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At least 1,099 records · Page 61

Aerodynamic performance of an annular flat plate airfoil cascade with nonuniform inlet velocity

The demand for increased gas turbine engine efficiency with minimum weight is leading to more complex blading designs, in which viscous and three-dimensional effects are significant. As a result, design procedures based on first principle, experimentally verified, three-dimensional aerodynamic analyses are required. This paper describes a series of experiments performed in a large-scale, subsonic, annular cascade facility specifically designed to provide three-dimensional aerodynamic data suitable for code verification. In particular, the effect of inlet velocity profile on the overall three-dimensional performance of a classical flat plate airfoil cascade is investigated over a range of incidence angles including those resulting in airfoil surface flow separation. All of the data are analyzed and correlated with appropriate nonseparated flow predictions.

Buffum, D.↗

The performance characteristics of simulated ice on rotorcraft airfoils

Attention is given to the results of NASA-sponsored rotorcraft icing research which was aimed at the formulation of a predictive method for the computation of performance penalties due to rotor and airfoil icing. Parametric simulated ice test results obtained in wind tunnels are compared with those of other investigations. These comparisons indicate that proper design of simulated ice shapes can adequately represent ice on airfoil sections, with incremental lift, drag, and pitching moments matching those generated in icing wind tunnels.

Flemming, R. J.↗

Calculation of helicopter airfoil characteristics for high tip-speed applications

In this paper, we have applied a new aerodynamic tool to the study of helicopter airfoil characteristics. We have shown that the computed airloads reproduce completely the experimental behavior of representative airfoils across the transonic regime. In addition, the computational details of the flow fields, the surface pressure distributions, and the viscous-layer characteristics enable us to trace the evolution of the physical changes that occur as m infinity or Re increases. Descriptions of the complicated development of shock waves, shock-induced separation supplement the information that has been obtained heretofore in wind tunnels. In validating our calculations and assessing the accuracy of the results, including extensive grid-refinement studies and comparisons with data from numerous wind tunnels, we have defined the capabilities and limitations of the code ARC2D more precisely. This important aspect of the investigations can complement wind-tunnel tests, by providing flow-field details that are difficult to measure and by extending the range of low parameters beyond the capabilities of existing wind tunnels. The code has now progressed from a purely research stage to almost a production stage, where it can be run by specialists in the helicopter industry.

Mccroskey, W. J.↗

Transonic airfoil calculations including wind tunnel wall-interference effects

The results of Reynolds-averaged time-dependent inviscid and turbulent compressible Navier-Stokes computations using the implicit finite-difference approach of Steger (1978), modified by incorporating a pressure boundary condition, (PBC) to account for wall interference are compared with experimental data on a NACA 64A010 airfoil (Johnson and Bachalo, 1980) in graphs and briefly characterized. The computational approach is the same as that used by King and Johnson (1980), but a 137 x 50 mesh is used instead of a 97 x 35 mesh, and special care is taken in resolving the nose, shock, and trailing-edge regions. Imposition of PBC is shown to improve significantly the accuracy of the computations for the flowfield on the upper surface of the airfoil, shifting the shock forward to its experimentally measured position in the case of turbulent flow. The failure of the method, even with PBC, to match the experimental shock location in the case of a flow with a separation bubble is attributed to inadequacies in the algebraic turbulence model employed (Baldwin and Lomax, 1978).

King, L. S.↗

High-Lift, Low-Pitching-Moment Airfoils

Two families of airfoil shapes improve rotor performance. Improvements enhance performances of helicopters and other rotorcraft but also applicable to aircraft propellers. Airfoil shapes best suited for inboard segment of rotor blade.

Noonan, Kevin W.↗

Development of heat flux sensors in turbine airfoils

The objective is to develop heat flux sensors suitable for use on turbine airfoils and to verify the operation of the heat flux measurement techniques through laboratory experiments. The requirements for a program to investigate the measurement of heat flux on airfoils in areas of strong non-one-dimensional flow were also identified.

Atkinson, W. H.↗

A verification of unsteady Navier-Stokes solutions around oscillating airfoils

A finite difference solution code for the two dimensional Navier-Stokes equations was combined with a moving-grid system. The thin layer Navier-Stokes equations with a turbulence model are solved in a time-accurate manner in order to study the unsteady aerodynamics around airfoils undergoing small amplitude pitching or heaving motions in the transonic regime. The accuracy of the solutions obtained by the use of the present moving-grid technqiue is investigated. The effects of the minimum grid size and the integrating time-step size on the solutions are also checked. Some of the solutions obtained by the present method are compared with experimental results. It is demonstrated that the unsteady aerodynamics around oscillating airfoils can be predicted fairly well by the present code for cases in which the dynamic angle of attack or displacement is small.

