate, and modifications to the area of the boundary-layer diverter bleed slots. The highest overall pressure recovery at an angle of attack of 0 deg (average total-pressure recovery, 0.84 mass-flow ratio, 0.98) was achieved with configuration having an inlet leading-edge sweep angle of 58 deg with no leading-edge stagger. Stagger was found to improve the angle-of- attack performance, but at a sacrifice in inlet efficiency for an angle of attack of 0 deg. The boundary-layer diverter floor height, of the order of one boundary-layer thickness, was satisfactory for bypassing the fuselage boundary layer. The boundary-layer diverter-plate bleed slots were effective in increasing the total-pressure recovery of the inlet. The total-pressure-recovery contour plots, taken at the compressor-face station, indicate the existence of high-velocity "cores" throughout the inlet operating range.

Kouyoumjian, W. L.↗

NASA NTRS1950

Analysis of turbulent free-convection boundary layer on flat plate

A calculation was made for the flow and heat transfer in the turbulent free-convection boundary layer on a vertical flat plate. Formulas for the heat-transfer coefficient, boundary layer thickness, and the maximum velocity in the boundary layer were obtained.

Eckert, E R G↗

NASA NTRS1943

The Effect of Compressibility on the Growth of the Laminar Boundary Layer on Low-Drag Wings and Bodies

The development of the laminar boundary layer in a compressible fluid is considered. Formulas are given for determining the boundary-layer thickness and the ratio of the boundary-layer Reynolds number to the body Reynolds number for airfoils and bodies of revolution. It i s shown that the effect of compressibility will profoundly alter the Reynolds number corresponding to the upper limit of the range of the low-drag coefficients . The available data indicate that for low-drag and high critical compressibility speed airfoils and bodies of revolution, this effect is favorable.

Allen, H. Julian↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Preliminary Measurements on the BOLT Geometry in the Supersonic Low Disturbance Tunnel

Experiments were performed in the Mach 3.5 Supersonic Low Disturbance Tunnel on the BOundary-Layer Transition (BOLT) geometry. The goal of this campaign was to assess changes to the transition front by varying the freestream noise and the model surface quality. The model was printed of polycarbonate and is 30% scale of the flight geometry. It was tested under noisy and quiet conditions at different streamwise positions in the tunnel and was also tested before and after improvements were made to the model surface through sanding and gap reduction. Pitch and yaw angles were nominally zero. The model surface temperature was measured using infrared thermography and thermocouples as the unit Reynolds number was swept from 4.75 – 15.8 × 10 6 m −1 . Boundary-layer transition was observed near the midspan of the model for unit Reynolds numbers above 10×10 6 m −1 in quiet flow, while transition was already observed on the shoulders below 5×10 6 m −1 in noisy flow. The model surface enhancements improved the symmetry of the transition front for quiet flow but made only slight differences for noisy flow. In quiet flow, the impact of streamwise positioning on transition was more significant on the model shoulders compared to the central region. The difference in the shoulder heating was likely due to variation in noise radiated from the nozzle sidewalls. The total temperature and initial wall temperatures were near 300 K and 293 K, respectively, which generally resulted in negative convective heat-flux values into the model. Hot-wire anemometry was also utilized to characterize the freestream and to conduct a planar survey near the base of the model for the 7.92 × 10 6 m −1 quiet condition. The survey captured the thickening of the boundary layer at the centerline and the vortical nature of the flow outboard of it. Spectral analysis of the mass-flux fluctuations near the midspan demonstrates that the boundary layer is laminar and suggests that the thick boundary layer caused the relatively warm centerline observed in the infrared images.

boundary layer transition↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Preliminary Measurements on the BOLT Geometry in the Supersonic Low Disturbance Tunnel

Experiments were performed in the Mach 3.5 Supersonic Low Disturbance Tunnel on the BOundary-Layer Transition (BOLT) geometry. The goal of this campaign was to assess changes to the transition front by varying the freestream noise and the model surface quality. The model was printed of polycarbonate and is 30% scale of the flight geometry. It was tested under noisy and quiet conditions at different streamwise positions in the tunnel and was also tested before and after improvements were made to the model surface through sanding and gap reduction. Pitch and yaw angles were nominally zero. The model surface temperature was measured using infrared thermography and thermocouples as the unit Reynolds number was swept from 4.75 -- 15.8 x 10^6 m^{-1}. Boundary-layer transition was observed near the midspan of the model for unit Reynolds numbers above 10 x 10^6 m^{-1} in quiet flow, while transition was already observed on the shoulders below 5 x 10^6 m^{-1} in noisy flow. The model surface enhancements improved the symmetry of the transition front for quiet flow but made only slight differences for noisy flow. In quiet flow, the impact of streamwise positioning on transition was more significant on the model shoulders compared to the central region. The difference in the shoulder heating was likely due to variation in noise radiated from the nozzle sidewalls. The total temperature and initial wall temperatures were near 300 K and 293 K, respectively, which generally resulted in negative convective heat-flux values into the model. Hot-wire anemometry was also utilized to characterize the freestream and to conduct a planar survey near the base of the model for the 7.92 x 10^6 m^{-1} quiet condition. The survey captured the thickening of the boundary layer at the centerline and the vortical nature of the flow outboard of it. Spectral analysis of the mass-flux fluctuations near the midspan demonstrates that the boundary layer is laminar and suggests that the thick boundary layer caused the relatively warm centerline observed in the infrared images.

boundary layer transition↗

NASA NTRS1979

Study of mean- and turbulent-velocity fields in a large-scale turbine-vane passage

Laser-Doppler velocimetry, and to a lesser extent hot-wire anemometry, were employed to measure three components of the mean velocity and the six turbulent stresses at four planes within the turbine inlet-guide-vane passage. One variation in the turbulent inlet boundary layer thickness and one variation in the blade aspect ratio (span/axial chord) were studied. A longitudinal vortex (passage vortex) was clearly identified in the exit plane of the passage for the three test cases. The maximum turbulence intensities within the longitudinal vortex were found to be on the order of 2 to 4 percent, with large regions appearing nonturbulent. Because a turbulent wall boundary layer was the source of vorticity that produced the passage vortex, these low turbulence levels were not anticipated. For the three test cases studied, the lateral velocity field extended significantly beyond the region of the longitudinal velocity defect. Changing the inlet boundary layer thickness produced a difference in the location, the strength, and the extent of the passage vortex. Changing the aspect ratio of the blade passage had a measurable but less significant effect. The experiment was performed in a 210 mm pitch, 272 mm axial chord model in low speed wind tunnel at an inlet Mach number of 0.07.

Bailey, D. A.↗

NASA NTRS1975

The effect of grazing flow on the steady state resistance of square-edged orifices

A simple inviscid interaction model has been developed which uses thin airfoil theory to account for pressure forces exerted at the interface between the orifice and grazing flow together with a one-dimensional discharge coefficient concept. The effect of grazing flow boundary layer thickness was also included in the model. Resistance measurements for a wide range of grazing flow speeds and orifice flow rates collapse into a single curve when plotted in terms of effective discharge coefficient versus orifice-to-grazing velocity ratio. The correlation curves for inflow and outflow are different. Data for clustered orifices collapse in the same way as the single orifice. The effect of boundary layer thickness is compared with model predictions. The effect of orifice length-diameter ratio is shown to be significant for inflow but negligible for outflow.

Rogers, T.↗