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At least 1,081 records · Page 60

Transonic flutter study of a 50.5 deg cropped-delta wing with two rearward-mounted nacelles

Transonic flutter characteristics of three geometrically similar delta-wing models were experimentally determined in the Langley transonic dynamics tunnel at Mach numbers from about 0.6 to 1.2. The models were designed to be simplified versions of an early supersonic transport wing design. The model was an aspect-ratio-1.28 cropped-delta wing with a leadingedge sweep of 50.5 deg. The flutter characteristics obtained for this wing configuration indicated a minimum flutter-speed index near a Mach number of 0.92 and a transonic compressibility dip amounting to about a 27-percent decrease in the flutter-speed index relative to the value at a Mach number of 0.6. Analytical studies were performed for one wing model at Mach numbers of 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, and 0.9 by using both doublet-lattice and lifting-surface (kernel-function) unsteady aerodynamic theory. A comparison of the analytical and experimental flutter results showed good agreement at all Mach numbers investigated.

Sandford, M. C.↗

Subsonic and supersonic longitudinal stability and control characteristics of an aft tail fighter configuration with cambered and uncambered wings and uncambered fuselage

An investigation has been made in the Mach number range from 0.20 to 2.16 to determine the longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of a fighter airplane concept. The configuration concept employs a single fixed geometry inlet, a 50 deg leading-edge-angle clipped-arrow wing, a single large vertical tail, and low horizontal tails. The wing camber surface was optimized in drag due to lift and was designed to be self-trimming at Mach 1.40 and at a lift coefficient of 0.20. An uncambered or flat wing of the same planform and thickness ratio was also tested. However, for the present investigation, the fuselage was not cambered. Further tests should be made on a cambered fuselage version, which attempts to preserve the optimum wing loading on that part of the theoretical wing enclosed by the fuselage.

Dollyhigh, S. M.↗

Transonic transport wings - Oblique or swept

A comparative evaluation of fixed-geometry and variable-sweep wing designs, a fixed delta wing, and oblique wings with a single body or two bodies suggests that an oblique wing is preferable in a transonic transport aircraft in terms of gross weight, fuel consumption, and aircraft noise, and also shows an acceptable aeroelastic stability. Further studies are, however, needed to develop the full potential of the oblique-wing concept, including its economic implications.

Jones, R. T.↗

Computation of transonic flow about lifting wing-cylinder combinations

Some results are described for a lifting rectangular wing centrally located on a circular-cylindrical body. This simple configuration has been utilized in order to assess the merits of a mapping technique for wing-body configurations. The procedure employed makes use of a coordinate transformation to simplify specification of the surface boundary condition in the computation of the flow about the wing. The method can be extended to incorporate wing sweep, finite length body of noncircular cross section, and arbitrary wing placement; however, these extensions involve a considerable increase in complexity of the problem.

Klunker, E. B.↗

Subsonic and transonic hinge moment and wing bending/torsion characteristics of .015 scale space shuttle models 49-0 and 67-TS in the Rockwell International trisonic wind tunnel (IA70), volume 1

Experimental aerodynamic investigations were conducted on an 0.015-scale representation of the integrated space shuttle launch vehicle in the trisonic wind tunnel. The primary test objective was to obtain subsonic and transonic elevon and bodyflap hinge moments and wing bending-torsion moments in the presence of the launch vehicle. Wing pressures were also recorded for the upper and lower right wing surfaces at two spanwise stations. The hinge moment, wing bending/torsion moments and wing pressure data were recorded over an angle-of-attack (alpha) range from -8 deg to +8 deg, and angle-of-sideslip (beta) range from -8 deg to +8 deg and at Mach numbers of 0.90, 1.12, 1.24 and 1.50. Tests were also conducted to determine the effects of the orbiter rear attach cross beam and the forward attach wedge and strut diameter. The orbiter alone was tested at 0.90 and 1.24 Mach number only.

Hughes, M. T.↗

Transient flight flutter test of a wing with tip tanks

Wing flutter was encountered during flight testing of the F2H-2 airplane with full wing tip tanks. As a result, more refined theoretical analysis as well as flight flutter tests were initated to establish corrective measures and to experimentally verify the stability of the improved system. The results from the flight flutter tests, utilizing the transient response technique, are presented. The method of excitation consisted of abrupt deflections of the ailerons resulting from stick bangs and data were measured by wing tip accelerometers. A comparison of the results with theoretical predictions is presented and indicates that reasonably good correlation was obtained. The influence on wing flutter of tip tank fuel transfer cycle, which was incorporated to control the center of gravity range of the tank during defueling, is indicated by the measured results and compared with the theory. The final configuration utilized a transfer cycle which was proven stable as a result of flight flutter testing. It is concluded that transient response measurements resulting from stick bangs provide a reasonably reliable and safe technique of flight flutter testing for wings with external tanks or heavy stores.

