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At least 1,243 records · Page 69

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NASA NTRS2001

Devices that Alter the Tip Vortex of a Rotor

Small devices were attached near the tip of a hovering rotor blade 'in order to alter the structure and trajectory of the trailing vortex. Stereo particle image velocimetry (PIV) images were used to quantify the wake behind the rotor blade during the first revolution. A procedure for analyzing the 3D-velocity field is presented that includes a method for accounting for vortex wander. The results show that a vortex generator can alter the trajectory of the trailing vortex and that a major change in the size and intensity of the trailing vortex can be achieved by introducing a high level of turbulence into the core of the vortex.

McAlister, Kenneth W.↗

NASA NTRS2001

A Wind-Tunnel Parametric Investigation of Tiltrotor Whirl-Flutter Stability Boundaries

A wind-tunnel investigation of tiltrotor whirl-flutter stability boundaries has been conducted on a 1/5-size semispan tiltrotor model known as the Wing and Rotor Aeroelastic Test System (WRATS) in the NASA-Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel as part of a joint NASA/Army/Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc. (BHTI) research program. The model was first developed by BHTI as part of the JVX (V-22) research and development program in the 1980's and was recently modified to incorporate a hydraulically-actuated swashplate control system for use in active controls research. The modifications have changed the model's pylon mass properties sufficiently to warrant testing to re-establish its baseline stability boundaries. A parametric investigation of the effect of rotor design variables on stability was also conducted. The model was tested in both the on-downstop and off-downstop configurations, at cruise flight and hover rotor rotational speeds, and in both air and heavy gas (R-134a) test mediums. Heavy gas testing was conducted to quantify Mach number compressibility effects on tiltrotor stability. Experimental baseline stability boundaries in air are presented with comparisons to results from parametric variations of rotor pitch-flap coupling and control system stiffness. Increasing the rotor pitch-flap coupling (delta(sub 3) more negative) was found to have a destabilizing effect on stability, while a reduction in control system stiffness was found to have little effect on whirl-flutter stability. Results indicate that testing in R-134a, and thus matching full-scale tip Mach number, has a destabilizing effect, which demonstrates that whirl-flutter stability boundaries in air are unconservative.

Piatak, David J.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Overview of Propulsion Systems for a Mars Aircraft

The capabilities and performance of an aircraft depends greatly on the ability of the propulsion system to provide thrust. Since the beginning of powered flight, performance has increased in step with advancements in aircraft propulsion systems. These advances in technology from combustion engines to jets and rockets have enabled aircraft to exploit our atmospheric environment and fly at altitudes near the Earth's surface to near orbit at speeds ranging from hovering to several times the speed of sound. One of the main advantages of our atmosphere for these propulsion systems is the availability of oxygen. Getting oxygen basically "free" from the atmosphere dramatically increases the performance and capabilities of an aircraft. This is one of the reasons our present-day aircraft can perform such a wide range of tasks. But this advantage is limited to Earth; if we want to fly an aircraft on another planetary body, such as Mars, we will either have to carry our own source of oxygen or use a propulsion system that does not require it. The Mars atmosphere, composed mainly of carbon dioxide, is very thin. Because of this low atmospheric density, an aircraft flying on Mars will most likely be operating, in aerodynamical terms, within a very low Reynolds number regime. Also, the speed of sound within the Martian environment is approximately 20 percent less than it is on Earth. The reduction in the speed of sound plays an important role in the aerodynamic performance of both the aircraft itself and the components of the propulsion system, such as the propeller. This low Reynolds number-high Mach number flight regime is a unique flight environment that is very rarely encountered here on Earth.

Colozza, Anthony J.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Navier-Stokes Solutions of Rotor and Rotor-Body Flows

This paper will review the advances made recently in the Navier-Stokes CFD methods to simulate aerodynamics and aeroacoustics of helicopter rotors and rotor-body flows. Although a complete flowfield simulation of full helicopter is currently not feasible with these methods, impressive gains have been made in analyzing individual components of this complex problem in a very detailed manner. The use of the state-of-the-art numerical algorithms in solution methods, in conjunction with powerful supercomputers, like the Cray-2, have enabled noticeable progress to be made in modeling viscous-inviscid interactions, blade-vortex interactions, tip-vortex: simulation and wake effects, as well as high speed impulsive noise in hover and forward flight for isolated rotor blades. This paper will critically evaluate the presently available Euler and Navier-Stokes methods, both finite-difference and finite volume methods using structured and unstructured grids for helicopter applications for accuracy, suitability, and computational efficiency. The review will also include the recent progress made using overset grids to model rotor-body flows. All the material for this review will be drawn from the published material shown below.

