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NASA NTRS1989

The measurement of boundary layers on a compressor blade in cascade. Volume 1: Experimental technique, analysis and results

Measurements were made of the boundary layers and wakes about a highly loaded, double-circular-arc compressor blade in cascade. These laser Doppler velocimetry measurements have yielded a very detailed and precise data base with which to test the application of viscous computational codes to turbomachinery. In order to test the computational codes at off-design conditions, the data were acquired at a chord Reynolds number of 500,000 and at three incidence angles. Moreover, these measurements have supplied some physical insight into these very complex flows. Although some natural transition is evident, laminar boundary layers usually detach and subsequently reattach as either fully or intermittently turbulent boundary layers. These transitional separation bubbles play an important role in the development of most of the boundary layers and wakes measured in this cascade and the modeling or computing of these bubbles should prove to be the key aspect in computing the entire cascade flow field. In addition, the nonequilibrium turbulent boundary layers on these highly loaded blades always have some region of separation near the trailing edge of the suction surface. These separated flows, as well as the subsequent near wakes, show no similarity and should prove to be a challenging test for the viscous computational codes.

Zierke, William C.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Bending Boundary Layers in Laminated-Composite Circular Cylindrical Shells

An analytical, parametric study of the attenuation of bending boundary layers or edge effects in balanced and unbalanced, symmetrically and unsymmetrically laminated thin cylindrical shells is presented for nine contemporary material systems. The analysis is based on the linear Sanders-Koiter shell equations and specializations to the Love-Kirchhoff shell equations and Donnell's equations are included. Two nondimensional parameters are identified that characterize and quantify the effects of laminate orthotropy and laminate anisotropy on the bending boundary-layer decay length in a very general and encompassing manner. A substantial number of structural design technology results are presented for a wide range of laminated-composite cylinders. For all the laminate constructions considered, the results show that the differences between results that were obtained with the Sanders-Koiter shell equations, the Love-Kirchhoff shell equations, and Donnell's equations are negligible. The results also show that the effect of anisotropy in the form of coupling between pure bending and twisting has a negligible effect on the size of the bending boundary-layer decay length of the balanced, symmetrically laminated cylinders considered. Moreover, the results show that coupling between the various types of shell anisotropies has a negligible effect on the calculation of the bending boundary-layer decay length in most cases. The results also show that in some cases neglecting the shell anisotropy results in underestimating the bending boundary-layer decay length and in other cases it results in an overestimation.

Nemeth, Michael P.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Relaxation of an unsteady turbulent boundary layer on a flat plate in an expansion tube

An analysis is presented for the relaxation of a turbulent boundary layer on a semi-infinite flat plate after passage of a shock wave and a trailing driver gas-driven gas interface. The problem has special application to expansion-tube flows. The flow-governing equations have been transformed into the Crocco variables, and a time-similar solution is presented in terms of the dimensionless distance-time variable alpha and the dimensionless velocity variable beta. An eddy-viscosity model, similar to that of time-steady boundary layers, is applied to the inner and outer regions of the boundary layer. A turbulent Prandtl number equal to the molecular Prandtl number is used to relate the turbulent heat flux to the eddy viscosity. The numerical results, obtained by using the Gauss-Seidel line-relaxation method, indicate that a fully turbulent boundary layer relaxes faster to the final steady-state values of heat transfer and skin friction than a laminar boundary layer. The results also give a fairly good estimate of the local skin friction and heat transfer for near steady-flow conditions.

Gurta, R. N.↗

NASA NTRS1951

Analysis of turbulent free-convection boundary layer on flat plate

With the use of Karman's integrated momentum equation for the boundary layer and data on the wall-shearing stress and heat transfer in forced-convection flow, a calculation was carried out for the flow and heat transfer in the turbulent free-convection boundary layer on a vertical flat plate. The calculation is for a fluid with a Prandtl number that is close to 1. A formula was derived for the heat-transfer coefficient that was in good agreement with experimental data in the range of Grashof numbers from 10sup10 to 10sup12. Because of the good agreement between the theoretical formula and the experimental data, the formula may be used to obtain data for high Grashof numbers. The calculation also yielded formulas for the maximum velocity in the boundary layer and for boundary-layer thickness.

