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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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NASA NTRS1979

An analytical technique for predicting the characteristics of a flexible wing equipped with an active flutter-suppression system and comparison with wind-tunnel data

An analytical technique for predicting the performance of an active flutter-suppression system is presented. This technique is based on the use of an interpolating function to approximate the unsteady aerodynamics. The resulting equations are formulated in terms of linear, ordinary differential equations with constant coefficients. This technique is then applied to an aeroelastic model wing equipped with an active flutter-suppression system. Comparisons between wind-tunnel data and analysis are presented for the wing both with and without active flutter suppression. Results indicate that the wing flutter characteristics without flutter suppression can be predicted very well but that a more adequate model of wind-tunnel turbulence is required when the active flutter-suppression system is used.

Abel, I.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Center for modeling of turbulence and transition: Research briefs, 1993

This research brief contains the progress reports of the research staff of the Center for Modeling of Turbulence and Transition (CMOTT) from June 1992 to July 1993. It is also an annual report to the Institute for Computational Mechanics in Propulsion located at Ohio Aerospace Institute and NASA Lewis Research Center. The main objectives of the research activities at CMOTT are to develop, validate, and implement turbulence and transition models for flows of interest in propulsion systems. Currently, our research covers eddy viscosity one- and two-equation models, Reynolds-stress algebraic equation models, Reynolds-stress transport equation models, nonequilibrium multiple-scale models, bypass transition models, joint scalar probability density function models, and Renormalization Group Theory and Direct Interaction Approximation methods. Some numerical simulations (LES and DNS) have also been carried out to support the development of turbulence modeling. Last year was CMOTT's third year in operation. During this period, in addition to the above mentioned research, CMOTT has also hosted the following programs: an eighteen-hour short course on 'Turbulence--Fundamentals and Computational Modeling (Part I)' given by CMOTT at the NASA Lewis Research Center; a productive summer visitor research program that has generated many encouraging results; collaborative programs with industry customers to help improve their turbulent flow calculations for propulsion system designs; a biweekly CMOTT seminar series with speakers from within and without the NASA Lewis Research Center including foreign speakers. In addition, CMOTT members have been actively involved in the national and international turbulence research activities. The current CMOTT roster and organization are listed in Appendix A. Listed in Appendix B are the abstracts of the biweekly CMOTT seminar. Appendix C lists the papers contributed by CMOTT members.

Liou, William W.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Effects of turbulence on laminar separation on aerodynamic surfaces such as airfoils and compressor blading

Activities report include (1) completion of measurements of turbulence amplification in flow about a circular cylinder; (2) initiation of the measurements of turbulence characteristics in flow about a single symmetric airfoil; and, (3) further examination of various matching numerical methods. Emphasis is placed on the experimental program conducted to obtain data on the amplification of the oncoming turbulence and its management.

Sadeh, W. Z.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A perspective on the status of measurement of atmospheric turbulence in the US

A perspective on status of measurement of atmospheric turbulence is presented. Details are given for turbulence characteristics measured in four distinct meteorological conditions. The emphasis is on identifying appropriate values of L, the integral scale value in the von Karman expression. On-going activity to measure spanwise gradients of turbulence at low altitudes is described. A resume of the NASA VGH program is given, as well as on-going utilization of flight recorder data on wide-body transports to reconstruct special turbulence encounters. Reference is made to some other activities regarding sensing, measurement, modeling, and alleviation.

Murrow, H. N.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Arrhenius' law in turbulent media and an equivalent tunnel effect

The indeterminacy inherent to the formal extension of Arrhenius' law to reactions in turbulent flows is shown to be surmountable in the case of a binary exchange reaction with a sufficiently high activation energy. A preliminary calculation predicts that the turbulent reaction rate is invariant in the Arrhenius form except for an equivalently lowered activation energy. This is a reflection of turbulence-augmented molecular vigor, and causes an appreciable increase in the reaction rate. A similarity to the tunnel effect in quantum mechanics is indicated. The anomaly associated with the mild ignition of oxy-hydrogen mixtures is discussed in this light.

Tsuge, S.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Preliminary control law and hardware designs for a ride quality augmentation system for commuter aircraft. Phase 2

The continued investigation of the design of Ride Quality Augmentation Systems (RQAS) for commuter aircraft is described. The purpose of these RQAS is the reduction of the vertical and lateral acceleration response of the aircraft due to atmospheric turbulence by the application of active control. The current investigations include the refinement of the sample data feedback control laws based on the control-rate-weighting and output-weighting optimal control design techniqes. These control designs were evaluated using aircraft time simulations driven by Dryden spectra turbulence. Fixed gain controllers were tested throughout the aircrft operating envelope. The preliminary design of the hardware modifications necessary to implement and test the RQAS on a commuter aircraft is included. These include a separate surface elevator and the flap modifications to provide both direct lift and roll control. A preliminary failure mode investigation was made for the proposed configuration. The results indicate that vertical acceleration reductions of 45% and lateral reductions of more than 50% are possible. A fixed gain controller appears to be feasible with only minor response degradation.

