SEARCH · Search NASA
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.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Three rocket-propelled buffet-research models have been flight tested to determine the buffeting characteristics of a swept-wing- airplane configuration with the horizontal tail operating near the wing wake. The models consisted of parabolic bodies having 45deg sweptback wings of aspect ratio 3.56, at aspect ratio of 0.3, NACA 64A007 airfoil sections, and tail surfaces of geometry and section identical to the wings. Two tests were conducted with the horizontal tail located in the wing chord plane with fixed incidence angles of -1.5deg on one model and 0deg on the other model. The third test was conducted with no horizontal tail. Results of these tests are presented as incremental accelerations in the body due to buffeting, trim angles of attack, trim normal- and side-force coefficients, wing-tip helix angles, static-directional-stability derivatives , and drag coefficients plotted against Mach number. These data indicate that mild low-lift buffeting was experienced by all models over a range of Mach number from approximately 0.7 to 1.4. It is further indicated that this buffeting was probably induced by wing-body interference and was amplified at transonic speeds by the horizontal tail operating in the wing wake. A longitudinal trim change was encountered by the tail-on models at transonic speeds, but no large changes in side force and no wing dropping were indicated.
A computer program has been developed for improving the quality of unstructured triangulated surface meshes in the vicinity of component intersections. The method relies solely on point removal and edge swapping for improving the triangulations. It can be applied to any lifting surface component such as a wing, canard or horizontal tail component intersected with a fuselage, or it can be applied to a pylon that is intersected with a wing, fuselage or nacelle. The lifting surfaces or pylon are assumed to be aligned in the axial direction with closed trailing edges. The method currently maintains salient edges only at leading and trailing edges of the wing or pylon component. This method should work well for any shape of fuselage that is free of salient edges at the intersection. The method has been successfully demonstrated on a total of 125 different test cases that include both blunt and sharp wing leading edges. The code is targeted for use in the automated environment of numerical optimization where geometric perturbations to individual components can be critical to the aerodynamic performance of a vehicle. Histograms of triangle aspect ratios are reported to assess the quality of the triangles attached to the intersection curves before and after application of the program. Large improvements to the quality of the triangulations were obtained for the 125 test cases; the quality was sufficient for use with an automated tetrahedral mesh generation program that is used as part of an aerodynamic shape optimization method.
The creation of a computer module used to calculate the size of the horizontal control surfaces of a conceptual aircraft design is discussed. The control surface size is determined by first calculating the size needed to rotate the aircraft during takeoff, and, second, by determining if the calculated size is large enough to maintain stability of the aircraft throughout any specified mission. The tail size needed to rotate during takeoff is calculated from a summation of forces about the main landing gear of the aircraft. The stability of the aircraft is determined from a summation of forces about the center of gravity during different phases of the aircraft's flight. Included in the horizontal control surface analysis are: downwash effects on an aft tail, upwash effects on a forward canard, and effects due to flight in close proximity to the ground. Comparisons of production aircraft with numerical models show good accuracy for control surface sizing. A modified canard design verified the accuracy of the module for canard configurations. Added to this stability and control module is a subroutine that determines one of the three design variables, for a stable vectored thrust aircraft. These include forward thrust nozzle position, aft thrust nozzle angle, and forward thrust split.
As part of a program to investigate the fluctuating pressure distribution and response behavior of a fighter aircraft in transonic maneuver, an F-5A scale model has previously been tested in an 11-ft transonic wind tunnel. The model, with a number of static and dynamic pressure transducers imbedded in the lifting surfaces was tested at various angles of attack up to 16 deg. In this paper, test results of particular interest to wake flow and horizontal tail buffet are described. It is shown that the dynamic pressure data on the tail surface at the specified flight conditions serve to determine the local dynamic loads. They also influence the control performance of the aircraft under maneuver conditions where buffet is encountered. The data presented demonstrate a number of contributing factors that affect the tail dynamic pressures in the transonic regime.
The results of the analysis conducted on the Joined Wing Configuration study are presented. The joined wing configuration employs a conventional fuselage and incorporates two wings joined together near their tips to form a diamond shape in both plan view and front view. The arrangement of the lifting surfaces uses the rear wing as a horizontal tail and as a forward wing strut. The rear wing has its root at the tip of the vertical stabilizer and is structurally attached to the trailing edge of the forward wing. This arrangement of the two wings forms a truss structure which is inherently resistant to the aerodynamic bending loads generated during flight. This allows for a considerable reduction in the weight of the lifting surfaces. With smaller internal wing structures needed, the Joined Wing may employ thinner wings which are more suitable for supersonic and hypersonic flight, having less induced drag than conventional cantilever winged aircraft. Inherent in the Joined Wing is the capability of the generation of direct lift and side force which enhance the performance parameters.
This report presents the results of an investigation conducted in the NACA 7 by 10-foot wind tunnel of control surfaces equipped with tabs for reducing the control forces or trimming the aircraft. Two sizes of ordinary ailerons with several sizes of attached and inset tabs were tested on a Clark y wing. Tabs were also tested in combination with auxiliary balances of the horn and paddle types, and with a frise balance aileron. A tail-surface model of symmetrical section, equipped with tabs, was tested with 40 percent of the area movable (elevator) when used as a horizontal tail and 60 percent of the area movable (rudder) when used as a vertical tail. The half-span tail-surface model was tested with and without a reflection plane. The results of the tests indicated that inset tabs were superior to attached tabs for the same ratio of tab/control surface deflection.
