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At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1983

A comparison of trim drag for conventional and supercritical wings

The magnitude of the trim drag incurred by advanced supercritical wings and conventional wide-body wings at cruise conditions are investigated. Experiments were performed in a transonic pressure tunnel at a Mach number of 0.82 with a conventional wide-body wing and supercritical wing with high aspect ratio (9.80) using one of three low-tail configurations or two T-tail configurations in order to determine the effects of horizontal tail size, location, camber and static margin. Drag measurements indicate trim drag for the supercritical wing not to be significantly higher than for the conventional wing, although the minimum drag values for the supercritical wing occurred at lower static margins than for conventional wings. Both wings exhibited a reduction in trim drag with reduced cambered tail size, and greater minimum drag increments for cambered tails than for symmetrical tails. Lower trim-drag increments were also observed for the T-tail configuration than the low tails. The increase in lift-drag ratio for the supercritical wing over the conventional wing amounted to 11% for the best tail configurations.

Jacobs, P. F.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The performance of smooth-wall drag reducing outer-layer devices in rough-wall boundary layers

The boundary layer drag on a 0.28 m x 0.91 m flat-plate was measured to evaluate the performance of smooth-wall drag reducing outer-layer devices in rough-wall boundary layers up to a chord Reynolds number, Re(c) of 17,000. The devices were a pair of thin flat ribbons placed in tandem. The wall conditions examined were smooth, transverse-groove roughnesses having cavity width/depth ratios of 0.7 (d-type) and 3 (k-type), and sandpaper roughness (k-type) of grit sizes 180, 50 and 36. The area-averaged wall-drag was reduced compared to the respective normal levels for all wall conditions. All k-type rough walls exhibited a comparable level of drag reduction (about 7 percent) which was lower than that in the smooth-wall. The d-type rough-wall exhibited a transitional behavior in that the drag reduction dropped from the smooth-wall level to that of the k-type roughnesses with increase in the flow speed. In further experiments on a 6 meter long sandpaper roughened wall and with a pair of symmetric airfoil devices in tandem at an Re(c) of 77,500, it was possible to recover the device drag penalty fully, but no net drag reduction was achieved. The apparent loss of performance of the devices in a rough-wall is explained in terms of their inability to alter the pressure component of the drag in a significant way.

Bandyopadhyay, P. R.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Viscous drag reduction in boundary layers

The present volume discusses the development status of stability theory for laminar flow control design, applied aspects of laminar-flow technology, transition delays using compliant walls, the application of CFD to skin friction drag-reduction, active-wave control of boundary-layer transitions, and such passive turbulent-drag reduction methods as outer-layer manipulators and complex-curvature concepts. Also treated are such active turbulent drag-reduction technique applications as those pertinent to MHD flow drag reduction, as well as drag reduction in liquid boundary layers by gas injection, drag reduction by means of polymers and surfactants, drag reduction by particle addition, viscous drag reduction via surface mass injection, and interactive wall-turbulence control.

Bushnell, Dennis M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Aircraft Drag Reduction

This paper reviews aerodynamic drag reduction for friction, wave and vortex drag associated with supersonic cruise aircraft and suggests approaches and research directions which cover the spectrum from possibly significant to revolutionary. Various synergisms are also included, especially in regard to suction laminar flow control and flow separation control at cruise. The former may also enable improved low speed, high lift systems, lift to drag ratio for subsonic cruise, reduced parasitic viscous drag for favorable interference wave drag reduction approaches, and turbulent skin friction reduction via slot injection. Flow separation control at cruise proffers opportunities for increased leading edge thrust, increased lift increment from upper surface, increased fuselage lift/camber for wave drag due to lift reduction, improved performance of various favorable interference wave drag reduction schemes, as well as possibly better low speed, high-schemes and wing cruise performance. More speculative approaches include multi-stage aircraft, thrust vectoring for lift augmentation, as well as trim, and a number of conceptual wave and vortex drag reduction schemes.

