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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Velocity Measurements in the Wake of the Swept Wing Flow Test (SWIFT) Model at the National Transonic Facility

Femtosecond laser electronic excitation tagging (FLEET) was applied to obtain flowfield velocity data for the Swept Wing Flow Test (SWiFT) at the NASA Langley Research Center National Transonic Facility (NTF). Despite numerous challenges associated with performing flow velocimetry measurements within a large-scale cryogenic wind tunnel facility, the experimental campaign was conducted under various conditions, including dry air at 320 K, cool nitrogen at 240 K, and Mach numbers of 0.2 and 0.8. FLEET velocimetry measurements were performed in the downstream wake of the SWiFT model, providing a quantitative dataset. This dataset includes one-dimensional velocity profiles and two-dimensional velocity maps acquired at different angles of attack and Reynolds numbers. The two-dimensional single component velocity maps indicate relatively uniform flow across the 120-mm wide wake flow survey suggesting that the main flow features can be represented by single-position linear velocity profiles. The measured instantaneous velocity profiles at variable angles of attack are compared to model lift coefficient information obtained at Mach 0.2. At high Reynolds numbers, a sudden velocity decrease was observed in the FLEET measurements at the same time as stall in lift coefficient was observed. At a low Reynolds number, both the velocity profiles and the lift coefficient show a smoother transition, without a sudden stall. Furthermore, the two-dimensional, one component velocity map reveals a velocity deficit region at Mach 0.8 at various angles of attack. Both single shot and mean velocity measurements were acquired allowing assessment of flowfield fluctuations and measurement precisions. The uncertainties are within 4 m/s in mean measurements based on repeatability data and about 5 m/s in instantaneous single-shot measurements. Measurements are reported with ~4.8 mm spatial resolution with 32-pixel averaging used to reduce measurement errors.

Transonic↗
NASA NTRS2012

Application of the NASCAP Spacecraft Simulation Tool to Investigate Electrodynamic Tether Current Collection in LEO

Recent interest in using electrodynamic tethers (EDTs) for orbital maneuvering in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) has prompted the development of the Marshall ElectroDynamic Tether Orbit Propagator (MEDTOP) model. The model is comprised of several modules which address various aspects of EDT propulsion, including calculation of state vectors using a standard orbit propagator (e.g., J2), an atmospheric drag model, realistic ionospheric and magnetic field models, space weather effects, and tether librations. The natural electromotive force (EMF) attained during a radially-aligned conductive tether results in electrons flowing down the tether and accumulating on the lower-altitude spacecraft. The energy that drives this EMF is sourced from the orbital energy of the system; thus, EDTs are often proposed as de-orbiting systems. However, when the current is reversed using satellite charged particle sources, then propulsion is possible. One of the most difficult challenges of the modeling effort is to ascertain the equivalent circuit between the spacecraft and the ionospheric plasma. The present study investigates the use of the NASA Charging Analyzer Program (NASCAP) to calculate currents to and from the tethered satellites and the ionospheric plasma. NASCAP is a sophisticated set of computational tools to model the surface charging of three-dimensional (3D) spacecraft surfaces in a time-varying space environment. The model's surface is tessellated into a collection of facets, and NASCAP calculates currents and potentials for each one. Additionally, NASCAP provides for the construction of one or more nested grids to calculate space potential and time-varying electric fields. This provides for the capability to track individual particles orbits, to model charged particle wakes, and to incorporate external charged particle sources. With this study, we have developed a model of calculating currents incident onto an electrodynamic tethered satellite system, and first results are shown here.

Adams, Mitzi↗
NASA NTRS1994

The collision of Jupiter and Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9

A simple description of the disruption and deceleration of 100-m- to 5-km-diameter comets striking Jupiter is combined with numerical simulations of the subsequent explosions to predict the fate of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9. Detailed numerical simulations of the first 3 min of the explosion were performed. Our numerical simulations begin either with hot cylinders with dimensions suggested by the disruption and deceleration model or with an initial wake constructed from a moving line charge. In all cases, extensive plumes of hot gas are expelled from the atmosphere. The models with wakes evolve about twice as fast as the initially confined models. Models of both types generate similar pressure waves into the planet. Temperatures and negative hydrogen ion opacities were computed. For atmospheric entry, light curves were computed. On entry the largest bolides could be very bright, possibly as bright as Jupiter for observers placed to see them, although for kilometer-size impactors the luminosity peak is obscured by clouds. For the fireball, light curves were computed from the numerical simulations. Metals from the vaporized comet provide electrons that dramatically increase the opacity of Jovian air at low temperature. The fireball rises through and above the atmosphere, brightening at first as its surface area increases, but later fading to invisibility as its temperature drops and its opacity plummets.

