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At least 829 records · Page 46

Application of advanced technologies to small, short-haul transport aircraft

The performance and economic benefits available by incorporation of advanced technologies into the small, short haul air transport were assessed. Low cost structure and advanced composite material, advanced turboprop engines and new propellers, advanced high lift systems and active controls; and alternate aircraft configurations with aft mounted engines were investigated. Improvements in fuel consumed and aircraft economics (acquisition cost and direct operating cost) are available by incorporating selected advanced technologies into the small, short haul aircraft.

Coussens, T. G.↗

Wind tunnel investigation of the Titan Forward Skirt compartment vent from a free-stream Mach number of 0.80 to 1.96

A test was conducted to determine the flow characteristics of the Titan forward skirt compartment vent over a free stream Mach number range of 0.80 to 1.96. The vent was mounted in a flat plate and the plate was flush mounted to the tunnel side wall with coinciding center lines. Air was discharged from a duct, located on the tunnel side wall behind the plate, through a canted aft 30 deg honeycomb vent into the free stream. Data for the analysis of the Titan forward skirt compartment venting during ascent through the atmosphere are provided. Full scale simulated flight hardware, such as the honeycomb vent, duct corrugations and field joint ring were used. Boundary layer thicknesses were used to vary boundary height. The highest vent discharge coefficient for any given Mach number and vent pressure ratio generally occurred at the maximum displacement thickness. With no vent flow the static pressure in the vent region was generally less than the free stream static pressure. With vent flow, the static pressures upstream of the vent increased, and those downstream of the vent decreased.

Johns, A. L.↗

Airframe Noise Reduction Studies and Clean-Airframe Noise Investigation

Acoustic wind tunnel tests were conducted of a wing model with modified leading edge slat and trailing edge flap. The modifications were intended to reduce the surface pressure response to convected turbulence and thereby reduce the airframe noise without changing the lift at constant incidence. Tests were conducted at 70.7 and 100 m/sec airspeeds, with Reynolds numbers 1.5 x 10 to the 6th power and 2.1 x 10 to the 6th power. Considerable reduction of noise radiation from the side edges of a 40 deflection single slotted flap was achieved by modification to the side edge regions or the leading edge region of the flap panel. Total far field noise was reduced 2 to 3 dB over several octaves of frequency. When these panels were installed as the aft panel of a 40 deg deflection double slotted flap, 2 dB noise reduction was achieved.

Fink, M. R.↗

Space Shuttle solid rocket booster

Details of the design, operation, testing and recovery procedures of the reusable solid rocket boosters (SRB) are given. Using a composite PBAN propellant, they will provide the primary thrust (six million pounds maximum at 20 s after ignition) within a 3 g acceleration constraint, as well as thrust vector control for the Space Shuttle. The drogues were tested to a load of 305,000 pounds, and the main parachutes to 205,000. Insulation in the solid rocket motor (SRM) will be provided by asbestos-silica dioxide filled acrylonitrile butadiene rubber ('asbestos filled NBR') except in high erosion areas (principally in the aft dome), where a carbon-filled ethylene propylene diene monomer-neopreme rubber will be utilized. Furthermore, twenty uses for the SRM nozzle will be allowed by its ablative materials, which are principally carbon cloth and silica cloth phenolics.

Hardy, G. B.↗

Aerobraking for planetary missions

This paper is a description of recent work to establish the feasibility of aerobraking for planetary orbit missions. Primary emphasis is on a close (300 km) Venus orbiter in 1984. Performance advantages for close Mars orbiters and geosynchronous round trip missions are also shown. A description of the aerobraking operations scenario is given and encouraging preliminary results of an orbit determination analysis are cited. A spacecraft design is presented that features a forward aeroshield and a 9-meter aft aerobrake of 2 mil Inconel. It is shown that, with relatively minor modifications the current Venus Orbital Imaging Radar (VOIR) mission spacecraft design can be adapted to aerobraking and that the aerobraking concept enables the VOIR mission in the difficult 1986 and 1988 opportunities.

French, J. R.↗

Strouhal number influence on flight effects on jet noise radiated from convecting quadrupoles

The paper reports a complementary extension of previous work to include the high-frequency features reflected in the discussion of the higher Strouhal number influence on flight effects. It is found that, in addition to the usual features of flight effects on noise from ordinary flows, the high Strouhal number flows exhibit some more interesting features which are uniquely characteristic to them. The additional features are as follows: (1) Flight effects are more favorable to hot jets than to cold jets; (2) the higher the Strouhal number of the jet flow, the lesser the forward arc amplification due to flight; (3) as the Strouhal number increases, the peak amplification angle in the forward quadrant and the peak suppression angle in the aft quadrant move toward 90 deg and get closer, thus reducing the amplification exposure to a constricted angular region; (4) the silence zone is disturbed and displaced from its normal position parallel to the jet flow to give rise to multiple crossings of flight curves with the static line; and (5) the occurrence of multiple crossings is a strange phenomenon solely characteristic of high Strouhal number with high subcritical jet flows in flight.

