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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Studies of acoustic effects on a flow boundary layer in air

Effects of sound fields on the flow boundary layer on a flat plate subjected to a parallel flow are studied. The boundary layer is influenced by controlling the stagnation point flow at the front edge of the plate. Depending on the Reynolds number and sound frequency, excitation or suppression of turbulent is observed. Measurements were taken at wind velocities between 10 and 30 m/sec and sound frequencies between 0.2 and 3.0 kHz.

Mechel, F.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Nanoscale Hot-Wire Probes for Boundary-Layer Flows

Hot-wire probes having dimensions of the order of nanometers have been proposed for measuring temperatures (and possibly velocities) in boundary-layer flows at spatial resolutions much finer and distances from walls much smaller than have been possible heretofore. The achievable resolutions and minimum distances are expected to be of the order of tens of nanometers much less than a typical mean free path of a molecule and much less than the thickness of a typical flow boundary layer in air at standard temperature and pressure. An additional benefit of the small scale of these probes is that they would perturb the measured flows less than do larger probes. The hot-wire components of the probes would likely be made from semiconducting carbon nanotubes or ropes of such nanotubes. According to one design concept, a probe would comprise a single nanotube or rope of nanotubes laid out on the surface of an insulating substrate between two metallic wires. According to another design concept, a nanotube or rope of nanotubes would be electrically connected and held a short distance away from the substrate surface by stringing it between two metal electrodes. According to a third concept, a semiconducting nanotube or rope of nanotubes would be strung between the tips of two protruding electrodes made of fully conducting nanotubes or ropes of nanotubes. The figure depicts an array of such probes that could be used to gather data at several distances from a wall. It will be necessary to develop techniques for fabricating the probes. It will also be necessary to determine whether the probes will be strong enough to withstand the aerodynamic forces and impacts of micron-sized particles entrained in typical flows of interest.

Tedjojuwono, Ken T.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Boundary layer flow visualization for flight testing

Flow visualization is used extensively in flight testing to determine aerodynamic characteristics such as surface flow direction and boundary layer state. Several visualization techniques are available to the aerodynamicist. Two of the most popular are oil flows and sublimating chemicals. Oil is used to visualize boundary layer transition, shock wave location, regions of separated flow, and surface flow direction. Boundary layer transition can also be visualized with sublimating chemicals. A summary of these two techniques is discussed, and the use of sublimating chemicals is examined in some detail. The different modes of boundary layer transition are characterized by different patterns in the sublimating chemical coating. The discussion includes interpretation of these chemical patterns and the temperature and velocity operating limitations of the chemical substances. Information for selection of appropriate chemicals for a desired set of flight conditions is provided.

Obara, Clifford J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Boundary-Layer Flow Simulations Over Ablating Woven Thermal Protection System Material

Spallation is the mechanical removal of small chunks of material gets removed typically due to high shear conditions of the flow field. This reduces the ability of the thermal protection system (TPS) material to protect the spacecraft as well as cause turbulence in the flow causing higher heating rates. In this work, we focus on the material removal through ablation and high shear flow within the boundary layer region of woven TPS material. Woven TPS (WTPS) material is the latest class of material developed by NASA, to be used within the next generation of space flights. They are complex interlocked weaves designed to create a rigid structure that is highly resistant to heat and can be easily designed and tailored for a wide variety of entry environments. Due to material removal resulting from chemical degradation, the structural integrity of TPS material is affected. Spallation occurs when this structurally compromised material is exposed to the high shear flow conditions within the boundary layer. In order to understand the spallation mechanism within WTPS material, we first perform the material removal simulations which occur primarily through oxidation to obtain the microstructure at various stages of degradation. These simulations are performed using the Porous Microstructure Analysis (PuMA) software developed at NASA Ames. The micro-structure geometry used within these simulations were generated artificially to be similar to the 3D weave architecture of MSR-EEV (Mars Sample Return - Earth Entry Vehicle). The various eroded TPS micro-structures are then subjected to the boundary layer flow conditions to obtain critical surface quantities which contribute to the structural failure mechanism such as heat flux, pressure, and shear stress. The direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) methodology is used to perform these simulations in order to accurately capture the strong gradients within the high-temperature boundary layer flow over the intricate geometry of WTPS material. The boundary layer profile is directly taken from the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation and provided as boundary conditions to the DSMC inlet and outlet. Further, the variation of these properties as the microstructure undergoes changes due to oxidation is also investigated. Finally, these quantities are used as input in PuMA to understand the material expansion/compression and strain within the woven TPS geometry and help in developing a comprehensive spallation and structure failure model.

