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Heineck, James T.

Publications and source records attributed to Heineck, James T..

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2019

Shape and Angle-Of-Attack Measurements of Ram-Air Parachutes by Stereo Photogrammetry in the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex

US Army MC-4/5 ram-air parachutes were tested in the 80- by 120-Ft test section of the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex. Arrays of targets on the upper and lower surfaces of the central cell of the canopies were measured by stereo photogrammetry, and the target positions were used to estimate both the shape of the cell and angle of attack of the canopy. Forces and moments were measured by a six-axis load cell. Based on the photogrammetry and load-cell measurements, the relationships between lift, drag, and angle of attack were determined over a range of trailing-edge flap deflections, front riser lengths, and free-stream airspeeds. This paper describes the test, with an emphasis on the photogrammetry measurements, and presents a summary of results.

Ram-Air parachutes↗
NASA NTRS2018

Nozzle Plume/Shock Interaction Experimental and Computational Sonic Boom Analyses from the NASA Ames 9- by 7-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel

A wind tunnel test and a computational study were conducted to investigate the complex interactions between a supersonic nozzle plume and shock waves of differing strengths generated from various aft surfaces typical of supersonic aircraft. These analytically-defined aft surfaces were representative of horizontal tails of various sizes, and an aft deck. CFD simulations of many proposed model configurations allowed for assessments of the detailed flow interactions of components in close proximity to the nozzle, as well as assessments of the nozzle jet flow itself. The evaluation of the computational results for many candidate configurations guided the design of model components. The interactions of the waveforms from these surfaces with the jet exhaust plume can have significant adverse effects on the loudness of the sonic boom if the surfaces are not carefully integrated into an aircraft design. The greatest discrepancy in estimating sonic boom loudness for low-boom flight vehicles is currently in predicting the signatures from the aft part of an aircraft, including the interactions with the plume flow. The objectives of this test were to gain a better understanding of these interactions, and to provide a detailed experimental database from multiple sources for use as validation cases for CFD tool development. The subject test was run in the NASA Ames 9- by 7-Ft Supersonic Wind Tunnel in February 2016 at Mach numbers of 1.6 and 2.0, and was funded by the NASA Commercial Supersonics Technology (CST) Project. The nozzle flow was provided by high-pressure air (HPA) pumped through the model, and pressure signature data were acquired with the NASA 14-inch sonic boom pressure rail. The rail measured the locations of the shocks and expansions at various distances and off-track angles from the model. This enabled the impact of the nozzle plume/shock interactions on the near- and mid-field sonic boom pressure waveforms to be quantified. Schlieren images of the flow field around and behind the model were obtained with an RBOS (Retroreflective Background-Oriented Schlieren) technique to determine the origins of the shock and expansion waves, to identify the shape and boundaries of the plume, and to determine the changes in incoming and exiting waveforms within the plume. A total pressure rake was positioned closely behind the model nozzle in order to measure the total pressure profiles of the flow above, within, and below the nozzle exhaust. Model angles and positions in the tunnel were measured by photogrammetry using two cameras since the lack of a model force balance prevented the measurement of model deflections under load.Navier-Stokes computations using two different CFD codes were compared to the experimental sonic boom pressure signature data, and the rake total pressure data in the plume. A computational schlieren technique was used to compare the computed flow field with the RBOS images. The computational results were also used to complement the test data with flow field quantities that could not be measured, such as Mach number and pressure distributions to distinguish shock waves and expansion waves.

sonic boom↗
NASA NTRS2018

Measurements of Parachute Dynamics in the World's Largest Wind Tunnel by Stereo Photogrammetry

