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At least 1,315 records · Page 73

Farfield structure of an aircraft trailing vortex, including effects of mass injection

Wind tunnel tests to predict the aircraft wake turbulence due to the tip trailing vortex are discussed. A yawhead pressure probe was used in a subsonic wind tunnel to obtain detailed mean flow measurements at stations up to 30 chordlengths downstream in an aircraft trailing vortex. Mass injection at the wingtip was shown to hasten the decay of the trailing vortex. A theoretical method is presented to show the effect which the circulation distribution on the wing has on the structure of the outer portion of the vortex.

Mason, W. H.↗

Influence of wind shear on the aerodynamic characteristics of airplanes

The aerodynamic effect of shear flow through a series of sensitivity studies of the wind velocity gradients and wing planform geometry parameters is investigated and characterized. The wind shear effect is computed using a modified vortex-lattice computer program and characterized through the formulation of wind shear aerodynamic coefficients. The magnitudes if the aerodynamic effects are demonstrated by computation of the resultant change in the aerodynamics of a conventional wing and horizontal stability configuration on a fixed flight path through a simulated microburst. The results indicate that as much as 20 percent of the control authority of the airplane may be required to counteract the wind-shear-induced forces and moments in the microburst environment.

Vicroy, Dan D.↗

Aerodynamics of spheres for Mach numbers from 0.6 to 10.5 including some effects of test conditions

Wind tunnel tests were made for spheres of various sizes over a range of Mach numbers and Reynolds numbers. The results indicated some conditions where the drag was affected by changes in the afterbody pressure due to a shock reflection from the tunnel wall. This effect disappeared when the Mach number was increased for a given sphere size or when the sphere size was decreased for a given Mach number. Drag measurements and Schlieren photographs show the possibility of obtaining inaccurate data when tests are made with a sphere too large for the test section size and Mach number. Tests were also made of an oblate spheroid. The results indicated a region at high Mach numbers where inherent positive static stability might occur with the oblate-face forward. The drag results are compared with those for a sphere and those for various other shapes. The drag results for the oblate spheriod and the sphere are also compared with some calculated results.

Spearman, M. Leroy↗

COLLIDING-WIND BINARIES WITH STRONG MAGNETIC FIELDS

The dynamics of colliding-wind binary (CWB) systems and conditions for efficient particle acceleration therein have attracted multiple numerical studies in recent years. These numerical models seek an explanation of the thermal and nonthermal emission of these systems as seen by observations. In the nonthermal regime, radio and X-ray emission is observed for several of these CWBs, while gamma-ray emission has so far only been found in η Carinae and possibly in WR 11. Energetic electrons are deemed responsible for a large fraction of the observed high-energy photons in these systems. Only in the gamma-ray regime might there be, depending on the properties of the stars, a significant contribution of emission from neutral pion decay. Thus, studying the emission from CWBs requires detailed models of the acceleration and propagation of energetic electrons. This in turn requires a detailed understanding of the magnetic field, which will affect not only the energy losses of the electrons but also, in the case of synchrotron emission, the directional dependence of the emissivity. In this study we investigate magnetohydrodynamic simulations of different CWB systems with magnetic fields that are strong enough to have a significant effect on the winds. Such strong fields require a detailed treatment of the near-star wind acceleration zone. We show the implementation of such simulations and discuss results that demonstrate the effect of the magnetic field on the structure of the wind collision region.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Comparison of periodic and other characteristics of geomagnetic and meterological rocket data

The temporal variations in stratospheric winds and temperatures with the geomagnetic field elements were compared. From a periodic analysis of the geomagnetic field elements the amplitude and phase of the quasibiennial, annual, and semiannual waves are given for stations from 1 degree S to 89 degree N. These results are then compared with corresponding waves reported in rocketsonde wind and temperature data. The annual waves are found to be coupled as a result of the annual variation in the dynamo effect of the wind in the lower ionosphere. The semiannual waves are also found to be coupled and three possible causes for the extra tropical stratospheric semiannual wind wave are discussed. Time variance spectra for the interval from 4 days to 44 days in both zonal winds and horizontal geomagnetic field intensity are compared for years when major midwinter warmings occur and years when only minor warmings occur. The noted differences are suggested to arise from upward propagating planetary waves which are absorbed or refracted in varying amounts depending on the prevailing circulation.

Nastrom, G. D.↗

Predicting Noise From Wind Turbines

Computer program WINDY predicts broadband noise spectra of horizontal-axis wind-turbine generators. Enables adequate assessment of impact of broadband wind-turbine noise. Effects of turbulence, trailing-edge wakes, and bluntness taken into account. Program has practical application in design and siting of wind-turbine machines acceptable to community. Written in GW-Basic.

