Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Lan, C. E..
A formulation predicts the variation of circulation forces and jet reaction forces in ground proximity as a function of ground height. The predicted results agree well with available experimental data. It is shown that the wing-alone theory is not capable of predicting the ground effect for USB configurations.
The necessary information for using a computer program to predict distributed and total aerodynamic characteristics for low aspect ratio wings with partial leading-edge separation is presented. The flow is assumed to be steady and inviscid. The wing boundary condition is formulated by the Quasi-Vortex-Lattice method. The leading edge separated vortices are represented by discrete free vortex elements which are aligned with the local velocity vector at midpoints to satisfy the force free condition. The wake behind the trailing edge is also force free. The flow tangency boundary condition is satisfied on the wing, including the leading and trailing edges. The program is restricted to delta wings with zero thickness and no camber. It is written in FORTRAN language and runs on CDC 6600 computer.
The necessary information for using a computer program to calculate the aerodynamic characteristics under symmetrical flight conditions and the lateral-directional stability derivatives of wing-body combinations with upper-surface-blowing (USB) or over-wing-blowing (OWB) jets are described. The following new features were added to the program: (1) a fuselage of arbitrary body of revolution has been included. The effect of wing-body interference can now be investigated, and (2) all nine lateral-directional stability derivatives can be calculated. The program is written in FORTRAN language and runs on CDC Cyber 175 and Honeywell 66/60 computers.
A theoretical method is presented for determining the optimum camber shape and twist distribution for the minimum induced drag in the wing-alone case without prescribing the span loading shape. The same method was applied to find the corresponding minimum induced drag configuration with the upper-surface-blowing jet. Lan's quasi-vortex-lattice method and his wing-jet interaction theory was used. Comparison of the predicted results with another theoretical method shows good agreement for configurations without the flowing jet. More applicable experimental data with blowing jets are needed to establish the accuracy of the theory.
A numerical method is developed to predict distributed and total aerodynamic characteristics for low aspect-ratio wings with partial leading-edge separation. The flow is assumed to be steady and inviscid. The wing boundary condition is formulated by the quasi-vortex-lattice method. The leading-edge separated vortices are represented by discrete free vortex elements which are aligned with the local velocity vector at mid-points to satisfy the force free condition. The wake behind the trailing-edge is also force free. The flow tangency boundary condition is satisfied on the wing, including the leading- and trailing-edges. Comparison of the predicted results with complete leading-edge separation has shown reasonably good agreement. For cases with partial leading-edge separation, the lift is found to be highly nonlinear with angle of attack.
A logarithmic-singularity correction factor is derived for use in kernel function methods associated with Multhopp's subsonic lifting-surface theory. Because of the form of the factor, a relation was formulated between the numbers of chordwise and spanwise control points needed for good accuracy. This formulation is developed and discussed. Numerical results are given to show the improvement of the computation with the new correction factor.
A theoretical method is presented for predicting the lateral-directional stability derivatives of wing-body combinations with or without the blowing jet effect. The fuselage effect is accounted for by the axial distribution of vortex multiplets. Comparison of the predicted results with experiments and other theoretical methods show good agreement for configurations without the blowing jet. More applicable experimental data with blowing jets are needed to establish the accuracy of the theory.
The program is based on the inviscid wing-jet interaction theory of Lan and Campbell, and the jet entrainment theory of Lan. In the interaction theory, the flow perturbations are computed both inside and outside the jet, separately, and then matched on the jet surface to satisfy the jet boundary conditions. The jet Mach number is allowed to be different from the free stream value (Mach number nonuniformity). These jet boundary conditions require that the static pressure be continuous across the jet surface which must always remain as a stream surface. These conditions, as well as the wing-surface tangency condition, are satisified only in the linearized sense. The detailed formulation of these boundary conditions is based on the quasi-vortex-lattice method of Lan.
A theoretical method is developed for predicting the aerodynamic characteristics of wings with over-wing-blowing jet. The method allows the jet to stay above the wing surface as well as to wash the surface. It accounts for the wing-jet interaction due to differences between the jet and freestream dynamic pressures and Mach numbers, in addition to the jet entrainment. For the former effect, the quasi-vortex-lattice method is used to satisfy the jet and wing boundary conditions. For the latter, a new theory was developed to calculate the jet entrained flow for given jet properties. Comparison of predicted results with available data of various configurations shows reasonably good agreement. Further theoretical analysis indicates that it is aerodynamically advantageous to locate the jet exit near and ahead of the wing leading edge, and that the camber shape has significant effect on the induced drag.