Between 2012 and 2017, parachutes for four NASA Projects were tested in the 80- by 120-Ft test section of the National Full-Scale Aerodynamic Complex (NFAC) at NASA Ames Research Center. These projects were: (1) Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD); (2) Capsule Parachute Assembly System (CPAS, for Orion); (3) Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight, a Mars mission); and (4) Mars 2020. In all tests stereo photogrammetry was used to measure time-dependent positions of features on the canopies. For the LDSD and CPAS tests, where the purpose was to study the trade-off between stability and drag of different parachute designs, the pendulum motion of the canopies about the riser attachment point was measured by calibrated cameras in the diffuser. The CPAS test also included static measurements where the inflated parachutes were pulled to the side by a system of tethers. The Insight tests were structural qualification tests where each canopy was packed in a bag and launched from a mortar. Cameras in the diffuser measured the trajectory of the bag and the stripping of the bag from the canopy. The Mars 2020 test was a workmanship verification test where the canopies were either launched from a mortar or deployed from a sleeve stretched along the tunnel axis. The deployments were recorded from many directions by thirteen high-speed cameras distributed in the diffuser and test section. Photogrammetry was not planned; however, after a tunnel-related accident ended the test prematurely, photogrammetric measurements were bootstrapped from the images to support the accident investigations. This paper describes how the photogrammetry measurements were made in each test and presents typical results.

Schairer, Edward T.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Retroreflective Background Oriented Schlieren Imaging Results from the NASA Plume/Shock Interaction Test

In support of NASA's Commercial Supersonics Technology (CST) project, a test was conducted in the 9-by-7 ft. supersonic section of the NASA Ames Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT). The tests were designed to study the interaction of shocks with a supersonic jet characteristic of those that may occur on a commercial supersonic aircraft. Multiple shock generating geometries were tested to examine the interaction dynamics as they pertain to sonic boom mitigation. An integral part of the analyses of these interactions are the interpretation of the data generated from the retroreflective Background Oriented Schlieren (RBOS) imaging technique employed for this test. The regularization- based optical flow methodology used to generate these data is described. Sample results are compared to those using normalized cross-correlation. The reduced noise, additional feature detail, and fewer false artifacts provided by the optical flow technique produced clearer time-averaged images, allowing for better interpretation of the underlying flow phenomena. These images, coupled with pressure signatures in the near field, are used to provide an overview of the detailed interaction flowfields.

optical flow↗
NASA NTRS2017

Model Deformation and Optical Angle of Attack Measurement System in the NASA Ames Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel

Both AoA and MDM measurements can be made using an optical system that relies on photogrammetry. Optical measurements are being requested by customers in wind tunnels with increasing frequency due to their non-intrusive nature and recent hardware and software advances that allow measurements to become near real time. The NASA Ames Research Center Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel is currently developing a system based on photogrammetry to measure model deformation and model angle of attack. This paper describes the new system, its development, its use on recent tests and plans to further develop the system.

flow visualization↗
NASA NTRS2017

Stereo Photogrammetry Measurements of the Position and Attitude of a Nozzle-Plume/Shock-Wave Interaction Model in the NASA Ames 9- by 7-Ft Supersonic Wind Tunnel

Stereo photogrammetry was used to measure the position and attitude of a slender body of revolution during nozzle-plume/shock-wave interaction tests in the NASA Ames 9- by 7-Ft Supersonic Wind Tunnel. The model support system was designed to allow the model to be placed at many locations in the test section relative to a pressure rail on one sidewall. It included a streamwise traverse as well as a thin blade that offset the model axis from the sting axis. With these features the support system was more flexible than usual resulting in higher-than-usual uncertainty in the position and attitude of the model. Also contributing to this uncertainty were the absence of a balance, so corrections for sting deflections could not be applied, and the wings-vertical orientation of the model, which precluded using a gravity-based accelerometer to measure pitch angle. Therefore, stereo photogrammetry was chosen to provide independent measures of the model position and orientation. This paper describes the photogrammetry system and presents selected results from the test.

