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At least 613 records · Page 34

The effect of ejector augmentation on test-section flow quality in the Calspan 8-ft transonic wind tunnel

Tests to determine the flow disturbances effects of four ejectors located in the corners just downstream of the diffuser in the Calspan wind tunnel are described. The flow quality in the nonejector mode is employed as the base-line configuration, and operating parameters are compared with data from other wind tunnels. During tests with the ejectors working, fluctuation levels increased between Mach 0.4-0.6, while temperature and vorticity levels remained constant. The ejector exhibited broad spectrum noise typical of free jet noise, yet static pressure measurements revealed only a slight increase in the broadband rms levels with the ejectors on, indicating negligible disturbances upstream caused by the ejectors. Choking the diffuser eliminated the jet noise, and the use of ejectors in the Mach range considered is concluded to cause no significant degradation in the Calspan tunnel flow quality.

Rose, W. C.↗

Calculations of transonic flow about an airfoil in a wind tunnel

A combined experimental and numerical study was performed to include wind-tunnel wall interference effects in calculations for airfoil flows at transonic speeds. Pressure-survey-tube and laser-Doppler velocimeter measurements were made in the flow field about an airfoil in the 2- by 2-Foot Transonic Wind Tunnel at Ames Research Center. The results were then used as boundary data in a Navier-Stokes code modified by incorporating a pressure condition on the upper and lower computational boundaries. Comparison of calculated results and experimental data obtained from the surface of the airfoil indicates that the pressure-boundary condition is particularly effective in moving the shock to a position near that observed experimentally when the flow remains attached. For flows with large separation, shock position and viscous-layer properties are not well predicted, principally because of the inadequacies of the algebraic turbulence models employed with the method.

King, L. S.↗

Weber Number Tests in the NASA Icing Research Tunnel

A study of the Weber Number effects on droplets in the NASA Icing Research Tunnel is described. The work focuses on examining the droplet Weber Number effects observed for droplets accelerated by air flow in the contraction section of the Icing Research Tunnel to the test section. These results will aid in Supercooled Large Drop facility design studies. Measurements acquired with the Phase Doppler Interferometer and High Speed Imaging Dual Range Flight Probes at a series of locations through the contraction are presented alongside a 1D numerical model developed during this study to aid interpretation of the experimental results. An estimate of the maximum Weber Number observed in the Icing Research Tunnel for varying drop sizes up to 1000 m is presented and provided for incorporation into future design studies. Finally, experimental results coupled with a numerical model indicate that breakup of drops up to 1000 m is not occurring in the NASA Icing Research Tunnel up to 129 m/s.

Icing Wind Tunnel↗

Weber Number Tests in the NASA Icing Research Tunnel

A study of the Weber Number effects on droplets in the NASA Icing Research Tunnel is described. The work focuses on examining the droplet Weber Number effects observed for droplets accelerated by air flow in the contraction section of the Icing Research Tunnel to the test section. These results will aid in Supercooled Large Drop facility design studies. Measurements acquired with the Phase Doppler Interferometer and High Speed Imaging Dual Range Flight Probes at a series of locations through the contraction are presented alongside a 1D numerical model developed during this study to aid interpretation of the experimental results. An estimate of the maximum Weber Number observed in the Icing Research Tunnel for varying drop sizes up to 1000 μm is presented and provided for incorporation into future design studies. Finally, experimental results coupled with a numerical model indicate that breakup of drops up to 1000 μm is not occurring in the NASA Icing Research Tunnel up to 129 m/s.

