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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 757 records · Page 42
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

Investigation of a strut/endwall interaction in supersonic annular flow

A combined experimental and numerical investigation of strut/endwall interactions within an annular duct having a supersonic core flow has been conducted. Four diamond-shaped struts with a 7 deg half angle were positioned circumferentially equidistant within an annular duct having a gap height of 0.7 strut chords, and an inner-to-outer wall radius ratio of 0.7. Turbulent boundary layers exist on both inner and outer walls of the duct, but have not merged. The core flow upstream of the struts is uniform at a nominal Mach number of 3.0 and a Reynolds number of 3 x 10 exp 5 based on the strut chord length. Experimental results, which include Pitot pressure distributions within the flow field, static pressure distributions on the inner and outer walls of the duct, and oil flow visualization on the centerbody and strut, are presented and compared with CFD predictions. Secondary flows associated with the interactions are examined including the trajectories of the horseshoe vortices formed at the leading and trailing edges of the strut and the trajectories of the vortices formed in the corner of the strut/endwall intersection.

Williams, K. E.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Ground Based Studies of Thermocapillary Flows in Levitated Drops

Ground-based experiments together with analytical studies are presently being conducted for levitated drops. Both acoustic and electrostatic techniques are being employed to achieve levitation of drops in a gaseous environment. The scientific effort is principally on the thermal and the fluid phenomena associated with the local heating of levitated drops, both at 1-g and at low-g. In particular, the thermocapillary flow associated with local spot heating is being studied. Fairly stable acoustic levitation of drops has been achieved with some exceptions when random rotational motion of the drop persists. The flow visualization has been carried out by light scattering from smoke particles for the exterior flow and fluorescent tracer particles in the drop. The results indicate a lack of axial symmetry in the internal flow even though the apparatus and the heating are symmetric. The theoretical studies for the past year have included fundamental analyses of acoustically levitated spherical drops. The flow associated with a particle near the velocity antinode is being investigated by the singular perturbation technique. As a first step towards understanding the effect of the particle displacement from the antinode, the flow field about the node has been calculated for the first time. The effect of the acoustic field on the interior of a liquid drop has also been investigated. The results predict that the internal flow field is very weak.

Sadhal, Satwindar Singh↗
NASA NTRS2002

Parametric Study of a YAV-8B Harrier in Ground Effect using Time-Dependent Navier-Stokes Computations

A process is described which enables the generation of 35 time-dependent viscous solutions for a YAV-8B Harrier in ground effect in one week. Overset grids are used to model the complex geometry of the Harrier aircraft and the interaction of its jets with the ground plane and low-speed ambient flow. The time required to complete this parametric study is drastically reduced through the use of process automation, modern computational platforms, and parallel computing. Moreover, a dual-time-stepping algorithm is described which improves solution robustness. Unsteady flow visualization and a frequency domain analysis are also used to identify and correlated key flow structures with the time variation of lift.

Pandya, Shishir↗
NASA NTRS1979

Low-turbulence high-speed wind tunnel for the determination of cascade shock losses

A low turbulence high-speed wind tunnel, using anti-turbulence screening and a 100:1 contraction ratio, has been found suitable for high-speed smoke flow visualization. The location and strength of normal, oblique, and curved shock waves generated by transonic or supersonic wind tunnel flow over airfoils or through axial compressor cascades is determined by combined shadowgraph and smokelines visualization techniques without the interference effects caused by intrusive probes. The Reynolds number based on chord varied between 50,000 and 1,000,000. Preliminary results are compared with the relevant theory and data gathered using a total pressure probe.

