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At least 73 records · Page 4

Unsteady subsonic and supersonic flows - Historical review; state of the art

This lecture is introductory to the subject of unsteady subsonic and supersonic flows. The primary objective is to present fundamental concepts in order to promote an understanding of the relations between the basic physical problems and their mathematical formulation as well as to establish a common foundation for the more detailed presentations of subsequent lectures in this session. Linearized (small-perturbation) potential flow is emphasized, although needs beyond that limit are indicated. The basic equations, concepts, and procedures common to all the methods are reviewed first, followed by the development, discussion, and status of methods for creating two-dimensional incompressible flow, strip theory, subsonic lifting-surface theory, subsonic/supersonic surface-panel methods, and supersonic lifting-surface theory.

Yates, E. C., Jr.↗

Prediction of blade stresses due to gust loading

An analysis is developed for investigating the response of a rotor-fuselage system in a three-dimensional gust field wherein the gust velocity conponents can have arbitrary variation in space and time. Each rotor blade undergoes flap bending, lag bending and torsional deflections. The blades are divided into beam elements and each element consists of fifteen nodal degrees of freedom. Quasi-steady strip theory is used to obtain the aerodynamic loads. Unsteady aerodynamic effects are introduced through dynamic inflow modeling. Dynamic stall and reverse flow effects are also included. The fuselage is allowed five degrees of freedom: vertical, longitudinal, lateral, pitch and roll motions. The gust response equations are linearized about the vehicle trim state and the blade steady-state deflected position, and then solved by time integration. The blade bending moments, which determine blade stresses, are evaluated using the force summation technique. Systematic studies are made to identify the importance of several parameters including dynamic stall, forward speed, lag stiffness, gust profile, gust penetration rate and gust velocity direction.

Bir, Gunjit↗

Ground and air resonance of bearingless rotors in hover

A finite element formulation is used to investigate ground and air resistence in hover for a bearingless rotor. Aerodynamic forces are studied using quasi-steady strip theory, and unsteady aerodynamic effects are introduced through an inflow dynamics model. Reasonable correlation was found between predicted ground and air resonance results and data obtained from measurements using a 1/8th Froude-scaled dynamic model. Systematic parametric studies of the effects of various design parameters were performed, and lag frequency was found to significantly influence ground resonance stability, whereas pitch-lag coupling, blade sweep and pitch link stiffness had powerful effects on air resonance stability.

Jang, Jinseok↗

Analytical flutter investigation of a composite propfan model

A theoretical model and an associated computer program for predicting subsonic bending-torsion flutter in propfans are presented. The model is based on two-dimensional unsteady cascade strip theory and three-dimensional steady and unsteady lifting surface aerodynamic theory in conjunction with a finite element structural model for the blade. The analytical results compare well with published experimental data. Additional parametric studies are also presented illustrating the effects on flutter speed of steady aeroelastic deformations, blade setting angle, rotational speed, number of blades, structural damping, and number of modes.

Kaza, K. R. V.↗

Semiempirical method for prediction of aerodynamic forces and moments on a steadily spinning light airplane

A semi-empirical method is presented for the estimation of aerodynamic forces and moments acting on a steadily spinning (rotating) light airplane. The airplane is divided into wing, body, and tail surfaces. The effect of power is ignored. The strip theory is employed for each component of the spinning airplane to determine its contribution to the total aerodynamic coefficients. Then, increments to some of the coefficients which account for centrifugal effect are estimated. The results are compared to spin tunnel rotary balance test data.

Pamadi, Bandu N.↗

Flap-lag-torsion aeroelastic stability of a circulation control rotor in forward flight

The aeroelastic stability of a circulation control rotor blade undergoing three degrees of motion (flap, lag, and torsion) is investigated in forward flight. Quasi-steady strip theory is used to evaluate the aerodynamics forces; and the airfoil characteristics are from data tables. The propulsive and the auxiliary power trims are calculated from vehicle and rotor equilibrium equations through the numerical integration of element forces in azimuth as well as in radial directions. The nonlinear time dependent periodic blade response is calculated using an iterative procedure based on Floquet theory. The periodic perturbation equations are solved for stability using Floquet transition matrix theory. The effects of several parameters on blade stability are examined, including advance ratio, collective pitch, thrust level, shaft tilt, structural stiffnesses variation, and propulsive and auxiliary power trims.

