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At least 145 records · Page 8

Current flight test experience related to structural divergence of forward-swept wings

Flight testing the X-29A forward-swept wing aircraft has required development of new flight test techniques to accomplish subcritical extrapolations to the actual structural divergence dynamic pressure of the aircraft. This paper provides current experience related to applying these techniques to analysis of flight data from the forward-swept wing in order to assess the applicability of these techniques to flight test data. The measurements required, maneuvers flown, and flight test conditions are described. Supporting analytical predictions for the techniques are described and the results using flight data are compared to these predictions. Use of the results during envelope expansion and the resulting modifications to the techniques are discussed. Some of the analysis challenges that occurred are addressed and some preliminary conclusions and recommendations are made relative to the usefulness of these techniques in the flight test environment.

Schuster, Lawrence S.↗

Skin friction measurements by laser interferometry in swept shock wave/turbulent boundary-layer interactions

The laser interferometric skin friction meter was used to measure wall shear stress distributions in two interactions of fin-generated swept shock waves with turbulent boundary layers. The basic research configuration was an unswept sharp-leading-edge fin of variable angle mounted on a flatplate. The results indicate that such measurements are practical in high-speed interacting flows, and that a repeatability of + or - 6 percent or better is possible. Marked increases in wall shear were observed in both swept interactions tested.

Kim, Kwang-Soo↗

Boundary-layer instability mechanisms on a swept-leading edge at Mach 3.5

Correlations have been made in NASA Langley's Mach 3.5 Pilot Quiet Tunnel for the transitions occurring from laminar to turbulent flow, in the cases of 45-deg and 60-deg swept cylinders. While freestream noise variations had no effect on boundary layer transition, the addition of boundary layer trips to the leading edges led to transition at lower Re numbers, depending on both trip height and wind tunnel noise level. Also presented are the results of compressible linear stability calculations for the boundary layer of an infinite swept cylinder; Tollmien-Schlichting waves are found to be amplified in the attachment line boundary layer.

Creel, T. R., Jr.↗

On the inception lengths of swept shock-wave/turbulent boundary-layer interactions

Experimental data are shown for the inception lengths of swept compression corner-generated and fin-generated shock/boundary layer interactions at Mach 2.95. These results are found to correlate on the basis of three different flow regimes. The inception lengths of these flows are dominated by a singularity at the cylindrical/conical boundary for swept corners and by an elongation due to shock wave sweepback for fin interactions. Similarity rules for both Re(delta)and shock generator geometry effects on inception lengths are demonstrated.

Settles, G. S.↗

Aeroelasticity and structural optimization of rotor blades with swept tips

In the present FEM scheme for the aeroelastic modeling of a swept-tip rotor blade, the swept tip of the blade is assumed to undergo moderate deflections in the flap, lag, and torsion degrees-of-freedom. The nonlinear PDEs of motion are discretized by a Galerkin-type FEM. This aeroelastic stability-and-response computational capability is combined with a structural optimization analysis to minimize the n/rev vertical hub shears in forward flight, subject to aeroelastic stability and frequency placement constraints. Tip sweep is used as a design variable to reduce vibration levels in forward flight.

Friedmann, P. P.↗

Crossflow-vortex instability and transition on a 45 deg swept wing

A crossflow vortex experiment on a 45 deg swept wing is currently being conducted in the Arizona State University Unsteady Wind Tunnel. The experimental apparatus is designed to produce crossflow-dominated transition by simulating infinite swept wing flow using contoured end liners in a closed throat wind tunnel. Stationary fixed-wavelength crossflow vortices are observed at several chord Reynolds numbers. The vortex wavelength which is fixed for a given Reynolds number varies with Reynolds number approximately as predicted by linear stability theory, but with the predicted wavelengths about 30 percent larger than the observed wavelengths. Travelling waves are observed both in the frequency range predicted by linear stability theory and at higher frequencies. These higher frequency waves may be harmonics of the primary crossflow waves generated by a nonlinear parametric resonance phenomena.

Dagenhart, J. Ray↗

Current flight test experience related to structural divergence of forward-swept wings

Flight testing the X-29A forward-swept wing aircraft has required development of new flight test techniques to accomplish subcritical extrapolations to the actual structural divergence dynamic pressure of the aircraft. This paper provides current experience related to applying these techniques to analysis of flight data from the forward-swept wing in order to assess the applicability of these techniques to flight test data. The measurements required, manuevers flown, and flight test conditions are described. Supporting analytical predictions for the techniques are described and the results using flight data are compared to these predictions. Use of the results during envelope expansion and the resulting modifications to the techniques are discussed. Some of the analysis challenges that occurred are addressed and some preliminary conclusions and recommendations are made relative to the usefulness of these techniques in the flight test environment.