Nakamichi, J.↗

TRANDESNF: A computer program for transonic airfoil design and analysis in nonuniform flow

The use of a transonic airfoil code for analysis, inverse design, and direct optimization of an airfoil immersed in propfan slipstream is described. A summary of the theoretical method, program capabilities, input format, output variables, and program execution are described. Input data of sample test cases and the corresponding output are given.

Chang, J. F.↗

Highlights of unsteady pressure tests on a 14 percent supercritical airfoil at high Reynolds number, transonic condition

Steady and unsteady pressures were measured on a 2-D supercritical airfoil in the Langley Research Center 0.3-m Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel at Reynolds numbers from 6 x 1,000,000 to 35 x 1,000,000. The airfoil was oscillated in pitch at amplitudes from plus or minus .25 degrees to plus or minus 1.0 degrees at frequencies from 5 Hz to 60 Hz. The special requirements of testing an unsteady pressure model in a pressurized cryogenic tunnel are discussed. Selected steady measured data are presented and are compared with GRUMFOIL calculations at Reynolds number of 6 x 1,000,000 and 30 x 1,000,000. Experimental unsteady results at Reynolds numbers of 6 x 1,000,000 and 30 x 1,000,000 are examined for Reynolds number effects. Measured unsteady results at two mean angles of attack at a Reynolds number of 30 x 1,000,000 are also examined.

Hess, Robert W.↗

Two-dimensional aerodynamic characteristics of the AMES HI-120, HI-8, and LOW-12 airfoils

During the period between June and September 1986, the Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering Research Laboratory (AARL) at the Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus, Ohio, conducted tests in the 6"X22" Transonic Blowdown Wind Tunnel to determine the two-dimensional lift, drag, and pitching moment coefficients for three airfoils designated AMES HI-120, AMES LOW-12, and AMES HI-8. These tests covered a Mach number range of 0.20 to 0.86, Reynolds numbers between 2 x 10 to the 6th and 6 x 10 to the 6th powers, and angles of attack between 0 and 13 degs as directed by the NASA Project Engineer; each model was not run at every condition. This work was performed under NASA Grant NAG-2-401, Analysis of Two Advanced Transonic Airfoils.

Gregorek, G. M.↗

Acoustic effects on profile drag of a laminar flow airfoil

A two-dimensional laminar flow airfoil (NLF-0414) was subjected to high-intensity sound (pure tones and white noise) over a frequency range of 2 to 5 kHz, while immersed in a flow of 240 ft/sec (Rn of 3 million) in a quiet flow facility. Using a wake-rake, wake dynamic pressures were determined and the deficit in momentum was used to calculate a two dimensional drag coefficient. Significant increases in drag were observed when the airfoil was subjected to the high intensity sound at critical sound frequencies. However, the increased drag was not accompanied by movement of the transition location.

Shearin, John G.↗

Highlights of unsteady pressure tests on a 14 percent supercritical airfoil at high Reynolds number, transonic condition

Steady and unsteady pressures were measured on a two-dimensional supercritical airfoil in the Langley 0.3-m Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel at Reynolds numbers (6-35) x 10 to the 6th. The airfoil was oscillated in pitch at amplitudes from + or - .25 degrees to + or - 1.0 degrees at frequencies from 5 Hz to 60 Hz. The special requirements of testing an unsteady pressure model in a pressurized cryogenic tunnel are discussed. Selected steady measured data are presented and are compared with GRUMFOIL calculations at Reynolds number 6 x 10 to the 6th and 30 x 10 to the 6th. Experimental unsteady results at the same Reynolds numbers are examined for Reynolds-number effects. Measured unsteady results at two mean angles of attack at Reynolds number of 30 x 10 to the 6th are also examined.

