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At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1972

Theory and simulation of the beam cyclotron instability.

A theory of plasma beam cyclotron instability is developed on the basis of computer simulation experiments. The theory holds that at certain turbulence levels, electron cross-field diffusion which supresses the electron gyroresonances is created by turbulent wave-particle interactions in a plasma beam after a period of quasi-linear exponential development of turbulence. The stabilizing effect of Landau ion damping is noted. The behavior of cold and hot ions is discussed.

Lampe, M.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Methanol as a soot reducer in a turbulent swirling burner

The combined effect of using methanol as a fuel additive together with a prototype multifuel injector has been evaluated with regard to soot formation in a tubular laboratory burner with a turbulent swirl stabilized diffusion flame. Kerosene, ERBS fuel and Blending Stock with approximately 14,12.8 and 10.3 wt pct of hydrogen respectively were characterized in terms of soot loading at the axial positions Z/D = 2.5 and 4.0 and normalized radius r/R = + or 0.67. Mixtures of ERBS fuel and Blending Stock with 15 and 7.5 wt pct of methanol were also characterized in the same way. Measurements with the plain fuels showed a drastic reduction in soot formation, in the order of one hundred and fifty fold decrease, due to the new injector design. Further reductions by a factor of 2 and 1.5 were accomplished with the mixtures of 15 and 7.5 wt pct of methanol respectively.

Izquierdo, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Numerical and physical aspects of aerodynamic flows III; Proceedings of the Third Symposium, California State University, Long Beach, CA, January 21-24, 1985

The present symposium considers hydrodynamic stability and turbulent transition, transition calculations in three-dimensional flows, a quasi-simultaneous finite difference approach for strongly interacting flows, the significance of the thin layer Navier-Stokes approximation, unsteady airfoil boundary layers, predictions and experiments on airfoils at low Reynolds numbers, and a comparison of interactive boundary layer and thin layer Navier-Stokes procedures. Also discussed are a viscous-inviscid interaction method for computing unsteady transonic separation, massive separation and dynamic stall on a cusped trailing edge airfoil, the computation of turbulent separated flows over wings, an iterative scheme for three-dimensional transonic flows, and the computation of three-dimensional flows with shock wave/boundary layer interaction. Many of the papers in this symposium were abstracted previously (cf., A85-42951).

Cebeci, T.↗
NASA NTRS1953

A Flight Study of the Effects on Tracking Performance of Changes in the Lateral-oscillatory Characteristics of a Fighter Airplane

A study of the effects of variations in lateral-oscillatory characteristics on air-to-air tracking performance has been made, using a conventional, propeller-driven fighter airplane equipped with servo devices for varying these characteristics in flight. Tracking runs were made both in smooth air and in simulated rough air. The lateral-oscillation period, damping, and roll coupling were varied over wide ranges during the investigation.

GUSTS, TURBULENCE↗
NASA NTRS1965

Review of the XB-70 Flight Program

Although the major NASA research effort is directed toward XB-70-2, which will not enter its flight program until the summer of 1965, a limited amount of information is available from the early flights of the XB-70-1 airplane. Initial take-off and landing performance data have generally substantiated predictions and indicate no unforeseen problems for this class of vehicle. Vertical velocities at impact are of the same order of magnitude as those being experienced by present-day subsonic jets. The XB-70 distances from brake release to lift-off graphically illustrate the advantage of the increased thrust-weight ratio of the supersonic cruise vehicle. The landing loads are well within the design limits up to the highest vertical velocities encountered to date, and recorded data show the response at the pilot station to be somewhat greater than that recorded at the center of gravity. Persistent shaking has been encountered in flight at subsonic speed. The cause of the excitation is not known at present but the oscillation does not appear to be conventional buffeting. The oscillation occurrence drops off appreciably at supersonic speeds and can be correlated with atmospheric turbulence. The stability and control characteristics at subsonic speeds appear satisfactory with stability augmentation on and off. A longitudinal trim discrepancy from predictions has been noted in the transonic region which appears to be decreasing with increasing supersonic speed. The supersonic handling qualities are considered adequate with stability augmentation off; however, sensitive lateral control has resulted in small pilot-induced oscillations.

