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At least 523 records · Page 29
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1974

Axial flow measurements in trailing vortices

A scanning laser Doppler velocimeter was used to measure the axial velocity defect in the cores of trailing vortices behind a lifting airfoil of rectangular planform. Data were obtained at several different angles of attack and downstream distances ranging from 30 to 1000 chord lengths. The test was designed to obtain continuous data from the near field into the far field while removing uncertainties associated with the interpretation of data obtained by the hydrogen bubble technique. The measured velocities of V sub x/U sub infinity are compared with those predicted. The agreement is remarkably good over the entire range of downstream distances, which supports the credibility of calculating axial velocities using the results of Moore and Saffman (1973).

Ciffone, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Conduct overall test operations and evaluate two Doppler systems to detect, track and measure velocities in aircraft wake vortices

A program plan for system evaluation of the two-dimensional Scanning Laser Doppler System (SLDS) is presented. In order to meet system evaluation and optimization objectives the following tests were conducted: (1) noise tests; (2) wind tests; (3) blower flowfield tests; (4) single unit (1-D) flyby tests; and (5) dual unit (2-D) flyby tests. Test results are reported. The final phase of the program included logistics preparation, equipment interface checkouts, and data processing. It is concluded that the SLDS is capable of accurately tracking aircraft wake vortices from small or large aircraft, and in any type of weather.

Wilson, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Inviscid to turbulent transition of trailing vortices

The characteristics of the plateau region in the vortex system which trails from a lifting wing are discussed. The decay of the vortex due to viscous or turbulent shear is very slow in the plateau so that the maximum tangential speed in the vortices remains nearly constant for some distance downstream of roll-up and then begins to decrease, becoming inversely proportional to the square root of the distance downstream. Mathematical models are developed to analyze the structure of the plateau area. Solutions are obtained for both constant and variable eddy viscosity models.

Iversen, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Roll-up of aircraft trailing vortices using artificial viscosity

The artificial viscosity method of Kuwahara and Takami (1973) is used to calculate the roll-up of trailing vortices behind a number of practical aerodynamic configurations. Where possible, the results are compared for core location with available experimental data.

Bloom, A. M.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Vorticity associated with a jet in a cross flow

An extensive wind-tunnel test of a round turbulent jet directed normally through a flat plate into a subsonic cross flow has been conducted. The results of the velocity field measurements are presented in a concise and usable form through the use of simple models to relate the velocity field to empirical values for the strength and location of the pair of contrarotating vortices associated with the jet.

Fearn, R.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Inviscid to turbulent transition of trailing vortices

The plateau region in which trailing vortices initially exhibit slow decay of maximum tangential speed is demonstrated with the aid of constant and variable eddy viscosity models. The existence of the plateau is explained by the presence of the viscous core and by the necessity for transition of the initial, nearly inviscid profile to similarity far downstream. Span loading is shown to affect the initial maximum tangential speed as well as the duration of the plateau region. Triangular span loading is shown to present less hazard to trailing aircraft, at least in the near field, than elliptic loading because the inviscid profile for triangular loading exhibits a finite tangential speed at the vortex centerline and a large inviscid core.

Iversen, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Apparent relationship between solar sector boundaries and 300-millibar vorticity: Possible explanation in terms of upward propagation of planetary-scale waves

The correlations between the solar sectors and large-scale atmospheric vorticity in the lower atmosphere reported earlier are of interest since the solar-sector data appear to be independent of any terrestrial influences. It is shown that even these solar data may be affected by geomagnetic properties; a method for removing such influences is suggested.

Deland, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Tornadoes and other atmospheric vortices

The growth of random vortices in an atmosphere with buoyant instability and vertical wind shear is studied along with the velocities in a single gravity-driven vortex; a frictionless adiabatic model which is supported by laboratory experiments is first considered. The effects of axial drag, heat transfer, and precipitation-induced downdrafts are then calculated. Heat transfer and axial drag tend to have stabilizing effects; they reduce the downdrafts of updrafts due to buoyancy. It is found that downdrafts or tornadic magnitude might occur in negatively-buoyant columns. The radial-inflow velocity required to maintain a given maximum tangential velocity in a tornado is determined by using a turbulent vortex model. Conditions under which radial-inflow velocities become sufficiently large to produce tangential velocities of tornadic magnitude are determined. The radial velocities in the outer regions, as well as the tangential velocities in the inner regions may be large enough to cause damage. The surface boundary layer, which is a region where large radial inflows can occur, is studied, and the thickness of the radial-inflow friction layer is estimated. A tornado model which involves a rotating parent cloud, as well as buoyancy and precipitation effects, is discussed.

Deissler, R. G.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Turbulent viscous-shock-layer solutions with strong vorticity interaction

Numerical solutions of the viscous-shock-layer equations governing laminar and turbulent flows of a perfect gas and radiating and nonradiating mixtures of perfect gases in chemical equilibrium are presented for hypersonic flow over spherically blunted cones and hyperboloids. The results are compared with boundary-layer and inviscid flow-field solutions. The agreement with the inviscid flow field data is satisfactory. The agreement with boundary-layer solutions is good except in regions of strong vorticity interaction. In these flow regions, the viscous-shock-layer solutions appear to be more satisfactory than the boundary-layer solutions.

Anderson, E. C.↗
NASA NTRS1976

The effects of trailing vorticity on the flow through highly loaded cascades

This paper presents a procedure whereby three-dimensional inviscid flow through a highly loaded turbomachinery cascade of lifting lines can be treated by methods corresponding to classical aerodynamic theory. In contrast to earlier linearized (thin airfoil) three-dimensional theory, the present study allows analysis of the flow corresponding to the large turning and/or large pressure ratios induced by practical rotors or stators. For the sake of simplicity, the present paper is limited to incompressible flow through a highly loaded rectilinear cascade and to the design problem; i.e., given blade loading. Formulas are derived for both the mean and the three-dimensional components of the flow; in particular, the velocities at the blades induced by the trailing vorticity associated with nonuniform blade circulation are determined.