Slovisky, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Colorimetric qualification of shear sensitive liquid crystal coatings

The work that has been done to date on the Shear Sensitive Liquid Crystal Project demonstrated that cholesteric liquid crystal coatings respond to both the direction and magnitude of a shearing force. The response of the coating is to selectively scatter incident white light into a spectrum of colors. Discernible color changes at a fixed angle of observation and illumination are the result of an applied shear stress. The intention was to be able to convert these observable color patterns from a flow visualization technique into a quantitative tool. One of the earlier intentions was to be able to use liquid crystals in dynamic flow fields. This was assumed possible because liquid crystals had made it possible to visualize transients in surface shear forces. Although the transients were visualized by color changes to an order one micro second, the time response of a coating to align to a shearing force is dependent on the magnitude of the change between its initial and final states. Unfortunately, the response is not instantaneous. It is for this reason any future attempt at quantifying the magnitude and directions of a shearing force are limited to surface shear stress vector fields in three dimensional steady state flows. This limitation does not significantly detract from the utility of liquid crystal coatings. The measurement of skin friction in the study of transition on wings, prediction of drag forces, performance assessment, and the investigation of boundary layer behavior is of great importance in aerodynamics. There exist numerous examples of techniques for the measurement of surface shear stress. Most techniques require arduous calibrations and necessitate extensive preparation of the receiving surfaces. However, the main draw back of instruments such as Preston tubes, hot films, buried wire gages, and floating element balances is that they only provide a point measurement. The advantages of capturing global shear data would be appreciable when compared with conventional point measurement sensors. It has yet to be determined if a repeatable correlation exists between the measured color of a liquid crystal coating and the magnitude/directional components of a shear vector imposed onto it.

Muratore, Joseph J., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Visualization, Extraction and Quantification of Discontinuities in Compressible Flows

Scientific visualizations of two-dimensional compressible flow of a gas with discontinuities are presented. The numerical analogue to experimental techniques such as schlieren imaging, shadowgraphs, and interferograms are discussed. Edge detection techniques are utilized to identify the discontinuities. In particular, the zero crossing of the Laplacian of a field (usually density) is recommended for extracting the discontinuities. An algorithm to extract and quantify the discontinuities is presented. To illustrate the methods developed in the report, the example chosen is that of an unsteady interaction of a shock wave with a contact discontinuity.

Samtaney, Ravi↗
NASA NTRS1989

Toward dynamic separation without dynamic stall

The concept of vorticity separation without dynamic stall is illustrated by flow visualization. A small airfoil with a rotating nose, originally built for the demonstration of static stall control, was placed in a wind tunnel and dynamically pitched. The flow around the airfoil during pitch was successfully visualized and filmed. It exhibited dynamic trailing edge separation of vorticity without leading edge dynamic stall. Diagrams of the airfoil assembly are included.

Freymuth, P.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Wind-tunnel measurements in the wakes of structures

Detailed measurements of longitudinal mean velocity, turbulence intensity, space correlations, and spectra made in the wake of two rectangular scaled models in simulated atmospheric boundary-layer winds are presented. The model buildings were 1:50 scale models of two trailers. Results of a flow visualization study of the wake geometry are analyzed with some singular point theorems. Two hypothetical flow patterns of the detailed wake geometry are proposed. Some preliminary studies of the vortex wake, effects of the model size, model aspect ratios, and boundary layer characteristics on the decay rate and extent of the wake are also presented and discussed.

Woo, H. G. C.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Acoustically excited heated jets. 1: Internal excitation

The effects of relatively strong upstream acoustic excitation on the mixing of heated jets with the surrounding air are investigated. To determine the extent of the available information on experiments and theories dealing with acoustically excited heated jets, an extensive literature survey was carried out. The experimental program consisted of flow visualization and flowfield velocity and temperature measurements for a broad range of jet operating and flow excitation conditions. A 50.8-mm-diam nozzle was used for this purpose. Parallel to the experimental study, an existing theoretical model of excited jets was refined to include the region downstream of the jet potential core. Excellent agreement was found between theory and experiment in moderately heated jets. However, the theory has not yet been confirmed for highly heated jets. It was found that the sensitivity of heated jets to upstream acoustic excitation varies strongly with the jet operating conditions and that the threshold excitation level increases with increasing jet temperature. Furthermore, the preferential Strouhal number is found not to change significantly with a change of the jet operating conditions. Finally, the effects of the nozzle exit boundary layer thickness appear to be similar for both heated and unheated jets at low Mach numbers.