Schuster, Lawrence S.↗

Design aspects of long range supersonic LFC airplanes with highly swept wings

The achievement of natural LFC in SST configurations featuring externally braced, very highly swept, high structural aspect ratio wing planforms results in outstandingly high cruise L/D ratios while maintaining low sonic-boom overpressures. A conceptual design study has been conducted with a view to range capability maximization in SSTs. A three-body configuration employing a highly swept, strut-braced planform, in which a central fuselage and two smaller outboard bodies alleviate structural wing bending and torsion, is noted to allow further increases in wingspan and aspect ratio which commensurately reduce lift-induced wave-plus-vortex drag and volume-induced wave drag.

Pfenninger, Werner↗

Navier-Stokes simulation of the crossflow instability in swept-wing flows

The computational modeling of the transition process characteristic of flows over swept wings are described. Specifically, the crossflow instability and crossflow/T-S wave interactions are analyzed through the numerical solution of the full three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations including unsteadiness, curvature, and sweep. This approach is chosen because of the complexity of the problem and because it appears that linear stability theory is insufficient to explain the discrepancies between different experiments and between theory and experiments. The leading edge region of a swept wing is considered in a three-dimensional spatial simulation with random disturbances as the initial conditions. The work has been closely coordinated with the experimental program of Professor William Saric, examining the same problem. Comparisons with NASA flight test data and the experiments at Arizona State University were a necessary and an important integral part of this work.

Reed, Helen L.↗

Conical Euler solution for a highly-swept delta wing undergoing wing-rock motion

Modifications to an unsteady conical Euler code for the free-to-roll analysis of highly-swept delta wings are described. The modifications involve the addition of the rolling rigid-body equation of motion for its simultaneous time-integration with the governing flow equations. The flow solver utilized in the Euler code includes a multistage Runge-Kutta time-stepping scheme which uses a finite-volume spatial discretization on an unstructured mesh made up of triangles. Steady and unsteady results are presented for a 75 deg swept delta wing at a freestream Mach number of 1.2 and an angle of attack of 30 deg. The unsteady results consist of forced harmonic and free-to-roll calculations. The free-to-roll case exhibits a wing rock response produced by unsteady aerodynamics consistent with the aerodynamics of the forced harmonic results. Similarities are shown with a wing-rock time history from a low-speed wind tunnel test.

Lee, Elizabeth M.↗

Experimental transition and boundary-layer stability analysis for a slotted swept laminar flow control airfoil

A swept, supercritical laminar flow control (LFC) airfoil designated NASA SCLFC(1)-0513F was tested at subsonic and transonic speeds in the NASA Langley eight-foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel. This paper examines Tollmien-Schlichting and crossflow disturbance amplification for this airfoil using the linear stability method. The design methodology using linear stability analysis is evaluated and the results of the incompressible and compressible methods are compared. Experimental data on the swept, supercritical LFC airfoil and reference wind tunnel and flight results are used to correlate and evaluate the N-factor method for transition prediction over a speed range M(infinity) from zero to one.

Harvey, William D.↗

Measured aerodynamic performance of a swept wing with a simulated ice accretion

The effect of a simulated glaze ice accretion on the aerodynamic performance of a three-dimensional swept wing is studied experimentally. A semispan wing of effective aspect ratio four was mounted from a splitter plate in the OSU subsonic wind tunnel. The model uses a NACA 0012 airfoil section on a rectangular planform with interchangeable tip and root pieces to allow for 0- and 30-degree sweep. Surface pressures were measured at 5 semispan locations on the swept-wing model. The section lift data for the 5 semispan locations are presented and compared with theory and zero-sweep model results. In addition, previously unpublished roughness data from the zero-sweep model is presented here. These data show a large drag and maximum lift penalty due to rough simulated glaze ice. The effect of wing-sweep is seen through a decrease in wing lift performance for both the clean and iced wing.

Khodadoust, A.↗

Turbulent flow separation control over a backward-facing ramp via transverse and swept grooves

Separation control experiments were conducted in a 51-71-cm shear-flow control tunnel using a backward-facing ramp to investigate the performance of transverse and swept grooves for controlling a two-dimensional turbulent separated flow at low speeds and moderate Reynolds numbers. In the experiments, transverse grooves, located in the maximum +dP/dx region, with a height-to-width ratio greater than 2.5, reduced the reattachment distance by 20 percent over the baseline configuration. Unlike transverse and longitudinal grooves of equivalent size, the 45-degree swept-groove configurations tested enhanced separation.

