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NASA NTRS1984

Free stream turbulence and density ratio effects on the interaction region of a jet in a cross flow

Jets of low temperature air are introduced into the aft sections of gas turbine combustors for the purpose of cooling the high temperature gases and quenching the combustion reactions. Research studies, motivated by this complex flow field, have been executed by introducing a heated jet into the cross stream of a wind tunnel. The investigation by Kamotani and Greber stands as a prime example of such investigations and it serves as the principal reference for the present study. The low disturbance level of the cross stream, in their study and in similar research investigations, is compatible with an interest in identifying the basic features of this flow field. The influence of the prototypes' strongly disturbed cross flow is not, however, made apparent in these prior investigations.

Wark, C. E.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Microdunes and Other Aeolian Bedforms on Venus: Wind Tunnel Simulations

The development of aeolian bedforms in the simulated Venusian environment has been experimentally studied in the Venus Wind tunnel. It is found that the development of specific bedforms, including ripples, dunes, and waves, as well as their geometry, are controlled by a combination of factors including particle size, wind speed, and atmospheric density. Microdunes are formed which are analogous to full-size terrestrial dunes and are characterized by the development of slip faces, internal cross-bedding, a low ratio of saltation path length to dune length, and a lack of particle-size sorting. They begin to develop at wind speeds just above saltation threshold and evolve into waves at higher velocities. At wind speeds of about 1.5 m/sec and higher, the bed is flat and featureless. This evolution is explained by a model based on the interaction of alternating zones of erosion and deposition and particle saltation distances.

Greeley, R.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Microdunes and other aeolian bedforms on Venus - Wind Tunnel simulations

The development of aeolian bedforms in the simulated Venusian environment has been experimentally studied in the Venus Wind Tunnel. It is found that the development of specific bedforms, including ripples, dunes, and 'waves', as well as their geometry, are controlled by a combination of factors including particle size, wind speed, and atmospheric density. Microdunes are formed which are analogous to full-size terrestrial dunes and are characterized by the development of slip faces, internal cross-bedding, a low ratio of saltation path length to dune length, and a lack of particle-size sorting. They begin to develop at wind speeds just above saltation threshold and evolve into waves at higher velocities. At wind speeds of about 1.5 m/sec and higher, the bed is flat and featureless. This evolution is explained by a model based on the interaction of alternating zones of erosion and deposition and particle saltation distances.

Greeley, R.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Uncertainty Estimates for Sonic-Boom Pressure Signatures and Loudness Carpets

A non-intrusive uncertainty quantification method is applied to computational analysis of supersonic, low-boom aircraft. The mean and standard deviation statistics of the pressure waveforms and loudness metrics are evaluated through use of numerical quadrature. The probability density function (p.d.f.) of these outputs is evaluated via kernel density estimation. The simulations use an inviscid, embedded-boundary Cartesian-mesh flow solver in the nearfield combined with an augmented Burgers’ equation solver for propagation in the farfield. The results show that the p.d.f. of the waveform is bimodal at shocks, which makes the mean and standard deviation statistics inappropriate. Despite this limitation, we show that the moment statistics can provide effective assessment of discrepancies when comparing with experimental data. This is demonstrated by presenting uncertainty analysis of a wind-tunnel test and showing that we significantly improve the predictions when we include the test uncertainties in the simulation. Normal distributions are obtained for the ground signature and loudness metrics, which is primarily due to the careful shaping of the low-boom waveform. Separation of variables and error control are used to reduce computational cost. We demonstrate that this is an efficient approach in the sense of balancing numerical errors in the statistics quadrature with discretization errors in the solvers.

ARMD↗

NASA NTRS1991

Comparison of laser transit anemometry data analysis techniques

Two techniques for the extraction of two-dimensional flow information from laser transit anemometry (LTA) data sets are presented and compared via a simulation study and experimental investigation. The methods are a probability density function (PDF) estimation technique and a marginal distribution analysis technique. The simulation study builds on the results of previous work and provides a quantification of the accuracy of both techniques for various LTA data acquisition scenarios. The experimental comparison consists of using an LTA system to survey the flow downstream of a turbulence generator in a small low-speed wind tunnel. The collected data sets are analyzed and compared.

