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At least 1,261 records · Page 70

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NASA NTRS1977

Flow in a transonic compressor rotor

Some results of a comprehensive study of the flow through a transonic compressor rotor are presented. The rotor produces a pressure ratio of 1.6 at a tip Mach number of 1.2, has a cylindrical casing, sloped hub, and MCA blade sections. The gas density has been measured in the rotor by gas fluorescence, which reveals details of the shock and boundary layer structure as well as density in the passages. Time resolved measurements of the flow just downstream of the rotor give the blade wake structure, which is related to the features shown by the fluorescence. Of particular interest is a complex three-dimensional separation near the sonic radius. The flow through the rotor has also been computed in three dimensions by a time-marching technique, and the results of this computation are compared to those found by flow visualization.

Kerrebrock, J. L.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Side-force alleviation on slender, pointed forebodies at high angles of attack

A new approach of alleviating high angle-of-attack side force on slender, pointed forebodies comprising a symmetrical pair of helical separation trips to disrupt the lee-side vortices, has been demonstrated. Subsonic wind tunnel measurements on two axi-symmetric pointed bodies, a fuselage of non-circular cross-section and a wing-fuselage combination, at angles of attack up to 56 degrees are presented. Also included are water-tunnel flow visualization results portraying the action of helical trips in rapidly diffusing the leeward vortices and preventing vortex-wake asymmetry.

Rao, D. M.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Experimental investigation of the subwing tip and its vortex structure

A better understanding of the subwing's vortex structure relative to a square tip for several angles of attack and yaw angles is provided. This comparison included subwings of various chord size and airfoil thickness. Flow visualization, together with performance and wake measurements, provided a comparison between the square tip and subwing tips during both a semi-span wind-tunnel test and a small-scale rotor hover-stand test.

Tangler, J. L.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Holography through optically active windows

By using two orthogonally polarized reference beams, holograms can be recorded through stressed windows and the reconstructed virtual image will show no stress pattern. As shown analytically, the stress-pattern-free hologram is recordable for any polarization state of the object illumination. Hence, the more efficient nondepolarizing diffuser can be used in performing holography through stressed windows if two reference beams are used. Results are presented for a pair of machined polysulfone windows intended for use in a holographic flow-visualization setup in a single-stage-compressor test rig.

Decker, A. J.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Application of the laser velocimeter to airfoil research

A laser velocimeter (LV) was installed in the Langley V/STOL tunnel to measure the velocity field about a wing with a NACA 0012 airfoil section. These measurements were compared at low angle of attack with a two dimensional, viscous flow prediction program. The velocity field over the wing in a fully stalled condition was also measured by the LV. The unique ability of the LV to measure absolute flow magnitude and direction without prior knowledge of general flow direction was demonstrated in the complex separated reverse flows near the wing upper surface at the high angle of attack. The general characteristics of the flow field over the stalled wing were substantiated by a vapor screen flow visualization technique.

Hoad, D. R.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Effects of wing leading-edge deflection on low-speed aerodynamic characteristics of a low-aspect-ratio highly swept arrow-wing configuration

Static force tests were conducted in the Langley V/STOL tunnel at a Reynolds number (based on the mean aerodynamic chord) of about 2.0 x 10 to the 6th power for an angle-of-attack range from about - 10 deg to 17 deg and angles of sideslip of 0 and + or - 5 deg. Limited flow visualization studies were also conducted in order to provide a qualitative assessment of leading-edge upwash characteristics.

Coe, P. L., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Influence of wave dispersion on vortex pairing in a jet

The geometry of large-scale structures in the turbulent mixing layer of a moderate Reynolds number jet is deduced from measurements of the fluctuating pressure in the hydrodynamic near field. The structures are rings of concentrated vorticity that distort with downstream distance until statistical axisymmetry disappears. The rings are spaced quasi-periodically and coalesce with each other, producing larger spacings. Statistical and flow-visualization techniques are applied to free and forced jets over a range of Reynolds numbers from 5000 to 50,000 to demonstrate that rings of a given spacing do not coalesce with each other until they are far enough downstream that the local mixing layer has attained some critical thickness which scales with the wavelength of the vortex pair. Wave dispersion is evaluated as a plausible mechanism for localizing the coalescences. The central feature of the model is the observation that a shear layer is dispersive to wavelengths much longer than its thickness and nondispersive to shorter waves.

Petersen, R. A.↗

NASA NTRS1979

On sound radiation from the trailing edge of an isolated airfoil in a uniform flow

An experimental investigation has been conducted to determine the physical process of the noise production from the trailing edge of an isolated two-dimensional airfoil embedded in a low turbulence uniform mean flow. The Reynolds number of the airfoil based on chord was greater than 1,000,000 and that the boundary layer was fully turbulent at the trailing edge. Smoke injection technique and spark shadowgraphy were used to study the structural features of the boundary layer. Two point joint statistical analyses were made on the surface pressure, the radiated sound and the relationship between the two quantities. Operating conditions included two free stream velocities and two angles of attack for both a naturally developed and an artificially tripped boundary layer. Flow visualizations revealed the existence of large scale coherent motions in the outer region of the boundary layer. The observed coherent motions had scales of the order of boundary layer thickness and a convection velocity near the free stream velocity. The production process of the airfoil trailing edge noise was determined to be the convection of the large scale coherent eddies over the trailing edge of the airfoil. The noise field so generated was found to be rather coherent and dipole-like.

Yu, J. C.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Shock structure in transonic compressor rotors

The inadequacy of axisymmetric theory in modeling the structure of the shock system in a transonic compressor rotor is shown with a simple model. A more accurate model for the flow near the sonic radius is proposed, which is supported by some flow visualization data and three-dimensional computations.

