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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 541 records · Page 30

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NASA NTRS1953

A study of the use of leading-edge notches as a means for improving the low-speed pitching-moment characteristics of a thin 45-degree swept wing of aspect ratio 4

In an effort to develop a simple but effective means for controlling the stall progression of swept wings, a low-speed investigation has been undertaken primarily to determine the effectiveness of leading-edge notches. The investigation included consideration of notch size, location, and shape, as well as combined effects of notch—chord-extension and notch-fence arrangements. The wing used in the study had 45° quarter-chord sweep, aspect ratio 4, taper ratio 0.3, and NACA 65A006 airfoil sections streamwise. The results of the investigation indicated that although substantial improvements were obtained in the wing pitching-moment characteristics at moderate angles of attack, by use of outboard leading-edge notches, none of these notches produced desirable wing stability characteristics throughout the angle-of-attack range. The wing pitching-moment characteristics were relatively insensitive to notch size and to small changes in span-wise location. The use of a notch at the inboard end of a chord-extension increased the effectiveness of the chord-extension near stall and produced the same results as a chord-extension having an equivalent inboard overhang. Small localized notch—chord-extension combinations were found to produce the same pitching-moment characteristics as much larger chord-extension configurations. A leading-edge root cutout used in conjunction with a small outboard notch—chord-extension combination resulted in fairly desirable overall wing pitching-moment characteristics.

Joseph Weil↗

NASA NTRS1956

Heat-requirements for Ice Protection of a Cyclically Gas-heated, 36 Degree Swept Airfoil with Partial-span Leading-edge Slat

Heating requirements for satisfactory cyclic de-icing over a wide range of icing and operating conditions have been determined for a gas-heated, 36deg swept airfoil of 6.9-foot chord with a partial-span leading-edge slat. Comparisons of heating requirements and effectiveness were made between the slatted and unslatted portions of the airfoil. Studies were also made comparing cyclic de-icing with continuous anti-icing, and cycll.cde-icing systems with and without leading-edge ice-free parting strips. De-icing heat requirements were approximately the same with either heated or unheated parting strips because of the aerodynamic effects of the 36deg sweep angle and the spanwise saw-tooth profile of leading-edge glaze-ice deposits. Cyclic de-icing heat-source requirements were found to be one-fourth or less of the heat requirements for complete anti-icing. The primary factors that affected the performance of the cyclic de-icing heating system were ambient air temperature, heat distribution, and thermal lag.

Gray, Vernon H↗

NASA NTRS1950

Theoretical stability derivatives of thin sweptback wings tapered to a point with sweptback or sweptforward trailing edges for a limited range of supersonic speeds

The stability derivatives valid for a limited range of supersonic speeds are presented for a series of sweptback wings tapered to a point with sweptback or sweptforward trailing edges. These wings were derived by modifying the trailing edge of a basic triangular wing so that it coincided with lines drawn from the wing tips to the wing axis of symmetry. The stability derivatives were formulated by using the pressure distributions previously obtained for the basic triangular wing for angle of attack, constant vertical acceleration, sideslip, pitching, rolling, and yawing. Explicit expressions are given for the stability derivatives with respect to principal body axes, and conversion formulas are provided for the transformation to stability axes. The results are limited to Mach numbers for which the wing is contained within the Mach cones springing from the vertex and from the trailing edge of the center section of the wing.

Malvestuto, Frank S , Jr↗

NASA NTRS1955

Full-scale-wind-tunnel Tests of a 35 Degree Sweptback Wing Airplane with High-velocity Blowing over the Training-edge Flaps