Humphreys, William M., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Flow visualization in a cryogenic wind tunnel using holography

Results of holographic flow visualization from tests made in the Langley 0.3 meter transonic cryogenic tunnel are presented. The tunnel was operated over a temperature range from 100 to 300 K and a pressure range from 1.1 to 4 atm. Interferometry at the facility may be of limited use at the low temperature high pressure conditions because of the jumbled nature of the reference fringes. The shadowgraph technique appears to be the best means of visualizing shocks at these high density conditions. The spot size at the focus of the reconstructed beams was measured and used as an indicator of density fluctuations in the flow field. These density fluctuations appear to be caused by temperature fluctuations of the test gas which are relatively independent of tunnel conditions.

Burner, A. W.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Flow visualization in a cryogenic wind tunnel using holography

Burner, A. W.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Characterization Progress of an Absorption Laser Differential Interferometer

An absorption laser differential interferometer (A-LDI) system can be used to provide simultaneous, colinear measurements of flow properties (pressure, temperature, concentration, velocity) and flow fluctuations. Further characterization work on the absorption aspect of the system is provided in this paper, including characterization of the laser operating parameters, comparisons of two etalons of different free spectral range, and the further evaluation of a fixed-wavelength absorption measurement that can be used to obtain absorption and LDI measurements with the same sampling rate. A 0.4 GHz etalon was demonstrated to provide sufficient fringe peaks at low modulation depths to be used for the low-pressure testing characteristic of hypersonic wind tunnel facilities. The use of a 3 GHz etalon as a low-cost relative wavemeter was tested and validated. Data taken with the fixed-wavelength strategy in a sub-atmospheric test cell using 100% O2was successful and will allow absorption and LDI data to be acquired simultaneously, colinearly, and at the same sampling rate, yielding a truly simultaneous measurement of the flow density fluctuations and the flow mean density.

Joshua M Weisberger↗

NASA NTRS1949

Flow Measurement by Means of Light Interference

There has been under development for the high-speed wind tunnel of the LFA an optical measuring arrangement for the qualitative and quantitative investigation of flow. By the use of interference measurements, the determination of density at the surface of the bodies being tested in the air stream and in the vicinity of these bodies can be undertaken. The results obtained so far in the simple preliminary investigations show that it is possible, even at a low Reynolds number, to obtain the density field in the neighborhood of a test body by optical means. Simple analytical expressions give the relation between density, pressure, velocity, and temperature. In addition to this, the interference measurement furnishes valuable data on the state of the boundary layer, that is, the sort of boundary layer (whether laminar or turbulent), as well as the temperature and velocity distribution.

Zobel, Th.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Characterization Progress of an Absorption Laser Differential Interferometer

An absorption laser differential interferometer (A-LDI) system can be used to provide simultaneous, colinear measurements of flow properties (pressure, temperature, concentration, velocity) and flow fluctuations. Further characterization work on the absorption aspect of the system is provided in this paper, including characterization of the laser operating parameters, comparisons of two etalons of different free spectral range, and the further evaluation of a fixed-wavelength absorption measurement that can be used to obtain absorption and LDI measurements with the same sampling rate. A 0.4 GHz etalon was demonstrated to provide sufficient fringe peaks at low modulation depths to be used for the low-pressure testing characteristic of hypersonic wind tunnel facilities. The use of a 3 GHz etalon as a low-cost relative wavemeter was tested and validated. Data taken with the fixed-wavelength strategy in a sub-atmospheric test cell using 100% O 2 was successful and will allow absorption and LDI data to be acquired simultaneously, colinearly, and at the same sampling rate, yielding a truly simultaneous measurement of the flow density fluctuations and the flow mean density.

