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At least 127 records · Page 7

BMI Sandwich Wing Box Analysis and Test

A composite sandwich single bay wing box test article was developed by Northrop Grumman and tested recently at NASA Langley Research Center. The objectives for the wing box development effort were to provide a demonstration article for manufacturing scale up of structural concepts related to a high speed transport wing, and to validate the structural performance of the design. The box concept consisted of highly loaded composite sandwich wing skins, with moderately loaded composite sandwich spars. The dimensions of the box were chosen to represent a single bay of the main wing box, with a spar spacing of 30 inches, height of 20 inches constant depth, and length of 64 inches. The bismaleimide facesheet laminates and titanium honeycomb core chosen for this task are high temperature materials able to sustain a 300F service temperature. The completed test article is shown in Figure 1. The tests at NASA Langley demonstrated the structures ability to sustain axial tension and compression loads in excess of 20,000 lb/in, and to maintain integrity in the thermal environment. Test procedures, analysis failure predictions, and test results are presented.

Palm, Tod↗

Noise tests on an externally blown flap with the engine in front of the wing

Noise tests were conducted with a nozzle exhausting over a small scale model of an externally blown flap (EBF) lift-augmentation system, with exhaust impingement on the wing leading edge. Two series of tests were conducted: with wing leading edge inside the nozzle; and with leading edge set back from the nozzle exit plane 1 diameter on the jet axis. The results indicated no significant differences in spectral shape, level, or directivity pattern. Static lift and thrust tests were conducted on the same model indicated considerable flow attachment on both configurations, with slightly greater attachment and turning for the wing outside the nozzle. Finally, a comparison with engine-above- and engine-below-the-wing EBF's tested by previous investigators shows the acoustic performance of the configurations tested for this report to lie between the other two.

Karchmer, A. M.↗

NASA Hybrid Wing Aircraft Aeroacoustic Test Documentation Report

This report summarizes results of the Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) N2A-EXTE model aeroacoustic test. The N2A-EXTE model was tested in the NASA Langley 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel (14x22 Tunnel) from September 12, 2012 until January 28, 2013 and was designated as test T598. This document contains the following main sections: Section 1 - Introduction, Section 2 - Main Personnel, Section 3 - Test Equipment, Section 4 - Data Acquisition Systems, Section 5 - Instrumentation and Calibration, Section 6 - Test Matrix, Section 7 - Data Processing, and Section 8 - Summary. Due to the amount of material to be documented, this HWB test documentation report does not cover analysis of acquired data, which is to be presented separately by the principal investigators. Also, no attempt was made to include preliminary risk reduction tests (such as Broadband Engine Noise Simulator and Compact Jet Engine Simulator characterization tests, shielding measurement technique studies, and speaker calibration method studies), which were performed in support of this HWB test. Separate reports containing these preliminary tests are referenced where applicable.

Heath, Stephanie L.↗

Flight testing the fixed wing configuration of the Rotor Systems Research Aircraft (RSRA)

The Rotor Systems Research Aircraft (RSRA) is a unique research aircraft designed to flight test advanced helicopter rotor system. Its principal flight test configuration is as a compound helicopter. The fixed wing configuration of the RSRA was primarily considered an energy fly-home mode in the event it became necessary to sever an unstable rotor system in flight. While it had always been planned to flight test the fixed wing configuraion, the selection of the RSRA as the flight test bed for the x-wing rotor accelerated this schedule. This paper discusses the build-up to, and the test of, the RSRA fixed wing configuration. It is written primarily from the test pilot's perspective.

Hall, G. W.↗

Investigation of the Characteristics of a High-Aspect-Ratio Wing in the Langley 8-Foot High-Speed Tunnel

An investigation of the characteristics of a wing with an aspect ratio of 9.0 and an NACA 65-210 airfoil section has been made at Mach number up to 0.925. The wing tested has a taper ratio of 2.5:1.0, no twist, dihedral, or sweepback, and 20-percent - chord 37.5-percent-semispan plain ailerons. The results showed that serious changes in the normal-force characteristics occurred when the Mach number was increased above 0.74 at angles of attack between 4 deg. and 10 deg. and above 0.80 at 0 deg. angle of attack.Because of small outboard shifts in the lateral center of load, the bending moment at the root for conditions corresponding to a 3g pull-out at an altitude of 35,000 feet increased by approximately 5% when the Much number was increased beyond 0.83 the negative pitching moments for the high angles of attack increased, whereas those for the low angles of attack decreased with a resulting large increase in the negative slope of the pitching-moment curves. A large increase occurred in the values of the drag coefficients for the range of lift coefficients needed for level flight at an altitude of 35,000 feet when the Mach number was increased beyond a value of 0.80. The wakes at a station 2.82 root chords behind the wing quarter-chord line extended approximately a chord above the wing chord line for the angles of attack required to recover from high-speed dives at high Mach numbers.