A wind-tunnel investigation was made to determine the effects of ejecting high-velocity air near the leading edge of plain trailing-edge flaps on a 35 degree sweptback wing. The tests were made with flap deflections from 45 degrees to 85 degrees and with pressure ratios across the flap nozzles from sub-critical up to 2.9. A limited study of the effects of nozzle location and configuration on the efficiency of the flap was made. Measurements of the lift, drag, and pitching moment were made for Reynolds numbers from 5.8 to 10.1x10(6). Measurements were also made of the weight rate of flow, pressure, and temperature of the air supplied to the flap nozzles.The results show that blowing on the deflected flap produced large flap lift increments. The amount of air required to prevent flow separation on the flap was significantly less than that estimated from published two-dimensional data. When the amount of air ejected over the flap was just sufficient to prevent flow separation, the lift increment obtained agreed well with linear inviscid fluid theory up to flap deflections of 60 degrees. The flap lift increment at 85 degrees flap deflection was about 80 percent of that predicted theoretically.With larger amounts of air blown over the flap, these lift increments could be significantly increased. It was found that the performance of the flap was relatively insensitive to the location of the flap nozzle, to spacers in the nozzle, and to flow disturbances such as those caused by leading-edge slats or discontinuities on the wing or flap surfaces. Analysis of the results indicated that installation of this system on an F-86 airplane is feasible.

Kelley, Mark W↗

NASA NTRS1994

Incremental triangulation by way of edge swapping and local optimization

This document is intended to serve as an installation, usage, and basic theory guide for the two dimensional triangulation software 'HARLEY' written for the Silicon Graphics IRIS workstation. This code consists of an incremental triangulation algorithm based on point insertion and local edge swapping. Using this basic strategy, several types of triangulations can be produced depending on user selected options. For example, local edge swapping criteria can be chosen which minimizes the maximum interior angle (a MinMax triangulation) or which maximizes the minimum interior angle (a MaxMin or Delaunay triangulation). It should be noted that the MinMax triangulation is generally only locally optical (not globally optimal) in this measure. The MaxMin triangulation, however, is both locally and globally optical. In addition, Steiner triangulations can be constructed by inserting new sites at triangle circumcenters followed by edge swapping based on the MaxMin criteria. Incremental insertion of sites also provides flexibility in choosing cell refinement criteria. A dynamic heap structure has been implemented in the code so that once a refinement measure is specified (i.e., maximum aspect ratio or some measure of a solution gradient for the solution adaptive grid generation) the cell with the largest value of this measure is continually removed from the top of the heap and refined. The heap refinement strategy allows the user to specify either the number of cells desired or refine the mesh until all cell refinement measures satisfy a user specified tolerance level. Since the dynamic heap structure is constantly updated, the algorithm always refines the particular cell in the mesh with the largest refinement criteria value. The code allows the user to: triangulate a cloud of prespecified points (sites), triangulate a set of prespecified interior points constrained by prespecified boundary curve(s), Steiner triangulate the interior/exterior of prespecified boundary curve(s), refine existing triangulations based on solution error measures, and partition meshes based on the Cuthill-McKee, spectral, and coordinate bisection strategies.

Wiltberger, N. Lyn↗

NASA NTRS1994

Mechanical and thermal buckling analysis of rectangular sandwich panels under different edge conditions

The combined load (mechanical or thermal load) buckling equations were established for orthotropic rectangular sandwich panels under four different edge conditions by using the Rayleigh-Ritz method of minimizing the total potential energy of a structural system. Two-dimensional buckling interaction curves and three-dimensional buckling interaction surfaces were constructed for high-temperature honeycomb-core sandwich panels supported under four different edge conditions. The interaction surfaces provide overall comparison of the panel buckling strengths and the domains of symmetrical and antisymmetrical buckling associated with the different edge conditions. In addition, thermal buckling curves of these sandwich panels are presented. The thermal buckling conditions for the cases with and without thermal moments were found to be identical for the small deformation theory.