Lepicovsky, J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Thrust-reverser flow investigation on a twin-engine transport

An investigation was conducted in the NASA Langley 14 x 22 foot Subsonic Tunnel to study the effects of engine thrust reversing on an aft-mounted twin-engine transport and to develop effective testing techniques. Testing was done over a fixed and a moving-belt ground plane and over a pressure instrumented ground board. Free-stream dynamic pressure was set at values up to 12.2 psf, which corresponded to a maximum Reynolds number based on the mean aerodynamic chord of 765,000. The thrust reversers examined included cascade, target and four-door configurations. The investigation focused on the range of free-stream velocities and engine thrust-reverser flow rates that would be typical for landing ground-roll conditions. Flow visualization techniques were investigated, and the use of water or smoke injected into the reverser flow proved effective to determine the forward progression of the reversed flow and reingestion limits. When testing over a moving-belt ground plane, as opposed to a fixed ground plane, forward penetration of the reversed flow was reduced. The use of a pressure-instrumented ground board enabled reversed flow ground velocities to be obtained, and it provided a means by which to identify the reversed flow impingement point on the ground.

Gatlin, Gregory M.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Mixing studies of helium in air at Mach 6

Concentration and mean flow measurements with nanoshadowgraphs and surface flow visualization have been obtained by a study of mixing phenomena during gas injection into hypersonic flow. At Mach 6, a comparison of the matched-pressure injection case with the underexpanded case indicated a greater injectant core penetration rate and a greater concentration-decay rate, leading to a shorter distance for the injectant core to reach an H2-air stoichiometric ratio. The entire injectant plume remained supersonic, and only moderate pressure losses were found. While injector yaw did not increase the mixing rates, it led to an increase in overall injectant plume cross-section, with consequent increase in the size of the mixing region.

Thomas, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Investigation of wing upper surface flow-field disturbance due to NASA DC-8-72 in-flight inboard thrust-reverser deployment

An investigation of the wing upper surface flow-field disturbance due to in-flight inboard thrust reverser deployment on the NASA DC-8-72, which was conducted cooperatively by NASA Ames, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), McDonnell Douglas, and the Aerospace Industry Association (AIA), is outlined and discussed in detail. The purpose of this flight test was to obtain tufted flow visualization data which demonstrates the effect of thrust reverser deployment on the wing upper surface flow field to determine if the disturbed flow regions could be modeled by computational methods. A total of six symmetric thrust reversals of the two inboard engines were performed to monitor tuft and flow cone patterns as well as the character of their movement at the nominal Mach numbers of 0.55, 0.70, and 0.85. The tufts and flow cones were photographed and video-taped to determine the type of flow field that occurs with and without the thrust reversers deployed. In addition, the normal NASA DC-8 onboard Data Acquisition Distribution System (DADS) was used to synchronize the cameras. Results of this flight test will be presented in two parts. First, three distinct flow patterns associated with the above Mach numbers were sketched from the motion videos and discussed in detail. Second, other relevant aircraft parameters, such as aircraft's angular orientation, altitude, Mach number, and vertical descent, are discussed. The flight test participants' comments were recorded on the videos and the interested reader is referred to the video supplement section of this report for that information.

Hamid, Hedayat U.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Oscillatory Thermocapillary Flow Experiment-2 (OTFE-2)

Oscillatory thermocapillary flow experiments were performed in the Glovebox aboard the USML-2 Spacelab which was launched on October 20, 1995. Open cylindrical containers of 1.2 and 2.0 cm in diameter were used. The ratio of container depth to radius (aspect ratio) was set at 0.5 and 2. Silicone oil of 2 centistokes kinematic viscosity was the test fluid. The fluid was heated by a cylindrical heater placed along the center axis of the container. The fluid motion was studied by flow visualization. The effect of aspect ratio on the onset of oscillations and on the oscillatory flow was investigated. It was found that the onset of oscillations was delayed when the container was made more shallow.

