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At least 1,063 records · Page 59
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Computational Analysis of a Boundary Layer Ingesting Tailcone Thruster Configuration Using the LAVA Curvilinear Solver

Boundary layer ingesting (BLI) propulsion systems are one of the many technologies currently under investigation within the aerospace community to meet NASA's Advanced Air Transport Technology project goal of a sustainable future in aviation. To that end, an experimental campaign was conducted in the National Transonic Facility (NTF) wind tunnel to study the propulsion-airframe integration effects of the Boundary Layer Ingesting Tailcone System installed in the aft portion of a 2.7% scale design of the NASA Common Research Model (CRM). This test was accompanied by a numerical simulation effort using the Launch, Ascent, and Vehicle Aerodynamics (LAVA) curvilinear solver to validate the applicability of current best-practice Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models in accurately predicting the relevant flow physics in free-air. A total of 205 steady RANS simulations were performed using LAVA, covering the range of conditions present in the NTF test matrix. Flow conditions ranged from 5- to 15-million Reynolds number, Mach numbers of 0.75, 0.80 and 0.85, and angles of attack between -3 and 4 degrees. Four different mass-flow plugs were also tested to assess propulsor operating condition effects. Sensitivity to these flow conditions is analyzed in detail, especially in terms of the nacelle flow distortion which was the main subject of the study. Aerodynamic load coefficients, aft body boundary layer measurements and fuselage pressure tap results are also discussed, providing a wide range of validation results from this experimental campaign. This validation effort shows that current best-practices using RANS models within the LAVA curvilinear solver flow solver are well suited for predicting the inlet flow distortion characteristics of novel aircraft configurations employing BLI at the aft end of the fuselage. This talk will cover the combined experimental and numerical efforts that resulted from this BLI-focused investigation.

ARMD↗
NASA NTRS2002

Effects of Imperfections on the Buckling Response of Compression-Loaded Composite Shells

The results of an experimental and analytical study of the effects of initial imperfections on the buckling and postbuckling response of three unstiffened thin-walled compression-loaded graphite-epoxy cylindrical shells with different orthotropic and quasi-isotropic shell-wall laminates are presented. The results identify the effects of traditional and non-traditional initial imperfections on the non-linear response and buckling loads of the shells. The traditional imperfections include the geometric shell-wall mid-surface imperfect ions that are commonly discussed in the literature on thin shell buckling. The non-traditional imperfections include shell-wall thickness variations local shell-wall ply-gaps associated with the fabrication process, sheltered geometric imperfections, non-uniform applied end loads, and variations in the boundary conditions including the effects of elastic boundary conditions. A high-fidelity non-linear shell analysis procedure that accurately accounts for the effects of these traditional and non-traditional imperfections on the nonlinear response, and buckling loads of the shells is described. The analysis procedure includes a non-linear static analysis that predicts stable response characteristics of the shells and a non-linear transient analysis that predicts unstable response characteristics.

Hilburger, Mark W.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Gravitational Effects on Distortion in Sintering