Mccune, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Scanning laser Doppler velocimeter system simulation for sensing aircraft wake vortices

A model that simulates the interaction of a laser-Doppler velocimeter with an aircraft wake flowfield is described. A hydrodynamic model is developed which represents the trailing vortex sheet and wind shear as discrete free vortices distributed over a two-dimensional grid. A sensor model is formulated for scanning both in range and in angle to produce a fan beam configuration without frequency translation. Output of this model is a frequency spectrum vs both range and angle. Once the spectrum is evaluated, simulations of the data analysis procedure are carried out. Patterns of various features of the signature are presented in range-elevation angle plots. The problem of locating the vortex centers is discussed as a pattern recognition problem and as a point target problem.

Thomson, J. A. L.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Effects of jets, wakes, and vortices on lifting surfaces

The interaction of jets, wakes, and vortices on lifting bodies represents a broad spectrum of aerodynamic flow phenomena. A literature survey is presented of 79 research activities in related aerodynamic situations.

Margason, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1976

An experimental study of a self-confined flow with ring-vorticity distribution

A new form of self-confined flow was investigated in which a recirculation zone forms away from any solid boundary. An inviscid flow analysis indicated that in a purely meridional axisymmetric flow a stationary, spherical, self-confined region should occur in the center of a streamlined divergent-convergent enlargement zone. The spherical confinement region would be at rest and at constant pressure. Experimental investigations were carried out in a specially built test apparatus to establish the desired confined flow. The streamlined divergent-convergent interior shape of the test section was fabricated according to the theoretical calculation for a particular streamline. The required inlet vorticity distribution was generated by producing a velocity profile with a shaped gauze screen in the straight pipe upstream of the test section. Fluid speed and turbulence intensity were measured with a constant-temperature hot-wire anemometer system. The measured results indicated a very orderly and stable flow field.

Lin, K. M.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Vorticity interaction effects on blunt bodies

Numerical solutions of the viscous shock layer equations governing laminar and turbulent flows of a perfect gas and radiating and nonradiating mixtures of perfect gases in chemical equilibrium are presented for hypersonic flow over spherically blunted cones and hyperboloids. Turbulent properties are described in terms of the classical mixing length. Results are compared with boundary layer and inviscid flowfield solutions; agreement with inviscid flowfield data is satisfactory. Agreement with boundary layer solutions is good except in regions of strong vorticity interaction; in these flow regions, the viscous shock layer solutions appear to be more satisfactory than the boundary layer solutions. Boundary conditions suitable for hypersonic viscous shock layers are devised for an advanced turbulence theory.

Anderson, E. C.↗
NASA NTRS1977

A high Reynolds number numerical solution of the Navier-Stokes equations in stream function-vorticity form

Problems encoutered in investigations of high Reynolds number, incompressible flow are reviewed. A numerical solution computer program was modified to solve the stream function-vorticity form of the Navier-Stokes equations. Using a body fitted coordinate system with a U-shaped outer boundary, a simulation of incompressible flow at a Reynolds number of one million and a body angle of attack of zero was achieved.

Bearden, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Barotropic instability in relation to the generation of synoptic-scale atmospheric vortices

At mid-latitudes, where baroclinicity predominates, barotropic instability cannot account for the development of a cyclone. Barotropic models rarely predict the formation of extratropical cyclones. However, after large-scale disturbances have developed due to baroclinic instability, further development may be aided by barotropic instability. In the present paper, an attempt is made to relate barotropic instability to the generation of synoptic-scale atmospheric vortices, using the synoptic data of the tornado outbreak over the area of the United States on April 3, 1974. A barotropic instability analysis of wind profiles shows that the atmosphere above the area hit by the tornado was barotropically most unstable during the outbreak. This indicates that barotropic instability may have been synoptically associated with the outbreak. The need to study additional cases is pointed out

Tseng, C.-Y.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Close-up view of 20 March 1976 tornadoes - Sinking cloud tops to suction vortices

The article describes an airborne mission using a Learjet to secure direct data on a family of tornadoes spawned by a rotating thunderstorm in the Missouri-Illinois-Indiana area in March 1976 following an unusually warm February. Weakening of the tornado following increased cloud-scale vertical motion, predicted by a model constructed by Fujita (1972), was confirmed. The aircraft inspected overshooting cloud tops, examined subsidence (holes and depressions) in anvil tops it overflew, and surveyed footprints left by the tornadoes and tornado-blown litter on the ground traversed by the disturbances. Subsidence of cloud tops in advance of violent tornadoes below was confirmed. Isolated and multiple suction vortices left their characteristic ground marks; three scales of motion: tornado cyclone, tornado, and suction vortex, are evidenced by the ground truth.

Fujita, T. T.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Merging of aircraft trailing vortices

A merging-distance criterion for equal-strength corotational vortices is derived from low-turbulence wind-tunnel flow-visualization data. The vortex separation distance is normalized by defining a vortex core diameter based on circulation defect and angular-momentum defect. Merging may take place for larger separation distances than predicted from earlier two-dimensional inviscid calculations, which indicates that viscosity and possibly three-dimensional effects are important factors in the merging phenomenon. Hot-wire velocity distributions and rolling-moment measurements show that attenuation of the vortex hazard is associated with vortex merging.

Brandt, S. A.↗