Srinivasan, G. R.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Maneuvering Rotorcraft Noise Prediction: A New Code for a New Problem

This paper presents the unique aspects of the development of an entirely new maneuver noise prediction code called PSU-WOPWOP. The main focus of the code is the aeroacoustic aspects of the maneuver noise problem, when the aeromechanical input data are provided (namely aircraft and blade motion, blade airloads). The PSU-WOPWOP noise prediction capability was developed for rotors in steady and transient maneuvering flight. Featuring an object-oriented design, the code allows great flexibility for complex rotor configuration and motion (including multiple rotors and full aircraft motion). The relative locations and number of hinges, flexures, and body motions can be arbitrarily specified to match the any specific rotorcraft. An analysis of algorithm efficiency is performed for maneuver noise prediction along with a description of the tradeoffs made specifically for the maneuvering noise problem. Noise predictions for the main rotor of a rotorcraft in steady descent, transient (arrested) descent, hover and a mild "pop-up" maneuver are demonstrated.

Brentner, Kenneth S.↗

NASA NTRS1995

V/STOL Systems Research Aircraft: A Tool for Cockpit Integration

The next generation ASTOVL aircraft will have a complicated propulsion System. The configuration choices include Direct Lift, Lift-Fan and Lift+Lift /Cruise but the aircraft must also have supersonic performance and low-observable characteristics. The propulsion system may have features such as flow blockers, vectoring nozzles and flow transfer schemes. The flight control system will necessarily fully integrate the aerodynamic surfaces and the propulsive elements. With a fully integrated, fly-by-wire flight/propulsion control system, the options for cockpit integration are interesting and varied. It is possible to decouple longitudinal and vertical responses allowing the pilot to close the loop on flight path and flight path acceleration directly. In the hover, the pilot can control the translational rate directly without having to stabilize the inner rate and attitude loops. The benefit of this approach, reduced workload and increased precision. has previously been demonstrated through several motion-based simulations. In order to prove the results in flight, the V/STOL System Research Aircraft (VSRA) was developed at the NASA Ames Research Center. The VSRA is the YAV-8B Prototype modified with a research flight control system using a series-parallel servo configuration in all the longitudinal degrees of freedom (including thrust and thrust vector angle) to provide an integrated flight and propulsion control system in a limited envelope. Development of the system has been completed and flight evaluations of the response types have been performed. In this paper we will discuss the development of the VSRA, the evolution of the flight path command and translational rate command response types and the Guest Pilot evaluations of the system. Pilot evaluation results will be used to draw conclusions regarding the suitability of the system to satisfy V/STOL requirements.

Stortz, Michael W.↗

NASA NTRS1996

STOVL Jet Efflux Characteristics and their Influence on Propulsion-Induced Effects

Jet efflux characteristics are a determining factor in STOVL aircraft aero/propulsion induced effects. Subcritical jets may have core lengths which range up to 6 diameters. The shorter core length jets tend to entrain ambient air more rapidly, inducing larger hover lift losses, and decay more rapidly, reducing adverse ground erosion. In transition flight, shorter core length jets show a larger decrease in the lift loss and a slight decrease in nose-up pitching moment. Supercritical pressure ratio jets tend to have longer, higher pressure core lengths with a greater hazard for ground erosion. The decay in the fully developed region is similar for both subcritical and supercritical pressure ratio jets. For subsonic jets the decay is inversely proportional to the distance from the jet exit. In ground effect the supercritical jet induces an oscillating pressure distribution on the ground with reflected shocks and expansions which can increase ground erosion and, at low ground heights, cause non-monotonic lift loss variations.

Arledge, Tom↗

NASA NTRS2001

Vortex Wake Geometry of a Model Tilt Rotor in Forward Flight

A full-span 0.25-scale V-22 tiltrotor was tested in the NASA Ames 40-by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel in November 2000. The main objective of the test was to acquire a comprehensive database to validate tiltrotor analyses. Figure 1 shows the model installed in the Ames 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel. Rotor and vehicle performance measurements were taken in addition to wing pressures, acoustics, and flow visualization. A dual acoustic traverse system was installed to measure blade-vortex interaction (BVI) noise levels and directivity. Test conditions included hover and forward flight in helicopter mode. Angle-of-attack and thrust sweeps for three tunnel speeds were acquired before model problems caused the premature conclusion of the test. The test will resume in the Ames 80- by 120-Foot Wind Tunnel in late 2001. This paper will focus on the wake geometry measurements that were acquired during the test. The wake geometry measurements were a small subset of a larger matrix of planned measurements designed to study the development and structure of the dual vortex system generated during BVI conditions. The present paper will provide wake geometry data for four test conditions. In addition, the data will be compared with previously acquired wake measurements from an isolated tiltrotor