Selby, G. V.↗

The development of crossflow vortices on a 45 degree swept wing

Three-dimensional boundary-layer experiments are currently being conducted on a 45 deg swept wing in the Arizona State University Unsteady Wind Tunnel. Crossflow-dominated transition is produced via a model with contoured end liners to simulate infinite swept-wing flow. Fixed-wavelength stationary and traveling crossflow vortex are observed. The stationary vortex wavelengths vary with Reynolds number as predicted by linear-stability theory, but with observed wavelengths which are about 25 percent smaller than theoretically predicted. The frequencies of the most-amplified moving waves are in agreement with linear-stability theory; traveling waves at higher frequencies than predicted are also observed. These higher-frequency waves may be harmonics of the primary crossflow waves generated by a parametric resonance phenomena. Boundary-layer profiles measured at several spanwise locations show streamwise disturbance profiles characteristic of the crossflow instability. Near the transition location, severe distortions of the laminar boundary-layer profiles are observed. Mean-profile measurements are compared to theoretical predictions.

Mousseux, Marc C.↗

Icing characteristics of a natural-laminar-flow, a medium-speed, and a swept, medium-speed airfoil

Tests were conducted at the Icing Research Tunnel at the NASA Lewis Research Center to determine the icing characteristics of three modern airfoils, a natural laminar flow, a medium speed and a swept medium speed airfoil. Tests measured the impingement characteristics and drag degradation for angles of attack typifying cruise and climb for cloud conditions typifying the range that might be encountered in flight. The maximum degradation occurred for the cruise angle of attack for the long glaze ice condition for all three airfoils with increases over baseline drag being 486 percent, 510 percent, and 465 percent for the natural laminar flow, the medium speed and the swept medium speed airfoil respectively. For the climb angle of attack, the maximum drag degradation (and extent of impingement) observed were also for the long glaze ice condition, and were 261 percent, 181 percent and 331 percent respectively. The minimum drag degradation (and extent of impingement) occurred for the cruise condition and for the short, rime spray which increases over baseline drag values of 47 percent, 28 percent and 46 percent respectively.

Bidwell, Colin S.↗

Numerical simulation of swept-wing flows

The transition process characteristics of flows over swept wings were computationally modelled. The crossflow instability and crossflow/T-S wave interaction are analyzed through the numerical solution of the full three dimensional Navier-Stokes equations including unsteadiness, curvature, and sweep. The leading-edge region of a swept wing is considered in a three-dimensional spatial simulation with random disturbances as the initial conditions.

Reed, Helen L.↗

Effect of a simulated ice accretion on the aerodynamics of a swept wing

The effect of a simulated glaze ice accretion on the aerodynamic performance of a three-dimensional swept wing is studied experimentally. A semispan wing of effective aspect ratio four was mounted from the sidewall of the UIUC subsonic wind tunnel. The model uses a NACA 0012 airfoil section on a rectangular planform with interchangeable tip and root sections to allow for 0- and 30-degree sweep. A sidewall suction system is used to minmize the tunnel boundary-layer interaction with the model. Surface pressure data from five spanwise stations are compared to earlier data from a similar tunnel. A three-component sidewall balance has been designed, built and used to measure lift, drag and pitching moment on the clean and iced model. The data compare well to the integrated pressure data and to theory on the clean model. In addition, helium-bubble flow visualization has been performed on the iced model and reveals extensive spanwise flow in the separation bubble aft of the upper surface horn. This compares well to the computational results of other researchers. Sidewall suction was found to have no effect on the aerodynamics of the swept wing.

Bragg, M. B.↗

Design aspects of long range supersonic LFC airplanes with highly swept wings

Studies on supersonic long-range LFC (laminar flow control) aircraft were performed with the aim of maximizing L/D and alleviating sonic boom during supersonic cruise. It is found that configurations with highly swept LFC wings of very high structural aspect ratio, with the sweep increasing toward the wing root and braced externally by wide chord laminarized struts, appear especially promising. In the supersonic cruise design condition the wing upper surface isobars are swept such that the flow in the direction normal to them is transonic with embedded supersonic zones and practically shock-free over most of the span, with M-perpendicular equal to the two-dimensional design values of advanced SC LFC airfoils, e.g., of the X-787 or X-6 type.

Pfenninger, W.↗