Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Greene, G. C..
Research requirements to an ultra-high-Reynolds-number liquid helium facility are reviewed. Aerodynamic research areas under consideration include wave vortex hazard reduction, vortex control and diagnostics for maneuvering fighter aircraft, and performance of high-lift devices.
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Vortex wake alleviation studies were conducted in a wind tunnel and a water towing tank using a multisegmented wing model which provided controlled and measured variations in span load. Fourteen model configurations are tested at a Reynolds number of one million and a lift coefficient of 0.6 in the Langley 4- by 7-Meter Tunnel and the Hydronautics Ship Model Basin water tank at Hydronautics, Inc., Laurel, Md. Detailed measurements of span load and wake velocities at one semispan downstream correlate well with each other, with inviscid predictions of span load and wake roll up, and with peak trailing-wing rolling moments measured in the far wake. Average trailing-wing rolling moments are found to be an unreliable indicator of vortex wake intensity because vortex meander does not scale between test facilities and free-air conditions. A tapered-span-load configuration, which exhibits little or no drag penalty, is shown to offer significant downstream wake alleviation to a small trailing wing. The greater downstream wake alleviation achieved with the addition of spoilers to a flapped-wing configuration is shown to result directly from the high incremental drag and turbulence associated with the spoilers and not from the span load alteration they cause.
An approximate analysis of atmospheric effects on wake vortex motion and decay is presented. The effects of density stratification, turbulence, and Reynolds number are combined in a single model so that the relative importance of different parameters can be determined. Predicted wake motion is shown to be in good agreement with limited data from both ground facility and flight test measurements taken under low turbulence conditions. Wake decay was found to depend strongly on both density stratification and turbulence. For typical levels of turbulence, wake decay was found to result from the 'Crow instability' except under strongly stratified conditions.
Recent modernization of NASA's Vortex Research Facility is described. The facility has a 300-ft test section, scheduled for a 300-ft extension, with constant test speeds of the model up to 100 ft/sec. The data acquisition hardware and software improvements included the installation of a 24-channel PCM system onboard the research vehicle, and a large dedicated 16-bit minicomputer. Flow visualization of the vortex wake in the test section is by particle seeding, and a thin sheet of argon laser light perpendicular to the line of flight; detailed flow field measurements are made with a laser velocimeter optics system. The improved experimental capabilities of the facility were used in a study of atmospheric stratification effects on wake vortex decay, showing that the effects of temperature gradient must be taken into account to avoid misleading conclusions in wake vortex research.
This paper describes some of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) recent and current research on aerodynamic techniques for minimizing the aircraft trailing vortex hazard. The potential benefits and operating problems of the more promising concepts are discussed. Recent flight-test results are presented which show that essentially total vortex alleviation can be achieved at a 3 nautical mile separation distance by oscillating the aircraft's lateral-control surfaces. While not operationally practical, these results suggest that it may be possible to minimize the wake hazard by exciting longitudinal instabilities.
The results of an analytical and experimental investigation of wind turbine noise are presented. Noise calculations indicate that for configurations with the rotor downwind of the support tower, the primary source of noise is the rapid change in rotor loadings which occurs as the rotor passes through the tower wake. Noise measurements are presented for solid and truss type tower models with both upwind and downwind rotors. Upwind rotor configurations are shown to be significantly quieter than downwind configurations. The model data suggest that averaged noise measurements and noise calculations based on averaged tower wake characteristics may not accurately represent the impulsive noise characteristics of downwind rotor configurations.
Recent NASA and NASA sponsored research on the prediction and control of propeller and rotor source noise, on the analysis and design of fuselage sidewall noise control treatments, and on the measurement and quantification of the response of passengers to aircraft noise is described. Source noise predictions are compared with measurements for conventional low speed propellers, for new high speed propellers (propfans), and for a helicopter. Results from a light aircraft demonstration program are considered which indicates that about 5 dB reduction of flyover noise can be obtained without significant performance penalty. Sidewall design studies are examined for interior noise control in light general aviation aircraft and in large transports using propfan propulsion. The weight of the added acoustic treatment is estimated and tradeoffs between weight and noise reduction are discussed. A laboratory study of passenger response to combined broadband and tonal propeller-like noise is described. Subject discomfort ratings of combined tone broadband noises are compared with ratings of broadband (boundary layer) noise alone and the relative importance of the propeller tones is examined.
Source noise predictions are compared with measurements for conventional low-speed propellers, for new high speed propellers (propfans), and for a helicopter. Results from a light aircraft demonstration program are described, indicating that about 5-dB reduction of flyover noise can be obtained without significant performance penalty. Sidewall design studies are described for interior noise control in light general aviation aircraft and in large transports using propfan propulsion. The weight of the added acoustic treatment is estimated and tradeoffs between weight and noise reduction are discussed. A laboratory study of passenger response to combined broadband and tonal propeller like noise is described. Subject discomfort ratings of combined tone broadband noises are compared with ratings of broadband (boundary layer) noise alone, and the relative importance of the propeller tones is examined.