Icing Wind Tunnel↗

An Investigation of the Aerodynamic Characteristics of an 0.08-Scale Model of the Chance Vought XF7U-1 Airplane in the Langley High-Speed 7- by 10-Foot Tunnel. Part V - Wing-Alone Tests and Effect of Modifications to the Vertical Fins, Speed Brakes, and Fuselage TED No. NACA DE308: Wing-Alone Tests and Effect of Modifications to the Vertical Fins, Speed Brakes, and Fuselage, TED No. NACA DE308 - Part V

Tests have been conducted in the Langley high-speed 7- by 10-foot tunnel over a Mach number range from 0.40 to 0.91 to determine the stability and control characteristics of an 0.08-scale model of the Chance Vought XF7U-1 airplane. The wing-alone tests and the effect of the various vertical-fin modifications, speed-brake modifications, and fuselage modifications on the aerodynamic characteristics in pitch and yaw are presented in the present paper with a limited analysis of the results. Also included are tuft studies of the flow for some of the modifications tested.

Kuhri, Richard E.↗

Pressure Distributions About Finite Wedges in Bounded and Unbounded Subsonic Streams

An analytical investigation of incompressible flow about wedges was made to determine effects of tunnel-wedge ratio and wedge angle on the wedge pressure distributions. The region of applicability of infinite wedge-type velocity distribution was examined for finite wedges. Theoretical and experimental pressure coefficients for various tunnel-wedge ratios, wedge angles, and subsonic Mach numbers were compared.

FLOW, LAMINAR↗

Computer vision-based rock bolt detection in orthomosaic imagery obtained in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant underground facility

Assessing structural integrity of large underground tunnel facilities is often a time consuming and human-labor intensive task. Thus, research using various modes of sensing and automated detection of key structural components in mines is posed to aid in safety assessments and establishing overall structural health. We propose an approach utilizing off-the-shelf camera and lidar technology fixed to a custom sensing platform, image stitching techniques, fine-tuned object detection models, and specialized model-inference methods to automatically detect, count, and map roof bolts for assessment of structural safety in man-made underground tunnels. Results show a novel workflow for effective object counting in orthomosaic tunnel ceiling images generated from collections in GPS-denied mining environments. Additionally, we demonstrate effective fine-tuning of EfficientDet object detectors utilizing state-of-the-art image augmentation techniques known as the mosaic and mixup transformations. Our work is demonstrated on sensed data and imagery collected from the Department of Energy (DOE) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) where miles of tunnel ceiling must be assessed for structural integrity.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Secondary effects in combustion instabilities leading to flashback

The secondary effects in turbulent combustion instabilities leading to flashback are investigated, including those due to buoyancy and contraction at the combustor outlet. Experiments were conducted in an oblong, rectangular cross-section combustion tunnel, where the effects of a bluff-body flames holder were generated by a rear-facing step behind a streamlined inlet nozzle. The results of experiments leading to flashback with the step mounted at the bottom of the combustion chamber were compared to those of experiments in which it was located at the top. Irrespective of the flow obstructions introduced downstream, the critical equivalence ratio for flashback was consistently lower with the step at the bottom, indicating that buoyancy was enhancing the growth of the recirculation zone that pushed the flame upstream and caused flashback. The contraction at the end of the combustion chamber had a promoting influence on the process of vortex pairing, re-enforcing the influence of the trailing vortices over that of the recirculation vortex system, and thereby curbing the tendency to flashback. Provided that the flow velocity was low, however, the characteristic features of combustion instabilities leading to flashback in the absence of contraction could still be established in its presence.

Vaneveld, L.↗

Development of a skin friction gauge for use in an impulse facility

Tests of a prototype skin friction gauge at Mach 3.2 in a small free piston shock tunnel demonstrate the effectiveness of the design concept and the calibration against theoretical skin friction values in a simple flow. The gauge has a rise time of about 20 microsec, sufficiently short for most shock tunnel applications and approaching the rise times needed for expansion tube applications.

