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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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At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1958

A study of the motion and aerodynamic heating of ballistic missiles entering the earth's atmosphere at high supersonic speeds

A simplified analysis of the velocity and deceleration history of ballistic missiles entering the earth's atmosphere at high supersonic speeds is presented. The results of this motion analysis are employed to indicate means available to the designer for minimizing aerodynamic heating. The heating problem considered involves not only the total heat transferred to a missile by convection, but also the maximum average and local time rates of convective heat transfer.

Allen, H Julian↗
NASA NTRS1950

The effect of torsional flexibility on the rolling characteristics at supersonic speeds of tapered unswept wings

An analysis is presented of the effect of torsional flexibility on the rolling characteristics at supersonic speeds of tapered unswept wings with partial-span constant-percent-chord ailerons extending inboard from the wing tip. The geometric variables considered are aspect ratio, taper ratio, aileron span, and aileron chord. The shape of the wing-torsional-stiffness curve is assumed and the twisting moment is considered to result solely from the pressure distribution caused by aileron deflection, so that the necessity of using a successive-approximation method is avoided. Because of the complexity of the equations resulting from the analysis, numerical calculations from the equations are presented in a series of figures. A computational form is provided to be used in conjunction with these figures so that calculations can be made without reference to the analysis.

Tucker, Warren A↗
NASA NTRS1951

Comparison Between Theory and Experiment for Wings at Supersonic Speeds

This paper presents a critical comparison made between experimental and theoretical results for the aerodynamic characteristics of wings at supersonic flight speeds. As a preliminary, a brief, nonmathematical review is given of the basic assumptions and general findings of supersonic wing theory in two and three dimensions. Published data from two-dimensional pressure-distribution tests are then used to illustrate the effects of fluid viscosity and to assess the accuracy of linear theory as compared with the more exact theories which are available in the two-dimensional case. Finally, an account is presented of an NACA study of the over-all force characteristics of three-dimensional wings at supersonic speed. In this study, the lift, pitching moment, and drag characteristics of several families of wings of varying plan form and section were measured in the wind tunnel and compared with values predicted by the three-dimensional linear theory. The regions of agreement and disagreement between experiment and theory are noted and discussed.

Vincenti, Walter G↗
NASA NTRS1947

Pressure Recovery for Missiles with Reaction Propulsion at High Supersonic Speeds (The Efficiency of Shock Diffusers)

The problem of the intake of air is treated for a missile flying at supersonic speeds and of changing the kinetic energy of the air into pressure with the least possible losses. Calculations are carried out concerning the results which can be attained. After a discussion of several preliminary experiments, the practical solution of the problem at hand is indicated by model experiments. The results proved very satisfactory in view of the results which had been attained previously and the values which were anticipated theoretically.

Oswatitsch, K.↗
NASA NTRS1960

Experimental and Calculated Flow Fields Produced by Airplanes Flying at Supersonic Speeds

Results are presented of a flight investigation conducted to survey the flow field generated by airplanes flying a t supersonic speeds. The pressure signatures of an F-100, an F-104, and a B-58 airplane, representing widely varying configurations, a t distances from 120 t o 425 f e e from the generating aircraft and at Mach numbers from 1.2 t o 1.8 are shown. Calculations were made by using Whitham's method and were compared with the experimental results.

Smith, Harriet J.↗
NASA NTRS1955

Estimation of Inlet Lip Forces at Subsonic and Supersonic Speeds

The effects of lip thickness on inlet performance are estimated as functions of mass flow for subsonic and supersonic flight speeds. At subsonic speeds, pressure-recovery losses and additive drag are shown to decrease linearly with increasing lip frontal area if the maximum suction force is attained. At supersonic speeds, inlet drag increases linearly with inlet lip frontal area at full mass flow. For reduced mass flow, some reduction in additive drag is possible with lips of moderate thickness, but the magnitude of this reduction becomes negligible as flight speed increases.