The aerodynamic interaction between the wing and an inviscid upper-surface blowing (USB) thick jet with Mach number nonuniformity is treated within the framework of a linear inviscid subsonic compressible flow theory. A two-vortex-sheet model for the jet surface is used to represent the induced flowfields inside and outside the jet. Comparison of the predicted results with experimental data shows good agreement in lift, induced drag, and pitching moment. It is shown that the thin jet flap theory is inadequate for USB configurations with thick jet.
A theoretical method is established for determining the aerodynamic characteristics of over-wing-blowing configurations. The method accounts for both jet entrainment and jet interaction effects because of the differences in freestream and jet dynamic pressures and Mach numbers. The predicted lift increments agree well with available data. It is shown that the lift is underpredicted with entrainment effect alone when the jet is close to the wing surface.
A linear, inviscid, subsonic compressible flow theory is formulated for predicting the aerodynamic characteristics of upper-surface-blowing configurations. The effect of the thick jet is represented by a two-vortex-sheet model in order to account for the Mach number nonuniformity. The wing loading with the jet interaction effects is computed by satisfying boundary conditions on the wing and the jet surfaces. The vortex model is discussed in detail.
The quasi vortex-lattice method is reviewed and applied to the evaluation of backwash, with applications to ground effect analysis. It is also extended to unsteady aerodynamics, with particular interest in the calculation of unsteady leading-edge suction. Some applications in ornithopter aerodynamics are given.
A wing jet interaction theory is presented for predicting the aerodynamic characteristics of upper surface blowing and over wing blowing configurations. For the latter configurations, a new jet entrainment theory is developed. Comparison of predicted results with some available data showed good agreement. Some applications of the theory are also presented.
A linear, inviscid subsonic compressible flow theory is formulated to treat the aerodynamic interaction between the wing and an inviscid upper-surface-blowing (USB) thick jet with Mach number nonuniformity. The predicted results show reasonably good agreement with some available lift and induced-drag data. It was also shown that the thin-jet-flap theory is inadequate for the USB configurations with thick jet. Additional theoretical results show that the lift and induced drag were reduced by increasing jet temperature and increased by increasing jet Mach number. Reducing jet aspect ratio, while holding jet area constant, caused reductions in lift, induced drag, and pitching moment at a given angle of attack but with a minimal change in the curve of lift coefficient against induced-drag coefficient. The jet-deflection effect was shown to be beneficial to cruise performance. The aerodynamic center was shifted forward by adding power or jet-deflection angle. Moving the jet away from the wing surface resulted in rapid changes in lift and induced drag. Reducing the wing span of a rectangular wing by half decreased the jet-circulation lift by only 24 percent at a thrust coefficient of 2.
A quasi-continuous method is developed for solving thin-wing problems. For the purpose of satisfying the wing boundary conditions, the spanwise vortex distribution is assumed to be stepwise-constant, while the chordwise vortex integral is reduced to a finite sum through a modified trapezoidal rule and the theory of Chebyshev polynomials. Wing-edge and Cauchy singularities are acounted for. The total aerodynamic characteristics are obtained by an appropriate quadrature integration. The two-dimensional results for airfoils without flap deflection reproduce the exact solutions in lift and pitching moment coefficients, the leading edge suction, and the pressure difference at a finite number of points. For a flapped airfoil, the present results are more accurate than those given by the vortex-lattice method. The three-dimensional results also show an improvement over the results of the vortex-lattice method. Extension to nonplanar applications is discussed.
The image method is used to examine the upper-surface-blowing jet-airfoil interaction with Mach number nonuniformity. The formulation represents an extension of the classical incompressible results (Ting and Liu, 1969; Koning, 1963). Some characteristics of the interaction are discussed. The main assumptions are (1) inviscid linear theory, (2) two-dimensional jet, (3) no turbulent mixing, and (4) no airfoil thickness effect. A plane jet with Mach number M sub 2 is assumed to be imbedded in a freestream of Mach number M sub 1. A thin airfoil is placed at a distance h below the lower jet surface. For h = 0, this may represent an idealized configuration with an upper-surface blowing jet.