Engineering topics

Kuhlman, J. M.

Publications and source records attributed to Kuhlman, J. M..

16 records

NASA NTRS1991

Winglet effectiveness on low aspect ratio wings at supersonic Mach numbers

A computational study has been conducted on two wings of aspect ratios 1.244 and 1.865, each having 65-deg leading edge sweep angles, to determine the effects of nonplanar winglets at supersonic Mach numbers. A design Mach number of 1.62 was selected. The winglets studied were parametrically varied in alignment, length, sweep, camber, and thickness to determine the effects of winglet geometry on predicted performance. For the computational analysis, an existing Euler code that employed a marching technique was used. The results indicated that the possibility existed for wing-winglet geometries to equal the performance of wing-alone bodies in supersonic flows with both bodies having the same semispan length. The performance parameters of main interest were the lift-to-pressure drag ratio and the pressure drag coefficient as functions of lift coefficient. The lift coefficient range for this study was from -0.20 to 0.70 with emphasis on the range of 0.10 to 0.22.

Keenan, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Potential flow past axisymmetric bodies at angle of attack

The Karamcheti (1966) suggestion concerning the use of higher order singularity techniques has been developed for the calculation of incompressible flow past an axisymmetric body at angle of attack. Attention is given to the results of a convergence study using this axial singularity method, where solution accuracy has been investigated for ellipsoids of slenderness ratio in the 1-10 range for both axial and inclined flow. Effects of singularity type, element number and size distribution, and singularity line inset distance, are noted, and a paneling scheme is developed which yields accurate results for the class of axisymmetric bodies having continuous body slopes with discontinuous curvature jumps.

Kuhlman, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Subcritical Wing Design Code

QUICK Interactive Graphics Analysis program, QUIAGA, displays aircraft QUICK-geometry data to aid in detection and analysis of errors. Program generates completely-analytical aircraft geometry description for use by finite difference flow codes. QUIAGA written in FORTRAN IV.

Kuhlman, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Minimum Induced Drag of Nonplanar Wings

DRG program incorporates numerical optimization technique for calculating bound-circulation distribution required for minimum induced drag of nonplanar wings. DRG written in FORTRAN IV.

Ku, T. J.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of a wing-winglet model designed at M = 0.8, C sub L = 0.4 using linear aerodynamic theory

Wind tunnel test results have been presented herein for a subsonic transport type wing fitted with winglets. Wind planform was chosen to be representative of wings used on current jet transport aircraft, while wing and winglet camber surfaces were designed using two different linear aerodynamic design methods. The purpose of the wind tunnel investigation was to determine the effectiveness of these linear aerodynamic design computer codes in designing a non-planar transport configuration which would cruise efficiently. The design lift coefficient was chosen to be 0.4, at a design Mach number of 0.8. Force and limited pressure data were obtained for the basic wing, and for the wing fitted with the two different winglet designs, at Mach numbers of 0.60, 0.70, 0.75 and 0.80 over an angle of attack range of -2 to +6 degrees, at zero sideslip. The data have been presented without analysis to expedite publication.

Kuhlman, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Iterative optimal subcritical aerodynamic design code including profile drag

A subcritical aerodynamic design computer code has been developed, which uses linearized aerodynamics along with sweep theory and airfoil data to obtain minimum total drag preliminary designs for multiple planform configurations. These optimum designs consist of incidence distributions yielding minimum total drag at design values of Mach number and lift and pitching moment coefficients. Linear lofting is used between airfoil stations. Solutions for isolated transport wings have shown that the solution is unique, and that including profile drag effects decreases tip loading and incidence relative to values obtained for minimum induced drag solutions. Further, including effects of variation of profile drag with Reynolds number can cause appreciable changes in the optimal design for tapered wings. Example solutions are also discussed for multiple planform configurations.

Kuhlman, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Computer program documentation for a subcritical wing design code using higher order far-field drag minimization

A subsonic, linearized aerodynamic theory, wing design program for one or two planforms was developed which uses a vortex lattice near field model and a higher order panel method in the far field. The theoretical development of the wake model and its implementation in the vortex lattice design code are summarized and sample results are given. Detailed program usage instructions, sample input and output data, and a program listing are presented in the Appendixes. The far field wake model assumes a wake vortex sheet whose strength varies piecewise linearly in the spanwise direction. From this model analytical expressions for lift coefficient, induced drag coefficient, pitching moment coefficient, and bending moment coefficient were developed. From these relationships a direct optimization scheme is used to determine the optimum wake vorticity distribution for minimum induced drag, subject to constraints on lift, and pitching or bending moment. Integration spanwise yields the bound circulation, which is interpolated in the near field vortex lattice to obtain the design camber surface(s).

Kuhlman, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Numerical optimization techniques for bound circulation distribution for minimum induced drag of Nonplanar wings: Computer program documentation

A two dimensional advanced panel far-field potential flow model of the undistorted, interacting wakes of multiple lifting surfaces was developed which allows the determination of the spanwise bound circulation distribution required for minimum induced drag. This model was implemented in a FORTRAN computer program, the use of which is documented in this report. The nonplanar wakes are broken up into variable sized, flat panels, as chosen by the user. The wake vortex sheet strength is assumed to vary linearly over each of these panels, resulting in a quadratic variation of bound circulation. Panels are infinite in the streamwise direction. The theory is briefly summarized herein; sample results are given for multiple, nonplanar, lifting surfaces, and the use of the computer program is detailed in the appendixes.