The acoustic calculations reported in this memorandum are for two model prop-fan designs (SR-2 and SR-3 blades) scheduled for test on top of Jetstar aircraft. The predicted acoustic pressure signatures and spectra for selected microphone positions on the fuselage and operating conditions are presented. A detailed presentation of the input data, the acoustic results, and the corrections for microphone fuselage reflection are included. The general trend observed in these calculations is that the acoustically optimized model (using SR-3 blades) is substantially quieter than the model with SR-2 blades. This latter design has conventional straight blades.
This paper presents a summary of NASA's propeller and rotor noise research. The objective of this research is to develop the technology and data base required to reduce propeller and rotor noise with minimum performance penalties. The status of current research will be described for both low- and high-speed propellers and for helicopter rotors. Recent results and future research thrusts are also discussed
Far field computations were performed for a large wind turbine to evaluate the effects of non-uniform aerodynamic loading over the rotor disk. A modified version of the Farassat/Nystrom propeller noise prediction program was applied to account for the variations in loading due to inflow interruption by the upstream support tower. The computations indicate that for the uniform inflow case, relatively low noise levels are generated and the first rotational harmonic dominated the spectrum. For cases representing wake flow deficiences due to the tower structure, subtantially increased noise levels for all harmonics are indicated, the greatest increases being associated with the higher order harmonics.
The research in propeller noise prediction, noise/performance optimization, and interior reduction is described. Selected results are presented to illustrate the status of the technology and the direction of future research.
Results from the meteorology instruments on the Viking 1 lander are presented for the first 20 sols of operation. The daily patterns of temperature, wind, and pressure have been highly consistent during the period. Hence, these have been assembled into 20-sol composistes and analyzed harmonically. Maximum temperature was 241.8 K and minimum was 187.2 K. The composite wind vector has a mean diurnal magnitude of 2.4 meters per second with prevailing wind from the south and counterclockwise diurnal rotation. Pressure exhibits diurnal and semidiurnal oscillations. The diurnal is ascribed to a combination of effects, and the semidiurnal appears to be the solar semidiurnal tide. Similarities to earth are discussed. A major finding is a continual secular decrease in diurnal mean pressure. This is ascribed to carbon dioxide deposition at the south polar cap.
The Viking meteorology experiment is one of nine experiments to be carried out on the surface of Mars by each of two Viking Landers positioned at different latitudes and longitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. The meteorology experiment will measure pressure, temperature, wind speed, and wind direction at 1.5-hr intervals throughout the Martian day. The duration of each measurement period, the interval between data samples for a measurement period, and the time at which the measurement period is started will be varied throughout the mission. The scientific investigation and the sensors and electronics used for making the atmospheric measurement are discussed.
The results from the meteorology instruments on the Viking 1 lander are presented for the first 4 sols of operation. The instruments are working satisfactorily. Temperatures fluctuated from a low of 188 K to an estimated maximum of 244 K. The mean pressure is 7.65 millibars with a diurnal variation of amplitude 0.1 millibar. Wind speeds averaged over several minutes have ranged from essentially calm to 9 meters per second. Wind directions have exhibited a remarkable regularity which may be associated with nocturnal downslope winds and gravitational oscillations, or to tidal effects of the diurnal pressure wave, or to both.
Results from a wind-tunnel investigation of a large-scale externally blown flap model are presented. The model was equipped with four turbofan engines, a triple-slotted flap system, and a T-tail. The wing had a quarter-chord sweep of 25 deg, an aspect ratio of 7.28, and a taper ratio of 0.4. Aerodynamic loads and load distributions were determined from a total of 564 static pressure orifices located on the upper and lower surfaces of the slat, wing, and flaps. Loads are presented for variations of angle of attack, engine thrust setting, and flap deflection angle. In addition, the experimental results are compared with analytical results calculated by using a potential flow analysis.
In one attempt to produce a simple inexpensive nozzle, a 2-in. diam plate with 37 holes was investigated (Stadler, 1960), anticipating that the small jets emanating from the plate would combine to form a uniform stream. This experiment was unsuccessful because a uniform flow was not established until the flow had progressed many nozzle diameters downstream. However, an extension of this concept to a much larger number of very small jets, viz., a porous plate, did provide a method for producing a uniform, low Reynolds number jet almost immediately downstream of the nozzle (Greene, 1973). The method is described and some typical jet velocity profiles for nozzle Reynolds numbers from 50 to 1000 are given.