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Results for “VISCOUS DRAG”

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.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Overview of the Langley viscous drag reduction program

As a result of reductions in form drag and roughness drag, skin friction, drag, or viscous drag now represents a major contributor to the cruise drag of subsonic business and transport aircraft, and hence, is considered a barrier problem to further significant improvements in the aerodynamic efficiency of these aircraft. To meet the challenge, research in the areas of laminar-flow control and turbulence control/drag reduction was initiated at NASA Langley Research Center. The significance of this research is discussed.

Hefner, Jerry N.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Fluid Dynamics of Small, Rugged Vacuum Pumps of Viscous-Drag Type

The need to identify spikes in the concentration of hazardous gases during countdowns to space shuttle launches has led Kennedy Space Center to acquire considerable expertise in the design, construction, and operation of special-purpose gas analyzers of mass-spectrometer type. If such devices could be miniaturized so as to fit in a small airborne package or backpack them their potential applications would include integrated vehicle health monitoring in later-generation space shuttles and in hazardous material detection in airports, to name two examples. The bulkiest components of such devices are vacuum pumps, particularly those that function in the low vacuum range. Now some pumps that operate in the high vacuum range (e.g. molecular-drag and turbomolecular pumps) are already small and rugged. The present work aims to determine whether, on physical grounds, one may or may not adopt the molecular-drag principle to the low-vacuum range (in which case viscous-drag principle is the appropriate term). The deliverable of the present effort is the derivation and justification of some key formulas and calculation methods for the preliminary design of a single-spool, spiral-channel viscous-drag pump.

Russell, John M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Viscous drag reduction in boundary layers

The present volume discusses the development status of stability theory for laminar flow control design, applied aspects of laminar-flow technology, transition delays using compliant walls, the application of CFD to skin friction drag-reduction, active-wave control of boundary-layer transitions, and such passive turbulent-drag reduction methods as outer-layer manipulators and complex-curvature concepts. Also treated are such active turbulent drag-reduction technique applications as those pertinent to MHD flow drag reduction, as well as drag reduction in liquid boundary layers by gas injection, drag reduction by means of polymers and surfactants, drag reduction by particle addition, viscous drag reduction via surface mass injection, and interactive wall-turbulence control.

Bushnell, Dennis M.↗
NASA NTRS1982

NASA research on viscous drag reduction

Current NASA research points toward exciting opportunities for large reductions in viscous drag. Research is underway on natural laminar flow, laminar flow control by suction, and turbulent drag reduction. Preliminary results suggest that a significant amount of natural laminar flow can be achieved on small, straight-wing airplanes. On larger, swept-wing aircraft, laminar flow control by distributed suction is expected to result in significant fuel savings. The area over which laminar flow control is applied depends on tradeoffs involving structural complexity, maintenance, and cost. Several methods of reducing turbulent skin friction by altering the turbulence structure itself have shown promise in exploratory testing. This paper reviews the status of these technologies and indicates the benefits of applying them to future aircraft.

Petersen, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1984

NASA research on viscous drag reduction II

An assessment is made of determinations from NASA research on viscous drag reduction for aircraft, which extends to both laminar flow control and turbulent drag reduction methods. Attention is given to achievements in natural and suction-induced laminar flow control, hybrid systems incorporating both principles, turbulent drag reduction by means of low momentum fluid injection from discrete tangential slots, large eddy breakup devices, and an 'ion wind' system that functions on an inversion of the corona wind phenomenon. Surface-based drag reduction effects under study involve 'riblets', or small longitudinal surface striations, convex curvatures, and rigid, wavy walls.

Bushnell, D. M.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Evaluation of viscous drag reduction schemes for subsonic transports

The results are described of a theoretical study of viscous drag reduction schemes for potential application to the fuselage of a long-haul subsonic transport aircraft. The schemes which were examined included tangential slot injection on the fuselage and various synergetic combinations of tangential slot injection and distributed suction applied to wing and fuselage surfaces. Both passive and mechanical (utilizing turbo-machinery) systems were examined. Overall performance of the selected systems was determined at a fixed subsonic cruise condition corresponding to a flight Mach number of free stream M = 0.8 and an altitude of 11,000 m. The nominal aircraft to which most of the performance data was referenced was a wide-body transport of the Boeing 747 category. Some of the performance results obtained with wing suction are referenced to a Lockheed C-141 Star Lifter wing section. Alternate designs investigated involved combinations of boundary layer suction on the wing surfaces and injection on the fuselage, and suction and injection combinations applied to the fuselage only.

Marino, A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Turbulent viscous drag reduction with thin-element riblets

Thin-element riblets for aircraft aerodynamic surface turbulent viscous drag reduction are presently found to be as effective as symmetric V-grooves in this role, while possessing a greater range of admissible spacings. The thin-element geometry shows the qualitatively predictable influence of independent riblet height and spacing variations. The evidence for more than one drag-reduction mechanism in thin-element riblets is found to be inconclusive.