D M Bushnell↗
NASA NTRS1934

Full-scale Drag Tests of Landing Lamps

Drag tests were conducted in the N.A.C.A. full-scale wind tunnel on full-scale models of two Army Air Corps type A-6 landing lamps mounted on an 8 by 48 foot airfoil. Drag measurements were made with the lamps in the leading edge and attached to the lower surface at the 5 and 10 percent chord positions. The drag of the lamps when faired into the airfoil was also measured. The results show that at 100 miles per hour and at the angle of minimum drag of the airfoil the unaired lamps in the leading edge produced an increase in drag of 5.5 pounds and that the unaired lamps on the lower surface at either position increased the airfoil drag 22.5 pounds. These increases represent 6 and 24 percent of the minimum drag of the airfoil, respectively. Fairing the lamps into the airfoil reduced the drag of the lamps about 50 percent for the leading-edge position and about 60 percent for the two lower surface positions.

Dearborn, C H↗
NASA NTRS1951

Arrangement of Bodies of Revolution in Supersonic Flow to Reduce Wave Drag

The wave drag of a combination of slender bodies of revolution at zero angle of attack is studied with a view to determining the arrangements for which the total drag is a minimum.Linearized theory is used to calculate the pressure distribution in the field surrounding the bodies. The interference drag coefficient is computed for different arrangements. The special cases of two bodies and of a three-body combination with bilateral symmetry are considered. The bodies treated are of the form determined by Sears and Haack as having minimum wave drag for prescribed volume and length. They also have equal fineness ratios. Numerical calculations of the drag coefficient of interference are carried out and curves are drawn which show the relative positions at which minimum drag occurs. A three-body configuration is found for which the total wave drag is about 35 percent less than the sum of the individual wave drags of the three bodies.

Friedman, Morris D↗
NASA NTRS1995

Drag measurements of an axisymmetric nacelle mounted on a flat plate at supersonic speeds

An experimental investigation was conducted to determine the effect of diverter wedge half-angle and nacelle lip height on the drag characteristics of an assembly consisting of a nacelle fore cowl from a typical high-speed civil transport (HSCT) and a diverter mounted on a flat plate. Data were obtained for diverter wedge half-angles of 4.0 deg, 6.0 deg, and 8.0 deg and ratios of the nacelle lip height above a flat plate to the boundary-layer thickness (h(sub n)/delta) of approximately 0.87 to 2.45. Limited drag data were also obtained on a complete nacelle/diverter configuration that included fore and aft cowls. Although the nacelle/diverter drag data were not corrected for base pressures or internal flow drag, the data are useful for comparing the relative drag of the configuration tested. The tests were conducted in the Langley Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel at Mach numbers of 1.50, 1.80, 2.10, and 2.40 and Reynolds numbers ranging from 2.00 x 10(exp 6) to 5.00 x 10(exp 6) per foot. The results of this investigation showed that the nacelle/diverter drag essentially increased linearly with increasing h(sub n)/delta except near 1.0 where the data showed a nonlinear behavior. This nonlinear behavior was probably caused by the interaction of the shock waves from the nacelle/diverter configuration with the flat-plate boundary layer. At the lowest h(sub n)/delta tested, the diverter wedge half-angle had virtually no effect on the nacelle/diverter drag. However, as h(sub n)/delta increased, the nacelle/diverter drag increased as diverter wedge half-angle increased.

Flamm, Jeffrey D.↗
NASA NTRS1959

Lift-Drag Ratios for an Arrow Wing With Bodies at Mach Number 3

Force and moment characteristics, including lift-drag ratios, have been measured for bodies of circular and elliptic cross section alone and combined with a warped arrow wing. The test Mach number was 2.94, and the Reynolds number was 3.5 x 10(exp 6) (based on wing mean aerodynamic chord). The experimental results show that for equal volume the use of an elliptical body can result in a noticeably higher maximum lift-drag ratio than that obtained through use of a circular body. Methods for estimating the aerodynamic characteristics have been assessed by comparing computed with experimental results. Because of good agreement of the predictions with experiment, maximum lift-drag ratios have been computed for the arrow wing in combination with bodies of various sizes. These calculations have shown that, for an efficient wing-body combination, little loss in maximum lift-drag ratio results from considerable extension of afterbody length. For example, for a wing-body configuration having a maximum lift-drag ratio of about 7.1, a loss in maximum lift-drag ratio of less than 0.2 results from a 40-percent increase in body volume by extension of afterbody length. It also appears that with body length fixed, maximum lift-drag ratio decreases almost linearly with increase in body diameter. For a wing- body combination employing a body of circular cross section, a decrease in maximum lift-drag ratio from about 9.1 for zero body diameter to about 4.6 for a body diameter of 13.5 percent of the body length was computed.