Moeckel, W E↗
NASA NTRS1950

The longitudinal stability of elastic swept wings at supersonic speed

The longitudinal stability characteristics of elastic swept wings of high aspect ratio experiencing bending and torsional deformations are calculated for supersonic speed by the application of linearized lifting-surface theory. A parabolic wing deflection curve is assumed and the analysis is simplified by a number of structural approximations. The method is thereby limited in application to wings of high aspect ratio for which the root effects are small. Expressions for the lift, pitching-moment, and span load distribution characteristics are derived in terms of the elastic properties of the wing; namely, the design stress, the modulus of elasticity, the shearing modulus, and the maximum design load factor. The analysis applies to wings with leading edges swept behind the Mach lines. In all cases, however, the trailing edge is sonic or supersonic. Application of the method of analysis to wings with leading edges swept ahead of the Mach lines is discussed.

Frick, C W↗
NASA NTRS1992

Influence of airfoil geometry on delta wing leading-edge vortices and vortex-induced aerodynamics at supersonic speeds

An assessment of the influence of airfoil geometry on delta wing leading edge vortex flow and vortex induced aerodynamics at supersonic speeds is discussed. A series of delta wing wind tunnel models were tested over a Mach number range from 1.7 to 2.0. The model geometric variables included leading edge sweep and airfoil shape. Surface pressure data, vapor screen, and oil flow photograph data were taken to evaluate the complex structure of the vortices and shocks on the family of wings tested. The data show that airfoil shape has a significant impact on the wing upper surface flow structure and pressure distribution, but has a minimal impact on the integrated upper surface pressure increments.

Wood, Richard M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Flight test results of riblets at supersonic speeds

A flight experiment to test and evaluate the skin friction drag characteristics of a riblet surface in turbulent flow at supersonic speeds was conducted at NASA Dryden. Riblets of groove sizes 0.0030 and 0.0013 in. were mounted on the F-104G flight test fixture. The test surfaces were surveyed with boundary layer rakes and pressure orifices to examine the boundary layer profiles and pressure distributions of the flow. Skin friction reductions caused by the riblet surface were reported based on measured differences of momentum thickness between the smooth and riblet surfaces obtained from the boundary layer data. Flight test results for the 0.0030 in. riblet show skin friction reductions of 4 to 8 % for Mach numbers ranging from 1.2 to 1.6 and Reynolds numbers ranging from 2 to 3.4 million per unit foot. The results from the 0.0013 in. riblets show skin friction reductions of 4 to 15 % for Mach 1.2 to 1.4 and Reynolds numbers ranging from 3.6 to 6 million per unit foot.

Zuniga, Fanny A.↗
NASA NTRS1953

A Study of the Motion and Aerodynamic Heating of Missiles Entering the Earth's Atmosphere at High Supersonic Speeds

A simplified analysis is made of the velocity and deceleration history of missiles entering the earth's atmosphere at high supersonic speeds. It is found that, in general, the gravity force is negligible compared to the aerodynamic drag force and, hence, that the trajectory is essentially a straight line. A constant drag coefficient and an exponential variation of density with altitude are assumed and generalized curves for the variation of missile speed and deceleration with altitude are obtained. A curious finding is that the maximum deceleration is independent of physical characteristics of a missile (e.g., mass, size, and drag coefficient) and is determined only by entry speed and flight-path angle, provided this deceleration occurs before impact. This provision is satisfied by missiles presently of more usual interest.

Allen, H. Julian↗
NASA NTRS2013

Experimental Investigation of Aeroelastic Deformation of Slender Wings at Supersonic Speeds Using a Video Model Deformation Measurement Technique

A video-based photogrammetric model deformation system was established as a dedicated optical measurement technique at supersonic speeds in the NASA Langley Research Center Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel. This system was used to measure the wing twist due to aerodynamic loads of two supersonic commercial transport airplane models with identical outer mold lines but different aeroelastic properties. One model featured wings with deflectable leading- and trailing-edge flaps and internal channels to accommodate static pressure tube instrumentation. The wings of the second model were of single-piece construction without flaps or internal channels. The testing was performed at Mach numbers from 1.6 to 2.7, unit Reynolds numbers of 1.0 million to 5.0 million, and angles of attack from -4 degrees to +10 degrees. The video model deformation system quantified the wing aeroelastic response to changes in the Mach number, Reynolds number concurrent with dynamic pressure, and angle of attack and effectively captured the differences in the wing twist characteristics between the two test articles.

