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At least 955 records · Page 53
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1988

Numerical study of delta wing leading edge blowing

Spanwise and tangential leading edge blowing as a means of controlling the position and strength of the leading edge vortices are studied by numerical solution of the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations. The leading edge jet is simulated by defining a permeable boundary, corresponding to the jet slot, where suitable boundary conditions are implemented. Numerical results are shown to compare favorably with experimental measurements. It is found that the use of spanwise leading edge blowing at moderate angle of attack magnifies the size and strength of the leading edge vortices, and moves the vortex cores outboard and upward. The increase in lift primarily comes from the greater nonlinear vortex lift. However, spanwise blowing causes earlier vortex breakdown, thus decreasing the stall angle. The effects of tangential blowing at low to moderate angles of attack tend to reduce the pressure peaks associated with leading edge vortices and to increase the suction peak around the leading edge, so that the integrated value of the surface pressure remains about the same. Tangential leading edge blowing in post-stall conditions is shown to re-establish vortical flow and delay vortex bursting, thus increasing C sub L sub max and stall angle.

Yeh, David↗
NASA NTRS1960

Effects of Sweep Angle on the Boundary-Layer Stability Characteristics of an Untapered Wing at Low Speeds

An investigation was conducted in the Ames 12-Foot Low-Turbulence Pressure Tunnel to determine the effects of sweep on the boundary-layer stability characteristics of an untapered variable-sweep wing having an NACA 64(2)A015 section normal to the leading edge. Pressure distribution and transition were measured on the wing at low speeds at sweep angles of 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 deg. and at angles of attack from -3 to 3 deg. The investigation also included flow-visualization studies on the surface at sweep angles from 0 to 50 deg. and total pressure surveys in the boundary layer at a sweep angle of 30 deg. for angles of attack from -12 to 0 deg. It was found that sweep caused premature transition on the wing under certain conditions. This effect resulted from the formation of vortices in the boundary layer when a critical combination of sweep angle, pressure gradient, and stream Reynolds number was attained. A useful parameter in indicating the combined effect of these flow variables on vortex formation and on beginning transition is the crossflow Reynolds number. The critical values of crossflow Reynolds number for vortex formation found in this investigation range from about 135 to 190 and are in good agreement with those reported in previous investigations. The values of crossflow Reynolds number for beginning transitions were found to be between 190 and 260. For each condition (i.e., development of vortices and initiation of transition at a given location) the lower values in the specified ranges were obtained with a light coating of flow-visualization material on the surface. A method is presented for the rapid computation of crossflow Reynolds number on any swept surface for which the pressure distribution is known. From calculations based on this method, it was found that the maximum values of crossflow Reynolds number are attained under conditions of a strong pressure gradient and at a sweep angle of about 50 deg. Due to the primary dependence on pressure gradient, effects of sweep in causing premature transition are generally first encountered on the lower surfaces of wings operating at positive angles of attack.

Boltz, Frederick W.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Cylindrical sound wave generated by shock-vortex interaction

The passage of a columnar vortex broadside through a shock is investigated. This has been suggested as a crude, but deterministic, model of the generation of 'shock noise' by the turbulence in supersonic jets. The vortex is decomposed by Fourier transform into plane sinusoidal shear waves disposed with radial symmetry. The plane sound waves produced by each shear wave/shock interaction are recombined in the Fourier integral. The waves possess an envelope that is essentially a growing cylindrical sound wave centered at the transmitted vortex. The pressure jump across the nominal radius R = ct attenuates with time as 1/(square root of R) and varies around the arc in an antisymmetric fashion resembling a quadrupole field. Very good agreement, except near the shock, is found with the antisymmetric component of reported interferometric measurements in a shock tube. Beyond the front r approximately equals R is a precursor of opposite sign, that decays like 1/R, generated by the 1/r potential flow around the vortex core. The present work is essentially an extension and update of an early approximate study at M = 1.25. It covers the range (R/core radius) = 10, 100, 1000, and 10,000 for M = 1.25 and (in part) for M = 1.29 and, for fixed (R/core radius) = 1000, the range M = 1.01 to infinity.

Ribner, H. S.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Numerical simulation of interacting, three-dimensional vortex filaments

Unsteady three-dimensional fluid flows which are characterized by low viscosity and the presence of distinct regions of high vorticity embedded in an otherwise irrotational flow are considered, taking into account the case in which an intermingling of vortex filaments appears. Incompressible flows of the considered type are simulated with the aid of an approach in which the vorticity distribution is modeled in terms of continuous closed filaments. It is attempted to track these filaments in a Lagrangian reference frame.