Jorgensen, Leland H.↗
NASA NTRS1959

Supersonic and Moment-of-Area Rules Combined for Rapid Zero-Lift Wave-Drag Calculations

The concepts of the supersonic area rule and the moment-of-area rule are combined to develop a new method for calculating zero-lift wave drag which is amenable to the use of ordinary desk calculators. The total zero-lift wave drag of a configuration is calculated by the new method as the sum of the wave drag of each component alone plus the interference between components. In calculating the separate contributions each component or pair of components is analyzed over the smallest allowable length in order to improve the convergence of the series expression for the wave drag. The accuracy of the present method is evaluated by comparing the total zero-lift wave-drag solutions for several simplified configurations obtained by the present method with solutions given by slender-body and linearized theory. The accuracy and computational time required by the present method are also evaluated relative to the supersonic area rule and the moment-of-area rule. The results of the evaluation indicate that total zero-lift wave-drag solutions for simplified configurations can be obtained by the present method which differ from solutions given by slender-body and linearized theory by less than 6 percent. This accuracy for simplified configurations was obtained from only nine terms of the series expression for the wave drag as a result of calculating the total zero-lift wave drag by parts. For the same number of terms these results represent an accuracy greater than that for solutions obtained by either of the two methods upon which the present method is based, except in a few isolated cases. For the excepted cases, solutions by the present method and the supersonic area rule are identical. Solutions by the present method are obtained in one fifth the computing time required by the supersonic area rule. This difference in computing time of course would be substantially reduced if the complete procedures for both methods were programmed on electronic computing machines.

Levy, Lionel L., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1999

High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) Isolated Nacelle Transonic Boattail Drag Study and Results Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

Nozzle boattail drag is significant for the High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) and can be as high as 25% of the overall propulsion system thrust at transonic conditions. Thus, nozzle boattail drag has the potential to create a thrust-drag pinch and can reduce HSCT aircraft aerodynamic efficiencies at transonic operating conditions. In order to accurately predict HSCT performance, it is imperative that nozzle boattail drag be accurately predicted. Previous methods to predict HSCT nozzle boattail drag were suspect in the transonic regime. In addition, previous prediction methods were unable to account for complex nozzle geometry and were not flexible enough for engine cycle trade studies. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) effort was conducted by NASA and McDonnell Douglas to evaluate the magnitude and characteristics of HSCT nozzle boattail drag at transonic conditions. A team of engineers used various CFD codes and provided consistent, accurate boattail drag coefficient predictions for a family of HSCT nozzle configurations. The CFD results were incorporated into a nozzle drag database that encompassed the entire HSCT flight regime and provided the basis for an accurate and flexible prediction methodology.

Midea, Anthony C.↗
NASA NTRS1947

Drag Measurements at Transonic Speeds of NACA 65-009 Airfoils Mounted on a Freely Falling Body to Determine the Effects of Sweepback and Aspect Ratio

Drag measurements at transonic speeds on rectangular airfoils and on airfoils swept back 450 are reported. These airfoils, which were mounted on cylindrical test bodies, are part of a series being tested in free drops from high altitude to determine the effect of variation of basic airfoil parameters on airfoil drag characteristics at transonic speeds. These rectangular and swept-back airfoils had the same span, airfoil section (NACA 65-009), and chord perpendicular to the leading edge. The tests were made to compare the drag of rectangular and sweptback airfoils at a higher aspect ratio than had been used in a similar comparison reported previously. The results showed that the drag of the swept-back airfoil was less than 0.15 that of the rectangular airfoil at a Mach number of 1.00 and less than 0.30 that of the rectangular airfoil at a Mach number of 1.17. A comparison of these swept-back airfoils with similar airfoils of lower aspect ratio previously tested by the same method indicated that in the investigated speed range reduction in aspect ratio results in increased drag. In the highest part of the investigated speed range, however, the drag coefficient of the high-aspect-ratio swept-back airfoils showed a tendency to approach that of the lower-aspect-ratio swept-back airfoils. A similar comparison for the rectangular airfoils showed that delay in the drag rise and a reduction in drag at supercritical speeds can be realIzed through reduction in aspect ratio. These results confirm those reported in NACA ACR No. L5J16.