Werdes, R. J.↗

Reduction of wave drag by antisymmetric arrangement of wings and bodies

In theory, antisymmetric arrangements of wings and bodies can have smaller wave drag than corresponding mirror-symmetric arrangements. Thus, a long narrow oblique wing which presents the same aspect for two opposite directions of flight is potentially more efficient than corresponding (i.e., structurally equivalent) swept wing. The single continuous wing panel also adapts itself more readily to varying angles of obliquity, and hence, to varying flight speeds. Previous work on the aerodynamics and flight stability of oblique wing combinations is reviewed and a possible mode of application to transport aircraft operating at moderate supersonic speeds is suggested.

Jones, R. T.↗

Flutter of asymmetrically swept wings

Two formulations of the oblique wing flutter problem are presented; one formulation allows only simple wing bending deformations and rigid body roll as degrees of freedom, while the second formulation includes a more complex bending-torsional deformation together with the roll freedom. Flutter is found to occur in two basic modes. The first mode is associated with wing bending-aircraft roll coupling and occurs at low values of reduced frequency. The second instability mode closely resembles a classical bending-torsion wing flutter event. This latter mode occurs at much higher reduced frequencies than the first. The occurrence of the bending-roll coupling mode is shown to lead to lower flutter speeds while the bending-torsion mode is associated with higher flutter speeds. The ratio of the wing mass moment of inertia in roll to the fuselage roll moment of inertia is found to be a major factor in the determination of which of the two instabilities is critical.

Weisshaar, T. A.↗

A design approach and selected wind tunnel results at high subsonic speeds for wing-tip mounted winglets

Winglets, which are small, nearly vertical, winglike surfaces, substantially reduce drag coefficients at lifting conditions. The primary winglet surfaces are rearward above the wing tips; secondary surfaces are forward below the wing tips. This report presents a discussion of the considerations involved in the design of the winglets; measured effects of these surfaces on the aerodynamic forces, moments, and loads for a representative first generation, narrow body jet transport wing; and a comparison of these effects with those for a wing tip extension which results in approximately the same increase in bending moment at the wing-fuselage juncture as did the addition of the winglets.

Whitcomb, R. T.↗

Unsteady flow past wings having sharp-edge separation

A vortex-lattice technique is developed to model unsteady, incompressible flow past thin wings. This technique predicts the shape of the wake as a function of time; thus, it is not restricted by planform, aspect ratio, or angle of attack as long as vortex bursting does not occur and the flow does not separate from the wing surface. Moreover, the technique can be applied to wings of arbitrary curvature undergoing general motion; thus, it can treat rigid-body motion, arbitrary wing deformation, gusts in the freestream, and periodic motions. Numerical results are presented for low-aspect rectangular wings undergoing a constant-rate, rigid-body rotation about the trailing edge. The results for the unsteady motion are compared with those predicted by assuming quasi-steady motion. The present results exhibit hysteretic behavior.

Atta, E. H.↗

An investigation of aeroelastic phenomena associated with an oblique winged aircraft

Oblique wing aeroelasticity studies are reviewed. The static aeroelastic stability characteristics of oblique wing aircraft, lateral trim requirements for 1-g flight, and the dynamic aeroelastic stability behavior of oblique winged aircraft, primarily flutter, are among the topics studied. The similarities and differences between oblique winged aircraft and conventional, bilaterally symmetric, swept wing aircraft are emphasized.

Weisshaar, T. A.↗

The flow over a 'high' aspect ratio gothic wing at supersonic speeds

Results are presented of an experimental investigation on a nonconical wing which supports an attached shock wave over a region of the leading edge near the vertex and a detached shock elsewhere. The shock detachment point is determined from planform schlieren photographs of the flow field and discrepancies are shown to exist between this and the one calculated by applying the oblique shock equations normal to the leading edge. On a physical basis, it is argued that the shock detachment has to obey the two-dimensional law normal to the leading edges. From this, and from other measurements on conical wings, it is thought that the planform schlieren technique may not be particularly satisfactory for detecting shock detachment. Surface pressure distributions are presented and are explained in terms of the flow over related delta wings which are identified as a vertex delta wing and a local delta wing.

Narayan, K. Y.↗

Comparison of supercritical and conventional wing flutter characteristics

A wind-tunnel study is described in which it was attempted to compare the measured flutter boundaries of two dynamically similar aeroelastic models with identical planform, maximum thickness-to-chord ratio, and as nearly identical stiffness and mass distributions as possible, but with one wing having a supercritical airfoil and the other a conventional one. At subsonic Mach numbers, the flutter boundary for the supercritical wing was above that of the conventional wing, as predicted by flutter calculations using subsonic lifting theory. In the transonic region, however, the supercritical wing boundary decreases more rapidly and the minimum flutter point occurs at a dynamic pressure below the conventional wing boundary. Airfoil shape effects may account for some of the difference in the flutter boundaries of the two airfoils.