supersonic↗
NASA NTRS2017

Optical Flow for Flight and Wind Tunnel Background Oriented Schlieren Imaging

Background oriented Schlieren images have historically been generated by calculating the observed pixel displacement between a wind-on and wind-o image pair using normalized cross-correlation. This work uses optical flow to solve the displacement fields which generate the Schlieren images. A well established method used in the computer vision community, optical flow is the apparent motion in an image sequence due to brightness changes. The regularization method of Horn and Schunck is used to create Schlieren images using two data sets: a supersonic jet plume shock interaction from the NASA Ames Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel, and a transonic flight test of a T-38 aircraft using a naturally occurring background, performed in conjunction with NASA Ames and Armstrong Research Centers. Results are presented and contrasted with those using normalized cross-correlation. The optical flow Schlieren images are found to provided significantly more detail. We apply the method to historical data sets to demonstrate the broad applicability and limitations of the technique.

Image processing↗
NASA NTRS2016

Experimental Investigation of Subsonic Turbulent Boundary Layer Flow Over a Wall-Mounted Axisymmetric Hill

An important goal for modern fluid mechanics experiments is to provide datasets which present a challenge for Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations to reproduce. Such "CFD validation experiments" should be well-characterized and well-documented, and should investigate flows which are difficult for CFD to calculate. It is also often convenient for the experiment to be challenging for CFD in some aspects while simple in others. This report is part of the continuing documentation of a series of experiments conducted to characterize the flow around an axisymmetric, modified-cosine-shaped, wall-mounted hill named "FAITH" (Fundamental Aero Investigates The Hill). Computation of this flow is easy in some ways - subsonic flow over a simple shape - while being complex in others - separated flow and boundary layer interactions. The primary set of experiments were performed on a 15.2 cm high, 45.7 cm base diameter machined aluminum model that was tested at mean speeds of 50 m/s (Reynolds Number based on height = 500,000). The ratio of model height to boundary later height was approximately 3. The flow was characterized using surface oil flow visualization, Cobra probe to determine point-wise steady and unsteady 3D velocities, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) to determine 3D velocities and turbulence statistics along specified planes, Pressure Sensitive Paint (PSP) to determine mean surface pressures, and Fringe Imaging Skin Friction (FISF) to determine surface skin friction magnitude and direction. A set of pathfinder experiments were also performed in a water channel on a smaller scale (5.1 cm high, 15.2 cm base diameter) sintered nylon model. The water channel test was conducted at a mean test section speed of 3 cm/s (Reynolds Number of 1500), but at the same ratio of model height to boundary layer thickness. Dye injection from both the model and an upstream rake was used to visualize the flow. This report summarizes the experimental set-up, techniques used, and data acquired. It also describes some details of the dataset that is being constructed for use by other researchers, especially the CFD community.

fluid machanics cfd validation wind tunnel↗
NASA NTRS2016

Background Oriented Schlieren (BOS) of a Supersonic Aircraft in Flight

This presentation describes the development and use of Background Oriented Schlieren (BOS) on a full-scale supersonic jet in flight. A series of flight tests was performed in October 2014 and February 2015 using the flora of the desert floor in the Supersonic Flight Corridor on the Edwards Air Force Base as a background. Flight planning was designed based on the camera resolution, the mean size and color of the predominant plants, and the navigation and coordination of two aircraft. Software used to process the image data was improved with additional utilities. The planning proved to be effective and the vast majority of the passes of the target aircraft were successfully recorded. Results were obtained that are the most detailed schlieren imagery of an aircraft in flight to date.

Visualization↗
NASA NTRS2016

Background Oriented Schlieren (BOS) of a Supersonic Aircraft in Flight

This article describes the development and use of Background Oriented Schlieren on a full-scale supersonic jet in flight. A series of flight tests was performed in October, 2014 and February 2015 using the flora of the desert floor in the Supersonic Flight Corridor on the Edwards Air Force Base as a background. Flight planning was designed based on the camera resolution, the mean size and color of the predominant plants, and the navigation and coordination of two aircraft. Software used to process the image data was improved with additional utilities. The planning proved to be effective and the vast majority of the passes of the target aircraft were successfully recorded. Results were obtained that are the most detailed schlieren imagery of an aircraft in flight to date.