During sintering a powder compact gains strength through low-temperature interparticle bonding, usually induced by solid-state surface diffusion, followed by further strength contributions from high-temperature densification. In cases where a liquid phase forms, sintering densification is accelerated and shape retention is sustained while open pores remain and contribute capillary forces. Unfortunately, sintering densification requires the compact become thermally softened to a point where creep strain rates reach levels near 10(exp -2)/s when the liquid forms. On the other hand, thermal softening of the powder compact substantially reduces the strength at high temperatures. Therefore, the in situ strength evolution during sintering is a primary focus to separate compact densification (as required for high performance) with minimized distortion (as required for net-shaping). With respect to gravitation effects on distortion during sintering there are two points of substantial weakness - prior to significant interparticle bonding and during final pore closure. This research is focused on understanding the competition among interparticle neck growth, densification, thermal softening, grain boundary wetting, capillary effects associated with liquid wetting and residual porosity, and gravity. Most surprising is the apparent role of gravity, where the deviatoric stress acting on the powder structure induces skeletal formation that reduces distortion. In contrast with theory, microgravity samples exhibit more distortion yet fail to fully densify. Results are presented on the experimental concepts supporting an emerging model of sintering strength evolution that enables understanding of both distortion and densification. The experiments have relied on tungsten heavy alloys, various combinations of dihedral angle, pore size, initial porosity, liquid:solid ratio, and heating rates. On Earth, the dominant factor with respect to distortion is the starting body heterogeneity. Current modeling efforts are seeking some means to uniformly predict the distortion based on a starting pore structure heterogeneity parameter. Densification is largely unaffected by the initial pore structure, but distortion is highly variable, suggesting that nonuniform pore closure might be a significant parameter during sintering. With respect to flight experiments, plans include removal of the solid body forces acting on the solid grains, allowing stabilization of the pore structure and examination of the buoyancy effects with regard to distortion. In microgravity there is the surprising result that compacts do not densify, yet distort a factor that is contrary to all current sintering models. Densification without distortion during liquid phase sintering was achieved by manipulating microstructure and its evolution during sintering. Microstructure parameters such as the solid volume fraction, dihedral angle, initial porosity, and pore size were varied to measure densification and distortion behavior during LPS using W-Ni-Cu alloys. Green compacts were formed using ethylene-bis-stearamide as a pore-forming agent with the amount of polymer controlling the initial porosity. Different initial pore sizes were generated by varying the polymer particle size. Dihedral angle was varied by changing the Ni:Cu ratio in the alloys. Finally, the solid volume fraction was adjusted via the tungsten content. Distortion was quantified using profiles determined with a coordinate measuring machine to calculate a distortion parameter. Sintering results showed that solid volume fraction and dihedral angle are the dominant factors on densification and distortion during liquid phase sintering. Distortion decreases with increasing solid volume fraction and dihedral angle, while initial porosity and pore size have no observable effect on distortion at nearly full densification. Various strategies emerge to improve distortion control in liquid phase sintering.

German, Randall M.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Compressible Navier-Stokes equations: A study of leading edge effects

A computational method is developed that allows numerical calculations of the time dependent compressible Navier-Stokes equations.The current results concern a study of flow past a semi-infinite flat plate.Flow develops from given inflow conditions upstream and passes over the flat plate to leave the computational domain without reflecting at the downstream boundary. Leading edge effects are included in this paper. In addition, specification of a heated region which gets convected with the flow is considered. The time history of this convection is obtained, and it exhibits a wave phenomena.

Hariharan, S. I.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Effects of Wing Sweep on In-flight Boundary-layer Transition for a Laminar Flow Wing at Mach Numbers from 0.60 to 0.79

The variable sweep transition flight experiment (VSTFE) was conducted on an F-14A variable sweep wing fighter to examine the effect of wing sweep on natural boundary layer transition. Nearly full span upper surface gloves, extending to 60 percent chord, were attached to the F-14 aircraft's wings. The results are presented of the glove 2 flight tests. Glove 2 had an airfoil shape designed for natural laminar flow at a wing sweep of 20 deg. Sample pressure distributions and transition locations are presented with the complete results tabulated in a database. Data were obtained at wing sweeps of 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 deg, at Mach numbers ranging from 0.60 to 0.79, and at altitudes ranging from 10,000 to 35,000 ft. Results show that a substantial amount of laminar flow was maintained at all the wing sweeps evaluated. The maximum transition Reynolds number obtained was 18.6 x 10(exp 6) at 15 deg of wing sweep, Mach 0.75, and at an altitude of 10,000 ft.

Anderson, Bianca Trujillo↗
NASA NTRS1984

Applicability of a panel method, which includes nonlinear effects, to a forward-swept-wing aircraft

The ability of a lower order panel method VSAERO, to accurately predict the lift and pitching moment of a complete forward-swept-wing/canard configuration was investigated. The program can simulate nonlinear effects including boundary-layer displacement thickness, wake roll up, and to a limited extent, separated wakes. The predictions were compared with experimental data obtained using a small-scale model in the 7- by 10- Foot Wind Tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center. For the particular configuration under investigation, wake roll up had only a small effect on the force and moment predictions. The effect of the displacement thickness modeling was to reduce the lift curve slope slightly, thus bringing the predicted lift into good agreement with the measured value. Pitching moment predictions were also improved by the boundary-layer simulation. The separation modeling was found to be sensitive to user inputs, but appears to give a reasonable representation of a separated wake. In general, the nonlinear capabilities of the code were found to improve the agreement with experimental data. The usefullness of the code would be enhanced by improving the reliability of the separated wake modeling and by the addition of a leading edge separation model.

