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At least 649 records · Page 36

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NASA NTRS1984

Noise produced by the interaction of a rotor wake with a swept stator blade

An analysis is developed for the noise generated by the interaction of rotor viscous wakes and a single swept stator vane. The stator vane spans a channel with infinite parallel walls which contains a uniform subsonic mean flow. High frequency wakes, for which the noise generation is concentrated at the vane leading edge, are considered. The general wake pattern is expanded in spanwise modes and solutions for each mode are derived using the Wiener-Hopf technique applied to the equations in the nonorthogonal coordinates. Closed form expressions for the acoustic farfield are obtained. The results of the analysis are used in parametric calculations of rotor viscous wake-stator vane interactions in order to study the effectiveness of sweep as a noise reduction mechanism. For the cases studied, moderate stator sweep angles produce sizeable reductions in the level of the farfield noise. The presence of rotor wake circumferential lean actually increases the noise reduction produced by moderate stator sweep angles.

Envia, E.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Effects of preferential diffusion on the burning intensity of curved flames

Using the Bunsen flame as a model curved flame, the coupled influence of preferential diffusion and flame stretch on the burning intensity of lean and rich mixtures of methane, propane, butane, ethylene, and hydrogen with air has been experimentally studied. The results substantiate theoretical predictions and quantify previous experimental observations that, for mixtures whose effective Lewis numbers (Le) are less than unity, the flame temperature is less than the adiabatic flame temperature. This temperature also decreases towards the flame tip, which has the largest curvature and therefore may locally extinguish. The dominance of diffusional transport in influencing the intensity of curved flames is demonstrated by showing that the tip opening of the highly diffusive hydrogen/air flames occurs at constant hydrogen equivalence ratios of about 1.15 to 1.20, being almost independent of the flow intensity and uniformity.

Mizomoto, M.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Hydromagnetic constraints on deep zonal flow in the giant planets

A simple model of the equatorial zonal jet in the giant planets is studied in which the flow is assumed uniform on cylinders concentric with the spin axis, and viscous and magnetic torques on each cylinder are balanced. This 'Taylor constraint' is solved simultaneously with the dynamo equation to obtain the velocity and magnetic field in the equatorial plane. The model is used to reproduce the widely differing jet widths of Jupiter and Saturn eddy viscosity of 2500 sq cm/s. For Saturn, the model has a large magnetic Reynolds number where the Chandrasekhar number Q = 1, and hence exhibits substantial axisymmetrization of the field in the equatorial plane.

Kirk, R. L.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Heat transfer and fluid mechanics measurements in transitional boundary layers on convex-curved surfaces

The test section of the present experiment to ascertain the effects of convex curvature and freestream turbulence on boundary layer momentum and heat transfer during natural transition provided a two-dimensional boundary layer flow on a uniformly heated curved surface, with bending to various curvature radii, R. Attention is given to results for the cases of R = infinity, 180 cm, and 90 cm, each with two freestream turbulence intensity levels. While the mild convex curvature of R = 180 cm delays transition, further bending to R = 90 cm leads to no signifucant further delay of transition. Cases with both curvature and higher freestream disturbance effects exhibit the latter's pronounced dominance. These data are pertinent to the development of transition prediction models for gas turbine blade design.

Wang, T.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Absolute and convective instability of a cylinder wake

The stability behavior of a circular cross-section cylinder's wake at Reynolds number values of up to 45 is presently investigated by means of local linear stability theory. The steady-wake profiles computed are Navier-Stokes solutions of a uniform, incompressible viscous flow around a cylinder obtained by a spectral method. An absolutely unstable region is found to begin to form at a Reynolds number of about 20, and grows with incresing Reynolds number. The onset of global instability response must be characterized by a critical length of an absolutely unstable region; a critical Reynolds number criterion and preferred frequency are proposed based on linear stability analysis.

Yang, X.↗

NASA NTRS1992

FREPS - A forced response prediction system for turbomachinery blade rows

FREPS (Forced REsponse Predicition System) is a software system that integrates structural dynamic, steady and unsteady aerodynamic analyses to efficiently predict the forced dynamic stresses of turbomachinery blades to aerodynamic and mechanical excitations. The program performs flutter analysis also. The FREPS system uses a modal approach for aeroelastic analysis. The structural dynamic analysis is based on MSC/NASTRAN, the steady aerodynamic analysis is based on potential theory and the unsteady aerodynamic analysis is based on a linearization of the non-uniform potential mean flow. The capabilities of the program are described and illustrated by application to the High Pressure Oxygen Turbopump turbine of the Space Shuttle Main Engine.