Schlieren imaging↗
NASA NTRS2016

Background Oriented Schlieren (BOS) of a Supersonic Aircraft In Flight

This article describes the development and use of Background Oriented Schlieren on a full-scale supersonic jet in flight. A series of flight tests was performed in October, 2014 and February 2015 using the flora of the desert floor in the Supersonic Flight Corridor on the Edwards Air Force Base as a background. Flight planning was designed based on the camera resolution, the mean size and color of the predominant plants, and the navigation and coordination of two aircraft. Software used to process the image data was improved with additional utilities. The planning proved to be effective and the vast majority of the passes of the target aircraft were successfully recorded. Results were obtained that are the most detailed schlieren imagery of an aircraft in flight to date.

Heineck, James T.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Comparison of Cross Correlation and Optical Flow Methods for Processing Retroreflective and Natural Background BOS Data

Background oriented schlieren images have historically been generated by calculating the observed pixel displacement between an image pair using normalized cross-correlation methods. This work uses optical flow data reduction methods to solve the displacement fields. A well established method used in the computer vision community, optical flow is the apparent brightness motion in an image sequence. The regularization method of Horn and Schunck is used to create schlieren images using two data sets: a supersonic shockjet plume interaction at the NASA Ames Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel, and a transonic flight test of a T-38 using a naturally occurring background performed in conjunction with NASA Ames and Armstrong research centers. Results are presented and contrasted with those using normalized cross-correlation methods. The optical flow images are found to provided significantly more detail at a decreased computational time.

schlieren↗
NASA NTRS2016

Simulation of Sweep-Jet Flow Control, Single Jet and Full Vertical Tail

This work is a simulation technology demonstrator, of sweep jet flow control used to suppress boundary layer separation and increase the maximum achievable load coefficients. A sweep jet is a discrete Coanda jet that oscillates in the plane parallel to an aerodynamic surface. It injects mass and momentum in the approximate streamwise direction. It also generates turbulent eddies at the oscillation frequency, which are typically large relative to the scales of boundary layer turbulence, and which augment mixing across the boundary layer to attack flow separation. Simulations of a fluidic oscillator, the sweep jet emerging from a nozzle downstream of the oscillator, and an array of sweep jets which suppresses boundary layer separation are performed. Simulation results are compared to data from a dedicated validation experiment of a single oscillator and its sweep jet, and from a wind tunnel test of a full-scale Boeing 757 vertical tail augmented with an array of sweep jets. A critical step in the work is the development of realistic time-dependent sweep jet inflow boundary conditions, derived from the results of the single-oscillator simulations, which create the sweep jets in the full-tail simulations. Simulations were performed using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver Overow, with high-order spatial discretization and a range of turbulence modeling. Good results were obtained for all flows simulated, when suitable turbulence modeling was used.

flow control↗
NASA NTRS2016

Simulation of Sweep-Jet Flow Control, Single Jet and Full Vertical Tail

This work is a simulation technology demonstrator, of sweep jets used to suppress boundary layer separation and increase maximum achievable load coefficients. A sweep jet is a discrete Coanda jet that oscillates in the plane parallel to an aerodynamic surface. It injects mass and momentum in the approximate stream wise direction. It also generate turbulent eddies at the oscillation frequency, which are typically large relative to boundary layer turbulence, and which augmenting mixing across the boundary layer to attack flow separation. Simulations of a fluidic oscillator, the sweep jet emerging from the oscillator, and the suppression of boundary layer separation by an array of sweep jets are performed. Simulation results are compared to data from a dedicated CFD validation experiment of a single oscillator and its sweep jet, and from a study of a full-scale Boeing 757 vertical tail augmented with an array of sweep jets.2, 20 A critical step in the work is the development of realistic time-dependent sweep-jet in flow boundary conditions, derived from the results of the single-oscillator simulations, which create the sweep jets in the full-tail simulations. Simulations were performed using the Over flow CFD solver, with high-order spatial discretization and a range of turbulence modeling. Good results were obtained for all flows simulated, when suitable turbulence modeling was used.