Whitcomb, Richard T.↗

Low subsonic aerodynamic characteristics of a shuttle orbiter having 35 deg trapezoidal wing and 75 deg inboard glove

An investigation has been made in a low-turbulence pressure tunnel to determine the subsonic aerodynamic characteristics of 0.01875-scale model of a shuttle orbiter configuration having a 35 deg swept trapezoidal wing and 75 deg swept fixed glove located ahead of the wing. Tests were made at Mach numbers below 0.30 and Reynolds numbers, based on body length, from 12.32 x one million to 24.65 x one million, with most of the tests being made at a Reynolds number of 12.32 x one million. Variables investigated included configuration components in combination, elevon deflections and rudder deflections in combination, and dorsal-tail roll-out angle.

Spencer, B., Jr.↗

Preliminary lift and drag characteristics of the F-8 supercritical wing airplane

A flight research program is being conducted using a supercritical wing attached to a modified F-8 fuselage to demonstrate the potential benefits of the supercritical wing concept in a realistic cruise flight environment. One of the primary goals of the flight program is to determine the drag-divergence Mach number, that is, the Mach number at which the total vehicle drag increases significantly. Another objective of the program is to show how well wind-tunnel data can be used to predict the performance of a supercritical wing configuration in the transonic Mach number region from 0. 9 to 1. 0. Comparisons of this nature are important in view of the uncertainties in the present methods for extrapolating wind-tunnel-model data to flight Reynolds numbers, determining the effect of wall interference on the model results, and simulating the flow separation characteristics on the model wing to correspond to the large-scale wing. However, in comparing these wind-tunnel and flight results, it must be taken into account that this supercritical wing test configuration is of only intermediate scale und that a full-scale transport would have Reynolds numbers three to five times larger.

Jon S. Pyle↗

Video model deformation system for the National Transonic Facility

A photogrammetric closed circuit television system to measure model deformation at the National Transonic Facility is described. The photogrammetric approach was chosen because of its inherent rapid data recording of the entire object field. Video cameras are used to acquire data instead of film cameras due to the inaccessibility of cameras which must be housed within the cryogenic, high pressure plenum of this facility. A rudimentary theory section is followed by a description of the video-based system and control measures required to protect cameras from the hostile environment. Preliminary results obtained with the same camera placement as planned for NTF are presented and plans for facility testing with a specially designed test wing are discussed.

Burner, A. W.↗

Buckling characteristics of hypersonic aircraft wing tubular panels

The buckling characteristics of Rene 41 tubular panels installed as wing panels on a hypersonic wing test structure (HWTS) were determined nondestructively through use of a force/stiffness technique. The nondestructive buckling tests were carried out under different combined load conditions and different temperature environments. Two panels were subsequently tested to buckling failure in a universal tension compression testing machine. In spite of some data scattering because of large extrapolations of data points resulting from termination of the test at a somewhat low applied load, the overall test data correlated fairly well with theoretically predicted buckling interaction curves. The structural efficiency of the tubular panels was slightly higher than that of the beaded panels which they replaced.

Ko, William L.↗

Aerodynamic flight research using the Pegasus air-launched space booster

Completed and planned flight research using the Pegasus as a research vehicle and booster for other hypersonic research vehicles is reviewed. Highlights from flights 1 and 2 are discussed and compared with some analytical results. In particular, attention is given to total vehicle aerodynamics (performance and trim), local aerodynamics (pressure and heat flux distributions), and response of the thermal protection system. Future programs will include a metallic wing test section for laminar flow studies and the use of the Pegasus to boost a research vehicle to hypersonic speeds. The proposed concepts for a dedicated hypersonic research vehicle project are also discussed.

Meyer, Robert R., Jr.↗

Strain actuated aeroelastic control

Viewgraphs on strain actuated aeroelastic control are presented. Topics covered include: structural and aerodynamic modeling; control law design methodology; system block diagram; adaptive wing test article; bench-top experiments; bench-top disturbance rejection: open and closed loop response; bench-top disturbance rejection: state cost versus control cost; wind tunnel experiments; wind tunnel gust alleviation: open and closed loop response at 60 mph; wind tunnel gust alleviation: state cost versus control cost at 60 mph; wind tunnel command following: open and closed loop error at 60 mph; wind tunnel flutter suppression: open loop flutter speed; and wind tunnel flutter suppression: closed loop state cost curves.