Joshua M. Weisberger↗

NASA NTRS1973

Evaluation of Raman scattering as a sensor of temperature and molecular density

The performance of the Raman scattering technique for the remote monitoring of temperature and molecular number density in various wind tunnel and engine testing facilities has been experimentally evaluated. Temperature measurements were made by monitoring the pure rotational spectrum of nitrogen and the rotational branch separations of nu2 of CF4 for temperatures in the range 300 to 1000 K. These measurements yielded an average error of 2.6 and 7.6%, respectively, for temperature measurements at pressures near 1 atm. Molecular number density measurements with 20% error could be made at densities as low as 3.5 times 10 to the 22-nd power per cu m by monitoring the 6 to 8 rotational transition of nitrogen, 3.5 times 10 to the 23-rd power per cu m by monitoring the Q-branch of the fundamental vibrational transition of nitrogen, and 7 times 10 to the 22-nd power per cu m by monitoring the nu1 fundamental vibrational transition of CF4.

Bandy, A. R.↗

NASA NTRS1926

Preliminary wing model tests in the variable density wind tunnel of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics

This report contains the results of a series of tests with three wing models. By changing the section of one of the models and painting the surface of another, the number of models tested was increased to five. The tests were made in order to obtain some general information on the air forces on wing sections at a high Reynolds number and in particular to make sure that the Reynolds number is really the important factor, and not other things like the roughness of the surface and the sharpness of the trailing edge. The few tests described in this report seem to indicate that the air forces at a high Reynolds number are not equivalent to respective air forces at a low Reynolds number (as in an ordinary atmospheric wind tunnel). The drag appears smaller at a high Reynolds number and the maximum lift is increased in some cases. The roughness of the surface and the sharpness of the trailing edge do not materially change the results, so that we feel confident that tests with systematic series of different wing sections will bring consistent results, important and highly useful to the designer.

Munk, Max M↗

NASA NTRS2004

Aeroheating Design Issues for Reusable Launch Vehicles: A Perspective

An overview of basic aeroheating design issues for Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLV), which addresses the application of hypersonic ground-based testing, and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) and engineering codes, is presented. Challenges inherent to the prediction of aeroheating environments required for the successful design of the RLV Thermal Protection System (TPS) are discussed in conjunction with the importance of employing appropriate experimental/computational tools. The impact of the information garnered by using these tools in the resulting analyses, ultimately enhancing the RLV TPS design is illustrated. A wide range of topics is presented in this overview; e.g. the impact of flow physics issues such as boundary-layer transition, including effects of distributed and discrete roughness, shockshock interactions, and flow separation/reattachment. Also, the benefit of integrating experimental and computational studies to gain an improved understanding of flow phenomena is illustrated. From computational studies, the effect of low-density conditions and of uncertainties in material surface properties on the computed heating rates are highlighted as well as the significant role of CFD in improving the Outer Mold Line (OML) definition to reduce aeroheating while maintaining aerodynamic performance. Appropriate selection of the TPS design trajectories and trajectory shaping to mitigate aeroheating levels and loads are discussed. Lastly, an illustration of an aeroheating design process is presented whereby data from hypersonic wind-tunnel tests are integrated with predictions from CFD codes and engineering methods to provide heating environments along an entry trajectory as required for TPS design.

Zoby, E. Vincent↗

NASA NTRS1991

Wind abrasion on Mars

Aeolian activity was predicted for Mars from earth based observations of changing surface patterns that were interpreted as dust storms. Mariner 9 images showed conclusive evidence for aeolian processes in the form of active dust storms and various aeolian landforms including dunes and yardangs. Windspeeds to initiate particle movement are an order of magnitude higher on Mars than on Earth because of the low atmospheric density on Mars. In order to determine rates of abrasion by wind blown particles, knowledge of three factors is required: (1) particle parameters such as numbers and velocities of windblown grains as functions of windspeeds at various heights above the surface; (2) the susceptibility to abrasion of various rocks and minerals; and (3) wind frequencies and speeds. For estimates appropriate to Mars, data for the first two parameters can be determined through lab and wind tunnel tests; data for the last two factors are available directly from the Viking Lander meteorology experiments for the two landing sites.

