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At least 937 records · Page 52

The frequencies of cantilever wings in beam and torsional vibrations

Methods are described for calculating the period and frequency of vibration of cantilever wings and similar structures in which the weight and moment of inertia vary along the span. Both the beam and torsional frequencies may be calculated by these methods. The procedure is illustrated by examples. It is shown that a surprisingly close approximation to the beam frequency may be obtained by a very brief calculation in which the curvature of the wing in vibration is assumed to be constant. A somewhat longer computation permits taking account of the true curvature of the beam by a series of successive approximations which are shown to be strongly convergent. Analogous methods are applied to calculations of the torsional frequency. For the first approximation it is assumed that the angle of twist varies linearly alone the semispan. True variation of the twist is computed by successive approximations which are strongly convergent, as in the case of beam vibrations.

Burgess, C P↗

A method of limit point calculation in finite element structural analysis

An approach is presented for the calculation of limit points for structures described by discrete coordinates, and whose governing equations derive from finite element concepts. The nonlinear load-displacement path of the imperfect structure is first traced by use of a direct iteration scheme and the determinant of the governing algebraic equations is calculated at each solution point. The limit point is then established by extrapolation and imposition of the condition of zero slope of the plot of load vs. determinant. Three problems are solved in illustration of the approach and in comparison with alternative procedures and test data.

Gallagher, R. H.↗

Iterative methods for plasma sheath calculations: Application to spherical probe

The computer cost of a Poisson-Vlasov iteration procedure for the numerical solution of a steady-state collisionless plasma-sheath problem depends on: (1) the nature of the chosen iterative algorithm, (2) the position of the outer boundary of the grid, and (3) the nature of the boundary condition applied to simulate a condition at infinity (as in three-dimensional probe or satellite-wake problems). Two iterative algorithms, in conjunction with three types of boundary conditions, are analyzed theoretically and applied to the computation of current-voltage characteristics of a spherical electrostatic probe. The first algorithm was commonly used by physicists, and its computer costs depend primarily on the boundary conditions and are only slightly affected by the mesh interval. The second algorithm is not commonly used, and its costs depend primarily on the mesh interval and slightly on the boundary conditions.

Parker, L. W.↗

Studies of scramjet/airframe integration techniques for hypersonic aircraft

New design and analysis techniques for engine-airframe integration were applied in a recent hypersonic vehicle design study. A new technique was developed to design the vehicle's forebody so that uniform precompressed flow was produced at the inlet entrance. Results are verified with three-dimensional characteristic calculations. Results from a new three-dimensional method for calculating nozzle flows show that the entire lower afterbody of the vehicle can be used as a scramjet exhaust nozzle to achieve efficient, controlled, and stable flight over a wide range of flight conditions.

Edwards, C. L. W.↗

Polynomial interpolation methods for viscous flow calculations

Higher-order collocation procedures which result in block-tridiagonal matrix systems are derived from (1) Taylor series expansions and from (2) polynomial interpolation, and the relationships between the two formulations, called respectively Hermite and spline collocation, are investigated. A Hermite block-tridiagonal system for a nonuniform mesh is derived, and the Hermite approach is extended in order to develop a variable-mesh sixth-order block-tridiagonal procedure. It is shown that all results obtained by Hermite development can be recovered by appropriate spline polynomial interpolation. The additional boundary conditions required for these higher-order procedures are also given. Comparative solutions using second-order accurate finite difference and spline and Hermite formulations are presented for the boundary layer on a flat plate, boundary layers with uniform and variable mass transfer, and the viscous incompressible Navier-Stokes equations describing flow in a driven cavity.

Rubin, S. G.↗

Upgraded viscous flow analysis of multielement airfoils

A description of an improved version of the NASA/Lockheed multielement airfoil analysis computer program is presented. The improvements include several major modifications of the aerodynamic model as well as substantial changes of the computer code. The modifications of the aerodynamic model comprise the representation of the boundary layer and wake displacement effects with an equivalent source distribution, the prediction of wake parameters with Green's lag-entrainment method, the calculation of turbulent boundary layer separation with the method of Nash and Hicks, the estimation of the onset of confluent boundary layer separation with a modified form of Goradia's method, and the prediction of profile drag with the formula of Squire and Young. The paper further describes the modifications of the computer program for which the structured approach to computer software development was employed. Important aspects of the structured program development such as the functional decomposition of the aerodynamic theory and its numerical implementation, the analysis of the data flow within the code, and the application of a pseudo code are discussed.

Brune, G. W.↗

Upgraded viscous flow analysis of multi-element airfoils

A description of an improved version of the NASA/Lockheed multi-element airfoil analysis computer program is presented. The improvements include several major modifications of the aerodynamic model as well as substantial changes of the computer code. The modifications of the aerodynamic model comprise the representation of the boundary layer and wake displacement effects with an equivalent source distribution, the prediction of wake parameters with Green's lag-entrainment method, the calculation of turbulent boundary layer separation with the method of Nash and Hicks, the estimation of the onset of confluent boundary layer separation with a modified form of Goradia's method, and the prediction of profile drag with the formula of Squire and Young. The modifications of the computer program for which the structured approach to computer software development was employed are also described. Important aspects of the structured program development such as the functional decomposition of the aerodynamic theory and its numerical implementation, the analysis of the data flow within the code, and the application of a pseudo code are discussed.

Brune, G. W.↗

Efficient computation of volume in flow predictions

An efficient method for calculating cell volumes for time-dependent three-dimensional flow predictions by finite volume calculations is presented. Eight arbitrary corner points are considered and the shape face is divided into two planar triangles. The volume is then dependent on the orientation of the partitioning. In the case of a hexahedron, it is noted that any open surface with a boundary that is a closed curve possesses a surface vector independent of the surface shape. Expressions are defined for the surface vector, which is independent of the partitioning surface diagonal used to quantify the volume. Using a decomposition of the cell volume involving two corners, with each the vertex of three diagonals and six corners which are vertices of one diagonal, gives portions which are tetrahedra. The resultant mesh is can be used for time-dependent finite volume calculations one requires less computer time than previous methods.

Vinokur, M.↗

Compressible flow calculations employing the Galerkin/least-squares method

A multielement group, domain decomposition algorithm is presented for solving linear nonsymmetric systems arising in the finite-element analysis of compressible flows employing the Galerkin/least-squares method. The iterative strategy employed is based on the generalized minimum residual (GMRES) procedure originally proposed by Saad and Shultz. Two levels of preconditioning are investigated. Applications to problems of high-speed compressible flow illustrate the effectiveness of the scheme.

Shakib, F.↗