Mathews, Charles W.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Aircraft Drag Reduction-A Review

The paper summarizes the state of the art in aeronautical drag reduction across the speed range for the conventional drag components of viscous drag, drag due to lift and wave drag. It also describes several emerging drag-reduction approaches that are either active or reactive/interactive and the drag reduction potentially available from synergistic combinations of advanced configuration aerodynamics, viscous drag-reduction approaches, revolutionary structural concepts and propulsion integration.

Bushnell, D. M.↗
NASA NTRS2005

High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) Isolated Nacelle Transonic Boattail Drag Study and Results Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

Nozzle boattail drag is significant for the High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) and can be as high as 25 percent of the overall propulsion system thrust at transonic conditions. Thus, nozzle boattail drag has the potential to create a thrust drag pinch and can reduce HSCT aircraft aerodynamic efficiencies at transonic operating conditions. In order to accurately predict HSCT performance, it is imperative that nozzle boattail drag be accurately predicted. Previous methods to predict HSCT nozzle boattail drag were suspect in the transonic regime. In addition, previous prediction methods were unable to account for complex nozzle geometry and were not flexible enough for engine cycle trade studies. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) effort was conducted by NASA and McDonnell Douglas to evaluate the magnitude and characteristics of HSCT nozzle boattail drag at transonic conditions. A team of engineers used various CFD codes and provided consistent, accurate boattail drag coefficient predictions for a family of HSCT nozzle configurations. The CFD results were incorporated into a nozzle drag database that encompassed the entire HSCT flight regime and provided the basis for an accurate and flexible prediction methodology.

Midea, Anthony C.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Pre-Test Assessment of the Upper Bound of the Drag Coefficient Repeatability of a Wind Tunnel Model

A new method is presented that computes a pre{test estimate of the upper bound of the drag coefficient repeatability of a wind tunnel model. This upper bound is a conservative estimate of the precision error of the drag coefficient. For clarity, precision error contributions associated with the measurement of the dynamic pressure are analyzed separately from those that are associated with the measurement of the aerodynamic loads. The upper bound is computed by using information about the model, the tunnel conditions, and the balance in combination with an estimate of the expected output variations as input. The model information consists of the reference area and an assumed angle of attack. The tunnel conditions are described by the Mach number and the total pressure or unit Reynolds number. The balance inputs are the partial derivatives of the axial and normal force with respect to all balance outputs. Finally, an empirical output variation of 1.0 microV/V is used to relate both random instrumentation and angle measurement errors to the precision error of the drag coefficient. Results of the analysis are reported by plotting the upper bound of the precision error versus the tunnel conditions. The analysis shows that the influence of the dynamic pressure measurement error on the precision error of the drag coefficient is often small when compared with the influence of errors that are associated with the load measurements. Consequently, the sensitivities of the axial and normal force gages of the balance have a significant influence on the overall magnitude of the drag coefficient's precision error. Therefore, results of the error analysis can be used for balance selection purposes as the drag prediction characteristics of balances of similar size and capacities can objectively be compared. Data from two wind tunnel models and three balances are used to illustrate the assessment of the precision error of the drag coefficient.

drag coefficient measurement↗
NASA NTRS2017

Differential Drag Demonstration: A Post-Mission Experiment with the EO-1 Spacecraft

Differential drag is a technique for altering the semi-major axis, velocity, and along-track position of a spacecraft in low Earth orbit. It involves varying the spacecrafts cross-sectional area relative to its velocity direction by temporarily changing attitude and solar array angles, thus varying the amount of atmospheric drag on the spacecraft. The technique has recently been proposed and used by at least three satellite systems for initial separation of constellation spacecraft after launch, stationkeeping during the mission, and potentially for conjunction avoidance. Similarly, differential drag has been proposed as a control strategy for rendezvous, removing the need for active propulsion. In theory, some operational missions that lack propulsion capability could use this approach for conjunction avoidance, though options are typically constrained for spacecraft that are already in orbit. Shortly before the spacecraft was decommissioned, an experiment was performed using NASAs EO-1 spacecraft in order to demonstrate differential drag on an operational spacecraft in orbit, and discover some of the effects differential drag might manifest. EO-1 was not designed to maintain off-nominal orientations for long periods, and as a result the team experienced unanticipated challenges during the experiment. This paper will discuss operations limitations identified before the experiment, as well as those discovered during the experiment. The effective displacement that resulted from increasing the drag area for 39 hours will be compared to predictions as well as the expected position if the spacecraft maintained nominal operations. A hypothetical scenario will also be examined, studying the relative risks of maintaining an operational spacecraft bus in order to maintain the near-maximum drag area orientation and hasten reentry.