Thomas R. Sisk↗
NASA NTRS1994

Physical description of boundary-layer transition: Experimental evidence

The problems of understanding the origins of turbulent flow and transition to turbulent flow are the most important unsolved problems of fluid mechanics and aerodynamics. It is well known that the stability, transition, and turbulent characteristics of bounded shear layers are fundamentally different from those of free shear layers. Likewise, the stability, transition, and turbulent characteristics of open systems are fundamentally different from those of closed systems. Because of the influence of indigenous disturbances, surface geometry and roughness, sound, heat transfer, and ablation, it is not possible to develop general prediction schemes for transition location and the nature of turbulent structures in boundary-layer flows. At the present time no mathematical model exists that can predict the transition Reynolds number on a flat plate. The recent progress in this area is encouraging, in that a number of distinct transition mechanisms have been found experimentally. The theoretical work finds them to be amplitude and Reynolds-number dependent. The theory remains rather incomplete with regard to predicting transition. Amplitude and spectral characteristics of the disturbances inside the laminar viscous layer strongly influence which type of transition occurs. The major need in this area is to understand how freestream disturbances are entrained into the boundary layer, i.e., to answer the question of receptivity. We refer receptivity to the mechanism(s) that cause freestream disturbances to enter the boundary layer and create the initial amplitudes for unstable waves.

Saric, William S.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Turbulence effects on flame speed and flame structure

Turbulence effects on methane-air flames stabilized in grid turbulence were investigated through measurements of flame speed and mean and fluctuating flame temperature profiles. Published turbulent flame speed correlations were able to correlate the experimental flame speed data but were contradictory in indicating flame structure and combustion mechanisms. A simple, one-dimensional, wrinkled laminar flame model was used to predict characteristic flame temperature fluctuation levels. Comparison of these predictions with measured temperature fluctuations indicated that the majority of the flames studied were wrinkled laminar flames. However, a wrinkled laminar flame structure was inappropriate for the most intensely turbulent flames examined.

Smith, K. O.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Identification of aircraft stability and control derivatives in the presence of turbulence

A maximum likelihood estimator for a linear system with state and observation noise is developed to determine stability and control derivatives from flight data obtained in the presence of turbulence. The formulation for the longitudinal short-period mode is presented briefly, including a special case that greatly simplifies the problem if the measurement noise on one signal is negligible. The effectiveness and accuracy of the technique are assessed by applying it first to simulated flight data, in which the true parameter values and state noise are known, then to actual flight data obtained in turbulence. The results are compared with data obtained in smooth air and with wind-tunnel data. The complete maximum likelihood estimator, which accounts for both state and observation noise, is shown to give the most accurate estimate of the stability and control derivatives from flight data obtained in turbulence. It is superior to the techniques that ignores state noise and to the simplified method that neglects the measurement noise on the angle-of-attack signal.

Iliff, K. W.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Combustion in a turbulent mixing layer formed at a rearward-facing step

A premixed propane/air flame was stabilized in a turbulent mixing layer formed at a rearward-facing step. The mean and rms averages of the turbulent velocity flowfield were determined by laser velocimetry for both reacting (phi = 0.57) and nonreacting flows (Re = 15,000-37,000 based on step height). The reacting-flow was visualized by high-speed schlieren photography. Large-scale structures dominate the reacting mixing layer. The growth of the large-scale structures was tied to the propagation of the flame. The linear growth rate of the reacting mixing layer defined by the mean velocity profiles was unchanged by combustion but the virtual origin moves downstream. The reacting mixing layer boundaries based on the mean velocity profiles were shifted toward the recirculation zone and reattachment lengths were shortened by 30 percent. The edge of the flame controlled by the large-scale structure development propagated faster into the incoming reactants than the boundary of the mixing layer given by the mean velocity flowfield. Thus, the region of high velocity gradient did not coincide with the region of high reaction and heat transfer.