Ko, William L.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Control of leading-edge vortices on a delta wing

The unsteady flow structure of leading-edge vortices on a delta wing has been investigated using new types of experimental techniques, in order to provide insight into the consequences of various forms of active control. These investigations involve global control of the entire wing and local control applied at crucial locations on or adjacent to the wing. Transient control having long and short time-scales, relative to the convective time-scale C/U(sub infinity), allows substantial modification of the unsteady and time-mean flow structure. Global control at long time-scale involves pitching the wing at rates an order of magnitude lower than the convective time-scale C/U(sub infinity), but at large amplitudes. The functional form of the pitching maneuver exerts a predominant influence on the trajectory of the feeding sheet, the instantaneous vorticity distribution, and the instantaneous location of vortex breakdown. Global control at short time-scales of the order of the inherent frequency of the shear layer separating from the leading-edge and the natural frequency of vortex breakdown shows that 'resonant' response of the excited shear layer-vortex breakdown system is attainable. The spectral content of the induced disturbance is preserved not only across the entire core of the vortex, but also along the axis of the vortex into the region of vortex breakdown. This unsteady modification results in time-mean alteration of the axial and swirl velocity fields and the location of vortex breakdown. Localized control at long and short time-scales involves application of various transient forms of suction and blowing using small probes upstream and downstream of the location of vortex breakdown, as well as distributed suction and blowing along the leading-edge of the wing applied in a direction tangential to the feeding sheet. These local control techniques can result in substantial alteration of the location of vortex breakdown; in some cases, it is possible to accomplish this without net mass addition to the flow field.

Magness, C.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Three-dimensional unstructured grid refinement and optimization using edge-swapping

This paper presents a three-dimensional (3-D) 'edge-swapping method based on local transformations. This method extends Lawson's edge-swapping algorithm into 3-D. The 3-D edge-swapping algorithm is employed for the purpose of refining and optimizing unstructured meshes according to arbitrary mesh-quality measures. Several criteria including Delaunay triangulations are examined. Extensions from two to three dimensions of several known properties of Delaunay triangulations are also discussed.

Gandhi, Amar↗

NASA NTRS1993

The red edge in arid region vegetation: 340-1060 nm spectra

The remote sensing study of vegetated regions of the world has typically been focused on the use of broad-band vegetation indices such as NDVI. Various modifications of these indices have been developed in attempts to minimize the effect of soil background, e.g., SAVI, or to reduce the effect of the atmosphere, e.g., ARVI. Most of these indices depend on the so-called 'red edge,' the sharp transition between the strong absorption of chlorophyll pigment in visible wavelengths and the strong scattering in the near-infrared from the cellular structure of leaves. These broadband indices tend to become highly inaccurate as the green canopy cover becomes sparse. The advent of high spectral resolution remote sensing instrument such as the Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) has allowed the detection of narrow spectral features in vegetation and there are reports of detection of the red edge even for pixels with very low levels of green vegetation cover by Vane et al. and Elvidge et al., and to characterize algal biomass in coastal areas. Spectral mixing approaches similar to those of Smith et al. can be extended into the high spectral resolution domain allowing for the analysis of more endmembers, and potentially, discrimination between material with narrow spectral differences. Vegetation in arid regions tends to be sparse, often with small leaves such as the creosote bush. Many types of arid region vegetation spend much of the year with their leaves in a senescent state, i.e., yellow, with lowered chlorophyll pigmentation. The sparseness of the leaves of many arid region plants has the dual effect of lowering the green leaf area which can be observed and of allowing more of the sub-shrub soil to be visible which further complicates the spectrum of a region covered with arid region vegetation. Elvidge examined the spectral characteristics of dry plant materials showing significant differences in the region of the red edge and the diagnostic ligno-cellulose absorptions at 2090 nm and 2300 nm. Ray et al. detected absorption at 2100 nm in AVIRIS spectra of an abandoned field known to be covered by a great deal of dead plant litter. In order to better study arid region vegetation remote sensing data, it is necessary to better characterize the reflectance spectra of in situ, living, arid region plants.