microstructure↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Boundary-Layer Flow Simulations Over Ablating Woven Thermal Protection System Material

Spallation is the mechanical removal of small chunks of material gets removed typically due to high shear conditions of the flow field. This reduces the ability of the thermal protection system (TPS) material to protect the spacecraft as well as cause turbulence in the flow causing higher heating rates. In this work, we focus on the material removal through ablation and high shear flow within the boundary layer region of woven TPS material. Woven TPS (WTPS) material is the latest class of material developed by NASA, to be used within the next generation of space flights. They are complex interlocked weaves designed to create a rigid structure that is highly resistant to heat and can be easily designed and tailored for a wide variety of entry environments. Due to material removal resulting from chemical degradation, the structural integrity of TPS material is affected. Spallation occurs when this structurally compromised material is exposed to the high shear flow conditions within the boundary layer. In order to understand the spallation mechanism within WTPS material, we first perform the material removal simulations which occur primarily through oxidation to obtain the microstructure at various stages of degradation. These simulations are performed using the Porous Microstructure Analysis (PuMA) software developed at NASA Ames. The micro-structure geometry used within these simulations were generated artificially to be similar to the 3D weave architecture of MSR-EEV (Mars Sample Return - Earth Entry Vehicle). The various eroded TPS micro-structures are then subjected to the boundary layer flow conditions to obtain critical surface quantities which contribute to the structural failure mechanism such as heat flux, pressure, and shear stress. The direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) methodology is used to perform these simulations in order to accurately capture the strong gradients within the high-temperature boundary layer flow over the intricate geometry of WTPS material. The boundary layer profile is directly taken from the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation and provided as boundary conditions to the DSMC inlet and outlet. Further, the variation of these properties as the microstructure undergoes changes due to oxidation is also investigated. Finally, these quantities are used as input in PuMA to understand the material expansion/compression and strain within the woven TPS geometry and help in developing a comprehensive spallation and structure failure model.

microstructure↗
NASA NTRS1989

Infrared imaging and tufts studies of boundary layer flow regimes on a NACA 0012 airfoil

A study of boundary-layer flow regimes on a NACA 0012 airfoil from zero angle of attack up to separation is presented. The boundary-layer transition from the laminar to the turbulent regime and the onset of the separation were detected by surface thermography of the airfoil performed with an infrared imaging system. The findings were compared with observations of aluminum-foil tufts visible with the infrared imaging system. This arrangement allows the infrared imaging system to assume the dual role of flow regime detection through surface thermography and flow visualization through the observation of the aluminum-foil tufts. Ultimately the temperature history on an uncontaminated surface could provide an interpretation of the state of boundary-layer flow. Separation studies performed on the NACA 0012 airfoil showed that aluminum foil tufts can be observed with infrared imaging systems.

Gartenberg, Ehud↗
NASA NTRS1975

Forward marching procedure for separated boundary-layer flows

A forward-marching procedure for separated boundary-layer flows which permits the rapid and accurate solution of flows of limited extent is presented. The streamwise convection of vorticity in the reversed flow region is neglected, and this approximation is incorporated into a previously developed (Carter, 1974) inverse boundary-layer procedure. The equations are solved by the Crank-Nicolson finite-difference scheme in which column iteration is carried out at each streamwise station. Instabilities encountered in the column iterations are removed by introducing timelike terms in the finite-difference equations. This provides both unconditional diagonal dominance and a column iterative scheme, found to be stable using the von Neumann stability analysis.