Farmer, M. G.↗

Applications of oblique-wing technology - An overview

A summary of oblique-wing technology programs, including system studies and experimental activities, is presented. Oblique-wing civil transports were studied and compared with conventional configurations at design cruise Mach numbers of 0.95 and 1.2. Studies of military configurations employing oblique-wing technology considered aircraft concepts, remotely piloted vehicles, and a cruise missile. Experimental activities included wind-tunnel tests of high and low aspect ratio oblique wings; flight tests are planned using unmanned and manned vehicles. The research program suggests that oblique-wing technology offers improved performance over conventional concepts for aircraft operating in the transonic speed range.

Nelms, W. P., Jr.↗

Aeroelastic stability and control of an oblique wing - Wind tunnel experiments

Results are presented for wind tunnel tests of an elastic wing model to verify the theoretical predictions for the aeroelastic instability of an oblique wing. The model wing has an elliptic planform of 10 to 1 axis ratio and a symmetrical airfoil section of 7-1/2% thickness/chord ratio. The wing is of wood and as may be seen in the photographs presented, slack wires are used to limit the amplitude of unstable motions. The fuselage is mounted on bearings permitting freedom of roll, but provision is made to clamp the fuselage for some of the tests. It is found that freedom in roll increases the dynamic pressure at which aeroelastic instability first appears. With the model free in roll, the effectiveness of the ailerons in maintaining trim is not noticeably affected by passage through the speed at which the wing would become unstable if clamped.

Jones, R. T.↗

Calculation of the longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of wing-flap configurations with externally blown flaps

A theoretical investigation was carried out to extend and improve an existing method for predicting the longitudinal characteristics of wing flap configurations with externally blown flaps (EBF). Two potential flow models were incorporated into the prediction method: a wing and flap lifting-surface model and a turbofan engine wake model. The wing-flap model uses a vortex-lattice approach to represent the wing and flaps. The jet wake model consists of a series of closely spaced vortex rings normal to a centerline which may have vertical and lateral curvature to conform to the local flow field beneath the wing and flaps. Comparisons of measured and predicted pressure distributions, span load distributions on each lifting surface, and total lift and pitching moment coefficients on swept and unswept EBF configurations are included. A wide range of thrust coefficients and flap deflection angles is considered at angles of attack up to the onset of stall. Results indicate that overall lift and pitching-moment coefficients are predicted reasonably well over the entire range. The predicted detailed load distributions are qualitatively correct and show the peaked loads at the jet impingement points, but the widths and heights of the load peaks are not consistently predicted.

Mendenhall, M. R.↗

Pressure distribution on a 1- by 3-meter semispan wing at sweep angles from 0 deg to 40 deg in subsonic flow

A 1- by 3-meter semispan wing of taper ratio 1.0 with NACA 0012 airfoil section contours was tested in the Langley V/STOL tunnel to measure the pressure distribution at five sweep angles, 0 deg, 10 deg, 20 deg, 30 deg, and 40 deg, through an angle-of-attack range from -6 deg to 20 deg. The pressure data are presented as plots of pressure coefficients at each static-pressure tap location on the wing. Flow visualization wing-tuft photographs are also presented for a wing of 40 deg sweep. A comparison between theory and experiment using two inviscid theories and a viscous theory shows good agreement for pressure distributions, normal forces, and pitching moments for the wing at 0 deg sweep.

Yip, L. P.↗

Theoretical Parametric Study of the Relative Advantages of Winglets and Wing-Tip Extensions

This study provides sweeping confirmation, for a wide range of wings, of the recommendations of Whitcomb in NASA TN D-8560. For identical increases in bending moment, a winglet provides a greater gain in induced efficiency than tip extension. Winglet toe angle allows design trades between efficiency and root moment. A winglet shows the greatest benefit when the wing loads are heavy near the tip. Washout diminishes the benefit of either tip modification, and the gain in induced efficiency becomes a function of lift coefficient; thus, heavy wing loadings obtain the greatest benefit from a winglet, and low-speed performance is enhanced even more than cruise performance. Both induced efficiency and bending moment increase with winglet length and outward cant. The benefit of a winglet relative to a tip extension is greatest for a nearly vertical winglet. Root bending moment is proportional to the minimum weight of bending material required in the wing; thus, it is a valid index of the impact of tip modifications on a new wing design.

Aerodynamics↗