flow control↗
NASA NTRS2015

Institutional Schlieren: A Production-Level Wind Tunnel Test Measurement

The following details recent efforts undertaken at the NASA Ames Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel to design and deploy an advanced, institutional, production-level data system for the classical Schlieren-shadowgraph technique. Motivation for the selection of individual system components is discussed along with a software methodology that combines image acquisition and processing into a production-level wind tunnel test measurement. In general terms, a production-level measurement refers to any data system that is seamlessly integrated into the primary wind tunnel data system, and whose data products are available real-time (e.g. force and moment, pressure, temperature data). The advantage of integrating a measurement in such a manner is an immediate increase in data product efficiency, productivity, reliability, and quality. Coupled with these benefits and leveraging recent advancements in high-speed imaging and image processing, automated, synchronized, time-resolved Schlieren-shadowgraph imaging for dynamic flow phenomena is now a reality. This makes possible the synthesis of dynamic off-body imaging with unsteady on-body measurements to produce a uniquely descriptive data product invaluable to the modern researcher.

Shadowgraph↗
NASA NTRS2015

Model Deformation Measurements of Sonic Boom Models in the NASA Ames 9- by 7-Ft Supersonic Wind Tunnel

The deformations of two sonic-boom models were measured by stereo photogrammetry during tests in the 9- by 7-Ft Supersonic Wind Tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center. The models were geometrically similar but one was 2.75 times as large as the other. Deformation measurements were made by simultaneously imaging the upper surfaces of the models from two directions by calibrated cameras that were mounted behind windows of the test section. Bending and twist were measured at discrete points using conventional circular targets that had been marked along the leading and trailing edges of the wings and tails. In addition, continuous distributions of bending and twist were measured from ink speckles that had been applied to the upper surfaces of the model. Measurements were made at wind-on (M = 1.6) and wind-off conditions over a range of angles of attack between 2.5 deg. and 5.0 deg. At each condition, model deformation was determined by comparing the wind-off and wind-on coordinates of each measurement point after transforming the coordinates to reference coordinates tied to the model. The necessary transformations were determined by measuring the positions of a set of targets on the rigid center-body of the models whose model-axes coordinates were known. Smoothly varying bending and twist measurements were obtained at all conditions. Bending displacements increased in proportion to the square of the distance to the centerline. Maximum deflection of the wingtip of the larger model was about 5 mm (2% of the semispan) and that of the smaller model was 0.9 mm (1% of the semispan). The change in wing twist due to bending increased in direct proportion to distance from the centerline and reached a (absolute) maximum of about -1 at the highest angle of attack for both models. The measurements easily resolved bending displacements as small as 0.05 mm and bending-induced changes in twist as small as 0.05 deg.

model deformation↗
NASA NTRS2015

Visualization of a Sweeping Jet by Laser Speckle Retro-reflective Background Oriented Schlieren

Sweeping jet actuators are currently being studied as a method of active flow control to increase the performance of wings and tails. Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations show that the jet does not sweep at a constant rate, instead spending more time at the minimum and maximum of its extent. As part of a test done to provide dynamic flow measurements for Computation Fluid Dynamics validation in NASA Ames Fluid Mechanics Lab, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) was performed on a single sweeping jet actuator designed by NASA and Boeing that was inset in a small airfoil. However, even at low jet pressures, the PIV could not be acquired at high enough frequencies to both spatially and temporally resolve the stickiness of the jet motion. Therefore, a small portion of the PIV laser was picked off and used to acquire flow visualization at higher frequencies through a new technique, laser speckle Retroreflective Background Oriented Schlieren (RBOS).

sweeping jet actuator↗