Hess, Robert W.↗

Numerical analysis of a NACA0012 airfoil with leading edge ice accretions

Analysis of a NACA0012 airfoil with leading edge ice has been performed using a Navier-Stokes code coupled with a grid generation code. The computed results were compared to experimental information obtained for an airfoil with a well defined artificial ice shape. The computations were performed at angles of attack ranging from zero to ten degrees. This range is sufficient to show the development of the separation bubble aft of the ice shape on both the upper and lower surfaces. Velocity profile plots in the separation bubble are examined in order to determine if recirculation patterns are predicted properly and if separation and reattachment points are found within the resolution of the experimental information. Also, the massive separation near the point of stall is examined in order to more accurately evaluate the lift coefficient curve in that region. Lift, drag, and moment coefficients are computed and compared to experiment.

Potapczuk, Mark G.↗

In-flight measurement of ice growth on an airfoil using an array of ultrasonic transducers

Results from three research flights to obtain in-flight ultrasonic pulse-echo measurements of airfoil ice thickness as a function of time using an array of eight ultrasonic transducers mounted flush with the leading edge of the airfoil are presented. The accuracy of the thickness measurements is found to be within 0.5 mm of mechanical and stereophotograph measurements of the ice accretion. The ultrasonic measurements demonstrate that the ice growth rate typically varies during the flight, with variations in the ice growth rate for dry ice growth being primarily due to fluctuations in the cloud liquid water content. Discrepancies between experimental results and results predicted by an analytic icing code underline the need for a better understanding of the physics of wet ice growth.

Hansman, R. John, Jr.↗

A study of the laminar separation bubble on an airfoil at low Reynolds numbers using flow visualization techniques

The use of flow visualization to study separation bubbles is evaluated. The wind tunnel, two NACA 66(3)-018 airfoil models, and kerosene vapor, titanium tetrachloride, and surface flow visualizations techniques are described. The application of the three visualization techniques to the two airfoil models reveals that the smoke and vapor techniques provide data on the location of laminar separation and the onset of transition, and the surface method produces information about the location of turbulent boundary layer separation. The data obtained with the three flow visualization techniques are compared to pressure distribution data and good correlation is detected. It is noted that flow visualization is an effective technique for examining separation bubbles.

Schmidt, Gordon S.↗

Effect of aspect ratio on sidewall boundary-layer influence in two-dimensional airfoil testing

The effect of sidewall boundary layers in airfoil testing in two-dimensional wind tunnels is investigated. The non-linear crossflow velocity variation induced because of the changes in the sidewall boundary-layer thickness is represented by the flow between a wavy wall and straight wall. Using this flow model, a correction for the sidewall boundary-layer effects is derived in terms of the undisturbed sidewall boundary-layer properties, the test Mach number and the airfoil aspect ratio. Application of the proposed correction to available experimental data showed good correlation for the shock location and pressure.

Murthy, A. V.↗

Computation of viscous transonic flow over porous airfoils

The viscous effects on transonic flow past an airfoil which contains a shallow cavity beneath a porous surface are studied numerically. The porous region occupies a small portion of the total airfoil surface, and is located near the shock. Both an interactive boundary layer (IBL) algorithm and a thin-layer Navier-Stokes (TLNS) algorithm have been modified for use in studying the outer flow, whereas a stream-function formulation has been used to model the inner flow in the small cavity. The coupling procedure at the porous surface is based on Darcy's law and on the assumption of a constant total presusre in the cavity. In addition, a modified Baldwin-Lomax turbulence model is used to consider the transpired turbulent boundary layer in the TLNS approach, and the Cebeci-Smith turbulence model is used in the IBL approach. According to the present analysis, a porous surface can reduce the wave drag appreciably, but it can also increase viscous losses. As has been observed experimentally, the numerical results indicate that the total drag is reduced at higher Mach numbers and increased at lower Mach numbers when the angles of attack are small. Furthermore, the streamline patterns of passive-shock and boundary-layer interaction are revealed in this study.

Chow, Chuen-Yen↗

A comparison of turbulence closure models for transonic flows about airfoils

Navier-Stokes transonic airfoil calculations using three different turbulence closure models are presented and compared with available experimental data. Two of the models, Cebeci-Smith and Baldwin-Lomax, are equilibrium models in the sense that the turbulent shear stress is assumed to depend only on the local properties of the mean flow. The third model, Johnson and King, is a nonequilibrium model in which an ordinary differential equation is employed to account for the streamwise development of the maximum Reynolds shear stress. An eddy viscosity distribution across the boundary layer is assumed which is functionally dependent on this stress. For attached flows with little inviscid-viscous interaction, little difference in the results with the different models is noted. With stronger interactions and with separation occurring on the airfoils, the nonequilibrium model is shown to perform better.

King, Lyndell S.↗