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At least 1,243 records · Page 69

Investigation of a Half-Conical Scoop Inlet Mounted at Five Alternate Circumferential Locations around a Circular Fuselage Pressure-Recovery Results at a Mach Number 2.01

The effects of inlet circumferential position around the fuselage on the characteristics of a half-conical scoop inlet having a 24.6deg half-angle cone have been investigated in the langley 4- by 4-foot supersonic pressure tunnel. Pressure-recovery results have been obtained at a Mach number of 2.01 for a fixed boundary-layer-bleed height which was 60 percent of the boundary-layer thickness at an angle of attack of 0deg, and for cowling position parameters of 42.4deg and 38.0deg. inlet had a capture area equal to 24.9 percent of the basic-fuselage frontal area. The angle of attack was varied from 0deg to 12deg. The most favorable pressure-recovery characteristics at angles of attack were obtained with the Inlet located on the bottom of the fuselage where the maximum recovery increased from a value of 81 percent at an angle of attack of 0deg to 87 percent at 12deg. In general, the pressure recovery decreased with increasing angle of attack for all other inlet locations. At a given angle of attack the pressure recovery decreased as the inlet location was progressively moved from the bottom to the top of the fuselage. Stable subcritical operation of the inlet with nearly constant pressure recovery was obtained for inlet mass-flow ratios from 1.0 to about 0.76 at an angle of attack of 0deg with the central body in the design position.

Hasel, Lowell E.↗

Theoretical and experimental flow fields for a supersonic cruise fighter forebody

The capability of two numerical methods to predict the flow field about a representative supersonic cruise aircraft was examined. The two codes were a small-disturbance transonic program of Boppe and a conservative form full-potential transonic program of Shankar and Szema. For the former code, comparisons were made with wind-tunnel data at Mach numbers of 0.6, 0.9, and 1.2 and angles of attack of 0 deg, 5 deg, and 10 deg (7.5 deg instead of 10 deg at a Mach number of 1.2). Predictions from the two codes were compared at a Mach number of 1.2 and an angle of attack of 7.5 deg. The comparison criteria were contours of local angle of attack, local angle of sideslip, and local Mach number. The comparisons indicated that both codes may be considered useful for design applications, depending on the degree of accuracy required by the user's solution. Both solutions show an inaccuracy in their predictions, particularly as Mach number and/or angle of attack increases, because of their lack of viscous effects and any mechanisms to predict vortex development.

Yaros, S. F.↗

Performance Study of a Ducted Fan System

An experimental investigation was completed in the NASA Ames 7- by 10-Foot Wind Tunnel with the objective of determining the performance characteristics of a ducted fan. The model was an annular duct with a 38-in diameter, 10-in chord, and a 5-bladed fixed-pitch fan. Model variations included duct angle of attack, exit vane flap length, flap deflection angle, and duct chord length. Duct performance data were obtained for axial and forward flight test conditions. Axial flow test data showed figure of merit decreases with increasing advance ratio. Forward flight data showed an increasing propulsive force with decreasing duct angle of attack. Exit vane flap deflection angle and flap chord length were shown to be an effective way of providing side force. Extending the duct chord did not effect the duct performance.

Abrego, Anita I.↗

Measurement of the Static Stability and Control and the Damping Derivatives of a 0.13-Scale Model of the Convair XFY-1 Airplane, TED No. NACA DE 368

An investigation has been conducted to determine the static stability and control and damping in roll and yaw of a 0.13-scale model of the Convair XFY-1 airplane with propellers off from 0 deg to 90 deg angle of attack. The tests showed that a slightly unstable pitch-up tendency occurred simultaneously with a break in the normal-force curve in the angle-of-attack range from about 27 deg to 36 deg. The top vertical tail contributed positive values of static directional stability and effective dihedral up to an angle of attack of about 35 deg. The bottom tail contributed positive values of static directional stability but negative values of effective dihedral throughout the angle-of-attack range. Effectiveness of the control surfaces decreased to very low values at the high angles of attack, The model had positive damping in yaw and damping in roll about the body axes over the angle-of-attack range but the damping in yaw decreased to about zero at 90 deg angle of attack.