Ray, Terrill W.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Thermoelastic Theory for the Response of Materials Functionally Graded in Two Directions with Applications to the Free-Edge Problem

A recently developed micromechanical theory for the thermoelastic response of functionally graded composites with nonuniform fiber spacing in the through-thickness direction is further extended to enable analysis of material architectures characterized by arbitrarily nonuniform fiber spacing in two directions. In contrast to currently employed micromechanical approaches applied to functionally graded materials, which decouple the local and global effects by assuming the existence of a representative volume element at every point within the composite, the new theory explicitly couples the local and global effects. The analytical development is based on volumetric averaging of the various field quantities, together with imposition of boundary and interfacial conditions in an average sense. Results are presented that illustrate the capability of the derived theory to capture local stress gradients at the free edge of a laminated composite plate due to the application of a uniform temperature change. It is further shown that it is possible to reduce the magnitude of these stress concentrations by a proper management of the microstructure of the composite plies near the free edge. Thus by an appropriate tailoring of the microstructure it is possible to reduce or prevent the likelihood of delamination at free edges of standard composite laminates.

Aboudi, Jacob↗

NASA NTRS1993

Observations of a transverse magnetic field perturbation at two altitudes on the equatorward edge of the magnetospheric cusp

On January 28, 1990, the Dynamic Explorer 1 (DE-1) and Akebono satellites crossed a magnetic field structure at the equatorward edge of the polar cusp at altitudes od 22,000 and 5000 km, respectively, within 6 min of each other. Locally measured plasma particles and fields and magnetometer data from a ground station near the foot of the magnetic field line are more consistent with an interpretation of the structure as that of a standing Alfven wave than that of a quasi-steady field-aligned current sheet. We discuss the observations supporting this conclusion and other related observations of field-aligned currents, Alfven waves, and ion energization near the equatorward edge of the cusp. These observations suggest that Alfven waves are commonly present near the equatorward edge of the cusp.

Peterson, W. K.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Reduction of blade-vortex interaction noise through porous leading edge

The effect of the porous leading edge of an airfoil on the blade-vortex interaction noise, which dominates the far-field acoustic spectrum of the helicopter, is investigated. The thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations are solved with a high-order upwind-biased scheme and a multizonal grid system. The Baldwin-Lomax turbulence model is modified for considering transpiration on the surface. The amplitudes of the propagating acoustic wave in the near field are calculated directly from the computation. The porosity effect on the surface is modeled in two ways: (1) imposition of prescribed transpiration velocity distribution and (2) calculation of transpiration velocity distribution by Darcy's law. Results show leading-edge transpiration can suppress pressure fluctuations at the leading edge during blade-vortex interaction and consequently reduce the amplitude of propagating noise by 30% at a maximum in the near field.

Lee, Soogab↗

NASA NTRS1995

High spatial resolution atmospheric wind measurements with the edge technique

The edge technique is a new and powerful method for measuring small frequency shifts such as the Doppler shift of an atmospheric backscattered signal from a pulsed laser. The edge technique can be used for high spatial resolution, high accuracy ground and airborne wind measurements as well as high accuracy spaceborne wind measurements. We have recently made our first ground based wind measurements. These have a spatial resolution of 15 m and an accuracy of 25 cm/s and these measurements are presented in this paper. This is a unique capability and provides valuable information for studies of turbulent processes in the lower atmosphere. It could also be used for high sensitivity detection of wind shear and microbursts in the vicinity of airports. In addition, global wind measurements can be made with the edge technique from space with an accuracy of 1 m/s and a vertical resolution as high as 150 m in the boundary layer and 1 km through the troposphere. Such a system could make eyesafe wind measurements using well developed diode pumped solid state laser technology at 1.06 micron. Multi-pulse averaging would provide a spatially representative wind measurement.

Korb, C. Laurence↗

NASA NTRS1996

Experimental Surface Pressure Data Obtained on 65 deg Delta Wing Across Reynolds Number and Mach Number Ranges. Vol. 3: Medium-radius leading edge

An experimental wind tunnel test of a 65 deg delta wing model with interchangeable leading edges was conducted in the Langley National Transonic Facility (NTF). The objective was to investigate the effects of Reynolds and Mach numbers on slender-wing leading-edge vortex flows with four values of wing leading-edge bluntness. Experimentally obtained pressure data are presented without analysis in tabulated and graphical formats across a Reynolds number range of 6 x 10(exp 6) to 120 x 10(exp 6) at a Mach number of 0.85 and across a Mach number range of 0.4 to 0.9 at Reynolds numbers of 6 x 10(exp 6), 60 x 10(exp 6), and 120 x 10(exp 6). Normal-force and pitching-moment coefficient plots for these Reynolds number and Mach number ranges are also presented.