Leonard, A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Higher order derivative correlations of velocity and temperature in isotropic and sheared numerical turbulence

Through a combination of small scale statistics and flow visualization it is shown that the small scales of a numerically generated turbulent flow are strongly aligned around vortex tubes. Movies of the time developing flow will be used to illustrate the nature of these structures. An inertial subrange is found with a Kolmogorov constant, alpha, equal to 2.45. This is consistent with simulated and measured values for the skewness, but disagrees with experimental values for the Kolmogorov constant, which usually range between 1.4 to 1.7.

Kerr, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Numerical Simulations of Wing-Body Junction Flows

The goal of the research project is to contribute to the optimized design of fan bypass systems in advanced turbofan engines such as the Advanced Ducted Propulsors (ADP). The immediate objective is to perform numerical simulation of duct-strut interactions to elucidate the loss mechanisms associated with this configuration that is characteristic of ADP. These numerical simulations would complement an experimental study being undertaken at Purdue University. As the first step in the process, a numerical study of wing-body junction flow is being undertaken as it shares a number of characteristics with the duct-strut interaction flow. The presence of the characteristic horseshoe vortex and the associated secondary flow are the salient features that contribute to making this flow a challenge to predict numerically. The simulations will be performed with the NPARC code on the CRAY Y-MP platform at LeRC. The grids for the simulation have been generated using an algebraic mapping technique with a multisurface algorithm.

Krishnamurthy, R.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Forebody vortex management for yaw control at high angles of attack

The yaw-control potential of deployable forebody strakes at angles of attack above the range of conventional rudder effectiveness has been investigated. The conformally-stored strakes when deployed force asymmetrical vortex shedding from the forebody, thereby generating a controlled yawing moment. The concept was explored through low-speed wind tunnel tests on a conical forebody in isolation and in a generic fighter configuration. Force and moment measurements on the complete model were supplemented with circumferential pressure and flow-visualization surveys on an isolated forebody, in order to gain insight into the vortex flow mechanisms resulting from forced asymmetrical separations and to quantify the obtainable yaw power at angles of attack to 80 deg. This preliminary, low-Reynolds-number study showed asymmetrically-deployed forebody strakes to have considerable yaw control potential, whose sensitivity to scale effects needs further investigation.

Rao, D. M.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Numerical simulation of vortex breakdown by the vortex-filament method

The vortex filament method was applied to the simulation of vortex breakdown. The principal vortex region was represented by multiple filaments, and an axial velocity component was induced by a spiral winding of the filaments. First, an accuracy check was performed for a cylindrical swirling flow with simple analytical expressions for the axial and theta velocities. The result suggests that the flow field is simulated to any accuracy by increasing the number of filaments. Second, an axisymmetric type vortex breakdown was simulated, with experimental data serving as upstream conditions. The calculated axial and theta velocity contours show the breakdown of the vortex, including a rapid change in the vortex core, followed axially by a recovery zone and then a second breakdown. When three dimensional initial data are used the second breakdown appears to be of the spiral type in correspondence with experimental observations. The present method is easily used to simulate other types of vortex breakdown or other vortex flows with axial velocity.

Nakamura, Y.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Navier-Stokes Simulation of UH-60A Rotor/Wake Interaction Using Adaptive Mesh Refinement

Time-dependent Navier-Stokes simulations have been carried out for a flexible UH-60A rotor in forward flight, where the rotor wake interacts with the rotor blades. These flow conditions involved blade vortex interaction and dynamic stall, two common conditions that occur as modern helicopter designs strive to achieve greater flight speeds and payload capacity. These numerical simulations utilized high-order spatial accuracy and delayed detached eddy simulation. Emphasis was placed on understanding how improved rotor wake resolution affects the prediction of the normal force, pitching moment, and chord force of the rotor. Adaptive mesh refinement was used to highly resolve the turbulent rotor wake in a computationally efficient manner. Moreover, blade vortex interaction was found to trigger dynamic stall. Time-dependent flow visualization was utilized to provide an improved understanding of the numerical and physical mechanisms involved with three-dimensional dynamic stall.

UH-60A RotorWake↗
NASA NTRS1994

Flow quality studies of the NASA Lewis Research Center Icing Research Tunnel diffuser

The purpose was to document the airflow characteristics in the diffuser of the NASA Lewis Research Center Icing Research Tunnel and to determine the effects of vortex generators on the flow quality in the diffuser. The results were used to determine how to improve the flow in this portion of the tunnel so that it can be more effectively used as an icing test section and such that overall tunnel efficiency can be improved. The demand for tunnel test time and the desire to test models that are too large for the test section were two of the drivers behind this diffuser study. For all vortex generator configurations tested, the flow quality was improved.

