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At least 163 records · Page 9

Estimating Basic Preliminary Design Performances of Aerospace Vehicles

Aerodynamics and Performance Estimation Toolset is a collection of four software programs for rapidly estimating the preliminary design performance of aerospace vehicles represented by doing simplified calculations based on ballistic trajectories, the ideal rocket equation, and supersonic wedges through standard atmosphere. The program consists of a set of Microsoft Excel worksheet subprograms. The input and output data are presented in a user-friendly format, and calculations are performed rapidly enough that the user can iterate among different trajectories and/or shapes to perform "what-if" studies. Estimates that can be computed by these programs include: 1. Ballistic trajectories as a function of departure angles, initial velocities, initial positions, and target altitudes; assuming point masses and no atmosphere. The program plots the trajectory in two-dimensions and outputs the position, pitch, and velocity along the trajectory. 2. The "Rocket Equation" program calculates and plots the trade space for a vehicle s propellant mass fraction over a range of specific impulse and mission velocity values, propellant mass fractions as functions of specific impulses and velocities. 3. "Standard Atmosphere" will estimate the temperature, speed of sound, pressure, and air density as a function of altitude in a standard atmosphere, properties of a standard atmosphere as functions of altitude. 4. "Supersonic Wedges" will calculate the free-stream, normal-shock, oblique-shock, and isentropic flow properties for a wedge-shaped body flying supersonically through a standard atmosphere. It will also calculate the maximum angle for which a shock remains attached, and the minimum Mach number for which a shock becomes attached, all as functions of the wedge angle, altitude, and Mach number.

Luz, Paul L.↗

Cone-Probe Rake Design and Calibration for Supersonic Wind Tunnel Models

A series of experimental investigations were conducted at the NASA Langley Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT) to calibrate cone-probe rakes designed to measure the flow field on 1-2% scale, high-speed wind tunnel models from Mach 2.15 to 2.4. The rakes were developed from a previous design that exhibited unfavorable measurement characteristics caused by a high probe spatial density and flow blockage from the rake body. Calibration parameters included Mach number, total pressure recovery, and flow angularity. Reference conditions were determined from a localized UPWT test section flow survey using a 10deg supersonic wedge probe. Test section Mach number and total pressure were determined using a novel iterative technique that accounted for boundary layer effects on the wedge surface. Cone-probe measurements were correlated to the surveyed flow conditions using analytical functions and recursive algorithms that resolved Mach number, pressure recovery, and flow angle to within +/-0.01, +/-1% and +/-0.1deg , respectively, for angles of attack and sideslip between +/-8deg. Uncertainty estimates indicated the overall cone-probe calibration accuracy was strongly influenced by the propagation of measurement error into the calculated results.

Won, Mark J.↗

Analysis of high-velocity and real-gas effects on the shock-interference pattern for delta-wing orbiters

Numerical solutions have been generated to study the two-dimensional flow field which results when supersonic flow encounters double-wedge configurations whose angles are such that a Type VI pattern occurs. Two numerical codes were developed: one which used the perfect-gas relations (including the ability to vary gamma to 'simulate' real-gas effects) and a second which incorporated a Mollier table to define equilibrium air properties. Theoretical surface-pressure and heat-transfer distributions in the interaction perturbed region along the simulated 'wing-leading edge' were obtained for velocities from 1167 m/sec to 7610 m/sec.

Bertin, J. J.↗

Application of the method of integral relations to laminar boundary layers in three dimensions

The method of integral relations is extended to general three-dimensional compressible laminar boundary layer flows. The transformation employed to transform the basic three-dimensional compressible boundary layer equations into quasi-incompressible form is an extension of the Howarth transformation. The resulting system of differential equations is integrated numerically by the method of integral relations as proposed by Dorodnitsyn. To demonstrate the accuracy of the method, it is applied to calculation of the parabolic flow over a flat plate and the boundary flow over an infinite yawed cylinder, for which solutions are known. It is then applied to the flow over a flat plate disturbed by a cylinder normal to the plate, for which a finite-difference solution is available for comparison. It is finally applied to calculating the crossflow velocity variation for supersonic flow over a swept wedge.

Holt, M.↗

Application of adaptive grids to fluid-flow problems with asymptotic solutions

Coordinate system selection is an important consideration in the asymptotic numerical solution of any fluid-flow or heat transfer problem. This paper uses a new technique that provides a simple way of moving the mesh points in physical space in order to reduce the error in the computed asymptotic solution relative to that obtained using a fixed mesh. Applications to fluid-flow problems are presented, including boundary layer flow and inviscid supersonic flow over cylinders, and wedges with associated detached shocks. The treatment of curved boundaries, stationary and nonstationary boundaries, and systems of PDE's is discussed. Significant error reductions are demonstrated.