Johnson, Joseph L.↗

Effect of thermally expanding surfaces on aerodynamic roll torques for cones.

An experimental and analytical study has been made of the aerodynamic roll torque on smoothly ablating, spinning cones. The tests, conducted in the Ames 3.5-Foot Hypersonic Wind Tunnel, indicated that the smoothly ablating model rolling at 0 deg angle of attack experiences roll damping, but when rolling at angle of attack an aerodynamic torque in the direction of spin arises if thermal expansion of the body surface occurs. An analysis of the spinning body at angle of attack is included to show how the relative importance of the ablator thermal expansion and the surface recession rate determines whether the motion is damped or undamped.

Mcdevitt, J. B.↗

Wind-tunnel Tests of a Model of a Wingless Fin-controlled Missile to Obtain Static Stability and Control Characteristics Through a Range of Mach Numbers from 0.5 to 0.88

An investigation at medium to high subsonic speeds has been conducted in the Langley low-turbulence pressure tunnel to determine the static stability and control characteristics and to measure the fin normal forces and moments for a model of a wingless fin-controlled missile. The data were obtained at Reynolds number of 2.1 x 10(6) based on the missile maximum diameter or 17.7 x 10(6) based on missile length; this Reynolds number was found to be large enough to avoid any large scale effects between the test and the expected flight Reynolds number. With the horizontal-fin deflection limited to a maximum of 6 degrees, longitudinally stable and trimmed flight could not be maintained beyond an angle of attack of 17 degrees for a Mach number of 0.88 and beyond 20 degrees for a Mach number of 0.50 for any center-of-gravity location without the use of some auxiliary stability or control device such as jet vanes. Mach number had no appreciable effect on the center-of-pressure positions and only a slight effect on neutral-point position. There was a shift in neutral-point position of about 1 caliber as the angle of attack was varied through the range for which the neutral point could be determined. Yawing the model to angles of sideslip up to 7 degrees had little effect on the longitudinal stability at angles of attack up to 15 degrees; however, above 15 degrees, the effect of sideslip was destabilizing. With the vertical fins at a plus-or-minus 6 degree roll deflection, the rolling moment caused by yawing the model at high angles of attack could be trimmed out up to angles of sideslip of 6.5 degrees and an angle of attack of 26 degrees for a Mach number of 0.50; this range of sideslip angles was reduced to 3 degrees at a Mach number of 0.88. The data indicated that, at lower angles of attack, the trim range extended to higher angles of sideslip. The total normal-force and hinge-moment coefficients for both horizontal fins were slightly nonlinear with both angle-of-attack and fin deflection. The effect of Mach number was to reduce the slopes of the hinge-moment coefficient with angle of attack and deflection angle. In general, the effort of increasing the sideslip angle was to reduce the values of the fin normal-force and hinge-moment coefficients.

Burrows, Dale L↗

Low-speed aerodynamic characteristics of a twin-engine general aviation configuration with aft-fuselage-mounted pusher propellers

An investigation was conducted to determine the aerodynamic characteristics of an advanced turboprop aircraft model with aft-pylon-mounted pusher propellers. Tests were conducted through an angle-of-attack range of -8 to 28 degrees, and an angle-of-sideslip range of -20 to 20 degrees at free-stream conditions corresponding to Reynolds numbers of 0.55 to 2.14 x 10 to the 6th power based on mean aerodynamic chord. Test results show that for the unpowered configurations the maximum lift coefficients for the cruise, takeoff, and landing configurations are 1.45, 1.90, and 2.10, respectively. Nacelle installation results in a drag coefficient increase of 0.01. Increasing propeller thrust results in a significant increase in lift for angles of attack above stall and improves the longitudinal stability. The cruise configuration remains longitudinally stable to an angle of attack 5 degrees beyond the stall angle, the takeoff configuration is stable 4 degrees beyond stall angle, and the landing configuration is stable 3 degrees beyond stall angle. The predominant effect of symmetric thrust on the lateral-directional aerodynamic characteristics is in the post-stall region, where additional rudder control is available with power on.