Dash, R.↗

Some observations on supersonic wing design

The paper presents a brief review on the development of supersonic wing design. Attention is given to linearized aerodynamic theory, emphasizing equations for drag and ratios of slopes and Mach lines. Diagrams that depict conditions for minimum drag as well as the effects of fore-and-aft dimension of wings and Mach numbers on areas of lateral entrainment are presented.

Jones, R. T.↗

Effect of inflow control on inlet noise of a cut-on fan

A cut-on, high tip speed fan stage was acoustically tested with three configurations of an inflow control device in the NASA Lewis anechoic chamber. Although this was a cut-on design, rotor-inflow interaction appeared to be a much stronger source of blade passing tone radiated from the inlet than rotor-stator interaction for the 1.6 mean rotor chord separation. Aft external suction applied to the area where the inflow control device joined the inlet produced a further reduction in blade passing tone suggesting that disturbances in the forward flow on the outside of the inlet were superimposed on the inlet boundary layer and were a significant source of tone noise.

Woodward, R. P.↗

Potential benefits for propfan technology on derivatives of future short- to medium-range transport aircraft

It is noted that several NASA-sponsored studies have identified a substantial potential fuel savings for high subsonic speed aircraft utilizing the propfan concept compared to the equivalent technology turbofan aircraft. Attention is given to a feasibility study for propfan-powered short- to medium-haul commercial transport aircraft conducted to evaluate potential fuel savings and identify critical technology requirements using the latest propfan performance data. An analysis is made of the design and performance characteristics of a wing-mounted and two-aft-mounted derivative propfan aircraft configurations, based on a DC-9 Super 80 airframe, which are compared to the baseline turbofan design. Finally, recommendations for further research efforts are also made.

Goldsmith, I. M.↗

Development of a Kevlar/PMR-15 reduced drag DC-9 nacelle fairing

The paper describes an advanced composite fairing designed to reduce drag on DC-9 nacelles as a part of the NASA Engine Component Improvement Program. This fairing is the aft enclosure for the thrust reverser actuator system on JT8D engine nacelles and is subjected to a 500 F exhaust flow during the reverse thrust. A reduced-drag configuration was developed by using in-flight tuft surveys for flow visualization in order to identify areas with low-quality flow, and then modifying the aerodynamic lines to improve the flow. A fabrication method for molding the part in an autoclave was developed; this material system is suitable for 500 F. The resultant composite fairing reduces the overall aircraft drag 1% with a weight reduction of 40% when compared with a metal component.

Kawai, R. T.↗

ASPS performance with large payloads onboard the Shuttle Orbiter

A high fidelity digital computer simulation was used to establish the viability of the Annular Suspension and Pointing System (ASPS) for satisfying the pointing and stability requirements of facility class payloads, such as the Solar Optical Telescope, when subjected to the Orbiter disturbance environment. The ASPS and its payload were subjected to disturbances resulting from crew motions in the Orbiter aft flight deck and VRCS thruster firings. Worst case pointing errors of 0.005 arc seconds were experienced under the disturbance environment simulated; this is well within the 0.08 arc seconds requirement specified by the payload.

Keckler, C. R.↗

Payload Crew Training Complex (PCTC) utilization and training plan

The physical facilities that comprise the payload crew training complex (PCTC) are described including the host simulator; experiment simulators; Spacelab aft flight deck, experiment pallet, and experiment rack mockups; the simulation director's console; payload operations control center; classrooms; and supporting soft- and hardware. The parameters of a training philosophy for payload crew training at the PCTC are established. Finally the development of the training plan is addressed including discussions of preassessment, and evaluation options.

Self, M. R.↗

Dynamic response of a forward-swept-wing model at angles of attack up to 15 deg at a Mach number of 0.8

Root mean square (rms) bending moments for a dynamically scaled, aeroelastic wing of a proposed forward swept wing, flight demonstrator airplane are presented for angles of attack up to 15 deg at a Mach number of 0.8 The 0.6 size semispan model had a leading edge forward sweep of 44 deg and was constructed of composite material. In addition to broad band responses, individual rms responses and total damping ratios are presented for the first two natural modes. The results show that the rms response increases with angle of attack and has a peak value at an angle of attack near 13 deg. In general, the response was characteristic of buffeting and similar to results often observed for aft swept wings. At an angle of attack near 13 deg, however, the response had characteristics associated with approaching a dynamic instability, although no instability was observed over the range of parameters investigated.