Erickson, Gary E.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Theoretical determination of the minimum drag of airfoils at supersonic speeds

A method is reported for determining mathematically the combined disturbance field, and in certain cases the minimum drag, of wings at supersonic speeds. The simplest analytic example is provided by the wing of elliptic planform, which achieves its minimum drag when the lift is distributed uniformly over the surface. With a symmetrical distribution of thickness, the requirement of minimum drag for a given total volume is found to lead to profiles of constant curvature.

Jones, R. T.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Vortex development on slender missiles at supersonic speeds

A theoretical and experimental effort has been made to develop a vortex-prediction capability on circular and noncircular missiles at supersonic speeds. Predicted vortex patterns are computed by two linear-theory computer codes. One calculates the strengths and initial locations of the vortices, and the other calculates their trajectories. A short color motion picture has been produced from the calculations to illustrate the predicted vortex patterns on a typical missile. Experimental vapor-screen photographs are presented to show the longitudinal development of the vortices on a fin-control missile. Comparisons are made between these data and the predicted vortices to assess the accuracy of the theory. The theory appears to be fairly accurate in predicting the number, locations, and relative strengths of individual vortices which develop over the missile, but cannot predict vortex sheets or diffuse vorticity whenever they occur.

Allen, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1948

Free-flight Investigation at Transonic and Supersonic Speeds of the Rolling Effectiveness of a 42.7 Degree Sweptback Wing Having Partial-span Ailerons

An investigation of the rolling effectiveness at transonic and supersonic speeds of partial-span ailerons on a 42.7 degree sweptback wing having symmetrical circular-arc airfoil sections of 10-percent thickness ratio normal to the wing quarter-chord line has been made by means of rocket-propelled test vehicles. The results are compared with results of a supersonic wind-tunnel test at Mach number 1.9.

CONTROLS, LATERAL↗
NASA NTRS1995

Interstellar clouds in high-speed, supersonic flows: Two-dimensional simulations

We present a series of gasdynamical simulations of the interaction of a dense, cool interstellar cloud with a high-speed, supersonic wind that confines and accelerates the embedded cloud. Our goal is to attempt to determine if such clouds can survive various potentially disruptive instabilities, that occur at their peripheries, long enough to be accelerated to speeds which are comparable to the wind velocity. These simulations are performed using two-dimensional, Eulerian gas dynamics on both an axisymmetric (about the cloud axis) and 'slab' geometric grid. The spatial and temporal resolutions of the simulations are varied over a wide range to investigate the effects of small-scale instabilities on the overall acceleration of clouds and the development of large-scale, disruptive instabilities. Also, we study the effects of wind/cloud Mach number variations by changing the wind speed constant at about 12 km/s (which corresponds to a cloud temperature of 10,000 K). The current simulations track the evolution of clouds as they are accelerated to speeds approximately 4-5 times greater than their internal sound speeds. Furthermore, the models with the highest resolution were extended far beyond quasi-linear Rayleigh-Taylor growth times reaching 6-7 Rayleigh-Taylor growth times for the largest scale instabilities before being terminated because of the accumulation of errors at the rear grid boundary.

Schiano, A. V. R.↗
NASA NTRS1956

Aerodynamic Characteristics and Flying Qualities of a Tailless Triangular-wing Airplane Configuration as Obtained from Flights of Rocket-propelled Models at Transonic and Supersonic Speeds

A flight investigation of rocket-powered models of a tailless triangular-wing airplane configuration was made through the transonic and low supersonic speed range at the Langley Pilotless Aircraft Research Station at Wallops Island, Va. An analysis of the aerodynamic coefficients, stability derivatives, and flying qualities based on the results obtained from the successful flight tests of three models is presented.

DAMPING DERIVATIVES - STABILITY↗
NASA NTRS1953

A Method of Calibrating Airspeed Installations on Airplanes at Transonic and Supersonic Speeds by the Use of Accelerometer and Attitude-Angle Measurements

A method is described for calibrating airspeed installation on airplanes at transonic and supersonic speeds in vertical-plane maneuvers in which use is made of measurements of normal and longitudinal accelerations and attitude angle. In this method all the required instrumentation is carried within the airplane. An analytical study of the effects of various sources of error on the accuracy of an airspeed calibration by the accelerometer method indicated that the required measurements can be made accurately enough to insure a satisfactory calibration.

Zalovick, John A↗