Lazos, B.↗
DOE OSTI2025

OC7 phase I: Toward practical sea-state-dependent modeling of hydrodynamic viscous drag and damping

Here, this article presents a collaborative research campaign under the OC7 project on refining the engineering modeling approach for hydrodynamic viscous drag and damping on floating wind platforms, focusing on the adjustment of hydrodynamic drag and damping coefficients for different sea states. The participant simulation results show significant improvements over the previous OC6 project in predicting the low-frequency resonance motion under nonoperational conditions. The improvements are mainly due to enhanced modeling, including the adoption of wave stretching, and directly tuning the coefficients to measured platform motion in waves instead of free decay. For accurate predictions of mean- and slow-drift motion, the better performing models use a decreasing column splash zone drag coefficient and increasing surge damping/drag with increasing wave height. The model tuning for heave and pitch resonance shows less consistency. Generally, both quadratic drag and additional heave or pitch damping are needed for accurate predictions. Alternatively, a quadratic drag formulation with velocity filtering for the rectangular pontoons leads to improved predictions without additional damping. This model is also potentially more predictive, requiring minimal adjustment to its parameters for different conditions.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1995

Eliminating Flow Separation and Reducing Viscous Drag Through Boundary Layer Analysis and Manipulation

As both computers and flow-analyzing equations have increased in sophistication, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has evolved into a fixture for advanced aircraft design. While CFD codes have improved in accuracy and efficiency, their ability to encompass viscous effects is lacking in certain areas. For example, current CFD codes cannot accurately predict or correct for the increased drag due to these viscous effects at some flow conditions. However, by analyzing an airfoil's turbulent boundary layer, one can predict not only flow separation via the shape factor parameter, but also viscous drag via the momentum thickness. Various codes have been written which can calculate turbulent boundary layer parameters. The goal of my research is to develop procedures for modifying an airfoil (via its local pressure distribution) to eliminate boundary layer separation and/or to reduce viscous drag. The modifications to the local pressure distribution necessary to achieve these objectives will be determined using a direct-iterative method installed into a turbulent boundary layer analyzer. Furthermore, the modifications should preserve the basic characteristics of the original airfoil.

Oser, Matthew D.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Enhancements to the high speed convective heating and viscous drag prediction techniques of the Aerodynamic Preliminary Analysis System (APAS)

APAS is an interactive computer program that allows a user to quickly estimate the aerodynamic characteristics of aerospace and aeronautical vehicles throughout the speed range using a single geometry definition. This report documents the major differences between the high speed analysis portion of the APAS and the Mark III version of the hypersonic arbitrary-body program from which it has evolved and compares convective heating and viscous drag results from the APAS with CFD results, experimental data, and flight data.

Cruz, Christopher I.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Convex curvature concept of viscous drag reduction

Experiments have indicated that for certain convex aerodynamic surface curvature ratios, wall-shear stresses remain low over considerable streamwide distances even after curvature is removed. The research whose progress is presently evaluated was first suggested by Bushnell (1983), who proposed that the convex-surface curvature be used in axisymmetric bodies to ascertain whether the viscous component of total drag is reduced. Attention is given to the evolution of the concept's implementation in an axisymmetric nose-body combination for passive viscous drag reduction.

Bandyopadhyay, Promode R.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Large-eddy breakup scheme for turbulent viscous drag reduction

A concept for reducing turbulent skin friction drag by altering/controlling the large coherent eddy structures within the turbulent boundary layer is proposed. Results of an ongoing experimental and numerical investigation to develop large-eddy breakup devices (LEBU devices) are presented and indicate that the average skin friction drag downstream of the LEBU devices is reduced by up to 24% compared to 'undisturbed' flat plate levels; device drag requires further reduction before net drag reductions can be realized. Future work is discussed and will focus on reducing device drag by taking advantage of the unsteady 'freestream' ahead of the LEBU devices.

Hefner, J. N.↗
NASA NTRS1982

NASA research on viscous drag reduction

Research on natural laminar flow, laminar flow control by suction, and turbulent drag reduction is discussed. Preliminary results suggest that a significant amount of natural laminar flow can be achieved on small, straight wing airplanes. On larger, swept wing aircraft, laminar flow control by distributed suction is expected to result in significant fuel savings. The area over which laminar flow control is applied depends on tradeoffs involving structural complexity, maintenance, and cost. Several methods of reducing turbulent skin friction by altering the turbulence structure itself have shown promise in exploratory testing. The status of these technologies and the benefits of applying them to future aircraft are reviewed.

Petersen, R. H.↗