Murthy, Durbha V.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Inhomogeneity of pulmonary perfusion during sustained microgravity

The effects of gravity on the inhomogeneity of pulmonary perfusion in man were studied by performing hyperventilation-breathhold single-breath measurements before, during and after 9 days of continuous exposure to microgravity. In microgravity the indicators of inhomogeneity of perfusion, especially the size of cardiogenic oscillations in expired CO2 and the height of phase 4, were both markedly reduced. Cardiogenic oscillations were reduced to approximately 60 of their preflight standing size, while the height of phase 4 was between 0 and -8% (a terminal fall became a small terminal rise) of preflights standing. The terminal change in CO2 was nearly abolished in microgravity indicating more uniformity of blood flow between lung units that close at the end of expiration and units that remain open. This may result from the disappearance of gravity-dependent topographical inequality of blood flow. The residual cardiographic oscillations in expired CO2 imply a persisting inhomogeneity of perfusion in the absence of gravity at a level larger than acinar.

Prisk, G. Kim↗

NASA NTRS1994

Inhomogeneity of pulmonary perfusion during sustained microgravity on SLS-1

We studied the effects of gravity on the inhomogeneity of pulmonary perfusion in humans by performing hyperventilation-breath-hold single-breath measurements before, during, and after 9 days of continuous exposure to microgravity during the Spacelab Life Sciences-1 (SLS-1) mission. In microgravity the indicators of inhomogeneity of perfusion, especially the size of cardiogenic oscillations in expired CO2 and the height of phase IV, were markedly reduced. Cardiogenic oscillations were reduced to approximately 60% of their preflight standing size, and the height of phase IV was between 0 and -8% (a terminal fall became a small terminal rise) of the preflight standing value. The terminal change in expired CO2 was nearly abolished in microgravity, indicating more uniformity of blood flow between lung units that close and those that remain open at the end of expiration. A possible explanation of this observation is the disappearance of gravity-dependent topographic inequality of blood flow. The residual cardiogenic oscillations in expired CO2 imply a persisting inhomogeneity of perfusion in the absence of gravity, probably in lung regions that are not within the same acinus.

Prisk, G. Kim↗

NASA NTRS1996

Compressing an Elliptic Vortex: Transition to Turbulence by Tumble Breakdown

Stability of the elliptic vortex attracted interest in the past decade. Cambon (1982), and Cambon, Teissedre and Jeandel (1985) have studied the stability of such flows with spatially uniform velocity gradient, and have provided RDT solutions for a wide range of the parameter S/Omega (where the strain rate S and the vorticity 2 Omega define the velocity gradient matrix). The range studied included those of hyperbolic streamlines (strain dominated, S/Omega is greater than 1), linear streamlines (simple shear, S/Omega = 1), and elliptical streamlines (vorticity dominated, S/Omega is less than 1). The latter class has more recently attracted interest and several studies appeared (Pierrehumbert 1986, Bayly 1986, Craik and Criminale 1986). These studies will be collectively referred to as PBCC.

Godeferd, Fabien S.↗

NASA NTRS1960

Experimental and Theoretical Study of a Rectangular Wing in a Vortical Wake at Low Speed

A systematic study has been made, experimentally and theoretically, of the effects of a vortical wake on the aerodynamic characteristics of a rectangular wing at subsonic speed. The vortex generator and wing were mounted on a reflection plane to avoid body-wing interference. Vortex position, relative to the wing, was varied both in the spanwise direction and normal to the wing. Angle of attack of the wing was varied from -40 to +60. Both chordwise and spanwise pressure distributions were obtained with the wing in uniform and vortical flow fields. Stream surveys were made to determine the flow characteristics in the vortical wake. The vortex-induced lift was calculated by several theoretical methods including strip theory, reverse-flow theory, and reverse-flow theory including a finite vortex core. In addition, the Prandtl lifting-line theory and the Weissinger theory were used to calculate the spanwise distribution of vortex-induced loads. With reverse-flow theory, predictions of the interference lift were generally good, and with Weissinger's theory the agreement between the theoretical spanwise variation of induced load and the experimental variation was good. Results of the stream survey show that the vortex generated by a lifting surface of rectangular plan form tends to trail back streamwise from the tip and does not approach the theoretical location, or centroid of circulation, given by theory. This discrepancy introduced errors in the prediction of vortex interference, especially when the vortex core passed immediately outboard of the wing tip. The wake produced by the vortex generator in these tests was not fully rolled up into a circular vortex, and so lacked symmetry in the vertical direction of the transverse plane. It was found that the direction of circulation affected the induced loads on the wing either when the wing was at angle of attack or when the vortex was some distance away from the plane of the wing.