Greeley, Ronald↗

NASA NTRS2015

Development of Background-Oriented Schlieren for NASA Langley Research Center Ground Test Facilities

This paper provides an overview of recent wind tunnel tests performed at the NASA Langley Research Center where the Background-Oriented Schlieren (BOS) technique was used to provide information pertaining to flow-field density disturbances. The facilities in which the BOS technique was applied included the National Transonic Facility (NTF), Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT), 31-Inch Mach 10 Air Tunnel, 15-Inch Mach 6 High-Temperature Air Tunnel, Rotor Test Cell at the 14 by 22 Subsonic Tunnel, and a 13-Inch Low-Speed Tunnel.

Bathel, Brett F.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Wind tunnel measurements of surface pressure fluctuations at Mach numbers of 1.6, 2.0, and 2.5 using 12 different transducers

The turbulent boundary layer on the wall of a 9 by 7 foot wind tunnel was measured with 12 different transducers at Mach numbers of 1.6, 2.0, and 2.5. The results indicated that the wall surface-pressure-fluctuation field was more homogeneous at a Mach number of 2.5 than at Mach numbers of 1.6 or 2.0. A comparison of power-spectral-density data at Mach 2.5 with a summary of similar data (Mach 0.1 to 3.45) showed good agreement. The measurement uncertainty was greatest when frequencies were low and the surface-pressure-fluctuation field was homogeneous. The uncertainty at higher frequencies increased as the surface-pressure-fluctuation field became more inhomogeneous. Since transducer mounting effects and system noise levels were determined not to have contributed appreciably to measurement uncertainties, the result was attributed to an interaction between the surface-pressure-fluctuation field and the transducers. Corcos' correction for size effects improved the comparison between transducers at the high frequencies, but did not eliminate an apparent size effect at the lower frequencies.

Lewis, T. L.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Aeroheating Design Issues for Reusable Launch Vehicles: A Perspective

An overview of basic aeroheating design issues for Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLV), which addresses the application of hypersonic ground-based testing, and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) and engineering codes, is presented. Challenges inherent to the prediction of aeroheating environments required for the successful design of the RLV Thermal Protection System (TPS) are discussed in conjunction with the importance of employing appropriate experimental/computational tools. The impact of the information garnered by using these tools in the resulting analyses, ultimately enhancing the RLV TPS design is illustrated. A wide range of topics is presented in this overview; e.g. the impact of flow physics issues such as boundary-layer transition, including effects of distributed and discrete roughness, shock-shock interactions, and flow separation/reattachment. Also, the benefit of integrating experimental and computational studies to gain an improved understanding of flow phenomena is illustrated. From computational studies, the effect of low-density conditions and of uncertainties in material surface properties on the computed heating rates a r e highlighted as well as the significant role of CFD in improving the Outer Mold Line (OML) definition to reduce aeroheating while maintaining aerodynamic performance. Appropriate selection of the TPS design trajectories and trajectory shaping to mitigate aeroheating levels and loads are discussed. Lastly, an illustration of an aeroheating design process is presented whereby data from hypersonic wind-tunnel tests are integrated with predictions from CFD codes and engineering methods to provide heating environments along an entry trajectory as required for TPS design.

Zoby, E. Vincent↗

NASA NTRS1983

Cryogenic wind tunnels for high Reynolds number testing

The present investigation has the objective to provide an overview of the development of cryogenic wind tunnels and their application to high Reynolds number testing. The current need for wind tunnels reflects the fact that many complex three-dimensional flows cannot yet be adequately dealt with analytically. Imperfections of wind tunnels are partly related to the fact that for most wind tunnel tests the Reynolds number is much too low. The best solution to this problem appears to be an operation of the tunnel at cryogenic temperatures (arbitrarily defined as temperatures of 150 K or less. In addition to decreasing the temperature, there are three other approaches for increasing the Reynolds number. These approaches include the use of a heavy gas, an increase in the model size, and an increase in pressure. Attention is given to the variable density tunnel concept, problems with high dynamic pressures, low-speed cryogenic tunnel results, transonic cryogenic tunnel tests, and the injection of liquid nitrogen into the tunnel.

Kilgore, R. A.↗