Wadcock, Alan J.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Full-Span Tiltrotor Aeroacoustic Model (TRAM) Overview and 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel Test

Most helicopter data trends cannot be extrapolated to tiltrotors because blade geometry and aerodynamic behavior, as well as rotor and fuselage interactions, are significantly different for tiltrotors. A tiltrotor model has been developed to investigate the aeromechanics of tiltrotors, to develop a comprehensive database for validating tiltrotor analyses, and to provide a research platform for supporting future tiltrotor designs. The Full-Span Tiltrotor Aeroacoustic Model (FS TRAM) is a dual-rotor, powered aircraft model with extensive instrumentation for measurement of structural and aerodynamic loads. This paper will present the Full-Span TRAM test capabilities and the first set of data obtained during a 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel test conducted in late 2000 at NASA Ames Research Center. The Full-Span TRAM is a quarter-scale representation of the V-22 Osprey aircraft, and a heavily instrumented NASA and U.S. Army wind tunnel test stand. Rotor structural loads are monitored and recorded for safety-of-flight and for information on blade loads and dynamics. Left and right rotor balance and fuselage balance loads are monitored for safety-of-flight and for measurement of vehicle and rotor aerodynamic performance. Static pressure taps on the left wing are used to determine rotor/wing interactional effects and rotor blade dynamic pressures measure blade airloads. All of these measurement capabilities make the FS TRAM test stand a unique and valuable asset for validation of computational codes and to aid in future tiltrotor designs. The Full-Span TRAM was tested in the NASA Ames Research Center 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel from October through December 2000. Rotor and vehicle performance measurements were acquired in addition to wing pressures, rotor acoustics, and Laser Light Sheet (LLS) flow visualization data. Hover, forward flight, and airframe (rotors off) aerodynamic runs were performed. Helicopter-mode data were acquired during angle of attack and thrust sweeps for a variety of tunnel speeds. Wake geometry images were acquired using LLS photographs and suggest dual tip vortex formation at low thrust conditions. The full paper will include comparisons to isolated-rotor TRAM data acquired at the Duits-Nederlandse Windtunnel (DNW) in 1998. The FS TRAM has been established as a valuable national asset for tiltrotor research. Data reduction and analysis of the 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel test results are underway. Follow-on testing of the FS TRAM is currently being planned for the NASA Ames 80- by 120-Foot Wind Tunnel in late 2001.

McCluer, Megan S.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Vortex Core Size in the Rotor Near-Wake

Using a kinetic energy conservation approach, a number of simple analytic expressions are derived for estimating core size of tip vortices in the near-wake of rotors in hover or axial-flight (climb). The influence of thrust, axial-flight advance ratio, blade count, blade aspect ratio, nonuniform disk loading, and vortex structure on rotor vortex core size is assessed. Vortex core size is found to be directly proportional to rotor thrust and inversely proportional to axial-flight advance ratio. Further, it is found that the more efficient the rotor is with respect to factors that affect induced power, the smaller the vortex core size. In particular, uniformity of the rotor disk loading clearly has the greatest influence on vortex core size of the parameters studied in this paper.

Young, Larry A.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Performance Study and CFD Predictions of a Ducted Fan System

An experimental investigation was completed in the NASA Ames 7 by 10-Foot Wind Tunnel to study the performance characteristics of a ducted fan. The goal of this effort is to study the effect of ducted fan geometry and utilize Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis to provide a baseline for correlation. A 38-inch diameter, 10-inch chord duct with a five-bladed fixed-pitch fan was tested. Duct performance data were obtained in hover, vertical climb, and forward flight test conditions. This paper will present a description of the test, duct performance results and correlation with CFD predictions.

Abrego, Anita I.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Numerical Experiment with Time and Spatial Accuracy of Navier-Stokes Computation For Helicopter Problems

Helicopter flowfields are highly unsteady, nonlinear and three-dimensional. In forward flight and in hover, the rotor blades interact with the tip vortex and wake sheet developed by either itself or the other blades. This interaction, known as blade-vortex interactions (BVI), results in unsteady loading of the blades and can cause a distinctive acoustic signature. Accurate and cost-effective computational fluid dynamic solutions that capture blade-vortex interactions can help rotor designers and engineers to predict rotor performance and to develop designs for low acoustic signature. Such a predictive method must preserve a blade's shed vortex for several blade revolutions before being dissipated. A number of researchers have explored the requirements for this task. This paper will outline some new capabilities that have been added to the NASA Ames' OVERFLOW code to improve its overall accuracy for both vortex capturing and unsteady flows. To highlight these improvements, a number of case studies will be presented. These case studies consist of free convection of a 2-dimensional vortex, dynamically pitching 2-D airfoil including light-stall, and a full 3-D unsteady viscous solution of a helicopter rotor in forward flight In this study both central and upwind difference schemes are modified to be more accurate. Central difference scheme is chosen for this simulation because the flowfield is not dominated by strong shocks. The feature of shock-vortex interaction in such a flow is less important than the dominant blade-vortex interaction. The scheme is second-order accurate in time and solves the thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations in fully-implicit manner at each time-step. The spatial accuracy is either second and fourth-order central difference or third-order upwind difference using Roe-flux and MUSCLE scheme. This paper will highlight and demonstrate the methods for several sample cases and for a helicopter rotor. Preliminary computations on a rotor were performed by using this method and are in the process of documentation.