Dunham, Dana Morris↗

An experimental investigation of surface pressure measurements on an advanced winged entry vehicle at Mach 10

Surface pressure measurements have been made at Mach 10 in air on an instrumented 0.006-scale model of an advanced (control configured) winged entry vehicle. The tests were conducted in the Langley Continuous Flow Hypersonic Tunnel. Data were obtained at 83 surface pressure stations, which include locations on the lower and upper surface centerlines, spanwise positions along the lower and upper surfaces of the wing, the lower surface of the body flap, and radial locations on the fuselage. Data were obtained for angles of attack ranging from zero to 40 deg, sideslip angles of -2 deg to +5 deg, Reynolds numbers of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 million per foot, and body-flap deflections of zero, 10, and 20 deg. Test conditions and orifice locations were chosen to correspond directly with those for the heat transfer measurements previously reported on the same configuration. Comparison of windward symmetry plane data with predictions based upon an approximate engineering method was found to yield reasonable agreement for angles of attack from 20 to 40 deg. The leeward surface pressure data were observed to be roughly an order of magnitude lower than the corresponding windward data. At low angles of attack, regions of high pressure were noted on the windward wing surface. The result is attributed to vortical action or shock impingement. High pressures were also measured on the deflected body flap, a critical region for this type of vehicle. Reynolds number effects were found to be insignificant.

Wurster, K. E.↗

Computer programs for calculating the static longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of wing-body-tail configurations

Four computer programs developed to calculate the longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of wing-body and wing-body-tail combinations are presented. The R1307 program is based on a linear method and is limited to the small range of angles of attack for which the lift and moment characteristics of wings and bodies are linear with angle of attack. The CRSFLW program is based on a crossflow method of predicting the forces and moments on bodies alone or wing-body combinations over a large angle of attack range. The SUBSON program predicts the longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of wing-body-tail combinations at subsonic speeds and at angles of attack for which symmetrical pairs of vortices are shed from the body nose and the leading and side edges of the lifting surfaces. Program SUPSON predicts the longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of wing-body-tail combinations at supersonic speeds in the same angle-of-attack range. A description of the use of each program, instructions for preparation of input, a description of the output, program listings, and sample cases for each program are included.

Mendenhall, M. R.↗

A survey of NASA Langley studies on high-speed transition and the quiet tunnel

A quantitative experimental and theoretical assessment of the role of wind-tunnel disturbances in the boundary-layer transition process at hypersonic speeds is presented. The various approaches and recent results for the development of a low-noise-level tunnel are presented. A statistical parametric study of transition data with a large computer is shown for cones in free flight, ballistic ranges, and wind tunnels at essentially zero angle of attack. New transition results for slender cones at small angle of attack are also given, as are studies of transition at high angle of attack, which are compared with various correlation attempts. Included are results which indicate that hypersonic transition in the outer part of the boundary layer precedes the manifestation of transition at the wall.

Beckwith, I. E.↗

On aerodynamic coupling between lateral and longitudinal degrees of freedom

An oscillatory technique for routine measurement of all the direct, cross and cross-coupling moment derivatives due to pitching and yawing has been developed and a series of comprehensive results at Mach numbers 0.7 and 0.25 and at angles of attack up to 40 deg has been obtained in a large wind tunnel. It was found that some of the dynamic cross-coupling derivatives, that at low angles of attack were all zero, at higher angles of attack could reach values that rendered the pertinent cross-coupling terms in the equations of motion comparable in magnitude to the well-established damping terms. Large nonlinear variations with angle of attack were observed in many of the measured derivatives including the important damping-in-pitch and damping-in-yaw derivatives. It was concluded that it may be desirable to include some dynamic cross-coupling derivatives, and the functional variation with angle of attack of many derivatives, in the equations of motion, and to consider all these equations simultaneously, rather than in separate longitudinal and lateral groups.