Kelly, G. M.↗

Simulated flight effects on noise characteristics of a fan inlet with high throat Mach number

An anechoic wind tunnel experiment was conducted to determine the effects of simulated flight on the noise characteristics of a high throat Mach number fan inlet. Comparisons were made with the performance of a conventional low throat Mach number inlet with the same 50.8 cm fan noise source. Simulated forward velocity of 41 m/sec reduced perceived noise levels for both inlets, the largest effect being more than 3 db for the high throat Mach number inlet. The high throat Mach number inlet was as much as 7.5 db quieter than the low throat Mach number inlet with tunnel airflow and about 6 db quieter without tunnel airflow. Effects of inlet flow angles up to 30 deg were seemingly irregular and difficult to characterize because of the complex flow fields and generally small noise variations. Some modifications of tones and directivity at blade passage harmonics resulting from inlet flow angle variation were noted.

Wesoky, H. L.↗

Investigation of Pore Size Effect On Spray Cooling Heat Transfer With Porous Tunnels

Previous studies have shown that spray cooling heat flux enhancement may be attained by using enhanced surface structures. However, most enhanced surface spray cooling studies have been limited to extended surfaces relative to the base surface. In this study, experiments were conducted to study the effects of pore size on spray cooling heat flux when using porous tunnels. The porous tunnels where placed sub-surface relative to the top of the heater block. Pores of varying size were machined in the top of the heater block leading into the sub-surface tunnels. Pore diameters varied between 0.25 mm and 1.0 mm. Each copper block had a projected cross-sectional area of 2.0 cm(sup 2). Measurements were also obtained on a heater block with a flat surface for baseline comparison purposes. A 2x2 nozzle array was used with PF-5060 as the working fluid. Thermal performance data was obtained under nominally degassed (chamber pressure of 41.4 kPa) conditions with a bulk fluid temperature of 20.5 "C. Results for both the study show that the highest critical heat flux (CHF) attained was 141 w/cm2 using pores 1.0 mm in diameter. This gave an enhancement of 75% relative to the flat surface case under nominally degassed conditions.

Silk, Eric A.↗

Remotely driven model control surfaces for efficient wind-tunnel operations

A remote control system for wind-tunnel model control surfaces was developed during the Space Shuttle program to make more efficient use of wind-tunnel occupancy time and to aid in gathering the large force test data base necessary for the definition of the Shuttle aerodynamic characteristics. This paper presents a history of the development of the remote system, details of the system and associated equipment, and results from wind-tunnel tests showing the effect of system improvements on experimental data. Wind-tunnel test rate and cost comparisons are made between conventional models with bracketed control surfaces and remote models.

Ware, G. M.↗

Aeroelastic Simulation of Wind Tunnel Scale Aspect Ratio 13.5 Common Research Model with Trailing Edge Mini-Flaps

This paper presents a computation study of an aspect ratio 13.5 wind tunnel scale Common Research Model (CRM) with trailing edge mini-flaps using FUN3D. The aeroelastic simulations are conducted under free-air and inside wind tunnel conditions. The NASA Langley Research Center Transonic Dynamic Tunnel (TDT) is a closed circuit and slotted-test-section with a 16 ft ×16 ft test section. The structure mode shapes are extracted from the latest updated NASTRAN Finite-Element Model (FEM) model. A dynamic pressure sweep is performed to determine the control reversal boundary of the trailing edge mini-flaps. The wind tunnel wall interference effects on the mini-flap control derivatives are analyzed based on the simulations.

Aeroelastic↗

Studies of condensation effects on airfoil testing in the Langley 0.3-meter transonic cryogenic tunnel

In the context of an overall development of transonic, cryogenic wnd tunnel technology, NASA has been investigating the onset of condensation effects in nitrogen gas. The temperature at which condensation occurs determines the minimum operating temperature (MOT) of cryogenic tunnels. The apparatus and airfoils are discussed, taking into account a description of the 0.3-m Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel (TCT), the drag rake, the airfoils, and the technique used for determining the onset of condensation effects. Attention is also given to the types of nucleation processes, the relative sensitivity of drag rake and surface pressure measurements, correlations between data and theory, the prediction of minimum operating temperatures for the 0.3-m TCT, and MOT's for different tunnels.

Hall, R. M.↗