Grosveld, Ferdinand W.↗

Solar wind temperature observations in the outer heliosphere

The Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, and Voyager 2 spacecraft are now at heliocentric distances of 50, 32 and 33 AU, and heliographic latitudes of 3.5 deg N, 17 deg N, and 0 deg N, respectively. Pioneer 11 and Voyager 2 are at similar celestial longitudes, while Pioneer l0 is on the opposite side of the sun. The baselines defined by these spacecraft make it possible to resolve radial, longitudinal, and latitudinal variations of solar wind parameters. The solar wind temperature decreases with increasing heliocentric distance out to a distance of 10-15 AU. At larger heliocentric distances, this gradient disappears. These high solar wind temperatures in the outer heliosphere have persisted for at least 10 years, which suggests that they are not a solar cycle effect. The solar wind temperature varied with heliographic latitude during the most recent solar minimum. The solar wind temperature at Pioneer 11 and Voyager 2 was higher than that seen at Pioneer 10 for an extended period of time, which suggests the existence of a large-scale variation of temperature with celestial longitude, but the contribution of transient phenomena is yet to be clarified.

Gazis, P. R.↗

Dynamic ground effects flight test of the NASA F-15 aircraft

Aerodynamic characteristics of an aircraft may significantly differ when flying close to the ground rather than when flying up and away. Recent research has also determined that dynamic effects (i.e., sink rate) influence ground effects (GE). A ground effects flight test program of the F-15 aircraft was conducted to support the propulsion controlled aircraft (PCA) program at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. Flight data was collected for 24 landings on seven test flights. Dynamic ground effects data were obtained for low- and high-sink rates, between 0.8 and 6.5 ft/sec, at two approach speed and flap combinations. These combinations consisted of 150 kt with the flaps down (30 deg deflection) and 170 kt with the flaps up (0 deg deflection), both with the inlet ramps in the full-up position. The aerodynamic coefficients caused by ground effects were estimated from the flight data. These ground effects data were correlated with the aircraft speed, flap setting, and sink rate. Results are compared to previous flight test and wind-tunnel ground effects data for various wings and for complete aircraft.

Corda, Stephen↗

A wind-tunnel investigation of parameters affecting helicopter directional control at low speeds in ground effect

An investigation was conducted in the Langley full-scale tunnel to measure the performance of several helicopter tail-rotor/fin configurations with regard to directional control problems encountered at low speeds in ground effect. Tests were conducted at wind azimuths of 0 deg to 360 deg in increments of 30 deg and 60 deg and at wind speeds from 0 to 35 knots. The results indicate that at certain combinations of wind speed and wind azimuth, large increases in adverse fin force require correspondingly large increases in the tail-rotor thrust, collective pitch, and power required to maintain yaw trim. Changing the tail-rotor direction of rotation to top blade aft for either a pusher tail rotor (tail-rotor wake blowing away from fin) or a tractor tail rotor (tail-rotor wake blowing against fin) will alleviate this problem. For a pusher tail rotor at 180 deg wind azimuth, increases in the fin/tail-rotor gap were not found to have any significant influence on the overall vehicle directional control capability. Changing the tail rotor to a higher position was found to improve tail-rotor performance for a fin-off configuration at a wind azimuth of 180 deg. A V-tail configuration with a pusher tail rotor with top blade aft direction of rotation was found to be the best configuration with regard to overall directional control capability.

Yeager, W. T., Jr.↗

Is EIA part of the wind power planning problem?

This research evaluates the importance and effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) within wind farm planning debates, drawing on insights from case studies in Scotland. Despite general public support for renewable energy on the grounds that it is needed to tackle climate change and implement sustainable development, many proposed wind farms encounter significant resistance. The importance of planning issues and (EIA) processes has arguably been overlooked within recent wind farm social acceptability discourse. Through semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders and textual analysis of EIA documents, the characteristics of EIA are assessed in terms of its perceived purpose and performance. The data show that whilst respondents perceive EIA to be important, they express concerns about bias and about the inability of EIA to address climate change and wind farm decommissioning issues adequately. Furthermore, the research identifies key issues which impede the effectiveness of EIA, and reveals differences between theoretical and practical framings of EIA. The paper questions the assumption that EIA is a universally applicable tool, and argues that its effectiveness should be analysed in the context of specific development sectors. The article concludes by reviewing whether the recently amended EIA Directive (2014/52/EU) could resolve identified problems within national EIA practice. - Highlights: • Evaluation of EIA for onshore wind farm planning in Scotland. • EIA is important for multiple aspects of onshore wind farm planning. • Multiple substantive deficiencies of relevance to wind farm planning exist in EIA. • Further research into EIA effectiveness for specific development types is required. • Directive 2014/52/EU may improve EIA effectiveness within wind farm planning.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Numerical calculation of transonic flow about slender bodies of revolution

A relaxation method is described for the numerical solution of the transonic small disturbance equation for flow about a slender body of revolution. Results for parabolic arc bodies, both with and without an attached sting, are compared with wind-tunnel measurements for a free-stream Mach number range from 0.90 to 1.20. The method is also used to show the effects of wind-tunnel wall interference by including boundary conditions representing porous-wall and open-jet wind-tunnel test sections.