Orlik-Rueckemann, K. J.↗

Navier-Stokes Simulation of Several High-Lift Reference H Configurations

The subsonic flow field was numerically simulated around several High Speed Research Reference H configurations at various pitch and yaw angles. A sequence of structured-viscous grids were generated; the first grid modeled the wing-body high-lift geometry, and the second grid incorporated the nacelles and the horizontal tail. The third grid modeled the full-span geometry for sideslip calculations, and was obtained by mirroring a coarser version of the second grid. The CFL3D code, a Reynolds averaged, thin-layer Navier-Stokes flow solver for structural grids, was used for the flow solver and modeled the free-air Reference H high-lift configuration at wind tunnel conditions of Mach number 0.24 and Reynolds number of 1.4 x 10(exp 5) per in. Pitch sweeps were performed at angles of attack from 6 deg to 15 deg. Sideslip angle sweeps at 0 deg <= Beta <= +18 deg were performed at an angle of attack of 8 deg. The lateral and longitudinal performance characteristics were well predicted and very good force and moment comparisons were obtained. A very complex multiple vortical system develops at the higher angles of attack, and detailed postprocessing of the solutions provided a comprehensive three-dimensional understanding of the flow which helps to correlate and interpret the wind tunnel data.

Lessard, Wendy B.↗

Aerodynamic Characteristics of Several Hypersonic Boost-Glide-Type Configurations at Mach Numbers from 2.30 to 4.63

An investigation has been conducted at Mach numbers from 2.30 to 4.63 to determine the static aerodynamic characteristics of several configurations designed for flight at hypersonic Mach numbers. Two all-wing and three wing-body configurations were tested through an angle-of-attack range from about -4 degrees to 33 degrees and an angle-of-sideslip range from about -4 degrees to 8 degrees at a Reynolds number of 3 times 10 (sup 6) per foot (9.84 times 10 (sup 6) per meter). The results of the investigation indicated that the wing-body configurations produced higher values of maximum lift-drag ratio than those produced by the all-wing models. The high wing-body configurations tend to have a self-trimming capability as opposed to that for the low wing-body configurations. Each of the configurations produced a positive dihedral effect that increased with increasing angle of attack and decreased with increasing Mach number. The high wing-body models produced decreasing values of directional stability with increase in angle of attack, whereas the low wing-body models provided increasing values of directional stability with increase in angle of attack.

Graves, Ernald B.↗

Thrust law effects on the longitudinal stability of hypersonic cruise

In the present analytical treatment of the cruising flight stability of an aerospacecraft in nearly circular orbit, on the basis of a thrust law which arbitrarily depends on altitude, speed, and angle of attack, attention is given to thrust law effects on the translational (height and phugoid) and rotational (angle of attack) modes. The partial derivatives of the propulsive forces in conjunction with the aerodynamic forces, with respect to speed and altitude, are noted to exert a major influence on the stability of translational dynamics; the partial derivative of the component of propulsive and aerodynamic forces which is perpendicular to vehicle velocity (with respect to the angle of attack) is a primary determinant of the damping of angle-of-attack oscillations, while the partial derivative of the sum about the center of mass of aerodynamic and propulsive pitching moments, with respect to the angle of attack, determines the corresponding period.

Markopoulos, Nikos↗

Optimal penetration landing trajectories in the presence of windshear

The present consideration of optimal windshear-penetration flight trajectories in a vertical plane gives attention to the cases of either mere angle-of-attack control, with predetermined power setting, or both angle-of-attack and power setting controls. Inequality constraints are imposed on the angle-of-attack, the power setting, and their time derivatives. The performance index being minimized measures flight trajectory deviation from a nominal trajectory. Time is free, absolute path inclination at touchdown is specified, and touchdown velocity and distance are subject to upper and lower bounds. Three power settings are investigated.

Miele, A.↗

Kinematic properties of rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft in steady coordinated high-g turns

An analytical approach to the study of flight dynamics of aircraft operating in a high-angle-of-attack flight regime and of helicopters operating in extreme thrust conditions is presented. Steady coordinated high-g turns are used to establish the initial equilibrium flight conditions near stall angles of attack. The kinematic properties of the aircraft in steady coordinated turns are examined: in high-g turns, pitch rate (independent of the angle of attack) is of a much larger magnitude than roll and yaw rate; a substantial roll rate is found to develop in steep turns for all angles of attack; the angle of attack also has a significant effect on the pitch attitude, with decreasing influence as the normal load factor increases. The exact small disturbance equations of motion of the aircraft in general steady turns are also developed for application to both rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft in extreme conditions. These equations are in a first-order, vector-matrix format, and are thus compatible with many efficient software packages developed in modern system theory.