Eckert, E R G↗

NASA NTRS1980

Turbulent boundary layer heat transfer experiments: Convex curvature effects, including introduction and recovery

Heat transfer rates were measured through turbulent and transitional boundary layers on an isothermal, convexly curved wall and downstream flat plate. The effect of convex curvature on the fully turbulent boundary layer was a reduction of the local Stanton numbers 20-50% below those predicted for a flat wall under the same circumstances. The recovery of the heat transfer rates on the downstream flat wall was extremely slow. After 60 cm of recovery length, the Stanton number was still typically 15-20% below the flat wall predicted value. Various effects important in the modeling of curved flows were studied separately. These are: (1) the effect of initial boundary layer thickness; (2) the effect of freestream velocity; (3) the effect of freestream acceleration; (4) the effect of unheated starting length; and (5) the effect of the maturity of the boundary layer. Regardless of the initial state, curvature eventually forced the boundary layer into an asymptotic curved condition. The slope, minus one, is believed to be significant.

Simon, T. W.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Measurements in Transitional Boundary Layers Under High Free-Stream Turbulence and Strong Acceleration Conditions

Measurements from transitional, heated boundary layers along a concave-curved test wall are presented and discussed. A boundary layer subject to low free-stream turbulence intensity (FSTI), which contains stationary streamwise (Gortler) vortices, is documented. The low FSTI measurements are followed by measurements in boundary layers subject to high (initially 8%) free-stream turbulence intensity and moderate to strong streamwise acceleration. Conditions were chosen to simulate those present on the downstream half of the pressure side of a gas turbine airfoil. Mean flow characteristics as well as turbulence statistics, including the turbulent shear stress, turbulent heat flux, and turbulent Prandtl number, are documented. A technique called "octant analysis" is introduced and applied to several cases from the literature as well as to data from the present study. Spectral analysis was applied to describe the effects of turbulence scales of different sizes during transition. To the authors'knowledge, this is the first detailed documentation of boundary layer transition under such high free-stream turbulence conditions.

Volino, Ralph J.↗

NASA NTRS1950

Instrument for measuring the wall shearing stress of turbulent boundary layers

It is shown that at a smooth wall in a turbulent boundary layer the velocity profile next to the wall is dependent, aside from the material constants of the flowing medium, only on the shearing stress transmitted to the wall, even with pressure rise or with pressure drop. Consequently, the heat transfer of a small element that is built into the wall and has a higher temperature than that of the flowing medium is a measure of the wall shearing stress. Theoretical considerations indicate that the wall shearing stress of the boundary layer can be defined by means of a heat-transfer measurement with an instrument mounted in the wall. Such an instrument is described. The calibration curve and its directional sensitivity curve are indicated. It permits the determination of the wall shearing stress in magnitude and direction.

BOUNDARY LAYER, TURBULENT↗

NASA NTRS1979

A model of the planetary boundary layer over a snow surface

A model of the planetary boundary layer over a snow surface has been developed. It contains the vertical heat exchange processes due to radiation, conduction, and atmospheric turbulence. Parametrization of the boundary layer is based on similarity functions developed by Hoffert and Sud (1976), which involve a dimensionless variable, dependent on boundary-layer height and a localized Monin-Obukhov length. The model also contains the atmospheric surface layer and the snowpack itself, where snowmelt and snow evaporation are calculated. The results indicate a strong dependence of surface temperatures, especially at night, on the bursts of turbulence which result from the frictional damping of surface-layer winds during periods of high stability, as described by Businger (1973). The model also shows the cooling and drying effect of the snow on the atmosphere, which may be the mechanism for air mass transformation in sub-Arctic regions.

Halberstam, I.↗

NASA NTRS1947

Boundary-layer and stalling characteristics of two symmetrical NACA low-drag airfoil sections

Two symmetrical airfoils, an NACA 633-018 and an NACA 631-012, were investigated for the purpose of determining their stalling and boundary-layer characteristics with a view toward the eventual application of this information to the problem of boundary-layer control. Force measurements, pressure distributions, tuft studies, and boundary-layer-profile measurements were made at a value of 5,800,000 Reynolds number. It was found that the 18-percent-thick airfoil stalled progressively from the trailing edge because of separation of the turbulent boundary layer. In contrast, the12-percent-thick airfoil stalled abruptly from a separation of flow near the leading edge before the turbulent boundary layer became subject to separation. From this it was concluded that if high values of lift are to be obtained with thin, high-critical-speed sections by means of boundary-layer control, the work must be directed toward delaying the separation of flow near the leading edge. It was found that the presence of a nose flap on the 12-percent-thick section caused the airfoil to stall in a manner similar to that of the 18-percent-thick section.