Carter, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A General-Coordinate Formulation For Boundary-Layer Flow

Formulation for solution of equations of boundary-layer flow in general body-fitted curvilinear coordinates retains velocities in Cartesian coordinates. Increases stability of numerical simulations by avoiding coordinate source terms. In formulation, curvilinear coordinates do not have to be orthogonal, and much of software developed previously for use in numerical simulations of flow based on Navier-Stokes equations used.

Steger, Joseph L.↗
NASA NTRS1988

A finite element computation of turbulent boundary layer flows with an algebraic stress turbulence model

An algebraic stress turbulence model and a computational procedure for turbulent boundary layer flows which is based on the semidiscrete Galerkin FEM are discussed. In the algebraic stress turbulence model, the eddy viscosity expression is obtained from the Reynolds stress turbulence model, and the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate equation is improved by including a production range time scale. Good agreement with experimental data is found for the examples of a fully developed channel flow, a fully developed pipe flow, a flat plate boundary layer flow, a plane jet exhausting into a moving stream, a circular jet exhausting into a moving stream, and a wall jet flow.

Kim, Sang-Wook↗
NASA NTRS1986

Computation of turbulent boundary layer flows with an algebraic stress turbulence model

An algebraic stress turbulence model is presented, characterized by the following: (1) the eddy viscosity expression is derived from the Reynolds stress turbulence model; (2) the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate equation is improved by including a production range time scale; and (3) the diffusion coefficients for turbulence equations are adjusted so that the kinetic energy profile extends further into the free stream region found in most experimental data. The turbulent flow equations were solved using a finite element method. Examples include: fully developed channel flow, fully developed pipe flow, flat plate boundary layer flow, plane jet exhausting into a moving stream, circular jet exhausting into a moving stream, and wall jet flow. Computational results compare favorably with experimental data for most of the examples considered. Significantly improved results were obtained for the plane jet flow, the circular jet flow, and the wall jet flow; whereas the remainder are comparable to those obtained by finite difference methods using the standard kappa-epsilon turbulence model. The latter seems to be promising with further improvement of the expression for the eddy viscosity coefficient.

Kim, Sang-Wook↗
NASA NTRS1996

Effect of Surface Waviness on Transition in Three-Dimensional Boundary-Layer Flow

The effect of a surface wave on transition in three-dimensional boundary-layer flow over an infinite swept wing was studied. The mean flow computed using interacting boundary-layer theory, and transition was predicted using linear stability theory coupled with the empirical eN method. It was found that decreasing the wave height, sweep angle, or freestream unit Reynolds number, and increasing the freestream Mach number or suction level all stabilized the flow and moved transition onset to downstream locations.

Masad, Jamal A.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The upper-branch stability of compressible boundary layer flows

The upper-branch linear and nonlinear stability of compressible boundary layer flows is studied using the approach of Smith and Bodonyi (1982) for a similar incompressible problem. Both pressure gradient boundary layers and Blasius flow are considered with and without heat transfer, and the neutral eigenrelations incorporating compressibility effects are obtained explicitly. The compressible nonlinear viscous critical layer equations are derived and solved numerically and the results indicate some solutions with positive phase shift across the critical layer. Various limiting cases are investigated including the case of much larger disturbance amplitudes and this indicates the structure for the strongly nonlinear critical layer of the Benney-Bergeon (1969) type. It is also shown how a match with the inviscid neutral inflexional modes arising from the generalized inflexion point criterion, is achieved.

Gajjar, J. S. B.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Reynolds shear stress measurements in a separated boundary layer flow

Turbulence measurements were obtained for two cases of boundary layer flow with an adverse pressure gradient, one attached and the other separated. A three-component laser Doppler velocimeter system was used to measure three mean velocity components, all six Reynolds stress components, and all ten velocity triple product correlations. Independent measurements of skin-friction obtained with a laser oil-flow interferometer were used to examine the law of the wall in adverse pressure gradient flows where p(+) is less than 0.05. Strong similiarities were seen between the two adverse pressure gradient flows and free shear layer type flows. Eddy viscosities, dissipation rates, and pressure-strain rates were deduced from the data and compared to various turbulence modeling assumptions.

Driver, David M.↗