Kamotani, Yasuhiro↗
NASA NTRS2012

Advances in Rotor Performance and Turbulent Wake Simulation Using DES and Adaptive Mesh Refinement

Time-dependent Navier-Stokes simulations have been carried out for a rigid V22 rotor in hover, and a flexible UH-60A rotor in forward flight. Emphasis is placed on understanding and characterizing the effects of high-order spatial differencing, grid resolution, and Spalart-Allmaras (SA) detached eddy simulation (DES) in predicting the rotor figure of merit (FM) and resolving the turbulent rotor wake. The FM was accurately predicted within experimental error using SA-DES. Moreover, a new adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) procedure revealed a complex and more realistic turbulent rotor wake, including the formation of turbulent structures resembling vortical worms. Time-dependent flow visualization played a crucial role in understanding the physical mechanisms involved in these complex viscous flows. The predicted vortex core growth with wake age was in good agreement with experiment. High-resolution wakes for the UH-60A in forward flight exhibited complex turbulent interactions and turbulent worms, similar to the V22. The normal force and pitching moment coefficients were in good agreement with flight-test data.

Chaderjian, Neal M.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Digital image filtering in visualized boundary layers

The application of two-dimensional low-pass matched filtering is presented for use in objective processing of digitized flow visualization images in order to identify instantaneous large-scale organized structures in turbulent boundary layers. The images were digitally acquired simultaneously with the outputs of a two-dimensional rake of hot-wire sensors in the field of view of the digital camera. Two-dimensional low wavenumber analysis brought out patterns in the visualization images which consisted of slender inclined structures having an average streamwise scale of 100-200 v/u (tau) and a length on the order of 1-2 delta. The similarly processed two-dimensional streamwise velocity reconstructions reveal similar features. The ensemble statistics indicate that these inclined features brought out by this processing may be a basic flow module in higher Reynolds number flows which links the so-called wall 'bursting' process and the larger outer scale motions.

Corke, T. C.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Effects of Mach number on the development of a subsonic multiple jet

Results of an experimental study of the flow structure of a subsonic jet issuing from an array of rectangular lobes, equally spaced with their small dimensions in a line, are presented. The tests determined the affect of jet exit Mach number variations (0.3 to 0.8) on the flow field. Measurements of the mean velocity field and centerline rms velocity, along with schlieren flow visualization, were made. It was found that Mach number had no significant affect on the general flow field characteristics; and, that the flow field far downstream resembles that of a jet exiting from a two-dimensional nozzle with its short dimension being the long dimension of the lobe.

Mclachlan, B. G.↗
NASA NTRS1951

Theoretical Investigation of Submerged Inlets at Low Speeds

The general characteristics of the flow field in a submerged air inlet are investigated by theoretical, wind-tunnel, and visual-flow studies. Equations are developed for calculating the laminar and turbulent boundary-layer growth along the ramp floor for parallel, divergent, and convergent ramp walls, and a general equation is derived relating the boundary-layer pressure losses to the boundary-layer thickness. It is demonstrated that the growth of the boundary layer on the floor of the divergent-ramp inlet is retarded and that a vortex pair is generated in such an inlet. Functional relationships are established between the pressure losses in the vortices and the geometry of the inlet. A general discussion of the boundary layer and vortex formations is included, in which variations of the various losses and of the incremental external drag with mass-flow ratio are considered. Effects of compressibility are also discussed.

Sacks, Alvin H.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Design and development of a facility for compressible dynamic stall studies of a rapidly pitching airfoil

A facility for the study of dynamic stall of an airfoil undergoing a transient ramp-type pitching motion is described. The facility can produce pitch rates of 3600 deg/sec to an angle of attack of 60 deg by using a specially designed hydraulic drive with feedback control. The ramp motion generator can also generate arbitrary motion of the airfoil and thus can simulate an arbitrary aircraft maneuver. A unique airfoil support system allows unobstructed flow visualization including the complete airfoil contour, thus permitting the use of nonintrusive optical diagnostic methods for flow measurement close to the surface as well as simultaneous far-field measurements. Schlieren pictures obtained during the study reveal the instantaneous density gradients associated with dynamic stall, even under conditions of very low Mach numbers.

Chandrasekhara, M. S.↗