Bailey, F. R.↗

C/STOL flight in wind disturbed by the presence of buildings

This paper investigates the behavior of winds about block geometries characteristic of building shapes and of the flight performance of aircraft with characteristics of a DC-8 and a DHC-6 as they fly through the wind fields. The two-dimensional equations of motion for the aircraft are written to include variable winds and wind shear components. The paper also presents a discussion of the influence of those terms in the equations of motion which explicitly contain effects due to wind shear. Also included is a study of the aircrafts' flight paths over the obstacles with both a fixed stick and an automatic landing system.

Frost, W.↗

Wind Enhanced Escape, Ion Pickup and the Evolution of Water on Mars

Preferential loss of hydrogen over deuterium from Mars has produced a deuterium rich atmosphere possessing a D/B ratio 5.2 times that of terrestrial water. Rayleigh fractionation is applied, constrained by the deuterium enrichment factor, to determine the magnitudes of ancient and present water reservoirs on the planet. The dominant lose mechanisms of R and D from the current atmosphere are thought to be thermal escape and solar wind ion pickup of the neutral and ion forms of theme constituents, respectively. During an earlier martian epoch, only thermal escape was significant because Mars had a terrestrial sized magnetosphere that protected the atmosphere from solar wind scavenging processes. The magnitudes of present and ancient water reservoirs are estimated when thermal escape is considered alone and subsequently when the effects of ion pickup are added. The escape fluxes of R and D are significantly increased above the respective Jeans fluxes when the effects of thermospheric winds and planetary rotation are accounted for at the exobase. Such wind enhanced escape also increases as the mass of an escaping constituent increases; thus, the increase in the escape flux of D is greater than that of H. When the fractionation process is also constrained by the D/H ratio observed in hydrous minerals of SNC meteorites, an ancient crustal reservoir of Martian water in derived, tens of meters in global-equivalent depth, considerably exceeding that obtained with no winds. The reservoir becomes even larger when ion pickup processes are added.

Hartle, Richard↗

Effectiveness of a Wedge Probe to Measure Sonic Boom Signatures in a Supersonic Wind Tunnel

A wind tunnel investigation was conducted in the Langley Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT) to determine the effectiveness of a wedge probe to measure sonic boom pressure signatures compared to a slender conical probe. A generic business jet model at a constant angle of attack and at a single model to probe separation distance was used to generate a sonic boom signature. Pressure signature data were acquired with both the wedge probe and a slender conical probe for comparison. The test was conducted at a Mach number of 2.0 and a free-stream unit Reynolds number of 2 million per foot. The results showed that the wedge probe was not effective in measuring the sonic boom pressure signature of the aircraft model in the supersonic wind tunnel. Data plots and a discussion of the results are presented. No tabulated data or flow visualization photographs are included.

Wilcox, Floyd J., Jr.↗

The 3-D effects in the long-term solar wind speed rise observed by Voyager 2 in early 1994

In early 1994, Voyager 2 at 42-43 AU near heliolatitude 10 deg S observed over a period of approximately 100 days a remarkable sequence of quasi-recurrent stream fronts, wherein the background (ambient) speed rose steadily from approximately 450 to approximately 550 km/s while the mean period of the streams decreased from the usual 25 days down to approximately 20 days. A qualitative explanation for this effect can be derived from IMP observations, which show that the amplitude of the stream structure at 1 AU increased monotonically in late 1993, concurrent with major secular evolution in the corona. The reduction in period, then, amounts to a doppler shift due to the progressive overtaking of successively faster streams in the sequence. Attempts to model this process quantitatively with 1-D dynamic simulations falter on three accounts: (1) the reduction in period is overestimated, (2) the simulation predicts many more fronts surviving to 43 AU than are observed by Voyager; (3) the density variations are much too large. It is argued that inclusion of the 3-D geometry in the simulation would resolve most all these shortcomings. Using a series of calculations executed with 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D MHD models of hypothetical tilted-dipole flows, we show that: (1) the radial propagation velocities of 3-D fronts are less than those of 1-D or 2-D fronts, owing to the tilt of (and increased shearing across) the interaction surfaces hence the overtaking rate of successive streams is reduced; (2) in a tilted-dipole geometry, the reverse fronts should largely disappear from the equatorial plane by 43 AU, effectively halving the number of fronts to be observed (see companion paper on predominance of forward fronts at Voyager); and (3) the density enhancements would be much smaller than predicted by a 1-D model.

Pizzo, V. J.↗