Ross, J. C.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Angle-resolved polarimetry of hybrid perovskite emission for photonic technologies

Coupling between light and matter strongly depends on the polarization of the electromagnetic field and the nature of excitations in a material. As hybrid perovskites emerge as a promising class of materials for light-based technologies such as LEDs, LASERs, and photodetectors, it is critical to understand how their microstructure changes the intrinsic properties of the photon emission process. While the majority of optical studies have focused on the spectral content, quantum efficiency and lifetimes of emission in various hybrid perovskite thin films and nanostructures, few studies have investigated other properties of the emitted photons such as polarization and emission angle. Here, we use angle-resolved cathodoluminescence microscopy to access the full polarization state of photons emitted from large-grain hybrid perovskite films with spatial resolution well below the optical diffraction limit. In this work, mapping these Stokes parameters as a function of the angle at which the photons are emitted from the thin film surface, we reveal the effect of a grain boundary on the degree of polarization and angle at which the photons are emitted. Such studies of angle- and polarization-resolved emission at the single grain level are necessary for future development of perovskite-based flat optics, where effects of grain boundaries and interfaces need to be mitigated.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1993

Molecular gas dynamics applied to low-thrust propulsion

The Direct Simulation Monte Carlo method is currently being applied to study flowfields of small thrusters, including both the internal nozzle and the external plume flow. The DSMC method is employed because of its inherent ability to capture nonequilibrium effects and proper boundary physics in low-density flow that are not readily obtained by continuum methods. Accurate prediction of both the internal and external nozzle flow is important in determining plume expansion which, in turn, bears directly on impingement and contamination effects.

Zelesnik, Donna↗
NASA NTRS1995

Study of the Effect of Two-Dimensional Cavities on the Boundary Layer in an Adverse Pressure Gradient

One concept for high lift aerodynamics is the trapped-vortex. Recently it has been suggested that several spoilers located at different chordwise locations on an airfoil could be deployed to form several cavities in the chordwise direction. This may provide a means of increasing upper surface camber and thereby increase wing lift. It is envisioned that the cavities would be located on an airfoil in its pressure recovery region. Investigations of the effect of one or more cavities on the adjacent boundary layer in an adverse boundary layer were not found in a literature survey. Since flow separation can be caused by flow over cavities, boundary layer measurements were made in the vicinity of cavities which were located in an adverse pressure gradient to study the associated flow in an effort to identify any benefits. The experimental data from the present investigation indicate a minimal impact on the boundary layer profiles is caused by the presence of cavities in either a constant pressure freestream or an adverse pressure gradient. The data from the experimental investigation has been obtained and analyzed. The computational investigation using an incompressible Navier-Stokes code show that reasonable results are being obtained when they are compared with the experimental data.

Margason, Richard J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Turbulent boundary layer on a convex, curved surface

The effects of strong convex curvature on boundary layer turbulence were investigated. The data gathered on the behavior of Reynolds stress suggested the formulation of a simple turbulence model. Three sets of data were taken on two separate facilities. Both rigs had flow from a flat surface, over a convex surface with 90 deg of turning, and then onto a flat recovery surface. The geometry was adjusted so that, for both rigs, the pressure gradient along the test surface was zero - thus avoiding any effects of streamwise acceleration on the wall layers. Results show that after a sudden introduction of curvature, the shear stress in the outer part of the boundary layer is sharply diminished and is even slightly negative near the edge. The wall shear also drops off quickly downstream. In contrast, when the surface suddenly becomes flat again, the wall shear and shear stress profiles recover very slowly towards flat wall conditions.