Zahnle, Kevin↗
NASA NTRS1975

Wind tunnel measurements in the wake of a simple structure in a simulated atmospheric flow

Measurements of longitudinal mean velocity and turbulence intensity were made in the wake of a rectangular model building in a simulated atmospheric boundary-layer wind. The model building was a 1:50 scale model of a structure used in a wake measurement program at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center 8-tower boundary-layer facility. The approach wind profile and measurement locations were chosen to match the field site conditions. The wakes of the building in winds from azimuths of 0 and 47 degrees referenced to the normal to the building long axis were examined. The effect of two lines of trees upwind of the building on the wake and the importance of the ratio of the building height to boundary-layer thickness on the extent of the wake were determined.

Hansen, A. C.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Unsteady Thick Airfoil Aerodynamics: Experiments, Computation, and Theory

An experimental, computational and theoretical investigation was carried out to study the aerodynamic loads acting on a relatively thick NACA 0018 airfoil when subjected to pitching and surging, individually and synchronously. Both pre-stall and post-stall angles of attack were considered. Experiments were carried out in a dedicated unsteady wind tunnel, with large surge amplitudes, and airfoil loads were estimated by means of unsteady surface mounted pressure measurements. Theoretical predictions were based on Theodorsen's and Isaacs' results as well as on the relatively recent generalizations of van der Wall. Both two- and three-dimensional computations were performed on structured grids employing unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS). For pure surging at pre-stall angles of attack, the correspondence between experiments and theory was satisfactory; this served as a validation of Isaacs theory. Discrepancies were traced to dynamic trailing-edge separation, even at low angles of attack. Excellent correspondence was found between experiments and theory for airfoil pitching as well as combined pitching and surging; the latter appears to be the first clear validation of van der Wall's theoretical results. Although qualitatively similar to experiment at low angles of attack, two-dimensional URANS computations yielded notable errors in the unsteady load effects of pitching, surging and their synchronous combination. The main reason is believed to be that the URANS equations do not resolve wake vorticity (explicitly modeled in the theory) or the resulting rolled-up un- steady flow structures because high values of eddy viscosity tend to \smear" the wake. At post-stall angles, three-dimensional computations illustrated the importance of modeling the tunnel side walls.

Strangfeld, C.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Evaluation of experimental flow properties in the wake of a Viking '75 entry vehicle.

An experimental investigation has been conducted to obtain the flow properties in the wake of a model of the Viking '75 entry vehicle. Data are presented for the model at several angles of attack at free-stream Mach numbers from 0.2 to 3.95. The characteristics of the wake flow field are discussed and results are shown to demonstrate the significant variation of wake center-line flow properties in the transonic speed range, the shift in wake profiles with change in angle of attack, and the similarity exhibited by the velocity profiles across the wake.

Campbell, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Near wakes of advanced turbopropellers

The flow in the wake of a model single rotation Prop-Fan rotor operating in a wind tunnel was traversed with a hot-wire anemometer system designed to determine the 3 periodic velocity components. Special data acquisition and data reduction methods were required to deal with the high data frequency, narrow wakes, and large fluctuating air angles in the tip vortex region. The model tip helical Mach number was 1.17, simulating the cruise condition. Although the flow field is complex, flow features such as viscous velocity defects, vortex sheets, tip vortices, and propagating acoustic pulses are clearly identified with the aid of a simple analytical wake theory.

Hanson, D. B.↗
NASA NTRS2004

A Critical Review of the Transport and Decay of Wake Vortices in Ground Effect

This slide presentation reviews the transport and decay of wake vortices in ground effect and cites a need for a physics-based parametric model. The encounter of a vortex with a solid body is always a complex event involving turbulence enhancement, unsteadiness, and very large gradients of velocity and pressure. Wake counter in ground effect is the most dangerous of them all. The interaction of diverging, area-varying, and decaying aircraft wake vortices with the ground is very complex because both the vortices and the flow field generated by them are altered to accommodate the presence of the ground (where there is very little room to maneuver) and the background turbulent flow. Previous research regarding vortex models, wake vortex decay mechanisms, time evolution within in ground effect of a wake vortex pair, laminar flow in ground effect, and the interaction of the existing boundary layer with a convected vortex are reviewed. Additionally, numerical simulations, 3-dimensional large-eddy simulations, a probabilistic 2-phase wake vortex decay and transport model and a vortex element method are discussed. The devising of physics-based, parametric models for the prediction of (operational) real-time response, mindful of the highly three-dimensional and unsteady structure of vortices, boundary layers, atmospheric thermodynamics, and weather convective phenomena is required. In creating a model, LES and field data will be the most powerful tools.