Smith, Willard G.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Investigation of Point Doppler Velocimetry (PDV) for Transition Detection in Boundary Layers

A two-component Point Doppler Velocimeter (PDV) system has been improved through the use of vapor-limited iodine cells that have responses that are insensitive to temperature variations. Two-component PDV velocity measurements have been obtained for a 1 inch diameter uniform circular jet flow at a nominal exit velocity of 60 m/sec, corresponding to a Reynolds number of 100,000. Similar data have also been obtained for an annular jet and a swirling jet, These PDV data runs have been duplicated to judge the repeatability of these measurements, and also have been compared with hot wire anemometer data for the same flow conditions. PDV mean velocity results are repeatable to within approximately 1-2 meters per second; the PDV RMS velocity results are also quite repeatable. Exit profiles of PDV mean axial velocity data generally agree with hot wire anemometer results to within about 2 meters per second as well. However, the PDV RMS velocity results are consistently lower than the hot wire results everywhere but at the exit of the standard jet, where they are too high relative to the hot wire data. This is believed to at least be partially due to the method used to compute the RMS (Root Mean Square).

Kuhlman, John↗

NASA NTRS2000

BUNDLE: A Novel Furnace for Performing Controlled Directional Solidification Experiments in a Microgravity Environment

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center has developed a novel directional solidification furnace prototype for processing metals and alloys experiments in a microgravity environment. The BUNDLE (Bridgman Unidirectional Dendrite in Liquid Experiment) furnace is intended to accommodate the science requirements of Flight Definition Principle Investigators studying cellular/dendritic growth in aluminum and lead alloys at processing temperatures up to 1200 C. The furnace implements a number of innovative features to achieve high thermal gradients and quench rates in a low-power, light-weight design. These include a pyrolytic boron nitride/graphite composite heating element surrounded by layers of self-supporting refractory metal shielding, and a graphite fiber enhanced cold zone allowing high levels of heat extraction from the sample crucible. Novel to the BUNDLE design is an in-situ helium gas quench capability that ensures rapid freezing of the solidifying region (mushy zone) of the metal sample within the furnace without sample disturbance prior to quenching; this is a stringent requirement for subsequent analysis and understanding of microstructural development. The experiment hardware concept features multiple furnaces that may be "bundled" together so many samples, currently up to eight, can be processed at one time. The design of BUNDLE is flexible enough to be implemented on the Shuttle and Space Station in a number of locations (SpaceHab, Express Rack, MPESS, ISPR, etc). BUNDLE prototype furnaces have directionally solidified and quenched 1cm diameter lead - 5.8 weight percent antimony and aluminum - 4 weight percent copper alloys. Quenching of the mushy zone, as recorded by in-situ thermocouples, occurred on the order of 0.5 seconds or less, a rate within the PI's requirements. Subsequent metallographic examination revealed the solidified microstructure to be, as expected, unidirectional. Both the dendrite tips and the eutectic reaction were planar in nature indicating uniform axial heat flow. Delineation between the growing dendrites and eutectic structure with the "quenched-in" liquid was sharp, attesting to the efficacy of the helium quench. BUNDLE's conception, development, capability, and adaptability are presented (in view of Flight PI's needs and science requirements) through viewgraphs depicting actual hardware, generated thermal analysis, and micrographs prepared from BUNDLE processed, flight-like samples.

Carrasquillo, Edgar J.↗

NASA NTRS2001

BUNDLE - A Novel Furnace for Performing Controlled Directional Solidification Experiments in a Microgravity Environment

Carrasquillo, Edgar J.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Cardiopulmonary adaptation to weightlessness

The lung is profoundly affected by gravity. The absence of gravity (microgravity) removes the mechanical stresses acting on the lung paranchyma itself, resulting in a reduction in the deformation of the lung due to its own weight, and consequently altering the distribution of fresh gas ventilation within the lung. There are also changes in the mechanical forces acting on the rib cage and abdomen, which alters the manner in which the lung expands. The other way in which microgravity affects the lung is through the removal of the gravitationally induced hydrostatic gradients in vascular pressures, both within the lung itself, and within the entire body. The abolition of a pressure gradient within the pulmonary circulation would be expected to result in a greater degree of uniformity of blood flow within the lung, while the removal of the hydrostatic gradient within the body should result in an increase in venous return and intra-thoracic blood volume, with attendant changes in cardiac output, stroke volume, and pulmonary diffusing capacity. During the 9 day flight of Spacelab Life Sciences-1 (SLS-1) we collected pulmonary function test data on the crew of the mission. We compared the results obtained in microgravity with those obtained on the ground in both the standing and supine positions, preflight and in the week immediately following the mission. A number of the tests in the package were aimed at studying the anticipated changes in cardiopulmonary function, and we report those in this communication.

short duration↗

NASA NTRS2012

Characterization of Aerodynamic Performance of Boundary-Layer-Ingesting Inlet Under Crosswind