Davis, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1977

A search for a turbulent-free region in the solar transition zone

A search for a turbulence-free transition-zone region was conducted. The data used were spectra recorded by a slit spectrograph on Skylab. It was found that the nonthermal turbulent motions are smallest in certain active regions and quiescent prominences. The spectra of one such region, a quiescent prominence, are discussed. The nonthermal turbulence in the region is between about 2 and 7 km/s. Therefore, the widths of lines emitted by transition-zone ions are determined primarily by the ion temperature. To within the experimental error, temperatures derived from the line widths are equal to the temperatures of maximum emitting efficiency obtained using the ionization equilibrium calculations of Jordan (1969).

Feldman, U.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Drag reduction strategies

previously a description was given of an active control scheme using wall transpiration that leads to a 15% reduction in surface skin friction beneath a turbulent boundary layer, according to direct numerical simulation. In this research brief further details of that scheme and its variants are given together with some suggestions as to how sensor/actuator arrays could be configured to reduce surface drag. The research which is summarized here was performed during the first half of 1994. This research is motivated by the need to understand better how the dynamics of near-wall turbulent flow can be modified so that skin friction is reduced. The reduction of turbulent skin friction is highly desirable in many engineering applications. Experiments and direct numerical simulations have led to an increased understanding of the cycle of turbulence production and transport in the boundary layer and raised awareness of the possibility of disrupting the process with a subsequent reduction in turbulent skin friction. The implementation of active feedback control in a computational setting is a viable approach for the investigation of the modifications to the flow physics that can be achieved. Bewley et al. and Hill describe how ideas from optimal control theory are employed to give 'sub-optimal' drag reduction schemes. The objectives of the work reported here is to investigate in greater detail the assumptions implicit within such schemes and their limitations. It is also our objective to describe how an array of sensors and actuators could be arranged and interconnected to form a 'smart' surface which has low skin friction.

Hill, D. Christopher↗
NASA NTRS1995

The microscopic state of the solar wind: Links between composition, velocity distributions, waves and turbulence

An overview is given of the microscopic state of the solar wind with emphasis on recent Ulysses high-latitude observations and previous Helios in-ecliptic observations. The possible links between composition, ionization state. velocity distribution functions of electrons, protons and heavy ions. kinetic plasma waves and MHD-scale turbulence are elaborated. Emphasis is placed on a connection of interplanetary kinetic-scale phenomena with their generating microscopic processes in the corona. The fast streams seem to consist of mesoscale pressure-balanced plasma filaments and magnetic flux tubes, reminiscent of the supergranular-size structures building the open corona, from which copious Alfven waves emanate. The wind from the magnetically structured and active corona shows developed compressive turbulence and considerable abundance and ionization state variations. Some modelling attempts to explain the observed element fractionation are briefly reviewed. The causes of the nonthermal particle features. such as proton-ion differential streaming, ion beams. temperature anisotropies, and skewed distributions associated with collisionless heat conduction, are ultimately to be searched in the fact, that the corona is never quiescent but fundamentally variable in space and time. Consequently, the radial evolution of the internal state of the wind resembles at all latitudes a complicated relaxation process, in the course of which the free (in comparison with LTE conditions) particle kinetic energy is converted into plasma waves and MHD turbulence on a wide range of scales. This leads to intermittent wave-particle interactions and unsteady anomalous transport, mixed with the weak effects of the rare Coulomb collisions. Spherical expansion and large-scale inhomogeneity forces the wind to attain microscopically a complex internal state of dynamic statistical equilibrium.

Marsch, E.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Non-Turbulent Liquid-Bearing Polar Clouds: Observed Frequency of Occurrence and Simulated Sensitivity to Gravity Waves

A common feature of polar liquid-bearing clouds (LBCs) is radiatively-driven turbulence, which may variously alter cloud lifecycle via vertical mixing, droplet activation, and subsequent feedbacks. However, polar LBCs are commonly initiated under stable, non-turbulent conditions. Using long-term data from the North Slope of Alaska and McMurdo, Antarctica, we show that non-turbulent conditions prevail in ~25% of detected LBCs, surmised to be preferentially early in their lifecycle. We conclude that non-turbulent LBCs are likely common over the polar regions owing primarily to atmospheric temperature and stability. Such stable environments are known to support gravity wave activity. Using large-eddy simulations we find that short to intermediate period gravity waves may catalyze turbulence formation when aerosol particles available for activation are sufficiently small. We posit that the frequent occurrence of non-turbulent LBCs over the polar regions has implications for polar aerosol-cloud interactions and their parameterization in large-scale models.