Lazarus, Kenneth B.↗

Wind-tunnel research comparing lateral control devices, particularly at high angles of attack VI : skewed ailerons on rectangular wings

This report covers the sixth of a series of investigations in which various lateral control devices are compared with particular reference to their effectiveness at high angles of attack. The present report deals with flap-type ailerons hinged about axes having an angle with respect to the leading and trailing edges of the wing. Tests were made on four different skewed ailerons, including two different angles of skew and two sizes of ailerons. At the high angles of attack, all the skewed ailerons tested were slightly inferior with respect to rolling and yawing moments to straight ailerons having the same span and average chord. Computations indicate that the skewed ailerons are also inferior with respect to hinge moments.

Weick, Fred E↗

Wind-tunnel investigation of effect of interference on lateral-stability characteristics of four NACA 23012 wings, an elliptical and a circular fuselage and vertical fins

Report presents the results of a wind-tunnel investigation of the effect of wing-fuselage interference on lateral-stability characteristics made in the NACA 7 by 10-foot wind tunnel on four fuselages and two fins, representing high-wing, low-wing, and midwing monoplanes. The fuselages are of circular and elliptical cross section. The wings have rounded tips and, in plan form, one is rectangular and the three are tapered 3:1 with various amounts of sweep. The rate of change in the coefficients of rolling moment, yawing moment, and lateral force with angle of yaw is given in a form to show the increment caused by wing-fuselage interference for the model with no fin and the effect of wing-fuselage interference on fin effectiveness. Results for the fuselage-fin combination and the wing tested alone are also given.

House, Rufus O↗

Developing Uncertainty Models for Robust Flutter Analysis Using Ground Vibration Test Data

A ground vibration test can be used to obtain information about structural dynamics that is important for flutter analysis. Traditionally, this information#such as natural frequencies of modes#is used to update analytical models used to predict flutter speeds. The ground vibration test can also be used to obtain uncertainty models, such as natural frequencies and their associated variations, that can update analytical models for the purpose of predicting robust flutter speeds. Analyzing test data using the -norm, rather than the traditional 2-norm, is shown to lead to a minimum-size uncertainty description and, consequently, a least-conservative robust flutter speed. This approach is demonstrated using ground vibration test data for the Aerostructures Test Wing. Different norms are used to formulate uncertainty models and their associated robust flutter speeds to evaluate which norm is least conservative.

Potter, Starr↗

New Flutter Analysis Technique for CFD-based Unsteady Aeroelasticity

This paper presents a flutter analysis technique for the transonic flight regime. The technique uses an iterative approach to determine the critical dynamic pressure for a given mach number. Unlike other CFD-based flutter analysis methods, each iteration solves for the critical dynamic pressure and uses this value in subsequent iterations until the value converges. This process reduces the iterations required to determine the critical dynamic pressure. To improve the accuracy of the analysis, the technique employs a known structural model, leaving only the aerodynamic model as the unknown. The aerodynamic model is estimated using unsteady aeroelastic CFD analysis combined with a parameter estimation routine. The technique executes as follows. The known structural model is represented as a finite element model. Modal analysis determines the frequencies and mode shapes for the structural model. At a given mach number and dynamic pressure, the unsteady CFD analysis is performed. The output time history of the surface pressure is converted to a nodal aerodynamic force vector. The forces are then normalized by the given dynamic pressure. A multi-input multi-output parameter estimation software, ERA, estimates the aerodynamic model through the use of time histories of nodal aerodynamic forces and structural deformations. The critical dynamic pressure is then calculated using the known structural model and the estimated aerodynamic model. This output is used as the dynamic pressure in subsequent iterations until the critical dynamic pressure is determined. This technique is demonstrated on the Aerostructures Test Wing-2 model at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center.

Pak, Chan-gi↗

Application of Approximate Unsteady Aerodynamics for Flutter Analysis

A technique for approximating the modal aerodynamic influence coefficient (AIC) matrices by using basis functions has been developed. A process for using the resulting approximated modal AIC matrix in aeroelastic analysis has also been developed. The method requires the unsteady aerodynamics in frequency domain, and this methodology can be applied to the unsteady subsonic, transonic, and supersonic aerodynamics. The flutter solution can be found by the classic methods, such as rational function approximation, k, p-k, p, root locus et cetera. The unsteady aeroelastic analysis using unsteady subsonic aerodynamic approximation is demonstrated herein. The technique presented is shown to offer consistent flutter speed prediction on an aerostructures test wing (ATW) 2 and a hybrid wing body (HWB) type of vehicle configuration with negligible loss in precision. This method computes AICs that are functions of the changing parameters being studied and are generated within minutes of CPU time instead of hours. These results may have practical application in parametric flutter analyses as well as more efficient multidisciplinary design and optimization studies.

Pak, Chan-gi↗