NASA has been studying future transport concepts, envisioned to be technically realizable in the timeframe of 2020-2030, to meet environmental and performance goals. One concept receiving considerable interest involves a propulsion system embedded into a hybrid wing-body aircraft. While offering significant advantages in fuel savings and noise reduction by this concept, there are several technical challenges that are not encountered in the current fleet and must be overcome so as to deliver target performance and operability. One of these challenges is associated with an inlet system that ingests a significantly thick boundary layer, developing along the wing-body surface, into a serpentine diffuser before the flow meeting fan blades. The flow is subject to considerable total pressure loss and distorted at the fan face, much more significantly than in the inlet system of conventional aircraft. In our previous studies [1, 2], we have shown that through innovative design changes on the airframe surface, it is possible to simultaneously increase total pressure recovery and decrease distortion in the flow, without resorting to conventional penalty-ridden flow control concepts, such as vortex generator or boundary layer bleeding/suction. In the current study, we are interested in understanding the following issues: how the embedded propulsion system performs under a crosswind condition by studying in detail the flow characteristics of two inlets, the baseline and another optimized previously under the cruise condition. With the insight, it is hoped that it can help in the follow-on study by devising effective strategies to minimize flow distortion arising from the integration of an embedded-engine system into an airframe to the level acceptable to the operation and fuel consumption before 2030. To achieve these demanding goals, non-conventional concepts are called for; but technology gap is too big that it requires evolutionary approach by focusing various concepts and technologies needed in the next three generations of aircraft, respectively named as N+1, N+2, and N+3. Noticeably, considerable reduction in each category of 1 is required in N+2 (relative to Boeing 777-200 and GE90 engines) and N+3 (relative to Boeing 737-800 and CFM56-7B engines). In this study, concepts for N+2 is our interest. A concept that has potential to achieve these metrics and has been under intensive study is the hybrid wing body (HWB) airframe with a tightly integrated propulsion system, see Fig. 1. The inlet is non-circular at the entrance and the entering flow, no longer uniform or free of disturbances, and is now carrying with it a boundary layer developing along the fuselage; the inlet is thus known as boundary-layer-ingesting (BLI) inlet.

Liou, Meng-Sing↗

NASA NTRS2015

Parametric Study of Pulse-Combustor-Driven Ejectors at High-Pressure

Pulse-combustor configurations developed in recent studies have demonstrated performance levels at high-pressure operating conditions comparable to those observed at atmospheric conditions. However, problems related to the way fuel was being distributed within the pulse combustor were still limiting performance. In the first part of this study, new configurations are investigated computationally aimed at improving the fuel distribution and performance of the pulse-combustor. Subsequent sections investigate the performance of various pulse-combustor driven ejector configurations operating at high pressure conditions, focusing on the effects of fuel equivalence ratio and ejector throat area. The goal is to design pulse-combustor-ejector configurations that maximize pressure gain while achieving a thermal environment acceptable to a turbine, and at the same time maintain acceptable levels of NO(x) emissions and flow non-uniformities. The computations presented here have demonstrated pressure gains of up to 2.8.

Pressure Gain Combustion↗

NASA NTRS2015

Parametric Study of Pulse-Combustor-Driven Ejectors at High-Pressure

Pulse-combustor configurations developed in recent studies have demonstrated performance levels at high-pressure operating conditions comparable to those observed at atmospheric conditions. However, problems related to the way fuel was being distributed within the pulse combustor were still limiting performance. In the first part of this study, new configurations are investigated computationally aimed at improving the fuel distribution and performance of the pulse-combustor. Subsequent sections investigate the performance of various pulse-combustor driven ejector configurations operating at highpressure conditions, focusing on the effects of fuel equivalence ratio and ejector throat area. The goal is to design pulse-combustor-ejector configurations that maximize pressure gain while achieving a thermal environment acceptable to a turbine, and at the same time maintain acceptable levels of NOx emissions and flow non-uniformities. The computations presented here have demonstrated pressure gains of up to 2.8%.

pulsejet↗

NASA NTRS2016

Design and Analyses of High Aspect Ratio Nozzles for Distributed Propulsion Acoustic Measurements

A series of three convergent round-to-rectangular high-aspect ratio nozzles were designed for acoustics measurements. The nozzles have exit area aspect ratios of 8:1, 12:1, and 16:1. With septa inserts, these nozzles will mimic an array of distributed propulsion system nozzles, as found on hybrid wing-body aircraft concepts. Analyses were performed for the three nozzle designs and showed that the flow through the nozzles was free of separated flow and shocks. The exit flow was mostly uniform with the exception of a pair of vortices at each span-wise end of the nozzle.

acoustic measure↗