Gillis, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Effects of Riblets on Skin Friction in High-Speed Turbulent Boundary Layers

Direct numerical simulations of spatially developing turbulent boundary layers over riblets are conducted to examine the effects of riblets on skin friction at supersonic speeds. Zero-pressure gradient boundary layers with an adiabatic wall, a Mach number of M1 = 2.5, and a Reynolds number based on momentum thickness of Re = 1720 are considered. Simulations are conducted for boundary-layer flows over a clean surface and symmetric V- groove riblets with nominal spacings of 20 and 40 wall units. The DNS results confirm the few existing experimental observations and show that a drag reduction of approximately 7% is achieved for riblets with proper spacing. The influence of riblets on turbulence statistics is analyzed in detail with an emphasis on identifying the differences, if any, between the drag reduction mechanisms for incompressible and high-speed boundary layers.

Duan, Lian↗
DOE OSTI2023

Turbulent dynamo action and its effects on the mixing at the convective boundary of an idealized oxygen-burning shell

Convection is one of the most important mixing processes in stellar interiors. Hydrodynamic mass entrainment can bring fresh fuel from neighboring stable layers into a convection zone, modifying the structure and evolution of the star. Because flows in stellar convection zones are highly turbulent, multidimensional hydrodynamic simulations are fundamental to accurately capture the physics of mixing processes. Under some conditions, strong magnetic fields can be sustained by the action of a turbulent dynamo, adding another layer of complexity and possibly altering the dynamics in the convection zone and at its boundaries. In this study, we used our fully compressible S EVEN -L EAGUE H YDRO code to run detailed and highly resolved three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations of turbulent convection, dynamo amplification, and convective boundary mixing in a simplified setup whose stratification is similar to that of an oxygen-burning shell in a star with an initial mass of 25 M ⊙ . We find that the random stretching of magnetic field lines by fluid motions in the inertial range of the turbulent spectrum (i.e., a small-scale dynamo) naturally amplifies the seed field by several orders of magnitude in a few convective turnover timescales. During the subsequent saturated regime, the magnetic-to-kinetic energy ratio inside the convective shell reaches values as high as 0.33, and the average magnetic field strength is ∼10 10 G. Such strong fields efficiently suppress shear instabilities, which feed the turbulent cascade of kinetic energy, on a wide range of spatial scales. The resulting convective flows are characterized by thread-like structures that extend over a large fraction of the convective shell. The reduced flow speeds and the presence of magnetic fields with strengths up to 60% of the equipartition value at the upper convective boundary diminish the rate of mass entrainment from the stable layer by ≈20% as compared to the purely hydrodynamic case.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Effects of Vegetation and Topography on the Boundary Layer Structure above the Amazon Forest

Observational data from two field campaigns in the Amazon forest were used to study the vertical structure of turbulence above the forest. The analysis was performed using the reduced turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget and its associated two-dimensional phase space. Results revealed the existence of two regions within the roughness sublayer in which the TKE budget cannot be explained by the canonical flat-terrain TKE budgets in the canopy roughness sublayer or in the lower portion of the convective ABL. Data analysis also suggested that deviations from horizontal homogeneity have a large contribution to the TKE budget. Results from LES of a model canopy over idealized topography presented similar features, leading to the conclusion that flow distortions caused by topography are responsible for the observed features in the TKE budget. These results support the conclusion that the boundary layer above the Amazon forest is strongly impacted by the gentle topography underneath.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1977

Reynolds number effects on shock-wave turbulent boundary-layer interactions - A comparison of numerical and experimental results

An experiment is described that tests and guides computations of a shock-wave turbulent boundary-layer interaction flow over a 20-deg compression corner at Mach 2.85. Numerical solutions of the time-averaged Navier-Stokes equations for the entire flow field, employing various turbulence models, are compared with the data. Each model is critically evaluated by comparisons with the details of the experimental data. Experimental results for the extent of upstream pressure influence and separation location are compared with numerical predictions for a wide range of Reynolds numbers and shock-wave strengths.

Horstman, C. C.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Compliant wall surface motion and its effect on the structure of a turbulent boundary layer

The status of the continuing compliant wall drag reduction research at NASA-Langley Research Center is discussed. Preliminary surface motion calculations are reported along with compliant surface design concepts and their numerical models. A compliant drag reduction theory based on stabilizing the turbulent substructure is proposed and previous experiments have been examined relative to that theory. Results of recent low speed compliant surface experiments have been reported which include initial attempts to measure local compliant surface motion.

Ash, R. L.↗