differential drag↗
NASA NTRS2017

Differential Drag Demonstration: A Post-Mission Experiment with the EO-1 Spacecraft

Differential drag is a technique for altering the semimajor axis, velocity, and along-track position of a spacecraft in low Earth orbit. It involves varying the spacecraft's cross-sectional area relative to its velocity direction by temporarily changing attitude and solar array angles, thus varying the amount of atmospheric drag on the spacecraft. The technique has recently been proposed and used by at least three satellite systems for initial separation of constellation spacecraft after launch, stationkeeping during the mission, and potentially for conjunction avoidance. Similarly, differential drag has been proposed as a control strategy for rendezvous, removing the need for active propulsion. In theory, some operational missions that lack propulsion capability could use this approach for conjunction avoidance, though options are typically constrained for spacecraft that are already in orbit. Shortly before the spacecraft was decommissioned, an experiment was performed using NASA's EO-1 spacecraft in order to demonstrate differential drag on an operational spacecraft in orbit, and discover some of the effects differential drag might manifest. EO-1 was not designed to maintain off-nominal orientations for long periods, and as a result the team experienced unanticipated challenges during the experiment. This paper will discuss operations limitations identified before the experiment, as well as those discovered during the experiment. The effective displacement that resulted from increasing the drag area for 39 hours will be compared to predictions as well as the expected position if the spacecraft maintained nominal operations. A hypothetical scenario will also be examined, studying the relative risks of maintaining an operational spacecraft bus in order to maintain the near-maximum drag area orientation and hasten reentry.

orbital lifetim↗
NASA NTRS1983

The drag coefficient of cylindrical spacecraft in orbit at altitudes greater than 150 km

The spacecraft of the Geopotential Research Mission (GRM) are cylindrical in form and designed to fly with their longitudinal axes parallel to their direction of flight. The ratio of length to diameter of these spacecraft is roughly equal to 5.0. Other spacecraft previously flown had corresponding ratios roughly equal to 1.0, and therefore the drag produced by impacts on the lateral surfaces of those spacecraft was not as large as it will be on the GRM spacecraft. Since the drag coefficient is essentially the drag force divided by the frontal area in flight, lateral impacts, when taken into account make the GRM drag coefficient significantly larger than the coefficients used before for shorter spacecraft. A simple formula is derived for the drag coefficient of a cylindrical body flying with its long axis along the direction of flight, and it is used to estimate the drag for the GRM. The formula shows that the drag due to lateral surface impacts depends on the ratio of length-to-diameter and on a coefficient C sub LS (lateral surface impact coefficient) which can be determined from previous cylindrical spacecraft flown with the same attitude, or can be obtained from laboratory measurements of momentum accommodation coefficients.

Herrero, F. A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Interference drag in a simulated wing-fuselage juncture

The interference drag in a wing fuselage juncture as simulated by a flat plate and a body of constant thickness having a 1.5:1 elliptical leading edge is evaluated experimentally. The experimental measurements consist of mean velocity data taken with a hot wire at a streamwise location corresponding to 16 body widths downstream of the body leading edge. From these data, the interference drag is determined by calculating the total momentum deficit (momentum area) in the juncture and also in the two dimensional turbulent boundary layers on the flat plate and body at locations sufficiently far from the juncture flow effect. The interference drag caused by the juncture drag as measured at this particular streamwise station is -3% of the total drag due to the flat plate and body boundary layers in isolation. If the body is considered to be a wing having a chord and span equal to 16 body widths, the interference drag due to the juncture is only -1% of the frictional drag of one surface of such a wing.

Kubendran, L. R.↗