Ahmad, Jasim↗

NASA NTRS1992

Small Business Innovations (Helicopters)

The amount of engine power required for a helicopter to hover is an important, but difficult, consideration in helicopter design. The EHPIC program model produces converged, freely distorted wake geometries that generate accurate analysis of wake-induced downwash, allowing good predictions of rotor thrust and power requirements. Continuum Dynamics, Inc., the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) company that developed EHPIC, also produces RotorCRAFT, a program for analysis of aerodynamic loading of helicopter blades in forward flight. Both helicopter codes have been licensed to commercial manufacturers.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2002

Modeling and Simulation of a Helicopter Slung Load Stabilization Device

This paper addresses the problem of simulation and stabilization of the yaw motions of a cargo container slung load. The study configuration is a UH-60 helicopter carrying a 6ft x 6 ft x 8 ft CONEX container. This load is limited to 60 KIAS in operations and flight testing indicates that it starts spinning in hover and that spin rate increases with airspeed. The simulation reproduced the load yaw motions seen in the flight data after augmenting the load model with terms representing unsteady load yaw moment effects acting to reinforce load oscillations, and augmenting the hook model to include yaw resistance at the hook. The use of a vertical fin to stabilize the load is considered. Results indicate that the CONEX airspeed can be extended to 110 kts using a 3x5 ft fin.

Cicolani, Luigi S.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Computational Analysis of a Prototype Martian Rotorcraft Experiment

This paper presents Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes calculations for a prototype Martian rotorcraft. The computations are intended for comparison with an ongoing Mars rotor hover test at NASA Ames Research Center. These computational simulations present a new and challenging problem, since rotors that operate on Mars will experience a unique low Reynolds number and high Mach number environment. Computed results for the 3-D rotor differ substantially from 2-D sectional computations in that the 3-D results exhibit a stall delay phenomenon caused by rotational forces along the blade span. Computational results have yet to be compared to experimental data, but computed performance predictions match the experimental design goals fairly well. In addition, the computed results provide a high level of detail in the rotor wake and blade surface aerodynamics. These details provide an important supplement to the expected experimental performance data.

Corfeld, Kelly J.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Computational Analysis of a Prototype Martian Rotorcraft Experiment

Corfeld, Kelly J.↗

NASA NTRS1961

Effects of Gyroscopic Cross Coupling Between Pitch and Yaw on the Handling Qualities of VTOL Aircraft

Gyroscopic cross coupling between pitch and yaw was simulated with a variable-stability helicopter while hovering in a yawing maneuver to ascertain the effect of cross coupling on handling qualities. Pilot ratings of the controllability of cross coupling were obtained for various combinations of longitudinal control power, angular velocity about the yaw axis, and simulated engine angular momentum. A theoretical investigation, supplemented by simulator data, was undertaken to determine the effect of longitudinal damping on the coupling controllability. Also, a comparison was made between flight and simulator data. The results indicated that for an aircraft with otherwise satisfactory longitudinal handling qualities, the level of cross coupling is satisfactory when less than 30 percent of the available longitudinal control will trim out the largest gyroscopic coupling moment which might be encountered. Increased longitudinal damping resulted in a significant increase in the controllability of pitch-yaw gyroscopic cross coupling.

Garren, John F., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1961

Nomographic Solution of the Momentum Equation for VTOL-STOL Aircraft

VTOL-STOL aircraft are characterized in general by the fact that in some portion of their flight envelope the wake is sharply inclined to the free stream. Under such conditions, the usual small-angle assumptions used in determining the induced velocities, and consequently, the power required, are no longer valid. Indeed, the use of small-angle assumptions leads to such anomalous results as infinite induced velocities and required power in the extreme case of hovering. The aforementioned difficulties may be avoided by a more complete examination of the horizontal and vertical momentum imparted to the air by the aircraft at low speeds. The resulting equation is a quartic in the induced velocity, and, as such, is difficult to apply. On the other hand, this quartic can be solved in its most general terms and the resulting solution then can be derived and presented in the form of a chart, or nomograph, from which the required induced velocities my be read directly. This paper presents such a chart.

Heyson, Harry H.↗