Mccullough, George B↗

NASA NTRS1983

Experimental study of the separating confluent boundary-layer. Volume 2: Experimental data

An experimental low speed study of the separating confluent boundary layer on a NASA GAW-1 high lift airfoil is described. The airfoil was tested in a variety of high lift configurations comprised of leading edge slat and trailing edge flap combinations. The primary test instrumentation was a two dimensional laser velocimeter (LV) system operating in a backscatter mode. Surface pressures and corresponding LV derived boundary layer profiles are given in terms of velocity components, turbulence intensities and Reynolds shear stresses as characterizing confluent boundary layer behavior up to and beyond stall. LV derived profiles and associated boundary layer parameters and those obtained from more conventional instrumentation such as pitot static transverse, Preston tube measurements and hot-wire surveys are compared.

Braden, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS1992

On the coupling between a supersonic boundary layer and a flexible surface

The coupling between a two-dimensional, supersonic, laminar boundary layer and a flexible surface is studied using direct numerical computations of the Navier-Stokes equations coupled with the plate equation. The flexible surface is forced to vibrate by plane acoustic waves at normal incidence emanated by a sound source located on the side of the flexible surface opposite to the boundary layer. The effect of the source excitation frequency on the surface vibration and boundary layer stability is analyzed. We find that, for frequencies near the fifth natural frequency of the surface or lower, large disturbances are introduced in the boundary layer which may alter its stability characteristics. The interaction between a stable two-dimensional disturbance of Tollmien-Schlichting (TS) type with the vibrating surface is also studied. We find that the disturbance level is higher over the vibrating flexible surface than that obtained when the surface is rigid, which indicates a strong coupling between flow and structure. However, in the absence of the sound source the disturbance level over the rigid and flexible surfaces are identical. This result is due to the high frequency of the TS disturbance which does not couple with the flexible surface.

Frendi, Abdelkader↗

NASA NTRS1992

On the coupling between a supersonic boundary layer and a flexible surface

The coupling between a two-dimensional, supersonic, laminar boundary layer and a flexible surface is studied using direct numerical computations of the Navier-Stokes equations coupled with the plate equation. The flexible surface is forced to vibrate by plane acoustic waves at normal incidence emanated by a sound source located on the side of the flexible surface opposite to the boundary layer. The effect of the source excitation frequency on the surface vibration and boundary layer stability is analyzed. We find that, for frequencies near the fifth natural frequency of the surface or lower, large disturbances are introduced in the boundary layer which may alter its stability characteristics. The interaction between a stable two-dimensional disturbance of Tollmien-Schlichting (TS) type with the vibrating surface is also studied. We find that the disturbance level is higher over the vrating flexible surface than that obtained when the surface is rig id, which indicates a strong coupling between flow and structure. However, in the absence of the sound source the disturbance level over the rigid and flexible surfaces are identical. This result is due to the high frequency of the TS disturbance which does not couple with the flexible surface.

Frendi, Abdelkader↗

NASA NTRS1989

Time-dependent boundary-layer response in a propeller slipstream

The time-dependent behavior of a wing boundary layer immersed in a propeller slipstream has been studied experimentally in wind-tunnel tests and in flight. Hot-wire anemometer measurements were made through the boundary layer for time-dependent, ensemble-average velocity and turbulence-intensity profiles at various chord locations. The boundary layer has a coherent, time-dependent cycle of transitional behavior, varying from a laminar to a turbulent-transitional state. Local drag coefficients determined from the velocity profiles for the freewheeling propeller case in flight show that the time-dependent drag in the propeller slipstream varies from the undisturbed laminar value to a value less than that predicted for fully turbulent flow. Local drag coefficients determined from the thrusting propeller case in the wind tunnel indicate that the effects of the slipstream are to enhance the stability of the boundary layer and to reduce the drag coefficient in the laminar portion of the cycle below its undisturbed laminar value.