Kuhlman, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Higher order farfield drag minimization for a subcritical wing design code

A higher order Trefftz plane model of the undistorted interacting wing wakes of two symmetric subsonic planforms has been developed and integrated with an existing vortex lattice wing design code. The Trefftz plane calculation provides continuous, piecewise quadratically varying bound circulations, which are then interpolated in the nearfield vortex lattice representation of the wing. Integration of the surface slopes for a specified chord loading function provides the design wing camber surfaces. This paper outlines the theoretical development and presents comparisons between results obtained using the present theory and (1) previous exact solutions for minimum induced drag and (2) previous wing designs obtained using a discrete vortex wake moded.

Kuhlman, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Jet decay rate effects on hover jet-induced loads

The paper explains the mechanisms for observed jet decay rate effects on jet-induced loads on a flat plate for cross-flow and hover configurations. Examples are presented for the influence of the decay rate on integrated loads on a flat plate induced by the jet issuing at a right angle from the plate into still air; knowledge of these jet-induced loadings is of particular importance for VTOL aircraft design because they produce an effective loss in the lift force available in hover. The apparent inconsistency between existing lift loss vs jet decay rate trends is explained in light of the different mechanism which determine the jet mixing and trajectory, i.e., entrainment, blockage, and the vortex pair associated with a jet in crossflow.

Kuhlman, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Optimized aerodynamic design process for subsonic transport wing fitted with winglets

The aerodynamic design of a wind-tunnel model of a wing representative of that of a subsonic jet transport aircraft, fitted with winglets, was performed using two recently developed optimal wing-design computer programs. Both potential flow codes use a vortex lattice representation of the near-field of the aerodynamic surfaces for determination of the required mean camber surfaces for minimum induced drag, and both codes use far-field induced drag minimization procedures to obtain the required spanloads. One code uses a discrete vortex wake model for this far-field drag computation, while the second uses a 2-D advanced panel wake model. Wing camber shapes for the two codes are very similar, but the resulting winglet camber shapes differ widely. Design techniques and considerations for these two wind-tunnel models are detailed, including a description of the necessary modifications of the design geometry to format it for use by a numerically controlled machine for the actual model construction.

Kuhlman, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Experimental investigation of jet-induced loads on a flat plate in hover out-of-ground effect

Effects of varying jet decay rate on jet-induced loads on a flat plate located in the plane of the jet exit perpendicular to the jet axis were investigated using a small-scale laboratory facility. Jet decay rate has been varied through use of two cylindrical centerbodies having either a flat or hemispherical tip, which were submerged various distances below the flat plate jet exit plane. Increased jet decay rate, caused by the presence of a center-body or plug in the jet nozzle, led to an increased jet-induced lift loss on the flat plate. Jet-induced lift losses reached 1 percent of the jet thrust for the quickest jet decay rates for plate areas equal to 100 times the effective jet exit area. The observed lift loss versus jet decay rate trend agreed well with results of previous investigations.

Kuhlman, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Analytical studies of separated vortex flow on highly swept wings

A subsonic potential flow mathematical model of the flow past slender aerodynamic surfaces with sharp edges and separated vortex flow is reported. Comparisons with experimental data are presented for overall forces and pressure distributions for a series of thin, low aspect ratio wings, including both flat and conically cambered ones. A discussion is presented of the limitations of the current theory, and some suggestions are made as to how the theory might be improved. Details of program data input modifications for three-dimensional geometry are described in an appendix.

Kuhlman, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Experimental investigation of effects of jet decay rate on jet-induced pressures on a flat plate: Tabulated data

Tabular data are presented for an experimental study of the effects of jet decay rate on the jet-induced pressure distribution on a flat plate for a single jet issuing at right angle to the flat plate into a uniform crossflow. The data are presented in four sections: (1) presents the static nozzle calibration data; (2) lists the plate surface static pressure data and integrated loads; (3) lists the jet centerline trajectory data; and (4) lists the centerline dynamic pressure data.

Kuhlman, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Experimental investigation of effect of jet decay rate on jet-induced pressures on a flat plate

An experimental study of the interaction between a lift jet and an aircraft wing for a jet VTOL aircraft was performed for the simplified model of an unheated, subsonic, circular jet exiting at right angles to a flat plate into a uniform subsonic crosswind. The effects of jet dynamic pressure decay rate upon the jet location and jet induced pressure distribution on the plate were studied over a range of jet to crossflow velocity ratios of 2.2 or = R or = 10. Jet decay rate was varied through use of cylindrical centerbodies with flat or hemispherical tips submerged in the jet nozzle at various depths below the jet exit plane. Quicker jet dynamic pressure decay, caused by the presence of a centerbody, resulted in reductions in the jet induced lift loss by as much as 45 percent relative to values for jets with no centerbody. These reductions in lift loss were observed at the larger values of crossflow velocity.

Kuhlman, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Effects of jet decay rate on jet induced loads on a flat plate

Experimental modelling of the interaction between a jet and an aircraft wing or fuselage in VTOL aircraft was undertaken using a cold jet exiting perpendicular to a flat plate in a uniform cross-flow. Effects of jet decay rate and jet-to-cross-flow velocity ratio, R, on the induced load distribution were investigated. Jet decay rate was increased by using cylindrical centerbodies submerged in the jet nozzle, which caused nonuniform initial jet velocity profiles. Quicker jet decay rate, corresponding to the presence of a centerbody, resulted in as much as 50% reduction in the induced pressure loads on the plate. This has implications in interpretation of results from earlier VTOL model studies of jet induced loads, where the jets have often had relatively slow decay rates due to uniform initial velocity profiles

Kuhlman, J. M.↗