Arrington, E. Allen↗
NASA NTRS1983

Numerical simulation of vortex breakdown by the vortex-filament method

The vortex-filament method was applied to the simulation of vortex breakdown. The principal vortex region was represented by multiple filaments, and an axial velocity component was induced by a spiral winding of the filaments. An accuracy check was performed for a cylindrical swirling flow with simple analytical expressions for the axial and theta velocities. The result suggests that the flow field can be simulated to any accuracy by increasing the number of filaments. An axisymmetric-type vortex breakdown was simulated, with experimental data serving as upstream conditions. The calculated axial- and theta-velocity contours show the breakdown of the vortex, including a rapid change in the vortex core, followed axially by a recovery zone and then a second breakdown. When three dimensional initial data are used the second breakdown appears to be of the spiral type in correspondence with experimental observations. The present method can easily be used to simulate other types of vortex breakdown or other vortex flows with axial velocity.

Nakamura, Y.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Unsteady interaction of a rotor with a vortex

The unsteady, three-dimensional flow field of a helicopter rotor blade encountering a passing vortex is calculated by solving the Euler/thin layer Navier-Stokes equations by a finite-difference numerical procedure. A prescribed vortex method is adopted to preserve the structure of the interacting vortex. The cases considered for computation correspond to the experimental model rotor test conditions of Caradonna, et al. and consist of parallel and oblique interactions. Comparison of the numerical results with test data show good agreement for both parallel and oblique interactions at subsonic and transonic tip speeds.

Srinivasan, G. R.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Flow Visualization Techniques in Wind Tunnel Tests of a Full-Scale F/A-18 Aircraft

The proposed paper presents flow visualization performed during experiments conducted on a full-scale F/A-18 aircraft in the 80- by 120-Foot Wind-Tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center. The purpose of the flow-visualization experiments was to document the forebody and leading edge extension (LEX) vortex interaction along with the wing flow patterns at high angles of attack and low speed high Reynolds number conditions. This investigation used surface pressures in addition to both surface and off-surface flow visualization techniques to examine the flow field on the forebody, canopy, LEXS, and wings. The various techniques used to visualize the flow field were fluorescent tufts, flow cones treated with reflective material, smoke in combination with a laser light sheet, and a video imaging system for three-dimension vortex tracking. The flow visualization experiments were conducted over an angle of attack range from 20 deg to 45 deg and over a sideslip range from -10 deg to 10 deg. The various visualization techniques as well as the pressure distributions were used to understand the flow field structure. The results show regions of attached and separated flow on the forebody, canopy, and wings as well as the vortical flow over the leading-edge extensions. This paper will also present flow visualization comparisons with the F-18 HARV flight vehicle and small-scale oil flows on the F-18.

Lanser, Wendy R.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Combination of Kinematics with Flow Visualization to Compute Total Circulation

A method is described in which kinematics is exploited to compute the total circulation of a vortex from relatively simple flow visualization experiments. There are several advantages in the technique, including the newly acquired ability to calculate the changes in strength of a single vortex as it evolves. The main concepts and methodology are discussed in a general way for application to vortices which carry along with them definable regions of essentially irrotational fluid; however, the approach might be generalized to other flows which contain regions of concentrated vorticity. As an illustrative example, an application to the study of the transient changes in total circulation of individual vortex rings as they travel up a tube is described, taking into account the effect of the tube boundary. The accuracy of the method, assessed in part by a direct comparison with a laser Doppler measurement is felt to be well within experimental precision for vortex rings over a wide range of Reynolds numbers.

Brasseur, J. G↗
NASA NTRS2010

Flow Control on Low-Pressure Turbine Airfoils Using Vortex Generator Jets

Motivation - Higher loading on Low-Pressure Turbine (LPT) airfoils: Reduce airfoil count, weight, cost. Increase efficiency, and Limited by suction side separation. Growing understanding of transition, separation, wake effects: Improved models. Take advantage of wakes. Higher lift airfoils in use. Further loading increases may require flow control: Passive: trips, dimples, etc. Active: plasma actuators, vortex generator jets (VGJs). Can increased loading offset higher losses on high lift airfoils. Objectives: Advance knowledge of boundary layer separation and transition under LPT conditions. Demonstrate, improve understanding of separation control with pulsed VGJs. Produce detailed experimental data base. Test and develop computational models.

Volino, Ralph J.↗
NASA NTRS1976

A survey of leeside flow and heat transfer on delta planform configurations

The dominant feature of hypersonic leeside flow fields is the presence of coiled vortices which are generated as the leeside boundary layer responds to the inviscid flow field. Depending on geometric and stream parameters, the vortices can be completely maintained within the boundary layer or can lie outside which is the more familiar case of rolled-up vortices associated with separated flow. Three main areas are covered: (1) fundamental leeside flow phenomena associated with inviscid flows, separation and vortex phenomena involving viscid-inviscid interactions on sharp-edged delta wings and cones; (2) the application of these fundamental concepts to delta-wing bodies such as the space shuttle; and (3) the opportunity and a proposed approach to use early shuttle orbiter entry flights to obtain leeside data.

Dunavant, J. C.↗