Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Sakamoto, G. M..
An air-data probe allows air to flow through it so that supersonic and hypersonic shock waves form behind pressure measuring orifices and tube instead of directly on them. Measured pressures are close to those in free-flowing air and are used to determine mach numbers of flying aircraft.
A flight research program was conducted to investigate the improvements in maneuverability of an F-111A airplane equipped with a supercritical wing. In this configuration the aircraft is known as the F-111 TACT (transonic aircraft technology) airplane. The variable-wing-sweep feature permitted an evaluation of the supercritical wing in many configurations. The primary emphasis was placed on the transonic Mach number region, which is considered to be the principal air combat arena for fighter aircraft. An agility study was undertaken to assess the maneuverability of the F-111A aircraft with a supercritical wing at both design and off-design conditions. The evaluation included an assessment of aerodynamic and maneuver performance in conjunction with an evaluation of precision controllability during tailchase gunsight tracking tasks.
The aerodynamic characteristics of the angle of attack vane and the angle of sideslip vane are summarized. The test conditions ranged in free stream Mach number from 0.40 to 2.54, in angle of attack from -2 deg to 22 deg, in angle of sideslip from -2 deg to 12 deg, and in Reynolds number from 590,000 per meter to 1.8 million per meter. The results of the wind tunnel investigation are compared with results obtained with similar vane configurations. Comparisons with a NACA vane configuration are also made. In addition, wind tunnel-derived upwash for the test installation is compared with analytical predictions.
An experimental temperature probe package containing a fluidic oscillator temperature probe and a shielded thermocouple temperature probe was tested during several X-15 flights. The X-15 flights provided greatly varying test conditions, including a wide range of rapidly changing total temperatures and Mach numbers which extended from subsonic to hypersonic speeds. Within restricted ranges of free-stream Mach number, free-stream unit weight flow, and local stagnation pressure, both probes yielded ramp outputs of temperature parallel to ramp inputs of free-stream total temperature. Within these ranges both probes were used to determine total temperature in the Mach 6 temperature environment. Because ambient temperature was known, both probes were used to estimate velocity and Mach number.