Doggett, R. V., Jr.↗

The role of the real-time simulation facility, SIMFAC, in the design, development and performance verification of the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS) with man-in-the-loop

The SIMFAC has played a vital role in the design, development, and performance verification of the shuttle remote manipulator system (SRMS) to be installed in the space shuttle orbiter. The facility provides for realistic man-in-the-loop operation of the SRMS by an operator in the operator complex, a flightlike crew station patterned after the orbiter aft flight deck with all necessary man machine interface elements, including SRMS displays and controls and simulated out-of-the-window and CCTV scenes. The characteristics of the manipulator system, including arm and joint servo dynamics and control algorithms, are simulated by a comprehensive mathematical model within the simulation subsystem of the facility. Major studies carried out using SIMFAC include: SRMS parameter sensitivity evaluations; the development, evaluation, and verification of operating procedures; and malfunction simulation and analysis of malfunction performance. Among the most important and comprehensive man-in-the-loop simulations carried out to date on SIMFAC are those which support SRMS performance verification and certification when the SRMS is part of the integrated orbiter-manipulator system.

Mccllough, J. R.↗

Combustion behavior of solid fuel ramjets

Nonreacting flowfield characteristics and fundamental fuel properties are considered with respect to their use in estimating the obtainable combustion efficiency for fuels and/or combustor geometries. It is shown that near wall turbulence intensity in nonreacting flow appears to correlate reasonably well with the fuel regression pattern in identical geometries. The HTPB based fuels exhibit solid phase exothermic reactions in contrast to purely endothermic reactions for plexiglas. It is further shown that combustion pressure oscillations appear to be related to physically induced disturbances to the fluctuating shear layers at the fuel grain and aft mixing chamber inlets.

Netzer, D. W.↗

Aerodynamic/acoustic performance of YJ101/double bypass VCE with coannular plug nozzle

Results of a forward Variable Area Bypass Injector test and a Coannular Nozzle test performed on a YJ101 Double Bypass Variable Cycle Engine are reported. These components are intended for use on a Variable Cycle Engine. The forward Variable Area Bypass Injector test demonstrated the mode shifting capability between single and double bypass operation with less than predicted aerodynamic losses in the bypass duct. The acoustic nozzle test demonstrated that coannular noise suppression was between 4 and 6 PNdB in the aft quadrant. The YJ101 VCE equipped with the forward VABI and the coannular exhaust nozzle performed as predicted with exhaust system aerodynamic losses lower than predicted both in single and double bypass modes. Extensive acoustic data were collected including far field, near field, sound separation/ internal probe measurements as Laser Velocimeter traverses.

Vdoviak, J. W.↗

VCE test bed engine for supersonic cruise research

Various design concepts for a variable cycle engine applicable to a supersonic, mixed mission propulsion system which would combine the merits of a turbofan at subsonic operating conditions with those of a turbojet for supersonic operating conditions are briefly examined. In particular the integration of the variable area bypass injector with the core driven (aft fan block) fan stage is discussed and the technical benefits of the configuration are summarized.

Vdoviak, J. W.↗

VCE early acoustic test results of General Electric's high-radius ratio coannular plug nozzle

Results of variable cycle engine (VCE) early acoustic engine and model scale tests are presented. A summary of an extensive series of far field acoustic, advanced acoustic, and exhaust plume velocity measurements with a laser velocimeter of inverted velocity and temperature profile, high radius ratio coannular plug nozzles on a YJ101 VCE static engine test vehicle are reviewed. Select model scale simulated flight acoustic measurements for an unsuppressed and a mechanical suppressed coannular plug nozzle are also discussed. The engine acoustic nozzle tests verify previous model scale noise reduction measurements. The engine measurements show 4 to 6 PNdB aft quadrant jet noise reduction and up to 7 PNdB forward quadrant shock noise reduction relative to a fully mixed conical nozzle at the same specific thrust and mixed pressure ratio. The influences of outer nozzle radius ratio, inner stream velocity ratio, and area ratio are discussed. Also, laser velocimeter measurements of mean velocity and turbulent velocity of the YJ101 engine are illustrated. Select model scale static and simulated flight acoustic measurements are shown which corroborate that coannular suppression is maintained in forward speed.

Knott, P. R.↗