Pitz, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Experimental study of combustion in a turbulent free shear layer formed at a rearward facing step

A premixed propane-air flame is stabilized in a turbulent free shear layer formed at a rearward facing step. The mean and rms averages of the turbulent velocity flow field are determined by LDV for both reacting (equivalence ratio 0.57) and nonreacting flows (Reynolds number 15,000-37,000 based on step height). The effect of combustion is to shift the layer toward the recirculation zone and reduce the flame spread. For reacting flow, the growth rate is unchanged except very near the step. The probability density function of the velocity is bimodial near the origin of the reacting layer and single-peaked but often skewed elsewhere. Large-scale structures dominate the reacting shear layer. Measurements of their passing frequency from LDV are consistent with high-speed Schlieren movies of the reacting layer and indicate that the coalescence rate of the eddies in the shear layer is reduced by combustion.

Pitz, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Analysis of turbulence in shear flows using the stabilization principle

An analysis is made based upon the concept that the velocity fluctuations, and therefore, the Reynolds stresses, driven by the instability of the original flow grow until a new stable state is approached. The Reynolds stresses incorporated into the Orr-Sommerfeld equation are coupled with the main flow such that all the imaginary parts of the complex eigenvalues vanish, i.e., the original instability is eliminated. Using this stabilization principle, it is possible to find the Reynolds stresses as well as the mean velocity for plane Poiseuille flow with the Reynolds number slightly higher than the critical.

Zak, M.↗
NASA NTRS1981

An experimental study of combustion: The turbulent structure of a reacting shear layer formed at a rearward-facing step

A premixed propane-air flame is stabilized in a turbulent free shear layer formed at a rearward-facing step. The mean and rms averages of the turbulent velocity flow field were determined by LDV for both reacting and non-reacting flows. The reaching flow was visualized by high speed schlieren photography. Large scale structures dominate the reacting shear layer. The growth of the large scale structures is tied to the propagation of the flame. The linear growth rate of the reacting shear layer defined by the mean velocity profiles is unchanged by combustion but the virtual origin is shifted downstream. The reacting shear layer based on the mean velocity profiles is shifted toward the recirculation zone and the reattachments lengths are shortened by 30%.

Pitz, R. W.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Transition Modeling Based on the Dual N-factor Method for the CRM-NLF Wind Tunnel Configuration

The dual N-factor method is used to model the boundary-layer transition over the common research model with natural laminar flow (CRM-NLF) aircraft configuration. The flow conditions match selected test conditions from a wind tunnel experiment in the National Transonic Facility at the NASA Langley Research Center. The paper presents a systematic methodology for transition prediction in the presence of a dual shock system and extends the prior capability for iteratively coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions to incorporate three-dimensional, transonic wings. The method employs stability computations based on the linear parabolized stability equations (PSE), along with a dual N-factor criterion. The iterative process begins with the fully turbulent Reynolds-averaged-Navier-Stokes (RANS) mean flow solution. For the first iteration, a mean flow solution is calculated with an imposed transition front that aligns with the shock front from the fully turbulent solution. Subsequently, stability computations are performed along a set of streamlines across the wing to calculate the amplification of planar Tollmien-Schlichting (TS) and stationary crossflow (CF) modes. The transition criterion based on the dual N-factor method is used to infer the updated transition front and the process is successively repeated until convergence of the solution. Within three iterations, the predicted fronts for angles of attack of 1.45, 1.98, 2.46 and 2.94 degrees and a mean-aerodynamic-chord Reynolds number equal to 15 million, approach visual convergence in most regions of the studied cases, and the resulting predictions are in good agreement with the transition fronts deduced from measurements of temperature-sensitive paint. Even though surface pressure measurements based on fully-turbulent flow agree well with the measured pressure coefficient distributions, strong viscous-inviscid interaction effects cause significant shifts in the shock locations based on the imposed transition front, underscoring the intrusive nature of static pressure measurements using surface mounted ports on the CRM-NLF configuration.