Sarpkaya, T.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Compressor and fan wake characteristics

Approaches for developing an analytical model capable of determining the effects of rotor flow and blade parameters and turbulence properties (i.e. energy, velocity correlations, and length scale) on the rotor wake characteristics and its diffusion properties are discussed. The three-dimensional model will employ experimental measurements, instantaneous velocities, and turbulence properties at various stations downstream from a rotor. A triaxial probe and a rotating conventional probe, which is mounted on a traverse gear operated by two step motors, are to be used for these measurements. The final rotor wake model will be capable of predicting the discrete and broadband noise generated in a fan rotor and of evaluating the aerodynamic losses, efficiency and optimum spacing between a rotor and stator in turbomachinery.

Lakshminarayana, B.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Numerical simulation and comparison of symmetrical/supercritical airfoils for the near tip region of a helicopter in forward flight

Aerodynamic loads on a multi-bladed helicopter rotor in forward flight at transonic tip conditions are calculated. The unsteady, three-dimensional, time-accurate compressible Reynolds-averaged thin layer Navier-Stokes equations are solved in a rotating coordinate system on a body-conformed, curvilinear grid of C-H topology. Detailed boundary layer and global numerical comparisons of NACA-0012 symmetrical and CAST7-158 supercritical airfoils are made under identical forward flight conditions. The rotor wake effects are modeled by applying a correction to the geometric angle of attack of the blade. This correction is obtained by computing the local induced downwash velocity with a free wake analysis program. The calculations are performed on the Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation Cray 2 and the VPS32 (a derivative of a Cyber 205 at the Langley Research Center) for a model helicopter rotor in forward flight.

Badavi, F. F.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Numerical Simulation of Wake Vortices Measured During the Idaho Falls and Memphis Field Programs

A numerical large-eddy simulation model is under modification and testing for application to aircraft wake vortices. The model, having a meteorological framework, permits the interaction of wake vortices with environments characterized by crosswind shear, stratification, and humidity. As part of the validation process, model results are compared with measured field data from the 1990 Idaho Falls and the 1994-1995 Memphis field experiments. Cases are selected that represent different aircraft and a cross section of meteorological environments. Also included is one case with wake vortex generation in ground effect. The model simulations are initialized with the appropriate meteorological conditions and a post roll-up vortex system. No ambient turbulence is assumed in our initial set of experiments, although turbulence can be self generated by the interaction of the model wakes with the ground and environment.

Proctor, Fred H.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Measurements in 80- by 120-foot wind tunnel of hazard posed by lift-generated wakes

The large, low speed wind tunnel at NASA-Ames has been used to study the characteristics of lift-generated vortices involved in the definition of aircraft-separation criteria, in order to enhance airport capacity without compromising safety. Attention is given to the potential hazard caused by the vortex wake of several configurations of a subsonic transport. Measured downwash distributions in the wake of three different wake-generator configurations are obtained by means of a vortex-lattice method, in order to predict the lift and rolling moment on several models of wake-following aircraft.

Rossow, V. J.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Detached-Eddy Simulation Based on the V2-F Model

Detached-eddy simulation (DES) based on the v(sup 2)-f Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model is developed and tested. The v(sup 2)-f model incorporates the anisotropy of near-wall turbulence which is absent in other RANS models commonly used in the DES community. The v(sup 2)-f RANS model is modified in order the proposed v(sup 2)-f-based DES formulation reduces to a transport equation for the subgrid-scale kinetic energy isotropic turbulence. First, three coefficients in the elliptic relaxation equation are modified, which is tested in channel flows with friction Reynolds number up to 2000. Then, the proposed v(sup 2)-f DES model formulation is derived. The constant, C(sub DES), required in the DES formulation was calibrated by simulating both decaying and statistically-steady isotropic turbulence. After C(sub DES) was calibrated, the v(sub 2)-f DES formulation is tested for flow around a circular cylinder at a Reynolds number of 3900, in which case turbulence develops after separation. Simulations indicate that this model represents the turbulent wake nearly as accurately as the dynamic Smagorinsky model. Spalart-Allmaras-based DES is also included in the cylinder flow simulation for comparison.