Chopra, Inderjit↗

A comparison of the various helicopter mathematical models used in the methodology assessment

Various features of the computer codes used in the helicopter industry and by government agencies for rotorcraft aeroelastic stability analysis are compared. Mathematical rigor in modeling rotorcraft is given primarily to the rotor-system dynamic behavior; the aerodynamic modeling is still limited to strip theory and to uneven application of corrections for stall, reversed flow, yawed flow, radial flow, and unsteady aerodynamic effects. The forward-flight regime analysis is included in five of the 11 codes surveyed. However, only two of these codes are capable of a Floquet analysis for aeroelastic stability. For the hover regime, nine of the 11 codes use eigen-analysis approach. The remaining codes perform a harmonic analysis of the transient response of system.

Stephens, Wendell B.↗

Effects of static equilibrium and higher-order nonlinearities on rotor blade stability in hover

The equilibrium and stability of the coupled elastic lead/lag, flap, and torsion motion of a cantilever rotor blade in hover are addressed, and the influence of several higher-order terms in the equations of motion of the blade is determined for a range of values of collective pitch. The blade is assumed to be untwisted and to have uniform properties along its span. In addition, chordwise offsets between its elastic, tension, mass, and aerodynamic centers are assumed to be negligible for simplicity. The aerodynamic forces acting on the blade are modeled using a quasi-steady, strip-theory approximation.

Crespodasilva, Marcelo R. M.↗

Optimum structural design with static aeroelastic constraints

The static aeroelastic performance characteristics, divergence velocity, control effectiveness and lift effectiveness are considered in obtaining an optimum weight structure. A typical swept wing structure is used with upper and lower skins, spar and rib thicknesses, and spar cap and vertical post cross-sectional areas as the design parameters. Incompressible aerodynamic strip theory is used to derive the constraint formulations, and aerodynamic load matrices. A Sequential Unconstrained Minimization Technique (SUMT) algorithm is used to optimize the wing structure to meet the desired performance constraints.

Bowman, Keith B↗

A simple element for aeroelastic analysis of undamaged and damaged wings

The effects of material damage on the aeroelastic response of an anisotropic composite wing are investigated analytically. The wing is modeled as a Timoshenko beam of arbitrary cross section, applying a 24-DOF one-dimensional beam element and Cartesian coordinates. The formulations for the element stiffness matrix, the strain-displacement relations, the box-beam constitutive relations, the contributions of stringers and web, and the warping correction factor are outlined; the application of strip theory in deriving the aerodynamic model is briefly explained; and numerical results are presented in extensive graphs. It is shown that asymmetry and damage can induce bending-stretching coupling phenomena and thereby affect the stability of the aircraft either positively or negatively. The need to take such effects into account in the design of advanced composite wings is stressed.

Kapania, Rakesh K.↗

Interactive boundary-layer calculations of a transonic wing flow

Results obtained from iterative solutions of inviscid and boundary-layer equations are presented and compared with experimental values. The calculated results were obtained with an Euler code and a transonic potential code in order to furnish solutions for the inviscid flow; they were interacted with solutions of two-dimensional boundary-layer equations having a strip-theory approximation. Euler code results are found to be in better agreement with the experimental data than with the full potential code, especially in the presence of shock waves, (with the sole exception of the near-tip region).

Kaups, Kalle↗

A hybrid method for prediction of propeller performance

An analytical/computational code has been developed to predict the performance of advanced turboprop propellers. The method of solution is based on strip theory and conservation of linear and angular momenta applied to a control volume enclosing the propeller and its far wake. An iterative procedure is used to account for the induced axial and rotational velocities. Sectional aerodynamic coefficients are explicitly accounted for by thin airfoil theory and refinement of the results is obtained using a two-dimensional vortex panel method and Euler equations. The results obtained compare well with wind-tunnel data obtained for advanced propellers, such as the Hamilton Standard SR-2 and SR-7.

Takallu, M. A.↗

Performance optimization of helicopter rotor blades

As part of a center-wide activity at NASA Langley Research Center to develop multidisciplinary design procedures by accounting for discipline interactions, a performance design optimization procedure is developed. The procedure optimizes the aerodynamic performance of rotor blades by selecting the point of taper initiation, root chord, taper ratio, and maximum twist which minimize hover horsepower while not degrading forward flight performance. The procedure uses HOVT (a strip theory momentum analysis) to compute the horse power required for hover and the comprehensive helicopter analysis program CAMRAD to compute the horsepower required for forward flight and maneuver. The optimization algorithm consists of the general purpose optimization program CONMIN and approximate analyses. Sensitivity analyses consisting of derivatives of the objective function and constraints are carried out by forward finite differences. The procedure is applied to a test problem which is an analytical model of a wind tunnel model of a utility rotor blade.