Epstein, A. H.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Low-speed wind-tunnel tests of a 1/10-scale model of an advanced arrow-wing supersonic cruise configuration designed for cruise at Mach 2.2

The low-speed longitudinal and lateral-directional characteristics of a scale model of an advanced arrow-wing supersonic cruise configuration were investigated in tests conducted at a Reynolds number of 4.19 x 10 to the 6th power based on the mean aerodynamic chord, with an angle of attack range from - 6 deg to 23 deg and sideslip angle range from -15 deg to 20 deg. The effects of segmented leading-edge flaps, slotted trailing-edge flaps, horizontal and vertical tails, and ailerons and spoilers were determined. Extensive pressure data and flow visualization pictures with non-intrusive fluorescent mini-tufts were obtained.

Yip, L. P.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Cryogenic wind tunnel activities at the University of Southampton

The characteristics and behavior of a 0.3m transonic cryogenic wind tunnel are discussed. The wide band of usable Reynolds numbers is analyzed along with a flow visualization technique using propane. The combination of magnetic suspension with the cryogenic wind tunnel is described. An outline of the circuit showing the locations of the magnet system and the features of the tunnel are presented.

Goodyer, M. J.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Influence of coolant tube curvature on film cooling effectiveness as detected by infrared imagery

Thermal film cooling footprints observed by infrared imagery from straight, curved, and looped coolant tube geometries are compared. It was hypothesized that the differences in secondary flow and in the turbulence structure of flow through these three tubes should influence the mixing properties between the coolant and the main stream. A flow visualization tunnel, an infrared camera and detector, and a Hilsch tube were employed to test the hypothesis.

Papell, S. S.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Investigation of flow characteristics over missile bodies at supersonic speeds

Three missile body shapes tested at Mach numbers of 1.50, 2.16, and 2.86 with angles of attack up to 30 degrees are described. The flow characteristics for each body shape are examined. The measured aerodynamic forces and moments are presented. The use of flow visualization techniques are described and the results such as vortex effects are discussed.

Barger, R. L.↗

NASA NTRS1980

A three dimensional vortex wake model for missiles at high angles on attack

A three dimensional model for the steady flow past missile and aircraft nose shaped bodies is presented based on augmenting a potential solution with a wake composed of vortex filaments. The vortex positions are determined by the requirement that they, in some sense, align with the flow. The aerodynamic loads on the body are compared with experimental values and used to evaluate the model. The vortex positions compare well with flow visualization results for slender bodies at high angles of attack. The approximations in the wake near the body cause peaks in the force distributions more severe than in the measured values. For given vortex strengths and body attachment points multiple steady vortex positions were not found.

Sheffield, J. S.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Experimental Evaluation of a Low Emissions High Performance Duct Burner for Variable Cycle Engines (VCE)

An evaluation was conducted with a three stage Vorbix duct burner to determine the performance and emissions characteristics of the concept and to refine the configuration to provide acceptable durability and operational characteristics for its use in the variable cycle engine (VCE) testbed program. The tests were conducted at representative takeoff, transonic climb, and supersonic cruise inlet conditions for the VSCE-502B study engine. The test stand, the emissions sampling and analysis equipment, and the supporting flow visualization rigs are described. The performance parameters including the fuel-air ratio, the combustion efficiency/exit temperature, thrust efficiency, and gaseous emissions calculations are defined. The test procedures are reviewed and the results are discussed.

Lohmann, R. P.↗

NASA NTRS1980

A Scanning laser-velocimeter technique for measuring two-dimensional wake-vortex velocity distributions

A rapid scanning two dimensional laser velocimeter (LV) has been used to measure simultaneously the vortex vertical and axial velocity distributions in the Langley Vortex Research Facility. This system utilized a two dimensional Bragg cell for removing flow direction ambiguity by translating the optical frequency for each velocity component, which was separated by band-pass filters. A rotational scan mechanism provided an incremental rapid scan to compensate for the large displacement of the vortex with time. The data were processed with a digital counter and an on-line minicomputer. Vaporized kerosene (0.5 micron to 5 micron particle sizes) was used for flow visualization and LV scattering centers. The overall measured mean-velocity uncertainity is less than 2 percent. These measurements were obtained from ensemble averaging of individual realizations.

Gartrell, L. R.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Investigations of coherent structures in free turbulent shear flows

The dynamics of large-scale coherent structures in general, and studies based on flow-visualization and phase-locked hot-wire measurements of the structures in the near fields of circular jets are considered. A study involving the nature of coherent structures under conditions of stable vortex pairing induced by controlled axisymmetric acoustic excitation reveals that azimuthal coherence initially enhanced by the excitation is lost before the end of the potential core through evolution of azimuthal lobe structures and turbulent breakdown. The evolution of a spark-induced spot in an axisymmetric turbulent mixing layer is also investigated, and the coherent Reynolds stress associated with the spot is found to be much higher than the background turbulence Reynolds stress. In addition, the state of organization in a high Reynolds number unperturbed axisymmetric mixing layer is examined, and it is shown that the shear layer is infrequently organized and the motions are intensely three-dimensional, while tearing and fractional pairing occur as frequently as complete pairing.

Hussain, A. K. M. F.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Experimental evaluation of exhaust mixers for an Energy Efficient Engine

Static scale model tests were conducted to evaluate exhaust system mixers for a high bypass ratio engine as part of the NASA sponsored Energy Efficient program. Gross thrust coefficients were measured for a series of mixer configurations which included variations in the number of mixer lobes, tailpipe length, mixer penetration, and length. All of these parameters have a significant impact on exhaust system performance. In addition, flow visualization pictures and pressure/temperature traverses were obtained for selected configurations. Parametric performance trends are discussed and the results considered relative to the Energy Efficient Engine program goals.

Kozlowski, H.↗