Clouds↗
NASA NTRS1981

Guidance and control/ACEE

Active controls improve airplane performance by stabilizing its flight, reducing departures from stable flight, and alleviating loads imposed by external forces such as gusts, turbulence, or maneuvers. Some uses for active control systems, the design of redundant and reliable stability augmentation systems, digital fly-by-wire, and NASA assessments of the technology of sensors and actuators are discussed. A series of trade-off studies to better define optimum flight control systems, and research by drone and full-scale models are described.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1989

Turbulent transport in the solar nebula

It is likely that turbulence played a major role in the evolution of the solar nebula, which is the flattened disk of dust and gas out of which our solar system formed. Relevant turbulent processes include the transport of angular momentum, mass, and heat, which were critically important to the formation of the solar system. This research will break ground in the modeling of compressible turbulence and its effects on the evolution of the solar nebula. The computational techniques which were developed should be of interest to researchers studying other astrophysical disk systems (e.g., active galactic nuclei), as well as turbulence modelers outside the astrophysics community.

Thompson, Kevin W.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Isotopic overabundances and the energetic particle model of solar flares

According to the energetic particle model of solar flares particles are efficiently accelerated in the magnetic field loop of an active region (AR) by hydromagnetic turbulence. It is demonstrated that the isotopic overabundances observed in some flares are not a consequence of the flare itself but are characteristic of the plasma in the AR. Only when a flare releases the plasma into the interplanetary space it is possible to observe this anomalous composition at spacecraft locations.

Perez-Enriquez, R.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Detailed design of a Ride Quality Augmentation System for commuter aircraft

The design of a Ride Quality Augmentation System (RQAS) for commuter aircraft is documented. The RQAS is designed for a Cessna 402B, an 8 passenger prop twin representative to this class of aircraft. The purpose of the RQAS is the reduction of vertical and lateral accelerations of the aircraft due to atmospheric turbulence by the application of active control. The detailed design of the hardware (the aircraft modifications, the Ride Quality Instrumentation System (RQIS), and the required computer software) is examined. The aircraft modifications, consisting of the dedicated control surfaces and the hydraulic actuation system, were designed at Cessna Aircraft by Kansas University-Flight Research Laboratory. The instrumentation system, which consist of the sensor package, the flight computer, a Data Acquisition System, and the pilot and test engineer control panels, was designed by NASA-Langley. The overall system design and the design of the software, both for flight control algorithms and ground system checkout are detailed. The system performance is predicted from linear simulation results and from power spectral densities of the aircraft response to a Dryden gust. The results indicate that both accelerations are possible.

Suikat, Reiner↗
NASA NTRS1988

Wind-Wave-Current Tank Research Facility usage and status

This summary is to provide information as to: (1) research activities, and (2) facilities status of the wind-wave-current tank research facility located at the GSFC/WFF. Research Activities include: (1) Wave-Turbulence Interaction; (2) Velocity Structure Below Waves; (3) Short-Wave Modification by Long-Waves; (4) Wind-Wave Generation Time Scale; (5) Wave-Current Interaction; (6) Rain Effects on Microwave Scattering from the Sea-Surface; and (7) Gas Exchange Rates versus Scatterometer Power.

Bliven, L. F.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Lockheed laminar-flow control systems development and applications

Progress is summarized from 1974 to the present in the practical application of laminar-flow control (LFC) to subsonic transport aircraft. Those efforts included preliminary design system studies of commercial and military transports and experimental investigations leading to the development of the leading-edge flight test article installed on the NASA JetStar flight test aircraft. The benefits of LFC on drag, fuel efficiency, lift-to-drag ratio, and operating costs are compared with those for turbulent flow aircraft. The current activities in the NASA Industry Laminar-Flow Enabling Technologies Development contract include summaries of activities in the Task 1 development of a slotted-surface structural concept using advanced aluminum materials and the Task 2 preliminary conceptual design study of global-range military hybrid laminar flow control (HLFC) to obtain data at high Reynolds numbers and at Mach numbers representative of long-range subsonic transport aircraft operation.

Lange, Roy H.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Robust integrated autopilot/autothrottle design using constrained parameter optimization

A multivariable control design method based on constrained parameter optimization was applied to the design of a multiloop aircraft flight control system. Specifically, the design method is applied to the following: (1) direct synthesis of a multivariable 'inner-loop' feedback control system based on total energy control principles; (2) synthesis of speed/altitude-hold designs as 'outer-loop' feedback/feedforward control systems around the above inner loop; and (3) direct synthesis of a combined 'inner-loop' and 'outer-loop' multivariable control system. The design procedure offers a direct and structured approach for the determination of a set of controller gains that meet design specifications in closed-loop stability, command tracking performance, disturbance rejection, and limits on control activities. The presented approach may be applied to a broader class of multiloop flight control systems. Direct tradeoffs between many real design goals are rendered systematic by this method following careful problem formulation of the design objectives and constraints. Performance characteristics of the optimization design were improved over the current autopilot design on the B737-100 Transport Research Vehicle (TSRV) at the landing approach and cruise flight conditions; particularly in the areas of closed-loop damping, command responses, and control activity in the presence of turbulence.

Ly, Uy-Loi↗