Walsh, Joanne L.↗

Charts for Determining Preliminary Values of Span-load, Shear, Bending-moment, and Accumulated-torque Distributions of Swept Wings of Various Taper Ratios

Contains charts for use in determining preliminary values of the spanwise-load, shear, bending-moment, and accumulated-torque distributions of swept wings. The charts are based on strip theory and include four aerodynamic-load distributions, two section-moment distributions, and two inertia-load distributions. The taper ratios considered cover the range from 1.0 to 0 and the results are applicable to any angle of sweep.

LOADS, MANEUVERING - WINGS↗

A recurrence matrix solution for the dynamic response of aircraft in gusts

A systematic procedure developed for the calculation of the structural response of aircraft flying through a gust by use of difference equations in the solution of dynamic problems is first illustrated by means of a simple-damped-oscillator example. A detailed analysis is then given which leads to a recurrence matrix equation for the determination of the response of an airplane in a gust. The method takes into account wing bending and twisting deformations, fuselage deflection, vertical and pitching motion of the airplane, and some tail forces. The method is based on aerodynamic strip theory, but compressibility and three-dimensional aerodynamic effects can be taken into account approximately by means of over-all corrections. Either a sharp-edge gust or a gust of arbitrary shape in the spanwise or flight directions may be treated. In order to aid in the application of the method to any specific case, a suggested computational procedure is included. The possibilities of applying the method to a variety of transient aircraft problems, such as landing, are brought out. A brief review of matrix algebra, covering the extent to which it is used in the analysis, is also included. (author)

Houbolt, John C↗

A Wind-Tunnel Investigation of the Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Full-Scale Supersonic-Type Three-blade Propeller at Mach Numbers to 0.96

An investigation of the characteristics of a full-scale supersonic-type propeller has been made in the Langley 16-foot transonic tunnel with the 6000-horsepower propeller dynamometer. The tests covered a range of blade angles from 20.2 degrees to 60.2 degrees at forward Mach numbers up to 0.96. The results showed that envelope efficiency at an advance ratio of 2.8 decreased from 86 percent to 72 percent when the forward Mach number was increased from 0.70 to 0.96. A comparison of the experimental results with calculated results showed that maximum propeller efficiency can be calculated with good accuracy by using ordinary subsonic strip theory when the blade-section speeds are supersonic. The investigation also showed favorable power-absorption properties of the supersonic-type propeller at high speeds.

Evans, Albert J↗

A method for calculating the lift and center of pressure of wing-body-tail combinations at subsonic, transonic, and supersonic speeds

A method is presented for calculating the lift and pitching-moment characteristics of circular cylindrical bodies in combination with triangular, rectangular, or trapezoidal wings or tails through the subsonic, transonic, and supersonic speed ranges. The method covers unbanked wings, sweptback leading edges or sweptforward trailing edges, low angles of attack, and the effects of wing and tail incidence. The wing-body interference is handled by the method presented in NACA RM's A51J04 and A52B06, and the wing-tail interference is treated by assuming one completely rolled-up vortex per wing panel and evaluating the tail load by strip theory. A computing table and set of design charts are presented which reduce the calculations to routine operations. Comparison is made between the estimated and experimental characteristics for a large number of wing-body and wing-body-tail combinations. Generally speaking, the lifts were estimated to within plus-or-minus 10 percent and the centers of pressure were estimated to within plus-or-minus 0.02 of the body length. The effect of wing deflection on wing-tail interference at supersonic speeds was not correctly predicted for triangular wings with supersonic leading edges.

Nielsen, Jack N↗

A NASTRAN-based computer program for structural dynamic analysis of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines

This paper describes a computer program developed for structural dynamic analysis of horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT's). It is based on the finite element method through its reliance on NASTRAN for the development of mass, stiffness, and damping matrices of the tower end rotor, which are treated in NASTRAN as separate structures. The tower is modeled in a stationary frame and the rotor in one rotating at a constant angular velocity. The two structures are subsequently joined together (external to NASTRAN) using a time-dependent transformation consistent with the hub configuration. Aerodynamic loads are computed with an established flow model based on strip theory. Aeroelastic effects are included by incorporating the local velocity and twisting deformation of the blade in the load computation. The turbulent nature of the wind, both in space and time, is modeled by adding in stochastic wind increments. The resulting equations of motion are solved in the time domain using the implicit Newmark-Beta integrator. Preliminary comparisons with data from the Boeing/NASA MOD2 HAWT indicate that the code is capable of accurately and efficiently predicting the response of HAWT's driven by turbulent winds.

Lobitz, Don W.↗