Rai, M. M.↗

The Micromechanics of the Moving Contact Line

A transient moving contact line is investigated experimentally. The dynamic interface shape between 20 and 800 microns from the contact line is compared with theory. A novel experiment is devised, in which the contact line is set into motion by electrically altering the solid-liquid surface tension gamma(sub SL). The contact line motion simulates that of spontaneous wetting along a vertical plate with a maximum capillary number Ca approx. = 4 x 10(exp -2). The images of the dynamic meniscus are analyzed as a funtion of Ca. For comparison, the steady-state hydrodynamic equation based on the creeping flow model in a wedge geometry and the three-region uniform perturbation expansion of Cox (1986) is adopted. The interface shape is well depicted by the uniform solutions for Ca <= 10(exp -3). However, for Ca > 10(exp -3), the uniform solution over-predicts the viscous bending. This over-prediction can be accounted for by modifying the slip coefficient within the intermediate solution. With this correction, the measured interface shape is seen to match the theoretical prediction for all capillary numbers. The amount of slip needed to fit the measurements does not scale with the capillary number.

Lichter, Seth↗

A comparative study of Navier-Stokes codes for high-speed flows

A comparative study was made with four different codes for solving the compressible Navier-Stokes equations using three different test problems. The first of these cases was hypersonic flow through the P8 inlet, which represents inlet configurations typical of a hypersonic airbreathing vehicle. The free-stream Mach number in this case was 7.4. This 2-D inlet was designed to provide an internal compression ratio of 8. Initial calculations were made using two state-of-the-art finite-volume upwind codes, CFL3D and USA-PG2, as well as NASCRIN, a code which uses the unsplit finite-difference technique of MacCormack. All of these codes used the same algebraic eddy-viscosity turbulence model. In the experiment, the cowl lip was slightly blunted; however, for the computations, a sharp cowl leading edge was used to simplify the construction of the grid. The second test problem was the supersonic (Mach 3.0) flow in a three-dimensional corner formed by the intersection of two wedges with equal wedge angles of 9.48 degrees. The flow in such a corner is representative of the flow in the corners of a scramjet inlet. Calculations were made for both laminar and turbulent flow and compared with experimental data. The three-dimensional versions of the three codes used for the inlet study (CFL3D, USA-PG3, and SCRAMIN, respectively) were used for this case. For the laminar corner flow, a fourth code, LAURA, which also uses recently-developed upwind technology, was also utilized. The final test case is the two-dimensional hypersonic flow over a compression ramp. The flow is laminar with a free-stream Mach number of 14.1. In the experiment, the ramp angle was varied to change the strength of the ramp shock and the extent of the viscous-inviscid interaction. Calculations were made for the 24-degree ramp configuration which produces a large separated-flow region that extends upstream of the corner.

Rudy, David H.↗

The free shear layer tone phenomenon and probe interference

The reported investigation shows that the hot-wire probe induces stable upstream oscillations in a free shear layer, similar to the jet edge tone mechanism. This effect can be significant also in measurements involving large-scale organized structure, conditional sampling, space-time correlation, and convection velocity, when a reference or indicator probe may be used near the origin of the free shear layer. It appears that even in a free shear layer without any wedge, an object in the flow sufficiently downstream can also provide feedback to the flow upstream. A description is given of the edge-tone phenomenon which is observed when a thin slit jet impinges on a plane wedge. Attention is given to the free shear layer tone induced by a hot-wire probe, the free shear layer tone phenomenon, and shear layer tone eigenvalues and eigenfunctions.

Hussain, A. K. M. F.↗

Ground effects on the low-speed aerodynamics of a powered, generic hypersonic configuration

A study was undertaken in the NASA Langley 14- by 22-foot subsonic tunnel to determine the low-speed aerodynamic characteristics of a powered, generic, hypersonic configuration in ground effect. The model was a simplified configuration consisting of a triangular wedge forebody, a rectangular mid-section which housed the flow through, an ejector type propulsion simulation system, and a rectangular wedge afterbody. Additional model components included a delta wing, a rectangular wedge forebody, inlet fences, exhaust flow deflectors, and afterbody fences. Aerodynamic force and moment data were obtaind over an angle of attack range from -4 to 18 degrees while model height above the tunnel floor was varied from 1/4 inch to 6 feet. Variations in freestream dynamic pressure, from 10 psf to 80 psf, and engine ejector pressure yielded a range of thrust coefficients from 0 to 0.8.

Gatlin, Gregory M.↗

Improved Ultrasonic Transducer For Measuring Cryogenic Flow

Improved ultrasonic transducer used to measure flow of cryogenic fluid. Includes wedge made nonintrusive by machining it out of bulk material of duct carrying fluid. Skewed surfaces of wedge suppress standing waves, thus reducing ringing and increasing signal-to-noise ratio. Increases accuracy of measurements of times of arrival of ultrasonic pulses, from which times flow inferred.

Barkhoudarian, Sarkis↗

Unsteady Newton-Busemann flow theory. III - Frequency dependence and indicial response

Hui and Tobak applied the complete unsteady Newton-Busemann flow theory to the study of dynamic stability of oscillating aerofoils and bodies in revolution. The present article extends the results to general frequencies that may be applicable to flutter analysis. The results are likewise applied to the indicial response fluctuations in unsteady flow at very high Mach numbers. The study shows that for a group of body shapes in Newtonian flow (including the cone and wedge), the aerodynamic response to a step change in angle of attack or pitching velocity contains an initial-instant impulse followed by a rapid adjustment to the new steady-flow conditions. The impulse component is in effect an apparent mass term analogous to that which occurs initially in the aerodynamic indicial response at the zero Mach number limit.