Chen, R. T. N.↗

Progress in Navier-Stokes Simulation of Delta Wing Maneuver Aerodynamics

This paper will summarize recent progress in the numerical simulation of high incidence vortical flow about a generic 65 degree sweep delta wing using the three dimensional, time-dependent, Reynolds averaged, Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations. Computations have been carried out at 15 and 30 degrees angle of attack under subsonic turbulent flow conditions, and compared with experimental data provided by Hanff, Jenkins, and their colleagues. This work has already been published elsewhere and widely disseminated. Computations carried out at 15 degrees angle of attack included static roll angles ranging up to 65 degrees, and a large-amplitude (40 degree), high rate (7 Hz), forced roll motion. There was very good agreement between computed and experimental forces and moments, and static surface pressures. There was a significant hysteresis of the dynamic rolling moment due to the high rate of roll motion. At this angle of attack, no vortex breakdown was observed in the computations or experiment. Computations were also carried out at 30 degrees angle of attack, where vortex breakdown was present in both the computations and experiment. There was overall good agreement in the computed and experimental forces and moments. The static rolling moment varied with roll angle in a highly nonlinear manner, and exhibited three stable trim points and two unstable trim points. This behavior was attributed to the presence of vortex breakdown. Two large-amplitude (30 degrees), high-rate (10 Hz) forced roll motions were computed. The dynamics of the vortex breakdown motion was dramatically visualized by tracking the time-dependent motion of particles released near the delta wing apex. This numerical visualization is analogous to experimental smoke flow techniques. In one of the dynamic cases the breakdown was found to move off the wing, convected downwind of the trailing edge, and later reformed near the trailing edge through an instability of the vortex core. A damped free-to-roll motion was also computed by releasing the wing from rest at 40 degrees of roll. The wing went to the same trim point as in the experiment.

Chaderjian, Neal M.↗

Some Effects of Horizontal-Tail Position on the Vertical-Tail Pressure Distributions of a Complete Model in Sideslip at High Subsonic Speeds

An investigation has been made in the Langley high-speed 7- by 10-foot tunnel of some effects of horizontal-tail position on the vertical-tail pressure distributions of a complete model in sideslip at high subsonic speeds. The wing of the model was swept back 28.82 deg at the quarter-chord line and had an aspect ratio of 3.50, a taper ratio of 0.067, and NACA 65A004 airfoil sections parallel to the model plane of symmetry. Tests were made with the horizontal tail off, on the wing-chord plane extended, and in T-tail arrangements in forward and rearward locations. The test Mach numbers ranged from 0.60 to 0.92, which corresponds to a Reynolds number range from approximately 2.93 x 10(exp 6) to 3.69 x 10(exp 6), based on the wing mean aerodynamic chord. The sideslip angles varied from -3.9 deg to 12.7 deg at several selected angles of attack. The results indicated that, for a given angle of sideslip, increases in angle of attack caused reductions in the vertical-tail loads in the vicinity of the root chord and increases at the midspan and tip locations, with rearward movements in the local chordwise centers of pressure for the midspan locations and forward movements near the tip of the vertical tail. At the higher angles of attack all configurations investigated experienced outboard and rearward shifts in the center of pressure of the total vertical-tail load. Location of the horizontal tail on the wing- chord plane extended produced only small effects on the vertical-tail loads and centers of pressure. Locating the horizontal tail at the tip of the vertical tail in the forward position caused increases in the vertical-tail loads; this configuration, however, experienced considerable reduction in loads with increasing Mach number. Location of the horizontal tail at the tip of the vertical tail in the rearward position produced the largest increases in vertical-tail loads per degree sideslip angle; this configuration experienced the smallest variations of loads with Mach number of any of the configurations investigated.

Alford, William J., Jr.↗