Aerodynamic characteristics of a model designed to represent an all body, hypersonic cruise aircraft are presented for Mach numbers from 0.65 to 10.6. The configuration had a delta planform with an elliptic cone forebody and an afterbody of elliptic cross section. Detailed effects of varying angle of attack (-2 to +15 deg), angle of sideslip (-2 to +8 deg), Mach number, and configuration buildup were considered. In addition, the effectiveness of horizontal tail, vertical tail, and canard stabilizing and control surfaces was investigated. The results indicate that all configurations were longitudinally stable near maximum lift drag ratio. The configurations with vertical tails were directionally stable at all angles of attack. Trim penalties were small at hypersonic speeds for a center of gravity location representative of the airplane, but because of the large rearward travel of the aerodynamic center, trim penalties were severe at transonic Mach numbers.
Low-speed longitudinal static stability & control characteristics of aircraft with swept wings & tail surfaces outboard of wing tips
Aerodynamic characteristics in pitch of horizontal attitude VTOL aircraft, including effects of negative dihedral horizontal tail
The longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of a fighter airplane concept has been determined through an investigation over a Mach number range from 0.50 to 2.16. The configuration incorporates a cambered fuselage with a single external compression horizontal ramp inlet, a clipped arrow wing, twin horizontal tails, and a single vertical tail. 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. The fuselage was cambered to preserve the design wing loadings on the part of the theoretical wing enclosed by the fuselage. An uncambered of flat wing of the same planform and thickness ratio distribution was also tested.
An investigation was conducted in the Langley V/STOL tunnel to determine the static longitudinal and lateral-directional aerodynamic characteristics of an advanced high-aspect-ratio supercritical-wing transport model equipped with a full-span leading-edge slat and part-span double-slotted trailing-edge flaps. This wide-body transport model was also equipped with spoiler and aileron control surfaces, flow-through nacelles, landing gear, movable horizontal tails, and interchangeable wing tips with aspect ratios of 10 and 12. The model was tested with leading-edge slat and trailing-edge flap combinations representative of cruise, climb, takeoff, and landing wing configurations. The tests were conducted at free-stream conditions corresponding to Reynolds numbers (based on mean geometric chord) of 0.97 to 1.63 x 10 to the 6th power and corresponding Mach numbers of 0.12 to 0.20, through an angle-of-attack range of -2 deg to 24 deg and a sideslip-angle range of -10 deg to 5 deg.
An investigation was conducted in the Langley 4 by 7 Meter Tunnel to determine the static longitudinal and lateral directional aerodynamic characteristics of an advanced aspect ratio 10 supercritical wing transport model equipped with a full span leading edge slat as well as part span and full span trailing edge flaps. This wide body transport model was also equipped with spoiler and aileron roll control surfaces, flow through nacelles, landing gear, and movable horizontal tails. Six basic wing configurations were tested: (1) cruise (slats and flaps nested), (2) climb (slats deflected and flaps nested), (3) part span flap, (4) full span flap, (5) full span flap with low speed ailerons, and (6) full span flap with high speed ailerons. Each of the four flapped wing configurations was tested with leading edge slat and trailing edge flaps deflected to settings representative of both take off and landing conditions. Tests were conducted at free stream conditions corresponding to Reynolds number of 0.97 to 1.63 x 10 to the 6th power and corresponding Mach numbers of 0.12 to 0.20, through an angle of attack range of 4 to 24, and a sideslip angle range of -10 deg to 5 deg. The part and full span wing configurations were also tested in ground proximity.
Vortex panel and vortex lattice methods have been utilized in an analytic study to determine the two- and three-dimensional aerodynamic behavior of canard and wing configurations. The purpose was to generate data useful for the design of general aviation canard aircraft. Essentially no two-dimensional coupling was encountered and the vertical distance between the lifting surfaces was found to be the main contributor to interference effects of the three-dimensional analysis. All canard configurations were less efficient than a forward wing with an aft horizontal tail, but were less sensitive to off-optimum division of total lift between the two surfaces, such that trim drag could be less for canard configurations. For designing a general aviation canard aircraft, results point toward large horizontal and vertical distance between the canard and wing, a large wing-to-canard area ratio, and with the canard at a low incidence angle relative to the wing.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Tests were made with the spinning balance in a 5-foot wind tunnel to study the effect of stabilizer location upon the pitching and yawing moments given by the tail surfaces in spinning attitudes. The tests revealed that the horizontal surfaces, when in a normal location, seriously reduced the effectiveness of the fin and rudder, particularly at angles of attack of 50 degrees or more. The tests also revealed that a more forward or more rearward location gave no consistent or decided improvement; that a lower location greatly increased the shielding so that the yawing moment from the combination was in general less than that given by the bare fuselage; and that a higher location decreased the shielding and gave a favorable interference effect, particularly at the high angles of attack. Additional results regarding the stabilizer and the elevator are given.
A general multi-block three-dimensional volume grid generator is presented which is suitable for Multi-Disciplinary Design Optimization. The code is timely, robust, highly automated, and written in ANSI 'C' for platform independence. Algebraic techniques are used to generate and/or modify block face and volume grids to reflect geometric changes resulting from design optimization. Volume grids are generated/modified in a batch environment and controlled via an ASCII user input deck. This allows the code to be incorporated directly into the design loop. Generated volume grids are presented for a High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) Wing/Body geometry as well a complex HSCT configuration including horizontal and vertical tails, engine nacelles and pylons, and canard surfaces.
A general multi-block three-dimensional volume grid generator is presented which is suitable for Multi-Disciplinary Design Optimization. The code is fast, robust, highly automated, and written in ANSI C for platform independence. Algebraic techniques are used to generate and/or modify block face and volume grids to reflect geometric changes resulting from design optimization. Volume grids are generated/modified in a batch environment and controlled via an ASCII user input deck. This allows the code to be incorporated directly into the design loop. Generated volume grids are presented for a High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) Wing/Body geometry as well a complex HSCT configuration including horizontal and vertical tails, engine nacelles and pylons, and canard surfaces.