Hui, W. H.↗

Internal and external axial corner flows

The inviscid, internal, and external axial corner flows generated by two intersecting wedges traveling supersonically are obtained by use of a second-order shock-capturing, finite-difference approach. The governing equations are solved iteratively in conical coordinates to yield the complicated wave structure of the internal corner and the simple peripheral shock of the external corner. The numerical results for the internal flows compare favorably with existing experimental data.

Kutler, P.↗

Magnetic reconnection during magnetospheric substorms

The near earth reconnection model of substorms represents an attempt to place a broad range of observations into a consistent framework. The roles and requirements of reconnection are discussed. High speed plasma sheet flows, thin current sheet instability, substorm triggering, plasmoids and flux ropes in the distant tail, and magnetohydrodynamic simulations are discussed. Substorms are global, coherent sequences of processes involving solar wind/magnetosphere/ionosphere interaction. Magnetic reconnection is required to explain different dayside and polar cap phenomena, which required nightside reconnection. The modification and expansion of the standard near earth neutral line (NENL) model can integrate breakup arcs, current disruption, current wedge features, and localized plasma flows into the magnetic reconnection framework.

Baker, Daniel N.↗

Midtail plasma flows and the relationship to near-Earth substorm activity: A case study

Recent simulations of magnetotail reconnection have pointed to a link between plasma flows, dipolarization, and the substorm current wedge. In particular, Hesse and Birn (1991) have proposed that earthward jetting of plasma from the reconnection region transports flux into the near-Earth region. At the inner edge of the plasma sheet this flux piles up, producing a dipolarization of the magnetic field. The vorticity produced by the east-west deflection of the flow at the inner edge of the plasma sheet gives rise to field-aligned currents that have region 1 polarity. Thus in this scenario the earthward flow from the reconnection region produces the dipolarization ad the current wedge in a self-consistent fashion. In this study we examine observations made on April 8, 1985 by the Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Explorers (AMPTE)/Ion Release Module (IRM), the geosynchronous satellites 1979-053, 1983-019, and 1984-037, and Syowa station, as well as AE. This event is unique because IRM was located near the neutral sheet in the midnight sector for am extended period of time. Ground data show that there was ongoing activity in the IRM local time sector for several hours, beginning at 1800 UT and reaching a crescendo at 2300 UT. This activity was also accompanied by energetic particle variations, including injections, at geosynchronous orbit in the nighttime sector. Significantly, there were no fast flows at the neutral sheet until the great intensification of activity at 2300 UT. At that time, IRM recorded fast eartheard flow simultaneous with a dipolatization of the magetic field. We conclude that while the aforementioned scenario for the creation of the current wedge encounters serious problems explaining the earlier activity, the observations at 2300 UT are consistent with the scenario of Hesse and Birn (1191). On that basis it is argued that the physics of substorms is not exclusively rooted in the development of a global tearing mode. Processes at the inner edge of the cross-tail current that cause a disruption of the current and a consequent dipolarization and current wedge may be unrelated to the formation of a macroscale reconnection region. Thus the global evolution of a substorm is probably a complicated superposition of such processes operating on a very localized scale and a global macroscale process that allows for such things as releasing te energy stored in lobe flux and creation of plasmoids.

Lopez, R. E.↗

Hypersonic Boundary Layer Measurements with Variable Blowing Rates Using Molecular Tagging Velocimetry

Measurements of mean and instantaneous streamwise velocity profiles in a hypersonic boundary layer with variable rates of mass injection (blowing) of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were obtained over a 10-degree half-angle wedge model. The NO2 was seeded into the flow from a slot located 29.4 mm downstream of the sharp leading edge. The top surface of the wedge was oriented at a 20 degree angle in the Mach 10 flow, yielding an edge Mach number of approximately 4.2. The streamwise velocity profiles and streamwise fluctuating velocity component profiles were obtained using a three-laser NO2->NO photolysis molecular tagging velocimetry method. Observed trends in the mean streamwise velocity profiles and profiles of the fluctuating component of streamwise velocity as functions of the blowing rate are described. An effort is made to distinguish between the effect of blowing rate and wall temperature on the measured profiles. An analysis of the mean velocity profiles for a constant blowing rate is presented to determine the uncertainty in the measurement for different probe laser delay settings. Measurements of streamwise velocity were made to within approximately 120 gm of the model surface. The streamwise spatial resolution in this experiment ranged from 0.6 mm to 2.6 mm. An improvement in the spatial precision of the measurement technique has been made, with spatial uncertainties reduced by about a factor of 2 compared to previous measurements. For the quiescent flow calibration measurements presented, uncertainties as low as 2 m/s are obtained at 95% confidence for long delay times (25 gs). For the velocity measurements obtained with the wind tunnel operating, average single-shot uncertainties of less than 44 m/s are obtained at 95% confidence with a probe laser delay setting of 1 gs. The measurements were performed in the 31-inch Mach 10 Air Tunnel at the NASA Langley Research Center.

Bathel, Brett F.↗