Boundary Layer Transition↗
NASA NTRS1981

Temperature and velocity measurements in premixed turbulent flames

Turbulent flame speed data for premixed flames of methane-air, propane-air and ethylene-air mixtures stabilized in grid turbulence are reported and discussed. It is shown that turbulence effects on flame speed cannot be fully correlated by the turbulence length scale and r.m.s. velocity in the cold flow. Rather there appear to be significant flame-flow-turbulence interactions affecting both turbulence level in the reaction zone and measured flame speeds. Results of detailed velocity measurements, including autocorrelations, by laser velocimetry are used to elucidate the nature of these interactions. It is concluded that flame speed experiments must be designed and conducted to provide sufficient information (e.g., boundary conditions) to allow for reconstruction of the flow field and these interactions by modelers if the data are to be of value in turbulent combustion model development and evaluation.

Dandekar, K. V.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Field Effects of Buoyancy on a Premixed Turbulent Flame Studied by Particle Image Velocimetry

Typical laboratory flames for the scientific investigation of flame/turbulence interactions are prone to buoyancy effects. Buoyancy acts on these open flame systems and provides upstream feedbacks that control the global flame properties as well as local turbulence/flame interactions. Consequently the flame structures, stabilization limits, and turbulent reaction rates are directly or indirectly coupled with buoyancy. The objective of this study is to characterize the differences between premixed turbulent flames pointing upwards (1g), pointing downwards (-1g), and in microgravity (mg). The configuration is an inverted conical flame stabilized by a small cone-shaped bluff body that we call CLEAN Flames (Cone-Stabilized Lean Flames). We use two laser diagnostics to capture the velocity and scalar fields. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) measures the mean and root mean square velocities and planar imaging by the flame fronts method outlines the flame wrinkle topology. The results were obtained under typical conditions of small domestic heating systems such as water heaters, ovens, and furnaces. Significant differences between the 1g and -1g flames point to the need for including buoyancy contributions in theoretical and numerical calculations. In Earth gravity, there is a complex coupling of buoyancy with the turbulent flow and heat release in the flame. An investigation of buoyancy-free flames in microgravity will provide the key to discern gravity contributions. Data obtained in microgravity flames will provide the benchmark for interpreting and analyzing 1g and -1g flame results.

Cheng, Robert K.↗
NASA NTRS2009

An Investigation of Rotorcraft Stability-Phase Margin Requirements in Hover

A cooperative study was performed to investigate the handling quality effects from reduced flight control system stability margins, and the trade-offs with higher disturbance rejection bandwidth (DRB). The piloted simulation study, perform on the NASA-Ames Vertical Motion Simulator, included three classes of rotorcraft in four configurations: a utility-class helicopter; a medium-lift helicopter evaluated with and without an external slung load; and a large (heavy-lift) civil tiltrotor aircraft. This large aircraft also allowed an initial assessment of ADS-33 handling quality requirements for an aircraft of this size. Ten experimental test pilots representing the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, NASA, rotorcraft industry, and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), evaluated the four aircraft configurations, for a range of flight control stability-margins and turbulence levels, while primarily performing the ADS-33 Hover and Lateral Reposition MTEs. Pilot comments and aircraft-task performance data were analyzed. The preliminary stability margin results suggest higher DRB and less phase margin cases are preferred as the aircraft increases in size. Extra care will need to be taken to assess the influence of variability when nominal flight control gains start with reduced margins. Phase margins as low as 20-23 degrees resulted in low disturbance-response damping ratios, objectionable oscillations, PIO tendencies, and a perception of an incipient handling qualities cliff. Pilot comments on the disturbance response of the aircraft correlated well to the DRB guidelines provided in the ADS-33 Test Guide. The A D-3S3 mid-term response-to-control damping ratio metrics can be measured and applied to the disturbance-response damping ratio. An initial assessment of LCTR yaw bandwidth shows the current Level 1 boundary needs to be relaxed to help account for a large pilot off-set from the c.g. Future efforts should continue to investigate the applicability/refinement of the current ADS-33 requirements to large vehicles, like an LCTR.

Blanken, Chris L.↗