Jee, Sol Keun↗
NASA NTRS1997

Radar Reflectivity in Wingtip-Generated Wake Vortices

This report documents new predictive models of radar reflectivity, with meter-scale resolution, for aircraft wakes in clear air and fog. The models result from a radar design program to locate and quantify wake vortices from commercial aircraft in support of the NASA Aircraft Vortex Spacing System (AVOSS). The radar reflectivity model for clear air assumes: 1) turbulent eddies in the wake produce small discontinuities in radar refractive index; and 2) these turbulent eddies are in the 'inertial subrange' of turbulence. From these assumptions, the maximum radar frequency for detecting a particular aircraft wake, as well as the refractive index structure constant and radar volume reflectivity in the wake can be obtained from the NASA Terminal Area Simulation System (TASS) output. For fog conditions, an empirical relationship is used to calculate radar reflectivity factor from TASS output of bulk liquid water. Currently, two models exist: 1) Atlas-based on observations of liquid water and radar reflectivity factor in clouds; and 2) de Wolf- specifically tailored to a specific measured dataset (1992 Vandenberg Air Force Base).

Marshall, Robert E.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Added noise due to the effect of an upstream wake on a propeller

An analytical/computational study has been conducted to predict the effect of an upstream wing or pylon on the noise of an operating propeller. The wing trailing edge was placed at variable distances (0.1 and 0.3 chord) upstream of a scaled model propeller (SR-2). The wake was modeled using a similarity formulation. The instantaneous pressure distribution on the propeller blades during the passage through the wake was formulated in terms of a time-dependent variation of each blade section's angle of attack and in terms of the shed vortices from the blade trailing edge. It was found that the final expressions for the unsteady loads considerably altered the radiated noise pattern. Predicted noise for various observer positions, rotational speeds, and propeller/pylon distances were computed and are presented in terms of the pressure time history, harmonics of the Fourier analysis, and overall sound pressure levels (OASPL). The addition of the tangential stress due to skin friction was found to have a damping effect on the acoustic pressure time history and the resulting spectrum of the generated noise. It is shown that the positioning of a pylon upstream of a propeller indeed increases the overall noise.

Takallu, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Rotor tip vortex geometry measurements using the wide-field shadowgraph technique

Rotor tip vortex geometry data have been acquired using the wide-field shadowgraph technique. Shadowgraphs were taken of the wakes of two model main-rotor systems in hover. These shadowgraphs provided detailed tip vortex trajectories from which axial and radial vortex coordinates were measured. Using these coordinates, prescribed-wake parameters were determined and input into a hover-performance prediction code. The resultant predictions were compared with experimental performance data to help assess the capabilities of this code. Another result of the experimental work was the development of a method to predict the visibility of rotor tip vortices on shadowgraphs. Using this method, the ability of the shadowgraph technique to visualize tip vortices in the rotor wake was quantified.

Norman, T. R.↗
NASA NTRS1989

High resolution flow field prediction for tail rotor aeroacoustics

The prediction of tail rotor noise due to the impingement of the main rotor wake poses a significant challenge to current analysis methods in rotorcraft aeroacoustics. This paper describes the development of a new treatment of the tail rotor aerodynamic environment that permits highly accurate resolution of the incident flow field with modest computational effort relative to alternative models. The new approach incorporates an advanced full-span free wake model of the main rotor in a scheme which reconstructs high-resolution flow solutions from preliminary, computationally inexpensive simulations with coarse resolution. The heart of the approach is a novel method for using local velocity correction terms to capture the steep velocity gradients characteristic of the vortex-dominated incident flow. Sample calculations have been undertaken to examine the principal types of interactions between the tail rotor and the main rotor wake and to examine the performance of the new method. The results of these sample problems confirm the success of this approach in capturing the high-resolution flows necessary for analysis of rotor-wake/rotor interactions with dramatically reduced computational cost. Computations of radiated sound are also carried out that explore the role of various portions of the main rotor wake in generating tail rotor noise.

Quackenbush, Todd R.↗