Howard, Richard M.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Experimental study of nozzle wall boundary layers at Mach numbers 20 to 47

The nozzle wall boundary layer of an M-50 helium tunnel was investigated with pitot pressure, total temperature, skin friction, and wall heat transfer measurements at five stations and hot wire measurements at two stations. The results indicated that the boundary layer was turbulent with a thick viscous sublayer. Pressure gradients were observed across the boundary layer; the effect of these gradients on the equations of motion are discussed. The direct skin friction measurements were higher than expected from empirical predictions; the Reynolds analogy factors however were lower than expected. Hot wire measurements indicated mass flow fluctuations as large as 80 percent of the local mean mass flow at the edge of the viscous sublayer with a maximum value relative to the edge mass flow of about 15 percent at gamma about equal to 0.8.

Kemp, J. H., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Boundary Layer Control for Hypersonic Airbreathing Vehicles

Active and passive methods for tripping hypersonic boundary layers have been examined in NASA Langley Research Center wind tunnels using a Hyper-X model. This investigation assessed several concepts for forcing transition, including passive discrete roughness elements and active mass addition (or blowing), in the 20-Inch Mach 6 Air and the 31-Inch Mach 10 Air Tunnels. Heat transfer distributions obtained via phosphor thermography, shock system details, and surface streamline patterns were measured on a 0.333-scale model of the Hyper-X forebody. The comparisons between the active and passive methods for boundary layer control were conducted at test conditions that nearly match the Hyper-X nominal Mach 7 flight test-point of an angle-of-attack of 2-deg and length Reynolds number of 5.6 million. For passive roughness, the primary parametric variation was a range of trip heights within the calculated boundary layer thickness for several trip concepts. The passive roughness study resulted in a swept ramp configuration, scaled to be roughly 0.6 of the calculated boundary layer thickness, being selected for the Mach 7 flight vehicle. For the active blowing study, the manifold pressure was systematically varied (while monitoring the mass flow) for each configuration to determine the jet penetration height, with schlieren, and transition movement, with the phosphor system, for comparison to the passive results. All the blowing concepts tested, which included various rows of sonic orifices (holes), two- and three-dimensional slots, and random porosity, provided transition onset near the trip location with manifold stagnation pressures on the order of 40 times the model surface static pressure, which is adequate to ensure sonic jets. The present results indicate that the jet penetration height for blowing was roughly half the height required with passive roughness elements for an equivalent amount of transition movement.

Berry, Scott A.↗

NASA NTRS1986

A method for coupling a parameterization of the planetary boundary layer with a hydrologic model

Deardorff's parameterization of the planetary boundary layer is adapted to drive a hydrologic model. The method converts the atmospheric conditions measured at the anemometer height at one site to the mean values in the planetary boundary layer; it then uses the planetary boundary layer parameterization and the hydrologic variables to calculate the fluxes of momentum, heat and moisture at the atmosphere-land interface for a different site. A simplified hydrologic model is used for a simulation study of soil moisture and ground temperature on three different land surface covers. The results indicate that this method can be used to drive a spatially distributed hydrologic model by using observed data available at a meteorological station located on or nearby the site.

Lin, J. D.↗

NASA NTRS1944

Effects of Interaction Between Normal Shock and Boundary Layer

A discussion of the interaction between normal shocks and boundary layers on the basis of experimental evidence obtained in studies of supersonic flows in passages is given. The investigation was made as a result of the inability of the existing normal-shock theory to explain phenomena involving normal shocks that occurred in the presence of boundary layers. Assumptions with regard to the character of the effects of interaction between boundary layer and normal shock are proposed; these assumptions seem to give good agreement with certain experimental results.

Donaldson, Coleman duP.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Aerodynamic heating to corrugation stiffened structures in thick turbulent boundary layers

The results of an experimental program to evaluate heat transfer and pressure distributions on corrugation roughened flat plates in thick turbulent boundary layers are presented. The experimental program consisted of tests in the tunnel wall boundary layers of the Langley Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT) and Continuous Flow Hypersonic Tunnel (CFHT) at freestream Mach numbers of 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, and 10.3. Tests in the UPWT were conducted at a freestream Reynolds number/m of 10,800,000 and in the CFHT, at Reynolds numbers/m of 1,300,000 to 5,800,000. The test configurations consisted of 50.8 x 50.8 cm panels with corrugated beads of two different peak amplitudes, 0.61 and 0.29 cm. The angle of the corrugated beads relative to the flow direction was varied between 0 (aligned) and 90 deg (normal). The measured peak and average heat transfer are analyzed and correlated in terms of the bulk boundary layer, internal boundary layer, and geometric parameters.-

Brandon, H. J.↗