Chu, Julio↗

NASA NTRS1996

Experimental Surface Pressure Data Obtained on 65 deg Delta Wing Across Reynolds Number and Mach Number Ranges. Vol. 4: Large-radius leading edge

An experimental wind tunnel test of a 65 deg delta wing model with interchangeable leading edges was conducted in the Langley National Transonic Facility (NTF). The objective was to investigate the effects of Reynolds and Mach numbers on slender-wing leading-edge vortex flows with four values of wing leading-edge bluntness. Experimentally obtained pressure data are presented without analysis in tabulated and graphical formats across a Reynolds number range of 6 x 10(exp 6) to 120 x 10(exp 6) at a Mach number of 0.85 and across a Mach number range of 0.4 to 0.9 at Reynolds numbers of 6 x 10(exp 6) and 60 x 10(exp 6). Normal-force and pitching-moment coefficient plots for these Reynolds number and Mach number ranges are also presented.

Chu, Julio↗

NASA NTRS1996

Improved Method for Prediction of Attainable Wing Leading-Edge Thrust

Prediction of the loss of wing leading-edge thrust and the accompanying increase in drag due to lift, when flow is not completely attached, presents a difficult but commonly encountered problem. A method (called the previous method) for the prediction of attainable leading-edge thrust and the resultant effect on airplane aerodynamic performance has been in use for more than a decade. Recently, the method has been revised to enhance its applicability to current airplane design and evaluation problems. The improved method (called the present method) provides for a greater range of airfoil shapes from very sharp to very blunt leading edges. It is also based on a wider range of Reynolds numbers than was available for the previous method. The present method, when employed in computer codes for aerodynamic analysis, generally results in improved correlation with experimental wing-body axial-force data and provides reasonable estimates of the measured drag.

Carlson, Harry W.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Experimental Surface Pressure Data Obtained on 65 deg Delta Wing Across Reynolds Number and Mach Number Ranges: Sharp Leading Edge - Volume 1

An experimental wind tunnel test of a 65 deg delta wing model with interchangeable leading edges was conducted in the Langley National Transonic Facility (NTF). The objective was to investigate the effects of Reynolds and Mach numbers on slender-wing leading-edge vortex flows with four values of wing leading-edge bluntness. Experimentally obtained pressure data are presented without analysis in tabulated and graphical formats across a Reynolds number range of 6 x 10(exp 6) to 36 x 10(exp 6) at a Mach number of 0.85 and across a Mach number range of 0.4 to 0.9 at a Reynolds number of 6 x 10(exp 6). Normal-force and pitching-moment coefficient plots for these Reynolds number and Mach number ranges are also presented.

Chu, Julio↗

NASA NTRS1996

Experimental Surface Pressure Data Obtained on 65 deg Delta Wing Across Reynolds Number and Mach Number Ranges: Small-Radius Leading Edge - Volume 2

An experimental wind tunnel test of a 65 deg. delta wing model with interchangeable leading edges was conducted in the Langley National Transonic Facility (NTF). The objective was to investigate the effects of Reynolds and Mach numbers on slender-wing leading-edge vortex flows with four values of wing leading-edge bluntness. Experimentally obtained pressure data are presented without analysis in tabulated and graphical formats across a Reynolds number range of 6 x 10(exp 6) to 84 x 10(exp 6) at a Mach number of 0.85 and across a Mach number range of 0.4 to 0.9 at Reynolds numbers of 6 x 10(exp 6) and 60 x 10(exp 6). Normal-force and pitching-moment coefficient plots for these Reynolds number and Mach number ranges are also presented.

Chu, Julio↗